A Crown of Shadows and Secrets

by Sloane Murphy

  Roman's eyes open as I try to move, and he reaches up, pushing his hand through my hair and strokes my cheek. “Morning, princess.”

  “Hey,” I whisper back, trying not to wake the others. Yesterday was a lot, and after everything with Levi, he really needs to sleep.

  “Fancy a shower?” He winks at me, before kissing me softly. And I sigh into his kiss as heat rises in me. I nod gently when he pulls back.

  He shifts silently, and slides from the bed, lifting me and walking us without a sound to the adjoined bathroom. Pulling the door closed behind him, he looks down at me, and I see the fire inside me matched by him. He sets me down on my feet and rips off his t-shirt, his eyes smoldering as he leans down to capture my lips again. His hands grip my hair, but I barely notice the sting as I lose myself in him.

  It's been way too long.

  He releases me and turns on the water, his eyes never leaving me. I try to get my breathing under control, but when his eyes rake over my body, it's like fire is left in their wake, heating me all over. I reach down and lift my tank slowly, and his eyes begin to glow. I discard it on the floor and hook my fingers in my boy shorts, and he growls lowly. The noise makes the hair on my arms stand on end, and goosebumps pimple my skin.

  I push them down my legs, baring myself to him, and stand, waiting for him to take in the view. His hands clench as he stays rooted to the spot, watching as I slowly cross the space to him. I lay my hands on his chest, my fingertips whispering their way down his torso slowly until I reach the waistband of his boxer shorts. I push them down and skim my fingertips over his hard cock, teasing before crouching down pushing the boxers to the floor, and licking his tip.

  His chest rumbles as he tries to keep still. I wrap my hand around him before taking him in my mouth and he cries out. “Fuck, Remy. That feels so good.”

  I smile around his cock, my tongue circling the tip as I suck him deeper into my mouth.

  “Jesus fucking Christ woman,” he moans suddenly pulling me to my feet and leading us into the hot spray of the shower. Looking down at me, his gaze roams my face, my chest, my pussy, awe written across his features. “You're fucking beautiful,” he bites his bottom lip as though it's taking every ounce of strength he has not to attack me and fuck me to oblivion.

  “I need you to stop looking and start fucking,” I whisper, my fingers circling the base of his cock and my thumb lightly brushing the slit where precum is beading in anticipation.

  He kisses me with so much need it steals my breath. I moan as his fingers separate me and plunge inside of me, seeing how wet I am for him already.

  “I need you,” he growls against my neck, kissing down before capturing my nipple between his teeth, making me cry out and drop my hand.

  “Yes,” is all I'm capable of saying, as he works his fingers faster, the palm of his hand rubbing against my clit and I grasp onto his shoulders as he works me over the edge. He spins me around and I brace against the wall, just as he thrusts into me from behind, his hands grip onto my hips.

  “Don't mind me.” I look up as Roman stills behind me and I see Creek standing by the door, now closed behind him, his eyes hooded with lust.

  “Want to join us?” I purr and his eyes go wide with surprise. He looks to Roman who grunts his approval, and I watch as Creek strips down, and climbs in facing me.

  “Hold on beautiful,” Roman growls pounding into me as Creek sprinkles kisses down the column of my neck and across my collar bone. With his hands in my hair as I wrap my fingers around his thick cock, I start to stroke him. Trying to focus while Roman fucks me is harder than I could ever imagine, especially with Creek kissing me like that.

  My entire body is humming, my pussy pulsing with a pent-up orgasm but I don't want this to end just yet, this moment with both of them worshipping me.

  I pull back from Creek and bend at the waist, allowing Roman to adjust his pace. With one hand on my hip, the other sneaks around to rub my clit as he slows his thrusts to a teasing, lull. Like he knows I want this to last.

  Bracing myself on either side of Creek's hips, I take his eager cock in my mouth all the while getting pounded from behind, slow but hard. And holy fuck this is so god damn hot, I don't know how much more I can take. Creek buries his fingers in my hair and fucks my mouth as though our lives depend on every thrust. Behind me Roman picks up the pace again, pushing me closer to the edge with every stroke. Forcing me to reach the greatest of highs.

  I look up, and find Creek staring down at me, my eyes watering a little as the head of his cock pounds at the back of my throat, my gag reflex getting as much of a work out as my hungry pussy.

  “Fuck Remy, you feel so fucking good,” Creek hisses. “I'm not going to last much longer, not like this.”

  “Come for me, princess.” Roman growls, gripping my hips tighter, fucking me harder and pushing me into a free fall. Creek follows quickly, and I swallow him down as Roman comes behind me with a roar.

  “Holy shit,” I moan as Roman pulls out of me, his hand spanning the column of my throat and pulling me up to him, into a ravaging kiss. I feel Creek at my back, his lips at the base of my neck, reverent and sweet like an eternal thank you. My entire body trembles with the aftershock of my orgasm, the adrenaline pumping through my veins.

  “Well, that was quite a show,” I gasp, pulling back as much as I can with Roman's hold on me when I hear Kain's voice. His eyes don't leave mine, even as I glance down and see his painfully hard cock standing proud. I have no idea how long he was there, but I feel my cheeks heat at the thought of him watching us.

  “As a spectator, maybe. As one of the leading roles, it was fucking fantastic.” Creek chuckles and climbs out of the tub, wrapping a towel around his waist.

  “Oh, I'm sure it was,” Kain says with a smirk. “Next time, don't let me sleep.”

  I squeak at his words as he and Creek step out of the bathroom both chuckling leaving me alone with Roman. He releases his hold on my throat, and wraps his arms around me, pulling me under the warm water with him. “That was a hell of a wake up.”

  “Something like that,” I say, hiding my face in his neck as I blush. I never considered myself a prude, but that was a first for me, at least as far as I can remember. I know Kain and I did the whole watching thing at his castle, but this was a whole other thing.

  “Nothing to be ashamed of, princess. I can promise you that won't be the last time we share,” he winks at me before kissing me again, stopping any words I might have found.

  I sigh as he pulls back and soaps me up, before letting me wash him, it's a simple kind of fun that we haven't had in a while, and I laugh almost the entire time.

  When we enter the bedroom again, wrapped in towels, Creek ducks past us for the shower and I find Kain and Levi grinning at us.

  “I hear I missed out this morning,” Levi says, his voice low, but his eyes dance with laughter.

  “Yes, you did, and oh what fun it was,” Roman says as I struggle to find words.

  “Well, Kain and I claim Remy for our own fun later.” He winks at me and I put my hands on my hips to object, but he stands and closes the space between us, kissing away any objections I might have.

  “What he said,” Kain laughs and I shake my head.

  By the time Callie knocks on the door, my embarrassment is put away, and we've all showered and dressed. “I come bearing gifts,” her voice rings out as she pushes the door open, and three guys follow her in with trays that they lay on the table before disappearing.

  “Yes, I’m starved.” Creek groans taking in the sight of the masses of food she just had brought to us.

  “This looks amazing, thanks,” I tell her, grateful that she doesn't intend to steal my soul, because not saying thank you—yeah, it’s harder than you'd think. Especially with the ingraining of manners my mom imbedded in me.

  “It’s nothing,” she says waving me off and taking a seat at the table. I join her and the guys follow suit, loading up their plates until they look like the
y're going to overflow. I laugh and Levi just grins at me.

  “We're growing boys. Plus, you never know how long it’s going to be until we get to eat again.” I laugh at him and shake my head. He's not wrong, so I grab some food for myself too and Callie just sits patiently waiting for us all, seeming to enjoy the quiet company.

  “So, you can send us to the next level?” I ask her when I finish eating and she nods.

  “I can, if I didn't think the queen’s guards would string me up by my entrails I'd send you straight to her, but they would, and since I can only send you to the next level either way, I'll send you further on your way.” she shrugs. I didn't realize they were our only options, the next levels either way or to the queen. I guess we better make some friends on our way.

  “Are the higher Demons the only ones who can open the doors?” I ask, trying to gleam some extra information to help us on our way.

  “No, all Demons can open doors, but they can't access the queen directly like we can. Though, on the next level, I can't say it’s going to be as easy as it was here to get to the next level.”

  “Easy?” Roman scoffs. “You mean after being trapped in a cave and Remy having those awesome delusions.”

  “Trust me, that's easy,” she says, raising an eyebrow at him. “Even the cages that your Angel fought in is a breeze compared to what you could face on those levels. The further down you go, the worse it gets. I hope for your sake, that your friend isn't too far down, and that you find her before you have to dive too deep.”

  “Well doesn't that just sound awesome,” Creek says, rolling his eyes.

  “Ignore them,” I say glaring slightly. “Thank you for the information, it’s not exactly something we can ask too openly around here.”

  “Don't think anything of it,” she says with a smile when the door to the room crashes open.

  “Callie, quick. The Droken are fighting again.”

  “Oh for fuck sake.” She sighs standing. “I'll be back shortly and I'll get you on your way.”

  “Can we help?” I ask, because she's done so much for us already, it’s the least we can do.

  “Sure, you and your boys know your way around a good fight, you could be useful. If you have blades with you, bring them. These guys have teeth.” She gives us a wicked grin and leads the way out of the room.

  “Really, Remy? Can we help?” Levi groans, rolling his eyes. “Come on, I suppose we better go and help.”

  “Oh shut up, she's helping us, it seemed fair,” I tell him, patting down to make sure my daggers are in place.

  I follow after Callie and the guys are behind me, then she winks at me and snaps her fingers. I feel weightless for a second, when the next I'm back on solid ground and the roars reach my ears, followed by snarling, and the sounds of flesh on flesh—and not the sexy kind.

  Fuck me, the Droken are an ugly bunch. Green scaled skin, red eyes with matching horns, and she wasn't wrong about the teeth. Their fangs, both sets, were so long, they protruded from their mouths, tearing at flesh like it was butter as they attacked one another.

  A whistle rings out across the empty waste plain, the ground no more than dried, cracked earth, and not a tree or building in sight, and I notice Callie has her fingers in her mouth. “What the fuck is going on?” She shouts, and after a moment’s pause, most of the fighting resumes, though some of the Droken flee.

  “You can kill them by piercing their hearts. Nice and simple,” she says before blinking from my sight and appearing back in the fray before us.

  “Well, let’s get started,” I say, drawing the blades on my body. It feels like forever since I was in a good fight, with someone who wasn't actively trying to kill me and mine.

  This is going to be fun.

  I run towards the mass of Droken, it’s like time slows, and I slip into that part of myself I rarely let myself touch. I give myself over to the warrior that lives inside of me, the one who thrives on the kill, and smile as I throw myself at a pair of Droken.

  I duck and swerve, lashing out with my blade, but there's no real struggle as they're all too busy fighting each other at first to realize what's happening. As the herd begins to thin, more run, but there are a few who turn towards us, rage obvious in their blood red eyes.

  “Enough!” Callie shouts and the remaining Droken turn to face her. “You've had your fun, be gone!”

  At the words, the last few remaining take off for the horizon, and I almost feel a little disappointed. That is until I realize I'm covered in green goo, what I'm assuming is their blood.

  “I'm going to need another shower before we go anywhere,” I say and Callie laughs.

  “I think you all do.”

  Callie snaps her fingers and we're all back in our room, each of us, except for Callie, covered in the green gunk. “Let me know when you're ready, and I'll get you on your way.”

  She smiles and heads out of the room, shutting the door as she leaves.

  “Well, that was fun.” Roman grins and Kain starts laughing.

  “Definitely a new experience. The Droken are so ugly!” Kain chuckles.

  “They bleed pretty gross too,” Creek says, grimacing as he looks over himself.

  “Well, I'm nabbing the shower first, and Remy is with me,” Levi says grinning before grabbing me by the waist and walking us backwards towards the bathroom. “You coming Kain?”

  I laugh while the other two grumble, and Kain grins.

  “Hell yes I am.”

  A few hours later, after showering and napping because fuck knows when we'll be able to sleep either, I head downstairs to find Callie.

  I find her where she usually is, talking smack and laying down the law behind her bar.

  “Hey,” I say, taking a seat at the bar. She nods in acknowledgement and finishes the conversation she's having while I listen in on the conversations around us again. Still no word about Fallon, no leads, nothing. So we're still just blindly stumbling through this place, hoping to reach the queen and desperately praying that she is the Morganna I knew back when I was Amantara. Praying that she'll still help me as she did once before, and help us find Fallon, if she isn't the one who has her. I can only hope that isn't the case otherwise this is all going to be much harder than we thought.

  I wait while Callie sorts drinks for a few people who were here before me, and when she reaches me, she gives me a small smile. “It’s that time?”

  “It is, we really need to find my friend, we've been stumbling around in the dark for what feels like weeks, and we're still no closer to knowing where she is or who has her.” I sigh in frustration and unclench my fists.

  “If I could help, I would but I have no idea who is working with your Hunter, otherwise I'd tell you.” She smiles.

  “I appreciate that.” I sigh. “I just hope wherever she is, she's not being hurt, otherwise I'll tear Demon innards out with my bare hands.”

  “I knew there was a reason I liked you.” She laughs. “I've no doubt you'd do it to, no matter the Demon. One thing to know about Demons, if they make a deal, they have to stick to it or face a severe amount of pain. They'll usually try to word it so that there's a loophole or two, but depending on the deal they made with whoever they're working with, your friend is probably okay.”

  “Thanks. I needed that.”

  “No worries. Now, let’s get you and your guys moving shall we?” She winks at me and hops on the bar, swinging around on her ass, and then jumping down beside me. I follow her back up to the room where the guys are waiting for us.

  “Thank you again,” I tell her before she opens the door and she winks at me.

  “That’s fine, Amantara.”

  “You worked it out?”

  “Wasn't hard. You haven't changed much, even after all this time. But the innards comment just then, that's what sealed it,” she says, opening the door.

  “Now then, just remember, Luna is a psychotic bitch, and she will cut you down before she'll willingly help you. Unless you bargain with her,
but she drives a hard bargain, so try to find another way before you seek her out,” Callie advises as we walk in and the guys turn to look at us.

  “She sounds like great fun.” Roman smiles wolfishly.

  “Oh she is.” Callie winks. “Just not if you have a dick, so it might be worth letting Remy handle her. She isn't a fan of men. You know what they say about a woman scorned. There’s a reason she's Wrath.”

  The guys cup their junk and Creek gulps. “Yeah, maybe we can let Remy speak to her first, sound her out.”

  I laugh at them and shake my head. “So let me deal with the psychotic bitch? Sounds like a breeze.”

  “You're not going to drop us into some hellish landscape that's all warded up, are you?” Levi asks, skeptically.

  “I would never,” Callie gasps a hand on her chest before bursting out laughing. “But seriously, no, I'm not a total asshole. At least not to my girl here.” she nods in my direction and Levi looks at me questioningly. I shrug and head over to them.

  “Best get this show on the road I guess. Thank you again, and maybe, I'll see you soon.”

  “Maybe,” she says with another wink, and then snaps her fingers.

  I feel weightless again, and everything goes black as wind rushes past us. I jolt and realize we've come to a stop, but we're still drowning in darkness. I look up and see stars shimmering in the sky above us, and mountains off in the distance.

  “Well... This is certainly different,” Kain says, taking in the views around us. I look closer and realize the expanse between us and the distance is an inky black body of water, rippling gently in the moonlight.

  “And who… exactly, are you?” I spin at the feminine voice, and come face to face with a woman so freaking beautiful, I almost want to claw my guys eyes out. Long straight white hair whips behind her in the breeze, and her bright blue eyes assess us all where we stand. Her eyes harden as she passes her gaze between the guys, and finally it rests on me and she smiles.