Page 41 of Knot Forever

“No instructions,” he says softly. “Except I’d ask that you stay close to one of us at all times. These men can be dangerous, Nova. But apart from that, just have fun.”

The tension leaks out of her. “Fun,” she whispers. “I can do that.”

She sounds surprised, and I vow that she’ll leave tonight with a smile on her face.

We pull up to our private entrance, and Nova looks around as the door opens. Benny, our security guy, glances in and blanches when he sees Nova. “Uh, my apologies.”

“It’s fine, Ben,” Asher says smoothly. He climbs out first, giving murmured instructions that’ll reach the ears of every single one of our employees in the next few minutes.

Namely – look out for Nova at all times.

Even if we do manage to get separated, she’ll never be alone.

“Come on,” I murmur. “Asher needs to do his boring head honcho stuff. We can go on in.”

Nova’s heels click on the solid marble as we enter through the nondescript door that acts as our private entrance.

“Wow,” she breathes, looking up and around. “I didn’t expect this.”

“It’s a little jarring from the outside.” Our own entrance is subtle, and the casino definitely isn’t. We’re stood on the edge of a walkway that lines the entire main room, giving us easy visibility for any issues. Right now, though, it’s an enclosure that Nova looks down on in delight.

“This is amazing,” she laughs, her hands on the gold railing. “It’s so busy!”

Dozens of tables sit below us, each offering a different game, a different opportunity to win. Not all of them are financial, either.

This is a place where anyone can get what they want.

Faces begin to look up at us. Nova is already drawing attention, her scarlet dress standing out like a beacon against the sea of black below. Even my standard gray suit looks slightly out of place, but I like it that way.

“Let’s get you a drink.” We have our own private area in the middle of the walkway, and Nova raises an eyebrow when I escort her in.

“Up in the heavens like gods,” she murmurs. I take a champagne bottle and pop the cork, catching the flow of bubbles in a crystal glass that I hand to her with a wink. “This is our space, sweetheart. Here, we are gods.”

Marcus settles himself next to Nova. His arm stretches out possessively along the leather behind her, and I smile to myself as I watch her lean into him. His fingers move into her hair, playing with it as she sips her champagne.

Checking the drawer underneath the drinks table, I pull out a brand-new deck, holding it out with a challenge. “Care for a game?”

“I’ve never learned,” she says mournfully. “My mother was very clear that gambling is not one of the approved activities for omegas.”

I tsk. “Can’t have that, I’m afraid.”

We spent some time running through the rules of poker before we try a hand. Nova stares at her cards, the little frown between her eyes giving her away as she tries to iron out her gaze.

“You’re far too expressive,” I announce, laying out my royal flush.

Color rises on her cheeks as her lips part. “I’m going to work on that,” she says haughtily, tipping her chin up.

Shaking my head, I smile at her. “Never change, Nova Chevnik.”

Every little twitch of her face tells me something new. I never want to see that replaced by blankness, the way most of the omegas here look as they’re paraded on the arms of their alphas.

Asher reappears after a while, his scowl furious as he pours himself a drink.

“What’s wrong?” Nova asks with concern, and he tilts his head.

“Nothing for you to worry about,” he says casually. “Just work.”

We stay up in the aerie for a while. Marcus teaches Nova sleight of hand, getting more adventurous as she laughs at him. Asher lingers around the edges, but I catch his eyes on Nova more times than I can count.

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