Decadent Master (19 page)

D
ierk couldn’t recall the last time he felt like this, like the rest of his life was hinged on the outcome of one critical moment, a decision that wasn’t his to make.

He knew his brother Shadow loved him.

He knew Shadow wished to see him happy.

But he also knew Shadow was bound by a law that had been set in place eons ago, one that had a purpose.

If the king gave anyone permission to step beyond the law, he could face the worst consequences.

That couldn’t happen. Much more than one man’s happiness was at stake. The stability of a kingdom, for one.

Dierk hesitated. He shouldn’t be here. Shouldn’t be asking this favor, and he wouldn’t if he had possessed the strength to deny Wynne her greatest wish. He loved her too much not to try.

No, he loved her too much to fail. He would pay any price to make her his forever.

“His Majesty will you see now,” the king’s secretary repeated, standing at the open door to His Majesty’s private office.

“Thank you.” Dierk dragged his sweaty palms down the sides of his legs, lifted his chin and, ignoring the heavy pounding of his heart, entered the room. As expected, his brother was sitting at his desk, his head lowered, reading a piece of paper he held in his hands. Dierk stopped just inside the room and waited for his brother to wave him over.

It took what felt like an eternity for the king to lift his head. “My brother.” Shadow motioned, welcoming Dierk with a smile. “I’ve been wanting to speak with you.” He stood, motioning toward a set of chairs sitting in front of the empty fireplace. “Come, tell me how things are going. I’ve grown weary of heavy political issues.”

“I wish I could tell you I’ve come to amuse you, brother, but I’m afraid it’s for a much more weighty matter.”

“Oh really?” The king sat, crossed an ankle over his knee. “What matter is that?”

Dierk sat, mirroring his brother’s position. “I need to speak about the Joining.”

His brother’s eyebrows lifted. “Continue.”

“I understand it’s against the law for any man but the king to pursue the Joining with a mortal woman. But I find myself here, prepared to beg, to grovel, for permission to do just that.”

His brother chuckled. “Isn’t it amusing how something so small and seemingly powerless can cut us down?”

“It is.”

The king’s eyes glittered with laughter. “My enemies can’t destroy me—though they’ve tried—but one unkind look from my wife would devastate me. She weighs less than our dog, possesses not an ounce of cruelty, and submits to my every wish, and still I am utterly captivated by her.”

Dierk could easily relate to his brother in that regard. “I feel the same way.”

“When a man loves a woman so thoroughly, he cannot live another moment not knowing she is his, she will always be his.”

“Yes. The thought of losing Wynne makes me sick.”

His brother leaned forward and rested a hand on Dierk’s knee. “The law is clear. You can’t Join with her. I know you’re aware of that.”

“Yes.” Dierk felt all hope slipping away. “I know, but I was wondering…”

“What? That I would grant you permission to break the law?” He removed his hand. “You know what price I would pay if I did that. And our people, what price they would pay, too.”

“Of course.”

The king tipped his head. “Still, you asked?”

“I have no choice. I love her.”

His brother stood, arms crossed over his chest. “What’s wrong with just marrying her?”

As required, Dierk stood, despite the fact that his legs were so shaky he wondered if they would hold his weight. “Nothing.”

“Yet you ask for more. You ask for the impossible.”

“I’ve found the impossible. You know how that feels, how desperate this kind of all-consuming love makes a man. I can’t think of anything but Wynne. I’ve tried. I feel incomplete without her.”

“If you are married, you will be connected in all ways but one, as so many have done before you. It was enough for them. Why isn’t it good enough for you?”

“But you know how painful and frustrating it will be, for both me and Wynne. To deny what we need is cruel.”

“To allow you to Join with Wynne is to sign my own fate.” The king sighed. “The law was written to protect us all. It is the one law that even a king is charged to uphold, or face the punishment of death.”

Shaking his head, Dierk closed his eyes. “I made a mistake, coming to you. I should have gone through with it without asking your permission. At least then—”

“I would have been forced to live with the guilt of having to sign your order of execution.”

Dierk shrugged. “It seems you won’t be able to avoid it.”

“Then you’ll Join with her anyway, even if I deny your request?” His brother dropped his head, shoved his fingers through his hair. “At least give me some time to look into the options.”

“There is no time. Tomorrow is the full moon. I won’t wait. I can’t wait. Not even a month.”

His brother’s expression was grim. “Then I have no choice….”

Assuming the conversation was over, Dierk backed toward the exit. Knowing he would soon pay the price for following his heart, he had only one thought. He would spend every minute he had left with the woman he loved.

Not doubting for one moment what he was about to do, Dierk took Wynne’s hands in his the next night and said the words of the Joining in the Ancient Tongue.

They had spent the past twenty-four hours talking about this moment, what it meant for them and what would happen afterward. Because they were likely to lose their lives, Dierk kept his wishes to himself as they discussed the ritual. He wanted Wynne to make this decision freely, without feeling any pressure from him. Instead of telling her how badly he longed to Join with her, he tried to stick to the basic facts about the Joining—specifically, how it would bind them spiritually. If one died, the other died. Their energies would blend. And during the most intimate moments, they would sense what the other did: hear what they heard, feel what they felt, taste what they tasted.

Wynne stood before him motionless now, the light of the full moon reflecting off her hair and making her look like an angel. The scent of jasmine was heavy in the cool air, the white petals overhead gleaming silver.

This was the perfect place. The perfect time. The perfect woman.

He accepted the choker from his brother Rolf and lifted it to Wynne’s neck.

It was almost done. She would soon be his forever, her soul a part of him, filling the cold, empty hollow inside. He secured the clasp at her nape and brushed his knuckles along her cheekbone. His forever.

His gaze locked to hers, he mentally reached for her. She might not hear his voice clearly yet, but she would feel his presence. He sent her loving thoughts.

You are mine and I am yours. Forever.

“Almost done,” Dierk said aloud. “I promise to make you the happiest woman in the world, for the rest of your life.” The need to complete the Joining was an excruciating ache now. Trembling, he spoke the rest of the words of the ritual, but the overwhelming urge to complete the final steps grew more intense with each sentence he uttered. By the time he had completed the Promise, he was so weak, he could barely stand, his limbs heavy, his heart hard and cold.

Almost done.

He tipped his head, closed his eyes, and whispered, “Ask me to kiss you.”

“Kiss me, please!” Wynne threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his. An electrical charge jumped between their joined mouths. She parted her lips and he slipped his tongue inside. The energy zapped along his tongue, then charged through his body, blazing down his nerves. Heat gathered deep inside his chest, scorching, and yet not painful. The ice that had encased his frozen heart melted away and joy swelled inside until tears gathered in his eyes.

The Joining was almost finished. He was nearly whole.

He couldn’t wait. The final step was next: a bite, like so many he had enjoyed before and yet different. This one was a promise. A claiming. And a surrender. More than a kiss sealing marriage vows, this bite would bond them forever. He needed to complete the Joining before the magnificent fullness left him and he was empty again. He couldn’t bear to think of existing another minute without Wynne’s glorious soul filling him.

His fangs extended. He dragged his tongue down her throat. Her skin was sweet, salty, delicious.

“Now, my love,” he murmured, pulling Wynne flush against him. “Are you ready?”

“Yes,” she said on a sigh. “Yes, now. Please.”

His fangs pierced her skin and his mouth filled with the decadent flavor of her blood.

“Yessss.” She clawed at his shoulders, stiffened against him as he eagerly drank from her. With each swallow, a different kind of burning sparked inside him, desperate carnal need. He wanted her like he had never wanted a woman before. His cock surged to a throbbing erection. He roughly yanked her closer and pushed his knee between her legs. As his venom took hold of her, she writhed against him, grinding her pussy against his thigh, stirring his lust to even greater heights.

He whispered her name against her neck, repeated it over and over. It was the most glorious name he’d ever spoken. Each time he said it, he soared closer, closer to orgasm. And then she groaned and shuddered against him as a climax overtook them both.

It was done.

His precious Wynne belonged to him forever. He swept her into his arms and looked down into her heavy-lidded gaze. “My love for you will have no end. We will be together forever, no matter what happens to us now.”

Movement in the distance caught his eye. A man. Running.

Dierk’s joy faded, but only slightly. He had hoped his brother would wait a little while before sending guards to have him arrested.

He tightened his hold on Wynne.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, still not seeing the man heading their way.

“We’re about to pay the price for our love.” He motioned toward the approaching man, knowing she couldn’t see him yet. “Remember, we talked about this. Someone is coming to arrest me now.”

“No!” Wynne sobbed, twisted, and arched her back, forcing him to set her down.

“My sweet Wynne.” He pulled her into an embrace but she fought out of it. “Please don’t get upset. We knew this would happen.”

“I don’t give a damn. I won’t let anyone arrest you,” she murmured, sounding surprisingly calm. Her expression was fierce, determined, damn sexy. “Nobody is going to make you pay anything. We’ve done nothing wrong.”

“It’s Shadow,” Rolf said.

Rolf was right. It was their brother, the king.

“Am I too late?” Glowering, Shadow stopped directly in front of Dierk. “Did you defy me?”

Dierk gently tried to force Wynne behind him. “I did.”

“Dammit,” Shadow spat. “You ass.”

“
You’re
an ass.” Jumping forward, Wynne poked the king in the chest. Dierk grabbed her wrists and yanked them behind her back, but as he struggled to gather both into one of his fists, she growled, “What gives you the right to deny anyone the happiness they deserve?”

“Wynne, stop. He is my king. Your king.” Dierk tried to get her to turn around and look at him, but she wasn’t going to let that happen without putting up a good fight. And thanks to the strength she’d gained through the Joining, she was giving him a run for his money.

“I don’t give a damn what his title is. He’s still an asshole, and I’m not afraid to tell him that.” Standing tall, she glared up at his brother, who towered over her. “There’s a time and a place for obedience, submission. And maybe you all expect me to shut up and be the good little submissive girl I’ve become in the dungeon, but I can’t. Not when such a gross injustice is about to be done. Love cannot be stopped. It overcomes obstacles or it barrels through them, but either way it wins out over everything else. And our love led us to this place, against your wishes, against your law. We couldn’t stop it any more than we could have stopped a typhoon. So, why should we be penalized—”

“I understand.” The king crossed his arms over his chest. Wynne snapped her mouth shut. “But the law is clear. Only the king may Join with his bride.”

“The law isn’t fair—”

Shadow lifted a hand, silencing the fiery little Wynne. “The law has a purpose, and as king I am bound to honor it and every other written in our books.”

“Which is your way of telling us you can’t do anything to help us,” she snapped.

“Oh yes, I can.” Shadow nodded. “I have spent the past twenty-four hours looking into this dilemma and I have discovered we have a few options.” He extended his index finger. “I can have you arrested and tried for treason and if you are convicted, you will be executed.”

“I hope he’s got something better than that,” Wynne muttered.

“He does. I hope.” Dierk braced for what he hoped might be good news.

Shadow extended his middle finger, adding it to the index. “Two, I can step in your place, admit I gave you permission to Join, and pay the consequences for breaking the law.”

“I won’t let you do that,” Dierk said.

“Or three.” The king extended his ring finger. “You can confess your guilt now, relinquish your right to a trial, and place yourself at my mercy.”

Dierk briefly considered all three and quickly concluded there was only one that gave them any hope whatsoever.

Ironically, he was now forced to do what he’d asked Wynne to do all along. He had to place his trust at another man’s feet, and blindly have faith that it wouldn’t be crushed.

He released one of Wynne’s wrists, dropped on one knee, and nodded to her, suggesting she do the same.

She hesitated but complied.

He said, “Before this witness, we confess we knowingly and freely broke the law, completed the Joining against your counsel and in secret, and beg for your mercy, Your Grace.”

“You made a wise choice.” Shadow paused. “It pains me to do this, but I must find you guilty of Treason.”

Dierk felt Wynne’s hand tremble. He gave it a gentle squeeze.

“Your sentence is that you will be banished until my anger is appeased. You will spend this time overseeing the reconstruction of our castle in Ljubljana.”