Page 16 of Chess

They walked down the narrow hall to the main space where the music blasted through the speakers. Heavy, techno beats drifted to Ever’s ears and heavier white smoke surrounded the mortals dancing in the room under the flashing bright lights.

“I know what we’re doing tonight.” Chess’s voice came out playful.

Ever followed his gaze across the room, her brows lifting. A man wearing strips of leather over his lean body cracked a whip as a female in a thong and bra wrapped rope around a woman in a tight pink corset.

In another corner, couples, ball gags in their mouths, thrust against each other in several large metal cages. Everything about this night was sinful as partners grinded, arousal filling their eyes.

Ever had seen her fair share of couples seducing one another, but she couldn’t help being in awe of their movements, the atmosphere.

The scent of lust, blood, and sweat enveloped her, and she peered at Chess, who swiped the tip of his tongue across his lower lip. And she knew he was feeling it too. She could control it, but she was still fighting the urge to tear throats apart and drink as thirst stormed through her.

Ever peered around, searching for March’s braids, his tall frame. But she didn’t spot him anywhere. At the bar, several people who looked as though they were trying to be vampires, with light contacts and fake fangs, flirted while sipping on beers.

Glancing up toward the large rectangular window above them, she tugged on Chess’s sleeve. “Let’s try upstairs.” Sometimes March waited for her at one of the tables there.

Chess nodded and they broke through the crowd, past sweaty bodies. She let the prince lead her up the metal stairs. They may be on the same side for now, but that didn’t mean she trusted him enough to allow him to walk behind her in this place.

Pictures of what looked to be old musicians hung across the red-painted walls. At the top of the stairs, the room opened up to a large space cluttered with pleather sofas against the walls, black tables and chairs in the middle, and several dancing couples.

She glanced at faces and found a male with braids sitting at a table, but it wasn’t March. Her gaze flicked toward the bar across the room and she scanned the seats, then froze.

White hair, red tips.

Her brother faced the bartender, chatting with him. Four other female vampires stood beside him, wearing tight, short crimson dresses. Long red locks cascaded down one’s back, another orange, and the other two with dark braids. Even from behind, she would notice the bastard anywhere—that hair, his build, the relaxed way he stood. Chess, the fool, didn’t seem to notice as he started to walk in the direction of the bar.

Just as Rav turned, Ever shoved Chess onto a sofa beside them and climbed into his lap, straddling his narrow hips while blocking his face. Chess’s mouth parted and his eyebrows rose before his normal cocky expression fell back into place. When he opened his mouth to speak, she muffled his voice by crashing her lips to his. Her mouth skated across his—he didn’t hesitate, thoroughly returning the kiss, his fingers digging into her hips. She plunged her tongue into his mouth, caressing, tasting his damn luscious flavor, finding herselflikingit. Gripping his hair tight, she rolled her hips forward. He let out a low groan as she did it again and again, knowing she should stop but not wanting to. It wasn’t even him doing this—it was allher. His length hardened against her softness and instead of this being a distraction from Rav, it was turning into something else. Something that she didn’t want to end. She yearned to tell herself that she didn’t know who she was grinding against, wanted to pretend it was someone else, but she knew exactly who she was riding. In that moment she didn’t care.

Chess’s hands left her hips, trailed her thighs, then reached up her dress to grasp her buttocks.

His lips drew from hers, leaving her hungry for his taste. “Do you want me to take you right here or somewhere more private?” he rasped in her ear. “I’ll do whatever the fuck you want.”

“I-I…” Ever couldn’t formulate words as she inhaled his pine scent. And she waslikingwho she was doing this with? As his hand cupped her breast, she halted her movements, grasping what she needed to say. “My brother is at the bar with four females. I didn’t want him to see us. Slowly look up and tell me what he’s doing now.”

Chess’s jaw clenched at her confession, his eyes hardening. He leaned forward, his breath hot at her ear, tickling her neck. “He’s not here.”

Ever jerked her head up and flicked her gaze toward the bar. Rav wasn’t there. She jumped from Chess’s lap and peered around the room. He was nowhere in sight and neither were the females he’d been with.

“Downstairs. Now.” She grasped his hand and tugged him with her so they could avoid Rav until they formulated a proper plan. They were five against two. She didn’t feel up to her full strength and she was sure Chess wasn’t either after sitting underground for days while not having enough blood to drink.

The room was foggier than before, and even with her vampire senses, she could barely make out anything besides the outline of bodies, their intoxicating odor.

“This way.” Chess clasped her hand and pulled her through the crowd, the smoke thinning. The prince then drew her to a sudden stop. “Dance with me.” He pressed his fingers to her lips before she called him a fool. “To the door.”

Instead of fighting him, she gave into his touch once more. But she told herself it was all for show because she truly hated him and they needed to get the hell out of here.

Yet she couldn’t stop feeling his earlier hardness beneath her, the way her body had molded to his.

Chapter Nine

Chess

Even in a room full of alluring blood, Ever’s lily scent consumed Chess. The only thing keeping him from taking her into the bathroom, locking the door, and ravaging her until she screamed his name was the looming threat. Rav was somewhere in this club and that wasn’t something he could lose sight of—even if he hadn’t laid eyes on the male himself.

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t spot you,” Chess whispered in her ear. He gripped Ever’s hips, nuzzling her neck as they moved slowly toward the door. Too slowly, but they had to keep from being noticed. Running straight for the exit would undoubtedly draw attention, even if they did it quickly enough not to be seen by the other dancers. It was too crowded to avoid running into them all and Rav would know what a trail of humans, seemingly fallen over themselves, meant. It wasn’t necessarily Chess and Ever who had fled, but it was evidence thatsomeonehad.

So Chess swayed to the beat, Ever against him. Tantalizingly close. Now that he knew her lips tasted of wild berries and her blood blissfully rich, it was all he could do to focus on the faces visible through the manufactured fog.

Where is the fucking git?

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