Great Hexpectations, A Paranormal Romance / Urban Fantasy (Dulcie O'Neil Series #3)

by H. P. Mallory

  “No,” he said quickly, shaking his head. “I would never put you in this place. This is how it has to be.”

  I felt tears building behind my eyes. “Knight…”

  “I don’t want to think about it anymore.” He caught my hand and brought it to his mouth. “I just want to have this, you and I, right now, together and alone.”

  I felt the tears continue to build and once I blinked, they began rolling down my cheeks. I didn’t even try to stop them. “Whatever happens…” I lost my voice and forced myself to find it again. “I want you to know… I want you to know...”

  “I love you too, Dulcie,” Knight said and much more eloquently than my attempt.

  I felt my throat tighten and I could barely breathe. The tears were coming full stream now and sliding down my cheeks, only to splash against his shirt. “I do love you,” I whispered, the realization hitting me like an anvil over the head. Why hadn’t I given into my feelings for him a long time ago? Because the truth of the matter was that I’d been in love with Knight for a very long time.

  Knight glanced down at me with the beginnings of a smile on his lips. He tilted my chin up and brought his lips to mine, kissing me. It was a kiss more passionate and deeper than any we’d ever shared. It told of the emotion within each of us, of the pain and the anger that wouldn’t abate. And of the tie between us, the fact that for the next couple of days, our worlds could fall apart around us but as long as we had each other, we would laugh in the face of adversity.

  I had him for two more days…

  I pulled away and shifted my body around until I was facing him. I stood up, smiling down at him as I realized what I intended to do. Not worried who could see me, (probably no one given how dark it was), I slid my pants down my hips. I watched Knight’s Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard, watching my panties drop before I let them fall on top of my pants. Knight’s eyes began to glow, his body pointing to the fact that he had claimed me, that I was his mate.

  I said nothing as I leaned down onto my knees and ran my hand across the stiffness between his thighs. I found the flap in his prison pants and pulled his erection through it, palming him as I ran my hand up and down his shaft. He was so incredibly hard and I wanted nothing more than to feel united with him, feel him inside me as we damned both our destinies and found a small bit of happiness in one another.

  I started untying my shoelaces, wanting to free myself from my shoes, pants and panties. Knight just watched me patiently as I fought with my sneakers, trying to pull them off as quickly as I could. I glanced up at Knight and at his expression of amusement, giggled.

  “Need some help?” he asked but he didn’t wait for me to respond. He merely pulled off my sneaker, helping me free my legs of my jeans and panties. Once I was completely naked, I hovered above him for just a moment, then straddled him. I reached for his erection as I ran it up and down against me, feeling myself sting with the need to have him inside me. Staring at him the entire time, I held him still and dropped myself down, throwing my head back as I felt him fill me.

  He wrapped his arms around me and pushed up, until he was fully ensconced within me. Then he began pumping up and down as I rode him, fresh tears beginning to pool from my eyes again.

  “I will always love you, Dulcie,” he whispered into my neck.

  Fourteen

  I woke up to the sound of metal clanking against metal. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes to find the goblin working a key into our door lock. There were two plates of something that resembled slop—shapeless and colorless but definitely not odorless—on a tray at his feet. I suddenly worried that I was in a state of wardrobe disrepair from Knight’s and my love-making the night before. I glanced down and sighed in relief when I noticed I was completely clothed. Knight must have taken care of the chore of dressing me once I’d fallen asleep.

  Yep, he was definitely a keeper.

  I pushed up from where I’d been lying against the hard cement, with only Knight’s arm for a pillow. The entire right side of my body was numb, probably from the coldness of the floor. I glanced over at my cell mate and noticed he was lying on his side and smiling up at me; beautiful even though he was still covered with bruises and scabs from his rough treatment by the prison guards. Neither of us had showered since I couldn’t remember, so I was sure we stunk to high-heaven, although I couldn’t say my sense of smell was offended by us, only the goblin’s slop.

  I didn’t have the chance to say “good morning” or even “hello,” to my incredibly handsome Loki because before I knew it, the goblin was in our cell, pushing the plates of slop at us. I frowned at him and the slop, shaking my head at the very idea of putting the nasty stuff in my mouth.

  “I’d rather starve,” I grumbled.

  Knight stood up and, after a quick yawn, inspected the non-descript lumps the goblin was calling food. He nodded, facing me with a quick smile, “I concur.”

  “Ya have a visitor,” the goblin announced irritably as he turned to walk out of the cell, locking it behind him again. Then, as if an afterthought, he unlocked the door again and retrieved the tray, frowning at both of us as he did so.

  “Is Bram here?” I asked after his retreating figure.

  The goblin shook his head at the same time that a man appeared in the hallway just behind him. The man was incredibly tall, probably as tall as Knight and just as handsome with strong, chiseled and well-defined features. Well, nearly as handsome as Knight.

  The goblin motioned for the man to approach our cell with a nod of his head and then, apparently thinking we might want a little privacy, retired to the far end of the corridor, taking the tray with him. Before reaching the end of the hallway, he called out: “Ya got twenty minutes” and then the very distinct sound of a goblin eating slop accosted my ears and I felt queasy.

  I couldn’t help but notice how much more compliant the goblin was when Bram was in attendance. A fact which still made me scratch my head as I wondered what level of involvement Bram had with the Netherworld higher ups. But, at the moment, I didn’t want to focus on Bram or the goblin. Instead, I was curious as to who this amazingly handsome man was—a man who looked like he could have been Knight’s brother. The man took a few steps toward our cell and then paused as he alternated his gaze from me to Knight.

  “You must be a Loki,” I said out loud even though I only intended to think the statement. Before the man could respond, I felt Knight’s arm around me as he pulled me close and we approached our handsome visitor.

  “Gabriel,” Knight said and the tone of his voice as well as the deep smile etched on his face pointed to the fact that he was happy to see the man. “Took you long enough!”

  Knight stepped away from me and walked over to Gabriel, offering his hand through the prison bars. Gabriel took it and pumped it heartily, covering their clasped hands with his other one.

  When they broke away from one another, Gabriel’s full lips broke into a dazzling smile, revealing white and perfectly straight teeth that contrasted against his olive skin. With his hazel eyes and dark brown hair, he was the second handsomest man I’d ever seen. The most handsome man award being reserved for my own Loki, of course.

  “I was in the Dark World on a training mission, brother,” Gabriel answered. “Otherwise, I would have been here a long time ago.” He glanced around the prison cell and sighed, before his gaze settled on me. “You must be the fairy, Dulcie, Knight has talked so much about.”

  “That’s me,” I said with a smile, surprised by Gabriel’s announcement that I had been the subject of his and Knight’s conversation. Knight turned around to face me, as though remembering I was still there. He took a step closer and threw his beefy arm around me, inviting me into the cocoon of his chest.

  “Yes, this is Dulcie,” Knight said as he smiled down at me. “The one woman who has driven me to insanity on more than one occasion.”

  Even though I smiled, it felt odd to me that we were doing the small talk bit considering that Gabriel
was standing here, in prison, speaking to us on the other side of our cell bars. Small talk was ridiculous at this point— because it was very obvious that Gabriel had come to say goodbye to what I had to imagine was one of his closest friends.

  Gabriel smiled but it wasn’t in any way a smile of contentment. Instead, it was laced with mourning and I could guess at the thoughts going through his head: “they make such a great couple; shame they’ll only be together for the next two days…”

  “She’s just as beautiful as you mentioned, brother,” Gabriel said warmly, his eyes downcast as he offered another sad smile.

  Knight nodded but said nothing, merely studied me as if he were seeing me for the first time. Uncomfortable with the feeling that I was like a rare oil painting on view, I cleared my throat and faced our visitor.

  “Are you brothers?” I asked, wondering if that was the reason Gabriel kept referring to Knight as such. I glanced back and forth between the two of them, again noticing the similarities in their angular features, Roman noses and wide, hypnotic eyes.

  Gabriel shook his head and chuckled slightly. It was a deep, rumbling sound. “No, but we might as well be for how close we are.”

  “Yeah, so close that the bastard took three days to get here,” Knight said with an identical chuckle to Gabe’s. Knight dropped the laugh after a second or two as he scrutinized his friend. Then he faced me. “Gabe and I grew up together, trained together, learned what it meant to become Loki men together.”

  I nodded and offered Gabe a smile. “Any friend of Knight’s is a friend of mine.”

  “Thank you,” Gabriel responded and then glanced around the cell again, noting the discolored cot and filthy sink with visible aversion, his eyebrows drawn together in a knot. “How are they treating you here?”

  Knight shrugged as he dropped his gaze to the grimy floor and scuffed the front of his shoe against a particularly oily spot, frowning with disgust. “As you can imagine.”

  Gabriel nodded and then noticed the stained floor, where a few mounds of slop had dripped off the goblin’s tray and lay there looking like the innards of some unfortunate beast. Were we seriously expected to eat that shit? Knight and I hadn’t eaten anything in the last day or so; and, even though my stomach had been whining off and on, the image of the slop lying there like gooey entrails was enough for me to consider death by starvation not a bad way to go.

  Gabe glanced back at us again and any traces of joy or playfulness were absent from his expression. “How am I going to get you out of here?”

  Knight shook his head and sighed heavily. “My bed is made.” He glanced over at me and smiled but I could see that he’d accepted the defeat. “It’s Dulcie I’m worried about now.”

  “I’m going to be fine,” I lied but was unable to convince either of the men. I wasn’t going to be fine because even if I made it through my hearing alive and, best case scenario, was acquitted, I would never be fine unless Knight was released with me. My days of being “fine” were numbered. I could count them on one hand.

  I felt my throat constrict again and tears filling my eyes. But I held them back, promising myself that I would see Knight out of this mess. I wasn’t sure how, but there had to be a way and if I were nothing else, I was resourceful. Yes, I would MacGyver us out of this hell-hole known as the Netherworld and I sensed this Gabriel might be able to help me…

  “Are you ANC?” I asked him pointedly.

  He glanced at me and seemed surprised that I was asking or that I’d changed the subject. As far as I was concerned, now was not the time for pity. It was time for action. And I’d be damned if the man I loved was going to die two days from now.

  “Yes,” Gabe answered after he considered it thoughtfully. “I’m a senior Regulator.”

  Perfect.

  I just smiled and pretended as if I weren’t forming a plan, merely asking to distract my mind away from the ugliness surrounding me, the revulsion of the situation.

  “I spoke with Caressa,” Gabe started rather nonchalantly, focusing on Knight again. He leaned against the prison bars, bending down as if he were stretching out his back.

  Knight shook his head. “She has her hands tied, Gabe, it’s pointless.”

  Gabe stood up straight again and cocked his head to the side as if he were considering Knight’s statement--then rejecting it. “It does appear her hands are tied,” he agreed. “But we could appeal to a higher authority, Knight.”

  “It’s pointless,” Knight said with his lips in a straight line.

  “We could demand another trial with a full jury. We could make it known that this is a crock of centaur shit and won’t be tolerated,” Gabe continued, heat rising in his voice. “Caressa is ready to go to bat for you and you know I will.”

  Knight laughed acidly. “Gabe, you know what will happen.” When Gabe didn’t respond right away, Knight answered for him. “Nothing.” He shook his head and ran an agitated hand through his hair, his expression one of frustration. “I appreciate it, Gabe, but it’s merely wishful thinking.”

  Gabe was quiet for a second or two as he watched his friend and I could see the pain in his eyes when he realized Knight was right. It was a foolish errand to try and appeal to the very ones who wanted Knight dead and, apparently, had for a while now.

  “I know what this is about,” Gabe said in a soft voice.

  Knight’s jaw was tight. “Stay out of it. The less you profess to know, the better.” He glanced away and shook his head before facing his friend again. “Don’t end up here, Gabe, don’t end up where I am.”

  Gabe nodded and looked as if he were about to say something more when I heard the sound of a woman’s voice coming down the hallway. I craned my neck to watch Alex as she walked past the first few cells, towards us, amid whistles and cat calls from the inmates.

  Gabe immediately turned around and as soon as he recognized her, strode up the hallway, his hulking form nearly taking up the entire space. He greeted her with a large smile and a protective arm around her shoulder as if to remind her she had a bodyguard in this hideous place.

  “Alex,” he said and, based on the sweet tone of his voice, it was pretty obvious he had the hots for her.

  She smiled up at him shyly. “Hello, Gabriel,” she said, giving him a slightly more flirtatious smile. They walked down the hallway looking like a Cialis commercial. Once they were standing in front of us, Alex wiggled out from underneath Gabe’s arm, apparently trying to preserve the image of “business professional”. She glanced at each of us with a warm smile. “Knight and Dulcie.”

  “Hi, Alex,” Knight said and I merely smiled with a quick nod.

  “You shouldn’t be here,” Gabe said, suddenly facing her with concern in his eyes. The goblin merely watched from the top of the hallway, making no motion to inquire as to Alex’s visit. ‘Course she was sent from the ANC so I guess it made sense that he didn’t ask any questions. I also wondered why I hadn’t seen the Cyclops since the incident yesterday. Not that I was complaining…

  Alex nodded and met Knight’s gaze, then instantly averted her eyes. “Caressa sent me,” she said softly. She turned around and glanced up and down the hallway, as if searching for any sign of the goblin or some other guard. Once the coast was apparently clear, she faced Knight again. “She wanted me to give you this,” she said as she fished inside her purse, producing a folded letter which she handed to Knight.

  He accepted it and turned his back to us while he read the contents. When he faced her again, he handed her the letter and she immediately searched inside her purse until she found a small bag of what looked like purple powder, the color and consistency of grape-flavored Kool-Aid mix. She dropped the paper on the ground, and opening the small bag, sprinkled the purple contents on top of the paper. Then she simply said: “Ignite.”

  I watched the paper puff up with a huge flare, only to die down again after a few seconds, reduced to a few sheets of carbon which Alex then stomped out with her foot.

  After her dem
onstration, she faced Knight expectantly.

  “Please tell Caressa thank you, but no,” he said graciously.

  “Knight,” Alex started but I interrupted her.

  “What is it, Knight?” I demanded. “What did the letter say?”

  He faced me and shook his head. “Nothing I want you to know about.” Then he looked at Alex again. “Please tell Caressa I appreciate her concern.”

  Alex nodded, a frown marring her pretty face as she shook her head in apparent dejection that Knight would not be persuaded to save himself—not by Caressa, Gabriel or me. Especially not if it meant my damnation.

  “Good luck to… you both,” Alex added as she faced the prison around her. “I… I need to get going.”

  “I’ll see you out,” Gabe interjected and walked her up the hallway.

  “What was it?” I demanded, facing Knight eagerly. “What was in the letter?”

  “A way out,” he answered softly, shaking his head. “But a way I would never agree to take. Until I can rest assured that you are safe, Dulcie, I won’t agree to anything.”

  #

  The morning greeted me with nothing but heartache because the following day would mark the end of Knight’s life unless I could figure out a way to save him. I had a visit from Bram the night before and he informed me that he’d gone straight to Caressa to inquire as to when my hearing would be scheduled. She couldn’t give him an exact date, as she was still waiting to hear from the powers above and it seemed they were taking their sweet ass time.

  As far as Knight and I were concerned, we were out of time. Which meant that at this point, I needed a miracle…

  Miracles are funny things because it’s not as though they arrive tied with a big red bow and wrapping paper announcing them as miracles. Nope, sometimes they arrive in the shape of Caressa Brandenburg.

  After hurrying past the goblin without so much as a “hello,” she strode up to our cell, in an obvious foul mood. Her steps were hurried and the tapping of her heels against the concrete floor echoed the frenetic beating of my heart. She unlocked the cell door while the goblin looked on in surprise.