Majesty Castle

“Is he alright?”

Matthew was sitting on the couch looking across the living room at Brian. “Just a sprain, he’ll be fine.” The day before, Johnny took a spill down the stairs. It would seem as if it was an accident, but the stairs were not wet and there was nothing there that Johnny could have tripped over. “Zakk had a few harsh words for Etta though for not being with him when he fell.”

It had been a month since the incident with Fawn and Nikki and things just seemed to be getting a little strange at Majesty Castle. With Matthew not being there, there was no way he could get to the bottom of any of it.

“You think it was really an accident?”

“I don’t know what to think,” Brian seemed deep in thought with his elbow on the arm of the chair and his chin resting in his palm. “It’s just odd. You left two years ago and Johnny stops speaking. When you come back, nothing seems amiss in the house, but when you leave again, Allegra gets a lashing, Fawn and my father have an affair, Johnny falls down the stairs and let’s not forget what happened with Simone.”

Matthew sat back and folded his arms across his chest. “So you think this might all tie into me?”

“I don’t know.” Brian stood and put his hands in his pockets. “I just think the timing is odd and if it does have something to do with you, then it would seem that everyone is suffering for your not being there. If I had to accuse anyone, my money would be on Peter.”

“Tell me why you think Peter would be behind all of this.”

Brian let out a sigh and looked at Matthew sympathetically. “Think about it. Peter provoked Allegra and had her lashed. Peter was there to escort Fawn out of the house the morning after she was found with my father. Then there is the night with Simone. Rosalie accused Peter of taking his child from his mother just as she had done with Simone. Peter was the first one there to help Johnny when he fell. Something else to think about is the fact that nothing has happened to Jimmy.”

“What does Jimmy have to do with this?”

“Well, look at the facts. Jimmy would have been King if his mother wasn’t foreign and had lived. With all the crazy shit that’s been happening around the castle, not a single incident or accident had to do with Jimmy. All of the incidents affect one of us in some way, but none of them had to do with Jimmy. He’s not going to hurt his own son. He’s even come to terms with the wedding. All of these things happened while you were away.”

Matthew let out a sigh of his own and dropped his head forward trying to process all of the information. If what Brian said was true, he would no doubt have to return to Majesty Castle before someone ends up dead.

“Did you find anything else on Nicolette?”

“No,” Brian shook his head. “There were remains of a woman’s body in her grave though.”

“Damn it,” Matthew said as he shook his head. The remains of a woman in the grave would dispel the fact that Jimmy’s mother was still alive.

“I should go, it’s getting late. Is there anything else?”

“Yeah, I have a big problem,” Matthew nodded.

“What?”

“I think I’m in love with my wife.”

Brian chuckled lightly. “Could be worse, she could love you back.”

Matthew rolled his eyes and watched as his friend walked out the door. He sat back on the couch and turned his head towards the bedroom. In the last month, he had gotten to know his wife much better than he thought he ever would. Unfortunately, it was as M Shadows. She would wait up for him at night and they would stay up talking about everything and nothing at all. They’d even shared a few kisses here and there.

He rather enjoyed kissing her and maybe even a little too much in fact. Yet he didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty about the front he was putting on when he was with her in the evening hours. His intentions were good, but he something told him he would end up paying for the deception later. For him, he needed to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that she could be happy with him in the life he chose for himself, rather than the one he was thrown into against his will. He needed to be sure that she could live without his title and without all the privilege that came with being part of the Majesty family. Having spent the last month with her shrouded in darkness, made it easier for both of them to feel more at ease in each other’s presence. He listened intently while she told him of her love for the piano and how she loved reading. She also mentioned that he was her favorite author and he told her of the new book he was working on.

Her back was healing nicely and the pain had lessened quite a bit. The scabs were no more, but there would be more than likely a few scars. When he sat down on the bed she didn’t make a sound. “Don’t tell me you are asleep already and I missed my chance to kiss you goodnight.”

“I'm not sleeping,” Allegra said as she sat up. “I wish I could see you in the daylight though.”

He sighed and moved behind her on the bed softly kissing her bare shoulder. “I like being here in the dark with you, but as you wish, tomorrow I am home for the day.” Allegra had become comfortable being nude in his presence. The darkness made it easier for her not to be timid. Had it been broad daylight, she would surely have blushed at the thought of him seeing any part of her body uncovered.

“Is it tomorrow yet?” She could hardly contain her excitement. He laughed lightly and ran a finger across her shoulder making her shiver. She turned to face him and he sighed.

“How do I know you won’t hide your face in horror when you see what I look like?”

“I don’t care what you look like. I would just like to see whom it is that I’m conversing with.”

His finger now traced over her collarbone. “I should warn you, I’m not the least bit attractive. You may not want me to kiss you anymore.”

Allegra sighed and reached for his hand. “I’m not a shallow person. You’ve only to touch my heart for me to kiss you and you have. I don’t care what you look like. Besides, I already find you extremely attractive.”

“Do you now?” He chuckled.

“Oh yes, I have already predetermined that you are very handsome, no matter what you look like.” He chuckled again at her words.

“You are a breath of fresh air, love. I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone quite like you.” He couldn’t see the blush that appeared on her cheeks, but she felt them flush. He slipped his shirt over his head and laid his head down on one of the pillows. “Come lay with me.”

She took his invitation and nestled herself in the crook of his arm. “I feel like I belong here,” she whispered and turned her head up towards his face. That was all he needed to hear. He kissed her and she touched the side of his face with her hand and held it there while he deepened the kiss. Although he knew he should, he had no intention of stopping with just a kiss. He wanted more and turned his body sideways while holding his hand on the back of her head. She sighed when he moved his lips to her neck. She had never been kissed so intimately before and it excited her.

She gasped when his hand moved from her head to her rib cage. Very lightly his fingers trailed over her skin as he took her earlobe into his mouth. There wasn’t a single inch of her body that didn’t tingle with the sensation of what he was doing to her. He heard her gasp when his hand trailed up the inside of her thigh and pulled his lips from hers. He sat up and continued to touch her gently moving his fingers over her womanhood. “I want to make you to feel all the things you’ve never felt before.”

Allegra whimpered when he stopped, but only for a minute so he could remove his pants. She knew what was about to happen, but when he started kissing her again, she didn’t kiss him back. “What’s wrong, love?”

“I have a husband,” she said through quivering lips. Softly he kissed her again, but didn’t move off her.

“You don’t love your husband,” he reminded her. “You love me,” he whispered in her ear and she ran her hands over his muscular back. The fact that she felt guilty only solidified the fact that she loved Matthew and nothing would stop him now, even if she would never admit her feelings for him. He entered her slowly knowing that it was her first time and only stopped for a brief second when he noticed her body react to the pain that comes with losing virginity. Once it was gone, he started moving inside her deeply as he kissed her. She couldn’t control her body anymore as it moved with his. A wave of pleasure washed over her as she arched her back and soon he too felt the same pleasure she was feeling. He growled against her neck as his body stiffened just before he collapsed on top of her.

Afterward, she lie in his arms and found it hard to fall asleep. The heat of passion had made her guilt subside, but now that it was over, the guilt was right on the surface. “I can feel your tears on my chest. How can you cry after such an amazing night?” he asked.

“I’m a horrible person,” she whispered.

“You are no such thing,” he told her and kissed the top of her head. He thought about getting up and lighting a lamp so she could see him and put her out of her misery, but changed his mind.

“I’ve just betrayed my husband.”

“You mean the man that left you? That is not a husband and it’s his loss. Don’t feel guilty.”

They didn’t say anything else. He simply held her in his arms until she fell asleep. Just as every night for the last month, her dream started with the same soft words: “Don’t change the way you think of me, we’re from the same story.”

When the morning came, Allegra opened her eyes to find that she was alone in the bed. When she sat up, she looked around the room for any sign that he might be there, but there was nothing. The night before he had told her that today she would be able to see him in daylight, but he left her alone. She wasn’t alone for long though.

“I made fresh jam to have with your toast this morning,” Colette said as he set the breakfast tray down on the end table.

“Thank you. Have you seen my host this morning?” Allegra asked as she picked up the cup of coffee from the tray.

“Yes, we had breakfast together,” Colette answered.

“Has he left for the day?”

“Of course not, he’s in the stable giving sweets to the horses.”

Allegra nodded and bit into her toast. While she ate, Colette went about tidying up the bedroom. When the door opened, Allegra turned her head expecting to see the man with whom she mad love the night before, but that wasn’t the case at all.

“Put this on and don’t take all day,” Matthew snapped at her as he set a dress down on the bed for her.

“I beg your pardon?” Allegra continued eating her toast, but Matthew walked over and took the tray off her lap and set it back on the end table.

“I said get dressed. We’re leaving soon.” He folded his arms across his chest knowing she would protest.

“I’m not going anywhere with you!” Allegra was practically shouting now.

“You will get dressed or I will dress you myself. I’m not going back to Majesty Castle without my wife.”

The broom that Colette was using to sweep the floor slipped out of her hand and made a loud noise when it hit the hard wood. “Is something wrong Colette?”

“No, just my butterfingers,” she smiled weakly and picked up the broom before walking past him out of the bedroom. The mere mention of Majesty Castle, her once former place of employment and the place were she found and lost her first love had caused her a great deal of unexpected shock. She hadn’t heard mention of Majesty Castle in many years and she wasn’t expecting to hear it anytime soon.

“I’m going to wait inside and when I come back in here in 10 minutes, you better be dressed. I mean it, I will dress you myself.” Having said that, Matthew walked out of the bedroom and slammed the door behind him.