Pride (Living In Sin #1)

Chapter 13

Pry

I was glad the Club was doing well. Not that I was worried about that realistically. The place was the best kink club in the city for a reason. But as it was midweek, I'd had a moment of doubt. The weekend was when Club Midnight shone the most. I couldn't wait to see how Alec handled the club at its best. There was no doubt he'd be the professional I'd seen so far, but I was hoping he'd let his hair down a little.

Alec would be absolutely beautiful if he let the club take over his inhibitions. It had a unique way of bringing out the patrons’ deepest desires. Whatever you wanted in your true self could happen in Club Midnight. It was part of the power of having seven high-level demons living here. Even if there were only five of us at the moment, the time we'd spent over the last century had basically seeped our power into the cobblestones.

I didn't quite get it; it didn't really interest me. It was more of Crave's speciality. But I liked that it only seemed to grow the longer we stayed in one space. And that power had a tendency to draw wayward souls like moths to a flame. That was good for business. More souls to tempt the better for us.

It had meant the Angel influence in the city was also growing, but those were the breaks. You didn't get to be on one side of the coin without dealing with the other. Thankfully, they didn't enjoy visiting the club often; it seemed to ruffle their feathers too much. Tonight there was no smell of their kind in the area and none of the wards had tripped, so I could rest easy about that.

From my throne, I could survey all the bodies entering our space. Tonight would be another good night with many of Envy's drinks and Chef's snacks being consumed. Enticing the unwary to return, to bring friends with them. Then there were the supernatural. They were not as easily swayed even with drinking their weight in beer. As long as they didn't cause trouble or upset the balance, we were happy to take their coins. Getting along with the local packs and clans was good for business. For everyone involved.

Tonight, it left a bit of a tingle at the base of my stomach. I wanted to show off what we'd built to Alec, but I couldn't control what things he might run into. That annoyed me. I didn't want him to be exposed to the supernatural by a drunk shifter who couldn't keep their shit together. If Alec was going to find out about that side of our world, I wanted us to be the ones to introduce him to it.

As the demon of Pride, I was not investigating why I was thinking more of my family as an 'us' rather than just my own affairs. It was another thing I wasn't used to. I was very good at ignoring things that caused me grief, so I let the thoughts roll off my skin and looked down over my kingdom of midnight.

Even though it wasn't packed, there was a decent selection of bodies withering on the dance floor. The pulsing music was like a drug to them and they moved to its beat. Their skin on show, lace and leather, the flavor of our patrons this season. Some kept to the edges, draped over the decadent furniture. Mid-week meant the back rooms were closed and no shows by Des or any of their ilk. But the place was still decently full of bodies.

When Alec entered, I felt it instantly. The Club's magic already knew him enough to change slightly when he entered. Alec was already accepted by Midnight and it was a wonderful thing. And so was Alec.

He'd brushed out his hair. It floated down to his shoulders in a chocolate wave. Even from the other end of the club, it looked soft enough to bury my fingers in. Leather pants he appeared poured into and a small black band that made a shirt. Alec had a black mesh top over it that did nothing to hide the planes of white skin on show.

Just seeing him stand in the entryway had all the moisture leaving my mouth. I don't think I'd ever seen something so tempting, and I'd been alive for a long time. That a mortal who had no idea who we were was nothing short of amazing. And he could apparently make me hard just from walking in through a door. It was an intriguing feeling, and I decided I was going to stop worrying about it. The feeling was just too heady, and I wanted to explore it.

I watched him take in the room. How the color rose to his cheeks. I could almost see his breath hitch. Even though it was a quiet evening, the bodies throughout the room were not shy about showing skin. Alec's eyes were wide as he took everything in. From here I could see glitter on his eyelids and I had to bite back a groan. There was something about the fact that Alec had tried that made my skin warm.

I stretched, easing out of my throne. The surrounding people shuddered. The feeling of the demon of Pride feeling that emotion influenced everyone. I didn't want to stem it. It was a heady feeling to be the creature I was in my space. Where those around me, the ones who knew my true nature, did not care. I was the demon of Pride, and I could revel in it within Club Midnight.

It took time before Alec's eyes finally found mine. He watched me stalk him through the dance floor. Where they pulsed and danced around me, but eventually parted to let me through. Sometimes they tried to touch, but I would always move out of their grasp. Like earlier, there was no one's touch that I wanted.

No one's but Alec's.

When I finally stopped before him, I had never been more grateful for the few extra inches my boots gave me. It was delicious to stand over his tiny form.

"Mr Bane, I'm glad you made it while the night is still young."