Broken Kingdom

by Stephany Wallace

  I frowned when he kissed me. “You planned ‘things’ for us to do?”

  Ash grinned and nodded, returning to the bathroom but left the door open for me. I followed and stood against the door while he washed his face and began to brush his pearly whites. My eyes roamed the naked muscles of his body. Damn he was perfect. I especially admired his behind while he bent forwards to rinse his mouth—I swore he could crush steel with those cheeks. Ash grinned at me through the mirror, obviously approving my appraisal—not that it was the first time he’d seen me do it. Somehow, Ash and I had fallen into a comfortable, yet weird kind of routine. He remained silent, placed a brief kiss on my lips, and pulled open the glass doors to the vast shower, turning on the hot water. Steam began to fill the bathroom as he stepped in.

  “How about we start by grabbing bagels with cream cheese, coffee, and have breakfast at the top of the Empire State Building?”

  My lips slowly stretched into a smile. I had never done that before. “That sounds awesome.”

  “Perfect.”

  His hands began to lather his body while I brushed my teeth, looking at him through the anti-fog mirror. I froze when his hands slowly traveled down his abs, and he begun to thoroughly wash his man charms. My treacherous eyes went straight between his thighs. Damn he was delicious. I blinked, forcing myself to look up again. Ash gave me a full-blown, wickedly naughty smile. “Sorry, I forgot the ‘no penis handling in front of you’ rule.”

  Ash winked while I viciously narrowed my eyes at him, and turned around, facing the wall. My gaze eagerly followed the trail the heated drops of water made down his back. They seemed to frame every ripped muscle as it flexed with his movements. I repressed a whimper and rinsed my mouth. I was pretty sure I was drooling.

  Yep. I was a total floosy… and I loved every second of it.

  * * *

  We walked through the Black Hole—the biggest fandom store in New York—after Ash asked me to help him get some Vampire memorabilia for his ‘little brother,’ Nyx. Apparently, Ash made it a point every time he came to the city, to take him a few books and other Vampire related items. Nyx was obsessed with them, I had learned. We had already stopped by a small bookstore I loved, where one could find the most amazing books, exclusively written by Indie Authors. Ash ended up getting five different Vampire series for his brother’s collection. It was late in the afternoon, and the sunset would soon graze our beautiful skyscrapers in its majestic color waves, which would no doubt never reach the streets of this concrete jungle. It was one of the things I loved about Ash’s place in the penthouse of the Waldorf Astoria; I got to fully bask in the joy of every sunrise and sunset with him.

  “What about this one?” Ash asked, eyes filled with excitement as he held up a black shirt with red vampire lips drawn on it, blood dripped from one of the fangs while a tongue seemed to be licking it. ‘Just one taste’ it read underneath.

  I nodded enthusiastically. “I love it. It’s provocative, fun, and dark. Do you think he’ll wear it though? From what you’ve told me about him he doesn’t seem like the type.”

  Ash chuckled, and threw it in the half full shopping cart parked next to him. “No, he never does, but he loves them. You should see his expression every time I take him something new.”

  My heart squeezed with his words, I did want to see Nyx’s expression. I wanted to meet his brothers, his family. I daydreamed about Ash asking me to go back home with him. Wherever that was. There was nothing left for me here, and I feared I was too invested in him to just let him leave. He turned around and grabbed a Vampire figurine—a replica of Tom Cruise in Interview with the Vampire—placing it in the cart, oblivious to the ache growing in my chest.

  Ash took my hand in his, interlacing our fingers, and kissed it. I walked beside him silently, and stared at him while he continued to search for the perfect gifts for his brother. My mind rushed from thought to thought, recalling everything he had shared with me. I knew more about him than I had ever learned from anyone before. He and his brothers were incredibly different; yet regardless of the disparities between them, they were inseparable. There was a bond between them that defied reason. I had no brothers or sisters, so I had no idea what it meant to grow up with a sibling. Maybe their relationship was normal, but it sounded amazing to me.

  In the last few weeks, Ash had shared a lot about his brother, Kyr, with me. The man sounded like he was freaking perfect, and he could do no wrong in Ash’s eyes. I kind of hated him a little, but only because in spite of the revered way that Ash spoke about him, I could tell there was an undertone to it. As though he felt that no matter what he did, he could never be like him. I knew his brother loved him but I wondered if he realized how his “perfection” made Ash feel.

  He had also opened up about his parents and the terrible illness that his mother suffered. It was a rare disease that was sucking the life out of her slowly. My heart broke for him. Based on the few memories of her that Ash had as a child, she sounded like an extraordinary woman. But that was not the only reason my heart had ripped apart. Ash confessed to me that the man he believed for so long was his father, the king, wasn’t anything to him, which also enraged me. That man had spent his entire life making Ash feel like he was nothing, like he could never reach the same level of greatness Kyr had—so he hadn’t even tried.

  That was the reason Ash had come here, looking for a man who apparently knew the truth, and could tell him who his real father was. At least that was what he hoped, but in spite of all his searching he hadn’t been able to find him. The man had apparently changed his name like five times before disappearing off the face of the earth. It made me wonder what he was hiding, or whom he was hiding from.

  There was a policewoman helping Ash investigate the whereabouts of this mysterious man, but even she had reached a dead end. She contacted a few friends she had in other branches of the government in an effort to help, and I was grateful because I knew how important this was for him—I didn’t even know my own parents so in a way, I could relate—but if that woman paraded her boobs in front of my man one more time, I was going to cut a bitch.

  She had stopped by the hotel a few times, and I swore every time she visited she was wearing fewer clothes than the last. I couldn’t really blame her but hello, sometimes I was standing right next to him, and she still batted her fake eyelashes at him. UGH. Apparently Ash was that man that made women into harlots for everyone else too, because the police lady wasn’t the only one. Even as I stood with him now, our hands clasped together, there were about ten women drooling around us. I tensed when I noticed one taking pictures of us. No. Not of us, of Ash.

  I had never been a jealous woman, but I swore if that skank got any closer, someone was going to have to hold my hoops… and my glasses. Ash set a couple of DVD’s in the cart, not even noticing the crowd forming around him. It was not the first time either, everywhere we went women were all over him, and I was really losing my patience.

  “Star, are you okay?” He asked, cradling my cheeks and I flushed.

  It was only then I realized I was tense and slightly trembling. My hand was gripping his so tightly that I wondered how I hadn’t cut his circulation yet. “Sorry, I um—” I let go of his hand and my eyes went to the woman taking pictures of him. Ash’s eyes followed my gaze and he sighed, finally noticing the horde of women around him. He chuckled. The bastard actually chuckled. “You think this is funny?!” I whisper-hissed, furious.

  His gaze settled on me and the back of his fingers caressed my cheek tenderly. “Are you jealous, Star?” I was going to smack this man. I could feel it. I was going to cause him bodily harm. He repressed a smirk when I narrowed my eyes at him. “I’m sorry.”

  I opened my mouth to give him a piece of my mind but before I could breathe, Ash hauled me up and pressed me against the movie rack behind me. A few movies fell to the floor as his mouth crashed against mine. He kissed me, no, he assaulted my senses in the middle of the store, while the girls around us gaspe
d. Some of the men started hooting and clapping in approval of Ash’s savage behavior. He pressed against me, as I gasped for air, and claimed my mouth again, taking the fight out of me. I clung to him, my legs wrapped around his waist, while his tongue grazed mine. I moaned on his lips and he grunted, the sensual sound seeped into every inch of my body.

  “Ahem.” A man said loudly next to us, and Ash reluctantly pulled back. His wild eyes focused on me, filled with raw desire before turning to acknowledge the man. It was one of the store employees, his lips twitched as he looked at us. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but this is kind of a public store, so we’d really appreciate it if you didn’t do that here.”

  Ash grinned, looking at everyone that had gathered around us. Some of the women were giving me the evil eye. “I’m terribly sorry. Comic books just really arouse me.”

  “Yes!” Some of the men yelled and woohooed, while I tried to regain my bearings.

  Ash set me back on the floor, and kissed me once again while the multitude dispersed and everyone returned to their day. “Now they all know I’m yours.” He winked, and planted one last kiss on my lips, leaving me speechless.

  Ash wasn’t the kind of man that said those things. He was so unbelievably hot it hurt, and he knew it, which made him incredibly cocky. He truly thought he was God’s greatest gift to women, a womanizer through and through. So full of himself, it was infuriating! But the thing was, that was not all Ash was. He was also kind, sweet and compassionate towards others. He was hilarious—although sometimes it seemed that I was the only one that got his jokes—he was fiercely loyal, and family meant everything to him.

  Ash was honest, and although I knew he hadn’t told me all of his secrets yet, I could tell there was very little he hadn’t shared with me, but most importantly, he had just kissed me in front of a two-story comic book store full of nerds—and women who wanted to jump him—just so they knew he only wanted me. Ash had done this so I would feel secure about us—whatever us was—and about myself.

  He had done it for me. And I was pretty sure I had fallen for him.

  Hell’s sweaty balls… I loved him.

  ASH

  * * *

  A multitude of shadows covered the city by the time we walked back into the apartment. Spending the day with Gaby had been incredible… every day with her was.

  It felt so different being here with her; I was different with her. If it weren’t for the fact that I was on a mission to find a man who could help me learn the truth about my family, I would probably stay here. No looking back. I had never wanted to be in one place as badly as I wanted to be here with her. Yet the fact remained, the Winter Court was falling apart as I breathed, I feared a dark war was inevitable, and my brothers and my mother needed me. My chest dangerously tightened as I thought of leaving, of returning home…without my Star.

  I wasn’t yet sure how I was going to manage that. If I was completely honest with myself, I was glad that I hadn’t found Lorcan yet. It gave me more time with her.

  “You practically got the whole store for your brother. You know that, right?”

  I grinned as Gaby dropped the bags she held next to the standing lamp while the bellboy walked in with the rest. I put the ones I brought up next to hers and gripped her waist, pressing her to my chest. Her neck strained to look up at me. “He needs all this.”

  “Why? Why does anyone in this world need all of this?” Her eyes sparkled with amusement.

  The door closed behind us as the bellboy disappeared, but my gaze remained on hers. My hand lifted, and the back of my fingers caressed her cheek as my chest constricted again, but this time for a different reason. “When Nyx and I left the castle, we left for good. Everything we—he knew was left behind. He’s never fancied much, but his books and Vampires make him feel secure. His collection, that he so adored, is now gone… he needs to start all over again.”

  “What happened, Ash? Why did the two of you leave like that?”

  Gaby’s question was the first she had ever asked me. She never tried to get anything from me; everything I had shared with her had been willingly. Her eyes softened as she awaited my answer. I let out a heavy breath, wishing I could be completely honest with her. Tell her everything about my world, about who I really was. She made me want to open up completely and share every truth I held.

  “The woman my brother, Kyr, fell in love with turned out to be the king’s true daughter. We thought she was our sister for a moment, but the more Nyx and I thought about it, we realized that the only possibility that existed for everything that occurred that night, was that the king was not our real father. The problem is, he doesn’t seem to know, and when he thought Kyr had slept with his own sister, he went mad with rage. He was going to have my brother tortured.”

  A gasp escaped her lips and her eyes watered. “He tried to torture his own son?” she whispered and I nodded, knowing in that moment that she could somehow feel the pain traveling through me. Her hand cupped my cheek as I shook my head slowly.

  “Kyr has been nothing but the perfect son to him, and he didn’t even blink before handing out his punishment. My brother managed to escape the castle, but afterwards, the king restrained us too. We had to leave. So much has happened, and now that the truth is coming out, I know it will only get worse.”

  Gaby pulled me down, a tear escaping from her eyes. She kissed me softly while the emotions rushed through me, and that single kiss relieved the ache in me. When my eyes opened once again, I found hers sparkling as she looked at me. “How do you do that, Star?”

  Gaby frowned. “What?”

  “How do you make me want to bare my soul to you, share everything I am with you?”

  A smile curved her full lips and she shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just something about me, I guess? It’s happened so many times that I’m used to it. People literally spill the story of their lives to me while waiting for coffee at Starbucks.” I chuckled. “True story.” She shrugged, but then let out a slow sigh. “I think there is just something about me that puts them at ease, and they feel comfortable enough to tell me what’s troubling them. It’s actually why I never ask questions, I’m just there to listen. Uncle Rob always said I should be a therapist.”

  The smile returned to her lips, turning irresistibly endearing.

  “He even made me a comic book once, where he turned me into a heroine. Drew it all by himself, too. My name was ‘The Truth Seeker’ and my super power was to make people tell me their darkest secrets with one look.” She chuckled. “He was such an adorable man.”

  I grinned. “It sounds like he really loved you.”

  Tears gathered in her eyes as she nodded. “And I him.” Clearing her throat, Gaby blinked, trying to contain the emotion and stepped back. “I’m going to go change into my pj’s, can you please order pizza or something? I’m starving.” Gaby turned around and headed for the bedroom. “You can use the fifty that’s in my wallet. Dinner is on me!” she yelled, already stepping into the closet.

  I chuckled walking to the kitchen. I reached for the phone, taking two glasses out of the cabinet, and served myself a Pepsi while getting her pink lemonade—it was like water for her—then dialed Georgino’s her favorite pizza place. I whirled around when muffled sounds reached me through my enhanced hearing. There was someone here. I ran out of the kitchen, and burst into the bedroom. A man was dragging Gaby out of the closet. He had managed to cover her mouth and bind her already. The image of Avrielle gagged and tied up flashed in front of my eyes, and something snapped inside me. I was seeing red.

  The man had barely noticed my presence when I jumped and kicked his chest sending him flying back against the bathroom’s doorframe. He crashed to the floor. I grabbed the floor lamp next to me, slammed the wooden rod against my thigh, breaking it in half—the bulb exploded. I twirled the two sharp batons in my hands while he jumped upright, assuming a fighting stance. He advanced on me, daggers in hand, as Gaby desperately crawled out of the way, tears streaming dow
n her face. The sight sent pure rage through my veins. This wasn’t a robbery gone wrong, this guy was here for a reason. I swerved right, avoiding his attack and spun, slamming the wooden stick against his back, he stumbled forwards but turned throwing a flying kick. I jumped back and bent down, rolling on the floor, all too easily avoiding both his foot and the swipe he made at me with the dagger he held.

  It wasn’t that he was a bad fighter, but he was way over his head with the warrior skills I possessed. Kyr had trained me, after all. Without waiting for him to react, I attacked. I launched at him, slamming the first rod against his neck then twirled the opposite way and hit his knee with the second. The sound of cracking bones reverberated through the air. Before coming out of my spin, I swept his leg from under him, sending him to the floor. I pushed him down, and pressed the wooden batons to his trachea as I loomed over him. A black mask covered his face, so I could only see his yellow eyes.

  “Who are you, and what are you doing here?” I snarled, chocking him.

  His body struggled under me, but before I could get some answers, he pulled a silver ring from his pocket and slipped it over his finger. My eyes widened as a portal opened on the floor underneath us. I scrambled backwards to avoid it while he fell through it, the next second the floor was whole again. I panted looking to the spot where the portal had just taken him. It wasn’t like our archway portals, but it definitely led to our realm.

  Gaby’s sobs brought me out of the shock, and I ran out of the room to find her pressed against the wall, eyes filled with panic as she fought against the binds that held her wrists and ankles. I rushed towards her and ripped the ropes away, taking her into my arms. “I’m so sorry, Star. Are you okay?” She didn’t answer, instead she trembled in my embrace, and I wished the man hadn’t escaped so I could rip his limbs off, one by one, for doing this to her.