Tarnished Crown (Gravestone Elite #2)

by Caitlyn Dare

  "What are you trying to say?" I ask.

  "Things can change, Bex. Cade can be overruled."

  "How?"

  She shrugs. "I don't know the details. I'm a woman. I'm not trusted with the inner workings of Q. But your blood is stronger. You deserve his title as king. You just need to figure out a way to take it."

  "Helpful, thanks," I mutter, scrubbing my hand over my jaw.

  Footsteps thunder up the stairs outside the room before the door flies open.

  "What the fuck?" I bark the second Channing ushers Mia into the room. Her cheek is glowing red. "Did that cunt hit you?" I ask, immediately on my feet and in front of her.

  "It's nothing." She tries to turn her head to the side to hide the mark, but I'm not having any of it.

  Reaching out, I turn her back to me. "Look at me, mouse," I demand, and after two seconds, she lifts her hazel eyes to mine. They're full of tears, but they're also dark with anger.

  "I'm going to fucking kill him," I seethe.

  "H-he's gone into the den with Ash and a handful of girls. He's… busy."

  I take a step toward her, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "Tell me he didn't hit you." Because if he did… White hot fury licks up my spine.

  I’ll kill him.

  I’ll fucking kill him.

  But then she splutters out, "H-he didn't."

  "Fuck, little mouse." I drop my forehead to hers and stare into her eyes. "I need you," I admit.

  "Bex, I—" I don't wait to hear what she might have to say. I slam my lips down on hers, pushing her back against the wall. She gasps in shock, giving me the opening I need. I plunge my tongue into her mouth as I lift her, her legs immediately wrapping around my waist.

  I'm vaguely aware of voices behind me, but I'm too lost in my girl to care. My hands are everywhere, reminding myself of how she feels.

  "Bexley," she moans when I drop my lips to her neck, shooting a look at the other couple in the room.

  Channing is between Sasha's legs, his mouth attached to her now exposed chest. Heat surges through me as I turn my attention back to my girl. Slipping my hand around her ass, I tuck my fingers under the fabric of her bikini bottoms and find her slick pussy.

  "Oh God, Bexley," she moans, and everything else is forgotten.

  12

  Mia

  Bexley’s fingers feel so good sliding through my wetness that I rock against his hand, desperate for more.

  “Greedy little mouse,” he taunts, claiming my mouth with dirty wet kisses.

  The few cocktails I drank out by the pool make my head spin, but it’s Bexley’s touch that makes my blood boil.

  Moans sound from deep inside the room, and I twist my head to find Channing on his knees, his head buried in between Sasha’s legs as she rides his face. Liquid lust shoots through me as I watch my friend moan and writhe for the guy she loves.

  But then Bexley pushes two fingers inside me, and all thoughts of Sasha and Channing melt away as my eyes lock on his.

  “Tell me you don’t feel this,” he grits out. “Tell me you don’t feel it, Mia.”

  “I feel it.”

  But it doesn’t change anything, and this is too risky.

  “Bexley.” My fingers claw at his chest. “Stop, we have to stop. Cade is—”

  “That fucker is downstairs with some slut bouncing on his dick. He doesn’t deserve you, little mouse.” He strokes my cheek, pressing me further against the wall as his fingers rub my pussy, making me shudder.

  “Don’t you want to get back at him? Just a little—”

  My mouth slams down on Bexley’s as I kiss him with all the frustration and anger I feel swirling inside me. It’s like a storm, violent and unstoppable, as it tears through me. Our teeth clash, our tongues fighting for dominance as I ride his hand.

  “Fuck yeah, Mia…” he rasps, adding another finger and stretching me so much it stings. But I revel in the pain. My arm loops around his neck, holding on for dear life as he keeps working me with his fingers, rolling his thumb expertly over my clit, making me moan.

  “Fuck, that’s hot,” Channing groans, and heat creeps into my cheeks.

  “Maybe we should—”

  “Don’t be shy now, mouse.” Bexley smirks, leaning in to lick his tongue along the curve of my neck. He sucks the skin there but not enough to leave a mark. I peek over at Sasha and Channing again, and he’s on top of her now, fucking her. Loving her.

  I want that.

  God, I want that.

  “Fuck me,” I breathe. “Make me forget.”

  Bexley’s head whips up, his eyes wide with surprise. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.” I nod. “But not here. Not like this.” He glances around quickly and hisses under his breath. Sasha and Channing are completely lost in each other now.

  Bexley bands his hand around my back and carries me into Sasha’s bathroom, kicking the door shut behind us. He pushes me up against the wall on the other side of the room and attacks my mouth again.

  We kiss like we’re at war, trying to get the other to submit. He winds his hand into my hair and yanks my face away from his.

  “Bex,” I whisper, “please.”

  His fingers sink inside me again, curling deep and hitting my g-spot. I shatter apart unexpectedly, crying his name.

  “I’m so fucking hard.” His voice cracks with lust. “If I don’t get inside you soon, I’m gonna explode.”

  Bexley carries me to the marbled counter and sits me on the edge. My hands run over his impressive abs, reveling in the way his muscles contract under my touch. But it’s when I ghost fingers over the barely healed brand that he shudders.

  He snags my wrist, suspending my hand there. “This… it doesn’t change anything, Mia. Not a damn thing.” Bexley crowds me, touching his head to mine. “You own me, mouse. Always will.”

  His words break something inside me, and tears prick my eyes. “I need you,” I breathe. “Please.”

  Bexley works his shorts down his hips and frees his cock, slamming it into my pussy in one smooth stroke. “Fuuuuck,” he drawls, kissing the corner of my mouth. I can hardly breathe, overwhelmed by how good he feels inside me.

  “It’s you, Mia. Only ever you.” His lips brush my ear, and he pulls out slowly and then slams back inside.

  “God,” I cry, “it feels… oh God.” The air leaves my lungs as Bexley drives into me, hard and fast. His lips brand my skin, licking and kissing and sucking as he fucks me like he might never get to do it again.

  Our moans rise above the sounds of skin slapping against skin. Bexley grabs my ass and changes his angle slightly, driving deeper, hitting my cervix until pain blends with pleasure, making me drown in sensation.

  “Fuck, Mia, you feel so fucking good…”

  “Don’t stop,” I beg. “Don’t ever stop.”

  His hand wraps around my throat tenderly, pinning me against the wall as he licks my mouth, slowing his pace and grinding into me. “I want you to come, Mia. Come all over my cock, mouse. Give it to me. Only me. Only ever me.”

  An intense wave crests inside, ripping through me as I shatter around him, crying out his name.

  “Fuck, Mia…. fuuuuuck,” he groans, spilling inside of me.

  Our chests heave, our ragged breaths filling the room. Bexley’s eyes are heavy, his pupils blown with desire.

  “Tell me what happened?” His thumb brushes the tender spot over my cheek.

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Yes, it fucking does.” His voice is a rough growl.

  “It was an accident. One of Cade’s sluts clipped me with her elbow. Forget about it.”

  I sure wanted to.

  “One day, Mia. One day I’m going to end that motherfucker.” He seals his promise with a passionate kiss, one I feel all the way down to my soul. “I meant everything I said. You own me, Mia.”

  “Bex…” I sigh, slowly coming back to reality.

  What have we done?

  But for as much as I know we sho
uldn’t have done it, I can’t deny I feel a lick of satisfaction.

  Bexley lowers me to the ground, and we clean up. I catch my reflection in the mirror. My skin is flushed, my eyes bright and brimming with lust. But what I feel for Bexley is more than that.

  He comes up behind me, slipping his arms around my waist and hugging me to his warm body. “You are so fucking strong, Mia.” He presses a kiss to my shoulder as he watches me in the mirror. “But I’m begging you, let me handle Kingsley.”

  I press my lips together, refusing to agree. I can’t let this go. I won’t.

  “Mia…”

  I’m about to answer when there’s a knock at the door. “Um, guys,” Sasha says, “you should really—”

  “Yeah,” Bexley barks, “coming.”

  “We should go,” I say, slipping out of his hold.

  “Wait.” He snags my wrist and yanks me into his chest. My hands go to his shoulders as he kisses me. “Now we can go.” He smirks.

  I let out a small sigh of relief. I know we should probably talk about what this means, but I don’t have the energy or answers to get into it right now.

  When we slip back into Sasha’s room, she looks upset and Channing is nowhere to be seen. “Everything okay?” I ask her.

  She gives me a small shrug, wrapping her arms around herself. “Channing is waiting for you outside.” Her eyes flick from Bexley to the door. “If anyone asks, I got sick and Mia is helping me deal.”

  “Yeah, okay.” Bexley glances at me. I know he wants to say more, but he doesn’t. His eyes blaze with possessiveness as he holds my gaze.

  Then he leaves, and I finally inhale a deep breath. My eyes settle on Sasha and she shakes her head.

  “We’re screwed,” she says. “So fucking screwed. But it felt good, right? Getting back at Cade?”

  “Yeah.” My lips curve into a devious smile. “It did.”

  We stay in Sasha’s room for the rest of the afternoon. At some point, the guys return to the pool with the girls and the sound of laughter and music drifts up to us. But no one tries to come and coax us out of the room.

  Sasha sleeps off her high and I lie there, next to her, replaying my time with Bexley over and over in my head.

  It was so intense, the connection between us burning brighter than ever. I know I won’t be able to stay away from him, not now. But Cade can never find out… he can never know.

  My cell vibrates and I pluck it off the nightstand, guilt flooding me when I see Annabel’s name on the screen.

  Annabel: Hey… just wondered if you’re ever going to return to dorms?

  Mia: Hey, sorry… I’ll be back later. Do you want to come over and hang out?

  Annabel: Umm, do pigs fly? I’ll bring snacks.

  I chuckle as I type my reply.

  Mia: Okay, sounds good. See you later.

  Annabel: Great. You can tell me all about your weekend.

  Another wave of guilt floods me. I don’t want to lose Annabel as a friend, but our lives are moving in different directions, and I can’t blame her for feeling left out.

  Because the reality is, she is.

  “Hey.” Sasha stirs beside me. “What time is it?”

  “A little after five.”

  “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

  “It’s okay,” I say. “You needed it.”

  “Yeah.” She sniffles. “Crazy, huh?”

  I nod.

  “Did anyone come up here?”

  “No. Whatever Channing and Bexley told them must have worked.”

  “Thank God. I’m not sure I could have faced them all, not after…”

  “I know. But we have to play our parts, Sasha.”

  She regards me, her eyes softening around the corners. “You’re different. When I first met you, I thought Cade would destroy you. But you’re not going to go down without a fight, are you?”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “I’ll help you,” she says, pushing up on her elbows. “I’ll help you find a way out.”

  “Yeah?” A plan forms in my head. I haven’t told anyone about it yet, but maybe it’s time. “My dad works at the Town Hall.”

  “My dad, Phillip works out of that office.”

  “I know. My dad works security for him. I’m going to try and get into the town’s records.”

  “What?” Her eyes go wide.

  “There has to be something, Sasha. Something I can use against Cade or Quinctus.”

  “I don’t know… that sounds kind of dangerous.”

  “More dangerous than sitting by and letting Cade do whatever he wants? You said it yourself, he’s unhinged. I’m not going to sit around and see how far he’s willing to go.”

  “What do you hope to find?”

  “I don’t know. Something. Anything. There must be records about all of this. Official Quinctus records. If they’re kept anywhere, it would be in that building.”

  “Okay, I’m in.”

  I nod, feeling adrenaline pulse through me. She’s right, it is dangerous. But I need answers.

  And the town archives seem like the best place to start.

  13

  Bexley

  The second we emerge from the house with fresh drinks and bags of chips in hand, curious glances turn our way. But it’s the moment Cade's eyes lock on mine that my previous high vanishes.

  Nothing like your shitty reality to kill your buzz.

  "Where the fuck have you two been?"

  "Sasha's fucking out of it. I tried helping her to her room to sleep it off, but she had a meltdown halfway up and kicked off. Took both of us to get her there," I say, holding Cade's eyes steady. There is a half-truth in there, after all.

  "Where's Mia?"

  I swallow my nerves and say three little words that hurt more than anything. "With you, right?"

  "No."

  "She's with Sasha," Brandon announces, appearing from the house. "Can hear them talking."

  "Right." Cade's eyes hold mine as if his evil stare will force me to spill my secrets, but he's shit out of luck with that.

  No one—aside from those in the room—are going to know about what just went down.

  "Come on." Channing slaps my shoulder as he passes and drops down onto the lounger.

  "I'm watching you, Easton," Cade growls as I pass him.

  "What's new there? I hope your whores were worth it," I quip as I march past him, hitting his shoulder for good measure. "He's a cunt," I mutter, dropping down beside Channing, "and those pills Sasha takes are shit."

  "You didn't—fuck, Bex. You need to stay off that shit."

  I shrug. "Because the reality is so much better?"

  "No, but you need to be on guard. If he catches—"

  "He won't. We're smarter than that, right?" The two of us share a knowing smirk. My body begins to heat once more as I remember him and Sasha on the bed only feet away from Mia and me.

  Fuck, that was hot.

  Although not as hot as sliding inside her again. God, I’ve missed that.

  I shift on my lounger and Channing doesn't miss the move.

  "Yeah," he says, answering my unspoken question. "That needs to fucking happen again."

  I'm still trying to find the right answer when two more people descend on the pool.

  "Wondered when you were going to show your face, motherfucker," Cade barks at Tim as he and Fawn approach.

  She's as white as a sheet but dressed appropriately in a black bathing suit and pink cover-up.

  "Sorry we're late."

  "Don't sweat it. The party has barely started, right girls?" he asks the mostly naked girls who are once again splashing around in the pool.

  Fawn looks at them and rolls her eyes, slipping from Tim's side and falling down onto one of the loungers. She looks around as if she's trying to find someone—Sasha, maybe—but when she comes up empty, she rests her head back and closes her eyes.

  Tim watches her for a few seconds before taking off in Cade's direction and accepting a drink
from him.

  "What's their deal?" I ask Channing, more than curious about the pair—or more so the guy that had Hadley banished from town.

  "Promised to each other when they were in diapers. They had their Eligere a couple years ago. They'll be married after they graduate."

  "You think they're happy?" I ask, keeping my eyes on Fawn.

  "Sometimes, yeah. Every now and then you'll catch them looking at each other and it makes you wonder if all of this bullshit can work. But more often than not, she's nowhere to be seen and Tim looks too exhausted to think, let alone work."

  "Why?"

  He shrugs. "Don't know the details, but I think she's got mental health issues. Or at least that's what I've surmised."

  "What about him? He doesn't seem like them." I nod to Cade and Ashton, where the three of them are now deep in conversation.

  "Oh, he is. He's Electi through and through. Fawn is just a distraction. I guess you could say she's softened him, but that's only because he doesn't live this life 24/7 anymore. But don't let him fool you with Fawn on his arm. He's just as twisted and brutal as they come."

  "Devil in sheep’s clothing, huh?"

  "Unless you see him angry. Then he's pure fucking evil."

  "Right."

  I watch them for a minute or two before looking back at Fawn. If she does have mental health issues, I can't help wondering how much of it is because of this bullshit life she's been born into and the role she's now forced to play as an Electi's fiancée.

  Neither Channing nor I move unless it's to get more drinks or take a piss. We don't mention what happened or either of the girls’ names for fear of being overheard. We just attempt to enjoy ourselves, which is a fucking challenge when you’re partying with the devil himself.

  We're forced to watch him with every girl here who isn't the one he's been promised too, and with every new one he moves onto the harder my nails dig into my palms. Of course, I don't want him to be with Mia, but she at least deserves a little fucking respect.

  She was fucking you not so long ago. How's that for respect?