Blood of the Infinity War (Afterlife saga Book 8)

by Stephanie Hudson

  For the last place they were to be found was in my harem, or what my sweet one had named, ‘a hall full of beauties’. Although I must confess, my favourite yet spoken from her lips… ‘Happy little virgins waiting to be plucked by their King’. I had very nearly found a fist in my mouth just to stop myself from laughing at her. She was the funniest person I had ever encountered and I found myself captivated by her unusual behaviour at such things. And looking down at the beauty in my grasp, it was proven that now was no different.

  I must have looked as though I had lost my senses when she had playfully challenged me, adding to this a cute little growl and a naughty lick of my nose, like some unruly pet of mine. Mmm, my Demon certainly liked the idea of that and I had to agree to the appeal of it myself. Now if I could only get away with placing a gold collar around her neck with a chain attached, one that would forever be wrapped firmly around my fist. Even for me, that was a barbaric thought indeed, but one it seemed wouldn’t leave me, and the heavy weight of my cock was testament to that.

  So, with the hard task of putting these fantasies aside for now, I contented myself with the delicious sight in front of me, just begging to be tortured and I knew just how to accomplish such a mission. But like any good King, I gave her a warning, one she could be ready for.

  “You want to see something funny, my little captive?” I told her, leaning down close, to whisper the rest of my sentence…

  “I will show you something funny.” And as I thought it would be, it was worth every word spoken, for the reaction she granted me was another unveiling of a piece of her soul. Her beautiful eyes widened in surprise reminding me of staring into that of a blue moon on nights spent in solitude upon my private roof terrace. No one was permitted to enter that space and unless you had the wings of my kind, then a mortal would have to be out of their wits to try and climb it. Of course, my own kind would not dare try as their fear of my wrath outweighed that of their curiosity. But now, with this sweet soul captured in my hands, then I must confess to finding myself eager to share it with her, as I had with no other.

  But not yet, for I needed to be satisfied that my little lamb was telling me the truth of how she came to be in my grasp. For even though I did not doubt her feelings for me, as she gave so much of herself away freely, that my annoyance at not being able to read her mind rarely vexed me. But this wasn’t my main concern. What was, however, was why she would feel the need to lie in the first place about where she came from?

  I must confess my main fear in all these mysteries, was that whatever it maybe, it would only result in her trying to leave. For this I had naturally taken the necessary precautions and in doing so, she would find it a rare occurrence not being by my side for the foreseeable future. I tried to tell myself that this was my only reason for such possessive behaviour but in truth, I found the thought of being without her a cruel and painful notion. One I could not bear thinking about unless I had need to call forth my Demon’s rage. A Demon that was living both close to the edge and biting at my vessel’s surface since our little lamb had stepped into my blade.

  At first, I battled these feelings like no other could claim. I knew what was right by my people but I was ready to damn it all to Hell just to have her and make her mine, Fates be sacrificed. But when I then found her to be my Electus, something I’d suspected all along but with little understanding as to why, I knew the true meaning of this. I knew of the rare gift bestowed and it was one such that I would not be foolish enough to let slip through my fingers and out of my sight.

  Which was why my rash and impulsive actions had contradicted my past decisions when it came to the women in my harem. But this little lamb was different and had been from the start. I almost smirked thinking back to our first meeting and how she had handled the experience.

  I knew from the very first moment I saw her that she was not as the rest. The way she tried to look nervously down at my blade, her hands trembling at her sides and large eyes looking at me as though she knew me. Yet despite all her fears, she still held her head high as though in that single moment in time, she knew that if she were to find death that day, then she would welcome it by my hand.

  I believe my fascination with her stemmed solely from that point alone and quickly grew out of control, as though each branch was wrapping around my heart and pulling me under her spell. I confess, it even crossed my mind that sorcery was involved and had me questioning my sanity as to how this could have happened so fast. Which is one of my reasons for teasing her as such, another reaction I enjoyed greatly.

  But then she spoke my name and I knew I was lost, in both her eyes and her luring voice. After that my blade had simply remained at her throat, no longer a threat to her life, but only as a means at keeping her still and from running from me. Pushing back her hood and finally revealing the beauty I knew I would find, was near blinding and a proven reason why I never allowed pale, golden haired beauties in my harem. The day I received word from the Oracle of Delphi telling me of the gift the Gods would bestow on me, the only vision given was whispers from above of the Golden Fleece that would follow her every step. I never understood it fully, knowing this could also mean so many things.

  It was in fact, my own sister who had first given me the notion that it was most likely in reference to her hair. An idea that quickly seeped into obsession and it took me all but half a day to make the decision to have all golden-haired girls removed from the palace. And once I saw her, I knew I had been right in doing so, and the smug look I gave her was most likely taken for amusement at seeing her flinch when I touched her. Of course, when I had caught sight of her injuries, I quickly had to bite back the rage, watching her swallowing hard and making me fearful of the blade I still held at her slim, pale neck.

  Asking her name was spoken as such that it was certain to cast doubt in her mind as to my intentions. But she would soon find that my actions towards her would be far from harmful, for I was already looking for the reasons I could have her taken to my room. A private space so that this meeting was not being witnessed by my mortal court and I could finally get this damaged little lamb of mine…alone.

  But this moment was stolen from me by that fat, pompous mortal Narseh, one I had witnessed who had caused the whole scene by his arrogant ego. To speak the truth, finding the first action committed by my Electus was her striking a man with enough force to bloody his face… well then, I shouldn’t have been surprised. No, not given her nature, she would need to be with a King of my world, along with one of her own. The only thing that kept my wrath firmly under a horse’s hoof, was that I didn’t want to scare her with witnessing blood spilt by my blade so soon.

  So instead, I used the opportunity to ease her fears by condemning the man who caused her current dilemma, letting her know indirectly, who I thought was rightly to blame. I will never forget her next words spoken to me, trying to prompt from me what her next move should be. It was the first time I had wanted to burst into laughter around her and the delightful knowledge was utterly heart-warming.

  However, instead of divulging in the pleasure of continually teasing her, I put her worried little mind out of discomfort by whispering my reply to her. But even in this I was not to be disappointed as once again, she needed my guidance in something as simple as speaking his name.

  Well I knew in this moment two things, one, she was clearly not of this land and the second was the strange urge to not only protect her body but also her mind. I wanted to help her. I had even felt compelled to do so, this along with knowing her name.

  Something that felt like a gift in itself when she told me she didn’t remember it, for here was my opportunity to take her as I saw fit…until Ranka stepped forward and spoke up for the girl. So, I took in that moment what I could, as I listened to my second in command speak of the mysterious discovery of the girl, one who unknowingly became mine when she first set foot in my palace. Lifting my hand to her face I felt at least comforted in the knowledge in doing so that I didn’t scare h
er, for she did not flinch.

  Even when letting my voice snap, lashing out when asking Ranka of the meaning for her damaged, delicate skin, she stood still for me. I found myself at least hoping there was someone left for me to torture for the fatal offense in touching her. I would have turned murderous had it not been an overriding emotion that took hold of me after Ranka’s words…for she had fought back? This little lamb of mine had tried to defend herself the best way she could. Because of this I was quickly filled with admiration, respect, and pride of the likes I had never known. In that moment, I had never hated my duty, or felt the string of bitterness that I was burdened with when being King, as I knew for the first time, I could not just do as I pleased.

  I hadn’t been lying to Nāzanin when I spoke of being a selfish being that always got their way and nor was I ever sorry for such things. But this time I could not simply pick her up and take her as I would have liked. No, I knew to do such would have put her in more danger and until I could ensure her safety, then I would simply have to bide my time. A time that only lasted until the fading of the sun, for I found my footsteps cutting across my palace and taking me to only one place…my mortal harem.

  I even recalled chuckling on the way there, just thinking back to the way that Ranka had to remind her of royal etiquette when calling me ‘her King’. I didn’t know how I hadn’t laughed aloud at the time but this was quickly dampened when being approached about my current head concubine. I had nearly snarled at her servant girl for daring to speak of another female in the presence of my new-found treasure but then something curious happened. For my little lamb didn’t yet know it, but her expressive eyes gave her away even when her mind frustratingly denied me the pleasure…she was jealous.

  I could barely comprehend my own reactions to seeing this and asked myself many times, why I relished the idea beyond control. Which, shamefully I will admit, became the reason I was cruel enough not to give the servant my answer, one which would no doubt have enraged the spoilt hellion, Stateira. One who I only made my head concubine at the time as I knew such a strong character would no doubt keep order in a place I could not. No, for keeping my eye on the hierarchy of my harem was not something I deemed important enough for my time, so swiftly passed this on to another I deemed fit. But for once, I felt myself second guessing my past decisions the moment Ranka told me of Stateira’s venomous reaction to seeing my Electus.

  She felt threatened, it was clear and it was swiftly after this that I announced the next ‘Choosing’ to be within three days. This no doubt stirred the pot of gossip into a frenzy within the palace, as most had witnessed my first encounter with the golden-haired beauty. The first one to be seen for many mortal lifetimes.

  Next was to issue Ranka a silent but firm order in which to protect the girl with her life and situate her in my harem for the time being, an order only issued in her mind. But I found I could not resist one more, little spoken promise to the sweet girl next to me, for her to stay out of trouble. Something she had frustratingly still failed to do since she first entered my kingdom I might add.

  Which brought me back to the now and the next lot of trouble she was in, this time at the hands of her King. Looking down at her now waiting with trepidation and panting, with her heart beating wildly in her chest. It was exquisite torture, one only made better when I got to tease my fingers along her soft sensitive skin. So, with that ideal set firmly in my mind, I began to gather up the damp fabric in my hands. I had wanted to rip the offending item from her body, for not only did it conceal her from me, but it was cold and wet, from her stubborn choice to wear it. Then hearing the way she spoke about ‘catching her death’, an offending quip, I had never heard before… well then, even said in jest I was murderously mad. So much so, I felt it best to remain silent as I watched her reactions after receiving my serious threat about speaking of such things again to me.

  At the time, I found I could only stand there in some outwitted manner, watching her and finding it almost impossible to read what she was thinking. These were the utterly frustrating times that I found were near unbearable.

  It was the hidden looks she expressed that told me enough to know something important was passing through her mind, but she would quickly lock it down before allowing me even a glimpse. So many times I had tried to force myself inside there but without success in the battle I had with her mind, as her strength in such things was astounding.

  Staggering even, when I thought back to seeing the power she possessed when facing Pertinax, having never believed something like it possible. I would have been more inclined to believe it was a dream than the Hellish reality it had been. But then she spoke those words, declaring herself as the Electus and all thoughts turned to that of the Heaven half of my soul was branded too.

  “You tease me,” she said with lids heavy with the obvious lust I knew she felt for me. Just hearing her sweet, breathy moans building as she chased the storm of her release was enough to tell me that she was close to begging me for more. Something I was foolishly breaking my control over and all because when I took her I wanted nothing between us. Which included the web of lies which she continued to spin. But each time I tried to force myself the simple task, I would find it felt like the hardest. Because I feared she would try and run from me and I wanted her addiction to match that of my own before I could allow such a risk.

  So, instead of doing what my Demon side wanted of me, which was to find the chains I had made specially for her, and shackle her to my bed refusing her to leave. Not until I got my answers so that I could finally sink myself into her. Well until then I was left trying to fill her heart, like I had told her I would. And this started with exploring one of the new discoveries I had made when first seeking her out in my harem.

  “Wait, no…no…please…oh…” She started to moan and writhe beneath me as I dragged my fingertips softly up the side of her body, grazing her ribs as I had done that night in her small allocated alcove.

  Thankfully this time my displeasure at seeing them bound in flax linen was overridden by the sight of her pale skin, no longer marked by her brutal attack. I hated that I couldn’t have just healed her as I wanted to. I almost laughed at her defiance when disagreeing with Parmida on it taking a month before she was ready for my bed. I was far beyond pleased that she, as I, didn’t want to wait for such a time and recalling that night, she was even saddened when I told her I had to leave. And I in turn warned her of a future she couldn’t have foreseen, one that disappointingly, I was yet to make come to pass. But at the very least, it was certainly a start with where I had her now. I smirked down at her recalling my very words spoken…

  ‘I can see that your hidden defiance will amuse me greatly and your reluctance to see me go is even more pleasing, but be warned my little beauty…once I have you in my bed, I may not want to let you out of it again.’

  And above all…

  I was a King of his word.

  Nāzanin

  Chapter 7

  Finding Weak Spots

  At first, I wondered what Draven was up to because he looked so heavy in thought, as if he was trying to decide what my punishment would be. But then I felt his hand gathering up my wet kaftan in his hands and I knew where this was heading. Especially when he had it pulled up so that it was all bunched up under my breasts. At one point, I thought he was going to rip the thing in half and have done with it, but then he seemed to think better of the action. I had to wonder if the reason for this was trying not to scare me and instead show me how gentle he could be after his outburst and tackling me unceremoniously to the bed. It was if he had seen me walking past and thought I was trying to leave, as the action seemed to be done out of panic.

  But now, well he must have remembered my reaction to when he touched my bandaged ribs back in the harem. And this was to be his revenge, because he started to trace his fingers along my sides.

  “Wait, no…no…please…oh…” I started begging the second he started tickling me and I was s
oon lost to a fit of giggles. I started kicking out my legs, making him hook his foot over one to hold me down, as he was still straddling my body. Damn him but thanks to those big hands of his, he easily held me pinned to the bed with only one hand.

  I could barely take in the look of wonder he gave me with thrashing my head around in some mad attempt at controlling the laughter. He was merciless with his fingers and the softer he touched me the more it made me howl with shrieks of joyful chuckles. But then he got closer to my armpit and I was lost in the worst way possible for someone trying to act sexy…lost to my inner piggy.

  I snorted!

  He froze.

  I blushed.

  Just as I turned a very unhealthy shade of crimson and slowly died of shame it made it all worse, when he suddenly threw his head back and laughed, loud, long and hard.

  “Heavens above my sweetest one, for that was an adorable little sound you just made!” he told me still chuckling as if he couldn’t help it. I tried to give him my best ‘I am not impressed face’ but this he seemed to find just as amusing, as once again he was laughing down at me.

  “Yeah, yeah, I know…very funny Mr, now time to get off me,” I told him exasperated and he smirked at me before saying,

  “That is not going to happen little one, for I find myself greatly entertained and wish to hear more.” Then he started once again and he was only satisfied when I had tears in my eyes and had snorted six more times. After this, he must have realised my need to breathe more freely, so finally took pity on me. I had to say it was the most fun I’d had in this time so far. It felt just like old times, between Draven and myself back at Afterlife… or was it new times?

  “See, I told you it was a little funny,” I told him once he had released my wrists and had joined me, lying by my side on the bed. We were both lay flat and looking up to the elaborately painted ceiling above that was concaved into a star design. However, my saying this prompted him to move. He turned on his side to look down at me and he started running his fingertip down my cheek in a tender show of affection.