Page 73 of Crowned Queen (Blood Empire 2)

Chapter 20

Harlow

The sounds of heavybreathing creep their way into the subconscious of my mind. My dream of me standing on a mountain of my enemies’ dead bodies morphs into something completely different. Instead, I’m now shoved up against a brick wall, chest first while rancid breath seeps its way into my nose. Someone breathes against my neck while thrusting into me. I’m helpless, forced to endure this once again. Only I’m not. My brain fights to remember that I’m no longer trapped in that hell. That I am actually out and free to be the thing these men fear. Looking over, I see my dagger on the table next to us. Slipping my hand free from between my body and the wall, I grab the handle, getting a firm grip.

Taking a deep breath, I rear my head back, cracking it into the face of the person behind me, and causing him to stumble backwards. I whirl around, grabbing him by the shirt and slamming him against the wall, bringing the blade of the dagger up against the soft skin of his neck. Just as I'm about to slit his throat, someone else yells,“STOP!”

My head whips back to find Neo standing in the middle of the room, his face etched in fear and panic. Slowly blinking away the nightmare, I realize I'm awake and holding my dagger against someone's neck. Only, it's not the guy from the dream, and I'm not up against the wall. Looking down I see that I'm straddling Axel’s waist on the bed, my blade biting into his skin so that a little bead of red trickles out.

“What the fuck are you doing in my room?!” I roar.

“I’m sorry,” he chokes out, his eyes wide with panic as his hands grip my arms.

“You didn't answer my question,” I state, adding a little more pressure to the blade.

He lets out a hiss of pain. “I came to wake you up. Cass said to let you sleep, but Rosie was so excited about our first Thanksgiving together, that she kept bugging us. So, I came to wake you up. I thought you would want to spend the whole day with her.”

Oh.Well shit.“Well, why did you come in here sounding like a creepy perv with all that heavy breathing? I thought you were...” I pause, looking up at Neo. I don't like the pity in his eyes. He knows. “Next time, knock at my door. Even Rosie knows not to come barging in here without knocking.”

If I go to bed alone, my brain expects me to wake up alone. If I go to sleep with someone next to me, like Evie or Rosie, it’s like my body knows not to react. So him coming in here like this, my brain reacted to him as an intruder.

“I went for my morning jog. When I saw you still weren’t up, I came in to get you. I didn’t think you would fucking attack me.”

A grin slips across my face. “Judging by the massive, hard cock underneath me...” I roll my hips, cutting off mid-sentence. He lets out a grunt, and I don’t miss the flash of lust in his now annoyance filled eyes. “You like being handled roughly. Do you like this Axel?” I roll my hips again. “Do you like being topped by your Queen?”

“Fuck you,” he sneers.

I tsk. “Now, that's no way to talk to someone who's holding a knife to your neck,” I taunt. “You know, this whole hating me act is getting pretty old. Your big, bad cock down there seems to love me. I think it's time these two get on the same page.” I let go of his shirt and point at his heart, then flick him in the forehead. He lets out a low growl, making my smile stretch even further across my face.

I wanna take this mountain man for a ride. It’s a shame he’s too hung up on himself and his misplaced hatred towards me. I never did anything to him that he didn't deserve, so I don’t get why he won't just come to terms with how he feels. I love this infuriating man, despite how he’s been acting. Actually, I never stopped, just like with the others. And I know, deep down, he still loves me too. It pains me to admit this, but it hurts a little that he is still acting this way.

But I won't chase after anyone. If he doesn't want me, I have four other amazing people who do. All of them want me 100%; the blood, the guts, the gore, and all.

“Says the woman who's holding me at knifepoint,” he scoffs.

“Oh, you love it,” I purr, gripping his hair, and pulling his head back as I remove the dagger before leaning over him. My tongue flicks out, lapping up the trail of blood. His pulse quickens under my touch and I can clearly hear a low groan emanating from his throat that he's unable to hide.

“Alright,” I say, rolling off him and onto the floor. “Let's kick this turkey day off with a bang.” I clap my hands, moving over to my closet to grab my soft fuzzy robe. Today the club is closed, and the girls are having our yearly dinner at one of their places with Lucas and the other guys. I feel bad for not being a part of it for the first time in years, but they told me to go enjoy my time with my family and that they were happy for me. I love them all so much, just not quite like how I love this crazy bunch.

“So, who's cooking?” I ask. I could help if they want me to, but I’m used to there being so many people in the kitchen doing their thing that I’m more in the way than anything else. So, I use this day to just relax. It’s the one day the girls use to give back to me; thanking me in the form of a food coma.

“Cass is, once the turkey gets here,” Neo says, grinning as Axel gets off the bed in a huff.

“Wait? Don't we already have one?”

“No,” Axel mutters. “I found a place that delivers them fresh to your house, never frozen.”

“I still think we should have done what we always do and get it beforehand,” Neo says, pulling me into his arms. “It still tastes amazing, and what if something happens and they can't deliver it?”

“It will be here!” Axel snaps.

“Dude, it takes hours to cook. If it doesn't get here within the next two hours, then we're going to be eating at nine tonight. And I like my food. I need my food. Fuck with my turkey dinner and die,” I warn Axel.

“Fuck. Why does your passion for food make my dick hard?” Neo groans.

“Feed me and I’ll make it worth your while.” I grin up at him. He beams back before bending over and tossing me over his shoulder. I let out a squeal of laughter as Neo races out of the room and towards the kitchen. I’m in a fit of giggles when he places me down on the countertop.

“Good morning,” Cass greets me, his voice low and husky.

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