by Alyse Zaftig
The two brothers pushed and pulled inside of her body over and over again until she lost track of time. They could have spent eternity there, lost in a haze of pleasure and love.
But finally it came to an end as both brothers exploded inside of her, making her feel complete.
“I love you,” she declared.
61
Mating Ceremony
Phuong
SEVERAL MONTHS LATER
Phuong checked her hair in the mirror. She was getting ready to get ceremonially bound to the twin Thrones. She’d insisted on an oceanside ceremony.
Her ancestors would be able to attend in spirit. Literally.
Her dress was simple white silk that flowed over her large baby bump. She’d have her twins any day now. They had confirmed two heartbeats long ago.
At the beach ceremony, most of the guests were Draka. It looked like the wedding was overwhelming Draka. They couldn’t see the Yore who were attending.
Phuong knew that neither the Yore or Draka were happy about the mating, but she didn’t care too much. She hoped that their unease would fade over time. She knew that she would spend the rest of her life with her mates, building their empire together. They would put together the best possible kingdom for their children to inherit.
They hadn’t arrived yet, but she knew that she already loved them with all of her heart. She wanted to raise the twice-royal twins the right way. She was facing a lot of political pressure from both the Yore and Draka, but the three of them would find a way.
“Are you ready?”
Xuan was going to walk her to her mate. They had no father. Xuan was her whole family for so long.
And now she was going to be ceremonially mated to the two Thrones. She put a hand on her stomach. She was going from having one family member to having five in one day.
“Ready.”
She knew that if Xuan didn’t approve of the Thrones, he wouldn’t have agreed to walk her down the aisle. Xuan had gotten closer to the twins, but she’d tried as hard as she could in order to convince both sides to like each other.
She’d had to slow down her attempts at building a bridge between the Yore and Draka as her baby bump had grown, but she would declare her empire soon.
62
New Empire
Phuong
She heard a baby’s cry.
“A few more pushes,” the healer coached. “Just keep pushing.”
“I can’t,” she replied. “I don’t have anything left.”
“Whether you have anything left or not, your children are ready to be born. Your first one is already partially out. Your second one is coming fast.”
“Ahh!” she screamed as her body shook in a powerful contraction.
They pulled the first baby out of her, the baby that came out of her womb crying.
“Keep pushing,” the healer said.
“You’re doing great, love,” Olivier said. He was holding one of her hands while Gahariet was holding the other.
“I don’t feel great,” she said.
“Just one more and you can rest,” Gahariet coaxed.
She screamed as she felt her muscles contract again. She was small, and Draka babies were quite big. They’d had to cut her to widen her in preparation for the delivery.
“That’s it…another push!”
She couldn’t stop her body from pushing out the second baby, who came into the world a little more quietly than his older brother.
Both of the babies were boys, just as Hoa had foretold. There were healers who were washing the babies and weighing them. The first baby had loud lungs. The second baby was a little quieter, but they spanked the baby, and it turned out that his lungs were just as good as his older brother’s.
“It’s time for the parade.”
Phuong stared at Gahariet.
“What are you talking about?”
“In Draka culture, we parade our children as soon as they’re born, so that our people know them.”
“I’m a mess,” Phuong protested. “I’ve been in labor forever.”
“You don’t have to look glamorous,” Olivier said. “You’re beautiful just the way you are. We just go out in an open levi-car.”
Phuong closed her eyes. “You’re going to have to carry me out.”
“No problem.”
In no time at all, the twins were wrapped in blankets. Phuong was presented with an over gown that went over her medical bay attire.
“You planned this.”
“We knew you wouldn’t want to be out so soon, but it’s mandatory.”
Phuong knew that she would’ve said no, but at the moment, she’d go along with whatever she needed to do in order to give the babies their rightful due as Draka and Yore royalty.
Olivier picked Phuong up while Gahariet and a healer carried the babies downstairs. Then they were getting into a levi-car, where Phuong lay back.
The streets were thronged with Yore and Draka alike. The cheers rang loudly, making Phuong’s ears ring.
She smiled and waved at the people who were ecstatic about her children. These were her subjects…their subjects. It was a new dawn. Their love was destined to fix Vestra. One day, her children would be able to unite both races peacefully.
Outfoxing the Alpha
Carson Warner approached the corner of Pier and Avalon. He glanced at his watch, the classic Rolex read 1:55 pm. He looked back at the corner, no one was waiting.
Damn. He thought to himself, he had carefully timed his arrival to make sure he would approach Frankie at exactly 2. He wasn't going to be standing there waiting for him like a lonely puppy.
Carson Warner knew a thing or two about strategy. He couldn't be late, but he couldn't be the first one to arrive. He needed to send the message that his time was more important than Frankie's, that he was doing Frankie the favor by agreeing to meet him here.
Looks like Frankie knew a thing or two about strategy too.
Carson stopped a block away from the designated corner and watched. No one. Carson sighed deeply and calmed his anger. He turned toward the river front.
His river front. Almost his. If things went well with Frankie the Man, that would change. It would finally be all his.
When Carson Warner arrived in the city several years ago, he'd found the river front to be prime hunting territory. Over run with small timers -- mostly pigeons and rats. But then, what other animals had adapted so perfectly to city life among humans?
He had claimed the territory for himself and before long he had eliminated most of the worst elements. Word got out that the water front had a new apex predator and those that hadn't been done in by his hunting had scurried off to find new space.
Combined with the efforts by his fox, Carson's company soon began accumulating the property along the river. The city had kicked in millions of dollars to contribute to the restoration of the area. A new pedestrian path running along the west bank had enticed trendy restaurants and new hotels and shops.
The new marina was owned by Warner holdings and Carson approved of the luxury yachts slipped along the docks.
Even the east bank's industrial area had been spruced up, providing a pleasing view for the diners and shoppers across the river with newly refurbished loft condos set among the still operating docks with their cranes and shipping crates and the big ships coming and going daily.
Carson frowned at the big crane that was busy loading shipping containers onto a large ship.
East Shore Shipping.
It was the last piece of the puzzle. The last remaining piece of the waterfront that was not owned, at least in part, by Warner Holdings.
Carson glanced at the watch again, then back at the corner. He stopped a few hundred yards from his destination and decided to wait and see if Frankie showed up.
After 7 months of relentless requests for a meeting with the owner of The East Shore Shipping Company, Carson Warner was not about to miss his opportunity to present his offer to Frankie "the Man" Man
sfield, even if the venue Frankie had insisted on was less than the ideal location for a business meeting to discuss a multi-million dollar deal.
1:59 pm. Carson's nerves twitched. From his vantage point, he could see a blonde approaching the corner. A tall, shapely woman in an expensive suit; white blazer, matching pencil skirt hemmed just above her knees, silk blouse, bright blue scarf worn neck-tie style, knotted loosely at the collar. An impossibly attractive woman that reminded Carson of a classic Hollywood femme fatale.
She was a beauty, that was sure but Carson was here on business, not pleasure. He watched the woman walk confidently across the street before he turned back toward the docks.
2:01 pm.
Carson was irritated. He'd been told to be on that corner at precisely 2 o'clock in the afternoon to meet with Frankie "The Man." Looked like he'd been played. He walked down the docks on the look out for the man he had come to meet. They were, after all, Frankie's docks. For the time being.
Carson walked among the towering stacks of shipping containers, paused briefly to watch the cranes working, before turning and walking back up toward the city streets.
As he passed a stack of wooden crates, he found himself face to face with the stoic blonde.
Up close he was able to take in her beauty in far greater detail, the pale perfect texture of her skin, the blue of her eyes set off by the scarf. Her hair was near platinum, no trace of dark roots near her scalp where her hair was pulled back from her forehead into a tight French twist.
The woman stepped out and stood purposefully before him. She was standing very close, invading his personal space and staring at him cooly with clear azure eyes lined with soft dusty blond lashes.
"You're late." The blonde's voice was ice.
Carson found himself at an unusual loss for words. No one ever challenged him like this. Certainly not women.
He inhaled her scent deeply-- easy at this close range-- she was human. No trace of animal about her. Making the confidence of her proximity even more confusing.
"I believe you were informed that you were to be on the corner of Pier and Avalon at precisely 2 pm." Her eye contact was deliberate... and unnerving. "It is now 2:04, Mr. Warner. This meeting is moot."
Carson was silent. He studied her intently as she spoke. Most females this close to him smelled of fear-- or arousal-- or a combination of both. This woman smelled of power. Strong, confident, unwavering. Her scent matched her demeanor perfectly. Power and...something else. Something Carson couldn't place. Something that curled around inside him, teasing at the corners of his consciousness, distracting him. Something that made him want to wrap the blonde woman tightly in his arms and kiss her hard.
She didn't wait for his reply. She turned and walked away. Carson watched her purposeful stride as she made her way to the white Bentley waiting across the street from the intended meeting spot, her long legs disappearing inside before her slender arm reached out to pull the door closed.
He'd been dismissed.
Carson Warner was not used to being dismissed. Carson Warner did the dismissing. He stood where she had left him, watching the car disappear into city traffic, leaving him to wrestle with the details of their encounter on his own.
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Afterword
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Copyright © 2016 Alyse Zaftig and Eva Wilder
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Cover design by Jacqueline Sweet
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This is a work of fiction intended for mature audiences only. Names, characters, places, and incident either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to events, locales, business establishments, or actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is purely coincidental.
All sexual activities depicted occur between consenting characters 18 years or older and who are not blood related.
