Page 88 of Pride: Kneel Before None

“I’ll fuck you however you want, after you tell me what I want to hear.” The strain in his voice sounded like glass over gravel, the verge of something breaking against every foundation he had.

It was difficult to think when everything in me demanded, needed, more of him. I didn’t just want his cock, but I wanted to taste more of the very essence that fed pieces of my soul.

My nails scored harsh red lines across his shoulders. “Yes. I want it. I want you.”

The rooftop. His name. That fucking phenomenal dress that screamed I’d be the inspiration for every little demon girl’s dream wedding.

Everything in me knew that, on a metaphysical level, we completed each other in ways that were barely understood. I’d never be able to get enough of that sensation. Even if it meant spending the next few millennia screaming at him for being an arrogant and overbearing prick.

A deep groan came out of Ace as he pressed harder into me, small grinding movements following it.

His runes were already cutting through his flesh with hellfire contrasting against the teal water surrounding us. But it was the hunger in his eyes that captured my attention. The dark possession in them still lingered there, but there was more to it than that as he held my gaze.

Something that looked dangerously close to devotion.

Ace didn’t make me a promise, he made me a vow.

“Hearts get given away. Spades take what they want.” He paused. “I’m yours to take, Eve.”

CHAPTER 27

Pulling into the parking garage beneath Sevenfold, I felt more relaxed than I had in some time. The day I envisioned my Little Spade’s arrival at my casino had marked the start of an obsession that consumed me.

At first it was the idea of her that overtook my thoughts.

Once I had her, keeping her was all that dominated everything else.

The time spent at the grotto hadn’t been about apologies. It’d been about allowing her to see what I see.

I clasped her hand in mine as I led her up the concrete steps to the main level, but I quickly realized something was off.

Opening the door that led onto the casino floor, everything was quiet. Something it should never be. There should have been waves of conversation, the whir of slot machine reels, and the clinking of chips being tossed down.

Instead? Nothing.

My grip on Eve’s hand tightened, drawing her closer to me.

The silence wasn’t nearly as disturbing as the sight that greeted us as we emerged from the stairwell.

Dealers stood at the tables like statues. Patrons sat frozen, staring straight ahead. Only the occasional blink told us they were alive at all.

“Iggy!” Eve cried out as she pulled away from me.

It drew my attention to Ignatius lying on the floor, not paralyzed like the others. He wheezed and gasped as he clutched his shoulder. The glamor demon before us looked nothing like the eclectic stylist we all knew. Instead, he was beaten and bloodied, the sticky red substance staining his flesh in ways that made it impossible to determine where the worst of the wounds were located.

My Little Spade crouched down, her hands hovering over him, unsure of how to help.

I stepped up behind Eve, eyes already scanning the area for the threat to expose itself.

Without looking down at Ignatius, I asked, “Who did this?”

He coughed on his words, either saliva or blood catching in his throat.

“I-I… I don’t know,” he gasped out, struggling for breath while writhing in pain.

Unhelpful and useless, given the current situation.

Movement from the corner of my eye triggered me to pull Eve upright, my protective instincts flaring violently.