Lawless Kingdom: A Dark Romance (Reign & Ruin Book 1)

by Natalie Bennett

  “Dax…” I pulled away from him and rubbed my brow, still at a loss for words. If I could’ve cataloged this moment that I never in a million years saw coming, I’d have been able to look back knowing it was the first truth of many, none of them as harmless as they first seemed.

  “Why would you hide something like that?” Audrey asked, disbelief coloring her tone.

  “I didn’t—I don’t have a choice. Think of it as a gag order. I shouldn’t have even told you two this, but I have no fucking idea what else to do anymore.”

  “I don’t understand. Are you trying to tell us we’re not…safe?” I felt ridiculous asking that. I half expected him to give me his signature goofy grin and say he was just fucking with us.

  “It’s complicated, and I can’t explain it any more right now.” He looked off into the distance, towards the house. “We’ve been gone too long. When we get back, we need to act normal for a little and then leave. And no matter what happens from here forward…don’t ever trust them. Either of you.”

  That had a scowl overtaking my frown. “Why are you just now telling me—us—all of this now? Because we’re here? You wouldn’t have told me otherwise?”

  “I’ve wanted to for a while, but I had to be sure where this thing with us was going. You understand that at least, right?”

  I understood that more than he could possibly know, because there were days I was still unsure about our relationship.

  Especially as of late, but that was a conversation for another time, and the reminder kind of made me feel like I had no right to be upset about this. So, I simply nodded.

  “This is all because of him,” he said so quietly I wasn’t sure Audrey and I were meant to hear it.

  “What is?” I asked.

  When he started forward, keeping hold of me so I would follow, I was expecting him not to answer. When he did, all his response managed to do was confuse me even more than I already was.

  “He decided he wants you, and I’m not sure I can keep you safe. No one can.”

  I stared blankly at the back of his head. Who the hell was the he he was referring to?

  CHAPTER THREE

  Rhiannon

  “Act natural.”

  Dax spoke those two words nearly forty minutes ago. Almost three drinks later, also thanks to Dax, I was ready to go.

  It wasn’t that the party was lame or anything, but my boyfriend’s cryptic ass revelation and ominous warning had sort of put a damper on the evening’s festivities.

  For someone who had seemed rather eager to get the hell out of dodge, now it felt like Dax was suddenly procrastinating.

  The people around me didn’t suffer from my mental woes. Two naked girls ran past hand in hand, laughing as they jumped into the large pool out back. I didn’t have to turn around to know that’s where they were going. The splash was proof enough.

  I could’ve gone my whole life without seeing their areolas.

  I ignored all the curious eyes as I weaved around people holding the signature red party cups and brown beer bottles. The weaving being literal. My head felt as if it was being filled with fog or something, and perspiration was gathering on the back of my neck.

  I’d left Audrey with Dax so I could find a bathroom to get myself together and relieve my bladder. I’m sure she would have gone with me, but I was a capable girl. I didn’t need someone to help me wipe. She and Dax would notice I was gone in a minute or two.

  Hopefully by the time I got back we could leave. I was more than ready to get home now.

  When I finally spotted what I assumed was the area for girls to use the bathroom, I promptly changed my mind about needing to go. There were way too many chicks already waiting to go in.

  I spun on my heel to go back the way I had come and smacked into a chest as solid as a wall, causing my head to spin even more.

  “Sorry,” I grunted, taking a step back.

  I lifted my chin to see who I had plowed into and was instantly struck by two silver bullets. It was him. My mystery guy from earlier. And damn, those eyes. They were disarming, haunting in their intensity.

  “You don’t have to throw yourself at me to gain my attention. You’ve had it since you walked through the front door.” His voice was deep, husky and melodic. It was also tinged with a certain level of disinterest that contradicted his joke. At least, I think it was a joke.

  “I don’t want your attention.”

  “Don’t you?”

  I took a slight step back to put some more space between us. “I just said no.”

  An amused smile revealed a set of gleaming white teeth, making him appear more charming and charismatic than cold and sinister. Being so close, even with my lids ready to fold over, his outer beauty was ten times more apparent. He could have been a GQ model. The jasmine and spice cologne he had on was a definite bonus. I, however, still wanted nothing more than to go home.

  “Rhia,” Dax’s sharp voice came from the end of the hall as if the universe had heard my silent plea.

  The guy before me turned just enough that I was able to squeeze past, my front nearly grazing his.

  “You ready to go?” Dax asked, reaching for my hand when I was within proximity.

  “Yeah. Where’s Audrey?”

  “Meeting us outside.” He shot a hard stare over my shoulder. I instantly knew who it was directed at.

  For him to be so bothered by who I was speaking with meant the guy behind me was a Barron, Rook, or Knight.

  Call me stupid or intrigued, but I couldn’t help but be curious. I pushed the feeling down and focused on Dax and his firm hold on my hand, letting him lead me through the house and towards the front door. Things weren’t as fuzzy with a guide.

  “You’re doing exactly what I told you not to do Daxton.” The same voice came from behind me, close enough that I practically felt his breath on my neck. His tone was slightly different from before, disapproving and hard.

  I glanced back, meeting his steel-colored eyes for a brief second before looking forward again so I didn’t trip and fall.

  “No. I’m doing what I need to do,” Dax replied calmly as we reached the front door.

  “If you’re smart, you’ll take her to the car and then go meet Owen upstairs.”

  “I’m not doing this tonight.” He gripped the large golden handle of the front door and started to ease it open.

  His hard form pressed against my back, causing my body to be sandwiched between the two of them as he reached over my shoulder to slam it back shut.

  “Did that sound like a question, Daxton?”

  The clear-cut warning in his tone almost had me replying. I broke free from Dax’s hold and spun around, thanking god when I remained on my feet. My chest against his, I ignored my body’s perverse reaction and glared into his eyes.

  “What the hell is your problem?” I tried to shove him back and had the same success rate I would’ve had if I were attempting to lift a building.

  One dark brow quirked. He stared down at me with thinly veiled amusement in his. His perfect pink lips settled into a cocky smirk.

  “Glad to see you haven’t changed much.”

  “Whatever that means, leave him the hell alone.”

  His smirk became a full-blown grin. He leaned down, bringing his lips to my ear. “Careful, principessa. You’ve already toed a line you’re not ready to cross,” he whispered, his cool breath fanning over my skin.

  I suppressed a shudder and leaned away from him. What the fuck did that mean? And did he just call me princess?

  “Come on, Rhia,” Dax urged, wrapping his fingers around my elbow. I resisted for a moment, ready to have it out with the asshole who’d followed us. In the end, I let him tug me out the door, leaving behind one intense stare and all the party goers who had stopped what they were doing to watch our little scene unravel.

  “Dax,” I began, now facing the correct direction.

  He cut me off before I could begin a round of twenty-one questions. “Not now, okay? C
an you wait in Audrey’s car for me? I’ll follow ya’ll back to her spot.”

  I blinked rapidly. Was he going back inside? He couldn’t be serious. “Are you for real? That guy tells you what to do and you just…do it?”

  He stopped so abruptly I nearly slammed into his back. Whirling with a look on his face I’d never seen before, I braced instinctively.

  “Can you please stop? Get in the car and wait for me. You’re doing my head in with all these questions!” His voice echoed through the air and increased the pounding in my head.

  I stared at him with my brows raised. He thought this was me asking questions? “Lower your voice. You yell at me like that again and we’re gonna have a problem.”

  A deep sigh left him then, and his whole body seemed to sag. I almost felt bad for being sort of a bitch, but even if I was being annoying—and in my opinion I wasn’t—he had no right to yell at me as if I were a child.

  He was clearly going through something, so I chose not to prod the bear, so to speak. I’d grill him later. After he’d had a chance to calm down. I looked over at Audrey’s car, noting it was empty.

  “I thought you said she was meeting us outside?”

  He cursed softly under his breath. “She must have been drawn into a conversation. I’ll send her right out.”

  “You’d better.” I went to move around him, and he took hold of me for the millionth time that night.

  “I’m sorry, bae. Really sorry.”

  I cringed internally.

  “I’ll be waiting for you.” I placed a light kiss on his cheek.

  It was on the tip of my tongue to ask what exactly he was apologizing for, but I wanted to go home more than I wanted to have a heart to heart in a rich asshole’s driveway.

  The car was moving.

  Lids fluttering as I woke, it took my gaze a few seconds to clear and focus. A sharp breath hitched in my lungs when I saw who was driving.

  I tried to lift my head and instantly regretted it. Pretty sure my brain flipped over and rolled.

  “What’s wrong…with…?” Dragging my tongue across my lower lip, I swallowed and squeezed my eyes closed for a minute. I had barely drunk anything. This wasn’t right.

  “Audrey?”

  “Here,” she grunted from the backseat.

  It took some major willpower, but the moment I had control over my extremities, I tried to move so that I could see her. This was easier said than done when the car and the neighborhood were both coated in nothing but darkness.

  “Don’t move too much.” A familiar voice came from the driver’s seat. He reached over and splayed a hand across my chest, pressing me backward gently.

  It felt as if we’d been in the car for hours when it finally stopped. The passenger door was pulled open and cool summer air drifted over my person as I was lifted out.

  “Audrey,” I repeated, panic stirring in my gut, unsure what the hell was happening.

  “Shh,” the voice soothed, holding me a little tighter. “Gavin’s got her.” My cheek was pressed against their solid chest, and I noted how good they smelled. Like jasmine and spice.

  I was carried into more darkness, the air going from cool to chilled. Up a flight of stairs and then into a room with creamy wallpaper I knew all too well, being laid down in a bed. Hands touched me, strong and sure against my body, clinical rather than sexual. They removed my clothing and tucked me beneath a fluffy duvet.

  “I’ll be seeing you soon,” the husky voice murmured.

  “I think I know who you are,” I rasped as fog began enveloping my brain again, forcing me back under.

  “Not yet you don’t, but you will. That I can assure you.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  JUDAS

  Gorgeous face and incredible shape.

  She had an exotic look about her: long, dark hair I could wrap twice around my fist and flawless olive skin to feel beneath my teeth. She was shaped exactly like the vintage pin-up girls on my nonno’s wall calendar.

  A curvy goddess. Plenty of ass to bounce as she rode my dick. Thighs to grip when she sat on my face. Her eyes were brown, the color of cinnamon. Those beautiful orbs were exactly what drew me in.

  Rhiannon Clermont was a goddamn siren. Too damn beautiful for my world of depravity and sin. Yet, at the same time, so fucking right for it.

  All I wanted to do was consume her entirely, drag her into it and make sure she’d never find a way out.

  It was wrong and unexpected, considering I’d hated her from the moment I found out she existed. I hated her with an intensity so strong I could envision her death by my hand. It was as clear as a movie reel, replaying repeatedly inside my head. But I wanted her even more. That was the fucked-up part. I wanted her beside me, beneath me, on her fucking knees in front of me. I didn’t care to sit down and analyze all the logistics of it. I knew what I was after, and I would get it.

  Luckily for me, patience was a virtue, and I’d been blessed with an abundance of it. Me and my famiglia had waited this long. I wouldn’t rush anything unless absolutely necessary.

  Not even to get my dick wet.

  I could have easily parted Rhiannon’s legs and sunk inside her, but she needed to be all the way lucid when I fucked her. I had a very extensive type of foreplay.

  I needed her to want it as badly as she needed to breathe. So, I left her in that bed alone instead of climbing in beside her.

  After locking Audrey’s front door, Gavin and I headed back to the house, him driving my AMG that he’d followed me in. The ride was silent for the most part. Right up until the end.

  “You bothered by having their shit laced?”

  I thumbed my chin, pretending to think about it. “No. It was necessary for tonight. But I won’t do that again.”

  He nodded once.

  I wasn’t sure if that meant he agreed with me in general or he agreed it wouldn’t happen again. He’d never say either way. That wasn’t Gavin’s style. If he had a problem though, you could bet your ass you’d know it.

  I meant what I’d said, though. Had Dax not interfered, the night would have gone very differently.

  Audrey and Rhiannon wouldn’t have needed to be drugged. This mess was his fault. He couldn’t seem to let go of what was never truly his in the first place. The dumb fuck had only expediated what would be his unfortunate end.

  When we got back to the house, the driveway was empty aside from Owen’s Porsche and Gavin’s Vette. Everyone else had been told to get the fuck out.

  “Tony get here then?” I gestured to where Dax’s car had been parked.

  “Yep. Car will be exactly where it needs to be by morning.”

  “Good. Let’s go get this over with.” I climbed out of the car and headed for the side of the house. Gavin fell into step beside me, already pulling on his leather gloves.

  I knocked twice on the side of the garage, so Owen knew it was me, and then I opened the door.

  Plastic had already been rolled out to cover the floor and the walls. The windows were tinted so dark that not even x-ray vision would grant someone sight strong enough to see what happened in here.

  From the center of the room Dax stared at me with one good eye, the other swollen and black. Some type of insult I’m sure came from behind the gag shoved in his mouth as he rocked his body in the chair he’d been bound to.

  “That’s the first noise he’s made since I tied his ass up,” Owen remarked from where he was leaning against the tool bench, arms crossed over his chest.

  “Lucky you.” I snagged a pair of gloves from beside him and slipped them on.

  Going to stand directly in front of Dax, I bent my knees, so we were eye-level. “Are you having a bad day, mio amico?”

  His brows narrowed in a glare, a snarl bringing the vein on his neck to the surface.

  “I’m sorry I can’t relate.” I shrugged. “Things on my end are pretty damn fantastic. There’s just a few small issues it’s time to revolve.” I held my index and thumb up a to emphasize my poi
nt.

  “Where should I start?” I asked Owen and Gavin.

  “I’d start with him fucking your girl,” Owen suggested. “He knew better.”

  “Sure as shit did,” Gavin agreed.

  Mm. Yes. There was that.

  “What do you think?” I tugged the gag down so he could respond.

  “She’s not yours!”

  “Daxton. She’s always been mine. I knew who she was long before you did.”

  “Bullshit!”

  “Why do you think I specifically told you to befriend her and demanded that you didn’t fuck her?”

  He threw his head back and laughed, his teeth showing stains from the blood that had accumulated in his mouth.

  “She know she’s yours, Judas? I don’t think she does.”

  I grinned down at him. “Oh, little Rhia knows me very well.”

  “She’ll never be like the submissive bitches you’re used to. And if she ever finds out what you’ve done to me, she—”

  I lifted the gag to cut him off. He was grabbing at straws and it was fucking pathetic. It wasn’t up to Rhia. She didn’t need to know she was mine. I knew. That’s all that mattered. We’d be on the same page soon enough. As for her giving a shit about what was going to happen to him…Now it was my turn to laugh.

  “I think I know more about your relationship than you do, Dax. Not to mention…she has no idea who the fuck you really are. I can’t wait for that truth to come to light.” I gestured in the direction of the tool bench. “But you know that’s not the only reason you’re in this position, is it? I’m pissed you put your hands on her, but this is much deeper than that.”

  He couldn’t answer me with words, but his eyes said enough. I wanted to make a mess of him, string him from the rafters and gut him as my nonno did the pigs, listen to him squeal until his life bled out of him.

  I couldn’t end it quick, though. He had to suffer for my own peace of mind. Also, I had a feeling he wasn’t going to be very forthcoming when it was time to tell me all I wanted to know.