Page 3 of The Shadow & the King
Basil's gaze was still fixed on her, but she could sense his pulse rising even further. "Your job? I'd certainly love to know who hired you for such a job, but I assume you'll not so readily share that information."
Lunette managed to keep her mouth shut this time.
"It's a shame it seems we must be enemies, Lunette. You are… even more elegant than your weapon. You aren't from Delkos, are you?"
"Ichorna," Lunette whispered.
"Ah, that explains your silent movements. A vampire then, yes? Fascinating. I've never had occasion to meet a vampire." The king sat up and shifted so his massive legs hung over the side of the bed. She took in his hooves and thick thighs; the sheet now barely covered his hips and… shit she was ogling him. She flicked her eyes back to his and noted the very subtle smug look on his handsome face.
She felt slightly less bad when she realized he was ogling her in return. Her tight black uniform did little to hide her form, and Lunette knew she was attractive. How this situation had turned into a flirtation was beyond her, but she was determined to regain control.
"And I've never met a minotaur. Though, if my night were going as planned, I suppose I wouldn't really be meeting you at all. I really should flick this dagger at your throat and be done with it. I do have other jobs I need to get to."
"I see. Well, who am I to stop such a stunning creature from excelling at her job?" Basilious shifted, and rose from the bed. He strode toward her with unhurried steps. He was fully naked, and the most massive cock she had ever seen hungheavy and hard between his legs. A row of piercings glinted along its length, and Lunette's mouth went dry.
He stopped a mere arm's reach away, forcing her to tilt her head back to meet his gaze. She could feel warmth radiating off of him, and his blood called out to her. She closed her eyes, trying to maintain her carefully curated control.
"What is it, Lunette? Trying to resist the urge to drink my blood?" There was laughter in Basilious' voice, but her temper flared at being read so easily. In a flash she had her dagger held to his cock.
"I imagine this is rather important to you. Mock me again and you lose it," Lunette hissed.
"So I was right. You can drink if you like," he said, offering her his wrist. Did this king have a death wish? Why was he even speaking with her when she had admitted openly she was here to kill him? This felt like fever dream.
Yet he was correct—she had never wanted someone's blood so badly, and now he offered it to her freely. She usually enjoyed the hunt, but this tribute was so tempting. Her fangs ached. She shouldn't… she needed to get out of here, away from this gorgeous naked minotaur that she was supposed to be killing.
In one fluid motion she withdrew her blade and darted for the window. She paused there when she didn't hear any movement behind her, and turned to see Basilious still standing where she'd left him.
"I never thought I'd say this to an assassin, but I hope I'll see you again someday." Lunette couldn't help but crack a smile at that. She climbed out of the window and into the night still reeling from perhaps the strangest interaction she'd had with another living thing.
4
BASILIOUS
Basilious had not been able to fall asleep that night, his mind churning over all of the disappointing options that lay before him. Now, he was glad he'd not been asleep—not because he had narrowly avoided being killed, but because he had gotten to meet the most stunning, fascinating woman he had ever seen.
Lunette, the vampire assassin, with her lush body, skilled movements, and unwavering boldness. She had felt at once completely foreign and achingly familiar. He wanted to know everything about her.
He didn't bother trying to go back to sleep, and instead rebuilt his fire and settled into his armchair. Despite his fascination with his would-be murderer, he did need to consider who would have cause to want him gone. He had no true political rivals, and he hadn't made any particularly controversial policy decisions recently. Delkos was at peace with generally good relationships with the other nations of Domhan na Rùin. Even theirtraditionally difficult mainland neighbor to the west, Sartya, was sending their Captain of the Guard to solstice here as a sign of good will. He didn’t think they had any reason to think a different ruler in Delkos would benefit them.
If he were to leave the throne without an heir, it would likely pass to one of his advisors. They would meet and take a vote on who would take up the mantle of king. Delkos' law had procedures for that sort of thing, so it wouldn't leave them particularly open to a coup or any sort of major political unrest.
Basil's mind has wrestled with too many puzzles for one day, and he found it wandering back to the gentle curve of Lunette's stomach, her wide hips, the intensity of her honey-yellow eyes in the moonlight. Her thick, dark curls had been pulled up, but a few stray ringlets had framed her perfect face. She was beauty and death, and Basil wanted more than anything to bury his muzzle into her neck and breathe her in.
His cock was hard again, and he took himself in hand, pulling back his foreskin as he stroked up and down his length. He wondered what she'd feel like, taste like. He'd heard vampires were cool to the touch, an he imagined sheathing himself inside her. A few strokes had him on the edge, images running through his mind of all the things he wanted to do with her. One particular image sent him over the edge, though—Lunette's naked body kneeling over him, tying his hands above his head. He wanted to be athermercy.
He wanted to be hers.
He came with a grunt, his release dripping onto the wood floor in front of him. Gods, she had him acting like an adolescent. He hadn't wanted someone so badly since… possibly ever.
He grabbed a towel to clean up his mess, and his thoughts turned back to his problems as he stood staring into the fire. There were four days until he had to announce his choice, so he decided trying to determine who wantedhim dead was the more pressing matter. He couldn't tell anyone about Lunette's failed attempt on his life—he had to believe anyone could be a suspect, no matter how unlikely. His heart felt heavy with the knowledge that, despite giving his whole life over to his kingdom, he was perhaps not a good enough ruler. The rest of the night was spent turning over every decision, every turning point, wondering where he had gone wrong.
He returned to his chair and stared into the flames, hoping that sleep may finally come for him.
The following morning,Basilious spent a good twenty minutes trying to stretch his neck out. Sleeping in fits while sitting upright in a chair was not particularly restful or good for one's neck, as it turned out. He dressed and placed the crown upon his head, its weight particularly heavy this morning.
Today was his weekly town hall, where members of the public could come to the castle to discuss their problems and concerns with their king. Usually he greatly enjoyed these sessions—he took pride in maintaining a positive relationship with the common people of Delkos, and worked hard to address their needs.
Today, however, he was exhausted and felt like a failure. There was no avoiding his duty, though. So he put on a confident face and made his way to the public throne room.
