Downs, Jana - Ravyn's Destiny [Ravyn Warriors 3] (Siren Publishing Allure ManLove) (10 page)

“I gave you to others who could give you the sort of sex you needed to become strong and stable,” Destin murmured, miserably. Why was Salvatore airing this all out before his Court?

“You gave my virginity away to complete strangers when that gift was intended for you and you alone.”

“You weren’t exactly a virgin.”

“I’d never been with a man,” Salvatore countered. “How could I find meaningful sex among the Court when you know I was in love with you? By your law, a dragon which has bonded with one person in particular can never be denied.”

“You’re not full dragon!” Destin protested. He was getting a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He glanced at his advisors and saw them both looking studiously anywhere but him. So
they’d
told him about the Dragonii law.
Dammit!

Salvatore’s wings burst from his back and flapped angrily, kicking up a wind. “Is this dragon enough for you?” He growled.

“What do you want? An apology? I said I was sorry!” Destin yelled a little desperately. He wanted to go lock himself in his bedroom.

“I want you to take responsibility and come to my bed.” Salvatore delivered the words like an executioner delivered an axe swing. The whole world went silent, holding its breath. Destin couldn’t even breathe. He just stared at Salvatore like he’d lost his mind. It wasn’t an unheard of request, but demanding it of the King of Underhill was
ridiculous
. Salvatore continued after a moment. “Furthermore, I petition to be your Consort until such time as we both mutually sever the relationship.”

Destin released his breath in a gust of air. He was so upset, but his body didn’t mind the idea in the slightest. It was happy at being finagled into Salvatore’s bed. “Let me consult with my advisors a moment, and then I’ll give you your verdict.” Did he sound breathless? He absolutely sounded breathless.

He waved a hand, creating a bubble where no sound could either penetrate or escape. He glared at Mar and Quis.

“What have you done?” he demanded. Fury felt etched into every line of his face. “I told you how I felt about the subject.”

“Your fear keeps you from him, but he would be an excellent Consort for the Court. He has a generous heart, understands our ways, is as strong as you, and will be able to shoulder the responsibilities that will be demanded of him as your only lover,” Mar offered logically.

“I don’t give a damn about how good he is for the Court!” Destin seethed. “What about how good he is for my heart? I can’t survive losing another lover like I lost Terren.” He brought his hand up to his temple and pressed his fingers there. The Fae King fought back tears with every cell of his being.

“A dragon’s love is forever, my lord,” Quis reminded gently. “He will make you a fine and happy mate.”

“I don’t know anything about him,” Destin protested. “I mean, I know some stuff, like what his favorite color is, but nothing big. I don’t even know what he was. I don’t know anything about his home life. I know next to nothing important.”

“None of that is important. Just details,” Mar stated. “Besides, you haven’t even given him your name yet. He is taking a leap of faith with you just as much as you are taking one with him.”

“I will not be manipulated into this,” Destin said darkly. He looked at his advisors. “I will not be controlled by two do-good advisors and one horny dragon. I am King here.”

He waved a hand to break his silence spell. He addressed the kneeling Salvatore. “I will grant you your boon of coming to my bed. It will happen tonight after last meal, and you will stay until the following evening in my bedchambers. I stole something precious from you, and I will accept the need to repay that misstep. However, a crush and a mistake do not equal an eternity of being bonded with someone. I deny you as my Consort. We will come together for one night and one night only. Afterward, you may court and be courted by anyone who would choose to pursue you.”

“But the law—” Quis began.

“
I am the law!
” Destin thundered. His power struck out at the man beside him, throwing him from the dais and onto the floor below. If he’d been mortal, it might have seriously hurt him, but as a fae he merely got up and limped away from the throne. The Court let out a frightened murmur, and the throne groaned. Their King was normally not so hot tempered, nor was he so cruel.

Destin stood, feeling instant regret. “I…” he began. He shook his head and turned away from the crowd. “Court is adjourned for now. I will continue on the morrow, but for now I have to go prepare.”

He disappeared from the throne back to his bedchamber. Only then did he start to weep, but in joy or in sadness he didn’t know. Anticipation licked his insides. He wanted this. Yet, he felt like he’d lose himself completely if he lost another love like his first one. He knew loving Salvatore would consume him, but he was helpless to stop what was going to take place. Where the body went, the heart would follow. He just hoped that Salvatore wouldn’t lead him down a path that would lead to more pain.

Chapter Nine

Salvatore was tired from his little display. Quis and Mar helped him to his feet and they exited the Courtroom through a passage behind the throne. He needed to drink down some emotions before he went to Destin. He needed his strength to deal with his soon-to-be lover. But…he didn’t want to sleep with anyone. Even his other self didn’t want to do anything but go find Destin and mark him with all the vigor he could muster.

“You need to rest,” Mar said as Salvatore folded his wings back against his body and leaned against a nearby column for support. “I can’t believe you flew in. I told you it would take months to build up enough strength for that much flight.”

“I managed,” Salvatore said, just concentrating on breathing. It hadn’t been as easy as he’d thought. The visceral memory of how the wing thing worked was infinitely different from the actuality. His back was killing him. The muscles there were not used to the vigorous workout needed to keep his wings hefting his body into the air.

“You climbed the last few feet by sheer will and determination. You were late because you were catching your breath,” Quis grumbled. “That was incredibly stupid.”

“But the display worked. Did you see his face?” Destin had been enchanted with him, aroused by his strength and his determination. His logical mind may have been protesting, but that body of his had been sending out come-get-me vibes like there was no tomorrow. His agony over his bluff had done its job and been totally worth it.

The two nodded. “Yes. We saw. However, you haven’t yet begun the real battle, and you’re practically falling over.”

Salvatore nodded. They were right. The easy part had been cornering Destin in a place where he couldn’t escape without causing a huge scandal. “He rejected me as his Consort.” He hadn’t realized how much that had hurt until this instant.

“We didn’t expect him to give you the whole deal. Thus why it had two parts. Your retribution is the only thing he can logic out that makes sense. He probably thinks you’ll turn on him after a while the same way Terren did. Convincing him to make you his Consort will take time. First, we need him to need you so that his heart will be more open to the idea of keeping you.” Quis’s logic was sound.

“I still don’t understand why you are helping me,” Salvatore said a tad suspiciously. They both shrugged delicately.

“We’ve been with your Destiny since he became King of this world. Taming it was not easy, and he had to make a tremendous amount of sacrifices to make it into the stable place you see now. You are the key to his happiness. Therefore we will help you in any way we can. Our King is getting in his own way, and we will not abide it.” Mar said it like it was religious doctrine instead of an explanation, but Salvatore got it.

“You guys sound like my Ravyns.” He chuckled. “They’d do anything for me to be happy, too.”
Hell, they’d followed me across the universes.
As matter of fact, they did follow me across some of them, he added privately in his own mind. His heart ached. He missed them a lot. It was so different going from being always watched to being left to your own devices without question.

Mar and Quis glanced at one another and then back at Salvatore.

“Ravens?” Quis asked. “You speak to them?”

Salvatore hesitated.
Crap
. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud. “Uh, yeah. Sort of.”

“Mmm,” Mar said. “We have ravens in our lore but they never speak to anyone but our legendary heroes.” They were both looking at him strangely.

“I, uh, well, I suppose that sounds odd,” Salvatore offered. Mar and Quis just looked at one another and shrugged.
Whew
. At least they were letting the subject drop.

“You, my soon-to-be King-Consort, are an odd one,” Quis muttered. Louder he said, “Go nap in your chambers, and we’ll bring you some food before you’re supposed to leave for your Destiny’s bed. We’ll also bring you some bottled emotions. They’re not as good as fresh, and it will only last about fifteen minutes, so get him in the sack soon after you take it.” Quis pushed him down yet another hall, and lo and behold they were back at his bedroom.

Salvatore all but collapsed onto his bedspread, not even bothering to cover himself up. His other self gave a self-satisfied purr of contentment. Destiny would be theirs soon.

* * * *

Destin finally managed to pull himself together after endless minutes of feeling sorry for himself. The last of the hiccups left him in an exhausted heap. He could pop over to the other side and get a quick feed at the bar, but he wasn’t sure he’d make it back on time and still have enough time to get a good enough snack. He just couldn’t summon any of his usual courtiers to feed him. They would know about Salvatore and his confrontation, and he just didn’t want any questions.

He glanced down at his spiked wristwatch that he’d forgotten to take off. On Earth it was nearly 2:00 a.m. Underhill time showed 4:00 p.m. It was nearly time for last meal. He wasn’t hungry, but he needed to eat. Salvatore would need him at his peak condition because, although he may be ahead of the game when it came to almost everything else, a newly transitioned male would need sex like he needed to eat. Destin knew he tasted great, so he didn’t expect Salvatore to be able to restrain himself.

Almost as soon as he had the thought, four palace servants came walking through his door carrying trays of food and beverages for him to enjoy. He sighed gratefully and motioned for them to set it on his desk. He rolled off his bed and slid through the hanging chains. The servants disappeared, and then he was left blissfully alone again.

His meal was his favorite, smoked lamb with an assortment of vegetables smothered in a sweet sauce the chef made out of some sort of broth. The household was showing that they approved of his joining with Salvatore. He ate in silence, pondering the implications of that. Salvatore must’ve made quite an impression on everyone in his two weeks away. He chewed. It was delicious as always.

When he was done, a quick glance at his clock showed him that his time for reflection and avoidance was running out. He casually stripped off his clothing and asked his shadows to wait on the balcony until they were finished. He needed to prepare himself. Salvatore would be here in less than fifteen minutes.

* * * *

Salvatore drained the vial that Mar handed him in front of the door to Destin’s room. He had the shakes by the time he drained the last drop of liquid from the bottle. He’d waited longer than he’d ever waited before.

“You’re sure this will keep me good until we do the deed?” Salvatore asked, adjusting his belt so that his pants stayed up. He’d donned an easier-to-remove pair a few moments ago. The tight pants were good eye candy, but they were a bitch to take off. It was like squeezing a sausage out of a casing.

Mar nodded and waved him toward the door. “So long as you don’t talk it to death beforehand. Keep your courage up. He needs your strength right now.” Salvatore nodded. He knew this.

“Thanks, Mar. I’ll see you later,” he said in dismissal. The fae made himself gone, and Salvatore stared at the door. This was it. He took a deep breath and knocked three times.