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  Chapter Two

  Illona

  We rode for three more days. That woman at Vlad’s side. She was yet another trophy to him. As my horse rocked me back and forth, she would glance back at me, grinning. Full of the knowledge of what she had seen Vlad do to me and then experienced me fucking her in the ass until I came. I hated that, as much as I hated her for being a surrogate for what I truly wanted to do that night.

  Vlad had said nothing of it since it happened. In fact, he had not said much to me at all, which was bothersome. I know he was drunk, and as he fucked her well into the night, while I watched on, he did look at me from time to time. Vlad was full of need; he needed attention, he needed adoration, but mostly, he needed love. A love I wished I could give to him. I shook my head as that ridiculous thought crossed my mind, but it did not have to linger long for as I beat back the idea of his lips on my cock the men started to shout…not far off in the distance we could see it, our home…Castle Bran. The black points of the tower piercing the winter sky and sending dread into anyone opposed to us. To me, it was beautiful, gothic, the only home I had known since I was a boy. My parents had served Vlad's own before the Black Death had swept through and killed them, along with so many others. It truly left a mark on me. I lost my mother and father just as Vlad had and, for some reason, he gravitated towards me. I had known him going on fifteen years, as we both lost our families so very young.

  I had always loved him, from the time I could start feeling anything for anyone. I adored him. His rough nature and contagious charm engulfed me, as it did everyone else around him. I still remembered when we were nearing our fourteenth year in life and he was presented with his first woman. He offered to share her with me and I declined, but I did hide and watch them that night as the whore pleasured him. It infuriated me and, as I had reached down and rubbed at myself, I felt so ashamed. I knew it was not her that made me hard, it was him. Always him.

  I blinked a few times as Vlad rode up next to me and slapped me on the shoulder. I was jerked from my memory as I stared into his face. It had remained almost the same, minus a small scar one lucky fool had inflicted above his right eye. He grinned, his pinkish-red lips parting and exposing his perfectly straight teeth. He was so beautiful, it made me ache for him.

  He leaned in. “Dorin, tonight I will have a feast to celebrate our victories, I want you to sit at my side.”

  I watched him closely and then nodded. My heartbeat speeding up in my chest. He lingered there, touching my shoulder and staring into my eyes. My mind raced to all of the things it could mean. Could he be offering me more? I grinned as he took his hand from my shoulder and cried out. He drew his sword and held it high over his head.

  “We return victorious to our homeland…come! Let us receive our treasures, drink, soft beds….” He turned his horse and stared at me. “Someone to lay upon.” I could feel flush, which was very odd for me. I normally hold my emotions very close to my vest. I nodded to him as he slammed his feet into the sides of black stallion and off he rode, every man crying out and following him as they always did. Loyal to the end.

  ***

  I sat in my chamber and fussed with my jacket. I hated dressing up. I swear that I could live in my armor, but Vlad had brought us home after a two month campaign and he wanted a celebration. I could not blame him for that. In fact, I knew it was not the dressing up that had me on edge, but the fact that he had asked me to sit at his side. He had never done so in the years I had been loyal to him. I had been to many a feast of celebration in his honor, but I had always sat a across the room, with the other barbarians who fought at his side. His table was reserved for his royal friends. I heard a tap to my door and I turned as it opened. A guard stood there in his silver armor, red dragon etched into it on his chest. The red dragon, Vlad’s beating heart and he had called me his dragon…his, and his alone.

  The guard stepped aside as I nodded to him and she appeared like an angel from heaven. I know that I do not prefer women, but Illona was stunning. She had a beauty beyond anything I had ever seen before and I knew that if I felt this way, then Vlad must be consumed by her. Her hair was long, pieces of it running down her back into a V and resting at the base of her back. It lay in long curls, natural. Any light played off it and made it look otherworldly. Her skin was pale, almost white as snow and her naturally crimson lips rested on her face full and soft. One small indention in her bottom lip, making them even more desirable. Her eyes were large, brown. Deep and warm. She looked so very youthful, but her eyes told the story of an old soul. Someone that you could easily confide in. Her eyebrows gently arched and her nose was small. Everything about her was appealing. She was built for it, from her appearance to the tone in her voice.

  She rushed in and hugged me. I swallowed hard as her sweet smell engulfed my senses. She always smelled of fresh flowers, not too overpowering, but just enough to please. She leaned up and whispered into my ear.

  “Thank you for bringing him back to me.”

  I closed my eyes as her words stung me. I knew I should be grateful that she thought so highly of me, but I was not. Her presence was a constant reminder of what I could never be to Vlad. I could never be her. She leaned back and placed one small hand to my cheek and I lifted my hand and covered hers. I could not deny her the pleasure of seeing me appear grateful for her attention. I pulled her hand out and kissed the inside of it as she grinned. My lips lingered a bit longer than I meant to and then I heard Vlad’s voice behind her and I let her go as she spun around and smiled at him. He eyed me and then his eyes went to her, as they always did. Regardless of what he may do to any other woman, she would always have him, his obsession with her was complete. I straightened my shoulders as she ran to him and hugged him, kissing him on the cheek as he stared at me. I took a breath as he hugged her back and then let her go.

  “He is to thank for my return.”

  She turned but remained at his side. They both looked at me and the awkward bit of silence in the room was finally swept away when I decided to speak.

  “As always, it is my duty to serve you my Lord, you and only you.”

  Illona laughed as she tilted her head at me. “Only for him? What about me?”

  Vlad laughed as he stared me down. I cleared my throat and stepped forward. “Of course I serve you as well Lady Illona.”

  She nodded to me as I glanced at Vlad and then back to her.

  “Well,” she stepped up to me and started to adjust my collar. I kept my eyes from hers as she straightened it and centered the red dragon medallion in the middle. She let her fingers linger on it for a moment and then spoke to me in a soft tone, “You are the true Dragon of Bran.”

  Vlad rushed up behind her and picked her up as she yelled out. Her laughter so full of joy it filled the room. He spun her and then set her down. She tapped him on the chest as she looked up at him.

  “Behave.”

  He nodded to her and kissed her on the cheek. His lips lingering as my eyes locked onto the two of them. They looked perfect for each other. As always. From the day she had arrived he had been happier and I will not lie and say that I did not feel jealousy for it. I wanted to bring him that kind of happiness, but all that I could do was bring him heads and I did, as often as I could in battle. In fact, I was becoming his machine, a war machine of sorts. I would do anything, regardless of whether I thought I would survive or not. It was all for him and to protect him. I thought of nothing else. My train of thought was broken when Illona spoke to me again.

  “I hear you shall be at the Lord’s Table this evening.”

  I nodded to her and then looked at Vlad, “I am grateful.”

  She stepped towards me. “Well, we are grateful for you.”

  I watched as they left my chamber and I was a bit bothered by her use of the term “we”. She had never used that before when it came to her and Vlad. I know I should stop torturing myself and be glad that he invited me to sit at his side. I knew that I should take pleasure in our victo
ries and not forget his mouth upon mine. I touched my lips and sighed. If only I could have him.

  ***

  I sat at the Lord’s Table, waiting for Vlad to arrive. Illona sat the other side of his large chair and I reached up and grabbed my drink. Taking a small sip as she did. She glanced over at me and grinned. I grinned as I pulled my cup down, but immediately stood, as did the entire room, as Vlad entered. He had changed, he had on all red, which always looked incredible on him. His pale skin, black hair, and red lips a perfect match for the color. His hair was now neat again. In battle, it often fell into his face and although it was something that caused me to harden beneath my armor, this look, the one he had when we were home and civilized was incredibly mesmerizing. He was beautiful in all ways. His face, his jawline, his lips. His eyes always had a shine to them as if he was full of life, and truthfully he was. He was the beating heart of Romania, the true Lord of Bran. His royal blood reached back to the beginning of time for us. No other had held the throne but his ancestors and he was perfection…to me, and to many others.

  Vlad had many a painter sit down and make portraits of him. I always laughed because he would sit and then get up, grab a man, the man who was the royal cook of Bran castle, and have the painter capture his image. Not one enemy knew what Vlad actually looked like. He was not unattractive, in fact, he was beyond any of that. He was also brilliant, doing this with his portraits had probably saved his life on the field many a time. The enemy was expecting a man with long hair, a mustache, small build and he was none of that. I am all of six-feet-two-inches and he had at least an inch on me. His shoulders were as broad as my own and his body was sculpted. He was, for lack of a better term, perfection.

  I watched as he walked the hall, his stride strong and his facial expression that of contentment. I was happy to see him this way, for I had always known him to be restless. Something in him had changed. It was welcoming to see it as he stepped up to the long table and stared at me and then to Illona. I nodded to him and so did she as he made his way up and to his large black chair between the two of us. I stood there, shifting from one foot then to the other as my collar itched my skin. I would be so happy to undo it and be casual later on, but for now, we needed to be prim and proper, just as he wished us to be for this celebration.

  He stepped forward and grabbed his cup, he lifted it into the air and everyone in the room did the same. He stared at it and then glanced over at me as I joined him and raised my own. Illona did not, she never drank, it was just not something she enjoyed to do. He brought it to his lips and took a long drink from it, longer than I expected and I was sure he would make one of his infamous speeches before he took the cup and slammed it down. But he drank it all as the room watched him. He lowered it from his lips and grinned as he snapped his fingers and a boy ran to his cup and filled it again. He nodded to him and then raised it again. The room was silent, waiting for their king and ruler to allow them to partake in the night's festivities.

  “Loyal and proud people of Romania, I stand here before you a beaten man.”

  I narrowed my eyes and glanced out into the crowd as they looked to be as puzzled as I was. He didn’t hesitate to go on with his speech.

  “I have fought for land, I have fought for freedom, but mostly, I have fought for something I have always desired. That of legacy, an enduring flame, one that will always shine brightly upon the house of Bran and on Romania as a sovereign nation. I have done this in my father’s name, in yours, and for the name of Bran to live on in the hearts of every warrior, every kingdom…every heart.” He paused and then looked at me. He placed a hand on my shoulder as he continued, “In life, we are blessed. It is a blessing from God himself when we find someone who completes us, who we know to be an equal and that you can always trust, rely upon, and stand beside. I am a lucky man, very lucky.” His eyes locked onto mine and my heartbeat was racing in my chest. His words meant everything to me and his expression was filled with something I had never received from him before…one of love. I nodded to him and then he grinned and took his hand from my shoulder. “So, here before you tonight, I want to say that I have decided to mate, for I have found one person who is worthy of the legacy of Bran, and of whom I want at my side forever.” He glanced at me again and then turned to Illona and took her hand. “Will you do me the honor of becoming your husband and King, Illona?” He lowered to his knee as she stood there with a look of pure pleasure on her face. I gripped my cup in my hand and let it tilt at my side. The wine spilling to the floor, not so unlike blood, as if I had been pierced through and bleeding out to my death.

  Chapter Three

  Godless

  I sat in the chapel and stared up at the large, brooding cross suspended from the cathedral ceiling. It was black, black as night, and as black as my heart felt after hearing Vlad’s words a week prior at the feast. I had tried to push them out of my mind, I even tried to fuck a woman, but it did not work. My cock became limp at the thought of him in my mind. She had giggled and I tossed her out of my bed, telling her to fetch the doctor because I felt ill. But that was a lie, there was no illness settling into me, but that of jealousy. I felt a hatred for Illona, a hatred I could not quell as hard as I tried. I did not want to hate her, she did not deserve it, but I could not help myself. She was, in effect, taking something from me, something I wanted more than anything else in this world. I wanted Vlad to love me as he did her. I wanted his thoughts to be consumed with me, of that one night he had placed his mouth on my cock and sucked at it with passion, the fatal kiss that still lingered upon my lips. Then, I felt guilt in my heart and fell forward onto my knees in the pew. I tightly clasped my hands together and pressed them against my lips as my eyes filled with tears. I closed them and the tears streamed down my cheeks, as I did everything I could to forget him. To forget his naked frame before me. I jumped as I felt a hand to my shoulder and looked up to see Illona standing there, like an angel from heaven. The bit of light in the chapel room lingering behind her head and causing a halo. I sighed and slid back into the pew as she sat down next to me.

  “There is no shame in having passion for him,” she said quietly as she looked up at the cross. I turned my head and looked at her, wondering how she could have known…did he tell her of that night? I parted my lips to speak and she went on.

  “God’s love is absolute in all things. His passion for us should be matched tenfold. I often find myself in tears when I truly allow his light to enter into my soul.” I nodded as I stared at her beautiful profile. Her eyes locked onto the cross and her words full of conviction. She did love God and His blessings He bestowed upon us and I closed my eyes and beat back my lustful thoughts of Vlad. I then opened them and she was staring at me. She placed a hand to my face and her gentle smile soothed me. As did her touch. She leaned in closer to me.

  “You have killed in his name and for the glory of your King. Vlad will always be grateful to you for protecting him and for protecting this nation. Your deeds will not go unnoticed, you will always be royalty here, Dorin, regardless of your blood line. Vlad loves you, as do I.” She leaned in and closed her eyes. Her lips pressing against my own and I allowed the kiss to linger. It was so bittersweet.

  I nodded to her as her lips left my own. She grinned and let her hand rest a while longer on my cheek until we both turned at the sound of Vlad’s voice in the cathedral.

  “Should I be worried?” he asked as we both stared at him. His words were soon followed by laughter as he walked down the aisle and then went to one knee. Lowering his head and kissing his closed fist. He made the symbol of the cross and then rose up, his eyes locked onto the large black cross hanging there in front of us. He turned to us and grinned.

  “I want to have a tournament, invite everyone…a celebration for the upcoming wedding. In fact, I would like to go ahead and have the wedding next month, if you would allow it, Illona.”

  She stared at him and then jumped up, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him. A kiss fo
llowed, but she quickly stopped when she remembered where she was. I sat there and controlled my temper. I felt a heat rising in me as I wanted to scream out… “No, don’t do this!” But I would never. I could never say what was in my heart and lurked behind my true reasoning for fighting at his side. If I did, then I would have to leave and to leave his side would be worse than death. I did not enjoy war and killing, I enjoyed protecting him and proving to him how much he meant to me. I knew this now as much as I knew that this wedding would kill me. It would kill off any hopes I would ever have of being with him, convincing him that a love does not have to be the way The Book says. It just does not. I turned my head and stared at the cross. For the first time in my life, I started to feel betrayal. I felt as if God was the one who was betraying me, for as much as I begged and pleaded for him to wipe these thoughts clean, he allowed them to linger. I sighed as I tried to maintain my faith, but honestly, I felt it slipping and I cannot say that to be godless would be a bad thing. In fact, it may offer up a small token of salvation. I blinked as I felt a hand to my shoulder. I looked up at Vlad who looked as beautiful as ever.

  “I will need your help, my friend.”

  I nodded to him as he led Illona from the chapel and I sat there as a traitor to God and all that I had ever believed in.

  ***

  The metal clashed and teeth ground together. My footing slid a bit as the young warrior before me tried his best to push me back. He was all of fourteen, a royal, Illona’s brother, Stefan, who had arrived for the festivities and the impending wedding. This wedding would bind our nations. It was something Vlad knew he had to do, but relished the thought of it until Illona had arrived. Once he saw her, his opinion of it changed. He had complained for weeks prior to it happening and I had listened to it all, trying to reassure him of how good it would be politically, but now…I wish I had been silent. Perhaps if I had, he would have second guessed it and canceled it all together before she even had a chance to come and bewitch him. I knew he enjoyed her when he rushed our last battle, sacrificing more of his men than he needed to, but he was able to cut it all short by weeks. He had done this for her and I wondered now, if I had fallen there, on the battlefield, if I would simply be remembered in song by drunken warriors. Would he have mourned me as I would mourn him if he fell? I could not be certain now.