He placed his weapons on the velvet sash laid out on the table. An uneasiness stirred in his heart.
Now that Chief-Commander Cannon was out of commission, Sanjay would be promoted to his position. That would make it easier to protect her. That’s a good thing. Right?
Then why do I feel nothing but dread?
He looked down at his hands. They were steady. Not a tremble in sight. Been a long time since he had to kill a human. It was a lot easier than he thought it would be. Hmm…
If my body is calm and collected, why am I feeling this way? What is this pain in my heart?
He made his way to the bathroom. His mind raced as the ache beneath his chest increased.
He stripped out of his clothes and stepped into the shower enclosure, under the rush of cold water. It soaked into his hair and trailed down his rigid body. Not bothering to change the temperature, he pressed his hands against the stone wall and dipped his head. Tears emerged and leaked down his face with the water.
“She’s gonna hate me. She’s gonna think I’m a monster.”
A presence entered the bathroom and eased in behind him—a presence he hadn’t felt in over a year. A dark mist wafted in around him, overtaking the room.
He tensed up and tried to calm his rapid heartbeat. God, no!
“Is that pain I feel, my sweet lover.” A pair of arms rounded his waist as a phantom body pressed against his. “Why are you crying? Who hurt you?” Her touch was ghostly and chilling, as it always had been. “You’re making my dead heart bleed.” Her fingers traveled downward, toward his cock. “Let’s remedy that. Shall we?”
A storm rushed through him, making his limbs tremble. He wanted to scream. Not now! She can’t be here now!
She clutched his flaccid meat, a part of him that would usually grow hard within her grip. “Are you not happy to see me?”
“Why are you here?” he whispered harshly. “Why?”
Her touch vanished, but her misty presence lingered. “It’s time.”
Two words… Those two words pierced like a knife to his gut. Not. Now! He spun around with his next breath lodged in his throat.
She stood before him, a shadowy glimmer of herself. An apparition of his beautiful beloved.
“No. Why now?”
Her brows bunched as her dark eyes narrowed. A brief sneer crossed her face. For a second, she looked like the monster he refused to believe she was. She reached up and caressed his neck, a place where she’d bitten him many years ago. A small smile curved her plush lips. It did nothing to hide the maliciousness in her expression. “There was a time when you wouldn’t dare speak to me in such a way.”
Bowing his head, he swallowed hard and lowered to his knees. It took a moment to find his voice again. “Forgive me, Highness. My emotions are torn, and my heart is misplaced. What you’re about to ask of me…please, don’t.”
“I sense human blood on your hands. You’ve killed recently. Was it for her?”
Quivers continued to course through him as he stared at the water circling the drain. He bit back the cry dangling in his throat. Alexis, I’m so sorry. She asked him—no—more like, begged him to take her away from this place. I should’ve granted her request when I had the chance. Now THEY were gonna try and take her away from me. NO!
“Sanjay…” His mistress’s mesmerizing voice snatched him from thoughts. “There’s a Noble Killer on the hunt.”
“What?” He jerked his head up. “That’s impossible. Our stronghold is impenetrable. There’s no way—”
“Except, he’s on our fucking doorstep!” she boomed.
The bathroom mirror shattered. Her piercing shriek soared right into his mind. A shooting pain erupted behind his eyes. Folding his arms over his head, he crouched over.
Afterwards, a bout of silence wavered in the air. The cold shower continued to rain down on him. Though, she said nothing, he could still feel her in the room.
Her touch slid across his scalp as she raked her fingers through his hair.
A soothing sensation seeped into his head. The sharp ache dulled.
As the pain subsided, he noticed something strange. She was scared, deathly afraid—an emotion uncommon to her superior nature. He could feel the slightest tremble in her touch, even hear it in her tone when she spoke again.
“Oh, my sweet lover.” She pushed out an airy sigh. “You’ve known all along that it would come to this.”
He swallowed the growing lump in his throat. “I know, but—”
“Need I remind you that if I die, you will die as well. Then you won’t be around to protect her.”
He lifted his head to look up at her. “Please, don’t…I need more time.”
“The Noble Killer won’t only be after us, he will be on the hunt for her as well.”
Now, it all made sense. Now he knew why he couldn’t shake that dreadful feeling. The agony in his heart worsened. “Please…!” he cried out. “Please don’t make me do this!”
“You know what’ll happen if you refuse me.” Her venomous whisper sailed around the room as her image faded. “Don’t let me down, m’sweet. Bring her to me. It’s time.”
The need to disobey her command drifted away from him. “As you wish, Highness.” But his heart still hurt. No matter how badly he wanted to fight, this was a battle he just couldn’t win. The sounds of the water hitting the stone wall commingled with his breathy sobs. Kneeled on the shower floor, he clutched at his chest and cried uncontrollably. “She’s gonna hate me for this.”
TO BE CONTINUED…
The saga continues in Book 3 of the Cross Knight Chronicles
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Antares Page 21