“Yes. This is a long story.”
“Like either of us has anything else better to do for the next few hours.”
“True.” He took a deep breath and then launched into a tale of broken treaties and the events that followed.
Kitty listened intently, eager to hear about Chigaru’s life before he met her.
The sun rose and birds chirped before Melchior ended his story. He spoke with fondness of the day of Nilam’s birth, but his smile faltered.
“Melchior?”
“I want to give Serenity another child, but I cannot if this is the result of my trying.”
“Your second…third wife is on the way, probably as we speak. This should work. Serenity will have another baby soon and everything will be happy.”
“Sooner than you think,” Serenity said in a soft voice.
Kitty and Melchior both startled and turned surprised expressions to the doorway. Serenity and Chigaru had entered without making a sound.
Melchior jumped to his feet and appeared as though he would walk around the desk but stopped himself. “Serenity?”
She smiled with tears glistening in her eyes. “I’m pregnant.”
“What?” Kitty yelled in a happy surprise.
At the same time, Melchior whispered, “No.”
His reaction didn’t sound right to Kitty’s ears and his expression of fear was even more wrong.
Serenity’s smile faded. “Melchior?”
Kitty rose from her seat and grabbed one of Melchior’s horns. “Excuse us for a second.” She yanked on him, dragging him after her to the far corner of the room so they could exit through the door there.
They ended up in a walk-in closet full of books and scrolls. Kitty didn’t care so long as it was private, or semiprivate. She faced Melchior, grabbed his other horn, and pulled him close. “Are you trying to piss me off? Because you’re succeeding beautifully.”
“Kristar—”
“So help me God, if you fuck this up, I will punch you again. Do you understand me?”
Melchior shook her lose. “You are the one who doesn’t understand. Serenity is pregnant. She’s pregnant.”
“Yes. Mission accomplished. Congratulations.”
“No, Kristar. This proves her point. She will want another child after this one. I refuse. I will not hurt her again for the sake of another child. No. Never again.”
Kitty couldn’t argue with him. They couldn’t go through another night like this last one. And she doubted Melchior wanted the Hell Hounds in attendance each time he and Serenity wanted to try to get pregnant.
She didn’t have a solution for the future but she did have one for right now. Kitty framed Melchior’s face with her hands and made him look at her. “Listen to me. Are you listening?”
He nodded.
“I don’t know the future, not while I’m outside of the oracle spell, at least. But I can tell you this. Your wife, your true mate, is pregnant with your child. She went through an ordeal—you both did—to get pregnant with that child. Happy is the correct reaction.”
“Kristar.”
“Happy. Is. The. Correct. Reaction.” She made him nod after each word. “If you don’t give me happy, I’m going to have Chigaru give you an ass whooping. Considering how much you two piss each other off, I’m thinking he’ll enjoy it.”
Melchior’s lips twitched as he fought against a smile.
“Happy.”
He sighed and then nodded. “Happy.”
“Say it and mean it damn it.”
“Happy is the correct reaction and I am happy.”
“Thank you.” She released his head and pointed at the door. “Once more with feeling, if you please.”
Melchior exited the closet. Kitty watched from the doorway as he crossed the room to a worried-looking Serenity. Their whispered words didn’t carry but Serenity’s joyful cry before she hugged Melchior tight was all Kitty needed to know everything was okay.
Chigaru crossed the room to her side. “I’m sorry.”
“About what?”
“The way I left last night.”
Kitty waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “Don’t worry about it, Chi. You’re her guard and you thought she was under attack. You did your job.”
With a finger under her chin, Chigaru turned Kitty so she met his gaze. “Once more with feeling.”
“You heard us?”
“Only because I used a spell to listen. I cannot help my jealousy, Kristar. You seem to be growing closer to Melchior. I don’t like it.”
“Good. That’s all the more reason for me to keep doing it.”
“Kristar.”
She sighed. “Fine. I was pissed but I got over it when I saw what happened so I could focus on Melchior. Happy now?”
“Yes.” He bent a laid a soft kiss on her lips. “I’m sorry, my love.”
“I want a thorough apology later.”
Chigaru grinned as he kissed her again. “I plan to give an apology that will last most of the night.”
“Then I better go take a nap. I don’t know about you, but I was up all night.” Kitty yawned behind her hand, fatigue catching up with her as the adrenaline wore off.
She let her gaze stray to Melchior and Serenity, who still hugged each other. Everything should settle down now. Serenity had a baby on the way, which meant her relationship with Melchior was back on track. That also meant Chigaru could focus on Kitty more and Serenity a lot less.
“Good,” Kitty whispered.
She and Chigaru eased past Melchior and Serenity and left the room. Theyn and Nym waited outside. Both nodded to Chigaru as he escorted Kitty back to their room. While she was too tired to at the moment, Kitty needed to start thinking about a baby of her own.
Excited butterflies and cold fear mingled in the pit of stomach. She ignored the fear and how much it reminded her of a nightmare she wanted to forget. Nothing but nerves. Major life changes came with fear. That’s how Kitty knew she was doing something important. She held to that thought as she smiled up at Chigaru. He returned her smile and squeezed her waist.
Soon there would be a life beneath his fingers. A life they created together. Kitty looked forward to that.
Chapter Thirteen
Kitty slipped her hand onto the crook of Melchior’s arm. He startled but didn’t pull away or correct her familiarity. They tended toward physical contact when behind closed doors, but refrained out in public because of the way the patrons of the palace liked to gossip. Kitty felt today should be the exception. It was Nilam’s fifth birthday in two days and the upcoming party had everyone in an upbeat mood.
King Alric, Serenity’s brother and the king of Cheslav, had come with his wife and his mother, Dowager Queen Rhiannon, to join in the celebration and as part of their yearly visit to Nexeu. As Kitty understood it, the yearly gathering represented another way to show the peace between humans and bhresyas thanks to Melchior and Serenity’s marriage.
The excitement of two months ago with Melchior’s mishap with Serenity had dissipated with only the Hell Hounds and Kitty knowing the truth behind Melchior’s hurried marriage to Nyeki. The woman had arrived the following morning ready and eager to become Melchior’s second wife, as Kitty had predicted.
Melchior had had to talk his advisors out of a lavish state wedding. Neither he nor Nyeki wanted one. The situation had been explained to her and she happily became Melchior’s outlet, but not so happy that Serenity felt threatened. The two women laughed over some joke as they walked arm in arm ahead of Kitty and Melchior.
“I’m glad they get along,” Kitty said, gesturing to Serenity and Nyeki.
“Thank you for that, Kristar.”
“You’re welcome.” She grinned up at him. “How’s the other issue?”
Melchior cleared his throat with a quick glance around. In a low voice he said, “I do not wish to discuss that topic in the open.”
“Fine then. Be a prude.” She poked his side and laughed at the way he grun
ted and swatted at her hand.
“I will say Serenity and I should have no issue conceiving a third child when she is ready.”
“Good to know.”
“And you?”
“And me what?”
“When shall Hell Hound Chigaru announce his impending fatherhood?”
Kitty’s good cheer deflated and she sighed.
“Kristar?”
“The flesh isn’t at fault. I asked Silny and Trent to be sure. There have been no other changes since they said it stopped for good. But…” she trailed off and caressed her stomach. Every time she thought about being pregnant nervousness mingled with the memory of sword slicing her stomach open and severing her spine. “I wish I could ask myself what is going on with me.” She laughed without humor. “An oracle cannot answer her own question.”
“If I could ask for you, I would. I’m sure Chigaru feels the same.”
“He would if I would talk to him about it.”
Melchior stopped walking and looked down at her. “You haven’t spoken of this with Chigaru?”
“I don’t want to worry him.” She grinned. “Besides, I’m having fun trying.”
He chuckled with a nod. “I cannot fault you for that.”
They started walking again. Kitty’s thoughts went in circles, trying to figure out what could be the problem. She was healthy, so was Chigaru. As she said, the flesh had stopped making changes and couldn’t be blamed. She and Chigaru tried hard almost every night. Hard enough that Kitty had to excuse herself from morning practice at times to recuperate and rest.
Kitty shook herself and pushed the thoughts aside. Fretting about it wouldn’t change anything. “Let’s talk about something.”
“What would you suggest? And do not say my sex life because that is not a topic I will address here.”
“I know. I know. How about history?”
“What about it?”
“Well, you told me about how you ended up with Serenity and Chigaru told me about the animosity between bhresyas and humans, but no one has told me about the original war that started it all. I mean, you do know about the original war, right? It’s not some abstract everyone vaguely remembers and you all are holding a grudge just because?”
“No, it is not an abstract. My people know the story of the first war well. Human memories might have faded, but not many generations have passed for us.”
“Yeah, that makes sense. You all live to be five or six hundred.”
“You as well since you are tied to Chigaru’s existence.”
“That’s still a little surreal for me. Once I hit eighty and still look thirty, then it’ll sink in I’m not aging and will live a really long time. I’m sure Serenity feels the same way.”
“I had not asked her.”
“Take my word for it then. So, how long ago was it for the bhresya?”
“My great-grandmother ruled the bhresya during the time of the first war—Queen Twylain.”
“Wow. That wasn’t long ago for you all.”
“No, it wasn’t. My grandfather had married his queen a few months before the incident that started the war.”
“And that was?”
“A betrayal of a trust. The bhresyas and humans lived in peace. The bhresyas taught humans their magic. We are born with magic. It is part of our being. Humans are not, thus they must be taught to harness it. Everyone traveled freely through the kingdoms, except Night Creature Forest which was newly formed.”
“Yeah, Trent told me they showed up unannounced and unexpected.”
“Gezane knew nothing of vampires or shape-shifters before King Ganon and his people appeared on this world. We don’t know where they came from and they have not offered an explanation.”
“Another alternate Gezane, but don’t get hung up on that. So everyone traveled freely and bhresyas taught humans magic. Who threw the first punch, as it were?”
“Cheslav.”
Kitty stopped walking and gaped at Melchior. “Serenity’s Cheslav? That Cheslav?”
“There is no other.”
“You married a princess from the kingdom that started the war?”
He nodded.
“No wonder everyone was so pissed about your marriage. Hell, some of them still are.”
“Yes, though more so because Serenity is my true bonded mate. Destiny.”
“I’ll say. Wow. Life really is stranger than fiction. But I interrupted. Keep going. Cheslav did something. What?”
Melchior got them walking again. “Cheslav, like Night Creature Forest, was a new kingdom. Two kingdoms merged through the marriage of their children to form the kingdom we now know as Cheslav. According to the customs of the era, Queen Twylain sent bhresya mages to Cheslav to act as ambassadors and to train the human court mages in their craft. A little over a decade later, Queen Damia accused Queen Twylain of conspiracy to usurp Cheslav’s power as well as attempting an assassination of Cheslav’s King Tarchon.
“Queen Twylain called her people back to Nexeu but not before many were imprisoned and some put to death. Angered families retaliated though my great-grandmother ordered they not act. Queen Damia took their attacks as a declaration of war. When Queen Damia called for allies, several of the human kingdoms joined the fighting. Bhresyas fled to Nexeu as all were treated as enemies and killed on sight.
“Queen Twylain entered the war to keep her people safe though she didn’t want to fight. The warring raged for three years with heavy casualties on both sides before Queen Damia’s murder by an unknown assassin brought the war to a standstill. The humans retained their animosity and the bhresyas felt they could no longer trust the humans. We’ve been at odds ever since.”
A dull ache in her stomach made Kitty pull Melchior to a stop beneath the shade of a large tree. Pounding had started in her head as Melchior recited his tale, but Kitty ignored it. She had skipped breakfast, thus hunger probably caused the headache. She couldn’t ignore the growing pain in her stomach, which reminded her of the night Silny impaled her with a sword.
Silny?
No, that wasn’t right. Kitty hadn’t seen the face of the person who had stabbed her. The assailant had been cloaked with his face hidden. Why had Silny’s name popped into Kitty’s head?
“Because she killed me!”
A woman screamed those words in an echoing cacophony. Kitty cried out from the pain of the noise and clutched her head as she dropped to her knees. She knew this feeling. Knowing it didn’t make her feel better when oblivion reached up and dragged her under.
* * * *
Chigaru maintained his distance, allowing Kitty and Melchior some privacy as she had insisted. He continued in his dislike of their new closeness. Serenity agreed though neither of them could deny the relationship when they shared the same.
Chigaru couldn’t discount how Kitty’s new friendship with Melchior had aided the royal couple. Melchior and Serenity separated when they became irritated with one another to speak to Kitty and Chigaru respectively. The conversations led to understanding and compromise and the royal couple was happy once more. At times, Nyeki had helped smooth things over without Chigaru but he remained Serenity’s first choice for council.
That didn’t help the present situation. Kitty stayed in Melchior’s company whether he had an issue with Serenity or not. Some palace gossips had named Kitty a secret concubine who pleased Melchior when neither Serenity nor Nyeki could. Kitty laughed off the rumors but Chigaru could find nothing funny about them.
The way she held Melchior’s arm as they walked would only add credence to the gossip. And yet Chigaru didn’t act to separate them because that too would make the rumors worse.
“You are grinding your teeth loud enough that I hear it, Chigaru,” Nym said with amusement.
He grunted.
“The more you show your annoyance, the more King Melchior encourages this close behavior. It is retribution for the years of jealousy he felt when you were with Serenity. You do know that, right?”
Nym chuckled and shook her head.
Chigaru started to tell her to keep her amusement to herself when Kitty cried out and dropped to her knees. He left Nym and rushed to Kitty’s side.
“Kristar?” Melchior crouched beside her and smoothed his hand over her back.
Kitty smacked his hand away. “Don’t touch me, demon. You spout your lies and then think you can lay hands on me. How dare you?”
“Kristar, what—”
“Get back, your majesty,” Chigaru said as he neared them. He hauled Melchior to his feet and shoved the male behind him. “That isn’t Kristar.”
Melchior looked from Kitty to Chigaru. “This has happened before?”
“Once before.” Chigaru stayed on his guard, ready for Kitty to disappear the way she had the last time. “Why have you taken control of Kitty this time?”
“Silence,” Kitty yelled. “Do not think you can speak to me because you are wed to her.” She raised her hands.
“No! Do not take her.” Chigaru reached out to stop the female, not sure how but willing to try.
“I said silence, demon.” Kitty punctuated her command with an outpouring of power, pushing away all those who had gathered around to witness the commotion. “I go nowhere. I tried to leave once and that hell-born female dragged me back. Now I find lies surround my memory. No more.” Her body glowed bright. “Silny, you have much to answer for. You will do so now.”
Chigaru had to shield his eyes and he wasn’t the only one. When she stopped glowing, Silny and Trent stood before her.
Silny appeared frazzled and exhausted as well as angry. “How dare you call me like this?”
“Confess your crime once and for all. I will not have you tarnishing my name to save your pride. Tell him.” Kitty pointed at Melchior. “Tell them all. I am human. They won’t believe me. They will believe you, the true originator of the first war.”
Kristar (Bookstrand Publishing Romance) Page 24
