Ileus: The Dark Prince

When Ileus reached Kaizan's room, he bolted it from inside and then pried her everywhere to see if she was fine or if her skin was burnt. The creature was ferocious and Ileus' heart was beating like a wild horse. "Natsya, are you fine?" he asked repeatedly. His eyebrows were drawn together and his muscles were strained. 

"I am fine darling," she said as she cupped his cheeks. "Look at me Aly. Look at me." 

Ileus lifted his face to her with a pained gaze. His mouth was dry and he licked his lips as he ran his fingers in his hair. "I failed to protect you again," he murmured. 

"Stop blaming yourself for every situation in the world," she said and pressed a kiss on his lips. 

When she pulled away, he said, "I should have come to you instead of discussing the design with Rolfe. I would have killed the beast before it entered your room. And how the hell did it come in there?" He was not able to calm down. 

"Aly, please sweetheart, calm down. I am fine," she reiterated. She was feeling shaky about the whole episode. She was lying on the bed when from the corner of her eyes, she saw the Ojuto and shrieked. Ara came rushing in with her sword. 

Ileus knelt down in front of his wife. He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned his head on her tummy. "I am sorry my little one," he said, addressing his baby in her womb, like he addressed it every night. "Daddy left you alone. I became careless. Daddy is not good." He kissed her tummy and then just stayed there for a long time. 

Anastasia cupped his face and nudged him to look at her. "Your baby loves you more than you know and the mother loves both of you. So stop moping." She giggled. She looked into Ileus' golden yellow eyes that were full of emotions. She bent down and kissed them. "Sometimes I wonder if our baby is going to get your eyes or mine." 

A faint smile came on his lips. "Of course, mine," he replied smugly. "I have dominant genes between the two of us." 

Anastasia laughed and he pulled her in his lap. "I love you," he said as wrapped his arms around her and pressed her in his body. 

On the outside of the room, Kaizan was banging his head on the wall, lightly. "What are you doing?" said Ara. He didn't reply and continued to bang his head. Ara shrugged and walked away. 

--- 

Iona was visibly shaken after the incident. She was looking at Rolfe who was pacing the room. "How did the beast manage to get in her room?" she asked. 

"I don't know…" he replied and paced more. He rubbed his hand behind his neck. 

Seeing him in an agitated state, she patted the fur beside her and said, "Come and sit here." 

Rolfe exhaled heavily and slowly came to sit beside her. "What are you so worried about?" she asked. His cowlick had again fallen on his forehead and she wanted to smooth that out. 

He took a deep breath and said, "Anastasia had given permission to General Yion to use the fae soldiers for laying out the project that you had designed for Galahar. We had discussed so much and were about to finalize things when this incident happened. I don't know what Princess Anastasia would think about it. I hope she doesn't think that it is treachery on our part because this isn't. We had gone so forward and now suddenly it seems that we have gone backwards twice as much!" 

Iona couldn't help herself. She cupped his face and forced him to look her way. "Anastasia isn't such a fool. I am sure she can look through it." 

He looked into her golden yellow eyes and said, "How can you be so sure?" She was the loveliest creature he had seen. 

"From how little I have interacted with her, I know that even though she is just as old as I am, her wisdom is far greater than mine. She has acted more maturely than me on every occasion. And her reasoning is way better than mine. So, please don't worry. She is never going to blame you, but yes you must find out who got that beast here and that too in Anastasia's chamber. This incident can't be overlooked." 

"Iona!" he almost snapped. "How can you think so little about yourself? From what you have been through, your wisdom is far greater than anyone else's." On an impulse he pulled her in his lap and made her straddle his thighs. "Girl, you are so brave that there are no words for you. You have pulled yourself out from something that was impossible. You were willing to pull yourself away from the temptation of the dark forces. And that is commendable. Please don't think so short of yourself… ever!" His breath was ragged and he had wrapped his arms strongly around her. How could she think so low about herself? 

Iona became silent as she blinked her eyes. No one had ever given her so much importance except her parents. Her eyes became watery and she blinked again to remove the tears, but they wouldn't listen to her. They fell on her cheeks and Rolfe… he immediately kissed them away. 

"Don't cry… please," he almost begged. "I am sorry if I have hurt you in any way." 

Her lips quivered. Gods, how could a man be so considerate? In the past eight years, she had only been abused so much that she had forgotten what it was like to be loved. "You haven't hurt me, Rolfe," she said in a low hoarse voice. You have won my heart — she wanted to say. She leaned closer to him and brushed her lips against his. 

Rolfe stilled. His face, his body… everything heated up. Iona pressed another kiss on his lips and couldn't help wondering how firm and hot and luscious they were. She grazed them open with her fangs and he groaned. He opened up for her. Iona delved her tongue inside instantly. She flicked it around to feel him. She sucked his tongue hungrily as she wrapped her arms around his neck and threaded her fingers in his hair. He moaned and she gobbled all his moans. 

Her clothes were still wet and from her tunic, her nipples, which had hardened, were starkly visible. As if naturally, his hands went to her nipples and he rolled them in his finger and thumb and she squealed out of pleasure. She thrust her breasts in his hands, wanting more. 

"My mate needs to be satisfied," he murmured. He cupped her hips and lifted her. She cried when he pulled away from her and made her lie down on the fur. "And I will make sure that she is satisfied." He pressed her beneath him, his horns straightening. When on an impulse she touched his horns, his body shuddered and his shaft shot north. He opened her tunic slowly and pried the fabric away to expose her breasts. "These are the most beautiful ones I have ever seen," he murmured against her neck as he trailed a line of kisses over there.. And now he wanted to feel them against his body.