Page 15
Story: Princes of Legacy
Instantly, he’s popping his fly and pulling himself from his pants, his long, dexterous fingers wrapped around his shaft. He strokes himself as he watches me, licking out to wet his lips. “You don’t have to take it all,” he says.
But I will.
I always do.
It’s never about the journey for Pace. He jerks himself off like it’s just an inconvenient prelude to the real thing, and when he jolts to his feet, I know he’s close.
I grab his hips, faced head-on with the sight of his obscenely hard cock. “Look at me,” he rumbles, tipping my head back. His hand is warm and gentle on the base of my skull, and I give a long, slow blink at the corrosive heat in his eyes. This is what Pace likes. Something soft and sweet. The innocent sweep of my tongue against the head of his cock, inviting him inside. The way I open for his cock—not wide, not narrow, but just enough.
Just for him.
I hold his stare as his cock gives a strong, aggressive throb between my lips. But it’s not that first salty taste of him that makes me shudder. It’s the way his face collapses in awed rapture. The curl of his forefinger beneath my chin, so gentle. The way he doesn’t break my gaze, so fixated on the sight of his cock spurting onto my tongue that he doesn’t even think to scan the rooftop for threats.
I swallow every drop.
3
Lex
I’ve never beento the old Forsyth courthouse without Father until now.
The first time he brought me here, I was seven. One of Daniel Payne’s South Side soldiers had brazenly assassinated one of the Counts in a drive-by shooting. It’d been a huge scandal at the time—not just because of the audacity of the Lords to attack a rival so boldly, but because it exposed the Kings’ lack of control over their ranks.
But they were younger back then, new to their kingships, exuding the brash confidence of the newly empowered. They were men.Kings. And I wanted nothing more than to bask in their superiority. I observed Father engage with these men on equal footing as they deliberated over consequences for LDZ, but I couldn’t help but fixate on the Baron King, his unsettling mask sending shivers down my spine.
It wasn’t just the gleam of the twisted horns, the sunken cheeks, or lack of mouth. It was the efficacy of the illusion. With the black suit and gloved hands—even the neck hidden beneathdark fabric—no part of him was visible. The mask was all he was. The devil made flesh.
Even as a child, I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread, wondering about the enigma concealed behind the facade. I knew he was affiliated with the dead, the person Father called when something messy happened in times of that youth-fueled chaos.
In my imagination, the Baron King transcended the others, almost supernatural in nature. One of Death’s emissaries, haunting the nocturnal streets of Forsyth, seeking souls to add to his crypt.
Just like my parents.
Now, stepping into the stuffy, ornate room of the courthouse as a man in my own right, I catch sight of him, the Baron King, sitting at the head of the table. His features are still hidden behind that golden mask and black suit, but this evening, I’m distinctly lacking that old sense of awe. There’s nothing supernatural about him. He’s no longer a man shrouded in mystery. He’s undoubtedly human. Flesh and Bone. Not just a King, but a father.
Remy’sfather.
And a killer of fathers.
I can only speculate about Wick’s inner turmoil. He sure as hell gives nothing away as he strides in behind me with an air of nonchalance. He leisurely unfastens his blazer and settles into the chair beside me at the elongated table. Among the three of us, he’s the most skilled at navigating interactions with nobility. Pace, on the other hand, visibly tenses, his discomfort palpable, especially after having to relinquish his weapons before entering the room.
“I hate this place,” he announced when we arrived. “Nothing good ever comes out of a courtroom.”
“I’m not sure why we have to justify what happens inourterritory, anyway.” Wick scowled as he handed off his pistol to one of the lesser-known BRN members manning the breezeway. I don’t know him, but the long, gnarled scar slashed across his throat was as conspicuous as the metal in his face, piercings scattered like violent speckles across his features. I certainly didn’t miss the nod he sent to Pace when Wicker groused, “It’s not like we’re digging around the Barons’ crypt.”
“We knew they’d want an update.” I’d kept my voice low while trying to reassure my brothers. “This isn’t some low-level PNZ we’ve got holed up in the dungeon, or even a fucker like Oakfield everyone’s happy to see taken care of. We’ve got a King down there in the midst of a mutiny, and that makes other Kings nervous.”
Especially Kings of the old generation.
They’re disappearing like smoke.
All of that logic holds up until we find ourselves face to face with the reigning Kings: Killian Payne, Simon Perilini, and Timothy Maddox, hidden beneath his mask. I strive to summon the same confidence that propelled me to the head of my class in Forsyth, the assurance that secured my place in the medical school of my choice. The steady heartbeat, the unwavering self-assurance, the deep-seated belief that I have every right to be in this room.
After a nod from the Baron King, Killian clears his throat. “Word’s gotten out that Rufus hasn’t been seen for seventeen days.” Normally, Payne makes it clear that he has little to few fucks to give about the larger matters in Forsyth, preferring to focus on his own territory. But I see the frustration in his eyes as he continues. “According to people in the community, he missed the annual report at Forsyth Mutual Bank, skipped a poker game at the Gentlemen’s Chamber, and failed to attendthe symphony’s Summer Solstice event—of which he’s one of the acting chairs.”
“He sent me to the Solstice event,” Wick says with a wave of his hand. “The guest cellist from Milan was dreadful. He could barely manage the bow work.” He sniffs with displeasure, looking the very picture of snobby ease. “As was the strawberry shortcake. It was like eating sandpaper.”
“One of these is explainable,” the Baron King’s flat voice carries down the table. “Three is a problem, especially with something like the annual report. Rufus hasn’t missed one in twenty-two years. Trudie Stein has been asking enough questions that my associates are askingmequestions.” He pauses before adding with heavy disdain, “This mutiny is sloppy work, boys.”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182