A Price for a Princess (8 page)

We said goodbye to his family and promised to be safe and return as soon as we were able and began our journey.

"How many days until we reach the palace?"  I asked, calling out to Rysk and Tyrant who walked ahead of us.

Rysk looked back, "Six days."

I wrinkled my nose.  "That's a long time."

Perseus laughed and patted my hands that rested at his sides.  "It will pass quickly.  Odin and Finn are fantastic storytellers and I'm sure with some coaxing they'd be willing to tell you all about their childish exploits."

"And yours," Finn laughed.  The two Centaurs trotted on either side of us.

"Don't believe anything they tell you about me," Perseus warned and I promised I wouldn't.  I could see how close he was to the two men and I was glad that they were joining us.  Not just for extra protection, but because the herd was very important to Perseus and being away from it for who knew how long would be hard on him.

We stopped for lunch under some shade trees near a stream.  My legs ached from riding his bare back, but it wasn't as if they used saddles.  And it was much better than walking, that was for sure.  We got back on the road quickly, the next town from Cholas nearly three days journey.

That first night, we moved back through the woods to a clearing that travelers used.  Rysk and Tyrant set up a fire to cook our evening meal while we set up makeshift tents by stretching hides between trees and laying blankets out on the mossy ground.  The Dire Wolves spread out around us to stand guard while we slept, Perseus and I in our own small lean-to, Finn and Odin to one side and Rysk and Tyrant across the fire.

The fire died down until it was bare red embers, casting a flickering glow across the small clearing.  I was laying next to Perseus, his bicep as my pillow, when his hand snaked up the dress I'd insisted on wearing to bed so I wasn't naked with so many other men around.  I grabbed for his hand to stop him from exploring and he chuckled as he ignored my push against his hand and teased the juncture of my thighs.  "Finn and Odin are asleep already, listen to them snore."  He whispered, nuzzling under my ear.  "And the guards won't care and you shouldn't either.  We're married.  Married people have sex like mad."

I turned onto my back with a soft laugh.  "Do they?"

His hand slipped between my legs, his thumb caressing my pearl, "I'm no expert, but yeah, I'm pretty sure."

"What if I can't be quiet?"  I whispered, my fingers slipping down towards his cock. He'd had no trouble going to bed naked in the woods.  Although I had no problem with nudity in general, were-animals were pretty fast and loose about that, it felt different now.  I was Perseus' wife.  I didn't want anyone else to see me naked but him.

"Then everyone will know how well I loved my bride."

My fingers moved along his length, spreading the drop of pre-come around the velvet soft head while his fingers moved inside me and his thumb deviled my clit.  He drove me to a fast orgasm and I buried my face in his neck to cover my gasping moans as he slipped over me and eased inside.  His teeth tugged on my earlobe while we rocked together in near silence, the only sounds in the dark forest were of the blanket covering us shifting as we moved and our panting breaths.  He came inside me, biting back a groan and I hugged him close.  He kissed me, tilting my face so he could reach my mouth.  "I think we were made for each other, Daeton.  You're just perfect."  He pulled out of me and we moved back to where we'd been before. 

As he curled around my back and held me close, I drifted off to sleep, ignoring the exaggerated whisper from Finn, "About fucking time you let the poor girl rest."

In the morning, we cleaned up in a nearby creek, using small squares of cloth to wash up.  We ate on the road, drinking water from skins and chewing on jerky and rounds of cheese.  The second day on the road passed much the same as the first.  Rysk and Tyrant walked ahead of us and the Dire Wolves surrounded us in both their human and wolf forms.  Perseus, Finn and Odin kept me entertained with tales of their rambunctious childhood and teen years, and I shared with them about the technology from my realm.  All of them had been to the mortal realm to visit the Centaur settlement in Canada, but the settlement there was similar to the one in the Medes realm, and other than vehicles to drive back and forth to the cities, they stayed away from technology.

"Do you miss it?  The, uh, screens with the pictures?"  Finn asked, pulling apples from his satchel and handing one to all of us.

I took a bite of the sweet fruit.  "TV?  Not really.  The den was a lot like your settlement.  We had TV and stuff, but we were pretty removed from the cities.  My older brothers Ash and Axe, they lived outside of the den and had jobs with humans in large cities.  But my other brothers Lynk and Tavian live and work in the den."

We spent the night in our lean-to, and we made love again and I fell asleep splayed across his chest, the beat of his heart soothing me quickly to sleep.

"We approach the town of Netic Springs," Rysk said, pouring water over the campfire after we ate a breakfast of wedges of dark bread stuffed with egg and cheese. 

"What sorts are in this town?" I asked, stretching with a yawn. 

Perseus looked up at me from where he rolled our blanket.  "It's a
fallen city
, sweetheart, which means that it's full of those that aren't welcome in their own homes any longer."

"Or are hiding out."  Finn added, tying up the bundle of hides that made up our lean-tos. "It's a place where people go to not be found."

"It wouldn't be safer to go around a place like that?"  I chewed on my lip.

Rysk smiled slightly, for the first time since I found Perseus.  "It is the very safest place, princess.  No one in Netic Springs cares what anyone else is doing as long as it doesn't infringe upon their own activities.  We'll stop for mid-day meal in town and stay the night at a small inn."

We finished packing up the campsite and I climbed up on Perseus' back, stifling a yawn, as we left the forest and moved once more down the road. 

Several hours passed as we drew closer to the
fallen city
.  My heart began to clench in a strange way and a feeling of needing to be in the city as soon as possible wove through me.  We passed through the open gates, but were suddenly stopped by a handful of very large ape-like creatures.  Their skin was dark brown, their thick brows hiding small black eyes, and their bodies were broad and muscular.

"Your kind ain't welcome here, horse."  The largest ape-man on the end said with a sneer.

"This is a free city.  You cannot stop us from passing through."  Perseus growled.

A crowd began to gather behind the ape-men, fur covered people, scale covered people, beings with wings of every color, and some humans.

Rysk and Tyrant stood their ground between us and the ape-men.  Rysk reached for his coin pouch, "How much to let us pass?"

I slid off Perseus, feeling a stab of righteous indignation at the poor treatment of my husband and his friends.  Perseus grabbed for me but I ducked him, pushing between Rysk and Tyrant.  "Move or we'll move you."  I put my hands on my hips.

One of the ape-men laughed loudly, the sound like nails on a chalkboard to my ears.  "What's a little thing like you going to do to stop us?  I bet I could snap you in half with one hand."

I glanced at Tyrant whose face was drawn into a grim line.  "Bring in the wolves."

Tyrant barked out several commands and the two dozen Dire Wolves descended around us, pushing the ape-men backwards, those in their wolf forms snapping and snarling with dripping fangs.

As the distance widened between us and the ape-men, Perseus put his hand on my shoulder and I looked back to see he'd shifted into his human form along with Finn and Odin and donned trousers and boots.

"You didn't have to shift.  They look like something a dog threw up; they have no right to keep anyone out of the city."

He kissed my cheek with a chuckle.  "Is there any bride in the realm as fierce as you?"

Rysk folded his arms, staring hard at the ape-men.  "What say you now?"

The ape-men looked at each other and then bolted, and the crowd roared their laughter and approval.

"I would have paid them off, princess.  It would have been safer and easier."  Rysk said, turning around with a disapproving look.

I shrugged.  My heart pounded in exhilaration.  Of course if I hadn't had the Dire Wolves handy it might have been a complete disaster, but it worked out just fine.  "I'm hungry.  Let's eat."

A group of tiger-striped furred men and women came up to us, grinning from ear to ear.  Their faces were entirely human, with only a dusting of fur along their cheeks.  The fur traveled down their necks to their shoulders and down each arm, and on the bare chested men it was easy to see that the fur flowed down the sides of their bodies.  They wore trousers and shoes, their tails swishing behind them.  The women wore dresses similar to mine.

"Welcome to Netic Springs.  I am Jandor, pride king of the Tigerana."  He extended his fur topped hand to mine and I took it, smiling as he kissed the top.

"Thank you.  I'm Daeton, this is my husband Perseus."  Perseus took over the introductions, and then Jandor introduced his mate and others from his pride.  They offered us a meal in their home, and we accepted.

As we moved down a narrow alleyway just inside the town, we spilled out into a well kept garden with three connected homes.  A fountain bubbled in the center of the garden where low shrubs contained bright colored fruit.  Jandor took us into the center home, saying it belonged to him and his mate, Calis, who took my hand and led me straight to their bathroom.

I used the facilities, glad to rinse off the dust of the road with a pitcher and bowl of water and clean towels.  I joined the others in the large kitchen which bustled with activity.  I sat on Perseus' lap as Jandor told us about the city.

It was a melting pot of creatures of every sort, and normally they kept to themselves other than buying and selling goods in the markets, but since the ape-men, called Urtals, had come through and decided to stay, they figured themselves something of the law of the area and tried to collect tolls for those passing through.

"I have never seen those fools run away so quickly.  It was a delight."  He chuckled.

Perseus smiled, "Daeton doesn't have an ounce of fear in her.  I'm very blessed."

"You certainly are," Calis smiled, laying wooden bowls of food on the table.

While we ate, Jandor told us of the other groups in the town.  The ones with wings were were-birds or fairies, depending on their wing color.  The more natural colors usually indicated a shifter like a hawk or eagle, the prettier colors usually meant fae.  The furred kind were cat-men, their coats indicative of their groups.  There were the Tigerana with stripes, the Lepardish that were solid black, and the Polarisa, that were snow white.  Each group had their own area where they lived together, similar to theirs, with a leader for each group that kept everyone in line.  Although each group had their own homeland in the realm, everyone in Netic Springs had come there for their own reasons.

"What about the Leonemen?"  I asked, taking a bite of a meat stuffed pastry.

"There may be a few around town, but there aren't enough of them to make a pride.  Why?"

I wasn't sure if I wanted to say why or not, but the aching in my chest from the moment I'd seen the city in the distance had grown considerably since we'd arrived.  I wondered if my mate was here, in town?  I didn't get a chance to offer an explanation for my curiosity because Rysk and Tyrant came inside and joined us.  They took over the conversation, telling Jandor about our quest.

Jandor's second in command, a blonde and brown striped male named Jalar, twirled a fork between his fingers, "You'll need to watch out for Raiders between Netic Springs and Lorence."

"What are Raiders?"  I asked.  I knew that Lorence was the name of the next town.  It was a good 15 hour trek there and we wouldn't reach it before dark tomorrow evening.

"Raiders, princess," Jandor said thoughtfully, "are the most depraved form of bounty hunters in our realm.  And now that we know your story, that they're on the path to the palace makes sense."

Perseus frowned.  "How so?"

Rysk's frown was even deeper.  "Because Urijah would use any means necessary to find Daeton.  Any along our route could have alerted him to our travels."

"Can't we go some other way and not go to Lorence?"  I asked.  My heart thudded a little irregularly in my chest.  I had known that there would be a price on my head by the wizard, but bounty hunters was something I hadn't thought of.