Ephrem
The walls of the MarkTier palace loomed ahead, towering like giants contemplating on whether to crush us underfoot or ignore us like insignificant specks of dust. I was hoping for the latter. If we were caught, the punishment would be severe for both of us. I’d be permanently banished the same as Lily or worse, and she might be imprisoned for espionage. Everything depended on me convincing the guards that she was my wife. I prayed neither of us cracked under pressure. Well, honestly, I hoped Lily wouldn’t lose her edge. She was a firecracker, but push against her enough and she could shatter. She was more fragile than she thought.
“Identify.” The lead guard at the gate motioned us forward. I could see his eyes flash with recognition as he looked at me, but the spark faded the moment he turned his attention toward Lily. “Master Ephrem, it’s been a long time.”
I glanced at Lily, finding her with a lifted eyebrow as she watched our interaction with amusement. That woman got under my skin without having to say a word. It was something I was going to have to adjust to since we were going to be spending so much time together. I still wasn’t used to having anyone near me for extended periods of time, especially a beautiful, disarming woman. I tightened my grasp on her hand and she returned an affirming squeeze.
“Rolston, so good to see you! Yes, it has been a long time. How are things holding up in the palace lately?”
“All right. Same old shit, different year.” Rolston’s suspicious scrutiny was making Lily fidget. Hell, I could feel a sheen of sweat building on my skin as I tried ever so slyly to appear calm and collected. No matter how many times I came across the gates, I’d never had to lie to enter my own city.
“Sounds about right. Listen, I want to introduce you to my wife, Lila. We just eloped a few weeks back. Crazy, huh?” I slipped my arm around her waist, pulling her close to my body until her warmth encircled me. Her scent filled my lungs as we waited for Rolston’s permission to cross the wall. It was so intoxicating, I felt my heart flip from her proximity. She did something to me. Something disorientating and hypnotic. If Rolston hadn’t looked like he was going to burst out laughing, I might’ve turned to kiss Lily. Never had I been so relieved that we’d picked a name close enough to hers that I wouldn’t stumble on it, much less forget it altogether when she was this close.
“You’re kidding, right?” Rolston shook his head and snickered, amusement dancing in his eyes. “The perpetual bachelor has been conquered? I can hardly believe it, man! Congrats!”
He reached out to shake my hand, and I relaxed as he squeezed it, jovially pulling me away from Lily for a rough, brotherly embrace.
“Thanks. Wait a minute….What do you mean by ‘perpetual bachelor’?” I frowned at Rolston’s assessment of me. I’d obviously kept to myself for far too long if people thought I’d never get married. It was somewhat disturbing to be told such a thing. Had I been so careless with the opposite sex that I’d been labeled a loner? Apparently I had.
“Hey, I’m just pulling your leg. Nice to see you’ve settled down. Pleased to meet you, Lila. Let me tell you, there’s going to be a lot of broken hearts from the ladies tonight. The most eligible MarkTier bachelor is off the market! Congrats! Don’t let me hold you up. I’m sure your father will be dying to see you.”
I could feel Lily’s piercing stare in my periphery. I nodded, swallowing down the desert in my mouth at the mention of my father. “Right. He’ll be thrilled to see us.”
I hoped my voice hadn’t come out as dry and spiteful as I felt. It wasn’t my fault my father and I had always been at odds. My isolated position in the Outlands of Temple was all due to my violation of the rules my stringent father had laid down. It wasn’t an official banishment, and I was still permitted to return to the palace, but it was made known that I was not wanted around. It was impossible to please the man.
“Welcome back!” Rolston waived toward the gate operator on the other side who nodded and proceeded to open the massive metal gate.
“Thank you, Rolston. Nice to see you again too!”
I grabbed Lily’s hand and walked forward, clearing the gate. I was relieved Lily hadn’t said anything to Rolston. The fewer people she interacted with, the better.
“Perpetual bachelor?” She snorted a giggle and cleared her throat. “Do tell. Oh, and don’t leave out any juicy bits about your father, either. He’s dying to see you.”
“Enough already,” I muttered.
She poked me in the side as we continued on. It was early morning, but the streets were already bustling with people. The marketplace occupied the central strip of the palace grounds where traders and sellers could swap wares without entering the center of the city where the royal palace stood. Where my father resided.
“So I’ve got a sort of a reputation with the ladies. Not that I actually took an interest in any of them. It’s not easy being royalty and finding anybody decent. Everyone tends to be so fake.”
Lily mulled over this quietly, and I had to turn to check on her after a few minutes of silence. She looked solemn, as though my comment had brought up something to think about. Possibly something from her own life.
When she spied me watching her, she finally spoke. “I know what you mean.”
“About what?”
“About people being fake.”
“Yeah, I guess being who you are, you would have to deal with the same thing. Have to be careful with everyone, really. Everyone always has a hidden agenda.”
“Is that why you never married?”
I squeezed her hand and pulled her toward me as a rush of carts sped by. Pressed to the wall in a little indention of a building, I held her to me as the flow of traffic continued. Again her warmth and scent swept my reasoning far from me.
“No. I just never met the right one yet.” I peered down into her shiny brown eyes. They were unusual in coloring, somewhat striated but not enough to be readily noticeable. Regardless, they were enticing.
“How do you know if you haven't?”
I fixated eyes with her. I wanted to kiss her now more than anything, but I held it in and shoved it down further than any thought I’d ever let flutter into my head.
“Well, I suppose that technically I have. I met her briefly, years ago, but….” Lily’s questioning look made me desperate to change the subject. “Come on, here’s our chance to cross. We have to head to the house of a friend of mine. He’ll know where to find that girl who stole your talisman.”
Lily followed behind quietly, never letting go of my hand as we made our way further into the city. I felt sorry for not letting her know the truth about us. About our pasts. Our betrothal. I wished she’d been told, but how would things have been if she’d known? Would she have felt the same way I felt now? I never married or even considered another woman in my entire life because I was betrothed still, in my heart and mind. What my parents had failed to sever completely when they didn’t return our original talismans to us had left us in limbo. We were bound together, no matter what anyone else thought.
I still felt the same way now.
I reached for my talisman only to find the unfamiliar feel of my grandfather’s inactive pendant. Lily still wore mine, and I was glad she did. It was where it was supposed to be, for now. I’d only get it back when she found hers, which had originally been mine. I wished things had been different between our packs. I would have loved to have this woman as mine, and I as hers.
“In here,” I whispered. We reached the main living quarters for the higher-ranking officers of the guard. Even though I lived in the Outlands ninety-nine percent of the time, I still had private quarters in the palace because of my royal lineage. It wasn’t the suite of rooms I’d grown up in, but it was far more luxurious than what most of the guards had. Even so, I rarely used it. Hanging around the palace when I was the prodigal son returned was never easy or fun for me. I avoided the palace as much as I could.
At any rate, it still felt good to be back home.
This en
trance was rarely used, and we had plenty of privacy as we walked down the hall to a single doorway. Unlocking the door, we hurried inside before shoving it closed behind us. I switched the lights on, illuminating the expanse of a good-sized living room. The place included my bedroom to the right and an oversized bathroom right next to it. It was meant for the first lieutenant but I, being a prince, was still entitled to better living quarters than an ordinary legionnaire, in spite of my partial banishment.
I would’ve been fine with a regular cot like those used by the many soldiers in my army, but who was I to argue with my father, the ruling Alpha of the MarkTier pack? It was pointless and would only bring me more pain than I’d already been dealt. I’d do it all over again regardless of the consequences. My actions had not only estranged me from my father, they had also saved my brother, Etan, the heir to the throne. His life had been endangered, and the decisions I made to save Etan had kept him safe. That was all that had mattered to me at the time.
“Wow, nice digs!” Lily dropped her bag and rubbed her shoulder before she headed through to the bedroom and took a good hard look at the bathroom. She seemed amused yet happy with the accommodations. It pleased her, to say the least. If we ever did get married, we’d be spending a lot more time here.
If we ever did.
She didn’t know anything about that.
“Yeah, it’s pretty comfortable, but I don’t live here most of the time.”
“Still, it’s yours, right? No one else gets this place when you’re not here?”
“No. It’s all mine. I wouldn’t mind living with the other soldiers, two to a room in modest cots, but my father wouldn’t hear of it. Even though he banished me from the main royal housing area and removed me from all things having to do with imperial politics, he wouldn’t ever consider letting his son live in ‘squalor.’ That’s how he thinks the soldiers live.”
“He’s definitely got a skewed view of things.”
“You could say that. Hence, why I’m the only soldier living like a prince here.”
Lily smiled as she stared out the windows overlooking the training grounds. Dozens of soldiers marched about doing everything from mucking the horse stables to working out to training new soldiers. It was an impressive inside view of the workings of a massive army and I could have sat there and watched that well-oiled machine all day. It was an admirable accomplishment to run a kingdom so massive that it required such resources.
Lily sat on one of the sofas, rubbing her fingers across its soft surface. She looked like she wanted to ask me something but couldn’t find a way to word it.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
She nodded and sank back into the satin pillows. “Yeah. I was just wondering something. What happened to get you banished from the palace? You’re a prince. I know better than anyone that you’d have to do something pretty bad to get kicked out like that.”
Scratching the stubble on my chin, I realized I hadn’t told her what had gotten me in this predicament. I headed toward her and slid down onto the seat next to her. It was about time to confess it all. She’d told me why she’d been banished, and now it was my turn.
“Well,” I sighed, closing my eyes as the memories rushed past. “My older brother Etan and I were very close. We did everything together. We’re only about ten months apart so you can guess that we were practically twins.”
“Whoa… that is pretty close! My sister Rafaela and I are two years apart.” She cleared her throat, looking guilty for interrupting me. “Please, go on.”
“One day, Etan wanted to check out the Outlands. I didn’t want to, but as brothers go, he could be quite convincing.”
Lily listened intently, her dark eyes glistening in the light shining in through the windows. They looked dreamy, like she was picturing the details of my story in her head. I wanted to kiss her. No one had ever listened to me so intently.
“Once we made it into the city, there was a place called the Pit. It’s where people go to bet on street fighters and either make or lose fortunes. Well, Etan wanted to fight in the Pit. I begged him not to; some of the fighters will fight to the death, even though the rules are to fight until one is down for more than ten seconds. There are some fighters who fight dirty and don’t stop until the opponent is near death or dead. I couldn’t risk my brother’s life for this petty crap. Still, he wanted to fight, so what could I do? He’s the first born, and as usual, did pretty much what he wanted.
“Once we were there, he signed himself up for a fight—under a fake name, of course—regardless of my protests. I stayed close to help him out or intervene if I could. But in the Pit, intervening would only bring the fighter certain death. I had to be careful.
“When it was Etan’s turn to fight, he had the unfortunate luck to be paired with one of the champions, a beast of a man who I knew Etan probably couldn’t subdue. I was practically having a panic attack at the thought of him dying on my watch.
“When it came down to the end, I knew we had no way out. I absolutely refused to watch my brother die in front of me. I sent a message to my father to help us. I have to hand it to Etan, he held his own for several rounds, but right before the final blow that would have certainly ended his life, the royal guard swooped into the place and snatched us right out.
“You’d think that would have been the end of it, but rules are rules, even in the Outlands. The pitmaster approached the court with a demand for my brother’s life. He had a right to it. We’d intervened in the fight and stolen a warrior that was rightfully his. You see, once a fight is interrupted, the fighter becomes the property of the curator per contracts signed prior to the fight.
“My father was furious, blamed me for leading Etan to the Pit! I couldn’t believe it, but I let him think it. My brother was to be Alpha one day and didn’t need to be fighting in any pits for his life. I volunteered to take his place in exchange for fighting for my freedom. It was the only deal the pitmaster accepted.”
Lily’s mouth stood agape as she heard the last part. Horror crossed her lovely face.
“What? Your father gave you to the pitmaster? Just like that?”
“Yes.”
“How did you get out?”
“I was contracted for one hundred fights. I had to win all of them to receive my freedom from the Pit. Gladiator style.”
Lily eyed my chest. I knew she’d seen the scars, the damage caused from my time in the Pit. Now she knew why.
“How long did it take you to make it through that many fights?”
“Five years. I had to recover from the bad ones, which took months sometimes. I won each one and was released back to my father’s custody. That was when he made me first lieutenant of the Outlands Army, a branch of the MarkTier Battalion. I was effectively banished, but since I was a soldier, I had to have quarters on the palace grounds. There was no returning to my royal house, where my family resides, so here I am.”
Her face morphed from horror to sadness to a fiery anger. I wondered what she thought as we sat in silence. Finally, she broke through it with her solemn voice. “So Etan left you hanging? All this time? Was he not punished?”
“I’m sure my father had him punished, one way or another.”
“But what about restitution? He owes you. How can he continue on knowing the debt you paid on his behalf?”
I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. He’s still in line to be Alpha, and that’s where he should be.”
“You’re not a cast-off. If anyone deserves the throne, it’s you.”
“I’m second in line. I will never rule or be anything more than what I am now. That’s just the way things have always been. You of all people should know how little a second-born is worth.”
I jumped to my feet, feeling disturbed from her pointing out the obvious. I knew why she was upset for I had felt such things lying in the darkness, sleeping on the ground when I was enslaved to the Pit. I’d let those feelings run their course and had no interest in digging them up. It was a
ll water under the bridge.
“Ephrem?”
“Yes?”
I heard her approach from behind until her arms slid around my stomach and hugged me tight.
“I’m sorry. I know what you mean. I can’t imagine having to go through so much for your brother, but I understand why you did it. You love him, and I would’ve done the same for my sister. Please don’t be mad. I don’t want any bad blood between us. You’re all I have out here, and I want us to be okay.”
“We’re okay. It’s all over and done. Nothing to worry about.”
“Good.” She leaned against my back, and the warmth of her body made mine spark with energy. I placed my arms over hers and let her melt into me. I could have stayed like that forever. She had to have felt the same as me, right? This wasn’t imagined or a manifestation of my innermost desires, it had to be real.
I had to find out how she felt about me.
Turning around, I pulled her into my arms. She let me and pressed her slender body into my chest. Every breath I took filled me with her essence, and I couldn’t resist her anymore. I reached for her face, stroking her cheek gently. She peered up at me with hooded eyes and lips parted. She didn’t make a move to escape. In fact, she raised her face closer to mine, urging me onward.
I gave in and kissed her soft, supple lips, wanting to devour her, to feed the constant hunger of desire which had plagued me for the past week. I’d waited years to kiss those lips. How many nights did I lay wide awake in the Pit and in my lonely apartment dreaming of her and wondering if she knew of my promise to her? Our betrothal had been unceremoniously discarded by our families, but I’d held onto it for dear life through the years of fighting, pain and suffering.
We’d both been discarded by the ones who thought we were nothing but a nuisance. Unwanted offspring. Yet here we were, still willing to sacrifice it all for our families. It had to mean something. All those old prophecies about forbidden love a la Romeo and Juliet; feuding families and unending war. It was all coming to fruition whether we fought it or not.
I didn’t want to fight it. I took her love with open arms, embracing her spirit that was stronger than anyone could have dreamed. She was mine and I was hers. That was all that mattered.
I took her to my bed. I was grateful for this private place at this moment as I took her as mine and made love to her, kissing her, caressing and taking her over and over until we were both spent and lost in each other’s bodies, tangled together forever. I loved every second of it, and as the daylight faded, I wanted nothing but more time to spend with her.
But time wasn’t on our side. The encroaching night brought with it the need to get to work and find the talisman before it was too late for both of us.
“We have to go,” Lily whispered. She’d been having the same thought.
“Okay,” I said, rising. “Let’s finish this.”
Chapter Thirteen