Page 82 of Kingdom of Crowns and Daggers

I explode with a bellow, thrusting deeply as I fill her with my release. I let her feel every drop as our lips meet in a messy, loving kiss.

Pleasure rolls through me like a never-ending wave until it finally releases me, and I slump into her, panting heavily.

She laughs, her cunt still fluttering around my cock. “We should have done that years ago.”

“Definitely,” I agree, laying a kiss over her racing heart as I get to my knees and slip from her body. I nearly fall, my legs weak, but my eyes are locked on my cum dripping from her channel. I press my fingers inside her, pushing it back in, and she moans, clenching around me once more.

I hear the footsteps too late, but I turn as Alyx gets to her knees, no doubt hearing them too. The door opens, revealing Orion.

“What the hell is going on?”

We glance at each other, covered in blood and cum, the room destroyed around us.

“Oops?” my girl replies with a shy grin.

Chapter

Forty-Five

ALYX

It’s a dark, dreary night, the sky covered with a thick blanket of clouds blocking the moon. These are perfect conditions for sneaking around, and thanks to the light drizzle of rain, many have taken shelter for the night. The streets in the Uppers are usually fairly quiet, but many lords like to stay out past midnight.

Dressed in my dark tunic, trousers, and cape, I blend right in. My hair is tied back, I have a covering over the bottom part of my face to hide my identity, and my body is laden with weapons.

Checking my coverings are all still in place, I dart across the deserted street and meet Crux at the spot we arranged yesterday. He is exactly where he said he would be, hiding in the shadows between the tailor’s and the baker’s in Oaken Provence, near the market. He’s using the uncanny ability he has to blend in with almost anything, and if I didn’t know him so well, I never would have noticed him there.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” His voice is a whisper of smoke.

That wasn’t exactly what I was expecting to hear from him after what happened yesterday. Sure, I wasn’t thinking he was going to shower me with declarations of love, but he does not even acknowledge that we fucked. When Orion burst in on us, sweating and covered in cum, our moment was over.

Orion was furious and wanted to slaughter the assassin for the wounds he caused me. He doesn’t understand our relationship or that there is a dark, twisted part of me that calls to Crux. As my best friend, saviour, and now lover, Crux gets me in a way no one else could. He has seen the darkness inside me, his own speaking to me in a way I’ve never experienced with anyone else. Orion might not want to admit it, but I’m an assassin, and violence is how I thrive. During my time working for Joha, I have discovered that I have several parts to me, but there is no denying that underneath it all, I have done some terrible things.

After giving me a hot, blistering kiss, Crux quickly dressed and whispered for me to meet him. He had a lead and we were going to investigate together, which is what brought me to the Uppers in the early morning hours.

The fact that he has not acknowledged yesterday’s climatic meeting burns, but I try not to let it eat me up. I know how possessive he is of me, and he is simply focusing on the task at hand. Like most of our jobs, this could end badly, and if our concentration slips even for a second, we could lose our lives.

Taking a deep breath, I push those thoughts aside and close the remaining distance between us.

I glance over my shoulder, checking we are still alone. “We need to get proof, and they could give us that.” My voice is low so I’m not overheard.

“You know what we are going to have to do to get information from them.” His eyes are dark as he scans my face, his gaze intense.

Frowning, I pull my face covering down so my mouth is exposed. What the hell is he asking? He trained me himself, and now he’s questioning if I’ll be able to carry out my role as an assassin. How is this job any different from my previous ones? Puzzle pieces slowly start to shift, and suspicion builds in my mind.

It’s almost like . . . like he knows the link between my family and the Oakenstram family. That would be impossible, though, as he does not know that part of my past.

“I’m perfectly capable of using pain during interrogation, Crux. You know this. Are you starting to doubt me?” Quiet outrage coats my tongue. That would possibly be one of the worst things he could do to me other than betrayal.

He adamantly shakes his head, taking a step closer until his chest brushes against mine. “No. Never,” he promises, pulling down his own face covering so I can see his sincerity. He waits for my slow nod of understanding before he begins to turn. “Let’s go.” He pauses abruptly, and I almost walk into him. I’m looking around for threats, but he only has eyes for me. “Oh, one more thing.”

He grabs my face and pulls me against him in a smouldering kiss. I push into him, forcing him to take a step back as we battle for dominance. The kiss is messy and fucking hot, and anyone could find us. Not wanting to tempt fate, though, I pull back and stare into his eyes.

He presses his forehead against mine. “Yesterday was the best day of my fucking life. Never forget it.”

His words are an order, turning the sweet comment into a demand—one I’m happy to follow. He must see the agreement in my eyes because he grins at me and pulls his face covering up so only his eyes are on display. Doing the same, I follow him from the alley, and we make our way to the Oakenstram estate.

It doesn’t take long and is easy to find, the gated property filling a large portion of the province. Their house is easily one of the largest in the Oaken Province, thanks to the wealth they make from running the market. Due to this, they have guards who patrol their grounds. This does not deter us, however, and we easily slip past the patrols and over the fence into the lush garden.

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