King of Spades (15 page)

Alexi squeezed her eyes shut and bit the inside of her cheek. For crissake, she wasn’t the crying type, and she wasn’t about to start now. For the past year she’d let her anger drive her as she searched for Alice, and not once had she stopped long enough to let the pain take over and control her.

But right now Alexi felt like she was anything but in control. And in reality, she never had been. She’d tried and tried, and nothing she’d done had worked.

What would it be like to turn everything over to someone else, or to at least turn some things over? To stop trying to fight the world on her own…and maybe allowing someone to help her fight her battles…or fight them for her.

The moment Darronn woke, he sensed that his mate was in turmoil. She had admitted her love for him and had chosen to wear his signs of ownership…what could cause her to feel such distress that it vibrated through his very being?

“Firecat,” he murmured as he rolled her onto her back and positioned himself between her thighs in a smooth motion. “What troubles your heart?”

Her normally strong and confident expression had vanished, and in its place was the vulnerable look of a woman who needed him. Her aqua eyes were bright as though unshed tears glistened there. “My sister. It’s been so long. I need to find her.”

For a moment Darronn considered telling her that her sister was safe and well, but he decided now was not the time. She would want to leave at once and he first needed to meet with his brothers. Ty and Karn would be arriving from their respective kingdoms in the next day or so. Once they had determined their next course of action against Mikaela, Darronn would tell Alexi. It would be soon enough and he would then be ready to make the journey to Hearts with her.

“Trust me, firecat.” He slid his cock into her channel still slick with their lovemaking, ensuring she would not dwell upon such thoughts for now. “You shall see your sister again.”

Alexi gasped as Darronn filled her, and he smiled at the power he had over her. Her scent of starflower and midnight and the smells of her juices and his seed only made him hungrier for her, and he knew he would never get enough of her.

She clamped her thighs tight around his hips as he took both her wrists with one hand and pinned them above her head, fastening her gold bracelets together with his magic. Seeing his collar at her throat and his rings at her nipples gave him a feeling of intense pride. He was certainly the most blessed of men to have such a fine woman as his possession.

Well, not exactly his possession. His…mate.

Her eyes were wide and filled with emotion and trust he had not witnessed in their depths before. “I love you, Darronn,” she whispered as he slowly drove in and out of her. “I never thought I would care for anyone the way I love you.”

“I will always take care of you.” He gave her a slow and sensual smile as he focused his gaze on hers as he increased the strength of his thrusts. “And you will always be able to trust me with your love.”

“Darronn!” Alexi cried out as he pounded his cock into her. “Just know this…” she said, her voice quavering with passion, “if you break my heart, I’ll kick your ass.”

The fire and strength in his woman pleased him to the depths of his soul and filled him with a power like none he had ever felt in his many years. “Come for me, Alexi,” he demanded, never taking his gaze from her beautiful face and never slowing his thrusts.

Her eyes widened as though in surprise that his voice could command her orgasm. She trembled and arched up her breasts as she cried out. A flush stole across her skin and her body glistened with sweat as her climax shook her.

Darronn’s own orgasm rushed over him like a raging wildfire. Furious and fast it came and he roared as his fluid spilled into his woman.

When at last he was spent, he rolled onto his side and cradled Alexi close to him, his cock still snug inside her quim. She sighed and snuggled into him, and his feelings of power and possessiveness grew.

The cards had indeed given him the woman who was his perfect mate.

* * * * *

Just days after Alexi had proclaimed her love for him, Darronn strode from his chambers and left his mate to her own devices. His boots echoed down the granite hall as he headed toward the sorceress Kalina’s quarters to meet with his brothers Ty and Karn who had recently arrived with news from Jarronn.

Alexi’s sweet scent was still on Darronn’s skin and he pictured her as he had left her, sprawled upon their bed, naked and well-sated. He no longer felt concern that she would attempt to escape again. Nay, after their time in the cavern she seemed more content to stay in Spades, if not truly happy, and that pleased him greatly.

While he strode to the other end of the château, he smiled at the memory of his time with Alexi. Soon he would tell Alexi of her sister’s fate and take his future queen to Hearts to visit High Queen Alice. He wished to ensure that Alexi was tightly bonded to him before they made the journey, and to do that he needed her full attention, her complete devotion.

All was going exactly as he had planned.

He raked his hand through his wild mane of hair as he neared the sorceress’s chambers. The past few days had been full of unparalleled pleasure and enjoyment for Darronn and Alexi. They had spent much time discussing their lives and what they had done before he brought her to Tarok, and their bond had grown even tighter.

Darronn had recognized long ago that she would never be content to serve only as his mate. But as his queen she would rule at his side and he was certain she would enjoy the role. His people already loved her spirit, and when they witnessed her wearing his signs of possession, they had felt as he did, that Alexi was now one of them and truly belonged in their world.

The one thing that concerned him was that she seemed to have no desire for children. Alexi had been curious why there were none in his kingdom, and he had explained about the Queen of Malachad and what she had done to his people. How she had used her legions of
bakirs
and mindspells to invade the dreams of the women of Tarok and caused them to become infertile.

Darronn would not force Alexi to bear his children, even if it meant his people would one day be gone with no one to carry on into the future.

When he strode into the sorceress’s dim chambers, smells of almond, vanilla, and sandalwood washed over him. Kalina’s beautiful face was illuminated by the glowing
a’bin,
the table she used to foretell the destiny of all four kingdoms throughout the lands of Tarok. Upon it were magical cards she was studying, each bearing pictures that swirled with thousands of images whose mysteries only Kalina could unravel.

Karn had one shoulder hitched against the wall as he studied the lovely sorceress while she worked. The look in his dark eyes was one that Darronn hadn’t seen since the wars with Mikaela the previous summer, and that troubled him greatly.

Ty, the youngest of the four kings, was missing the roguish expression that he usually had, his golden head tilted to one side and his arms folded across his broad chest.

Karn flicked his gaze from Kalina to Darronn, a slight raise of his eyebrows the only sign of greeting before he looked back to the sorceress. Ty merely gave Darronn an abrupt nod. Darronn’s gut clenched, and he had no doubt the sorceress’s news would not be good.

When he stood before the table, he clasped his hands behind his back and waited for Kalina’s trance to end. Her dark brows puckered in concentration, her gaze darting from one card to the next. Beneath the scant leather clothing she wore, her chest rose and fell, the dark circles around her nipples peeking above and below the thin strip of leather that bound her breasts. It occurred to him that at one time the sight would have aroused him, yet now it caused him only to think of Alexi and how much he desired to return to her.

At great length Kalina raised her fire-ice eyes and met his gaze. “The cards hold tight to their secrets, Master. However, it is clear Mikaela will strike soon. I am not positive where the true danger lies, but I fear that Queen Alice and her cubs are in great danger.”

Karn and Ty both growled aloud at the news. Rage flamed through Darronn and he barely reined in his fury. “When?” he asked through clenched teeth.

“Soon.” Kalina glanced to the cards and back to Darronn, then to Karn and Ty. “You must return to Hearts if the High Queen and her cubs are to survive. Of this I am certain.”

After taking a quick bath, Alexi slipped on one of her favorite leather outfits and clasped on the leather and gold collar. When she glanced at her reflection in the mirror, she liked how it looked on her—kind of sexy. She still had a few scratches on her body from climbing down the ravenwood trellis, but they didn’t look too bad and they no longer itched.

A smile touched her lips as she thought about the past few days and how much closer she and Darronn had grown. She couldn’t believe how happy she was with him. She’d finally met the man who was her equal in every way. Someone she loved, trusted and respected. The only thing that marred her happiness was that he had yet to tell her he loved her.

Her smiled turned into a small frown. Well, she certainly wasn’t going to beg for his love. And she needed to have a serious talk with him about either letting her go in search of her sister, or maybe he’d help her find Alice.

The thought of Darronn stalking the streets of San Francisco caused her to grin. Talk about a fish out of water. Or rather a tiger out of his realm.

When she was dressed and her hair combed, Alexi set out in search of Kalina. She’d heard a lot about the sorceress’s abilities, so maybe she could help. With Darronn always around, Alexi never had the chance to be alone with Kalina, but she had the feeling that today would be different.

Alexi wasn’t used to sitting around and waiting for things to happen. She
made
things happen. This time in Spades had been strange and exciting, but it was time she got back on track. Hopefully with Darronn’s support, once she had a concrete plan of action.

As she approached Kalina’s quarters, Alexi caught the sound of male voices along with Kalina’s and she frowned. Was the sorceress busy screwing a couple of guys? Damn. She’d have to come back.

But when Alexi caught Darronn’s voice, her stomach clenched. No, she could trust him, she knew he wouldn’t…although they had never discussed an exclusive relationship. She’d just assumed.

She didn’t bother to peek around the corner to see what was going on. She walked right into the room and stopped at the doorway. Darronn and two other gorgeous men were involved in a heated discussion, and she recognized them both from their portraits. Of course Darronn with his wood-brown hair, with his golden earring and spade tattoo, was by far the best looking as far as she was concerned.

Karn, the King of Diamonds, was bare from the waist up. He was the dark-haired brother with a diamond tattoo on the back of his right shoulder, and he wore an intense expression, as if really concerned with something.

Ty, the King of Clubs and the youngest brother, was the opposite in coloring with blond hair and of course he had a club tattoo. The devilish smile he’d had in the portrait was missing, though, and it was replaced with frustration.

The sorceress’s golden eyes met Alexi’s, but the men didn’t notice her.

Alexi’s first reaction was relief—all the men had their clothes on, and so did Kalina.

However, when she caught what the men were saying, her skin flushed with heat, and then went cold, cold, cold.

“We must leave for Hearts at once,” the black-haired king was saying. “Queen Alice must be protected at all costs.”

“Her cubs as well,” the blond king added with an emphatic nod.

Darronn’s scowl was fierce. “We will allow no harm to come to our brother’s mate and my future queen’s sibling.”

In that one crystallized moment, suspended in space and time as if by a single thread, everything became clear to Alexi.

Her ears buzzed and her vision narrowed to only the three men, and then to her supposed lover.

Darronn’s assurances that she would one day see Alice again…

His lack of concern about finding her sister…

The sonofabitch had known all along where Alice was because she’d been kidnapped into this freaked out world, too.

He had known, and he had let her suffer all this time, battling her loyalties and heart—for what? To prove to himself she loved him more than she loved her sister? To show his total dominance and control over her?

“You bastard,” Alexi said with such venom that all conversation in the room came to an abrupt halt and the men turned to look at her. She ignored everyone else as she marched up to Darronn with her fists clenched. “You’re the man who said he’d teach me a thing or two about trust and respect. You lying fucker!”

He frowned. “Firecat—”

“Don’t you call me that
ever
again.” Fury poured through her in such waves that she trembled from head to toe.

All the days and nights of pain and uncertainty. Of missing her sister so badly her gut felt torn in two.

He had known where she was from day one. From before day one!

Growling like a tiger herself, Alexi reached up and grasped the fastening of her collar and yanked it off. “I accepted this from the man I thought was honest and trustworthy.” She flung it at his feet and it landed on his boots. “Obviously you’re not the man I thought you were. You love no one but yourself, and you do only what will further
your
needs and
your
desires. You think everything that comes to you is your due, don’t you? Well let’s just make this plenty clear for you, asshole. I don’t want anything to do with you.”

With all her might she slammed her fist against his jaw, causing his head to turn only slightly from the force of her punch. The pain in her hand was intense and immediate, but she ignored it. Darronn slowly looked back at her, his expression a mask of no emotion.

“How dare you strike a Tarok King, wench?” The blond man stepped forward and grabbed her forearm, his eyes flaring with anger.