30. Mikael

Emmalyn looked around the large room and nodded. The room was welcoming and inviting. It made sense to her. People could gather near the ones they respected above all others, being able to request their wisdom should they need it. But the elders would have their own space to relax and call their own. She understood that importance; even though she wasn’t sure she had a moment to herself since they took her from the city. Or was it they rescued her from her old life? She liked the sound of that much better.

Mikael’s fingers tightened around her hand briefly before he lead through the seating areas towards the middle stairway that lead up to the central loft. He shifted ahead of her at the base of the steps without releasing her hand and strolled up to his bedding area. The Elder’s servant wolves, those loyal to tending to them, had already prepared all the lofts for the chance that Emmalyn would choose one of them.

Emmalyn smiled as she walked into his room. Everything was immaculate and in order. Someone freshly changed the bed, drew the netting back, crisp white sheets perfectly smoothed. However, in the center of the bed, a silver and black leather necklace laid out with an ornate black and gray cross dangling from the center. It drew her eyes from looking around the room. Mikael stopped her there in front of the bed, releasing her hand as he reached for the necklace. When he turned back to her while he held it up for her to examine.

“Your human hunters use crosses against the vampires to ward them off. The ancestors of my direct bloodline had worn this mark from the very beginning of time. It is what that legend rose from. This mark will not only ward off those dead creatures, it will destroy them should they touch you while you wear it. It is my mark,” he explained while he watched her face to judge her reaction.

His mark? Her face displayed the question she had yet to ask. She wasn’t really sure what he meant. Was it like the marks from Farrel and Caleb? It seemed less permanent to wear it as a necklace and not as part of your skin. Of course, she could be completely misunderstanding what he was saying. Was he offering it to her to wear while she was mating with him and while she was carrying his child? She didn’t know how to word the questions she wanted to ask. Emmalyn was as worried about offending him as she had with Farrel. She decided rather than question him, she would trust him and do as he said. She gave him a simple nod, letting him know she understood the words that he said, even if the meaning behind them was not clear.

“Ask your questions,” Mikael prompted; as if he had read her thoughts, though it wasn’t the case.

He had seen the marks of confusion in her expression and had waited for her questions to come, but she had held her tongue. No doubt she was worried about speaking openly to him. While he could have simply granted her the option to speak plainly, he didn’t want to give her the false impression that it was alright to do that with all the Elders. Specifically Ghor. He knew his brother would not approve of the human speaking boldly to him.

He slid his hands underneath her hair as he waited for her to speak, pulled both ends of the chain around the neck, and fastened it easily. It was a short link, the center resting between her collarbones while the cross hung down to the edge of her cleavage. The moment that cool metal touched her skin, it would fill her with a sense of warmth and power. It had a weight to it that was not at all physical and left no doubt behind his explanation that his mark would do exactly as promised.

It wasn’t until he told her to ask her question that she knew she hadn’t spoken a word to him since she met him outside the main hut. Her cheeks turned pink with embarrassment. She didn’t mean to hold her tongue to be rude. She was just overly cautious since being around Farrel and having a taste of his anger. Emmalyn nodded and tried to word her question carefully.

“I know that there are some words that hold different meanings from our two cultures. When Farrel and Caleb gave me their mark, it was the scar on my skin.” She said, lifting her hand a bit to touch the smooth skin she spoke of.

“I don’t understand what you mean by your mark. Specifically, am I supposed to wear it always? What does it mean between you and me and others that will see it on me?” She asked.

Mikael nodded, understanding her view on the situation. Silently, he led her to the chair opposite the bed. He urged her to sit, then slid another chair close to her and sat as well. Emmalyn kept her eyes on him as he spoke. Reaching out to her, he brushed his fingertips along her knee and her inner thigh, just under the material of her ceremonial gown. It was an idle caress, seeking nothing but the soft silk of her skin. His hand was warm and soft. Her eyes didn’t look down, even though she wanted to.

“It is my family symbol. The Dentuli. The first founders of Peratuth. This cross is the mark of my father’s. It is not the same as a mating mark. You are not mine, but you have my protection. My favor, if you would rather think of it that way, though I prefer the baser term. The Elders are not gods, Emmalyn,” he said plainly, trailing his fingers down along the side of her knee to her calf. “You should wear it always, but it is still your choice should you ever feel the need to remove it.”

He paused then, considering a way to describe it in terms easier for her to understand. Emmalyn focused on his words and what he was telling her. His fingers were driving her to distraction. She subconsciously parted her knees with his gentle attention.

“It is like a wedding band. It unites us through choice. Unlike a mating mark, it is removable. While you wear it, you state you are mine in that way. Should you take it off, then you state that you no longer want me. As would be the same if I ever take it from you.”

When he explained it like a wedding band, she understood what he meant and smiled at him.

“Thank you for your kind explanation.” She said. “I am trying to understand your culture more so that I can fit in better. If I ask a question that is out of line, please let me know. I do not want to offend anyone.” She said as she moved a bit to the edge of the chair and closer to him.

Something flashed in Mikael’s eyes. A heat in response to her subconscious actions. She would be very willing with him, and it had been a long while since he had a receptive lover that was not with him simply for his status. It was ideal that Emmalyn did not fully understand their traditions and didn’t see him as much more than a figurehead. Under that, he could see she also saw him as a man, in relative terms, of course.

“You may not take a mate, but you can show favor?” she asked.

“While I cannot speak for all of us, you can ask me anything you wish. I understand your situation and that you are being drawn into our world with very little time to adjust. It is a lot to take in, and I would not be surprised if you take a year or two to settle into this new life,” he stated reasonably.

With her silent acceptance, his fingers drifted to her thigh once more, slipping inwards to graze the sensitive area at the juncture of her thigh and sex without touching those soft lips directly. He drew his hand back while he grazed his blunt nails across her skin in a light touch that left only goosebumps in their wake. All the while, he continued to watch her face; drinking in every expression that graced over her beauty.

She could not contain the gasp as it left her lips as his fingers moved over her leg, touching that sensitive skin and grazing his nails down her thigh. She felt the goosebumps from all over, not just on her legs. Her nipples hardened in response to the gentle attentions he was giving her.

“They had placed a rule long ago that when a wolf takes the station of an elder, he is to have no permanent ties. Elders in the past have been greedy and hoarded the females of the pack for themselves. Since the rule was passed, we have all been allowed only lovers but no mates. As for my favor, I give it freely knowing that the choice I make is also for the better of the pack. You included little one.”

“Thank you for your understanding, Mikael.” She breathed.

Her lashes fluttered a little as she looked up at him, watching him watch her.

“Is it alright for me to have a lover and two mates?” she asked him softly, desire filtering into her tone. “Do you regret not being able to take a mate?” She asked before she moved closer to him.

“I haven’t regretted not having a mate. I do desire to break the rule sometimes. It is lonely being connected to no one but responsible for everyone. But I do not regret what is best for our people.”

Emmalyn’s desire drifted from her body to hit his nostrils. He inhaled deeply and did nothing to disguise the deep growl of need that rumbled up from his chest and through his teeth. His eyes slipped closed while he focused for a long while to contain himself, and only then did he look at her once more.

“You are part of the pack. You were part of us when Caleb bit you, but our acceptance of you helped solidify the claim,” he explained.

He shifted slowly from his chair to sink to his knees in front of her. Mikael breathed in again, lowering his head to rub his stubbled cheek against the tender skin just above the side of her knee. His hands moved to her knees, urging her legs further apart for him.

Mikael’s gray eyes flicked to her face, looking to see if she would see his meaning. Emmalyn watched his face and the struggle for control that he waged within himself. She had seen almost the same thing with Caleb before, though Farrel didn’t fight it often at all. Emmalyn listened to his words, though she was more focused on him as he moved between her legs. She gasped softly, her soft lips staying parted as she moved her knees apart for him, able to smell her own scent now. The texture of his cheek against that tender skin sent jolts of excitement through her body, causing her to moan ever so softly.

A visible shudder rippled through Mikael’s body. The intensity of her sweet musk, matched with the sound of her desire, nearly broke him. But he was strong, and it took him only a moment to regain control. He turned his head, opening his mouth wide to press the subtly sharper upper and lower K-9s against her tender skin, and dragged them down until his lips left a warm kiss against her thigh.

“Perhaps you should be more curious about being told that you are the dominator in your relationship. Though I’m sure it seems anything but with you and the hunters. Has it ever made you curious why two males sought so eagerly to claim you even though they knew they shouldn’t have? That another would claim you even when another had marked you?”

“I…I am curious…” she said, her voice growing shaky with need. “Why…why would I be called that and why would they both mark me? I am still trying to understand.”

She gave him a quizzical look when she remembered him saying he thought about breaking the rules.

“What would happen to you if you broke the rules?” She asked.