“You’re not a vet, are you?” she asked, already knowing the answer but needing to hear the truth from him.
“To your people, I know more of birds and animals than they could ever hope to.” Kabril lifted her hand and spread her fingers wide, kissing the tip of each one. “But, alas, I am not.”
“And you’re not just foreign, are you?” she asked.
He licked his lower lip. “Yes and no. I am not from your realm. And you are no longer within your realm either. You are now here, in mine.”
“Where is here?” She wanted to yell at him for lying to her, but the feel of his full lips trailing over her skin was too distracting.
“Accipitridae. The realm of the bird shifters.”
She paused. It was all a lot to soak in. “It was all real?”
“It was.” He made his way up her arm, slow and steady. When he reached her shoulder, Kabril nipped lightly at her skin, catching the strap of the gown she wore. He dragged it down before returning to kiss his way up her shoulder, towards her neck.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Kabril knew Rayna needed her rest, but the taste of her skin was too tempting to resist. He thought she’d shriek in fear of him after he learned she knew he was not human. Once the castle doctors had informed him she would indeed recover, Kabril had set out to learn what had happened from the sources. By the time Kabril reached Humbert, Sachin had already beaten the man within inches of his life. Kabril didn’t question Sachin on the matter. If his friend felt the need to take such measures, they were clearly called for.
Lazar was slow to recover and in his fevered state revealed snippets of the conversation he’d held with Rayna. Kabril had wanted to be the one to tell Rayna all his secrets, not have her learn by way of kidnapping at the hands of his enemy. The minute Lazar regained full consciousness he would be tortured for his role in the attack on Rayna. There was little point in inflicting pain on a man who was not aware of the goings-on around him.
Pushing thoughts of torture from his head, Kabril concentrated on the bounty before him. His mate. His soon-to-be wife. Rayna stared at him with questioning eyes and he wanted to kiss the doubt from them. He’d sensed her unease with the serving wench and didn’t need to search far inside himself for the reasons behind her mood. She was jealous. It was foolish, considering he’d never given the wench a second look, much less bedded her, but the comfort from knowing Rayna cared if he did left his heart swelling and his lips sealed.
He moved his hand across Rayna and managed to ease her to the bed. Sliding over her, Kabril tried and failed to control his breathing. Her hair fanned out around her as she stared up at him with wide eyes. His senses were keen and he picked up on the beating of her heart. As much as he wanted to take her, ram his cock into her depths and claim her for his own, Kabril knew she needed to fully recover. “Sleep,” he whispered, going to plant a kiss on her forehead.
Rayna tilted her head and caught his lips with hers. She thrust her tongue into his mouth, causing Kabril’s chivalry to crumble. His cock hardened at an alarming rate and he rubbed his body against hers. The need to join with her was great. He drew air through his flaring nostrils, behaving more like a rutting bull than the king of hawks. He pressed his distended flesh to Rayna’s mound and it only took a second before he felt the proof of her arousal.
“You are wet, ta’konima,” he whispered between kisses.
Rayna pushed on his chest. “And you are rude. Get off me. Now.”
Her spunk only added to her allure. He nodded, making no effort to bend to her wishes. Instead, he feathered his tongue over her bottom lip and relished the shiver that moved through her.
Rayna’s foot made its way up the back of his leg before she wrapped her legs around his waist. The feel of her countering his movements was too much. Kabril gave in to the desire to go further. He’d already had a small sampling near the river and could scarcely await more.
He settled between her legs, a reminder that she wore nothing under the sleeping gown he’d had her put in. His own sleeping pants pulled taut as his cock fought for freedom, the promise of paradise close.
Rayna raked her fingernails down his back hard enough to cause his skin to welt but not hard enough to draw blood. The shifter in him could smell even small traces of blood.
She returned his kisses, searching his mouth with her tongue and no doubt finding it welcoming. Rayna arched against him, leaving his cock rubbing against her wet slit. Moisture soaked through his pants and the scent of her arousal pushed him over the edge of restraint.
Growling, Kabril ran a hand into the back of Rayna’s hair and tugged, forcing her head back so he could devour her neck—smothering it with heated kisses. He moved downwards and planted kisses on the swell of her breast. Kabril pulled the other strap of her gown, freeing her glorious globes in the process. He took a pink-tipped nipple into his mouth and sucked evenly. Rayna’s moans spurred him onward. He squeezed her breasts, cupping them with his hands while he coated them in kisses.
“So sweet. Like ripe berries.” He licked a line around her erect nipple, staring up at the rapture on her face.
Her mouth fell open and a cry broke free. “Kabril. Please.”
Working his hands down her body, Kabril continued to vary kisses and licks on her nipples. He kneaded her thighs, all the while fighting an internal battle to keep from coming as he inched the gown upwards. He dipped his head, laying kisses low on her stomach. As he neared the thin thatch of well-maintained hair on her mound, Rayna lightly ground her body against him. “Patience, ta’konima.”
He spread her drenched folds and eyed the prize. Her rosy clit was swollen with lust. Kabril drew it into his mouth, mindful to be gentle, and flicked his tongue back and forth. Rayna’s entire body tightened and he had to seize hold of her hips to keep her from moving up and off the bed.
She cried out, laced her fingers in his hair and held firm, riding his mouth. He lapped cream from her slit while taking one hand and stimulating her clit. He found a steady rhythm and chuckled into her pussy as she began murmuring a mix of curses, pleas and threats.
“Dammit, Kabril. Uh, more. There.” She thrust her hips upwards. “There. Oh, yes!”
Rayna came with a start and Kabril continued to work her clit, swirling his tongue and lapping her juices. Her cream was every bit as sweet as she was. Unable to resist her any longer, Kabril moved up and over her. He supported his weight with one arm as he freed his cock from its confines with his other hand.
He nudged her entrance with his cock head and locked gazes with her. “Rayna Vogel, do you accept me—all of me from now until the end of time?”
Chapter Twenty-Four
The look Rayna leveled on him was scorching. Purring, she cupped his face and Kabril anxiously awaited her answer. In order for his claim to be official and for Rayna to be the queen in the eyes of his people, she had to accept all of him—his magik included.
A lone tear made its way down her smooth cheek and Kabril felt as if his heart had shattered. Assuming she was rejecting him as her mate, he went to move away. Rayna held steady to his face.
“Kabril?”
“Y-es.” He cleared the emotions lodged in this throat. “Yes?”
“Does your skin itch too, when you’re not able to shift forms for a long period of time?”
The question caught him off guard. Stunned, he nodded.
She traced a path down his neck and to his shoulders. More tears escaped their watery prison and Kabril had to look away to avoid weeping himself.
“I never meant to cause you pain.”
“Rayna?” He wiped her cheek. “What do you mean?”
Her voice shook. “You didn’t…change…because of me. Did you?”
Kabril moved slightly, causing the head of his cock to press into her hot core. Fire shot through his lower body and the fierce need to lay claim to what was his was almost debilitating. “Rayna, please. I beg of you. Do you accept me—all of me from now until the en
d of time?”
She stared up through lust-filled eyes. “Show me, Kabril.”
His body felt as if it were going to burst. “Speak not in riddles, ta’konima. Though I may be a king, I am still but a man.”
The slow, sexy smile that slid over her face eased his tension a bit. “I want to see your wings, Kabril.”
My wings?
At any other time he would have attempted to reason with her, make sure she was ready to see him shift forms, but his resolve was weak. He let go, allowing feathers to emerge on his upper shoulders first and then his shoulder blades. One barely there pinch later and his wings unfurled. A blanket of brown, white and gold enveloped them as Kabril extended his wings out and around them.
Rayna squealed and touched one of his wings tentatively, as if she was afraid she would cause him pain. Her touch had the exact opposite effect. Pleasure shot straight through his body, settling in his cock each time she touched his wings. He bit his cheek, trying to focus on anything other than the fact he was close to paradise. “R-Rayna,” he ground out. “Do you accept me—all of me from now until the end of time?”
“Yes, Kabril. Yes.”
With that, he surged forward, sinking his cock into her silken depths and relishing the feel of his mate’s body encasing his own. Her pussy held him to her. She was tight. Made just for him.
The base of his spine tingled and Kabril knew additional feathers were forming on his back. He also knew his magik was rising, preparing to share itself with her, granting her the ability to live as long as him.
“Uh, Kabril,” Rayna panted as he began to slide in and out of her. She clung to him, countering his thrusts and rubbing her body against his. Her pussy clenched around his cock as Rayna tipped her head back. “I’m coming. Kabril, yes!”
Liquid warmth made their already glorious merging even better. His magik picked then to rise, circling them with static-charged energy. Rayna continued to come, paying no mind to the power around her. For Kabril, the moment was momentous. Never before had he shared his magik with another. Doing so during the act of coupling forever bound Rayna to his heart and his soul. They were as one now. Should one die, the other would follow shortly thereafter. She was now, in the eyes of his people, his wife, his mate, his queen.
He exploded, rooting himself deep within her core as his cock twitched, jetting forth seed. Kabril’s entire body shook from the force of it all. The intensity was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. His cock remained hard, even after his seed was spent.
Wrapping his arms around Rayna, Kabril captured her mouth with his as he used his extended wings to lift them from their current position. Rayna yelped and held tight to him.
Chuckling, Kabril slid his hands down and cupped her ass. “Ride me, ta’konima.”
She glanced down, looking uneasy.
“Worry not. My power helps in keeping us afloat. We will not fall.”
Rayna nodded, biting her lower lip and driving him mad with desire. She began to move her hips slowly at first, before working into a faster rhythm. When she varied her movements, moving up and down on him, Kabril seized hold of her and started impaling her on his cock.
Cries, moans and animalistic grunts broke free of them both. The smell of sex filled the air and Kabril’s magik still buzzed around them. The moment was perfect and worth waiting four hundred cycles for.
Rayna’s pussy milked his cock as her legs tightened around him. He knew she was coming and wanted to join her. He pumped feverishly into her, savoring the feel of his mate. His sac drew up a second before he expelled his seed, filling her with all he had to offer.
“Ta’konima,” he whispered, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck and planting kisses there.
A sultry laugh bubbled up from her. “Mmm, tell me what ta’konima means.”
“It means ‘my love’ in my language. Ta’konima from a man to a woman and to’konimo from a woman to a man.” He kissed her again and she stiffened. “Rayna?”
“You love me?” The question, while so innocent, nearly broke him.
How could she not know what he felt for her? How could she not see what he’d done?
Because you have not told her and she knows not your ways.
“Yes, Rayna. I love you. I have loved you since you took me to see your Henry. Each day I fought the urge to lay claim to you.” He expelled a long, tired breath. “I could wait no longer.”
“Lay claim to me?”
He eased them back onto the bed and withdrew from Rayna. “What happened between us means, in the eyes of my people, you are my mate. Umm, my wife. I know it is not the same for humans. Sachin explained their customs to me, but what transpired, the sharing of my magik and our bodies, makes you queen to my people, Rayna.”
Kabril waited for her to explode in anger. When tears arrived, he wasn’t sure what to do. “Rayna, are you in pain?” Guilt consumed him. “I was selfish, taking you when you were not yet fully recovered.”
“Shhh.” She pressed her hand to his mouth. “I love you too, Kabril.”
For a moment Kabril felt as if he had been struck senseless. The sound of his heart pounding filled his ears and his breathing increased. “You love me as well? You are not vexed by my…”
“Shut up with the vexing and kiss me, King.” She pulled him to her.
Kabril laughed as he drew his wings back into his body, leaving no trace of them behind. He rolled, putting Rayna on top of him so he could stare up at her beauty. “I will cease my blathering if you commence with the games.” He waggled his brows and Rayna blushed.
“The games, huh?” She raked her nails down his chest lightly. “Mmm, I think I can come up with a few things, to’konimo.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Rayna woke to an empty bed. She sat up slowly, wondering where Kabril was. Her feet made contact with the cool floor and she shivered. She considered returning to under the covers but there was a gnawing at her stomach. She needed to find Kabril, though, she wasn’t sure why.
Something was wrong.
“Kabril?” she asked, loudly than one would think necessary since it echoed throughout the chamber.
No response.
“Kabril?” She found a long white nightgown of sorts and slipped it on. She pulled her hair through the back and then peeked her head into the room adjacent to the one with the bed. A bathroom the likes of which she’d never seen before was there. And it was also empty.
Sighing, she went to the heavy door and pulled it open. She looked into the hall and wondered if the castle was always so vacant. Rayna walked the length of the long corridor, tapping lightly on each door on the way before opening them.
All empty.
Very strange.
She turned the corner, as she neared the stairs and nearly collided with a young girl, dressed like something from the past. The girl held a candle in one hand. The girl gasped and attempted to lower herself nearly all the way to the floor.
“What are you doing?” asked Rayna.
“My lady,” the girl said. “My apologies. I did not see you there.”
Rayna nearly laughed. “Up. Please.”
The girl did as asked but didn’t meet Rayna’s gaze.
“Kabril,” Rayna said. “Where is he?”
“My lady, you should rest. He will be back soon. When he is done.”
The pit in her stomach seemed to grow. “Done doing what?”
The girl appeared very nervous. She kept glancing at the staircase. Rayna’s heart sank. Was the man she’d given her love to with another woman?
No.
He wouldn’t.
Would he?
“Is he with another woman?” she asked, her voice small.
The girl squeaked. “No! He is in the lowest level of the castle—” The girl slapped her hand over her mouth and shook her head. “I never told you. Please, my lady.”
Rayna touched the girl’s shoulder. “You never told me.”
The girl hurried off an
d Rayna started down the seemingly endless stairs. She couldn’t explain the burning need to find Kabril. It was twofold. She felt as if something horrible was about to happen and in addition to that, she simply wanted to be near him.
It was strange the way she already ached for him as if they’d been separated for some extended period, rather than just a small bit. She missed the feel of him. Missed knowing he was close to her and more than anything missed the feel of his powerful arms wrapped around her body.
Finally, she reached what she could only assume was the staircase to the lowest level. She started down it, noting it was steeper than the other stairs had been and not as well lit. Recessed portions of the wall held sconces. A candle burned in each one, doing very little to pierce the darkness. A dark runner ran the length of the hall, keeping her bare feet from padding against stone.
The moment Rayna heard voices, she quickened her pace, bounding down the steep stairs at a speed she shouldn’t have. She tried and failed to come to a stop at the bottom. Instead she slid on a slick, cold floor and crashed shoulder first into the wall.
The sound of Sachin’s voice caught her attention, making her ignore the pain shooting through her arm. His voice was faint but unmistakable and he did not sound pleased.
“My lord, mayhap he speaks the truth.”
“He lies!” Kabril shouted, his voice so deep and dangerous that it vibrated around her. The ache in her stomach grew and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that her man was about to do something she would not like in the least. “The knave spouts venom from his lips with his deceit. My queen would never rush to the aid of my enemy.”
Aid of the enemy? His queen?
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