Moonbloods Season 1
Vendara

The Stables were deserted of servants but filled with three other horses we didn't own. When we rode into the geint stable, Emris noticed the horses almost immediately. Someone had arrived. I waited for Emris to dismount before I heaved myself from Moon's back and followed him into the Manor. "Someone is here,"

By the look on his face, I wasn't sure if he was worried or upset, but he waved for Hali to join me as he hurried down the hall. Hali took my cloak and guided me down the hall. "I have a bath waiting for you, Princess." I looked down the hallway where Emris stood talking to Lord Melbourne. Graven seemed upset as he fisted a crumpled scroll in his fist. Emris didn't look happy with him either. My pace slowed as Yesmina waved her hand at her father, an annoyed look in her face.

"What are they doing back so soon?" I asked Hali.

She shook her head. "I was asked by one of the servants to help her with the Last Lady Yesmina this morning," she told me. "She arrived sometime last night with a message from Star Hill."

I nodded. "I was wondering where you had gotten to," I admitted. "What was the message?"

Hali bowed her head. "My apologies, Princess, Lady Yesmina insisted. Her Ladyship can be... difficult."

I sighed and nodded. Looking back at Lady Yesmina, I felt envy and self loathing wash through me. "As for the message, unfortunately I wouldn't know."

I nodded. Yesmina's hand on my husbands arm was bothering me more then it should. Anger pulsed through me followed by a dull ache that I didn't understand. Emris turned to look at me, his eye catching mine.

Appearances.

I blinked, lowering my gaze as I turned away and continued down the hallway. "Hali, are you able to replace out the contents of that message the Lord Melbourne had in his hands?" I asked her.

Hali smiled. "I am, Princess," she answered me in a low voice.

"Then please do so," I instructed in a low voice. "Discreetly. I do not trust Lord Melbourne or the Lady Yesmina. I want to know what has them so angry."

Hali nodded and then followed me down the hall toward my rooms. Before we had left for Star Hill a month ago, I had left strict orders to have the Manor guest ready by the time we returned.

As I walked I couldn't help but feel a little bit proud of myself. I hadn't realized how much work went into running a household. It hadn't taken me long to figure the rest out. Once I had plans for the dining room, I had moved on to the guest rooms and then the library.

And Vendera Hall looked beautiful. I had asked Emris what colors he liked for the ballroom. Emris insisted I make it my own. It didn't help me much. This was as much his home as it was mine. Even more so. This was his home.

So I had picked deep red and hood for the ball room. It had come together quite nicely.

Wine red drapes hung from the high windows, the arches and doorways had been decorated with vines and white roses, garlands, many feet long, looped around the room. I sighed and stopped in the large doorway of throne room and the anointing dining hall.

Sergeants bustled to and fro and the air smelled of mouthwatering food. It was odd. I felt rather excited about the upcoming festivities. I had never really attended any big social engagements as lavish as this was turning out to be.

The thought suddenly made me feel sick. Hali eased around me a little.

"Princess?" Her voice reached my ears but I was wondering what would happened if someone who knows my uncle showed up. Someone who knew the truth. Anxiety filled me.

What if the letter that Lord Melbourne had been so furious about had been from Hiram. Messages didn't travel fast in Azga. Carrier birds and messenger boys were slow. "Hiram sent more then one letter out," I said in a low voice.

"Hali, please go and prepare the Royal Chamber for tonight's events."

I turned to see Emris walking toward me. I forced a smile on my face as he stopped beside me.

"Everything alright?" I asked him.

Emris stopped when he reached me, his face troubled.

"My father is sending my brother, Prince Knox in his stead-"

I shook my head. "I didn't know you had a brother," I told him.

Emris sighed. "Knox is one of the best warriors in all of Azga. He became a knight at just twelve years old. My father holds him in high regard."

I raised an eyebrow at his disgruntled tone. "You don't like him?" I asked him.

Emris shook his head. "My brother has a way with woman," he said reluctantly. "They just seem to fall for his charms. Regardless their status."

I raised an eyebrow. "You mean-"

Emris nodded. "He has a reputation of making the rounds when he is at Court. Ladies Maids normally suffer the price."

I felt my lips part in surprise. "What about his wife?" I asked him.

Emris laughed. "He has no wife to speak of," he said. "Knox has never been married."

I frowned. "But you married me?" I asked him. "Why?"

Emris reached to touch my face but stopped himself before he could touch his fingers to my face. "Because," he said. "Duty. I just never expected to come to actually care for you."

My heart beat into my chest. "I know the feeling," I told him.

Emris smiled and the. Looked down between us. "We should freshen up. Follow me."

I glanced over my shoulder, back into the Ball Room. The dinner table was now completely set. Silver and gold plates decorated the tables that were covered in red velvet table cloths. I chewed my lip. I felt like I was forgetting something. I only had a few days for everything to be perfect. I still wasn't sure if it was enough. With one last glance around the room, I turned and followed Emris down the hall. I shuddered, shivering in my wet boots and cloths.

"We have some time before have to be ready," Emris said. "Have you seen the new Royal suit?"

I shook my head. "I didn't know it was being remodeled," I admitted and Emris grinned at me, holding out a hand to me. "Let me show you."

The Manor was far from complete but it had come along quite nicely since we started constructing.

Emris spent most of his time outdoors so he hadn't really witnessed much of the change until now. As we walked through the Manor, Emris looked around, seeming impressed. "You really made this place your own," he mused and I glanced around the hallway. It was decorated with lavender branches and grave vines, making the entrance way smell divine and fresh.

"You really think it looks good?" I asked him in a low voice.

We had reached the end of the hallway. Emris stepped around me and pushed the door open. "I think you are overthinking things," he teased me and I sighed, following his gaze around the room.

Inside was a massive, master bedroom. The floors were polished stone, dark green and grey, matching the gold and silver of the wallpapers. There was a fire place to my right, a luxurious green, leather sofa with cushions and blankets. A round, dark wooden table sat between the roaring fire place and the sofa.

The windows were round and arched at the top, the stain glass windows were bright with the setting sun. I watched Emris pull the door to my right open to reveal a huge bath room. The white, polished marble floors gleamed with the reflecting heat of the lit crystal basins that hung by thin chains. A fur rug decorated the floor, basked of soaps and towels decorated the tables and floors.

"I hope you like it," he told me.

I turned to look back inside the room. I hadn't missed that only my belongings were here.

"Where are your trunks?" I asked him. Emris raised an eyebrow, seemingly caught off guard by my question.

"What do you mean?" he asked me in a low voice. "They are in my room."

I felt my heart sink a little. So he didn't plan on staying here tonight then. He had just been waiting for this room to be finished before he kicked me out of his.

"Don't you want stay here?" I asked him truly confused. "With me?" I clarified, trying to my make my intentions perfectly clear. Emris stared at me. Darkness brimmed in his eyes as he stared at me.

"I didn't think you wanted me to," he answered in a low voice.

"Well, I do!" I said not looking at him. It was hard for me to say the words. Not because of him. But because of what could happen. I was his wife. Soon he would want me to... do wifely duties.

"I don't think that is such a good idea," he said in a low voice.

He was standing bedside me when he spoke, the depth of his voice vibrated through me as he pressed passed me.

"Why not?" I demanded. I chewed my lip. "Have I done something to offend you?"

"Offend me?" he echoed with a laugh. Emris stared at me for a long moment before an almost disbelieving smile creased his lips. Those beautiful full lips. "There is a ritual to be be done before we can lie together," he said in a low voice. The reluctance was evident on his face and I wondered why he was telling me when he clearly didn't want to. "What kind of ritual?" I asked, suddenly not wanting to know the answer but needing to at the same time.

Emris shrugged and turned away from me. "It is not something you will approve of," he told me and pulled atthe strings of his cloak.

"Why don't you let me be the judge of that." Emris laughed, and nodded in agreement. "Very well."

"It's Demonic tradition," he said and walked over to one of the bookshelves to my left. He scanned the thick volumes of books and the reached, seemingly at random, and pulled one from the middle shelf.

"Can you read well?" he asked me in a low voice. I nodded as he handed me a book. "Dark Fey and Demonic histories. Should give you an idea of the years to come upon your entrance to Court."

I watched him throw the cloak over the back of the sofa and then walk over to the bed where there was a towel left out. "How bad can it be?"

Emris laughed humorously.

"Trust me," he said as he stripped off his shirt. I felt my mouth go dry as I watched the muscles in his strong back ripple and flex as he moved. "You don't want to know."

I balled my hands at my sides. "How do you know if I want to know or not?" I challenged him.

"Tell me," I insisted, reaching to pulled my cloak from my neck.

Emris turned to face me as my cloak slipped from my shoulders. The shadows that had rimmed his eyes before were darker now, the darkness moving, fading in and out across his his skin. His thick eyelashes blended perfectly with the shadows, his beauty even more so striking with the small glint of his silver eyes behind this urge that now gripped his carefully constructed control.

I watched him walk forward, his leather, draw string pants riding low on his hips, the deep V shape of his washboard stomach rippled with his movement as he came closer. Slowly, almost as if not to startle me, Emris raised a hand and touched my neck, brushing my tangled, wind-whipped hair to the side. "The Ritual is designed to bind you to me," he said in a low voice. "Not something to be taken lightly. I myself have never bound myself to someone-"

My heart fluttered in my chest at his words. "Why not?" I asked him.

I watched a small smile curve his lips again, revealing sharp, razor like teeth behind the lips. "I never found someone I'd like to bind myself to until you were born." He shrugged. "Again, not something to be taken lightly." I watched his lips part slightly as he stepped closer. My mouth hung open in awe for a long moment as his words sank in. Emris hadn't been with anyone since he knew I had been born? "And I knew even before you set foot in my ship what you would be to me. And I wanted it. And I would have to Mark you," he whispered in my ear. He sighed, his arms snaking around my middle as his lips danced across my neck.

I shuddered, causing Emris' breath to catch on my skin.

"Mark me?" My question came out in a hushed whisper as Emris leaned away to look at me. I couldn't picture or understand what that could possibly mean. I could see his sharp teeth behind his beautiful full lips as he leaned away, his hands resting on my hips. They were sharp as needles and as deadly as knives. I wasn't sure how I felt about him sinking his teeth into any part of my body.

"I would bite you- scar you- so every Dark Fey knows you are mine. It is powerful magic. It can protect you."

I shook my head. "Protect me from what?" I asked him and his face fell a little. "From you?"

He sighed. "I am no threat to you," he said as if to remind me. "But yes it is a precaution to keep you safe in part from me as well."

Emris turned away and walked toward the bathroom, checking the water. "I shall leave you to it then," he said. "I will come back to check on you before I retire for the night."

I felt my heart sink. "What?"

So he wouldn't even be staying with me at all tonight? Rejection washed through me as I tried my best to battle it back down. "Nalia."

I needed to make this work. My uncle was dead, my aunt had been shipped off to who knows where. I didn't have a home to return to. I had to make this work.

I looked up to see Emris walking toward me. When he was about a foot from me, I turned and thew myself at him. I couldn't take it any more. I needed him to hold me. I longed for the feeling of ease and ease it gave me. I sighed, almost growled as his arms went around me, his naked skin burning under my fingers. A startled gasp left my lips as the intense heat burned my fingers and Emris immediately stilled, his breathing fanning my neck hotly as his hands held me against him.

My hands rested in his chest, light and trembling as I leaned forward and rested my cheek on his hot, smooth chest. My wedding band glittered on my finger and I smiled, tracing that finger along his chest. Emris shuddered, his hand coming up to grip my mine, his fingers closing around mine.

"Nalia." His voice has turned strained, his fingers locking into the this fabric of my shirt. I looked up at him to see his eyes were black, gone in the shadows.

"I would stop if I were you." His whispered warning raised goosebumps on my chilled skin. Emris' hands found the frount of shirt and he began pulling at the strings, fumbling feebly as he sighed and smiled at me. His hands stilled after he had the strings untied, staring at his hands.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I always forget myself when I am around you-"

My hands fisted his his shirt, pulling him forward. Emris laughed as his body pressed to mine. I stared at him, my eyes repeatedly wandering to his lips. It was almost... a longing. I needed to remember what it was like...

"Kiss me," I whispered desperately. The words left me before I could stop them. "I-... I can't remember what it feels like-"

I clamped my lips shut. His hand grabbed my hips a small grin spread on his lips as his forehead touched mine.

"Nalia, you don't have to push yourself," he said as he leaned away. "I am a patient man...i understand why-"

My hands fisted into his shirt, pulling him toward me. I watched something in his eyes change. His first instinct was to stop me but then suddenly, something changed. The blackness flared and his lips parted just before he leaned forward, his hands heavy and demanding.

He gave me every chance to stop him, his eyes sliding to my lips- making his intentions perfectly clear as his fingers tighten around my arms, pulling me just close enough to press his trembling, anticipating lips to mine.

His lips pressed to mine in a carful and tender kiss. Heat bloomed in my face and chest, constricting my airways. The breath that left his parted lips was a satisfied sigh that washed against my lips and he tasted of honey. I could taste his breath on my tongue and my mouth watered. I shuddered slightly as a second wave of intense ease washed through me, vibrating my down to my bones.

Now I could remember what his kiss was like. I hadn't been able to recall how I felt the first time. A shuddering breath left me when Emris parted his lips from mine, his breathing steady but his body was ridged.

My hands gripped the front of his shirt, pulling him against me. An uncontrolled, relieved moan hitched in my chest as his mouth tangled with mine. My chest was about to burst and my body had been set ablaze. And then suddenly I was moving. Emris pulled me up against his chest just as my back slammed into the concrete wall behind me.

A surprised gasp left my lips as I felt his hands run the length of my thigh as he hitched me up against him. A fierce growl left his lips as they attacked mine once more.

My heart beat onto my chest as his lips and teeth caught at mine, leaving me feeling chapped and sore yet oddly longing for more.

So much more.

Emris may be a Deamon, but he kissed like God.

Emris parted his lips from mine as he awkwardly set me down. "Get cleaned up. I will come back for you," he said but with his hands, on either side of my face. When he looked down at me, he stopped. Staring at me for a moment, his eyes turned to a dull grey now as he stared at my lips. Before I could say anything, he pulled me closer, his fingers pulling at my jaw to open my mouth as his lips devoured mine once more. I felt his fingers circle around my neck as he held me to him, his lips moving with mine.

Then, almost reluctantly, Emris parted his lips from mine. "Go," he he urged me as he forced his hands to his sides. I stood there, flush against him, his smell and taste filling me. "I will be back shortly."

I stood there, flushed, as Emris smirked and walked to the door. He smirked and turned away from me, his face rather assumed. When he reached the door, he turned to lol at me, one hand resting on the L shaped iron door handle.

"Princess." He bowed his head.

I felt my heart throb as I lowered my gaze respectfully, a small smile on my lips.

"Your Majesty."