Fated - Book 2

Chapter 1

Warm lips traced up from my belly and up between my breaths; his breathing was heavy in my ear. Despite the pleasure of his touch, I felt uneasy and sick. A moan rolled off my lips as his pink lips sucked on one of my hardened nipples, forcing a moan off my lips."Such a good pet."His raw voice made my eyes shoot open, and my body shot up as the familiar voice faded with my dream."Good Dream?"My eyes darted towards the honey voice beside me. Artemis stood there in an unfamiliar room as he tugged on his red coat. The gold trimming was bright under the morning light that made its way through the wall-sized window."More of a nightmare."I was riddled with shame from my dream; that wasn't my husband's lips on my body; it was King Novus."Didn't sound like one; was the man in your dreams any good?"He teased, only making my cheeks turn brighter; my throat grew tight and dry as I tried my utter best to think of words."Would you prefer me over the dream?"A smile crossed my lips at his words. He would be better than my dream; anything would be better than my dream at this moment. I watched in silence as my husband stalked towards me. His eyes darkened, making my legs pull in tighter.His lips were softer than the ones in my dream and warmer too. I couldn't help but moan as he pressed in for a deeper kiss. My hands automatically found their home in his neat black curls, tugging the stands out of place as I tried to use my weight to pull him back into bed with me.A heavy knock echoed through the brightly lit room, making us both grumble in annoyance."I really hate the elves."A heavy whisper against my lips, he never pulled away; he only stopped kissing me. Another knock quickly followed the first one."Prince Artemis, the council awaits you, sir."The voice was muffled by the heavy door, and it was a good thing as a growl left his lips and vibrated through me."Go, my dragon; I'll be here, waiting patiently for you. Don't be too late, though, or I will have to start without you."His bright blue eyes glowed at my words; a broken growl left him as he leaned in to whisper into my ear."I'm begging you to start so that I can watch you."He dragged his lips along my cheek and placed a light kiss on my lips before pulling away and matching the muffled voice behind the white and golden wooden door. I pulled my knees to my chest as I watched him wander off.The door creaked and slammed shut. I could hear his muffled voice as he grumbled at the guards who were summoning him. My body ached as I fell back to my pillow. The room we were shuffled into was riddled with bright light that was filtered by thick old oak trees.We had spent at least three days on the road to reach the elven kingdom, and then another two locked up in our room while we waited for the council of kings and lords to fill in from around Endora.Flustered and still riddled with guilt, I shuffled out of the soft bed and made it to where my gown was waiting for me. I never told Artemis about my previous lover; I felt shame when it came to the King, and now we were in his castle, trapped in his claws.The dress was chosen for me; it was sent here by the king as he chose it for me. A smirk crossed my lips as Artemis' words of mockery danced into my mind. The king had sent me a white gown with green trimming.The soft material slid over me with ease as I wiggled it over my head. The material hugged my body tight and comfortably. It was a sleek gown made of the finest silks; the white material seemed to blend with my pale skin.If it weren't for the green trimming, one would think I was naked. The material was soft and cool against my skin, making my nipples stand out. Artemis will love this dress; he might ask that I wear it every night.Images of my husband's smile and broken chuckle filled my head as I stood before the mirror, studying my figure."Breath-taking, just as always, my pet."I spun on my heels at the sudden, heavy voice behind me. King Novus was well dressed in his gold and green uniform. The cut of the material hugged his body in all of the right places.He stood in the doorway with his hands shoved into his pockets; his dusty brown hair was brushed back, styled neatly to frame his face with a few loose strands; and as usual, his eyes were locked on me, watching my every movement.His eyes never kept still; they danced up and down my body, making my cheeks flush into a bright red."Thank you for the gift, my lord."I bit the inside of my cheek as I tried to ground myself in his presence. Despite my current pre-nuptials, the man before me still made my excitement rise; my desire for him rose but faded as I traced the wedding band on my left hand.My husband's lips, tongue, and growls washed over me, making me want him more than my old and first lover."You're welcome, my pet; I knew this material would frame you in every perfect way."He closed the gap between us as quickly as possible so that he could run his soft fingers over my cheek. My heart pounded but slowed down as I felt disappointed by his touch; it wasn't warm enough to stir my excitement.I have always loved the snow, but the heat was my weakness, Novus showed me the joys of body heat and fire, but my husband has made my standards rise when it came to physical contact and body heat."I'm no longer your pet, Novus; I am Princess Aurora."The man's smile faded quickly at my words, and with a gentle push from my hands, I was able to escape his fingers on my face. Even his musky scent made me feel sick; he wasn't Artemis, and my love for him no longer burned deep inside of me. I couldn't help but smile."I am the wife of Prince Artemis, the Demon of the Sout, and Novus."He clenched his jaw as I raised my voice as I spoke and held my ground against the elven king."I expect you to respect not only my new title but also my new relationship with my husband, to whom I have devoted my life and body."I took a step forward. I used my hand to roll my head back far to look up at the king, who was the same height as my husband, but he was only half the man Artemis was."Is everything alright, princess?"A heavy-accented voice filled the room. Novus tugged his raised arm against his body. With a heartbeat, he spun on his heels to scowl at Aziel, who wasn't alone."Yes, I just wanted to make sure that the princesses, gifts found her."With that, the man scanned me over once more before marching out of the room with a heavy huff of air."The meeting will begin soon; make sure you are seated in time."With his slight snap towards me, Novus vanished behind the white wooden doors. Aziel had his eyes locked on me, watching my shaking body."Princess."Warm hands wrapped around me as the man who was with Aziel pulled me in for a tight hug. Caleb was smaller compared to Aziel and Artemis, but he held a spell over the men with his fine features and gentle nature.I had only met him the day we left the South, but the whole time we travelled, he spent every hour he could with me, telling me stories about his travels and my husband and Aziel."Caleb, let her breathe."Aziel spoke gently towards the man; I could hear his feet shuffle closer, but all I could do was wrap myself around Caleb and hug him tighter. The blonde's light scent eased me, and his tight hug made me feel safe, even for a brief moment."I told you there was something wrong with that man; since he saw us enter the gates, he had his eyes on her constantly."Caleb tried his best to keep his voice a low whisper, but he failed as rage took over. He was close to shouting at Aziel, who was too quiet. Slowly, I turned my head from Caleb's chest to look up at the beastly man.Golden eyes were glowing down at me. I felt fear roll through me, but his anger wasn't towards me, but towards the elven king."So, the rumours are true?"I nodded in Caleb's arms and turned my face away from the glaring general."I terminated our relationship the day I found out about my marriage to the prince, Novus; he didn't take it too well."The memory of that day washed over my mind, and my cheek stung as the memory resurfaced. He had swung a flat hand across my cheek and called me a whore for choosing to bed a dragon prince and not an elven king."Don't tell Artemis, well, not while we are here; it's bad enough that I have to keep myself in check; I can't hold him down and control my rage at the same time."Both Caleb and I nodded at the man's orders. I stood there in the man's arms and watched the beast turn around and wander off to where he came from."Who does he think he is telling me and you what to do?"Caleb muttered against my head and peered slightly as I giggled at the man."It's a good thing that he is a master in the sheets, or I would never listen to him."I had to bury my face into his chest as a heavy laugh left my lips."Let's go!"Both of us jumped at the sudden, growled order. With quick steps, we danced out of the room and into the wooden halls of the elves' castle. Caleb and I kept our arms locked as we made it down the brightly lit halls.Out of habit, I walked the halls barefooted, lazily listening to the noises around me, but they weren't the usual sounds of chatter and drunken laughter; this was all something else. Kings had flooded the halls, so the joy was replaced by the clangs of heavy body armour marching towards the grand hall.The hall was flooded with natural light from the glass ceiling above us, and the bustling room was filled with heavy voices and scraping chairs. Only kings and highlords were summoned to this event.I was the representative for the North, but my father had sent one of the other lords of the North to act as my caretaker amongst the kings of Endora. Caleb's gentle hands landed on my waist and guided me to my seat.I was seated beside the kings of each corner of the world. The South had King Aries, the king of dragons, and to his right was his proud son. The East had King Omar, a small man, but he held the most power and knowledge in this room.The West had King Novus, the elven king whose sole duty was to keep peace amongst the magic users of Endora, and that meant dealing with the witches. The North has my father, Toyger, but right now it has me, sitting alone amongst these powerful and grand men."Princess Aurora!"Wrists tangled with gold and silver bracelets danced and suddenly wrapped around me. The smell of burnt spices and honeyed alcohol flooded my nose as I was pulled into a tight embrace with King Omar."My King, you cannot grab the lady like that!"Caleb's panicked voice washed in behind me as he tried to pry his king off of me. Once my shock washed away, I embraced the man in a tight hug."Dādā!"We both stood there hugging one another, laughing as we embraced one another as if we were old friends."Dādā? He is the king of the East, not some lost grandparent."Aziel growled at me as I looked up at the general, who was hiding behind my husband, using the man as a wall."If you must know, my boy, I had a good year with this young lady, teaching her our ways of hunting and how to read and write in different languages."Artemis flashed me a bright smile as the king slowly released me and took back his heavy wooden chair."So, you are the one I should thank for her tongue."There was a tone in those worlds as his bright blue eyes darkened, and my cheeks burned under his glare and twisted smile. The elderly man chuckled as he took his chair, his hand still locked on my wrist as he tugged me down beside his seat."The North will have their seat near the East."The staff that followed the king to the east bowed at their king and shuffled around us, rearranging the table to have my white and black banner placed behind my seat, beside the West's banner of browns and reds.Once I turned in my seat to face the table of other kings and high lords, I drew in a sharp breath to calm my nerves and to centre myself as I prepared myself for a gruelling day of men shouting and cursing at one another."It would seem King Omar has shuffled my table yet again."Novus sounded amused as he fluttered into the room, pulling all of the attention to him as he made his way to his seat, which was now nestled between the South and West. His brown eyes had darkened over as he took his seat; he was not too pleased with the sudden changes."My Lords, welcome!"His voice boomed through the hall, followed by silence as the people around the wooden table took their seats. A multitude of species had filled the room; it was nothing compared to the Dragon Council.The smaller councils consisted of kings and lords under one king's banner, but here all four nations' kings were gathered in one room, with their allies and enemies gathered under one glass ceiling.The purpose of these meetings was to address any darkness growing in the West's black forest with the witches, the dunes of the Eastern lands, or maybe worse, a rouge dragon that needs to be hunted and put down before it burns the world."Now that we are all here, care to explain yourself, Novus?"King Aries snapped at Novus the moment his hands settled on the armrests of his chair. The South and East have always been at odds with one another, but it was the Dragons and Elves who despised each other the most of all the beasts in the room."Your daughter, Aries."Novus' tone evoked a growl from the dragons, and both the king and prince responded in kind as their dragons slivered outside of the elves' castle, causing the glass above us to rattle. Their response was just what the elf was looking for.'The princess not only killed one of the vampire lords; she also killed one of your men and nearly took the life of Princess Aurora."He strained my title as his eyes darted from the dragon's and onto me, and his lips curled into his usual sadistic grin."And yet, no punishment has taken place. I'm sure the other kings and lords would like to hear your reasoning, as to how such a heinous crime could have been committed without any form of punishment, Aries.""Watch your fucking tongue, boy."His growl was cold and loud enough for Novus to hear. King Aries' green eyes shimmered and turned to a solid black as his dragon's bond suddenly connected. The beast slithered outside and let out a muffled groan at its master's anger."The princess was under the influence of a curse; this was confirmed by myself and Queen Morgana."My voice was stiff as I tried to break the king's attention and turn it towards me. My plan worked, but only slightly. The dragon's face softened slightly, but his eyes never changed; as for Novus, his eyes were darker than usual and now locked on me, making me stammer slightly."The prince was gifted an amulet from the Elven prince Paityn; she wore it the day that the curse was activated. We determined that the witch or warlock used the amulet as the pinnacle of their spell."I slowly sank back into my seat once I shared that minor taste of information. If I was being honest, it was the only thing I knew about the incident with Apollo, mainly because I was the one who saw the cure in her eyes.My stomach ached at the memory of her blade slicing through my gut; her eyes weren't those of a dragon's but of a witch; they had turned pale yellow and were riddled with green and blue magic dust."If Queen Morgan calls the curse, I will take her word for it and disagree with any punishment for the young princess."One of the elderly men across the table muttered through his beard. He was one of the twelve human kings. I had never met him, so I struggled to place his name and lands."Besides, the girl living her life is her punishment; she will be riddled with guilt for killing one of her own and later almost killing her sister-in-law."The man's eyes were glossed over with a cloudy grey; his attention wasn't focused on the bodies around him; instead, it was on an empty spot on the table."Thank you, King Ladrey."The blind king is the eldest of the humans and possibly the only one who can be reasoned with. Artemis's voice was soft as he spoke towards the elderly man; he held respect for most of the warrior kings.The elderly man smiled aimlessly towards nothing before turning his head down to wander over other thoughts that plagued his mind."Nonetheless, the princes were barely punished; something should be done!"One of the younger men shouted over the table; he was under Novus' banner if I was correct."Just because she is the dragon's daughter doesn't mean she can commit a crime and only skate away with a slap on the wrists!"The yelling man slammed his fist hard on the table; his anger clung to his face as he glared at the King and Prince."My sister punishes herself daily for what she has done; she has endured the removal of her royal status and her family name. What other punishment do you expect her to go through?"His growl sent a shiver down my spine. When the discussion about Apollo ever arose, he would instantly turn into an unreasonable man."A public flogging."