Realm Book One - To Tell of Darkness

by K. A. M'Lady

  I looked at him sheepishly, unsure what to say. I hadn’t meant to hurt him, but really, he was trying to rape me.

  “I’m waiting for an answer, Rihker.”

  “I believe I sun-kissed you. At least, I think that’s what the Pixies call it.”

  “Sun-kissed,” he said skeptically and I could feel the weight of his gaze as it raked over me with disdain. “You are not even sure? You just sent your power into me in a rush of unchecked emotion, not knowing what it would do?” His voice was growing angrier, if that were possible, and he had turned to face me so I could see the black circling his purple eyes.

  “Don’t take that tone with me,” I said the first stirrings of indignation rushing through me. “If I remember right, you were the one about to Vamp out on psycho-ness and rape me. Remember?” Now I was getting pissed. What the hell was wrong with him? It’s not like I intentionally did it. Besides, he had a thousand years to control his hunger and bad habits. What the hell was his excuse?

  I stood up and brushed the leaves from my skirt. This was ridiculous. I’d been on this fucking wild goose chase all night. It was bad enough I’d been literally to hell and back, but to have the one guy that I actually wanted something to do with try and rape me and then get pissy because I zapped him with a little Light to keep him from doing it, well, fuck this. I was so out of here.

  “Rihker. Wait.”

  “Shut up, Kieran,” I said as I started to walk away. “I’m going home. You can sit there and die--again--for all I care. I got the information I came here for. I spoke with the Wanderling. And now I’m going home.” I stomped off, not waiting for his reply. “Maybe Dragon will be nice enough to help you find your way. That is, if you can’t make it by yourself, heap big Vampire that you are,” I added snidely as I walked out of the clearing. I was pissed. Only Gimlit would be capable of easing me out of my bad mood, and unlucky for everyone around me, Gimlit wasn’t here.

  I grumbled for about a hundred yards, the Werewolf brothers at my back keeping an even pace with me and saying nothing. Somewhere in the darkness, Kieran, Dragon and Mercy were bringing up the rear. As far as I was concerned, it was a good place for all of them.

  This night was so far up on my list of shit that I just wanted to get home and slam a big glass of tea, curl up on my couch and be left the fuck alone. I’d had enough of all of it. I couldn’t wait to get back to Gimlit and tell him about my meeting with his infamous Wanderling and get his take on the whole death-mare that her voodoo cocktail had caused me to envision. Maybe he could help me decipher what it all meant.

  But I did not want a rendition of any of the rest of the evening. Kieran and his band of vagabonds needed to give me some serious space, or I wouldn’t be responsible for my actions. He had me so pissed off I was considering throwing the lot of them out of my house and telling the Silent Court to do their own damned dirty work--the consequences be damned.

  I made it about ten more paces, the leaves from last autumn still churning up beneath the angry stomp of my feet as an uneasy feeling settled over me. I could hear the slow chirp of crickets and night owls cry out at our passing as we made our way beneath the burdened down arms of maple and elms. Then it all went silent, like a wand had been passed and the world had been stolen of sound.

  The Were brothers froze behind me, cocking their heads as they listened to a pulse of the earth that I could never hope to hear. Glancing at each other, they slowly made their way to my side, each step through the grass and bracken silent and precise.

  They formed a circle around me, a ring of protection, as they carefully looked out into the still and watchful night. “What is it?” I whispered, almost too afraid to speak. My heart had resumed a staccato that I was certain would be fatal if this night continued in this mien. I mean really, how much could one poor muscle take?

  The earth-shattering growl of the creature as it tore through the bushes in a lumbering gait, its path directed at the four of us, proved to be the final straw. All I saw through the haze of darkness were dark gold eyes making a beeline for me as my three protectors went into Werewolf mode and a bear the size of a Mac truck galloped through the nearest bushes, straight at me.

  “Holy fucking shit!” Someone shouted--I think it was me--as the sound of bones popping, skin sliding and Werewolves growling and howling filled the night. I could hear Kieran and Dragon in the distance shouting, but they weren’t going to make it to me in time.

  The bear was bigger than any grizzly I’d seen on any Discovery Network program, and it had teeth as big as one of my fingers. At the rate it was loping towards me, those teeth were going to be ripping off an arm in about five seconds if I didn’t do something. Anything, rather than stand there with my damned mouth hanging open.

  “Light!” I yelled, palms open, fingers spread tight with need. Don’t fucking fail me now, I thought as I screamed for my power. The bear was five feet from me when I threw the first ball of light it at it.

  It hit it just to the right of its neck above its massive shoulder and the bear staggered. “Oh, shit,” I swore as I looked at the Weres, who’d just finished changing. The Were brothers were still shaking out their fur as the bear righted itself, seemed to gather its wits long enough to calculate what had happened, and rising up on its hind legs, roared its anger into the wind.

  I could literally feel the heat from its breath blow the loose tendrils of my hair back from my face, it was that close. “Son of a bitch!” I yelled, the bear all but glaring at me, its sharp teeth glistening with spittle.

  I thought about the Light again and whipped another ball at it, this one hitting it directly in the chest. The bear roared in pain--at least, what I hoped was pain. So I did it again.

  The Were brothers had finally started to move as I shot three more orbs at the damned thing. In unison, they dove at the mammoth beast, one springing for its jugular, one for a wildly swinging claw and the other for its chest. The bear lost its balance in the flurry of growling, snapping teeth as it was overpowered with the weight of the wolves.

  I stood back in silent awe as I watched the wolves tear the bear to pieces. They were like three children, each one gnashing and ripping into the flesh as though it were a Christmas morn and the bear were their very own present. I could only blink in startled silence as the wind carried the screams of the dying beast off into the night.

  I don’t think my heart beat normally the entire journey back to my house, but at least it was a very silent journey. I kept glancing at the wolves, their silver fur bright with the tint of blood in the waning light of the moon that followed us. Kieran thankfully had said nothing else to me, though he tried on several occasions, finally letting it go at Dragon’s gentle persistence. He really was a smart cat; maybe Kieran could learn something from his silence.

  We met Gimlit at the front door, an expectant look on his face as he took in the sight of the blood-covered wolves, my blood-soaked clothes and three very silent Vampires. “We need to talk,” I started to say as I made my way up the porch; my irritation, I was certain, rolling off each step I took.

  “I’m afraid it will have to keep, mistress,” he said, his voice low and serious.

  I looked at him with worry and a bit of frustration piercing my lips as he continued, “I’m afraid you have been summoned. Your Queen wishes to see you.”

  Well, bloody hell! Could my night get any worse?

  Don’t answer that, because I really don’t want to know.

  Who is this coming towards us with the very face

  Of heaven, his path strewn with roses, not dust?

  From Twilight in Delhi by Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib

  Translated from the Urdu by R. Parthasarathy

  Chapter Twenty

  Another night, another shower. At least my Queen had allowed me that. I was not thrilled in the least to be summoned, let me tell you. The last time I’d been to the Pixie Court, my mother decided it would be fun to offer me to the Goblin King, Modgav, as his birthday present.
It was a month of pure hell.

  Of course, my mother--the bitch--thought it was the most respectful and delightful gift she could give him; a taste of my flesh. And my being daughter to the Queen’s Lady in Waiting--well, there wasn’t much I could do at the time. Although the only thing I can think that the bitch would be waiting for is one of my axes gouged down her back--more’s the pity, she’s just a mite too small.

  Once my father’s magic wore off and my birth was over, my mother reverted back to her small, Pixie size. So technically, I could squish the bitch like a bug. But she siphons power from our Queen and uses it to her advantage. So she thinks.

  Let the bitch try her shit with me now, and we’ll see who spends a month in Goblin chains.

  My Queen was allowing me to bring three guests, which was odd in and of itself, considering Queen Corral usually never wanted any Other World creatures that were not her species in her Hall. Hell, she barely tolerated me. Call me crazy, but I think this meeting was going to be far more political than was to my liking.

  I pondered this information as I stood in my dark kitchen, finally drinking that large glass of tea. My house seemed very quiet while everyone was in the process of getting ready for the evening’s events; the blood and forest muck of last night relegated to the slush pile.

  We were going to have to do the pretty for her Majesty, Queen Corral. That’s the way she liked it--all pomp and circumstance. Until she decided to string you up and rip your eyelashes out one at a time before moving on to bloodier, more painful games like the removal of your eyelids, so you would see things her way--permanently.

  I decided that I would bring Mercy with me, since she’d gone and shown me a bit of decency. Besides, if King Modgav were anywhere in the vicinity of my Queen’s Court, it might be good to have someone who was part Goblin at my back.

  And no, I wasn’t afraid of Modgav--the sick, twisted little fuck--but I spent a whole thirty days chained to his bed when I was eighteen, not a Tell in sight to help me get away. Some wounds run so deep that nothing will heal them, and memories just darken with age. Yes, I definitely wanted Mercy at my back. At least she could relate.

  I had no idea why my Queen allowed him, of all creatures, to wander around her Court when she refused the presence of Others. I’m sure it had something to do with both of them being cut from the same demented, sadistic cloth. Each of them wore their Darkness well, and loved to share it with the masses.

  Despite my total irritation and better judgment, I asked Kieran to accompany me as well. I figured that my Queen was searching for a show, and I might as well give her one. The Death Stalkers were feared in the lower Courts, and since Kieran and I were in the midst of forming a blood bond--which still pissed me off--I might as well use that to my advantage as well.

  And lastly, I decided I was definitely bringing Gimlit, if only for the small and simple pleasure that my mother hated him. She despised him for finding me, saving me and loving me enough to allow me to live and prosper.

  See, she really is a bitch.

  So it was one more shower for each of us, and a wily outfit to stir the pot. I’d chosen a pair of the shortest black leather ba-donk-a-donk shorts I could squeeze my ass into, a green leather bustier, and another cropped leather jacket. To complete my ensemble, I’d shoved on the sweetest pair of thigh-high leather boots I could slither up my legs.

  When I walked out of my kitchen, Kieran was coming down the hall, fresh from his own shower. “I did not know they could make leather that tiny, or that sleek, lass,” he said, his eyes glowing with far more than just appreciation.

  I could feel the hunger and lust pulsing from him as all the erogenous zones in my body were stimulated at once with just one heated look. My breath caught as he closed the distance between us.

  “You have no idea what you do to me,” he purred as he reached for me, scenting along the rapidly beating pulse line of my neck.

  Oh, I had an idea, and I could feel it, long and hard, as he pressed it between us. Chills ran down my body, zinging through my limbs as he pressed the warmth of his lips against my neck. My heart was racing and my breasts threatened to topple the rim of my bustier as need rushed through me.

  His lips were causing delicious currents of want to pulse through me as they captured mine. “I’m still pissed at you,” I whispered as his mouth closed over mine.

  “For now,” he replied, sweeping his tongue into my mouth.

  My knees felt weak as he devoured me with lips and teeth, nipping and stroking his tongue against mine in a mind-blowing kiss. When I felt his fingers on my breast I groaned with need, pressing the aching fullness into his hand.

  With a twist of his agile fingers he managed to free my breast of its binding, and as their cool grasp closed on my nipple, my body shivered in delight. He stroked my breast and nipple while tracing my lips with his tongue.

  As his mouth moved on to my chin, my earlobe, and my neck, his knowing fingers wandered over my body, touching, caressing, stoking the flames of my desire for him. When his fingers found the edge of my shorts and slid down the front of them, my stomach clenched in anticipation.

  Kieran pulled back away from me and looked into my eyes, his own desire riding the dark hue of the black-rimmed amethyst swirl of his eyes. “Do you wish to see heaven?” he asked, his voice the dark whisper of sin.

  I’d already been to hell, and I hadn’t seen Kieran anywhere in it. Although I’m sure a few angels were missing their wings. “Yes, I definitely want heaven,” I said reaching for him. I was damned either way. I might as well enjoy the slow and painful burn.

  Kieran slid my shorts off, folded them and laid them on the counter next to us. Then, while I stood before him with my heart racing, he loosened my bustier enough to release both of my breasts to his view. “Aye,” he said a mischievous smile reaching his eyes. “That is much better.”

  Without warning, he took me by the waist and lifted me to sit upon the counter before him. Spreading my thighs, he stepped between my legs, took me by the back of the head and kissed me as if he hadn’t been kissed in a thousand years.

  My heart had done ten somersaults and had quit five times before his lips left mine to move on to my neck, slowly routing his way down along my collarbone before taking both of my breasts in his hands and burying his face between them.

  When my nipples were tight, hard peaks, burning and aching with desire and I was wet with the need for release, his fingers found their way to my swollen, aching nub. My back arched at his knowing touch as he easily slid first one finger, and then another in the hot wetness of my lips, spreading them before sinking a finger deep inside of me.

  My body clenched around it, yearning for release, wanting so much more. “That’s it, lass,” he growled as he worked another finger into me, all the while kissing a line of fire back up my neck. I rocked against his hand, wanting--no, needing the ecstasy.

  I could feel the sensation building as he toyed with me, stroking me fast and deep.

  Then he was gone.

  “What the fuck!” I groaned with annoyance as I sat in my darkened kitchen, half-naked on my counter and aroused beyond measure. “Kieran, this isn’t funny.”

  “I find no humor in it either, lass,” he said a moment later from the entryway. “I am terribly sorry, there was a bit of a problem with the wolves.”

  “Uh-huh,” I said in disbelief. “And this problem takes you away now?”

  “I believe it is all but solved,” he hedged.

  “You believe.”

  “Well, it will require a bit of your assistance.”

  “My assistance how?” I asked, glaring into the darkness, the mood fast escaping me.

  “It seems that our little display is causing a bit of a stir amongst my wolves. They are quarreling to see who will get to share you with me next.” Kieran’s voice was dark and low, filled with enough heat to burn down my house.

  I hadn’t thought I could be turned back on so quickly, but there you go. Somethi
ng about the other night with him and Dragon had flipped a switch, and my libido was once again on overload.

  “We don’t have time for a repeat of the other night,” I said as I thought about all of the repercussions that night had brought. For one thing, it nearly killed me. If I was going to see my Queen, I needed to be mobile.

  “A small taste is all we seek, lass,” he said, and I could see the lavender glow of his eyes through the darkness; the weight of his gaze requesting my acceptance.

  My body thrilled at the prospect. I considered what exactly this would mean as I looked at him in the kitchen entryway, the dim light from beyond the living room causing a light glow to form around him, making him appear more ethereal than he already was. Then I wondered which of the wolves had won the disagreement.

  “A small taste,” I whispered, my voice catching as my body tingled with anticipation. I had to be losing my mind.

  Kieran swaggered through the doorway, the dark look of hunger clearly marked in the depths of his eyes, Jade, silent as only a Were can be, following in his wake. It was both interesting and disconcerting to see that Jade was with him. I wasn’t sure why, but I expected one of his older brothers to win the fight.

  There was something about the Were that was exotic and alluring in the pale intensity of his crystal-clear eyes against the honey wheat of his hair as my eyes found his in the darkness. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

  Kieran reached me first and pulled me from the counter, carrying me to my small kitchen table, laying me across it like a feast for a king. He sat in the chair between my legs, ran his hands up my thighs and spread them wide to his view. Without preamble, he parted my throbbing folds and ran his tongue deep into my wetness, my gasp breaking the silence.

  My body spasmed at the first rush as my orgasm spiraled through me, catching me unaware. I arched off the table, my back bowing, and Jade closed his mouth over the hard, aching nipple of my closest breast. His teeth grazed it into a taut bud as he suckled, each pull causing my body to clench, and Kieran to run his tongue deeper inside of me.