Chapter 12

A month had slipped by in a heartbeat, and I was settling into a rhythm in this strange new world.

I often felt trapped, but I did my best to keep those feelings to myself.

Jekia was still demanding, especially in the bedroom, but he was making an effort to treat me better and spend time with me when he could.

But his time was limited now. A new ruler had taken over the eastern lands, causing a ripple of change throughout the Veil.

Jekia was busy working with Vincent and Merrick to build a relationship with this new ruler, a man named Lyric. He was younger than them, but powerful.

Jekia and Vincent didn’t seem too worried about getting along with him, but Merrick was another story. He was still suspicious of Lyric and was demanding that he step down and hand over his lands until a “proper” ruler could be found.

This was causing a lot of tension for Jekia and Vincent, which was the topic of conversation that evening as Jekia and I sat in the courtyard for dinner.

Emelio was there too, and he and Jekia were deep in a discussion that had been going on for days.

“I don’t care what Merrick thinks. This is causing problems for us, and we can’t let it continue,” Jekia said.

“And as I’ve said, the Higher Ones aren’t happy about the situation either.

“Lyric’s rise to power was supposed to solve a lot of problems, and there’s nothing in his past to suggest he’s unfit for the role.

“His unique abilities have given him an advantage, even if it makes the other rulers a bit nervous,” Emelio replied.

I’d heard similar things since all this started, but no one would explain why they were nervous about Lyric’s abilities.

It almost sounded like they were afraid he might be more powerful than they were.

Jekia leaned back in his chair, considering Emelio’s words. “If they know all this, then what’s the plan? I’m not going to sit back and let this continue. If Merrick keeps this up, I’ll step in and put a stop to it myself,” he warned.

~Oh boy~, I thought. ~Maybe I should say something.~

I’d tried to calm things down a few times over the past few days. Jekia was usually pretty cool, but when something got under his skin, he could really lose his temper.

I was glad I wasn’t usually on the receiving end of that temper, except for the occasional scolding.

“I don’t mean to interrupt, Lord Jekia, but I’m worried about you doing that. Wouldn’t it look like you’re picking a fight with Merrick if you challenge him over this?” I asked.

“She has a point, my lord,” Emelio said before Jekia could respond.

“Merrick’s already got the Higher Ones worried. It wouldn’t be wise for you to get involved like that, and the same goes for Vincent.”

Jekia let out a frustrated sigh. “Then they need to step in,” he said, standing up.

“Tell Lacula I’ll be visiting them tomorrow to talk about this. Let Vincent know too, and tell him he’s welcome to join me if he wants.”

Emelio didn’t argue. In fact, he never did. He just agreed and went off to do whatever he was told.

“As you wish, sire. I’ll take care of it right away,” he said.

I let Jekia help me up as Emelio disappeared. I was still worried about what was happening.

“Is it really okay for you to demand a meeting with them?” I asked.

“I can demand whatever I want. It’s up to them whether they agree or not.

“But they know what could happen if they don’t, so I doubt they’ll refuse,” Jekia replied curtly.

I followed him through the courtyard towards the palace, my eyes on the ground. I knew what this meant. It was all too familiar.

“Jekia, if I can speak freely, does this mean I’ll be alone here again for a long time?” I asked.

Jekia stopped and turned to face me, but I didn’t look up. The truth was, I was bothered by this.

Even though he’d made time for me, it didn’t feel like enough. And with everything that was going on, most of our time together was spent in bed at night.

I was starting to feel really lonely, and it only made me feel more like a prisoner than a wife and lover.

“You know what needs to be done. We have to deal with this situation before it gets out of hand, to keep everything balanced.

“I’ve made sure you have everything you need here to keep yourself busy, and I’m sure Sage will be around to take care of your...other needs,” Jekia said, a hint of a growl in his voice.

I could tell he was a bit jealous of the thought of Sage being with me. Sage and I had hoped that would bring Jekia closer to me and make him open up more, but it wasn’t working as well as we’d hoped. He was still distant most of the time.

“I understand. I just feel a bit trapped here sometimes. I can’t leave the grounds when you’re gone, and even this big place can feel small,” I admitted.

Jekia sighed, his tail flicking around his legs as he closed his eyes and shook his head.

“I get it, and I promise I’ll take you out more once I’ve dealt with this.

“Sage can accompany you, but only if you’re safe at all times and back here by nightfall,” he finally agreed.

It was something, but not what I truly desired. I wanted to be with him, to feel the possibility of falling in love with him.

That thought consumed me as evening fell. As I’d predicted, Jekia left with Emelio to visit Vincent. They planned to meet with the Higher Ones the following day. Once again, I was mostly alone.

Lying in bed, gazing out the open windows as a gentle breeze caressed me, I sighed deeply.

I despised this part of everything, almost as much as I was beginning to loathe the conflicting emotions within me. I was getting dangerously close to Jekia.

Even if I convinced myself it was to stop feeling guilty about my sexual encounters with him, I couldn’t deny my heart was starting to lean towards him.

That couldn’t be good. I was sure of it.

I rolled over, forcing my eyes shut.

I’d chosen this room over the one I shared with him because I hated sleeping there alone, and I knew he wouldn’t be there tonight, despite his usual dislike of sleeping without me.

The issue at hand was too significant for him not to fret over.

~What about me?~ I wondered as I tried to let my mind wander. ~Doesn’t he realize that sleeping alone now affects me too?~

“Are you unwell, my lady? It’s unlike you to sleep in a different room at night,” I heard Edifel say.

I opened my eyes to see her form sliding down the far wall from the ceiling. It startled me more than scared me.

I didn’t think I’d ever get used to seeing Edifel when she wasn’t concealing most of herself, though I never truly feared her for what she was.

I was thankful she’d been honest with me about being a spider shortly after we’d met.

It seemed she didn’t like revealing such things, nor did she enjoy others seeing her true form beneath those layers of robes.

But in the summer heat, she’d needed to shed them to stay comfortable, and I finally understood why she wore them.

While her upper body resembled a human woman, except for having two sets of arms, her lower body was that of a spider, with a dark abdomen and two sets of long, spindly black legs.

Those legs tapped on the hard floor as she approached the bed. Her skin was ghostly pale in the moonlight, her long black hair the only cover for her ample breasts.

She moved around like this a lot now, and although she mostly stayed out of sight when Jekia was around, she showed no concern about him seeing her like this.

It made me wonder if covering oneself in this world was merely a formality for some.

“I couldn’t sleep in there alone, so I was trying to find comfort elsewhere,” I told her as I continued lying there, watching her.

I must admit, despite her being such a creature, I found her beautiful in many ways. She was also very gentle with me, much like a mother should be.

Of course, I wouldn’t have known such a feeling before her, since my own mother was never truly gentle with me, nor did she ever offer me any comfort.

“Poor girl. It’s unfair of Lord Jekia to act as he has been lately. While such matters are pressing, you should be his priority,” Edifel remarked.

I closed my eyes as she stroked my hair and face. It felt like a mother comforting her child.

“Edifel, can you stay with me for a while? At least until I fall asleep?” I asked softly.

“I don’t mind,” Edifel agreed. “If you’d like, we can rest in my webs. They’re very soft, and I’m sure you’d be much more comfortable.”

Yes, I’d been in her webs before and wasn’t afraid to do so again. She had a nest high in the courtyard trees, and the webs that made it were as soft as cotton, yet strong as stone.

“I wouldn’t mind that,” I agreed, rising with her.

Edifel’s face softened into a gentle smile as she wrapped a blanket around my naked form. “It’s a warm night, so this should be enough for you to feel comfortable.

“It will also cover you when you want to come down in the morning. Then we’ll choose a beautiful dress for you. I’ve made a few more in the last day.”

Her words were nothing out of the ordinary. Edifel loved making me dresses, and I now had many to choose from.

While some could be quite revealing, often at Jekia’s request, others were simply beautiful and suitable for a woman in high society.

I didn’t mind either at this point. Edifel’s dresses were both beautiful and incredibly comfortable.

The grass was soft under my bare feet as I walked with Edifel into the courtyard, and I could see moonlight shimmering off the webs high in the trees that we approached.

Edifel wrapped two arms around me, easily lifting me up to them. Being up high in those webs was a bit surreal in the late night.

They seemed to glow in the filtered moonlight coming through the leafy canopy, creating an ethereal-looking floor for me to walk on.

Edifel settled into a nest of webs, her legs resting under her abdomen. I lay down with her, comfortably resting my head against her left breast as she held me.

I could hear her heartbeat, slow and steady as I closed my eyes. No, I didn’t feel uncomfortable with any of this, as strange as it sounds.

As I’ve said, Edifel had become a motherly figure to me when I needed such comfort.

“Such a pretty one,” Edifel cooed as she stroked my head with her free hands. “It’s no wonder you were able to evolve into an omega.

“I’ve seen many humans in my lifetime, and no females have been as beautiful as you were from the start, nor as strong of heart as you’ve proven to be so far.”

“I don’t see where I’m that strong. I just have to adapt to this world as I go along,” I reminded her.

“Sure, some people might be able to do that, but a lot of humans can’t, no matter how hard they try,” Edifel replied.

“Do a lot of humans end up here?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

“It varies. Some are lured here by creatures who want them for their own, either as companions or lovers.

“Others stumble in, like you did, and are kept because they appeal to the ones who find them, for one reason or another.”

Her words stirred up memories of what Jekia had told me when I first arrived, and I sat up slowly to face her.

“I know there might be things you can’t tell me, but I’ve been wondering about those humans, and even a bit about my own situation here.

“Jekia told me when I first got here that after four days, I couldn’t go back to my world. Is that true?”

“Yes and no,” Edifel answered. She looked around us before continuing. “I’ll tell you something, but you have to promise me you’ll never try to run away again.

“If you did, I swear it would break my heart so much I’d just lie down and die. I was close to that the first time, to be honest.”

I had no idea she felt that way, but the look she gave me told me she was dead serious.

“I understand, and I promise, just like I promised Jekia, that I’ll never try to run away again,” I assured her.

Edifel let out a relieved sigh. “I’m glad, and I’ll take your word for it.

“What I can tell you is that while it’s usually true that a human can’t leave after staying here, you’re an exception.

“This is because of the connection Jekia has made with you. That’s also why you won’t age anymore.

“While normal humans in the Veil would age slower, those who are connected to more powerful ones here stop aging with them.

“And if someone like you were to go back to the mortal world, you’d stay the same, not suddenly age or get sick and die.”

Her words shocked me. If that was true, then Jekia had lied to me. But why? Didn’t he trust me at all?

It was a sobering thought. Maybe just being a human made me untrustworthy to him, especially after I tried to run away.

“So, I’m immortal now?” I asked softly, doing my best to hide my sadness over the fact that Jekia had lied to me about leaving this world.

“Your life is tied to Jekia’s. If, God forbid, he should die, then you’ll start aging again and eventually die too,” Edifel explained.

I let out a weary sigh and looked down. “So, I’m his prisoner forever,” I said sadly.

“Do you really see it that way? I don’t think I understand your perspective,” Edifel said, looking a bit confused.

“Maybe it’s because I’m a human woman. We don’t have the luxury of immortality in our world. Everything is born and everything eventually dies.

“But I have to admit, I feel like I escaped one prison only to end up in another.

“Whether I’m a human or beta or omega, my role here has been to keep Jekia company and satisfy him.

“Even if it’s wishful thinking, I want more than that, just like I did in my own world. I don’t want to be just a convenient woman.

“I want to be cherished and loved,” I explained to her.

“Don’t you think Jekia cherishes you?”

“If he does, I’m sure it’s only for what I can give him.”

Edifel shifted a bit where she sat, her gaze wandering over the shimmering webs. She seemed deep in thought before she spoke.

“You know, my lady, I don’t think we always see things as they really are at first,” she finally said.

She turned her gaze back to me. “Let me tell you my own story, for example, to help you understand a bit more about who Jekia really is.

“I was born into a spider colony a long time ago. We usually keep family colonies on this side, and mine was near here, in the forest where you entered this world.

“We were happy and peaceful, even though we were considered apex predators. But that all changed when I was still a child. That was when my colony was wiped out, all except for me.”

“Your colony? Your family? They were all killed? How?” I asked.

“Yes,” Edifel confirmed. She lowered her head for a moment before continuing. “It was during the time when they were choosing the ruler here.

“The lycans came to our area looking to eliminate any rivals, and since my colony was friendly with the Luna Dogs, we were massacred too.

“I was the only survivor, because I hid behind a waterfall, and when I came out, I found Jekia at the scene of the massacre. I was still very young, and very scared.

“Without my colony, I had no way to survive, and if I was alone in the forest, one of the larger, older predators would surely have eaten me.

“Jekia knew this, and he offered to take me in, promising me that if he won and became the ruler here, I’d always have a home with him.

“He’s kept his word, and this is now my home, and the people here are my family.”

I was reeling from all this information. Jekia’s actions were so noble, and I could tell how much this memory still affected Edifel.

No wonder she was so dedicated to her duties here.

I moved a bit closer to her. “I admit, I think I’ve misunderstood a lot of things here, and it’s very noble of Jekia to do all that he did for you, especially given such a terrible situation.

“I just wish I could understand him the way you do.”

Edifel flashed me a comforting smile. “Don’t worry so much. In time, you’ll see that his heart is yours. I promise,” she said.

Her words were a balm to my troubled mind. I snuggled back into her and closed my eyes. I longed for the day when I would see the real Jekia, the one hidden behind his tough exterior.

I thought I’d caught glimpses of it, but the ultimate proof would be when he revealed his true self to me.

I ended up spending the rest of the night with Edifel, then headed back to the palace the next morning to freshen up and start my day.

I was just finishing my bath when I heard a familiar voice outside the door.

“Good morning, my lady. I trust you and Edifel had a cozy night?”

“Sage?” I called out, surprised. What was he doing here so early? Then his words sank in. “Were you spying on Edifel and me last night?”

I heard his chuckle. “I wouldn’t call it spying. More like noticing you came out of there this morning, so I made an assumption. Not that I blame you for wanting to be there.

“Edifel’s webs are incredibly comfortable, even if she sometimes gets mad at me and doesn’t let me enjoy them.”

“If you’d stop being so nosy, I might let you,” Edifel called from her perch on the high ceiling. She looked down at me. “Do you want me to ask him to leave?”

“It’s okay. I’ll handle him for now, and I’ll call you for my dress when I’m ready,” I told her.

While it might have been smarter to get dressed first, instead of standing here in just a towel, I figured it might be a waste of time.

As much as I hated to admit it, being around Sage often led to intimate moments, whether I intended them or not. No wonder Jekia was so jealous.

“Just remember, you have more control over him than you think,” Edifel reminded me.

She’d told me this before, and I believed her. With Sage, I could get almost anything I wanted, as long as I offered myself as a reward.

He’d told me more than once that he loved the pleasure he got from my body.

He often compared it to a sweet addiction, a comparison that Jekia didn’t appreciate at all.

“You can say that all you want,” he’d told Sage. “But remember, in the end, she is ~mine~.”

Sage had laughed off his words, saying that Jekia’s jealousy was refreshing.

I had to admit, it was nice to see a crack in Jekia’s stoic exterior.

I opened the bedroom door to find Sage standing a few feet away, an amused smile on his face as he watched Edifel disappear through a hole in the ceiling.

“She still seems a bit uncomfortable with our arrangement,” he observed.

“Well, she cares about me, so of course she would be,” I pointed out.

“True,” Sage conceded. He traced two fingers down the left side of my neck to the top of my breasts.

“You look very tempting right now, but I actually came to make you an offer, if you’re interested.”

“An offer? Like what?” I asked.

Sage moved away from me, sitting on the edge of the bed, his many tails swishing behind him and a knowing smile on his face.

“I thought it might be fun to take you out today. There’s a fairy festival starting in an hour at the nearby glen. It could be fun for you.

“Since Jekia is busy, you could go with me.”

The idea was appealing. I’d been wanting to get out of the palace, and a fairy festival sounded like a lot of fun.

“That does sound nice. I’ve never been to a festival before. What do they do there?” I asked.

“There’s a lot to see and do. They play music, serve delicious food, and show off their skills in jewelry and clothing making.

“I’ve been to many of these festivals, and they’re always a good time.

“Plus, as Jekia’s omega, you should start mingling with the creatures of this land.

“They’re already talking about their beautiful new queen, and meeting you would make them very happy,” Sage explained.

“That sounds nice. I’ve been wanting to meet more people here, but I’m still a human. Isn’t it dangerous for me?” I asked, crossing my arms.

“You don’t need to worry about that. You’ll be with me, and I won’t let anything happen to you,” Sage assured me.

He leaned back a bit. “Besides, if you have a good time, you might want to reward me later.”

Of course he would say that. He never missed an opportunity with me, and I knew that.

But I couldn’t deny that I liked the idea. Being with him was always a good distraction when I was feeling troubled or lonely. So I walked over to him and straddled his lap.

“I wouldn’t mind that, and I do want to go and have fun. If you’ll take me there and keep me safe, then I’ll agree to indulge you when we get back,” I told him.

Sage chuckled. “That’s quite an offer, and I’d be a fool to pass it up. But you’ve already got me in a bit of a predicament,” he teased.

“I know, but I just took a bath, and I don’t want to need another one before we leave, so you’ll have to wait,” I said firmly.

“Alright,” Sage finally gave in. He moved closer, his lips brushing against my ear as he whispered. “Plus, the waiting just makes me appreciate your body even more.”

I didn’t push him away. Instead, I leaned into his kiss, savoring the sensation as I pressed myself against him, letting his tongue dance with mine.

This was a good plan. I’d distract myself by stepping out for a bit, then come back to this enticing man waiting in my bed, ready to quench my desire for him.

And then, with a bit of luck, in a day or two, I’d have my Luna Dog back. I could continue my mission to chip away at the fortress he’d built around his heart.