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The feri war
Chapter 15
We stayed with Lord Henry longer than we intended. And before leaving, I promised to come for a visit with Wren. Lord Henry wanted to meet my bondmate.
I came back to the Cummore mansion alone. Eric and Malik went to make travel arrangements for tomorrow.
My friends weren't back yet, so I went for a walk on the property. There was a lovely manicured garden out back, with geometrically well-kept hedges and colourful flowers in rows. My favourite was a mini-maze placed strategically in the middle of it all. The treasure to be found was a single tree with some yellow fruits I've never seen before.
I sat leaning against the tree thinking of nothing in particular. After a while the sleep that eluded me from the previous nights caught up with me.
I didn't know for how long I was out, but the feeling that you get when someone approaches brought me back to the world of the living. Well, technically, that wasn't exactly true. Yeah, my mind was awake but my physical body wasn't. How weird was that?
"Stay right there, don't come any closer," I projected.
The newcomer froze and was genuinely taken aback.
'Who said that?' He said stunned.
I projected an astral form of myself in front of my resting body. Legs opened wide, arms crossed over my chest, I gave him a no-nonsense stare.
'Wow! How are you doing that?'
"Doing what?"
Treading carefully, he edged closer and peered around my projection to look at me sleeping against the tree. It was like he was checking if I wasn't a ghost or something. Do they believe in ghost in Targeten?
'Yes. I'm still breathing. Now move back a step before I forget my manners.'
With both hands raised before him as a sign of surrender, he moved two steps back.
'Who are you and what are you doing here?'
'I could ask you the same thing. I'm here to see Ferard. I'm an old friend of his.'
It was now that I took time to study the guy. The first thing I noticed, he was tall. Nick was tall too but this guy beats him by an inch or two. Thick broad body, bulgy strong limbs, he was ... uh... fit. Although he was pleasing for the eyes, to me he was too bulky on the bodybuilder side, which wasn't my usual type.
A smile pulled at his cheeks bringing his lips closer to his ears. He caught me gawking. Oh! He had a neatly trimmed beard that connects with his moustache. He appeared older but I knew he wasn't that much older than me.
'Are you done?' He threw at me.
I was so distracted that I forgot myself for a minute there. I reached into his mind and extracted the information that needed clarifying.
He was no threat. And he did come here to find Ferard. Now, is he as close of a friend to Slut number one as he was leading on, I have my doubts?
My astral form flinched. It took energy to maintain it. I had to wake up. I phased out and returned to my body. I then woke up with a yawn.
I felt dizzy when I tried to get up.
'Here, let me.' He reached downed and grabbed my hand. Effortlessly, he pulled me to my feet. I felt the familiar tingles and immediately knew I was about to be subjected to yet another vision.
The vision was weird and confusing. It lasted less than ten seconds. When I came to the guy was still holding my hand. I frowned. I was about to rebuke him when I saw where his eyes were.
I pulled my hand back.
'No glyph! How is that possible, unless you are the...,' he trailed off when he finally realised what I was.
Eric would have a fit if he found out about this. Too late now, I thought with a cringe.
The guy's face was priceless. I wished I had a camera to immortalise the moment.
'I need a drink,' I said gathering ferilights and teleported us right in front of Rolf in the lounge.
'Your Majesty... ' he said then paused when his eyes fell on the intruder. 'Master Russell, how did you get in here?'
Russell's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. He was thunderstruck.
'He followed me in. Can you get me something sweet to drink, please?'
The butler nodded, gaped at Russell one last time before leaving the room.
I sat facing a large window on the couch. Russell remained standing.
'So, are you the feres?' He said.
'Does Ferard knows you're crushing on him?' I said to change the subject.
I didn't need to see his face to know he was blushing. I also just gave away my telepathic ability, because instantly he pulled up a mental shield.
The shield wasn't strong, although, I could no longer hear his thoughts.
'What are you doing here? What is your connection to Ferard?' He asked.
He was the first guy I met so far who hadn't swoon over my title. It was nice to be treated as a normal person for once. Then again, the guy was annoying.
'What's with the twenty questions? You didn't come here to interrogate me, you came here to find Ferard. He's not here so leave and come back later. Better yet, he'll be at Roland witnessing ceremony tonight. Be there and you'll see him.'
He stood there for a pregnant minute before he left.
Rolf brought me my drink and watched me as I took a gulp.
'What do you know about the guy who was just here?' I asked him.
'Russell? Uh, he and his cousin grew up with his elderly aunt here in Soren. His parents died when he was but a baby. There are rumours that they might have been murdered, although the whole affair is shrouded in mystery.'
Huh! What Rolf wasn't telling me was that everyone suspects that the council has something to do with their death. Interesting!
'Before the council took over the government, did The Sear had a king?'
Rolf's eyebrows went up and almost touched his hairline.
'About a hundred years ago, yes.'
I was right. The vision Russell induced in me had come to pass. Which meant I just witnessed the death of the Witch-King.
Wren found me reading a book in the lounge an hour later. He smelled like flowers. He took a bath before he came. How considerate?
He pecked me on the lips and crawled on the couch placing his head in my lap. 'Missed me?' He said.
Sure, I've missed him. I closed the book and splayed my fingers into his messy curls. 'Very much,' I answered looking down at him.
He closed his eyes and sighed as I massaged his scalp. Something was off with him. Well, not exactly that. It was just that it felt like he was keeping something from me. My instinct was telling me to pry but I resisted the temptation. He has a right to have secrets. We might be a couple but we are also individuals. Although, it didn't stop me from speculating. Whatever it was though, it has something to do with the professor. They've been communicating back and forth a lot lately. Wren even went to meet with him before our trip to Roccia.
'What do you think of Silas?' I asked.
'He's a good kid. I mean, I barely know him. Although so far he has been nothing but helpful. Why do you ask?'
'I want us to spend some time with him.'
Wren opened his eyes. Curiosity was written all over his face. 'What for?'
'I'm thinking of taking him home with us.' Wren frowned. 'That is if we can't find Dorian.'
He smiled. 'You're willing to do that for him?'
'Yes. I know it's too soon for that but something about him makes me want to take care of him.'
Wren seemed to be thinking about it. 'Okay. We'll spend time with him and we'll go from there.'
I kissed him. 'Thank you.'
When Rhett entered, Wren had dozed off.
'Farren finally whispered.' He told me.
'And?' I asked excitedly.
'I don't know what happened yet but they're not exiling him, so they are still deciding what to do with him.'
I frowned. 'I hope they are not going to subject him to conversion therapy to cure his homosexuality.'
'I don't understand what you mean?' Rhett said.
I explained. He pulled up a face after that. 'Really? Do humans do that? That's cruel. Anyway, I hope the neornites are more humane than that.'
Ferard and his mother arrived. She went straight upstairs and he came to us. He looked exhausted.
'Hey, guys,' he said plopping into a sofa.
'You look like shit?' Rhett said.
Ferard chuckled. 'Not far from it. My mother is driving me insane.'
'What did she do now?' Wren asked. His eyes were wide opened. I wondered whether he truly was sleeping before.
'She dragged me through the most agonising lunch date ever. She and her friend are cooking up trouble. They want to force a mate bond on me.'
Wren laughed.
'With who?' An astonished Rhett said.
'Her friend's daughter.'
I was baffled too. 'Is that possible or even legal?'
'There are no laws to stop them here,' Wren said.
'Huh,' Ferard huffed. I felt for the guy. He truly wasn't himself. Not once did he try to make an advance on anyone. No, something happened at Koff and he was running away from it.
'Well cheer up. An old friend of yours dropped by earlier,' I said.
That picked his interest. 'Do you know who?'
'Some guy named Russell.'
Ferard paled, while Wren laughed. I didn't expect this kind of reaction.
'What is it? Tell me, I want to know,' Rhett said.
'You remember commander Fiori from the outpost, right?' Wren said.
I nodded yes.
'Well, she's related to Russell. He came to visit her in Koff and bam, the guy saw Ferard and went straight for him like bees to honey,' he turned to Ferard. 'Admit it. The guy cock-blocked you at every turn and scared people off left, right and centre just to get to you.'
Rhett and I laughed.
Ferard rolled his eyes. 'It didn't happen like that.'
'The hell it didn't,' Wren said.
'I know you and Russell grew up together. You were friends. What changed?'
Ferard rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. 'We were best friends actually. This was up until our mid-teens when puberty hits. I was a late bloomer so he, uh, abandoned me for Roland. I found them jerking off together. I got angry and threw them out. I expected that from Roland. He had a knack of taking things that belonged to me just to spite me. But for Russell, bringing someone in our secret place was the last straw.'
I laughed. It wasn't just about the betraying best friend and promises. Ferard had a crush on Russell too. It looks to me he wasn't over the guy. Things were getting more interesting, although, I wasn't going to spoil the surprise by telling him about Russell's feelings for him.
'And you're still mad at him because...' Rhett said.
'Because he's a jerk, an asshole and a selfish prick.'
We laughed.
'Don't all these words mean the same thing?' Rhett said with a grin.
'That's because he is all of that plus ten,' Ferard said with a satisfying smirk.
I just shook my head from side to side. Both Wren and Rhett knew what I knew, Ferard liked the attention he was getting from Russell.
I've never been to a witnessing ceremony and I honestly felt overdressed just to go watch a live porn show, because in reality that is what it was.
All four of us were dressed similarly. We wore a belt fastened around an intricately designed leather jerkin over a pleated tunic and tight leather pants that leaves very little for the imaginations. The pants were comfortable at best. However, I was afraid to cross my legs because I feared for my nuts.
We arrived Cinderella-style at the Lord Cummore residence, which was by far the largest mansion I've seen in Soren. Servants were everywhere. The minute the coach stopped they were there to help us out, ushering us through the door and keeping our hands full with drinks. There could easily be a little more than a hundred guests at the gathering. They were huddling into little groups across the main hall. There was no announcer and their eyes were perpetually on the main entrance. It was as if they were keeping tabs on who was invited.
Ferard sighed beside me. 'Great Feri, this is a nightmare.'
I kind of agreed with him.
'You guys looked comfortable enough,' I said to Wren and Rhett.
'We've done this countless times. Just avoid eye contact and phase into the background,' Rhett advised.
Easier said than done when there was a recognisable face like Ferard's beside you. The good news was the guests weren't interested in us, only him. They all wanted to greet and chat with him. It took me a while to realise that they weren't at all interested in Ferard's wellbeing. They just wanted to extract as much information as they can from him to fuel their gossips. That shouldn't have surprised me, but it did. Some of them were downright unapologetic as well.'
As much as we didn't want to listen to their crap, the boys and I stayed close to our witch friend. We butted into the exchanges occasionally when things got awkward. The look those people gave us was priceless!
Through our second drink, I heard an exciting murmur in the crowd. I followed everyone's gaze to the entrance of the hall. There stood Russell with an equally stunningly tall woman by his side. Unlike many women here she was dressed like a man with a sword by her side. She stood proudly with her head held high as if daring anyone to oppose her.
She scanned the room until her eyes met mine. The radiant smile she gave me was enough to make any men pee their pants in both want and nervousness.
'Fiori,' I said as she said my name too.
She pulled me into a tight hug before releasing me and did the same to Wren.
'Fancy meeting you here Commander?' I said.
'Fancy indeed,' she said looking around. She pulled a disgusted face. 'Ugh! If Russell didn't mention you I would have never set foot in here.
'Come. Let's find somewhere private to chat. Somewhere those ass vultures aren't trying to eavesdrop.' She said so loud that our neighbours gasped appallingly as if they've been insulted.
Rhett sniggered. 'Oh, I like her.'
'Stick with me larka and I'll teach you a thing or two.' Fiori winked at him.
Rhett gave her a huge smile.
We followed her through an open set of double doors leading to the terrace facing an immaculate garden. It was dark out there, but the torches were enough for me to make out the layout of the place.
'When Russell told me you were at Ferard place, I said you were up to something. You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to but you're not getting rid of me. I'm coming with you. You guys are trouble magnets. And I hate to miss all the fun,' she grinned excitedly.
Wren laughed. 'I'll tell you but first, let me ask you this. Are you still working for the witch council?'
Fiori frowned. 'I worked in a special task force in the Guild, which I will not lie was commissioned by the witch authority to control our southern borders.'
'Was?'
Fiori laughed. 'Larka, we work for money. And besides, we've already defected the moment I got involved in your business in Koff. My dismissal letter arrived the moment they found out. I honestly think they wanted to get rid of me a long time ago.'
'It's because of your name, isn't it? You're related to the witch-king Russell Fireborn the first,' I said.
Her eyebrows shot up. 'I'm impressed. You know your history. And the answer is yes.'
As Fiori spoke, I was scanning her. As far as she was concerned, she was telling us the truth. There was nothing suspicious in her mind to doubt her words. Russell put up a mental shield when I scanned him, maybe she could be blocking me out on a few memories too. Judging by her character, her actions and the service she'd done me in the past, I don't think she will lie to us. She had plenty of opportunities to do so while at Koff next to Stryker and Ned.
'If it wasn't for my aunt Helda, we would have been murdered in our sleep a long time ago,' she continued.
'I'm curious. What does she has on the council that they left you alone?' Wren asked.
'She's a pusher,' she said.
'A what?' Wren asked confused.
'My aunt Helda possesses an advanced form of telepathy that can allow her to implant memories and thoughts in other people's mind just like my grandmother before her. She visited the council after Russell's parents' death. Let's just say she left a few mental scars.'
Rhett touched his head when she said that.
'Don't worry. You're safe from me.'
If she was a pusher, then she was good at hiding it from me, not that I would know anyway since pushers are even more powerful than me. Devlin told me about them. He said it was a rare gift. Both he and grandma Moira possessed it. In a way, Lyra's gift works similarly. Except she is a charm- speaker, her persuasion comes from her voice, not directly from her mind.
'There you are. You guys, the ceremony is about to begin,' Ferard said as he and Russell joined us.
Honestly, I ignored their whereabouts until then.
Without another word, we went in after them. We settled on and around a divan couch. Ferard sat in the middle of Russell and me on the couch, Wren perched himself on the low-end armrest next to me while Fiori and Rhett stood behind us.
'Look at all these pompous assholes. Merry-fucking without care when the world around them is in chaos. Disgusting!' Fiori muttered.
I caught an errand thought coming from her. She thought the nobles are on the verge of becoming hags, because according to her, their magical abilities were weakening with each generation.
Beside her, Rhett snorted.
I scanned the room. Indeed, these people looked stress-free and ignorant of what lies outside their gated community. While they were still graceful, youthful and beautiful, their bodies had gone weak and feeble away from the hardship of labour. I found myself agreeing with Fiori there. No wonder their powers were dwindling. With everything done for them, they don't need magic. Most of their joys come from partying, engaging in idle talks, spreading rumours and seeing the seeds of discord they've nurtured come to fruition with morbid delight. I hated being able to read their thoughts, even when I was not trying to.
I caught someone across the room staring at my mate with lustful thoughts. A petite elfish-looking young woman with laced cleavage that barely held her ginormous boobs. She wasn't even trying to hide her indiscretion.
I don't want to brag but my mate is a handsome man. He get a lot of people's drawers wet just by being himself, so someone gawking was nothing new and it didn't bother me. Well, not that bitch. Her gawking did bother me. The shits going through her head was vile and vicious. She was trying to come up with the perfect means to get rid of me so she could get to Wren. Even that would not have bothered me, except she was thinking murder.
"BACKOFF BITCH!" I sent her way via telepathy.
Gasping, her eyes met mine. Her face paled and her eyes bugged out making her looked like an anime character.
"Set your sight elsewhere before I shove your eyeballs down your throat," I projected with the visual for an extra punch. It was cruel and selfish of me, I know but who would stop me.
Covering her mouth, she hastily got to her feet and darted for the exit.
I grinned with satisfaction.
"Is everything ok?" Wren thought. He was no telepath but he knew I would hear him.
I put on my best smile. "Perfect."
He smiled back showing teeth before planting a kiss on me. He aimed for a short one but I held his chin in place for a more passionate kiss. I hoped all bitches watching would get the message; this man was mine.
'Get a room!' Rhett sniggered.
'Or get busy right here. I would love to see anybody but Dorian getting fucked,' a grumpy Ferard said.
'Cheer up,' Russell said holding his hand. 'This could be us if you stop being a stubborn ass.'
I sniggered.
I didn't know enough about Russell to pass judgement, but he sounded like a decent guy. Well, he has a bit of fury in him like his cousin but then again, Ferard needed someone who will keep him on his toes.
Fiori grunted. 'Hello Lord Pompous Ass.'
Just then, two men walked in arm in arm. They both wore a loose white robe. Nobody cheered or looked away when they stopped beside the makeshift bed in the middle of the carpeted room.
With no introduction, they began making out. All conversations ceased and eyes became transfixed by the obscene display. Well, I might be the only one feeling disgusted, because I caught a woman licking her lips and a few other men and women groping themselves.
One can tell a lot from a kiss. Theirs was a little off. They were doing it as two strangers would. A well-rehearsed couple wouldn't be so on tenterhooks. Although, the feeling could be genuine. They might just be anxious about performing in front of judging eyes.
Their robes came off moments later. Feeling exposed, they clang to each other. They resumed kissing, it was without passion though, and their hands were unmoving.
The thing that astounded me was how similar in appearance they were. Both were short-statured, the same size, the same haircut and the same skin tone. I've noticed this phenomenon in the human realm too, where couples began to resemble each other after spending much time together. Or maybe they looked for similarities in a partner. Could it be self-loving had become a trend now?
The only difference I found with the couple before me was the crescent-moon shaped tattoo one had on his left hip. At least I thought it was a tattoo until Ferard confirmed otherwise.
'Which one is your cousin?' Rhett whispered to him.
'The one with the birthmark.'
"You're over thinking it, babe. Come on, just relax and enjoy the show." Wren thought.
Huh! Our bond was evolving. His and my mind were becoming in sync. One of the signs of mental bonding according to Lord Henry.
I took my mate's words at heart and pushed the crazy thoughts and critical thinking away.
Yes, this was a show. I should at least try to appear as if I'm enjoying it.
I squeezed Wren's arm and he placed a hand on mine and squeezed back. I felt butterflies fluttering in my stomach. Cheap expression except there was no other explanation for it.
The couple manoeuvred themselves on the bed without untangling. And Gareth, that was the name of Dorian's bondmate, rolled Dorian onto his back and settled between his legs. He made love to his lover's neck and shoulders. Dorian facial expression changed dramatically. He was getting aroused. Arousal chased away the nervousness and he loosened up. His hands began to wander and clutched at his partner's lower back and butt. As the feeling intensified he reacted by squeezing the said body parts. Unexpected, Gareth did a one-eighty and place his crotch next to Dorian's face while he faced his partner's. Both men latched on each other's semi-hard cocks and started slurping. They got hard drunk on each others taste and smell. Coming up for air, they were grinning with longing.
The breeder chose this moment to enter the room. I didn't notice her until she was near the bed.
The two guys didn't acknowledge her presence as she climbed in and lay back on an elbow. She wet her fingers and rubbed her pussy as she watched the men as they engulfed each other once again.
Changing position, Gareth got Dorian on his hands and knees facing the breeder. Dorian threw his head back and moaned as his partner lavished his hole with spit. It took a while for him to regained his composure. When he did, he finally caught sight of the woman. He beaconed her closer with a finger.
She unhurriedly crawled to him. When they met I thought they would kiss but no, he ordered her on her back. Supporting her upper body on her elbows, she watched as Dorian lowered himself onto her. He ran the tip of his tongue on her folds and she gasped. I may be a pussy virgin but the internet have thought me enough of what pleases a woman. And I have to say, Dorian wasn't very well at it. He paid little to no attention to her clit, which beside her g-spot, was her most pleasurable centre. To compensate, she has to rub it between her fingers herself to maximise her readiness for what was to come later.
Meanwhile, Gareth was alternating between licking and fingering Dorian hole. A finger poking his prostate made Ferard's cousin forgot how to move his tongue because he soon abandoned the poor woman only to lose to his pleasure.
With a finger on her clit, and the other hand holding her breast to her mouth, the woman sucked her tit as she watched Gareth thrust his cock into Dorian. Gently, as if not to break Dorian, Gareth fucked him.
'Oh Feri, this is boring,' Fiori muttered. 'They are fucking like an old couple. Where's the passion, the virility, the stamina behind a powerful thrust.'
'Quiet!' Russell admonished her. 'You'll get us thrown out from another gathering again.'
Wren and Rhett sniggered.
'It wasn't my fault Holton was a fucking dud. He was missing all of Bianca's pleasure spots. I was compelled to let him know.'
A neighbour shushed them, making Rhett snort.
I candidly smile and went back to the threesome.
For what seemed like an eternity, Gareth pulled out and Dorian let himself fall on the bed. Heaving, Gareth and the woman both started licking Dorian's cock. The cock switched mouths every five seconds before Gareth kissed his way up his bondmate's lips. The breeder continued sucking and getting Dorian hard. It took Gareth's closeness and attentiveness to get Dorian fully hard. It had been clear from the beginning, Dorian felt nothing for women. And how ironic, he was to be the one siring their child.
With a discreet nod from Gareth, the woman straddled Dorian, although she gave him her back. Maybe as a way to distance herself from the act. As she impaled herself on Dorian's prick, Gareth distracted his mate with kisses and caresses.
Much later Dorian still hadn't cum. And from the thoughts sipping out of his head, he desperately wanted it over with. So far, no one seemed to notice his distress. Even his mate I might add.
I know he had been despicable towards Ferard, however, public humiliation wasn't something I wanted to witness tonight.
I reached out to Gareth. "Your mate needs to cum. Put your cock in his ass."
For two seconds he wondered whose voice that was, although, he didn't tarry to take action. He gently manoeuvred his lovers onto their sides before spooning his bondmate. Adding spit, he entered Dorian. With urgency, he pounded the cum out of his mate before cumming himself.
Grunting and panting, all three of them laid flat on their back heaving with exhaustion.
The crowd cheered.
Dorian shared a gaze with his bondmate. The same kind of gaze Wren and I shared all the time. Being in love taught me to recognise love, and I've felt the love between them. What they have was as real as the sun.
Russell was staring at me when I stood to stretch my legs. I forgot that I wasn't the only telepath here. He couldn't read me with my shield up, but Dorian and Gareth were open books.
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End of chapter 15