Volatile Love: Gilded Sovereign, page 2
One of those people I’m here to save. Rukaiya Harrison is the reason I’m lying in a bed in London. Following her here was more for me than for Dahlia. As much as I care for my best friend’s girlfriend, I’m being selfish because I want to find Rukaiya and steal her for myself.
Shoving off the bed, I make my way to the window. There aren’t any curtains to obstruct my view. The gray skies hang heavily with the promise of rain and cold.
I stare out at the skyscrapers of one of the busiest cities in Europe. There’s no noise from this high up, but I can see the people racing down the street, the cars and cabs all vying for a spot in the busy early morning traffic.
Meeting my father last night, I realized just how much I missed him. Even though he made sure my life was a comfortable one, I needed him more than the money he ensured was in my bank account. Granted, most kids would prefer the dollars to someone giving them advice about life, but that’s not me.
I’ve always hungered for human connection. And perhaps that’s why I found it in places that, at times, got me into trouble. It started when I was sixteen. My mother walked in on me fucking our maid. The twenty-three-year-old wasn’t complaining and neither was I, but mom wouldn’t have her son fraternizing with the help. Those were her actual words.
She didn’t care that I was older beyond my years at that point, all she worried about was that I would taint the blue blood she believed we had. Me—on the other hand—all I wanted was to feel needed, to feel loved.
Over the years, my yearning for family came from the companionship I found with Ares and Tarian. They were the brothers I never had, and they never judged me the way my mother would.
Growing up in a small town like Tynewood didn’t offer much privacy, so anything I did, got back to her one way or another, except for the one thing that I managed to hide from her and even from my best friends. My mother’s incessant nagging had me wanting to run away from home, and I found solace at the Lancaster mansion more times than I care to count.
Ares had his father, but he wasn’t around often, and it would allow us to just be. There wasn’t this innate need to impress anyone, which my mother was a great fan of doing.
When I turned eighteen, Dad came back and gave me the choice—live in London with him and his new floozy or stay in Tynewood with my friends and attend school here.
I decided to stay and join the society that I know my mother was against all my life, but I knew I was the only one to step into my father’s shoes. I was convinced that I had made the right decision. I wanted to be in Tynewood because it was the only place that I felt I belonged. It was where my brothers were, and I wasn’t leaving them. And it was time to become the man I was born to be—a Crown.
I joined the Gilded Sovereign at twenty-one, only eight months ago. My mother stopped caring about the society. It was as if she accepted it was real, that I had to be one of the chosen. She never mentioned it again, which still has nervous energy coursing through me. I don’t know why Hilary Durand decided to leave it be, and that’s another mystery I need answered.
Now, I’m in London, looking at the sky as the sun rises, and I’m about to meet with the Sovereign which my father heads up in Britain. Each major city in the world houses a sector of the Sovereign. It will be the first time I attend a meeting with Elders like this, and I’m looking forward to it.
I’m also chomping at the bit to find Rukaiya. The men my father has looking for her have come back empty-handed. They haven’t spotted her yet, but we’re not sure why her father, Fergus Harrison, would’ve taken his daughter if he was on the run. She’s over eighteen, so it’s not like she’s underage and needs him to watch over her.
I have a feeling there’s more to this story than meets the eye. And I plan on getting to the bottom of it. I know Tarian has his ticket and will be flying out soon enough.
Once he arrives, we’ll have to get to Rukaiya before she’s hurt in some way. I don’t trust Fergus, and from the background information we have on him working for Abner Lancaster, Ares’s Dad, I have a feeling he’s capable of anything.
Tarian also needs to know his uncle may be involved. I’m not sure what he has to do with it just yet, but something doesn’t sit right with me.
My phone vibrates on the table in the dining room, and I make my way over to grab it. What I find waiting for me is a confirmation email for tonight’s meeting with the rest of the Sovereign in Westminster.
It’s only six in the morning, and I haven’t had enough coffee yet, so instead of getting ready for the day, I head into the kitchen and flick the switch on the Keurig, setting a large mug under the drip and waiting for it to fill up.
I’ve been tense all night, the sleep I had wasn’t nearly enough, and I’m feeling out of sorts. All I kept picturing was Rukaiya in danger.
Even though I only had a short time to get to know her—I was fascinated by her. Long blonde braids that hit her waist. Curves that had me licking my lips each time she sashayed by me. And those large, round green eyes, and her pouty, pink lips that I kept picturing around my cock.
I haven’t been obsessed with anyone before. Not like this. The need to protect her is fierce, but her pushing me away only makes me want it more. It’s not just the need to get my dick wet, it’s… more.
Sighing, I lift the mug, taking a sip of the fresh brew before I head back into the living room where my laptop is waiting on the coffee table. I pick it up, lift the lid, and open my email. Perhaps reading through the information Dad sent will take my mind off the anxiety that’s twisting in my gut. And I wonder if this is the calm before a major fucking storm.
2
Etienne
I’m stepping out of the shower when a knock sounds at my door. Wrapping a towel around my waist, I make my way into the living area and lean in to check who it is through the keyhole. There, on the other side of my door is Rukaiya.
She’s got her hair pinned at the back of her head, making her face and delicate neck more prominent, which doesn’t help my cock from pulsing with need. I want to mark her smooth skin, more than it’s already colored in with the tattoos she has snaking their way around her shoulders.
Pulling open the door, I hide my body, but gift her a smirk. I’m met with her green eyes that look like gemstones as they pierce me with a shrewd glare.
“To what do I owe this pleasure?” I question slowly, watching her with piqued interest. I hope to turn her feisty, so I can enjoy the tension between us.
“You know what I’m doing here. You shouldn’t be here.” Her voice is tight with tension, and I wonder if she’s worried her father will find out I’m in London. To be honest, I don’t give a shit, that asshole is going down. We’re just waiting on proof, and he’ll be taken out, just like he’s meant to be.
“You found me, so I’m not sure you’re supposed to be here,” I tell her, before I step aside and swing my arm toward the room, enticing her to enter. When she does, she makes her way to the sofa, but it’s only when she sits and I shut the door that she notices I’m only wearing a towel.
Her gaze drinks me in slowly, starting at my bare feet, trailing its way up to my hips, over my abs and chest, before landing on my questioning stare.
“What?” She bites out, her cheeks darkening considerably, and I can’t help but chuckle. She’s cute. I love making her nervous, and I’m certainly making a show of doing it with barely anything on.
“I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”
Closing the distance between me and the couch, I lean against the door frame to the bedroom, causing her gaze to flit over my shoulder, and I know she can see the bed in the corner of the room. It’s like a mini apartment, and I love knowing she’s in such close proximity to my naked body and a bed where I can easily lay her down and feast on her.
“I came here to tell you to leave,” she informs me, crossing her arms in front of her chest, as if she’s closing herself off to any more confrontation. I want to do more, make her see that I’m here to protect her, not to hurt her, but I can’t do that if she doesn’t trust me.
“Look,” I sigh, pushing off the frame, “I’m here to sort out Sovereign shit. And don’t tell me you don’t know what that is because you and I both know your father is a member.” Heading to the bar fridge, I grab two bottles of water and hand one to Rukaiya. I expect her to refuse, but she accepts with a nod.
“You need to go home, forget about me, and all this will be okay.” I watch her press the bottle to her lips. The action of her pouty lips makes all sorts of filthy images pop into my mind, and I have to turn away before she notices my slowly hardening shaft.
“I can’t leave. I’m a sworn Crown.”
“My father is not going to stop his plan,” she mutters, pushing off the couch and turning to the window. I watch her for a moment, taking in the soft curves that are hidden by her dark jeans and the black hoodie that I know hides a perfect set of tits. I’ve only ever seen her in tight tank tops before which is enough to give me a good idea of what she’s hiding.
“I don’t give up that easily, Rukaiya.” My tone is filled with a warning. One that I hope she doesn’t ignore because I don’t want to walk away from this and see her get hurt. As much as she fights me, I crave to see her finally submit. To admit her feelings for me, the ones I see dancing in her eyes, but she’s too damn stubborn to admit.
“I’m not weak. I’m not some little sheep waiting to be slaughtered,” she bites out, turning her green eyes on me. They’re filled with fire and determination, and every second that she locks those orbs on me turns me inside-fucking-out.
“So, you’re the wolf?” Arching a brow at her, I grin, picturing her as a shifter of sorts. She’d be beautiful as a majestic creature—green luminous eyes, soft golden fur, and a bite that could take any man out.
“If you want to call me that I wouldn’t be averse to it.”
Nodding, I stalk toward her, we’re inches from each other, and I could easily kiss her. But I have a feeling if I do, she’d knee me in my junk, leaving me to crawl after her.
“I have to go, he’ll be watching me, and if I don’t get back, I’ll lose the progress I made.” Her voice wavers as her stare lingers on mine, then slowly tracks its way down to where my towel hides my growing erection. Being this close to her isn’t doing me any favors.
“How are you so young, yet so fucking perceptive?”
“It took me a long time to learn. Growing up with a father like Fergus Harrison was challenging. Even as a kid, I had to make sure I was one step ahead of him.”
“Did it work?”
She’s silent, as if contemplating telling me more, confessing the pain she’s already been through. I want to pull her into my arms and tell her it’s going to be okay, but I don’t want to make a promise I’m not sure I can keep.
Rukaiya shakes her head, deciding against saying anything more. She turns and walks to the door. I don’t follow. I prefer watching her when she walks away.
Her hand on the doorknob stills, casting a glance over her shoulder, she tells me, “Stop trying to save me, Etienne. I’m not a damsel, I don’t need a knight in shining armor.” And with that, she’s gone.
Fuck.
I should go after her, stop her from going back to that asshole, but she’s determined to do this on her own. Perhaps I can allow her to think she’s alone, but still be her fucking shadow and when she least expects it, I’ll make myself known.
Making my way into the bedroom, I pick up the phone and dial Dad’s number. It rings twice before a woman answers in a soft voice, “Isaac’s phone, how can I help you?”
“Put my father on the phone,” my voice is filled with annoyance that he has his new plaything answering his calls. She doesn’t sound like she’s much older than I am, which only makes me even more irate that he left me for a life with some young piece of ass.
“Hello?”
I don’t bother with a greeting; instead, I question, “Who’s that?”
“Etienne,” he says my name as if it’s a surprise I’m calling him, which is such bullshit. Frustration ebbs through me, burning every nerve in my body. I want to punch something. At times, I can understand why Ares loves the ring so much. When you need to hit something, it comes in handy.
“I’m not a child anymore; you don’t have to shelter me from your life, Dad.” I know he can hear the anger that’s laced on every word I mutter, but knowing him, he won’t bite.
“She’s my assistant, Etienne. I’m at the office, where I work,” he speaks to me as if I’m still an annoying little ten-year-old begging him for my allowance. Or a new X-Box, or something else that will distract me from him and mom’s fighting.
“I need more information on the Harrison girl,” I tell him, not bothering to answer him about his assistant. “Her father is up to something, and I don’t trust the prick.” My voice is filled with ice when I think about Fergus.
“I have his emails and bank statements; I’m just waiting on his phone records. When you get here, I’ll have them ready for you to go through.”
I nod, but I know he can’t see me. “He needs to go down.”
“Is this about him or the girl?”
My father’s question catches me off guard, and I want to tell him about Rukaiya, my little wolf, but I don’t mention her.
“I’ll see you in an hour.” I hang up before he can say anything more. And my non-answer may have given him the response he wanted, but I no longer give a shit right now.
3
Etienne
Present day
I recall the moment my life changed.
I was fifteen.
Heartbreak held me in an icy grip when I watched my father pack his bags and drag them down the staircase. I escaped to my bedroom in time to see him shove them into the trunk of his Lexus SUV. He glanced over his shoulder, meeting my pained stare through my bedroom window. Seeing the defeat in his eyes was too much for me to bear. He’d finally given in to my mother’s constant nagging for him to choose.
She didn’t want him to be a Crown. She didn’t agree with the way he lived his life, but even then, he never asked her to change. And he could’ve. I didn’t understand it at first. I questioned why he would walk out when all he had to do was tell her he’s unhappy. He could make her see that her actions pushed him away, and his focus became the Sovereign instead of his family.
The moment he was gone, she became the type of mom I never thought she could be. But, then again, it was only when my friends were over. She enjoyed having Ares and Tarian here, so she could fawn over them.
When my father walked out, my mother blamed me. There’s one thing I learned about her in those early years, she enjoyed keeping up appearances. None of her friends knew Dad left; she would tell them he was away for work, or he had important matters to deal with in London.
Home was in Tynewood, but I never felt as if I belonged. That is until I met my two best friends. They offered me a safe haven from the shit I had going on at home; only, they didn’t know how bad my mother was.
I guess I’m more like her than I care to admit. I’m keeping up the appearance of the perfect son, but deep down, I know I’m far from it. I realized that love is not something you can buy with the millions we have in our bank account. It’s also not something that can be forced. If it were, my folks wouldn’t be living half a world away from each other.
Dad was always a prideful person; he never allowed his feelings to show. Ever. And that’s where he went wrong. But it all came crashing down when he told mom she wasn’t the woman he married. Of course, she’d changed. She was older, a mom, someone who spent her mornings at the salon getting her gray hair colored and afternoons at the local bistro drinking wine with her friends.
Dad didn’t like it.
Mom didn’t care.
I grew up with role models who showed me just how volatile love can be. They didn’t hurt me. It was how they treated each other. With disdain, frustration, and anger.
I vowed to myself to never fall in love.
All it brings is unhappiness and heartache, that’s what my folks taught me.
It shouldn’t be easy to love or to hate someone. It should be challenging, demanding, and it should push you outside your comfort zone. Questioning your sanity at times.
But before you can ever love someone else, before you can give them your heart and soul, you need to accept who you are. You should love yourself before you can ever have someone to share your life with. And I don’t know if I’m someone who could ever do that. I may want to save Rukaiya, I may care about her, but I wonder if I’ll ever be able to give her all of me, to love her because I certainly don’t fucking love myself.
As much as I truly believe that, I also found out early in life that emotions are merely things to hold us back from what we truly want. Growing up, I always got what I wanted. Every girl I flirted with would drop her panties within hours of meeting me. Whenever I needed a good grade, I’d get it, without putting in too much effort.
Life was easy as the son of one of the founding families in Tynewood. The Durand name gifted me privilege; it offered me opportunities to work anywhere in the world, to do anything I wanted.
The world was my oyster; I had everything I could dream of, until the moment she walked into my town, challenging me with every conversation I attempted, and then she disappeared without a trace.
And that’s why I find myself in London—a world away from Tynewood—to find the beauty who’s caused my insanity. Strolling into the old building, I take in the river, which twinkles with lights from the city above it. Tonight, I meet the Sovereign in London; I’ll sit at their table to find out just where the exotic beauty has disappeared to.
I’ll find her.
And when I do, I’m taking her back to where she belongs—Tynewood.
