Eternal Darkness (A Novel of the Amagarians Book 1) (21 page)

He had been
saying goodbye.

***

Saieke admired the perfection of Drac’s body as they lay on his bed

She was completely ensnared. She might never see him again…or perhaps they would meet in a hundred years or so. After loving her on the turret, he had flown with her over his keep. He had slowed his speed, but they had still travelled for miles with him showing her mountains, rivers and creeks. He had taken her so far into the sky that she had been in awe of the world she looked down upon. Its beauty was raw
and deadly.

Then he had returned her to his chambers, and had been insatiable in his need for her. It was as if they were gorging themselves to make up for the years they would be without
each other.

Arousal simmered softly inside her as she traced the muscles on his chest
and abdomen.

His cock was erect and straining from the light touches she danced across his skin. She was still amazed that this was what he loved her with. Her fingers could not wrap around his length. It pulsed in her hand and jerked. She looked at him from under her lashes and he still did
not stir.

Saieke leaned over and sucked the mushroom flared head into her mouth. She twirled her tongue and suckled softly but strongly. He tasted like rain and darkness. A deep groan rumbled from him. “I knew you were awake,” she
murmured huskily.

He looked at her from hooded eyes. “Continue,”
he ordered.

Saieke raised her brow and nipped sharply at the head of his cock, then laved the sting with her tongue. She smiled at him with feminine power as his
chakra
pulsed with violent arousal. “I think now would be a good time to talk about your constant need to give
me orders.”

She slid her mouth over half his length. Her mouth stretched and burned but she twirled her tongue and slid back up slowly while maintaining
eye contact.

Bring your pussy to
my mouth.

She sent her laughter to his mind
. I don’t think so, my lover. This moment is to do as I please
, she said confident that he would do whatever
pleased her.

She suckled, licked and sipped with her mouth. She used the clenches of his muscles and the growls that echoed in her mind to learn what pleased him. She shivered as her arousal spiked and her body grew wet in preparation
for him.

Sit
on me.

She slowly released him from her mouth and climbed on top of him. She sat astride him and her wetness slid on his stomach. He groaned harshly under her, and she gasped at the contact. She leaned back and clasped him. He flexed and jumped in her hands and she rose up on
her knees.

Look at me

She met his eyes as she notched his cock at her entrance and slowly slid down. His stomach clenched and he fisted the sheets. Saieke bit her lips hard as he stretched her. She furrowed her brows in concentration and tried to relax and
take him.

Drac help me

She had taken less than half of him inside her when she heard his husky laughter through their link as he reached up and palmed the underside of her breast. He massaged and flicked at her nipples while tendrils of
chakra
dance seductively over her back and the crack of her buttocks. She moaned as wetness pulsed and she was able to slide onto him
another inch.

Saieke arched her back sharply as he lunged up with his hips and pushed through her resistance. She keened wildly into the room and bucked on top
of him.

Ride
, a harsh demand from him that she
obeyed instinctively.

She glided up and sank back down. The pleasure-pain was exquisite. She repeated the motion. Her hair cascaded and its length formed a curtain around her body. She flung back her hair as tension gripped her and her tempo increased. She glided up and down slowly then faster, and repeated her motion over and over until she started
to peak.

Ecstasy barreled through her as she rode him in sheer wantonness and she orgasmed continually on top of him. He slammed inside of her harder and harder. Instinctively, she lowered herself and gripped her hair to bare her throat for his fangs. Lightning pleasure bolted through her when he plunged his fangs deep. Saieke groaned as she clamped down on his cock like a vise, and he snarled and emptied
inside her.

He rolled and pinned her under him to capture her lips in a slow and thorough kiss. He released her lips and laughed huskily when she breathed ‘again’ against
his lips.

Absolutely
fucking perfect
.

Drac took Saieke to heights of pleasures she could not
have imagined.

Saieke travelled in a massive conveyance to her home. The carriage was spacious and the inlays glinted with gold. Its crest was that of the ruling house of the Darkage and it was pulled by a team of Kun. They could have travelled on foot, but she was glad for the carriage and the comfort she gleaned from resting inside on the
padded cushion.

Saieke was dressed in the most exquisite yellow caftan with several layers that flowed and swirled about her legs. Its hidden folds held two set of weapons. One gifted from the king and the other from
her
Leki
.

She twirled the word that meant a ‘mated Darkan male’ savoring its feel and sound. She had been so surprised when he had presented her with the blades. The graceful yet deadly blades were black and forged from dragon claws, with emerald scales adorning the handle. They were slightly over a foot in length. Saieke had laughed in ironic pleasure. In another kingdom, a lover would have gifted her with rubies pearls and exotic gems, but her Darkan gifted her
with weapons.

She
loved them.

In their last moments, she realized he would never let her go. Something had shifted inside her upon that realization, and she knew she would defy rules to be with him…whether it was twenty or a hundred years
from today.

Saieke lurched in her seats as the Kun galloped with such speed she estimated she would arrive home in a
few hours.

“You stare princess.” The soft rasp of Lachlan’s voice had her smiling, completely
at ease.

“I only admire your calm in the face of going into unchartered territory.” He was the Darkage’s peacekeeper. Who would have thought the Darkans had a peacekeeper? “You do not seem perturbed at all that you are going into a kingdom that will greet you with suspicion
and fear.”

“I do not feel fear.” The smooth cadence of his voice held no inflection, and Saieke could not sense any
chakra
from him
at all.

“I will miss your kingdom.” She smiled at him wistfully inviting him to converse. Which
he ignored.

Drac’s family had given her several spectacular gifts— beautifully colored cloths, several layered caftans, flagons of their wine, and the tapestries that were given to her as gift for her king and queen were of the highest quality. No questions had been asked about her accelerated healing or that she spent hours in Drac’s chambers before
her departure.

She had been conveyed to the carriage without any ceremony while Drac looked on with emotionless eyes. The emotions that whispered along their connection to her from him had made her ache, and it had taken an enormous amount of strength to enter the conveyance
with Lachlan.

Saieke winced when they exited the Darkage into the sunlight. Enclosed in the dark, she had almost forgotten they were still in summertide. She squinted and her eyes watered at the vividness of
everything
. Her lenses contracted and expanded as her eyes adjusted to the harshness of
the light.

“You are Drac’s mate.” A statement more than
a question.

“I am,” she whispered, and then a blinding smile erupted from
her lips.

“You are not displeased.” For the first time, she heard an inflection of curiosity in
his voice.

“I
love him.”

His eyebrow arched sharply over golden eyes. “The progeny of Boreas in love with a Darkan.” The mockery in his tone had
her bristling.

“You
mock me?”

“You will deny him.” He shifted in his seat observing the wild lands of Tarylion as they
sped past.

“I will not. I am from wind and mountains, their progeny if you will. Yet I have found love with someone that I was told to hate and revile. I will not walk away from that because I am expected to. How will I bridge the hate? I do not know. But I will fight for it to
be removed.”

Less than a thousand miles from the border of her land, Saieke encountered warriors that belonged to Boreas and Nuria. Their conveyance did not stop, but her people recognized her and flashed ahead, faster than the travelling Kuns, to the castle. Some stayed behind and kept pace
with them.

Saieke gave Lachlan a swift glance. He remained stoic and bland, ignoring the warriors that stared at him through the
carriage windows.

The Kuns were directed to follow the warriors of her kingdom to the inner sanctuary of her castle. They took the deep mountain pass, completely bypassing the city that would be buzzing with Boreans. Deep emotion travel through Saieke as she alighted from the massive carriage, into the inner courtyard of
her castle.

She
was home.

Saieke inhaled the crisp evening air deep. She looked up at her castle and almost wept in relief and joy. The back of it was embedded deep into a mountain and the waterfalls that shimmered behind it were resplendent. Birds chirped and the sun was bright
and beautiful.

A small crowd gathered which comprised her parents along with several council members and more than a handful of Borean warriors. Something tightened inside as she saw persons dressed in flowing robes with the insignia of
the Nurians.

Saieke delved deep and found her nervousness muted. She supposed that after being in the Darkage, it would really take much more now to frighten her. Lachlan descended, and there was finally a rustle of murmurs that swept through the small gathering. They would not know who he was. He was without insignia, and the fact that he was with her in the sunlight would never let them realize that a Darkan walked
with her.

Saieke flashed to her parents. She could feel the piercing stares as they took in her appearance. Her heart ached at the knife-sharp pain of relief travelling through her mother. It was enough to make her slightly stumble. She had a lot to atone for,
Saieke realized.

“My liege.” she said, as she swept into a
graceful curtsy.

“Princess Saieke, welcome home,” her
father intoned.

Her mother clasped her hands and kissed
her cheek.

“I am glad to have you home, daughter.” The undercurrent of emotions in her voice made tears pricked Saieke’
s lids.

She smiled at the small gathering. Almost as one, they curtsied and greeted
their welcome.

The man from Nuria stepped forward executed a sharp bow. Saieke tried not to gape at his height; he towered over all that stood in
the gathering.

“Princess, I am the high chancellor of the King Ajali of Nuria. We are most pleased that you are at home and look forward to hearing what has transpired.” His voice
was menacing.

Her queen’s eyes flicked to the high chancellor and the more than fifty warriors he had organized behind him like an
indomitable wall.

“We are all longing to hear what has transpired with the princess, my lord,” Queen Izumi murmured. “However, my daughter must be tired from her journey and will need to refresh herself. We will retire and meet your king in the council room shortly.” She gave him an icy smile and clasped Saieke’
s arm.

Saieke glanced at Lachlan’s
impassive face.

“My lieges, I have an emissary with me whose presence will be required.” Saieke turned to the several servants and palace guards that were standing at attention, awaiting their command. “Please escort this man to the inner throne room. My mother and father will wish to meet with him shortly,” she commanded and swept away with
her queen.

Her stomach tightened as she held her breath. She could feel the judgmental gaze of her king. She had just issued a command and expected it be obeyed as if she enjoyed the same trust and privileges as before. Her stomach clenched tighter when she heard no response to her order. Saieke hoped her king did not countermand it and strip her of her rights, here, in front of the gathering. She prayed for the opportunity to explain behind closed chambers what
had transpired.

“You heard the princess,” her father said. He swept ahead of them and she slowly exhaled as attendants rushed to obey
her orders.

All was not
lost yet.

***

Emotions churned inside of Izumi. Her daughter was alive and well. She had almost fainted when warriors flashed in and sought council with them, reporting the princess sighting, and that she returned of her own volition. Izumi prayed that it counted for something that Saieke returned on her own, and hoped it meant she had not fled as was previously believed. In her absence she had been tried and condemned for her actions and her kingdom had handed her over to Nuria for justice, for the breach of a blood-oath she had not consented. The elders had stated that once the princess was made aware of the provisions in the contract by her sovereign king, she then became party to the oath and contract. Binding. Unbreakable.

The head of the Princes’ Council had represented Saieke and he had argued that the princess being missing was not proof that she had broken the blood-oath. The Nurian king had listened with what appeared to be calm to Izumi, but twin flames of fire had danced in his eyes, betraying his rage. His ten King’s-blades had formed a semi-circle at his back, with hands that rested at ease on their swords sheathed at their sides, along with dozens of warriors, and they had all stood battle ready. Izumi desperately wanted to be alone with her daughter to inform her of the judgment that had been leveled against her. She was willing to work with her child to fabricate a tale as to why she had been missing for days from
her kingdom.

Still, Izumi was relieved Saieke was with them now and was not hurt. She had expected to see her daughter in a frightening state, but Saieke radiated with life and vitality, and was riveting in the caftan she wore. Her armband glistened and her hair rippled like fire, cascading down to her hips. Wherever her daughter had been, she had been treated as
a princess.

Izumi glanced at the mysterious emissary. They would never question her in front of the gathering, but she was anxious to know how this man came to be with her daughter at such a
delicate time.

There was something wrong with the man, but she could not identify what it was. He was dressed in grey and black trousers and a coat cut like royalty. His eyes were the color of tawny gold set in a beautiful face. His black hair was a shocking contrast to his
pale skin.

He was
kingdom less
.

She faltered at the realization. He wore
no insignia.

“Mother?”

“All is well, come.”

It had
to be.

***

Saieke sat in the drawing room. Her parents were present along with several council members. She smiled fleetingly at Sir Hugh, the only member of the prince’s council that
was present.

“Do you wish to refresh and have something to eat?” Her mother signaled
for wine.

Saieke swallowed tightly. “No.”

“Are
you well?”

She wanted to sit with her mother in private chambers and atone for the pain she could still feel tunneling from her. “I am well, my queen,” Saieke answered formally. “I would request that the council convene so that I can bring to light what has transpired over the last few days. The man I arrived with…I request his presence at the council, my king, as he is central to what I
must say.”

Saieke met the king’s gaze as a princess and not as his daughter. It was a cold gaze which, oddly, did not disturb her as it
once would.

“The Nurian king will be present as well, along with his high chancellor,” her king
responded coldly.

Her heart jolted. “I would confer with you Father, then privately with
King Ajali.”

“Our tribunal decreed in your absence, Princess, that the Fyran King is the one that has the right to punish you for attempting to break your oath.” He surged to his feet and paced the room, his royal robes swishing on
the ground.

Saieke flinched. They held a tribunal and made a judgment when she was missing? She had only been gone for five days. She opened her mouth to restate that she had no promise with King Ajali and hesitated. Now was not the time. Her heart thudded and slight fear snaked through her. According to their laws, they would have ordered punishment for her as well, if they thought she had broken a blood-oath. A tribunal normally took weeks to convene…but in
five days?

Saieke?

She froze at the soft brush against her mind. Saieke slammed down mental barriers that she did not even know she possessed. She did not want Drac to be aware that she felt fear from her own kingdom. Her heart stuttered at how he would deal with a threat to her, and they were
her people.

“Very well, my king,” she murmured and inclined her head
in acquiescence.

Saieke had always found the tribunal room grand and intimidating. This was where their laws were made and decided on, then recorded into the Oclui. It was a fierce room that showcased the heritage of their nation, from the olden bricks that still made the walls, the sculptures, and the many paintings of kings. The ceiling was cavernous and was
stained glass.

The seats were arranged in a circle, with a throne that sat high and opposite the audience. The council seats were arranged behind the King. The Fyran King had arrived with his high chancellor and about one hundred warrior seated
behind him.

Saieke flinched.

The King of Nuria drew her gaze like a magnet. Power rolled off him in waves, yet his
chakra
was fully contained. His skin was smooth and a deep bronze. His hair was twisted into hundreds of small plaits that flowed over his shoulder and down his back. He had it held back from his handsome face with a thong. It was the contrast of forest green eyes against his dark skin that made him
so riveting.