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“What?”

He doesn’t respond, merely pulls open the door and shoves me inside.

The moment I step foot inside the dimly lit room, I feel the tension tighten my shoulders. I want to run, to turn around and leave, but if I do, I won’t learn what Thane meant about my mother. I know she’s dead; I found her bleeding out in the bathtub.

But what if it’s all a lie?

The circle of black cloaks greets me when I enter the main area of the basement. Even though it’s not very well lit, I can make out a sea of black cloth all the way into the darkness of the space.

In the center of the circle is an enormous crucifix that hangs from the ceiling, and I notice there are pews all pushed against the walls. On my left is a high stained-glass window, with the full moon shining through, causing the picture of a shepherd to shimmer at me.

I’m not religious in any way, but there’s a darkness that settles in my gut from the thought of what I’m about to experience. My father sold me out. I’m merely a pawn to him.

The moment I am in the middle of the circle where the spotlight from above shines down, I stop, my eyes taking in each cloaked figure. I can’t see their faces, but I can feel their leering gazes linger on various parts of me. These are the men my father left me with. I’m meant to entertain them—dance, smile, flirt—while my father gets some sort of information, but something tells me that they have something else in mind.

“The little princess of Fergus Harrison,” one of the men speaks in a low timber. I don’t recognize his voice, and a cold shiver takes hold of my body, gripping it in a feral hold that steals my breath.

Silence hangs heavily before speakers come alive around the room, and a piano concerto starts. The melody surrounds me from every corner, and I’m suddenly dumbfounded as to what to do.

“Dance for us,” an order comes from behind me, forcing me to whirl around, but I can’t tell where the words came from.

Closing my eyes, I focus on the music and allow my feet to move. It’s easy to listen to that instead of focusing on the men who watch me. My hands lift into the air as my body pirouettes in circles. I’m light, floating from left to right, but my heart is heavy with all that’s happening.

With every note of the piano, I move and spin, I prance and jump, and I don’t listen to the heavy breathing that seems almost louder than the speakers can handle. A tear escapes me, and I allow it to trickle down my cheek.

Will they see me cry?

Perhaps, but right now, I don’t care because all that matters is my escape and finding out what Thane meant about my mother. If she’s alive, then I’ll find her. And when I do, I’ll kill my father for what he’s put us both through.

I’m not alone.

I’m never alone.

Because the moment the music stops, so do I.

My eyes snap open to find a familiar stare pinned on me.

I meet the gaze of Etienne Durand.

12

Etienne

“Man, you didn’t tell us about her dancing,” Tarian smirks as he whispers in my ear, causing me to snap my glare on him. “Bet she looks good bent over at the waist.” When he waggles his eyebrows, I’m tempted to punch him in the face, but instead, I go for his shoulder where I know he just got his ink touched up yesterday. “Fuck, man,” he hisses in pain.

“Don’t talk about her like that, or I’ll fuck you up,” I warn him in a low tone, as to not capture the attention of everyone around us while he grips his shoulder, much to Ares’s amusement.

“You two need to relax.” Our best friend whispers to us, but I’m far from fucking relaxed. All I need is for us to find the asshole and kill him before I steal my girl from this shitshow.

Her dancing is beautiful, elegant, and intoxicating. I turn my attention back to her, and I realize she’s still watching me intently. The beauty that’s captured not only my attention, but my heart, is looking straight at me. With a slight shake of my head, I tug the hood further over my head to cover my face.

She stands perfectly poised, ready to entertain the room. But all I can think about is seeing her in nothing but those damn shoes. Thankfully, the long cloak I’m wearing hides my prominent erection because after that dance, my blood is hot, my body needy, and I’m dying to steal her away from here.

But we have work to do. Firstly, we need to keep the faction happy, and with that, it means she needs to do what her father brought her here to do. We’ve never come to any of the meetings they’ve held here in Mill River, but now that I see how big their faction is, I know we may have a problem on our hands.