Page 9 of Tarnished Embers

I lean over, placing my lips next to her ear.

“Be a good girl and eat your breakfast, Sugar. Then maybe later you’ll get a treat.” I fucking love the way she shivers, her hands grasping each other in her lap.

“How kind you are, Caspian,” Odette coos sweetly, giving Cas a wide smile that makes my teeth clench. “Although, I agree Ember will need muesli in the future if she wants to keep her figure. Us women can’t afford to eat pancakes every day.” She titters, and I see Ember flush deeply, but this time I suspect she’s embarrassed as she rubs a patch on her forearm and looks down at her lap.

My brows dip, a growl trapped in my throat at the clear barb in Odette’s words; I don’t like that she made Ember feel anything less than gorgeous, which she is. Yes, she’s not rail thin like Odette, but personally, I like something to grab hold of when I’m making a woman scream my name, and my new sister is soft in all the right places.

“You’re perfect, Little Cinders,” Cas assures her under his breath, and I see her swallow while rubbing that patch on her arm again. I don’t like the nervous habit. “Eat a little for me, please?”

She heaves out a breath before biting her lower lip, no doubt uncomfortable that she’s the centre of attention. “O–okay.”

I shift in my seat and murmur an appreciative noise when she takes her first bite, envious of the fucking fork that disappears into those lush lips of hers. I can see mealtimes being a challenge from here on out.

“Little Spark, Ember, honey,” Richard, Ember’s dad says, and to be honest, I’d almost forgotten he was there. It pisses me off that he didn’t notice Odette’s cruel words to his daughter a moment ago, but then again, she’s good at sinking her claws into men and getting them so obsessed with her that they don’t see much else. I’ve seen her do it countless times over the years. Ember looks up at him, those baby blues giving him her entire focus. There’s a burning feeling inside my chest when she continues to stare at her father, because I want her to focus on me and no one else. Well, I’ll make a concession for my brothers, but no one but us gets to touch her. “Odette and I have been talking, and we think it’s best if you stay at home and we bring in tutors from now on, just like the boys have.”

The clatter of her fork hitting the plate sounds like a gunshot in the room, and my hand goes to her thigh, rubbing soothing circles on it when her mouth falls open as her breath hitches.

“What did you just say?” she questions in a trembling voice, her body quivering. “What about college? My friends?” Her face is lined with confusion, her voice a little wobbly, and my chest aches at hearing the hint of her upset. I’m all for this suggestion though, because I want her here with us. Fuck letting any other dickhead even look at her. Yet a part of me feels the need to make it right, to take away any slight pain she may feel. That reaction is…unexpected.

“Well, you’ll have the boys, and I’m sure you can still see your friends from time to time,” Odette adds dismissively, tilting her head to the side as she studies Ember like a snake might a little mouse. She pauses in cutting up her sliced avocado while Richard nods, who turns to stare at Odette with such adoration it makes me feel queasy. She doesn’t deserve it, not by a long shot. “And having one-on-one tuition is the best type of education. You want the best education, don’t you, Ember?”

Odette’s tone leaves me feeling uneasy. She’s spoken to us like that, like we’re being so unreasonable for wanting something other than what she has decided. Like we’re stupid. My palm tightens on Ember’s leg, and I only ease up when she inhales a sharp breath. I’m not sure whether it was my tight grip or Odette’s words, but either way, I don’t like Odette talking to my darlin' like that, and I don’t want to cause her pain, so I loosen my grip.

“O–of course I do, but I’ve only just started my final year. Isn’t this a bit disruptive? And you know I wanted to go to Goldsmiths, so I can’t afford to let things slip.” She misses the pinch of Odette’s brows because she’s too busy looking at her dad, her dark brows lowered over her sparkling eyes. The guys and I don’t though, all of us stiffening in our seats. We know what it’s like to be on the sharp end of her temper, and it ain’t pretty. My heart thuds hard inside my chest as I shift in my seat, torn between protecting Ember from Odette and terrified of making her more of a target. If Odette knows how obsessed any of us are over our stepsister, she’ll make no bones about using Ember against us.

“Well, it’s a good thing that your father secured you an alumnus from Goldsmiths as your art tutor, isn’t it?” Her condescending tone leaves a sour taste in my mouth, and I can see how the others all look at Odette with a weariness born from years of having that tone directed at us. Ember won’t win this, not now that Odette has made a decision.

“That’s amazing, really, but I just think we need to discuss this a bit more. It’s a huge upheaval, and I enjoy college life. I’ve been doing really well in my classes and—”

“Enough!” Richard barks before slamming his hands down on the table, and Ember jumps, her hands flying to her chest as a gasp falls from her lips. My nostrils flare as I glare at her dad, my teeth grinding at the audacity of him speaking to her like that. I don’t give a fuck if he’s her dad, no one gets to make her flinch like a kicked puppy. I go to open my mouth and tell him to calm the fuck down, damn the consequences with Odette, but he speaks once more before I can utter a word. “Ember, it’s been decided, and that’s the end of it. You’ll be staying at home to continue your education.” Ember’s shoulders slump when she gives in, though the tension in her muscles and her pinched lips tell me she’s pissed. Suddenly, I don’t want her to let them win. I want her fire. I can see it simmering just below the surface, and I want it to burn us all.

“W–when do I leave?” she asks quietly, and a knot forms at the back of my jaw at the sound of defeat in her voice.

I fucking hate it, and I loathe being stuck in between a rock and a hard place. If I intervene, it may just make things worse for her with Odette. Perhaps not right away, but Odette is a conniving, manipulating bitch who’ll store the information that I’ll jump to Ember’s defense away, wielding it like a honed blade to deliver a devastating blow at the time of her choosing. My stomach hardens as I sit there, doing nothing, just like I always have done.

“Your tutors will start on Monday, same as the boys, so you have the weekend to relax and to get to know each other better.” I move my hand up higher on her thigh, watching the way her breath hitches when my fingers brush just below the apex of her thighs. Maybe I can get that fire some other way, distract her a little. “You’ll share some sessions with Christopher and Octavius, and you’ll all take riding lessons together in Hyde Park. Trust me, Ember, this is for the best.” Odette, clearly finished, goes back to her coffee and sliced avocado while talking with Richard.

“It’s not all bad, Sugar,” I whisper, inhaling her scent of lavender and rosemary. I love the sharp perfume and want to coat myself in it, in her. “This way, we’ll get to spend more time together, discover everything about each other.” My fingers coast higher, and her chest rises and falls rapidly as her cheeks brighten.

“I thought you knew everything about me, Prince?” she questions in a sassy tone, tipping her head towards me, and fuck, her eyes are like the purest sapphires, drowning me in their brilliance. The hint of fire is back, and my chest warms knowing I had something to do with relighting it. Then her words and brattiness register and I find I like it, my lips splitting into a wide grin. I like it a lot.

“Oh, I know almost everything,” I say, inching my fingers up higher until I’m stroking over her jeans-clad pussy. I bite my bottom lip at how warm she feels and how wet I know she is underneath those pants. “But there is always more to find out, don’t you think?”

Her eyelids flutter when I apply pressure just over her clit, her hands clenching the edge of the table, but I don’t let up, seeing how far I can take her. I’ve learned to read a woman and her reactions like a book, and the sweat that breaks out on her brows tells me she’s close.

“Ember?” her father queries, back to the doting-sounding man that we’ve all come to know. Fucking Odette gets her claws in quick, moulding the men she finds so that they suit her needs. Ember jerks so suddenly, the plates rattle.

“Y–yes, Dad?” Her eyes remain on the table in front of her, and the blind fool doesn’t even fucking notice.

“Odette and I have plans today and won’t be back until later tonight. Why don’t you give the boys a tour of London, if you’re all not too jet-lagged?” He looks around at us, completely oblivious to where I am touching his daughter. I like Richard, he seems like an okay dad, but what a fucking fool. He’s completely clueless, especially where his daughter is concerned, and has been for years if our research on their relationship is sound, which it is because Oct knows what he’s doing. Luckily, she has us to take care of her now.

“I’m sure we’ll manage, especially if Ember is there to take care of us,” Kit answers, and I know his words are nowhere near as innocent as they sound, his eyes travelling up Ember’s torso before pausing on her luscious tits.

Fuck, I love the way her cheeks colour when we say shit like that. My cock jumps in my pants at the sight of her all flushed and needy. I press a little harder against the seam of her jeans again, and she coughs before drawing both lips between her teeth, her fingers gripping the table so hard that her knuckles turn white. She doesn’t push me off though, which in itself is very telling. She wants me, wants us, even if she’s trying to fight it. She’ll give in. She has no choice after all. She belonged to us six months ago. As soon as Odette told us about her, she was ours.

“Splendid!” Richard beams, still completely fucking oblivious, clearly too focused on his new bride. “That’s settled then. Take Davis,” he instructs, then takes out his phone, his thumbs flying across the screen. “And I have topped your account up, so just have fun and don’t worry about anything, okay, Little Spark?”

She lets out a slow breath, her hand finally coming to grab mine as she tries to push me away. I do like her fight. It’s cute that she thinks she can control what I do to her. We’ll teach her she has no control real soon.

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