by M. S. Parker
“Why did you come, Reed?” Her voice was soft and she fixed her gaze at a point over my shoulder.
I reached for her hands, but she didn't respond, her fingers staying limp and cold in my hands. “I came for you. I want us to be together. I know you don't think it's possible, but I think I could convince your parents to give me a chance.”
Now she did look at me, a moment of surprise flitting across her eyes before they went blank again. “Give you a chance?”
I nodded, sliding my hands up her arms until I was grasping her shoulders. “I'm not nobility, or from Saja, but I'm not from some poor, backward family. We're well-respected in Philadelphia.” I didn't bother to add that our position in society was in a bit of peril at the moment. It wouldn't help things and I had no idea how long that trouble would even last. Rich people were easily distracted even if they never truly forgot.
She started to shake her head, but I kept going before she could protest.
“I have money so it's clear I'm not after that. I know how to behave around high society so I wouldn't embarrass you. I'd sign any sort of paperwork they asked. Renounce my citizenship and become a naturalized citizen of Saja. Whatever it would take to show your parents that I'm serious.”
Her voice was soft. “It's too late.”
My smile faltered. “No,” I said. “I refuse to accept that.”
“Contracts have been signed.” She lifted her chin, but didn't meet my gaze. “The wedding on Saturday is a mere formality. For all intents and purposes, Tanek is my husband.”
“No,” I repeated, my tone harder in disbelief and denial.
I closed the distance between us, reaching out to cup the back of her head as I lowered my mouth to hers. Her lips parted with a gasp of surprise and I slid my tongue between them. For a brief, wonderful moment, her body relaxed into mine, her mouth pliant as my tongue explored. She was mine.
Then her hands were on my chest, pushing rather than pulling. The kiss broke, leaving me gasping, my body aching. I stepped back, hands clenched at my sides. I wanted her so badly, but her actions had said to stop, and I did.
“What's done is done, Reed.” She folded her arms across her middle as if hugging herself. “Go home. There's nothing for you here.”
She stepped back through the hidden gate and I heard it latch behind her. I stayed there for a long time, but she didn't return. It was over.
Chapter 15
Nami
The white silk whispered against my legs as I followed him into the bedroom. It had been a beautiful wedding, the kind most girls would dream of. Flowers had been everywhere, each one chosen specifically for the occasion. Their scents had been perfectly blended so that the effect wasn't overwhelming. The palace ballroom had been decorated in sprays of white and gold, every inch of the place cleaned so that it had shone. The gold bridesmaid's dresses had been simple, elegantly cut for each bridesmaid to flatter the different figures. After all, a royal wedding wasn't about the bride.
Through it all, however, I hadn't been able to stop thinking about the wedding night. Ancient traditions would have stated that at least one of my parents, or a selected member of nobility be in the room as the marriage was consummated, but, fortunately, that practice had been discontinued generations ago. My father's great-grandfather had been the last to follow that particularly embarrassing scenario.
Tradition did still, however, require my parents, the wedding party and certain select guests, to escort us to the bridal suite. Last night had been my final night in my childhood bedroom. Those quarters were now being emptied and cleaned in preparation for a nursery. My new quarters would be with my husband.
As the doors shut behind us, I didn't even see the beauty of our room, the candles that had been lit to offer us dim, romantic lighting. All I saw was him. He turned towards me and I realized my hands were shaking.
It was silly of me to be nervous. This wasn't my first time, or even our first time. I already knew his body, knew the pleasure it could give me. But this wasn't like other times. We were married. When we came together tonight, it would be not only with my parents' blessing, but with that of the entire country. He would be my king, the father to my children.
He came towards me, his dark eyes nearly black in the dim light. He reached out and carefully removed each of the decorative pins that had kept my wayward curls manageable. With each one, he let his fingers graze my skin, sending a blaze of heat through me. By the time he was finished, the shaking in my hands came from an entirely new place.
I pushed his jacket from his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor as I moved on to his shirt. The desire inside me grew with every inch of skin revealed. He was so beautiful, his body a work of art.
It wasn't until both of us were naked that he finally kissed me, one hand buried in my hair, the other at the small of my back. I pressed my body against his as our tongues twined together, my nipples hardening with the friction. His cock was half-hard against my stomach and I could feel it swelling even as my own body responded.
I dimly wondered if it would always be like this, if I would always want him so badly that it hurt. It wasn't just the physical desire, the aching to be filled. It was him and being close to him. Our bodies joined, souls coming together. I'd always considered myself a complete person before, but with him, I knew I'd been only half of myself.
He laid me on the bed and propped himself up on one elbow to give his free hand the chance to explore. He started at my face, his fingers tracing each eyebrow, then down to my cheekbones. When he ran his finger along my lips, I parted them, darting out my tongue to touch his skin.
“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” he asked as his hand continued its journey, sliding down my throat, then across my collarbone, before dancing between my breasts.
I reached up and pushed back his golden hair. “You're beautiful,” I said sincerely.
He smiled, a full smile that made his entire face light up. He caught my hand, holding it in place as he turned his head and kissed my palm. When he released my hand, he lowered his head to my breasts, placing light kisses across the skin. My eyes wanted to close, but I kept them open, wanting to watch him take my nipple between his lips.
I gasped at the heat of his mouth, then swore as he began to suck on the overly sensitive flesh. His hand caressed my thigh, adding to the heat already pooling in my belly. My back arched, wanting more. When he raised his head, I made a sound of protest.
“Shh, baby.” He shifted his hand to my stomach, his thumb making small circles on my skin. “We don't have to rush. No one's going to stop us.” He kissed my neck, my jaw, my lips.
He was right, I knew. We were married. The matching platinum bands on our fingers said that we were going to be together forever. We weren't going to be interrupted by Tomas and Kai. There would be no panic over whether or not we should be doing this. No rush to hurry because we had limited time. It wasn't just that it was no longer wrong, but rather that it was expected.
I was pulled out of my thoughts by the feeling of Reed's hand sliding around to my inner thigh. My eyelids fluttered as his tongue slowly circled my breast, moving up my golden skin to my nipple. As his fingertip ghosted over my lower lips, I finally let my eyes close.
The sensations surrounded me, overwhelmed me. There was the scent of him, spicy and masculine. Something so uniquely him that I would know it anywhere. The feel of him. His skin. The shape of his hands, his mouth. The heat from his body and mouth.
I moaned as his teeth scraped my nipple. How did he know that I needed those little pinpricks of pain? That my body craved an intensity that gentle caresses couldn't give me.
A finger circled my entrance and I squirmed. He chuckled, the vibration moving down through my breast even as he slid his finger inside.
I moaned, but I needed more. My eyes opened and I reached over to clutch at Reed's shoulders.
“Please.” The word became a cry as a second finger joined the first. He curled them and my e
ntire body went stiff.
Even while I was still in the midst of orgasm, I felt him shove his way inside me, stretching me, opening me. I wanted to scream, but it was as if all the air had been pushed from my lungs. The intensity of what I was feeling, physically, emotionally, it was almost too much.
Our bodies rocked against each other, friction and heat. My nails raked his back and his teeth worked over my skin. My world was narrowed down to our two bodies and where they were joined. He was mine and I was his, our hearts, minds and bodies made one. The rings didn't make it so. We'd been this way from the first moment we'd come together.
“Mine,” I whispered possessively in his ear.
“Yes,” he said. “Yours. And you are mine.”
“I am,” I agreed. I could feel another climax building. “Forever.”
My muscles began to tremble...
I jerked awake, my body flushed and shaking with the force of the dream. I'd woken just before coming, leaving me bereft and tense. For a moment, I thought that was what had woken me, my body not able to take a second orgasm and still stay asleep. Then I realized that wasn't it at all.
Someone was in my room.
My heart leaped into my throat as I saw the shadowed figure sitting on the edge of my bed. Reed had come back. He'd known how I felt, the feelings I'd refused to name or think about, and had come to me.
The light next to the bed suddenly switched on and I swallowed a scream.
“Tanek.” My voice came out more breathless than I wished it would have. I grabbed my blanket, pulling it up to my neck. I saw something flicker in his eyes and knew it had been the wrong move.
“You seemed to be enjoying your dream,” he said.
“You should not be in here.” I straightened, trying to regain my composure. My heart was pounding, the adrenaline racing through my system making me hyperaware of everything.
I'd scrubbed my skin nearly raw, but I could still feel every place he'd touched me. I hadn't wanted to look in the mirror this morning, but I'd forced myself, knowing I'd need to make sure I chose clothes that would cover the bruises. Tanek had either been lucky or he'd known what he was doing. He hadn't made a mark on my face and the ones on my neck were faint enough to be covered with make-up. The rest of me was another story.
I resisted the urge to pull my legs up. Aside from the fact that I didn't want Tanek to see another gesture made in response to him, I also knew it'd hurt enough to show on my face. He hadn't been satisfied to take me only once. I refused to think about the things he'd done to me, not knowing if I'd be able to maintain my composure if I remembered.
“I do not believe you should be telling me what I should or should not be doing.” Tanek's voice was low and threatening. “On Saturday, I will be your husband and I will do as I please.”
My temper began to rise, pushing through the fear and the hurt. Who the hell did he think he was? I'd agreed to marry my parents' choice because it was the right thing to do for Saja. I hadn't said anything to them today about what had happened, because I was still trying to figure out the best way to do it. Just going to the hospital and reporting an assault wasn't exactly an option for me.
“Get out of my room.” I spoke through gritted teeth. “And I want you out of my home.”
I expected anger, violence, outright refusal. What I didn't expect was laughter. A sharp, sardonic chuckle that managed to both piss me off and frighten me.
“I will leave your room...when I am ready.” He reached over and grabbed my wrist, squeezing until I winced. “And I will not be leaving this house. MY house. I will be king and Saja will be mine.”
He leaned closer and I could smell the alcohol on his breath. He wasn't drunk, but he wasn't entirely sober either.
“I will tell my parents what you did,” I threatened.
“No,” he said. “You will not, or I will tell them you were not a virgin when I took you.”
My eyes narrowed. “They will not believe you.”
“Don’t be so sure about that,” he said, his eyes cold. “But it doesn’t matter. You will never say a word about what happened to anyone. Remember, accidents happens. It wouldn’t surprise me if suddenly an accident happened that would leave me free to wed another. A real virgin.”
I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach. He wouldn't.
“Your sister, Halea, is a virgin, I am certain. For now.” He smiled. “I will spend the next two years teaching her how to please me, and then I will marry her. She will be queen in name until she gives me a son, and then she will join you.”
“Keep your fucking hands off of my sister!” I put as much venom into my voice as I could, but the words fell flat.
A sharp pain shot through me as I felt his strong fingers dig deep into the skin of my arm. He hissed in my face. “Then you better do everything I fucking ask of you. Pretend all you must, but you will obey me, bare my children…my son, our future king. It’s you or Halea. Your choice.”
He would do it, I knew. He would kill me, rape Halea, force her to marry him and most likely kill her too. I'd seen it in his eyes. He was capable of anything.
Before, I'd chosen to marry him to protect Halea from our parents forcing her onto the throne. Now, I knew I had to choose Tanek to save not only my life, but my sister's.
Chapter 16
Reed
I should've left Saja right after Nami had rejected me...again. The entire island was buzzing about the wedding. Even staying in my hotel room didn't keep me safe. The staff was cheery and constantly asking if I'd heard the wonderful news. Looking out the window was just as bad. The entire capitol was getting ready. There were flowers and streamers and all sorts of other things I might've found interesting if they hadn't meant the woman I loved was about to marry someone else.
Maybe that was why I'd stayed. To punish myself for what I'd done. For what I'd failed to do.
I ran my hand through my hair. I'd spent Friday pacing and trying to avoid the view while smiling politely at the people who brought my room service. I hadn't slept at all Thursday night, and last night hadn't been much better. Now, it was just after dawn and I didn't know what to do.
There would've been flights yesterday. Not many since it wasn't a big airport, but enough to get me out, especially if I hadn't cared where I was going. But I hadn't gone yesterday. Even though today was a Saturday and most airports ran on Saturday, today was a holiday of sorts. Nothing was open. Even the hotel had informed me that, during the wedding, no services would be available.
The palace was huge, but not big enough to support all of Saja's citizens, so the whole thing would be broadcast on Saja's only local station.
I wasn't planning on watching it. Or, at least, not on TV. I'd had a very bad idea that had woken me before the sun had come up, and I was currently arguing with myself about it.
I should go home. Back to Philly with my tail between my legs. My parents would be more than happy to let me take over again, no matter how I'd left things. The last time I'd seen Piper and Julien, it had been a bit awkward, but I'd gotten the impression that they wouldn't have been against a real friendship. And no matter what Piper had told me, I knew she'd understand why I'd given up. I could pursue Nami to the ends of the earth, but if she didn't want me, there wasn't anything I could do about it.
The thing was, I still didn't entirely believe that she honestly wanted Tanek. Something had happened after I left her. Something had changed that had made her choose to not believe in me. I didn't know what it was, but a part of me still didn't believe it. And I was pretty sure I wasn't going to believe it until I saw that ring on her finger...maybe not even then.
That was why I had to go. I couldn't just sit in my room and watch it on television. I had to actually be present, in the room, hear her say her vows. I needed to know that she was going to follow through, that she had gotten the life she wanted. I had to see that she didn't hesitate during any part of the ceremony, see that she meant what she said.
It woul
d be painful. Awful. One of the worst things in the world to watch, especially if she went through with it. It would take all of my willpower to stay silent if they went with the traditional question about anyone speaking up if they knew why a couple shouldn't be married. I was also pretty sure that I'd get in some serious trouble if any of the royal family, the bodyguards or the fucking fiancé saw me.
But I had to go.
I knew it deep down in my gut, and I'd known it all day yesterday. If she was going to stop the wedding, I had to be there to stand with her when she did it. If she went through with it, I had to be there to see it happen so I could move on. I still wasn't entirely sure how I would manage to do that, but I figured I should probably take things one step at a time. After all, I was about to do something so stupid it could land me in Saja's only jail if I was caught.
My plan was pretty simple. I already knew where the service entrance was and I also knew rich people. They didn't really look at the help. I didn't have anything that could let me pass for kitchen staff or something like that, but I did have a tux that I could wear and pretend to be one of the staff hired for inside the house. Most of the time, it wasn't about the clothes anyway. It was the attitude.
A couple hours later and I was standing inside the ballroom of the Saja palace. I'd gone through the open service gate with a huge vase of flowers, then spent the rest of the time before the wedding letting myself be ordered around by some high-strung woman in a serious-looking peach business suit. I'd waited until the last possible minute and managed to slip into the back of the room. Huge statues stood around the edges of the room and I tucked myself into the shadows. I knew I'd be practically invisible now, and that was what I wanted.
The bridesmaids came first. I recognized the girl I'd seen that night, the one I knew had to be Halea. The girl Nami was sacrificing her own happiness for. I had to admit, when I looked at that sweet, innocent face, I couldn't blame her. I didn't even know the girl and I wanted to protect her.
