Dark heiress, p.35
Dark Heiress, page 35
part #5 of Ema Marx Series
“There is nothing to forgive,” said Jalmari. “Something tells me Rick intended to show that certificate to the Council any way he could.”
Naamah’s brow lifted in askance, and Jesu quickly repeated his conversation with Brinnon. When he finished, Naamah went to the sitting area and lowered onto the couch. The three of us went to stand near him. “A rogue R.E.D. investigator,” he said thoughtfully.
I was having trouble believing it myself. Rick was so dorky. And nice. And young. And beware of the wolf in sheep’s clothing. “I feel like an idiot.”
Jesu put a hand on my shoulder. “It is not the first time we have had to deal with them.”
“No,” Jalmari agreed. “It isn’t. But it’s fucking inconvenient.”
“I will call headquarters,” said Naamah. “Get the proper procedures started.”
“And I will personally escort Gerson into his new chambers,” Jalmari growled.
My nerves jumped and I squeaked. “You mean the dungeon?”
“What about the Council?” Jesu asked. “What about ... everything else?”
“One thing at a time.” Naamah already had his cell phone pressed to his ear.
Jalmari gripped Jesu’s shoulder. “Stay here. If they come, give them nothing.”
Jalmari vanished, and Jesu sighed.
“Hello?” Naamah stood and paced toward the small kitchen. He switched his conversation to Finnish, which annoyed me, but kept Jesu’s interest.
“What’s he saying?” I whispered.
Jesu shook his head. “He’s reporting Rick. They will send someone.”
“What will happen to him?”
Jesu shrugged. “Don’t know.”
I pursed my brow, thinking. “Jesu, we don’t know for sure that Rick would have sabotaged us if Naamah hadn’t dropped the certificate. What would he even have to gain by outing us?”
Jesu looked at me, his brow furrowed. “Doesn’t matter. He disobeyed orders and broke protocol. They are not allowed to do that, Ema. We stay in line; they stay in line. That is how it works. That is the only way we can maintain trust. Gerson knows that.”
I nodded, and Jesu pulled me against his chest, enfolded me in his muscled arms. I didn’t know what would happen now that the entire Neo-Draugrian Council knew Jalmari, Naamah, and I plotted to put a vampire on the throne without their knowledge or approval. But as troubling as that obstacle was, it wasn’t the one that worried me most.
Why would Rick go rogue? Knowing the consequences, why risk it? What was in it for him?
Jesu
Naamah ended his call with a sigh. “It is done,” he said in English for Ema’s benefit. “They are sending someone to collect Rick.”
Ema squirmed in my arms, turning to face the Second in Command. “When?”
“They will text me the arrival time soon.”
“Most likely tomorrow morning,” I murmured.
Ema squelched her lips together. “What do we do in the meantime?” She glanced at me. “What does this mean for my sentence?”
I drew a sharp breath between my teeth and cupped the left side of her jaw in my palm. This is the part I was afraid of. “I wanted to wait until after the coronation to tell you.”
She blinked, and her fear manifested in the dilation of her pupils. Naamah went still, waiting for me to continue. I chose my words carefully.
“It is as we perceived. Jordan will grow up as a warden of the Brotherhood.”
She flinched, turning her back to me as she covered her face with her hands. “No. No, I didn’t think they would really ...”
“I will be with her, muru. Your parents, as well. She will not be alone. She will know her family. She will know her birthright.” She will know her brother. I stopped short, clenching my teeth together before I could voice that final thought. She asked for control. Let her believe she has some. Do not rip everything away.
Gently, I took her elbows into my hands. As if by some magnetism, she turned toward me and pressed her cheek against my chest. Her ribcage shook with quiet sobs. I held her tight and kissed the top of her head. My brother chose that moment to re-appear.
“It’s done,” he said grimly. His gaze went to Ema and me, and he planted his hands on his hips. “There’s no need for that. We will fix this.”
Ema turned, grabbed the nearest object—a lamp—and hurled it at Jalmari’s head. He ducked, and the lamp hit the wall, but if Ema’s intention was to anger him, she did an excellent job. My brother’s gaze flashed with his tempter, but Ema was angrier.
“They’re taking my child! And it’s all your fault!”
Jalmari eyed me.
My grip around Ema tightened, though I couldn’t say if it were to placate her or simply a reflex of my own anxiety. Either way, I scowled at Jalmari while explaining. “The R.E.D. gave their official decision to Brinnon when they closed the case. They went with Snow’s suggestion.”
Jalmari swallowed.
Ema broke away from me and ran to my bedroom. The door slammed shut behind her.
Naamah looked at us and grumbled orders. “You. Reassure your wife. You. Come with me. We need a plan.”
“Wait.” I stepped into their path, blocking them from the exit even though they could phase if they wanted to. My gaze slid in the direction of the hall to my bedroom door. The rooms in this wing were soundproof, but her anguish cut into me all the same. I gestured for Naamah and Jalmari to follow. We took the narrow stone corridor leading away from my quarters to the central kitchen of the castle. Once inside, I pressed my palms against the wooden countertop of the kitchen island, needing to hold on to something.
“What is it?” Jalmari demanded.
Using our native tongue in case Ema pried, I explained. “I had not the courage to say this in front of her.” I licked my lips, recalling the very long phone conversation with Brinnon. I had called to tell the Alpan king I would be keeping my son but wanted the details of the Protection Act as well—just in case. I needed to know how far Brinnon was willing to go. What it meant exactly when Ema added a name to her list. Brinnon’s answers were a comfort, and I would call on him if I needed to, but I had not been expecting his news regarding the R.E.D.’s decision.
“They are not used to this kind of organized rebellion in the States,” Brinnon had said, as if we were. “They’re panicking. They want Ema’s case over with so they can focus on the Rebels.”
“And?” Jalmari coaxed. His tone was harsh, commanding my thoughts back to the present.
I glared at him but felt the cracks in my resolve. This would hurt him as well. “We are to sign legal guardianship over to Snow.”
“What?” Jalmari growled.
“We can raise her and live with her, so long as it is near the training compound. But on paper she is to be stripped of clan and claim. If she ascends, you will be in direct violation of the law. You will be ...” I couldn’t say it.
“Executed,” Naamah finished for me.
I lowered my gaze to the floor. “Ema, too. If she does not co-operate.”
Jalmari looked at each of us, his gaze darting back and forth. Then he leaned his hip against the sink, folded his arms across his chest, and scoffed. “Well then. It looks like we need a new plan.”
“Does any of this extend to you or the boy?” Naamah inquired.
I shook my head.
“Anything else? Is Jalmari still required to abdicate?”
I nodded. “Yes, he is.”
My brother chuckled. “Of course. This is about punishing me. They want my line ended.”
“We can still give the throne to a man of our choosing.” Naamah eyed me.
“I don’t see how,” said Jalmari. “Ema and Jesu were only supposed to hold the throne for my heir. My daughter was the one the Council voted for. She was the purpose of this entire damned thing. And now she cannot ascend!”
“So put me on the throne,” said Naamah.
Jalmari and I both stared at him. Did Naamah really just suggest ...?
Naamah folded his arms over his chest and squared his shoulders. “How much time do we have before we must name another?”
“Two weeks,” I answered.
Naamah met my brother’s gaze and held it. “I am the one the Council favors. The next in line. I will hold the throne until we come up with a better idea.” He lifted his chin slightly. “You know you can trust me to give it back.”
I wasn’t so sure. If Maria were here ... She was the one who kept her husband in check. She was the one who raised us. Loved us. Looked out for our best interest, even when we didn’t agree with what that interest was. Naamah, though ... He was a good politic. A hard worker. Loyal. But something told me Naamah never would have stayed this long if not for Maria.
Naamah was willing to kill Ema to save Maria.
And I would have killed my own brother.
But was it a weakness or a strength, to love so fiercely? With Maria gone, who was Naamah now?
Jalmari studied Naamah. A muscle feathered near his jaw, and I could tell by my brother’s dark gaze that he was losing an argument with himself. Jalmari’s lips parted to speak, but my hand quickly darted out to touch his arm, stopping him. He peered at me.
“This predicament changes nothing, Jalmari. You agreed to sign over custody of Jordan anyway. No matter what, Ema will always be her mother and me, her father. Put me on the throne.”
Jalmari scowled. “If she can’t ascend—”
“She will,” I promised. “We will find a way. Hang the Council. Hang the laws. The people want a revolution. Let us give them one.”
Jalmari’s jaw clenched tight and he looked at me for a long moment. Then he nodded. Once. “I hope you know what you are doing.”
Not in the least. But I knew that it was right. It felt right. “Keep her alive.”
Our gazes went to Naamah. He sighed, but his tone did not convey anger. More like understanding of the severe gravity of the situation. “Speak of this to no one. Give me the rest of the day to feel out the Council. We may yet have allies.”
“Not one word to Ema,” I added, giving each man before me a narrowed glare. “She has enough to worry about.”
Jalmari snorted. “Works for me.”
I eyed Naamah. He hesitated, but ultimately nodded in agreement. “Don’t lie to her for too long, my friend.”
I waited until they both left the room. Then I sighed. Deeply. Letting my shoulders drop and my spine relax. It did nothing to ease the tight knot in my chest. As I faced the corridor to the fourth wing, drew a breath of courage, and took the first few steps back to my wife, Naamah’s warning played on a loop in my mind.
Don’t lie to her for too long.
Don’t lie to her.
Don’t lie.
Chapter 30
I lay in the middle of Jesu’s bed, head against the pillows, hands on my belly. My fingertips dipped below the elastic waistband of my pants, absorbing my own warmth. I didn’t know when Jesu got a new bed or cleaned his room—likely the servants did it—but I didn’t care. My mind went elsewhere. Too livid to focus.
The bedroom door opened slowly. I watched from my periphery as Jesu entered. He sat on the edge of the bed and faced me.
“We are continuing as planned,” he said simply.
My brow flickered. “How?”
“Force. Jalmari has two weeks before he must relinquish the throne. Until then, he is still the prince, and the prince can do as he wishes. Including naming his vampire brother his successor.”
I closed my eyes and drew a breath before opening them. “I know we planned for it, but ...” my voice cracked. Jesu leaned forward, placing one hand over mine. His fingertips, freshly calloused from the sketch in the common area of his quarters, brushed the skin below my navel as he threaded our hands together.
“She will be the safest little girl in the entire world, Ema. I promise you.” Jesu bent low and pressed his lips to my forehead. “Her brother, too.”
My nerves snapped to attention. Her brother, too. I sat upright, forcing Jesu to lean back as I glared at him. “You spoke to Brinnon. You called him after our argument, but it wasn’t to ask about Rick, was it?”
Jesu faltered. “No.” His lips pressed together, and his brow pinched in the center. “I spoke to him about our son as well.”
“And?” I demanded.
Jesu’s gaze darkened, but he released a breath and kept his voice even. “As you said, Brinnon is our backup plan. There if I need him.”
I scoffed and shook my head. “You’re going to keep him. You’re going to ignore what I want and just—”
“He needs his sister.” Jesu’s tone was firm. “And she will need him.”
“And I need to be there for my babies, but none of us are getting what we need, are we?”
Jesu jerked forward, facing away from me. His shoulders hunched toward his ears and his fingernails dug into the mattress.
I flattened one hand against my forehead as if I could wipe away the hurt in my mind. But it was my heart that broke. I wasn’t mad at Jesu. I wasn’t even mad at Rick or the R.E.D.
I was mad at myself, mad that I wouldn’t be available for a single birthday. A single first step or bruised knee. I was mad at the fact that I’d been an idiot. That I thought I could do this.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. When Jesu didn’t move, I scooted closer to him and touched his back, tracing the width of his shoulders. “Jesu, I’m sorry. I’m just ... I—”
His spine straightened and he looked at me. Big green kitten eyes shone in the dimness, barreling straight into my heart. My chest tightened and I reached out, pressing a hand to his cheek. He leaned into it, his thick lashes fanning the pad of my thumb. He made a sound in his throat like a whimper.
“Is it bad, do you think? How much we argue already?”
He smiled that crooked smile that I loved and dragged my hand from his cheek to his lips where he kissed my palm. “I seem to recall you promised a lot of arguing.”
“And making up.”
He looked at me through my splayed fingers and nodded. “And making up.”
I flew to him, pushing onto my knees and latching both hands behind his neck, letting all ten fingers tangle in his jet-black locks. Jesu caught me, his strong arms locking behind my midriff as our lips melded together, tasting each other, needing each other the way a flower needs rain. He pressed against me, and I eased onto the mattress, holding onto him. His body encased mine, his knees on either side of my thighs as he leaned over, lips on lips. Tongue tipping tongue. He wrapped my wrists in his large hands and pulled them away, lifting my arms up and back until my knuckles tapped the headboard. My body flushed hot as he deepened the kiss, and my clothing felt like a barricade that needed to be shed.
As if reading my mind, Jesu leaned back and pulled his shirt over his head, tossing the fabric aside. I did the same with my top, shoving it over the edge of the bed. I reached back and unclasped my bra. Jesu’s hungry green gaze lowered to my bust, and he hissed. Together we pulled the lace straps away from my breasts, freeing them. Jesu took one into his mouth and the heat of his breath as his lips closed around the nipple stung in a way that sent desire shooting through every nerve in my body. As he licked and suckled, his hands went to the simple elastic band of my pants. Tugging them past my hips, he freed my ass and legs. My hands went to the button of his jeans, popping it open.
Jesu scooted off the bed and stood. A roguish gaze traced the contours of my figure, and I lounged on top of the sheets for him, stretching my limbs for his viewing pleasure. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and I smiled impishly.
“Those pants better be next to go,” I said, admiring my own view of Jesu’s washboard abs and narrow hips.
He obliged, lowering the denim to his ankles. Stepping out of the pool of clothing, Jesu joined me on the bed.
“On top,” he commanded.
A grin cured my lips. I was all too happy to obey.
Jesu laid back as I straddled his hips. He tucked one arm behind his head and was content to watch from beneath hooded eyes as I tilted my hips and stroked the length of his cock with my folds, letting myself become engorged with the silky feel of him. With each gentle stroke, the tip threatened to find its way inside, but I worked carefully, coating him in a slickness of my own making without letting him inside. When I peeked at him, Jesu’s eyes were closed, his expression tight.
“Honestly, woman. Do I deserve this?”
If I hadn’t been pregnant, I would have continued teasing him until he grabbed me by the neck and pushed me against a wall. But I was pregnant, and we had to be careful, so I relented. Not too quickly, though. “What’s the magic word?”
“Please, before I pin you down like a dog.”
I chuckled. “Say it again.”
His lashes parted and he looked at me, his gaze a murky green that offset the tight line of his mouth. “Please.”
God, I loved seeing him under me like this. Hearing him beg. He was putty in my hands. Or more accurately, between my thighs ...
I lifted my hips higher than before. Both his hands went to my love handles and he gripped me hard. I watched his gaze as the faintest sliver of green—iridescent and beautiful, like the Northern lights—watched our groins come together as I sheathed his manhood in one smooth, blissful move. A pleasurable groan rumbled in his throat, echoing the bliss filling my core. I rode him, keeping a leisurely pace. My breath quickened as the muscles between my legs tightened around his cock. “Jesu ...”
He looked at me, his gaze turned lazy and peaceful. There was no rush. No need to hurry or hide. We could take our time. We could go slow and enjoy ourselves. It was exhilarating.
Jesu watched me work for a long while. He lifted a hand to my neck, pressing his thumb against my chin. Something thrilling passed over his glimmering gaze as I squirmed from the feel of him inside me. My passion mounted quickly toward climax no matter how unhurried the stride.
Jesu licked his lips. His gaze focused on the side of my neck, where his hand stayed. “There is a ... a thing vampyres sometimes do with a partner.”
