by Y. M. Roger
“Hondo?” her voice was almost a whisper as she glanced back at Rafal and then forward again to lock eyes with the strong male kneeling before her.
“Yes, Denka?” Hondo’s voice was so strong and self-confident and, as she stared into his eyes she could see his wartrige – its snout raised to expose its neck in deference to her and Runa.
Chiyoto swallowed hard, trying to find the correct words to use.
Here we go … Runa sighed as she sharpened her talons together in mock annoyance. I do not look forward to all this formality, my Treasure.
A nervous smile spread across Chiyoto’s face at Runa’s comments, but she reached her hand out to Hondo’s forehead to formally recognize both Hondo and his beast. Hondo smiled back with all the sincerity one could ever imagine.
“Uhm,” Chiyoto blew out another nervous breath, “Your Empress Runa recognizes your and your wartrige’s loyalty and is very appreciative, but …”
Runa growled low inside of her. He is your Prince’s brother, Treasure – how bad can he be?
Chiyoto paused and looked back again at Rafal – her eyes much more imploring this time. When she turned back to Hondo, she could hear Rafal’s steps approaching her from behind.
Runa was right – they were not going to play this formality game with family. How exhausting would that be?
Too exhausting to even consider, my Treasure – Rafal does not like to be called Prince and I would rather be hunting to tire us rather than wasting our energy acting overly civilized all the time.
When she felt Rafal’s hand touch the small of her back in simple recognition that he was there with her, she gathered up all of her courage and put her hand and wrist out to greet him in the familiar way between acquaintances.
“Thank you, Prince Hondo,” she smiled as the kneeling Prince gaped at her outstretched hand, “My name is Chiyoto Darré,” Chiyoto breathed so much easier like this as she leaned against Rafal’s solid body directly behind her – with her hand that was not extended, she reached back instinctively and held onto him. She felt his hand cover hers in reassurance and possessiveness – his feelings of desire and contentment with her needing him clearly flowing through their point of contact, “It is good to meet my Rafal’s brother.”
Hondo reached out trepidatiously and took her hand and wrist in his much larger one as he slowly rose to his full height – a wide grin spreading across his face as he glanced from her to Rafal and back again.
Chiyoto gasped as a clear visage of the female – a marabilla, no less! – that must be Hondo’s mate reached her through their momentary connection along with the handsome faces of two young male progeny.
That will definitely take some getting acquainted with, my Treasure – I can almost sense their presences although I know the three of them are definitely still planetside.
Chiyoto had to agree – to read another being simply through touch must be the gift of an Empress … one that had not been used since before the Cleansing …
Runa’s internal growl was long and threatening – the hurtful memories still quite raw for her and Chiyoto – but, once again, Chiyoto pushed the past back where it belonged.
In the past.
Runa’s growl gently rolled around the cargo bay, but Chiyoto formally giggled – if that was what that diplomatic cover she employed could be labeled – and quickly reassured them both.
“Your Empress Runa would much rather be hunting, Hondo – she does not relish the formality that would accompany our title,” Chiyoto said delightfully as she purposefully dropped the ‘Prince’ – they would not be addressing Rafal’s brother by a title either!
Hondo liked her already – the somewhat old-fashioned formal talk and regal air paired with her size and personality and obvious attachment to his brother won him over almost instantly – as he nodded in wonder with an almost childish grin on his face.
“Then we would invite you to join our hunts on festival days in the South, Denka,” Hondo’s easy and honest personality was practically infectious, “I am sure—”
Rafal’s arm snaked around Chiyoto and pulled her firmly against him as he spoke half-demandingly, half-jokingly, “I am sure we can arrange that at a later time after you have secured the Royal Suite for us, yes?”
And even as it seemed Chiyoto wanted to protest Rafal’s words, Hondo’s face lit with an even deeper smile – seeing his brother so happy and, yes, so possessive warmed that part of Hondo that would always belong to his beloved Rafal.
Hondo chuckled at Rafal’s indirect dismissal of him.
“We can discuss it over dinner tonight, of course,” Hondo’s face lit with mischief, “An in-suite meal, yes? Or has my brother’s dislike of formal dining settings changed?”
Rafal growled in warning as Chiyoto sank back into his vibrating torso – his warmth and strong arms surrounding her completely as he leaned over to deeply sniff her brightly colored mane.
“It has not,” Rafal slowly and almost reluctantly raised his face from her hair, “And Chiyoto will have kopürubat only – no blood beverages.”
Hondo’s face questioned the order even as Chiyoto nodded slightly in agreement.
Rafal answered his quandary.
“The Khedive has forbidden source nourishment off-planet,” the anger in Rafal’s voice could not be masked and – even through his comforting hold on her – Chiyoto could feel the waves of his discontent roll through her, “Therefore it is all synthetic.”
Hondo’s face went from questioning to horrified in mere moments – the red that tinged the visible skin of his face a testament to his emotions. He knew what the synthetic mix did to Yasaks – the order had been another step toward final annihilation of them.
Of his Shelvana.
“Eight kahr …,” Hondo caught himself with the use of such language in his Empress’ presence, but his vision narrowed at Rafal even as his words were viciously whispered, “Eight days, Rafal, and it ends,” Hondo ground his teeth a final time, “He ends.”
Rafal’s embrace of his Chiyoto tightened as his kneading of her flesh increased.
“I gave you my word, birader,” Rafal bent to inhale her scent again and let her peppermint and musk completely infiltrate all that he was, “It will be done.”
Chiyoto felt something shift deep inside of her – deep inside of Runa. A thirst, perhaps? A hunger or a desire? She felt her skin heat as an internal rumble began to fill her body.
Not understanding the feeling of being completely overtaken by the emotions of her altre, Chiyoto simply pushed and nuzzled even deeper into Rafal’s body.
Hondo nodded and, bowing, took his formal leave of them.
As he strode away, Rafal called.
“Take the Red Guard with you for safety, Hondo. Runa can seal the hatchway.”
A low, threatening growl rumbled around the bay.
“We look forward to meeting your Shelvana and the handsome sons with which your union has blessed you both,” Chiyoto tried to call after Hondo, but her breathing was slowly increasing as – from one moment to the next – Rafal’s body became an undeniable need.
Hondo only grunted as his determined steps took him around a stack of cargo and out of sight – he was obviously still angry at Rafal’s revelation of his sire’s decree – his mind trying to focus on the here and now.
Suddenly, Chiyoto was overcome with a wave of heated desire and need toward her Rafal – it was like nothing she had ever felt before: it was driven from deep inside of her … from beyond her own being … from Runa herself.
Chiyoto only had a moment to try to wrap her mind around what was happening when she was thrown into an unexpected pile of soft, welcoming padding – padding that had definitely not existed mere moments before – as Rafal’s mouth crashed over hers at the same time his hips thrust hard against her throbbing middle.
“Thank yo
u, my Empress,” she almost ethereally heard Rafal rasp as his breath made its way over her ear, “My beautiful shioliah,” and to her forehead where he bared his teeth and – growling more possessively than she had ever heard from him – bit a large clump of the hair along her hairline. His hot breath pouring down her face as he increased the pressure of the bite and pressed his now bared rod into her still clothed heat.
A heat that had practically soaked her jonpurs.
And as Chiyoto melted into the padding and unconsciously rubbed forcefully up against her Rafal’s hard length, Runa’s words … no, that was not quite right … Runa’s command wiped out all other thought processes.
Complete the Ilişki, my Treasure. Our Emperor’s spoken vow is accepted as his offering for our eternal bond.
And even as Chiyoto found herself completely lost in Rafal – their bodies now pressed against each other with no clothing between them – oh, Makers! When had that happened? – she could almost see her proud and magnificent dragoness spread her large, muscular hind legs and brush her powerful tail to one side at an odd almost awkward angle.
Without warning, a rush of pure and electrifying magic raced through her veins as Runa’s roar sounded throughout the bay. Yet, somehow, Chiyoto knew Runa’s call was not directed at her. The intensity and feelings were so new to Chiyoto that she pulled Rafal’s mouth from her forehead, and fighting his insistence that she stop – fought to angle his face to align with hers. There, Rafal’s beast: the same indescribable yet almost palpably powerful red-hued creature – complete with enormous stingers and numerous pinchers – its eyes so heavy with lust and desire that they were rivaled only by those of Rafal.
Hamako’s mate.
An Empress’ mate.
Rafal’s beast was …
But before that thought was complete her vision of her beloved Runa on that plane was obscured, and all that remained was her Rafal – his deep, emerald eyes that enthralled her; his solid muscular body that caged her; his throbbing, full artery that joined his two hearts calling to her.
Rafal’s voice was strained at best, “We claim you, Chiyoto Darré, as the other half of ourself. I am your Emperor to serve by your and Runa’s side always – my beast to protect and to cherish you both. Will you accept our pledge to bond, shioliah?”
The magic thrummed in her veins and tears rolled down Chiyoto’s face as she felt the unbelievably large head of Rafal’s rod press her folds – all of her folds! – for entrance.
“Aye, my Rafal, we are yours,” Chiyoto choked and tried to finish the words that were now part of her memory, “What the Makers of the universe now ordain, no being shall ever separate.”
A victorious yet adoring smile lit Rafal’s face as he claimed his Empress in but one, powerful stroke – swallowing her initial cry of pain at his invasion with a devouring kiss – one that she gladly returned in kind.
The magic that had once been bottled inside of Chiyoto danced its way into Rafal as well – his skin and vision exploding into countless shimmering and fiery sparks – the inexplicable sensations setting his senses ablaze as his control practically broke. He began to move in and out of her at a pace over which he seemingly had no control – his hands finding their most favorite holds: her mane and her buttocks.
However, it was not enough as his body and his Chiyoto demanded more – demanded harder – demanded that he lose control.
Completely.
Chiyoto only smiled when the deep green of her Rafal’s eyes seemed to explode into a thousand tiny lights as a thunderous roar was ripped from his chest – the pistoning rhythm of his hips driving her smile into a snarl as a growl emanated from deep inside of her. Chiyoto’s entire world now centered on Rafal’s fresh water scent, the veins and arteries that ran through his neck, and the sound of his rich, nourishing blood that flowed through those now highlighted pathways.
And when Rafal raised his head in that roar, she sank her now elongated incisors into the largest of those pathways – the one joining Rafal’s two hearts – as she felt her entire body erupt into a million or more pieces. Her only anchor to the conscious world was the delicious and glorious taste of her Rafal’s blood flowing into her, her now-taloned fingernails digging into his gorgeous body, and the throbbing of his rod into her tight, pulsating passage.
Chiyoto’s entire body trembled as she tried with all the mental and physical strength she could muster to remain awake as she licked the deep puncture wounds on Rafal’s upper torso. Their sweat coated them both as she felt him buck a few more times against her and his arms relent in their handholds only to wrap firmly around her body, surrounding her solidly and completely with him.
She nuzzled her face into the center of chest just below his chin as he rolled them both so that she lay atop his muscular body. Chiyoto felt his heart in perfect sync with her own as their breathing slowed together, and, still, she struggled against the darkness of sleep that fought to claim her.
A low, comforting chuckle vibrated against her – bringing an unexpected yet warming smile to her own lips – as Rafal’s words reached into the exhausted fog she was valiantly battling to keep at bay.
“Sleep, my shioliah,” he breathed deeply and let a comforting hum escape across and through her hair, “Your prince holds you safe and protected.”
And even as he felt the remainder of her luscious body relax in his arms – her contented sigh escaping across his chest – Chiyoto’s small hands dug firmly into his flesh where they rested.
A very satisfied smile peeled slowly yet fully across his handsome face – his Chiyoto, once again, clung to him – and Rafal found himself unable to restrain himself.
“Game over, my Empress,” he taunted playfully, knowing not whether the dragoness heard him at the moment, “I win.”
Rafal closed his eyes and raised his head only long enough to kiss the top of his Chiyoto’s head as a low growl – somewhat annoyed yet at the same time amused – rumbled around them and through the bay.
“Perhaps, Emperor Sadid,” Runa’s words were almost slurred, as if she, too, were relaxed and exhausted, “But those markings you now bear say that a great many struggles still remain for you and my Treasure if we would truly restore my Empire.”
Rafal raised an arm only to marvel at the intricate designs that now adorned his flesh as a much more somber mood encompassed him.
Emperor Sadid … the words and their weighty implication caused his embrace of Chiyoto to tighten as he closed his eyes and inhaled her wonderful scent. She sighed in contented yet still unconscious response.
“Our Empire will be restored, Empress Runa,” Rafal did not even open his eyes, “And her glory will, once again, be the shining light in the galaxy before all the Gods and Makers.”
A loud huff echoed, the breath from which Rafal could have sworn he felt across the back of his neck – the sensation catching him by surprise even as he felt an unknown yet welcome comforting presence settle around him.
“So sure of yourself, Sadid?”
Even though the dragoness’ words were harshly spoken, there was something in the now distinctly discernable presence surrounding him that tempered their steely edge – an intangible warmth that he could feel snake through his chest and along nearly every detail of his newly-acquired markings.
Rafal thought about all the plans and arrangements already in place – the decades of work already toward such an end that would now have the backing of a true Bohrean Empress. A low, confident chuckle rolled from deep within him as he unconsciously stroked his Chiyoto’s mane – a small, satisfied smile pulling slowly across his lips.
“Sure of us, my Empress,” Rafal responded – inhaling deeply of Chiyoto’s mane spilling across his neck and shoulder as he did so, “Of what we will accomplish together.”
A silken and pre-heated blanket was suddenly draped over his and Chiyoto’s bodies, and two neatly-folded
piles of clothing appeared on the floor beside the padding – the warmth immediately lulling him sleepward to join his Chiyoto.
Rafal did not see the magenta mist that drifted over them as the most powerful Empress in Bohrean history – indeed, in the universe to date – beckoned almost mischievously to her eternal mate.
Their roars and snarls and the vibrations of their breathing echoing endlessly throughout the bay.
Terminology Lexicon
(pronunciation, definition, plus cultural and/or situational context)
**Proper names indicated or referenced herein can be found in the accompanying Character Name Listing.
Ac Gorkem Mountains – (pronounced “ahk ghur-khem” – meaning empty splendor) Small but treacherously high mountain range located directly behind the Royal Palace of Bohrea Cardinal. The lower half or so of the range is unscaleable whereas the upper half that rises into the clouds is lush and green and home to many winged creatures as they are the only ones able to reach the habitable heights.
aegis – (pronounced “ē-gis” – meaning protection or shelter) Common use: a show of aegis. Because Bohreans can sense another’s feelings and because it is understood that there are both “predator” and “prey” alter-beings, the dominant or predator cognates perform what is known as a show of aegis or, simply, in aegis in meeting a prey cognate which is simply a partial presentation of one’s talons or claws or the like held over the area of the torso between the two “hearts” or circulatory centers. A show of aegis indicates that the predator senses the fear of the prey and will protect or shelter or, at the very least, means no harm or threat to the prey.
afacan – (pronounced “ah-fuh-jhon” with a very soft “j” – meaning rascal or urchin) Originally in the Crimson dialect but used commonly across both to refer to a mischievous, a wayward, or even a troublesome youngster. *Afacan is also the proper name that Tazirr gave to the orphaned female he found or, more pointedly, that found him.
ahmak – (pronounced with a very guttural first syllable “ahhh-mok”) Insult meaning jackass or idiot – mostly in the Crimson dialect but used across both.