My Kingdom Come Book 1: The Saints We See (Complete)

Chapter 34: Strength

665 standard years after the signing of the Alliance

"I love you, Mik." Dachvinder whispered against Mikhail's cheek. Daer arms were wrapped around his neck.

"Queen of my heart, all my love belongs to you." Mikhail breathed. The longing in his heart and body was like nothing he had ever felt before. Dachvinder kissed Mikhail softly on the mouth. Mikhail let out a little moan and kissed daem back.

"Dachvinder!" A harsh male voice called.

Dachvinder's body tightened against Mikhail's. Dae hid daer face in Mikhail's neck, fear blooming out of daem. Daer breathing was harsh.

The green chime sounded and the door was wrenched open. Light flooded the room. It was a small space, the only thing that was in it was the worn mattress that Mikhail and Dachvinder were laying on.

Dachvinder let out a whimper of terror, daer arms tightening around Mikhail's neck.

A large man stepped into the room. He grabbed Dachvinder by the arm and jerked daem off the mattress, grinning at daem with sharp, pointed teeth.

"No!" Mikhail leapt off the mattress and reached for Dachvinder, but the scene changed. 

The man was cuffing Dachvinder's naked body to a post. He tightened the chains attached to the cuffs, jerking Dachvinder's arms high above daer body, dae was forced up on daer toes. Daer cheek rested against the rough wood, tears streaming down daer face. Mikhail tried to move towards Dachvinder to protect daem but his body was frozen in place a few yards away.

"Please!" Dachvinder sobbed. "I didn't mean to. It will never happen again! Please!"

The man laughed. "That's what you always say, little slut." He picked up a whip and moved behind Dachvinder.

"No!" Mikhail roared. He pushed the force that was holding him frozen out of his body, and quickly moved between Dachvinder and the grinning man. "You will never hurt Dachvinder again!" He held up a hand and the man slashed the whip across Mikhail's palm.

"Mik?" Dachvinder whimpered.

The whip fell across Mihail's hand again. He grit his teeth. "It's okay, Dach. This will be over soon."

"Hurts." Dachvinder whimpered.

The whip fell on Mikhail's hand again. He cried out as he reached back and touched Dachvinder's shoulder with his other hand. He opened the memory of being in the meadow with his mother; safe, warm, loved. He let those feelings flow down his arm into Dachvinder's shoulder. He tried to hold the pain in his other hand as the whip continued to fall on his palm over and over, but the agony spread up his arm, through his shoulder and slowly spilled into his torso. He felt like his mind was tearing apart between the pain of the whipping and the effort it took to keep that pain away from Dachvinder.

A burst of warm energy ran through the hand Mikhail had laying on Dachvinder's shoulder. It ran up his arm, through his torso and met the wavering line of defense Mikhail had pushing against the pain. The energy coming from Dachvinder didn't push the pain back, but it kept it from moving further into Mikhail's body.

Finally, the man stopped slashing at Mikhail with the whip. He was breathing hard, his eyes bright. Mikhail was barely staying on his feet, but the way the man's gaze was lustfully raking him up and down strengthened Mikhail's determination to continue to shield Dachvinder from the man.

"Let that teach you to keep filthy thoughts out of your mind," the man growled. 

He vanished. 

There were gentle murmurs. Mikhail turned. A man and woman were gently uncuffing Dachvinder from the whipping post.