54
EVIE
“ P rinceton said you own a bunch of sex dungeons,” I blurted.
Kylo looked up from his book, where we were laying in my garden, reading together under the afternoon sun. I hadn’t seen him much since the day I’d used too much power with Princeton, but Kylo always made sure to take care of me in that obsessive, devotional way he did any time he was around.
He marked his spot with a bookmark before closing the book. “Did he now?”
I frowned, homing in on his devious smirk.
“Why are you getting angry, angel?” he teased.
I shook my head. “I’m not angry.”
Kylo’s smile grew. He was on top of me in a flash, kissing both my cheeks as I squirmed beneath him.
He laughed. “Ah yes, because you are so good at hiding those big, deep feelings from the world.”
I glowered, and Kylo only continued to pepper me with kisses.
“Yes, the clan owns many feeding clubs, of various styles. I’ll take you to one on campus,” he said with a shrug. “Tonight.”
“That’s—” I huffed. “That’s fucked-up, Kylo. You feed on university students?”
He stroked my cheek. “Baby, no. I told you I rarely fed from the tap before, and I haven’t been interested in students since I was a student myself. Though I do enjoy giving instructions to my perfect angel.” His eyes narrowed on my lips, his thumb brushing over them as he grinned down at me dangerously.
“Urgh,” I said. “You’re not taking me seriously.”
Kylo sighed. “My clan feeds from willing adults and their blood donations. Or on unwilling born—the monsters we hunt who are actually preying on students. We have to survive and retain power somehow. And as you’ve learned, feeding can be quite enjoyable when it’s desired.”
His lips moved to my jawline, then my neck, and I let out a contented sigh when he lightly sucked.
The bastard knew exactly how to distract and silence me.
Kylo lifted back up. “I like knowing you’re at least a fraction as possessive as I am. It’s cute. Unnecessary, but enjoyable nonetheless.”
He kissed my frown. Then he scanned my body, his eyes darkening.
“Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” he murmured.
“No. You’re taking me,” I said, hardening my resolve. I was done living in the dark and hiding from the world.
Kylo’s jaw feathered. “If we do this, you will not leave my fucking sight. You will not do anything without my permission. If anyone makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe, you will immediately inform me.”
“Your permission?” I scoffed.
Kylo didn’t blink, didn’t relent. I could see it in his eyes—this churning darkness, the look he got before he fed or used his shadows.
“You’re the one who doesn’t want me murdering anyone,” he said. “If you enter a space for feeding, sex, and debauchery, you better believe you’ll be signaling to everyone there who the fuck you belong to.”
His voice was low, gravelly. I felt its rumbling inside my own chest. My thighs inched closer together, my heart skipping.
“Angel,” he growled. “Tell me you understand.”
“No flirting or kissing anyone inside your one of many sex dungeons without your permission,” I said. “Got it.”
Kylo’s hand closed around my throat. “ Brat .”
“Sexual deviant,” I hissed back.
He radiated intensity, his muscles straining. “You have no idea.”
“I did consider adding a pretty pink collar to the ensemble,” Kylo said as he fastened my dress. “With a cute little bell at the front.”
“Like a cat?” I asked incredulously. “I am not your pet .”
Kylo chuckled. “Next time.” He spun me around and kissed my forehead.
In the full-length mirror, I gasped at the beautiful dress Kylo had put me in. It was blush pink with short off-the-shoulder tulle sleeves. The material beneath the layer of tulle was comfortable and silky, not too revealing but still showcased my curves and upper thighs.
“Is this something that will fit in?” I asked.
Kylo nodded. “People wear all sorts of things. Or nothing at all. What matters is whether you like it, baby. Do you feel comfortable?” He met my eyes in the mirror, his features warm.
“Yes,” I said. “I love how sweet you are, right after you threaten to treat me like a collared animal.”
“It’s part of my charm. I contain multitudes.” He spun me to face him.
I rolled my eyes.
“Also, a threat implies you wouldn’t enjoy being my collared pet. Which I can assure you isn’t the case,” he said, his lips at my ear now as I shuddered.
He thumbed the moonstone pendant at my neck with satisfaction. My traitorous body responded to his words with yearning, pleasurable waves extending from wherever he looked or touched.
I would’ve been Kylo’s anything at this point.
And I was too in love to be concerned about such a statement. He was safe. Something I never thought I’d feel so deeply in my bones.
“The last piece,” Kylo murmured, reaching for a delicate, ornate white mask with dangling ribbons and pearl and crystal embellishments.
“Wow,” I said. “This is beautiful.”
Kylo delicately tied the ribbons at the back of my head before kissing my temple. “You deserve only the best. Always.”
I hadn’t gone to university, so I’d never really been on campus during peak partying hours. I’d gone to pubs with Marietta, Quill, and my other friends from Celeste’s, after much begging on their parts, but those had been more inside the city.
As we walked through the side streets in the residential areas, I became increasingly aware of how many humans nodded at Kylo.
“You people are everywhere,” I whispered.
Kylo snorted. He was wearing his partial shadow mask, enough to cover his head while leaving part of his face and mouth uncovered. His men and women must’ve recognized him from his presence and tattoos alone.
Ahead, I saw others in masks sneaking down an alleyway, giddy and giggling, cloaked in decorative robes. I recognized shifter and witch energy from the mortals and caught a glimpse of shadow masks on two turned.
“The magick is going to make you feel strange for a moment,” Kylo warned. “We have protective wards in place that affect mortals’ ability to understand or remember where they are geographically. It won’t affect any other part of their memory. They just won’t be able to return to the club without an escort.”
“Everyone wears masks?” I asked.
“All the turned do, unless they’re staying glamoured as human the whole night. We like to keep some of us incognito for intelligence purposes,” Kylo said. “Most mortals wear masks, because anonymity is part of the fun. It’s also less of a risk, especially for those with important administrative positions at the university, or high-profile jobs in the city.”
We turned onto a new street and approached a bland, nondescript black door on the side of a building. I was still mulling over Kylo’s words when we entered the dimly lit entryway. The wave of protective magick disoriented me instantly, spiking my already festering anxiety levels.
I was basically clawing into Kylo’s arm at this point as he dragged me forward. Four huge turned stood, masked and tattooed, in front of the next door.
As magick prodded me, I recognized Princeton’s distinctive essence in the wards.
The men and women didn’t dare glance at me for too long. They merely nodded at Kylo and let us through.
We descended a set of steps to basement level. People were congregated in an opulent foyer, laughing, talking, and disrobing as they placed their unneeded clothing with a coat check attendant. A golden chandelier hung above, its lights warm and dim.
One woman was entirely nude now save for jeweled pasties on her nipples.
Kylo rumbled with quiet laughter next to me. And when I met the onyx voids where his eyes should’ve been, I realized he’d been staring at my shocked expression.
“Keep walking, angel,” Kylo murmured. “You’re not taking off any more clothes.”
Masked Kylo was… hot. Unbearably sexy, in a way that was concerning.
He smirked. I cleared my throat and looked away, moving forward as I kept hold of his muscular arm in a death grip. Kylo wore black pants and a black top with gold vine embellishments. On his hands were several silver rings. His tattoos quaked with power.
“You haven’t worn all black once since we met,” I whispered.
Kylo glanced down at me as we walked through yet another door. “Of course not. Why would I want to cause you unnecessary discomfort? Seems like the bare minimum of human decency.”
I swallowed. Gods, I loved him.
His broad hand moved to my lower back as we entered a much vaster space. My mouth gaped. My eyes must’ve been saucers.
Kylo laughed, gently nudging me forward.
Low music did nothing to cover the moans, screams, and laughter coming from all directions. On a couch, a masked woman fed from a shifter man while straddling him. Another woman was stroking the vampire’s hair, kissing her shoulder.
Everything was decadent, luxurious. The soft carpets on hardwood floors, the ornate wallpaper, the plush furniture, the golden fixtures and flickering candle flames. Some people were merely talking, while others were engaged in feeding and sex acts, in various stages of undress.
“This is the tamest room you will see,” Kylo said, guiding me further into the labyrinth of bodies.
“The tamest ?” I squeaked.
I stopped dead in my tracks when I spotted a girl in delicate white lingerie wearing a mask with cat ears, a lacy collar, and a long fluffy white tail. She was on all fours, rubbing against the leg of a masked turned man.
I glared up at Kylo. “Is that what you had in mind?”
Kylo grinned. “Yeah, pretty much.”
His hand moved to the back of my neck, continuing to guide me deeper. The subtle display of dominance, his entirely unperturbed demeanor when faced with shocking displays of depravity—gods, I wished I could say I was disgusted.
My body was having an altogether different reaction.
“How we doing, angel?” he asked, turning to face me in a quieter alcove.
The noise, the nudity, the swell of power and magick that danced and moved through the air—it was beginning to over-stimulate my senses.
But I didn’t want to be a prude or a bore, or gods forbid, too sensitive or negative. I didn’t want to disappoint Kylo, or come across as ungrateful for the dress, the mask, the shoes—all of his efforts and gestures. I wanted to make him as happy as he made me.
Kylo read my features, even as I tried to put on a false face of ease and comfort. To be the most agreeable, confident version of myself.
He kissed my forehead. “It’s okay to be uncomfortable, angel. This is new. I have no expectations, and we can leave whenever you want. Just say the word.”
I exhaled. I needed to stop expecting Kylo to behave like my self-absorbed, inconsiderate ex-boyfriend when he only ever showed me the opposite.
“Are there less crowded rooms?” I asked. “Until I, um, warm up to things.”
“Of course,” he said simply, his lips curving.
I reached out, running my fingers along the strange, shadow magick material of his skull mask. It was silky smooth, yet rigid like resin.
“You love my mask, don’t you, baby?” he asked, his fingers tracing my jaw as his other hand gripped my waist.
I nodded.
“Focus on me,” Kylo said. “Don’t worry about anyone else—think of them as merely performers, only concerned with themselves. It’s just us .”
“Okay,” I whispered.
“Good girl.”
My stomach fluttered, and I did what Kylo instructed. I focused on the way he made me feel until the surrounding noise was less noticeable.
Soon, we were in a quieter room, where people had gathered to watch a man tie up a woman with rope. She wore a simple black bodysuit and mask. The way the rope hugged and knotted around her limbs was surprisingly artistic, complex. From a hard point in the ceiling, a silver ring hung. The woman was serene, blindfolded with red silk as she leaned against the man tying her. His fingers moved expertly, and occasionally, he kissed her or offered a soothing touch.
“I don’t understand,” I whispered to Kylo, who was behind me with his hands on my hips as more and more people crowded to watch. “Is this sexual?”
“Sometimes,” Kylo murmured. “But it depends on the people doing it and in what context. Sometimes rope bondage is merely aesthetic, like an art form or any other skill or discipline. Other times it’s used to induce alternative headspaces, whether it’s erotic or merely pleasurable independent from any sexual intent. This couple uses rope as performance art.”
“So it’s… a hobby?”
“Correct. The man is a rigger, or a skilled rope bondage expert, and the woman is his rope bunny—the bottom he ties.”
I vaguely understood the terminology Kylo was using. Merely because of reading kinky romance novels, of course.
The man looped rope through the silver hoop above. His concentration was evident in the planes of his face, taking immense care to check the bound girl at his feet as he began to lift her off the floor. The rope was holding her around her midriff, her legs, her arms, and even around her hair. Her position was beautiful—like a dancer suspended midair. She was breathing more raggedly now, as if it was painful, her lips turned down with discomfort.
The man whispered something in her ear, and she nodded with a smile.
Low music grew louder now, as she was lifted completely into the air. The man gently spun her in circles as the crowd clapped.
“That’s incredible,” I said, glancing back at Kylo.
His lips curved. “Glad you’re enjoying it, baby.”
“Are you a rigger?”
Kylo lifted a shoulder. “I’ve had many years to perfect all manner of skills,” he said, his warm breath tickling my ear. “I’m not as skilled as the man we’re watching, but I know the basics. And if my perfect good girl is interested in something, rest assured I’ll be learning everything I can until I satisfy her, however she desires.”
“You’re too perfect,” I muttered. “Except when you admit to your whorish ways.”
I didn’t particularly enjoy thinking about how Kylo had perfected his devious skills over the decades.
“Whorish?” Kylo chuckled. “Was I meant to live as an ascetic monk until the other half of my soul finally decided to grace this plane with her presence?”
My smile fell as I turned all the way around, staring up into that onyx mask with surprise.
Other half of his soul? My stomach warmed, tingles spreading over my skin from such an intensely romantic declaration exclaimed so casually.
“Yes,” I answered.
Kylo grinned. “Sounds reasonable.” He grabbed my hand, pulling me away from the enraptured crowed. “Do you trust me?”
The Tower loomed, and The Devil held my hand in his.
But I imagined Kylo’s deep blue eyes beneath the shadows, and I nodded with full confidence.