He’s breathtaking.
Undeniably beautiful.
Still a snake.
But I’ve been ensnared.
Hypnotized.
His sexuality drips over every hard curve of his body—his tightening stomach, the clenching of his jaw. Dropping his chin slightly down toward his chest, he peers at me from under his lashes while he continues to fuck the man with the black curls with his fist. Again, Gemini whispers something to him, but thistime, he releases him from his grasp to let him step up to the man with the shaved head still on his knees.
I stare with unbridled attention as the one on the floor opens his mouth, never losing a beat, his hips thrusting steadily against the woman’s ass. Cum spurts onto his stretched-out tongue, his eyes closing, as if he were tasting the most delicious of nectars.
My gaze flies to Gemini just in time. His eyelids flutter closed for only a second as he punches his hips forward, both hands on the woman’s head. His darkened eyes slam into mine, and for a fleeting moment, I convince myself that the same peaked pleasure painted so magnificently across Gemini’s face ravages inside of me.
My clit throbs painfully, but I stay perfectly still as I stare and stare and stare, my fingers twisting even harder into the chain leash. I’ve been tricked into some of the most heart-wrenching pleasure I’ve ever had thedispleasure to witness.
Lazily, Gemini smooths his hair back before dropping both arms to his sides, his chest heaving as he catches his breath.
A crowned prince.
A spoiled aristocrat.
The deranged glimmer in his eyes is so quiet yet so loud. Somehow, I know exactly what it means.
I’ve been caught craving the one thing that should repulse me.
14
GEMINI
There’s nothing like the tickle of a secret slithering into my ear, ready to be devoured and consumed to put me in the most delectable of moods.
It’s the final day of Tithe Season, and this time, the last day falls on a Wednesday—myday. Tithing began at high noon as my faithful followers lined up next to the carousel inside Pandaemonium.
Secrets hold a weightier importance this winter solstice than any Tithe Season that came before. I’ve been particularly famished for my followers’ secrets, knowing that one of them was bound to let slip who was behind the attack at the inauguration. And earlier today, I pulled the secret right out of a little waif of a thing. I now know who tried to kill us, and I didn’t have to lift a single finger. I thanked my follower for their loyalty with a long kiss on the lips before having them forcibly removed—I’ll have fun with them with Constantine later—and quickly relayed the information to Wolfgang.
I’m one merry servant of the god of trickery.
Hours later, the single file still disappears through the door leading into the underground tunnel, connecting my casino withthe Pravitian harbor. I stopped the carousel for the occasion. Sitting on one of the winged horses, I face my audience while, one by one, they step onto the platform and whisper their secret into my ear.
There is no such thing as an inconsequential secret. I love them all. Each and every one of them is wickedly exciting and wonderfully important, no matter the size.
One never knows when the most anodyne of information will come of use.
Gossip is a powerful thing.
For my special day, I’ve kept my hair blond and donned a simple white silk shirt, loosely tucked into black leather pants. I dressed my Veil in a leather baby-doll dress to match and set her down next to the carousel in a large chair that resembles a throne more than mundane furniture. This time, I chose not to have her on a leash, instead cuffing her ankle to the chair.
To avoid any unnecessary fuss, I detained her roommates for the day so they wouldn’t find Veil here and make a public stink. This ismydayafter all.
It’s been nearly two weeks since I first plucked Veil from the crowd.
And yet she remains a mystery. An effervescent piece of her keeps escaping me, always just out of sight. I don’t believe she knows she’s hiding something from me. But she is.
Bringing her to the bacchanal was a test. I was curious to see how she would respond to such excess. And just like I’d suspected, she wasn’t affected like the revelers around her. This only solidified my developing theory.
Well …
