King (Endgame Book 1)

by Riley Ashby

  “Again,” I breathed, leaning up and kissing him.

  He kissed me softly. “You're too sore.”

  “I don't care.”

  “I don't want to.”

  “You're a liar.” I tugged him again, and his eyes fluttered closed.

  “Fuck me,” I commanded and kissed him, and then he finally slid into me once again. He was right, I was too sore, and I sucked in a breath through my teeth. But he rocked into me gently, barely moving at all, grinding himself against my G-spot with scarcely a thrust.

  I was so sensitive that everything felt amplified, like seeing it through a microscope. I held his head against my neck, my fingers gripping his hair, whimpering against him. He soothed me as he rocked in and out, slowing when I tensed and pushing harder when I moaned. When I came again it bloomed like a slow flower. My bones melted, and I sank into the bed. I thought at first he didn't come, but his slow shudder against me confirmed otherwise. When we lay there together afterward, we were melded together like one body. He didn't pull out of me.

  “I can't lose you,” he whispered, and I heard something catch in his throat.

  Pressing his forehead against mine, he kissed me so gently like I was glass. We kept our eyes closed, breathing each other's scent of sex and desire. He rolled to the side and held me against his chest. It was almost a perfect moment. I hated to ruin it.

  “Tell me,” I whispered, and he groaned softly. “Tell me about Vail.”

  I expected him to roll away, shut down, but he held me closer.

  “Vail is my sister.”

  I was shocked at my relief. I hadn't realized how much the mention of this other woman's name had worried me that I might just be something in between for Ellery.

  Next, though, I was confused. “Why are we here? Does it have something to do with her? Is that why didn't Castel want me to come?”

  He took a deep breath and pulled his face from my neck to look me in the eye. He smoothed damp hair from my forehead and kissed me again.

  “I don't want to tell you, Sophie.” It was causing him pain to reveal this to me. He didn’t think he was keeping this secret for my sake; the truth was it was too hard for him to let me see how much this hurt him.

  “You have to,” I whispered. “I can't help if you don't.”

  He lay at my side and held me close, one leg thrown over mine. We were quiet for several long minutes as he pondered.

  “A few weeks ago, Vail was kidnapped while we were at a party. I let her out of my sight for one second, and then she was gone. I was pretty sure she got picked up by human traffickers.”

  My relief froze in my chest. “And?”

  Ellery bit his lip. I reached out and tugged it from between his teeth. He smiled briefly. “I called the FBI, told them I wanted their help. I wanted to take down the entire operation, but I wanted to do it my way. The only reason they’re involved is to make sure every last one of those fuckers goes to prison. Castel and I know each other, so they assigned him to help me. We’ve been tracking the group for the past several weeks. And now … that's the reason we're here. There's a sale going down soon. An auction.”

  I moved even closer to him, pressing as much of my body against him as I could manage. I couldn't breathe. Ellery was here to try and get someone he loved back from an unimaginable fate. I had thrown a tantrum when he tried to keep me safe at home, and then he had thrown money at me so I could try to have a good time. To try and make me happy while his world was torn apart.

  “Oh shit. I'm sorry, Sophie. I should not have told you this.” That was when I realized I was crying. Ellery wrapped his hands in my hair. “I never wanted to be the one responsible for making you feel like this. I just wanted to give you a good life.”

  “You didn't do anything wrong, Ellery. I was the one who acted like a child when you tried to leave me behind to keep me safe. And then I spent your money while you were out trying to find your sister. I feel like the most ungrateful brat.”

  “Sophie, Sophie, Sophie.” He pulled me tight against him and let me cry softly. His compassion only made me feel worse. I was supposed to be comforting him, not the other way around. I bit my thumb, glad my face was hidden against his chest so he couldn't tell me off for it.

  “Stop that,” he muttered, and I smiled.

  I leaned back, wiping tears from my eyes. He leaned down and rubbed his face over mine as if he were trying to coat himself in my scent.

  “You shouldn't be comforting me. We need to figure out how to help your sister.”

  He shook his head. “No. Chase told me I needed to bring you tonight if I want a chance of getting her. He doesn't even know I’m related to her. If he finds out she's my sister, he'll want to trade for you. I'm not doing that.”

  He crushed me against his chest, and for the first time, I noticed his heart rate, rapid even though we had been lying still for several minutes.

  “Oh baby,” I whispered. Stubborn tears hung in the corners of his eyes, and when he squeezed his eyes shut, they tumbled to the pillow.

  “If I lost you, Sophie, I don't know how I'd go on. All the effort I've put into finding Vail, I'd triple it for you. I'd run myself into the ground and have to hope I could have the good fortune I did to find Vail this easily.”

  I shimmied closer to him and kissed the salty trails on his cheeks.

  “And what if we leave without her? Could you handle that?”

  He angrily brushed the tears from his face. “I'd learn to live.”

  “No, you wouldn't,” I said quietly, and he closed his eyes again. “And neither could I. Do you think I could go on knowing you chose me over your sister? That you didn't let me do whatever I could in order to help you get her back?”

  “I won't let him take you,” he said gruffly, burying his hand in my hair and looking at me with such passion I almost pulled him into me once more.

  “I know you won't,” I said with just as much conviction. “We can do this, Ellery. We can get her back without risking me. You won't let it happen. I trust you.”

  We were quiet for a long time. After a while, I noticed our breaths were in sync. I didn't know if he had adjusted to me or me to him, but it felt right.

  “Okay,” he whispered. I would never have him this vulnerable again. “What are we going to do?”

  “I don't think this is a good idea,” I said for the twentieth time.

  Sophie reached out to trace her fingers across the front of my shirt but never took her eyes off her reflection in the mirror. She pushed her hair back from her face, letting it fall across her bare shoulder.

  The dress she had bought was gorgeous, precisely the type of garment I'd choose for her, but it showed far too much skin for my taste. Especially considering the meat market we were about to enter. The shimmery fabric barely clung to her body, seeming to float around her. The back dipped low and barely covered her ass. I tried to hold myself back from touching her, but I couldn’t keep my hands from running over her bare shoulders or along the curve of her waist. So many others would want to do the same to her in a few minutes. She needed to remember my touch.

  “It's going to be fine,” she said, but her nerves were visible in every subtle movement. She flipped her hair over to the other side of her face, a golden waterfall to match the glitter of her dress. I pulled her away from the mirror to face me.

  I clung to her. “We don't have to do this. You don't have to do this.” I had never felt so fucking weak in my life. I was wholly unable to protect the two women most important to me, and it made me feel so goddamn impotent. I hated it.

  She opened her mouth, closed it, then rose on her toes to kiss me briefly. “We do. Now let's go before I get more nervous.”

  She walked to the door without waiting for me and only paused to step into her shoes. “I'll be fine,” she repeated and kissed me again before reaching for the door. But instead of turning the handle, she pivoted on one foot and looked at me once more, her appraising eyes traveling the length of my bo
dy. Despite our desperate situation, I hardened beneath her gaze—not below the waist, but around my heart. The way she sent me back on my heels with the simplest of glances or the smallest of smiles continued to catch me off guard. I couldn’t believe how I acted all those weeks ago. I had almost sent her away when it was so obvious, right from the beginning, how tightly we were bound to each other. I swore to myself I’d never put her in danger again, but how could I stop her when she was so adamant about helping another human being at risk of her own safety?

  I’d never had a real family, bouncing between foster homes as a kid, changing schools sometimes as many as three times a year. With new parents came new siblings. Sometimes Vail and I would land in the same house, but more often than not we were separated. After awhile, it was easier to not make any connections at all. When Castel and I finally started getting along my first year at his school, I knew we would never room with anyone else. And now we were at each other’s throats, coming to blows both in private and in front of others. If things didn’t go well tonight, it was possible I wouldn’t have anyone left to stand by me. Sophie would be gone, Castel would leave, and Vail would slip between my fingers just as she had the night I let her be taken from me.

  I had to be perfect tonight. Any slip and I could lose all of them forever. That would be beyond unacceptable.

  Sophie took a small step toward me and straightened my tie then kissed the corner of my lips.

  “You look so cool,” she said, a half smile across her lips.

  I opened my mouth to reply, but she dropped her hands and pulled open the door.

  Castel and Tori were waiting in the hallway. Like Sophie, Tori wore heavy makeup, but her outfit was noticeably different. Sophie forced a smile and complimented her with a wink.

  “Are we ready?” Castel was on his toes, already halfway down the hallway. Tori squeezed my hand as she followed him, Sophie on my arm close behind.

  The ride was tense and quiet: Castel in the front, Sophie with me in the back, and Tori completely out of sight. I kept preparing myself to speak, but every time I did, this inexorable pain in my throat sealed my mouth shut. I was a man divided, half out of my mind with gratefulness at this woman risking her well-being for someone she didn't know and half scared to death at all the ways this could go wrong. It seemed like there were hundreds and hundreds of things I still needed to tell her, and we might not have the time.

  We came to the building before I was ready. Sophie made a move to leave the vehicle before Castel could open the door, but I snatched her hand and pulled her back to me.

  “Sophie,” I said, hating the way my voice cracked.

  She didn't say a word as she slotted herself against me and put her free hand on my cheek.

  “I can't live without you, Sophie.”

  Castel opened the door behind her, but she kept her eyes on me. I swiped my thumb across her chin. “Nothing else matters as much as you do. I could live without anyone or anything as long as you're with me.” The words made me sick to say, but I couldn't hide the truth from her, not when she was so close to being taken from me. I loved my sister, but I would move on without her.

  If Sophie disappeared, I would cease to exist.

  She tried to look away, but I held her chin. “I can't …” My words caught in my throat, but she kissed me. For the first time, I surrendered to her instead of the other way around.

  “I love you,” I choked out, hearing Castel sigh behind her but not caring, trying to bury myself in her eyes.

  “I know,” she whispered, and I finally gathered the strength to kiss her with the fervor she deserved. She parted her lips, letting me take her as mine. I tried to memorize the feel of her lips on mine, the roughness of her tongue against my lower lip.

  She pulled away too soon. “We'll be okay,” she whispered, kissing my nose as I had hers just a few hours ago. “You won't let anything happen to me.” She freed herself from my grasp, set her shoulders, and took a deep breath. “Let's go get your sister.”

  I tried to hide my unsteadiness as Castel helped me out of the car, but Ellery grabbed my elbow regardless. I felt breathless from his declaration as well as the high stakes I was willingly throwing myself into. I stared at him as much as I dared as we approached the entrance, trying to take note of every feature I hadn't adequately appreciated before. The small dimple in his cheek that appeared when he frowned. The scar below his eyebrow I never asked about and he never spoke of—but one that he touched from time to time when he was thinking deeply.

  “I know,” I'd told him, but I still wasn’t ready to accept it.

  I knew his feelings ran deeper than I could tell. I knew he was the pursuer, the hunter who tracked me down through the undergrowth of my troubled past and pulled me free of the roots holding me down. I knew he wanted me, not just my body but my mind. But I didn't know how to give him my soul.

  Would I get a chance to say it back? If I even could say it back. Was he hurt by my non-response, that I didn't share those same feelings at this moment of dire stakes? I didn't think so. I wasn't even sure he knew those words were going to come out until they did.

  He dropped his hand from me as we crossed into the building, and I resisted the urge to snatch it back.

  “I can't protect you in there, not in ways others can see,” he said as we walked to the car. “If I act attentive, they'll notice, and they'll want you more.”

  “She can handle herself,” Castel shouted over his shoulder. He was several paces ahead of us, but he clocked every angry look Ellery shot his way. He had advocated from the beginning to use me in this game. To him, my life was an acceptable sacrifice to bring down this consortium.

  “I can handle myself,” I promised him, twisting the bracelet on my arm to hide the tremor in my fingers.

  I doubted myself as we stepped inside. The room was dense with smoke and sex, red lights emanating from lamps that were not visible. Men of various ages mingled, speaking in low tones and sipping amber liquid from cut crystal. A few women were present in various stages of undress. I dug my fingernails into my palms as one passed us. She was covered in bite marks.

  Bile rose in my throat as I remembered the times I had asked—begged—Ellery to mark me in similar ways. We participated in unspeakable acts that these girls were all subjected to against their wills. I was taken back for a moment at how fortunate I was to have a partner so attuned to my needs. Someone who listened to me and gave as much as he took.

  “Just breathe,” Ellery whispered—to himself as much as to me—and took my elbow once more.

  Unlike outside, this touch was not to support or comfort. Nothing about it was for me.

  It was meant to convey ownership. Control. Domination.

  But as he reached up to touch his scar, I took the words from earlier like a safety net, lashing them tight against myself to carry with me inside this hell we were about to enter.

  “I love you,” he said.

  I believed it.

  *

  Drinks and food were offered to me, but Ellery brushed them all away. He nursed a glass of scotch, barely drinking any even though he raised it to his lips often. At one point, he dipped it to the side to splash liquid on the carpet. The stain blended in with those already littering the floor.

  The room was dirty despite the visible wealth of those within it. The men present played card games, betting with diamonds and watches and car keys as they reclined in rickety folding chairs. Everything about the room was meant to be packed up and moved quickly or left behind in a hurry.

  At both ends of the room, I could see a small dais. Each bore two women, back to back, handcuffs around their wrists and ankles. If one slouched, the other jerked her upright again. Their lingerie, though black and lacy, sported holes and didn't fit properly. Apparently, the uniform was recyclable. Every few minutes, a tall, muscular man would drag the girls down, still handcuffed, while another grunt brought up a new pair. Some of the men, and a few women, watched this exchange with
only mild interest. Others walked around the girls, reaching out to touch or prod where they felt appropriate, even taking notes.

  “Don't look at them.” Ellery's voice was low, but it snapped me out of my reverie like a slap. “We're not here for them.”

  I surprised myself with the tears I felt springing to my eyes but dashed them away as quickly as they appeared. They didn't escape notice.

  “Pull yourself together.” He spoke softly but still loud enough that a couple of men nearby turned their heads. He grabbed my arm roughly, yanking me against him. His stony expression void of any warmth I gleaned from his proximity. “Do not embarrass me here.”

  He had warned me, but his attitude still stung. I looked down and away as a familiar voice carried over the crowd.

  “King! And his toy. I'm so pleased to see you both.”

  Chase shook Ellery's hand, then gave me a broad grin. Before I could react, he leaned in and planted a kiss on my cheek. He laughed as I jerked back in revulsion.

  “Oh, darling, we'll be doing much more than that tonight.”

  I sneaked a look at Ellery, who was glaring at Chase with more malice than I thought possible.

  “We'll see about that,” he said. His voice dripped with seduction, but it wasn't aimed at me. He turned that silver tongue on Chase and drew his attention away from me. Without the weight of that bastard's eyes weighing me down, air returned to my lungs. I hadn't realized I'd stopped breathing.

  Chase arched an eyebrow. His posture was nonchalant, but he clenched his hand into a fist before slipping it out of view into his pocket.

  “We had a deal. Mine for yours.”

  Ellery's eyes remained fixed on Chase. I cast my gaze about as I remembered who we were here for. I didn't know what she looked like, but I finally spotted a woman about my height at a table a few yards away. Black hair fell down her back, and her green eyes pierced the smog hanging in the air. She was thin and tired-looking, but she stood as straight as she could. She was talking with another one of the girls milling around, but her eyes were on Ellery. She reached up repeatedly to brush her eyebrow as she watched him.