Of Sovereigns and Savages Read online

  Of Sovereigns and Savages

  Tyranni Thomas

  Of Sovereigns and Savages

  Copyright 2018 Tyranni Thomas

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover design by Killer Book Covers

  Editing by Jenifer Knox at Pen and Ink

  No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without express written permission from the author. Any unauthorized use of this material is prohibited.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Dedicated to Betty Clark

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  About Tyranni

  Chapter One

  Prince Ryver

  Kais stood near the window, allowing the wind and rain to blow in while he watched the storm brewing in the distance. Lightning streaked angrily across the night’s sky. His back was to me, but the bottle was unmistakable. He took a swig of it like he was trying to race the deafening boom that rattled the chandelier above me.

  “Are you still over there sulking?” His voice was provocative and wavering on a taunt.

  His scent of leather and spirits wafted closer toward me, where I was sprawled on the bed. The bottle slid noisily onto the edge of the dresser, and he seized my ankle. When the lightning flashed again, I was greeted with the sight of him. Bare chested, every muscle betraying the depth of his ambition and the hours he dedicated to training.

  The storm’s intensity didn’t hold a candle to the green eyes staring back at me, sizing me up while his thumb rolled along the inside of my ankle.

  “I’m not sulking,” I growled. I jerked my leg, not realizing it was his sword-hand that secured me.

  He gave a tug that carried me back to him at a speed that could have made the lightning jealous. “You are sulking.”

  Humor did nothing to distract the bastard’s firm grip which had vacated my ankle only to land beneath my jaw. “And it’s not a good look. So, fix your fucking face.”

  His words washed over my jaw until I clenched it in denial.

  “I am being forced into a union with a woman. A woman who was my brother’s bride not a fortnight ago. Sulking is something that I am far past,” I managed to ground out.

  “Why?” he growled against my ear. “You’ve seen her on the steed. She was naked… and she was quite comfortable in our presence.”

  How could I forget? For the span of an hour, Tauran had disappeared. Expectation had not existed. It was only Savage Beauty and the beating of the waves. I had laid with my brother’s woman, and for it, the Gods took him from me.

  I twisted away and shoved Kais for good measure.

  “Because she is a woman. She will be needy and clingy and …” I shook my head shuddering at the thought of going through it all again.

  His arms wrapped around me, pulling me backwards until his chest collided with my scarred shoulders.

  “This one is different. She is going to change Tauran… not you and I,” Kais promised.

  The door thundered, and I jerked my foot free at last. Before I could sit upright, the door burst open. Narelle’s herald stepped inside. He was a young thing that sprinted off anytime Kais confronted him. They were in a stare down that currently had the boy paralyzed with fear.

  “What?” Kais finally demanded.

  “His Royal Highness is requested in the Council Room. His Majesty has called an audience.” He began to retreat but didn’t commit to placing his back to Kais.

  “What do you mean an audience?” I called, but the boy had already turned and sprinted away.

  “Give Azaria a chance.” Kais sighed, “If you cannot, can you at least have faith that she might be different? And can you trust in me enough to know that I have faith in her?” His head canted, and his eyes began to swim about my face.

  “Is there any other choice?” I grumbled, throwing my hands up and stomping after Mother’s herald.

  It was sad that one would rather be called to a state funeral than a family meeting.

  I was rubbing the bridge of my nose long before I entered the council room. A migraine of anticipation turned my pulse into a jungle drum.

  “Ryver… we could have waited. Truly, there was no need for hastiness,” Narelle crowed.

  “Good Evening, Mother. Blessings of the Seer be upon you as well. Pray tell, what is it that brings us all together this evening?” I gave her my best smile and batted my lashes. If we were going to have a show, then I would perform as well.

  She cut daggers at me while I made my way toward Azaria and the sofa, but I was too distracted to engage her further. Just the sight of the foreign princess made my lips tingle. I hated myself for it.

  Thunder rattled the window pane, and the wind howled against the glass.

  “Please, all of you be seated,” Father beckoned.

  Thayer moved towards the hearth and took a post near Drayce and Seer Challens. The entire room studied me as I settled in.

  “As you all know, Emperor Andelei and I remain in very close confidence. After much consideration, it has been decided that Princess Azaria will be the official Ambassador of the Savagelands here in Tauran. She will handle all state affairs in relation to her homelands. It will secure the idea and image of her as a diplomat when the time comes for her to fulfil her future duties to the throne,” Father announced.

  “Congratulations, your Highness,” Thayer and Drayce said in unison.

  “Can she even spell a word that large?” Narelle scoffed. Her eyes grew, and she said the last word slowly, adding emphasis to her insult.

  “She isn’t the one with some farmer’s son following her around and taking notes,” I reminded her.

  Father groaned and glanced between Azaria and myself. “There will, of course, need to be a public mourning period before a date is set for you both.”

  “You delivered a betrothal notice… at the same time you delivered my brother’s death notice to his widow. But now you want to respect the people’s mourning perio—”

  “ENOUGH!” Father bellowed.

  We locked eyes like two bulls ready to charge. My mother kept repeating our name, but neither of us would break the glare we placed on the other.

  Thayer’s voice rose over the chaos without losing the stateliness of his tone. “Perhaps the Princess could be taken to Heritage Hills for some solitude. Her absence would take eyes off of her for a period and allow her some privacy.”

  “No,” Fathe
r denied without giving the offer a second thought. “She will familiarize herself with the Royal offices here at Meadow Manor.”

  I thought of the hour we shared. The feel of sand beneath me and the sun above me. The crashing of the waves and cries of her pleasure. The possibility that Kais was right…

  The old man called the meeting to a close, and Kais slowly began heading towards me.

  “Get the horses saddled and the carriage suited up,” I mumbled under my breath.

  Chapter Two

  Kais

  The carriage jostled and squeaked the entire ride en route to Heritage Hills. For men who would have been executed under any other circumstances, we were all smiles. Everyone was notably more relaxed after leaving Meadow Manor.

  Heritage Hills was beautiful this time of year. The grounds were flanked with crisply colored forest. It was perfect for hunting, which was perhaps the reason the King had titled it to his youngest son. Ryver lived for the thrill of the autumn hunt. It was a passion beyond life for him.

  “You there,” I called to a kitchen wench. “Show Princess Azaria’s woman to her bedchamber. You will assign staff to Minister Thayer and Seer Drayce as well, please.”

  Before either could object, I grabbed Azaria and Ryver’s wrists, stealing off toward the south door ahead. No one gasped, no one so much as blinked.

  We were home, and it felt amazing.

  The strong scent of nature greeted us. Ryver’s whole face twisted, and he gave me a ‘what the fuck’ look as we stood in the shade behind the house. Smiling, I nodded to his intended.

  Azaria stood mesmerized, her simple pleasure painted vividly across her high-born features. Thick lashes hid her bright brown eyes from us while she inhaled the air like a perfume connoisseur. She moved out of the shade and lifted her hands. For a moment, I believed she just might capture the sunlight she bathed in.

  “It almost smells like home.” Her voice was fragile and full of longing.

  “That’s because it is home,” Ryver lulled. “Heritage Hills is my property, not Father and Narelle’s. It is the one thing in all of Tauran that is actually… mine.”

  Her attention slowly rose from the red and orange blanket of leaves. The way she looked at him was magical. I could feel myself and the earth spinning around them in whatever spell Heritage Hills had woven.

  “I suppose I shall be the second.” She smiled before cutting her eyes playfully toward me. “Or the third.”

  The air caught in my throat. It was what we wanted, I had just never heard it verbalized so freely, so calmly before.

  Ryver’s jaw twitched, his eyes closing. It tore at my heart. I knew he was waiting on the scorn. The words that always cut so deeply at his pride and esteem.

  Her hands slid up to his face, and she feathered her thumbs along his cheekbones. His eyes opened.

  My gaze locked with Ryver’s, and I swore I could almost see the walls crumble behind the blue windows of his soul.

  “My mother has more wives than most war chieftains. My father is only one of her concubines.” Shrugging delicately, she lifted up on her toes, brushing her body purposely against him. “Love cannot be possessed,” she whispered over his lips.

  When they finally broke the mutual trance, I could see the revelation in his eyes. He had finally seen her.

  It left me smiling like the village fool.

  Something soft slid across my palm, and fingers tangled with my own. She used the same tug method I had on him earlier. I laughed and allowed myself to be pulled into the embrace. It felt good, even natural, once Ryver’s hand settled on the small of my back.

  “Are you absolut—” I started to say.

  Her mouth stole the words from my lips, massaging and worshipping them until my hand no longer hovered over her shoulders. Instead, they slid down the contour of her spine until my fingers tangled with Ryver’s on the swell of her ass. His hand slid over mine, guiding me to squeeze and sample our Princess.

  “You are a dream, Highness. Something we’ve both desired for longer than we can even account for,” I confessed.

  Ryver’s fingers curled into my hair, and he jerked my head back. He snapped his teeth in front of my mouth and smiled. He wasn’t in the mood to talk. His soulful blue eyes raked over me while he nudged and nipped his way along her neck. His hands skimmed over her, luring her like a snake charmer until she was turned and presented to me.

  Her gown rustled when he gathered it up. To me, the sound was nothing short of a plea for her breasts to be freed. The soft globes called to my cheek, begging to be nuzzled and attended. The fabric gave way with no effort at all, and I took a moment to smother myself in the prize. Her breath caught when I flicked my tongue over the prominence of a pebbled peak, but it wasn’t until my teeth grazed it that she began to arch and moan.

  Ryver held her like a prisoner of war, their deep battling kisses carried on until they were both breathless. His hand brushed mine on the back of her leg, passing her under garments like a baton.

  Her thighs were thick, the kind that begged to be pillaged and conquered. The sight of them dropped me to my knees like the lowliest of subjects. I was afraid to touch her, afraid that it would all disappear into some figment of my imagination. The woman was built like the Goddess of Valor, pliant in places and fiercely toned in others.

  “Seers below,” I cursed into the valley of her thighs.

  Her knees swayed under my intense grip, and I brushed my thumbs over them to make up for it. Pressing my face forward, I began to nuzzle my way between her thighs.

  My kisses fluttered along the length of her slit. Her hips rolled against me, and hope spilled in the sweetest of voices. Running my tongue up the length of her glistening seam, I set to exploring her properly. I’d never performed from this angle, but I found I liked the way her weight pressed against me when I carried her to the brink.

  Ryver stifled the sounds of her desperation. It didn’t matter, love is an art that is felt, not seen or heard. I answered her need by trying to lift her weight with the tip of my tongue. Firm, tight lashes from my tongue darted around her bundle of nerves like the flicker of a candle.

  Her breath became short and clipped. The silkiness of her cunt ground against me, only to retreat when the curve of her ass was snugly locked against Ryver’s crotch. She threw her head back, and I could feel her thighs tighten. She was rocking on the verge of surrender. They always fought it, men and women alike, and they always broke in ways that were deliciously unique.

  My eyes closed, and I sucked the swollen bud between my lips. Her leg flew up the side of my arm and hooked around my shoulder. I opened my eyes. She stared down at me, reminding me with a simple lift of her chin exactly who was doing the fucking.

  Everything in me demanded I respond to the challenge. Her thighs clenched, and the petals of her peach searched for me again. I had no explanation, I buried my fingers into her thigh and rewarded her grinding with the firm loving of my tongue.

  Her hand shot to the back of my head, and she cupped me against her, almost begging without a word. It was a stark contrast to Ryver’s possessive, needy tugging. Her torso dangerously twisted and thrashed. I sank two fingers into her and captured the throbbing swollen bud between my lips.

  She cried out and clamped her leg around me. The walls of her cunt milked my fingers until I was cursing with her.

  Ryver’s blue eyes were dark, and his gaze was calculated. I recognized the fuck or fight swimming in their blue depths. He needed brutal release.

  I pulled her down with me, expecting to lay her back onto the leaves with that post-romp stupor they usually fell victim to. Her legs wrapped around my waist, and she caught my chin. Never in life had a woman kissed me like that. Her tongue didn’t dance, it demanded and roamed. Only surrendering to intimacy when she tired of taunting me.

  Ryver possessively pulled her towards him and rolled her to her back, quickly lodging himself between her legs.

  I don’t remember taking my cock out,
but it was in my hand. Throbbing right along with his every thrust. Her head was tipped back, all I could see were the whites of her eyes.

  The violent rutting slowed until her hips were winding up against him. She was drowning in need again, but nothing she did would alter his course. Ryver might concede to an alpha, but he gave no quarters to women.

  Her fingers assaulted her own long braids, back arched in torment. Azaria’s dark gaze was so heavy with passion, I’m not sure how she saw me, but her finger crooked, and she reached out, silently pleading to relieve me of my burden.

  My eyes locked with Ryver’s, and he thrust sharply into her.

  “Do better,” he challenged, trying to swat away her hand.

  Her legs flared, exposing herself to his mercy entirely. Her back arched until she was able to elongate her neck and roll her head towards me.

  “Are you afraid to throat fuck a Savage?” She spoke her native language, and for a moment I thought I would cum if I moved. She took my hand and lured me towards her and Ryver.

  She was the fucking Princess Imperial. Who was I to deny her, and what kind of a man would I be even if I could?

  I climbed atop her, unsure exactly how one throat fucks a member of royalty. Her nails grazed the back of my thighs, and Ryver’s fingers clamped onto my shoulder.

  Her breasts began to bounce with the impact of Ryver’s thrusts. My breath caught. It was real. We had found her. Our Princess and future Savageland Goddess!

  She blessed the thick head of my cock, washing away the few glistening drops that had gotten ahead of themselves. Ryver’s nails bit all the way down to my ass. When I thought the torture was over, he gripped crudely and channeled the tempo of what would otherwise be a grudge fucking. Her hips jerked up to meet the battering of his hips while shifting me forward. She was willingly starving herself of air, just so she could feast on my cock.

  There was nothing to grab. The soil crumpled beneath my hands, there was nothing to hold onto or brace myself with. My cock ached from root to tip with an ecstasy that was excruciating.

  I completely lost myself, giving way to the urge to fuck her pretty face. Her nails bit, and her hands pulled at my hips. I knew what she wanted. She, too, wanted to marvel at my breaking. She, too, was a watcher. I don’t think I’ve ever came so hard in my fucking life.