by D. R. Rosier
The man asked curiously, “How did you know where I was?”
Sara replied, “Your magic hides sight, smell and sound, but not your emotions.”
The man sighed, “Damn empaths,” bowing to Nicole he continued, “Your highness, nice to see you again.”
He turned and looked at Nicole as she frowned and said, “Why did father send you to spy on me Reg?”
He started to feel amused as Reg struggled to find an answer, finally the man sighed and said, “Uleni, our spies there are picking up troop movements and preparations for war, but so far none have moved to the border. We think they plan to take advantage of our weakened state, the only reason we could think of for them to wait, is because of your… intended mate. Nothing else really makes sense.”
Reg added, “I think he is really worried about you, but mostly I’m here to keep an eye on the Flame of Cytherea, make sure he stays alive,” looking embarrassed he kept going, “Or in the worst case, that word of his death reaches the palace quickly.”
He shook his head and turned, walking back toward the tavern. No reason not to let the man haunt his forest. He thought he was done with all that, and he realized how naĂŻve that was. Even without the dark god, because of what he was, he would be pulled into other conflicts. He was both regarded as a hero, and a deadly enemy to be dealt with.
He had never really believed he was that important, and the idea a whole kingdom was putting off an invasion simply because he was alive, just didn’t make sense to him. His only consolation right now was he had already been determined to keep Sally safe from the kingdom of Uleni’s machinations. Now though, he was a target as well, and he had no idea how to process that information, or what to do…
*
Sara walked along side Justin. She was almost positive he had no idea she was there. His emotions were a roiling mix of self doubt, anger, and worry. He wasn’t the only one, she was quite a mix of emotions as well being so close to him. She felt fear, shame, and a kind of helplessness that she hated, even though she was positive he didn’t judge her, or wouldn’t threaten her.
Those weren’t the only emotions she felt. She was scared that these people who had saved her, and taken her in were in danger, and although she was positive he would never return her feelings, she was pretty sure she was more than a bit in love with him. She ached to reach out and take his hand, reassure him that her and his intended mates were there, and it would all work out somehow.
She suppressed a sigh, might as well ask her to put her hand in a fire.
“Thank you.”
At first she wasn’t sure who he was talking to, then she blushed and said, “For what?”
He said, “For staying with us, for warning us at dinner,” he shrugged, “For making the effort to walk so close to me. I must seem a mess right now.”
She wasn’t sure where it came from, but she quipped without thinking, “Don’t worry, you’re in good company for that.”
She blushed until he started laughing, it wasn’t really funny, but she found herself laughing with him…
*
Sally sighed. Intellectually she understood they would always stand together, they would always be there for their family. But emotionally she was terrified, what if someone died because of some idiot back in Uleni that couldn’t leave her in peace.
She watched the others walk back after Justin and Sara.
“Nicci, I’m going to build some warded traps out here, maybe the spy will come back.”
Katrina said, “I’ll stay here with you, I’m wary of leaving any of us alone right now.”
She sighed, she wanted to be alone. Katrina must have read it in her face because she said, “Don’t worry, you won’t see me.”
She watched as Katrina turned into a large tiger, then jumped into the trees. She could still feel Katrina’s magic, but she couldn’t see her at all. It wasn’t perfect, but Katrina was probably right about them not being alone.
She spent the next hour casting wards from three hundred yards out to the west in a semi-circle. Aware they may catch more than an enemy in this area, she set them to trap and hold. Hopefully they would be able to get out here if another spy came, before they got away.
As she came cast the wards she came to terms with it, there was nothing else to do really. She wouldn’t run or back down, and if someone came after her or her family she would destroy them without mercy.
She smiled and said, “Thanks for ignoring me, and keeping me company.”
She almost jumped when Katrina came out of nowhere and rubbed her body against her side. She smiled as she made her way back to the tavern, she wasn’t the only one that wouldn’t show mercy to their enemies.
Chapter 4
Nicole was glad she had started practicing her magic with Sally if there was to be another conflict. She hadn’t thought it would come from Uleni. She was sure they would face something eventually, even if it was just assassins from Egeria from what they accomplished there. From what she understood though, they were still in turmoil, deciding on who would be king.
She looked around at her new home, and it already felt like home even though it had only been a few days since they built it, and hoped it weathered the attacks she thought were probably coming. They would all rally and protect Justin from any attempt on his life… almost all. She forgot they had a guest. She turned and went up the stairs and knocked when she reached Trina’s room.
Trina answered the door and said, “Do you need something highness?”
Nicole waved her hand, “Please, call me Nicci. I wanted to tell you that it may not be safe here in the near future, you may consider returning to the temple for a time.”
She watched as several emotions flashed across Trina’s face before the acolyte asked, “Why, what’s going on?”
Nicole summed up what happened, and what they believed. She also said that they would protect her and keep her safe if at all possible if she decided to stay, but it was much safer to leave.
With wide eyes Trina said, “I will stay, the high priestess sent me here and I won’t run from danger. The goddess will keep me safe.”
Nicole had the strange feeling Trina was suppressing laughter, but she told Trina to have a good night, and went back downstairs.
*
Nora felt fidgety. All the paranoia about keeping Justin safe that had gone away, was back. She had still been wary of course, keeping out an eye to make sure he was safe, but she had started to feel safe about not being glued to his side. Now her head swam with all the possible ways an assassin could reach him. It was much harder to protect against, enemy soldiers were easy, silent killers not so much.
It was her turn with him tonight though, and she was looking forward to it. It was the one place she could always release all her worries, and just be with the man she loved. In that place she was completely submissive to him and his desires. It was an escape, a short time without responsibility.
She took his hand, squeezed it, and led him into the second bedroom. When she turned to face him he dropped to one knee which almost made her giggle. Wasn’t that her position?
He said, “It is a tradition on my world, that when a man asks a woman to be his mate, it is done from one knee. Nora, I love you and I always will, will you be my mate and have my children?”
Nora’s eyes widened and she felt tears in her eyes. She asked in a weak voice, “Why are you asking me now, when there is danger coming.”
He sighed. “I have wanted to ask all this past week, waiting for the perfect time. I realized tonight, my life will always be in danger. There will be no perfect time to ask, a safe time for you to accept. I am the hero to the church, and Abelaweth, no matter how uncomfortable that makes me feel.
“But men who crave power will always see me as their greatest enemy, the obstacle that must be removed. Perhaps it is selfish for me not to wait, but what if there is always a threat, and it is never the right time? It is a risk, but I love you, and want you as my mate.”
She was struggling with it, what if she got pregnant? She would have to choose who to protect, him or their unborn child. The idea of it made her throat close up in a panic. Wasn’t this supposed to be her relaxation time? A vacation from reality? She gasped in a breath when she started to feel dizzy. Perhaps safety was an illusion, but it was one she needed before she could say yes.
At the very least, she needed time to sort it out, what if it was just her paranoia? But the idea of him being without her, for at least a few months before giving birth, and fighting battles, terrified her.
She collapsed onto her knees and hugged him close.
She whispered, “It is my greatest desire to be your mate and raise our family. Every part of me wants that. But illusion or not, I can’t do that until we aren’t being threatened. Vague threats I can deal with, but what we know is coming? If I got pregnant, I could never choose between you or our unborn baby, leaving you to fight without me or leaving to protect the baby would drive me mad.
“I love you more than my life and will never leave you in this life, but I can’t be your mate, not yet, though my heart cries for it.”
She wondered how he would take it. Would he be angry? Understanding? But she couldn’t even see his face through her tears.
He kissed her softly and she heard him whisper, “Our children will wait for us love, just tell me when you are ready.”
Despite the understanding in his voice, she felt bad for saying no, especially since she wanted it so badly herself. She deepened their kiss desperately and started pulling at his clothes, needing them off of him. They were very much in her way right now. All her conflicting emotions were turning to passion inside her, she needed to give herself to him in every way possible, in every way except that one.
She was truly his, she just couldn’t give him a child, not yet. Not until Uleni had been dealt with.
She heard his gasp as she finally got his pants out of the way and teased him expertly with her hands. Her lips locked with his as she explored his mouth with her tongue. She felt him pick her up and carry her to the bed where he put her down gently. They had always either made love, or she was extremely submissive to him, she was his perfect little slut and she loved being that.
But this time, she needed to be the aggressor. She took her tunic off as he pulled down her breaches, but when he moved to mount her she wrapped her legs around him tightly and rolled to the side, plunging herself down on him, impaling herself with abandon when she reached the top.
He looked momentarily surprised, but moaned in pleasure and closed his eyes a moment when she ground herself against him. This wasn’t about playing and being his slut, or making love to show she was his love. This was about her, Nora, simply being his. No games. She started to rock her body faster, rising off his pole a little farther each time.
She gasped as he grabbed her nipples, pinching them softly. She felt shocks of pleasure running from her perky breasts down to her core. Then he burst into white fire and the pleasure doubled. She started to ride him even faster, gasping each time his length filled and stretched her body as she took all of him in her hot wet sheath over and over again.
She screamed in pleasure and managed to get out, “I love you Justin, so much,” as her center coiled and exploded in bliss. He felt so big as her walls tightened around him, undulating against his manhood as her love juice bathed his length… When she felt him start to fill her it was almost bittersweet. A part of her wished so badly that she had said yes, that she could get pregnant from him.
He held her tightly after and they just petted for a while. After a while, they did make love. She didn’t know what was in his head, but for her it was a promise she would never leave him, and that one day when they weren’t threatened, she would have his children.
She swore to herself she would.
*
Trina was having a crisis of conscience. Something she never imagined she actually had. She had never had doubts about an assignment before, but then, most of her assignments were assholes that had it coming in her opinion.
She was an assassin with training on manipulation and infiltration, she always knew what to say, or how to act to complete her mission. Yet earlier she had gaped like a fish as the Flame of Cytherea actually apologized to her, humbly, as if she was important and her opinion mattered. Something so far out of her experience and definitely not covered in her training.
She was nervous though, if the Princess was right, they would probably send a whole assassination team, she hadn’t known she was being monitored, they wouldn’t understand why he wasn’t dead yet, or at least that one of them wasn’t dead yet.
For the first time, she wasn’t sure her target deserved it. He hadn’t been nice to her at first, yet he had given her a room, and apologized while looking genuinely guilty about it. She needed to make a choice soon, she either had to kill him, or go to ground. If a team was sent, she had no doubt she would be added to the list, especially if that snake Riese had anything to do with the orders.
She had listened to them from upstairs all afternoon as she struggled with her conscience. She knew she didn’t want to kill him. He didn’t deserve the death as far as she was concerned. But was that enough to actually stop her from doing it? To put her life at risk and go on the run from her masters, when he would probably die under another assassin’s blade anyway?
In other words, could she live with it? Kill a man who treated women as equals, and apparently was good enough for the goddess to give her greatest power? What did that say about her masters anyway, that they would kill such a man?
It really came down to a simple question, could she live with herself if she did it? She wasn’t sure, but she thought she had until noon tomorrow before she would need to worry about another assassin showing up. Once that happened she was screwed either way.
*
Mage Riese growled at the mage kneeling before him.
“You ran away?” he asked incredulously.
“Yes master, I thought if they caught me it would further compromise the assassin’s mission.”
He closed his eyes, “I suppose it’s just as well. The bitch has been in place long enough though, it should be done by now. Send the team now, if they suspect something we need to strike quickly before they can prepare, or run to the safety of the palace.”
“Yes master, I’ll have them there by morning.”
He dismissed the travel mage and frowned. He had wanted to destroy the man for cowardice, he could have tried to kill a couple of them before running. But travel mages were rare, so he would let it go this time.
He brooded about the king. The kids father had been weak, hadn’t wanted to expand as he just knew they should have. They would have been in charge of the continent by now. His old king’s son was weaker still, though had until recently been easy to manipulate. He had noticed the young king looking more and more dubious about the things he had advised recently, though he hadn’t objected yet.
Still, he made plans just in case the whelp needed to be removed. He could always rule in name as well as in fact. He couldn’t wait for the Flame to die, he could taste his victory already. He would also make sure once conquered they would follow the current laws in Uleni. The females were kept well in Egeria, but the ones in Abelaweth had too much freedom for his taste.
*
Justin’s eyes rolled back in his head as he woke and he couldn’t help thrusting his body up a little. Katrina was humming softly, the sensations on the head of his manhood were intense as her throat hugged it tightly and vibrated. He could also feel tight suction of her lips milk the base of his manhood as she took him whole in her mouth.
He wasn’t even sure how to describe the sensation of her tongue as it massaged his length. A few more seconds and he bit his hand and stopped breathing as his body pushed up, trying to get further into the wet warm heaven of Katrina’s mouth as he emptied his seed deeply into her throat.
He was sure all the other
women knew about her doing this every morning by now, and he was pretty sure that just made it more exciting to her. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy it as well. She crawled up his body and snuggled against him, she felt so good in his arms. Nora was snuggled into his other side, and her breathing was not like one asleep, he didn’t imagine she could have slept through his body moving around like that.
She was silent though, not giving up the game.
That was when he heard a huge crash and sound of bone cracking in the main room of the tavern. He jumped up and said loud enough for everyone to wake, “Trouble!” and went through the door, raced through the kitchen and then stopped at the doorway, his mouth dropped open.
There were two men on the floor with necks way out of position, their eyes looked dead. Three others surrounded Trina and were attacking. She was wearing almost skin tight black clothes, and her hair was up in a tight bun. The guy behind her threw a dagger while the other two shot air and fire.
Without looking behind her, she rolled backwards and to the side, somehow catching the dagger while evading the fire and air, then threw the dagger at air guy taking him in the eye. Then she pulled her own dagger, while dodging another fire attack, and put it in fire guy’s throat.
He finally broke out of his surprise and exploded into white fire. He wasn’t sure what the last guys talent was, but he could no longer us it.
Still, he wasn’t sure she needed his help at all when she did a back flip, gracefully and effortlessly avoided another knife throw, and took the guys head between her thighs and twisted her body sharply, snapping his neck and taking him to the ground. All in all, what he had seen had taken maybe three seconds.
She looked up and scowled at him. He actually took a step back and looked at her questioningly, she smirked and winked at him. She picked up her dagger, cleaned it and made for the door.
As the other women came up behind him he asked cautiously, “Who are you really?”