Читать книгу Ascension Saga: 5 - Grace Goodwin - Страница 8

Faith Jones Herakles, The Royal Palace, Planet Alera

“I had sex with a bad guy. A really bad guy.” I moaned, ran my hand through my tangled hair. The sheet I’d been wrapped in when I arrived lay in a crumpled heap by the bedpost in my sister’s royal bedchamber. Seeing it was a reminder. Of him.

I kicked it in frustration, narrowly missed stubbing my bare toes on the large wooden frame of the bed. The fabric smelled like Lord Thordis Jax, the sex-on-a-stick, sexy as hell, too damn good looking for his own good, male claiming to be my mate. The Aleran rotting in my sister’s dungeon—well, technically, it was my dungeon too—right now for trying to have her kidnapped and killed. The male Trinity believed had betrayed the entire family.

And I wanted him again anyway. I felt achy. Needy.

Empty. My pussy. My chest. My skin. I needed him to touch me in a way I’d never needed anyone.

This Ardor was serious fucking business.

“Look on the bright side, Faith, at least it wasn’t Zach Richardson.” My sister, Her Royal Highness, Princess Trinity Herakles, had the good graces to look sympathetic. She had her mate. Her Ardor was over. And she was so blissfully in love, every time I saw her and Leo together my heart hurt.

Jesus. I had it bad. For a traitor.

Despite the rambling nature of my thoughts, I couldn’t believe what she’d just said.

“What?” I stared at her, thought of Zach, the total loser from high school, then burst out laughing, which only added to my emotional roller coaster. Sad, mad, angry and now laughing like a lunatic.

I’d been quiet on the ride to the palace. Was quiet still—which was very unlike me. I talked smack as a general rule. But then, the last few days of sneaking around, lying low, and cleaning a traitor’s house, had taken the proverbial wind right out of my sails. I felt as if I’d been stunned by an ion blaster. Again.

Only this time they’d aimed right for my heart and somehow skipped the rest of me.

When the guards had burst into the bedroom in Thor’s apartment, I’d been confused. When I saw the assassin who had tried to kill us—no, who I’d tried to kill us the night we arrived on Alera—I’d been terrified.

But finding out Trinity was there to save me from a traitor?

That had broken me somehow. Seeing Thor standing there naked, willing to defend me, had made me love him, just a little. But then those eyes had darkened with betrayal when he realized who I was. When we’d shared so much and I hadn’t told him I was a princess.

It was as if I’d betrayed him.

The man had balls of steel. I’d give him that.

But then, he was a spoiled lordling, raised in a fancy mansion. A traitor. Was it any surprise he believed the same way an entitled rich kid would back home on Earth? Thinking the world owed him everything? Believing he had the right to do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted?

I kicked the sheet again. He’d taken what he wanted from me as well.

And I’d let him.

No. I’d begged him for more. Begged. And whimpered. And let him take me over and over and over.

Fuck. I was an idiot.

“Stop trying to kill the sheet. It didn’t do anything.” Trinity’s words were meant to lighten the mood, but they were too soft. She knew. Somehow, she knew exactly how this was tearing me in half.

Her mate, Leo, had escorted us up through dark secret passages—which would have been pretty darn cool if I wasn’t such a hot mess. They’d ushered me into their private quarters on the second floor, and I’d promptly burst into tears. I had no idea how long I’d cried, but when the crying jag had stopped, Trinity and I were alone.

No doubt Leo had taken one look at me, a sobbing mess, and run for his life.

Trin had given me a robe, and I’d dropped the sheet like it burned.

Thor’s scent, of hours of sex, still clung to me. Even without the sheet, I could smell him.

I needed a fucking shower. With a power washer strong enough to take off my skin. Maybe then I could get him out of my head. Maybe then my body would stop screaming at me to go crawl into his arms and ask for more.

At least all my tears had run out. When that happened, I’d switched to being mad, pacing the sitting area in her suite with a furious fervor that would surely wear a path in the sumptuous carpet. I’d muttered to myself, swore that all men were assholes and not worth anything. How dare Thor fuck me, all the while being a traitor! How could he be a murderer and get hard at the sight of me? It made no sense. How could one be so evil and then be so intent on giving me pleasure when he got between my thighs?

None of it made sense and probably, to Trinity, neither did I. Thankfully, she’d remained silent, just letting me vent. Between me, Trinity and Destiny, one of us was always having some kind of meltdown. At least once a week back home. We’d agreed when Destiny and I were thirteen, and Trinity sixteen, that only one of us could lose our shit at any given time. Clearly, it was soooo my turn.

Trinity had Leo. She was known and recognized as the princess. Not working as a maid, arrested and accused of being an informant or traitor. Clearly, I was off the hook for that. I wanted to give Lord Wyse and his scar-faced friend in the Optimus unit a middle finger salute, the asshole.

No luck there either. Which was fine. But instead of a fancy entrance with a gorgeous gown and tons of press—like Trinity had during her grand entrance into public life on the front steps of the palace—I’d been sneaked in so only a few knew I was here, and the rest didn’t know who I was, that there was another princess.

I was the naked woman in the sheet. For now, that was it. The crazy naked woman in the sheet, because not only did I not exist, I had a mate who was a traitor. Who had helped kidnap my mother. Had he been in on the plot to kill Trinity’s biological father, the king of Alera, as well?

No. He would have been about three or four years old at the time. Like a mad super-genius villain from a comic book.

Even if he were a traitor, he was still better than Zach Richardson. That jerk had called his penis “Big Z” and talked to it like it was his best friend. Shit. I hadn’t thought of that in years…

I laughed again until tears rolled down my cheeks. It wasn’t really that funny, but I couldn’t throw myself on the ground and have a tantrum like the wounded little girl inside of me wanted to do, so I laughed instead.

“I can’t believe you would compare Zach to Thor. They’re like… light years apart.” And not just literally, but in every possible way. I wondered if Aleran men named their dicks like human men did. Thor’s would need a better name than “Big T.” Maybe something like, miraculous-fucking-machine. Or, make-me-forget-my-name-and-betray-my-sisters.

Trinity tapped her chin, then grinned. “I am the princess now. I can order guards to go to Earth and transport Zach here for round two if you want.”

I smiled, sighed. God, I loved my sister. She could spin humor from nothing. Thor vs. Zach, the guy I’d slept with the summer after graduation? No contest. Except…

“So you think having sex with Zach in the bathroom at Ty Konwinski’s party an hour before I find him getting head from Sarah Moore in the back of his car is worse than fucking a traitor who tried to have you murdered?”

Trinity shrugged. “When you put it that way… Tell me this—who was better?”

As if there was any comparison. Zach had been a nineteen-year-old asshole who thought his dick was God’s gift to women. Thor was an attentive, protective, possessive alien whose cock had awakened for me and who had claimed me as his mate. Who also, even as a virgin, had given me more pleasure than I ever imagined. And yet…

And yet my pussy didn’t care that he might be evil. My pussy needed him. Craved him.

“Stupid Ardor,” I muttered.

“Welcome to the club,” Trinity countered.

“Yeah, well, yours is all done and you’ve still got Leo to give you a happy ending every night. I’ve got Ardor and the only cock that will satisfy me is rotting in your dungeon.”

“He’s been there a couple of hours, Faith. I doubt it’s falling off already.”

And thank God for that. It would be a complete and total waste for all women in the universe.

My sister continued. “There are plenty of guys who can soothe your Ardor here. The males in the queen’s guard are, as far as I can tell, all good ones, if they’ve been awakened. There’s the Royal Consort. I’ve met him. I can, for a fact, say that his cock is quite large and his balls… well, his balls might be a little sore if you decide to play with them.”

My mouth dropped open as I stared. She was sprawled, very un-princess like, on one of the couches, hugging a pretty blue pillow to her chest.

“How do you know so much about a consort’s balls? Isn’t Leo enough?”

She grinned. “Long story. And yes, Leo is totally enough.”

I walked around the couch, dropped down onto it so I faced my sister. “God, I’m naked. I smell like sex. And I had to sneak into Mom’s palace wearing a stupid-ass sheet.” I tugged at the collar of the robe I wore and pulled it more tightly around me. Even covered now, I felt more naked than ever. “I need a shower.”

“You have crazy sex hair. So, yeah, I was wondering how long it would take you to realize that.”

I took a breath, then another. “Trin, what am I going to do?”

She cocked her head to the side, smiled, but this time one that was laced with sympathy. “Leo and his dad are looking into Thor and his parents.”

“You said you had evidence against him. What kind of evidence?”

She nodded. “Leo’s dad—the older guy who burst into your little love fest this morning—retrieved data that showed Zel had a comms call with someone in the Jax household just a few hours before he tried to kidnap me. The call went to Thor’s bedroom, to be exact.”

“He doesn’t live there anymore, which you are well aware of since you burst into his apartment like a SWAT team.” I wasn’t really upset that the guards had come. If Thor was bad, it was better he was caught. But I hadn’t really needed those guards to see me in such a compromising position. The first time I saw Leo’s dad I had Thor’s head buried in my pussy.

I groaned.

“True, but security data shows that Thor was at his parents’ mansion at the time. He has a history with Zel. They were best friends. Leo said they grew up together. They were close, Faith. That’s two strikes against him.”

I remembered back to my conversation with Thor the night before. He’d told me the exact same thing as Trinity, that they’d been childhood friends, but he’d also said he hadn’t spoken to him in years. “I don’t think… I don’t think he’s bad,” I replied.

When he’d mentioned this, Thor’s cock had been in me at the time, or pretty darn close to it. Unless he was a really good actor, I believed him. He’d thought I was a maid then. And that we were mates. He’d said it over and over, touched me like I mattered. Naked, in bed, sated after hours of sex? It would be a difficult time to lie. And if I really had been a maid, he would have had no reason to avoid the truth. What did I care about some man I’d never met before? “He told me they hadn’t spoken in years. I don’t think he would have lied to me. He didn’t know who I was. He thought I was his mate, the household servant.”

“Think he wouldn’t lie, or hope?” she countered.

I harrumphed, because I hated when she thought logically. Damn her linear brain.

“He’s the one who left me with Zel at the reception, Faith,” she continued. “He said I was in good hands and patted Zel on the shoulder before he walked away. He practically handed me over to a ruthless bad guy on a silver platter.”

“Thor has no reason to do this.” I said it, but I didn’t quite believe it. Not anymore.

“Did Zel?”

I shrugged, thought of the unconscious guard whose life I had been determined to save. Remembered the irritated look on the assassin’s face when he told me I’d saved the life of a traitor and nearly gotten my sister killed. Shit.

I licked my lips, tried to condense everything I knew about Thor down into feelings. “It doesn’t make sense. I mean, he rescued me at the police station from being taken off by the Optimus unit.” I shivered and lifted a pillow off the sofa, hugged it to my chest. “That would have been bad. You saw how he protected me from you.”

“Faith, I know you want him to be innocent. God, if it were Leo we were talking about, I’d be freaking out. But Nix and the others broke down his door while he was eating you out.”

“Don’t remind me. I don’t think I’ll be able to look Leo’s dad in the eye. Ever.”

“Thor fed your Ardor. I know what that feels like. It’s a really deep connection. Trust me, I know what you’re going through right now. I really do. And I don’t think you can be impartial. Especially not while your Ardor is still going strong. All I could think about was getting Leo in bed again.”

She was right about that; all I could think about was Thor. Over me. Inside me. Kissing me. Fucking me. But I couldn’t go there. It hurt too much. “But, Trin, if Thor were truly evil, he’d have left me to Lord Wyse’s interrogation and some creepy place called cell level C. I would have taken the fall for his crime. Why would he rescue someone who could divert all attention away from him?”

“You’re his mate.” She was quiet for a moment, clearly thinking hard, but those three words had the force of a baseball bat striking my rib cage at full swing. Things were breaking. Not literally, but this hurt just as much.

“So, he saved me because his cock got hard, and not because he’s a decent human being?”

“They wait years to find a mate. There’s no way he could walk away from you once he found you. I don’t think it’s biologically possible for them. He’s not human, Faith. Don’t forget that.”

“Neither are you.”

“Ouch.”

I was turning into a bitch. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said that.”

“I do. He hurt you. I don’t know how or why he’s involved in all this, but the queen’s guard will figure it out.” She reached over and took my hand. “We’ll figure it out. I promise.”

I laughed, or tried to. It came out as a sad little squeak of sound. “Why does he have to be so freaking hot? It was like being in bed with Captain America.”

“True. I noticed, when I came in. I mean, some guys don’t look too great naked, but he was like—”

“Captain America,” I cut in.

“I was going to say a guy from the Thunder From Down Under calendar.”

“He’s hotter than that.”

She waggled her eyebrows and grinned. “Not as hot as Leo, but not too shabby. Especially when his head’s between your legs.”

I flushed hotly and my pussy clenched at the memory. I couldn’t help but smile. “My new favorite way to wake up.”

Trinity grinned. “Yeah, mine, too.”

I sighed. “God, I missed you.”

“No, you didn’t. You were busy fucking your brains out.”

I rolled my eyes. “Fine. Before that.” I sobered, felt the ache in my heart. And the rage. Why me? Why did I have to be the freak of the family? The one who things never worked out for? Why did I have to want to be with Thor, even knowing what I knew now? God dammit. The whole thing pissed me off. “What am I going to do? I need him.”

She sat up, reached out and put her hand on mine. Her blue eyes held my gaze like a tractor beam from Star Trek. All playfulness was gone. “It’s the Ardor, right? Or did you fall in love with him?”

“I’m not sure.” I sat up, knocking her hand away. “How bad is it down there in the dungeon? Rats and stuff? Medieval torture devices? The rack?”

Trinity shrugged. “I’ve never been, and Leo said I should stay out of there.” She made quotation marks with her fingers. “No place for a princess.”

That made me roll my eyes. Obviously, Leo had a thing or two to learn about my stubborn, buttoned-up sister. She was deceptively mild on the outside, but pure steel beneath. If she wanted to go check out her creepy basement prison, she would. End. Of. Discussion. “Men. So bossy.”

“Especially when you’re sleeping with them.” She did laugh then, and it was a contagious sound, full of happiness I seriously envied at the moment. I was happy for her and Leo. Thrilled, actually. But a bit distracted by my own pile of stinking dog-poo at the moment.

Didn’t help that I remembered exactly how bossy Thor had been, in bed. And when he’d saved me from Lord Wyse, from the extra-special interrogation that old jerk had planned. Thor was a lot like Leo, but also like Dad. Alpha male, protecting women while letting them run the show. Oh, Dad wasn’t a chump. Hell, no. He just knew how to respect and appreciate women. Like Thor. God, Thor.

He’d protected me—as best he could while being stark naked—from the guards when they burst into his apartment. He’d stood up to the creepy assassin guy, and I ached for some of that bossiness again.

I ached for Thor, and it wasn’t just my pussy that missed him, but my heart, too. I’d started to think we had a real chance at a happily-ever-after. Having that taken away? Like ripping candy from a baby. I wanted to cry, but I wasn’t a two-year-old. I was royal. A freaking princess.

I stood. Determined. This was total bullshit. I wasn’t going to wait for the queen’s guards or whoever else to get answers out of him. He said he was mine. Well, he was going to prove it. Right now. “I’m going down there. He’s going to talk to me. If I’m his mate, and he really believes that, then he’s going to give me some answers whether he wants to or not.”

“Or what?” Leave it to my sister to call my bluff. She was good like that.

“Or I’ll rip his balls off and shove them down his throat.” That was a bit much, even for me, but I’d been feeling particularly aggressive lately, especially when anyone threatened me or mine. The kung fu badass who somehow exploded out of me these days was wiggling her way into my mind as well. I blamed it on Destiny. Years of listening to her go on and on and on about fighting, and self-mastery, and all that Eastern philosophy stuff was finally sinking in. Had to be. There was no other explanation.

I looked at Trinity, who’d been quiet a bit too long.

“Well?” I waited for her to try to talk me out of charging into the dungeon in her typical lawyerly style. Logic and all that analysis jargon she wielded like a weapon.

“Okay.”

That was it? Okay?

“I’m going down there. Right now.”

“Okay,” she said again. “But maybe you should get dressed first?”