I jump to my feet, sending more ale sloshing onto the sticky wooden tabletop. “Raining Star Bar.”
“What’s that?” Gaven asks.
“It’s the storyteller’s bar,” Bryce says. “On the fourth level of the fort. It’s not that far from the manor.”
“And I mentioned the storytellers to her this afternoon when I gave her part of her wedding present,” I say. “She has to be there.”
I make for the door without looking back to see if they’re following. It’s not until I’ve pushed through the crush of dancing couples and flirty barmaids into the cold night air that I can sense them behind me.
Their boots echo on the stone ground in a percussive rhythm that’s soothing to the panic clawing at my chest.
Harlow is smart, and she knows how to defend herself. She’s not a damsel in distress. She’s a Divine-damn serial killer. I know she’ll be fine, but my pulse doesn’t settle at all.
Why couldn’t she just be a beautiful, naive idiot like I was expecting?
It’s terrifying that one heartbeat separates me from the peace I’ve been chasing.
All I can think about is how quickly this ten-years-in-the-making chance at vengeance could be dashed if she’s hurt. It might already be too late thanks to me and my stupid mouth.
31
HARLOW
It took me roughly a half-hour of stumbling around in the dark streets of the fort’s fourth level, but it was worth it. Explicit story hour at the Raining Star Bar is way better than I expected.
My glamour necklace from Aidia came in handy. The last thing I need is for someone to recognize me. I’ll just listen to a few stories while Henry is out sulking, and I’ll be back before he even knows I’m gone. I feel a little guilty, but I think Aidia will forgive me for the frivolous use of her gift when I have stories to bring her from the Mountain Haven storytellers themselves.
I used as little magic as I could, just changing my appearance enough to not be instantly recognized. I made my hair a honey-blonde, my eyes a dark brown, and my face slightly rounder.
No one in the bar has given me a second look, even the men at the table next to me, one of whom I recognize as one of the guards who was stationed in the room for the consummation ritual last night. If a man who watched me come so hard I broke an ancient sigil doesn’t recognize me, no one else in this bar will.
I sip my wine and glance around the room at the array of auras. Lots of Divine blessings are represented. The current storyteller, a hearty woman named Nicolina, looks to be in her fifties, with a bright golden aura, long, dark hair, and a smooth, confident delivery.
According to the man at the table next to mine, who quietly complained to his friend when she announced what tale she’d be telling for the night, this is a frequently requested story.
The tale reimagines the Drained not as soulless, bloodthirsty, gray-skinned-beasts, but as handsome, playful huntsmen who just happened to occasionally sip some blood. Like the huntsman from the tales of Stellaria—the Deathless. Men born of both realms—who didn’t belong entirely to either one.
I was inclined to agree with the man beside me that it sounded silly before she started, but the moment she opened her mouth and began to speak, she had my full attention.
“Rayleen ran as fast as she could through the dark forest, branches and vines tearing at her nightdress and auburn hair. Her heart pounded. She knew what she was doing when she baited him, but now that she’d slapped him and run off, it was only a matter of time until he caught her and claimed her.”
A chorus of whistles and whooping goes through the crowd.
Nicolina grins and holds up her hands to silence them. “Rayleen paused for a moment just to listen to hear how close he was. But there was nothing but the breeze blowing through the boughs above her. So she turned and ran again. A moment later, she was tackled to the dirt, the wind knocked out of her.”
The storyteller pauses again while the crowd cheers and clinks their glasses. “She was flipped onto her back to look up into Victor’s angry eyes.Do you have anything you’d like to say to me?But Rayleen just bit her lip and shook her head. She was surrendering to him completely, not using her chance to opt out, and he was thrilled she’d finally agreed to be his. He shoved her nightdress up and found her already wet and aching just from the chase. He fucked her roughly with his fingers, pinning her to the ground by her neck.”
The room is so quiet, I feel like everyone must be able to hear my pounding heart. But when I glance around, auras flare all over the bar. Everyone is just as excited as I am.
“He pulled his fingers out and shoved them into her mouth, making her gag, holding his hand there to remind her that he was fully in control now,” Nicolina continues. “Then, he unbuttoned his pants, grabbed his thick cock, and plunged it into her. They say you could hear her keening wail ofpleasure from a mile away, but Victor showed her no mercy. He was eager to claim her and the faster she came, the sooner he’d be able to make her his. He fucked her savagely, dirt and gravel digging into the tender skin of her back, his hand squeezing her throat as he felt her climax growing imminent. Rayleen started to panic from the lack of air and the awareness that they were being watched from the shadows by many other people. Victor ripped her dress down the front so that everyone could enjoy the show.”
I clench my thighs together, remembering how hot I’d felt when Henry ripped my slip during the ritual.
“He bit her nipples and cut off all her air, until her pussy was leaking, clenching and unclenching. Then he finally let go. She drew in a deep breath and her release hit her like a storm. Wave after wave of pleasure washed over her as she convulsed. Victor kept his pace, and right as she was reaching her thigh-trembling, back-arching peal, he sank his fangs into her neck and began to drink, and a second orgasm hit her. She screamed and cried and clawed at his back, the pleasure driving her half-mad until finally Victor buried himself deep inside her and found his release.”
The crowd applauds and shouts lewd encouragement to the fake lovers, and Nicolina waits for them to settle before continuing.
“Rayleen lay there, feeling the warmth of his venom coursing through her along with a newfound need for more of him. Victor gave her no time to recover. He withdrew and shoved her legs wide for the onlookers to see and announced her as his claimed. Rayleen didn’t stop him. She was eager to do anything to make him happy and excited to see whether he would use her himself or if he would share her with others, because her night was just beginning.”
