When Angels Sin

05. Fairest of Them All

Mikal

Kaya moaned in pleasure as she lay beneath him, arching her back and grabbing his long silver hair. She was a great temptress indeed, with her pretty face, soft golden curls, and enticing curves. Just the type he liked his girls to be. Except that he couldn't fully enjoy her tonight, his mind too clouded to focus on his own pleasure.

Or perhaps he had just tired of her. He had been bedding her for the past silver moon, almost every night. Perhaps it was time for him to find someone else.

The image of a sweet face with honey eyes and long chestnut hair flickered within his mind. Mikal blocked out the thought before it even formed in his head. No. Not Alina.

He might be able to get away with fucking Sir Maarten's daughter. But he would never get away with bedding Bernard's wife.

"What is it love?" Kaya whispered as Mikal suddenly stopped his thrusts and turned away from her.

"Can you leave please?" Mikal said curtly, and Kaya looked up at him with troubled eyes.

"Have I done something wrong?" she asked, her soft lips quivering with uncertainty.

"I am not feeling well tonight, that's all," Mikal explained as he forced an assuring smile. "But you may come again tomorrow night if you like."

"Oh of course I'd love to!" Kaya said, but Mikal only turned away from her without another word, reaching for his nightshirt.

***

Sheer curtains danced behind him, swaying with the soft midnight breeze, and glowing a pale shade of red beneath the dying moonlight. This was the second red moon of the year, and it was coming to an end, marking the peak of summer.

The room was mostly dark inside, except for the single lantern placed on the dressing table before him. Soft flames flickered, offering him enough light to see his reflection in the large gold-framed mirror, where he sat leisurely brushing his long silver hair. He looked at the reflection of his handsome perfection, and he frowned, his deep citrine eyes full of resentment.

Such a beautiful face was a great blessing, along with his great wit and captivating presence. He was quite aware of the great impact he had upon others. He could seduce any woman. He could influence any man. He could easily have the whole world at his command. But tonight, for the first time in his life, he felt uncertain.

How was he supposed to raise enough forces to face the potential danger from Vausterland, especially with the limited numbers and resources in Nordenland? Even if he managed to get support from all over the North, they still wouldn't be a match for William's forces. Because William's army depended largely on the human numbers, while in the North, it was forbidden for humans to hold weapons and fight.

Despite being an army of slaves, the Western army was one of the most powerful forces in Engeldom. It all started two hundred years ago, when Robert the Conqueror, a winged fool, was crowned King of Vausterland. He announced the start of a new dawn that was based on denouncing human oppression, believing that this would atone for his ancestors' sins and help the winged ones gain a place back in heaven after their death.

And as an example of promoting human equality, the first thing Robert did was to recruit human slaves in his army. A movement that had disturbed the peace of Engeldom, and pushed Nordenland to close all its port in the face of foreign influence, resulting in a long isolation era that had lasted two hundred years...

The sound of flapping wings brought Mikal's attention away from the mirror, and he turned around where he found Dia, his beautiful black raven, flying into his chamber. Dia cawed as Mikal reached out and took him in his arms, gently smoothing his feathers. Believed to be the reincarnated souls of Angels, ravens were sacred beings, taken by Engelmen as precious pets. Mikal found great comfort in holding Dia, and it always seemed to him that Dia could sense his emotions, for Mikal would always find him flying into his arms whenever he felt troubled.