by Luna Hunter
His red eyes land back on Dru.
“I see myself in you, but there’s plenty of your mother as well. I assume you pass as human? Yes, people see what they want to see… be glad you don’t have my horns, girl,” Samvel chuckles. “That would be harder to explain.”
“Stop being so… nice!” She growls. “I needed a father a decade ago — it’s too late now! Answer my question: Why did mom leave you if you’re such a stand-up guy?!”
“That, my dear, is the question I’ve been asking myself for the past two decades. I know this is not what you want to hear, but your mother wasn’t a saint. She was simply human, and fallible, like all us mortals.”
“Shut up!” Dru cries. “You shut up!”
“Your mother had her fair share of issues, same as I, and we understood each other perfectly… or at least, I thought we did. I don’t know what it was that drove her away, and I’m afraid we’ll never know.”
Drusilla drops the knife by her side, her entire body shaking as tears streak down her cheeks. This is the last thing she wanted to hear, but in a twisted way, it makes sense. She trusted her mother completely, taking all of her words for gospel… but the illness took her before Dru got to ask her the hard hitting questions.
Did I… fill in the gaps myself? She wonders. Did I let my anger guide me, cloud my thoughts, my judgement? If what he’s saying is true…
“What about the war with the Xhakans?!” she says.
“That is as much Velo’s fault as it is mine. Xhakans, Djalls, we are all so damn stubborn.”
“And what about Emla?!” Dru says, looking for any possible way to vilify this way-too-kind man. “You kidnapped a Xhakan woman, and you’re going to marry her?!”
“Kidnap?” Samvel says, eyebrows raised. “What gave you that idea?”
“Samvel, do you have company?”
A strangely familiar voice comes from upstairs. Dru looks up to see a beautiful Xhakan woman, clad in all white, walking down the stairs.
That must be Emla.
She has the same intense, silver eyes as Kolos.
“Who are you?” She says coldly, her eyes flicking towards the knife in Dru’s hand. “An assasin?”
“This, my dear, is my long-lost daughter,” Samvel says.
Emla gasps. “No way?! Dru!”
“How do you know my name?”
“Because Samvel never stops talking about you!”
“It’s true,” the Djall man says.
The Xhakan woman walks over to the Djall man and grabs his hand, their fingers intertwining. “Please, Dru, put down the knife,” Emla says. “For me.”
“What’s going on here?” Dru asks, stupefied by the sudden turn of events. “Aren’t you his prisoner?”
“What? Heavens no. I’m his fiancée!”
“But Velo said…”
“Ah yes, Father,” Emla sighs. “He doesn’t approve of our relationship. He banished me from his House… so be it. I won’t run away from true love.”
“But…”
Drusilla’s thoughts are all over the place. She lets the knife slip out of her hand and fall onto the floor. Everything she’s been told has been a lie…
At that moment, the door to the room is kicked open violently. The three Xhakan brothers storm in, their colored eyes scouring the room, going from one surprise to the next.
“Samvel Zakar!” Ragnar growls.
“Emla!” Kolos says.
“Dru?!” Aksel gaps.
Chaos erupts in the study room. Ragnar nearly jumps the Djall King, ready to tear his throat out, but both Emla and Drusilla jump in front of the older man together.
“Wait!”
“Let us explain!”
“No,” Ragnar growls. “He’s tricked you!”
Kolos grabs his arms. “Let them explain, vella!”
Aksel shakes his head, a grin on his face. “I knew you were hiding something, Dru. I didn’t think it would be this, but perhaps I should have known.”
“Known what?” Kolos asks.
“Go ahead and tell us,” Aksel says.
Everyone in the room turns towards Drusilla, and her cheeks instantly turn red. “The Djall King, he’s, uhm, my father.”
Ragnar and Kolos gasp in unison. “What?!”
They both turn towards Aksel. “You knew?!”
The third brother shrugs. “No, but I had my suspicions.”
Kolos turns back to Drusilla, and the look in his eyes is heartbreaking. “Are you a… secret agent? Was it all…”
“Of course not,” Dru says, tears once again springing to her eyes. She felt like she was all out of tears, but apparently not. “I came here to, to… kill him. But…”
“But I asked her not to kill my fiancé,” Emla says.
The three brothers gasp again.
“This can’t be!”
“Surely you’re joking!”
“I guess that explains Father’s bad mood…”
Emla grabs Samvel’s hand and squeezes it. “Yes, brothers. I don’t know what lies Father have told you, but I love Samvel. And I’m going to marry him, no matter what any of you think. You got that?”
Kolos can’t help but chuckle. “Understood, sis.”
“After all this time…” Ragnar says.
“This, I did not see coming,” Aksel laughs.
“Now, I think we could all use a drink,” Emla says. The Xhakan woman grabs a bottle of granit from a cabinet, pours everyone a glass, and hugs her three brothers tightly, one after another. They all take our glasses and sit around the large table, covered in maps, as we raise our glasses.
“To love,” Samvel says.
“I can drink to that,” Kolos answers. “To love!”
“To love!”
This must be the strangest dinner party any of the guests have ever attended, Drusilla thinks to herself as she sips on her Xhakan drink. Mortal enemies, united by love…
“I guess I owe you three an explanation,” Dru says.
The three brothers wait patiently as she searches for the right words. “I don’t know where to begin, so I’ll just start. Samvel, the Djall King, he’s my father. My mother raised me alone, told me to stay away from him, that he was dangerous, and when she passed away, I… I blamed him. Revenge has driven me ever since, and when I saw you three on Gomorral, I overheard you talking, and so I tried to hack the Celestial Mates, and…”
“It was a lie?!” Ragnar growls.
“No,” Dru’s quick to answer. “Yes, no, maybe, I don’t know. I asked my friend Pip to hack the Celestial Mates, but their tech was way too complicated for her, and in the end… I guess the Celestial Mates played us all? Because they granted me my wish — they matched me up with you three… and by doing so, they gave me everything I ever wanted.”
She looks down at the bottom of her empty glass.
“You three gave me nothing but love, and I… I wasn’t able to be completely open and honest with any of you, and for that… I’m sorry. I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me. I want to let go of this pain, but I suppose it’s a part of me…”
Dru looks up, ready for the disappointed looks, the angry glares, but instead, she finds nothing but friendly faces.
“Dru…” Kolos says lovingly.
“Of course,” Aksel says.
“You are our destinuar,” Ragnar says. “We love you, now and forever. To us, you are perfect.”
Drusilla’s heart is filled with relief. In that moment, she wants nothing more than to fling themselves into their arms and kiss them all three all over — but her father’s presence puts a halt to that impulse.
“I wish I could have been there for you,” Samvel says softly. “I truly do. Your mother chose different. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive both of us. We were young, foolish, and it breaks my heart that you paid the price. I know I can never make things right, but I hope that I can give you some type of closure.”
“It’ll take time,” Dru says. “But
I’ll try.”
“What about you, sis?” Kolos says. “Let’s hear your story.”
Emla laughs. “I can tell you Samvel hasn’t cast a magic spell on me or anything. No, I love him, with all my heart. I know what you’re going to say, and you can save it, I’ve heard it all before. Yes, he’s an older man. Yes, he’s a Djall. Yes, I know you don’t like to think of your little sister growing up and doing grown-up stuff. All I can say is: Deal with it!”
Drusilla laughs. Emla’s just as brash as her brothers.
“I met Samvel at a peace summit I called myself, where I came to discuss a way to solve our ongoing war. And when I saw him, there was an instant connection. I told Father, and he went ballistic. Called me a traitor, banned me from the Kingdom… It broke my heart, but I knew I needed to follow that exact same heart. I knew that if I didn’t, I would never be happy again.
“We understand,” Ragnar says. “I can’t say I agree with your taste in men, but if what you say is true, then we believe you.”
Dru shifts in her seat. “What about my Djall heritage? Will that cause problems?”
“You are ours, no matter what Father thinks,” Aksel says resolutely. He grabs Dru’s hand. “No matter what.”
“There’s still something I don’t understand,” Kolos says. “Why are Xhakans and Djalls moral enemies, if we can sit together like this? Why all the wars?”
Samvel sighs. “That is our way, I’m afraid. Look at us, Xhakans, Djalls. We are both proud warrior races. We have fought each other for centuries, for land, for honor, for glory. We have tested our mettle, proven our worth with our bare hands. Throughout our history, it’s mostly been small skirmishes, but in the last few decades, technology has advanced… we’ve developed better ships, better weapons… small skirmishes turned into slaughters… And I have had a part in that as well. I must admit that after I lost my wife and my daughter, I lost my mind as well. Every transgression, I perceived as an act of war. I’m much calmer now, thanks to Emla, and I have many, many regrets… I hope you three brothers can forgive me, but if not, then that’s okay too, for I have trouble forgiving myself.”
“I forgive you,” Emla says. “We all deserve a second chance. Right?”
The Xhakan brothers nod tentatively. “I suppose so,” Kolos says.
“I’ve tried to convince Father of the same, but that was more difficult,” Emla says. “He wanted to push on, afraid of showing anything that could be perceived as weakness. You’d think that with old age he’d mellow out, but the opposite is happening…”
“We must confront him,” Aksel says. “It’s the only way.”
“Please, you are my guests here,” Samvel says. “It can wait until the morning, can it not?”
Kolos shrugs. “I suppose so.”
The Djall leader turns to his daughter. “I know I can never begin to repay you for what you’ve lost, Dru, but please allow me to start somewhere. The royal suite is yours for the night.”
Chapter Fourteen
Drusilla is still dazed by Samvel and Emla’s many revelations as she makes her way towards the Djall royal suite, flanked by Aksel and Ragnar, with Kolos leading the way. She’s holding both of their hands, her eyes glued to Kolos’s broad figure in front of her. So much has happened tonight, she barely knows where to begin.
The suite is grand, living up to its name, yet Drusilla can’t muster up any energy to care about the breathtaking view of the valley below or the spectacular Djall architecture. The colorful tapestries, the gorgeous statues, the oil paintings depicting her families history — none of it matters.
Not compared to the three men she has surrounding her on all sides. They are all that matter to her now. Now that she knows everything she’s ever believed has been a lie, or at the very least a half-truth, they are the only thing that she has.
Ragnar squeezes her hand, and she looks up at him. The bearded Xhakan smiles.
“You’ve got your sister back,” Dru tells him. “You must be happy. That’s what this was all about, wasn’t it?”
He shrugs. “I am happy, yes. For Emla, but I must admit, most of my happiness is because of you.”
Dru’s heart jumps a little bit.
“Even after everything?”
“Of course,” Aksel joins in. “You are our destinuar. Our mate. I can feel it.”
“But look at us. We’re in the Djall castle, who are your sworn enemies, and I’m half-Djall, and—”
Kolos silences her with a kiss. His hands move to the back of her neck as he kisses her deeply, and all her worries fade away for a moment as she savors the feeling.
“Shut up,” he says with a smirk. “If you are our enemy, then everything we have ever learned is wrong.”
Dru feels Aksel and Ragnar standing right behind her, their hard bodies pressed against hers. There’s no where for here to go, she’s completely surrounded by the three gorgeous Xhakans.
“Aren’t you mad?” she says, swallowing the lump in her throat. “I’ve been less than honest. I’m… a liar.”
“You’re a survivor,” Aksel says. “A fighter. You had a goal in mind, and you did what you had to do to achieve that goal. There’s no shame in that.”
“But I misled you!” Drusilla says. “Why aren’t you mad at me?!”
Ragnar chuckles. “Why do you want us to be mad at you? Do you want us to punish you?”
His strong hand grabs a handful of her backside.
“Because I can do that if you want,” he says.
“I’m serious,” she says, though the touch left her heart racing. “I…”
“You are our mate,” Kolos says, as his thumb caresses her cheek. All her attention is now focused on his gorgeous, silver eyes. “And you are looking for reasons to be unhappy, to find flaws where there are none. You are so used to having problems that your mind keeps making new ones. Am I correct?”
Drusilla swallows the lump in her throat, Kolos’s words reaching her very soul.
“Ugh,” she says. “Why are you three so damn perfect?! I can never measure up!”
The three Xhakans laugh, and the next moment, all of their hands are on her.
“I beg to differ,” Kolos says as he presses his hard frame right against her. “From our perspective, you are the perfect one.”
“How so?”
By now Drusilla’s heart is racing, and her palms feel sweaty.
“Look at you,” he says. “Your are perfect. Every single inch of you. And not just your body, but your soul as well.”
“But—”
Drusilla’s automated defenses kick in, as she tries to downplay or ignore the compliment, but this time, the three brothers don’t let her.
Aksel grabs left arm, Ragnar her right, and Kolos wraps his arms around her waist.
“No buts. You are ingenious, you are smart, quick, talented and strong, you are kindhearted, sweet, and understanding. Without you, we might have torn the Djall King to shreds, we might have ignored Emla in our rage, but you were the one who calmed us down, who helped us see reason, who opened our eyes to the truth. We love you, Dru. All three of us, Ragnar, Aksel, myself. We love you with all our heart, and we’re going to prove that to you. Right now.”
The time has come.
She’s fought it for so long. Her deepest desires, her most wanton fantasies have been tucked away in the back of her mind, forbidden from coming out.
In the place of happiness there was anger. There was resentment. There was hatred. Hatred for a father she never had, longing for a life she never had.
All of that stood in the way of opening her heart, of allowing herself to be happy, of being whole. After all that Drusilla has been through, pulling up those walls around her heart seemed to be the only way to keep herself sane.
Now that she feels six hands roam her body, as Ragnar nips her neck and Aksel whispers into her ear and Kolos grabs her shirt and rips it right open, sending buttons flying through the room, as his hands make quick work of her bra the next
moment, as his strong fingers sink into her soft skin and she feels three hard bulges press into her from every way imaginable, she realizes what a fool she has been.
Everything she’s ever wanted, everything she’s ever needed has been right in front her this whole time. And all that she’s done was push it away.
No more.
Drusilla will no longer fight her desires. She will accept them with an open heart and an open mind.
And open legs.
“Oh stars,” she pants as the Xhakans rip her remaining clothing right off. Only her panties remain, her curvy body bared completely to the three warriors.
“Holy qij,” Ragnar breathes, his voice thick with desire. “Look at that.”
The three Xhakans take a step back to admire her perfect form. Drusilla enjoys being the center of attention, three different pairs of hungry eyes ready to devour her.
The Xhakans all disrobe, their armor dropping to the floor with heavy thuds. Drusilla’s mouth goes dry when she sees their perfectly sculpted bodies. This is what she’s waiting for her.
Her entire life.
When their hard, throbbing cocks spring out, as the men take the rest of their clothes off, a sigh leaves her lips.
So big. So hard. So perfect.
The Xhakan brothers descend upon her like a pack of wolves. Drusilla loses track of everything as her panties are flung off and six different hands explore every inch of her. One mouth is kissing her ear, the other in her neck, while another one is trailing its way down her belly. Her hands find two hard cocks almost automatically, and she nearly can’t wrap her hands around them properly.
She feels them throbbing and pulsing with energy, and she knows they are hard for her and her alone.
A second later she’s lifted up into the air. She opens her eyes to see Ragnar and and Aksel are both holding her up, one hand around her back, the other one exploring her front, while Kolos is grinning at her from between her legs.
Her legs are resting on his shoulders, and he is kissing his way up her knees, her thighs, right to the place where her legs meet, right towards her dripping wet, warm, absolutely ready-to-be-devoured pussy.
