Page 7 of King of Ashes (Kingdom of Sinners #4)

PHOENIX

W hat the fuck is she doing?

I was awakened with a start, my body hard and aching from dreams of Keira’s blonde hair spread across silk sheets and gray eyes darkened with desire. It turns out, even in sleep, I can't escape her.

A creak in the hallway caused me to slide my hand under my pillow, wrapping it around my gun as I silently rose from the unfamiliar bed. I approached the door. Another soft footstep padded outside, too light to be one of my men.

I eased the door open, catching a glimpse of Keira sneaking down the hall. Of course it was her. I watched for a moment, noting her thin, barely there night clothes that sent electricity crackling across my skin, memories of my dream mixing with the reality before me.

I followed her silently, keeping to the shadows, doing my damnedest not to remember how we used to sneak around. How many times did I pull her into dark corners, tasting her gasps as I…

Fuck it. I closed the distance in two long strides, wrapping one arm around her waist while my other hand covered her mouth, muffling her startled cry. Her body went rigid against mine and she fought, using her teeth and elbow.

But now, with her pressed face toward the wall, I have the upper hand as long as I ignore the fire coursing through my blood at the feel of her body against mine.

"Going somewhere?" I growl.

“None of your business.”

How the fuck did she even get out? I’d locked her in her room. Then it comes to me. "You picked the lock.” I should have never taught her how to do that.

"Let me go, Phoenix." Her whisper carries more steel than fear.

"Sneaking out to fuck someone?”

“You’re a pervert.”

A bitter laugh escapes me. I'd underestimated her back then, assumed she was just the innocent girl next door. Now I wonder how many other skills she's hiding behind that angelic face.

"Oh, come on now. You can’t really think I’ll believe you haven’t used your skills of seduction on someone else. Are you setting him up too? You know plenty about deception.”

She struggles against my grip, but I hold firm. "I learned from the best, didn't I? You're the one who played me."

I spin her around to face me, keeping my hands locked on her arms. In the dim light, her gray eyes flash with defiance. "Where were you headed? Your parents are locked in the basement, so I know you weren't going to see them."

Her pulse races beneath my fingers, but her face remains a mask of composure. The same mask she wore all those years ago when she was playing me for a fool.

"I needed water." She lifts her chin, but the lie is transparent.

"The kitchen's the other direction." I lean closer, watching her eyes widen. "I’m right, aren’t I? You’re off to a secret lover hidden away in this massive house?"

Her breath catches. A telling reaction.

My fingers dig deeper into her arms, rage burning in my blood that another man is touching her. "Who is he, Keira? One of the staff? One of your guards?”

"You're being ridiculous."

"Am I? You always did have a talent for keeping secrets." I’ll tear this house down brick by brick to find him. "Tell me, does he know what you really are? How you can look a man in the eyes and make him believe you love him while plotting his family's destruction?"

"Stop it." She struggles despite how useless it is.

"I asked you a question, Princess. Who were you going to see?"

She finally stops fighting. She simply looks up at me with those defiant eyes.

"Your silence is very telling." I lean closer until our faces are inches apart. "You know what happens to men who touch what belongs to me?"

"I don't belong to you." She pushes against my chest, but I don't budge. "And what I do with my life stopped being your business a long time ago."

"Wrong." My fingers thread through her hair, gripping tight enough to make her gasp. "The moment you agreed to marry me, everything about you became my business. Including whoever you're protecting right now."

"There's no one?—”

"Don't lie to me." The words come out as a growl. "I can see it in your eyes. There's someone you're willing to risk everything to see tonight."

Her breath hitches, and that small sound feeds the fury building inside me. I picture her wrapped in another man's arms, giving him the same soft sighs she once gave me. Letting him into her tight, warm body.

"When I find him, and I will find him, I'm going to make an example of what happens to people who touch my wife.

" I trace her jawline with my thumb, feeling her tremble, and while it makes me a bastard, I’m happy for her fear.

"I'll start with his dick. I’ll cut it off and give it to you as a memento right before I put a bullet in his head while you watch. "

"You're a monster." Oddly, her expression isn’t one of fear. No, it looks a lot like disappointment. She’s judging me and what I’ve become, and it’s surprising just how angry that makes me. How dare she judge me. I’m of her making.

"You helped create this monster, sweetheart. Now you get to live with the consequences."

She laughs. Actually laughs. Sure, there’s no humor in it. It’s closer to a scoff. “You forget that my life isn’t my own. Has never been my own. I live the consequences of the monsters in my life.”

“Poor little Keira.” I want to wipe the smirk off her face. "Tell me about your lover boy now, and maybe I'll be merciful. One chance, Keira. Who are you protecting?"

She meets my gaze, chin lifted. "There's nothing to tell."

"Nothing?" I press her harder against the wall, and I’m annoyed to find my dick is hard against her. The last thing I want is for her to think she can seduce me. "Then why did you pick the lock? Why risk sneaking around in the dark?"

"I couldn't sleep." Her gray eyes bore into mine. "Your reign of terror is working, keeping me awake. You should be so pleased. But if you had any conscience, you’d be aware that there are people here who are innocent?—”

“Innocent.” This time, I’m the one who scoffs. “Oh, sweetheart, we know you’re not innocent. And as far as a conscience, your conscience didn't seem troubled when your family murdered mine."

"You don't know anything about what happened." Her hands ball into fists against my chest and I’m sure she’s getting ready to punch me. That’s okay. I can take it.

"I know enough." I make the mistake of leaning in even closer. The scent of her skin clouds my judgment, making me want things I shouldn't. "Last chance. Tell me who you're protecting, or I'll tear this house apart room by room until I find them."

Her chin lifts higher. Her eyes narrow. "Do whatever you want, Phoenix. You will anyway."

The challenge in her voice ignites something primal inside me. She thinks she can protect whoever she's hiding? Fine. I'll make her watch as I destroy everything she holds dear.

"Have it your way." I grip her chin. "But remember, whatever happens next is on you. You could have prevented it."

A flash of fear crosses her face, quickly masked by determination. It feeds my rage, knowing she cares this much about someone else.

"Maybe I should take you right here." I drag my fingers down her neck, feeling her pulse race. "See if you're still as eager as you used to be."

Her breath catches, but she doesn't look away. That stubborn defiance only makes me want to break her more.

"Remember how you used to beg for my touch?" I press closer, grinding my dick against her. "Or was that all part of the act too?"

"You don't know anything about?—”

"I know exactly what you are." My hand slides up her side, just below her tit. "A beautiful liar who'll spread her legs for anyone who can advance her family's agenda."

Her hand flies out to slap me, but I catch her wrist. The contact sends electricity through my veins. "Careful, Princess. You don't want to make me angry."

Her eyes flash with hatred, but there's something else there too. Something that makes my blood burn.

"You're shaking. Is it fear? Or something else?"

Her silk pajamas are thin enough that I can feel every curve pressed against me. "Tell me you don't want this." I grip her hip, grinding against her. "Tell me you haven't thought about it since the moment you saw me."

A small gasp escapes her lips, and triumph surges through me. She can pretend to hate me all she wants, but her body remembers.

"That's what I thought." I lean in until my lips brush her ear. "You always were a terrible liar when it came to this part."

"I hate you."

"Keep telling yourself that." I bite her earlobe gently, feeling her shudder. "Maybe eventually, you'll believe it."

Her hands push against my chest with force enough that I step back. I laugh as I grab her wrist and drag her down to the second floor and to her room.

Inside her room, I release her with a gentle push. She spins to face me, backing away until she hits the bed. The sight of her there, disheveled and defiant, sends a flood of need coursing through my blood.

I force myself to step back before I do something we'll both regret. "You're mine now. Whether you like it or not, this is happening. The sooner you accept it, the easier things will be."

She says nothing, but the heat in her eyes tells me volumes.

"I'll have guards posted outside your door. Don't try picking the lock again."

The wedding can't come soon enough. Once she's officially mine, I'll take my time breaking down those walls she's built.

I'll make her body remember every touch, every kiss, until she can't deny what's between us. Until she begs for more. And then… and then, I’ll take everything she loves. Payback is a bitch, baby.

But not tonight. Tonight, I need distance before I lose control completely. The thought of another man touching her drives me crazy, but the marriage will fix that. She’ll be mine in every way possible.

"Sweet dreams, Princess." I lock the door behind me, already planning tomorrow's security changes. No more midnight wandering for my future bride. No more secrets.

Whatever, whoever, she's hiding, I'll find them. And then I'll show her exactly what happens to people who try to keep things from me.

I post two guards outside Keira's door, men I trust to keep her locked away until morning. "No one goes in or out without my direct order."

"Yes, Boss." They take their positions, weapons ready.

Back in the hallway, my skin still burns where she touched me. The scent of her lingers on my clothes, driving me mad with memories. The way she felt pressed against me, soft and yielding despite her defiance. The small sounds she made when I touched her.

I slam my fist into the wall, but it doesn’t do anything to reduce the anger and frustration. Nothing helps when it comes to Keira. Even after everything her family did, even knowing she probably played me for a fool, my body still craves her.

I stalk back to my room, shove my lounge pants down to my ankles, and grip my dick.

I stroke it hard, nearly to the point of pain as I imagine fucking Keira.

At first, she’s staring at me with those defiant, angry eyes, but my release won’t come.

Not like that. Only when I imagine her surrendering, arching back and letting out a long moan do my balls tighten.

I stroke faster, faster until my cum sprays out, making a mess over the hardwood floors.

I’m pissed again. Angry that even in my fucking fantasies, she wins. Maybe I’ll have her clean up my cum to punish her. No, then she’d know what she does to me.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. I shouldn’t have agreed to this marriage. I can’t see surviving years of clawing desire mixed with rage. It will kill one or both of us for sure.

But I can’t back out now. I have to follow through and do what I can to bring about her submission. To have her learn to accept her place at my side, whether she likes it or not.