Chapter 11

Eleven

Lev, two weeks later

M y entire body crackles with unspent energy. My body twitches, restless and on edge. I need to keep moving or I’ll be in a car right now and head into Northern Alliance territory to retrieve our special package.

I leave Gregor and Elyah in the office going over logistics for when Sapphire arrives.

Armed guards. Who to trust. Who needs to be moved to another location.

If those two could, they would remove all other men from the property and I would help them relocate everyone. I don’t like the idea of other assholes invading our jewel’s sacred space. Or what we hope she will come to think of as hers.

Either way, she will be safe with us. No one will harm a hair on her head. Not and live.

He won’t say much about the topic but I know Elyah is having a hard time with Sapphire coming to live with us.

Our fathers ripped the lower half of Chicago apart, spilled blood in its streets, and took years to painstakingly rebuild the empire with a strong foundation after inheriting it from their fathers. Back then they had a different idea of what our dark kingdom should look like.

Street wars lasted forever. I can remember parts of our childhood summers spent outside of the city due to fear of death threats from the East and West Alliances. The North was always content in letting us either die or kill ourselves off most times. But there has been bloodshed between us. Cousins killed. Brothers.

The time Sapphire remembers seeing us for the first time is when all three of us swallowed our pride and asked for a meeting with her cousin. There’s strength in knowing when you need help.

The burn of rejection that day leaves a sour taste in my mouth to this day.

I find my room and slowly close the door. Silence envelops me and I embrace the darkness. Only now can I truly fucking breathe. The idea of letting Sapphire slip away from us leaves me hungry for blood. The last time I let vengeance rule me people died.

I sprawl over the bed and I guess I fall asleep because Elyah is standing over me when I crack my eyes open next.

“Wake up, brother.” A strong hand is on my shoulder. The thunder in his voice has me lunging to my feet. My fingers are shaking and the tightness around my throat has my vision blurring. I scrape a hand down my face and it comes back dripping with sweat. My breathing is ragged and my heart wants to beat outside my chest.

“What fucking time is it?” I take several calming breaths and try to lock my shit down.

I check the window and find the sun shining. The clock says I’ve been asleep all night.

“You were moaning in your sleep and it did not sound like the wet dream kind.”

“ Da , brother. No shit,” I mutter. My knees feel shaky so I fall back down.

“You okay?”

I nod, not wanting to talk about the images of Axsel dying to save my life. His body took round after round of bullets. The fear in his eyes lingers in my mind. Every time I close my eyes it’s his corpse I see. Knowing there was nothing I could do haunts me. But I live with it. Because he died for my brothers and me.

“Sorry about waking you.” I douse my raging emotions with the vodka Elyah holds out.

Since the night we lost Axsel, we’ve stayed together. First, it was my place across town. A large spread with ample gardens. Then at Gregor’s place four floors down in this high-rise. And now here so we can take turns watching over Elyah’s father.

We keep each other sane when the shadows reach out to claw us deeper into their territory.

Elyah shrugs his shoulders in silence like this is a nightly occurrence because it nearly is.

“Don’t worry about it. I haven’t gone to bed. Gregor hasn’t slept all night either. He keeps going on about making this place babyproof.” Elyah pinches the bridge of his nose. “I don’t think he understands we have nine months to prepare and that’s if she’s pregnant. The man is a fucking case of positivity I can’t handle.”

“You don’t think she’s carrying our child?”

“I think when we collect her, we make sure. Simple as that.”

He closes the door when my phone goes off. I fumble for it and see Sapphire’s sweet face.

I look up ready to call him back in, but maybe in a minute. I want a little one-on-one time with our soon-to-be baby momma.

“Lev, is that you?”

Her voice comes across as sleepy and causes my heart to jack into overdrive and my dick to stir to life. Fuck her voice is sexy. I haven’t cared for another human being besides my brothers in a long damn time.

The three of us haven’t spoken with Sapphire since we left her at her apartment with the instructions of being ready in three weeks. Elyah thinks she can use the space, but I think too much space allows regret to move in.

Hmm. Dread drops in my gut. Call it intuition or life experience, but I have a feeling this call isn’t for an early pickup from her place.

“ Krasotka. Everything okay?” Her sweet face fills the screen. Small shafts of light shoot in from the curtains at her back. When she moves slightly, hints of the room she is in peek through revealing nothing out of the ordinary. No danger. But her eyes are wide in fear.

“Sapphire,” I state firmly. “Is everything okay? Or did you just miss us, malyshka ?” The use of terms of endearment calms her so I use them liberally. She might not know what the words mean but she visually relaxes a few degrees.

Her hand darts into her hair and she tugs on the roots. “What have we done, Lev? I can’t find it in me to tell my cousin I am leaving.”

I hate being right. Fucking Elyah. The hardheaded man never wants to listen. We should have taken her that night and to hell with letting her get her affairs in order. Nothing she couldn’t do from here.

Blunt teeth press into the pillowy flesh of her lower lips again and I immediately want to pull her to me for a taste. One more week and I can do just that.

“Fuck Harlon and his friends. Tell him or not. I don’t care. It doesn’t change two facts, beautiful.”

“And what are those? Wait, I know.” She holds up two fingers for me to see in the low light of the morning. “I’m dead,” she says sarcastically. “And you three are dead. Even if my cousin doesn’t act on my betrayal, others can’t wait to find a reason to take down the family and I just handed it to them. Harlon and the men are already fighting to keep people in line. I think I’ve royally screwed up.”

Those pretty blue eyes are on me as she speaks. So bright with worry. Fuck she’s killing me. Seeing the pain in her eyes makes me want to burn this city down to get to her.

“Do you have regrets?” Some self-loathing part of me needs to hear the exact words. Invisible nails claw into my pulsing heart. For the first time in my life I want something solid with a woman. The night at The Society was the first in two years I didn’t wake in cold sweats. As much as I crave her, I also need Sapphire in my life.

She gets up and moves around doing exactly what I do when I am bothered by something and the solution isn’t obvious. Pacing. One pass and then the other. I let her gather her thoughts before speaking.

“ Malyshka. Answer me.”

I hear the clink of a lock falling into place, and soft footfalls on the carpet. The rustling of cloth and then silence.

“Are you in your room?”

“I just locked the door like I have something to hide from in my own home, Lev.”

“I thought you lived alone.”

“That’s the problem. I do.”

I give a low chuckle.

“Everyone has dirty secrets, beautiful. We might as well add another one to the pot. Lay down on your bed for me.”

“I don’t need any dirtier secrets in my closet. That is not why I am calling,” she responds tartly.

And yet she has not hung up.

Dark hair spills around her heart-shaped face. Instead of looking like a mess, she makes bedhead look seriously tempting. Thick lashes tangle as they narrow on me. I don’t know if she does it consciously or not, but her face turns up in a cute pout when she doesn’t understand the motivation behind something.

“Do it, beautiful. Turn the side lamp on so I can see you better. Or I can get in my car, come over there, and then all your neighbors will see me walk into your apartment and run to tattle on us. Your choice.”

“Okay. Okay. I’m on the bed. I don’t see how this is going to?—”

“—the lamp,” I remind her.

Click.

“There. Happy?”

I hold her eyes firmly and force myself to talk slowly so she doesn’t miss the threat. “Talk like that to me when we are in the same room, and I will feed my cock to you in punishment.”

Her sexy, fuckable lips fall open in surprised silence.

“Good girl. Now, do you want to remember a little of the pleasure we had at The Society or go through your day grouchy and horny?”

She huffs and asks slightly breathless, “Is that a real question?”

“Feisty. I think our little breeder needs to find a quick release.”

“I didn’t call for phone sex, Lev. Where are the other two? Watching?”

“They wish.” I recline on my bed and shove one hand inside my boxers and pull the material back. With my other, I angle my phone where she can see the state of my condition. “Now do as I instruct.”

My cock fills the screen and I get another gasp from her but for a whole other reason.

“Lev.” This time that tone of hers is sultry and turned on.

“Put your phone on the nightstand and lie back.”

She blinks a couple of times and then I have the perfect view of Sapphire Constantine’s bare, wet pussy on my phone’s screen. Dark hair spills around her and silk puddles at her waist from the gown she wears. When she’s here with us, she will be lucky if we allow her clothes. I want full access to her beauty and her pussy. If she’s not pregnant already I have no problem making sure we do the job right the second time around. I grin to myself. Clothes will only hinder the process.

“Spread those legs baby. Let them fall open.”

“Like this?”

The growl she elicits from me is primal, deep, and animalistic as it rumbles through my chest.

“I like it when you sound hungry for me.”

I strain to hear her with how far away the phone is, but I know what she is saying without so many words. She misses us. The men are going to be so fucking jealous of what I am about to do.

“Do you always sleep with no panties?”

“Mm-hm. And no bra. Just a gown most times. I like the feel of cool sheets after a hot shower at night.”

“Spread those folds and show me.”

She rises to her elbows and you might think it’s nervousness on her face but the glimmer of hunger in her eyes says this is exactly what she needs.

Her cheeks warm red and I can see hints of her hard nipples playing behind the softness of the silk gown.

She visibly shivers when the pads of her pretty black-tipped fingers move over soft folds

I grip the base of my cock and let her see the bead of pre-cum dripping from the tip. “Look at what you do to me.” I stroke up and more spills out to wet my fingers.

Sapphire gasps softly and dips a finger through her juices.

“Smear it over that pretty pink clit and show me how good you can work yourself for me, my jewel.”

Her knees fall wider and the faster she strokes herself the more of her juices I see spill to wet her ass.

“Fuck, Sapphire. Damn, that is sexy.”

“Lev, God, I need you,” she whispers but I hear. I fucking hear those words out of her mouth.

She falls back and I look on as she raises a hand and smacks her clit.

Once. Twice.

Juicy and greedy.

I jerk into my hand and feel my balls draw up tight at the wet juicy sound of her pussy creaming with need for my dick.

“Damn, woman. Do it again,” I growl.

I stroke my cock faster and the heat inside of me roars with fury and lust. “You’re going to make me come.”

She pants and moans, her head rolling from side to side.

“Move faster, stroke that clit harder and use your other hand and sink two fingers into that pretty pussy, that’s it. Just like that.”

Juicy wetness filters over the speaker. I grip my cock hard and flex into my hand.

“Come for me. Come now.”

“Lev, I need your help.”

“I’m right there with you. That’s it. Stroke your clit. A little harder. Fuck, yes. Just like that.”

Her breaths are hard and rushed. I see her tremble and it gives me pleasure knowing I do that to her.

“You’re close. Slap that pussy one more time for me. Show me what you like.”

She does and the results are instant. I grin devilishly as she screams through her release.

The quakes are powerful enough to have me reaching my end only seconds later.

“Watch me,” I command roughly and it doesn’t take long before her lust-filled gaze fills the screen. I fist my cock and work it furiously until the jets of my hot cum spill over my hand.

Soft gasps and hungry purrs make my cock pulse harder. “Next time, this cream will be filling your pussy and your mouth,” I promise darkly.

We both lie there with our phones pointing at each other with only the sound of our harsh breathing passing over the lines.

“Think the others will be mad?”

“I don’t fucking care.”

She sits up. “Lev.”

I sling an arm over my face. “Woman, whatever you do, don’t break the spell of bliss right now. Can’t whatever you are going to say wait until we are together?”

“That is what I am trying to tell you?”

Her mood shifts and regret is written in the creases scrunching her forehead. Damn it. I knew we should have gone for her before now. We are about to lose her if we don’t move our asses.

My eyes narrow. “Look at me and tell me what is going on.” I put more authority into my tone and it does what I expect.

Blue eyes swivel to lock with mine with the force of a category five hurricane.

“I…just…I can’t.”

“Can’t what?” I know where this is going.

There goes that lip again.

“Look, I don’t think this is a good idea. Sex…er, phone sex and all that is great. But this…arrangement. It’s not going to work.”

“Hold that thought.”

I storm out and find the other two in the office where they usually are this time of the morning. They take in my state of undress and semi-hard cock and deduce what I was up to.

I motion to the phone and both come to stand beside me.

“You don’t have a choice. The contract is enforceable. Do not make us move on our contract. You will not like how that turns out.”

I let the finality of my tone sink in for a minute.

We all knew this could happen. Or at least I did. I told Elyah and Gregor the same damn thing.

“You wouldn’t.” A flushed and furious Sapphire has her face shoved into the phone’s camera. Her eyes fill with defiance.

“We would. And we will.” I hit end on the call. She has a fighting spirit and I know today is going to be interesting. It will make the second claiming we do all that much sweeter.

Gregor and Elyah both exchange glances with me. “Something or some one has spooked her.”

I nod. “If Harlon or anyone else has laid a hand on her I will cut their fucking balls off personally.”

Elyah grips my shoulder, a look of war in his eyes. “You were right, brother. We move right now.”