Yeah, Daniel was learning many new things about himself from having the King visit.
“That at least sounds promising,” Seldon said, but he still didn’t look too thrilled.
“What is it?” Daniel asked, apparently not understanding the full ramifications of being the full-time feeder of someone so powerful.
“I’m guessing Seldon fears he’ll suffer the shakes after those days,” Elakdon said.
“The shakes? What are those?”
“It’s withdrawal,” Seldon said. “Like hunger that can’t be slaked for a few days, coupled with a fever, nausea, and headaches. It’s commonly known as the Cubi cold.”
“Like overfeeding?”
“Well, yeah, but it’s not the overfeeding that makes us sick, it’s the high fluctuations in doses, and pulling back from the strength of a thousand-year-old Royal’s daily doses is definitely going to deck me.”
“That’s also what makes it so exhausting being a Fountain. The withdrawals take years to lower by other strong Cubi,” Geodin added.
“That’s why you still feed three times a day,” Daniel said, adding another piece to the puzzle that was so wildly individual feeding cycles. Maledon only fed once, and Daniel wondered what that meant in the long run.
“I will of course not just stop dosing you,” Elakdon said. “You are the right hand of my ally, and you need to be in prime health at all times. I’ll lower the doses once we return and leave it to your lovers to feed from you.”
“Thank you,” Seldon said, looking more at ease. “Tomorrow morning, very early, we leave for the meeting. We’ll be in constant communication with your Royal Guard, and you should be somewhat packed. Once Roardon returns from the store, we’ll go over what he needs to know, and you should talk to your mother. If things don’t pan out the way we want, you’ll be moved out of necessity regardless of what you find out here.” Seldon pointed at the pros and cons.
Well, it certainly sounded like Seldon had had a productive day out with Elakdon and Geodin.
“Okay,” Daniel said, looking at the paper. He didn’t get to decide—the outcome of a meeting would. “Then this is kinda irrelevant.”
“For perspective, then,” Geodin said.
Daniel wondered if that alone could help him. And what should he put down? Cons, he’d be leaving the store and the neighborhood. Maybe even his mom. But he couldn’t think about it from a personal point of view. As Elakdon had explained about the Royals, they existed solely for their people and ruled because they were the link between the whole of their Kingdom and their Grand Council.
He had to leave his personal wants out of it. He had to down-prioritize his mother’s wants because he was pretty sure she wanted him to stay now that she’d finally gotten him back. But he was nineteen. A few months ago, he’d even declared himself in no need of his parents because he was nineteen, and his mother couldn’t assist him in his responsibilities as a Prince. He couldn’t make decisions on anything but on behalf of his people. Plus, he had Seldon and Caledon to help where he needed it.
So he focused solely on his people and his Kingdom.
The only cons he could think of regarding their current situation was that his people were scattered all over to preserve resources at the Great House. A pro of leaving was that he’d actually get to Empower his people without the Cubi having to travel all over, risking exposing their eyes. “I’ll be ready to be moved on short notice. I’ll tie up any loose ends here and not make long-term plans that involve me staying here.”
Seldon pulled Daniel in and kissed the top of his head. “You’ve come such a long way, boy. I’m proud of you. I know all these changes can sometimes be hard on you. But I promise you, you will have both me and Caledon here at all times.”
Daniel smiled and settled against Seldon, marveling at the subtle strengths in him.
“Just to prepare me,” Daniel said, looking at Elakdon. “No sugar coating. What’s the best and worst case scenarios tomorrow at the meeting?”
Elakdon smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Best case, humans apologize and agree to all our terms. Worst case, we make them.”
There was no stopping Daniel’s eyes from going wide, and he finally realized the reason for the missing smile on the otherwise upbeat King. His eyes held sadness about the situation.
“How do we make them?”
“War.”
Daniel’s stomach dropped.
“Their actions are a declaration of war,” Elakdon continued. “But since it was a rogue Colonel, maybe the officials higher up the food chain will stop it. If they won’t, we’ll be at war. What the humans in charge sometimes forget is that we’ve stayed hidden for thousands of years, and one or more Kingdoms have always been at war with the human governments, thinking they have sole proprietary rights to the lands. We’ve somewhat assimilated ourselves into their cities and structures, but we do have agreements that put Cubi citizens outside their laws. And we are experts at guerrilla warfare, even in suburban areas while they run around in uniforms with big guns and scare their own population.”
“You’ve led such a war before?”
“Yes, four, each lasting at least a century because it moves over several human territories or nations while still on my land.”
War. Not what Daniel had hoped, and he once again felt totally unprepared. But he also thought he understood the sometimes brutal ways of the Cubi better. Or did it only seem brutal because humans lived in a sugar-coated world where they thought themselves so secure and entitled?
“Seldon, you and I have butted heads on way more than one occasion on everything from me not being able to use a washing machine to I don’t even know what. What’s your general take on humans? In the human society?”
“A race who feels entitled and prances around like they own everything and know everything while in fact none of them live long enough to gather the knowledge necessary to see what consequences their actions have. Just to name a few examples, the sole focus on fossil fuels and the overuse of plastic. Both are destroying the planet, yet the humans in power are too young to understand it, too greedy to be willing to learn from it, and they live or rule too shortly to ever be bothered to care.”
“They’re like kids who move out from under their parents before they’re mature enough to take responsibility for their own lives,” Geodin said.
“Sounds like you think we should be governing the humans,” Daniel said.
Geodin didn’t even blink.
“I rule my Kingdom under the notion that they have their ways, we have ours,” Elakdon said. “We don’t meddle in how birds fly in the sky any more than we meddle in humans’ ways of leading their lives. We have to live with both. We take breeders, yes, but we treat them way better than humans treat their beasts of burden.”
“Is that what humans are to us?”
“Yes, except we don’t kill them if they break a leg. We even love them.”
Daniel once again remembered Jeff. He remembered Alex and the budding friendship.
“Do all Kingdoms function like that?”
“No. And my Kingdom is way more lenient toward the humans through the vision of my sister, and what she proved here. I financed this House as a research facility because she asked me to let her conduct an experiment to help the Cubi evolve.”
“You mean to grow as a race,” Daniel said. “You’ve grown stagnant in a world that changes too fast around you.”
Elakdon gaped. “Exactly her words.”
“About a month ago when you sent Heimli out to set twelve Cubi up for fame and money to get power, you said something rather catchy,” Caledon said, putting a hand on Daniel’s. “We were talking about the structure and what could and could not work with us moving out to blend with the human society.”
“That’s right, you made us sound medieval,” Seldon reflected.
Daniel remembered the conversation, too, and that he’d then formulated a plan to help ease the transition.
; “What was it?” Elakdon asked.
“That if the twentieth century looked at us, it would think us medieval,” Caledon said.
“But that’s not all that’s relevant, is it?” Daniel asked, looking at Caledon. “During our time in hiding among humans, we need to keep structures that the Cubi recognize or they’ll fall apart. But the structures chosen have to be incorporated into the society they hide in. We can’t just buy up huge properties and place a House Lord or Lady there to continue the way it did in the Great House. But we can’t place Cubi so few and far apart that the structure is gone.”
“We actually do have Houses structured like in the Great House,” Geodin said. “Mini cities functioning as businesses with Minglers as the public faces.”
“Clever.”
“But back to this century’s view on us and how to live with it,” Elakdon urged.
Daniel smiled at the eager King, but another thought occurred to him. “How many Cubi are there worldwide?”
“Last census three years ago put our total number at eighteen million, and my Kingdom at just under three million.”
Daniel gaped. “And this Kingdom has eighty thousand?”
“A new Kingdom for a new Prince.” Elakdon smiled, and it reached his eyes. “May it thrive and grow strong with you.”
Daniel slumped back, taking in the numbers. “And this Kingdom spans two nations with similar cultures. Not counting that part of Mexico. I don’t get how yours could ever grow stagnant when having to evolve in a world under a constant international change.”
“Consider this, then. I rose to the throne at the end of the Viking age,” Elakdon said. “The Nordic explorers were all over the place in their great and sea strong ships. They brought people to new worlds, but they also brought many back. It was still pretty steady. Then came Christianity. Talk about a slap to the Cubi way of life, and wars have been common since because our very basis for sustenance got buried under dogma making sex a sin. Still is in some of my shared nation regions.
“The industrial age provided some of the biggest changes to the world since then, and many of our hidden territories were invaded so the humans could ravish them for resources. That’s when we were forced to deal with human governments.
“Dahlidin was on my Council, a woman of vision and grace, and she had a way of looking at how things would evolve. The consequences of actions. Best chess player ever, she could sometimes see a whole game ahead after the first move. She also perceived the humans in ways that escaped many of the others on the Council. Oddly enough, a lot of humans didn’t agree with her, either, except for the breeders of course because she was fighting to better their circumstances.
“She ran into trouble when Sweden and Poland went to war in sixteen hundred, both under my Kingdom. The national crisis wasn’t the first, and it wasn’t going to be the last, so I let her take Cubi to The New World, some of which I ensured from other Kingdoms to ensure fresh bloodlines.”
“And that’s how I came to The Great House of Dahlidin,” Seldon said.
Daniel caught himself from geeking out to the history lesson before he moved to the edge of the seat. “Your experience with dealing with humans far supersedes anything I have to offer—”
“On the contrary, young Prince. While I may have a lot of experience with the changing tides of international problems, I too need a link to the present. Every Kingdom does, which is why Royals are always Halflings. I usually have Minglers to update me, but you were born in the part of the world right now influencing the majority of my Kingdom, and you have to consider both the human and the Cubi aspects of that world.”
Well, there was a bucket of insight. Unlike other times, Daniel actually felt equipped for it. He’d grown up to be an entitled brat which was how Elakdon and Geodin viewed the human race, so apparently he had more to offer than he thought. That he didn’t agree was a different matter, and he wondered if it was because he was literally still a child of that age and not like Rosadin, three lifetimes further ahead yet forced to Mingle.
“Essay?” Caledon asked.
Daniel found a fresh page on the pad. On second thought, he pulled the one Geodin had made, and placed it so he could still see it.
“Furthering the mission I put Heimli on. We’ve established a think tank comprised mainly of Minglers. They report back thoughts and ideas to the Grand Council. There’s a group who travels to the ones Heimli and his group are propelling, reporting back to the Grand Council, too. I’ll share this knowledge with you, Elakdon, as it would answer your questions and fulfill your need to hear it from the people themselves.”
“That would be exciting,” Elakdon said, his eyes betraying his formal expression.
Daniel made a note.
Instead of jotting down notes for the essay, Daniel began a to-do list to work through while Seldon, Elakdon, and Geodin went off to see if they could avoid a war.
Chapter Nine
T he alarm clock went off at five, and Seldon hurried to turn it off so it wouldn’t wake up the two men he shared a bed with. He hoped Daniel would cave soon and buy a bigger one. Not that laying that close wasn’t lovely, but they were moving in on summer, and it was getting too warm at night. Then again, if they had to move Daniel to safety soon, it wouldn’t matter.
Caledon stirred and reached over to caress Seldon’s back. “You guys going now?”
“I was hoping to feed on someone first,” Seldon whispered and looked at Daniel. He was dead to the world, his mouth open and a light snore escaped him. He looked so peaceful.
“You might be feeding a King, soon,” Caledon whispered.
“Just to hold me over.”
A sneaky smile spread on the handsome Lord’s face, and his bedhead looked adorable. “Go use the bathroom, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Seldon left the bed, tiptoed through the silent house, and used the facilities. He’d just finished shaving and washing up when the door opened, and Caledon slipped in.
“Are you going to wear a suit?” Caledon asked and felt Seldon’s smooth cheek.
“What do you think?”
“I think you look very formidable in a gray suit. I hung it out for you.”
Seldon smiled. Caledon was a homemaker type. The one who always thought ahead and made the details fit easily.
“Thank you.”
“Now, let me feed you.”
Seldon dropped his towel on the floor and knelt on it to take Caledon into his mouth. Didn’t take long before the Lord was hard, yet Seldon recognized it as duty and not their usual intimacy. Daniel needed a higher level of intimacy every time, yet Caledon and Seldon had lived with quick feedings for centuries.
The dose flooded Seldon’s mouth, and he groaned as it took effect.
“Oh, yeah,” Caledon whispered and held onto Seldon’s head, guiding him slowly. Seldon let him set the pace and take his pleasure. Unfortunately, they didn’t have time for Seldon to tease him into giving more energy, but Seldon looked forward to returning to his threesome and relishing in feeding and love and tenderness. He even let himself fantasize about sucking Caledon off while Daniel fucked the Lord. He imagined the sounds Caledon would make. It was enough to push Seldon to the edge along with Caledon, as the Lord pushed in deeper and faster.
Seldon relaxed his throat and timed his breathing to the manageable rhythm of Caledon sliding in and out. Caledon’s breath quickened, and his hold on Seldon’s head tightened. He then shuddered and shoved in deep, emptying himself down Seldon’s throat.
Seldon was close, too, and once Caledon drew back, Seldon focused on tipping himself over.
“Get up, give that to me,” Caledon said, helping Seldon to his feet. Caledon then knelt on the towel and plunged his mouth down on Seldon’s cock. Didn’t take much before he reached his climax, and he leaned against the sink while Caledon sat back and licked his lips.
“Are you going to be able to keep up with Daniel, you think?”
“Nope,” Caledon said, taking
Seldon’s offered hand to get up. “But I’m sure others will help me.”
“I’m sure. Make sure he talks to his mom today, okay?”
“He didn’t do that last night?”
“Not that I know of. I heard him talking to Roardon after dinner, that’s it.”
“I’ll see to it.” Caledon kissed Seldon on the lips. “Have a good trip,” he said, then left the bathroom.
“Thanks.” Seldon cleaned himself off and tiptoed back to the room. Caledon and Daniel spooned, and apparently, Daniel hadn’t awoken from them getting up. Seldon put the suit on and fetched his phone. He then kissed Daniel’s forehead and left them to sleep a while longer.
The sun hadn’t broken the horizon as Seldon left Daniel’s house and walked to the Guard house. Lights were on there, and the foyer showed sign of activity. He found Geodin and Elakdon in the living room having a cup of coffee. She wore a business suit less sexy than her usual style, while Elakdon wore a suit similar to that of Guard Lord Levidon. If not for the eyes, he could look like one of the Guards.
“Good morning, Grand Sire. Would you like a cup of coffee before we leave?” Levidon asked.
“Yes, please, My Lord.”
Levidon poured and came over to hand Seldon the mug. Kin feeding hormones stung Seldon’s nose, and he coughed.
“Sorry, the kin hormones should be gone before we get into the car.”
“Hopefully.”
“Morning, Dad.”
Seldon turned to find Marcadon enter with a basket that he placed on the coffee table.
“Morning, son. Would you help Daniel the next few days? He’s got a to-do list a mile long, and Caledon told me the boy wants to be more hands-on than what’s possible without an ulcer.”
“Of course I will, Father.”
“Sounds like you’ll be kept busy then. Good thing since I can’t bring you,” Levidon said, smiling at Marcadon.
There was something about that smile.
“You’re just gonna have to miss me, My Lord,” Marcadon said, flashing the Guard Lord a cheeky smile.
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