Page 53 of Pride: Kneel Before None

CHAPTER 17

If I could have taken Eve’s virginity a second, third, or hundredth time over, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. She thought it had nearly killed me, but Knights of Hell were made of better stock than most. On a scale of superiority amongst those bearing such a prestigious title, I was born of an even heartier bloodline than the rest of them.

Eve’s assault via pillow had been nothing but love taps for a comment that I’d sooner endure forty lashings for than apologize for. Ace Reynard did not apologize. Never had, never would.

There was something… different about my Little Spade. The energy radiating off her had shifted, something that both gave and took. I had felt it tingling in the base of my spine before I lost consciousness. If my spinal column had been a fuse, she would have been the spark that burned its way into the back of my brain.

Taking one final look at her curled up in my sheets, I shut the door to my bedroom. The latch caught with a soft snick. If nothing else, she had earned the rest. When she woke, we would talk about what happened—maybe with my cock buried back in her again. I needed to understand what transpired during those precious moments when I had been lost to the dark.

I withdrew my coveted ace of spades from the pocket of the dark green sweats I had pulled on. Eve’s virginal blood had dried on its surface—permanently a part of the playing card, a part of me. That moment between us would be the only acceptable reason for her to bleed. So long as I drew breath, Genevieve Bechette would never shed another drop without my blessing.

That was the vow—that would be the vow.

Heading down to the first floor of the penthouse, I pushed open the sliding glass door that led out onto a modest balcony—modest by my terms. The large outdoor space held an oversized jacuzzi and enough outdoor furniture to host ten for a dinner party.

Time spent out here was a rarity, a luxury seldom afforded to me these days. Sevenfold and my Little Spade were my top priorities. Then there was Caz, the resident apathetic asshole with a crown. At least he would be too fucking lazy to go through the effort of getting himself killed. Once upon a time, an oversight—not a failure—of my precognition had done him a disservice, something never to be repeated.

Stepping out onto the balcony, the night air held more warmth than usual. The heat of Superbia never bothered me; it was when things grew stagnant that I grew restless.

The ace slipped between my fingers, moving like a shadow between my knuckles. It was present, but weightless. Visible, but part of the darkness.

I approached the glass balustrade, a barrier made of frosted smoke turned solid. Beneath my bare feet, the concrete remained warm from soaking up the day’s sun.

All of Superbia was lit up like firecrackers that never fizzled out. Buildings continued to breed excitement and depravity. It was a city that knew very few boundaries and even fewer morals.

Beyond the city and the expanse of desert were mountains, a barrier between this place and the next. A barrier I had no interest in crossing, not when I had everything here I could ever desire.

Standing on the balcony, staring at the landscape but never seeing its finer details allowed my thoughts to wander.

In this case, my mind was tethered back to the memory of my Little Spade.

Eve hadn’t just taken my cock. She had taken something else. Some essence of me that wasn’t lost in bodily fluids, something she absorbed, yet I couldn’t place my finger on it.

The very idea of my Little Spade taking pieces of me should have been unsettling. Instead, it was exciting in a way that made me want to fuck her senseless again just to experience it all over.

Even if it killed me.

Time stretched out there on the balcony, and I took in the sight of the city that bowed before its biggest players. Risky gambles taken at every turn, and bigger payouts than life itself.

The ace of spades halted between my forefinger and thumb. I lifted it to my lips and pressed a kiss to its face with something resembling reverence for all that it represented in my life.

There would be more time to investigate Eve’s remarkable transformation, to truly define it. As for the immediate future, I needed to make the next move in a game where chips were steadily stacking up with odds no longer clearly defined.

After returning the card to my pocket, I swapped it out for my cellphone. Fingers flew across the screen, tapping out efficient messages to an old-timer who understood discretion and power plays.

ACE

You still running circuits in Blackscale?

GRIER

Barnabel, you surprise me. I didn’t expect you to be the one who broke the silence first.

ACE

Then I’ve accomplished two things already.

GRIER