KINGDOM FALL

by A. Zavarelli

  “Do you think this is yours?”

  Another glare. She shakes her head, clearly at a loss for how to speak to me without her phone.

  I told myself I wasn’t going to do this, but when she’s in my arms, I seem to forget why I ever decided so in the first place.

  My lips graze her neck, and I kiss a path down to her collar bone, worshipping the sweetness of her skin. “If you want it, take it.”

  A warm flush spreads over her skin, and her head falls back against me as I slip my palm into her blouse, grazing her nipple beneath her soft silk bra. She melts into me, and I quickly find myself losing control as I yank up her skirt and tug down her tights and panties. When I slide my fingers between her thighs, she’s so fucking soaked for me I can’t help but rumble in satisfaction.

  “This belongs to me.” I palm her pussy. “Only me. Same with your mouth. Your tits. Your whole fucking body. If you ever get the notion that anyone else can touch you like I do, I will slaughter him, Natalia. Do you understand?”

  She hisses out a breath between her teeth, nodding frantically as she starts to rock her pelvis against me in need. I think the little fiend actually likes the idea of me bloody and violent. I suspect in her mind, she’d like to do the same to Marianna, and perhaps Angelina too. The thought of her possessive nature gets me so fucking hard, I can barely refrain from shoving my cock inside her before she comes.

  I thrust my fingers into her over and over, fucking her wet cunt so hard I could swear I heard her whine. I’m trying to decide if I imagined it as she arches her back and comes so violently, she squirts all over my hand.

  “Fucking Christ,” I choke on the words as she nearly collapses in my arms.

  She’s still breathless and weak as she reaches back and strokes my dick through the material of my trousers, grinding her ass against me. If I was clinging to the idea that I could stop this insanity, it’s drowned out by the overwhelming need I have to lay claim to her. I unzip my pants, yanking my cock out and spinning her around in my arms. I hoist her up against me, and she wraps her legs around my waist, using her free hand to nudge me inside of her. Her pussy slides over me, taking me straight to paradise as she squeezes my cock.

  “Now tell me.” I bite her lip and tease it between my teeth. “Do you think this belongs to you?”

  She stares up at me, fire blazing in her eyes as she cups my face between her palms and nods. I groan in response, fucking her like a madman as she starts to kiss and bite my neck. I want to come in her. I want to empty my seed into her over and over until I own her.

  The thought terrifies me, and I try to push it away. Watching her like this, wild as she rocks down against me, claiming me like she’s never going to let me go, it does something to me. She’s tormenting me. Forcing me to break every rule I’ve ever made for myself. At times, I hate her for it. Right now, I never want it to end.

  She drags her fingers over my chest and down to my waist, sliding them beneath my shirt. When they find my back, her nails rake over my spine, making me grunt. She’s leaving marks any way she can. Biting at my skin, sucking me sweetly and then rough. Her pussy soaks my trousers, and I know she’s going to come again. The pressure is torturing her. The anticipation has me on edge, and I need it to happen now before I blow my load inside her. I dig my fingers into her ass cheeks, slamming my hips against her as she rides out every deep thrust.

  “Come on, Natalia,” I growl. “Show me it’s yours. Show me you’ll never let anyone else take it from you.”

  My words tip her over the edge, and her entire body vibrates in my arms as her pussy convulses around me.

  “Fuck.” I yank my cock from her warmth as it starts to pulse, and she reaches down to milk it until my come sprays across her pussy.

  In the back of my mind, there’s a realization of how close that was. How I almost didn’t make it, yet there’s another part of me that likes seeing her pussy soaked with my come. I adjust my grip on her, holding her up with one arm as I reach down with the other and rub it into her clit. She pants against me, still sensitive from her orgasm, yet she rides my fingers like she’d gladly take another.

  When she opens her eyes again, she glances over my shoulder, her lips curving into a smirk. I’m still fingering her when I look back to find Gwen and Marianna standing behind us, slack mouthed.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” I bark. “I told you to get out.”

  Gwen shoots Natalia a scathing look, and then they turn to go. I don’t see the rest, because Natalia grabs my face and kisses me. She kisses me until we’re both breathless and our lips are raw, and still, it isn’t enough.

  I don’t know what the fuck she’s doing to me, but I know it’s going to be a problem.

  18

  Alessio

  I collapse next to Natalia, every muscle in my body straining as I try to catch my breath. We’ve been going at it for hours. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made her come, and I think it’s safe to say that she’s officially fucked me dry.

  After Gwen and Marianna left, Manuel returned with Nino and put him to bed at my request. I carried Natalia up to her room, getting her naked as soon as we crossed the threshold. I’ve spent more time between her legs today than I’ve ever spent with anyone in my life.

  I lift my gaze to hers, and I just can’t stop fucking staring at her. Her cheeks are flushed, and her hair’s a mess from my fingers. The evidence of my possession is all over her body, and I like it too much.

  She reaches down, stroking my hair back with a gentleness I’ve never known. Her eyes seem to reflect the war waging in my head. I’m sure she’s wondering if I’m going to leave now. It’s what I always do. When I rest my head against her chest and massage her breast with my palm, I'm wondering that myself. She continues to stroke my hair, and it feels … nice. My eyes are so heavy I just want to rest them for a second. I just want to lay right here and feel her for a little longer.

  The sound of a creaking door jolts me awake, and Natalia’s panicked gaze meets mine as she looks down at me, trying to convey her silent thoughts.

  “What is it?” I ask, voice rough from sleep.

  The morning sunlight pouring through the window is a good indication I’ve been here all night. As is the comforter currently covering my body. I sit up, following Natalia’s gaze to Nino, who’s currently standing at the end of her bed with a curious expression on his face.

  “Alessio, why are you in Natalia’s bed?” he asks.

  I look at her for an answer, and she tries to hide her nerves as she leans up, signing something with her hands.

  Nino nods as if to say he understands and then looks at me. “It’s okay. I have nightmares sometimes too.”

  Natalia stifles a laugh when she sees the confusion on my face.

  “When are we going on the boat?” Nino looks toward the window, the water beckoning him.

  “Right, the boat.” I glance at my watch, surprised to see we’ve all slept in. “Today’s Sunday.”

  Natalia takes over the conversation, signing to him again. Nino signs back and hurries off, shutting the door behind him as he goes.

  “What did you tell him?” I ask.

  She grabs her phone from the nightstand and uses it to respond.

  I told him to get ready and said he could watch cartoons until I get him for breakfast.

  “And the part about me having nightmares?”

  She flashes me a smile, and it catches me completely off guard. I’ve seen her smile at Nino, but I’ve never seen her smile at me. Not like this. It’s unguarded and beautiful.

  Without overthinking it, I lean in and kiss her, rolling her onto her back as I rock my painfully hard cock against her pelvis. Before I can get back inside of her, she makes a gesture to the bathroom, which I take to mean as the shower.

  Showering together seems … intimate. I can tell she’s worried Nino could come back, and we do need to be careful, so I take her to the shower. Then I fuck her up against the wall,
making her come twice before I blow my load over her back. When I’m finished, she washes me, and I close my eyes, trying not to overthink this. It feels good. It feels like something I could do every day, until that voice in my head reminds me I can’t have her. Not really. Having her means I would inevitably fuck it up somehow. I would destroy her. It’s in my DNA.

  When I open my eyes again, she’s watching me with a guarded expression. She can sense the change in me. She always does. She reaches up, smoothing the concern from my face. Somehow, I earn another smile from her, and she shakes her head when she sees my cock getting hard again. She taps my wrist to indicate the time, and I grunt.

  I ask her if she wants me to help her wash, and she shakes her head, making a gesture to Nino’s room. I tell her I’ll get him downstairs for breakfast, and she nods.

  Leaving her behind feels different this time, and I don’t know why. I just know every step I take away from her, something is trying to drag me back. However, it isn’t possible to spend the day buried inside of her, and I made a promise to Nino.

  We’re downstairs at the breakfast table when she joins us thirty minutes later. Her typical uniform is gone, and in its place is the pair of jeans that have made more than a few appearances in my thoughts when I’m jacking off. They emphasize the curve of her hips, reminding me of the softness I know is just beneath the surface. I can still feel her skin against me when I close my eyes, and I think I’ve got a goddamned problem because I’m getting hard again just looking at her.

  She takes the empty seat between us, her long hair cascading down her back the way I like it. I’m wondering if she did that for me when her hand finds my thigh beneath the table. She gives it a little squeeze, and when I meet her gaze, she looks amused.

  You’re staring, she writes.

  “Yes, well,” I mutter into a bite of toast, leaving the rest unsaid.

  We eat our breakfast, and Nino’s excitement grows as we venture out onto the water again. It’s a nice day to be out on the lake, and we make the most of it, cruising around for hours before stopping to eat lunch in a cove. This time, Natalia and Nino help with preparations, and I watch him with interest as I notice how relaxed he’s become just over the last several weeks.

  Guilt settles over me as I consider the burden of the thoughts he must have been carrying before. There is no denying that Natalia has helped him, or that she has helped me too. Every day, Nino seems to enjoy my company a little more. He has started to tell me little things throughout the day, completely unprovoked. He will ask me questions or tell me about something that happened at school. Today, he seems more at ease than he’s ever been with me, but it’s the question he asks me when Natalia sets the table that truly catches me off guard.

  “Alessio, are you going to be my dad now?”

  I blink at him and then notice that Natalia’s frozen, her expression strained as she waits for my response. I don’t know how to answer that question, and I think it’s evident to all of us. Nino is aware that he already has a father, but Enzo isn’t coming home, and he gave the responsibility to me. Biologically, Nino will always be Enzo’s son, but I’m the one who will raise him. It’s something we discussed long ago when I took over his care. Enzo told me he knew that one day Nino would come to see me as his dad, and he trusted me to take on that role. It was never something I wanted to force, and I honestly didn’t expect it to happen naturally. Now that it is, I’m rather unprepared for it.

  I kneel so I’m at his level, hoping I don’t royally fuck this up. “You and I will always be family, Nino,” I tell him in a rough voice. “I’m here to protect you and take care of you, and whatever you want that to mean, I’m okay with it. You can call me Alessio, or you can call me … something else if you prefer.”

  “I want you to be my dad,” he says quietly. “If that’s okay.”

  Emotion steals my voice as he hugs me. I hug him back, squeezing my eyes shut, so they stop burning. Quietly, from a distance, I have always loved Nino, but I never thought that he could love me too.

  When I open my eyes again, I catch Natalia swiping away tears as she watches us. She looks distraught, but I don’t know why. Before I can ask, she scurries over to the door and disappears below deck.

  Nino looks up at me. “Is Natalia okay?”

  “She’s okay.” I ruffle his hair, but honestly, I’m not so sure.

  “Dominus et Deus, Mr. Scarcello.” The guard behind the gate greets me. “You’re here for Enzo Marcone?”

  “Yes.” I nod. “But I’d like to have a word with you first.”

  His expression pinches as he opens the gate, gesturing for me to come in. “What can I do for you, sir?”

  I consider my words carefully. This is a Tribunal prison, so the guards are expected to have unwavering loyalty to The Society. Even though Enzo is a prisoner, he is still a Sovereign Son. I don’t know what the guards’ relationships with him are really like, other than the little I’ve seen during my visits. They always seem to treat him with respect, and Enzo would tell me if they weren’t. Now I need them to do the same with me by answering my questions honestly.

  After he lets me through, I follow the guard to the holding area for visitors. It’s currently empty, as it always is at this hour. This time block is reserved specifically for me to bring Nino here. It’s an arrangement I made with the Tribunal after many debates.

  “Would you care for a drink, sir?” The guard asks.

  “No, thank you.” I glance at his uniform, but unlike civilian prisons, he doesn’t have any identification. “What is your name?”

  “It’s Thomas,” he answers. “Thomas Thorne.”

  “Thomas,” I repeat. “I’ve seen you here often. Is it safe to assume you interact with Enzo regularly?”

  He swallows, glancing over my shoulder at the door. His nerves are unsettling, and I’m curious about the cause of them.

  “Yes. I interact with him frequently, sir. Mostly on weekends, as you know.”

  “Can you tell me how he’s doing here?” I ask. “What sort of prisoner is he, compared to the rest?”

  He frowns, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “I don’t want any trouble, Mr. Scarcello.”

  I can see the open door is a problem for him, so I walk over and shut it. “What do you mean you don’t want any trouble?”

  “If I did something to upset him…” He trails off, and I’m surprised by the terror in his eyes. “I didn’t mean to.”

  “Why would you think that you had?”

  “I don’t know.” He stuffs his hands into his pockets. “Can you tell me what this is about?”

  I had only intended to ask him about Nino, but now I’m interested in what else might be taking place.

  “You aren’t in trouble,” I assure him. “I didn’t come here to harass you about Enzo’s care. I suspect there’s more going on that I’m not aware of, and I’d like to be informed on the matter. If he’s causing trouble here, you have a duty to The Society to report that behavior.”

  “I’ve tried.” He lowers his voice, even though nobody can hear him in here. “It’s not me. It’s the other guards.”

  I stare at him, annoyed. “Don’t be vague. Tell me what the problem is, Thomas.”

  “He’s your friend,” he says. “You two are practically brothers.”

  “We are,” I concede. “But my loyalty is to IVI, first and always. As yours should be too.”

  My warning doesn’t sway his uncertainty, so I suppose I’ll have to throw him a breadcrumb.

  “Look, Thomas. Nino has given me a rather disturbing account of his visits with Enzo, and I’m concerned. I want to know what’s really happening.”

  He grimaces, lowering his gaze to the floor. “He’s a cute kid.”

  “He is, and as his guardian, it’s my job to protect him. I need to know if this place is safe.”

  He collapses into a chair and sighs, dragging a hand through his hair like he’s still expecting this to be a trap.

/>   “I know it’s his kid,” Thomas says. “And I’m not the sort of man to tell someone how they should raise a kid, especially a Sovereign Son, but Nino always cries during their visits. I don’t like watching it. I’ll tell you that much.”

  “Why does he cry?” I demand.

  “Because Enzo criticizes him the whole time. He talks down to him. Treats him like he treats everybody else, I guess . . . sometimes, he gets a little rough with the kid too.”

  My jaw clenches as I try to maintain my composure. “Rough how?”

  “He pinches him. Socks him in the arm. Makes him do pushups. I’ve seen him smack the kid in the face a few times.”

  “And you let this happen?” I bark. “Why hasn’t anyone informed me?”

  “I tried to put a stop to it, but it’s the other guards. As long as he’s paying them extra, he gets whatever he wants. I reported him to the Tribunal once, and do you know what happened?” He glances up at me, eyes gleaming. “The other guards brought my wife in here when I was gone and made her fuck him. They told her she had to do it, or they were going to make me disappear. Enzo never lets me forget it. He asks about her every time I see him.”

  I turn away from him and stare at the window to the hall. I don’t want to believe that any of this is true. I know Enzo. He can be a prick, but not like this. This is not the way I know him to be.

  “He fucks women from the Cat House every week,” Thomas goes on. “The guards sneak them in here every Wednesday. He didn’t have to have my wife. He did it because he could.”

  I want to tell him to stop, but it seems he’s come uncorked.

  “They bring him fucking steak dinners. Lobster. Coke. You name it. Anything he wants, they’ll get it for him. He has a phone, a laptop, internet. An actual bed in his cell—”

  “How?” I turn back to him.

  “His mother,” Thomas answers. “She pays the guards every week, and I’m not talking about just money. She fucks them too.”