by Gayle Riley
The fate of the kingdom rests on my shoulders, Linnea thought to herself. What am I going to do?
Chapter 2
Cavan jumped out of his chair. “Father! You can’t put Linnea through that! I’ve heard about these men from the north! They share a woman, they don’t have actual wives!”
Linnea winced at her brother’s words. She was still a virgin and thoughts of sex with a man often made her anxious. Two men at the same time made her feel like she was going to faint.
“It is true,” Richard Hawke explained. “My sons were both conceived by a woman that my brother and I shared. Our ways are not conventional, but it is what the Family Hawke has done since ancient times. We believe that relationships don’t need to have boundaries or titles.”
“Then will you be putting your hands on my sister as well?” Cavan demanded.
Linnea’s father urged her brother to calm down, reminding him someday he would be much happier to have an ally than to have made an enemy. She grasped onto Cavan’s hand tightly when he dropped roughly into his chair. The Hawkes’ might have looked like people from Laurelasa, but they were barbarians on the inside.
“Please do not worry, young prince. I am perfectly happy with my companion and queen. I am too old to sire another son anyhow.” Then he turned back to Linnea’s father. “She will be well taken care of. I can assure that any traditional marriage would not provide her with the power or happiness that she will find with Brendan and Carter. Plus, I will remind you of the benefits that it has for you and your people.”
Linnea noticed the dark-haired man look at her again when his name was mentioned. So he was a prince too. She bounced her eyes between the brothers and noticed that they had similar features, but were incredibly different in how they held themselves. The crown prince was right in the thick of things, while the other stood back and took everything in.
She always knew that she was going to be married off to someone of her father’s choosing, but she still felt the shock course through her when her father agreed so easily. She knew he had his reasons— that making this deal would be easier than going to war. The people would be at ease now that their lives wouldn’t really change. There would be a king in charge of their king, but they would otherwise be free. Everyone won but Linnea.
“A wise choice, my friend,” Richard Hawke answered. “We will begin the changes shortly. We would like to have the princess come back with us immediately. We can send for her things and other maidens once we return home.”
Linnea couldn’t believe how fast things were moving. Typically, there were wedding plans made and a large ceremony before the girl was sent off to her new kingdom. Seeing as how members of the Family Hawke didn’t marry and fraternized with one another, there was no need for all of those preparations.
“I suppose that would be best,” her father agreed and once more, her older brother was outraged.
“You’re just going to give her over to them. What about mother? What about Lyra!?” Lyra was their thirteen-year-old sister who had remained behind.
Linnea’s father looked sad, but knew there was no other choice. “I do what I must, my children.
The meeting of clans began to disband, and the people from Laurelasa began to collect what few things that belonged to Linnea and move them into the Hawke Family tents. Her handmaiden, Penina, looked just as shocked as Linnea as she was escorted away too. All that was left were the goodbyes.
“I love you my sweet daughter and I hope you don’t hate me for what I’ve done.”
Linnea tried to keep strong as she told her father, “I know I am helping you and my people.”
“That’s my brave girl,” he said before he hugged her and assured that her mother and Lyra would visit as soon as they could.
She had saved Cavan for last. Since there were only two years between them, they had been very close growing up. She hugged him tightly, probably longer than she needed to because tears were beginning to blind her vision.
“Will I ever see you again?” she asked.
“I promise you,” he assured. “You will come back to Laurelasa Castle and we will come to you.”
Linnea smiled up at him, feeling more confident than before. “Write me. It will keep me sane.”
Cavan agreed and he promised to make sure she was sent things that would remind her of home. Then he tried to be hopeful. “Maybe it won’t be so bad. Maybe they’ll be so busy, they’ll barely come around.”
Linnea tried to agree, but as she watch both princes watching her from the edge of their camp, she had a feeling that wouldn’t be the case.
***
Linnea’s initiation into the Hawke Family happened that night. In the middle of what was formerly ‘no man’s land’, they lit three fires, and she stood in the middle of them waiting for what would happen next. She nearly gasped when Richard Hawke approached with a huge hawk on his shoulder. The fire made the creature look like it was made of gold. His sons walked behind him, followed by the rest of his followers. Linnea had wished that her family had stayed, but they were long gone on their way back to Laurelasa. Her handmaiden looked on at the shadows and looking as though she was scared out of her mind.
“Oh powerful bird of prey, oh name sake of this glorious family. We offer you this new being to do your will, to create more members of our adored family, and who will one day be your sacred queen.”
As if the bird understood what Linnea’s purpose was, it hopped off Richard Hawke’s arm and landed on her own. Linnea tried not to freak out when its sharp talons cut into her bare arm because she didn’t want the creature to peck her eyes out or make the Family Hawke believe that she had created a bad omen. She gritted her teeth and looked into the majestic bird’s eyes as she thought to herself, please let me get through this is one piece.
“Let him fly,” Richard Hawke urged.
Linnea studied the bird for a few more seconds before she raised her arm skyward and the bird opened its large wings and flew off. She saw the beads of blood forming where the hawk had grasped with his talons and she could feel the sting that came along with it.
“Come with me to get that cleaned up,” Brendan the crown prince said. Everyone murmured among themselves as he led her toward a smaller tent, and Leanna found herself getting nervous.
“Why do they whisper like that?”
“Have you ever heard the expression that boys will be boys?” Even in the moonlight she could see the handsome man’s smirk. “They know what is inevitably to come. Yes I am going to dress the wound the great hawk gave you, but I’m the crown prince. I get to lie with you first.”
“Well, at least we’re not making this awkward by trying to be subtle about it,” Leanna said full of sarcasm. Luckily the crown prince took it in stride as he opened the tent flap for her and led her inside.
It was smaller than the room the families had their meeting in, but it was still nicer than what she expected. There was a bed made of mats and furs and a few other trunks of supplies where he had a map of what must have been his kingdom and nearby provinces of other rulers. She recognized the shape of Laurelasa even in the near darkness. The flower their kingdom was named for depicted in blob of white.
“Come here,” he said. He poured some water from a canteen onto a cloth and wiped the blood from her arm before he found a container of green paste that he rubbed over the wound and wrapped in a bandage. It smelled like herbs and she could feel the skin tingle under the gauze. “You’ll have a scar, but don’t worry we all do.” He pushed up his sleeve to show her six similar looking scars curled around his forearm. “When you are born in the family, the ritual happens when you’re thirteen.”
Linnea looked at the man. He might have been a few years older than Cavan, it was hard to tell with the beard. He was confident and, though she should have been afraid for what her life was about to become, she found herself not afraid of the him. She looked over at the strange bed made of furs and took a deep breath.
“I’m a v
irgin.”
Brendan smiled at her, putting his palm against her cheek. “That’s okay. I promise I will make you as comfortable as I can.”
He delicately helped her out of her cloak and gown before he told her to lie on the bed. Linnea felt very aware of herself, her ivory skin feeling cold in the night air, and the fur from the bed feeling luxurious underneath her. She watched as the crown prince removed his various layers before he stood before her, hand on his manhood, looking her over with approval.
“I said it when you arrived and I will continue to say it. You are beautiful, like a goddess.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, not knowing what else to say.
He crawled onto the furs and lay beside her. Linnea braced herself for him to be rough and forceful, but he was so cautious. He ran his fingers through her hair before he kissed her tenderly. It wasn’t long before she was letting down her guard and kissing him back, running her hands over his broad shoulders and arms. She worried about the pain, but she was not afraid of the man who eventually made his way to lie on top of her.
Linnea didn’t know what surprised her more. The fact that when he finally entered her that it did not hurt as bad as everyone said it was going to, or the fact that she found herself enjoying it after he began to fall into a rhythm of thrusting. It seemed the faster and harder that he pumped his cock in and out of her, the better she felt. She found it harder and harder to hold back moans and noises of pleasure so that she eventually stopped trying to be refined and let her instincts take over. Just when she didn’t think it could get any better, her muscles began to tighten until a sensation rocked through her body, and she was grabbing onto Brendan for fear that the feeling would go away. This seemed to excite him even more because he was soon screaming and falling down on top of her. Then it was over, nothing left but their gasping breaths.
Linnea felt tingly and tired as Brendan rolled off of her and propped himself up on one of his elbows. He kissed her tenderly before he said, “That was great and it was only your first time. If you get more experienced you may be the death of me.” He kissed her again. “I hope it was good for you too.”
Linnea nodded, surprised at the course of events that led her to this moment and even more surprised that she wasn’t feeling revolted or scared. “It was better than I could have imagined.”
Brenden pulled her flush with his body, wrapping her arm around her stomach. “Welcome to the family,” he whispered in her ear.
Chapter 3
The following morning, the camp was packed up so that they could head back to the Family Hawke’s palace. The men were busy with preparations. Linnea and her handmaiden ate their breakfast in peace.
“My lady,” Penina hissed over her tea, “are you feeling okay? What was it like?” The maiden was a year older than Linnea and still a virgin herself.
“It was not what I expected at all,” Linnea admitted. “Everything I ever heard about the Family Hawke made them sound like wild heathens. The crown prince was very kind and gentle. He even made it pleasurable for me.” The sex from the previous evening played over and over in her mind and it made her body ache with want.
“Do you think the other prince will be as kind?” Penina asked. “It seems he’s always brooding.”
Linnea looked up to see the younger brother walking across the clearing with several bags of supplies. His dark eyes took her in and Linnea smiled at him, not having said a word to him yet. She vowed that she would talk to him on their journey. To make this unconventional situation work, she figured the more comfortable she was, the better. “I don’t know,” Linnea answered, “but I’m going to find out.”
When everything was loaded up, they asked if she wanted to ride with her handmaiden in one to the wagons and she insisted that she’d rather ride her horse. As soon as the group was on their way and Brendan was busy riding up by his father, Leanna made her way to the younger prince.
“Your horse is beautiful,” she said. It wasn’t a hard compliment to make, the dapple-gray horse was handsome just like its rider.
“Thank you,” he replied, much more subdued than his older brother.
“It’s Carter, right?” she asked. Linnea had heard his father call him that name but she wanted to be sure. When he nodded, she added, “I’m Linnea.”
“I know who you are,” he replied. “Our fathers have been talking for weeks. I heard all about the red-haired beauty from Laurelasa.”
The young man’s response shocked Linnea. She knew about the Family Hawke she knew about how they were taking over empire after empire, but she did not know anything about the individuals that were members of the family. Had this strange arrangement been on the table for longer than their meeting the previous day. Is that why her father had wanted her to come along. Linnea didn’t know what to think.
“Don’t let that upset you,” Carter urged. “We are all merely game pieces in our fathers’ and ultimately, our higher powers’ greater plan.”
It was then that Linnea realized that she and Carter had a lot in common. They were both second born. Laurelasa would belong to Cavan one day, just as the Family Hawke would be passed to Brendan when his father could no longer rule. In a typical situation, Carter might have been married to an eldest daughter. She would not be able to rule officially because she was a woman, and she would be his queen. This was not how the Family Hawke worked though. Instead he would be used in other ways. To help produce heirs and future Hawkes. Perhaps he would be Brendan’s chief advisor. But there was no throne for him.
“It’s a lot to take in,” Linnea admitted. “But I’m doing better than I thought I would.”
They spent the remainder of their journey talking about Carter’s home, Hawke’s castle that was called Hawke’s Nest. He explained that it was high on a mountain and that it was cold and snowy most of the year. Linnea thought back to how Laurelasa was often in bloom except for a month or two out of the year. She already felt cold and they weren’t even there yet.
***
They made their camp for the night, and after a hot meal, Linnea found herself feeling nervous. She knew that this would be the night that she would have to go off with Carter. After what she’d done with Brendan last night, she knew what to expect, but something still made her heart race. Carter was different. Carter wasn’t the happy go lucky loyal assistant to his father. He could feel that he was bitter, that he wasn’t exactly falling for all these old traditions that his family had done for generations. She wondered if Carter had been born first and Brendan second if their roles would have been reversed.
Carter sat on the outer edge of the group as always. Linnea crept up to him and tried to smile when his dark eyes found hers. “I believe it’s your night.”
“I always figured Brendan would get you first and I’d get the leftovers, maybe after you gave him a child.”
Linnea tried to keep her composure strong. “If I am a member of the Family Hawke now, I’d like for things to be fair.”
Carter studied her with interest. “Oh really?”
Linnea nodded and before she could say another word, before Brendan or anyone else could make a protest, he was grasping her hand and pulling her toward another tent. A tent was smaller than even his older brother’s, but it was still large enough to provide a space for what they were about to do. She noticed a single trunk in the corner and a smaller but still fur covered bedroll. Carter spun her around and smashed his lips against hers and Linnea found herself gasping as he held her tightly against him.
She had a feeling this was going to be very different from her night with Brendan.
While he wasn’t so rough, it was painful and scary. He pushed her onto the bed and made her sit on her knees while he pulled down his pants. An erect, angry looking cock snapped to attention and he brought it over to her so that she was eye level with it.
“I heard you were a virgin,” he said. “Until last night.” When Linnea nodded, he asked, “Do you know how do other things to a man?”
Linnea shook her head. She would never have wanted to do anything that would mark her reputation or make her father look bad. Now that didn’t matter.
Carter told her what he desired. At first Linnea looked up at him with wide eyes. People did that to each other? They really pleasured a man with their mouth? Linnea knew she couldn’t refuse him and figured that she had nothing to lose. She wrapped her lips around his member and used her tongue to draw circles around it. When he responded, it gave her encouragement to continue. She took his cock deeper into her mouth and was close to her throat. Then she released him before she would suck him again. Each time Carter hissed and swore so she’d bob faster and take more of him into her mouth that before she knew it, she had so much of him in her that he was going down her throat.
Just when she was starting to feel confident, Carter had her stop going down on him and told her to get on her hands and knees facing away from him. She gasped when he pulled up the layers of her skirts so that they lay on her shoulders and pushed her down so that her head touched the furs on the bed.
“Tell me if I hurt you,” he urged. “But I will not be gentle.” Then he entered her womanhood and began to pump into her with such a force that it bordered on pounding.
Linnea felt that same amazing feeling almost immediately and she grabbed onto the blankets tightly when she tipped over the edge and screamed out in pleasure. Carter swore as he continued to make love to her through her orgasm. She arched her back and screamed again when Carter slapped her on her bottom. She hadn’t been expecting it and felt the sting but she didn’t want him to stop. In fact, it spurred her on. She tried to counter what he was doing, meeting for every thrust.
The tempo quickened and Linnea lost herself again when he reached between her legs and touched her in a way that Brendan had not. She screamed nonsense and she knew that if anyone hadn’t known where she and Carter had gone, it would have been obvious by her shrieks of pleasure. Soon enough, Carter was groaning louder and louder until he bucked his hips and grabbed onto her own tightly, finishing inside of her. Linnea was sweaty and spent, but she rose onto her knees and turned around anyway, kissing Carter through heaving breaths. Carter looked equally as disheveled, his dark locks a mess, and his face red from effort.
