The Stains of the Crown

Chapter Thirty Nine

Trigger warnings: vague mentions of SA of a minor character.

Smut warning.

Finley's POV

Vix apologizes, says she can't explain, and leaves. Jovi stares at me as I walk back towards her.

"She didn't want to talk to me?" she asks. Her tone is flat and unreadable, but I see a spark of pain in her eyes.

"It was my fault," I mumble. "I started an argument and that's why she left," I lie. I couldn't tell Jovi about Mazus. She'd tell Echo, and until I had more information, it was best to keep this secret. I needed to know exactly what Vix meant, what she'd done, why she hadn't told the truth.

"What was the argument about?" I sigh.

"I told her she hadn't just hurt Echo. I yelled at her for not being here when Aiden was born and told her that she left us too." Jovi wraps her arms around me. We hold each other for a while. Eventually, I realize she's crying. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"This was so much easier when she was gone. When I could just hate her, forget how much I..."

"Forget how much you love her?" I ask softly. She nods, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. This was a side of her I hadn't seen often, especially in regards to Vix. "Do you want her to come back? To stay?" She presses her forehead against my chest before looking up at me.

"What do you want?"

"I asked first." She sighs, wiping at her tears.

"I don't know that I trust her to stay," she whispers.

"I don't know if I do either."

"I also don't know if I want her around Aiden. But if it weren't for him..."

"If it weren't for him, I don't think any of us would still be keeping her away like this." She lets out a sound that's somewhere between a chuckle and a sob.

"I bet she would've spent the night in our bed, telling us she wasn't about to fall asleep even though she couldn't keep her eyes open." I let out a little laugh.

"She always used to do that." She pulls me in for another hug before pressing a kiss to my neck. "Jovi," I mutter.

"Distract me," she whispers. "Make me feel better." I pull back, pressing my lips roughly against hers.

"Do you want Echo?"

"She's taking Aiden to visit her mom." She kisses me again, her hands sliding under my shirt.

"Let's go inside. I don't think the guards need to see us fucking each other," I tease. She huffs, nipping at my neck before grabbing my hand. She pulls me through the castle. When we reach our room, she basically slams me against the door, her lips on my neck again. I gasp, the space between my legs becoming wet. "I want you so bad," I whisper. She chuckles lowly. I know that chuckle. It's the chuckle that means that she's not going to make this easy for me. "Jovi," I whine, "please?"

"Please what?" she asks, biting the crook of my neck hard enough I know it'll bruise. I can't help but moan.

"Please just fuck me?" She lets out another low chuckle.

"Fuck you how?" I groan, my frustration already trying to get the better of me. Images flash through my mind of all the ways she could fuck me.

"Any way you want," I whine. She nips at my neck, her hands sliding under my shirt again. I take a shaky breath as her fingertips trail my stomach. Arousal pools in my core, each movement adding to my need. "Jovi."