by Jaime Marks
Tightening his grip he stopped her and pulled her to her feet. Without a word her guided her to the bed and bent her forward, binding her arms to the posts. He ran his hands over her back and gorgeous globes pressing his fingers into the faint bruises and marks that were already fading from earlier. By morning they would be gone if he allowed it. There was something about seeing his marks on her delicate skin that pleased him, fed some need to own her completely after having lost her for so long.
Picking up her whip from his the desk where he had laid it when he entered he stepped back from her. He had not returned it after the Challenge and they both knew the reasons. Holding her weapons ensured she would retire as he commanded, otherwise she often felt the need to attend to just a few more things before she complied. It also let her know what was coming and he enjoyed the anxiousness and anxiety that built in her. He enjoyed how it wielded that control over her letting her know that she was his and he would do as he saw fit to care for her. It set them both into the right frame of mind for this.
“My marks should be the only marks you wear, girl,” Kato stated firmly. “You are more than adept in battle and a fool such as Kevyrn does not have the prowess to wound you. I allow you to continue with your rank and positions because I understand that the warrior in you needs this, but in turn I expect you to defend and care for yourself, protecting what is mine.”
She did not reply. It was not her place in that moment. They both knew and understood the truth of the wound and in this case there had been hardly any risk in allowing it. It was something he understood, but while it may have amused him in the moment and he knew she needed this, in a real battle such foolishness could cost her dearly.
He lashed out with hard solid lashes, careful to avoid the side where she had been hit. He layered them, crossing them as he raised welts in her skin. Little whimpers began to tremble from her lips as he painted his possession over her back and ass. He savored in it knowing she was close to letting go. Relentlessly his assault continued until finally her cry rang out echoing in their chambers. Laying five more lashes he pulled back and wrapped the whip up setting it side.
Kato walked to the bed and gently ran his fingers over her ass and back. The welts would fade soon, he had not broken skin and the Fae healed at a rapid rate. She would feel it for a day but by tomorrow eve the welts would be nothing more than a memory. He never left lasting damage and never truly harmed her. She was his mate, he cherished her, loved her. If this was something she needed he would give it to her and it fed some primal need in him.
In the forests, animals tended to their mates, caring for them, disciplining them under the order of their pack or their species. When they claimed a mate they possessed them fully, making them theirs in every way. In this he was no different. He needed to own her in such a way, to know she was his and nothing would take her from him again. More so however, she needed to feel that level of possession. It was something she was used to, craved. He did not care if it was considered more Dark than Light, it was a primal need and he would feed it in them both.
His fingers caressed over her round globes and down her thighs coming back up so close to her heat but he waited. “You please me greatly my girl,” he murmured leaning down to kiss along her spine. “Such grace and discipline to endure my wrath.”
She moaned arching into his touch as his fingers grazed so close to where she wanted him but still he teased her. He held her bound and pinned, she would have her pleasure but when he allowed it and not a moment before.
“Please,” she gasped, “touch me Kato. I need you.”
He chuckled tauntingly but he knew there was more he needed to address this eve than just her carelessness in her Challenge. “No, I rather like when you are writhing with need and I do not believe that you have earned it yet. Tell me, why were you so burdened this eve?”
“I…” She moaned as he traced just outside her delicate skin. “I should have seen it.”
He pulled his hand back and cracked her ass hard enough to make her hiss from the sting on her already sensitive skin. “You cannot foresee ever plan and plot that the Shade set in motion, Demytria.”
“I…know,” she gasped as he caressed her. “I should have seen this though.”
He smacked her other cheek smiling as she cried out half moaning with need. “You did what was required of you, protected all you could and all are safe and well. You must let it go.” Emphasizing his words he laid three more strikes, alternating between her gorgeous globes so as not to make the pain too strong.
“But…I knew. I knew there was something off,” she stuttered shaking her head. “Those unawakened…Wytheryn looks…acts too much like Brood. I knew.”
Kato cracked her again. “Stop. We all knew there was something off about Wytheryn, even Cymeryn noticed, but we could not have foresaw the Brood working with Alayne and the Priests. It is something even Cymeryn did not anticipate. Your sire knows the world of the Shade every bit as well as you, girl. If he did not see this you cannot blame yourself so harshly for not seeing it either.” As he spoke he spanked her repeatedly keeping her where he wanted her. “John was chained in the dungeon. Those boys were all sensed and interviewed by Byryn himself. They were being watched. We did not know there was a passageway in their room or that they knew the layout of the hidden passages. It is something that will allow us to be better prepared going forward.”
He stopped caressing her again as she pressed back into his touch. “Who do you belong to, girl?”
“I am yours love…only yours.”
He smiled soothing her lovingly. “Do I allow you to shirk responsibility? Do I let you to misstep or behave foolishly without repercussion?”
“No, love, never,” she breathed slowly losing herself to him. The tension had all bled from her body and she soaked up every touch, every caress he gave.
“No, I do not,” he asserted. “I would not absolve you of this if you had miscalculated. Foolish mistakes can cost lives, and yours is precious to me above all others. You stand in defense of all who make their lives here. I would not ignore this if you could have prevented it, Demytria, but you could not. This was not foolishness. This was a cunning and well planned attack that should be respected and learnt from.” He kissed her back softly. “Say it. I want to hear that you understand.”
“I…I am sorry, love. It…it wasn’t my fault.” A tear streamed down her cheek. “I…I do not mean to burden you.”
He sighed wiping the tear from her cheek. “You are never a burden, girl. You are my everything, so beautiful and fragile yet so fierce and cunning. You are mine, all of you, and I enjoy caring for you.” He pressed into the welts on her ass as she moaned and slid his hand lower. “I enjoy your cries and moans, your pleasure and in this way your pain, but I would never truly harm you, girl. I will teach you and guide you, break you when you need it and raise you up from your sorrow, but I will always cherish and love you. I enjoy all of you, girl. Do you enjoy how I own you? How thoroughly I possess you?”
He bit back his groan as his fingers slid through her slick folds. She was so ready for him, her arousal now dripping down her legs as he teased her.
“Yes love, please, I’m yours,” she moaned pressing back into his touch as much as he would allow.
His restraint was close to snapping, his erection literally throbbing with need against her thigh as he slid two of her fingers into her core and slid his other hand around the front of her seeking out that tight swollen nub that would make her soar for him. She moaned loudly begging and pleading as he worked her pleasure, taking her higher but not permitting her release. He felt her core spasm slightly and knew she was moments from losing this battle, but he had punished her enough for one eve. Now he wanted only to enjoy her.
“You are mine, girl. Take your pleasure. Come for me,” he breathed leaning close to her ear relishing in her expressions of pure unadulterated bliss.
Her whole body spasmed with release as her orgasm peaked, her juic
es soaking his hands as the dam broke. Pulling back he gripped her hips and positioned himself at her core, waiting a moment for her to drift back from the haze just enough. When she glanced over her shoulder at him he thrust deeply into her, groaning as she clenched tightly around him. She cried out in ecstasy and he took his pleasure savoring in her as their essence merged as one. There was nothing that had ever completed him in the way she did. He gave himself over to their connection completely and lost himself in her. The spike of his pleasure surged through him and he thrust in deeply spilling his seed deep into her womb.
Slowly he pulled himself up and unbound her. With tender hands he caressed her as he cooed murmurs of love and devotion to his sweet, precious girl. When he had found her in the Forest of Light that first day, lost and scared he had become enamored with her. She was beautiful, radiant and fragile and he knew somewhere in his core that she was his. Just her presence had spoken to something deep in his soul. That had been the first time he had called her girl.
As he laid them down on the bed and pulled her into his embrace he smiled at the memory of how he had startled her that day, dropping down beside her from the branch of the tree where he had sat admiring her. He had seen her before of course. She was Grifyn’s kin and he could sense the blood of his friend’s lineage easily, but he had never seen her as she was that day, a female of beauty and grace.
He had spent the noon with her and then walked her home bearing Grifyn’s curious scrutiny about why he had been in his sister’s company. The truth was an easy enough mask but they had all known there was more between he and Demytria than assisting a girl home from the forest where she had gotten lost. She had blushed so beautifully as he threaded a lose strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek, cautioning her to be more careful in the forest.
Grifyn had not been pleased to say the least but it had made no difference to him. From the moment he laid eyes upon her she was his. It was instinctual, her essence called to him like scent called to the beasts of the jungle, reeling them in, and drawing them to their mate. He had known from that first moment that he would fight for the right to claim her and he had fought long and hard to prove himself so worthy.
He sighed thinking of it all as she nestled closer, slowly drifting to sleep. The months following that day had been a continuous struggle but he had never wavered. He courted her despite both Grifyn and her Father’s disapproval. The Fae of the Forest were human born. He had not been raised in the Realm of Light but in the colonies.
He was actually older than the others by about two decades. He had met Marcus, Mythos and Grifyn the day after his awakening in the Forest of Light. It had been a difficult adjustment for him, beginning his new life. His awakening had taken him young. They claimed it was the stress of losing his Mother. She had been ill and died the day before. It was unheard of at the time and he had been ill prepared as had his Father. It had allowed him much leeway to form the friendships that he had with the others but it had left him unprepared for the scrutiny he had faced due to his heritage.
When his Father had presented him to Cerulyion for training upon completion of his mentorship Grifyion had made sure that his training was grueling and difficult but he never faltered and despite the punishments he endured never wavered from his pursuit of her. In doing so he had gained the respect of most of the Cerulyions but Grifyion would not be swayed.
It did not matter how he fought, what he gave up, Grifyion simply refused to accept his decrees that Demytria was his mate, stating that only pure Fae could form such bonds and he would not allow him to taint her lines. When she had begun to show signs that she was awakening he had asked her what she wanted, explained to her that her Father would never allow it and if she wished him to leave he would release her but only if that was her desire. Instead of turning him away she told him that she loved him, only him and that she would follow him to the end of the realms for she could never love another.
That eve she had argued fiercely for him, begged her Father but he was so hung up on his human ancestry that he would not permit their union. The stress of it all had pushed her awakening to the surface and they had run, fled to the human realm that eve. He had taken her to his Mother’s home and made her his despite the laws and risks. By morn they were irrevocably bound and so in love that they thought nothing could ever separate them. They knew the world of the Fae would catch up to them eventually but they were determined to avoid it as long as possible. It was a foolishness that had nearly seen them both killed at the hands of the Shade.
If not for Grifyion finding them when he did, Kato would be dead and he shuddered to think what could have become of Demytria. Cymeryn claiming her had been brutal, but he had never treated her as a slave in the way that many others would have. They would have made her little more than a whore and it was something to this day that he was grateful that she had not endured the full brunt of.
The only positive of the entire experience had been that it had opened Grifyion’s eyes to the love they shared and the Fae had in turn allowed them to learn of the reasoning for his fears. He had taken Kato and Demytria to meet Maddy and her mother that eve, explaining how his blood was dormant in them. The human born of his line had never awakened and they risked constant discovery. Grifyion could not be close for the risk his presence brought, but he could not leave them be either for it would leave them unprotected and other dormant lines had suffered terrible fates. It was a fate and a pain he did not wish his daughter to endure.
They had found a common ground, Kato vowing that he would always protect Demytria and be ever at her side. If such a fate befell their young he would make their life amongst humanity and never allow them to be separate. Grifyion found some manner within himself to accept it and they had been able to move beyond it all.
He and Demytria returned with her Father to the Realm of Light and had bound as one within a few days. They had lived many happy years together. Never had he been so at peace, so content. It was a feeling that he had never dreamed and he savored in it each and every day. Demytria had always been a revelation to him but once they were bound afore the Divine he had truly known perfection.
When he had lost her an empty hole in his very soul had threatened to pull him under and the only saving grace, the only thing that had kept him going was that he fought to reclaim her. He had never admitted it to any save her, but he had allowed the Darkness to take root that day. It was necessary and made him a better Praetor. In order to fight the Shade, to understand them, in order to get his mate back, he had needed to become more like them. He had never lost himself in it, never given himself over fully, but if it was what was needed to have Demytria back in his arms he would have given himself to her completely. The only thing that had saved them both was the hope of Redemption.
They had come so far, fought so many wars since that first day in the Forest of Light. Their love was one of lasting endurance that had been grown from the roots of a plant condemned in stone rather than soil and yet still they thrived. They were each other’s sustenance, the Light one another needed to survive. They were the comfort they sought and the strength that they needed. They fed one another, each complementing the other perfectly. He cared not what the world outside their door thought, they would show them the picture they needed to see, but she was his and he hers. As he held her tightly he knew, come what may, he would fight for her. It did not matter if it was against the Shade or the demons that clouded her mind, she was his to care for and defend and he would love and cherish her with everything he was until the day the Divine saw fit to extinguish his Light.
Chapter 17
Byryn held Staryana close as they made rounds the following morning. It was the calm before the storm and he intended to prolong it for as long as possible. The feast last night had gone surprisingly well. He and Kyle managed to get along the entire time. He hadn’t tried to approach Staryana, only spoke to her from where he sat, didn’t try to touch her. Hell, they’d even joked and laughed a bit
which was a shock. Cymeryn was right, they were a lot alike.
Aside from arguing with him or kicking his ass, he’d never really taken the time to talk to the guy. Really he wasn’t that bad, which was probably a good thing considering they were irreversibly linked. Kyle still didn’t know the depth of their connection but they would have to address it eventually. He could feel the bond between them slowly strengthening. The Healer had explained that it wouldn’t set in right away. It would take a while for his blood and Kyle’s to fully integrate from the transfusion but he was already picking up on some of his thoughts and emotions. Byryn would have to guard his own until they could talk all this through but he wanted to give him a couple days to get used to them not being enemies. There was a lot of bad blood and distrust to overcome and thrusting this on him wasn’t going to help with that. They were family now, maybe even more and after today it would be easier to make this transition.
Cymeryn intended to Claim Kyle tonight when Marcus Claimed Staryana. Really he didn’t have a problem with it now. His only concern was Steph. He hadn’t even had a chance to see her this morning. They’d all kind of separated into small groups for meal today in an attempt to avoid any extra headaches. Mythos and Steph had a private meal alone, as had Devyn and Felycia but that was a topic he was trying to avoid. His Dad, Mom, Demytria and Kato had dined together apparently celebrating some duel his aunt had fought. Hopefully that would solve some of the grief that she got from the other Guardians. He’d had to put a couple of them in their place more than once. He and Staryana had joined her Mom, Dads, and brother. They figured there’d be enough arguments over the banquet and Bondings later that it was best to put off any conflicts until they were ready to deal with it. Now they were just checking on the unawakened and spending time together.
“Do you think we need to worry about any more attacks like yesterday?”
“No, baby. Most of these kids are pretty cool. There are a couple that I’m watching but for the most part I know them. Wytheryn, Tyson and Luke came in new just a couple days ago. It was obviously a set up and I knew something was off. I should’ve put them on stronger restriction but I didn’t really have any reason to.”
