Sovereign (Acquisition #3)

by Celia Aaron

  She took Farns’ elbow and helped him through the dining room and out the door. He walked with slow steps, his age creeping up on him like a masked assassin.

  I lolled my head back and stared at the coffered ceiling. Had I misjudged her? I tried to put myself in her shoes—not something I’d ever even thought of before, much less attempted. Maybe Renee was right. But surely, Stella knew I only dated Sophia for show, a business arrangement, nothing more.

  Sophia treaded a fine line as it was. Her lover Ellis stayed with us the entire time we travelled Europe, the two of them dining together and spending the night in a tangled heap as I smoked, drank, and thought of nothing except Stella.

  During the day, Sophia and I made a handsome pair, and the deal had been struck. I would marry Sophia, set her up with a trust fund flush with Sovereign cash, and we would go our separate ways for the majority of the time, or at least until we were needed for events. She could live happily ever after with that ponce Ellis, and I would keep Stella.

  I’d left Stella a note telling her to trust me. I didn’t dare call or write any other way. Ears were everywhere, and I had to keep Sophia—and by extension, Cal—happy by acting the perfect son-in-law. I knew my trust was broken the second I’d seen Stella in bed with Lucius. But maybe she’d trusted me after all.

  I was no longer content to wait for answers. I stalked into the hall and up the stairs. Her door was closed, but I heard voices. I huddled close and listened.

  “Just tell me what it is. Why do you stay? We could run away. I can take Laura. What keeps you here?”

  I couldn’t hear her response. My fists tightened at the thought of her voice being taken by Dylan’s rough hands.

  “Fine.” He sighed. “I just wish you would share it with me. I could help, you know?”

  Another pause.

  “Yes, I’ll stay the night. Let me go to my room and get out of these stuffy clothes. Renee already laid some PJs out next to you. Do you need help changing?”

  After a moment, Teddy laughed. “Busted. Okay, I’ll be right back.”

  I stepped aside as the door opened. Teddy closed it softly and gave me an unforgiving glare. “What do you want?”

  “I want to see her.”

  “No.” He crossed his arms over his chest and blocked the door.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’ll stand out here for as long as it takes. You aren’t seeing her. You don’t get to see her after what you did.” His temper reminded me of my own.

  “If I have to go through you, I will.”

  “Fuck off, Sin. You leave her here beaten and broken. You take off to Europe with Sophia fucking Oakman while Stella has to heal from whatever torture you put her through. Then, you never give her a chance to explain what happened with Lucius.” His brows lowered, actual rage coloring his face. “And then you force her to sleep in the barn and wait on that cunt Sophia hand and foot.” His voice turned into a hiss. “She was almost raped because of you.”

  He’d only told a fraction of my actual sins against Stella. I was heartened that he didn’t know the rest.

  “All that may be true. Even so, I will get through that door.” I’d never hit Teddy, and I didn’t want to start, but the roaring need inside me to be with Stella drowned everything else out.

  Teddy huffed his breath out through his nose. “Are you going to hurt her?”

  Not today. “No.”

  “Are you going to apologize?”

  I tasted the word, bitter and rotten. Still, if it would get me past Teddy without violence, I’d do it. “Yes.”

  “For everything?” He leaned closer.

  “Yes.”

  “I have your word?”

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  “Then you can go in. Just know that if I hear from Stella that you even said something to upset her, I am going to do my best to kick your ass. I know I won’t win, but I will give it all I’ve got. Understand?”

  How did this fucked up family ever turn out a beautiful soul like Teddy?

  “I understand.”

  “Good. Give her a minute to change clothes.” He shuffled away from the door and gave me one more pointed scowl before heading to our wing of the house.

  I waited for a few moments, the anticipation pacing in my chest like a lion on a leash. The bed creaked, and then silence. I waited a while longer to be sure before wrapping my palm around the door handle.

  I turned it and eased inside. She lay curled up in a ball, her back to me. Her soft breaths were deep and slow.

  Her resting form was beyond tempting, and I’d thought of nothing except her for so long—either with longing or hatred—that all I could do was stare. She was all mine now. No one else’s prying eyes watched her. I grew hard in my pants, but chided myself for already treading too harshly on Teddy’s rules.

  Quietly, I removed my shirt and pants. Sliding into her bed felt like coming home, and for the first time in months, the hellfire that leapt in my heart quieted to embers. I moved my arm under her head and pressed into her back. I wanted to groan from the feel of her. My skin was numb until it touched hers, and then it was alive with every sensation.

  She mumbled something and snuggled back into me, her hair tickling my nose as I pulled her close. I didn’t care that she thought I was Teddy. All I wanted was her in my arms. Everything quieted inside me, the sections of my mind that were always calculating or planning finally clicking off.

  Her breathing changed, and she stirred. “Teddy. You’re um, you’re sort of poking me.” Her voice was a scratchy whisper, and I wished all over again that I’d killed Dylan.

  She turned to face me and shrank back with a gasp. “What are you doing here?” She pushed at my chest, but I trapped her in my arms. I was never letting her go again.

  “Stop, please. You’ll only hurt yourself more.”

  She didn’t stop, only struggled harder, like a wildcat in my arms.

  I nuzzled into her hair. “Stella, please. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

  “Sorry?” She froze. “That doesn’t even begin…” She swallowed hard. “To cover what you’ve done.”

  “I know. But I will make it up to you somehow. All of it.”

  “You can’t make it up to me.” Her voice broke, the pain in her piercing me more deeply than I thought possible.

  “I can.” I stroked her cheek. “I will. You’ll see.”

  She pulled away from my touch. “By marrying Sophia?”

  “I’ll never marry her.”

  “But you’ve been with her this whole time.” Her eyes shimmered in the low light.

  “I’ve never touched her. I swear. She’s with someone else. I’ve only been with her to please Cal. They think I’ll marry her, of course, after I become Sovereign. I won’t.” Spending time with Sophia had been my personal ninth level of hell. Vapid, selfish, and cruel—we were a perfect match. I already wanted her dead for harming Stella, and having to spend time with her only made me come up with various gruesome ways for her to meet her end.

  “I didn’t sleep with Lucius.” She shook her head. “I mean, I slept with him, but we never—”

  “I know.” I kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry.”

  “I believe you.” She relaxed into my arms more, though she still held back. “So what will happen when you don’t marry Sophia?”

  “I don’t care. Cal will try to retaliate. I’m not sure what he’ll do. It won’t be pretty. Nothing approaching all-out war between our families, but things will be strained.”

  “He’s promised me to Dylan.”

  I froze. “What?”

  “Cal is going to give me to Dylan once the Acquisition is over.” She shuddered.

  “You’re not his to give.” I clutched her tighter and wished, once again, that I’d killed Dylan downstairs.

  “They’ve made some sort of deal. I don’t know the details.”

  “You don’t have to. It isn’t going to happen. I don’t care if it results in all out
war with Cal after I become Sovereign.”

  “Could you boot Cal’s family? Stop the infighting that way?”

  “Yes, but playing that card early could lead to trouble later. I’d prefer to keep that in my back pocket. The very threat of it will help keep him in line.” Or so I hoped. Cal had consolidated power during his reign. He would be a particularly vicious adversary.

  “There will be fighting. You and Lucius will be in danger, like in Cuba?”

  I brushed my hand down her hair. “Yes.”

  “Then no.”

  “What?”

  “I don’t agree to this plan at all.” She chewed her bottom lip.

  I arched an eyebrow. “Are you saying you want me to marry Sophia?”

  “Of course not. But you simply winning isn’t going to be enough. Not for me, anyway.”

  I took her hand and pulled it to my heart. Her palm was warm and small, but she held me in it. “Anything you want me to do, I’ll do it.” I inhaled a deep, shuddering breath. “I’m yours. I’ve been a fool and treated you worse than you deserved—”

  “Sin—”

  “Let me finish. Even if what I’d thought was true—that you’d slept with Lucius—I should never have punished you like that. I’m sorry. And when Dylan…” My jaw tightened, and I struggled to continue. “When Dylan tried to hurt you, I realized I didn’t care anymore if you had or hadn’t slept with Lucius. You are mine to protect, to cherish, and to love.” The last word was one I said with the same care I would use in handling a live grenade.

  I cleared my throat as her expression softened, and she stroked my cheek. That feeling welled up inside me, the one I only had when I thought of her. It was my drug, far more intoxicating than anything else I’d found. “After I had a moment to calm down, I decided that I would only have killed Lucius. Not you.”

  She tilted her head. “I think that’s one of the nicest things you’ve ever said to me.”

  I covered her hand with mine. “I don’t know what else to say or do to prove it, but I love you. All of you. I will gladly kill for you, buy you whatever your heart desires, and show you the world. Anything. If I have it or I can get it, it’s yours.” My heart constricted. Is this what love felt like? Like you were on fire, and instead of turning to ash, your mate only made you burn brighter?

  “I love you, too.” She kissed me, soft and chaste. “But I need something from you before I can forgive you.”

  “Anything. It’s yours. Just name it.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Promise me that we will burn it all down. Every last piece of the Acquisition. Or we will die trying.”

  I couldn’t look away from her, my vengeful queen. “How did I never know when I first set eyes on you that you were the strongest person in the room?” I kissed her, not chaste, not gentle. She moaned in my mouth and tangled her fingers in my hair. I needed her taste on my tongue, every inch of her body beneath my fingertips, but she pulled away.

  “Promise me.” She dotted kisses on my cheek and bit my ear. “Promise, because you never break your word.”

  I slid my hand down her body and into her panties. She was wet, and I needed to be inside her.

  She grabbed my wrist. “Promise me first.”

  I got to my knees and yanked her panties off before shucking my shorts away. Lining up at her entrance, I stared down at her, the warmth in her flowing to me and making me more than I ever thought possible.

  “I promise.” With one hard thrust, I seated myself deep inside her. Leaning down and claiming her mouth was the sweetest reward I’d ever tasted.

  I pushed harder, needing to give her every bit of raw aggression I’d felt for anyone who thought to hurt her or take her from me. She clawed my back and I kissed to her collarbone, careful on her neck. It was too dark to see, but I knew she was bruised there. I would have Dylan’s head for it.

  “Sin.” She clung to me as I slowed my pace and wrapped my arms around her.

  “Do you trust me?” I teased at her lips.

  “Yes.”

  I rested my forehead against hers and kept my thrusts smooth and even. I wanted it to last, to stay inside her for as long as I could.

  She was my home, where I belonged. And I would never doubt her again.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  STELLA

  THE SUMMER ARRIVED WITH full force, the hottest on record. I spent the days with Sin, except on the odd times when he was called to make an appearance with Sophia. He always came back irritable, but after some particularly enjoyable attention from me, he was back to his usual dark and brooding self.

  Sin showed me more of the estate and even took me to see his office in town. He barked at his staff to get to work as they gawked at the “mystery woman” on his arm. He hid me away in his private office. I ran my fingers over his many diplomas and reveled in his plush domain.

  “Not bad for government work.”

  He sat in his desk chair and pulled me into his lap. “Have you ever played a game called naughty secretary?”

  “No.” I laughed. “Have you?”

  “Of course not.” He ran his hands to my hips. “Though I’m quite disappointed to hear you’re unfamiliar.”

  I rubbed my ass back and forth over his growing erection. “I’ve never heard of it, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be good at it.”

  “I like it when you’re up to a challenge.”

  “Always.” I stroked his dark hair, the strands soft on my fingertips.

  He pulled me in for a kiss, his hands roving my body as he bit my bottom lip. The singular sensation of tingles and warmth, one that only he could draw from me, ricocheted around my stomach.

  “Mr. Vinemont.” A woman chirped through his phone.

  He growled into my mouth before reaching over and pressing a button. “What, Kim?”

  “You have a visitor.”

  “I don’t have any appointments today.” His tone turned cold, displeasure coating each syllable. “I checked.”

  “He’s a walk-in. He believes you’d want to speak with him.”

  “Who the fuck is it?” He clicked off the speaker and kissed me again, his impatience growing by the second.

  “Leon Rousseau. He specifically asked to speak to the young lady you’re with.”

  My heart fell at my father’s name. I hadn’t seen him since the trial, though Sin told me what he’d done to him. It had been gruesome, but I understood why it had to be.

  Sin leaned back and looked up at me, his lips pressing into a thin line. “Fuck. He must have seen us arrive. I’ll send him away.”

  “No. He can see me if he wants to. Both of us, I mean.” I took his hand and laced our fingers together. “He can see both of us.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I think I’ll be fine. And maybe it will be a good thing, to finally see him face to face on equal footing. No more pretending.” The certainty in my tone wasn’t matched inside my heart. My love for my father had grown stale and brittle, but something remained. Would it always be there?

  “Send him in.” Sin shoved the phone away.

  I tried to stand.

  He held me in place. “He can see you here with me, where you belong.”

  “Claiming your turf?” I leaned my shoulder into his chest.

  “If you’d rather I piss on you to mark you as mine, I will.” He dug his fingers into my sides and I squirmed, trying not to laugh. “Is that a yes?”

  “No.” I grabbed his hands as the door opened.

  My short-lived amusement died away as my father hobbled in, his back hunched and his face sorrowful. So many emotions rushed through me that I thought I might burst at the onslaught. Of all of them, pity won out.

  He sank down into a chair across the desk as the secretary closed the door.

  His bloodshot eyes found mine, and he held out his left arm, the end covered in graying gauze.

  “Look at me. Ruined.”

  Sin spoke through gritted teeth. “You got what—”<
br />
  “Let me, okay?” I squeezed his forearm and he quieted, though he wrapped his hands around my waist. Meeting my father’s eyes again, I said, “Go on.”

  “I need you, Stella. I need someone to take care of me. The money…” He shook his head, unshed tears wobbling in his eyes. “It’s all gone. No one cares about me. Dylan hasn’t spoken to me in months. I need you to come home. Please.”

  “To the home you burned to the ground?”

  His eyebrows rose, but he shook his head. “Who told you that? Him?” He shot a glance to Sin. “It was lightning. The damned insurance people wouldn’t pay up.” His tone turned bitter and his top lip curled into a sneer. “Only gave me half what it was worth.”

  I saw right through him as if he were a pane of glass on a sunny day. “Can you still not tell me the truth, even now?”

  “What lies has he told you? He poisoned you against me. You’re sitting in his goddamn lap like a pet!” As his voice rose, Sin tensed beneath me. I smoothed my hand up and down his arm, trying to tamp down the beast I could feel raging beneath his surface.

  “Sin told me the truth. He showed me your signature. Stop lying to me.” The brittle love I had for him was breaking into pieces, disintegrating into the wind of his lies.

  “That stuff can be forged. You know that. Why do you believe him? He’s the one who framed me, hounded me, convicted me based on lies. Don’t you remember?”

  “I remember believing in you so much that I sacrificed myself to save you. I remember accepting my fate if it meant you would be safe.” I rose and stared him down. “And then I was told the truth. You brought all of this on us. Your lies, your schemes.” I flattened my palms on the desk. “How long until the million ran out?”

  “What? No. There was no million.” He glared at Sin. “What have you told her?”

  “Look at me. He told me the truth. How. Long?”

  He sputtered and shook his head. “N-no. It wasn’t like that. I was—”

  I slapped my hand on the desk. “How long!”

  He covered his face with his hand. “Just a few months. I-I thought I could get you back somehow. Keep the money and get you back, but he took you and told you lies about me.”