Page 18 of Silk and Sirens

Frustrated, I stepped back. “He was more scared of you than he was of me,” I said, looking over my shoulder at Renley. “Why are you even here? This was none of your business.”

“Everything you do is my business,” he said, his tone pissed. “You know I’ll have to report this.”

“You do that.” I gathered what remained of my dress and pulled it back on, sparing Renley a single glare. “I’ll let you deal with disposal.”

Chapter 9

Caden

The bass rolled through me as I walked the edges of The Thorn, each heavy beat vibrating through the obsidian marble floors. Crystal chandeliers hung like constellations in the darkness, their glow fractured through smoke and glass, scattering gold across velvet booths and silk-clad bodies.

Everything here gleamed with excess—the alcohol, the guests—specifically curated and unapologetically expensive, which made it the perfect face of the Beast’s empire. A club to entertain the rich and influential all while hiding the truth.

Years ago, when Sebastian, Langdon, and I decided to strike out on our own away from my father, we needed a way to make money. Real money. So, we’d turned to the underground matches, where the more vicious you were, the bigger the pay. Sebastian dominated the ring almost immediately, standing taller and broader than even me, becoming an immovable presence people learned to fear. The money poured in, especially once we started rigging the bets. And with it came a reputation within the Underworld.

When we moved to take over the cocaine trade not long after, there was little resistance. Now we controlled the largest manufacturing and distribution network for the powder on the entire continent.

My mask sat heavy on my face, gaining widened glances from those who looked at me long enough to recognise it. Ignoring their presence, I moved towards the bar, waiting until Arabella had finished serving before gaining her attention.

She smiled at my mask, her hair tied up with a few dark strands framing her face. “Suits you,” she said, clearly amused. “Told you they’d be a good idea.”

“Bas here?” I asked, already knowing the answer. If Ara was present, then so was Sebastian. He liked to give her the illusion of freedom, but when it came to her safety, he was obsessive to the point of madness.

“In his office.” Her eyes glittered with the same defiance that had fascinated my cousin for so long, even as she absently touched the red rose pendant resting tight against her throat.

The rose was the Beast’s mark, an unspoken warning that she belonged to him and that anyone who dared harm her would answer to his wrath personally. As a deterrent, it worked more often than not. But in an industry like ours, often was never enough.

Which was why whenever Ara wasn’t with one of us, she had a guard at her side. Always. Even when she worked behind the bar of our own club.

“You think you could talk Sebastian into easing up on the security?” she asked, glancing to her right where her latest guard stood and watched. “This is all a little overkill.”

“What do I look like, a mug?” I chuckled, and she dramatically sighed.

“Fine, but I’m making you read the raunchiest of romance novels when it’s my turn to pick.”

“I’m not in your book club, Ara.”

She smiled, triumphant. “You are. Lang and I voted, so you’re overruled.”

Knowing there was no point in arguing, I simply shook my head. I genuinely didn’t understand how Sebastian managed it. Control wasn’t just a preference for him, it was an almost pathological compulsion. He needed order and obedience. And yet Arabella, with her quiet rebelliousness and refusal to bend, somehow anchored him. She challenged him in ways that should have driven him over the edge, not pull him back from it.

It was a dangerous balance, but for reasons I couldn’t fully grasp, it worked, and I was grateful for it. My cousin’s demons had a way of roaring too loud, of dragging him somewhere neither Langdon nor I could reach. Until Ara.

That didn’t mean I didn’t find her annoying. Especially when she teamed up with Langdon, clearly delighted in provoking me.

“Langdon’s trying to gain your attention.”

I turned, finding the bastard in question standing in a darkened corner with a rhythmic click-snap-click of his lighter. When our eyes met, he gave a brief nod and tilted his head towards the back. Murmuring my thanks, I headed his way. Langdon fell into step beside me without a word, the lighter’s click finally going still as we moved.

Sebastian’s office was situated on the floor above and, taking the lift, we arrived within minutes. He sat behind his desk, his mask on the wood while Langdon and I removed ours.

“Fucking hell,” I muttered, setting my mask beside his. “I don’t know how you’ve worn that thing for so many years.” It wasn’t uncomfortable, exactly. It was just always there. Like I was constantly aware of this weight on my face.

“You get used to it,” Sebastian said.

“I think it’s cool,” Langdon signed, grinning.

I crossed my arms, resigned. “The masks were a good idea. They’re doing exactly what they’re meant to.” The distinctive half skull was recognisable to the people who mattered, a warning as much as an identity. A statement that made them hesitate, think twice before going against us.