The Royal Shifters Complete Series Boxed Set

by Alice Wilde

  “Oh,” Li says, turning to glance over at Akachi as if he’d forgotten the other man was still there. “I want a turn.”

  “Li,” I gasp in surprise as his eyes rover over my body.

  “Why not? It’s not as if we’re going to share you with him or let him watch,” he says softly.

  “He’s already watching,” I hiss.

  “But he’s not seeing any of the important parts, is he?”

  “I suppose not.”

  Li grins and pulls me off of Ero, and I only just manage to stop myself from letting out a whimper before he turns me around and presses me forward against the edge of the tub. He splashes water over my shoulders and begins gently cleaning my back as he pushes my legs apart behind me and guides himself into me. My fingers cling to the edge of the bath as he continues to wash my back, starting gently and then scrubbing harder whenever he feels like thrusting into me with more vigor.

  “What are you doing?” Akachi asks taking a step toward us.

  “Washing,” Ero replies, “I thought that much was obvious.”

  “Is it…normal for you to wash together?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  “I meant,” he says, clearing his throat uncomfortably, “men together with women.”

  “Sometimes,” Ero says with a shrug. “Although, I suppose it’s usually the other way around.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Usually, if you do see men and women bathing together…like we are,” Ero says, shooting us a sly look, “it’s usually one man and several women.”

  “And your women are okay with this?”

  Li pauses and Ero doesn’t answer right away.

  “No,” I answer for him. “Most women are not, but there’s not often much they can do to stop their men from doing so.”

  Akachi frowns, looking decidedly bothered by this comment, and steps back in place. He continues staring blankly at the floor as if in deep thought, and Li takes the opportunity to lean over me and fondles my breasts, tugging at my nipples as speeds up his pace and I have to clap my hand over my mouth, unable to stop myself from letting out a small moan of pleasure.

  I look up at Akachi, but he hasn’t moved and doesn’t seem to have heard. Li pulls out, but no sooner than I’ve turned around, Ero has taken his place and has plowed the entirety of his cock into me, pressing my shoulder blades against the edge of the stone tub.

  He reaches up and pinches my nipples between the knuckles of his fingers, as he pulls out and plunges back into me, no longer trying to hide what he’s doing to me from anyone else.

  “Ero!”

  He sits up and grabs a handful of my hair, pulling me back toward him just as the fingernails of his other hand dig into my hip, he shudders and releases me. I dip back down beneath the water and ever so timidly peer over the rim of the tub but Akachi is still just as unaware as ever, lost in his own thoughts.

  “See, princess,” Ero breathes in my ear, “nothing to worry about.”

  “You’re awful,” I snap back at him.

  “Really? I’ve never heard that before, I guess I should work on my technique.”

  “Not about that.”

  “Oh, I know,” Ero says, the corners of his mouth turning up ever so slightly.

  I glare at him for a minute and then slowly rise up out of the water to leave him to wallow in his own filthy water when a cough of surprise from behind startles me.

  How could I have forgotten about Akachi!

  I lower myself back down until I’m fully submerged underwater, closing my eyes and wishing I was invisible.

  “Saniya,” Akachi says in a gravelly voice.

  “Where is Maarika?”

  “She hasn’t arrived yet.”

  “Go see what’s taking so long.”

  “But then you’ll be alone—”

  “I did not ask for a play by play. Go fetch her, and tell someone to hurry up with clean clothes and food.”

  “Yes, my queen,” Akachi replies, bowing low and hurrying out of the room.

  “I see you’ve wasted no time getting cleaned up,” Saniya says in a sultry voice.

  “Apologies for not being prepared to see you,” Li says. “We’ve been traveling for quite some time and it was hard to resist a decent bath.”

  “I hope it was more than descent,” she says with a little smile, “besides, I’ve never been more attracted to a man than after he’s been properly bathed.”

  I don’t know how to respond to this, but the way she’s speaking to and about my men bothers me. Is… she trying to seduce them?

  “Thank you, my lady,” Li says.

  “Saniya,” she says, walking closer, “please, call me Saniya. All my men do.”

  “If you wish.”

  “I do.”

  This is the first time I’ve ever had to actively witness another woman being so openly flirtatious with my men...and I am right here in the room with them! How often does this happen when I’m not nearby?

  “Did I hear you correctly when you mentioned getting us something to eat?”

  “Ah, a true man,” Saniya says, her gaze turning toward Ero. “Yes, you’ll be fed until you can eat no more. As long as you’re here, I’ll make sure you lack for nothing.”

  “Thank you, Saniya,” Li says. “We truly are grateful, I don’t know how we’ll ever be able to repay you.”

  “I’m sure you will think of something,” she says in a sweet but sensual tone.

  My stomach twists at the way she’s eyeing them, but I don’t know how to respond without being rude.

  “We’ll certainly do our best to make it up to you,” Li answers vaguely, moving closer to me and placing a hand against my lower back. “My lady, Saniya, let me introduce you to Annalise.”

  Saniya looks at me as if she hasn’t noticed me until now.

  “Annalise,” she says in a tight voice, “I must apologize, I did not see you there. I thought they gave you a separate room.”

  “Thank you for helping us,” I say, choosing not to dwell on it.

  “Of course,” Saniya says, “it’s not often we find such a…unique group of travelers.”

  “Oh?”

  “To be honest, you’re the first new faces to grace our doors in nearly ten years. The desert is a harsh and unforgiving place, especially for those who do not know how to traverse it.”

  “I think we understand,” I say.

  “I must also apologize for the way I’ve been speaking to your men,” Saniya says, surprising me with her confession.

  “I’m sure you didn’t mean anything by it.”

  “I most certainly did. You may have noticed that we’re not like most kingdoms you come across these days.”

  “How so?”

  “For starters,” Saniya laughs in a singsong way, “our rulers have always been female. Our population is quite large, but we have an unfortunate shortage of women.”

  “Why?” Li asks.

  “No one knows,” she answers, “it’s been this way for as long as anyone can remember. So, we decided it was only fitting that a woman be chosen to rule. Of course, having fewer women leads to certain other problems.”

  “I can only begin to imagine,” I say.

  “Few can understand how we live the way we do, but so far we have managed to make it work for us. After all, how many other kingdoms can say they allow their women to have as many husbands as they desire, but men may only have one?”

  We all stare at her in shock, and I’m not sure I’ve heard her correctly.

  “You…you have multiple husbands?”

  “Yes, of course,” Saniya says with a smile. “Akachi is my first husband, but I have four others…and I’m not against having more.”

  “You’re right,” I say, “I have yet to find any kingdom like yours.”

  “I thought not, most women balk at the idea of multiple husbands. Although, I can only think of four reasons for this: societal pressures, the current husband being unwilling, the re
alization that multiple men are, in fact, very difficult to handle day in and day out, or they have no interest in men at all.”

  I laugh nervously, still not sure how to respond to her.

  “A strange notion for many, indeed,” Ero says dunking his hair in the water and then flipping his head back, water droplets arching around him making him look like some Norse god. Saniya eyes him hungrily, as if she’s imagining what it would be like to have him as her sixth husband.

  “Of course, you are all more than welcome to stay here as long as you like,” Saniya says, including me this time. “I’m certain there will be more than enough men interested in having a pretty little thing like you as their wife.”

  “Thank you,” I say, my voice cracking slightly, “but I have my own kingdom that I must be getting back to as soon as possible.”

  “Your own kingdom? Then these men must be your bodyguards, I’m surprised your husband let you venture off alone in these parts…unless, you must have lost many men along the journey.”

  “Yes, and no. I have lost a great deal of men, an army’s worth to be exact, but my husband…the man currently ruling over my kingdom does not know I’m here, or that I’m on my way back.”

  “Oh, I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to have you back safe and sound, whatever the cost.”

  “He may not be as thrilled as you think,” Ero laughs.

  Saniya looks at us questioningly.

  “We’re not returning Annalise to her husband,” Li explains. “We’re returning to take back her kingdom from the man who stole it.”

  “But is he not her husband?”

  “He is, by law,” I answer, “but not of my own will.”

  “Fascinatingly primitive,” Saniya says, her eyes lighting up with interest. “If I were in your shoes the man never would have made it to my bed alive. Ah, good, your fresh clothes and food have arrived.”

  A flurry of male servants enters the room carrying platters of fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese, bread, and deserts. They carry the food out to the balcony where they lay the trays down on a thick cushion and then carry a netted tent over to cover it. The man holding our new clothes moves to set them on the bed, but Saniya calls him over and gives him a tender kiss before taking them herself.

  “One of my husbands,” she explains before they all file out of the room. She walks over to the bathtub and lays the pile of clothes down on a nearby stool lifting two of them up toward us. “Here, for the men.”

  Li and Ero give each other a look and then shrug and climb out of the water, taking the clothing and walking away to dry themselves before dressing. Her gaze follows after them, and as jealous as she’s making me feel, I can’t blame her for looking. Their bodies, although scarred, are stunning and perfectly formed…and, I don’t know how they compare to most other men, they’re very well endowed.

  Saniya lets out a sad little sigh as soon as they’ve finished dressing and then suddenly remembers me. “Apologies, how rude of me. Here is yours.”

  She holds out a beautiful red gown fashioned in a similar style as her own, but with a great deal more fabric. I step out of the bath and take the dress from her, admiring its design.

  I dry off and she graciously offers to help me into the dress.

  “It’s stunning.”

  “On you, yes. I was hoping you would like it, red suits your complexion most magnificently.”

  “That it does,” Li says, taking my hand and giving me a little twirl. “Shall we eat?”

  “After you,” Saniya says, walking with us toward the balcony where we find Ero has already begun eating. He glances up at us as we enter but immediately returns to his meal.

  “Should we wake Roan?”

  “Let him rest,” Li says. “I’ll make sure he eats later.”

  I hesitate but then take a seat by Ero, Saniya places a hand on Li’s arm and gestures toward the cushions on the other side where they both sit opposite us.

  “So, tell me,” Saniya says after we’ve had a few minutes to fill our stomachs, “what are your plans after you get your kingdom back?”

  “I…don’t know,” I answer truthfully. “I haven’t thought that far ahead.”

  “I find that hard to believe.”

  “Why?”

  “You’ve managed to escape your husband, keep the loyalty of these men even after losing an army, and are still going back to reclaim your kingdom. There must be a good reason why you’d risk so much to go back.”

  “Because it’s my home, and if I don’t take it back, he’ll ruin the lives of my people and a great many others.”

  “He can’t be much worse than some of the other kings I’ve met.”

  “Then you should get out more,” Ero says, “but you’d still be wrong. Damien is as bad as they get, worse even.”

  “How so?” Saniya questions.

  “He wouldn’t even be sitting on a throne if he hadn’t murdered and tricked his way to it.”

  “That doesn’t sound so very different from many other kingdom’s stories.”

  “He’s a dark sorcerer,” Li says, “it’s likely many of the other stories you’ve heard over the years are his doing…”

  “I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Saniya says, pouring herself a glass of wine and leaning back to listen.

  “For the past several centuries and until now, Damien has been black magicking his way through families and kingdoms. Many of those kingdoms have no recollection of what happened, but that’s because those who were affected were either killed or cursed to forget him.”

  “Alright, what’s different about this time?”

  “Annalise is the one he’s been searching for all this time.”

  “Are you trying to say she’s the key to some prophecy or spell?” Saniya asks with a little chuckle.

  “Yes.”

  She looks at him and then us her laugh still on her lips, but as soon as she realizes that we’re serious it falls from her face. “What kind of prophecy?”

  “Then you believe us?” I ask.

  “Of course,” Saniya says, setting her half-full glass of wine down, “how could I not? After all, I’ve witnessed my fair share of magic over the years…and I still believe my own kingdom was cursed long ago.”

  “Why do you think your kingdom is cursed?” I ask.

  “It’s the only explanation I can come up with when it comes to our shortage of women. In nearly thirty years not one birth has resulted in a girl child.”

  “That is very strange,” Li mutters, “do you—”

  “You called?” a woman asks.

  “Ah, yes,” Saniya says, she gets up and we rise to join her inside the bedroom. “Maarika, thank you for coming.”

  As we step through the gauzy fabric and into the bedroom, we see a woman with long, dark hair leaning over Roan as she examines his torn back. “Is this why you sent for me?”

  “Yes, I think a few of your ointments might do a world of good for our guests and their wounds.”

  “You’re right,” she says, her cold voice sends an uncomfortable chill down my spine as she straightens and turns toward us.

  “Frieda?” Ero growls.

  “No, my name is Maarika,” the woman says, her eyes flashing darkly as a smile slowly spreads across her face.

  Whatever her true name is, I’d recognize her anywhere.

  This woman is one and the same as the priestess from the north…

  The woman in red.

  Twenty-two

  Li

  “How delightful,” the woman says in a slippery voice, scanning Annalise’s body, “I can see the pregnancy has progressed nicely.”

  I step in front of Annalise to shield her from the woman’s gaze. “What’s it to you?”

  “You know each other?” Saniya asks in obvious confusion.

  “Oh, it’s nothing to me,” Maarika says, ignoring the question, “but I can think of at least one person who will be pleased to know things are ahead of schedule. Imagine my surprise at fin
ding you here of all places!”

  “Excuse me,” Saniya says, stepping between us, “would one of you tell me what’s going on here?”

  “Nothing that concerns you,” Maarika snaps, her eyes still trained on me.

  “You will not speak to me like that, Maarika,” Saniya warns, her beautiful voice suddenly cutting, “after all that my family has done for you throughout the years.”

  “All that your family has done for me?” the woman in red cackles. “You really are clueless, now get out of my way before I make you.”

  “Akachi—”

  His name barely leaves her mouth before Maarika extends her hand and throws Saniya aside with formidable force.

  “Don’t come any closer!” I roar.

  “Oh,” Maarika sneers, taking a step forward, “and what are you going to do to stop me?”

  “I’ll tear your body limb from limb, like I should have done the first time,” Ero growls.

  “That you should have,” she says, “but you didn’t, thanks to your little…what is she to you? Oh, right, your little whore.”

  Ero lurches toward her, but she flicks her wrist and throws him against one of the columns. She takes another step toward us, her cold smile growing even wider.

  “What do you want?”

  “I thought that would be obvious by now,” she says. “You really are a dumb lot of beasts, aren’t you? Beautiful, yes…but oh, so dense. I want exactly what Damien wants, and what he wants, for now, is Annalise.”

  “Never,” I growl.

  “You can’t stop me,” Maarika says, “in just a few short moments, you’ll be lying on the floor watching as I rip her from your arms forever… and don’t get me started on what Damien will do to her in just a few short hours.”

  I hold Annalise firmly behind me pressing her to move backwards with me, my stomach twisting in disgust at the witch’s words. My mind struggles to think of a way to take her down, but for now I just need to keep her talking “You’ll never get out of here alive.”

  “Just imagine,” she says, ignoring me, “she’ll never leave his chambers again, never know the light of day again. Damien’s hand will crush the voice from her throat as he rides her day in and day out… at least, until the child arrives. Then, he’ll take her body and—”