by Lexi Ostrow
“Keep going, Dale. Talking about it is the only way we’re going to do anything about it.”
He wanted to snap at her that he needed a moment, but he knew she wasn’t trying to be cruel. She was being analytical, the same way he’d been when she had come crying to him, utterly lost in herself.
“I was ready to at least ask her for the commitment of being my Guardian. I know that emotions can unlock the bond automatically, but I wanted to be certain it was what she wanted. Things went down because, honestly, what would be crazier than what we’re already living without throwing in overly ambitious side characters? Anyway, I overheard Breena and her father. Demus told her to do whatever it took to seduce me to his side. To make me fall in love with her so that his side might regain me as a player because it wouldn’t if I didn’t accept Breena.”
Ciara’s gasp was quiet. He turned and looked at the sympathy all over her face. He didn’t want her sympathy though. Sympathy never did anything, except cause him to turn to the wrong forms of entertainment.
“I always thought I didn’t need love. That I had a shit ton of money, a good job, which I was fired from by the way, and I’d be good just having a Guardian who understood me and could help. I was wrong, Ciara. I was so fucking wrong.”
They sat together silently. It wasn’t awkward, it was the natural silence people fall into when one of them is grieving. He still wasn’t crying, he could feel the wetness pricking at the backs of his eyes and the small, tight ball growing in his chest, but he didn’t shed a tear.
“Apparently, when I walked away from Breena, I became the joyous property of the man in the trench coat again. He came to see me, to talk to me about the whole death at twenty-seven thing. Apparently, this book was open, meaning I could have tried really hard to connect with someone in it. Demarcus’ I mean. Or I could come and hide away in here, essentially forever.”
Ciara nodded at him. “And what do you want to do?”
He stared blankly at her. Of all the things, she could have said that was not among the questions he’d been anticipating as he spoke. It did more than take him off guard though. It pushed his brain into the one place he didn’t want to go—back to being with Breena.
“I don’t want to pull someone from this story. With the mood I’m in, I have a bad feeling it would be an Initiative member. I don’t think staying here is the best option. I’ve created the mess I’m in with my own personal self-loathing over the years. I thought that because of you and Nessa, I was completely different. But that’s a lie. We can never completely change who we are, we can just shape ourselves into who we’d rather be.”
“Very profound, Dale. You’re certain you’re barely older than me?”
She offered him a small smile, and he smirked back at her.
“You didn’t answer me though, Dale. We can talk about all the rest of the crap later. I want to know what my friend wants.”
He shook his head. “What I want is irrelevant right now.”
“No, it’s completely relevant.”
He growled low, and his head whipped around to make sure her mate hadn’t been within earshot. “Sorry, I guess I’m testy.”
“Based on the amount of alcohol on your breath, I’m shocked you’re even upright.”
“Thank your boyfriend for that. I don’t think anyone could take one of his punches and not be forced sober.”
She laughed and then narrowed her eyes on him. “Spill. Now.”
“I want Breena. It may be stupid and foolish, but the things I felt for her were real. They are real. I looked into her eyes, and I know she felt the same. She started the deal with Demus, but I can’t believe she’s unaffected and cold hearted enough to be acting still. I just can’t.” His thoughts drifted back to how she’d felt in his arms, even that last heated time, and he had to believe she wasn’t faking.
“Then why walk away when you found out who she was working for at the start?”
“Wouldn’t you have?”
“Not my question, Dale.”
He’d never realized how infuriating Ciara could be until that moment. He took a few breaths and reminded himself she was only trying to help him. “I guess it was anger at the idea that at any point it had been fake. I know my behavior to her was less than appealing, but I was doing what I thought was best for everyone involved. Now, I honestly just want to do what’s best for me.”
“Then why not forget how things started? If you believe she’s different than before and acting on her own emotions, you owe it to both of you to try and talk things through. I’m not thrilled with the idea that, apparently you shifted sides when you decided to walk away from her. But maybe it wasn’t really in that moment. Maybe it only was seen then. I want you to be happy like I am. I saw the way you just spoke about her, Dale. I don’t think you could feel that way if she was only acting. No matter how much she might belong to darkness and evil, I just don’t think you’d be blind to it.” She slugged him playfully on the shoulder. “You’re too much of an analytical smart ass for that.”
Dale choked on an unexpected laugh. “I can’t believe I’m upset and you insulted me.”
She winked. “Ask Stryder, it’s kind of my M.O.”
They laughed, and Dale felt more than enough weight lift off his shoulders and tension drain out of the room like water through a sieve. Ciara had done what he needed, forced him to look at what was most important, and it wasn’t war. Whether or not he felt this was the right choice, he was going to speak to Breena. It would be just before his birthday whenever he left there, and that meant he had just a few moments to make it count. Enough time to sort out the pain and betrayal and see what lay at the heart of them both.
“Now, I have to ask before you race off, how the fuck do you know the man’s name?”
“He just told it to me. He was ironically trying to protect me from having my ass handed to me by fucking sprites and fairies. Can you believe that I got my ass kicked by creatures known for glitter and happiness?”
She raised a hand to her mouth, likely to cover up a laugh.
“All of sudden, he grew even darker than normal and told me I could call him Demus from now on. Oh, and then something intervened that was scary enough to send him running, or maybe he was kicked out of Breena’s world, I’m not certain.”
“So you mean that the brothers are afraid of something? That the good one wasn’t lying when he said he answered to someone?”
“I didn’t see anyone, it never identified itself, but the sound was masculine. And, yes, if the way Demus reacted was any indication, there is definitely something out there pulling the strings of our beloved warlords.”
“I would hate to run into him. I have a feeling he’s probably not too thrilled with how our little triangle turned out.”
Dale shook his head in complete agreement. The conversation shifted into lighter things almost out of the blue. At some point, Stryder walked back in, and Dale realized it was now or never.
“I guess that’s my queue if the boy toy is back.” He winked at Ciara and focused on opening the doorway back to his bedroom.
Ciara’s face twisted with something that almost looked like grief, and she gave him a small smile. “Happy birthday, Dale.”
He nodded and stepped back through.
Nothing made any sense to Breena anymore. Supposedly, a book would only come out of storyline stasis if the Word Speaker was inside. So how was it that she distinctly felt and acknowledged the passing of time, and that her father was dead? Did certain events jerk things out of play? Did they change from book to real flow? What happened after a Guardian was freed from their book?
“You should have thought of these fucking questions before accepting,” she muttered under her breath as Megara fixed the train on her gown.
“Before accepting what?” Megara’s head popped out from behind Breena, and her reflection appeared in the mirror. “I don’t think you have a choice in accepting the crown.”
Everything had been
a whirlwind since Dale had left. For the first time, she had a chance to process that things were possibly not as they should be as her sister put the finishing touches on her coronation gown.
The story she had told to her people was false, but not wrong. She had been left with the burning corpse of the king when Dale had abandoned her. She’d dressed quickly and come up with the only story that could be believed. Her father’s elemental magic had gotten out of control when she was giving a report on the war. His powers had consumed him. The only person who knew otherwise was Tanyan, and since she was Queen, he would be forced to obey her. The secret was safe. No one suspected anything, and no one ever would. She was beloved by her father in the court’s eyes. Not even the Queen of the Seelie court would question his death.
Her eyes looked into the vision of herself in the mirror. She couldn’t believe what was about to happen. She’d never dreamt of a world or a time without her father. Even when she’d grown to despise him toward the end, she had never pictured there could be a place in time without him.
Everything comes to an end, just like Dale and you. She scoffed at the thoughts of Dale, and her body twitched forward as Megara stuck her leg.
“Just making sure you were with me, Sister. Today is too big a day for you to be drunk on Elixir or playing games. You need to be here, with the clan.”
Breena sighed, and Megara stood up, the last pin in place, and their mother’s deep purple gown was completely refitted for her. She forced herself to smile at her sister.
“Might I have a moment? Just one last one to be Breena and not Queen of the Unseelie Court.”
Megara nodded and kissed her on the cheek before walking out of the room and closing the door. Breena’s eyes never left the mirror. She was staring at someone she didn’t know. The dress, the crown, the way her hair was set off in a braid—none of it was her. Only, it would all have to be her now because there was nowhere left for her to run. She’d never come clean to Dale about anything, and the fact that he had left shouldn’t hurt her anymore, but it certainty did.
She took a slow deep breath and felt herself grow a little woozy with so much oxygen flooding in. So much so that she didn’t trust her eyes when the space around her began to blur. The moment the copper head of hair came into view, she forced the deep breath out of her lungs and took a step forward.
Dale was walking through. She pinched her arm and hissed as her nails drew a small amount of blood. She wasn’t asleep, she wasn’t drunk or high. “Dale,” his name slipped out like a revered chant.
“Breena.”
They both simultaneously moved toward the other, and when their bodies crashed together, their arms wound perfectly around the other. She tightened her grip and heard him wheeze before slightly letting go. She couldn’t afford to let go completely. He wouldn’t come back a third time, she just knew it.
His mouth covered hers, and their lips fell into the rhythm familiar only to them. His tongue flicked and laved against her own, their hands roamed up and down the other’s back, and Breena had never remembered anything feeling so perfect.
“What made you come back?” her question was punctuated with deep breaths as she tried to clear the lust haze over her and regain some of the breath Dale had stolen with his kiss.
He kissed her again, deep but not hungrily, before looking into her eyes. She felt naked before him as if her whole soul was laid to bare. She felt nervous, but she didn’t move from under his gaze.
His voice was filled with lust, and he choked and cleared it before talking. “I turn twenty-seven almost the moment I walk back out of that door. I have the world at my fingertips, or I can lose it all, and all I could think of was how badly I wanted to be with you. To be with the one Guardian who had a childhood as fucked up as I did. To be with the one Guardian searching and trying just as hard to be the person they’re supposed to be, instead of the person they are.”
Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled unwilling down her cheeks at his words. With one hand, he brushed away the trails of wetness under each eye with a thumb. The caress was so gentle, she almost didn’t feel it at all.
“Living with any other Guardian, with any other person but you, isn’t worth it, Breena. I waited until 11:59 to step through that doorway. This is my last chance. My last chance for everything. Demus might have ordered you to seduce me, and fuck, you came out of the gate swinging on that one. But, did you stay with me because Demus or your father ordered it? Did you tell me you loved me because of them?”
She sobbed openly then, her shoulders heaved and tears cascaded over her cheeks. He titled her chin up as gently as he possibly could and forced her eyes to look into his. They were the most beautiful green she had ever seen, and there was so much passion wrapped up in them, she felt as if her body could ignite just under his gaze.
“No. Dale, I said it because it’s what I feel. Not my father, not Demus, not some attempt to free myself from this life. I love you. I don’t even understand how I fell in love with you while you were being a jerk the entire way. But I did. I don’t care if we stay here or go to your world. I just want to be with you. I am ready to do whatever it takes to be your Guardian. To fight how you want to, and for who you want to serve.”
Dale’s voice was throaty, almost difficult to understand, but it set her body on fire. “Right now, I’m only planning on serving you.”
His breath was a warm whisper against her neck as he walked behind her and slid the gold plated zipper down. The sound sent a rush of wetness between her legs. His mouth was warm on her neck, and when his tongue circled out to caress her collarbone just after he nipped it, she cried out and turned around.
The action dropped the dress to the floor, and she was bare before him. The dress didn’t allow for undergarments.
“Dear God, Breena.”
His hands were on her body then, a touch here, a caress there, a squeeze elsewhere. Her body was on fire as he touched every single inch of flesh but did nothing to ease the ache between her legs. His finger brushed gently over the small, darker gold curls between her thighs, and her knees gave out, but he caught her.
She was in his arms so quickly, all she could feel was the rush of cool air over her burning body, and then the bed, soft beneath her. Dale’s eyes were almost predatory as he raked his gaze over her body in a way he never had before. The love and acceptance they shared burned like a brilliant jade fire in his eyes. There was so much more there than the blind passion that their Guardian Word Speaker bond had ignited so many times the past few weeks.
His fingertips gently swirled over her nipples, and she cried out, arching off the bed as they continued their descent lower. The sensation was so tantalizing, she felt her core tense and release in anticipation of what would eventually come next.
When he reached the soles of her feet, his hands disappeared. She opened her eyes and watched as he pulled the shirt off over his head and stepped out of the jeans, his erection peeking out of his boxer shorts before he pulled them off next.
Her body shook with need as his lips kissed a line down from her navel. His body was so far from hers, she couldn’t figure out how long he would keep the sensual torture up—until his tongue sunk deep into her core.
“Dale!” she screamed as her knees bent and her feet went flat on the bed, but he didn’t stop.
His tongue slid in and out of her wet heat. Over and over, he sunk it as far as he could go and swirled it around in her wetness before slowly pulling it out. The action was as dizzying for him as it was for her, if the look of utter frustration on her face was anything to go on. His erection throbbed with a need more fierce than he’d ever had before, but he wanted to make this time different. She’d said the words he needed to hear, the right ones. The ones that were laced with truth and all the hurt that they’d caused each other since they met.
She loved him, and he was going to make love to her.
Dale swept a path over her slick folds but did not enter. Instead, he pulled back,
still tasting her on his lips, and slithered up her body. He could feel how wet she was as he climbed up the length of her, and he did nothing to prolonged either of their torture as his cock slid over her wet and ready center. He kissed the spot just below her ear as he took himself in hand and pushed into her body in one clean thrust.
His groan of pleasure joined with hers and echoed off her bedroom walls as her body milked him the moment he entered. She didn’t come, but her body had been so ready for his, it was greedy. With teeth clenched, he pulled out and then sunk back in. His hips swirled in a circle with each and every thrust. Sink in, swirl, pull out.
Over and over, he let himself thrust into her body, biting his cheek to force himself to hang on. His eyes didn’t close as he pumped in and out of her. He didn’t shy away from staring into her partially lidded eyes as the sound of their bodies smacking together became louder, closer together. He began to lose his hold on his own release. The room fuzzed out, and all he could focus on was the slide of his dick in and out of her body, of the way her hips thrust frantically with his own and how loud their ragged breaths were.
The dam broke, and his guttural cry shot through the room. Moments later, Breena’s body clenched around him tightly, and then began to spasm. He didn’t stop there, his hips continued the motion until ever last ounce of pleasure was drained from his body, and Breena stopped meeting him thrust for thrust.
Sucking in a breath, in an attempt to calm his heart rate, he pulled out and rolled to lay next to her. She immediately curled up against him, and he rolled onto his side, draping an arm over her. They didn’t say a word as they lay in peaceful aftermath, but the knock on the door sent Breena jumping so quickly, she almost tripped on the sheet.
“No. No, not like this.” Breena was across the room in a second, tugging at the regal looking dress that had so wonderfully fallen off her body.
“Breena, it’s almost time. Is everything okay? Are you done being you?”