I slash at Klevon but he is fast. He sidestepped before the edge of my knife connects to his stomach. Sensing my mistake, he raises his knife and is about to bring down the knife on my left torso, when I duck and roll myself away towards safety.
I crouch a few meters away from him, wiping the sweat that’s dripping on my chin. I scrutinize his form. Even if he’s huge, his defense is impregnable. I switch my hold on the knife and take another from the holster on my legs.
Magic. I need to use magic. It’s the only way I can fight against him. I enclose the edge of the knife in fire and glares at him.
“Your fire magic is not enough. Heighten it,” Klevon suggests.
I did as proposed and I feel hotter from the magic output. Nevertheless, I rush towards the unmoving Klevon who is watching me as a hawk does on its prey. I raise my arm, planning to strike at the side of his torso when he flicks his wrist. My knife shoots towards Theo’s feet, who i
The instant the door closes on our room, Theo is on me. He cups my chest and nibbles on the side of my neck. I get away from him but instead; he traps me on the door. He starts to remove my drenched clothes while he kisses my cheeks. “Theo… I’m sweaty, let’s take a bath first…” However, the same as every time he’s under the control of his lust, he can’t understand me. His kisses continue as he removes his pants. He lifts my legs and I can feel him prodding on my entrance. “Theo, seriously, bath first,” I whisper, as I push gently on his shoulders. He tries to enter but I evade him. “I’m not yet ready,” I say. “And I need to take a bath…” He turns me towards the door and traps my arms on it. “It’s fine, your sweat can act as a lubricant,” he says. As he enters, I hit my forehead on the door, moaning and getting controlled by this primal need again. His hold on my hands tightens. As he promised, it didn’t hur
The servants bustle around me. Trying to fit the dress that they’ve been working on for the whole month that we are on the sea. We can see Pitchford on the horizon and we’ll arrive within the day—which means that Theo’s subject will see me for the first time. As per Harbin, the instant the boat anchors on the dock, we will need to leave the ship, and the Pitchford citizens will welcome us back. I check myself. I am nervous even if Harbin had prepared me for this. Theo has no close relatives, so at least, that’s one less thing to worry about. However, Theo has twelve Generals, one from each of the other human kingdoms. And out of those, I have only met Brandon Stine. There are still eleven more. I touch my chest and take a deep breath. Harbin watches me. “You’ll be fine,” he assures me. I look at my dress in the mirror. I’m wearing a light blue long dress that hides my ankles—perfect for hiding the bruises whenever Theo tightly holds on
The room I am ushered into is extravagant, to say the least. Even in my primitive, ignorant eyes, I can sense that the furniture, decorations, and even the carpet that I am stepping on are worth more than the price of one werewolf slave. I turn my attention back to Aditya who has opened a cabinet—with little, intricate details on the handle and corners. I feel conscious as if I don’t belong in this room. I look at my shoes and feel ashamed of the mess I caused in the doorway. “Miss, ahm, Lady Kaiya?” she calls. I shift my attention to her. “Will you please come closer? I need to show you something.” “Is there a more simple… room?” I ask instead, without moving from my spot. “King Theo specifically requested to have your room next to him. And this is the only room that matches that.” “Am I… not allowed to share a room with him?” I ask instead. I already know the answer even before Aditya looks at me and says, “Yes, you are cor
The smell of lavender invades my nose even before I hear Theo’s voice. “Kaiya…” he whispers. I didn’t open my eyes though. I feel tired even if there’s no reason to be. The way he calls my name, I know he’s trying to wake me up to copulate, and I am not in the mood for it, especially with what happened at the welcoming party. I forgave him but I need more time to fully accept it. I sense him caressing my cheeks and playing with my hair. He even places small kisses on my face to wake me up, but I didn’t budge. Instead, I mutter my protests and hide my face in the blanket, making sure that my ears and nose are covered up, for lesser stimulation—that’s what his voice and his smell do to me. The next time I became aware, is when it was already early morning and the sun had just come up to the sky. The next I became aware of is Theo. He’s sleeping beside me, his arms across my chest and his legs over mine. I remove his limbs around me and sit up. My gaze f
My head aches. Harbin is even worse than before. Should a King’s lover really know all the knowledge that he’s been drilling into my head? Worse, because it’s Sunday tomorrow, he even gave me books to memorize?! He even threatens me that I need to answer all his geography questions on Monday or I will suffer from the consequences! This is crazy! “Miss Kaiya, are you okay?” Aditya asks. “Do you need me to prepare a tea for you? Or some sweets?” I look at Aditya. “Yes, I think that will be good.” I push open the door and find Theo waiting for me inside. He is sitting on the side of the bed, with his hands clasped together. “You’re late!” he says. He strides towards me and then embraces me. He sniffs my neck and I automatically tremble in anticipation, remembering what he promised earlier. “I’ve been waiting for an hour…” he whispers. I close my eyes and grab his arm. I feel my cheeks instantly getting red. And then, I remember Aditya! I pull awa
When the tremors on my body die down, Theo makes me lie on my side, with him behind me. With his arms still around my waist, he raises my left leg to open me up and enters from behind. “Not like this, Theo. It’s embarrassing,” I say. Looking at the way we are joined. “We’ve done it a lot. This is just another way of doing it, Kaiya. There’s no need to be embarrassed now. Just feel it,” he coaxes as he continuously penetrates me. Then he touches my crotch again as he thrusts, massaging it the same way he did it earlier. I close my eyes as his touches are making me shiver in desire again. Before long, I find myself meeting his thrusts and wanting more of him. “Uhh… Theo…” I touch his hand that’s touching my crotch. Everything about him is hard, his body, his member, even the way he hugs me while we copulate. Then, my fingers touch his member while he’s thrusting inside me. I wrap my fingers around it every time he pulls back. It’s sticky and
Same as when we are back in our travels, we never let each other go until morning. It is Sunday and my muscle aches out of the activity last night. Good thing I told Aditya not to come this morning. I feel Theo’s hands move, brushing against my chest and cupping it. I feel the shiver of desire starting. I look behind me and see that he is still asleep. Is this touch unconscious? I smile and wrap my arms around him. He embraces me in his sleep too. Ah! The smell of lavender is intoxicating. I am about to close my eyes when I feel his hard legs wedging between my legs. I look up at him and see a salacious grin on his face. “Should we restart?” he asks. “I don’t think that’s—Ah!” He starts to rub his legs on my crotch. I close my eyes and cover my mouth. “You still don’t want it? Lunch sex will be nice.” I open my eyes in surprise. Lunch?! It’s already midday?! I evade from his hold and sit up. Bath! I need a bath. And t
“You got one wrong,” Harbin says as he slams the book in front of me. “You do know that this has a consequence?” I nod, ashamed for getting one question wrong. I could have gotten a perfect score if not for Theo who keeps on distracting me with his kisses while I browse through the geography books. Every time I ignore him, he sucks my neck until I am riddled with kiss marks. “Focus!” Harbin groans. “We are in the bastion of education! Not some sexual dungeon where you can freely think about all the naughty things you did with my King.” I instantly redden at the thought. When Harbin raises his brows, I look away and travel my eyes around the library instead. It is a three floors circular dome-like structure, with shelves of books as far as one can see. One shelf is twice as tall as me that there are ladders to be used for those on the top shelves. It is a wonderful place. I’m sure it will be hard to play hide and seek in this place. I bet that I can even u
I stand in the middle of an arena. In front of me is an enormous man covered in armor and holding a broadsword in front of him. I pull my sword out of the sheath and face my opponent. He is the biggest of the warriors–at least in mass. His armor covers most of his body except for his joints. A helm covers his face, but even so, I can see that he is very ready to fight. “Ready…” the announcer starts. “Fight!” The crowd of spectators cheers at the same time that the man rushes towards me. He swings his broadsword and I dodge to the left, missing me by a hair’s breadth. I counter by thrusting my sword forward, aiming for his exposed shoulder joints. He parries with ease and strikes back, the force of his attack sending shockwaves down my arm. I take a step back, regaining my composure as he advances once again. This time, I feint to the right and quickly pivot to my left, slashing at his unprotected knee joints. The crowd roars as my blade makes contact, biting into him and drawing bl
It is noisy. Why are people talking about me in my room?! I open my eyes in exasperation. They are saying that I am... Wait, is Kaiya my name? I try to sit up, but my body feels heavy and sluggish. I look down and feel relieved that I have legs... Why though? Nothing is making sense. Confused, I look around. “Kaiya? You’re awake!” a handsome man with black-purple hair says. He hugs me, but I push him away. “She doesn’t like you anymore,” a handsome red-haired man says this time. He’s smaller than the first one but still exudes strength. “Kaiya, you remember me, right? I am your mate.” They wait for me to speak and so I ask, “I am Kaiya?” “Yes, your name is Kaiya,” a woman informs. “The guy with the purplish hair is your lover. The guy with red hair is your mate.” “How does that work? A mate and a lover?” The woman named Inanna shrugs her shoulders and adds, “By the way, I am Inanna.” I try to process what Inanna has just told me. Mate and lover? It feels so foreign to me. “I..
As the purification of the Moon Goddess starts, I am overwhelmed by my own memories. It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before. The pain is excruciating, and I scream out in agony. But as time passes, the pain only intensifies. Tears flow down my face. But judging from the sting as it flows across my face, I think it is blood. I can feel my mind slipping away from the pain, and I can hear the screams of the werewolves inside my head. Suddenly, a warm hand grabs mine, squeezing it tightly. “Stay with me, Kaiya,” a voice says. Inanna. She presses her forehead against mine and whispers words of comfort. I can feel the calming magic from her as well. Through the pain, I manage to grasp onto her hands, anchoring myself to reality. Her magic and tone stabilize me, and slowly, I begin to focus on what’s happening around us. The Moon Goddess is suspended as her purification process starts. I can hear screams from outside the mimicked Realm that Inanna has done. “Don’t give up now...” she
As we leave my chamber, I can hear the sounds of battle growing louder outside. I can sense humans against humans. But there are also vampires and werewolves fighting against humans. There is the sound of swords clashing against swords or armor. Worse, I see the destruction that the fighting is doing to Orttenburg. Even in the early moments of the war, there are already casualties that can be seen around. I clench my jaws. We must end this war soon. All I need is to get General Brandon and purify the Moon Goddess. After that, we can persuade these kingdoms that there’s no need for war. As we hurry through the chaos, I feel a pang of guilt. I can’t help but feel responsible for the destruction and loss of life in Orttenburg. It was my selfishness that led to this war. I have to make this right. Finally, we reach the hall where Inanna and Ruth are waiting for us. Inanna looks at us with a stern expression. “Good, you’re here. Time is of the essence.” I nod as Gezer puts me down. Ina
After sighing, Seth says, “Fine! But only with Theo, at least him–I trust will not hurt you.” I frown. “If you know that then—” “He will not hurt you, but he might take you away!” “Oh,” I mutter because Theo might really do it. I take a deep breath and the room spins for a moment. Seth helps me back to the bed and sits with me while the room steadies. “You should rest more,” he says, but I shake my head. “I can’t waste any time,” I whisper, trying to suppress the tremble in my voice. “Invite Theo. I will meet him in one of the sitting rooms.” “There’s no need for you to move. I will lead him here.” As Seth leaves the room, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I analyze the current situation. Theo will always help me. The only problem is, I need him to understand the situation. All we need is to trap General Brandon, take out the Moon Goddess, purify her, and that’s it. I can talk with the Moon Goddess and plead with her about my case. All I need is to be strong enough to wr
Suddenly, I am whisked away from my own mind. I open my eyes to see both Inanna and Seth looking down at me. “Kaiya, what’s wrong? What did you see?” Seth asks. “I come here because I sensed some distortions in the air,” Inanna informs. “What happened?” I swallow hard, my head reeling from all the information. It is my fault in the first place! “There’s no dark entity inside me, but I’ve found out something else instead.” “What is it?” Seth asks. He is looking worried as seconds pass. I grin at him. “I am an apostle, rather than a Vessel—if it makes any sense.” Then, I glance at Inanna and ask, “Did you know?” “Just a hint,” she says. “The Blood God told me that you are technically different from us. Gezer, Ninus, and I are Vessels. You are a little bit different, though.” “Then why did you say that I am...” “Because I don’t know what to call you.” “How is an apostle different from vessels?” “I am guessing that it’s in the amount of blessing you received. Once, the Blood Go
I watch as Theo’s ship slowly reaches the horizon. I can still feel the warmth of his embrace, and his words still echo in my heart. ‘No one can take your place, Kaiya.’ I let out a rush of air as I hold back my tears. He’s only been away for a while and I am missing him already. And so I watch as the ship eventually disappears from my sight. At the same time, Inanna reaches for my hand. “I heard that you will be doing a ritual today. Just inform me if you need help,” she says and leaves me and Seth alone on the balcony. I turn to the ocean and take a deep breath. Despite the distance, I can still feel him inside my heart. “Kaiya,” Seth calls from behind me. I turn to him and smile. “Are you ready for the ritual?” “Yes,” I nod. “Let’s start.” We both take out our supplies and prepare for the ritual. We walk to the King’s private garden—a quiet clearing where no one can disturb us. We start by setting up candles, incense, and some crystals that Inanna provided earlier. When all
“Come on, Theo.” I take his hand and we walk to my room. I open the door slowly, revealing my small but cozy room. Light from the moon spills through the window, bathing everything in a soft blue hue. “Welcome to my room,” I say warmly. He looks around carefully with curious eyes, and I can’t help but laugh at his reaction. “Do you like it?” He draws me close before answering. “It’s lovely.” His arms wrap around me tight and he nuzzles his head against mine before kissing me tenderly on the lips. “I really missed you.” I push back and grin at him. “Well, I missed you more.” I take a step back from him and remove my clothes. He watches me as I peel every piece of clothing in my body. He looks at me with such devotion that it makes me blush. “I think it’s about time you bare yourself to me too.” “Nope, I enjoy seeing you like this.” “Like what? Naked and embarrassed?” “No. Looking at me with desire in your eyes.” Theo takes a step closer and runs his hand down my naked back, se
“What the hell is going on here?!” Theo booms, his eyes blazing with fury. I freeze as I see him, my heart pounding in my chest. “King Theo! I told you that this is King Seth’s private area! You are—“ “Your King has done the same thing in my land!” he growls at Darius, who is much taller and bigger than him. Seth stands up calmly and meets Theo’s gaze. “There’s nothing going on here, King Theo. We were just talking.” Theo steps closer and takes in my state, his eyes flickering between Seth and me. “Talking? With your hands all over her? I’m not stupid, Seth. I know that you wanted her even before you have the mate bond with her!” Seth’s jaw tightens as Theo approaches him. Standing tall and unflinching, he says. “I’m not trying to do anything, Theo. Kaiya and I were just having a moment.” “A moment? Is that what you call it?” Theo sneers, grabbing Seth by the collar of his clothes. I stand up, panic rising in my chest. “Theo, stop! We were just talking, I swear!” But Theo doe