Chapter Twenty-Three
Nova
“Celeste taught me how to put on kohl today. It looked better on her though. I wish I had Mama’s eyes too.”
Someone’s mouth was on my hip, tickling the skin there. Humming, I lifted myself, urging them to continue. A deep, guttural chuckle rang in my ears like a symphony.
Eyes still closed, I searched for their hair, gripping it and guiding them to the side. They followed without any resistance, their teeth grazing my inner thigh.
Breath speeding up, I opened my eyes, catching sight of bright hair.
My heart hammered as he tilted his face forward, his gaze locking on mine.
And then his tongue slid out, swiping up my soaked center.
My hips bucked, a filthy moan escaping me.
He sucked on my clit, his tongue swirling around it before flicking back and forth at impressive speed.
A sort of whine began in my throat, my hand shoving his face further down.
“Little Void?” His voice sounded concerned, but when I looked, he was still greedily consuming me, the pleasure so great I thought I’d explode. “Tershetta, wake up!”
I shot up, my head slamming into something on the way. Elbows catching my upper half, I groaned, reaching up to grip my aching forehead.
The room was dark, only moonlight shining in the window offering any visual. I turned to my right, watching as Altair rubbed his forehead as well.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. He only laughed, shaking his head
“No, it was my fault. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Altair’s face was momentarily lit by the moonlight, looking like a fallen star. My cheeks heated, the memory of that face between my thighs making my legs clench.
“You were moving around a lot,” he said, his smile growing wider.
No, please tell me he doesn’t know.
“In fact,” he said, scooting closer to me, “I’d say whatever you were dreaming about was quite pleasing.”
Trying to hold onto any semblance of pride I still possessed, I lifted my chin, not breaking eye contact. “It was a nightmare, actually.”
His long fingers wrapped around my hair, my mind betraying me as I pictured my hand in his hair and those fingers inside of me. “Do you want to tell me about it? We can reenact it if you’d like. Help you overcome whatever it was.”
Was he even closer? Yes, he was. Stars, what was happening lately?
“Actually, I think I’ll be fine. I’m going to go back to sleep.” I rolled over, wishing I could crawl into a hole and die of the embarrassment.
Altair’s fingers left my hair slowly, a single digit grazing my bare shoulder. His whisper came a second later, sounding like a filthy promise. “Sweet dreams, Little Void.”
Pinching my eyes closed, I tried to ignore the way my body shivered, biting back the moan that begged to escape. Altair’s nearly silent chuckle was the last thing I heard from him. Well, the last thing I heard from him while awake.
***
The dress was tight. In fact, I was baffled it could have even fit the woman from the cell, who was so clearly well built even after imprisonment.
Red silk covered my body from my collarbones down, ribbing installed in the midsection that sucked in my waist and shoved up my breasts.
Delicate, thick straps draped off my shoulders, the fabric at my feet so long it dragged behind me.
The gold shoes weren’t the most comfortable, the thin wedge beneath my heel pushing me a few extra inches off the ground, but they weren’t impossible to move in.
I’d taken off the necklace my parents had gotten me, tucking it safely in my bag.
In its place now sat a tight gold chain with red gems dangling from it, looking as if my neck had been slit and blood seeped from the wound.
I’d left my hair down, knowing it’d change soon.
Standing there in the bathroom, I studied myself in the mirror, wishing I was more ready for this. The elite ball was being held at Castle Altair of all places, and I’d need to be perfect in order to not get caught. Even with the threat of death looming, my stupid mind was stuck on the snake.
I’d dreamt of him all night. He’d pleasured me again and again, unflinching in his drive to tear every scream I could manage out of me.
Worse was the smug face he’d worn when I’d woken up, practically bouncing around Snake Lodge all morning.
I’d be grateful to relieve us of the stress and fear, but it was far too embarrassing.
When Altair made omelets, he’d even moaned after the first bite, taking care to suck on his fork and flick his tongue across his lips.
Or was I only noticing because I’d dreamt of him doing the same to my body? Was it the stars getting to me? Were they that desperate to see Altair’s cock?
“How dare you blame us.”
Leave me alone, I’m having a mental breakdown.
“Sex could help with that.”
You know, if you were people, you’d be committed.
They only laughed, escaping my wrath by silencing themselves after. Now irritated, I quickly put on some of Celeste’s makeup I’d snagged, sliding the red across my lips and giving my eyes black rings. She would have loved this dress.
I miss them so much.
Altair knocked, the smile still obvious in his cheery voice. “Are you ready? We need to head to Commander Psycho in a couple of minutes.”
“Almost done!” I shouted, hating how my mind went back to him finishing on top of me. Inside of me. Against my tongue.
Shit.
I blamed that Desi woman. Clearly, the two were fucking. I’d pressed my damp ear to the bathroom door out of curiosity, but they hadn’t been loud enough to hear. But why else would she stay after dropping off our clothes only to leave before I got done bathing? To sleep together, that was what.
Why I cared was the big question, but I wasn’t sure of the answer. And now the thoughts haunted my dreams, making me think of Altair’s cock of all things.
“That, sweet catalyst, is called jealousy.”
No it isn’t! I’m worried for a friend, that’s all.
“Friend? We saw your dream, Nova Tershetta, friends don’t swallow friends’ cum.”
You’re all disgusting.
“And you’re about to give us exactly what we’ve been waiting for.”
In your dreams. I tried to shove them out of my mind, picturing my rows of bookshelves and imagining tucking them between books. They merely laughed.
“You can’t hide from us, but we will give you space. As a momentary parting gift, we’d like to inform you that Azazel Altair did not sleep with that woman.” Then they left again, a slow, soft smile tipping up my mouth.
With nothing else to do, I left the bathroom.
Altair was leaning against the counter across the cottage.
His trousers matched the color of my dress, not as perfectly tailored as his real clothes, but still fitting impossibly well.
He wore a black button up shirt with a red vest on top, a black, sleek jacket placed over both and a red tie around his throat.
All across the outfit he had placed gold adornments.
A chain linking the buttons of his vest to something towards his hip.
A golden, eight-pointed star on his lapel.
A gold clip on his tie. To top it off, he’d left his hair slightly messy, likely thinking along the same lines as me. He looked…incredible.
When his eyes met mine, his jaw went slack, pale cheeks immediately blazing scarlet red—brighter than our matching outfits. “Stars above.”
Laughing, I did a slow spin, basking in his stunned silence. At least I knew I looked the part too. He walked towards me, eyes scanning the dress.
“You look beautiful,” he said, stopping just in front of me. I felt my cheeks warm up as I grinned, knowing we were both blushing like fools and secretly enjoying it.
“You look pretty handsome yourself.” His dimples made a quick appearance as he smiled back, grabbing my hips and lifting me. I shrieked, wrapping my arms around his neck in panic as he twirled us. “Altair! What are you doing?”
“Practicing.”
His arms slithered around my back. I thought of the other day when he’d gotten hard while we danced.
How he’d constantly said inappropriate things to me.
The times he’d brought his lips so close to mine they almost touched.
His fingers slid lower, just grazing the area where my lower back rounded out to my ass, and I knew in that moment that Altair did want me.
That the stars had been right the entire time.
And that maybe, just maybe, I wanted him too.
“Ready to go?” he asked, his eyes landing on my mouth.
A dangerous and desperate thought crossed my mind. Kiss me.
“Ready,” I breathed out, trying to focus my thoughts. We could die tonight, I didn’t need the thought of Altair’s lips distracting me. He only smiled wider at whatever face I’d accidentally made, pulling me further into him as darkness encircled us.
We appeared in the field just before the wards for the rebel base, and I let Altair weave his fingers through my own as he tugged me past the cloak. Commander Maitoza was waiting, her uniform as pristine as ever. Her face brightened, lifting as she saw us.
“Well, don’t the two of you look exquisite. Are you ready?”
Neither of us said anything, only walking towards her. She didn’t seem to mind, just turning and heading for the prison. We arrived all too quickly, the tension from minutes prior gone, replaced by terror and nerves.
When we reached the second door, Altair bent low and gathered the thick, red silk of my dress, carrying it for me so it wouldn’t get stained with grime.
Commander Maitoza chuckled at the action, earning a glare from Altair.
unfazed, she walked to the end, where the suffocating stench clung to the Harmens.
“Both of you must stand. They need your exact heights and builds,” the commander boomed, her voice losing its calm edge.
Within the cell, the Harmens stood, their faces grim.
Perhaps they knew this was the end. Their usefulness had run out, and we all knew what happened when someone was no longer valuable to those with power.
I pictured a puppet with its strings being cut. A queen on a chess board knocking down a pawn.
“Come closer.” They obeyed the commander, stepping forward. The flickering light from the torches made it hard to see, so I cast my stars, the sight of them a comfort within the awfulness that the situation permeated.
“Azazel, how your father and mother will weep at your betrayal,” the man—Adam—said.
Altair ignored him, moving all of the fabric from my gown to one hand so he could remove the two vials from his pocket.
I took one, letting my fingers glide down his arm, trying to reassure him in any way I could, but he didn’t even glance at me.
His face was like carved stone, unmoving and unfeeling.
“Remember,” I said shakily, “you have to focus on their every detail. Their skin, their eyes, their nose, their mouth, their ears. Even their bodies—their shadow marks. If we miss even one feature, we’re done for.”
The two of us uncorked our vials simultaneously, tipping the contents into our mouths.
I did my best to completely scan Jenna Harmen, looking at every tiny imperfection.
I felt my hair shrink in time with my eyes, my nose thinning out and my arms growing.
Suddenly, the dress became tighter, my breasts nearly spilling out of the top.
When I was positive I’d gotten every detail, I held out my hand, looking the women in the eyes. “I need your ring.”
She gaped at me, tucking her left hand against her chest. “No!”
“You will give her your ring or you will die slowly,” Maitoza boomed, making even me jump in surprise. Jenna Harmen let out a soft sob, tugging her ring off her finger and handing it to me through the bars. I took it quickly, not wanting her to get a hold of me.
“You’re all monsters,” Adam Harmen said, tossing Altair his ring before tucking Jenna into him. I wanted to argue, but how could I? I knew what I was.
Turning to face Altair, I saw he had done perfectly, matching Mr. Harmen down to the small freckle above his lip.
“Smile for me,” I demanded. He did as he was told, grinning wide, and I sighed. “You forgot your dimples.”
“Shit,” he hissed, grabbing his cheeks.
“There’s no fixing it now, but that’s okay. I’m sure people don’t often smile at these events.” Not when they were celebrating death and enslavement. Or maybe that was exactly what made them smile.
“You both did wonderfully. Don’t worry, this will be a success.” Commander Maitoza was beaming, her hands clasped in front of her. Altair only growled towards her, grabbing my hand and leading me away from the cell.
“If we die, the loss of this war is on you, Commander,” he said just before we exited the prison.