“Good.” He nodded.
“No one will ever control you with this again, or make you do something you don’t want to do.” She held it out, offering it to him. “It’s yours. I’m sorry, I should have given it back to you long before now. It was wrong to use you like I’ve been doing.”
“Ah.” He cleared his throat. “That’s… that’s good.”
She stared at him for a beat. “It doesn’t do anything, does it?” She stated matter-of-factly, as if speaking for him and breaking the news to herself.
“No.” He shook his head. “It’s purely ceremonial. It has no powers, I merely use it as a means of keeping track of which human I’m not supposed to kill when in battle. Honestly, I wish you had just told me you were under the impression that it had some magical purpose, as all of this could have been settled long ago. Sometimes you really need to tell me things, rather than just demanding that I not even talk about them.” He brightened, trying to sooth her feelings. “But I’m still very happy to have it back. Thank you.”
“Dammit.” She made a face at the Mace. “I almost died for this thing.”
“Well, I appreciate the effort, baby.”
She made a face again. “I guess.”
The flames surrounding him died down and he began to return to his normal size, eager to take her in his arms. “I am just so in love with you.” He reiterated simply, walking towards her. “I find your crazy unstoppable mind so charming.”
“I’ll choose to look on that as a compliment.” She decided, wrapping her arms around his neck as he lifted her into the air.
He kissed her, her mouth yielding to his and accepting him. She made a soft little sound of pure pleasure which made his heart beat faster and his soul come alive. He finally broke the kiss and held her close, tracing his finger down her cheek.
“My mate.” She sighed dreamily, resting her head on his shoulder. The tension began to leave her body, relaxing in his arms.
The words sounded amazing coming from her lips and he found that he could get used to them very quickly.
She rested her head on his shoulder as he held her. She absently surveyed the scene behind him. “So, you discover that you’re not the last member of your kind, and that there’s another ogre out there… and your first response is to kill him? Really?”
“Well, in my defense… he was kind of an asshole.” Dom said seriously, gently kissing the top of her head.
“Ah.” She nodded in understanding. “I think that…”
“HELP!” Ryle darted down the street towards them. “Guys! Run!”
Behind him, the Baseland soldiers continued their pursuit. Those guys just did not give up. Dom had to give them credit for that, if nothing else.
His mate looked up him. “Can you please…?”
He nodded, cutting her off and reluctantly putting her down.
He immediately grew back to his tallest size, exploding in flames so hot they drew in the fires from the surrounding buildings and extinguished them.
Ryle dove over his foot, trying to escape the men.
Dom let out a primal possessive roar, sick to death of humans and their efforts to kill his family. He braced his feet and smashed both of his fists down on the street in front of the soldiers. Huge chunks of the surface buckled from the blow and cracks formed all around them.
The men came to a stop in complete horror.
“Surrender. Now.” Taylor advised.
The soldiers didn’t need to be told twice, immediately dropping their weapons and throwing their hands up in the air.
“Well,” Ryle panted in exhaustion from his attempts at escaping the army trying to kill him, “I’m glad you found the time to save the kingdom, Tay.” He nodded, looking very tired. “Good timing too, because I’m gonna pass out now.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“I don’t know what we’re going to do.” Taylor said worriedly, pacing back and forth on the cobblestones. “Any ideas?” He opened his mouth to reply to that, but she cut him off. “Besides make love?”
He closed his mouth.
“It’s like everyone of any importance has fled this place.” She pointed out the window. “But someone has to decide what to do with the prisoners. Someone has to supervise the cleanup process. Someone has to figure out a way to drag a fifty foot headless corpse from the city and somehow bury it.”
“Let the birds pick that son of a bitch clean.” Dom rolled his eyes. “Burial is too good for him.”
“Do you have any idea how much that would smell?” She made a face. “I have to live here!” She shook her head. “I don’t want to have to look at that every day while I’m going to work!”
“Fine.” He sighed. “I’ll drag him out of town this afternoon and… I don’t know… burn him or something.”
“All of life’s problems can’t be solved by burning them, you know.”
“It’s seemed to work so far.”
She snorted in amusement. “All I’m saying is that this city is going to have some very serious problems soon, to say nothing of the kingdom as a whole.” She pointed out the window again. “The Baselanders are still out there. As are their allies. And we need to find ourselves the next in line of succession for the throne before then, because they need to get started immediately.”
He nodded. “Uh-huh.”
“It seems like everyone in the world has gone crazy lately, and we need time to make certain whoever it is that’s next in line isn’t as bad as Buggane or the Baselanders.”
“Uh-huh.”
“You’re not even listening right now, are you?”
“I’m listening.” He assured her. “Your human kingdom needs to find itself another human ruler before it’s conquered by a different human ruler.” He tapped his temple. “I got it.”
“It’s the only hope we have to save the kingdom.”
“So you’ve said.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Don’t you want to save this kingdom?”
“Not especially, no.” He shook his head. “This kingdom and I have had a rather difficult history, in case I’ve never mentioned it.” He shrugged. “But if my mate wants me to save her kingdom, then that’s what I’ll do.”
She nodded. “Excellent.” She started pacing again. “So, step one…” She held up one finger. “We need to find the new ruler.”
He nodded. “You got it.” He got to his feet. “Can you pass me the Mace of the Kings, please?”
“The what?” She frowned in confusion.
“The Magic Wand Thing.” He pointed at the object in question.
“Oh.” She handed it to him. “Of course.”
He strolled out into the center square of the capital, where a crowd of people was busy trying to get their lives back together.
“Attention humans!” He bellowed, holding the Mace above his head. “As the last surviving representative of my people, and thus the King of the Ogres, I invoke the treaty signed by my ancestors at the end of the Valley War, and claim dominion over your kingdom, people, and lands. Your king is dead.” He let that sink in for a moment, then casually handed the Mace to Taylor. “Long live your queen!”
The villagers were all too tired to object, even if they did want to question the authority of the angry giant who was telling them who was in charge.
People all around the square immediately began to kneel in deference to Taylor.
Her mouth fell open in shock.
“I’ll be inside.” He casually started up the stairs to the palace, like he’d just come out to get the mail. “Let me know if you need help with step two of your plan, whatever it is.”
Taylor looked around at her new subjects, all of whom were now waiting for her to say something.
She swallowed, her mind racing.
“Um…” she waved at them awkwardly. “Hey.”
******
“Okay, so, the only thing I have to wear is that uniform, and I’ve been wearing it for weeks and it’s all smelly and gross,”
Taylor told him, making a face, “and I needed to get out of it before I lost my mind.”
“It was fine.” Dom told her seriously. “You couldn’t be anything but stunning if you tried.”
“Aw, aren’t you sweet.” She cooed. “But in any case, I needed something new to wear, and luckily, your new queen is a tailor. It’s not every king that can say that.”
“Ooo-ooh!” He made a sad sound like a child being told they had to do their homework. “I don’t want to be king.” He shook his head, trying to keep the petulance from his voice but failing. “You’re in charge of this place, because frankly, I still dislike it. This is your little hobby, not mine.”
“You don’t want to be king of the humans?” There was the most adorable teasing quality to her question, which just melted his heart. “Really?”
He considered that for a moment, thinking the matter over. “Well…” He pursed his lips in thought. “It does have a ring to it, doesn’t it?”
“It does.” She agreed. “’My mate is King of the Humans.’” She announced with great dignity, as if introducing him at some formal state function.
“But I won’t have to actually do anything, right?”
“Well, we’re still at war, so…”
He held up his hands. “No, no,” he cut her off, “I don’t mean killing people who try to take away your kingdom, that’s obvious and something I’ll take great enjoyment from. I mean, will I have to actually talk to the people in your kingdom?” He shook his head. “Because I don’t really want to do that. Ever.”
She snorted in amusement. “We’ll see how it goes.”
He smiled, realizing that his mate had him wrapped around her little finger.
And he was more than happy with that fact.
“Anyway, you were saying?” He leaned back on the couch, which had sustained only minor damage from the invasion, battle, ogre fight, and fire. “About your wardrobe?”
Discussing her body and how it fit into things was fast becoming his favorite topic.
“Oh, yes.” She sounded excited now. “Well, I needed to make something new to wear, obviously, and we didn’t have much fabric, but I was able to whip something up…” She stepped into the room, garbed in a loose dress which wrapped over her breasts, looped over her shoulders, and then around her hips like a sarong. It was a good approximation of an outfit typically wore by the mated ogresses of his people, although far more beautiful and expertly finished in its construction. “I thought I’d go for something inspired by my new husband’s culture.”
Everything in him was suddenly hypnotized by the woman, exploring the acres of flawless, soft skin her creation exposed. He tried to reply to her, but it came out as a small gasp of shocked desire.
She was so beautiful, it felt like someone punched him in the stomach.
“Now, I wasn’t sure on the cut…” She spun in a circle. “And I had to make some alterations to the style, obviously. But I think it serves its purpose.”
His eyes locked on the small points of his wife’s nipples as they pressed against the thin semi-transparent fabric, seemingly begging for his attention.
The woman was soft curves, clever mind, and gentle grace.
And she was all his.
“You like?” She asked, the teasing quality of her voice tinged with a small amount of nervous apprehension. Her breathing was quicker now, causing the swell of her breasts to rise and fall.
It took everything in him not to run over there… literally run… and ravage her without a word. But he didn’t want to scare his bride with the depths of his lust for her. She was a human, after all, and he still didn’t want to frighten her.
“It’s…” He struggled to pull his eyes away from his mate’s stiffening nipples, which took such effort to ignore. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” He told her honestly. “You take my breath away.”
She beamed, which made the fact that he wasn’t already inside her naked body physically painful.
His wife slowly walked towards him, obviously relishing her sense of power. She was wearing next to nothing and he was twice her size, but he’d stay put until she told him. And they both knew it.
“My only problem is the fact that it’s a new design.” She bit her lower lip in exaggerated worry, drawing attention to the soft contours of her mouth.
He began to think about the taste of her kiss, until it fogged his mind and drove away every other thought he’d ever had.
“I’m afraid it might not perform as I intended.” She made a little pouty face. “So I actually made several to wear around the house.” She arched an eyebrow suggestively. “For field testing.” She slowly turned around again, letting him see her from all angles. “I think you’ll need to help me see if it allows easy access to the… important things.”
He swallowed, his mouth suddenly feeling dryer than a desert.
“Do you want me to try?”
He nodded still incapable of speaking.
“Well,” she ran her fingertip along the twin lengths of fabric running vertically down her chest to cover her breasts, “I designed the top so that you could simply pull the fabric out of the way,” she began to nudge the fabric to the side, exposing more of the spectacular globes of flesh, but paused just shy of showing him her nipples, “and I think it works well.”
He was no longer capable of speech or movement.
If he moved at all, he wouldn’t be able to control himself.
“And then there’s the skirt,” she continued, slowly running her hands across her body towards the hemline of the garment, which hung around her knees, “which I wanted to be light, you know?” Her fingers moved across it in a little walking motion, teasingly. A small smile crossed her face, enjoying the effect her little fashion show was having on him. She slowly began to pull the fabric up, promising him a view of her thighs and higher. “It’s a simple wrap, so I could get it off in seconds. Of course… I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to wear panties or not…” Her breathing showed that she was far less calm than she pretended, her voice growing husky from desire. “Honestly… I don’t even remember at this point whether I am or not.” The fabric stopped just shy of showing him what he needed to see.
He groaned in frustration and lust, aching for her naked body.
“So… what do you think?” She asked innocently, trailing a finger across her breast again. “Which should we try first?”
Her fingertip almost touched the point of her nipple, causing him to gasp, wanting to see her desperately. Feeling her body’s urgent need to be caressed in the deepest parts of himself, and causing his own body to grow harder.
“This?” She asked, gently running her hand down the fabric again. “You want to see how fast I can get out of my top for you?”
He somehow had the strength to nod, his hands desperately clawing the cushion of the couch, as if to support himself so that he didn’t lose his mind.
“Hmmm… Let me see if I remember how to do this…” She ran her fingers down her top, then put her hands under her breasts and gently lifted them up, as if testing their weight.
He let out another anguished groan, trying to endure the torture of not touching her.
“Oh…” Her mouth formed an adorable little circle of surprise. “They’re so soft.” She closed her eyes, gently massaging them. “And tight.” She made a little hum of pleasure. “Mmmm… they feel so good in my hands…”
His hips moved of their own accord now, grinding his erection against his leg. “Please…” He choked out.
“I’m sorry?” Her eyes opened, looking innocent. “Did you say something?”
“Take it off.” He breathed again, his voice a rumble of lust. “Please show me.”
She nodded, smiling at him again. Her fingertip moved across the exposed skin of her chest and gently pulled the fabric the extra inch to the side, baring her tight breast to his view.
He bit his lower lip to keep from growling in longing.
&nbs
p; He silently began to scream in his head: don’t scare her. She didn’t need to know how much he wanted her or how hard it was for him not to just push her down and take her every time he looked at her. Even on the best of days that was a struggle, but when she was doing something like this?
He was terrified of how much he wanted her and how he might accidentally hurt her while making love to her. She was soft and breakable, and he was a monster best handled with a chain. He needed to keep himself in control. He didn’t want to scare her.
Don’t scare her!
Don’t scare her!
His hands fisted tighter on the sofa cushion, his control reaching its limit.
“How was that?” She breathed, her fingernail tracing around the urgent center of her breast without touching it. “Quick enough for you?”
He was incapable of speech again, his breathing coming to rapidly.
She met his eyes. “How about you come over here and try it?”
He sprang from the couch so quickly that it toppled over. He reached her in two strides, his mouth pushing her finger out of the way and closing over her breast immediately, giving it the attention it deserved.
She let out an astonished gasp of surprise and pleasure, as he lifted her off the ground. “Wow, okay, I was not…” She put her head back. “Oh, wow!”
He supported her weight with one hand, the other sliding up her leg to discover whether or not she had included underwear with her new dress.
She had not.
His fingers played over her and she gasped again.
He held her tighter, his passion and longing for her building.
She began to move her hips with the movement of his fingers and palm, pressing her breast into his mouth.
The dress she was wearing began to singe and burn off of her, his desire for his wife too great to hold back the flames of The Pyra anymore.
He looked up at her, feeling terrible. “I’m… I’m sorry.” He shook his head, feeling ashamed. “I… I just want you so…”
Travels With a Fairytale Monster Page 32
