Page 71 of The Darkest Night

Vlad smiled thinly at Nikolai before deliberately turning his back on the sorcerer and hooking Mae’s arm through his elbow. “Shall we step inside, Princess?”

“It’s Mae.”

Vlad gave her a puzzled look as he guided her to the entrance of the strip club.

“Call me Mae. Princess and queen make me uncomfortable.”

“But youaremy princessandmy queen.”

The way he said the words made Mae feel like she was being worshipped.

Vlad’s gaze skimmed Nikolai. He leaned in close, his eyelids drooping as he focused on her mouth. “And, if you let me, I will make it so that you never look at another man.”

Mae’s pulse stuttered. His breath where it washed across her lips held a promise of sex and pleasure so intense it would likely make her faint. Heat flooded her body in places she hadn’t felt in a long time. She stared into his eyes and read desire.

There was something else there. Something that should have scared her but didn’t. A darkness that threatened to eat her whole and spit out her bones.

Mae shivered.

He’s dangerous.

Vlad straightened, his expression growing shuttered.

The doormen moved aside, the cautious looks they cast at Vlad and his bodyguards indicating they knew who he was. They entered a sumptuous lobby area and were escorted through a beaded curtain by a hostess. Music thumped across Mae’s skin as they entered the club. She looked around the crowded interior, her eyes adapting to the low, neon lighting.

A bar ran along the east wall of the main floor. The suited men and women behind the counter wore professional smiles as they attended to customers, the spotlights above them highlighting well-stocked shelves gleaming with expensive liquor and champagne bottles. Cocktail servers in elegant vests over white shirts and dark slacks circulated the room, along with VIP hostesses tending to the private areas and lounges hugging the west and rear walls.

Artfully lit stages dotted the club, showcasing the dancers working silver and gold poles. The women were all stunningly beautiful, their lithe bodies toned and spray-tanned to perfection, their outfits doing little to hide their assets as they writhed and undulated.

It was clear from the decor and the clientele that this place carried a hefty price tag for its services.

Vlad was looking at them with an amused expression. “Is this your first time at a strip club?”

“Yeah,” Mae murmured.

“I’m only twenty-one,” Violet said defensively.

Miles’s wide eyes indicated this was new for him too.

Nikolai remained tactfully silent.

He must have frequented these kinds of places as a member of the Dark Council.

For some reason, that thought irritated Mae.

Brimstone spoke.

What are those females doing?

Mae looked down at the fox. He was staring at the strippers with a puzzled expression. Tarang rumbled something to him.

Really?Brimstone looked up Mae.Please assure me that you shall not be indulging in this kind of activity to satisfy the desires of the incubus and the sorcerer. Just because you are in heat does not mean you should bring shame to our status.

Tarang and Hellreaver snickered. Trixie and Millie blushed.

Alastair ruffled his feathers, beady stare cold as he observed the weapon and the familiars haughtily.

“Are you okay?” Violet asked Mae. “There’s a vein throbbing in your temple.”

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