Evie had entered the Second Circle.
Chapter 20
Evie tried to prepare herself for the energy of the dungeon. She’d worked freelance gigs in a private kink club before, so she thought she knew what to expect. Her job then had only been to dance, and she’d never been in a scene with anyone, though there had been plenty of offers—all from men. For that reason, she hadn’t been interested.
The Second Circle wasn’t like that club at all. Wood, leather, and steel made the grand dungeon look rawer somehow. Like everything felt down there would be more intense. More painful, more pleasurable.
It was how it felt to look at Natalya. It made sense this was her domain.
Evie passed through the hall, her eyes scanning the nearby stages. She had to remind herself that the people on display, tied up and being touched, were there willingly.
It was difficult. She couldn’t help but look at the bright red marks left on the skin of some of the people and remember what that pain felt like.
Maybe Lily was right. She shouldn’t have come down here.
No.It was just a club, like any other, and no one would harm her. She wasn’t there to participate. She was there with a purpose. Her fear was less demanding than the anger at being ignored.
Evie continued inside and found that a not-insignificant amount of the patrons turned to look at her as she did. The looks they sent her weren’t ones of desire or anger. They looked confused. Like they didn’t know why she was there. Like she didn’t belong.
It wasn’t until a woman wearing a latex catsuit looked her up and down that Evie realized why people were staring. Evie was wearing faded jeans and a long-sleeve t-shirt. She wasn’t following the dress code. The realization almost made her laugh.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
Natalya’s voice made her flinch. Evie hadn’t noticed her approach.
Natalya was right next to her, wearing a sleek, black dress with steel clasps on the shoulders that made it look like armor. Her pupils had a faint red sheen. Like there were lit fires in her eyes.
“Well, hello to you too,” Evie said a bit sharply. She made a cursory glance at the room. “I like the aesthetic. You stick to a theme.”
“You shouldn’t behere,” Natalya repeated. “It’s not a place for you.”
“And you’re the one deciding that?” Evie snapped back, and Natalya’s eyes flared. A few nearby people turned to look at them.
“The Court is closed. Outsiders aren’t welcome. Go back to the apartment.”
“Why? So you can keep ignoring me?” Evie stepped towards Natalya, a bit surprised when she moved away at the approach. “You won’t talk to me. If I did something that upset you—”
“You did nothing wrong.”
“You’re acting like I did.” More people turned to look. Natalya’s eyes flickered with flame.
“Careful, Evie,” she said, her voice low with warning. “I may not be Queen of this Court, but I will not be disrespected in my own domain. Not even by you.”
“What are you going to do about it?” Evie spoke with much more challenge than she’d intended.
The energy of the Second Circle had been close to overwhelming at first, but it was easy to ignore when looking at Natalya. As was everything. Evie didn’t care that people were staring. She cared that Natalya was finally talking to her again.
It took Evie a moment to realize Natalya’s silence was shared by the room. Everyone had gone quiet.
“You should leave.” Natalya’s voice was barely audible, yet it roared through the hall. There were lines of red in her violet eyes.
A smoldering unease started in Evie’s chest, growing and expanding into fear. It hadn’t been there a moment before. She’d been anxious but not afraid. It came on too fast to be natural, just like the calm produced in Varro’s guest room. Natalya was forcing fear into her.
“Don’t do that,” Evie said, her voice trembling slightly.
She pushed against the fear by reminding herself it wasn’t real. Though it still lingered, it didn’t seize her like Natalya had obviously meant it to do. After a few moments, it faded entirely.
Natalya stared at her, stunned. Then with nothing but frightening anger.
