Teagan

by Sharilyn Skye

  I soaped her again, then myself before I pulled her up and rinsed her off. With a sigh, she straightened, brought her lips to mine, and caught me in the colorful depths of her amber eyes. “Kharis told me to choose wisely, and I did, Syl’ta,” she said, bringing her hand up to cradle my cheek.

  This thing between us was foreign to me. Teagan was foreign to me. Yet she felt like home in the few short days I had been with her. She spoke of free men and choice, but I didn’t want to be free, not from her. I loved Eregion. I didn’t want to be free from her, either. I would stand with my home and with my warrior and fight whatever came. I did not want to lose either of them. But fate is fickle, and time would tell if I chose wisely or not. As I held the multifaceted green depths of Teagan’s eyes, I believed I, too, had chosen well.

  I got out first, handing Teagan a towel. She used it to dry off and then hung it on the wall, walking into our bedroom naked. Kar’s hungry eyes seared onto her flesh when she walked to armoire to choose clothing for the day, and Lyros arched a silver eyebrow at me and gave a slow wink and knowing smile. I gave him a sly thumbs up then pantomimed running my hands down the bubble of her ass.

  “Ah-hem, gentlemen,” she laughed, catching me. If you plan to come with me this morning, and you should for appearance’s sake, stop congratulating your brother on his sexual prowess and get out of bed.” I pulled blankets back, exposing their tattooed skin.

  Kar shot me a dark look, and Lyros waggled his eyebrows before they both rose, their cocks straining in Teagan’s direction.

  “Dear Goddess,” she said, tossing her head back and laughing, but not before she gave both men a long look of desire. “If I survive until you are bored with me, it will be a miracle.”

  “I doubt that will happen, my lady. Eregion slaves are bred for stamina and to be ever ready. We will never tire of you,” Lyros flipped his hair over his shoulder, showing off his well-defined chest, and Teagan flushed, reaching for him.

  I stepped between them and thought they would fight me to get to one another. “We must go. These events are political, and we need to be there. You know that.”

  “Said the brother who’s orgasmic roar awoke me from sleep,” Lyros punched Syl hard on the bicep.

  Syl’s eyebrows hit his hairline, and I palmed my face as they strained to fight each other like a couple of pissed off Luisine Badgers. Or teenagers. Once, I read a book that showcased human teenaged boy behavior. It was not dissimilar.

  “Gentlemen, please,” I said, my shoulders shaking with repressed laughter. No wonder this Trio had gotten into so much trouble. They certainly displayed behavior unbecoming of an Eregion slave; however, I had never wanted Eregion slaves, and their behavior was just fine with me.

  We walked into the Hall only a tad late. I led the way, Syl immediately behind me. Lyros and Kar walked a step behind him one to his right, the other to his left.

  Dressed in studded leather war skirts, their bare, oiled chests gleaming under leather studded straps that crisscrossed their chiseled chests, they were breathtaking. As we marched in step into the room, backs straight and heads high, all eyes locked on us.

  I had chosen a white, diaphanous dress that left my left shoulder bare and draped my body to show my curves but not restrict my movements. A thin strap of silk covered my hips, but my breasts under the dress were bare, and my nipples peeked through the fabric. The soft brush of the cloth and the feel of Syl at my back had them peaked. My sword hung from the light sheath at my back, and I knew the effect was a stunning contrast to my darker skin and amber eyes.

  My tattoos showed perfectly through the dress, their silver and white curls contrasting beautifully with the transparent white of the gown. There was no hint of scarring from my beating yesterday. Goddess, had it been only yesterday?

  A murmur rippled through the waiting warriors. Syl towered over me from behind, and I felt his heat radiate through me. Kharis turned my way, narrowing her eyes when she took us in. A flash of disbelief crossed her face when she scanned my unmarred skin, but she schooled it immediately into a blank mask.

  “Kharis,” I said, my voice strong enough to carry over the crowd. “I do apologize for my tardiness, but I was…distracted this morning.”

  Random chuckles went through the crowd that silenced at the Queen’s dark glance. “Distractions can be dangerous, Teagan,” she said, turning her ice-cold gaze to mine. One eyebrow arched even as her eyelids lowered, and I felt the chill in her gaze from paces away.

  “They can also be enticing,” I responded, turning slightly to run my hand down the side of Syl’s face, letting it trail down the etched muscle of his chest to tangle in the ring on his nipple. He kept his posture perfect, and his eyes lowered.

  I hated this. Hated treating him like an animal I could pet whenever I chose. We had talked about it before leaving, and I knew we had a role to play, but that didn’t mean I had to like it. He was a person, a man, not a thing. They had assured me it was okay, and that they took no offense, but how much of that was nature and how much nurture? Could a being raised as a slave understand the casual cruelty such actions implied?

  I didn’t think so, but there was naught to be done for it. “It is, after all, the week of our joining. I should have time to play with them, and yet here I am, dressed and out of bed already. Such a disappointment.” I snapped my fingers, and as one the men knelt at my feet, perfectly balanced on one knee, their heads up but eyes pinned to the floor.

  Startled gasps sounded from a few around the room, and I quirked one corner of my mouth up in a slow smile.

  “Stay put, loves,” I said, running my hands softly over each one of their heads. I gazed at them fondly; there was no lie in that look. I was fond of them. They did not respond, not even a twitch. Their behavior for once in their lives was perfect, though mine was not.

  “I would like to send them back to work early, Kharis. I find that as much as I enjoy their talented lips and gentle ministrations, I need a bit more time to myself to accomplish things like showering, without a cock in me,” I said, my eyes meeting hers in cool defiance.

  Warriors around me laughed out loud at that, and no doubt wondered what I had done to make my Trio so compliant when they were infamous for being otherwise. Kar had told me himself how he never before felt actual desire to please a woman, and I also just insinuated that they couldn’t keep their hands off of me.

  “I’ve never been fucked so often in my life, and I could use a bit of a break so I can begin to walk right again,” I said, idly running my hands through Kar’s black locks and smiling down at his head. He sighed under my touch, and Kharis’s eyes snapped to him.

  Around us, other warriors noticed the intimacy I shared with them. That was my goal today. I placed a kiss on Kar’s head as an afterthought. I wanted to kiss his mouth but knew Kharis would not tolerate an overt violation of the laws.

  “Of course, Teagan,” she said, her ice-blue eyes so narrow I couldn’t believe she could see out of them. Her face was perfectly flat, but anger seethed from her, touching me like the cold edge of a knife. “They can go back as soon as the celebration is over. In fact, you can send them to the pens any time you tire of them,” she added.

  “Oh, I don’t think I’ll tire of them, per se, I just need a few hours a day to repair the deep, deep injuries they cause in their eagerness to please. I’ll be right as rain upon their return to my rooms each night,” I said with a conspiratorial wink at her.

  She knew their bodies. I knew that. Even her brother had not been off-limits, I knew that too. There were no boundaries to her torture. She might know them better than I did, but what they gave me, they gave freely, and that was worth much more than the things she knew that I didn’t.

  “As you wish, Teagan, are you ready to move into your own house?” She asked, surprising me.

  There were advantages and disadvantages to that I needed to consider.

  “Not, yet,” I’ve grown accustomed to my quarters, but soon we will take you up
on your generous offer to give us our own place. I thank you,” I inclined my head at her, conceding that show of respect, hoping it would mollify her. She raised her chin and left me in a swish of leather and steel.

  I went to the tables of food and stacked a plate high then went to lean against a pillar near my Trio to eat. I used my fingers, as all warriors do, and indelicately shoved bite after bite into my mouth. Around the room, warriors and their men began to move again, casting looks my way. When I was full, I refilled my plate and walked over to the men.

  I fed them with my fingers, and they ate. Slaves were allowed to eat at these events, but only after his warrior had, so I broke no law there. Where I did break the law was by feeding them with my fingers. After each bite they took, I ran my fingers softly over the curve of their cheeks in a gesture of caring. This had been Kar’s idea. He is a strategist if ever there was one. I saw the furtive looks from other slaves and warriors and knew my behavior was noted.

  “You’re a tropical bird in a frozen land, aren’t you?” I turned from feeding my Trio and met the eyes of the gorgeous woman standing behind me.

  “I suppose I am.” I reached between us, offering her my forearm in the traditional style of greeting. “I am Teagan,” I finished.

  “I know who you are,” she said, gripping my forearm in return. “Kharis worries you will usurp her,” the woman said.

  She was tall, Fae tall, but she had curves where Fae had few. Long green hair fell in soft curls to her waist, and light blue scales covered her arms and neck, but not her face. Impossibly large eyes of the purest blue I had ever seen looked at me with faint amusement. She was breathtaking.

  Four men stood with her, two at each side. They towered over both of us but were of equal in height to my Trio, should they be standing. They dressed in flowing colorful togas, and their expressions mirrored hers.

  “My mates,” she said.

  “Pleased to meet you,” I said, reaching my forearm to each of theirs.

  With wide smiles showcasing perfect teeth, they accepted my greeting. “I do believe the pleasure is ours, Teagan of Talamh na Sithe,” the man on the right of the visitor said, and I knew they were not slaves just by those words. His soft voice resonated like a low, deep gong, and those around us turned to look at the male who dared use his voice.

  I wondered what they were doing here.

  “I am Galene,” she said. “Queen of Tir fo Thuinn,” she finished as the spark of amusement grew in her eyes.

  The men around her looked like fighters, but their faces were kind as they watched me. They were lovely, scaled in the same manner she was. Their ears curved like a Fae’s, and their scales went higher on their faces. Long queues of shocking blue, purple, aquamarine, and pink ran down their backs while purple eyes, yellow eyes, blue eyes, and green took my measure in one gaze.

  “Well met,” I answered, laughing heartily as my eyes swept the room. She belonged here even less than I, and we all knew it. Tir fo Thuinn was a realm layered under those above it, including Talamh na Sithe. It was a world nearly covered in rough seas. The people there were said to be fierce, and it was also said they were shapeshifters of a seagoing variety. They were thought to be peaceful and loving. They were not a warrior race.

  Rumors that strong, strange magicks flew wildly there abounded. They were cousins of another kind; all of us from the same origins. That they had magic told me they were Tuatha de Danann, even though they had no ties to Talamh na Sithe.

  “Circumstances make strange bedfellows,” she said, looking over my shoulder at my Trio.

  “So they do,” I answered, turning to see Syl’ta’s eyes were raised and locked onto the Thuinnian Queen. Fierceness he did not try to disguise radiated from every pore of his body, and the Sea Queen did laugh then, causing his eyes to drop quickly.

  “Goddess, Teagan, but you get more interesting by the moment,” she said. “I must go. I have already stayed in your light too long. It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, and I hope that our future dealings are fruitful,” She winked at me, her eyebrow raised, and the corner of her mouth turned up in challenge. The men bowed their heads in unison and walked away with Galene as they mingled through the crowd.

  Pameline walked up as the Sea Queen left, “Teagan, you look amazing,” she said, her wide eyes taking in my unmarred skin.

  I lifted my shoulder in a shrug like it shouldn’t be surprising that I healed so well. “Our Goddess’s magic is strong, Pameline.”

  “I see that. I,” she started. “I want to believe.” She watched the crowd around us with an uneasy eye.

  Here and there, glances flit our way, and more than a few were wary.

  “Then believe. Faith is not a blind thing; you have seen the evidence. That is all you need to believe,” I said, keeping a watchful eye on those around me.

  Sighing, she said, “I am with you. Though it may mean my death, I am with you.” She walked off, her men trailing after her.

  I bid my Trio to rise, and together we eased through the crowd. They kept their eyes lowered as many a warrior in the room would look for an excuse to use their behavior against me.

  I, on the other hand, placed a hand on their chests here and gripped their fingers there. You might think these are small things, but in a land where one can’t use pronouns when addressing her mates, it is not. These tender touches implied that I saw them differently, and I did.

  In any other land, I would have touched them more, but fire lasts longer if started from a spark and not lit with kerosene. As I mingled with those not throwing daggers with their eyes, I noticed more and more of them touching their own men kindly. I spoke with as many as I could, and each time I was asked about my wounds from the day before, I answered that I asked my Goddess to heal me, and she did.

  I answered as though it were an everyday occurrence for one’s Goddess to heal them of mortal wounds. I kept it simple and did not preach. I left them to wonder and open their minds to the idea. The men would do more in the pens than I could in a room full of wary women.

  Kharis found her way to the throne not long after I completed my first circuit around the room. She cleared her throat and glanced out at the sea of warriors, commanding their attention with her silence.

  “We come together with the People of Tir fo Thuinn to seek an alliance. War has torn us apart, but I hope to find togetherness in peace,” she started. “For generations, our people have been at odds, but our lands are too rich not to share the bounty between us.” She paused, looking out at her people and watching their faces. “We were once One People, and we should be again. We can spread the ideals that make Eregion great to the lands beyond. We can be a great influence in the lives of those around us,” she continued.

  Looking around the room, I saw warriors shift and cast nervous glances at one another. Seems that not everyone was comfortable with the words Kharis spoke.

  Though Eregion seemed peaceful, too many men and women had been stolen from their homelands to want the Eregion principles to spread. As far as I knew, This was the only land that operated under the premise that the largest, strongest group of its citizens were slaves. And though there was peace here, it was unlikely to continue, even without my intervention. A house built on sand and lies will fall.

  “Free trade with Tir fo Thuinn benefits us all. We’ve long held to the belief that our low birth rate is due to the limits of our genetic pool, with Thuinnian blood in our warrior ranks and our slave pens, this could change,” Kharis said, and I felt my face flush with anger. I hoped Galene did not agree to this, I really did. I thought we shared a spark of commonality and would hate to find we did not. She could be a useful ally going forward.

  The thought of men with pastel skin and hair in all colors of the rainbow forced into Eruhini slave pens made me sad. Away from their seas and in this unforgiving land, they would die, surely these two Queens knew that. As Kharis spoke, Galene watched me, never taking her eyes off my face. I struggled to keep my emotions from s
howing. Around me, I felt my Trio shift, and I fought harder to maintain a blank face so as not to draw attention to us.

  “In return for fresh blood, coral, fish, and Thuinnian marble, we will fight any invaders Tir fo Thuinn may have. We will send engineers to build power grids. We will also supply valuable ores needed to complete the process. We will take Thuinnian oil to convert to the fuels necessary to run our economy and show them how to do the same for their own.”

  I watched Galene’s smooth face darken. Her expression did not change, but a shadow crossed her smooth features, and I wondered how much of this supposed alliance was voluntary. She quirked an eyebrow at me in challenge.

  “An alliance between Queen Galene and myself will move both of our kingdoms forward, diversifying and expanding our economies. I will send my best social planners to her so that she can work to implement the changes we have found so fruitful in Eregion. We’ve enjoyed almost two thousand years of peace since we moved from harsh, unproductive patriarchy into a warrior class matriarchy.”

  “The males in her lands are free, she hasn’t faced problems with them yet, but they will come. Together we can quash any ideas they might have to give themselves a larger voice. We don’t need their voices. Other parts, yes, but not their voices,” she said, looking around the room with a warm, wide smile as chuckles broke out among the warriors below.

  “Part of our agreement is that she will allow us to form similar policies there that have been so successful here. Long Live Queen Galene and Long Thrive Tir fo Thuinn!” she shouted. Shouts of ‘Long Live!’ echoed through the vast hall.

  Whistles and the pounding of glaives sounded for many minutes until Galene came to the dais and waited patiently for them to silence.

  “I thank you for the warm welcome Warriors of Eregion,” she started. Her voice rang like a bell over the heads of those below her, and it caught my attention. “We come today to begin a relationship with Eregion that I hope will continue long past my reign. The Eregion people are bold, beautiful, and loyal to their crown, like the Thuinnians. I pray to our Goddess that she finds this alliance pleasing and blesses us with a long relationship.” She paused to look over the silent denizens, seeing no reaction her brows furrowed.