by James Tate
The being, who I guessed was Seth—the one Zryn had warned us about—just smirked at Nache. "And yet, here I am. Nache of Deiterons, you have been accused of violating sacred laws sixteen, twenty-eight, forty-two, eighty-seven, one hundred and nineteen..." He continued to list numbers, which I supposed related to the laws of their kind that Nache had broken, and the sheer volume made me gasp. "How do you plead?" he finally asked at the end.
Nache was so pale she could have blended into the marble floor. "N-not guilty," she lied, shaking her head. "There's no evidence."
The scary ass god pursed his lips, his head tilted to the side while he pondered on her plea. "Well, as the keeper of justice, I don't require any evidence. My word is law and cannot be refuted. I find you guilty." As he sealed Nache's fate with that final word, he drew a mighty sword from thin air and struck a blow across her neck.
While the echo of his decision still rang in the air, the goddess's head rolled across the marble floor—detached from her body—leaving a sticky line of black fluid in its wake.
I stood there, stunned, as Sal cleared his throat. "Seth, good to see you're alive and well. Where have you been all these millennia?"
"Around," the mysterious god replied, his words clipped. "Deal with this"—he indicated to the remains of Nache—"and I might find it in my heart to forgive your transgressions, Sal."
My father ducked a respectful nod, then shot a quick look in my direction. "I'll be back, daughter. We have a lot to discuss."
I nodded vaguely as he disappeared, taking both parts of his dead ex-wife with him.
"Holy shit," I muttered, keeping a wary eye on Seth, who was watching me back just as carefully. "You're... uh..."
The being just raised his brows at me, but when I didn't finish my sentence, he slid his gaze over my companions. "What a curious group you've gathered, little queen." His attention paused on Sagen, his dark, dangerous eyes running over her and taking in the blades in her hands. "Curious indeed."
Slowly, almost reluctantly, he brought his gaze back to me. "I think I might hang around a while longer. Your little fix of the pass-through won’t hold forever, and I find myself suddenly very interested in this realm." His gaze slid back to Sagen, and the corners of his mouth curved in an evil sort of grin. "Very interested."
With a flash, he too was gone.
The sigh I released was utter relief, and I shot Sagen a curious frown.
Her cheeks were flushed, but the shrug she gave me showed she was just as confused by the interaction as the rest of us.
"Now what?" I asked, turning to my princes.
Epilogue
The ceremony to officially crown me as Queen of Teich was arranged quickly and went off without a hitch. Considering the extremely public disposal of Titus and all the accusations aired in front of so many guests, no one disputed my claim to the throne.
It was the next ceremony that had me pacing up and down my new bedroom, twisting the fabric of my gown with nervous apprehension.
"You need to take a breath or something," Sagen muttered, rolling her eyes as I wore a track in the plush carpet of the royal suite. It'd been a full week since the Golden Ball. A full week since I'd taken control of Teich and outed myself as the missing heir to Ophelia's throne.
For the most part, the response from the people had been overwhelmingly positive. They rejoiced that the lost princess had been found and welcomed the change of management from what had been a poorly run kingdom under Titus and Filamina's rule. It helped that after the snow had melted, our land cycled through every season in a matter of days, almost like nature was resetting.
The water had all finally drained out of the Pond, and reports were already coming in from outlying villages—places similar to Ironforge—to say that people thought lost or gone were reappearing daily.
It would be a process of repairs, but it was happening.
Initially, I'd bucked the idea of moving into the royal suite, too creeped out by the idea of sleeping where Titus and Filamina had resided so many years. But my guys had talked me around, pointing out features of the room that had been created by my mother or her mother or hers before that. These rooms, this palace, it was my home. So damn Titus and Nache to hell for trying to ruin that for me.
Admittedly, I had requested a new mattress and bedding—a request that had been carried out within the hour.
A knock on the door made me jump, and Sagen rolled her eyes at me again.
"I'll get it," she drawled, putting down the book she'd been thumbing through and sauntering over to the door to open it. "Oh hey. Maybe you can calm Her Majesty down." She stepped aside, allowing Ty to enter my rooms before giving me a look. "I'm taking a walk. Don't mess up the hair and makeup, and for the love of steel, don't leave this room without me. Okay?"
I flapped a hand at her, dismissing her concerns and focusing on Ty.
The door closed behind Sagen, and he arched a dark brow at me. "What was that all about?"
"Nothing," I replied, shaking my head, then instantly kicking myself for the lie. "Some poison was found in the kitchens earlier, and Sage is now convinced that someone will try and assassinate me today. It's no big deal. Just teething pains." I gave a half-hearted laugh. "We never expected everyone to jump on the Queen Zarina bandwagon, right?"
Ty frowned and looked like he wanted to argue that point with me, so I grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the chaise lounge in front of my fireplace.
"Sit," I ordered him. "Take your shirt off."
This time when his brows rose, it was with a whole lot more amusement. "Gorgeous, I could swear Sagen just told you not to mess up your hair and makeup before the ceremony. I can't guarantee it'll stay intact if you want a quickie."
This time it was my turn to roll my eyes. "Oh for goodness... Not what I was intending, Ty." I paused, raking my eyes over him as he tugged the hem of his shirt up and over his head. "Not that I'd be against a quickie after this, though."
"And what is this exactly, my love?" He looked up at me with total adoration as I hitched up my skirts and straddled his waist. "Because, it sure seems like..." He trailed off, his broad hands sliding up my bare thighs underneath all the heavy skirts of my formal dress.
I grinned down at him, sliding my own hands over his muscular chest and biting my lip to keep focused. Not an easy feat, considering the rapidly hardening length between us. Maybe sitting in his lap hadn't been the best idea after all.
"Ty," I groaned as he shifted my weight, pressing his hips up to meet me and frying about a thousand brain cells. "Let me focus. I want to..." My palm reached the spot I was aiming for—before being sidetracked with his chiseled abs and hard pecs. "I want to try this."
I reached for my magic, the healing light inside me, then pushed it out from my fingers and into the ugly black scar in the center of Ty's chest. Maybe he thought I'd forgotten about it or that it was further down my list of priorities, but it had damn near consumed my thoughts for the past few days—ever since catching him gasping for breath after walking up an easy flight of stairs after dinner one night.
Ty was dying, there was no question about it. So I needed to try and use all the seemingly limitless power I possessed to fix him.
"Zarina, babe," Ty moaned, tipping his head back as waves on waves of magic pumped through him, pushed by my force of will. "Gorgeous little one, it's not working."
I ground my teeth together, doubling my efforts. "It could be. You don't know."
A lazy, intoxicated smile crossed his lips, and he looked at me from heavy-lidded eyes. "I do know, little one. It's not working."
He was right. I knew he was right. But I didn't want to admit it.
"I don't understand," I admitted, cutting off the flow of magic with overwhelming reluctance. "I don't get it. I have all this power at my fingertips just itching to be used every minute of the day—physically itching to get out of me. So why can't I use it to heal you?"
Ty gave me a sad smile, reaching his hands up t
o cup my face gently. "I don't know, baby. I wish I did. I wish..." he trailed off with a sigh. "It’s only been a few weeks. We have heaps of time to figure it out. In the meantime, shouldn't we be enjoying every moment we have together?"
Against all my best efforts, a hot tear escaped my eye and ran down my powdered cheek. "You're talking like you're dying," I whispered, my voice choked with anguish. "Don't talk like that. I'm going to find a way to fix this." I pressed a hand back over his scar, frowning at the larger web of veins shooting out from it. Ty had been careful in the past week not to take his shirt off unless it was dark, and the increase was startling to see.
"I'm far from dying yet, little one," Ty replied, with a sexy smirk. "You want me to prove it to you?" His hips rolled against me, and I found that my attempt to use magic had far from diminished his arousal.
My breath hitched as he shifted his hands to my waist, holding me with possessive need. "Go on then," I encouraged him, throwing away all sense of urgency over the upcoming ceremony. "Prove it to me."
His grin was wicked, and our mouths met in a frenzied clash of desire. His tongue parted my lips, delving deep and claiming me with his need just the same way he had the very first time we'd kissed.
"What about your hair and makeup?" he teased when our lips separated. His hand had found its way back under my dress again, and I moaned when he pushed two fingers inside my aching core. I'd all but given up wearing underwear in the past few days, under dresses and skirts anyway. All three of the guys—Lee included—seemed to see the feminine garments as an invitation. Was it any coincidence that I was wearing them more often now than ever before?
"Fuck the hair and makeup," I groaned, riding his hand as he pumped his fingers in and out of me, teasing at my clit and making me desperate for more. "Ty... I need more."
"I hoped you'd say that," he replied with bright grin. His hand withdrew from under my skirt, and I made sounds of protest until he lifted me off his lap and stood up. "Bend over the couch," he ordered me, indicating to the rolled arm of the chaise. "Skirts in the air."
Adrenaline and endorphins pumping through my veins, I scrambled to do as I was told, glancing over my shoulder as I lifted my dress. Ty was unbuckling his belt, and I watched with hungry desire while he lowered his zipper and released his huge erection.
"Keep looking at me like that and I'll really mess up your makeup," he growled, pumping his hand down his shaft in a way that made my heart race and pussy clench. "Maybe later."
He released his shaft, then pushed my skirts up higher and gripped my hips to reposition me. Ass in the air, my face was just inches from the purple velvet of the lounge, but when his hot, hard cock pressed against my core, I knew I'd be face down in a matter of seconds.
Sure enough, Ty gripped my hips tight, then thrust his huge cock between my throbbing folds. He wasn't gentle about it, taking just a couple of pushes to work his whole length inside, and it left me trembling, cheek against the velvet and begging for more.
I loved when he was a bit rough with me. I was no delicate flower to be pampered and pandered to. I was tough, strong, and fully capable of taking what I wanted. And what I wanted was for Ty to fuck me like he wasn't gods damned dying.
My moans and pleas soon turned into something totally incomprehensible as Ty pumped in and out of me with ever increasing tempo. His rough fingers held my hips with bruising strength, and when he reached around to pinch my clit, I totally lost it.
"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit," I gasped as my screams faded enough to allow for words. "Ty. Wow. Oh. Wow. Fucking hell. Ty..." His name came out in a moan as he started moving again, and I realized he hadn't come with me. "I don't think I can..."
I mean, we both knew that was a lie. I definitely could come again under his touch. Several more times, if he really wanted me to. But already someone was banging on my door, reminding us of our prior engagements for the day.
"Fine," he groaned, pulling out of me with a frustrated growl. "Come here."
He helped me up from my bent-over position, then immediately pushed me to my knees in front of him. Not that I needed the help; he'd damn near read my mind.
I licked a quick swipe of saliva over my dry, lipsticked lips just moments before taking him in my mouth and tasting the salty-sweet evidence of my own climax on him.
"Uhh," he moaned, threading his fingers into my intricately pinned updo and using that grip to control my head. "Fuck yes, like that." I took him deep, sucking and swirling with my tongue while he damn near fucked my mouth like he had my cunt.
I loved every dirty second of it.
When he came, his hot seed meeting the back of my throat, it was with an exclamation loud enough to be heard in the next kingdom. If my mouth hadn't been so full, I would have laughed.
"Shit," he breathed when he was done, sinking to his knees and cupping my face in his hands. "I fucking love you so hard, Zarina. No matter what happens, no one can ever take that away from us."
He kissed me then, long and hard, until my door burst open and Sagen caught us.
"Seriously?" she yelled, and we both dissolved into childish laughter.
* * *
I was late to my own consort ceremony. There was nothing to be done for it. After Sagen had tossed Ty out of my rooms—throwing his clothes out after him—it'd taken a team of maids to make me look presentable again.
Or rather, to make me look less like I'd just been thoroughly fucked.
Before entering the ballroom where the consort ceremony was to be held, I’d run into Master Bloodeye waiting for me in the hall.
He’d handed me a masculine necklace of gold that sported a square, green jewel in its delicately crafted claws. It had been, he’d told me, a gift from my mother to him some years before she’d met Sal. How it’d ended up back in the palace, he didn’t explain. But in giving it to me, he swore his loyalty and support of my reign.
As it turned out, he’d been a bit soft on her when they were young, and although she’d never returned his affections like he’d wanted, he still held a place in his heart for her. And her daughter.
With that knowledge, I’d entered the ballroom with a bounce in my step. The few friendly faces in the gathered crowd—Lady Savannah, Prince Niklaus, Duke Griffin, Princess Cara—all gave me the strength I needed to maintain my brave face.
When it came to the all-important point of the ceremony where I was supposed to name my consort—the man who should have competed and won the Royal Trials for the right to marry the queen—I was fully prepared for the shocked gasps I received.
Because I didn’t select a consort. I selected three.
Three princes who'd been stripped of their titles a week earlier, the night their father had been killed and their mother revealed as a vengeful goddess in hiding.
To say the court was less than happy was an understatement. But I was confident in my choices, as the land’s magic had personally given me her approval.
As my three consorts made their way to the podium, a tense silence fell over the gathered aristocrats and dignitaries.
Just when I thought it was all going to go badly, someone began clapping. Slowly. Dramatically.
The crowd parted, and Sal stepped forward, clapping his hands together.
"Bravo, Your Majesty," he boomed, his voice carrying to every corner of the room with ease. He was in full god-mode, his glow so bright it almost hurt to look at him, and when he reached us on the dais, he stopped and turned to the crowd while standing directly under a statue of himself.
It was a little bit over the top, but I guess sometimes that was what was needed.
"What a bold and well-thought-out choice. For a queen as strong as you in times such as these, it's only sensible to take three consorts. And what wisdom in selecting the very men raised to rule this kingdom." Sal did a dramatic bow in my direction. "Surely the people of Teich must be blessed indeed with a queen such as you."
Murmurs rippled through the shocked crowd, many people agreeing,
simply because Sal had said it. Some were openly weeping, presumably because they were seeing a god in the flesh—an event that hadn't happened in thousands of years. Only a couple still looked unconvinced.
"Tone it down a bit," I muttered under my breath as Sal stepped closer to me.
He just shot me an amused smile. "Good people of Teich! I am Sal. King of the Gods and Master of Fate. Hear me when I say that Queen Zarina has the approval of all gods in this choice she has made." He then lowered his voice so only I could hear him. "All the gods who matter, anyway."
Cheers and applause started from the crowd, and I was relieved to see those reluctant few joining in.
"I bless the consorts of Queen Zarina," he continued, making overly dramatic gestures as he stopped in front of each of my guys, touching their foreheads and chanting in his own language. "And I bless all of you, people of Teich. Rejoice in your new rulers, for you're embarking on an age of peace and prosperity."
The cheers from the people were deafening now, and none but my new consorts and I saw the sobering of Sal's expression when he faced us. "But not yet. Your happily ever after will be hard-won, daughter."
He turned back to the crowd with a blinding smile, then disappeared once more.
As our people celebrated and servers began pouring scarlettberry wine, Zan took my hand in his. On my other side, Lee stepped in closer so that our arms brushed together, and Ty stood in front of me, completing our circle.
"Maybe it's not happily ever after," Zan said, his eyes full of hope and adoration as he gazed at me. "But at least it's happily for now."
"That's good enough for me," Lee replied with a firm nod. "So long as we're together, we can face anything the gods throw our way."
Their words gripped my heart, and I looked to Ty with my pain probably clear in my eyes. But he just grinned back at me, and for the first time in weeks... his smile was clear and free of worry.
