by Cole Denton
“That is the kind of man I am, my Queen,” he growled in my ear.
As I lay burning up in bed among my sweaty men, I marveled at how incredible it felt to be commanded and used like that. I glanced out of the window to the bright yellow moon and smiled. Selecting River had not been a mistake…it had been destiny.
Chapter Nine
I sat in the bath and lightly fingered a nipple with one hand as I stroked the place on my hip where River’s strong hand firmly held me in place last night. I moved my hips against the bottom of the copper tub and felt how tender my ass cheeks were from where River banged against me. Subtle reminders of an exhilarating night could not keep the broad smile from my face. I tried to listen to the gentlemen as they cleaned and got ready for breakfast. I caught some things they said, but not all. Perhaps I was coming down with something.
“Last night was incredible!” Liam recalled.
“Bloody hell, River, the way you slapped her tits with that crop was magnificent!” Sean exclaimed.
“Yes, River, that was bloody great!” Michan agreed.
“I did not think she would turn the crop over to you. I bet she had no idea you were going to do what you did,” Ethan added.
“Thanks, guys. The Queen wanted it,” River confidently replied.
“How could you tell, River?” Sean asked.
“The way she sat in front of me. She practically begged for me to take control,” River announced. “Have you guys not done that with her before?”
More distortion interrupted my attempt at hearing the boys. Out of frustration, I slapped my hand in the water and got out of the bath. I pulled on my robe and had just finished applying my makeup when Klyn walked into the room. I glanced at him briefly while I applied my lip color and then returned my focus to the mirror. I was curious as to what he would say about my night because I knew that he had been listening. Even with the limitations that his hearing does have, he can still easily hear through the walls of the castle.
“How was your night?” Klyn asked as he leaned on the doorframe.
I raised an eyebrow at him for being coy.
“It was different and very fulfilling,” I teased.
“Different, eh?”
Klyn seemed rather calm, considering what I permitted River to do last night. I frowned at Klyn as I walked past him on the way out to the balcony.
“Octavia,” Klyn called as he followed me outside.
The breakfast had already been set up, and I took the liberty of pouring my own tea.
“Yes, Klyn?”
“What is wrong? How was your night?” he inquired again.
“How many times did you nearly come to my room last night when you heard what went on?” I casually asked and took a seat.
Klyn looked like he had been hit upside his head with a spade. He rushed over and sat down. Klyn leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table while keeping his partial attention on the door that led to the balcony.
“Bloody hell, Octavia. What happened last night?” Klyn urgently sought my answers.
“You do not have to play dumb with me, or as if you do not know. I am certain that you heard everything. It was probably very difficult for you not to storm into the room—”
“Octavia,” he interrupted. I met his concerned gaze with an icy stare. “Octavia, I heard none of it last night. I have no idea what happened in your quarters,” Klyn admitted.
“You heard nothing?” I probed.
It was most certainly out of character for Klyn to have not listened. I knew he had always listened as part of him watching out for me. Out of all the nights, I was certain he listened since he clearly is not completely comfortable with River.
“No, Octavia,”
“Why not?” I frowned and slapped his forearms.
“By the time I got to my quarters, I was exhausted,” Klyn explained.
I laughed out loud and reached for the breadbasket. Klyn had a high amount of energy ever since he became a vampire and could go days and days without rest.
“Stop your lying, Klyn. You have the most energy out of everyone at the castle combined.”
“Oh, bloody hell, Octavia,” Klyn shook his head and sipped his tea. “I am being serious and am not lying. Believe me, I would have loved to have heard all of the wicked activities that occurred.”
The more that I stared at Klyn, the more I believed it. Klyn also looked very bothered by the fact he had been tired. And come to think of it, I was getting a little concerned as well. I glanced over the balcony at Drishane below and then at the semi-clouded sky in the distance.
Were Lochlann’s gang to blame for Klyn’s exhaustion and my hearing issues? I pressed my fingers together and then ran my thumb along the underside of my family ring. It did not feel tight or warm. Or at least, it did not feel tight or warm to me.
The gentlemen joined us at the table for breakfast, and as River sat down across from me, I could not help but feel the warmth spread between my legs. It was as though Klyn was not the only alpha male at the table now. Memories of last night and the way he took complete control made me wet.
I chastised myself for being so affected by my newest gentleman. The other boys seemed to get along okay with him. I glanced at Klyn to see if he had been throwing daggers with his eyes at River. No, no daggers. In fact, Klyn was not even paying attention to the boys and was rubbing his temples. He must still be really tired.
The boys began chatting about how they would show River around the grounds. I laughed to myself as I tried to picture Liam, Ethan, Michan, and Sean trying to take control of River. It would never happen.
“Perhaps once you have finished your tour with the gentlemen, I could show you around the castle,” I offered.
River’s heated stare pinned me in my seat. That strong jawline of his moved with purpose as he chewed his food. The entire time he chewed that piece of bread, he kept his gaze on me. After he swallowed, his tongue slowly licked his lips. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and then he smiled at me.
“I would love to see the castle with you, my Queen.”
I left it at that and excused the gentlemen. Klyn and I remained on the balcony on purpose. Not only were we both voyeurs at heart, but we were both admittedly curious about what the guys might talk about. Klyn was still determined to learn more about River.
“Listening to him might give us some insight,” Klyn suggested.
“I can tell you that he is very good in bed,” I teased.
“Oh, well, wonderful. The young man can fuck,” Klyn said sarcastically.
“He is not that young. He is not nearly as young as Sean.”
While Klyn rubbed at his eyes again, I closed mine so I could concentrate on the boy’s conversation. I was already annoyed that sporadically I was picking up the distortion and ringing in my ears.
“What did you do at the apothecary?” Liam asked River.
“It will sound morbid, are you sure you want to hear?”
“Yes, tell us,” Michan confirmed.
“Well, I assisted doctors, and when someone died, I took their bodies to the cellar.”
“That is not too morbid. It is part of the job,” Sean added.
“Did it bother you to be around death?” Ethan asked.
“No, not at all,” River answered.
There seemed to be a pause on River’s part, or else I was picking up more distortion. I was glancing at Klyn when River said something that caused both of us to straighten in our seats.
“I am also a sin eater,” River added.
“A what?” Ethan asked.
“A sin eater,” River repeated.
“What is a sin eater?” Michan questioned.
“If someone is on their deathbed, or near death, I literally extract the sins from their soul. In doing so, I free their souls of the sins from their lifetime. Those who would not otherwise pass onto Heaven are welcomed there once I have removed their dirty deeds.”
“How—” Lia
m asked.
Sean interrupted Liam, “My pop…when he died, the priest said he could not give my pop last rites. Said because there was a rumor he had murdered in Stonebridge. The priest would not allow my pop in the cemetery because of it. I had to burn his body. Are you saying that you could have removed the bad stuff he did, and he could have gone to Heaven instead of Hell?”
“Yes, I could have,” River confirmed.
“Did your pop kill someone, Sean?” Ethan asked.
I could not hear what the boys were saying, and I stood up to make sure that I could still see them. The five of them were nearing the bridge to go into the woods.
“Klyn, did you hear if Sean replied?” I asked, even though I was pretty sure Klyn had heard.
“Yes.” Klyn stood and joined me at the balcony ledge to look out at the boys. “He said ‘yes,’” Klyn recounted.
Their voices faded back in, and I focused again on them.
“I thought those were just rumors,” Ethan said.
“No,” Sean confirmed.
“What happened?” River pried.
“You do not have to tell us, Sean,” Liam reminded him.
“I had just come home after work. I had earned twice as much as usual that day and was eager to show my mum. Just as I had shown her, a group of guys kicked our door in. My mum tried to protect me. Two men held me down while the others hurt her. They killed her in front of me and then went through the house, pillaging anything they wanted. They set the house on fire. My pop came home, and the men ran away, but he caught one of them. He bashed his head in and killed him.”
I looked at Klyn. I felt horrible for Sean and his family. But I did not want to risk getting into the heart discussion with Klyn again.
“How do you eat a person’s sins, River?” Michan asked.
“I sit or stand beside them, on their left side closest to their heart. I take hold of their hand and recite the same thing; ‘With the blood I take, I give peace. And for peace, I trade my soul.’ Their sins are transferred to my soul. I bear it for them, and they are admitted to Heaven,” River told them.
“If you carry all of those sins, what happens to your soul?” Ethan asked.
“They are mine and remain with me.”
“But what about when you die?” Ethan probed further.
“I carry the sins with me to Hell. No one takes the sins from me. They are for me, and me alone, to carry.”
“How did you become a sin eater?” Sean asked.
“It has always been my destiny,” River sighed.
More distortion continued to interrupt my eavesdropping. I looked at Klyn, but he did not seem to have the same issues I had.
“River, can I ask you how you took control of everything last night?” Ethan delved.
“It is not some magic power or insight. It is nothing more than being observant,” River began. “You cannot just wait for her to tell you what she wants. Of course, that helps, but watch her body. Watch how her body reacts when you say things and do things. Her body should be the loudest voice you hear.”
“How did you know that she wanted you to control things? What did her body do to give you that indication?” Liam asked.
“I have not been here long and I can already tell that she will lick her bottom lip, or pull it inward when she is turned on. When I told her that she has not met a man like me, I used that comment to test the waters with her. Be observant.”
“How did you know she would let you?” Sean questioned.
“She got on the bed and parted her legs so you could see her pussy. She gave you the crop too!” Michan blurted out.
“Right, Michan. Good observation. She would not have given me the crop if she had any reservation on letting me take over.”
I could feel the wetness begin to form between my legs as I thought back to last night. The smoldering look in his eyes and the confident grin he wore on his face made me so wet as I recalled how he looked as he took the crop from me. And now Klyn knew what went on last night.
“Here we go,” Klyn said as he leaned against the balcony stone. “Mr. Alpha River ran your quarters last night.”
“Klyn, it was hot. He made me feel things that no other man has made me feel,” I said to Klyn as I blinked a few times and then focused.
“Well, congratulations, Octavia,” Klyn said sarcastically. “You brought a bear into your love lair.”
I smiled at Klyn’s observations. Quickly, River had most definitely become the alpha leader among the gentlemen. River was very different than the others. Last night was not a game for him.
“He is very capable in bedroom activities, Klyn,” I looked at Klyn and felt my face get warm. I tried to force a smile from my face.
“Yes, I think I agree with you, my Queen. River seems very adept with turning the heartless Queen into a blushing mess.”
As the gentlemen’s time in the woods came to an end, I went to get dressed to take River on a grand tour of the castle. I had just finished dressing when I heard the running water shut off in the boy’s room. I went to collect River to begin our tour.
The gentlemen were drying off from their shower. River stood dripping wet as he stared at me in the doorway. He was in no hurry to drape a towel over his waist. River’s chest hair was even darker and seemed more abundant being wet. His tongue glided from side to side along his bottom lip as he looked at me. I would give him something to do with that tongue.
“River, I would like to take you around and show you the castle,” I said.
“Right now, my Queen?” he asked.
“Of course, right now. What do you think I am standing her for?”
“Should I get dressed first?” River asked playfully.
I felt my face and pussy get warm again, and I tried hard not to show that he caught me off my toes and flustered me.
“Yes, please get dressed. We do not need you distracting the staff as you frolic around naked,” I suggested.
“Yes, that would be a shame,” he smarted back.
“Young man! I will paddle that ass of yours if you cannot keep that lip of yours in line,” I warned.
River smiled and cocked an eyebrow at me while he pulled on his shirt.
“My lip will behave, my Queen. Unless…” he began.
“Unless what?” I snapped.
“Unless you want it to misbehave,” River said with another smirk. His head was tilted slightly forward, and he looked at me through those dark eyelashes of his.
Misbehave, River. I dare you.
“Shall we, River?” I asked him as I stepped back into the corridor.
Once we were both in the corridor, he walked alongside me. I pointed out various pieces of artwork and family heirlooms that donned otherwise dark walkways and paths.
“My great, great grandmother painted this portrait of my great grandfather on the balcony,” I pointed out. “It is actually my balcony—”
“Which one of them is your favorite?” River coaxed as I was in mid-sentence.
“What?” I asked sharply and came to a sudden halt to face him.
“Out of the boys. Which one of them is your favorite?” he pressed.
I folded my arms across my chest and glared at him. I was somewhat irked that he had interrupted me while I had been speaking of my family. More so, I was annoyed that he dared to ask me which one was my favorite. I was even more annoyed that he looked devastatingly handsome while I was trying to be angry with him.
“First of all, River, it is rude to interrupt me when I am speaking. And second, they are not boys, they are gentlemen,” I insisted.
River tried to wipe the grin off his face as he looked down and cleared his throat. When he brought his face up, the cocky grin was gone. He nodded and put his hand over his heart as an apology gesture.
“Please, forgive me, my Queen,” he apologized.
“You are forgiven. Now, shall we continue?”
He motioned with his hand for me to begin walking in the direction we had
been walking before his snarky question. My mind was still boiling on his question about favorites, but I tried to push it from my mind as I continued with the tour. He was very polite and asked interesting questions about different parts of the castle or rooms.
River was extremely interested in the workings of the Darick mint that was deep underground. I showed him the family coin molds, and we watched some of the staff pour liquid silver into the molds before setting them in a vault to form and set up. I explained the process to River as we watched a few coins being made.
“See, that man holding the red string upward and tight from the mold?” I asked.
“Yes,” River nodded and frowned as he tried to figure it out what he was doing with the string.
“Now watch,” I instructed as another man poured liquid silver into the mold that surrounded the string. “He will take the mold into a cooling room where the coins set up and form. They will tie the end of the string to a rod, and when the coin has cooled and formed, they will cut the excess string.” I picked up a silver coin from a wooden box and turned it over in my hand several times. “You see, this is the end result. You can see and feel the end of the string on each side.”
“This is so fascinating!” River said and looked around with wide eyes at the processes taking place.
“My father used to let me play with the coins that did not look perfect,” I mused.
“Have you ever heard of any fake Royal Darick coins hitting the streets?” River asked as we began walking out of the mint.
“No. It is easily identifiable. On each side, you can see the stitch mark, which is only authentically made here.”
Once we got outside, we walked along the creek that led to the back of the castle. I enjoyed walking beside River. There was something very different about him. I enjoyed all of the gentlemen, but walking beside River gave me a different sense of security. One that until this very moment, I had only felt when I walked beside one man; Klyn.
“I apologize again for asking you the question earlier about which one of them is your favorite,” River said as we strolled toward the south-east turret.
