by Vi Voxley
Sensing trouble, Elias slowly put Chloe down, his body already aching for her warmth and the soft feel of her body underneath his fingers.
"Elias-" Chloe started, but he hushed her gently.
"Go back to Vanor," he told Chloe as he turned his attention to Leah, his words coming out as a growl now that he looked at the insolent woman. "Do not worry. Nothing will be done against your will."
Chloe went without protest, her lips plump and swollen from their moment of passion that ended far too soon for either of their liking. She still glanced at Leah, who apparently didn't quite realize she was as good as dead to him. As soon as his fated had gone, Elias went over to her, cursing his father for making the palace grounds free to walk for everyone.
"You have some nerve," he told Leah as soon as he was sure Chloe was too far to hear their exchange. "I have met many stubborn women in my day, but you are the only one to abuse the special station you've been given at birth. I will not raise my hand against you, but consider yourself banished from Reahall.
"Return to your home and stay forever out the sight of my queen."
Leah scoffed, practically rolling her eyes.
"Your queen is not a Haverin," Leah replied with only a hint of fear. "You think our children would be weak? She has none of the gifts of our people. You are a powerful lord, Elias, why can't you see that you're wasting yourself on her, that you would waste your seed on her? And what is this I hear about the Merive?"
Elias turned his back to her, marching away before he could no longer keep himself from raising his hand against her. He cut the widow from his life in his mind, fuming, but Leah still had her final word to say.
"The people will not accept her, mark my words!" she yelled at him. "You are throwing away your life and your legacy! You and Vanor both! Whichever one of you will desert her first will claim the throne, not the other way around!"
Elias kept walking, refusing to give Leah the satisfaction of reacting. Despite that, she'd managed to instill a shadow of doubt in his heart.
That woman and her foul words…
He wouldn't give up Chloe, not for anything, but it was true that she didn't carry any of the Haverin genes. If he and Vanor couldn't put a child in her before one of them died, would they destroy the long, healthy lines of their houses? And even if they did, what would become of the rest of the children, the ones that were not graced with two fathers?
He refused to consider it. Everything that was supposed to happen, would happen. Elias trusted fate not to make him the man to destroy all hope for the Haverins, but the one to save them from the brink. It had to be so.
Chloe's arrival was a sign, a beacon of hope just like she was the light in his life now. Elias resolved himself to do whatever it took to keep her, to be the one to claim her for life.
She didn't know it yet, but the warlord believed her future was already sealed, bound forever to the planet whose name she had just learned. And to him and him alone.
9
Vanor
Vanor watched Chloe return, looking behind her like there was some threat there. His blood burned, seeing the beautiful smile gone from her face.
Elias, what have you done to her…
When Chloe reached him, Vanor's fingers were white around the hilt of his sword. The fact that her lips seemed plump and raw didn’t mistake his attention either.
"If he hurt you, I will not wait two weeks to kill him," he rumbled.
So far, Chloe had kept sneaking glances behind her, but now she turned the gaze of her gorgeous hazel eyes to him, a small smile on her face.
"Who, Elias?" she asked, pausing in her approach. "You really mean that, don't you?"
"Of course," Vanor said, relaxing a little, seeing she wasn't harmed as far as he could see. "You are my fated. I would give my life to protect you."
Her smile brightened up the entire day, just like before. The commander wasn't sure what he'd said right when he only ever spoke the truth, but something had changed about her. Perhaps Elias wasn't as useless as he seemed.
"I think I'm starting to figure you out," Chloe said. "You say whatever comes into your mind. I don't think I ever met anyone that honest. It freaked me out."
"I didn't want that to happen," Vanor began with a bit of ruefulness, but Chloe shook her head.
"Elias explained," she said to his infinite surprise. "I understand, I think. Don't get me wrong, I still think it's incredibly weird and it's definitely not going to happen, but I at least get why you're so anxious to bed me. If the future of an entire species lay on my shoulders, I guess I'd be a little impatient too."
His mind was trying to process the fact that the young Lord Greole had defended him, yet that wasn't all that Chloe had said. It was difficult keeping the distance between them alive, but he had sworn to himself to be more careful with her now. He’d upset her enough for one day.
"That is not exactly true," he said. "Children are a blessing, but it is you I want. It will always be you, no matter what."
"Even if I never changed my mind about having kids?" Chloe asked carefully, studying him closely.
"Yes," Vanor said, perhaps a little shaken at how resolute his answer was. "You are my fated. It would be a terrible loss for my people, but that is the hand of fate. We get what we're dealt. I will serve my people even so. The females are few in our culture, but I wouldn't force you."
"It would be the end of your bloodline," she said, disbelief plain in her voice. "Elias' too, if I understand correctly. Right?"
"If that is our destiny, let it be so," Vanor replied, nodding. "There are other ways I can protect the Haverins, as I always have and will."
Chloe took a step closer, like she was called to him by an unseen force, surprise painted on her face. Vanor pulled her into his arms as soon as he could, gently lifting her chin up to look into her deep, dark eyes. They were like endless chasms of beauty that he wanted to fall in and never return. No female had ever made him feel like that, not even close. She was truly the one, fated to be his forever.
Seeing the desire flare up in her eyes, Vanor leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. He had never been one to hesitate long when opportunity presented itself to capture what he yearned for.
Chloe moaned, hungry, needing more, fanning the flames within him. He kissed her with all the passion he'd suppressed from the moment he saw her appear on the temple stairs, wrapping his hands around her beautiful body and caressing her. Chloe clung to the straps of his armor, pulling herself up by them to meet his lips better.
The silent, desperate noises coming from her throat were tearing down the walls of his will, bending his entire being to her. Suddenly, even not being king yet didn’t seem so problematic.
Footsteps ripped him out of the moment and Vanor released Chloe reluctantly, seeing the same regret in her eyes. It made his cock stir, growing painfully hard, longing to be thrust into her pussy and to see the passion burn in her.
The commander had expected to see Elias coming back to them, but he did not glimpse the warlord on the other side of the garden yet.
The one approaching them was Hurso, with a squad of warriors at his back. With a tinge of suspicion, Vanor saw that they weren't all of the captain's own squad, but a mix-match band of men with dark looks on their faces.
Instinctively, he stepped in front of Chloe. He pushed her back a little, seeing her wince.
"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, his deep voice making the warriors stop, used to obeying him without question.
Even Hurso hesitated, but then he found his courage and voice again.
"Is it true, lord?" he asked with a hint of reprimand. "She is your fated? Yours and Lord Greole's? There was no mistake at the temple?"
Vanor glared at the tone of Hurso's voice. His second-in-command had no place talking to him like that.
"Of course not," he said coldly. "What mistake could there be? A Haverin knows when he is faced with his fated. I have found mine, and so has Lord Greole."
Hurso answered his gaze, not backing down one step. Already predicting what was coming, Vanor felt a moment's regret at the man’s death. Hurso was a gifted tactician and an excellent warrior. Killing him was a sin like the death of every good Haverin warrior, but there was no way back.
"Then tell us, my lord," Hurso went on. "Why is Lord Greole still alive? Are you considering letting him live as the female's second male?"
"No," Vanor said. "He will die in two weeks and this is the last we will talk of this. I do not have to explain myself to you and every man here is on very thin ice. Leave, before I send you to your families in pieces."
"We don't want to hurt you, commander," Hurso replied, drawing his sword. "But this can't stand and we can't risk it. If the houses join in her belly, everything is lost. It's better to lose her than lose our people's future. Please step out of the way, my lord, or we will be forced to make you."
In the distance, Vanor saw Elias dash out of the maze. Vanor pulled his own sword from its sheath. Chloe backed away with a small scream, her delicate hands covering her mouth.
"You know I can't do that," the commander told Hurso. "You have this one last chance to lay down your swords and accept whatever punishment I have for you. Or else Haverins will lose a lot of good men today."
"So be it," Hurso said and the squad attacked in unison.
Vanor caught the first strike of Hurso's blade on the edge of his sword, meeting the captain's eyes, filled with hatred. The blow had been aimed at Chloe, a death warrant signed and sealed in Hurso’s name with that move.
He let go of all regret he might have had for the men who had served him dutifully so far. His blade whirred through the air, cutting Hurso's head from his shoulders before the man could make another move.
The squad had numbers on their side. Growling, cursing the men for their treachery, Vanor knew he couldn't defend Chloe alone. It was impossible to watch his back and the front at the same time.
Right at that moment Elias crashed into the melee, the warlord's sword finding its mark in the throat of another assailant.
Without a word, like they were born to fight together, they maneuvered Chloe between them, keeping her safe with their own bodies. Their swords cut and bled and struck at the traitors, painting the ground red with blood.
For only a second, a tempting thought flashed through Vanor's mind. What if he were to turn and kill Elias, ending it all? Ancient loathing burned in him for the other warlord's house, yet still he didn't agree with Hurso. There was a place to win the crown and it was the temple. With the other warrior armed and facing him.
He wouldn't take the throne by stabbing his rival in the back. He could not sink that low, especially not in front of his fated.
It seemed Elias agreed, because nothing got through to Vanor from behind him as Elias kept up with him without pause. They fought in perfect unison until the very last assailant fell, as the commander had known they would. There was too much color in their eyes while he and Elias looked upon the world through gold alone.
As they stood, breathing heavily, above the bodies of the dead, a nagging thought appeared in Vanor's mind. One he didn't want to admit at first, or perhaps at all. Still, that did not make it any less prevalent.
Elias wasn't the weakling he'd expected, not by far. He would have made a great match for his blood in Chloe's belly. Yet it was unthinkable, wasn't it? Neither one of them was about to give up the throne to the other.
There is no other solution for this than the one we have already prepared for…
Yet when they turned, finding Chloe standing in the middle of that carnage with a horrified look on her face, they both rushed to her side with the same unity as they had defended her with.
Together, they caught her between them, leading her away from the death and pain. Without any argument between them, putting her safety and happiness first, the very image of what a fated triad was supposed to be.
10
Chloe
People keep dying. This is crazy.
Chloe let the warlords lead her away, refusing to look back at the pile of bodies they'd left behind. It seemed her previous pondering hadn't been much off target – the Haverins really seemed to live in a feudal age. Everything was decided by the sharpness of the blades and the strength of their arms, but to the credit of her two – two! – fated, they seemed to be in the right.
Of course Chloe was bound to take the side that didn't want to cut her throat for existing, but the warriors who'd attacked her had been right out bloodthirsty. She hadn't known the young lords for a very long time, but even she was surprised when Vanor wanted to avoid bloodshed.
Seeing her so distressed, neither Elias nor Vanor pressured her into anything, not even a conversation. They led her into the palace, right up the stairs wide enough to land a jet there and into rooms overlooking a view to die for. Not the best metaphor after what she'd just witnessed, but Chloe took any distraction she could.
The suns beat down on a balcony, making it warm and nice without being too hot. There were benches and small alcoves to hide from the direct light. Vines grew everywhere like nature itself had built the castle, twisting on the ground beneath her bare feet.
Chloe wasn't in the least bit surprised when there were fountains and small, tiny ponds on the third floor as well.
Of course they’d have ponds on the third floor. Who wouldn’t?
She sat down on one stone sofa, branches of some sweet-smelling tree gently touching her hair and put her naked toes into the softly flowing water.
It was heaven on Earth.
On Corolon, she reminded herself.
The warlords were still standing, looking at her like she was about to break into pieces right before their very eyes.
In truth, Chloe couldn't guarantee that she wasn't, because so much had happened to her in the course of one day that she no longer had any normal reactions. Everything was just mixed together, but looking at the two men, copied from her wildest fantasies, Chloe could barely control herself.
Her body had reacted to seeing them as soon as the teleportation light faded from her eyes. Both the warlords were big in all the right ways, undeniably masculine. Chloe had to bite her tongue not to lick her lips, looking at them standing at perfect ease, confidence and power around them like cloaks.
She'd doubted if she was in the league of guys like that, but now that she saw them, the Celestial Mates might have overexaggerated a little, if there was such a complaint.
She couldn't say that with a straight face. Not when her eyes were glued to their perfect bodies, peeling the armor off them with her mind, picturing the undoubtedly flawless muscles beneath.
The ease with which they wielded their swords was a testament to how fit they were. Chloe had a hard time imagining them taking her without crushing her, but just as crazily as the entire day had been – she didn't think it was a concern.
She wanted them on top of her, both of them. Elias with his easy smile and words that caressed her skin like silk, and Vanor with his stern, fierce eyes, every bit of his attention devoted to her. Every minute she spent with them brought the image into her mind more clearly, like it was right at the end of her fingertips.
That's because it is. They're offering me themselves and this crazy beautiful world on a silver platter. And I... I –
There was no finishing that sentence.
She hadn't told the guys that and she didn't plan to, but the only way she could handle the experience was if she treated it all like a very lifelike virtual reality game. One with a single checkpoint in two weeks, when she had an option to quit.
So far Chloe had been absolutely certain she'd take the offer to leave, but now... seeing her presumed fateds look at her with very, very obvious lust burning in their golden gazes, she wasn't so sure.
"You can sit too, you know," she said, smiling. "I don't bite, I promise."
Elias grinned, walking over to sit next to her. He sat so close that their knees t
ouched and his fingers brushed against hers on the seat. Vanor sat down to the other side of Chloe, looking at his rival with hateful eyes, but whenever his gaze fell on her, it softened.
In those moment, it was almost impossible to believe he could possess the malice she'd seen only seconds before.
"You can bite," Elias growled, his deep voice sending shivers down her spine. "I wouldn't mind. Haverins are made out of tough stock. Of course, I can't speak for Lord Merive."
They really were open books, which was sort of endearing after the kind of men Chloe had met back on Earth. All smooth talk and pickup lines their buddies swore "worked on chicks" and false compliments.
Elias and Vanor held nothing back, possibly because they didn't have to. She hadn't picked up much about Haverin politics yet, but it was clear they could throw around their weight.
When they spoke to her, Chloe didn't sense any lies. She was their fated, they believed it without question, and it showed in every breath they took.
Must be nice, being so sure of your future…
If the few hours she'd known them was anything to go by, Chloe could guess that Vanor was glaring right about now. She didn’t even need to look at him to know that.
Exactly on cue, the dark warlord answered, his voice dripping with annoyance:
"Spare your words. I think she can tell which one of us is made for greatness."
"Will you two quit it?" Chloe asked in exasperation.
Both Elias and Vanor looked to her with surprise in their gorgeous golden eyes that Chloe had come to like very much. She forced herself to go on, understanding neither one of them was used to someone talking to them in that tone of voice.
"I get it, you hate each other," Chloe said. "I think there are trees in the gardens of this palace that know you can't stand the other. Alright. I wish we could have one moment of conversation without you two constantly being at it. Can you do that? Aren't you my fated? In fact, start from there. Tell me what this would be like if you weren't competitors."