Jacinda's Challenge (Imperial 3)

"Yes, that's right, Javiera. What next?" Cassandra demanded.

  "Well, the next step I think is up to you." Jacinda looked to Cassandra. "You know Cyndy better than I do, but I think she can be very stubborn."

  "That is totally true."

  "So I'm not sure if Director Metaxas should come here or if she should go to him."

  "Director Metaxas? My Director of the Arts?"

  "Yes, Birgin is my brother-in-law, my sister Palma's husband, and after hearing Cyndy sing today, Palma was immediately on the comm to him. He will tell her honestly if there is a place for her music here on Carina."

  "Of course there is!" Cassandra's tone had turned all Royal at the possibility that it wasn't.

  "Cassandra," William put a soothing hand on Cassandra's arm. "You can't decree people to like Cyndy's music. She needs to know she's hearing the cold, hard truth."

  Cassandra sighed heavily but nodded her head. "You're right, but I just want to make it right for her."

  "You can't, as much as you want to, my love, you just can't. You can only support her. The way you do all of us." William squeezed her arm.

  "Again you're right."

  "Is that two or three times now I've heard your wife admit she's wrong?" Jotham teased. "I think we may need to mark that in the record books."

  "Shut up, Jotham." Cassandra shot back and Jacinda found herself laughing.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Jacinda woke as the bed slightly dipped. Opening her eyes, she found Jotham's violet ones staring back at her.

  "You're back," she said huskily reaching up to caress his cheek. He and William had left when another call had come in from the Guardian and Cassandra left shortly after to attend to her duties.

  After making sure everything had been unpacked correctly, Jacinda had laid down on the bed for a short nap. Apparently, it had gone longer then she had planned.

  "I am," Jotham told her kissing her lips.

  "You need to rest." She could see the fatigue in his eyes. "Come. Rest with me."

  "I can think of other things I'd like to do." Even as he spoke, he settled deeper into the bed.

  "And we will. After we rest." Jacinda reassured him.

  Wrapping up in each other’s arms, Jotham laid his head against her chest and let out a tired sigh. "Just for a little while."

  "Rest, Jotham." She gently ran her fingers through his thick, black hair as she felt him relax into sleep. As she did, she noticed the first strands of gray starting to make their appearance and smiled slightly. Jotham would look even more distinguished with gray at his temples.

  She thought back to his words from before Cassandra and William had arrived, about his concern for her security. She understood his concern, especially after the way Lata died and her accident, but she was nothing like Lata. She never intentionally put herself at risk and she wasn't a member of the Royal family. There was not a reason for her to have Royal guards. Now how was she going to get Jotham to understand that?

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Jacinda tipped her head back, letting the water flow through her hair, rinsing away the cleanser she'd rubbed into it. She carefully slid out of the bed without waking Jotham when she woke again. She knew they needed to leave soon to have last meal with William and Cassandra, but she wanted him to get as much sleep as he could.

  Jotham worked so hard. He was so dedicated to his people, always putting them first, that it was time someone put him first. Turning, she let the spray cleanse her face, washing away her sleep and grime from the day. Her breath caught when her breasts were suddenly cupped from behind.

  "Jotham!" she gasped as she was pulled back against a hard body.

  "You didn't wake me." He nipped her ear lobe in punishment.

  "You were tired," she argued back, rubbing against his growing erection.

  "I don't care. I don't like waking up without you. It makes me think this is nothing but a dream."

  "Jotham..." His words touched her heart making it ache for him.

  "I don't want it to be a dream, Jacinda." His mouth started to work its way down her neck his hands taking ownership of her breasts. "I want it to be honest and true and real."

  "It is Jotham." She tipped her head to the side giving him better access to her neck. "I wouldn't be with you if it wasn't."

  Spinning her around, Jotham's mouth attacked hers as he backed her up until she was against the wall then lifted her off her feet.

  Jacinda gasped into his mouth, her hands instinctively gripping his shoulders as her legs wrapped around his waist.

  "You are mine, Jacinda!" His hardened shaft nudged her slick entrance and he plunged in.

  "Jotham!" Jacinda ripped her mouth away from his, her nails digging into his skin at the intensity of the pleasure filling her.

  "Mine, Jacinda!" Pumping into her, the sound of skin slapping against skin filled the steamy chamber, each thrust going deeper than the one before. "Just mine!"

  "Yes, Jotham!" Jacinda cried out, throwing her head back. Never had her pleasure built so quickly. "Ancestors, yes!"

  Jotham could feel her channel tightening around him, it had his balls tightening and that familiar tingle at the base of his spine grew. He knew he wasn't going to last much longer, but he refused to go without her.

  "Come for me, Jacinda!" he demanded driving even deeper into her welcoming body. "Come for me now!"

  Jacinda couldn't believe how her body responded to Jotham. How he was able to command it, but he could and she screamed as her orgasm exploded through her.

  The moment Jacinda's channel tightened around his shaft, Jotham cried out and with one final thrust erupted.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Jacinda gave Jotham a small smile as she felt his thumb caress her lower back, where his hand rested as he guided her toward the Queen's Wing for last meal. Deffand, along with several guards, followed a discrete distance behind them. She was still feeling slightly stunned by what had happened in the shower. Never had she experienced an orgasm like she had with Jotham. Never had her entire body reacted like that. Just thinking about it had her taking a trembling breath. She knew if they weren't expected for last meal they would be in bed.

  "Are you alright?" Jotham asked feeling the slight tremor that ran through her.

  "I'm fine, just... thinking." She saw Jotham's eyes flare with desire as he realized what she was thinking about.

  "We won't stay long," he promised pulling her closer so she was tucked under his arm.

  Her cheeks flushed, but she nodded her agreement.

  Guards opened the doors to the Queen's Wing as they approached. As they proceeded inside, Deffand and the other guards remained outside the Wing. Jotham paused, then turned to Deffand.

  "You will see to what we discussed earlier while Jacinda and I are here." He didn't word it as a question.

  "Yes, Majesty. Your other guards will remain in the event you need them."

  "That will be fine." Turning back, he led Jacinda away.

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Jacinda couldn't help but laugh at the chaos they found when they entered the room where last meal was to be served. William was on his knees, his two oldest boys hanging from his back trying to pull him down while Willie attacked from the front.

  "We've got you this time!" Kayden declared as he felt his father start to lean forward.

  "You think so?" William challenged and suddenly twisted, wrapping an arm around Willie to pin him, Kayden and Jacob fell to the floor, his fingers going to where he knew they were most vulnerable.

  Suddenly the room filled with shrieks and giggles.

  "Stop, Dad!" Kayden demanded as he unsuccessfully tried to escape.

  "What? You attack, three against one, and expect me to not retaliate?" William asked keeping the three caged underneath him.

  "Please, Daddy!" Willie's young voice begged between shrieks.

  "Alright, but only because we have company." William's eyes were sparkling with mirth as they looked up at Jotham and
Jacinda. "You'll have to thank Jotham and Jacinda for saving you from the tickles you deserve."

  Settling back on his knees, William helped each boy up, giving them a hug and kiss. As he rose to his feet, Willie wrapped his arms around his neck, and William lifted him as he stood.

  "Hi, King Jotham." Willie greeted, as his father moved across the room. "Thanks for saving us."

  "You are most welcome, Willie. You do know that your father is ticklish too." Jotham smirked at William.

  "Yeah, Mom showed us, but we can never get close enough," Willie pouted.

  "I'm sure you will one day," Jotham encouraged.

  "Alright, enough about my weaknesses." Leaning down, William put Willie on his feet. "Go wash up for last meal. It will be here soon."

  "Yes, Daddy." All three chorused and hurried out of the room.

  "Cassandra's putting Sabah down and the Chamberlains should be here soon. Peter and Cyndy had some things to discuss. Would either of you like something to drink? Wine? Ale?"

  "A glass of wine would be lovely," Jacinda said and took the long-stemmed glass William handed to her while Jotham took the tumbler of Carinian ale.

  "Any new information on Nuga?" Jotham asked taking a sip of his drink.

  "It looks like human error and negligence. There's evidence that the manager of the mine wasn't making the repairs and upgrades he was ordered to. Instead, he was pocketing the credits."

  "Has he been found?"

  "Yes. He will be charged with corruption and the deaths of nearly five-hundred."

  "The explosion was that extensive?" Jacinda couldn't hide her shock.

  "It occurred during the shift change," William informed her. "The two largest shifts of the day."

  "That mine is run by the Sokol Corporation, isn't it?" Jacinda looked at Jotham and saw his jaw clench.

  "Yes, it is." William gave her a considering look. "How did you know that?"

  "Stephan had been investigating the company at the time of his death," Jacinda told him. "I'm not sure what happened to the investigation after his death."

  "Interesting."

  "I might still have some of his files if you would like them."

  "You do?" Jotham looked at her in shock. "I thought all his files were turned over to the Assembly."

  "Stephan liked to work from home a lot so he kept copies there. The secure home comm he worked on is still in his office. No one ever requested it and I never gave it a thought. I have the codes."

  "Stephan gave you his codes?" William frowned at her.

  "He wrote them down, sealed them and locked them in our home security box. So they would be available if ever needed. I'd forgotten about them until just now."

  "When we return, I would very much like to see what Stephan had compiled," Jotham told her reaching out to touch her cheek. "I want to know what he found out and why it was never brought to my attention after his death."

  "Then you'll have it."

  The sound of the door opening ended the conversation and they all turned to see the Chamberlains enter the room.

  Brett walked in front of his parents a bag slung over his shoulder, his eyes searching the room.

  "The boys are in their rooms washing up," William told Brett knowing who he was searching for.

  Brett looked up at his mom.

  "Go ahead, Brett. You haven't washed up yet either." Cyndy smiled down at him.

  "Thanks, Mom." Brett was gone in a flash.

  "Drink Peter? Cyndy?" William inquired.

  "Wine please," Cyndy answered crossing the room. Peter silently followed frowning at Jacinda.

  "Is there something you want to say, Captain?" Jacinda asked, not the least intimidated by his hard look.

  "Peter!" Cyndy frowned fiercely up at her husband.

  "Yes, there is." Peter ignored his wife. "While I don't appreciate you taking my wife out of the Palace without the proper security, I do appreciate what you did for her." Peter looked into the glass William had handed him then looked back to Jacinda before continuing on gruffly. "It's been a long time since I've heard Cyndy sing because she was happy. So thank you."

  Jacinda found she could only nod, her throat tightening at the depth of emotion she could see in Peter's eyes. He truly loved his wife.

  "Cassandra had a Pianola delivered to our rooms," Cyndy told Jacinda, her face beaming. "Peter had to pull me away from it for last meal."

  "I'm surprised your fingers aren't cramping from all the playing you've been doing on it." Peter leaned down, kissing the top of Cyndy's head.

  Cyndy smiled up at him flexing the fingers of her free hand. "I am out of practice. It's going to take a while, but I'll get it back."

  "I know you will, Pixie."

  ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞ ∞

  Jacinda couldn't hide her smile as she watched young Willie eye her half eaten piece of Fudge Torta. He'd plowed through his own piece as if he'd been afraid one of his brothers might take it from him. Now he raised hopeful violet eyes to her.

  This time when they sat down for their meal, Jotham had sat next to William and Jacinda found herself having a lively conversation with the youngest of William's sons, his namesake, and the boy had charmed her.

  "Do you really think you have room for more?" Jacinda asked quietly.

  "It's Torta," Willie said as if that explained everything and in truth it did.

  "You have to ask your mother first."

  "Oh. Mommy?" His question said in that small innocent voice only a child could have, had Cassandra looking to her youngest son.

  "Yes, Willie?"

  "Mommy, Jacinda isn't going to finish the rest of her Torta, so she wants me to eat it. So can I?"

  Early in the dinner, when Willie was struggling to pronounce her last name, Jacinda told him and the other boys they could call her Jacinda. Now she smirked slightly at his blatant stretching of the truth.

  "Oh she does, does she?" Cassandra asked looking at the fudge already smeared around her youngest son's mouth.

  "Yes, Mommy."

  Jacinda watched as the most powerful Queen, Carina had ever had, melted under the pleading violet eyes of her child. Jacinda knew what Cassandra was seeing when she looked at the boy. While all William's sons resembled him in some way, his namesake was the mirror image of him. And Jacinda knew Cassandra would never be able to resist him, not when he looked at her that way.

  "What about your brothers and Brett?" Cassandra asked.

  "They're bigger so they already got a bigger piece," Willie argued back.

  "I see. Well, I guess it would be terrible for it to go to waste."

  "It would, Mommy. It really would." Willie agreed nodding his head.

  "As long as it's okay with Jacinda, then it’s fine."

  Willie turned his little eyes on Jacinda. "Please?" he pleaded.

  Picking up her dessert plate, Jacinda set it on his empty one. "Here you go, little man."

  Turning back to Cassandra she smiled. "You are so going to be in trouble when the girls start calling."

  "Don't I know it." Cassandra agreed shaking her head. "I can already hear the hearts breaking."

  "Just like their father. He and Jotham pretty much had free run of the Academy as far as the girls were concerned."

  "Girls!" The disgust in Kayden's voice was easily heard. "Dad, you liked girls? In the Academy? I thought you said all you did there was train and study."

  All eyes turned to William to find him frowning at Kayden.

  "All you did was study and train?" Jotham started to chuckle. "Really, Will?"

  "I was talking to my son who was six at the time, Jotham," William hissed at him. "What was I supposed to say?"

  "I'm sure it was during his last few cycles, Kayden." Jacinda decided to bail him out.

  "Oh," Kayden replied as if that made all the difference.

  "You know, I have a grandson around your age. He doesn't like girls yet either."

  "You have grandchildren?" Cassandra looked at her in shock.


  "Two grandsons," Jacinda told her proudly. "From my second son, Ethan. Danton, my oldest, has yet to have a Union and Stephanie, well Stephanie is currently focusing on her career."

  "I can't wait to be a grandmother," Cyndy said sighing. "But Victoria is a lot like your Stephanie. She wants to establish her career first, so I'll just have to snuggle up on Sabah until she and Lucas decide to have one of their own I can spoil."

  "Every baby needs that," Jacinda said.

  "True." Cyndy agreed.

  "Especially Sabah," Willie piped in as he ate the Torta, "because she's special."

  "Of course she is. She's your sister." Jacinda smiled down at the face that had even more Torta smeared across it.

  "Not because of that, but because she has two birthmarks," Willie told her.

  Jacinda's eyes widened in shock and a heavy silence fell over the room. Willie was the only one who didn't seem to notice.

  "Yeah, she's got one on her leg like Mom's and one on her arm like us." Willie proudly pulled his sleeve up to reveal the Arrow birthmark on his arm proclaiming him a royal from the House of Protection.

  Jacinda sat stunned. How was this possible? They were the sons of the Queen of the House of Knowledge. They should have no birthmark, yet there it was and just as dark as the one on their father's arm, meaning they were in line for the throne of the House of Protection! If they all had this... and Sabah had both... Ancestors, the purists would go crazy.

  "William." His father's stern voice had little Willie looking at him in confusion. "What were you told about the birthmarks?"

  "That we shouldn’t talk about them with anyone not family," Willie immediately replied.

  "That's right."

  "But isn't Jacinda family now? Like King Jotham?" He looked from his mother to his father in confusion. "You always said only family got to eat at this table."

  Jacinda watched William close his eyes and knew he was searching for patience. She'd had to do it too many times herself when dealing with her own children.

  "Did I do something wrong?" Willie set down his forc as his little lower lip began to tremble. "I overheard you tell Uncle Peter how something bad could happen to Sabah if the wrong people found out. Is Jacinda wrong people? Did I hurt Sabah?"