“I’ll do it, Griff,” Genevieve said as she squeezed Griff’s arm. “Already some of the higher nobles have shown that they’re interested. Duchess Dread is pretty obviously working to undermine the kings. From the way I hear the other royals talk about the new kings, I’m guessing that there’s already a plan in place to kill them.”
Genevieve’s words felt like a punch to the gut.
“I’m getting that feeling, too,” Brendan said. “There are two armies in Portland—one that came with Duchess Dread and the new army that came in with the kings. If Duchess Dread killed the kings, the armies would likely turn on each other, which could make the perfect opportunity for us to take Portland back. It doesn’t seem plausible that anyone will trust us with their secrets, but I predict that Genevieve and I are going to be very popular in the coming months. We have a dangerous mystique attached to us. But Kori needs to escape as soon as possible. She’s at a greater danger than any of us.”
“Yes.” Genevieve nodded. “Brend and I will stay, but we need to get Kori out and soon.”
“No, listen to me . . .” I could barely breathe over my panic, “I’m not leaving you in the palace. The rebellion needs us, Griff.”
“We do.” Griff blew out a breath. “You’re our key to victory, just like the former consort was last time. If we need to get you out, Kori, we will. But I beg you to stay with the kings for as long as you can safely do so. With the Sorcerer, we might actually have a chance of winning.”
“Wait. Hear me out.” I held up my hands. “I know this isn’t what anyone wants to hear, but I think that we could work with the new kings. They’re not like King Razor. Actually, they used to smuggle humans to safety—”
“Excuse me!” called our vampire guard from what seemed like even further away. “Where are you?”
Griff’s head shot up, and his eyes darted around as he backed into the bushes.
“It’s just the…” Brendan trailed off as the crunching sound of boots approached us fast, more than one set of boots. The low hum of male voices came next, followed by a loud laugh. Someone was going to find us at any second now and catch us committing treason.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
KORI
Hair sprouted from Griff’s skin as he started his transformation. His face writhed and elongated to a point while his fingers and hands bulged. He dove for the ground, wiggling back into the hole. Genevieve and I lifted our skirts to cover the mound of raised dirt just as three large figures came around the nearest bend.
I recognized the kings immediately. Ruin gestured wildly, seeming to be in mid-joke. One step into the passage, the group of men froze and peered down the row to where I stood with my siblings.
Ruin’s cerulean eyes went wide. “Kori?”
“Your Highnesses.” I tried to even my breathing as, with one foot, I stomped down the dirt pile. The air reeked of freshly turned earth. Even though the night was cool, sweat gathered in my armpits and on the back of my neck.
“You’re fucking with us, Death,” Ruin said in a booming voice. His big blue eyes darted from my siblings to me, brimming with curiosity. “This meeting has to have been planned.”
“It wasn’t.” Death stepped forward. His black eyes fixed on mine, and he tilted his head. “I was just looking for you, and I had a feeling that I could find you here.”
“Isn’t life strange like that?” I forced a laugh as my heart raced even faster. “Your Highnesses. I don’t think you ever met my twin and older brother properly. This is Genevieve, who is widely regarded as the twin that sucked up all the good genes in our shared womb. And this is my older brother Brendan, who has more than an encyclopedic wealth of information in his head and uses it to trick you into impossible to win arguments.”
Brendan and Genevieve bowed and curtsied, saying, “Your Highnesses.”
When they stood again, the three vampires looked at each other, seemingly a little amused.
“You’ll have to excuse us,” Ruin said as he offered his hand to Genevieve and then Brendan, “Up until recently we were warriors.” A warm smile spread across his lips, displaying his impressive set of fangs.
“Goddess.” Ruin crossed the distance, opening his arms to me for an embrace.
I tried to control my breathing, but I knew that if I moved, the dirt mound would be impossible to miss. These guys would definitely wonder why we were standing over a half-formed tunnel.
A few steps away from me, Ruin halted and winced. “Sorry, am I being too physical? I’ll probably be fucking up all over the place. Please just tell me every time I act like an asshole.”
“Not at all,” I said, stepping a little way away from the dirt mound and leaning to embrace the large vampire. He squeezed me tightly, and I had a moment of panic, thinking that he could feel the pounding of my heartbeat through our embrace. “This is something I could easily get used to.”
“Good then.” He squeezed me once more and kissed my forehead before pulling away and grinning down. “The supply train came in from Seattle, and, without asking us, the servants brought all of your new stuff to our floor.”
“I . . .” I glanced over to Genevieve and Brendan, meeting their gazes, “ . . . I expected that I would be living in the courtesans’ rooms near my siblings.”
I had planned to stay near them so we’d get the chance to coordinate our escape.
Brendan shrugged, and I couldn’t help but feel that his shrug was so much more than a gesture. Brendan and Genevieve wanted to help me escape, but they wouldn’t leave with me, not now that the rebellion needed them to spy. “That might cause some confusion,” he said. “Royals might start spreading rumors about you not actually being the kings’ consort.”
His words were true, but I felt like moving into the kings’ rooms would also be cementing my place in the rebellion. I was a strategist. Not a spy. Never a spy. My heart clenched at the very idea of collecting information about these kings and handing it off to this Sorcerer. And Griff had compared my role to the former consort, who killed King Razor. The very idea that Griff might think I was capable of that made my stomach squeeze.
“Clearly, that’s not what you want.” Ash crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re definitely not required to.”
“Um.” I swallowed hard. “Whose room would I move into? How can we make this fair?”
“We actually had some ideas on that.” Ruin offered me his arm and nodded back toward the palace. “Can I convince you to sit next to me at dinner so I can discuss the matter with you?”
“I’d love to.” I took the vampire’s arm and let him lead me down the path. I let out the slightest exhale of relief when all three of us had turned the bend. That was close, too close. And, it made my anxiety ratchet even higher. How could we possibly meet with this Sorcerer? We had been a breath away from being discovered by all three kings while we were actively committing treason.
Ruin watched me out of the side of his eye as we walked, a small grin sitting on his lips.
“What?” I asked as I covered his hand with mine and squeezed his fingers.
“I was just thinking that while I want to move you into my rooms more than anything, Goddess, the idea feels really fucking dangerous—excuse my language.” He grinned wide. “Why do you think that is?”
“Because I am dangerous. I may not be a physical threat to you or, likely, anybody, but I’m not going to diminish my power either. If you want a consort who is good at pretending they’re harmless and unthreatening, my brother Brendan back there is really good at it.”
“Your brother?” Ruin’s fingers ran gently up my arm. “Not your sister?”
I shook my head. “People always assume that about Genevieve, but if you spend time with her, you’re more likely to cry and admit your deepest insecurities. When people spend time with my brother, they grow more confident. When they spend time with my sister, they break and truly become stronger.”
“And how about you?” Ruin asked. “What happens when people sp
end time with you?”
They die. The words flitted through my mind, but I pushed them down and forced a smile onto my lips. “That, I won’t tell you under any amount of torture.”
His dark brows rose. “Any amount of torture? Not even if I tickle you breathless?” He leaned in and whispered, “With my tongue.”
A sudden pulse of want ignited at the apex of my thighs, but a loud rustle from ahead startled me into spinning forward to see a machete hacking through the bushes.
I jumped, toppling sideways into Ruin.
His hands caught me around my waist. “Are you okay?”
“Fine—just got startled.” I gestured down the path toward where someone was hacking through the greenery. It seemed our guard had finally made it through.
As we drew closer, I expected the harassed looking vampire who had been guarding us to emerge, but instead, Luca’s guard Hades stepped out. Leaves stuck to his dark beard and an entire branch hung from one of his beefy arms. He shook it off and lifted his head, breathing heavily and dropping his machete to his side.
Clearly, Hades had been looking for someone, and the fact that he had found us only ten minutes after our meeting with Griff, terrified me. What if he already knew that we were meeting with the rebels?
The vampire’s gaze moved past me, and his jaw clenched. Hades gave a stiff bow. “Your Highnesses.” The words were more growl than anything else before Hades turned and backed into the hedge. “Consort.”
“Good evening, Hades. That’s some aggressive gardening you’re doing there,” Ruin threw back, casually, but the king’s focus was still on me.
The large vampire glowered from the bushes as we passed. “I thought that I might have seen rebels lurking around in the maze,” he growled as his green gaze fixed on me. “I guess I was mistaken.”
I did my best to keep my hands from shaking and fixed my gaze forward as we continued down the path. That was close. Too close.
As soon as we made it out, I turned to look up as the blue light illuminated Ruin’s strong, bold features.
“Do my siblings and I really need to be guarded day and night?” I asked before rolling my head back and groaning. “It’s really hard to live without any privacy.”
Ruin winced a little. “I’m sorry, Kori—you have to be guarded until the war is over.”
“Alright,” I said on a sigh, pushing down my desire to argue further. If this Sorcerer could show up at any time, I desperately needed to find some way to lose our guards.
My siblings walked out beside Death and Ash followed by our guard, who looked between the kings, face ashen. He looked like he was doing everything in his power to pretend that he was here all along. As the group headed up toward the palace, Ruin squeezed my arm.
“Will you stay a minute?” he asked.
“Of course.” I attempted a smile.
“All three of us wanted to start getting to know you better right away, but we’ve been nonstop signing legal papers. To be honest, my eyes and joints are killing me.” He lifted his wrist and rolled it.
I took his arm in my hands and worked my fingers over the ridges of his bones. My thumbs pressed circles into the tense ligaments and muscles, and I worked the tautness down and out his fingers.
He looked between my hands and face. “You just do that without thinking, huh?”
“You don’t like it?” I asked, pulling my fingers away.
“I fucking love it, but it makes me wonder who massages your wrists.” He pushed his thick dark hair from his face. “I’m sorry. I’m actually trying to ask you for a favor.”
“Of course,” I said.
“You don’t even know what I’m going to ask.” He shook his head and chuckled. “Duchess Dread has been determined to throw us a party with every single royal nightly. We’ve asked her to stop, but I don’t think there’s any end in sight, as she’s using her own money for it. We think that it’s an attempt to undermine our rule and humiliate us. We thought warriors were treated badly, but as soon as Queen Hell landed us with these king roles, we’ve found ourselves in a den of wolves.”
“A den of wolves?” I bit my lip and cocked an eyebrow. “Does that make me a wolf or a sheep?”
“I don’t think that you’re either, and that’s why I want to ask your help.” He touched his chest over his heart. “We can protect ourselves from physical attacks—but those aren’t the type that come at these parties. Will you help us with the royals—can you…” he paused to shake his head, “I don’t know… signal when we’re being insulted? I know they’re insulting me to my face, but I don’t even know what the insult is, so I can’t call them out on it.”
He was so vulnerable right now, so starkly honest. I squeezed his arm as I looked up into his beautiful, scarred features. “Of course I’ll help you, Ruin. I’ll tear them apart if they insult you.”
“Maybe don’t go that far, but I appreciate the thought.” He let out a laugh that sounded almost like a sigh. “You ready to go in?”
I glanced over at the palace, only to notice that Death and Ash were waiting for us just inside, and they were not so subtly watching us. Ash looked away when I caught them, but Death didn’t. “It’s going to be very hard to get privacy with just one of you, isn’t it?”
“Do you want that?” A teasing smile lit across Ruin’s lips. “I was getting the distinct feeling that keeping things one-on-one wasn’t a priority for you.”
“Can I tell you a secret, Ruin?” I released his wrist and ran my hands up his arm to his wide shoulder.
His hands slid up and touched my backless dress. Softly, his fingers traced over my back. A tingling excitement brewed between my legs. This man was so effortlessly sexy. He leaned down, grinning. “I want all of your secrets, Kori.”
I went to my tiptoes and put my lips to his ear. “I want you any place and under any circumstance I can have you, especially one-on-one.” I let my instincts guide me, but the words were true. I wanted this man from the moment I saw him. “You could take me right here and now, carry me up to your bedroom, or take me in front of the entire feast. I wouldn’t care. I just want you.”
“Holy fuck, Kori,” he whispered as his hands pressed into my back, pulling me into him. His hard length pressed up against my front. “You’re going to make me cum just listening to your voice, you temptress. How am I supposed to go into dinner like this?”
“Who says a king needs to be on time? Two of three kings would be.” I pressed my mouth to his. His lips crashed onto mine, and he kissed me breathless.
When he pulled away, his blue eyes simmered with desire. “You know what? You’re absolutely fucking right.” He grinned. “Fuck punctuality.”
Ruin scooped me into his arms and headed in the opposite direction in the garden. Halfway across the garden, I heard Ash call out, “Don’t you fucking dare, Ruin.”
But Ruin completely ignored him, heading into the far side of the courtyard.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
KORI
I expected Ruin to carry me upstairs, but he pushed open the door to the throne room. The wide marble space sat empty, and Ruin carried me up on the dais and set me on the rightmost throne. The smooth, dark wood throne was so large that I felt tiny. A thrill of excitement ran through me as I fully comprehended that I was sitting on the throne of Portland. Ruin knelt down on the dais, a wicked grin lighting on his lips.
“What are you plotting?” I looked up into Ruin’s aquamarine eyes.
His hands went to the slit in my dress and pulled it open. Then, he pushed up under the material, sliding it to my waist.
“Do you ever wear underwear?” He asked as his eyes fixed on my mound.
“Never.”
“And, I’m never going to be able to not think about that.” His eyes came up to mine. “Spread your legs for me, Goddess.”
I obeyed, laying myself bare for him. His hands scooped under my ass and pulled me to the edge of the throne.
“I’m not allowed to fuck you t
he way I want to , so I’ll fuck you with my tongue before I bite you right here.” He leaned in and ran his fangs over my inner thigh. “Are you ready?”
Tingling awareness spread over my skin as I reached down and undid the clasps at my breasts and let my dress pool under me. I was fully naked, and I grabbed the carved handrails of his throne. “Please.”
His smile was positively evil as he squeezed my thighs and lowered his mouth to my slick sex. His tongue immediately found my clit and began a gentle roll. I gasped, laying my head back against the wooden backboard of his throne. Ruin’s gentleness only lasted a second, and then he was lapping my clit with fast, long licks.
I couldn’t hold back my moans, and they echoed around the throne room. His whole mouth closed over my wetness, and he sucked while his tongue flicked back and forth in a quick darting rhythm, and the most delicious pleasure exploded through me. I’d had many men and women run their tongues over my clit, but Ruin did it with a wholehearted abandon I’d never experienced before.
While clutching the armrests for dear life, I gasped as my center throbbed with intense waves of sensation. Ruin pushed two thick fingers inside my slick channel and curled his fingers over and over. He hummed over my clit, and I could feel the reverberation all through my body. Pleasure crashed over me, hard and fast.
Ruin pulled his mouth away. There was a sudden thrum of pain that pushed into my orgasm, and then my body was lost in a sea of pleasure. He sucked blood from my thigh, drinking deeply as his fingers pumped into me at a furious rhythm.
He pulled away, and his tongue returned to my bud. His tongue lapped at me, licking my wetness. “How do you taste so amazing?” he whispered onto me. “Best fucking thing I’ve ever tasted. You’ve ruined me for all other tastes.” He raised his head. “Speaking of which, as you’re a human, you’re probably starving by now. Are you ready to go back to the feast?”
I startled from where I was laying, boneless. “But what about you?”
Ruin: A Reverse Harem Dark Fantasy Vampire Romance (Fire & Blood Book 1) Page 12