Chapter 5 - Dante

The VIP lounge above Obsidian Veil overlooked the main floor through glass so dark it reflected more than it revealed. Below, the club pulsed with light and bass—a living, breathing thing that fed on secrets and expensive whiskey.

Lucian lounged across from me on one of the velvet couches, all easy arrogance and thunderstorm charm. Beside him sat Adrian Kaelis, the so-called King of Water—cool, calm, and calculated, his pale-blue eyes always unreadable. Where Lucian’s energy crackled, Adrian’s was fluid and cold. Together, they made the room feel like a storm building over still water.

We were supposed to be discussing business.

Schematics for a new venture—our new club—spread across the low glass table. The name had already been tossed around: Inferno. The irony didn’t escape me.

Lucian leaned forward, tracing the outline of a floor plan with his finger. “We set it up downtown, on the edge of neutral ground. Close enough to the city’s artery to stay relevant, far enough from Kael’s borders to keep plausible deniability.”

Adrian sipped his gin, unfazed. “Neutral territory is still Kael’s concern. He’ll see profit that isn’t his, and he’ll come sniffing.”

Lucian smirked. “He can sniff all he likes. He won’t find a trail leading back to us. The paperwork will say it’s a human investment. The owner of record will be a front—some influencer or trust-fund brat who wants to ‘bring culture’ to the city.”

I tipped my glass back, letting the whiskey burn down my throat. “A human bar,” I said. “That’s what you’re proposing?”

Lucian’s eyes gleamed. “Exactly. A human bar. No dragon family names, no markings, no scent of fire or thunder. A neutral space where money flows quietly.”

Adrian frowned. “You think humans won’t notice when half the clientele could buy the city twice over?”

Lucian chuckled. “Humans don’t ask questions when they’re drunk and impressed.”

I listened to them bicker—about permits, ownership percentages, territory lines—but their words started to fade beneath the hum of the club below. My attention drifted to the glass wall, to the shadows moving on the dance floor.

And then I saw her.

A flash of red.

It cut through the darkness like a spark through smoke. My breath caught before I even realized it. She appeared between the crowd—a woman with hair the color of firelight, skin that glowed under the club’s dim golds, and a confidence that shifted the air around her.

Everything in me went still.

The glass of whiskey froze halfway to my lips as my dragon senses sharpened, heat flaring in my chest. Every sound—the bass, the chatter, Lucian’s voice—dulled to nothing. There was only her.

She wasn’t just beautiful; she was magnetic. The kind of woman the room rearranged itself around without meaning to. Men parted for her. Heads turned. Even from up here, I could feel it—the pull, the heat, the command.

The suit had a plunging neckline, revealing her ample cleavage, and high-waisted pants that accentuated her round ass and long, toned legs.

And then I saw who she was with.

My jaw clenched.

Renee.

Kael’s consort.

My pulse spiked, the whiskey forgotten entirely. Renee was unmistakable even under her disguise—a short platinum wig, different makeup, but that same cold poise, the same way she moved like a serpent in silk.

What the hell was she doing here?

And why was she with that woman?

The redhead leaned in to say something, smiling faintly. Her lips curved—soft, confident, unafraid. The sight twisted something deep in my chest I didn’t have a name for.

Lucian followed my gaze, curiosity lighting his face. He let out a low whistle. “Now that,” he murmured, “is a sight worth living for.”

Before I knew it, I was standing. My hand shot out, grabbing the front of his shirt and slamming him back against the wall so hard the glass rattled.

“What the hell is she doing here?” I growled.

Lucian blinked, stunned. “What—what are you—”

I shoved him harder, baring my teeth. “Don’t play stupid with me. You invited me to your damn club, and Kael’s consort is downstairs.”

Adrian stood slowly, tension rippling through the air like pressure before a storm. “Easy, Vescari. You’re making a scene.”

“I don’t give a damn.” I turned back to Lucian, fury boiling under my skin. “Did you know she was here?”

“Of course not!” Lucian snapped, shoving my hand off his collar. “Kael wouldn’t dare send his woman to one of my clubs. He values his pride too much.”

“Then explain that.” I pointed through the glass. The redhead was still at the bar, Renee beside her, whispering something into her ear before signaling to the bartender.

Lucian squinted. “That’s Renee?”

“Yes,” I said, voice low and lethal. “She’s wearing a wig, but that’s her. I’d know that face anywhere.”

He frowned. “And the redhead?”

My gaze locked on her again. The way the light caught the curve of her shoulder. The quiet power in how she stood—unapologetic, radiant. There was something about her presence that burned hotter than anything I’d felt in years.

“I don’t know,” I said, almost to myself. “But she shouldn’t be here.”

Adrian’s voice cut through the tension, calm but cool as ice. “Then maybe the question isn’t what she’s doing here, but who she’s here for.”

I turned my glass in my hand, eyes still fixed on her.

Whoever she was, she wasn’t just another woman in a club. She didn’t belong to Kael—or any of us—but she carried herself like someone who’d already stepped into our world and didn’t intend to leave.

Something inside me stirred—instinct, fire, danger.

Lucian straightened his collar, muttering, “You need to relax, brother. She’s just a woman.”

“No,” I said quietly, the fire coiling beneath my skin. “She’s something else.”

And as she lifted her gaze, just for a second—our eyes met through the crowd.

Every part of me went still again.

The world narrowed to that look, that flash of recognition that didn’t make sense.

And for the first time in years, I felt something other than control.

I felt the dragon inside me wake up.