Page 16 of Dark & Darker Still (Vane and Roc: Origin)

Fifteen

Vane

“What are you thinking about?” Gen asks me. “You seem far away.”

If I tell her I’m thinking about Alice, it’ll only bring trouble.

Alice hasn’t spoken to me since last night when I forbade her from seeing Nix.

Not when we all stumbled up to the apartment.

Not this morning as she carefully brewed a pot of coffee.

Not this afternoon when she came out to grab lunch, then disappeared again into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Now, she’s at her table with Jade and Salty and Warren. She’s still on her first drink, which is unlike her. When she gets started on Joker Sunrises, she finds it difficult to stop. She’s barely drank half her glass.

In the billiards room, Roc is playing a game with the Captain of the Royal Guard, while Princess Rosalind hangs on him, angling for his attention.

Now that it’s clear the royal family is fine with us Madd brothers re-entering the royal fold, I wouldn’t be surprised if the princess tries to marry Roc.

She’s always had a thing for him. I think if our father hadn’t tried to overthrow the Lorne royal family, Roc would have been forced into a marriage with her anyway. At least now it’d be his choice.

“Are you nervous about our upcoming wedding?” Gen asks.

I should pretend that I am. It would explain my aloofness, my inability to give her any attention. She’s meant to be my wife. I’m meant to bend her over and fuck her until she screams my name. But I can barely summon enough energy to look at her, let alone get hard for her.

“Why would I be nervous?” The question comes out sounding bored and distant.

Gen frowns at me. “Then why are you distracted?”

Alice laughs at something Salty says. Salty is angled toward her. He can’t stop smiling at her.

Are they fucking too? Salty has always had a thing for her.

Take a breath. Calm the fuck down.

I inhale through my nose, fill up my lungs. Count to four.

Alice doesn’t matter. I gain nothing with her. Only trouble.

“I just have a lot on my mind,” I say to Gen, hoping that’s enough to assuage her incessant worrying.

“Like what?”

Christ.

“Business.”

She frowns at me.

I take another breath and then slide in closer to her on the bench seat. She leans her body into mine, puts her hand on my thigh.

I can’t believe I’m marrying this girl in less than a month.

I have to constantly remind myself of the duty to our business and our family. That it’s for the greater good. But it feels like a big fucking mistake. A huge fucking inconvenience.

I’m shit at being a boyfriend. What the fuck do I know about being a husband?

“Why don’t we go upstairs to your room?” Gen asks and slides her hand further up my thigh.

I’m tempted if only to shut my brain off for a while, to stop watching every little thing Al does in front of me, likely to drive me mad on purpose.

I turn to Gen. Her hand slips between my legs and grazes my cock through my pants.

There is a world where I can pretend I actually like Gen. Tonight will be the first test.

“Fine,” I say and Gen beams at me. “Let me just?—”

There’s a cry from the billiards room. A thud. Someone screaming. A pool ball knocks to the floor.

What the fuck?

Alice is on her feet in an instant and trailing behind me.

Shadows pass over the blurry glass walls of the billiards room and I catch sight of one with misty edges, one that moves too quickly to be human.

More screams echo out through the walls. The rest of the Joker’s Den is watching now, listening.

I know what’s happening. I don’t know how it’s happening or why, but I know none of it is good.

“Everyone out!” I shout.

Comor and the Bonebreakers start ushering people toward the door. They follow orders without asking questions and people start filing out into the night.

“Vane?” Gen calls. “What’s happening?”

I snap my fingers at Tin. “Get her out of here.”

“What?” Gen’s mouth drops open. “Why? What is going on?”

Alice falls into step beside me. Her face is pale, her eyes wide. She knows what this means.

The door to the billiards room slams open and the Captain of the Guard barrels for the exit.

“Fuck,” I mutter. I turn to Alice.

“Go,” she says, knowing that this must be contained. No witnesses. That’s always been our code. “I can bring Roc down.”

I give her a nod and push through the panicking crowd with just one goal in mind: kill the guard to contain our secret. Nothing is more important than that.