Fated Hope

by Sariah Skye

  Maxxus grasped both my hands in one of his and pulled me into a sitting position. His fingers softly caressed the side of my face. Smirking, I turned my head slightly and caught one of them in my mouth, biting lightly and sucking gently.

  Maxxus groaned. “That’s it. I have no patience.” In a handful of swift, deft motions, Maxxus had my top and pants ripped off—literally ripped—and he tossed them aside behind him. He exchanged the warmth of the clothing by climbing on top of me, pressing his body against mine, including his hard length. I whimpered lightly, suddenly feeling that the thin barriers of my cotton undies and bra were too restricting. He trailed his hands down my sides, leaving trails of fire under his fingers as they landed on the waist of the panties. He pulled them down swiftly, as I reached around and unhooked the bra in back, releasing my breasts, taut with desire from their cotton prison. His mouth quickly heated one nipple, teasing with his tongue.

  “You are so beautiful, Leorah,” he whispered, switching his mouth to the other neglected breast, his hand squeezing the other firmly. I gasped, my breath hitching in my throat as the fire ignited inside me.

  “Please…” I pleaded. “Don’t make me wait.”

  And he didn’t. Growling lightly, he was inside me in a split second and I cried out at the delicious sensation as he filled me up.

  Time tended to elude us in these moments. We kissed, clawed, nipped, and moaned heavily as we rode each other’s waves of passion. As he mastered my mouth with his own, his tongue teasing mine as I nibbled his lip, I panted and moaned as I reached my own apex, I didn’t hear what happened next.

  “Ahem!”

  Maxxus growled, not bothering to remove himself or even stop. “Go. Away!”

  I let out a surprised yelp, fighting to turn my head from Maxxus’ kisses to see Kiarra standing in the doorway. “Fuck! Kiarra!”

  She grinned, biting her lip and raising a brow. “No, I think you two have that covered.”

  “Bad timing, Kiarra! Go!” Maxxus’ tone was feral as he shouted, panting. He had stopped thrusting but hadn’t removed himself from inside me.

  I grabbed for the quilt that had been tossed aside on the bed next to us, and proceeded to wrap it in a panic around my husband’s bare ass. “What the fuck? Don’t you knock?”

  “Um, I did. I even tried texting you but you didn’t answer. You probably didn’t hear, your growls and moans can be heard down the hall,” she said, with a wink and a giggle.

  “What. Do. You. Want?” Maxxus demanded angrily. “You couldn’t wait for us to finish?”

  “I tried but it’s urgent. The delegates from the Northlands are here!” she said, her giggling replaced with panic.

  My eyes grew wide. “Now? They weren’t supposed to be here until tomorrow!”

  She snorted. “Well, apparently, it’s morning for them. Your grandfather and Valessia are tending to them right now, getting them settled in the North wing. It’s been scrubbed properly and repaired for their arrival. Thank the gods. But they will expect to see you soon. So…finish up and join us in the throne room, please.”

  Maxxus cursed under his breath, burying his face in my neck. “Wonderful.”

  “Make it quick. But make sure you finish her off or she’ll be cranky, Maxx.” Kiarra let out a peal of giggles as she shut the door behind her.

  I groaned. “Fuck. I’m not ready for this.”

  Maxxus looked up at me. “Yes you are. You can do this. But first things first.” He winked, and picked up his pace once again. After a few moments of tension, I forgot once again about the delegates as he finished me off—not once, but twice—before allowing his own release.

  I lay in bed afterwards, sated and spent underneath him as he collapsed on top of me, panting heavily in my ear. I gazed into his eyes as his head lay next to mine.

  “Maxx?” I asked, my breathing slowly returning to normal.

  “Yes, Leo?” he asked, not bothering to move his face to he spoke softly into my ear.

  “This feels like home, again,” I said, raising a hand to touch the outline of his jaw, lovingly.

  He didn’t open his eyes, but he grinned. “The castle?” He peeked one smirking eye open.

  I snorted, slapping him lightly in the shoulder. “No. You silly.”

  He lifted his head, propping it up on one arm. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah,” I said, blushing at my own admission. “Promise me that once this is over, we’ll move someplace quiet. Away from Kiarra.”

  Maxxus threw his head back and laughed. “It’s a deal,” he said, kissing me on the forehead. He groggily pulled himself up into a sitting position, and offered me his hand. “Shall we get this over with?”

  I placed my hand in his, and he gently helped me sit upright. My sight was dizzy as the blood rushed to my head, and I giggled at the sensation. “I don’t want to.”

  “Me either,” he agreed, but we reluctantly got out of bed and got ready to meet Kiarra.

  After around forty-five minutes or so, Maxxus and I had sleepily re-dressed ourselves, becoming presentable once again. Since it was the middle of the night for us, I refused to put on any sort of official royal dress or headgear. But, Maxxus surprised me with a couple of items he’d been working on in the forge all day that he held secretly in that bag: new circlets for us, and at some point, he had snatched my pink crystal necklace. With Finnian’s help, he imbued it with the spell that would allow me to keep my clothes on as I shifted back and forth.

  I kept my attire simple, wearing a tank top once again, black trousers, and black ballet flats. I put on the elaborate pink robes that had been made for me, with the slits strategically placed in back for my wings. I brushed my hair quickly, placed the circlet on top of my head and pulled the hood over.

  The circlet was simple, but still exceedingly stunning. It consisted of a gold band wrapped around my head, attached to scrolling, intricate silver that dipped down to a ‘v’ shape between my eyes. A simple pink stone sat in the ‘v’. Maxxus’ was shaped the same way, but it was solid gold and silver, no stone.

  Maxxus just wore his heavy emerald robes over black linen pants. No shirt. He was exceedingly perturbed our night had been interrupted.

  Kiarra waited for us at the end of the wing. I noticed that she appeared fresh and proper, whereas Maxxus and I looked somewhat bedraggled. I wondered if anyone could tell what we’d been doing? I felt myself blush slightly, but scoffed to myself. I will not be ashamed of doing what only comes natural.

  “It won’t take long, I promise. It’s just considered rude in the Northlands for the official monarchs not to see them upon their arrival,” she said, with an eye roll. “I explained to them that their arrival was surprising and you’d rather not be, um, woken, but they began to get huffy. They’re sort of…intimidating.”

  “No more than Maxx, surely?” I said rhetorically.

  Her brown eyes enlarged slightly. “They make Maxxus look nearly petite.”

  Maxxus growled, disgruntled. “Fine. Let’s get this over with. Leo had a long day and needs her rest.”

  “Of course.” She motioned for us to follow her, her blue robes snapping at her ankles as she spun around. She let out a chuckle. “Right. Rest.”

  “Kiarra, if you don’t shut up you’ll be fired!” I shouted back in a mock threat. She giggled as she led us through the castle to the throne room.

  “Ah, yes. Your highnesses, may I introduce you to Prince Darzius and his attendants, Rosis and Irelle.” My grandfather motioned to the three massive dragons in their dragon forms, taking up much of the throne room.

  “Holy…” I mumbled, in awe. “And I thought you were huge,” I said, nudging Maxxus.

  He let out a low grumble but forced a smile, that appeared somewhat scowling.

  “May I introduce to you, Prince, their majesties Queen Leorah and King Maxxus of Anarach,” he said, attempting to sound reverent, but you could hear the boasting in his tone.

  The largest dragon stepped forward. I assumed, beca
use he was so large, and because he was the first one to interact, that he was the prince. Darzius was a gigantic dragon, the color of the sky before a storm; a dull greenish/gray, nearly black. He had giant spikes down his spine and tail, and horns that jutted out his head and curled in back in an ‘s’ shape. His black wings folded against his back, but seemed to take up at least 75% of his body; the span of them must be the size of a truck. His eyes were a bright brown, almost yellow and a long beard of black trailed from his chin down the front of his neck. I had never seen a dragon with horns before; it certainly wasn’t an Anarachian trait. He opened his mouth to speak, and when the words fell out, the ground seemed to shake at his booming voice.

  “It is an honor to meet you!” he shouted, as I tried hard not to wince. He bowed his head slightly.

  Maxxus and I did the same. Darzius chuckled, seeing the shocked looks on our faces.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, much quieter this time. “The Northlands are full of mountains with heavy, howling winds. We normally have to shout to be heard over the snows. I realize our speech might be slightly disconcerting to you.”

  I forced a smile. “Not at all, we are just quite sleepy; it’s been a trying few days.”

  Darzius smiled. “Of course. I am very sorry to hear about the attack on your sister city,” he said, speaking of Castle Danger.

  “Thank you,” I replied, solemnly.

  He stepped forward slightly and lowered his head to my level. “I know we’re early, according to your clock but in the Northlands it is just after sunrise; we have to retreat to the caves at the first sign of dusk, the temperatures and the winds get quite brutal. We don’t waste a moment of sunlight,” he said with a rumbling chuckle. “It is quite a treat to be in this warmth, that’s for sure.”

  Warmth? I thought to myself in disbelief. The temperatures right now hovered around 20 degrees Fahrenheit. “It must get really cold where you are,” I said with a laugh, “if you consider this warm.”

  “Oh it does. Our normal temperature right about now is -50 below and that’s without the chill of the wind,” he said, blandly.

  “Bloody hell,” Maxxus retorted, surprised. “Well, glad that we can offer you a respite from the cold.”

  Darzius chuckled. “I appreciate that. And also excuse the dragon forms, we are accustomed to being in them most of the time; it’s much easier to endure the weather,” he said. “I didn’t realize human forms were customary for you. My apologies, we can change now if you like.”

  “No!” I said abruptly. Darzius’ expression seemed taken aback. “That’s all right.”

  “She’s a little modest, living with humans all this time,” my grandfather said, with a wide smile.

  “Of course, I’d love to hear about your time with them,” Darzius said. “We’ve always been fascinated with humanity.”

  “You act like you’ve never seen them before,” I said with a chuckle.

  “We haven’t. There are no portals nearby and the closest one takes us to the Arctic, and there is generally no one there,” he replied.

  “Except for a handful of scientists, from time to time.” A snow white colored dragon spoke in a feminine, but growling dragon voice. She had the same row of spikes and huge wings down her back and spine but her eyes were an ice blue.

  “Irelle is one of the very few of us to have seen a human,” Darzius said.

  “Interesting,” I said, not sure what else to say. “Haven’t you seen other mythos? I know there is a haven nearby you… well, sort of.”

  Darzius shook his head. “Afraid not. We didn’t even know it existed until your Elder contacted us. We prefer to keep to ourselves.”

  “I see.” I offered a smile and motioned towards Kiarra who’d been standing back, extremely silent for the blue dragon. “Well, if you’d like to see your quarters for your stay here, my fri—err, sis—um, attendant will be happy to show you where you all will be staying.”

  Kiarra stepped forward, with her carefully manicured topknot and flowing blue robes. “Whenever you’re ready. I’m afraid you’ll have to shift, the hallways can fit an Anarachain dragon but not ones of your stature. We have robes and clothing here for you to use if you should need it.”

  Darzius nodded. “Thank you, good lady. I will leave you to rest now. But it is imperative we speak soon; we believe, after your testimony about the Shadows, that we’ve been targeted.”

  I cocked a brow. “Are you—what?”

  “Why do you think that, your majesty?” Maxxus inquired, crossing his arms sternly over his chest and peering at the dragon questioningly.

  “Several reports of disturbing dreams, as well as a lot of odd behavior. I can explain in detail tomorrow. We have a handful of aura readers who have witnessed a…darkness suddenly around some.”

  A deep maroon dragon stepped forward, he was the smallest of them all and the least spiky, but I was shocked to see his entire belly was covered in a layer of fur…a deep reddish/rusty colored fur. I assumed this was Rosis. “My sister. She…” he spoke in a very small voice, his words quavering.

  Irelle nudged his neck with her large nose, an act of affection before she faced us to speak. “His sister committed suicide.”

  I gasped, hand flying to my mouth.

  “She was one of the ones with the dark aura.” Darzius said, hanging his head low.

  I wasn’t even sure how it was possible for a dragon to commit suicide; it was next to impossible to kill us. It must have been brutal indeed and judging from the look on Rosis’ face, it was.

  “We can discuss now,” I said, choking back a yawn. “I can call my Loremaster, he will be most helpful.”

  “No, what’s done is done. It can wait until tomorrow, we clearly interrupted your rest,” he said, bowing once more. “Thank you for coming to meet us. We shall reconvene in the morning. We have a bit to discuss about our accommodations with your Elder and attendant, so you needn’t humor us any longer. Good night, Majesties.”

  It was clear that was a farewell. Maxxus and I gave low bows before excusing ourselves from the throne room.

  Once the door was shut behind us, we quickly high-tailed it, very undignified back to our chambers. I couldn’t shut the door fast enough.

  I leaned against the door and slid down to the ground, feeling disconcerted. “Suicide,” I said, my voice shaky.

  “I know,” Maxxus said, taking off his robes. “I cannot imagine.”

  My vision blurred as I pulled my legs up tight to my chest. I wrapped my arms around my knees and buried my face in my thighs. “Suicide…” The emotion that poured off the dragon was disturbing. Not Shadow-disturbing, but it contained such despair it stabbed at my heart and resided there like a dark ball.

  “Hey, whoa…you’re trembling.” I felt Maxxus’ presence as he knelt down at my level but I didn’t look up. “Leo?”

  A light knock at the door sounded then.

  “Go away!” Maxxus voice boomed like an earthquake, shaking the wall behind me slightly.

  “Um, I’m terribly sorry, your majesty but may I have a word with you. Please.”

  My eyes flew upward, I recognized that meek voice in an instant. Maxxus was gearing up to shout at the stranger behind the door, but I wiped the tears out of my eyes and sniffed into the sleeve of my robe. “It’s Rosis!” I whispered to him, hushed.

  Maxxus’ eyebrow flew upward. “Why in the hell would a delegate be bothering us?”

  I glared at him lightly, and shoved him aside. Or, tried to; his form was solid. I looked square into his eyes briefly, just long enough to shout, “MOVE!” with my mind.

  Maxxus stepped aside slightly, giving me time to open the door.

  “Gods be damned, Leorah! I hate that!” He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at me lightly, but he wore a slight smirk at the corner of his mouth.

  I stuck my tongue out at him, rather immaturely, and opened the door wide enough for Rosis to enter.

  “I am so very sorry,” he said, in his hum
an form. He wore a set of deep red robes, and not much else. He was tall—nearly as tall as Maxxus, but very slim and lanky. His skin was pale, his eyes narrow and ice blue and had white blonde hair that trailed down his back. If he had pointy ears, I’d say he was an elf, like the one from The Lord of the Rings but after a quick glance, I could tell he didn’t. Yep, all dragon.

  “What can we do for you, Baron Rosis?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “We don’t have quite the same titles in The Northlands as you do here. Only the king and queen have titles, the rest of us are just…well, us.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “I like that; harder to get names confused then the plethora of titles we have.”

  Maxxus grumbled under his breath. “Yes. What can we help you with?”

  Rosis cleared his throat. “As I said I’m sorry to interrupt. But I should probably tell you…something. Something I haven’t told anyone else yet. The reason I believe my sister was targeted more so than anyone else by the Shadows. But, this can only remain between us. If anyone else knew…” Rosis bit his lip nervously. “We’d be shunned from our home. So, please—”

  I raised my hand, in assurance. “I swear, what you say here will not leave this room.”

  Maxxus growled quietly.

  “Oh stop it,” I warned with a scowl over my shoulder.

  “It’s okay; I would be protective too. You don’t know me,” Rosis forced a nervous smile, shoving his hands into the front pocket of his robes. “Well, here goes. My sister, was…different. If you didn’t notice, some of us are a bit hairy, even as dragons. So, my sister could hide herself fairly decently. She didn’t talk a lot, mostly kept to herself. She was quite young, I’m afraid. It’s quite common in our kingdom for dragons under fifty to keep to themselves. In Northlands, we don’t have common schools; we school at home, by parents or older siblings because of our harsh weather it just doesn’t make sense to try to go back and forth to school every day. We leave our caves to hunt, for water, and not much else until the thaw.” Rosis turned away, heaving a heavy sigh with the weight of the world. He paused in his speech.