I rolled my shoulder, pulling away from him, and tugged the blanket back up, covering myself. "It's been handled."

"Handled?" He echoed, his power rumbling, though his voice was still lethally calm.

"Yes, handled." I assured him.

His eyes went to my arm, as if he could still see the marks there. "When was it handled?" He wanted to know.

"Right after it happened, when you were talking to the other kings."

"This happened on Lothar?" His face was losing its color, white replacing the red as realization flashed in his eyes. "That's why you were so weird, why you wouldn't talk to me."

I didn't answer, and he turned away, roughly dragging his hand through his hair. His shoulders were tense and tight, the framed pictures rattling against the wall as his power roiled. He took several deep breaths, the silence deafening as the room stilled.

"What happened?" He ground out.

I gripped the blanket tighter around myself. "Ovadia's wedding night, when I left the reception to go to her, I had words with the priest."

The muscles in his jaw flexed. "The priest did this to you?"

"Not directly." I said. "But, he told the prince of Arkanis-"

Every picture in the room shattered, sending shards of glass flying. I gasped, rocking back on my heels, but he was already across the room, slamming his palm down on a comm link. The holographic image of Kuruk appeared. "Prepare my ship." Kylo spat, not slowing as he went to the door.

I darted after him. "No!" I caught his arm, and threw all of my weight into stopping him. "I told you it was handled!"

My efforts went unnoticed as he shook off my grasp, and threw the door open.

"This is exactly what he wants!" I said, following right behind him as he walked into the hallway. "He wanted us to tell you so that you would react like this in front of the other kings and ruin the alliance!"

He stopped so abruptly that I slammed into the back of him, and he turned to look at me. "Us?" He repeated. "Someone was with you?"

I swallowed as a chill ran through me. "Ushar just…" I shook my head. "Showed up, and threw him down the hall."

Kylo's face fell, the wrath in his eyes cooling as he took a step back, away from me. "Ushar."

I opened my mouth to answer, then snapped it shut when Ushar appeared next to him a second later.

He was in his black on black uniform, shadows curling onto his left side, darkening the angles of his face. His amber eyes flicked up to me, then fell to the floor in front of him as one of them whispered into his ear.

"You knew?" Kylo asked him, curtly.

Ushar nodded tightly, his gaze still on the floor. "I saw her leave the conference hall with her friend, and saw the friend come back a few minutes later without her, so I sent my shadows to find her. When they reported that she was alone with Hux, I teleported to her."

"He stopped him." I interjected. "He got between us."

That didn't seem to matter to Kylo, who looked from Ushar, to me, then back to Ushar, like we'd offended him. "Why didn't you tell me?" He demanded.

"I wanted to." Ushar said, lowly. "I would have, but I was given an order not to say anything."

Kylo flinched, and turned to me, the hurt in his eyes making my chest hollow out. "You gave him an order?"

"Hux wanted you to attack him in front of everyone, which is exactly what you would've done if we had told you." I explained. "You have been after this alliance for years, and if you'd hit him, it would've seemed unprovoked and the other kings would've withdrawn." I sighed. "So, yes, Kylo, I told Ushar not to say anything." And, I refused to be sorry for it.

His throat bobbed as he swallowed, betrayal replacing the frozen wrath in his eyes. "You're dismissed." He said, his voice barely above a whisper, and Ushar vanished without another word, his shadows reluctantly crawling back into the darkness around us.

Kylo didnt look at me as he walked back into his bedroom, glass crunching under his shoes, and started pressing buttons on his data pad.

I was expecting one of his Knights to appear, and was startled when an old man answered, his skin leathered with age. He was seated in a high-backed chair, his grey hair hanging to his shoulders under the ornate golden crown that sat atop his head.

"Kylo," the man said, his voice frail. "I must apologize for not being with the allied Kingdoms today, but my health is on a steady decline. I'm afraid my doctor has forbidden me from traveling."

"This isn't a social call, Brendol." Kylo bit out.

The man's grey eyebrows fell. "Indeed?"

Kylo put both hands on his desk and leaned forward. "There was an altercation today between your son, and my wife."

"Harmless mischief and pranks, I'm sure." The old King said. "He's been after you for years, you know that-"

"He put his hands on her." Kylo growled, cutting him off. "And left bruises."

Panic flashed across Brendol's face. "And you're coming for him." It wasn't a question. He brought a weathered hand up to scrub his face. "Please, I beg you, he's a simpering weakling, but he is my only heir."

"I'm not coming for him." Kylo said, flatly.

Brendol let out a heavy sigh of relief. "I will see that he's reprimanded."

His power rumbled the room like a rising storm. "If he comes near my wife again-"

Brendol shook his head. "He won't. I swear, he won't."

Kylo's voice was a thing of nightmares, of hell embodied when he said, "There will not be another warning." And ended the link.

He let his head hang as he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in through his nose and letting it out, slowly. Once, twice, a third time. "I need to punch something." He growled, the sharp edge of violence still in his voice, again not looking at me as he walked out of the room and disappeared down the hall.

He did not return.

The next morning, I went to the kitchen in search of breakfast, and found Vicrul leaning against the counter, a bowl of sugary, marshmallow cereal in his hands.

"Morning." He said, shoveling a spoonful into his mouth.

"Morning." I told him, and grabbed up my teapot to fill it with water. I lit a burner on the stove, and put the loose leaves in my favorite mug as I waited for the water to boil.

"Did you want to start back with your training?" He asked, taking another bite and crunching loudly.

"Yes," I said, and looked up at him. "As soon-" I gasped, my eyes going wide.

His brow lifted. "What?"

I looked at his bruised cheek, his black eye, and his split lip. "The hell happened to you?"

He took another bite, milk dripping down his chin. "I sparred with Kylo last night."

I frowned. When he'd said he needed to punch something, I didn't know that meant his war-chief. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He scoffed. "You should see Kylo."

My teapot began to whistle and I took it off the burner to fill my mug. "Why did you fight him?" I asked.

"He needed to get it out." He turned his bowl up to drink the milk. "He won't lose control on me, so he's able to blow off some steam because he knows I can handle it."

"He could always, I don't know, actually talk about it like a grown up." I replied, a bit sourly.

"He could." Vicrul agreed. "And, one day he'll get there. Until then, we gotta work with what we got." He turned to put his bowl in the sink.

"I wouldn't call bashing your face in 'working with what we got'." I brought my hands up to make quotations with my fingers. "And, what are we going to do, fight it out any time he's pissed?"

He stilled, and looked over at me, his face uncharacteristically serious. "He's not just pissed, Rey."

I took the infuser out of my tea and put it in the sink next to his bowl. "Listen, I know the situation with Hux was unfavorable, but it was handled-"

"He knows it was handled." Vicrul cut in, still completely deadpan. "Ushar did exactly what he was supposed to do, exactly what was expected of him, of all of us. Kylo knows that."

Yet, he was apparently still angry. "I couldn't tell him what happened, he would've played into Hux's game."

"He knows that, too." He assured me. "He understands. He's grateful."

"Then, I don't understand the issue." I admitted.

"He's hurt because you ordered one of his best friends to keep it from him."

He could've slapped me and I would've been less shocked. "That's ridiculous." I said. "I was just telling Ushar not to say anything so that Hux couldn't use what happened to ruin the alliance. It wasn't an order."

His eyebrows lifted. "Coming from you, it's an order."

"How?"

"Because you are our Queen." He crossed his arms over his chest, his biceps bulging under his black tunic. "If you were just his wife, you'd be his to protect, but you're not. He's made you his Queen, which gives you just as much authority as him. More, actually, because he shifted our vows to apply to you and not him."

"What was I supposed to do, Vicrul?"

"Trust us." His tone had me reeling. Gone was my friend that I'd trained with, and in his place was the general whose loyalty was to Kylo, vow or no. "There is no one in this galaxy who knows him like we do, but there's also no one that he trusts as he trusts us. Without your order, Ushar would have told him that there was a situation, and that he'd dealt with it appropriately. Kylo wouldn't have liked it, but he would've trusted him."

I poured cream into my tea, watching the bloom of tan within the deep brown. "I was trying to protect him."

"And, you did." Vicrul said, his voice softer.

I looked up. "Then, why does it feel like I betrayed him?"

"You haven't betrayed him." He pushed himself off of the counter. "Your intentions were good, and your suspicions correct. Hux would've used any avenue to get Kylo to ruin that alliance." He moved to the kitchen table, where his armour sat in a chair. He picked it up and slung it over a shoulder. "See you tomorrow for training?"

I nodded and he gave me a smile, flashing his one dimple before heading out.

I should have stayed and ordered breakfast. I should have finished my tea, then headed to my room, picked up my book and waited for Kylo to come to his room.

But, I didn't.

I made my way through the corridors, dipping my chin to the servants who bowed and curtseyed when I passed, and threw open the door to Kylo's office, without so much as a knock.

He looked up from where he was seated behind his massive mahogany desk, and the three men seated across from it also turned to stare.

"Leave us." Kylo commanded, his eyes never leaving mine. It took a moment for the men to realize he was speaking to them, and they filed out of the room, closing the door behind them.

He leaned back in his chair, and I saw his bruised jaw, and the crescent shaped mark around his left eye. His knuckles were also purple in places. His intense gaze followed me as I walked toward him.

"I'm sorry." I told him.

"For ruining my meeting?" He asked, his voice raw. He was still angry, though he was hiding it admirably.

"No, actually." I said, coming to stand in front of him, and leaning against his desk. "I'm not sorry I ruined your meeting."

A muscle feathered in his jaw.

"Im sorry about what happened." I told him. "I didn't mean to order Ushar, and I shouldn't have kept it from you."

He looked down, took in a breath, and let it out, slowly. "You were right."

My brows drew together tightly. "I was?"

He nodded. "If you'd told me there, or anywhere while we were on the same planet as him, I would've killed him. The kings who just allied with me would've joined Arkanis in the war that Brendol would've no doubt declared. And, that would mean alot of bloodshed and alot of suffering on alot of innocent people caught in the middle. I'm proud of you." His russet eyes lifted to mine. "You acted as a Queen."

Water stung my eyes and I blinked it away. I moved closer to him and he leaned forward, wrapping his arms around my waist as I combed my fingers through his hair. I could clearly see the bruises that marked his pale skin, and gingerly stroked his left eyebrow with my thumb.

He winced.

"Why did you and Vicrul fight?" I asked.

"Because if we hadn't, I would've gone to Arkanis." He sighed. "I still want to go to Arkanis. But, if I do, things will get...complicated."

"And, you and Vicrul beating the hell out of each other was the better alternative?"

"To war?" His face sobered. "Absolutely."

"Or, you could've talked to me." I said, carefully. He looked down, the muscles in his jaw working again. "I hate when you shut down, when you shut me out." I brought my hands up to hold the sides of his face, careful of the bruises.

"I'm not good….with talking." He admitted. "I was hurt, and I was really fucking angry, and I didnt want to take it out on you." His eyes came to meet mine. "I'm sorry I shut you out, I just...I have a hard time controlling myself when I'm angry."

"Like now?"

He nodded. "Like now. It's taking every shred of my self control not to-" He stopped short, a low growl sounding out of his throat. Like what he wanted to do was too terrible to put into words. I believed that it was.

I let him go, and leaned against his desk again, moving my feet to either side of his. He was in his black waistcoat and pants, the sleeves of his black shirt rolled up to his elbows. His hands landed on my hips before he pulled away, and moved to stand.

"I'll see you tonight." He said, holding his hand out for me. He expected me to take it, and let him lead me to the door, to leave him.

I gripped the edge of his desk, and inhaled deep, letting the smell of cedar and citrus fill my nose, my chest, as I remembered the feel of that hand on me, of his fingers inside me. My mouth went dry as my blood heated, that deep and insistent ache throbbing, and I looked up at him.

Kylo noticed the shift in my mood instantly, his eyes darkening with predatory need. He put his hands on his desk, on either side of me, and leaned in, his mouth stopping mere inches from mine. "We can't." He said, his voice strained.

I gripped his forearms, then his shoulders, my pulse pounding in my ears as heat pooled between my legs. "Because we're in your office?" I whispered.

"Because I'm angry." He clarified, a slight growl in his tone that sent red hot desire tearing through me.

I held onto him and leaned back, my gown hissing as I hooked my legs behind his, pulling him to me. He groaned as his hips pressed into mine. He was already hard, his cock straining against the fabric separating us.

He closed his eyes, bowing his head to trail his nose along my neck, and I arched into him. "We can't." He said again, his voice more desperate, more pained.

"Why?" I asked, feeling his hot breath on my throat.

"Because angry sex is rough." He explained. "It's not what we did on Lothar, it's a quick fuck to take the edge off."

His crude language had wetness soaking through my panties as I wrapped my legs tighter around him, grinding into him for some sort of friction. He turned his head, just a bit, and I captured his lips with mine, my moan matching his as I melted into him. His hands gripped the fabric of my skirt, and for a moment, I thought he'd rip it. I wasn't entirely sure I would've minded if he had.

He hiked my skirt up, his calluses scraping along the inside of my thigh and I spread my legs wider, silently begging him to take me. I might have died from spontaneous combustion if he didnt.

His fingers brushed the thin layer of lace covering my pussy, and I gasped, breaking away from him, even as my arms desperately tried to pull him closer.

"Rey," He begged, and I could feel him trembling as he restrained himself. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't." I promised him, though it wasn't a promise I had any business making. My hands tore at the front of his pants, his belt, his zipper, and I wrapped my fingers around his cock, stroking.

He hissed out a curse, his hips bucking into my touch.

"I want you to fuck me." I told him, and he snarled, fisting the lace of my panties, and ripped them away. His hands gripped my hips, and pulled them up and out, opening me fully before he buried himself inside me with one rough thrust.

I cried out, his cock stretching me uncomfortably, painfully, and he immediately stilled, his breath sawing out of him. His massive hand came up to cup my cheek as he pulled away to look at me, the earnestness in his russet eyes threatening to undo me. The anger was gone, replaced by unyielding devotion, tenderness, and love.

"Why'd you stop?" I asked him, and gave my hips a swivel for emphasis.

He pulled my mouth to his, our kiss deep as our tongues clashed, and he began to move. His thrusts were slow at first, giving me time to adjust, then faster, deeper. His hands angled my hips so that he entered me just so, every pound of his hips sending a ripple of pleasure through me.

The sounds that I couldn't stop from pouring out of me were matched by his grunts, his moans, by the lewd slap of our bodies joining. And, Maker forgive me, I loved it. I loved him. Fuck, I loved him so much.

I felt release build as his movements quickened, and he reached a hand between us, his middle finger finding my clit.

I came, screaming his name as I clenched around him, and he bit down on the flesh of my shoulder, grunting as he emptied himself into me.

For a long moment, we were nothing but tandem panting as we clung to each other.

He lifted his head to look at me, his eyes searching mine. "Five."

I smiled, my heart melting, and laid my palm against his cheek. "I love you, too."