His lip pulls at the corner as he dips his head, nodding in defeat. “I promised to do whatever I can to keep you safe. But if you’re going to refuse…”
“I refuse.”
He sighs and grins at me. “Okay.” He leans in and quickly presses his soft lips against mine.
We both look around, assessing the room we’re in. It seems to be a large supply closet, with shelves lining all the walls. On them are folded linens, wooden boxes that I can’t see the contents of, and… “Is that a whip?” I wonder out loud.
Daegan glances that way and raises his eyebrows.
“Why would a supply closet have a door to the outside? And unlocked, no less.”
“Who knows,” he mutters, taking my hand and leading me to the door. He peeks out first, then leads me out after him. We emerge into a long, dimly lit hallway lined with closed doors. “Let’s go this way.”
Both of us walk carefully and quietly through the hall, and I hear the faint sound of voices. Crying, maybe?
We reach the end and turn a corner, where the corridor opens into a large, multi-level room. There’s an exposed second floor with balconies all along the walls, and… curtains?
I’m so busy looking up that I don’t realize what’s happening on the main floor. Several couples and groups lounge on cushioned seats and beds, getting intimate out in the open. I hear moaning coming from every direction, and suddenly it all makes sense. “It’s a fucking pleasure house,” I say, unable to rip my gaze from the activities taking place.
Daegan pulls me around, leading me back the way we came. “Let’s go back to the closet,” he says. We turn the corner and come to a halt.
“No, no, they are almost here! Hide above, but I shall excuse myself from the room of merrymakings.” Kezra pops up out of nowhere, trying to herd us back the other way.
We look past her as the door at the end of the hall begins to crack open and an armored figure steps through.
“Fuck,” I whisper.
Before the guards look our way, Daegan rips me back around the corner, into the huge orgy room.
As soon as we step into the opening, there’s a stairway to our right. We climb it quickly with no one seeming to pay us any mind.
I glance down and catch sight of several pairs of exposed breasts and a few bare asses. And a female’s mouth wrapped around a dick, her head bobbing up and down.
I rip my gaze away as we reach the second floor and hurry along the balcony, passing a few closed curtains. We rush into the first available little room that’s open. Each one is separated by walls, with only a curtain at the front. We step into the small space that holds only a large gold bench with soft cushions running along the back wall.
Daegan rips the gold curtain shut behind us and steps deeper into the room.
“Now what?” I whisper, glancing at him. I’m surprised to find that he looks calm, possibly even amused.
“You’re sure they never saw you?”
“Yes. I was watching them the entire time. They never glanced my way.”
He rubs his long fingers against his jaw as his eyes go out of focus. The stubble there is getting longer, and his lips and cheeks are flushed pink from running.
My body is so ridiculous. Why are we hiding from elvish guards who want to capture us, and yet here I am, suddenly incredibly turned on by him?
My gaze travels up and down his entire muscular body before I look away, trying to calm my body that seems to have a mind of its own, only to feel his attention on me again.
His head is tilted and he’s studying me with a smirk.
“What?” I mumble.
“Nothing.” I can hear the amusement in his voice.
He raises his eyebrows at me.
“Am I that obvious?”
