Kaiser offers me more liquor, and I shake my head with a grimace. His drink was yucky. He tosses it back and strokes my hair back from my face.
“Things are about to start. Do you need to go to the bathroom?”
I nod. He leads me to the bathrooms and leans down to ask, “Do you need me to undo the harness?”
I hesitate. I like how it’s chafing me. “I’ll figure it out.”
“No getting yourself off,” he warns. The fires in my belly burn hotter.
“Hurry back.” Kaiser folds his arms across his chest, looking like a bouncer blocking the door.
I’m washing my hands at the sink when I hear someone calling my name.
“Pssst, Bella.” I turn to see a woman in an angel costume beckoning me into the handicap stall. After a second, I realize it’s Honey in elaborate gold makeup.
“Hey,” I say. “You guys made it.”
“Shhh.” She pulls me into the stall. A figure in a cheesy red devil outfit is next to her. When I look closely, it’s Raine.
“I got an invitation,” Honey says, “but Raine’s not supposed to be here.”
Raine shrugs. “I ran away.”
“YOLO,” I grin. “I'd better get back out there. Kaiser’s waiting for me.”
“You’re wearing a white ribbon,” Honey observes.
“Yeah, Kaiser put it on me. Do you know what the colors mean?”
“Black means you’re an initiate. A metal collar means you’re claimed. White means you’re innocent, but he’s marking you as off limits. It warns everyone else off.”
I touch the white ribbon around my throat. It’s not black, but it’s a start. “He says he wants to claim me.”
“Congratulations,” Honey whispers. “Unless?—”
“No, it’s good,” I say and accept their murmured congratulations. Outside the door, someone turns the music up, and the walls start pulsing with the heavy bass.
“Showtime. We’ll see you out there,” Honey says.
Before I exit the stall, I turn back. “Want to make things really interesting?” I pull out a small pink bottle that I hid in my ponytail. It looks like cherry lip gloss but that’s a disguise. “Take a drop or two of this. Not more than that—it’s strong.”
Honey hesitates. “Is that molly?”
“It’s not unlike molly.” I hold it out to Raine, who has a devilish gleam in her eyes. “Do it for the plot.”
She takes it. “Yo-fucking-Lo.”
24
Kaiser
* * *
Bella’s grinning when she comes out of the bathroom, which makes me suspicious. I take hold of her, pulling her close. I touch her lips because I have to. Touching her is a compulsion I can no longer resist. “Why are you smiling?”
“I’m just happy to be here.”
Liar. She’s taken down her ponytail, and she looks so innocent with her hair soft around her face. I need to be on my guard to keep her out of trouble.
