T. Grey: Ties That Bind

“Don’t do it,” she said in a soft, unsteady voice.

Her hand tightened over his wrist and he opened his fingers, the dagger falling to the ground with a metal clink. Staring into her deep eyes he said, “Alrik Demzui, I banish you from this kingdom from this day forth. You are never to return or else meet your death.”

“Please kill me,” his brother pleaded in a ragged voice.

Telal jerked himself away, unable to look at his brother, afraid he might give in to his wishes. “Get him…take him out of here.”

A flurry of movement appeared. Faces he recognized on some level but that he didn’t quite comprehend. A soft, small hand curled around his, and when Lily stepped into his arms, he held her as close as possible.

Three Weeks Later

Telal set his feet onto the floor by the bed and slowly stood up. He felt so much older now. A raw pain now lived in his heart that he wasn't sure would ever go away. Yet, he knew it could be worse. Could he ever thank her enough for what she’d done? She’d saved his brother’s life, and in turn, his own in a way. Alrik was gone. Tossed out into the night and hadn’t been seen since. The questions of where was he and how was he doing tormented him. But it was for the best. His people needed him now.

And he needed her, needed her more than he could express. And he'd tried to. He'd tried to tell her how much he loved her, how much her constant patience at his side had helped him through the experience. Yet, he hadn't been able to say more than I love you .

It wasn't enough. Not by a long shot. Actions spoke louder than words,

Standing, he went to the dresser and flipped through the different style of clothes in there. Most were elegant robes embroidered with gold thread and gems on the collar. The kind of shit his father used to wear. Eschewing the ridiculous garbs, he pulled on a pair of cargo pants and a t-shirt. Did he look like a king? No, and the royalty could barely disguise their disgust at his appearance but he didn’t care. He had their support in making their people an equal and just one, which started at the bottom up. Already demons ported to the earthen-realm to rediscover the “old world” as they called it. Everything should have been right in the world. But it wasn’t quite.

Telal went back to the bed and studied the succubus who slept next to him every night. Her dark hair spilled around the pillow in wisps; her arm had flung out across the bed after he'd gotten out. His heart pulled tight with love. How could someone love so much it hurt? It seemed impossible—and completely foolish—yet all he had to do was look at her and the world seemed to stop turning. Well, at least while she was sleeping and had her mouth shut. She still had the uncanny ability to make him roll his eyes and give him a headache. But that was just a part of her, a part he accepted. It wasn't like he was perfect.

He leaned down and kissed her bow-shaped mouth.

“I love you.”

She mumbled, her lips moving against his. “Looove you,” she said, then her breathing deepened again. Yeah, his chest felt like it could burst right now.

Telal made his way outside. The fresh air breezed across him, stirring his hair. The sound of a giggle brought him to the side of the castle. He turned the corner and smiled.

“Ah, sir, sorry about that.” Kearnyn had Rosa pushed up against the wall, his face in her neck. She blushed and hid behind his big body—not a tough feat.

“Carry on.”

Even with Alrik's banishment, the death of the Atal Warriors, and all of the demon guards some good had come out of it. Kearnyn had proposed to Rosa and he had Lily. He couldn’t help but wonder if this had all been necessary. Could he have done things any other way that would have resulted in a better outcome? Every day he saw Lily's death flash in his eyes, remembered holding his brother, hearing his agonizing pleas. Tears formed in his eyes and Telal shook his head to get rid of them. He was a king now; he'd better start acting like it.

Fredrick, his new lead councilman, hurried towards him from the bailey, his yellow-blonde braid trailing behind him. “Sir, we are making great progress on rebuilding the homes. Some of the royalty though have concerns about this 'work' endeavor. They say they have no work skill, and to be perfectly frank, most don't.”

“Then they will learn as anyone else has had to. They will contribute in one way or another to the kingdom.”

“Very good, sir. And as for the ceremony, everything is on schedule. Celine Beaucrest has offered to do the work for Lily-err, your mate, sir.”

“Thanks, Fredrick.” Telal left the councilman and headed off to the village.

He found himself coming here every day. It served as a reminder of why he'd done what he did; that there had been a bigger purpose in his coming here. He stood on a small hill overlooking the village. Old homes were being replaced by stronger, stone-built ones that would keep them warmer and safer from fires and the cold. The people talked in the square which was only a square of grass the size of his office, but he had plans to improve that too. The people smiled and laughed, pointing at the houses and talking loudly, full of energy.

A soft sound brought his head around. Lily smiled at him in a way that he learned meant she was thinking mischievous thoughts. She came up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Hey, handsome. What are you up to? Brooding like a golden knight in front of all the ladies?”

He laughed and slipped his fingers in her hair. It was always so soft, so sweet smelling; he didn't know how she did it, but he couldn't seem to keep his hands out of it whenever she was near. “You caught me. I was just picking women out for my harem.”

“Haha, you wish.”

His smile died. “No, I don't. I just want you.”

Her smile faltered, became genuine. “Me too.”

Telal cleared his throat and took a step back, his stomach grinding with nerves. “I wanted to talk to you about something.”

She eyed him with cautious eyes. “Oh? And what's that?”

His cheeks started to burn and he looked out over the village to hide it. The sounds of hammers banging in nails and men giving orders wasn’t exactly the most romantic atmosphere but he had to get it out before he lost the nerve.

“I want you to mate with me.” He kept his back to her, couldn't bear to see her face and what she thought, even if a part of him was dying to.

So much time passed that he didn't even know if she still stood behind him. He turned around. “Just give me an answer, Lily.”

She wasn’t even looking at him. She stared up at the sky, a small smile on her face. Her eyes drifted down to meet his and her eyes glowed with love. “I had a vision of this once, remember? I wrote to you about it. The sky was bright with pink and orange like it is right now and you looked down at me with this angry frown on your face, and then you kissed me and stole my breath away.”

Telal’s patience steadily drained away. “I need an answer now.”

Her chin lowered and she looked up at him. “Kiss me and you'll find your answer.”

His chest tightened, his heart pounding as he strode towards her. He wasn't gentle as he pulled her into his arms and pressed his mouth against hers. Her lips parted on a sigh and he delved inside, conquering her mouth, making it every bit his as it was hers. Her arms came around his neck and a victory chant start to grow in his head. Her sweet mouth moved against his, her tongue sliding against his, lips pecking and kissing. Through action, he showed her what he felt.

She pulled away but he didn't want to stop so he followed her down and kissed her some more until she was breathless and panting, her body straining against his in way that made him want to growl.