Mark of the Empress | The Empire Saga #2

Chapter Fourteen

Alex listened intently while Treyan recalled the events that transpired while in New York. She traced the lines of his chest as he told her about his research, tracking down the apartment, and the confrontation with the woman he soon found out was his mother. She still didn't want to believe him, but the sincerity in his voice as he relayed the account convinced her it was all true. How his mother could have been alive this entire time with no one knowing was still a mystery to her, but judging by his tone she believed he may already have an inkling as to who could have concocted such an elaborate deception.

As they lay together on the bed, their bodies just touching in their post-coital heat, Alex couldn't help but consider what she herself would have done if Treyan ever went missing and she thought him dead.

Then again, Alex did think he was dead not so long ago.

It occurred to her that the roles had already been reversed once in their lives, and a lump came to Alex's throat. She never truly found out what had happened during that time she was taken prisoner, and there had never been time to bring it up. The wounds were still too raw, she felt, but she knew that someday they would need to be reopened.

She leaned her cheek on Treyan's shoulder as he talked, though by now his tale was drifting away with her thoughts. He had wrapped his arms around her, and she realized that he had stopped talking.

"What is it?" She looked up at him through the dim light from the off-kilter lamp on the bedside table.

"There is something else," he muttered into her hair. "I do not know what to do about it."

Something in his voice made her sit up so she could better see him while they talked. He watched her, and there was something in his eyes that did, indeed, tell her that there was more that needed to be said.

"What is it, Treyan? Tell me."

He smiled slightly, grabbing hold of her hand in his. She could tell he was thinking about how to phrase whatever he said next. "Have you ever felt as though the entire life you led may have been a fallacy? That you were being set up for some other scheme and you did not figure it out until it was too late?"

She looked at him with her brow perked.

He chuckled to himself. "Of course, you have. I am sorry."

"Treyan, what's happened?"

He shook his head slightly. "I do not even know if there is any weight to it, but between what Bria told me, and speaking with my mother..."

"What did Bria tell you?" Just the mention of her name set her blood boiling. "What's Reylor done now?"

"No, not Reylor this time. The Councillor."

Alex blinked at him a moment. "What do you mean?"

He drew his eyes away from her and focused on their joined hands, where his thumb began to rub the back of her hand gently. "I do not know, at least not yet. I do not want to believe anything until I can either confirm or deny it myself. There are strong accusations against the man whom I have considered my mentor since I was a child."

"Accusations?" Alex pulled her hand back. "What did she tell you, Treyan?"

He looked back up to her. "Would you believe me if I told you he was my uncle?"

She wasn't expecting that one. Her jaw dropped as she attempted to put the few pieces she had together. "How would Bria know something like that?"

Treyan only shook his head. "No, my mother told me, which means I do not need Bria to know that either. It will be one less thing Reylor needs to find out."

"Your uncle." Alex weighed that one for a moment. "He never told you? Why would he keep that from you? You would think family was the one thing you needed most after you thought your mother had died."

"I do not know. I just know we need to get home, as soon as possible."

"I couldn't agree more." She lay back down next to him, this time draping her leg over his. "I miss having our own space—our own quarters. This apartment is beginning to get a little crowded, don't you think?"

"Mm," he agreed as his hand began exploring her bare back. "We should really figure out what we are going to do with Bria in the interim."

"You don't think she enjoys spending lonely nights on our couch?" Alex smirked.

"Even if she does, I do not like her here."

"You say as you left her alone and unattended." She glanced to the closed door knowingly.

"I had business to attend to," he snickered as he gently kissed her neck.

"Of course, you did," she retorted as she grabbed his bottom.

He purred lightly as he gently rubbed against her leg. "Is that how it is going to be?"

"Not for much longer, if these arrangements keep up," she teased. "Did you have something in mind?"

He leaned over her. "Do you think Crystal wants a house guest until we can figure out a way to get home?"

Alex couldn't help but laugh. "I have no idea, but I can ask, I suppose. Though she doesn't have a phone right now, so I don't know how I'm going to get in touch with her."

He cocked his head at that one.

"It's a long story."

"Then it can wait until the morning. Until then, I hope Sara will remain asleep for us for a little while longer."

"Oh really?" she smirked.

"Really," he answered as he rolled over on top of her, bringing his lips to hers and taking her once again before she could inhale another breath.