Zotiens first law, p.1
Zotien's First Law, page 1
part #9 of Dark Servant Series
Free wil being sacred, no man nor woman nor inteligent being shal be bound unwiling.
High priest S’Rak has more than earned the trust and friendship of Prince Jethain, and the love and acceptance of the reticent Captain Jisten.
Mindful of the harsh price of the Koilathan decency laws, S’Rak and Jisten have taken care to keep their love private. But when the prince is attacked by chaos magic, the pair must reveal the depths of their relationship in order to save him.
The jealous prince is certain that S’Rak seduced his only friend because of the nickname, and that nothing good wil come of their affair.
Wil Jethain come to accept the pair’s love for each other, or wil he try to steal the captain, his oldest, dearest, and only real friend, for himself?
While Jethain wrestles with his dilemma, the Lord of Night has no such difficulties. He is infuriated by the very nature of the relationship S’Rak and Jisten share, for it violates His most sacred Law, that of free wil. Can Jisten convince Zotien that his love for S’Rak is true, and that he freely accepted the bond joining them at a soul-deep level? Or wil the Outlaw Hunt ride down and destroy S’Rak for his crimes, and thereby destroy the very prophecy S’Rak was sent to preserve? The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
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Zotien’s First Law
Copyright © 2013 AC Elas
ISBN: 978-1-77111-540-7
Cover art by Angela WatersAl rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
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www.eXtasybooks.comZotien’s First Law
The Dark Servant Book 9
By
AC Elas For all those who’ve helped me on this journey. Chapter One: Morning Antics Sunday, the 1st of Revmon
Jisten had never been so comfortable in his life. He was warm, lying on a bed that was the right mix of softness and support, and his muscles were totaly relaxed. His memory of the night before was muddled. He remembered a long, hot bath and chanting. The two didn’t seem to go together. He didn’t want to move, but he opened his eyes to figure out where he was.
Al he saw was a red sheet patterned with purple and blue diamonds.
Light shone through the thin membrane, revealing the internal network of blood vessels. Jisten spent a long time admiring the fragile complexity of Rak’s right wing. He knew it was the right wing, even without feeling Rak pressed against his left side. The right wing had a long scar on the second sail panel, and Jisten knew the location and shape of every scar on Rak’s wings.
In the end, the cal of nature won. Jisten gently stroked the wing to the sleeping man’s back and slid to the edge of the bed. He was in Rak’s bedchamber, in the guest suite assigned to the dark servant. He hadexpected to be in the tavern, which was the only place he’d ever spent the night in bed with Rak.
Jisten stood up carefuly, trying not to disturb the slumbering priest. The sheet slid away and he flushed as he realized he was nude. He always wore sleeping clothes to bed, and to find that he wasn’t wearing anything was disconcerting. His gaze roamed the room, but none of his clothes were in evidence. He was grateful that the bathing chamber was attached to the bedroom, for it meant he didn’t have to traverse any public spaces.
Jisten exited the bathroom a few minutes later, having determined that the plumbing worked and that his clothes had not been left in there. Rak was awake, stretching on the bed. Jisten wondered if Rak realized just how sexy he looked while doing that. Rak smiled at him with heart-melting warmth.
“You’re a bold one, bringing me to your bed in your suite,” Jisten said, casualy covering himself with a hand. “Did I pass out?”
“You were exhausted and fel asleep after mass,” said Rak. “Scorth helped me get you in bed.”
“Don’t you realize the danger to us both should someone override Tebber and enter?”
“You are not in danger. Do you realy think someone could get in here, past al my hounds, if I did not wish it? Even if some brave soul managed that feat, my past as a sex slave is clear to those who can read brands, and male sex slaves cannot top. I would reveal myself should anyoneattempt to colar you.”
“S’Rak! You mustn’t! A Loftoni doesn’t sacrifice himself for his Valer.
It’s the other way around.” Jisten sat down on the bed, stil attempting to cover himself.
“That is sily on many levels, Jisten. I wil defend you as I please.” Rak noticed Jisten’s shy posturing. “Are you okay?” Concern colored his voice.
“I’m fine,” Jisten said, reminding himself that he’d been as intimate as was possible to be with this man. He scooted close to Rak and felt the beginnings of lust. He was sure some was his, and hoped some was Rak’s.
Rak admired the view openly and Jisten knew that surge of lust came from the outside. When Jisten scooted even closer, Rak responded by pressing against him. “Did you sleep wel?”
“The best in my life,” Jisten said. “Guests apparently have the best beds. I can’t imagine the prince’s or king’s being better.” He reached out and lazily stroked a wing.
“I am sure that this bed would vanish were I to say anything about it, so it is now a secret we can share.” Rak winked at him.
Encouraged, Jisten stroked Rak’s back while the Loftoni’s hands caressed Jisten’s warm skin, apparently just to feel the silky texture of it.
Rak even played with the dark hair on the Jisten’s chest. Jisten held Rak close and scratched his wingbases.Rak melted against him. “That feels good,” he said, as if Jisten didn’t know how much he liked that. Jisten twined a long leg with Rak’s and drew him closer as they kissed deeply.
“How about a bath with healing salts?” Jisten asked when they came up for air. “They feel and smel good.”
Rak whispered in his ear, “How about you make passionate love to me instead?”
“It wil be love, but easy on the passion,” Jisten said. He cast a significant glance up and down Rak’s battered body.
Rak stroked Jisten’s chest with his fingertips. “I would not mind it, but I wil accede to your wishes. Slow and gentle, then?”
Jisten answered with a kiss that was the same. Rak’s fingers traced their way down Jisten’s bely to the target and caressed it sensuously.
Jisten moaned through the kiss.
When the kiss ended, Rak folowed his fingers down and added tongue. Jisten permitted it, but refused to alow Rak to bring him to climax. Rak made a noise of protest when Jisten puled him away.
Jisten roled Rak over and pushed him down on the bed. Jisten kissed the back of his neck. Rak’s wings spread out across the bed to make it easier for Jisten to press against him. Jisten sighed happily and eased into Rak.
Rak pushed back, but slowly. Jisten stabilized himself with one hand,but with the other, he stroked an outstretched wing. He kissed down Rak’s neck and shoulders.
Rak’s hips roled as he set a steady rhythm and his wings lifted to stroke Jisten’s sides.
Jisten climaxed early, given Rak’s oral service. “Once for need,” he whispered into Rak’s ear. “Now for love.” He folded one wing against Rak’s back and roled them so that they were spooned side by side. He managed to stay inside Rak.
Jisten sensed that Rak was stil in the throes of orgasm when Jisten started again. Rak moaned deeply and pushed back. Jisten leisurely pumped in and out as he traced the diamond pattern on Rak’s top wing with his fingers. Rak’s body moved with him in counterpoint, and the fingers of his lower hand twined with Jisten’s. Jisten kept his mouth occupied, kissing whatever part of Rak he could reach.
Jisten let his climax build slowly, and the fact that he had just orgasmed helped him hold off. Rak worked him with increasing tension as his own need for release built and built, something Jisten could sense, somehow. It was a peculiar pleasure-pain that Jisten found himself enjoying.
Rak moaned, pushing back against Jisten just a little harder and faster.
Jisten responded by lengthening and deepening his stroke, but he resisted the increase in tempo. Within a few powerful thrusts, Rak had settled, accepting Jisten’s dominance. Rak’s tension continued to build, feeding into Jisten, until Jisten moaned, “Are you ready?”“Oh, yes, please,” Rak whispered, pushing back in a peculiar way.
Jisten clasped him close, thrust in hard and fast, and orgasmed deeply inside his partner. Rak’s dependent climax, coming atop his own, joined to his own, made it easily the most powerful orgasm Jisten had ever felt.
He covered the smaler man’s cock carefuly. Rak cried out, and Jisten knew the smaler man was experiencing the same intense waves of ecstasy as he was. Rak’s hand stroked Jisten’s arm, and his foot slid down Jisten’s calf. Jisten held him close, his s
The king walked out of the parlor where he always ate breakfast.
Normaly, Captain Jisten would be waiting for him, ready to report on anything Owain needed to know. But today, Lieutenant Kordri was there instead, and half his face was discolored by a very impressive black eye.
“Lieutenant, where is Captain Jisten?” Owain asked. “And what happened to your face?”
Kordri saluted. “Off duty, Sire. And it’s nothing, Sire.”
Owain’s eyebrows shot up. “He goes off-duty? I’ve never seen him do that.”
“Long overdue, Sire,” Kordri said.“Very wel, then, I suppose you’l manage.” Owain looked at Kordri expectantly.
“I hope to do more than manage, Sire.” Kordri saluted again.
“You’l see to it? Good, good.” Owain turned and headed for the Throne Room, trailed by two of the Palace Guard’s finest, two of the six assigned as the king’s bodyguards.
“Jisten took a day off?” Jethain fretted. “His mother is dying, I just know it. Just like him to not tel me she’s sick!” He started to pace. “I’m caling Forael to heal her. I don’t care what mother says.”
“His mother’s sick?” Gil’s eyes were little saucers. He looked ready to cry.
“Has to be more than sick,” Jethain said absently.
Gil’s lower lip trembled and the threatened tears spiled. “Gramma Despina is dead?”
“Maybe,” Jethain said grimly. “I’m going to the Valer quarter. Don’t tel anyone where I’ve gone, you’l get in trouble. Too many people here, like the Queen, blame the bearer of bad tidings.”
Gil ran out, choking back sobs. Jethain put on his riding boots andstrode to the stable, a man on a mission. None of the courtiers dared stop him.Chapter Two: Dragon on the Roof “Wil my brother give you the day off?”
“I haven’t taken a day off in fifteen years,” Jisten said, and Rak could see that he wasn’t joking.
Rak caught the serious tone. “Wil you need help dressing?”
“Which means,” Jisten said, nuzzling Rak’s neck. “I have a lot of time coming to me.”
Rak relaxed al at once. “You had me there.”
Jisten started kissing down Rak’s neck. “You have me.”
Rak stroked Jisten’s sides. “Indeed I do. And having had you, I declare that it is time for breakfast. You need to eat so that you wil have the strength to have me again.”
“Food and café?” Jisten sat up in bed.
“Café and food,” agreed Rak. He stood and puled a dark grey silk robe out of the wardrobe. There were no slits for wings on the back, andit was too large for him. He offered it to Jisten. “For you.”
“Me?” Jisten looked astonished. He felt the fine fabric, and it snagged on the caluses on his hands. “Blast, I need to oil your wings more.”
Rak put his own black robe on. “A useful side effect of your favorite chore.”
“No chore at al,” Jisten countered. He shrugged on the robe. “Too fine for the likes of me. Is it your spare? It fits me wel, so it would be large for you. Is it Scorth’s? Wait, no wingslits.”
“I think it suits you perfectly,” said Rak. “Please keep it.”
“Oh, uhm, I’l keep it here,” Jisten said. “I couldn’t take the mockery if anyone saw it in my room.”
“Mockery?” Rak permitted his eyes to narrow a trifle to show that he had no intentions of alowing his mate to be mocked. “Who would dare to mock you?”
“Just guards fooling around,” Jisten said. “Large group of men?
Inevitable. I’m there to make sure it stays fooling around.” He ended with steel in his voice.
“You are a good captain,” said Rak, not bothered by Jisten’s firmness.
He dismissed his visions of rending Jisten’s mocking foes limb from limb.
“That is why your men are devoted to you. And why you should be able to wear a robe like this without being mocked.” He couldn’t resist the tease.“The men I have now are,” Jisten said. “Surviving my first year of captaincy was a chalenge.”
Rak led Jisten out into the parlor where Tebber had left the café waiting. “Tel me about it,” he said as he poured two mugs and added the precisely correct amount of cream and sugar to the mug he set before Jisten.
“Jethain was alowed to appoint me. Owain was humoring him. I strongly suspect the king didn’t think I would make it,” Jisten said. He picked up his mug of café and inhaled the aroma. “Many nobles shared that suspicion, and then tried to make it come true when I refused their bribes. One wanted me to assassinate Jethain! Imagine!”
“How bold! I hope you accused him of treason!” Rak sipped his café, taking a moment to savor the flavor and warmth.
“I did, but he was shielded by Lord Virien before we could take action.
Most of that year was a battle of maneuvering as wel as outright strength,” Jisten said.
Rak stretched, wincing as his uncountable bruises, cuts, and muscle strains made themselves known. His face throbbed where Kordri had punched him, and he could barely open that eye. He had a feeling that the black eye was looking pretty spectacular by now. He hadn’t the slightest urge to go find a mirror just to check how bad he looked. Instead, he sat beside Jisten and sipped at his café, slowly. “Did the other guards protest your appointment?”“Some did, but I had Sedrael on my side, watching my back.
Eventualy the worst offenders left. Most have joined as personal guards for various nobles.” Jisten’s stormy gaze wandered over Rak, as if counting Rak’s injuries. “You need to use nightflames on yourself,” he said, half reproving and half entreating.
“In time.” Remembering Jisten’s trickery the last time he’d been hurt, Rak was hesitant to admit that Murson had forbidden him to heal himself again. Nightflames weren’t controlable enough to heal only the hurts caused by the guards.
Tebber pushed in one of the wheeled carts used to deliver food to the private suites. Their breakfast was on the top rack, and a basket of folded laundry filed the bottom.
As Tebber set out the food, he said, “Captain, there’s a ridiculous rumor flying around the palace that your mother has died.”
Jisten jumped up and spiled hot café over his new robe. “Ow! I have to go!”
Tebber handed Jisten a towel and he dabbed the worst of it off.
Rak paused, mug halfway to his lips. I, not we. That put their relationship into perspective. “Of course,” he said.
Tebber retrieved Jisten’s uniform from the laundry basket and handed the freshly starched and pressed stack over. Jisten dashed into the bedroom, returned fuly dressed in his uniform in a remarkably short time, and dashed out the door. Rak took another slug of café as he watchedJisten leave.
“His Majesty wants to know why it hasn’t been dealt with.”
“What?” asked Kordri, caught flat-footed. The messenger repeated himself word for word. Kordri was in the unhappy situation of having to ask the king what needed to be dealt with. He went to the audience chamber.
Owain frowned and humphed, but he said, “As I told you before—I did tel you, didn’t I?”
“No, Sire, I’m sorry.” Kordri ran a hand down his spectacular shiner.
“It’s realy very simple,” said Owain, beaming. “I need you to go up to the palace roof, not the tower, mind you, but the roof, and remove the dragon sitting on it.”
“Remove the dragon?” Kordri knocked his head a little. It hurt and Owain was stil there.
“The servants are complaining. They fear that the dragon means to eat them. Nonsense, of course.”
A witty courtier asked, “How many servants does it take to fil up a dragon?”“Do you wish to keep it alive, Your Majesty?” Kordri ran through remote methods of removal. Mainly arrows and lances. “Isn’t that the dark one’s pet?”
“Yes, it belongs to my son. I know the dragon likes to sit on the roof, and it’s never been a problem until today. But now it’s apparently a crisis.
Some sily snit of a slave girl has gone missing, and al the lower servants are convinced that the dragon ate her. Captain Jisten was able to remove it from the gardens without any violence or difficulty. I expect the same of you.”
