Page 42

Leli

Day Two

I feel like I will never know peace again. Everyone needs something from me. If it’s not Dad or my brothers, it’s someone on the council. The public is demanding answers, but I don’t know what to say yet. I know I am the most logical choice to run things, but I am also constantly worried about Lilith and the guys. I know Zypher won’t kill her. He’s too fucking obsessed. He won’t let Morwen kill her either. No one else seems to want to understand that. Maybe I only understand because I saw how he took his obsession out on me.

I am sitting in a conference room with Dad, Striker, Volis, Brenna, Ulfric, and Vash. We are waiting for the rest of the appointed council to come in here. Dad won’t stop pacing, and it’s starting to piss me off. “Will you fucking sit down?” I snap. “Please.”

“Sorry,” he says.

“Don’t be,” I sigh and lean back in my chair, closing my eyes. “I shouldn’t be shitty to you. I know you are just worried.

“And you aren’t?” Striker asks with an attitude. “You, of all people here, should know what he is capable of.”

“I know, Striker,” I sigh.

“Do you? Because you don’t seem to give a fuck that our sister and her mates are being held by her fucking rapist,” he says, raising his voice.

“Striker,” Dad says with warning in his tone.

“He’s okay,” I say. “Striker. I love you so fucking much. You are my big brother, but you are dense as fuck.”

“Excuse me?” he asks, offended.

“He is her rapist, yes. He’s not a murderer. Not hers, anyway. He wants to keep her forever. He wants her to love him. That’s all. She’s going to get raped. She’s going to come back to us, though. If you can’t have even a shred of faith in her ability to survive, then go plan her godsdamn funeral and leave me alone,” I say seriously. “None of you heard how he talked about her or how he looked at her when she showed up that day. He’s mad because he thinks she chose the kings over him. He thought he had her brainwashed.”

“Leli, I…” Striker starts to interrupt.

“Also,” I continue. “If you ever raise your voice to me again, I will kick your ass.”

“Okay. Okay. I’m sorry,” he says, putting his hands up as if to surrender.

“You’re a sassy little thing today,” Vash comments with a smirk. I narrow my eyes at him, and he simply grins.

“Anyway,” I say. “Fermin is in custody and will remain there until Lilith gets back and decides what will happen to him.”

“And if she doesn’t come back?” Dad asks. I won’t get pissy with him. He’s been through too much trauma losing her before not to be worried.

“Then he will rot in that cell for the rest of his life,” I say simply. “You and I both know she is too stubborn to die. Traumatized or not, she’s smart as hell, just like her Dad.”

“You’re just sucking up now,” he says with a soft smile.

“A little,” I say before moving on. I am liable to cry if I focus on her absence too much. “We have representatives coming today for every species. This includes wolves and lions. Be nice or get out.”

“Don’t you think it’s a bit too soon to be including them?” Vash asks.

“No. Lilith and the guys made it very clear that no one would be excluded. No segregation. No slavery. That means they are included. They have someone coming up, and it’s been confirmed through Ulfric that they have no connection to Zypher or Morwen.”

“Is this true?” Dad asks Ulfric.

“Yeah. I’ve talked to both of them,” Ulfric says. “Kragan Dungrell is the lion shifter rep and Alasdair Erdritch is the wolf shifter rep. I chose Kragen because he punched Morwen in a bar fight a few years ago. Alasdair…”

“What,” I ask.

“He used to be in Zypher’s pack,” Ulfric says cautiously.

“What?” Striker booms.

“Stop it,” I growl. “Why him?”

“Because he left the pack when Zypher invited him to join the pack in breaking in his new maiden five years ago,” he says simply.

“Does he know?” Dad asks.

“No. When I asked around, a few people were suggesting him yesterday, so I asked him why he left his pack. He told me that he had no desire to rape some innocent girl for fun. I asked him if he knew who the maiden was so I could confirm, and he said he never asked, and he left immediately. Zypher never questioned it and signed off on him leaving,” Ulfric explains.

“So, he has no idea that he will be serving under the same woman he refused to rape?” I ask.

“Not a clue. He said he’d have to actually show up to find out who she was, and once he was there, they’d kill him before they let him out of that house without touching her,” Ulfric says with a frown.

“Makes him a culprit and less likely to come forward,” I say, and he nods. “Alright. We can talk to them.”

“They are here.”

“What about Draik?” I ask.

“He’s here,” Eldric says.

“Wow,” Brenna says. “I’m surprised he came. He’s been on the council for a while, and he’s never come in as far as I’ve ever heard.”

“He has the same values as us; it makes sense why he and his group are coming out now,” I say.

“Yeah. If they know they can openly help, they don’t have to hide out,” Dad says.

“I’ll go get them,” I say as I stand.

I walk out of the conference room in Woricsong’s Main Hall. We chose here because it is halfway between the Capitol and where we think Lilith is being held. I’d love to search for them day and night, but we have an entire country to run, plus all of the witches and demons coming together. I have faith in Lilith, but I can’t stop thinking about it too much. The doubt will sweep in, and I will fall apart. If I fall apart, no one else is going to have the mental strength to push their emotions aside like I can.

“We are ready for you all,” I say sweetly. A massive man stands up right away with a bright smile. “Good to see you again, Draik.”

“Likewise,” he laughs. “Didn’t think I’d be standing here anytime soon.”

“I’m glad you could make it. She’ll be happy to know you did.” I smile. “Come on, guys”

The men follow me through the hall until we get back to the others. I point for them to sit before I return to where Lilith should be sitting.

“Alright. I’m going to just start with who everyone is and what they do,” I say. “First… I will only say this one last time. If you can’t be professional. Get out.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Vash says, saluting me.

“I’m going to put my foot up your ass, Vash,” I say with a frown, and he winks at me. I can’t help but smile at him when he’s being a pain in the ass like this. I know he’s only doing it so I don’t go insane. He’s tried to get me to slow down for a moment and process, but I don’t think he understands how deep I will fall if I stop and think about what Zypher is doing to my sister.

“Vash Wyverstone is representing and reporting for the dragons. Eldric Shadows is representing the panthers. Draik Hellfang for the hellhounds. Kragan Dungrell for the lions. Alasdair Erdritch for the wolves. Brenna Keeling represents the witches and Mazvyn Deverell for the demons. We also have Striker and Volis Deverell, as well as Kira Ebonwood assisting us. I am Leli Deverell, the queen’s maiden and sister. Does anyone have any questions?”

“I do,” Eldric says. “Who’s the otter… thing?”

“That’s Thuly,” I say. “He is a Suthul. He recently imprinted on Lilith. Until she returns, he will be hanging out with Dad… Mazvyn. Whatever.”

“You can say Dad,” he laughs. “It’s pretty obvious since you all look the same.”

“Why isn’t there a representative for the foxes?” Kragan asks carefully.

“They are still a bit reluctant. Kira will stand in for them in the meantime,” I say.

“Trust me. You don’t want me here permanently,” Kira smiles. She has been hyper-focused on Volis since he basically won’t speak. No matter what we do, he just stays silent. He feels so guilty for not telling Lilith about Fermin, even though basically everyone in that building failed to tell her. Everyone who knew has some sort of blame, but Lilith knew this was going to happen. I know she won’t blame anyone, especially Volis.

“I’d like to know where everyone falls in regard to everything. It’s fine to differ in opinion, but we all need to be able to be civil to one another.”

“It’s nice to see some change happening,” Draik says with a smile.

“Are you always this vague?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

“We have always sided with the foxes and witches; we just… minded our own business,” he says.

“Kragan. What about you?” I move on.

“We are all relieved to be included. Many of us did not agree with what Brion Morwen was doing, myself included. We just never had the power to speak up,” he says. “Morwen was a sorry son of a bitch.”

“Was?” Dad asks.

“Is,” he says, correcting himself. “Was soon enough, I’m sure.”

“Not soon enough,” Striker mumbles.

“Alasdair,” I say. He looks up but won’t meet my eyes. “What about you?”

“We are all extremely surprised, but we support the change. We do have some issues right now with making a few select packs abide by the new laws, but I am getting it under control,” he says.

“How?” I ask, sitting back in my chair.

“By jailing the ones who are repeat offenders,” he says. “I’ve made it clear that I have zero tolerance for the wolves abusing or harming anyone, no matter their species.”

“It’s my understanding that you were a member of Zypher Fallin’s pack some years back?” I ask.

“Yes, Ma’am,” he says. “I left five years ago.”

“Why?” I ask. I already know, but I’m curious about how he will explain it.

“He wanted the pack to come over when he was assigned a maiden. He wanted everyone to… hurt her. He said he wanted to break her in, and I wanted no part of it.”

“And you don’t know who the maiden was?” I ask, and he shakes his head. “You know that Lilith was a maiden, yes?”

“Yeah. I remember hearing that she met the kings after going to the Capitol,” he says.

“Do you know where she was assigned before that?”

“No,” he says slowly.

“Alasdair… Lilith was Zypher’s maiden. She was with him from the day she turned eighteen until she was removed from his house and sent to the Capitol.”

“Oh Gods… I didn’t know… If I had…” he says, starting to panic slightly.

“Understand that Zypher’s actions will not affect how we view you or the wolves. The same goes for the lions,” I say, interrupting him. “I will be addressing the public and giving a heavily censored version of what happened. Lilith and the Kings can give a more in-depth explanation if and when they choose to.

“Are we prepared for the possibility that they don’t return?” Draik asks.

“To be honest? No,” I say. “But I refuse to go out there while this country is in complete chaos and tell them their leaders may never come back. Right now, we keep the country from collapsing further. We have the witches helping scry for her, so we are still trying to make some headway there. Unless we know for certain that they are dead, I am treating it as though they will be returning.”

“What are the witches doing to look for her?” Alasdair asks. Kragen looks at him wide-eyed as if to warn him to shut up. They are trying so hard to not come across as suspicious that they end up looking guilty of something.

“They’re looking for spikes of her energy. If she uses magic, they’ll be able to start locating her. With her being half-demon, she gives off specific indicators when being located like this,” I explain. “I also want to add that you all have nothing to fear. Ask your questions, because if you are in this room and not a jail cell with Fermin, we trust you.”

“Thank you,” Alasdair says.

“So, the witches can locate her?” Kragen says. “They’ll be able to find her soon?”

“It depends when or if she uses magic. Zypher and Morwen were using collars that block shifting and the use of magic. No one knows if it will be able to block hers. She is uniquely powerful being the High Witch,” I say. “Any other questions?” Everyone shakes their head, so I stand up.

“I am going to go with her to the news conference,” Vash says.

I wait off to the side where the cameras cannot see me just yet. I am on the verge of panic. I need to calm down. “Take a deep breath,” Vash says. I nod before closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. “Good girl. You’ve got this.”

“I’ve got this,” I repeat, opening my eyes. Vash kisses me softly before cupping my cheek.

“Whether you like it or not, you are going to talk through things tonight,” he says, and I nod. “Everyone is staying with us at our house, but our room is far enough away that we will have privacy.”

“Our?” I ask with a smile.

“Yes,” he says. “Our room.” Everyone else got a few hours of rest, but I’ve been away for coming up on two days now. Anytime I close my eyes, I see Zypher on top of me. It’s like I can almost hear him grunting as he thrusts into me. I need a distraction, and I want so badly for Vash to be that distraction, but I feel bad getting comfort when she is getting raped. I should be looking for her when I’m not doing other things and definitely not getting fucked by my mate. Although, I feel like I know what Lilith would say. I feel like she would tell me to take my pleasure where I can get it and not to use her kidnapping as an excuse to drown in negativity.

“Let’s do this,” I say.

I step out and walk over so that the cameras can see me. A rush of adrenaline runs through me, enough to keep me from panicking.

“Hello, everyone. My name is Leli Deverell,” I say. “I am the queen’s maiden and her sister. I am acting as head of the council until Queen Lilith and the Three Kings return.

“I know you all have questions, so I will answer as many as I can for you. Before that, I want to start off by saying that Lilith and the Kings were abducted after a raid of a warehouse by former mayor Brion Morwen and former councilman Zypher Fallins.” I pause momentarily when chatter starts up.

“Now… Considering the situation, I will not be going into detail as to how this happened. Too many lives are at risk right now, so we will be releasing more information at a later date. Members of their inner circle as well as representatives for each species are a part of the council. This includes the hellhounds, demons, witches, lions, wolves, panthers, bears, dragons, and a temporary representative for the foxes. All species are welcome and encouraged to be a part of how this country runs. Until the Queen and the Kings return, the council will make decisions as a party. When they return and are ready to step back into the public eye, they will take the time to explain things as much as they deem appropriate. Thank you for your patience with us. We will continue to give updates on the queen and the three kings. In the meantime, we will be working towards a plan for stabilizing the country.”

Vash and I step away before anyone can shout any questions at me. I know a lot of people do have questions, but the media is only going to ask the stupid ones. There’s no point in me sitting up there and defending anything I have said or listening to a bunch of rumors.

I go back into City Hall, and Vash shakes his head and pulls me toward the car. “We need to go back,” I say.

“We are going home,” he says simply.

“Vash. I have things to do,” I complain.

“They are handling it,” he says.

“I should be helping.”

“No, you should be sleeping.” Vash opens the door to the car and pushes me in. I frown and cross my arms over my chest. He smirks as he leans in to hook my seatbelt. “Be a brat all you want, Leli. It won’t make any difference.”

I know I am not going to win this one, so I just shut up. I’m stubborn, but he is the king of stubbornness. Is that a dragon thing, or is that just a Vash thing?

When he gets into the car and we drive toward his house, he takes my hand into his, gently rubbing my palm with his thumb. I’m not mad at him. I am only slightly annoyed that he’s forcing me to go home when I could be working on something. Lilith doesn’t get to take a break, so why should I?

I don’t say anything for the entire ride to the house because I know that he’s about to make me talk about my feelings. I hate talking about my feelings because I always end up crying. Even once we get to the house, I stay quiet.

“Leli,” Vash says.

“Where is the room? I’d like to change,” I say.

“Come on,” he says with a sigh. I follow him down the hallway, and we step into the bedroom. “Go take a bath and relax.”

“I’ll take a shower before bed,” I say dismissively.

“Leli,” he says as he grabs me by the waist and pulls me closer. “You need to slow down, baby.”

“I can’t,” I admit.

“You can and you will,” he says, cupping my cheek.

“You don’t get it,” I say. “If I slow down, I’ll fall apart. I can’t do that.”

“It’s just you and me right now, Leli. You need to slow down and let me in. You can’t keep this up.” His tone is soft and commanding. He’s not letting me get by with this anymore.

“I can’t,” I say quieter.

“You don’t have a choice anymore, Leli. You haven’t slept in two days. You haven’t been eating. You are running on less than fumes at this point,” he says firmly.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lie. Vash sighs and walks to the bedroom door to get the attention of a maid. He talks in a hushed tone before walking back over to me.

Vash takes my hand and leads me to the bathroom. He leaves me standing there while he draws a bath. He pulls out various bottles from under the sink before pouring some of their contents into the steaming water. Scents of vanilla, jasmine, and rose fill the room. It has a calming effect on me that eases some of the built-up tension in my body.

When Vash shuts the water off, he comes over to me and helps me undress before stepping me into the water. As I submerge myself in the water it unwillingly relaxes my muscles. Vash pulls the chair from the vanity over to sit beside me and starts washing my hair. I give in to his comfort and lie back.

“Vash,” I start to say.

“Shh. Just relax. We can talk later,” he says as he rinses my hair. He takes his time washing my body. I focus on the feeling of his hands rather than the flood of tears that want to come bursting out of me. I swallow the growing lump to keep the emotions at bay.

Vash stands me up and wraps a towel around me before lifting me out of the tub to set me on my feet in front of him. He uses another towel to dry my hair before taking me into the bedroom.

“Lie down,” Vash says.

“Why?” I ask with a frown.

“Lie down,” Vash repeats. I huff and lie down on the bed. I am on my belly with my face in my arms. Vash moves around the room for a moment before getting in the bed. I can’t help but giggle when he straddles my legs.

“What?” Vash asks with humor in his tone.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

“Giving you a massage,” he says. I hear him rub his hands together for a few seconds. When he rubs his hands up my back, he presses his thumbs into my back to rub alongside my spine. I groan as my muscles relax further. “Talk to me.”

“Now?” I groan again.

“Yes,” he chuckles. “Use my touch as a way to distract you from letting it drag you too far down.”

“I just… I know what he’s doing to her. I know how cruel he is; how obsessive he is.”

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” he asks as he digs into my muscles.

“It’s like he’s on top of me again,” I whisper. “When I close my eyes, all I can picture is Zypher raping me.”

“What can I do?” he asks simply. The longer he is on top of me, massaging me from my shoulders to my thighs, the more the lustful thoughts seep into my mind. “Leli.”

“You’re making it hard to focus,” I whine.

“What can I do to help you, Leli?” he asks again.

“This,” I groan again. “More of this.”

“What is this?” he asks with a chuckle. Vash is either dense, or he knows he is arousing me and is now intentionally trying to make me squirm.

“You’re fucking with me,” I say.

“No. I am giving you a massage,” he says.

“This feels so good,” I say. He presses into my lower back, and I moan softly.

“What’s on your mind?” Vash asks.

“You,” I admit with a whimper when he kneads my ass. “Fuck.”

“What is it, baby?” he asks innocently. “Talk to me.”

“What are you doing to me?” I ask, almost panting and he rubs my body down. He will get right to my most sensitive areas, then move away. He is teasing me, but my body is still well on its way to peaking a climax.

“I’m helping you relax,” he says.

“You’re on the edge of making me come. Knock it off unless you intend to fuck me,” I say bluntly.

“Is that what you want?” he asks.

“I want my sister back,” I say tearfully.

“That’s not what I asked, baby,” he says as he pushes two fingers into my already wet pussy. I whimper as he starts to slowly fuck me. “I know you want her back, but you can’t neglect yourself.”

“Mmmm,” I whine.

“Are you listening?” he asks.

“Yes,” I choke out. “I feel guilty for living my life while she is stuck with him.

“Lilith wouldn’t want you neglecting yourself or using her kidnapping as an excuse to hide from your trauma.”

“I’m not hiding… Oh Gods,” I moan loudly when he twists his fingers in such a way that pleasure shoots through me.

“Don’t lie to me,” Vash says simply.

“Fine. Okay. She would get upset at me,” I choke out.

“Are you going to try and take better care of yourself?” he asks. “Can you try and let me in?”

“Yes,” I pant.

“What do you want?” he asks.

“You,” I moan again.

Vash moves so he can roll me to my back before settling between my legs. “You are beautiful, Leli,” he says before kissing me. I wrap my arms around his body to pull him closer. I need more of him. He slowly fills me with his cocks and I groan against his lips. He is driving me mad with his slow and sweet movements. I want him to fucking ravage me, but he is being cautious.

I whine in frustration, and it makes Vash chuckle. “What is it, Little Demon?” He’s doing this on purpose, I think. In part, he may be cautious because of my trauma, but he is well aware of how worked up he is getting me.

“You’re torturing me,” I complain.

“Tell me what you want then,” he says. “Be more specific.”

“I want you to fuck me harder, please,” I say.

“Oh?” he asks with a wicked grin. “Like this?” He thrusts into me, but it’s a fraction of what I know he can.

“More,” I whine again, begging almost.

Vash pulls out of me before rolling me to my belly. He then pulls me up to my knees, against his chest. He wraps his arms around my waist and kisses my neck. “You need to be able to communicate with me, Leli,” he murmurs.

“I know.”

“No more neglecting yourself or running yourself ragged. I will make you stop and relax every time. Okay?” he asks.

“Okay,” I say impatiently. “Will you please fuck me?”

Vash bends me over and has me on my knees, but my chest is laid on the bed. He slowly enters me again and I groan in annoyance.

“For the love of…” He cuts me off again with a powerful surge that takes my breath away. Vash’s pace suddenly quickens as his thrusts become more forceful. He keeps a tight hold on my waist and pushes deeper. I struggle to keep a single thought in my head as he fucks me; all I can focus on is the feeling of where he and I are connected.

Vash reaches beneath me, cupping my breast, as he twists a nipple between his fingers. “Is this what you meant, Little Fox?” He growls into my ear.

“Uh-huh...” I moan as my breathing comes out in quick pants. The headboard is smacking against the wall, but neither of us cares who hears. I move my hips to match his pace, fucking him back as I take him deeper inside of me. As my orgasm begins to crest, I feel him swell, locking himself inside of me.

“Oh, Vash,” I whimper. “Please… Please fill me. Make me forget. Fill me with your seed, baby. Breed me.”

Vash lets out a grunt as his thrusts falter, his knot grinding inside of me. “Anything for you, my sweet demon,” he groans and pumps himself into me. We both collapse onto the mattress in a sweaty mess.

The bed frame has moved at least six inches from the wall. I can’t help but giggle when I notice. “What?” he asks, smiling softly as he cups my cheek. He is propped on his elbow now, and I am lying on my back, still trying to catch my breath.

“We moved the bed,” I say breathlessly, pointing to the headboard.

“Yeah,” he chuckles. “I am pretty sure everyone is here now too.”

“I’d do it again,” I laugh.

“Why haven’t you been eating?” he asks.

“Just right back to the interrogation, huh?” I ask, amused. “I just… I have to keep busy because I fear falling apart if I stop for too long.”

“You know that’s not sustainable, right?” he asks.

“Yeah. I’m just afraid of dreaming of him,” I admit with a whispered voice.

“I am here, Leli. I will always be here. You are my mate, and I want you to be able to come to me when you are struggling,” he says.

“I will try,” I say. “I just don’t want to be a burden.”

“You will never be a burden, Leli,” he says before kissing me softly. Vash pulls me close, and I lay my head on his chest as he rubs my back. Being this close to him as we snuggle brings me into a lulled state, and my breathing evens out as I begin to fall asleep.