by Ivy Asher
“Vinna, you’re so cute when you’re clueless," Knox teases and starts to tickle me. I quickly scramble away from the delicious torture and shoot a playful glare his way.
“So, Reader documents?” Ryker asks me, repeating his unanswered question.
I huff not really wanting to deal with it today. “I vote for tackling those tomorrow. Let’s do something normal today, something fun," I propose.
“You want to stay in the house or get out?” Bastien queries.
“As long as it’s safe to go out, let’s go out.”
They all become thoughtful.
“Dancing?” Knox throws out there.
Five heads look to me.
“Dancing," I agree excited.
The name The Black Hat is lit up in deep purple lights above a small warehouse. From outside I don’t hear any music or noises that would have anyone believing it was anything but empty inside. I stare at the building questioningly, but the guys insist it’s a pub that turns club on select nights.
The doorman motions us through, and I feel the static of a magical barrier press against my skin. Sound slams into me like a freight train after we cross through it. We stand at the entrance for a moment, letting our eyes adjust to the dimness, and I look around.
The inside is polished concrete, metal, wood; it has a very industrial chic vibe to it. There’s a long bar to the left, and straight ahead toward the back is a mass of undulating bodies that are moving to the hypnotic rhythm that’s being pumped into the warehouse.
“What do you want to drink?” Sabin asks me, his palm settled on my lower back guiding me through the crowd of bodies to the bar.
“Water, and a Coke maybe," I tell him, shouting close to his ear over the noise.
He nods and breaks away from us, and Knox moves up to take Sabin’s place at my side. I tilt my head in admiration as I watch Sabin navigate away from us toward the bar. The strong muscles of his back are visible through the dark gray V-neck he’s wearing. His black skinny jeans show off his powerful legs and his scrumptious ass.
I’m guided past the bar to a dark booth in the back corner. We all slide in, and Ryker places his arm behind me on the back of the booth cushion. It feels territorial, and I like it.
“Did I mention already how incredible you look tonight?” Knox tells me his mouth close to my ear, heat in his deep gray eyes and in his tone.
I laugh quietly. “You may have mentioned it fifty or so times already.” I smile teasingly at him.
He runs a finger over the high neckline of the bright red sleeveless bodycon dress I’m wearing. I’m not showing a lot of skin. The dress has a crew neck and a hem that drops a couple of inches below my knees. But it hugs every inch that it covers like a second skin, and I feel sexy and confident.
I have a bright red lip stain that draws extra attention to my wasp-stung lips, and my go-to soft curls are in full effect. From the minute I stepped off the stairs in the house until now, the guys have been very vocal about their appreciation for how I look tonight. I’m loving each of their subtle and not so subtle touches and looks that scream sex and possession.
I can’t fault them when I find myself feeling the same way. Each of them looks downright delectable in their various versions of t-shirts and jeans. They all know how to dress to accentuate their gorgeous physiques and mind-numbing good looks.
Each time I interact with any of them I have to talk myself down from attacking like a starving animal on easy prey. I wipe the corner of my mouth for the thousandth time, double checking that there’s no drool. Maybe it’s the club atmosphere; the dim lighting, and the vibrating bass of the music that I can feel in my bones, creating a surge in my desire.
Or maybe I’ll always get like this when I’m near my Chosen. It feels weird to think of them that way, but something primal in me, in my magic, demands that I recognize that they are in fact, my Chosen.
Sabin arrives at the booth sliding over a bottle of water and a Coke to me and then hands out beers to the guys. We all settle in and absorb the atmosphere while we sip our drinks. Kiiara’s “Gold” pumps through the speakers, calling to me and I nudge Ryker and Valen, signaling that I want to get out of the booth.
“Who’s dancing?” I shout over my shoulder, and I don’t wait for an answer before I’m moving toward the packed dance floor.
I squeeze through and find a perfect spot, and my hips and body move to the sensual rhythm. I smile when all of my guys surround me. I didn’t figure they’d all be into dancing, but what’s even more shocking is they can all move.
I’m loving every minute of this as we get lost in the beat of the music. Songs flow from one into another, and we dance without a care in the world right now. I glide to and from each of the guys in seamless choreography that has us pressed against each other.
Our bodies communicate in a way that’s sensual and consuming. Hands glide over hips, asses, backs, shoulders, and stomachs. Mouths caress ears as sweet seductions are whispered, and I lose myself in their touch and movements.
A new song takes over, that has everyone jumping around like maniacs. We join in, and I’m laughing so hard at the antics and silly faces the guys are making that I can barely stand straight. I have no idea how long we’ve been dancing.
I’m clammy and thirsty, and I signal the universal sign for drink to the boys and make my way out of the horde of sweaty dancing bodies. I collapse into the cushions of our booth, and Knox and Bastien sandwich me into the middle.
Ryker and Valen volunteer to hit up the bar again, and disappear back into the throng of people. Sabin flicks a switch on the outside of the booth, and a glorious breeze begins to circulate over our table. I look up to find a fan, and I close my eyes and lift my hair off the back of my neck, relishing in the cool breeze.
“That feels like heaven.” I moan leaning back into the booth.
“You’re an amazing dancer, Bruiser.”
“Me, what about you guys? Do you moonlight as part of the Magic Mike crew or something?”
They laugh.
“You can thank Knox for that; he taught us all how to not look like complete idiots on a dance floor," Sabin admits.
I look to Knox’s beaming smile. “It wasn’t that hard, they all have rhythm," he dismisses as his hand skims up my thigh.
Valen and Ryker appear out of the crowd, and as soon as they hand me a bottle of water, I chug it down. I finish the last drop, still thirsty and Ryker hands me his water with a chuckle. I stretch across the table and give him a quick peck. Valen hands me a Coke and sits down next to Sabin.
“Did you want something else to drink, Bruiser? A beer or something?” Bastien asks me.
“Um, I’ve never really had alcohol before, so I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
“What no school parties or sneaking liquor from the liquor cabinet of your friend’s parents?” Valen teases me.
I roll my eyes.
“Beth never kept us in one place for long, and by the time parties were an option, I didn’t know anyone well enough to get invited. No friends equal no parties and no parents’ liquor cabinets to raid.” I shrug.
“What about when you turned twenty-one? No all-nighter of binge drinking for you?” Ryker asks.
“I had a fight that night.” I shrug.
“Here, try this, tell us what you think.”
Bastien hands me his beer. I sniff it, not overly impressed with the scent, but I tilt back the bottle and swallow a sip.
“Gahhh," I announce and make a face. “It tastes worse than it smells!”
The boys burst into laughter, and I wipe my tongue with my hand before I remember that Valen brought me a Coke. I take a huge swig of the sweet soda and try to banish the gross beer taste from my mouth.
“Why would you pay to torture your taste buds like that?” I ask, and the boys laugh even harder.
Bastien and Knox clink bottles and drink deeply from their long necks. I notice they’re both drinking the same kind of beer and I wor
ry for their palettes. Ryker hands me his bottle and encourages me to have a sip.
“I’m not falling for that again," I tell him, and slide it back across the table to him.
Ryker chuckles. “It’s ginger beer. The flavor is sweeter than the stuff they drink," he tells me, jerking his chin toward Bastien and Knox.
I eye him warily but accept the bottle he hands me. I smell it, and it’s not bad, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. I take a hesitant sip, surprised when the flavor is actually nice. It’s a little tart but there is a subtle sweetness, too, and that same fizzy quality that Bastien’s beer had. I put the bottle back to my lips and take a bigger sip.
“It’s good," I concede handing the bottle back to Ryker.
I try Valen and Sabin’s beers, too, but in the end, the ginger beer is the only one I like.
Ryker slips out of the booth--I suspect on the hunt for a bottle of ginger beer--and I sit back and listen to the guys’ banter, and let the fan cool me down.
“You guys come here a lot?” I ask as I try to picture them here on their own. They can all dance, but somehow I don’t get the impression that clubbing is exactly their scene.
“Not really. We’ve probably been a handful of times over the years, but it’s not a regular hang out for us. I just thought you might like getting dressed up and letting loose for a bit," Knox tells me.
“Good call, my Chosen," I tease him, and he gives me a wink.
“So, if this isn’t a regular hang out, what is?”
They seem to think about it for a minute.
“It sounds kind of lame, but honestly we hang the most at our home," Bastien tells me.
“It has everything: billiards, basketball, movies, a pool, and a gym. We go to the occasional party, and we love to do stuff outdoors, but that’s about it," Valen adds.
“We sound kind of boring," Knox chuckles.
“Please, all I used to do was train, read, fight, and train some more. These past few weeks are the most fun I’ve ever had!”
My admission brings big smiles to each of their faces and Knox gives me a squeeze on my thigh where his hand rests. Ryker walks back over and passes out new drinks to everyone. He hands me two bottles. One is the beer I liked, and the other he explains is a mixed berry hard cider. I try the cider first, and it’s fucking delicious.
“A drink in each hand already Bruiser, we’re corrupting you faster than I thought.”
I laugh and raise both bottles in salute.
“Toast!” Valen demands.
The guys heckle each other, and after a few shoulder punches, Bastien relents.
“Alright, alright I’ve got one…” Bastien announces. “To corrupting lost royalty, bumping and grinding on and off the dance floor, and to having the best time of our lives!”
He raises his bottle and shouts of fuck yeah, drown out the clinking of glass and laughter as we all cheers and drink in solidarity. We all fall into easy shouted conversations about nothing and everything while we laugh, tease, and drink.
I feel eyes on me, and my gaze wanders from the table, looking for the source. I land on a pair of fixed brown eyes that belong to a large blond man, who stares for a beat longer before he looks away. I dismiss it, but something about him reminds me of Talon’s crew.
He always seemed to be surrounded by big Viking warrior types, and this man fits that description to a T. I shake myself out of my thoughts and tune back into what the guys are saying. I’m almost finished with my cider when Knox grabs my hand and starts pulling me from the booth.
He leads me back amongst the dancers. Knox expertly spins me away from him and then brings me back into his arms, my back to his chest. I laugh and press into his hands as they grip my hips. None of the other guys join us this time, it’s just me and Knox wrapped up in the tempo and each other.
He twines his fingers in mine raising our clasped hands above my head. I move with him, our bodies in sync, and I close my eyes and focus on the feel of him against me. His lips caress my neck and then settle next to my ear. He’s singing the lyrics of the song to me, and I smile and lean into his mouth and his sultry voice.
His hands skim down my sides and find their way back to my hips, and I reach back and run my fingers down the back of his black buzzed hair. I twist in Knox’s arms until we’re dancing chest to chest. I hook my index fingers in the belt loops of his jeans and take in his gorgeous face.
Knox brushes his thumb over my lips, and I smile against the pressure of his thumb on my mouth. He bends over, and our bodies slow against each other, as he presses his lips against mine. I open, wanting more from his kiss and he sweeps in and completely enthralls me.
He tastes faintly of the beer he was drinking, and even though I didn’t like it from the bottle, I like the taste of it on his tongue. His mouth moves against mine in a dance as perfect as the one our bodies are wrapped up in. His kiss is skillful, and I’m easily and happily lost in it.
Knox stops but doesn’t pull his face away. His lips barely graze mine, as he sings more lyrics of the song against my kiss-swollen, smiling lips. Fuck, Bastien was right. Knox really could sing any woman out of their panties. I’m sure as hell ready to throw mine at him.
Knox tilts my head and moves his mouth to the shell of my ear.
“Enoch Cleary is watching you.”
Knox pulls back, and it takes me a minute to connect what he’s saying.
“What? Where?” I stammer out.
Knox spins me again, giving me the ability to look around without being obvious.
“That was an epic super sneaky spy move," I confess, and I lean in for a soft kiss.
We dance and kiss for a couple more songs, and Knox’s gaze keeps flitting from me to the space behind me, where Enoch was standing with his coven. The feel of eyes on me and Knox’s distraction is starting to suck the fun out of this.
“Let’s go find the others," I prompt. “I don’t think the Cleary’s are fans of me, and I don’t want any problems.”
Knox scoffs. “He’s not looking at you like he has a problem with you, I’d say it’s more the exact opposite.”
Knox gives me a quick peck and starts to lead me out of the crowd. His comment baffles me, and my gaze wanders over to Enoch as I try to figure out what Knox is talking about. I stop suddenly, stupefied. Behind Enoch are a pair of familiar eyes set in a face I’d know anywhere.
What the fuck is Talon doing here? Frozen in place my hand pulls free from Knox’s grasp and he turns to find out why. Someone steps in front of me blocking my view, and I sidestep to get past them. When my line of sight is clear again, it’s not Talon standing behind Enoch but that same blonde guy I saw earlier. I shake my head to clear it, but when I look up and around, there’s no Talon to be found.
“What’s wrong?” Knox asks, tilting my chin in his direction.
I look in his eyes as I try to piece together what just happened. I felt sure of my recognition, but that doesn’t make sense. Talon wouldn’t be here.
“Nothing. I thought I saw someone I knew, but it was just my eyes playing tricks on me,” I tell him, and follow the tug of his hand back to the booth.
“What’s wrong Bruiser?” Bastien asks me, observing the look of confusion I still have on my face.
“Nothing, apparently two drinks and Knox’s kissing abilities have addled my brain," I say absently, and then laugh, shaking off what just happened.
“Awww Squeaks, you’re a lightweight," Ryker teases me.
I cuddle into his side when he puts an arm around me.
“Maybe I need to eat or something," I add offhandedly.
“Good call, Bruiser. I’m starving. Halliwell’s?” Bastien asks the others, as he slides out of the booth. “Halliwell’s!” they all chorus back, and we make our way to the exit.
38
The house is unsurprisingly quiet when I make my way downstairs. The guys and I were out until early this morning, and they’re probably still sleeping. I would be too if I wasn’t
starving. It’s mid-afternoon, but past the usual lunch time so I’m startled to find the paladin in the kitchen eating when I walk in.
I haven’t seen any of them since the reading, and I’m tempted to back up and leave, but my stomach rumbles, begging me not to. Adelaide quickly fixes me up a plate and hands it over with a small smile to counteract the somber atmosphere of the kitchen. I take it into the dining room, away from where the paladin are all eating at the kitchen island.
I get halfway through my sandwich when the chair next to me is pulled out, and Aydin sits down. Several other chairs groan their protest as they’re pulled away from the table and suddenly occupied. I keep my eyes on my plate and focus on eating.
The longer the paladin stay quiet as their heavy presence surrounds me, the more I start to seethe. I push my plate away and sit back in my chair crossing my arms over my chest. I give each of them a cold, hard stare and wait. Eventually Keegan finds his balls and speaks up.
“We fucked up, Vinna. There’s no way around it, and none of us want to make excuses for what happened.”
I say nothing for a while. I just continue to stare at them. At this point, I don’t know what I’m hoping they will say. Honestly, I can’t imagine any words that could repair the damage that’s already been done.
“I fell for it all, the promises of protection and acceptance, the vows to treat me like family, like I was wanted here. But it’s all bullshit. You’ve been watching me this whole time, and for what? Waiting to see if I’d turn on you, take you out? Or were you just hoping I was malleable and could be twisted in any way that you saw fit?”
I turn my gaze to Aydin searing him with my betrayal and anger.
“Did you fight with me because you enjoyed it, and it bonded us? Or were you sizing me up, letting me teach you my tricks, so you’d be better prepared to deal with me when the time came?”
“It wasn’t like that Little Badass-”
I scoff and shake my head interrupting him. I’m not going to believe anything he has to say now. They’ve all broken my trust.
