CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX #2
A hand cinched my hip tight, and then he slammed every inch of his shaft home, mercilessly stretching the tight muscles. I gasped at the sudden invasion, my body going still.
There was nothing still about Talon. He went straight to fucking me hard, filling the wide space with the sound of flesh smacking flesh.
Yet again, I curled both my palms around the iron rail, not trusting that I wouldn’t otherwise slump forward from the force of his frantic thrusts.
It was sometimes easy to forget that, in some senses, he was more beast than man. Every round of sex we had was a firm reminder of it. It was in the way he took, rutted, chased his orgasm so savagely.
My body tightened as my orgasm approached. Fire crawled through my veins. Pain-spiced bliss sang in my blood.
He filled his hand with my breast and squeezed; sending a spark of pleasure straight to my core.
And I broke as a bliss so intense it was close to unbearable burned through my body.
I turned my head and bit into his upper arm through his tunic, my inner muscles locking down on him with a viselike grip.
His pace turned feral and uneven as he rammed harder and faster. Then he stilled, harsh blasts of his release splashing my inner walls. He shuddered, grinded, grunted.
I let my head fall back to meet his shoulder, my breathing all over the place. I floated for a while, only to be plucked out of my pleasure-daze when he carefully turned me to face him. His dark gaze was all warm and languid.
“I bit you,” I taunted with a You deserved it look. Tit for tat, right?
He shrugged, unbothered. That was a shame. But I supposed he had no need to care, since the mark would already be healing. It would be gone before the minute was over.
I gathered my clothes, retreated to the communal garderobe, cleaned myself up, and then swiftly redressed. When I got back to the bunkbed, it was to find him lounging on my mattress, one arm behind his head, one leg bent at the knee.
Tipping my head to the side, I set my hands on my hips. “Why do I get the feeling that this whole thing was you territorially marking where I sleep?”
Pursing his lips, he let one shoulder lift and fall.
I rolled my eyes and snatched up my knapsack. “Whatever. Let’s go.”
Outside the barracks, we walked side-by-side toward his own, passing—
Bells rang loud, slicing through the other sounds. Talon left in a flash, causing a flutter of air to dance over my back.
I dumped my knapsack near my barracks and copied the other officiates in rushing to the armory. Once armed with my usual choice of weaponry, I joined the line of officiates as I darted out of the garrison and to the front wall, where the sconces were lit as a signal.
Our footsteps thundered up the stairs of the battlement. Reaching it, I stopped near one of the four huge stone dragons and scanned the view in front of me. I frowned. No trespassers were charging, no war cries were peppering the air, no growls and snarls could be heard.
Someone must have seen something to sound the alarm. It was difficult to make out what was coming when the high, twisted trees were so tightly-clustered together.
A quick glance showed me that Talon stood in the center of the battlement, his gaze locked on the newcomers who were still mostly concealed by the trees.
A cold breeze whispered over me, batting my golden-brown curls and causing little bumps to sweep across my skin.
Movements in the forest caught my eye. A flash of purple. A hint of black. A bop of a head. A pale face I couldn’t properly see.
There was definitely someone out there, and they seemed set on making a casual, nonthreatening approach.
Khalida appeared at my side, straining to see. “Who the hell is coming, and why aren’t they charging?”
“They were my questions.” Not reassured by the lack of aggression, I got my bow and arrow at the ready. My pulse thudded in my neck as I waited for them to appear, anticipation a quake in my bones.
“Maybe it isn’t someone who means us harm,” Khalida mused.
“That would sure make a nice change.”
Long minutes went by as the invaders continued their leisurely walk to the city. I heard Ajax suggesting to Talon that a Phoenixian could do a flyover and report back what they saw, but then the trespassers finally became visible where the trees thinned out.
There were four of them. Each had coal-black hair, dark eyes, and skin was so pale it seemed almost translucent. They also wore a long hooded purple robe that was reminiscent of a time when the children of the gods wore said garments as a proud declaration of their heritage.
They could only be Theseus, Daedalus, Medea, and Scylla—the half-bloods from the Dark Lands.
Talon didn’t signal for us to fire our arrows. Instead, he caught Keyes’ eye and tipped his head toward the fortress within the city walls. With a nod, the Marshall scurried away.
Personally, given that the Sovereigns tended to hang back when there was trouble, I wasn’t so sure there was much point in getting word to them.
Finally, the four newcomers reached the walls. The arched wooden doors didn’t open for them in welcome—no surprise there.
One of the half-bloods slowly raised his hands. “We are not here to fight!” he called out, all assurance. “We come in peace!”
Uh, forgive us if we don’t trust that.
They seemed to be alone, but they weren’t likely to launch an attack without their armies present. Said armies could be lingering in the woods.
“You know you’re not welcome here, Theseus,” said Ajax, a vein of tension running through his long, burly build. “None of you are.”
Theseus very slowly cocked his head. “Can you imagine what it would be like to be unwelcome in what was once your home?”
Ajax stared at him steadily. “You only have yourself to blame for that.” There were no hints of mercy or sympathy in his deep voice.
“The blame does not entirely lie with us,” cut in a female half-blood. Her gaze flitted to Talon, and a taunting smirk curved her mouth. “Talon, you look far better than the last time I saw you. But then, you’d been covered in blood, hadn’t you?”
This had to be Medea. It was rumored that she’d once tried to take his life. And, as such, it was tempting to let my arrow sink right into her heart.
Talon responded to her comment with only a blank, uncaring stare. Well, it wasn’t like he wasn’t using to people making attempts on his life—he was Cardinal of the Black Tapestry, after all. Trying to kill him didn’t make her special.
The second—and rather tall—male half-blood inched up his chin in an arrogant manner. This could only be Daedalus. “Where are the brothers? We wish to speak with them.” It was a demand.
“They’ve been notified of your arrival,” Ajax told him. “If they want to talk to you, they will. If not …”
An angry flush stained Daedalus’ face. “We did not come all this way to be sent home like errant children.”
The curvy female half-blood beside him who had to be Scylla placed a soothing hand on his arm. “The brothers will see us,” she said confidently, her voice soft and almost musical. She smiled up at Talon. “Could we not wait inside the walls?”
Talon gave a hard but slow shake of his head.
“You have no right to deny us entrance,” insisted Daedalus. “Especially not to our childhood home. We are children of the gods.”
The Cardinal gave an unconcerned shrug.
I leaned into Khalida. “He can’t really think he’d be allowed entrance.”
“My guess is he’s hoping that kicking up a stink will provoke the Sovereigns into showing themselves.” Her gaze drifted to something behind me. “And if they hadn’t already planned to, then his little plot paid off.”
I turned to see the Sovereigns walking onto the battlement—cold, composed, menacing.
Theseus’ mouth curved politely. “My Lords,” he greeted, all sarcasm, “what an honor you bestow upon us by granting us an audience.”
Minos sneered down at the visitors. “You would dare come here? Putting aside the fact that you were banished, you recently sicced armies on us.”
Daedalus lifted one finger. “They were merely minor demonstrations.”
“Of what?” demanded Eacus, his usual calm elegance cracking with anger.
“Of what a collective force we are,” Daedalus elaborated, his lips kicking up.
Rhad’s jaw hardened beneath his thick, curly beard. “So it is true that you have all banded together.”
Daedalus only grinned.
Minos fisted his hands, his flushed cheeks mottled. “What do you want?”
It was Theseus who spoke. “You saw the fighters we have at our disposal. Imagine those numbers coming at your city all at once. You wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“We could have brought them with us today,” Scylla interjected, “but we did not. Though we can take Deimos effortlessly, we would prefer to do it peacefully.”
“A month,” Theseus tossed out. “We will give you a month of no attacks while you gather your belongings, evacuate your people, and safely relocate. Then we will return to claim Deimos.”
Silence fell at the verbal bomb. I’d expected threats, taunts, and maybe even a sneak attack. But not such a warning.
The worrying thing? Their combined armies would be too much for the Tapestry to take on. Especially when it was believed that one or more of the half-bloods were responsible for freeing the Watchers from Tartarus.
Minos’ face flushed with anger. “You truly believe we will tuck tail and run?”
Medea gave him a foul look. “You will if you wish for you and your people to live. You have kept us at bay successfully only because we were divided. That no longer stands.”
“We have allies of our own,” said Eacus.
Theseus’ lips quirked. “Are you sure? For years you have subjugated the Archdukes, demanding proof of their loyalty; insisting on god-like devotion. Can you be certain that they will put their lives on the line for you?”
Unease pricked at my skin. Because it wasn’t a mere query. It was a taunt. He’d either somehow already secured the support of the Archdukes or he felt fairly certain that he could.