Authors: Alexa Blair
Chapter 6
Tamera yawned as she woke up in the morning. She could smell coffee brewing and followed her nose to the kitchen. Julius was there, and he looked good. His hair was wet from a shower and she suddenly felt like she should have asked to take one. She felt grimy and a little dirty after having sex at least five times last night. Her legs were stiff and her stomach hurt in places that showed her those muscles hadn't gotten a good workout in quite a while.
"You want some coffee?" Julius asked her as he grabbed another cup. "My housekeeper will get to the dishes later, but I made some breakfast if you are hungry."
"I would like breakfast, thank you, and coffee would be wonderful," she told him as she sat at the bar at the island counter. "I am going to need to get home to get ready for work at some point today."
"I'll take you home after you eat, but let's talk first." He had a serious expression on his face as he handed her the coffee. "I want to see you again, Tamera. I like you, a lot. We are clearly...compatible in more ways than one."
"If you mean all the sexual positions, sure," she joked and sipped her coffee. Sighing in pleasure, she closed her eyes and savored it. Now this was good coffee. Opening her eyes back up, she grinned at him.
"I mean that despite our different backgrounds, we work well together. I like you. When I'm with you, I'm just Julius. You accept me. All of me, my human and my bear side...even my job. I couldn't ask for a better woman, Tamera. You're beautiful, funny, and smart. I want to see you again. Sex for one night isn't going to be enough for me when it comes to you. I want you to be willing to give this a real chance between us," he told her as he slid a plate of toast and eggs across the island counter for her to eat. Waiting for her response, he looked a little tense.
Tamera almost felt bad for him. She wasn't sure where they'd end up, but she agreed it was worth finding out where it would go. With one exception.
"We need to be more careful in the future with how we have sex, then. No more sex without protection, not unless we end up in a committed relationship. I let myself get carried away last night. I've never done that before. Something makes me want to throw all common sense to the wind to be with you."
"If you insist," he said, shrugging. "Did you know bears mate for life?"
"Do they really?" she said, looking shocked.
"No, I dunno. I was joking, but I'm the kind that would mate for life." He gave her a pointed look and then let her finished her coffee as she absorbed what he was telling her.
"I had fun last night," Tamera said, not sure what he was getting at entirely. But she was getting the hint that he wanted more than one night with her. The question was, could she handle what he asked for. While she wasn't looking for the rich, billionaire boyfriend, she had been looking for a shifter. Most would consider his being rich a bonus, but money brought a lot of troubles.
"Tamera, whatever this chemistry is that's going on between us, I think it can last. Sex with you is amazing, and you accept my shifter side. You already know that I'm a domineering ass at times, and it seems you can get past that. You will stand up to me when needed. You bring out a part of me that I can't share with anyone else most of the time. You asked for it, eagerly," he told her and cupped her cheek as he looked down at her. "It would be easy to fall in love with you. I'm not trying to pressure you, or rush you. I just want a chance to let this go where it goes."
"I think I can handle that," Tamera said. His amber eyes were lighter than normal, a sign of his intense feelings right now. She was already starting to learn to read him. She realized that, when she looked at him, she wanted to know everything about him. "But, I have a few conditions."
"Okay, I'm listening. I won't make promises before I hear what they are," he told her and raised his brows together.
"No secrets. We have to communicate and talk. You have a high-stress job where women will throw themselves at you because of money. I'm not the jealous type. I'd be able to trust you as long as you tell me everything. Even when I don't want to hear it. I can handle the truth better than feeling like there are secrets between us." She nodded as she spoke. "Second, you have to agree to shift for me occasionally. I want to see it, to touch you when you're in your other form. I find it enthralling, and it's a part of what I find attractive about you. I suppose this falls under the ‘no secrets’ request."
Laughing, Julius leaned down and kissed her. "Fine, I can live with all of that, but I have a condition of my own."
"I'm listening," she said breathlessly after he pulled back from the kiss.
"That when you love me, you're not afraid to say it. I want you to be honest with me about your feelings, and what you're thinking. I can't make educated decisions if I don't have all the information. Simply put, information is my specialty. Unlike a computer where I can figure everything out by looking at code or running programs, human relationships are far more complex. I'm not a mind reader, which means your bluntness is one of the things I like the most about you." He rubbed his knuckles against her chin. He resisted the animal urge to put her on the counter and have his way with her until the conversation was over.
"I can do that. I think this is the start of a beautiful relationship," Tamera whispered to him as she leaned forward and put her hand against his chest.
Kissing him back, they both ended up late for work.
THE END
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Blood of the Queen
In the more glamorous tomes of history, empires seem to always collapse because of one fatal and grand strike at the heart of it all. However, in Aurora's experience, she saw more empires fall thanks to steady decline and slow deterioration. The general peasantry seemed not to notice the declining state of the Romanian empire at this stage. To the nobles and the aristocrats, the decline was all too clear.
No one thing was responsible for this decline, but the fact of Gothic invasions from the west being a pestilence to her country, the crops failing for two consecutive years, and a withdrawal of support from the Roman Catholics in the country, among other things, fed into the deterioration of Romania's glory. Perhaps their architecture and art was above the bar for standard, but not all the art in the world would save them from falling into a bloody war with German tribes and crumbling.
Even if it weren't for the German barrage, Aurora's power on the empire was slipping. She refused to cooperate with the Huns--a long standing tradition of her people. Though the Great Khan did not seem to be too offended by this choice, the aristocracy were outraged by the decision. Breaking ties with the violent and backstabbing group of the Huns seemed to Aurora to be a no brainer, yet it was a political suicide of sorts.
The grip that Aurora now held on the throne was more tenuous than ever, both from events in which she authored, and events which were relics of past generations and of current world turmoil. Being the first queen to rule of Romania in many generations was a tough enough hurdle for Aurora to overcome, but scarcely did she establish her dominance and independence did all the trouble which threatened to take away her throne emerge.
This was a matter of pride to Aurora now, more than it was anything else. She felt as though she belonged on the throne, and that she was the best to guide her people through the hardship that they were facing. Therefore, she could not possibly give up the crown to some other upstart who was cocky enough to think all the problems of Romania could be solved simply. No, all those who were eligible to take Aurora's place on the throne, should she decide it was time to step down, were young and foolhardy.
Granted, Aurora was a young queen herself. She was seventeen when she took the throne, and twenty-five now, as the end of her nation seemed to be looming over the horizon. If she did lose Romania, what would people think? Would they ascribe the loss as incompetence by the leader? Would she be seen as weak simply because she was a woman? Or would history view her kindly, and assume that it was mostly the jumbled mess left behind by some old dead guys that were in the ground before they had to deal with the trouble that they had wrought?
Aurora simply sighed as her thoughts turned down that avenue. She knew full well what the answer to her question was. She would be labeled as an incompetent failure, regardless of the circumstance. Without even taking her gender into account, the historians never favored the last ruler of a nation, who ultimately oversaw its ruin. Give these same historians the chance to ridicule the leader for being a "weak" woman, and they would have a hayday with the opportunity.
Granted, in dire times such as these, perhaps it was best to put vanity to the side in place of other concerns. Yet all Aurora could do was worry these days, whether upon herself or matters of the country.
"Dear God, but this situation is hopeless," she muttered to herself while sitting at her vanity and looking at her reflection.
"If you take that attitude, then indeed it is, Madam," Dracule, Aurora's butler, said calmly. Aurora nearly jumped out of her seat.
"Dracule!" she said in surprise, turning to look at him. He had a habit of entering rooms as silently as a ghost, and lingering like one, too. Though this propensity was a bit odd, Aurora usually liked how interesting he could make things a bit more interesting. Needless to say, this time around she was not as pleased with his antics.
"Yes, Madam," he replied, a ghost of a smile sneaking onto his pale lips.
"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" Aurora demanded.
"I have indeed, and I understand it in theory," Dracule replied, but when he saw that Aurora's grimace did not fade while he spoke, he bowed slightly. "My apologies for having upset you, Madam. I fancy myself a joker without the idiotic get up, though perhaps I should keep my fancies confined to my own head," Dracule said.
Aurora's tension relaxed upon hearing that. "No, no. I require none of your apologies. I'm just tense," Aurora replied. Dracule was her favorite servant to be sure. If he wasn't, he wouldn't attempt having such a loose tongue when around the queen. Yet, even he had his limits of speech around her.
"I understand, Madam. There is great reason to be. Things are difficult now, but you are as capable a leader as I've ever seen," Dracule said.
"That's not too impressive, considering you've only seen two, Dracule," Aurora replied. Dracule knew Aurora, of course, and also had worked under her father. But he was but ten years older than Aurora, so he saw no other rulers of Romania.
"Well, your father was well liked, and I'm telling you that you're as good as he was. Isn't that something to ease your troubled mind?" Dracule asked.
"My father wasn't facing the Germanic invasion, or a drought. I wish I knew what I was doing so differently," Aurora said.
"Perhaps you're not paying proper respects to the rain god. When you dance, is your ceremony clockwise, or counter clockwise?"
"Oh, haha," Aurora replied, not too amused by Dracule's sarcasm. "If only this could be resolved through something that simple,"Aurora said with a sigh.
"Complicated situations require complicated solutions. But you know this well, Madam," Dracule said. He dropped his air of sarcastic joking for a moment to talk more seriously with his mistress, much to her relief.
"I know this well, Dracule. But this knowledge doesn't make the burden any less of a cross to bear," Aurora sighed.
"I think it's best for you to spend some time thinking rather than being pestered by me, Madam," Dracule said, then bowed. "I'll see myself out."
"Very well," Aurora said, and remained at her seat until she heard the door click, signifying that Dracule had left.
Once he was gone, she sat and stared at her reflection for a while. She had fine features, usually something treasured on an aristocratic woman. Yet, these soft and delicate features that she possessed just furthered everyone's opinion that she was weak even further. She wished she had a strong jaw, a bigger nose, a shorter brow. But no, she was a model for the virgin Madonna, if only she was holding a haloed baby.
These thoughts just made Aurora sigh, and she stood up, going over to the bed and burrowing under the covers. Soon, a deep sleep overtook her. For a little while at least, she could cease to worry about her wondering and self deprecating thoughts and just focus on resting her tired body.
In the darkness of her mind while she rested, the image of Dracule came before her consciousness. She was dreaming, but what an odd dream it was. In the blank and darkness of her sleeping psyche, she stood in a seemingly endless voice with Dracule standing before her. Before she could ask him what the meaning of this whole thing was, he spoke.
"What would you do to protect your people?" Dracule asked, his voice echoing throughout the realm of her mind.
"I would do anything," Aurora replied without hesitation.
"Anything? Even sacrifice yourself?" Dracule asked, keeping all his seriousness in tact.
Aurora hesitated slightly, but then nodded. "Yes. Even sacrifice myself," she replied resolutely.
"What if it was only a chance of saving your people? Would you do it then?" Dracule asked.
At this, Aurora was thrown for a loop. Would she sacrifice herself for merely a chance at saving her people? That was a harder question, because a mere gamble was a dangerous thing to put her life on the line for. Still, considering withot some help, she and Romania were both doomed, she did nod again.
"Yes, I would," Aurora replied, obviously hesitant, but the risk was still worth it.
"It's a shame you rule the country now, Aurora. Or rather, it's a shame and a blessing. To see us out of these hard times, we need a ruler willing to be as selfless as you are. But at the same time, if you ruled during a prosperous time, I can only imagine what good you would be able to do for us," Dracule said with a smile.
"What is the meaning of this, Dracule?" Aurora demanded. Typically she enjoyed Dracule's digressions, but now was not the time. He seemed on the cusp of revealing something of great import.
"If you're serious about this, meet me in the shrine of your predecessors," Dracule replied, and his form gradually began to fade.
Aurora stared, not quite knowing how to react to her butler's disappearing act. Still, she had to ask other question, more pertinent questions. "But wait, don't go yet. What gamble would you have me do? And when should I meet you?" Aurora asked.
"You'll know when the time is right, Madam," Dracule said with a chuckle as his form finally disappeared in its entirety.
Aurora just tried to reach out where she saw that Dracule had vanished, all to no avail.
In what felt like an instant, Aurora found herself awake, sitting up and heaving for breath. That was perhaps the strangest dream that she had ever had. Certainly that dream was just her desperation playing tricks on her mind? Yes, that had to be it.
So, Aurora convinced herself of that and went about her daily duties for a few days, until she felt this strange compulsion to go to the Shrine of Rulers, where all her predecessors had their mark on the country and on the castle recorded in plaques and busts of their likeness carved into the wall.
When the urge first overtook Aurora, she wasn't even considering the dream as the reason that she was heading where she was heading. Instead, she thought that perhaps she would find clues on how to handle the dire situation from past leaders who saw the country through its struggles.
As she browsed past the powerful visages of former rulers of Romania, she traced her fingers subconsciously over her own face, gently running them along her high cheekbone down to her chin. Was she like these men, or was she the odd one out? When other rulers and diplomats walked down this hall, would they stop at Aurora's bust and puzzle over her, wonder if she was included as a mistake, and move on? Or would the castle even still be standing after her reign.
"Madam," Dracule said, standing at the far end of the hallway, dusting off the bust of her late father.
Aurora jumped and went wide eyed for a moment. "Dracule! You nearly scared me to death!"
"I take it you forgot your promise to meet me here, then?" Dracule asked, glancing over at the queen. In that moment, memories of the dream rushed back to Aurora, and she just stared at him dumbstruck.
"You mean--from the dream?" Aurora asked.
"If you wish to call it that, yes," he replied flatly.
"Well, what else would it be called?" Aurora asked, confused. She never thought she'd be asking someone to explain her own dreams to her, but the circumstances were strange all around.
"I would call it a chat between the two of us," Dracule replied calmly.
"A chat? A chat while I was dreaming? A chat while I was asleep? I'm afraid I never thought of a chat being under those kinds of circumstances!" Aurora replied, frowning at her eccentric butler. "How could you refer to something like that so casually?"
"Perhaps your paranormal is just another man's normal, Madam," Dracule replied, and ceased dusting the bust of her late father.
Aurora didn't know whether or not Dracule was making fun of her, but honestly it seemed inconceivable that he wasn't. After all, he seemed to be implying that she was sheltered, when nothing could be further from the truth! Despite her being young, she had become as cultured as anyone could at her age. "I don't appreciate you condescending, Dracule," she said, a dangerous edge to her voice.
"Condescending? Madam, I apologize that you've mistaken my intentions. I'm not purposefully being condescending. I just want you to know that in my world, talking to someone in their dreams isn't so odd," he replied in a soft tone, humbling himself slightly so that Aurora's anger didn't increase.
"In your world? You mean to tell me that you think that talking to someone while they're asleep is completely normal to you?" Aurora asked, not exactly willing to accept that.
"I mean to say, I exist in a world with a different set of norms than you do, my Queen. I meant no disrespect," Dracule said and bowed. "Now, if you would like, we can perhaps talk about the wager you agreed to?" Dracule asked, looking in Aurora's eyes now, though his glance was somewhat tentative.