“If we ride hard, we should make it back home a day earlier than planned.” Fenak speculated, receiving some nods and indiscernible grunts of agreement from a few of the men.
Taking another bite of roasted pheasant Rodis shrugged. “That is if the King wants to risk the Lady’s comfort at such a grueling pace.”
Inadvertently each man’s eyes swept over the huddled form near the tree. After leading her back to camp, Rodis left her to check on the horses when he returned he found her facing away from the fire curled into a ball. Not for the first time that day a feeling of guilt sliced through his heart. This was a feeling he was totally unaccustomed to feeling, prisoners were simply something Suros never took. By the King’s command, they were accustomed to killing only rogue demon hordes or human bandits, not taking cute bunny demons hostage. When they realized that Lady Ishtar was their mission every man was shocked, normally Suros’s personal affairs were nonexistent. Only a few people under his command even knew of the occasional demoness that would visit his bedchamber. But no matter how shocked they were the King’s command was law and whether it be on her own will or by force Ishtar was coming back to Tige.
“Mmm,” Fenak raised his large shoulders in a dismissive shrug as he pursed his lips in thought. “The way he has been acting I wouldn’t see why he wouldn’t.”
“Yeah, and didn’t he say she was being pursued by other demons,” Daden chimed in loudly.
Both Rodis and Fenak punched the younger man sitting between them, giving him silent, lethal looks to shut up. Everyone looked around for their silver-haired King and sighed collectively at the apparent absence. The last time he was seen he was walking the tree line, which wasn’t unusual since their King did not need as much sleep as them, usually spending most nights quietly staring off at the sky.
“I feel bad for her,” Daden continued seemingly oblivious to their recent warnings about the volume of his voice.
Grabbing him by his collar, Fenak stared daggers into the young man’s eyes causing Daden to shrink in his hold. “You,” Fenak whispered lethally and evenly. “Are going to get yourself killed. So either lower your voice or shut the fuck up.” Releasing his collar with a shove, Daden braced himself with one hand to prevent from falling all the way over.
Avoiding the scathing looks, he was getting Daden turned to Rodis with a chastised look. “I’m sorry,” he whispered this time. “I just meant she makes me feel so bad for her with those big eyes and floppy ears.” Looking around first he leaned in towards the group and whispered even lower. “What do you think he is going to do with her?”
Silently they stared at the kid judging if he was serious or not.
“Goddammit Daden I hadn’t realized until this moment how stupid you are,” Fenak sighed with a mirthless laugh. “I swear if I didn’t know for myself how good you were with a bow I would wonder why you are part of our group.”
Smiling along with the others laughter Rodis turned to look back at the curled-up figure by the tree, he could see some of her dark golden-brown hair from underneath the blanket and a portion of white fur from her ear. Morbidly his thoughts turned darker as he thought of their silent King. It was more than evident to figure out what the King intended to do with the poor girl. Would he be cruel to her? Frowning Rodis couldn’t be sure of the answer. Suros was normally a fair and just King, he had no tolerance for violence against women. Years ago, Suros himself intervened personally on the guards’ arrest of a man who attacked a young girl— the man was disemboweled in the street. That was what made this all so confusing.
The small whimper silenced everyone.
Looking over to the huddled figure under the tree, they watched as she jerked a little in her sleep.
“She might be having a bad dream,” Daden whispered as both he and Rodis stared at the small figure.
Feeling for the poor girl Rodis prepared to stand when he caught sight of the pale figure in the dark armor. Stopping in front of the sleeping girl Suros knelt to one knee and slid his clawed hands underneath the girl. Totally forgetting he was staring, Rodis watched as Suros easily lifted her and changed positions with her until he was sitting with her in his arms with his back against the tree.
Pulling his gaze from the woman in his arms the King met Rodis’s gaze directly. Startled by the cold look he gave him, Rodis immediately turned around.
“I am going to get some sleep,” unsurprisingly everyone else did the same not wanting to risk any more of the King’s ire.
*~*~*
Shifting in her sleep, Ishtar nuzzled deeper into the material beneath her. Relaxing her body into the warm comfort she unknowingly wrapped her arms around the firm yet warm cushion beneath her, pressing her body even closer.
The deep vibrating growl in response reverberated through her consciousness until it pulled her from her sleep.
Opening her eyes, she blinked a few times as her mind synced with her body realizing her position. Laying against his torso Ishtar’s legs lay encased between his legs, allowing her to fill the full warmth of his strong body. Stiffening in fear Ishtar pushed herself up and away from his chest with every intention of putting distance between herself and him.
Wrapping a clawed hand around her wrist Suros halted her intentions.
Leaning back casually against the tree with one leg outstretched and the other bent at the knee Suros gave her a blank look in response at her look of fear. Angered by his emotionless face, she tried to pull her wrists from his grip with all of her strength.
Not one inch. She gained not one inch of leeway in his hold.
Out of breath Ishtar leaned awkwardly on his chest with one hand still firmly secured by his grip. She hated this. She hated him. She hated even touching him.
With only the sound of her fatigued breathing between them, Ishtar avoided his gaze and looked around. Besides two soldiers walking silently on the other side of the clearing all the others were asleep. Scattered here and there, each man slept silently on their back with their swords flat underneath their hands. Were they trained to sleep that way?
Not able to stand the unspoken tension anymore she turned and met his primal gaze directly. “I will not be your slave,” she hissed, so upset her voice shook. “I will not be forced to bear your children.”
A ghost of a smile appeared at the corner of his lips, somehow chilling his emotionless expression further. “I have no current interest in siring children nor a need for a slave.”
Frowning in confusion, she shook her head. “Then why do you want me? You said that…”
Pulling her arm out from the anchoring position on his chest she fell face down on his chest with a thump. Putting one arm over her shoulder blades, he forced her to return to her original position with her cheek against his chest.
“The priest told me your mother left you at the temple for sanctuary when you were young, is that correct?” With her hands flat between his chest and her own, Ishtar lay there tense as a board. Cautiously she nodded. “Have you ever met another demon?” He asked. Listening to his steady heartbeat beneath her she reluctantly began to relax to its rhythm. Whispering a “no,” she waited for him to continue. Like a rumbling storm beneath her, she heard his voice again. “When I was younger my older brother once told me about your kind. He described your unique features and gentle nature. He told me your kind are much like humans, in that you convey all of your emotions on your face, down to the last detail.”
Confused she turned her face, from her position on his chest, upwards to look up at him.
One of his hands began to idly toy with a lock of her hair, as he tilted his head as if judging how little she really knew. “Most demons,” he eventually continued, “are different from you and humans. Though we can feel the same full range of emotions the need to convey them is not second nature.”
This answered so much about him, the cold, stoic expression and the silence—everything perfectly explained he was the way he was.
“That still does not answer why y
ou have taken me!” she challenged.
“Ever since, I’ve been searching for one of your kind to appease my curiosity,” by now his hand was fully immersed in her thick hair, repetitively pulling his fingers through, letting the silken strands cascade through his fingers. The feeling was new and odd, it made her skin tingle with each stroke. “But as I told you little one, you are very rare and hard-to-find. So when I was given information on your location I told myself I would find you no matter what. And now that I have found you,” tilting her face up to his Suros gave her a hungry look that sent chills down her body. “I promised myself I would have you.”
“You would have me?” She repeated, shocked by his arrogance. Angrily she shoved herself further back trying again to obtain some distance between them.
“How dare you?! You stole me from my life just because you could.” Anger like none she ever experienced before roared through her veins. Lifting her hand, she struck out towards his perfect pale face.
Her hand didn’t make it halfway.
Long fingers with matching long claws caught her wrist, wrapping around the delicate bone. Fear hit her with alarming clarity as it forced her to realize her grave mistake. Looking at him she followed his line of sight with a whimper. Staring at his capture, they both stared at the overwhelming difference between them. The size of his hand doubled the size of hers. If he wanted to, he could easily crush her wrist as punishment.
Pulling her wrist, Suros pulled her closer capturing her face with his other hand. Completely at his mercy now he pulled her body up further until she felt her breasts flatten against his chest. Arching her back, Suros met her gaze with a flash of eagerness in his predatory red gaze.
“Yes, I wanted you,” he growled unapologetically. “And now I have you.”
Totally ensnared Ishtar was powerless to his will. Tilting her face to the angle he desired, he stared down into her wide green eyes with unnerving stillness. Closer and closer she could feel the heat of his lips approach hers. With his pale lips slightly parted she could see the edge of his sharp teeth. At a hair’s breadth, he stopped his descent, raising one silver eyebrow pointedly.
“You only have two options little one, you can go back to sleep, or I can continue.”
The dark ultimatum sent chills down her spine causing her to shiver. With the grip on her face loosening, Ishtar took the only option she could. Pushing forward she forced herself to settle back on his hard chest, praying she could find sleep and temporarily escape the nightmare of her new reality.
Chapter 6
With her cheek pressed against Rodis’s firm back, Ishtar felt the undulating rhythm of the horse’s gallop flow through her body. Two by two each man rode beside the other in a long line as they traveled across the seemingly endless rolling green landscape. The deafening sound of hooves hitting the ground in unison threatened to lull her to sleep.
Turning her face to view the other side Ishtar’s heart skipped a beat when she saw Suros riding beside them. Fenak, the man with the red hair, was the one that had been riding at their left all morning, why was Suros riding beside them now?
Long silver strands of hair hypnotically pulled her gaze to their attention as they danced in the wind behind him. Narrowing her gaze, Ishtar reminded herself to harden all her emotions towards the man and ignore all her curiosity about him. Fiercely she reminded herself of his heartless words last night and not to mention the scene earlier that morning.
Red hot embarrassment heated her face as she recalled waking up in the wolf’s arms. Burying her face into Rodis’s back, she tried to stop the memory of her body pressed so intimately against his. Never has she ever felt a man so close before. The glaring differences of their bodies imprinted itself on her mind plaguing her waking dreams. Shifting uncomfortably in the saddle, Ishtar could still feel the hard heat between Suros’s legs pressed against her hip as he forced her to lay to the length of his body last night.
“Are you okay Lady Ishtar?” The warm pressure of Rodis’s hand covering hers, along with his voice over the roar of hooves shook her from her distressing thoughts.
Calling out a yes, she looked back over to the side and caught the familiar red stare. Like a dark enchantment, his jeweled gaze held hers. She wanted to turn away, but she could not find the strength. Finally releasing her gaze, he turned his head forward and spurred his horse faster returning to the front of the procession, pushing Fenak back to his earlier position at their side. Sagging against Rodis’s back in a sigh of relief Ishtar closed her eyes and fell asleep.
The jostling sway rocking her side to side eventually woke her.
Opening her eyes, Ishtar was surprised to see that they were descending down a steep rocky cliff. Clutching onto Rodis’s leather armor tighter she pressed herself closer to his body as she stared down the dangerous jagged incline.
Again, his gloved hand covered hers. “Don’t worry Lady Ishtar I have got you,” Rodis’s voice called out, still covering her hand with his against his waist. “I won’t let you fall.”
Reassured by his words Ishtar turned in her seat to look behind them. In a long single line procession, each soldier carefully followed their trail down the crumbling rocky pass. The soldier behind their horse was the young one they referred to as Daden. Not surprisingly he was staring directly at her, something she had caught him doing on more than one occasion. Giving her a large smile, Ishtar had no choice but to smile politely back at the eager young soldier.
Daden took that as an invitation.
Completely disregarding the silence of their descent down the rocky slope into what appeared to be a rocky gorge, Daden leaned forward on his horse and spoke.
“You see those rocks over there Lady Ishtar,” Daden pointed at a group of what appeared to be fallen rocks coming up on their left. “Those fell and nearly killed Augustus on our ride here to come get you.” He explained excitedly. “We were racing through here at breakneck speeds, and either the sound or maybe the vibrations dislodged them, and they came crashing down.”
Still turned in her saddle she gave him a horrified look as she clutched Rodis even tighter. “Is he okay?... Augustus?” She clarified.
“Oh yeah,” Daden replied, brushing off Augustus’s near-death experience as nothing more than a trivial detail. “He is in the back.” Waving behind him to the rest of the following soldiers.
Ishtar heard Rodis mumble an oath under his breath.
“But don’t worry Lady Ishtar,” boldly Daden moved his horse closer to Rodis’s until he was right next to her ignoring the obvious protocol. “Nothing like that will happen this time, we are going down it very carefully.”
“Daden, get your…” Rodis’s voice snapped of warning, beginning to order the younger soldier back in line.
“You will like Tige,” Daden’s chipper response cut Rodis off.
“Will I?” Curious now at his certainty.
Ishtar highly doubted she would, she was positive she would hate it actually. It was the sweet, bright smile of his that made her bite her tongue, however. And to be completely honest with herself Ishtar was a little curious about this mystery kingdom everyone spoke so fondly about.
Traveling through the rocky gorge at a steady, careful pace, Daden rode alongside of them telling her every detail of Tige. How the kingdom was hidden in the valley of the Black Mist Mountains and how anyone who didn’t know the way could easily get lost in the dark woods of the mountains Recounting stories of his childhood Daden described in great detail the life inside the inner-city walls, down to the crystal blue river that ran from the mountains down through the kingdom. Ishtar learned that the kingdom’s main source of goods was from their mining of the surrounding mountains and that nearly all of their trade occurred with another kingdom, which was ruled by Suros’s brother.
“His brother?” She repeated, wanting to hear more about this mysterious brother that knew so much about her kind. It still amazed her that there could possibly be anyone related to the emotionless King.
“Yep,” Daden nodded happily. “He looks just like our King. I got to see him once on his last visit. It was amazing, I mean I heard of Lord Helix before, but to see...”
“Helix? Is that his name?”
“Yes, my Lady,” this time Rodis answered, maneuvering his horse around a pile of rocks. “I had the honor of meeting the King’s brother last year.”
“What is he like?” She had so many questions she had to stop herself from asking them all at once.
Rodis tilted his head, and a paused before eventually speaking. “He is identical to our King except his eyes are yellow.”
Identical? So that meant Suros is a twin. But she could have sworn he said his “older” brother told him the story about her kind.
“Does Lord Suros have any other brothers?”
The King's Karma: A Short Fantasy Romance Page 4