Heavy is the Crown: A Gothic Grove Novel, page 5
I gracefully pad over to him, careful to keep my body straight and my movements delicate. “Yes, Father?” Ever the demure princess, I keep my tone low and my gaze at his feet.
My father, however, grabs me roughly and drags me closer to him, squeezing my upper arm in a vice grip that I know will leave bruises tomorrow. My hair snags in his grip and pulls. A hiss escapes my mouth before I can hold it back, earning me a small shake. A reminder to keep my mouth shut. My father has never hit me, but he’s never been loving either. Sometimes, I think the only reason he doesn’t get physical is because of Jackson. He still views my father as a good man, and therefore, my father can control him better. I like to think if Jackson knew, truly knew, how our father treats me, he’d put a stop to it.
The dark-haired man laughs. “Ah, it’s hard to break them, isn’t it? She is a beauty, though; it pains me that we could not form an alliance through our children. My son would have given her powerful children.”
When I look at the man, his leering gaze burns into my body.
My father chuckles, but the sound sends chills down my spine. “Ah, you mean your stepson? I heard you sold your flesh and blood to Alexi. And how disappointed you must have been to learn just how powerful he ended up being, and you gave him over to a vampire.” The man, Julien, goes red in the face. “You’ll forgive me if I didn’t want to bind our family to someone who couldn’t even read his own son’s power level.”
(“It Had To Be You” – Tommee Profitt)
Panic starts to crawl up my throat, a thickness that I can’t swallow back. My tongue refuses to help me form words to ask the questions I have.
“There is still time for our houses to be joined; my stepson would produce a fine heir with her.” They speak as if I’m not even present. “Or even myself, I have not been wed in a long time.”
“She’s already been purchased. You are too late, dragon,” my father says.
My reality bottoms out for a moment, the room slowing to a halt before it all speeds back up with alarming clarity. “Excuse me, what are you talking about?” I finally manage to get out, eyes tracking between my father and Julien.
The dark-haired man addresses me first. “Daddy didn’t tell you? You are bought and paid for, sadly. I missed out on one hell of an opportunity.”
My stomach rolls, the champagne I consumed threatening to come up. “What have you done?” I breathe out, horror worming its way into my body like a parasite as I stare up at my father.
No emotions play across his face, no warmth or love, as he says, “I did what has been done for centuries. Your body, your womb. They have been for sale since you were born. You will produce powerful heirs and serve this realm.” He glances at the massive clock next to the throne he and my mother normally sit atop. “You should be meeting him shortly, didn’t you know? Tonight is your wedding.”
I want to vomit. My body shakes head to toe. Wrenching myself free of his grip, I turn and flee, shoving myself through the crowd as quickly as I can. People shout when I knock into them, and I hear glass breaking as I hit a server with a tray. But none of that matters, all that matters is escape. I bolt up the grand staircase, my pace never slowing until I run headfirst into my bedroom door. I fumble with the knob, nearly in a panic before it unlatches, and I push myself in, slamming the door behind me.
Sobs heave through my chest as I try to get control of my breathing. Try to calm down. Run. I need to run. I can’t wait for my original plan. I rip the jewels from my body and hastily remove my dress, then I pull on dark leggings and my brother’s sweatshirt. The sound of knocking on my door has me pausing, but when I hear my mother’s voice, I throw myself toward my window and haul up the dark backpack hidden below it for this moment. I wrench the window open but pause as an idea barges into my head. Doubling back, I grab the discarded jewels and shove them deep into the zippered pocket with the stack of money I’ve been squirreling away. The straps of my pack loop around my chest as I secure the one thing that will keep me alive outside of Hell.
“Ava, stop being dramatic. You come out this instant and return to the party. I will not have you ruining this,” my mother yells.
But I don’t stop. I keep moving until I’ve hoisted myself up and over my balcony, then I climb down into the grass. I race toward the garage that holds my brother’s cars and bikes and send up a silent thank-you that the door is unlocked. For a moment, I’m immobilized by the idea that Jackson will have no idea why I fled, that I won’t be able to say goodbye to him. And then an equally terrifying thought slams into me—what if Jackson knew what tonight was? His words from the other night come back to me, spurring the fear forward.
Taking a deep breath, I swing my leg over the massive piece of machinery, my tiny body barely able to support its weight. I only have precious moments before my mother realizes I’m not in my bedroom and sends the guards to find me. Turning the key, I feel the engine rumble to life beneath me, and before I can second-guess myself, I speed off into the inky night toward my freedom. Toward a life that will be free of captivity. One of my own choosing.
FIVE
Dragons are difficult to kill.
Not impossible.
– Rosewood Family Journal
Drago
Nothing about this moment feels as satisfying as it should. Shadow’s father, my stepfather, lies a bloody mess at my feet. His body is not even cold yet. The crimson liquid pools from him, staining the white marble floor he lies on, along with the front of my white shirt. While I wanted him dead, I wanted to be the one to do it. We are hard creatures to kill, harder than wolf shifters. But we are not immortal. Blessed with long life, yes, but not immortal. Whoever killed him not only ripped his heart out but put a bullet in his head, one made in Hell.
The compound is buzzing with activity now, my men searching down whoever did this while also taking out anyone who isn’t loyal to me. The old dragon was not well loved, so it’s only a small group who remained loyal to him. He ruled through fear; I rule through loyalty. And it seems, in the end, my way has won.
“Sir.”
I glance away from the body, looking up toward one of my men.
“We couldn’t locate anyone.”
“And his men?”
“They are in the courtyard, sir.”
I nod, glancing back down to the dead man in front of me. “Who did you piss off, Julien?” I step over his body, stuffing my hands into my pockets, and meander out toward the courtyard. The large doors are already flung open and the thick, humid air of Gothic Grove pushes into the cooler room. In the distance, thunder rumbles, and the wind is slowly picking up.
Kai stands in front of the small group of Julien’s loyal people while my other guards circle them. Kai stands slightly shorter than my six-foot frame, his bulky muscles barely contained in the black suit he wears. His luminous yellow eyes stand out sharply below thick brown hair that’s cut short against his scalp.
“Orders?” His voice is scratchy, as if he has smoked his whole life. If I weren’t already mated, I would enjoy hearing that voice moan out in pleasure.
I pull my hands from my pockets and slowly roll up the sleeves to my button-down. “You all made a decision long ago to serve only Julien.” I walk a little closer to the group, my magic now shimmering beneath my skin. “You stood by as he tortured his son.” Black veins start to appear on my hands. “You allowed your prince to be taken by vampires.” Those veins now spread up my arms, my hands wholly black. The scent of fear washes over me as the wind sweeps through the courtyard. “And you have made no effort to retrieve him from those vampires. The very vampires who have worked tirelessly to destroy this city.”
(“SACRIFICE” – In This Moment)
“Shadow was worthless, he deserved to be sold off.” The man has barely gotten the words out before I have my hand on his throat, hauling him up and allowing my death magic to seep into him slowly. He thrashes and screams as his internal organs wither and melt, his blood boiling. I make sure it’s slow. Make sure he feels the agony that I have had to endure while knowing my mate is imprisoned.
I look at the other twenty or so remaining traitors, noting the various levels of fear plastered on their faces. It occurs to me that since I’ve kept my magic contained, none of them understand who, or what, they are dealing with. “I think you people forgot what I am.” I release the body of the man, and he hits the ground, blood oozing from his eyes. “Because I have spent the last few years not truly showing myself, you believe me weak. Believe I am the same type of dragon Julien was.”
My dragon pushes to the surface, and I know my eyes are now golden. I allow him to begin taking control. “I am nothing like Julien.” I can hear a man uttering a prayer, as if that will save him, as my face starts to shift into the skeletal beast. Slowly, I turn my head until my eyes lock onto him. “You are praying to gods that won’t hear you. You should pray to the one standing in front of you.”
When my dragon bursts forth, I take great satisfaction in the mind-numbing terror those twenty or so men feel as they take in my form. And then I unleash my black fire across the group and watch their bodies writhe in pain, their souls being torn apart as they are ravaged by my magic.
Once the last man is dead, I shift back into my human form. Kai stands impassive, as if he didn’t just watch a giant skeletal dragon shred humans into a mess of charred remains and body parts that now litter the open yard.
I walk past him, my mood dark and determined. “Let’s bring Shadow home.”
Shadow
(“I Hate Everything About You” – Three Days Grace)
Everything hurts. It’s been a week since Ciaran got me out, and my body and mind are struggling to adjust. My dragon is furious at me, locked deep in his cage again. Always scratching at the lock, demanding he be let back out. But I can’t do it, I can’t let him do whatever he wants. Not when Ciaran risked so much to get me out. No, not risked. He gave so much. He made a deal with his father, one he refuses to tell me about, but I can guess based on his haunted expression when he comes home each night.
Home.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a home, not until now. That physical space where you feel safe never existed for me. Drago was as close to a home as I got until this moment, and I haven’t seen him in years. My heart aches at the thought of my stepbrother. I miss him. Despite him leaving me alone all this time, I still fucking miss him. And I hate myself for that. Hate him for making me fall for him and then abandoning me. And where is he now? You’ve been out a week, and he hasn’t bothered to show up?
I roll over on the wood floor, looking out over the skyline across the river. My skin crawls anytime I get into the soft bed Ciaran purchased for me. The sheets, a silky gray material, feel slimy on my skin. So, every night, I find myself pulling the weighted comforter off the bed and laying myself on the cedar floor to watch the storms break over the city.
“Ciaran gets you a bed, and yet, I still find you on the floor.” The voice burrows into me like a splinter, the sound both soothing and painful. I don’t turn my body over, but Drago’s presence fills the room from ceiling to floor. An overwhelming and suffocating feeling. I see his feet come into view and allow my eyes to trace up his body as I roll onto my back. The moment my gaze lands on his face, my breath wooshes out of me.
“You’ve grown up.” My voice comes out rough.
He cocks an eyebrow, slowly rolling up the sleeves of his white button-down. More tattoos adorn him, if possible. His fingers, hands, arms, chest all appear to have some type of whirl of ink. His white hair is longer, and his body . . . fuck, his body looks stronger than I remember. My cock rallies to life in my shorts as I remember the feel of him. His eyes rake over me, snagging on each and every scar he can see on my bare chest and arms. They linger on the tally marks that decorate my arms.
Silence settles loudly around us as his gaze burns into me. I slowly sit up, and the weighted blanket falls with a thud to the side as I scoot back, giving him space to sit on my hard bed. He folds himself down, until both our backs lean against the actual bed as we look out the darkened window.
“You have, too,” he says quietly.
I shiver at his voice. “I’ve what?”
Turning, he looks me head-on again, those blue eyes blazing and flashing to gold. “Grown up.”
“I didn’t have a choice.”
A moment passes before, “Neither did I.”
Silence once again encroaches into the room until it’s broken apart by the deep rumble of thunder and a deluge of rain opening from the sky above, filling the room with the echoing sounds of the sky unleashing herself. The wind moving through the open window drags Drago’s scent into my nostrils, and I can’t fight back the groan as my eyes close. The war between how much I still want him and how angry I am at him rages inside.
When I finally open them, it’s to his golden ones blazing in the dark. I’m not sure who moves first, but suddenly, my mouth collides with his, his tongue sweeping into mine. We both groan as he fists my hair, and we lose ourselves in the kiss. Our bodies tangle as he pushes me to the floor, pressing his erection against my own and grinding down.
“Fuck.” He pulls off my mouth, extending a whimper from me, and circles my throat with his hand. “I’ve missed you, rakkaani, so much.” He dives back in, claiming my mouth in a kiss that could shatter the world and remake it all at once. Time loses all meaning, and suddenly, I’m aware of my shorts being slipped off. “Look at me.” Drago’s command makes my dragon purr in his cage, and I open my eyes again to take him in as he leans back and slowly unbuttons his shirt, exposing his defined chest. His pants are next, and I think I might die when his cock bobs free and I find the four barbells pierced down his shaft.
His hand slowly pumps his hardened cock, taking care over the piercings. The smile that spreads across his face is wicked as he pushes two fingers of his other hand into my mouth. My tongue swirls around his fingers, coating them in saliva before he pulls them out and inches down to probe my entrance. My cock jerks at the feel of one finger pushing against the tight ring of muscles. A groan leaves my body as my head falls back at the delicious intrusion, the pain and pleasure mixing together.
“I need you,” I moan. “I don’t care if I’m ready or not. I need you now,” I demand. It’s been so fucking long since I’ve felt anything other than pain and anger that now I feel parched. Like I’ve been standing in a desert, and he is my first drink of water. I need to feel him inside me. Need to feel pleasure alongside the pain.
He pushes another finger inside me, giving no warning before he starts to curl them on that little node. “You don’t get to make demands, rakkaani, did you forget that? I’ll decide when you get me.”
I cry out as his mouth is suddenly on my cock, his tongue swirling over the head and down the shaft. The world is lost to my pleasure. Each time my orgasm is about to crest, he pulls back, until I’m a sobbing mess begging to come. When he pulls his mouth all the way off my cock, I hear the click of a cap and feel coolness spread down my cheeks.
“I don’t need that,” I pant.
He growls low. “I’m not fucking you without lube.”
I feel his head push at the tight opening. I don’t know how to tell him I need pain now. How does one explain to their lover, they need to hurt now to feel good? The burn of his cock breaching me makes me arch up off the floor, and when that first piercing follows into me, I think I’ve gone to heaven.
“You are taking me so fucking good, I wish you could see this. Fuck, your ass is tight.”
I open my eyes and almost come from the look on Drago’s face as he watches his dick disappear inside of me. When he finally bottoms out, I hold my breath, waiting to see his next move. His golden eyes finally lock onto my own. “Going to fuck you now,” he says as he begins thrusting. “Going to claim you like I should have. Because you’re mine. Mine to fucking claim, no one else’s.”
“Fuck yes,” I moan over and over until what he said finally hits me. Claim. The word settles into my core, into the space in my chest that’s been empty until this moment. “Wait,” I start, but Drago keeps going, a relentless pace being set that makes it near impossible to get the next word out. “red,” I whisper.
Everything stops, his powerful body stilling above mine, that word hitting pause to the delirious pleasure I was feeling. His chest is heaving, but he sits back and slowly pulls his hard cock from me. “What is it, rakkaani?”
“You just said you were going to claim me . . .” And it’s all I have to say to see the devastating truth on his face. Because you don’t claim someone you are fucking. You claim a mate. The truth of it settles like dust over me.
I told you, my dragon growls. He is ours.
“You knew . . .” I start but can’t finish. Because he knew I was his mate and fucking left me in that prison to rot. My heart shatters. He didn’t want me. I wasn’t good enough for him.
He wants us! Don’t be an idiot!
But I ignore my dragon, pushing away and forcing space between us.
“Fuck, Shadow. I’m sorry. You don’t understand. I couldn’t get you out yet, I didn’t have what I have now. Had I known how long it would take, I would have done things differently. And that fucking collar made it even harder.” I can see how broken he is, the desperation in those eyes, but I can’t find it in myself to forgive him.
So, against every fiber of my being, I look him dead in the eyes and say, “Leave.”
SIX
The princess of Hell has vanished. She escaped the royal palace the night of her engagement and is someplace in the city.
