“It would be rude to leave our guest,” Brom spoke and stood. “Merlin, put your mask back on; we are at a masquerade after all. Miss . . .” he paused, waiting for me.
“Nightingale,” I answered. I could not see it, but I could feel his raised eyebrow.
“Miss Nightingale,” he continued, “would you care to join us as we attend the real party?”
“I—don’t understand,” I admitted as I looked between the three of them. Merlin, that had to be the gruff man, affixed his mask back to his face—it was black as obsidian, acting nearly like a mirror, and was a startling contrast against his eyes.
“If you want politics, go back to the hall,” Merlin said as he shrugged his suit coat back on. “But if you’re looking for where the real power is, you look in the dark.”
I looked between the three of them and saw Romulus shaking his head. “He means the basement, darling, no need to look terrified. It’s where the young and powerful meet while those who cling to tradition stay in the light.”
I hesitated . . . these men felt powerful, but if they were no one, held no rank in the magical syndicates, I couldn’t use them.
Brom stalked towards me, and it felt as if electricity sparked over my skin. He stood before me, not nearly as close as Romulus had, but his effect on me was still powerful.
“You seek power here, little bird.” His voice was soft and I found myself leaning forward to hear him. “Why?”
“I want to be free,” I whispered, hypnotized by his gaze. They were deep wells, as black as Merlin’s mask, and I wanted to fall into them. This was a power all vampires held but his was so much stronger than the one who drove me in here.
“Then, come with us.” Brom held out his hand and I swallowed hard.
I put my hand into his, his skin surprisingly warm, and he tucked my hand into his arm, turning me even as Merlin shuffled past me to open the door and peek his head out.
“Hall’s clear.”
We followed him out, and Romulus was on our heels. I could feel the man’s eyes on my body and it excited me. They led me deeper into the hall until we reached a dimly lit staircase, and we were silent as we descended it. At the end was a solid metal door, I could hear nothing beyond it, no matter how I strained. Romulus stepped past Brom and me, sending me a wolfish grin as he gripped the handle.
Was I predator or prey? My stepmother considered me prey, but she was wrong.
He opened the basement door, and loud, deep beating music filling the quiet staircase, so violent and passionate compared to the quiet conversations in the halls above us.
I grinned fiercely under my mask and I could feel the fire in my eyes as I walked forward into the darkness.
I was a predator.
Chapter 3
Eleanora
The music flowed over us as I was assaulted with the smell of booze, sweat, and blood. The only lights came from the stage at the far end—beams of color flashed through the darkness, lighting up the packed basement in a chaotic symphony of lights. If it hadn’t been for Brom’s steady gait, I’d have stumbled in the crowd. The basement was cavernous, having to span the entire mansion, and it was completely full of people.
Every face was hidden by a mask, and I blushed when I saw that masks were all that some people wore. My stomach tightened and I thought of the three men escorting me—did they expect me to disrobe for them? Would . . . I say no?
The crowd parted for them, the closest people looking at Brom and then me, a question in their eyes. I looked at the man, his face covered by the silver mask, and wondered exactly who he was to command such respect. He must have sensed my wonder, as he covered my hand with his where it lay on his arm. I let them guide me deeper into the crowd even as I realized I would be lost without them.
I gasped, jumping towards Brom as two lycans burst through the crowd, snarling as they fought one another. Romulus stepped forward and growled—I couldn’t hear it over the pounding music but I felt it deep within me, vibrating through the air. It was a primal sound and I panted. Brom’s fingertips ghosted over the back of my hand and I fought back a shiver. The lycans responded, whimpering as they separated and groveled at Romulus, their arms curled into their muscular chests. In their shifted form, they had to be as tall as Romulus, but they cowed beneath his gaze. The man snapped his mouth, snarling, and the fighting shifters raced into the crowed, proverbial tails between their legs.
Vampire. Lycan. . . was Merlin a warlock? I looked to my right and realized how close he was. His hands were shoved into his front pockets as he slouched beside us.
Who the fuck had I fallen in with?
Brom led me forward again, Romulus parting the crowd as if he held divine power, the people flowing away from us only to fill in the space we’d just vacated. I peered closely at the dancers around us, jumping, thrashing, grinding against one another. Faces were hidden behind masks, but their eyes flashed in the lights. Their exposed skin glistened with sweat and . . . blood. Vampires fed freely from their partners, who clung to them, hands groping each other as they danced.
This world wasn’t supposed to exist. The syndicates were always a handful of insults away from war. The tension in the banquet halls above reflected the stifling politics and tension in society. But down here, floors below those with grand names and wealth . . . the syndicates came together in a dizzy cacophony of bodies, pressed together without a care for personal space or species rivalries. It baffled me as much as it called to me.
The crowd parted to reveal a short set of stairs, still far enough away from the DJ that we could see him towering above the crowd. A hulking man with blood-red eyes in a suit barricaded the way. Romulus leaned in, speaking something into his ear, and the man moved out of the way, still watching the crowd as we climbed up. I had to step carefully, fearing my heels would wedge into the spaces of the metal grates. We sat in a small alcove fitted with obstinately colored settees and a black table with a small electric lantern. Wall sconces on the wall cast a soft yellow light in the area, only enough to see by, I noticed.
Brom sat next to me, draping his arm behind me to rest on the back of the couch as he stared out over the chaos before us. Merlin shrugged off his coat and shoved up his sleeves, revealing arms covered in faded tattoos. He pulled off his tie and tossed it in the corner, his coat following, before he leaned over the table to frown at the lantern. He snapped once, his hand just above the metal handle, and the white light emanating from within flashed purple for a moment. The sounds beyond the alcove became muffled. It seemed the alcove had a built-in silencing ward.
“Much better,” Brom hummed and I bit my lip, thankful they couldn’t see my face. My body was reacting to Brom in ways that the fumbling with the young footman at the mansion never produced. “Now, what would you care to drink, little bird?”
“Nothing, thank you,” I said, unwilling to remove my mask.
“Right, well, you should drink something—that lot is dancing enough to dehydrate us all.” Merlin leaned out of the alcove and made a gesture to someone I couldn’t see. He turned back and cocked his head, the soft light glowing in the reflection of his mask. “It’s your mask?”
I nodded once, hoping he would understand. He leaned forward, stretching out his hand, and I couldn’t pull back before his palm covered the mask. I felt his magic spread over the mask in the way I imagined electricity crawled over overloaded power lines. He pulled away with a grunt.
“There,” he said, and I wondered if he ever sounded anything other than disgruntled. “No one will see your face when you take off the new mouthpiece.” He looked back out into the walkway. “Where is that fucking fox?”
I was shocked into silence even as I lifted my hand to touch the mask. My father was a powerful warlock, and I had access to his legacy, so I assumed I would be too. But as of now, I could only sense the presence of magic layered over the smooth porcelain material of my mask. I had no reason to trust him but he had no reason to reveal my identity. Not here in the ma
ssive room where everyone wore masks. And to use his magical power for something so trivial? It implied he had so much in his reserves that he could waste it on cantrips like my mask.
If they were as powerful as every sign so far had suggested, one of them could be the answer to Madam Jupiter’s control over my life. I steadied myself. I would have to trust them with more than hiding my face if I could convince them. I thought of my father, and the brief memories of my mother I still had, and gathered my courage.
“Merlin, you’re a fucking wanker, you know that, right?” A cheerful voice had me dropping my hands back to my lap. A woman in a tight, white latex strapless dress had walked into the alcove, a round serving tray propped against her hip. Her hair was straight and black, cut in a perfect bob at her chin, giving her tan face a softer look. But her eyes were slitted, her irises a burnt orange, and when she smiled at the warlock, I saw the point of her canine. That’s what Merlin meant by a fox.
“It’s a part of my endearing charm,” Merlin answered as he patted his pants, looking for something.
“You know there’s no smoking—” He waved her off as he pulled out a small business card.
“Charge everything to that fucker,” he muttered. The fox grabbed it, lifting an eyebrow at whatever she read, before tossing it behind her, the card disappearing in a spark of light. “The usual then, fellas?”
“Hei-Sook, have I told you how lovely you are?” Romulus leaned back in his chair, his ankle resting across his knee. He had a predatory gleam in his eye as he watched the fox. A strange bolt of jealousy lanced through me and I shook my head as if to clear it. I jumped when I felt Brom’s hand on my shoulder, his fingers tracing the lace along my neck.
“Never going to happen, dogbreath.” I was amazed at her comfort around the men when everyone else had seemed to grovel. Her eyes caught mine, her head tilted with exaggerated interest. “Don’t let them push you around, lady. They need someone who will stand up to them. What can I get you to drink? We have everything from normal sapien beverages to fairy cocktails that are more pixie dust than booze. If you want blood, you’ll have to look to the man on your left.”
My mind blanked as she waited for my response. What would Titania order? Champagne, but that felt too pretentious. I looked at the men and then back to the fox. “I’ll have what they’re having.”
Brom huffed a quiet laugh that I would have doubted had his warm breath not washed over my sensitive skin. Romulus had a wicked grin as he watched me, and Merlin seemed more interested in the playing cards in his hand.
“You sure?” she asked me skeptically, and I refused to wilt under the question. I nodded once and she shrugged. “I’ll be back. Merlin, try not to fuck anything up.”
She returned quickly, dropping off four tumblers filled with something so dark it seemed to absorb the light around them. My courage faltered as they reached for their glasses, Brom leaning forward, his side pressing into my arm as he dragged two tumblers towards us. My hand shook, though I prayed they didn’t notice, as I reached for the new mouthpiece and it slipped off easily. I felt their eyes on me, even Merlin’s, as I reached for the drink. I was more relieved that it was clear the warlock’s illusion held true—they wouldn’t be looking at me with such interest if he had lied.
I held it up to my face and watched it with fascination. It was so black that I couldn’t see through the liquid, though it was as viscous as water and incredibly light in weight.
“What is it?” I asked with quiet enchantment.
It was Brom who answered me—his voice soft, drawing over me, full-throated and dark with secrets. “Mortis Lux.” He raised his glass and the others followed. I looked at him as he waited. His eyes pierced me and I feared he could see through the illusion—powerful enough vampires could with ease, if they chose. “Death of light. To freedom.” He clinked his glass to mine, and I brought my glass to my lips in a mirror of the man.
To freedom, I thought, as I drank. The drink was magical, stronger than anything I’d tried before—which truth be told, consisted of small sips stolen out of curiosity from my stepmother’s stores. It tasted of stars supernova-ing on my tongue, their atomic power racing down my throat to spread their stardust through every vein in my body. When I felt as if I would burst with ancient power, it was as if I were at the apex of flight, and then, in an instant, I gasped as the power was sucked out of my veins, coiling in my stomach with an intense weight. That weight tugged at my insides, even my latent magic wanted to go to it, it was miserable and beautiful and addicting and terrifying, the precipice of utter obliteration edging into my mind. Death was a certainty above all else. All that force, that magic and atomic energy, broke inside me and bliss hatched within my mind, a sense of euphoria settling over me with a comforting weight.
I opened my eyes, never realizing I had closed them, to find Merlin and Romulus watching me, Romulus’s lips turned upwards in a wicked smirk. I turned slightly, Brom’s face close as his eyes watched me experience the drink. I lifted my hand, euphoria casting a haze over every thought, and trailed my fingers over his mask as if it were his true face. He wanted me, his eyes told me with utter certainty that he would have me. And I wanted him—I looked back to Merlin and Romulus, finding in their gazes a reflection of Brom’s desire.
Romulus stood, holding out a hand towards me, a challenge in his eye. “Dance with us.”
Chapter 4
Eleanora
The climb down the stairs was different than our ascent—the magical cocktail having filled me with a sense of euphoria. All I wanted was to dance and move my body, my hand held this time by Romulus with Merlin behind me. Brom had stayed seated, having promised to join us later.
The crowd pulsed around us like a mindless living entity, absorbing us into itself as if recognizing our intent. The lights flashed over us in pulses that matched my racing heart, bodies moved, writhing around us like serpents, and it was impossible to tell what limb belonged to whom. It was as if everyone had given up rivalries, and even blood feuds, in favor of this hedonistic symphony.
The music was fast-paced, with a deep heavy beat that vibrated through my body as we flowed deeper into the crowd. My skin was electrified, the pulses originating from the Lycan before me, and my skin flared each time I felt Merlin press against my back when the crowd forced us to stop.
Romulus turned to me, finally stopping, his eyes wild behind the mask he wore, his lips turned into a wicked grin as he tugged me into his chest. The lighting was darker here, as if unable to reach the heart of the creature the music had created. He should have been frightening to look at, silhouetted by sharp bursts of light far overhead, but I found myself clutching his shirt with both hands as he shoved his thigh between my legs, one hand gripping my waist, moving me in sync with the music.
Merlin pressed up against my back, his arm coming around my waist, his hand splayed over my stomach. I brought my hand up, reaching back to grip the back of his neck, anchoring him to me even as I teased my fingers through his soft hair.
We moved with the music, the crowd ignoring us just as we ignored them. We’d assimilated, giving way to the energy that flowed and became another part of the panting beast around us. If it weren’t for the steadying, addicting presence of the men surrounding me, I’d have lost myself entirely to the crowd.
As it was, I was losing myself to them.
The music’s tempo increased, racing through us frantically. I felt lightheaded and out of breath, but I was sure it was because of the men who’d drawn me into the crowd and not the Mortis Lux. I leaned back against the wide chest of Merlin, Romulus’s hands holding my hips steady as I balanced over his strong thigh. My body moved of its own accord, giving over to the desire and feelings the darkness and music created.
Brom was right, there was freedom in darkness.
It was as if my thoughts summoned the vampire as I felt a touch on my arm. I opened my eyes, knowing it was him at our side. I had no idea how he’d found us but I reached fo
r him even as Romulus slipped to dance beside me, never fully relinquishing me. I locked my hands behind his neck and he pulled me closer, our hips pressing together.
Fully clothed, our joining was more erotic than when I lost my virginity in a too-quick fumble in a small room with an inexperienced young man. I could feel my hair coming loose from where I had artfully pinned it atop my head and my nerve endings were sparking, my delicate dress plastered to my skin and my arms covered with a sheen of sweat.
Brom dipped before me, lifting my dress up around my thighs, but before I could be offended, he pulled my knee up over his waist, his hips gyrating against me, and I moaned. I could feel his thick arousal against my core. His black eyes gleamed in the strobe lights and I knew he could sense my arousal. It was as if all three of them could, as I leaned back into Merlin, his hands exploring my body, trailing over my arms, his face buried in my neck, his lips hot against me even through the lace. I reached out for Romulus, wrapping my arm around his shoulder. He nipped the inside of my wrist and I shuddered.
Now I understood why we had seen dancers naked and fucking on the dance floor, uncaring of everyone around them. In that moment, it was as if we had come crashing together. Romulus’s hands moved over my waist, upwards over my breasts, and I pushed myself into him even as I felt Brom’s cock thrust up against me once more. I recognized the feeling that was building inside of me and I turned towards Merlin, pressing my face against his and squeezing my eyes shut, wishing that I didn’t need the mask.
The warlock’s hand traveled down my stomach, opposite of Romulus, and I let myself grind against Brom, utterly supported by the three of them, and I let myself trust them to take care of me, to give me what I suddenly needed.
Beautiful Secrets: The Complete Trilogy Page 2