Chapter 10
If only Trick and Shaun could see me now, Theo thought as he stared at the line that was around the block to get into the Den of Sin.
He’d never been to a sex club before. The only experience he’d had remotely close had been the strip club that Trick insisted they went to last year when he discovered Theo had never been to one.
And he hadn’t cared for the experience much.
It wasn’t anything against the girls, or even the drinks, it just didn’t feel right.
Because it wasn’t her.
He was starting to understand that all the routes he’d taken had been the wrong ones.
But they still led him here... to this ominously designed club with an intimidating line, amidst a vampire, a hellhound, a muse and.
.. whatever the hell Mars was. Theo wasn’t certain what his special superpower was.
Though, judging by the way the man was talking to an attendant at the front of the line, he was starting to think Mars’s otherworldly ability was talking.
Because when he waved them all over, Theo realized they were, indeed, skipping the line.
Which made him feel bold and important, but also guilty.
How long had those people been standing there?
But he took one look at Calliope, her dark hair blowing in the air against the setting sun, her eyes dried of the tears she’d shed, though still with faded, smudged eyeliner and mascara and her victory red lipstick, he could not deny she still looked stunning.
Mate.
He’d thought that word the first night he’d met Calliope, felt it in his soul the moment they’d connected.
But the idea was whimsical and fantastical because Theodore did not believe in fate or soulmates or bonds forged by unseen forces.
Yet, despite his predisposition, he could not seem to stay away from the muse.
Muse. That was what Calliope was—a divine being. A spirit. A force to inspire and ignite.
Theo could not deny Calliope was quite an inspiration. For every moment he found himself with her, he felt braver, more confident. He felt powerful and alive. He wanted everything Calliope was willing to give him, and he wanted to give her everything he had. His heart, his body, his soul.
Anything you want, Princess.
But Theo could not have Calliope. Not entirely, anyway. Because some winged unicorn had an open claim on her. The thought made him angry, jealous, but mostly defensive.
He knew he did not own Calliope. He had no claim on her, either. But Theo still felt threatened. The thread was open and this man—pegacorn—had not only stolen the diviner, but as long as his thread remained open, Calliope would never truly be his.
And Theo realized, as he followed Calliope and their friends into the Den of Sin, that he wanted her to be. His. Forever.
But did Calliope want that? Or would Theo be another open thread, left in earnest, only to be severed years from now?
He didn’t want to think about such things, so he did the only thing he could. He grabbed Calliope’s hand and held it tightly as they walked through the long hallway, into a large room full of activity.
Theo didn’t know where to look, or if he even should look.
There were waiters and waitresses in various states of undress, a stage where a woman was being touched and fondled by two men in various states of bondage and leather.
His cheeks heated as he noticed the one man in front of the woman drop to his knees and bury his face in her panties.
“Are you all right?” Calliope asked him.
He squeezed her hand once more. “Just wondering if maybe that spark knocked me out and I’m still laying on the gallery floor,” he said, watching as Spike and Izzy swatted at each other playfully.
He noticed the way Spike grabbed his vampire girlfriend, the smile on his face.
There was a comfort there, as if neither of them truly noticed where they were.
When Spike leaned in and kissed her, Theo looked away.
“Theo, I’m sorry, I—”
“It’s fine,” he lied. “Totally fine. Finding out you’re bound to an ancient deity who happens to be tied to a mystical horse who stole a rock from the gallery you work at... just a regular Monday for me.”
Calliope swatted his arm. “Mondays truly are the worst.”
Theo cracked a smile, if only because he could see the anxiety in her gaze. “They really are.”
Mars and Lorelai came to stand in front of them.
“All right, you know the drill. Hang tight, if you see him, signal one of us. Preferably me.”
Theo nodded. “What... what does he look like?”
Mars shrugged. “You can’t miss him. He stands out like a prized pony.”
Calliope sighed. “Usually, he wears white. It’s an aesthetic thing for him.”
Theo looked around the club, noting everyone was in an array of colors, but he didn’t see white or ivory anything.
“He’s probably either in one of the rooms or he’s in the pisser.” Mars tutted.
“Rooms?” Theo asked nervously.
“Private rooms. There’s plenty of entertainment for you to watch, but for some who prefer a more... private sort of entertainment... Samael has the private rooms. For a fee, of course.”
Theo noticed a hallway that was lit up with neon, where it seemed there were far less people. The lights shifted, and for a moment, he thought he saw a flash of lightning, of violet. But it was just a trick of the light.
There was no diviner forging lilac lines or arrows. Just a shadowed hallway lit by neon lights.
“We don’t...” Calliope tugged his hand and it was only then he realized they were alone.
Mars and Lorelai had disappeared, and he didn’t see Spike or Izzy, either. It was just him and Calliope. Him and his mate.
“We don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to. I mean, we’re not here for entertainment, we’re—”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Theo said with a smirk. “Though, I think I prefer the air of the DeLux Cafe better. This is just... a lot.”
Calliope nodded, tucking some hair behind her ear. He noticed she seemed a bit nervous, and so he did not think twice about reaching out and pulling her close. She let him, and he did not miss the ease into which she fell into his arms.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Calliope slid her hands over his chest. She rested her right hand over his heart, imploring him with her amber gaze. “Do you want the truth?” she asked carefully.
Theo nodded, settling his gaze on hers. “Always, Princess.”
“No, I am not okay.” She shook her head.
He settled his hands on her hips and the sounds of heavy bass thumped around them. He shifted his weight, slowly.
Calliope followed the motion, moving with him.
He slid his hands over her hips carefully, grazing her ass as he pulled her closer.
She leaned into his space, looking up at him, her eyes glassy and warm, searching his for permission. Assurance, perhaps.
Theo did not think twice about giving her what he knew she needed. He leaned in closer, his lips inches away from hers.
“Tell me what you need, Callie,” he whispered. “Tell me what you need me to do and I’ll do it.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I don’t know what it is I need,” she said carefully.
“Then tell me what you want.” His lips graced hers like a whisper all on their own.
The words were simple, a promise, a prayer. Theo meant them with every ounce of his being. Because she was his mate.
Entangled pegacorns and lost McGuffins be damned, she was his divined mate.
And there was no denying that when he looked at her underneath the neon lights of the Den of Sin, in a crowded room, when all he saw was her.
Theo knew it would always be like that. He’d always see her, just as she’d always see him.
“I just want you,” she whispered. “And perhaps, a pina colada.”
Theo smiled as he caught her gaze. “You can’t want something you already have,” he murmured, kissing her softly. “I’ve always been yours. From the moment I stepped into the DeLux Cafe.”
Her fingernails teased the edges of his hair. She leaned up on her toes, kissing him once more, pulling him into her.
Her kiss was pure magic. Kissing Calliope felt like an out of body experience and Theo didn’t want it to ever end.
She pulled away, following his motions, and they danced together, unaware of the sex and debauchery taking place around them. As far as they were concerned, there was only this. The muse and her masterpiece.
“Theo...” She barely got his name out before his lips were on hers again, his cock stiffening in his jeans as her hands slid down his sides.
She pulled him closer and he followed her without hesitation.
And then he felt it. The undeniable tug in his chest, the energy that always seemed to fester between them. It reared its head like a spirit of its own making and he clutched his chest.
Calliope stopped, holding him still. “Theo...”
He looked up, noting the violet lines of energy traveling, traipsing through the room. Theo did not think twice. For he knew precisely what this energy, this fractal of circumstance was.
And so Theo ran, as fast as he could, through the crowd, through the sweat and the shadows, chasing the light, Calliope hot on his tail.