Page 67 of Dark Company

As we climb onto a large platform, he turns me into his arms and holds me firm as it raises up, making my stomach tickling until I’m sure I’ll throw up once more. Luckily, the higher we go, the colder it feels, cooling my heated flesh and settling my insides.

I don’t recognize the man or woman that are already in the transport, but I don't need to know who they are. All I want to do is curl up in Altris’s lap and go to sleep. Hopefully, one more nap will help cure the intense exhaustion that floods my body with every little movement.

Once we’re in place, Altris lays his hand against my head and pulls it down against his chest. I lay there, trapped in between the spot between space and time. I want to drift off, but there’s so much that still needs to be settled between us.

Looking about, I note the fact that there’s only three of us, and my lips pull into a frown. “Where’s Alexi and Ladria? Did they go back to the commune?”

Altris’s hands tighten around me as he once more lays my head against his chest. “They were taken to Stanlion to stand trial.” Shock floods my body, erasing all the good that started to bubble up. Before I can come up with a retort, Altris looms over me, shielding me from the others while we speak. “I will not argue with you about this. They put your life in danger.”

“But only because I asked them to!”

“Yes,” he agrees, his eyes flashing. “I am all too aware. And it’s something that will be addressed once we’re back home. You nearly killed me. I was sick with worry. I -. I almost lost you, Karis. I can’t stand the idea of you ever leaving my side.”

“But – but you found me. I’m okay!” I want to soothe him, to ease the distress I feel wafting off of his body.

“That’s beside the point.” Altris’s anger is molten against my cool flesh, stirring up both fear and arousal. “What if I hadn’t? What if Brennen had killed you? Gods Karis, what if you’re pregnant?”

At his words, a thrill of fear goes through my body. He’s right. I never even considered that. Could I really be? Looking inside myself, I concentrate, seeking out anything abnormal. There’s nothing there. No presence, no heartbeat, but then, it’s still far too early. Surely my aunt would have said something if I was.

Cutting through my musings, Altris gathers me again into his arms and lays my head against his chest. His concern is still there, vibrating through the bond, but it’s tempered with the relief of having me in his arms. His heartbeat is a strong, thudding refrain that glues me to the spot, lulling me back into darkness.

Awareness slams into me with a jolt. Looking around, I watch as the transport starts to descend, my hand flying to my mouth as I stare at the decaying heads lining the walls of the High Echelon tower. Altris turns my head back to him, helping to shield me, but the image is burned inside my mind forever.

“It’s not what you think. Stanlion is safe. We have overthrown the High Echelon. Jaxxon, along with your sister Annora, are now king and queen.”

I sit there, my brain trying to make sense of his words. How is my sister a queen? And then, the last of the pieces finally click into place. She must have told me to run to save me. She didn’t just force me out of the city to die.

In all this time, I never once considered what might have happened to her, and now, I find out that she’s not only lived through this massive overthrow, but she’s now a queen. Honestly, out of everyone I know, she’s the best choice. She’s always so level-headed, so calm so…. Annora.

The need to see her is like a desperation under my skin. It claws at my insides until I’m squirming on Altris’s lap, trying to be free of his grip. “Calm down, little princess,” he breathes against the back of my neck. “You’ll see her soon enough.”

Princess.

Oh. Oh gods. I’m an actual princess. I stare up at Altris as the knowledge finally dawns on me. “Do I get a crown?”

His laugh rumbles through his chest and slides over my skin, bringing a scalding heat rushing through my body, tempting me to forget his threat of punishment. “Of course you would ask that. But it’s not up to me. It’s up to King Alpha Jaxxon. Now settle yourself. If you can’t be still, then I’ll have no choice but to wear you out in front of these two others in this transport.”

I glance up, noting the small smiles on their faces. They’re trying so hard not to look over or even act like they're paying attention. Still, it’s enough to keep me a little more still. I wouldn’t put it past Altris to make good on his promise to sexually humiliate me in front of the others. In all honesty, I’m surprised he’s even giving me the chance instead of just getting on with it.

When we finally land, my stomach is twisted in knots. Will Annora even want to see me? Pulling in my bottom lip, I bite down, letting the discomfort settle my nerves. Based on my memories, I wouldn’t be shocked if she publicly cast me out of all of Stanlion. It’s so unlike her, but then, I haven’t been the easiest to live with.

My thoughts fly out of my brain the moment Altris wraps his hand around the back of my neck. “Pardon us. We will only be a minute.”

With strong, determined movements, he ushers me over to a small staircase. As we ascend, my stomach flops about. Part of me hoped he’d forget about punishing me, but the other part wants to feel his hands on my body in any way possible. The room he pushes me into is weird – sterile white with a metal cage off to the side.

Luckily, he drags me over to the bed and not that contraption. My relief is short-lived when he pushes me over so that my hands sink into the thin mattress. Altris doesn’t say a word as he slips his hands around to fumble at the ties on my belt. Sooner than I’d like, my pants lie in a puddle on the floor.

The first strike catches me off guard, the sound flooding the room with a deafening crack. It echoes all around me, amplifying the pain as it sears into my ass. I shriek at the sensation, but soon enough, his hand smacks my other cheek, turning my sounds into a howl.

“We don’t really know each other,” Altris calls out, his hand smacking me in between every other word. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t already care about you. You’re the air I breathe. The sun on my frigid soul.”

Though he continues to spank me, it’s no longer the pain of his punishment that fills me up; it’s the remorse. Every bad thing between us was my fault. True, he marked me, but even that wasn’t really his own doing. As an Alpha, he had no choice. I had a choice, and I made the wrong one.

His hand continues to pepper my skin, drawing out anguished sobs from my body. I tremble underneath him as my ass begins to burn. Soon, it’s not just agony that floods my body, but pleasure as well. My eyes drift as I sag into his touch, drinking in his dark dominance.

Just as I’m about to float away, he stops and slides his fingers lower, dragging them through my slick folds. Groaning, I arch up my hips, longing for his touch. His fingers skim everywhere but at my apex. It’s too much. It’s far too much.

Altris drags them backwards and slips at least two in my hot sheath, and through the bond, I feel the grit and determination flowing through him. He so desperately wants to fuck me, to knot me, but he’s not, adding this as part of my punishment.