CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT #2
‘It’s time.’ I slipped a matchbook out of a convenient pocket hidden in the folds of my dress skirt.
‘Where were you keeping that?’ Quinn looked me up and down, his brows knitted together.
Theo gripped his shoulder. ‘It’s impolite to ask a woman where she keeps her matches, Quinn.’
I lit a match, barely having to go near the lip of the glasses for them to catch.
Colly immediately lifted one to his face.
‘No!’ I stopped him. ‘You’ll burn the beginnings of your moustache off.’
Theo snorted a laugh.
I led by example, palming out the flame and throwing back the warmed liquid. I shuddered as it went down, enjoying the sweet aftertaste. Then again.
‘You’re playing with fire tonight, hm?’ Theo nudged into me, putting out his drink and downing it in one. ‘This will be fun.’
The Prevere boys followed suit.
‘And two for my friends.’ I hailed the bartender for the last time and thumbed towards the Season Single duo, making sure they saw me wave over my bare shoulder as the drinks arrived.
‘Time to continue our tour of the Crescent’s nightlife.’ Theo pushed himself off the bar. He hooked a finger into one of my dress pockets, tugging me along.
Theo really did know how to draw attention as we moved from club to club.
He was charming, giving polite nods to the press before dipping his head down, pretending to shrink away from the lights.
When they gave attention to Quinn, Theo stepped in front of me as if to hide me away.
It worked like a charm, bringing their attention back.
Our fourth stop was Fierno’s, a sleek bar with plush red booths, low lighting and an exclusive guest list. The music was fast, low and more rhythmic than the last. The whole place was packed.
Quinn and Colly headed for the bar. As I went to follow I felt strong hands grip my waist. I knew it was Theo from the way his citrus scent lingered in the air around me.
‘You’re coming with me,’ he whispered in my ear. I could hear the smile in his voice, teasing. He pointed me in the opposite direction, towards the booths.
His hands were warm through my dress and he moved them down to just above my hips, leaving a trail of his touch. I let myself enjoy the rush it gave me. He didn’t have to know.
Plus, now it was my turn to wind him up.
I stopped suddenly. Theo bumped into me from behind. His exposed skin pressed up against mine thanks to the top buttons being undone. The curve of my back felt lonely in comparison as it arched away, but there was plenty of pressure between his hips and my ass.
‘Oops! Sorry, thought I was going to trip over someone.’ I tilted my head back to see him, scrunching my nose.
He bit his lip. As he let it go I realized I hadn’t thought about how soft they looked before. His fingers flexed, holding me in place and daring me to pull away.
‘So clumsy of you, Paldon.’ The sarcasm was strong, but so was the challenge that had lit up in his eyes. He didn’t let go as we made our way to the seats.
The Prevere boys met us at the booth. Colly’s attention had been caught by some of the women nearby and he was forgetting to close his mouth while he stared.
‘Quinn.’ I leaned over the table, earnest. ‘Is this what it’s usually like? You haven’t given him any brotherly advice for this?’
‘As if you’re any better.’ Theo slid in next to me, draping an arm along the back of the booth so I ended up pressed against his side. ‘I’ve never even seen you attempt to flirt, but I imagine dropping fun facts about Bach Lotiere wouldn’t exactly win anyone over.’
I leaned into him sweetly. ‘I’m actually very good at attracting men.’
‘Oh yeah?’ His knee knocked against mine.
I held up a finger, drawing his eyes. Then tilted it towards my chest. Just as I expected he followed the direction and was, very obviously, staring.
His lips parted slightly, proving my point. He was as dumbstruck as Colly.
‘Is that Gordi Boll?’ Our drunk rookie was half out of his seat, peering into the crowd.
I followed his wavering gaze and was surprised to see exactly that. Gordi Nepotism Boll was grinding up against a very tall and busty woman.
‘I hope for her sake he fucks better than he flies.’ I felt bad enough for the woman already.
Quinn snorted a laugh into the remainder of his drink. I reached out to stop him from spilling, but only made it worse.
‘Are you sure you’ve been the one flying, Lena? Your coordination sucks,’ Quinn smiled as he took off his damp waistcoat.
‘Oh please. I did you a favour. You’ll get way more attention in your tight white shirt! If Gordi can find someone, you’ll be fighting them off.’
His ears went bright red, sheepish as he eyed the dance floor filled with options.
‘Hey.’ Theo’s voice was low. It didn’t have to be any louder – I could feel his lips brushing against my hair. ‘Since our favourite rider is here, how about a classic Vaspre-Paldon prank?’
I gasped, grabbing his shoulder.
‘That’s the best idea I’ve heard all night.’
His eyes lit up. The arm on the back of the booth curled around, his hand dangled over my shoulder. ‘We didn’t even get a scratch on him in the fight. I think we have some unfinished business.’
‘Yes,’ I agreed, the excitement fuelled by all the drinks I’d had so far. My knees pressed against his thigh as I turned to him. ‘Which one? We don’t have any hot sauce, but we could find a way to steal his clothes.’
‘The one we pulled on Pops could work.’ He picked up where I’d left off as we considered our successful history of troublemaking. ‘Or maybe—’
‘The time with Cam?’ We said it together, both of us grinning as the nostalgia hit us.
‘Hey guys,’ Theo’s tone completely changed as he addressed Quinn and Colly, no longer playful or low. ‘We’re going to head out. We have some important shit to do.’
He was already sliding out of the booth, his fingers trailing along my shoulder blades as they went by. The urge to lean into it made me dizzy.
‘No worries. I think I need to take Colly back anyway.’ Quinn watched, bemused, as his young teammate tucked two straws into his lips, mimicking dragon fangs.
‘Thanks, Quinn.’ I waved my goodbye as I shuffled out of the booth.
The moment the crowd covered us, I hooked a finger through one of Theo’s belt loops. I saw his shoulders flex in response.
We were definitely going to get into some trouble.
‘Bright yellow with frills.’ Theo had his charm switched on for the teenage keeper. ‘Hard to miss, just like the Boll that flies it.’
The kid was doing his best to act casual, but his eyes kept widening as he listened, completely won over. He wore a satin vest and bow tie, the uniform of the fancy aviary we stood in.
‘Uh, yeah. It’s here.’ The keeper ran a hand over his slicked-back hair, looking over at me as he did.
‘Think you could take a break for a while? Maybe until next shift?’ Theo pulled out his wallet and opened it up. ‘I can make it worth the risk, of course.’
‘It’s just a summer job.’ The teen shrugged, hands in his pockets, but clearly still fidgeting. ‘I go back to school next week. So, maybe …’
Theo let the silence fill the air.
‘An autograph?’ Suddenly the keeper looked even younger, shy to ask the Volitant rider for a memento.
If Theo was amused, he didn’t show it. As much as he liked to tease me, he knew how to treat his fans well. He pulled out two slips of money, signed one and handed them both over.
‘Enjoy the rest of your evening.’ Theo crossed the ground floor of the public aviary towards me, leaving behind the lanky teenage keeper. ‘Yeah, his wyvern is here.’
The kid stared at the autograph Theo had given him for a moment before hurrying down the corridor behind the stalls.
‘I convinced him to take a long break,’ he said, not stopping until we were only inches apart. ‘He doesn’t even care if Boll throws a fit. He goes back to school next week.’
‘Nice. That’s the best thing your fame has gotten us all night.’ I tilted my head back, looking up at the faraway ceiling of the tower. Seven open storeys, each one with a dozen stalls for the island’s most expensive wyverns. All so their riders could enjoy the city.
‘Mhm,’ he barely replied, too busy staring at the place where my neck met my shoulders.
‘Focus, Vaspre.’ I tugged at the collar of his shirt.
His hands came up and encircled my wrists. He held them there for a moment, his lids heavy over his eyes as he looked at me.
I swallowed, trying to follow my own advice and focus on the plan. It wasn’t easy.
‘Hey, I’m giving up a lot to do this, the least you could do is remember why we’re here.’ I twisted out of his grip and headed to the first flight of stairs.
‘Oh,’ he said, trailing after me with his hands in his pockets. ‘Please enlighten me on what you’ve given up.’
‘My other plans.’ I winked, making sure he knew exactly what those plans entailed.
I started checking the stalls – alcoves built into the outside wall with half-height doors keeping the occupants in. He followed, speeding up.
‘You know, you should really ask before involving me in that kind of thing, Paldon. It’s basic manners.’
I laughed. ‘Your ego is the most impressive thing about you. So bold to think you were being considered.’
Theo’s brows rose and he flexed his jaw to the side, doing a terrible job at not looking offended.
‘Found it!’
The bright yellow wyvern was hard to miss. Together we coaxed it out of the stall and led it up to another at the top of the tower. A simple enough prank, but one annoying enough to make Gordi lose his temper in front of his date.
‘It’s actually kind of cute …’ I said, settling the wyvern down. ‘In an overbred way that makes me want to look after it.’
‘No, Paldon.’
I cupped my hands under its chin. It looked at me with big green eyes that crossed inwards towards its too short snout.
‘You can’t keep it.’