Demon Retribution (Shadow Quest Book 3) (50 page)

Ru was still missing, but the explanation
for his actions came through Ina, who had been discovered hiding
just outside of town. When taken into custody, she wisely didn’t
put up a fight. She claimed to have had no knowledge of what Ru
planned until after it was too late, but admitted to suspecting
Ru’s intent, which was equally punishable in Kyra’s mind.

Though deplorable, his reasons were this:
the Kayadon had taken his children, born of his first wife, not
Ina. Ru had hoped by offering up Kyra, he would be rewarded with
the lives of his offspring. It was hard not to understand such a
desire, but Kyra could not forgive him. All of Evlon could have
been lost to a single act of selfishness.

For the time being, Ina’s new home would be
a cell in the dungeon, alongside Ginn and Liyel, until better
organization allowed for trials to commence, as well as to keep
them safe from the demon’s kill-first-and-ask-questions-later
mentality.

No other healed Kayadon came forward, in
either gratitude or in repentance. Kyra estimated, based on witness
accounts, there had been at least ten within the city alone. Once
free of their illness, they’d disappeared, probably in fear of
judgment.

When questioned about this,
Ginn offered the hypothesis that they had shifted into what was
called their
Mai’ten
form—an animal form unique to each individual. They had lost
this ability during stage two of their disease, and Ginn admitted
that, just after the healing, the urge to shift had been almost
undeniable.

“Why do you not shift now?”
Kyra had asked, standing on the opposite side of the force field
that held him prisoner—another of the Kayadon’s
improvements
. “Or back in the forest
when no one was looking?”

“I have pledged my life and my loyalty to
you, little one.” He paused. “Forgive me, I mean, My Queen. I will
shift only with your permission.”

“And if I’m not ready to give it?”

“Then I will wait.”

Liyel didn’t say much—she got the feeling he
wasn’t a big talker in general—but he seemed in accordance with
Ginn. Kyra left, not knowing what she was going to do with either
of them.

Soon after the ward had been mapped, Portia
and the other Serakians were called home to report on the
happenings. Just before leaving, Portia promised to return, but did
not say when. Surprisingly, Kyra already missed the little
witch.

Marada had been moved closer to the palace.
Zoey now had her own apartment down the hall from Kyra and Cale,
but was mostly found in Rex’s room. Kyra worried over her friend’s
attachment to Rex. After getting to know him—though he too was a
man of few words—she determined he was a nice enough guy. But there
was no evidence that a mate bond between the two might be formed.
Although Marik and Sebastian explained that it doesn’t always
happen so quickly, especially when one’s mate is not of demon
origin. All the same, Kyra continued to worry.

On the fourth day of celebration, Kyra held
a feast in honor of those who fought as well as those who’d fallen.
The following day, Aidan accompanied the dragons back to Legura,
where King Mar’s body would be put to rest and their own royal
inaugurations would commence. A few of the dragon guard stayed
behind to help secure the Faieara’s freedom and make sure the
Kayadon did not rise again. She feared it would be a long time
before her people felt truly safe.

Kyra closed the door to her bedchamber after
dismissing her attendants. Cale wrapped his arms around her from
behind, placing a kiss in the crook of her neck. They’d hardly had
a moment alone.

She leaned against his solid chest. “Things
have to settle down at some point, don’t they?”

“I don’t know, love. This is new to me.”

“Yeah, feels new to me too.”

“You’re doing a phenomenal job.” He kissed
her shoulder. The action sparked a twinge of heat down her spin,
and she turned to kiss his lips. His hands came to her waist and
stayed there. She moved closer and deepened the kiss, but something
was amiss. For some reason, Cale was being unusually tender, when
what she really wanted was his sexy animal madness.

She pulled back to gauge his expression.
“What’s the matter?”

He gave her a nervous smile and a bit of
fear replaced desire. With her chest still against him, she could
feel the racing of his heart. A rampant part of her brain suggested
he was about to leave her. Swallowing a rigid lump in her throat,
she stepped back. For the last few weeks, they had both been under
a lot of pressure. Both their families were a great help, but there
was still a lot to deal with. Had he decided it was too much? That
being king wasn’t what he wanted?

“What, baby?” she cooed, trying to kill her
negative thoughts.

His eyes bore into hers. “I love you,
Kyra.”

She let out a breath. “I love you too.”

Fear still tingled.

“I have a gift for you,” he said, crossing
the room to a set of drawers.

“Okay.”

When he returned to her, he presented her
with a small box. “I was going to give it to you earlier, but I
could never find the right time.”

She reached for it, but he pulled it
away.

“When I got it, I thought it was adequate,
but you weren’t a queen then.”

She reached for it again, but again he
pulled it away.

“So, it’s not anything grand—”

“Cale,” she whined, growing excited. “Let me
see it.”

Anxiously, he relinquished the box. She
opened it and lost her breath, recognizing the necklace she’d
admired at Uli Rings. The color changing stones glowed a brilliant
combination of purple and green at the moment.

“Oh, my god, Cale. I can’t believe you…have
you had this since we left?”

“Aye,” he said, studying her.

“I love it. Nothing could be better.”

He smiled with such exuberance it nearly
rendered her to tears. Then slyness changed his expression, and his
eyelids dipped to half-mast. “Nothing?”

She raised a brow just as her body sprang to
life. Heat settled between her thighs. She longed to hear his ever
favorite line: “I’m going to have you now.”

“I have another surprise for you.”

“I just bet you do.” She wiggled her
brows.

“Why, your majesty, what a mind you
have.”

“All your doing.”

“I’m glad to hear it, because…” He paused,
once more taking on that anxious expression. “Because I want to
give myself to you every way possible.”

Kyra tilted her head. They’d postponed
having a ceremony until after things settled down.

“Your magic healed more than just my wounds
that day.”

Her brows furrowed. “What are you
saying?”

It hit her then, and she stilled, searching
his expression. He exuded the perfect mix of worried and smug. Why
the former? He remained watchful, knowing she understood what he
was trying to say.

“So you can…” She pressed two fingers to her
neck, indicating fangs.

He gave a silent nod. She shivered. Drawing
near, he cupped her cheek and gazed into her eyes. “Will you allow
me to take you as mine from this point on?”

“I’m already yours.” She turned her head to
place a kiss on the heel of his palm. As a smile curled her lips,
she growled, “But now your ass is mine.”

With a menacing grin, he advanced, his hand
landing hard on her backside. “We’ll see about that.”

He scooped her up and transported her to the
bed. She landed on the soft mattress with a giggle, and Cale
crawled over her to claim her lips with his. She wrapped herself
around him as he thoroughly explored her mouth. He kissed his way
down her jaw, and she knew where he was headed. Still, when he got
to that spot, she had to concentrate on breathing. He moved back to
her neck, licking and sucking as he went while he squeezed her
backside in one of his strong hands. Then he gave a light bite,
giving her a hint of what he planned. A shudder ran through her
body, and she sucked in a gasp.

They stripped of each other’s clothes in a
heat of madness. When she got to the taut, rippled muscles of his
chest, she luxuriated in the feel, running her hands over every
inch of skin.

He dipped his head to take her budded nipple
in his mouth. She moaned from the sensation. It wasn’t long before
the heat between her legs turned into a urgent need to feel him
moving inside her. She undulated her hip, seeking. In a rough tone
he said, “Patience, love. There’s so much yet to do.”

He caressed her hips, her thighs, as he slid
down her body, licking and nipping as he went. When she felt his
tongue right where she needed him most, she whimpered with delight.
He was a master at pulling those sounds from her, and she suspected
that was exactly what he wanted, so she didn’t hold back. Her
pleasure manifested through her lungs as he ravaged her tender
folds, driving her need to frightening heights. White-hot sensation
assailed her as her orgasm burst through every cell.

“Gods, you are beautified.” He kissed her
stomach. “Magnificent.” He kissed between her breasts.
“Breathtaking.” He kissed her lips. “Mine.”

Their eyes locked, and he drove into her
core. Slowly, he drew out, only to thrust back in with purpose. She
immersed herself in the feel on him. His scent, his adoring
expression, his shaft, plunging with deliberate slowness. He palmed
her breast and caressed with perfect pressure. Everything about him
was perfect. Her heart filled with overwhelming love.

Unable to stand another second, she pulled
her hair aside, presenting her neck. “Please, Cale,” She begged,
though she hardly knew what for. What would happen? How would it
feel? “Please,” she begged once more, eyeing he fangs with
anticipation.

Increasing his thrusts, he caught her nape
in his hand and brought his mouth to her neck. A tiny sting was all
she felt before ecstasy drilled a path through her brain, down her
spine, through her stomach, and straight to her sex. She cried out
from the unending overload of pleasure and clutched Cale to her,
vowing never to let him go. Her nails dug in and, in the back of
her mind, she knew she gouged his flesh, but she couldn’t loosen
her hold. Then he drew greedily and everything fell away. There was
nothing. No him, no her, no world, no universe. Jut the rapture
that carved a home in every nook and cranny of her
essence—delirious, invading, taking over, changing her to the very
core. She loved it. She loved him.

When Cale groaned with his release, so did
she. And when he finally pulled away, her mouth whispered,
“Perfect,” as her head lolled.

Cale let out a string of astonished curses
before marking her further with a deep, demanding kiss that only
ended when he tucked her against him for the night. All the while,
murmuring sweet words to her, till his soft snoring took over.

Kyra nuzzled her head against his chest and
felt his arm tighten around her. Contentment eased her lids closed.
And with one last thought, before she followed him into peaceful
slumber, she declared the daunting tasks ahead nothing to fear at
all with Cale by her side.

Note about the author.

Kiersten Fay has been a fan of the paranormal all
her life, from watching sci-fi and supernatural television shows
with her eccentric mother, to reading almost every type of romance
she could get her hands on.

Currently Kiersten is working on her steamy romance
series called Shadow Quest, based loosely on mythology and lore,
with a little sci-fi thrown in.

To learn more about Kiersten Fay, or to get info
about upcoming release dates, go to

www.kierstenfay.com

Or follow her on Twitter @kierstenFay, and on
Facebook.