AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Her body sagged down. “Because I’m rambling. I just didn’t expect for things to happen between us like they have. I’m grateful to be accepted into your world, don’t get me wrong. But I’ve gone from being treated like a bastard child that had no right to exist to…”
“Royalty?”
Those stunning gray eyes flickered toward me. “I don’t know if I’m ever going to get used to this, Asher. I’m not used to being seen.”
I shifted on the bench, allowing her feet to slip off of me. A quick glance to ensure I wouldn’t stick my knee where it didn’t belong and I soon hovered above her with one hell of a hard-on pinned between us. “I’m sure I can help encourage the adjustment. We still have time before the Council member is due to meet us in Vegas. So I will introduce you to all the hidden gems that I’ve uncovered since I bought the state during the early negotiations with the angels and…” I leaned down to nip at her jaw. “...I will show you off in the process.”
I could feel the heat radiating off her skin. Quinn was nervous.
My lips parted. “Talk to me, pet.” I grazed her jawline with my fangs. The way her breathing had hitched and her energy had shifted into a nervous buzz was impossible to miss.
Quinn hesitated before she whispered, “Are you sure you want to be seen with me? I mean… It’s no secret that I’m a bastard child. Hell, I’m sure the rumors spread pretty fast that you bought me after raiding the APL’s safehouse. What reason do you have to be proud of me?”
I could feel a shift in my emotions as she stumbled her way through all the chaos brewing within her. There was a hint of rage that yearned to spark and break free from the mere fact that she was still hung up on her origins. It infuriated me that I didn’t get the chance to tear into Anita’s flesh. Breaking Quinn of the habit of putting herself down was going to be a long process, but it was one I was determined to accomplish.
Quinn was the furthest thing from a piece of trash to be tossed out onto the curb. She was no bastard child, not when royal blood flowed through her veins. I just needed the chance to prove her past didn’t matter.
Pulling away slightly, I locked gazes with my pet. “Every single demon would label me as the playboy of the Aeternus family, pet. The fact that my cock no longer gets hard for every beautiful woman that crosses my path is one hell of an accomplishment. Only you have been knotted by me and I am more than willing to burn this world down if it brings any further harm to you. Your mixed blood never mattered to me because it is clear that our paths were meant to become tangled. We are now bound and I am proud of that bond.”
Her eyes misted. “Do you really mean that?” she managed.
I nipped at her jaw, squeezing a delighted gasp from those fair lips. “Why else would I want to show you off, pet? You managed to tame a wild beast and now I want to share a few special places in my world with you.”
The intercom beeped above us. “Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to begin our descent into Las Vegas. Please buckle yourselves in and remain seated until we are on the tarmac. Thank you.”
Quinn wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t think you’d want to fly after…after what happened with your father. Doesn’t it seem like you’re tempting fate?”
“No.” I pulled off of her, helping her sit up so she could heed the captain’s request. “The way I see it…I am refusing to allow my father’s paranoia to pass along to me. While it is true that his enemies were able to finally bring him down, I will not allow them to control how I travel. Paranoia is simply a sign of weakness and I didn’t get where I am today by succumbing to it.”
With the seat buckle in place, Quinn tugged the blanket over her lap and nibbled on her lower lip. “You’re referring to the current change over with the States.”
“Buying the land from the angels, yes.” I lounged against the bench while the subtle sensations of the jet descending from the air left me with slight tingles. It was true that I didn’t like the idea of flying with how my father had been murdered, but every word I spoke was true. I wouldn’t be controlled by his paranoia or my enemies, which meant flying would be a tall tale sign that I was one pissed off son of a bitch.
My pet sucked in a sharp breath as the descent was more obvious to her. Every muscle in her body had tensed up until all my hard work with the massage was essentially gone. She couldn’t seem to break herself out of her own head until I reached out and drew her against me. As soon as the heat from my body rolled over her, she melted against me. “I don’t like flying,” she rasped.
I started working on the knot in her neck, using the massage to help distract her. “How do you fair on the water?”
Her stunning eyes flickered toward me. “I don’t know,” she confessed. “Why?”
Shifting my hand, I tangled my fingers in her hair and encouraged her to maintain eye contact with me. “It’s tradition for a prince to ascend to the throne from their homeland, which means we’ll be traveling to Italy within the next year. If flying leaves you this rattled, I would prefer to avoid putting you through the unnecessary stress. We’ll sail home.”
Quinn’s expression softened. “I look forward to seeing where you grew up.”
I didn’t realize how much of an impact those words would have on me until they came from her mouth. Tightening my arm around her, I allowed silence to flood the cabin. There wasn’t a chance in hell that I was going to be able to erase the last of that anxiety swirling within her — not when it would simply take time and experience to ease her fear of flying. For now, I allowed my presence to help keep it contained while I fumbled through the new wave of emotions ripping through me.
My pet was bringing out a part of me that I had either never experienced or it had been buried so long that I’d simply forgotten about it. It certainly meant the world to me that she felt embraced by my world to the point where her soul yearned to see where I came from. It was certainly way more than I could ask for considering how we met. I drew in a slow breath, the gears in my mind already turning.
It seemed the decision to show her pieces of Vegas that meant more to me than it would for others had been the correct direction to go toward.
The physical contact seemed to help where Quinn’s involuntary trembles were involved, although she couldn’t stop them all. A violent one ripped through her as soon as the jet touched down on the tarmac. Still, she managed to suppress a yelp and suffer in silence. The restraint would go a long way in the demon world — especially my little corner.
Lila slipped through the velvet curtains, causing my pet to immediately straighten like nothing had ever happened. “They’re waiting for you outside, sire. The vehicle has already been cleared.”
“The tarmac?”
She lifted her jaw. “Also cleared. No threat detected on the airstrip.”
“Thank you, Lila.” I eased off the bench. There was a slight chill trickling down my spine when I noted the way the stewardess was staring at me with an expression I was used to seeing from pussy that I’d already tapped. It was certainly a reason that I tended to ensure a rotation of staff to prevent them from clinging this badly.
