Blood Crown

I still wasn’t sure what I had seen back at the healer’s home, but Ashera was alive, and for that, I would thank every single god around. Twice, if they’d let me. We convinced the healer not to speak of our visit — with a handsome payment — and now the five of us were traveling to my home.

Malak.

When I’d first met Ashera, and imagined introducing her to my people, I expected to walk inside my palace gates with my head held high, proud of the beautiful succubus I had been blessed with. Our return to Malak would not be like that. A quick discussion amongst the five of us led to the realization that it was safer for Ashera if the resistance believed her to be dead after the fight in the cavern. If anyone had escaped, all they would have seen was us mourning over our quickly dying mate. And if no one escaped…it was just as well.

We had flown out of the mountains, stopping just short of the border and making the rest of the way to Malak on foot. Luckily the borders out this way were mostly farmland, the wheat had already been sown for harvesting later in the summer. I glanced back over my shoulder, Ashera was just behind me. She was draped in a heavy black cloak that the healer had so generously offered her, the hood pulled up so that her face was even deeper in shadow than the dark of the night around us. The healer had also provided clothes for Caspian, to replace those Ashera had shredded. When she caught me looking, she gave me a bright, easy smile. I wasn’t sure if it was the blood, or the sex, or a combination of the two, but Ashera was absolutely radiating with power.

What the hell was she? I had never seen a succubus act the way she did or have the control over the elements she had demonstrated let alone drink blood. I grabbed her hand, pulling her up to walk at my side. I might not be able to parade down the main street with her by my side, but at the very least, I could introduce her to her new kingdom.

“What are they growing?” Ashera asked, voice quiet as she studied the fields we traveled through.

“Wheat. It’s small right now, but it’s one of the hardiest crops we grow.” I used our joined hand to point out the light in the distance, illuminating the cool white stone of the castle. “That’s my home. I grew up there.”

“You did?” Ashera sounded surprised. Then she shook her head. “I mean, I guess I knew your father had been king, but I just didn’t picture you growing up in the castle.”

I smiled down at her. “Well, believe it. My mother and my older sister still live there with me.”

Ashera stopped in her tracks — shock splashed across her face and blasted out of her. “Older sister?”

“Yes. Her name is Eva. Gods, we used to get into the biggest messes growing up. The housemaids would chase us around and…” I trailed off, noticing Ashera’s uncomfortable feelings. “What’s wrong, love?”

“If she’s older, why isn’t she queen?” Her softly asked question held barely contained rage.

Ambrose scoffed in the darkness behind us. “Here we fucking go.”

There was a quiet scuffle in the dark as someone, probably Malachi, punched Ambrose. I looked down at Ashera, blinking. “Well, um. You see…” I had no idea how to answer her without pissing her off.

Ashera glared at me. “Malak doesn’t believe in queens.” Fuck. What was she going to think of me?

“We didn’t,” I corrected, “but I have a feeling things are going to change around here.”

She nodded, moving forward once again, and I breathed out a sigh of relief. “What’s Eva like?”

I smiled, imagining my excitable sister in the same room as the queen who had changed the world as we knew it. I was also grateful for the topic change. “I think you’ll love her.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Ambrose muttered. “I was tortured for days about my beliefs prior to mating with Ashera, and the feathered fuck gets off with a smile?”

“Because he isn’t opposed to change, you moron,” Malachi growled at him. “He never once thought Ashera shouldn’t be on the throne. He also instantly realized the hypocrisy and didn’t try to excuse or ignore it. You, on the other hand, were nothing but an insufferable dick for days.”

I chuckled. Mal had a point, but then again, so did Ambrose. I hadn’t thought of my sister, of the implications that I was king, and she could not rule before discussing it with Ashera. Malak was willing to welcome a queen in another kingdom but hadn’t wanted to have one of their own. I’d have to change that. If Ashera and I had a daughter…

I stopped dead. Ashera tugged gently on my hand before turning to look at me in surprise. I hadn’t thought about children with my little mate until this moment. It wasn’t safe to do so now, but the thought of her round with our child was surprisingly welcome — surprisingly arousing — regardless of who had actually fathered the child, though I’m sure we would all fight for that privilege.

“What is it?” she asked as she studied my face.

“Nothing.” I shook my head, smiling and tugging her along. I had a feeling that if I were to voice my thoughts Ashera and the others would lose their minds.

It was a conversation for another day. Right now, we had to focus on keeping Ashera, and her kingdom safe. I could feel Ashera’s desperation for answers, wanting to know what I was thinking, but she was cut off before she could speak.

“Who goes there?” A brusque voice cut through the dark field.

The others behind me all froze. “It’s okay. It’s my king’s guard,” I reassured them, before stepping forward into the dim light of the moon. “It’s me, Jacobi.”

The closest of the two guards stepped forward, his defensive position relaxing as he realized I wasn’t a trespasser. “Sir! We heard news out of Shaytan that…” He trailed off, before shaking his head. “Your mother has been worried sick.”

I ran a hand through my hair, my wings tensing in frustration. “I know. I need to ask a favor of you. I shouldn’t, because it involves dishonesty, but I must. We need to get into the castle unseen. No one can know that we’re here. Not even my mother.”

The guard closest to me froze in alarm. These men had protected my father when I was just a boy, and now they protected me. They cherished me as if I was their own son. But dishonesty was something Malak didn’t abide by. The guard behind him was younger, newer to the squad. He saluted me. “We’ll do it, sir. The south wing should be empty this time of night.”

I breathed out a sigh of relief. “Thank you. I wouldn’t ask you unless there was no other way.” I waved Ashera and the other men closer, and together we followed the guards to the castle. The young guard had been correct, and the south wing was all but deserted. We made it to my chambers with only one minor incident with a young maid stepping out of her room. Ambrose’s quick reflexes ensured we were all hidden in the shadows as she passed by, never aware of our presence.

I turned to the two guards at the door. “I am forever in your debt for your help tonight. Please, tell no one that we’re here. We’ll be gone before anyone is the wiser.”

The young guard paused. “What do we tell your mother if she finds out?”

“Tell her I’ll be home as soon as I can. I just have to take care of a few things first.” My mother worried too much, but this time it was justified.

The older guard gave me a knowing look. “And if you don’t return?”

I closed my eyes for a minute, remembering how I felt when Ashera was being ripped from me in the hinterlands. “I’ll return.”

At this point, it was the only option. I would never allow Ashera to feel any of us fading — having the bond grow cold within her.

* * *

Ambrose

I had to give the feathered fuck props. His chambers were much nicer than I had expected them to be. For some reason, I expected the virgin king to live in a monastery, dressing in brown rags and sleeping on concrete slabs. Gruel for breakfast — that sort of thing. But the rooms were bright and colorful, a reflection of the waters they bordered.

I knew not every king in Malak was celibate. Jacobi took the crown after his father died, and he had a sister so clearly, his father didn’t have the same hang-ups about purity as his son. Jacobi had taken a vow of chastity when he ascended the throne, and then he had broken that promise. Surely whispers of his mating with Ashera had wound their way back to Malak, and yet his guards accepted him home with welcome arms. The asshole got away with everything, even with Ashera.

Speaking of, the little queen sidled up next to me, her hair damp from the bath she had just taken. We had all been disgusting from the cave-in in the hinterlands, and Ashera’s demonstration at the healer’s. I could still feel the rush as she drained my blood, each eager suck of her sinful mouth sending waves of desire through my body. She looked much better now. Healthier. Stronger.

“Stop pouting,” she whispered, pressing her lips against my ear and biting lightly on my earlobe. Jacobi’s guards had returned a few minutes after they left, providing clean clothes for all of us.

I whipped her onto my lap, pressing my own fangs into her supple neck as I spoke. “I’ll tell you what, little queen. I’ll stop pouting if you let me drain you the way you drained me. Watching your eyes flutter back in your head…” Ashera moaned loudly, her back arching so that her neck was pressed harder against my teeth.

“Can both of you control yourselves for five minutes? I know you both want to suck each other dry and all that shit, but we have a territory to invade,” Malachi growled, snapping at us.

Ashera laughed and turned in my lap. I glared at the grumpy former assassin over her shoulder, wrapping my arms around her waist. “Rich, coming from the incubus who can barely keep it in his pants for a full meal.”

Mal shook his head, water droplets flying in all directions from his wet locks. “Let’s focus, for fuck’s sake. Sher, when was the last time you went to Qamar?”

She shivered as I ran my tongue up and down her neck, watching the demon as I did so. He wouldn’t try to stop me physically, at least not while Ashera was on me, so I was safe. “Ambrose, let me focus. I went with Lord Pyper over a hundred years ago. It’s been a long time; I doubt anything is the same as when I was there.”

Mal sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Anyone else? I’ve never been inside their borders, so I’m going in blind. Ambrose?”

I shook my head, sneering. “My father didn’t trust me to meet with King Vaughn. At least now I understand why.”

“I’ve been. A couple months ago.” We all turned to stare at Caspian in disbelief. He raised his hands in defense. “I had to sort out our trade agreement, same as I was doing in Shaytan.”

“And you didn’t think you should tell me this important bit of information?” Ashera’s tone was sharp, and I was glad I was behind her and not facing the wrath of that tone. For once, I was on his side. I understood completely why Caspian hadn’t announced his visit to Qamar earlier. In Shaytan, we would’ve seen it as an act of betrayal. And then when Ashera was injured…well, that wasn’t exactly the time to plan a coup in another country.

Caspian gave her a disbelieving look. “It wasn’t exactly like I went there to spy on the goings-on of King Vaughn. We had dinner. We signed an agreement. End of visit. Also, when did you want me to tell you this, little mate? When you were busy dying in my arms? Or maybe while you were fucking me?” His voice dropped low. “I love you. It wasn’t important at the time, but it’s important now.”

Ashera huffed — reassured with the profession of love — and leaned further back against me. “Fine. But you owe me.”

Caspian leaned forward, raising a brow. “I can think of one of two ways to pay my debt.”

I could feel the moment Ashera found herself aroused. Fuck. I wanted to be balls deep inside of her tight little pussy, listening to her scream my name. I grabbed her hips, grinding her into my already rock-hard cock.

Mal groaned, but not out of pleasure. “Children. Can we please focus on the task at hand? Work first, play later.” He turned to Caspian. “What border did you cross on?”

Caspian did not look pleased with the turn of events, his hazel eyes burning with need. “About ten miles south of here, the Malak/Qamar border.”

“Guards?”

The fae shrugged, getting off the couch and coming to kneel between mine and Ashera’s legs. “A few. Two, maybe three. Not too many in the farmlands. I think most of their forces are guarding the more volatile borders.” He pushed Ashera’s dress up and over her knees, causing the little queen to vibrate with anticipation before he paused, turning back to look at Mal. “We traveled through the night and crossed at daybreak. They change shifts just after daybreak. We passed the new guards as we made our way to the palace.”

Mal nodded. “I guess you’re not useless after all. Listen closely, this is what we’re going to do.” The four of us were quiet, listening to the demon describe the plan in detail. Tricky, but doable. He turned to Jacobi. “What time is it?”

“Just after midnight.”

Mal nodded once more. “We leave here in two hours, ready or not. But now, since we have some time to kill…” The assassin mask he wore dropped away, exposing the dark desire lurking beneath. Instead of making his way over to us, he turned and strode into the bathroom. What the hell? Ashera wiggled on my lap, and I groaned as she rubbed against my cock.

“Fuck, little queen. Let me at least get out of these pants,” I muttered.

Jacobi also came closer, tugging at the loose belt of silk he wore around his waist. “You’re going to have to be quiet, love. Very quiet. It could blow this plan if anyone else knew we were here.” He stopped and glared at each of us. “That goes for all of you too. You will be silent.”

As if in protest, Ashera let out a soft cry as Caspian finally found his way to her core, obviously trying to make amends rather quickly.

“Love.” Jacobi used two fingers to pull Ashera’s face to look at him— Caspian never stopping as he devoured our queen’s delicious pussy. Ashera whimpered, arching her hips against the fae’s face. Lucky bastard. “I told you — you need to be quiet. Do you trust me?”

She nodded eagerly, and he dropped her face, using the silk belt to loosely gag the little queen. “Can you breathe?”

She nodded again.

“Good. Caspian, make her come.”

Caspian didn’t need to be told twice, never moving his face from between Ashera’s legs as he tore her skirt off her body. I nipped and kissed her neck, holding her down so that Caspian could do as he wished. She was panting heavily through her nose, but Jacobi’s gag had done its job, and the most our normally noisy queen could muster were quiet whimpers.

Her body was tense, and she was getting close as Caspian licked and sucked her drenched folds. I loosened one of my hands, ripping off her top, to tweak one of her nipples. “Come on your fae’s tongue, little queen,” I commanded. Ashera came. Hard. Her whimpers turned into low groans, her body trembling on my lap. “Good girl,” I whispered, kissing her hair as Caspian lapped at her release.

Caspian pushed his pants off before falling back on the floor and tugging Ashera down with him. “I believe I owe you more than one, dick slayer.” He pulled Ashera onto his cock, sliding into her almost tenderly. I knew that wouldn’t last. Still gagged, Ashera moaned low, her entire body shuddering as he entered her.

I watched Ashera ride the fae, stroking my cock. As if he could hear what I was thinking, Caspian spoke up. “Dick slayer, do you want one of your mates to fuck your ass?”

Ashera nodded desperately. Before I could make a move, Jacobi was there, stark naked and already easing inside of her. Fuck, I was going to burst. This was too much. Where was Malachi anyways? Fuck it.

I strode over to Ashera, her breasts swaying with Caspian and Jacobi’s thrusts. I ripped the gag off her mouth, her gaze surprised as she stared up at me.

“You don’t need a gag in your mouth if it’s full of my cock.”

My little queen eagerly opened her mouth, waiting for me to feed her my dick. Her lush lips wrapped around my cock, sucking and licking as the other two fucked her below. Gods, no matter which hole I was fucking her in, it felt like heaven. It wasn’t awkward anymore, all of us being together like this. It just added to the dense aura of desire that wrapped around all of us as we moaned softly and moved together as one.

Ashera looked up at me. Her gaze was dark with pleasure, and I could feel her riding closer and closer to the edge. “Where the fuck is Mal?” I groaned. It wasn’t like him to miss this, even if we had interrupted his little speech earlier.

“Here.” The demon’s hard, warm body was pressed up behind me, his heavy breath against my neck. “I’m not impressed that you took advantage of me the other night, and I’m ready to return the favor. Especially seeing as Sher is otherwise occupied.” He must have found something in the bathroom to lube himself up with because I could feel his slick cock sliding between my ass cheeks. “Now be a good little princess, and let your queen watch me fuck you.”

I knew I had to be quiet. I knew I shouldn’t make a sound. But between Ashera’s lust-filled gaze staring up at me — her low moan vibrating around my cock, and Malachi pushing his way into my ass, sensations were wreaking havoc in my brain. I opened my mouth to curse as I bottomed out in Ashera’s mouth, and the incubus bottomed out inside of me. But before I could, Mal slapped his hand over my mouth. “Don’t make a fucking sound, vamp,” he growled. He took his hand away, and if Ashera hadn’t been doing something crazy with her tongue, I would’ve ripped his throat out. Instead, I gave myself over to the pleasure.

Caspian’s thrusts were growing more frantic. “She’s close,” he grunted.

“Fuck, little queen,” I murmured, fisting my hands into her hair as Malachi slammed into me again. “Do you see what you do to me? What you do to all of us?”

She tightened her lips around my cock — arching her back as she came — Caspian following suit soon after. Jacobi was still thrusting away like the beast he’d become, forcing Ashera’s mouth to pump me harder and faster. She looked up at me — all at once the sexual vixen and the powerful queen she was, and I came hard inside of her mouth, Mal still pumping in and out behind me.

“Fuck,” Mal muttered, thrusting one more time before he fell apart inside of me.

Ashera released me, giving me a playful smile. “Jacobi,” she whispered, and like a charm, he sighed and shattered.

We moved apart, catching our breath. I could feel Ashera and Malachi feeding off the energy in the room. I had no idea how Ashera still had space left inside of her to feed, but who was I to tell her any differently?

What the little queen wanted, she got.