Blood hell, this was a mistake.
I shouldn’t have come here alone, but God only knows how much worse this would be if Seven were here.
As it is, I can barely keep myself from trying to tear my father to pieces, but I have to, for Evi’s sake.
“This isn’t your first time in a place like this, is it, son?” I clench my jaw, refusing to acknowledge the question as I focus my gaze forward. “Why don’t you tell Evelyn that story? I’m sure she’d love to hear how you—”
“Enough,” I growl, my fingers digging into the arm of the chair as I struggle to keep my composure.
Valentine just chuckles darkly at my reaction.
“Fine, I suppose it will be much more fun to let her experience everything firsthand anyway.”
I open my mouth to respond, just as the center of the floor opens up, and everyone turns to watch as a platform rises to fill the space. Young men and women are standing on top of it, including the two Valentine chose.
“Ah, the entertainment has arrived,” Horatio bellows to the great delight of his clientele. “Let the show begin!”
He snaps his fingers and electric charges shoot through the platform, literally shocking the men and women standing on it into action.
The man my father chose steps toward the woman, grabbing her roughly to spin her around so that she’s facing away from him, before pulling her flat against his groin. She starts to move sensually against the man as his hand moves to grope her breast.
Valentine cocks his head to the side as he watches the humans dance from his chair.
They’ve been dressed in similar clothes to the ones my father and Evi are wearing tonight.
The woman is dark-haired and rather delicate in contrast to the man she’s been matched with. He’s well-built and unusually large for a human, nearly twice her size. There’s a tattoo on his hand that marks him as a brutal fighter, too …
I’d be a fool not to see what my father is trying to insinuate.
“Horatio.”
“Yes?” he answers, turning back to face us.
“Would you give us something to drink?”
“Right away.” Horatio says, stepping toward a small table set between our two chairs. Pressing his finger to it, a panel lights up in which he enters a code. A few seconds later, the tabletop slides apart, sending clouds of mist wafting up and down over the sides of the table as a decanter and two glasses rise out of the center.
Pouring out two glasses of amber liquid, he hands one to my father and the other to me.
I eye it warily.
“It’s just whiskey,” Valentine says as if reading my mind, “I wouldn’t be fool enough to open myself up to you that easily.”
“Good to know,” I say with a scowl before raising the glass to my lips to taste it for myself.
Unfortunately, he’s not lying.
Whiskey is all it is. Though a surprisingly good one, I find it hard to hide my disappointment. At least it gives me something else to focus on as a moan escapes the woman on display.
“Horatio, why don’t we make things a little more interesting?” my father says, swirling the glass in his hand as he leans back in his chair. “I’d like my little pet here to learn a thing or two. Why don’t we make her the guest of honor tonight?”
“Certainly!” Horatio’s eyes light up at this, his hands clapping together in excitement.
“You can’t be serious,” I hiss, leaning forward in my seat as I glare at Valentine.
“Why not?”
I don’t know how to answer this without terrifying Evi, so I choose the next best thing I can think of.