Page 64 of Marked By Night

His golden eyes widen. “I insist, Miss. I’ll take it straight to your room.” He grabs the handle and we have a slight tug-of-war before I finally relent. I don’t know their customs and the last thing I want to do is get him in trouble.

“Fine, take it. You better not rifle through my shit though or I’ll come after you. Panty sniffing is also off-limits. You’re not a panty sniffer, are you?”

His cheeks turn a twinge of pink as he says, “Of course not, Miss. I’ll have it waiting for you in the room the Kings’ have chosen.” He takes the rest of the luggage from the trunk and races up the steps.

“Hey, what happened to your face?” I call after him.

Subtle, I am not.

“I’d like to know as well, Vinson,” Elian says, spearing him with those intense green eyes of his. Oops.

The butler shifts from foot to foot before turning around. “Yes sir. Unfortunately, our—” He stops, darting a glance at me. “—package was quite wild and escaped while I was switching vehicles. The other package has been taken care of.”

One glance in Elian’s direction shows he’s furious. The tight set to his jaw, the blaze of his emerald eyes, but when he sees me looking, he locks it all down leaving that cold facade in place.

“Find it and bring it back here,or else.”

A second butler dressed like the first comes scrambling down the steps, interrupting the moment. He offers to park Kaos’s Maserati in the garage. Which is to the left of the mansion. I count six garage doors before I stop and roll my eyes. This is nuts. I’ve stepped into an alternate reality somewhere along the way.

“Look at this place,” Ash says, echoing my thoughts. “You know, we always wanted to lock down some sugar daddies and you finally fucking did it.”

“Sugar daddy, eh?” Dante says with that dang smirk fixed in place and his eyes twinkling. “I’ll be your sugar daddy, Angel. All you have to do is ask.”

Then he leans over and kisses me, saving me from having to produce a response. I’d likely tell him to get fucked, but now isn’t the time for those thoughts.

Kissing him is like standing outside in a thunderstorm. The charge between us is fun and exhilarating but also messy and chaotic. Before long Dante pulls away—much to my disappointment.

“Come on, Angel. I’ll show you to my bed—I mean around the mansion.” He wiggles his eyebrows making me laugh.

“Sure, whisk her away, we can find our own way around! Can’t we pup?” Ash grumbles at our retreating backs.

As soon as we step through the front door and into the foyer, I’m blown away. The ceiling expands the entire three stories and there’s a skylight at the top that soft light filters through. The entryway then leads past a formal living room that’s exquisitely decorated, dripping with opulence.

The next room we pass is a library that would make Belle jealous and makes my book soul happy. There’re row upon row of books and even a ladder to reach the top shelves. I’ll have to check it out on my own time, for sure. Dante notices my interest with a knowing smirk and promises to show me around whenever I’d like. Score.

The butler who took our bags pops back into the living room, drawing my attention. “Welcome to King Estate, Ms. Sinclair. My name is Vinson. If there’s anything at all I can help you with, please pull any of the designated ropes and I will come to assist you as soon as I am able.”

“Uh, thank you, Vinson. I appreciate that,” I say.

“Certainly, Ms. Sinclair.” He bends over at the waist, crossing a fist over his chest, and bows to me. It was one thing when he bowed for the guys, but to me?

My nose crinkles. “Please call me Sadie, and actually, if you don’t mind, I’d rather you not bow to me. That’s not something I’m comfortable with.”

“Yes, Ms. Si—” I shoot him a glare and he clears his throat changing directions. “I meanSadie, but we are required to bow to you. Such is our custom here.”

I take a moment to study him fully. He doesn’t seem to be much older than me and he’s extremely handsome. I find myself wanting to know his backstory but shut those feelings down fast.You’re mated for shit’s sake, Sadie.

“Vinson, is it?” I ask. “Would you mind if I call you Vin instead?”

“Sure. Feel free to call me anything you’d like, Miss.”

“Do you have a preference between them? Personally, I prefer to give everyone a nickname, if that’s all right.”

“Erm, I like Vin better, honestly. Thank you for asking.” His lips turn up into a small smile that he quickly hides when Dante growls.

So possessive. It’s going to be fun riling him up.

The air around us crackles and, for once, I recognize the signature of the brooding bad boy with razor-sharp green eyes and perfectly coiffed hair before he pops into existence next to me.

---