Chapter 4
Ambrose
She’s not yours. She’s not yours. She’s not yours. She’s not yours. She’s not yours. She’s not yours. She’s not yours.
My eyes flung open, and I sucked in air, my arms wrapping tighter around the warm body lying against me.
That fucking voice was still ringing in my head, haunting me, taunting me, never giving me a moment's peace.
It has only grown since I took Sybil to the dungeon, bending her to my will.
That whispering, melodic voice, sounding both new and ancient, grew louder and more persistent, as if it were punishing me for what I had done to her.
I silently scoffed, rolling my neck. As if such a thing could happen. Punishing me? I fucking dare it to try. Sybil was mine until I deemed her useless, no matter what that fucking voice said.
I brought my hand up, pushing it through my slick hair, damp from sweat.
My body felt too hot, too constricted, though the room around me was chilled.
Arianna murmured something, still lost in sleep, and I exhaled.
Untangling myself from her limbs, I moved to the edge of the bed, setting my feet against the cold marble floor.
I let the coolness seep into my body, allowing it to calm my mind.
A knock sounded at the door, and I fought the spike of annoyance that thrummed in my veins at the disturbance.
It was still early, and the sun wasn’t even up yet.
Throwing on my robe, I opened the door, finding Hale, pale-faced and grim.
Dread wafted off him. Dread mixed with apprehension, and a touch of fear.
His body went rigid as he caught the glare I sent his way. “What is it?”
“General Darktree is missing, Your Highness.” Hale’s voice was tight, his brown eyes flashing in alarm when he noticed the ice slowly climbing up the walls beside us.
“How?” I growled.
“We're still not sure, though it looked as if someone…” Hale hesitated, and I narrowed my eyes, waiting impatiently for him to continue. “It looked like someone had let him out.”
Cursing, I pointed to the room behind Hale, moving our conversation away from the bedroom so we wouldn’t disturb Arianna's sleep. The last thing I needed was for her to overhear our discussion and come bursting out of the room.
We have yet to make our announcement regarding her becoming my consort, and I planned on keeping it that way until I knew for sure that Sybil was entirely under my control. Closing the door behind me, I moved into the small office and leaned against my desk, motioning Hale to continue.
“The guards are still trying to figure out who could have let him out. All we know is that it happened during the guard change around two this morning, and the prisoners around the area are either not talking or saying they saw nothing.”
My magic pulsed, thrashing beneath my skin, begging for release. I rolled my shoulders, pushing down its call. “What about Samian and Sybil?”
“The healers all said that they were in the medical wing until four when Samian returned Sybil to her chambers. They haven’t been seen since.”
“Who else knew about Ezra’s location?”
“Not many, Your Highness. Samian and Sybil, Arianna, and a handful of the guards, but that’s it. We tried to keep it as contained as possible until you were ready for the palace to hear of his transgression.”
Snarling, I turned to my desk, running a hand down my face.
I was going to announce Ezra’s treason to the lords today, use it not only to make a spectacle of Ezra, a show of what would happen to those that betrayed me, but to show off my authority over Sybil, letting it serve as a reminder of who had the power in this realm.
However, I could still do it, just with the guards instead.
They were merely fellow soldiers helping one of their own, working against the queen.
It didn’t matter if it was true or not, not when I could force them to confess.
My blood finally calmed, and I straightened, turning back to Hale, my face masked in a cool indifference. “Have those guards arrested and ready them for interrogation. Once that is done, fetch Sybil and Samian. Have them brought to the main office.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” Hale said, bowing low. I watched him leave my room, his emotions nothing more than a flicker of ease.
She’s not yours. She did it. She helped him escape. She’s not yours to control. She’s not yours. She’s not yours.
I hissed, my anger flaring, but took a deep breath and waited a moment to calm myself before I returned to my bedroom.
When I opened the door, Arianna sat up, the black silk sheets falling to her waist, leaving her upper body bare to me.
My eyes dipped to her peaked nipples, pebbled from the chill of the room, and my blood warmed at the sight.
“What happened?” She asked, tilting her head. Her golden hair fell over her chest, hiding those beautiful breasts.
“Ezra escaped the palace last night,” I said, my lips thinning.
Arianna’s eyes widened, concern flashing through the icy blue of her gaze.
“Not to worry, my love. We will make a spectacle out of the ones that helped him escape, though we may have to…change some things first.” I walked to the bed, holding out my hand for her.
A delicious smile curled those full lips of hers, and she rose to her knees, letting the black silk fall completely to the bed.
I raked my gaze down that glorious body, my cock already hard and aching.
I watched her crawl across the bed and stared down at her as she opened my robe.
Her lust filled the room around us, and I let it fill me.
Moving closer, she opened her mouth, her tongue flattened against my cock, taking her time licking up until she reached the crown of my head.
Her tongue flicked over the bead of cum before rising on her knees again.
Wrapping her arms around my neck, Arianna pressed her body against mine while giving me an impatient look.
I breathed her in, silently groaning as she refused to move until I gave in.
“We will be arresting the guards who knew of Ezra’s treason, interrogating them, and making them confess to helping Ezra’s escape.
Then, we will have our darling little Sybil execute them before the public.
Afterward,” I paused, pressing a light kiss against her neck, “we will tell the realm that I will take over as king during Queen Cassia’s continued absence, and that you will be my consort and queen.
Until then, we will need to continue keeping this,” I murmured, dipping a finger into her wet cunt, “to ourselves. Can you do that, my queen?”
Arianna moaned and closed her eyes, tilting her head back. “Yes,” she breathed. “I can do that, my king.”
Adding another finger, I plunged them deeper and watched as Arianna writhed against my hand. I pressed a kiss to the base of her throat and licked all the way up to her ear, nipping the edge of her lobe. Arianna panted as I slowly slid my fingers out, pushing them back inside.
“Ambrose,” she whined, pulling her head back to look at me, her eyes heated. “No more teasing.”
I laughed, low and deep, pulling out my fingers. Bringing them between us, I smiled wickedly. “Lick,” I commanded.
Her hunger coiled around me, her gaze never leaving mine as she wrapped her mouth around my fingers, licking and sucking them clean. I groaned, feeling her tongue swirling, lapping up every drop of her arousal.
My cock twitched against her, and when she popped my fingers out of her mouth, I lost all control.
I grabbed her legs, wrapped them around my waist, and slammed her back down against my bed.
She gasped at the sudden movement, but I had buried myself deep inside her, causing her breath to hitch.
Her cunt tightly clenched around me, and I captured her lips with mine as I pumped into her, fast and brutal.
I swallowed her moans, her fingernails digging into my back.
Breaking our kiss, I moved her legs to my shoulders, thrusting harder, deeper, while her hands caressed her breasts, pinching and twisting until she cried out, her climax consuming her.
I picked up my pace, grunting, the frame of the bed groaning from the movement, until I roared from my own release.
My breathing came in heavy pants as I leaned down on my forearms, hovering above her. Arianna opened her eyes, a soft smile curving along her lips. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she kissed me deeply until our hearts calmed.
I climbed off her, lying beside her on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
She’s not yours. She did it. She helped him escape. She’s not yours to control. She’s not yours. She’s not yours.
Silence, I told that wretched voice. Be silent and leave me be.
Sybil was mine, and my plans for her were just getting started.
Her power, so much like Cassia’s, will make the public fall at my feet, will make them think twice about rising against me.
She would pave the way to destroying that godsforsaken Seelie Court.
“Are we going to have a wedding?” Breaking the silence, Arianna turned her head to me, bringing me out of my thoughts. “When we tell them of our plans, will we have a wedding?”
I chuckled, keeping my eyes on the ceiling. A wedding sounded dreadful, loathsome even, but I still needed her for my plans, still needed to keep her complacent. “If that’s what you would like, then we will have a wedding.”
“Good,” she smiled, climbing out of the bed. “We will have a grand wedding, and you will make me your queen.”