Chapter Ten
Astra
One Week Later
After the meeting with Lupin, we flew back immediately so we could prepare for the invasion. We have spent every waking moment planning and preparing. The plan is simple, but every step has to be completed exactly right, or it won’t work.
I will go in alone, but there will be the military almost entirely surrounding the country.
They will be in the water and the mountains, covering every inch of the wall.
The people of Torvex will get past the wall while they are distracted, taking me to Vinny.
I will play the victim and blame Zev, pretending that I was held against my will.
No matter if it works or not, it will still get him, Aaron, and maybe a few of his closest associates alone with me. From there, I will have fun.
We are on the boat, and everyone is on edge but me. Shouldn’t I be the one on edge?
“Hey,” I say, nudging Zev.
“Hey,” he says, sitting back in his chair. “You okay?”
“Mhmm,” I smile and move to my knees in front of him.
“Astra,” he sighs.
“Ahh,” I laugh and free his cock. I immediately take it to the back of my throat and suck hard as I move. He groans and rests his hand on my head, letting me lead.
“Christ, you’re amazing,” Zev grunts. I pull away from him, and he frowns deeply.
“You can come when I see you again,” I say with a bright smile as I move up and kiss him. He grabs my face and deepens our kiss, so I start slowly stroking him. He is moaning against my mouth, desperate to come. When I stop again, he huffs out a breath and accepts that I’m not letting him come.
“I have a good mind to bend you over and teach you another lesson about teasing,” he says. “But I won’t… right now.”
“I’m going to torture Ren before I have to go,” I laugh. “Come out and say bye to me.”
“I will,” he says. He might actually fuck you,” he laughs.
“Maybe,” I shrug. I kiss him once more before walking away to find Ren. He is on the top deck, looking out into the ocean. “Hey, Ren.”
“Hey, sweetheart,” he says. When I push him back against the railing and drop to my knees. “What are you…”
“A little present before I go,” I smile up at him as I pull his cock free. I take him into my mouth and suck hard.
“Fuck,” he groans. When he goes to grab my hair, I smack his hand away and move faster.
Eventually, he lets me lead. His moans are amazing, but I don’t want him to finish.
Not yet. When I pull back, he growls and immediately snatches me up.
I giggle when he bends me over the railing and pulls my skirt up.
“Don’t come,” I say quickly.
“You’re a little too good at teasing,” he says as he fills me with his cock.
“We can come when I see you again,” I pant. “Oh, Dear God.”
“You sure about that?” he asks, pushing deeper with every slow and deep thrust.
“Yes,” I moan. “After. Oh my God… After, please.”
Ren grunts his disapproval and starts pounding into me.
I cry out, completely abandoning the idea of waiting.
I push my hips back to meet his thrusts, and we are both quickly on our way to coming.
As it starts to build inside of me and it’s about to break free, he abruptly stops and pulls out of me.
“I regret my decision,” I whine.
“I know,” he says as he turns me around. “When you are back in our arms, we can finish this. Okay? You have to come back to us, Astra.”
“I’ll come back,” I say. “I swear.”
“We are here,” Marta says softly from a few feet away.
“Where is Zev?” I ask.
“I’m here,” he says as he walks up. Both Zev and Ren take turns hugging me tightly. They both have tears in their eyes, and it breaks my heart. I cannot imagine how they would feel if something actually happened to me. I have to come back to them. I refuse to put them in any more pain.
“I’ve got to go,” I say.
“Astra, I want you to listen to me,” Zev says. “No matter what happens or what you have to do, you come home to us. Okay? No guilt. No regret. You do what needs to be done, and you get back to the boat.”
“Okay,” I smile. “I love you, Zev.”
“I love you too, Sweet Flower,” he says, kissing me. I turn to Ren, and he kisses me.
“I love you, Ren. Keep Zev in line. He has no self-control,” I say. “No more talking. If you say something else sappy, I’ll change my mind.”
“Kick ass, my love,” Ren says with a soft smile.
“You’ve got this, Astra,” Zev adds.
“Ready to jump?” Marta asks.
“I am,” I sigh.
“Remember, Zev is the enemy,” she says. “Kiss ass, get them alone, murder everyone.”
“Got it,” I laugh. I move to sit on the railing, facing the ocean. With nothing else left to say, I jump. When I hit the water, it cradles my body to lessen the impact.
I could swim, but I chose to have the water carry me to shore.
When I get there, I remove all of the water from my body and start walking toward the North Tower.
I know the moment I come into view, I will be swarmed.
I opt to go into the woods so I can walk up from a different direction.
I don’t want them knowing exactly where I came from because then they might be able to spot the boat.
We decided that I would not know how exactly they are getting past the wall, just in case they are able to get past my abilities and try to torture me for information.
The plan is to say that I don’t know who took me, but I never left the area.
I have a bag with me that has one of those hideous purple outfits I always wore.
So, once I am deep enough into the woods, I change out of my skirt and into a chosen wife’s outfit.
I step out of the wood line, into the view of the guard tower, and chaos erupts.
Men in red rush out of the tower and swarm me.
I keep my mouth shut and cooperate as they lead me past the wall and back into hell.
The chatter on the radios is frantic as they inform Aaron and Vinny that they have me.
They are given firm instructions to take me to Aaron’s home.
I’ve only been there once, but never inside.
I am placed in a vehicle with my wrists handcuffed behind me. I remain neutral and say nothing. I think it’s pissing them off that I’m not talking, because their attitude grows colder the closer we get. When we stop in front of the house, Aaron and Vinny are waiting.
“You can go,” Vinny says once I am standing in front of him.
“Sir…”
“Go,” Aaron says harshly. The guards simply nod and get back in the vehicle. They don’t have to force me because I willingly walk inside with them. The only way for me to make them believe that the savages are the enemy is if I have to be happy to be back.
When they shut the door, I immediately go to my knees and present myself. I don’t think either of them expected that, so they just stare at me for a moment. “Explain yourself,” Vinny says.
“I…” I start to say, but then freeze when Lyra comes into the room. I’m completely thrown off because I don’t expect this at all. Everyone thought she was dead.
“Blame it on me,” Lyra thinks to me. “Say he was cheating with me.”
“I don’t want to get her in trouble, Master Vinny,” I say softly. Saying that again makes me want to throw up.
“Explain,” he says firmly.
“Lyra made me,” I say. “She said… She said she was pregnant with your child. I was hurt and confused. I just ran. I needed to think, but…”
“But what?” Aaron asks.
“I ran into these… people,” I say with a disgusted tone. “The savages.”
“Where did they keep you?” Vinny asks.
“Underground,” I say. “They have a whole city bunker. I was made to… They tied me down and… I’m sorry, Master Vinny.”
I hold my wrist out, and Vinny grits his teeth. “Who?” he growls. “A name, Astra. Who took away my brand?”
“I don’t know her name, but a man named Zev made her do it,” I say. “He… did things to me, Master Vinny. I begged him not to. I told him I was married to you, but…”
“But what?” Vinny asks when I stop.
“It was like… magic,” I say. “He was able to move things without touching them.”
“Fuck,” Aaron sighs. “How did you get away?”
“I snuck away while everyone was sleeping,” I say. “I know I’ll be punished for…”
“One lashing for every day you were gone,” Vinny says. “After that, you are forgiven. I will fuck you, and you will thank my father for not having you killed on the spot. Your caretaker can help you heal after.”
“Yes, Master Vinny. Thank you so much. I just wanted to come home. Thank you for taking me back. I swear, I’ll never run again. I promise,” I say.
“Mhmm. Strip and put your hands on the wall,” Vinny says.
While I do as I’m told, I decided to go ahead and let Zev and Ren know I am here.
“I’m here with them,” I think. “Lyra is alive.”
“Lyra?” Zev says. “How?”
“I don’t know. She hasn’t been able to say much to me,” I reply. “Heads up, I’m about to get whipped. Once for every day I was gone. You might see that in my mind, so don’t be concerned. They’re more concerned about you right now.”
I place my hands on the wall and drop my head, taking a deep breath. One hundred lashings. I can do this. I need to buy everyone more time before I cause chaos. When the belt cracks across my skin, I cry out in pain.
“Talk to me. Please, just talk. Anything. Please,” I beg my husbands through thought.
They start talking about anything and everything, focusing on positive stories. They talk to each other, they talk to me, they tell me how proud of me they are, and they give me an abundance of love.