A Lady of the Realm (27 page)
Read A Lady of the Realm Online
Authors: Sharon E Mamolo
Tags: #Romance, #Paranormal, #Vampires, #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Fantasy, #Paranormal & Urban, #Demons & Devils
“Lady Beth,” he said. “I hope I didn’t interrupt your conversation.”
“Dustin dear,” I said as we stepped down onto the cobblestone street. “I was beginning to think you bailed out on me tonight.”
I had become much better in the last five years at reading minds. With the body contact I had with Dustin, I could easily see the images that flickered in his head. He had all kinds of fantastic ideas of how we were going to spend the next few hours.
He was panting with the effort to keep walking and talking. I had the vague notion he was entertaining the idea of using the next available alley. I let go of his arm and tried redirecting his thoughts into more productive avenues. He needed to make it to the hotel room.
“I told you I’d meet you tonight,” he said.
“You did. I hope you reserved a nice, private room for us.”
“Yes,” he said hastily. “In a discrete area of town as you requested.”
“Excellent, I’ve been waiting all night.”
We walked through the streets in silence, the sky dark and misty. The hotel lobby was deserted when we walked in. With our heads bent and shoulders hunched, we headed straight for the elevators in the far corner. Dustin had his hands, warm and rough, all over my body. My dress was hitched up to my stomach in the elevator, my underwear off. How we managed to get into the room without doing anything obscene is a mystery.
Once in the room, I took control of the situation. Men like it when you take control, especially alpha males. I threw him onto the bed, encasing his arms with energy bands. I undressed slowly, my dress sliding off my body and pooling in a red heap at my feet. I climbed on top of him and unzipped his trousers with my teeth. He was hard as a rock, purplish and seemed as if in pain. I grabbed him with one hand, squeezing tightly, and a moan escaped his lips.
“I can’t leave you alone for one second.”
The energy wave that blasted through the room sent me towards the wall. I was pinned, helpless and unable to speak. The shifter, his erection shrinking faster than I thought was possible, was still on the bed.
“Don’t hurt her,” Malachi said as he sniffed me. “She’ll be unhappy as it is.”
Lord Aleksander, the dark elf of Losalfar, smirked. Yup, he smirked, blew a kiss my way and turned towards the shifter on the bed. He might be Lord Alek, the ruler of Region Two, but he was Sasha to me, and Sasha was having a good time.
“Who, dear sir, are you?”
“Lord Dustin, House of Drew. I wasn’t aware--” the shifter began.
“You weren’t aware she’s mine?” Sasha asked calmly as he pulled a chair so that he could sit beside the bed. “You weren’t aware you shouldn’t lay your hands on my property? You weren’t aware that I’m not a reasonable person?”
“Please, Lord Alek,” Dustin begged. “She said you couldn’t tell her what to do. I assumed you had an understanding,”
Sasha smirked, bending forward to brush Dustin’s hair to the side. “You believed a witch?”
Dustin blanched. I couldn’t speak. I might be strong, physically and mentally, but Sasha was freakishly powerful. I would never be able to out power him one on one. I could slit my eyes and send mental images and messages to him. I saw his lips twitch slightly as he caught my last words in his direction.
“Get her out of here, Malachi,” Sasha ordered.
Malachi nodded once and took my body in an embrace. The room began to spin, the colors bleeding into each other. Before I knew it, we were home. I opened my eyes, still bleary from shifting space, and collapsed into his arms.
“Took you guys long enough,” I grumbled. “Another thirty seconds and that guy would’ve shot his load all over me.”
“We had a bet,” he said.
“Who won?” I asked, heading towards the bathroom.
“I did.”
I didn’t understand why Sasha bothered betting with Malachi. He always lost.
“What you two bet on?” I turned on the shower.
Malachi followed behind, his gleaming boots clicking on the tile floor of the bathroom. He wore a dark, imposing power suit. He leaned on the counter, inspecting his nails.
“I told Sasha you could make the shifter come in under one minute without penetration once his dick was out of his pants. Since Sasha didn’t give you the full minute, I won by default.”
“You’re a lousy friend,” I said, laughing.
He grinned, jumped on the counter and began swinging his legs. “How was your night?” he asked.
“The Champagne sisters have vowed to stay in town and keep me company. I’m sooo excited. Ian cornered me in the French Market and asked me to persuade you or Sasha into voting ‘No’ on the last bill of the season. I think he’s on Jon’s payroll this year. There’s also a new kid in town. Michael from Frimbia.”
Malachi was instantly alert. He jumped down from the counter and came to the shower stall. He pressed his hands against the glass, his breath fogging the surface as he spoke.
“What did the sap want?” he asked seriously.
“To speak with Sasha. I tried getting into his mind, but he actually has shields up. I didn’t even get a freaking ding. Is there something I need to know?”
Malachi didn’t comment. I sighed, closing my eyes and letting the water run through my hair. Malachi didn’t lie to me, so if he wasn’t at liberty to say, he didn’t say anything. I knew why so little information came my way. It was for deniability. Some of the races were master lie detectors, some master liars. I was neither. But, I could walk a tightrope.
“Never mind, half-breed. How long do we have?”
Court officially began tomorrow, but I knew my boys had checked in today. Hey, they could shift space so they could pop in and out at will, but they still had a schedule.
“I won the bet, duckie,” he said. “I’m staying the night.”
“You no—good dog.”
“I know,” he said softly.
“Come here.” I pulled him into the shower with me. He didn’t argue as his expensive suit became wet. “It’s going to be a long week as it is. Let’s have a good time tonight.” I started unbuttoning his shirt.
I had a good life with my boys. Everything I could possibly want under one roof. I had money, a house, one good girlfriend, and a demon shadow who was more like a brother. But, most importantly, I had two men I couldn’t do without. Tonight, I was going to enjoy my time with Malachi, the sweet one.
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Table of Contents
Chapter Four: A Rectified Matter
Chapter Six: A Charm for the Lady
Chapter Fifteen: A Sense of Urgency
Chapter Seventeen: Drone for your Life
Chapter Twenty-Two: Registration
Chapter Twenty-Three: Lords and Privileges
Chapter Twenty-Four: Acknowledgment
Chapter Twenty-Five: The Other Ladies
Chapter Twenty-Six: Dinner and Dancing
Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Agenda
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Interrogations
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Unexpected Company
Chapter Thirty: Me and my Shadow
Chapter Thirty-One: Bad Coffee
Chapter Thirty-Two: Honesty Hurts
Chapter Thirty-Three: A Perfect Union
Chapter Thirty-Four: Loose Ends and Paperwork
