Alphas of Pandora, page 13
“I disagree. This girl represents something of great concern to me.” Legion’s voice was pleasant, but his gaze was sharp and penetrating as he regarded the Prince. No hint of emotion escaped the endless darkness of his eyes.
Castor shuttered his expression, determined to reveal nothing more that he already had. “She is a part of the Royal Harem, nothing more.”
“Lies.” There was no accusation in Legion’s voice, but the word landed with all the force of a stone dropped onto a still pond, creating ripples of shock in its wake. “She has never been a registered citizen.”
“How dare you—”
Legion had the nerve to interrupt the Prince, that sure of his knowledge. “Her DNA was in the skycar so I had a comparison run through the archives. There wasn’t even a familial match on file. It’s as if the girl and her ancestors haven’t stepped foot on the planet for a thousand years.”
Castor schooled his features with an effort, recognizing that he had already conceded the upper hand. “And you are suggesting what exactly?”
“I am suggesting that our beloved reformer Prince, too moral to ever take an Omega mate, was recovered from the Forbidden Zone with an Omega who might as well have appeared out of thin air. And that he might be interested in keeping that information from leaving this room.” Legion steepled his fingers together on the table and leaned forward, expression shrewd. “Perhaps you would prefer that I speculate publicly on the origins of this mysterious Omega.”
And have it become public knowledge that a foreign government had discovered a space station and was experimenting on the population to produce Omegas?
Undersecretary Barnard had gathered support by promising key members within the government an endless supply of Omegas. Castor could not be sure what plans the man had that might still come to fruition, even after his death. There were many Alphas with positions in Central Command who would commit treason for the chance to possess an unmated Omega. The best-case scenario was that Aura would be conscripted by the Science Corps so that her biology could be studied and potentially reverse-engineered.
Castor did not want to contemplate the worst-case scenario.
“What do you want?” he asked finally, glaring at the man across from him who he already regretted saving from the executioner.
It was no secret that Legion had a taste of extortion.
“In exchange for my continued discretion?” the most feared cartel boss in all of Pandora asked with a small smile. “You say it as if I’m not proposing a mutually beneficial relationship. I simply want to be of service. Let me help you.”
Castor was at a point where all he wanted was the unvarnished truth, free of innuendo. He would have his fill of veiled comments and artifice once the Council was back in session. Even if he wanted to throw both men out the nearest window, he could appreciate their bluntness.
“And how will you help me?”
“Not only will I keep your secrets, your majesty, I will ensure that they stay kept.”
“Meaning what, exactly?”
“First, you need an identity for your Omega. If I was able to figure out that she is completely unregistered, then others will as well. And they will ask questions that neither you, nor she, can answer.”
“Are you suggesting that you can alter records in the central database?” Castor asked in disbelief. “The layers of encryption on the file alone makes that inconceivable. And you would also have to deposit biological samples.”
“It’s already been done.”
The man at Legion’s back spoke for the first time, voice husky with apparent disuse. Adrian might have been the more dangerous of the two men, if just because of his unpredictability. Legion epitomized the corrupt Alphas who controlled much of the city, which made him a known quantity. But Adrian was a chameleon, anything could lurk under the mask of his face.
“Are you actually suggesting that you managed to sneak into the archives?” Castor raised an incredulous eyebrow. “The security there is tighter than here at the palace. It’s impossible.”
Adrian shrugged, as if Castor’s belief in his ability to circumvent the most advanced security system in the sector didn’t matter to him at all. “Not for me.”
Legion slid a heavy folder across the table. “I’ve arranged a backstory that is complete, but difficult to discredit. As far as anyone will know, your Omega was born in the slums and orphaned at a young age, which is why she never attended the education program. Any familial matches are distant and long-dead. This file should pass any but the most exacting scrutiny.”
Castor briefly flipped through the sheaf of papers which seemed exhaustive at just a glance — doctored birth records and citizenship registration were the most important pieces. He did not intend for Aura to leave the palace grounds, so this should be more than enough. “You have my thanks.”
“Of course, my Prince. Your gratitude is worth more than words can say.”
But a man like Legion placed no stock in something as ephemeral as gratitude or pretty words. Raising a winged brow and bearing regal, Castor brought himself to his full height in the chair as he regarded the two men before him. “And now we’ve come to the point where you tell me what you want.”
Legion did not hesitate. “A seat on your council of advisors.”
“Out of the question.” The words were out of Castor’s lips before he’d had a chance to even think them through, the response innate. Men like Legion Astrophus simply did not advise royalty. It just wasn’t done. “How would I even explain it?”
“A reward for loyalty. I am the reason that you are no longer fighting for survival in the Forbidden Zone.” Legion leaned back against his chair, body language relaxed even as his eyes burned with intensity. “And you’ll want someone in your inner circle who knows the truth of what occurred there and won’t betray you for the promise of fresh Omega cunt.”
“And you expect me to believe that a man like you is incorruptible?”
“In this way, yes.”
Some unspoken knowledge floated in the air between them. It took only a beat for Castor to understand what wasn’t being said. “I didn’t realize you had taken a mate.”
Legion gave a slight nod, expression inscrutable. “My son was born mere weeks ago. I have no interest in what Undersecretary Barnard offered and what would sway the potential traitors in your midst.”
The man was right, damn him. “Fine, but you will take no action without my express permission.”
“Of course, your majesty,” Legion replied, infusing his voice with something that almost sounded like sincerity. “Again, I live to serve.”
“I’m sure.” Castor snapped, before he could stop himself. With a heavy sigh, he bowed his head, finally relaxing into the terrible tension that twitched down every nerve of his body. If Legion truly wanted to be his advisor, then there was no point in pretending to be the stiff royal. His entire life had taken on a surreal quality since the moment his skycar had crashed in the Forbidden Zone and the normal rules no longer applied. “I’m surprised you haven’t insisted that I tell you where Aura came from.”
“Do you mean the space station recently discovered by scientists in Vigil?” Adrian asked, voice dry.
There was no sense in denying it now, but Castor had difficulty hiding his surprise. “How can you possibly know about that?”
Adrian shrugged as if it was no matter, but there was a shrewd light in his eyes. “I’ve gathered many contacts over the years. You can make certain assumptions once you’ve heard enough speculation. You’ve just confirmed it for me now.”
Castor reminded himself to keep his temper in check. A relationship with these men could be useful, but had to be carefully navigated. He couldn’t allow his temper to rule him, not now. And he had to admit that a man like Legion would make a powerful ally, at least until the moment that the man inevitably betrayed him.
But what other choice did he have if he wanted to keep the girl safe until he decided what to do with her?
“There’s more that you need to know about Vigil,” Castor said on a sigh, thoroughly exhausted with all of it. Part of him almost missed the Forbidden Zone, at least there it had been clear who wanted to tear him apart. “But we’ll save that for another time. I’m late for a Council inquest.”
Legion rose smoothly from the chair. “I’ll join you. It seems only fitting as your newly appointed advisor.”
“I’ll need something else,” Castor said, voice commanding even as he gritted his teeth. “Aura does not speak a word of our language. She’ll need to have a translation unit implanted. I need a doctor brought to the palace. A discrete one.”
A smirk briefly touched Legion’s lips. “I have just the one in mind.”
Seventeen
Aura felt as much of a captive in the palace as she had in the Forbidden Zone.
The food was significantly more palatable, and she enjoyed sitting near the tiny vent that produced foggy waves of heat through some mysterious mechanism. But the four walls of her windowless room were as much of cage as the cabin surrounded by feral Alphas had been.
Except now she was alone.
It had been several days since she had last seen Castor. Others silently came in and out of the room to change the bed linens or refresh the small buffet on the table at mealtimes, but otherwise she had been left completely isolated. None of them responded to her questions, likely because no one here seemed to speak the same language she did, but she also assumed that they had received instructions not to attempt communicating with her.
She couldn’t help but wonder if this forced isolation was intended as a form of punishment. Castor had been angry when she’d seen him last. No, that wasn’t the right word for it. He had been tortured. As if even her very presence was enough to send him over the edge.
The wound on her shoulder burned in awareness each and every time she thought of him, even though it had mostly healed. Although the skin was mostly intact, only slightly pink with fresh scar tissue in the perfect shape of a mouth full of sharp teeth, it would occasionally throb with a pain that robbed her of breath.
Perhaps he meant to leave her here until the silence and the loneliness was finally enough to drive her completely mad. Part of her almost missed the perpetual danger of the Forbidden Zone. Despite the constant fear that had hung on her like sick perfume, the focus on survival had been enough to distract her from agonizing over her circumstances.
And Castor had been with her.
Aura absently kneaded at the claiming mark, the small sparks of pain that tickled down her nerves were oddly ignored. She found a sick sort of comfort in the pain for reasons that were unclear.
Perhaps it was that the pain reminded her of him.
She hadn’t been able to get him out of her mind, no matter how hard she tried. Nothing available to her in this room could distract her, not sleep or even the curious puzzle boxes that had been left on a nearby table for entertainment.
There were even books on the shelves, a luxurious item she had only ever had described to her by Auntie Nona. In a place without trees, like Citadel station, paper was an incomprehensible luxury. The words were unreadable to her, of course, but many of the volumes were filled of pictures that would have fascinated her at virtually any other point in her life.
But the more she tried to focus on the intricate illustrations or solve the puzzle boxes, the brighter his image became as it swam in her vision. She almost had herself convinced that she could smell his scent in the air. When she closed her eyes, a phantom touch in the shape of his hands coasted along her skin.
What had he done to her?
She barely knew this man, whose name tasted like sunshine in her mouth and whose memory had left an indelible mark on her senses. Superstition had been a common response to unknowable circumstances on the Citadel and Aura had heard her fair share of fantastical stories about monsters and magic. But she had always been practical, believing only in the things she could see and touch. But what other way was there to describe what had happened to her, aside from some terrible form of dark mysticism.
He had cast a spell on her to make her unrecognizable to herself and then he had stolen her away, only to lock her up in a gilded cage.
Aura wanted to hate him, and a significant part of her did. But she also yearned for him in a way that squeezed her heart and twisted her insides.
And the inevitable result of her thoughts oozed down her thighs in a stomach-clenching rush. The proof of her arousal scented the air and soaked the bedding beneath her quivering body. It didn’t matter that she was alone, or that there was no more stimulus available to her than her own thoughts, but her body was as ready for mating as it was possible for it to be.
Her hands pushed between her thighs, only momentarily impeded by the heavy skirt of the dress she wore. Even though her fingers were frustratingly small, they worked frantically at the oversensitive skin that practically wept to be touched. Without conscious thought, her legs spread impossibly wide, as if an overly large Alpha was there to mount her. Her hips rose and fell from the bed in an ancient rhythm.
If Aura were consciously aware of her actions in that moment, she might feel embarrassment. But her body demanded sensation, even if no one else was there to provide it. Otherwise, she would be driven mad. The bedding beneath her had been arranged in a specific pattern of mounds and valleys, but she was heedless of the wreckage she made of her carefully constructed nest as her body writhed.
Distantly, she remained aware of the fact that any of the silent servants could reappear and catch her in this shameful act. But Aura was beyond caring. Her body craved release like an addict desperate for their preferred high.
And her drug of choice had a name and the most beautiful face she had ever seen.
Both hands worked her tender flesh into a frenzy. She mimicked the movements that he had used on her body so many times in that dark and dusty cabin, a fever dream in a forest full of nightmares.
But in her mind, the palm that skimmed down her belly felt larger and rougher than her own, fingers thick as they probed at the pouting lips of her entrance that was wet with slick. If she closed her eyes, Aura could almost hear the grunts and growls of her Alpha as he readied her body for his plunder.
A thumb danced over her clit, sending shock waves of electricity down her spine that bordered on true pain. Whimpering sounds echoed off of the walls. She only distantly realized they spilled from her own lips. The scent of slick and sweat danced in her nostrils, intoxicating her further into the dream-like euphoria.
The mark continued to burn at her shoulder and she could practically feel the press of teeth into her already sensitive skin. As always, the pain provided a sparking undercurrent to the pleasure that sent her flying even higher.
Her head thrashed back and forth against the pillows, eyes still closed as she imagined that it was not only her hands that worked on her body. A deep ache bloomed in the pit of her belly, making her breathing erratic and forcing another gush of fluid from her dripping cunt.
She no longer recognized herself as human, but as a mindless animal that was aware solely of its own basest urges and desires. Her insides clenched around thrusting fingers and she innately understood that the sensation paled compared to what her body truly wanted. She imagined that it was a hard cock spearing her and a heavy body forcing her hips to sink down into the mattress. Even if it was only her imagination that had his scent filling her nostrils and burned his touch along her skin, she wanted to believe that he was there with her. Belief was enough to satisfy the yearning, at least for a moment.
Castor’s face swam in her vision as she came, all harsh lines and stern countenance.
Aura came back to herself slowly, overheated skin cooling in the chilled room. A breeze like gently blowing wind moved over her skin, but it was the creak of the floorboards that finally alerted her to the fact she wasn’t alone.
She turned her head to the open door, mouth falling open, but made no move to cover herself. Even surprise wasn’t enough to completely shake her from the orgasm-induced stupor.
His growl danced over her skin, setting previously sated urges alight. She didn’t care if he was there to mount her or kill her, as long as he didn’t leave her alone in this room for another moment.
Castor glared down at her from where he stood at the entrance of her room, fire in his bright blue eyes. He slammed the door shut behind him and advanced on her, dark intent in his gaze.
No one had bothered to warn her how painful the implant would be. Castor did not even have the excuse of a language barrier, he had simply refused to speak to her at all since walking in on her pleasuring herself.
Aura squeezed her eyes shut as the whir of a drill sent cascading pain through the fragile bones behind her ear where the device was being placed. Castor stared at her, stone-faced, from across the room as the doctor worked behind her.
Only hours before, he had stormed into her room, grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her down the long hallways to a room that was all bright light, blindingly white walls and unfamiliar equipment. He had strapped her to a reclining metal chair, paying close attention to the restraint that kept her head in place.
She had not even understood precisely what was happening until a flash of pain sparked through her head. In the next moment, the doctor’s constant murmuring had become suddenly understandable.
“I’ve uploaded the standard languages. Do you want regional alternates or anything more obscure?” The doctor’s voice seemed even more cold and clinical once Aura could understand what she said. Hands pushed and prodded at her skull in a way that made Aura feel like an animal.
Castor moved closer to inspect the doctor’s work. “That should be sufficient. Will you be able to conceal the placement?”
Aura’s gaze flew to his face, shocked at hearing him speak in a way she could completely understand. He stared down at her, expression grim, and she couldn’t stop the lurching beat of her heart as their gazes caught.
