Chapter 49 Lex
Lex
Irapped once on the General’s door before a muffled “enter” sounded through the heavy wood. I pushed the door open to reveal a haggard-looking Rohak slumped in a chair nearest the fire. A blanket was tucked around his legs and chest, his arms resting lightly on the armrests.
“General, you wanted to see me after lessons?” I asked, shutting the door behind me.
He never peeled his eyes from the fire, the glow casting shadows that highlighted the deep purple circles beneath his eyes.
“Yes, please sit.” He gestured to the chair across from him, and I cautiously approached, perching on the edge.
The difference in Rohak from this morning till now was stark, almost impossible. His skin was sallow and waxy, his hair matted with blood, and small cuts littered his fingers.
“Rohak . . . are you . . . okay?” I asked hesitantly and sucked in a breath when he finally turned from the fire to regard me.
The most concerning observation of all was the deadness in his eyes.
Usually brilliant green and sparking with intelligence and fire, they now were dull and hollow; like all the life was sucked from him in one day.
“No, Lex. I’m not. The man I trusted for decades is sacrificing his people for his own machinations. He’s declaring himself king and bringing the new cadets and Ellowyn to the site of a massacre, all because a Keeper told him to once upon a time.”
His scorn-filled words hung heavy in the air, and I nodded my head once.
“That’s . . . a lot to unpack.”
Rohak barked a hoarse laugh. “Well, we fucking need to. And quickly.”
I nodded my head once as my lips thinned.
“Tell me what I need to do.”
Rohak’s eyes softened incrementally.
“I don’t deserve your loyalty, Lex. After everything I’ve done to you, everything I’ve put you through. Fuck, I’m not a good person,” he lamented quietly but stopped when I shook my head.
“You’re the best man I know, Rohak. You’ve been put in impossible situations and had to make the call you thought was best. I don’t fault you for that.
You’re a general first, a friend second.
Your responsibility comes to Elyria above all else.
I know that, I respect that. Even through that, though, you’ve never made me feel less than or not taken care of.
Not even when you took me beneath the Academy. ”
Rohak flinched at my words, but he needed to hear this.
“I was angry then, yes. But not now. I understand now why you had to follow his orders, and I don’t begrudge you that.
I give you my loyalty because you’ve earned it, Rohak.
Every single day, you earn it. We all make mistakes, some of them catastrophic, but it’s what we do in their wake, how you make people feel every other day, that commands my loyalty and affection. Nothing more and nothing less.”
Rohak sat silently for a moment before shuffling in his chair while clearing his throat.
“Thank you, Lex.”
I shrugged. “Of course, General. I’ll always be here to remind you of your worth when you need it.”
He smiled slightly. “Which is why Faylinn and I want to bring you in on our plans. We need people we can trust to help us mitigate the potentially disastrous effects of Alois’ decisions. We were hoping you would be one of them.”
I relaxed back in my chair. “This is going to put me more at odds with Sasori, isn’t it.”
Rohak cringed slightly. “Yes. Probably.”
I thought about it briefly before nodding my head. “What do you need from me?”
“Keep an eye on Alois and Ellowyn when you leave with him for Cellia.” Rohak’s answer was immediate. “There is something . . . more there.”
I nodded my head in agreement. After watching her with her magic during our practical sessions in the training yard, I had to agree with him.
“Understood. Is there anything else?” I asked, and Rohak shook his head.
“No, just that. Watch their interactions and how she draws magic. See if you can see or feel anything when she does.”
“Very well,” I said before pushing to a stand. “You should get some sleep, General. Looks like you could use it.”
“We’re all going to need it in the coming days,” he said sadly, turning further into his chair.
A heaviness settled on my shoulders as I left Rohak’s office and trudged up the stairs to my living quarters.
My Bonded and I had our fair share of problems over the last sixteen years, but none more prevalent than now.
Ilyas would follow my lead on whatever I asked, his loyalty was just as steadfast as mine, but Sasori would take some convincing.
It’d never been a secret that she practically worshipped the ground Lord d’Refan walked on, but her devotion was reaching near fanatical levels.
Her anger and disappointment with me only grew the longer I remained “Rohak’s man,” refusing to devote myself to Lord d’Refan.
I could only imagine how she would take this new directive from Rohak.
Maybe some orgasms will help loosen her objections . . .
The weight eased slightly from my chest and I pushed open the door, buoyed by the prospect.
I walked into our room to find both Sasori and Ilyas lounging on the couch.
On opposite sides, doing different things, but at least they were in the same space.
While tensions between Sasori and I ratcheted to new levels over the past few weeks, Ilyas had stoically stood by my side and actively taken steps to remove himself from Sasori’s presence.
The fact that they were cohabiting the same space this evening had my heart pounding and blood thrumming in anticipation.
I could do this—bring us all back together. This is what I was good at, what I was practically made for: sex, love, and pleasure.
Ilyas was knitting what looked to be the start of a new blanket—purples and blues this time—shirtless, with his legs spread open, practically inviting me to step between them and plaster myself to his exposed chest. Meanwhile, Sasori was tucked into the opposite corner of the couch, her knees practically touching her chest, fully clothed apart from her feet.
Her black hair was loose and fell in soft waves to her waist, a curtain of it curling around her arm that propped up her head as she languidly read a book.
Sasori looked soft like this—vulnerable, even.
Times like this were few and far between for us; we were constantly pulled in different directions for the Academy, for Lord d’Refan, for the General.
Maybe this is our issue—maybe we just need time together.
The fire popped softly in the grate as I stepped into our rooms, and both of my Vessels’ heads shot up from their respective distractions.
A genuine smile broke across Ilyas’ face like the sun shining through the clouds after a particularly violent rainstorm, whereas Sasori’s expression immediately closed off, her previous softness dissipating like ashes on the wind.
She closed her book with a snap as Ilyas rested his knitting needles against the small wooden table between the couch and fireplace.
Sasori rose to leave the room, evidently feeling the anticipation in the air, but I closed the distance between us, taking her book from her hands and tossing it on the table before caging her back against the couch.
She slumped back into her seat, eyes on fire and expression fierce as she crossed her arms.
“What do you want, Lex?” she bit out, and I dipped my head lower to run my nose up the length of her neck and around the curve of her jaw.
“You,” I purred. She stiffened slightly with a small scoff.
“You haven’t wanted me in weeks.” Her acidic tone was cutting, the remark landing as intended.
“We haven’t had time like this in weeks,” I argued back and heard Ilyas hum in agreement from the other side of the couch.
“I’m not sure about either of you, but I’ve been craving the physical connection with both of you.
I need it more than anything else right now,” I admitted while laying soft, lazy kisses on Sasori’s neck.
She shivered and tried to cover up her body’s reaction by pulling away from me, but I kept her still with a firm hand on her jaw.
“Unless you don’t want me?” I asked and pulled back to see her face when she went utterly still in my hold.
A war happened in the span of a second behind her coffee-brown eyes, and I saw Ilyas slump imperceptibly.
Fuck. This is worse than I thought.
Sasori relaxed on a deep exhale before nodding slightly. “Yes, I want you,” she admitted, but there was no passion in her voice. Acceptance, yes, but nothing more than that.
Double fuck. We really need to talk.
It probably would’ve been most prudent to hash out our issues before fucking, but something told me this may be the very last time that all three of us were intimate together. I had the go-ahead from Sasori, and I was going to make it count.
Better make it last, then.
“Ilyas, remove Sasori’s clothing and sit her on your lap facing me,” I said firmly, removing my hand from her face and stepping back to watch as my True Bonded worked to disrobe my Force Bonded.
The secret to Sasori—especially while intimate—was to get her mind to a space where she didn’t have to think.
If Ilyas and I made all the decisions for her, if we directed her where she was needed and essentially used her like a fuck doll, then she could let go and just feel.
Otherwise, she’d get too in her own head and sex would last a few minutes at most.
And we couldn’t have that today.
Sasori grumbled as she let Ilyas shuck her shirt and pants, leaving her in just her underwear.
“No bra band today?” I asked curiously, and she shook her head.
“I’m relaxing in my own room. Do I need your permission to not wear one now, Mage?” she sniped, and I chuckled.
“No, Sasori. You never need my permission for that. Underwear, too.” I directed the last command to Ilyas.