I ran a hand up her stomach. “Don’t apologize to me. I took control of your body, and this time, I wanted to feel your legs squeezing around my head.”
Her lips parted more, and I could see how much she liked my words in the hunger in her eyes. I wanted to say so much more than that. I wanted to tell her that there was nothing so sexy as that little spark of chaos in her, that deep truth that the vampire royals of Portland had never been able to touch. They had trained her and molded her into what they wanted—and she was a master at projecting that image and wielding it to bend us all to her will. But there was a true, fierce, emotional, and uncontrollable part of her that the royals never had a hope of getting near. I wanted her truth—I wanted the beautiful and terrible being that she was under all of the masks.
If I admitted that to her, though, I actually would scare her away. Maybe she wasn’t afraid of the beast inside of me, but she was afraid of the one within her.
I knew the feeling all too well.
I’ll only be with her once, and then he’ll consume her in Nightendale.
That fucking voice. I pressed a hand into my forehead. A moment later, Kori’s soft fingers slid over my cheeks.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
I glanced up into her brown eyes. “No. I keep having this paranoid feeling that something horrible will happen to you in Nightendale. You’re not responsible for appeasing my paranoia… but, will you stay by my side the entire time we’re there?”
Kori sucked her lower lip into her mouth, and I could practically see the wheels turning in her mind. “Yeah, okay.”
I’m going to kill you, Death.
My head shot up.
This time the words in my mind felt different… they weren’t a meld of my fears and conscience, but instead, something had slipped into my consciousness from the outside. It was Hades with mind mage powers—I just somehow knew it in my gut.
I gazed around, seeing only an empty tile room, a crackling hearth, and ribbons of light dancing over the space. I couldn’t see him… but there was the faintest aroma of the sweet, metallic scent of a vampire.
You will die first.
The slam of the metal door closing echoed through the space.
Kori jumped and pulled her legs from the pool. “Did someone lock us in?”
“Kori, wait!” She was halfway to her feet, but I grabbed onto the edge of the pool and launched myself out, slamming down between her and the door. Sharp shards of something cut into my feet, and I shifted to find that I’d shattered the tile under me.
Kori’s eyes went wide and lips parted in shock. “What just happened? Are you okay?”
“Let me check first… please.” I crossed the room in long strides, grabbed onto the handle of the metal door, yanked it open, and lunged out into the corridor.
“Is someone there?” Kori asked from behind me.
I peered back over my shoulder to see her struggling to pull her dress up her wet body. She didn’t look entirely stable on her feet.
“No one is there. We’re fine.” I crossed over to her. “Will you be upset if I leave you to go take care of something?”
“Really? Is everything okay?”
I concentrated on keeping my expression placid. “I just forgot to sign some documents before the trip. But, if you’re upset, I’ll wait until morning.”
“No, of course not.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “A little disappointed, but only because I like the idea of falling asleep in your arms. Go take care of whatever you have to, and I’ll find my way up.” She took a step toward the door, her legs shaking under her.
“You’re falling over.”
She shot me a small smirk. “You have no one but yourself to blame for that, Death.”
“I’ll carry you up.” I reached under her legs and back, scooping her into my arms. Only after I’d done it did I realize that in my panic right now, I was manhandling her, and that wasn’t something I ever wanted to do. “Do you want me to set you down?”
“Death… honestly no…” Kori breathed a laugh and laid her head against my chest. “I’ve never had an orgasm make me feel like I can’t walk before—I should be giving you gems.”
“You did give me a gem.” I headed through the door and toward the stairwell. “Ruin wants to hold you through the night, every night, can I leave you with him?” I tried to make the comment sound offhand— but if Kori said that she didn’t want to spend the night with Ruin, I was making damn sure that he slept directly in front of her door.
She opened her eyes a little and squinted up at me while her brow furrowed. “That wouldn’t bother you?”
“Why would that bother me?” I asked as I took the cement stairs two at a time. “I’d rather you be happy with Ruin than disappointed and sleeping alone.”
Kori made a humming sound and closed her eyes. She reached up, and her fingers traced over my chest, caressing me softly. “You are a very fascinating man, Death. If you don’t mind… I’d love to spend the night with Ruin. But, tomorrow night, after Nightendale, can we have a do-over?”
“Yes.” I nodded to the warriors outside my apartment. They opened the front door for me before I reached them, and I carried Kori inside.
Ruin peeked out of his room before I was halfway to his door. “What’s going on… you okay, Kori?” He closed the distance as worry thrummed through his bond. “Did you fall or something?”
“Not exactly,” Kori said on a laugh as she squeezed her eyes closed. “I am perfectly fine to walk.”
“She has shaky legs from the strength of her orgasm,” I said before realizing that was more information than I should probably be offering. “And, I, unfortunately, have to go take care of something.”
“Really…” Ruin’s brow wrinkled. “That sounds serious. We can’t have you walking…”
He went to take her, but Kori held up a finger.
“Wait—just…” She reached up, wrapping her hand around the back of my neck, and tugging me down toward her. “Goodnight kiss.”
I leaned in, pressing my lips against hers, and… damn, I wanted to climb in bed with Kori and forget about Hades and his threats. If I found him tonight, I would kill him for this. I broke off our kiss and whispered over her mouth, “Tomorrow, you’re all mine.”
“I’ll transport you to my bed safely, Goddess,” Ruin said to Kori, but he shot me a look before scooping her away from me.
Her arms went around Ruin’s neck. “So, I’m guessing that you’re okay with holding me through the night then, Your Highness?”
“Goddess, need you even ask?” In three steps, they’d disappeared into his room, but Ruin emerged a moment later.
His blue eyes brimmed with worry as they met mine. I might be hiding all of my emotions from my face, but I was probably pumping hot fury through our bond.
“What’s going on?” Ruin asked as soon as he reached me.
“Hades. He used mind mage powers to threaten me in my head in the spa—he threatened me while Kori was with me. I caught his scent, and I’m hunting him down and killing him,” I growled.
A pulse of concern thrummed through our bond as Ruin gritted his teeth.
“What?” I asked.
“That sounds like a trap.” He rubbed his chin. “If he’s plotting to pick us off one by one, it would make sense to start with you.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m going.”
Ruin clapped me on the shoulder. “You might want to consider putting on some clothes… as you walk headlong into this trap… and maybe consider bringing Ash as backup.” He said the words flippantly, but tension thrummed through our bond. Ruin took a few steps backward and shrugged. “Meanwhile, I’ll be in here, holding our woman after you gave her the orgasm of her life—and thanks for raising the bar like that, asshole.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
ASH
It was a nice night to stroll into a trap.
I gripped a gun at my side for the first time since I�
�d been elevated from a warrior a year ago, and it had been ten years since I’d pulled a trigger. I wasn’t sure that I still even knew how to aim and shoot. At least no one had a chance of hearing us coming. Techno thumped through the air so loud my teeth chattered as Death and I crept through the hedge maze. Even the dirt beneath my feet seemed to be vibrating with the party within the palace.
Fucking Duchess Dread.
There was nothing we could do to stop her endless stream of orgy parties—so we’d just given up. Ruin had pointed out that the duchess wasn’t spending our money, and we were kings now. If we didn’t want to go, we didn’t have to.
Death halted, lifted his head up, and sniffed the air.
I couldn’t smell anything but dirt and more dirt, but obviously my companion was still following Hades’ scent trail. The anger that fed through his bond was a low simmering heat now, not the flow of lava that it had been when he first came to my room, asking me to hunt down the voyeur fuck Hades.
Blue light illuminated my friend’s sharp features as he squinted up at the dome. It had been the best and worst day of my life when Queen Hell tricked me into becoming Death’s minder.
As I stared at my friend’s profile, I had to wonder: did you have to be a bad person to rule a kingdom effectively?
Queen Hell was a heartless bitch on a personal level, but she ruled Seattle on a strict code of ethics and a functional system of law and order. King Razor was a piece of shit, but even he managed to have citizens to rule over.
Ruin, Death, and I were great people, and we were kings of an empty kingdom. The only citizen we had to rule over here were locked in a perpetual fuck-a-thon.
“The trail vanishes here…” Death mumbled as he examined the ground. “I just… I think he went this way.” He headed further down the path, turning from one dark leafy trail to another. The music grew quieter the further we got and our boots louder in the absence of other sounds. After a minute, Death halted, and an unfamiliar male spoke from the other side of the hedge.
“The army is starting to wonder whose side your sister is on.”
I leaned in, trying to peer through the leafy brush. Three figures stood in the pathway, but I couldn’t tell much more than that.
“The army knows what you tell them about Kori.”
My heart stilled in my chest. The voice was so achingly familiar. I knew that this had to be Genevieve, Kori’s twin, but she sounded almost identical to her sister.
“Are you telling me to lie to them about her?” The unfamiliar man asked.
I squeezed my hands into fists at my side.
“No,” a low voice that was only faintly familiar said, though I could guess that it was Brendan Ignis. “Genevieve is asking you not to talk about our sister to the army when you probably can’t even comprehend what Kori is planning. They know what you tell them, so don’t tell them what you don’t know.”
“That’s a bit harsh, Brend,” Genevieve said, and she moved closer to the third man. He was tall and thin, but I couldn’t make out any other distinguishing details. “Sorcerer, our sister is taking more of a risk than any human in Portland—if you only knew how much danger she was in every single day, you wouldn’t say a word against her. She would do anything for our army.”
My eyes heated as a feeling that resembled a cold knife sliced through my chest.
Of course.
Of. Fucking. Course.
How I could have ever… for one fucking moment… let myself believe that she wanted to work with us instead of against us.
A hand wrapped around my wrist and squeezed, and I looked over to see Death’s black eyes fixed on mine. He shook his head slowly, and I knew he was responding to the emotions that must be pumping out of me.
But I had this right.
I knew it from the first fucking moment. The second that I allowed Kori in, she’d take everything and leave me with a knife in my back.
Why did this feel so much more acute than what happened with Queen Hell? I thought that I’d loved the queen before she deceived me. I couldn’t have fallen in love with Kori, and yet, I felt like she’d just ripped my beating heart out of my chest.
“How about this…” Brendan drawled, “You cast our sister in a favorable light when you make your reports, or we’ll stop bringing you information about the kings.”
“I guess we’ve already reached the threatening each other part of our conversation. So, how about I give you this one… if Kori isn’t successful in her mission in Nightendale, I’ll tell the army that she’s changed sides. After we take back Portland, she can have a spot right next to Luca Aquam before the firing squad—”
One of the figures lunged, and there was a loud whooshing sound like a sudden wind rose up and swished through the hedge corridor. Both Genevieve and Brendan cried out as they tumbled back. There was a smack and crash, followed by Brendan yelling out curses. The third unknown man spun and raced in the opposite direction.
Death fell into a lope, following alongside the man.
The fuck was he thinking?
I tried to keep up with him, but soon he was running. Our path diverted from the one across the hedge, but Death continued to weave through, sprinting down the tightly woven passageways.
We turned down one more path, only to have a huge, hulking figure step in our way. The man turned, and I immediately recognized the pale face of Hades.
Death slowed, and the low simmering anger that fed through our bond flamed into a fire.
“Hades… You should have never threatened me tonight,” Death growled, his voice guttural and harsh. He hunched down, looking ready to launch himself at the massive vampire warrior.
“Threaten you?” Hades strolled toward us, not looking whatsoever affected by Death’s clear challenge. “I’ve been out here—hunting the rebels. Just as you three should have been doing this whole time. They’re openly taunting you—you know that, right? Everyone mocks you.” His green gaze seemed to glint under the dome light as it landed on Death. “I thought you were supposed to be the most powerful vampire created since the Queen of the Deep—an alpha werewolf turned against his will.”
From Hades’ tone of voice, he clearly didn’t think that Death could possibly be that powerful. How wrong he was. Death could tear the man apart with his bare hands—and then we’d have one big fucking disastrous mess to clean up in the morning with Duchess Dread.
I raised my gun, pointed it at the vampire’s shoulder, and pulled the trigger. The crack of the bullet ripped through the night, and the large vampire staggered back a step as crimson spread down the arm of his white shirt.
Both vampires turned to me with shock clearly evident on their faces. Well, I’d gone this far…
“If Death says you were in that room—you were,” I said. “I’m guessing you led us on this merry chase because you wanted us to catch those rebels back there in the act—you wanted us to attack and kill them and face the consequences of that.” I lifted the gun again, pointing the weapon at Hades’ head. “You see, the first bullet in this gun was lead, meaning, your wound has probably already stopped bleeding. But the rest of the bullets in here, they’re silver. Now, I’ll say this one time: never spy on one of us again. Never threaten us in or outside our minds. And, if you ever sneak in to watch one of us with our consort again, I’ll put a silver bullet through each of your eyes.”
I have silver bullets, too.
The words whispered through my mind, and Hades’ eyes widened. Was the guy calling my fucking bluff?
“I told you not to threaten me.”
You’ll die second.
Fuck. Now I had to shoot him. I moved my aim to the man’s other shoulder.
He spun away, turning his back on me and walking slowly down the hedge maze, and I stood there, aiming at the man’s shoulder… not shooting.
“Damn it,” I muttered as I dropped the gun to my side. I couldn’t shoot Hades as he walked away. At the end of the row, the vampire turned the corner and moved out of o
ur sight.
Death stalked back to me and crossed his arms over his chest. “You stopped me from killing him. Why? He won’t stop until we’re dead… I can just… I know it.”
“Because he’s just a small part of the problem—and even kings need to go on trial for murder—at least, according to the laws we just wrote, they do.”
Death stared down the row. All of his muscles were tense like he might chase the man down at any moment. “He’s a danger to Kori.”
“And, Kori is a threat to us.”
Death’s black gaze cut to mine. “I think you and I heard a very different conversation back there.”
I pointed down the row. “Kori is still working with the rebels—she might even be trying to kill us.”
“Then why are her siblings so scared? Why are they threatening that rebel in order to keep him quiet? And, why did Brendan attack that man?” Death rubbed his chin. “Kori is obviously keeping secrets—and I think we should get the truth from her directly.”
I held up my hands. “Great. Let’s go wake her up now.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I have a four-hour train ride with her tomorrow morning. Clearly, she has to go to Nightendale or the rebels will call her a turncoat and kill her. I’ll use that journey to find out what’s going on.”
“Fuck no.” I rubbed the back of my neck, hard. “No. I’m going to be there when you question her. I need to know, Death. There’s no way that I’m sitting around here all day waiting to find out — no -- we’ll leave Ruin in Portland and both go with her. Then, I’ll jump on the supply train back, and return before nightfall.”
Tomorrow morning… I was getting the full fucking truth from Kori. She would tell me everything.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
KORI
Dressed in a long cream silk gown, I crossed through the thick metal doors that led out of the dome onto the train supply platform. A long line of flickering lights sent a low buzz through the air from above, illuminating the crowd that already gathered around the supply train. Its front end was shaped like a shiny silver bullet, and the doors were pulled closed down the length of the cement platform.
Ruin: A Reverse Harem Dark Fantasy Vampire Romance (Fire & Blood Book 1) Page 19