“You still haven’t had the sit-down with hubs, huh?”

I straightened my jacket so that my recorder was better hidden. “Not yet, but we will. Just as soon as I have something to show for my efforts.”

“Just where does he think you are right now?”

I smiled sheepishly. “With you watching trash TV.”

Ariel laughed. “Penny, stop. You’re the bloody queen. Hell, your status as a guard is up in the air. You still have the right to see him. But I feel like Sebastian can’t possibly be thrilled about this. Besides, you’re mentally torturing yourself.”

I lifted my chin. “So far no one has gotten through to him. No one has been able to get him to talk. Maybe if I can get through to him, I can understand better who he’s working with and why.”

“He’s been questioned by our best interrogators. Ad nauseam. Ad infinitum even. You really think you can break him?”

“I mean, I can only hope, right? We were together for a long time. Even if he was only pretending.”

Ariel stuck her hands in her pockets. “Tell Sebastian. You might not be hiding, but it feels like you're hiding. Just talk to him. He might surprise you.”

I sighed. “Okay, I will, all right?”

I didn't like the sneaking off. I didn't like involving Michael. I hated keeping something from Sebastian. But when I’d been told he had requested to see me, it was an opportunity I couldn’t give up.

But then he hadn’t said anything. Just bullshitted. Like I was the one person he wanted to talk to. I recognized he was trying to play me, so I thought, why not play him? Unfortunately to get anywhere with him, he wanted his pound of flesh.

And my brother was helping me. Even though I didn’t think he should. I was willing to risk myself and my sanity to talk to him. But I didn’t want Michael to go through this pain. I didn’t want Sebastian to go through it. I wanted to help, to take the pain from them.

Regardless, Sebastian would be pissed.

Better to ask for forgiveness than ask for permission.

Ariel let me into the room to see if the guard was making sure that Robert’s shackles were tight. When Robert looked up, he just looked bored. Maybe resigned was a better word. He simply sighed and sat there and stared at me. “My favorite visitor. Turns out my only visitor. You know my own mother won’t come and see me?”

“Seems maybe like you did this to yourself. So, are you going to talk tonight? I don’t have time to listen to your bullshit.”

He laughed. “You’re in a hurry today. Could it be that the idiot king finally noticed that you’ve been seeing me? Tell me, was he jealous? Did he forbid you?”

I inclined my head. “If you’re going to waste my time, I’m going. From now on, if you don’t give me something actionable, I’m not coming back.”

“Oh, now, now, don’t be like that. You know this is mutually beneficial for the both of us.”

I had to laugh at that. “I’m still not sure how this benefits me.”

“I promised I’d tell you what you want to know. You’ll get all the information.”

“Just when you dole it out. You're out of time Robert. If you have nothing to give me, I won’t be back.”

“You’re bluffing. No. You skipped our last visit. Where’d you go, Penny? What were you doing?”

“None of your business, Robert. But you are my business. Who else have you been talking with? And why do you hate this family so much?”

“I don’t hate this family. I just resent the fact that you’re fucking royalty and I’m not considered to be one.”

“You do understand that you tried to kill me and the king more than once?”

“I am a freedom fighter. I am the rightful heir to that throne.”

“Sorry. You’re delusional. Even if Uncle Roland would submit to the test, which he won’t, you have no claim to the throne.”

“What? And the bastard does?”

“Well, according to this little thing called the law, yes. That bastard also didn’t try to kill me, so there’s that, nor did he actually kill the previous king. That would be you. So that throne you had your eye on? No matter what, it would still be occupied by someone other than you, so you might as well give up whoever it is that you’re protecting. Whoever it is, I promise you, they’re not worth it.”

“Why are you doing their bidding? They don’t even want you in the family.”

“Is that what you tell yourself to make yourself feel better? To soothe your inner child who felt unwanted? You must get a kick out of these visits. I understand I’m the only one who sees you now.” I shook my head. “I probably see you more now than when we actually dated.”

He sniffed. “You look at that time fondly, do you?”

“Actually, I don’t think of that time at all. It was like a million years ago. Anything you said or did to me then is almost as if it happened to someone else. I have a new life now. Does that bother you?”

“I don’t actually care about what happens to you. But when your husband is off the throne, I’d be more than happy for you to come see me and tell me exactly how it feels to be on the outside again.”

“Well, that’s never going to happen. But you’re allowed your little delusions, I suppose. Robert, don’t you see I’m trying to help you? If you talk to me, cooperate, give me something we could actually use, I can make you more comfortable. I can get you different accommodations. But if you keep doing this, you’re going to stay here in this prison. You could be kept in solitary. No books, no more outdoor time. You don’t want to live like that.”

The Winston Isles didn’t have a super max or anything. Most of the time the criminals were kept in regular old jails for the extent of their terms. That jail was hosted on one of the smaller islands. A very small, state-of-the-art prison was located on the main island though. It technically wasn’t too far from the palace, but it might as well be on Mars in comparison.

Most of the prisoners had access to a full library, comfort, and education, so they could do something with their lives when they left. Unless the prisoner was trouble and antagonizing the other inmates and the guards. Then they spent a lot of time in solitary. But even solitary confinement there was like a small studio apartment.

“I like being alone.”

“Robert, help me help you. All these little notes from Michael, they’ll stop.”

His eyes went wide. “You want me to tell you what I need?”

“Yes. Maybe I can help get it for you. There are other lives at stake. Fair enough that you hate me and you hate Sebastian, but there are people in play who haven’t hurt anyone. The longer you sit here silent, the more likely you are to get caught in the crossfire. Is that what you really want?”

He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter what I want. This is bigger than all of us. At some point soon, there will be a reckoning. And your precious husband, his family, they won’t be the in the palace anymore. What in the world will you do if you’re no longer a queen?”

I was getting nowhere with him. Now I understood even more why Sebastian didn’t want me coming. I knew it made me return to him frustrated and irritated with Robert. But I had to keep trying because he was our best lead. He was a true believer, whatever it was that he believed in. He wasn’t giving anything up.

“That’s right. Run back to your husband. Enjoy being the queen while you can. Something bigger than all of us is coming. And when it does, God help you all.”

I stood and pushed back my chair. Sebastian and my father were right. This was futile. I was only hurting myself by coming here. “Goodbye Robert.” I made a point not to look back at him as I left.

Roone was difficult to find. I waited until the next morning to see if I could sweet talk Ethan into giving me Roone as an assigned guard. But it wasn’t Ethan I found. It was Penny, pouring over some papers on her father’s desk.

“Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in.”

“Penny.” I spread out my arms, and she stood from her father’s desk and sashayed over, letting me wrap my arms around her.

“You, sir, have a lot of explaining to do.”

“Let me guess. Sebastian mentioned you’ve been talking to Bryna a lot. Am I persona non grata with my sister-in-law too?”

She shook her head. “No, you are always persona grata with me, because when I needed you once, you were there. But she’s hurt.”

“I know. And I will fix that. I have a long list of people to make amends to, but right now, I’m trying to locate Roone.”

“I know my dad had him on assignment.” She picked up a tablet and scrolled through it, and then she stopped. “He’s due back today. Actually, he should be back by now. I assume you know where his quarters are.”

I nodded. “I just wanted to confirm. Thank you.”

“Cut Roone some slack. His whole thing is all about being good at his job. Without that, he feels like he’s nothing. When you bailed, you basically made that all true, so he might need some time.”

“I know. But I have to try.”

Penny was right. I found Roone just as he was returning. He saw me approach and paused at his door before turning the knob and walking in. I followed him quickly. “Roone, wait up.”

He closed the door in my face.

“Real mature.” I opened it again without knocking.

He frowned at me as I stepped through the door. “Are you insane? I could have shot you.”

“Yeah, but I know for a fact you always put your gun in your weapons case immediately, so I felt pretty safe walking in. Also, Sebastian says you can’t shoot me.”

“Well, you know, accidents happen.”

Marcus, on the other hand, grinned and gave me a hug. “Lucas, welcome back.” Marcus glanced between Roone and me, and then he said. “You know, I’m just going somewhere that’s not here.” Once he left, it was just me and Roone.

Roone crossed his arms. “So, what do you want?”

“Dude, I just came to talk to you. I sent you a bunch of texts. Did you get them?”

“Yeah, I got them. I just didn’t want to do anything about them.”

Shit. “Fuck, man. Sorry. I know I left you hanging, ok?”

“Look, Lucas, we’ve been through this. I explained to you why you can’t do certain things, and you did them anyway. Doesn’t that get old? At some point, you have to stop telling people that you care about them and actually show them by not being a complete dick.”

“I know. I know. There were a lot of things in play, stuff I wish I had explained then. But I fucked that up. I just hope you can forgive me. That doesn’t just take a minute, I know. But I’m back. I’m right here. I’m not running. And whenever you’re ready, I’d like to tell you why I ran.”

Roone shook his head. “Your Highness. I. Don’t. Care. I hope you don’t mind, but I need to hit the sack. I get two days off rotation, then I’m back out, so… you know the way out.”

And with a turn of his back, he left me alone. It looked like I had my work cut out for me where he was concerned.

This wasn’t an ambush. It really wasn’t. Those are the lies I told myself.

My beautiful queen was playing cloak and dagger, and I knew a really good fuck wasn’t going to deter her. I had other things I needed to be doing at the moment but keeping her out of trouble seemed far more important than matters of state. Besides, I didn't need to be anywhere specific for another hour.

I followed her from the north parking lot along the trail to the Rose Tower then into the secret tunnel entrance. I let my eyes adjust to the dim light then blinked in surprise to find my wife waiting on me with folded arms in the adorned archway.

“Shit.” I stopped abruptly. “What—uh, how…” my voice trailed. There was nothing to be said. She’d caught me.

She grabbed my hand and then dragged me into a small room. She fumbled around for a light, and I saw it was a storage room. Office supplies mostly. The Rose Tower was where most of the offices were.

Well at least if she was going to read me the riot act, no one would hear us in here. I swallowed hard. “Look, I know what you're going to say. And I’m sorry, but—you didn’t leave me much choice the other day. I just feel like we didn’t resolve—” I stopped talking abruptly when she shoved me against the shelves and went for my belt buckle.

“Stop talking, Your Majesty. You’ll ruin it.”

I frowned. What the hell was happening? You, dumbass, are about to get what looks to be the shag of your life. Listen to your queen and shut the fuck up. “You knew I was following you?”

Her laugh was low as she wiggled out of her blazer then shoved a delicate hand into my jeans. “I suspected you were following me from the ministry. I knew for sure when I went to see Bryna at her office. You are the worst at clandestine services.”

“All this time, you knew?” I thought back to earlier in the day. “So, the lingerie store?”

“I thought you’d come in and insist on helping me try things on.”

I wasn't sure if I wanted to laugh or yell. She’d taken me on a wild goose chase all damn day. That’s what you get for not talking it out. “So now you’re jumping my bones?”

She looked up at me with wide, dark eyes and blinked innocently. “Uh huh. Isn’t that why you’ve been following me? Because you love me and missed me so much and didn’t want to wait until tonight?”

I knew that wasn’t why. And she knew that wasn’t why. And what was worse, she knew that I knew that she…. Well, you get the idea. Basically, I was caught.

But instead of giving me shit, my queen, my new bride, was sinking to her knees in front of me. And it was all I could do to hold on for the ride.

Hot, wet, and slick, her mouth felt like heaven and sin tied up into the best kind of bow.

I gritted my teeth, desperately trying to hold off a rapid orgasm. Prickly heat fired over my skin, and sweat beaded on my forehead as my heart raced. My hands involuntarily tightened into Penny’s thick curls, and she moaned around my dick.

“Oh, fuck, Len…” Len. Only I called her by that nickname. And usually when I was too far gone and couldn’t think.

She moaned again as she sucked deep, and my eyes crossed.

Penny drew back slowly, licking the head of my cock. “Yes, Sebastian?”

“Come here,” I growled as I reached for her.

She inched back. It’s not like she had a lot of room since she’d dragged us into a closet. Teasing me with the tip of her tongue and licking the pre-come off the tip of my throbbing erection, she shook her head. “Next time, Seb. Now let’s see if I can’t make you—”

Oh no she didn’t. She’d spent nearly an hour in the lingerie store to taunt me. I was getting more than a quickie. Besides, I liked to take my time with her. Quickies with her were like feeding a starving carnivore hummus or quinoa instead of a steak.

Tugging her to her feet, I whispered, “It’s not enough. I want more.”

Penny laughed. “You’re desperate. You could have joined me in the lingerie shop, you know.”

“Were you waiting for me?” My cock twitched as the idea took hold. Thinking about the way she would have struggled not to cry out in the dressing room as I pumped her deep and played with her ass was nearly enough to make me come.

Penny’s breath hitched as I rolled a thumb over her nipple. But even as a small moan escaped, she put on her rational hat. “Sebastian, don’t you have a meeting for the Artistic Trust today? It’s important.”

“I don’t give a shit. Besides, Tressel can wait for me. The way he’s been going after my brother, he needs to be kept waiting. And making my wife come is always at the top of my priority list.”

“Sebastian—”

“Focus on my voice.”

Gathering the material of her skirt, I tugged it up, eager to see which set of garters and panties she’d tease me with today. I wasn’t disappointed. Sheer stockings hugged her cinnamon-brown skin and were held up by a fire-engine red set of garters. Holy fuck. “These new?”

She nodded. “I bought them today when you didn't join me in the store.”

My cock throbbed painfully. I set her on the tiny utility table and splayed her legs. Slipping my thumb under the edge of her panties, I hissed when I encountered soft, slick, silky flesh. “I fucking love how wet you get for me.”

“You’re the one who does this to me.” She ran her teeth over my earlobe, and I swore softly.

All I wanted was to take my time devouring her, but I knew she was right. I’d have to wait until we were in our quarters when hours stretched out in front of us, not minutes.

I kissed her deep while I impatiently shoved aside the swatch of fabric. I circled her clit, and she canted her hips up, leaning into my touch. With my free hand, I unbuttoned the front of her blouse enough to expose the matching bra. Goddamn. I didn’t have the time or patience to savor, so instead, I shoved down the cup of her bra, exposing one of her breasts to my view. Tearing my lips from hers, I bent my head to suckle her, taking greedy pulls of her nipple as I used my finger to stroke her slick channel and my thumb to tease her clit.

Penny milked my finger with her soft, silken walls, and I added another.

“Yes... Sebastian.”

Intense need clawed me. She was mine. Really mine. Left to me, I’d do nothing but keep her naked in my bed all day, every day. Her pussy was tight and slick and hot, pulling at my questing fingers. Reluctantly, I slowed the pace. I wanted her to come, but I wanted to have my dick inside her when she did.

“Can you feel how much I want you?” I drew her hand to my straining erection.

“Mmmm.”

The tiny voice in the back of my mind tried in vain to remind me that I didn't have time. But I ignored it. I needed to taste her—just one taste. When I dragged my teeth over her nipple, Penny clamped a hand over her mouth as she screamed. I smiled at her attempt at concealment. Personally, I didn’t give a shit who heard us. Instead, I focused on placing scorching, open-mouthed kisses down her torso and belly until I reached her hot, slick center. I knew exactly how to get her where I wanted. Not too much attention on her clit. She preferred the tease. As I sucked, she wound her hands in my hair, tugging gently, leading me where she wanted me to go.

“Sebastian, please.”

More than happy to oblige, I teased her silken entrance with my thumb then gently drew it back over the pucker of her ass. With one slow circle over the taut skin, a deep shudder racked her body.

Knowing how close she was, I didn’t waste time. I crawled back up over her body, my hands planted firmly on her knees to keep them wide. The head of my cock nudged her entrance, and Penny dragged open her eyelids to meet my gaze. I stroked deep into her, never breaking eye contact.

With my first slide in, she dug her nails into my shoulders as her body quaked. On my retreat, my cock hit the bundle of nerves deep inside her body, and she cried out as her orgasm rolled into a second one. On my third stroke, I watched as I entered her. That was all it took to send me over the cliff behind her.