The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

As the carriage made its way up the main thoroughfare of the city where the processional would begin, Deres looked upon Neral in quiet awe as the hoof beats clicked on the stone streets and the carriage jostled slightly with the uneven nature of the streets. She casually looked out, watching the city under the orange glow of the street lamps and gave waves to the inhabitants that had lined the streets of the route in hopes of catching a glimpse of the nobles. It seemed as though she could wear any role perfectly. She was regal just sitting there, and he could watch her spar with sword or staff and she would move with such fluidity, speed, and power that, if he didn’t know better, he would have sworn that she was using magic to enhance her abilities.

Those brown eyes fixed on him, “Yes, Deres?”

He shook his head, “Nothing.”

“It doesn’t look like nothing.”

He decided to play along, “What does it look like?”

She settled back in her seat, “It looks like you’d like to kiss me.”

Deres crossed his legs and rested his hands on his knee, “I am often guilty of that. I admit that, while as far as I’m concerned, you don’t need the makeup, when you do wear it it makes you look…

She jabbed at him with a bit of self-deprecation, “Like an expensive Courtesan? That’s what I feel like in it.”

“I was going to say ‘extraordinary,’ but you’re not entirely wrong. It’s an interesting contrast with the soldier. As for kissing you, yes, but, I suppose doing something so gauche in the open is frowned upon.” He wanted to groan.

She surprised him with,“Before the outer gates to the palace, it’s acceptable for heads of House to pause the procession and kiss in view of the populace if they wish. The people like to see the display of affection. It shows them that nobility is not so different from them, and, even amongst those marriages that are arranged, love blossoms. For some it’s part of a proper show, but it’s allowed all the same.”

“Would you be all right with that? I mean, it’s not some added slip of military discipline?”

She looked pleased with herself, “I cannot say that it won’t be a shock to some of the honor guard, as some of the rank and file question my humanity,” shaking her head, she went on, “but, no, it’s not an issue. I leave whether or not it happens to my husband.”

“Then it shall certainly happen,” he declared happily.

“To show your love for me? Or to thumb your nose at Court in a completely acceptable fashion?”

He was thoughtful. “Would you despise me if I said it was mostly the former, but just a smidgen of the latter.”

She leaned forward and waved through both windows, “Not at all. Indeed, I find it heartening. It reminds me that the mage is as the rest of we mere mortals.”

“There is also a bit of wanting to rub Lord Vesik’s nose in the fact that you live.”

“No doubt he’s miserable every time he has to be in the presence of a queen that should be in the ground. All he can hope for now is that no one knows of his involvement. Or that the revenge is done rather than risk an open feud before the queen.”

Ordinarily, Tessa would have been there as was her place, but Neral had asked to meet at the point where families were dropped off from their carriages for the walking processional to the castle. Tessa had thought nothing of it deciding that perhaps Mistress wanted calm any of his lingering butterflies. “Tonight should be interesting.”

Deres nodded, looking out the window, “It should be. I don’t expect them to break down right there or anything unless they really are animals, but the general’s keen eye should see a few cracks in the facade. Once they start though, they won’t be able to stop. It’s only a matter of time.”

Given all they had been responsible for, Neral couldn’t say she had much sympathy for Tonn Vesik or his daughter, Sere. There was some for Lady Jeron Vesik until Neral reminded herself that she could have put an end to all of it, even in secret, but didn’t. They all deserved what would happen, for their actions against the queen if nothing else. Evaline had ruled well, was popular with the people, and had no real enemies at Court because she cultivated unity instead of playing the families as pawns before sitting back to watch them snipe for her personal entertainment, as some of her predecessors had.

That Vesik had wanted to use Neral as a tool for a naked grab at power was what angered Neral more than anything. It had taken all she had in the weeks since the plot was uncovered to keep her temper when she reported to Court. She spent the idle moments in those meetings envisioning one smooth leap over the table, driving the dagger at her hip into his throat before coming up after a smooth shoulder roll just in time to see him gasp his last.

The carriage finally reached the cross-street roughly two blocks from the castle and placed itself near the ones next to those of the other members of her House. Honor guards opened the doors on each side and she and Deres stepped out onto the perfectly manicured grass. Cheers could be heard as they did so. Houses, over time, developed their own celebrity followings in the same manner arena combatants, actors, or bards had. Houses had used that fact over years to help push their policy positions at Court, so it was useful for all.

The soldier and protector in Neral looked around. Her honor guard awaited in formation for the family to form behind it. When the queen finished her speech from the castle, the processional would begin, first with House Jaye, as it was considered closest to the Royal House. From this point forward there was no one in uniform near them that she didn’t know on sight. But her senses and intuitions were limited in comparison to his. “All is well, Husband?” Her tone was casual even if the question and its meaning was not.

She knew fingers of his magic were weaving throughout the crowds in the street in ways that she could not see and that she only understood in the small bit that she did now after many long hours talking it through with her two. But she knew he was grazing all the minds around, looking for anything that seemed out of place. In the end, he gave her an answer that she hoped for, “This cape is still nonsense.”

She had sympathy, “You’ll grow accustomed.”

Neral looked to her left and Tessa was simply there, giving her mistress one more look before deciding all was well. Neral’s sisters, Maia and Nessein and their families made their way to Neral and hugs went all around, though all tried to be careful so as not to cause another wave of fussing over attire, all wearing colors and styles that complemented Neral’s uniform. All the choices were elegant and befitting their wealth and status. In appearance, older sister Maia took after A’marin with hair the color of straw and finely sculpted features, while Nessein shared her features more with Neral herself and with their father.

“I am surprised, Sister,” Maia said, looking Deres over from head to toe. “He cleans up adequately.”

“It’s one of the reasons I selected him.”

Her tone was light, “We will postpone discussing the other reasons due to mixed company.” Neral got the same visual scrutiny, but Maia drew a very different conclusion, “You’re very happy tonight.”

“Why shouldn’t I be? It’s spring, is there a greater time of year?”

“Mother has decided to yield?”

“You’ve spoken to her?”

“Not about that,” Maia said as though the assumption that she had to have discussed it to know that something was different was absurd. “The cloud that has followed you is gone and there was only one reason for it that I knew.”

It almost didn’t surprise Neral. Maia had a way of knowing what was going on within her family without even trying. “I believe she has.” Neral had to concede with a sigh. “You were right, I had to be firm.”

“She fixates on her version of correct and, with something like this, you were never going to coax her to your point of view.”

Neral nodded. “I was just hoping that time would have done the work for me.”

“No matter, all is as you wish it to be.”

Nessein studied Deres carefully, “Try not to eat with your hands.” Light shone in her dark eyes as she waited patiently.

He gave her a visual appraisal as well. “I’ll try not to, Nessein, though, given the fact that you probably spent as much time getting ready as anyone else and that’s the best you could manage with your hair, I thought we were throwing caution to the wind this evening.”

She touched her carefully curled, placed, piled, and pinned dark hair, and her lips turned upward ever so slightly. Neral had told Deres how each sister would appraise him. With Maia, honesty and firmness was the path to approval. She did not need every detail of his life, but if she sensed he was being disingenuous or opportunistic, she was lost to him. She could accept his desire for status as a reason to want to marry Neral, but it couldn’t be allowed to be the only one.

Nessein, on the other hand, liked banter and liked barbs. His intellect and wit had to be keen. There was always acid on the tip of her tongue, even as she maintained respectability at Court. In her mind, for him to be fit to remain, he had to not be chained to the pain of his upbringing. He had to be able to endure barbs and give back with wit and just the right amount of disdain. “She will leave it to Maia to get the particulars of your life,” Neral told him before they arrived at Neral’s home for the first time. “She’ll test your emotions, and your mind, and your center. Do not anger. Just give back the same measure of what you get from her.”

And, while talking to Maia had initially felt like a completely necessary and understandable interrogation, Deres fell into easily sparring with the youngest of the sisters. His mother had demanded he cultivate his intellect and, in some ways, the nuanced to and fro was like many of her quizzes of him as a child. Even with the simple questions, he needed to give more than one word answers and he had to pay attention to her words to glean what she really wanted to know from what she’d asked. As a result, Nessein was challenged that night and she enjoyed a challenge.

Neral smiled as her nieces and nephews that ranged from toddler to adolescent gathered together. They were each beautiful in their own ways and she was as proud of them as she would be of her own. One of her older nieces looked to her and saluted as smartly as any elite soldier, right fist against her heart with a sharp bow of the head. She was prepared for the service, wanting it in the same way Neral had at that age. No one had to speak to her of her responsibility to it, it was something she was born feeling. The general returned the salute with the same precision before smiling in return. “Excellent stance.”

“Thank you, Aunt Neral. I look forward to showing you that on the field someday.”

Neral waved her hand, “No rush for that. You still have some childhood to enjoy yet, so don’t make me have to order you to do that.”

“No, General.” The look that came with those words was all young girl prepared to do just that

A’marin walked the field, looking over each member of her family in turn,“I hope everyone is ready.”

No one dared suggest they weren’t, so Deres and Neral stood in the front together just between the honor guards, their dress armor, sparkling with an orange hue from the lamps in a way that seemed almost magical itself. Everyone else took their proper places a few steps behind and waited patiently for the trumpets to sound, which marked the end of the queen’s speech and the beginning of the processional.

Neral moved smoothly without thinking about it while Deres had to spend a moment or two actually thinking about Neral’s lessons until he built some muscle memory into the motion. “Don’t forget to wave, Husband.”

He put his hand up, certain that it looked as awkward as it felt, “I feel like an idiot.”

“I know. No such pomp and circumstance in the land that raised you.”

“In the wastes, survival was more important than flourish. Once Adar was thriving, they just saw little need for most of it.”

“Terrible for you to be among the backward,” she quipped, squeezing his hand.

He squeezed back. “I did miss home, and there are benefits.” He looked out at the crowds and it didn’t taker him long to note that some of the loudest voices cheering came from the most plainly dressed as they jostled for a place in the front or let their children climb upon their shoulders. Neral seemed to know what was on his mind without asking, “You are a hero to many in the south quarter.”

“Just because I married into status?”

“That’s no small feat in Erette,” she told him, “or in any of the kingdoms for that matter. They know you grew up amongst them. They know you are them. They know you give of yourself to help their lot. If you can get to something better, so can they. There have been meetings regarding you within Court. Some fear unrest because of what you represent.”

The thought incensed him. “They should fear unrest because of a stratified society they thrive within, not because of me. Other lands are allowed to live as they choose, and it’s not to me to change it, no matter how much sympathy I have. Rest assured, Neral, that I am not a revolutionary. I would neither incite nor join one.”

“As I have informed Court repeatedly. And, to take your measure is one of the reasons the queen has met with you more than once. She wanted to be certain you had no grand designs.”

He shook his head, “I want to have my family and live in peace. I want to help those that I can, and if I can champion them within the bounds of the current system, I always will, but I will not work to upend that system and be responsible for the chaos that would follow.”

“The queen has faith in that now. You will find a better judge of people nowhere in the kingdom.”

They walked the street, the grand gold gates of the castle growing ever closer and Neral felt uneasy. It was always something that she felt during these processionals. The tactician in her could never shake the knowledge of how exposed all the families were during these things. It served to show the people that the nobility was not so far above and beyond them, but the opportunity the disgruntled had with such ceremony could not be ignored. She was even more on edge with the knowledge of the threat to her and her family from within Court. Neral leaned in slightly, “Is she close?”

Deres glanced over before leaning to her himself, “One pace behind you to your left, watching everything.”

Neral glanced reflexively, seeing nothing, though she attempted to will herself to see.

He kept his voice just high enough to be heard by her, “If something were to happen, she would act decisively, as will I, he promised, “law be damned. But there is nothing here that shouldn’t be in the crowd; no undue anxiety, no undue tension, no magic telltales, and no mind blocked from me.”

That did make her feel better as the gates opened to the castle, “If you plan to spite Court with my lips, the proper place is in six paces, just before the Nisk bushes.”

His voice was teasingly indifferent, “If you would prefer I didn’t...”

“Shut up and kiss your wife.”

“Yes, Neral.”

“Surely you see how much more easily your life progresses with those two words?”

“’Yes, Bryana’ is also helpful,” he noted.

“Some men live married for decades before they learn that, and some never do.”

He smiled as he turned her to him. “I have always prided myself on being a quick study.” His heart fluttered at her nearness to him. Those eyes that one could fall into and the softness of her skin, gentleness of her touch, and her inner strength all combined to always make him feel a bit like a flustered teenager when he was so close to him. Her arms went around him, her head tilting as she drifted to him. Their lips met in the middle and, while Deres did hear more than a few boos, they were almost immediately drowned out by cheers.

Once inside, they walked through the main hall, decorated floor to ceiling with murals depicting key moments in the history of the kingdom, each framed in gold trim and divided by smooth marble columns. Chandeliers, fully lit every few feet, bathed the hallway in near daylight as the Jaye family progressed, knowing they would not break the smooth march they carried during the processional until they entered the main ballroom. Midway down the hall on their left was a smaller banquet area where the lesser families of Court would gather. The queen would meet and greet them as High Court mingled before it sat down to the banquet, as High Court would be where the queen spent most of her evening.

The corridor opened to the main ballroom, a room of gleaming white marble with gold seemingly everywhere. The room could easily accommodate hundreds as servants with hors d’oeuvres and began to mill about as the first families trickled in. Spring flowers dotted the room, selected specifically so their scents would compliment one another and not overwhelm and the far end was an impromptu stage for bare-chested men and women with only slightly more covering danced together and separately, some with white and pink ribbons flowing with them and some not. It all came together as an elegant display of opulence that impressed Deres simply because, for some reason, he expected something more crass.

He took two glasses of wine from one of the servants, handing one to Neral. Sipping it, he discovered it had a slightly earthy flavor that went down smoothly. She sipped with him as they took in the surroundings. “Lovely scenery,” he noted, looking in the direction of the dancers.

“It is,” she agreed. “And spring is renewal. Spring is change. It’s the perfect time of year.”

“Winter has its appeal, too,” he said.

“All seasons have a joy that is theirs. In winter one can wrap in a thick blanket with a steaming, buttery rum and pass the night even as you watch the snow blow through the city.”

“I love the poet that lives in you, Neral Jaye.”

She shook her head and sipped, “Poetry is best left to poets, Deres. I fight. The images matter to me as they remind me of what I fight for. They counter the fact that I also fight for the likes of them.” She swallowed the rest of her drink quickly, a castle servant taking the glass away taking it from her almost as quickly as the Vesik’s approached them. She put on her most diplomatic smile as they closed the distance between them. Tonn Vesik was a tall man, with several inches of height on most that he had no issue with using to intimidate others, whether it be business associates in the merchant guilds or other families at Court.

His hair was dark and slicked back with a bit of silver streaked through at the temples and his beard. His eyes smouldered as they set deeply within the sockets and a somewhat hawkish nose. He bowed with Neral to the exact depth protocol demanded, “Good evening, Lady Jaye.”

She returned the gesture. “Good evening to you, Lord Vesik. I trust you enjoyed the procession?”

“How could one not? One should always enjoy a chance to revel in their status.” His voice was smooth, but Neral had always thought it had a smarmy undercurrent to it, as though he were attempting to talk someone into a deal that benefited him greatly and them not so much. “Deres certainly did.”

He polished off the rest of his drink and the empty glass disappeared just as quickly as Neral’s had. “Custom allows me to kiss my wife.”

He smiled as he extended his hand, “Oh, it does. It does indeed, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t be proud of the fact that you actually have a place in society now.”

Deres took the proffered hand and noted that Vesik was attempting to dominate with his grip. How petty and expected? Admittedly it was just as petty to meet the grip and add to it as he did, but he would not even pretend to be cowed before this man. “True status is a function of honor and not birth. People with the most noble of title can be among the most bereft of soul while I know of families in the south quarter that will share what food they have with anyone that comes to their door.”

“The Goddess has a plan for all of us, no doubt.” He released Deres’s hand and focused again on Neral. “At any rate, you seem to find a marriage such as what you have satisfying and I’m happy to see that. I am also happy to know that the queen has given it her blessing; a testament to your friendship, otherwise it might have damaged your position.” His concern was nearly believable.

“Her Majesty has been most understanding of my choices and sees the honor in the man I chose.”

Jeron stood quietly. Petite in her own right, she looked almost dwarfed next to her husband. Her hourglass figure accented further by her corseted red gown helped make her stand out in the crowd. Her light brown hair, soft cheekbones made her look younger than her years while Sere was a definite mix if the two, standing at a height squarely between the two with the sharpest of her father’s features somewhat blunted by her mother’s influence and her porcelain skin. Her thick brown hair and gray eyes created a unique look indeed.

As the minutes pressed on, all engaged in conversation together though it was largely perfunctory and devoid of any depth. The Vesik’s house mistress, Cassea Voss appeared almost as if from the ether, long, dark hair exquisitely curled, blue eyes accented by her dark eyeshadow and sharp brows. He dress was also red, though a bit less vibrant than the women of the house with an intricate embroidery of slightly darker red all throughout the bodice. Deres took note of the silver and gold choker she wore, “Is there anything you might require before dinner, Lord?”

“Not now, thank you.” His tone was pleasant and dismissive at once.

“You look quite lovely this evening, Cassea,” Deres noted with a grin.

She tilted her head and closed her eyes for a moment in acknowledgment, “Thank you.”

“I trust you are feeling better? The malady you suffered a while ago was nasty business.”

Her jaw clenched as though she wanted to chew her face, “It was. But it has resolved itself thanks to your efforts.”

He eyed her neck, “A lovely necklace as well.”

She touched the silver and gold layered affair that served as a reminder of her true servitude, “Thank you.”

Mingling went on for a time and Neral’s family met with the rest of Court, allied or not, and enjoyed the festivities until the banquet proper began. Deres tried not to roll his eyes at the notion of a second processional in the hallway where each family was formally announced and accomplishments ticked off. He did at least appreciate that he managed not to make Deres sound like a hanger-on.

Finally, all stood in front of their chairs at the banquet table as the queen was announced. The doors to the left of the table parted and Queen Evaline made her way to the table in a smooth walk that made her seem as if she were floating just above the floor. She was a vision in a flowing white gown with a plunging neckline that displayed a generous view of her cleavage. She wore her hair blonde straight down her back while two long curls framed her face in the front. Her makeup was heavy without being garish and a small bejeweled tiara sat gently atop her head.

She greeted the families each in turn, spoke of the greatness of the time of year and her wishes for the year ahead and bid everyone to enjoy their meal as the palace staff began to serve. As was custom, during appetizers, no one spoke to the queen that she did not speak to first, but the floor opened up as the entrees were served and Deres took advantage of it, “Majesty, I wonder if you might tell me how it came to be that you and my wife came to enjoy the friendship that you now do.”

Evaline finished her bite and sat the fork down with only the slightest sound, ignoring the cross looks that marked a few faces for him even speaking to her at all or that she would speak back to him as though he belonged there. She looked thoughtful as she played with the happy memory, “I associated with the Jayes and the other proper Houses as a child, of course. As you might expect, a young woman destined to be Queen was afforded a great deal of tolerance by her friends, and, sometimes too much. We were playing perhaps or hundredth game of Strata when she not only confronted me with my cheating and she said she would have no more of it.”

Neral shook her head with a grin, “I would not have called you a cheater had you not cheated.”

The elder of the House of Bonesse spoke quickly to attempt to provide cover for his queen, “No doubt it was a misunderstanding.”

Evaline was casual and matter-of-fact. “Oh, I cheated. I cheated frequently. Up until that moment I had never tried to be so blatant in it with her, while, with others, I could move my pieces up a level or two in front of their eyes and they would say nothing of it. Neral Jaye, on the other hand, was done with it, and even me as a friend, if I did not treat her honestly and with the respect she was due.” Her eyes met Neral’s, “She was the only one of my friends that stopped seeing my position. I realized her affection for me was for me alone and she would not tolerate my dishonorable behavior.”

“And you have not cheated me since.”

“While there are still those that I play with that I know I could move the pieces wrongly and they would still say nothing.” She did not name names of course, but Neral knew who they were. “Neral Jaye is the sister I would have wished for.”

Neral gave Maia and Nessien a smile as she spoke, “As my queen is the sister I would have wished for.”

Gentle laughter rippled down the table at the slight. Maia inclined her head while Nessein raised her glass in salute. There had been some strife in Court with those questioning Neral’s decision, fitness, and subtly urging the queen to distance herself. This was the queen’s moment to make her position clear.

Jeron Vesik sipped her wine, “I hope this isn’t too intimidating for you. I’m sure it’s not like what passes for festivities in the south quarter.” Her tone was a bit too innocent in tone for the comment to simply be what it was.

He took a breath and began to count patiently to compose himself before painting on a smile and attempting to be as neutral in tone as possible, “Well, the energy is different. It’s all less formal certainly.” He glanced down the length of the table at Tessa. “Tessa has spent far more hours than she should in preparing me for High Court, so I shall endeavor not to embarrass her.”

Tonn Vesik looked slightly bewildered, “More concerned with embarrassing the house mistress than your wife?”

“My wife did not spend countless hours preparing me. She was more concerned with matters like Erette’s security, so, yes, my failings would reflect more poorly on Tessa than anyone else.”

“Your concern for my daughter touches me,” Lord Vesik, A’marin said smoothly, but you may rest assured that if my middle child were to take offense at his or anyone’s behavior, she would be quick to address it.”

Neral looked at her mother with pride. When she resolved to do something she never did it piecemeal. She looked to Evaline who simply watched the proceedings as another form of entertainment. She did not set up sparring to amuse herself, but she enjoyed watching it blossom on its own. Indeed, the queen decided to lob a bomb into the fray. She would not have done so had Neral wished to keep it a secret, but since that trip was no doubt only a first, nothing was lost by lighting the fuse for fun. “General Jaye spoke well of her visit to the celebrations in the southern quarter this morning.”

“I did,” she said smoothly.

The table all but froze and Deres was certain he heard more than one choke on their food. From the looks he could see, Neral would have caused less of a shock had she stripped naked and began dancing atop the table while kicking food around the room.

Lord Bonnesse’s tone was slow and deliberate, “You went there to be social? With them?”

“I did. I am the defender of all the people, Lord Bonnesse. As such, I believe it benefits me and aids my position to have stronger ties to the area. If all they ever see is the tip of the army’s swords, it invites hostility.”

“Understandable,” he said, “but surely that could be accomplished without...” He paused, temporarily at a loss.

Nessein finished for him, “Without getting down into the muck with the rabble?”

One of the Ladies asked, genuinely curious, “How was it?”

“The atmosphere certainly is different. It is absolutely more raucous, but it was not unpleasant at all. I enjoyed my time there.”

“Good then that someone could show you the...virtues of the lesser peoples.” Sere Vesik looked a bit smug as she tipped the glass to her lips. She started as the glass tipped farther than she intended, leaving a small trail of dark liquid down the front of her dress. Cassea quickly rose from her seat and went to her to help her dab it away.

Neral saw the look on her husband’s face and realized with some satisfaction that her unseen protector was likely responsible, “They were never without virtue or honor. My only error with them was not regularly paying them the attention they are due.”

“All the people of Erette have something to contribute to its success, Evaline told her guests, “The ongoing concern is to cultivate those contributions while maintaining balance within society.”

“Some might call that ‘progressive, Majesty,” Tonn Vesik said. “I’m not certain your father would have approved of such a position.”

Evaline turned to him, “It’s not progressive so much as an acknowledgment of truth. It was once considered a progressive idea to not be able to own them as slaves. Time marches. And, if the south quarter had nothing to offer the rest of us would not engage it at all. The fact that we do simply illustrates that truth.” She took a breath and held her gaze on him. “You do have my leave to ask my father’s shade his opinion should you happen across it at some point.”

Vesik said nothing, but in that moment Neral saw a flash of disdain and anger that may well have driven him to plot in the first place.

Dinner progressed smoothly after that and, once complete, dancing began. Neral enjoyed watching Deres dance, as it was something he felt comfortable with, his own mother having taught him as a child. Even so, he kept to those he was familiar with and, in truth, so had she. She had watched though because sometimes new dance partners could mean new alliances.

Eventually she made her way to the arms of her mate as they made slow circles around the dance floor, “I note you asked Cassea to dance.”

“Only because it would have been bad form for her to refuse me.”

Neral raised a brow, “Are you going to keep tormenting her so once she comes to you? Be nice to your toys.”

He looked hurt, “But she likes it, Neral. Hating me even as she is owned by me excites her.”

“Even so...”

“I will be as nice to her as you are to Tessa.”

The corner of her lip turned up, “Very well then.”

His demeanor turned more serious as he glanced about the room, “Now?”

Neral thought of it. “The queen has danced and taken her leave. There is nothing left that matters aside from the dancing, mingling, or negotiating.” Neral looked over at Tonn Vesik. It wouldn’t take much to guess how his House would fall. It would be humiliating on many levels, but, in some ways, it would be far more pleasant for him than he deserved. What mattered though was that he would be no threat to her, her House, or the queen. She nodded. “Do it now.”

He closed his eyes and Neral could have sworn she felt something pass through his body. The energies that he and Bryana could tap were as endlessly fascinating as they were potentially dangerous. She could at least trust her two with it if no one else. His eyes opened a few seconds later, “Done.”

Neral’s keen eye noticed Tonn Vesik’s eyes flutter as he listened to another of the Lords talk to him about something or other, but nothing else, “I don’t know what I was expecting.”

“Pyrotechnics? No. Though I suppose you were expecting something you could watch. You do seem to quite enjoy watching.”

She leaned into him, her forehead dipped, gripping his hand more tightly as they swayed. “The things I watch will happen anyway, so I may as well enjoy them, such as you tonguing the runes and marks on your apprentice’s body as you mount.”

“Something my wife has done often enough.”

“Something I hope to do again before dawn.”

At that moment, she felt a subtle tingling at the back of her neck, like an electric caress of fingers to the hairline at her neck in a touch that she was always fond of. She didn’t have to be learned in magic to know who caused it and to know that her other love and protector was close at hand, even if she couldn’t be seen.

Whatever else might happen in life, these truths brought her peace.

Tonn Vesik relished these spectacles of High Court. He and the others that had a place there should relish their position before the Goddess. It was also a good time for him to make deals and keep connections alive to keep himself one of the richest merchants in the kingdom, and that’s what he was doing tonight. Nothing was perfect though. Evaline lived and continued to spew her progressive nonsense.

The Goddess put the rabble where it was and it probably was better all around if they were still slaves. There would be no unrest, ever, if they simply accepted their place. Then Neral Jaye has the gall to marry one. That he failed to end the nonsense of Evaline’s one way or another was a failing to be sure, but nothing had come in reprisal against him. Some of the lesser tools were dead and Kudan cut off all contact, but all these things were to be expected. That nothing came to him was sign enough that he’d covered his tracks. He would lay low for a few years and look for or create another opportunity to get what he wanted and what was best for Erette.

But life was good. He was close to closing a deal for another four merchant ships, which would expand his reach considerably. Jeron floated the room, mingling and joking with the other wives, no doubt doing what she could to maintain relationships as much as gossip. She would also, no doubt, have stories to tell later. Sere mingled as well. She had her mother’s gifts in terms of charm and knew well how to further her family’s goals.

He saw her bright-eyed and laughing speaking animatedly to one of the other families. He was so proud of her, She’s so beautiful. He always knew that it was true, but it was moments like that where it truly hit him. She was perfect in so many ways. She had his mind and her mother’s beauty. The thought hit him with such force that he sighed almost without realizing it.

He was nearly startled from his reverie by another of the party goers, “Lord, Vesik. I’d like to chat with you about a business opportunity if you have moment?”

He shook his head and put on his brightest smile. “But, of course.”

That moment turned into several, but Vesik would find later that he was grateful for the reprieve, as his eyes once again drifted to Sere as she sat at one of the far tables with another of the wives. His dark eyes were lost in her, from the way her hands gestured to the way her glossy lipstick caught the light. She sensed his eyes upon her from the distance and turned to flash him a smile before going back to the conversation. In that moment, his heart skipped a beat as a rush of pure lust rippled through him. She’s soooooooooo beautiful. As his heart pounded in his chest he could feel the blood rush uncomfortably to other parts of his body, leaving his cock to press against his pants in its own rage of want. He reached for a drink from one of the passing servers and nearly had it to his lips before he thought better of adding alcohol to to the fire that had flared in his soul. Instead, he rose quickly and went to the gardens, hopeful that the air, still crisp and cool would let him banish the thoughts in his head. He moved quickly from the ballroom, weaving through the maze of people, acknowledging no one, his sense of propriety the only thing keeping him from running.

The air, still with more than a bit of winter’s bite, did indeed help him focus his thoughts and quell that rush. At first he tried to deny what it was, but soon dismissed that tactic as giving the thoughts undue power by denying them and pretending they didn’t exist. She is beautiful, he told himself, she just is. It’s been a long day and a stressful time, so, so what if an impure thought strays in and is gone as quickly as it comes? If such thoughts were cause for punishment, most of the world would be locked up for one thing or other already.

Taking deep breaths and reasoning through it some more, Tonn finally reached the point where he’d convinced himself of any one of a hundred reasons behind that errant feeling and resolved that it wouldn’t be returning. He straightened his suit jacket and headed back into the ballroom, being certain to connect amiably with those that he remembered asking him if he was all right as he left, assuring them that he just had a sudden need to be in the open air to collect himself with all the commotion of the party.

By the time he reached the edge of the dance floor, he’d convinced himself that it was actually true. That is, until he saw Sere on the dance floor with her betrothed, Markus. He was from a middling family, but they had connections that the House of Vesik could use. He watched her spin in his arms and orbit the room.

The lust came back as though it had never left, and, even more powerfully now as it was tinged with more than a hint of jealousy. That sense of right and wrong was still there, but it was like a whisper straining to be heard amidst the screams of a raging mob. His mind filled with a jumble of images. He knew from his own betrothal to her mother that a protracted engagement meant…

Fucking.

The word sat in the middle of his mind, waiting to be explored. It was vile, and yet, there was no other way to describe what the two of them had done in those months. With any stolen moment, and even half-assured notion of privacy, her skirt was up around her waist and he was jackhammering inside her like he needed to in order to keep breathing.

She has to be fucking him., he thought. In that light, every smile she gave Markus and every moment the two had been out of his sight took on new meaning. He saw them doing everything he had done and more. He hungered to know how experienced she was already. His cock was at full attention again and this time he let it be as he pondered what idea turned him on more: the idea that he could teach her what he knew or that she could already teach him.

That rational voice made itself heard loudly enough for him to shout it down in a wave of jealousy that reddened his cheeks. Why shouldn’t I have her? She’s already...fucking...anyway. He let the word have its way with him. She’s already tossed aside her morality, I’m sure of it, so what’s one more corruption? I am Tonn Vesik, Lord of the greatest House in Erette. I can have anything and do anything. She is young and beautiful, and I want to make her mine.

She will be.