Chapter 21
I watch, hidden away in the shadows as Dae falls onto his armchair. He scans the room and while I’m sure he can’t see me, his eyes fall to the exact spot I’ve nestled myself in. He catches a passing Faerie by the forearm and drags her onto his lap.
Her legs fall over the arm of the long chair and bile fills my mouth as she looks up at him like all of her dreams are about to come true. He leans down and places his lips near hers, but doesn’t quite make contact. She tries to reach up and catch his, but he grasps her by the cheeks, and tugs her down to the ground. Her knees hit the grass, and she licks her lips hungrily.
He taps her lips with his fingers and she slowly parts her mouth. I cock my jaw and tap my fingers against the wall.
He’s not really going to do it. I’m sure of it. Not here, not in front of everyone—I’m sure of it.
He leans back as she places her arms on his thighs and he slowly, tortuously slowly, unbuckles his breeches.
In front of everyone, in front of the Faerie court and the visiting demons, in front of his friends and allies, Dae pulls his large, thick cock out, a bead of come leaking out of the top. He rubs the bead against her full lips and her tongue darts out to taste him.
That cock is supposed to be fucking mine.
But I guess I can’t really talk. Because he’s right. I started this game. This is on me. And really, as long as he doesn’t kill Obi, this is almost generous as far as punishment goes. I try to tell myself that repeatedly as rage bubbles inside me.
He grazes her lips with his cock again as Faeries and demons gather to watch. Her tongue darts out and meets his cock. He pulls back and shakes his head a little, but there’s a smile on his lips. He taps her cheek, almost a slap.
This isn’t how he touches me, he touches me like we’re in a battle. This is slow and controlled.
I wonder what he tastes like. If his cock tastes as good as his lips do. I wonder if I would have said no to Obi, if it would be me between his legs. If he would have tortured me as he is playing with her. I wonder if I can storm up and grab her by the hair and rip her away, if he would stop me from taking her place.
But we’re in a crowd, and as much as I want to rip her apart, I don’t want everyone to see him turn me away.
He says a few words to a Faerie close to him and glances up again at my red painting of a snake. I want to rip it down. Tear it to pieces.
The Faerie leaves and comes back with a bunched up blanket. The girl between Dae’s legs is shaking. With a finger pressed against her chest, he pushes her back. Standing, he circles her, before whispering something in her ear. She nods, biting her lip. I stifle a gasp as he pulls her dress up to around her waist. No one else in the crowd looks shocked. How many times has he done this?
His cock is still out, and it is pressing against the back of her head. It looks angry and proud. Her eyes roll back and I fucking hate them both. Really, really hate them both. Surely she’s exaggerating—his cock pressing into her neck like that does not feel so good that she needs to moan .
I roll my eyes but I’m not sure who I’m pretending for. No one is watching me.
Pulling her lacy pale pink underwear down, he exposes her wetness and the roundness of her bum to the room. She’s glistening. My back leaves the wall and I suck in a breath.
This isn’t fair. I didn’t know we were even playing. This is bad form. After all, I did mine privately.
He keeps her knickers wrapped around the lowest parts of her thighs, stopping her from opening her legs too far. Ripping a piece of the blanket off with his teeth, he ties her hands behind her back. Her face drops onto the armchair, causing her hips to rise.
He dips a finger inside and she moans. I expect the room to quiet down, but it does the opposite. The drum beat grows louder, erratic. The dance grows wild. I catch sight of Lilith, her teeth slide into a Faerie’s neck and her eyes roll back as she smiles. In a move so fast my eyes don’t catch it, she whips into a corner with her prey.
Dae adds another finger. And another. With three fingers inside and his hand pressed against the spot between her shoulder blades, Dae carries her close to orgasm. Panic claws up my throat as I realise how close his cock is to her—it’s pressed against one cheek of her bum. He could fuck her.
He might.
I don’t think I could bear that. Maybe if I join them, it won’t be so bad. I slide my fingers down and bundle up my dress to see. With a moan of my own, my fingers slide between my folds as I find out that this has me more excited than Obi touching me did.
Dae’s ear cocks to the side. It’s impossible for him to have heard me, but from the flicker of menace across his face and the way his head tilts in my direction, I know he did anyway. He smirks and I’ve never felt so humiliated and thrown away as he plunges his fingers inside her again, slowly drawing out near-animal sounds as his other hand finds the back of her head and he pushes her face into the sofa.
Her legs are shaking and she begins thrusting back. Just as I’m sure she’s about to come undone, he pulls her back by her hair and, towering over her, dips his wet fingers inside her mouth. Tears fall down her cheeks as she tries to beg around his fingers. Shaking his head, he dips his fingers in and out of her mouth. He mouths the word ’later’, like they share a secret, like they share a later . One where I won’t be present.
I drop my skirt.
It hits me that perhaps they do know each other. After all, this is his court. I’m only a guest. If you could even call me that. Bundling up the blanket, he places it between her legs, lodged within her wetness and her knickers. He leans down and whispers something in her ear. Without a second pause, she grinds her hips desperately against the blanket, fucking it like an animal in heat.
With a finger on her head, he circles her again, coming to sit in front of her as he finally pulls her head onto his lap. She tastes his cock before swallowing it down.
Inch by inch, her hips grinding the blanket, she takes him fully into her mouth. Dae’s eyes fall to my corner of the room and with a hard, cold face, he wraps a hand in her hair and pushes her down onto him.
Enough.
This is payment enough.
With rage flowing through me and a sick feeling in my stomach, I take a step forward, ready to put an end to this.
An icy cold hand wraps around my upper arm. Gently pulling me back, Dorian enters my shadow with me. I jump a little, pulling my arm from his grip.
He leans against the wall and stuffs a grape in his mouth. “You’ve never seen him like this, have you? There’s no stopping him now.”
Dae’s eyes roll back as he presses the Faerie’s head down harder, faster. His hips thrust up to meet her.
“He’ll stop for me,” I say, but I’m not so sure. I didn’t stop for him.
Dorian scoffs. “No, he won’t.”
Faeries can’t lie. Demons can. “You don’t know him like I do.” I sound surer than I feel.
“Fine,” Dorian stretches out a hand, “go ahead. Make a fool of yourself.”
I sink further into the shadow we share. “What would it cost for you to break the curse plaguing my mother?” I know I should have started with transferring it back to me. I bet there’s a smaller price for that. But this anger is making me daring, and if I can get the curse broken outright, well, I’m sure Mum would prefer me not dying too. I just hope I didn’t risk her life by reaching for too much. I hope I can ask for transference if he says no to breaking the curse.
It’s impossible to see Dorian’s face. “Come with me.”
“Where?”
“No, that’s the deal, I’ll break the curse if you come with me.”
“What, that’s it?” I ask, but it dawns on me what he’s asking for. Follow him, no matter where he takes me or for how long. I’m guessing to Hell. He’s asking me for my soul. He’ll take me to Hell and leave me there, it’s newest resident, forever.
Dorian’s arm brushes against mine. “That’s it.”
With an almost pained look, Dae thrusts a final time, grasping the Faerie’s head with both hands. Her lips stretch as he empties himself inside her mouth. I want to throw up, but not in front of Dorian. I hate that Dae felt he needed to prove a point, and I don’t understand if this makes us even, or if this is the beginning of some new game that will redefine our relationship.
With dead eyes, Dae pulls his cock from her mouth and tucks it back into his breeches. But she isn’t finished. Whimpering, she rests her head against his knee as she continues grinding against the blanket, her hands pulling uselessly against the torn piece that binds them. Dae pulls her up by her hair and assesses her. I think I’d cry if he ever looked at me with that cold, unnerving disappointment.
I think I might cry right now.
She whimpers again and he nods, draping her head back to his knee and softly stroking the hair out of her face as he turns to talk to someone else. Another Faerie brings a cock shaped piece of glass with a strap attached on either side. Dae takes it and places the cock gently inside her mouth before strapping it to her head, making it impossible for her to remove. He gazes into her eyes and seems to see something he distinguishes as approval before dropping her onto the armchair and circling. He takes a second piece of glass and smothers it in gel.
“What about transferring the curse?” I ask. “Back to me.” I assume he knows exactly what I’m talking about, otherwise, he wouldn’t be here trying to bargain with me. Dae dips the glass cock into her pussy, circling, before taking it out and gently pressing it against her arsehole.
Dorian leans against the wall and stretches his legs out. “Same deal.”
She pushes her bum back, taking in the cock while Dae’s fingers tease her clit. With the artificial cock inside her, she surrenders, grinding until she finally reaches a climax.
“I—.” How can I say yes? The only thing worse than death is getting dragged to Hell.
Dorian keeps popping grapes into his mouth.
It’s time to get out of here. There’s nothing here for me anymore.
I need to get back to Dad. He’ll know what to do. Ellyllon has magic. Enough magic they’ve been able to hold back the forces of Hell for thousands of years. There’s never been a breach. There must be a reason for that, they must know what they’re doing, better than a kid my age who watches her best friend stuffs dildos in women in the middle of his court.
I have to get home. Then everything will be okay. “Can I think about it?”
Dorian shrugs. “Sure, the offer’s there. You know where I am if you want to take me up on it.” I step towards the party, but Dorian’s icy hand tugs at my waist and he tries to pull me back in. It’s not sexual, or domineering, it’s more like a plea, like he can’t stand to let me go. I ram a heel against the arch of his foot and he jumps back, but not before grabbing me again and pulling me to face him. “You’re dumb if you don’t take my offer.” There is rage and panic in his eyes.
I jerk my hand out of his and circle the room, avoiding the area Dae sits in. I don’t want to see anymore of this circus.
A table to the right contains a group. A small girl sits huddled over in a corner, her hair draped down in two smooth curtains. It’s Shiva, she’s huddled over a piece of plastic, doing coke off of it in smooth lines. I didn’t know she kept the bag from last night, or, perhaps this is a new bag.
Backing away, I search for Obi, but he’s nowhere to be found. I need some fresh air, but I’m not allowed to leave out the front, no humans are. Tripping, I half-fall over a couple fucking on a table.
This party has turned to mayhem. I’m not equipped to deal with this. I circle, round and round, looking for a friendly face, but all I find is tricksters and demons.
Red catches my eyes again, a red, red snake, and I can’t tell if it’s the painting or one of the seven. The fruit, the dance, the mayhem, the deal, it’s all too much. I need a minute. Just one. Finding a cupboard, I swing open the door and dart inside.
“Hey, get out of here,” Obi’s strained voice calls out.
“Oh, shit, I found you.” My eyes adjust to the darkness.
A clatter sounds and I spot Shiva, falling from her knees to her bum. She wipes her mouth as Obi tucks his cock in his trousers.
“What the fuck?” My back hits the door.
“Wait,” Shiva scrambles to her feet. “Wait, Elly, please.”
I throw the door back open and dash back outside. What the fuck is going on. My palms are sweaty and my chest is pounding. I run—I don’t know where—until I feel a small hand on my shoulder.
Shiva pulls me into an alcove. “Elysia, please, you can’t tell Abnehor. Please.”
I shake my head. I wouldn’t. I don’t even know him. “Why?”
Shiva runs a hand over her face. “It’s this place. We used to date, you know? Before me and Abi, Obi and I used to date.”
“Right.” I didn’t know. “I thought it wouldn’t matter. I thought they don’t have those sorts of rules here.”
Shiva snorts. “God, you’re naive. Just don’t tell him, okay? And don’t let him inside your mind. He’ll put our heads on spikes. Do you understand?”
I blink. I want to say yes, but my mind is dragging, slow and foggy and lost. Shiva’s eyes dart to the side and I follow her gaze all the way to a raspberry juice splattered knife lying beside a frosted cake.
I narrow my eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I won’t tell Abnehor. You don’t have to worry. We’re friends, right?”
A sweet smile flutters over her heart-shaped face. “Right, of course, we’re friends.” Throwing her arms around me, she squeezes tightly. “Thanks Elysia.”
“Wait.” I grab her before she runs off. I need to get out today . Now. There are no more deals, no more bargains. No more anything. “There’s gonna be a fire, when it spreads, if you want to go home, out the door and to the right. Do you understand?”
Shiva’s left eye twitches and she rubs coke from her nose. “Yeah, yeah I understand.” She runs off.
I catch sight of Obi, he’s searching the party, whether for fruit or for me, I can’t tell. A sick, niggling feeling gnaws at my stomach as I walk towards him. Catching him by the arm, I say, “Today. Let’s do it now. There’s nothing here for me.”
He nods. “Good. What’s between me and Shiva has no bearing on you and I.”
“Whatever. When you walk out the oak doors, turn right, then just run in a straight line. I’ll see you at the mist.” Just shut up and set the fucking fire , is what I really want to say. It’s a good thing I’m running from Dae, because if I wasn’t, I would have to face up to the fact that I’ve betrayed him for a guy who has no problems betraying me.
But is what I did to Dae a betrayal? Is what Obi just did a betrayal? Again, I’m hit with the fact that I’m the new one here. I don’t know any of the rules.
Melting into the crowd, I cling to the hope that the hag’s vision of reality was real.
Struggling to fight the pulsing beat of the dance and the constant urge to glance at Dae, I dart in and out of the moving group until I spot Obi running from the kitchens, fire lapping at his heels.
A flame tears across the room. It moves fast. Too fast.