Amy's Advantage (31 page)

Immediately, the violent demeanor of the guards melted and
they both relaxed, even smiled. They moved aside with deferential words of
welcome, but their greetings were overridden by another gleeful squeal. Amy
darted into the garden, following the sweet sound of her child’s laughter.

The garden wasn’t large, but its paths were separated by
tall bushes and flowering vine-covered columns, so Amy couldn’t see Chloe until
she rushed around a corner, one arm keeping Mr. Pink in a headlock and the
other outstretched as she chased a large white butterfly. The pursuit was immediately
forgotten the moment Chloe saw her mother. Suddenly engulfed in a whirlwind of
little girl glee, bouncing red curls and a fierce, happy hug, Amy scooped up
the wiggling, giggling bundle and held her close.

“Amy!” Aurora’s surprised shout collided with all the other
excited shrieks, bringing the pair of guards rushing into the garden. Aurora
gestured them away with a hurried, “We’re fine, just fine.” Scooping up Mr.
Pink from where Chloe had dropped him, Aurora joined Amy and Chloe, throwing
her arms around both for a group hug. “You made it! God, I’m so…so….” Aurora’s
words choked to a stop as she blinked back tears.

Amy felt tears gathering in her own eyes and had to laugh.
“I know. Me too.”

Aurora dropped her arms and gave Amy a chance to breathe. “I
didn’t know you were coming today.”

“I know. Jordyn was being very secretive.”

“And you!” Aurora directed her comment to Connyn, who was
coming up the path behind Amy. “You knew they were coming and didn’t tell me!”

Connyn tugged on one of Chloe’s curls as he passed to stand
beside Aurora and wrap a proprietary arm around her shoulders. “I didn’t know
for sure. It was a good guess,” he said before dropping a quick kiss on her
temple.

Aurora shook her head. “Sure it was.” She turned back to
Amy. “I’d have been there if I’d known.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Suddenly envious of the light, loose
clothing both Aurora and Chloe wore, Amy shifted her daughter to her other hip
and wiped the sweat off her brow with her free hand.

“Of course I was worried about it,” Aurora said, reaching
forward to help her shrug out of the padded coat that had been so welcome just
a few minutes ago. “The last time you were to come through, you nearly gave us
all heart attacks by taking on a Slayer single-handedly.”

Connyn cleared his throat. “That conversation can wait for
when little ears aren’t around. The important thing is that now she is safe and
with us.”

“No one knowing when we were coming this time was on
purpose,” Amy said, tugging her arm out of the coat as Aurora pulled on it. “No
one knew on the other side either. Jordyn said that everyone would think this
portal would be locked since Connyn was in residence.”

Aurora slanted Connyn a questioning look. “Really? That’s
interesting to know.”

“So why was this portal kept open if you didn’t know we were
coming?” Amy asked.

“It was Jordyn’s suggestion when he brought Chloe over,”
Connyn said.

“I didn’t hear him say that,” Aurora said as she folded the
jacket over her arm.

“That was the point,” Connyn replied. “Meanwhile,” he said, ignoring
the look Aurora gave him that said the topic wasn’t dropped, despite his
tactful maneuvering, “why don’t you show Amy the rooms you and Chloe have been
getting ready for her the last several days?”

Amy looked around. “So where is Jordyn? I’m sure Chloe would
like to see him before we go.”

Connyn’s brows pulled together slightly. “He stepped back
through the portal before it closed.”

Suddenly lightheaded and a little sick to her stomach, Amy
nodded, unable to get words past the abrupt tightening in her throat.

Aurora frowned, her eyes searching Amy’s face. “Were you
expecting him to stay?”

“What? No. Not expecting anything.” Her voice sounded too
tight to be believable and she inwardly chided herself for being ridiculous. It
had been clear from the beginning that his primary goal was to get her and her
daughter to safety and the time they’d spent together was a detour, not a
stopping place, in that plan. He’d not misled her once, but his harsh promises
apparently hadn’t managed to crush all her hope.

She took a deep breath and looked down at her daughter in
her arms. Wrinkling her nose, she brushed the tip of it against the tip of
Chloe’s. “So? When do I get to see these rooms you’ve been working on?”

She counted on her smile appearing more real than it felt.
Could she really have expected Jordyn to do anything else? She had no right to
expect anything past the carefree days of sex. Jordyn had been very clear on
that point. And she had been very clear with him that she was okay with that.
And she was. Or would be. She hoped. Eventually.

Chapter Eighteen

Kayn halted in the doorway, his head jerking back at the
sight of Jordyn filling a cup with coffee at the kitchen counter. “What are you
doing here?”

Jordyn stopped pouring and glanced over before setting the
carafe back in its base. “My job.”

The surprise that had marked Kayn’s features was immediately
schooled. He sauntered into the kitchen and took a seat at the table. “When did
you get in?”

“A while ago.”

“I’m surprised you came back.”

Jordyn turned to look fully at Kayn, automatically assessing
the Second Heir to the First House. “What do you really want to know?”

The amiable expression in Kayn’s blue eyes stalled, chilling
slightly. “Why didn’t you stay with Chloe and Amy?”

“Why are you asking?”

Kayn sat back, a mask of simple polite interest sliding into
place. “No reason, just simple curiosity.” He stretched his legs out in front
of him, crossing them at the ankles and nonchalantly studying the toes of his
boots.

“Nothing with you is ever simple. Anyone who might think so
doesn’t know you very well or is a fool.” Jordyn held Kayn’s gaze until the
younger man shifted to look out the window.

With a shrug, Kayn said, “Everyone knows what they mean to
you. I just thought you’d want to be where you could make sure they were safe.”

Ignoring the jab, Jordyn took a drink of his coffee. “Amy
and Chloe are Mystics. They are important to us all,” he said, keeping his tone
conversational. Half the time Kayn said something was to goad a reaction from
someone. Though he’d been one of the most intelligent and perceptive soldiers
Jordyn had ever served with, he’d been an arrogant pain in the ass to train.
Jordyn set the mug on the counter. “They are safe in the Third House.”

“I’m not arguing.”

Jordyn watched Kayn closely. “No, you’re not.”

Kayn’s gaze slid back to Jordyn, a slightly insolent smile
kicking up the corners of his mouth. “You’re not fooling anyone. You know that,
right?”

Regardless of his relaxed posture and provoking comments,
the tiny lines pulling at the corners of the younger man’s eyes told Jordyn
that there was something that had Kayn deeply troubled. But he knew him well
enough to realize that whatever was going on inside Kayn’s head, he’d revealed
all he was going to—and possibly more than he’d intended, since it was obvious
that he hadn’t expected to find him in the kitchen this evening.

“Is there something you need to tell me?” Jordyn asked,
keeping the edge of his impatience with Kayn’s games out of his voice.

Suddenly Kayn sat forward, intensity bound around every
word, all pretense and cavalier arrogance gone. “You should have stayed in
Ilyria.”

Jordyn’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

Grinding out a curse between clenched teeth, Kayn stood
abruptly and shook his head. “Never mind. Just my own fucking opinion.” Without
further comment, he stalked out of the kitchen.

After a moment, Jordyn turned back to the sink and dumped
out his untouched coffee. Bracing his hands on the counter, he leaned forward
to look out the window into to the dark.

Everything inside of him had gone completely still at Kayn’s
words and he forced it to stay that way to enable his mind to process. If he
allowed even the smallest amount of fear Kayn’s words could loose, he’d be lost
to his worst nightmare and unable to do any good for anyone.

Automatically, he scanned the area outside the window for
any sign of danger as he thought back through the conversation. Kayn was
probably just being Kayn and simply provoking to get a reaction. Jordyn had
never let him push him past his patience and knew that that fact alone posed an
irresistible challenge to Kayn. Though he had a lot of insolent tendencies that
particularly grated against his older brother, if he truly thought Amy or Chloe
was in danger, Kayn would not be shy about making his opinion known, especially
if it jabbed at Amdyn’s authority or decisions.

Straightening, he rinsed out the coffee mug and left it
upside down in the sink. Kayn had his issues with the whole idea of Mystics and
a prophecy that could control an entire world, but the truth about Kayn’s true
character came through around children. Even as a youth, he’d always picked on
those older and bigger than himself and stood up for the smaller and weaker.

Though his affected demeanor was one of artfully crafted
indifferent arrogance, Jordyn knew that nearly every word and action of Kayn’s
was calculated and weighed. Unlike Cirryc, the youngest heir to the First
House, the only times Jordyn had ever seen Kayn behave recklessly were when a
child was in danger. Only in those specific incidents had Kayn been truly
unconcerned for his own safety and heedless of circumstances or possible
repercussions.

Knowledge of a specific threat to Amy’s safety might not
have Kayn willing to reveal anything that put him at a disadvantage, but knowing
that Chloe was also a factor quashed the rumbling warning in Jordyn’s gut that
had tried to shake loose.

Time to clear his head. Amy was safe. Chloe was safe. They
deserved time to adjust to their new life in Ilyria with as few complications
in that new life as possible. If he’d stayed in Ilyria, that would have been
one gigantic complication neither Amy nor he needed.

Grabbing his jacket from the hook by the back door where
he’d hung it earlier, he decided to check in with the final unit of soldiers that
would remain here until the last Royal returned home. He had made a lot of
mistakes with Amy, but he’d done the right thing by leaving. He had to believe
that. Had to.

The claws of impuissance dug deeply into Kayn’s back as he
strode angrily down the hall. The feeling of being powerless in any situation
never found an unchallenged resting spot in any Ilyrian male and he refused to
allow it to go uncontested in this situation.

Bowing to a change of tactics, he entered the library where
Amdyn was working on the computer at one end while Ellen and Shy were watching
a late night movie on the big screen television at the other end. He ignored
Amdyn’s once-over and made his way over to where Shy was cozied up with a soft
fleece blanket in one of the oversized, black leather chairs.

Bending to whisper directly into her ear, he said, “I need
to talk to you.”

She frowned up at him. “I’m busy.”

Kayn glanced at the movie. “She dies in the end,” he said.

“Asshole.”

“I know.” He returned his gaze to her mutinous expression
and let some of his own anger shine through. Angling his head back toward the
door, he said, “It’s important.”

Irritation hardened the lines of Shy’s face, but she tossed
the blanket off and stood. He let her lead the way out of the room. She stopped
just outside the door and turned to face him, crossing her arms under her
breasts. “Well?”

“Not here.” He took her by her upper arm and escorted her
down the hall and up the stairs toward his bedroom.

When she realized where they were headed, she twisted out of
his grip. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she hissed.

“I told you. I need to talk to you.”

“So talk.”

Kayn glanced around. This hallway was accessible by both the
front and back stairs. “Not here.” He took her by the arm again to get her
moving. Once they got to his room, he impatiently urged her in and then locked
the door behind them.

“Fine,” she said. “I’m here.” Leaning around him, she
reached for the light switch and flipped it on. “Tell me what you want so I can
get back to the movie you ruined for me.”

“I want to fuck.” He leveled the words at her with the
ferocity of all the frustration roiling inside of him.

“Are you kidding me?” she asked, disbelief plain in her
voice and face.

“No.” Before she could respond, he lifted her up and
unceremoniously dumped her on his bed. Her gasp of indignation was swallowed by
the shock of him landing on top of her and taking her mouth in the same way he
intended to take her body—hard, deep and fast. Since her mouth was already
open, he took advantage and thrust his tongue into her mouth.

The damn woman always tasted so incredible. She must have
just had some of the mint chocolate chip ice cream Kirry had in the
refrigerator because she tasted of both the mint and the chocolate mixed with
the intoxicating flavor that was uniquely Shy. Her fingers dug into his
shoulders as he licked and sucked and forced her mouth open wider to taste
more.

Keeping her mouth busy with his, he partially positioned his
body over hers to keep her pinned without letting his weight press the breath
right out of her. He pulled her hands off his shoulders and shackled them above
her head, held in place by one of his while the other palmed her breast through
her shirt.

When he could feel that her nipple had been drawn into a hard
peak, he reached down and unsnapped and unzipped her jeans. In another second,
his hand was sliding inside her panties. It was a tight fit, but he kept going
until he’d found her opening. Immediately he pressed his middle finger all the
way in.

Shy turned her head to break the kiss, sucking in a sudden
breath and letting it out on a curse. Kayn scraped his teeth down her neck as
his finger rubbed the inner wall of her cunt.

“Damn you,” Shy hissed. “You could ask before you go jamming
your fingers up inside me.”

He circled the spot inside of her that made her hot and wet
and twisting from the pleasure. With her cream coating his finger, he slid it
out and then back in. He bit down on the curve of her neck and sucked. With his
thumb, he pressed on her clit and pushed a second finger inside of her. “I
could. But like you said, we’re only good for fucking each other’s brains out
when we need a break and tonight it’s my turn.”

“What happened?” she asked.

“Nothing you need to know about,” he said, withdrawing his
fingers. For a moment he hovered over her, waiting to see if she’d demand he
let her up. When she just glared up at him, he smiled at her in grim triumph
before fusing their mouths together again and thrusting his fingers back inside
of her.

Loving that soft, whimpering gasp she made whenever he
pressed in on her clit and pushed up on the little spongy spot found on the
front wall of her vagina, he worked those two together until Shy’s eyes were
closed and her breath was coming in short pants between her parted lips. Her
pussy was swollen and slick and she was on the verge of coming when he pulled
his hand out of her pants.

Shy’s eyes flew open. “What the hell?” she demanded.

He ignored her and moved to kneel beside her, flipping her
onto her stomach before jerking her jeans and panties down to her knees. He
pulled her hips up, placing her on her knees before him with her ass in the
air. She pushed up on her hands, but his hand on her back kept her from going
any further. Her glare was hot with more than just anger as she tossed her hair
over her shoulder to look at him.

He warned her with a look to stay put as he unfastened his
pants with one hand, while sliding the other from her back to her ass that
curved so invitingly before him.

Splaying his hand over the globe of her bottom, he dented
his fingers into the firm flesh as he maneuvered his cock out of his jeans.
“God damn, you have the most fuckable ass I’ve ever seen.” Releasing his cock,
he used both his thumbs to widen the crevice between her ass cheeks to open her
anus and her pussy to his sight.

Shy shook her head. “No ass fucking.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, pulling her ass cheeks further
apart. “I promise you’ll like it.”

“Kayn, I swear,” Shy began, starting to twist away from him.

He spanked her ass. “Settle down,” he said. He didn’t have
lube on hand or the patience to ease into her so as not to hurt her without it.
“Put your head down and reach between your legs.”

“Why?”

“I want you to touch yourself while I fuck you.”

“What?” Shy gasped as he swatted her other ass cheek, harder
this time.

“Head down,” he commanded. Grudgingly she complied, shifting
to turn her head to look at him as she slid her hands into position.

“Rub your clit. Keep yourself wet.” Kayn leaned back to
watch, stroking the long length of his cock while Shy’s fingers caressed her
pussy lips. “Arch your back more. Give me a better view.”

“What am I getting out of this?” she asked, her fingers
stilling.

“What you always get,” he said. “The best fucking orgasms
you’ve ever had. Now keep going unless you want a spanking.” He moved his gaze
from her cunt to meet her eyes. “Because I’m more than fine with that.”

Though he’d teased her with occasional light bottom swats
before, he’d never actually spanked her ass as part of their fucking, but the
idea definitely appealed to him. He halfway hoped she continued to resist him
and give him reason to turn her over his knee.

But instead, Shy narrowed her eyes at him and arched her
back, putting her cunt on full display before him. “Happy?” she asked.

“I’m about to be,” he said, returning his gaze to her sex.
“Get to it. I want to feel your fingers slick with your cream and working your
clit when I fuck you.”

Blood rushed straight to his cock as Shyrana’s slender
fingers stroked between her thighs, rubbed her labia and then circled her clit.
Her pussy was already swollen and glistening with her juices from earlier as
her fingers moved faster. Shy’s soft gasp of air, sucked quickly in as she
pinched her clit, made his cock ache with the need to be inside of her.

Then with one hand, she spread her labia wide, exposing her
clit and stretching her opening in obvious invitation. But he pushed off his
need to see what she’d do next. He wasn’t disappointed. When he didn’t move to
take up her offer, two fingers from her other hand tapped her clit, rubbed the
underside and then pushed deep inside her cunt.