I watched Rhys turn away from me, moving toward the stairs again. Conrad waved a hand in front of my face, studying me when I turned my attention to him.
“He’ll never allow himself to love you. He’s charged himself to the eternal agony of never knowing real love. Rhys is a glutton for punishment. When Rhys hands out a punishment, he doesn’t go back on it, ever. You look like the type of woman who would need more from a man than a quick fuck, Remington. Something tells me that you’re more mate material than a girl who would allow herself to be used and then set aside.”
“Don’t confuse curiosity with being stupid, Conrad. He’s claimed me in a way that doesn’t allow me to escape him; even in death, I won’t be free of him. Rhys is willing to take advantage of me, so why shouldn’t I figure out a way to repay him tenfold?” I asked, lifting a brow. He slipped his arms around me, peering down at me with serious amber eyes that held keen intelligence.
“Don’t do that,” he warned softly. “I have met only a few men I wouldn’t cross in my lifetime, and Rhys Van Helsing is one of them. Don’t make him your enemy, Silversmith. Right now, you have the advantage because you confuse his duty with his need. The moment you cross that line from friend to enemy, you won’t ever come back from it.”
“I don’t intend to use or harm him or screw him over as he’d done to me. I just want him to know that I am not a weak female,” I grunted, turning as someone slipped in behind me, their hands smoothing over my dress to cup my breasts.
“So pretty,” one of the female shifters whispered. “We’re claiming, alpha?”
“I have placed my ribbon for her tonight,” Conrad answered. Leaning closer to me, he inhaled deeply. “You’ve seen what I can offer you. I would be gentle, and my pack would give you pleasure as well.” Someone grabbed my arm, and multiple hands started placing ribbons around my wrist as Conrad smiled. “Have you ever been cherished, pleasured by an entire pack, Silversmith? I assure you, those who have never leave because it is most pleasurable to be with us,” he assured me.
“The song ended five minutes ago,” Cole stated, narrowing his eyes on the females that continued placing their ribbons on my wrist. “Kinky, even by my standards, Sunshine,” Cole smiled, slowly pulling me back against him. “Do you want to see what Conrad has to offer you? I can show you what it would be like, but I’ll be honest, I intend to enjoy it too.”
“I’d like this dance, gentlemen,” a silky voice injected, and both men stiffened. “Aw, it’s a tradition for every alpha to dance with the May Queen. Rhys should have realized that when he named her such. Remington Silversmith, I am Hunter, alpha to the otherworld creatures,” he said in a voice layered in thick lust.
I turned, staring straight into turquoise eyes that reminded me of the blue seas in the Caribbean. His hair was midnight black, pulled back to show off the angular planes of his chiseled jawline. His lips tipped into a smile, and he tilted his head to the side, searching my face as he held out his hand, waiting for me to accept.
“I promise to be on my best behavior, considering you’re mortal, and I am not. May I have this dance, Silversmith? No other woman here seems capable of matching your beauty.”
I remained in place, peering into the galaxies of his eyes. They swallowed me into the abyss of waves, washing over me soothingly. His smile turned wicked as he stepped closer, placing his fingers beneath my chin to close my mouth. I lifted my hand, checking for drool. A loud snort sounded from beside me, and I turned to find Rhys watching me with something akin to resentment banked in his gaze.
Hunter grabbed my hand, sweeping me out onto the dance floor without waiting to see if I had agreed to dance. I couldn’t remember if I’d spoken or not. He was ethereal and way too pretty. He lowered his mouth to my ear, whispering against it in a layered voice, and the dance floor vanished, and we were in some type of room. I swallowed, pulling my hand away from him while he watched me.
“You have tongues wagging everywhere, Silversmith. Drink?” he asked, and I shook my head. “You’ve heard of us, have you?”
“I’m going to pass on food and beverages from the King of the Fae, Hunter. You’re the legendary hunter who murdered the High King of the fae and took his throne by force. You’re the creature the immortals warn their misbehaving children about at night.”
“You have heard of me,” he chuckled, and we were once again on the dance floor. I turned, finding Cole and Rhys both glaring at Hunter. “Your wrist, my darling,” he chuckled, unperturbed by the men who looked like they wanted to use his head for target practice.
I lifted my wrist for him, watching while he turned it over, kissing my racing pulse before his ribbon appeared without him moving his hands. He pulled me against his body, whispering into my ear. He turned my head at the last moment, claiming my lips softly, which created a throbbing need between my thighs.
“I was created for pleasure, and to please a gluttonous queen. Choose me tonight, and I will make you my queen for eternity, Remington,” he stated, dropping my hand, turning to nod at the men who both stared at my wrist before lifting their gaze to mine.
I swallowed, moving away from the dance floor to reach the bar, swallowing hard past the heaviness of my tongue. Nyx lifted my wrist, snorting as her eyes went owl-like in shape.
“Are you promising some major head to men, or telling them you’re some blushing virgin? I need to know because I only have five ribbons, and I’m the nymph! I am made for fucking! The shame!” She placed her hand over her eyes dramatically, and I groaned.
“I need a drink,” I stated as someone tapped my shoulder.
“I’m not fucking you!” I snapped, coming face to face with Nyota, who lifted a dark eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I would hope not, I don’t swing that way,” she snorted, sliding in beside me. “Rhys will never allow you to get close to him. You’re only hurting yourself with your delusion that he’ll ever care for you.” She looked over at Nyx, who tried to hide that she was listening, but failing miserably. “Go find something to fuck, nymph.”
“No,” I stated icily, glaring at Nyota, watching as her eyes slid back to mine. “She’s having a drink with me, and if you’re here, to tell me how Rhys will never allow himself to have me for more than a quick fuck, I’ve heard it already tonight, several times.”
“Rhys wants you, Silversmith. Of that, you can be certain.” Her eyes slid over my face before she sat at the bar and nodded for me to join her. “Sit and listen, because whatever it is you’ve done to Rhys, it’s given him a spark. That isn’t something I’ve seen since your murderous whore of an aunt fucked him over.” I slid onto the stool, nodding at the bartender who peered at Nyota and then bowed before pouring our drinks. “He will allow himself to have you once, and then he will be stoic, distant, and cold. Cole will sweep in to pick up your broken pieces. After a while, he will grow bored with you. When Rhys doesn’t rise to the occasion to argue for you, Illeron will then try for you, and then they will pass you down the line of my brothers, and that is the ugly truth. It’s been that way since that bitch burned inside that mansion, if she actually did. Cole only wants you because he’s made it his mission to force Rhys to forgive himself. Illeron, well, he’s an asshole. The rest, well, they just like to be sure that they’ve tasted whatever flavor Rhys tasted first.
“I want my family healed, of that, you can be sure, too. You’re not the one who can do that, Silversmith. You’re the enemy. So fuck Rhys, let him get you out of his system, and then fuck off. If you don’t, know this: I am the one person Rhys will never hurt. I can murder you, and he’d forgive me. Maybe not right away, but he’s always forgiven me of my crimes. Don’t make me murder you, because you seem innocent in this. But then so did Roslyn, until she revealed her true colors. Rhys is trying to stop a war with you, but you’re going to be the one who starts it. If you fuck Cole tonight, you can end this before it begins.”
“You’re intervening where you’re not warranted,” Cole growled
, his tone sending a shiver up my spine. “Rhys might forgive you, sweet sister, but I don’t. Now fuck off and leave her alone. Remington, it’s time for the real party to start. Finish your drink. You’re going to need it.”
I started to place my hand into his, but a giant hand gripped mine. It yanked me from the chair violently, pulling me forward. Cole swore beneath his breath, and the entire assembly seemed to go silent around us.
“Dance. You dance… me, please,” the giant said.
I lifted my eyes to his, barely schooling my response in time. He had a scar that ran across his face from one ear to the other, giving his face a caved-in appearance. My pulse kicked up while Cole stepped back, and Nyota swore beneath her breath. The surrounding silence was deafening, and I fought to control my response to the giant’s sheer size.
“You… dance… me,” he stammered, his words hitching.
“I will dance with you,” I stated, smiling softly.
He smiled, and the entire room released a breath. His head tilted as he watched me. His disfigured smile was unnerving, but there was an innocence to him that dispelled the fear I’d felt. He easily stood over seven-feet-tall, with dark, cropped hair that hung to his shoulders.
He smiled again, leaning closer to me to whisper, which came out in a scream that tickled my ear. “I… Thurston!”
“I am Remi,” I grinned, watching as he nodded joyously.
He pulled me behind him, forcing me to step quickly, so as not to be dragged behind him. Thurston stopped on the wooden dance floor, and others scooted away from him. He nodded vigorously to a woman who stared at me with a warning in her eyes.
I didn’t have time to wonder about it as American Authors’ Best Day of My Life started, and the giant began jumping up and down. I smiled wide, shaking my head at his dance moves. I started dancing with him, and he paused, cocking his head to the side. He laughed and mirrored my movements, which was like a carefree idiot that wasn’t watched by an entire assembly of immortals who wouldn’t forget it anytime soon.
I threw my hands in the air, and Thurston followed my lead, shaking and twisting. I danced with him until the end of the song. The moment the song ended, he grabbed me by the waist, lifting me over his shoulder as he patted my ass. My eyes widened as Rhys chuckled, chasing after us until the woman stepped into Thurston’s path.
Rhys slowed the moment Thurston paused, his demeanor changing. “I fuck… her!”
My eyes grew large until they mirrored saucers, and Rhys shook his head at Thurston. “She’s mortal, Thurston. You’d kill her. She’s delicate like a flower.” Okay, that was taking it a little far. I wasn’t that delicate.
“I want… her. She’s… pretty… laughs from… deep. I… go deep… in… pussy.” I frowned, peering over my shoulder at Rhys, who snickered.
He better save my ass!
Thurston’s hand patted my ass, and I jerked as he slammed his beefy hand against my rump a third time. The woman reached up, slipping her ribbon over his wrist. He turned, staring at her with interest.
“Remi is very beautiful and very delicate,” Rhys stated, his voice calm and without the panic I felt. “Carla wants you tonight, isn’t she pretty? You won’t break her.”
Thurston slammed me into Rhys’s arms, and he barely stopped us from both going to the floor in a pile of limbs. Rhys turned me into his chest, smiling at Thurston. We didn’t move until he and the woman were on the stairs. Rhys pulled me toward the bar, sitting me down. I took my first breath of air, slowly exhaling. The bartender handed me a whiskey, and I turned, staring at Rhys, who observed me carefully as if he thought I would break down or something.
“Thank God for Carla,” I muttered, shaking my head as his lips twitched. “I’m glad she accepted him.”
“She’s the first love of his life,” he announced. I felt the other men settling around us, asking if I was okay.
“That’s sweet. Before he was wounded?”
“Indeed,” he agreed.
“Well, glad she wanted to have him tonight. Saved me from having to turn him down for sex,” I stated, taking a pull of whiskey.
“She’s his mother,” Rhys stated, and I spewed whiskey all over the bar, choking.
My eyes turned to his, and I opened my mouth and closed it. “She’s going to have sex with him? She’s his mother!” I gasped as the bartender laughed, handing me a towel to wipe my face off while the men around me laughed.
“No, his father will be waiting in the hallway to inject him with a tonic that will allow them to lead Thurston to his room. He was wounded in battle before he was immortal, and they became sterile soon after Thurston was born. We all made a pact, allowing them to keep their child, and not put him down as was done in those days. We agreed that no one would treat him as anything less than a giant deserving of respect.”
I swallowed as tears pricked my eyes. “That is sweet.”
“So were you for not turning a scarred man down. You knew he was dangerous and damaged, and yet you made his year, Remi. He will never forget the beautiful May Queen who danced with him and laughed like you didn’t have a care in the world. No one else would have done that.”
“Well, then they suck. Or maybe they realized Thurston was going to caveman a bitch and carry her off to fuck her hard,” I chuckled, drinking as Rhys watched me with a smile on his lips. I reached for my ribbon, and a knight approached him, whispering in his ear as his eyes slid to mine, narrowing.
“Excuse me,” he stated, strolling away with the guard while I picked at my ribbon.
“Come on, let’s get you out of that dress,” Cole whispered, pressing against my ear. “Stop hesitating, Sunshine. You’re the May Queen, and no one can get fucked until you choose a partner. You know that you’ll choose Rhys, it’s a given.” I turned to face Cole, staring into his pretty blue eyes as he grabbed my wrist. My eyes found Rhys standing across the room, watching us. “But in case you’re not certain, a Van Helsing has to claim you as well. Can’t have all the alphas holding a claim and none of us, right?”
He smirked boyishly, his teeth worrying his bottom lip. When he’d finished tying on his ribbon, he held out his elbow, and I slipped my hand around it, holding him tightly. The undressing was precisely that. We were stripped down to our panties and paraded around the room with me, leading all the women.
Rhys stared openly, slipping his gaze down to the tiny panties that luckily covered my ass, which I was sure was his doing. Once we’d finished walking in a circle around the dance floor, we moved from it, and I swallowed, walking to him as he smirked, turning his head to peer up at the stairs before moving toward them.
Closing my eyes, I nodded to the women who held my dress, slipping back into it before heading to the stairs as everyone watched me. My heart sat in my throat, and yet it was probably for the best that he hadn’t allowed me to tie my ribbon to him. He obviously had chosen someone else, and avoiding me seemed to be his way out of dealing with me tonight.
“What the hell is happening?” Conrad asked, turning to look at Ian.
“I’m guessing she gifted herself the ribbon and intends to fuck herself tonight?” Ian snorted loudly.
“Can she do that?” Hunter asked.
“She’s a Silversmith. She can do whatever the hell she wants with Rhys’s protection. Good for her,” Cole muttered, but there was a catch in his tone that tugged at me.
The knights walked me back to the room, where I silently removed my heels and rubbed my neck. Stretching it out, I reached behind me, unclasping the necklace. I started for the dress’s zipper, but hands stopped mine. I lifted my eyes to the azure gaze in the mirror.
“Tell me to leave, Remi,” Rhys whispered huskily.
“Stay,” I swallowed, holding his heated depths while he reached for my arm, turning me to face him.
Rhys flicked a blade open, slicing through the other ribbons on each of our arms, freeing them as he set the knife down. Carefully, he secured his ribbon to my wrist while his eyes held m
ine prisoner. Once he’d finished, I tied mine to his, and he smirked wickedly, turning me around as he unzipped my dress to watch it pooling on the ground at our feet.
“You have no idea what I intend to do to you tonight, Remington. I intend to use every single second of the next twenty-four hours with you until you’re screaming and begging me for mercy. You should know, I don’t have any,” he growled, turning me toward him as he began walking me slowly backward. “Tonight, you’re mine, woman.”
“About time, Van Helsing,” I whispered breathlessly, crushing my mouth against his in a kiss that showed him I meant business. He groaned, lifting me, pushing my back against the wall, and capturing my hands above my head in one of his vise-like grips. His other hand grasped my chin, taking control as he devoured me hungrily, growling until I was moaning against his hard body with need.
Rhys pulled back, and I studied the blue of his eyes fighting the darkness of the incubus for control. It mattered little which side of him won tonight, as long as it ended with me getting relief from the need pulsing through me.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Rhys didn’t just kiss me. He slowly seduced me, holding me helplessly pinned against the wall with his body. His tongue caressed mine, deliberately moving in and out of my mouth. It was as if he was showing me exactly what he intended to do to my body tonight. My stomach tightened with need, my core clenching greedily to be filled by him. Moans escaped my mouth, only to be swallowed and captured by his hungry kiss.
He pulled away from my mouth, kissing my neck as his fingers threaded through my hair, forcefully turning me around until my forehead pressed against the wall. His mouth brushed over my shoulder, nipping the skin with his teeth. Rhys’s fingers worked the sides of my corset, becoming impatient and ripping it away from my body instead.
He slipped his hands around my front, grabbing and squeezing my breasts as he continued kissing the back of my neck. One of his large hands slid down my stomach, where his fingers glided against my opening. He growled wickedly, finding my body ready for his, pushing his fingertips in and out of my body while he continued kissing my shoulder.
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