Everwinter (Chronicles of Naelyra Book 1)

by R. J. Lloyd

  “A prophecy? Do you believe it?” I sat up and reached out, rubbing his shoulders once again.

  He shook his head. “No. I do not believe in such things as prophecies, destiny, fate or anything that controls me and my life or anyone in my life.”

  “Okay.” I drew the word out. “So, if you haven’t won, who rules Naelyra? And how did you become king of Everwinter?”

  “I am king of all of Naelyra,” he corrected me. “Everwinter is just my home city. I simply choose not to rule it like a dictator. I became king in that war to save it from what Brialjhorn would have done to these people. I see no problem with how the cities function as a whole and only step in when their councils cannot bring about order. Otherwise, I want to live in peace.”

  There was a long moment of quiet between us. I was processing all that he told me, mentally sorting through everything he had just explained. It was a lot for me to take in, especially in the midst of everything I was already trying to grasp. And as my mind wandered, my hands absentmindedly started working his hair again, braiding it, unbraiding it only to braid it once more.

  My fingertips brushed over his shoulder. “So, you’re not a god, but you are a king. Just nobody knows? Why do they not know? Why have you chosen to keep who you are a secret?”

  "Well, for starters, If I go around announcing I am a vampire king, the humans for sure would wish a war. Then all our livestock is dead," he said softly back to me.

  I tugged on his hair playfully. “Your livestock, huh? As in you’d have to kill them for revolting?”

  “Exactly.” He tilted his head back and smirked.

  I shook my head. “Do they not know of your kind as a whole, outside of Everwinter? Do you not live in peace? Why would they do that? And do any of the races know that they have a king at all?”

  He shook his head, chuckling. “You are full of questions.”

  Of course I had questions. I was in a whole new world. Everything was new to me. I didn’t respond. Instead, I waited for him to reply.

  His attentions returned to the fire. "No. We do not live in peace. Not completely anyway. But they are aware of us. The humans in my city are fully aware of my kind as are everyone in this world… and others. And yes. They are also aware that they serve as a blood source in exchange for not having to die of starvation or worse elsewhere, since the only human city on this continent is overpopulated and dangerous. As for the other races? My kind has an uneasy alliance with them."

  “Oh.” His hair fell to his shoulder as I dropped my hands in my lap. “But you said you step in sometimes when needed?”

  “That is rare, little one. But yes.” He took in a slow, deep breath. “I instituted a council when I took over. Each region on Naelyra has a representative on it. And they each have three in their own sectors. The agreement was that the local governments would cooperate, or I would destroy them and start over. And my council serves to keep each government in line and to report back to me the ongoings of their regions. This allows me to move about freely without more risk or bothersome issues if recognized. I’ve seen far too much what ego gets when it draws attention. I did not take over Naelyra for ego.”

  “If not recognition and power, then what?”

  “I did not say, not for power. But some of history’s greatest and most powerful entities were not the ones with their names on the stationary. This is where shooting the messenger comes from. But no. Power was also not my main focus. I wanted a quiet place, away from Aejynys where my family is from. There, my family is very powerful. And everyone knows of us. Here, I can live my life as I see fit.”

  “I see.”

  He looked at me, his eyes seemingly searching mine. "Why did you stop your hand? You withdrew."

  His question brought a smile to my lips. “Sorry. I was lost in your story.”

  “Please.” He pulled my hands back to his shoulders. “I like your touch.”

  My fingers worked his muscles slowly. “Aejynys? Another world? If this one is dangerous as it is, why have the people of Naelyra not moved there or other worlds to find a better life?”

  Sparks flew up as he thrust the poker into the logs again, stoking the fire absentmindedly. “The people of this world do not know of others. At least most do not. I made a deal with two casters when I took over. One that took the knowledge of cross-planetary portals away from most. The other to close them except by charge of those I appointed. That is, until they stopped working altogether we thought. Both points being reasons why you being here is very dangerous.”

  My hands rested on his shoulders as I leaned, trying to look right at his face, my hair falling loose, creating a shadow over us. “So, you rule this whole world and some other aspect of many worlds. This is your home city you control. And you walk into wars to tip the balance when needed?”

  He nodded, setting the poker down and turning toward me. "Yes. That is right."

  I trailed my finger down his chest.

  Lifting a piece of fruit off the platter, he held it to my lips. "You turn me on so much, but aren't you sore?"

  My eyes lazily made their way back up to his. “Yes. I am.” Despite this, I wrapped my legs around his waist. “So?”

  He ran his hands down my thighs, synching my legs tighter around him. His movement causing me to fall back and giggle. “Should you not rest?”

  I leaned up and kissed his chest, whispering, my breath brushing against him. “For now, show me how much I turn you on.”

  Without hesitation, he growled low and hungry as he gripped my hips. There was no sensual kissing. No soft caresses. He thrust in and fucked me proper, not holding back. His cock gliding in and out at nearly full force.

  “Yes!” I hissed through my teeth. He was claiming me, and I was letting him. And there was nothing I wanted more in that moment.

  I called out in both pain and pleasure, holding onto him tightly. The force of him felt like I could break… would break, but I couldn’t stop him. Nor did I want to.

  His hands gripped me, his cock slamming against my cervix over and over until, in a long, vampiric roar and show of his fangs, he came—hard. His hands pressed deep enough to leave bruises on my flesh with his nails lightly digging into my skin. Small droplets of blood pooled around his fingertips.

  I screamed. Pleasure, pain, fear, excitement. Everything combined as I climaxed with him. My heart slammed in my chest hard, threatening to break through my ribs. My body shook against him. My eyes rolled as I fell back.

  He caught me, pulling out and cradling me with care, taking me to the bed. He laid me back and crawled in at my side. Gently, he brushed hair out of my eyes and pulled the sheet up over us.

  His lips pressed to my neck, and just as I thought he was about to feed, he spoke, his lips bushing against the soft part of my neck. “I love how I feel with you.”

  I ached and was completely exhausted. The rush of the pain mixed with the wave of euphoria. My voice hoarse, I looked up at him. “That feeling is mutual. I assure you.” I winced slightly.

  My show of pain startled him, and he jolted, half sitting up. “I have hurt you.”

  “Water? Food? Please.” I was so weak that I stayed lying down despite wanting to be able to sit up and assure him I was fine.

  He slowly pulled away from me and went to get the platter of food from earlier and poured a glass of water. He came back and curled up with me. He carefully put the water to my lips and didn’t release until I drank. Setting the water on the table next to the bed, he followed it up by handing me a piece of dried meat. “Eat.”

  I took a bite and looked up at him, a slight rush of heat filled my cheeks. His care and how gentle he was being made me smile. My hand came up, and I softly caressed his cheek. “Sorry if I am too fragile. But thank you.”

  "You are very welcome. Just rest now." He curled up with me close and held me.

  At first, he pulled me in, but his relaxation didn’t last. He sat up quickly. “Your heart is slowing too much.”

 
“What?” I asked sleepily, rubbing my eyes. “Sorry. I’m just so tired. You wore me out.” I winced and grabbed my lower belly. “And a bit sore it seems.” I attempted a giggle.

  "Will it pass, or should I try to get you something?" A slight panic rose in his tone.

  I smiled up at him “I don’t know. I’m sure it’ll pass.” I went to sit up but slumped back against him. “Oof. Might take me a bit to get used to you.” I reached back and gently squeezed his thigh before unsteadily going to get up again to look for the water.

  “Hey you. No. Lay back down.” He got up, handing me the water glass before going into the bathroom, returning with a dried plant.

  I took the plant after he broke off a branch and handed it to me. “Thank you.” I pulled myself up to sit while eyeing it. “What is this?”

  “It is curwood flower. If you chew it for a while, it helps with your pain. It helps you heal too.” He set the rest of the plant on the nightstand. “The Doshanesh and the humans have used it since I was a little kid.”

  I wrinkled my nose. "Chew on it? Okay." I placed it between my teeth and bit down. The flavor washing over my tongue, not near as bad as I expected. I patted the bed next to me. "Thank you. Will you come back to bed and stop worrying over me?"

  Kane took a seat cautiously. "I hope that helps some. Sorry for hurting you."

  I wrapped my arm around him and rested my head against his shoulder. "No. Don't be sorry. That was... amazing. I'm just a fragile human compared to you." I giggled. "And I'm sorry for that. Well maybe not sorry, but you know. I wish I was stronger… less breakable."

  "You were more than enough. I am very pleased with you." He kissed me lovingly.

  The corners of my mouth turned up as I kissed him back, my hand coming up to his cheek and a slight moan escaping me. "Good." I adjusted in my seat and chewed on the plant again. "What are we doing today?" I looked around. "Wait. Is it day? Night? Are your days and nights like mine or longer or shorter?"

  "Our nights last a while but we have two suns. I am unaware of the correlation between the length of our days." He rubbed my back. "It is night. But you have missed a rotation of our suns."

  Chewing on the dried plant, I coughed. "I missed a whole day? Two suns? How does that work? Can you see them at once? How many hours are your days and nights? Wait. I guess that wouldn’t matter if your hours are different, too. Do you go by hours?" I started to get up again to find a window but winced. "Damnit!"

  He pulled me back to bed and forced me to lay down. "Shhh… No need for all that. You can see them both at the same time. Yes. You can see them soon enough. You need to rest. And while we use hours and minutes, I am unsure how close they are to yours."

  I huffed. "But I want to see! I mean, that's really cool. And why are you so concerned about me?" His hand was on my stomach, rubbing small slow circles.

  "It’s night, so you cannot see the suns." He examined me. “How badly are you hurt?”

  I massaged my abdomen. "I am sure it’s probably just some bruising. But what of it? Don't you just discard your toys after they're used up?" I was teasing him and tried to sound playful, but a part of me was actually worried he would be done with me since I broke so easily... or so it felt.

  A frown formed on his lips. "You want to be my doll? My toy?"

  I winced again. "No. If I were to be anything with you, a toy or a doll would not be what I want." I pushed his hand over to my leg, relieving myself from any pressure on my stomach.

  "What would you wish to be?" He left his hand where I put it but watched my reaction closely.

  Keeping my hand on his, I slid my fingers between his. "What do I want? I'm still getting to know you and this world. And I still have my life back on Earth. But..." I kissed his shoulder. "If I were to choose to stay, I'd want more... a lot more. I know I’m worth it." I tried on a bit of cockiness.

  "Are you? Do you want a crown?" He let his finger glide over the soft flesh of my thigh.

  "Mmmm... I am." I pressed into him, holding his hand to me. "A crown? I don't know. Never even considered that. But I don't share and would never want to be shared. I take care of my man and would want to be taken care of and protected. A mutual respect. And not considered ownership in either direction. Just dedication."

  "Don't think my kind would respect you unless you turned." His free hand swiped my hair away from my neck. "I do however respect you. You seem to command it, and I like that about you."

  "I settle for nothing less." My hips moved in response to him being so close. "Slow," I whispered, the need growing low in my belly. "Your kind? Well, I suppose they will accept what is deserving of being accepted." I gripped his thigh, bracing myself.

  He kissed my shoulder and pulled away slightly. His eyes revealed that he wanted me badly, but he was holding back. "I could offer you my blood to heal you if you wanted."

  I pulled his arm around me, almost relieved that we didn’t go down that path again so soon. I did want him, but I was also more than sore. He wasn’t wrong to worry. Our vigorous activities had injured something, even if I wanted to ignore it. "That's tempting, but what else would your blood do to me?"

  "Could make you feel high, sexually turned on—more than you already are.” He smirked. “Or hungry, without pain, heal quickly. It might leave you with a hangover feeling." The sheet slipped off of me. I shivered and he pulled it back up.

  "All that sounded good until the hangover." I pressed my lips to his arm. "Tempting. That's for certain."

  He pulled me to face him and kissed me heavily. “Is that right?"

  My arms slipped around him, pressing myself into him fully. I spoke with my lips barely touching his. "You know full well you're extremely tempting. Everything about you. But do you have good judgment? I am in your hands... figuratively and physically. You tell me." I slid his hand to my hip. "Should I have some of your blood and heal? Is it worth the risks?"

  "If you die with it in you, you will be like me. So, the question is if you trust me." He moved to press his lips firmly to mine.

  "No." I replied bluntly, moving back but only far enough to break the connection. But then the smirk returned to my lips, and I kissed him in return. "But I want to. So, I'll leave this up to you." Sitting up, I let my lips part and my tongue emerge as if waiting for communion.

  He bit his lower lip hard enough for blood to flow, touching the drop with the tip of his finger and pressing it to my tongue. I pulled it in my mouth and swallowed, sucking ever so slightly on his finger, enough to garnish a groan from him. A slight sensation of energy shot through me, caressing my nerves. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feel of him rushing through my veins. I could feel him everywhere.

  He cupped my face in his hands, closing the gap. I sucked in his bleeding lip in, letting his blood flow into me. His blood was tantalizing. To me, it was savory, deep, full with a hint of sweetness, not unlike a well-refined dark chocolate. I sucked eagerly at his lip, my body feeling like it was knitting back together and becoming alive. The irony of that not escaping me.

  His hands rubbed my back, finding their way to my hips, seemingly his favorite spot. He rolled me onto my back so he hovered over my small frame, teasing me with his cock pushing and pulling away and pushing again.

  All pain and exhaustion was gone.

  I broke from his kiss and took a couple heavy breaths. "I need you.... now," I begged with a growl. My body was writhing under him.

  He grinned with a hint of mischievousness and was all too happy to give me was I wanted.

  Chapter

  Five

  Knowledge

  "So, your city is used to hearing you play with your dinner like that huh?" I took his hand and moved it off me so I could get out of the bed.

  "No. My city is not used to that." He watched as I slipped off the satin sheets.

  I giggled. “They are not used to the sound of you enjoying yourself?”

  “They are. But this was more.”

  “Louder,” I corrected h
im. “You mean this was louder.”

  He leaned up, propping himself up on his elbow, the sheet draped over his middle. “No. There was something more. Sorry. There is something more in what we have done.”

  With a hand on my hip, I looked back at him. “Are you going to start speaking of love?”

  "This was very loving, yes." His hand caressed the bed next to him, where I had been lying.

  “Do you mean to tell me that you do not fuck all your partners like that?” My lips pursed, disbelief on my face.

  “If I did that to other beings… correction… when I did, I broke them. It was the cause of why I turned several young women when I was much younger. But none of it was about love. Not even turning them. That was guilt. It is why I made the decision to stick to those of my kind. And that has been more about power, revenge and a mutual … carnal as you like to say… need. Again, nothing loving. This was full of emotion. I felt it. Even if I thought that side of me was dead.” He tossed a pillow at me as he sat up.

  I caught it and held it to myself. "It was?"

  My heart skipped a beat. This time was from sentiment, not physical exertion. After a moment, I dropped the pillow and moved swiftly, climbing back into the bed and on top of him. I stopped and looked down at him. Then, not eagerly but lovingly, I kissed him, my lips gentle against his soft, cool mouth. Breaking away with a blush in my cheeks as I looked away, climbing back off him.

  He raised a finger to my chin and turned me back to look at him before kissing me deeply. "You are special to me."

  "Good,” I said, simply, as I moved back in toward him, my head landing on his shoulder and arms curled around his neck. "Good.”

  "Good is an understatement for what just transpired." He smirked and wrapped his arms around me.

  The corners of my mouth upturned. I released him and got back up, tossing the pillow back at him. “What would you call it?”