by Eve Bradley
“I’m not afraid of them,” Maru told Catryn with a soft growl. “But yes, I feel that if I take another after Banato, it would be a betrayal.”
“Wouldn’t he want you to be happy?” Darrian asked her.
She shrugged, coldly staring into the fire. Catryn watched the woman’s thoughts as they tumbled through her mind. Images of years without romance, without intimacy. Just her husband laying on her here and there throughout the years and then complaining of her lack of desire. Maru masturbating after she watched a woman bathe. Years of suppressing her own wants and needs because of her loyalty.
“That’s not love…” Catryn said.
“It doesn’t matter. Love doesn’t serve the kingdoms. We do what we must for the good of the realm, and nothing more,” Maru snapped, turning away from them.
“You can’t expect anything more,” Maru added as she stared into the fire.
The thoughts that came to Catryn were a tangle of disagreement with what Maru was saying. Even Valryn wanted to say something to prove her wrong. Catryn understood the feeling. She still was unsure of love. Still, the freedom of allowing oneself to explore all avenues, of trying, of pushing oneself to discover what else there could be…it was how life should be. Now Maru had the choice. Now she had that freedom. She just wished she understood it.
Catryn stood and handed them all goblets that they’d set aside. Wine sloshed in the metal. Maru took hers hesitantly.
“We’re lucky this isn’t Voca,” Catryn chuckled, and she watched Maru’s face lighten a bit.
Before they’d settled down to bed, Catryn drew Valryn aside. The night air was only slightly warm, and Catryn appreciated the lack of heat for once in her life. Immediately he set his dark eyes on her, a wicked smirk appearing on his mouth. He wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged her aside, pushing her against a tree.
“What is it, Peacequeen?” he asked her, voice melting over her like honey.
She’d initially wanted to talk to him about specific things, but the feeling of his lust was distracting.
“I think I could fuck each of you all day and I still wouldn’t have enough,” she said, and Valryn grabbed her waist and pulled her up against his hard body. She felt his long cock already hard beneath the leather, and she let her hands explore his bulge.
“It’s good there’s three of us to keep you happy,” he said and drew in a breath sharply as she touched him. “You know we feel the same.”
“Do you?” she asked, gripping him firmly through his pants.
Valryn’s hand shot up and gripped her jaw. He breathed close to her ear, and she smiled at his aggressiveness.
“I’d fuck you myself all day every day if I could,” he whispered.
Catryn smiled and then anxiously pressed her lips to his. It was such a paradox, the sweet way he kissed her while his hand held her in place by her chin. Her heart fluttered and her core warmed, the taste and feel of him tantalizing her senses.
“We have to set up court in Solbriar.” She told him between their kisses. “I promised Maru we would go to get her children and keep them there, along with some of her other family. I was thinking…maybe Darrian would want his family there too. And I was going to ask if you had anyone you wanted to try to keep safe there while this entire thing unfolds.”
Valryn drew a hand through Catryn’s hair, and he nodded, kissing her deeply then.
“Understood,” he said against her lips.
Catryn lowered herself before him and loosened his laces, allowing his cock to spring free.
Valryn nearly growled as she wrapped her lips around him. She let him fuck her face, urging him on in their thoughts. She was gagging with how hard and fast he was going, but then his warm fluid filled her mouth, and she smiled up at him.
Such a little whore, he thought. Only this time it was in heart-wrenching admiration.
The morning sent a springtime breeze through the hillsides.
The camp was just preparing for the day; the sun barely peeking over the sparse loamy moors. Pots and pans clattered. Men argued and laughed. They dressed and prepared for their day.
“Phoenixes,” Catryn suggested as Maru braided her hair back. “For our house sigil.”
“Gods...too much fire for me,” Maru quipped.
Catryn snickered and shrugged. She glanced over her shoulder at Valryn and Glend, who were still sleeping. Valryn spooned Glend. She’d been laying between them all during the night, and she felt rejuvenated. After so many years of hardship, she finally felt able to face whatever came her way. She thought that those without love, without anyone to lean on, are the ones that go mad. Darrian came striding towards them with steaming mugs of a bitter brew that the Yamarian’s crafted to start their mornings.
He came to sit beside them as Maru fixed her hair.
“Here,” he offered her the hot drink.
She made a noise of appreciation.
“I need to talk to you…” he sighed, and she looked up at him expectantly.
“I…” he started, and she leaned forward to kiss him.
He kissed her back, and she felt the worry in his soul.
What is it?
When we get to Malavash, I need to go to my family. I want to be sure my mother and siblings are safe.
“Why was that so hard?” she asked.
“We have a lot to do. But I heard what you said last night to Val. I would like to bring my mother and sisters to Solbriar,” he replied.
She leaned forward and kissed him, and Darrian gathered her up in his bulky arms.
“I’ll be glad to finally meet them. Anyone important to you is important to me.”
Then the horn blew, stopping them in their tracks. Catryn unwound herself from Darrian, confused as to what was happening. She struggled into her boots and ran to the head of the procession. Maru and Darrian followed at her heels.
In the low morning light, she could hardly make out the figure out a limping figure. As the rigid man approached, she recognized that he was Yamarian. Some of her soldiers went out to collect him, and the man, losing conviction, slumped in their arms. They dragged his body across the grass.
Cat went to stand before him, fear a vice on her heart.
The Yamarian soldier who the others had quickly identified as one who’d been staying in Athos, looked up at her with eyes swirling in madness. His mouth cracked, and he sputtered to gather his words.
“The Vault Citadel has been destroyed. The King of Raspandar…is coming for you.”
About the Author
Eve Bradley lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and daughter. She’s currently chasing a bachelor’s in psychology and writes like there’s no tomorrow! Like most authors, she has a coffee addiction. When she’s not doing mommy things, playing video games, singing, and spending time with her two ducks, she’s plotting out new books and living her best life.
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