Chapter 21: Chapter 21: The Great Council

I spend the next morning alone. I eat my breakfast and read a book, waiting for Amera to be free.

A part of me hoped that Helos might come back, that he might slip into my room later in the night if only to hold me.

But he didn’t, and I can’t deny the disappointment that both I and the creature feel.

I walk down to the menagerie after lunch, but Amera isn’t there. Usually, she’s already waiting for me as her rooms are closer, but today, she is nowhere to be seen.

I sit and wait while my guards stand around, and even I can sense the restlessness in them. They seem on edge today, though I can’t tell why.

I wonder if I should tell Amera about last night. About where Helos took me, about what we did, but I decide not to.

I don’t know what this is between us, and while I trust Helos not to hurt me, I also don’t want to jinx anything or risk jeopardizing whatever this is either.

I’ve never been in a relationship. I don’t know what they even look like.

Sure, I gave Amera some good advice about talking to Brandar, but in truth, I have no real foundation to be talking about marriage, happiness, or anything in between.

When Amera does show up, I’ve been sitting here for over an hour, and I can see her face is red because of crying.

“What’s wrong? What happened? Is it Brandar?” I ask, running up to her.

“No,” she says, looking from the guards to me.

“What is it?” I say.

“You,” she replies quietly.

“What?” I ask with a horrible, sinking feeling.

“He’s sending you away,” she states.

“Who is?”

“King Helos. He says it’s for your own good.”

“What?” I gasp. “Why?”

“I don’t know. He just says he must,” she replies.

I shake my head, stepping back from her, and suddenly I’m running.

“Where are you going?” she cries after me, but I don’t answer; I’m already too far gone.

I know the guards are following. I can hear them on my tail, but I don’t care. I don’t know where he is, but I know I can find him from the feel of his presence alone.

I run from room to room, down the corridors, looking like I must be mad, and then finally, I can sense him.

Ahead, I see the guards, but in this moment, it means nothing. I’ve come this far and there is no way in hell these men are going to stop me.

I force my way past them, pushing into the room, and then stop as everyone inside turns to stare.

It’s half the damn Council, I realize. All here, all sitting around this table, with King Helos standing at the end. These warlords, these kings, their aura is breathtaking, even their physical size is impressive, but none of that compare to that of Helos’s.

I don’t look at them, at any of them.

I look at King Helos.

His face is changing from anger at the disruption to alarm when he sees who it is.

“It seems you’ve come to your decision, King Helos,” I say coldly, moving further into the room.

Behind, I know the guards are congregating, looking around, trying to assess if they need to act or not.

“You’re sending me away,” I say and I hear his sigh.

“It’s for the best,” he replies.

“Really?” I snap.

“Kera,” he says, and in that moment, I lose it.

“How ~dare~ you decide what’s best for me?” I scream, letting my fury flow out, letting them all feel it.

I may not be a king, I may not be a warlord, but I can manipulate the air around me just as much as they can, and right now, I want every one of these men to feel it.

“Kera,” he says again louder.

“Stop saying my name,” I shout, grabbing the nearest thing and throwing it hard at him. It smashes on the floor, fracturing to oblivion.

Helos growls then. His eyes turn darker than I have ever seen. “Get. Out,” he orders.

But I don’t move. I just stand there.

And then I realize the order is not for me. He’s not commanding me to leave. He’s commanding everyone else to go.

I glare at him, seething, as I hear the footsteps of every other person leave the room, and finally the door shuts.

“Come here,” he says more calmly than I expect.

“Why should I?” I retort.

He shakes his head, and in three quick strides, he’s crossed the room and come to me instead.

“There are things beyond your understanding,” he states.

“Then make me understand,” I reply, letting my eyes flash in irritation.

“It’s not that simple,” he says. “It’s better if you go.”

“Why? Why is it?” I cry.

“Because I don’t want to hurt you. To force you into doing things you don’t want,” he says.

“What are you talking about?” I snap.

“Last night. I went too far,” he states.

“~What~?” I say incredulously.

“I want you, Kera. I’ve tried to ignore you, to fight it, but I can’t, and I don’t want to be like everyone else…seeing you for only that, using you for only that.”

For a second, I just stand there, in complete shock. He’s making that decision for me? He thinks he forced himself on me? That what, last night was some sort of mistake?

My anger flares more then. “And what about what I want?” I shout. “Have you even stopped to consider what I feel about all this?”

He frowns, looking at me like he’s seeing me properly for the first time.

“What do you want, Kera?” he asks.

“What do you think?” I retort, letting it show in my eyes for him to see.

He lunges at me, yanking me up to face him. His lips are crashing into mine and his tongue is delving into my mouth.

I don’t think, I just react. My anger, my enmity, the storm of fury that was raging inside me flips almost instantaneously to lust, to desire, to a deep, hungering need.

I kiss him back, my hands wrapping around his neck, his wrapping around the back of my head.

We break apart and stare at each other, but in an instant, he’s kissing me again, and this time, I don’t let him go.

I won’t let him go.

I wrap my legs around him; he moves his hand to hold my body to his, and he carries me through a door, through the castle. I don’t know where he is taking me. I don’t look. I don’t care.

He’s still kissing me. His tongue is still wrapping itself around mine, and I don’t care who can see it. If the entire damn city can see us.

He carries me into a room, and when he puts me down, I frown. I don’t know where we are. The room is so ornate, with thick dark red curtains hanging down the ginormous windows, and everything seems to be covered in gold.

I turn and my eyes widen when I see the massive bed. This is his bedroom. He has brought me to his bedroom.

He’s watching me, trying to gauge my reaction to being here.

I can hear his breathing. I can smell his arousal. I turn again and meet his gaze. His eyes are still so dark, so enticing and so deliciously filled with desire.

I reach behind and start to undo my dress, and he steps right up to me and yanks the zipper down before helping me to step backward out of it.

He stares at me. I’m standing now in just my underwear, and I fleetingly think that I wish I’d put on a sexier set, but it’s too late now.

I unclasp my corset and shimmy my knickers down, and his eyes look ablaze as he takes in my nakedness.

We both know he’s seen me naked so many times, but now, in this moment, it feels more intimate.

More real.

Because, this time, I’m naked for him.

He goes to pull his shirt off and I move to him, helping to pull it off his head before staring at his body.

He’s so much more domineering than I realized. Even last night’s wet shirt situation did not do him justice because by gods this man is magnificent.

I can feel myself getting wetter just by staring at him, and he can obviously sense it because he’s smirking.

He kicks his boots off and undoes his jeans.

I brace myself.

There’s no way this god of a man won’t be just as incredible downstairs as he is upstairs. When he drops his jeans, I feel myself quiver because I was right.

His legs are just as muscular, his body just as toned, and his dick, his dick is big, bigger than Issar’s, and I fear for a moment how much this man might hurt me if he can’t control himself.

As if he senses it, he pulls me into his arms and kisses me again.

“I won’t hurt you,” he murmurs as he carries me to the bed and I want to believe him. In this moment, I really do.

But, within minutes, we both will know if he is lying or not.

He lays me down in his arms and then runs his hands slowly caressing my body. I’m watching his face the whole time, afraid that any minute he might turn, he might flip, he might become what I fear the most.

But he doesn’t. His eyes are filled with lust, but I can see something else there too, and when I realize what it is, I relax entirely, giving in to our need, giving in to what this is, letting my own feelings of desire take over.

I kiss him, running my hands over his body the way he has done mine. His skin is so smooth and yet so hard. He watches my hand as I do it, and when I move to touch his manhood, he looks into my eyes.

I bite my lip, taking hold of his dick, and slowly, really slowly, I move my hand up.

The instant I hold him, he groans, and I feel my body react as more of my arousal leaks out of me. I like the sounds this man makes as I move my hand back down, repeating the whole thing again.

His hand moves to between my legs, and I open them to give him full access. As I play with him, he begins to play with me, and we follow the same rhythm, the same movements.

Slow.

Sensual.

Careful too.

My breasts are heaving, and his eyes flit from watching my face to watching them.

I start to increase my speed. I want him so desperately now that all this foreplay is starting to frustrate me.

He increases his speed too, and within seconds, I am writhing while he is on top of me, cuming all over me, and I scream as wave after wave of euphoria floods through me.

When we’re done, he grabs me and pulls me onto him, and I realize somehow this man is still hard.

“The perks of being a king,” he says and I want to roll my eyes and make some sarcastic response, but he’s rubbing his dick against me, and all my focus is there.

I shut my eyes, moaning, as he does it over and over.

He feels just as big as I feared; even the tip of him feels too big to fit me without causing serious pain.

But he’s taking his time, like he understands how outrageous he is, and as he gets me wetter and wetter, he begins to push slowly, gently almost, against my entrance.

I brace myself, ready for the pain, ready for the agony that might just come, but slowly he slides himself in and we both groan as he fills me so deeply.

“Gods, you’re perfect,” he gasps as he holds my hips to him and essentially lets his dick sit in me while my body adjusts to this colossal intrusion.

It doesn’t hurt. It hasn’t hurt at all.

I can feel the tightness, but I can also feel the incredibleness of his dick as it fills me right up.

He tightens his grip on my waist and then lifts me up so that he can slide out, and then just as slowly, he slides himself back in.

I throw my head back and moan again.

This time, there is no tightness, nothing but pleasure.

I put my hands on his chest.

I’m done being the passive one in this, and as I arch my back, I begin to lift my own body up and down, riding him, rolling my hips just as he fills me completely, and then I lift myself back up in circular motions.

He growls loudly and I feel his hands digging into me. I can’t help but smile.

I want him to growl.

I want him to groan.

I want him to enjoy this just as much as me.

I ride him over and over as he keeps one hand on my ass, feeling each flex I make, and the other is massaging my breasts, spreading his cum over my body, and the feel of it is incredible.

And then suddenly he flips me. I’m the one on my back now and he’s up over me. He smirks at my surprise.

“My turn,” he says before he yanks one of my legs back and starts pounding into me.

“Gods,” I scream as he pushes himself deeper and deeper.

“Too much?” he asks.

I shake my head. “Keep going,” I say because I don’t want him to stop.

I need him to keep going, to keep thrusting.

To take control and dominate me the way only a king can.

The creature inside me is there; she’s writhing, she’s crying out in satisfaction. She’s enjoying this just as much as me, and again she isn’t trying to take control.

She’s not calling for it. She stays present in my head, present in my body, but she doesn’t fight me. She’s a willing participant rather than a rival.

I shut my eyes, focusing on his body against mine, the heat of him, the strength of him, the smell of him too.

His arousal is all around us, permeating into my subconscious. His dick is still pounding into me, and with every thrust, he sends shockwaves down my spine and through my body.

I feel breathless, airless. I feel like I’m floating, that it’s just us together, the only two people in the world.

His power and confidence are radiating off him. His body feels incredible.

I stare up at him, and his eyes, those beautiful, mesmerizing eyes of his, are staring right back, looking into mine as he thrusts over and over and over.

I’m moaning so loud I think I might lose my voice, but as the hum in my body grows to something cataclysmic, I start screaming over and over, and I know anyone nearby will hear my cries.

Hear my shrieks of pleasure at what this man, this king, is doing to my body.

It feels like the world is turning, spinning on its axis fast.

It feels like my body is caught in a whirlpool and I am so far under the water, so lost in this moment.

He growls loudly as my body tightens around his dick, but he continues to thrust as my orgasm takes over, and then he thrusts hard and deep one last time, and I can feel him pouring into me, filling all of me up.