Case: 1: A Dystopian Mystery (Annalise Storm Chronicles Book 2)

by May Freighter

  “What if I pay you?” She turned on her comms. “How about five hundred credits?”

  The receptionist licked his lips and leant in. The ink on his face made him look like a demon instead of a person. “A thousand.”

  Annalise hesitantly nodded. She didn’t want him to know she could afford that amount with ease, or he would ask for more. He provided her with his digital address, and she forwarded him the payment.

  The man grinned, turning the screen of his terminal towards her. “See if you can find him.”

  She scanned the names on the list with a frown. “They all say Green.”

  “Yeah, we’re all about discretion here.”

  “Right… Have you seen a man that’s about six-two, light-brown hair, well-built, and is a beast?”

  He pointed to the staircase. “That’ll be room 405.”

  Glad to be away from the guy, she scaled the concrete stairs to the fourth floor and deactivated her wrist comms a second time. The smell of stale water hung thick in the air. Her palms were clammy from nerves. She wiped them on her coat and knocked on the door. Nothing happened for a long minute. She was ready to knock again when Mavel opened it.

  Her eyes watered, and she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist. She clung to his t-shirt, taking in the musky scent that she had missed.

  “Anna?” his voice brought on another wave of sobs from her. “What are you doing here? How did you find me?”

  “I—I have missed you!” she complained and hugged him until her arms began to ache.

  Mavel pulled her into the room, shutting the door behind him. He lifted her face and used his thumbs to wipes away her tears. “I missed you, too, but if you can find me, Falcon isn’t too far behind.”

  “They were the ones who gave me the address,” she explained, pulling back reluctantly. “I don’t think the rest of Falcon knows, only the faction I’m dealing with.”

  His expression became guarded. “You’ve made a deal with Falcon after what they did to my father?”

  “It’s not like that!” She took his hand and pressed it to her face. “They blackmailed me into getting engaged. My parents, Devlin, everyone has been lying to me. Now that the truth is out in the open, I have nowhere else to go. I need you, Mavel.”

  “We can talk about that later. For now, come here.” His shoulders relaxed, and he drew her into an embrace. Being enveloped in his arms again was indescribable. Her heart swelled with longing and desire. Her hands roamed his back, trying to eradicate every little bit of space between them.

  He lowered his head to her neck and breathed in her scent. “Anna…”

  She leant back enough to kiss him. At first, he seemed uncertain about it, but as more time passed, he returned her passionate kiss. He lifted her up, letting her wrap her legs around his waist. His hand held onto her thighs, keeping her there while he devoured her mouth. He pressed her back against the wall, and she wound her arms around his neck. Her eagerness for more of his touch burned her from within. She wanted to be consumed by him again, to share the warmth of their bodies. Damn the society and their rules. Who were they to tell her whom she should love and marry?

  He slid her coat off and lifted her top over her head. His hands cupped her breasts, massaging them as he trailed kisses down her neck.

  She gasped his name when he nibbled on her collarbone. Her hips began grinding against him, in need of more contact with his flesh. She should have worn a skirt instead of jeans. Underneath her, she felt him growing hard. It pleased her, knowing that she aroused him.

  He lowered her to the ground and went down to his knees. His captivating silver eyes reflected the neon light from the window. He seemed to be asking for her permission, like the last time.

  Annalise undid the buttons on her jeans and slid them off. She took hold of his hands, placing them on her thighs. “I’m yours, Mavel.”

  He didn’t need any more encouragement than that. His hands roamed the length of her legs, tickling and warming her. Stopping on her hips, he teasingly inched her black lace panties down. She had to look away from embarrassment.

  “Look at me, Anna,” he ordered, and she complied.

  He guided her hips closer to him and pressed his lips to her sensitive parts. His tongue pushed her folds apart, summoning a moan from her as he sucked and licked her there.

  Her body rocked against him with every masterful stroke of his tongue. Tiny spasms tightened her muscles all over her body. She buried her hands in his hair, bringing him closer to her as she neared her orgasm and got wetter.

  “Please, Mavel…more,” she begged.

  He slowed his speed to the point where every lick was a pleasurable torment. His fingers sank inside of her, and she gasped for air. Her breasts rose and fell with her heaving breaths. The bra she was wearing became a tight restraint that had her hard nipples aching.

  To match the slow pace with which his tongue worked her clit, his fingers slid in and out of her. And, with the next stroke, her orgasm finally arrived. She moaned in contentment, allowing herself to ride the mind-blowing waves of pleasure that had her legs growing weaker. When she could take no more, he withdrew.

  She sat on the ground and kissed him, tasting her wetness on his lips. But, she couldn’t let him give her pleasure without returning any of it. She unbuttoned his jeans, reaching in to stroke his hard erection.

  “Anna,” he caught her wrist, causing her to stop for a moment, “you don’t have to do this.”

  “I want to.” Once he moved his hand away, she helped him out of his jeans and boxers.

  He rested his back against the wall while she crawled to sit between his legs. She had only read about oral sex in books. How am I supposed to fit all of him in my mouth? She should have practised on a banana or something first. She swallowed her nerves as she wrapped her fingers around his base. Bringing her head down, she licked the tip before sucking it into her mouth.

  Mavel’s breath hitched when she began moving her lips up and down his shaft. His hand gently stroked her hair, brushing it out of the way as she continued taking him in deeper and deeper until he hit the back of her throat.

  She pulled back, sucking in air that didn’t seem to want to stay in her lungs. She was hot all over just thinking about having him inside of her.

  “Are you alright?” he asked with hooded and lust-filled eyes. He had to be enjoying it. She couldn’t stop now.

  She smiled at him and resumed what she was doing, feeling his member twitching and hardening further in her mouth and hearing his breathing becoming irregular. When she was sure he was getting close, he raised her face.

  “That’s enough.” He lifted her to sit on his lap with his hard-on pressing against her ass. He took off her bra and caressed her breasts before taking the pointed buds into his mouth one after the other.

  Her back arched with pleasure. She longed for him to touch her in more places, and now that he was within her reach, she craved all of him. “I want you to take me.”

  He positioned himself, rubbing his tip against her slick opening.

  “Stop teasing me!” she complained.

  Mavel chuckled. “I couldn’t help myself.” He slowly brought her hips down. She had to grab his shoulders as he filled and stretched her molten core. Biting on her lower lip to contain her moan, she began to move her hips.

  He let her control the pace while he sucked on her breasts. When she closed her eyes, the sensations merged together into a fiery blur. The longer she rode him, the more of him she wanted to take in to the point where she grunted in frustration.

  She bent down and kissed him, raking her fingers through his thick hair. His tongue met hers. Their ragged breaths mingled as they lost themselves in the bliss of the moment.

  His hands stroked her ass, squeezing the soft mounds to speed her up. She knew she was getting close again. She pressed her sweaty forehead to his as another orgasm rocked her, making her gasp for more air. Letting her voice out, she cried out his n
ame. This was what she needed all along—him by her side.

  Annalise felt him stiffening as he pumped a few more times into her. She snaked her arms around his neck, and he hugged her back.

  “I love you,” she whispered.

  He kissed her temple. “I love you, too, Anna.”

  Mavel lifted her into his arms and carried her to a double bed where he settled her on the grey cotton sheets. He climbed in behind her, pulling her bare back against his body. To the sound of their calming breathing, she closed her eyes as he draped his arm around her waist.

  “You’ll stick around, won’t you?” she asked.

  “I won’t leave you again unless you want me gone.” He kissed her shoulder and tenderly stroked her hair. “Get some rest. I’ll buy us something to eat for when you wake up.”

  She turned around and buried her face in his chest. “Stay. Please.”

  He covered them both with the quilt and resumed stroking her hair. “As you wish.”

  Annalise opened her eyes to discover Mavel’s sleeping face. A smile graced her lips, and she took in the sight of her beast. Apart from his hair being short, he hadn’t changed. Although she was tempted to trace the outline of his strong jawline, she decided against waking him.

  She climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom. A shower would help her clear her mind of everything that had happened yesterday, or so she hoped. On some level, she clung to the possibility that she had imagined the events at the gala. That her family did not play games with her life, and Devlin was the same dedicated partner she had come to like having by her side. But, reality came crashing down on her after she showered and rinsed her mouth. She was in the Green District with a beast who was blamed for a crime he didn’t commit. Falcon was not a single faction but was divided into two. By the looks of how they operated, the two factions didn’t share information. So, as long as only Mr X knew of Mavel’s location, she believed he was safe from prosecution. Could she trust someone related to Devlin? They were brothers, after all.

  Mavel stirred and rubbed his eyes. Sitting up in bed, he found her standing in the bathroom doorway wrapped in a towel. His silver eyes turned molten with lust. “Would you mind if I tore that towel off you and pulled you back in bed?”

  She laughed at the way he talked. Being normal around one another without the master-servant relationship to get in the way felt like a heavy load was lifted off their shoulders. Taking a seat next to him, she took his hand and ran her thumb over his knuckles. “We should talk about what we are going to do.”

  His expression sobered, and he inclined his head. “You’re right. Get dressed while I take a shower. I don’t want to keep thinking about your gorgeous body if I can help it.”

  “Gorgeous, eh?” She inched the hem of her towel up playfully.

  Mavel groaned. He got out of bed and hurried into the bathroom. “I am going to need a meditation session after this.” He closed the door, leaving her alone to gather her scattered clothes.

  She changed and turned on her wrist comms to see if she had any messages from the department. Aside from her father’s, mother’s, and Devlin’s numerous calls, there was one she didn’t recognise. She checked her voice mail. It was a call from Graham Green, Gale’s boyfriend. He said he got her number from the department and wanted to meet at the train station later that afternoon.

  Why was he contacting me when the case has been reassigned to Homicide?

  He had to be thinking that she was still the lead detective on the case. If he had new information, she needed to pass it onto the others.

  Annalise sent him a message, saying she would meet with him under the main clock inside the station. Her empty stomach rumbled. There was no food in the room’s mini-fridge. She would have breakfast with Mavel first before heading off to see Graham.

  Mavel came out of the bathroom fifteen minutes later. Dressed in black jeans and shirt, he came over and kissed her on the lips. “Are you hungry?”

  “Starving. Is there somewhere private we can go and talk?”

  “I know just the place.”

  23

  Desperate Measures

  Annalise kept looking over her shoulder in the small rundown bar Mavel brought her to. She felt eyes on her from the patrons. They had to know she was a pureblood. A few hundred of them had been exiled to live in the slums, but she couldn’t shake the feeling like she was an exhibit of an extinct tiger at a zoo. The metal music that played in the bar hurt her ears. It was closer to a cat screeching than a human singing. The sole good thing was that this wasn’t a live event, or people would be throwing their beer bottles at the singer.

  She leant closer to Mavel over the table of their corner booth. “I thought you said this was a private place.”

  “It is as private as it gets where there is food around in this district.” He lowered his cap to conceal more of his face and took a swig of his beer.

  Annalise folded her arms across her chest as she reclined into her seat. Her stomach rumbled at the mention of food, and she sighed. “How have you been?”

  Mavel met her stare. She had missed looking into his cat-like eyes. They had always fascinated her.

  “I’ve been moving around from one place to the next, keeping my distance from family and friends.”

  “How did they know where you were?” She avoided saying Falcon on the premises, in case someone here had beef with that organisation or decided to listen in out of curiosity.

  “Your guess is as good as mine, Anna. I can only assume they have agents in the streets and got lucky, or they can access the security cameras dotted around the district. If I got caught by one of them, they could have tracked my movements from there.”

  She pressed her lips together. It was a terrifying thought. If Falcon had access to the video feeds throughout the city, they could find anyone whenever they pleased. But, since Mr X was behind this and not Devlin, was the access limited to different sections of that organisation? She ran her hand through her hair. “Without knowing how they operate and who they report to, it’s hard to gauge their capabilities.”

  “Since they haven’t come for my head, I can assume they are waiting for something.” Mavel’s attention settled on her nails that picked at the peeling plastic on edge of the table. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  The food arrived. She had ordered a beef burger and chips; although the meat looked nothing like what she was used to seeing in the Golden District. She studied the grey lump between the buns with a grimace. “Is this edible?”

  “You didn’t answer my question,” he replied, pulling his plate closer.

  “I told you everything last night.” She knew that telling him the fine details would make him worry more about her situation. He couldn’t enter the Golden or Silver Districts anymore. His access as a servant had been revoked.

  “That was the briefest explanation in history! You can’t expect me to let your engagement and the fact your parents have been lying to you rest. What happened? And, please, feel free to use as many words as possible.”

  “Oh, you caught that…” She pouted and bit into her burger to gain some time and put together her response. Her eyes widened. The food here—greasy and looking unappealing—tasted great.

  Mavel followed her lead and ate his food in silence. Once she finished chewing, his expression told her that he wasn’t going to let her off the hook, no matter how long she dragged it out for. She put her burger on the plate and wiped her fingers and mouth with a serviette.

  Lowering her voice, she said, “A lot of things started happening since you left. Devlin became my partner at HPD.”

  “The guy who helped us escape?”

  “Yes, if that was what he was doing. I can’t be sure anymore. At first, he told me he left Falcon for good. He came knocking on my door with a bullet hole in his side. How could I not believe him? He was shot, for God’s sake! So, over time, I started to trust him.”

  “You rarely expect anything from people, Anna,” Ma
vel told her matter-of-factly. “Do you have feelings for him?”

  “Of course not!” She scoffed. “I—What made you think of something so ridiculous?”

  Mavel took her hand, stroking the back of it with his thumb. “I have been the only man in your life whom you trusted enough with your secrets and woes. If you feel betrayed by his actions, to some extent, it means you have developed affection for him.”

  Annalise tugged her hand out of his and took a mouthful of her beer. He knew her too well. She couldn’t keep lying to him and herself. Under the surface, she had feelings for Devlin. She let out a soft giggle. It was funny how her life was working its way from bad to worse. “I guess you’re right.”

  “Although I would love to punch him for hurting you, you haven’t told me the whole story.”

  She ran her hand through her hair and recited the events that led to the gala, and her father’s unforgettable speech. Her heart ached from the memory as it popped up and ruined her mood throughout their meal. Once they finished eating, they left the bar and walked back to the hotel room.

  Mavel took her hand. Leading her to the bed where he sat her down, he drew her into his arms. “Whatever you decide to do, I will always be on your side.”

  Wiping away the tears that sprung to her eyes, she hugged him back. “I wish you could come back with me. I miss having you around.”

  He caressed her hair, and she knew their time together was coming to an end. She had a meeting with the victim’s fiancé at the train station to get to in Silver, and Mavel had to keep moving. Staying at the hotel would invite more trouble.

  She pulled back with a sad smile. “You have to send me your location when you find a new place.”

  “Since your comms are hacked, I can’t contact you that way.” His lips upturned at the corners. “I could send you a letter, like in the olden days.”

  “I’ll be looking forward to it.” She gave him a peck on the lips.

  As she was about to stand up, he tugged her down on top of him and started to kiss her with more passion than she deserved. He hadn’t once said anything about her having feelings for Devlin or claimed that no other man could have her. They both knew there was little he could do for her, and it broke her heart. She could only imagine how miserable Mavel must be on the inside.