Reluctant King (Reluctant Royals Book 1)

by Montana Ash

  Brax’s golden eyes narrowed dangerously again, “What makes you think that?”

  Sabre sighed, “Can we please not play this game? As you just reminded me, you hired me. You can be assured that any and all information I have – or require – is directly related to fulfilling my job requirements.” She ploughed ahead, suddenly impatient with the back and forth banter, “The witness said they saw red eyes glowing in the darkness right after your father’s body was discovered. Red eyes,” she stressed again.

  That had Brax pausing and straightening, “Red? There are no creatures in Purgatory with red eyes.”

  “I’m aware,” Sabre stated.

  Brax’s eyes narrowed, “How reliable is your witness?”

  “Reliable,” was all she said.

  “What has red eyes? One of Hell’s minions?” Brax guessed.

  Sabre shrugged, “A minion from Hell certainly would, but they are controlled completely by Lucifer. And he hasn’t had a hand in this. I checked.”

  Brax reeled back a little, “Wait, what? You checked? Checked how?”

  Sabre raised an eyebrow, “I asked him. He’s heard of the troubles here of course but assures me he has had nothing to do with them personally. I believe him.”

  “You asked him? You talked to Lucifer?” Brax wheezed.

  Sabre frowned at him, “That’s what I said. That’s where I was the past few days. I had to drive a little to get to the correct veil. What’s your problem?”

  “My problem? You tell me you spoke to the King of Hell, as easy as you please and you ask me what my problem is? Woman, you’re the one with a problem. Lots of them,” Brax stated.

  “I happen to be talking to the King of Purgatory right now. No biggie. How is talking to the King of Hell any different?” And it wasn’t really. Not to her at least. Other than the fact that Lucifer happened to be her friend, when you dissected enough people like she did, you began to realise that everyone was the same on the inside. Everyone was made up of blood and bone. Everyone bled. And everyone died. Even if some were harder to kill than others – everyone still died.

  Shaking off the macabre thoughts, Sabre said, “Lucifer’s a cool guy. If he says he and his minions didn’t have anything to do with it, they didn’t. But there are a few other creatures in hell with red eyes that could have made the journey here. A basilisk for example.”

  “A … basilisk …”

  Sabre saw the moment the implications of that settled into Brax’s frontal lobe. She knew exactly what he was thinking. Basilisk were indigenous to Hell and their venom was one of the only things in all the four realms that could kill absolutely anything – angels and demons included. And Sabre suspected that its venom would also be enough to erode through an otherwise impenetrable armour. Which was why she wanted to know about Maliq’s legacy – as well as Brax’s.

  “That … that makes a terrible kind of sense,” Brax acknowledged. “We always assumed poison because it was one of the only things that could kill him. Dad’s skin automatically became impenetrable whenever it came into contact with a weapon or something that would do him harm. But we never found a wound on him.”

  “I’m thinking it would have healed very quickly, given your father’s genetics. But the venom would still have been fatal. I’m sorry,” Sabre added, knowing the conversation was opening old wounds.

  Brax was silent for a moment before shaking his head, “No, this is good news. I mean, it’s always good to know the truth and this could help, right? What now?” he asked.

  Sabre nodded, “It does help. Now we know the real cause of death, I can hunt for the real killer. I have a lead on who could control a basilisk. I’m just waiting to hear back.” Sabre didn’t say that lead was Lucifer. Brax had already acted like that was weird, so she stayed as vague as possible, “And once I know who ordered that basilisk to kill your father …”

  “You might have solved who is behind all this,” Brax finished, looking shocked and more than a little impressed.

  Sabre shrugged like it was no big deal, warning, “Don’t get your hopes up. Things are rarely that easy.”

  “Yeah,” Brax snorted, “No shit.”

  When the silence stretched out, Sabre started to get a little twitchy – which resulted in her blurting out the first thing that came to her head, “Can I try to stab you or something?”

  Brax turned to her slowly, honey irises wide and reflecting the light, “Excuse me?”

  He was looking at her like he thought she was crazy and she stopped to consider the appropriateness of her question for a moment. Jinx was always telling her to do that. Apparently, sometimes she was clueless about socially acceptable conversations. Like, apparently discussing the entrails of her recent victims was not good manners when out to dinner. Who knew? Judging by the look on Brax’s face right now, she figured asking to stab someone was probably not socially acceptable either. She sighed, “Sorry. Sometimes I forget not everyone wants to be stabbed.”

  Brax started to laugh and then must have realised she was being serious for his laughter cut off abruptly. He eyed her curiously instead, “Really?” he asked.

  She shrugged, “Yeah. I mean, it doesn’t seem like a big deal to me. Your skin is impervious to all forms of weaponry, right? Other than basilisk venom and I don’t happen to have any handy.” Which was true. Her one vial was secured in her secret vault.

  Brax continued to watch her in silence for a moment before finally gesturing to his chest, “Okay. Go ahead.”

  But Sabre felt like the moment had passed, “No,” she pouted. “I don’t want to anymore.”

  Brax rolled his eyes, “Oh, please. Yes you do. Come on. Stab me.”

  Sabre crossed her arms over her chest, watching as his eyes tracked the movement and seemed to linger on the vee between her breasts created by her arms. “I said no. I’m over it. You’ve taken all the fun out of it with your prolonged silence and overthinking.”

  He huffed out a laugh, “I can’t believe we’re arguing about you stabbing me. Come on,” he took a few measured steps closer to her before leaning down and whispering against her ear, “I dare you.”

  “A dare?” Sabre immediately perked up.

  Brax nodded, lips twitching, “That’s right.”

  Sabre tried hard not to skip when she went over to her knife rack. Never having encountered such a protective armour before, let alone skin, Sabre chose a blade that was her least favourite. It was unbalanced and nicked, and she rarely used it for killing anymore, so she didn’t care if it ended up breaking. Making her way back over to Brax, she smoothed her hand over the bronzed skin on Brax’s arm and ignored his sharply indrawn breath, figuring he took exception to her touch. Too bad, she thought. She might not get another chance to indulge her fantasies and she was going to take it. His skin was warm and covered in fine hairs that were surprisingly soft, yet masculine. Giving his arm a prod, she grunted. It looked and felt exactly like normal skin. Looking up, she caught him staring down at her with the oddest look on his face.

  “You sure you want me to get stabby with you? Because I gotta say, you look and feel like normal flesh and blood to me,” Sabre confessed.

  His eyes lit up, male cockiness shining through, “I’m sure.” He leaned down, his breath teasing her ear as he whispered, “Do your worst.”

  Fighting back a shiver, Sabre told her runaway pulse to calm the fuck down. She quickly spun the blade between her fingers and jammed it deeply into the pristine forearm in front of her. At least, she tried to. Her blade made a loud pinging noise even as it snapped off fair to the hilt.

  “What the fuck …” she murmured, leaning in to get a better look. Where once was warm, tanned skin just seconds before, a dull grey hardened exoskeleton now appeared. It overlapped almost like fish scales and shone a little in the low light. It rippled over Brax’s skin for a moment before fading out of sight once more. “No way!” she exclaimed, running her hand over where the scaled armour had been. “That is so wicked! Can I do it
again?” Not bothering to wait for him to answer, Sabre grabbed an arrowhead made of titanium and sliced it over his arm this time. She watched, completely entranced as the scaled skin, stronger than any element in all the realms – including Heaven and Hell – rushed to the surface to protect its charge.

  “Wow,” she breathed. “That really is something. Is it like that everywhere? What if I aim for your heart?” She quickly cut his shirt down the centre with the arrow clutched in her hand and stabbed at his chest. His entire torso lit up with grey, opalescent scales and she squealed her excitement, clapping her hands together. “This is seriously the best thing I have ever seen! I could do this all day,” she laughed, a little breathless in her happiness.

  As the legacy from Cerberus settled back into flesh, Sabre suddenly became aware of what she had just done. Dear Gods! She had just literally cut the shirt off the King’s back and stabbed him in the heart! Feeling her face heat, Sabre cleared her throat and took a hasty step back. At least, she tried to. But she found herself securely ensconced in a pair of sturdy demon arms. Chancing a glance up, Sabre stilled, her breath catching in her throat. She may be an angel, but she recognised that look well.

  Lust.

  Clearing her throat, she said, “I’m sorry. I can’t believe I did that. If you’ll just …” she gave a wiggle, trying to dislodge his arms to no avail. Of course, she could have escaped within seconds had she really wanted to. But apparently she didn’t want to – despite the voice inside her head screaming; Abort! Danger!

  “You …” Brax began.

  “Me … what?” she asked, transfixed by his honeyed stare, barely breathing.

  “You really are beautiful,” he revealed.

  Sabre sucked in a breath. That wasn’t what she expected him to say. She was expecting a joke or perhaps some kind of male, horny comment. Unfortunately, such a comment was the one thing that could successfully douse her humour and cool her own growing lust. Stiffening and ducking under his arms, she was across the room before he could even blink. “I’m not beautiful,” she informed him, voice flat. “I’m deadly. You’d do well to remember that.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Brax eyed the frosty woman standing in front of him, so at odds with the playful, laughing woman of mere moments ago. He hadn’t meant to reveal his thoughts but he couldn’t seem to help himself. Sabre had just been so vibrant and full of life, like a kid in a candy store. Or an assassin who just discovered impenetrable armour, he laughed silently. Who knew stabbing him and watching his skin flare could bring so much joy? And it had been joy, Brax thought. Nothing else could light a face like that. And, oh, what a face … with her eyes warm and shiny, her high cheekbones flushed, lips curved up so that her dimples flashed … Sabre had been breathtaking. Too bad his words had the opposite effect to what he intended. Most woman would be thrilled to be called beautiful. But Sabre was terrified of it. For some reason, that just made her all the more appealing to him.

  He didn’t think it was all that brave to step up to the feisty assassin. After all, his butt was impervious to anything she might try to attack him with. It tickled him when she took a hasty step back, and he felt his beast stir like a predator on the hunt.

  “Because I believe in full disclosure, I’m going to tell you something, Sabre,” he murmured, watching her eyelashes flutter.

  “What?” Her voice was hostile but also held an almost pleading note too as she looked pointedly at the floor.

  “I’m going to strip you naked, pick you up, throw you on that sparkly bed in the corner, and then fuck you until we both forget our names.” He heard Sabre’s breath catch, but the stubborn woman still didn’t look up at him. Bending down, he bit her earlobe none too gently, relishing in the sound of Sabre’s excited gasp. “How does that sound, my deadly little angel?”

  “It sounds …” Sabre broke off, lifting her head, plum eyes locking onto his, “It sounds like the best idea I’ve heard in forever.”

  “Fuckin’ A,” Brax agreed, swooping down to capture her lips with his in an aggressive kiss before she could change her mind.

  Brax’s world tilted on its axis when Sabre’s tongue met his for the first time. Electricity sparked along his skin and his heart galloped as if he had been struck by lightning. Groaning, he angled his head forcing Sabre to follow his lead and was more than satisfied when she gave as good as she got. Her hands gripped him by the ears, fingernails digging into the sensitive skin as their breaths mingled and their bodies set alight. Although Brax wanted to bask in the willing heat of Sabre’s lips against his own, he wanted to feel her naked skin writhing against his more. Pulling back, he rested his forehead against hers for a few moments, each of them panting for breath. Bending his knees enough so they were eye to eye, he reached behind Sabre and began to undo the buckles on her leather corset.

  “Your clothes are sexy as fuck, you know that?” Brax asked, peeling the leather top off, hardly containing his excitement when it revealed a form-fitting, pale pink sports bra and acres of creamy skin.

  “They’re practical,” Sabre countered. “Leather is much harder to penetrate than cotton.”

  “Uh huh,” Brax ignored her denial, instead focusing on undoing her pants and peeling the black leather down and off her endless legs. Sabre obligingly lifted her feet, allowing him to fling the pants over his shoulder. Remaining on his haunches, he looked up, finding silk cream underwear that almost camouflaged with the milky perfection of her skin. It was surprisingly scar-free given her occupation. But then, angels were able to heal from just about anything so he knew even though her skin didn’t tell tales of past hurts, there still must be plenty.

  The thought of Sabre hurting caused a rush of adrenaline to flood his system and he forced his clawed hands to unclench. Why he was feeling so protective, he had no clue. But he was willing to go with it. Running his hands from her calves to her thighs, he revelled in the heat and smoothness of Sabre’s skin, indulging in a few nibbles with his mouth here and there. His rewards were the soft catches of Sabre’s breath and the rapidly pounding pulse he could feel when he kissed the inside of her wrist.

  “Are you going to get to the good bits anytime soon? Because I think you’re drastically overestimating my attention span here,” Sabre suddenly grumbled from above him.

  Choking on a laugh, Brax raised his head, “It’s called foreplay, Sabre.”

  “Yeah, well. Less fore and more play I say.”

  Because he could appreciate where the woman was coming from – he was about ready to burst and he wasn’t even undressed yet – Brax stood up and made good on his promise. He quickly divested the fallen angel of her underwear, picked her up and threw her on the bed a mere two metres away. Delighting in her feminine squeal, he prowled closer to her, toeing off his boots and unzipping his pants. Seeing the look of dazed lust in Sabre’s eyes, Brax slowed his roll once more, peeling back his pants and slowly revealing the hard length of his confined cock. Sabre made a sound that was suspiciously like a whimper, licking her lips and causing his dick to jerk. Groaning, Brax quickly shucked his pants, giving his dick a few strokes under the hungry gaze of the perfect woman on the bed.

  Sabre raised her arms, the only invitation he needed and Brax found himself on top of her, aligning their bodies within a second. They both groaned when his hard flesh met her wet softness and Brax gave a few experimental slides of his cock between her slick folds. Sabre gasped, back arching and pebbled nipples raking against his chest. Placing a series of wet kisses and nibbling bites from her ear, down her neck and across the top of her chest, Brax finally made it to her breasts. They were round and high with the palest pink nipples he had ever seen. A little less than a handful but that suited Brax just fine and he swooped down, taking a hardened peak into his mouth. Sabre screamed a little, her hands clutching his back and legs rising to lock around his waist. For someone who didn’t like foreplay, Sabre sure seemed to be enjoying it, he thought, smugly.

  After giving her other breast
the same level of attention, Brax raised his head, taking in the flushed face of the woman beneath him. “Sexy as sin,” he muttered, lowering his head for another kiss. He felt Sabre’s lips curve against his even as they opened up, allowing him entrance.

  “Well, you got the sin part right anyway,” Sabre told him, her breath coming in gasps when they parted.

  Brax leered down at her, allowing his hands to map the contours of her disciplined body. Testing her readiness with his fingers, Brax groaned when he was met with delicious wetness. Promising himself he and his inner beast would get a taste of that later, he lined himself up at her entrance now, not willing to wait another second to be in her perfect body. He was just about to push himself in, when a thought hit him, “You’ve done this before, right?”

  Sabre looked a little dazed and very crazed as she shook her head, “What?”

  He cleared his throat, feeling heat climbing up his neck. Something he didn’t think was possible. “I mean, you’re an angel. They don’t have much of a sex drive. I just wanted to check that, you know, you weren’t …”

  “A virgin?” Sabre smirked at him and he nodded quickly.

  “You keep forgetting – I may have been born an angel but I’m not living like one and I sure won’t be dying as one. You can relax, great King. I’m no virgin.” Then she pulled him down on top of her once more, her fingernails raking down his back, and the last vestiges of hesitation crumbled like dust under her skilled hands.

  Brax reached down and gripped his shaft, pushing Sabre’s thighs wide with his other hand. Pushing with his hips, Brax gritted his teeth at the view of his cock being swallowed so perfectly by Sabre’s body. “Gods … Sabre!” Brax grunted, pushing in until their pelvis were flush against each other.

  “Yes! More!” Sabre urged him on with her words and her body, her hands grabbing at his arse and hauling him even closer.