Page 26 of Reign

“Ember?” My attention whipped towards Jed, who stood about eight feet away, his face drawn and wary. He moved closer.

Connor curled his top lip back and growled. Even I knew it was a warning. I didn’t know what to think about that, so I ignored it.

Jed, however, paled and stopped right where he was. “It’s okay, Prime. I’m not coming any closer. Ember, think about what he tells you. Everything I said earlier, it was all true. Your real name is Ember, not Sarah. Your father isn’t really your father, he’s a dangerous man who wants you for your…” Connor growled again. Jed closed his eyes and nodded. “Fine, you can tell her about that…” Another growl. “Okay, about everything.” He looked back at me, his face almost sad. “Listen to him, Ember. I am not, nor have I ever been your true fiance. Connor is more than that to you.” Jed looked at my father, his eyes cold. “Please believe that I betrayedhimto help and protect you. I have done many bad things in my life for money, and it was no different with you. Rex paid me to play a part. To be your fiance in a world that was just a sham.”

I shook my head, but didn’t speak. I couldn’t. I had trusted him. I had listened to him, even tried to get him to touch me… I shuddered. Gods, what the hell was happening? Part of me believed him, but the other, more rational part of me, didn’t. I had photos. I’d had an accident. What about my headaches and injury? Not even him or my father could make me lose my memory or give me headaches, could they?

“Please…” He took another step forward.

“Don’t you dare come anywhere near her.” Connor’s anger hit me in a wave. I shrank back from him even though his anger was directed at Jed.

Jed’s eyes darkened, a snarl on his lip. Another man with short hair and a confidence in his stride similar to Connor’s placed a hand on Jed’s shoulder. “Don’t. He’ll kill you where you stand.”

My heart lurched, my eyes darting to Connor. On instinct, I grabbed his arm. His gaze shot to my fingers and his throat bobbed. “Don’t hurt him...please.”

Jed swallowed. His attention flicked to me before he dropped his gaze to the ground. “I’m sorry, Ember. For all of this. I hope one day, when you've remembered who you are, and everything about your life, that you can forgive me.”

No words would come, so I just nodded, my chest hurting as he turned away, his shoulders stooped.

“Owen! Lock him up. He doesn’t leave. We need all the strong fighters we can get, and he owes me...and Ember, big time.” Connor curled his lip and nodded at my father. “And get that piece of shit from my sight. I’ll deal with Rex when I’ve made sure my mate is safe and well.”

Owen cracked his neck and flexed his fists. “Yes, Prime. Lionel!”

Another huge and good looking man with a shock of shoulder length blonde hair, stepped forward. He smiled at me and for some reason I felt compelled to smile back.

“Take B’nar and get that gorilla locked up,” Owen commanded.

“Yes, Beta.” Lionel gave me another encouraging smile and waited for a tall, elegant man with bright blue hair and strange pale green eyes to join him.

Connor turned his attention back on me. “Everyone else out!”

There was a general chorus of: “Yes, Prime.” I hadn’t looked at the other people, I’d felt the weight of their gazes since Connor had approached me, but his eyes had snagged mine and refused to let go.

I swallowed against my dry throat. “What does prime mean?”

He smiled and my heart squeezed. “Leader, I suppose. Though in our world it’s more than that.”

I pulled away a bit. “What are you? Some kind of cult or something?”

He chuckled, a deep rich sound that did strange things to me. “No. But I think that’s an explanation for another day. You have learnt some painful truths tonight. Let’s leave it there and concentrate on healing your ankle.”

My brain might be mush, but even I knew that wasn’t possible. “You can’t heal a sprained ankle,” I scoffed.

He grinned, his eyes flashing. He leaned in. I pressed back against the cushions until I couldn’t go any further. His breath brushed my lips. My heart skittered and goosebumps rose on my exposed skin. “What will you give me if I prove you wrong?” His gaze fell to my mouth, his thumb brushing over the plump skin of my lower lip.

“What do you want?” I asked, my pulse suddenly racing even though part of me knew it was wrong to be turned on by a man who had invaded my home and captured my father. Yet, he hadn’t hurt me, and I was pretty certain he wouldn’t. It was my father I wasn’t sure about.

He smirked. “A kiss.” His eyes darkened again, and I gasped, sure they had flashed red and hot. He turned away and when he looked back at me they were that hypnotising mix of blue and intense darkness; the colours so at odds with each other they captivated me. That flash of red must have been my imagination. On his knees, he shuffled down the length of the couch to my feet. I stiffened when his big hands wrapped around my injured ankle. “Relax,” he said softly. “Remember my promise. I will never hurt you.”

I gulped and did as he said, relaxing into the cushions. Warmth tingled into my throbbing joint. It got more intense, travelling from my ankle up to my thigh. When it reached the juncture between my thighs, I shuffled, not sure what to do. I bit back a moan. The wave of warmth left me tingling in places that hadn’t been touched by anyone but me in months. God, it felt so good. I stifled another groan, trying to hide what he was doing to me. In fact, whatwashe doing to me? My ankle was forgotten. All I could think about was the pleasurable sensation between my legs. My head fell back against the soft cushions, and, consumed by desire, I couldn’t stop the groan that worked its way up my throat.

“That’s it, Firecracker. Let me heal you…all of you.” His voice was ragged, his breathing as erratic as mine. One hand stayed on my ankle, pushing heat into it, and I was aware his other caressed up my calf, over my knee and up my thigh to the hem of my shorts.

“Oh. My. God.” My hooded gaze met his. His face was tight, his eyes dark and lustful. His throat bobbed, and his gaze dropped to the juncture between my legs. As if he had lit a match, my body exploded in the most intense orgasm I’d ever had. It was so fast and violent, and the pleasure hit me with such force I couldn’t stop my guttural scream.

Panting, I threw an arm over my eyes, my body taking a while to come down. His fingers trailed down my thigh, the lightest touch that made me shiver. Oh shit, what had just happened? I’d orgasmed from him just touching my leg and looking at me! What the fuck? Shame heated my cheeks, and I dropped my arm, pulling myself away from him.

He let me put a little distance between us. His face was flushed, his eyes dark, emotions I didn’t understand warring across the angular planes of his face. His body was an unyielding mass of muscle and gorgeousness, his jaw clenched so tightly, he looked as if he might break his teeth. My breathing didn’t settle, if anything his nearness only made me worse. I wanted to climb him, to feel the erection that was pressing against the front of his combats, sliding into my body.What. The. Hell?The aftermath of my world shattering climax had left me confused and dazed. I had to get away from this god-like man who had taken command of my body like it belonged to him.

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