I prop myself up on my elbows and look at the vibrator Malone left. Part of me wants to ignore her command out of spite, but she’s not bluffing about not letting me orgasm for the rest of the assignation if I do. More than that…I want to send her the videos. Thinking about her watching them down in her undoubtedly fancy office makes my toes curl. And if they distract her a bit from that laser focus she has? All the better.
The vibrator is a little different than the ones I’ve used before. I mess around with it for a few minutes, finding it extremely bendy. The internal portion has a movement that, when lined up correctly, should stroke my G-spot, and the clitoral stimulator motion mimics oral sex. Damn, this thing is cool.
It takes a little time to get the fit right, but before too long, I’m rushing toward my first orgasm. I barely remember to grab the phone in time. Knowing she’s going to watch this video only makes it hotter. I don’t bother to try to hold out, not when I have five more where this came from. I come with a cry and bite my lip hard enough that delicious little pricks of pain heighten my pleasure.
I stare at the phone and grin. “One.” Then I end the video and send it to the number she programed in there before she left.
I almost keep going, but if I’m going to obey, I’m going to do it my way. It takes a little doing to get the setup right, but when I’m finally happy with it, I lie back down and start up the vibrator again. This time, I do go slower, edging myself up to a truly impressive orgasm. And, yeah, I play it up a bit as I give myself over to the pleasure. I always did like putting on a show.
By the time I let myself come, I’m shaking and moaning, and I’m pretty sure the top of my head is in danger of exploding. I ease the vibrator out of me and reach down for the phone, unable to help my satisfied smirk. “Two.” A few seconds later, the video is winging its way to Malone.
Now that I have the challenge in place, I decide to keep things interesting. She thought she’d use this command to make me vulnerable, but I’m going to turn it around on her.
You want to watch me come, Mistress? Enjoy the fucking show.
19
Malone
By the time I get out of my first meeting of the day, I have two videos waiting for me. I’d wondered if Aurora would dig in her heels, but apparently she’s decided to play by the rules for once. I head for my office and shut my door, pausing to flip the lock, and take a seat behind my desk. It would be wiser to hold off watching the videos until I’m almost done for the day, but they’re a temptation I can’t quite ignore.
The first is exactly what I asked for, a close-up of Aurora’s face as she works herself to orgasm. She’s got her eyes screwed shut, but it doesn’t matter. She can’t hide from me, not like this, not this close. The sound she makes when she comes has my whole body flushing hot. I’ve never met another person quite as perfectly blended between sweet and tart, and the tart only makes the sweet more addicting.
Then I open the second video.
“Motherfucker,” I breathe.
She’s brought in the mirror from her closet and arranged it behind her head at the top of the bed. The video is still of her face, but there’s no way to miss the fact I can see her entire body as she arches and shakes and plays with her tits while the vibrator hums between her thighs. It’s a one-woman show, and it’s all for me. This time, she doesn’t shut her eyes. She challenges me with her gaze, with every moan past those pretty lips.
Goddamn it.
My phone beeps as another text comes in.
Aurora: You alone?
Oh, this is a trap if I ever recognized one. That doesn’t stop me from typing out an affirmative and sending it. A few seconds later, a request for a video call comes through.
I glance at my door and accept the call. “I only have a few minutes before my next meeting.”
“This won’t take long.”
I look at my phone, and a rushing sound rattles through my ears. Aurora is in my bathtub, her hair carefully piled on top of her head, her skin dewy with condensation. The water is low enough that her nipples breach the surface with every inhale. She looks good enough to eat. It takes more effort than it should to keep my tone dry. “If you drop that phone in the water and ruin it, you’ll have no proof of the remaining orgasms.”
“Give me a little credit.” Something’s changed since I left her this morning. I’m not sure what it is, but she’s giving me a wicked grin that almost seems real. Aurora leans back a little, baring her breasts further. “Are you alone?”
“Does it matter?” I’m honestly curious. Aurora likes an audience, but I don’t know if that extends outside the Underworld.
“Not to me.” Another of those smiles. “But if no one is in the room, no one will see it if you give in to the temptation to slip your hand in your pants and finger yourself while you watch me come.”
Aurora is more dangerous than a grenade with the pin pulled out. “That would be highly inappropriate during the workday.”
“I know.” She laughs, and the sound trails off into a breathy moan. “Gods, Malone, this toy is something else. I’m surprised you didn’t invest in it the moment you heard about its existence.”
“What makes you think I didn’t?” As much as I keep a stranglehold on the underbelly of my territory, I like to keep my interests varied everywhere else. Investing in that particular toy has brought me a significant amount of profit. Most of my investments do.
“Of course you did.” She adjusts the phone, and I realize she’s propped it up on a chair next to the tub so she has both hands free. The angle gives a little more of her body, the image vaguely blurred by the water teasing at revealing her. I can’t see below her hips, and for the first time, I regret the command to only see her face.
But, fuck, what a face.
She’s perfectly relaxed as she builds her pleasure. I can see evidence of it in her quickening breaths, in the way her lips part as if begging for my mouth, in her eyes fighting not to slide shut when it gets too much.
I don’t make a conscious decision to do as she asked, but I unbutton my pants to slip my hand between my thighs. It’s as if it was a foregone conclusion the second I accepted this call. I’m drenched, and I drag the wetness up to circle my clit. My body is already tense and ready. Gods, Aurora is like a fever in my blood. I can’t think straight, my normal coolness slipping through my fingers. “I should make you come down here and lick me clean after I’m done.”
She lifts her chin. “Do it.”
The temptation rises again, to throw all my careful plans for the day to the wind and just fuck Aurora until we exhaust this sizzling connection. Except I don’t think there is any exhausting it now, do I?
That means there need to be boundaries. I’ve worked too hard for this life to let a single person derail me. Those words used to feel firmer, more like a statement and less like a question.
“Orgasm. Say my name when you do.”
I keep stroking myself, my harsh breathing creating a symphony with hers. All at once, she arches her back and cries out. And, gods help me, she moans my name as she gasps her way through her orgasm. I don’t even try to hold out, not when I’ve been dancing on the edge and waiting for her to join me. I press my lips together as I come, shoving down any foolish desire to give her the same treatment. We’re not there yet. We’ve only just begun to make progress, and if I move too quickly, Aurora will spook. I doubt she’ll give me a second chance if I fuck this one up.
I ease my hand out of my pants and lean forward. “Well done.”
“I try.” Her smirk holds only a fraction of her usual brattiness. “Three.” Aurora hangs up before I can respond, which is just as well.
I take my time cleaning myself up. The temptation to go to her is almost too much to resist, but I’ve a long habit of resisting the things I want most. I can last a few more hours until we spar again this afternoon.
Then I’m going to fuck her on the mat.
The plan makes me smile, and the knowledge of
what’s to come buoys me through two meetings that could have been emails before Sara arrives in my office to update me on the status of the territory. We touch base on them every couple of days, barring some kind of disaster, and today is more of the same.
Sara sits back. “Everything’s fine. Shipments are on time. Suppliers are happy. Buyers are happy. The people are happy.” They sound vaguely disgusted. “There’s one that’s running a little late, but it will be here by noon, so it’s hardly worth noting.”
“War is bad for business,” I remind them.
“I know. I’m just…” They make a vague motion with their hand. “If things were going wrong, it’d give me something to focus on.”
Something besides what’s going on back home. I can’t say I feel any differently. I frown. “Did something else happen?”
“No. No new developments. The Brides are all safe, best I can tell; or as safe as they can be given the circumstances.”
Handfasted to the Paine brothers. Gods, that sounds like a nightmare if I ever heard one. If those men are anything like their father, their Brides are in for a hellish year. That man was brutal enough to give even me pause. The thought of seven of them, three of whom are now handfasted to my family members… It has my muscles tensing in preparation for a strike. “My sister will figure it out,” I say carefully.
Sara doesn’t blink. “And if she doesn’t?”
“She will.” I can’t afford to think anything else. “And if she doesn’t, Monroe will.” My eldest niece, the one named in my honor. She’s as ambitious, brutal, and cunning as her mother and myself combined. If Aisling falters, Monroe will ensure the Amazons land on their feet, her being handfasted to Broderick Paine or no.
Finally, Sara nods. “You’re right. I know you’re right.”
I understand where they’re coming from. It’s difficult not to worry, but I won’t be responsible for buckling the trust our people have in Aisling, even from a distance. The Amazons on my staff are still Amazons first.
I won’t be a traitor.
I let the realization wash over me, let it settle down deep. I won’t be a traitor. I left Sabine Valley to prevent my ambition from harming my sister and my people. Nothing’s changed, no matter what the current situation back there is. They will find their way through, and if Aisling needs my assistance, she’ll call me. Trying to muscle my way back in because I don’t like how she’s handled the situation will only cause further rift and undermine her authority. That’s bad for everyone.
Restless energy fizzles in my blood, and I push to my feet. Cancelling my last few meetings is out of the question, but the temptation is there all the same. I turn to look out the window, at the visual reminder of everything at stake. I have my own kingdom to look after now. I am the best person to run this territory, and no matter my loyalty to my family, there are more lives than simply my nieces’ and brother’s at stake.
And yet…
I smooth my hands down my pants. “Would it make you feel better if I check in with her?”
“Would it make you feel better?”
I give Sara a long look. “Yes.” I reach for my phone and dial my sister’s number from memory. I stare out at Carver City while the line rings. My home in a very different way than Sabine Valley is—a place that’s mine and mine alone.
My elder sister’s voice comes over the line. “Hello, Malone.” I don’t know why I expected her to sound different after everything that has happened. Our mother’s training runs too deep. She’s just as coolly collected as I am.
Except I don’t feel cool and collected right now. I feel frazzled right down to my nerve endings. “When were you going to tell me about Lammas?”
“When it became something you should concern yourself with; so likely never. It’s under control.”
This is why I haven’t called since hearing the news. I love my sister. I have always loved my sister, even when I put serious consideration into dethroning her. But it takes a grand total of thirty seconds for her to work her way under my skin. She’s one of the few people in existence who’s capable of it.
Aurora is another.
I push that thought away. “You underestimated the Paine family.”
“If I wanted someone to tell me things I already know, I’d talk to Jasper.”
Irritation rises. “Yes, well, that’s out of the question now since he’s handfasted to Ezekiel fucking Paine.” No use thinking about how painful that must be for him, given their history. “You really fucked this up.”
“It’s under control.”
“What part of this situation is under control, Aisling? What happens if Monroe or Winry gets pregnant? Then—”
“Stop underestimating your nieces. You left, Malone. You built your kingdom elsewhere and I’ve never begrudged you that. Trust that I’ve raised my daughters as capably as Mother raised us.”
I wish I could. I wish I had anything but doubt and worry worming through me. “Monroe may be fine, but Winry is too soft. He’ll break her.”
“Malone.” She all but snarls my name. “Did you call for a particular reason or just to clutch your pearls and whine about things that have already happened?” I already know what she’s going to say before she continues in a slightly more moderate tone. “Lammas caught us off-guard, but it’s being handled. Have faith in your family.” A meaningful pause. “Have faith in your queen.”
You’re not my queen.
I bite the sentence back before it can emerge. I needed this reminder, I realize. Needed to have the reason I left Sabine Valley shoved in my face. I love my sister, yes. But both our personalities are too strong to occupy the same space without tearing into each other. I close my eyes and strive for a calm tone. “Give me the courtesy of keeping me updated.”
“Why, when you already have plenty of contacts still within our territory?”
I have to fight not to grind my teeth. “That’s not the same thing, and you know it.”
Aisling finally sighs. “Yes, I’ll keep you updated.” The barest pause. “They’ll be fine. They’re made of tougher stuff than you realize. Even Winry. They’re Amazons, after all.”
At the end of the day, there’s nothing to argue with. I haven’t been home for more than a few days at a time in twenty years. I have more contact with my younger brother than I do with Aisling, but even that is just the odd phone call here and there. I don’t really know my nieces beyond surface-level facts. Monroe was seven when I left Sabine Valley, barely more than a baby. Aisling is right. If she’s raised them half as capably as Mother raised us, they’ll survive this.
They might even come out on top.
I have to believe that. Still… “Is there any way I can be of assistance?”
“I will call if I need you.” Her tone says the exact opposite, and even though I shouldn’t hold it against her, I can’t help but do exactly that. If I were in her position, I’d be doing the same thing in regard to warning off a person with the potential to further destabilize our territory. Aisling hangs up before I can formulate a response, which is just as well.
Sara raises their brows. “That went well.”
“A necessary reminder.” I take a few slow breaths, working to pull my icy calm around me once more. Normally, it happens naturally, but it takes a considerable bit of effort after that call. “They have things under control.”
“Good to hear,” they say carefully.
I head for the door. “Please ensure Aurora is in the gym by the time I’m finished with my meetings for the morning.”
“Will do.”
“Thank you.” I find myself with a lot of energy to dispel.
Aurora’s just the person to act as conduit.
20
Aurora
I knock out my final three orgasms quickly, and I wish I could say that I pulled on some of my many memories with others to get me there. It’s not the truth. No, it’s Malone’s ragged breathing in my ear that pushes me over the edge. The knowledge that she sli
pped her hand down her pants and fingered herself while on the phone with me. I shouldn’t have initiated that call, but there are a lot of things I shouldn’t have done in the last few days.
She doesn’t respond to my videos again.
I want to be smug about that, to believe that I rattled her. I’m not sure it’s the truth. Maybe she just tired of the game.
That would be preferable. If Malone tires of me, it’s the best outcome for everyone, especially since I’m coming to terms with the fact that I won’t be following through on my plans for vengeance. If I’m not here to kill Malone, then I have no reason to be here.
Except… I don’t really want to leave.
Not yet.
The second I return to the Underworld, I have to deal with reality. The end of my contract. My plans for the future. My grief. It all hovers at the edge of my mind, ready to ambush me the second I cease being distracted.
I push the thoughts aside and pull on a pair of shorts and a sports bra. It’s time to go another round with Malone. I want to win today, to be the one to demand some kind of payment. Really, I just want to beat her. She’s too good, wins at everything, is too deadly. I want to prove that I’m able to stand on equal footing.
A child’s dream, foolish in the extreme.
A training accident would be a clever way to cover up her death…
A hiss stops me short. I look around the room, and catch sight of Rogue crouched beneath the couch, glaring at me with his eerie cat eyes. I glare right back. “I was only thinking about it. I’m not really going to do it.” I scrub my hands over my face. I should have listened to Allecto, just this once, when she told me not everyone is cut out for murder. Fires are different. Even fighting is different. It’s violence in the heat of the moment, the first lick of flame that translates into a pure bolt of power.
Even then, without some kind of outward motivation, I hesitate.
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