Cathedra - Chapter 4: Lover

listen, if this chapter had a rhythm, it would be All Eyes On Me by Bo Burnham. that's all i'm gonna say 🤍

CW: sexual content, language

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It took her some time to recognize her surroundings after springing up from a nightmare, and that the moonlight casting through the tall windows wouldn’t have the shadow of her sister standing there in the corner anymore, waiting and watching as she slept.

Calista fell back into her covers, sweat clinging to the thin garment she wore over her flushed skin. Reality had come boomeranging back to her once the dreams had parted, but panic came with it when the previous day's events also returned to the forefront of her mind.

She looked at the crown and robe hanging elegantly on their stands at the foot of her massive bed. Even in the low light like this, the polished gold and jewels her mother personally designed sparkled uncharacteristically in the dark. Calista frowned; she hated that crown, but until she could have a new one made, it was hers.

Her hands moved to cover her face, exhaling slowly.

“Are you alright?”

She sprang up again, reaching under the covers beside her, but once her hand had wrapped around the hilt of the dagger, she spotted her Prince- no, King, sitting under the window, watching her.

She glared at him. “Are you trying to make my heart stop?” she snapped, the muscle clapping loudly between her ribs.

He frowned sheepishly. “I’m sorry,”

Calista pulled the dagger out and kept it on top of the covers, but strained when laying back down, rolling on her side to face him. The agony of recovery had only grown with sleep; her center felt as if it had been ripped in half.

“I thought you had returned home,” she commented.

He looked down at his fidgeting hands. “I did, but I came back,”

Her brows furrowed. “Did something happen?”

“Not… really. My brother and I returned home but our parents had left already without a word to our people, not even our warrior chiefs,” he explained, tossing away a small bundle of vines he’d snatched from her window after sneaking in.

“They did not say where they would settle?” she asked, and he shook his head. “That’s cruel on their part to be so cold,”

“They’ve always been,” he mumbled, but quickly started chuckling. “I had to stand there in front of everyone and my brother ‘nd tell them what had happened. When it was done no one said a word, they just quietly went back to what they were doing but I couldn’t stop puking afterwards,”

Her brows twitched in amusement. “You were scared?”

He looked at her, and she withheld a soft gasp when his eyes reflected in the dark. “Are you not?”

“I’ve been scared since I first sent that letter to you,” she half smiled, the two stuck staring at one another. She sensed he was just as uneasy as she, judging by the fact he was even in the castle of his own accord.

“Did your mother or father say anything to you?” he asked, but she shook her head.

“I feel foolish for being so upset over it, after wanting them gone for so long,” she mumbled, her brow raising when he grinned at her. “What?”

“I felt the same way,” he told her, clearing his throat when his voice cracked.

She could hear in his tone the great unrest in his heart, but before she could offer any comfort, he’d stood, pressing down the outfit he wore in the cold night. “Leaving already?”

“I was there for a while,” he mentioned, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. He moved silently, but the bed still creaked loudly under him, making them wince. “How are you feeling?”

She shrugged. “It’s uncomfortable,” she answered softly, plucking at the sheets.

Nik looked away. “I’m very sorry,”

“I asked this of you,”

He shook his head. “It was still awful,”

Her brows furrowed. “For you?”

“Yes. I did that to you with my own body. No part of that was easy,”

She flipped his words over like a stone in her palm. It was the first time she’d taken into consideration that her body wasn’t the only one left marred after that. “I am forever in your debt because of this, I hope you know that you can call on me if need be,”

It was the first honest smile she’d seen from him. Even if it had been meager, he had quite the dazzle with those impressive tusks. “Well we are to be married soon, so I’m sure that’ll come along sooner than later,”

They both looked away after their nervousness collected; that was a concept both were still having a hard time wrapping their minds around.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, but was cut off by his hand raising.

“Can we agree from here on out that we won’t apologize anymore over the equally horrible things we’ve done in the extremely brief amount of time we’ve known one another?” he asked, and she blinked in surprise. “It’s just-”

“I understand, I agree,” she reassured him softly, meeting his troubled gaze.

He couldn’t decide what was to feel happy over and what was to grieve, but guilt trumped both of those, and climbing into her window that night when he found himself searching for her silhouette in the dark trees had left him stewing in that emotion when he could smell her open wounds.

“Where will you be off to then?” she asked. “Will you be back soon?”

“I don’t know yet,” he admitted shyly. “I know there are duties to be expected of me but… I don’t know what,”

Calista giggled, wincing when her sore stomach tensed.

His grin faded, his thoughts darkening. “There are still expectations from both of us,”

She hoped he didn’t see the flush on her cheeks. “I know. We still have time,”

Nik almost laughed. Time seemed to have flown by them, collecting and growing even though this was only the fourth time they’d ever seen one another. So much had transpired, but so much was still to come. This brittle plan of hers that was barely held together by a lie could only survive if their timing was executed correctly.

He looked at her, trying to imagine her stomach swollen with his child.

Nik cleared his throat, standing abruptly. “Go back to sleep,”

“When will you be back?” she asked, sitting up on an elbow and watching him step to her window. Of course that’s how he got in.

“Sooner than later, most likely. I don’t know who I report to or ask for direction from,”

Her brows furrowed. “You answer to yourself now, my King,”

Her words halted him. She was right, afterall. Even if his new, sprawling kingdom did come with the cost of unrelenting responsibility, he was free to make any decisions he wanted.

“Then I will see you soon, your Majesty.” He told her, a soft grin gracing her in the dark. “By the way,” he pointed to the foot of her bed. “I brought you some herbs. They’re leaves from a Blasting Lily, they’ll help speed up your recovery.”

Her head snapped in the direction his finger pointed, finding the small parcel nestled in the messy covers.

With a final glance from those glowing eyes, he had easily slipped out of the window, landing heavily on his feet against the grass below.

She moved too quickly to remind herself to go slow, and crawled stiffly across the bed until she could reach the parcel. With a pained groan, she slipped back under the covers, taking a moment to calm her erratic heart from that spike of discomfort.

Calista rested back in her pillows, the parcel in her lap and glancing again at the open window.

The work on this fabric was meticulous, she could alone tell by touching it. Every design coming down the material was braided into the worn and dyed roots they used to braid the fabric ends together, the colors fanned out in a display of earthy tones and blues. With care, she undid the loose knot and opened the flaps to find a small bundle of wild flowers; baby blues, whites and yellows sat beside fruit she had never seen before. They were soft like peaches but came in a striking lavender color and could fit soundly in the palm of her hand.

Callie smiled, finding a small, folded and tied piece of parchment below the fruits. She wondered how his brute hands managed to tie something this small, struggling herself until the knot gave way and opened to reveal red flakes that had stained the parchment around it.

She smelled them, retracting a little. That smells foul, she almost gagged, tightly wrapping the parchment back up.

The flowers were bound and wrapped at their ends, maybe to preserve them longer? And the fruit was still cold from being washed in a stream, a few beads of water left across their soft surfaces.

Never, not even by the countless suitors that had tried to woo the former Princess, had she been offered gifts such as this. Gifts in general had never been something she’d found herself a mess over, but the small bundle in her lap that she didn’t know had been put meticulously together beside the same river where he often thought of her made her heart so flutter.

Great conflict also consumed her when stark recollections of herself pinned against a tree with his grunts in her ear filled her vision.

Her eyes pinched shut.

“No.” She told herself. What had happened was of her doing just as much as his. She couldn’t allow this stirring of remorseful emotions to consume her. Although her virginity had been taken in a manner she’d never expected, it was done, and needn't be a worry anymore. If she could detach herself from those brief minutes of memories, this was something she could get over.

She rolled onto her side carefully so she could better see the rich, dark night through the open window. She decided she could see the taking of her virginity as a great event; something to mourn over now that she would never lay with another man again, or, she could take this as her freedom.

The constraints of living a girl's life were no longer shackled about her wrists and ankles.

She had tasted raw, gratuitous desire and what followed, and the harshness of that world that came with being a woman, but never before had such a drive ignited in her belly.

Her head nestled into her pillows, the parcel sat on the table beside her bed as she gazed between it and the window, just a minute amount of her wanting the King to return.

“The world is changing.” She told herself, her heavy eyes sliding shut.

2 Weeks Later

She had not seen him once, not even for a fleeting glimpse while being pointed here and there to the next of endless duties that came with ruling Cathedra. It seemed he had jinxed them the moment he said he’d found himself without a task to do, for they now were spun so fast from chore to meeting that it left her dizzy. She’d asked Morn to keep an eye out for him, and often she was the one to see the elusive King when he would only stop by to drop off a message before riding off with his men again. More than once she’d tried waving him down for her lady the Queen, but had never made it in time to catch his attention.

It left Callie feeling more anxious than before. She’d told him that when they were throned he could turn away and never speak to her again as long as they kept their kingdom standing… but could he have chosen to do that?

She convinced rulers from neighboring lands who came to bear witness to the young King and Queen that their new leader was simply busy tending to every corner of their nation, but it didn’t do to rest her own uncertainty.

She had no idea where he was, only that he was out across the lands.

Her own King, a mystery amongst the castle he ruled.

She sighed, pulling her fingertips along the carved, stone walls she wandered beside, her day that should’ve been filled with meetings now free due to urgent matters back at her former visitors homeland. It had taken only moments for her to shed the heavy garments and robes she was stuck under when formalities were told to be met, in addition chasing away the possy of advisors and servants that were at her heels from sun up to sun down. If she was Queen now, she was going to make it a point to alter the archaic rules her and her people were following.

“The Queen should be allowed to wear what ever the fuck she wants,” she smiled to herself, fluffing the thin, layered material of the carnelian red dress she wore. Its weight was almost undetectable, and that’s what she liked. Carrying the tremendous weight of those smelly robes often left her overheated and snappy.

Callie made a mental note of it, coming to the corner she’d turn to finish making her way to the willows she could already hear hissing in the cool, gloomy wind. Sunshine had been sparse today, and she hoped for rain. It would do her soul good for a spring storm to wash away the troubles she’d taken on, and if she could enjoy this day alone, without the pestering of her advisors, maybe she could sort out why she was so bothered by Nik’s absence.

He’d stepped into view just as she rounded the corner, a lush breeze blowing leaves from the weeping willows around the thick fabric of the blood red cloak that flowed around his legs. Nik turned when he saw her, the excitement consuming him just as it did hers when their eyes met.

They both were frozen as if this had been the moment to first lay eyes on one another, not weeks ago.

Oh my god- this is getting awkward, she panicked, composing herself. “I didn’t expect to find you here,” she went with, walking closer.

He was relieved she moved first, but he still questioned that odd statement. “Why?”

She scoffed. “I haven’t seen or heard from you in two weeks,” she recounted, stopping before him.

Had the brief time apart so dulled his memory of her? When he rode across fields and mountains, her memory had glimmered in his mind like a small ray of light, but here he was gazing before the brilliance of the sun. Maybe it was the rich, red dress she wore; with it on, her beauty resembled that of a blooming rose-

Nik blinked- beauty!?

He felt hot, his energy lifting. Two minutes ago he was ready to sleep for a week, but now?

“I’ve been riding all over Cathedra,” he explained, his body showing the sore days worth of horseback. “Speaking to the neighboring nations outside our borders and the ones within,”

“The same ones who’ve told me how odd it was to meet a King away from his Queen?” she asked with a small smirk.

“I take it you’ve had your hands full over here too,” he grinned in return.

“Mm, commanders who threaten war over blades of grass leaning over their borders and others who want to tear up their treaties are pouring out of my ears,” she replied lightly, but the way her shoulders grew rigid upon recalling the countless people she’d met with only showed irritation.

“My sword has come to draw a few times because of those rulers you speak of,” he recalled with exhaustion. “They’re lucky I wasn’t my father- he would’ve had them be-headed had they pulled their swords on him,”

They chuckled, her small smile fading as the quiet seconds ticked by. They both fidgeted, her fingers cracking at her sides as he chewed the insides of his lips.

“How are you feeling? You’re on your feet again,” he blurted, louder than he meant.

“Oh I’ve been on my feet,” she waved her hand, turning away to wander around instead of standing before him. “Those leaves of yours worked wonders, I was told. Recoveries like that aren’t swift,”

“I’m glad they helped- I worried about you,” he spoke freely before thinking. Her surprised smile made him nervous as all hell- he hadn’t meant to be so open. “I’d have been enraged if I was roped into this arrangement only for you to never recover and leave me to carry the burden alone,”

“Always with the dramatics,” she teased. He chuffed loudly, his feathers a little ruffled. “Are you expected anywhere?”

“Not today,” he answered, leaning against a stone pillar that was cracking and slowly losing its face under the growing ivy.

“Then what brought you here?” she asked, leaning on the pillar opposite to him.

He hesitated. “I was checking on you,”

She grinned. “Only because you wanted to make sure this arrangement you were roped into wasn’t yours alone to carry, hm?”

He swallowed. Of course she didn’t believe that, you fucking fool. “That and that only,” he sassed back, growling when she rolled her eyes.

“Well, seeing as we both have open afternoons and you’ve taken the tremendous task in watching over your greatest investment,” she smiled sarcastically, further bugging him. “Would you like a tour of your castle?”

He blinked at her, his eyes jumping around.

“I doubt you’ve even had the time to learn its layout, have you?” she asked, and he shook his head. “Come then, we can catch up along the way,”

“Your workers will see me and scream in horror,” he remarked quietly.

“You know what to tell our workers and advisors when that happens?” she asked, walking to his side. His heart swelled a little watching her look straight up at him like that. “Fuck off,”

He eyed her suspiciously, wondering if her guidance on the matter was actually the way to go about handling that, but he still pushed off the pillar and followed her past the willows, her adamant questioning eventually getting the chatter out of him.

As they turned corners to follow pathways he’d never seen and entered vast halls he didn’t expect to fit in, the two conversed, often diving into more personal questions that really had nothing to do with their current duties. Though they’d start on the subject of something diplomatic, it only took a few moments for one of them to wander into a memory and retell it for its hilarity, or surprise. Although she didn’t have as lively a childhood as he, she still laughed when he told her of the predicaments he would find himself in with his brother, always running for the hills when their father found them behaving mischievously.

The kitchen had been a sight to behold for Nik. He’d only heard of rooms like this, letting her lead him into the cellar where they stored their hanging meats. Although his mind was exploding, he composed himself enough to only ask for two rolls instead of eight when offered.

By the time they’d made it across the castle, and had gone through at least twenty spare rooms that only housed dust and spiders, the two’s tone had turned more serious.

He listened intently to the stories that seemed endless; watching rulers come and go, offering money and food for their people being used as bribery for protection. Of the trading dwarves and Brezziks as slaves between one another, and the cemeteries overflowing because of the rate people were dying inside the walls. When their conversations lasted longer than the tour, they, without a word about it, turned and started wandering back along the same twisted path they’d taken across the castle grounds, their words remaining uninterrupted.

“Now I have those Queens from Castle Vedall bribing me with knights and opium- they come here at least every two days,” she implored, her hands throwing up in annoyance.

“What do they want?” he asked, the familiarity of this particular corridor striking him.

“Protection from gangs,” she shrugged. “Stupid games I don’t want any part of,”

He chuckled. “Our parents definitely left a mess for us, didn’t they?”

The exasperated widening of her eyes said everything she didn’t need to express in words. Since the morning after their throning, it had been a nightmarish spinning of galactic sized problems they both struggled to untangle. To think such a small group of individuals had done so much damage in such a short amount of time.

If he thought back on that morning he found her calling for him in the forest, he’d still grow nauseous.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” he spoke up. “Did you plan on always choosing the Ogre to check if you were pregnant?”

She bit her lip, shaking her head. “I thought of that on my feet. After my sister attacked me that morning, almost all of it was improvised, actually,” she admitted, turning the corner with him. Nervously she met his gaze, and was not surprised to see him carrying a look of annoyance.

“That’s stupid and reckless,” he mumbled, put off that his fate had been loosely handled like that. “My brother was there with me, he could’ve been killed if it hadn’t gone well,”

“I know, I’m sorry,” she apologized, fidgeting with the dress at her waist.

He grumbled, the pair walking in silence.

“There hasn’t been any sign of my sister,”

Nik’s head snapped back. “What?”

“She ran off. I know where my parents settled but she,” she stepped into a warm ray of sunlight casting through a window. “Is a ghost as of a week ago,”

Nik came into the light, realizing they’d wandered all the way to the garden they once sat in. The grass had grown taller, the flowers in full bloom and weeds snaking up the stone walls around it.

“What about your other sister?” he asked carefully, but her eyes stayed down.

“I had people search every corner of the castle and kingdom, and they couldn’t find her anywhere, not even a body,” she explained. “If I hadn’t kept some of her dresses there would be no proof Rose even existed,”

Fuck. He didn’t realize the older sister he’d heard so briefly about was capable of pulling off something like that. “Are you safe here?” he asked.

“I actually have guards posted around the castle, she can’t get in,”

He winced; that still wasn’t any guarantee. “Maybe you should come back home with me for a while,” he offered, noticing how her eyes lit up.

“If Orcs didn’t have such a keen nose, perhaps I would,” she half smiled.

Oh, that’s right. “About that,” he cleared his throat; why was he suddenly having trouble breathing?

“If we’re to keep our places at the thrones, we likely need to act fast,” she replied softly, but couldn’t meet his eyes- why was she so fucking nervous again? This wasn’t the first time! “It would be best if you stayed close from now on,”

He nodded stiffly, glancing down at her body. When walking, he’d had ample opportunities to scent her, and every time he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that his own had vanished. “I agree,” he cleared his throat again, looking out across the garden.

She joined him, the pair in desperate need of a short silence to collect their racing thoughts, but staring out at the spot where she once straddled his lap only brought back every encounter with him, her mood dampening.

“Was that how first times usually are- that painful?” she asked suddenly, looking up at him.

Oh, he could see the upset on her features- that must have still been hard for her to think about. “No, not like that. That was unfortunate you had to endure that, I’m sorry,” he looked away, ashamed.

“You were as kind as possible in a situation like that, so please don’t apologize anymore,” she comforted, stepping closer.

“Were all of our times together painful?” he asked hesitantly- why had he never considered that before?

“No, Nik. In fact-“ she said nervously. “The time here,” she motioned behind herself towards the garden. “That was quite lovely, I remember,”

She witnessed the darkening flush across his cheeks, watching as he barely shifted, just a few breaths closer. “Had we more time, I’m sure I could’ve taken better care of you,” he said quietly, only so she could hear it in the space they occupied alone.

“You still have an obligation to fill, my King,” she whispered, her chin lifted high when looking at him. He counted the two freckles at her chin, as he always did upon seeing her face.

Nik felt his throat run dry after how deep he kept sucking in breaths, her enthusiasm coming off her skin in bursts.

“Here?” he cracked, his body reacting and rocking further into her space.

He hadn’t seen or spoken to her in weeks, but she’d occupied his every waking thought, even coloring a few of his dreams. He’d always look up at her castle as they passed, waiting for her form to appear, so of course he was ready to get down right here.

“This is our castle,” she whispered again, her lower back hitting one of the ledges that separated the pillars lining the garden. Her hands pulled herself up, sliding her bottom back across the ledge.

Nik pushed off the pillar, stepping before her. She watched him look her up and down, his gaze darker than just a few moments ago.

The material of the dress was easy to move once his rough hands started at her knees and slid up flat along the supple skin of her thighs, his huge grip parting them.

“Although I’m much more acquainted with your body, can we still take it slow please?” She asked in a breath, watching his hands.

“You would still like to warm up to it?” he asked, pausing, but his thumbs stroking. She almost whimpered, nodding. “Would you like me to treat you like a virgin again?”

Her brows arched in irritation. “I’m not a virgin, I know what to expect and I do not fear it,” she snapped. His face twitched, and she could hear him pull in another deep breath, testing her words. “You said you would take care of me, did you not?”

Nik nodded loosely, his body starting to ache from the desire, squeezing the meat of her thighs. With every breath he hoped would clear his screaming mind only came more of her essence, coating his tongue.

“Can I put my mouth on you?” he asked roughly, leaning closer. He kept thinking of that soft bundle in her folds, the one that made her eyes roll back when he finally figured out how reactive it was.

Her look was of pure confusion until he motioned down to where his hands were headed, her look of realization priceless.

She looked at the sharp teeth behind his lips, the tall tusks, imagining them inching closer to sex. Shyly, quietly, with sparkling eyes looking through those thick fans of lashes, she asked, “Show me?”

Nik kept his eyes on hers as he pushed her dress up, his fingers brushing her bare hips under the fabric. She touched his arms as he gently pushed her back, gathering folds of her dress to rest over her belly. Her sex was exposed to him, her soft curls glistening with arousal. She yelped when he tugged on her hips to draw her closer to the edge, watching as he kneeled between her spread thighs.

“What is this-“ she tried to ask, but the only noise that cracked from her throat was a loud, sobbing moan when he gave her sex a long lick, his tongue buried in her folds.

“Oh-“ she gasped. This was what he meant? “Ohh,“ she exhaled, her stomach trembling and head bobbing back. She wobbled back onto her elbows as he circled and folded his tongue against her needful center, twitching when the exhilarating pinch of his sharp teeth startled her.

Again! She chanted, biting back a wide smile.

Callie cried when he sucked her clit, his fangs careful around the sensitive flesh. Onto her back she finally collapsed, gripping the dress bunched around her stomach and soaking under the sun as he fucked her with his mouth.

“Is this okay?” He parted to ask, his lips wet and eye dilated- she almost laughed.

“Please don’t stop,” she told him straight forward.

He blinked; oh?

He indulged in rubbing her plump thighs that squeezed his head just as much as he did lapping at her nectar once his mouth was on her again. The same sweet euphoria he’d tasted on his lips before was making his thoughts come to a screaming halt. She was the only thing that mattered in that moment, and the first warmth he’d felt in his bones for what seemed like an indeterminable amount of time. With her thighs now rested on his shoulders, twitching deliciously as he flicked her clit, he could explore the stunning creature writhing below his mouth.

The skin of her stomach and ribs was as silky as on her thighs, her chest heaving with shallow pants under the hands that ventured up under the fabric of her dress, squeezing her narrow sides. She held his warm palms against her body, his touch slipping from under her hands when he pulled them back down to massage the sensitive flesh of her pelvis.

Witnessing her brilliance made him question how he’d gotten here, how this could be transpiring when greater duties were to be upheld without interference, but an answer couldn’t come quick enough to calm that hunger that craved to feel her pulse.

He wanted to feel her heat against his bare skin, and dip into the abyss that was claiming his mind.

His thumb placed a few soft strokes over her clit before he used the knuckle of his index finger, sliding down between her slickness until his two fingers rocked into her cunt. Her entire body tensed, feeling it around his digits.

This can’t be real- this feeling, the way he was making her tremble- it can’t be real.

He coaxed her gently, his fingers buried and massaging. Without the need to prepare her, he could touch her freely, drumming gently against the point in her body he questioned if she even knew existed.

Her body jerked up, eyes fluttering. “Nik-” she gasped, but to his delight, her hips wiggled with his method, her eyes closing in bliss as he brought back the same exhilaration as the first time he touched her.

He leaned in slowly, captivated by the way she moved and sang, letting his hot breath blast across her cunt.

“Tell me what you want,” he licked her again, grinning when she shivered.

“You,” she gasped. “Please, I want you,”

Did I say that? She hoped when she opened her eyes he wouldn't be running, disgusted by her open desire.

The dress remained around her waist when he pressed his body against hers, lifting her into his arms and pushing her leg back around his waist. She clung to him with a loud gasp, watching the spot she once laid crying on grow farther away over his shoulder. Callie buried her face against his neck, blushing madly and whimpering softly to herself when she could feel his swelling dick against her groin.

Nick's mind had never been further from reality as he was in those moments. Fuck his new role in the world, fuck Cathedra and the obligations- he wanted her so bad he could sob.

It was only pure, filthy lust that drove her to reach between her spread knees to fumble and tug at the straps wrapped about his narrow hips once she was laid in the same spot under the tree. It tickled when he pushed her dress farther up her stomach, his heavy touch dragging back down her naked skin to push the rest of his fabrics away, his pierced dick falling into her caress.

He panted lowly when she pumped him with both hands, twitching in her palms and dripping precum across her stomach.

“This feels good?” she asked softly, and followed his slow nod, the beginnings of a loud whine working its way up his throat.

His hands replaced hers gently, her palm parting the folds of his clothing and pressing against his hard stomach. Nik looked into the exhilarated eyes of his Queen when he pressed against her wet entrance, waiting with bated breath.

Her nails scraped his skin when he pushed, tensing, sighing when his head slid in with ease, the inches following.

There were no words, for she couldn’t find any when the pressure filled her lower belly, stars twinkling before her eyes. He stopped halfway, the pair breathing together and looking down to where he’d not fit before. “You’re almost there,” she panted in awe, a stifling heat covering her body.

Her heels hooked around the back of his thighs, pulling his hips in and causing Nik to groan loudly. The pressure increased, something delicious and powerful shocking through her stomach.

She blinked, trying to bring clarity to her clouded sight.

Adrenaline rushed her. “Is that…?“ she breathed, gasping when he withdrew. Her hands slapped down against his arms, taking his re-entry and watching a small hill on her stomach appear. She touched it, her fingers rising and falling when he rocked.

Nik’s hand joined hers, smoothing his fingertips over the bulge, poking. He could feel the applied pressure at his tip, and his eyes fluttered heavily. You’ve gotta be kidding me-

“Oh fuck,” she whined, her head bouncing back against the ground.

“Can I keep moving?” he asked, already adjusting his knees.

She nodded hurriedly, gasping and touching her lower stomach again when he gave his first thrust.

There was no way he could wrap his head around the sensation, the experience, the sight before him. It absolutely turned his mind rampant when she pulled his hips down as he rocked, enjoying the sharp pinch of her nails digging into his arms.

The rise and fall of his hips was slow, thoughtful.

He didn’t push to her limit or race to brand her into the earth, but instead found himself stuck in a trance watching him disappear into her body over and over again, her thighs starting to slide against his sides as she unfolded beneath him.

He was transfixed on the rising and falling bulge on her stomach, almost biting into his lip when he gave a few quick snaps of his hips. She choked, her lower half twitching against the rapid pokes scrambling her guts.

Nik dropped to his elbows, whimpering pitifully.

“I’m sorry- I can’t-“ he struggled to get out, his face pressing into her hair.

Her eyes could barely open as she held him, her brows furrowed in confusion and trying to see him. He was hot to the touch when she grabbed his jaw, making him look at her.

“What? What’s wrong?” She asked. Did he not want this? What did I do wrong?

He shook his head. “You feel so good,” he panted, almost shamefully as he looked into her big eyes that softened upon his confession.

She stared at him, the fingers once gripping his jaw tracing his cheek gently.

So he liked this, too?

“You feel good too,” she sighed, their noses almost touching. She could feel his breath when he exhaled harshly, his eyes shutting.

He paused with his head still hidden in her to adjust his body, his elbows sliding up across the grass.

“Wrap your legs around me,” he growled, his powerful hand angling her knee up.

She listened, but her feet at first tangled in his cloak, kicking wildly a few times to move aside the thick material. Her ankles locked against his lower back and her arms circled loosely around his neck when he pressed his face into her hair, his pace increasing and the claps of their skin filling the quiet garden.

Shock, shock, shock- he abused that spot deep within her, sending delicious quakes ringing to the ends of her body and back.

“Oh God,” she sobbed, her body bouncing beneath him. The air was chilled, but in the small space between them, it was static and hot, their wet flesh sliding and slapping.

“Are you okay?” He looked at her again, leaning on an elbow to glance down where they were connected. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” she breathed, smiling, her fingers curling into his shirt and tugging him back down.

“You’re sure?” He asked, his hips resuming.

“Absolutely,” she bit her lip when he laid over her again, feeling his nose press into her cheek. His weight was intense, but the warmth that came with his bulky body pressing her into the grass was comforting.

His strokes were long, purposeful. He focused his power not on the speed, but the force, pulling on her thigh again when her knees started to loosen around his waist.

“Oh fuck Nik-“ she choked, a shudder shaking up her body. “Nik, Nik-“ she was crying, pulling harshly at his clothes.

“YOUR MAJESTY!”

He was sitting up faster than she could open her eyes and turn her head, the blurry outline of a servant and guard standing across the other side of the garden, looking at their King and Queen in horror.

He’ll run, she knew, and looked up to find him frozen, but knew it was only a matter of seconds before he bolted.

“FUCK OFF!” Nik bellowed, his sharp teeth and tusks bared viciously at the intruders while he threw his hand in the air. “GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!”

She blinked in surprise, looking over at the pair to watch them scramble and debate whether or not to stay and help Callie, but ultimately obey their king and look out on them hesitantly as they fled.

Nik kept his fury in place until they were no longer in sight or could be heard, looking back down at Callie with the same rage, but softer eyes.

She reached up when his hands found purchase in the grass beside her again, looking down at her disheveled state. “I’m sorry,” he apologized softly, evening his breathing. Confusion flashed across her face.

“For what?” She asked.

“That they interrupted,” he told her.

Oh. “Please finish,” she said softly.

His ears twitched when feeling her feet slide down the back of his thighs, looking down at her mouth when she licked her lips.

It was the first time he had to resist kissing her.

With his eyes keeping hers, he rocked back and poked in, slipping back into the pool of ecstasy. They groaned in unison, his face falling against her throat when she bowed and cried.

God- she feels so fucking good.

Her touch slid up his strained arms, holding the back of his neck. He fucked her sweetly, cradling the side of her head and another hand securing her thigh against his side, grunting and groaning beside her ear. She melted under his heat, the tingling pressure in her belly growing, expanding, warming. She liked how his breath felt blasting across her neck, his deep moans vibrating in his chest.

Her head started to thrash, her soul craving more and more.

“Harder,” she whined, a deep breath filling her chest when he did so immediately.

Looking down brought him the sight of her breasts bouncing, and he wanted nothing more than to wrap his tongue around a nipple. He whimpered; if he kept staring down at the beauties across her body, he’d spoil this moment prematurely.

The growing rumble of a brilliant end was approaching though, stilling the blunt nails that clawed and the wiggles beneath him. She cried, her cheek bumping his as she stumbled around her words, holding onto his shoulders with a surprising strength.

Nik peeked at her when she gasped his name, sitting farther up after recognizing the agony splashed across her pretty face.

He followed her strained face, watching the moment approaching until her eyes met his and locked there.

“Cum,” he said, her mouth starting to drop open. “Cum- ugh,”

Callie’s breath stopped, her frame tensing and rising into an arch. The pleasure blinded her, downpours of bliss coating every inch of her existence as she rode the most powerful orgasm she’d ever experienced. Nik smiled down at her, watching her head rotate back and the screams catch in her throat as she rode the waves of dark magic.

She milked him, her walls pulsating around his meat, his thrusts weakening.

“Callie-“ he choked, his stomach clenching.

Her brilliance faded just as his took off, watching him shake and shout, fighting to keep from crushing her when he emptied himself against her womb. He slowed his thrusts, smothered between her quivering walls and collapsed into her arms when the pleasure storm silenced. He found clarity in their complete moment, feeling as if nothing, nothing bad could come after this.

The only noise was the leaves rustling above and birds singing as they flew their way to their nests in escape of the storm rolling in. Sometimes one of their arms would move in the grass flattened below them, or their heads would rotate under the sparse sun that kept them warm.

He didn’t know she would purposely drum her fingers against the grass so she could see his ear twitch in response; she couldn’t get over how adorable it was to watch them flicker like that, hoping he wasn’t growing irritated when he stirred. His eyes opened, sleep heavy on them when he looked at her to his side.

“You fell asleep,” she mumbled, grinning when he chuffed.

“No I didn’t,”

“You snore,”

He glared at her from the corner of his eye. “We’ve been here for an hour, what do you expect?” he grumbled.

“You said you wanted to lay down for a while,” she sighed, lifting her face back to the sun. Its warmth sent goosebumps down her arms, a delicious sensation to feel after she’d finally been able to put her mind back together after that psych shattering orgasm.

“You said you couldn’t stand,” he yawned, his sharp teeth flashing.

When a decent comeback fell short, she glared, her skin heating under that killer stare. More than once she’d been tempted to hook her finger around one of his tusks and pull him over when the breeze grew too crisp.

They laid on their backs under the shifting sun and talked quietly, the air around them still static. What was only intended to be a few minutes fell into an hour, fleeting glances filling the pauses between nervous words. He’d watched the stars clear from her eyes as the minutes ticked by, mindful to keep the glee buzzing under his skin in check. His scent was sinking further into her core, melding with hers seamlessly. Too many times he had wanted to lean over and press his nose under her jaw and inhale; to soak in the perfect mix of their essences, but he didn’t. He spoke softly, and only dared to tug a lock of hair even though it was only minutes ago that he’d fucked her until she drew blood across his arms.

She’d wanted to scream and roll around instead of laying there delicately; it had been nothing she’d expected. Where she assumed their first official, unhindered time would be a basic exchange of bodily need, she instead found passion, and lying under the branches of the birch tree with him beside her had been a step into peace she’d never before experienced. She wanted to stay in that garden forever, absorbing the gentle lull of life carrying on around them and Nik’s slow, deep breaths beside her.

Callie’s eyes softened. Forever.

“We’re to be married soon,” she reminded.

Nik nodded, his face turned to her but eyes elsewhere. She wondered what he thought, and worried if he dreaded the day to come. Her body still hovered dreamily, but that entire interaction could’ve just been another day to him. He was the experienced one.

Callie looked to the dark clouds above, wanting to push those thoughts away.

Why does that even bother you?

“I would like it if we had a wedding at my tribe, too,” he spoke, bringing her attention back. “With my people,” he finished, looking at her.

“What if they hate me?” she asked, and his brows flattened.

“I’m hated here,”

It was a reflex to immediately dismiss such a thought, but… it was true. It had not been a secret amongst the people working in the castle, or the residents of their immediate kingdom, that they already held bitter, narrow minded opinions about their new Orc King. Not everyone was as enamored with her companion as she, but to not even give him the courtesy of exchanging words to prove he was no monster to fear brought boiling anger to the surface.

“I’m sorry,” she spoke sincerely. “I didn’t consider that,”

“You’ve never faced the issue, why would you?” he reasoned, but she shook her head.

“That’s no excuse,” she sighed, looking up. “If a King is unbiased then his kingdom should reflect that. I won’t allow this to keep happening,”

“You can’t change the mind of men,”

“But I can change the laws,” she stated firmly, meeting his shocked eyes. “I won’t allow our nation to undermine or actively fight against us. Cathedra would fall before it even stood,”

His hairless brows furrowed; it couldn’t be that easy. “How are you so confident when our place on the throne isn’t even absolute yet?” he asked, more sour than intended.

“No one would trust me as their Queen if I showed how scared I really was,” she confessed. “But I have to believe this can work, and that everything we do will work out,” she explained, her hands resting over her stomach. “Including making a baby before our time runs out,”

He sighed. “My parents always told me marriage should come first,”

“We make our own rules now, remember?” she asked coyly, stirring a reluctant grin from him.

It was a peaceful few seconds they spent staring at one another before a rumbling thunderclap ahead snatched their gazes away, a cool wind sweeping through the long grass they hid in.

She saw him lift his chin higher to smell the air, sitting up. “It’s going to rain soon,”

“Does that mean you have to leave?” she asked, also sitting up stiffly and keeping her thighs pinched shut. It was sticky between them after letting his seed soak for so long.

“I’d rather not be caught in a storm,”

There was no arguing that; summer storms were bearable, but spring storms in the mountains turned the terrain treacherous and nights deadly. “When shall we meet again?” she asked, watching him stand and smooth down his cloak covered in dead grass and petals.

“If you’re feeling up to it, tomorrow,” he told her, his hand reaching down for her.

The realization of his words hit her while he carefully pulled her up, his hand on her shoulder until he knew she was stable. “I’m feeling quite fine, actually,” she realized, shifting her thighs to test her center. Some soreness, but what's to expect after taking an Orcs meat?

He swallowed. “Good, I’m glad,”

She nodded up at him, an awkward silence passing between the two.

You can sleep in my bed tonight, is what she truly wanted to offer, just like Nik wanted nothing more than to throw her over his shoulder and take her home.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” she grinned, her hair whipping around her shoulders when another breeze kicked up the leaves and grass around them.

Every fiber of his being wanted to stay, but with less grace then when they’d reunited hours ago, they parted. He wanted to look over his shoulder after leaving her in the stone walkway beside the garden, but he knew if he did, he’d buckle and push her up against one of the pillars.

She hoped for him to turn and look at her again before disappearing down the corridor, but with the last of his red cloak whipping behind him, he was gone, only the developing bruises on her thighs and seed left in her belly to show their phantom King had been there.

Callie breathed in deep and let it shake out, her eyes closing and hands holding her warm cheeks.

She turned to wander slowly through the halls and pathways, her dress looser and tied crudely to keep from falling apart. Flowers and grass stuck to her hair fanned messily around her shoulders; even her necklaces were twisted and tangled around her neck.

“Your majesty,”

Callie spun and shrieked, finding Morn in the doorway of another room she’d just gotten done preparing. Callie covered her smile when her friend looked at her knowingly, waiting with her arms crossed under a few folded robes.

“Where is the King?” Morn asked, walking towards her.

“He left again,” she answered, clearing her throat.

Morn was at her side, and without needing to even take in the scent of the King left embedded in her body, she knew well of the events that had unfolded.

Morn’s eyes narrowed. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, starting to giggle. “I’m very much okay,” she laughed, covering her face when the blush grew too prominent.

Morn’s golden eyes rolled, her arm coming to link with the Queen’s and pulling her along. “Tell me all about it, then.”

⦽

That same goofy smirk that had curled his lips more than once during the ride back home was forcing its way up again as he came upon the vast meadow his tribe sat in. Nik would try to wipe the smile from his face, but his actions did not follow his orders. He found his palm splayed across his mouth plenty of times, vivid images of Callie below him driving him mad. He looked over his shoulders often, worried someone would see him acting so foolishly, but the only stares he received were the ones of his own people once riding up to them.

They watched the young King slip off Lyuda and pat her in the direction of the other horses, his eyes remaining low in heavy, immersed thought. The woman walking towards him with armfuls of fruits that needed to be washed wrinkled their noses upon passing, turning to look at him in confusion.

Nik didn’t notice them, nor did he notice the other countless Orcs he passed while making his way through the ones going on about their day but now stopping to look at him in mild disgust.

His eyes still did not raise, for all of his attention was being put on not cracking another damn smile.

This is fucking annoying. How was he to carry out anything if he couldn't stop thinking of how excited he was to return to the castle the following day? Nik cleared his throat and squared his shoulders, his head finally lifting. His first kind smile and nod towards a family was met with hushed whispers and critical stares, his expression hardening when the same tone carried over to another family he tried greeting.

“It’s about time you got back,” Jakob greeted, retracting once approaching his brother.

“Why is everyone looking at me like that?” Nik mumbled, looking everywhere but his brother.

“Nik-”

He turned on his heel to observe that almost everyone he had passed had too stopped to turn and gawk at him. “What?” he asked loudly, his anger bubbling.

The others shied away, most scrambling to return to their business but some still lingered, whispering amongst each other.

“WHAT!?” Nik snapped, about to stomp over to the men staring at him, but Jakob’s strong grasp hooked around his elbow and yanked him back.

“You smell like human cunt!” Jakob hissed, the disgust evident on his features.

Oh shit. He’d forgotten to bathe on the way back-

But that thought fell short. Nik shifted in irritation, glaring at his brother who’d really had the nerve to refer to Callie like that, but to also speak like that in front of their people whom he’d already confided in him about their lack of respect. He’d had weeks of others belittling him, questioning, insulting, and now that he was home, his own brother was going to lash the same bullshit?

“You mean I smell like your Queen’s cunt?” Nik boomed, looking out over the others who still stuck around after staring into Jakob’s appalled eyes. Most broke apart after that and allowed Nik the moment to look back to his brother, stepping closer to him so they met eye to eye.

“If you don’t wish me to be a cruel King like Father, you will never speak wrongly of her again.” He ordered, the brothers exchanging low growls before Nik stalked away. He couldn’t tolerate anyone, not even Jakob undermining him when he already carried the weight of a nation belittling him for the human he chose. He feared Jakob would come to hate him, but when he took this oath, he knew this was one of the risks, and he was too far in to back out now. He prayed his brother would come to understand his decision, but he had prayed that two weeks ago it would only take a few days for that moment to come.

He’s not even accepted the invite to speak with her, Nik recalled bitterly. He chuffed angrily, throwing open the flap for his tent.

Jakob hid his embarrassment with anger, his fists cracking and clenching at his sides before he too stomped away, wanting nothing more than to wrap his hands around his brother's neck and strangle some sense into him.

He shuddered, disgust rolling through him. “Your Queen,” he repeated.

The human woman he’d seen at the castle with his brother was not what he would call a Queen. He expected someone sizable to match up to an Orc’s size, or at the very least the same race, but that only left Jakob to ask why he even did this.

No matter how many times he’d ask and receive the same answers, nothing could make sense of it. He didn’t understand how this could have all happened right under his nose, but he also couldn’t understand how Nik could’ve done this in secrecy from the beginning.

Had he so little trust in him, after all they’d been through? He turned to a human before his own brother.

Jakob glanced back to see Nik was gone. There was no talking today, not after the tension that had ridden home with them.

He’d try another day to understand his brother better.

⦽