Majesty Castle

“You do realize that was Simone in there?” Nikki stood beside his son and watched him down a glass of gin.

“Yeah, so,” Brian said as he refilled his glass.

Nikki cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrow. “Yeah, so? She was hysterical, since when does that not bother you?”

“Since, I don’t want to talk about it. OK?”

Nikki leaned back against the bar and turned his head sideways to look at his son. “Well, just saying she could probably use a friend right now.”

“A friend,” Brian shook his head. “Right.”

“Ah!” Nikki smirked. “I get it. Being a friend isn’t what you want.”

“What I want,” Brian slammed his empty glass down on the bar. “Is to not talk about it.”

“Ok. Fine,” Nikki said holding his hands up in protest. “I gotta head out anyway. But if you do want to talk about it, I’ll listen.”

Brian turned to face his father and gave him a curious look. “Where have you been going lately anyway? Seems like every night you leave at the same time and don’t come back until early in the morning. Not like you to not bring your conquests home.”

Nikki laughed. “She’s not a conquest and I don’t want to bring her here.”

Now it was Brian who raised his eyebrow. “Really now. Is dear old Dad losing his heart to one woman?”

Nikki laughed again and pushed off the bar. “I lost my heart along time ago. I just happened to find it again.” He winked at Brian and walked out of the ballroom leaving him there to drown his sorrows in his gin.

Brian opted for another drink and when he turned back from the bar he caught sight of Zacky walking towards him.

“If you are going to get on my case about Simone too, you may as well save yourself the trouble. I don’t want to hear it.”

Zacky stepped up to the bar and reached for a bottle of bourbon and poured himself a glass. “I wasn’t going to say a word about Simone. You know me well enough to know I don’t interfere in other people’s affairs.”

“Yeah,” Brian nodded. “Sorry I jumped the gun.”

“It’s fine, but I do need some help.”

“With what?”

Zacky lit a cigarette and blew out a long stream of smoke before answering. His eyes sought out his wife and he spotted her sitting with Etta deep in conversation. Things weren’t the same since she returned. Fawn mostly kept to herself and hardly even spoke to Zacky unless it was necessary.

“I need you to follow Luke.”

Brian turned giving Zacky his full attention. “Why?”

Zacky sipped his drink and set the glass down on the table. “I think he is trying to hurt Fawn. I’m pretty sure he had a hand in creating that scene between her and your father. I think he wants her out of the way.”

“So, why can’t I just make him have an accident?”

Zacky knew Brian wasn’t kidding. Brian would kill for anyone of them in a heartbeat. But there was still no proof. “I need the truth to come out first.”

“So, you’d rather wait around for him to hurt your wife or worse the baby just so you can confirm your suspicions?”

Zacky shook his head and picked up his drink again. “No. He won’t get close enough to hurt her this time. Just follow him. See where he goes, who he’s talking to, what he does during the day.”

“Ok,” Brian nodded. “I’ll let you know when I’ve got something.”

“Thanks. I think I’m going to go get Fawn up to bed.”

While Zacky crossed the room, Brian set off in search of some entertainment.

Johnny took Etta out back for a walk in the garden to spend some time alone with her. They were walking hand in hand over to the bench by the rose bushes happily hoping that the night would never end. Johnny stopped short after realizing that there was someone already sitting on the bench.

“Young love,” Luke smiled and rose from the bench and straightened out his jacket. “It’s a beautiful thing isn’t it?” He picked a rose from one of the bushes and started pulling off the pedals. “So precious and delicate, almost like this flower.”

Johnny tugged on Etta’s hand and started to walk away.

“Don’t leave on my account.” Luke walked forward and stood in front of Johnny. “Word of advice young lovers. If you’re going to roll around in the rose bushes, you better watch out for the thorns.”

Luke dropped the flowerless stem and let it fall to the ground. A drop of blood fell from his thumb.

“So, this is where everyone goes when the party ends.” Brian and Matthew walked over and stood behind Johnny and Etta. “What’s going on?” Brian asked Johnny.

“Nothing, were going inside.” Johnny’s voice was barely audible. He walked away with Etta leaving Luke standing there with Matthew and Brian.

“So, what brings you out to the garden this time of night?” Matthew asked.

Luke grinned widely. “Just came out to have a cigar. Didn’t want to contaminate the air inside. Fawn’s pregnant you know.”

Brian glared at him. He didn’t like the tone of Luke’s voice. It was bordering on sarcastic. “Yes, we’re well aware of that fact. How considerate of you.”

“Yeah, well it’s getting a little chilly out here, I think I’ll go back inside.”

When Luke walked away, Matthew turned to face Brian. “What was that about?”

“I don’t know, but it think Luke has something to do with why Johnny hasn’t been himself the last 2 and half years.”

“Why would you think that?”

Brian shook his head and pulled his cigarettes out of his pocket. “I don’t know. At first I thought it was just you. I thought Johnny just refused to talk because you left. You were always his hero, but now, I think there is something more to it.”

“Then why don’t we just ask Johnny?” Matthew asked stating the obvious.

“We’ve all tried. He won’t say anything to anyone.”

Brian lit his cigarette and Matthew stared out into the night sky. “Maybe we can get Etta to pull it out of him.”

“Maybe,” Brian shrugged.

“I’ll talk to Etta about it tomorrow. I gotta go fu..I mean find my wife.”

Brian laughed as Matthew started to walk away.

“What?” Matthew held up his hands and Brian just shook his head.

“Nothing.”

When Matthew walked away Brian sat down on the bench and took a long drag from his cigarette. His eyes focused upwards and immediately found Simone’s bedroom window. When the light went out, he lowered his eyes to the ground. The image of her crying uncontrollably plagued him, but he was stubborn and afraid of getting his heart stepped on again. As much as he wanted to be the one to comfort her, he wasn’t going to give in. She hurt him and it wasn’t the first time, but it was definitely the last.

Matthew had just reached the top of the stairs when he spotted his wife. She was coming out of Simone’s room in his direction.

“How’s my sister?”

“She’s finally sleeping.” Allegra was as nervous as could be. She knew what her husband was after tonight and she had already agreed to it.

“Good.” He took her hand and started to walk with her down the hall. “I’m a little more at ease now that she’s home. I was worried about her.”

“Well, I think the best thing for her right now is for everyone to reinforce the fact that she is loved. She needs time to heal. Maybe we can do something special for her. Like a party to welcome her home.”

He smiled and noticed how slow she was walking, but didn’t push her to pick up speed. “I’d like that,” he smiled and swung her hand with his.

“Good. Then maybe we can go down to the kitchen and plan it right now. I could make some coffee and we could….”

“Allegra,” he interrupted when he reached their bedroom door. “We’re not going anywhere, but here.”

She blushed and he turned the knob to open the door. He stepped aside and let her walk in ahead of him. The sound of the door closing set her on edge.

Allegra walked over to the other side of the bedroom and stepped out of her shoes. Matthew was smirking to himself as he took off his jacket. “Something wrong?”

Allegra was so nervous she stuttered. “N-n-no.”

He started to unbutton his shirt and she walked over to the window. She jumped when she felt his breath on her neck. “Matthew lets go for a walk in the garden. I’m not tired.”

“I’m not tired either,” he smirked and she sidestepped him and walked over to where the chaise lounge was. When she sat and looked up at him, he noticed the fear. He draped his shirt over a chair and walked over to where she sat.

Matthew knelt down in front of her and put his hands on her lap. “Why do you look as if you are about to cry?”

“I did something bad.” She lowered her eyes unable to look at him.

“What is it?”

Allegra shook her head and her eyes started to water. “I can’t say it.”

He wiped a stray tear from her cheek and put his hand back down on her lap. “Are you afraid to tell me?”

She nodded and he got up from the floor and sat down next to her. “What could you have done that is so bad it would scare you to tell me?” She didn’t answer so he pulled her onto his lap. “Would it make you feel better if I promised I wouldn’t get mad?”

“No,” she cried and he was starting to worry.

“No? Allegra I can’t stand to see you cry, please just tell me and I promise what ever it is, we’ll deal with it.”

She looked right into his eyes and sobbed. “I’ve seen you when you are mad.”

He put his arms around her waist and held her close. “I would never ever physically hurt you. Ever.”

Allegra didn’t say anything until she was able to calm herself down. It took a few minutes for the sobbing to subside. With her watery eyes looking right into his, she tried to explain. “Remember the day that you came to M Shadows house to bring me back here?”

“Yes,” he nodded.

“Something happened there the night before.”

The light went on in his head and he finally knew what she was trying to tell him.

“Allegra…”

“No, I have to tell you,” she shook her head.

“Allegra…”

“Matthew, I had..”

“Allegra!” He said her name a little louder and a little sterner.

She wiped her cheeks and looked at him. “What?”

Matthew smiled and placed a hand on her neck. He leaned close to her so that his lips were nearly touching her ear. “Don’t change the way you think of me, we’re from the same story.” He had to put her out of her misery.

She stopped sobbing and looked at him. Her face was wet with tears and he waited for her to react. “Those words,” she said as another tear fell from her eyes. Matthew was quick to wipe it away gently. “That voice,” she barely squeaked out.

“You?”

“Me,” he nodded.

For a few seconds Allegra simply stared at him. She touched his face with her hand and looked deeply into his eyes as more tears spilled over. “It’s you. It’s always been you.”

“Yes.” Matthew didn’t know what to make of her reaction or if she had even reacted yet. Right now she was just staring at him. Every time a tear fell from her eyes he felt more and more guilty.

She continued to touch his face softly caressing his cheek. “You saved me. They hurt me and you saved me.” As her fingers moved over his cheekbones, she gave him a questioning gaze. “That little cottage was yours?”

“Yeah,” he nodded.

“That’s how Nightmare knew where to take me”

He nodded again, but this time didn’t say anything. Allegra wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand and lowered her eyes. “You must have thought the worst of me.”

Matthew smiled and rubbed her back. “I never thought bad of you. I wanted to fulfill your fantasy. You wanted M Shadows so I gave him to you, but afterwards you were upset about what we did and I wondered if I made a mistake.”

Allegra put her arms over his shoulders and rested her head in the crook of his neck. “I wanted it to be you. Are you sure you aren’t upset with me?”

He pressed his lips to the top of her head and closed his eyes. “The only thing that is upsetting me about this is that you cried. I didn’t expect you to feel so badly.” He lifted her chin with his thumb so that she was looking up at him. “Why aren’t you angry at me for deceiving you?”

“I could never be angry at you, Matthew.”

“Never?”

“Never,” she repeated. “There’s enough anger in this house. I only want to make you happy.”

“You have,” he smiled. “You’ll never understand how much.”

“Then you still want me?”

He laughed and kissed her lips lightly. “Like you have no idea.”

She sat up in his lap with her arms still on his shoulders. “Could you help me with my dress?”

“Yeah, stand up for me.”

Allegra stood with her back to him and he stood up behind her. One by one, he carefully opened the buttons on the bodice of the back of her dress. On her skin he could see the faint scars from the lashing. Once he opened the last button, he slid the dress down her hips so she could step out of it.

He picked up her dress and laid it on the lounge chair that they were just sitting on. She stood before him now in only her slip and strapless bra. “Don’t be nervous,” he told her and took her hand. He walked her over to the bed and pulled back the covers for her. “Get in, I’ll be right back.”

While she climbed on the bed, Matthew disappeared into the bathroom. Allegra sat up against the pillows and pulled the covers up to her waist. Matthew came out of the bathroom a few minutes later in only his boxer shorts. He walked around the room and blew out each lamp only leaving the one by the bed lit. When he was done, he climbed into the bed beside her. It wasn’t hard to notice how nervous she was by the way her hands were gripping the top of the blanket.

“Come here,” he pulled her down with him and into his arms. “Would you really have ripped Felicity’s throat out?”

“For starters, yes.”

“Possessive are we?” Matthew had her curled against his side while he was propped up on one elbow looking down at her.

She touched his bare chest with his finger and faked a pout. “Mine.”

“Yes,” he whispered and brought his face down to hers. “Only yours,” he whispered before he kissed her lips. As possessive as she had shown him she could be earlier, that is how possessive his kiss was. “And you are only mine.” She nodded into another kiss and this time his free arm moved across her stomach so his hand could rest on her hip. “I meant what I said in the library.”

“I know.”

“Scared?” He only asked because although he told her in the library that he wasn’t going to stop, he would if she asked him too.

“Are you?” she asked.

“No,” he laughed and kissed her again. He moved his hand from her hip up along her rib cage and moved her so she was almost on her side. “Now, I should warn you, I’m not so good at getting these things off with one hand.” She felt his hand on her back fidgeting with the strap on the back of her bra and hid her laugh by burying her face in his chest. “Ha! Got it!” He pulled the fabric off her chest and threw it on the floor.

Allegra lay back down on the pillow and Matthew looked at her like he was going to eat her alive. “Now, what do we have here?” He asked trailing his finger down between the valley of her breasts. “I do recall you saying yes to me putting these in my mouth and sucking on them til you scream. Remember? “

“Yes.”

He smiled and brought his lips to her collarbone kissing his way down. She gasped when he took one of her nipples between his teeth while he took the other between his fingertips. Allegra laid a hand on his shoulder and her touch made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

Matthew lifted his head and looked down at her slip. He slid his hand underneath and moved both the slip and her undergarment down her legs and threw them on the floor. There she lay before him completely naked. He lowered his head back to her stomach and started kissing her again determined to leave no part of her untouched by his kiss.

His hand caressed her thigh and she looked right into his eyes when he looked up at her. “Remember what else I said was going to do?”

“Yes,” she could barely get the word out of her mouth. The anticipation was starting to make her nervous. Matthew made a sound that somewhat resembled a growl and pushed her legs apart. “Past the point of gentle, remember?”

“Yes.”

When his tongue found her core, Allegra wasn’t expecting him to be so rough, but it felt so good. She arched hips up giving him better access. He growled into her before taking the little nub at the center between his lips and sucking on it.

“Matthew,” she groaned.

“hmmm?”

“More.”

If it were any other time, he would have made her beg for it, but they’d both wanted this for a long time and he was only interested in her pleasure right now. He slipped a finger inside her and she sucked in a breath of air unable to form a solid word.

He was driving her crazy, devouring her with his tongue as another finger slipped inside her. He moved both fingers in and out of her gradually increasing the speed while his tongue ran over her wet sex.

When she put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed, he knew she was closed and started sucking harder while moving his fingers faster.

“Matthew!” She arched her hips up as he continued to pleasure her. “So good,” she whispered. Her voice only egged him on and he increased the pace of his fingers knowing she was on the verge. Her whole body stiffened when she came and he didn’t stop until he knew she was fully satisfied.

Allegra was panting by the time he lifted his head and started kissing his way back up her body. He braced his arms one on each side of her and looked down at her. “Candy, that’s what you taste like.”

She lifted her arms up and put them around his neck. “I want more.” Out of breath, the words came out as more of a whisper.

“Me too,” he smirked and bit her bottom lip. While he kissed her lips her hands ran down the sides of his rib cage to his hips. He growled into her mouth. Her touch was setting him on fire.

Allegra found the elastic band of his boxer shorts and tried pushing them down, but he was heavy and she had no luck moving them. Lucky for her he was willing to help. He reached down with one hand and slid the shorts down. As he lay against her, Allegra could feel the hardness pulsing against her. “Don’t make me wait, please.” The words came out strained against his lips. He didn’t intend to make her wait.

Matthew shifted between her legs and took hold of his own hardness. He moved it inline with her opening and slowly started to move himself inside her. Allegra bit his neck and it took all the strength he had not to slam himself inside her. “More,” she whispered against his ear and sucked the lobe into her mouth.

He met her request and slipped himself further inside her. When he was almost fully inside, Allegra found Matthew’s mouth and shoved her tongue inside. Matthew was done for. He pushed all the way inside her as hard as he could and judging by the way she moved her legs further apart, he could tell she was going to hold him to his word. She would make him live up to what he said in the library, the only problem was that it had been so long for him and he had wanted her so bad, he wasn’t sure how long he was going to be able to last.

She pulled her lips away from him and grabbed his hips hard. “Move,” she told him. There didn’t need to be any further encouragement from her. He found his rhythm as he thrust himself in and out of her.

“Feels….so….good,” he whispered against her ear.

“More,” she whispered back. “Harder Matthew, please,” she cried as her hips moved with his.

Matthew pushed harder giving her what she wanted. With every sound she made he pushed harder and harder. “Baby…. Can’t hold off anymore,” he panted. She wasn’t experienced, but she knew what he was telling her.

“Me either.” She grabbed his shoulders when the feeling that was building inside her was about to over take her. When she arched her body, Matthew gave one hard thrust and his own body went rigid. Together they reached their peak of ecstasy.

Their bodies were covered in sweat and Matthew couldn’t even find the strength to move off her. Allegra stroked his back softly while he tried to catch his breath. “Mine,” she whispered.

“Yes.” He lifted his head and pecked her lips with a kiss. “Only yours.”

Matthew took her with him as he rolled to the side. “I promise it won’t be over so fast next time. I just couldn’t wait.” His breath was still uneven as he spoke and she responded by stealing another kiss.

“I could kiss you for hours on end.”

He smiled and kissed her again. “I could let you.”

Allegra yawned and rested her head in the crook of his neck. “Nuh uh,” he said and kissed the top of her head. When she looked up at him he ran his finger across her bottom lip. “Until the sun comes up, remember?”