The Two Kings (Afterlife Saga)

  “I could have a car come and pick you up.” Draven suggested and her hope was suddenly re-ignited. Libby saw my face drop and nudged Frank.

  “That’s alright Dom, I have to go into town later for Lib’s chocolate baby fix, so I can just bring her with me and drop her off.”

  “Her! Who am I, the cat’s mother? I think I would prefer…”

  “So all’s settled then, thanks Frank you’re the man!” I gave him a sisterly punch on the arm and pulled Draven back towards the door. I didn’t need to look at Hilary to know I was getting “I hate you” looks from behind.

  “Good seeing you again Dominic” My sister said but it was drowned out by Hilary saying,

  “Looking forward to seeing you later Dominic.” Draven heard the little growl that escaped from the back of my throat. For once he was the one trying to keep up with me as I was close to running to the car. He opened my door for me first and I saw him wave back to the house where Hilary was still watching. He got in the car just in time to hear me mocking my cousin.

  “Look forward to seeing you later Dominic!” I repeated in a squeaky voice. Draven burst out laughing which would normally have had me in stitches, but I was too far gone in my bad mood to find the humour. Instead I crossed my arms tightly over my chest and took deep angry breaths. Why now, why ever, why couldn’t the girl just leave me alone? It was clear neither of us liked one another, so why did she go out of her way to make my life a misery? I was so caught up in my own self-pity that I didn’t realise we were far from the house and heading out of town.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You said we had to go somewhere, so that’s where I’m taking you.”

  “What, to a place called ‘Somewhere’?” I teased making him raise an eyebrow.

  “Is that Keira humour I detect, but no, surely not…it couldn’t be. My girlfriend is far too distracted by the unwanted visit of an evil cousin to be making jokes.” I bit my lip to try and prevent the smile that was creeping across my mouth but in the end I failed and laughed anyway.

  “Right that’s it! Who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?”

  “Very funny Draven!”

  “Ah it must be you, the fake Keira would never call me by my last name, she always calls me Dominic.”

  “What like my cousin?” As soon as I said it I regretted it.

  “Ha! You’re jealous!” He said with triumph and I cringed.

  “I’m not! Even though she was practically drooling over you!” Why was I just providing him with more proof that he was right?

  “You know I find it adorable when you get all possessive over me, but maybe now I can be forgiven for the same sentiments over certain human boys that will remain nameless.” He was right. What lengths would I go to, to keeping Hilary’s grubby little hands off my Draven?

  “Maybe,” I said sheepishly.

  “So are you going to tell me where we’re going or not?” I asked changing the subject. He looked so damn sexy when he controlled the car the way he did. One hand on the wheel and the other changing through the gears as the machine demanded it. He wasn’t one for doing the speed limit and along these empty roads he moved as if him and the car were one, gliding along as though they owned the road and commanded every bend to their will.

  “I think not!” He was smirking and a trade mark bad boy grin made my skin prick at the thought of being touched by those strong hands that gripped the steering wheel like he was in a formula one. I had to look out of the window to hide my blushes at the thought of having sex in this car…Ok, well maybe not in the car but maybe on it, after all it wasn’t the most spacious vehicle inside.

  “What are you thinking about?” I think he must have caught my smile by my reflection in the window because now he was staring at me.

  “Nothing.”

  “Is that so, then why can’t you look at me and why are you biting your lip Keira?” Damn it, he was good!

  “No reason.” I tried to sound convincing but given I was one hell of a bad liar I was fooling no one. He looked so bad, the way he leaned across to me with a look of seductive authority.

  “Come here!” I did as I was told and leaned over to meet him in the middle.

  “We wouldn’t be having improper thoughts now, would we Keira?” I gulped and shook my head combining it with a feeble “Nn…no.” That’s when he gripped my leg with his free hand and worked it up to under my sweater dress.

  “Really, lets change that then should we?” Oh God what this man did to me!

  I wanted to scream pull over and take me now! But I couldn’t speak. I don’t know which he controlled better, the car or me. My insides were on fire and as his fingers were gripped just below my sex, he was also sending me crazy, waiting to be touched there. My head went back into the seat and I closed my eyes to moan.

  “And how about now…any dirty thoughts?” His teasing me just added to the excitement and I only just managed to shake my head to keep the playfulness going. This made his fingers edge further up my inner thigh causing me to moan even louder.

  “Umm, funny that, considering the reaction I’m receiving.” Unfortunately we were approaching another corner making him need his free hand to change gear.

  “Take over for me.” At first I thought he was referring to the car but when he nodded down towards where his hand had been I looked back at him in shock. I couldn’t do that…Not in front of him!

  “We’re not shy are we?” The corner had come and gone but he wouldn’t touch me there until I complied with his request.

  “I can’t…I…”

  “Of course you can, just like this.” He spoke so softly that it almost hypnotized me. He picked up my hand and placed it where his had been. Now with his hand on top of mine he started moving it to a rhythm that felt like a symphony. I was getting lost in the feeling of euphoria and every combined movement from us both and the machine we sat in was sending me over the edge of ecstasy. I was now moved over the most sensitive part and thanks to all the suspense I wanted to erupt as soon as pressure was applied. I cried out as it was nearing and my body thrust upwards counteracting every move we made.

  But then I realised it was no longer “we”, it was now only me. I was pleasuring myself and Draven was watching with purple eyes. I wanted to stop from shame but my body wouldn’t let me. I was too far gone and lost in a madness that felt so right, it was insane.

  I heard him groan and when I sneaked a look he was clearly getting as much from watching this as I was from feeling it. His evidence was bulging out and trying to break free. I could barely understand how he was still driving as most of his attention was focused on me and my wandering hands. I licked my lips and heard another groan ripple from him. I continued to suck at my bottom lip as my pleasure was increasing and nearing its height. I felt it surge within me and with a few more precise movements of my fingers I was there.

  I arched my back and let out a gasp so animated that I blocked out the sound of the engine’s roar. Draven growled as my reflexes were causing me to vibrate as the sensation of coming to my climax wasn’t quite over. My body gave out one last jerk and then the aftermath started to settle. I was breathing heavy and I covered my face with my forearm to hide the shame that had set in.

  “That was the most incredibly erotic thing I have ever witnessed, you are so beautiful…Thank you.” I could feel my cheeks burning and I had lost the feeling in my bottom lip from being bitten to hell.

  “Keira, look at me!” He reached across and pulled my arm away from my blushed red face.

  “I’m so embarrassed! I can’t believe I did that in front of you.”

  “Well, I like to think that I helped.”

  “Helped… You were the cause! That was so sneaky!” He was having way too much fun with my disgraceful display of pleasure and couldn’t keep from grinning.

  “What can I say, I’m a man that knows what he wants and a man that always gets his way!”

  “Always?” I asked, as I
knew that wasn’t true and wanted to pull him up on it.

  “Ok, so most of the time.” I gave him a look of disbelief and he continued,

  “I got you, didn’t I?”

  “Yes and if I recall that didn’t exactly go smoothly.” I teased making him raise an eyebrow my way.

  “The journey is half the fun, my dear, but the destination is worth the wait. More than anything I wanted to make you mine as soon as I first saw you in the clearing that day, but I knew I had to move slowly or I would have frightened you off and yours was one mind I didn’t want to control into loving me.” He looked like he was replaying the memory back to himself and his eyes were brimming with sentiment.

  “I hate to remind you, but when we met in the club, you looked horrified that I was even in the VIP and you didn’t try to hide your disapproval at Sophia’s idea of me working up there.” He looked away for a moment so I couldn’t make out his expression. I didn’t know what that was about but it concerned me…was he regretful?

  “My actions back then were, I thought, in your best interest…after all, I didn’t think the best place for the girl that was destined for me to love, was in a room full of my kind and I was right.” He looked hurt but it seemed to be aimed at himself and I couldn’t understand why? I knew I should have let the conversation go but I needed to know, I needed to reassure him that his feelings of self-loathing were unjust.

  “But you weren’t right…without the VIP… I…we…we wouldn’t have got together.” Finally at this he smiled, but it was one of a different kind, not one out of humour.

  “Every night you were working I would watch you, I would sometimes catch your eyes searching me out, but I never gave in. I was battling with myself on what was right for you but in the end it was my lack of protecting you that changed things.” His voice was so full of emotion that I wanted to comfort him, kiss him, tell him how I loved him throughout his coldness to me. He was telling me things that, at the time, I longed to hear but was kept in the dark in the cruellest way.

  “You mean Layla don’t you?” At the sound of her name his eyes turned hard and flashed with an anger so deep it scared me.

  “There you were, so close to me and still, I couldn’t prevent it, when I think she could have taken you from me forever, well then I knew I couldn’t bear to have you living in harm’s way, not because of me.”

  “That’s when you decided to lie?” No matter how I tried, there was no getting away from the bitterness in my voice. When Draven had told me about his false engagement to Celina, one of his council members, I had wanted to die. I felt as though he had ripped my heart from me and he kept hold of it until I found out the truth. He only nodded to this question so I carried on.

  “Then I was right, our relationship would have never happened if I hadn’t worked there.”

  “Keira, do you really think I was going to let you get away from me that easily? I was biding my time. I was still trying to figure out who you really were and until then, I knew I wasn’t going to risk your life because I was too inpatient to make you mine. I have waited for you for too many lifetimes to comprehend so I was not going to make any mistakes…well… that was the plan but as we both know, it didn’t really work out that way.”

  “No? That surprises me, which part would you have changed, not our first kiss I hope?” I said trying to bring his mind back to sweeter memories. Thankfully my efforts were rewarded with a warm smile.

  “Actually, it was one of the moments I did regret.” I looked hurt, so he quickly elaborated,

  “Not the kiss, that was sensational and something I had yearned for every time I saw you. But I never planned our first kiss would be on a roof top, in the middle of a storm, with you fearing me and I forcing you to listen to me despite your fear. What a fool I was, to expect after what you were seeing in me to stop and understand reasons that were unbelievable to you. It just proves how little I knew about the minds of humans, but you did surprise me.”

  “In what way?”

  “You came back to me. The next morning you woke believing that night was real?” His question was answered with one look.

  “I was never so astounded as I was that day. You, standing there with all your mighty wrath, demanding to speak to me like the little tough beauty you are and when you recalled the night in detail, I was stunned that you weren’t afraid of me, if anything you were there challenging me, if I could think it possible, I believe I fell in love with you all over again. You were never supposed to remember that night and that’s when I knew I no longer had any influence over your mind. I had to resort to using other means of keeping you from me until I was sure I could keep you out of danger.”

  “It was painful.” I whispered shamefully

  “Oh believe me, it was more painful to watch and to know I was the cause, just made it double the agony. I had never felt so many newly discovered feelings in such a short space of time. First to find that you harboured feelings about me that mirrored my own and then to fear that those feelings would die due to my own actions…You know not what I suffered.” I wanted to argue this, knowing what my own feelings had been but I couldn’t, not with seeing the hurt of the past still shadowed on his face.

  “In the end I came to realise that the only way to ensure your safety was to have you by my side, which worked to both advantages, and it also gave me the opportunity to make you mine… intimately.” At this word he seemed to let nicer memories seep through and his hurt expression was replaced with one of fulfilment.

  “Well, it all worked out for the best, we’re together now and that’s all that matters…However we do still have one problem to get through.”

  “Keira, I will not let anyone harm you…never again. Lucius will not get near you!” He gripped the steering wheel with anger and I heard the leather cry out under his hands.

  “That’s not who I’m talking about,” I said and he raised an eyebrow as way of asking me who.

  “We still have my cousin to deal with!” At this he let out a roaring laugh, creating the past tension to evaporate back to where it belonged…the past.

  We drove on for a while longer until I finally recognised where we were heading to. But then we started to pass through the city towards its outskirts, giving me a nervous edge to everything my eyes took in. We passed business estates and a sports complex but when it seemed that we were continuing farther still, I finally had to ask.

  “Draven, where are we going?” He didn’t answer me but thought a reassuring smile would service my curiosity. I gave up and continued to look out of my window but I could feel Draven’s gaze on me as I did so.

  We continued to head even further away from civilisation and when we turned onto what looked like a service road, I was left even more confused. Draven slowed down as a heavy guarded barrier was coming up. The barrier was only the start as it was positioned in front of some heavy iron gates that looked electric. I jumped at the sound of Draven’s side window going down and an armed guard came over to inspect us. I don’t know why, but my palms started to feel clammy. I had no idea what we were doing here, but more than that, I didn’t have any idea what those gates were guarding.

  “Let’s see your ID!” The man in the uniform said in a less than polite voice. Draven’s hands tightened on the wheel and a serious growl was rippling up his throat. The guard put his hand on his sidearm and backed up a step as if ready to engage in a hostile.

  “Draven.” I said his name as a warning to calm down, but he shot me a deadly look of composed anger. His eyes burned purple and when his hand went to open the door, I thought I would witness murder. Thankfully my silent plea was answered in the form of another guard. He came running out of the office, calling the other guards name.

  “Tony! Tony, don’t man! Mr Draven sir, I’m so… so… sorry, he’s new and doesn’t know who you are.” I couldn’t see the men’s faces as I was too low to the ground but I didn’t need to see him to recognise the panic in his voice. Draven didn’t take kindly t
o being told what to do and I could tell it took all his energy to cool his temper and remain in the car.

  “Very well, this time I will let the matter pass, BUT I expect his manners to improve or he will soon find himself on the unemployment list, do I make myself clear?”

  “Yes Sir. Mr Draven Sir.” He nodded and walked back to the booth with Tony following like a naughty teenager. I could hear him asking who Draven was and with a tired tone he simply replied,

  “He’s your boss and owner of this place!” The guy cursed but I didn’t quite catch all of it as Draven fired up the engine and revved the beast until it roared with perfect mix of engineering and raw power. The barrier went up and the gates opened allowing us access to God only knows what.

  “Ok... what the Hell was that all about?” I was close to furious at how quickly Draven had flashed to killer in mere seconds. He wouldn’t look at me, which didn’t help.

  “Foolish mortals!” At this, I nearly choked on my own tongue. I had never heard him refer to humans as mortals before and, for some reason, the way he said it just made it sound degrading, insulting and pathetic!

  “Excuse me, but you do remember that I’m one of those mere mortals don’t you?” At this he finally looked at me. His face was a mixture of regret and disbelief.

  “Yes, but you’re not foolish.” I crossed my arms and huffed.

  “Who’s the greater fool, the man that rises to the foolish behaviour of others or the man that acts foolish when faced with difficult situations?” My little speech had hit home and he smiled with a beam of respect in his dark eyes.

  “You are right… my reactions were just as foolish. You are a wise woman my girl.”

  “Don’t you mean ‘My mortal’,” I asked giving in to his smiles and joining him.

  “Umm…I guess, for the time being anyway.” I let my jaw drop as we continued along the road towards a row of vast warehouses.

  What did he mean by that and more importantly…

  What the hell did he have planned for me?