14. Fourteen
This is flying horse shit.
The only consolation I have right now is that I can hear Elva stumbling over herself in the dark. Once. Twice. Three times in a matter of minutes, until she finally complains, ”I can”t see a fucking thing, Kairon.”
”You”ll get used to it,”I grit out, once again willing my painfully hard dick to relax. Elva being a vicious tease only increased my need for her. She”s playing a dangerous game, but every round of it draws me infurther andfurther until the Eyes” warning is barely more than a fleeting memory.
”Asshole,”she mutters under her breath.If I were in a different state,I might have laughed at her bravery.She”s alone in a dark cavern with me, and were I to kill her here, no one would find her for months, if ever. But as it is, I”m so godsdamned frustrated I can”t find anything funny at all. Only terribly irritating. The only sound I want to hear from my Elvacurrentlyis her begging me to let her come. To grant her the release we both so desperately need.
I would even settle for the sound of her choking on me, trying to take me down her throat as I hold her captive and mercilessly fuck her mouth.
You can”t bed her either. Ovoor”s voice grates in my head, and I internally shout at it to shut the fuck up. If I want to fuck my little troublesome guest until she comes screaming, I will.
”We”re nearly there,”I tell her, my jaw hurting from the effort of keeping from her.
For the first timein my life, I consider taking a trip to the Ordinance. Surely, someone there could curb this ridiculous craving. Someone whose body won”t send me into such a state that I”m willing to gamble all of our fates just to have it. Someone who will do their job, I could pay them handsomely, and we could go our separate ways forever.
”You meet with the Syren Queen this close to the castle?”she asks.
”No.”Even as I consider it, I know nothing and no one but Elva will do. And it makes me all the more enraged. I”ve turned into a horny teenager again, thinking only with the demon hanging between my legs.
When we finally reach the bottom, I slide the hidden door open, and Elva practically hisses at the intensity of the moonlight pouring down on us.She takes a moment to acclimate from the pitch-black tunnel we were in as I keep walking, knowing she”ll follow even if it means shehas to run to do so.
”So where do we go from here?”she asks, moving at almost a jog to keep up with my long strides. Just because I feel like torturing her, I walk faster, forcing her to pick up her pace just to stay with me.
I sigh, turning the corner towards Drakken”s home. ”The journey to the seaside caves is very long and very treacherous, so we will have to take the horse.”
”Oh! I love horses!”she beams, trying to make casual conversation and pretending she doesn”t know I”m only moments away from bending her over the nearest surface and making her scream for me, whether she”s ready for that or not.
She certainly won”t like this horse. Especially if she has a fear of heights. Before we round the corner, I can hear Drakken whinnying, sensing my presence already. If I didn”t know better, I might think she and I sharesome kind ofpsychic connection.Whenever I need to go for a ride, be it for kingly duties or because I need to escape them, she seems ready before I arrive.
”No helm tonight?”Elva asks, trying once again to break the awkward tension building.
I grit my teeth, her curiosity and lack of fear irritating and enticing meall at once. ”No need when it”s just Maren.”
”Oh, Maren?”she drawls. ”I didn”t realize you and the queen were so friendly.”Her tone screamsofjealousy, and I”m tempted to let her believe what she wants if it means she”ll continue showing how much she dislikes it.
Instead, I tell the truth, ruining my own funjustto keep her from being upset. ”It”s not what you think.”I chuckle. ”She”s known me since I was a child. She was the one who found me after my parents- um, died.”
”The queen from a foreign kingdom is the one who found you?”Her suspicion is evident, but she certainly hasn”t earned the trustrequiredto know that story yet.
”Yes.”
She raises her brows in surprise, my tone making it perfectly clear that I won”t be answering any more questions about it.
We don”t have time for my usual care and love before Drakken begins her work, but she still needs something. I grab a couple of apples from the tree just outside her stable, begrudgingly handing one to Elva. She needs to come with a peace offering; otherwise, the horse will never allow her to touch her, much less ride her.
Elva nearly bounces on her heels, so excited because she has no idea what creature she”s about to meet. No one has ever seen Drakken and not had their blood run cold with fear. To be fair, she is a huge beast. The perfect companion for someone as terrifying as my masked facade.
When we do round the corner, and Drakken”s jet-black hair comes into focus, Elva nearly squeals. It”s not with terror or even the smallest amount of nerves but with joy the likes of which I”ve never seen from her.
Drakken looks at her, and even she seems bewildered. The horse looks at me as if waiting for something.I am also standing dumbfounded and waiting forthepanic to set infor Elva.Has shenot noticedthe wings?
”Hi gorgeous,”she murmurs, holding out the apple for Drakken like it”s the most natural thing in the world. Drakken looks at me again for guidance, and I just shrug. This woman is incapable of feeling fear when she needs to the most.
With my silent permission, Drakken gently takes the apple from Elva, crunching away before leaning her massive head down to let Elva pet her. Traitor. Elva”s practically shaking, excitement thrumming through her veinsevenwhile she tries to remain calm and not spook my beloved horse.
”What”s their name?”Elva asks, not sparing me even a glance with the magnificent beast in front of her, capturing all of her attention.
”Her name is Drakken,”I admit.While I was hoping to scare herat least alittlebit, this is...nice.Everything I share with Elva, she takes in with the wonder of a child discovering the world for the first time.While she”s obviously not some little girl, it”s refreshing, I suppose,to witness someone experiencing these things without the cynicism that Oksangui”s are so used to.
”Isn”t that the name of those creatures that one of the witches loved?”She continues petting my beloved Drakken, and Drakken soaks in the praise and affection, nuzzling against Elva”s cheek and making her giggle. A fucking giggle.
”Close,”I tell her, walking closer with the apples in my hands. ”They were dragons. But, admittedly, she is named after them. They were known for their fierceness, the way they struck fear into the heart of any who might face them.”
For the first time since entering the stable, Elva turns, looking over her shoulder at me. I”m struck frozen by the expression on her face.It”sso soft and open, as if just in this place, with the magic of the moonlight and Drakken”s blessing, we can be vulnerable.No masks, no biting remarks to keep each other at a distance.
”So you named her?”She quirks a brow, and I take a step closer. Rather than step away or fight back, she allows me this closeness. This genuine connection, just for a moment.
Any anger I couldpossiblyfeel at her from earlier dissipates.She feels the staggering pull as much as I do and fights and rails against it even when it consumes her. And when given the opportunity, she used it to her advantage, turning every possible point of weakness into a power. How could I possibly fault her for that?
”I did.”
She nods, still gazing up at me while using the beautiful horse to keep her nervous hands busy. ”How long have you had her?”
Iblow out a breath, eyes darting to Drakken and then back to Elva, the two most enigmatic creatures I”ve ever known. And they”re both mine.
No. Elva is temporary. Here to do a job and then leave.
But for a few minutes, I can pretendthat Imight be allowed to keep her. That she might want to be kept by me.
To distract myself from that thought, I tell her the story few others have heard. ”Years, honestly. I was wandering around, far too close to the cliffside, following the trail of some creature. Even now, I”m unsure what it was, but there was a horrid gust of wind, and I suddenlyfound myself wakingup halfway down the cliff, only inches from the ledge.
”I waited for at least three hours, tearing my fingers apart trying to climb. Thankfully, it was a warm summer evening, and I didn”t have to worry about freezing, but I knew I was going to be trapped there. Possibly forever. And when the realization struck me, I laughed. Hysterically, in fact. I was already gaining a reputation for being a fearsome little warrior, immune to death my superiors had called me.”
”Are you?”her jaw drops. ”Immune to death, I mean.”
With a shrug, I answer honestly, lost to the magic in the air whenever she”s near and no one else is. ”Don”t know. No one”s ever succeeded in proving one way or the other.”
”You”re trying to tell me that nobody has ever stabbed or shot you? No one?”she mock-scoffs. ”I find that hard to believe.”
The overwhelming urge to place my lips upon the lifted corner of her mouth nearly destroys me. ”They”ve tried, my Elva. But no one has succeeded in causing me irreparable damage.”
”Yet,”she adds, grinning likewe”resharinga secret. I would share every secret with her if it meant more of those smiles.
”Yet,”I agree, barely holding back a silly grin of my own. ”Anyway, I was in hysterics over the irony of possibly being unkillable and wondering what it would be like to be on the verge of death forever and never succumb to it. Somewhere above me, this stubborn beast heard my laughter and came to investigate. She landed not one foot away from me, shaking the ground as she did. She was little more than a baby then and already larger than any horse I”d ever seen.”
”And she saved you?”she pries, and Iget the sensethat Elva always needs to know how a story ends. No amount of knowledge and stories will ever be enough for her curious mind. If her superiors knew this about her, they never would have sent her to me. Ignorance is how they control their people, yet this woman is everything they train their leaders not to be.
I step next to her, letting my shoulder rest against hers while I reach out to pet my favorite girl. ”I don”t think she knew she did, but yeah. I think she was just looking for a playmate who wasn”t afraid of her.”
”And of course, she found you, scared of nothing.”
If only Elva could see just how terrified I am right now.Someone seeing my love for Drakken is dangerous. Thatsomeone being Elva, the representative of the country currently trying to invade mine, even more so.
I clear my throat. ”We should get going. Her speed will be slower with two riders instead of just one.”I ease Drakken out of the stall, running my hand down her neck and smoothing some errant feathers.
”We have to ride together?”Elva squeaks.
I chuckle, using a hand on her back to guide her closer. ”Did you think I would send you into the air on this beast without me? You don”t even know where we are going.”
”Oh. Right.”Her brows pinch together as she uses the same soft motions I did to ease any tension Drakken mightbe feeling. ”I guess I just thought... I don”t know. Maybe there was another one?”
”Most of them aren”t strong enough to carry riders,”I tell her. ”Their bodies can”t even carry the weight of their own wings half the time.”
She gasps, petting Drakken more frantically as if she could comfort her from the terrible news. ”That”s horrible. How could nature create something so tragic?”
”Nature didn”t create them,”I explain, gesturing for Drakken to lower herself to the ground so we can climbon. ”Man did. Centuries ago, some Zalig wanted to create a new creature, and he did so without considering what it might do to them.”Now I understand why Maren said it would take considerably longer tonight.Elvawon”tstop asking questionsuntilI force her to.
”Then how do they still exist? Do they live for centuries?”
”No, he made a handful and then forced them to make more the old-fashioned way.”She opens her mouth, and I hold up my palm. ”I promise I will tell you everything you want to know about them.”She opens it again, but I continue, ”And the dragons. But we need to get going, or the Fae Queen is going to be very upset with us both.”
Not waiting for her approval, I wrap my hands around her waist, nearly tossing her onto Drakken”s back. She yelps and then grips the horse”s hair likeshe”sgoing tofall off at the slightest movement.
I leap onto the magnificent creature behind Elva, instantly stiffening. We will be pressed very close together for at least the next hour while we travel.It”sgoing tobe freezing up that high, and far too loud to attempt any conversation that might keep the tension from becoming too much.
She adjusts her seat, rubbing her perfect ass against me, and I have to will myself to keep calm. Not even thirty seconds we”ve been seated, and alreadyI”m fighting harder than I ever have to not get hard. Clearing her throat, she looks back at me, a little bit nervous and very aroused, if her glance at my lips before shaking her head to clear it is any indication.
I grip Drakken”s mane, my hands just below Elva”s, using my arms around her ribs and thighs outside of her hips to lock her into place. Clicking my tongue at Drakken, I urge her to stand and head out of the stable. Every step she takes jostles Elva against me, driving me further to madness. If she can feel my very obvious reaction to our proximity, she at least gives me the mercy of not mentioning it.
She”s gripping Drakken”s mane so tightly that it looks painful– for both of them. So I release Drakken as she steadily walks forward, taking Elva”s hands in mine and forcing her to loosen her death grip.
”Relax,”I urge her. ”You are safe. You couldn”t fall off right now, even if you tried. My legs and Drakken”s wings will keep you right where you are.”She gives me a jerky nod, not believing a word I say. I don”t really have time to soothe her nerves, but if she”s afraid, my petis going tobe, too. ”Elva, look at me.”
Hesitating, she does as told, looking up at me over her shoulder again, eyes wide but pretending to be brave. ”What?”she bites out.
”You are safe with me. That I promise you.”
For a moment,that sweet, inviting softness remains, watching me with tentative hope.Then, all at once, it”s shuttered, and she whips back around, not looking at me.”Of course I am. You have to keep me safe, lest your country fall into war with all of Rhyma”s allies.”
I close my eyes, praying to whoever might listen for patience. This fucking woman. The hot and cold of her is impossible to keep up with. Withoutanyfurther discussion, I use my heels to nudge Drakken into movement.
With a grace that amazes me every single time, she opens her wings, gaining speed as she does until she”s in a full gallop and speeding towards the edge of a cliff. Elva”s body tenses, and she leans back into me, trying to escape the inevitable fall.
Her fingers grip Drakken”s mane again, less rigid but no less terrified.
When we go over the cliff”s edge, Elva screams at the top of her lungs, making Drakken”s ears twitch. After only a brief second”s fall, her wings catch the wind, pulling us up into the sky, so far above everything that it”s ourownworld up here. None of the issues down below could reach us up above the clouds.
Elva”s eyes are pinched closed, and I nudge her with a shoulder, hoping she will see what I see when she opens them. When she finally does, her jaw drops at the sight around us. The moonlight in the fog, the whip of wind, the complete isolation.She looks in every direction, searching forsomething,anything,and finding nothing.
”This is incredible!”she shouts, but I barely hear her over the roar of the wind in my ears. I nod, just happy to watch her discover another new thing in this world.
As we fly out over the water, the temperature drops considerably, and she wiggles impossibly closer to me to stay warm. I bite my lips together to keep from making any untoward sounds at her rubbing her body against me. Again. But truthfully, I”m not sure I”ll make itall the wayto our meeting with Maren before I come in my pants.
Instead of letting my body have its way, I focus on keeping Drakken steady and watching Elva with pure appreciation rather than a carnal one.In the brief moments that we aren”t surrounded by fog, she searches the water below, but what she”s looking for, I can”t be sure.
After a ridiculously long journey, we finally land on the beach only ten feetor sofrom the caves. Drakken lowers herself to the ground, ready andmore thandeserving of rest from that journey. Even my legs and arms are exhausted from gripping Elva and Drakken so tightly.Ican”timagine how tired my sweet mare is.
I help Elva down with one hand, holding her steady while she regains her footing. Her hair is completely destroyed, and her face is red from the cold wind whipping against it. ”You alright?”I ask, gripping both arms with my hands to ensure she”s looking right at me. The first time I rode Drakken for this long, I was incredibly sickto my stomachand discombobulated by the time we landed.
Elva”s eyes are slightly glassy, but shecertainlydoesn”t seem nauseous. ”That was amazing!”She nods her head frantically. ”It was so beautiful! She”s so fast! I”ve never seen anything like that. And the water! It goes on for miles and miles!”
That”s right.Iforgetthat Elva”s new to the ocean.That wasprobablyher first proper look at it since she arrived, and she didn”t even get toreallyexperience it. PerhapsI”ll show her the hot springs if Maren doesn”t keep us too late.
Once Elva is steady, I walk towards the caves, looking for the queen in question. I peek into the first one and noticethat she”salready seated on a large flat rock, waiting patiently for us.
”There you are,”she smiles at us. ”You”re here far earlier than I would have guessed!”
”Took the horse,”I tell her.
”Oh, yes, I see that.”She turns to Elva and asks, ”How was it? It”s not every day you get to ride a beast as powerful as that one.”
Elva darts toward Maren like they”realreadyold friends, gushing about the incredible journey, how fun and fast it was, and how beautiful Drakken is. All I can do is stand and watch her, completely lost in her own world, talking about all the new things she”s been able to experience in her time here.
And yet, she”s only counting down the days until she can leave. Just as I should be,but I fear thatnothing will be the same once she”s gone. I”ll just have to soak in her beauty for as long as I can before going back to my life before she came in and turned everything upside down in only a matter of days. I”m not sure I”ll recover from her being here for weeks.
But this is the price I have to be willing to pay to protect my kingdom, and when all is said and done, I”ll send her home safely, thinking of her and our brief time together for the rest of my days.
Shaking me out of my misery, Maren clears her throat, looking at me expectantly. ”Okay, now for the reason I needed you to meet me.”
I raise both brows. ”Yes, please tell me why we needed to fly all the way out here rather than just meeting in the palace, the place already prepared for us to have meetings.”
”Oookay,”she draws out, ignoring my impatience. ”You have a spy in your home. One that is going to kill Elva.”
”That”s impossible. Due to the...”I pause, thinking of how to phrase this without telling Elva that almost all of my staff are undead servants, ”nature of my staff, having a spy is almost impossible.”
”And yet, Onala has seen it.”Maren shrugs.”Elva will be attacked before the end of your proposed ball in a few weeks” time.”
A growl escapes me. ”No.”
”I am sorry. Truly. To both of you,”sheassures us, reaching out to smooth an errant wave from Elva”s hair. ”Onala says she can”t interfere but that I needed to know. Why, I”m not sure.”
”Then I”ll simply cancel,”I announce. ”No ball, no opportunity for murder.”
Maren”s sorrowful eyes reach me again. ”The attack will take place either way. There is no future in which it”s completely avoidable.”
My face fills with heat, followed by my chest. My anger is an inferno there”s no hope of smothering. ”And you had to bring us all the way out here just for that, Your Majesty?”
”Yes,”she matches my tone. ”Because you needed to know, but your spies cannot be made aware that you know. There are ears in your walls, according to Olath. This is the only place free from them because no one else knows it”s here.”
Elva”scompletely frozen, face devoid of all color,staring at the ground before her.”What can I do?”she asks.
”I don”t know, child. I wish I did.”She sighs. ”The two of you can”t trust anybody else, though. Kairon, you have to ensure your staff is loyal by any means necessary. I do not want my country pulled into this war with you and Rhyma, but we both know my hands will be tied if Elva dies.”
I nod, already contemplating how many more undead guards I can keep under my control. Even now, we are far enough from the palace that they would all be resting, the still-living ones taking over for the time being until we return.
”Is that all?”I bite, already dragging Elva back to Drakken.Neither one of them will be happy making the journey home yet, but I need Elva somewhere safeand warmand locked away from any other living person.
”That”s all. Speak of this to no one,”shereiterates as if I needed the warning.
The journey home is silent. Tense. Sorrowful. Elva stares into the ocean again. Thistime gazing into it as if it”s the last time she”ll ever get to see it.But she doesn”t know who I am. She thinks the myths and legends are just that, like everything else her countrymen have told her.
But I am the most feared king to exist in centuries, The Horned King, the scary story parents tell their children to make them behave, and nobody fucks with what”s mine.