Page 50 of My Summer Girl

Chapter Nineteen

Vex

TULUM – Peso Pluma, Grupo Frontera

Landing with a soft drop, I stabilize. It’s grandiose in here—nothing I’m used to anymore since leaving royal life behind in Dyre, back in Darchon. When I decided to live my life outside of societal norms for both human and Saephyn alike, I separated myself from nobility.

This place is no different.

From the greenest green you can think of and the tallest tree in the world, neither compare to here. As if made entirely out of a family of trees—wound, twisted, and modeled for a community—I stand inside its castle.

It’s definitely the inside of a massive tree. There are roots tangled everywhere, but somehow, it’s beautiful and not terrifying.

“You must be Vex.” I turn to the sultry voice and am taken aback by pure elegance. She’s green, like lily pads and grass, everything woodland but somehow softer in shade. On her arms and legs are thorns, as if twined around her body in a protective manner. Moss splotches her shoulders and legs, almost as if this realm both grows on her and from her.

“I am,” I confirm, meeting her emerald green eyes. The near-black green staining her lips makes defining her expressions easier. She has narrowed eyebrows as if she’s testing my fight or flight. “Verano?”

She nods. “I’m the queen of Solera, the protector of peace, and the descendant of Soleada herself.”

I want to ask what all that means, but I can’t help but feel entranced by her withering stare. Me being here is a threat, but she hasn’t attacked. While my friendship with Theodora was as timeless as it was strong, it didn’t go to the origin of this place.

I break the stiff silence. “Have you seen her?” A pregnant pause resumes as she swallows, her eyes not leaving mine.

“No. I didn’t even know she was a ‘her.’”

I let out a sigh, realizing she’s just as in the dark as I am. While that shouldn’t offer me any reassurance, it does. It gives a sense of comradery.

“Our bond,” I admit. “It’s very new.”

There’s a soft expression that overtakes her face, like she realizes how sad I must be. But I’m not sad—I’m anxious, desperate, and near willing to run across this entire realm until I find her.

“Raevar wouldn’t take someone unwillingly,” she says, as if she knows this is a matter of fact. Knowing Dulce, and how we were in the middle of a scene, tells me there wasn’t any consent there.

“He did, we were in the middle of...” I pause, not knowing what to divulge. “A very precarious act.”

“What is this Vex my kingdom compliments so much? Is this you? Are you a matchmaker?”

I chuckle, unable to stop myself. “I am Vex, but I’m no matchmaker. I’m simply a very old Saephyn who owns a notable lifestyle club.”

Shock and heat touch her cheeks as she blushes. It’s such a pretty shade of green, and I kind of appreciate the color. “Oh, I was under the impression it was a place to find love.”

I bite my tongue, because filtering my words has never been a strong suit of mine, but especially in front of a queen that could surely cut my very long life short.

“Vex is where you go to get off,” I explain, noting the way she cups her throat, as if the movement is a protectant. That simple action only reminds me that I haven’t fed since Dulce and I’m going to grow weary soon. The ache in my stomach along with the throb of my incisors isn’t lost on me, reminding me immortality comes with a price.

“Like, how?”

“It’s a kink club, love,” I tease. “You go to Vex for peculiar tastes, like sadism, masochism, submission, or even domination.”

With the last word, her eyes burn with heat. Yeah. She’s definitely into that. Looking at her dark attire, the dark dress that hugs all her wide and generous curves, it tells me she could stomp on anyone and they’d ask her for a repeat.

I’ve never been one for submission, but there’s an aura to her that draws me in. Maybe she could convince that part of me to play freely, or at least watch her with Dulce. My little dove would enjoy that.

“Why would Raevar take your mate?”

“She’s stunning,” I reply breathily, thinking of how charming and sensual Dulce is. “She draws you in, like she’s the most hedonistic display of beauty.”

“Mhmm,” the queen murmurs. “She sounds delectable.”

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