Eternal Darkness (A Novel of the Amagarians Book 1) (7 page)

“King Gidon would have taken my life to protect you,” Drac said, his
voice implacable.

“Why did you
bite me?”

He lowered his lashes, before lifting his eyes to her. The regret in them was unmistakable. “Forgive me, Princess. I lost control and I...” A grimace flashed across his face. “I have yet to figure out why I
attacked you.”

“You also saved me.” She allowed her gaze to caress the paleness of his features, the dark mark that curve from hair to left cheek, the harsh beauty of his face, waiting for his response. He could not comprehend how frightening he looked crouched before her. Saieke’s curiosity warred with her disquiet, and his silence prompted her to speak, “All Darkans possesses
a beast?”

He smiled but it did not reach his eyes. “Yes, but not all can do what my king did. Only the oldest and most powerful of our kind can summon our
Cerja
to a
corporeal form.”

“I had not thought your king was
an elder.”

He hesitated. “Gidon is not. My king is a power only a few
can comprehend.”

Saieke sensed he was not comfortable talking about his people. “Why do you share this knowledge with me? Many are ignorant about
your kind.”

“To allay
you fear.”

Saieke hesitated. “I will honor the oath I made even if I fear
your people.”

Drac tensed subtly. “I assuage your terror because I do not
like it.”

He did not like it?
“Don’t you mean that you feed on my fear?” Saieke’s raked her fingers through her tumbled hair. “I know you consume my dark emotions, and you enjoyed
my torment.”

He reached out as if to touch her hair and paused. He spoke with quiet intensity, “I have known fear, Princess. Have felt its bitter taste, smelled its fetidness, and I do not wish for you to have such feelings. I did not enjoy your pain. I am deeply regretful you have known
such horrors.”

“I doubt you know my fear.” Her fingers tightened on
the coverlets.

“I live in a world you cannot comprehend, Princess. I have been broken. Limbs shattered. Spine severed and the stench of my blood all I could inhale. I understand. Be assured that you will not be harmed in my kingdom again,”
he vowed.

She believed him. Saieke’s heart clamored as she gazed into the cruelty that lined his features. “Thank you,” she whispered at loss with what else to say. Though it was hard to imagine the predator crouched before her had even been broken as
he described.

“May I touch you?” His voice was gravelly and hoarse, and an unexpected shiver of anticipation cascaded down
her spine.

“Yes,” she pushed the words past her lips, her heart beating a
painful cadence.

His lips curved into a smile. He was such a vicious beauty.
Oh, why am I so intrigued when I should
be petrified?

He held one of her hands, his touch so gentle it was startling. “Though I do not know what prompted the desire to bite you, I promise I will not lose control around you again. Even now, I can taste the anxiety you feel at my closeness, but I swear you have no cause to
fear me.”

She wetted her lips, a nervous reaction, and he
jerked visibly.

“I will try,”
she promised.

A fleeting smile touched his lips. “Thank you. How many I
make amends?”

She hesitated. “
Amends for?”

“
Hurting you.”

“You did not hurt me.” Why did she
say that?

His gazed landed on her throat. “Then for scaring you. For my people harming you.” He pulled his eyes from the arch of her neck with evident reluctance. “
Please speak.”

“I do not know the fate of my Queen’s blades. I…I would be grateful to know if they lived
or perished.”

“You will have that knowledge, I promise.” The timbre of his voice was rough and thick,
but soothing.

“You are staring, Darkan.”

The slightest of hesitation, then he said, “You
are beautiful.”

Oh
. “As are you,” slipped from
her unbidden.

He arched a brow. “I have been called many things, but
never beautiful.”

She smiled. “I am glad to have been
your first.”

His obsidian eyes darkened if that were even possible. He slowly rose and leaned in to her, giving her enough time to retreat. Her heart beating in trepidation, Saieke angled her head down slightly to meet his ascent. Fear and lust swirled in her blood when his lips met hers, then he stilled. Uncertainty and liquid heat, hot and scalding, rushed through her, leaving
her breathless.

A Darkan is
kissing me
.

Not just any Darkan, but Drac. His eyes pierced hers, swirling with a need she could not identify. She waited for him to continue, and he did nothing. The silky hardness of his lips lured her into a tentative exploration. She softened her lips, opening
them slightly.

His taste was evocative. Though he did not respond, it was the most thrilling kiss she had ever had. The soft press of her lips teased his mouth open, and she moaned, overwhelmed by need. Saieke felt a hard pulse of emotion from him that was contained so quickly, she could not decipher it. Smoky threads of
chakra
coated his skin. She felt the curve of his lips beneath hers, and that was all the warning she got before
he plundered.

His mouth moved under hers with raw seductive force. He rose to his full height, lifting her to meet him. Saieke moaned into his mouth as her body pressed flush against his. He cupped her cheeks and her mouth was now under his, being thoroughly ravished. His tongue beckoned and suckled, pooling heat deep inside her core. Everything about him called to the primal instincts buried in her, and she responded greedily to the dominance of
his touch.

She wrenched herself from his arms, stumbling as her feet touched the ground. Saieke backed away, stopping when the bed hit the back of her knees. She had never felt such gratification from a kiss before. The ache from it was deep and satisfying,
too satisfying
.

His eyes ran over her in a predatory manner, caressing over her lips that felt bruised, then over the coverlet that she still had clutched to her. Saieke sputtered when he wrenched the covers from her hands, leaving
her naked.

His
chakra
throbbed violently, and the smoky wisps became darker. Her first impulse was to rush behind the screen and dress herself, but she forced herself to stand still under his perusal and fought the wave of mortification that turned her
body pink.

She had had thought to seduce him, and now she stood in front of him in all her naked glory, and he seemed
utterly fascinated.

She might not have to do anything at all to lose her purity. But unease flared, for she was also
undoubtedly fascinated.

Drac had never felt such arousal in all his three hundred years, or such pleasure from looking at a naked body. Darkan women were tall and honed like warriors, lithe and sleek. The princess was all curves. Her breasts were heavy yet firm, her flat stomach flared into hips that were wide and alluring. His gaze roamed from her hips down and paused, then moved to her thighs which were well toned and curved. She was so sensually formed his
teeth ached.

Need rode him hard and deep. He could feel her anxiety as she stood facing him, and he could smell her wetness. She smelled sweet. He knew with deep bone certainty her heated arousal on his tongue would taste
even better.

He wanted her with a fierceness that was overpowering, but she was the heir and princess to a throne, and must be a virgin. She could not handle anything that he could throw at her, much less a bedding. He wanted her underneath him, seated so deep on his cock she would never forget the feel of him. That was not something he should be contemplating, but he and his beast were in agreement about
wanting her.

Take.

The longer he stared, the more she reacted to his proximity. Her eyes sparkled with uncertainty, wickedness and temptation, and his fingertips burned with the need to glide over her skin, down to her slit to test
her readiness.

Remember what is at stake if
I succumb.

Never had he been so drawn to a female. Drac had always been careful to bed women who understood the viciousness buried him in, who embraced their darkness similarly. His brother had fallen in love with a woman who refused to draw upon her demon powers, reviling the very essence she could never separate from. Assassins had come with the shadows and she had been taken as a bargaining chip. And she’d been an effective one. Vlad had betrayed their kingdom in the name of saving a woman who’d been too weak to fight and hold on until he arrived. Then he’d relinquished his soul to his demon when he
lost her.

The torment of fighting his brother, of being unable to kill him as he ravaged so many of their people, drunk on the malevolence of the power of his demon, beat in Drac’s blood. Vlad had been unstoppable. Terrifying.

Drac had already proven harm to the princess made him dangerous. And he risked the same loss of self to even contemplate taking her as
a mate.

Mate?

His heart slammed into his throat. When had it moved from wanting to fuck her body to her being the next half to
his soul?

She swayed closer to him, her ripe scent an unbearable temptation. Drac clenched his teeth as desire hardened his cock to the point of pain. The thing that lured him, beckoned so dangerously, was that she had not been repulsed by his touch, knowing that he was
a Darkan.

He was intrigued, even though it was dangerous to be
so enthralled.

***

Saieke’s heart pounded as Drac’s
charka
became darker and curled around her body, almost caressing her. Her nipples tightened as he stepped closer and used his fingers to trail from her neck down her collar, his face darkly sensual. Heat climbed her neck as he trailed his fingers with pressure over her hard straining nipple, where he lingered, then
gently pinched.

She flinched, and he dropped
his hand.

Saieke felt as if he was testing his limits…or testing hers. Even in the face of all that she was feeling and allowing, he was almost expressionless. If not for the feelings that leaked through his
chakra
she would not have known that he was as aroused
as she.

She parted her lips, but no sound came out when he cupped between her legs with firm possessiveness. He used one of his feet to nudge her
legs wider.

“I don’t…”

He lowered his head and captured her lips in a
domineering kiss.

Sharp desire gripped her in a tight vice. He flexed his hand, but did not move it beyond that. A thing she was grateful for as mortifying wetness had already started to slick from her
feminine channel.

He bit gently into her bottom lip, and she whimpered into his kiss. His touch grew firmer, turning her gasp into a moan of heat. He parted her folds and ran his fingers into her wetness. Saieke shivered as he slipped a finger deep inside. Her breathing came harshly, and she swallowed, adjusting to the strangeness of his intimate caress. A thumb flick against her nub and she arched her hips more into
his touch.

He lifted her roughly. Saieke instinctively encircled his thighs with her legs, sliding the finger deeper and creating the most delicious friction in
her core.

“This is dangerous,” he growled against
her lips.

She knew it was dangerous, yet it stunned her to know that
he knew
and continued. His teeth snapped together and the corded muscles at his throat strained. She felt more than saw his
burning hunger.

“Yes…” she whispered, giving in to the tempest even as fear pummeled her. If he took her purity, there would be no going back. “Kiss me,”
she tempted.

“No,” he groaned, resisting the jerk of her hips that buried his finger so
much deeper.

She was tilted with speed, and before she could blink, she lay in the bed with the coverlet tucked under her chin.
Why had
he stopped?

“You’re awake.” A voice filled with amazement had Saieke swinging her head toward the
chamber entrance.

Two ladies entered with baskets in hand with herbs and scented water. How had he
heard them?

“Princess?” A hesitant voiced queried at
her silence.

“My lord!” One of the women said as Drac sauntered forward all
chakra
and
emotions contained.

They quickly curtsied. His eyes made contact with hers over their heads, and his lips curved into a sensual smile that had her clenching her legs together, hoping to subdue the throb of desire. Then he disappeared. Saieke’s heart lurched. She was not mistaken, he
simply vanished.

She flashed from the bed wrapping the coverlets around her naked frame, praying to the King of All, the ladies could not sense her anxiety. “You refer to him as
a lord?”

The ladies glanced at each other. “Yes, High Lord El Kyn is the Archduke of the Northern Keep. He is the Mecca there,” The younger
replied hesitantly.

Drac was an Archduke? She filed the
information away.

The healers were beautiful. Their skins so pale it appeared translucent, their hair dark and straight. They observed at her with bald curiosity. It was hard to reconcile that these women had beasts within and could kill in
her seconds.

“I am Lea, Princess El Shyokara, and this is my daughter Tien.” After a slight hesitation Lea continued, “Tien and I returned with more of our herbal water to bathe your wounds, but you
appear healed.”

Saieke smiled, hoping to dispel their evident anxiety. What did they have to be anxious about? She was the one alone with two Darkans. “I thank you both for your care. I had my kingdom’s healing water within a vial. With a sip, I was able be restored to my
full vitality.”

Saieke brimmed with curiosity to ask about Drac. She shouldn’t be so enthralled with him, but she selfishly admitted he aroused her completely. If she took him as a lover, she would be unchained from marriage to the King Ajali. Fear tightened her throat, and Lea paused, hunger flashing across her face. Saieke grimaced, hating that her unguarded emotions
provided food.

“Would you do us the privilege of sharing information of your healing elixir?” Tien asked with a
tentative smile.

Saieke nodded. “I would be
honored to.”

Their pleased expressions relaxed her. It felt good to see that not all Darkans reeked of brutality. After quickly dressing, she sat in the high winged back chair by the fire, and the healers questioned her extensively of the elixir’s many uses. She answered with patience, enjoying their conversation and the sense of normalcy after
her attack.

“Oh my,” Lea said, a sheepish expression settling on her lovely features. “King Gidon had ordered a report on your wellbeing after we tended you. We need to inform him right away that you are healed.” She turned to her daughter. “Tien, please advise the king of what
has transpired.”

Dark swirls of
chakra
formed a path to the door, then out of the room, allowing her to track Tien’s movements. “The way your people move is intriguing,” Saieke ventured. “Earlier the
Archduke vanished.”

“The more powerful Darkans leave fewer traces,” the healer offered with
a smile.

Saieke frowned. “The Archduke exited the chamber without opening
the door.”

There was a slight hesitation before Lea answered, “To
shiktred
is to control the shadows and darkness, a power that is inherent to all Darkans, but is only mastered by those who train relentlessly. As for doors, the shadows bend around them, so some Darkans do not need to open or
close them.”

Saieke understood. Only those who honed their
chakra
and trained themselves can master the elements of the seven kingdoms. She had been training for years and had only a few months past, wielded water with the grace and strength of how she controlled her wind. “Please tell me more,”
Saieke implored.

“We are faster than all Amagarians, except for a Darkan using the powers of his beast. If we are in other kingdoms, we use the shadows cast from the fire-places, the great torches, the moon, and
the sun.”

Saieke stiffened. “I thought Darkans only existed in the dark?” The very idea of that rumor being false filled her
with terror.

Lea did not reply as the door opened and her daughter came in with the ladies
in waiting.

“Princess Saieke, the king has requested your presence in his chambers in the next hour. I have brought your ladies in waiting,
and there are several trusted guards waiting outside to escort you,”
Tien said.

Lea promptly rose. “We thank you for your patience with our incessant questions, Princess. Please have a relaxing time here at the Darkage until you return
to Boreas.”

With graceful curtsies, they
shiktred
from the chamber, leaving Saieke alone with her very
muddled thoughts.

***

“What the fuck happened?” Gidon demanded the second Drac appeared in the
council room.

His cadre waited for his answer. He had none to give. Drac stalked to the table that held decanters of their wine, poured a chalice full, and
drank deeply.

“Drac, what happened?” Gidon’s tone was
dangerously soft.

“Not sure,”
Drac rasped.

“You broke the law when you killed the princess’s attacker. You ripped him apart with you bare hands,”
Gidon said.

Drac inhaled deeply to subdue the flare of darkness that rose in him. He knew he had broken the law. Disputes were not settled with brutality any more. Laws were implemented with sheriffs and systems had been put in place to ensure they were upheld, to ensure the Darkage was civilized, and he threatened everything they had been working for with his loss of control…and he risked being the ravaging demon his brother had become. He’d always sworn never to claim a woman if she had the ability to inspire him to such madness. It was damn frustrating to know she’d not even tried, and he killed one of his people with little effort. Imagining the thousands he could kill if she was his mate and she was harmed
was unbearable.

Maybe he was getting ahead of himself. Maybe…just maybe…what he felt was a simple reaction to one of the most stunning women he’d ever laid eyes on. His beast twisted in his mind, and amused
laughter echoed.

Amusement?
Fuck…he was losing
his mind.

“They attacked a royal in our nation with the intention to cause serious harm. Their action is punishable by death, Gidon,” Talon said into the silence that seethed
with danger.

“You don’t think I know that?” their king growled. “We still have a system of laws which must be strictly followed before judgment is handed down, and if found guilty, they are certainly not executed by being ripped apart. Gather your thoughts and explain, Drac. How did you know the princess was the one being attacked, and why would it cause such a reaction
in you?”

Drac grunted, stalking to the windows overlooking the wildness of their kingdom. He wanted the death of the two Darkans held in the dungeon with an irrationality he could not suppress. Even now, he wanted to coat himself in the blood that would pour from them when he was through. Because they
hurt her.

Yes
, his darkness hissed as they accorded. He knew the men were to be given a hearing before being judged for their actions. They would be given the opportunity to defend their atrocity, then their defense would be assessed by Gidon and the twelve elders who sat on the council, and their fate determined. It was a law Gidon and his father had worked hard to integrate into their society. They now operated with order and respect for the guidelines, and for those who enforced those guidelines. Their kingdom thrived and flourished under the new structure and rules, and Drac had just threatened
the structure.

He was the same
as Vlad.

Drac was a Mecca, the Archduke of the northern quadrant, and he had broken a cardinal law. Yet all he was concerned about was the princess being healed and safe. “I think she is my mate,” he said in the silence. Saying it out loud did not lessen unease
stalking him.