A tender smile lit my face, flooding me with warmth and affection. How freaking considerate was this man? Making sure I was okay with him corresponding with his ex.
I shook my head. "No, I don't mind. But thank you for asking. That actually means a lot to me."
Cal smiled and nodded in return.
Not allowing any other distractions to come up, Rob quickly tugged me out the door.
We jogged down the chateau steps, and before we even got outside, the sound of the surf rose up and filled my ears, washing me in tranquility and contentment. It was hard to believe that a sound had that kind of power, but the ocean most definitely did. I smiled and breathed deep, taking in the salty sea air as if it were an expensive perfume I needed to savor.
"This place is amazing," I said, when we finally made it onto the beach
Dan's castle had been built at the top of a small cliff, overlooking a crystal-clear, aquamarine cove below. As such, his city was two-tiered—half of the houses, shops, and buildings were up above, lining the precarious edge of the clifftop, and the other half were down below, lining the sandy shore. Steps had been carved into the cliffside at various points, allowing the citizens to get from one section to the other easily—if extreme cardio could be considered "easy." I, for one, was already dreading the journey back to the chateau. All those stairs could go suck a big one.
Rob shook his head. "Yeah, it's nice. But it's fucking hot as Hades."
I glanced at the men and women around us. Some of them were lying in the sand, others were walking down the sandstone streets. Most men were shirtless and wearing only shorts, and most women wore dresses with petite skirts, exposing most of their legs. All of their legs, actually; the only thing the skirts really covered were their ass cheeks.
"Well, you could always just take your shirt off," I suggested, raising my brows enticingly. I'd be kidding no one if I said I didn't enjoy looking at Rob's tattooed body sans clothing. "Me on the other hand, I'd love to go shopping to buy a short dress like that."
I pointed to a woman across the street who had a toddler in each hand beside her. Her dress was white, sleeveless, and breezy at the bottom. She even had a matching pair of sandals to go with it.
Rob smirked. "You wouldn't last ten seconds in a dress like that."
I nudged his arm with my shoulder, but it was like smacking into a rock, his muscles were so hard. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means, I'd have you out of that fucking thing in an instant. I'd hate to get arrested for indecent exposure in my brother's kingdom."
I couldn't help but laugh. "Dan wouldn't care. He'd just want to join us."
Rob chuckled too. "That's true."
"I'm serious, though. I want one of those gowns. They look so cool and comfy."
Sighing, Rob squeezed my fingers before veering toward the nearest shop. "Come on then. I'll buy you one."
My smile spread wide. "Are you serious?"
He shot me a flat look. "Do I look like I'm kidding?"
"You never look like you're kidding, grumpy ass."
"Don't insult the person offering to buy you something. That's just rude."
I giggled and skipped along beside him as we entered the shop. I was expecting it to be cool in there for some weird reason, so I was sadly mistaken when the sultry air practically suffocated me. At least it smelled nice. Gentle perfumes and colognes mingled sweetly with the salt in the air and the fresh scent of cloth. Gowns and dresses of all lengths and colors dotted the space, drawing my eye in a hundred different directions, but the ones with the short skirts were what finally kicked my feet into motion.
I stopped in front of them, touching the butter-soft material with my fingertips as I searched for the perfect one.
I turned to Rob. "Want to do another trust building exercise?"
He raised a brow, mildly intrigued. "You want me to choose your dress for you, don't you?"
I grinned and nodded. "I'll have to trust that you’ll choose well."
"And what about me?"
"You'll have to trust you can keep from ripping it off me."
His gray eyes darkened as they filled with heat. "Fine."
To my surprise, he flicked past the sexy black and red dresses and went straight for the ivory-colored one.
I pursed my lips. "Did you pick that simply because I liked that girl's white dress?"
It'd be practical if he had, but a little disappointing, if only because he hadn't put much thought into it.
"Not at all," he said. "Where I come from, Southern Blackwood, it's always freezing cold and snowing. We mostly dress in white, gray, and blue—hues of our environment. I wanted you to wear something that reminded me of home—a home I hope you can see one day."
I immediately grabbed the white dress off the rack and hugged it to my chest. "I love you, Robert Storm. You chose well."
He cupped each side of my face and pulled me in for a tender kiss. "I love you too, Jewels."
My heart fluttered, torn between arousal and adoration. I glanced from one gray eye to the other. "I'd love to see your kingdom one day."
"Our kingdom, babe. We're married now, remember? You're the official Lady of Onyx Fortress."
Again, my heart fluttered, tickling my insides like a feather. Lady of Onyx Fortress had a definite ring to it. But married to Rob Storm sounded even better. "Then I can't wait to see our kingdom someday soon. I'm sure it's absolutely beautiful."
"It is, but not nearly as beautiful as you."
The pattering of my heart increased, and my body temperature rose. Rob wasn't one to dish out compliments freely, so when he did, the impact was lethal. I felt like melting into a puddle at his feet, or jumping his bones on the floor between racks of clothes—whichever happened first.
Getting married must've turned him into a bit of a romantic, and I was totally there for it.
He released my face and took my hand once more, leading me up to a desk where a prim, middle-aged woman sat behind it. Her hair was clipped into a loose twist, and she had a tiny set of spectacles on the bridge of her nose.
Rob handed her an absurd number of jewels, then gestured to my right where a cylindrical curtain hung like a waterfall on a metal frame. "Get changed. I have someplace I want to show you."
"You actually know your way around this place?"
His brow quirked. "Ebony City or this store?"
"Both, I guess." After all, he seemed to know exactly where the desk had been as well as where the changing area should be.
Rob chuckled. "It's my brother's kingdom, Jewels. I've spent so much time here, it's like a second home. A third home? I don't fucking know. It's like home, though."
I giggled and did my best to maneuver in the tiny space, shimmying out of my old gown and sliding into the breezy new dress. It looked good on me, from what I could tell. I was afraid the white of my skin would clash with the white of the dress, but my life had changed since my days of being a jewel miner. I now saw the sun on a daily basis, and I'd just spent an extended stay in the desert, so it was safe to say I'd had my first tan in over six years. My breasts filled the halter top perfectly, creating a fantastic amount of plump cleavage, and my hips looked curvy as fuck beneath the breezy skirt.
"There," I exclaimed with a smile as I withdrew the curtain.
Rob's eyes went wide and immediately locked onto my tits before darting down to the amount of leg I was showing. "Holy fucking gods, this was a bad idea."
But the clerk shook her head and tapped her lip. I didn't know why she wasn't speaking aloud. Maybe she had some sort of a speech issue? Then her eyes lit up and she held up a finger. She hurried to a different section of the store and returned with a beautiful metal clip. Seashells and pearls decorated its surface, giving it a pale pinkish hue. She disappeared behind my back, twisted my hair into what felt like a knot, then secured it with the clip. When she moved to stand before me again, she smiled and nodded, apparently pleased with her work.
Rob glanced a
t her and nodded his approval. I guessed he liked the updo too.
"Thank you," I said to her, and she bowed to me in return.
Rob took my hand and led me back out into the fresh seaside air. This time, I felt much cooler and even a bit freer. I spun in a circle as the wind tickled my legs and watched in awe as my skirts spun around me like the petals of a flower.
"Fucking Hades, Jewels, you're flashing me your underwear. Do you know how hard it is to not rip them off you, right now?"
I stopped spinning and ran my hands up his muscular, tattooed chest. "You're a big, strong prince. I'm sure you can resist."
Mirroring my motions perfectly, he ran his hands up my chest too, squeezing my breasts tightly in front of anyone and everyone. "I'm not so sure about that."
Heat pooled in my core, and my lady bits flared to life once more.
"Is the place you want to show me... secluded?" I asked, my voice coming out all husky and low.
A devilish smile captured his features, and he nodded. "Ready to go?"
Fuck yeah, I was.
I bit my bottom lip. "So ready."
Chapter 15
"So, where are we going?" I asked Rob as we walked.
The further we got from Ebony City, the curiouser I became.
"You'll see" was all he said. There was a tiny smile on his handsome face, making his lips look even more lush than usual. Gods, I wanted to lick them.
What the fuck was up with me wanting to lick the guys lately?
The path before us was nothing but sand with blades of grass poking up in random spaces. Out here, there were more trees and no other people—trees with jagged green leaves and ringed trunks; trees with long, weepy branches and moss hanging from their limbs. The shade they provided was just enough to make the humidity bearable.
As the foreign forestry grew a bit thicker, I noticed a wrought iron gate tucked quietly into the trees on the left. Beyond it was a small pond with a fountain in the middle, raining down droplets that probably half evaporated before they could even touch the water beneath. Surrounding the fountain were countless, pristine white gravestones. Though, "stones" was a crude word for what they were. They were more like statues, carved with the skill of the gods themselves. They depicted all sorts of things, but mostly angels and saints and temples.
He'd taken me to a graveyard. Why I was surprised, I had no idea. Rob was the Spirit Prince for fuck's sake.
"You're really romantic, you know that?" I teased, nudging him with my shoulder once more.
"You said you wanted to walk. This is my favorite place in Western Blackwood."
I snuggled into his side as we crossed under the gate's high metal arch. Paths meandered in all directions, some distinct, some vague, all disappearing off into the trees, leading to some unknown destination. We continued straight, walking in comfortable silence until the forestry thinned out once more and a panoramic vista of the ocean beyond captured our view.
The gravestones there were smaller and much older, eroded into illegibility, but still beautiful and mystical. Vines crawled along the spongy ground and climbed over the stones, decorating them with a natural and ancient sort of elegance.
"I can see why this is your favorite place," I said quietly, smiling as the salty air blew through my hair and tousled the moss dangling from the trees.
He squeezed my hand tighter and stopped walking.
"There's actually something I'd like to try... if you're up for it?"
I raised a brow. "And what's that?"
He shook his head and grinned, biting his bottom lip enticingly as he did so. "You have to agree first."
I smirked. "Fine. I agree. Now tell me."
But again, he shook his head. "I'd rather just show you."
He held out his arms, and all at once the world went dark. Spinning stars and explosions of dusky colors consumed me as the astral plane filled my vision. I'd only ever seen this place once before, back in Eristan, but it was as gorgeous as ever, like a midnight sky in another galaxy. The darkness was somehow brilliant, as if lit by a moon that didn't exist. It was fascinating.
The dark lights eventually calmed to a halt in front of a semitransparent liquid mirror. It was tall but not very wide, almost like a doorway in the middle of nowhere. On one side, I saw the reflection of myself. On the other, I saw an astral version of Rob.
He held out his hand, and his fingers pushed through the mirror, coming out on my side.
What the ever-loving fuck?
"Are you...?" I wasn't even sure how to vocalize the absurd question flitting about in my brain. "Are you taking me to the astral plane? Is that even possible? Can humans cross over without dying?"
He wiggled his fingers, encouraging me to take hold. "You'll be fine, Jewels. Trust me."
Taking a deep breath, I gathered every ounce of courage I possessed. Then I took his hand... and stepped through.
The astral plane was breathtaking.
It was this nighttime world full of peaceful spirits in corporeal form just going about their business with gentle smiles on their faces. Stars filled the sky above, and black roads and sidewalks crisscrossed the ground at our feet. Tall houses emerged from where the gravestones used to be, almost as if the graveyard were a neighborhood of sorts.
"Come on," Rob said. "We don't have much time."
A moment later, lights blurred all around me as we sped somewhere different. I have no idea how we moved. It was sort of like floating at the speed of light or something. When we stopped, we stood before an old three-story manor with nothing but a field of wildflowers surrounding it. In the astral glow, the manor seemed to be light gray with black-as-coal trimmings around the windows and door.
"What is this place?" I asked, turning to Rob.
"It's my home," he replied with a smile. "In case I ever actually die, I wanted to be prepared."
"Does that mean you have a grave somewhere already?"
"Yep." He pointed beyond the wildflowers to where a few other manors stood. "I convinced Dan, Cal, and Ben to get gravestones near me too."
"Wait." My mind was whirring a mile a minute. "So, you won't go to the underworld when you die?"
He chuckled. "Jewels, this is the underworld. The Astral plane is that tiny space between the human world and the underworld beyond. You were on the astral plane for like ten seconds when you started out, but as soon as you took my hand, you crossed over into the underworld."
I gasped and covered my mouth. "Oh my gods, is Hades going to like, freak out that I'm here?"
"Nah. He's a king. He's got more important shit to do than micromanage every soul that passes in and out. I've never seen him once, in all my years of coming here. It's kind of weird to think he's actually my father..."
He shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"Anyway," he continued. "We're wasting time. I don't know how much longer I can keep us both here."
"It's draining your power?"
He nodded.
"You're feeling pain and coldness right now?"
"A bit," he admitted. "We should still have enough time, though."
"Enough time for what?" I asked, quirking a brow.
He sighed and shook his head. "How quickly you forget."
Lights flashed, and we once more jumped through time and space. The next second we were standing in, what I presumed to be, Rob's underworld bedroom. It was dusky inside, so I couldn't tell if the silken sheets were crimson, plum, or navy, but we were definitely staring at a massive four-poster bed.
"Oooh," I said, dragging the vowel out as realization dawned on me. "That's what we're doing."
Holy shit! We're going to have sex in the motherfucking underworld!
"A little light?" he asked innocently as he pointed to the candles lined all around the room.
I narrowed my eyes and pursed my lips to keep from smiling. "You planned this, didn't you?"
"Of course I planned it. I set the scene; now you set the mood."
The mood. Right.
Unquenchable horniness dropping in three... two... one...
"Fire."
As I said the word, flames rose to life in my palms. Down here in the underworld, they were electric blue instead of their usual shade of peach. They still danced like flowers in a summer breeze, though. Cheeky bastards.
I walked around, lighting each candle one by one, feeling the lust building step by step, until the last wick was ablaze. But when it came time to extinguish my flames, Rob grabbed my wrists and halted me.
"Don't," he murmured. "Hold it."
Hold it? Did he know how hard that was going to be for me?
We stood there, staring into each other's eyes as the lust burned stronger, gaining strength as it swirled wildly through my veins. My breathing quickened, and my skin crawled with heat. I gazed lower, yearning to slide my tongue across his pillowy bottom lip. I leaned forward and prepared to do just that, but again he halted me.
"Wait."
I practically growled. The sound made his cock jump, and my eyes immediately snapped to the huge tent pole rising in his pants. The sight of it calmed my growl into a sultry purr. I wanted to reach out and touch him, to stroke him, to feel him harden within my grasp... but my fucking hands were on fire and my wrists were caught in his grasp.
Frustration filled me once more, and I thought about extinguishing the flames—Rob's orders be damned.
He moved both my wrists into one of his big hands and took my chin with the other, lifting my face back up. "Not yet, babe. Almost."
I moaned, feeling the desirous tension stretching through my entire body like a band. My nipples hardened into tiny pebbles beneath my ivory dress, just begging to be pinched, and my panties pooled with the wetness of excitement. The alluring scent of my arousal filled the air, driving me insane with need. The temperature increased even further and a thin layer of sweat beaded at my hairline.
I couldn't stand it much longer.
My breathing came in jagged waves, my body all but screaming for release. He released my chin and held out his hand, hovering barely an inch away from my breast, taunting me.
Storm Chaser (Storms of Blackwood Book 3) Page 12