Chapter 24

24

A knock on my bedroom door allowed me to tear my face away from Taya’s. “Come in,” I called, shoving her off my lap. Her gold eyes flashed with hurt before she straightened her clothing and perched on the edge of the arm of my chair like an ornament. Crossing her arms over her chest, she pushed up her ample cleavage, only accentuated by the deep dip in the dress she wore.

Desmond entered, carrying with him a velvet pouch that offered a sharp rattle when he walked. “Ah, Desmond, good to see you. Please have a seat.”

The Mage glanced around the ornate space, finally selecting a low couch across from me. “So, what do you need the crystals for?”

He proffered the bag to me, and I accepted it, drawing open the cinched center and spilling the gems into my open palm. Amethysts, quartzes, opals, and topazes glinted in the light from the crystal chandelier overhead. Glancing at the female still clinging to me, I growled, “Leave us.”

With a pout, she stomped off. The door slammed with enough force that the painting of myself commissioned on my coronation day rebounded against the stone wall. The crown, intentionally skewed on my head, grew even more crooked as it resettled at an angle against the wall. Rolling my eyes, I returned my attention to the task at hand. I’d make it up to her later, but she couldn’t know about the magic all the anointed kings and queens of északi possessed.

“The stones assist with channeling the power I must wield to make you Fae,” I stated, arranging the stones on the table between us after evaluating each for its purity. Satisfied with the collection, I went to my desk and lifted the hidden bottom of a drawer to retrieve the paper I needed. The High Priestess had handed it to me in secret the day after she placed the Night Crown on my head, and the moment I read it, I knew the Fates had provided me yet another gift. It hadn’t taken much to sway Desmond to assist me, not when his humanness crippled his strength and lifespan.

“Now, remove your clothes,” I instructed, skimming the words written in a flowing script. It looked ancient, and I wondered just how long this parchment had existed, how many royal hands had looked upon these words and used them. If the history I remembered from childhood lessons served me, at least a dozen kings had cause to wield such power for their political gains. My ancestral line included.

The Mage did as instructed, not bothering to cover himself as he reclined on the couch. Examining the array of the crystals, I ensured their proper order, then, one by one, placed them along his body according to the instructions written by some long-ago monarch.

“Can you make that bigger while you’re at it?” he joked as I placed a few near his dick.

“Don’t think it works like that,” I grinned devilishly. “If you can survive the pain of the procedure, you’re welcome to join me in my harem tonight.”

He snorted, closing his eyes and tucking his hands behind his head as I finished placing the stones. With one last sweep from paper to his body, I confirmed everything was in place, then stole a cushion from behind him and tossed it to the ground. Kneeling, I placed my fingers on either side of his head, and I tapped into my magic. The source of moonlight and black binds in my chest swirled as I called it to my palms and out into the world. Silver dipped into a dark gray as my magic caressed Desmond’s body, testing before trapping itself in the crystals. Once every stone had been filled, they began to glow, and the scent of burning flesh filled the air.

Beneath my palms, muscles ticked in Desmond’s face, but no sound slipped from his throat. Pushing more power out of me, I willed it to begin the transformation, and after a few moments, bubbles popped out of his boiling skin as his body rearranged itself from its basest form. A pained sound escaped him then, and I pushed harder, wanting to ensure the transformation from the Mage’s human form to a Fae one succeeded.

I sensed the change happening just before the stones exploded, sending shards scattering throughout the room. With a yell, Desmond jerked off the couch, his skin seeming to rip apart and sew itself back together at the same time as he writhed on his hands and knees on the carpet beside the couch. His ears grew a slight point, and his thin frame thickened with new muscle. When he lifted his gaze, his once dull eyes were sharper, and as one last wave of transformation swept from the base of his spine to his head, he choked out a cough.

Then, ever so slowly, he raised his gaze to mine, revealing a devious smirk. New power lurked within him, and as his creator, I sensed it, almost like an extension of my own.

I offered him my hand, but he ignored it, pushing to his feet with the ease of a Fae. He flexed and admired his new body, testing it with a few jumps and squats before he finally returned his attention to me. “I think I might take you up on your offer. I want to see how much better this body fucks.”

“Grab your clothes and I’ll show you the way,” I instructed. He wasted no time pulling on his pants, but left his chest bare as we slipped from my room and strolled to the stairs that spiraled up into the rooms where my females waited for us.

The space was dark and sultry and smelled of sex. Already, several played with one another, warming up for a night that would leave everyone sweating and satisfied. After all, they did miss me while I was gone.

Taya was splayed over a soft, circular bed in the center of the space, her emerald green robe hanging loose and exposing one soft breast, nipple already hard as she waited for me. Lazily, she traced swirls over her skin, and my cock hardened as I drank in her spread legs and wet pussy.

In another corner, my least favorites touched and teased, and I snapped my fingers twice to garner their attention. Once they’d sat upright and ensured their eyes were firmly on me, I told them, “Please ensure our friend here enjoys himself tonight.”

The four grinned, and one crooked a finger in Desmond’s direction and beckoned him forward. With a wink, I left him for the bed with Taya. It dipped beneath my weight as I crawled onto it, and then I hovered over the gold-eyed female, brushing the silk aside to reveal her other breast.

“My King,” she purred, threading her fingers through my hair and guiding me to her nipple. I suckled it, grazing my teeth before flicking it with my tongue. She moaned, nails digging into my scalp, and I obliged her again, biting it just enough to hurt. With a pop, I released her, yanking my shirt overhead and tossing it to the side. The others made their way to us, crawling on their hands and knees just the way I liked before waiting patiently for my permission to join us on the bed.

“Come,” I said, releasing them from their positions on the floor. They set to work removing the rest of my clothes, caressing my skin as it was bared with tongues and wet lips. Once I was naked, I edged back against the headboard, allowing them to touch me and each other as I watched.

Taya was the first to sink onto my hardness, moaning with pleasure as I stretched her out. Her pussy clenched around my cock as one of the others bent her head to lick at her clit, while a third licked my balls from behind. The groan that escaped me was primal as the two of us were serviced, and Taya leaned back, bracing herself against a fourth to give the female licking her better access. I lifted the hair of the one closest to me so I could watch the action, directing her head closer to the redhead’s slit.

“Ride my face, baby,” I ordered, and she spun her hips to face me, allowing me access to her pussy while she pulled Taya in for a kiss. The females fondled each other’s breasts, both moaning as my tongue and dick pleasured them. The other two entertained me with movements of their own, grinding their hips together beside me and putting on a show of their pleasure.

Before dawn rose the following day, I was going to fill each of their bellies with my cum. Taya’s walls clenched around me, and I growled into the pussy of the female riding my face. “That’s it, Taya, milk my cock.”

She cried my name, her hips stuttering as I exploded inside her. With a groan, I tossed the female off my face, then gripped Taya’s hips and flipped her over. My dick was still throbbing inside her, and I speared deeper, wanting to fill her so deep that she’d fall pregnant that very night. Pulling out slowly, I flattened a palm on her belly and forced her to remain still. Then I swiped my fingers through the wetness seeping out of her and shoved my seed back inside. “Stay there.”

Her eyes tracked me as I moved to the two females pleasuring each other. Separating them, I pushed one to her hands and knees, and the other to her back. Entering the first from behind, I forced her face into the cunt of the other. She moaned as I slid my length inside her, then dropped her head and let her cries fill the pussy in front of her. Licking and sucking the other female’s lips sent more wetness gushing over my dick. Their cries mixed and matched as I quickened my pace, and I wasn’t sure who was getting the most pleasure.

The fifth rode Taya’s face, who, as instructed, remained where I left her, and by the time I came again, the whole room smelled like sex. Humidity hung in the air, and with the back of my arm, I wiped the sweat from my face. Desmond, like me, was surrounded by females, though he hadn’t broken in his body nearly as much as I would have if I’d just become Fae. Instead, he reclined like a fucking king and let the females lick and suck all over his body. He shot me a wink and then flipped one of them with his newfound speed and strength, entering her and causing her to cry out with the force of his assault.

One by one, I filled each of my whores with cum, grinning to myself with each successive blow. The Night Realm would rule this continent, and my line of succession would ensure that once I crushed the so-called empire, it would remain in Vaszoly hands until long after my death.

The next day, I swept through the halls of Este Castle, my subjects offering me sweeping bows as their king passed them. My council awaited me, brimming with anticipation – or trepidation. Either was likely, given I preferred to keep them on their toes. The wood-paneled room hushed as I entered it and took my seat in the carved chair at the head of the rectangular table. To think, not even a year prior, we’d sat around this very table and plotted to keep the throne from High Lords Valintin and Luzak.

Now, there were two fewer seats in the front of the room.

Clearing my throat, I called my council to order. All eyes were on me, including Endre’s ungrateful ones, as I rapped my signet ring against the polished mahogany. The proposal I planned to present would bring glory to the Night Realm, and they would get on board with it after they listened to my explanation. The heirs leaned casually against the walls, while their fathers, plus Kaztar and High Lord Jaku Volak, waited patiently, hands folded on the table in front of them. A smattering of new advisors settled in their seats toward the back of the table – Desmond being one of them.

“My Lords,” I started, rising from my seat and allowing my chair to scrape against the ground dramatically. “By now you would have heard of our newest guest’s arrival. Princess Gizela will remain in the Night Realm until I receive the respect I deserve from the other monarchs on the continent. I hate to use a babe as a bargaining chip, but we are under threat from all sides.”

I paused, waiting for the words to sink in among my counselors. No one moved a muscle, hanging on my every word. I let the tension build for a moment longer before revealing the next part of my plan.

“The army will march on the Crystal Realm in a show of force. They will know that we are not afraid of them and that we have the might to take them on. The looming threat of invasion will no longer control us; instead, we will show that it is I who is in control of the situation.”

The room remained silent for a beat, though I knew from experience it wasn’t because anyone disagreed. They were merely processing my words and kicking themselves for not proposing it first.

Kaztar was the first to speak – my loyal friend. “Brilliant, My King. After hearing of how you were disrespected during your trek through their realm, it makes sense that we strike there first. But how will we march thousands and thousands of soldiers there without their knowledge?”

Desmond smiled widely, leaning forward and bracing his elbows on the warm wood in front of him. “If I may interrupt, I have a plan for that.”

I indicated he should continue with a dip of my chin, then resettled into my chair, crossing an ankle over a knee.

“As a Mage, I have a spell that allows me to move great distances in short periods of time. Now that my abilities have been… enhanced, I believe I will be able to move more people further distances. However, thousands may be a stretch. That is why I request that anyone in the army with strong magical abilities be sent to me for testing. The spell itself is not complicated, but its execution takes finesse. I believe there are at least a few in the Night Realm who may possess the ability to channel such magic.”

The High Lords listened intently, and High Lord Nikolai Arzeni, Vadim’s father, rubbed his jaw as he thought. “Desmond, how long would it take to assess someone for this talent?”

The corners of the Mage’s mouth twitched up. “I could assess a large group within a few hours.”

Nikolai looked to his son, the head of my army. “Vadim, can you pull those you think might be able to wield such magic today?”

“Yes, father. Desmond, if you will meet me at the barracks outside the city walls, I will have them ready for you to assess.” With that, he pushed off the wall and slipped through the double doors hiding the meeting from the rest of Este Castle. Viktor and Endre watched him go with guarded expressions I could not place.

“Now,” I returned my attention to those remaining, “I’d like to leave as soon as possible. I have no doubt a retaliation is coming, and we need to be the ones to strike first.”

Viktor’s father, High Lord Erik Adimik, cleared his throat, drawing my attention. “We should leave a small regiment to guard Este Castle. I doubt they’ll bring the full force of their army into the Night Realm though the Agrenak Mountains, and if they try to enter through the Crystal Realm, it would take months for them to reach us.”

I rested my temple on my closed fist. “Agreed, Erik. Viktor, any other thoughts?”

His gaze lifted from the ground to meet my eyes. “Nothing from me.”

“Do we have healers ready to go?” I asked High Lord Tibor Zadik, Endre’s father.

“They can be ready to leave today if necessary,” he replied in a cool tone that made me raise a brow.

Uncrossing my legs, I leaned forward ever so slowly, my gaze never leaving his.“Do you have an opinion you’d like to share with the group?”

Behind him, Endre’s lips flattened into a thin line. But his father replied, “I worry about the optics. The residents of Vaenor have grown used to the army’s presence, and their sudden departure might cause some concern.”

“Vaenor is the most protected city in the Night Realm due to its location. A small regiment is more than enough,” I snapped. Even then, the crashing of the ocean’s angry waves against the sheer cliffs surrounding Este Castle was audible. “The last Vaszoly king ensured that the walls around Vaenor were erected. The castle can hold the people of the city if need be. There is no need to worry about optics.”

Endre and Erik’s expressions did not change, but I was finished with their protests.

“Good, you are dismissed. Begin preparations to depart. I will supervise Desmond’s activities for the day.” Chairs scraped back as my advisors filed from the room, but I remained seated, running a hand over my face when I was finally alone. The beast raged inside me, excited and hungry for blood, and I blew out a tense breath in an attempt to calm it.

Not quite yet, but soon. So soon.

I hoped Desmond was right about Fae being able to wield the magic necessary to move through space and time. After all, Ruslan could. The ability to move an army like that would make or break our war efforts, and if there was a way to work around limitations like speed, I was going to snatch the opportunity.

Once I’d stewed thoroughly on my plans, I departed the council room and wound my way through the castle. The Night Crown that rested atop my brow was askew, but I didn’t straighten it as I walked because it gave me an air of ease that my people needed to see. When I broke into the sunshine outside the castle, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the autumn days spent riding the Northern Route from the Agrenak Mountains with Izidora by my side.

I was her fucking savior, and she’d rejected me for the male that imprisoned her. She should have accepted our bond, and I would not rest until she knew that was the biggest mistake of her life. I’d show her exactly the price for choosing Ruslan.

Starting with burning the Crystal Realm to the ground.