Fated - Book 1 (Completed)

Chapter 7

The hall had a thin layer of smoke floating over our heads; it stunk of stale beer, old men's musk, and some rotten fruit. It was a sickening mix if you were never used to it, but the sight of her entering the room somehow made the stench bearable.I had hoped my mother would fight my uncle for bringing her to the council meeting, but it seems she allowed my bride to leave. She was small compared to the large men around her. A growl sat in my throat as I watched their eyes run over her and how close they were to her small body."My boy, don't."A heavy, cold voice pulled me back to my position. I had to push my feelings down and focus on my undesirable duties. My eyes snapped towards my father; he was lazily sunk into his seat at the head of the table, and his eyes were locked on the woman I was watching earlier."Leave her be; she is part of the council now and will need to stand on her own two feet. You need to check your emotions and hold them down within this hall's walls, duty first."The bitter wine washed down my anger as I slugged it down to wash his words and my growing anger and jealousy down."Lady Aurora, as per your request, my lord."My Uncle Dante found himself back in his seat; he didn't direct his comment towards the king but instead towards my father's brother, my Uncle Aaron. He sat there with a toothy grin, shooting in my direction. Like my father, he had green eyes and a mess of brown and silver hair, but his beard was longer and braided.Both my uncles sat across from me, grins slapped on their faces. They had this planned; they knew I asked my mother to invite Aurora to tea, and they snaked around my plan and slipped her into this meeting.Aziel's heavy hand landed on my shoulder as I attempted to stand up. He used his unnatural strength and held me down. Following his duties, he leaned over me and refilled my cup in a way to whisper into my ear."Relax; she is safe here, and no one will do anything with that roaming outside."He nodded towards the large mosaic window behind my father. Beyond the art of the first Dragon Rider lurked a dark shadow that clung to the building, watching, always watching."Welcome, Princess Aurora, Daughter of the Snow."His voice boomed, forcing the shadow to sliver away. His dragon was clinging to the outside, watching its master carefully."Thank you, My Lord; it's a great honour to be here."Her gentle voice boomed through the room as she spoke from her chest; it sent a thrilling shiver down my spine."Lord Crastil, your report on the trade routes to the west."The princess slipped back into her seat with a smile on her lips. My father never took his eyes off her as he barked for the vampire to stand and continue with his speech.The man was sleek, pale, and had bright red eyes with slicked-back, thinning grey hair. He cleared his throat and eyed Lord Gimpsh, one of the beast folk. The two men had just had a screaming match about their trades, and Lord Gimpsh was still huffing from his storming in and out of the hall.I rolled back into my seat, my eyes dancing from the sleek man over to the beastly men beside him and onto my bride. She sat there, filled with pride, as she listened to the man's ramblings. My mind fogged over and only focused on her."I said no to those routes."Gimpsh's hand slammed onto the heavy wooden table, snapping both me and my father out of our usual fogged-over minds when the leaders started to yammer."It does not concern your Lord Gimpsh."The thinner man hissed back as he too slammed his hand and papers to the table; his small, bony hand was nothing compared to the man glaring down at him."It does when the western witches want to make a road through my fields!"My focus was now drawn to their yelling in response to the humming of that single word. The scar running down my body stung slightly."What does he mean by the witches wanting to create a road, Lord Crastil?"My voice echoed through the room, catching the two men off guard. My father and I have never intervened in the trade routes; he has taught me to allow them to deal with this on their own. It's the reason why there was a council, but those words caught my full attention."The witches keep to themselves, and the covens scattered around the lands work with existing routes, so why would they need a new one?"I raised my tone and locked my eyes on the shaking vampire. His original opponent puffed his chest and nodded in agreement with my questioning. All of the members in the room sat there watching the man."My lord, the smaller covens that have detached themselves from the high priests require roads for their trades, as they aren't near any main roads or, well, even branching routes. They have requested that I voice their concern on their behalf."His voice was cracked. He was off guard when I questioned his proposal."Lord Gimpsh is overreacting with his lands, they-" "Over-reacting!"Another heavy slap on the table, and now the Lord was standing up once again, anger boiling through his face."They want to cut through our fields to join the main road; those women will kill the fields with their magic and horses trampling through."Lord Gimpsh was furious with this proposal, but suddenly I lost interest."Excuse me, Lord Gimpsh, may I say something?"Soft and sweet, my eyes darted to her face; her green eyes glowed with excitement as she sat there with a hand raised; both men turned to face her. Lord Gimpsh cleared his throat in response to her reminding him that she was a few seats away from him."Why yes, Milady, and my apologies for the rude comment about the witches."She flashed him her cocky little smile, the one she gave me on our first night together as a married couple; it was a devilish exciting grin."Lord Crastil I do believe there is a way that the small covens can work their way to the main roads without disrupting the way of the fields that Lord Gimpsh is concerned about."Both men looked at my father, who simply gave a nod, allowing her to continue."The fields can be divided and have ruins placed at every mile; this way, the field will be protected from the traffic cutting through to the main road. You can ask the covens to create the ruins to save you from the struggles of creating your own."The room fell into a heavy silence at her words. I sat there, filled with pride. All of the leaders were aware of her heritage, but none of them took her seriously or even expected her to be here."Do as the princess has said, next item."My father's words were the final statement of the argument. The Lords nodded in agreement and took their seats, as all of the attention spun towards my uncles."Oh, that's me."Moron, my youngest uncle, my father's brother, and his right hand. He grumbled and groaned as he stood up. His braided beard fell as he took on his full height. He was a thick and potent man, but he barely had any interest in the courts or his duties.He let out a long yawn as he stood beside my father. He wore his rider uniform without pride; his jacket was barely on his shoulders as he stood there, trying to regain his focus on his rumpled papers."Lord Aaron, you wanted to discuss the recent village attacks."My mother's brother, Lord Dante, muttered his words to help his partner in crime. The stumbling fool cleared his throat and rolled his eyes in heavy thought. How was I related to either of them?"Right, three, no, sorry, five, yes, five."They nodded towards one another as they clarified with one another in unspoken words."Five villages have been found, burned to the ground, men, women, and children slaughtered; by what we aren't sure, some of the bodies have shown bite marks while others throats were slit; hell, in one village, all of the residents were burned alive."He chuckled as he lazily leaned against my father's chair. My father sat there unphased, listening to his brother's words and mulling them over in his head."Is dis a jok?"King Veloc rumbled through his heavy red beard; he was sitting plump and happily beside Aurora. Her eyes turned to face the man, and a small smile of familiarity flushed over her pink lips.The king was from the North; he was one of the two kings, and Aurora's father was the other. The man beside her was huffing as he glared down at my uncles."No, no jok- I mean joke. King Veloc, the villages were destroyed for no apparent reason; the residents were killed off without solid causes, and yes, this is a problem for all of us."My grumbling, drunk uncle didn't look the man in the eyes as he spoke; instead, he stumbled towards his seat and fell into it with a puff. He was no longer interested in his report, or that was all he had on the situation."Which villages, and why are we only hearing about this now?"Aziel's voice rocked through the room; he voiced some of my questions without me asking or voicing them myself. My eyes were locked on Dante, who was looking directly at me, fully knowing I was thinking the same thing."There is no clear pattern to the villages; the only resemblance they have with one another is that they are within the southern borders; a small coven was one of the assailant's targets, and we only received the news three days ago; it would seem that news was deliberately slowly delivered to the dragon's nest."His eyes never left mine as he spoke; his voice was cool and calm as he sang; he was addressing the whole room, but his full focus was on me."I'll run the investigation."It was all I could offer him at the time. The scraping of wood made me snap my eyes towards Lord Crastil."My prince, my apologies for the intrusion, but you have taken the task of assisting me with the trade routes; as per my request, I believe the residents of the land will feel more at ease with you being there."I agreed to something so mundane that my eyes rolled over to Lord Gimpsh in an attempt to confirm if I agreed to this. The large man looked confused at the vampire's claim, just as much as I was."Lord Crastil, please take a handful of my men to assist you in this task. I'll make sure to visit the site and reassure the residents during my travels. Does this appease you?"My tone gave the man no wiggle room for any words; instead, he bit his tongue and nodded."Thank you, my lord."The man slowly sank back into his seat, a slight frown scrawled over his face."Meeting adjourned."My father's words rocked through the room, putting an end to the meeting and squabbling for the day. The air was filled with rumbling and low chatter as the leaders started to pull out of their seats and aim to shuffle out of the hall.I sat there, my eyes focused on nothing, but my mind raced. I needed to set the riders up to travel to each site; there were a total of six of us, and only three of us could leave the castle at the moment; one was my father, who never left the castle unless it was a life-or-death situation, and the other was my uncle Dante, who had other duties at the moment that I couldn't interfere with."Well, that was interesting."Soft and gentle washed over me, yanking me out of my thoughts. She stood there beside me where Aziel was; she was rocking on her heels, hands locked behind her, eyes running over the room, lips pushed into thought."I'm glad you enjoyed it, despite it being short."I pushed myself out of my seat and fell to its heavy armrest so that I could look her in the eyes and so that she wouldn't strain her neck looking up at me. A small smile curled onto her lips as her eyes fluttered in my direction.My hands moved on their own to grab at her covered hips and gently pull her towards me. Her sweet smile turned into a grin as she stood between my legs, her lips a few inches from mine.The hall had cleared out by the time she shuffled towards me; her scent was sweet, and her lips were calling me to taste them. I have been aching to taste her since her bath this morning. I tried to close the small space between us, but I was stopped as she opened her mouth to question me."Why are you the one investigating the villages?"My jaw clenched at her query, a natural reaction to anyone querying what I was doing. I had to draw in a breath to calm my mind as I tried to dig around for a good lie or distraction."Well done with dealing with the two muttering Lords."One of her hands made its way to my face; her fingers lightly danced over the right side of my face, tracing the undamaged side. "It was obvious reasoning; now about the investigation, do you mind if I join you?"I clenched again, and this time she smiled at me as her soft fingers traced my tensed muscles."I prefer that you don't."She frowned up at me. I gently tugged on her to pull her in for the kiss I was aching for, but she shook her head and used my shoulders to push herself away from me."Artemis, you're avoiding my questions."An automatic sigh left my lips, my chest pulled tight, and my mind was racing. I pushed myself off the armrest so that I could tower over the small woman. This simple move was something I learned from both of my uncles when they wanted someone to stand down."Quit it with the questions; it's not your concern."I didn't want her at the meeting; I fought to keep her off the council; I nearly burned half of the southern lands to get out of our marriage, and I was not going to give in so easily to this; it's the one thing I needed to keep her away from, the one thing I needed to keep to myself."It is my concern since it involves you."Hands popped onto her hips as she stood her ground; she was smaller than me, and the sight made me smile as she tried to do whatever it was that she was doing.I was slightly annoyed that she didn't back down, and the smile on my lips was not helping my current predicament. My smile faded when her green eyes darkened, and she crossed her arms over her chest."Typical of a dragon, too much of a child to accept help, especially from a woman."A false rage was riddled in her voice, but the words made me growl. This woman was a challenge in every sense of the word, and I was enjoying her biting attitude."Watch your tongue, woman; you have a place set in the council, so keep to it, and as my wife, you have no reason to concern yourself with my duties."My growl seeped between my words. Her face turned from a sweet frown to something cold and cruel. The sight before me made me desire her more."Listen here, you Dick. As your wife, it's my fucking duty to make sure that your sorry ass is protected. Screw your guards and dragons; I am your new shield and sword. Whether you like it or not, my duty kicks your issues out of the discussion; you are mine and mine to protect."As she spoke, her face turned a light red. She angrily jabbed at my chest, making me bounce slightly. The anger in my chest was present, but it was overpowered by my arousal and desire to throw her against the wall and fuck her into submission."Who do you think you are talking down to? I am your wi-"My body acted on its own. I pressed past her jabbing finger and fell forward into her shaking lips. Her words melted into my lips as I drank down her rant. My hands darted to her hips and wrapped around her, pulling her small frame into my grasp."No. Not. Now. Stop."Despite her desperate pleas to make me stop between our kisses, she slipped her hands up and into my hair so that she could pull me in for a deeper kiss. I hummed into her lips as I pulled her in tighter; she was sweet on my tongue."Stop."She muttered heavily on my lips; her fingers pulled hard on my hair, pulling me back slightly. I could only groan as we parted our lips, our breathing heavy and hard. Our foreheads pressed hard against one another as we tried to ground ourselves."I am your wife, and I expect you to treat me with the same respect that follows with that title."I was weak under her lips, and I nodded in agreement."Anything you say, my princess."Within another breath, I had her lips caught with mine once again. My hands eagerly tried to grope at her hidden ass, but nothing, just a damn skirt. My struggle seemed to please her as a small giggle made its way between our kiss.Annoyed, I pulled away and ran my fingers through my hair. A twisted smile crossed her lips; her arms were wrapped around my neck, locking me in place. Her scent slowly filled my nose as I leaned in to bury my face in her neck.I couldn't help it as I traced my teeth over her neck. She let out a weak moan as her body went limp in my arms, her weight pressing against me, only making my arousal grow for her."We have a room."Fingers tugged at my hair as my tongue traced her ear."Yes, but I want you now."Finally, my hands grabbed at something—her thighs. I hoisted her up onto the heavy wooden table, and she let out a sweet laugh as she landed on the cool surface. She released me and rolled back, propping herself up on her hands. The damn skirt was in the way again."This damn dress."A sweet smile crossed her lips as she looked at me with her now-warm green eyes."I agree, these dresses are a pain. Now be a good husband and find a way in."My lips twirled into a sadistic smile, making her blush. I easily found her feet and trailed my fingers up her sides, making her giggle and roll her head back. The sounds she made melted my heart and caused my erection to twitch against my tight riding pants.Her skin was smooth and warm under my fingertips, and I deliberately moved up slowly, making sure that she felt me every inch of the way.She watched me with a sparkle in her eyes. Her bottom lip caught between her teeth as my fingers found lace. I traced the edge of her underwear towards her centre; she was warm between her thighs.My eyes locked with hers as I traced her laced garment. She let out a small whimper as I added slight pressure to her hidden lips. My index and middle fingers traced up and down, slowly stirring up her arousal. Our eyes were still locked, neither of us breaking the connection.I added a slight pressure going down; my fingers met at her hole, and I pressed down, pushing her undergarments in. Frustration washed over her eyes as the material stopped me, and I couldn't help but smile at the sight.Her hips pushed slightly as she let out a little whimper. I couldn't help but lean in to catch her lips with mine. Her bottom lip was swollen from her chewing on it, making it a good size for me to suckle on as I slipped her underwear out of my way.Still aching to tease her, I traced her swollen lips and gently tugged on her labia, making her moan lightly into our kiss. I released the soft tissue, returned to tracing her swollen lips, and teasingly dipped a finger into her.She pulled our lips apart and let out a whimper as if I didn't give her what she wanted. Teasingly, I pressed a finger to her entrance and left it there while I trailed my lips down her jaw and up to her lips."My Princess, I need you soaked before I fuck you."A croaked groan left her lips this time; her head arched back as I pressed into her, only allowing myself to go one knuckle deep into her. My thumb gently pressed against her clitoral area as I hummed into her ear."My sweet little princess."I teased into her ear before trailing my tongue over her ear."I need you soaked and ready for me. I need you whimpering and begging me to take you."A growl left my lips as I slipped my finger into the next knuckle; this time I swirled my finger, trying to edge her on."Please."She whimpered as my thumb gently rotated on her swelling clit."Please, what, my princess?"My lips hovered over her ear as I teased her a little longer."Beg me to fuck you, Princess."She shivered under me as my fingers swirled slowly in sync; she whimpered and sounded desperate as I kept the slow, teasing pace.