Pure Desire [Pure 3] (Siren Publishing Allure) (38 page)

“I wouldn’t put anything past Denny.”

“Does Denny have an ax to grind with you, Noor?” Channing asked.

“No,” Noor said.

“Yes,” Angel said.

Channing looked between Noor and Angel. “Which one is it?”

“She’s a woman scorned.”

Noor glared at Angel. “I would hardly call it that. It’s not as if we had a relationship or anything close. My involvement with Denny was an accident.”

“What, you fell and your penis slipped in her?” Channing said.

“More than once, if rumors are to be believed,” Aris said, amused.

“Okay, this is the last time I’m going to explain this. For the record, I had sex with Denny six times on two occasions but that was before I found out she was Sterns’s wife. After that, I put a halt to things, even though she was livid. I didn’t care. You think I’m stupid enough to sleep with my superior’s wife? Now, I don’t want to have this conversation. My focus is on trying to figure out how to end this mess and keep my head intact and Allura and my child safe. End of story.”

Vale said, “You never got around to telling us what happened between you and the Txtrca on the rooftop.”

“His name was Dolunas, and he was the leader of the Txtrca clan that the emperor had forced into acting as assassins…” He recanted the discussion between him and Dolunas verbatim to fill everybody in on the details. He finished with, “I’m still not sure what Dolunas meant by telling me to examine the emperor’s eyes…his soul. It doesn’t make sense.”

“My uncle always said the eyes of a man reveal his soul and true persona,” Channing said. “It was uncanny, but the first time he met Caroline, before she showed her true colors, he told me to keep my distance from here. That evening, we performed a ritual to ward off her ‘bad karma’ and block evil spirits, which he sensed in her aura, from taking control of me. You ever just look at a person and get the shivers? Caroline has that effect on me. I don’t run from women and have always been indiscriminate in my taste. As a young man, you don’t think past getting a female in the boudoir, or the consequences. Lord knows my many paternity suits attest to that, but Caroline never appealed to me, even though she is attractive. In fact, anytime I’m in her vicinity I get nauseated. My uncle wasn’t wrong. I don’t think Dolunas is mistaken.”

“That day in the store, Caroline’s color was dark, shadowy,” Aris said.

Channing raised his eyebrow. Aris explained. “Magnus males have a unique ability, a keen intuition that surpasses the five senses most people use. Angel has the strongest gift of insight like our father, and I see colors that describe people’s moods and emotions. There is something about the emperor-bastard you have overlooked, Noor.”

“I agree. I just can’t put my finger on it. Other than the night of Allura’s rescue, there has been no contact with the man. Even then, our encounter seemed normal, if you will, except that he tried to kill us.” Noor paused, reflecting on that evening. He went over every detail and replayed the entire event in his mind. Being half Magnus, he didn’t have his father’s or Angel’s sixth sense. What uniqueness he did possess was graphic recall. It came naturally, and there was no need to have the module implant, as things were naturally memorized and categorized in his mind like a database, whether he wanted to remember them or not. He took a moment to scan the image of the emperor’s attack. There didn’t seem to be anything strange about the incident outside of Emperor’s Agaci unusual resistance to blasts. He hit him several times, but he kept coming, as if he shot blanks instead of live rounds. “Sonofabitch,” he whispered.

“What?” Vale said.

Noor shut off the last image of the eerie sight, leaving it frozen in his head. “I thought transport distorted the emperor’s features.” He looked around at everybody. “Oridus species don’t morph. They don’t have the capability.”

“Are you serious?” Angel said.

Noor looked at him. “I got a vivid picture of the bastard in my head. I don’t know why this just came to me in recalling that evening. Now it’s clear what Dolunas meant by saying the emperor feared me the most. That’s because in his rage, he couldn’t control transformation and knew I saw his authentic form.”

“It would explain why the blasts were ineffective against him, bouncing off a hard-shell chest?”

Noor nodded at Vale. “And it provides clarification for why he wants me dead. If this gets out, it will shock the nation of Oridus and put a bounty on his head for treason. He would be executed on the spot for the perfidy he’s enacted—the mother of all schemes. He’s made damned fools out of the guardians, and for that alone, they will make an example out of him. They were responsible for vetting Theopolis before he could wed into the Agaci legacy. So they are rightfully responsible for putting the man in power.”

“He’s made a mockery out of the entire Oridus government system, and if that gets out, it will be an embarrassment. Not to mention the guardians’ lives could potentially be in jeopardy,” Angel said.

Channing said, “I’m kind of lost here. Would somebody explain to me what you all are talking about? I understand Noor just had a pertinent revelation about the emperor, but I’m not following what that might be, other than I think you are saying he is some species...similar to the cretin.”

“Not just comparable, Channing, I would bet my ass he is one them,” Noor said. “Angel, can you go home and start gathering some information on the emperor’s past? I think if we dig deep enough, we’re going to find what we are looking for. Kitt and Hanes already know you’re coming, and they have instructions to assist you with anything you need…surveillance, access, whatever, it’s your call.”

“I’m already there.”

Channing caught up to Angel before he reached the door to the main house. “I decided to come along and return to Magnus with you, Angel.”

Angel lifted a blonde eyebrow and looked Channing up and down. “I don’t believe that is such a good idea.”

Channing met Angel’s unwavering stare without blinking. “I wasn’t asking your permission.”

“I gave it freely. No charge.”

Channing inhaled and exhaled slowly. “Thank you. Next time I need advice I will consider coming to you and ask, but, as I said, I wasn’t asking this time.”

Noor, Vale, and Aris stood up. Angel grinned which was more of an insolent smirk. “You’re young but not stupid. So, if you think you are going to treat my aunt as a fleeting fancy until you tire of her, you are sadly mistaken.”

“Contrary to your belief, that is not my intention at all, albeit, that is none of your business. What is between me and Pulura is none of your concern either.”

Noor stood up and lounged against a pole, pushed his hands into pockets, and studied the ground for a minute before looking candidly at Channing. “My aunt’s first husband mistreated her in every way possible. He suffered a horrible death at the hands of another, unfortunately. Mind you, because our father didn’t get to the bastard first.”

“Are you warning me not to hurt Pulura?” He eyed all the men.

“Like I said, the only reason he didn’t die by a Rynoir hand is because the bastard was killed by somebody else.” Noor didn’t blink. Dead serious, he continued. “Regardless, since the entire fiasco, each one of us makes it a personal mission to ensure our aunt is not harmed again.”

“Pulura is stronger than any of you give her credit for. You all have mistakenly treated her with fragility to keep her protected, and what you have managed to do is make her scared to live. She’s in this cocoon, a neat little world you have created for her, and it’s only magnified her fear of stepping outside the box and breathing. You’ve stifled her, something I don’t intend to do. Pulura is too vivacious and full of fire and the only way she can breathe again is if you allow her to quit hiding and take control of her life.”

“And you think you can help her?” Vale said.

“She’s laughing, smiling, and not jumping at her own shadow. When was the last time you witnessed Pulura do that? I understand your concern, but stop suffocating her.” He insisted.

Angel moved into Channing’s face. “Your speech is eloquent, but I swear if you hurt her you will have hell to pay.”

Channing shoved past Angel. “I don’t take threats.”

Calmly, Noor said, “Rynoirs don’t make threats, but promises.”

A collective affirmation came from all the brothers.

Channing sighed heavily. A revelation dawned. “This is interesting. Allura’s constantly nagging me about staying out of her affairs between the two of you. She accuses me of being overbearing and interfering in your relationship, but, until now, her objections didn’t make any sense.” He smiled.

Noor said, “I assume that means you intend to stay out of our marriage going forward.”

Channing grinned. “Hell, no, if my sis needs me, I will be there for her without question.” He smiled sheepishly. “I love her.”

“I think we figured that out,” Noor said dryly. “That is not an eye-opener.”

“I meant Pulura. There, are you happy I’ve made the confession?” he grinned saying. “Surprisingly, the admission seems natural. Gentlemen, I assume my bachelorhood days are in the past.” He glanced at Angel. “Are we leaving or not?” He entered the house whistling.

“Things just keep getting better and better,” Vale said.

“Or worse, dependent on one’s point of view,” Noor said, seeing Allura round the corner with a determined look on her face.

Chapter Thirty-seven

Denny entered the chamber, tossed her satin wrap on a nearby chair, and sauntered across the floor in a seductive sway, aware the crimson red form-fitting dress displayed her shapely curves advantageously. She strutted for added effect. She knew she was hot. The red stilettos clicked on the marble flooring as she made her way to where the emperor waited, lounging on a royal blue cushion, gold ornamented legs, and fringed settee.

Sultry-eyed, lips curved sensually, she licked the glossy pink lipstick and wetted her lip with her tongue. She took in Theopolis’s attire, comfortable slacks and a linen shirt open at the collar, appreciatively. His feet were bare and folded beneath him, and he was causally laying his back on the couch, watching her move forward.

“You look positively tempting.” She fell on the floor in front of him.

“And you appear overdressed, considering the affair you just attended.”

She laughed, dismissed his statement with a flick of her hand. The ruby red nails, polished to a shine, glimmered in the dim light. “It was my husband’s funeral, and all eyes were on me, darling. You think I would appear distraught and weak. You know as well as me that any sign of vulnerability and my enemies in the agency would try to destroy me. The occasion doesn’t matter. The vultures still swarmed around me, trying to detect flaws in my armor.”

She worked on the enclosure of his pants, pushed the material down around his sinewy hips. She encircled his cock and began stroking until it was upthrust and stiff between her fingers. “The entire ceremony was tedious,” she drawled. “All I could think about was this to keep from dying of boredom.” She lowered her mouth on his cock and suckled.

Theopolis moved her away. “You think it is wise to flaunt your treachery? We have not won yet, Denny. Let’s not make a fatal mistake by being overzealous.”

“Darling, you worry too much. Soon, you will be in a powerful position as a world leader and I at the helm of one of the most numerous and invincible lieges of warriors. The bastards will fall at your feet and quiver in your wake. None will be foolish enough to defy you with such numbers at your disposal. Already, Sanguine and the council of eight fear you.”

“Rynoir doesn’t seem to agree with your sentiment. The bastard isn’t backing down,” he said bitterly.

Denny stood on her knees, undid the thin straps and zipper of her dress and shoved it down past her waist. She gave him a candid look. “You have nothing to fear from Noor Rynoir. When the time comes, I will take care of him.” She rose, pushed him to his back and straddled his thighs. She shoved his shirt open and raked her nails over his chest, drawing blood. Laughing, her eyes glittering naughtily, she bent low and licked her tongue over the welts. She met his algid eyes, cooing. “I’ve been thinking about you all day. Don’t spoil my fun, darling.”

The emperor gripped her hips as she slid over him and impaled herself on his cock.

She purred with satisfaction, beginning to ground her pussy back and forth over the rigid length. She strained, pumped against him, rocked her hips in an erratic motion until she threw her head back and cried out softly.

She breathed harshly, laying her cheek against his chest. “Mmm…just want I needed.” She sat upright. “Shall I take care of you?” Her fingers ran down his stomach. She lifted and stroked the rigid length between her fingers and glided easily along the hardness slick with her cream.

“We shouldn’t be associated with each other, and I’m not sure my agreement to allow you to come to the palace was a good idea. You promised me a gift, and I admit my curiosity got the better of me and my judgment lapsed.”

“Oh, pooh, Theopolis, you do know how to spoil a girl’s fun.” Denny moved away, straightened her clothing, and walked to the door. “You are going to enjoy this,” she said smiling.

She opened the door and pulled Caroline inside the chamber, and then closed the door. Satisfied, she smiled, resting back against the door. “Isn’t she a treat?”