Belong (GxG)

Chapter 19 A Question

Ally whimpered. "A-again?"

Alcina's grip tightened on her waist, holding her firm. "Where," she drawled, "were you sneaking off to, my love?"

Ally panicked.

Not in the frightened way—no, not at all.

It was the other kind of panic—the kind that came when she was far too aware of how thoroughly Alcina had ruined her ability to function properly.

Her last shred of resolve kicked in.

She had to distract Alcina.

Now.

"My Lady, have I told you how beautiful you are today?," Ally breathed, tilting her chin up, her fingers tightening against Alcina's arms. "The most beautiful woman I have ever seen."

Alcina paused.

Just for a fraction of a second.

Then—

A low chuckle rumbled through her chest.

"Flattery?" Alcina mused, lips twitching with amusement. "Oh, darling, you are desperate."

Ally leaned in, pressing a feather-light kiss just beneath Alcina's jaw, her voice soft, breathless, utterly pleading. "I mean it."

Alcina exhaled slowly, as if she relished the feeling of Ally's lips against her skin. "Mmm..."

It worked.

Her grip on Ally loosened—not completely, but enough that Ally could move, enough that she could breathe.

Enough that she could—

"—but that does not mean I have forgotten," Alcina purred, pulling away just slightly, tilting Ally's chin up with two fingers, her gaze dark with amusement. "Now, Alexandra. Tell me the truth."

Damn it.

Ally's entire body burned with frustration—not because she had been caught (though that was bad enough)—but because Alcina had seen right through her.

She was never going to get away with this, was she?

Her mind scrambled for an escape, for anything she could say to throw Alcina off.

And then—

A crash echoed from the lower halls.

Followed by—

"GET BACK HERE, YOU METAL-CLANKING IDIOT!"

Ally and Alcina both froze.

Then—

"DIMITRESCU!"

The name cut through the air like a blade, the force of it reverberating through the grand halls.

Alcina froze, her entire demeanor shifting in an instant.

Ally's heart soared.

Heisenberg.

"That ridiculous, miserable—" Alcina snarled, her golden eyes flashing as she straightened to her full, towering height.

Ally could have wept in gratitude.

"Excuse me, my love," Alcina purred, pressing a deceptively soft kiss to Ally's forehead before stepping back, the warmth of her touch lingering like an iron brand. "It seems I have a rat to exterminate."

But just as she turned—

She pivoted back sharply, capturing Ally's face between her gloved hands in a grip that was gentle yet unyielding.