Anton's Grace : Sci-Fi Dark Romance (Dark Tales)

by Regine Abel

  “The purge of half-breeds needs to stop. I’ve been watching your progress for a long time. Since you reversed the fate of your clan – sixteen years ago was it..?”

  “Yes.”

  “An increasing number of lesser clans are sparing their half-breeds,” he continued. “Most of them still don’t make it to puberty, but it’s a start. You’ve set the bar for what half-breeds can be… and above all, what half-breeds will or won’t accept.”

  My breath rushed out as a light finally went off in my head.

  “You set me up,” I whispered. “This whole consultation deal, you knew that sooner or later, Gerwin would provoke me.”

  Ravik lifted his chin. “Yes. I knew they would eventually challenge you. Why do you think I sent those three idiots with Pattel?”

  I shook my head in disbelief.

  “For what it’s worth, the consultations are genuine. Had you not fought back, I ordered Pattel to keep you safe. However, I didn’t think you would take it lying down and you didn’t disappoint.”

  His comment touched me. Ravik was only a few years younger than my father. I was a sucker for paternal approval.

  “How does renouncing my clan benefit you if your goal is to show they shouldn’t kill half-breeds?”

  Ravik’s grin broadened and he spread his arm on the backseat of the couch, staking claim. “By giving the Empire a big fuck you. By showing all Braxians you don’t need them; they need you. By reminding them, just like you reminded Clan Caldes, that a half-breed owns them.”

  I narrowed my eyes and he chuckled. I thought my trails better covered.

  “Without the protection of my clan, the others might come after Grace or me. Worse still, they could come after any child we have.”

  “And face my wrath. Renounce and I will make you Friend of the Empire.”

  That knocked the wind out of me. As long as Ravik remained in power, that title effectively made me untouchable. Anyone who attacked a Friend of the Empire not only forfeited his life, he also brought down the banishment of his entire clan.

  “You have given me much to think about.”

  “I thought you’d feel that way,” Ravik said as he rose from his seat. “The hour is late. I must depart. Although, I would see your mate one last time.”

  “Naturally,” I said, pretending he hadn’t called Grace my mate.

  This time, she came enthusiastically. It bothered me a little. Somehow, Grace guessed the nature of his loss and gave him what he needed. Comfort.

  Grace’s hands looked tiny when she placed them in Ravik’s. She held his gaze, a gentle smile on her lips.

  “You take good care of your mate, little Grace.”

  Her eyes widened, but she didn’t challenge his choice of words. “Yes, Magnar.”

  “Ravik,” he corrected. “When we meet in private, I would have you call me Ravik.”

  “Yes, Ravik.”

  He smiled and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

  “Anton,” he said, with a farewell nod.

  I bowed. “Magnar Ravik.”

  He snorted. “That was meant for you as well, silly man.”

  My throat tightened at the tremendous honor. “My apologies, Ravik.”

  “Until we meet again,” he smiled, entering the lift.

  CHAPTER 19

  Grace

  Two months passed since the Magnar’s first visit. He came twice more after that. At first, he terrified me. Seeing how roughly Gerwin handled me at Sade, I didn’t know what to expect. His careful, almost tender touch baffled me. But when he asked me to say his name, and his reaction finally made it clear – I reminded him of someone he had deeply cared about. Romero would be proud how I applied his teachings. Between playing the part of a Braxian concubine, and assessing what my audience – the Magnar – wanted, my performance deserved a standing ovation.

  To be fair, I didn’t need much acting to deal with the Magnar. After he promised never to hurt me, I realized he was a nice man carrying a lot of pain deep within. It pleased me to soothe some of it. I was growing quite fond of him, especially since he seemed to bear some kind of fatherly affection for Anton. But men, Braxians worst of all, were every shade of awkward when it came to conveying their feelings. Anton and the Magnar seemed to have this big conspiracy thing going on and curiosity chewed away at me.

  However, things were going too well between Anton and me to jeopardize them with curiosity. We never spoke of the contract anymore, even though it hung over our heads like a thunder cloud. That didn’t stop us from having wild, raunchy sex over every surface of his office at random times of the day.

  Last month, Anton gave me the greatest surprise. We were leisurely strolling down the walkway, trying to decide which bar to go to when we ran into Marcus. Even though Anton admitted his mistake after punishing me, I didn’t know how he would react. I missed Marcus but couldn’t seem to find an appropriate way to broach the topic. In a way, it felt cowardly not to address that issue now with Marcus nearby, but I was picking my battles.

  When he noticed us, Marcus hesitated, giving us a polite nod from a distance. To his shock and mine, Anton sauntered towards him. After a friendly greeting, we talked about interesting clubs on the main walkway. Marcus suggested a couple he particularly enjoyed. Midway through the conversation, Anton asked Marcus to address him by his first name. He then told him to come visit any time because I missed him. Staring at Anton, I blinked away the tears welling up. I pressed myself against him and he held me close. My lips against his neck, I whispered a soft thank you. He kissed the top of my head before releasing me.

  When I glanced back at Marcus, the look on his face spoke of his happiness for me. He wanted this for me. Since then, Marcus and I met at least once a week. Sometimes at the penthouse, sometimes at a restaurant. Anton didn’t question me or hover around us during those visits.

  I was falling in love with Anton and it scared me. Part of me couldn’t dismiss his violence, even after two and a half months of peace. That didn’t mean it wouldn’t happen again with the right trigger. I felt torn between protecting myself and seizing the moment – giving what was blossoming between us a chance to grow.

  Only seven weeks remained on our contract and Anton showed every sign of wanting to continue. But more importantly, I was three weeks away from my first show. It wouldn’t be a full show. I would do the first part of Seria’s – two songs; one at the beginning of the show, the other right after the intermission. Romero and I discussed what my debut performance should be like. We agreed that a tiny set to whet appetites was better than a full-length program. It would also be a test for us to see what to adjust.

  That show scared the fuck out of me. It had been years since I’d felt any kind of nerves before going on stage. I had never worked so hard for anything and that made it more precious. If my show – if I – wasn’t well received, it would crush me. To perform in a VIP venue on Venus Hive, to be admired and lauded by the elite had been my greatest dream. Yet, as I walked towards the backstage of the rehearsal auditorium, I realized the elite’s opinions didn’t matter the most. I wanted this to be a success for my three men, Anton, Marcus, and Romero. They had believed in me, invested in me and supported me, each in their own special way. This would be my thank you for giving me the confidence and means to chase after my dream.

  My dancer trio should already be on stage awaiting me. Romero would join us in thirty minutes, after our warm up. We were still writing the choreography for the second song. I would perform the first song solo, to showcase my voice. The second song would display my showmanship; sexy, classy, with plenty of flash and dazzle.

  As I approached the curtains, a horrible sense of déja vu swept over me as the voices of gossiping dancers reached me. I stopped.

  “I wonder how she can still walk after banging Mr. Ant, let alone dance. Did you see the size of his thing?”

  That was Marlina’s voice. A pretty strawberry blonde, with a to-die-for hourglass figure. An overly promin
ent nose and a bitchy attitude kept her from being beautiful. She was a talented dancer, but her mouth prevented her from landing long term gigs.

  “How would you know what size Ant’s cock is?” Sacha’s voice asked. “There is no way in hell he got naked for you.”

  “Unlike certain wannabes in this room,” Marlina said, “I performed at Sade’s grand opening. I was in the front row seat when Ant whipped it out and Miss Gracie polished his knob like no one’s business. Fuck, she can deep-throat with the best of them. Watching her go down on his hammer, I wished I had a cock of my own to get head like that.”

  I gripped the curtain. In my anger, I could feel my nails digging into my palms through the thickness of the fabric. Yeah, I could give mean head and took pride in it. But Marlina made it sound cheap and dirty.

  “I don’t think we should talk about that,” Carrie said, her annoying nasal voice echoing through the room. “Grace probably wouldn’t like it.”

  “Oh stop being such a tight cunt,” Marlina said. “Everyone on the fucking station wonders about them. You should have seen her outfit that night with that crazy fluffy tail up her ass. It was epic. For sure they’ve done anal. Her asshole must be the size of a fucking wormhole to–”

  “That’s enough, Marlina,” Sacha snapped. “Look, you may be better than the rest of us ‘wannabes’ but we’ve got a pretty damn good gig here. Grace is super nice with us. And I’m not getting fired because you’re talking shit about the boss’ girlfriend.”

  My face heated with humiliation. That fucking outfit had been such a source of embarrassment. I couldn’t believe the little bitch was talking so much shit, knowing I was on my way here.

  “Sacha kind of has a point,” Carrie said.

  “Whatever, you bunch of pussies.” Marlina’s voice dripped with contempt. “But she’s not his girlfriend. She’s his cum bucket. We all know he bought her ass.”

  “He’s walking around with her like she’s his wife, not his whore,” Sacha said. “You do know that he castrated that Sarenian that tried to rape her at the Viaggo, right?”

  Anton had made a brutal example of that Sarenian. Not only did he castrate him, but he also burned his retinas and slashed his vocal cords. That man would never rape another woman or mesmerize anyone again. After getting maimed, the Sarenian was put on display in a cage at the main junction between the Commons and the VIP sections so patrons would know what would befall them if they broke the laws of the station. Although, people said it was what would happen if you messed with the boss’ woman.

  “Either way,” Sacha said, “that’s none of our business. We’re here to dance.”

  “I’m not talking shit, just stating facts,” Marlina argued. “Then again, she’s a hot squeeze and plays him like a pro. If you stop being such an uptight pussy, Carrie, I might take you along to Sade. I bet you’d love to see how she swallows a monster cock.”

  “You could get me in?” Carrie asked, sounding excited.

  “No, she can’t,” Sacha said. “She got her ass fired. Why the hell would you even want to do that, Carrie?”

  “I didn’t get fired. My contract ended,” Marlina said.

  That was a lie. Marissa, the owner, fired her for her stinky attitude.

  “Come on, Sacha, everyone wants to go to Sade,” Carrie said. “It’s impossible for people like us to get in.”

  “Forget her, Carrie,” Marlina said. “I’ll get you in and you’ll see why Mr. Ant’s ugly ass is burning so much money on her. She must have been a teen hooker or something to be able to fake it so good while that ape is riding her.”

  My pulse raced and my skin tingled with the first tremors of anxiety at the thought of a confrontation. But I’ve had enough. I was tired of people walking all over me, talking down to me, and taking advantage of me. Eyes closed, I fisted my hands to control their trembling and took three deep breaths to center myself. Silencing the insecurities that threatened to rob me of my will, I pushed my shoulders back and stepped onto the stage.

  I found the three girls standing by the warm up barre.

  “That’s quite enough out of you, Marlina,” I said, relieved my voice didn’t shake.

  Carrie and Sacha paled. Marlina stiffened, a hint of fear in her eyes. Then pride kicked in, and she lifted her chin. At that moment, she bore an eerie resemblance to Darla on Jeruna. History knows what that cockiness and attitude earned her.

  Crossing her arms over her chest, Marlina said, “Some people can’t handle the truth.”

  “You don’t know jack shit,” I said, pointing a threatening finger at her. “My man is paying your fucking wages. My man also happens to be Braxian. You would do well to inform yourself about what happens to stupid little girls who disrespect Braxians.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, ok. Whatever.”

  I fought the urge to slap her. Then it dawned on me.

  “You know what,” I said, “you have a lot of growing up to do. I hope for your sake that it won’t be the hard way. But here’s another truth for you: we don’t need to put up with your shit. Get the fuck off my stage. You’re fired.”

  Sacha bit her bottom lip, her eyes widening. Carrie’s throat worked as she took a couple of steps closer to Sacha, putting more distance between her and Marlina.

  Marlina’s nostrils flared. “You can’t fire me! I have a contract.”

  “Wrong, stupid girl.” Oh, how the tables turned. “Your contract is with me, not Anton. Second, you obviously didn’t read the contract. If you had, you would know that I can fire you at any time, for any reason, at my own discretion with no compensation whatsoever. So you can walk out with whatever dignity you’ve got left, or I can have you dragged out.”

  Marlina opened and closed her mouth, like a fish out of water. She looked to the other dancers for support but both Sacha and Carrie averted their eyes.

  “This isn’t over,” Marlina hissed, leveling me with a venomous glare.

  She stormed off the stage, shoving the backdrop curtains aside. My blood boiled, and I could feel myself tremble within. However, it was righteous anger that fueled the fire, and… pride? I turned back to face my remaining dancers.

  “Grace,” Sacha pleaded, “we didn’t…”

  “Relax, Sacha,” I interrupted. “I’ve been here long enough to know what you did and didn’t say.” She swallowed hard and exchanged a worried look with Carrie. “You have a good head on your shoulders and a proper sense of priorities.”

  Sacha sagged against the barre, a relieved smile on her lips. “Thank you, Grace. You’re a cool boss.”

  After returning her smile, I let the warmth melt from my voice when my eyes turned to Carrie.

  “Let me give you one piece of advice, Carrie,” I said. “Girls like Marlina are poison. You stay the fuck away from them or be ready to go down with them. Your gut told you what she was doing was wrong, didn’t it?”

  Carrie hugged her midsection and nodded.

  “Then you should have shut her down. Instead, you let her suck you in with a promise to take you to ‘cool’ places. But at what cost?” I walked towards her, my heels clicking. “When I was a couple of years younger than you, I let myself get ensnared by two girls like Marlina. I wanted to be part of the in-crowd. That almost cost me my career, if not my life. Today, one of them is dead, the other is a ruin.”

  Carrie flinched, fear seeping into her eyes. Good… Fear was good. It would keep her away from naïve choices she didn’t fully understand the consequences of. I wished someone opened my eyes back then, not a boyfriend who I thought was simply trying to control me.

  “Listen to your gut. You’re here to dance. Do you know how many girls would kill to be performing on Venus Hive at your young age? Focus on your career and stay out of the drama. Understood?”

  Carrie nodded emphatically.

  “Good. Now, we’ve wasted enough time. Let’s get to work.”

  The girls agreed, happy to move on from the unpleasantness. I couldn’t quite define what it
was, but during the confrontation, something changed. Not only within me but also how they looked at me. Obviously, there was some fear; losing their job with Anton’s girlfriend could get them blacklisted. But I could see more. I didn’t want to call it respect, yet… Whatever it was, I liked it. More importantly, it felt good not to let myself get pushed around.

  I turned to start the music and froze. Romero stood by the curtain. My breath hitched at the look in his eyes. He winked before marching towards the girls.

  “Alright, enough slacking around. We’ve got a show to prepare!”

  * * *

  Tonight, Anton’s behavior baffled me. I swung between curiosity and concern. It’s like he couldn’t decide if he felt worried or excited. He told me to dress in a sarong eerily similar to the one I wore on the first day. He wore similar black leather pants and dark t-shirt as he did that day. The chef prepared us a fine meal, with most of my favorite dishes. We talked about simple, light things. However, multiple times throughout the evening, I caught Anton looking at me as if trying to read my mind.

  After dinner, we slow-danced in the living area, quietly, for what felt like hours. We rarely danced at home. That and his strange behavior confirmed he deliberately sought privacy for whatever he wanted to do.

  What further worried me was that Anton hadn’t become aroused. Whenever we danced, within minutes of close proximity, I would feel him strain against me. His hands would become more adventurous, his embrace fiercer and his lips more demanding. But not tonight.

  What the hell is going on?

  Without warning, Anton stopped the music and led me to the plush couch. He sat down and pulled me onto his lap. I faced him, my knees on each side of him. He rested his forehead against mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and waited.

  After a moment, he pulled back and looked at me with an unreadable expression. My stomach knotted with apprehension.

  Anton sighed, then said, “I’m releasing you from your contract.”

  My brain went numb. I stared at him trying to comprehend what he had just said. The words refused to sink in.