“Enough! What is your point?”
“Bellator stays with us.”
“He is my prisoner!” the Emperor yells, his cheeks mottled.
“Watch how you speak to my bonded. She is right in her words. We can summon the Devil if you choose to igno?—”
“No one is summoning the Devil,” he spits.
I bite down on my lips, trying to hide the grin that's threatening to come out. He clearly doesn't like being reminded of his place.
“My bonded is right. Bellator will stay with us. Any request of him can be sent to our lodgings. You already know where that is.” Steve's voice is like a command, leaving little room for further discussion on where Bellator resides. My shoulders sag a little, the tension easing, knowing we’ve made a little headway.
“You have no idea what you're messing with, orc. There are things at play that will carry on no matter how you interfere,” the Emperor declares.
“What happened to the water?” Steve asks.
The Emperor smirks at the words.He knows.“There's something magical about how the city looks now, isn't there. Like it's waiting to be brought to life again.”
Steve steps forward, practically vibrating. “Is that your plan? To tear the city apart and blame it on my brother.”
“Your brother should have kept his place,” He froths, spittle flying from his mouth. “The impish willlearnwhoto love.”
Swiftly, Steve lifts me, carrying me in his arms while I grasp onto him. “I think we’re done here, Emperor. I see what your plan is, and I will tell you now, it will fail. You can take the food, you can even take the water, but you will never earn the respect of the impish. They will never love you.”
We walk away, a guard closing the door to the Emperor's throne room as we move over the threshold. The sound of broken glass smashing somewhere behind it.
Entering our room, I see Bellator sleeping in the far corner. Propped up in a chair by the window, a clear line of sight to the door. His mouth is parted, chest slowly rising and falling. As soon as I saw him, it was easy to see they were fraternal twins. They look similar but are not identical at all. Bellator's hair hangs loosely from a bun on his head; Steve has none. He has more chest hair than Steve too, but their thighs are equally thick. Their abs both ripple, and the sharpness of their jaws leaves me salivating. I wonder if Bellator's tusk feels the same as Steve's, or if it will have its own unique feel to it. Biting my lower lip, I feel my cheeks heat at the direction my thoughts have taken. I feel where we connect through the bond, but seeing the power he wields, knowing he is mine, has me clenching my thighs together.
I sit on the couch, backing onto the partition, closing my eyes and smiling to no one.
“That was amazing,” I whisper to Steve as he sits down next to me, stretching out his legs. “Did you see his face? I thought he was going to explode; he was so worked up.”
“You did well, princess. I am proud to call you my bonded.” He stares at me, his eyes softening as he places a hand on my thigh.
“I've never been allowed to talk to someone like that, and it just… it made me feel powerful for the first time ever. Imagine going your whole life never being able to say your opinion and then bam, take that, you knob head.” My head lolls back, and I return his stare. “How long do you think Bellator needs to sleep before he feels better?”
“I am not sure. I would have thought he would have come around by now.”
“What’s the ritual?” I blurt out. Biting down on my bottom lip, wondering if he will tell me the truth or gloss it over.
“Ah, you heard that part, did you?” He takes his hand, rubbing it over his face. “The ritual is the final part in cementing our bond. Technically, we needed Bellator to complete it anyway, but when we did thedry-humping, it activated the bond. That’s why our marks appeared. The connection we felt was enough to spark it… we just haven’t finished it yet.”
“I don't understand? Finished it?” Ifurrow my brow, confused. Our marks have appeared, and I feel this pull toward them both, but he’s telling me there's more?
“Orc’s bond marks appear when extreme emotion for their partner is felt. It is by either fear for their life or lust for their being. There is no way to confirm if a ritual has been completed, so when the Emperor asked, I told him what he wanted to hear.”
“How do we complete the ritual?” I whisper, keeping my voice low as Bellator snores in his chair.
“We mate.”
The words hang in the air.
Mate?
“You mean sex?” I say, needing confirmation.
“I'm not sure what thesexis, but we must mate to complete the ritual. Because Bellator and I are twins, we must all mate.”
