The King's Consort Ch. 01

If you are just reading this story for the first time, STOP and read: The Prince's Consort and it's 11 chapters first. This work will recap minimally relevant to the story being told, but this is not the beginning of this series. If you're coming back to read after my hiatus from this work, enjoy!

*****

When the long car rounded the only paved road for miles, Caitlin leapt from the couch -- as carefully as possible in her condition -- and waited the foyer to meet him. The prince had been gone nearly a month. On errands, he'd said.

But she didn't entirely believe him.

Ever since her return to the mansion, he'd been back and forth between his home and the city. She refused to go with him after what had happened the last time. Now, she was pregnant, and couldn't afford to risk the child's safety, or her own.

Anticipation made her hands tremble. She could feel his darkness growing nearer, and she flung the door open wide. Before the rays of sun could break over the horizon, he had already swept her into his arms with preternatural speed, and she was safe, wrapped in his shroud of shadows that hung heavy around his kind.

Tears sprang to her eyes, but all she could do was squeeze harder, never wanting to let him go again. He held her tight to himself for a long moment, her slippers not even touching the hardwood.

"I missed you, Caitlin."

She pulled back to look at him, really look at him. "Is that all you have to say for yourself?"

Kalen's chuckle was low as he kissed her forehead. She hooked an arm around his neck and crushed her mouth to his. He accepted with mild surprise, then hiked her legs up around himself, walking them to the front room. He fell into an oversized stuffed chair so that she was straddling him.

His lips were soft at first, but apparently time had made him cautious; he should have known he didn't have to be quite so gentle with her anymore.

Caitlin, distracted by the heated kiss, ripped open his traveling coat and searched until she found the buttons of his shirt to tear them open.

Kalen caught her hands and broke from her lips with a small laugh. "Impatient, aren't you?"

"Of course, I'm impatient. You've been gone how long?"

"Only twenty-eight days." He nuzzled into her neck, sending chills down her spine. Kalen could bare his teeth and sink them deep into her, if he was so inclined. He'd done so once, in the very beginning, when she was infatuated with the idea of a man named 'Dale', and not Kalen.

But her joy at their reunion did not last. "This was the longest you've been gone."

He glanced up at her, conflicted. "You know I don't have a choice in the matter. I just wish you would come with me, then I needn't miss you so fiercely."

She looked away. "You know why I can't."

"It would never happen again," he said, running his hands over her hips. "Those men paid with their lives, and so would anyone else that dared touch you that way."

"I know." And she did know, but it didn't undo the past. She lay her head on his shoulder, exposing her neck to him. He would not give into his baser nature, she was certain.

His distracted hand traced the bumps of her spine as if to console her. "Has the doctor arrived?"

Caitlin groaned, squeezing him tighter. "No." She didn't like Doctor Althea Gray, not because of her medical expertise, or compassion for her patients. Lord knew she had those in spades. She didn't like the doctor because every time the woman was summoned, Caitlin had to be poked and prodded with needles that reminded her all too much of a place she'd rather forget. "Marianne said she'd be arriving tomorrow, at the earliest."

"Good." He wrapped his arms around her tightly. "I know it's difficult."

It was her turn to laugh. "You can't even begin to imagine."

"Oh, I think I can," he murmured into her hair.

She eased up again, looking him in the eye and cupping his face. One cheek was puckered and scarred, a stark difference to his otherwise handsome countenance. "Will you stay, this time?"

"No," was the reply.

It chilled her to hear it said aloud, but she'd known it even before he'd come home. "When?"

"A week? Maybe more." He busied himself with the curve of her neck, brushing away the stray hairs. "It would not feel so long if you came with me. You could remain in the suite."

"And be stuck there every day, pining for your return? No thanks." She did not mention the obvious memories that would resurface if she returned. Not just those attackers on the street, but Micah, and... Sara. The building would be an empty tomb without their presence.

He must have noticed her change in mood and cupped the nape of her neck. "Micah and your brother were good men. Have you visited them recently?"

Caitlin shook her head. "I- I still can't bring myself to do it on my own."

Kalen kissed her forehead, his shadows lingering. "Maybe we can replace the flowers together, while I'm still here."

"Maybe." In truth, she hadn't visited because their deaths were too fresh. Even two months later, she couldn't think back on it without bawling like a child. She swallowed hard, holding back tears at the mere thought of it. "I don't understand why you have to go."

He sighed, his sharp hazel eyes roving over her face. "Caitlin, you know I'd stay by your side if I could. But if my father suspects anything is out of the ordinary, he'll sabotage my plans."

"I know..." She toyed with the flap of his jacket.

He cupped her face with both hands, forcing her to look at him. "I want to be here for you, for our child. You deserve better from me. So, after this next trip, why don't we plan another, for just the two of us? We'll go anywhere you want to."

"Anywhere?"

His smile was back. "Anywhere."

"I want to see the ocean," she said straight away. "And I want to visit a mountain top with actual snow, maybe one that isn't an active volcano. Oh, and if it's not too much, mom and I have been talking and we want to get cable set up. Would that be alright?" She realized too late that she'd gone into the realm of irrelevance, but even Marianne was partial to the idea.

An eyebrow went up, then he let out a laugh, gathering her into his arms. "Anything you want. Edmund will get it sorted out. Just ask him." Kalen pulled her back again. "Do you have everything you need, though?"

"Yeah, I think so." Caitlin was grinning like an idiot, still excited over the prospect of a trip. "How long do we have until you're free to travel?"

"A few weeks? I anticipate remaining here this week, then I should only be gone for another two. After that, we can go to the mountains, or the ocean, or both. Whatever you like."

"Good." She thumbed the adorable cleft of his chin. "I've always wanted to have sex in the snow."

The lines of his face went stern in mock seriousness. "Not in your condition."

"Ugh, of course not, your majesty." She rolled her eyes playfully. "We couldn't possibly have wild, spontaneous sex without prior authorization."

His eyes flashed and he sat up, one hand clutching tight to her hip, the other on the small of her back. Kalen's face was an inch from hers, and she could smell his sweet, intoxicating breath. "Spontaneous, I can do." His mouth closed over hers again, feverish this time.

She let out a little whine in her throat, but melted to him, accepting the thrust of his tongue and the overpowering musk he put off during sex. The heat of his crotch pressed into her, and she realized he'd been craving this as much as she had. She rolled her hips, causing him to groan and nip at her lower lip. That gave her some measure of pride, knowing she could make a creature such as him break his steely resolve. Even just a little bit.

He grabbed the hem of her maternity pants and pulled her onto his crotch, so that they were flush against each other. Then he ducked several long fingers into the pants, searching for her nub. When his fingers dipped into her fold, she gasped.

A naughty grin broke over his face, and he squeezed her nub between two fingers, rolling until she nearly buckled at his touch. As he pumped, she could feel him harden beneath her, so that the clothed tip pressed deep into the soft pants.

"Get these off me," she hissed in his ear, grabbing at the stretchy fabric.

With a slight flex of his arms, he tore the pants down the middle seam, so that her womanhood was entirely exposed. She worked at his pants, loosening the three buttons that held them closed. When his cock sprang out, she stroked it firmly, remembering its familiar shape. Caitlin glanced back up, realizing his eyes had already gone black.

What had once frightened her now only made her eager for more.

Kalen lifted her hips up, then skewered her onto his cock. He settled her slowly, but it had been so long, she gasped as if it was the first time. Caitlin cried out when he thrust the last inch inside her, and he was fully sheathed.

Then, he began to pump. Slowly, at first, then harder and faster until she had to grip his shoulders for support. His hands were tight around her hips, a vise she could never escape, even if she wanted to. Down here, in the main room, there was no privacy from the servants. She tried to be quiet, for their sake, but soon he worked her past rational thought.

In a flash, he'd moved her over the coffee table, easing over her from the back. She was face-down on the cool wooden surface, feeling his hands reach under for better leverage. Then his cock breached her again, shoving so deeply, it stole the breath out of her. Though his passion was nearly overwhelming, he did not put undue pressure on her stomach.

If nothing else, it expressed his near-flawless restraint.

He arched over her, still pumping, and left little kisses on her shoulder blades. Kalen's lips moved up, to the base of her neck, and she felt the graze of his teeth over her skin. A delayed sense of trepidation mingled with insatiable joy and transformed into something else entirely.

And she came.

Caitlin could hardly tell if the sound that erupted from her throat was a scream or a cry of ecstasy, but no doubt the whole house heard it loud and clear. As she reveled in her satisfaction, Kalen laced an arm around her, looping over her ribs and catching her neck, then hoisting her up against his chest, still skewering her.

All she could do was cling to his arm as he finished, groaning in relief. Her womanhood clenched around him tightly, so that they both cried out with the effort. When he was finished, and his cock slid out of her. Kalen lowered her to the chair gently, draping her over the armrests. He knelt and worked to button up his pants while she lay there in mind-numbing satisfaction.

Kalen glanced back up at her, and his eyes were normal again. "Spontaneous enough for you?"

"Um." She raised a finger, unable to remember what she'd planned to say, and dropped it. "Yeah. Maybe next time-" Caitlin took in a big breath. "-we could be spontaneous downstairs."

He chuckled and hunkered over her, kissing her reddened lips. "Maybe."

She smiled and absently stroked the rough flesh of his cheek. "I missed... this."

"Me, too." Kalen pushed back her frazzled hair, then ran his fingers through it, attempting to straighten the stubborn auburn locks. "You, my lady, should rest."

Her eyes flared open in defiance, and she did her best to sit up. "Prince Kalen, you will not order me to bed again."

Kalen caught her hand and kissed each knuckle. "As you wish, Caitlin Stone." He levered up, then held out a hand. "But it is morning. Will you accompany me downstairs?"

She took his hand and let him draw her to his chest. "Of course, but..." Caitlin glanced down at her pants, which were destroyed by her own impatience. "Maybe you could do your- ah, thing." She whirled her finger in the air, trying to express what she couldn't name. "Marianne and Edmund don't need to see me, um, naked..."

"You mean this?" He scooped her up into his arms, everything swirled out of focus. When he stopped, they were already in the master suite, and her head was spinning.

She held a fist to her mouth, her stomach threatening to spew. "Yeah. That." Kalen set her on the bed and looked ready to disappear again. She grabbed his arm before he got away. "Stay with me. Just for a little while."

He relinquished without hesitation, easing onto the bed and cupping her stomach. Kalen's stray hand stroked the firm line of her belly that had appeared after the first month. "Only a little while. It's already dawn."

Caitlin burrowed into his side, wishing he would stay all day while she slept. But he had particular ritual with his own sleep that did not include her. "Promise me you'll be here the whole week. I don't want it to be like last time."

He glanced over her head in thought. "I've arranged my affairs so they should not interfere. My father thinks I'm half way around the world at the moment. King Julian has assured me that my false visit has been thoroughly cataloged in their reports. Eamon is the least of our problems."

"I don't trust it," she murmured into his shirt. "What if he finds out?"

"He shouldn't be concerned about my whereabouts at all. But if it comes to light, I have several alibies at the ready." He kissed her temple. "Don't worry yourself over him."

Her hand grabbed his as she clasped tight to her belly. "I'd be an idiot not to. He's the one that has you running around like a show dog. What if it's just a distraction?"

"I told you, he can no longer move against us. I've done as he's asked." Kalen's brow wrinkled with what appeared to be regret. "It should not have been that way, for you or the child."

She could not bring herself to smile. "It's okay." Caitlin touched the uneven skin of his cheek. "What's done is done. It wasn't your fault, I know that."

Kalen sighed, then met her eye. "He was right though, I was weak. I couldn't kill him."

"But you will next time."

He nodded, but didn't quite commit to the action. "Next time. Of course."

*

The week passed far too quickly for her liking, and before she knew it, he was gone again. Caitlin sat out on her mother's front porch -- or, the exact replica of her mother's front porch -- sulking.

She didn't know what to do with herself, but she didn't want to disturb Janice again. Her stalwart but finicky mother hated all things Kalen with a passion. Where Caitlin didn't blame him, Janice did. And no one had to guess her thoughts on the matter, she voiced them loud enough.

Today, Caitlin could hear her mother working in the back with the mute Lev, the mansion's only farm hand. Two cows, seven pigs, a stubborn old mare, and a roost of chickens occupied the adjoining barn, keeping them busy enough. Caitlin might have joined them, if they hadn't shooed her off.

She was pregnant.

And she wasn't allowed to forget it.

Though her mother disapproved, she still had her best interest at heart, Caitlin knew. She glanced out at the far horizon, unable to appreciate the clear afternoon that colored the distant mountains a pale blue. The birds trilled their jubilant song in the woods nearby, occasionally zipping above the trees and bickering with one another.

On a low hill near the woods was the cold stone monument where she and Kalen had refreshed the flowers only a few days prior.

The reminder closed her throat, so she turned her face towards the mansion. It was a beast of a building, the biggest she'd ever seen until she'd gone to the city. When she'd first arrived in Kalen's arms, she was frightened by it. But there was nothing to be afraid of within its walls. Except maybe the owner, himself.

This was her true home now.

She couldn't imagine herself anywhere else and had grown to love the sprawling estate. Every day, Caitlin was still discovering new things to marvel at.

A back door slammed, rousing her from deep thought, then she heard footsteps, and the screen door swung open. "Lev and I are stopping for the day. Do you want to eat with us?" Her mother peered down at her, her wild gray curls pulled back with an old-fashioned leather strap, and her sharp blue eyes narrowed.

Despite her small statue, she was the most intimidating human Caitlin knew. She smiled weakly, feeling a creeping hunger settle into her stomach at the mention of food. "Please." She moved to get up, and Janice rounded the door to assist, but Caitlin held up a hand. "I've got it, mom. It's okay."

Her lean arms were still out, as if ready to catch her. "You're sure?"

"Yes. I'm fine." She eased up the rest of the way. "See?"

Her mother put a hand on her hip, and she relinquished with a smile. "It's good to see you in the sun for once."

"I come out here all the time, what are you talking about?"

Janice was already through the door. "Nothing."

Caitlin rolled her eyes and followed her through the narrow hall. The house came with a horrible sense of déjà vu. She knew it wasn't really the house she'd grown up in. But it looked exactly like it, down to weathered old wainscoting.

"I just think it's unhealthy for you to be holed up in that godforsaken place with him for so long. It can't be good for the-" She glanced down at Caitlin's stomach. "-the child." Sometimes, Caitlin had a feeling her mother forgot the child was just as much a creature as Kalen. Janice wanted so badly for him to be a normal, human infant, that she seemed to fool herself into thinking it was true.

"Mom." It was her turn to be annoyed. "It's his child. You know that, right?"

Janice didn't answer right away, stepping up to her and cupping her face. "Caitlin, I'm so worried about what you've gotten yourself into. I'm your mother, I'm going to fret about it. But-" She wrapped her in a hug. "-I just want to make the most of our time together, at least until- it... happens." She still couldn't come to terms with it, and Caitlin didn't blame her.

Caitlin hadn't yet, either. She caught her mom's hands. "It'll be alright." Will it, though? The thought interrupted, making her sound uncertain. "Dr. Gray is the best. And Kalen is going to be there with me the entire time. You will, too."

Janice didn't look as if she believed her, but also didn't argue. "We've got corn, taters and a roast that's been cooking all day. I've got gravy, too, but I didn't know if you'd want it, so I left it on the side."

"Thanks, mom." They entered the kitchen together, with Lev already serving up a plate for himself. He looked exhausted from the day's work, but happy, as always.

Caitlin grabbed a plate and scooped two helpings of potatoes, then accepted a sliver of meat from the roast. Luckily her mother didn't push a second helping. She sat to her mother's right, and even Lev had learned not to dig in until Janice was finished praying over the food.

Caitlin joined her, but the farm-hand only glanced between them, and was content to wait without clasping his hands in reverence.

"... Through Christ, our Lord. Amen."

"Amen," Caitlin answered, tucking the napkin over her lap. As Lev and her mother ate, she toyed with the potatoes, taking small, careful bites so it didn't make her sick.

Everything made her sick. The wrong smell wafting on the breeze could make the nausea return, no matter how pleasant it might be. A trace of smoke from the fireplace. Marianne's rich cooking. Everything. So, her food was limited to plain breads, vegetables, and meats without any seasonings.

She thought, since she had three more years to live -- as a human at least -- she could enjoy her time and revel in experiencing variety while she could. But the pregnancy was making it nearly unbearable. And after... well, she'd only be interested in one thing.