CHAPTER 5
5
EVERETT
Every inch of me balked at being here again.
Coming back felt all sorts of wrong, but I’d spent the past twenty-four hours thinking about the time I’d had with the silver-haired witch. I couldn’t get her out of my head. Couldn’t stop analyzing the moment we’d shared, rehashing every detail.
She was a blood whore, no doubt about it. I’d been with countless of them, especially in my earlier years, but none of them had been a witch.
Blood whore witches didn’t exist. Or, at least, they shouldn’t. My brothers and I had made certain of that. So it didn’t make sense for Star to be at this club.
Something wasn’t right. I’d felt it last night when she’d stiffened at my touch, and I felt it now as I observed the goings-on around me with fresh eyes. My father might be right after all. Dreamscape Lounge appeared to be a harmless nightclub from the outside, but something dark was brewing on the inside.
And the witch was somehow involved.
No one bothered me as I claimed my usual booth in the darkest corner of the club. After what happened last night, though, I wondered if sitting here was wise. The owners might not realize who I was yet, but they knew that I’d visited Star’s room. She would have told them. Maybe even given them a loose description of me. The witch was probably too young to figure out who I was, but her employers weren’t.
No matter. By the time they figured it out, I would have this place cracked wide open.
My phone buzzed with an incoming text.
Father’s wondering if he needs to bring on a couple new maids. He noticed that you didn’t seem all that interested in the ones he sent you last night. His words, not mine .
At Loch’s lame attempt to stay neutral in all of this, I quietly snorted and texted back, Tell Father that I’m perfectly capable of finding females all on my own. My sex life is none of his business . And tell him to start texting me himself. It’s about time he joined the twenty-first century .
Will do , my brother replied. Not that it’ll do any good. You know how he’s been lately .
I sure did. Our father had been so focused on the welfare of his second child for the past century that I didn’t know how to cope with this sudden shift. Now I bore most of his attention, and he seemed hellbent on finding me a love match.
Probably because Loch was so happy with his wife and two children. He wanted his eldest son to experience that same joy.
But I wouldn’t force something that wasn’t there. I’d never cared about the females I’d been with more than a passing interest.
Maybe I wasn’t capable of that kind of love.
When Father had asked me to check out Dreamscape, I’d jumped at the chance to get away from the castle for a little while. He rarely left our home these days and often used me as his proxy. I was the crown prince, after all, and would someday take his place as king. Something he’d been reminding me of more and more lately.
Sighing, I checked the time. Ten o’clock. Unbidden, anticipation swirled in my gut. I curled my lip, disgusted with myself, but the feeling wouldn’t go away. The witch had enchanted me somehow. That was the only logical explanation. Never in a million years would I willingly be attracted to her kind. She’d bewitched me, and I could only hope the spell would wear off soon.
I couldn’t afford to be distracted again. My father was relying on me to keep the kingdom safe, and I didn’t take that lightly. Protecting my family always came first, and this insane infatuation with a witch couldn’t get in the way of that.
But, as I caught the slightest movement above the crowded dance floor, my gaze was pulled to her once more. She was in a large silver cage this time, perched on a swing. As if sensing my attention, she looked my way. Our eyes locked, even as the music stopped and a spotlight flooded her cage.
Time ceased to exist for a moment. It was only me and her, our gazes saying what words couldn’t.
I’m onto you , my narrowed eyes openly conveyed.
Her bright golden eyes widened a fraction, before narrowing as well and replying back, I don’t know what you’re talking about .
I curled my lips in a wicked smirk, hoping to rattle her.
She took in the smirk, then matched it with one of her own.
Oh, she wanted to play? Well, little did she know that the hunt was my favorite part.
As she began to gracefully swing on the bar, expertly flipping and twirling, I tracked her every move. She could hide behind her silver masks and pretty little smirks all she wanted. I would unearth her secrets soon enough. Maybe not too soon, though. I wanted to have a little fun with her first. A little payback for blindsiding me last night.
She wasn’t the only one who excelled at luring in prey.
Maybe an hour passed before her movements changed, becoming more erotic. I sat up straighter, realizing what was happening. She was on the hunt. Not for me, though. Following her line of sight, I spotted her unwitting target in the crowd below, staring up at her in rapture.
Had I looked like that? Like a drunken fool missing all of his brain cells?
I snorted, disgusted once more.
Not surprisingly, she crooked her finger at him minutes later, pulling a card from her top as she dangled upside down from the bar to give it to him. I shook my head, glancing down to see my hand tightly fisted on my thigh. Relaxing my hold, I watched her for several more minutes, not missing the way her diamond navel piercing flashed in the light. My mind suddenly pictured her dancing in that cage completely naked.
I quietly swore and banned the image, but my pants tightened all the same. She still had a hold on me. Maybe I should leave and come back tomorrow night. The spell should have worn off by then. But before I could get up, she crooked her finger a second time, choosing a new target. My gaze shot back into the crowd and found the male. He was masked like everyone else, but as he reached up and eagerly accepted the card, recognition shivered through me. There was no mistaking the intricate clock tattoo on his forearm.
Benjamin Osborne was a Venturi noble. An earl. Centuries old, even if he only looked to be in his early twenties, same as me.
He used to be a close friend of mine, up until recently. We’d attended our fair share of feeding dens and orgies together, but that felt like a lifetime ago.
Knowing what I knew about him, a sudden wave of protectiveness surged through me. Not for him. For her . For a split second, I considered leaving her to her fate. She’d chosen this life. Chosen to allow males like Benjamin into her bed night after night. I banished the cruel thought before it could finish forming. Despite my personal grievances against her, she didn’t deserve to spend a night with the likes of Ben Osborne.
I was out of my seat in a flash. But as I rushed forward, the spotlight winked out and she vanished.
Cursing under my breath, I sought Ben out in the crowd. When my search came up empty, I made for the exit that led to the elevators. The same two bouncers were standing guard there, but Ben was nowhere to be found.
“Did you let someone go up a few minutes ago?” I questioned them, not bothering to keep my voice down. “A male about six feet tall with black hair similar to mine.”
They just stared at me. After a moment, the bigger one held out his hand palm up.
I shook my head, irritation bleeding into my tone. “No, I’m not here for that.”
“Clients only,” the bouncer droned, lowering his arm.
Grinding my teeth together, I jerked a hand through my short hair before growling, “I’ll buy her out tonight. Double the asking price. Send her clients away.”
Both bouncers raised their eyebrows, but otherwise, didn’t react.
“I want the whole night with her. Call your boss and have it arranged, if need be. Do it now, and I’ll triple the price, plus pay you each a thousand for the trouble.”
That put a fire under them.
The burlier one wandered off a short distance to make a phone call, while the other studied me with renewed interest. Instead of staring him down like instinct demanded, I gave him my profile. Keeping my identity hidden was going to be nearly impossible now.
A whole night with her? I’d officially lost all common sense .
The bouncer returned before I could change my mind, extending his hand once more. “One hundred and twenty grand, and she’s yours for the night.”
“I’ll need to wire transfer the money over,” I said and pulled out my phone. Using an untraceable offshore account, of course. I wasn’t going to let a little money exchange expose my identity. Unfazed, the bouncer just nodded. Within minutes, the transfer was complete.
Pocketing my phone, I gave them each a grand in cash, as promised.
Moments later, Ben and the other male Star had given a keycard to emerged from the elevator, escorted by another pair of bouncers.
“I demand an explanation,” Ben snarled at them, his voice filled with fury. “She chose me .”
“I already told you,” one of the bouncers replied, stopping him from reentering the elevator. “She’s not feeling well tonight. Come back tomorrow.”
Ben stormed past with a growl, and I averted my gaze. He was too angry to even notice me, though. The other male left more slowly, looking like a kicked puppy. I wanted to sneer at how pathetic they were both acting, but if I’d been turned away last night, I probably would have responded the same.
As the bouncers gestured for me to enter the elevator, reason finally punched me in the gut. What was I doing? I couldn’t return to the lioness’s den. This was insane .
Lowering my voice, I said to them, “On second thought, I want her to remain alone tonight. No one is to disturb her.”
But, as I turned to leave, a bouncer replied, “It doesn’t work like that. She’s here to serve clients. If you don’t go up, someone else will.”
Bristling, I bit back a frustrated retort and simply nodded. “Fine.”
I entered the elevator and punched the button for the third floor, already knowing that this night would be pure hell. If I didn’t end up falling under her seductive spell again, I was going to strangle her for putting me in this terrible position.
Maybe she would have been safer with Benjamin after all.