Chapter 17

“You’re worth so much more than they say, sweetheart. A girl as beautiful as you shouldn’t have to endure this harsh life.”

I looked up at the man speaking to me, standing near the edge of the woods. His image was hazy, like a dream, but it felt like a memory.

His pale face stood out against the brown backdrop of trees and underbrush. He spoke kindly to me.

I had a feeling he’d done so before, but I couldn’t remember those times right now.

In this dream, I was a little girl, maybe five or six years old.

My face and clothes were dirty from working in the fields with my mom, tending to the cows and chickens all day. My hair was a wild mess around my head and shoulders.

Even without a mirror, I didn’t believe the man’s compliments.

“But sir, I’m just a girl. My dad says girls aren’t worth anything, and I’m not pretty,” I told him.

The man didn’t mince words. “Your so-called father is nothing more than a drunk who can barely walk straight most of the time.

“He can’t see the beauty in his own daughter. But I can, and I see a beautiful future for you as you grow into a woman.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I’m talking about destiny,” he replied. He stepped closer and knelt down to my level, but his face was still a blur in my dream.

“You’ll grow into a beautiful woman, and when the time is right, you’ll venture into the deep forest where they say the fairies live.

“When you reach the right place, you’ll meet the one you’re destined for.”

I woke up slowly as the dream faded, my eyes adjusting to the dim light filtering in through the open windows. It was almost dawn, and the morning was gray, a light fog blanketing the grounds outside.

I lay still, listening to the sound of Jekia’s heartbeat in my ear. I was still on top of him, where I’d fallen asleep the night before.

Jekia was fast asleep, his breathing deep and steady, his face peaceful in sleep.

I shifted slightly to get more comfortable on top of him, lightly touching the bandages on his right shoulder. I could see dark stains underneath them, evidence of his injury from the night before.

I wondered what kind of wound it was. Maybe cuts, considering the blood and the lycan’s claws I’d seen.

As I relaxed against him, my mind wandered back to the dream I’d had just before waking up. It was strange. It felt more like a memory than a dream.

But that didn’t make sense. I’d had a tough but normal childhood. I was sure of that.

Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it had really happened at some point in my life.

Was that why I remembered the fairy tales so vividly when my dad told me I was being sold to the count?

Jekia’s slight movement brought me back to reality. I propped myself up a bit as I watched his eyelashes flutter before his eyes opened.

I could feel his muscles tense slightly as he stretched.

“Good morning,” I said softly. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m better,” Jekia replied. He smiled as he ran his fingers over my back. “This is a nice way to wake up.”

“Well, you did keep saying how much you missed me these past few days,” I reminded him, smiling despite myself.

“I really did.”

My eyes closed as he pulled me into a kiss. I had to admit, I’d missed this too, the feeling of my body against his, the gentle touch of his lips on mine.

I was still amazed at how enticing intimacy could be.

“You should be careful. You got hurt last night,” I reminded him as I pulled back slightly.

“I’m much better this morning. There’s no more pain,” Jekia assured me. He sat up easily, holding me so I stayed on his lap.

“Don’t act tough if you’re not. You don’t want to make it worse,” I warned him, although I had to admit, this position was enticing.

It had been a while since we’d been intimate, and my body was craving it.

“I wouldn’t pretend, and you’ll see that soon enough. But for now, I just want to enjoy you. It’s been torture waiting this long,” Jekia whispered in my ear.

I couldn’t argue with that. It was the same for me. Being intimate with him was like a sweet addiction I couldn’t shake.

A soft moan escaped me as he deepened the kiss, and I eagerly returned it, letting his tongue dance with mine.

Excitement coursed through me as I felt his body against mine, his hands roaming over my increasingly sensitive skin.

I ran my hands over his, tracing his firm chest and abs. One of my hands slipped between us, feeling his already hard cock.

Jekia let out a ragged breath against my shoulder. “I love how you turn me on,” he whispered.

“I love feeling how turned on you are,” I whispered back, wrapping my fingers around him. “You’re so hard already.”

“That’s what you do to me. Keep stroking me so I can lose myself in your touch,” he breathed.

It was amazing to think about how I’d come to accept this part of myself with him and Sage.

Intimacy no longer made me embarrassed, nor did showing more of my body, even outside the bedroom.

But more than that, I felt empowered by the reactions I could elicit from him. His soft moans as I stroked him, the way his hips moved with my hand, the slickness of his pre-cum on my hand.

He was giving me a lot of control right now, and I wasn’t going to pass it up.

But of course, that control didn’t last long with him. Jekia liked to be in control, and even though he let me take over a bit, it wouldn’t last long.

After a few minutes of my gentle touch, he hardened even more. Suddenly, he stopped me, holding my hips in place before he entered me.

I couldn’t suppress a cry of pleasure as he did, my hips instinctively matching his rhythm as he thrust into me again and again.

Before long, I found myself on my back, eyes closed, absorbing every sensation of our intimate dance.

His thrusts were steady and fast, his lips softly exploring my neck and breasts.

The heat within me was building, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold back before the sweet release would wash over me.

Jekia sensed this, his thrusts slowing as he hovered over me, kissing me again.

“Not yet. I want to savor this,” he whispered.

I managed to open my eyes, reaching up to run a hand through his hair and over one of his ears.

“I don’t know if I can hold on much longer. It feels so good when you’re inside me,” I whispered back.

“Of course it does,” he whispered, kissing me again. It was slow and sensual, and I felt him bury himself into me completely.

A gasp of pleasure escaped my lips as he pulled back, rolling his hips. “I’ve told you that you’re mine, and no matter what happens, your body will always crave mine the most.”

The thought crossed my mind that he was being arrogant again, but I couldn’t deny the way he made me feel during these moments.

Yes, my body did crave his, sometimes so intensely that it was almost unbearable.

“Please,” I breathed, “don’t torture me. Let me feel you fill me.”

Jekia looked smug, a look I found incredibly enticing. Yet he remained still.

“I love seeing such passion in your eyes. It makes it all the more satisfying when I can satisfy you with my seed.”

More cries of pleasure escaped me as he slowly began moving again. He always knew how to bring out the most intense pleasure in me, and he was well aware of it.

My hands found their way to his hips as he continued, guiding them in these sensual movements.

All I could think about was him deep inside of me, and the anticipation of the erotic heat of his release.

It felt like an eternity as I lost myself in this intense pleasure with him. But even eternity has to end at some point.

The tight, pleasurable knot that had formed within me slowly unraveled, and my head tilted back as ecstasy washed over me with its sweet release.

I heard Jekia moan in pleasure as he lifted himself a bit more, his manhood burying deeply into me as my release shook me.

Heat flooded me as his own release came, and I felt him thrust hard into me several more times as he finished.

“Oh…I love that…,” I moaned.

Yes, it was quite indecent, but I loved how it felt when he or Sage filled me like this.

“Oh yes,” Jekia sighed as he leaned back, still deep inside of me. “I’ve been longing to fill you like this again.”

I let out a breathless giggle. “You do realize that if the time ever comes for me to have pups, I will probably end up giving birth to many,” I teased.

Jekia chuckled, gently lying over me and kissing me again.

“There’s no need to think so much into such things. I can control some of that when the time comes, although I will look forward to the day when we learn that you’re expecting.”

“I can’t even imagine such a thing,” I confessed.

“Are you afraid?” he asked as he nuzzled my ear.

“Maybe a little,” I admitted. “I don’t know much about carrying a child or giving birth. It wasn’t something I saw growing up.”

“Don’t overthink it. It’s all very natural for a woman, and it will be for you as well when the time comes,” Jekia reassured me.

We shared another long kiss. “It’s still early, so let’s rest a bit more. That was quite enjoyable.”

He wouldn’t get any argument from me. Now that my body was sated, I was feeling worn out.

I let out a last soft moan as he slowly pulled out of me, and we curled up together to sleep some more.

It was a few hours later when we finally woke up again. The outside still looked as cloudy as it had in the morning, although the fog had lifted.

Jekia was already sitting on the side of the bed as I turned onto my back and stretched, quietly removing the bandages that had been over his shoulder.

I watched as he did, now able to see the wounds that he had received the night before.

There was only one wound revealed as the bandages were removed. It was a long, jagged gouge that went from the top of his shoulder to the middle of the right side of his chest.

As he had claimed, it didn’t look too bad now in the dim morning light.

There was a dark scab over the wound, and I could already see where some of it was disappearing, leaving only a slight white scar on his skin.

But now that I was looking closer, I realized that he had the same markings in different places on his body, although they were so faint that they were hardly noticeable unless one looked.

They were on areas of his back, his shoulders, even a long one around his left hip.

How had I not noticed such a thing before? I was certain that they must have been scars from battles he had fought long ago.

He noticed that I was awake after a moment of me studying him.

“Good morning,” he greeted me.

“Good morning. Were you able to sleep anymore?” I asked.

“I was,” Jekia nodded.

I sat up beside him as he examined the healing wound. “Is it hurting you?”

“No. I was just checking how it’s healing. It was much worse when I came home last night. I don’t feel any pain from it now,” Jekia answered.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t believe you about how it would heal. I didn’t realize how many times you’ve had such wounds before,” I confessed.

Jekia didn’t seem concerned. “Wounds are a given at times when one has to fight, but as I said, for someone like me, they heal within a day, so I don’t worry too much about them.”

“I get it now,” I said.

“Morning’s moving along. We should get up and start the day. I’m sure Emelio has stuff to discuss with me. Might as well not keep him waiting.”

I nodded, and we both got up and headed to the bathroom.

The rest of the morning was pretty typical. We cleaned up, got dressed, and met in the dining hall for breakfast. The dolls brought our food out right away.

Emelio joined us while we were eating. He had a list of things that needed attention in the northern lands.

As usual, it was a long list, but most of it was just formalities that needed Jekia’s input.

“Did they start rebuilding those shops?” Jekia asked him.

“Yes, sire. I also checked on the people who got hurt in the attack. They’re all doing okay. The kid wasn’t hurt either,” Emelio replied.

“Kid?” I echoed. Jekia hadn’t mentioned anything about a kid being involved.

“Turns out the lycan was trying to kidnap a little nymph girl. But Lord Jekia made sure that didn’t happen.

“He got pretty banged up making sure the girl was okay,” Emelio explained to me.

So ~that~ was how he got so hurt? He was protecting a little girl?

“We don’t need to talk about that anymore. She’s safe and wasn’t hurt. That’s all that matters to me,” Jekia said.

He leaned back in his chair. “I’m more interested in finding out who their leader is.

“There aren’t many lycans left in this land. I’m guessing the one causing all this trouble is one of the original ones from Bastial’s time.”

“We all think so, but we haven’t figured out who it is yet. They’ve been hiding by moving between these lands and the east.

“Lord Lyric also said he wants to help you get rid of them,” Emelio added.

Jekia shook his head. “I’m not sure I’m okay with that yet, even if I do accept him as one of us.

“I don’t want to leave my lands right now to meet with anyone else. And I’m not ready to invite him here yet.

“But you can tell him I appreciate the offer and I’ll take him up on it in his own lands.

“I’ll also keep him updated on the situation.”

“Sure. I can do that for you right away,” Emelio agreed.

“Other than that, there’s nothing urgent for you today. You should take some time to rest and recover.”

“I will. You’re dismissed,” Jekia told him.

I looked at him as Emelio left. “You didn’t tell me you got hurt protecting a kid,” I said.

Jekia shrugged. “There was no need. It’s just what you do.”

“Maybe, but it was still really brave of you,” I told him.

“I like to think I’m brave. I’m not totally full of myself,” Jekia said, grinning.

“Definitely not, although you do a good job pretending to be,” we heard Sage say.

We both looked over to see him standing in the doorway. He was leaning against the doorframe, a knowing smile on his face and his golden eyes sparkling with amusement.

Jekia didn’t smile back. Instead, he scolded Sage for not being around.

“I haven’t seen you in almost a week. Didn’t I tell you to check in often to make sure Lana’s okay? Where’ve you been?”

Sage pushed off the doorframe and pulled up a chair at the table.

He didn’t seem bothered by Jekia’s attitude as he grabbed some berries from the plate.

“You act like Edifel and Vishu couldn’t keep her safe here.

“And you know me. I like to wander. I’d already planned to visit the other side for a bit, just to see what’s up,” he replied.

“You were in my world?” I asked.

“I was.” Sage gave me a friendly smile. “I like visiting the mortal side every now and then.

“It’s interesting to see how things have changed. It’s been about ten years since I was last there. A lot can happen in that time for humans.”

~Ten years~, I thought.

That dream flashed through my mind again. If it had been ten years since he’d visited the mortal side, I would’ve been about eight. Could he have…?

Jekia interrupted my thoughts.

“Since you were there, I’m curious. Did you hear anything about the ruler of Lana’s homeland?

“There are rumors that he’s really brutal to people he doesn’t like.”

“The rumors are true, from what I’ve heard and seen. They’ve started calling him the Impaler. I saw his handiwork myself. It’s not for the faint of heart.

“He scared off his enemies by making walls out of corpses. They died pretty horrible deaths,” Sage said.

I shivered. I knew who he was talking about. He was a really cruel man who supposedly enjoyed torturing and killing people.

I’d even heard my dad tell my mom once that some people thought he wasn’t human, but a vampire.

Jekia didn’t seem surprised by what Sage said. He just nodded and rested his cheek on his fist.

“Well, it seems the harshness of the mortal world hasn’t changed much. I bet the days of such a tyrant are numbered.

“If someone stirs up too much fear and trouble in that world, they usually get killed to put an end to it,” he noted.

“You’re right,” Sage agreed. He turned to me. “I was also curious about what happened after you left, so I decided to check on the farm you used to call home.”

“You didn’t need to do that, or bring it up here,” Jekia scolded him.

“Why not? Doesn’t Lana have a right to know what happened to it?” Sage countered.

“She doesn’t need to worry about it anymore. Her home is here with me now. The only thing waiting for her in the mortal world was to be a rich man’s slave.

“That farm shouldn’t mean anything to her anymore,” Jekia declared.

“No, it doesn’t mean everything to me, but it was the home I grew up in,” I reminded him. I turned back to Sage. “What happened to it? Are my parents still there?”

“It seems so. I saw your father stumbling home, and your mother was carrying on as usual. I don’t think they’re too worried about their debt to the count right now.

“It seems like he’s not in the ruler’s good books, so he might not be around much longer. I guess that’s good news for them,” Sage explained.

I sighed. “So, my father hasn’t changed at all, and neither has my mother. They don’t miss me.”

“That’s not surprising, but it doesn’t matter. Like I said, your place is here,” Jekia reminded me.

I nodded. “Yes, I understand that now.”

“Speaking of,” Sage chimed in, “did you argue with the Higher Ones about having your heirs yet?”

“That’s none of your business. When I decide to have heirs with Lana is between her and me, and the Higher Ones,” Jekia retorted.

“True, but you know I like the idea too. We’ve both been around for a long time, and I’ve sown my wild oats, as humans say.

“I wouldn’t mind the chance to have her bear at least one child for me,” Sage continued.

I was shocked that he’d say such a thing to Jekia’s face. He must have known it could provoke a hostile reaction.

I jumped when Jekia slammed his hand on the table, the sound echoing through the room.

“You will not! I’ve allowed you to sleep with her as you please, but you will not impregnate her!” he commanded.

Sage remained calm, his expression and tone unchanged. “I’m as much an alpha as you, and you did let me claim her a little.

“If it’s allowed, what’s to stop me?

“I know you’d never kill an unborn child, so there’d be nothing you could do if I got her pregnant.”

I didn’t know what to say. The shock was overwhelming. I never thought Sage would challenge Jekia about wanting to have a child with me.

He hadn’t said much about it, except when we were role-playing the last time we were together.

~Oh no~, I thought, placing a hand on my stomach. I hoped he was just playing a role.

Jekia took a deep breath to compose himself before responding.

“If you weren’t my closest friend, I’d kill you for saying that. But I expect you to respect me enough to drop it.

If you want to have a child with a human woman, find one you want to claim and do it. The only children Lana will have will be mine.”

Sage chuckled, standing up. “Fine. We’ll end this discussion here for now. I did promise my brother I’d see him when I got back to this realm.

“But know that I’m not giving up on this idea. We all like to choose the best female to bear our offspring.”

Jekia growled as Sage left, his golden eyes narrowed in anger. But he didn’t go after him. I stayed where I was, my mind filled with worry.

What if the last time wasn’t just an act to calm me down?

He finally exhaled, hanging his head, then looked at me.

“Don’t overthink this. You’re not pregnant, and you can’t get pregnant until the Higher Ones lift their order,” he told me.

“Did you read my mind?” I asked.

“No, but it’s a natural thought for you after what he said. And I’m sure he slept with you while I was gone, like he usually does,” Jekia scoffed.

He growled again. “But when the order is lifted, you will carry my children. I’ll make sure of it.”

Yes, jealousy can be scary.

I realized that now, seeing it firsthand, and the competition that was starting between the two creatures who enjoyed my company and my body.

I wondered what my future held. Whose child would I carry? Jekia’s, or Sage’s?

Only time would tell.