A Court of Beasts and Candles

by dontpanicllama

Summary:

Okay look - this is kind of a joke. I was challenged by my book club to write a sentient object romance tailored to a specific member. This is kind of cheating because it's very much "sentient object" and "romance" - I'm just out here trying to create an angsty AU and win my book club's contest.

Chapter 1

For not the first time, B ran back to her room and cursed all of the fucking men that led her to this point. She was absolutely sick of being told what to do and where to do it.

It wasn’t her fault that her dad had gotten mixed up in some shady drug business with the Mob. And it wasn’t her fault that she was kept here as collateral while her dad worked on more of that shady drug business. And it wasn’t her fault she was being housed in a literal fucking fortress with a bodyguard the size of a mountain and a bunch of his idiot team members.

She was just a grad student. She was just trying to get her shit together.

This time, she was flying back to her room in a rage over the dinner conversation. Or lack thereof. When she wasn’t being blatantly ignored by everyone at the table, she was being given infuriately short answers to her questions. A fucking week of no answers. Of course she was going to ask when she could leave and go home - the fucking beast of a bodyguard couldn’t give her a straight answer, and it looked like it pained him to speak to her at all.

Well. She was done playing nice.

She got back to her room and slammed the door as hard as she could. It didn’t shake the whole building but the windows rattled, so she felt a bit of pleasure from it. The room itself was nice - bigger than her entire apartment in the city, actually - but just because the jail cell was nice didn’t make it any less a cell. She could lock her door but knew that, if they really wanted to get in, they could. Still, the semblance of control was important.

“Tough night, dear?” The warm female voice called out to her.

“Like fucking always.” B murmured to herself, kicking off her shoes.

“Language, please.” A tea tray rolled out of the corner to meet her. “I don’t like it from them, either.”

“Sorry.” B sat down on the edge of her bed. “I just hate it here. Present company excluded.”

The teapot smiled at her. “I understand. Pleased to be excluded.”

B threw herself back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. “I just want to know literally anything about what’s going on. Where is my father? Is he almost done with this job? How did I get roped into this? When can I go home?”

The teapot gave a small whistle. B continued.

“I feel like I’m going in circles. Told to hurry up and wait. Well, actually, not told a goddamn thing.” A quick glance at the teapot. “A g-d thing. I’m going crazy here.”

“I promise you that it’s for your own protection.” The teapot nudged a now-steaming mug towards B. “I know that’s not reassuring and probably feels like we’re taking your agency away. If you ask Master Adam to go, he’ll let you go. I strongly encourage that you don’t.”

B sat up and took the mug. “I’m not asking him a thing. I tried to start a conversation with him over dinner and he looked like he was going to throw up.”

The teapot smiled. “He’s a bit awkward around people he doesn’t know well. Has been since he was a child.”

“There’s no way he was ever a child. He emerged from the mountains as a hulking asshole to wreak terror on women and children.”

“Well, he is hulking, I’ll give you that.”

B actually laughed. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed. “Thanks for that.”

“Of course dear. I’m off to bed but please ring if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Mrs. P.”

The tea tray along with the teapot rolled away towards the door. It opened right up for it as though B hadn’t even locked it. She sighed.

 

 

The next day, B was exploring the house. She had been told she could - excluding the West Wing, where the Beast bodyguard and his cohorts were staying. She had half a mind to just start breaking shit or throwing things out of the windows, but she knew it wouldn’t be Adam who was cleaning things up. It would be his staff, most of whom had gone out of their way to try to make B feel comfortable. The teapot and the wardrobe were so accommodating that she was beginning to think of them as maternal figures. She wouldn’t want them to have extra work because she was trying to ‘stick it to the man’.

B was in a gallery room, staring up at previous Beasts who’d live in the fortress. She wondered if they’d all been part of the Mob. Maybe they’d started it. She did have a mild curiosity but not enough interest to care. Besides, the house had no Wi-Fi so she couldn’t look into the history of the place anyway.

She was craning her neck to look at one of the pieces highest on the wall when a voice whispered in her ear.

“Beautiful view.”

It was the fucking candelabra. Lou was Adam’s right hand man and couldn’t resist sneaking up on her whenever he could. He wasn’t malicious - just an insufferable flirt who thought he was funny. He was perched on the large credenza, eye level with her chest. He looked up at her and arched an eyebrow.

“Tell me you’re talking about the painting or I’m breaking your candlesticks.”

“Ouch, love. No compliments. Got it.”

B rolled her eyes. “What do you want?”

“Just checking in on you. Haven’t heard you stomping through the castle yet today, wanted to make sure you weren’t dead.”

“Unfortunately for you, I’m still alive.”

Lou tisked. “Oh I want you very much alive, love.”

“Pass.”

“For now.”

“Sure. For now.”

B moved further down the line, looking at more of the portraits on the wall. She could hear the little metal noises as Lou clacked over to her.

“Adam would like to see you.”

B scoffed. “Pass. Again.”

“It’s not really a request, love.”

She glared down at the candelabra. “Well that’s just too damn bad. He’ll have to ask me himself.”

“I can do that.” A voice boomed throughout the gallery. Both B and Lou turned to see Adam standing in the doorway closest to them.

Even in her murderous haze, she had to admit that this mountain of a man was gorgeous. The scowl didn’t help, but the broad shoulders did. His hair was a copper brown pulled back into a man bun that surprisingly didn’t look ridiculous - his eyes were the same color but mostly hidden behind big, angry eyebrows.

If she were honest with herself, he looked like he walked out of the romance books her book club read. But she wasn’t going to tell him that.

“Wow. You managed to say four whole words in a row. Must be some kind of record.” She looked away from him back to the painting in front of her.

“I need to see you.”

“Well, I’m here. What do you want?”

She heard him let out a sigh. “I want to show you something.”

“Is it the front door? With my shit packed? So I can leave?”

“No.”

“Then I’m not interested.”

She turned to the opposite wall, looking up at the portraits on this side. She heard his footsteps and he moved to stand directly beside her. It was the closest she had ever stood to him and she could

smell his cologne. It smelled really, really good - she thought she might be losing her mind.

“It is dangerous for you to leave.” His voice softened, but only a bit. “You’re here for your own protection. You know that.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t really get much of a say in that.”

“I’m sorry that decision was taken from you.”

She turned to look at him. An apology was the last thing she expected. “Are you?”

He was looking her in the eye - no wavering. “I’m not sorry that you’re here under my protection, but I am sorry that you did not get to make that choice yourself.”

She wasn’t sure what to say to that. It was the most she’d ever heard him say to her but it was… almost kind.

“Then I want regular updates.” She demanded, turning to look back at the portrait in front of her. “I want to know what my father is doing, and when I can go home.”

“I won’t always have an answer for you.”

“What the fuck does that mean?”

“The organization is vast. I don’t get hourly updates on your father’s work. I’m just the help.”

“You own a fucking castle.”

“I’m very good help.”

She snorted. “Okay, so, you’re actually funny.”

“I’m not. Slip of the tongue. Won’t happen again.”

But when she turned her head to look at him, she could see a smirk of a smile on his face. And when she asked who the portrait on the wall was, he told her - he told her about every single portrait in the room. They both forgot he’d come there to show her something. They both enjoyed the time together in the moment.

 

 

B didn’t see him for the next few days. Lou and the other cronies were at meals but Adam was gone. When she asked where he was, Lou wiggled his eyebrows at her and asked, “Are you looking for your crush?” Then she stopped asking.

She still didn’t want to be there. She wanted to be back in her small apartment, going to classes and working on her thesis. But it was frustrating that he just up and disappeared the first time he’s nice to her. It would be nice to have a friend here that wasn’t a fucking teapot.

But he must’ve given orders because his team was nicer to her - or at least more tolerant of her. Lou still flirted with every breath but he was less openly antagonistic. She almost enjoyed his company. Cog the butler even interrupted his normal diatribes to ask how she was doing and if she needed anything. It was almost weird - before, she was annoyed that they were ignoring her. But now she was somewhat uncomfortable with how much attention they gave her.

The day Adam was back at breakfast, she gasped seeing him at the table. He was alone, drinking a cup of coffee and looking at a stack of papers in front of him. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days and had a deep gash on his forearm.

“What happened?!” She exclaimed, and he winced. “What happened to your arm?”

“It’s just a scratch.” He put down the coffee cup and rubbed his forehead. “And a headache.”

“Mrs. P!” B called out as she walked to Adam’s side. The tea tray was already on its way, a first aid kit next to the teapot.

“I’m fine. Really.” He said aloud, though B ignored him. The cut on his arm looked bad but was relatively shallow - it just needed to be cleaned and bandaged.

The teapot poured hot water on the tray’s tea towel. “This is going to hurt.” B told him before she put the towel to his arm.

Adam howled in pain. “Fuck!”

“I told you it would hurt.” B ignored him, cleaning the wound as best she could. “Thought you were a big tough guy, Adam. Coming in here with giant scratches and growling like that. Afraid of a little water.”

“I wasn’t expecting scalding hot water, B.”

It was the first time he had used her name. And she realized it was the first time she’d used his. She fought the urge to look up at him but could feel his eyes on her as she concentrated on her task. Once the area was cleaned, she wrapped some gauze bandages around his arm and sealed it with medical tape.

“There you go.”

“Thank you.”

But she didn’t let go of his arm. And he didn’t move. They sat like that together for a few moments, close to holding hands but not quite. She tilted her head slightly to look at him - he had the same intense stare as before. His eyes were still warm brown but his pupils were big and dilated. They were so quiet that she could hear his soft breathing.

“Good morning boss!” Lou’s voice called out from the door.

They sprang apart before the candelabra leapt onto the table. B gathered together the medical supplies she’d used and put them all together on the tea tray. Mrs. P zoomed off.

“Lou.” Adam nodded at him.

“You’re in my seat, love.” Lou clacked over to her. “Unless you want to share?”

“This is her seat now.” Adam growled.

Lou looked up at Adam, his face pale. “All good, boss. Just joking around.”

Adam nodded at him. “Good.” The deep growl in his voice sent shivers down B’s spine. Good shivers. Fuck.

“Some of the team is back. They probably want to update you on the…” Lou looked pointedly at B and back at Adam. “Situation.”

“Bring them in.”

“Boss, um-“

“Bring. Them. In.”

Lou just nodded. He clacked out of there faster than B had ever seen.

She laughed. “I wish I could get him to leave the room that quickly.”

“Does he bother you?”

“I have more important things bothering me.”

Breakfast arrived - Cog on his own tea tray directed servants to put out place settings and distribute food along the side tables. In front of Adam he placed a silver French Press. In front of B he placed a porcelain tea pot.

“Good morning, sir.” Cog’s voice was nasally and pompous. “The table has been set for nine this morning. Luncheon will be at 11:30, tea time at 2, and dinner at 6.”

“Thank you, Cog.” Adam’s voice sounded… comforting wasn’t the right word but it wasn’t the wrong word either. Grateful, maybe?

When Cog left, they both spoke to each other at the same time.

“What important things are bothering you?”
“How did you end up as my bodyguard?”

They stared at each other. Finally, Adam cleared his throat. “You go first.”

“How did you end up as my bodyguard?” B repeated. Gesturing to the room, she continued. “You grew up in a fucking castle. How did you even end up with the Mob?”

“My family has had ties with the Mob for generations. Mostly financial.”

“To be honest, I’m surprised you’re telling me anything.”

“Who else are you going to tell?”

B grimaced. “Thanks for that.”

“I did tell you I wasn’t funny.”

Now she rolled her eyes. “So how does ‘financial ties’ get you a bodyguard role?”

“I’m not your bodyguard, B. I offered up my home to house someone who needed protection. It’s not the same thing.”

“Kinda feels like it from my side.” B couldn’t help the anger in her voice. “I didn’t know Dad had started making drugs. My options were to come here for ‘protection’ or be murdered by a rival gang. Exact words they used.”

“I’m sorry.”

B didn’t expect that response. “I- um…”

“You are of course free to leave. I would never keep you prisoner. But, knowing even the little I do about your father’s work, I would strongly recommend you stay. I would like you to stay.”

She opened her mouth to respond when the door slammed open - Lou had returned with other members of the team who were all too loud and rowdy for this early in the morning. B sat back in her seat, defeated - who knew when she’d get another chance to ask her questions? To figure things out?

Adam’s hand rested lightly on her forearm, and she turned to look at him again. He had the whisper of a smile on his face. “We can talk more another time. Just because I have to stay here doesn’t mean you do.”

Chapter 2

For not the first time, B threw her hands in the air and groaned in frustration. Her thesis was due soon but she could barely access the documents she needed for her research. Once a week she was leaving a list with Cog of the materials she needed - books, highlighters, pens, notebooks, and lots and lots of annotation tabs - but it was an infuriatingly slow process. It had already been three months at this point. She couldn’t just wait weeks for the materials. She couldn’t just send an email to her adviser saying her thesis was late because she was locked up in a castle under the protection of the Mob to keep her safe from rival drug dealers. 

She was so close to being done with her Masters and she would be damned if the fucking Mob stood in her way.

“Tea, dear?” Mrs. P on her tea tray zipped over. “You missed breakfast. And you seem a bit more frustrated than usual.”

“How can you tell?” She closed her eyes. “I’m probably at some level of frustration at all times.”

“You look close to tears this time.” She gave B a sincere smile and poured her a cup of tea. “Sugar, no milk.”

B sighed in gratitude as she picked up the tiny teacup. It was warm - she realized her fingers were frozen. “I am eternally grateful to you. You’re the only person I can speak to here.”

“That can’t be true. Adam speaks with you.”

B scoffed. “He answers like every third question and no longer looks at me like he’d rather be having a root canal with no anesthesia. Progress, I guess.”

“He might surprise you.” Mrs. P winked and then zipped away on her tea tray.

She really didn’t expect any further progress. Sure, Adam was kinder to her but it would still be considered gruff by any normal standards. Lou’s flirting had ramped up but she got the sense that he was doing it to fuck with Adam - it very clearly pissed him off.

A little part of her liked it. She didn’t want to psychoanalyze it too much. Adam was absolutely gorgeous. Broad shoulders, muscled forearms, and a perfect ass. So what if his gruff growls made nightly appearances in her dreams? What else was there to do with no internet? Her days consisted of thesis writing, group meals with people she mostly couldn’t stand, and masturbating until she fell asleep. 

There was a knock at the door and it made her jump. She couldn’t remember the last person to come to her room other than Mrs. P and the wardrobe. Now that she thought about it, she really hoped that the wardrobe left when she was masturbating herself to sleep.

“One second!” She called out, gathering all of the papers spread out on her bedspread into a few neat stacks. She jumped off the bed and flung the door open. “What do you wa-?”

Adam was standing there, his bulky frame filling up almost the entire space. It made her realize she was only wearing an oversized t-shirt and underwear. She froze. 

“Hello, B.” His voice sounded a bit deep, like he was rusty at having a normal conversation. “Am I… interrupting?”

“No!” She cleared her throat. “No. Just… just working on my thesis. It’ll be done one day.”

“Yes. I’ve been struggling to find all of the books on your lists.”

“But… but I gave them to Cog?”

“Cog struggles to use an iPhone. We don’t have internet up here but I ordered copies to be sent through our messengers.”

“Wait, you bought all of these?” She turned to look back at the inside of her room. There were stacks of books piled up across multiple surfaces, including the window seat. There had to be at least 100 books here. 

He shrugged. “The library didn’t have all of them in stock, and some of them had a waiting list. Figured you didn’t have time for that.”

She blushed, looking up into his eyes. “I… I don’t. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” His voice softened. 

They stood there for a moment, looking at each other. Adam broke the silence first.

“I realized that I never showed you something.”

She blinked at him. “What?”

“The day we met in the portrait gallery. I had intended to show you something. We got… sidetracked.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Her blush deepened. Why? It was innocent enough - talking about art and family history. Boring by most standards. Definitely not the downright filthy things she thought about sometimes, in which he played a prominent and enthusiastic role.

“Can I… show you?” 

B stared at him for a second before the question fully clicked in her mind. “Oh. Oh! Of course. One sec.”

She closed the door and looked around in a half panic. A pair of sweatpants lay neatly folded on the end of her bed. She silently thanked the wardrobe for the hustle.

When she returned, Adam was facing away from her as though he hadn’t want to peek through the completely closed door. He waited until she was beside him in the hallway before walking away without a word. Confused (but not wholly surprised), she followed.

He led her through familiar hallways - she’d never learned what was behind all of the doors, and the little bit of a map she’d created in her head had a lot of gaps. But Adam walked purposefully. Of course he’d know the exact layout of everything - it was his home.

As they were approaching the main hall, he stopped abruptly and turned to face her.

“Close your eyes.”

She arched an eyebrow at him. “Why?”

“It’s a surprise.”

On the one hand, she didn’t know if she could trust this man. All of the rational parts of her brain waved red flags: he works for the Mob, don’t go into a room alone with a relative stranger, he’s holding you captive here. But when she looked into his eyes, she saw sincerity. Earnestness. And something else she couldn’t quite put her finger on but it felt dangerously like lust.

With a deep sigh, she closed her eyes.

She felt his hands gently take her wrists and turn her. Behind her eyelids, she saw the area brighten as he led her into this mystery room. Their steps were slow and deliberate. After coming a few feet into the room, Adam dropped her wrists and she could feel him move to stand behind her. 

“Open your eyes.”

It was a library. She gasped as she took in the bright light, fresco paintings, and rows upon rows of books. It looked like something out of a movie or fairy tale. 

Adam was speaking but she wasn’t fully processing what he was saying. She turned back to him. “I’m sorry - I didn’t hear a single thing you just said to me.”

He chuckled. “This is my family’s library. There’s not much here in terms of modern books, I’ve never been much of a reader myself, but there should be plenty of reference books. I recognized a few of the titles you’d requested - we actually had copies here - but I figured you wanted your own to mark up. Those books are probably in that area-”

She couldn’t help it - she threw her arms around him. She was feeling a lot of emotions: on the surface, showing a house guest a room to hang out in was bottom-of-the-barrel effort. But this wasn’t any gesture and it wasn’t just any room. It was something nice after over a month of being stuck in a spiral of hopelessness. 

“Thank you.” B mumbled into his shoulder, inhaling his sandalwood cologne. He wrapped his arms around her and she felt an immediate calm. She was not much shorter than he was but felt enveloped in his hold. She felt tears at the corners of her eyes. 

“You’re welcome. You can come here whenever you need to work.” The bass of his voice reverberated through his chest. “And there’s one more thing to show you.”

He loosened one arm around her and guided her to a table by the door that held a…

“The computer doesn’t get internet but we are able to send messages to the gate house. If there are books you need for your work, you can request them here and the workers down there will order them for you. Will still take a day or two, but you won’t be waiting for weeks.”

The tears slid out of her eyes as she listened to him explain the process. “Thank you.” She said again. “I can’t tell you how special this is to me.”

He turned back to her. “I know it’s not home. But I don’t want you to be uncomfortable while you’re here.”

There was a knock on the door. Adam immediately dropped his arm from around her and she shivered at the loss. B turned to see Cog zipping into the room on his tea tray, books piled beside him. A few other servants were behind him, carrying their own stacks of books. Mrs P brought up the rear, all of B’s notes neatly organized beside her.

“We figured you’d want to move everything here, so you have more space to work.” She rolled to stand beside Adam and B. 

“Thank you.” B found herself incapable of saying anything else. 

 

“Boss, we have a problem.”

B looked up from her dinner a few days later, glancing between Adam and the man who had just ran into the room. She hadn’t bothered to learn anyone’s name past Lou, Cog, and Mrs P because they were all interchangeable assholes who openly stared at her ass whenever she was in the room.

“What kind of problem?” Adam barely looked up from his meal. There was always some kind of problem that Adam had to resolve. 

“It’s G. Gavino. We think-“ Everyone in the room froze.

Adam stood. “B, please excuse us.”

“No.” B stood up beside him. “I want to hear what’s going on. You told me you would let me know things.” Adam gave her a hard stare. Not unkind, but forceful. She returned it.

“I don’t know, boss.” The man in the doorway looked terrified. “It’s not great.”

After a moment of intense eye contact, B refusing to back down, Adam sighed and they both sat. “What is it?”

“G. Gavino knows about the drugs. He’s making plans to attack the lab and steal our work. He wants to hit all of our bases. And he’s making plans to attack here.”

The lab. That’s where her father was working.

“We have to stop him!” She shouted. “We have to do something!”

“And we will.” Adam nodded. “What details did you bring?”

The man at the door pulled out a sheaf of papers from his messenger bag and walked it over to Adam. “We don’t know much. Our insider isn’t that high up enough in the organization to be let in on all the plans. He only knows that it’s happening, and soon. He got us what he could and is keeping his ear to the ground. Gabrielle says that she’ll take care of the rest - we just have to take care of the castle. Her notes are there.”

B could only absorb part of the conversation. The room had exploded with voices who were throwing out ideas and expletives towards G. Gavino and his group. She didn’t know anything about this guy or his gang - or even this gang that her father was working for. She was slowly realizing in this moment that she’d allowed herself to grow comfortable and complacent. She’d managed to forget the very real threats that had changed her life. That had brought her to be kept in this castle. 

“Excuse me.” She said to no one in particular, standing and pushing her chair in as she left. She headed for her room in a daze, not noticing Adam’s hand drop from her thigh where he’d been holding her or him calling out her name as she left.

Once she got to her room, she kicked off her shoes and walked to the large bay window seat. The cozy blanket Mrs P had placed there was neatly folded, but B shook it out and wrapped it around herself as she sat to look out at the view.

It was a beautiful view, like always. There was a bit of rain blurring the window but she could see clear out over the forest to the flickering lights of the city beyond. Somewhere in that city, her father was making drugs for the Mob. Somewhere in that city, a rival gang was plotting to kill him and her and everyone in their way. And here she was hiding from everything, sharing stolen glances and touches with a dangerous man. Who by all accounts was her jailer, even though he would let her walk right out the front door if she asked. It would kill him to do it, but he would.

When had her life become this complicated? When would it go back to some semblance of normal? Could it ever go back to normal?

She heard the telltale sounds of Mrs P on her tea tray enter the room and scoot up beside her. “Drink this.” 

B looked down at the steaming mug of tea, artfully arranged with cookies and biscuits beside it. She could smell that it was chamomile, her favorite. It made tears immediately come to her eyes.

“Thank you.” She kept the blanket wrapped around her as best she could while picking up the dainty teacup. 

“And eat a few of these. You didn’t eat much at dinner. Understandably.” Mrs P had such a soothing voice. It almost reminded her of her own mother’s from her childhood. It didn’t immediately make her feel better but it helped a little bit. She let her tears fall freely. Mrs P didn’t say anything - she just sat with her until the tea and biscuits were gone.

“Try to get some sleep, dear.” Mrs P half-whispered as she zipped away. 

B didn’t respond. She continued to stare out the window towards the city, stuck in an endless loop of angry and sad thoughts. She felt helpless. More helpless than she’d felt the entire time she’d been here. The library, the comfortable room and clothes, her growing feelings for Adam - they weren’t real. This wasn’t real life. 

 

B didn’t know when she’d fallen asleep but she awoke to a gentle knocking at her door. “Come in.” She mumbled, turning slightly to face the window. She wanted to go back to sleep but wouldn’t say no to another cup of chamomile from Mrs P.

The door clicked closed. B turned to look out at the darkness and saw that it was Adam slowly padding across the carpet to her. He was clearly dressed for bed in a tank and gray sweatpants. B shivered - the sweatpants did not leave much to the imagination and it was not an emotion she was ready to have right now. 

“Hey.” She mumbled, quickly turning back to the window.

“I wanted to see how you were doing.” Adam came to stand beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

She huffed. “I’m doing fucking fantastic.” With her half-awake rasp, there wasn’t as much bite to it as she’d hoped.

“No, you aren’t.”

“Don’t tell me what I-“

“No one would be okay. I understand.”

She huffed again. “Sure. It’s a super relatable situation.” She still couldn’t say things with the venom she usually had - she couldn’t muster the strength.

Adam sighed, removing his hand. “I just wanted to see how you were doing and ask if you needed anything. If you’re fine, I’ll just go.”

He made it maybe three steps before B stopped him. “Don’t leave. Please.” B didn’t know much at that moment but she knew she didn’t want him to leave. 

He came back to the window seat and sat down opposite her, nestling himself into the pillows around him. B bit back a laugh - it was hilarious to watch a fully grown man wrestle with about eight throw pillows. He somehow managed to get comfortable because he let out a sigh as his shoulders relaxed. 

“I assume you have questions.” He locked eyes with her. “There’s not much I can tell you but it’s not because I don’t trust you or think you incapable of dealing with information. It’s because-“

“I don’t have questions right now.” B shook her head, sitting forward and letting the blanket droop around her. “I have nothing but cyclical spiraling thoughts. Wondering how my life got here and so out of control and how I have no idea what to do next. If there’s even anything I can do next.” Her voice cracked and her vision blurred with tears.

Without a word, Adam held out his arms to her. 

Without a word, B shuffled closer to sit with him. 

She fit right into his arms. 

He adjusted so that she fit entirely against his torso while she spread out the blanket to cover both of their legs. Her tears were silently falling but she rested her head on his chest anyway and he just held her. She was grateful for his steady heartbeat.

Nothing was fixed. Nothing was resolved. Nothing had changed. But in this one moment, she felt still. It had been a long time since she’d been held - or hell, since she’d even been comforted. Even though she was crying, she looked up at him with a sad smile.

“Thank you.” She moved her head back to rest on his chest, closing her eyes, and felt him press a gentle kiss to her forehead. 

That night, for the first night in a long time, they both had dreamless sleep.

Notes:

A little bit insta-love, a little bit angst, a little bit emotional whirlwind. I'll commit to whatever this is in the next few chapters. Probably.

Chapter 3

Notes:

Oh hey - this is where the "sentient object" part of this romance comes in. If you wanna skip it (because it's entirely skippable) just skim the first few paragraphs, stop when she "can't fall asleep" and join back up at the 2nd section :)

For not the first time, B was holed up in the library to avoid the fucking insanity outside. The entire mood of the castle had shifted when they’d learned of G Gavino’s plans to attack but B still felt uncomfortable: the group had transformed from being a frat-style boys club to a ruthless Mob gang. It took her by surprise because all along she’d know in the back of her mind that they were a ruthless Mob gang, but it was easier to ignore it when everyone was acting like an idiot and doing dumb shit. More and more people were at meals, eager for an audience with Adam.

There had frighteningly little news since they first learned of the attacks. B knew that the main lab had been evacuated and relocated just in time - the place was burned to the ground barely a day later. Her father was somewhere safe, but she didn’t know where. As much as she wanted to know, she knew it was important she didn’t. The castle itself was one of the next targets and so everyone was in overdrive making defensive plans. It had been six weeks and no one had any idea of what G Gavino’s next plans would be. Or, if they did, they wouldn’t be telling her. 

B largely stayed out of the way. She was useless for anything physical so the idea of demanding a gun was laughable. She was an academic, not a fighter. Part of her wanted to fight, wanted to beat the shit out of everyone who had gotten her into this situation in the first place and made her so scared, but it wasn’t realistic. Also, Adam would be furious if she put herself in any danger.

The morning after they learned about G Gavino’s plans, she’d woken up in his arms on the window seat in her room. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so well, even sleeping curled up on someone’s lap blanketed with cold air coming in from the window. They probably would’ve slept longer if Mrs P hadn’t gentled whistled at them and let Adam know his presence was needed at breakfast. 

Something had fundamentally shifted between them. They hadn’t talked about it but the two of them drifted together at every opportunity. Adam took to doing his work in the library as well, sitting on the opposite side so B had her privacy and space but also close enough that she caught him watching her multiple times. Meals were a more somber affair but Adam kept B’s chair close - and often had his hand resting on her arm or thigh, even when he was talking to other people. And most nights, long after the rest of the castle had gone to sleep, she’d hear a soft knocking on the door - finding him there and ready to show her another interesting part of the castle that she’d never seen before. 

B had always prided herself on being “in tune” with her emotions, but they were such a jumbled knot right now that she struggled to make sense of any of them. How could feel this much fear and this much… romance? She was woefully unfamiliar with romance, not having had a serious relationship in at least a decade, but was this even a romance? Or was this something to occupy her time in captivity?

It didn’t feel like nothing. It felt like everything.

It was late and she rubbed her eyes in exhaustion. She turned in her completed thesis a few weeks ago so she didn’t need to stay up late into the night annotating texts, but she couldn’t help it - Adam’s library had so many interesting titles, surprisingly including ones related to her area of focus, that she found herself planning for a doctorate.

She hadn’t seen Adam since dinner - she knew there was a big meeting that a lot of people were coming up to the castle for, which was the other reason why she’d been working herself into exhaustion. She didn’t want to chance potentially running into her father.

B hear the commotion of the meeting from the hallway once she left the library and resolutely turned the other way, heading for her room. Hopefully she’d made herself tired enough to fall asleep immediately. No need to masturbate to sleep tonight. 

Mrs P had left a mug of chamomile on her bedside table. B stripped off her clothes and threw on the oversized shirt she wore every night and curled up in the blankets. She kind of missed watching TV to fall asleep, but she really wished she could’ve found even a little radio for some music. There was a piano that played in the dining room sometimes but the silence sometimes felt deafening.

Once the tea was gone, she laid down in bed and stared at the ceiling. Sleep didn’t come immediately. Damn it.

Giving her body three seconds to change its mind and fall asleep of its own accord, she sighed as she slid a hand into her underwear. Like she had for weeks now, she imagined that hand actually belonged to Adam. She pictured his intense stare, his warm brown eyes watching as he played her body in her mind. She felt warm quickly, practiced as she was, and pulled off her shirt. 30 seconds. Maybe a minute. Then the orgasm would come and she could ride the endorphins to sleep. 

Something soft touched her breast and she gasped, though it was too dark to see what it was. It trailed down her stomach to rest over her hand, matching the rhythm of her circles on her clit. It was soft but strong, adjusting to fit against her as it moved. Another something soft touched her other breast and began to circle her nipple. 

B moaned, dropping her hands to her sides and letting the soft touch her. A light flickered to life in front of her - Lou. She opened her mouth to protest and he put one of his candles in her mouth, pumping slowly. 

“Before you say anything, just know that this is a dream.” When she arched an eyebrow, dream Lou continued. “You know you wouldn’t let this happen in real life. And Adam is a little busy, didn’t have time to appear in someone’s dreams. I’m happy to step in.”

She went to protest but the candelabra slapped her pussy - the pleasure and pain rocketed through her body. It went back to its circles on her clit.

“None of that. Just enjoy yourself. I know I am.” The candle wax on her nipple squeezed, the candle at her clit slid softly into her pussy, and she moaned again around the candle in her mouth.

The sensations were overwhelming her brain. She was touch-starved and desperate for this attention. The candles were somewhat fluid, adapting to her body as it cupped her breasts and ran up and down her slit. She expected the one in her mouth to have a bad taste, but she couldn’t actually taste anything at all - it was a dream, after all. 

The candle at her clit slowly extended, nudging towards her entrance. B looked up at Lou, who had his typical questioning smirk on his face. She nodded at him and he pushed inside. He went slow, easing in to her - he felt like one of her favorite toys, back at home in her apartment, and that made her relax more. Once inside, he pulled all the way out to push back in. And again. And again. Matching the rhythm of the candle in her mouth. 

Lou bent his head down to her. As he tilted, she saw the wax slowly drip down towards her. She gasps around the candle in her mouth as the wax hit her breast. It didn’t burn as much as it sizzled, fireworks shooting up her body. A few more drops, and then he moved to her other breast. Drops fell across her chest. 

As more wax dripped, the pacing of the candles in her mouth and pussy sped up. Her body felt tense, her orgasm close. She was whimpering in pleasure, waiting for release. When the hot wax dripped onto her nipple, she shattered. Her orgasm shook her entire body as she moaned. 

When she came down, Lou and the candles were gone. And in the morning, she couldn’t remember the dream at all. 

Over the next week, things were tense. B could feel the energy in the air. Conversations were quieter. Meals were anxious. She had no idea what was going on or what she could do. At this point, she’d almost given up on asking. 

One afternoon she was in the library, this time reading a book by the fire. She couldn’t remember a time she’d read a book for fun - though most wouldn’t call Shakespeare fun. Adam was sitting close by, as always - not at his usual table, but at the table closest to her - so close she smelled his cologne. People kept rushing into the room to deliver reports and plans, and she could see the furrow between his brows grow deeper and deeper. 

Mrs P came in a few times to bring them tea and biscuits. B knew Adam wasn’t a tea drinker, but Mrs P was smart enough to not bring him coffee even though he repeatedly asked for it. Every response was the same.

“You’re stressed enough. We aren’t adding caffeine to it.” 

B smiled every time she heard it.

They heard Cog sound the bell letting those in the castle know that dinner was ready. B stood up and stretched, leaving her book open face-down on the arm of her chair. She looked over and saw that Adam hadn’t moved. He was still reading a letter, making notes in a journal that had seen better days. She walked over and put her hand on his shoulder, and he jumped.

“What?” He barked out in his familiar gruff. 

B paid absolutely no mind to it. “It’s time for dinner.”

“I’m not hungry”

“You should come anyway.”

Adam looked up at her with angry eyes, his mouth already open to argue. But B was standing over him, looking down with matching angry eyes, and his face immediately softened.

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“You can come right back when we’re done. Or maybe take a shower.” 

Adam laughed for the first time in days, though it was really more of a small chuckle. “I do need to wash my hair.”

“I can see that.” B joked, turning away from him and headed towards the library door. Adam’s hand reached out to grasp her wrist lightly. She stopped, looking back at him over her shoulder.
Now she saw him - really saw him. The bags under his eyes. The unkempt hair (definitely washed but definitely not brushed). His clothes were wrinkled as though he’d been sleeping in them after their nightly tours of the castle. 

“What is it?” She asked him, moving closer. “What’s going on?”

“I can’t-“

“If I hear that you can’t tell me things, I’m going to fucking lose my mind.” She managed to keep her voice soft. “This is obviously killing you. There’s gotta be some way I can help.”

“It’s not that I can’t tell you things.” He sighed. “It’s that I can’t keep you safe. And the more information you know, the less safe you are.”

Before B could respond, Mrs P zoomed into the room on her tea tray. “Perfect! Just the two I was looking for.”

“What do you need?” Adam’s voice was tired but he tried to put pep into it - Mrs P deserved nothing less. 

“I need you to take a break.” B had never heard Mrs P sound stern before. “Cog will bring you dinner here, and then you will go to bed mister. No nightly wandering either.”

Adam opened his mouth to argue but B cut him off. “I’ve been saying the exact same thing. Just so I don’t get yelled at either.”

“Don’t think I don’t see you on those midnight walks either.” Mrs P gave her a look. “Now go sit - Cog will be in with food shortly, and I’ll make some tea. No more coffee.”

As she zipped away B heard Adam murmur, “You haven’t let me have any coffee.” 

They sat beside each other at Adam’s work table, so close together that she could feel his body heat. He tried to push everything on the tabletop into a neat pile but just ended up shoving the loose pages in his journal. 

“I know you want to keep me safe, but you can’t do that at risk to yourself.” B watched him sort through borrowed annotation tabs. “What is happening? I need to know.”

“It’s not fair to you. I know. I would never make you stay, but it’s very dangerous out there right now.”

“It’s going to be dangerous here, too. I need to know - I need to protect myself.”

Adam was giving her such an intense look that she actually blushed. It wasn’t an intimidating look - if anything, it looked like overwhelmed. After a beat, he opened the journal and spread the papers out again.

“You know that G Gavino is planning to take out our organization. It’s not even that he wants it for himself, to take over our deals and connections. He wants to completely destroy everything.”

“Scorched earth.”

“Exactly. Supply lines and contacts change hands all the time - but at the end of the day you never really know where someone’s loyalties lie. Better to wipe the slate clean and install only your own people.”

“And I assume ‘wiping the slate clean’ means killing dozens of people.” B’s voice was hard.

Adam didn’t waiver. “We aren’t saints, B. You know that. Most of our work is legit but we also work in the grey areas. But we don’t go scorched earth or wipe the slate clean. If we did that, you’d be dead.”

B thought about that - Adam and the Mob were keeping her safe when they really didn’t have to. She wasn’t really collateral like she’d first thought when she’d arrived - her father hadn’t been forced to work with the Mob. He’d chosen to work with them, as an equal partner and in exchange they were protecting her. If they were really ruthless, like G Gavino, they would’ve locked him up and taken care of loose ends. Loose ends like her.

“So he’s the bad guy. Got it.”

“There have always been a few… competitors in the space, let’s say. G Gavino’s outfit only got big in the last few years or so, and he’s been systematically taking out rivals where he can. At first he was small potatoes. But when he blew up that bridge last year-“

“That was him?!” Everyone knew about that bridge accident - 40 people died. City architects couldn’t figure out how it had failed since the bridge was under 20 years ago. But a bomb… yeah, that could do it.

“It was. My father was on that bridge. That’s how we knew he was coming for us next.”

B gasped. “I- I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

Adam nodded in acceptance. “Thank you. We weren’t always on the best of terms, but he was a good father. And a good leader. When he died…” His voice broke. He cleared his throat and continued.

“When he died, Gabrielle took over the outfit, but we let the world think I took over for my father.”

“So that’s why you can’t leave.”

“He wants me dead.” Adam nodded again. “He thought we would scramble and he could swoop in. But we’ve tightened ranks and done well - Gabrielle is very good at her job. So now his plan is to do a big coordinated attack on the castle. Take out as many people as he can at once.

“We have people keeping tabs on him for us, so we’re getting info in pieces. But we’re pretty confident that it’s going to happen soon. Within a week soon. That’s why more and more people are coming here - we’re fortified. And prepared.”

“Where is my father?” She had a million questions at the tip of her tongue but this was the first she could blurt out. “Is he coming here?”

Adam flipped through a few of the papers. “He’s at one of our safe houses. Production has halted for the time being, but the ultimate plan is to rebuild the lab. One of the lower houses is under consideration but nothing’s decided.”

“So he’s coming here?”

“I don’t know. They haven’t made that decision yet.”

B sat back in her chair. “This is a lot.”

“You have no idea.”

The library door opened and Cog entered on his own tray table, escorted by a few servants carrying serving dishes. Cog went right to Adam, a large stack of messages and papers beside him on the table. The two spoke in hushed voices while B and the servants set the table. B did her best not to eavesdrop, knowing that Adam would tell her anything she asked for. Once the plates were prepared, the servants left immediately with the dishes. Cog stayed. 

“Cog, Adam needs to eat.”

“One moment, ma’am. There is still more-“

“Mrs P told him to eat.”

Cog’s face blanched - obviously he’d been on the receiving end of a Mrs P lecture because he very quickly apologized and bowed out of the room on his tea tray. B stifled giggles and even Adam cracked a smile.

He placed the new stack of papers off to the side and purposely turned himself in his chair to face B. 

“I’m sure you have more questions.”

“Only like a million.”

“I’m under strict orders to go to bed after this, so time is limited.”

“See! You are funny!”

“Only under times of great duress.”

She smiled at him, and he smiled back. A real smile, one that went up to his eyes. As much as she wanted to pepper him with questions, she wanted to give him a break from thinking about all of this, if even just for twenty minutes.

“Tell me a joke.” She smirked. “If you know one.”

“I don’t. But I’ll try.”

Every joke he told was terrible. He quoted famous comedians, movies, and even popsicle sticks. But she burst out laughing every time he told her the punchline in his serious gruff voice. He tried to tell them in a monotone but by the end even he was laughing as hard as her. He was always handsome - but when he smiled, he was art. 

The food got cold. They ate it anyway. 

Adam began to yawn once his plate was empty, as though Mrs P had cursed him to fall asleep as soon as the meal was done. The first yawn summoned the teapot, who dashed in humming to herself with two mugs of chamomile. B took hers eagerly - Adam begrudgingly. Mrs P chatted at him for a while, talking about all of the new guests who had arrived and how they mostly didn’t drink tea. Adam nodded at the appropriate times but B could see he was nodding off.

“I think it’s time for bed.” B placed her cup down gently on the tray beside Mrs P and smiled at her. “For him, anyway.”

“Good night, dears.” Mrs P smiled warmly at them and then zoomed off.

B stood, ready to head back to her book in her own room. Adam again reshuffled the loose papers to sit in his journal and then stood beside her. 

“Can I walk you to your room?” B asked. “I’m afraid you might fall asleep on the way there.”

Adam gave a soft chuckle. “Do you want to brave the West Wing?”

“I’m not afraid.”

“Maybe you should be.”

A shiver of pleasure ran down her spine. She opened the door and dramatically gestured to the hallway. “Lead the way.”

The West Wing had its own entrance door from the main hall, mirroring the East Wing where the library and B’s room was. They walked by dozens of people on their way, brooms sweeping and servants carrying laundry. It was like the bustle of a little town, right here in the foyer. They all nodded at Adam as he walked by.

Inside the West Wing was another matter. B knew this is where the gang had their sleeping quarters, dormitory-style due to the sheer number of them. Some rooms were closed off but the larger ones were raucous, music blasting and alcohol flowing. It was like something out of a frat party. She wasn’t impressed. They had never entered the West Wing as part of their nightly tours - and now she knew why. The parties probably never stopped.

Adam led her through the corridors and up two flights of stairs. It was a lot quieter up here, thankfully. His room was at the far end of the wing. She was about to ask him why he lived so far away from everything when the door swung open. And she saw the view.

His room faced the opposite direction of her own. From her bay window, she could see the forest and the city in the distance. Adam’s balcony opened up over the sprawling mountain valley, the sky still light enough that she could make out the rocks in the river and flowers on bushes. Her jaw literally dropped as she rushed into the room.

“You have been holding out on me.” She whispered.

Adam slid open the balcony door so they could step out. She heard sounds of the river and birds and it calmed her - it made her feel like the world was actually normal. Rivers babbled. Birds chirped. Everything was going to be alright. 

“I spent a lot of time on this balcony as a child. Where I trained and played with toys.” Adam gave a half smile. “An infinite number of balls rolled off the sides of this.”

“It’s beautiful.” B breathed.

“It is.” Adam responded. 

She didn’t see that he was looking at her - she had closed her eyes. The mountain air… this was the first time she’d been outside the castle walls in months. The first fresh air in months. Tears came at the corners of her eyes.

“I want to stay here.” She said with a deep sigh. “Right in this spot.”

“If you want to sleep standing up, the space is all yours.” Adam turned, leaning on the balcony railing so he could look in her face. “I sleep horizontal like a normal person.”

B glanced at him. He still looked completely exhausted, but color had come back into his cheeks. 

“I’m sorry - I’m keeping you up. I should go.”

As she turned, he reached out to take her wrist again. Just as gentle as before. “You don’t have to go.”

They locked eyes. No matter how tired he was, his eyes were always bright and warm. Even now, he was looking at her with a hot gaze that immediately made her think of the many, many dreams she’d had of him. But he was bone tired and she wasn’t far behind him.

“Sleep only.” She gave him a soft smile. 

“Sleep only.” He agreed.

B woke up the next morning to a loud banging noise. She groaned, wrapping the blankets tighter around herself. Behind her, Adam cleared his throat and called out “What?”

The door banged open and a woman walked in with Lou, Cog, and others on her heels. “Still in bed at this hour?” She laughed. Lou and Cog hopped up on the end of the bed.

“Gabrielle?” Adam sat up immediately. “What’s happened?” 

“Nothing yet.” Gabrielle arched an eyebrow. “G Gavino’s going to hit this place tomorrow at sunset. We’ve got work to do.”

Chapter 4

For the first time, B was scared for her life. 

She’d managed to keep the fear at bay for the duration of her stay, but it was real: there was a gang of people on their way to this place to kill everyone inside. It wasn’t the abstract idea she’d kept in the back of her brain anymore. This was life or death.

Gabrielle’s arrival that morning had changed everything - everyone took it as a call to arms. For them, it was a culmination of months of work. They functioned like a well-oiled machine. The immature boys were gone: now they were the men who work for the Mob. 

Ironically, that’s not what she was afraid about. After Gabrielle had left them that morning in his bedroom, Adam told her that she could stay by his side all day so she’d know everything going on. But she couldn’t do it. Months and months of begging for answers to questions and, when given the opportunity to be in the room where it happens, she declined. The idea overwhelmed her. 

That and her feelings for Adam. She knew now - she was in love with him. 

When she was leaving him to return to her own room, he reached out and pulled her into a hug. She almost cracked, almost started crying, but instead she held him tight. His hand rubbed her back protectively and it made her feel safe. Before they broke apart, she felt him press a kiss to the crown of her head. That also almost made her cry.

On the bed in her room was a set of clothes she had never seen before, a jacket and tight pants. The wardrobe explained that they were some protective pieces picked out for her by Adam, reinforced with Kevlar. She wasn’t going out in chainmail or anything, and she obviously wasn’t going to be on the front lines shooting enemies as they approached, but she needed to be safe no matter what. It was a bit reassuring, especially knowing Adam was looking out for her, but it was the straw that broke the camel’s back and she burst out into uncontrollable tears. The wardrobe, unaccustomed to such displays of emotion, called for Mrs P for help. 

Mrs P of course came to help, bringing breakfast and tissues. She didn’t talk or fill the room with her usual chatter but instead stayed patiently at B’s side as she ate. Somehow, B had become dependent on this teapot for emotional support. Thankfully, the teapot didn’t mind.

After Mrs P and the wardrobe slipped away, apparently to make their own preparation’s for tomorrow’s invasion, B tried to distract herself. She showered, she tried to nap, and she could read maybe two sentences of her book before giving up. Instead she dressed herself in her new armor and sat on the bay window seat, curled up in Adam’s place with the blanket over herself, watching as his men built additional fortifications around the entrance. More of the gang members were streaming in from other safe houses for the protection of the castle. She wondered if her father were among the newcomers. She didn’t know if she wanted to see him or not - his actions had set off this whole chain of events for her in the first place.

She sat there for hours, watching them work. As she watched, she had questions on what they were doing and why - she grabbed a notepad from her thesis prep and scribbled them down as she observed. Were the questions inspired by the action movies she’d seen over the years? Sure. They were probably dumb questions that Gabrielle would probably laugh at, but at least it gave her mind something to do instead of dwell on tomorrow.

- Are there any ways to stop people scaling the stone wall surrounding the property? Barbed wire?
- What will the weather be? Do we have provisions in place if there is mud, wind, or rain?
- How many entrances? Was there only one road in/out?
- Would the enemy possible enter via helicopter? The clear grass area looked large enough to fit one - maybe move things around to fill in the gap?
- Could the windows on her floor and above open so people could throw projectiles on advancing enemies?

The list went on. 

B heard Cog’s bell to signal dinner but didn’t move to go - she didn’t want to eat a group meal with hundreds of people armed to the teeth. A few minutes later, she heard a knock on the door. With a sigh, she got up and opened the door.

It was Adam. As soon as she saw him, she threw her arms around his neck and clutched him tight. He held her just as fiercely. Somewhere along the way, they had learned to communicate with as few words as possible because he was able to put her at ease almost immediately.

“I came to get you for-.”

“I can’t, I-“

“In the library. Just a few of us.”

She sighed against his chest. “Thank you.”

He held her hand as he led her downstairs. They didn’t speak on the walk but she didn’t need it - just being near him, smelling his woodsy cologne, was enough to calm her nerves for the time being.

There were only a few in the library, though Cog had put out a huge spread that could feed at least 15. She only recognized Gabrielle and Lou - everyone else must be other heads of branches like Adam. 

“Who is this?” One of them snarled. He was a large older man she could only describe as grizzled.

“B. Maurice’s daughter.” Gabrielle answered from the head of the table. 

“She stays. No questions.” Adam glared at the older man. 

“Got it.” He held up his hands in surrender. 

“What do you have?” Gabrielle asked, looking at the notepad in B’s hand. She’d forgotten she’d brought it.

“I, um, thought of some questions while I was watching your team fortify the entrance. More for my own curiosity than anything else. It’s probably nothing.”

“Let me see.”

B handed the notepad to her and moved to sit beside Adam a few seats down. She watched Gabrielle read the whole thing, a brow arched. B studied her as she read: she was slight, with light brown hair in a long braid down her back. With her bright red lipstick and tight-fitted suit, she looked like an assassin from a movie. If B didn’t know they were on the same side, this woman would’ve absolutely terrified her.

“These aren’t nothing.” Gabrielle gave her a smirk. “Well, some of them are. But there’s good stuff here. Especially the weather. God I hope for rain. I’ll work with the boys in the morning. Good job, B.”

B blushed. “Thank you.”

Dinner was a relatively quick and quiet affair. Everyone had been working all day and had more work to get back to when they were done, so what little conversation there was revolved around mundane things. More rain forecasted later this week - a lot of rain this year. Some new movie was coming out in a few weeks with a popular director and a not-popular actor. Kids these days and their weird clothes. 

People left as they finished, nodding at Gabrielle as they exited. When Gabrielle herself left, B and Adam were the only ones remaining. They tried to pick at more of the food but they couldn’t eat anymore. Adam stood and reached out a hand to her - she took it and let him escort her out.

“Are you okay?” He asked as they headed back to her room. 

B laughed. “That’s a loaded question.”

Adam chuckled. “I suppose it is.”

“What am I doing tomorrow? When… when everything…”

It was a question she’d had that she didn’t write down on the notepad. Obviously she wasn’t going to actively fight but where was she going to go? Was she hiding?

“You’ll stay in my room. There might be other safer places to hide you - Cog and I will be reviewing the house plans to make sure we didn’t miss anything. But as of right now, that’s the plan.”

“And where will you be?” She asked quietly, opening the door to her room. It was another thing she worried about - where was Adam going to be during the fight? What if something happened to him?

Adam followed her inside and closed it behind him. “In the foyer, reading to fight anyone who gets past our front line.”

“You could get hurt.”

He stepped closer to her. “I’ll be okay. What’s more important is that you’re safe.”

“But who’s going to keep you safe?”

Adam gave her a small smile, reaching out to loop his arms around her waist and pull her closer. “Everyone else. Trust me. We’ll be okay.”

To think that she hated his guts just a few months ago, that she blamed him for all of his problems, that he was rude and cruel. Over the last few months, he’d shown up for her in ways she hadn’t even imagined. He’d provided her a safe space while she worked through both personal emotions and her thesis. And he’d asked for nothing in return.
She wanted him. She wanted him badly. She put her faith in him that everything would be fine tomorrow but if they only had tonight, she wanted everything. She was done pretending that she didn’t want him and that this wasn’t real - it wasn’t Stockholm syndrome and it wasn’t “forced proximity”. It was so much more than that.

B stood up on her toes and kissed him - hard. He was surprised for about a second before he kissed her back just as fiercely. His hands started to roam her body as she clutched the front of his shirt - she couldn’t feel enough of him through her protective gear. Dropping her own hands for a moment, she unzipped the jacket and tossed it on the floor before immediately grabbing him again and pulling him close. 

“You’re fucking perfect, B.” He growled, kissing a line from her jaw down her neck. “Fuck, I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.”

She didn’t answer - instead she slid her hands up his shirt. She could feel his tight muscles. He took his mouth off of her only to reach up and grab his t-shirt by the collar, pulling it over his head in one fluid motion and tossing it on the floor with her coat. 

“I don’t have a condom.”

“I had a hysterecotomy. And I haven’t been with anyone in a long time.”

“Neither have I.”

“Then fuck me.” 

Pants and shoes were soon off, flying in all directions until they were only in underwear. Once her pants were on the floor, he grabbed her ass and pulled her into his arms - she wrapped her legs around his middle as he walked forward, pressing her into the wall beside her bed. She moaned against his lips, feeling the scratch of the tapestry against her back.

“Oh, are you a screamer, princess?” She could feel his grin against her lips. “Go ahead and scream for me.” He adjusted her so he could move one of his hands to her clit and began to rub in small circles with his thumb. It was heavenly. She threw her head back and gasped, hitting the wall with a thud. Not the kind of pain she usually liked with her pleasure.

He pushed aside her panties to touch her clit directly. She hadn’t thought much about how big his hands were until they were running along her pussy - and his hands were large. He was an expert, knowing exactly how much pressure to apply. 

“You’re soaking wet.” He sucked at the pressure point on her neck. “All for me?”

“Yes,” B breathed as he slid a finger inside her. She couldn’t say much more. It had been so long since she’d felt a man’s hands on her that she was racing quickly to an orgasm. He slid in a second finger and she moaned loudly. He alternated between pumping into her and rubbing her clit. She was close - she was so very close.

“Come for me, princess.” He whispered. “I want to feel you come on me.”

The pressure released and she came apart with a loud moan. She was seeing stars and her legs jerked in his arms. She couldn’t think of a time when she’d ever come this hard.

Without a word, Adam pushed them off the wall and walked a few steps, tossing her softly on the bed. He stood over her, licking her off his hand. 

“Delicious.” 

Adam removed his boxer briefs and tossed them on the floor. He crawled onto the bed, stalking towards her like an animal. She pulled him towards herself and kissed him desperately, sliding her tongue into his mouth. She could taste herself on his lips. She reached down and wrapped her hand around his cock - fuck, it was massive. He growled as she slowly stroked him.

“I can’t be gentle right now.” He pulled his face away for a moment, his pupils completely blown. His voice was husky with lust. “I need you, princess.” 

“I need you, Adam.” She pumped him again. “Right now.”

This was all he needed to hear. He moved her hand aside to line himself up and he could feel the tip of his cock press against her entrance. He slowly began to push in and she gasped - he was big.

“Breathe for me, princess. You can take it.”

A shiver ran down her spine. He was so effortlessly sexy. 

Slowly he eased into her, inch by inch, then pulling out slowly so she could adjust - all the while rubbing soft circles on her clit. For someone who said they couldn’t be gentle, he was incredibly gentle. It had been a long time since she’d had sex but the slight pain of the stretch mixed with the heady pleasure was intoxicating. She sat up on her elbows to watch him enter her, his entire attention focused on her body.

He bottomed out, full sheathed inside her, and they both moaned. He locked eyes with her, waiting for her. Her heart swelled and she nodded. He smirked.

Adam pulled completely out of her and slammed back in. The tip of his cock hit her cervix and she gasped - that had never happened before and it was an unbelievable sensation. He didn’t hesitate, driving into her at a brutal pace. She was overwhelmed in the best way, her body aflame with pleasure. His hands gripped her hips so tight she expected bruises.

He paused, but only to pick her up and roll her over. She was on her knees, looking out at the bay window. He drove back into her and she moaned loudly. She moved, matching his rhythm. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her up so her back was flush with his chest - they were both slick with sweat. His other hand wrapped around her neck, twisting her head to the side so he could kiss her.
She came hard out of nowhere, her body shaking, but he didn’t let her go. He continued to pound into her, his pace steady but rough. Her orgasm never wavered, instead somehow continuing to build.

“Fuck, princess. You feel so good coming on my cock. Do it for me one more time.”

B grabbed onto the arm holding her throat, afraid she was losing her balance. She felt incredible - he felt incredible. This felt incredible. She was going to orgasm again. She could feel his breath getting ragged and she knew he was close too. 

“Adam.” She choked out. “Adam, I-“

“B. Princess.” 

Hearing him say her name - calling her Princess - and she came loudly. It was an out-of-body experience, her whole body vibrating as her pussy clenched around him. Barely a second later he followed her, moaning just as loud. They stayed in place for a moment, holding each other and trying to catch their breath. He slowly pulled out of her and her body immediately missed him - she could feel his come begin to run down her leg.

“Oh my god.” She breathed. “Oh my god, Adam.”

He kissed her shoulder. “Fuck.”

They heard a tinkling noise - both of them looked up at the bay window. It was raining.

B was awoken again the next morning by loud hammering on the bedroom door. She didn’t want to move - to be honest, she wasn’t sure she could. After they both caught their breath last night, they’d gone into the shower to clean up - which only led to more… activity. They’d passed out sometime around 1AM, tired in the best possible way. And now she was curled up in his arms, her head tucked under his chin. It felt perfect.

“What?” Adam growled out. 

“Boss, we need you to-“

“Not right now.”

“But boss-“

“Not. Right. Now”

“Uh… yes. Yes, boss.” She heard footsteps practically running away from her door. 

She turned her head to look up at him. “If you have to leave, you-“

He cut her off mid-sentence with a kiss. It was firm but tender and she felt herself melting into his touch. She would never get tired of this kiss, of his arms wrapped around her, of feeling him deep inside her. 

“I’m not leaving. Not now. Not ever.” He whispered. “Not when I finally have you.”

“I don’t want you to go. But tonight…”

She trailed off. They both knew what was happening tonight. He would have to fight, to defend his family. And she would hide here, defenseless and alone.

“Is it selfish that I don’t want you to go?” She mumbled mostly into his chest. 

“It’ll be okay, princess. I promise I’ll come right back to you.”

“You better.”

There came another pounding on the door. This time, Gabrielle called out.

“Hey lovebirds. Get your dick wet tomorrow - we’ve got shit to do. Be downstairs in 30.”

After her footsteps died away, B snorted into his chest. “Well, that kinda ruined the mood.”

He laughed and she felt it echo in his chest. 

They went into the shower - to shower only this time - and redressed in clothes from last night. Before he left, she grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and pulled him in for one more kiss. 

B poured everything into that kiss. Every hope that tonight would be okay and their group would survive. Every hope that he would come back to her. Every hope that they would be together past today, past tomorrow, past forever. And he kissed her back with just as much passion. She knew that he understood. She knew that he was making her the same promises.

Not long after Adam left, Mrs P came in with breakfast. B was able to nibble on some toast but not much else - her stomach was in knots. It was still raining outside, thankfully - Gabrielle would be happy with that news. She could see some barriers being moved out her window - she stopped herself from watching everyone again. Instead, she wrote. Mostly to herself, but some were letters to other people - to Adam, to her father, to her professors. She wrote out her fears, her anxieties, her promises to the future, her love. And when she was done with them all, she tossed the lot of paper into the fireplace and watched it burn. 

Lou came to see her after lunch and for the first time since she’d met him he wasn’t a smug asshole. He came on his own tea tray, which she’d never seen him use before, but it was because he had a box ready for her.

“We went back and forth on whether we should give you this. I made the executive decision.” He reached over and opened the box - there was a handgun with a box of bullets. “We can’t be here to protect you the whole time. We won’t let them get past you… but you have to protect yourself.”

She’d used a gun before - she dated a guy for a few weeks in undergrad who’d taught her the basics. Reluctantly, because it was terrible first date conversation, but she still remembered snippets of what he’d said. Lou walked her through it as well - as best he could with only his candlesticks. 

“I’ve never… I’ve never shot at a real person before.”

“Aim for the big center mass.”

“Helpful.”

Lou shrugged. “Hey, I’ve never fired a gun. What do I know?”

B stared at him for a moment and then burst into laughter. “I’m glad I met you, Lou.”

“Whoa, don’t talk about me like I’m dead.”

“I’m not. But you have to admit today will be a turning point.”

“Yeah, I guess. I’m glad I met you too, B.”

As he moved to leave, there was another knock at the door. Lou opened it for her, maneuvering around the new person to enter. 

“Dad?”

“B.” 

He held out his arms for a hug. She stayed put.

“Dad.” She gave him a small smile. “You’re here.”

He lowered his arms, looking a little hurt. “I am. No hug for your old man?”

“I can’t decide if I’m mad at you or not.”

“Why would you be mad at me?” He genuinely looked confused. 

“You’re joking, right?” She scoffed and arched an eyebrow. “Look where we are. You’re the reason we’re in this mess.”

He held up his hands in surrender. “Hey now. It’s not my fault a rival gang is trying to take over.”

“That’s not what I mean and you know that.”

“No, I don’t know that.” He looked annoyed now. “What are you talking about?”

“Dad, seriously? You make drugs for the Mob? Hello? I’ve been stuck in this castle for months ‘for my protection’ because of you.”

He was red-faced now, ready to yell. “You haven’t seen me in all that time and now you’re mad at me? I guess I’m just such a terrible father. A terrible father that kept you safe! They pay me good money and they took care of you.”

“I didn’t ask for any of it.”

“You sure didn’t say no to it when I was buying you all of those expensive things!”

“What expensive things? I live on my own. I got scholarships for grad school. The only things you paid for were your Caribbean cruise and vintage Challenger.”

“How dare you speak to your father that way?” His voice echoed around her room. “What about me? This has been tough for me too, you know!”

She remained calm, her voice even and devoid of emotion. “I’ll speak to you however I like. You made a selfish decision that changed my entire life and you still think this is all about you.”

“I didn’t get a single thing right, huh? I’m sorry that I messed up so badly that you take everything so personally.”

“Obviously I take this personally. As it has affected me personally.”

“You ungrateful-“

The door slammed open behind him. “Think very carefully about what you say next, Maurice.” Her father flinched at the sound of Adam’s voice.

“It’s fine, Adam.” B continued to glare at her father. “He was just leaving.”

Maurice looked between the two of them, his face still beet-red. “What the fuck is going on here?”

“Get. Out. Now.” Adam stood beside him, his arms crossed. He towered over Maurice, who gulped at his deep voice.

“So this is it?” Her father’s voice was still angry but he wasn’t yelling. “You’re going to let him tell me to leave?”

“I wouldn’t make him repeat himself if I were you.” She said coldly.

“This place has changed you.” He backed up towards the door. “Where’s my sweet girl who loved her father?”

“You probably should’ve thought of her when you sent me to live with the fucking Mob.”

With one final look, he turned to leave. “I don’t need this.” He slammed the door behind him.

Adam and B stayed in place, staring at the now-closed door. 

“You okay?” He turned to take her in his arms.

She expected to be overcome with emotions. Her father had always been selfish but she never expected him to be this oblivious about everything, or this angry. But she didn’t feel anything.

“Yeah. I’m fine. More annoyed than anything.”

He chuckled. “Annoying is not the word I’d use but if that works for you, that’s great.”

“I’ve got more pressing issues anyway.” She looked up at him. “It’s almost sundown.”

“That’s why I’m here.” His face turned grim. “Lights have been spotted on the road. We’re all meeting in the foyer before the battle. Rallying speech and all that.”

“I want to be there.” 

“You will.”

Adam wouldn’t let go of her hand, even when they reached the base of the stairs and were weaving through people to get to Gabrielle. She’d already started her speech.

“-tough out there. These men are ruthless and single-minded. Their sole focus is to slaughter as many of us as they can and tear this castle down brick by brick. We won’t let them. We are the oldest gang in the city and we’re going to fucking keep it that way.”

The whole crowd began to cheer. 

“Normally, I’d say to keep this clean and fair. Maim and capture. But not today - they want us dead. But we’re strong, faster, and better. Take them out, however you can. The rain is on our side and will slow them down. I want everyone to stay safe - and kill as many of them as you can.”

Adam called out after her. “And save G Gavino for me. We have unfinished business.”

The crowd cheered again. Gabrielle whistled and they disbursed, heading to their battle stations. B stayed close to Adam, clutching his hand. 

“You sure about G Gavino?” Gabrielle asked him softly as the last of the crowd was leaving. “We’ve got snipers on the roof who could pick him off.”

“I’m sure.” Adam responded. “He killed my father.”

Gabrielle nodded. “Okay. He’s yours.” She turned to B. “Are you prepared?”

“As prepared as I’ll ever be.”

A horn sounded from outside. B didn’t know the exact protocols but she had a feeling she knew what this was.

“To your stations! They’re almost here!”

B took the stairs two at a time, running as quickly as she could to Adam’s room. Seconds after the horn echoed through the castle, the first bullets were fired. She didn’t want to stick around to see who had started it or how close they were. She didn’t want to test how strong the Kevlar was. 

When she got upstairs, Mrs P was there along with the box from Lou and with some other servants who wouldn’t be fighting. Cog stood closest to the door, and once she was through he locked it. 
It felt like minutes but it had been hours. Hours of fighting, of lightning traveling across the sky as the rain got heavier, of hearing horns mark some passage of time. It was killing her. She had no idea what was going on or how they were doing or where Adam was. Another horn sounded.

“It’s time.” 

B turned to Cog, who was unlocking the door. The servants, hat racks, and brooms all filed out in a neat line. Cog and Mrs P turned to look at her.

“Where are you going?” She asked, her voice small.

“We have our role to play, as do we all.” Cog responded. “We’re going to defend this castle, like we have many times before.”

“Don’t go.” She pleaded. “Don’t leave me alone.”

Mrs P smiled at her. “You’ll be all right, my dear. I know you will.”

Tears fell silently down her cheeks. Cog bowed, Mrs P gave a puff of smoke, and then they were gone. The door was locked behind them, the box left on Adam’s bed.

She took it out and went through the safety check Lou had showed her. The gun was loaded and she put the extra bullets in a pocket. The safety was off so she kept it pointed at the ground. Another horn sounded. She thought she could hear footsteps.

B looked around, trying to find somewhere to hide where she could still see the door. She ended up wedging herself between the bed and the nightstand, her head just barely visible over the blanket so she could see the door open if anyone tried to come in. Her heart was racing but she had the gun propped up so she could quickly aim and fire if needed.

The door started to open slowly. B brought the gun up and aimed, her finger right on the trigger. The shot went off, missing the person in the entrance and embedding itself deep in the wooden frame.

“B.” It was Adam.

She leapt from her hiding space and ran to his side, pulling him into a big hug. He was covering in blood, she could tell even with his black clothes, and he had a deep wound on his cheek just below his eye. But he still looked at her with love in his eyes.

“Adam.” She breathed. “What happened? Are you okay? Gabrielle and the others-“

“We’re okay.” He cradled her face in his hand. “It’s under control. We saw a group headed this way, and I had to make sure you-“

“How touching.” A voice called out behind Adam, followed by a loud bang. Adam’s body jerked in her arms and he let out a small groan. B stepped back carefully, Adam hanging on to her, and the person at the door took a step inside.

She had never seen this person before but knew without a doubt that this was G Gavino. He looked like an inverted version of Adam - dark hair pulled back from his face, a bright red jacket, and a cruel sneer on his face. B almost laughed - give him a twirled mustache and he’d look like any other cartoon villain. 

“Ah, you must be B. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” G Gavino slowly stepped towards her, matching her pace. “I understand your father has quite the chemistry set. I’ve been trying to recruit him for months but he’s stubborn. Perhaps with the right negotiation…”

“Fuck you.” B growled, stepping carefully over the threshold onto the balcony. Adam was growing heavy in her arms - he was putting more and more weight on her and the rain was coming down in buckets. “Get away from us.”

“No, I don’t think I will.” His face looked maniacal as lightning streaked across the sky. “Not when I’ve almost got everything I want.”

“B…” She could barely hear Adam’s whisper over the roar of the rain. “Shoot him. You can do it.”

She didn’t hesitate: she let go of Adam, brought up the gun, and fired. She missed, her bullet hitting him in the shoulder, but he let out a howl of pain. Adam slumped to the ground and she stepped around him, letting out another shot. This one went wide, cutting past G Gavino’s ear. He let out another scream as blood immediately began squirting onto his arm.

“You bitch!” He roared. With the next burst of lightning, she could see the anger in his eyes. “You’ll pay for that.”

He charged her - she knew she had no chance of grappling him so she rolled out of the way, sliding on the wet floor. He pivoted, managing to kick her hard in the side and knocking her to the ground. She crumpled and he kicked her again once she was down. She screamed in pain, trying to cover her head as best she could.

“Get away from her.” Adam bellowed. B looked past her arms to see him on his knees, gun aimed directly at G Gavino who swiveled to look at him.

“I’m going to make you watch as I kill her. And then I’m going to kill you.”

Adam fired. His shot hit the center of G Gavino’s chest and he stumbled back. Adam leaned to one side, gun dropping to the ground, as B crawled towards him. G Gavino was still trying to yell as he tried to point his gun at the two of them, but with the bullet in his shoulder he couldn’t raise his arm high enough. He stumbled back, slipping on the slick floor of the balcony, and tripped. He flipped backwards over the balcony railing and fell.

B stood, gun in hand, and stepped warily towards the edge. She peered carefully over the side, waiting for lightning, but saw nothing. G Gavino was gone.

She dashed back to Adam, sliding on the wet floor as she knelt. He was on his side and she could see blood where G Gavino had shot him in the back. His breathing was ragged and he looked like he was fighting to stay conscious.

“Adam. Adam!” She cried, brushing the hair out of his face. “Adam, please, stay with me.”

“B.” He looked up at her and grinned. “Great shot.”

Tears were streaming down her face, mixing with the rain. “Adam, you have to stay awake. I- I’m going to put some pressure on this and then you’ll be okay.”

“B.” He repeated, his eyes starting to close.

“No!” She shouted. “Stay awake, Adam! You have to!”

“B. I love you.”

He passed out.

B woke up feeling someone running their hand through her hair. It had taken her awhile to fall asleep in the hospital chair but she’d finally managed it, her arms crossed on the mattress and her head resting on top. The hand was soft and gentle, comforting. It made her smile.

Then she bolted upright, looking at Adam and his outstretched hand. She promptly burst into tears.

“Adam!” She screamed. Her instinct was to throw her arms around him but instead she slowed down and held him gingerly. “You’re okay.”

“I’m okay.” He wrapped one arm around her. “Come up here with me.”

Immediately she leapt up, curling into his side with her head on his shoulder while being careful of the IV in her arm. “How are you feeling?” She asked softly.

“Like I got shot.” He grumbled as he resumed running a hand through her hair. “Hurts like a motherfucker.”

“I thought you died.” B was sure he was dead, even as she balled up her jacket and pressed it to the wound on his back to stop the bleeding.. She remembered Lou and Cog crashing in, followed by Gabrielle and some other members of the gang. They took over for her - once she let him go, she passed out herself. She’d woken up in a hospital bed of her own just a few hours ago and had come down here immediately after changing into regular clothes. The nurse and the IV stand didn’t bother to fight her.

“I told you I’d come back to you. I don’t break my promises.” He pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. “I’m sorry.”

B shook her head. “Please don’t apologize for not being dead.”

He snorted. “I’m sorry I worried you.”

She tilted her head up to look at him. “I’m sorry I didn’t say it back.”

“What?”

She lifted her head, looking down at him now. “I love you too, Adam.”

He broke out into the biggest grin she’d ever seen on him. He was beautiful. It made his whole face come alive, coloring flushing back into his cheeks and his eyes sparkling. She couldn’t believe for a second she’d thought of him as a beast, as an angry asshole who didn’t care about anyone. 

“Will one of these machines beep if I kiss you?” He asked, his grin turning into a smirk.

She shrugged. “Probably depends on how well you kiss me.”

“Let’s test that theory.”

They did, and one of the machines did go off.

With the doctor’s approval, Adam was discharged the next day under strict orders to stay in bed. B stayed by his side, reading to him some of her favorite books from his library’s collection. He’d said he wasn’t much of a reader but he’d devoured the stories she’d told him. The castle emptied out, the gang returning to their normal posts throughout the city. When he father left, she didn’t say goodbye. 

The news reported that G Gavino hadn’t been seen in some time but that he’d likely gone abroad to expand his business. No one bothered to correct them. 

When Adam was cleared from bed rest, the first thing he did was toss B over his shoulder and bring her up to bed. He held her close, whispering “I love you” with each thrust. She whispered it back with each gasp. Each night as she laid there, listening to Adam’s even breathing as he slept, she thought about everything that had happened the past year and knew this was exactly where she wanted to be. 

Everything had changed. And it was perfect.

THE END

 

Notes:

Look - this is rushed and not good. If I were to adapt this into something long, I'd edit the hell out of it. But it serves its purpose here and now. Thanks for coming along on this ride :)

Notes:

What kind of Mob is it? Who knows! Not important!