Page 88 of The Never List
“If that’s my punishment for being bad,” I say, my voice full of a sleepy sort of lust, “you’re not giving me much incentive to behave.”
Axl’s laugh rumbles against my back, sending warm shivers dancing over my skin. “I’ll have to go harder on you next time.”
I bite back a smile, glancing over my shoulder. “Promise?”
His golden eyes blaze with amusement. “Brave little kitten,” he says.
Kal runs his fingers through my hair, the touch so caring, so relaxing, my eyes grow heavy. “Rest up, love,” he whispers. “You’ll need it for the morning.”
Awareness cascades through my body, but it’s not enough to haul me from the deep state of relaxation they’ve put me in, and I fall asleep with their scents and the sounds of their breathing ensuring no nightmares come to haunt me.
26
Axl
“Throw that up here, will you?” I call down to Pierce, who walks barefoot on the beach, his suit pants rolled up over his ankles and his jacket tossed over his shoulder as he approaches my ship.
He rolls his eyes but hefts the wooden crate sunk in the sand and hands it to me. He could easily use his powers to lob the thing at me, but I’m grateful he doesn’t. I grab the box and pass it to Kal, who is already on board and helping me stock the vessel for next week’s mandatory kings’ dinner.
Jax follows behind Pierce, grabbing another crate off the beach and hauling it with him as he boards.
“Four cases of sparkling wine seem a bit much, yes?” Pierce asks as he stops before me.
“Not when the kings have invited a slew of nobles to this dinner.”
Pierce arches a dark brow. “Don’t they usually like to keep the focus on themselves at these things?”
“Yep,” I say, almost growling as I move the cases he and Jax brought up to the other side of the ship. I don’t mean to be short, but my nerves are shot, which is really fucking up the amazing three weeks I’ve had with Rylee.
Fuck, even thinking about her has my body tensing withneed. I’ve fucked her senseless countless times, and I still want her. I wake up craving the taste of her on my tongue and go to bed with her scent drenching my skin.
It’s not enough.
And when we aren’t fucking? We’retalking. And not the kind of conversations that past potentials have had with me. Rylee doesn’t speak in a scripted format handed down from parents or the kings or the mass nobility wholivefor the sole purpose of attending the Choosing events and scrutinizing every single detail—as if they can crack the code on what it takes to be the perfect mate, to be the one that finally becomes queen.
Rylee speaks from her heart, even when her mouth threatens to get her in trouble.
Like when she says things about the kings—Baydel specifically—that would get her thrown in the palace dungeons if she wasn’t under our protection. At least she’s never said anything like that in front of the Occuli, but damn, the woman is fearless. I’m worried it’s only a matter of time before she crosses a line she can’t come back from.
But it’s not like I disagree with her disdain. Baydel is one of the worst people I’ve ever met, and seeing as my own father is a piece of work, that’s saying something. I know better than to say so aloud, though. Better to keep your cards close to the chest than air out your intentions for everyone to hear. Something I’ve been trying to teach Rylee these past weeks, and she listens—I know she does—but she still keeps herself guarded in some areas.
We’ve grown close. Closer than I’ve ever been with a potential. We laugh and talk until we’re exhausted. And I know she feels safe with me—that much was proven whenshe told Kal it was fine if he needed to return to the Ruby Aire not three days after he’d come here with her. It meant everything to me.
But Jax is right—there’s something she’s keeping from me, from us. I can sense it in the same way I can sense whenever she’s close—some connection I can’t quite explain. I don’t know if it’s my power locking on to her signature in a way it’s never done before, or if it means she’s really the match we’ve all been waiting for. Either way, I can’t stand the thought of Baydel being anywhere near her for the dinner, but I’m powerless to stop it.
I just hope the asshole doesn’t concoct another public execution to scare her into submission.
I finish stocking the kitchen, prepping it so it’ll be easy when the servers arrive next week to facilitate the party, and head back to the deck, where the guys are waiting for me.
“You find anything new?” I ask Jax, who is sitting on one of the benches lining the ship’s starboard side, one ankle crossed over his knee.
He nods, and I take a seat next to him, Kal and Pierce following suit. “Rylee’s records were tampered with,” he says.
Shock blazes through me. “What the fuck do you mean,tampered with?”
“Exactly what I said.” His voice is as cold and sharp as the blades he likes to play with. Something is bothering him, but I know better than to ask what.
“Did you find the source?” Pierce asks.
