Chapter 17
Vastion
Imoved with Vampyr swiftness directly to the Falls.
My cock throbbed, aching against my pants.
My self-control teetered on the edge, all because of my absolutely infuriating wife.
I ignored every individual that remained in the baths at this hour and went straight to the cavern she’d reportedly visited.
When I entered, I could still smell her presence, and it only incited me further.
On the floor I saw a familiar, soaked white underdress with lace detailing.
Snatching it up quickly, I pulled the wet fabric to my face and inhaled deeply.
My senses chasing her scent like a madman, a Forlorn.
I’d never known this kind of frenzy, not even with Kesna.
Esiree had been here, wet in more ways than one, and I couldn’t delay my gratification any further.
I shoved my hand down my trousers and stepped beneath the fall, letting the ferocity of it engulf me.
Imagining it as the weight of our bodies intertwined in carnal mischief.
I gripped my cock tightly and expelled a lustful breath, hissing through my teeth.
Gods, I wanted her. It had been long, so very long since I’d touched a woman the way I had moments ago.
Since I’d had any desire to. Why wouldn’t she let me serve and satiate her?
With each fervent stroke, I imagined my fingers woven through her fiery red hair and taking her mouth the way I craved most.
Would her rosy pout ever bob against my cock, welcoming me deeply into her mouth?
I imagined her eyes watering at my size and continued lonely thrusts into my hand.
Her garment around my neck, soft like her silky-smooth skin.
If only she had given in to me tonight. Every ounce of anger I’d fought to quell could have been channeled into making her come over and over again.
On my hand, my mouth, and finally at the tip of my spear.
She would be my undoing. She hated my kind, and yet also fought an obvious attraction to me.
I closed my eyes again and thought of her whimpering against my hand, struggling to form her words.
I let out an unrestrained groan as I climaxed against my palm, allowing my fangs to reveal themselves in the solitude of the dim cavern.
I rinsed myself, using the cool water to shock my composure back into place.
Remembering Orin’s debrief from earlier, his anxious demeanor made it clear how much he had wrestled with telling me.
But he had been right to do so; I would have been lethal had I walked the Heart ignorant of such behavior, looking like a fool in my own fortress.
Before Orin had even been given a chance to excuse his lack of oversight, my fury had already propelled me out of the room to confront my wife.
But now, the heat of that initial rush was fading, leaving behind something far colder.
There were more vital threats to neutralize than scolding a mischievous wife or trading choice words with my commander.
I strode back toward the royal wing, my hand tightening on my sword.
Esiree could wait. Tempus, however, was about to discover exactly how justified my wrath could be.
Lord Tempus cozying up to her was not something that could be ignored, and I insisted on handling it myself.
Directly. I knew I should not have let him live—once again my mercy came back to mock me.
While there was no clear evidence to connect him to my brother and Kesna’s treachery, he had still been one of their closest confidants.
He knew of the affair and had certainly held no allegiance to me in navigating their secrets.
And he could deny it all he wanted; I knew where his beliefs lay regarding Vassals and relations with the territories.
He’d have let an entire coup unfold if it hadn’t been discovered in time.
I would not have him spew his spineless drivel in the ear of my wife.
Not for another day, I told myself as I prepared for his punishment.
Esiree, for all her wit and intelligence, was naive compared to those who had centuries of manipulation under their belts.
She was no match for Lord Tempus. I would have words with Orin later for allowing my snake of a cousin to slither up to her, however briefly.
A smile of amusement briefly crept across my face as I thought back to Orin informing me that my wife had used her authority as queen to verbally spar with my sister.
It took more than a royal title to stand up to Mina; I had to give Es credit.
After all, she was still the only human in the Heart.
I had certainly picked a woman with enough audacity to navigate my subjects while I was away.
Away.
The thought gnawed at me. All those times I was away trying to keep the delicate balance of our kingdom’s treaties intact, and Kesna had been here currying favor with my brother.
When I’d returned, she and Harden would take meals with me, at my table, in front of my people.
All the while knowing the secrets they harbored.
Smiling, laughing, acting like all was well.
And each time I’d take her to bed, I’d ignore the scent of him surrounding her, reasoning that she had befriended him, that he watched over her diligently while I was away. I used to take solace in that.
Our people loved her; she had embraced them fully.
Most days she seemed like one of us, and I believed I had found true love, the kind you’d want to make everlasting—but I dared not let my conscience dwell on it for fear of tempting fate.
I was a fool to feel loved and seen by her.
I was blind to the wolves that resided in my cave.
There was, perhaps, an urgent familiarity that stabbed at my heart when the news of Esiree’s antics was made apparent.
A fear of history repeating itself. Scared that I was falling for a woman who would seek to mislead me again.
I could not be so blind. The treaty, the Vassal donations, our inventory levels, the Forlorn.
My ability to remain in control could not waver, or we risked it all falling into chaos.
We had only narrowly escaped a whole generation’s inquisition with the untimely death of Kesna.
I would not let it happen again, and for a moment I desperately missed my dear friend Adria.
Her advice always soothed my anxious soul—if I even had one left to speak of…
I probably didn’t deserve a chance at love again; I still couldn’t reconcile if I’d ever be ready for it.
Perhaps that is why I found safety in Esiree.
There was some sort of strange distrust between us that kept us both at a distance.
Never fully embracing what could be. Our skepticism turned to playful sparring, weaving in and out of undeniable attraction to which she refused to succumb.
Yes, there was safety in her denying me.
For if she didn’t… What cruel treachery might await me this time?
Besides what I’m certain were ulterior motives on Lord Tempus’s part, I needed to make perfectly clear my position regarding my wife.
With Kesna and Harden we’d kept the outcome as secretive as possible.
Orin insisted, declaring it would be wise to avoid sowing any further seeds of doubt within my Court or breathing life into my brother’s many wild ideas—such as Turning new Vampyr.
Sometimes I had thought Orin just wanted to spare me the embarrassment of others knowing exactly how far their treachery had gone beneath my own nose.
How would they respect a king who couldn’t even convince his own brother to follow our laws?
How could they follow a leader whose own wife, a frail human, dared to defy the treaty?
There was never a need to display any sort of dominance over Adria. She was my friend; she embraced our rules, we respected each other immensely, and she kept her circle just as tight as I did to keep others from discovering the truth of her and Lailanor. For me. And for them.
This time, however, I would make it known to everyone, far and wide, exactly who Esiree belonged to.
When the morning hour arrived, I made sure Laila understood that Esiree was to take her meal in the Great Hall.
I sat at the head table, casually sipping my first ration of the day, when she finally entered at the far end.
Her eyes widened at the display in the center of the room between the two long tables.
When Tempus saw her, he whimpered, but his mouth was covered by a thick leather strap, making it impossible for him to speak. She ran toward him to examine his pitiful state.
“What is this?” she cried, pointing in disbelief. “Untie him now!” Her command fell on deaf ears while Lord Tempus continued to bleed out on the floor.
She stomped towards the head table when she realized no one would rouse, not one person would heed her request and come to his aid. I stood calmly and made my way to the front of the table to greet her.
Once again, she wailed and pleaded as if I had not heard her the first time. “Let him go! He did nothing wrong,” she attempted to persuade me.
I cleared my throat and then spoke loudly so everyone could witness my declarations. “Citizens of Devana, good people of the Heart. Let it be known that there is only one man worthy of sitting beside Queen Esiree—and that is me.”
I could hear her huffs of disagreement, but I moved past her and continued my address. “Lord Tempus forgot himself and his position. As such, an example must be made.”
The others watched on silently as blood continued to seep out from his clothing.
The spiked chair he was tied to had punctured numerous parts of his flesh, and the bleeding would be a slow one.
Too many wounds for his Vampyr body to heal, at least not till the torture relented.
Though his strength meant he could easily escape the constraints, my guards stood at the ready; and so, he remained in place, accepting his punishment.
“I am a merciful and forgiving king, am I not?” I questioned to my guests. In unison, their verbal agreements and nods echoed throughout the hall.
“Then let me make myself clear. Do. Not. Touch. My. Wife. For I am not merciful to those who trespass on what I hold most dear.”
I finished my words while staring into Esiree’s piercing eyes so she understood that this was not just for Lord Tempus, but for all others who she might try and lure into her circle.
Her misguided games and attempts to wound me would be met in kind.
And since I would never punish her, I’d have to keep score of her actions another way.
Her gaze did not waver from mine, and for a moment it seemed there was a brief understanding between us. My claiming of her, here for all to see and hear. The yearning emanating from my glassy stare. Her innocence trying to surface through her armored facade.
“Please,” she whispered, her eyes turning shamefully toward the floor.
In those brief seconds between us, my vengeful resolve melted instead into a desire to please Es. One that I surrendered to fully.
“Guards! Release Lord Tempus. Ensure that he receives his morning ration to aid in the healing.”
I walked away from Esiree and crouched down before my bleeding cousin as the guards began to untie him, starting with the gag on his mouth. I whispered low so only he could hear me, “Am I not merciful?”
Tempus sputtered out a “yes” as blood dripped down the side of his ear. I could see his realization that I had granted him life for yet a second time. He would not be so lucky should a third come to pass.
When I stood and looked back at Esiree, she had already begun to move quickly toward the exit. Upset with me, herself—I wasn’t sure, but I followed her, leaving my guests to drink their donations while the staff mopped up the morning’s entertainment.