Chapter 114: Breaking Bed

NATALIA

I tear through gowns, cocktail dresses, and maxi skirts in my closet.

~Ugh, nothing.~

“Natalia, stop it,” Ariel says. “This isn’t some Halloween party. The last time Alex and I went to Fate’s Web, we barely escaped with our lives!”

I turn to look at her.

“So then you’ll need extra backup this time. Obviously.”

She runs her fingers through her hair, getting agitated now.

“We’re walking right into a dark cave filled with unknown dangers around every corner and confronting a fucking spider goddess! Does that really sound like something you’re trained to help with?”

~Ah, I understand now.~

~She needs to see my credentials.~

I return to digging through my closet, feeling for something solid beneath all the clothes.

~There it is.~

I whip out a wooden toy sword and point it right at her chest.

“Does ~this~ look familiar to you?” I ask, trying to keep a smirk from growing on my face.

She recognizes it right away.

It’s the sword I used to smash Xavier’s head in during our last run-in at the Crescent Moon Pack.

“You actually ~kept~ that thing?” she asks, a bit shocked.

“Ari, this is one of my most prized possessions,” I say with pride, examining the spatters of Xavier’s dried blood that are still on it.

“Maybe ~your~ memory is a bit hazy from that night, but I seem to recall using this to save your ass from a certain asshole ex.”

She grabs the wooden sword from me. “That was only one time.”

“Maybe,” I continue, “but you’ve also trained me well since then. Cracking that douchebag’s head in half is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what I’m capable of.”

“Natalia, it’s not—”

“Ariel, I just want to stand by you,” I say, reaching over and grabbing her hand. “We’re sisters and that means we’ll always have each other’s back. We’ve been through so much together, good and bad. And that’s gotta count for something.”

I give my sister the look I know she hates.

The look that says ~I’m not gonna take no for an answer~.

“Natalia…,” she starts.

“Just say yes,” I say. “Give me a purpose other than lying in bed and listening to sad R & B.”

She looks down.

“I can’t believe I’m actually agreeing to this,” she mutters, shaking her head.

I squeal in joy and wrap my arms around her, tackling her to the carpet.

“Yes, yes, yes, thank you!” I cry out, squeezing the breath out of her and showering her with kisses.

I swear I’ve never loved my sister more than right now.

“All right, Nat, calm down!” she says, trying to pretend like she’s still upset.

~But I see you smiling, too, bitch.~

“You won’t regret this,” I say, beaming at her.

She rolls her eyes and lets out a big, tired-sounding breath.

With my sister convinced, there’s only one thing left to do…

I eye her black tank top, skintight leather pants, and combat boots.

Comfortable, decent protection, and just in case anyone sees me on the way out…

~Drop-dead sexy.~

Perfect.

She shakes her head, already reading my mind. “No.”

“Please!” I cry out. “You’ve always pulled off military chic so well, and it’s just to borrow. We’re the same size after all.”

She crosses her arms sternly, not amused.

“And then what am I supposed to wear right now?” she asks.

I smile devilishly and glance toward my closet.

ARIEL

I trudge back down the hall to my bedroom, feeling exhausted.

Natalia’s the last person I would want to come with us, but still…

She ~does~ have my back.

What I’m really worried about is making sure I keep an eye out for hers.

~Did I just make a mistake?~

Not only did Natalia manage to convince me to let her come to Fate’s Web…

I glance down at the red zip-up dress that’s hugging my curves as I walk.

Somehow she negotiated a clothing swap too.

~Whatever.~

~I’ll change out of this thing when I get back to my room.~

I quietly push open the door to my and Alex’s bedroom.

~He’s probably fast asleep by now.~

Goddess, after all the commotion these past few days, he deserves some peace and quiet.

But he’s not in the bed.

~Where is he?~

“Alex, where—”

Suddenly a massive, roaring blast of flames appears outside the window.

My body floods with adreneline and I spring into action, bolting toward our balcony doors. It came from somewhere out there.

I burst through the doors and turn to see—

~What the?!~

Alex is standing shirtless on the balcony with his broad back to me.

~Oh. My. Goddess.~

In his hands, he grips some sort of strange gun. The red-hot barrel is breathing smoke like the mouth of a dragon.

He lifts the gun, and another eruption of fire pours into the sky as he laughs like a little kid on Christmas day.

“What the hell is that, Alex?” I cry out.

He turns to me, grinning, his muscles flexing as he hoists up the heavy thing in his hands.

“Apparently it’s called a flamethrower. Something ex-President Cooper’s military invented. Vivian gave it to me for the journey into Fate’s Web.”

I raise my eyebrows. “You’re bringing that ~thing~ with us?”

He nods, setting it down on the patio table. “You know, for the spiderwebs.”

“Don’t you think you’re being a little overzealous?” I say.

He points to another bag on the table filled with swords, armor, and all manner of deadly weapons from around the kingdom. “Never hurts to be prepared.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re bringing your toys,” I say teasingly, turning around to walk back into the bedroom.

“It looks like I’m not the only one who’s found something new to try,” he says, following me inside and tracing my curves in this dress with his gaze.

“Don’t get used to it,” I say. “It’s Natalia’s. I’m changing out of this thing ~right now~.”

“Not so fast,” he growls, stopping me and turning me toward him. His torso is still glistening from the heat of the flames. “It’s not every day I see my queen wearing something unsuitable for combat.”

I pull up the side of my skirt and flash my trusty moonstone dagger attached to a leather sheath on my upper thigh.

“Don’t worry,” I say, teasing. “I’m always prepared.”

Alex smirks, hungrily staring at my bare skin. “I see. And are there any other weapons hidden on you?”

“No, that’s all I need,” I say, dropping my skirt back down as he gets closer.

“Is that right?” he says, his hands running down my waist and pulling me toward him. “I might need to check under this dress and make sure.”

There’s a hunger in his eyes, and I can feel him getting ~very~ excited underneath his jeans.

But before I can get in the mood, I have a feeling we still have to have ~the talk~.

The talk we always have before we do something dangerous and crazy.

~The worried mate talk.~

“So is this the part where you tell me about how I need to be careful, and that you’re worried I’ll get hurt?” I ask.

He laughs as his fingers start slowly unzipping the front of my dress. “Am I really that predictable?”

He pulls open the top, exposing my breasts. Natalia’s mooncatcher hangs as a necklace, glinting in the sun against my chest.

He examines it, playing with it between his fingers. “What’s this?”

“A mooncatcher. Natalia gave it to me for good luck.”

He lifts my chin toward him. His emerald eyes pierce me with confidence.

“We don’t need luck, and I’m not worried about you because I’ll be by your side every moment we’re there. I don’t care if she’s a fucking goddess; I’ll kill her if she touches a single hair on your head.”

His body exudes pure confidence, and I believe every word he’s just said.

A wetness starts to grow in between my legs as he pulls me in for a deep kiss, his tongue claiming mine.

His kisses become rougher, and I let out soft moans as they work their way down my neck.

He lightly sucks on my mating mark, sending an explosion of pleasure down my body.

“I’ve been waiting all morning, Ariel, and I’ve been getting impatient. And as much as I love seeing you in that dress, I want it off ~right now~,” he commands.

I bite my lip as I immediately do what he says, zipping down the rest and pulling off my panties, letting my clothes pool at the floor around my feet.

The only thing left on my body is my moonstone dagger.

He growls, and something about his deep animalistic breathing is turning me on immensely.

Alex stares at me like at any second he’ll devour my entire body.

“Come here,” he commands.

I step forward. There’s something about the tone in his voice that makes my body burn with desire.

I trace my finger on his belt buckle, slowly undoing it as he stares at me with lust. He’s giving me the look that tells me he wants to take me right now, but I want to tease him first.

~I want to drive him wild.~

I slide his belt off and drop it to the floor. Slowly, I begin to undo his fly.

I eye the bulge in his pants growing harder by the second, threatening to burst through his jeans.

I get down on my knees and pull his shaft out, letting my tongue dance up and down it.

He closes his eyes and moans, grabbing a handful of my hair and guiding my entire mouth onto him.

I allow him to set the pace, using his hand to guide my head while I perform magic with my tongue.

~Goddess, it just seems to get bigger and bigger.~

I feel a pooling wetness between my legs as I anticipate the moment when I’ll be able to feel him inside me, and I stop and look up at him.

“I want you,” I say. “Now.”

He pulls me up, then effortlessly lifts me and guides my legs around his waist as he begins to kiss me hungrily.

Our desire is burning so strongly, he doesn’t even walk me to the bed.

Instead, still standing upright, he guides himself into my wetness right then and there. I whimper and wrap my arms around his neck for support while it slides all the way inside.

~Oh Goddess…~

As he starts to thrust, pleasure surges through me and it feels like I’m floating.

I try to grind against him, needing to control the rhythm, but his hands grab my hips and stop me.

He wants to control everything right now.

The pace.

The rhythm.

~Everything.~

And I’m more than happy to let him.

He throws me onto the bed, and I squirm in anticipation, running my hands over my body as he leans over me like a hungry wolf closing in on his prey.

Alex pulls my hips up toward him at the edge of the bed, and I yelp out lustfully as he enters me in this new position.

My back is arched against the bed, and from this angle, each thrust slides perfectly against my most pleasurable spot.

All I can do is grip the bed railing, holding on for my life as I watch Alex slam his weight into me, sending my breasts bouncing wildly.

I love seeing him like this.

He pumps with reckless abandon, letting out a feral, dominant energy that I’ve never seen before. The wooden bed frame groans under the powerful rocking of our bodies.

I can’t even believe the intensity of the vibrating ecstasy filling my body as I get closer to climax, and I grip his hips to keep the rhythm of each thrust steady while he adds his thumb to my juicy, throbbing spot.

My mind starts to slip away, and I have to moan even louder to keep the pleasure from overwhelming me.

Our mattress begins to slide, and I hear something in the bed crack, but right now I don’t give a shit about anything like that.

All I care about is Alex’s thrusting rhythm, his fingers rubbing me just right, and the burning pleasure threatening to tear me apart.

“I’m so fucking close,” I cry out—loud enough for the whole palace to hear. “Don’t stop.”

But I know he has no intention to. The euphoria becomes so intense I can’t stand it anymore.

I need to release.

I quiver, my legs shaking as I cum in complete bliss right as Alex lets go inside of me. Our bodies release everything together right as—

~CRASH!~

The wood of our bed frame snaps. The bed cracks in half as the mattress falls to the floor, and we go tumbling along with it.

Alex and I look at each other, wide-eyed with shock, still dazed from the rapturous pleasure.

Then suddenly we burst out laughing. He collapses on top of me.

“Did we really just break the bed?” I ask, panting.

“Let’s break it every time,” he grunts.

We lie in the wreckage of our once royal bed, catching our breath and giggling. I still feel an echo of Alex inside of me.

There isn’t a goddess-damned thing in this world that could take this feeling away from us.

“I fucking needed that,” he says, kissing me. “I love you so much.”

“You weren’t the only one,” I say, running my fingers down his chest. “I love you too, Alex.”

I stare at him a moment, savoring the flushed, sexy look on his face.

Suddenly, my phone rights out.

Incoming texts.

“Just leave it,” he mutters, pulling me closer. “I want you alone for five more minutes.”

“I want to,” I say, “but lemme just check, just in case.”

Marius

Ariel, whatever you need to do…

Marius

Do it soon.

Marius

The doctors just said Amy’s condition is getting worse.

Marius

She doesn’t have much time left.

We sit up among the wreckage of our bed and share a concerned look.

~Reality always comes back sooner or later.~

Fate is speeding up the clock.

She’s beckoning us back to her lair.

This means we’ll have to leave sooner than we thought.

~For better or worse, it’s time to meet our fate.~