The Queen's Consorts (3 page)

“Artificial light.”
A smile tugged at his full lips, which were inviting in a way Sari had never noticed on a male. “It gives skin color as the sun would. When you are healed, we’ll show you. Lying in it is very soothing. It warms you from the inside out. You’ll enjoy it.”

“All right,” she agreed, still admiring his skin, so healthy it seemed to glow. Sari had never seen an Aurorian with color to their skin like that. Most were all painfully pale due to the sun being constantly hidden by storm clouds. She studied Taryen’s face, realizing the rumors hadn’t been exaggerations. The queen’s consort really was surreally gorgeous, a perfect male specimen, with a strong jaw, long eyelashes, and a compelling gaze. “You’re radiant.”

“Thank you, my lady.” He gave her a bright smile, showing off even, white teeth.
“As are you.”

“Liar.”
She let out a pained laugh as she tried to sit up. She had to bite her lip to hold back a scream as agony shot through her body from the effort. “I feel awful, and I probably look worse.”

“The men who did this to you will surely suffer an excruciating death. I would enjoy watching their agony before they pass over.” Calder leaned over the bed next to Taryen and tilted his head as he studied Sari. “Strange as it is, I feel true rage over your injuries, my lady.”

She stared back at him just as curiously and was surprised to find he was every bit as handsome as Taryen, though in a completely different way. His hair was a light, sandy blond with streaks of black running through the sides of it. His skin was also tanned, though it was a warmer, tawny color, as opposed to the dark olive of Taryen’s skin. He had broad shoulders, and a cut, muscular body that was rare in its perfection. But it was his eyes that were awe inspiring—the lightest shade of blue she had ever seen. It made them stand out starkly against his tanned skin. Just like Taryen, he was an example of divine male beauty, and Sari could only gape at the two of them, with their opposing coloring making them a complete complement to each other in a way she had never suspected. These two men could have made a fortune for the Order of Seven Swords. They were easily the most attractive males she’d ever seen, and she’d seen many.

Calder smiled, raising his eyebrows at her appraisal of him. His teeth were straight and white, standing out against tanned skin. “She is very beautiful, even under dirt and bruises. Dare I say she is the most radiant of the queen’s sisters?”

“I thought the same.” Taryen turned to Calder, his dark eyes studying his fellow consort silently before his voice became lower, taking on a more hypnotic sound as he switched languages and whispered, “I’m drawn to her, Cal.”

Calder met Taryen’s concerned look with one of his own as he said in the same strange language, “As am I.”

Sari forced her features to stare at them blankly rather than reveal she had a gift for understanding all languages. She never knew why she could understand all voices regardless of what tongue they spoke in, but she had learned at a young age to hide the talent or risk putting
herself
in danger for being vastly different from others. She just stared at both men, wondering if perhaps it was a gift all Rayians had. If she was truly one of them, perhaps they had the same talents as her, but she couldn’t risk exposing her gift just yet.

Calder whispered to his lifemate, “It has been two nights since I’ve taken the herb.”

“Longer for me.”
Taryen’s eyes darted back to Sari. “We should feel nothing toward her, yet I’m drawn to her—as powerfully as I’m drawn to you.”

“What language are you two speaking?” Sari cut in, deciding to find out once and for all if they knew she could understand them or if she was eavesdropping on a private conversation.

For some reason the hitch in Taryen’s voice when he admitted to being drawn to Sari as powerfully as he was drawn to Calder left her uncomfortable. She hadn’t known the consorts were attracted to each other. That was a secret kept from the Aurorian people. They were led to believe the consorts exclusively served the queen and desired only her pleasures, but Calder and Taryen were real lifemates to each other just like any other Aurorian male couple. It may have not been true of all consorts in the past, but it certainly was of these two. They stared at each other like men in love. She swallowed hard against the pulse of something strangely pleasurable as she admired the two of them looking at each other lustfully.

She almost felt guilty for ruining the moment but knew they probably didn’t mean to be
so
obvious as she clarified, “It’s very unique. I’ve never heard it before.”

“It’s the queen’s language.” Taryen turned away from Calder to give her an
embarrassed
smile. “Only Calder and I speak it. We apologize. Sometimes we forget ourselves. We know it’s rude to use a language not understood by others.”

“Only you two speak and understand it?” Sari asked cautiously, her gaze darting back and forth between them. “No one else in the Sacred City does?”

“Darin does. He is the surviving consort to the old queen. He’s the one who taught us.” Calder looked back to Sari. His beautiful, crystal eyes studied her in a way that left her uncomfortable simply because his gaze was so intense. “It’s a holy language reserved for the queen and her consorts so their conversations can always remain intimate and private. No others understand or speak it.”

“No other Rayians understand it?” Sari repeated, silently thankful she had not revealed her gift for languages, all languages apparently, even secret ones reserved for the queen. “I heard a rumor Rayians knew all languages, that they are so powerful nothing could escape them.”

“Another rumor, my lady.”
Taryen gave her an indulgent smile. “We’re not as powerful as our queen. We need to work at learning new languages the same as any other Aurorian. We speak the queen’s language because
Darin
was in charge of our care until we reached puberty. We spoke it exclusively at home for many cycles as he taught us the fine arts of being a consort.”

“What happened after you reached puberty?” Sari asked in concern, remembering Macro’s worry over both these men. “Do you not still see him?”

“We do.” Taryen smiled. “He’s like a father to us. The only one we’ve ever known. We see him nearly every day.”

“But he didn’t care for you as teenagers?”

“No. Once we hit puberty and started releasing pheromones, our education fell to our queen’s sisters. He is a guide, someone who makes sure we keep our other skills as consorts honed, but most of our education is in our sisters’ care now.”

“What do they teach you?”

“How to care for the queen when she returns.”
Calder’s voice became low and hypnotic once more. “How to pleasure her and make sure all her needs as a female
are
taken care of. They are kind enough to let us practice on them.”

“I see,” Sari mumbled, hearing a catch in his speech, something that betrayed abuse she knew all too well. “I thought you were supposed to remain pure for the queen.”

“We are pure.” Taryen pulled back as if she had insulted him. “We just pleasure them. We would never bond with the sisters by entering them.”

“You can do many things without penetration.” Sari closed her eyes as dark, horrible images assailed her mind.
“Many unpleasant things.”

“Pleasing our queen’s sisters is never unpleasant. It is always an honor that gives us nothing but happiness.”

“I hear your lie.” Sari tried to sit up more fully, biting back another groan of pain. “Don’t worry. I won’t betray you. We’re similar souls. I too know what it’s like to be a slave to others’ passion for you.”

“You were raped?” Calder questioned. “Macro needs to know that. The perpetrators need to be punished appropriately. Raping a Rayian female requires punishment much more agonizing than death.”

“I wasn’t raped,” Sari put in defensively, her voice low and bitter. “I’m
pure
too. They never entered me. I never allowed that. I did anything to prevent it—anything.”

“You were violated and abused,” Calder whispered, his breathing hitching in a way that was surprising. Sari got the impression he cared very little for Rayian females, yet he was concerned for her as he reached out and brushed her hair off her forehead. “That’s as bad as rape. You should have never had to grovel to keep yourself pure. You’re one of the queen’s sisters. You’re blessed by the gods.”

“So you say,” Sari hissed through the pain. “The point is that I won’t tell. You can admit that you hate groveling to the other sisters.”

“She is a similar soul,” Taryen contemplated in the secret language of the queen, raising his eyebrows as he stared down at Sari wistfully. “I never thought to find one in a sister.”

“You look like a lovesick fool.” Calder also spoke the secret language, both of them unaware that Sari was following their conversation easily. “Stop making yourself so vulnerable.”

“Sorry.” Taryen continued to stare at Sari longingly before he switched back to traditional Aurorian that rang with the refined accent of one very well-bred. “Will you let us care for you, my lady? We have healing waters here in the palace. They will cure your injuries.”

Sari nodded hesitantly. “I will, but I need clothing.”

“To bathe?”
Calder asked in amusement.

“Usually, yes.
I spent too much time being bare. Now that I’m free, being naked is something I avoid at all costs.” Sari pulled the sheets higher around her, feeling her nudity keenly beneath them. “It leaves you exposed to predators. Have you not learned that?”

“Being vulnerable while bare is a state of mind, not a state of being,” Calder countered with his eyebrows raised and his light eyes shining in both understanding and pain. “Besides, we are not predators. Your will is ours. Harming a sister is impossible for us.”

Sari considered that, her life making her skeptical of any male claiming to be anything other than a predator. It was curiosity that had her pushing back the sheets in front of them, exposing her bare body from the waist up.

Predictably both their gazes fell to her chest, but instead of lust she saw sadness mirrored in their gazes. “You need the healing waters,” Taryen whispered in horror. “We didn’t know your injuries were so severe. Macro should have taken you immediately to the baths.”

“She is quite strong,” Calder mumbled, his eyes growing wider as he stared at her. “Any other sister would be screaming and crying.”

“What
purpose do
either serve?”

“You are wise, my lady.” Taryen reached to help her up. “Will you let us aid you?”

“I suppose.” Sari gritted her teeth again. “Where are these attendants Macro was supposed to send?”

“Oh, gods, you distracted us.” Calder jumped up, turning to walk out of the room.

“I trust you, Taryen,” Sari whispered when he leaned down, wrapping one strong arm around her waist. She gripped his broad shoulders, steeling herself for what she would have to endure to stand up. “How far are the waters?”

“The consort baths are private. Just down the hall. You can cry out. We will not judge you.”

“Good to know.”

Sari would have liked to say she endured the pain stoically, but it would have been a lie. She couldn’t help the cry of pain that escaped her. Despite Taryen’s soothing presence and his spicy, enticing scent, which was temptingly distracting, Sari was nearly flat on her face after a few steps. Her lip bled from how deeply her teeth cut into it to keep her agony silent. She knew instinctively that her pain was hurting Taryen as if it were his own, perhaps more so, and she wanted to protect him from it.

Calder walked back into the room, three female attendants following him. “Come here.”

Sari gasped when he pulled her gently away from Taryen and swept her into his arms as if she weighed nothing to him.

“What’re you doing?” she choked out, the pain still making her vision foggy. “I’m naked.”

Calder rolled his eyes, careless of her being uncomfortable as he walked out of the room he shared with Taryen and down a long, richly decorated hallway. Sari should be more concerned with her nudity in such a public domain, but the pain was making her forget everything. As was Calder’s scent. Like Taryen, he smelled divine.

“You smell good,” she mumbled, not knowing what it was about these two males that left her feeling safe to the point that she trusted them even while naked. She turned her face toward his chest, inhaling deeply.
“Different from your lifemate.
His scent is more exotic. Yours is a clean, crisp scent—both are nice.”

“We wear different scents,” Calder explained, taking long, fast strides toward his destination, not even sounding winded from her weight. “The attendants try to use oils they feel suit us.”

“They do a good job,” Sari whispered as she focused on the way he smelled, his strong arms holding her, his smooth, tanned skin that felt so good against hers. Calder was an effective distraction from the pain. “I think I’m attracted to you.”

“Very likely,” Calder agreed matter-of-factly. “Most Rayian females are.”

“You sound unhappy about that.” Sari found him unique as well as handsome. “Females are rare. Most males would consider themselves lucky to have such attention.”

“If you say so.”
Calder turned around, looking to the attendants and Taryen behind them. “She’ll need something to dull the pain.”

“We brought it, my lord.”

Sari frowned. “I thought the waters—”

“Trust me on this.” Calder winced. “You want something to dull the pain.”

Sari opened her mouth to argue but was hushed by Calder as the attendants opened the doors. He carried her into a room that looked like a large, communal bath. Beautiful pillars and decorative lounge chairs surrounded a massive pool with sloping sides that would be nice to rest against in the water.

One of the attendants leaned over Sari as she rested comfortably in Calder’s arms.
“For you, my lady.”

Sari blinked up at the young woman, fighting to keep her face in focus. The scent in the bathing area was aromatic and full of burning leaves like Taryen and Calder’s room. It was a strangely lulling scent, and her eyes felt heavy. Despite the fog to her thinking, Sari refused to open her mouth to the small cup of unknown liquid the pretty attendant was offering.