Chapter 38

CHAPTER 38

Lomax

“N o,” I said. “No friggin’ way, Regan.”

He flicked his tail around my waist, pulling me close. “My mate, it is best for you to stay on the ship while we speak with Eastolf.”

“I won’t,” I said. “I want to see that bastard’s face when he finds out he’s lost.”

Regan glanced at Quill, who stood near one of the couches with the other kings. We were on Quill’s ship, a massive luxury craft called a kyoden that only royalty used. As we boarded, Galan had told me the ship carried rations to last fifty Draax more than three months, private living quarters for the king and queen, sleeping quarters for another thirty Draax, and the latest in Vokine weaponry.

“You are safest on the ship,” Regan said.

“I am safest with you,” I said.

“The king would prefer if you stay on the ship.”

A chuckle came from behind him, and Quill clapped him on the back. “Do not use me to win an argument with your stubborn little mate, king’s guard.”

Regan blushed, and I grinned at Quill. “So, you have no objection to me being there when you tell Eastolf he’s an asshole and is being kicked off the throne?”

“I do not,” Quill said. “No harm will come to your mate, Regan. We have a dozen of my best king’s guard on board, and another dozen each of Cignek and Raynor’s guard are meeting us in the eastern province.”

“Eastolf’s guard is loyal to him and will fight to their last breath to protect him,” Regan said.

“From what Galan and Krey have told me, it sounds as though their loyalty has shifted to another who is more deserving,” Quill said.

Regan flushed with a combination of pride and embarrassment, and Quill squeezed his shoulder before returning to the other kings.

I glanced around the ship. Despite its massive size, it felt almost crowded. As Quill had pointed out, a dozen of his guard had boarded the ship with us, as well as Cignek and Raynor’s head of guard, Galan, Krey, and Madison.

“You must stay by my side the entire time, my mate,” Regan said.

“I will, honey. I promise.” I smiled reassuringly at him.

Krey joined us. “Come, Regan. The guard has started a bet on which head of the king’s guard has been injured the most, and I have bet a week’s wages on you, my friend. Do not disappoint me.”

Despite the worry on Regan’s face, a slight grin crossed his face, and he made a short bow, taking my hand and bringing me with him as he followed Krey across the ship. “You are about to win that bet, king’s guard.”

* * *

“Remember your promise, small one,” Regan said as the ship doors opened.

“I will.” I squeezed his hand, and we left the ship with Quill and the others. Cignek and Raynor’s guard had arrived only minutes before us, and they stood in neat lines near the docking bay door, seemingly unbothered by the cold and the wind. A gust of wind nearly knocked me off my feet, and I grabbed Regan’s arm.

Beside us, Krey was already scooping up Madison, and Regan did the same to me, carrying me into the docking bay. He set me on my feet as Boken hurried over to us. He embraced Regan hard, his gaze full of relief and surprise. “We were told you were dead, old friend.”

Regan returned his embrace. “It will take more than a groden to kill me.”

Boken laughed. “I should have known that. You bring a lot of unfamiliar guard with you, Regan. Will there be…”

His voice trailed off when the three kings stepped into the docking bay. A hush fell over the docking bay, and Boken and the others bowed. Regan tensed beside me when Noka and a half dozen guard entered the bay.

Studiously avoiding looking at Regan, Noka bowed. “Welcome, my kings. To what do we owe this great honour?”

“We are here to see your king,” Quillan said.

Noka glanced at Axen, and something unspoken passed between them before Noka said, “He is in the council room.”

“You will take us to him, then,” Quill said.

“Of course,” Noka said.

When the entire guard made to join us, Quill held up his hand. “Stay with the ships, please. Only the head of the guard is needed for now.”

I could tell Regan didn’t like that plan at all, but he didn’t say anything as we followed Noka through the hallways. Madison and Krey walked hand in hand beside us in the wide hallway. Madison looked pale and tense, but she smiled at Krey when his tail wrapped around her waist and squeezed lightly. He murmured something to her, and she nodded, some of the stiffness of her body easing.

When we reached the council room, Quill strode into the room like he owned the place, Cignek and Raynor following closely behind him.

I stepped into the room, and Regan squeezed my hand reassuringly when we caught sight of Eastolf standing near the window, but I wasn’t nervous. I was impatient for Eastolf to get his due.

“My king, you have visitors.” Noka’s voice was strained.

Eastolf turned, staring haughtily at the kings. “This is the second time you have come to my home without an invitation, Quill.”

His gaze traveled over us, and if he was surprised to see Regan and me, he hid it well. “Welcome back from the dead, Regan.”

Axen stood next to Regan, and Eastolf curled his lip at him. “I will deal with you later, king’s guard.”

Axen didn’t reply, and Eastolf turned his attention to Quill. “Why are you here?”

“We know of your plans to trade Vokine weaponry with the humans,” Cignek said.

“And your attempts to harm both of these females.” Raynor pointed to Madison and me.

“Nothing but lies, I assure you,” Eastolf scoffed arrogantly. “Do not tell me you would believe the word of two females and a revenge-driven king’s guard over the word of a king.”

“We are invoking the Kaliden Act against you,” Quillan said.

Eastolf’s cool arrogance disappeared quickly, and I nearly cheered out loud. For the first time, he looked uncertain, and his gaze darted to Noka and then Axen before he said, “You cannot.”’

“We can,” Quill said. “The votes have been cast, and the document signed.” He tossed an envelope onto the council room table. “You are hereby stripped of your throne, Eastolf, and an interim king, Prince Haiden of the southern province, will arrive tomorrow to take the throne.”

Eastolf wet his lips, his gaze flashing to Axen again. “No, I will not accept your ruling. King’s guard, escort the kings to their ships.”

When Axen didn’t move, he snarled, “Do as your king commands.”

“The Act has been invoked. You are no longer my king,” Axen said.

His face red, Eastolf faced the rest of us like a cornered snake. “You think you have won, Quill? You may have taken my throne, but there are plenty who will remain loyal to me - the true king of the eastern province.”

“It is hard to be loyal to a Draax who will be imprisoned for the rest of his life,” Quill said.

Eastolf blinked at him. “Imprisoned? You have no proof that I intended to give the humans Vokine weaponry. Go ahead and search the entire palace. You will find nothing to support your charges.”

“You are being charged with the crime of committing harm against a human female,” Quill said. “Your actions led to the kidnapping of the female named Madison Clarke and subsequent grievous injury, and you conspired to send the female named Lomax Anders to the Korceans even though you knew she would be sold into slavery by them. Your actions violate the Planetary Treaty, and you will be imprisoned for your crimes.”

“You have no proof,” Eastolf spat. “Only the word of two females and nothing more. I cannot be charged with a crime you cannot prove.”

I almost fell over when Noka said, “King Quillan, I will provide you with the proof you need.”

“Hold your tongue, Noka,” Eastolf snarled.

Noka shook his head, his face pale but full of grim determination. “No, I will no longer follow the rule of a king who serves himself and no other. For too long, I have looked the other way, Eastolf. It ends today.”

He bowed to Quillan. “I have all the records you need of conversations, emails, and other documentation between Eastolf, the humans, and the Korceans.”

Quill turned to Galan. “Galan, take Eastolf to his quarters with guards posted inside and outside. In the morning, he will be transported to Grimden prison, where he will remain until his trial.”

“My king,” I said.

Quill turned toward me, and I gave Eastolf an epic shit-eating grin before saying, “May I suggest you take advantage of the dungeon below the castle? I’m sure Eastolf would be as comfortable there overnight as he would be in his quarters.”

Quill’s mouth twitched, but his voice was perfectly solemn when he said, “The little female’s suggestion is a good one. Galan, you have your orders.”

“My king,” Galan said.

I clutched Regan's hand, expecting, I don’t know what - Eastolf to lose his shit maybe and try to attack everyone in the room - but he made no effort to fight. Maybe he knew there was no point, or maybe the sight of Galan and his own head of guard, Axen, approaching him with swords drawn kept him quiet and subdued as he was led from the council room.

I stared up at Regan, who looked stunned by the events. I slipped my arms around his waist and kissed his sternum. “It’s over, honey.”

He stared at me, his tail curling around my waist. “It is over,” he repeated.

“Yes,” I said.

He bent and kissed me softly. “I love you, my small mate.”

“I love you, too.”

* * *

Regan

I stepped into my quarters, lust immediately washing over me when I was faced with the beautiful sight of my mate’s lush ass clad in skin-tight shiny fabric. She stood in the living room, a hologram screen in front of her and music blaring so loudly she didn’t hear the door click as I closed it.

She marched in place, repeatedly raising small weights over her head, matching the rhythm of the female on the hologram screen. I removed my sword and set it on the island before joining her in the living room.

She made the cutest little sounds as she lifted the weights rhythmically, and I grinned before sliding my arms around her waist. She screamed and I caught one of the weights when she nearly brained me with it.

“Oh my God!” She glared at me. “You scared the crap out of me, Regan.”

“I am sorry, my mate,” I said, taking the weight from her hand.

She dropped the other on the couch and closed the hologram screen. The female disappeared, and the music stopped, my ears ringing in the sudden silence.

“What were you doing, sadora?” I asked.

She grabbed a small towel from the couch and wiped the moisture from her face and throat. “Vanessa and I decided to do this one-month strength challenge she heard about from her sister. I guess it’s currently all the rage on Earth. It’s guaranteed to increase your core strength and give you the ability to lift boulders and small cars off of toddlers.”

She giggled at my look of confusion. “Okay, I might have made up those last two, but I’ve been doing the program daily for nearly two weeks now, and look! I have a muscle!”

She flexed her arm and said, “Feel the muscle, Regan!”

I felt the muscle obligingly, and she smiled happily at me. “Impressive, right?”

“Very,” I said.

“I could probably lift you!” She wrapped her arms around me and, with a loud grunt, strained to lift me.

I didn’t move, and she tried again before I laughed and said, “Sadora, stop before you injure yourself.”

Puffing, she stepped back and said, “Maybe after week four, I’ll be able to lift you.”

“Perhaps,” I said. I opened a bottle of gallberry juice from the cold storage unit. “Drink your juice, sadora.”

She drank half of it before wiping her mouth and saying, “Why are you home early? I thought you said you were doing some specialized training thing with the recruits tonight.”

“King Haiden requested a meeting with me, so I asked Axen to help the recruits.”

“He was good with that?” she asked.

“Yes, why?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I just expected some resentment with Axen after he was demoted back to just the guard.”

“He knows that I am a better head of the guard, and King Haiden was correct in his decision,” I said.

She laughed. “Can I just say that I am loving this new self-confidence you have?”

I blushed, and she shook her head, wrapping her arms around me. “I mean it, Regan. Having a king who respects you and your strengths has made a difference. You’re finally seeing yourself as everyone else does. A smart, capable, strong Draax who is also caring, sensitive, and, frankly, almost perfect.”

I pulled her up tight against me. “Almost?”

“You snore,” she said.

I laughed, and she winked at me. “What did King Haiden want to talk to you about?”

“He wanted to speak to me about moving the training room temporarily. They will be repairing that section of the castle starting next week.”

“That’s great,” she said. “Fixing up the castle is happening much faster than I expected.”

“Our king made it his priority,” I said. “The comfort of his people is important.”

“Was that all he wanted to meet about?” she asked.

I shook my head. “Eastolf was sentenced today. He will be imprisoned for life in Grimden.”

“Life imprisonment because of what he did to Madison and me,” she said. “I’m a little surprised by that.”

“All females are precious,” I said.

“King Haiden is doing well here, isn’t he?” she said.

“Yes,” I said. “Even though it has only been a few moons, he has already won over the people.”

“Boken told me that the king paying all the costs for the upcoming Festival of Amberrule probably won over the entire province.”

I laughed. “He is not wrong.”

“Do you think he’ll stay permanently as the king?” she asked.

“I believe he will,” I said.

“Good,” she said.

“He also spoke with me about something else.” I paused, knowing how delighted my mate was about to be and excited to see her reaction.

“What?” she asked. “Why do you have that look on your face?”

“King Haiden spoke with Queen Sabrina this afternoon,” I said.

Her body tensed against mine, and she stared wide-eyed at me. “Tell me he said yes.”

“He said yes.”

She squealed and pulled away to dance around the room. “He said yes!”

She fist pumped the air before running and leaping at me. I caught her and set her on the island, nestling my body between her thighs as she kissed me. “I can’t believe he said yes. I mean, I sort of can because he’s an awesome king, and Sabrina can be very persuasive when she wants to be, but…”

She took a deep breath. “We’re starting a work program here in the castle, Regan.”

“ You are,” he said. “The king asked for you to meet with him in the morning. He agrees with Queen Sabrina’s assessment that you would be the best person to lead the program.”

“Holy shit,” she said. “I knew Sabrina would recommend me because we had talked about it, but I didn’t think he would agree. I was sure he’d bring someone in with more experience.”

“He has faith in you, as does Queen Sabrina,” I said before giving her a grave look. “As do I, my mate. You are not only gorgeous and kind. You are intelligent and brave, and I am proud of you.”

Her beautiful face radiated light and happiness, and I pressed another kiss against her mouth. She smiled happily. “You forgot to mention how good I am at fucking you.”

I kissed her again, this time deepening it as I cupped her breast and rocked my hardening cock against her warm center. When I pulled back, she was breathless, and her eyes were bright with need.

“A celebration is in order. Take me to bed, Regan,” she demanded.

Love and hot desire for my perfect mate overwhelmed me, and I picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. “Yes, my mate.”

Read more about the Draax series HERE .

Thank you for reading Salvation! I’ve enjoyed writing the Draax series so much but am currently on the fence with whether to continue the series or end it at six books.

I do have two spin-off novellas planned featuring the Vokine that will release in 2025.