There’s a reason we’re called theBrutal Ones.
* * *
Emma
It’s bright outside. I duck my head against Khan’s shoulder to hide from the glare. He continues walking, and the brightness intensifies, like we’re going into the sun. The heat hits my face, simmering, along with a rich, spiced scent. After the cool, recycled air of the ship, it’s a shock.
In the distance, I hear a sound like chirping birds, and a breeze stirs the thick heat.
Slowly, my eyes adjust. And I find I can raise my head. But the brightness is still there. It’s not the sun. It’s this planet. Ulfaria.
The road is made of shining metal in different shades of honey, bronze, and gold so bright, it’s almost platinum, depending on how it catches the light. Multiple suns blaze in the pale lavender sky ahead. The ground under our feet shimmers with blinding glare.
“It’s so beautiful,” I whisper.
“Aurus likes his gold.” Khan sounds dismissive.
No wonder the heat is like walking into an oven. I dip my head, grateful for the oversized hood Khan dressed me in. The fabric seems to have cooling properties. It keeps some of the heat at bay.
“I can walk too, you know,” I murmur. “If you give me something less bulky to wear.”
“No,” he responds, and his Dom tone of voice quells any more resistance I might have had. I have no idea where we are. I can only tell that Khan is not happy.
When my eyes adjust further to the glare, I angle to look where we’re going, and gasp. The long golden road is actually a bridge, suspended in air. Lining each side is a row of statues, in helmets and suits of golden armor. Towering at the end of the bridge is a shimmering golden palace.
We pass the first row of suits of armor and I realize eyes are glittering through the visors in the helmets. They're not statues—these are soldiers, standing unmoving in the raw heat. There are so many of them.
I shrink against Khan. There’s a low growling in his chest, but it feels different to the way he growls when he’s horny. It’s like he feels threatened by the soldiers. This must be why he’s not happy.
“Khan, what's going on?”
“Do not fear. This will not take long. I will not leave your side.”
He won’t even let me walk. The growl rumbles in his chest as he carries me all the way to the palace, and up the giant, pale gold steps. The columns tower twenty stories over us. Inside, it is cooler, but no less overwhelming. More gold columns line the massive corridor ahead.
The further away we get from the entrance, the less oppressive the heat. Every so often, light streams from the ceiling to create pools in between the giant columns, showcasing large, tree-like plants—if trees had silvery white trunks and large, black or pink leaves. It’s a jungle in a palace. In the distance, creatures twitter and call to one another. The sound is welcoming, somehow normal.
I push back my hood, wishing Khan had let me shower. That he hadn’t fucked me again right after I washed my face. My hair is a little sticky.
“Be still, Emma,” he commands. I drop my hand from my hair with a sigh. What with his seed on my skin and me wearing his cloak, his scent is emanating from every part of me. He did this on purpose.
A sharp click-clack of metal on metal sounds ahead. Several armored soldiers march into view, emerging from between two columns. The warriors are huge—even bigger than Khan, who was the biggest being I've ever seen. If their armor delineates their muscles, they're built like linebackers, and make up the biggest, baddest football team ever. Alpha football. Probably something to see.
“Welcome, Majesty.” The lead warrior strikes his fist to his gold-plated chest. Khan growls, and keeps walking. The helmeted heads turn to watch as we pass. The sensation of eyes on me makes my skin crawl.
Only when there’s more distance between us and the warriors can I relax. The deeper into the palace we go, the less light there is. There are no more trees, and the twittering sounds recede. “What is this place?” I whisper.
“The Golden Palace,” he responds. “Aurus has called a Council of Kings.”
That does not sound fun. “Why?” I ask.
“They wish to behold what I have claimed.” His eyes glitter.
“Huh.”
“You will behave,” he warns, and pats my behind. I flush, remembering how he spanked me back on the ship. His hand was harder and more painful than some paddles I’ve encountered, and while it turned me on at the time, right now, I’m too sore and tired to want more. A new contingent of hooded figures has appeared to greet us, emerging silently from the shadows. They aren’t as massive as the warriors earlier, but the way their deep hoods shroud their faces is still creepy.
“Welcome,” the lead figure says as Khan approaches. We’ve reached the end of the corridor. The light’s receded, and the air is still. Ahead are two massive doors made of beaten metal, like brass. That color looks muted after all that shiny gold, but the effect is no less impressive. “Aurus, the High King of Ulfaria, greets you. We congratulate you on this auspicious day.”
