Chapter 24 #2
She sipped her wine and smiled wickedly before choosing her words. Would she spare me or spear me? “A Lady of Leto does not speak of her former consorts, it’s, as you say…unbecoming.”
I took a giant gulp of my ration and licked my lips for good measure. Unable to hold back, I leaned in and whispered in her ear, “I would so like to see just how unbecoming you are.”
Hearing her breath hitch was confirmation my aim had been true, and her scent immediately shifted toward undeniable arousal. Esiree tried to ignore me, taking another sip from her glass and doing everything possible to avoid my singular focus.
After dinner I escorted her back to our dwelling, and her unsteady footsteps indicated she had drunk more than her share at dinner.
Despite her inebriation, she’d been superb, entertaining every boring joke and lackluster anecdote from those around us.
They relished and welcomed her presence.
Later in the evening, the revelers had almost begun to ignore their Vampyr guests entirely.
She started to haphazardly remove garments the moment we entered the privacy of our tent, and I shifted nervously at her impropriety. She tugged at the corset strings of her dress, making little progress.
“Would you like me to send for assistance?” I offered.
Esiree strolled toward me without a word and then turned her back to face me, followed by a playful bump of her rear against my groin.
“What, are you incapable of untying some strings? Is that too difficult for a king?” Her slurred, mocking words blended together.
I looked at the mess she’d made trying to undo it herself and grabbed my dagger from its sheath. Holding the dress in one hand and the blade in another, I impatiently sliced through all of the strings, freeing her of its confines.
Esiree turned abruptly, wide-eyed.
“Di-Did you just do what I think you did?”
“That is how a king handles a problem,” I said slyly, shock settling from her expression.
“I don’t have that many dresses!” she scolded. “How dare you!”
“Esiree, I am the king. You would have ten new dresses in your armoire by dawn if I commanded it. Stop being so dramatic.”
Turning my back, I shifted toward the exit, since I fully intended to give her privacy, when she called out to me.
I turned back around to find her dress on the floor, puddled at her feet, and nothing but a short, silky underdress clinging to her magnificent form.
The night air caused her nipples to peak, accentuating her lush round breasts.
The Gods had truly despised me when they granted me a beautiful wife whose sole purpose was to deny me.
“Where are you going?”
“It’s nightfall, I should be with the Watch.”
“But I don’t think I can sleep,” she admitted, sliding her body up onto the edge of the bed, exposing the length of her bare legs. Taunting me.
“How can I be of assistance?” I asked, trying to avoid bruising my own ego by engaging further with her flippant games. To say she gave me whiplash was an understatement.
“Stay. Tell me the plan,” she said softly, patting her hand beside her on the bed for me to join.
I moved slowly towards her, mustering every ounce of self-control I possessed as I drank in the curves of her body.
That fucking delectable neck of hers, the way it sloped into her delicate collarbones.
I was firmly in control of my urges. My hunger had long since been reduced to what the rations offered, but this was something more.
Much more. Desire. Burning, aching desire.
And she thoroughly enjoyed toying with me.
She stirred within me a hunger of an entirely different kind.
So, I had to regularly exert myself just to abstain from indulgent thoughts of breaking every rule and taking her the way only a Vampyr could take another. I felt my fangs begin to ache wantonly.
“You know the plan,” I mused, matching her intense gaze.
“Then tell me again. And brush my hair until I grow weary.” She motioned her chin in the direction of her brush on the counter, instructing me to fetch it for her like the obedient dog I was whenever she gave me a morsel of her attention.
I grabbed the silver brush and, when I returned to the bed, she had already made her way under the covers, snuggling against the fur throw that would shield her from the cooler temperatures of this makeshift lodging.
As I positioned myself in the bed next to her, she rolled onto her side, tucking her pillow beneath her chin and pushing her long, copper locks over her shoulder.
I placed the brush at the top of her head and gently began to pull down, from one end to the other.
Each stroke bent the light, her silky strands aflame in the brush’s wake.
Being this close to her warmed the hearth of my frigid soul.
I acquiesced to her plea and remained, patiently detailing the day ahead.
Esiree and I would first welcome the leaders of Muir in a private breakfast, previewing the purpose of our census, how it would be conducted and how the rest of the itinerary would unfold.
While she was giving her speech, I would lead a party of sentries to our destination, so long as the cloud cover cooperated.
I trusted she knew what to say, as she had practiced it many times with Mina before our departure.
Esiree let out a small yawn and curled her legs up closer to her body as I continued to stroke her hair. Occasionally with my fingertips, twirling the ends in errant circles.
After her welcome speech concluded, she and a few select diplomats would partner with the Muirian leadership to begin the formal census—which was likely to take all day.
Giving myself and my team of scouts plenty of time to reach a nearby nest that had already been identified.
It would be of the utmost importance to ensure we weren’t followed, nor that we draw any attention from villagers who may have settled on the outskirts of Muir.
Though their numbers had dwindled due to the risk of attack, we couldn’t be certain they had dissipated entirely.
Upon reaching the cave, we would make every effort to deploy the Parcaetes’ weapon successfully and eradicate its inhabitants.
Gods-willing, we would do so with no loss or injury to our own.
But if the weapon failed, even partially, we would be in for a skirmish.
A consequence that I intentionally did not mention in my bedtime recap to Es. She needn’t worry about such things.
Then we’d ensure the nest was fully vacated and the bodies burned before making our return.
If we were lucky, we’d be back by nightfall.
After the day’s census culminated, Esiree knew she was to shift toward receiving petitions and grievances.
My hope was that there wouldn’t be much time for that before the dinner hour, and that a majority of it would take place the next day when I too could be present.
I could only imagine how empty my coffers would be if Es was left to the exercise without my supervision.
My trusted advisor, Lord Elek, would be present for the entirety of our visit, but she had already shown little to no deference for his authority.
It wasn’t long before the pampering finished what the wine had started, smoothing the ragged edges of her breaths into a quiet hum. Every now and then she’d make a small, adorable snore that I would someday tease her about—if ever I wasn’t surviving off the crumbs of her presence and affection.
I pulled the fur throw further up and tucked it in gently, careful to not wake her before rising to join the Watch.