by Sin
I glanced at Angie and she smiled. She lifted her pink sweater and I saw a fresh bite mark on her stomach. My eyes widened and she held her left hand out to me. There was a large diamond ring sitting on her finger. I looked at her and then to Derrick who was talking on his cell phone. He hung up and stared at me.
“The others are coming to help clean this up. We need to get Maxim stabilized. Are you hurt?”
In the entire time I’d known Derrick, he’d never once said so many words to me. I was dumbfounded. Angie moved next to me and put her arm around me. Her hand touched my chest wound and I jerked away from her. She moved closer and touched the tear on my sweater. She peeled the bloodied wool back and gasped. “Rayme!”
Cold air moved around me and lifted my hair slightly. Angie drew her breath in. “What was that?”
“Jovan,” I said as I fell into her arms.
Vince turned and looked at me. “He can save our King, do you think he would?”
“Yes, Jovan owes him one.”
Vince nodded and then looked at Terrance. “Bring her and met us at Jovan’s.”
I began to protest, but Terrance beat me to it. “No, she stays with Maxim. We will not separate them.”
Vince looked like he wanted to strike Terrance, but he had his hands full with Maxim. He looked down at me and I tried to get to my feet. “I’m going with him whether you like or not, so deal with it.”
“Yes, my Queen.”
Terrance and Angie helped me to my feet. I followed close behind as they loaded Maxim into the back end of his Rover. Terrance helped me climb in next to him and went and sat up front. Angie ran to the back of the truck and poked her head in the through the broken out glass.
“He’ll be okay. Derrick tells me that we’re fast healers…. We’ll meet you there.”
I touched her hand and squeezed it tight. I didn’t want to let her go, but I had to. Vince headed out and I moved my body down and lay next to Maxim. His chest moved ever so slightly and his breathing was getting weaker. Vince slammed on the brakes and I sat up fast.
Terrance was out of the car and bending over something in the road. He came back to the window and looked at Vince. “It is Dag, he is dead.”
They both turned and looked at me. “Did you kill Dag?” Vince asked, his voice sounding slightly alarmed.
“It was him or me, and I wasn’t ready to give up yet, I needed to get back and help Maxim.”
Terrance smiled and climbed back into the truck. I was about to ask what they planned on doing about Dag’s body, but I really didn’t care. Vince kept staring at me. I looked down at Maxim. “He’s dying Vince, can’t you disagree with me later?”
“No, my Queen, I cannot disagree with you. I see now that Maxim was right in selecting you.”
That meant a lot coming from him and I knew that. I also knew that Maxim wasn’t going to hang on much longer. I put my hand on his chest and was about to tell Vince to go when I realized that Maxim had stopped breathing. I sat on my knees and ripped the remainder of his shirt open. Closing my eyes, I let junior high health class lessons flood my mind. I called my demon up to the surface and it could sense no heartbeat, Maxim was dead. I initiated chest compressions on him and varied them with breaths in his mouth.
No matter how hard I tried, Maxim wouldn’t come back. I could still smell the forest around him, around me. I let the gifts that he’d given me guide me. I brought my wrist to my lips and bit down in it. I put it against the open wound that was closest to Maxim’s heart and let my blood mix with his. Putting my lips on his, I kissed him gently. His lips parted and his tongue pushed into my mouth. I pulled back from him and found his brown eyes looking up at me.
He lifted his hand to my cheek and pulled away a tear. “You’re right, we did make you weepy.”
I laughed through my tears and put my head to his chest. His arms wrapped around me and I knew that he was going to be all right. Something touched my shoulder and it startled me.
“Excuse me, my Queen, but what do wish for us to do now?” Vince asked.
“Start calling me Rayme,” I said. Maxim laughed slightly.
“Very well, Rayme. Shall we proceed to the Dark Master’s home?”
I thought of Jovan. He’d already done enough to help me. I didn’t need to bother him with anything else. “No.” I looked down at Maxim. “Can you take us back to my house?”
“But, my … Rayme, Maxim may be more comfortable at his own home,” Vince said, softly.
Maxim’s hand ran up my back. “No, Vince, I go where she goes, and if she wants to go to her house then that’s where I’ll go, and for future reference, my home is her home.”
Epilogue
The funeral services for Fawn and Vincent were beautiful. Maxim had seen to every detail. Fawn’s family had a hard time, as I thought they would. Her mother took my number and promised to call me. We had the after service gathering for Vinnie at the bar. Most of the city showed up to pay their respects to him. Angie and I ended up with people out in the parking lot paying their respects and remembering him.
Vinnie’s lawyers found me midway through the evening and handed me a mound of paperwork. Apparently, Vinnie had left me all that he had, the bar, the Laundromat, two additional buildings, his house, and enough money to never have to work a day in my life. I tried to refuse it, but when I read the letter that he’d written two years earlier, I couldn’t refuse him. He’d penned it the night that he had first met me. He told me that he felt that his daughter had sent me to him as a gift to keep him going. The minute that he saw me he felt alive again, and had known that I was his family now. He said that he couldn’t go against his heart and it was telling him that we were meant to find each other. He asked me to keep his dreams alive, and that was the least I could do for him.
It’s only been a week since Vinnie’s passing and I haven’t been able to bring myself to reopen the bar. Angie and Maxim think it will do me good and help me get over losing Vinnie, but I’m not sure anything will ever help me with that.
Maxim is staying with me. Vince tried to convince me to move in with Maxim, and Maxim said he’d be happy if I just came to see where he lived. We’ve made plans to go next week. He also seems to think that I’ll agree to marry him in front of his entire pack. I’m not too sure about that.
I found out that all four hundred weres went out to the cabin and handled the situation. I haven’t gone back out there. I’m not sure I ever will. I’ve come to terms with the negative things that happened there, I just haven’t come to terms with the positive--Jovan.
I haven’t spoken to Jovan since he helped me defeat Dag. It’s for the best--I’m sure. Maxim thinks I should talk with him, and that surprised me. I would have thought that he would have been pleased that I had closed the door on Jovan. He keeps telling me that there’s a reason for everything and that he’ll not deny what nature has selected for me--even if it means two men. For an alpha male, he’s being incredibly understanding about it all.
For now, I’m content with living for the moment. I love Maxim and he loves me. I don’t need anything else, right?
The End
THE KING’S CHOICE
© copyright May 2005, Mandy M. Roth
Chapter One
King Jakov of Braluse sat at his throne and waited as his head advisor, Andrija, led the females in one by one. The act of selecting a queen wasn’t one he relished. His harem would continue to see to his needs, as they always had. He had no use for a woman to sit by his side and rule the Kingdom of Braluse with him. He’d done so on his own for centuries.
However, the prophecy called for the choosing of a queen by the night of the sixth red moon of his reign. Disobeying and angering the gods was not something Jakov wanted to do. Red moons occurred once every one hundred years and if he didn’t select a queen by the rise of this one, he would never have an heir. That was not acceptable.
His people, the Avistaurus’ of Braluse--part human, part shifter, were immortal. The entire planet of Hafo
ca was inhabited with various forms of bird-like shifters. All the tribes were able to shift into a bird of prey. In addition to shifting into a bird of prey, they could also shift into some other animal. That, of course, was dependant upon the tribe. The Avistaurus’ shifter forms were that of an eagle and a bull. His child would share in these traits if it was male, as all males did.
The females on Hafoca, were only immortal once they began to take a male’s semen internally on a regular basis. It was a way to assure that only the finest female specimens lived forever. The sick, the diseased, and the malformed lived short lives. It was not a kind way of life, but necessary to the survival of their breed and tribe.
Each virgin made her way past Jakov. Their faces were veiled with only their eyes showing, giving them an air of mystery. Gold chains adorned their near-naked bodies. Each was beautiful, toned, free from signs of aging but none made his cock stir and his chest burn. It was too much to hope that the woman he was forced to select would actually appeal to his carnal sexual nature. No. He would be lucky to find one he even wanted to bother sinking his cock into long enough to impregnate her with his child. Thankfully, he would be able to roll off the wench and allow the harem to see to giving him adequate relief.
Andrija cast him a wary look and motioned for the virgin nearest him to leave the room. The girl’s eyes were wide with fear as they hurried from the room. He wasn’t sure why he was so feared. He thought himself a fair ruler. Merciful. Strong. Fearless. The people seemed to have a different opinion of him.
“King Jakov, many women have passed by you this day, yet you have seen none.”
Rolling his eyes, Jakov shrugged. “I have seen them all, Andrija.”
“Then why have you not selected one?”
Jakov rose slowly. “None have called to me, brother. None have made me cease to think about any but them. We live long lives and I do not wish to remain tethered to a woman that I am indifferent too. If at all possible, I would rather not have to tolerate my wife.”
Andrija arched a dark brow. “Do my ears deceive me or could it be that the great, powerful King Jakov wishes to be in love with his wife?”
Not wanting to subject himself to his brother’s obvious amusement, Jakov laughed the idea off. “Brother, I merely wish to be able to sink my cock into the woman that will lie next to me for eternity and it remain hard long enough to give my seed to her.”
“I see.” The look on Andrija’s face told him that his attempt at justifying the innate need to be drawn to the one he must choose was not going over with him.
It wasn’t as though Jakov wanted to have these feelings. No. He wanted to be like so many other kings before him. He wanted to pick a wife that was prime stock to assure his sons would be both handsome and healthy.
“Would sampling the women help?” Andrija asked, his dark brown eyes locked firmly on Jakov.
The thought of bedding several virgins in one sitting did sound interesting. Shifting his robe slightly, Jakov felt the stirrings of arousal deep within him. He wasn’t worked up enough for his dick to harden but it at least seemed to be interested in the prospect of taking the virginity of many. That was one of his favorite things to do. “Perhaps. Send the next one in. I shall have her wait here for the others then I shall allow her the pleasure of servicing me.”
“Very well, my king.”
* * * *
Dijana pulled at the chains around her waist. The priests had informed her that they were for adornment only, but she suspected it was more for a show of submission. It was appalling, the way the virgins of nobility were gathered to come before the king. As Sacerdos of the Sabian Antistitas, she was in danger by simply existing. Standing in close proximity to the king or his people was ludicrous. If she dared to use her powers as high priestess, they would know. Her people, the other priestesses from Sabian, needed her to continue to guide them.
How the beast of a king could pluck a woman for the taking from a gathering of strangers was beyond her. Unless the fates were aligned with him, he would never find a woman true to his heart. If he even had one.
Dijana had tried desperately to escape capture, but failed. Her own mother had been the one to inform the high guards where she was hiding. The woman lived and breathed loyalty to the king and all that he stood for. Dijana found the man to be an intolerable monster and she had yet to even lay eyes on him.
Thankfully, her sister had managed to escape capture. It was hard enough being here. The idea of her sister being subjected to this sickened Dijana. She’d spent the last week surrounded by women who wanted nothing more than to have the “great king” choose them. It was disgusting the lack of self-respect these woman had. The way they went on and on about pleasing the king and giving him a child had left her on the edge of madness. She was no man’s whore. Her body was her own, not a tool to provide a man she could not stand with a child.
Hoping to be able to one day forget this fiasco, Dijana had done her best to follow the lead of the others in respect to obeying the priests. Not one who normally obeyed anyone or anything, it had not gone over so well. By the time the priests were done scraping the hair from her legs, sex and underarms, she’d wanted nothing more than to geld this “great king” of theirs. As if that weren’t enough, the priests had taken to twisting her long hair into tight ringlets and painting her face to the point she looked like a whore for the taking.
When they’d pierced both her nipples, she’d sworn to exact revenge upon them. The other women around her had looked at her in complete dismay. They couldn’t fathom why someone would not want to be the next queen of Braluse. Dijana couldn’t understand why any women would want the job or the man that came with it.
Dijana certainly wanted to meet the king but not for a chance to be his queen. No, she wanted to gouge his very eyes from his overinflated head for turning her into some sort of sex object. She’d grown up with a brothel in her town. It wasn’t as though she hadn’t seen the types of women that frequented those places. They wore similar amounts of heavy black eye makeup and tiny outfits. In truth, they actually wore more material than she currently had on.
Now, wearing gold chains and only a thin scrap of white material to cover her sex, she stood with her arms crossed, daring anyone to tell her to move. If need be, she would fight to the death before allowing the beast to touch her. She was no man’s whore. Not even the king’s.
The door to the waiting chamber opened and the remaining women flocked to greet the king’s advisor. Dijana’s lips curled into a sneer at the sight of it all. They were pathetic, each vying for a better position in hopes they would be presented next. Rumors circulated the villages that the king was an extremely handsome man. How this was possible was a mystery to her. In her opinion he was a tyrant.
The advisor was a handsome man though--tall, tan, and muscular. All that a woman would want in a mate. It was a good thing that she wasn’t looking for one. Dijana had decided long ago that she would live her life for herself and no one else.
Andrija, as she’d heard the others refer to him, pushed through the group of women and came to a stop before her. Grabbing hold of her chin, he shook his head. “Why did you remove your veil?”
Dijana batted his hand away from her and stared defiantly into his face. “Because I wish to have no part in this exercise of barbarism. And I have no reason to be ashamed of the way I look. No part of me cares what the man thinks of me. This is all a joke. Take one of the mindless ones who seem so content on dedicating their lives to a man they’ve never met.”
The advisor’s chest puffed out and he pulled her to him. “You think our king to be a barbarian?”
Rolling her eyes, Dijana gave him a droll look. “I’m not a woman to mince words. I said what I meant and will shout it from the hills of Braluse if need be.”
If she didn’t know better, she could have sworn that Andrija’s dark eyes lit with amusement. “Come, it is your turn.”
She dug her heels into the floor, but it provided l
ittle in the way of traction. He pulled her with no effort at all. “No, stop,” she said, trying to take her arm back from his firm grasp. “Take one of the others. They’ll go willingly.”
Andrija yanked her through the door to the king’s chamber. Kicking out she managed to catch him in the back of the knee. Wanting to celebrate her small victory, she smiled wide. He stumbled forward, taking her with him, cutting her solo celebration short. They slammed into the ground hard. Andrija took the brunt of the impact leaving her lying on top of his muscular body. He growled out as he rolled her over quickly.
Dijana’s eyes widened as the large man pinned her to the floor. He glared down at her with deep brown eyes and pressed his powerful body against her.
“You will respect your king.” The look on his face was not kind and the tone of his voice was harsh. Still, she didn’t fear him.
“He is not my king,” Dijana spat back at him.
Andrija tightened his grip on her and she cried out beneath him. “Take your hands off me you ... you ... servant to the bastard that claims to care for his people.”
“How dare you speak of the king in that manner? He cares greatly for Braluse and its people.”
Dijana snorted. “Do they put something in the food here? That must be it because no one in their right state of mind would claim that beast cares a thing for anyone but himself.”
In an instant, Andrija had her pressed even tighter to the ground. “You will not....”
Dijana thrust her head up, catching his face with her forehead. Clearly taking him by surprise, she couldn’t help but smile as he rolled a bit to the side. She rammed her knee up fast. It made contact with his most valued parts. He hissed. She went to do it again but only managed to catch his upper thigh. The muscular trunk sent pain radiating through her knee. “Get off me, you oaf!”
“You.” He tried to gain control of her. “Will be still or I will....”
