“Yeah. Just not used to this sort of thing. I’ve never even been to a strip club.”
His laugh reverberates against me. “It’s not so taboo here. People come here to express their deepest desires—to live out their fantasies. Everyone has them. The fae are just less?—”
“Prudish?”
“Inhibited.” He leans down, murmuring softly in my ear, “You don’t have to look away. That’s kind of the point.”
“To watch?”
“Watch, join, whatever piques your interest.”
“I think it’s going to take some time to become accustomed to how, uh, free the fae are.”
“We have all the time in the world.”
The princes sweep back the curtains, and darkness devours us. Red light pulses in time to the hypnotic music, illuminating a cluster of dancing bodies in the center of the space. Tall exotic plants line the walls, their branches dangling overhead.
I think I just stepped into my first faerie rave.
We form a daisy chain, squeezing through the tight-pressed crowd. A pair of tall, statuesque females work their way over to us, stripping off our cloaks and offering us shots from a tray. Aside from the swirling paint transforming their bodies into ethereal works of art, they’re not wearing a stitch of clothing. And every male in our group—including Zadyn—is quick to notice.
I fight back an eye roll as Kai passes me a shot of sparkling green liquid.
“Do you think this is smart?” I call to Mar over the music.
“Probably not, but we did recently escape death for about the hundredth time,” she deadpans.
I look from her to the shot. “Fuck it.”
“Fuck it,” she echoes as we clink glasses and toss them back. The sour taste hits my tongue, making me shudder. My friends instantly give in to the music, but the buzz is slower to hit me. I stand there awkwardly, feeling like the odd man out.
“You’re tense.” Kai is suddenly at my side, speaking over the noise.
“I am not.”
I’m just not in the mood for a party. Wonder why.
He purses his lips at my standoffish posture. Tossing him a boastful look, I grab two more shots off a passing tray and throw them back, one after another. He breaks into a pearly smile, satisfied with the results of his peer pressure.
The red strobe flares, and for a moment, it isn’t Kai standing there.
It’s Kylian.
It’shiseyes peering down at me in a darkened bedroom. It’s his mouth taunting me, reminding me of my betrayal. Turning my desire into a dagger. I stumble back a step.
“Savior?” The lights shift, and Kai is himself again.
“I’m okay.”
I’m okay. I’m okay. Just breathe.
Distraction. That’s what I need.
I pull Mar from Dover’s arms. “Let’s dance.”
Kai has no trouble finding a partner, instantly surrounded by women. Neither does Eaton, who’s sandwiched between a male and female who look about ready to devour him. I try to find my groove with the strange, foreign music, but I can’t catch the beat or figure out how to move my body.
“Relax,” Mar says, shaking my shoulders.?* I nod stiffly.
