13
Things got better with Darius and James because of my helicopter lessons. It was something Darius and I both enjoyed and the time off the ground to check things out and the progress was really helping us. The progress in Albuquerque alone was astounding. Over half of the city and suburbs were gone, completely turned into energy beads.
But in a good way. It was buildings we wouldn’t need. Crap that was falling apart after years of neglect or destroyed fighting corrupted. Houses that were junk and—what should go.
Same with New Orleans.
Seattle.
Boston.
Salt Lake City.
All over. It was all over. I was seeing the progress from a different perspective, and it was so noticeable that each time I felt more tension ease. Vanessa said it was healthy for me too.
So was my insistence that she sit down with everyone who resided at the castle. At least for one session. I wasn’t going to force anyone to have therapy, but I should know if anyone was a walking red flag that was around me or my loved ones. For security at least. I was glad when everyone seemed on board with that.
Especially when Hope practically did cartwheels at the idea.
But the lessons also helped me with James because it reminded me why I liked him. He was a patient and smart man. He liked spending time with me, and it was like he was reaching out to me instead of my always waiting for him.
That was obvious when he asked to spend time with me at my glass warehouse and asked me how it worked. We also had a sniper rifle date that was only during lunch, but it was… It was our version of fun. Healthy competition and just being together.
“One of the psychiatrists made it clear that everyone needs some healthy outlets now that—you need them,” I said to the humans gathered at Albuquerque. “I get it. You’re safer but still trapped. Things are better, but hope seems too far away. We’re willing to try one of her suggestions, but we cannot and will not guarantee your safety.
“That—this is the apocalypse. We will do our best. We think it’s safe and it should be fine. It should go as planned, but I am not omniscient, and nothing is perfect. So I want that crystal fucking clear before we tell you what we have set up. And it’s for only a hundred of you. This time. A hundred at a time.” I waited with bated breath to see how that went over.
“What’s the plan, Princess?” Chris asked when people seemed to accept that.
“Shooting fish in a barrel, but not fish and not in a barrel,” I told him, giving a half shrug when he frowned. “Corrupted. Letting people shoot corrupted with a vampire partner to get them out if need be or help them with big guns. We’ve got the lure.” I gestured to myself. “And we’ve got guns set up on rooftops.”
There was more I was going to explain, but someone interrupted.
“Shit, sign me up,” a woman called out, waving her hand. “I never even got the chance to smash one. I mean, I’m blessed that I got somewhere safe fast. I know that. I know that but fuck, I’ve needed to just—and like—I’ll shoot all them fuckers if you tell me how. Please , let me.”
That was the overwhelming consensus. And most of them women since—it wasn’t as sexist as it sounded, but more men had military and police backgrounds. That was just reality. So they handled the weapons mostly in the apocalypse.
“Okay, okay, we’ll do it. We have it set up to draw out more corrupted,” I told them as I held up my hands. “The docs told us what the anti-nausea meds are to raid for and the lemon juice has been helping.” I let out a slow breath. “There’s no easy way to manage this especially since we need order to do this safely.
“No matter how we do it, some people are going to bitch. We know that. I get it, I feel the same a lot. It’s going to come off a bit like a pat on the head or giving—I get it. However , we pay attention, and it’s our job to keep you safe and keep things running smoothly. So I have lists of people who have stepped up and who haven’t.
“Who are the ones who do more after their shifts and who just sits around and bitches. Those who help others with kids and check on people—you get the idea. It’s easier for us to send one of the jets or we have people who want to hunt too. So yeah, we’re going to take the people who do more and help out. If we’re going to spend time we could be relaxing to manage this…”
I shrugged. What else was there really to say? Did it seem like giving the kids who behaved well a cookie?
Yes. Absolutely, but that was a lot of life . Trisha said that was even how the tax system was set up. Those who paid in advance and paid on time and gave donations got money back and no fines with a pat on the head. Everything was set to reward the rule followers and good kids.
In theory . We all knew that wasn’t how real life worked, but in theory that was how things were set up.
I was simply the boss now and could make sure it was how it really happened.
I gave Kristof a heated kiss and the jar of my blood, thanking him for handling it.
He glanced past me to Vitor and Tian who were my security. “Take my love to the castle and protect her with your life while we help here.”
I started to go to Tian but at the last minute diverted to Vitor, letting them both see that I’d done it on purpose. One was happy.
One was not .
Let the games begin.
I’d made sure we were doing this on a night when they were my guards and we could have some privacy besides the privacy of my tower already. I let Vitor carry me all the way up—even in the elevator—which he enjoyed.
The kiss even more so.
Once we were in my room, I moved my fingers over his lips. “There is something that I need and you will forever keep it a secret for me. I’m trusting you to be on my side and give me what I need.” I waited until he slowly nodded. “And I’ll give you more than what you need in return. I’ll give you what you want and desperately. What’s been eating at you.”
I smirked when I saw heat flash in his eyes. Yeah, everyone had been seeing his jealous glances at James’s necklace.
Fine, he didn’t want a pink diamond sub collar… But he wanted something personal from me and clearly marking him as mine.
“I would always keep your secrets and give you anything, My Princess,” he promised me. “Even without the bribe or reward.”
“I know, but I wanted you to understand that I value and appreciate you,” I told him. I stepped away and moved closer to Tian.
And started stripping much to his delight.
Once naked, I sank to my knees and stared up at him. “Can I please suck your cock, Liu Tian?”
His nostrils flared and so much heat and darkness filled his eyes that I thought he might explode. But he kept in control. “Yes.”
I reached for his belt but flinched away when he went to touch me. “Did you ask permission?” I bit back a smirk when he realized the game. I gave him my most innocent look. “And the answer is no.”
Vitor snorted, trying to cover his laugh with a cough and even thumping himself in the chest.
“Can I suck you off?” I asked Tian again, my voice begging.
“But I cannot touch you?” he bit out.
“No.” I smirked a bit then. “You can say no too.”
He wouldn’t. We both knew it. He wanted that blow job.
He just wanted control of everything too.
“Yes,” he hissed his nostrils flaring again.
“Thank you,” I whimpered and quickly undid his pants. I licked the tip and then stroked him as I sucked on his balls. “Do you like that?”
He didn’t answer, simply staring at me. Oh, he was going to be an ass back?
Fine, I moved on, licking along the length of him. “Do you like that?”
Nothing.
I kept trying different things and asking, moving on when he didn’t respond. “I guess you don’t like anything I’m doing. Should I stop?”
“No,” he growled.
Oh, so he wouldn’t tell me what he liked or give me encouragement, but he would tell what not to do?
No. He wasn’t the boss here.
I was even if I was on my knees.
I sat back on my feet and let him look over my body. I even spread my legs and let him see that I was turned on. “You’re getting this because it’s something I need like I told Vitor. If you won’t fill the need for me, I’ll find someone who will. Now, do you want the fucking blow job from me or do you want to be an asshole?”
I felt valid when Vitor snorted again.
Tian sighed, and for once it didn’t upset me. Aether had shown me that it wasn’t him being annoyed but regulating his breathing to keep in control. It was more like martial arts or yoga breathing—maybe even mental health counting to ten type breathing or whatever. How it used to be to keep in control of powers.
But She’d shown me that and basically to cut him some slack. She’d shown me lots.
Which was part of why I was on my knees in front of him.
“I liked all of it,” he admitted after another sigh.
“Very unhelpful,” I grumbled. “No, now I need more to get my mouth back on your cock.” I licked my lips and stared up at him, noting when his dick twitched. “Tell me what you really want. What do you wish I’d do?”
He ground his jaw and sighed again. He realized I wouldn’t budge and clearly wanted what I offered. “I want you to suck my cock so deep it gags you. I want to…”
Something bad. He wanted something bad. Yeah, I got that.
I still did it. I took his cock in my mouth and fucking choked myself on it until it actually hurt. I did it for him. Not hurt bad, but… Women knew. It was more than I enjoyed, but I let him have it. I saw in his eyes that he was itching to hold my head and control it, fist my hair and take what he wanted.
I backed off and sucked as hard as I could before completely stopping and pulling off of him.
“Yes, I fucking loved that,” he growled, not even making me say it. “Yes, I want more and to finish down your throat. I want all of it.”
So I gave it to him. I sucked him off and never let him touch me. I swallowed every drop when he came and then tucked him back in his pants and fixed them.
Like it never happened besides how we were both affected.
Then I walked over to my closet and found what I had for Vitor. I handed him the small box and smiled at him. “This is what I thought of for you. You’re not a necklace guy, and a ring seemed—I saw this a while ago and thought it would be you.” I cleared my throat as he opened it and didn’t say anything. “It didn’t look cheap, but it’s probably not expensive—”
“I love it,” he mumbled.
And then suddenly he was kissing me. I was pressed against him and his large hand was cupping my ass and lifting me to him.
“I will ask someone to pierce my ear so I can wear it,” he said against my lips. “I’m thrilled you saw something and thought of me.”
I nodded. “You’re fierce like a dragon, and it’s not fire, but you make bad disappear like I do—you have for me. I thought a hoop earring would be sexy on you.” It was true. The silver dragon earring with small black diamonds was hot.
On the right guy, and I thought Vitor was that guy especially with his cold gray eyes. Yeah, it would definitely work for him.
“And I’m trusting you,” I whispered. “Whatever you want. Take me however. Besides anal sex. That’s Kristof’s.” I nodded when he searched my eyes. “Don’t hold back. Give me what I know you’ve been wanting to.” I smirked when he immediately looked to my breasts. “Yes, I know what you want. You can show me.”
I gasped as I was suddenly pressed against the wall next to Tian and Vitor was holding my breast in his hand. He brought it to his lips and kissed the nipple before sinking his fangs in and drinking deeply from me. Their rivalry and dislike of each other was… I really was fucked in the head.
“She didn’t say she accepted,” Tian reminded him.
“She didn’t say it for you either,” Vitor threw right back.
“I’ve only said I accept Kristof and in the distant future if we actually survive this madness,” I clarified. I decided to give them an inch. “But I absolutely have a fantasy of you both drinking from a breast before fucking me all night and taking your dislike of each other out on my body.” I licked my lips and nodded to my other breast. “You sure I got the message?”
Yeah, Vitor drank from the other one and I orgasmed when he barely touched my clit.
He had me on all fours facing Tian and fucked my brains out. It was so good that I lost my mind. For real. Why did I crave this and their monsters?
I wasn’t sure, but I really, really hoped there was some way to turn it around into something better.
Especially because I kept doing it. I kept blowing Tian when I could get him alone or with Vitor. I wouldn’t let him touch me and would simply blow him—sometimes naked. I would ask. He would get annoyed that I wouldn’t let him touch me, and I would love every second of sucking him and driving him crazy.
And then I’d get back to my day like nothing had happened.
Was this my way of having crazy in my life because Keres was being quiet? Or handling the worry of why she was so quiet?
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one worried about that… Keres, not my acting out.
“Aether gave me the answer last night,” Jaxon said as he rubbed his head. “Actually, She has a few times, but I didn’t fucking get it and—She’s…”
She was punishing him for not doing better to fix his relationship and keep his vows. I nodded that I understood but wanted the answer more than to make him squirm.
“The vision was showing you recovering after the ghosts,” he told me. “I thought it was saying to take better care of you or that would keep happening. It all seemed like chastising—which I deserve.”
“Yeah, it’s all a lot of interpretation,” I accepted. Then what he was getting at hit me. “Her power takes her a while to recover from and weakens her. Good, okay. So yeah, I mean—it makes sense, right?” I glanced between my husbands and Branko, even my guards at the door. “Think about it. I get crazy from the ghosts, but they’re ghosts .
“She’s controlling undead. So not just mind control of living beings which has to be a doozy, but undead, and we assume she’s my age or younger but young. That has to be a lot of fucking power. Even if you equate that to physically carrying them all around, which it’s not, but would be harder with power. It has to really beat her ass up.”
“It does make sense,” Cerdic agreed. “Especially whatever is going on to recharge them or make them more agile.”
I was glad when they all seemed in agreement. I looked to Jaxon. “How is the raiding in Florida going?”
His lips twitched. “Mother made it clear that they’re stealing ‘anything and everything they can from under the twat.’ And well. The tugboats have been grabbing ships and—it’s going well. She also made it clear that the princesses should not forget this favor of unlimited animals as long as they swipe them. They accept that.”
“Lovely.” I was pleased that so much was going well and we could brace for Keres’s next move instead of worry about what we were missing. Now that I had a reasonable answer at least.
“Also, every noble is working on their gift to turn things into energy beads as they can,” Darius added. “They’re just leaving the mess and—those fuckers suck to run on. So as they clear an area, we’re just destroying the building. It’s wasted but better than them getting it and having it.” He snorted.
“You wiped out on the damn beads, didn’t you?” Cerdic checked, chuckling when Darius nodded. “You’re not the only one. I went ass over head and had to heal fucking road burn I’d been running so fast.”
“You are not the only one,” Kristof grumbled. “It’s a smart plan, but we should have coordinated that better.”
“The idea was to not coordinate so no one could hear it,” Jaxon admitted. “I apologize. I didn’t think you would go there when there’s more to do around here and you don’t like leaving the castle.”
“Fair,” he accepted. “I wanted to get eyes…” He sighed when I gave him a look that I would beat him. “I didn’t go to the coven. I didn’t go remotely close. None of us have. I was miles and miles away still. I wanted the feeling and vibe as you all say. I promise I was more than far enough to retreat.”
“We’re being careful—overly careful and paranoid,” Cerdic promised.
“Good, but take your paranoid level up to fifteen,” I said firmly. “We haven’t lost anyone. I’m not losing one of you because of underestimating the help she might have or ego. No one would have thought someone like Vitor or Petre would have stuck around the moment they had the option to go. Some could want the world to burn after their pain and she can give them that.”
“That is a really, really good point we’d not thought of,” Kristof muttered, seeming a bit shell-shocked.
I sometimes wished Matilda or Nora lived with me. They would have gotten it. Most times my husbands were right there with me. Lots of times they were ahead of me or understood things I didn’t.
But every so often when it really mattered, they were a step behind and I had to bite my tongue.
“The guest princesses scheduled time into your day after this,” Cerdic hedged, giving me a worried look as if not sure how I would react.
“Do they have good news?” I drawled. That was what really mattered more than one of them had the same name as my crazy fucking mother.
“They’re nervous, but—they took over the ballroom and have been working tirelessly for over a week. Since they’ve arrived. They’ve taken care of themselves, but they’ve just been in there besides asking for information and talking to people.”
“I think they’re worried that you’re going to hate their first real attempt to be people of their own, but I think you will be thrilled about the meeting. But I don’t know really. I have high hopes,” Kristof added. “And I find that hard to have most days.”
“Are you okay?” I worried.
“Tired. Glad to have you to myself tonight and rest.” He gave me a soft kiss, but I saw something more was going on. Aether had sent him a vision or he was having a problem putting the pieces of a puzzle together. It was more than being tired—he was frustrated. Probably with himself.
We went over there and I knocked on the door even if it was my castle. I didn’t want to be rude or—even I could feel the nerves from whatever was going on.
Noel arrived at the door first and Josephine right behind her. Both dipped their heads to me and stepped aside for me to come in.
“We ask you hear us out because we’ve never presented anything before and we won’t be the best at it,” Noel said quietly.
“Of course, but we might interject for clarification.” I moved my hand to her arm. “No one will yell or get upset. I promise. I will pull down their pants and spank them in front of you if they so much as laugh at you. You have my word.”
I was glad when that seemed to lighten their mood, and they brought us by the first rolling whiteboard.
Yes, the first one. There were whiteboards, chalkboards, presentations, and a fuck ton of Post-It Easel Pads all over the walls. They had little Post-Its on them and color everywhere.
I blinked at it all and then back at them. “You have my undivided attention. What are you cooking up here, ladies?”
“Hopefully, how to organize the coven better,” Josephine answered.
“Um, yes please,” I muttered and focused on what was in front of me. “What am I looking at?”
“Mostly, the current data we have,” she told me. “The full directory of who came from each coven, who is an official member of this coven now—” She tapped the other list. “That’s who was shown the door but still has family or friends here so could be a problem.” Then she pointed to another list. “That’s who is on the chopping block as problems.”
“And these are the lazy ones who aren’t problems yet but are being a bad influence and need a kick in the teeth,” Noel added.
“Pants,” Cerdic corrected, nodding when she looked at him. “Your English is flawless, but you miss some of the slang. Kick in the teeth is to beat someone up for being an asshole for something they said normally. Kick in the pants or ass is to motivate them or pull their heads out of their asses because they’re being stupid.”
“Oh, that’s helpful, thank you.” She accepted that and moved on. “Now, not to play favorites, but even your people have noticed that people from our former coven have been…” She shrugged.
Yeah, they’d been angels and really stepped up. For all intents and purposes, Kaitlin hadn’t always been a bad princess. She hadn’t been great, but it wasn’t the level of crazy and all the traumas like Safie or Bahati. But she’d gone off the rails in the apocalypse and handling it all, completely unequipped, and—it went bad. No need to rehash it all.
So people were ready to push past it.
The people under Safie or Bahati had either loved that toxic coven culture and wanted it back or were so traumatized that they were acting out or didn’t know how to be normal. There was a range. Either way, it was a problem and one we couldn’t leave anymore now that we’d given them time to heal and adjust.
And they had that plan all mapped out… For now, which confused me.
I needed less to confuse me in life.
Was that really too much to ask?