The Alpha King (26 page)

Tal also struggled with the guilt the same bit of information gave him. He felt like such a little shit. He'd spent much of his life complaining, choosing only to survive. His major goal had been to live. Meanwhile, his younger brothers had probably been hoping and praying for rescue, for a savior or a hero for over a decade. He'd been absurdly glad when Josie had shown up in his room, hoping his sister would either be able to distract him from his thoughts and feelings of guilt or at least be able to shed some light on what had happened. She hadn't done either. Tal tried really hard not to resent her for that… and failed.

"The crazy thing is that I looked at their pictures and they look just like me, Josie. I mean Trenton is thinner than I am, but that's to be expected, you know? Tuvarion is the biggest shock though. If they hadn't told me he was a young man I would have thought he was a teenaged girl," Tal said with a smile, chuckling when Josie laughed. "He's so heartbreakingly beautiful, Josie. They both are. I wish I'd been able to grow up with them. Tuvarion might have been able to help me with my hair when I cut it really short that one year."

Tal laughed hysterically with Josie as they both remembered the day that Tal had taken a pair of their mother's hedge scissors to his head and cut his hair uneven and all the way up to his shoulders. Tal had been devastated. He'd been trying to get his hair like his favorite musician Jinxon Bisber. The young man had been all the craze when they were younger and Tal had obsessed over either looking like him or dating him. When he hadn't succeeded at either, he'd thrown himself onto his bed and had cried out in major teen angst. Definitely a moment he could now look back on fondly. He sobered quickly, his eyes taking on a distant look. "I love them already and I've never even met them. Just like my babies," he said as he ran his hand gently over his belly. "I want them to be found and brought here now, so I can take care of them," he admitted. "I know that probably doesn't make any sense to you."

Josie nodded in complete understanding. "No, it makes perfect sense to me. It's how I feel about you," she confessed. "It's why I always want you with me or want to be with you. I don't trust your care and well-being to anyone else. Not even Mom and Dad. I barely trust Blaze to take care of you properly. They may screw you up even more than you already are. Only I can be trusted to do it correctly."

Tal's mouth fell open in shock until he saw the mischievous gleam in his sister's eyes. Picking up one of the pillows he put behind his back to help with the feelings of discomfort, he threw it at her head, smiling when it connected. He knew Josie would help him to feel better. Laughter was definitely a good thing. Besides, he couldn't remember the last time he had a really good pillow fight with his sister.

"Wench!" He teased and chuckled as she stuck out her tongue.

"Bitch!" She laughed and threw the pillow back.

They collapsed into laughter again, Josie finally resting her head in his lap, obviously not caring if Blaze's wolf went all feral-psycho or anything. Tal was happy she knew he needed this final feeling of comfort.

"I'm going to miss Blaze when he goes to get them. I mean, I don't really want him to leave, especially with it getting closer to the time when the babies are supposed to be born, but he said he wanted to be the one to rescue them for me," he said softly, fighting the guilt eating at him.

Josie lifted her head and looked at him sympathetically. "I know, honey," she consoled him.

Tal swallowed back the tears threatening to erupt. "I mean Buck will be here, you know, so I won't be completely alone. Then there's you and Gregor, Percy, Mailon… but it's not the same." He sighed, dejected, hoping Josie didn't feel too insulted at his lack of enthusiasm at having her there with him. "He's my mate. I'm pregnant with his children and I want him here. Then again, I want him to bring them home. I just love him so damn much and I'm afraid when he leaves, I won't ever see him again." Tal looked at Josie, finally giving into the tears he'd been battling against for the past hour.

He let out a soft sob, feeling his heart breaking a little. His cheeks got wet from the tears that streamed down his face and he cried for his mate leaving, the possibility his babies might never know their father. He cried for the parents who had been brutally murdered, the brothers who had been kidnapped and sold into slavery… and he cried for himself and the little boy he'd been. The one who'd lost his entire biological family in one day. Now that he had all the pieces, he just couldn't seem to let go of the pain.

* * * *

Out in the hallway three pairs of ears eavesdropped on the Alpha Queen. The time had finally come to do away with the Vermithian. They had managed to sneak inside the sitting room without the guards knowing, just in time to hear Tal say Blaze would be leaving him behind while he went on his rescue mission. The three interlopers and schemers stood up slowly and walked out, nodding to the guards they passed farther down the hallway, who looked at them suspiciously and in confusion, letting them know the Alpha Queen still slept, and made their way down to the room that had been generously set aside for Anglania's use by the royal alpha couple.

She hated being relegated to a guest room, or even a guest suite, finding it completely unacceptable. Every room in the palace should be under her command, under her power. Soon they would be. She would make sure of that.

"He's been like those damn humans, so resilient, so strong, so hard to kill, but with his precious mate gone, off on a rescue mission for more of those abominations, it will be easy to take care of him." Freud smiled with evil glee.

"Indeed. It's time to rid the kingdom of his perversity and corruption. It's only too bad we cannot get rid of Blaze while he's on this little expedition," Elder Bryce agreed and shared a grin with Freud.

Anglania rolled her eyes when the two men kissed. She hated sharing her mate with her brother. She hated it even more that the fault lay with her for the two men getting as close as they were. At least they hadn't started having sex. She wouldn't tolerate it. A kiss here and there, a mutual jerk-off session did not a gay Tumaron make.

For the first time ever, Anglania almost regretted her actions. She probably shouldn't have set Freud's mate up to take that fall for kidnapping and smuggling. Remembering the sight of the young man crying and assuring the Tumaron officers that he had nothing to do with either filled her with a small bit of happiness. However, she made it a practice to never regret anything, even if it meant her brother lost the one person fated to be his. She could share her mate with Freud if it meant the sniveling twit her brother had been in love with would no longer be in the picture. Malcolm had been too… good and decent and Freud had started to change his ways. That wouldn't work for her plans, hers and Bryce's, and honestly, their plans and wishes were the only ones that mattered.

Her smile widened, her gaze shifting to the monochrome colors of her wolf's eyes, her canines extending at the prospect of finally killing the Vermithian and taking her rightful place as the Alpha Queen. She'd been born to the position. The thought of once again watching another man's face filled with shock, anger, and fear when he realized he'd crossed her and she'd exacted her revenge made her shudder. Almost better than sex with her mate. Almost.

"Yes, it's time for us to take back our kingdom," she commanded with a low growl.

She laughed when Bryce shoved her brother away before striding over and kneeling before her. She ran her fingers through his thick, soft hair, relishing in the purr emanating from his throat, and she smiled deviously at her brother. Freud's head lowered and a shiver of pleasure raced up her spine at his look of submission. Her brother was weak, he always had been. He needed her to tell him what to do. She didn't know how in the world fate had screwed up by giving him a mate who'd been as weak as Freud, but she she'd solved that little problem. The last she'd heard, he'd been found dead in some back alley. Anglania didn't care. She only cared that her brother had been brought to heel just like she wanted. Besides, what did it matter if her brother got off with another man? Hell, she and Lorjenasea, her best friend since birth, were often together, but she and Lorjenasea wouldn't be caught dead falling in love or getting mated. Just not in the cards for her. She liked being fucked by Bryce and while she often felt the pull to mark or mate Lorjenasea, she wasn't gay, she couldn't be gay, and she wouldn't let her brother or her mate act gay either.

And it shouldn't be in the cards for anyone… especially someone professing to be the Alpha King.

Enjoy your title now, Blaze, because soon I'm going to take away your mate, your kids, and then I'm coming after your life.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

When Tal woke the next morning, his body felt encased in pleasure. Struggling to figure out the exact location of the incredibly good feeling, it didn't take long before he moaned passionately when his cock was enveloped in wet heat. Aahh. He shivered, electricity zinging through his veins when the suction continued. Not wanting to awaken from his pleasant dream, he squeezed his eyes closed and forced his tense muscles to relax. His hands lifted to grab hold of the back of Blaze's head… well, he could only hope it was Blaze. He lowered his hand to the covers at his side and clenched the sheets in his fists. His feet flexed, his toes stretching and bending and he began to thrust his hips slowly, pushing his cock deeper into his very own mysterious, morning-alarm-clock's mouth, all while keeping his eyes shut.

"Uh-uh," a deep voice said from above him.

Tal allowed his eyes to slowly open, smiling sleepily at the appearance of his big, strong, muscled, and completely naked mate leaning down over his groin. He was so happy it was Blaze, especially since he'd been dreaming about said Alpha King. Blaze smiled wolfishly and Tal's small grin widened as the rest of his body awoke fully. Nothing like a morning blowjob by a gorgeous man to wake him up. Definitely something that should be a requirement for all couples.

"It's time to wake up, my love. I'm leaving in three days to return your brothers to you, and with the time we have, we will make love, talk, cuddle, make love, decorate the nursery, make love, take a visit around the kingdom together, make love," Blaze stated, planting a trail of kisses up Tal's body after speaking each activity.

"And did I mention make love?" Blaze teased.

Tal giggled, always happy when his mate was in his playful mood. "Yes, you may have mentioned that a time or two," he replied. "This make love thing seems to be very important. Perhaps it's something that needs intense concentration and much practice? Perhaps we should get started on it right now, you know, just to make sure we're both doing it properly. I know I want to make sure I am 'making love' in a way that is pleasing to my Alpha and my King."

"Ah." Blaze nodded in mock agreement, his lips quirking as he tried not to laugh. "I see. As your Alpha and your King, I must say I very much admire, and indeed, encourage your endeavor to please me. So, yes, thank you. This is definitely something we should focus on in as thorough a manner as possible. You are very kind to point that out to me."

Tal's retort got cut off with a gasp when Blaze licked one of his extremely sensitive nipples gently. Gods almighty, Blaze knew what that did to him. Blaze flicked the hardened nub with his tongue before sucking it deep into his mouth. Feeling the pull of desire race from his nipple deep and down towards his already leaking cock, Tal's head went back and he keened with pleasure. So overcome with passion for his mate by just that one small move, Tal's hands fluttered, drifting between clenching the bed sheets and gripping his man's shoulders, pulling him closer and pushing him away. His actions confused his mate, Blaze's low chuckle was proof of that, but Tal couldn't bring himself to care. When Blaze released the stimulated nub, Tal relaxed back down onto the bed with a sigh of relief, only to feel the muscles in his legs tense when Blaze's fingers drifted up the inside of his legs.

Tal tilted his head back and Blaze's lips nuzzled up one side of his neck, before brushing lightly against Tal's then trailed down the other side before latching onto the neglected nipple. Tal's breath hitched in his chest, his lungs unable to fully pull in air. He couldn't speak, unable to form a coherent thought when fire raced through his limbs. His ass clenched searching for something, anything, to fill it. He babbled and pleaded with his mate for relief, some sort of release.

Blaze knew Tal's nipples had become so sensitive he could almost come just from having them sucked and played with, but Blaze ignored Tal's pleading and continued to tease and torment. Tal hissed when one of Blaze's fingers pressed against his clenching channel. It didn't take long before the finger slid deeply inside of him and twisted, searching and seeking, before it homed in on his prostate. Tal jerked, his cock leaking pre-cum as Blaze thrust his finger in and out of Tal's body, inserting two fingers after a moment, focusing on the one spot with precision and determination. Tal's head swam with pleasure, flashing with images of the things Blaze did to him. None of the images made sense popping up and disappearing in a rapid rate.

His head thrashed back and forth on the bed when Blaze added a third finger deep into his ass and he began cursing his mate. He swore at Blaze, begged him for release, and told him how much he loved him, in quick succession. His body tightened and he groaned loudly. His orgasm quickly approached and he could do nothing to hold it back. Reaching out with one hand, he grabbed onto the back of Blaze's head and pulled him closer. He kissed Blaze deeply before tearing his mouth away when his back arched. He panted and huffed, one hand still holding onto the back of Blaze's head, the other holding onto the bigger man's biceps, the muscles bunching and moving as the fingers attached to them thrust into Tal's tight, puckered entrance.