by T. S. Ryder
She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes. "What goes on behind closed doors is none of yours or anybody else’s business. And as for other challenging him for me, let them try. I’ll kick them between the legs and then they’ll see about challenging him without my consent."
He couldn’t help but laugh at that. Her puny kicks would do nothing against a vampire, but it was good to know that she would fight for Thor. He relaxed. Humans were different. They didn’t operate by the same rules as vampires did. It would have to do for now.
Tindra twisted her hands and picked at her thumb. "Um . . . Actually, that was something I wanted to talk to you about. I saw him sparring today and he’s so fast and strong. It’s kind of scary, if I’m honest. Although, I do love a muscular figure. It’s just . . . he could snap me in half, you know? Any of you could. I don’t want to . . . be with my companion because I’m afraid of what might happen if I’m not. I want it for the right reasons, you know?"
He understood that but . . . "What are you getting at?"
"I was hoping that you could train me. To be stronger and teach me how to defend myself against the vampires."
That was a valid reason. And it would be good for Thor if the human became more confident. And as for these feelings? Well, spending more time around her might be a good thing. Surely his attraction was just because of the novelty. It would wear off as he got to know her more.
"I will teach you," he said. "I will expect you to work hard and give all your strength. Just because you’re human doesn’t mean that I will go easy on you. I won’t break you," he was quick to add, "but I will challenge you."
Tindra looked back up at him. There was a gleam in her eye that made him smile. She nodded. "Good."
Chapter Five – Tindra
The blow had Tindra’s arms jarring down, vibrating so hard it almost felt like her shoulders were going to pop from their sockets. She clenched her teeth and held her stance. While the dull blades might not be able to cut an arm off, that didn’t mean that they didn’t hurt when they landed. The many bruises on her arms were a testament to that.
"I will not yield," she shouted, putting all her strength into throwing Rollon back.
The king stepped back, a smile growing on his face. "What is that about?"
"Getting into character," Tindra grunted, swinging her blade towards the opening she saw on his left side.
Rollon easily sidestepped her. "Easy, now. You’re just learning the defense."
"I choose my own destiny!" As she hoped, his smile widened. He swung the sword towards her shoulder and she was just able to deflect it. "Ha! Your puny weapons are no match for the winter queen. Once I despatch you, I will descend the world into eternal snow and blizzards and ice cream!"
Rollon snorted. He stepped in a circle around her, easily evading her clumsy swings toward him. "What are you doing?"
"I’m the Winter Queen and you are my greatest enemy. I have to defeat you."
He snickered. She pulled the hammiest, most exaggerated grimace that she could and he burst into laughter. The tip of his sword dropped to the floor and Tindra stepped back, giggling as well. It hadn’t been that funny, but her heart warmed to see Rollon laughing like this. His eyes sparkled as he shook his head.
"You are insane," he said.
"No, I’m not. It’s a story that I’m planning to put into print eventually. Only the Winter Queen won’t be fighting a vampire king."
The door to the large gym opened and Thor strode in. Instantly, Rollon’s face returned to the normal harsh look he had and he took Tindra’s sword. She scowled at the prince. Just when they were making some progress! Thor grinned as he looked between them.
"Looks like you two are getting along," he said. "But I bet you’d be more impressed to see two skilled vampire warriors fight it out, huh Tindra. What do you say, Dad?"
Tindra glanced eagerly at the king. She wanted nothing more than to see what he was capable of. Unfortunately, he shook his head and his scowl deepened further. He always looked like this when they were around anybody else. Probably needing to keep the whole strong, badass king vibe going on. But why did badass mean he couldn’t smile once in a while? He was so tense he looked like he might explode.
"It’s been two weeks," Rollon said as he reached for a towel and tossed it at Tindra.
She mopped up the sweat on her chest and arms. The tank she had chosen still felt too warm after that exercise. Thank goodness she had a good sports bra. Even her small jigglers bouncing all over the place was uncomfortable.
"Dad," Thor started, voice wary.
"You need to properly claim her. There is talk about your lack of initiative, and there are grumblings that the human is fair game."
And they were just having so much fun. Tindra put her hands on her hips, glowering at the king. It was difficult at times to remember that he was a powerful king, and not just an overly brooding guy that she had occasionally fun with. When he loosened up, they got along really well. But he always ruined it by being a jerk.
"I have a say in all this too, you know," she reminded him.
"You’re human." He waved a hand dismissively. "If a vampire tried something, you’d agree."
Thor groaned.
"Excuse me? Do I look like the kind of girl that puts out because of a cute smile? I don’t let my hormones rule me, or else I’d—" Already have jumped him. Best not go there. "I’d have made a lot of mistakes in my life. Well. More mistakes than I’ve already made."
Her hands drifted unconsciously to her stomach and a spike of pain jolted through her. Her heart clenched, but she shoved those memories away quickly. The past was gone and there was no bringing it back. It didn’t stop her eyes from burning, which only made her angrier when Rollon spoke again.
"It’s nothing about you personally. Humans have the biological imperative to breed, and your repressive sexual culture leaves you prey to acting out your fantasies in inappropriate ways." Rollon swept back his long dark hair, which had come loose as they were sparring, and secured it with an elastic. "Just look at the porn industry. Do you think it would be as prevalent if human sexuality wasn’t so heavily repressed?"
"I don’t watch porn."
Rollon shrugged. "You are clearly attracted to vampires. There is no shame in that. I’m simply saying that if a vampire were to approach you, your attraction would get the best of you and you would act. Again, not something to be ashamed of. Vampires are high—"
"Just because I’m attracted to some vampires doesn’t mean I’m attracted to all vampires."
Rollon froze. His eyes flashed and his nostrils flared. "Some vampires? Who else are you attracted to?"
Tindra opened her mouth to reply to that, but her words got caught in her throat. Who else? Her eyes widened as she backed a step away from him. He knew. How could he know – never mind that, how could he not know? She constantly blushed if he complimented her. He got under her skin so easily. It was impossible not to see her attraction to him.
She glanced at Thor, who said nothing. His expression was blank, hands clasped behind his back. Rollon glanced at his son and grimaced.
"I’m sorry, Thor. Either you need to claim her and end her looking at others or throw her back."
As if she was a fish that nobody wanted.
"Look," she shouted. "I don’t know what you’re talking about. Just because girls throw themselves at you all day long doesn’t mean that I’m one of them. You’re rude, arrogant, and the only time you act like a halfway decent person is when there is nobody around to see it. You think you’re all macho and alpha? You’re not. You’re a pitiful, broken man who doesn’t know how to feel and who thinks being strong is being invincible. It’s not! I don’t like you that way, and I’m not going to be thrown back. I’m not a catfish!"
She ran from the room before either of them could speak. Tears burned her eyes and she internally cursed up a storm at herself. Way to be immature and irresponsible! Great going. This is why you should never have
kids.
Her heart clenched again and she fought the tears unsuccessfully. She raced back to her room and slammed the door.
"You’re back early."
Great. Tindra took a deep breath and turned to face Ingrid. "I’m fine."
Ingrid looked at the tear stains on her face and shook her head. "I didn’t say you weren’t. I’ve started a nice hot bath to help with the aches after your sparring. I think I’ll throw in some peppermint oil to give it a nice soothing fragrance, too."
Soon the bath was ready, and Ingrid sat behind a partisan while Tindra slipped into the massive tub. The water was just the right temperature, and Tindra allowed herself to float while holding the sides of the tub. The scent of peppermint helped to relax her as the bruises from her sparring session increased.
"I messed up," she confessed. "I messed up bad. I won’t be surprised if Rol – the king has me sent away after today."
"What did you do? You didn’t attack him, did you?"
"Not physically. I might as well have, though." She quickly recounted what had happened, careful to leave her own feelings out of it. "I know that it’s not entirely true. Maybe there are a few half-truths to what I said, but I had no right to say them. I was just so embarrassed and angry and . . . "
Ingrid hummed. "And because you are highly attracted to the king."
Her eyes drifted shut. "Yeah. The truth is, if he approached me, saying no wouldn’t even occur to me. I blame Thor for this mess. If he hadn’t decided to play match maker, I’d be at home watching The Last Airbender right now. The cartoon, not the movie."
Ingrid pulled the partisan aside. Her eyes sparkled and Tindra yelped. She turned so that she was mostly hidden from view.
"Do you mind?"
"You are really attracted to the king?"
Tindra shook her head. "I changed my mind. Stop looking at me."
"I’m not looking at you." Ingrid leaned forward. "You are attracted to Rollon. This is excellent news. He is attracted to you as well. I can see it on his face when you two are together, no matter how much he tries to hide it. It would be marvelous to see him happy again. To have a queen."
"Right. Well, the potential queen doesn't want anybody staring at her while she’s naked."
Ingrid drew the partisan back. "Except Rollon."
Tindra snorted. "After what I said to him?"
"I can’t wait for you to get pregnant. Imagine, a little boy with your pretty eyes and Rollon’s dark hair. Or a girl. Rollon would be such a doting father. I remember when Thor was little . . . "
Tindra closed her eyes, trying to push away the stab of pain in her chest. All this constant talk of babies. They couldn’t know of course, but it brought out all the worries and doubts that she just couldn’t deal with.
"I’m not having children," she whispered. "You’ll have to pin your hopes on someone else."
Chapter Six – Rollon
After Tindra had run away, Thor hadn't said a word, merely shaking his head and leaving the training rooms himself. Rollon could have kicked himself for how he behaved. He was treating her like he thought he was better than she was, which simply wasn't true. Humans and vampires were different, but that didn't mean one was better than the other. The whole situation just fell out of control.
Part of him hoped that Thor would send her away. Thor was stubborn, though. He didn't do what he didn't want to do. Much like his father.
Several hours later, Rollon was looking over requests for increased military spending when his son strode through the door, ignoring the protests from Rollon's secretary. The king dismissed her and set aside his papers. He always had time for his son.
"You're upset," he started.
"You bet I'm upset. What is it with you?" Thor paced in a circle and shook his head. "Why do you always have to be so damned stubborn? You were getting along fine with Tindra and then you go and accuse her of having no self-control? That was rude and unnecessary."
Rollon couldn't help but smile a little at that. "And here you are, chastising me. The tables have certainly turned. I remember when you were a toddler running around, giving Ingrid heck because you refused to leave your diaper on."
"Dad!" Thor let out a huff. "We're not talking about my old habits. Tindra is important and you keep pushing her away. Can't you just try to give her a chance?"
"It's your birthday soon."
Thor narrowed his eyes. "Why are you changing the topic?"
"I will be more comfortable with the human once she's bonded to you," Rollon said stiffly. "Now. About your birthday—"
"I don't care about my birthday."
Rollon nodded. Thor was always a bit peculiar about his birthday. Maybe it was because birthdays were never celebrated in the palace. It had been his mother who pushed to celebrate it. And after what happened, Thor simply stopped talking about it. But it had been a long time since they had done anything to celebrate, and with all that was happening with Tindra, Rollon wanted to have some time to spend with his son without any outside pressures.
"I think we should do something special for your birthday this year. I don't have any ideas right now, but I will—"
"I have an idea."
Thor's gaze didn't waver, but there was an uncertain look in his eye. Rollon tried to stay relaxed, although he recognized that look. His son had a plan in mind, but he was certain that Rollon wasn't going to like it. And Thor was usually right about those sorts of things. Still, Rollon waited quietly. It was clearly important, so he would listen. And he would give it a good amount of thought before he answered.
"Dad, I need you to stay calm, okay?"
Rollon's brows rose. Unexpected . . .
"For my birthday, I want you to go see Mom."
It was like a blow to the stomach. Rollon turned away at once, reaching for the papers he had set aside. That was out of the question. It simply was not going to happen. Never. His hand shook and he balled it into a fist.
"Dad, I know how you feel about it. But it's been years. I need you to be happy again and you're not going to do that while you're holding onto your guilt."
And seeing the woman whose life he stole was going to help with that?
"Dad, please."
"How do you think I'm not happy?" he tried.
Thor frowned. "If you're going to say no, just say no."
He couldn’t, and that was the problem. Reluctantly, he nodded. "I will go and see her with you. But the question still stands. Why do you think I'm not happy? Would seeing your mother make me happier? Is it supposed to alleviate my guilt?"
"I don't know. Honestly, Dad, I don't know. But I just want to see you try. Maybe seeing her will help you because it will show you that even bad things can have good things come out of it. I mean, don't you want to have more kids? Sometimes I really wish I wasn't a single child."
Rollon considered for a moment, then shook his head. "You are my greatest joy. More children would only bring more joy, I know. But I don't have room in my life for a woman, and I'm not going to have a broodmare. I don't want what was between your mother and me to be the norm. Besides, I have no prospects. "
Thor leaned forward. "As for your prospects, there are thousands of women out there that would cut off their legs for a chance to be with you. Hell, when I walk down the street I'm mobbed. And you're the king."
"This is opposite. I should be counseling you to find a companion, not the other way around."
Thor grinned. "You've been after me to find myself a mate for fifty years. Where do you think I picked up all my skills?"
"I always did say you took after me."
Rollon sighed. Was it time for him to take a companion? There were a few trusted females that he went to when he was desperate, but for the most part, he had put thoughts of companionship from his mind. The truth of the matter was, he filled his schedule because it gave him a convenient excuse as to why he couldn't take on a lover. He had a lot of councilors who could be working harder than they did now. The kingdom did n
eed constant defense, but he wasn't the only one who could wield a sword.
His mind turned to Tindra. "Even if I was so inclined to have a companion, the woman I may be interested in isn't available."
Thor’s eyes lit up and he leaned forward eagerly. "What woman would that be, Dad? Do I know her? Maybe she is someone you met recently?"
His tone tipped something off in Rollon’s brain. "Why so interested?"
"I’m not allowed to be interested in the woman who might be my new mother?"
He widened his eyes innocently, which only proved that he was up to something. Rollon stiffened as he considered everything that had happened. Thor had not seemed surprised nor concerned when he found Rollon and Tindra sparring. He was awfully eager to see them get along. And now, right after bringing her into the palace, he was talking about Rollon letting go the past and moving on . . .
"Out with it," the king said, eyes narrowed. "What are you plotting?"
"Plotting? What makes you think I’m plotting anything?"
"Don't make me have you thrown in the dungeons."
Thor laughed. "Dad, threatening to ground me hasn't worked in decades. Besides, I’ve got that press conference—"
Rollon held up a hand. "Just tell me what you think you are doing."
"Okay. I’m worried about you."
"So you said. It tells me nothing about this game you are playing."
"It’s not a game. I really think that—"
The piercing shriek of an alarm filled the air. Rollo and Thor both jumped to their feet and reached for the knives that sat proudly on Rollon’s desk. A snarl ripped its way through the king’s throat as he raced for the door. These alarms hadn't been used for twenty years . . .
It could mean only one thing. The palace was under attack.
Zander quickly found the king and prince. Not bothering to bow, the security guard handed Rollon a sword.
"Shifters are attacking our walls. There are reports of a dark-haired woman leading them."
Eva. He'd been wondering when she would return. "All the humans and non-warriors are to be put in the safe rooms. Thor, you are responsible for their safety."