A King to be Claimed Read online

  “I agree, Merlith. He needs to go. The boy is powerless and brings no value. For god’s and goddess’s sake, the boy is sixteen, and the most he can do is feel where a deer is,” Denzi, his uncle, said.

  “I know, I know. I promised Navari that I would watch over him. What would you have me do? Break my oath? I followed my mistress order but I also gave my word to my sister.” His aunt sounded distressed.

  He felt like crap. He had known that his uncle and cousin didn't care for him, but he had hoped that his aunt at least cared for him. But here she was, just keeping a promise to her dead sister. She didn’t want him there either.

  “For how long?” Dishes crashed as Klaido let his anger out.

  Titos flinched. He knew firsthand how out of control his cousin got when his anger escalated.

  “I’ll talk to Queen Mila and see if she can send Titos off.”

  “She won’t send someone that makes the house look weak and pathetic. She’ll have him killed,” Denzi said.

  Titos’s body shook with fear. They would not see it as a cruel act, but as a mercy killing.

  “He should have died. Every two months he gets even weaker, not even able to move on his own. He should have been put out of his miserable existence long ago,” Klaido said.

  “Come on, darling. I know you want to keep your promise to your sister, but even you must realize killing him would be taking care of him. He would no longer be plagued with such a weak body. You would be helping to end his suffering.”

  Titos held his breath for his aunt’s answer. He already didn't feel safe in the house, but now that he knew his cousin and uncle wanted him dead, he feared for his life.

  She blew out a breath, obviously resigned to what they were saying. “You’re right, but I’ll talk to the queen first.”

  Cold dread gripped his heart. He’d hoped that his aunt would at least fight on his behalf. He moved quietly and walked out of the only place he’d called home. They had never seen or heard him leave.

  That had been eight years ago, and he still felt the sadness and anger of that day. To think, he was so weak they would rather he be dead. The first year after he’d left, he’d thought he was safe, but a hunter from the Valtruse House had found him. He hadn’t run—he hadn’t thought there was a need—until the man started to beat him up. The hunter had said many things that night: the queen had ordered his execution, he was a weakness she didn't want out in the world.

  It didn't matter he’d left and never told anyone what house he came from. He was seen as a weakness.

  He had barely escaped that night. The hunter’d had him pinned against the wall in an alley when a few humans started to yell and tried to help Titos. While the hunter was busy with the humans, Titos had made a run for it. Ever since then, he had run and hadn’t let any of the hunters or small trackers get a hold of him.

  He heard a twig snap behind him. There was no way the trackers had gotten so close so quickly. He kept moving forward, not looking back, and he heard another twig snap. The hunters or trackers wouldn't be dumb enough to snap twigs, but he still kept moving, unsure of who else it could be. He didn’t have the time to check the wind for who or what was following him.

  He picked up his pace when he heard the branches above him move. Fuck, they’re in the trees. He turned, leaving the small forest. If he made it to the road, they wouldn’t be able to jump down and ambush him. He kept moving, acting as if he hadn’t heard anything. He slowly pulled the twelve-inch blade that he kept on him. He sharpened it daily, making sure to have it ready when he needed to fight. He may have been weak in the magical area, but he had trained with the blade since he was a young child. He wouldn’t go down without a fight.

  Before he could make it to the opening near the road, a dizzy spell overtook him. His symbol burned with ferocious intent. It felt as if his whole back was on fire and not just the marking. He groaned as his head spun and his back burned at the same time. He tried to fight through the dizziness and just make it to the road. There, he could stop a trucker and catch a ride.

  He heard three sets of shoes hit the ground behind him, and he knew it was deliberate. They wanted him afraid. All hunters were trained to sneak up on prey. The game they played while they hunted him seemed to be about how much fear they could cause before approaching.

  “How the fu-fuck…?” His head pounded, making it hard for him to ask how they’d found him so fast. When he’d felt for them, they had been hours away, yet they stood right behind him. He turned, slowly, to face them, his blade hidden, knowing he would have to try a surprise attack. He was too weak to take them head on.

  “Ugh, you’re so weak it’s funny. This task is child’s play. I don’t know how the other trackers failed to catch you. The queen finally allowed me to find your pathetic ass,” Klaido said.

  Titos hadn’t expected his cousin, and he groaned again. He knew the surprise showed on his face. He’d assumed Klaido had been sent to another house, but he saw the light sheen of lilac surrounding Klaido’s body representing Queen Mila.

  “Oh shit. You’ve become Queen Mila’s keeper. You’ve shared blood and are now bonded.”

  “How fucking weird is that? He can see fucking colors, but he has no power. My mother took you because you could see bonds when you were a babe. Fuck, what a shit that turned out to be. Everyone swore that meant you’d be powerful, but you can’t even hold that blade in your hand properly.”

  Titos reflexively tightened his grip. He would show his cousin what kind of grip he had on the blade when it went through his skull. He calmed his nerves before he acted, knowing he had to be smart when dealing with his cousin.

  “I’d rather see colors than be bonded to a dying queen,” he said. In hindsight, Titos realized antagonizing his cousin probably wasn’t his smartest choice.

  “You dare speak of my mistress that way? I will tear your fucking head off and relish in your bloodshed,” Klaido said.

  Yeah, not his brightest moment. He was making his cousin angry, and while most people made mistakes when they were angry, Klaido didn’t. Titos remembered whenever Klaido got angry when they were children; he would hunt and kill the animals with deadly accuracy.

  He stared at his cousin, trying his hardest to focus so that he missed nothing. His body wasn’t cooperating with him, and he felt his legs weaken before he fell to the ground. He stayed upright on his knees, because he wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of thinking he had given up.

  “Fuck, you’re so weak it almost takes the joy out of this.”

  The dead grass around Klaido crunched as he circled Titos. Titos strained his neck to watch him. Klaido was behind him, though Titos didn’t think Klaido would end it that way; killing him from behind would bore his cousin. But causing a fatal wound or tripping Titos wasn’t out of the realm of possibilities. He knew his cousin got a sick satisfaction from watching the life leave someone’s eyes. He wouldn’t miss that for anything.

  Klaido walked back in front of him. Titos knew there were other hunters around, but they hadn’t moved toward him, so all of his focus was on Klaido. He would be the one to deal the final blow.

  “You look just like your mother did. On your knees, waiting for your death.”

  Confusion hit Titos instantly. His mother had died fighting another house.

  “Oh, I can tell by your face you don’t know.” Klaido tilted his head to the side. “You poor thing. My mother killed your mother.”

  “You’re a fucking liar,” Titos screamed. Anger and confusion warred inside of him. His aunt had loved his mother. He’d found her next to the tree that his mother was buried under plenty of times. She couldn’t have been the one to kill her.

  “Wow. You actually believe that your mom went to an enemy house without anyone else and died. Come on, Titos! Even you can’t be that stupid. Why the fuck would the most valued keeper in Valtruse House be sent to a hostile enemy?”

  Titos refused to bend to Klaido. There was no doubt about his mother's death in his mind, but he wouldn’t give Klaido the satisfaction of responding.

  “I can tell you’re thinking about it, but believe whatever you want. Your mother was stupid and chose a human over her bond. She disgraced my mistress, and Queen Mila quickly ordered her execution. No wonder you’re so weak. Your mother was weak-willed. Who falls for a human and then has their child?” The disdain and hatred in his voice rang clearly.

  Titos had known his cousin didn’t like him, and sure, he knew on some level that Klaido hated him. But listening to Klaido… The man truly hated him with all of his being. Titos had no idea what to say. He just didn’t have the brain power to deal with it. He needed to avoid death first, but with how his body was shaking, he doubted that would be an easy feat.

  “Enough catching up. I need to bring your head to my mistress,” Klaido said as he began to strip.

  He was getting ready to shift. Titos was fucked if he didn’t think of something. If he remembered right, his aunt was a snake and his uncle a panther. Klaido could turn into either of those creatures, or he could be a combination. Everyone had known Klaido would turn into a powerful beast as he had had the power awaken in him long before the usual age, but he’d needed a master or mistress in order to shift. Klaido—someone who was already deadly—now had the ability to shift.

  Klaido took off his boot, and Titos watched, contemplating his choices. He could stab his cousin as soon as he attacked, but it most likely wouldn’t kill him. Or he could end everything, not give Klaido the satisfaction of killing him. His hands trembled. Eight years he’d avoided them, and now, when he was at his weakest, he would be killed by his cousin or by his own hand.

  He wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness. They wanted to kill him for no other reason than he was born half-hu
man. He didn’t involve himself with the edoli and stayed with humans. They didn’t care though. They would have his head on simple principle, and Klaido just wanted to do it for the fun of it.

  Klaido was ready to shift. Titos saw the color of the bond get stronger. Klaido was pulling power from his queen; the more power he pulled through the bond, the faster or bigger his shift would be.

  Crashing sounds through the branches and leaves came from their left. Klaido stopped his shift to look, and before he could react, a thrown knife was sticking out of the middle of his chest. Blood running down his chest, Klaido stood there, surprised, before rage took over his face.

  Titos turned his head, looking for the one who’d thrown the blade, and the other hunters drew their weapons. They were ready to fight, but no one could see who or what and thrown the knife.

  “Find whoever threw this. Now,” Klaido said as he pulled the sharp tool out in one quick flick. He grunted with the effort, but his bond glowed so brightly it hurt Titos’s eyes. He had to blink a few times but avoided closing his eyes altogether. When the light dimmed, there was just blood on Klaido’s chest, gone was the cut. If there hadn’t been dried blood on his chest, Titos would have believed the whole knife-in-the-chest thing hadn’t happened.

  “Who’s your friend?”

  Titos had no fucking clue who was helping him, and while he was grateful, he hoped it wasn’t some human. He would feel bad if the human died just because of him.

  “Wouldn’t you like to know,” he said.

  “Doesn’t matter. We’ll just kill whoever it is. I’ll make them wish they’d never helped you.”

  “Why are you so sure it’s only one person?” Titos was going to play up the situation to his advantage. He had no idea who or what was helping, and he didn’t have a clue if it was more than one person or not. But if he didn’t know, that meant neither did Klaido.

  Klaido squinted at him, looking for a crack in his lie.

  “Shit,” Klaido said as he turned to scan the woods.

  Titos could no longer hear the hunters, but that wasn’t unusual as they could move without any sound. The only reason he’d heard the twigs breaking and grass crunching before was because they’d wanted him to know they were on him.

  Klaido turned back and walked right over to him. For a second, Titos swore the man was going to kill him, but instead, he kicked him so hard Titos hit the tree behind him. The air knocked out him, he gasped for breath. It hurt to draw it in, and his body shook from the pain. By sheer will, he kept his eyes open. His vision was blurry from his tears, but he wouldn’t miss anything.

  Klaido was gone, he knew that much. His body hurt too much for him to really move or run. He was so very tired of running, but the alternative was death. As much as he hated running, he didn’t want to die either.

  Tired, his blinks started to get longer. He shook his head, trying to get rid of the fog, but it only made him dizzy.

  “Hey, can you stand?” said the most angelic voice Titos had ever heard. A warm hand touched his shoulder. His marking didn’t burn, meaning the hand had no ill intent toward him.

  “Help. Please. I…” He was going to pass out any second, but he needed to hold on.

  “It’s okay. I’m here to help, Master.”

  Titos was lifted and cradled against a hard body that felt all too right. His eyes closed before he could say more to the man that had just come to save him. He felt secure in the strong man’s arms.

  Did he just call me ‘Master’?

  3

  He held the young man in his arms. His master. He looked so weak, as if he hadn’t rested in days. It didn’t mean Seth didn’t notice how beautiful his master was. He had strong cheekbones, light brown hair, and thick eyebrows. He hadn’t gotten a good glimpse of his master's eyes before they closed, but he knew they had to be just as beautiful as the rest of him.

  He carried his master toward his car. He couldn’t believe he’d found a master! Years of wondering, searching, and refusing to pledge to others, and he’d finally found one of his own. He shivered. He had come close to losing him, his master having been cornered and about to be killed. He was obviously hunted by another house. Seth hadn’t checked which house wanted his master dead, he’d just acted.

  He’d taken out the first two hunters with no issues, but he’d needed the other three that were standing with their leader to come to him. He’d made a commotion to draw them near him. It’d worked and he was able to kill them, but he hadn’t dared to challenge their leader; he was an actual keeper. He’d had his own power and the power of whomever he served. If it was a queen or king, was unknown.

  Seth had fought with keepers before who were bonded to a king or queen, and he’d lost miserably. They had more power than a non-bonded edoli. When an edoli found their master or mistress, the urge to serve them was strong. Not only that, but the power the bond built was incredible. The stronger the keepers, the stronger the queen or king. Once an edoli had a king or queen, they no longer addressed them as such. They referred to them as their master or mistress, as keepers are owned completely by their bonds.

  Seth buckled his master into the passenger seat carefully, placing him so that he didn't get a crick in his neck. He raced over to the driver’s side. He heard the crash of trees, followed by a screech. The screech was so loud he wouldn’t have been surprised if humans came to check it out. Stark yellow eyes glowed just beyond the tree line, the screech coming again as the eyes started to get closer.

  Seth got into the car and drove. He looked in the rearview mirror. A giant snake with a head larger than his body slithered out. He was right to not fight the keeper; the creature was huge. He focused back on the road, picking up speed. He would get his master out of there.

  He drove for a few hours. The sun started to rise, and his master still slept soundly in the passenger seat. It was odd to look at the young man and consider him his master. For years, Seth had worried he would never have a master. Then he’d decided to go to Wyoming. He’d had no idea why. It was just an itch to go. Little had he known, it would be the place he would meet his master.

  He had been sitting at a diner, eating a burger that had tasted fantastic. Needing fresh air while he enjoyed his food, he’d cracked open the window he was sitting next to. Once the window had been opened, he’d smelled the most tantalizing scent. It was chocolate with a hint of spice, and soon the smell had wrapped around him, caressing him.

  When he’d tried to reach out to it, it had pulled back. He’d felt abandoned, as if he’d lost something precious. He had paid quickly and left in search of the smell. He’d made it to a small apartment above a store, but there was no one there. The sheets had been warm, and he’d inhaled the scent on them, knowing right away his master had been there.

  He’d soon tracked his master, only to realize he wasn’t the only one looking for him. He’d quickly observed the situation and determined that the people after his master were there to hurt him. He’d been angry at the idea of someone hurting his master.

  A groan from the passenger seat pulled Seth from his thoughts and anger at the way the hunters and keeper had cornered his master. His unconscious passenger moved a little, adjusting himself in the seat, and turned a few times. He sighed, finally giving up on getting comfortable, and Seth wanted to take him to a bed where he could get better rest. A car was no place for his master to sleep. It was uncomfortable. But he was determined to put enough space between him and the keeper that was after them.

  “Ugh... The fucking sun has it out for me.” His master covered his eyes to shield himself from the bright sun.

  Seth glared at the sun, wishing he could will it to go back down so that his master could rest longer. He still looked tired: dark bags were under his eyes, his cheeks were sunken in, and he cracked his neck from side to side. Seth wished to rub all the kinks out of his shoulders, make him so relaxed that he glowed.

  “We should keep going. The more distance we gain the better, but if you wish, we can stop to rest and possibly eat,” Seth said.

  At his voice, his master sat up straight and turned to him. Seth turned to look at him, and his breath caught in his lungs. His master’s eyes were more beautiful than he could have imagined. They were pale green, almost white. It was strange but beautiful.