The Emperor's Arrow

by Lauren DM Smith

  “Evony,” he grunted, sweat beading along his forehead.

  Realizing that if she was full of desire, then he had to be just as bad, she nodded, hoping he’d understand that she was okay. She needn’t have worried. As soon as he had her permission, Galen was moving himself out of her and then bringing himself rushing back in.

  She gasped, sensation arcing through her. Her pleasure point pulsed while her inside were rubbed in a way she’d never experienced before. This...this was better than what he’d been doing with his fingers, better than anything she’d been able to do herself. This was absolutely divine.

  His rapid movements had him grazing her pleasure point, which only made her twitch, squirming and bucking her hips as he continued to fill her with his own desire. Her hands clung to his back, the only part of him that seemed stable as his continued attack sent her to new dizzying heights of pleasure and need.

  Evony dug her fingers into his back, the pain in her left arm completely ignored, as she felt something rising in her, stronger than any wave of desire she’d felt previously. Galen grabbed one leg and pulled it up, his arm hooked underneath her knee so that it was held up. This new position caused him to go even deeper, hitting the end of her divide and making her gasp. She couldn’t tell if it was pain or pleasure she was feeling from it, but it was pushing her desire closer to completion, so she didn’t care.

  Galen’s speed increased and Evony suddenly found herself released from her desire. It exploded through her, making her back arch and she cried out, digging her fingers deeper into Galen then releasing him as every inch of her seemed to tighten. She was like a bow that had her string pulled back and back and then finally released, her whole body still vibrating with the delicious movement that had run through her.

  She wasn’t alone in her fulfilled need as Galen thrust only a few more times inside her before he cried out and collapsed on top of her, the weight of him comforting. She could feel the twitching of his phallus inside her as he finished. She shifted and he released her leg, allowing her to slide it back down even as she reached out to stroke his hair.

  Galen’s breath was warm against her neck, his head pillowed on her chest. With the hand not caught underneath his head and hers, he gently rubbed his thumb against her shoulder, his eyes closed. Her chest still heaving, she worried a little that she was disturbing him as her breathing slowed. But the light pressure of his lips against her neck in a series of light kisses as he stilled his hand on top of her reassured Evony.

  Laying with a man was more tiring than she’d thought it would be, but it was also much better. Her whole body was practically purring, satisfied and happy with what they’d just done. Evony had to smile as she continued to run her hand down Galen’s head. If she could freeze time and stay in this moment forever, she would.

  Chapter 18: Orders

  His sheet barely covering him up to the waist, Galen sat upright in his bed. It was dark in his rooms, but there was enough moonlight slipping in through his windows that he could clearly see Evony beside him. Her body was curved towards him, her head resting on her hand, her breathing slow and even. He could see almost all of her as she’d kicked off her coverings at some point while they slept.

  He reached towards her, wanting to brush away the chunk of her curly mane that had fallen across her neck but stopped himself. He didn’t want to wake her. She would be tired both from what they’d done and from what had happened earlier.

  His mind brought him the memory of the assassination attempt as if to mock the peace of the night. The arrow slicing through her arm, the way she’d cried out in pain prior to turning towards their attacker, the way she’d put herself between him and the assassin. Galen gritted his teeth as Evony’s image briefly overlapped with that of Callisa.

  His hands clenched into fists as he shoved that thought away. He’d tried to get Evony to see reason, tried to impress upon her the danger of what she’d done but she wouldn’t listen. She was entirely too stubborn and entirely too happy to speak her mind. If she was like the other girls in the competition then...

  Galen sighed. If she was like the other girls he’d have tired of her presence long before now. He liked that she was honest and didn’t hide things, that she didn’t really want anything from him. Evony had no agenda beyond what she’d told him herself. Her face was too open for her to be able to hide that, and that if she’d be willing to do it. From what he’d seen of her, Galen doubted she would.

  Evony was more than the barbarian he’d first thought her, hiding unexpected intelligence and depths behind her warrior’s spirit. She challenged him. She was as likely to disagree with him as she was to agree with him, and when she disagreed, she forced him to defend his position. It might be uncomfortable at times, but he was never bored by her.

  She had a mobile face, one that shifted expressions in a way he found endlessly interesting. He could generally guess what lay behind what he read there, but sometimes he had no idea. And even when he had a good idea of what Evony was feeling, she still found ways to turn him around. He’d found himself thinking about her more and more as the days had gone on. It had started slowly, just wondering what her opinion would be on the troops, but as he’d spoken to her more, he found himself guessing what she’d think about everything. From the reports on trade between the provinces to the proposed exploratory expedition to go beyond the seas known to his empire.

  He rubbed the back of his neck, gaze going almost unwillingly back to her sleeping form. Her face was smooth though there was a certain air of satisfaction about her features. One side of his mouth quirked up. She was wild like that, a hawk flying free, going where she would without any concern for what lay below.

  And that was the problem. Galen grimaced. She would throw herself into danger without thinking, especially if the threat was to him. She would trade her life for his without hesitation and he didn’t want that. He was done with losing the people close to him, with losing the women he—

  The pale form of Callisa’s body lying on the bier before she’d been sent to the fires had a tremor running through his body. No. He wouldn’t go through that again, whatever it took. If he told her to stay out of it, to act like a proper bride candidate, Evony would only argue with him that she was Amazzi first. Her pride in being a warrior was as dangerous as her reckless behaviour.

  A sudden thought had him going still. She was Amazzi and he was the Adnuhom. She’d reminded him of both often enough, and if that was the case, then he had a weapon against her. He ignored the way his chest contracted at the thought of what he had to do. She’d hate him for it but at least she’d be alive to do so. The palace wasn’t safe and he wouldn’t let her remain anywhere that wasn’t.

  Galen looked back at Evony and did his best to fix the image in his mind. He wasn’t sure if he’d get a chance to see her again, even if everything went as he wanted it to. He’d reinforce the wall around his heart and do what he must to keep her safe. Even if it hurt them both.

  * * *

  Evony woke slowly, her whole body feeling heavy. She opened her eyes and found herself looking at rumpled white sheets. That made her smile as she remembered what they’d done the night prior. For what felt like the first time ever, Evony was completely satisfied, every bit of her body still content. For now at least. Because if she had her way, that wouldn’t be the last time they did that.

  She sat up slowly, glancing around the room. Through the window she could see that the sky was the lightening blue that told her dawn wasn’t too far off. It also provided her enough light to see that Galen wasn’t in bed anymore. When she’d woken in the middle of the night he’d still been there, but she supposed he could have been called out on some business. Though she was surprised she hadn’t woken up for that.

  Moving was peculiar, all of her working fine, but she could still feel the phantom sensation of Galen inside of her, like her body
had molded itself to fit him and no other. Not that she’d have been terribly bothered by that, she thought as she gently slid off the bed. She’d already come to the conclusion she’d accept no other.

  Humming to herself, Evony found her chiton crumpled in a corner. It was wrinkled, but better than wandering around in the nude. She hurriedly tied it back on and collected her fallen weapons. She hadn’t even remembered them falling out last night, but then again, she’d been more than a little distracted.

  Evony danced over to the door, feeling light and like she was all aglow. She didn’t need to worry about the future, she didn’t care about what would happen at the end of the competition, because right now, she had Galen. And that made everything wonderful.

  Peeking out into the main room of Galen’s suite, she didn’t see anyone immediately. She walked all the way in, and easily spotted Galen. He was sitting at the large desk in one corner, writing something under the light of a glass and metal lamp. Her target acquired, Evony headed straight for him.

  Galen glanced up at the sound of her footsteps then looked back at the paper his stylus still moved across. “You are awake,” he said.

  She smiled. “I didn’t think I’d sleep that long. I hope I didn’t keep you from any work you needed to do.”

  He shook his head then reached down and grabbed something. He tossed it to her, and she caught the yellow material. It took her a second to recognize her overdress. “Thanks,” she said, draping it over an arm. It was nearly as wrinkled as her chiton.

  Galen nodded, eyes still on his papers. Feeling a bit like she was distracting him, Evony asked, “Is there anything I can help you with?”

  He sighed. “No. I have received a report that this latest assassin was hired by someone or someones within the Porfirio family. I have people investigating to see where the trails lead to. So far it appears that there is a possibility that they were not acting alone, that they have further allies who may be involved in this plot with them.”

  Evony winced. To know that at least one of the noble families was trying to kill him, with the possibility of more... She couldn’t imagine what Galen was feeling at the moment. She reached out to put a hand on his shoulder and offered as encouraging a smile as she could muster. “You know I’m always here if you need help with anything.”

  Galen gently brushed off her hand and stood. “No, you will not be.”

  She frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “The palace is no longer safe. That is clear with not one, but two assassins making their way inside and within striking range. As I can no longer guarantee your safety, I am sending you home.”

  Evony stared at him for a long moment before she grimaced. “That’s not funny.”

  “It is not meant to be. I have written the orders to have a ship prepared to sail for Silvinsula come tomorrow morning. You will get on that ship.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest, jaw tightening as she looked at him, her good mood evaporated at the slow heating up of her emotions. “Like I told you yesterday, I’m Amazzi, a warrior. I am not one of these young ladies who has never fought, who has never hurt themselves. This is what I’ve been trained for.”

  He held her gaze steadily. “You have been trained for warfare as the Amazzi fight, not for the intrigue and assassination that happens here. You are out of your depth and will be in too much danger. You are returning home.”

  “No, I’m not,” she snapped, anger sparking up. After everything yesterday, after she thought she’d finally gotten through to him, gotten past his walls and made him understand that she cared for him, he was pulling this?

  “Yes, you are. I have decided.”

  “I don’t care what you’ve decided! I’m not some child you can send home because she scraped her knee. I’m a woman grown and an Amazzi warrior! If you think I’ll run and hide, that I’ll leave you here while there’s still danger, then you’re a complete idiot!” she shouted, her hands balled into fists.

  Galen’s expression didn’t even flicker. “Protest as you like, you will return home.”

  “No, I won’t!”

  He held her gaze with his for a second, ignoring the lightning that crackled there. His next words had the storm within her hitting new levels of ferocity. “I am ordering you to return home.”

  Evony choked, hands going slack for a moment. He hadn’t just... She took a step towards him, hands clenched so hard her knuckles were white, her eyes practically glowing with the anger sweeping through her. “You bastard!” she cried. “You would use my loyalty, the honour of my people against me?”

  “Yes, I would. You will not obey me any other way, so an order it is.”

  She threw back her head and let out her clan’s war cry, not caring if the whole palace heard. Her arms trembled. She’d never wanted to hit someone so much, couldn’t believe what he was doing. He was making her choose between her duty, her people, her honour, and him and his safety.

  “The ship is in the harbour. I will have you escorted there tomorrow morning and you will get on it. That is an order. You will go home.”

  Evony glared at him while part of her wanted to sob at the thought of leaving. “You can’t do this! If it’s not safe for me, it’s definitely not safe for you! Do you really expect me to leave you in danger and go home by myself?”

  Galen’s blue eyes didn’t move. “Yes, that is what I expect. You are Amazzi and as you have said, I am the Adnuhom. You must obey my orders.”

  Her stare alight with anger, she stepped forward so the distance between them was only a few digitus. “I’ll show you that you need me here, that it’s not safe for you without me!” she hissed before spinning on her heel and stalking out of his rooms. If she only had a day to prove to him how stupid he was being, then she needed to get started immediately.

  * * *

  Evony exhaled silently, ears straining to catch the sound of approaching footsteps. Her back pressed against the column, she was glad that the small courtyard she faced was still empty as her target continued on down the walkway. She inhaled slowly and as evenly as she could. She only had one shot at this before they’d be looking for her, so she had to do it right.

  The footsteps were behind her column now. Evony pushed the stray emotions away, not willing to risk the distraction of anger or pain. She tensed her body, every digitus of her ready to move. Four more footsteps, then three, then two, then—

  She spun and dashed out of her hiding place, rushing straight between the two pairs of guards that walked in front of and behind Galen. The men in behind went for their weapons, but she was too fast. Evony slapped a palm against a wide-eyed Galen’s chest and stopped straight in front of him. “If I were an assassin, you’d be dead.”

  “Brightness,” she heard one of the guards whisper, but she ignored him. Her concern was with the man who blinked a few times as he stared at her.

  Galen eventually shook his head, face as a statue. “You are still getting on the ship.”

  Evony glared at him. “I just proved that you’re not safe, that you need me and you’re still sending me away!”

  “I have survived assassination attempts prior to now.”

  “You were only okay for the last two because I was there! If I leave, if I’m not beside you, how long until an assassin succeeds?”

  He studied her for a moment then looked at the guard who had spoken. “Kindly escort Princeps Evony back to her room.”

  A hand fisted as Evony’s jaw clenched and her eyes prickled. So she was Princeps Evony, was she? “Don’t bother, Your Imperial Majesty,” she snapped, turning his title into an insult. “I wouldn’t want you to be any more unprotected than you already are.”

  Before he could respond, she ran off. Evony kept running, doing her best to outrun the thoughts and emotions slowly rising inside of her, eating way at her control. She reac
hed her room, grabbed her bow and quiver and, ignoring the exclamation from Venita, took off running again.

  She didn’t stop again until she reached the training fields. No one was using the archery field, which suited her fine. She strung her bow and reached for the first arrow, shooting it almost as soon as her finger brushed it, her anger insulating her from the pain of her arm. She shot as fast as she could until her quiver was empty, her target a mess of arrows instead of her usual neat cluster.

  Evony stalked over and yanked the arrows out then headed back to her spot. This time she at least settled into a proper stance before she began shooting. She didn’t know what had gotten into Galen, but if she had her way, she’d beat it out of him! He was sending her away, her, who’d stopped not one, but two assassination attempts against him. He was surrounded by vipers hiding themselves among his nobles and he was going to send one of the only people he could trust among them home? Did he wish for death?

  She came to her last arrow and had to go rip them out of the target again. Why couldn’t he see what kind of danger he was in? Why couldn’t Galen see that he needed her? He’d as much as admitted it when he first asked for her help! At least one of his nobles was trying to kill him, maybe more. If she was gone, if she wasn’t there to watch his back, how long would he last? He thought his guards were enough, but they weren’t. She knew they weren’t.

  Evony went back to the target and retrieved her arrows, arms beginning to burn a little from the constant shooting and her lack of warm-up while her cut stung. She ignored them, needing to move as she worked through her thoughts. But they weren’t leading her anywhere she wanted to go. If she left, he’d only have Balint and Rakin to trust, and while Balint was formidable, he couldn’t protect him at all times. He hadn’t been trained to anticipate attacks the way she had. She might not have the amount of direct experience Galen seemed to think she needed, but Evony knew how to sense an imminent threat, had spent years enduring surprise attacks as part of her warrior training. She was obviously better than his guards and yet she was the one being sent away.