The valet comes up to open Jaeger’s door, but Jaeger holds up a hand for him to wait.
Jaeger pulls a set of white masks out of his pocket. Mine is lace to match my dress, and his is plain. He ties the ribbon around my head.
“You ready?” he asks me.
I swallow, staring at the red carpet lining the sidewalk leading into the club. A couple in fine evening wear strolls up and disappears inside.
He takes my hand, and I grip it, hard.
“I’ll be with you every step of the way,” he promises. It should calm my trepidation, but it stokes it instead.
What am I getting myself into?
Jaeger opens his door and tosses his keys to a valet before coming around to pick me up. Before he does, he says, “One more thing.” He stoops to fasten a white ribbon around my throat.
“What…” I go to tug at it, and he catches my hand.
“Do not remove it.”
“What is it? What does it mean?”
His eyes are dark, framed by the white mask. “It means you’re untouchable.”
“What?”
“Everyone can look, but if they try to claim what’s mine…” He traces the ribbon collaring my neck. “They die.”
I suck in a breath. He settles his hand around my throat, squeezing lightly. I feel the imprint of his grip even after he takes his hand away.
I cling to him as he carries me into the club and a cloud of expensive perfume. He sweeps through the foyer, passing the other guests, and heads upstairs, clearly familiar with the place.
I’m grateful he’s carrying me. My ankle is wrapped, and I’m wearing soft silk slippers that match the dress. I could probably walk, but it’s nice to have Jaeger take charge, even though the movement makes the silver balls roll back and forth inside me.
I clamp my legs together. My clit pulses to a silent beat.
Upstairs is a bar, smelling faintly of cigar smoke and cloves. The mahogany booths and velvet curtains remind me of Inferno. Against one wall is a long bar of polished wood, with unlabeled liquor bottles backlit against the mirror. The liquid in the bottles ranges from every shade of whiskey—rich amber to pale gold.
Jaeger sets me on a padded stool next to a high table in the far corner and heads for the bar. I keep still, becoming one with the shadows. The place is full of people in expensive finery, billionaires and socialites here to see and be seen.
Fortunately, no one looks at me. I check everyone’s hands, looking for skull rings, but only find two.
The men wearing them are in a booth, tucked into the shadows. They’re both in black tuxes, blending in with the rest of the party. One of the men is fair-haired, with a long, lean build that speaks of the fit and muscular body underneath.
The other man is shorter but built like a boxer. He’s dark-haired with deep shadows under his eyes. He looks comfortable in his tux, but his hands are tattooed with the jaw and teeth of a skull, and his skull ring is unlike any I’ve ever seen. Diamonds glitter in the skull’s eye sockets and on the skull’s head is a crown.
I’m staring. At members of Fraternitas, no less. I tear my eyes away. Jaeger is still at the bar, leaning in to speak to the bartender.
I sense someone’s eyes on me, and I turn back.
The shorter man has risen out of the booth but pauses to stare at me. His dark gaze narrows on my neck. I shrink back when I realize he’s looking at the ribbon Jaeger placed there. His expression is blank, but panic rises in me. I get the sense that this man’s blank expression is the last thing many have seen before they die.
The second man rises and stands with the dark-haired man. I recognize his pale, narrow face and colorless eyes. It’s St. James. He raises his chin, acknowledging me.
My heart stops beating. My hand goes to my throat in an automatic gesture to protect my vulnerable neck. These men are apex predators, and they’ve clocked me. The urge to rip off the ribbon and throw it away is strong, but I’m in Jaeger’s world now. I can’t be weak.
I lower my hand and clench my fists, and the moment passes. The man with skulls on his hands breaks the stare and heads for the door with St. James following him.
St. James is high up in the ranks of Fraternitas. Everyone I know of follows his orders.
