Viktor adds extra security detail for Frederick’s visit. Apparently he travels with an entourage Darius has had personal experience with. They want to make sure everything goes off without a hitch.
“Whatever you do, don’t show fear. I’ll be right beside you,” Darius assures me as we walk the halls of Draven manor towards a wing of the large estate I’ve never even been too. The floors go from a dark wood to cold concrete and the temperature drops. We descend a spiral stone staircase and the temperature drops even more. Darius takes off his jacket and hands it to me. Surprisingly he takes my hand. I glance over my shoulder at Aria who follows a few people behind us. She’s already glaring at me.
When we make our way to the bottom of the staircase we’re in what looks like a throne room. There are six seats set on a raised concrete platform. The seats are made of wood painted black with gold trimming and embellishments. With a glance I can make out the Draven’s royal symbol. Above the thrones is a large canopy made of rich black and gold fabric that also contains the Draven’s royal symbol.
Viktor sits in one of the tallest chairs in the middle, Esme to his left in the other tall chair, and William and Jackson to her left. Darius sits to his father’s right, I sit to Darius’ right, and Aria sits to my right. Other’s fill in the room, standing, Cara, April and Helena included. It’s been so long since I’ve seen Cara. She doesn’t look well.
The next time the doors open Frederick and several of his men enter. Everyone bows to Viktor, but Frederick does not. It’s a clear challenge to Viktor’s power. “Are your knees broken?” Viktor wastes no time pointing out the disrespect. All eyes shift to Frederick who refuses to kneel. “My son can make you kneel if you need help.”
Frederick hesitates then he finally kneels, bowing his head to Viktor. For someone trying to gain Frederick’s favor, he’s not off to a good start.
“This is a little much don’t you think?” Frederick waves his hand to the throne and canopy.
“Since you and my little brother are planning to take our birthright from us I figured it’s only right that we remind you that we are royalty by blood,” Viktor answers smiling wickedly.
Frederick’s gaze falls to me, Aria, Darius, and then back to me. “You’re glowing as only a mother would,” he addresses me.
Darius gives my hand a squeeze. He doesn’t want me to answer. Instead, he answers for me, “Yes, she’s with child,” Darius replies sounding bored. “Care to make anymore obvious observations while you search for weaknesses within our family?”
Frederick laughs. “The bloodthirsty prince,” he takes a step towards Darius, “I must say, your reputation is quite frightening. Let me see if I have this correct…you killed your best friend and a girl whose only mistake was falling in love with you. And that’s merely a fraction of those you’ve killed before the age of eighteen.” Darius grips the wood of his chair so hard his knuckles turn white. “Tell me, how does someone who hates humans as much as you do come to marry one so…precious? Never mind, don’t answer that. Your reputation in the bedroom precedes you as well.”
“Did you come to flatter me? Is that what this little visit is about?”
Frederick ignores Darius and addresses me instead, “How are you lady Draven?”
I look to Darius who nods. “I’m fine and you?”
“Better now that I’ve heard your sweet voice,” he smiles. Darius’ temples flicker and his nails dig into the wooden arms of his chair. “I’d like to discuss business with you.”
I want to turn to look at Darius, but I can’t appear to be weak. Instead I hold my head high and tell him, “Any business you have with me you have with all of us.”
“I beg to differ. You’re the only one who shares my sentiments,” he argues.
“She’s not the only one,” Darius steps forward off his makeshift throne to address him. He kneels to Frederick as they come face to face and I couldn’t be more confused. “I also share your sentiments for the human population.”
Part of me waits to hear Viktor protest, but he doesn’t. He sits quietly in his chair while his heir apparent does all of the negotiating.
“Lucien assured me that you were against helping the human population,” Frederick eyes Darius skeptically. Still, he isn’t quite sure. The feud between brothers is well known amongst the night-dweller population.
“My wife is human, my son will be partially human, and while some would like to rid the earth of humans…I find that they would benefit us more alive than dead. Join me…alone.”
Darius escorts Frederick away from the throne room, or whatever it’s called, while the rest of us sit and wait. This isn’t how I expected things to go. When Darius told me Frederick wanted to meet me I assumed I would be the one to talk to him…to dictate our terms. I look to Viktor who looks utterly bored. He picks his nails with a sharp knife while William and Jackson both drum their fingers along the arms of their chairs, waiting.
When Frederick doesn’t immediately return his men become antsy. They try to leave, but Jackson stands and with a single gaze he drops them all to one knee. Now they look frightened both for themselves and for their lord.
After at least twenty minutes, Frederick and Darius return, all smiles as if they’ve been the best of friends since creation. Jackson releases his hold on Frederick’s men and they sigh with relief.
This time Frederick willingly kneels to Viktor. “You have my full support Lord Viktor Draven,” Frederick pledges his allegiance to us.
“And my brother?” Viktor asks.
“Let’s just say Darius has made me a more attractive offer,” Frederick replies. His eyes shift to me, raking over me from head to toe, violating me, “Had I have known how knowledgeable and generous you could be, I would’ve pledged my allegiance to you a long time ago.”
“My father, Vladimir, will be pleased to hear you join our ranks.”
“Make sure you tell him it is my pleasure,” Frederick bows.
He motions for his men to follow and just like that this meeting is over. Viktor beams with pride at Darius, walking over to him and clapping him on the shoulder. “Your brilliance knows no bounds son,” he kisses Darius on the forehead.
“His allegiance isn’t without cost, father,” Darius replies, glancing over at me. Viktor follows his gaze and the smile on his face makes my skin crawl. Somehow I get the feeling I’m not going to like this. Darius and his father leaves before I get the chance to ask any questions and Esme takes me by the hand, escorting me to my chambers.
With Darius unavailable, I turn to Esme for answers, “When Darius said Frederick’s allegiance isn’t without cost, he looked at me…why?” I ask.
Esme takes a deep breath and turns to me, but she doesn’t look me in the eye. “If I had to guess, I’d say you were the bargaining chip,” she sighs.
“Meaning?”
“Meaning it’s customary for night-dwellers to offer up their brides to those interested in order to seal an allegiance. In other words, Frederick wants you and Darius gave his consent.”
“Consent for what?” I gasp.
“Who knows,” she shrugs, “we’re property to them. Our comfort isn’t exactly at the top of their priority list.” Smiling, Esme turns on her heel and leaves.
My mind goes a mile a minute digesting and analyzing everything Esme said. She never said exactly what he agreed to, she doesn’t know. After returning to my room I begin to pace the floor, waiting for Darius to grace me with his presence. When he does, he senses the questions swirling around in my head and quickly says, “It’s not what you think.”
“Did you offer me to Lord Frederick?”
Sighing, he nods, “Yes.”
“To do what exactly?”
He reaches out to grasp my face in his hands and I back away from him, “Not what you think. You should know by now that I’m not one to share my things with others.”
“Then what is it that he expects me to do, and things? Is that what I am to you? A thing? Property as your father so eloquently put it?”
Again Darius sighs. “You shouldn’t get so worked up over every little thing, it’s bad for the baby.”
“Don’t patronize me Darius.”
Taking a step towards me like a predator stalking his prey, Darius kisses me on the head and then he sinks his teeth into my neck. It’s always without warning. I suck in a breath and allow him to feed. Its yet another reason I haven’t had any energy lately.
When he’s finished making me his meal, he turns me around to face him and kisses me, hoping to work me up.
“I want to see my family,” I tell him. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, and I miss them. I miss being in my old room hanging out with Eliza. I miss sitting on the sofa watching scary movies with Lucas. “I want to spend a weekend with them.”
Darius backs away from me and studies my eyes for a moment. “Why?” I detect irritation in his voice. Any time I bring up going away for more than a day he gets this way. “You’re safer here.”
“I just need a break for a few days and I haven’t seen my family since the day I was practically killed by a train.”
“I just don’t get why you need a break. The servants wait on you hand and foot.”
“Why does it bother you that I’d like to go?”
Without warning, Darius gets up and heads into the shower. Unwilling to let this go, I follow him into the shower waiting for him to acknowledge me. After a long awkward silence, he finally speaks. “I don’t want you to go.”
“They’re my family Darius.”
“No, I’m your family.”
“You are, but it doesn’t erase what they mean to me. I’m not trying to leave you I just want to spend time with them.”
Darius examines me for a long while, and then he finally relents, “Fine, then I’ll go with you.”
“What? No.” I protest.
My protests only raise his curiosity. He doesn’t trust me and I haven’t the slightest clue why. Sighing he says, “If you want to visit your family, I’m going with you.” There’s no room for debate. These are his terms.
“Okay fine,” I cave, “But you have to promise me you’ll be on your best behavior.”
“What kind of man do you think I am?”
Muttering underneath my breath I say, “A controlling one.”
“I heard that,” he smirks.
As soon as we’re done showering Darius immediately gets to work making arrangements for our trip to my parent’s home. I head into the kitchen to make myself something to eat when Aria startles me, sitting down at the counter across from me. I didn’t even hear her come in.
“Darius tells me you’re having a boy,” her eyes never leave my stomach. There’s pain in them. I’m not sure what to say to her and I’m frozen in place. “Relax, I’m not going to hurt you Giselle. Contrary to what you may think, I was hoping you and I could be…friends.”
“Friends?” I glower at her, “We’re in love with the same man, how can we ever be friends?”
“Darius I’m assuming?”
“Yes.”
“If you want him, you can have him.”
I’m baffled by her response, “How?”
“I love Darius, but I’m not in love with him,” Aria explains.
“You could’ve fooled me.”
“Let’s just say I’d much prefer the soft hands of another woman,” her eyes wash over me. “I bet your hands are really soft too.”
Taking a step back, I gasp, “You’re insane.”
“So I’ve been told, but don’t knock it until you try it.”
Part of me hopes she’s joking but a small part of me fears she isn’t. She’s serious. Something is seriously wrong with this chick. Darius walks into the room and freezes. “Aria?”
“Hello love,” she turns to smile at him, “I was just tempting Giselle with an ménage-a-trois.”
“And?”
“She refused as you said she would.”
They’ve talked about this…he knew? My eyes flicker over to Darius. He laughs and joins me in the kitchen. Judging from his reaction, he’s not surprised or angry. If anything he seems amused. Apparently his not wanting to share his things doesn’t apply to Aria.
“You’ve talked to her about this?”
“On occasion,”
“You’d be okay with something like that?”
“I’m a man Giselle. The two women I love in one bed, together…what man hasn’t fantasized about such a thing,” he replies.
“He’d have no need to leave your bed to find mine if you were to agree,” Aria adds, devouring me from head to toe with her eyes, while biting the nail on her index finger.
“Is that what you do every night? You visit her bed once you’re done visiting mine?” I ask.
“Don’t ask questions you don’t really want to know the answer to,” Darius grimaces.
“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t want to know.”
Kissing me on the lips and caressing my cheek with his thumb in a circular motion, Darius rests his forehead against mine, “You always think you want to know until you hear the answer,” he kisses me again. “All you need to know is that I love you no matter who else I share a bed with.”
Looking into his eyes, I believe every word he says. He closes the space between us, and backs me up against what I thought was the counter, but soon a second pair of hands is all over me. I open my mouth to protest when Darius silences me with his tongue before I can protest.
Aria takes my shirt off and tosses it to the floor. Everything is happening so fast I don’t have time to react. I never agreed to an ménage-a-whatever she said, but it’s happening and I feel powerless to stop it. It’s what Darius wants…I think…or maybe it’s what he wants me to want…
I’m so confused. And even though I want to push her away, my mouth stays shut and my protests remain buried. If love makes a person blind, I must be blind, deaf and mute.
They switch positions, with Darius behind me now and Aria standing before me. She leans in to kiss me and I clench my eyes shut, trying to imagine its Darius kissing me, and not…don’t even think her name…
Kissing Aria is like kissing Darius only her hands are softer. She cups my breasts, kissing between them and sliding her tongue over my now exposed nipples. I have to focus on Darius to keep from gagging.
On the inside I cringe, because I know whose touching me, but on the outside my flesh betrays me, aroused. It seems like it should be impossible, but its happening. I’m letting it happen. Part of it is curiosity and the other part is this sick need to please Darius.
He pulls me out of Aria’s grasp and leads me back into the bedroom. She levels him with a glare, but it only brings a smile to his face. He wants her to know whose in charge. I belong to him and nothing happens without his permission. He’s teasing her by dangling bait in her face. I’m the bait. She’ll get what she wants, but at his discretion. His controlling ways doesn’t just extend to me, he’s controlling when it comes to her too. I thought it was just with me…
I face Darius now as he continues to undress me. Focusing on him helps me ignore the fact that Aria is kissing my neck and along my spine. I must be out of my mind to let this happen.
Once I’m completely undressed, Aria swings me around to face her and smirks over my shoulder at Darius. I feel like a toy caught between two children.
Aria kisses me again, but this time I don’t shy away. It’s too late to go back now. The only thing I can do, is see this through at this point, and hope it ends quickly. Aria kisses me fervently and I keep my eyes closed. It isn’t until I feel cold air on my back that I open my eyes to look for Darius. He now stands behind Aria, kissing her neck and cupping his hands around her breasts. That sight alone causes me to back away from them, but Darius’ hand is quickly behind my head, pulling me back over to them. He crushes his mouth to mine over Aria’s shoulder and my mind goes blank.
When I can finally put a thought together, I’m on my back on the bed with Darius at my side, still kissing me. Moments later, a cold, wet tongue breaches the folds of my center and I gasp. Aria’s cold hands grip my thighs, holding them apart as her tongue lashes against my core with a fury not even Darius can rival.
They take turns driving me to the brink of exploding, always careful not to let me get to the point of no return. It’s torture…plain and simple. I don’t know how anyone could stand this.
Aria climbs on top of me, and counters, pulling me on top of her. If she thinks I’m going south, she’s lost her mind. I don’t even want to kiss her at this point. I’m back to wanting to back out of this. I have no idea what Darius is doing. I haven’t felt his hands or his lips touch my body, but I know he’s not far. I get my answer several minutes later when he enters me from behind.
I don’t know how I find the strength to, but after he works me over slowly, tunneling inside me setting off tiny explosions of pleasure throughout my core, I explode once more. Dear God he’s really good at this. If this is any indication of his reputation with women, its well deserved.
I don’t know when I actually fell asleep, but I wake up alone to an empty bed. The first thing I do is make myself a hot bath, and sit in it. It’s my usual routine after a tryst with Darius. Add Aria into the mix and part of me is happy to scrub my skin until its raw. Not only am I sore, but also I’m partially in disbelief. I can’t believe I just did that.
“You look like shit,” Cara startles me, standing in the doorway to my bathroom.
“I feel like I’ve been in a war,” I groan, sinking further into the water to let the heat massage my muscles.
“Its more like you’ve been tussling with an Anaconda,” she chuckles, “These Draven men come well equipped.”
“With insatiable appetites to boot,” I laugh. “How are you and William?”
“We’re still married,” she smiles. Her smile never reaches her eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“What’s not wrong,” she sighs as tears form in her eyes, “Do you know that prior to Frederick’s visit I haven’t seen William in over a month?”
Shock washes over me and I quickly sit up. “Why not?”
“Apparently he’s really fond of his other wife,” she sulks. The look in her eyes, the heartache…it’s a feeling I know all too well. I’ve had those feelings myself when it comes to Darius and his feelings for Aria.
“I know how you feel,” I flash her an apologetic smile, “Do you want to know what Darius and I did this afternoon? We had a threesome...Darius, Aria and I.” I lay my head back against the cool tile of the tub. “I don’t know what happened. One minute I was kissing him and the next it was the three of us. I didn’t want to do it, but then I did, and so I let it happen, but now I’m starting to have regrets. The only reason I did it was for him.”
“Well…she could do much better than your scrawny ass,” Cara teases, “I’m surprised Darius hasn’t snapped you in half by now.”
My jaw drops and I flick water at her for revenge. “I am not that scrawny and Darius can be surprisingly gentle when he wants to be.”
“Well I say enjoy it. Her tits are amazing. I bet she looks amazing naked.”
“Ew,” I scowl at her, “I’m not into girls, but yes…her body is amazing. It puts mine to shame. No wonder Darius is so hung up on her.”
“Don’t get all emo on me. At least Darius still sleeps with you. William hasn’t touched me in over a month.”
I grimace at the thought. “I don’t know.”
“Well you better get a clue soon. These Draven men are a hard sort to keep hold of. Whatever you won’t do, Aria will,” I flick more water at her then bathe myself and climb out of the tub. “I doubt she has a cuter ass than you do though. It’s like an apple.”
Laughing, I shake my head and get dressed. Darius walks into the room and his eyes flicker between Cara and I. They betray his hidden thoughts. Caveman.
“Where were you?” I asked.
“You fell asleep, so we finished next door,” he replied, nonchalantly.
“Alone?”
Detecting the hurt in my tone, Darius turns to meet my gaze. “Giselle, you were sleeping. We would’ve loved to finish with you, but you were exhausted,” he sighs.
“You could have just stopped.”
Darius’ eyes flick from me to Cara, conveying a silent command. She quickly leaves the room and closes the door. Darius shoves his hands in his pocket and takes a step towards me, but I back away. I’m hurt and I can’t hide it. “What is this?” He asks.
“I didn’t want to do that earlier,” I finally find my voice.
“You didn’t say anything.”
“Of course I didn’t. I was trying to please you,” I sulked.
“Just be yourself.”
“Most of the time I am,” I sigh, “but it seemed like something you really wanted to do.”
A realization set in his eyes and he sighs heavily. “If I wanted a doormat I would’ve married a monkey Giselle.”
Glowering at him, I flip him off, “It’s not easy being your wife, you know. If I don’t do what you want then you go all zero dark thirty on me. I don’t know when I’m supposed to stand up to you or give in. You don’t make it easy, or fair.”
“So you sleeping with Aria is my fault then?”
This is exactly why I need to get away for a few days. I feel like I can’t think straight with him around. “That’s not what I’m saying-”
“What exactly are you trying to say then?”
Rather than say what’s on my mind, I concede. “Nothing,” I lie.
He examines me for a moment, and then begins to pack for our trip to my parent’s house while I watch silently. He didn’t pressure me into sleeping with Aria, but he’s the reason I did it. He’s the reason I do most things nowadays. Like this trip…he’s the reason I needed a getaway in the first place and now he’s coming with me.
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