by C. Lymari
“I love you,” I whispered in his ear.
Love was not perfect. And making love didn’t have to be sweet.
Queen. Knight. Soldier
My eyes sprang open in the middle of the night. I had a gut feeling I was being watched. Without moving, I did the best I could to look around the dark room, trying to find any danger. It sounded stupid, but I trusted my gut. Just like every night, one of my arms was around Ember’s waist, her body molding against mine, seeking protection and comfort, something I no longer fought against but fucking lived for. I bent down and smelled the mint of her hair and kissed her forehead lightly so I wouldn’t wake her.
The door was closed, but something felt off. I reached for my nightstand, trying to grab my gun, when my hand met the cold wooden surface. My heart thumped, knowing I left it there last night. My head whipped to the right, my eyes adjusting to the darkness. That didn’t matter because there was no denying that the Glock I always left there for protection was missing.
Shit.
Carefully I laid Ember on the pillow, trying not to wake her—at least not yet. My blood ran cold when I saw what was on her side table. Fear was not a word I used lightly. When you played devil’s advocate, you became desensitized to emotions. Fear was an emotion that that came with caring for someone other than yourself. Not too long ago, I called myself fearless, but wanting someone so fucking bad you’d die for them—it made you human.
I got off the bed, slowly walking to the other side. I turned on the lamp just to verify that what I was seeing was real and not a figment of my imagination. In my world, it was a calling card. Only one person used this, and it was known from east to west from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean. This flower symbolized death. Silently, I checked the room until I was sure no one was in here. I kneeled at the side of the bed and grabbed a Glock I had stashed and moved my pillow, grabbing a knife.
The only thing that kept me rational was the fact that if they wanted Ember and me dead, we would already be. I opened the door slowly, my Glock in front of me ready to shoot first and ask questions later as I checked the hallway. Arrogance was a downfall, and right now, I was falling.
Since I now took Ember’s safety personally, I was the only one in the house with her—to give us a sense of normalcy. I figured that with guards outside, it might have been enough. No one was in the control room, so there was no one to watch my back while I searched the house.
The hallway was dark; the only light I could see was that of the windows. I faltered for a second the moment I saw a shadow on one of the sofas. I could feel eyes boring into me, but I ignored them. Straightening myself, I made my way down the staircase into the living room.
The city lights illuminated the living room. Sitting on one of Ember’s sofas was a woman I was sure was a myth. Her legs were crossed, and she watched me like I was her prey. Funny how the tables had turned. Her hair was black and shiny like feathers of a raven. She had pale porcelain skin, and her clothing blended with the night.
“Are you lost?” I told her once I stepped foot on the floor.
“Just needed a place to rest.” Her voice was gravelly but pleasant with a mild Russian accent. “What are friends for, right?”
Her eyebrow raised, and I felt her gray eyes pierce me, trying to get a rise out of me.
“What are you doing here? You hurt her, and I swear to God I will make you—”
“I bow to no kingdom, and I kneel before no man. You’re not going to make me do anything.” She uncrossed her leg and sat straighter as she glared at me. “Did you not think we would come to collect what was promised to us?”
“I never made—”
“It matters not who made them, but that they were made.”
“Kill me. Take me. Call it even,” I growled, pissed because I should have known it would have come down to this.
“You killed your partner. The one who had been with you since the beginning.”
“If there’s no loyalty, there’s nothing.”
Killing Pam was the easiest decision I’d ever made. I gave her mercy by doing it quick and clean. The woman seemed to think about it, her head cocking to the side. I felt the slow presence of death at my back, ready to strike, and I was afraid. Not for me, but for Ember.
“I came here to offer you a deal,” she said.
I raised my eyebrow for her to keep going.
“Her life for your servitude.”
My body chilled. I never thought I would be separated from Ember this soon. This would crush her, and the thought fucked with me because she was a part of me. I never wanted to see hurt.
“Fine,” I gritted out.
She tilted her head to the side.
“You’d throw your life away for her?”
“I’d kill you right here if I knew your fucking people wouldn’t come after her.”
“And if I let you stay with her?” Her voice dropped to a softer tone, much gentler.
I knew what she wanted from me at that moment. “I’ll give you my gratitude, and maybe one day, even my loyalty.”
“War is coming, Falcon, and I started to place my pieces on the board. I need soldiers, but most importantly, I need loyalty. Now, I know loyalty is earned and not bought, so I want you to remember my mercy. I want you to know that I will not collect what we were promised. I will make sure the organization does not come after you. The blame will lie at my feet, and in return, I want you to be ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“For the day I say jump.”
I thought about it for a second, letting myself think about what this could mean. In the end, it kept Ember safe, so I’d sell my soul to the devil if it meant I could stay with her another day.
“You have my word.”
“Until we meet again, Falcon.”
She gave me a nod as she rose to her feet. She was a lot shorter than I would have thought. Her presence alone made her appear taller.
As she made her way to the elevator, she said, “Let’s go.”
I tried not to make a move.
“Boo,” was whispered by my ear.
I turned my head and finally saw the other person who had been in the room all along, ready to kill me had she given the order. He was my height, making it easier to look him straight in the eyes with a face anyone would recognize in plain sight. He was on all the magazines and tabloids. If Ember was the princess of diamonds, he was the oil prince. One day, he’d dropped from the face of the earth—turns out, he had been residing in hell.
“She’s a pretty little dime,” he taunted me.
I whipped my gun out so fast, the barrel touching his forehead. The fucker smiled at me, his white teeth gleaming.
“He’s kinda mouthy, but I need him.”
Both our heads swung to where the lobby door was now open, and it illuminated her as she spoke. She was like Snow White, if that bitch was gothic.
“Bas,” she warned.
The asshole took a step to the side and followed her. He was in a suit while she wore a commando getup. I made my way after them, making sure that they got on the elevator and left Ember and me alone.
Just as the woman pressed the button to the elevator door, I passed on Gideon’s message. And all I could hope was that the fucker didn’t get me killed. Because I knew the pale woman with the face of an angel was a demon. One of their deadliest members. No one knew her real name, just her alias.
“Petals don’t last long on their own.”
There was no emotion on her face, which was still as impassive as it had been earlier. She put her hand in her back pocket, and just as the door started to close, she brought her hand out like a cobra. I heard a loud thud behind me, but I didn’t turn around.
I put my gun down as I watched the elevator make its way down, knowing I’d be meeting them again. Once the numbers showed that the elevator had made it to the first floor, I turned around.
On the floor was a canvas bag, and inside was an obsidian dagger with rubies adorn
ing the hilt. I took it out, observing the craftsmanship. It was a beauty of a knife, no denying that. In the middle of the handle, it had a scripted S.
There was a reason G called her petal, why her calling card was the same flowers she used as her alias, Daphne’s were toxic, and so was she.
You could run from everyone in this world except for the organization she worked for.
The Sect: feared by all and bowed to none.
Epilogue
The monitor room was quiet and peaceful, unlike the rest of the house. I never knew the Day of the Dead could be so chaotic. Checking the camera feed, I found Ember right away as she smiled at whatever her makeup artist told her. She looked beautiful, full of life, different from how she had looked the first time I saw her.
My dick got hard just looking at her. Something that had also happened the first time I laid eyes on her through my computer screen. Her rookie mistake of not covering her camera lens had probably saved her life. If I had never come along, who knows what would have happened to her?
Now when I looked at her, there was no sadness in her gaze, but I did see fire. She was full of it. She ran her company with a passion that enthralled you, and I noticed it every time she spoke about it.
I stopped staring at her and checked the rest of the cameras in the house. The maid was making food, and the guards were posted by the front entrances. Ember’s dad was on the terrace, reading a magazine.
He would not be joining us today. He wanted to spend the day alone. It was obvious he’d never gotten over his wife. I moved the screen again so I could put Ember’s room on the big monitor. Since fashion week, we had been going solid. Fights here and there, nothing major, just mostly stress on her part at the fact that we were both a bit fucked-up and I didn’t do a nine-to-five job. Except somehow I got roped into being the Remingtons’ head of security all while doing a favor at a time for the Estacados.
Something Ember wasn’t allowed to ask about. If something ever happened, I wanted her to remain clean.
Having the Sect’s enforcer come gave me peace of mind that no one else would be coming for me. I finally had a future. It never felt like I’d had one when I was living my life one day at a time, but this time I was making it count.
A little while later, there was a knock on my door.
“Come in,” I said even though I already knew who it was.
Ember walked in, smiling at me. There was mischief in her eyes, and right away, I sat straighter.
Death had never looked so good.
She was wearing a tight leather halter top with a long red tulle skirt, and her face was done in full skull; the white wasn’t heavy, just a lot of shadowing. She looked fucking hot. She loved this holiday because it reminded her of her mother. I didn’t understand it, but she asked me to go to the parade with her, and here I was wearing all black and a face full of skull makeup.
“You look hot.” She grinned at me.
I extended my hand to her, and she took it, letting me drag her toward me, and then she straddled me.
“Are you ready?”
“Yeah, came to get you. I want to get there early, walk around a bit through the vendors, and then watch the parade and the fireworks and come back home.”
My hands came to her waist, pulling her to my body as she ground on me.
“You’re feeling better?” I asked.
She’d been bitching a lot in the past days, and she might not have known why, but I did. Ember was one of the hottest jewelers right now, and all the celebrities and socialites wanted her to design their wedding or engagement rings. I didn’t think she knew what she was saying when she bitched about it, but I did.
“I am. I think I just needed a break, and lots and lots of pot.”
“You’re crazy,” I mumbled, kissing the top of her breast.
“No hickeys,” she whimpered as she pulled my face closer to her chest. “I’m a businesswoman.”
“Princess, I barely get my mouth on you and you start begging me to show the world you belong to me.”
She stayed quiet because it was true.
“Well, you’re supposed to have self-control.”
I started to lick up her chest and her neck as she kept grinding against me.
When I made it to her lips, I mumbled, “When it comes to you, I have none.”
Ember kissed me as she started to undo my pants.
“If you’re going to fuck me right now, Ember, you’re going to be walking around with cum leaking down at the fest.”
She seemed to think about it, which I found amusing.
“Come on, let’s go,” I said because it was apparent I had to be the one who showed restraint.
She rolled her eyes, but I had plans for her, and I didn’t want to be late for them.
Once I was up, I put the code into the computer system so the feed could go to someone who was at headquarters and they could keep an eye on Michael. Even though the threat of their hit was minimal, there was always someone looking for a quick score. Not that I thought anyone would want to mess with me.
When that was done, I hugged Ember from behind, my lips brushing her ear, causing her to shiver. The way she loved everything I did to her got me high.
“Tonight you’re going to climb on the pole and strip for me while I jerk off, then you’re going to get on your knees, suck me off until you feel like they’re bleeding, then will I let you choke on my cum.”
She made that little noise that drove me mad. I kissed her neck and led her out of the control room. Hand in hand, we were a couple forged in hell, and in each other we found paradise. To everyone else, she was no angel, but to someone like me, she was the most angelic thing I’d ever seen.
“Bye, Daddy!” she called out as I walked up to the elevator.
I took a second to marvel at her beauty. My hands went to the crown on her head; it was black, adorned with red and white diamonds.
Come tomorrow, she would be in front of another magazine cover, and I would be along with her. The media was obsessed with her, and in return, they were obsessed with me. I stayed out as much as I could, but it was hard, so I just went along, feeding a sorry past to the paps and praying they never dug too deep.
Then again, no one would expect Ember to date a killer.
As the elevator made its way down, she pulled out a joint.
“Ember.”
She turned to look at me as she lit it up.
“Never change.” I kissed her nose.
We made our way to my new car, a gift from Ember’s father. I’d refused it, but the fucker was persistent.
“I know who you are and what you do. He hated you.”
He didn’t have to tell me who “he” was.
“I don’t care because you saved my little girl. I heard you in the hospital. You wanted to wake up so you could show her how to soar… Let me do this for you, for her… Take it, because what you’ve done for my family and for me I could never repay.”
I’d grown up with nothing, learning to claw my way out of the gutter, and now I was fucking a princess every night and driving a crimson matte Ferrari Spider, and my life was somewhat my own.
Life was fucking perfect.
Once at the parade, I made my way to where the floats were kept and parked there knowing the crowd would watch over my car. Not that I cared about materialistic things. They didn’t get me hard like they did other people.
As soon as I grabbed Ember’s hand and we started to walk, I felt people pointing their phones at us. Ember didn’t even notice anymore, and she never made an apology about it. I knew what I had the moment I decided I wanted her.
For it being the Day of the Dead, Ember looked happier than I’d ever seen her. She was full of life, talking to Mrs. Rosales and her nephew, Jorge, as they asked her about the new homeless shelter she was helping build.
Keeping her in my sight at all times, I gave her the space to talk without me hovering around. I put my hand in my pocket to pull out a cigarette whe
n my fingers met the round object.
Michael had been all too happy to help me with my request.
When the parade started, I held on to her waist as she watched the dancers. When the fireworks began, I bent my head so I could kiss her lips.
“Let’s get you home,” I whispered in her ear.
She grabbed my arm and rested her head on my chest. As we walked to the car, she pulled back, held my hand, and walked toward the alley where I had shot Gio.
“It all happened so fast.”
Her words were low, but I heard them.
“You asked me once if I believed in fate. I do.”
She turned to me, her hands cupping my cheeks.
“I had been praying for so long for someone to save me, and then stopped. Instead I asked God to give me strength, and that’s you…” Her head tilted to the side. “You’re the steel in my spine, the strong arms that have held me at my weakest. You’re the redemption I didn’t know I was looking for. Because you saw something in me when I could barely look at myself in the mirror and not be disgusted.”
Fuck, I felt those words in the pit of my stomach.
I grabbed her hips and pulled her to me. “You stood by me, Ember, when everyone else ran from me.” With one hand wrapped around her hip and the other on her chin, it was now or never. “I’ve never had anything that’s been just mine. All my life, I have had to fight, lie, cheat, and steal to make ends meet. We made our vows in blood already in your shower…I’m not going to get down on one knee because I think that’s stupid. A tradition of men feeling like they need to kneel when they feel superior. You’re my equal, a fearless fucking queen, and I’m in awe of you.”
Ember blinked furiously, and her mouth parted and then closed until she whooshed out, “What are you saying?”
“For the first time, I want something that’s just mine, something that when everyone looks at it, they know they can’t ever get it.”