Valan Playboys (6 page)

Silently debating, I indicated coolly, “I’m not too late.”

She snorted softly. “From dealing with humans.” She jerked her chin toward the door. “Get the hell out and meet me in my office in two hours.”

Swallowing heavily, I held her gaze for another moment. I wasn’t going to argue any further with the Kings and Queens watching on, so I nodded and slipped back outside the door, shutting it quietly behind me.

Rubbing my ear from the ringing ass chewing I had just received, my ears seriously throbbed from the lightning that jarred her office with every exhale of her rant. I stormed up the stairs to my suite, furious, having only barely kept my cool and not shouted back at her. Thunder now followed me as I marched through the hallways, shaking the windows I passed as I raced up the stairs. Jamming the skeleton key into my locked door, I barged inside. Slamming the door closed, a booming clap of thunder shook my windows as I rested my hands against the door. Leaning on my straightened arms, head dangling between them as I breathed through it, through the eternal anger, the coldness in my heart gripping painfully, my fingernails dug into the dark wood of the door as another clap of thunder reverberated heavily overhead.

King Jerome’s voice startled me from behind. “Don’t cry. I’m no good with criers.”

A masculine grunt, then King Balar’s voice joined his. “Me, either. Can’t stand waterworks. I just want to slap them and tell them to get the hell out of my bed. No one likes a whining beggar.”

A quiet beat, then King Jerome muttered, “Jesus, you’re an ass.”

My shoulders stiff, I shoved off my door, turning casually to stare at my intruders. They were playing chess at a small round table next to my couch. They had lit the fireplace, it warming them while they played. My whiskey even sat on the table between them, two glasses, one for each.
Why not?
Raising my brows, my question was quiet. “What are you two doing?”

King Balar shrugged a shoulder, his scrutiny on his pieces while flicking a finger at the man across from him. “Kicking his ass in chess.” His head teetered, tossing a few hundred dollar bills into the pile between them. “And I followed him when he left the meeting. He snuck into your room, and then I snuck in right after. We’ve been playing ever since.” His gaze flicked up to King Jerome. “
Why
are we here again?”

King Jerome snorted softly, placing his hands on the table. “The only reason why you’re winning is because you’re cheating.” His head cocked casually, his tone quiet. “I know why I’m here, but I’m still unsure why you are.”

My brows rose. “I’ll bite. Why are you here?”

He shrugged a shoulder covered in buttery black leather. “You and I are going to spend the night together,” a head tilt to the door where my bedroom was, “in your bed,” a twirl of his finger, his lips curving roguishly, “all night.”

I scratched at my head with the skeleton key, my gaze not leaving his, my question honestly curious. “In other words, you’re here to screw me silly so I won’t ever think of a human again?”

His fingers tapped on the table, watching me, stating evenly, quietly, “Nothing about being in a bed with me is silly.”

Cracking my neck, I locked my door, pocketing my key as I moved to grab a glass off the bar, not saying a word until I stood next to the table. I poured my own drink, merely glancing down into striking dark eyes. “They are also my family. Are they human? Yes. Does that stop me from understanding my duty here? No.” I shrugged a shoulder, taking a deep drink from my glass, sighing softly as it went down. I stretched my tense back muscles. “So, your royal duty to screw some sense into me isn’t needed.”

His fingers continued tapping as he eyed me. “Have you ever had sex with a human?”

My lips twitched, pointing a finger at him as I took the remaining seat at the small table, relaxing onto it. “That’s none of your business.”

“So you have slept with a human?”

My brows rose. “I
have
lived with humans forever.” I shrugged. “I was a curious kid at one point. I took a guy’s—a human’s—virginity, and he took mine. There was nothing more than that romantically though.” My eyes widened in fake shock, my lips trembling in humor. “When a few thunderbolts lit the barn’s roof on fire, he decided it was best not to excite me any further.”

Instant. “A human knows.”

I shook my head, rifling through their cash. “No. While he’s not an idiot, he definitely knows that where I go, so does the lightning. I’ve not told him everything.” It was against our laws for humans to know about us, so I flicked a protective, warning glance at each of them. “He’s never said anything to anyone, and he won’t. He’s actually a good friend of mine, as much a protector as he is a man of honor. He would never do anything to harm me.”

King Balar watched under hooded lids, his voice quiet. “You’re immortal. Becoming attached to a human isn’t wise. For either of you.”

King Jerome grunted. “As much as it pains me to admit it, he’s right.”

I took another long drink, nodding. “I know.”

King Balar’s white loose curls swayed gently around his face as he shook his head. “But do you know there’s only one eventual route?”

I cast a cross expression in his direction. “Pretending I’m dead, or disappearing, aren’t the only solutions. We do live in the age of technology. I don’t have to just vanish.” I waved an agitated hand. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

A white brow lifted, King Balar’s head cocking, his manner turning quietly intimate. “While King Jerome may only wish to do his duty with you in your bed,” he ignored when King Jerome snorted, tossing him a venomous glance, “I’ll take you to bed for the mere pleasure of it.”

I blinked slowly, then my lips twitched, peering directly into stunning ice blue eyes. “I’m not drunk enough to
dance
with you.” I shrugged again when his gaze narrowed. “Oh, the irony.” My gaze swung back to the pile of cash before me, and I rolled a finger. “Can I get in on this game if you two are planning to drink all my booze?”

Both went quiet, their brows puckering.

They stared at the game before them.

I chuckled. “Are you leaving now that no one’s having fun in my bed tonight?”

King Balar’s nose had scrunch before he peered up at King Jerome, who rubbed at his shadow of a beard growing in the late hour, both staring silently into each other’s eyes.

I grabbed my wallet, and began counting the meager bills inside. “Figure it out amongst yourselves by the time I fix the board.” I surveyed their cash before me. “I really wouldn’t mind playing.”

When my bedroom door slammed against the wall in the middle of the night, my eyes flew open. I jerked upright in the center of my bed. The overhead light came on, making me rub my eyes against the abrupt shine.

“What the hell is going on?” King Jerome grumbled sleepily next to me on my left, not lifting his head, even though he had a gun raised to the door—I was unclear where that had come from.

King Balar lowered his own gun, his head flopping back on the pillow directly on my right, grousing, “Queen Clover, what the fuck are you doing in here?” He peered at my clock on the nightstand. “At three-fifteen in the morning?”

Callie stood motionless in the doorway, her jaw hanging, while she glanced between the Kings lying on either side of me. Blinking rapidly, peering a bit wide-eyed, she muttered, “I came here…” Her mouth bobbed again, and then she shook her head. “Never mind. It can wait until morning. Just come by my room once your…guests are gone.”

I yawned, slurring, “They’re fully clothed. It’s not what it looks like.” I fell back on the bed, waving an absent hand. “We played chess. Got drunk. Still are. Passed out in here about a half hour ago.” My lips curved evilly. “I won, too.”

King Jerome snorted. “You cheated.” He burped quietly.

“Worse than me,” King Balar griped. “Or better than me.”

I snickered quietly, rolling over, and pulled the covers up over my shoulder. “Three thousand bucks, baby.
All mine.”
Growing up out in the country, hidden there, I had kept myself entertained in many ways, one being sleight of hand. “Night, Queen Clover.”

Sounding choked, she mumbled, “Night.”

The light flicked off, my door shut.

A few seconds later, I heard my outer door shut.

I grumbled, “Are the guns really necessary?”

King Jerome grumbled, “Yes.”

King Balar just grunted.

My brows pinched. “I did lock my door, didn’t I?”

King Balar slid closer, almost touching, his heat warming my front. “It’s her place. She has a key.”

I groaned, “I didn’t hear her lock it when she left.”

After of tickling of haunting Warlock power hummed through the air, King Jerome rolled, pressing his heated muscled front against my back. He tossed an arm over my waist, mumbling against the back of my head, “It’s locked. Go back to sleep.”

In the moonlight shining through the window, King Balar glared over my head. He pressed his body against the front of mine, smashing King Jerome’s arm between us, and curled one of his legs around mine, complaining, “Night,
Lana
.”

Not moving a muscle, I quickly hissed, “Both of you Vow you won’t test me. I do not want to wake up, being zapped with your magic. I’m too drunk for that shit. I might end up hurting you.”

“I Vow I won’t test you while we’re in this bed tonight.” King Jerome sounded grumpy as hell, shoving his trapped arm against King Balar. “What the hell? You’re cutting off my damn circulation.”

King Balar chuckled. “Then move your arm.” His palm landed on my thigh, resting it there heavily. “I Vow I won’t test you while we’re in this bed tonight.”

“Thank you,” I grumbled, wiggling a bit, getting more comfortable between their heat…the feeling pleasant. “And quit arguing with each other. Either be quiet or get out of my bed.” But only a beat later, I stiffened entirely when I felt Demon heat flash inside my bedroom.

Tiredly, King Balar rumbled, “Everything’s fine, Justin.” He glanced behind him into the shadows where a man now stood. “Tell King Jerome’s guard too, before he busts in here.”

Not a second later, there was a sharp beating on my front door.

“Give Daniel the code—Empire,” King Jerome ordered.

A blaze of Demon power flashed, and King Balar’s guard disappeared, and a charged moment later, the pounding on my door halted. I blinked, only relaxing in slow increments, and muttered, “Apparently, I’m a slacker guard.”

King Jerome explained, “They’re our night guard. Queen Clover has her own.”

“They’re stationed somewhere outside my door?”

“In the general area.”

“Ah.” I nodded, snuggling my head under King Balar’s chin. No wonder Callie hadn’t mentioned them. “Night.”

“Night,” King Jerome hummed.

Silence.

I bumped King Balar’s chin with the top of my head.

“What?” he mumbled, near half asleep. “I already said it.”

“I can’t say it enough,” King Jerome griped. “You are an ass.”

A quiet beat, then I bumped King Balar’s chin again.

Instantly, he growled, “Night,
Lana
.” He grunted, muttering under his breath, “
For the second time.”

My lips curved, and I closed my eyes in the quiet.

Waking sharply, I opened one eye, the other smashed against King Balar’s chest. My gaze honed on my clock in my fully sunlit room. I stared. Blinked once. “Shit.” I started wiggling, shoving myself up onto my arms, and then sat up straight and began shaking their shoulders rapidly. “Wake up!”

King Balar grunted, instantly shoving up on one elbow, his curls a disarrayed charming mess about his head, so unlike his normal pristine self. He stared up at me with alert eyes. “What’s wrong?”

Lying on his stomach, King Jerome rolled, rubbing his eyes, appearing pretty freaking adorable as he squinted at me, not so lethal in appearance. “Are you all right?”

I let myself stare for a few beats longer at each of them, the view just that delectable, before I jammed a pointed finger at the clock, stating ever so slowly, “It’s one o’clock.”

Both appeared confused before their gazes shot to the clock. Then they were both cursing up a foul storm of vulgarity, rolling out of bed on different sides, grabbing for their jackets and shoes tossed about the floor.