Dark Throne, The (25 page)

Hands moved beneath her armpits and lifted her
upright
. When her length was
pressed flush against his, she shuddered and mewled slightly as his
fingers kneaded along her spine and buttocks. His nose nuzzled
against the side of her face and she reveled in the affection he
showered on her.

Aunt May had loved her and frequently shown her that love,
but she’d never been all that affectionate
. Even though she’d only known her father for seven
days, the differences between her parents were quite remarkable.
And she’d asked Fade about it. He’d told her that Halstorian nobles
could be cold fish. Whereas their Jenderian counterparts were
affectionate creatures.

She supposed it was just t
heir way. Just like in the Deep South, the men still had
their own customs, as did the women. There was still a gentlemanly
air about southern men, whereas those in New York were more
metrosexual- she likened the cultural differences to that. For the
most part, she was relieved that her mother wasn’t all that clingy.
She felt guilty for thinking that but it was the truth. The way
Setta made her feel at times, if the other woman had come to her
for a hug, Heather would have no choice but to push her
away.

With her father, a cuddle came easy
. He’d press a kiss to her forehead and she’d smile
and offer one in return. But with her mother, it was a different
kettle of fish and she didn’t know why. Refusing to harbor such
thoughts after such a delicious interlude, she tightened her own
arms about Fade’s waist and whispered, “Can we have a
nap?”

He chuckled
. “Of
course. We can do whatever the hell we want.”

Heather hid a grin at the Earth
colloquialism
. He’d taken to
stealing some of them and every time she heard them, she had to
hide her amusement. In a way, she thought he did it on purpose.
Trying to relax and settle her.

Just like with everything else, it didn’t seem to bother
him that she was backwards with the customs
. It didn’t seem to faze him that she’d almost used a
knife on some holy bird. He was content to let her be and in a way,
she knew it was thanks to all the years of being alone, the years
of solitude that had made him so content to simply have her by her
side regardless of her lack of knowledge of the customs.

Slowly, so that t
heir
hold on one another was retained, they wandered from the dressing
room, through the connecting bathroom and into the sleeping
quarters they’d shared for the last week. Once settled upon the
mattress, Heather cuddled into his side and pressed her face
against his throat, where his essence was so strong that it
permeated her being.

Every woman should have this, she
thought
. Her mind dazed by
Fade’s power over her body.

When Aunt May had died, the doctor had prescribed some
antidepressants
. She’d only
taken a few, not liking the effect on her body. But in a way, that
was how she reacted to Fade’s scent.

It soothed her mind, calmed her
. Dulled her anxieties, took them away and placed them
into perspective. Made her grateful that she had him by her
side.

Her entire body still quivered with the aftershocks with
her surprise climax and it was a supremely relaxed and felinely
contented Heather that drifted to sleep tucked in her mate’s
arms
.

“
Henrik, you’re going to have to do something about
Setta
.”

Rather than deny his words or outright reject them, Henrik
sighed
. The sound was filled
with weariness. Behind his desk, the huge expanse of hilken wood,
almost three times the size of the man, which made it worthy of a
giant, Henrik settled in his chair, ignoring the squeak. He drummed
his fingers against the surface of the desk, the beats so strong
that a few of the papers littering the desk, twitched and shuffled
about.

Jenderians were known for the bear-like characteristics in
t
heir men. The women were less
so, but by nature they were beefy and large. Whereas those from
Haden tended to be slender and of medium height.

Each of the realms within Mearth, within the Elfen
territory, had t
heir own
characteristics native to each segment of the world.

Here, they were strong
. For underneath the ground, there were mines in need of
digging.

Haden, on the other hand, was surrounded by
water
. As such, the
slenderness of the population was suited to fishing and
swimming.

Mother Mearth had made it this way
. Had made each creature suitable for their
abode.

“
There’s nothing I can do, Fade
. Setta won’t relent. She isn’t confident enough to teach
Heather the ways of the nobility and so, she merely chides her.”
Henrik grimaced.

“
You’re going to have to talk to her
. You should have seen Heather this morning, Henrik.
You don’t want to know how
I
know, but she’s lost
at least twelve steins. Minimum.”

“
Twelve steins?” the King grunted and lifted his hands to
cover his eyes
. “When we were
first wed, Setta had her ways even then and because of the change
in her situation, she had to control everything. Within those first
months, the palace had been completely transformed. Before Setta,
no Queen had dared to touch the stronghold outside of the private
suites, but not so with my wife. I’m afraid this is another example
of that part of her nature coming out.”

“
It’s for her own good if you do talk to
her
. She’s pushing Heather
away. Mother Mearth, I’m not the most emotional of men, or even
that aware of this kind of thing, but even I can see that Setta is
completely annihilating any chances she has of propagating a
relationship with her daughter. And after such a long time, it
seems such a shame.”

Henrik’s voice was hoarse as he whispered, “It would kill
her to lose Heather again
.”

“
I know
. It
would
kill me, that’s the way of the mate bond. So I understand.
But you must also understand. You have to change the way that Setta
is before she destroys any hopes of a relationship with her
daughter.”

“
How can I tell her she’s
pushing Heather away?”

“
I don’t know, but I won’t have Heather losing any more
weight
.” The few women Fade
had had over his lifetime had been from foreign soils. As such, he
was accustomed to rounder women. To him, Heather was perfect. Her
slenderness heralded delights of their own, especially when taking
the curvaciousness of her bottom half into
consideration.

However, he would not have her losing weight, because her
mother was placing her under such pressure and so
needlessly
.

He said as much to Henrik who just shook his
head
.

“
You either do something, or I’ll take Heather to
Haden
. For Mother Mearth’s
sake, Setta is endangering her daughter’s health. I will not have
it, do you hear me?” The words hissed from between his
teeth.

Both men were aware of the lack of graciousness of his
words and while Fade had yet to be declared King of his own nation,
regardless of his rank, he should never have spoken to Henrik in
such a way
. But where Heather
was concerned, Fade lost any of his niceties, the few that remained
from his mother’s teaching were sparse but ordinarily, he was as
diplomatic as he could be.

With a father who had trigger-happily ignited wars over
words, Fade had
learned to
guard his tongue but not where the health of his mate was
concerned.

“
You can’t return to Haden, not until your bond is
cemented
.”

“
We are bound in more ways than you know,
Henrik
. My heart, my lungs, my
body is attuned to hers. One cannot be more bound than
that.”

“
In the eyes of Mearth
,” Henrik countered. “Your bond is indeed enough. But not
in the eyes of royalty. You must wed Heather before you leave the
palace. She cannot leave Jenderian soil without the ties of
marriage between you.”

“
You would put her through
a state ceremony?” Fade gritted out, shaking his head in
irritation.

“
It is not I who has made these rules
.” For a moment, Henrik looked sad. “As is the way of
royalty, we have little choice where matters of state are
concerned. No matter how much the idea of a huge ceremony pains me,
it is for Heather’s protection.

“
There are those who wish to steal the gifts Mother Mearth
bestowed upon Jender
. Without
the ties of marriage, an abduction could occur to force Jender into
uniting with another nation, thanks to the ties of a coerced
marriage. Mate bonds are renowned, but they are rare. Their powers
are not always believed. The average man finds it impossible to
imagine that mate bonds still occur. If one has not touched it, how
can one believe it exists?

“
Heather’s life is in as much danger as it was, when we sent
her to Earth
. Something I only
did, because May had a vision.” He closed his eyes. “Had she not
come to me with that vision, Heather would have been raised on
Mearthen soil and I would have protected this castle with my last
breath. Preferring to die than to let her be taken from her
family.”

“
What vision was it?” Fade asked, voice soft, curious as to
the reason why her family had sent her to another dimension for
protection
.

“
Something that undoubtedly scarred May for
life
. She said it was far too
detailed for us not to take heed. That Mother Mearth had granted us
this boon to protect Heather. When I think of it, even now, it
repulses me and makes me nauseous. She was but a child and there
was a man who…” He shook his head. “There are sick men amongst us,
Fade and I will not have Heather thrown to the wolves simply
because she isn’t accustomed to her ways. You may break it to her
gently but I will not let you leave the palace nor exit the borders
without a state ceremony. She can hate me and her mother as much as
she wishes. Her health and welfare are, and have always been, my
sole concern.”

While Fade didn’t appreciate the idea of having to wait, of
having to go through the rigmarole of a state wedding, he
understood her father’s position
. “It is strange how you feel that way Henrik and yet you
will not speak to Setta about this. If Heather loses anymore
weight… Her health will start to deteriorate.” He grimaced. “She
does not know this yet for I have not told her, but she is with
child. She cannot afford to lose any more steins. Indeed she must
regain the ones she has lost for the sake of the babe. ”

“
We are to be grandparents so soon
.” Henrik shook his head, obviously dazed at the
prospect but a grin soon creased his jaw. His eyes caught Fade’s
and a smile passed between them. “I shall speak to Setta. Although
it will not be an enjoyable conversation of that I can assure you.”
He shook his head. “I do not wish to lose my daughter to Haden as
soon as we have recovered her. I understand that my wife must be
made to see the error of her ways. But you must also inform Heather
of the state ceremony and of what it entails. She will have to
prepare herself for it.

“
I understand that Haden is still in
uproar
. One of my scouts sent
information today… there is some peculiar tug of war over the Dark
Throne. Between an advisor and a pretender… this shaman. I
understand that needs must you return. As such, it need not be such
a large wedding, but it must still occur.”

Fade nodded and without another word, retreated from the
study
. In a way, he was glad
to have the choice taken from him. The prospect of a state ceremony
filled him with dread but if he had no say in the matter, then he
would simply have to comply with Henrik’s wishes.

And with Heather’s ears now fully developed, the long
spindles now clasped with a few cuffs, there was no reason to
tarry
. Her Elfen blood had
shone through and the ceremony would find no delays in that regard.
Unfortunately.

As soon as Fade entered t
heir suite, he continued his path through the rooms and
towards the sleeping chamber where he knew his mate still
slept.

In a side of his brain that he had never known existed, he
could sense that her body was still in slumber
. Fade was not sure if Heather shared this trait
of sensing his body’s status as it were, for he believed it to be a
part and parcel of the talents Mother Mearth had bestowed upon
him.

Said talents would soon be
publicized to the Mearthen realms once this wedding
occurred and he dreaded the prospect.

A
part of the marriage ceremony was a reciprocal blessing of
blood
. Once Heather accepted
some of his life fluids into her body, only Mother Mearth knew what
would happen considering his capabilities and being unaware of her
own, the reaction could be explosive.