49. Penelope
Penelope
Together.
We’d take back the Crown… together.
“The trials—”
Vaughn’s finger fitted against my lips.
“I don’t want to talk about that tonight.”
“But…”
“No, love. You will pass the trials. You are strong enough.”
Doubt flooded me. Vaughn shook his head, waiting until I took a deep breath and nodded.
“You will pass, and we will marry. I want to marry you so badly, Penelope. I don’t want to wait another minute.”
“How long before I face the trials?”
Silence filled the room. “How ever long it takes until we’re positive you’re ready. I’m not taking any risks, and I won’t know until I see what you’ve learned since you’ve been gone.” His lips pursed, and I saw the beginnings of a smile.
“You kept up with the training, even though you hated me.”
“Hated you?” My head shook. “I never hated you. I could never. … I love you. That’s why the lies hurt me so much.”
“And you love me still?”
His hand cupped my face again, and I couldn’t stop from leaning my cheek into his palm as I repeated his words.
“More than the sun, and the moon, and all the air in the world.”
A big smile flashed, and I met his lips as they lowered to mine.
Fire flared on my chest as I pulled him towards me, but I didn’t care.
Vaughn didn’t fight. He met my need with an intensity that left us holding to each other with everything we had.
His tongue thrust into my mouth, and I moaned, turning to wrap my leg over his hip.
For minutes we kissed, until I was sure I’d go crazy.
“Vaughn.” I fisted the opening of his button-up shirt, pulling and feeling the buttons give way. “Please. Don’t stop this time.”
“Penelope—”
“It’s been so long. I don’t want to wait anymore. I can’t.”
He moaned back, kissing me deeper before breaking away.
“No more waiting.”
I had imagined this moment a thousand times while I hated him. None of those fantasies had come close to feeling the satisfaction at his words.
Reaching up, he pulled and tore the shirt open. I pushed it back from his chest, meeting his mouth again as he took it off and tossed it to the side. The clinking of his belt sounded, and I gasped as he moved in to suck and nibble against the side of my neck.
Fingers gripped the dress settled at my waist, and he pulled it and my panties off. For seconds he stared down at my body, breathing heavily as he did. His belt was undone, as was his button and zipper, and I didn’t miss his cock straining against the material of his slacks.
“God, you’re beautiful. Fuck.”
“Come here.”
He lowered as I lifted my arms, meeting my mouth like he couldn’t be restrained for another second. I was meant to kiss Vaughn. The way we moved against each other was magic. Fingers traveled along my inner thigh and I widened my legs, shivering in anticipation as he traveled higher.
“Don’t stop. I can take it. I want this. Don’t… stop.”
I rotated my hips, pushing down, whimpering as his fingers finally connected to my pussy. I was so wet. So desperate to have him.
“Jesus.” Vaughn traced around my opening, moving his touch up to tease over my clit. My legs jolted as I arched and moved against him. “Tell me to taste you. Keep begging me, Penelope.”
“Please. I want you to do what you did before.”
“Not good enough.” His fingers slid back to my entrance, and I cried out as he inched his finger inside. “Tell me to fuck your pussy with my tongue.”
He stretched me with another finger, and my head went back and forth as my orgasm beckoned.
“Suck, fuck, lick… just… do it. Taste me so I can be in you like you’re in me.”
Lips crushed into mine for only a moment before Vaughn lowered between my legs. His tongue immediately pushed deep into my opening. The vibrations from his mouth had me fisting his hair. I was already so close.
“Yes. Yes.” I gasped, lifting my head to look down as his thumb circled around my clit.
My hips rocked, and I moved faster against his face.
When his tongue left me and he began to flick the tip over my clit, I almost screamed.
My entire body was trembling. His fingers eased back into me, and the slow thrusts were torturous. For minutes, he built me up.
“Vaughn, I don’t want—not like this.” I was suddenly pulling at him. “I want you inside of me. Please.” Fear that he’d stop had me begging him with my eyes. “Please. I don’t want to wait anymore. I’m so close and I want to…I want to do that with you inside of me.”
“Have an orgasm?”
“Yes.”
“Say it. I want to have an orgasm while your cock is inside me.”
My face burned and yet the lust grew.
“I want your cock inside of me as I have an orgasm. And I want you to have one too. … in me. Like you said before. Like you need.”
Vaughn’s lids lowered heavily.
“Fuck. Fuck.”
He lifted, removing his slacks and settling on top of me. Our mouths met, and I pushed my nails into his back as I began to stretch around the head. He withdrew, using the wetness to start inching into me even more. The thickness, the impatience, had continuous sounds leaving me.
“God, you feel so good. I’m never going to let you go again. Me and you.”
Again, he withdrew, only to plunge even deeper. I sucked in air, my eyes flying open as he hit uncharted territory. The new thrust sent delicious sensations to all the right places. I was moving against him, arching to allow him deeper. I needed more—all of him.
“Just like that. Vaughn, God. Just like that.”
Faster, he thrust, moaning, kissing me. We couldn’t get enough of each other. And I was right there, clinging to him as my core tightened.
“Vaughn. Vaughn.”
He slammed into me, and I screamed. Spasms hit, causing my legs to jerk. My nails tore into his back, and my chest was on fire as I tried to bring him impossibly closer.
Heaviness settled inside of me, and I could feel his cock thickening.
His forehead settled against mine. He pushed deep, battling his own orgasm, and drawing it out as his thrusts turned slow.
“We can’t forget. Love me here—hate me there. You can’t forget to hate me, Penelope. Hate me, so you can keep me. And…” his voice broke through his deep moan. “And I’m the asshole. Intolerable. Cold. But you know I love you. They can’t know. They can never know.”
“Never. They’ll never know.”
Our lips met, and I broke away sucking in a deep breath as his cum shot into me.
If it meant protecting our love, I’d be the queen nightmares were made of. I’d be vicious. Cruel. Even hated, if that’s what it took to keep us safe. Love was many things, but it wasn’t guaranteed. I had Vaughn’s love, and I was going to do everything in my power to keep it.
“I don’t know, Unavowed… Should we get her a chair? I mean—You’ve been waiting for months. Hasn’t she been through enough?”
“Theodore, sit there and eat. Stop worrying about my Intended. She’ll get a chair when she earns it. For now, Penelope can sit on the floor where she belongs.”
“How long are you going to make her wear that slave dress? Shouldn’t she be—”
“Theo.”
Vaughn’s voice was sharp causing Theodore to stop talking.
I held in my smile at his concern. I was blissful, even though I didn’t appear so.
I stayed true to our arrangement. I sat with a scowl, keeping my head down.
I fought him at every turn. On occasion, Vaughn would slide his finger along my neck, and I’d try not to shiver.
Even with as sore as I was from our night of lovemaking, I wanted to go again, and again, and again.
“Unavowed—”
Theo paused, and the talking died out, only to turn into a buzz as heads whipped around. Some Masters even pointed.
“It’s her.”
I looked over curiously, craning my neck. A guard was leading a woman. One, that had my heart nearly stopping.
Blonde hair with red highlights was a mess around her shoulders. Her white slip dress was dirty, and she had blood smeared across her face. She was looking around, scared but curious. I didn’t think. She turned to me, and I felt myself keep my hand low as I waved.
One minute she was there, the next she was ripping free of the guard and sprinting right for me. Gasps sounded, and my head flew up. Panic had me fidgeting. If I stood and defied Vaughn, I would be overshadowing him in front of The Order. I couldn’t do that.
I started waving my hand, no. I moved it faster so she would not come. To stop. Stop. Stop!
The large guard was chasing and gaining on her. His hand reached out and manage to catch the bottom length of her hair. With a hard yank, she screamed, getting ripped back.
“Penny! Let go of me! Penny, are you okay? Penny!”
The guard kneeled at seeing Vaughn, slamming Marian to the ground as he did. All air left her as her mouth shot open, and she tried to search for oxygen.
“I apologize, High Master—Unavowed. She doesn’t learn.”
I shifted on the ground in a panic. Vaughn headed forward as Marian coughed, trying to catch her breath. Before I could stop myself, my screams and sobs were filling the room.
“Mercy! Please, anything! Mercy!”
“Stand her up.”
A loud cry left Marian. She swayed as the guard held her upright. Vaughn moved in close. From my view of his peripheral, I could see him glaring down at her. The beginning of a smile was there, but it wasn’t a nice one.
“The infamous Marian LaRoe. You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this.”
“Waited? I don’t know you.”
His head slowly shook back and forth. “No. But you know her.”
I was on my knees, my arms outstretched as if I could somehow help Marian. As if I were begging. And I was. I pleaded to Vaughn with my eyes as sobs left me. My dear friend. My only friend… She’d treated me so good and this is what I was allowing? Even now, Marian was only thinking about me.
“I promised to protect her, and I will.”
“Protect her from me?” His smile grew wide. “But she’s mine.”
Marian glanced to me, only to go back to him. “Look at her,” she sobbed. “Look at Penny and tell me she looks happy to you. Tell me that’s a woman who feels safe. This is how you treat a woman you claim is yours?”
He looked over meeting my gaze, his face turning hard as he turned back to her.
“Penelope must earn her right at my side. Until she does, she will hold her rank.”
“She hinted you might love her.” Vaughn’s face softened the smallest amount.
“I love her, too. She’s my friend. Please, at least let me go check on her.
I don’t understand what’s happening, but I’ll do whatever I can to work this out.
Just… please. She’s been through so much. I want to make sure she’s okay.”
“Penelope’s wellbeing is no longer your concern. If I were you, I’d focus on yourself. The Order is not a safe place. It is not friendly to enemies.”
“Enemies? I… I don’t know what you mean. I don’t know you.”
“Your mother did. She knew a lot of us,” he said, gesturing around the room. “And her sins are now your own. Your mother—”
“She’s not a good… She… She—My mother…”
Vaughn cocked his head at her silence.
“Your mother is dead. Your own Main Master killed her. Elec. Elec Wexler.”
Her eyes shot up. The name triggered something within, and her brow creased through thought.
“There it is. Recognition with confusion. Fascinating.” His smile grew wide again. “There’s such mystery surrounding you. It’s all so intriguing.”
“Please, I know my mother did things.”
“Your mother was a very evil woman, Marian. She was corrupt and got what was coming to her. Your entire family—” he laughed.
“Well, from the video that was leaked, their deaths weren’t pretty.
But… you’re still here. And you do owe me.
I had to ask myself, what would someone pay for the last of such a prestigious line?
For revenge from such a manipulative mother?
Sure, you belong to someone else, but that means nothing when there’s a debt unpaid.
And I always get paid, Marian LaRoe. Not only did your mother lie to me, but your security, that building you live and work in…
” He laughed, gesturing and shaking his head in disbelief.
“You’d think me or my men would be able to get through, but no.
No. Do you know how much money I’ve spent trying to get Penelope back?
How creative I had to become? Debt. I’ve subtracted some.
I mean, Florida, really? That was too easy. Not that I’m complaining.”
She flinched as his hand came out, swiping blood from under her nose.
“Your little outing was exactly what I had been waiting for. You took my dear Penelope with you, and let’s be honest.” Vaughn shrugged. “With how I found you, I probably saved you from a worse fate. Look who you were going to marry. I saved you.”
“From Bastian Allard?”
A look swept over Vaughn’s face, and his laugh was genuine. Even slightly shocked. “You really don’t know anything that’s happened, do you?”
“I know some psychopathic couple lured me near an exit so they could kidnap me. I know the man’s phone read that my parents were dead. But then they pulled me through the door and shot me up with something. That’s when you showed up. I remember nothing after that. Is that man here?”
“You didn’t know about your family’s death? They’ve been dead for more than a week.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“No one… contacted me. My parents never answered when I reached out. I thought—It’s not unusual for them not to take my calls.”
“This keeps getting better and better. They kept you in the dark. This changes things. For The Council to not bring you in immediately.” He stopped, expressions flashing through his thoughts. “They debated their choice.” The last was quiet as he looked down.
“Who debated? The Council? I don’t even know who that is? I’ve never heard the term before. What choice? And… you called Elec my Main Master. What is that? What the hell is going on?”
Vaughn gave a hard shake, looking at the guard behind her.
“Start the process. When she’s done with Medical, bring her to my private quarters.
With help. She’s been trained to fight. She is not to be approached without at least two guards.
For her… the more the better. Be sure to spread the word, and don’t hesitate to remind her where she is.
If she fights or runs again, break her foot.
If she continues, break them both. I don’t need her to walk to auction her off.
I’m pretty sure they’d prefer she didn’t. ”
Marian was drug away. She didn’t understand. Maybe she never would. The Masters wanted revenge for her mother. She thought Vaughn was the monster. She had no idea he was the only thing standing between her and the real ones.