We stared at each other without speaking a word. I wasn't sure what he was thinking, for just like when I told him about Andrea, he seemed to have been knocked out of his seat.I could only hear my breath and maybe the constant thud of my heartbeat. What was he going to say? But with how he was calm about it, it seemed he already knew. Maybe he would stop being mad at me.He was purposely keeping me in this awkward silence, and it wasn't fair.Tristan suddenly turned towards the bed to see Andrea crying, and then he picked her up, daintily hugging her to himself and whispering, "Sorry, princess, it's ok."And to my surprise, she stopped crying, placing her head on his shoulder to stare into his neck.And when she drifted away, he faced me again, but this time his face wasn't so blank."How many more secrets were you hiding from me?" I mean, this is number two now? So what's the third?"I bit my lip; ok, maybe I was wrong; he was still mad at me, and it seemed with the way things were g
His fingers suddenly wrapped around my neck, so tight like he had never done before, that he was choking me and nibbling my earlobe.He moved his teeth, and I yelled, causing him to chuckle—he was the only one having fun here. Was that what he meant by "be careful what you ask for"?He trailed his lips up to my mouth and claimed my lips; it started slow like I always remembered it, then became wild, rough, and mind-blowing.I was beginning to gasp against him, especially when he pulled me into him with his fingers still wrapped around my neck.He wasn't giving me a second rest. This was a punishment fuck.He turned me around, pushing me to the wall, his hand pushing my back into it, giving him space to rip my gown.The buttons fell, and I gasped, "Tristan!" Ignoring me, he pushed the gown down so it dropped to the floor, turning me to face him, so I looked into his heated gaze."On your knees," he muttered.I didn't need to be told twice. Well, Tristan was a different person when he t
I watched him breathe in and out, my fingers tracing his chin; he had the most angelic features now bare to me; he emptied himself because I asked.I understood him now more than I ever had; he had gone through a lot as a kid, and that was the reason for all of the nightmares and also the reason he pushed people away so no one knew what he was hiding inside.Like me, his growing up had been rocky; was that part of Artemis' punishment for going against her will? And here we were again, interwoven with each other.He frowned in his sleep, and those lowered brows had me smiling. I let my thumb brush his cheekbone, then reaching forward, kissed the corner of his mouth.He was out cold.I climbed out of bed, quietly grabbing a white dress and scarf from the open wardrobe, then putting them on as quickly as possible. When I was done, with the scarf covering my unkempt brown hair, I snuck out of the room.The royal house was so empty that one could hear a pin drop. My steps daintily on the re
My mouth dropped open, and I could feel a certain feeling of betrayal seeping through. My eyes were brewing with tears watching the future before me. The future if I agree to do it. Would it change if I begged? And pleaded? And raised dust in the air? I turned towards the presence, even though I didn't know where it was, for it was everywhere, brushing against me as if teasing me. It felt beautiful. Wonderful. "Do I have any choice than this?" I asked, "then to die? Do I have to die, mother?" "You lost the right to call me that when you settled with an offender," the voice roared "he wasn't only a mortal; you were assigned to him to plague him, but you, Akasha..." "What if I say I'm sorry? Will you pardon me as a good mother would?" I waited for a reply, but it never came, and slowly and gradually, I began to feel myself stir, slowly opening my eyes. I saw myself on the temple ground. Tears streaks were at the side of my face, and looking at the sacred fire, I noticed it had bu
TRISTAN'S POV Watching her disappear through the door, I turned to see the captain also watching her, and I walked closer to him with my hands in my pockets. "What's in it for you, huh? Why are you following her around, always ready to run her errands, even at night?" I raised a brow at him now that I was calmer. "I am just doing my job, sir," he replied, massaging his chin with his hands and trying not to sneer pointedly at me. "I don't know if I can believe you're doing all that without a hidden motive." Goddamn it, I didn't trust this guy one bit. Under all of this gentleness, there was something he wasn't showing: "What's the deal here? "There's no deal, Alpha Tristan." "How about a hidden motive?" He smiled this time and said, "Don't we all have hidden motives?" I looked into his dark red pupils and nodded as if agreeing with him, "I'll be watching you." I smiled back, then leaning close, I tapped him on the shoulder and whispered, "That's my woman. Find yourself yours."
IRIS POV Two days passed, and still, there was no contact between Tristan and me, but it was easy to see him, for he was always in training, most times with his upper body bare, sweat dripping from his chin, and eyes on alert. Sometimes I held Andrea so she could watch him train, and he'll always stop for a second to wave at her. Every time that happens, his opponents win. He didn't care because that always happened. Like now, he was punching against a bag, muscles sweaty and glistening, when he looked up, seeing Andrea and me, he waved at her, and she waved back. I turned my back to him, returning to the Royal House to maybe find my aunt Mikaela. I had decided to tell her what I was about to do, and hopefully, she would keep it. My mother would cause an uproar if she heard of it. Then Tristan. Well, Tristan was going to be Tristan, and he was going to be the last person I'd ever tell. I had begun packing my precious possessions into a box for Andrea to inherit when she grew
IRIS POV Waking felt like stages; at first, I wasn't sure if my eyes were open or closed since it was all dark, the darkness so thick and murky that I felt I could reach forth and grab a handful of it. Then next, my head felt heavy and round and couldn't stay still, for my neck suddenly couldn't hold it any longer. Then letting thoughts fill my head; whatever content they held, I just thought about it. Trying to place my hand on if I was awake or not. Then I began to hear sounds like a lighter, and when the first ray of warm firelight hit, I knew I was awake. Then the memories of my last encounter flowed into my head, and the betrayal stabbed me again. "Good evening, princess." I turned to see him; at the end of the room, he was playing with a lighter, striking it and tapping it so the fire went out. His face, that gentle shyness, wasn't there anymore; in its place was a wicked glare at the firelight, a dark countenance of what would soon happen. And instead of fear, I felt a
IRIS POV.I watched him walk up to me, now with all seriousness, with no more smiles on those sensual lips. Does anyone wonder why nobody suspected him? with looks like that? Combined with the fact that he had always been there for Tristan when he asked?But all of our requests had fallen into his game, and he had stood by, patiently waiting for them to fall into place.Now he had everything at his beck and call. And we had nothing to do but wait and see where it would hit us next."You look even more beautiful, Iris," he said, touching my face softly and looking into my eyes. "Even with those pupils, you could make a man's pants drop."I glanced at Gael. "Well, some want yours dropping, sooooo."He laughed. He thought I was being funny.His fingers were under my chin, raising it so I could face him. "Is it Iris or Akasha?"I wasn't shocked, but... "How did you know? Are more of your pawns getting back to you?" He shrugged: "Well, I can't lie; I didn't do it all myself. I had men of v