“We intend to make up for every second,” Miles said, his voice rough with emotion.
“Good,” I answered, turning to face him.
“But we have every intention of letting you get some rest before we start round two,” Eli said, dipping his head and pressing a gentle kiss to my still-tender nipples.
“Thank you.” I smiled and turned on my side to snuggle into Eli’s chest.
Miles sidled up behind me, positioning himself so his somewhat-hard cock rested just against my backside and his hand splayed over my hip.
Sleep came quickly to my exhausted body and I sank into its comforting embrace knowing I was safe in both my mates’ arms.
Chapter 39
XERXES
A rap at the door and a familiar scent made me smile. Manda was back, along with her two bodyguards. She couldn’t teleport without them and they were both explicitly loyal to me, most likely because I had their wives locked in the prison beneath this palace. Neither man gave me any trouble and they made sure Manda was on her best behavior. And I hadn’t gotten any lip from her since the piercings. Clipping her wings seemed to be just what was needed.
“Come in.” I snapped my fingers and my three harem girls scurried to their room, closing the door behind them.
The double doors to my suite swung open wide and Manda strolled in, followed closely by the two guards I’d handpicked. She wore black leather pants, a sheer, red silk blouse, and a nicely cut gray jacket. Her expensive boot heels clicked on my marble floors, and she walked with the confidence of a woman who was not on a leash.
The attitude was a farce, of course.
I caught her gaze and flashed a smile. “How is my pet today?”
Everything about her changed. Her shoulders sank and her steps slowed. The brightness in her eyes had faded to a glassy stare and she directed her gaze from me to the floor. All the independence she tried to believe she still had evaporated into thin air.
That’s the way I liked it. She still had spirit, and the guards I’d assigned to her said she tried to slip away from them on a regular basis, but for the most part she just tried to keep to herself when she wasn’t in briefings with the defense council.
“The dagger has been located and retrieved, Master.” She stood, feet together, head bent, gaze to the floor.
I waved my hand, grabbing her with my magick and yanked her to her knees. She winced in pain, but didn’t speak a word of complaint.
“Kneel when you address me, pet. You don’t have the pleasure of acting as an equal any longer.” I growled. “Where is the dagger?” It was about time the incompetent idiots had located it.
One of her guards stepped forward, taking a knee at her side. He held up a bit of black silk, unwrapped it, and leaned closer.
I took the golden dagger from his outstretched hands and nodded. He immediately backed up, stood, and took several more steps backward. I knew the man feared me. It was no secret what I’d done to Manda and that was on purpose. After I’d pierced her with the enchanted nipple and labia rings, I threw her out of my suite, naked as the day she was born. The guards at my door saw her, and it didn’t take long for word to spread that I “knew how” and was more than willing to clip their teleporting wings. No one but Manda knew that’s how I controlled Cyrus as well.
“Very good. I’m glad you finally came through with this. I was beginning to wonder who I was going to have to threaten next to get some results.” I turned the dagger in my hand, admiring the craftsmanship. For something that was thousands of years old, it was excellently made.
“Get back to Charlotte and await further instructions. I assume you have some new recruits to train, since several units were lost chasing Diana Karlson and the failed attempt on Sanctuary, yet again.”
“Yes, Master,” Manda murmured, her voice barely audible.
I flicked my wrist and grabbed her by the throat with my magick. Her eyes widened and she choked under my hold, arms and legs flailing as she fought the invisible force preventing air from reaching her lungs.
I put the dagger on the arm of my chair and drew her forward across the floor to my feet, reached inside her jacket and twisted one of the rings in her nipples. She couldn’t wail, but tears poured from her wide, frightened eyes.
“Speak clearly and be respectful, Mandana.” I opened my hand, allowing the magick to release her neck from my grasp. She sucked in a breath loudly and scrambled away from me on her hands and knees before climbing to her feet and straightening her askew clothing.
“Yes, Master,” she repeated, loudly and very clearly.
I smiled and nodded. “Be gone.”
One of her guards took her by the arm and the three of them disappeared a second later.
Looking down at the dagger, I picked it back up and sighed. It was time to suck up to the enemies I called my friends. Leif and Kevan were both assholes—worse than I was. But I needed them to believe I was an ally. Therefore, this extra dagger needed to be returned.
“Jahan,” I shouted.
The Djinn that stood guard at my door stepped into view.
“Yes, Master,” he replied and bowed.
I stood from my chair and walked toward him. “To the Veil, Jahan.” I waved the dagger and he nodded, extending his palm. I touched his hand and the world swirled around me. Teleporting always made my stomach turn, but it was the absolute quickest way to travel.
A few moments later we were standing next to the gate, a ring of stones hidden deep within a forest in the Irish countryside. I owned the land stretching in each direction for several miles and it was never disturbed. The air was moist with a fog and cool. A harsh contrast from the searing, dry climate east of the Persian Gulf where I spent most of my time now.
“Be here every half-hour until I return.”
“Yes, Master,” Jahan answered swiftly, stepping away and disappearing into thin air.
I walked to the center of the ring, sliced my palm with the dagger, and touched the center stone, smearing the blood on its face. The gateway opened and pulled me through. Unlike teleporting with a Djinn, the gate to the Veil was a smooth, almost unnoticeable, transition. One moment I stood next to the altar stone in Ireland and the next I stood on the other side—in the Veil.
Wiping the dagger off on the black fabric it had been wrapped in, I touched my chest, feeling for the other dagger. The one I wore on a chain around my neck beneath my tunic. The small weapon was a constant reminder of my goals, and who stood in my way of reaching them.
A breeze blew across my face, salty and clean. I turned to look out over the Goddess Sea—beautiful, blue, and perfect. Below its pristine waters lay many dangerous creatures, but from here above the cliffs, it was perfect. I took another deep breath of the pure air and turned, starting down the path away from the stones. It was several miles to Orin from the stones and I would prefer to get there before the afternoon sun set, blanketing the hillsides in darkness.
A shadow passed over me from high above. It was shaped like a bird, but when I glanced upward I knew it was nothing with feathers. The wings stretched out bat-like and the tail trailed behind it like a giant python. Its neck was half the length of its massive body, though as high as it was flying it didn’t look much bigger than a Cessna. I knew better. It easily had a fifty-foot wingspan and could be just as long from nose to the tip of its tail. Not much different than my shifted form, but unlike a Lamassu, dragons were covered in scales that repelled all magick. An advantage I just couldn’t compensate for and had been the thorn in my side ever since my bitch of a sister-in-law took in those two Drakonae brothers. With two Drakonae princes as their bodyguards, the Sisters of Lamidae might as well be on another planet. I would be stupid to go up against them and Rose head on.
The dragon disappeared into the clouds and I continued down the dirt path toward Orin. About a half-hour later as I approached the trade village outside the main gates, the path turned into a gravel road. Most inhabitants recognized me and quieted their obn
oxious calls, trying to sell me their wares. But one stall in particular caught my eye. Not the stall itself. Or the clothing they were selling, but the woman standing in front of the weaver’s table.
She was beautiful—hair as red as a scarlet sunset and skin that was alabaster white. But her eyes—the windows to her young soul—were bright blue. The color of the Goddess Sea. They sparkled with an innocence that made my dick stand up and take notice. Perhaps it was time to add another woman to my harem at the palace. A Drakonae female would be fun, especially with a dragon-steel collar to inhibit her shifting. Leif and Kevan would be grateful enough to have the third dagger back and I could leave without empty hands.
I stepped toward the redhead with a smile, but stopped when a man stepped out of the tent behind the stall. His brown gaze connected with mine and I curled my lip into a snarl. He had the same wavy black hair and aquiline features of the Blackmoor twins.
Where on the goddess’ green earth had he been hiding all these years? He had to be related to the house of Blackmoor.
The large man stepped toward the redheaded woman and moved her aside. I heard him whisper her name—Ísól. He glanced back at me, and I recognized the burning fire of a dragon just beneath the surface. His brown eyes were flame orange. He didn’t approach me, but he didn’t back down either.
An older woman came out of the tent and rushed to his side, prattling on about how “he needed to mind his manners” and “would he come help her with something.” The Drakonae male broke eye contact with me and followed her back to the tent.
I smiled and continued walking toward the front gate. Taking other people’s prized possessions was another of my favorite pastimes. I couldn’t wait to see what this Blackmoor brother look-a-like would do when I took away his redheaded wench.
A half-hour later, I was announced and the doors to the throne room opened. The doors were heavy oak wrapped in a sheet of dragon steel, an upgrade since the Incantis had taken hold of Orin. Personally, I thought it was a bit much. But it could be changed when I took the city from them.
I held my head high as I progressed down the purple carpet that led to the stone thrones. One had been removed from the dias and now only two thrones remained, filled by Leif and Kevan. I guess they gave up on having a queen.
“Xerxes, old man. Back so soon?” Kevan called out, chuckling. “Couldn’t wait to see us again, I suppose.”
I bowed my head slightly to Kevan and then to Leif. “Good afternoon, your majesties.”
“What do you want, Xerxes?” Leif spat out angrily.
I held back a snarl. How dare the ingrate speak to me so condescendingly? I’d been slicing men open in battle before he cut his first adult tooth.
“I have come to fulfill a vow.” I pulled the black silk bundle from under my arm and unwrapped it, showing them both the small, golden dagger.
Both the dragon brothers’ lips curled up into the hint of a smile.
“We didn’t think you would hold up your end, Xerxes,” Kevan said, waving his hand at a servant to his left. The man moved quickly, bringing a small, mahogany box in which to store the dagger.
“I always keep my word,” I answered.
The servant approached me slowly and held out the open box. I placed the dagger inside it and he backed away, returning to his place at Kevan’s left.
“Something else, old man?” Kevan asked, leaning back in the great stone throne.
“I find myself desiring to take with me a female companion from the village outside the walls of Orin. With your permission, I would like to take her back with me when I go.”
“Women are an expensive commodity in the Veil, Xerxes,” Leif growled. “They’re not party gifts to guests. You know as well as I there are too few female Drakonae. And each year fewer are born.”
Yet, you’ve killed at least three wives already.
“I do understand how precious they are, but I am not just any guest, your majesty. Consider it an investment in our continued alliance.”
Both Leif and Kevan grimaced, but neither objected. They knew the precarious position they were in. Not only could I come and go freely through the Veil, but I alone made sure Miles and Eli didn’t return for their blood.
“Do you have this bitch’s name?”
“Ísól. She was a lovely, redheaded woman in the trade village.”
“Very well,” Leif answered. He turned to a heavily armed guard standing to his right. “Find the woman he seeks and bring her to the stones. Take a collar and cuffs in case you need them.”
The guard bowed low and then rushed from the large, throne room.
“In case?” I caught Leif’s gaze and he shrugged.
“There are many Elvin in the trade village. The woman may or may not be Drakonae.” He smiled. “I do hope that she is just some Elvin whore and I’m not giving you one of Orin’s precious few Drakonae females. Peasant or not, we cannot afford to lose even one.”
That the woman wasn’t a dragon hadn’t crossed my mind. But it made sense. With so few available women to breed, it was unlikely the man I’d seen could’ve afforded to take a bride all for himself. Nearly all Drakonae females were given in betrothal to families with multiple sons to ensure there would be heirs—both male and female.
If the stunning redhead was Elvin, she wouldn’t mean anything to the Incantis. The Elves were a race of strong semi-immortals that used to be a nation of great scholars and warriors. Their swords and knowledge were legendary, but over the last millennia, they’d fallen to the status of servants—only because the Incantis hunted them down and killed most of them.
Even if she wasn’t Drakonae, I still wanted her. Mostly, I wanted to get that man to follow me through the gate. And the woman he cared about would be perfect bait. He could be just what I needed to undermine everything Rose had built with those damn Blackmoor brothers. I just needed to determine how he was related to them.
I inclined my head in a shallow bow to the two Incanti kings.
Both returned the gesture, dismissing me from their presence.
I held in my disgust and left the throne room quickly, glaring at any of the persons standing about the sides of the room. They whispered and talked about me under their breath, but I could see the terror in their eyes. They knew who and what I was. None of them wanted to have anything to do with me and that’s the way I liked it.
It didn’t take me long to make my way through the outer courtyards of the palace and back through the trade village outside the main walls. The stall where the redhead had been was closed and abandoned now.
Excellent.
My magick prickled against my skin. I looked forward to the coming confrontation. The only holdup would be the damn guard they’d sent to deliver the wench. The only thing I needed from him was the dragon-steel collar and cuffs he would be carrying.
About a half hour later, the stone circle came into view. The guard stood quietly with a sobbing woman behind him. A smile spread across my face at the scintillating sound of her tears. It made my dick hard instantly. I might need to sample the whore right there on the stone altar.
I approached them and the woman dropped to her knees, begging the guard to let her go. The Incanti guard merely kicked the woman to the side and yanked on the chains connected to her neck and wrists, flipping her onto her stomach. Her face hit the dirt and she coughed, trying to catch her breath.
A loud snap to my left gave away the male Drakonae’s hiding place. I reached out with my magick and grabbed him, closing his mouth to keep him from alerting the guard to his presence. The last thing I needed was a tattletale running back to Leif and Kevan. I kept that hand low to my side and continued toward the guard.
“Thank you for delivering her, sir. I will take it from here,” I said, calmly and without malice.
“Enjoy the Elvin whore,” he sneered, handing me the dragon-steel chain. “I put them on her anyway. Just in case you felt the need to chain her up.”
“It is much appreciated,�
� I replied, watching him leave down the path I’d just come up.
Turning to the sobbing woman, I growled. “Shut up.”
“Please, sir. I’m married. I have a husband. Please don’t take me from my home.” Her voice was soft and silky, no doubt her pussy would be the same.
I pulled the male forward from the trees. He clawed at the invisible hand around his neck and kicked out with his legs. His mouth struggled to open and yell at me, but all he managed were throaty infuriated roars. I could feel the heat of his dragon building beneath the grip of my magick. It wouldn’t be easy, but he could break my hold if he pushed long enough. He was so strong. Without a doubt, the product of a fire and ice mating—the son of the Miles or Eli with their mate, Diana.
“So much for testing out your sweet pussy. I believe I need those cuffs and collar for your husband.”
She glanced up and cried more.
Damn, the woman bawled like a newborn babe.
“Please. What do you want? Why are you doing this?”
“Do you know your husband is related to the House of Blackmoor?”
She sucked in a hiccup and shook her head. “They d-died. All of them.”
I waved my other hand, unlatching the cuffs and collar from her body. Another flick of my wrist sent them flying toward the male. Seconds later they were firmly attached to him, putting me in complete control with no chance of his dragon pushing to the surface and complicating the situation.
When I turned back to look for the redhead, she was crawling away from me on her hands and knees. I grabbed her by the neck and hauled her back through the air to face me.
Clicking my tongue, I shook my head. “No one said you could leave. Don’t you want to say goodbye to your husband?”
Her tears poured again and her whole body tensed under my hold. She was a mere Elf, and nothing she could do would come close to breaking the control I had over her.
“Say goodbye,” I ordered, turning her head so she could see the face of the Blackmoor male.
Sanctuary, Texas Complete Series Box Set Page 45
