Page 10

Bracca

He was in an odd mood when I finally located him. I knew he thought I’d been avoiding him, but I’d been in meetings with my father and his council all morning about how to approach the dark Elves and King Hendris. If I’d been in Hendris’s place, I wouldn’t have been at all happy about the news that the rightful heir to the throne had mysteriously been located and was ready to take his place as king, no matter how much I feared for the kingdom. The people would no doubt require verification, too, and all our evidence was circumstantial. Why should he simply take our word for it? There could be some kind of reaction to his blood from the throne itself or maybe the crystal underneath, but we didn’t know enough about that to be sure.

Killian’s testimony wouldn’t be proof of anything, as he had no details and no evidence to present. He barely even believed himself that he was heir. He’d been kept in the dark about all of that for most of his life. We’d considered bringing in Sir John, but all he would have been able to verify was that he once was married to a woman who’d left him—and left her baby too. And then once we had the human, what would we have done with him? He no doubt would have wasted away, like so many of the mortal creatures who came to the Liminal to stay, unable to adapt to our realm. I would have been fine with that, but Killian was a different story.

We hadn’t been able to locate Ashlin, Killian’s mother, so that left only the witch who must have glamoured Killian. My father, who was hundreds of years old and had deep connections in dark magic had still not been able to find her either. Basically, we had nothing but the word of some demons who had first told us where to find the boy.

“The baby was less than a year old when his mother left,” the demons had told my father, “And already beautiful. Too much so to be mistaken for mortal.”

The glamour had been put on him by somebody, though, to hide his true nature, and anyone who had seen him before could testify to that fact if need be. Our one real hope was that the throne itself would react strongly to Killian, and the people would demand King Hendris’s agreement. I was dubious of that, too, so I felt as if we would have to take it by force. That discussion devolved into an argument that lasted most of the morning. I would have to bring Killian with me to test the throne, but he would do no fighting, no matter how much he thought of his skills. I wouldn’t risk him in such a way.

In the end, I made plans for us to leave the day after we wed and go directly to parley with King Hendris. I’d spent the rest of the morning in preparations for the journey.

I told all this to Killian as we made our way to his bedroom, where the servants had already laid out his clothing for the wedding. I left him with the serving maids to bathe and dress him, though I could hear his complaints through the wall and over in my room. I went back around an hour later and was more than happy with how he looked.

He wore a suit of gold cloth, and his fur coat to keep him warm. His shining hair, which had grown to waist-length by now, was pulled up in a bun, showing off his high cheekbones and sparkling eyes. I gave him my arm and we went to the main hall. The doors to the hall were closed but the guards hauled them open, and we stepped inside. Gathered on either side of the long gallery were nobles, courtiers and council members, all clothed resplendently. They stared at us as we walked in and bowed to me.

He was trembling and I held his hand even more tightly than before.

The guard at the door stepped forth and said, “Presenting the Crown Prince Bracca, son of King Larek. And Killian, the son of King Brendan of the Dokkalfar Elves, born of Ashlin. The true-blood heir to the throne of the Dokkalfar.”

At the far end of the aisle made by the rows of noble guests sat my father, brooding silently on his throne. He rose and beckoned us forward, and I escorted my beautiful prince down the aisle to be married, forevermore, until the mountains crumbled into the sea, and until the stars fell from the sky.

****

Killian

As ceremonies went, it was beautiful, solemn and long. My knees buckled slightly at one point, and I had to lean heavily on Bracca to hold me up. The king conducted the entire service and at the end, when he pronounced us Crown Prince and Consort, I turned toward Bracca and was swept away with a bold and passionate kiss that left me flustered and a little breathless. He slipped his arm around my waist and turned me to face those who had watched the ceremony, but I still had enough of a mortal mindset to be embarrassed at the fact that I was now married to another man, even though it was my preference.

As if he knew this, he drew me into another kiss and then another, right there in front of everyone. Perhaps he was showing me there was nothing to feel embarrassed about, and I had as much right as anyone else to be happy and marry whomever I chose.

The reception was filled with food and drink. Bracca kept me close beside him, and never let me stray far from his arms. Even when we ate and drank champagne at the glittering reception his father gave us, he made sure I ate off his plate and drank from his glass. When the dancing started, he wouldn’t allow me to accept any of the ones who asked me to be their partners and kept me tightly by his side.

His father laughed at him and told him he should allow me to enjoy myself, but he shook his head and replied, “He’s fine where he is.”

Since he had pulled me into his lap at that point, there were more than a few bawdy comments, but he didn’t seem to care. We left the reception hall after that, but I was horrified to see that we were only escorted steps away to an adjoining chamber with a bed on a small dais. And a group of guests accompanied us.

“We are here to witness the consummation,” King Larek announced, and startled, I pulled my hand away from Bracca’s and turned to leave, feeling shocked and scandalized.

He pulled me right back. “This has to be done, Killian. It’s long-established protocol.”

“This is barbaric.”

“It happens often with royal marriages among mortals too. The idea with a woman is to make sure she’s a virgin. This is most definitely not that. But it’s still traditional. Get under the covers and get undressed. No one will see much of anything, and they’ll stay on the other side of the room, but this has to be done.”

He took me to the bed, put me under the cover and laid me down, stripping off my clothes beneath the covers without asking. Before I knew it, I was lying there naked, feeling vulnerable and embarrassed, though no one could see a thing. By then I was reconciled to the idea I no longer had any control over anything that was happening, and I really hadn’t all evening. Maybe I never would again.

“You look nervous, a chuisla ,” Bracca whispered to me as he slid in next to me, his beautiful body bare and gleaming in the candlelight. “But this won’t be the first time I’ve made love to you.”

“The first time with an audience.”

He smiled and his mouth descended in a kiss so hot it made my mouth tingle. His moist tongue sought entrance, and a dangerous heat filled me as he stole my breath again.

“Ignore them. They know to be discreet and to stand back. I’ll keep you under the covers, and they won’t see a thing.”

I whispered to him. “You’re my-my husband now. And I’ve known you less than a week. I feel like this is all some kind of dream or maybe a nightmare.”

Bracca laughed and pulled me close, brushing aside the soft curls on my forehead and nuzzling the side of my face. I pulled the sheets over my face, and I heard him chuckle. Then he turned to me and his arms held me tight as his tongue rasped over the tips of my ears, making my breathing come hard and fast and my body throb with need. He burrowed us under the furs as his big hands caught my hips and settled me where he wanted me, and he probed the entrance of my body with his fingers. His cock was straining desperately against my leg, but he focused instead on my nipples, so close to his mouth. He leaned forward and licked them, and my entire body trembled. I cried out at the sensation, and he looked down at me, pleased and maybe a little surprised that I would be so noisy with people watching.

My nipples perked up and he shivered. I knew he wouldn’t hold off much longer and I didn’t want him to, because I wanted him desperately. I knew people were trying to listen, but we were underneath the covers, and I closed my eyes and tried to pretend they weren’t really there.

He reached beside me on the table by the bed for oil and made liberal use of it. Then he dipped his fingers inside me to gather some and then began massaging it over himself. He eased a couple of fingers inside me, and he touched the place inside that had lit me on fire the last time, stroking it lightly, delivering little shocks of pleasure. When he finally thought I was ready, he rolled me over and lay on top of me, settling me in place and moving me around as if I weighed nothing at all, but always making sure I was still under the blankets. I blushed furiously to be manhandled so, and he held onto me with fierce possessiveness when I struggled a bit. He thrust into me again and again, gently at first, and then stretching me wider and filling me up. I cried out, not really articulating words, but just making noises that seemed to make him even more excited. His heat was incredible, and he impaled me with slow, steady strokes. I reached around to touch him, and my hand dug into his muscular ass, as he buried himself deeply.

When I couldn’t hold back any longer, I felt myself go, little lights dancing behind my eyes as I came hard, spurting all over the sheets. I’d never felt anything like it. He followed me, but I kept thrusting into the mattress, wanting to find the same bliss again even though I knew I was probably too spent to come again. He fell down on top of me, and I turned toward him and held him tightly around his waist, never wanting him to ever leave me.

After a few moments, Bracca called out something in his language, and I could hear people begin to leave.

“What did you say?” I whispered fiercely to him.

“That you were untouched by anyone but me.”

Bracca got out of bed and put on a robe and told me he was going to speak to his father. He caressed my cheek and told me to rest. I didn’t think that was possible, but I did doze off.

He woke me a little later and picked me up in his arms. Everyone had left by then, and he carried me straight up to his room, wrapped in the blanket. It was the first time I’d been in his space, and I found it elegant and rich looking though he barely let me up for air long enough to take a good look at it. He kissed me again and again as soon as we got inside and took me right back to bed. Unfortunately, there had been too much excitement for me. I wanted to stay awake and make love to him again, but my eyes seemed to close all of their own volition. He tenderly wrapped me in his arms, and we fell asleep in his bed.

The next morning, we made love again, and then he left early to go check on his soldiers and begin making last minute preparations for our trip to the Elven city. I had the maids bring in the tub and some hot water so I could bathe. He came in as I was getting out of the tub and the maids were drying me off. He ordered them all out and took over the job himself. Thank goodness they’d had time to change the sheets before he got there, because I spent the rest of that day in bed in his arms. He said there had been a delay in getting started, and a subsequent change in plans. We’d leave first thing the next day. In the meantime, he was absolutely insatiable, but I had to admit I loved it.

I loved him, and I knew it was too soon. It was crazy, but I didn’t know what else to call this feeling. It was too big, too strong to be anything else. And I knew he didn’t feel the same, but it didn’t change the way I felt. Honestly, it wasn’t unfamiliar to me to love without being loved in return. And that wasn’t to say I felt sorry for myself or got maudlin about it. Plenty of people were in the same position—most of the other boys I’d known before I came to the Liminal were just like me. All of us were sons well out of the line of inheritance and therefore not heirs but spares, and therefore of little consequence. We weren’t of high enough rank to attract a wealthy man’s daughter, and most of us would simply disappear into dull lives in the military or the clergy.

For me in particular, I had been destined to live an uncharmed life up until I met Bracca. I preferred men. But those men would never be able to acknowledge me and could only give me a few stolen moments of their time at best. It was just the way things were, and I had accepted that long ago. In that regard, at least, marrying Bracca was luckier than I’d ever thought I would be. Bracca had announced to everyone that I was his consort, people had witnessed our marriage, and even our wedding night. If anyone had a problem with it, no one had dared to say anything. So perhaps I’d never have his love, but I had his attention, and that was almost as good. It would have to do.