Trained in Blood [Lords of the Expanse 2] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Honor James

  “I know, Titan, I’m just very worried,” she admitted and closed her eyes. “I’m worried about our son, darling. I’m forever worried about him as I will always be.” Rubbing her cheek against his chest she smiled. “For now we will simply love him, give him guidance, and we will love each other, sweetheart.”

  Nodding enthusiastically he grinned at her look. “I like the loving each other part of that, a lot,” he emphasized, pulling her closer to prove how much he liked the idea. “Don’t worry so much about Delfan, love. In life there is pain, there is loss, but it’s what we find in the end, the ever-after love that keeps us moving forward despite everything the universe throws our way to test us again and again.”

  “There is that. We have that elusive fairy tale that we have before thought we would never have.” Violet paused and then said, “For far too long your people, now our people, have been lost to love. Lost to that thing that you and I have.”

  “But slowly they are beginning to find it once again,” he said with a smile to her. “Little by little, generation by generation we build the foundation of love once more. We make our people stronger with each child we send forth from a loving and solid family. They build their families in the same manner and so forth and so forth until it is the most secure and impenetrable foundation of all.”

  “I have to agree.” Her smile was there and clear. “We make it stronger by making our children stronger who will make their children stronger.” Touching his cheek she added, “I can’t see past the war that our son brings to the Alliance Council though, Titan. I can’t see past that moment when he stands in the halls of the Council with his soul tie at his side and declares that their reign of fear is over, that the old ways are gone.”

  “Maybe because it hasn’t yet been decided,” he murmured. “It could be a time before it comes to pass, love. Things will shift, balances will adjust, and events will occur. Only when it comes to pass will you know what is coming or what could be coming to us all. Try not to worry about it. There is only so much of the future that we can change.”

  “I simply hope and pray that it is enough, Titan,” Violet told him honestly and sighed as she closed her eyes and leaned into him. “Have you learned any more about the supposed assassination attempts that have been called out on Delfan by my mother, Titan?” Her mother wanted Delfan dead. She wanted the young boy’s life to be taken because he would bring about not only the end of the Alliance but the Syndicate as well and she was running scared.

  Sighing he pushed a hand through his hair, the strands going spiky from the movement. She realized she’d hit a sore spot for him. “Last I heard from the scouts was that she was MIA. She’s bugged out of her home and is in hiding with about a dozen men to protect her at all times. Her staff was left behind, and are all more than a little confused. The man I have in charge is using her house as a base as they search it for any clues as to where she may have gone. They did find a journal but it all seems to be in code. I told them to send it to us for you to look over,” he told her softly.

  “Hopefully it will be in a code that I can understand,” Violet said honestly. “She developed one that I know of after I left because she couldn’t stand the thought of me, someone she thought was lacking, knowing all her tricks.” She would try to break the code, however. She would do what she had to in order to ensure that her mother was caught and her son was safe.

  “You’ve likely got a better shot than any other on our world, love,” he told her, softly rubbing at her back gently. “You at least know the woman and will have an idea of how her mind might work where we’d all be blind.”

  “I hope so, Titan, I really hope so, love.” She sighed. “We will work it out, darling. Get me the journal and I will figure out how to decode it if it’s in one that I don’t know.” She was honestly worried that it was one that she did know because that would mean her mother wanted her to know what was in it.

  “It’s okay, love, I’ll have it in another few days and we’ll go from there. If you can figure it out great, if not we will have the crypto people work on it until we figure something out. Perhaps have you work with them as well to help them get inside her mind. But.” Pressing a kiss to her forehead he gave her a squeeze. “We will worry about it later. For now, now all I want to do is hold you close and love you until you can’t move if you are interested.”

  Snorting she shook her head. “If I’m interested? Are you silly, mister? Of course I’m interested. I’m always interested in having you inside of me, a part of me, and loving me so well that I can’t breathe without breathing you in.”

  “See”—he breathed out—“this is exactly why I love you so much, Violet. You have such a wonderful and amazing way with words that describe the way things are so well.” Kissing her slowly he pulled her closer to him and rolled to pin her under him.

  Violet’s legs automatically wrapped him close and tight. Smiling up at him she traced her fingers over his lips. “I’ve learned from the best.” She touched the tip of his nose and added, “That’s you by the way. You are the best of the absolute best.”

  “So you say,” he replied with a grin. “I happen to think it’s all you,” he teased, nipping her lips lightly as he pressed his cock deeper into her pussy. “Gods, I don’t think that I will ever get enough of you. There will never be enough time to even try to fully satisfy my starvation for you, my wife.”

  Her breathing hitched as she moved under him. “I will never have enough of you either, husband. Gods I love you.” She breathed. She moved off of him and then took his cock deeper once more. “More, Titan, harder, more. Everything.” She was discombobulated but her point got across delightfully.

  Obeying her words he did just what she wanted. He moved faster, harder and gave her everything she’d demanded. He breathed out over her lips as he nibbled on her mouth.

  Violet was going to melt. She knew that she was going to simply melt and die and she honestly couldn’t find it in her to care. “Titan,” she whimpered, her breath catching until once more, “Titan, gods, now.” She sobbed and then screamed for him, his name on her lips as her voice cracked with her shout.

  He pounded into her pussy as she began to tighten around him, his thrusts almost painful. He growled out her name quite loudly as he came with one final thrust into her spasming pussy. With a shudder he collapsed over her as they both fought for air.

  As they lay there with their limbs intertwined Violet held him close to her heart. It was sometime later before she even slightly moved and whispered, “I love you, husband.” He was everything to her. She loved her son, yes, but her husband, he was everything.

  “I know,” he teased and then laughed when she smacked him lightly. “I love you, too, my beautiful wife,” he whispered, hugging her close.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Waking suddenly Titan blinked as he tried to focus on the present and sat up slightly. Shoving a hand through his hair he frowned. “Violet?” he called softly, realizing she wasn’t in the bed. Slipping his legs over the side of the bed he paused as his dream came back to him and he shuddered.

  It had been Delfan with a woman and a man with a blade hovering on the edges as they’d slept. The blade had flashed in the dim light and then it was lifted and, just before it struck the female’s body, Titan had woken. “Vi?” he called, pushing to his feet, nausea sweeping over him. He had to stop listening so closely to his soul tie’s visions of their son. He was now making up new and horrifying things in his dreams.

  “I’m in the bath, Titan,” she called which was followed with a splash of water and a muttered curse. “Come and join me if you like. I have a monster of a headache,” she gave to him as he opened the door. “You were sound asleep and so I just got up and ran a bath.”

  Stumbling into the room he winced as he banged his ankle and cursed as he hopped toward the bath. Nearly falling in he saved himself and then, the next moment, he eased in across from her. “I can sympathize,” he said softly, “I’ve got on
e building and I’m completely blaming my bizarre and creepy dream.”

  Handing him a cloth that was folded in half she sighed. “Put that over your eyes. It has some oils on it that should help the ache and then later we will discuss the dreams,” Violet told him as she adjusted her legs to lay over his in the warm water.

  Lifting it to his nose he sniffed carefully at it. One thing he’d learned with living with his wife, her sense of smell was nowhere near as strong as his and that she occasionally, probably by accident, tried to kill him. Not smelling anything too hazardous to his well-being, he shrugged and, laying his head back, he slid deeper into the tub and did as she suggested.

  Yawning as they both settled in together Violet smiled. “The water will grow cool soon. When it does we will go back to bed to sleep off our headache.” Another yawn escaped her as she settled in for a light nap in the bathtub.

  Lifting his cloth he watched her and grinned gently, poking her with a foot. “No sleeping, woman,” he rumbled softly to her. “You fall asleep and I’ll just drain the tub and leave you here.” Not likely, but he wasn’t exactly feeling up to lifting her out of the tub and killing them both when he fell down.

  “Why can’t I sleep?” she grumbled. “It won’t be for long, just until the water begins to cool then I will get out, I promise,” she snipped and placed her foot on his chest. “Besides, once we nap lightly a little more our headaches should be gone and then”—she wiggled suggestively—“well you know.”

  Sliding his foot up her inner leg he teased the curls at the apex of her pussy with his toes. “I like the way your mind works, love,” he murmured, letting the cloth fall and his head fall back to the edge of the tub. Putting his hands on her foot he gently began to massage her even as his slid a toe to rub at her clitoris.

  Open to him as she was she let him feel what he was doing to her and even as she did so she stroked her fingers lightly up and down his legs. Biting her lip she grabbed his foot and panted. “I don’t want to get off in here, Titan. I want it to be where you can experience it as well.”

  “Oh darling, I am experiencing it,” he murmured with a chuckle. “But if you would rather, I’ll behave.” Violet snorted and moved her hands over his calves. “Don’t you dare stop, Titan.” Suddenly her headache was gone and the only ache she had was being soothed by his toes. “But just keep in mind that I need you as achy and needy as I am.”

  “Darling, I’m a walking hormone when you are within a mile of me. Which is all the time since we are so rarely parted. I constantly have an erection, hard and throbbing in need to be buried between your legs, pumping in and out of your pussy.” Stroking his toes down said pussy he teased her opening as he teased her with words as well as actions.

  “I’m glad that I’m not the only one who is always in need.” Violet shifted slightly and smiled up at him. “Somehow, however, I keep getting the feeling you want me to close this space between us and climb into your lap so that both our aches can be assuaged, is this truth?”

  “Nope, I’m good,” he said. “Besides, if we make love in the tub again the maids will have a fit at all the cleanup they’ll need to do, again.”

  Shaking her head Violet had to grin. “Then I’m getting out, Titan.” She moved from his wonderful touches with a pained sigh. “Because this is killing me.” She was achy and needy and if he wasn’t careful she was soon going to be very grumpy with him.

  Lifting his cloth he winced in the light and squinted at her. “I don’t think I can get out, or rather not without doing serious damage to myself,” he muttered. “Come back for me later, I’m just going to stay here until my body relaxes just a bit.”

  “I won’t leave you alone but I will sit out here and just watch you for a time.” She didn’t trust leaving him alone. She was worried that he would drown himself or something like that.

  Smiling at her Titan chuckled. “You could just give me mouth-to-mouth, love of my life,” he pointed out wiggling his brows suggestively at her. “I’d be so grateful I’m sure I would only protest mildly if you wanted payment in the form of my body.”

  Violet had to laugh. He was a rascal, and she loved him dearly. “I would give you mouth-to-mouth. However you are breathing, healthy, and safe, darling, so there is no need.” She eyed him up and down. “And I will always take payment in the form of your body, however.” She paused and had an impish look on her face as she finished with, “You are getting wrinkly in places that weren’t meant to be wrinkly.”

  “So kind of you to point that out.” He grinned up at her. Reaching behind him he tugged on the release and sat there as the water began to drain. “This way I won’t make a mess when I struggle to get back out of here,” he explained at her look.

  “I can help you out, Titan. You know that I’m stronger than I look.” A grin on her face, she held out her hands. “Come on, darling. Let me help you up all right?”

  Eyeing her hands with an unsure expression he finally reached out his own and let her assist him up from the tub. Throwing out a hand he braced himself up against the wall as he turned a little paler. “I don’t like these headaches, love. If I didn’t know better I’d say you sicced one on me in retribution.”

  “I didn’t, honey, but it is hard to deal with. Breathing in and out rhythmically helps but you need to find something to focus on, something to center yourself with.” Violet hoped that she was helping him to calm the pain that he seemed to be feeling. “I don’t understand how my dreams and visions are bleeding off over into you.” They had been together for a very long time so it shouldn’t surprise her that he was so close to her he was all but a part of her very soul.

  “Heck if I know,” he muttered as he finally made it out of the tub with a grimace of pain that he didn’t quite hide from her. “I tried focusing on something to center me but she kept moving on me so my focus kept shifting around.” Wrapping his arm around her shoulders he walked with her to the bedroom. “At least it’s dark in here,” he mumbled before crawling onto the bed and just flopped down onto his stomach. “Gods that feels good.”

  “Then rest, Titan.” Violet smiled and curled up next to him even as she pulled the blankets up and around him. “Rest, I’m going to be sleeping, too, so when we wake we should be minus the headaches and you can retry your focusing techniques.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” he murmured, shifting enough to wrap an arm around her, and pulled her closer. Shifting he rested his head on her shoulder. “I love you, darling.” He yawned the words and moments later was sound asleep.

  Violet held him close and soon drifted off to sleep as well. “I love you, too,” she whispered before falling sound asleep there in his arms, holding him close as she did so.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Sitting upright again as the dream hit him hard once more Titan sat panting hard, fighting for air and to calm his heart rate down to normal. Pressing his hand to his chest he shuddered in reaction to the nightmare scene he’d had to witness again.

  “Titan?” Violet asked from the chair where she was sitting. “How is that possible? I left the bed as soon as the first hints of prophesy touched me so how can you feel it, too?”

  Staring across the room at her he let out another shuddering breath. “Because we’re tied together, love,” he said softly. “Because you and I are tied together on many levels, not just our souls. We share each other’s hearts and minds often. It was bound to happen eventually, but it doesn’t explain why I had the same dream earlier, before I found you in the tub. Or last night.” He’d just remembered it. “When you were already up and about, not even in the bed touching me.”

  “Could it be because it was the last vision I had or because that was the one that is the most intense? The one that was the most shocking because it showed our son very vulnerable?”

  Shifting to sit on the edge of the bed closest to her he shrugged as he settled the blankets in his lap. “I don’t know, love,” he murmured softly. Rubbing at his temples he looked at her.
“Why are you all the way over there, love?” he asked, holding out a hand. “Come here, Vi, I need to be able to hold you, especially after what I’ve seen too many times for my own liking.”

  Violet couldn’t argue with him because she felt the same way. She needed to be held by him and also hold him close. Violet had no idea what was coming or what their son would have to live through but if the visions were anything, it was going to be brutal and hard on him. It was going to test him and his mate to the fullest extent of their capabilities.

  Wrapping her in his arms as she rejoined him he laid them both down, shifting until they were entwined once more. “Better,” he murmured softly. Stroking his hands up and down her sides his body began to relax.

  “You have given me the best of lives, Titan,” Violet whispered softly. “I think I’ve always known, from the first second you found the vessel I escaped in I’ve known that you and only you were the one for me.” She yawned and rubbed her cheek against his chest. He gave her that. The ability to look at her past and not cringe, not cry in fear, and not feel shame. He gave her herself back and for that she would never be able to thank him enough.

  Pressing a kiss to her hair he smiled. “I knew you would be very important in my life that first moment I saw you,” he whispered softly. “I just didn’t realize how special you would be to me as you were driving me crazy.”

  “I did drive you crazy, didn’t I?” she asked with a smile. “But it was completely and totally your fault you know. You shouldn’t have been so dead sexy, Titan, so smoldering with hotness that I just wanted to climb up and be a part of your life.”

  Eyeing her he shook his head. “You are so full of it, woman,” he scoffed at her with a grin. Stroking his fingers over her cheek he kissed her lightly. “But I forgive you for all the hassle you gave me. You are beautiful enough to easily be forgiven.”