ENCHANTED WORLD SERIES BOOK 2: TEMPTING THE DARK KING
Chapter Eight

“Won’t you ask me what happened with your sister last night?” Rhol smiled cruelly at the Lord Mage as they mate that next morning after breakfast in his office.

He watched as the Lord Mage’s cheeks tick and his body go rigid for a second before he answered. “That is between you and your mate.”

Rhol shrugged his shoulders lightly. He was surprised that all morning, his tattoos had been quiet as if they were lulled to sleep. They lazily slithered about his arms and back with a soothing warmth and content. For once, in such a long time, Rhol felt in control.

After taking Lyrah’s body last night, Rhol made sure her shocked body was well taken care of. Though he couldn’t get rid of all the aches that she might receive in the aftermath, he made sure she was as comfortable as possible.

Lyrah insisted on taking a long hot bath alone, embarrassed by the way he watched her naked body. She had nothing to be embarrassed about because for any male or warrior, their mate’s bodies were perfect. While Lyrah soothed her aching body, Rhol changed the sheets for her and left the quarters. Just because their primal instincts had brought their bodies together, it didn’t mean he had accepted her as his mate.

It was unfortunate that he could no longer stay away from her and vice versa and he still controlled what he felt for her. He didn’t mind using her body for his pleasure but that was as far as it went. She shouldn’t expect anything else from him because he was not ready to give it at all.

“But I don’t expect you to think I will take your side in any sort of manner.” Rhol warned the Lord Mage.

Tyran smirked. “I wouldn’t expect anything from you. You are barely keeping your people safe as it is.”

Rhol’s eyebrow quirked. “You are in no position to say such a thing. As I see it, the more to try to correct the wrong, the deeper you dig your grave.”

“My Realm was attacked first.” Tyran growled. “First by a maniacal Fae who is yet to be brought to justice then by dragons seeking revenge for their fallen leader, Kruk.”

“And now I hear the mer-people are also after your skin.” Rhol looked up at the other male pensively. “The last thing you need is to have the Jinn against you. It would be the worst of fortunes if it ever happened.”

“I had no conflicts with the Jinn and you, King Rhol, will not attack me unless it is a confrontation.” Tyran assured him. “We have never seen eye to eye but neither have we loathed each other.”

Rhol grunted. “I wish you could tell your sister that. She braved the south road and my dark forest to get me to side with you.”

“She’s young and naive. In time she will see what she has long been blind to.”

“And what about you, Lord Mage? Have you finally accepted what is really happening in the enchanted world or do you still believe in what everyone else is saying?”

Tyran looked at Rhol for a moment and Rhol immediately knew that the other male had a pretty clear picture of what was happening. “One ancient is dead and the Coral Spear is missing. High Lord Ron managed to get the location of the Light Sword from his brother before he disappeared. Forces are banding up. Not only the Rogue Dragons, the Mer-rebels but the sorcerers too. I have seen this pattern before.”

“The Ghouls are also banding up. This is never happened before because most of the time, the only thing the Ghouls ever thought about was food but now they hunt in packs and they have hunting strategies.” Rhol explained to Tyran and noted the frown that appeared on his face. “Not only that...we are to believe someone is practicing the dark arts of resurrection.”

“What?” Tyran’s face paled down.

Rhol flashed his teeth at the stunned Mage. “What...never heard of the resurrection spells? I thought you were an ancient?”

“The spell was condemned and removed from all manuscripts. No one is to know about it let alone practice it!” Tyran stated.

Rhol sighed and removed a paper from one of the drawers of his desk then held it up for the Lord Mage. “I had a little visit from an old friend, thought to be dead a long time ago but somehow he was able to possess a Ghoul. This was tattooed on his skin.” Tyran took the paper and studied the mark. “The Ghoul didn’t last the night but whatever was in the Ghoul managed to escape into my fortress.”

“The dark balmy evil I felt when I first arrived here.” Tyran breathed in hard.

“Yes...it was the same thing that possessed one of my warriors and attacked you and your sister. Muriel, the Mage of Truth, told us it was energy from a Mage spell that was altered by dark arts and it was the reason why it was felt by the Mage and also it was attracted to the Mage energy.”

“It’s no longer here. We destroyed it the time it attacked us.” Tyran assured Rhol.

“I know because Lyrah is calm again.” Rhol narrowed his eyes remembering how Lyrah put herself in danger when the abomination followed her into his office. Just the thought of something happening to her made the little hairs on his body ripple. “She was able to detect the exact position of it.”

“She’s the Mage of Life, she is able of detecting decay. I was able to detect the darkness in it.” Tyran replied. “I have never felt something so evil and complex before. Whoever was able to weave it must have once been a very strong and ancient Mage. I wonder how it got all the way here?”

Rhol had a pretty good idea why. After all the Dark Energy had first tainted the Realm of the Dark before any other place. This was the source of the Dark Energy and that was why it was more prominent there than in any other place.

“Worry about your problems and let me worry about mine.” Rhol muttered.

“And what about the Thyest Bow? Any clues on where it is?” Tyran asked.

Rhol hadn’t heard from Darius and couldn’t contact him at all so he didn’t know whether his team was successful or not but Rhol wondered it is was much safer to leave that bloody bow where no hands could grab it or not. Without the complete set of the Mortal Locks, the location of the Dark Energy couldn’t not be found and it could not be set free.

“It has yet to be located. What about the Mortal Book and the Scarlet Shield?” Rhol sighed.

“The Mortal Book is safe too but the Scarlet Shield was lost to the human world.”

Rhol smiled softly. “Well then, we don’t have to worry about the location being found out then. With the Light Sword, The Thyest Bow and the Scarlet Shield’s locations still hazy, I think the destruction of the threatening groups is more important.”

“I thought you said you didn’t want anything to do with this war?”

“The Sorcerers attacked me first, the least I could do is return the favor.”

“That temper of yours will get you killed on of these days.” Tyran smiled at Rhol.

“Yours is far worse than mine.” Rhol assured the Lord Mage. “When are you setting off for your Realm?”

“As soon as I bid farewell to my sister.” Tyran stood up and breathed.

“Take her with you.” Rhol found himself uttering.

Tyran’s eyebrows snapped up. “Are you insane?”

Rhol looked up at the hissing Mage. “You can’t seriously leave her here with me.”

“Didn’t what happen yesterday register into your head? Do you think it will be easy for you now that your body is in control? Believe me, this is just the beginning.”

“You look in control even though you are away from your mate.”

“We have been together for a while. The raging hormones tamp down but that’s not the problem, the problem is even thinking of being away from your mate.”

That was true. Just thinking about Lyrah leaving had his gut clench painfully and suddenly the tattoos woke up and started a low moan.

“I don’t enjoy knowing you are Lyrah’s mate but I’m not a god to object to it.”

“If you could object to it, would you?” Rhol narrowed his eyes at the Lord Mage.

Tyran drew down and growled. “In a heartbeat.”

The two males watched each other for what seemed like centuries before Rhol sighed and also got up from his chair. “Me too. Take her with you, Lord Mage. This is not the safest place in the world right now.”

Tyran crossed his arms and sniffed. “It’s not my decision to make.”

“What are you saying?” Rhol snarled.

“If she wants to go back, I’ll take her. If she doesn’t, I won’t object either.”

“You are her brother!” Rhol roared.

“And you are her mate!” The window panels rattled in their hinges.

Suddenly the door swung open and Lyrah stood these eying both males with disappointment.

“Would the two of you stop it!” She cried.

She walked in with a purpose and Rhol was taken aback by the sheer effect her presence had on him. She looked radiating in her royal Jinn Queen attire. Her silver hair was tamed behind her in a long braid. She looked healthier than he had ever seen her but she also looked as angry as ever.

“Me staying here is not up for discussion. I make my own decisions.” She snapped.

Lyrah eyed both males who were raging but she was glad they decided to listen to her. Lyrah thought it was difficult living with Tyran at one time but having both the Lord Mage and the Jinn King under one roof was disastrous. It was only a matter of time until they brought the fortress down and Lyrah was not up for it.

“I think you overheard what we were talking about.” Lord Mage crossed his arms over his chest and eyed her. “You are not a little girl anymore and even though I would do anything to rid you of this fate, I can only object of it in my heart. I am helpless against it.”

A soft hiss escaped from Rhol’s lips as he turned to the other male and Lyrah found herself rolling her eyes. “I choose to stay.”

“No, you do not!” Rhol barked. “It is not safe here--”

“It is not safe anywhere. Plus, I don’t want to go through the mate pull again.” Just thinking about it made her body tingle.

Being with the Jinn King last night was indescribable. She had always imagined what it would be to share such intimacy with her mate but never once had she imagined her body been taken by a brute such as him! She remembered feeling his damp hot skin against hers, his scent was all around her, coaxing her with thoughts so wicked and naughty. His eyes burnt with a dark flame that only ignited the cold parts of her.

When he filled her core, Lyrah thought she was going to lose her mind from the sheer pleasure of it. He was made for her and only her and only he knew how to please her body. It was intense and sensual the way he rode her through to her climax. At that moment, just thinking about him made her body awaken with arousal.

He must have noticed it too because his nostrils flared and his eyes darkened in a heartbeat. “You should stay away from this place, Lyrah.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Lyrah assured him.

Tyran clapped his hands together. “And she had decided.” he turned to Rhol with a cruel smile on his face. “You should prepare yourself for what is to come. I have had her all my life and believe me, I have had my full share of surprises from her.”

“That’s not funny, brother mine.” Lyrah sighed irritatedly.

“I wasn’t trying to be funny. I’ll take my leave now.” He started for the door then turned around and said. “If you ever need to return home, you are always welcomed.”

Lyrah nodded and the Lord Mage left the office.

Silence swallowed the room and when Lyrah turned to her mate, she had to take a step back at the intensity of his eyes as they clashed with hers.

“You are the most infuriating female I have ever come across.” He muttered softly almost to himself.

“Don’t think I enjoy being here with you either.”

“I told you once, I will tell you again; I will not align with anyone in the world—especially your brother.”

Lyrah frowned at him. “I still don’t know the reason behind your loathing for my brother. Could you please enlighten me?”

“He is an old fart with the temper to rival the flames of the phoenix and it drives him to be selfish and reckless! Does that quench your curiosity, Lady Lyrah?”

Lyrah swallowed the tight knot on her throat. “My brother may be ancient and constantly angry but he is not reckless and definitely not selfish! You are the selfish one always looking for reasons not to help anyone else other than yourself, you overbearing puff of smoke!”

Rhol’s eyebrows snapped up in surprise. “Puff of smoke?”

“Oh you heard me!” Lyrah gritted her teeth. “I thought if there was anyone else I could trust in this world apart from my brother was you but how wrong was I! I regret coming here thinking that for once you would crawl out of this dark hole and lend a hand. I regret awakening the mate bond between us and I definitely regret being your mate in the first place!”

“Well, at least we agree on something...” The words passed thickly against his lips as his tattoos being glowing violet against his tanned skin. “But what is done, is done.”

The last time she saw them like that was last night when he was thrusting into her. “You say that you want to protect your people but if you haven’t realized it yet, everyone in this world is one of your people. You are an ancient king for crying out loud, but you act more like a child than a king.”

“Enough with the insults, Mage.”

Mage? Ha! “Oh, I haven’t even started--”

Her words were cut short when in the blink of an eye, King Rhol had pounced on her and she found herself embraced lightly in his arms. His nose touched hers and his eyes burnt into hers. His mouth was pulled back in a snarl and a deep growl was making its way up his throat. “I said enough!”

Oh, this wasn’t surprising at all. What did she expect from someone like him? She bet he always got what he wanted but with her there, that reign was soon to be done! “I can help you--”

“The only thing you can help you can be for me is in my bed.”

“Rhol--” A black cloud of smoke engulfed Lyrah and before she knew it, they were back in his sleeping quarters.

She tried to move away from him but he held her close.

“What? Why are you resisting? This is what you wanted when you decided to remain here, isn’t it?” His hands scaled down her body to the waste band of her skirt. He hooked his thumbs on it and slowly started peeling it off her. “Only my body can satisfy yours and I know right now your body savagely wants mine. I can smell your arousal from the forest of the Fortress.” He whispered against her neck making all the hairs in her body stand up.

Lyrah dug her nails deeper into Rhol’s arms to make him stop but he was done removing her skirt and it pooled around her ankles. “Stop this, Rhol.”

“No.” He snapped his teeth in front her her and took her lips into a breathtaking kiss as he got rid of her top and left her standing in front of him in her bra and thong.

Lyrah sucked in air and suddenly she was clad in her attire once more. Not only were the Mage good at flashing about but also they were good at flashing other things such as their clothes.

Rhol’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “That’s not fair.”

For once Lyrah felt a smile itch on her lips. “You have been unfair to me from day one—I think it’s about time you tasted your own medicine. Muriel had asked me to help her with a new spell, I’ll be heading that direction for now.” with a perfect curtsy, Lyrah flashed herself out of the room and followed the subtle aura of Muriel’s energy.

Although her body was raging with wanting her mate’s, she wanted him to suffer just a little because of how much she suffered under him in the few days that she was there.

Rhol cursed out colorfully as he puffed back into his office. Zafrina was sitting cosily on one his chairs with one of though looks that he hated so much pasted on her face; I-know-what-you’ve-been-upto.

“What?” He barked caressing the agitated braid down one of his shoulders. Before Lyrah entered his life, the only thing that got agitated was his tattoos because they expressed the purest of emotions, there was no helping it. But lately, he had noticed even the braid that once laid docile on his shoulder was now reacting to his mate’s presence—or her absence. What he knew was that she was causing more harm than good and there was no escaping it.

“The males supposed to head off to Garon at the Quegal Cliffs are ready.” Zafrina announced.

Rhol ground his teeth. “I can’t afford losing a commander to go up with them.”

“You can send one of the Aryan brothers; I think Herik would make a good leader for them. We can afford to have him there because both Leon and Stef are very much capable on their own.” Zafrina suggested.

Rhol sighed but nodded. “Fine. Have Herik come here as soon as possible.”

“Yes, my king.” Zafrina inclined her head to her king.

“And--” Rhol added. “Get someone to watch over Lady Lyrah. I don’t want her to go around causing trouble for everyone else.”

“Yes.” But Rhol didn’t miss the sly smile that touched Zafrina’s lips. “I’ll head to look for her once I’m done dealing with Herik.”

“Not you. You have better things to do than watch over that errant female.” Rhol’s blood roared in his veins just at the thought of the way Lyrah rebuffed him and disappeared. “Find a new recruit or something—a female recruit!”

“Of course, my king but there isn’t a new female recruit at the moment.”

“Then get her Leah! I don’t want any other male near her!” Rhol hissed. He was not the type to be possessive. True he never shared his lovers with his warriors. They were only for the king, but he didn’t need to say it out loud.

Zafrina nodded and walked out.

Rhol took that moment to see how the training was going. So far, no more Ghoul attacks were reported. Rhol took that opportunity to send a team of his warriors to find out how Marcus of Hawk ended up in a Ghoul body and how he found his way to his Realm. If there were any sorcerers residing in the Realm of the Dark, he wanted to know about them and he wanted to find out what they were up to.

Saigon quickly approached him and bowed his head. “My king.”

“How is the practicing going?” He eyed the new recruits being mercilessly toppled over and over again by the seasoned warriors.

When it came to survival there was no mercy. All his warriors were subjected to events that could really happen in battle so it was not surprising that during this time, the infirmary was crowded with wounded soldiers.

“Slow but they are getting the hang of it.”

“What about the team dispatched to search of the sorcerers?”

Saigon nodded. “So far they have come up with nothing but something strange has happened. I got the information that when they raided on of the smaller Ghoul caves a few miles from the forest, they found all of them dead.”

Rhol frowned at his commander. “What happened?”

Saigon shrugged his shoulders. “We don’t know as of yet but their bodies were covered in black marks.”

So, their sorcerer had struck yet again. “Get me some warriors to accompany me to this cave as soon as possible.”

Saigon nodded and hesitated for a moment then cleared his throat and spoke. “I think you should bring a Mage with you. They know more about this than we do.”

Rhol found himself grounding his teeth. The last thing he wanted was either female Mage walking into danger. “We have several Mage in the army, don’t we?”

Saigon raised his eyebrows. “They are young and inexperienced for such a thing.”

Muriel knew a lot about ancient sorcery but she was with child, about to pop anytime. That left Lyrah but could be really risk her being there in that cave that could be crawling with Ghouls? He did assure her that he didn’t need any help from her because he didn’t so he thought of another way. “Then we will document the symbols and bring them back with us for Muriel to analyze.”

“Yes, my king.”

“Get the warriors ready.” Rhol turned away and walked off.

“I wanted to show you something, Lady Lyrah.” Muriel smiled softly as she removed a very old manuscript.

Lyrah’s eyes widened. The manuscript was as old as time itself and it radiated with so much power that it zinged in the room around them, bathing them in its warmth and vitality.

“This belonged to my father, Aeron; Mage of Thought. He had very strong telepathic abilities and also horned telekinesis—something only the pureblood Royal Mage could learn in the long run.”

Lyrah had yet to learn the art of telekinesis and telepathy but she knew her brother was already a master at both. He was able to communicate with animals. It took a great deal of concentration and energy that if you did it wrong, it could suck the life energy right out of you!

“But my father was born with both these abilities. They wore hard on his body and at the end he had to paid the price for having such extra-ordinary gifts; he lost his sight. But that didn’t stop him from becoming one of the strongest Mage I know! He used his gifts to see through other’s eyes from the fellow Mage to birds in the sky or wild animals in the forest. You could just imagine what an advantage the Mage had in a war when they had someone who could see exactly where the enemy was and their number.” Muriel carefully pried the manuscript open to a blank page. “To the normal eye, the entire manuscript is nothing but a dusty old blank book but...” she traced her hand over the page and a black pattern appeared. The pattern shimmered and rose up from the page glowing like the red pieces of burning wood. With delicate yet complex hand movements, Muriel went on to solve the puzzle. Each manuscript belonging to a Mage that had long passed had a spell woven to keep it safe. If the spell is tried to be cracked without success, it sucks the life out of the culprit. These spells vary from songs, to hand movements, to whistles. Only the few selected, especially family, knew how to crack the spell thus summoning a remnants of the dead Mage’s energy when there is the need. Some believe that the actual spirit of the dead Mage lives within his or her manuscript and it can be summoned for advice and aid.

The pattern took a different shape and the red glow was replaced by the pale blue one.

A hiss sounded in the room as words began to appear on the pages. Some of the pages had illustrations, others had beautiful drawings.

“Okay...now we need to know how to protect ourselves against the tainted energy strand.” She hummed lightly and paged through the manuscript looking through centuries worth of spells.

“Were they sorcerers even during your father’s time?” Lyrah asked.

“Of course. There can not be day without night, light without darkness and definitely no good without evil. I also believe that during that time, the Dark Energy was there but it wasn’t that strong.”

Lyrah nodded. “I believe that too.”

“Well, let’s get started then.” Muriel sounded very excited.

The two females found themselves working the entire morning and early noon on the spell. Helpers came now and then bring them food and snacks while the worked. Zax was also close by making sure his mate was doing well. He barely talked, he just watched from a distance and any time he felt that Muriel was using excessive energy he would move close and touch her shoulder.

“Oh!” Muriel sighed and settled back on her chair. Her forehead and slightly damp from the concentration. “I think we have done well today but it is time for us to rest, don’t you think?”

Lyrah grinned at the other female as her mate practically jumped from his seat and zoomed beside her. “I think we were worrying you mate a little too much.”

“Oh, he can handle it.” Muriel looked up at her mate with love smoldering in her eyes and touched his hand lightly. “I think I might need some help getting to our quarters, dearest.”

Zax didn’t wait to be told twice. He scooped Muriel as if she didn’t weigh a thing and turned to Lyrah. “I think you should go up and rest too, my lady.”

Lyrah stretched against her chair and nodded. “Yeah, I think I will do that. I’ll see you at supper, Muriel.”

“Alright.” Muriel nodded.

When Zax puffed away, Lyrah turned to the door. She wondered what Rhol was doing. He wasn’t in the Fortress, that much she knew because the anxiety was slowly building again. He must have been out scouting the caves again, she thought as she passed through the hallway towards his office. As she got closer she heard voices but neither of them was Rhol’s. When she opened the door she was surprised to see a Jinn she wasn’t so familiar with and Herik.

“Herik!” She exclaimed as she entered the office.

Both males bowed to her.

“My lady.” Herik looked up at her and smiled back.

“It feels like ages since the last time I saw you. How are you? Hows your siblings? Is Eva alright? What are you doing here?”

Herik chuckled lightly. “One question at a time, my queen. You know how bad we males are at multitasking.”

Lyrah’s cheeks reddened. “Sorry.” she muttered then turned to the other male.

As if he read her mind he quickly bowed again and introduced himself. “I am Saigon, commander of the Royal Army.”

As usual, he was fit and had an impressive physic. “Nice to meet you.”

“I will excuse myself and let you speak to Herik, if you don’t mind.” Saigon stated.

“Thank you.” Lyrah smiled at him.

Smoke twirled around him and his body shimmered before he disappeared.

“Come with me, my lady. I have something to show you.” Herik opened the door for her.

It seemed everyone had something to show her that day. She was really excited as she and Herik walked out into the backyard. Instinctively two Jinn warriors moved from their posts by the door and followed them behind quietly.

“How have you and your siblings been faring after I left?” She asked him again, this time slowly.

“Very well, my lady. My heart feels with happiness to know that you are worried about us.” Herik grinned. “The attacks from the Ghouls has decreased and a lot of people have moved away from the forests and are now residing in the cities and towns where it is easy to watch over them.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Oh, please do tell Eva to come and visit me every once in a while. It gets awfully lonely here and I doubt the King will allow me to leave the premises with everything that is going on.”

“I will be sure to tell her that...and you my lady, your health has returned.”

Lyrah nodded. “Thanks to my brother I was nursed back to health.”

Herik’s face paled. “The Lord Mage was here?”

“Yeah, you just missed him.” Lyrah teased. When Herik stuttered, Lyrah broke into a laugh. “My brother does not eat people, you know!”

“I know but with all the stories we have heard about him, he is considered as one of the most powerful males in the enchanted world.”

“Oh, so he is a celebrity here, huh? I’m sure to pass on the praises.” Lyrah could almost see her brother snort at the praises and that made her smile even more. “I’ll tell you what I learned though. I thought my brother was tough...until I met the Jinn King.”

Again Herik chuckled as they passed a group of warriors sharpening and polishing their weapons. When they saw them they quickly jumped to their feet and bowed. Lyrah smiled at them and was amazed at how red a face could actually turned within a few seconds. They were young, hot blooded males so obviously that would be the reaction to any female, she excused them.

“That’s the King’s mate, Lady Lyrah!” She heard one exclaimed.

“It’s true what they said about her beauty.” One sighed dreamily.

“A beauty so rare that it brings the dead to life.” another added.

Now, it was Lyrah’s turn to blush.

“I think you have just earned yourself some admirers.” Herik teased.

Lyrah found herself wrinkling her nose at him.

Finally they reached what looked like a very large barn and just outside was Tatiana being admired by a group of young Jinn children. Lyrah had never seen Jinn children before but they looked normal with the tattoos on their bodies but the tattoos weren’t slithering around like on the mature Jinn. When they saw them approaching, they puffed away in fear.

“Oh!” Lyrah gasped in surprise. She didn’t expect to have such a reaction from them. Children usually liked her and she loved them.

Tatiana let of a neigh and galloped towards her.

Soon, her surprised reaction was forgotten as she touched the mare. “Oh, Tatiana, how I have missed you!”

Tatiana neighed again rubbed her muzzle against Lyrah’s hair.

“Oh thank you very much, Herik.”

“She has healed well but she has a little scarring on her side; badges of courage I would say.”

Lyrah laughed as she ran her hands on Tatiana’s white coat. “She is a warrior in her own right.” She repeated the words she had told Rhol.

“Stef had to calm her at every chance he got once she got better because she wanted to flee and search for you. I had no choice but to bring her here with me.”

Lyrah frowned. “But what are you doing here, Herik? Is there something that you have to report?”

Herik shook his head and turned to the vast stretch of fortress ground before them. “My King summoned me. I have yet to know what it is about.”

Lyrah nodded lightly as she lazily combed her fingers through Tatiana’s mane. She hoped it wasn’t something bad because she didn’t want anything to happen to Herik and his family. Somehow, she found herself having a very strong connection with them. Maybe this was the Mage is her reacting to the rarity of their existence, she didn’t know but she found herself wanting to protect them no matter what it took. “Well, I hope whatever it is, it’s not a bad thing.”

“It’s not something you should worry yourself about, my lady.”

Lyrah nodded and tried to cheer up as she looked up at her mare. “I think I will go for a ride.”

Suddenly the guards moved towards the barn and came out with two horses. Lyrah found herself rolling her eyes as she jumped on Tatiana and sent the mare on a gallop, leaving the two Jinns to chase nothing but dust behind her.

“I swear...one of these days.” Rhol hissed to his second in command as they flashed back into the grounds and caught the sight of Lyrah galloping away from his warriors.

“Should I go after her?” Zafrina didn’t even try to hide the smile on her face nor the amusement dancing in her eyes. “It’s been a while since I went riding myself.”

“We don’t have the time to deal with her and her childish behavior.” He turned to the male Nosferatu standing in front of them watching in amazement and he couldn’t help but think of ways to hurt him just for watching his mate. “Go call that fool watching his queen like that and warn him to keep his eyes from her or I will do the honor of keeping them for him in a jar in my office!” The last words rasped against his throat as he marched away with purpose.

One of these days....one of these days he was going to tie his mate up somewhere where no one could reach. He didn’t know why or where such thoughts came from but every nerve on his body was hot-wired. There was no sleeping again that night—that much he knew.

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