When Sinners Kneel (Blackest Gold World)

by R. Scarlett

  When she glanced up at me, her eyes were bloodshot, and droplets clung to her dark lashes.

  Her mouth trembled, and my fingers traced the movement and then pulled her into my embrace, touching Illya’s dark curls.

  With her in my arms, I sighed deeply and buried my head in her hair. Illya sniffled as Lex rocked him.

  With both of them safe, I could finally rest.

  The chaos of the night before still existed the next morning as I sat with Tensley in his office. When Molly and he arrived home after being alerted of the events, he was livid. Together, we dealt with Danny and Wesley personally and I had filled him in on Danny’s connections to Ares. Both men would be further questioned until Scorpios got the information they needed. Then both men would be killed.

  I leaned back in the leather chair, my mouth dry, my eyes heavy, but I wouldn’t sleep until I knew those bastards got what they deserved.

  Tensley rubbed his jaw, sighing. “It doesn’t surprise me. That there would be men willing to listen to Ares’ crap and think they’d actually get rewarded.”

  I watched him in silence. He had been on edge all night, cursing at anyone who questioned him. And I understood. His son had been at stake. I knew that feeling well. If my child were alive, I would have done anything to protect him or her.

  Lex had stayed with a panicked Molly all night, holding Illya, and trying to calm her down. She had been hysterical when she heard what had happened. Lex and I had exchanged looks throughout the night and neither of us had to say what we were thinking. I didn’t ever want to risk losing her again. I wanted to keep her safe.

  In our father’s office, my chest tightened. So many times growing up, I’d expected this office to be mine one day. The memories of my father in a frenzy of documents, leaned over the table, grumbling to himself. He had been at one point in my youth my role model. My goal had been to become a duplicate of him.

  It wasn’t until I met Valentina that my view of him shifted. The cold, calculating Dux. So hell bent on purity and power. How I had failed him and our family.

  It took years to become more man than beast.

  And Lex had drawn me out of my own darkness. I had tasted her strength and her softness.

  And I had saved the rest of my soul. She had sparked the change in me, the need to be a better man, and I had cleansed my soul. There would always be the fear of relapsing, but I knew in my bones Lex would keep me balanced.

  “I’ll send Connor to oversee Boston for now,” Tensley said, his back to me. “He can continue to structure them, instruct the new soldiers on how to control Ares.”

  I paused, my fingers digging into the plush leather arms of the chair. “I’ll go back to Boston.”

  Tensley glanced over his shoulder, his brows wrinkled in confusion. “Are you sure?”

  I stood, fixing my jacket. “I know the area. I know the men. I’m the best fit. You said so yourself and I accept your offer.”

  Tensley worked his jaw, scanning me over, looking for a clue it seemed. After a moment, he nodded. “You’d have to leave by tomorrow.”

  I nodded in return and left the room.

  I walked through the hallways, the soldiers moving out of my way as I climbed the stairs.

  As I passed by the rooms, I could hear Molly and Lex’s hushed voices and Illya’s cooing. I stopped in front of Tensley and Molly’s bedroom and peeked through the slightly open door, I could see Lex on her knees, playing with Illya on the floor.

  She smiled sweetly down at him. Her glow had existed before, but now everyone could feel it. She had had a harsh past and still she was kind and soft and warm. I wanted to keep that glow, to keep her healthy and happy and I knew I could give her that life now.

  Her eyes swung to the door and I moved, continuing to my room to pack what little belongings I had.

  Grabbing my bag, I began to fold and pack my clothes and shoes.

  At the sound of my door opening, my body froze.

  I didn’t need to turn around to know who had entered. I could feel her warmth fill the room.

  She cleared her throat. “Are you leaving again?”

  My jaw locked tightly at her words. She was hiding her emotions, but a tiny bit of her voice shook at the end.

  “Tensley needs me in Boston,” I said, stuffing another shirt in my bag. I wouldn’t make her come to Boston if she wanted to stay with Tensley, Molly, and Illya. I understood her balance. “I can come visit on the weekends if you want. Come here Friday night and leave late Sunday. This is your home here.” I could live with that. I wasn’t going to force her to give up her life here. “My offer still stands but I understand if—”

  “Beau…”

  I sighed heavily, my hands gripping the black duffle bag. I was nervous, I realized. When in my life, had I been nervous? Lex did things to me I would never understand. “What?”

  Her fingers touched the small of my back and I flinched, having her hand feel each muscle tighten and relax under her touch. “My home is with you,” she whispered, and my throat grew tight. “I—I love you.”

  Her words were like bullets piercing my chest—and at the same time a gasp of pure heaven. With the new king now established, love was not as forbidden as it once was for demons.

  I swallowed thickly, bracing myself as I turned to face her.

  Her eyes were bloodshot and her bottom lip trembled as I looked down at her.

  “You said it yourself,” she said, hissing the words back at me, fisting my t-shirt, tugging me closer. I didn’t fight her. I was helpless against her. “Our souls are tied together, Beau. So are our hearts.” Her hand gripped my wrist and brought my fingertips to above her breast where I could feel her heart beat wildly beneath. “Don’t run away from me.”

  I gritted my teeth and slowly met her gaze.

  “I’m not running from you, cucciola. Never,” I whispered, a single finger stroking up her sharp cheekbone into her dark hair. She closed her eyes at the sensation of my fingers in her hair, sending a tingle down my spine.

  “I’ll go wherever you go,” she said, those baby blues pulling me into her warmth. “You’re my soul mate, Beau Knight.”

  My fingers tightened, and I let out a harsh hiss of breath. “You’re mine, too.”

  She smiled softly and touched the edge of my jaw.

  I couldn’t fight her. I couldn’t keep fighting the beast or myself anymore.

  “Come with me to Boston,” I whispered against her temple.

  She froze, and my heart seized with fear.

  And then she looked up at me, the tears falling down her cheeks. “Yes.”

  I didn’t stop myself from taking her mouth in another kiss—this time soft and tender—and letting her taste my happiness on her tongue.

  The studio was dark when I entered it after a day full of meetings. With the cool winter approaching, I sighed with relief at the warmth of our apartment.

  I had told Lex I’d take her out to celebrate her finishing up her online courses and getting a degree in social services, but that was supposed to be hours ago. I braced myself for a pissed Lex.

  Life here hadn’t been easier. Boston wasn’t easy to keep an iron fist around when some of the men still tried to see Ares be reborn. The only thing that made everything worthwhile was Lex and coming home to her each night. It felt natural, it felt like my soul had found a home inside of her and no matter where we ended up, no matter what life threw our way. This, her, us, it would always be enough.

  As I shrugged out of my wool coat, draping it on the back of the couch, I noted Lex’s figure snuggled on the bed beneath our covers. Quietly, I moved to the bed and sat down, kicking off my boots.

  “You’re late,” she whispered behind me, her voice groggy and breathless.

  I licked my teeth, my chest tightening. Don’t fuck up. “The meetings ran longer than I expected.” I glanced at the flashing alarm clock. One in the morning. “We can still go grab something to eat or I can make you something.”

&nbs
p; She hummed at that and her fingers caught the back of my slacks, tugging me toward her.

  I obeyed, climbing into the bed beside her.

  “Too sleepy,” she whispered, her leg hiked over my thigh. She was completely naked, besides my sweatshirt she liked to wear around the apartment.

  My large hands slid up her thighs and over her wide hips, resting on her tiny nipped middle.

  I watched her in the darkness, her lashes resting on her cheeks, her breathing slow and shallow.

  Anxiety ran up my spine, remembering the object hidden in my pocket.

  I had wanted to ask her for months, but it never seemed right. It was still new, we were still adjusting to life together in Boston and both of us were busy. But now…now it felt like the right time. She had my mark, she lived with me, she carried my heart in her palm.

  “Alexandra,” I breathed out.

  Her lashes fluttered, and her baby blues met mine in the darkness. She smiled at me, eyes looking sleepy. “What is it?”

  The words sat heavy on my tongue and when the anxiety and fear clawed at my throat, I dove, taking her mouth slowly in a long kiss.

  She moaned into my mouth and curled closer, her hands tugging at my belt.

  When she unzipped me and fisted my hard cock, she lined it up with her opening. Already naked and ready for me under that shirt. Slowly, I sunk deep inside of her. With long strokes, we lost ourselves in each other.

  Her hands clung to me as I tried to keep most of my weight off of her, stroking both of us to the high we loved.

  I stared at my soul, my heart, my everything, and kissed her, gripping her hand as I slid the diamond on her left hand.

  She came on a cry, her warmth clutching my length until I joined her.

  I collapsed on top of her, my heart beating wildly against her skin.

  Her eyes, unfocused, stared up at me and then slowly moved to her left hand. “Beau…”

  Emotion choked her words and she lifted her hand, gazing at the diamond ring.

  “You didn’t even ask,” she laughed, tears wetting her lashes. “Someone once told me never to get cocky after a successful offense,” she said, smirking at the memory.

  Still inside of her, I shifted us so she lay on top. Her hands laid on my pecs, staring at the ring and then looking back at me. I slapped one of her ass cheeks playfully, then soothed the ache away in long, deep strokes. “A successful offense, huh?” I asked, punctuating the question with an upward stroke of my still hard cock inside her. “Is that a no then?”

  She smacked my chest, but laughter followed after. “You idiot. You can’t just ask me like a normal man, can you?”

  My hands ran down her sides and squeezed her ass cheeks, thrusting into her once again. “I’m no ordinary man, cucciola.”

  She sighed, resting her forehead against mine, her lips inches from touching my own.

  With a soft kiss to her temple, I whispered into the crook of her ear. “Will you be my wife, Alexandra Harvey?”

  Her tears fell, touching my own cheeks as she shivered against me. “Yes.”

  It was all I needed to hear, and I kissed her.

  She had made me sin, she had been my sin and I had knelt for her.

  I would spend the rest of my life kneeling, protecting, and caring for her.

  She was my souleater, my heart, my everything.

  LEX

  SIX MONTHS LATER

  “Where’s your veil?” Molly huffed, straightening out my lacy gown at the bottom.

  “Uh…”

  She glared at me and turned to Dolores who shrugged, nervously. I loved Molly with all my heart, but the last six months she had been organizing everything for our wedding. Everything had to be perfect and I could see her about to explode.

  “I don’t need one,” I told her, trying to move toward the navel doors of the temple. The same cathedral church Beau had cleansed himself. He was the one who picked it and I found it fitting to be married at the place where he saved himself and us.

  Molly huffed again, going back to fixing my hair.

  Dolores cleared her throat beside me. “We should get going. The music’s starting.”

  I heard the piano echoing in the cathedral and glanced at Molly. “Both Beau and your husband will be pissed if we keep them waiting.”

  Molly smirked. “Tensley can wait a bit longer.”

  I groaned, massaging my temples. “I do not need that image.”

  “Okay, okay!” Molly fixed a few strands around my face and then stepped back as the doors opened.

  I took a deep breath, straightening my back as everyone stood in the cathedral.

  But all I saw was Beau Knight.

  Standing at the end of the aisle, dressed in a black tailored suit that hugged every bulge of muscle packed into his body.

  He didn’t smile, but he rarely did in public, but I saw his eyes drink me in, his nostrils flaring as I moved closer to the man that was still more beast.

  And I loved him as he was now.

  Loving and serious, tender and rough, honest and caring.

  Molly went to my side and smiled at Tensley who stood beside my future husband.

  When I reached Beau, he took my hand in his large one.

  I barely heard anyone else or saw the other guests. All I could do was stare back at him. With thorns in our hands, we linked them together and someone tied a white ribbon around them.

  Flexing my hand, I clasped his so the thorns dug deeper and he caught my gaze, darkening under my own.

  “Mr. Knight,” the man before us said, gesturing to our hands. “Your vows.”

  I eyed Beau’s mouth as his tongue licked low at his bottom lip.

  “With this thorn of pain and power, I say the sacred oath of court—you are the blood of my blood,” he spoke, his bloody thumb stroking mine—so gently, no one would notice but me.

  “The bone of my bone.

  With this thorn between our palms,

  Beneath the night of the gods,

  Upon the eyes of the holy court of Fallen,

  Plagues of my body,

  Sin of my blood,

  Strength of my bones,

  I vow to shield you from all corruption but my own,

  Kiss your wounds as a duty of your master,

  And I vow with my hallowed heart of thorns, bone of steel, and blood of venom,

  To wed thee

  Unto the moment of our undying grace.”

  Tears pricked the back of my eyes and I shook it back, my mouth trembling as I repeated the words.

  “With this thorn between our palms,

  Beneath the night of the gods,

  Upon the eyes of the holy court of Fallen,

  Plagues of my body,

  Sin of my blood,

  Strength of my bones,

  I vow to honor my lord,

  My night to my dawn,

  The sun to my moon,

  And to kiss each bruise, each wound as a duty to my master.

  I am ready to bare my body to him

  —his precious temple,

  his soothing warmth of night,

  and bitter bite of ice.

  Obedience and patience will be my oath

  —carrying the inferno of his power in my womb,

  And I vow

  To wed thee

  Unto the moment of our undying grace.”

  I gasped as the words left me and my chest felt lighter, warmer as I gazed upon the man and demon of my life.

  We had fought for our love, for our futures and to let go of our demons and our past.

  We had sin, we had kneeled, and we had conquered.

  And as I kissed him once, I tasted just how holy and happy and sacred his soul was.

  A soul I loved.

  First off, I would like to thank every single reader who takes a chance on me and reads my books. Each and every one of you helped make my dream possible of becoming a published author.

  I would love to give a HUGE shout out to Marjorie, m
y amazing editor. She held my hand through the tough and happy moments and I wouldn’t have been able to complete this book the way it should have been written without her. You’re my stone and anchor, and I adore you, M, for everything you’ve done, from being my editor to being my best friend. Also, Marjorie wanted to add this little note here: “Sorry dearest readers, Beau belongs to my editor Marjorie.”

  I also liked to thank Cola by Lana Del Rey and pay homage to it because Madge forced me to. RIP Cola. You’ve been good to us.

  I also want to give a shout out to Gabby and Stephanie—my two alpha readers, but ultimately my best friends. To think a year ago we didn’t know each other and both of you have helped me in ways I can’t even express my gratitude. I love you girls so much and I’m so blessed and happy we met.

  Thank you to Paige, Yvette, Giana Darling and Lucia Franco for taking the time to beta read my book and give me honest feedback and supporting me.

  A massive thank you to Michelle Clay who went beyond my expectations and reminded me how amazing this book community is. How she beta read Beau and Lex’s story and then reread it again to catch any mistakes! I’m still in shock from your kindness and big heart. I will always be forever grateful for you in my life.

  Thank you to Allie and Annette for also proofreading the book to catch any tiny issues I missed and for being so kind and wonderful!

  My dear Florida girl—Sarah. I think I should move just so we can hang out more! Sarah, you kick my butt when I need to get the words in and cheer me on and always are there when I need someone to talk to!

  Breanne—who wants me to write “The greatest human being on this planet, name your first born after her what a great name AMIRITE”, Megan and Caley, you girls always have my back and listen to me when I have my doubts. I honestly would be lost without you girls and I love you each so much!

  To my parents, who have to deal with me when I just worked an eight-hour shift and demand to not be disturbed so I can get writing in. I love you each so much for always supporting me and helping me become the woman I am today.

  To my family, thank you for supporting me and cheering me on and just being so amazing and loving.