19. Chapter 18
19
Chapter 18
Dacias
Dacias stayed close to the bar, hoping to avoid the drunk bodies on the dance court. The last thing he wanted to do was dance. Fuck, he didn’t want to be there at all!
“So, where’s your lady?” He really hoped this wouldn’t be some kind of a blind date. If whoever Klorin waited for showed up with a “friend,” Dacias would throw a fit.
Klorin surveyed the crowd. “Not sure. I don’t think she’s here yet.”
Dacias had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. He knew he was behaving like a child, but he hated being at the place where he and Julen had danced. His mind raced back to that night. Jovia being an asshole and Dacias coming to the aid of the Prince of Lapistra like a numbskull. So much for those instincts.
He turned to the tapster and ordered another drink. A hand reached out and stroked his wrist.
“Well, hello, sunshine.”
Dacias turned to see a man about his age with light blond hair, making eyes at him. From the look of his attire, Dacias assumed he was a sex worker. I am not the one, my friend. Dacias gave the man a small smile and reached for his drink .
The man bit his lower lip and asked, “Care to buy a boy a beverage?”
Dacias didn’t want anything to do with this exchange, but he didn’t have anyone else to talk to. Soon, Klorin’s date would arrive, and Dacias would just sulk alone at the bar. “What are you having?”
“Whatever you’re drinking, handsome.”
Dacias ordered another, and the tapster brought it over.
The man took it and said, “Thanks. I’m Meretrix.”
“Dacias.”
Klorin slunk over and began chatting. “Hi… uh, Dacias, I think she might be here soon.”
Dacias raised his brow at Klorin. “Great… Let me know when she arrives, and you can introduce us.”
Dacias didn’t understand why Klorin looked so awkward. He turned back to Meretrix.
“What are you looking for, Dacias?” Meretrix brushed his long fingers along Dacias’s arms. His hooded eyes told Dacias exactly what Meretrix wanted to provide.
“Truthfully. I just want to talk to someone. Not sure if I’ll be good business, but I can buy you some drinks.”
Meretrix raised an eyebrow. “It’s always the handsome ones who just want to talk .” He took a sip from his drink. “You look sad. What’s the matter?”
Dacias shook his head, his eyes looking down at the floor.
Meretrix nodded. “Breakup?”
Dacias nodded.
“I can always tell. Whoever they are doesn’t deserve those sad puppy eyes. You should have some fun and forget about them.” Meretrix traced the veins of Dacias’s forearm. Dacias was about to gently brush the hand away when he spotted them from the corner of his eye.
No.
Julen walked in with Souzie by his side. They stopped halfway into the dance hall and looked around. Dacias saw Souzie’s eyes land on something. He followed her gaze and saw Klorin looking back at her. Klorin, you fucker.
Dacias turned his head back to Souzie to see her eyes planted on him, laced with shock. Then he saw Julen, those shattered green eyes staring at Dacias as Meretrix stroked his arm.
Meretrix must have caught the shift in Dacias’s face. He turned and caught sight of Julen. “I take it those puppy eyes are over him?”
Dacias nodded and was about to tell Meretrix that he needed to leave when Meretrix kissed Dacias with wild passion.
Julen
I’m going to be sick.
“That scumbag!” Souzie snapped her fingers, and Klorin rushed over to her.
Klorin looked grim. “Hi…”
“What the fuck is happening, Klorin?” Souzie asked.
Klorin shook his head. “I don’t know. That guy approached Dacias.”
Souzie wagged her finger at Klorin. “You should have stopped it! ”
“I tried,” Klorin protested.
Julen could barely hear the exchange; he couldn’t hear anything anymore. His vision narrowed in on Dacias and that…that…whoever he was kissing. His fists clenched at his sides as he gritted his teeth so hard that he thought he might chip a tooth.
Dacias saw Julen and then started kissing that boy. He saw Julen, and that was his response.
Julen didn’t feel sad anymore. He was livid. He knew he had done wrong. He lied and shouldn’t have, but how could Dacias be so cruel? After everything that had happened between them, the fact that Dacias could be so cavalierly mean made Julen’s blood boil.
Two can play this game.
Souzie and Klorin continued to argue as Julen walked onto the dance floor. He stripped off his tunic, shoved it into the back of his trousers, and began swaying his hips to the beat of the music, naked from the waist up.
He thinks he’s the only one who can put on a show? We’ll see about that. Julen strutted about the dance floor, twirling and shaking his ass and overtly flirting with other men. Beads of sweat started falling along his chest, and he used his hand to rub it along his body. He glistened under the crystals as he danced in the most alluring way possible.
And he was succeeding. He could tell. Eyes were on him. He did a spin and snuck a peak at Dacias. His eyes were on Julen. Jealous? Good.
A man approached Julen and began dancing with him. Julen draped his arms around the man’s neck and pushed his hips into his.
The man released a hungry snarl as he wrapped his arm around the small of Julen’s back.
Julen looked at Dacias again, but he returned to talking to the blond boy.
Julen could barely contain his anger. His eyes burned. He hated this. He didn’t want to dance with this man. He wanted to make Dacias jealous, and it wasn’t working.
Julen swallowed hard and began backing up from the man. He grabbed Julen by the wrist and pulled him in. He smiled at Julen in a way that made Julen’s stomach clench.
This was a mistake. Julen hadn’t been thinking. He led this man on, and now he expected something from Julen.
He tried to smile and excuse himself once more, but the man put his hands on Julen’s ass. His fingers gripped hard, and Julen flinched at the pain.
The man leaned into Julen with his tongue sticking out, and Julen pushed his head away.
He didn’t like that. He gripped onto Julen’s wrists and forced them to Julen’s sides, then leaned in and began tonguing Julen’s face, trying to push it into Julen’s mouth.
Julen yelled at him to stop, but the man continued. He released one of Julen’s wrists to grab the back of Julen’s head. He forced Julen’s face to his, trying to shove his tongue in Julen’s mouth.
Julen started swinging with his free hand. He connected a right hook that pushed the man back, but he regained his composure and started dragging Julen to an exit.
He yelled, but the loud band drowned out his voice. Julen struggled, kicking and punching, trying to free himself from the man’s grasp. The bastard pushed Julen’s face to his again and bit Julen’s lower lip.
Julen let out a yelp just as the man’s head suddenly moved away from Julen.
Dacias was there, grabbing the man by the hair on the back of his head. He turned the man to face him, then smashed his fist into the man’s face.
He fell to the ground, and Dacias jumped on top of him, punching him in the head. People started making a commotion, and the band stopped.
Souzie and Klorin ran over, both pulling Dacias off the man.
Dacias looked up at Julen. His face was red with fury. The man lay below him, incapacitated. Dacias rose to his feet, his angry eyes never breaking away from Julen.
“Put it on.”
Julen quickly pulled his tunic back on, his fingers clumsy as they trembled.
Dacias narrowed his eyes at Julen. “Outside. Now .”
Julen felt his stomach rattle. Dacias looked frightening. Julen was nervous but also couldn’t deny how fucking sexy Dacias looked. He just destroyed a man who assaulted Julen.
He gripped Julen’s hand and led him to the exit. Souzie and Klorin began to follow.
Dacias looked at them and gritted out, “Not you two.” His voice had an edge that made the three of them uncomfortable. Souzie and Klorin stopped. Their eyes were wide.
He turned back to Julen and said, “Let’s go.”