Grace Goodwin - Destiny

“Bunch of fucking traitors.” Not all of them were bad. I’d been training with them, eating with them, pretending to be one of them for two weeks now. I was a novice. A new initiate. And they’d welcomed me into the fold. Most of them were good, solid people. Kind. Friendly. Supportive.

But not all of them. No, someone—or someones —within was rotten to the core. Yeah, there was a really bad apple spoiling the whole dang bunch. And I would hunt down the traitors if I died doing it. They still had Mom. They’d tried to kill Trinity and my twin, Faith, more than once.

If they knew who I was, no doubt they’d try to kill me as well. It was obvious we were wanted dead. I grinned, thinking our arrival on Alera must have totally fucked up their plans. Ha!

Moving forward swiftly in the dark, I stubbed my toe on an unexpected outcropping from a chair. I hissed and hopped about. “Damn it.” The words were barely more than a grunt, but I heard something move in answer outside. Below me. On the ground.

Then a rustling.

The vines.

Oh, shit.

Someone was climbing the vines. Romeo, himself, this time? I was no Juliet waiting to be whisked away. And fuck it all, they were moving even faster than I had. I didn’t have time to go anywhere, and the room’s door—which normal people used to come in—would be solidly locked. I had to hide and hope whoever was coming would lead me to another clue about my mother. I knew the clerics had her. Somewhere. The rumor mill was buzzing with whispers and speculation about a very top-secret prisoner. It had to be Mom, or to Alerans, Queen Celene. It just had to be.

Because if it weren’t, I’d run into a dead end and we were all screwed. Mom would die. And I just couldn’t live with myself if that happened.

Hobbling on my aching toe, I dashed to a corner so dark with shadows it looked black. There I stood, immobile, and waited to see who my unexpected visitor might be. What were the chances of there being two snooping initiates?

The waiting was an agony all its own. I was in tune with my body, keeping my breathing quiet, to try and still my racing heart—yeah, right—and stand as still as possible. The Aleran half of my DNA had decided last week that it was a good time to go into full-blown Ardor. I knew what it was because Trinity’d had it when we’d arrived. Every inch of my skin was sensitive. My nipples ached, the lobes of my breasts felt too full and heavy. They were small, which suited me just fine for fighting. But they felt double their normal size. My pussy was constantly wet and my hearing seemed to have kicked up into some kind of superpower level annoying. Like I was the Bionic Woman all of a sudden. The horny Bionic Woman.

I could hear insects crawling in the walls. Conversations all over the fortress; that was why I knew every bit of gossip that had been circling about. My own heartbeat had sounded like a conga drum inside my head until I’d learned how to ignore it and somehow, that had helped me figure out how to pay attention to what I was hearing when I wanted to, and feel somewhat normal the rest of the time.

Trinity hadn’t mentioned super-hearing as being part of her Ardor, but she’d been pretty distracted with Leo, as in naked and having screaming orgasms. Stupid Ardor, screwing with me. It was as if I had no control over my own body any longer. And I wasn’t getting off. Damn it.

I was so horny I was close to coming by just rubbing my thighs together. And I heard everything that went on in the place. Everything. Including a few rather sexy encounters that had me squirming and wishing taking care of things myself would actually work. But no. Every orgasm I gave myself just made it worse. I’d quit after two and curled into a ball for a few hours, waiting for the need wrecking me to back off.

It didn’t. But I’d been coping. I wasn’t sure how much longer I would last before I went insane with lust.

Which was why I’d decided to take this last, desperate chance and break into the elder’s office. If I didn’t find anything, I’d have to go to the palace and find one of those consort men to take the edge off. Right now, I just needed and I was nearly to the point that I didn’t much care whose cock I was riding as long as it was hot, hard, and lasted all damn night. Oh yeah. Hot and hard.

I was panting when two large, very masculine hands appeared on the window ledge. Nice hands. Long, thick fingers. Inside me. Rubbing me. Fucking me.

Shit. I had to get myself together.

Focusing on my breath, I slowed things down and waited. My eyes had already adjusted to the darkness, so I watched the intruder slide through the window like a cat.

God, for such a large man, he could move. He was strong, that was obvious by the way he handled his entire body weight with just his arms and swung silently to the floor. He landed crouched low, one knee bent as if he were kneeling before a queen. But he wasn’t kneeling, his chin was up, his breathing silent—even with my incredible hearing.

He was holding his breath. Listening.

For what?

“Destiny? I know you are in here.” His voice was deep. Sensual. The low timbre slid over my skin and I shivered, literally shivered, the tone going straight to my clit and zinging through my body as if he had his mouth on me.

What. The. Fuck?

I didn’t move. I didn’t dare. And I didn’t breathe, either. Holding the air in my lungs as if my life depended on it. I knew that voice. Somehow, I knew it. But from where?

He rose, but didn’t step in any direction, still as a statue. He whispered, but his voice was full volume to my sensitive hearing. “Destiny. I know you are here. Your sisters sent me. In the conversation you shared, you said you were in danger. Let me help you. I am getting you out of here.”

My sisters? Oh, hell no. This had to be the voice of the man on that comm call with Trin and Faith. The one who’d point blank asked me if I was in danger. And I’d given two taps to reply yes.

I should have lied, but something about that damn voice had made me want to tell him the truth. More than that, it had made me want to claw my way through the comm channel and rub my naked all over his naked. Not that he was naked right now. Oh, it would have been great if he were, but no.

That thought was the last straw. I was losing my mind. Romeo didn’t climb through the window naked.

“Be quiet or you’ll get us both killed,” I hissed.

Instantly, his head turned and I watched as he zeroed in on my exact location. Before I could move, or even think, he was close. Too close. Inches. I could feel his body heat. Smell the musky, male scent of him. My nipples hardened and I swear I had a little mini-orgasm. I stifled a whimper.

“Destiny, come with me. I will take you back to the palace where you will be safe.”

“Not happening,” I countered. “But you should leave. You’re going to get me killed. You move like a giant; big and heavy and slow.” Lies. Lies. Lies. But I needed him to go. Right now. Before I did something really, really stupid. Like breathe in again. Smell him. Climb him like a tree. God help me if he touched me. I was holding onto my control by a thread. And he was hot. Navy SEAL, superhero, movie star hot. I could see his face. Strong jaw. Full lips. Eyes focused on me with such intensity I couldn’t look away. Everything about him, from the way he moved, to the way he gazed at me said he was a predator. A hunter. A protector. He was a soldier.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. If ever I lusted, it was after a stud in a uniform.

“You are in danger here,” he repeated.

“No shit, Sherlock.”

He frowned. “My name is not Sherlock and he will not keep you safe as I will. You need to come with me. Let me handle this. I will find your mother. I give you my word.” His words melted into my skin, warming me like he’d just dipped me in melted caramel. Jesus, he was dangerous. Stupid, eff-ing Ardor.