Stolen Warriors

by S. Dalambakis

  “How do you keep your meat from spoiling? How do you store it?”

  “I have a spelled bag. It keeps the meat at the perfect temperature.”

  “Hm, interesting. Can I see the bag?”

  “I’ll show you later.”

  Our conversation is cut short as Stolas exits the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, water dripping down his chest. Now, I’m regretting not going in there with him. No man should look that good wet. My stomach ruins the moment, cutting through the silence and my thoughts, by growling.

  “I guess someone is hungry,” Stolas chuckles. I am. In more ways than one.

  Obsidian moves, sitting on the side of the bed, wearing only boxers. I watch his muscles in fascination, as they move when he stretches. Every inch of skin is covered in tattoos. I want to explore his body. I want to see each and every tattoo. Not being able to resist, I roll over closer to him. I reach out, touching his back, tracing the script down his spine. I’ve never seen the language before.

  “What does it say?” I ask quietly.

  “He who lives without discipline dies without honor. It’s an ancient Icelandic proverb written in Old Norse.”

  It says a lot about the man. I may have not known Obsidian long, but after talking to Verkor last night, I feel I have a little more insight on him. This makes me want to know more. Why does he feel the need to have such control? What happened to him?

  “One day, will you tell me about it? Will you tell me what all your tattoos mean?”

  Obsidian looks over his shoulder at me. “One day.” He rises from the bed, going to the bathroom. My eyes follow him the whole way, hoping that I didn’t bring up horrible memories.

  Obsidian

  I retreat, hiding in the bathroom, because I don’t want to face the things that I’ve done. Some of it was for my survival, but that doesn’t make it easier. Being a hamrammr means being hunted. It took a lot of years to gain the reputation I have now. One where I don’t constantly have to look over my shoulder. I don’t want Finley to see that side of me because I’m not that person anymore. Discipline and control. The two things that helped me get me through that time. I know I’ll have to tell her about it, we’re mates. We shouldn’t keep things from each other. I just hope she doesn’t look at me differently.

  I place my hands on the wall, hanging my head. I let the hot water from shower beat down on my back. I don’t want Finley to know the fucked up shit I’ve done. I growl. Self-loathing in the shower isn’t going to change the situation, but I can hopefully distract her from it. She’s curious about my shifting abilities. I see it in her eyes. The way she wants to keep asking questions but doesn’t know if she should. I have to give her credit, she knew when to stop pushing for answers a little while ago. I have to trust she’ll be okay with everything else. She wouldn’t be my mate, the other half made for me, otherwise. I need to get out of this shower. I’m becoming too sentimental, and that shit isn’t me.

  I wash quickly, shutting off the water. I grab a towel off the rack as I step from the shower. I do a quick rub over my hair and arms, wrapping the towel around my waist. I wipe the steam from the bathroom mirror. Opening the door underneath the sink, I rummage through until I find an unopened comb. Quickly, I comb through my hair and beard, placing the comb down on the sink counter. I look around for my clothes, realizing that I never brought them in here. Placing my hands on my hips, I lean my head back, closing my eyes, letting out a deep sigh. I right my head, looking to the bathroom door.

  “Fuck.”

  I am going to have to go there in nothing but my towel. Though Finley didn’t seem to mind when Stolas did it. I would love to see that same look she gave Stolas directed at me. Opening the bathroom door, I walk out into the bedroom. Finley is still in the bed, but she is resting against the headboard. The sheet is up, covering her chest. Her pink hair is sexily tousled. Temptation on two legs. It’s then that I realize she is the only one in the room. And that desire that is in her eyes is for me.

  “Is there a space on you that doesn’t have a tattoo? You know, besides your face, neck, hands, and…” she peers over the bed. “Feet.” Her gaze travels up my body, raising an eyebrow when she meets my gaze.

  “There is one other place. Would you like to see?” Her gaze drops to my cock, and it twitches beneath the towel. Finley goes to answer when the bedroom door opens. In walk Stolas and Verkor, each with a tray of food in their hands.

  “We have breakfast, milady,” Stolas says as he walks over to the bed. He places the tray on the bench at the foot of the bed. Verkor quickly does the same. They start lifting lids off the plates. The smells wafting from them have all of us inhaling.

  “Save me a little bit of everything. I need a shower first.” Without a care in the world, Finley drops the sheet and gracefully gets up from the bed, naked as the day she was born. All of us follow her with our eyes as she walks around the bed. She runs a hand down both Verkor’s and Stolas’ arms as she passes them. Finley stops in front of me. “Yes,” she looks at my eyes. “I would like to see.” She grips the towel, tugging it from my waist. Now, I’m the one standing there naked as the day I was born. Her eyes move down my body to my cock, which is standing at attention. “Tattoo free but not piercing free.”

  I lean down and whisper in her ear, “Just wait until you feel that moving inside you. It’ll hit places you never expected.” I’m surprised by the look on her face, even though I shouldn’t be. She has an impish grin on her face. Her gray eyes are burning with desire.

  “I can’t wait.” She trails a hand down my chest before going into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

  “Hell, it’s going to take all three of us just to keep up with her,” Stolas states. I couldn’t agree more, and it’s going to be one hell of a ride.

  Chapter 13

  Finley

  This castle is fucking huge. I mean, you can see that from the outside, but nothing beats what the inside looks like. But if I have to walk into one more room with paintings or portraits of King Kellan, I may scream. I got out of having breakfast with him, but I’ve been invited to lunch in the garden. It’s cold, and I don’t want to sit out in the snow having lunch. That is not my idea of a good time. No, my idea of a good time would be seeing exactly how that piercing Obsidian has feels. But instead, I have to eat and make nice with the king. I know it’ll help us in the long run, but still, a girl can dream.

  Verkor opens the door that leads out into the garden. I blink a few times waiting for my eyes to adjust to the sunlight reflecting off of the snow, and I’m completely awed. There are blue spruce trees, daphnes, and hellebore in white, pink, rose, and burgundy. Red river lilies, holly bushes, and Japanese maples cover the entire garden. The red color is such a striking contrast to the pure white of the snow. There are pathways and benches scattered everywhere. In the middle, there is a fountain with a faerie carved out of stone as the centerpiece.

  “Magic keeps the water from freezing.” Verkor offers me his arm, walking us around the garden. In a secluded corner is a table all decked out for lunch. King Kellan rises from the table as we approach. He’s wearing something similar to the night we arrived. Instead of a green jacket, it’s navy blue. It’s paired with black pants, and knee-high, brown boots. I’m surprised he’s not wearing his crown.

  “Finley, cousin.” He nods to each of us. I nod in reply. “Please, sit.” He gestures to the open seats. “So Finley, tell me about yourself. How did you meet my cousin?”

  “There’s nothing to tell about me. I’m ordinary, nothing special. I’m a girl who likes to play the violin. I meet Verkor at a bar, while I was doing a job.”

  “What do you do?” King Kellan asks while passing around plates.

  “I’m an acquisition specialist.” I shift uncomfortably in my chair.

  “So, you’re a thief for hire,” he chuckles.

  “It sounds better the way I describe it,” I mumble. King Kellan smiles, as he places a plate with fruits
and plants in front of me. I eye Verkor, then look down at my plate, silently questioning what the hell is this.

  “Most winter fae have a fruit and plant based diet.” Verkor answers as Kellan takes his seat.

  “Yes, we tend not to be big meat eaters.” Kellan leans forward, taking a bite of his food. Well, okay then. “Tell me about the other two that came with you?” He waves his hand in the direction of the castle.

  “They’re also my mates.” Kellan’s raises an eyebrow, sitting back in his seat. His gaze lingers on me, making my skin crawl.

  “Hm.” He taps his finger tips on the table. “It would seem you’re special after all.” Kellan tilts his head to the side, like he’s studying me. When he does that, I swear I see something move along his head. But just as fast as I see it, it disappears. Maybe, it was just a trick of the light.

  “Not really,” I take a bite of my food, wishing it was a burger. “I’m just a lot to handle.” I shrug.

  “I just bet you are.” I glance up at the king, seeing him lick his lips.

  “Where is Cirro?” Verkor asks, deflecting Kellan’s attention from me to him, which I’m totally thankful for. Kellan’s kind of creepy.

  “He’s off getting some things for the ball. Probably helping some fae too. You know how he is,” King Kellan replies. There is something in the way his voice sounds. It’s a little disconcerting, and I have no idea why.

  “Will he be back soon?”

  “He should be back by tomorrow. Don’t fret cousin. He’ll be here for the ball. Cirro would never miss it.” Kellan smiles, but it’s evil. He gets a faraway look in his eyes.

  “Who is Cirro?” I question.

  “King Kellan’s brother.” That seems to bring Kellan out of his stupor.

  “Yes, Cirro is my younger brother. He’s my only sibling.”

  “It must be nice to have siblings.”

  “It can be.” I nod going back to my food, not knowing what else to say. Kellan breaks the silence. “How did you get that bruise?” he says between sips of water. Instinctually, I lifted my hand to my cheek.

  “Oh, that.” I shrug my shoulders. “We had a little run in on the way here.”

  “Hm.” His eyes lower. “Are you alright otherwise?”

  “Oh, yeah. My mates were with me. They took care of it.” He nods, taking another drink. I don’t like the looks he’s giving me. It feels like he’s undressing me with his eyes. I shudder.

  “So,” I clear my throat. “What’s it like being the king?” I just want to get that leering look off his face.

  I hate talking about myself and if King Kellan is like most royalty then he’ll love talking all about himself. And he doesn’t disappoint. I kept most of the conversation on him, and let’s just say that he won’t be winning any awards for king of the year. He really is selfish and egotistical. There was a point when a guard came over to tell King Kellan of a situation that needed his attention. Instead of excusing himself to take care of it, he told the guard to mete out his usual punishment.

  The guard visibly paled and tried to get Kellan to rethink. The situation wasn’t bad enough for that harsh of a punishment. Kellan then got in the guard’s face and told him that if didn’t do as he was instructed, he’d find another guard who would and he would find himself receiving the same punishment. The guard stammered, nodded, and left. I presume he went to deliver whatever King Kellan’s usual punishment is. I wonder how horrible it is to cause a guard to visibly pale and try to encourage another form of punishment. I do know that whatever it is, I don’t want to find myself on the receiving end of it. Luckily, lunch was over quickly after that. Verkor started escorting me back into the castle when Stolas and Obsidian virtually come out of nowhere. Both of them are decked out in black from head to toe. The complete opposite if Verkor, who is wearing a light blue coat that reaches his knees. Where Obsidian and Stolas have on black jeans, Verkor’s are blue.

  “Where were you two at?” I look up at Verkor. “Why did they get out of having lunch with King Kellan?”

  “The invitation was only for you and me. Plus, they were scoping out the premises,” he whispers.

  “I thought you knew where the piece of the map is?” I question.

  “I’ve seen the piece. So, I know that it’s here. I have a pretty good idea where it’s at, but other things need to be taken into consideration,” his voice low. “We shouldn’t be talking about this out in the open. Let’s wait until we go back to the room.”

  I nod in agreement. I glance at Verkor from the corner of my eye. I’m putting a lot of trust in him, and that’s not normally something I would do. I wonder if this because we’re mates?

  “Hey guys?” They all look at me. “Does being mates change you? Does it make you do things you otherwise wouldn’t do?”

  “How do you mean?” Verkor ask. He guides us through the halls of the castle.

  “Before you guys, the only other person I trusted was Izzy, but she had to prove herself to me. With you guys, I didn’t question it. It never once crossed my mind that I shouldn’t trust you. I followed you into the faerie realm, without question. I followed you across the realm to this castle, without question. I trusted that you would have my back when trouble hit, without question. I’m trusting that you will help me with this task, without question. Why is that? Everyone else had to earn their trust, and I thought that at first with you, but it seems like I’ve just freely given it to you.” We stop right outside of our room.

  “The magic and the fates that bring mates together is something that none of us understand. It puts together the people that complement each other. People have tried and failed to understand mates. It’s like our souls, our beings recognize each other. Mates cannot harm one another. I think it’s because of that, trust comes so easily. The thought of doing anything that could cause you harm makes me physically ill. I think the others would agree with me on that.”

  I glance over to Stolas and Obsidian. Both of them are nodding their heads.

  “He’s right, love,” Stolas remarks.

  “So, there is no way you would turn on me? There is no way you would lie to me? I know that you don’t want to be here Verkor. I know Obsidian didn’t want me to go on this journey. I’m pretty sure Stolas would be down no matter what.”

  “The only reason I didn’t want you on this journey is because it could be dangerous. You could die. I just found my mate, and I didn’t want to lose you,” Obsidian says.

  “You won’t lose me.”

  “You don’t know that.” Obsidian pulls me into his arms, hugging me tight. I know nothing I say will change his mind. I wrap my arms around him hugging him back just as tightly. When he releases me, I turn to Verkor. His face falls, shoulders slump.

  “There are reasons why I didn’t want to come back here, and I think it’s time that I tell you.” He gestures for us to enter the room we’re sharing. I take my cloak off, draping it over the bed. Stolas and Obsidian take a seat on the couch, Verkor on the bench, and me on the bed. Verkor sighs. I don’t think I’m going to like what he’s about to say.

  Verkor

  “This place, this castle, holds a lot of bad memories for me.” I stand and start pacing. I stop and look at Finley. Her eyes are full of interest. “Kellan’s father was king before him. Like I said, our family isn’t that big. The Eirwen clan stick together. My father was Kellan’s father’s only sibling.This castle was big enough for all of us to be here. My family had their own section of the castle, the section we’re currently in, and this was my room. Things here were good, until they weren’t. My father was having an affair with my uncle’s wife, Kellan’s mother. When the king found out, he turned mad with rage.

  “He confronted them about it, and they didn’t deny it. In fact, they seemed relieved that their affair was out in the open. They thought they would be able to be together. That the King and my mother would understand. But that wasn't the case. The King imprisoned them. Tortured them for weeks before finally killin
g them. While the King was busy with that, the staff, guards, and our family and friends were making mine and my mother’s lives here horrible. The whispers behind our backs. The jabs to our faces. It sunk my mother into a deep depression.” He walks over, sitting back on the bench. He hangs his head.

  “It got to the point where she wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t get out of bed. Until one night, I had just gotten back from school. I was so excited to show her something, even though the kids had tormented me all day. I found kids could be just as ruthless as adults. Little did I know my torment for the day wasn’t going to end when I entered my families’ wing. I walked in and saw my mother hanging. After her death, my life here got worse. Don’t let that nice exterior of Kellan fool you. What you saw out there today is nothing. I’ve heard he has been doing worse things than what he hinted at. I had to suffer here until I was old enough to leave. I’ve only come back for major events. The last time I was here was for the funeral of Kellan’s father, five years ago.”

  “You remember and see everything every time you come here. Don’t you?” she whispers.

  “Yes,” I reply softly. I hear Finley move but wasn’t expecting her to launch herself at me. Her body hits my back, and her arms wrap around my neck. I feel her breath on my ear.

  “I’m so sorry.” Her voice is barely a whisper. “Do we have to wait until the ball?” There is a hitch in her voice, and I know that she’s crying. “I don’t want you to suffer being here anymore.” I remove her arms, turning to face her. There are tears streaming down her face.

  “I would do anything for you. There are only two more days until the ball. I can last that long.” I cup her face, using my thumbs to wipe away her tears.

  “B-but,” she stammers.

  “But nothing, baby. Having you here is helping me more than you know. Even Stolas and Obsidian are a nice distraction. Now, no more crying.” I lean in, pressing my lips to hers. I pull back, staring into puffy, red eyes. She’s gorgeous. “I do believe Obsidian said he was going to take Stolas hunting, but I think now would be a good time for you to go instead.”