Pigalle Palace (17 page)

The sound of the sunroof starting to move rumbled like thunder.

“It's time. The moment of truth is here…” the Chancellor said.

Everyone watched and I held my breath as tears emerged. I kept my gaze on Ulysses. He was so innocent and unaware of what was happening. If he lived through this, he would be able to tell this story.

As the sun started coming in slowly, it started at the top of my head. The bright light hurt my eyes, so I closed them, but I wanted to see the baby, so I turned my head to rest against the concrete. Surprisingly, the sun was not burning my skin. The sun wasn't burning me. That had to mean that Ulysses was going to turn to ash. I panicked as I kept my eyes on him. As soon as the sun touched the top of his head, I cringed. The sun moved down to his eyebrows, and that's when I realized what was happening.

Not only was the sun shining brightly on his entire body, he started glowing. What did the glow mean? Was I glowing, too? I looked at my hands. I didn't have the same glow. Why was he glowing?

The whole court exploded in loud chatter.

“Un miracle!”

“
Incroyable!”

“Phénoménal!”

“Vive le roi et le prince!”

The Chancellor stood in disbelief and allowed the court's commotion to continue until the sunroof had fully opened. The sun was beaming and we were not burned. He finally hit his gavel against the table. “Close the roof and unchain him!”

The roof closed and I was set free. I picked up Ulysses, who was staring directly at me with a smile. I smiled back at him. Not only was the Divination proved true that day, it came with another surprise. There were two future kings in their presence.

The Chancellor bowed and the officials stood and then bowed as well.

“King Rain and Prince Ulysses… We've waited a long time for you.”

U
lysses and I were Daywalkers, and together, we were going to put order back into the lives of our community. I was glad there was some peace in our lives again. I had some business I had to conduct with another official in Versailles who wanted to hold a crowning ceremony. He suggested that the family sell Club Vaisseau and move into Château de Chambord as quickly as possible to start my duties as the King of Pigalle Palace.

Azura was the only one who wanted to keep the club. She wasn't ready to trade in her miniskirt for a gown, so I was going to try my best to talk them into letting her keep it. I couldn't be anywhere near the club. There would have to be a level of protection to surround me while out in public places.

I checked into a hotel in Versailles that night.

Once in the lobby, I thought I caught a glimpse of Essence, but I wasn't sure. She looked so different, but her scent was the same. I could always smell her. Was she following me? I didn't know if I should've headed for the door. Instead, I stood at the front of the lobby, watching her every move.

She must've felt my eyes when she turned her head toward my direction. When she saw me, she disappeared behind a column. I dashed her way, but she was gone.

  *  *  *  

Once I was in the hotel's room on the top floor, I opened the balcony, and sat in a chair. I lit a complimentary cigar and waited for Essence. I could feel her. She was near. She still smelled like the delicate flower that I loved so much. The moment she flew inside, I smiled on the inside. She had become too predictable, but that's what I liked most about our nexus.

“When will you get tired of playing hide-and-go-seek with me?” I asked.

A slight smile graced her beautiful face. I could read her mind because she hadn't learned how to block me out of her head yet. She was wondering whom I loved and fucked while she had been away. That was the only thing on her mind and that made me chuckle to myself.

Suddenly, she thought about leaving. It was no fun to pursue me when I was expecting her. When she turned to leave, I stopped her.

“Are you having second thoughts now that you're here?” I blew out smoke.

“No,” she lied.

“Leaving so soon?”

She faced me again and replied, “How did you know I was coming up here?”

“Why are you following me?”

“Because this desire I have for you won't go away.”

I shouldn't have had any feelings for Essence anymore, but releasing some tension sexually deep into her was something I couldn't stop thinking about. Seeing Essence like this was bad, but at that moment, I didn't care about anything else but making her scream my name.

“I acknowledge our tension, but I really think you came here to hurt me or try.”

I put out the cigar and invaded her personal space. I inhaled her
from where I was standing. She bared her fangs before she licked her lips seductively. Her wild, jet-black hair formed into a wavy afro. It was becoming, but it made her look like the wild banshee that she had adopted.

“In Montmartre…nearly seven months ago, Rain, you bit me…”

“Essence, why'd you come up here tonight? What is it about me that has you refusing to be without me?”

“Shhhh,” she hushed me before wrapping her arms around my neck. She pulled my hands to her ass. I squeezed her as we danced slowly in a small circle as if there was music playing.

I hated to admit that I missed my ex-wife. I wished I was over Essence, but I wasn't, not even a little bit. The dreams I had been having about her wouldn't stop. She had been manipulating my dreams and I didn't care. I enjoyed them.

When I lay next to Olivia, I thought of Essence. It wasn't right, but it was the truth.

I removed Essence's shirt without her permission to reveal her breasts. She wasn't wearing a bra. I kissed and nibbled her nipples, making my tongue dance on them until they got hard. She pushed me back to relax on the couch and unbuckled my pants. Within seconds, she sat on my hardness.

On top of me, she was riding me so good that all I could do was exhale.

“I missed kissing you… I missed loving you… I missed fucking you… I missed this… I missed you,” she moaned, and with each word, my dick got harder.

I pulled her off me and pushed her on the floor to get on all fours.

“Do you miss me because I'm King?”

“You're not the King, yet, baby.”

“I am.”

“Where's your crown?”

I thrust into her as hard as I could and that made her shut up her crazy talk. I made her cum repeatedly until we shared the last orgasm. All of the tension she had in her body was released and she relaxed in my arms. I propped my elbow on the carpet and rested my head in my hand to stare into her eyes.

Essence stared at me with her eyes watering a little. “I can't stay mad at you for long, Rain, but I see you are with Olivia now. How can you move on this way without me?”

“Easy. You broke our bond,” I replied and then rested my head into the valley between her supple breasts.

She caressed the top of my head and I closed my eyes, feeling as if I never wanted to let her out of my arms. At that moment, I wished the feeling would never go away. She needed to be with me. The path she had chosen wasn't what I had in mind for her. Essence was beginning to destruct anything in her path with her brood. I didn't want her to be the Queen of the Darkness. I wanted her to be the Queen of Pigalle Palace.

“What would Olivia think?” she asked, reading my thoughts.

I smiled on the inside because she had been given my power of mind reading.

“Don't bring Olivia into this.”

“I wouldn't have to if you would leave her and be with me.”

I refused to answer her.

“Why else would you leave the balcony open for me? I'll tell you why. It's because you still want me. So, let's get to why I'm here. I need you, Rain. Your power with mine, we could do so many great things together. My brood is growing.”

“I heard about your so-called brood. Honestly, your brood is nothing but a bunch of blood-sucking demons.”

“I didn't come up here for the guilt trip. I saw you and your nephew, Ulysses, in court. Quite admirable and impressive. This
city will have two Daywalkers… Kings… I can only imagine how jealous that makes some feel.”

“There's no jealousy. The people are overjoyed to have a leader. They hate the government. Look, I know why you came here. You wanted to try to kill me; instead, I wound up fucking you senseless.” I removed myself from her body. “You do know that you won't be able to kill me, right?”

“And you don't have the nerve to kill me.”

“So, let's agree to disagree.”

“That's fine with me.”

“You move your brood away from Pigalle Palace immediately. I will be crowned in a few days. The Préfet is stepping down and their only job will be to hold court. As long as you're away, I won't seek you out. Oh, and quit trying to manipulate my dreams.”

She drifted off into thought for a split-second. “Rain, you know that you enjoy me in your dreams.”

“I enjoy you in and out of my dreams.”

“You're such a good man. It's a shame you don't know anything about being faithful.”

“I am faithful.”

“You were faithful before tonight.” She loved to push my buttons—always did.

I tried to put my clothes on, but she pulled on my arm.

“I'm sorry, Rain. I'm having some fun with you. I don't want you to kick me out yet.”

“You want to torture me and make me feel bad about fucking you.”

“I promise you...I won't say another word about this.”

“Good.”

“Lay with me. Feels like old times…”

I didn't want her to leave, either and it did feel like old times.

W
hen I got home from Versailles, I could hear the shower in my master bathroom running. I went into the steamy bathroom. Her body, silhouetted from the door of the marbled steam unit, had me fixated. I watched her shadow move around underneath the hot water as she bathed.

I smiled to myself, wondering if she knew I was watching her. I wanted to rub her thighs, kiss her neck, and touch her hot spot until she came… Olivia.

I opened the door of the unit with a smile on my face. “Liv,” I said with my eyebrows raised. “You've been waiting for me long?”

She took hold of my boxers with her warm wet hands. “I just got here. Get in with me.”

I gently pulled away from her. “I wish I could play with you. I'm leaving on royal business in a bit. I can't be late.”

She reached for a towel to wrap around her. “Can I come?”

“It's boring and long. You really want to come?”

“Where?”

“Up North.”

“That sounds good to me.”

“You sure you want to roll with me on business? I'm traveling in the day.”

She groaned, “Aw, I really want to, but the sun will be too much; then maybe I should stay here.”

“I don't care if you come, really.” I kissed her on her damp forehead.

She smiled. I stared at the water beads completely covering her body. Her hair had gotten moist while in the shower. She fluttered her eyelashes up at me because she was watching me gawk at her nakedness.

“What?” I asked.

“What you think about when you stare at me like that?”

“A lot of things.”

“Like?” she pressed.

“Well, Olivia. I wonder if I am the man that can truly keep you happy. I couldn't keep Essence happy.”

She rolled her eyes. “I really want you to move on from her. When you dream, you talk in your sleep. I'm truly tired of hearing her name.”

“I don't say her name in my sleep.”

She frowned as if I had said something crazy. “Night after night, you moan her name.”

The dreams I'd had about Essence felt real. I dazed off thinking about them.

“You saw her, didn't you?” Olivia asked, interrupting my thoughts.