Better Worse 25

It was not even a half an hour later, and I was still seething in anger. Still pacing about Allura’s bedroom, my body tense, my voice a rough growl whenever I spoke. I made no effort to hide how furious I was, or how I raged over the fact that my lusts had been thwarted once again. Allura made no comment about my anger, though she was not oblivious to my feelings. She simply seemed not to care, not at all bothered by how I suffered, or how excruciating it had been to come down from an arousal Allura herself, had caused.

It was an arousal that had been quick to happen, and even now, if I stopped and thought about the sight of Allura clad in nothing but panties, it would bring my erection roaring back to life. Even just glancing her way seemed to cause a throbbing pain in my groin. And all because I desired her body, desired the pleasure I could take from it. For all my anger and upset over what was being done to me, what continued to happen, it couldn’t change the fact that Allura was a very beautiful woman. I was attracted to her, to her looks and physical attributes, to the memory of how good it had felt to bury myself inside her.

I nearly groaned then, and only my fangs biting into my lip kept the sound from being expressed. That had been the wrong thing to recall, the arousal ever present in me, heating my blood. I had to bite harder on my lip, trying to use the pain to keep myself from getting hard. But really? What I wanted to do was walk over to Allura, bend her over the vanity, and thrust into her from behind. The maids be damned!

That annoying trio was still present, two working to unpack and arrange my clothing into Allura’s closet. I couldn’t even feel better to have clothes that fit me now, hating on the fact that my wardrobe’s arrival had been the catalyst to prevent my getting sex. I was all but positive that Allura had been about to give in to me. And even if she hadn’t, I had had her trapped. She would have had to realize the futility of fighting me, of fighting the pleasure we could both take from each other.

This time my glare was directed towards the maid hovering behind Allura. She seemed to pale in response, and hurriedly busied herself in arranging Allura’s hair into an upswept style. A few side pieces hung loose, dangling down towards her shoulders. Allura herself was wearing a high neck blouse, one meant to cover the mark I had made on her skin. I didn’t know why she bothered. The maids had already seen it, and more, and would surely talk about it.

I didn’t care. Hell, I would have gladly given them even more of a sight to gossip about if they had been just a few minutes late in interrupting us. I scowled now, wondering if the Gods themselves conspired against me. Wondering what if anything I could do to have fortune turn in my favor. But I wouldn’t just settle for sex. I wanted out of this marriage, wanted free of these people, and wanted to enact my revenge against Alfor and Zarkon.

But I couldn’t think past my anger, past my arousal. I was an addict, a slave to my lusts. And like an addict, I needed a fix, a hit of the drug I craved. Once again my
eyes were drawn to Allura, watching as she gave a smile to the maid fussing over her.

“Thank you, Marie.” Allura said, and the maid bowed.

“Will that be all, your highness?” She asked.

“Yes.” Allura answered. The princess would turn back to the mirror, fingers reaching to tuck a curl behind her ear. My gaze would bore into her, mentally urging, commanding her to send the servants away. But Allura did not, either unaware of what I wanted, or uncaring. She would rise from her seat, and with barely a glance my way, gesture for me to follow her out of the room.

I didn’t like following her commands, and yet I wanted time alone with her. I’d actually stalk after her, my pace perhaps a bit too hurried. I wanted to grab her, to pull her into my arms and kiss her to the point she was senseless. But when I attempted to reach for her, Allura easily avoided my hands. I frowned at that ease, realizing she had expected such an act.

“We have kept my family waiting long enough.” She told me in a calm voice. The guards that were an ever present part of my reality, looked our way. I wanted to scream in frustration, angry eyes meeting Allura’s downright serene gaze. No hint of the upset she had worn last night and this morning was present. One would never know how much pain this girl suffered. Nor would they know of how sick she had been barely an hour ago.

Part of it had to do with the color returning to her face. She was no longer so pale, and had used make up to cover the dark circles under her eyes. Her eyes didn’t sparkle, the polite smiles she had given the maids lacking any true emotion to them. Though she couldn’t fake happiness, Allura did seem to be in better spirits. In fact she seemed downright smug, inordinately pleased with herself.

I wondered at that, wondered what could be the cause. Was she that happy to keep on denying me sex? Or was there something more at hand? If it was the former, it would only further spark anger in me. But I wasn’t sure she was that cruel. And so I kept mulling on the mystery, giving side long glances to the woman by my side. She wouldn’t respond to my looks, content to walk in silence through the castle halls.

The more I looked at her, the more I was aware of how satisfied she seemed. As though something extraordinary had happened. I couldn’t understand it. If anything, the extraordinary moment had been ruined by the inopportune timing of the maids. We should have been having sex, I should have been the one walking about smug and satisfied. Hell, I was a good enough lover, that despite all of Allura’s protests, she would have come away from the encounter satisfied too. Maybe then she would have abandoned this tiresome idea of love being a necessity where sex was concerned.

Maybe then she would lose some of her hurt where I was concerned. If she could learn to distance her heart from her body’s pleasure, Allura might be able to do away with her disappointments and pain. Certainly I felt she overreacted to my use of her. As the future queen of Arus, she should have known better. Should have been prepared for any and all tactics, including the dirty ones, when it came to the seizing of her crown. I hadn’t set out to personally hurt her. She was just a casualty in my quest for power, one of the few that would have been incurred had her father given in to my demands.

My mood was worsening as I thought of Alfor. But then, when wasn’t I in a bad mood since this whole nightmare began? I could think of a handful of times, each one brief and ending too soon. Each one focused on possessing Allura as a means for my sexual gratification. I hadn’t been exactly happy when attempting to seduce her, but I hadn’t been angry either. Not until after it became apparent sex wasn’t going to happen.

Stealing another side glance at Allura, I wondered at her luck. The first night of our marriage, I had been less than suave. Drunk and disorderly, I had used little finesse towards getting what I wanted from her. I’m not surprised I ended up in the dungeons, that my temper grew so violent that Alfor’s subduing device had triggered within me. But the times that followed? It should have been a sure thing. And yet always something happened to prevent us from fucking.

Again I cursed the maids’ unwanted arrival. Allura had been relieved, actually glad for the interruption. I was sure Allura knew how close to caving she had been, and thus the princess welcomed the maid’s intrusion. To the point she hadn’t minded being seen in such a state, both of us practically naked, her delicate hand being held over my cock. She hadn’t been embarrassed, not even in the slightest. I thought that strange, just as I found it weird how improved her mood now was. There was a spring in her step, a certain gleam in her eyes. There was no doubt in my mind, she was pleased. For someone who worried about appearances, she seemed not to care how unseemly it was to be seen in such state, even if her partner was in fact her legal husband.

I nearly drew to a halt when the realization hit me. Allura DID care about appearances. Everyone on Arus did, to extremes that should have allowed me to blackmail the royal family. But I refused to let that thought side track me, instead staying focused on Allura. On her behavior of this morning, and of what I knew about her and her vaunted values. She should have been mortified to have been walked in on in that fashion. Instead she had bid the maids enter, a fact that had almost gone unnoticed by me. Now all I could think about was how eagerly she had called out to them, how she had smiled and urged them to stay. Allura hadn’t shied away, hadn’t tried to hide what had been happening. She hadn’t even tried to cover herself! She HAD wanted to be seen, I was sure of it!

“What?” Allura’s voice broke the silence, her tone and expression wary. I had been glaring at her for some time now, and it made her nervous. I didn’t soften my expression, instead staring searchingly at her. The maids unfortunate timing was suspect at best, and now I even questioned Allura’s decision to undress in front of me. What had been surprising, arousing, now seemed a calculated move. But was Allura really that manipulative? I didn’t think so. But then how well did I truly know her?

“What?” repeated Allura. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Was it all a set up?” I demanded, and didn’t believe for one-second her confused look. “Did you plan for them to walk in on us?!”

“What? No!” Allura gasped out a protest. “Don’t be absurd!”

“I’ll tell you what I find absurd.” I hissed. “To have my wife, the same woman who has been refusing to sleep with me, or to do anything sexual with me, suddenly take her clothes off in front of me!” Her lush mouth had dropped open in shock, Allura staring aghast at me. “You didn’t even hesitate, Allura.”

“I….I didn’t see why it would be such a big deal…” She stammered out as a response.

“You don’t expect me to believe that, do you?” I demanded. “No….you knew those women were coming. You were counting on it, weren’t you? You WANTED us to be seen!”

“You are paranoid.” A haughty lift of her head, Allura starting to turn from me. I growled, and though the sound should have been enough warning for her, she wasn’t able to evade my grab this time. “Let me go!”

“You set me up.” I continued, my fingers digging into her sleeve covered arm hard enough to bruise. “You purposefully teased me. You knew just how far to take it, to get me to react perfectly.” Allura was jerking on her arm, but couldn’t break free. I was holding her in such a way, the guards couldn’t see that she was trying to get away. And neither of us was raising our voices. It would appear to be nothing more than a quiet talk in the hall. Certainly nothing that could arouse the suspicions of the guards who trailed after us.

“You wanted us to be seen.” I snapped. “What’s your game?!”

“I didn’t know they were coming!” She finally retorted. “Nor did I know you were going to get carried away just by my undressing!” She looked defiant in response to my disbelieving look.

“How could I not have? You’re quite the beauty, sexy and desire some.”

“Oh yes, I know.” Her words were sarcastic then. “I have big breasts and lips you want around your dick!” Her face had turned red, Allura jerking so hard she almost slipped free of my grip. And all because I was surprised by the words she had said, and only then becoming aware of how unflattered she was by my blatant admiration of her charms. A Drule is almost always forward, getting straight to the point with the partner they are interested in. When I had described to Allura the things I liked about her body and her looks, it had been practically poetry as far as Drule males are concerned.

But that didn’t matter now. I still didn’t entirely believe in her innocence. “Allura dear, if you wanted us to be seen, there are far easier ways to get what you want rather than subterfuge.”

“I TOLD you I DIDN’T know!” She snapped back. “I try not to lie, and I certainly wouldn’t manipulate a situation like that.”

“So you mean to say you invited them in just because you wanted free of my attentions?!” When she nodded, I grit out a sharp word. “Bullshit!”

She had flinched in response to that angry curse. “I wasn’t about to have sex with you, and I wanted to avoid having another scene where you are carted off to the dungeons. That would have been detrimental to everything!”

“Ah yes, there is that. You need people to believe a certain lie…”

“WE both need them to believe it!” She interrupted. “Appearances matter.” Another jerk of her arm, Allura trying to step free of me. She’d find herself all but pushed into the wall. It was difficult to do. I couldn’t be as violent as I wanted to be, not if I wanted to alert the guards to our difficulties.

Allura had gasped, finding herself pinned, my hands on either side of her shoulders. I wasn’t yet pressed against her, there was perhaps an inch of space between us. But she wasn’t going anywhere, that much was clear. She had me at her front, and the wall against her back, and I gave her an absolutely ruthless smile.

“What are you doing?!” She demanded, her breath catching in her throat. “Have you gone completely crazy?!”

I was neither crazy, nor angry, feeling oddly calm in the moment. It was probably why the subduing device hadn’t triggered. It only read my anger, the violent impulses I had. I wasn’t intending to do real harm to Allura, though I was positively evil in my thoughts as I leered at her. She seemed to lose what little color had been restored to her, Allura not liking the way I looked at her one bit.

“I am in complete possession of my sanity.” I told her, my gaze dropping to her mouth. “And my temper…” She read my intent, Allura starting to talk in a fast, breathless fashion.

“Don’t you dare! Do not even think about it!” As I leaned in to kiss her, she continued. “I’ll….I’ll scream!”

“And risk ruining everything?” I mocked. “You are not that stupid.” Her sapphire eyes filled with anger in response to that, my mouth closing the distance between us. I all but purred at the contact of our lips, Allura’s mouth so soft and trembling against my own. She wouldn’t yield easily to me, lips remaining sealed, both her hands coming up to push against my chest.

I licked over her lips, mouthing hungrily at them. She made a low sound in her throat that was angry. I wanted to laugh in response, my eyes twinkling with amusement. “Allura….appearances matter…..for the good of all involved, you’ll maintain the deception you started in the bedroom for those maids…”

Her gaze hardened. Allura looked as though she wanted to slap me. Her fingers actually curled into the fabric of my shirt, leaving me to think she would do something stupid rather than suffer another kiss from me. But I was right about how much she valued appearances. Even as her eyes showed her helpless rage, she gave a subtle nod, consenting to my kiss.

Grinning my victory, I seized hold of her, fingers tangling in the back of her hair. My mouth ate at hers, ardent and expressive, all my need and desire conveyed in the downright desperate way I kissed her. When Allura made a distressed sound, I took advantage to pry open her lips with my tongue, plunging that muscle into the honeyed warmth inside. I was absolutely ruthless as I kissed her, seeking not only to steal her breath away, but to render her senseless with need. This time I pressed against her, effectively pinning her in place with my body. Our legs ended up entangled, my knee purposefully working between her thighs. My only regret in the moment was that she wasn’t wearing a dress, my hands longing for skirts to get under in my quest to feel her warm skin.

I settled for pulling up the hem of her shirt, the hand not in her hair, slipping between the fabric and her back. My fingers caressed the base of her spine, Allura continuing to make noises. She sounded as though she might be panicking, perhaps realizing I intended to take this further than she was ready for. When I let up on my kisses, she couldn’t breathe, doing gasping pants through her kiss swollen lips.

“Lo….” She tried to get out my name, and that was when I decided she had had enough air. Again I covered her mouth, my one hand pawing at her round bottom. I’d get a good grip on her right cheek, squeezing that generous curve and laughing at the way she jumped in startled response to my action.

I never lost sight of my intentions, my goal to finally have Allura. It didn’t matter if we did it out here in the hall, in front of the guards. Hell, I’d carry her to the nearest empty room, and let those soldiers listen to her screams of pleasure. Either way, they would know what we were doing, know that Allura had at last accepted her duty as a Drule’s wife. I groaned into the kiss, blood pumping down to my groin. I was excited, and confidant I had Allura right where I wanted her. Fantasies filled me, but I wasn’t content with imagining the thorough fucking I was about to do to her. Not when it was almost reality, Allura here and in my arms, even if she wasn’t completely willing. It didn’t matter. She might only be doing this for show, but I’d turn her body against her.

Even as she began determinedly pushing against my chest, making these low fitful sounds that couldn’t carry to the guards, I was plotting. Intent on making her crave me as much as I craved sex. I wanted to ensure that so long as I was trapped on Arus, Allura would never again think to deny me in this way. I’d make her a slave to my passions, and the best part was Alfor wouldn’t be able to stop me. No one would.

Perhaps I had gone as crazy as Allura had accused me of being. Certainly in the moment I was so delusional at the thought of getting sex, I didn’t pay attention to anything but Allura. I was too intent on her, on the sounds she was making to hear anything else. Not even the footsteps hurrying towards me, or the gasping female’s voice that spoke so franticly.

A shriek cut through the air. I found myself being hauled away from Allura. It made me snarl, my thoughts focused only on the fact someone was taking Allura away from me. I started to struggle, but before my anger could really build up to dangerous levels, I was the one slammed into the wall. I shook my head, and was slammed a second time, Avok’s enraged face coming into focus. He wasn’t the only thing, I could hear Romelle shouting at her brother to stop.

Allura was somewhere out of my range of sight, but I could hear her panting breath. She wasn’t making an effort to speak, or to stop Avok. He slammed me into the wall a third time. “Keep your filthy hands off of my cousin!”

I had been about to get angry, but now I laughed instead. Romelle spoke, her tone nervous. It was clear she was frightened by what she thought both I and Avok would do.

“Avok, Lotor didn’t do anything wrong. He’s married to Allura now….It’s expected that they be intimate with each other.”

“Intimate?” Avok’s muscles in his arms bunched, he was preparing to slam me again. I could almost swear there was this enraged, jealous gleam in his eyes. But he couldn’t possibly be interested in Allura that way. “He has no right to that!”

“Some would say my being her husband gives me every right.” I sarcastically retorted.

“You’re a pig! You are crude and unappreciative of my cousin! You embarrassed her, and maul her like she is some whore for your private amusement! I will not stand for this!”

“Avok I am all right.” Allura had finally regained her ability to speak. “Lotor, just got carried away….”

“Don’t make excuses for him!” snapped Avok. He still retained his grip on my tunic, his eyes never turning away from me. He was unbelievably angry, and seemed even more so when he addressed the two guards who were standing near to Allura and Romelle. “Why didn’t you fools stop him?!”

“Er…” The guards exchanged a look between them. “Princess Allura at no time gave any notice that she was in distress.” It was an apologetic tone that said this.

“WHAT?!” barked out Avok.

“You see, brother?” More than a little relief was in Romelle’s voice. “It was all just a misunderstanding. We intruded where we shouldn’t have. We interrupted a moment….”

Avok’s jaw clenched, his grip not loosening. I smirked at him when it became apparent Allura would neither confirm nor deny Romelle’s theories. That smirk almost got me punched, Avok at the last second controlling himself. He’d give me another hateful look, then transfer his grip so that he was holding onto my arm rather than my shoulders.

“You are coming with me!” He announced, to the protests of Romelle and Allura. “It’s time you and I have a little talk.” When the two princesses tried to follow us, Avok growled at them. “This is business between men! What I have to say to Lotor is not fit for delicate ears!”

I couldn’t possibly begin to imagine what Avok had to say to me. But he wasn’t giving me much choice, dragging me off to follow close behind him. I’d share a glance with a bemused Allura, the princess hardly looking concerned. Romelle however, was nervous, actually biting at her lip when the guards moved to stop her from following us. I would have felt better to have Romelle around, thinking she might have been able to control Avok somewhat. As it was, I was uneasy, aware that I couldn’t effectively fight back so long as that damnable subduing device was in my arm. I didn’t know what was about to happen, but I feared the condition I’d be in once Avok was through with me.