SWNOVELS Chapter Chapter Seven
Lyrah found herself standing in the familiar lounge of the Mage Fortress. She expected to feel a little relief that she was back in a place that didn’t hold any surprises for her but instead the pain that surged through her body was almost physical. The distance she had placed between her and her mate was already affecting her. She tried to push the thoughts of Rhol far away from her mind and concentrate on anything else for that matter.
“Oh, Lyrah!” She found herself being pulled into a tight embrace by the Mage Queen, Noelle. “I was so worried about you.”
Lyrah had to smile because one thing the Queen Mage didn’t know was to stop worrying about everyone else and start worrying about herself. Somehow, Lyrah felt she was a little selfish for doing all that she did because she got everyone in the Realm of Spells worrying sick about her but at the same time she didn’t regret trying her best to King Rhol, that arrogant and most maddening male in the whole of the enchanted world!
“Are you alright?” Queen Noelle moved back and regarded Lyrah from head to toe with enough worry in her eyes to drown the world a thousand times over.
“I’m alright. You are worse than even my helper.” Lyrah tried to smile but the aching in her heart was unbearable.
Queen Noelle grinned in relief and shook her head. “And I thought I was the worst when it came to driving the Lord Mage up with walls. Oh, you should have seen him when he found out you were gone. He almost brought the fortress down on our heads!” as she talked, Queen Noelle’s Fae wings buzzed behind her with excitement. “But what possessed you to go to the Realm of The Dark?”
Lyrah sighed softly and turned her eyes to the floor. “With everything that is happening, I thought King Rhol would be willing to help out.”
Queen Noelle took Lyrah’s hand and led her to one of the sofas before they settled down cosily and continued talking. “I know this is all difficult right now, Lyrah, but I don’t believe the Lord Mage doesn’t have a strategy to tackle this. He is not the male to give up easily and you should know that by now.”
“It’s not easy when you have everyone pointing fingers at your brother for being the one responsible for breaking the peace in the enchanted world. And with everything that has happened with Queen Seranis and the Fae, I think it is too much for him to handle it by himself.” Lyrah breathed in lightly.
Queen Noelle nodded. “I understand what you mean but I don’t think King Rhol is the male to approach at such times. He had his reasons not to attend the conference and I think by now we all know he is not reliable.”
“There is so much going on in the Realm of The Dark.” Lyrah turned to her friend and sister-in-law. “When I was there, I felt it.”
Queen Noelle frowned slightly. “What did you feel?”
“The same feeling I had when Olena was close beside me...but this time it was a thousand times more.” Lyrah assured Queen Noelle.
Queen Noelle’s eyes widened. “The dark, uneasy feeling?”
“Yes.” Lyrah shifted on her seat, shaking away the shiver that made her way up her spine. “There was a low hum everywhere that you went and it was driving the Ghouls and the animals crazy. And then there was this...thing that invaded the fortress--”
“You shouldn’t think about going back there.” Noelle replied quickly. “I know when you talk like that, you believe that you can do something to help.”
“But I can. Only I was able to feel this new evil. Even though there was a very ancient Mage living there, she couldn’t actually pinpoint where this evil was but I could.” Lyrah assured Queen Noelle.
Queen Noelle pursed her lips and asked. “What did the Lord Mage about all this? He is not the person to actually let this go....what really happened there?”
Lyrah studied the Mage Queen for a moment. Though they were very close friends, she didn’t know if she could tell her that she had found her mate and it is the one ancient male no one trusted in the enchanted world. Queen Noelle was all about protecting everyone else and Lyrah had a feeling if she told her, the Mage Queen would try in her power to protect her.
“Lady Lyrah, your body is yet to recover.” Lord Mage’s voice was the last thing Lyrah wanted to hear but at that moment she was glad he had come in just in time to save her. The large male sauntered in and stood behind his mate.
The Mage Queen immediately stood up at her little black wings buzzed with the excitement of seeing her mate again. Lyrah envied their connection because they were bound by not only duty but love in its purest form. The Lord Mage was no longer alone. He had someone who cared for him and who was ready to lay down her life just so she could save him.
The only thing she felt radiating from her mate on the other hand was nothing but rage at the fact she was his mate. Did he expect someone from a upholding race like the Fae or the Mer-people...or perhaps a Dragon or Phoenix? Well, she was a royal blood Mage and if he didn’t like that, he could get himself united to a Ghoul for all she cared!
Lyrah got up and bobbed lightly. “I think I better go and rest.”
“I’m glad you are home and you are safe.” Queen Noelle smiled softly.
Lyrah wasn’t sure if that was what she wanted; home and safety. Her body was a raging mess, screaming for it to be taken back to the mate that had once more rejected her.
As if Lord Mage read her mind, he frowned at her with concern. “Can you bear it?”
Lyrah quickly nodded. “I’ll survive.” she turned on her heels and quickly fled the room.
Both she and the Lord Mage knew she was risking her sanity with this. It was only going to get worse. Sometimes she wondered how her brother was able to survive such torment for a century when the Mage Queen fled to the human world. Maybe their bond was not that formed at that time but for her and Rhol, they had been in each other’s presence for several days.
Suddenly Lyrah heard a sharp gasp behind her and quickly turned to see the Mage Queen’s ashen face and wide eyes. Tyran must have told her. Lyrah didn’t want to be there any longer so she flashed herself out and into her room where she curled herself into a ball on a bed that felt too large for her and tried to gain control of her body once more.
Rhol’s body was still burning with the effects of the healing session with the Mage. And then there was also that terrible heaving of his heart and it started the moment Lyrah left the Black Fortress. At first it was like an irritating hum and it made him feel as if he had misplaced something and he couldn’t remember exactly what it was and where he had lost it. Now it was a dull aching in the pits of his heart.
Though everyone was singing the same song about him getting lots of rest, he couldn’t close his eyes without being plagued by scenes from the past battles he fought. He relived them and they were so vivid to the point that he sometimes couldn’t tell whether he was still dreaming or he had woken up. However, there was something strange about the battles. He was watching himself slaughter hundreds upon hundreds of warriors. What frightened him the most was that while he watched himself doing the killings, he couldn’t shake away what it felt like. There was cruelty and malicious in his face and it looked as if he was thoroughly enjoying himself.
Rhol couldn’t deny that he felt more at home in battlefields than on the throne. There was something dark in him and it came out when he battled. He loved that feeling of freedom and not having to reflect on his actions.
“This is you....” A voice hissed in his mind. “Embrace it....”
Blood ran down the fields like rivers. The wails of warriors losing their limbs was maddening. The wails were mixed with evil laughter as the males gloated while they killed. They were more monsters than males of worth. Even their faces had contorted into masks of pure evil. This wasn’t what really happened....
Something was terribly wrong.
The warriors were never this filled with glee when they killed in the battles. They were filled with sorrow and anxiety to get away from all that blood shed.
So, what the fuck was this!
Suddenly the landscape in front of him changed and black clouds boiled over them. Lightning crackled and thunder roared so loudly, it rattled even the land they were standing on. There was no longer a battle in front of him but rather a sea of dead bodies. The stench of it made him gap and his eyes tear. The clouds above him burst open and rain poured down over the dead bodies. Rhol looked down at the rain and discovered it was black and oily.
The wails started again as the dead bodies, one by one, began to get up. Their bones popped and their bodies convulsed in odd angles as they stood up and stared at him with empty eyes.
“This is your army....lead them to victory...” the voice hissed again.
Rhol’s eyes widened in shock as he recognized one of the thousands of warriors in front of him.
“No...” Rhol took a step back. “This can not be.”
“It is...son.” Uzrel stared blankly as his son and took a step forward. “This is your destiny...accept it and lead the most powerful army to victory.”
“No!”
“Rhol!” Uzrel roared, his body contorting with his rage. “Accept your destiny!”
“No!” Rhol shot up from his bed and looked around him frantically for a way out. The room was plagued by wailing shadows. It looked like those dead warriors had found a way to escape from his head and plague his Fortress.
“Rhol...calm down.” A voice female voice came through but Rhol couldn’t see who it was.
He couldn’t trust anyone....no one was worth trusting but-- “Lyrah?” Even to him, his voice sounded desperate.
A warm hand touched his shoulder. “Calm down so that your tattoos don’t need to protect you. You are safe.”
That was when he realized the shadows were caused by his tattoos. It was a way they protected a distressed Jinn—by providing a protective cocoon around them. Rhol turned to the female standing over his bed and discovered it was Zafrina. Her face was pale with worry. Zafrina wasn’t the female to worry over him but at that moment when he saw her face, he wondered just how he must have looked like for her to have such an expression.
Rhol swallowed hard and rested back on his bed. He didn’t want to close his eyes anymore. He calmed down, controlling his heart beat, all the while softly rolling his arms so that his tattoos reattached themselves back on his skin.
The shadows began to fade and his skin tingled slightly as the tattoos slithered back on him. They still mourned quietly for him, for his loss.
Finally, when there was light once more, Zafrina collapsed on the chair next to his bed and sighed in relief.
“I have never...” she began and swallowed hard before looking up at him with her eyes wide with terror. “I have never seen you like this before.”
It was because Rhol had never dreamed of his father for what felt like a life time. Seeing him in his dreams was the most terrifying thing he had ever encountered in such a long time. “I saw him....I saw my father in my dreams.”
Zafrina was quiet for a moment before she asked. “What does that mean? Should we get the High Priestess?”
Rhol rubbed his eyes and wondered if even a high priestess was able to help him with this. “There’s no need.”
“My King, you were terrified by this. It can’t just be a bad dream. This could be a bad omen and I think the High Priestess should be called.” Zafrina reasoned with him.
Rhol stared at the ceiling for a while then sighed. “Fine.”
Zafrina stood and was about to leave when she turned to him and added. “You called out Lady Lyrah’s name several times in agony. From what I heard, the bond is only going to get unbearable at the end but you are such a stubborn son-of-a-bitch, you will never accept defeat.”
Rhol found himself chuckling at his second commander’s choice of words. “You are enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“You have no clue just how much.” One side of Zafrina’s mouth arched up. “She is as stubborn as you are so don’t expect her to buckle first. She’s stronger than you think.”
When Zafrina left, Rhol breathed in hard and got up. There was no sleeping if the nightmares were that bad. On top of that, his body was buzzing out of control. He was filled with so much excess energy and he needed to expel it before he imploded with it. Rhol flashed himself to practicing grounds and started working out for the rest of the night.
“You shouldn’t be alone outside the fortress, Lady Lyrah.” Drake, the dragon and second commander approached Lyrah as she sat watching the little ripples around the pond everything the wind blew over it.
“I couldn’t sleep...and I didn’t want to disturb anyone.” Lyrah looked up at the dragon and smiled lightly. Drake always had a way to know when someone was trying to hide something but at the same time he was the easiest to talk to.
“Is it unbearable being away from him?” Drake asked softly as he sat next to her.
Lyrah smiled nervously. Should she try and make excuses for what she felt for Rhol? Being mated to him was like being mated to the most notorious thug to have ever lived and the time that she was with him, he didn’t do anything to change her mind about it. He wasn’t ashamed or sorry for being misunderstood. But was he really misunderstood as she thought or was he just plain notorious?
“It is bearable.”
“You shouldn’t lie to me, my lady.” Drake shook his head lightly. “You should know that doesn’t work with me.”
“Why does destiny play such wicked tricks on us?” Lyrah turned back to the pond.
“Destiny pairs us with our utmost perfect other.” Drake stated.
Lyrah turned to him and quirked her eyebrow. “Why am I having a hard time believing that?”
Drake laughed lightly. “Maybe you can’t see it now, but one day you will. There is something you give your mate for them to be complete and there is something to received from him to be complete yourself.”
“It’s easy for you to say since the only experience you’ve had in this issue is from your king and queen’s union.” Lyrah pouted and slumped her shoulders.
She tried to figure out just what she could possibly gain from Rhol apart from anger and heartache. That male was complete without her.
“King Rhol is not a bad male--”
“Then why did you look like I was heading for the execution yard when you discovered he was my mate?”
Drake leaned forward and placed his hands on his thighs before clasping them between his knees. “Well, forgive me to reacting that way. I have always known the Jinn King to have crude primal instincts. He is a hard male to reason with and he has a temper that rivals with the volcanoes in my Realm!”
Lyrah laughed lightly. She had to agree with him there.
“I have see the mate bond conquer even the battled horned male. I mean look at the Lord Mage. I would never, in a million years, think a tiny winged female like Queen Noelle would ever get Lord Mage to heel.”
But was that the same with her and Rhol?
“But its different because Tyran never rejected his queen. Rhol....has rejected me twice.” Lyrah looked at the dragon.
“There is no way of rejecting a mate that was chosen for you even before you were born.” Drake assured her.
“Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to go there in the first place. If I hadn’t gone, the bond would have been this strong—but I believed that if someone was out there able to help out, it was him.”
Drake reached over and touched her hand lightly. “Isn’t it strange that you believed in him even though everyone else didn’t? Could it be that your mate instincts jump-started this whole thing and actually you had to chance in escaping the inevitable; you being with him?”
Drake’s words soaked into Lyrah’s cells and made even more depressed. There was no escaping this chapter, was there. Sooner or later she was going to have to go back to him. Would he listen to her then? Would he help her if he realized there was no way he was going to escape her?
“Let’s get back inside. It’s about to pour again.” Drake got up.
Lyrah nodded and joined him as they slowly made their way towards the fortress, not noticing the light waft of black smoke curling away and disappearing a few feet from where they were sitting.
“This can’t go on!” Queen Noelle turned to her mate with desperation in her eyes. “She needs to go!”
Lyrah could hear what everyone was saying from afar but she couldn’t speak. Her body was unbearably hot that sweat dripped from her like little rivulets. The pain in her heart was as if there was someone sticking a cold hard blade over and over again. Her mind was all jumbled up she couldn’t form a solid thought. She felt as if she was drowning in the sea of sorrow and misery.
It had been three days since she returned from Rhol and at first she thought she could handle the distance but on the second day, she couldn’t stop herself from weeping as if someone she trully loved had died. Everyone was concerned for her. The Lord Mage didn’t sleep that day as he constantly darkened her doorway. He tried to calm her down using his energy, tried to give her a measure of peace by sharing his happiness through the energy but it only worked for a little while then the sorrow returned in full blast.
She couldn’t close her eyes and sleep because all she could ever dream of was seeing her mate walking away from her, leaving her cold and empty. She relived the rejections and the arguments with him.
“Lyrah.” She heard her brother calling her. She felt his strong arms go around her body. “Lyrah, you need to go back to your mate.”
Lyrah was able to open her eyes a little a look about at her brother’s worried face. The third day was the worst because her body was aching and over-heating, needing her mate. She couldn’t stand anyone else touching her but it was a miracle Tyran could touch her. Tyran looked so terrified that a new bout of tears overtook her. “It’s okay...brother mine. Do what needs to be done.”
“Zach, Constantine. Let’s get her back.” The Lord Mage picked up his sister and without another word they flashed to the Realm of the Dark.
It was like a dream and for a moment, the heartache had lessened. Cool air licked the heat away from Lyrah burning body. When she opened her eyes, she was in a dark forest and right in front of her way the Black Fortress. Her heart began to thunder loudly in chest and blood gush with lightning speed through her veins making her a little dizzy with excitement.
“We have been waiting for you.” Zafrina appeared in front of them, her face weary but her eyes relieved.
“The bond...” Lord Mage’s voice cracked when he looked down at Lyrah.
“It’s the same here.” And as if on cue, a roar tore across the lands followed by something crashing onto the floor. “It has been getting worse. We need to get her to him immediately.”
Lord Mage nodded and followed the second in command with Zach and Constantine close behind.
The closer they got the lighter Lyrah’s heart became. It was easier for her to breath. Dark shadows convulsed in the hallways. The wailed and mourned together with their owner. Even the helpers were distressed. Warriors littered every part of the Fortress.
Lyrah barely saw anything around her with all those shadows but she heard the sadness behind them. Her hands tightened around her brother’s neck as they headed upstairs towards Rhol’s quarters. Another roar rang through the fortress, rattling everything around them.
Zafrina burst open the door and she was immediately trapped in place by large black tentacles. They wrung themselves around her arms and neck, squeezing the life out of her.
“I warned you...” Rhol hissed with contempt.
Lyrah’s eyes widened. “Rhol! Stop!” she jumped out of her brother’s arms even though the Lord Mage wanted to keep her away from the crazed King Jinn and ran to him.
His eyes were totally swallowed by darkness. His face was a mask of anger and sorrow. He was panting hard and sweat glistening his whole body like a second skin.
“Rhol!” Lyrah screamed.
Suddenly his head snapped up and he turned to her. It was as if he couldn’t even recognise her. Then the blackness bled out of his eyes. “Lyrah?”
Lyrah nodded. “Yes.”
The tentacles let go of Zafrina and slithered back to him. Rhol approached her slowly and when he was close to her, his hand trembled as he touched her face. “Are you really here?”
“Yes.” A shiver ran up her spine when Rhol touched her and heat blossomed in her womb.
Rhol folded Lyrah into his arms and narrowed his eyes at everyone else who was in the room. “Leave. Now!”
“Hurt a single hair on her body and I will turn you to ashes.” Lord Mage growled.
Rhol merely snarled at the Mage.
The door clicked behind them and silence fell in the room.
“Why did you have to come here in the first place?” Rhol gritted his teeth. “Why didn’t you just stay away from me?”
“Because you are the only other honorable male I know apart from the Lord Mage. You once fought together and I know you believe when I say my brother is not a killer.”
“There’s nothing honorable in my mind right now.” Rhol growled as he ran his thumb against Lyrah’s lips. “And I don’t care what your brother does...it’s none of my business.”
“I refuse to believe you are not concerned about what is happening in the enchanted world. You are not that type of male.”
A wicked chuckle escaped Rhol’s lips. “Fuck what is happening in the enchanted world right now. You will soon find out just what type of male I am.”
Lyrah found herself dangling in Rhol’s arms. With the way her body raging, there was nothing else she was thinking about other than being with the male in front of her. She wrung her trembling hands around his thick neck and watched him for a moment. Even though they were both at the risk of losing their sanity, both of them was waiting the other to yield.
Suddenly, Rhol moved forward and nipped her lower lip lick the way he did the last time. The result was bone-crushing as desire coursed through Lyrah making her shiver uncontrollably. She bit back a moan as Rhol settled his lips hard on her mouth. Lyrah stiffened against him. So much for having dreamed of the perfect mate for herself and now she had to settle for the Jinn King.
Rhol spun around and headed towards his large bed with her still dangling in his arms. His lips was scorching hot against hers. His skin was warmer than usual. His tattoos were glowing in a violet aura and the strangest thing was that there were eerily quiet. She could tell they were alive by the constantly changing pattern on his skin.
Lyrah found herself lying on the cool sheets with a large male hovering above her. His eyes were intense and it looked like he was trying to gain control of his body once more but when nature took over, it was more of primal instincts, like a set of codes that were programmed deep inside your body to overtake whenever the body felt the need for self-preservation. That was what was happening to both Rhol and her. They were on automatic and one could not put blame on the other.
Rhol didn’t need to undress her like the way he would one of his many lovers. He bunched the grisal gown in his fists and the material easily gave way, exposing the glowing ivory skin underneath. Lyrah felt her entire body turn red as Rhol’s gaze went over her tightly budded nipples. She wanted to cover herself from him but he quickly caught her arms and locked them over her head.
“Any other day and I would have taken my time exploring your body, Lyrah—but this is not one of those days.” He ripped the rest of the dress from her and shoved it to the floor then breathed in hard. His face was dotted with sweat and a soft rumble emanated from his lips as his hot rough hands caressed the length over her.
They left a fiery path down her body. Lyrah had to bite her lower lip hard to stop herself from crying out in frustration. Her womb clenched harder inside her. She her breasts felt heavy and tender that even a small brush against them made her want to explode.
Slowly, Rhol let her go and began to undo his pants. Lyrah watched him with scared yet excited eyes. She had never been with a male yet she had heard from the helpers’ gossips of what to expect...but she wasn’t prepared for that sprung out from Rhol’s pants. Her eyes widened and her mouth dried up as she instinctively pushed away from him.
Rhol’s hand clamped against her ankle, hindering all the ideas of escaping him.
“Not so fast.” he rasped, his voice raw with lust. “We are not done yet.”
“Rhol!” Lyrah struggled against him.
“If you didn’t need this, believe me I would not have been here with you.” Rhol gritted his teeth. “I can’t promise that I will be gentle because this is your first time but try to relax your body or it will be a lot more uncomfortable for you.”
How the hell was she supposed to do that when she felt his massive erection probing against the inner part of her thigh. Tears sprang out from her eyes as Rhol parted her thighs and positioned himself over her.
Without a warning, he reached over and ran his thumb on her cheek, rubbing away the tears. His expression was that of a tortured male. She didn’t know what made her think he would be enjoying this more than she would. That was not the case because Rhol looked as miserable as she did.
“Stop with the tears. It’ll be over soon.”
But Lyrah couldn’t stop herself from crying.
Rhol bent over her and placed his lips against hers softly. He stole a kiss from her...then another one and another until Lyrah found herself responding to his kisses. It was a form of assurance from him. He could never hurt her deliberately, that much she knew. But they were not in any good-term relationship either.
Rhol’s tongue burst into her mouth, exploring every corner of it. Their teeth clanged against each other as the kiss become hotter and harder. Lyrah heard herself moan for more as Rhol’s lips took her to a place where all her worried escaped from her mind and the only thing she could feel was how much she wanted the male.
Hot hands clasped both of her breast and thumbs teased her nipples. Pleasure shot through her body and made her arch towards him, wanting more and more of him.
Rhol gave her more, alright. A lot more kissing and touching until she found herself drunk with desire.
That was it...Rhol thought as he positioned his massive and throbbing erection at her entrance. If he didn’t want her to feel too much discomfort, he had to do it quickly. With agonizingly slow movements, Rhol pushed himself inside her. All the time he made sure she had something else to think about, like how his tongue and teeth teased her cool skin and nipples and how his hand branded each part of her body.
Her warmth was engulfing her slowly until he met the barrier and stopped them looked up at her. Her eyes were drooped with desire, her lips red from his kissing and her breathing ragged. Her small hands traced his chest slowly.
Rhol reached forward and brushed the silky hair from her face drew down because he starting kissing her again. He clenched his teeth and sent a silent prayer of forgiveness before he rammed into her. A cry tore through Lyrah but he swallowed it. Her slightly long nails bit into his skin as she held on and her eyes wide and glassy with surprise and tears. Rhol didn’t stop. He pumped into her stiff body, not breaking the kiss because he didn’t want to hear her choked whimpers.
Gradually he felt her body relax against his. Rhol had been with a lot of females to know when one quickly approaching release and that was where Lyrah was rushing to. Her core clenched him tightly and he heard himself growl at the surprising reaction from her. It was something he had never experienced with his lovers and it drove him crazy. He just wanted to stay there in her forever. The clenching heightened every sensation his body was going through.
Even the moans escaping her lips drove him to the brim of control. He thrust harder and harder into her until he thought he was lost from that world from the sheer pleasure that was rocking through him. Then he felt it. Lyrah’s body clenched once more around him then burst into a million pieces as she orgasmed around him. It was magical because her body took on a yellow glow like that on an angel. Energy burst out of her and bathed him in her purity, assuring his soul that no darkness could ever reign in such purity. A sense of peace when through him and it was like seeing the first rays of sunlight after a long season of storms. He too climaxed and threw his head back before announcing to the world that he too had found his mate.
Rhol collapsed beside Lyrah panting and trying to regain his senses. He felt thorough sated, something that once took the entire night with Jezeray. He turned over to Lyrah and her skin still glowed but not as the way it did when she climaxed. Her skin was coated with sweat but Rhol knew she would be uncomfortable especially with the seed and innocence smeared against her thighs so when the tremors stopped on his body, he got up and scooped her out of the bed.
“What are you doing?” she asked him as they headed towards the adjoining bathroom.
“I’ll clean you up.” He rasped at her not believing that the small gesture of holding her in his arms had brought back the desire for her body as if he hadn’t just have her a moment ago. Rhol felt as if he had just signed the ultimate contract with the underworld because he was sure he couldn’t get himself of this mess even if his life depended on it. He had just sealed his fate with the one thing he thought he could escape. Even though he was filled with rage, something else accompanied that rage. Something that made him feel at peace—a peace he had never felt before.