by K. G. Reuss
Dominic nodded. Vincent left us then, and I turned to Dominic, waiting for instruction.
“Come,” was all he said as he turned and strode to the door. He was silent until we made it outside.
“I didn’t sleep with Vincent.”
“I know.”
I frowned. “How do you know?”
“Because I know Vincent after he fucks. That wasn’t a post-coital Vincent.”
I wrinkled my nose at the information.
Dominic tugged me to a stop and turned to face me. “You’re free to fuck any of the kings. Never the court. Never an outsider. And never a lord. To do so would end in both your deaths.”
“You’d kill me for being with a lord? Hail made me do things—”
“Doesn’t count. You belonged to him then, not us. Once you came to me, everything changed. For your sake, I hope you didn’t fuck up.”
The way he looked at me like he knew what I’d done made my guts twist into knots.
He stepped closer and tucked a blonde wave behind my ear before dragging his knuckles along my cheek.
“You didn’t fuck up, did you, wasp?” His green eyes flashed with something that sent chills down my spine.
Truth.
Dominic De Santis wasn’t messing with me. He was serious. He’d kill me and Fallon if he found out.
“I-I didn’t,” I whispered, trying to keep my voice even.
“Good,” he murmured. “I wouldn’t want to have to hurt anyone. Especially you. Never you.”
His words took me by surprise considering he’d let me know I’d answered wrong the night I’d confessed my love to him.
I reached for him and wrapped him in a hug. The move took him by surprise because he was stiff in my arms and didn’t hug me back right away. But once he did, his embrace was warm and tight, his cheek resting on the top of my head.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Bianca,” he whispered. “I’d do anything not to. You. . .matter to me.”
My heart fluttered at his words. I mattered.
But given the circumstances surrounding things with Fallon, I wondered how far those feelings of Dom’s would extend.
And what I’d do if they didn’t.
Forty-Two
Dominic
She had me fucked up in my head. Not that I hadn’t always been a headcase, but ever since she’d said she loved me, my brain had been frazzled. I knew some nasty shit was trickling down, and I was going to have to act one way or another.
There were two things I knew. One, I really didn’t want to hurt her—whatever the hell that meant since it wasn’t in my nature to feel anything for someone who wasn’t Levin or Vincent. And two, I’d kill her if she fucked Fallon Vasiliev.
Those two facts warred inside my head. It wasn’t pleasant. I was pretty sure I was going to go insane.
But the burst of butterflies I felt in my chest were even more concerning as I watched her smile up at Vincent, him holding her lunch tray for her as she reached for an apple juice.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out to answer it.
“De Santis,” I grunted, my gaze still on Vincent and Bianca.
He tweaked her nose, making her laugh. They looked like a damn ad for how much fun could be had at Bolten.
“We need to talk,” my father’s deep voice greeted my ears in our native tongue.
The last thing I felt like doing was going to see him. My guts clenched at the possibility of what he might want.
Someone was going to die. Whenever we needed to talk, it meant he needed someone to be dealt with.
I sent up a silent prayer it wasn’t what I thought it was.
“I’ll be there shortly,” I said.
He hung up without a goodbye. I didn’t get up right away. Instead, I sat on the tabletop in the courtyard and watched as Vincent dipped his head and pressed his lips to Bianca’s. She curled into him like a kitten.
I exhaled loudly, knowing I needed to learn to control my anger and jealousy. I glanced across the courtyard to find Vasiliev watching them, a look of sadness sweeping over his face. He caught my eye, holding my stare without any fear.
“Play stupid games. Win stupid prizes,” I said softly.
Ivanov got Fallon’s attention, which broke off his staring contest with me.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” Bianca’s sweet voice called out to me.
I turned to see her and Vincent had finally made it to me. Levin was a few feet behind them.
“No.” I got to my feet and peered down at her, wanting to kiss her like Vincent got to.
But I didn’t play games like that. I wasn’t a sweet guy, willing to drop shit for girls. But Bianca D’Angelou had seemingly cast a spell on me that I was getting tired of fighting.
“Your father?” Levin asked, stopping next to Vincent.
I nodded tightly, tearing my eyes from Bianca.
Levin’s Adam’s apple visibly bobbed, and Vincent shuffled, agitated.
“Is everything OK?” Bianca released Vincent’s hand and took mine.
When I returned my focus to her, my emotions warred inside me.
What the fuck was I going to do if I had to kill her? It hadn’t been a big deal when this whole game started. But that was before I started feeling shit. Now? The thought made me sick. This was why my father had warned me to not ever get attached. This was why he’d physically beat the lesson into me.
Never get attached. Never love anyone more than you love yourself. Never choose between your life and theirs.
“No, I don’t think it is,” I said softly, staring into her big, blue eyes. I reached out and ran my knuckles along her cheek.
She closed the space between us and rested her hand on my chest.
“We’ll be here when you get back. The dance is tonight. We’ll have some fun. You’re up for homecoming king.”
I let out a soft laugh. “I already have a crown. I just need my queen.”
She bit her bottom lip before surging forward and pressing her lips to mine in a deep kiss that both shocked me and turned me on. I kissed her back like I’d never taste her again.
And who knew? I might not.
The black limo crunched along the gravel as I stared out the window at the passing trees. Once I’d gotten to my father’s, he’d urged me into a car with Levin’s father and another of my father’s men who they affectionally called the Cleaver. He was as mean as he was ugly. And big. Mother fucker was huge. He was the guy my father called on when he wanted the world to see his power and his enemy’s blood. Cleaver was good at it too. Too good.
And then there was Klaus, Levin’s father. Nearly as big and just as intimidating. Quiet. Deadly. Wicked. Just like my father. The three were the best of friends. Vincent’s father wasn’t there, but if he were, their little fucked up circle of insanity would be complete. It reminded me a lot of me and my guys. Till the end. That was our motto. It seemed like that end may be fast approaching as of late.
“The Ivanovs and D’Angelous have set a date for Mikhail’s wedding. My insider said it was originally set for the summer but has been moved to next month.” Father leveled his dark-eyed gaze on me.
I nodded once and didn’t say anything.
“As you know, we cannot let that happen.” He leaned forward and grabbed my face, forcing me to look at him. “Tonight. Midnight. Kill the D’Angelou girl on my call. Understand.”
I swallowed, my stomach heaving. It wasn’t like she’d be my first kill, but she was my first love.
There. I said it. I fucking loved her. Or something. It didn’t matter. I had feelings for her.
I nodded because it was expected of me.
He gripped my face harder and shook it, his face a mask of anger and power.
“Say it.”
“Sí, Father. Midnight. Kill the D’Angelou girl on your word.” My words were clipped venom as I tried to control myself.
Father narrowed his eyes at me for a moment before releasing my face.
My father wouldn’t kill Bianca himself, so why did he want her brought to him if possible? “I thought your inside man was going to kill her?” The change of plans had me confused.
Father gave me a sinister smile. “I decided I have other plans for her if he can get her to me. No big deal if he can’t. Either way, she’ll suffer.”
“What plans?” I tried to keep my voice even as I stared back at the monster before me.
I caught Cleaver smirking out of the corner of my eye, the jagged scar over his eye crinkling with the effort as he adjusted his dick in his pants. Klaus remained the cool, collected copy of his son as he continued to watch me.
“That’s why we’re here. I’m going to show you our newest endeavor. One I’d like you to run after you graduate.”
The limo stopped, and a moment later, the driver opened the door. I followed the men out and stared up at a mansion that rivaled the one we lived in. Towers. Turrets. Guards. Stone and metal, all pulled together to make an impenetrable prison for some poor souls. At least that was my first impression.
Bile burned my throat as we walked inside. It wasn’t set up like a home. Not really. A woman met us at the door, wearing an elegant black dress.
“This is Haley,” Father said, kissing the girl on both cheeks. “She’s the first person people see after the guards when they enter. Isn’t she something?” Father looked at me for my approval.
I nodded tightly. Haley was hot. Big tits. Long legs. Blonde hair cut in a sharp bob. But her face… While beautiful, I could see the sadness and fear in her wavering smile and the slight bob of her throat.
“Her tits are real,” Father said, backing away. “Show Dominic.”
Her eyes widened.
“That won’t be necessary,” I said.
Father shot me a warning look and grabbed Haley roughly by her arm.
“I said, show Dominic your tits.”
With shaking hands, she pulled the top of her dress down, her bottom lip wobbling as she stared at me. I swallowed and glanced away.
Bad idea.
Father released Haley and clasped my face harshly.
“When I tell you to do something, you do it,” he snarled in my ear. “Now, touch her tits,”
He released me. It took everything in me to not punch him in the face. I’d never been close with my father. The man was as wicked as they came and twice as deadly. We had an agreement. I was the heir to his empire. I did what I was told. I was dark, tough, and in charge of my own men. But when Father barked a command, I submitted. Always.
I reached out and cradled one of Haley’s heavy breasts in my palm.
“She’s yours whenever you need relief,” Father said. “I have a room ready for you. Consider her a gift for all your hard work. What do you say, Son?”
“Thank you, Father,” I said evenly, dropping my hand from Haley’s breast.
“Good. Now, I’ll show you your soon-to-be kingdom.” He turned, his guys flanking him, and strode away.
Haley cast me a worried look, her breasts back in her dress. I kept my features schooled and followed my father deeper into the mansion.
I studied everything as we went. Each room seemed to either be a spacious place for gathering or was closed off with a guard outside it. When we descended the stairs to the basement, dread filled me. The soft sounds of girls sobbing filled my ears as my feet hit the black, glossy tiled floor at the bottom of the steps.
The lights were dim, but I could easily make out cages. Many of them housing weeping women, clinging to one another.
“What is this?” I demanded, letting my anger show.
Father turned to me, grinning. “Your kingdom.”
I spun around, taking in the crying women. Some of them were naked or nearly naked. The ones who weren’t, would be. That much I knew.
“We’ve launched a new business. Women.” Father stepped forward and held his arms out to show me everything. “There’s quite a lucrative market for beautiful women that can be forced into doing whatever you want.”
“Says who?” I snarled, taking in one woman as she tried to cover her nakedness beneath our gazes. I focused back on my father. Everything about this was forcing me to consider some things about myself that sickened me. I’d bargained with Bianca just so I’d be able to do whatever I wanted to her. No, I wasn’t doing this shit to her. But maybe I wasn’t so different from my old man. If I didn’t make some changes, in a few years, I’d be him. Nausea burned my insides as I considered that future.
“Everyone looking for fun and a struggle.” He stepped forward and nodded to a guard.
The guard opened the barred door, and Cleaver grabbed the girl who was trying to cover herself and dragged her out of the cage. She screamed and clawed at him, which only made him laugh.
Sick fuck.
“What’s your name?” Father asked her.
She swallowed, her body trembling as Cleaver held her by her dark hair.
“M-Macy,” she choked out, her legs crossed and her hands covering her breasts.
“Macy,” Father purred, running his fingers along the curve of her hip. He turned to me. “She was picked up walking to her dorm at Mayfair University.”
“You kidnapped her.” It wasn’t a question.
“We gave her a life of meaning.”
“You kidnapped her,” I repeated, glaring at him.
He snapped an ugly glare back at me. “She’s your new business, Son. Best be proud to be a part of it.”
“I’m not doing this,” I said.
Klaus’s steely grip landed on my shoulder, and he shoved me down into a chair behind us. I narrowed my eyes up him, pissed off he’d touched me. It was no secret Klaus Seeley was a fucking prick. Even his own son hated him. Levin wasn’t alone in that department. I hated my old man too.
Father pushed to girl to her knees in front of me.
“Suck his dick and show him what rules we have here,” Father snarled.
She let out a sob, her small body shaking. Cleaver smacked the side of her head, making her land in my lap.
“That’s not necessary—”
“Klaus,” Father called out.
Klaus removed his gun from its holster and pointed it at Macy’s head. She wailed louder, clinging to me.
“Suck Dominic’s cock, sweetheart, or Klaus is going to shoot you in the head. Make my son come, or we’ll fuck your corpse.”
She fumbled with my belt and zipper, sobbing the entire time. This was fucking insane, but Father knew what he was doing. He put us in a situation where I was forced to participate or I’d have blood on my hands—or cock—if I didn’t.
Macy slipped my soft dick out of my pants and rubbed along it, her tears dripping on my thighs.
“As I was saying, this is your new kingdom. The women are for wealthy men looking for a good time. Once we teach the women to be more submissive, we’ll be able to work more effectively, but as you can see, this is fun too.”
Macy’s warm mouth engulfed the tip of my cock, her lips soft. I shifted, my guts churning as my cock thickened in her hand. I fucking hated this. Everything about it felt…wrong. I closed my eyes and breathed out, trying to compose myself.
Father chuckled softly before continuing, “The D’Angelou girl will be a nice addition. I think David will think twice about aligning with Ivanov when he realizes we have his prized possession and we’re fucking it.”
My eyes snapped open. “You’re going to make her fuck men here?”
“No, Son. You are,” Father said softly while Macy sucked my cock harder.
I let out a hiss of air, rage pouring through my body.
“If she doesn’t make you come, she’s dead. So if you want to save her, you’d better show her how much you enjoy what she’s doing,” Father said, backing away.
He was sick. Twisted. Beyond wicked. Knowing my wasp was headed here made me ache. There was no way. No way I’d let it happen. I’d kill her just to save her from this nightmare.
I squeezed my eyes closed, not wanting poor Macy to die because I couldn’t get off for her. So, I thought of Bianca. Her full pink lips. Her gorgeous blue eyes. The way she looked at me from beneath those long, thick lashes. How it felt when she touched me. Kissed me. The way my heart pounded when she said she loved me. How hot and tight she felt when I worked my way into her body.
I came with a low groan, filling Macy’s mouth with my release. She gagged and choked on me, not giving good enough head to make me come, but keeping Bianca in my mind helped a lot.
Macy swallowed and released my dick, tears mingling with the excessive come on her face. I stuffed my dick away and stared into her eyes, my heart aching for the first time in my life for a stranger. I wasn’t sure what made me reach for her, to try to offer comfort, but I did.
Her bottom lip wobbled as she grasped my hand.
A gunshot rang out, and her blood showered me in red, covering me in bits of what was once Macy, splattering my face and clothes in hot dots of death.
Her body slumped to the floor, her eyes wide. Her small hand slipped from mine.
She hadn’t seen it coming. She didn’t know she was going to be killed. The screaming of the girls in the background made my head throb. I looked from Macy’s body to my father, her blood dripping off my face.
He approached and stared down at me. Klaus put his gun away while Cleaver licked his lips as he glared down at her naked, dead body.
“Never show your weakness. People die when you’re weak. Welcome to your kingdom. Now, wait for my call.”
This wasn’t a kingdom. It was fucking hell, and I’d spent too much time there already. I vowed in that moment to tear it down, brick by brick, and I’d take my fucked up old man with it.
That was just what kings did.
Forty-Three
Bianca
“You need more diamonds,” Vincent commented as he stared down at the crown necklace he’d given me weeks ago.