Page 1 of Chess

Chapter One

Chess

Before

Everything in Ivory was so …pristine. White and silver and sickeningly clean. Every time Chess crossed the border from Scarlet, he was overcome with the desire to soil it, even in some small way. Now, he was sullying a set of satin sheets. The vampire riding him—what was her name again?—moaned as he grabbed handfuls of her tight arse.

His gaze shifted from her perky breasts to the ceiling of her home and how the plaster had been artfully molded into scallops spreading away from the simple chandelier.Fuck. If he was noticing the décor, he wasn’t into this. Accepting the invitation into this female’s bed had sounded like a good idea at the time, but he’d only just finished drinking from a donor’s neck. The feeding had fueled his lust as the blood had powered his body, and the voluptuous brunette had made the offer at the precise moment.

Now, boredom stirred.

Not bored. Preoccupied, he decided as the female made slow, grinding circles on top of him. He needed to finish this so he could do the job he was tasked with. The one his mother—the Queen of Scarlet—had given him. He scowled. Best not to think about his mother at the moment unless he wanted to leave with aching balls.

Chess growled and flipped the female over, setting her on her hands and knees. She gasped, then groaned as he slammed back inside her. Holding her hips, he pumped into her over and over, harder and faster, until his release barreled through him. He squeezed his eyes shut and thrust one final time, emptying himself into her, with a low grunt.

“Already?” she asked, peering over her shoulder at him in disbelief.

He snorted. They’d been at it for over an hour, and though he could last twice as long, he was running late. “Sorry,” he said, sounding every bit as insincere as he felt, but he didn’t give a fuck. “Things to do, places to be.”

Climbing off the bed, he gathered his clothes, stopping only long enough to step into his black trousers, before heading for the bedroom door. She huffed in irritation as he slipped into the hallway, but by the time he reached the female’s front door, she was finishing herself off, if her moans were any indication. At least she hadn’t bothered to ask him to stay.

Chuckling to himself, Chess made it to the street. The home was nestled between a bakery, meant for the mortal donors who either lived in or visited Wonderland, and an art studio. All of the buildings on the block were white marble, veined silver, with large frosted windows and steep roofs. In the distance, he could barely make out the peaks of the Ivory Palace. Unlike the one in Scarlet that loomed over the city from atop a cliff, Queen Ever’s residence was only a short walk outside the city.

He hummed to himself as he meandered back to the place where he’d hidden his attire. The white suit and silver tie would help him blend in with the citizens of Ivory as they readied for the royal ball, and the mask he’d chosen was a silver-plated cat. Since it covered nearly half his face, no one would recognize him. Especially with his hair pulled back and brown contacts hiding his yellow eye color. Not that his mother cared if anyone knew who he was. It mattered to Chess, though, but only because it would make it easier to blend in at the palace if he looked the part. He’d always lived by the motto:work smarter, not harder.

The fast-paced violin notes drifted around him from streets away as he changed quickly in an alleyway, tucking his black vest and trousers behind the same planter where the costume had been. Finally, he hid the dagger he would use to take Ever’s heart inside his jacket. Then Chess slipped silently back onto the empty alabaster streets. Most vampires seemed to already be at the palace given the lack of souls in his sight. Shops were shuttered and windows dark. Before, when he’d joined the female at her home, the city had been bustling with costumed bodies and laughter.

Soon, they would all be subjects of Scarlet. The Queen of Hearts had waited nearly a year for the opportunity to have Chess sneak into the enemy’s lair. She’d plotted and schemed with Rav while Chess … well, hisplanwas a simple four steps.

One—Attend the party.

Two—Find Ever.

Three—Kill Ever.

Four—Flee.

He was no coward, of course, but he wasn’t a fool either. Murdering the White Queen in her own palace would bring every guard down on his arse—at least the ones who hadn’t turned on their queen already. Once Ever was dead, her prick of a brother could step right into the role of ruler. Rav was the next in line to rule after she was gone, which meant the hostile takeover of Ivory would have a peaceful transition. Hypothetically. Rav didn’t necessarily want to sit on the throne—he just wanted Ever to shut the fuck up about human consent before they were turned.

But none of it mattered to Chess. As always, he was just along for the ride. His mother, Imogen, had disappeared when he was eight years old, only for her to drag him to Wonderland once he’d turned twenty-two.Followingher and Rav’s murder of his father, who had become King of Scarlet after abandoning Chess as a baby.Losing his shitty mortal life and his shitty life prospects wasn’t a hardship. He’d never felt anchored to anyone or anything before, so he embraced the carefree lifestyle in Wonderland. Feeding, fucking, and exploring until his heart was content, all for the small price of murdering a few of his mother’s enemies. His mother would rule alongside the white-haired fucker and Chess would play. It worked well for everyone.

As he finally reached the edge of the royal grounds, he paused to study the exterior for plausible escape routes. Any of the rounded first floor windows would give him easy access to run, but jumping from the second and third floors could result in minor injuries as each pane of glass was capped with tiers of carved spikes. Together, they appeared like silver vines climbing up the sides of the building. Beautiful and deadly, just how Chess preferred. The most stunning things in Wonderland had both qualities and he made it his mission to track them down. Fuck them, study them, sometimes kill them…

The most troubling obstacle he faced was the silver moat surrounding the grounds. If he didn’t get back across the drawbridge in time, he would have to swim. He would never admit it, but water was the one fear he hadn’t been able to overcome after turning immortal. When a bunch of older street youths had tossed him into the Thames at twelve, he’d nearly died. Sure, he’d figured out how to swim that day, but he never looked at water the same again.

Adjusting the cat mask on his face, Chess took one step onto the drawbridge, then another and another, ignoring the gleaming water on either side of him until he was finally across. The prince released a small breath and entered the bustling castle through the rounded doorway. Marble floors shone underfoot and a massive chandelier with sconces shaped like lilies dangled above. Delicate violets hung in garlands around the ceilings to add a splash of color to the otherwise monochromatic space.

It wasn’t his first time inside, but when he’d visited with his mother fornegotiations, all had been still. Now the sound of chatter, laughter, and pleasured moans joined in with the orchestra’s classical tune. Masked vampires filled the entire entry, spilling into rooms on either side. There were foxes and wolves, full-faced masks and half-masks, silver and white. A female with purple hair—Maddie—skipped across the room beside her pink-haired sister, Mouse, both wearing elaborate hats in addition to their masks.

Chess ignored the Mad Hatter and her Dormouse of a sister by plucking up a goblet of warmed blood from a tray as a servant passed. He then inhaled the wonderful metallic scent. Where had Ever come up with enough fresh human blood to serve so many? Not quite the humanitarian as she pretended to be. Only turning willing humans to serve them—fah.Immortality was a gift. It was only fair that the newly-turned had to serve the one who gave it to them. Murdering mortals, however, seemed to be acceptable. It would take fully draining at least five dozen adults to give everyone a single glass, unless they only took a small amount from hundreds of donors.

How, Chess wondered absently,did Ivory have so many willing mortals living in a city that feasted on them? At the Ruby Heart Palace, there was no confusion about where humans stood. They were food, not servants or friends.

Brushing away the thoughts, Chess slinked farther into the palace in search of Ever. He moved along a wall of full-length mirrors and sterling busts of former Ivory monarchs. Bodies swayed around him, knocking his goblet more than once. Blood sloshed over the sides, sliding down the backs of his fingers. He switched hands and licked the precious liquid off.

“How do you like the vintage?” came a soft, regal voice.

Chess spun to find a female smiling brightly at him from behind a silver lace mask, her eyes a deep brown.Ever. The queen’s white hair was plaited and artfully woven with a diamond crown atop her head. Her silver gown shimmered in the candlelight, hugging her perfect curves and highlighting her assets. Chess didn’t bother to hide his perusal of her body.A damn shame he didn’t have a chance to fuck her.

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