Chapter Six

SUNG

He stared at her, staring up at him. Watched her throat bob. And by the creator's mane, he prayed.

She stepped closer, and one of her pale hands slid out from between the furs she had kept around her like a shield. She touched his bare chest, and they both sucked in a breath.

"Sung?" she whispered into the dark.

"Yes?" he whispered back, his hands at his sides, shaking because he was working so hard not to touch or scare her away.

"I have never been with a man before," she said, shaking slightly.

He swallowed. "I know."

"I am assuming you have – with a woman."

The huff of laughter broke out of him before he could catch it, but he stifled it quickly. "Uh, yes, I have."

She nodded, and he heard her breath catch in her throat. Her slim, white throat bared as she lifted her chin to meet his eyes, her hand still on his chest. He wondered if she knew what that meant to him. Her scent was an intoxicating mix of desire, curiosity and nerves.

"So, since you have done this before, and I have not… doesn't it make sense that you show me? Instead of me leading, I mean."

Sung's breath left his lungs in a whoosh. She showed trust, especially for a human woman who knew males could violate. It was… humbling.

"Are you certain?" he breathed. "I do not want to frighten you or… do things you do not enjoy."

Her lips pressed together but tilted up on the sides like she stifled a smile. "Well, I am guessing you have figured some stuff out over the years and… I trust you. If I do not like it, I will tell you. We can try something else."

His chest rose and fell like a bellow. He put a hand to her face, and she leaned her cheek into it. His fingers were shaking. Him! The king! She did things he had never experienced to him– and in innocence! How was it possible?

"But how will I know, Joyce?" he murmured, pleading. "How will I know what you want?"

Her eyes locked with his in the dark – he knew his were glowing now, the animal blood in him rising to the mating call… no pun intended. "If I do not say no," she whispered, "the answer is yes."

A shudder rocked him. "Are you certain?"

She released a breath and stood between his massive feet, so her chest almost brushed his abdomen. Her hand on his chest slid up to cup his neck, and the other came up to his collarbone as she dropped the fur. Sung groaned as the fur slid down her curves like water over the land. She tensed, aware of her nakedness in a way an Anima female would never be. But as Sung scented her fear, he also scented her demand and desire.

"I have never been more certain of anything in my life," she said as she raised her chin defiantly and met his gaze.

"By the creator's light, Joyce -" he groaned as he finally released the tethers he had held on himself since the moment he saw her in the circle. He closed the space between their bodies, pulling her into his chest and tilting her chin to meet his kiss in the same movement.

When their lips met, they both sucked in heavy breaths, then forced them out. With a rolling purr of approval, Sung tilted her head for a better angle and let his lips trail over hers so lightly at first, a feather touch. Then, when she did not pull away, he dove deeper, burying his hands in her hair and sliding his tongue against hers. She clung to his neck and shoulders, her breath coming quickly, kissing him back with surprising skill. He let his fingertips trail down her spine, and she rippled under his touch in a way that made him want to roar. The beast within him fought for release, and he fought it back, keeping his touch gentle and whisper-light, giving her time to find her desire and lose her fear. But he was already trembling with the desire for her. He was intoxicated by her scent, his ears listening to the tiny whimpers that escaped her throat, his touch full of her skin, and the rest of the world tunnelled until nothing else existed except her.

Slowly, he nudged her backwards, step by step, without breaking the kiss, still stroking her skin until they reached the sleeping platform. But before he could lean down to lift her, she dropped her head back and whispered his name. Her pure, white throat was bare and open to him, almost bringing him to his knees.

He'd had women, yes. And he had a wonderful time. But never once had a woman given him her throat like that. Shocked to the core, Sung stared down at her, then brought one of his hands up, using two fingers to trace the line from her jaw, down the cord of her neck, to her collarbone. A lazy growl rolled in his throat as he leaned down to taste her skin, kissing, licking, then letting his teeth scrape her clavicle. And she buried her fingers in his hair and pulled him closer. Her scent was round and full, musky with her heat, and the mating call swelled in his throat.

"Oh, fuck, Joyce," he groaned. "Are you sure? I can't… if you need to stop."

"Please do not stop," she gasped, goosebumps pebbling her skin from his touch at her throat and down her thigh. He let his hand trail down between her breasts, then to her waist, following the path of them until he cupped her behind and kissed her neck, right under her ear, and another growl puttered in his throat. Her hands were everywhere, following his shoulders, arms, and chest lines. She was panting, her shoulders rising and falling too fast as she clung, stroked, and pulled him closer.

Thanking the creator he had undressed before this conversation started, he leaned down, putting one hand behind her knees, the other at her back and lifted her effortlessly. She squeaked as he did it, but he chuckled and kissed her again. By the time he had climbed the platforms to lay her down on his furs, she was liquid in his arms. He kissed her a breath longer before he would let her go. She arched into him, her breasts pressing into his chest as she clung to him, and he breathed her name again.

He, the king, whose senses were so sharp. How had he been so blind? How had he missed it?

This… This was what he had been looking for all this time.

This was what he had ached for all these years.

She praised the creator… as he laid her down on the plush furs of his bed, it was very apparent that she wanted him back just as badly. He tried to speak but cleared his throat when nothing came out.

"Joyce, are you sure?"

"Sung, please," she gasped, but her hands were over her face. He laid her down and knelt between her thighs, taking a moment to look at her. She was smiling but feeling self-conscious. "Please," she whispered, reaching for him and pulling him down. He went willingly, purring as he stroked her, covered her with his body, arched over her to kiss her again and prepare her for the joining.

This was going to hurt her, which she regretted. He had to make sure she was ready. So, he kissed her a great deal, letting his lips and tongue trace trails along her jaw, neck, and collarbones. Letting his fingers stroke her breasts, her sides, the backs of her thighs. She panted, gasped, and began to roll under him, clearly searching for something, though perhaps unaware of what it was. He slid his hand down to her softest, warmest place and began to stroke and nudge, finding the rhythm that soon made her gasp and her cries echo around them, his breath began to tear from his throat, and his kisses lost their finesse. Pulling back just far enough to get his hand between them, he took himself in hand and slid along her once, then twice, not entering her but letting her get used to the feel of him.

"Sung! Oh!" she gasped.

And then she rolled her hips to meet him. A cry that was half-groan, half-roar broke from his throat. The beast inside him snarled to be unleashed. He was terrified he had scared her, but she clung to him harder and gasped his name again. Beating back the Lion inside, he forced himself to focus.

"Joyce," he croaked, "it is time," he swallowed convulsively. "This will hurt; I am so sorry -"

"Don't be," she cried. "Oh, please, Sung, I want you. Please."

He buried his nose in the space where her neck met her shoulder and used his hand between them to make sure he was positioned correctly.

"I love you, Joyce," he whispered, nipping her neck. "I have loved you since I was a cub. Are you ready to belong to me?"

"Yes!"

He took a deep breath just as the door behind them burst open.

"Sung, you have to…..oh, shit!" Erwin shouted.

He whirled in a flash, putting himself on all fours, blocking the view of Joyce with his body, snarling at the intruders, jolting with the shock and the thwarted release. A roar tore out of him, and Erwin and the four men with him all dropped to one knee, faces to the floor, hands up in surrender.

Sung shuddered, his body in a turmoil of conflicting desires and the urge to plunge into Joyce. The battle to protect her, the rage he felt towards these males for their abrupt and shocking entrance, and the bloodlust to bite out each of their throats for being so close to his female when she was so vulnerable.

Joyce made little noise, but she scrabbled behind him to find furs to cover herself as he raged at the men.

"Get OUT!" he roared.

"I am sorry, Sung," Erwin said, plainly wishing he could be elsewhere. "But you are needed now."

JOYCE

When the men burst in, making all that noise, and Sung's weight and warmth disappeared, her first feeling was utter terror; she was about to be killed, torn apart by these people. But very quickly, it became clear that the men were looking for Sung, who was not taking kindly to being interrupted.

Then Joyce plunged into horror, bone-deep embarrassment. She scrambled to find furs to cover herself as Sung roared at the men. They all dropped in the face of his rage, clearly trying to keep him calm and deliver whatever message they had come to give.

Blushing to her roots, Joyce pulled one of the furs around herself, then sat up. Sung was still crouched on the bed between her and the door, a strange noise in his throat like a growl, only higher. It was menacing, and the men before him did not move.

"Sung, I am sorry. I am so sorry," Erwin said quietly, his hands up, palms facing Sung. "But… you need to calm down. Come back; we would not hurt her. I promise." Sung shuddered and kept making that eerie noise. The muscles on his back jumped and twitched in odd ways, and she wondered exactly what was happening in his mind as he continued to make that noise but not speak. Then he snorted, and Erwin was startled but did not move or make eye contact with Sung. "We would not hurt her, Sung. We would not even look at her. Come back, brother; she is safe."

Come back? Come back from where? Had he gone into some kind of trance or something from the shock?

"Sung?" she said quietly and reached for his back.

"No!" Erwin hissed through his teeth.

But Sung just quivered where she touched him, then relaxed. Very slowly, he turned away from the men before him to look at her over his shoulder.

Joyce's eyes widened, and she gasped. His eyes were completely yellow, and the pupils were black pinpoints in the sea of gold, near-white at the centre but a beautiful rich gold at the edges. And yet… there was no white in them at all.

"Sung… what…?" Then he blinked, and his normal, warm eyes stared back at her and her wide-open mouth. "Sung?" she breathed.

"I am sorry if I scared you. Are you okay?" he rasped, his voice husky and dry as if he had been shouting for hours.

"I-I am fine. Are you okay?"

He huffed a breath out of his nose. "I will be," he said dryly. "After I kill my men for walking in here like that."

Erwin and the others, still looking wary, got to their feet with their shoulders slumped as Sung turned back to them, apparently unconcerned about crouching naked in front of them.

"What are you doing here?" he snarled at his friend. "Unannounced."

"I am sorry, Sung, but the patrols scouted a lone male a week ago and have been tracking him. He crossed into the wildwood yesterday and has picked up the scent of the females. He has been on a direct line for the city since lunchtime."

"Couldn't they deal with him?" Sung said through his teeth.

But Erwin shook his head. "He is huge, the biggest we have seen and after last time…."

"Yes, yes," Sung grumbled, shifting to sit on the platform's edge, with one hand remaining back, clasped gently on Joyce's ankle. He stroked the thin skin with his thumb, and Joyce had to hide a shiver. Everyone was silent momentarily, and she realised the men were waiting for Sung to decide. "Very well," he snarled, though he was in a foul mood. "Wait outside. I will be out in a few minutes."

"Sire," Erwin said, bowing. It was the first time Joyce had seen him so formal with Sung.

What had she missed? What was going on? The men all backed out of the room and disappeared down the hall. Sung sighed a massive lungful of air, and his shoulders sagged. His thumb kept its slow slide over her ankle. She did not move, uncertain of what was wrong with Sung.

"Are you… okay?" she asked finally.

Sung ran both hands over his face and muttered something under his breath. "Yes, I will be," he said, but his voice sounded thinner than usual. "It was just a shock, that is all." She nodded, realising he could not see her and reached forward to put her hand on his broad back. When she touched him. Sung sighed again, then crawled back onto the furs, though he did not press her down into them; he just sat next to her, cupping her face, his thumb sliding against her cheek. "I am so sorry we were interrupted," he growled.

"You and me both," she said and grinned, hoping to bring back some of his softness and humour. There was something about him that was… sharper than usual, darker. "Are you sure you are okay?"

He nodded and looked at the doorway where the men had disappeared. "For Anima, the movement of mating is… instinctive. Because they interrupted, it took me a moment to get myself under control. My instinct was to protect my mate," he said with a wry smile. "I probably just shaved five years off Erwin's life. He could see how close I was to attack."

"You would not attack him, surely?" she said, touching his chest. He shivered, eyes closed for a moment, then took her hands.

"That feels wonderful," he croaked. "But I have to go… think. And be useful to people. That is hard to do when I am a walking erection," he grinned and kissed her fingers.

Joyce smiled back. "How long will you be gone? Should I wait up?"

Sung's smile became a grimace, and he bared his teeth. "Sadly, no. This may take a few days."

"Days?" she gasped. "But-"

"I know," he said, his eyes locked on hers. "But make no mistake, Joyce. I am going to take care of this as quickly as I can. And when I come back…" he let his eyes make a promise.

"I will be waiting," she said, letting her fingers curl into the stubble on his jaw.

He nodded. "I hope so. There is much I wish to teach you," his grin was wicked as he leaned in to kiss her, long and slow, so slowly that Joyce wondered if he had changed his mind about leaving. But as her skin began to hum again and her breath came faster, he pulled away, groaning, as if losing contact hurt him.

"Will you be gone for days?" she asked.

"I promise you, on my throbbing member, it will be as few hours as I can manage," he said. Then he sighed. "But yes… the animal we have to intercept is more than a day's travel away. It will be at least three days. Possibly longer if we struggle to locate him or if he puts up a greater fight than we anticipate."

"Why do you have to go hunt an animal? Don't you have people to do that for you?"

He smiled a lazy smile. "Normally, yes. But this is an issue of dominance. It takes a king to bring another king to submission."

Joyce blinked. "What kind of animal are you hunting?"

"A Lion, of course," he said and winked.

"Sung!"

"Do not worry; we have done it before and will do it again. We leave them alone until they create a threat, but if he is alone and has scented our females, he would not leave unless a more dominant male makes sure he knows they are not his to take."

"And… you are the more dominant male?"

"Yes, I am," he whispered and kissed her again.

***

SUNG

After more kisses and a groaning goodbye, Sung dressed, packed a travel roll and made his way out of the cave, every muscle pulling him back towards Joyce. He was still twitching from the shock of having the mating interrupted, his skin feeling too loose and tight. He wanted to growl, roar, run back to the cave, lock the door, and plunge into Joyce.

Sometimes being king sucked.

Erwin waited for him in the clearing, talking quietly with the other Leonine men he had brought for the hunt. The moon was high and almost complete, the light as bright as daylight to Sung's eyes. He quickly scanned the clearing, checking that the Equine guards remained with their backs to the cave, watching the forest around them. He hated leaving Joyce, but he hated the idea of someone coming after her while he was gone even more.

"Make sure the guards take shifts while she is here," Sung said to Erwin as he joined the men. "I don't want her unattended any moment she is alone, and I do not want sleepy men making mistakes." Erwin nodded, but Sung looked back at the cave and frowned. He had never required guards on his own home before, but the fact that he did not feel comfortable lifting it while he was gone told him how serious the situation was. "You are certain I am necessary for this?" he said, rolling his shoulders and stretching his neck. His damned skin wanted to shift, and he did not want to give up the mental space to fight it.

Erwin scowled and pulled him aside, away from the other men. Sung gave his entire focus to his second. Erwin did not pull him out of bed for anything, nor did he try to keep a conversation private for fun.

"What is it?" He asked

Erwin gave him a flat look. "I am certain you are needed for this; the young do not have the strength of character yet, but I am also certain you are about as erratic as a colt feeling his oats right now. What the hell was that, Sung?"

Sung glared at him out from under heavy brows. "You need me to explain it to you, Behr?"

"I need you to tell me why I just saw my king almost take beast form without a choice. I have not seen you do that since your first mating."

Sung snorted. "Damn, I had forgotten about that."

"I am serious, Sung. What is going on?"

"What is happening is that I was about to take my mate for the first time, and four men busted down my door while my mate was unprotected. You want to try it, Behr, and see how steady you feel?"

But Erwin was not going to give in. "I have seen you under stress and pressure for the last decade, Sung. I have never seen you fight for control like that. Your eyes shifted."

"It is just the mating bond wearing on me. I am sure it will pass after I enjoy my mate, and she gets to enjoy me."

"Well, that will not happen while you are on the trail."

"No, it is not. Your timing was impeccable, my friend," Sung tried to joke, but he grimaced against another ripple in his back and had to tip his head.

Erwin sighed. "Maybe we delay a day and let you guys-"

"You are not about to tell me you just interrupted us for something that does not need immediate attention?" Sung snarled

Erwin stared at him. "No, I am about to tell you I think you are in a lot more trouble than you think if you do not get this under control, and I measure which risk is greater. Letting a silent one reach the females or letting my king loose to become one himself."

Sung rolled his eyes, but he was still twitching and trying to hide it from his friend. "I can't think of a better way to blow off some steam than to go head-to-head with a big silent one. It will be nice to smack something and not have to hold back."

"Unless, of course, you lose control, and we lose you."

"Erwin, please. The chances of me going that deep are so small."

"If you had asked me a week ago, I would have said the same thing. But I saw your skin bubble when you did not want it to. Your eyes changed, Sung!"

"Yeah, I heard you the first time," he grumbled, hiking the travel roll higher on his shoulder. "It was bad, I get it. But as I said, we can do nothing about it now. You guys killed the mood, well and truly. And besides, I do not want to rush that. It is her first time."

Erwin stared at him for a long moment, then inhaled deeply and raised an eyebrow. "Her scent is following you," he said. "Interesting."

Sung shrugged as if it was a response, but he was trying to get to the itch between his shoulder blades. "I told you it would just take time. Before we go, tell me what you see in the wolves if I am gone… are we leaving the people vulnerable?"

"I do not think so," Erwin said, scanning the forest around them. "You are off saving the world, and the people love you for it. No one has forgotten that silent one from a few years back. If the wolves try to talk you down while you are doing that, they will meet a lot of arguments, I think… as long as we keep a guard on Joyce. She is the only weak spot."

Sung growled in his throat, and Erwin nodded. "Do not let her out of the warriors' sight."

"It is a little tough when you do not want her to know we are following her, but we will do our best. She will not be alone and unguarded; you can be certain of that."

Sung nodded and clapped his friend on the back. "Thank you. Okay, the sooner I take care of this guy, the sooner I will get back, and we can sort this out. Which direction is he?"

"When the scouts left, he was three days east. But he had just caught the scent, so he will travel faster now."

Sung growled again and beckoned to the other Leonine to come closer. "We better get moving then. Thank you, Erwin, and do not worry; dominance is what I do best," he grinned.

Erwin rolled his eyes. "That is exactly what I am afraid of."

***

JOYCE

Breakfast the following day was lonely, up on the podium without Sung. Talia was kind enough to sit beside her, but she had her sister with her, and the two cackled and chirped their way through the meal. Joyce did not feel like interrupting.

When she was done eating, she got up and realised she had nowhere to go except back to the cave. She sighed. Maybe she should just walk around and see things?

When she turned to see a discreet way to get off the stage and onto the streets without walking past the whole kingdom down at the tables, she noticed Talia's sister's nostrils flare. Then she turned and looked at Joyce with a strange expression.

Do I smell? Joyce wondered. She had been careful to wash herself down in the bathing room of the bedroom each morning. But it was not like taking a shower or a bath, she supposed. She needed to find out where the Anima bathed and how they bathed.

She turned towards the stairs down to the eating area, but Talia caught her arm, a strange look on her face. "Good morning, Joyce," she said quietly. "Eventful night?"

Joyce blinked. "Uh, yes. Oh shit, did they tell people?" she hissed.

Talia shook her head. "I do not know what you are talking about. I can just smell… it is odd. It is as if Sung's scent follows you. They are not twisted together as mates usually are. But… he is on you, somehow. I had never smelled that before," she leaned in and took a deep breath near Joyce's hair. Joyce tried not to pull away. This sniffing thing was definitely odd. But she saw Anima doing it to each other all the time. She had to remember that it was normal for them. When Talia pulled back, she was shaking her head. "Very curious," she said. "What must have happened? It is as if the mating bond began to take, but then… did not?"

Joyce blushed and looked around. There were too many people nearby, people with very sharp ears. "Is there somewhere we can go for a walk where we would not be overhead?" she asked Talia.

The woman shrugged. "Sure, I will show you the bathing hole if you like?"

"Perfect! Kill two birds with one stone."

Talia pulled her head away. "What was that?"

Joyce clapped her hand over her mouth. "I am so sorry. It is just… it is a saying. It just means getting two things done through only one action. I promise. It is not… it is not about killing anything."

Talia frowned. "And you humans say we are brutal," she muttered, then shook herself as if to shake off the thought. "Come, I will show you, and you can tell me your story on the way."

Joyce sighed and followed.

Twenty minutes later, Joyce blushed to her roots, and Talia walked alongside her, cackling with laughter. "Creator's light, I wish I had been there to see his face!" she tittered. "King Blue-balls!"

"Sssshhh!" Joyce hushed her, looking around. "He was really… aggravated."

"I am sure he was!"

"I am serious, Talia; something happened. For a minute, it was like he wasn't there, and Erwin said something to him about coming back, and when he turned to look at me, his eyes… his eyes were different".

Talia stopped laughing immediately. "Different, how?"

"They were gold. All gold, like there were no whites in them. And the pupils were tiny. What was that? I didn't have a chance to ask him before he left," Joyce swallowed and made herself speak the words she was embarrassed to even have thought. "Are you people… magic?" she said in a hushed whisper.

But Talia just laughed again. "Oh dear, no. That was just the beast within making an appearance. Probably because of the shock and mating, the men get so possessive, especially the Alphas. I am surprised he did not tear Erwin's throat out, to be honest. Erwin's dominant in his clan… it must have been a close call."

"Is that why they all knelt?" Joyce asked. "They all went down on one knee and wouldn't look him in the eye, and they held up their hands like they were surrendering."

Talia went very quiet and nodded. "Yes, that is exactly why. Oh dear, it must have been quite serious. Sung does not usually require that of the other males."

"I do not think he even thought about it; they just did it when he whipped around. He was making this noise… it was kind of creepy. But they all just dropped, and Erwin talked him down."

"What did you do?"

Joyce shrugged. "I touched his back and asked him if he was okay; that is when I saw his eyes. But he just… came back, then he was fine."

Talia looked at her like she was not certain Joyce was right, but she shrugged too. "Well, it sounds like they handled it well. Poor sung."

"Poor me!" Joyce grumbled. "I was about to find out what all the fuss was about."

Talia's laugh startled a flock of sparrows out of a nearby tree. "Oh Joyce, you are a hoot," she said a minute later, wiping tears of laughter from her cheeks. "You would not be missing out for long, I am sure. That poor man will probably slit the silent one's throat rather than just scare him off, so he can get back sooner," then she was off in cawing laughter again.

Joyce snorted, but then she was thoughtful. "Why do you call them silent ones? Sung said it was a lion?"

Talia had to take deep breaths to stop laughing, but she managed. "Yes, the animals, our ancestors, at least we think they are… dumb. They can not speak; they do not reason. They have the instincts we inherited but nothing more. It is sad for us. We would like to understand them better, but they can't seem to cross the barrier; we understand their bodies and follow many of their customs and instincts. But in the end, they are just… animals. Silent ones. We respect them, but we do not allow them to dominate. They scent their kind on us, and it can cause problems. That's what Sung's trying to fix. A few years ago, a lone male made it to the city. We lost two equine children and a wise woman before the entire pride brought it down. We have had trackers patrolling wildwood ever since."

"It is so sad that they must kill them," Joyce said.

Talia shook her head. "No, that is why they patrol. They are trying to send them away before they have to be killed for the safety of Anima. They called Sung for this one because it must be powerful. It will take our strongest male to lay claim to the females and scare him away."

Joyce could not help a flush of pride, and Talia did not miss it. She smiled and nodded. "Yes, Joyce, you caught a good one. One of the best. Appreciate him; he is… very desirable. To the predators," she said hastily.

Joyce laughed. But it was a comment she continued to think about for days.

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