With enough gathered to report back, I retract my presence, slipping away like mist dissolving at dawn. My thoughts dwell on Revelin, Fiadh, and the intricate dance of politics we’ve been drawn into. It’s a treacherous path we tread, but with cunning and care, we may yet traverse it unscathed.
Before I can exit, something disturbs my senses—a premonition, perhaps, though I have not had those for many years.
I slip from one shadow-draped corridor to another, my vampire’s intuition proving true. The murmurs behind each door are laced with machinations, barely audible threads that weave a tapestry of duplicity and ambition. I gather every scrap of plot and plan against us; the words coil in my mind like serpents.
“Secure the perimeter during the concert,” a voice commands, hinting at an unnecessary lockdown. Another whispers of ‘inspections’ for our rooms—a clear invasion of privacy and likely an attempt to uncover secrets we hold dear. My lips curl in distaste; this city is a viper’s nest, and its leaders play a dangerous game. Realization settles heavy on my shoulders: this dance will be repeated in every town, a draining tug-of-war for control.
It annoys the fuck out of me.
As I move through the town hall, the solution crystallizes. Khol, with his imposing presence and silent threats, would make for a compelling deterrent. His ferocity alone could tilt the scales in our favor. A smile touches my lips—rare and razor-sharp—as I envisionour strategy. We have pieces to move on this chessboard, and Khol’s might is not to be underestimated. I will enlist him to instill a healthy dose of fear where needed. Sometimes the old ways are best, and Khol embodies that primal terror perfectly.
With the last of the information gathered, I emerge into the waning light outside the town hall, the weight of my task momentarily lifted by anticipation of the evening’s meeting. The tavern we chose as our rendezvous point beckons with the glow of lanterns and the promise of camaraderie.
As I stride through the cobblestoned streets, I consider our next moves. Tiernan’s cunning will serve us well in sniffing out the truth behind local legends. If he can unearth the path to our objectives with his shifter’s subtlety, we stand a chance to claim our prize without upheaval. I allow myself a moment of hope as I approach the agreed upon tavern despite being an hour early.
Perhaps, with careful orchestration, we can navigate this city’s perils without incident. I push open the door to the raucous warmth inside, confident in the skills the assorted alphas in our coven possess. They may be young and brash, but they share my dedication to the mate none of us thought we’d ever have. Even her stubborn refusal to take all of her walls down or let us help is waning slowly, and once it does, we will be a force that bows to no one.
“As long as they behave,” I murmur under my breath, a silent plea to forces that rarely heed such calls. Amidst laughter and the clinking of glasses, I join the various species of Faerie at the bar to wait for my new family. My lips curve up as I consider the likelihood that any of them are actually doing what they’re supposed to, and it’s not good. But I can hope they don’t alienate everyone in town within the first few hours of arrival.
For what is eternity without a little optimism? A vampire can dream, after all.
The look Khol gives me when I put on the slinky, tight-fitting garment is definitely good for my ego. His eyes darken and I see the tiniest hint of the snake flash in them. Prowling slowly, he pushes me until I’m flush with the wall of the fitting room. The soft hiss that escapes his lips makes me grin and I arch a brow. “I take it you like this one?”
“Much better,” he rasps. His head dips and I flick the flick of that magical forked tongue over his exposed bite mark. “In fact, I vote for clothing that has this kind of access as often as possible.”
I feel his hands drifting over my curves and chuckle. “Good luck, buddy. I’m not wearing anything with a damn skirt on a day-to-day basis. How the fuck would I fight?”
“You fight in frilly bad ass shit at the bar all the time.”
He’s got a point there and I should refute it, but I’m having trouble because he just grazed my skin with a fang.
“That’s my uniform; I don’t get a choice,” I breathe in a weak protest.
The laugh this time is even darker when he draws a small drop of blood. “How the fuck did you not know that ancient asshole was dolling you up for a reason? Fluffy’s stuff is hot, granted, but the shit he had Clem put you in is next goddamn level.”
Blinking, I realize he’s right. From the beginning, my outfits have been tighter, more revealing, and a lotracier than Fer’s.That crafty motherfucker was playing Barbie doll for his own amusement.My hand slides up to grip Khol’s wild locks, yanking him up to look at me. “None of you fucking told me, either, you know.”
His smirk is unrepenting. “Why in the fuck would we do that, Sassy? Every single one of us loves looking at your ass in that stuff. Don’t be dense.”
“Fine,” I relent as I dart forward to bite his lower lip. “I’ll give you that one break. But leave me in the dark again and Dezi won’t be the one doling out punishment.”
“Mmm, it’s cute how you think that’s a threat. Ilovea good spanking and guaranteed Prince Fancypants does, too. I’m not sure about Tier; he seems like more of an edging fan.”
A throat clearing gets my attention and I don’t know how much more grateful I could be. My pussy is throbbing against his grinding crotch and verbal foreplay definitely does it for me. My eyes flicks to the snow leopard, lids hooded as Khol continues groping me without pause. “Yes?”
“No fair starting without me,” he rumbles. I blink in surprise as he wedges himself into the small room and clicks the lock shut on the door. His broad frame contrasts with Khol’s lithe one as he gives me a wicked grin. “We only have a few minutes while she’s distracted with other customers, so this will have to be quick.”
“Can do, Captain Furrypants,” Khol mutters before he grips my hips and spins us around. His back is against the wall now, and Tier immediately presses his hard cock against my ass. “Mission: Improvisation is a go.”
Why is their nerdy shit so attractive? I’ve lost my mind since I started getting so much dick.
Tiernan chuckles, and I hear his zipper. My head whips around and I give him a dark look. “You’d better not think you’re going anywhere that requires more than the mess between my legs in this tiny box.”
Khol grabs my chin, leaning in to press his lips against mine lightly. “Don’t worry, Sassy. Your punk rock Prince convinced us all to stow away helpful shit whenever we leave the bus. Something about Faerie amping up libidos?”
I sputter for a second as he pulls away, trying to figure out how to formulate a snarky response about their ‘secret dude meetings.’ The smell of cherries stops all the blood flow to my brain and I groan low, knowing exactly what my reptilian mate meant now. That pointy eared little shit gave them all travel lube to tuck away. I’m going to kill him.
After I have orgasms, of course. Priorities and all.
