Throne of Secrets (Wicked Kingdoms Book 3)

by Graceley Knox

I place my hand on her shoulder. “Hey, you want to take a walk?”

  She nods, keeping her head down, but I can still see the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. “Okay, let’s go.”

  We walk out of the ring and head toward a small lake behind the training fields. No one is out there at this time as they’re all training or doing whatever it is they’re supposed to be doing. We sit on the dock side by side and look out at the water. I don’t say anything, I just let her work through whatever she’s feeling in peace, with no judgement.

  After about an hour, she looks over at me. Her pale face is blotchy from crying and her eyes are puffy. I smile at her, waiting for her to say something first. I remember my first time fighting with an actual person. It’s a whole different feeling to hit flesh and bone than it is to hit a padded bag. You never forget the feeling of the pressure on your hands and the sound of flesh opening and bone cracking, and watching the pain in another person’s eyes from your actions.

  “You must think me a fool.” Kiara rubs her palms on her thighs like she’s trying to get something off of them.

  “Nah. I remember what my first fight with someone was like.”

  “I’ll bet you didn’t react like this.” She sighs.

  “Actually, I burst into tears in front of an entire room of trainees. It haunted me for days. But I learned that it was for my own safety. If it comes down to someone harming me or someone I care about, I want to know how to inflict the most damage as quickly and efficiently as possible so I can get out of the situation and get everyone to safety.”

  “That makes sense. But I’m not protecting anyone.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. You’re protecting yourself. And the treaty with your mother’s kingdom and the Goblin Kingdom.”

  “I hadn’t thought of it that way. I thought that Brigid only wanted to humiliate the princess in front of everyone.” Sadness tinges her voice and she meets my gaze from under wet eyelashes.

  “I’m unsure of what past you and Brigid have, but in the ring, you should put it all aside and listen to what she has to say. She seems to know what she’s doing.” I nudge her with my shoulder. “I can’t say she’s the friendliest of coaches, but she’s nicer than a lot of others.”

  Her shoulders hunch and I consider ways that I could make this better for her. I could offer to train her, but I don’t want to step on Brigid’s toes. Gods know she’s acting like she’s got something to prove amongst the goblins. I can’t blame her. They’re all warriors.

  “She’s never liked me. I can’t say I blame her. She’s only seen the person I am in front of my mother. Which is exactly how my mother would like for me to act. Cold, distant, compliant.”

  I look her over. “I can’t imagine being the heir to one of the most feared Faerie courts in the world, but I can imagine what it’s like to try to live up to others’ expectations of you.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. I’ve got issues with my mother. She’s the sister to King Caddox. To say that I’ve failed every expectation she’s ever had of me is an understatement.” I laugh.

  “Thank you for your kindness. It would have gotten back to my mother that I looked weak in front of a lot of goblins and I would have gotten myself and Brigid in trouble.”

  I wave her off. “It’s no problem. I get it.” I kick my feet out in front of me, biting my lip as I think. Fuck it. “I could help train you if you’d like.” Before she can shut me down, I continue on in a rush. “It doesn’t have to be in public. And it can be in addition to Brigid’s training so she stops hounding you about it.”

  “I could never ask you to do that. You’ve got enough going on.” She smiles softly.

  “Yeah, well, I need a sparring partner who didn’t grow up with me. And training you will help keep me focused. I think best when I’m moving.”

  “You’d be willing to help me?”

  “Why not? You’re helping me, aren’t you?

  “But that wasn’t my choice. Yes, I am here, but it wasn’t my choice. Why would you help me without gaining something in return?” She narrows her eyes at me.

  “That’s where you’re wrong. I get to watch you kick Brigid’s ass in the end. And like I said, I can use the refresher of the basics.”

  Kiara holds out her hand and I look at it. She pulls it back and flushes to the roots of her hair. “I’m sorry, I thought that’s what you do when you make a deal. You shake on it.”

  I laugh. “It is, but I didn’t expect you to do it.” I hold out my hand and she grips mine in a firm grip. “Let’s do this thing.”

  Laughter bubbles up from Kiara’s plump lips. “I can’t wait to see the look on Brigid’s face.”

  I laugh with her. My offer was a small thing for me but for Kiara it was something major. I never thought about the different pressures that parents put on their children. I always assumed that my mother was the worst. And she certainly isn’t going to win any mother of the year awards, but she was absent enough to let me do my own thing. While I know Nicnivin is a tough queen, I have no idea what type of mother she is. Either way, I made a new friend today. And hopefully a new ally that would last past blood oaths and treaties.

  CHAPTER

  NINETEEN

  Later that night, I can’t sleep, feeling like something is about to happen that is going to disrupt my bubble of bliss. I get up, slowly extracting myself from under Dare’s heavy arm, and throw a bathrobe on. I close the door softy before turning and running smack into Dagan.

  I stomp my foot to keep from screaming expletives and waking Dare.

  “What the hell are you doing?” I ask him.

  “It’s my turn to guard.”

  “While we sleep? I think we’re okay,” I whisper.

  “Dare’s orders. He needs to know he can rest without having to watch his back too,” Dagan whispers back.

  “Good point.” I move to walk around him but stop when he steps in front of me. “What?”

  “Where are you going?”

  “To get some food. I’m hungry.”

  “I’ll come with you.” He makes some signal with his hand and a guard I’ve never met comes down the hall.

  “I’m fine, Dagan. I can go get some food from the kitchen all on my own. No one is going to jump out and attack me.”

  “Just shut up and accept it. I’m coming with you. You’ll get your food faster if you don’t argue.”

  I grumble at him, but he’s right. My stomach is gurgling unattractively and I want something sweet. “Fine, come on.”

  We head toward the kitchen and once we’re out of earshot of any of my crew and Dare, I decide to question Dagan. “So, you like Kiara?”

  His ever-present frown deepens. “Not really. She’s a bit too pampered for my tastes.”

  “Hmm. Could make her an easy wife though. She does her own thing and you do yours?”

  “Are you trying to set me up with her?” he asks, trepidation in his voice.

  I smirk in the dark, knowing he won’t see it. “Nah, I just think you’d be better off with someone. I think we need to find you someone.”

  “I’m doing just fine on my own, thanks.”

  “I’ve never seen you with anyone.”

  “That’s because I don’t want you to see me with anyone.” He pushes the door to the kitchen open and scans the room before letting me enter it.

  “Well, that’s no fun.”

  “Life isn’t always about fun, Ever. I learned that early on.” His voice is serious and I regret teasing him. While Dagan has softened toward me, he still is standoffish with everyone else. I’m not sure what exactly happened to him but I do know it involved being held hostage by the Dark Elves.

  “I know. I’m sorry. Want me to make you something?” I rest a hand on his shoulder.

  “I’ll have some of whatever you’re having.”

  I make us some sliced fruit and a piece of bread with a hazelnut chocolate spread and we both sit and eat in silence. I wait for him to fin
ish his last bite and clean up our mess.

  “Okay, I’m ready to go back to my cell”—I cough—“I mean bed, now.”

  He chuckles. “We’re just trying to keep you safe, Ever. Dare would be destroyed without you.”

  I twist my lips. “I know. I feel the same way.” That fear chokes me every morning when I open my eyes. We finish eating and head back, and before I can think better of it, I hug Dagan. Sometimes you just need a hug. He grunts and brushes me off, but a smile lights his features in the dark.

  I climb back into bed, trying not to wake Dare, but I’m unsuccessful. He wraps his arm around me and squeezes me tight.

  “Hey, where’d you go?” His voice is rough from sleep and it scratches across all my nerve endings.

  “I was hungry. Needed a midnight snack.” I smile against his lips as he presses them to mine. The stubble around his lips chafes mine, but I love the feeling of tough against soft.

  “I could have given you a midnight snack.” He grabs my hand and presses it into his erection.

  “I wasn’t that kind of hungry.” I press kisses across his neck. “But I am now.”

  I kiss my way down his chest, laving at each of his nipples and biting them before I continue my soft assault of his body. I grip his length in my hand, my fingers unable to fully grasp around it, and lave at the tip of him. He groans, his hips moving against the bed, and I repeat the action.

  “Stay still, Dare, or I won’t give you what you want.” The threat is whispered against his length and he shivers under me.

  He grips a fist full of my hair, the slight pull sending a shock of pleasure through me, readying my pussy for him. “Open your mouth and taste me, Ever.”

  I swirl my tongue around the tip, lapping up the drop of pre-come and savoring the taste on my taste buds. I let the tip dip into my mouth, sucking on it until it escapes my mouth with a pop!

  “Take more of me, Ever.” He digs into my scalp with his fingers and the pleasure-pain urges me on.

  I suck him deep, as deep as I can take him, and swallow on the tip of his cock.

  “Ever…” He breathes out my name like a prayer and I bob my head back up before repeating the action.

  I cup his balls, massaging them as I work my mouth on his cock, licking and nipping at the steely length of him, listening to his breathing speed up with each thrust of his hips toward my face. I reach down and play with my pussy, flicking at my clit while he whispers my name. I moan around him and he goes still.

  “Are you playing with that pretty little pussy of yours, Ever?”

  I nod, his cock still buried in my mouth.

  “Do you want me inside of that tight little cunt?”

  I moan again, dipping my fingers inside my soaked entrance and bringing some of the wetness up to circle my clit.

  “Climb up here and ride me then, mo grá.” He issues the command and I squeeze my legs closed to ease the pressure building between them.

  I do as he says, eager to feel him inside of me. Slowly, I lower my hips to his, letting him slip inside me inch by inch. I watch as I take all of him and then throw my head back in delight. “Dare. Gods, I love the way you feel inside me. Spreading me open for you.”

  He grips my hips and raises me up before pulling me back down on him roughly. My eyes lock with his, fully able to see him due to our skin glowing. I watch him watch me take my pleasure and my pace speeds up. I circle my hips, biting my lip to keep from crying out. I know there’s a guard at our door, and despite how much I want to scream his name, I don’t want half the inhabitants of the castle to know what we’re up to.

  “I love it when you bite your lip, little tine.” He palms my breast, rolling my nipple between his fingertips. “You bite your lip and you clench around my cock so tight.”

  “Mmhmm. Yes, Dare.” I’m climbing toward release, his words setting me on fire as he pumps his hips up to meet mine.

  “Play with your clit for me, Ever. Tease yourself as you ride my cock.” He grips my hips and keeps my rhythm steady as I thrust my fingers toward my pussy.

  I circle it, licking my lips as I graze over it. I just need that little bit. That little bit extra to throw me over into oblivion. Each breath is filled with pleasure, and every fiber of my being thrums with it.

  “I love that little hitch in your breath every time you graze over that little nub, Ever.” He pumps his hips faster. “Do it again.”

  I rub that little button over and over again, unable to stop, unable to slow my pace. “Dare, I need to come.”

  “I know you do, little tine. I know you do.” He sits up so I’m facing him and our stomachs are pressed together, only separated by my arm as I play with my clit.

  “Please, Dare,” I beg, kissing at his mouth, trying to bend him to my will.

  “I want you to come with me, mo grá. Do you want that?” He whispers the words against my neck before licking a line up to my jaw.

  I shiver in his arms and nod, unable to formulate a response. I suck in a breath, trying to breathe, trying to give him what he needs.

  “I’m close, Ever.” He nibbles at my ear and I cry out incoherently. “Tell me what I want to hear, little tine. Tell me.”

  “Dare…” I trail off, the pleasure streaking through my body like electricity from a live wire rendering me unable to speak.

  “Say it.” He growls against my neck where my shoulder meets it.

  “I love you, Dare. I love you.” I cry out the words and jerk against him, my nails digging into his flesh as ecstasy overtakes me. Every time Dare and I are together, I feel like our bond deepens. Like we’re two threads tied together and each time we become more and more knotted and no matter what, no one will be able to untie us.

  “I love you too, Ever.” He groans the words as he pushes into me once, then twice, and then stills as he empties inside of me.

  Slowly I float back down to earth, and I hug myself against him, letting his strong arms cradle me.

  “I don’t want to move, Dare. I want to stay like this forever. Tangled up in you.”

  He presses kisses to my neck and up the side of my face until he lays one soft kiss against my forehead. “I do too, love. I do too.” He leans back and I lie on top of him, not letting him go, not willing to give him an inch of space.

  Tiredness slowly creeps over me, but I’m so comfy I don’t want to move. “I want to sleep right here.” I rub the tip of my nose against his neck.

  “Then stay, mo grá, stay.”

  The rhythm of his breathing lulls me into sleep and the last thing I remember noticing is my heartbeat syncing with his.

  *

  I wake up the next morning with Anarchy and Chaos trying to settle into a sleeping position on my stomach. I watch as they walk in small circles before they curl up together and start to sleep. I hate that I’m going to disrupt them because I have to get up, but I’ll wear my pouch that Amren made for them today. That way they can sleep and stay with me.

  Dare’s still sound asleep beside me and I decide to let him sleep in for once. He needs his rest.

  Slowly, I scoop up Anarchy and Chaos and kiss them both on their scaly noses before putting them into the pouch that will hang at my belt. They settle right back down and I dress quickly. Without making a sound, I open the door and look back at Dare sprawled across the bed. His scarred face is almost peaceful.

  I head toward the main hall with the twins, Calum and Calder, next to me. They’re arguing over some female they both think is into the other.

  “Have either of you thought to ask her?” I stop just before we enter the hall. They turn identical frowns my way and I laugh. “Thought not.”

  We head into the hall and grab some food. I eat quickly so I can get to training today. I’ve got a lesson with Kiara on the books, and I don’t want to be late. I’m dying to know what she’s telling Brigid the tight ass because I’m sure she doesn’t think a little ole leath cine like me can teach her as well as she can.

  I walk into the back
of the library, where we’ve set up a sort of training area for me and my crew. Training with the goblins is intense at best, terrifying at the worst, so we decided that we’d have our own space to do our thing. Kiara is standing there in some stretchy capri pants and a tank top like I told her.

  “Hey, you comfy in that?” I ask her.

  “Yes! I love this material. It’s so soft and breezy.”

  “It’s great for working out. Movable and breathable.” I smile at her. “You stretch yet? I need to do some.”

  “No, I was waiting for you.”

  “Cool, well, just follow what I’m doing and remember, the only dumb question is the one unasked, okay?”

  Kiara nods, her black hair shining behind her in her ponytail. We stretch and I take her through a few formations, really getting her used to how her body moves. I’m not easy on her, but I’m also not humiliating her in front of a large group of highly trained warriors either.

  We start to cool down, both of us breathing hard, when an alarm sounds.

  I jump up, trying to focus on where it’s coming from.

  “What’s going on?” Kiara asks.

  “Someone’s broken into the castle. Go to your room and bar the door. Don’t open it for anyone but me or Brigid. Got it?” She nods but doesn’t move. “Go now, Kiara. Run.”

  She takes off and I follow her, checking the library for Arela, but I don’t see her or Brodie. My heartbeat gallops like a wild stallion in my chest, and no matter how many deep breaths I take, I can’t calm the pounding in my chest. I round the corner and the twins are waiting for me. We hurry toward the hall to see what’s going on but the alarm cuts off just as we skid to a halt and I search the room for my crew, Dare, and Arela. I see my crew and Dare, but I can’t find Arela.

  “Where’s Arela?” I ask Doyle.

  “She’s with Brodie and Amren picking herbs in the fields. I okayed it.”

  “Find them. Make sure they’re okay.”

  Doyle and Axel take off and I reach for Dare’s arm, steadying myself on him. I breathe in and out, my heart not calming. I should have gone to check on Arela myself.

  “Ever, what is it?” Dare asks.