“Dane.” Her voice is soft, breathy, her cheeks flushed. “I love when you smile. It lights up your entire face, and I can’t pull my eyes away.” She cups my face. “You’re breathtaking. And you fascinate me like no one else.” Her lips curve up. “You also annoy the shit out of me like no one can, but it only adds to the attraction.”
Fuck. This. Shit. I’m done with restraint.
Putting effort into being gentle, I clasp the nape of her neck and haul her over into my lap. She comes willingly, positioning her legs on either side of me until she’s straddling me. There’s no way she’s not feeling the massive boner in my pants.
“Dane.” There’s that alluring tone again, and I’m done for.
I pull her face to mine and suction my lips to hers, almost sighing in relief when our mouths start moving against one another. This kiss is different than the other time we kissed. That kiss was laced with anger and a need to prove I had the upper hand. This one is pure desire and nothing else. There is no other agenda at play other than the fact I want to kiss the shit out of her. I grab hold of her ass, pulling her in closer to me as I lick around the seam of her lips. She opens for me, moaning at the back of her throat, and her gorgeous tits crush against my chest. My hands grip her ass harder, and the urge to take her hits me again, but I exercise caution, not wanting to ruin the moment by allowing my greedy dick to take charge.
She slides her tongue along mine, expertly exploring my mouth, and I almost come in my pants.
That’s what I get for denying myself these past few weeks.
I’m primed to explode at the slightest touch. I can’t help rocking my hips against hers, moaning when she grinds down on me. Stars burst behind my retinas as an explosion of lust detonates inside me. I run my hand up and down her back, resisting the craving to slip my fingers under her top and caress her beautiful curves. She has no such qualms though, unbuttoning my shirt and sliding her small, soft hands over my chest. Her touch is like nothing I’ve ever felt before, and I want to claim her so badly. I’m craving her touch like an addict craving his fix. With the way she’s moving against me, the manner in which her mouth captures mine, and the gorgeous, breathy little sounds she’s making, I know she’s feeling this as much as I am. My self-control isn’t going to hold up much longer.
Reluctantly, I break the kiss, resting my head on her shoulder as I struggle to gain control of myself. Our chests rise and fall in sync. When she presses a tender kiss to the top of my head and her arms squeeze me like she doesn’t want to let go, I feel tears prick my eyes. Stars. I can’t believe the strength of emotion I feel for her. What the hell is she doing to me?
“That was amazing,” she whispers, kissing my cheek. “Why’d you stop?”
I lift my head up, pecking her lush lips one final time. “Because I was on the verge of losing control.”
“And?”
A candid smile spreads slowly over my mouth. “And, if we’re going to sleep together, I’d really rather it wasn’t here.”
“Valid point,” she agrees, sliding off my lap.
I feel bereft and cold all of a sudden. When she turns to me, with her hair messy and her lips all swollen from my kisses, a surge of fierce emotion hits me in the chest, and I almost fall off the bed.
She pierces me with an inquisitive look. “Is that something you want with me?”
In this moment, there really is no point in denying it. “Yes, if you feel the same way.”
“I do,” she rushes to reassure me, and her words send a jolt of electricity straight through my heart. “But I want that with all of you.” She pauses for a second. “I know we’re in a dangerous position and that we have more urgent matters to deal with, but I don’t think we can ignore what’s happening between us either. I think we all need to sit down and agree how we do this.”
I can’t disagree with her at all. Part of my irritation has grown from my brothers’ infatuation with her. It’s not going away anytime soon, and I think if we have a clear agreement on how this will work it will help them focus on the stuff they need to focus on. Besides, she makes them happy, and I want that for my brothers. “I agree. Let’s have that conversation when we get back home.”
She beams at me. “See? We can work together without it turning into World War Three.”
I just smile back at her, feeling a mix of emotions. This girl is changing me. I’d like to believe it’s for all the right reasons, and I don’t think she’s lying to me or that she’s faking this shit, but I can’t ignore that little niggling voice in the back of my brain either. The one that says I can’t trust her.
“Do you trust Zorc?” she asks, surprising me again.
“Not especially.” I examine her face. “Why do you ask?”
“I’m not sure. Call it intuition.” Hmm. I wonder if she shares some of my ability or if it’s just a normal gut instinct? “In fact,” she continues, “a lot of things don’t add up.”
“Like what?”
“Like how no one has come for me since the last attempted abduction. Things are too”—she pauses, searching for the right word—“too peaceful, too normal, too quiet.”
“Like the calm before the storm?”
She nods vigorously. “Exactly.”
Now it’s my turn to sigh. “I know.” I shift my position, discreetly adjusting my pants, hoping she hasn’t noticed how I’m still so hard for her. “We’re thinking the same thing. Things are far too quiet, and it makes me nervous. Jack reappearing makes me nervous. Something big is being planned, and unless you are up to speed by then, I’m gravely concerned we won’t be able to protect you.”
Her face drops a little, and I inwardly curse myself. I didn’t mean to make her feel bad. I’m just being practical. “In a lot of ways, moving here makes the most sense,” I quietly acknowledge.
“I know, but none of us want to do it, and I know I haven’t even met the elders, but I don’t trust them either. Something about this whole place reeks.”
“I’m with you on that.”
She graces me with a magnetic smile, and I fall a little deeper, unable to stop myself from smiling back. “Wow. This is huge. Us agreeing twice in the space of a minute.” She reaches up, running her fingers through the longer strands of hair on top of my head, and it feels fucking sensational. “Perhaps there’s hope for us after all.”
My smile droops a little, as that niggling feeling pokes me again.
“What?” She removes her hand, looking at me suspiciously.
We’ve opened up to one another today, so I decide to be honest. “I want that, genuinely, I do.”
“But?” she preempts.
“But I can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right with you or that you’re hiding something.” I pin her with a serious look. “Are you keeping something from me? From us?” I tilt my head to the side, watching for any giveaway signs. “Because if you are, now would be a good time to share.”
CHAPTER 19
Tori/Alinthia
I open my mouth to say it, to tell him about the vision, but different words come out. “I have been meaning to speak to you about Winter Formal, because I know you won’t approve, but the guys want to go, and I think you should give them that one night to chill out and act normal.”
He regards me coolly, his eyes narrowing as he peers into mine, wishing he could delve into my head and extract the truth, no doubt.
I feel ill.
And disgusted at my cowardice.
That was the perfect opportunity to confess, and I chickened out.
He knows it too. I can tell by the way he’s looking at me, and I’m betting his unique insight is confirming I’m full of deflective bullshit.
For a moment, I feel like crying, but I pull myself together.
“Winter Formal? Really?” His eyes darken but not with lust this time. “You’re sure there’s nothing else you want to say?”
You could cut the tension with a knife. I want to unburden myself to him, truly I do,
but I’m scared. Dane already has his doubts about me, and this will only serve to strengthen them. Worse, the others may start to doubt me too, and I don’t know if I can cope if they all start mistrusting me. They are the only reason I’m not rocking in a corner, talking to myself, by now.
But, keeping secrets never ends well. And, am I placing their lives in danger by not telling them what the future appears to hold? Maybe I should tell them, in case the vision comes true, so they can defend themselves if I’m too weak to do the right thing.
Oh, God. I don’t know what to do.
I really need Kylie right now. She always has a way of putting things into perspective, especially when I can’t figure out what to do. “I…I want to—"
A boisterous rap on the door gives me a last-minute reprieve. Dane scowls at the door like it’s personally offended him or something. With a weary sigh, he gets up to open it.
Zorc stands in the doorframe, looking sheepish, but I don’t know him well enough to tell if it’s genuine or not. “I’m glad to have caught you both. Can we talk?”
Dane silently steps aside, letting Zorc enter the room. Zorc turns to face Dane. “I apologize for losing my temper earlier, Dekten. Alinthia is right, and I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. I’ve been under an enormous amount of stress lately, although that’s never an excuse. I hope you can forgive me and we can move past this.”
Dane eyes him suspiciously before giving him a curt nod. Zorc leans forward, pressing his forehead to Dane’s, and I guess that gesture means more than a greeting. I tuck a mental note away to ask Beck at a later stage. If I’m going to be around other Verronians in future, I’ll need to become more accustomed to their traditions and ways. Our traditions and ways, I correct myself.
“Thank you for your graciousness,” Zorc says, and I notice Dane tenses a little. Zorc steps back, smiling at me. “I was hoping to have a private word with you, Alinthia.”
Dane opens his mouth to protest, but I jump in first, seizing the opportunity to put the previous conversation to bed. “That’s fine. Dane and I were done anyway.”
He doesn’t need to say it. I’m an awful coward. The worst kind. The most ill-deserving recipient of the prophecy and all it entails.
Dane casts a long, meaningful glance in my direction, and I compose my features into an amiable expression as I return his stare. I see the moment his wall goes back up, and his face pulls into a neutral line. Whatever distance we’d closed is now wide-open again, thanks to my subterfuge, and I couldn’t hate myself any more in this moment.
Dane closes the door with more force than necessary, and Zorc frowns. “I don’t think I’m the only one feeling the pressure.”
“We all feel the pressure. Our situation is not conducive to stress relief.”
“Indeed, it isn’t.” He folds his hands in his lap. “But it didn’t give me the right to lash out, and I apologize that you had to see that. That’s not who I am, but the elders are eager to extract the hidden information in your mind, and they are relentless in their requests for updates.”
“Why?” I’ve been told my parents embedded memories and information in my mind, but I don’t see why the elders are so concerned with that. Most of what is buried in my brain is stuff they already know, and the rest of it is private, personal stuff that my parents wanted me to know.
He rears back, looking startled. “Didn’t Dekten tell you?”
I’m instantly on guard. “Tell me what?”
His lips pucker before speaking. “Your parents had access to information that could help win this war. They must have realized their fate once they planned to send you away, so they buried that knowledge in your mind for safekeeping.”
“What exactly are you saying? What kind of information?”
“Your parents knew how to defeat General Arantu, and they entrusted that information to you. You are the only one who knows how to beat the enemy.”
Shock splays across my face. “If they knew how to defeat him, why didn’t they use that knowledge to protect Verron and themselves when he first invaded?”
“From what I’ve been told, this knowledge only became apparent after Arantu gained control of Verron, when they weren’t in a position to act on it. Hence, why they passed that information to you. Now do you understand?” I nod as if in a daze. “If you can extract that information and we know how to defeat him, it removes a lot of that responsibility from your shoulders, and it gives us another powerful weapon in our arsenal.”
“And Dane knows about this?” I ask. Zorc looks me directly in the eye as he nods. “Why wouldn’t he tell me this?”
Zorc purses his lips again, thinking carefully before speaking. “I don’t know what reason he would have for keeping this from you, but the elders have grown wary of Dekten in recent times. He keeps too much to himself, and that gives cause for great concern. Perhaps his motives are pure, but …” He leaves his statement hanging in the air, and I know he wants me to draw my own conclusions, but if he’s got more to say, he needs to say it.
“Finish that statement, please. If there is something I need to know, just say it.”
He stands up, pacing the room with a frown. He stops in front of me, exhaling loudly. “Dekten is like a son to me, so it pains me to cast any doubt on his character. And I know how close you are to all of them, but they’ve been out in the galaxy on their own for years, and we don’t always know what they are up to or who they’re consorting with. Certain actions and inactions on Dekten’s part have led the elders to believe he may no longer be fully supportive of our cause.”
He sits down beside me again, scrubbing a hand over his jaw. “On two occasions, bounty hunters were able to locate and almost capture you. Where were your protectors then?” I open my mouth to defend them, but he’s clearly on a roll now. “And why has no one made a move against you since? While the elders have gone to a lot of trouble to keep news of your discovery a secret, rumors are flying around the galaxy. And the Herassan mercenaries will have shared that news with their allies, so the lack of enemy activity has nerves highly strung. It’s the main reason the elders want you here, so they can watch over you.”
“If they are that worried, why aren’t they forcing their hand?”
“Because I’m resisting it.”
I look up at him, puzzled. He really is a conundrum. I don’t know whether to trust him or accept that he’s feeding me a pack of lies. “Why?”
“Because I don’t share the elder’s views. Sure, some things have given rise for concern, but I don’t think Dekten wishes you any harm. His overly protective nature isn’t anything new. While I think he knows more than he’s letting on, I don’t distrust his motives like the elders do.”
I bury my head in my hands, sighing. This is all so confusing. I know Dane is keeping stuff from us; I’ve already sensed that, but is it because he’s protecting us? Or has he gotten himself involved in stuff he shouldn’t have? Or is Zorc playing some game here? Are the elders? If I had to pick a side right now, I would still side with Dane, but I can’t be stupid and ignore the fact that what Zorc is insinuating might be the truth too. Dane has been notoriously secretive about his work, spending hours locked away in his office and deliberately shutting us out. He has also gone out of his way to keep his distance from me, even after Zorc told him to embrace the connection. Is it because Dane struggles to share responsibility as he just explained, or is it because he’s hiding something much bigger?
Ugh. I don’t fucking know what’s going on here, and I’m even more confused than ever. I need time to think things through, but, for now, I don’t want to do or say anything that might lead Zorc to question Dane’s ability or loyalty, and until I know any different, I’m giving Dane the benefit of the doubt.
“Thank you for telling me that, and it places more importance on developing my abilities and gaining access to the information my parents entrusted to me. However, I don’t think Dane has any ulterior motives, and unless I’m given proof to the
contrary, I refuse to think ill of him.”
Zorc nods, and a pleased smile spreads over his mouth. “I’m glad you agree, and I’ll continue to do my best to hold the elders off, but you need to move fast, Alinthia, before this blows up in all our faces.”
I’m lying in bed a few hours later, my mind churning with everything I’ve learned, and still I’m no closer to understanding what is going on. Cooper is snoring alongside me, suffering no such issues. I turn over on my side as the door creaks open. Sitting up in the bed, I stifle a yawn as I watch Maddox approaching. “What’s up?” I whisper, trying not to wake the sleeping beauty at my side.
“The enemy craft have withdrawn, but we’re not sure what their agenda is. Dane feels it’s best to leave now while the coast is clear.”
I whip the covers off, stretching my arms over my head as a massive yawn overtakes me.
“Did you get any sleep?” Maddox asks.
“Not much. I’m too wound up.”
“Yeah. I know the feeling. Things are pretty screwed up right now.”
Cooper murmurs in his sleep, reaching out to pull me into his chest. A rip-roaring snore reverberates around the room, and Maddox chuckles. “I think the world could end and Coop would sleep straight through it.”
“I think I agree.” I extricate myself from his arms, moving to my bag. “I’ll get dressed and wake him. Give us five minutes.”
Maddox presses a kiss to my temple before teleporting out of the room.
It takes at least half of those five minutes to wake Coop, but we get dressed in a flash, grab our bags, and teleport to the landing pad to meet the others.
Thankfully, I nod off on the journey back home, finally succumbing to exhaustion. Later, I’m vaguely aware of someone carrying me into my bed. I snuggle into my comforter, inhaling the comforting smells of home, before I drift into unconsciousness again.
A short while later, I’m sucked out of my head, barreling through a dark tunnel as my surroundings blur around me. Panic seizes hold of my heart as I inwardly curse. There hasn’t been any time to put Beck’s emergency plan into place, and now I’m being summoned to the dream realm again whether I want to go or not.
The Secret Heir (Alinthia Series Book 2) Page 14