Page 28 of To Bleed A Kingdom

“Godsdamn it, Amara!” I shout, smacking at her hands, but she holds tight, refusing to let go. Feeling as if my head has been torn from my shoulders and already knowing Amara won’t be satisfied until I do as she asks, I let my arms fall to my sides and focus my gaze on the object of her fascination.

I jolt.

Painted in the same white as the stone of the building, a tall, rectangular sign hangs suspended above the brothel. But it's not the sign itself that surprises me; it's the letters artfully scripted in a metallic, caramel color.

“Maiden's Eye Pleasure House,” I read, scrunching up my nose. “What kind of name is that?”

“Right?” Amara chuckles, her eyes widened in bafflement.

“It's horrible.” I laugh along with her.

“I think it's a lovely name,” Zander defends.

“No.” Tristan shakes his head, the disdain evident in his tone. “It’s appalling.”

“Not one of the Madame’s brightest moments,” Griffin adds.

A strangled, keening sound comes from Kace. “Never speak poorly of the Madame! We're Gods Blessed to have such an upstanding citizen. Seboia would be bereft without her.”

“Or husbands would be forced to fuck their own wives for once,” Griffin retorts.

Darius ducks around me to look at Kace. “You only say that because she gave you your own chambers.”

“Your own chambers?” Zander gapes.

“Oh, yes. A sitting room, a bed large enough for a dozen females. There's even a swing! It’s magnificent, fit for royalty.”

“I haven't ever received my own chambers,” Zander mumbles, toeing a rock with his boot.

Except for the whole suite of rooms he has back home. With a bed that can and has fit over a dozen females. A story he's repeated to me numerous times over the years, in excruciating detail.

“Do you have a room there?” I ask Darius, followed by an immediate wince, regretting my jealous words almost instantly.

An arrogant smirk tugs at his lips. “No, I tend to be a bit choosier with my bedmates.”

The heat of a blush spreads through my cheeks and I turn my back on that knowing gaze, instead directing mine to a confused looking Amara.

“Do they pretend to be maidens?” Amara asks, scratching her head. “Like role playing?"

“I bet the local virgins go there to be deflowered,” Zander says, hands on his hips. “You know, have a trained professional teach them the pleasures of the body."

Amara shakes her head. “The first time is never pleasurable.”

“Just an awkward, painful experience followed by an overwhelming sense of disappointment,” I say, to which Amara cackles.

“I would make it quite pleasurable for you, my lovely Lena,” Zander says, waggling his brows.

I chuckle at his teasing just as a low growl rumbles beside me. Gaze drifting to the owner of that growl, I find a furious Darius glaring daggers at Zander.

Godsdamn, I bet he growls when he fucks.

Forcefully shoving aside the thought of how pleasurably that growl could rumble against my clit, I pry my eyes from Darius when Amara says, “I guess I can understand the reasoning behind maiden, but the eye? And tears?”

Gaze swinging back to the sign, I find a drawing of exactly what Amara described, an eye shedding a lone tear.

“It's a pussy,” Kace says matter of factly.

“What?” Amara asks.

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