by Marian Tee
“But now I ask for the court’s consent to present my case.”
The judge nodded. “Consent granted.”
The silence that followed was so thick it would not have been an exaggeration for our heightened hearing to distinguish even the footfall of tiny ants. Instead of speaking, Luka simply took out something from his pocket and dropped it. Sapphire beads clattered to the ground, breaking the silence that enveloped the courtroom.
Oh God of Caros, how could it be?
A scuffle erupted from the crowd, followed by several shouts and the sound of a man being subdued. In moments, Brethren guards had brought to court a panicky and sniveling Jeff Kirk, who was thrown to the ground in front Luka.
“This individual has betrayed our race to vampires. He had given my betrothed—”
My head spun at what he had called me.
“—Caylie Sonora a sapphire bracelet in which a tracker had been implanted, which was then used to determine the location of our hideout. Evidence found in his lodging by the Brethren guards has established his involvement with the Screamless Massacres.”
Violent rumblings rose from the crowd and I tensed, wondering if I was about to face an unreasonable mob of Caros once again.
Luka raised his hand. “But we will not condemn him like he had condemned our kin. We will not violate the laws that the Brethren stands for the way he has violated them. We will prove to the world that we are far from the base creatures that vampires are by giving this man a fair trial. And when he is proven guilty, we will hand him to our reviewers for sentencing.”
Luka raised his gaze to the crowd, proud and challenging, waiting for anyone to speak against him.
“We will avenge our dead. We, the Brethren, will not rest until we avenge the innocent lives that have been taken from us. But we will not make the same mistakes again. We will not blame the blameless and hurt the weak. But we will be relentless against those who deserve our enmity.”
The red rim around his eye burned bright, like a bloody sun we found ourselves drawn to.
In a hard voice that rung clearly of command, Luka said in a hard voice, “We are the brightest children of the Night, and forever we must shine.”
The applause was inevitable and I would have clapped as hard as everyone did if my hands had healed properly for it. But all I could do was sob. A shadow fell over me and without looking up, I said shakily, “Luka.”
I sensed Luka crouching down before slowly tucking my hair behind my ears and gently tipping my chin up so our eyes could meet.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?” I whispered when all he did was stare at me.
“Because I don’t know what to say,” he said rawly. “What you did…” His fingers clenched and unclenched. “Caylie, I love you. I have always loved you. And for all the times that I caused you pain, know that it was always to keep you safe and happy.” He swallowed, and seeing Luka so nervous was heartbreaking. “Y-you believe me, don’t you?”
“Yes.” I cried harder as I said the words and I bent down to kiss his lips, my tears mingling once again with our kiss. “Yes, yes, yes.”
* * * *
That night, I lay in Luka’s arms, the rules of Caro courtship allowing us to share one bed once we had set the date for our union. It was quite far off, but that was only a technicality and a chance to let us enjoy ourselves.
“Why didn’t you defend yourself from the very start?” We were both dressed for sleep, but I was still wide awake, my mind racing with questions.
“I was hoping to flush him out and get more secrets from him.”
“Then why did you choose to speak now? Or have you gotten everything from him already?” I couldn’t help tracing his collarbone as I spoke, wanting to touch him constantly to assure myself that he was real, he was here, and he was mine.
Luka caught my fingers and kissed them one by one. “Because now all I cared was getting to your side as quickly as I could.”
“But what about the information he still had? The Brethren—”
“—could go to hell,” Luka finished calmly. His eyes burned bright. “You are the most important thing to me, Caylie. You always have been.”
I gave him a tremulous smile. “You knew, didn’t you?”
“That you consider the Brethren my mistress?” he asked, deadpanned.
I laughed, and being able to do so with Luka now made me giddier. I rose up and moved on top of him to kiss his lips. “I can’t believe I’m here with you,” I whispered.
He threaded his fingers through my hair, his violet eyes glued to the movement like it was something so fantastic. “I can,” Luka said quietly. “It was what I always dreamt of, the only thing that kept me sane.”
His words reminded me of something Emilia said and I asked hesitantly, “How did you survive it? Because when the change started for me, there were so many times I could easily turn. But you…you didn’t turn. Emilia Moretti said it required a sacrifice.”
Luka nodded.
“You don’t want to tell me?”
He expelled a painful breath. “It’s not that, but I just don’t see the point of you knowing. It’s over—”
“I want to know. I think I need to know.”
Luka pulled my head back down, settling me against his chest. And when I had my ear placed to his heart, he said flatly, “It was like emotional shock therapy. I had to see you without you seeing me, had to bear seeing you being touched by other men.”
My stomach heaved at the thought because the God of Caros knew if it were me, I would never have survived it. “I’m sorry, Luka.”
“It wasn’t your fault—”
“It was since it was my blind stupidity that forced you to leave.”
Luka kissed the top of my head. “It just wasn’t time yet, Caylie. That’s all.”
I rose up to my elbows once more, smiling a little when Luka’s gaze immediately dipped down to stare at the upper swell of my breasts that my lace corset-styled top exposed. “Luka,” I scolded him albeit breathlessly.
“Caylie,” he mocked with the same breathless tone I had but without taking his gaze away.
My entire body tingled. “Stop it. I have something to ask—”
“Still?” The rare plaintive tone in Luka’s voice made laughter threaten to bubble past my lips.
I pressed my lips tight, not wanting to let him know how he was winning this argument. But I did have questions to ask and they did matter. “Luka, please.”
He sighed. “Three questions and then I’m fucking you.”
My body jerked at his words. “Luka!”
“First question, quick,” he urged.
“What about Caros like Phillip and Sabina? Shouldn’t have the Invisa taken the opportunity to tell our kind about finding love and—”
Luka shook his head decisively. “No. Some secrets are meant to be shared, exposed, but secrets like that…they have to be earned.” He started stroking my back. “The way we had to earn ours.” He started unhooking my corset. “Second question?”
It was a little hard to concentrate with the way his fingers were caressing every inch of bare skin he exposed. “The future…what happens now, Luka? Everyone knows you’re the Knight Patron which means you have to give up the position.”
“I would have to sooner or later, Caylie. I’m still running for Advisor, Stefan will still run for Spymaster, and Riyu will still aim to be the next Minister.”
I bit my lip, not wanting to ask the question brimming in my lips simply because asking it felt like a betrayal of friendship in itself.
“I can hear you wondering, Caylie.”
I pursed my lips, determined not to say anything.
“You’re wondering why I won’t go for the top position myself?”
My eyes widened as I burst out, “How did you know?”
Luka smiled lazily. “Because, mi vavli, you’re my soul mate and you’ve always been mine.” He leaned up to trace my lips. “Riyu is the better man for the job b
ecause he’ll always put the Brethren first. I can’t do that because you are and will always be my first priority.” Luka sighed. “Now, can we get on with the third question so I could start fucking you?”
“My third question…” I pretended to think even as a seductive smile curved on my lips. I glanced at him under my lashes. “How soon can you make me come?”
In a burst of speed that had me laughing and gasping, Luka had flipped me to my back, undressed me, and then he was pushing into me without warning from behind the same time he started playing with my breasts.
“Like now,” Luka whispered just before he traced my ear with his tongue.
I moaned, thrilling to the way he always did so many things at the same time. Pulling me up so my ass would be thrusting up in the air, Luka began to thrust into me with long, hard, luxurious strokes. Bending over my back, he reached around to play with my clit, rubbing it in different directions until I was moaning and trying to push myself against him.
“Luka…”
“Now, then?”
“Yes.”
He chuckled. “Not just yet.” He released my clit and held my hips in place with both hands. I tensed, and then I was screaming his name as he pounded into me, harder than he ever did; the entire world started to spin and all I could do was wait for him to take me to heaven.
“Now, then?” he asked again, but this time his voice was strained, too.
“Now before I die—ah!” Luka had pinched my clit between his two fingers, hard, and I came with such force, the wetness gushing out. I sobbed his name, my body molding around him as he increased the speed and strength of his thrusts before growling my name as he shouted.
We collapsed on the bed, spoon fashion, Luka’s arm and leg thrown over me.
I loved it.
And after a few minutes, I wanted him to love me again.
“Luka?”
“Mm?” He didn’t sound sleepy but simply satisfied and I took that as a good sign.
“I can’t sleep.” I deliberately made my voice sound pouty.
Luka, normally the smartest Caro in history, blindly followed my lead in this one. “Are you worried about something?” His voice was grave with concern.
Adorable, I thought giddily even as I wriggled against him, pretending I was restless and pretending I didn’t hear the way he sucked his breath in when the curve of my ass snuggly embraced his cock.
I yawned. “Luka?”
“Yes?”
I smiled as I said innocently, “I think I need you to help me sleep.”
Luka had flipped me to my back in a second. “You minx.” But his beautiful violet eyes were gleaming. And then I was gasping when he suddenly tossed my legs up in the air. When they fell on his shoulders his head was already between my legs, his fingers parting my folds wide open.
“Luka—no—yes.”
His tongue thrust in, together with one, two, three fingers and I closed my eyes, my head falling back against the pillows as I let Luka did the opposite of helping me to sleep, just like how he knew to do best.
-END-
The Demon Duke and I
In the Kingdom of Chalys
Women dazzle in corsets and petticoats while men swagger in coats and breeches.
Carriage rides, tea parties, and masquerade balls,
Flirtations between waltzes and sweet flowers for courtship,
These are but some of the pleasures offered in the brightness of day.
But when the sun sets, a deadly silence prevails---
To survive the darkness you must always remember:
CHALYS
Is a kingdom like no other.
Ruled by angels and coveted by demons,
Chalys is the hunting ground for Night’s children,
A world where humans are but precious prey.
- A Chalysian legend
Traveling to Chalys: An Introduction
Having easily compiled the gargantuan amount of information needed to make traveling to Chalys hassle free, I am certain that many of you will find it laughable that I now find it extremely difficult to write this guide’s introduction, which I have purposely left last.
Writing the guide itself was easy for everything was made on the assumption that you, Dear Reader, already know what to expect. But what about those who have been living under a rock and have – as unbelievable as it may seem – no knowledge of Chalys? Those readers are what this introduction is for and hence my dilemma – how to explain in a page or two the mystery, beauty, and miracle that is Chalys?
I have turned this matter over and over in my mind, trying to come up with analogies and scenarios of all sorts but in the end I realized that the best thing I can do is to show you, Dear Reader, how I discovered Chalys on my own.
When I was a little girl, I dreamt of living in a place like Chalys, where all my fairy tale fantasies seemed to have come to life. I would gawk at photos and videos showing how women there would always be dressed up in the prettiest gowns and wear crowns and tiaras like it’s an everyday thing.
When I entered high school, I started questioning everything. Chalys may be one of the loveliest places in the world, but it would be hell to live in. They didn’t have cars, nightclubs, and they weren’t even allowed to use mobile phones! Women weren’t allowed to go out alone, speak their minds, or make a living! They were so backward they made the Flintstones look modern.
When I became a journalist, I realized I had the wrong answers. I used to think the Chalysian way of living was crazy, oppressive, and barbaric. But now – it’s just not so simple as that. Thanks to their inflexible stand on technology for the past 200 years, Chalys’ carbon footprint is nearly zero. And some may disagree with me on this, but I think their astoundingly low crime rates also have to do with the fact that manners mean so much to Chalysians that they would rather die than lose face.
And finally, when I visited Chalys for the first time, I found out that there would always be more questions than revelations about it. Although Chalys is just about the same size of Australia, only one city in the entire kingdom, Asphodel, is open to tourists; going anywhere else requires a special invitation from its ducal leaders. The Chalysian government is so famously tight-lipped about life beyond Asphodel that you have to wonder just what it is they’re hiding. Nuclear bombs? Untapped veins of oil and gold?
In the end, it’s simply better to take Chalys as it is – a place that glitters in the day and tantalizes when it’s shrouded by darkness. When you visit the kingdom, I urge you to make the most of your time there for the city of Asphodel is a little bit like Cinderella, with all forms of pleasure forbidden to last beyond midnight. As for what happens after the clock strikes twelve, I wouldn’t know – and I have a feeling it is not something I would care to find out.
The Kingdom of Chalys: Pleasures and Secrets
A Travel Guide
Map of Chalys
Chapter One
Me wearing a Victorian gown with a 23-inch waist.
Yeah, I kid you not. 23! 23! 23!
And okay, fine, I have a corset underneath it.
Doesn’t matter that it hurts like shit and don’t care if it makes me masochistic.
I want to keep seeing my waist.
What’s important is the number 23. TWENTY-THREE. 23!!!
That’s MJ’s number, you know. 23!
I’m ordering another corset tomorrow.
#goodomen #selfie #imsexyandiknowit
George was so fucked.
Why in the world did Chalysians – Victorians – everyone in the 19th century – need this many types of underwear? It was as if she had weight plates around her ankles. It was hard to walk.
“Please, please hurry,” George begged as she shifted on her feet restlessly. She checked her watch – a slim, gold-plated Rolex knockoff since people here didn’t do G-shock or even Baby-G. They might be colorful and terribly functional, but they did not exactly go well with silk gowns and gentlemen coats.
“Done,” Desire crowed under her breath in satisfaction as she unhooked the last of the closures on the back of George’s dress.
George didn’t waste any time after that. Shrugging out of her dress, which pooled around her feet, she quickly got rid of her corset, chemise, and skirt after skirt of petticoats.