Page 53 of Tortured Royals

“Wish me luck,” Dante says with a mischievous smile, and he presses a kiss to my cheek before crossing the street.

“We’ll find a back entrance into the club,”I tell him through our mind link.“Make sure you keep us informed.”

“Of course, princess,”Dante replies.

He reaches the front of the club, and after a small conversation with the bouncers, they let him inside.

The moment he’s gone, the rest of us backtrack, crossing the street further down before maneuvering around buildings until we reach the back of the club. Two more bouncers guard the exit.

I turn my head to Nate. “Any ideas on getting in?”

Before he can answer, a large group of intoxicated demons stream out of the club, ushered by two more guards.

“Don’ see why we ’ave to leave,” a scruffy looking demon slurs as he sways on his feet. “We was just havin’ some fun.”

“Go sleep it off,” one of the bouncer’s growls, as all four bouncers lead them away from the door. A bouncer places his hand on the demon’s shoulder, and the drunk demon snarls, shrugging him off. “Why you puttin’ your hands on me?”

“That’s our chance,” I say to my mates, pointing to the door that’s no longer guarded.

We move quickly, crossing the distance in a few strides, and then we’re slipping into the back of the club.

Dance music pounds in my ears the moment we enter a darkened hallway, and we move quickly, making our way down a series of passageways until we reach the main room of the club. Spread before us, a horde of demons are still on the dance floor, grinding and dancing with one another like they intend to have fun long into the day.

“Now this is a party,” Nate says with a wide grin.

Lifting my gaze, I look up to where three cages are suspended high above the crowd. The two smaller cages on the sides hold she-demons who are almost completely naked. They dance in time to the music, moving fluidly with one another in a mesmerizing display. In the larger cage in the center, a she-demon is busy enjoying the company of a male. They’re both completely naked, and he grips the back of her neck as he fucks her from behind. She arches her back, her cries of pleasure drowned out by the thudding tempo.

Smoke drifts through the air that’s thick with the scent of sweat and brimstone, and I’m pretty sure there’s at least one incubus in here. The demon’s magic isn’t affecting me heavily, but I can still feel the drag of magic against me as someone in the crowd feeds on the sexual energy.

“Better than the bunny burrows?” I ask Nate, remembering what he’d said about the pleasure house back in the beast realm.

My shifter wraps his arms around me, pulling me close and nuzzling his nose into my neck. “Anywhere with you is better than that place, my queen.”

I grin. “Good to see you’re learning, shifter.”

His lips find my neck, but the sound of animated voices comes from the passageway behind us, and I pull him into the crowd. Prince Callan, Mason, and Alaric follow, the five of us moving further into the throng of demons.

“Dante, where are you?”Prince Callan asks my demon mate.

There’s silence and then Dante replies,“Upstairs. Near the balcony. The meeting hasn’t started yet.”

I look up again and this time I see the long balcony to the left side of the room, not far from the cages.

I’m about to ask Dante a question when I’m distracted by the sound of grumbling behind me. Twisting my head, I see that back near the passageway, two of the bouncers from outside look irritably at the crowd of demons. Blood is splattered on one of the male’s faces, and I get the feeling he’s just looking for a reason to kick someone else out.

“We need to blend in,”I say to the others.“And then we find a way to watch the meeting.”

“Blend in?”Nate says, looking way too eager.“Thought you’d never ask.”He grabs my hand, pulling me further into the crowd, and he spins me until my back is pressed to him. Swaying his hips, he grinds against me in time to the music. The others follow, and Mason and Prince Callan start dancing around us, though Alaric simply stands there scowling.

“Shade, how is it outside? All quiet?”I frown when I realize I can’t connect with the crow.“Something must be blocking us from talking to her.”

“The bird will be fine,”Nate tells me reassuringly.

I hope he’s right.I’m sure she’s perched on a roof somewhere out of sight.

Nate moves behind me, and slowly my body loosens. My tail flicks in the air, and I laugh at it. It’s such a strange sensation having it there, and while I always wondered what it would be like to have one, now it just feels…odd. I miss my wings and their constant weight on my back. It was like they helped ground me, and yet, also gave me the means to escape when I needed it. To soar high above all my problems.

Reaching up, I grab onto Prince Callan’s shirt, pulling him closer to me. “Do you miss them?” I ask him.

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