by Hope Hart
This is his sanctuary, and he sure doesn’t want others to know about it.
It’s Tridi who’s striding along the forest path, two guards in tow. He looks surprised when we appear from within the forest, and I clear my throat.
“I saw the cutest furry animal and insisted we get closer,” I laugh, batting my lashes for good measure. “His Majesty was kind enough to help me.”
Tridi nods, his brow creasing, but he seems to accept that explanation. Arix takes my hand and squeezes it, the gesture not missed by Tridi’s keen eyes.
“I was hoping to talk to you,” Tridi says, and Arix nods.
“I’ll be right there.”
Tridi glances between us, raising his eyebrows. Then he nods, turning back toward the clearing where we had lunch, chatting to his guards as he leaves. Unlike mine and Sarissa’s guards, his are obviously for his protection, while ours seem to have been put in place to protect everyone else from whatever threat we apparently present.
Arix squeezes my hand again, and I jump, realizing I’ve been frowning after Tridi. His eyes are serious, and he leans close, murmuring in my ear.
“You are never to be alone with him,” he says, and my mouth drops open.
“What? Why?”
“Promise me.”
I search his face, and from his lowered brows and the sharp jut of his chin, it’s obvious this is important to him.
“I promise.”
“Good.” He turns and strides away.
Chapter Six
Vivian
I walk back with Sarissa, our guards trailing at a distance. Neither of us wants to go back to our rooms just yet, so we head toward the gardens. The neat rows of flowers and shorter grass make these gardens lovely to walk through, but they don’t come close to matching Arix’s mom’s wild garden, hidden from view all these years.
Sarissa is quiet, and I nudge her with my elbow. “What’s up?”
She sighs. “Nothing. I just feel bad for leaving the other women. Clara was pissed when I said I’d go with you. She told me leaders don’t get to just quit when the going is tough. She said we may have found help, but part of leadership was providing emotional support and stability.”
I scowl at that. “You’re of more help here, looking for a way off this planet, than you are being a shoulder to cry on back at camp.”
“I’m worried I made the wrong choice.”
“Well, I’m worried about you.”
Her eyes widen slightly. “What do you mean?”
“I saw your notes on the Grivath.”
She shrugs. “I want revenge. That’s no secret.”
“What if we can’t get off this planet?”
“Oh, we’re getting off this planet. I don’t care who I have to kill to make it happen.”
I glance around us, but the guards are giving us more privacy than usual, chatting amongst themselves.
“This doesn’t sound like you, Rissa.”
Are those tears sparkling in her aqua eyes? I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen my cousin cry.
“You don’t understand, V. When we were on that ship…I thought we were going to die. We all did. And then Kelly really did die. Some of those women…a few of them are still teenagers. They’re so young, and they were losing their minds. I promised them we’d get out of there. I know I shouldn’t have made any promises, but I swore we’d make the Grivath pay for what they did. And now we have a chance to do exactly that.”
I sigh. I get it now. “And you always keep your promises.”
She nods, her face hard, all signs of tears gone. “That’s right.”
I know not to say it, but I say it anyway.
“You can’t let what happened impact your entire life. It’s not your fault, Rissa. You couldn’t have saved her.”
She immediately shuts down, her eyes flashing warningly at me. “I’m not talking about this.”
“Sarissa…”
“Not. Talking. About. It.”
“Fine!” I throw up my hands. “God, you’re stubborn.”
“Aw, thanks, V. That means a lot coming from you.”
I growl, and she laughs, brushing a stray tear off her face. “Soooo what did you and Mr. Tall, Dark, and Royal talk about?”
“Not much. His parents were murdered. Did you know that?”
She nods. “I learned that on our first day here. I thought you knew. According to most people, the king and queen were well liked, and known as fair rulers with a penchant for helping the poor. They had some policies that were unpopular amongst the wealthier people here—similar to tax increases on Earth. But they had no true enemies.”
“So whoever killed them was likely to be someone who wanted their throne.”
“Yeah. I thought it might be Arix at first. After all, he was supposed to be in the royal quarters with them. He’d snuck out that night. But he was just a kid, really, and everyone says he adored—and was adored by—his parents. Plus, he attempted to get into the royal quarters to save them while it was burning.”
Sarissa’s face twists, and my heart does the same.
“Rissa…”
“I’m okay. Anyway, the uncle is obviously suspect numero uno. After all, if Arix dies, he’s the one most likely to take the throne. But some say he wouldn’t be able to keep it—he hasn’t been working on his alliances enough over the years. After him, there are a bunch of advisers who would at least rule temporarily, and get this: the commander could be in the running for the throne too.”
I tilt my head. “You think the commander could’ve done it?”
She shrugs. “Anyone is a suspect.”
“Arix told me not to be alone with his uncle today.”
“Probably a good idea to not be alone with any of these guys. Except maybe Arix if you’re planning to let him get under your dress.” She winks at me. “So are you?”
I blow out a breath. “I’ve been working on a pros and cons list.”
She laughs. “Of course you have. Let’s hear it.”
“Okay. Pro: He makes me feel…good. He doesn’t see me as just a dumb model, although I guess that’s because he doesn’t really know what a model is. Thanks for that little peek into my life at lunch, by the way.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Con: He’s way more experienced than me.”
“Girl, that’s a pro. Why would you want to be with someone who you have to tell what to do in bed?” She wrinkles her nose. “Not fun.”
“Hmm. Okay, so you may have a point there.”
“Of course I do. Go on, give me the rest of it.”
I lean over and smell a bright-red flower, stroking one finger over the soft petals.
“Pro: It would be a chance for me to have some fun on Agron, you know? Everyone else has been banging all over the place, and I’m still practically a virgin. It’s embarrassing.”
Sarissa bursts out laughing. “Agreed. And con?”
I glance at the guards behind us. “It feels weird to consider boning someone who has guards following us around.”
She snorts. “I can guarantee the guards were at the commander’s insistence. From what I’ve learned about him, Korzyn is about as trusting as a murder cop three days from retirement. Don’t worry about him though. I’m going to find out what makes him tick. And then I’m going to kill it.”
I gape at her, and we both jump as one of the guards clears his throat.
We both whirl. “You guys are surprisingly quiet for such huge men,” I mutter, and Zion grins at me while the other guard stays blank-faced. Sarissa narrows her eyes at both guards.
“Snitches get stitches,” she advises them, and I sigh. They are definitely going to tell the commander that we were up to no good. As if the guy needs any further excuse to glower at us.
We turn and continue walking, this time glancing frequently over our shoulders to check just how close the guards are.
“Okay, then. Con?” Sarissa asks, her voice low.
&n
bsp; “I just don’t know if I’m the fling type. Other than a glimpse of sadness when he talked about his mom, I’ve never seen any real feelings from Arix.”
“That’s a good thing. You don’t want feelings from a fling. Look, this is the best-case scenario for an elongated one-night stand. No awkward phone calls, no bumping into him when you’re out with friends—or worse, a new guy—and certainly no pondering whether to have another fling in the future. You’ll get it out of your system and then leave. It’s perfect.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “You seem way too invested in this.”
She sighs. “You’ve been sad, V. And I get it. It’s hard seeing everyone else settling down with their Braxians. Now you’ll get a little slice of that, but you’ll still be able to get on that ship and kick some Grivath ass. It’s a win-win.”
“You realize absolutely none of that was about Arix himself, right?”
She shrugs. “He’s just a man. A very good-looking man, but a man all the same. And we don’t catch feelings.” She smiles. “We catch spaceships.”
I think about her words while I walk back to the castle. Before I know it, I’m standing outside Arix’s rooms, after convincing Zion to take me to them. I knock, but he doesn’t answer, so I shrug, scampering back to my room where I can pretend nothing happened.
I pace for a while, still adding to my pros and cons list. I’m being ridiculous, I know… But if I trust my traitorous body to make the decision…
I’ll be climbing all over him.
I turn at a knock on the door, my stomach fluttering as it opens. Arix stands there, his eyes on mine as if he can see through them and read all my inner thoughts.
“Korzyn said you were looking for me,” he says.
I frown. “I never told him that.”
He gives me a look, and I roll my eyes. Our guards told Korzyn, who told Arix. Got it.
“I’ve been thinking,” I say, and Arix studies my face. Whatever he sees must please him, because he smiles and closes the door.
“And?”
He prowls toward me, and I swallow, suddenly nervous.
“And…I want to…”
“Yes?”
He’s enjoying this far too much, his eyes lit with amusement.
I scowl at him. “Forget it.”
He laughs. “You’re a prickly female. Tell me what you want, Vivian, and I will give it to you.”
The words are so suggestive that I almost expect him to accompany the last part of his sentence with a hip thrust.
“You’re right, okay? I haven’t had sex in a while, and I guess I do need it.”
His face turns serious. “It’s not tumbling you need. It’s tumbling with me. Say it.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “You have a lot of demands for a guy who wants to get laid.”
He laughs, but his eyes are intent as he steps even closer. He’s so close that the scent of him teases my nostrils, making me want to close my eyes and breathe him in.
“I want you.” I blush as soon as I say it, and his face hardens.
“Finally.”
He buries his hand in my hair, taking my mouth. I groan against him, but then he’s spinning me around, directing me toward my bed.
“Wait. We’re doing this now?”
His laugh is low and rough. “You think I’m waiting after you finally told me you want me? No. If you want me to stop, tell me now, and I’ll leave. If you don’t, I’ll make you feel more pleasure than you’ve ever felt before.”
His voice is low in my ear as he stands behind me, his arm wrapped around my waist as he pushes my hair aside. He kisses along the back of my neck, and I shudder as warmth blossoms in my stomach.
“Choose, Vivian.”
Something about the way he says my name makes me giddy.
“Yes.”
The word is barely out before he’s hauling me back toward my bed again. He begins undoing my dress, kissing every inch of my bare skin as it’s revealed, and I sigh, squirming against him.
My dress drops to the floor, and I’m suddenly in nothing except the thin stockings Cauri insisted I wear. I reach back, wanting him to be just as naked as I am. But his hands are on my body, pushing and pulling until I’m where he wants me—on all fours. I blush as I glance over my shoulder, finding him standing behind me, still as stone.
His eyes are burning as he stares at my pussy and ass. “No underwear for you, then?”
I smile. “They’re too confining.”
Something like pain crosses his face. “Now every time I look at you, I’ll know you’re naked under those dresses.”
I grin, and it’s probably smug, because his eyes heat further.
“You enjoy making me lose focus?”
My grin widens. He drives me out of my mind. Why shouldn’t I do the same to him?
“Filthy female,” he murmurs, his eyes glinting with lust.
I blush harder, and I almost move, hopelessly embarrassed.
“Don’t,” he says.
I bury my face in the blanket as he positions himself behind me, his mouth finding me as he licks and plays, flicking my clit as he inserts two fingers into me. I groan into the blanket, and then his hand is in my hair, encouraging me to lift my head.
“I want to hear you.”
That somehow drives me higher, and he rewards my moans with long strokes of his tongue.
My orgasm unfurls from my center, shimmering through my body until I collapse, gasping.
Arix leans over and nibbles along my neck while I rub myself against him, attempting to align myself with the huge cock I glimpsed a few minutes ago. I’m not sure exactly how he plans to fit that thing in my vagina, but I’m up for the challenge.
Arix growls and hauls me back up to my hands and knees, plunging into me without warning. My hands reach out, scrabbling at the blanket as I clamp down around him, immediately on edge again.
He circles his hips, hitting all the spots inside me that make me moan, and then he’s clutching my hips in his huge hands, holding me still as he slams inside me. He’s impossibly big in this position, and I open my mouth, about to protest, but he slips his hand down to my clit and all thought leaves my brain.
He lets out a growl as I tighten around him, and then he’s the one losing that control he’s so fond of. He pulls me up onto my knees, one hand on my breast, the other on my clit, as he grinds himself into me. He plays with my nipple and then moves that hand up, circling my throat, his touch possessive.
“Mine,” he growls, and the word throws me over, making me shudder in his arms as pleasure rips through every inch of my body. He thrusts twice more and then stills, breathing heavily as he pulls me even closer.
I don’t know whether to chide him for his arrogance or high-five him for being right.
He did give me more pleasure than I ever felt before. We’re both still gasping as he pulls out of me, and I feel immediately empty as he moves away.
He runs one hand along my spine with a hum, and then he disappears for a moment before reappearing with a damp cloth, which he presses between my legs while I attempt not to blush. From his low laugh, he can tell just how embarrassed I am.
“Shit. We didn’t use a condom.”
His face is blank as I roll over, and he’s still gloriously naked, hardening once more as his gaze finds my breasts and seems to get stuck there. He plucks at my nipple, and I groan.
His eyes light, and I raise my hand, covering his mouth as he leans down.
“Protection. No babies, remember?”
Understanding flashes across his face, and he pulls my hand away. “I will have a tonic sent to you tonight with dinner. It’s made with the petals of a flower with contraceptive properties. If you take it each day, you will not conceive.”
I sigh. I barely know Arix, but for some reason, I trust him with this. Something tells me he’d be as panicked about a surprise baby as I would be.
I stroke my hands over his shoulders, fascinated by the green-and-blue sca
les that gleam in the light.
He’s waiting for me to answer, and I nod, waving a hand the way I’ve seen him do when he’s sitting on his throne.
“Proceed.”
He grins at that, leaning down and taking my nipple in his mouth. I groan, and he chuckles, sliding his hand back down to the wet heat of me.
I don’t think again for the rest of the night.
Chapter Seven
Arix
I wake, frowning as I realize I’m hard as rock, my body wrapped around a female. I scowl. I always ensure the females I take to bed have left my chambers before I sleep.
The female in question lets out a low hum in her sleep, and I harden even further. I open my eyes, pushing aside blonde hair.
Vivian.
I’m in her rooms. I fell asleep with a female. This never happens.
Vivian shifts, letting out a small groan, and I run my hand over her head.
She blinks open her eyes, gazing at me blearily, as if confused that I’m in her bed.
My teeth clench.
She glances around her, as if confirming we’re indeed in her room, and I narrow my own eyes.
“You’re still here?” She slaps her hand over her mouth. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that to sound as rude as it came out.”
“Nothing dents a male’s ego like being asked that very question in his own castle,” I murmur, and she smirks at me.
I lean down, kissing her smirk away, and she sighs against my mouth.
“The answer is yes,” I mumble, pressing kisses against her lips between each word. Then I raise myself onto my elbows, leaning over her. “I am still here because we’re not done yet.”
She laughs as I roll her fully onto her back. When I have her right where I want her—beneath me—I take my time, kissing my way down her smooth pale throat.
I linger over the white scar above her breast. She was almost killed during the last battle with the Dokhalls, and I tense at the memory of her, so close to death as she lay in another male’s arms.
The brave female saved the life of her pregnant friend.