by Sophie Oak
Kaja’s sweet face turned, her eyes wide with obvious confusion. “No. Why would he do such a thing?”
Dante almost laughed. He was glad that asshole hadn’t taken hers. “I’ll do it because it’s mine. You should get used to me, Kaj. I’ll be on you all the time now. I’ll fuck any hole that’s big enough to fit my cock into because you’re my wife.”
A little smile curled her lips up, and it did odd things to his heart to see her smile. “I am glad my ears are small then, Dante.”
He laughed while he moved between her legs. “I think your ears are safe, love. But I assure you once we get home and I have you properly prepared, you will accept my cock in your ass.”
“Or you will spank me.” It was said with a breathless little sigh.
Fuck, she was so submissive when it came to sex. She might fight him elsewhere, but she submitted where it counted. He smacked that gorgeous ass and felt her tremble. “That’s right. Don’t forget it. I’ll spank you, Kaj, and that won’t be the worst of it. I’ll have you tied up and tied down, and you’ll be utterly at my mercy. But for now, I’ll settle for this.”
Dante lined his cock up and pushed his way in.
Heat and tight pleasure threatened to swamp him. He pushed his cock inside, gripping her hips and forcing himself into her cunt. A savage joy overtook him. That Second must have had a pencil dick, because Kaja was as tight as a virgin. She was so snug around him that Dante had to breathe to control himself. He wanted this to last. He pulled out and thrust back in, not missing the way her pussy sucked at him. He thrust until he was flush against her, his thighs pressed to the backs of her own. Her head had fallen forward in complete submission. Her body was his to do with as he pleased.
He dragged his cock out again and then set a brutal pace. He fucked her like a jackhammer, using her body with ruthless precision. He controlled the movement by tightening his hands on her hips and forcing her body to accept his dick.
He was just about to let out a roar and fill her with his cum when it happened again. It was a flash of Kaja. This was how the Second had taken her, though he’d had a friend hold her down by the neck while another had forced her legs apart. She’d gritted her teeth and endured as the Second had used her. It was all Kaja knew. It was why she’d gotten into this position. Kaja didn’t understand that there was more than one way to make love. She only knew how to be raped.
Dante fell back, tears coating his eyes and making the world seem like a watery mess. What was he doing? He was treating Kaja like a possession, not something precious and valuable. He was behaving as all the men who Kaja had known before had behaved. She was his wife. Her blood was in his body. She was worth more than this.
“Did I displease you?” Kaja asked. She was on her knees, her arms covering her breasts. She’d turned in on herself. He could see that now. Her face went blank when she retreated.
No. She hadn’t displeased him in the least, but he couldn’t say the same for himself. The urge to walk away was right there like a knot in his chest that wouldn’t let him breathe. He didn’t want to feel this way. He didn’t want to be responsible for her. He wanted to be the man he’d always been before—the good-time guy. He wanted to party and fuck pretty women and send them on their way. He didn’t want to have his heart ripped out every time Kaja turned those gorgeous eyes on him. He didn’t fucking want to care.
“I should leave then.” Kaja’s eyes turned down, but not before he caught the sheen of unshed tears. “I will find a place to sleep, but I won’t go far.”
She would curl up and cry and wonder how she’d failed him. Dante knew exactly what she would do. He could tell her it wasn’t her fault, but she wouldn’t believe it. She would only believe it if he showed her.
He couldn’t let her leave. “Kaja, I’m not done.”
She bit at her bottom lip. “But you pushed me away. Perhaps if you told me what I did wrong, I could learn how to please you.”
He reached out and pulled her close. Only when her arms went around him did he relax again. He’d fucked up, but he could fix it. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Kaj. I just didn’t want to make love that way. I want to see your pretty face when you come for me.”
“But the mating…” she began.
He shook his head and forced her to look him in the eyes. “No mating. Mating is for assholes who want to use you and give you nothing in return. Put that word out of your mind.” He let his hands roam as he eased her onto her back and got between her legs. He covered her body with his. Yes, this was what he’d missed. He was wrapped in her softness. “We’re going to make love, you and I. We’re going to fuck, but in the sweetest way possible. Do you understand?”
“No, but I already like it. I like being close to you.” Her legs moved against his hips. She was already accepting him in a way she hadn’t before. She hadn’t moved when he’d mounted her from behind. Now she was participating. Her hands ran down his back to the muscles of his ass.
“And I like your hands on me. Oh, touch me everywhere, Kaj. I want to feel you all around me.” He was right there again, with his cock at her pussy, but this time she was the one who pulled him inside. Her hands gripped his ass, and she spread her legs.
“I like this making love, Dante,” she said. “I like this so much more.”
So did he. She was with him this time. He took over, thrusting in gently and pulling out, simply enjoying the feel of being inside her. He let his head drift to her neck. He could hear the soothing sound of her heart racing and feel her warmth surrounding him. He fucked his wife for the longest time. She came over and over, her mouth opening and crying out his name as her legs tightened around him. Five times she shuddered and came beneath him before her arms fell away.
“Dante, I can’t.” Her head had fallen back, and though she begged for mercy, there was a smile on her face.
“One more, Kaj. I just want one more, and then we can be done. For now.” He didn’t want her to get it into her head that she would be allowed more than a night’s rest. He intended to be inside her again before she fully awoke the next morning. He intended to fuck her until she forgot there had ever been a man there before him.
“I can’t,” she whispered.
But she could. Dante pushed himself up and ground his pelvis against her clit as he fucked his cock as deeply into her as he could go, and she lit up around him.
Then it was finally his turn. He let go, and the pleasure made his body jerk as he came.
Another feeling flowed through him. Utter satisfaction. He was satisfied because he was complete in that moment. And then he realized the feeling wasn’t his. It was Kaja’s. Her heart, her sweet, brave, loyal heart was at peace for the first time as he came inside her. She held him, clinging to him. So much of her pleasure came from pleasing him.
Dante shuddered one last time and let himself fall on her. Her breath came out in a happy sigh, and she squeezed her arms around him.
He should roll off her. Some voice deep inside him told him to run, but it was a distant thing now. There was another voice that told him to revel in her. She was his, but this voice didn’t tell him to take her because she belonged to him. This voice urged him to take care of her, to cling to her as she was clinging to him, because they belonged to each other.
After the longest time, he rose to his feet. They needed to bed down for the night. Kaja didn’t protest when he lifted her into his arms and cradled her to his chest. Her arms drifted around his neck.
When he took her into the water this time, she didn’t flinch. She simply trusted him.
Dante knew he was in way, way over his head, and there might not be any way out.
Chapter Eleven
Chalen Palgrave felt his blood pressure rise as he attempted to process the words his employee was saying. It had been a rude awakening from a sound sleep. “What exactly are you trying to say to me, Roan?”
Roan’s expression never changed. His face was utterly blank. From what Chalen could tell, th
Yes. That was what he thought the fucker had said. Chalen forced himself to lean forward when all he really wanted to do was to take his tablet and throw it off his balcony. Hell. That was wrong. What he really wanted to do was wrap his claws around Roan’s throat and squeeze until the Brit died. “What do you mean he got away? Dellacourt’s an idiot. You’re the best mercenary money can buy, or at least that’s your reputation.”
Roan and his men were damn expensive. Of course, Chalen never actually meant to pay them, but Roan didn’t need to know that.
“He proved himself to be quite cunning.” Roan’s face turned thoughtful as though he was trying to solve a puzzle. “I had him in sonic cuffs. They were behind his back, and it was only myself and my second-in-command who knew the code to release him.”
Excellent. “Then your second-in-command is a fucking traitor. You should execute his ass now.”
Roan sighed in a way that set Chalen’s fangs on edge. It was condescending, that little sigh. “Harry has been with me for ten years. I assure you, he wouldn’t help another royal, certainly not one like Dante Dellacourt.”
Chalen knew all about Roan’s little team. They were all disenfranchised royals who had turned their backs on their people. They couldn’t be trusted. He wondered if Dellacourt had offered them more money. “None of you are above turning on each other for a little money.”
Now Roan’s eyes narrowed. His lip curled back to bare perfectly sharp fangs. “Are you accusing me and my men of failing to honor the contract I signed?”
Chalen backed off. He still needed the mercenary. Oh, he wouldn’t for long, but if Chalen gave any indication that he was turning on Roan, things might get dicey. Roan was known as a man who honored his obligations, but he was also said to be a man who believed in revenge. Until he was ready to get rid of his mercenary, Chalen would have to deal with him. “Not at all. I’m just frustrated at your lack of progress. If no one turned traitor, then do you have a theory on how Dellacourt and the consort got away? I assume you lost Meg Finn as well, or you would have led off with that news.”
That bland professional expression was back. “He fled with his cousins’ wife. I do have a theory, but you might think I’m crazy. I believe he has a very well-trained dog.”
“A dog? A fucking dog got him out? You let a dog outsmart you?”
“Well, I admit, I didn’t really think she was anything beyond a very lovely bitch. Nothing about this job has gone the way I thought it would. When I set up the distraction, I assumed I would catch him as he fled the marketplace. I was rather surprised when he managed to kill the ogre.”
Chalen was surprised at that himself, but Dellacourt had always had all the luck. “None of this explains how his dog managed to get him out of sonic cuffs.”
“Harry was close when Dellacourt took down the ogre. He said Dellacourt seemed to be trying to save the dog, and he called the dog Kaja. Odd name for a dog, especially one he refused to acknowledge as his. He tried to tell me that this Kaja was some random woman. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. I thought he was just trying to protect the dog. He might have thought I would hurt it if I knew it was his. Foolish, but it makes sense. The dog was with me when I put the cuffs on Dellacourt.”
Chalen was seriously beginning to question the mercenary’s intelligence. “You do realize a dog doesn’t have opposable thumbs, right? It’s sort of a requirement to work the cuffs.”
“Well, she didn’t have them in dog form. Or maybe she was more of a wolf. But what if she was able to shift? Also, I swear that wolf had the faintest glow. It reminded me of a consort’s glow.”
Chalen’s mind was working overtime. “The Planeswalkers have been venturing further and further out to find consorts and bondmates. I’m curious about the wolf.”
If Dellacourt had found an exotic consort, Chalen wanted to know about it. If she was powerful and rare, then he really wanted to know about her. She could prove to be valuable. And if not, then killing her might upset Dellacourt, and he was really interested in making that asshole pay.
“I’m sure you’re upset by this setback, Mr. Palgrave. If you wish, I can take my men and leave. I’m sure you can find another squad to do the job.” Roan straightened his flak jacket. “They left by foot with no technology. Dellacourt had a weapon, but I believe his dog ran off with it. He might have it. It seems to be some sort of projectile weapon. Good luck, sir.”
“Wait.” Chalen hated it, but he couldn’t find anyone else quickly. And there was the small matter of dealing with Roan himself. It would be easier to deal with the man if he was close. “Just get the job done. Find Dellacourt and the consort, and get me the twins.”
He cut off the connection and sat back on the bed just as the tablet chimed again. He closed his eyes. Another snake to deal with. This particular snake was Fae royal, however.
“King Torin,” Chalen said with a deferential bow of his head.
Torin Finn was a man in his prime. He looked somewhat like his nephews. The coloring was the same, but there was a thinness to his frame that made him seem less than the twins. “Chalen. I called to get an update on your progress.”
“Make him tell us, My Liege,” a nasty voice said. Torin’s hags. Chalen’s stomach turned. He’d only seen their true forms once, but it was enough. There were two, and they stood behind the king. They looked lovely in this form, but Chalen couldn’t help but see their true faces. Just a glimpse was all it had taken.
“Down, woman,” Torin said with a snarl. He turned back to Chalen. “Do you have the twins?”
The hags retreated, but only slightly. They were always present, a prop to hold up Torin. Chalen had heard rumors that the hags had been very good in putting down the rebellions that had popped up.
“Not yet, Sire, but I have a plan to ensnare them.” Chalen tried to take a page from Roan’s book. He carefully schooled himself to look as confident as he could. “I’m going to use their bondmate to bring them out.”
Torin’s green eyes narrowed. “Yes, I heard they bonded. I rather thought I had ensured they could not. Damn Planeswalker demons.”
Torin hadn’t been able to make a deal with the demons. He didn’t have anything to offer them, and he wouldn’t until he could open the borders again, Chalen knew. He wouldn’t do that as long as his nephews were out there just waiting to get back in. Chalen wondered just how bad it was getting to be on the Seelie plane. If this particular mission hadn’t been about revenge, he would have looked to make a profit.
“They will come for their mate. I’ll have their cousin as well.”
Torin nodded. “Young Mister Dellacourt. His family is giving me hell with the Vampire government. I think they would have formally recognized me if it hadn’t been for Alexander Dellacourt. He’s kept me out for years. I won’t accept it any longer.”
“When his son is dead, he’ll turn his attentions elsewhere.” Chalen intended for Alexander Dellacourt to turn his attentions back on Torin. No one could ever know that Chalen had a hand in Dante Dellacourt’s death.
The hags behind Torin stared through the tablet screen, their dark eyes glittering as though they could see through him. Torin turned to the one on the left. He lifted a brow.
“He will do as he says. He believes this will satisfy that dark place in his soul. It thirsts for blood. He believes the twins took something from him,” the hag said.
Chalen hadn’t mentioned why he was willing to help Torin to the hags. He wished Torin hadn’t told them. He didn’t like them knowing something so personal about him. “They killed my brother.”
The hag on the right giggled. It was a terrible sound. “Yes, you’re a smart one to have figured that out. So smart.”
Chalen had the distinct impression he was being taunted. “What do you know, hag?”
Torin reached around and slapped the hag. Her head snapped back with a vicious crack. A thin line of blood ran down her chin, but there was a smile on her face. Her sister got to her knees and rubbed her head on the king’s lap. Chalen was nauseated at the sight.
“Don’t mind them. They’re useful, but they enjoy causing chaos. We have very firm intelligence that it was the warrior half of the twins who slaughtered your brother. Your brother was a threat to them somehow. I had a spy there. They killed her as well.”
The hag with blood on her mouth leaned in. “Our sister.”
The other smiled a vicious little grin that showed shiny teeth. She looked vaguely reptilian. “The twins will pay, and so will their bitch. They think we don’t see. We see everything.”
“Then you saw how my brother died.” He had to know.
“Oh, yes, dear,” the hag on the left said with her hollow laugh. “We saw the whole thing. Such a messy thing when a vampire dies.”
His fists clenched, and he vowed to kill Beckett Finn slowly. If Kinsey had exploded, then the bastard had caught his heart. It was the only time a vampire exploded. It was said to be a horrific, barbaric death. Yes, the twins would pay, and their bitch and their bastard cousin. “I’ll get you their heads.”
“And I’ll reward you,” Torin said in a soothing voice. “All of the Seelie Fae will bless your name. Trade will flow through our people. You’ll be a hero, Chalen Palgrave. Now, is there any way I can help? Did the ogre do its job?”
The ogre had been a gift from the king. Apparently Torin had made deals with certain factions in the Unseelie plane. “Currently the renegades are on the Refugee plane in the forests. Those forests are vast, Your Highness. If you could, perhaps, spare a search party? My mercenaries will have trouble tracking them.”
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