Chapter 29

Chapter

Twenty-Nine

ORION

A lyx is up to something.

I know she’s here to find out who is ordering the hits on Joha’s life and that requires her to sneak around, but something deep in my gut is telling me that she’s up to something else. If she were truly just working to keep him safe, then she would share her plans with me and we could work together. While the thought of that makes me wince, I would do it for my king.

I would do anything for him.

This is the reason I am sneaking around the palace in the early hours of the morning. I went to see Alyx after our argument earlier in the day and she wasn’t there. I had it in my mind that perhaps I had been a little harsh, yet finding her missing from her rooms only aroused my suspicions again.

Why did I go to her private chambers late in the night in the first place? I could have waited until morning when I saw her next. There is no justifiable reason for seeking her out at this unsociable hour.

A sickening thought comes to mind. Do I just want to see her again? Her dress had been ridiculously over the top, but it suited her personality, not to mention the way it hugged her body . . . .

The stirrings of something I refuse to acknowledge start up again, and desire shoots through my nervous system. Taking a deep breath, I shake my head and focus on the task at hand. Yes, I do want to see her again, but for information. That is all.

I have searched all around the palace grounds and am unable to find her, which brings me to the conclusion that she is not on the palace grounds.

She is an assassin, which only worries me more.

My thoughts turn inward as I become frustrated with myself. What good am I to Joha if I cannot keep track of an assassin who may or may not be a threat to his life?

Sheltered in the shadows of one of the palace buildings, I lean against the wall and drop my head, rubbing my temples in an attempt to ease the tension there. It’s useless. I have had a constant headache since she arrived.

A flicker of movement catches my eye. It is barely anything, more like a blur of shadows, and most would not have even seen it. In other circumstances, I might brush it off as my exhausted mind, but I know it is her.

With as much stealth as I can manage, I push away from the building and follow the shadow across the grounds. I don’t know why I’m so certain that this is her and not another assassin, but I can feel it in my gut.

It doesn’t take me long to figure out that she is heading back to the queen’s palace. She must be done sneaking around for the night. I hold back as she slips into her rooms and attempt to calmly formulate what I want to say to her. For some reason, when I am around her, I cannot seem to make sense of my words and end up replying in anger instead. It makes me seem like a jerk.

Not that I care what she thinks.

After five minutes or so, I sneak into the queen’s palace and move through the corridors to her rooms. It is far too easy to get into. I will have to have a conversation with the guards in the morning.

In the privacy of her rooms, where no one else is around to overhear, I stride straight over to her bedroom, a dim light shining under the door. I slam the doors open and barge in, only to come to a sudden halt.

She’s standing in just a thin vest, her underwear visible for me to see. Where she hid her dark clothing from earlier, I have no idea. I am sure she is an expert at hiding things. All my thoughts become foggy as my eyes trail down the length of her body.

I need to focus . . . focus . . .

“Just come in, why don’t you?” She rolls her eyes, stripping off her vest so she’s only in her chest wrappings and underwear. “You finally decided to step out of the darkness and confront me then?”

Her words snap me from the delirious spell her body put me under. It is only now that I realise what I am feeling is arousal. No, this is not happening. I know it is just a physical response, my body reacting as it is supposed to, and I have no control over it. However, I do not want to feel anything for someone like her, not even physical attraction.

She is toying with me, casually wandering around in her underwear, and clearly trying to get a reaction out of me. I want to look away, to give her privacy, but from the smirk on her lips, I know that is exactly what she expects me to do.

Taking a deep breath, I continue to look at her, and her last comment finally registers with me. She knew I was following her all along. Damn, she’s good. Embarrassment, frustration, and anger all flare within me. Balling my hands into fists at my sides to keep myself from shaking her, I glare.

“Where did you go?” I ask, trying to keep my mind on the reason I am here.

“Why? Did you miss me?” She flutters her lashes, her voice seductive as she teases me.

I grit my teeth against a sudden urge to silence that sassy mouth. “Answer the damn question.”

“So grumpy,” she chides as she pulls on a dressing gown, tying it closed. I’m suddenly able to think clearer now that she’s covered, even if the image of her nearly naked body will be ingrained in my mind forever.

“I was looking for information,” she answers, perching on the edge of her dressing table, her eyes locked on me as she removes the braids from her hair.

This is fucking painful. She is determined to make this difficult.

“And?” I grind out. “What did you discover?”

She raises a brow, and I can see how much she’s enjoying this. “Why would I tell you that? All you need to know is that I’m dealing with it.”

That does nothing to reassure me. In fact, it does the exact opposite. I have a pretty good idea what she means by “dealing with it,” and it makes my teeth clamp together tightly. “You can’t just go around killing people when you feel like it.”

The look she gives me is pointed, and she slowly gestures to herself. “You know what I do, right?”

I realised as soon as the words came out of my mouth that she was going to turn them back on me, making me feel like an idiot. I meant it though. Working for the Crown, she cannot just murder whoever she likes. This should be done properly.

“I am well aware of your profession.” Disgust colours my voice on the last word, making it acutely obvious what I think of her life choices.

She finally loses her temper, jumping up from the dressing table and stalking up to me, her arms crossed over her chest as she glares up at me. “What the fuck is your problem?”

“My problem is that it’s my job to protect Joha from people like you , and here you are, parading around the palace as though you own it.” I’m close to losing control, raising my voice. There’s no one around, but the guards will come running if they hear a male shouting in the queen’s rooms. “People like you don’t listen to reason or things like the laws of the land. You create your own rules, and that disgusts me.”

Her eyes narrow. “Disgust, is that what I saw in your eyes just a moment ago? Or earlier when you saw me in my dress?” Ripping the tie from her dressing gown, she pulls it open and slides it off her shoulders so she’s standing before me in just her underwear. “What do you think, Orion? Repulsive, right?”

She steps closer, each word pointed and harsh.

Despite myself, I can’t help but run my eyes over her. She is anything but disgusting. Her body is perfect, even with the scars that mar her skin. Every inch of her is perfection, yet she drives me crazy. When I first met her, I barely noticed how beautiful she was, but seeing this other side of her made me take a better look.

I should be disgusted at her vulgar display, especially knowing what she’s been doing tonight, but then why the fuck do I want to pin her down and feel her skin against mine?

“Just tell me what you know.” My voice is tight, betraying my internal struggle.

Her expression turns livid. “Why in the underworld would I tell you anything? You’re constantly snarling and snapping at me.”

She is right. I am. I’m pretty sure I have valid reasons though. She has only ever had to look out for herself. In the long run, if Joha dies on her watch, all she is going to lose is the reward money. Can she really care for a king she has no attachment to? I am not about to have that conversation with her though.

Taking a deep breath, I remind myself why I am here. “I’m trying to keep Joha safe.”

“Funnily enough, so am I!” she retorts, throwing her arms up in the air. It draws my attention back to her body, her breasts almost close enough for me to touch.

Focus, Orion.

“I don’t trust you.”

“I know.” She jabs me in the chest with her finger. “Which is one of the reasons I’m not going to share my plans with you.”

My jaw is clenched so tightly, I am surprised I have not broken a tooth. “You might be used to working alone, but we both have the same goal here. We need to be a team.” The words sound strange leaving my mouth, my voice deeper.

She stares up at me with a scowl that I am used to seeing when she is around me. With Joha, she manages to hide it, playing it off as though there is nothing that could disturb her unflappable nature. When it is just her and me though . . .

She can’t hide it.

“What if I don’t want to have anything to do with you?” Each word is pointed, sharp enough to wound.

The tension in the room is electric, the two of us glaring at each other. She aggravates me so much. Everything she does goes against my principles, against who I am.

Why do I find her so damn attractive?

Leaning down so we are almost nose to nose, I lower my voice to a whisper. “I would say you’re a liar.”

Something shifts in her eyes. I don’t understand why calling her a liar has that effect on her, but the tension shifts. She cocks out a hip and places her hand there, drawing attention to her body.

“Disgusting. Assassin. Betrayer. You can just add it to the list of names you’ve given me,” she whispers like she’s telling me a secret.

I have no idea what to say to that. Honestly, staring down at her, our bodies almost brushing, I don’t remember what we were even arguing about.

I don’t know who moves first, but we suddenly collide in a rush. Our lips crash together in a flurry of kisses, tongues, and teeth. It is not gentle, it is anything but, yet her kisses are addictive. We kiss like we are fighting, roughly grabbing onto each other.

It’s a battle, only there are no weapons, just desire, and whoever gives in first loses.

Her sharp moan of pleasure against my rough lips only spurs me on, and my hands cover the final distance between us, tracing the sides of her body before gripping her tight ass and pulling her closer. The plump cheeks fit perfectly in my hands, and I can’t help but groan as I drag her up onto her toes to deepen the kiss. Never one to be outdone, she bites my lower lip so hard it makes me grunt, and I swear I taste the coppery tang of my blood.

I can’t stop. Backing her into one of the posts, I devour her mouth.

More. I need more.

A sudden sound from outside the room causes us to jump apart in shock. We gawk at each other, our faces flushed. Her lips are raw, and her hair is a mess from my hands. I know I do not look any better. Luckily, she has more sense than I do. Her lashes flutter, shuttering the fire in her gaze, as she takes a deep breath and whips her gaping dressing gown back into place, tying it before brushing her hair back. I take the moment to slow my rapid breathing. There is nothing I can do about my pounding heart, but I do my best to act unaffected as I put some distance between us, walking to the other side of the room, needing space from the addictive assassin.

The door slides open swiftly, drawing our gazes, and we find Joha framed in the threshold. I do not know what he is doing here in the early hours of the morning, but I would be a hypocrite if I said anything—not that he can know that. What the fuck do I think I am doing? Messing around with the assassin will only end in disaster.

I have to get myself together.

Joha seems confused to find me here, slowly looking between us with a raised brow.

I am so fucked.