Chapter Forty-Two

luna

present

The diamonds in my fishnet tights stretch over my skin as my heels click over the concrete floor. With mascara smudged beneath my eyes, and my hair styled down my back in messy blonde waves, it’s no guessing who I am right now.

It’s not twenty hours since being dropped in the viper’s den.

Corbin walks beside me, his metal-covered hand covering my ass and his leather jacket grazing my arm.

Everything I’ve worked toward, everything we’ve all worked toward is right here. The final hit right beneath the palm of my hand. Why couldn’t the Elite Kings Club, the most notorious society in the world who are known to reach into places that most couldn’t, find out about Corbin. This whole time it was fucking him.

The ground beneath me crunches as we walk farther and farther into the tunnels beneath New York. A magnetic pull from above has my head facing upward. I swear we’re walking beneath the smell of the burning rubber, the yeast in freshlybaked bread, and the sound of loud JDM engines racing through the streets.

But it can’t be true. Nothing exists beneath Riverside that the Kings don’t want to, which means that maybe—maybe?—

Information pours through my mind like a waterfall and these are waters I’m not sure I can swim in.

“Come here…” Corbin grabs me by the ass and forces me into his kiss. “I’m sorry. It’s going to be the worst thing you’re ever going to do.” My mouth opens as I let him deepen the kiss.

Ice.

Snow.

Cold.

Blood.

My hand crawls to his neck, and I squeeze, forcing him further into my mouth and grinding against his cock.

Dirt.

Blood.

Snow.

Cold.

So cold.

He pulls back, resting his forehead against mine and smiling wide. His kiss will stain my lips, the vomit in my throat threatening to surface. “Oh, Darling, I’ve missed you. I knew stealing that bitch would bring you back to me.” He buries his fingers in the nest of my hair. “Have you missed me?” His eyes sparkle, the edge of his mouth curved in a smirk.

“I have.” The will to continue the façade dying out the longer I’m here.

“There seems to be a breach in the armory. We have no way of getting in.” I turn to look over my shoulder, smirking at the young boy dressed in tactical gear. His brown locks fall over his face, his jaw scattered with hair.

“Can you not see we’re busy?” I bite down on my lip for added effect, turning to push Corbin behind me further. These tunnels are just like the ones beneath Colorado. Damp and weak. Nothing like the ones I was familiar with in Perdita.

I take a careful step forward, tilting my head. “You’re so damn cute.” I ruffle his hair. He had to be no older than eighteen. “Are you one of mine?”

His eyes fall to my face, holding me there. “Yeah, actually.”

Before I can register what’s happening, shots fire off behind me. I spin around in time for Corbin to catch me in his arms, dragging me through the fog of smoke.

He coughs, squeezing my hand and forcing me through another concrete door. It slams closed, shutting off the chaos erupting outside as lights flicker to the sound of alarms.

“What’s happening!” I hold him there, careful to keep enough distance between the two of us. “Corbin!”