“Nothing about what happened with her is relevant to you,” he gritted out, but I didn’t believe that.
“It’s alright,” I said, sliding my hand up to cup his jaw as I tried to get him to look at me. And he did, but his eyes were filled with endless pain and regret. It hurt me to see that chasm of suffering in him and I wished I could crawl into him and heal it.
“I don’t want you to feel like I only want you one way,” he said in a growl. “Or that restraining you means I love you any less. It’s just…” He leaned toward me, kissing my neck as he pushed my hair away from it. “Something I need to do.”
“Kyan,” I sighed in protest as he pushed me onto my back and knelt over my hips, kissing up my throat to my ear and teasing it in the perfect fucking way with soft nips of his teeth. “Kyan.”
“I don’t have to be rough all the time,” he said, his deep voice sending a quake through my body. God damn him.
He started kissing his way down my body, worshipping every piece of my flesh he found as his hands skimmed along my sides. I started panting, unable to think straight as he moved between my thighs and showed me how slowly, softly and catastrophically he could touch me with nothing but his mouth.
I parted my lips on protests that wouldn’t come out as he brought me to an earth shattering crescendo that made my whole body tremble. Then he laid his weight on me and pulled my arms above my head, holding my wrists with one hand in a hold that was firm but not tight.
“Kyan we should really ta-” I started but he pushed inside my body in one slow and fluid movement and my back arched as I gasped. He started claiming me with controlled thrusts of his hips, kissing me like he was born to love me, to die for me. It was too perfect to stop and I fell into the dark sea of his eyes as I kissed him back, letting him know I loved him with everything I was, and when he was ready to deal with this, I’d be here. I hoped we could find a way to overcome it together, because the thought of my inked god forever being haunted by his demons broke my heart. I just wished I could fight them for him.
W aiting a week to head to Royaume D’élite was its own special kind of torture as we were stuck in the purgatory of knowing that we were so close to ending this while feeling so distant from it all the same. It was like that feeling you got while reading a book, glancing at the pages left or the percentage remaining and seeing that you were coming towards the end. In a way it was exciting because you were about to get all of the answers you'd been waiting for, about to find out who survived and who had to pay the ultimate price. But it was terrifying too, because you knew that this right here was when the pace was about to pick up, all the shit was going to hit the fan, and everything was about to collide in an explosion of words and pain and adrenaline that just might leave you a deranged mess on the floor once you were finished with it. And even then, there was the very real possibility that it would haunt you afterwards, the characters lingering in your mind like old friends instead of constructs of your imagination. I just hoped I made it to the epilogue of our fucked up little story - the one where Goldilocks met the three bears and rather than running for the hills, she called the wood cutter in to join them and crowned herself their queen. That was the kind of fairy tale I wanted to live in forever.
Niall had been banned from joining us by Kyan's asshole grandfather. But the crazy bastard had apparently taken enough of a liking to us to help us out by arming us and lending us his car, so we were currently on route to the club of horrors in Niall’s Jeep Wrangler with Saint behind the wheel.
I sat in the front passenger seat, listening to the exquisite combination of Saint's classical music while 21 Hungarian Dances No. 5 By Brahms played through the speakers and Tatum moaned loudly in the back seat. I pulled the visor down in front of me, flicking the mirror open to watch as Kyan kissed her passionately while his hand moved beneath the waistband of her black yoga pants. Her hand was on Monroe's thigh as she leaned against him to give Kyan room, her fingernails biting into his flesh, but he clearly had no objections to that as he watched them and kissed her neck.
I licked my lips as her moans turned into the sound of her coming and Kyan chuckled like a self-satisfied asshole as he drew back to let her catch her breath. I was pretty sure every one of us was hard as stone after that little performance, but as much as we'd enjoyed it and would no doubt enjoy it even more if we pulled over for an hour or so, we needed to focus on what we had to do now.
I glanced at Saint, wondering if he was going to have anything to say about it, but he just rolled his eyes, a smirk dancing around the corner of his lips as the track playing shifted to 3 Gymnopédies by Frank Glazer, a quieter piece which seemed to bring a sense of calm over us.
"You all know what you need to do?" Saint confirmed as we pulled down a little dirt track in the middle of fucking nowhere.
Thank fuck Saint had managed to get a lock on this location when Kyan and Tatum had last come here, or I got the feeling we never would have been able to find the place.
"We've been over the plan about a hundred times," I reminded him and he nodded.
"Good." He pulled the night vision goggles Niall had leant us down over his face then switched the headlights off, plunging us into darkness.
Tension built in the car as Saint took the Jeep off road and I held onto the door as we bounced through ditches and over bumpy terrain through the pine forest that surrounded Royaume D’élite.
This was going to be one hell of an accomplishment if we really did manage to pull it off, but I was seriously looking forward to getting my hands dirty. For too long I'd had to see the look in Kyan's eyes that had been present since he'd been forced to enrol in this club for rich assholes. I hated that they'd made him do the things he'd done, and I hated that he'd felt he had to lie to us about it afterwards. But now that I had a monster to blame for the darkness that had been haunting him, I was ready to drive a dagger into its heart and see every last member of this society of motherfuckers burn for their crimes.
Saint stopped the car and a deep silence fell as he cut the engine. We all got out without a word, our black outfits covering us and blanketing us in shadow.
I caught Tatum’s hand, tugging her close and kissing her deeply as my fingers ran up the back of her neck, caressing the Night Bound tattoo Kyan had given her and smirking to myself. I couldn’t get over how much I fucking loved it. I’d gotten her to tie her hair up and let me fuck her from behind at least four times since she’d gotten it just so that I could feel the perfection of her body wrapped tight around me while looking at that permanent brand on her flesh which said she’d claimed us too. Ours. Forever.
Saint had been caught between being thrilled and pissed over it of course. He’d punished her for marking her body without consulting all of us by spanking her with some crazy leather paddle thing he’d bought and then getting her to suck us all off without letting her come. All of us aside from Kyan who he’d put on a sex ban for the week as his punishment. But I knew for a fact that he’d been screwing our girl in the laundry closet last night and I was pretty certain he’d taken her out to Liam’s car a few days ago too. But I hadn’t called him out on it because I personally didn’t think he’d done anything wrong by marking her for us.
I reluctantly broke our kiss as we all covered our faces with the ski masks and made sure we had knives and guns stowed on our belts. Niall had really come through on the weapons he'd supplied us with and we each had a shiny new nine millimetre fully equipped with silencers, knives and plenty of ammo. Though we were hoping we wouldn't have to use them. Me and Kyan were carrying a couple of gallons of gasoline too for the finale of our plan.
Once we were ready to go, Saint locked the Jeep and turned to look at the rest of us with a deep frown which I could hardly even see in the darkness beneath the trees. It was a cloudy night, the threat of rain hanging in the air and next to no moonlight making it through. But that was a good thing because it meant no one would be able to see us coming either.
"The f
ive people standing here are the most important people in the world," Saint said heavily, looking between all of us to make certain we were listening. "Everything that we are doing here tonight pales in comparison to keeping us alive. Nothing is more important than that. Swear it."
"We won't take any unnecessary risks," I promised, knowing he didn't like that we were going to have to split up once we were in there.
"In and out," Kyan agreed. "Just the way Tatum likes it."
She slapped his chest to tell him off as I laughed.
"Let's just get in there and do what we have to," Nash said. "The sooner it's done and our girl is safely away from here the better."
"Oh please," Tatum said. "I bet I'll be the one keeping you assholes safe. I'm not the one who has issues with impulse control."
Saint stepped forward and placed one arm around my shoulders and another around Monroe's. Kyan completed the circle with Tatum standing in the centre of us as we all leaned forward and pressed our heads together.
"I am the dark in the dead of the night," Saint said in a low voice and we all growled the response instead of yelling it for once.
"Here me roar."
We broke apart and started moving through the trees at a fast pace, the lights of the huge manor house up ahead piercing the darkness before long.
When we reached the edge of the trees, we took cover and looked out over the manicured lawn at the back of the imposing gothic building. There was no one in sight on this side of the property, but a car drove up the gravel driveway to our left as we stayed out of sight and we waited as it pulled up before the building to let out the member who had just arrived.
"Ready?" Saint breathed and I nodded along with the others as we darted out of the trees and started running across the lawn.
It was so dark that we were little more than shadows in the night and thankfully, every window at Royaume D’élite was carefully shuttered - no doubt to make sure no photographs could be taken from outside to document the fucked up things that went on within that place. But it served us too, because it meant that no one was looking out either.
Kyan took the lead as we made it to the wall of the imposing building, creeping along the side of it until he reached a narrow sash window where he quickly took a thin wire from his pocket and slid it beneath the gap at the bottom of the pane.
My heart pounded as he cursed beneath his breath a couple of times before he managed to hook the catch and force it open. He slid the window up as quietly as possible, but my teeth still ached at the sound it made and we all held our breath as he leaned forward to peer through a gap in the wooden shutters which blocked the way on.
"The Moguls’ Banquet is to the right and up the stairs," he murmured. "The whores and fighters are kept to the left of the building downstairs. Just make sure you keep the fuck away from that meeting. If they catch any of us here, they'll strap us to a table and carve us into pieces while the whole club watches and laughs. So no fuck ups."
"Noted," I replied, moving closer to him and drawing my gun as he prepared to open the shutter next. "I'm too pretty to get carved up."
"Just remember, anyone wearing a mask is an enemy," Saint hissed. "If they get in your way, kill first and ask questions later."
"Simple," Nash replied dryly as Kyan took his hunting knife from his belt and slipped the blade between the thin gap in the shutters.
He used it to flick the catch securing them and in the next breath, he'd hopped inside. I gazed in after him, making sure there was no one lurking in the shadows before holstering my gun again.
I paused to give Tatum a boost and she smiled as she let me. "Thank you, Prince Charming," she teased and I followed her inside with the gasoline the moment she was through the window.
I wasn’t sure Prince Charming was anywhere near as depraved as me, but I’d play the role if she enjoyed it in her fantasies.
Saint and Monroe were right behind us as we found ourselves in a narrow corridor. A prickle of adrenaline ran through me as Saint quickly closed the window and shutters behind us to cover our entrance.
I took the lead with Kyan as we crept through the huge building where far-off music was playing, nothing but a dull beat reaching us that seemed to make the walls vibrate with the power of it. There was a faint smell of cigars and sex hanging about the place and I wrinkled my nose, thinking of all these old men buying girls to use and discard just because they could. Sometimes I fucking hated people. They were the goddamn worst.
The floorboards creaked around a corner ahead of us and we all froze, my heart racing as the sound of footsteps thankfully moved away from us.
Kyan led us down a flight of stairs next, before pointing out the door to the room where they stored the capes and masks of the members who couldn't attend the party. Relief spilled through me at the sight of it and I took the lead as we crossed a wide hallway with deep red carpet. Once we were wearing their bullshit regalia, we would be able to move around more freely, hiding in plain sight and the chances of being caught would lessen substantially.
I pushed the door open, but just as I did, it was practically yanked from my grasp as someone inside pulled on the handle too.
My heart leapt as I came face to face with a man dressed in a cape and black mask and as he spotted me, he yelled out.
I dove on him, my hands latching around his throat as I squeezed hard, cutting off that sound and stumbling back into the room with him. We slammed into a wall and he kicked and flailed as my hands stayed locked tight around his throat and I fought desperately to keep him silent.
The door closed behind me as the others chased us inside and we were plunged into total darkness as the man I was choking punched my ribs with savage blows. But I just took the fucking pain of them because I knew the moment my hold failed, he'd scream bloody murder and bring this whole place down on our heads.
I grunted as he hit me again then he began clawing at my gloved hands, trying to prise my grip from his throat. But I couldn't let go. I wouldn't. And as the lights suddenly flicked on and I met his grey eyes through the holes in his expressionless mask I saw true panic and desperation there.
I gritted my teeth and held on tight as I squeezed and fucking squeezed and when he finally stopped struggling and fell still, I dropped him with a curse.
"Do you think anyone heard that?" I hissed, turning to find the others watching me.
"I think they'd be here by now if they had," Saint replied after a beat and we all agreed with that.
Nash started grabbing cloaks and tossing them to us to put on over our black outfits and my hands shook a little from the adrenaline of the fight as I fastened mine around my neck.
A gold and black skull mask was pressed into my hands and I looked up to find Tatum standing before me, her eyes wide and full of fire.
"You saved our asses there, golden boy," she teased, tiptoeing up to press a brief kiss to my lips before stepping back and pulling her own mask down over her face.
"All in a day's work, sweetheart," I replied, glancing at the body I'd left slumped on the floor before fixing my own mask over my features and drawing my hood up. There was a time that I would have freaked the fuck out over what I’d just done, but not anymore. I’d learned the hard way what it took to survive in this world and I was ready to do whatever it took to make sure we did.
"Take note of each other’s numbers," Saint commanded and I looked at the golden number 327 stitched onto the breast of his cape. "We don't want to accidentally shoot each other."
Monroe laughed like that was a joke, but as I looked between the other Night Keepers and our queen, I had to admit that it was pretty hard to recognise who was who beneath the masks and capes. But I was so in tune with all of them that I very much doubted I'd get them confused with anyone else even so.
Kyan grabbed the dead guy and shoved him beneath the rack of cloaks, kicking his feet out of sight so that it was impossible to see him beneath the hanging black material and we quickly flicked the lights back of
f and headed out into the building again.
"This way," Kyan said, striding off down the dim corridor like he owned the place and we followed on after him past oil paintings and closed doors, through several twists and turns and up a flight of stairs.
"Gentlemen!" a voice called out from behind us and we stilled as we turned to look back at the man in a black mask who had paused at the foot of the stairs to call out to us. "Oh, and lady too," he added, noticing Tatum amongst us. "The meeting is already underway and the Grand Master-"
"We are well aware," Saint barked in his most entitled dickhead voice. "Is it your job to question us, or are you here to serve?"
"No, Master," the man replied hastily, cutting a bow to us like we were lords or some shit from Bridgerton. "I just wanted to be sure you knew."
"Well now you're sure, you can fuck off," Kyan growled and the guy promptly did just that, scurrying away like a rat down a hole.
"Jesus," Monroe muttered and I got the feeling he was both relieved that had worked and kinda disgusted at this privileged world we'd grown up in. But at least we weren't here to join up. We might have been a group of entitled rich boys, but we were here to fuck up the establishment just like him.
"That's the office we found before," Tatum said as we drew close to one of the nondescript wooden doors and we waited while she dropped down to pick the lock.
My heart was ticking to a heady rhythm as we waited for her to do it and the sound of laughter reached us from somewhere around the corner at the end of the corridor.
Before I could even think about drawing my gun, the door clicked open and Tatum hurried inside with us all right behind her.
I closed the door and she moved across the space, opening the secret door they'd found behind the bookshelf and letting Saint and Monroe head into the office that was hidden there. Saint's eyes lit up behind his mask as he looked around at the opulent space. It wasn't huge, but everything in here was expensive and clearly owned by a rich douchebag.
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