by Amber Kell
Guards rushed out to meet them.
"Halt!" One fae stepped forward, separating from the group of guards. The man's hair consisted of a series of braids. Randy wondered if they conveyed special meaning.
"Therebes, stop being an ass. Step aside, we must speak with our queen." Rael's tone indicated his impatience with protocol. "It's not like you don't recognize us."
"Not him." The guard pointed at Randy. "I've never seen him before. Why would you bring a human here?"
"Royal business," Vallin said.
"I'll decide what royal business consists of, not you," Therebes stated. Randy could tell the man was the type who got off on his position of power.
"Stop being an ass and let the men through," Randy growled.
The guard stepped forward, a sneer on his handsome face. "And what makes you think I'm going to take orders from a human?"
"The fact that your dead king has taken over my body," Randy said.
Therebes laughed. "Good story."
Randy grabbed Therebes by the throat and yanked him closer. "If you don't let us through, I'm going to tell your partner exactly where you go on solstice."
Therebes paled.
"Excuse me, Your Highness. I didn't recognize you," the soldier said with a gasp.
Randy shoved him away. "Of course not, you fool, as I'm inhabiting another's body. Now take me to the queen."
Therebes swallowed. "She's in the throne room with her husband."
Randy gave a snort of disbelief. "Who did she take to her bed?"
"Sir Barl."
He threw back his head and laughed. "Poor thing has sunk to new lows."
Unable to control his body, Randy watched his movements like he was a visitor in his own body. There was a hard edge to the king that told him the monarch wasn't taking his death lightly. Despite the situation, he had to admit curiosity about where the soldier went during solstice was killing him.
"He goes to a gay bathhouse in the city."
Randy knew he would've stumbled if he had control of his body. He'd heard of such things, certainly, but he'd never met anyone who actually went to one. At least he didn't think so.
* * * *
The queen sat on a throne in the middle of a large receiving room. It had a cutout to allow her wings to flutter behind her while she sat. Her long blond hair glowed in the natural light, and her silk dress was heavily embroidered with trees and flowers. However, her expression told Randy she was the perfect counterpart for the man beside her.
The icy perfection of her face matched the stone-faced man sitting on the adjacent throne. Randy noticed the new consort sat in a chair even with the queen's, and neither looked very happy to be there. Some might consider the queen's new husband the king, but by law, he couldn't ever completely take Drein's place. The spirit inside Randy whispered the information as he watched the pair.
The other fae moved aside for Therebes to approach, confirming Randy's idea the man held a position of some rank. Randy didn't want to confront the queen, but he had little choice as the king's will marched his body up to the rulers.
Randy addressed the consort. "Couldn't inherit the crown so you slept your way to the top I see."
"Who are you to talk to me in his manner, human?" The man's expression confirmed Randy's suspicion that all fae held humans in little regard.
"I am King Drein. I believe you are sitting in my chair."
The king smirked. "King Drein, indeed. He is long dead, and you are an imposter. Rael, Vallin, what is the meaning of this? If you are having a joke at our expense, I will have your lives." The consort's handsome face turned an unattractive mottled red while the queen paled.
Vallin stepped forward and greeted the queen. "This is Randall Stewart, Sasha Baros's mate. You arranged for Sasha to have guards so he can help heal the fae after he is done with training. During the Samhain festival, King Drein possessed him. We brought him to you because the king has partial control of Randy and declared his intent to kill the body if we didn't escort him here. We thought to prevent a vampire-fae war. If something happens to Randy, Sasha won't let it go unpunished."
"I have things I won't let go unpunished, either," Randy declared.
"What things?" King Barl asked.
"The fact that my lady wife had me killed and stole my essence."
There was a collective gasp around the throne room. Even Randy knew the severity of the king's accusation. Fae could be resurrected if they still had essence along with their soul. If the queen stole King Drein's essence, it meant she intended for him to never return. It was essentially murder, even if she didn't cause his death in the first place.
"Your death was ruled an accident," the queen announced in a proud voice. "You can't declare me a murderer now after so long. It's been over fifty years since you were alive."
Randy stepped closer to the queen. "Doesn't it seem strange that in all that time I never came back? By now the goddess should've resurrected me, don't you think?"
"Um… maybe she didn't think you were worthy?"
Randy felt anger burst through him. With a wave of his hand, the king used his telekinetic ability to yank the queen out of her chair, dropping her to her knees before him.
Without warning, Randy wrapped his fingers around the necklace she wore, and with a jerk of his hand, he snapped the clasp.
The queen let out a gasp. "You can't!"
"Oh, watch me!"
"Release her!"
Barl jumped off the throne, brandishing a sword. With a wide swing, he knocked the necklace out of Randy's hand.
"You think you can take me?" Randy asked.
Even as King Drein snatched the sword out of Vallin's sheath, Randy trembled inside in terror. There was no way he wasn't going to get killed over this. He'd never held a sword in his life.
To Randy's surprise, the weapon moved easily in his hand, blocking the blade of the attacking consort like the other man's skill was too inconsequential for words.
"You take my throne and then refuse me back my life!" Randy declared. "I was going to spare your life due to stupidity, but you just lost that right!"
Barl swept his sword down in a move even Randy could tell was wrong. He had a feeling his opponent wore his sword more for decoration than combat.
With a hard swipe of his sword, Randy knocked the weapon out of the other man's hand and stabbed him through the chest.
Barl fell to the ground and didn't move again. As blood poured from his wound, Randy fought not to spill the contents of his stomach on the shiny marble.
The queen screamed, "Murderer! Guards throw him in the dungeon."
"Me!" Randy shouted. "You're the one who had me killed."
"He's an imposter. A human!"
Before Randy could say anything more, someone smashed him on the back of the head, and he tumbled into darkness.
Chapter Five
There was no sign of Randy.
Sasha sat at his desk, head back, and sent out feelers of awareness hoping to pick up any sense his lover still lived. Would the ghost dispose of Randy when he was done? In the past week his people had scoured literally every street for signs of his lover. If Randy were anywhere on this plane of existence, he would've been found.
King Drein was, from all accounts, a fair king, but a bastard of a supernatural being. A master swordsman and brilliant tactician had taken over the gentle medical student Sasha loved.
Sasha's heart hurt, and depression weighed him down. Only the idea he might find Randy made getting out of bed worthwhile.
"We found him!" Tian marched into the office, his silver hair tousled by the wind.
"Randy?" Sasha jumped to his feet.
"No, Ustin. He was caught at Blood Jumpers on Fifth and thrown out. If we hurry, we can probably catch him."
Crushing disappointment sent Sasha back to his chair. It hurt to breathe.
"Oh, snap the fuck out of it already," Tian growled. "If he were dead you'd know. Now get off your ass and go kill
your brother. You're projecting enough negative energy to cause mass suicide if you don't do something soon. No one wants to come to our club because they start bawling as soon as they walk inside."
"Fuck you," Sasha said. "You wait until you find your sun and then you can criticize."
"Hell, you didn't even have to find him. He came gift wrapped to your doorstep like a damn birthday present."
"That doesn't make him any less mine," Sasha snarled.
"No, it makes you a lucky, self-pitying bastard."
Sasha was out of his chair with his hand around Tian's throat before the other vamp blinked. He shook Tian and slammed him into the wall. "If I find out anything happened to my beloved, I'll kill you just for fun."
Lifting his closest friend by the neck, he tossed him across the room, pleased with the crunch Tian made when he fell. Straightening his shirt, Sasha marched out of the room. He glanced down at his clothing. Yes, black would do for his brother's execution.
* * * *
"Wake up!"
The shouting in his head made Randy sit straight up. His stomach lurched, and the room spun around him.
"Shit!"
"Easy." Rael wrapped a supportive arm around him.
Randy breathed in the clean smell of the fae. How had he not noticed how delicious the guard smelled before? Turning his head, he buried his nose in Rael's neck.
The fae froze. "Wh-what are you doing?"
"You smell so good." Randy slid a hand up Rael's muscular chest, his palm brushing across a stiff nipple.
Warm, hard, and smelling delicious—his favorite type of man. Randy's hand slid behind Rael's neck. "Kiss me."
"Oh, hell no!" Vallin shouted.
Rael was grabbed from behind and yanked away from Randy.
"That's not even funny, King Drein," Vallin said. "Keep your hands off Rael."
"Why? It's not like he's claimed or anything."
Rael turned to Vallin. "Yeah, I'm not claimed. I could fuck Randy through the cot if I wanted to or maybe let him fuck me."
Vallin glared at the fae. "Or maybe Sasha will smell his lover on you, drain your body, rip you apart with his bare hands, and dance on your entrails."
Rael paled. "Good point. Sorry, Your Highness."
At Sasha's name, Randy pushed his consciousness from behind the foggy mass covering his mind. "Sorry, Rael. I would never intentionally hit on you. Not that you're not gorgeous or anything, but you know…" He waved his hand ineffectively.
Laughing, Rael let him off the hook. "I know. You belong to Sasha, and I'm sure right after we had sex I'd feel really guilty. Ouch!" He glared at Vallin. "Stop pinching me!"
"Then stop mentioning sex with other men." Vallin's scowl reached new levels of fierceness. Fascinated, Randy watched to see if the vein throbbing on the fae's forehead was going to pop.
"Why? It's not like we've ever had sex," Rael taunted.
"I was waiting!"
"For what? For me to reach a perfect century!" Rael stomped his foot. Randy hid his smile. He couldn't help it. Watching a muscular six-foot fae having a temper tantrum lightened his mood.
"For the right time to ask you to be my mate," Vallin said, looking away from Rael's stunned expression. "I wanted to do everything right. I got you a wing ring and everything."
"You did?" Rael's eyes scanned Vallin's body. "Where is it?"
Randy desperately wanted to ask what a wing ring was, but he didn't want to interrupt the scene.
"When fae mate for life they punch a hole in the top of their wing and put a ring through it to announce to everyone they are taken. It's considered a sacred bonding. Fae rarely commit."
Sometimes having a second consciousness came in handy.
Vallin pulled a silver ring off his middle finger and cupped it in his hands. "Remove the spell, true form reveal." A flash of light flared in his hands.
"It's beautiful, Val." Rael started to reach for it, but snatched his hand back. Instead, he turned to Randy. "Marry us!"
"What?"
Vallin turned to Randy also. "Good idea. You can marry us and make it official."
"Um, guys, I'm not a judge or priest or whatever fae need to marry."
"No, but you are possessed by a king. Come on, Randy, let King Drein marry us. At least we'll be bonded before they take our heads for treason."
Looking around, Randy saw they were in a beautiful room with pale gold walls and elegant furnishings that made vampires look frugal.
"Where are we?" He wasn't even going to touch the treason issue. Randy was happily enjoying his denial.
"Guest quarters," Vallin said, dismissively. "The guards were afraid to put a king in the dungeon. With the fae, you have to be careful which side you pick. Now marry us, Your Highness. You got us into this mess. The least you can do is perform a small ceremony."
Randy wanted to ask them if they were ready for marriage. He was all about trying out the ride before buying the car, but he had to admit it was kind of romantic.
"Go ahead," Randy told the king.
"Stand facing each other and clasp hands."
The two fae turned to look into each other's eyes.
"With my power as a monarch of the fae people, I pronounce you bound to each other for as long as you may live. Normally, I'd say exchange rings, but you'll apparently have to wait for yours, Vallin."
Rael blushed. "It's at the jewelers. I was going to ask you."
Vallin smiled, an expression Randy couldn't remember ever seeing on his face before. "Stand still." He walked around Rael's back and muttered something Randy didn't catch. There was a flash of light, and a silver ring appeared embedded in Rael's wing. It sparkled each time he moved them.
"It's really beautiful, Rael." Randy admired the jewel as the fae moved his wing back and forth to watch the sparkle.
"Yours is blue," he told Rael.
"That's it? That's all that's involved?" Randy stared at the fae for a moment.
Rael nodded. "Except it's usually followed by a week of confinement, which we spend having sex and eating food prepared by our friends and relatives."
"I'm really sorry, guys," Randy said. "It's my fault you got into this mess. I didn't mean to ruin your lives."
Guilt weighed him down.
"Relax, we're going to get out of this. We just need the queen's necklace."
"Why do we need the queen's necklace?"
Rael and Vallin stared at him.
"Drein said he needs the queen's necklace."
"I have an idea!" Rael walked over to the only door in the room and started pounding on it until finally a heavily armed guard opened the door.
"What?" the guard asked, glaring at the room's occupants.
"Randy demands a challenge!"
"What?" Randy shouted.
"He will fight the queen's champion and prove he's the dead monarch. If he loses, you can kill us all. If he wins, the queen drops the charges and gives Randy the necklace she was wearing."
The guard gave Randy a long look, which he coolly returned. "I'll tell her."
"I said I was sorry. You didn't have to try to get me killed," Randy said after the guard left.
"King Drein is one of the finest swordsmen who ever lived. Even if he's at only half his ability with your body, he's still better than anyone else," Rael explained.
"Thank you, Rael, for your wisdom." The words came out of Randy's mouth, but what he really wanted to ask was whether Rael was fucking crazy. Having someone else take over his vocal chords at will was infuriating. He'd survived his encounter with the consort; another battle was pushing his luck.
They paced around the room as they waited for a reply. It didn't take long before there was a knock at the door and Therebes stomped through the doorway without waiting for a response. "The queen has agreed to your request. You may face your challenger in the throne room." Therebes's eyes caught the sparkle on Rael's wing. "Congratulations, Rael and Vallin. It's about time. I thought Vallin was going to die of old age with that
thing on his finger. I would be honored to be one of your food bearers when you are found free of treason."
Rael smiled. "We'd be honored."
Therebes nodded. "Good. Follow me."
As they followed, Vallin spoke. "I'm glad we didn't have to kill your vampire, Randy. I've become quite fond of you."
Randy stumbled, but was caught under the arm by Rael.
"What do you mean, kill Sasha?" He could barely breathe as panic made the walls close in.
"Great timing, Val," Rael said sarcastically.
"The queen said to kill the vampire if he became a political liability. Our seer knew he had some kind of involvement in the future of the fae, but we didn't know it would be because of his connection through you. I'm just glad we didn't have to."
A fierce anger built in Randy. His fingers burned, and his back started to itch like mad. Fury had him turning on Vallin. "Make no mistake, Vallin. I might not be a warrior like you and Rael or filled with special paranormal abilities, but if you kill Sasha, I will hunt you down and make sure you take your last breath."
Vallin raised his eyebrows. "You're turning into a fierce little thing, aren't you?"
Randy raised his hand, and a burst of flame poured out of his palm. Startled, Randy lost his concentration, and the fire immediately extinguished. Vallin grabbed his wrist. "Do it again."
The entire party stopped in the middle of the hall.
"I-I don't know if I can."
"Do it or I'll kill your mate!" Vallin swore.
Flame burst from Randy's left hand. Vallin's eyes widened. While he watched the fire, Randy punched him in the face with a right hook. The fae's head snapped back.
"That's for threatening my mate!"
"Ow, fuck! I only said that so you'd bring back the flame!" He gave Rael a malevolent glare. "Aren't you going to defend me here?"
Rael flicked his ringed wing. "Nope, it's my job as your mate to tell you that you were being a stupid fuck."
"Thanks."
"You really are King Drein," Therebes said in awe. "Only the king could call forth the flame."
Randy shook his hand. "Let's get going. If I can't beat my opponent by sword, maybe I can set him on fire."