Page 32 of Justice
“Hardly. Did you not remember the hole we dragged you out of? I’m just not sure I’m ready for another ambush quite yet. Or ever, really.”
“We won’t ambush you,” Horo defended. “It’s our home down there.”
“We’ve already been ambushed above ground, what makes you so sure we should believe you?” Sterling chimmed in.
“They were young. They didn’t know the king.” Horo gave a stern look to the teen boys, who nearly melted with shame under his gaze.
Volunteering to go down there wasn’t my best choice, but it still needed to be done. “I’ll go first.”
I stepped forward, and Justice’s arm shot out, blocking my movement. “I will. After you, Horo.”
He gestured to his friend who nodded before climbing over the edge and grabbing hold of the iron ladder. He began his descent downward, and when there was enough space, Justice swung his long legs over the edge and took the wrings in his hand. He moved down a few bars before pausing and holding his hand out to me. I stared at his fingers a moment, unsure if I should take his hand or not. It hadn’t gone unnoticed his extreme aversion to me or my touch.
His eyes fell to my chest and I felt the mark on my skin heat. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he licked his lips before bringing his yellow gaze to mine. “I know what I’ve said, but I won’t hurt you. Just let me help.”
I still hesitated. I wished it was Oak or Sterling or Ellis going down before me instead of the man in front of me. I wished that I wore pants for once in my life instead of a damn sundress, and I wished I was trusting enough to believe that it was safe at the bottom of this ladder. I wanted to believe that Justice wouldn’t throw me down to the bottom of the abbyss and make it look like an accident, but truthfully, I hadn’t known him long. Hell, I hadn’t known any of them long.
“It will be okay,” Oak whispered behind me before kissing the top of my hair. “You need to show him trust so he can learn to show you his.”
God, I hated that he was always so right. And wise. Why was Oak always smart? I reached out as I stepped over the ledge, praying that my feet would make it to the ladder before I missed the step entirely and fell to my death. But naturally, as I’ve already learned, the god I prayed to had a unique sense of humor, and the moment my foot touched the bar and my weight left the support of Oak, my foot slipped down, and I lost my balance.
A strong arm wrapped around my leg as a heavy body pushed me forward into the metal. “There you go, getting on was the hard part. From here, you just need to try not to fall and drag me down you with you.”
Below, from the depth of the tunnel we were about to enter, I heard Justice’s friend, Horo, snort, the sound echoing up and out into the surroundings. My fingers tightened on the metal, my grip so tight my knuckles turned white. Falling was not an option. Taking him down with me if I did fall wasn’t going to happen.
“I’m going to let go now, take it a step at a time.” Justice’s grip on my leg loosened, and he trailed his hand up to my thigh and back down to my calf before he released it completely. It was meant to comfort, to remind me that he was solidly there at my back as I traveled a hundred plus feet below, but the touch was anything but comforting. It was fire and kindle, making my core tighten and my breath hitch.
He inhaled sharply, letting a rough curse fall from his lips before he took the next step down. As he moved, I moved with him. One step then the next. His body efficiently caging me as we moved, his chest a solid fixture of comfort at my back. The further down we got, the closer he got to me, the less he tried to keep himself away.
When his feet touched the ground, he froze in place, not removing his hands from where they sat next to mine while he leaned in, inhaling the scent of my hair. His voice was close to a growl when he spoke, “I told you that you would be safe.”
Like there was a tether pulling us together, I couldn’t fight the urge to lean into him. “I appreciate the gift of life.”
His right hand fell from the bar and wrapped around my stomach, traveling to just below my belly button. “That doesn’t change the fact that I don’t like you.”
I shook my head no before tilting my head to the side, offering my neck as I would to any of my men, and his nose trailed over my skin. Behind us, a throat cleared before Horo’s voice broke the silence. “If you could hold off the lust for a little longer, it’s been a long time since you’ve been home, my King.”
His body tensed before he pushed away. His voice surlier as he demanded Horo lead the way through the bunker. He didn’t spare us a glance to see if we followed; he already knew we had no choice. He led us down into the ground with no way out, and our options were limited.
I waited for my men before following Justice down the dark, sparsely lit hall that both he and Horo disappeared through. I could see the shadows of their back ahead of us to know we hadn’t been completely abandoned; still, I walked faster to catch up. If they attacked us above ground with the king, I would hate to see what happened if we were discovered below ground without him.
“Are you hungry?” Haro asked Justice just as we got close. “It’s almost dinner. I thought what better surprise during a meal than the entrance of the king.”
“You think highly of me. I suspect most won’t even pause their meal.” Justice laughed.
“You think little of how you’ve been missed. Everyone ached for you, sorrowed, longed for your return. Your mother has been ruling in your place, but she ages, and she’s tired. Can you blame her? To lose a son and gain a kingdom all in one day?”
“She’s always been strong for her age,” Justice mused. “But sixty years is a long time. You’ve done well with this place.”
I looked around and thought the lighting needed work, but it wasn’t awful. It wasn’t homely either, but it kept their people alive. “It took a hell of a lot of work to get this piece of shit cleaned up. And to think, I mocked you all those years ago for buying a missile bunker.”
“You mocked me for a fuck lot more than that.”
Justice laughed, and though the joy wasn’t directed at me, I still felt it through every fiber of my being. Justice wasn’t an unattractive man; in fact, some might say at a glance he was gorgeous. With his muscular build and nutmeg skin, his yellow eyes nearly radiated with his life force. But when he laughed, I forgot to breathe. It froze my lungs from the inside and made my heart speed. I tried to swallow, but my throat refused the request, and I was stuck, a statue of lust and want, a victim to idolism and yearning.
As if he knew what his single laugh had done to me, his head turned, and he glanced at me over his shoulder before his fingers touched the handle on the door in front of him. He pushed it open, using such force that the door held open unassisted as he walked through.
All the chatter inside ceased. The clinking of silverware against bowls and plates silenced as Justice stood at the entrance, staring down the old and new faces of his people, greeting the past and welcoming the future. It took almost a full minute before someone had gathered enough wits to rise and bow slightly.