The Claiming of a Virgin King (7 page)

Heart now racing, William too stood,
the mug of tea abandoned on the side table. He couldn’t quite
believe that Dragan was saying what he was saying, and yet…he
was…

“
Reach out, my king,”
Dragan said softly. “Place your palm on my cock. You’ll feel how
hard it is.”

William did not need to touch, he
could see! And his head was spinning, unable to believe that the
alien lord was asking this of him. Of all the things he had
expected, of all the concessions he had thought to make!

“
So the stories are true,”
he gasped. “Your people lie with both males and
females.”

“
We lie with whoever we
desire,” Dragan said. “And I desire you. In truth, William, I am
stunned by how much.”

William almost groaned, shock making
him feel ever so lightheaded. He moved away from Dragan and across
to the window on the other side of the room, his thoughts rioting
left and right.

The alien lord did not move. He
waited, his eyes narrowed, his arms crossed over his thick
chest.

William looked at him,
took in everything about the male who wanted to
fuck
him, and struggled to find a
response. How
was
he supposed to respond to such an outrageous suggestion? How,
when so much depended on it, was he supposed to refuse? And yet,
William didn’t see how he could possibly agree.

“
I am not that way
inclined,” he eventually said.

Dragan tilted his head, something like
curiosity now flashing in his gaze. “You’ve never fucked another
male?”

“
No.”

“
Or been fucked by
one?”

“
No.”

Dragan smiled then, almost as if that
pleased him. “Females are beautiful,” he said. “Their pussies are
soft and their tits even more so. But there is nothing like the raw
power of a man. Feeling his pucker open and accept a cock…there is
nothing like it.”

William almost choked on his words. “I
don’t—”

“
And females can suck cock
all day long,” Dragan continued. “But they don’t know how it feels.
They don’t know the exact right way to lick along a male’s slit
until he is screaming with pleasure.”

William shook his head
quickly, trying to push away the images that Dragan’s words had
caused to form in his mind. They made him feel…shaken…panicky…and
that was unacceptable! As a royal, as the man tasked with producing
an heir to carry on the line, sex with another male was something
that William had never allowed himself to think about. Oh, he knew
that many males fucked others. In the capital such activity was an
accepted part of life, sex, regardless of the partner, was
something to be celebrated and enjoyed, but it was something that
William had tried to ignore. His people fucked, and constantly,
with whoever they desired, but it was different for William. As the
king his desires had to take second place to his duties. Any desire
he had felt, and he
had
felt it for several males, had been ruthlessly
ignored. He had to find a way to win the war, not spend his time
spilling his seed. Once the war was won he had planned to find a
female to marry, and imagined he would find someone he respected,
someone he could sire a child with. But until then…

“
My words excite you,”
Dragan said.

Pulled from his rampaging thoughts
William was quick with his denial. Too quick perhaps.
“No.”

“
My king lies? I am not
surprised. But no matter.” Dragan waved a hand. “Lie all you want.
I don’t care if you admit your desire or not. I simply want you in
my bed.”

In my bed…
William inhaled a shaky breath. “I cannot agree
to that,” he said.

“
Why not?”

William struggled to find an answer.
How could he say that this was so far from what he had expected?
That it had never even occurred to him that Dragan would make such
a request. And that now, now that he had, the thought of allowing
it made him feel shaky? That fucking a woman, never mind a man, was
completely outside of his experience? That he had nothing to guide
him? That he would be painfully nervous? Painfully ill equipped to
deal with it.

He couldn’t, he realized.
He
couldn’t
allow
the alien lord to know of those weaknesses. He had been too honest
with him already. So, and instead, William pulled out the only
excuse he could think of. “My people will lose all respect for me
if they find out I traded sex in exchange for your
help.”

Dragan tilted his head, and the look
in his eyes suggested that he knew William was being far from
truthful. “I would have thought your people, those cowering below
your capital, would be grateful for whatever their king does to
save them.”

“
It is not as simple as
that.”

“
No. It never is.” He
paused. “But if you wish for this to remain between us then we can
arrange for that to be so.”

“
How?” William asked. “A
quickie here and now? Let you fuck me and you’ll assemble your
army?”

He meant his words to be cutting. To
be brave even. But Dragan did not take them that way.

“
A quickie?” he laughed.
“A quickie will not be enough to satisfy me. No, my king, I will
need more than that. And, in fact, it makes perfect sense. We have
time before the new moon, before the winter begins properly. Time
enough to make our preparations before setting out to vanquish
Maylor. Why not use that time?”

“
Use…”

“
To pleasure one another,”
Dragan said. “To allow me to claim my king, and to seal this deal
between us, once and for all.”

Chapter Six

The king’s struggle both
amused and intrigued Dragan, but more than that it increased his
arousal to the point where it was almost uncomfortable. He stood,
arms crossed, cock
aching
in his pants, waiting for the king to find
another excuse for his refusal.

So far as Dragan could tell the king
didn’t really have one.

Of course, it was possible that he had
a moral objection to using sex in exchange for help, but Dragan
thought that was doubtful. When the first of the humans had arrived
on the islands, some out of curiosity, some seeking shelter, Dragan
had been very pleased to find that their attitude to sex was much
like that of his own people. Sex was something to be celebrated.
Something to be enjoyed. And over the years Dragan had fucked many
humans. Had found himself intrigued by their silky skin and eager
hands.

He had fucked more males than females,
because that was his preference, but he had never fucked one like
the king. Perhaps it was because the other male was royal? But
there was something about him that spoke of repressed desires. And
the knowledge that he had never taken a male inside of him? Well,
that made Dragan practically ache with the desire to be the king’s
first.

Already he found himself imagining how
he would pleasure this male. How he would lick along his cock, how
he would run his tongue along his pucker. And then, when the king
was nice and wet…

“
If I agree to
this…”

His hesitant words made Dragan’s cock
twitch in his pants.

“
Yes?”

“
You will accompany me
back to the capital,” William said. “And deal with
Maylor?”

“
I will deal with both
Maylor
and
his
army,” Dragan said. “The others? His people? I will bring them to
the islands.”

“
You would have them
here?” William asked.

“
It is entirely possible
they have been bullied and cowed into this war,” Dragan said. “My
strategists have suggested that all is not as it seems. You know
that I have spies in their camp?”

“
I suspected as
much.”

“
Well, they were not
easily planted. Maylor knew everyone on his ship just as I know
everyone on mine. My people had to work extremely hard to get
accepted by the northern aliens.”

“
How did they do it?”
William asked.

“
By appealing to Maylor’s
ego,” Dragan said with a slight smile. “He has always believed he
is in the right. Always believed that his style of rule is the only
way. It took some time, but my people were able to convince him
that they were unhappy with the society I have created and would
prefer to live under his rule.” He paused. “They have taken a great
risk.”

“
Why put them there at
all?” William asked. “If you never intended to get involved in this
war?”

Dragan shrugged because he realized
now that he was going to have to be...economical with the
truth.

“
I like to think ahead,”
he said slowly. “And it is a good job I do. The intelligence my
people have collected suggests that not all of Maylor’s people are
happy with what is happening. Why should they suffer because of
what they are being forced into? They won’t. I will give them a
chance to live peacefully here. To become members of this society
that we have built. It is only right and fair that I do so. After
all, but for the grace of the choice of ship…”

“
And if they do not settle
peacefully?”

“
Then I will deal with
them in the same way that I will deal with Maylor,” Dragan
replied.

“
How?” William
asked.

“
How?”

“
How will you deal with
Maylor and his army?” William demanded. “Will you kill
them?”

Dragan shook his head because that was
not something he was capable of. He suspected William thought
differently because of his experiences with the northern aliens,
but in truth they were a peaceful people. They had lived on a dying
planet where any moment could mean the end, and after that had made
their way through the stars, never knowing where they might end up,
if at all. Life was precious to Dragan’s people and he would not
take it from someone. How Maylor had become so twisted, had lost
the lessons of their people, Dragan did not know. But two wrongs
never made a right.

“
We will get rid of them
in the same way that they arrived,” he said because he saw no
reason to hide this aspect of his plan from the king.

“
On a ship?”

“
Yes,” Dragan said. “We’ll
send them back into the stars.”

“
But…surely they will just
come back?” William said. “And the war will start all over
again?”

“
My ship has stasis
units,” Dragan replied. “You understand how they work?”

William nodded. “They put you to
sleep? Sort of pause you?”

“
Exactly. We’ll put them
in there for a generation and send the ship out on autopilot. By
the time they come out of their cycle they will be far from this
world, and we’ll ensure all memory of it is wiped from the crystal
system. They will never be able to find it.”

“
Does Maylor know you can
do this?”

“
Yes. Why do you think he
has never tried to take these islands? Why do you think he sends as
many messengers as you do? Our ships were designed identically, but
Maylor’s ship lost their units many years ago. They collided with a
comet and that part of their ship was lost.”

“
So…he knows you can do
this,” William said. “That you are his only weakness? But how will
we get them in the units? We’ll have to capture the entire
army.”

“
Leave that to me,” Dragan
said. “We have other technology that will help with that. All you
need worry about for now is whether you are willing to agree to my
terms.”

The king shifted, indecision chasing
so plainly across his face. “I don’t even know what to
say.”

“
You’re confused,” Dragan
said.

“
Shocked is more like
it.”

“
You did not expect
this.”

“
I thought you would
refuse me,” William said slowly. “You refused to see any of my
messengers.” He paused and ran a hand across his face. Dragan
couldn’t help noticing that it trembled ever so slightly. “But
then,” he continued. “On the journey over I thought about what
would happen if you did not refuse me. I expected you would ask for
something. But this?”

Dragan uncrossed his arms and moved
across the room. He couldn’t help himself, already he had waited
too long. He halted just a few inches from the king, whose eyes
widened on his approach. He looked down at him, though not as far
down as he was used to, and let out a soft sigh.

“
Is your virtue worth more
than your people?”

“
My virtue?”

Dragan nodded slowly. “I cannot think
what else prevents you from saying yes.”

The king shifted again and in that
moment Dragan found himself wondering how close to the truth his
words had actually been.

“
Or perhaps it is your
pride?” he suggested. “You are hesitating because you do not like
the idea of fucking one of your subjects?”

“
You said all are equal,”
William said. “So how can you be my subject?”