The War of Gods (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 3) (27 page)

She hummed
melodically and allowed her hands to roam over his chest and pecs. The steel-like muscles rippled pleasingly under her fingers, the tenseness once present in Tae Hyun’s body melting under her touch. She leaned forward, her long black hair moving against his chest. The silkiness of her hair grazed his skin, holding his unyielding attention as she moved her lips to his.

“
I’ve never dressed up for a dance,” she whispered, feathering her lips over his.

The tactic worked
when the resolution that once filled Tae Hyun’s eyes became replaced with longing desire. Unable to resist the temptation she was throwing him, a hoarse moan escaped his mouth as he lowered his head to kiss her.

“
Will you deny me the opportunity?” she asked briskly, pulling away just as his lips were half an inch from hers.

Knowledge and amusement sparkled in his eyes when he noted what she was doing.

“You’re asking for trouble, baby,” he whispered huskily.

Yoori
had no idea if he meant trouble with her insisting that they attend the ball or trouble with her teasing him and denying him a kiss.

“We’re already in troub
le.” She concealed a smile of satisfaction that this argument was hers to win. “I’m just trying to do what’s right for us. The only thing keeping us safe is going to these stupid social events so that no one can claim their King is ‘distracted.’”

“You’r
e walking into the lion’s den. This event will house the Advisors, Ji Hoon, and the most prominent figures in the Underworld. I don’t know about you, but that already sounds like trouble to me.”

“Hmm, lucky for me I have the King of S
erpents to watch over me.” She smiled hopefully. “So is that a ‘yes, we’re going’?”

He
gave a defeated sigh, confirming that they were indeed going. “This is such a bad idea.”

“Tomorrow is goi
ng to be such an eventful night,” Yoori predicted as he started to guide her out of the maze. She insisted that they went for Tae Hyun’s protection, however, she knew damn well what type of lion’s den she was walking into.

Tae Hyun smirked as he
held her hand and maneuvered them around the maze.

“Welcome to the
Underworld,” he said bitterly. “Every damn second of our life is eventful.”

She smiled, her thoughts moving on to something curious.

In a world filled with so many powerful people, yet so few Gods, how could Soo Jin and Tae Hyun not have ran into each other even once?

She didn’t miss a beat in verbalizing this question. “How is it possible that you’ve never met An Soo Jin?”

Tae Hyun gave her a sideway glance. “She and I did not have the same training schedule,” he said softly.

“I know,” said Yoori. “I know that you were never introduced to each other, but what about annual gatherings like Ju Won’s party? You go every year, don’t you?”

“I missed a few when I first started my training, but yes, I do make an appearance every so often.”

“And she trained with Ju Won. I’m sure she was at most, if not all, of the gatherings. So how come you’ve never crossed paths then?”

“I told you that I’ve never met her, but I did not dismiss the possibility of our paths crossing. What you have to understand about Ju Won’s gathering is that although it is a time for all the Elders in the Underworld to network and catch up with one another, it is also a time for the younger Royals to let loose from their respective trainings. When you go, you will notice that when the younger Royals meet each other for the first time, they do not introduce themselves to one another. Unless you were introduced to an Elder by your mentor or your parents, it is a rarity for anyone to give each other their true names.” He regarded Yoori with a look of ambiguity. “I could’ve met her at one point, I could’ve met her several times, or I could’ve never met her at all. Ju Won’s masquerade ball is a time that the majority of us look forward to only because we get to become someone other than a God in training.”

Yoori’s heart warmed slightly when she realized the underlying motives in Ju Won’s party. The charity event was done in his daughter’s name, but it wasn’t kept alive to only help children with leukemia. It was also a charity for the young people of the Underworld. It was Ju Won’s gift to them. A gift of one night where they could hide behind masks, forget about their training, and be the children, teenagers, and college students they were meant to be had they not been born into the Underworld. It was the one night the young Gods could hide behind masks and be human.

“If it’s such an anticipated night, why are you such a party pooper?” she teased. “You won’t have to introduce yourself to anyone. You can be invisible.”

He smiled. “I am a King in the Underworld. I do not need to introduce myself to anyone. When I walk into the room, they will all know who I am.” Though his voice was light when they exited the maze, she could feel tenseness in his hold on her. Moments later, he said, “I do not want you to go.”

Yoori peered up at his profile. “Why not?”

“The wicked will never rest
. . .
even at a party like that. I don’t want you to be surrounded by all those people.” He swallowed tightly. “I can go alone, but I don’t want you to go
. . .
just in case anything happens.”

“I have to go with you,” she insisted patiently. “They see me as your distraction, remember? I have to at least show up with you to make them think that I have some sort of spine and that I can handle myself at one of their parties.” Tae Hyun was about to say something else when Yoori hastened to add, “And I’ll be wearing a mask. They will not recognize me as Soo Jin. She’s been gone for so many years. I doubt anyone would look for her at the party.” She smiled when she finally saw his hesitation. “You’re afraid that you won’t be able to protect me.”

His silence confirmed her suspicions.

“I can handle myself.”

“You shouldn’t have to.”

Yoori laughed softly. “You forget that although I do not have her memories, I still have Soo Jin’s fighting instincts. If anything were to go down, I will still have her survival instincts.”

“Those instincts only come out when you’re a breath away from death. I’d prefer for you to not gamble with such odds.”

“This world is nothing but a big game. We have to gamble
. . .
even if we don’t want to.”

She expelled an airy breath, doing her best to lighten the mood before they attended a party that housed all the Kings and Queens of this coldblooded society. “Come on, this is a masquerade ball. No one will know my identity. What’s the worst that could happen?
”

“You are raised to rule over this world. . .”

11: The Secret of Masquerades

The masquerade ball was held a few hours outside of the city. The night was one of those perfect winter nights. There was little wind, the air was fresh, and the moon was full and blooming. The road to Ju Won’s party led up to luscious hills that surrounded the country.

While the limo drove past
the overwhelming iron gates, Yoori was blessed with a breathtaking sight of Ju Won’s palatial mansion. The infrastructure resembled a white castle that was sprawled over the mountain. It stood on a mountaintop, basking under the kiss of the winter stars. Magnificence couldn’t begin to convey the wonder that this mansion emanated. It was larger than life and was definitely more beautiful than life. She would even daresay it was more beautiful than Tae Hyun’s Serpents’ estate, which was something she once thought was impossible.

“This is so amazing,” Yoori commented out loud. Her focus shifted from the mansion to the crowd. Yoori was literally pressing her face against the window to look at everything when they pulled up into the circular driveway. “
I can’t believe all these people are Underworld crime lords!”

Visions
of men and women, dressed respectively in tuxedos and elegant evening gowns, pleased Yoori’s awestruck eyes. She readjusted her green, glitter embellished masquerade mask over her eyes for comfort. Her voice couldn't hide her sheer amazement. “I mean, where are all the assassins? Where are the stereotypical bald old men with high-class girls on their arms? Where are all the shady looking people? Everyone looks so
. . .
normal.”

Their
limo whirred to a stop in front of the red carpet that led up to the prized mansion.

“They’re all shad
y,” Tae Hyun informed her with mild amusement. He watched her gape out of the limo like a child visiting an amusement park for the first time. “They just do a good job of masquerading it under all that glamour.”

The melodic sound
s of laughter, warmth, and opulence drifted in the air. Many of the attendants, who ranged from their early twenties to early eighties, were already in the mansion. A few were outside, happily conversing with one another on the stairs leading up to the mansion. There were children running up and down the stairs, giggling as they hid behind pillars that ornamented the front half of the mansion. They wore elegant tuxedos and little princess gowns, looking utterly innocent as they accidentally bumped into some of the most powerful people in the country. The warmth of this party was blatant. It felt as though everyone was one big happy family—a big and dangerous family.

“Rem
ember,” Tae Hyun reminded her when he stepped out of the limo, “no matter how kind they are to you, do not let your guard down. If necessary, don’t talk to them at all. And first and foremost, never—”

“Take off my mask,
” Yoori finished, rolling her eyes as she allowed Tae Hyun to help her out of the black limo.

He had been reminding her of this for the umpteenth time
, and she was getting tired of it. She wasn’t a child nor was she some fool who didn’t know what type of party she was attending. She wasn’t planning on speaking to any of them anyway. She was simply there to help show them that Tae Hyun wasn’t distracted with her and that his mind was still on track.

“Anyway,
” Yoori started. She held a portion of her dress up to bring the hem an inch above ground, making it easier to walk. Her strappy black heels echoed on the driveway as she moved to stand on the red carpet. “I can’t believe you refused to wear a mask. Look.” She pointed at a group of young men laughing boisterously beside the water fountain. They were raising shot glasses in the air, cheering for a wonderful night with their various silver eye masks on. “Some of the guys got into it and wore masks.”

Tae Hyun held an arm around her bare back and closed the limo door behind her
. He rolled his own eyes at her remark. Apparently, listening to her chastise him for the umpteenth time about not wearing a mask was wearing him out.

Tae Hyun wore a black tuxedo with a wh
ite collared dress shirt and a green silk tie. Though Yoori was used to seeing him in suits, she knew that this tuxedo was one of the best since she couldn’t help but drool over his physique. Enthralling, powerful, and eye-catching—the tuxedo not only brought out all the qualities that made up Kwon Tae Hyun, but it also enhanced them with an edge of superiority that only the King of Serpents could radiate.

“I told you already
that I hate masquerade balls or any themed parties,” he said with resignation. “The masquerade theme used to be for confidentiality, but times have changed. Now, it is only meant to entertain the women and children we bring to the party. It is very much optional for guys.” When he caught her scowl of disapproval, he charmingly added, “Plus, it’s better this way. People need to see that the King of Serpents is alive and well, right? Wasn’t that part of our plan and the only reason why we’re here?”

Yoori was
certain that allowing people to see his face was merely an added benefit of not wearing the mask. It was not the primary reason. He didn’t wear it simply because he didn’t want to.

“Good thinking,” she humored
, accepting that she wasn’t going to win this argument. It was futile. Tae Hyun was a stubborn and prideful individual. If he didn’t want to do something, there was no forcing him.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
he prompted ominously. “It’s not too late to get back in the limo and go home before we have to deal with this mess. Because knowing you, you’d probably attract trouble as soon as we walk in.”

Tae Hyun
wrapped an arm around her again and held her close to him. They walked up the stairs, looking like the King and Queen of the night. The emerald green silk dress that Yoori chose to wear as her gown for the event was a v-cut, halter dress that hugged her body in all the right places. It was backless, giving an allure of sexiness when she turned around. The silk fabric flowed like water down her body and swam into the small train of the dress. She looked classy, elegant and as Tae Hyun jokingly told her, she looked very much like “trouble wrapped in a present.”