Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Kong
What the fuck was I thinking, speaking to her like that? I need to punish someone.
My forearms ache, reminding me to unclench my fists. Only to clench them again. Rage fuels my movements as I storm down to the Dam Post. I think I saw those pricks during her tour yesterday, so I am pretty convinced I’ll find them soon.
And I have a raging boner. That always makes me reckless.
I stalk through the narrow path leading to the far ledge. My mind is on fire with what I saw— watching her in the water, relaxed beside Ana, enjoying lusty words from other men. A new feeling began to coil within me, one I’ve never needed, never felt, because she was always isolated.
When I first saw her tucked behind the bank shrubbery, watching them, I thought the heat firing through my veins was a protective instinct. This isn’t safe; she isn’t safe.
But with each passing moment, every carefree glance at Ana, the heat boiled, consuming me, burning me, bit by bit.
I clenched my teeth. Watched. Scowled. I indulged the feeling, noticed her wet hair, her attention on them, and a dark truth branded me—I don’t like sharing her. I am torn between wanting her to be free, happy, and to live, and wanting her to be all those things with me.
The thundering sound of rushing water fills my ears, adding to the pulse in my veins. My heart is riotous. Those Trade Dammers crossed a fucking line, and so I am going to cross one, too. I can't let them continue their day without knowing I heard what they said about my little queen.
My little queen.
I would really like to drag my knife across each throat and watch their blood dye the dam cliff red, but the CR Guard is near. I can’t have a scene associated with her campaign.
As I approach the ledge, a sheer five-hundred-foot drop to my right, I see them leaning against a concrete wall, laughter spilling from their lips. They converse easily, cheerfully.
I see red.
Their eyes gleam brazenly as they continue to talk about her, their words dripping with a vulgarity that makes decades of stoicism blaze to volatility.
That ache flares again.
I unclench my fists.
Clench them again.
“I think I could charm anyone,” one of them says. A tall one; fit but trim. I could snap him in two.
“Sure…” the second one mocks, laughter escaping him. “I wouldn’t need to charm her. Just pin her down, have her feel the full length of my big—"
“Your what?” Dark red tendrils creep into my vision, blurring the sight of them as I step into view.
They turn, surprise twisting quickly into fear as they recognise me. “You’re... You’re the queen’s Guard.”
“Guardian!”
“We didn’t mean—”
“Silence,” I hiss, my voice low but chilling even to my own ears. The jealousy inside me roars, but I control it. “She is the queen. She is not for your amusement.”
The tall one straightens, attempting to mask his fear with bravado. “We were just joking. It’s harmless fun.”
“Harmless?” My anger surges like the Redwind, thrashing against my usual stoicism. “You think your words are harmless. To be in her presence is worthy of your reverence. Of your admiration. Nothing to do with your cocks!”
The second one shifts nervously, darting a petrified gaze at his friend, but I can see the dread seeping in—this will not end well for them.
“Let me teach you a lesson about respect,” I say, my voice dropping to a dark whisper. “You will learn that there are consequences for your words.”
In a blur of motion, I grab the first one, the tall prick, by the collar and shove him toward the edge of the dam, my grip unyielding.
“You will apologize to me.” His feet coast the deadly edge. “Pretend I am the queen. I want to hear your most respectful tones.”
If I let go, he will fall to his death. The drop is fucking chaotic, his eyes bulging as if they wish to escape from his skull.
“Please, we didn’t mean it like that,” he stammers, all out fucking panicking.
“Then prove it,” I growl.
The wind rushes upward, surfing the long concrete half-bowl, nearly blowing him off the lip, nearly hauling him from my grip.
“I am sorry!”
“My queen,” I finish.
“My queen. I am…”
“Unworthy,” I state.
“Yes, unworthy!”
“Now, you!” I yell at the second one, who stands frozen, petrified, eyes wide with terror.
“I am unworthy.” His voice trembles, a patch of piss growing at his crotch.
Desperation fills the first one’s eyes as he leans toward me, toward the safety of the edge. I throw him onto the landing, and he gasps for air. “You will not speak of her again. Next time, I won’t just scare you; I will make sure you feel the weight”—I look over the sheer drop— “of your words.”
I turn to the second one, who still stands frozen in place, piss pooling at his shoes, fear etched on his face.
“Do you understand?” I ask, my tone levelling as I gain control over myself.
The first says, “Yes, yes.”
The second can only nod.
I take a step backward, allowing them both to catch their breath as I glare at them carefully, measuring them up.
“You are lucky I’m not the king. If he had heard those words, you’d be at the bottom of that dam. Remember this moment.”
With that, I turn away, my overprotective heart settling to a steady rhythm. Now that is taken care of, I can get back to my tent and fuck my fist.
Because… I saw her.
I saw her practically naked.
Walking from that lake, water gliding from her, every, single, inch, of her figure outlined and moving toward me.
Possessiveness builds inside me. I need to protect her while she is exposed to Common, to Trade citizens, to shield her from the eyes that would reduce her to mere beauty. She is so much more than that.
How dare they see her as anything less? How dare they think they can speak about her like she’s just another pretty body?
As I stride away, I hear one of the Trade Dammer’s sobbing. The weight of my warning and a near-death experience will do that. They’ll think twice before they speak of her again. Good.
At The Estate, respect for the king and queen is unwavering. The Guards won’t even lift their gaze. They bow. Eyes to the floor.
The general Cradle citizens don’t have the same decorum, and these two might be the last to learn the easy way.
One thing is certain. Make no mistake, just because I can’t touch her, doesn’t mean she isn’t mine.