Dark Throne, The (5 page)

Anger simmered on a low heat in his veins and he found it
inordinately difficult to contain his irritation at the
situation
. How on Mearth was
he supposed to return home?

He'd heard of this before
. Knew it to be the magic of those cursed hoonan women-
witches.

While the female in his arms appeared to be a female
hoonan, he doubted she was a witch
. She'd quivered in his arms, when he'd held her to him.
From the tales he'd heard, a witch would have turned his balls into
croaking toads. This woman certainly hadn't done that, or at least,
his dick was still in full working order.

Fade grimaced at the realization that it had been nearly
six months since he'd sought and found relief
. That was the reason he'd reacted to this
female. No other.

Shoving the thought away, he glanced around and glared at
the strange room
. This entire
place did not seem to be Mearth. It was too modern here. Too
unusual.

His eyes took in the odd boxes and the strange
furniture
, the odd rolls of
paper that rested on the floor and small tins of something called
Silk Gloss in a shade of pink so bright he grimaced, as well as
brushes and others tools he didn't recognize. They dotted the floor
as though the task had not yet commenced.

With the copse of trees of the hoonan
land failing to materialize no matter how often he opened and
closed the door, Fade finally conceded defeat and walked towards
the strange machine which had caused him to start
earlier.

It was fabricated from a strange, shiny
material
. Unlike any other
he'd ever known. It wasn't hide nor was it metal nor
stone.

He didn't know what it could be, but he didn't like to
touch it and took a step backwards and towards the other
doors
. One heralded a
bedchamber, something he garnered from the large item of furniture
in the center of the small room. It appeared that on this different
plane, the people still required sleep.

Another door heralded a bedchamber, and the final one
contained bizarre pieces of furniture
. He tapped them with his knuckles and realized it was like
clay. But it shone brightly from the light which peeked through a
small window. There seemed to be odd silver tubes everywhere. One
on a basin which stood on a pedestal, one that hung overhead and
another on a larger basin, which he could only assume was a bath.
But it wasn't like the metal ones he used at home. This was again
made from the peculiar substance as the ringing alarm had been in
the hallway.

Bored, he retreated to the staircase he'd noticed earlier
and descended the steps seeking answers
. The female stirred but soon fell limp against him
and he otherwise ignored her, even though he couldn't deny the
press of her soft breasts against his lower abdomen was rather
appealing after the hardness of battle and the blood lust that was
still raging through his veins- something he only just managed to
contain.

He pushed the thought of her softness to the edge of his
mind and concentrated on the search
. Each room heralded more peculiarities and despite
himself, Fade started to feel the bitter tang of fear.

This place was so completely alien to
Mearth
.

While he'd traveled all over the three seas and visited
each and every kingdom housed within t
heir planet, he'd never seen some of the sights he had
today.

Eventually, he found a room which he could only assume was
a food preparation area
. There
was no hearth, but there were dishes on the side of a basin and the
various knives and cooking paraphernalia -some of which he
recognized, most of it he didn't- plus a loaf of bread which sat on
the top. Could it be anything else but a kitchen?

Despite himself, he strode over to the bread and tore off a
chunk
. He placed it cautiously
into his mouth and grimaced a little at the sweetness of it, but he
otherwise found it palatable and ate with a ravenous appetite which
had only just started to claw at his belly.

This place was most odd
. He turned to a window, through which a hot light entered
and peered through it. His eyes widened at the sight before him.
Never had he seen the like. In all of his travels, never had he
known such colors, such strange, peculiar hues that were a part and
parcel of nature.

The plant on the ground was bright green
. The sky overhead was blue.

For a moment, Fade thought his eyes deceived
him
. The colors were so vivid,
so strange. They were attractive. He couldn't deny that. In fact,
the garden outside of the property was rather pretty and
well-tended. But he couldn't seem to process the colors. They were
so avant-garde, they almost blinded him.

His eyes watered at the strength of
the light and the ball overhead seemed to provide a suffocating
heat.

It was only as he had a moment to
breath, that he realized how hot it was here.

In his armor, he sweltered
. Sweat beaded down his spine and poured down his limbs,
dampening his underclothes and generally adding to his
discomfort.

He'd been in awkward situations before, dangerous and
discomforting positions and he always coped
. Now would be no different.

He turned around and found a box on the
table
. Four knobs, each
stylized differently and with a rough and coarse pad of paper
sitting beside it.

Striding over to the table, he reached for the blank piece
of paper and as soon as his flesh touched it, curls and swirls
appeared and formed into words
. This was Elven magic.

The thought surprised him, because he'd believed it to be
hoonan magic, but the writing was in an ancient Elven
tongue
. As his fingers touched
the paper, he realized that while the language was ancient, the
voice was not. The tongue was forgotten now and taught only to
Royal offspring, as the coronation ceremony occurred within
Firfesh
.

Prince Fade of
Haden,

You do not hold me in your ken, but I know of
you
.

You were destined to come to Earth on this
day
, a planet that is far
away from our own home- Mearth. Only magik unites the two and your
instincts will not have deceived you- hoonan magik as well as Elven
has ensured that you have reached this place in the universe- your
destiny awaits you.

The female to whom this house belongs is my
daughter
. I am Queen Setta of
Jender and she is Heather of Jender- the heiress to my
throne.

In these dark days, the mating heat is a
rarity
. Few are fortunate
enough to enjoy the experience. Soon, Fade your blood will heat as
will that of my daughter. You are mated to one another and have
been since her birth.

Her blood is yours
.
The shaman, Beebe, bonded you as a small child.

Your mother and I were as close as
sisters
. Your father tried to
destroy our relationship, but we refused to accede to his demands.
You would have been raised as family and both of us would have
prayed for a love match between you, but that was not
possible.

Hate us if you must, but it is done and you must protect my
child
.

Thirty years ago, she was taken to Earth by my sister,
Maylar
. Factions attempted to
destroy our kingdom and came after us. We survived and prevailed,
but even then, Heather was a pretty lass. She was naught but a
child, a mere babe when one of the fighting men took a like to her.
We only just managed to spare her such perversion and I knew that
only hiding her would protect Heather's chastity for
you.

Bind her to you with your seed and do so
fast
. Even now, factions wish
to overtake the kingdom and my husband is ill, we need our
son-in-law to fight for us. Haden is dead. You know it, we know it.
Your father has killed it with his voracious need for an heir and
he is dead now. There is no kingdom to rule. Rule Jender in our
stead. Be a warrior King, we sorely need you.

Your wings will merely ease our path
. Jender is a great kingdom, rich and powerful
and many are greedy, they wish to hold its wealth in their
hands.

But my husband and I gift it to you and
Heather
.

I hope to see you soon
, this magik is current. I write to you now from my chamber
in Jeldsted Palace.

Protect and love my
daughter, as I wish I had been able to over the years of her
growing up.

I miss her and hope she
can understand my sacrifice.

Queen Setta of Jender
.

The swirls and curls ceased t
heir formation and no more words appeared on the paper. He
stood there for what seemed like endless minutes, staring down at
the paper almost as though he were waiting for more words to
appear.

Before Fade even had a moment to think about what he'd just
read, before he could even contemplate the ramifications of the
woman's words, the female in his arms, this Heather, began to
stir
.

It took one second for her to awaken and for a shriek to
escape her mouth in one long howl
.

Before Fade could silence her, a hand swept out of nowhere,
dove between his legs and this time, it was Fade who crumpled to
the ground
.

In agony
.

Chapter
Three

Even though her entire body ached like a bitch, Heather
couldn't help the silly grin that literally cracked her face in
two
.

She'd done it
.

Whoever the guy was, he was no longer threatening
her
. And when he did
eventually wake up, he'd still be in pain. That's what she called a
score. As well as girl power. Being raised in one of the toughest
neighborhoods in the toughest cities in America had taught her a
lot. The Big Apple was no place for pansies. Strength, guts and
courage were the requirements for city survival and while she'd
removed herself from the big bad world and transplanted herself
into Boggarty, Pennsylvania, it certainly hadn't been removed from
her. Ha.

She sat up even though her bones protested and grimaced as
her muscles began t
heir own
complaint too. Adrenaline took some of the pain away, so tomorrow,
she'd undoubtedly feel like a pile of shit- now, she just had to
deal with the big piece of crap slumped over on her kitchen floor.
As her body recalibrated itself, and she managed to lean her torso
on her arms to keep her upright, Heather studied the man lying
prostrate before her.

He was handsome
. She
had to give him that.

In fact, he was movie-star good looking
. The kind of man that doesn't really exist
outside of a woman's fantasies. His hair was shoulder-length and
rippled with a wave that would have cost a fortune at a salon.
Blacker than black, it was like ink and in the overhead light it
shimmered glossily, a sure and certain sign of good health. His
face was an odd shape for man, almost like a heart, with a wide
forehead and equally wide cheekbones and a pointed chin. His jaw
was strong though, chiseled. His heart-shaped face should have
given him a delicate, effeminate look - but combined with that
granite jaw, effeminacy didn't stand a chance. His facial hair was
a sooty black. Slashing eyebrows were puckered in a frown, that
told her of his pain even in his unconscious state. Hell, she must
have more power in her fist than she'd ever realized. Score another
to her.

His eyelashes curled against those ice-sculpted cheekbones
and underneath his golden skin, a five o'clock shadow was making
itself known
. His nose was a
fierce, slashing line and it topped a rose-pink mouth. His lower
lip was full and rather wide, but the upper was thin and almost
entirely free of a cupid's bow. She recalled the moment his eyes
had caught hers and she'd felt as though she'd been caught in a
raptor's gaze. . . . Golden-green eyes. A peculiar
shade.

As she studied him, he moved and his hair tumbled to the
floor rather than partially cover his face as it had
been
. Her eyes widened as she
saw his ears and her hand crept up to rub at her own. Her ears had
always caused her embarrassment. Sure, they'd never stuck out or
anything. They weren't bad enough to require a visit to a plastic
surgeon, but the upper curve had always a gentle point. It wasn't
entirely freakish and was easy enough to cover with her bob, but
she'd always felt like something out of a fairy tale.

As odd as she felt the shape to her own ears was, that was
nothing in comparison to this guy's ear
.

"Christ Almighty
.” Her
words were swallowed by the yawning silence in the kitchen. But she
didn't notice, her concentration was entirely fixed on the man
before her.