I didn’t dwell on that for long, because the captain stood and began to pace behind the table. “He’s not the only one. Two of the queen’s guard have been killed in the last two days. I have reports of three dead members of the Optimus Unit, plus Crayden and two clerics from the fortress in Corseran.”
“I’m so glad you’re safe, Destiny,” Faith said, grabbing her twin’s hand again. She gave it a squeeze, which was accompanied by a watery smile. Thor put his hand around Faith’s shoulder, but I doubted she needed his comfort as much as her sister’s. I had to agree with her, for I’d spent the past two days touching, holding and fucking Destiny to assure myself she was whole, well and safe.
“Eight dead in two days? Why wasn’t I told?” Leo asked.
“I didn’t realize they were connected, son.”
Trinity shook her head and tossed up her hands. “Why? Why now?”
“Maybe they were all looking for Mom and someone didn’t like it,” Faith said.
“In Corseran?” Trinity asked. “The secret prisoner is here. In Cell Level C. Not a continent away.”
“Amandine and Crayden said that’s where your father was from, Trin.” Destiny said.
“Yes. I remember the name of his homeland,” Trinity replied. “Mom told me about him. She said she only went there with him once. But he’s dead and that was so long ago.”
“Well, maybe these dead clerics in Corseran knew something, and the people who have Mom are trying to cover their tracks. Maybe these clerics are the ones who were there the night of the coup?” Faith spoke and my respect for her went up another notch. She was a confusing female, appearing soft and kind, but fighting like a trained killer. And with this suggestion, I realized she was also intuitive and highly intelligent.
But then, she was Destiny’s twin, so I should not have been surprised. My mate was all of those things. And more.
“But that was twenty-seven years ago!” Trinity repeated.
“I was there twenty-seven years ago,” Captain Turaya added, his jaw tense, voice grim. “I saw what happened. Saw the king stabbed with my own eyes. Your mother in anguish over that, her escape. I was there for all of it. While I would have liked to question those clerics from Corseran, if they were involved all those years ago, I am not saddened by their loss.”
Destiny’s leg was wiggling under the table, nervous energy pouring off her in waves. I wanted to wrap her in my arms, carry her off, and work off some of that energy, but based on the way this conversation was going, I might not get her naked for quite some time.
Destiny looked to Captain Turaya. “How old were the dead guys? Old enough to have been in on the murder attempt on our mom?”
“Of the eight, they were not all males. And no. Some of them weren’t even alive at the time of the coup.”
“So much for that theory.” Faith blew out a huff and leaned into Thor, who’d remained silent the entire time. But I wasn’t fooled. He was a politician and a businessman with interests all over the planet. He was thinking, and I was glad he was on our side.
Destiny bolted out of her chair like a spooked zebcat and paced on the opposite side of the table from the captain. Two leashed hunters, impatient to be set on their target.
The room remained quiet for several long minutes as we all contemplated possibilities. I, for one, had trouble concentrating with Destiny’s Ardor calling me like a moth to a flame.
Thor was the first to break the silence. “Assuming our enemies are trying to cover their tracks, that does not bode well for the queen.”
All three princesses froze and stared at him in horror.
“Explain,” Trinity ordered.
“They took your mother, yet kept her alive, all this time. Which means they want something from her. Her specifically.” He spoke slowly, forming thoughts as he went. “However, the lighting of three additional spires was probably not part of their plan.”
“Still not getting it, Thor,” Trinity said.
“They found your mother and kidnapped her from Earth. They had no idea the three of you existed. Obviously, they’d been searching for her all this time. She was the plan all along. And then three new spires lit. Meaning the royal lineage didn’t stop with the queen as everyone thought. They have tried to kill you, Trinity, more than once. They tried to kill Faith. They failed. And they have no idea who the third princess is or where to begin their hunt.” Thor looked up at Captain Turaya for confirmation. The older male took up where Thor left off.
“And now, we have eight dead in two days, knowledge of a prisoner being leaked to people in positions of power. They are either setting the stage for a new plot, or they are cutting their losses and starting over.”
“Oh, shit. Are you saying that since they haven’t been able to kill us, they’re just going to go ahead and kill our mom?” Faith asked.
Thor raised her hand to his lips and kissed her folded fingers. “I don’t know. But whoever planned the coup almost thirty years ago didn’t get what they wanted. Sure, the king is dead, but he wasn’t the one holding true power. It was the queen who was supposed to die. Instead, she got away. Hid. That mastermind hasn’t given up, he’s been searching. But she was found and then the plans were all fucked up because of the three of you. If I were planning a final royal coup decades in the making, and I had not one, but four female heirs in the way, a change in strategy would be in order.”
I looked at Thor, thinking. Aloud, I said, “What do you believe they wanted from the queen, when they took her from Earth?”
Trinity answered. “We thought it was the royal jewels. Mom always said they were important and that the people wouldn’t accept a new ruler without them.”
Thor shook his head. “That has already been proven false. Before your arrival, your cousin, Radella, was the reigning royal. She was accepted and respected in that role, and the royal jewels haven’t been seen since your mother disappeared. And with your return and no jewels about your neck…”
“Shit. They are eating you up like their favorite new dessert, Trin. Jewels or no jewels.” Destiny picked up the pace behind me, moving silently, like a predator. Everything about her made me hard and hungry for more. The fact that she was so dangerous had my cock roaring to be set free. “So, if they didn’t bring Mom back to get the jewels, what do they want?”
3
Destiny
I felt like I was coming out of my skin. Like I wanted to climb the walls for some ludicrous reason. I wanted to toss furniture, rip my hair out. Scream.
“Holy shit, Dest, you need to chill out,” Faith said.
I was back at the table and looming over her before she could even blink. No, I didn’t have speed as the superpower the citadel had magically given me, but I was worried, for the first time since we’d arrived on Alera and seen Mom’s spire was still lit. I was worried they might actually kill her. But I didn’t handle worry well, so I channeled the emotion into anger, and being furious gave me lots of energy. I was pissed at my mother for absolutely no reason, the mystery mastermind who was fucking up all of our lives, at Crayden and every other person who had gotten themselves killed. Yeah, it wasn’t their fault they’d been shot, had their throat slit or some other horrible ending, but I was pissed they were all dead.
And for what? Why had so many people been killed?
We still had no idea.
Faith held up her hand and stood to face me across the table. “You need to slow your roll, woman.”
I leaned forward and used my scary voice, the one I saved for extra special, I’m-about-to-kick-your-ass moments. “Okay, then stop getting up in my grill.”
“All right, we’re done here,” Trinity said, all diplomatic and perfect. Calm. Even that made me crazy.
I turned my head and glared. “How are we done? They’re going to kill Mom! We don’t have a plan in place to get in to Cell Level C. We need to go now. We need to organize and get Mom out of there.”
“We will work on that. You need to go solve your Ardo
r problem,” she countered.
“I’m fine. Nix made sure of that.” I put my hands on my hips. “And not all problems can be solved by a man.”
“No, but yours can be,” she countered.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nix smirk. He wasn’t the least bit embarrassed that his body was a tool for my problem. That his cock was just what this specific job required. Me? I was too agitated to be embarrassed. “No. I’ve done nothing but have wild monkey sex for two days. That should be enough. Don’t try to hide me away for another two days while you plan without me. I’m in. All the way.”
With those words I glared at Captain Turaya.
He had the gall to look at Nix.
“Hey!” I stared the older man down until he had the good grace to bow his chin, just a touch. I was a princess. He was queen’s guard. He worked for me and my sisters, not the caveman who wanted to lock me up, keep me barefoot and pregnant for the rest of my life. I ran my hands through my hair. Jesus. Trinity was right. I was coming out of my skin, and I’d only been out of bed for an hour or so.
Nix was a drug. An addiction. Tugging at my dark strands, I spoke slowly and clearly so Leo’s father and everyone in the room would understand exactly how serious I was. “I make my own decisions, not Nix.”
“He is your mate,” the older man countered. “Should you not consider his wishes? Allow him to protect you, as a good mate should?”
It was possible that the top of my head blew off then. Maybe it spun around in circles like one of those horror films because Thor stood and grabbed Faith about the waist, tugged her back out of my reach.
Leo rose to his feet and put his hand on Trinity’s shoulder.
“I think your Ardor’s made you insane,” Trinity said, cocking her head to the side. “I mean that seriously. You like to fight, but not with words. Listen to yourself, Des, you’re losing it. Either that, or you’ve got a hormone rage from hell.”
I bit my lip to keep from giving her any more fuel to light her argument fire.
“She’s not full Aleran, it’s possible her Ardor is… different,” Thor commented.
“It wasn’t like this for me,” Faith added, so I glared at her. Of course her Aleran Ardor had been perfect. Nice and tidy and easily resolved with just some wild fucking and then it was over. She shrugged and had the nerve to grin at me. “I was over it in less than two days. But you like to do everything hardcore. You always did have to beat me at everything.”
I couldn’t help the way my eyes narrowed. “All I’ve done for days is have sex. This is insane. No one should have to go through this.”
Faith made the L shape on her forehead, an indication she thought I was a total loser. “Deal with it. I win. And you need to get naked and roll with it.”
“Great, just great. Now I’m the crazy one.”
“Destiny,” Trinity began. “You’re arguing because you’re having too much sex. Too. Much. Sex. There is something wrong with you.”
Nix slowly stood, but didn’t come over to me. Perhaps he was smarter than I thought, because I had no idea what I would do if he touched me right now, in front of everyone. I felt weak. Vulnerable. Exposed. Hurt. Even though that last one didn’t make sense.
Was Nix really with me because he liked me? Me, the smart-mouthed, aggressive, protective fighter? Or was he only with me because I’d die if he didn’t stick his cock in me over and over again? I was a princess. He was a queen’s guard, sworn to serve my family. Did he actually like me? Or was he just doing his job? Was he serving me in a very special way?
I mean, fucking for days on end, in every possible position, wouldn’t be a hardship for any man I knew back on Earth. Hell, in my experience, that’s all they required. Wet pussy and a free pass to do whatever the hell they wanted to my body.
Nix didn’t touch me, but he did break the tense silence in the room. “We don’t know what is going to happen. We do know that whatever happens, it will be tomorrow. Therefore, mate, we have time to finish your Ardor once and for all. There is no reason for you to suffer.”
“You want to have sex, now?” My body was screaming at me, Yes, please! But my mouth was all sassy and angry.
“I will always want to touch you, mate. But Thor is correct, the Ardor is breaking the boundaries of desire and moving into other emotions. You need your mind clear for tomorrow. Yes?”
I crossed my arms over my chest, but dropped them because they only rubbed my already sensitive nipples. So I nodded instead.
“Then let’s finish it. Then we’ll prepare for whatever battle we have to fight tomorrow.”
I looked around the room. Everyone was staring at me as if I were a bomb about to explode or a two-year-old who hadn’t quite finished her temper tantrum.
“Fine.” I snapped my fingers and strode toward the door. “Let’s go.”
Nix caught up to me in the hallway, took hold of my elbow and since his legs were much longer, kept right on going, and it was I who had to hurry to keep pace. He turned down a secondary corridor toward our rooms, and then he stopped, pressed me into the wall. All was quiet except for our breathing. I was caught in his stare. It was pure heat, but something more as well. Something I’d never seen before.
“Listen to me, Destiny. Listen and hear me. I’ll follow you to the pits of what Earthlings call hell. I’ll fuck you at your command. I’ll bend for you in any way I can to make you happy, mate, but you will not mistake that for weakness.”
I’d never heard him speak like this before, never felt the laser sharp focus of his attention out of bed. Weakness? Never. Nix was the strongest man I knew. “I—”
“You what?” he countered. “You’ll use my cock to ease your Ardor and toss me aside like garbage? You’ll ignore my desire to protect you and run headlong into battle? You’ll deny yourself my help because you are afraid to allow me to stand beside you? Do you not trust me? Do you not understand what you are to me?”
I blinked, licked my lips. Nix in bed was hot enough to make me lose my mind. But like this? My heart was aching, pain slicing through my chest like he was stabbing me with a knife, and I had no idea what to say. “You said I was your mate, Nix. But it wasn’t you talking. Not really. It was just your cock. Your body. We are great in bed, but as far as I can tell, you don’t like me very much. Everything I do makes you angry.”
He leaned his forearms on the wall on either side of my head so we were close. So close I felt his breath on my face. Felt the heat from his body seep into mine. “Only because you insist on doing it alone. And my cock didn’t say we were mates. The goddess did. I awakened only for you. Do you think all my life I envisioned a mate who was headstrong and stubborn and willful and disobedient?”
I took a deep breath, narrowed my eyes. “Exactly my point. If you don’t want me, that’s fine. Just go. Go home, wherever the hell that is. Forget about me. I’m sure the consort is around. He can finish me off and you’ll be free.”
I didn’t want him to go, but I wasn’t going to be with a guy who didn’t like me just the way I was. He could just go back to being a queen’s guard, and he wouldn’t have to deal with someone so willful and stubborn. Oh, and headstrong too. I was disobedient.
“Free?” He leaned in, pressed his forehead to mine. We shared breath. His heart was pounding. Hard. Like he was running a race, or fucking me raw. “Save me, mate. Don’t you understand?”
I pursed my lips. “Obviously, I don’t.”
He closed his eyes. Breathed. When he looked at me again, I sucked in a breath. I’d never seen him like this, not even when he was deep inside me and at the brink of a climax. “I am free. I am home. With you. Wherever the hell that is. Palace or cleric rooms at the fortress. Mytikas or Earth. You are where I belong. I am in love with you, Destiny.”
Wow, that had all the feels and that dagger in my heart twisted. Pain flooded my body and tears gathered. I couldn’t breathe. Was he trying to kill me? Did he mean it? Truly? “You don’t even know me.”
“Yes, I do. I want you. Your sharp brain, your brilliant brawn, your gorgeous body. I love the way you challenge me and everyone else. I respect you for your power and your strength. Everything about you makes your surrender in my arms all the sweeter. I want you. Your heart. Your trust. Your mind. I want all of it. Yes, we’ve been fucking like zebcats to soothe your Ardor and I want to end it and soon. I want to be able to prove to you I’m not here just to fuck you senseless, although you won’t hear me complain about that.”
I cracked a smile. A real smile, with tears. This was torment of the sweetest kind. A pain I’d never felt bloomed in my chest. Love. But not the kind of love I shared with my sisters or my parents. That love was safe. Old. Well worn. No, this was raw and powerful and hurt like a bitch. And I didn’t want it to stop. Ever.
“I want every stubborn, willful inch of you.”
“Nix.” I whispered his name and held his gaze. I didn’t try to hide what I was feeling. I didn’t know how. My smile grew wider and the tears slid silently down my cheeks as I saw the same agony in his gaze. The same pain. The same raw, vulnerable anguish.
He loved me. Holy shit. He really did.
Before I could even reach out and cup his cheek, he gripped my elbow and tugged me further down the hall to our rooms. “I’m not fucking you in a hallway. We’re finishing this in a bed.”
Kicking the door closed behind him, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against it, watching me. We faced each other for long moments; neither of us said a word. This time was going to be different. This time was going to hurt in the most elemental of ways. Not physical pain, but raw emotion I’d never imagined.
After this, there would be no going back.
Was I okay with that? I closed my eyes and took my time, pulling air into my lungs, making sure it was me, and not the Ardor, answering that question. Nix. He’d given me everything. Every part of himself. He’d fought in the Hive wars, he killed. He protected. It was part of his DNA. Just like me, he was selfless. Honorable. Sexy. Intelligent. Possessive. Rough. Gentle. Honest. Fearless.
Ascension Saga, Book 8: Interstellar Brides®: Ascension Saga Page 3