CHAPTER TWO
Bane
One Week Later
It’s a long time since I was in such an irritable mood, so long I can’t remember. It’s been days of rain, thunder, and strong winds following me everywhere I go. The people of Chaos must fucking hate me. At least now I’ve brought the rainclouds to the Shifter Kingdom, giving them a little reprieve. The cool beer does nothing to sway the rage I feel boiling under my skin. I’ve searched everywhere for Saylor but can’t find her. And her fucking brothers have been no help. Not to mention, I’m fucking hungry. Drinking from another female doesn’t feel quite right anymore, but if I don’t find Saylor soon, I’m going to have to.
I have a few usual females I visit for sex and blood, and none of them would turn me away.
It’s not like you have to fuck them. Just drink from their wrist and send them on their way.
It still doesn’t feel right.
The only blood I want is hers.
My beautiful, chaotic mate.
She damn well belongs in Chaos with me—the city was named after her.
She was right about one thing—she is trouble.
But she’s still mine, and I’m going to find her.
After being cast away as a child, being given a mate feels like my second chance at a family. Yes, I have Axe, Kai, Zython and now August, but this is different. Something just for me.
Saylor is solely mine.
Given to me by the fates.
I’ve wanted this for such a long time, and now I simply need to get her on board.
She’s already got me wrapped around her fucking little finger. Those honey-brown doe eyes are already a weakness of mine. “Can I get you another drink?” A fae female asks, batting her lashes at me. She’s wearing what looks like lingerie and nothing else, which seems to be the uniform here. I don’t know why Astrid told me to come here tonight, but when a seer I trust with my life tells me to do something, I’m going to do it. Still, I feel like a creep sitting alone at a table in a strip club—one I didn’t even know existed in the Shifter Kingdom until right now. In Chaos, we have a secret sex club called Red that I’m a member of, but I haven’t been there since Astrid first told me about my mate.
I shake my head at the fae, and she reaches out to touch my shoulder, but I grab her wrist before she can make contact. She forces a smile. “I’m here for… anything you might need.”
“I’m good, thank you,” I reply, wondering if Astrid sending me here is some kind of prank. She was shocked when I told her Saylor was my mate, her hazel eyes widening and her brow furrowing. She had shared a look with Rave that had him wincing, but she changed the subject when I asked what the problem was.
“Prince Bane,” comes a soft voice from my left. I turn to face the demon female, her red eyes pinned on me. In amongst her thick hair she has two horns. Sometimes when I’m out and about, demons will recognize me as the true heir to their kingdom. She lowers her face to me. “We need you where you belong. Your brother is not you. He has his mother’s spirit.”
Which means he’s a cruel asshole.
I reach out to touch her arm. Have I thought about reclaiming my throne? Yes. But at the end of the day, my exile has sent me on a different path, one that has now led me to my mate. “You are always welcome in Chaos.”
She scans my eyes. “I have faith one day you will return.”
With that parting statement, she leaves. And I’m left sitting here contemplating all my life choices.
I’m about to call it a night when the music changes to a slow, sultry beat, the candles dimming. As the two new acts take the stage, sliding up to the pole, I do a double take, not believing what I’m seeing.
Saylor.
What the fuck is she doing?
She’s wearing a red lace bra, panties, and matching red gloves with thigh-high socks hugging her thick thighs and leather heels that she shouldn’t be able to walk in. But she makes them look easy. Her perfect, curvy body is on show for fucking everyone. Her large breasts are all but spilling out of that lace bra, more than a handful and tempting as sin.
I see RED .
And not just because of what she’s wearing.
I stand, my chair going flying behind me.
No fucking way.
No one gets to see my mate like this.
No one.
It starts to rain heavily outside, a storm brewing.
Thunder crackles.
Wind howls.
It’s turbulent, just like my emotions.
I don’t even notice the shifter on stage with her until the blonde’s lips land on Saylor’s.
Motherfucker.
My fated mate is on stage.
Stripping.
And making out with another woman.
I don’t think I’ve ever felt such rage in my life.
I’m pissed.
Jealous.
And a little turned on.
I storm toward the stage while Saylor deepens the kiss, her hands roaming down toward the blonde’s ass.
Is she telling me it’s not just males I have to worry about? I have to worry about females too?
Great.
It’s me against the population of the whole eight kingdoms.
I’m up on the stage before I know it, ripping off my tunic and wrapping it around her, attempting to cover her.
“Bane?” she questions, her honey-brown eyes rounding. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
A few women start catcalling me, and I realize it’s because I’m now shirtless.
“Yeah, dance for us, baby!” a mermaid shouts.
Saylor turns toward the crowd, her brow furrowing, and then she stands in front of me.
Blocking me.
“Are you fucking with me right now?” I snarl, pulling her backward so no one gets to see her ass until we’re behind the curtains. Then I push her back against the brick wall, my arms on either side of her, caging her in.
“You can see me?” she asks, her pouty red lips opened. Confusion and surprise are laced in her tone. “How the hell can you see me?”
I don’t know what she’s talking about. “I’m going to spank that round ass when we get home, Saylor. What the fuck are you thinking? You that desperate for attention? Mine isn’t enough?”
She laughs, a low, husky sound that has my cock even harder. “You have no fucking idea. And don’t threaten me with a good time!”
“Then fucking tell me,” I snap, clasping my hand over her cheek and jaw. I ignore her words about getting spanked being a good time because my cock doesn’t need to be any harder than it already is. “Use your words like a good girl, Saylor, and tell me why my fucking mate, who ran away from me a week ago, is stripping on stage. Do your brothers know you’re here?”
She winces, and I know I have my answer.
I lower my face to hers. “Now I know why you were given three older brothers because the fates knew you would be trouble.
“Four,” she replies, swallowing. My tunic falls to the floor, giving up on the attempt to cover her perfect body.
“What?”
“I have four older brothers.”
Her eyes are telling me something, but I don’t know what. Now that she mentions it, I vaguely remember something about another brother, one older than the triplets. “Saylor—”
She surprises me by pulling my face down and shutting me up with a kiss.
She’s a wildcard.
I’m not going to get a moment’s peace with her, and I fucking know it.
I deepen the kiss, my hands going to her lush hips, playing with the scrap of material she’s wearing. I want to blind every fucking person who saw her like this. The reminder makes my fingers tighten on her, and my body pushes hers harder against the wall. She melts into my body.
What is she doing to me?
I’m known for my control, ability to strategize, and remaining calm in all situations.
But with Saylor?
All bets are off.
And yet, I’ve never wanted anyone more.