Chapter 41
Forty-One
The room was pitch black apart from a long rectangular window displaying the whizzing stars of the galaxy they traveled through at lightning speed. Rays of sparkling light glittered across the glass. The door slid closed behind her. All Autumn could hear was the sound of her breath and the droning of the ship as it traveled through the vastness of space.
When she went to take a step further to explore her surroundings, a warm body brushed behind her. Goosebumps rose over her skin. Her lips parted.
“I missed you so much.” Dante rested his chin on her shoulder. His black-gloved hands slid down her body and over the slope of her hips, pulling her closer to him. She could feel the beat of his heart.
She turned around, running her fingers through the dark fallen stands of his hair. His brilliant amber eyes twinkled in the shadows. He leaned down and kissed her. Her fingers played against the hard muscles of his back as his tongue brushed against hers in gentle strokes.
He touched his warm soft lips to hers once more before pulling away. She trembled, melting into his rich amber gaze.
“You were right, and I was wrong,” he pressed her body against his. “I should’ve sent Valdez home as soon as you asked. I never should’ve allowed her to come to Surge to begin with. This is all my fault. I’m so glad you’re alive and safe with me again.”
As she went to speak, her dress lifted slightly, and a ball of fur rubbed against her ankles. A puffy tail swirled around her leg. She knelt and picked her pet up. Mr. Hiss purred, rubbing his head against her neck.
“I can’t believe you brought Mr. Hiss with you,” she grinned so hard her cheeks hurt. Her eyes began to well with warm salty tears. Pure happiness consumed her.
“He missed you as much as I did,” he took her hand in his. “We kind of bonded, I guess you could say. I see why you enjoy his company so much.” His mouth tilted.
“Is that your way of saying that you like him, and he isn’t just some animal?”
He shrugged, mouth curving. “Perhaps.”
He led her to a daybed in the far corner of the room. She took a seat, holding Mr. Hiss in her lap. Dante pulled over a chair from a nearby table. Planets and stars shimmered against the glass of the lone window. The reflection of her silver-gray eyes stared back at her in the darkness.
He rested his hands on her knees and gazed into her eyes. His lips moved as if he wanted to speak. He glanced away for a moment before meeting her gaze.
“Did Valdez hurt you?” he outright asked. His eyes narrowed with smoldering intensity. Her body grew rigid.
“Yes, she did,” she looked away, recalling her stay on her ship and being hunted like an animal. She treated her like she was less than human, because to her, she was. “In ways you can’t even imagine.”
He cracked his knuckles. “When I get my hands on her, and I swear to you I shall, I’m going to make her suffer for what she did to you. I’m going to make her beg for her life.”
The air in the room grew hot and thick with energetic rage. A long silence followed. He continued. “She knows about Earth, and she knows what I’ve done. It’s only a matter of time until the Grand Supreme finds out—if she hasn’t already told him.”
Her heart slammed against her rib cage. “What are we going to do? What’s going to happen to Earth?”
She squeezed his hand, waiting for an answer.
“I promise I will protect your planet until my dying breath. The forcefield is still in place. In the meantime, I’m having Ronan transport your father here?—”
“So it’s true?” She set Mr. Hiss down on the bed. He rolled onto his back, tail swaying against the comforter. “Armienti told me, but I wasn’t sure whether to believe him.”
Dante cocked his head to the side. “What about Armienti? I’m assuming he was in on this too?”
She twisted her mouth. “He made a mistake. A big one.”
That was putting it lightly. He’d colossally screwed up.
“What a coward,” he folded his arms. “He couldn’t even face me like a man. Couldn’t hear what I had to say. He proved his own guilt by running away with his tail between his legs. He failed my test.” A long silence followed. “My soldiers are pursuing him as we speak. I swear he’ll answer for the part he played in this.”
“I want you to pardon him,” she laced her fingers in her lap, straightening her spine. “He’s family.”
“I’m not sure I can pardon a crime of this magnitude even if he is my flesh and blood. Did he hurt you too?” he asked as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her mind raced a million miles an hour, recalling all their interactions. If Dante found out that he kissed her and tried to turn her against him, he’d destroy the universes.
“Did he?” he asked again through their bond. Goosebumps prickled against her skin. She chewed her bottom lip as his voice caressed her mind.
She finally answered. “No, he didn’t, honestly.” But she’d hurt him. She’d broken his heart, which proved to be disastrous. Who knew what he was capable of?
There was so much she couldn’t tell Dante about what transpired on planet First. She didn’t want to add more fuel to the fire and create more bad blood between the two brothers.
Dante ran a hand through his hair and changed the subject. “When your father arrives, I promise everything will be different. I’ll try harder to be respectful. I’ll prove myself to him like I should’ve from the start. We’re going to be happy together as a family if you’ll still have me after all the mistakes that I’ve made. I can’t seem to stop making them, no matter how hard I try.”
“We all make mistakes,” she stroked his cheek with her fingers. “Some are bigger than others, but we can’t let them define us. We should learn from our mistakes and grow from them.”
He kissed her, then a smile flickered across his lips. He moved his hands up her thighs to where she wanted him, then snorted.
“What on Earth do these Zambarians have you wearing? This is the most ridiculous ensemble I’ve ever seen.” He rubbed the tacky fabric of her dress between his fingers. She was surprised it took him so long to notice the ugliest dress in existence.
She shrugged. Warm embarrassment spread across her face and neck. He was right though, she definitely looked foolish.
“It’s no matter,” he moved closer, pressing his lips to her lobe. Her core tightened, aching for him. Her toes curled in her boots. How she missed him. His touch. His scent. But most of all, being with him. “You won’t be wearing it much longer.” His mouth fell crooked.
She tilted her head to the side as he nipped at her throat. “Is that so?”
She slid backwards on the daybed. He climbed beside her, kicking off his knee-high boots. He reached and undid the laces on the back of her dress, freeing her from her gaudy outfit. The dress slipped onto the floor in a heap of metallic fabric and fur. She removed the shirt of his uniform, brushing her fingers over his muscles and the scars of his blue chest. She still wondered how he’d gotten the deep, cruel, twisted marks, but didn’t dare broach the sensitive topic again. His pants slid low on his hips, and he ran his hand over the tattered corset that she’d worn as she suffered on planet First. He inhaled, closing his eyes, pressing his nose to the fabric.
“This has to go. I don’t like how it no longer bears my scent. It smells like him . You’re my wife.”
She gasped as he unlaced the worn undergarment and tossed it onto the floor, leaving her uncovered. She stared up into his eyes, wrapping her legs around his waist. Her fingers slid through the fallen strands of his midnight hair, over the high planes of his cheeks and his eager lips. Every pore on her body was set on fire. She trembled beneath him.
“I don’t care what anyone thinks, and I don’t care what mistakes you’ve made. I just want to be with you.” Her entire body quivered as they melted in each other’s arms. Toes curled, limbs tangled, rolling between the sheets as they made love.