Chapter 35 Serena
SERENA
The sound of her fist meeting Zadyn’s jaw is enough to make me cringe and to send him stumbling back into the table. I shoot to my feet as goblets of wine teeter over, soaking the tablecloths and linens.
My fingers start sparking at my sides.
Zadyn lets out a laugh, brushing the caramel hair out of his face as he straightens. “I probably deserved that.”
“Probably?” The female cocks her hip, giving him a vicious once-over.
“Definitely.”
Eaton bursts into a loud guffaw, holding his gut and stomping his foot under the table. The two males beside Alix break into handsome smiles and clap Zadyn on the back. My shoulders slowly relax, and I unspool my clenched fists.
“Brave male to show your face back here. I admire your balls,” says the bigger one, his voice a deep rumble, like thunder itself.
“I thought it was time,” Zadyn answers warmly.
The younger of the two leans in. “I wouldn’t get too close. She’s still got her hunting knife on her.”
Zadyn ruffles the boy’s shaggy blonde hair before slipping back into his seat.
“It’s a long story,” he says to me.
“Apparently so.”
We’re briefly introduced to Eaton’s siblings as they plop down across from us. I try not to stare, but my curiosity has me sneaking glances every so often.
The princes make light conversation, catching up with Zadyn, while the princess stabs at her food like a psycho killer, eyes burning holes into her plate. I can’t help but guess she’s picturing Zadyn’s face on that meat as she rips it apart.
Mar and I exchange a knowing look and decide to keep our mouths shut for now.
Dinner stretches on far longer than I want it to. I’m exhausted, and my thighs are screaming from hours of riding. That bed with the fur throws is calling my name.
Finally, Eaton stands, tossing down his napkin and turning to us.
“Come on. I’m taking you all out.”
“No, no, no.” Zadyn shakes his head. “We didn’t come here to party.”
“Yes, you did. Don’t lie to me, Zadyn, I know you. Up you go.” Eaton hauls him up and walks over to his siblings, popping his head between his brothers’ shoulders.
“Care to join?”
They turn, their mouths full and fingers greasy from tearing apart their dinner with their bare hands. “Where are you going?”
“Black Rabbit.”
“Hah!” Alix’s bark has each of our heads snapping toward her. “Typical.”
She pops a green bean into her mouth. To her credit, she is a more delicate eater than her brothers.
“You’re welcome to join, as always, but I know how you hate fun,” Eaton quips. She slides her brother a death stare. For a moment, I wonder if she’s going to punch him too.
“Thank you for the warm invitation, brother, but I’d rather stick pins in my eyes.”
“Well. You can borrow my sewing kit,” Eaton says brightly, turning on his heels and clapping for us to follow.
“Don’t push it, I think it’s her female time,” the younger brother, Landyn, murmurs to Eaton.
“Pfft,” he scoffs. “Is it ever not?”
“Hey.” I tug on Zadyn’s arm and drop my voice. “How do you know we can trust the princes?”
He gives me a soft smile. “Well, for one, I’ve known them a long time. They’re good, loyal people. And of course, it helps that Eaton’s always been a little in love with me,” he boasts.
I can’t help but chuckle. “One of the many, I’m sure.”
We drop by our rooms to grab cloaks, and then we’re filing out into the freezing night and loading into a carriage. The mountain roads are bumpy, jostling us every few seconds as we wind down the narrow path.
“So.” Eaton bumps my arm, waggling his brows.
“So what?”
“Did you bring her?” He lowers his voice and leans in. “The dragon,” he all but mouths.
I snicker. “Yes.”
“Can I see her?”
I have swam in rivers of blood and feasted on the bones of my enemies. Please inform the boy prince that I am no sideshow curiosity to be ogled.
Ignoring Furi’s homicidal commentary, I answer, “Yes, you can see her tomorrow. But just to warn you, she only allows Zadyn to pet her. And me, of course.”
“Of course.” He cranes his neck to peer at Zadyn, who rolls his eyes.
The carriage slows to a stop, and we step out into a village teeming with life.
People bustle down the busy avenues and torchlit bridges, bundled in fur-lined cloaks and tightly wrapped scarves.
A light dusting of snow covers the homes and shops lining the uneven cobblestone streets, their curtained windows lit from within.
The city is quaint and charming in a way I’d expect the North Pole to be.
We stop before an unmarked door. “Hoods up,” Eaton says, a wickedness in his voice.
I glance up at Zadyn. “Where are we?”
“You’re about to find out.”
Eaton knocks twice, and the door creaks open. Warm candlelight pours out as a voluptuous redhead appears in the threshold, eyeing us up one at a time.
Eaton holds out a small velvet purse, which she dumps into her palm. Seeming content with the silvers, she gives us a toothy smile and holds the door for us to pass.
Long gauzy curtains are staggered throughout the space, creating a depthless illusion. Bodies move between the suspended panels, and from their silhouettes, it is very clear that they are very naked.
I clap a hand over my mouth. “Oh my god, this is a pleasure hall?!”
Zadyn chuckles and nods.
“The one in Vod didn’t look like this.”
“That was not a pleasure hall. That was a high-end brothel with a very specific clientele. This place is more like…a local dive.”
Arms linked, we make our way into the endless maze. The shadows dance behind the low-lit strips of cloth, intertwining in time to the music. The cloying scent of sex and sweat rolls over us. It’s palpable.
I sneak glances at the shadowy figures in various states of undress.
Limbs entangle, writhing on velvet settees.
They kneel on soft throws and floor pillows, locked in intimate embraces.
My cheeks heat, the urge to cover my eyes growing with every step, but no one else seems to bear the same sense of shame.
Instead, they look on unabashedly, their gazes returned by hungry, lust-ridden eyes.
We approach a wall of thick crimson curtains, rhythmic music thumping from the other side. I cling to Zadyn.
“You okay?” He smirks down at me.
“Yeah. Just not used to this sort of thing. I’ve never even been to a strip club.”
His laugh reverberates against me. “It’s not so taboo here. People come here to express their deepest desires—to live out their fantasies. Everyone has them. The fae are just less—”
“Prudish?”
“Inhibited.” He leans down, murmuring softly in my ear, “You don’t have to look away. That’s kind of the point.”
“To watch?”
“Watch, join, whatever piques your interest.”
“I think it’s going to take some time to become accustomed to how, uh, free the fae are.”
“We have all the time in the world.”
The princes sweep back the curtains, and darkness devours us. Red light pulses in time to the hypnotic music, illuminating a cluster of dancing bodies in the center of the space. Tall exotic plants line the walls, their branches dangling overhead.
I think I just stepped into my first faerie rave.
We form a daisy chain, squeezing through the tight-pressed crowd.
A pair of tall, statuesque females work their way over to us, stripping off our cloaks and offering us shots from a tray.
Aside from the swirling paint transforming their bodies into ethereal works of art, they’re not wearing a stitch of clothing.
And every male in our group—including Zadyn—is quick to notice.
I fight back an eye roll as Kai passes me a shot of sparkling green liquid.
“Do you think this is smart?” I call to Mar over the music.
“Probably not, but we did recently escape death for about the hundredth time,” she deadpans.
I look from her to the shot. “Fuck it.”
“Fuck it,” she echoes as we clink glasses and toss them back. The sour taste hits my tongue, making me shudder. My friends instantly give in to the music, but the buzz is slower to hit me. I stand there awkwardly, feeling like the odd man out.
“You’re tense.” Kai is suddenly at my side, speaking over the noise.
“I am not.”
I’m just not in the mood for a party. Wonder why.
He purses his lips at my standoffish posture. Tossing him a boastful look, I grab two more shots off a passing tray and throw them back, one after another. He breaks into a pearly smile, satisfied with the results of his peer pressure.
The red strobe flares, and for a moment, it isn’t Kai standing there.
It’s Kylian.
It’s his eyes peering down at me in a darkened bedroom. It’s his mouth taunting me, reminding me of my betrayal. Turning my desire into a dagger. I stumble back a step.
“Savior?” The lights shift, and Kai is himself again.
“I’m okay.”
I’m okay. I’m okay. Just breathe.
Distraction. That’s what I need.
I pull Mar from Dover’s arms. “Let’s dance.”
Kai has no trouble finding a partner, instantly surrounded by women. Neither does Eaton, who’s sandwiched between a male and female who look about ready to devour him. I try to find my groove with the strange, foreign music, but I can’t catch the beat or figure out how to move my body.
“Relax,” Mar says, shaking my shoulders.* I nod stiffly.
She takes hold of my hips and steers me like a puppeteer. Once I get familiar with the motion, she lifts her slender arms above her head in slow, languid strokes—moving as if submerged in water. I mirror her, easing into the melody.
She twines our fingers and twists around, putting her back to me and drawing me closer. The liquor begins to take effect, warming me and melding us together until we’re one sensuous wave moving in tandem.
My gaze lands on Zadyn across from us, his arms wrapped around a pretty fae in a plunging, skin-tight dress.
His nose grazes the smooth line of her neck as she tilts her head to allow him better access.
I can’t bring myself to look away as he traces her curves, mapping out each dip, each hard line and soft patch of flesh.
It’s mesmerizing.