Chapter 41
Ael
When the women left earlier, Ael exhaustedly went into the kitchens, grabbed a bottle of wine, and took it back to his room. He popped the cork and took a deep drink from it, skipping a glass.
Regret consumed his soul as if he were drowning in a vast ocean, unable to surface, pulled down by the vines of his own mistakes.
He climbed into his oversized, rumpled bed and removed the stone from his pocket.
It was a massive bed, and his already imposing size seemed tiny by comparison.
He really missed his small, twin-sized bed back in Joro, mostly because Seda was always around.
The apartment bedroom never felt empty, unlike his lonely room here at the castle.
He really needed to talk to her; it dominated his thoughts.
“Seda Arbor.” He looked into the translucent stone, waiting with bated breath for it to glow brightly, nerves tightening in anticipation of what might appear.
Please be okay.
Seda was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling and quietly crying. His heart sank when he saw her upset. What was she thinking about? He wished he could be there with her to kiss away the tears escaping her eyes.
Where was she? The room and decor didn’t look familiar to him. Where was there an inn along the route north? The only one he knew of was with the Lycanthropes, but their journey wasn’t along that path, and there was no way they made it that far.
He noticed a form lying on the ground next to her and sneered when he saw it was that fucker, Kalon.
What was he up to? He didn’t trust him, and it wasn’t just because Kalon clearly wanted Seda.
He was trying too hard and was obviously hiding something, but Ael had no idea what it was.
Still, he was glad he was on the floor and not in her bed.
He kept drinking from the bottle as he watched Seda fall asleep. When her eyes finally fluttered closed and her breathing changed, he decided to check on the others.
“Roya Corvid,” he said. When the image of Roya and Benny appeared, he quickly looked away. Roya was running her nails through Benny’s hair as his face was between her pale legs.
Well, I’ll be damned. Benny actually did it.
He wanted to know where they were, so he called out Elco’s name instead.
Elco was sitting beside a fire, with flowers woven into his mane, and was gnawing on what looked like a deer’s leg.
A group of very small children was curled up against him.
An older man appeared, leading most of the children away from Elco.
The wind stirred his long, gray beard, and then Ael noticed the giant mushrooms in the background.
Interesting. I didn’t know anyone lived there.
The Amanita Copse was deadly and hidden deep within the northern redwoods. No one dared to go there anymore. He glanced back at the image of Elco and noticed other small beings in the distance.
No way, he thought as his mouth fell open.
The Vatte had been missing for a thousand years.
Everyone thought they all died when the monsters took over the lower half of Xyberus and the humans hid inside the dome.
That was them, though. What a clever place to have made a home.
No Jotnar would ever venture there, and since the Vatte were small people with earth magic, they could build and navigate through the mushrooms easily.
The fact that Elco made his huge, scaled ass in there made him think they must have adapted the area for their village.
He directed the stone back to Seda and watched her sleep. Her closed eyes moved gently, and a small smile played on her lips. What was she dreaming about?
He didn’t care if others thought it was creepy that he was watching her.
Fuck them. If she were dressing or bathing, he would look away out of respect for her.
But since she was sleeping peacefully, he decided it was okay to invade her privacy and make sure that fucker Kalon didn’t try anything while she slept.
Not that he had any power to do anything. But he would find him if he did, and the thought of ripping his dick off his body made a wicked smile spread across his lips.
He reflected on the women from earlier—how they had all tried to sit on his lap and lick his sensitive ears. He considered taking them to release the tension from years past.
He had closed his eyes while listening to their gentle moans, imagining it was Seda caressing him tenderly. A warm tongue had traced his neck and made his cock stiffen. He opened his eyes, and a restrained moan escaped from his parted lips as another grabbed it firmly through the fabric.
He jerked back, overwhelmed by revulsion as he regained awareness.
He sent them all away and didn’t watch as they pouted and walked off, their sheer, flowing scarves slipping down their bodies. He heard the Madame in the hall scolding them all for not having success.
He only wanted her.
Seda is mine, he finally admitted to himself.
He loved her before, he loved her now, and he would love her forever—he loved her more than words can express, even beyond life itself. She was his closest friend and his whole heart, igniting his soul with a fiery passion he would willingly let consume him forever.
He would turn the world upside down for her, starting with Kalon or any man who believed they could have her. He wanted to squeeze their hearts as he had done with Michael’s.
And he would enjoy doing that for her over and over and over again.
He dozed off with the stone pressed against his heart, ravaged by vivid nightmares of Kalon and Seda locked in a passionate embrace with their bodies twisted in a tangled web of desire.
“We should have a ball,” Luelle said to him over breakfast the next morning. “You know, to celebrate your return. I haven’t worn a fancy dress in years. Plus, a ball is the perfect place to hear gossip.” She was picking at her pancakes, using the fork to lift them and plop them back onto her plate.
“I don’t want a ball,” Ael replied as he munched on a piece of bacon. “I hate balls.”
“It would be wise, Your Highness, to host such an event for your return. The people would love to see you and celebrate with you. It will bring up morale to the kingdom,” Meir said from his spot next to Ael. “I agree with Luelle.”
Luelle smirked at Ael in a ‘I told you so’ manner. Ael rolled his eyes.
“What do you think, Praxis?” he asked him, knowing the answer.
“Don’t care about balls. At least not those balls. I rather appreciate my own, though,” Praxis said and smirked. Ael chuckled, and Praxis continued, “Whatever you want, sire. I’ll have the guard on duty when it happens.”
“You’re disgusting!” Luelle sneered as she dropped her fork on her delicate china plate, cracking the edge. “No one here wants to think about your saggy, sweaty balls.”
Meir was glaring between the two, clearly baffled by their lack of manners toward Ael. Ael tried to conceal his laughter with his hand when he saw Meir’s reaction, and his eyes began to water.
“My balls are not saggy, thank you very much. But they’re rather sweaty. Wanna help me air them out?”
“Sire,” Luelle said sarcastically, but acknowledging his title because Meir was there.
“Please tell your chief to shut the flying-fuck up. I’m going to puke.
” She stood up and wiped her mouth with her napkin, pretending to gag.
“You know what, I’m going to leave. I’ll be back later.
Sire, will you have a job for me soon? I’ve been bored with you being away.
Everyone has been so dull, and I would like a little fun. ”
For Luelle, fun was either hooking up with strangers, fighting with Praxis, or gathering information and gossip for Ael.
Praxis wiggled his eyebrows at her, and she growled at him, looking like a ferocious rabbit, and stormed out of the room.
“Your Highness,” Meir said as he tried desperately to change the subject.
“I will coordinate a ball for two nights from now. Also, I’ve been researching the library and have yet to find anything on magic that has the color purple.
I will continue my search and let you know what I find.
Would you like anything else from me before I make my way over there? ”
Ael shook his head and thanked Meir for trying. Meir bowed and walked out of the doors, leaving Praxis and Ael behind.
“Sire, it is good to have you back. Luelle is more feisty with you here. She was a boring mess when you were gone. Also, I don’t know why she complained about my balls. She’s played with them countless times,” Praxis said as he chewed through his scrambled eggs.
Ael laughed. “I did miss you guys. She can go find some poor soul to consume for the night while she awaits some drama to unfold.” Ael took a sip of orange juice and asked, “What’s the word on the Lycanthropes at the wall?”
“We tried to make contact, but they disappeared before the guard arrived. I figure they just went back home,” he took another bite of his eggs.
“I need to make peace with them. If what’s happening in the southern parts of Xyberus reaches here, we shouldn’t be fighting among ourselves, even if I don’t give two shits about those people. I will make time after this ball to go down and visit them,” Ael said.
Two servant women walked in and collected the dishes. One pretty young Fae appraised Ael from head to toe, her eyes taking on a sly, suggestive glint.
He looked away.
Praxis noticed the exchange and waited for them to leave before saying, “Sire, you used to accept offers like that so willingly. I heard that you sent away the Madame and her women last night, as well. Is everything okay?”
Ael sighed and admitted, “I’m no longer available for them.”
Ael fiddled with the clear stone in his pocket and wished he were alone to watch Seda like the creep he knew he was.