(The Marriage Groups)Elian (17 page)

Octavio rushed off to do Nevin’s bidding, and Corbin bit his lip to hold back the laughter that threatened to escape at the guard’s anxiousness to be helpful to the king. Corbin watched Nevin’s self-assured stride as he entered the purple rose room and noticed the way he set Elian down on the black settee. Gaige grabbed an overstuffed purple pillow and placed it beneath Elian’s head while Corbin placed a light purple throw over his sleeping form.

The three of them stood back and looked down on Elian as he rested. Corbin was more than concerned about the way Elian’s belly was growing rapidly, but he couldn’t help the sigh of contentment that came from his lips as he watched Elian sleep. He turned towards the door when an elderly man stepped inside the room, his hands clasped behind his back. Corbin took in the frail form of the other man, struggling to remember exactly how old the housekeeper was now. His gray hair was held back in a low ponytail at the back of his head, his flawless tanned skin held few wrinkles, and he still wore that gray and black uniformed suit that Corbin had never seen him out of.. Having known Alain for as long as he had, Corbin wasn’t fooled by the man’s show of submission when Alain looked down at the floor and bowed. Corbin knew the strength and power the older man attempted to hide to the outside world. Alain was a Kardalusian of confidence and intelligence, and Corbin always found himself intrigued when he was in the other man’s presence. He wanted to sit down with the housekeeper when they had a chance and hear the wisdom that was sure to flow from his lips as it did every time Corbin talked with him.

“Alain, so good to see you,” Nevin spoke when he turned to see Alain standing patiently inside the room. “We have a few questions for you regarding our coração, if you wouldn’t mind?” Nevin gestured to one of the armchairs in the room and waited for Alain to sit before sitting in a chair beside him. Corbin and Gaige sat on the overstuffed sofa across from Elian and gave Alain their attention.

“Of course, Your Highness, any information I have I will be glad to share with you,” Alain said, his voice sounding strong and true.

“Thank you, Alain,” Corbin responded. “Our coração, Elian, is pregnant. We were visited by Andalusia hermself
,
who let us know that Elian will give birth to the first girls born to Kardalusia in ages.”

Alain gasped and turned to look at Elian in wonder. “It’s him? You are married to the coração that will bring about the new Kardalusia?”

Corbin looked at Gaige and Nevin in confusion. Did Alain know something they didn’t? Gaige’s face flushed slightly and Corbin realized that he knew something he hadn’t shared with them. “Gaige, do you know something about this?” Nevin asked.

“I know of the prophecy I was given, but I was not aware there were others who knew of it,” Gaige replied, and Corbin could hear the truth in his words.

“Oh, yes, Your Highness. There was a prophecy given shortly after the Great Split, where the God Andalusia states that a coração would be born who would give birth to three girls. Their birth will spark a change in the bodies of all coraçãos and females will once again return to Kardalusia,” Alain informed them. “It was brushed aside after a century and then deemed a statement of heresy if it was even mentioned by the priests and scholars who studied the history. There are few who know of it, since it was only spoken of in whispers and written on scraps of paper that were burned after they were read.”

Corbin’s eyes widened and he looked over at Elian. “Elian is the one this prophecy speaks of? Our daughters are the ones who will bring about this change?”

“It appears so, Your Highness,” Alain smiled at him.

Corbin felt his chest tighten and swallowed against the rising panic. He had known that Elian’s giving birth to girls was a big deal; he just hadn’t known until that moment just how big of a deal it was. The more he thought of it, however, the clearer things became.

“That’s why someone is trying to kill him,” he breathed out.

“What? Someone is trying to kill the Royal Coração?” Alain asked in astonishment, leaping to his feet.

“Calm yourself please, Alain,” Nevin commanded and nodded as Alain slowly lowered himself back to his seat. “Yes, someone is attempting to kill Elian.” He turned to look at Corbin. “What did you mean, Corb? Why do you think someone is trying to kill our beloved?”

Corbin turned to look at Nevin in shock, surprised to hear him describe Elian in such a way. Could Nevin’s emotions be so engaged with Elian already? Pushing away that question to be inspected at a later time, Corbin cleared his face of shock and nodded at Nevin. He looked back at Elian and gave a small grimace. “Think about it, Nevin. If someone wanted to keep the planet full of men, devoid of women for whatever reason, they would kill the one who is supposed to bring about the return of women, right? And not just that—what new laws and ordinances would we have to instill with the birth of girls?” He shook his head as his mind swam with the possibilities. “Kardalusia was a very different place when women inhabited the planet.”

“And if someone wanted to prevent the kingdom from changing, they would go after Elian of course,” Nevin deduced.

“There’s also the part about me,” Gaige said softly. Corbin and Nevin turned to look at him quizzically.

“What do you mean?” Corbin asked.

“Well, if Elian could figure it out—that I’m a Zevinxian—maybe someone else did as well,” Gaige pointed out. “And perhaps this person—or people—is trying to prevent my offspring from inheriting the kingdom as well.”

Corbin nodded and noticed that Nevin did as well. “It makes sense.” Turning his attention back to Alain, who was looking at Gaige closely, as if trying to figure out what was so special about him. Corbin decided to refocus his attention. “Do you know anything about coração pregnancies when they are carrying females, Alain?”

Alain’s brow furrowed and then cleared before he leapt from his chair and raced from the room. Corbin chuckled even as Nevin grunted. “Did I excuse him from the room?” he asked, disgruntled. Corbin and Gaige laughed heartily at Nevin’s expression, knowing it was just an act to lighten the mood. It was rare for them to see the silly side of Nevin. He was always so stoic, and they always reveled in the moments when he displayed his humorous side.

Alain returned to the room, clutching a large book to his chest. The book was brown with gilded pages. The hardcover of the book was embroidered in red, and Corbin noticed the curved K and intricately designed flower that was the crest of Kardalusia on the front when Alain turned to show them the book. “I remembered reading once about Kardalusians long ago who were pregnant with females in this book.” He sat down and hurriedly flipped through the pages of the book until he stopped with a cry of joy. “Here it is!” he exclaimed. “Kardalusian males who found themselves carrying female Kardalusians only carried the precious girls for a matter of six weeks before giving birth to them. In that time, Andalusia would strengthen, develop, and grow them as if they had been carried to the same term as their male counterparts. Though no explanation was ever given, Andalusia, in his infinite wisdom, has the body of the coração prepared for such an eventuality.”

“Six weeks?” Corbin squeaked as he looked over at Elian, who lay with his eyes opened now, staring at them in amusement.

“Looks like we need to get a jumpstart on the nursery,” Elian said with a chuckle. Corbin could do nothing but shake his head at him. He was surprised that Elian was taking the news so well. They’d essentially learned that they had five weeks to prepare for the birth of the first female Kardalusians in centuries. How would they make sure they had everything they needed? It was not as if there were any clothes for baby girls—and what about when the girls grew older? What would they do then?

Corbin could feel the impossibility of the situation beginning to weigh heavily on his mind, and he turned to look at Nevin to see how he was taking the news. He saw the wide grin on his face and knew that Nevin was not feeling the pressure of their immediate future like Corbin was. Knowing that appealing to Nevin would not yield the results he wished for, Corbin turned to Gaige and saw that he was staring at Elian in amazement. His chest was rising and falling quickly and his hands fisted in the hem of his tunic. Gaige looked on the verge of a panic attack, and Corbin could completely understand where he was coming from. He reached out a hand and touched Gaige’s shoulder, mustering a smile when the other man jumped slightly.

Gaige turned to look at him and swallowed. “What are we going to do, CD?” Gaige asked. “There aren’t shoppes or tailors for young girls. We know nothing about how to care for them. I was excited about this at first, but now? Now all I can think about is how the palace is not equipped for females.”

Corbin nodded. “I know what you mean. I was just thinking the same thing, Gaige. We’ll figure it out.”

“I can sew,” Elian spoke up, and Corbin turned to look at him.

“What?” he asked incredulously.

“I said I can sew. It’s not common knowledge, but there are a number of things I know how to do. Sew, cook, sing, things like that,” Elian explained, sitting up on the settee and pushing back the throw that had lain over him.

“Okay…” Corbin hedged, looking at Nevin, Gaige, and Alain, wondering if they knew where Elian was going with his statement.

“Which means I can make our daughters their clothes until a shoppe that does it for me opens,” Elian rolled his eyes and Nevin snickered.

Corbin narrowed his eyes at Nevin before looking back at Elian. “Okay, I see what you mean. I think that’s a great idea,” he smiled broadly. “So you just need what? Fabric?”

Elian nodded. “Fabric, needles, thread, a thimble.”

Corbin turned to look at Alain to find that he was already scribbling furiously in his notebook. He smiled at them all before rising to his feet. “I will get these items for you straightaway, Your Highness.”

“Thank you, Alain,” Elian said, nodding respectfully. Once Alain had exited the room, Elian turned back to them. “So how long are we going to be here?”

Corbin turned to look at Nevin and Gaige, having a silent conversation with each of them. When he saw the imperceptible nod from both of them, letting him know they were all on the same page, Corbin turned back to Elian to answer. “We’ll be staying here until after the girls are born. No one knows about this place except us, the very small staff that works here, and the guards, driver, and assistants that joined us here. It’s far enough from the palace and the more populated areas of the city that we’re relatively secluded.”

Elian nibbled on his lower lip before his expression brightened considerably. “There are a lot less floors here! Excellent!”

Corbin joined his other husbands in laughing at Elian’s attempt to see the positive side of things. The manor did contain a lot fewer floors, having only four, one of which belonged to the staff, one to the royal family and one to the guards and assistants. The rooms on each floor contained lighter, more comfortable furniture as opposed to the heavier, more formal furniture at the palace. The room they currently sat in was decorated with paintings of previous royal families over the years in all manner of play and activity at the manor. Corbin had always loved coming here, and being there with Elian now just made him feel even more at peace and complete.

“Let me show you to our bedroom,” he suggested to Elian. “You can get some more sleep before dinner tonight.”

Elian opened his mouth to undoubtedly protest, but yawned instead and then nodded. Corbin rose from his seat and walked over to Elian. He swooped the surprisingly lightweight man into his arms and with a nod to Nevin and Gaige, left the room, heading up to the third floor to their bedroom. He walked into the room that he’d always secretly called the “forest room” because of its hunter green walls, brown furniture, and green and brown bed sheets and duvet. He lay Elian down on top of the bed and leaned down to kiss his forehead. He went to stand up only to be stopped by the steel-like bands of Elian’s arms around his neck.

“Don’t go, Binny,” Elian pleaded, and Corbin felt his eyebrow raise at the nickname.

“Binny?” he chuckled. Elian merely shrugged and nodded.

“It’s something new,” Elian pointed out with a small giggle. Corbin nodded and resettled himself onto the bed.

“It is at that.” He brushed Elian’s hair back from his face. “Did you need something, love?”

Elian’s brown eyes grew warmer at Corbin’s words and he nodded, trailing the fingers of his right hand down Corbin’s torso to his groin. “I need you,” Elian panted out, and Corbin looked down at Elian’s crotch to see his erection straining the front of his linen pants and tenting the bottom of his tunic. Corbin growled and leaned over to take Elian’s mouth in a ferocious kiss. He didn’t hesitate, his passion and desire for his husband filling him with an all-consuming fire. His hands tangled in the black strands of Elian’s hair as he held his coração’s head still for his assault.

He dropped one hand down to Elian’s hardness, rubbing it through the fabric of his pants. Feeling the shiver that rippled its way through Elian’s form, Corbin pulled his lips away from Elian’s and lowered his head down toward Elian’s crotch, ignoring his whimpers of protest. Those whimpers became moans and pleas for more as Corbin wet the front of Elian’s pants with his lips and tongue. He licked and sucked on Elian’s hardened shaft through the fabric, making it wet and nigh transparent. He palmed Elian’s balls, squeezing and rolling them in his hand, all without disrobing the other man.

“Please, Binny, please,” Elian pleaded.

Taking pity on him, and also because he himself could not wait any longer, Corbin jerked down Elian’s pants, watching as his thick, brown cock smacked against the curve of his belly, leaving a splattering of pre-cum on Elian’s skin. Corbin licked his lips before diving down and swallowing Elian’s cock whole. He swirled his head around the head of the throbbing member, swallowing down the liquid that flowed from the slit at the head of his coração’s cock. Sticking two fingers into his mouth alongside Elian’s cock, Corbin laved the digits and then reached down to Elian’s tight, brown rosette, tickling his perineum on the way.