Natural Beauty
Page 34
Daniel nodded, thinking the advice good—especially coming from someone who knew the red-eye so well.
Elakdon opened, and Alex looked up from his book. He then stood. “Nol…”
Daniel just winked at Alex, understanding why he couldn’t figure out the titles and when to address Daniel as Nol or King or just Daniel. Or Beaudon. Even Daniel was sometimes confused with the many names and titles.
“Do you need me?” Alex asked.
“I do,” Daniel said, coming to stand next to him so that he could see Kaydon, too. He was awake, but he didn’t look happy. Daniel wouldn’t either.
“With what, My King?”
Daniel turned to face Alex. “Upon arriving here with Kaydon, Elakdon asked you if you wanted to become an Incubus, right?”
“Yes.”
“Have you given it thought?”
Alex looked off in contemplation, and he looked nervous and a bit deflated. “I fear the stress from being back home with my parents has aged me somehow.”
Daniel cupped his face. “I just came from the cave. I had three hundred-twenty-one young humans collected to fill the ranks of Cubi. They are my Natural Beauties. You, Alex, are a natural beauty, but I don’t count you as collected since you came back to me, willingly. You get the choice because I respect you for the choice you made to come back. But I’d like you to be my first.”
Alex’s chin wobbled. “Will I…” He swallowed with difficulty. “Will I be my classification?”
“You can be whatever you want,” Elakdon said. “I have the strength to secure that, but I can’t change it later on.”
Alex’s hand came to his throat, and his finger caressed the edge of his collar. Daniel wondered about his attachment to it, until he saw that Alex’s finger was also touching his classification tats.
“Those will be removed. I asked a doctor, and we can do that,” Daniel said.
Alex smiled, still lost in thought. “Do you really find me beautiful enough to be a good addition to your people?”
“I think you’re hot as fuck, and I hope you say yes just because then I can feed on you, too.” Daniel bobbed his brows, and Alex blushed. He blushed! Daniel found him cute.
“Yes.” Alex looked up, his face flustered. “Thank you for this.”
Daniel couldn’t hide his excitement. “Yeah?”
Alex laughed, nodding vigorously. “Yeah.”
“Then let me ask you this before Elakdon and I take you to my bed and empower you to be a Cubi Mecla.” Daniel took Alex’s hands, glimpsing a proud smile and a glint of happiness in Kaydon’s eyes. “What will make you feel happy and like you add something valuable to the Cubi people. What would you like to do to feel valuable?”
Alex lit up. “When I decided I wanted to come back, I had one goal. I wanted to run your household.”
“Like a butler?”
“Sure, like a butler. I…I don’t know why, but I kept thinking that that would be a worthy thing to spend my time here doing.”
Daniel smiled. Maybe it was the reach of the slave mentality, and Alex really had been held back by a mentality that enslaved his mind, but he liked the idea, and he appreciated Alex’s loyalty and dedication.
“Then you will. I like that you chose that.” Daniel let go of one of Alex’s hands to put his hand on Kaydon’s uninjured hand. “Then you can stay close to your lover when he’s better and finds his place in the ranks of my Guard.”
Kaydon gasped, then whimpered. “Thank you, My King, thank you!”
“I will announce it to them tonight and let them know that they may come and feed you at their own pace.”
“Some already do,” Alex said. “Marcadon and Guard Lord Levidon are here often to help.”
Daniel chuckled. “I think you have my Fountain to thank for that. He did take quite the liking to you. Like father like son.”
Alex smiled, looking touched.
“Now. How about we let Kaydon rest and the three of us go empower you to my people? If you’ve decided who you want to feed on as an Incubus.”
Alex looked at Kaydon, and there was no doubt that Alex was still confused and uncertain about a lot of things, but something resembling peace fell over him as he stared at the burned Viking on the hospital bed.
“I’d like to be a pleaser of men. A top.”
“Uh,” Elakdon said, mischief dancing in his blue eyes. “That means we don’t need to get female feeders for you. You get to please two Kings for your first feeding as an Incubus.”
Alex gaped. Then a smile tugged. Finally, Daniel found what he’d hoped to see in his eyes—the realization that his life was about to change forever, and that he was optimistic about it.
Pride spread in Daniel as he watched Alex kiss Kaydon and leave the room to become an Incubus.
Author Bio
Meraki P. Lyhne is a Danish author who mainly writes contemporary paranormal and space opera MM and MMM, some with a HEA, some with a HFN, and some with white-knuckling cliffhangers.
To learn more:
www.merakiplyhne.com
Other books by
Meraki P. Lyhne
Chronicles of an Earned
Anchored in Stone #1
Two Sides of a Coin #2
Marked by Shadow #3
Saving Starfish #4
Blood of the Past #5
Gargoyle Rising #6
On a Breeze Through Denver #6.5 (Short story)
Seedlings of Lilith #7
Ore 5
Roughnecks & Butterflies
Ledgers & Rentboys
Published by www.eXtasyBooks.com