AVERY “ But there is one thing I don’t want by force. ” His velvety voice says seductively. My heart leaps to my throat, “ W—What? ” “ Given how disgusted you feel at the thought of letting me fuck you, I am tempted to do just that. ” He smiles lazily. “ Aleister. ” My mouth dries. “ What? You can’t even do that to save everyone from me? ” His body seems to have grown bigger, now towering over me alarmingly. For a moment, I find myself struggling to breathe but the next moment, I calm down and straighten my spine again. “ Will you leave everyone alone if I agree to this? ” My nails dig into my palms. His lazy smile becomes forced. Suddenly, his fingers grip my nape and tug me forward. I gasp, and my hands lift to his chest. “ We have a deal, don’t we Princess? ” Aleister hums huskily. So much for telling me that I am below his standards! I almost scoff but knowing this is a crucial moment, I hold my tongue and nod. “ Do you want me to take off my clothes then? ” My mind goe
AVERY Something purrs softly, waking me up from my half-asleep state. I pick up my head and look towards the door which is still closed. The lights are turned off in the room. I don’t…remember turning them off before I sat here and tried to catch some sleep. The darkness seems to be unusually thick and suffocating. Even with my enhanced vision… I pause, holding my breath. Because of Aleister, I can’t use that enhanced vision. A sigh escapes my mouth. I get up to turn on the lights when something lightly grazes my cheek. Goosebumps rise on my skin. My hand shoots up and meets nothing but cold air. I don’t think there is anyone in the room…then why does it feel like there is something in the room? I move around the couch to get away from the corner when the touch returns on my hair, swaying them aside. My heartbeat quickens. “ Who is it? ” No reply comes. Am I imagining things or simply dreaming? With a heart that is threatening to beat out of my chest, I stay there, waiting f
ALEISTER“ How is this possible? ” I frown as she touches her throat hysterically.All this time, I never saw her so disoriented before, not even when I locked her in the dark room. Poking my inner cheek with my tongue, I force myself to stay calm and allow her to come to her sense.“ Aleister, there was someone here! It can’t be a nightmare. ” She murmurs, her wide blue eyes roaming around the room as if she is waiting for something to emerge from the corners.I lean in and pick her in my arms. She is so fucking out of it that she doesn’t even protest while I carry her to the bed and sit her down gently. When I felt her panic and agony a few minutes ago, I genuinely thought someone got to her but here she is…giving me a headache over some meaningless nightmares.“ Aleister. Listen to me. ” Her hands fist my shirt, as she refuses to let me go.I grab her hands and remove them from my clothes before rising to my height and looking down at her. Her head falls back, her eyes finding min
AVERY “ If I was just your mate…and not your enemy’s sister…would you have treated me the same as now? ” There is no point in asking but I still do. The little vulnerable moment with him has opened a gateway to more embarrassing moments that I can’t put a stop to. “ Am I not gentle enough? ” He smirks like a true grim reaper and keeps his focus on wrapping a clean bandage on my arm. It still feels surreal to have an open wound that needs care. But he is the one who cares about it and this makes things more weird for me. If someone had told me he would ask Draven to come to my room in the middle of the night just to get a clean bandage while he held my arm and inspected the cut, I wouldn’t believe it in a billion years. But here he is, doing strange things. Maybe, he switches personalities often and has a loose screw in his head. “ Stop looking at me like that. ” He says without picking his head. “ I was thinking— ” “ I don’t believe your brain is on that level of functioning y
AVERY “ Did they do something to you? ” Worry clouds my features as I spin Renee around for the nth time and inspect her body for any signs of torture. “ No, Princess. They didn’t do anything. How many times do I need to tell you? ” She sighs, gripping my rapidly moving hands. Momentarily, I freeze and look into her eyes to find out if she is lying but she looks at peace and…okay. A huge burden lifts off my shoulders. My muscles loosen and my heartbeat slows down considerably. “ Where did they take you? ” I swallow the unease in my throat. “ They gave me a room and locked me in there. ” Renee whispers, slowly dragging me to the bed and sitting me down on it. “ Renee, tell me if anyone attempted— ” “ They gave me food three times a day and provided me with these clothes. See, Princess. ” She stands straight and spreads her arms so I can see the black dress she is wearing. It’s clean and looks new. My brows furrow as my eyes take her in again unconsciously. “ I was worried abou
AVERY My eyes snap open and land on her. She looks away instantly and stares at the wall to avoid my glare. What does Dustin mean by this now? Does he want me to fight or lay dormant and let Aleister rule me? How does he want me to get Aleister Anasazi on our side exactly? It will take a copy of Dustin’s mind to understand the contradictory things he says. I huff when a knock sounds on the door and turn to look at it. Without much delay, it clicks open to reveal the stupid grin of the detested man. I roll my eyes and lean back to look at Renee again. “ If I could see my brother right now, I would tell him to stop being a freak. His stupid plan, whatever it is, got me to this point and really, I am in no mood to listen to whatever it is that he wants or needs me to hear. ” I scoff, rising from the bed. “ My King thought your mood would be better after seeing your long-lost friend but the opposite seems to have happened. ” Draven tilts his head to the right and throws me a wide g
AVERY “ I was scared last night, My King. It felt like someone was trying to kill me right under your nose. ” I bat my lashes, sliding a little closer to him, occupying more space between his parted thighs. The people in the throne room seem to have disappeared altogether because no one dares to speak again. “ I thought I should call you to my room and keep you to myself all night because I couldn’t sleep due to the fear and I thought if you were in the bed with me, it would be easier for me to…catch some sleep. ” I whisper, but I am sure everyone can hear. “ What are you trying to do? ” Draven scoffs but Aleister lifts his hand in the air, shutting him up again. The smug King is enjoying having me kneeling between his legs. My stomach tightens into knots. “ What do you want, Princess? ” Aleister runs his knuckles down my cheek gently. “ You know…My King… ” I cringe and don’t make the effort to cover it when only Aleister can see, “ I couldn’t sleep at all after our long night
AVERYHis eyes, wide and round stare back at me while his hand gestures at me to do something. I can’t make sense of it. I think he wants me closer, or maybe, he wants me gone.“ Don’t. ” I murmur, again and again and again but they pay no heed to it.My words mean nothing to them tonight. When I try to get them off with my hands, a push sends me flying in the air.The world spins as the window becomes smaller in my view. When I finally hit the floor, something cracks, and choked screams erupt from my mouth.A sharp breath, and then nothing but an endless abyss of pain. I gasp, my eyes shooting open to meet the familiar black pants and a muscular thigh. For a few moments, I blink and breathe deeply to regain my senses.My trembling fingers touch the side of my head. When nothing wet touches them, I swallow and sit up, only to have a hand weave into my hair and pull my head back.“ Was it sweet? ” The pair of grey eyes, intense and piercing, stare back at me.“ Huh? ” I blink again.“
AVERYLife is unpredictable, they say.I caress the cheek of the newborn, my finger trembling softly. I am awed and reduced to a teary-eyed, half-conscious woman with nothing more meaningful in life than the bundle lying on the bed beside me. So, I believe now…Life is unpredictable. If someone had told me that I will give birth to a beautiful girl, with glassy grey eyes and a sharp cry…I would have told them that I didn’t need them to fool me into believing things that would never happen.But it has happened.“ You have the right. ” Aleister lays on the other side, watching the girl lying between us with similar expressions. He looks dazed as if he is in a dream and scared of touching this beautiful creature.“ We decided on that. You will get to name her if it’s a girl. ” I pull my knees to my chest, trying hard to forget the pain I felt during labor yesterday. People say something else too—they say giving birth is no easy feat. It’s like dying and coming back to life after seei
AVERY“ Was this really as necessary as you make it out to be? ” I ask, moving across his room, smoothening down the non-existent creases in the dress.It’s the same gown that I wore to the festival. Back then, Aleister sent me away without even looking at me but he carried this dress with him wherever he went when I left him.Now, he wants me to wear it on my initiation. I told him it’s unnecessary, but he insists that I must wear this.“ I can get you a new dress if you want, my Princess. ” Aleister says, stepping out of the dressing room and pulling me into his arms immediately. I notice the dark suit he is wearing, the material fitting every bulging muscle and making him appear bigger than he already is. Our eyes meet and warmth spreads in my insides—It’s instant and soothing. “ How do I look? ” I whisper, reaching up to press my lips to his mouth gently.“ Like my Princess. ” Aleister tilts his head, connecting our lips again. “ Like the greatest star in the sky or the beautif
AVERYIt was not as bad as I imagined it. Aleister did stick out from the others, but no matter how wary they were, they couldn’t say anything about it or him anymore.We had breakfast together, and then I showed Aleister around. As expected, Dustin gave us a side eye whenever we stumbled across him but he couldn’t do anything about it which left me giddy.For the first time in my life, I have my own team. Aleister and I are together, and I don’t care if the whole world is on the other side. He is enough for me.But I like that my former friends and acquaintances have accepted him as my mate.“ You have been smiling from the morning. ” Aleister mumbles, pressing a kiss to my neck from behind.“ Do you not like it when I smile? ” I inquire playfully.“ Of course, I love it, Princess. ” He trails a path of kisses up my neck as his hand rests on my stomach, caressing it softly. “ I want you to keep smiling like this forever. Will you do that for me? ”“ If you don’t make me mad, I will. ”
DUSTIN“ What are you thinking now? ” Lenora asks curiously.“ That’s not the right question, Lenora. ” I tell her and place my palm over the edge of the window. The sea appears calm today, or maybe, it’s just me. I am calm, inside out. There is no noise inside my head right now. After seeing Avi genuinely happy, I think I will be better for some time. “ Did you always know that King is her mate? ” She inquires and stands beside me.“ Does it matter? ” I wonder. Why does everyone make a fuss about it? If I know, so what? Does it change anything?The loser thinking makes me want to roll my eyes. If you jump into the ditch after knowing that it’s not deep or you jump without knowing it’s not deep…it’s all the same. In the end, you still have to jump in the ditch. “ How did you know? ” She turns her head and studies me curiously.“ Moon Goddess told me. ” I vowed to not lie to Lenora before, so she gets all the honest answers.She snickers. “ I am serious, Dustin. ”It’s another thi
ALEISTER“ Levian…can tell when someone is lying. If you had stayed back, he would have found out about your child. You don’t realize how brutal he can be when it comes to getting what he wants. And right now, it’s not the time for the war. It’s time to hide that you are pregnant, Avi. ” Dustin explains to her.“ You want to hide my child? ” She huffs. “ that’s not happening. ”“ That’s why I didn’t tell you before. Now that your mate here has told Levian that you are not pregnant and that he is not allied with the other three Kingdoms, Levian is not desperate to snatch your child. He will wait. Because he believes we are weak when we are not united as the four Kingdoms. ” He says and wipes the dried blood from under his nose again. “ He will wait for you to find your mate. ” I conclude neutrally.“ He will wait for me to break and join him. Or he will wait for a mate to come to break me and get me to lose my mind like the rest of you. ” Dustin replies, and smirks. “ but that’s never
ALEISTERI have a hunch that Dustin Landric—the twat let me hit him intentionally. I would have preferred if he fought back. I don’t enjoy hitting those who want to get hit.“ Aleister. ” My Princess nuzzles into my neck, and peer at me with her puppy eyes.My throat feels heavy as I stare into those eyes. I came here to be mad at her. Her friend sent me a letter and informed me that my Princess hadn’t left me and it was all her brother’s plot. He drugged her and kidnapped her.But she could have let me know about it.And she didn’t.I was mad, but what do I feel right now? The heaviness in my throat increases. She loves me, she is carrying my child and she is showing me that she cares about me without giving a fuck about the watching eyes.It’s like I am in a dream. Maybe, I lost my mind back in the South and this is a part of a beautiful imagination.If it’s that…I slide her stray hair behind her ear and watch as she smiles at me brightly. Her blue eyes are moist, and they still l
AVERY“ Once we are done, do you want me to give you a visit to the Wolveshire Citadel? ” I wonder, clinging to Aleister’s arm.He glances at my eyes, slowly looks down at my arm wrapped around his bicep, blinks, then looks away. From where I walk beside him, I can see his neck turning slightly red.“ I don’t think your brother would like that. ” Aleister grumbles under his breath as we step into the sitting area.“ I think the same. ” I nod quickly. “ but I don’t mind. He can be broody about it and go sulk in his room. ” My eyes wander off to my brother who is standing in front of the window, his back to us. “ Ava. ” Nora squeaks, grabbing my attention.I look to my right and find the rest of them standing beside the couches stiffly. Their wary glares filter towards Aleister, making me frown.Subtly, Tyson pushes Amelia behind him and stands in front of her protectively while the girl looks as horrified as a dying fish. Nora and King Striker are beside them, all in their defensive s
AVERYI fake a gasp and roll on the bed. Instantly, Aleister halts and turns to me worriedly.“ What happened? ” He asks, approaching me hurriedly.I clutch my head until he is standing in front of me. When he leans in, I grab his shoulder and sit him on the bed again.My eyes narrow. “ I liked what we did but I don’t want anyone to see this view. ”I point towards his abdomen before rolling out of the bed and grabbing his pants to throw them at him.“ You faked it? ” He rolls his eyes.“ I know what works with you. I just used that information. ” I shrug, searching for my dress. The look of disbelief comes back on his face. He leans back, dropping the pants on the floor again.“ I am not wearing them. You wanted to fuck me in your room. Now you can’t hide me, Princess. ” He chuckles, balancing himself on his palms.“ First of all, we didn’t do what you said we did. We— ”“ Made love? That’s the same as fucking. My cock goes in and out your— ” A knock silences him. Gasping, I drop t
AVERYI am getting worried now. Aleister hasn’t said anything for like an hour after what I told him.I am comfortably lying on top of him now, and I am so tired that I want to sleep. But the hundred different emotions that keep surging back and forth in my mind keep me wide awake.I yawn, snuggling into his neck. “ say something. This silence is irritating me now. ”Silence meets me as a reply again.I huff and draw my face out of his neck just to glare at him. But he looks lost and his eyes see right through me.“ Are you that shocked? Did you not want— ”“ You said…it’s not possible. ” Aleister finally mumbles, his heart beating like a loud drum under my palm.My gaze meets his wide eyes as I sigh. “ Well, my Mom lied about that. I am perfectly fine. I confirmed with a Healer. ”“ What? ” Aleister whispers, his eyes still holding disbelief.“ Yes, Mom lied and made me believe I couldn’t get pregnant. ” I shrug, dropping my head back. “ but who knew…her lie would get me pregnant mor