Lily bit her lip, looking impish. With a glance at Natalya still talking on the phone, Lily leaned in and whispered in Evie’s ear. As Evie listened, her eyes widened.
“That is… No, she would be so upset.”
“Maybe you want her upset.” Lily shrugged, looking pleased with herself. “The punishment could be interesting. Let’s just say that.”
Lily’s grin spoke volumes about how she knew the efficiency of what she’d just suggested.
“I don’t know if I can do that,” Evie said, but she was smiling as she spoke.
She was already planning what she would do. What she would say. What she would bewearing. The nervousness at doing something like it was outweighed by the thought of Natalya’s reaction. Of what could come afterward.
She looked at Lily again, finding her grinning widely. She’d noticed Evie’s excitement.
“You’re a bad influence,” Evie said, laughing.
“Is she?” Natalya’s voice cut through the laughter, ending it in an instant. She was standing right behind Evie, brows raised and with an almost invisible smirk on her lips.
Evie’s face went hot. “Uhm…”
Greatresponse.
“I think I liked you better when you were terrified of everything, Lily. Those were the days.” Natalya gave Lily a sharp look. She cowered a little, reacting in a way that reminded Evie of how she herself responded to Aleksander. She often forgot Natalya terrified most people. Even people she liked and who liked her in turn.
“Sorry, ma’am,” Lily said quietly. She didn’t look sorry.
Natalya held Lily’s gaze a moment longer, releasing her by turning her attention to Evie. Lily let out a small gasp as she did so. Natalya’s eyes were even more piercing to people without Evie’s resistance.
“I’m going to the Second Circle for a few hours.” Natalya ran her fingers through Evie’s hair as she spoke. Evie had noticed she often did that when she was tense. Like the act soothed her.
“Oh…” Evie paused. Natalya had gone before and had never seemed this grave about it. “Do you want me to come with you?”
“No, darling. You stay here with Lily.” Natalya shot Lily a look. “Whom I trust to be the picture of innocence.”
Lily looked down but, notably, didn’t say anything. Natalya brushed a lock of hair behind Evie’s ear.
“Don’t wait up. It’ll be late before I’m back.” She gave Evie a small smile, brushing a thumb over her lips. It lingered there a moment, pressing gently. Then she pulled away, nearly making Evie sigh.
Once she exited the apartment, Lily gave Evie a sympathetic look.
“That was just mean.” The sympathy waned in favor of mischief. “Want to be mean to her in return?”
Natalya looked over the room covered in feathers, strips of bedsheet, and broken pieces of wood. Torn pillows and sheets littered the floor, and the ornate four-poster bed set in the corner had been reduced to kindling.
“How mad will Aleksander get if I skin Diana without permission?” Natalya said.
“I’m to blame, Lady. I should have stopped her.” Drago was standing behind her, body radiating furious heat. Unsurprisingly, the Wrath fiend angered easily. That he was keeping himself under control spoke of how much he’d improved since he first arrived at the Court of Chains.
“Did you tear one of my private rooms to shreds? Unless you did, it’s not your fault.” Natalya considered a moment before starting back towards the main hall. “I’ll confine her to the public spaces for the next month. Then I’ll reassess the dogand see if she’s allowed off her leash. And she’s paying for the damages.”
“Yes, Lady.” Drago bowed his head. “I’m pleased you’re back.”
She smiled at that. “I’m pleased to be back.”
The familiar energy of the Second Circle was like a chilled drink on a hot day. She’d ruled this place for almost thirty years. Though small, confined to just a dungeon, it gave her power that lingered with her as long as she remained in the territory. Though the building and the Court were Aleksander’s to rule, he didn’t govern the Second Circle. That would always be hers.
She dismissed Drago as she walked the floor. She watched a lesser Lust fiend on one of the stages, grinning down at a kneeling man twice his size. The man was bound, gagged, and blindfolded, and the half-demon was running a nail along the man’s cock. The man looked like he would be shooting off in seconds.
Another lesser fiend was on one of the couches, getting her feet and shoulders massaged by two naked humans. By the fiend’s bright azure eyes, and by how delighted she was with being doted on, she was of Pride.
