by K. G. Reuss
“Better than the death of it.”
His lips tilted up on one side, but he didn’t look at me.
“Not out committing debauchery? Being young and dumb?” I continued, turning my gaze to the party.
There was no way anyone could see us through the dark and the crowd. There were so many students, all drunk and dancing, laughing, making out.
“Sadly, no.”
“Where’s Hail and the rest of the lords?”
“Last I knew, Hail was fucking some junior on the other side of the party while Drake and Tate were doing keg stands.”
“Right. Because Stella is upstairs fucking Dominic.”
Fallon paused, his beer halfway to his lips before he finally looked over at me. “Are you OK?” He genuinely sounded like he cared.
But I’d played that game before and won a stupid ass prize. There was something different about Fallon though. He’d always seemed genuine to me.
I shrugged. “It is what it is.”
“I saw what they did to you in the cafeteria.”
“Who didn’t?” I mumbled.
“That’s fucked up, Bianca. It’s just as fucked up as what Hail was doing to you.”
“Yeah, well, imagine what the kings would do to me if they caught me talking to you right now.”
“Then why risk it? Why do any of this shit? If I were you, I’d run and never look back.”
“And go where? My dad is MIA. My mom has lost her mind. Besides, David would find me wherever I went.” I shook my head. “I’m already dead. I’m just waiting to be buried.”
“Fuck.” He sighed. A moment later, a beer appeared from the other side of the large tree trunk. “Have a drink. We can celebrate mortality because if I get caught with you, I’ll be dead too.”
I took the can and cracked it open. “Then here’s to our funerals.” I peeked over at him to find him smiling back at me.
“I’ll drink to that.”
I threw my head back, laughing as Fallon tripped over a branch and nearly ate shit as he caught my arm to keep from falling. For a guy the size of Dominic, it was funny to watch him stumbling through the woods.
After finishing our beers at the tree, we’d taken to the darkness and finished off the six pack, both of us bitching about the lords and kings.
“Fuck.” He laughed, righting himself as we stopped.
I leaned against a tree and closed my eyes, enjoying the spinning feeling. We were deep in the woods, far from the party. The sounds from the music and partygoers had long since faded.
When I opened my eyes, Fallon was standing in front of me, a lopsided grin on his face. Then it dawned on me that I was alone in the middle of the woods, drunk and high off my ass, with a lord. An enemy.
My breath hitched as he came closer. He reached out and brushed a lock of hair from my face.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said softly.
I stared up at him, feeling dazed. “Might save me a lot of pain if you just got it over with.”
He shook his head as sadness and pain painted his features. “Maybe for you, but it would kill me if something happened to you.”
I swallowed.
“I keep thinking about that night in Hail’s room,” he continued quietly. “I was so fucking angry you had to do that. I wanted to kill them and take you away from it.”
“Why are you a lord?” I asked, cocking my head.
He gave me a sad smile. “My dad is one of Ivanov’s men. An enforcer. By default, it looks like I’m supposed to be too.”
“That sucks.”
“It does.” He inched closer until our bodies were touching.
“Can’t you leave?”
“Where would I go?” he murmured. “You and I are a lot alike. At least blood doesn’t bind you.”
We stood staring at one another beneath the moonlight. It seemed Fallon had it just as bad as I did. And for that, my heart ached for him.
“Bianca?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I kiss you?” His dark brows crinkled, his voice soft.
The question took me by surprise. Why would a lord want me? Was it some sort of trick? I was far too buzzed to think this through logically. I just wanted to feel better, no matter who it was with, so I nodded wordlessly.
He leaned in. My heartbeat thundered in my ears. A moment later, the soft brush of his lips against mine made butterflies flutter to life in my chest. I fell into the kiss when he deepened it, his arms snaking around my waist, bringing me closer as the warmth from his hard body rushed over me.
I was crazy. Certifiably insane as I parted my lips and let my tongue dance with his.
Fallon knew how to kiss, I’d give him that, but he could also fuck me and leave me for dead when he was done too.
Something deep in my guts told me Fallon wasn’t like that though. He was different from any of the lords and kings. Maybe it was my drunk and horny intuition reasoning with me, or maybe it was my anger imagining Dominic deep inside Stella at the moment, an enemy.
To hell with it. If Dominic could fuck someone from the lords, so could I. And Fallon wasn’t anything to scoff at. Sexy. Tall. Muscular. Full lips that made my stomach flip in excitement, and a body that was all hard muscles. His soft, dark, wavy hair made him appear sweet as sugar. Not to mention those sparkling eyes of his. Yeah. Fuck Dominic De Santis and the rest of the kings.
I moved my hands beneath Fallon’s dark Henley, feeling all the corded muscle beneath.
“Did I tell you how fucking gorgeous you look tonight?” he breathed out between kisses as his hands moved from my waist to my bare thighs.
“Tell me,” I said breathlessly.
“I was hoping to get you alone so I could show you.”
I pressed my lips to his, fumbling with his belt, not knowing who this girl was, but not hating her either. I pulled his thick length from his pants and stroked him. He groaned against my lips before knocking my hand away. With ease, he lifted me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he pressed me against the tree trunk. We kissed passionately, completely lost in each other.
As far as I was concerned in that moment, Fallon was in the gray area with me. Neither a lord nor a king. Maybe we’d break away and make our own kingdom.
His fingers moved along the thin silk of my panties before he pushed them aside. The firm touch of his fingers sliding through my folds to my clit made me moan in his mouth. He found my happy place and rubbed against it, making me more breathless.
“Bianca,” he rasped. “I want you. Come for me.”
His sudden dirty talk made the heat in my belly flare, sending it straight to my clit, making me come hard with his next touch. This was Dominic’s fault. He’d brought me to the brink and denied me. Having Fallon finish what Dominic started gave me a sick sense of satisfaction and sweetened my release. I rode Fallon’s hand, my body still trembling when I came down from the high he brought me to. Combined with the floating feeling from the alcohol, it was euphoric and perfection.
“I want to feel alive again. Please,” I said, my voice choked. Drunk, angry Bianca was nothing like sober, compliant Bianca.
He kissed me again, this time, his hard length threatening my entrance.
I tensed as he pushed forward, the burn from his cock stretching me making me gasp.
“Ah,” I cried.
“I’ll make the pain worth it,” he said, thrusting deeper into me as he rested his forehead against mine, both of us breathing hard.
“You’re so tight. Damn, Bianca.”
I wound my arms around his neck and kissed him once more.
He pulled out and pushed back in as I cried out against his lips. Over and over, he stroked until he was fully seated inside me, breathless.
“This is my new favorite place,” he said, kissing along my jaw, his fingers skimming the thin strap of my dress until he eased it down. He repeated it on the other strap so he could push the top of my dress down, revealing my breasts. The tree was rough
against my back and sure to leave marks, but I couldn’t find it in me to care.
With a lazy smile, he pulled away enough, still buried inside me, and tugged his shirt over his head, revealing glorious planes of muscle beneath the moonlight.
“I want to feel every exquisite inch of you. I’ve dreamed of this moment since I met you.” His lips brushed against my shoulder as he shifted inside me.
I brought his face up to mine again and kissed him.
His movements picked up. Each hard thrust stoked the fire within me as he fucked me against the tree, skin slapping skin, moans and cries echoing in the night until I was spiraling around him, coming so hard I swore the stars dotting my vision were brighter than those in the sky.
A low groan erupted from him as his cock twitched deep inside me, filling me with his release. Breathless, he rested against me, his face buried in my neck.
I closed my eyes, spinning, but feeling satisfied.
“I don’t want to leave,” he mumbled sleepily.
I raked my fingers through his hair, his long waves weaving around my fingers, feeling safe for the first time in a long time.
“Me either.”
“Want to lie beneath the stars with me?” he asked, finally moving to gaze down at me.
My heart fluttered, and I nodded. He smiled sweetly before withdrawing from my body, leaving me to feel empty. He placed me gently on my feet and tucked himself away before grabbing his shirt and straightening it on the ground. I pulled the straps of my dress up and tugged my skirt down, watching him.
Fallon turned back to me, offering me the smile I was becoming familiar with. “It’s not much, but I’ll keep you warm.”
He held his hand out to me, and I took it, allowing him to guide me to the ground where he drew me into his arms, his warmth radiating through me.
We lay in silence for a few moments, my head on his chest as he looked up at the stars in the small clearing above us.
“You should know, this wasn’t just a one and done thing. It meant something to me,” he murmured. “I wanted you the moment I laid eyes on you.”
“You mentioned that,” I said softly.
He let out a soft laugh. “Yeah. It was a dream come true when Hail made you suck my dick. I mean, I wished it was just me and you, but I was so fucking torn, wanting it and hating everything about it. I guess I’m not much of a good guy.”
“You’re better than anyone else I know,” I said, cuddling closer to him.
He gave me a squeeze.
“Do they… the kings. . . do they. . .”
“Fuck me? Make me suck their dicks? Hurt me?”
“Yeah,” his voice was choked.
“No. I did it with Dominic. Sex. It was my first time. I haven’t done it with Vincent or Levin. Levin hates me, and Vincent. . .well, he listens to what Dominic tells him.”
We were both quiet for a moment before I spoke again. “I did it because I was scared. I needed help. I went to the kings and asked for their help against Hail. I thought he’d end up killing me. He hurt me so much.”
“I know,” Fallon said, his arms tightening their hold on me.
“I-I don’t know what’s worse. Hail’s brand of punishment or Dominic’s. The night we had sex, he was gentle and sweet. He acted like he cared. I guess I thought that translated into something it wasn’t because tonight he took Stella upstairs.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” He kissed the top of my head again. “We all have a part to play, I guess.”
“What’s your part?” I waited for his answer as he grew quiet.
“I don’t know,” he said in nearly a whisper. “I’m winging it. If anyone found out I was out here with you. . .I worry for your safety. It was selfish of me to do this—”
“I wanted it. I needed it,” I cut him off. “Please don’t regret it.”
“Regret it?” He chuckled and tilted my chin up so I was looking at him. “I’m going to replay this night in my head until the day I die so I can die a happy man.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely, princess.” He placed a gentle kiss on my lips before looking back to the stars, a tiny smile on his face.
I closed my eyes and breathed out as I rested my head on his chest. I was smiling too. It would wear off in the morning.
Twenty-Nine
Dominic
She’s been gone all night.” I scrubbed my hands over my face as I sat in the leather chair in my bedroom.
Vincent was perched on my bed, and Levin was still out looking. I’d gone back to my place in the vain hope she’d come there. Vincent had gone to check her dorm, then his own before coming to mine.
I hit CALL on her name in my phone again, but it went straight to voicemail.
“What the fuck?” I growled.
The sun had broken on the horizon. She’d been gone all night.
“Hail and the rest of his fuckwits were at the party all night. I saw him and Stella leave together. Wherever she is, she’s not with him.”
I stared at the floor, worry and anger coursing through me. I never went back on a promise. I never failed. To know that I’d failed to keep an eye on her was tearing me up inside. Knowing something could’ve happened to her all because I’d gone upstairs with fucking Stella, made me sick to my stomach.
“She couldn’t have gone far—”
“We’ve searched everywhere. No one saw her. Fucking Levin got her high, drunk, and pissed off. God knows where she stumbled off to.
“You helped,” Vincent grumbled.
“What?” I glared over at him.
“You fingered her, denied her, made her get on her knees and stay there, then you took Stella upstairs.” He shrugged. “You pissed her off too.”
“Eat shit.” I got to my feet and stormed to the door. “When we find her, she’ll think twice about wandering off again.”
Vincent followed me out and down the stairs, not saying a word the whole time. When we got outside, Levin met us.
“Nothing?” I demanded.
He shook his head. “Nothing. No one saw her after she walked away. Freddie Culver said he saw her by the edge of the woods.”
I yanked the hair at the nape of my neck, irritated. She could be passed the fuck out in the middle of nowhere. Or worse. Contemplating worse set me off, so I tabled it and focused on finding her. I’d deal with everything else once I knew where the hell she was.
“We could get the court together,” Vincent said.
I scoffed. The court were students who blindly followed us and did little things we asked for. Levin called them our kiss asses.
“No. It’ll make us look weak because we can’t keep track of a fucking girl. Christ.” I clenched my jaw and nodded for the guys to follow me.
“She’s going to turn up. She can’t go back to D’Angelou. I’m guessing he doesn’t know about her and Hail’s split or you can bet your ass she’d already be gone.” Vincent stopped walking.
I looked back at him, wondering what the hell he was doing. “What?”
“I didn’t see Vasiliev at the party.”
“I didn’t either,” Levin said.
“Let’s go.” I turned and went to Vasiliev’s building, my fury taking on new heights.
Fallon was known as the quiet lord. I called it being sneaky as fuck because he was always just watching. It would make sense for Ivanov to send him. He was so good at being silent, we hadn’t even noticed him not being at the dip.
We stormed to his room. I pounded on his door, not giving a fuck who I woke up. Just when I was ready to kick his door in, it cracked open.
“Yeah?” He peered at us, a pair of basketball shorts on and his hair wet as he opened the door wider.
I shoved it open all the way and strode into his tidy space.
“I think you know why we’re here,” Levin said while I looked around. The place was spotless.
“No, but if you don’t get the fuck out, there’s going to be a problem,” he said, pull
ing a t-shirt over his head.
“You’re damn right there’s going to be. Where the fuck is Bianca?” I turned to glare at him.
He responded by arching a dark brow at me. “Why would I know? Isn’t she on your leash?”
“Listen, Vasiliev. We didn’t see you at the party. Bianca is missing. Tell us where she is,” Vincent said.
“And you think I know? You’re ridiculous. Get the fuck out of here.” He went to his door and opened it, shooting me a pointed look.
“I’m not leaving until you tell me where my girl is,” I said in a dangerous voice.
“I don’t know where she is. Maybe she ran off after you took Stella upstairs. Seems like a logical thing to do, right?” He didn’t look the least bit ruffled as he stared back at me.
“How the fuck do you know about that if you weren’t there?” I demanded.
“I never said I wasn’t there.”
“We didn’t see you,” Vincent said.
“Not my problem. I’m good at what I do. What can I say?” He offered us a smile which pissed me off more.
“If I find out you had anything to do with her being missing you’re dead,” I snarled softly as I stepped up to him nearly chest to chest.
He was a big guy, rivaling me in size. I’d still kick his dick in though, especially if he had anything to do with Bianca being gone…if he’d hurt her… To not have her in my life—our lives—made feelings I’d never felt before surge through my heart. I wasn’t sure how to navigate the strange emotions.
Fallon chuckled and nodded for us to leave. “See yourselves out. I’ve got shit to do.”
I surveyed him for another moment before I marched out with Vincent and Levin behind me.
“He’s a prick. No wonder he never says anything,” Vincent grumbled.
“What’s the plan?” Levin asked.
I kept walking, heading to Bianca’s dorm.
“I was already there twenty minutes ago—” Levin started.
“Then we look again.” I pushed open the door to the building.
We rode the elevator to her floor. Once there, we made our way to her room where I pounded on the door. When she didn’t answer, I nodded at Levin to open it. He pulled out a key he’d had one of the court get him from the office and opened her door quickly. It swung open to reveal her bed all made up. I stepped inside and heard her shower running.
