Chapter 11
“Are you sure you want to go here?” I asked Mia as the cab pulled up to a dark nightclub whose music I could hear from the vehicle.
A simple sign read OBSIDIAN in clean letters.
Black glass surrounded the edges of the building, but beyond that, it was fairly unassuming.
No flashing signs. No neon. Just the quiet confidence of a place that didn’t need to beg for attention.
It radiated authority, danger, and indulgence on its own.
A velvet rope stretched across the front, guarded by men in tailored black coats who looked less like bouncers and more like sentinels.
People lingered nearby anyway—dressed too well, pretending not to stare, clearly hoping to be noticed.
A low thrum of bass vibrated through the pavement beneath my feet, felt more than heard, like the building had a pulse.
Warm light spilled from narrow windows high above the street, golden and inviting, hinting at something decadent waiting inside. Expensive cars lined the curb, engines purring softly before disappearing into the night.
Beyond the crowd at the front, a line of people stretched down the sidewalk, curving around the building.
They were adorned in sequins, expensive jewelry, leather, and lace.
The men could have killed me with a glance.
The women seemed worse, like predators in heels.
I thought I glimpsed steel beneath a coat, a gun perhaps, though that might have been my active imagination.
This place didn’t feel like nightlife. It felt like a hunting ground disguised as a club.
Mia’s karaoke bars suddenly seemed tame, like safe little cages compared to this. Those usually consisted of smaller bars with a special on tequila and people singing karaoke badly in the corner. I used to think I hated that, but this didn’t look any better.
At least at those other bars, I felt like I somewhat belonged. Here, it was clear that I didn’t.
As we stepped out of the car near the front door, I looked down at my outfit and frowned.
Mia had helped me get ready after she came over, lending me a pink mini dress that clung to every inch of my skin.
The hem was mere millimeters from flashing everybody in the entire city, and the fabric squished what little boobs I had so tightly that they felt like they were in my face.
I paired the dress with a leather jacket and matching boots.
Mia curled my hair and lined my eyes with thick eyeliner and lots of glitter, though she left my freckles untouched.
Every person in that line was wearing only black, and I suddenly felt out of place in the only color. I felt girly and cute in my outfit with my necklaces and dangly bow earrings, my lipstick matching the dress. But I felt wrong too.
Not to mention, I was freezing because of the cold weather. Half of my body was exposed to the wintry elements. Cold bit into me, sharp as a blade, exposing both my skin and my nerves to the dark night. I shivered, not entirely from the temperature, while Mia looked for a quicker way in.
I opened my mouth to tell her we weren’t going to find one when a slightly accented voice I didn’t recognize called out, “Eva?”
A man a few years older than us—close to Jules’s age—came bounding over to us, his dirty blond hair flopping into his sky-blue eyes.
He was biting back a grin, eyes assessing me standing next to Mia, who moved closer as if to protect me from the stranger.
Her glare was a fearsome thing, as was the pepper spray keychain she held in her grip.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” she snapped.
The man held out his hands in surrender, winking at her. “Calm down, princess. I just came over to chat.”
“Chat over.”
“Mia,” I elbowed her softly before holding my hand out to the guy with a small smile. “I’m sorry. Have we met before? You’ll have to remind me of your name.”
He accepted my outstretched hand, squeezing once before shaking it. “We haven’t, but we would have soon anyway.” Before I could ask him what he meant, he added, “I’m Nikolai Drakov. Aleksandr’s cousin.”
Alek’s cousin, I realized, my mouth going a little dry. I wasn’t prepared to meet any of Alek’s friends and family tonight, especially not dressed like this.
Wait.
“Is Alek nearby?” I couldn’t help but ask, pulse hammering.
I wasn’t sure whether I was terrified or craving him—or both. The thought of him here, in a place like this, made my stomach twist with anticipation. Seeing Alek was like getting a hit of a drug. I knew I needed to get away—he practically oozed danger—but I couldn’t help but crave more.
Nikolai’s grin widened. “I’ll ask around. What are you two doing here?”
“What does it look like, dumbass?” Mia grumbled. “Trying to get into a nightclub.”
“I apologize for my friend,” I said to Nikolai, sending a warning look to Mia. “I’m not sure what’s gotten into her tonight. But, yes, I think we were going to go to Obsidian, but I don’t feel like waiting in the line in the cold, so I think we’ll go somewhere else.”
“Eva, no. I’ve been wanting to go here all week, and you—”
“I can get you guys in,” Nikolai said, cutting off the beginnings of Mia’s pleas.
She turned to him, eyes narrowed but no longer hateful.
Had she met this man before? What was with her random hostility?
Mia was normally super welcoming, yet she looked at Nikolai like he was less than dirt on the bottom of her shoe, which I didn’t understand because Nikolai had been nothing but polite so far.
I turned to Nikolai. “You can?”
“Yeah. Come with me.”
Before we could question him further, Nikolai started walking toward the bouncers at the front, gesturing for us to follow him. I shrugged before stalking after him, my legs wobbling both from the slightly too-tall heels on my boots and from the ache between my legs.
My cheeks heated at the mere reminder of this morning and what Alek and I did together. I hadn’t gathered the nerve to text him yet—afraid Jules would somehow sense the betrayal—but I knew I would crack soon.
Especially if I had any amount of liquor in me.
“Masimov,” Nikolai shouted to one of the giant men at the front door, gathering their attention. I shrank under their assessing gazes. They were truly terrifying to look at.
“This—” Nikolai pointed at me. “—is Drakov’s girl. Evangeline Vale. Got it?”
Drakov’s girl. Was that Aleksandr’s last name?
I supposed it made sense since that was Nikolai’s last name and he’d said they were cousins.
Still. Aleksandr Drakov. The words tasted strange and thrilling in my mouth, like stepping too close to fire and feeling the heat even before touching the flames.
My heartbeat raced at the thought of our names spoken together.
I pictured myself doodling the name over and over in my diary like I used to whenever I saw a cute boy when I was younger. I pictured our names said together. Aleksandr and Evangeline Drakov.
I liked that. I really liked that.
“Remember her face,” Nikolai continued. “If she wants in, she gets in. And add Satan’s offspring to the list as well, I guess.”
“Why you little fucker—” Mia began, but I squeezed her hand to attempt to cut her off.
“Please,” I whispered. “Don’t fight. Not now.”
Mia knew I hated any sort of conflict at all. I didn’t see the point in using sharp words to hurt each other. We were all adults. If Mia and Nikolai had an issue with each other, then they could calmly talk about it. No need for insults or name-calling.
It was something I’d been trying to convince my brother of, though instead of witty barbs, he preferred to use the muscles he spent almost every day building and the hothead temper he’d honed over his lifetime.
I liked that even less than Mia’s sort of warfare and did everything in my power to stop any of his fights before they began.
Mia sighed. “You’re right. It’s your big night. I’ll hold it together.”
“Thank you.”
“But if he tries anything, I swear to God, Eva, I will fuck him up so—”
“Nice, remember?”
“Ugh. Yes.” She turned to Nikolai and gave him a saccharine smile. “Thank you, nice asshole, for helping us get inside.”
I sighed as she strutted inside. “I’m sorry. She’s not like this, normally. I don’t know what got into her.”
He bit back a grin. “Oh, I do.”
He didn’t clarify any further, instead gesturing for me to go inside. The two guards at the front of the door gave me a nod of respect, one of them muttering in a thick Russian accent, “Enjoy your time at Obsidian, Miss Vale.”
The moment I stepped inside, the world shifted.
The door sealed shut behind us with a muted thud, cutting off the city noise as if it had never existed. All I could hear was the steady pulse of music reverberating in my bones, lining up with the beating of my heart.
Obsidian exhaled around me—dark, rich, predatory. The air was cold, perfumed with liquor and something metallic, expensive, dangerous. Underneath it all, a raw scent lingered. Desire sharpened by the eyes of strangers, the thrill of watching and being watched. Sex.
I gulped. I didn’t belong in a place like this.
I followed the tall silhouettes of Nikolai and Mia.
The main room was dark, lit only by the occasional flashing light.
In the background, I could make out dozens, if not hundreds, of bodies moving in a fluid rhythm, their shadows sliding over one another like ink atop water.
Hands rubbing inner thighs, gripping breasts.
Mouths poised on necks. Pelvises pressing together.
I wished Alek were there more than ever, not only because I wanted to be like that with him, but because I knew he would keep me safe through it all.
Heads turned as I passed. Conversations paused long enough to make me feel the subtle shift. There was a second-floor balcony where people watched below, drinks in hand, like voyeurs waiting for a show.
I felt like I was the show. A siren trapped in an aquarium while people stood by, waiting for me to sing.
Nikolai moved like he owned the currents of the room, unfazed by every stare, every whispered assessment.
The crowd parted for him with practiced ease.
Every staff member we passed acknowledged him with a nod, their eyes flicking briefly to me before returning to neutral professionalism.
My skin prickled. I suddenly felt very aware of my dress, my posture, the way my heels clicked softly against the dark floor. I felt both invisible and overexposed.
I leaned closer to Nikolai, shouting over the music. “Is it always like this?”
He smiled, eyes bright and thrilled. “Only if you matter.”
Matter. The word landed in my chest like a challenge. Matter how? And to whom? I imagined their eyes on me like teeth.
Then, I imagined Alek’s teeth on me, ripping into my throat, marking me as his. Now, my nerves were lit up, but not for the same reason as before.
“Not perfect,” my inner voice hissed, sharp as knives. I tugged at the hem of my dress, aware of every pair of eyes while wishing he were here to keep me from feeling so exposed. “You will never be good enough for him. Your brother will never accept him. Never.”
Nikolai led us to a booth on the side of the room marked VIP, slinging the sign off to the side and holding out his arm to help Mia and me slide into it. The music was lower here, and I breathed a sigh of relief at being away from the prying eyes.
“Have fun tonight, ladies.” Nikolai gave me a piercing sky-blue stare. “But not too much fun, okay, Miss Vale?”
I wasn’t sure what he meant by that.
Nikolai disappeared into the darkness of the crowd, and I sighed, already regretting saying yes to Mia, though I would never tell her that. How could I when she was clearly so excited to have me here?
The song changed to one I vaguely recognized, a low tune filled with lots of bass and words I could barely hear. “Oh my God! I love this song! Let’s go take shots and dance!”
I wanted to tell her that leaving this booth was the last thing I wanted to do… but I didn’t. I just accepted her outstretched hand and let her lead me to a bar and a night full of bad decisions.