The Masked Prince

by Faith Ryan

  “Don’t be like that, Jess. There’ll be plenty of time to get your dick wet later.”

  Whatever. I cross my arms over my chest and wait for Jairo’s news.

  “Alek, you said Rafe wanted a lamp, and that reminded me of a prophecy I’d read about during my studies. It’s old and mostly forgotten, many of those who remember brush it off as legend. Truthfully, most prophecies are just threats to keep civilizations in line by their leaders.”

  “Is this a history lesson, Jairo, or do you have a point?” I interrupt, and Jairo throws a dirty look my way before continuing.

  “As I was saying, this prophecy, it reads like many others, but there was some information along with it I find interesting.”

  “What? And what is the prophecy?” Alek seems invested in the answers to his questions. Maybe he needs them to validate his role in Rafe’s scheme.

  “Well, it’s not really a prophecy, but more like a curse. Centuries ago, a queen, named Deianira, was given a gift; The Box of the Damned.”

  “Sounds ominous.” Jairo’s glare has me feeling contrite. “Sorry, please go on.”

  “The box contained the darkest, most destructive evils, worse than anything the world had seen before. Deianira was tasked with keeping the box safe and the evils inside. But Deianira felt jilted by fate and love. She was envious of all the princesses who found true love with their heroes, while she remained alone with no suitors calling upon her. One day her jealousy became too much, and she tore the lid off the box. Horrific evils were released: war, disease, famine, hate. The heroes became twisted, no longer chivalrous, they were now the embodiment of their darkest, most deviant desires.”

  “Sounds like a fairytale gone wrong.”

  “Yes. I assume that most of it has been made up to scare people into following the rules blindly. What I found interesting is the mention of the manifestation of the curse. It varies depending on the hero mentioned, but some believe that the curse materialized as an actual object that if found by the descendant of the original cursed hero, it could reverse all the damage done. That all would revert to the way things were just by a touch from the descendant.”

  “That’s some story.”

  “I know you’re skeptical, Jess. It suggests that magic and curses are real, and whether or not they are, I think Rafe believes in this prophecy.”

  “What interest would Rafe have in a curse? Does he think he’s a descendant of one of the heroes mentioned?”

  “I don’t think so. I think Rafe belongs to a family whose ancestors believe in the curse and that it somehow affected their lives. He wants to find the lamp and the descendant so he can reverse his family’s misfortune.”

  “Okay, so Rafe is not only a vile man, but he’s crazy too. Good to know.”

  “Can you put aside your snarkiness and think about this logically? Rafe has the lamp—,”

  “He thinks he has the lamp, there was more than one, he could have the wrong lamp,” Alek interjects.

  “Right. He thinks he has the lamp, and I think he believes he also has the descendant.”

  Jairo looks at Alek pointedly.

  “Me? No way. I’m a nobody. A street rat without a family.”

  “I’m not saying you are; I’m saying Rafe thinks you are, which means he won’t let you go easily. I’m surprised he let you come back here with Jess.”

  “I’d say Nero had something to do with that. When I went to see Alek, the man was antagonizing Rafe by walking around naked.”

  “Figures. That man is nothing but trouble, and the least of our problems. Rafe will do anything to reverse the curse. That’s bad in so many ways, but if by some stretch of reality the curse is real, if he brings the lamp and descendant together, it resets everything. We will cease to exist as we are and who knows what else will change. It’s chaos theory at its best.”

  “So what do we do?”

  “I don’t know, Jess. I need to do more research, but I wanted to warn you about what we might be up against, a crazed man or a magical curse. Either of these doesn’t bode well for us.”

  Jairo stands to leave. When he passes my chair, he stops to give my shoulder a brief squeeze.

  The room is silent, and tension fills the space between Alek and me. And not the welcomed sexual tension from earlier. The curse and Rafe’s crazy belief in it is a lot to take in.

  “Are okay?” I ask Alek, moving from my chair to sit beside him on the sofa.

  “I don’t know.” His dark eyes swirl with uncertainty. “If I’m the descendant, at least in Rafe’s mind, does that mean he sought me out on purpose? Did he watch me and plan, waiting for just the right moment of desperation to overcome me so he could rescue me from the street?”

  I don’t have the answers he needs. Hell, I don’t even have the answers I need. This is hard enough to believe without a magical curse added to the mix.

  “I can’t give you false reassurances, but if there is something I can do to help you understand, tell me and I’ll make it happen.”

  “Make me forget,” Alek pleads. “I don’t want to be the descendant of some cursed hero; I want to be me. A street rat, a thief who’s falling for the beautiful heir to the Salib empire.”

  “You’re falling for me?”

  A smile tips up one side of his mouth. “Maybe.”

  “What would it take to turn that maybe into a yes?” I ask as I move closer, invading his space on the sofa until I’m all but on his lap.

  “Not much. I’m almost there.”

  “Me too,” I whisper before taking his lips with mine.

  17

  Alek

  It’s too soon to be falling for Jess. I know that, but it doesn’t change the fact that I am. He kisses me and all of the want and need from before Jairo dropped his little curse bomb comes rushing back.

  Jess pulls me onto his lap, and I go willingly, straddling him as his hands rove over the naked skin of my back. My back arches when his fingers skim down my spine, bringing my chest so close to his face I can feel his breath puff against my skin.

  Jess’ tongue swipes at my nipple, circling the tip before sucking it into the warm, wet heat of his mouth. The pull of his mouth creates the phantom sensation of his lips around my dick and I thrust against him, rubbing my cock over his stomach seeking friction. Every downward movement pushes his skirt farther up his thighs, nestling his dick deeper into the crease of my ass. The impediment of the sweats I’m wearing keeps him from sinking inside me.

  “I could easily get drunk on you. You taste better than the sweetest wine. And as much as I’d love to lick you from head to toe, my cock is insistent that we move things along.” He pulls at my sweats. “Off. Now.”

  I crawl off Jess and strip out of the sweats while he lifts his skirt to his waist and when I sit astride him again; I feel the silky, smooth skin of his dick caressing my ass cheeks before it settles into my crack. I swivel my hips over him, enjoying the way his cock drags over my hole with my movements. He still has his shirt on and as much as I love Jess in his feminine style, the fabric is irksome as it rubs against me.

  “You’re wearing too many clothes,” I whine and Jess laughs. I push his shirt up his abs and he leans forward so I can pull it over his head. I toss the material aside as soon as I’m able and eagerly run my hands over his exposed skin. He’s mostly smooth, the only hair on his torso a small treasure trail that disappears into the waist of his skirt to join with the thick, but neat hair surrounding the base of his cock. “You’re beautiful, Jess. So fucking beautiful.”

  “You don’t need to impress me, Alek. I’m a sure thing. Well, as long as Jairo doesn’t interrupt us again.”

  He’s teasing, I know he is, but I stiffen at the words. I’d forgotten about Jairo, both earlier in his bedroom and now. When Jess touches me, I forget everyone but him. He must sense the change in me because he’s hands cease their movements.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Don’t you feel guilty?”

  “For wh
at?” His brow furrows in confusion and even that looks gorgeous on him.

  “Cheating on Jairo.”

  “Huh?”

  “Jairo? You know, your bodyguard and boyfriend?”

  Jess tilts his head to lie on the back of the couch and laughs. “Yes, I know who Jairo is. Yes, he is my bodyguard. But no, he isn’t my boyfriend. What gave you that idea? Do you really think I’d be here, doing this with you, if he were?”

  “But I—,” I stop myself from telling Jess I saw them together, but then decide fuck it. Might as well let him know. “I saw you.”

  “You saw me?”

  “Yeah, with Jairo. I came by to see you, to tell you I’d keep your secret. But you were otherwise occupied, so I left.” I look down at my hands against Jess’ stomach.

  “Alek, look at me.” Jess brings one of his hands to my face and turns me back to face him. “Ask me why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why Jairo was fucking me.”

  “Uh, okay, why was Jairo fucking you?”

  “Because I saw this extremely handsome man orgasm while under my father’s most trusted advisor and all I could think about was how much I wanted to be the one to do that. I wanted to be the one to bring you pleasure. When we got back to my room, I had a mini freak out over you seeing me and Jairo comforted me. One thing led to another and…” he shrugs.

  “So you’re not with Jairo?”

  “No, and the only reason we had sex at all was because my reaction to you had me wound up. Can I fuck you now?”

  “Yes, please.”

  My erection flagged from the conversation, but Jess doesn’t seem upset as he takes me in his hand and strokes me. I grind my ass against him. He’s softened a bit, but it doesn’t take long for the both of us to get hard again.

  “Come here.” Jess pulls me in for a kiss and I tangle my tongue with his when he parts his lips against mine. He grabs my hips and takes control of my movements, grinding me harder and faster over his length. “Lift.” he taps my hip and I rise on my knees as he reaches beneath me to grip his shaft. He spreads his pre-cum over the head of his cock then over my hole, readying me for his intrusion of my body.

  Jess sinks into me in unhurried, teasing thrusts that tempt to drive me mad. I wiggle my hips impatiently trying to get him to just shove in until my ass meets the base of his cock, but his hands on my hips hold me still for his tortuously slow penetration.

  “Stop trying to rush me and let me enjoy this.”

  Finally—fucking finally—he’s fully inside me, and he’s deep, so much deeper than Rafe can reach, and even just the throbbing pulse of his cock sends shivers of pleasure through me.

  “Oh, God, I didn’t think it would feel like this.”

  “What does it feel like?” Jess asks, and his voice sends vibrations straight to my dick causing it to twitch against his stomach and smear pre-cum over his soft skin.

  “Home. It feels like I’m finally home. It’s been so long since I felt this way.”

  “Is it crazy to feel like this after such a brief time?”

  “I don’t care if it is. I never want to lose this feeling.”

  “Me either.”

  Talking becomes hard to do after that. Jess fucks me hard, thrusting up into me while sucking on my neck. When he comes, he bites down, giving me the little bit of pain I need to follow him into ecstasy. I’m sure there will be a bruise and hell to pay when Rafe discovers it, but I’ll wear Jess’ mark proudly forever if that’s what he wants.

  18

  Rafe

  I pick myself up off the floor and clean up just enough to be presentable. I’m not looking forward to talking with Nero when he gets done showering. He won’t like what I have to say to him.

  “All right, Rafe, start talking.”

  Nero walks over to the sofa directly across from the chair I’m in and sits down. He directs his dark, intense stare at me, and I squirm under his scrutiny.

  “Quit thinking of a way to stall, and tell me about the boy.”

  “He’s just a thief. A street rat I chose to help get the lamp. He’s not the descendant.”

  All true, but what I’m leaving out is his true identity and that of the descendant. Nero and I come from families who believe devoutly in the curse, and its correlation to their misfortunes. It’s been our life’s work to find the key pieces needed to reverse the curse. But the more answers I’ve gotten, the more I’ve questioned what we’re doing and the truth of the curse.

  “What aren’t you telling me? I know that can’t be it. If he’s not the descendant, then who is?”

  And this the part that will piss him off. I’ve known who the descendant is longer than I’ve been employed by Salib. The secrets I learned from my trusted position here have solidified my belief that Nero couldn’t know until there was no other choice but to tell him.

  I open my mouth to tell him a long-deserved truth when a knock sounds. I frown. I’m not expecting company, but it could be of importance.

  “One minute,” I tell him and go to the door. Pulling it open, I see Jairo standing alone. I look around for Jess or Alek, but it’s just him. “Jairo, is something wrong? Shouldn’t you be with Jess and that disgusting thief?”

  “You can cut the act, Rafe. I know about the curse, and I’m here to get some answers.”

  Jairo pushes past me, and I close the door before following him into the living area. “Please Jairo, won’t you come in?”

  He shoots me a glare then looks to Nero. “Good, you’re here too. Saves me from hunting you down later.”

  Nero returns Jairo’s glare with one of his own. “I’d like to see you try.”

  “Okay, enough posturing. Jairo, you said you know about the curse. So, tell me exactly what you think you know.”

  With his attention back on me, Jairo relates the origin of the prophecy that stems for the curse. I feel he’s leaving bits of his discoveries out on purpose, but I don’t call him on it.

  “I’m not saying I believe in this curse, or magic, but you and people like you do. That’s a threat to Jess and indirectly Salib, which means I need to take care of it before it becomes an issue.”

  Jairo’s meaning is clear: give up the hunt for the lamp and the descendant. Even if I hadn’t already found them both, that was my conclusion as well.

  “I agree.”

  “What? You can’t be serious, Rafe. This is our livelihood you’re playing with,” Nero explodes, jumping to his feet.

  “No, it’s not. Just listen for a minute. As Jairo pointed out, this curse may not even be real and just a tale passed down generations to place blame on some ancient queen for the shitty hand life has dealt our families. But if it is true, what do you think will happen when the descendant and the lamp come in contact?”

  “The world will reset to the way it was before. Our families’ glory and fortunes will be restored.”

  “And what happens to us, Nero?”

  “Huh? We get the lives we should have had from the beginning.”

  I shake my head. “No, we don’t.”

  “He’s right, Nero,” Jairo interjects. “I came to the same conclusion. If, and it’s a big if, but if the curse is real, when things reset then we’ll have never existed. Not the way we are now. Our new lives could be better, or they could be worse. Or we could never be born. The person you are, Nero, he won’t exist. You won’t exist. Another version of you will. And this doesn’t go for just us, but every being on the planet, hell maybe even the galaxy. Is that what you really want?”

  I watch the reality set in for Nero. It’ll be harder for him to adjust to the new reality of giving up this quest. He’s always been a loner, living in isolation with the single focus of finding the lamp and the descendant.

  “Shit. Okay, so what do we do? And don’t think I’m doing any of this to save the world or anything. I’m only doing it for myself. I rather like me the way I am.”

  I roll my eyes at him. “Of course, we wouldn’t want to reset
the world and have you become a nice guy or anything.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Anyway, I think the simplest solution is to destroy the lamp so the descendant can’t accidentally find it,” Jairo declares, steering the conversation back.

  “It might help if we knew who the descendant is.” Nero looks at me.

  “I thought it was Alek, isn’t that why you sought him out?” Jairo questions.

  “Did I seek out Alek? Yes. But not because he’s the descendant.”

  “Then why? And who is the descendant?”

  “I think Alek and Jess need to be here before I say anymore. Salib as well.

  I shrug at the look of confusion on both their faces. The truth involves all of us in some way.

  “I’ll collect Salib and meet the two of you in Jess’ rooms.” Jairo leaves us to follow his direction.

  “You know we can’t destroy the lamp.”

  “I know. But it’s safe for the moment.”

  “There will be others to come searching for it, Rafe. Once our families realize what we’ve done, they’ll hunt us and the descendant.”

  “I know. That’s why one of us will have to go into hiding with the lamp, while the other stays behind to help guard the descendant.”

  Nero nods solemnly in agreement. “Let’s go tell the others the plan.”

  19

  Jess

  I sit with my arms around Alek, relishing the way he fits against me as though we were made for each other. He leans back and looks at me with a lazy, satisfied smile. I see the bruise I sucked into his skin, and I like the way my ownership looks on him.

  “Sorry,” I tell him half-heartedly as I trace the purpling mark with my finger.

  He shrugs. “I’m not. I like that you marked me.”

  Our afterglow is interrupted by Jairo and my father entering my suite.

  “Really, Jess? The thief? And for God’s sake can you two get some clothes on,” my father chastises me.