17. Kaylor
17
KAYLOR
N ever breaking our eye contact, I walked through the crowd until I stood in front of him. He didn’t move. Didn’t say a thing. Only stared at me from behind his mask.
A slice of moonlight filtered through one of the stained-glass windows, striking the side of Kreed’s mask.
He said nothing, like he was waiting to see what I would do or say. Did he believe I couldn’t tell it was him? If the raven hair and light-gray eyes hadn’t given him away, his signature frown and finger tattoos would have. Dressed in all black, Kreed could have easily disappeared into the shadows unnoticed.
Now that I stood in front of him, could I go through with my plan? Could I make Kreed regret embarrassing me?
I swallowed over the lump of nerves formed in my throat.
Cool. Calm. Collected.
I was supposed to be all those things.
Kreed reached for the bottle dangling from my fingers and brought it to his lips, drinking what little I had left. He didn’t know it, but he helped me. Taking my drink freed up both my hands, not that they were fully necessary, but they would surely be of assistance.
Before I lost my gumption, I lifted on my toes, looping my arms around his neck. The scowl on Kreed’s lips deepened, but it didn’t deter or scare me off. I was doing this. My lips touched his in a teasing, experimental kiss, nothing like the first time when his mouth assaulted mine in a bruising punishment.
My tongue darted out, tasting him, asking him to open for me. At first, I thought he was going to refuse, and just when I was about to give up and admit defeat, his lips parted. He didn’t wait for me, his tongue diving into my mouth.
Heat flared into my stomach, and I swooned into him, my head going dizzy from the taste of him. His fingers were on my hips, holding me steady, pressing into my bare skin.
This urge to wrap myself around him and let him devour me overwhelmed me. I wasn’t certain I had the willpower to stop. What I had only meant to be a chaste, vengeful kiss swiftly spun out of my control.
Kreed took over effortlessly, deepening the kiss. My head was lost, so full of him that the room spun when he switched our positions, pressing me hard into the wall with his body, but I didn’t mind. I craved more.
More of him.
More of what he made me feel.
More of his mouth. His taste. His touch. More. More. More.
Why am I not touching him?
That was an oversight I had to quickly remedy.
My fingers skirted over the hem of his jeans before inching under his shirt. The quick inhale of his breath at the touch of my fingers on his lower abs had my entire body pulsating with need. I’d never felt anything like it, not this wild rush that came out of nowhere and dominated everything.
He groaned, his teeth grazing my lower lip.
A shiver ran down my spine as I gasped, already leaning back in to reclaim his mouth, when suddenly, the warmth was ripped away.
Cold air rushed between us, and if not for the wall behind me, I might have stumbled from the force of his retreat. Kreed pulled back as if my touch burned, my fingers searing his skin.
I stood there, breathless, blinking at the space between us. What just happened?
Then I saw his face.
Kreed was glowering at me.
Oh God. What have I done?
With a sharp motion, he tore off my mask. “What are you doing?” he growled, his breath still uneven, matching the wild beat of my own pulse.
The room spun. My body still hummed, electricity crackling under my skin, making it impossible to think clearly.
Remember why you’re here.
Easier said than done when Kreed glared at me like that, like I was something he regretted touching.
I forced myself to recover. “Finishing what you started.” My voice came out steadier than I felt. “You were the one who implied we had sex.”
His jaw flexed. “I meant, what are you doing here ?”
I lifted my chin. “Same thing you are. Having a good time. Letting loose. Getting drunk. Whatever the fuck I want.”
His eyes darkened. “No.”
I scoffed, my lips feeling swollen and tingling from the kiss. “What do you mean, no?”
Before I could react, his fingers wrapped around my elbow, dragging me forward. “Just as it sounds. No. You’re not staying.”
My heels dug in. “I’m not leaving.”
Kreed exhaled sharply, his patience thinning. “Why must you constantly fight me at everything? Just once. Listen to me. You can’t be here.”
A slow, deliberate pause. “Is something going to happen?” I asked.
His grip tightened. “Something always happens on Raven Night.”
A thrill curled through me. Then why the hell should I miss it?
“You should try reverse psychology next time you want me to do something,” I muttered. “Might actually work.”
“Something tells me it wouldn’t work. I thought I told you to stay out of trouble.”
“Fine, I’m leaving.” The goal was to get him to think I planned to leave and then avoid him for the rest of the night.
Scowling, he shook his head. “I’ll take you home.”
“Don’t bother. I’ll get Poppy to take me.” A lie. I had no intention of going anywhere. I just needed to get Kreed off my back.
Kreed’s expression didn’t shift under the mask. “Too bad. I don’t believe you.”
A new voice cut in, dripping with amusement.
“What is she doing here?”
I turned to find Maddox watching us, a wicked gleam in his eyes behind the mask he wore. It reminded me of something from Phantom of the Opera , obscuring only part of his face.
Kreed didn’t look away from me as he responded. “Leaving.”
Maddox tsked. “What’s the rush, big brother? I haven’t even had a chance to say hello to our sis. Looks like she could use a drink.”
Kreed’s voice was low. Dangerous. “Maddox, tonight is not the night.”
“Relax. I’ll take care of her.” Maddox’s smirk widened as he stepped closer, his voice dropping to a near-whisper. “I’m going to show her what being a Corvo is really about.”
Ice slid down my spine. “I’m not one of you.”
Maddox leaned in, his breath ghosting my skin, making my pulse spike. “Is that what you told yourself when you had your tongue down his throat?”
Fuck .
Maddox had seen me with Kreed, but the whole point had been for people to see Kreed and me together to further the narrative that he and I were an item. If Maddox bought it, I could only hope so did everyone else.
I smirked, shoving down the unease curling in my stomach. “Jealous?”
Maddox chuckled. “The party’s just getting started. Perhaps Kreed will be the jealous one before the night is through.”
I scrunched my nose. “Are you implying I’ll kiss you?”
He shrugged. “Would it make Kreed jealous?”
The idea struck me. And damn it, if I didn’t want to explore it. I wished Kreed hadn’t taken my mask off. I didn’t want them to see the intrigue undoubtedly crossing my features.
Maddox’s gaze flickered up, locking onto Kreed’s. “My brother isn’t the jealous type, are you?”
Kreed kept his lips neutral, bored even. “Do whatever you want. You always do.”
Maddox’s grin sharpened. “I was hoping you’d say that.” He turned back to me, his eyes gleaming. “So, what do you say, menace? You seem to like games. I have one for you.”
Kreed’s voice sliced through the tension. “Maddox, cut the shit. She’s leaving.”
That did it. Any doubts I had evaporated. “I’m in.”
Kreed’s jaw clenched. A muscle in his temple ticked. “Fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Then, without another word, he turned and shoved through the crowd, disappearing.
I swallowed the sinking feeling in my stomach, forcing my expression into something careless as I faced Maddox again.
I wouldn’t let myself feel disappointed.
Not over him.
Not over any of the Corvos.
I smirked. “Your move, Maddox.”
A cruel twist of his lips had a trickle of regret sneaking inside me. “With pleasure. Turn around.”
I narrowed my gaze. “As if I’d trust you with my back.”
His voice dipped lower, threaded with something I couldn’t quite place. “Turn around,” he stated again.
I opened my mouth to argue, to tell him to suck it, but before I could decide, Maddox cut me off with a finger to my lips.
I considered biting him. Hard. But I thought better of it. The taste of Kreed was tolerable. Maddox? Probably sickening.
His hands landed on my shoulders, rough and unyielding, spinning me around before I could react. “Don’t move,” he murmured in my ear, his breath hot and reeking of beer.
A moment later, something soft and cool—silk—dangled in front of my face.
My heartbeat kicked up, unease tripling. “Is this necessary?” I asked as he tied the blindfold snugly at the back of my head.
“Do you want to play or not?”
No. Every instinct in me screamed it.
I should listen to the voice of reason. Instinct screamed at me to run, to end the game before it began, or perhaps I already had.
But I didn’t move. Didn’t back out.
I clamped my mouth shut, finding myself at Maddox’s mercy.
Maddox chuckled, amused by my silence. “Good,” he murmured. “Don’t worry, menace. I won’t scare you…” He paused, then added, “Too much.”
Not convincing.
The music from the party above was muffled now, the bass blending into the heavy thud of my heartbeat. I stumbled slightly as Maddox guided me forward, his grip firm on my arm. “Where are we going?” My words were shaky but defiant.
“To where the real party is.”
The air thickened as we stepped down another level. It was damp, musty. The scent of mildew clung to the walls, the warmth of flickering candlelight pressing against my skin. But the worst part?
We weren’t alone.
I could hear them. The quiet scrape of shoes on stone. Murmurs. Breaths too close, too eager. “We’re not alone, are we?” I kept my voice steady.
“Not even close.” Maddox’s smirk was palpable.
And then the bastard shoved me.
I stumbled forward, my boots sliding on dust or dirt—hard to tell. I caught my balance but barely.
Maddox’s voice slithered toward me. “This is a game, menace. Think of it as a variation of Spin the Bottle. We’ve just…modified the rules.”
Cold dread twisted in my stomach.
“You’re the bottle,” he stated.
My breath hitched.
“We’ll spin you, and when you stop, you have to find me. But no peeking. That would be cheating.” A slow pause. “And you don’t want to find out what happens to cheaters.”
“What do I do when I find you?” The words slipped out barely above a whisper, weighed down by the uneasy feeling that this game was about more than just tapping Maddox on the chest.
Maddox chuckled. “You kiss me. Or… whoever you think is me.”
Before I could argue, multiple hands grabbed and spun me. The ground blurred beneath my feet. My stomach lurched. Candlelight and shadows twisted into a nauseating void. By the time I stopped, I was disoriented, my balance wavering.
Maddox’s voice echoed. “Now…find me.”
I swallowed hard and reached out.
Nothing.
I tried again, my fingers brushing against rough fabric—someone’s shirt. A solid chest beneath my palm.
Too lean. Not Maddox. Not that I had a lot of experience feeling him up, but I knew he wore a hoodie, his shoulders were broad, and he had almost a foot of height on me. It wasn’t much, but it was a guideline to start with.
A deep chuckle rumbled from them, and I pulled away, but before I could fully retreat, pain bloomed sharp and sudden on my arm—hot wax.
I gasped, jerking back. “Seriously?” I gritted out.
Maddox’s laughter was closer now. “I did warn you we modified the rules, menace.”
My pulse pounded as my hands curled into fists.
Why the fuck am I playing this stupid game?
What do I get from it?
Bragging rights? To prove to the Corvos that I wasn’t someone they could break?
So what if I survived Raven Night. I wouldn’t be the first.
I gritted my teeth, wanting to tell Maddox to eat ass, but if I backed out now, I wouldn’t live it down, and I wanted the Corvos to know I wasn’t someone they could push around. I wouldn’t curl in a ball and cry. I could handle their shit and anything else they threw at me.
I hoped.
Fine. I’d play his fucked-up game. I wasn’t a quitter.
Moving forward again, I outstretched my arms, feeling my way through the dark. I was sure I looked like a drunk mummy with my hands out in front of me, shuffling along the gritty floor, the sound swallowed by hushed, expectant laughter.
I reached out and touched another chest. This one broader. Solid. My instincts screamed. Don’t. But I forced myself to lean in, bracing for pain. Except this time, it wasn’t pain.
It was worse.
Hands—multiple hands—grasped at me. Rough. Insistent. Invasive. Wrong .
“Let go of me!” I thrashed, twisting, slipping out of my jacket, freeing myself from their forceful clutches, but I had to be quick, or I would find myself trapped again. My heartbeat slammed in my ears, my breathing coming sharp and ragged, but I was blind. No sense of direction. No way to escape.
Laughter swelled around me, thick with something ugly. I felt exposed. My outfit was suddenly too revealing, too skimpy, and I didn’t like it.
Fuck this game.
I ripped the blindfold off, stumbling a foot or two as I attempted to gather my bearings. The candlelight flickered over masked faces. Eyes gleamed behind dark fabric. I couldn’t tell who was who. Couldn’t see them.
A horrible feeling crawled up my spine.
This was bad.
Really bad.
The circle of masked figures closed in, their laughter turning darker, and panic surged through me. The candlelight was now a menacing glow instead of a comfort.
Maddox’s voice purred through the dark. “Let’s see what you’re made of, menace.” A pause. “Who wants to go first?”
Ice locked around my lungs. He wouldn’t fucking dare. At least, that’s what I wanted to believe, but the merciless grin creeping across his lips and the darkness in his tone gave me a glimpse at something so much darker I hadn’t wanted to see. It made my fight-or-flight response kick into overdrive.
I knew better.
The circle tightened.
And I screamed?—
“Maddox!”