5. Vaughn
Vaughn
The days were long without Penelope. Longer now that my worry for her was fading.
Had I feared I was losing the woman I loved? I hadn’t recognized her under the dominant personality, but she’d called me, letting her mask slip. Needing me when all I’d been doing this entire time was needing her.
No…
She wasn’t gone from me. She was preparing for me.
And tonight, I’d see her.
I had to stay focused. Penelope had to learn duties now. My duties. And if I wanted to make it a smooth transition after her trials, The Order had to be prepared. She didn’t like the guard’s behavior. I was fixing it.
“Enough time has passed. You all know why you’re here.”
Silence settled across The Throne Room, and my jaw flexed as I took in the numerous rows of guards who stood at attention.
“Did you think I wouldn’t follow up on my Intended’s warning?
That I didn’t put heart into her concerns?
” I paused. “I’ve given you time to adjust. I’ve watched.
I’ve kept tabs on all disciplinary actions since the Pennington’s wedding.
I know word has gotten around how my Intended is not happy with your behavior.
So, I must ask myself… What sort of guard doesn’t respect their future queen?
Surely that’s not the behavior of my guard. ”
The silence grew heavier.
“Listen to my words and listen well because this ends today. You mistake power for strength. You think because you are many… because you are louder or more brutal… that you are effective. You’re not.”
A shift moved through the line as men began to get uneasy.
“Mob mentality has its place. When directed, it’s a weapon. Undirected, it’s a fucking liability. Lately, you act without thinking. You react without instruction. When you do, you don’t just risk yourselves… you risk The Order.”
I stepped forward, cutting my gaze across them.
“You’ve gotten too comfortable, and I won’t stand for it.
A line was already crossed that none of you should have ever gotten close to.
It will not happen again. I will not allow it.
You’re not here for pleasure. You are not here to lose control.
You’re here to execute. Your purpose of The Order is not indulgence.
It is not the slaves, nor the liberties you take with them.
It’s your loyalty to me as your rightful king. ”
I clasped my hands behind my back.
“Some of you forget that. You’re too focused on the fight and not the fealty.
You must do both. There is a difference between dominance and lack of discipline.
You will learn. Because the future of The Order does not tolerate weakness disguised as control…
And she will test your loyalty… and she will see right through you. ”
I stopped, staring them down.
“Every flaw.
Every lapse.
Every disrespect.
Every moment you mistake instinct for authority.
She. Will. See.”
The Reeve stood off to the side, and I looked over, taking in his hard expression.
“Today, things change. You will learn to behave… for her. Or you will be removed… for her. You will learn restraint… for her. You will learn discipline… for her. Because if you cannot stand before her as controlled men…” My lids narrowed.
“… You will not stand here at all. You are mine, and I will make you worthy of her rule.”
I gestured to The Reeve, who nodded and took his place at my side.
“You’ve been given time. Now we deliberate.”
More shifting. Worried looks settled on some of the guards as The Reeve lifted his tablet.
“Purden.”
The guard stepped out of line, keeping his face hard and still as he kept his attention on The Reeve. He slowed before us, lowering to one knee and staring ahead.
“Late to Post,” The Reeve read off. “Distraction.”
I looked over. “What hall was he on?”
The Reeve glanced up. “Breeding hall.”
“How many times has he been written up?”
“This was his first, Sire.”
I lifted my gaze to take in the guards who watched on.
“There are four tiers of discipline. First time offenders fall under the Correction tier.” I looked down at Purden. “Reassign him to a different hall. Apparently, the breeding hall has too much temptation.”
Purden glanced up, only to quickly lower his head. I tilted mine, narrowing my eyes.
“If you can’t follow the rules and you get written up again, you move to tier two. If that happens, you will be demoted in rank and face physical punishment. You’ve been warned. Get back in line.”
“Yes, Sire.”
“Who else?”
The Reeve read down the list, pausing as he flashed the tablet to me to show me four names of guards who’d been written up together. I read the synopsis of the report, lifting my brow in half surprise, half anger.
“Just these. That’s it for this quarter.”
“Call them up.”
He nodded.
“Turner, Valdez, Keller, and Lindley.”
The men stepped out of their lines, walking forward to kneel before us.
“Number of offenses?”
The Reeve’s voice deepened.
“Turner, three. Valdez, two. Keller, five. Lindley, three.”
“Repeat offenders.” I nodded. “That’s an issue.
Let me get this straight.” I clasped my hands at my back.
“During the passing of morning meals, the four of you decided that you would ignore The Order’s daily routine to make your own schedule.
You decided… raping two slaves, and killing one of them on accident, was more important than following orders. ”
I paused.
“You acted without instruction. You all abandoned your assigned duties. You disrupted order during a rotation. And you destroyed what was not yours.”
Two of the men looked up nervously but stayed quiet.
“You didn’t just kill one of my slaves. You all created a problem for The Order. You forced your superiors to put in more work. You created negative attention. You disrespected me. This is what happens when you forget who you serve.”
My attention lifted to take in the men who watched on. I let them squirm as I put my focus where they didn’t want it—on them.
Slowly, I lowered my gaze. “You’ve proven you are not fit to stand within the guard.
Not because of what you did.” I paused. “Because you lacked the discipline to do it correctly. Five offenses in one quarter? Unacceptable. You will not stand before her. You will not be seen by her. You will not exist in her Order.”
Keller was shifting, itching to run, and I didn’t miss it.
“You like the mob mentality? I’m going to give it to you.” My head lifted. “Guard… strip them of their uniforms. They do not deserve to wear them. Tier four. Death. Put them in a cell until we’re ready for them.”
The men went to fly up, and I caught Keller before he could lunge past me.
I had my knife in my hand and embedding it in his chest before he could pull back to break free of my hold.
A gasp left his mouth, and wide eyes lifted to mine.
I let all the evil I harbored shine through my glare as I let his body collapse to the floor.
Rows of guards surged forward, tearing at the uniforms of the other three men as they fought and twisted in their hold.
Screams filled the room and movement to the far side had me turning.
A savage hunger left a glint in Penelope’s eyes as she turned them to me in approval.
I addressed The Reeve, but I couldn’t take my gaze from hers.
She belonged here.
“My Intended has arrived. They’ll face their deaths in the morning.”
I headed in Penelope’s direction, raking my eyes over the curves displayed from the black fitted dress she wore. She didn’t leave the doorway but waited for me to come to her.
“You’re early.”
“I couldn’t stay away a moment longer.”
I bit my bottom lip, sliding my hand to her lower back as I led her from The Throne Room and into the halls that led to my bedroom. The moment we were inside, I pulled her body into mine, crushing my lips into hers.
The moan that met me had my fingers digging into her lower back and ass. I didn’t wait. I pulled the dress over the top of her head, wrapping around her as I drank in her desperate cries.
Penelope was pulling at my jacket and pushing it free. She jerked at my shirt, tearing it open. Buttons rolled on the floor, and we had our clothes off in record time.
I wasn’t even sure how we made it to the bed.
I was so consumed by her taste, by the way my body craved nothing but hers, I was lost. Dark hair was splayed across my comforter, and I knew we were sideways on the mattress.
I didn’t care as I latched to her neck, sucking hard against her skin.
The tinge of blood I tasted had me growling as I pulled away.
The agony around my heart was beautifully conflicting.
The love I held for her could obliterate worlds. It was destroying me. Rebuilding… me.
The Vaughn I used to know no longer existed.
This new me, there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for her.
Her attention. The taste and scent of her skin.
I was a dead man living as a condemned king, and yet my belief in us together told me this country, this false king who claimed my title, didn’t stand a chance.
We were the future—and we were coming—for everything.
Confidence soared, turning terrifyingly real for the first time. It was as if, it was when. It was now.
“Vaughn?”
I was breathing hard, staring down at her and swallowing through the inevitable.
I didn’t speak as I reached forward tracing down the side of her face. A calm washed through. A stillness, and it came with my knowing.
“What is it? You thought something.”
My head slowly went back and forth as I lowered. “Later.”
My lips brushed down her chest, and I closed my lids, losing myself back to her. My tongue teased her nipple, and I sucked it into my mouth, basking in her quick, little sounds.
Fingers pushed through my hair, and Penelope held on as I moved to tease her other breast.
Wetness met my fingertips. I kissed down her body, teasing her pussy as I let my teeth rake between her ribs. I bit gently, sucking before I continued further down.
Love didn’t exist here. It felt way beyond that. No… This wasn’t love—this was obsession—addiction. I was dying for her in every way but the real one.
Rubbing in the wetness against her pussy, I circled over her clit, building her up as I lowered even more.
Penelope’s body was trembling as she held steady to my hair, easing me lower.
Her legs were shaking. I sunk my teeth into her lower stomach causing her to cry out.
When I moved down and added suction over the top of her slit, Penelope’s head flew up and her lips parted through the gasp.
She took deep breaths, arching as she fell back.
My tongue lowered, flicking against her.
I sucked. I pushed inside to taste her even more.
I took my time.
My Intended’s moans grew louder, and I pulled back, easing a finger in deep. Her hips arched even more and her rocking was automatic.
“Tell me.” Penelope’s voice was desperate. Breathy. “I want to hear it. Vaughn… please… tell me. I…” A cry left her and her head lifted so she could look at me. Pink tinted her cheeks and her lids were heavy with passion. Agony. Yes, that longing ache twisted a little tighter in my chest.
“I love you.” I slowly traced my tongue over her clit as I added another finger. “More than the sun—”
“The moon—” She whimpered.
“The stars—” I countered.
“The air I breathe. The air—Vaughn. ” Her lips opened and parted a little more. She let go of my hair, gripping to the comforter. I pushed my fingers as deep as they would go, slowly thrusting and rubbing along her insides.
The spasms that shook her was more than a release—it was proof.
I lowered, pushing my tongue in to take every drop of her into me. Only when I was satisfied, did I lift. And Penelope was ready for me. Waiting. Watching. Our mouths met, and I let myself slide into her.
Inch by inch, I disappeared even more. I let myself know nothing but the way she made me feel—around me—inside of me as I drank in her taste.
I let her perfume bury into my lungs. I wanted her to live in me always.
Just like I planned to live in her. At least a part of me.
Always. Forever. It would happen. I would make it happen. Or maybe…it was already done…
“Look at me.”
Penelope’s plea had my head lifting. Blue swallowed me whole, and her nails dug into my chest as her knees pulled back. I pushed deeper, moving faster. Harder.
“Just like that.” More, her nails embedded. “Show me. Show me your love, Vaughn. Show me the words.”
A struggled sound left me—half consuming love, half plea.
I lifted higher, grasping to her hip as I kept my other arm next to her face. She turned, sinking her teeth into my forearm, only to come back to meeting my eyes. Sweat was soaking my hair, and I was trembling through the need to convey the pressure of all these emotions.
“Love me, Vaughn.”
Faster, I thrust.
“Need me.”
Harder.
“Fuck,” she cried out. “Only me. Love only me.”
“Only you.”
The deepness of my tone was predatory. I slammed into her with every ounce of madness taking me over.
“Only. You.”
Thrust.
Slam.
Pounding.
“Only. You.”
A scream left Penelope, and I felt myself explode inside of her. I lowered, grinding my hips into her, pushing so deep that I’d never leave her. I’d be with her—be part of her—the only way I knew how. The only way that mattered. Forever. For. Ever. Always.