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Her bravery faltered as the back door opened for a strange, dark-haired woman. The female Alpha lifted her head in a rough nod of greeting before she bent over the cigarette she jammed between her lips. The flame of her lighter cast eerie shadows over her strong features.
“How’s it going in there, Margo,” Beau called as he moved to block the woman’s view of Devin.
“Fuckin’ madhouse. Better get double time for this shit.” The woman, Margo, grunted, planting her sole against the brick wall as she sucked down a plume of smoke. “Tips have been fuck all.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Rey ushered Devin inside, a growl emanating from deep in his chest. Between the deafening bass thumping through the entire building and the din of hundreds of voices, Devin felt it more than she heard it.
“Why are there so many people?” Courage burning to ash, Devin clung to the sturdy strength of Rey’s arm. No longer to appease his possessive rage, but to calm the spiral of panic rising through her chest.
“We can leave. Right now.” Rey’s other arm came around to crush Devin to him in a circle of implacable protection.
“No,wecan’t.” Beau glanced from the back door to the upper level before crowding close enough Devin couldn’t help but breathe them both in. “I can take her if it comes to that, but you’ve got to be here, Rey. We can’t afford for you not to be.”
“What do you mean?” Devin started to turn, but they’d caged her in, locked tight in their combined embrace.
“The big boss sent some outsiders to us to work out new deals,” Beau said at her ear, still having to almost shout as the music became even louder. “We’re hosting this huge ass party so they get lost in the shuffle. The locals have already seen you, so you’re here to prove Rey is strong enough to flaunt his mate.”
Rey snarled and shoved at Beau’s shoulder, not pleased with their business being shared with Devin. She was glad of it, though, and took a deep breath to wrangle her frayed nerves back under control. They weren’t going to take her out into the press of writhing bodies where no one would ever hear her scream. It would be somewhere far quieter, away from prying eyes. Devin nuzzled Rey’s chest, purring though she had no idea if he would hear her over the chaos.
Whether he heard it or not, some of the tension left his shoulders. Large palm pressing against the small of her back, he tugged Devin close for a moment before he turned them all to the stairs. One glance at her, and Rey steered their little coterie towards the elevator at the end of the hall.
“I could have managed,” Devin whispered, bumping Rey with her hip.
“Probably, but I couldn’t watch your ass for an entire flight and not bend you over.” Rey stooped to nip her ear, pressing a smile to her cheek before he straightened. Smoothing his expression, his shoulders squared. The doors hadn’t even opened yet, and already he was becoming cold, distant. His lips twisted into a not-quite scowl as his shoulders rose, expanding his chest, making him appear even larger than he was.
Beau did the same.
They dwarfed Devin as she stood between them, and the very real risk of this little escapade hit her with the full force of a landslide. A mere look could be enough to send Rey into a rage, a careless touch to have blood spilled. Beau had become possessive in his own way, though she wasn’t certain he would lose all control if something happened. He might though, and that was enough that the pace of Devin’s breathing picked up, the fine hairs at the back of her neck standing on end in response to the aura of danger building around her.
“Deep breaths, baby. You get all nervous on us now, and shit will get bad,” Beau murmured, hanging back with Devin as Rey led the way to the raucous noise spilling out of the larger party room.
“I need a drink. Something strong.”
“You need to catch up to him. Now.”
The click of her heels was loud to her, but all the laughter and growling voices drowned it out as Devin rushed to take her place a step behind Rey. With her head bowed, the fall of her curls hid her face from view.
In the middle of her pep-talk to remain calm, submissive, the perfect mate, a hoarse shout threw the train of her thoughts off the rails. Moans filtered past the bulk of Rey’s body. The airy trills of women. Alpha musk came to her on warm currents of air. Sex and violence.
“Still got the best bitches this side of the bay, Beau,” a man said through a pattern of heavy grunts Devin could imagine all too well.
“I’m glad you’re all enjoying the amenities,” Beau said, smooth as silk, as he breezed past Rey. A snap of his fingers brought a trail of women in tight, revealing costumes parading past Devin. They carried trays of drinks, good bourbon and whiskey.
She didn’t even see where they came from. Fingers fluttering in the warm space at Rey’s back, she considered telling him no. Begging him to let her leave, that she couldn’t do this after all. A glimpse of steely blue eyes had her hand dropping back to her side. Beau was right. Rey would try to leave with her. No, wouldn’t try to. Hewouldleave with her, and whatever this was, it’d be ruined because she was scared of a bunch of men.
She’d faced down Alphas before. Got herself out of more than one predicament mostly unscathed. This wasn’t that different, and she had Rey to look out for her now. She just had to play by the rules. Devin took a steadying breath laden with cheap perfume and Alpha musk and squared her shoulders.
At some unseen signal, Rey entered. He went straight for a chair set apart but facing the rest. Leather sighed as he sat, a tip of his chin directing Devin to sit on the wide arm of the seat. Thankful for the heels now that she didn’t have to hop up onto it, Devin curled one leg up just enough for balance and slid her hip as close to Rey as she dared.
Keeping her eyes averted from the lewd scenes playing out in front of her was much harder. She knew those sounds and what they meant. A spark of curiosity made her wonder if she sounded like that, and she couldn’t help how her cheeks warmed at the thought. Her fingers fidgeted on her lap as she tried to banish it.
“I know you’re enjoying yourselves, but the sooner we can get this done, the sooner you can get on with your nights.” Rey twirled two fingers in the air, and the simple gesture was enough to have the women up on their feet, a veritable stream of them flooding out the door.
“Don’t worry, they’ll be ready for you when we’re done.” The twist of Beau’s lips was a cruel, edged thing. “And I’ve got a few party favors I’ve been saving just for you all.”
Something Devin remembered well, a thing she feared. She’d seen it all too often in the chaotic jumble of drug hazed memories. How could she have forgotten it, the terror it incited? All these weeks lavished with his attention didn’t undo that damage, yet she’d accepted him without balking.
