Page 32 of Pride: Kneel Before None

CHAPTER 11

I was smart enough to see things for what they were, not just through my precognition. This distinguished member of the Opalfire clan did nothing to hide that he was my temporary keeper, meant to keep tabs on me in Ace’s absence.

The transition of events that brought me back to this penthouse suite had been wrapped in chaos and sin. There had been no time to process what happened between Ace and me in that alley or the mark he left behind on my flesh.

Tattoo or brand? Did it matter?

Even as my mind drifted back to the phantom sensation of his hands on my body, his tongue, the absolute devotion in his eyes, the Drakyn hybrid’s rattled clearing of his throat brought my attention back to the present. More than a simple passage of air, I could only compare it to a growl of crackling embers.

For one delusional moment, I considered fleeing. Creating a distraction and strutting right out of this prison wrapped in fine luxury. What were the odds Ace left the door unsecured a second time? Temptation settled deep inside my chest, but it was the pulsing warmth of Ace’s mark on the inside of my thigh that gave me pause. There was no telling how deeply he’d buried the spade into my body.

Was it just for show, or was it a way to keep tabs on what he declared his?

Instead of risking a move that would reek of desperation, I decided to play the game I was best at—being me. If this scaly friend of Ace’s wanted to engage in a match of wits and abilities, I’d ensure that I’d be one step ahead of him the whole damn way.

Once Val explained the nature of the game to me, it became innately clear who would win. Obviously, not him.

Using his telekinesis, the cryptex’s first blank dial spun, spun, spun…

My eyelids grew heavy and my mind even heavier.

The room tilted, and soon it felt like I was floating, and everything around me faded into nothing.

“Genevieve.”

The female voice echoed down the dark hallway. Too dark for me to see who had called my name. Something about the way she spoke tugged at my memory, but didn’t quite settle. Not quite Déjà vu, not quite recognition either.

“Over here, Genevieve.”

This time it came from behind me, closer but still too far in the darkness of the unfamiliar space to pinpoint.

“Who’s there?” I called out.

No response. Fucking figured.

Turning in a full circle, I finally noticed the faintest of lights coming from my left. The din of a packed casino floated down the length of the confined space.

Drawn to the telltale sounds of laughter, I stepped towards the promise of company in this strange place. The closer I got, the more distinct the symphony of sounds became.

Shrill chimes of slot machines hitting jackpots in their air-splitting pitch.

Choruses of disappointed groans over shared losses and louder cheers of individual wins.

Expensive crystal clinking in grandiose toasts that no one would recall come morning.

At the end of the hallway, the door hung open just a crack. Leaning forward, I peered into the illuminated room.

Before I could observe anything beyond the doorway, my surroundings violently shifted in the blink of an eye.

One moment, I was cloaked in darkness, and the next, I was in a crowded lounge seated at the bar. Looking down at myself, I discovered I wore a violet dress made of expensive silk with gossamer accents.

The strapless sweetheart neckline followed the curve of my breasts, and the material clung to my body like a second skin before stopping short enough to tease the exposure of my bare thighs. Glancing over my shoulder, sheer panels of black fabric began at my low back and cascaded to the floor in an elegant train that pooled around the legs of the stool where I perched.

Even my dreams gave me the royal treatment.

Interrupting the admiration of my fashionable attire, a smooth baritone voice snagged my attention. “This one’s on the house,” the man behind the bar stated.

His face was shaded beneath the brim of an old-fashioned newsboy cap only revealing a smile too capable of cutting through one’s defenses.