The Archer Queen

by Blake, Nova

  "Jaelyn K'var," he said. His lips twitched, like he was suppressing a smile. "What can I do for you?"

  "You know damn well what you can do." I shoved my left forearm at him, yanking back the sleeve. "Take it away."

  "What makes you think that I can do that?"

  "Because you put it there! You grabbed my arm. It itched. I felt it, Zodi. I felt it burn when the princess showed her Mark. Because that's what this is, right? The God Mark. And I'm not—" I choked on my words. "I'm not queen material. I'm not even princess material. I'm a hunter. That's it."

  Something in my gut churned at those words, like I was somehow limiting myself by denying I could be anything else. Not that I wanted to be royalty or to have that much responsibility. But I could have more than what I did now. And I wanted that. I wanted the world. I wanted adventure.

  "And that is what you shall have," Zodi said. Clearly, mind reading was one of his magical gifts. "It is." He smiled, but it wasn't cruel and he wasn't lording his abilities over me. "I understand that you do not think you have what it takes, but I'm not the one who makes those decisions, and neither are you."

  "But you—"

  He raised a hand, cutting me off. "I'm merely a messenger, Jaelyn. If your god has decided that you are worthy of a Mark, then you are. There is no doubt in my mind."

  My shoulders sagged and I let go of the rein. "She'll kill me. The princess. There is no way that I'll come out of this alive." I looked up at him, letting all my desperation show. I didn't want to die. And I did not want to fight the princess. Not for a crown I didn’t want.

  "There is another way," he said, glancing back at the castle. "If you'd like to hear it."

  I clasped my hands together, closed my eyes, pleaded with my actions and all my thoughts. "Please."

  "The Mark means that you have been chosen, but maybe your role in this is not as queen, but as an assistant."

  "I don't understand."

  Zodi leaned forward and then swung his leg over the back of the saddle, landing on the ground lightly; for an old man he was surprisingly agile. "Come, sit a moment." He led his horse to the edge of the road where animal dropped its head and munched at the grass contentedly.

  There was nothing to sit on, so I sank to the ground, legs crossed. Zodi assumed a similar position though this time his movement elicited a small groan of protest.

  "I appreciate you taking the time to help me, but can you please just tell me what you mean."

  "Patience is not one of your strengths, is it?" He raised an eyebrow.

  I laughed. It was fairly obvious to most people. I might be indecisive at times, but once I knew what I wanted, I could never wait. I needed it now.

  "In order to rise as the True Queen, the Marked needs certain items. If she doesn't have those items at the time of the ceremony then she cannot claim her destiny."

  "So, I need to help Anya get them?"

  "Or you need to get them for her."

  I looked up at him sharply. "That would work? Someone else can gather them?"

  "It would work. And besides, do you really think she will go out into the world and get those things? She might send underlings but…"

  I sagged, the breath leaving me.

  "And if she doesn't have the items?"

  "Then as I said, she cannot claim her place and the magic will leave this land. The harvests of Terebellum are already dwindling, there is less to celebrate every year." He looked genuinely sad about that.

  "So, I go and get these things for her, and then I'm done?"

  His midnight eyes sparkled. "You'd be safe."

  I let out a long, slow breath, ignoring the way that twinkle in his eyes made my gut twist. "What are the items?" I asked, though I thought I might already have an idea.

  "When the last queen ascended, her belongings were divided between the minor courts in Terebellum," Zodi said.

  I nodded, yes, exactly as I thought. "The bow, the quiver, the horse, and the crown. She already has the last one, but you want me to reclaim the other things? Every court knows that should she not rise, then we all fall. Surely, they know that. They'd just pass them over."

  "Not until they know for sure that she is the one. Only someone bearing the Mark can claim the items, Jaelyn. Only you can complete this task and ensure that the True Queen ascends her throne."

  I gnawed at my bottom lip, thinking this over. If they wouldn't just hand them over, and if the True Queen couldn't rise without the items… Then thievery was the only way. And she wasn't cut out for that job. I was trained to use my body, to climb, to run, to sneak, to fight. And if I needed to hunt objects instead of food, I could do that.

  Still…

  "Can't you do anything. Anything at all? There has to be someone else."

  His eyes filled with sorrow then, maybe even regret. "There is not. This task falls to you, but if you do this you will be safe." He stood up, brushing dirt and grass from his pants. "You've been Marked for a reason, Jaelyn. Have trust in that."

  I wanted so badly to believe that, but it was hard. I'd seen no sign it was the truth.

  The Mark on my arm burned as if in response to the emotions warring in my body. I pressed my right palm against it to try and stop the sensation. "I'll do what I need to, as long as I know it won't result in my head on the chopping block." Or a knife in my back, I thought.

  Zodi put his foot in a stirrup and mounted his horse. "One last thing," he said, locking his gaze to mine. "Keep your arrows close."

  I drew back, feeling a tingling in my spine, as if there was a hidden meaning to his words. But arrows were easy to come by. I could always make more if I needed. Perhaps he was just making sure I knew I'd need to protect myself on this mission. I gave him a nod to show that I at least thought I understood. "Thank you, Herald. Safe travels."

  "And you." His parting words made me shiver, a thrill of excitement rushing through my body.

  Safe travels.

  I would be travelling. I'd finally get to experience more of Terebellum.

  And now I just needed to find a way to leave the castle without arousing suspicion. Only I knew that I was leaving to help Anya, and I couldn’t risk her finding out that I too bore the God Mark.

  4

  Thomas

  I’d paced the castle for an hour or more, trying my best not to look desperate when I knocked on Jaelyn’s door, but the tension was killing me.

  Finally, we had kissed, and it had been the best feeling ever. Her body had melded to mine and she had responded as if she wanted it just as much as I did. And yet… She’d run. Like she so often did. Avoiding complication or confrontation.

  I wasn’t going to let her get away with it though. Steeling myself, I headed for her room and banged on the door once before pushing it open. I stepped in and nudged the door shut with the heel of my boot, opened my mouth to speak and then my gaze dropped to the bag on the bed and I frowned.

  "Where are you going?" I asked. "Aren't you meant to be having the day off?" I stepped towards her and peered inside the bag, noting items of clothing and a healing kit. "Well?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. My gut was clenching though, because it looked like she was preparing to do more than just run from me.

  "I…"

  She had no explanation. I could see that in the way her mouth moved and nothing came out. And then she dragged her left sleeve up to reveal her forearm, and the golden arrow marked against her skin.

  The God Mark.

  "Oh, Jae," I whispered, closing the distance and brushing my fingers over the Mark. There was blood on her skin, crusted over as though she’d tried her damnedest to remove it. Even that marring could not obscure what this was. "When?"

  "Last night, after…" She pressed her lips together. "After I ran away from you. I bumped into the Herald."

  My fingers still stroked her skin and she shivered as though the warmth was foreign. "I guess that's a sign that maybe you shouldn't run from me?" I kept my voice light, my lips curving into a slight smile, but
I didn’t think it was enough to undermine the layers of meaning in my words. It broke my heart that she had spent so long fighting against our natural pull towards each other. Time and time again I’d made it clear I loved her; but she’d never been able to bring herself to return those feelings.

  Yet I knew they were there. I felt it the night before.

  "You're probably right, but since when have I ever been the sensible one?" She pulled the fabric down to cover the Mark and then sat heavily on the bed.

  I grabbed her pack and set it on the floor before taking a seat as well.

  "What are you going to do?" I glanced towards the door, making sure that it was firmly closed. Trying to keep my tone serious but not too heavy, because she had options. A choice.

  "I have to get out of here before Anya finds out," she said. "You get that, right?"

  "But what if you're the True—"

  "No," she snapped, gripping my hand so tight that the skin went pale. "Don't even say it. I'm not. It's just a glitch. A mistake."

  "If you're so sure about that, then why are you running?" I narrowed my eyes at her, trying to understand why she was so adamant this was a mistake.

  Jae let go of me and shot to her feet, pacing across the room and then back. "You know what she'll do if she finds out. We all know what she's like." She took in a long breath and blew it out between clenched teeth. "I tried to get the Herald to take it back, but he can't. Instead, he's given me a mission." She stopped pacing then and looked me in the eyes then. "So, I'm not running away. I'm doing something important. Something only I can do."

  "Then I'll come with you." I stood up, towering over her by a good foot. Her thick red hair was unbound and I longed to thread my fingers into them, to draw her to me. I couldn’t let her go without me; I couldn’t stomach the thought of being here without her.

  "You've got a job here," she said, her words flat.

  "And you need backup," I said firmly. "Whatever this mission is, I'm not going to let you face it alone."

  Jae shook her head. "No one else controls what I do and what I don't," she said, keeping her words firm but not unkind. "Valko will let me go. You know he will. I'll find the items and I will bring them back and deliver them to the princess. And then I'll be free of this and whatever it means." I gestured to my arm. "You've got a good life here, Thomas. Don't give it up for me."

  Those words stung and I pulled back as if she’d slapped me. How could she not understand what she meant to me?

  I stepped towards her then, leaning down so that our foreheads were pressed together. "I don’t want to tell you what to do, but you don't tell me what I can do either," he said quietly. "You may not feel the same way about me as I do about you, but I'll be damned if I let you swan off into danger on your own. Even if you don't want to be my lover."

  Her breath hitched as if she finally really got it, and then she tilted her head and kissed me. It wasn't soft or tender, it wasn't exploratory. It was pure passion, pure desire.

  "I'm not ready to settle down," she said, her fingers moving to my waist, untying the knot, or trying to. "I don't know what I want."

  "If you want me, I'm here, I don't care who you kiss, or where you go." I captured her mouth again, helped her fingers undo my pants. My cock was already hard, twitching to get free, to feel her. When she pushed my pants down my hips she gasped as my cock was freed. I slid my hands around her body and gripped her ass, pulling her closer, the length of my cock pressing against her belly.

  Oh gods, this felt so good. And she was the one who started this.

  I tore her shirt from her waistband, my hands sliding beneath the fabric, calloused fingers against her soft skin. They skimmed over her breasts and then I forced myself to pull away just long enough to tug the garment over her head and toss it aside.

  I made a sound, low in my throat, appreciation and lust and then I bent to her throat, my teeth scraping against her soft, sensitive flesh before moving to nip at her earlobe.

  "You are so fucking gorgeous," I said, grinding my cock against her body to reinforce the statement.

  "You're not bad yourself," Jae said, pushing me away from her. She ran a finger up my throat, tilting my chin down so that I was looking in her eyes. There was a thread of vulnerability there, and curiosity. "How long?"

  "Have I wanted this? Longer than you'd believe." I went to lean in, to kiss her, but she stepped back with a grin.

  "And why should I believe that?"

  I looked at her, and then down at my crotch, back to her, my eyebrows raised.

  "Yes, you want me now, but—"

  I moved towards me, one step, two. "Ever since I laid eyes on you, I knew I wanted you. Not just your body though, I wanted your unique blend or mischief and frustration. Your sense of humor, your stubborn nature, your attitude. You, all of you, every single fucking inch. Can I have it?" I stopped, chest to chest with her, a mere inch separating us.

  "Yes," she said, the word a hiss of lust. She stepped into my arms, and gave me everything I had ever wanted; to feel her skin against mine, to discard our clothes and tangle with each other in the sheets.

  I could hardly believe that this was actually happening, had to force my brain to calm down in case I went too fast. We kissed for what felt like an age before I slid my fingers down her body, across her mound, trembling as I slid them inside her, so soft and wet and hot. She groaned against my mouth, pushing herself against my fingers, wanting more, more, more. I used my thumb to rub her clitoris in time to the thrust of my fingers, my cock getting even harder at the sound of her moans.

  "I want you inside me, please," she begged, her hands clutching at me, trying to pull me up her body, to replace my fingers with my cock.

  I smiled against her skin. As much as I wanted that too, I wanted this more.

  "Not until I know I've unlocked your pleasure, I want to feel it on my fingers, I want to feel you come."

  She drew my head up, kissed me deeply as I worked her body. I could feel her orgasm building, rising through her body, and then with one more deep thrust she was over the edge, moaning against my mouth. I groaned back, imagining how good it would feel to be inside her, my fingers never stopping their work as she came, her body tensing around me in waves that I wish I was riding.

  "More?" I asked, licking her neck and biting it teasingly.

  This was heaven. She was everything.

  "All of you," she said, her voice ragged and hoarse.

  * * *

  Jaelyn

  He moved up, hooking my leg over his shoulder, his hands stroking my body in tender reverence.

  "Thomas." I uttered his name like a plea, and he answered it through action alone. His hands at my hip, his cock between my legs, pushing inside me, penetrating me to my core. I moaned in pleasure, my hands shifting down to lock with his. He moved inside me, building that pressure back up, increasing his speed. I clenched around him and then urged him to stop.

  In the same way he'd claimed me, I wanted to claim him too.

  "Lie down," I said as I slipped out from beneath him. His eyed widened in pleasure as he did what he was told. I straddled him, my calves pressed against his sides as I knelt above him, my fingers grazing his shaft. Leaning down, I gave him a long, slow kiss, and then I sat back up, wanting him to see me take him, see the power I had.

  Because I was powerful, and I felt it right now. I'd never done this before and my legs quivered in anticipation as I held him in my hand and lowered myself onto the tip of his cock. His eyes closed and his head titled back as he moaned. His hands gripped me harder as I slid down his shaft, slowly, slowly, enjoying the sensation on his face, his expression of pleasure and torment. I lifted up again, fought against the pressure in his hands, because he wanted me, right there, wanted to be buried inside me.

  "Please," he moaned, his turn to beg, to want, to need. I teased the tip of his cock with my wet lips, just for a bit, longer than he could cope with, and then I slid down hard, eliciting a delicious groan fr
om him, one that I echoed as he hit my core. I could feel myself clenching around him, wanting more, more. I rode him, like I was at a trot, and then faster, faster, my breath coming in gasps as the pleasure washed over me, as my orgasm built, as his did too.

  And then he groaned loud, deep, guttural, his orgasm ripping through me and tearing loose my own. I moaned with him, riding the shock waves of it, riding him until there was nothing more I could take.

  Spent, I leaned down so that I was laying against his chest, our breath coming in pants. I couldn't help but smile, the tension had been ripped from my body, and the thought of having to leave this place behind and head into the world brought me nothing but excitement. Especially with Thomas beside me.

  "Was it worth the wait," I asked him.

  "Definitely," he said, his breath still heavy. "I'd have waited forever, but I wish we'd started this sooner…"

  I patted his chest in condolence. "We can make up for lost time, I'm sure. But, not today."

  With that comment, I sat up and rolled off him, finding a cloth to soak up our fluids. I would have to ask Mayla for some cassus powder to prevent pregnancy. It came from Dzuba, but I knew she’d have a ready supply.

  Thomas sat up in the bed and drew me back towards him. "But soon, right?" He tilted his head and I leaned in to kiss him, softer this time, more tender, like how we'd kissed on the dance floor the night before.

  "Soon," I promised.

  Thomas made a choked sound and then clamped a hand to his left forearm, pulling it away a moment later to reveal an arrow, golden bright. I reached for my own arm, felt the burn there of my own Mark.

  We were joined, like our physical union had forged a magical connection between us. Like we were linked now.

  “What does this mean?” Thomas asked, awe coloring his voice.