Strike One

Strike One
Flashback- Crystalgrave- Years Ago

"YOU WILL MARRY HER! END OF DISCUSSION!” King Edgar roared at his eldest son.

Noah seethed. "I’m not fucking marrying a woman I don’t know. I don’t care what arrangement you’ve set forth with her father.” He paced back and forth in fury, it igniting more as he saw the disdain on his father’s face. He picked a rose from his mother’s rose bush. "You can’t just pawn me off on someone like that father. I do not wish to wed for stature, I wish to have what you had with mother.”

King Edgar's demeanor softened as he looked at the pain on his son’s face. "I know how much you all miss your mother. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of Grace, especially because I know you still blame yourself for her death, no matter how many times we tell you it was not your fault.”

Noah twisted his lips, the memory of his mother bearing into him. No matter how many times he tried to push the thought from his mind he could not forgive himself. It’d been him who offered to teach her horse riding to help her with her depression, him that in his distraction hadn’t made sure she was safe causing her to fall.

King Edgar patted his back. "I’m sorry to do this to you. If there was ANY other way, I would find it, but there is not…not to mention her gifts are extraordinary Noah.”

"What’s so extraordinary about her?” Noah asked growing irritated at the smirk his father wore on his face.

'Well, other than being beautiful and extremely likable. She protective of those around her, caring, strong, smart-“

"WHAT IS EXTRAORDINARY ABOUT HER GIFTS FATHER?!”

King Edgar sighed. "She posses the gifts of Gaia.”

Noah’s entire body seemed to freeze over as he stared at his father wildly. "That’s not possible. The gifts of Gaia are a myth. No single person could have the ability to create realms. That would be irresponsible! No one should have that type of power.”

King Edgar nodded his head in agreement. “And yet somehow she does. The elders have confirmed it and want you to marry her and make her queen. They want new realms for displaced supernaturals to be created and then built from the ground up. Aside from me, you’re the only heir who possesses the power of architectonics. You are to be king in my passing, so you and Lilith truly do make sense.”

Before Noah could retort, his face turned into a scowl as he watched his father’s consort walk towards them. Placing her hand on his father’s arm, Morrigan bit her bottom lip as she stared at Noah. "Are you two talking about my sister? I can see the utter disgust plastered on the prince’s face.”

Noah instantly felt irritated. With all the kind words shared about Lilith, he could read her sisters jealously miles away. He sized her up. "The affairs of my family are not your affairs. Sleeping with my father won’t give you the royal stature that you’re hoping for. There’s a hierarchy and you-you’re way beneath anyone on it.”

Morrigan fumed. "How dare you disrespect me that way?!”

"Give me something respectable and I’ll change my tune.” Noah retorted enjoying the anger plastered on her face. Turning to his father, he cut his eyes. "Make better choices in chattel father.” Noah turned and walked away, stopping in mid-stride. "Send Liam to scope out my potential new bride. I trust his judgment.”

Waiting for Noah to leave, Morrigan glared at the king. "How could you just stand there and let him talk to me that way?”

"Morrigan, my sons-how do I put this gently? Have not warmed up to you and pushing your way into our family decisions is not helping your case.”

"And so what? When we’re married, I’m just to continue to allow them to disrespect me because they’re still pining over their dead mother.”

The whitening of the king's eyes made her blood run cold. Removing her hand from his shoulder, he clenched his hands enraged. "Mind your tongue or I’ll have it removed.”

"I-I didn’t mean it. I apologize your majesty.” Morrigan pleaded, only to be given a cold glare from the king. Saying nothing else to her, he left her alone in the middle of the garden.

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Two Weeks Later

Liam covered his mouth and closed his eyes.

T-this is bad….FUCK…this is bad

He thought to himself as he tried his best to process his feelings. He’d done as Noah asked and went to the hostel to meet Lilith, but things hadn’t gone as planned. Her witty humor had intrigued him, her smile delighted him, and the moment she’d given him the look that she felt the same, Liam found himself in love.

She’d been adamant about her displeasure of being asked to marry his brother and Liam couldn’t help but wish he was able to marry her instead. Still, no matter what he felt, he would never betray Noah and because of that, he’d asked Jayden to fulfill Noah’s request for him.

Looking up, he spotted Jayden walking into the castle. Liam quickly joined his side. "YOU'VE BEEN AVOIDING ME WHY?! Did you meet her like I asked you to?!”

Jayden nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah…she’s um certainly something isn’t she?”

The look on his face told Liam all he needed to know. He jumped up and down. "OH! YOU WIFE STEALER!”

"I DIDN’T STEAL HER! I JUST-FUCKING HELL I DON’T KNOW!” He patted his chest and sighed. "She came to the hospital like you said she would. Donated funds like you said she would, and we got to talking and it just felt right….and she gave me this look…it’s like she felt it too.”

Liam groaned. "I feel the same way. And the crazy part is, what you said doesn’t even piss me off.”

"Same. Maybe we should just ask Mason to see about her, he’s always been the most rational. He wouldn’t fall for our brothers-“

"Yes, I would,” Mason interjected causing his brothers to jump. Shaking his head, he cursed under his breath. "This is a fucking nightmare. I didn’t even know that was her place until she approached me about my speech and those damn eyes…”

The three brothers looked from one to the other in absolute confusion. Finally, Liam spoke.

"How do we tell Noah we’re in love with his soon-to-be bride?”

Neither Jayden nor Mason responded to the question knowing that even their thoughts were a betrayal.

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Samantha slowly teased Chasity's clit with her tongue savoring the sweet taste of her juices. There was something about the way she moved her small body against her mouth that always drove her wild. Many considered Chasity to be innocent, her shy demeanor aiding in the misconception.

You bring out that side of her

They would say to Samantha, to which she would always give a small smile. The reality was that though she was rough and tumble on the outside, she had nothing on Chasity's sexual appetite. Samantha drove her tongue deep into her Chasity, matching how Calchas drove his manhood in her from behind.

"Fuck you two are sexy." He moaned out, slamming hard into her once more. Samantha's juices flowed down him, the pain-causing her to become even more excited. Over the past few days, the three fell into a rhythm of nonstop mind-blowing sex. With a ton of emotions inside them, they worked to help each other clear their minds of the pending worry.

Calchas let out a low growl, unable to take his eyes off the two in front of him. He had had more threesomes than he could count in this lifetime, but nothing compared to the connection he felt with them. He spread Samantha's ass, inserting his finger in deep. She hissed, her legs shaking, and he knew she would release any moment. He looked down at her pleasuring Chasity, and the sight made his manhood throb.

"I'm about to cum, bite down pleasseee." Chasity cried out in pure euphoria. Samantha bit down and sucked hard, and soon her mouth was full of Chasity's delicious nectar. Calchas felt Samantha tighten her walls around him.

"Calchas." She moaned out tightening once more, and they both rode an earth-shattering orgasm to its end.

Laying among one another’s bodies, Calchas caressed Samantha and Chasity’s faces. "Are you both ready?”

Chasity's lip quivered. "I don’t…I don’t want to leave you. Why can’t we just-“

Calchas silenced her with a kiss. He gave her a kiss. "It’s just for a little while I promise. But we need to protect everyone and the only way we can do that is to be apart for a little.” He felt Samantha stiffen as she moved from his arms.

"Excuse me. I need to use the bathroom.” She said coldly as she got up from the bed.

Calchas rose and grabbed her from the bed. "Honey…” He heard her sob lightly.

"T-this just doesn’t feel right Calc. I understand your vision, I get the elder's request but we were supposed to get married….I can feel it in my heart that something bad is going to happen.”

He did too, everything pointed to death, and yet for some reason, he couldn’t figure out who it would be and when. What he did know was that he couldn’t allow that to get in the way of protecting the future even if that meant he had to temporarily say goodbye.

Calchas kissed her cheek before walking and grabbing a green book from the table. "Have you gotten what I asked of you?”

Samantha nodded. "Lilith’s blood, the blood of the princes. The prince’s blood was as easy to gather as you said it would be. The three are already smitten with her-“

"No, no it’s supposed to be four. Four brothers, four corners.” Calchas responded staring at her.

Samantha fiddled with her fingers. "I tried but I can’t get to prince Noah. No one can. He’s been away at war and now that he’s back, he has the same feelings as Lilith. He didn’t take well to being made to marry her.”

"Let me guess, unlike his brother, he hasn’t seen her yet?”

Samantha nodded. "I believe he sent them to scope her out.”

Giving Chasity a bright smile as she walked to join them, Calchas pulled them both into his arms. "I love you both so much.” Their blushes made him happy, and for a moment he managed to forget everything that was to happen. Leaning down, he kissed Samantha’s head. "Go to the castle. Request a meeting and explain the unique circumstances. Something tells me that if the four princes knew that they were all to be with Lilith, that would ease tension enough for you to get Noah’s blood for the book.”

As Samantha quickly dressed and moved about to the castle to tell of the prophecy, she had no idea that she wouldn’t make it in time. That as three brothers hid their feelings from their fourth, and told him he had to meet his new bride, he’d be stopped before exiting the door. That the incubus princes would never be the same, as they raced to their father’s room after hearing his unforgettable shrill.

And had they been just a little faster, they would have heard the conversation between him and his concubine. One where he admitted he would never marry her, and then sipped some of his favorite tea. They wouldn't have missed her as she slipped into the night, with a scowl on her face, and the forever vision of the king grabbing his poisoned heart before dropping dead at her feet.