The Emerald Virgin (Gem Apocalypse Book 1) (9 page)

Rhys followed down behind them. "We'll leave the castle open to those wishing to visit and any needing a place to live, at least for the time being. Many rebels are also without a home. The palace will accept all. The announcement will be made and spread through the markets. The people shall choose candidates for an election and they shall also be informed of the freedom of slavery and courtesans. My hope is that families will come find their daughters and their children taken from them."

"Now do you believe me?" James asked.

Aria raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

They sat in the backyard of the palace at the rickety antique table. The same place he took her at their first real interaction together, alone.

"That I love you."

She laughed under her breath and her cheeks burned red. "Prove it," Aria said.

"Seriously? I helped you take down my father, the King of Brayleigh, so that I could be with you. When technically, I had already been with you thanks to him."

She kicked him under the table. "You're incorrigible."

"I see you're sticking around," James said. He reached for her hand and she gave him a reassuring squeeze.

"Where would I go?" Her home had too many memories of hiding because she was an emerald and her mother's murder. Plus the view across the river of her best friend's house, another life taken as a result of the crown. "I admit, I'm not going to live here forever." There were a lot of memories she didn't wish to relive in this palace either.

"This is preposterous!" Prince August shouted. He stomped his way down the stairs and outside. Angry, he forced the table over that James and Aria sat at, the glass smashed as it flipped on its side. "This is your fault!" He lunged at James, knocking him down onto the lawn. His hands were wrapped around his throat, choking his brother.

Aria dug into her boot, pulled the knife from its sheath and came up behind August, the tip of the metal right under his Adam's apple. It bobbed when he swallowed. "Let James go or you can join your father with an injury you wish you hadn't sustained."

August knocked Aria back on her feet, the blade scraped against his throat drawing a tinge of blood. "What's she talking about?" August demanded an answer. His nostrils flared and his cheeks burned red from rage.

"She shot him and to be honest, if she hadn't done it, I would have."

August threw his hands in the air. "All this over some stupid emerald girl?"

"It's more than that, August. I've never agreed with the courtesans, taking twelve girls, giving them no choice. It makes them little more than sex slaves."

August grinned. "Good, I like my women submissive."

Aria pulled her fist back and punched August across the face, smashing into his eye. He didn't see it coming. "Maybe it's time you submit."

"I will never!" August said.

"Do we have a problem?" Rhys asked as he walked outside with four guards.

"You took my crown and my women!" August lunged at Rhys.

The guards pulled August from the rebel soldier and dragged him out of the room.

Aria suspected he'd be thrown in the dungeon along with Gideon. Whatever fate awaited them, she knew it to be well deserved.

The table broken from August's outburst, he hadn't had time to destroy the chairs. They were still salvageable. Aria sat down and nodded for James to join her. "You never did tell me why you chose me out of all those women."

"Sure I did." James locked eyes on her. He leaned forward, gripping her hands in his. "You would have been executed or my father would have chosen you as his courtesan. I thought I could save you. I guess I didn't realize what a challenge it would be." He laughed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Would you do it all over again?"

He was quiet, contemplating his answer.

She smacked his arm and then a wide grin spread across her face. "You can't spank me this time, James."

"Who says I can't?"

He jumped up and she leapt from her seat, running into the palace, darting over debris and shell casings left behind. The bodies were being carted away, the dead would be buried, but she couldn't watch. For once she felt happy, without a care in the world.

James caught up with her and grabbed her by the waist. He tossed Aria over his shoulder and smacked her rear playfully as he led her further into the palace through more corridors she was unfamiliar with.

"Put me down!" The laughter didn't cease and James took no hint to listen to her until they reached his destination. The room dark, he felt for the light switch, flipping it on.

James gently placed Aria back onto her feet.

"What's this?" she asked staring at a giant white screen hanging from the ceiling. Four sofas were staggered along the stairs.

"It's a movie theater with stadium seating," James said to her with the biggest grin. Proud of this room, James felt thrilled to show it to her.

"Movie theater?" Aria repeated the foreign phrase. She'd read books but she could never quite grasp any mention of such an ancient relic.

"Remember the metal disc?" James asked. "Well, there's no discs here but it does play movies. We only have a few. I've been scouring the markets for more films, but the reels are harder to find. Sit. Make yourself comfortable."

Letting out an anxious breath Aria grabbed a seat in the front row. James stood in the very back, fiddling with the film while she waited patiently. "Are you ready yet?" She shifted, feeling antsy waiting for him.

The light on the projector reached the screen and colors burst through the picture. Music began to play with the film. He grabbed a seat beside her, throwing his arm around Aria's shoulders, pulling her against him.

"What are we watching?" she asked.

"Does it matter?"

Halfway through the movie her head lulled onto his shoulder. It had been an exhausting day. Aria had trouble keeping her eyes open. She allowed herself to relax, knowing for the first time that she felt truly safe. Her eyes shut and James's hand smoothed over her thigh.

He lifted her into his arms and her eyes fluttered open unaware how long she'd been asleep.

"James?" Aria said, yawning. "You can put me down."

"I will when I get you into bed."

She groaned in protest. "Not my bed." She didn't want to go back to my room or the royal harem ever again. There were too many memories bottled in those rooms for her to feel safe.

"Do you want to say with me in my room?" James asked.

She could hear the anticipation and hope in his voice. "I would like that very much. You can put me down. I can walk up the stairs." The last thing she wanted was for them to fall and ruin a perfectly good night together.

James gently planted her feet onto the marble floor. His arms encircled her waist and his breath lingered just above her own as he stared into her eyes. She began to wake up. "You should probably take the contacts out before bed," he said, reminding her that she still had them in.

"Okay." Aria reached for his hand and let him lead her to his bedroom. They wandered through long corridors and the deeper they traveled into the palace, the farther they were from the days commotion.

James opened the bedroom door and lifted Aria, carrying her inside and to his bed.

He gently guided her onto her back, hovering above. His lips lingered as he hesitated.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked, staring up at him. "Oh, my eyes. Is that it?" Aria gently pushed him back and sat up, shoving her hand into her pocket for a small case that Rhys had given her earlier with the lenses. "I'll be right back." She slipped from his bedroom to the bathroom. The layout of the room quite similar to her own. His, however, had grandiose furniture and doubled in size. The room was made for a prince.

Aria didn't bother shutting the bathroom door. It took her a few minutes to remove each contact lens from her eye and in the process she wasn't sure whether she had destroyed them either. She hoped she hadn't, she may need them again in the future.

James watched from the doorway, glancing her over.

"What is it?" Aria asked. "My hair's going to be blonde for some time." She couldn't reverse the changes that were made. Did he not like it?

"We don't have to do anything," he whispered reaching for her hands. "I just want to spend time with you, Aria."

The smile only grew wider on her lips. "And you will, in your bed." She insisted, pulling him toward the mattress.

James climbed atop the mattress, his weight hovering above her. He was careful, protective. Her hands roamed along his back, slipping beneath his shirt feeling over warm skin.

"I won't break," Aria said, staring up at him. "You can touch me." She knew he must want to. He'd been willing to buy her from the slave auction and rescue her from his father. She didn't doubt his loyalty or that he was honorable, especially after all that had happened.

He leaned down, his lips covered hers and his body shifted, sliding one knee between her legs. Their clothes were still on, and she rocked her hips into his, desiring more.

"Don't tease me," Aria said.

"Or what?" James smirked. It was the grin he had when they first met, that smug smile of satisfaction that she wanted to wipe away. He grinded his knee against her center and the pressure was just right, forcing a moan to escape past her lips. His mouth fell to her neck, kissing and sucking the sensitive flesh as he grabbed her arms and pinned them above her head. "I'm the one in charge," he hissed against her ear.

Aria let him take the lead, knowing that she could trust him.

"Take off your clothes," he said. His voice commanded, forceful.

She smiled and felt him pull back just slightly as she disrobed. "You're not going to do it for me?" Aria asked, challenging him.

"I like watching you." The smile and glimmer in his eyes never faded. He probably didn't know how to remove a pair of pants and a t-shirt as easily as a gown. Or maybe he was used to making his courtesans undress so that he felt powerful. Either way, she didn't care. That part of him was in the past. They were both two different people from when they first met.

"Get undressed," Aria said. Her shirt was off and she worked the button free on her pants. "Or else I'm walking out of here."

"Naked?" James laughed and slipped his pants off first before removing his shirt.

"Wouldn't be the first time I've roamed naked in these halls." Her eyes scoured over his body. She shimmied out of her pants and climbed under the covers, tossing her undergarments to the floor. "If you don't get over here soon, I might have to start without you."

James stripped down, his boxers followed as he pounced her under the sheets. Both were laughing. "Start without me? Is that something you say to a prince?"

Aria reached out to tickle him but he grabbed her wrists, pinning them against the mattress. She leaned up, taking a taste of his lips and his body came to settle down closer to hers. "Be gentle," Aria said between kisses. She didn't have to tell him this was her first time with a man, the entire slave auction heard the words 'emerald virgin.'

His hold against her arms ceased as his lips descended down her body. His kisses were soft and warm sending shivers down her spine and butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Nestling himself between her thighs, Aria felt his breath and took a sharp intake of air into her lungs. He separated her folds and his thumb stroked her clit, forcing the bead to grow and her desire to heighten.

"James," Aria purred, her fingers slipped down his neck wanting more, craving him inside of her.

He drew his tongue across her warmth, sucking and lapping at her nectar. His kisses trailed a path up her stomach as he slid two fingers inside her wetness, getting her ready for him. Desire built within her, as she ached and throbbed for release. He flicked her clit and his fingers curled inside her pussy.

Aria pulled him up to her, dragged her fingers across his stomach through the soft path of hair as her fingers stroked him. Her thumb circled the head of his cock, feeling him grow thicker and rigid in her grasp. His face was red, his breathing labored.

"Fuck me," she whispered, staring up at him. She guided him to her entrance and bent her knees giving him better access.

He was slow as he lowered himself into her, easing his cock inch by inch.

She took a sharp breath and James leaned down, biting her neck, exchanging one pain for another as he filled her. It almost felt like too much.

Her lips parted and her back arched off the mattress. James's hand slipped to her lower back, pulling her closer, keeping her near as he gradually slid out before thrusting into her again.

She moaned as he plunged deeper and she wrapped her legs around him, wanting to feel more. Her hands moved through his hair and down his back, aimlessly feeling every inch of skin and sweat as he glistened above her. Leaning up, she captured his lips, taking a taste as his hips grinded against her. She dug her fingernails into his back as her toes began to curl. Aria's insides pulsed, forcing her to shudder in his arms, as fire radiated through every inch of her body. Clenching down, she squeezed onto his cock, his own orgasm giving way as he swelled and spilled himself inside of her.

They lay there spent, together, neither of them wanted to move. Gradually he slipped out and rolled onto his side, pulling her to lie with him. "Are you okay?" he asked, his fingers danced across her hips.

"Content," she whispered, dragging her arm around his waist and she shut her eyes. "Goodnight." A faint smile played at the corners of her lips. She may still be an emerald, but at least she was no longer a virgin. The thought filled her heart with warmth. "Promise me, I'm your only lover from now on."