60. Chapter Sixty
Dante walked into his room. No, their room.
Desire slammed into him. Rieka stood in the middle of the suite, surrounded by piles of books and papers that towered over the floor and almost reached the tops of her legs. A look of concentration flitted across her features as she regarded the mess, hands on her hips. The bracelet remained a dull bronze color. She was still wearing his white shirt; it was oversized on her and brushed her mid-thighs, her long legs on tantalizing display. Her colorful phoenix tattoo beckoned for him to trace it.
He hadn’t worked out exactly when it had happened. From their first meeting when he had assumed she was discardable to somewhere around the ball, she had become a part of him. Somehow Rieka had bulldozed her way into his heart and soul without him noticing it. He had never believed in fate until that moment. She challenged everything he believed or had thought he wanted. He could still not quite put into words what she meant to him, nor did he think he ever would. Mere words could not explain the breadth of emotion that Rieka had released in him.
She placed a book on a pile that looked like it was about to collapse. Her bright eyes filled with desire as the heady scent that was only hers surrounded him. “Will they seal the vault?”
Dante glanced at the nearest book; he didn’t recognize the title. They must be from Aadya’s personal collection, a collection that his grandmother was sharing only with Rieka. “Yes. The council have agreed that it will remain here and not be transported to New Atlantis, with a little help from Frankie.”
“How?”
Dante chuckled. It had been a sight to behold. “Once a thief, always a thief. Frankie could explain in detail how the items could be re-appropriated if we moved them.”
Rieka laughed.
It was a sound he would never get enough of. The nurses had cleared her of any physical injuries, but there were flashes when she seemed to disappear from the world. Times when he wanted to drag her back to reality, but all he could do was be there when she was ready. He couldn’t wipe away the memories of what happened to her.
But for now, she looked happy, and he would ensure the happiness outweighed the darker moments.
A trumpet sounded in the distance; the brassy tone interrupted the silence.
“The Jimourt has officially ended?” Rieka asked. She walked toward the open balcony, carefully navigating around the pile of books. Dante followed her.
The rolling sand dunes he had detested as a child had begun to soothe him. A reminder that he was no longer focused on the past. He followed Rieka’s gaze and searched for the low-flying jets that could be heard. The outside world remained unaware of what had happened beneath the Arx. Dante and Anhur would work together to keep it that way. They had decided that Vandana’s tomb would remain unfound, and Rieka had suggested that Dante continue funding select projects to maintain the facade before declaring a change of focus. They had also agreed that the vault would remain closed for now. It was a battle that he and Anhur would bring to the council in the near future. Their history should not be hidden from their people.
“Have you found Lucien?” Rieka turned to face him. His white shirt billowed in the breeze. She looked mussed and disheveled; it was fast becoming one of his favorite sights.
“No.” Lucien had disappeared into thin air. Unfortunately, it was unlikely that would be the last they would see of him. “We will get the pendant back.”
Rieka nodded, but he could sense her disbelief. Lucien was a wildcard; one they could not predict.
“I can feel it, just beneath the surface, but I can’t call the flame forward. It’s like the flame has been extinguished.”
Dante was at a loss as to how to respond. “Do you want it to come back?”
“I don’t know.” Rieka sighed. She crossed her arms, her shirt tails riding up, exposing more of her colorful tattoo.
“It’s like I extinguished it or used everything I had access to.”
Dante closed the gap between them. He tugged at an errant curl as he placed it behind her ear before he pulled her closer and inhaled the scent that was uniquely hers.
“Did you find the closure you needed?” It was blunt, but he wanted to ensure that there was no miscommunication between them, nothing that could send them backward.
The conflicting emotions in her gaze pierced his heart. She was still an open book when it came to her feelings. “Maybe one day I will understand my mom. But a lifetime is hard to erase in a couple of days, even if her intentions were good. She was trying to protect me.” A bittersweet tone edged Rieka’s voice. “What will you do about your father’s legacy? We found the tomb.”
Dante closed his eyes. “Nothing. He would want this secret to be protected if it meant keeping you safe. In the end, he did not care about the wealth or the accolades. He just wanted to find the truth.”
“I never gave you the report on the artifacts.” Rieka straightened her shirt, smoothing it out as she took a step back.
Dante reluctantly released her and watched her struggle to regain control. On the outside, she appeared collected, but beneath it, he could sense the turmoil. He could taste a hint of fear. The type of fear and loneliness that was borne out of always thinking she was the second choice. Never again.
“But that isn’t why you hired me.”
Dante reached out, brushing his fingers on Rieka’s shoulder. This was not a conversation he wanted to have, but he refused to build a future on a lie. She needed the truth. “No.”
Rieka stood painfully still as she patiently waited for his response. The wild colors of the burning sunset behind her matched her eyes.
“I knew who you were from the moment I saw you.”
Rieka’s gaze widened, the reds of her eyes bleeding into the whites.
“As a child, my father told me that only the royal lineage, those born to rule, had eyes the color of flames. Sypha also had a vision that you would lead me to the greatest treasure in the world. I thought Sypha was describing the tomb.”
Silence filled the room. It took all his control not to reach out to Rieka and brush away the silent tears. He would give away everything he had accumulated—his pride and legacy—if it would mean he would never hurt Rieka again. “I didn’t realize until it was almost too late that it was never about finding the tomb or Atlantis. Or about strengthening my wealth and legacy.”
“What made you change your mind?”
It was as simple as it was complicated. After seven hundred years, someone had broken through to him, forced him to realize that there was far more to life than material possessions and a cold violet legacy. “You.”
He pulled her in closer and hugged her. She instantly melted in his arms. A part of him released the tension he hadn’t realized he had been holding. “It was never a choice. You stole something I didn’t realize I had.”
Rieka looked at him, confused. “What?”
“My heart, Wildfire. You have my heart.” He didn’t hesitate. It was a simple choice. An eternity without her would be like a waking death. He had tasted freedom and would never return to a world where there was no color in his life. “It will always be you. Every time.”
Rieka shook her head as she tugged at his shirt. “But we didn’t find Atlantis. Whatever was in the tomb, Lucien has it. And the Anki.”
“You, Rieka. It will always be you,” Dante repeated slowly as he tilted Rieka’s head and watched the emotion run amok in her eyes. “What do you want?”
Rieka closed her eyes, a faint smile on her lips. “You.”
He picked her up, heading towards the chair. Her long legs wrapped around him as he held onto her as if she was the most precious thing in the world. She was.
Rieka kissed him as she dug her sharp nails into him as he lowered them onto the oversized chair. The kiss was passionate and demanding. He moved his hand beneath her shirt, tracing her soft skin. She clung to him, as she pressed her body closer to him. Skin that begged him to touch and lick every inch. He traced the soft underside of her breasts as she moaned into the kiss, her tongue commanding more.
She was his entire world, but the kiss was a promise.
Everything he had known and wanted paled in comparison to the hold Rieka had on him. He would give her the world, or destroy it for her, if she demanded it. Rieka was the key to surviving the future. More importantly, she was the reason he wanted to protect the future. He wrapped his arms around Rieka, his head against her heart as he listened to it beat.
“Don’t you want to know how I feel?” Rieka whispered as she straddled him, her voice husky with desire. She seductively and slowly unbuttoned her shirt.
He grasped her thighs as he held her in place. She squirmed; the delicious friction sent a wave of desire through him. He strained against his pants, protesting the layers between them.
“I know,” Dante said. She was going to be the death of him. He traced the outside of her damp panties, gliding a finger along the seam. She was so fucking wet, she was going to go through his clothes. “But I would like to hear it.”
“You are impossible, Delacroix.” Rieka grabbed his hand, guiding it to precisely where she wanted it.
Dante continued to trace her outer lips, barely penetrating her as he circled her clit. The small catch in Rieka’s breathing was almost his undoing as she moaned, her body demanding more. His cock hardened. But he was in the mood to play. “And?”
She bit her lip as she leaned over, her cheeks flushed with her desire. He brushed his mouth along her collarbone, sucking at the tender spot. Soft perspiration coated her skin. “I think, no, I know you are wearing too many layers.”
He grabbed her wrist with one hand before she could touch him. He would not get distracted. Rieka moaned as he flicked her clit. Her eyes fluttered shut.
“Do that again,” Rieka ordered.
Dante stifled a groan as she convulsed around his fingers as he found the rhythm that drove her wild. She was on the edge of coming. The scent of Rieka’s desire was intoxicating, edging him on. He was so close to losing his control. Not yet. “Open your eyes.”
Rieka’s eyes snapped open. They burned a fiery red. Her mouth formed a perfect o as her body shuddered. She was teetering on the edge; her body slowly shook with her building pleasure. “Please, Dante.”
Fuck, he loved it when she said his name in her breathy voice. What he was quickly becoming addicted to was watching her eyes turn completely red as she let her desire run rampant. And the knowledge that he was responsible for it; that he did that to her. “Promise me one thing, and I will let you come.”
Rieka closed her eyes as she rode his fingers. Sweat glistened on her skin as a look of concentration appeared on her face. “Bribery?”
Dante chuckled as he pulled her closer to him, almost coming at the sound of her gasp. “An eternity.”
“That is a very long time, Dante,” Rieka whispered, a ghost of a smile on her lips.
“Enough time to understand you.”
“I promise you an eternity, however long that may be,” Rieka whispered back.
Dante wanted this moment to be imprinted into his mind forever. “Come for me.”
It didn’t take long to push her over the edge. She shuddered around his fingers as she threw her head back. His name was a whisper on her lips as she rode the waves of her orgasm. Dante pulled her close as he reluctantly removed his fingers from her pussy. She was still so tight. His cock throbbed; it was painfully erect against the layers. But he wasn’t done playing with Rieka.
He sucked her wetness from his fingers as she watched, desire burning though her red eyes as she licked her lips.
“An eternity and my heart,” Rieka whispered. “My love.”
R ieka sighed with contentment as she snuggled closer to Dante. When they had first met, she would have never taken him for a cuddler, but he kept surprising her. A lifetime, even one with an Atlantean life span, would not be enough to peel back the layers that were Dante. It was funny how, in such a short time, she had found a part of her missing soul and a new family.
Dante continued to play with her hair. He was fascinated by the way the curls had a life of their own. She placed her hand over his heart. The rhythmic beat grounded her into reality. It made her forget about the darkness and power that continued to beckon and tempt her. With Dante at her side, she had a fighting chance of not losing control and evolving into the monster the power wanted her to become. They had a chance at winning the coming war.
As if he knew exactly what she was thinking, he entwined his fingers with hers and brushed his lips along her hand before settling her against his body, so she was leaning on him. She rose on her elbows; her hair fell around them like a waterfall. Dante’s gaze burned into hers.
“You are welcome.”
Dante arched a perfect eyebrow.
She bit back a Cheshire cat grin. “When I saved you back in the cavern. I think what you meant to say was thank you.”
He smiled.
A wave of warmth rushed through her as she flicked an errant strand of hair from his forehead. He looked like her fallen angel, ready to burn down the world for her. And she would do the same for him. Never in her wildest dreams had she hoped to find someone like him. To find a home and a place she belonged.
“Thank you, Wildfire.”
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