Chapter 2

The stares were nothing new. He hardly even noticed them anymore as he lounged in the high-back leather chair and closed the app on his multi-slate. Being watched sort of came with the territory, that was a big part of the reason he preferred lurking in the shadows more often than not.

But tonight wasn't about personal comfort. There was one reason and one reason only that he'd dragged himself all the way up Munin Mountain to Club Essential, why he'd chosen the third floor and seated himself at the very center of it, pretending not to hear all the hushed whispers coming from every corner.

Lake Zyair was here to be seen.

Having spent the past year on another planet, it was little wonder that every member in the place was staring at him. Rumor about the newly configured line of ascension would have spread like wildfire, and most of the club members were no doubt curious which side of the coin it was all going to land on.

He was the younger of two choices now, true, but he was also the best choice. The closest in line. Really, there shouldn't even be a debate over who was going to get the throne, but his uncle had caused a fuss and used Lake's absence against him—Of course, leaving out the part about how Lake hadn't been the one who'd wanted to leave in the first place.

However, he'd learned a lot while he'd been away on Vitality. Had no regrets.

"And so returns the wayward prince," the familiar voice, smooth and deeper than his own, came from the left a second before West appeared. His childhood best friend winked at him and dropped down into the chair next to his. He clinked the glass in his hand against the one Lake had left on the circular end table between them and then swallowed the contents in one gulp.

"I haven't been titled," Lake reminded, the word yet hovering in the air between them, unspoken, but clear.

Returning home early had been an annoyance, but getting to be with the two people who were more like brothers than friends to him? That made it all worth it. It felt pathetic and like bullshit, like a weakness to have missed anyone, let alone two people, but the three of them had been thick as thieves ever since they'd been little and were closer than blood.

West chuckled, then lifted his smoky gray gaze and set it over Lake's shoulder. "You're late."

Yejun, the final member of their group, dropped down with less class in the seat on Lake's other side. He leaned over Lake unapologetically and swiped his untouched glass, then sat back and sipped at the amber contents lightly before replying, "I was busy."

"Getting your dick wet, no doubt," West snorted. He slapped Lake's arm with the back of his hand. "You won't believe how much ass this guy has gotten while you've been away."

Away.

As if Lake had merely been on vacation.

To give himself a moment to bank down the spark of annoyance, Lake allowed his gaze to finally wander across the expanse of the room. It'd been a little over a year since he'd last stepped foot in Club Essential, but the bouncers had recognized him at the doors, his scan code had still worked, and every person there knew exactly who he was without having to be told.

A public announcement may not have been made—yet—but everyone knew what his return to the planet truly meant.

A changing of power.

A change grand enough to have Imperial Lake Zyair, fifth in line for the throne, giving up on his new life on the planet Vitality. He'd spent the past thirteen months there, developing friendships and connections with the Vital Imperial family, even going so far as to become an official member of Kelevra Diar's Retinue.

Kelevra, Imperial Prince of Vitality. A title that would soon be attached to Lake's name as well. The friendship had been fruitful for the both of them, allowing them to create a political alliance between their two planets that otherwise wouldn't have been possible. In truth, he'd intended to stay another year at least, but then the deaths had happened, and the infiltration, and Lake had been given no other choice but to come home.

There were exclusive clubs on Kelevra's planet as well, but nothing like this. They had something similar in the sense that the Imperial family was forced to run the planet along with another party, but for them, that was the Brumal Mafia. For Tulniri, it was Club Essential.

The main hub of the club was built directly into the side of Munin Mountain, a sprawling natural stone structure covered in greenery. There were five levels in total, with the third level considered the leisure space. This area was where members could sit and relax, drink, or laugh with a friend. Share photographs of their last bloody kill or videos of their latest great fuck. The possibilities were endless, really. Lake had heard every story there was to tell in this very room growing up, ever since he'd been initiated at the age of thirteen.

It was expensive to maintain the yearly club membership fees, so faces came and went, but legacies such as himself and his friends were brought in. They didn't need to jump through the same hoops as the rest.

That sort of stature came with its own caveats, however.

From the views of the floor-to-ceiling glass walls, the capital city could be seen sparkling below, a fine layer of fog only helping to reflect the glittering lights. He knew from experience that if he moved to the window and peered down and out, he'd see the school.

"Are you all set for senior year?" Yejun asked, seemingly reading his mind. When Lake glanced over at him, though, he merely stared back, patiently waiting for a reply.

Club Essential was considered a secretive society, not a secret one, since everyone on the planet knew how deeply rooted the club was in everything around them, from politics to clothing brands. Some members were obvious, like the Imperials and the dean of Foxglove Grove, though none of them would ever speak publicly of the club or admit to being a part of it. Still, due to the secret nature of it all, when one thought of an intricate, underground society, they most likely pictured someone like Yejun Sang.

At six feet three inches, he towered over most of the crowd. His hair was inky black and shone like pure silk. He never left the house without it styled, though the styles themselves varied depending on his mood.

When they'd been younger, he'd been the runt of the three of them. In elementary school, he'd even needed West's help against bullies on the playground. Now he was the tallest, though only by an inch, and with their reputations well known throughout, it was more likely he'd be the one doing the bullying.

Yejun grinned at Lake's obvious perusal of him, his full, cherry-red bottom lip stretching, showing off the snake bite piercings there, the jewelry the same shade as his hair and just as shiny. He had another black bar above his right eyebrow and a row of hoops on both ears. It wasn't his stature or his piercings that tended to stop people in their tracks, however. It wasn't even the mess of dark ink tattooed all over his arms and his neck.

Yejun Sang was gorgeous.

And the fucker knew it.

His face was what caught everyone's attention, tricked them into overlooking the rest of him. To give him a chance. He was the most charming of the three of them for that very reason, and he wasn't above using that charm to his advantage.

"Missed me, did you," he teased now, blowing Lake a kiss for good measure that had West instantly groaning and rolling his eyes.

Lake and Yejun hadn't ever hooked up past an exploratory kiss here and there in high school. Oh, and the time or two they'd exchanged hand jobs. But that was about it. They'd realized early on that sharing fuck buddies between them was much more enjoyable than potentially rocking the friendship.

What they had, what the three of them had, was stronger than anything. Even sex.

Which was saying a lot, considering how much sex played into the Club and its dealings.

"Man, don't feed his ego, seriously." West stood with a flourish and stabbed a finger toward their friend. "I wasn't kidding before. He really has slept with half the student body."

"If you'd stayed away a bit longer as planned," Yejun pretended to pout, "I would have succeeded in bagging them all before graduation. With you here?" He clicked his tongue. "You'll steal all the attention. At least you'll only take the men."

This time, it was Lake's turn to roll his eyes. "I'm not here for that."

"Well, sure," he agreed. "But it's not really like you have a choice?"

Right.

Eight years ago, they'd created the Enigma app with the secret intention of helping the Club.

This year, as seniors, they were finally going to be able to use it the way it was always meant to be used.

Others had already, of course. Those who'd come before them, but this was the first year in five that there were three legacy members up for ascension. Graduating from Foxglove Grove didn't just mean prestige, a foot in the door on the planet, and parts of the galaxy. It also meant gaining traction within the Club itself.

It meant a chance for a seat on the Order.

"We don't just have one task," West grumbled, clearly not happy about it. "We've got two."

"Don't tell me you forgot?" Yejun directed at Lake and straightened in his chair, losing the playfulness he'd been purposefully laying on thick in an attempt to lighten the mood. He'd always hated being on this level of the club, preferring the penthouse or the lowest level where the private rooms and dancehall were located. "You do remember what we have to do this year, right? What our tasks are?"

"And that it has to be completed before Demon Passing," West added, sounding every bit as concerned.

The three of them hadn't really gotten the chance to talk privately since Lake had arrived last week, since he'd spent most of his time at the palace learning about the situation and giving reports on his time on Vitality. But the lack of faith here…

"Seriously?" He scowled at them.

"We're the Demons of Foxglove Grove," West said. "That comes with a certain—"

Lake held up a single hand and his friend instantly quieted, though it was clear by the way his gaze hardened he wasn't happy about it. Sometimes, the two of them butt heads about things. He'd been hopeful that would have changed since he'd been away for so long, but he should have realized old habits died hard.

West wanted to tell him off for pulling rank; that much was obvious, but he kept himself in check, either due to their friendship or the fact they were being so carefully monitored, and they well knew it. Every single member in this room would kill to run off to West's daddy and tattle about whatever detail they believed was worth it.

"I've been on the app since I got back," Lake told them. "It's good."

"Now that you're back, you can help with the screening process. Carry your weight," Yejun suggested with another grin.

"Weren't you just complaining about him taking all the prey?" West pointed out.

"There's plenty of ass to go around."

"We only need one," Lake stated, proving that he did, in fact, remember their task.

The rules were simple. To carry on the great legacy of Essential, every three years, the highest-ranking senior members of the prestigious Foxglove Grove would cultivate and offer up a sacrifice to the club.

This year, that honor fell to Lake, West, and Yejun.

"Essential is tied into everything on this damn planet," he continued, lowering his voice, gaze sweeping around them to ensure everyone was watching from a safe and respectable distance and couldn't eavesdrop. "Which means if I want that title, I have to first prove myself to the Order."

"Those stuffy old assholes wouldn't know a good time if it bit them on the ass and tried to plow inside," Yejun griped.

"Everything has to go perfectly," Lake insisted. "We can't afford any errors."

"The app should have been useful in helping you narrow things down."

Originally, they'd designed the app to be accessible only to students currently enrolled in the university, but over the years, the rules on that matter had been pushed and pushed until the waters had been muddied.

Now, anyone who'd graduated within the past twenty years, as well as anyone who worked with the school in any type of fashion—be it as a professor or merely on the board—could create an account. As far as Lake knew, there weren't many old-timers who'd taken that offer, but there were some. The Club itself offered more than enough entertainment in that department, which had helped, but still. The anonymous setup of the profiles had been great in the beginning, yet complicated things now that they had to actively screen out the older members who wouldn't make the cut.

The three of them had various tastes but similar types. Before, when the plan had been for Lake to remain off-planet for a while longer, it'd only been West and Yejun who'd had to worry about sharing the sacrifice between them. Lake's arrival meant one more opinion when it came to selecting someone from the masses.

At least there was comfort in knowing their tiered system held strong, even with all the other changes that had been forced by the Order. Not many ever made it to the higher levels, which helped narrow it down for them, as intended.

A lot of thought had been put into that system, and Lake and West were already pissed enough about how their rules had been altered and messed with to fit the needs of the Club outside of its initial purpose.

On the outside, it probably came off as pointless fun. Another way for the rich and elite to classify themselves. In reality, there were much darker and greater intentions behind the five tier system.

Pawn. Knight. Bishop. Rook. King.

To download the app, let alone create an account, one needed an invitation with an active QR code. The first two tiers were mere smoke screens, designed to trick less desirable users into believing Enigma was nothing more than another hookup app. Past that, things got interesting.

"We've got less than fifty Bishops," Yejun rattled off the numbers effortlessly. "Twenty-three Rooks. There are eleven Kings, including us."

"What are you thinking?" West asked. "Pick from the Bishops? It would simplify things."

Lake shook his head. "Too generic."

Yejun snorted. "When was the last time you checked their chatrooms? The freaks who congregate there are many things, but generic…I'm not sure it's fair to label them as such."

Lake quirked a thin brow. "Since when were we about playing things fairly?"

"So the Rooks then?" West hummed, considering it. "Twenty-three is more than enough for us to pick a good candidate."

"I don't want good," he said. "I want the best."

His friend frowned. "You want to sacrifice the best candidate for enrollment? Isn't that a waste?"

"We'll need followers," Yejun agreed with West. "The students who've managed to find their way into the Rook and King chatrooms are clearly the most like-minded. They're already well suited for Essential just for that alone. The Order would agree. It's a guaranteed instant acceptance of our choosing. Is it worth throwing that away on an outdated ritual?"

Lake rapped his fingers against the leather armrest. "I've considered that. I have a plan."

"What plan?"

"Later." He stood with a flourish and adjusted the button of his vest, charcoal black with gold embellishments similar to the ones his friends wore. "Let's focus on one thing at a time."

West wasn't pleased with that answer. "We're in this together, remember?"

"Of course we are." Lake slipped his hands into his pockets and tipped his head. "If there's something you want to say to me, say it."

"Hey now," Yejun stepped between them with a forced laugh. "Let's not do this here, hmm? The Roost is ready for us to move in. Why don't we regroup there later? Foxglove reopens in a few weeks. It'll be best if we're already situated beforehand so we can get a head start on things."

Right, because now that they had a list of names, it was time for them to start making their way down it.

An image of a blond in a white mask gasping on sheets with ridiculous stars decorating them invaded his mind, and Lake willed his twitching cock to settle down before he got distracted.

Lake held West's annoyed gaze, the corner of his mouth lifting mostly because he knew that would only add fuel to his friend's internal fire. "By all means. It's not like I want to be smothered in that palace for another night when there are other options."

Sure enough, West's eyes narrowed. "Whatever."

Yejun tsked as West stormed off without another word, some gazes tracking him as he made his way across the thin black carpeted floor. "Don't take his surliness to heart," he said. "He missed you, and he just doesn't know how to articulate that properly. He's always been shit with his emotions."

True.

But since Lake wasn't much better, he opted not to bother acknowledging that. Instead, he clapped Yejun on the back and motioned for him to lead the way, checking his multi-slate as they went.

He'd been there for a half hour.

That should be long enough to satisfy the Order and gain him Favor. And if not…

Fuck them.

Lake was back on Tulniri now, and he'd come with a plan.

"From here on out," he told Yejun as they passed at least a dozen members of Essential, "if we want something, we take it."

"What are you saying?" Yejun reached the door first and pushed it open, holding it with a shoulder for Lake, a wicked smirk on his face. "We're the Demons of Foxglove Grove. If we want something, it's already ours."

Lake chuckled.

"So," he asked once they'd started down the long, narrow hall toward the elevators, "got something in mind? What is it you want, Imperial-soon-to-be-only-in-line-for-the-throne?"

This time the devilish expression came from Lake.

"Everything," he admitted, staring at his murky reflection displayed across the golden surface of the closed elevator doors. "I want everything."