Page 24 of Kiss of Seduction (Court of Chains #1)

Natalya leaned against the Court of Chains bar, looking at the recently empty dance floor.

The club was one of the most popular spots in the city, and in the state too.

It meant their nights were always busy. None more than Fridays.

With the arrival of imminent morning, cleaners were removing trash and wiping down the floor, exchanging the sticky surface grime for a shinier coat of soapy water.

“Are you sure he’s alright?” Lily asked. She was next to Natalya, toying with a straw and looking miserable. Natalya shared her disposition, though hers was latent with annoyance and anxiousness. She also hid it better.

“Aleksander just got caught by dawn,” Natalya said. “He’s taken his rest near the border, and he’s well-guarded. He’ll return tonight. Don’t worry.”

Lily nodded, but the words didn’t do much to calm her. They didn’t calm Natalya either.

Aleksander had been out of the high-rise more often than not lately.

With Night vampires stalking the edges of their territory, Aleksander had joined the teams patrolling the south border.

The King of Chains being near acted as effective deterrence.

As had been the case for the past several months, it left Natalya in charge, and the entire Court was tense as a result.

There weren’t many beings who could relax under the command of a greater fiend.

“You should be asleep,” Natalya said to Lily. “You’ll be no good to Aleksander if you’re too exhausted to stay awake when he returns.”

“I’m not that tired. And I need to talk to some of the servers,” Lily said, fidgeting. Natalya knew the cause of her reluctance, even if she wasn’t transparent about it. Lily was prone to bad dreams, and they were kept at bay by Aleksander’s presence. A familiar thing.

At the thought, Natalya’s focus drifted. It was close to dawn, and Evie was still asleep in the apartment. It meant Natalya could sense the mild fear that always haunted Evie when she slept. The terror that gripped her rest. Her near-constant nightmares.

“Aren’t you too busy to look after me?” Lily asked. “You don’t need to. I can take care of myself, you know?”

Natalya scoffed, giving Lily a long look. “Aleksander is even more displeased about him being away from the high-rise for the day than you are. As long as you’re on the floor and he isn’t around, he doesn’t want you anywhere you can’t be watched.”

“I just figured you had things to do other than babysit.” Lily dared a smile. “I know you hate that.”

Natalya mirrored the smile by habit, but when she felt how stiff it was, she turned away.

When Lily was first Claimed by Aleksander, Natalya had been designated her babysitter , for lack of a better word.

She hadn’t liked the little waitress when she first showed up at Court and had liked looking after her even less.

She’d endured doing so for her own Claimed humans only just and had been more than irritated at being given the responsibility of another’s.

Evie wasn’t hers. She never would be. Despite it, Natalya was tense all over just from being away from her.

Days had passed since she and Evie were together. Days since Evie showed Natalya more trust than she’d ever experienced from anyone. Days since Natalya had decided they would never do anything like it again. Not that she’d needed to make that decision.

Since the morning after they’d been together, Evie had refused to talk to her. She kept to the bedroom, lining the threshold with salt to keep Natalya out. In every way she could, Evie made it clear she didn’t want Natalya anywhere near her.

It was for the best. But being apart from her was actual torture.

“I do have better things to do than look after you, Lily,” Natalya said with a sneer. “Hence why I’m encouraging you to go upstairs and sleep . I don’t need to watch you if you’re passed out in the penthouse.”

“I’ll go soon. Promise.” Lily glanced over her shoulder. A few humans were milling around on the floor. “Just need to handle some shift scheduling first.”

Though she didn’t have to—and despite Aleksander’s protests—Lily had work both within the Court and outside of it. She oversaw scheduling for the humans working the Chains club, and she did so excellently.

It was necessary work. One of several responsibilities that ensured the high-rise could stay operational.

The bar had to be appropriately stacked and the armory loaded with functional weapons.

Guest rooms readied, apartments for members of the Chains furnished, and concrete cells for recently captured criminals hosed down.

Though Natalya was more than used to managing all that, she wasn’t used to doing so alone.

Without Aleksander in the high-rise, the Court was tense.

It was only due to his title of King that Aleksander surpassed her in strength. She could have easily claimed the crown when they founded the Chains. But if Aleksander wasn’t Regent, the Chains wouldn’t exist at all.

Though she was the most naturally powerful creature in the Court, she was a greater fiend first. Most people, wisely, considered them destructive creatures that shouldn’t be trusted.

The only reason her presence didn’t turn every room she entered into a writhing mass of moaning bodies was because of the supreme control she had over herself.

Despite that self-control, even Lily, who was used to her presence, was fidgeting and rosy-cheeked from being near Natalya too long.

There was a commotion at the club room door. Cursing and slamming doors, and then someone shouting for help. Lily moved towards the noises, intent on helping, and Natalya held her back. She flinched at the touch.

From the door, a patrol team staggered in. All of them bloody, all of them agitated. As always, Natalya had sent daywalkers out to patrol the nearby streets after the club closed. It helped ensure their human patrons didn’t get cornered in an alley by someone refusing to follow the laws of Chains.

It was rare they encountered anything. Even rarer that it was something deadly enough to cause such massive injuries.

Doing a quick head count, Natalya saw that there were several missing members from when she’d sent this group out a few hours ago. One of them was barely on her feet, clinging to a golden-haired man with rapidly fading strength.

“We ran into trouble,” Flea said, dragging a pale, bloody Blake over to the bar. There was none of the usual mad tease in his eyes. Blake was one of the only people who could make it wane. Her being injured made it go away entirely.

“I’m f-fine,” Blake stammered. The statement was countered by how she immediately started tilting off the chair Flea had put her on. He had to hold her upright. “Just… Just some vamps. Surprised us. Suffered a bit of blood loss. No big deal.”

Natalya looked over the patrol team. There were five of them, Blake being the only human. They all looked like they’d been in a fight with a woodchipper.

Natalya turned to Lily. “Go to the penthouse.”

Lily didn’t move, instead staring at the glassy-eyed Blake. She was bleeding from two deep wounds on her neck, the flow only stifled by Flea pressing a blood-soaked cloth against it.

Natalya grabbed Lily’s arm, claiming her attention. “ Now .”

Though it was past dawn, it was only just that. And if there were vampires in the area powerful enough to rake through a patrol team this effectively, that was a serious cause for concern. Lily needed to go somewhere safe.

Natalya focused at the thought. Evie was still asleep.

“What happened out there?” Natalya turned back to Blake and Flea when Lily was gone. Blake was barely upright, her grip on Flea growing weak. He looked to have taken a beating himself, but though his clothes were bloody, there were no visible injuries. The sídhe healed quickly.

“Bunch of vampires cornered us,” Blake said, leaning against Flea. The act seemed more mandatory than elected.

“Chains or ferals?” Natalya asked. Blake scoffed, and Flea looked bleak.

“Neither,” he said. “Night. Really close to the high-rise too. They were about to go to ground for the day when we ran into them. They seemed pretty insistent on not being spotted.”

“Casualties?” Natalya eyed the other bleeding patrol members. Her expression turned grim. “By the look of it, they took out a few of you. With you still breathing, I assume they ran off.”

“No casualties.” Flea brushed a loose strand of hair behind Blake’s ear. “And it’s hard to run with your knees shredded by silver bullets.”

Blake smiled weakly, the expression turning into a pained wince when Flea was tossed a fresh cloth and started cleaning the bite wound on her neck.

“Yeah, but guns aren’t exactly subtle,” Blake said. “Once they noticed it was me hindering their ability to make a run for it, they focused on tearing my throat out. Didn’t care for that kind of attention, to be honest.”

Patrol humans were an essential part of Court. Most of its supernatural members were barred from human residences unless invited inside. Having humans in the field was necessary. But sometimes, casualties occurred.

Blake would be more than just a casualty. She was one of the best markswomen among the Chains, counting both human and supernatural members.

“We got the worst scrapes, so we left the others to take the Night bastards to the cells.” Flea fidgeted, a common enough behavior for him. The distinct lack of eye contact was not.

Natalya narrowed her eyes. “Is there a problem I need to know about?”

Flea was looking anywhere else than at her. Blake scoffed again.

“One of the vamps asked for you specifically,” Blake said to Natalya. “Or, rather, he wanted to see the ‘demon whore who rules the Chains.’ Flea isn’t comfortable repeating that anywhere you might flay him for it.”