Betrayed: The Blue Barbarian Series (The Blue Barbarians Book 6) Read online

  “What has happened, my brother?” I ask.

  “Nothing.”

  “Clearly, something has,” Eretar says softly. “We would like to help you work through it. Process it.”

  She is already aware of how Atan shuts down, closes himself off to others. He feels he is a disappointment to his family. He has the gift to continue the line with his Uncle Carmelac, but he is not ready to drum full time. He is young and strong. He wants to explore the world, hunt, trap—basically anything that has to do with being outdoors. The idea of being indoors at reverent mother’s beck and call is a horrifying imprisonment.

  And, I believe though I’m hesitant to ask, his father does not approve of his infatuation with Eretar. In his eyes, it is enough that Naag thinks to dilute their family line with human blood. Naag’s decision was quite all right as long as he had another son who would produce pure Blaedonian bloodlines. But now, that other son is interested in a Blaedonian who does not look as we do. Her body is leaner, striped—even tailed. Her ears are shaped differently. Her royal markings are etched to her skin instead of drawn on. From what she’s told us of her tribe, her customs are different.

  I do not believe his family would ever reject her should Atan admit to our relationship. But to Atan, it is one more drawback that he cannot be the perfect son he believes they expect.

  “I just missed the two of you.” He tries to deflect the issue, his large palm coming up to caress her back. His eyes catch mine over her head, silently begging me to drop the conversation.

  I sigh. “If we are to make this relationship work, we must be truthful.”

  “I told you. I can’t have a permanent relationship,” Eretar says, looking up. Her beautiful face is edged with sorrow.

  “We know you told us,” I say. “We thought to convince you otherwise. We decided to try to woo you one on one. Have you learn about us each individually.”

  She sighs. “Is that why Atan stayed behind? It just won’t work,” she says. “It’s not you two. If I could have my way, I would shirk my responsibility to my tribe and live with you both forever, no reservations. But there are dozens of people who would have no direction.”

  “Your brother rules,” I say, perplexed. It is no different than when Drakar was abducted and Rayhaan stepped into his shoes. “Is he not king?”

  She sighs. “Chief. But yes, it is the same. It is different in my tribe. My brother only rules with my presence like an extended arm of mine. Because I…I own him,” she says softly. “If I am not there, it is a free for all.”

  “Is that a bad thing?” Atan asks. I’m sure he is thinking of Rayhaan stepping in. However, Rayhaan is a much more just ruler than what we would be left with if he was not trained by Drakar’s family to the position of second king.

  “In my tribe? Yes. The other person who would step up is Shen’robi. She is spoiled and selfish and has the wisdom of a gnat. Unfortunately, she has the remnants of a bloodline and would be next in line should something happen to my brother and me.” She sighs.

  “How do you own others?”

  She shrugs. “It probably began because we couldn’t have the royal bloodline spread everywhere. So by ‘owning’ our males, we can control who they procreate with. There are no other royalty leaks. Otherwise, Shen’robi would have forced my brother to give her offspring and killed me off. Her children would have taken the throne, but while the offspring remained young, she would have the ultimate authority to guide them until they were adults. In essence, take the reign. But what is going on with you?”

  She looks up into Atan’s eyes.

  I see him falter before slowly answering.

  “It doesn’t seem to be as much of a problem,” he says. “It’s just that…Naag has always been the hero and me? The disappointment. Naag was the planned child for my parents. I came along a decade later after an illness that nearly took my mother’s life. She barely had time for me. Even though Naag was still a youngling, he practically raised me instead. As I said, he can do no wrong. Naag was on the hunting shift that discovered the herd of humans. Naag was the one who found a rarity, a new human female to consent to be his mate despite the many males they had to choose from.” He takes a deep breath. “My parents considered it a gift from the heavens that new females had descended and my brother was honored with one. I was the one born with the gift of the healing notes and should not focus on my loss at obtaining a female, but I have never wanted the job.”

  “Naag said he was joining you for the lesson today,” Eretar says, confused. “Is he not trained also? Perhaps he wishes to drum.”

  “Yes. One more reason why Naag is a hero. Even without the gift, he subjects himself to learning. He knows I do not want to be a drummer, and he comes with me to make the lessons more bearable. To encourage me to learn my duties because one day, when my uncle passes, it is inevitable that I will take over. So he thinks if he can train with me, perhaps I won’t dread the lessons.”

  “Your parents wonder why you’re wasting time with a species not of your tribe?” Eretar asks shrewdly. “They do not want ‘different’ offspring to continue the bloodline?”

  He does not want to throw blame at his parents, but truth is truth. “That is what I believe. It can be overlooked when Naag does it because he is firstborn. He was blessed. He can do as he chooses. As the last of my line, I have responsibilities. That and the wretched gift.”

  “Perhaps it is all in how you look at it,” I say. “Perhaps your parents aren’t worried about continuing a full bloodline. Maybe they are more worried that you are with someone who cannot be with us full time. They may be worried that you will leave our village to join Eretar’s.”

  Both Eretar and Atan are quiet as they ponder this new way of thinking.

  “Perhaps Naag doesn’t come along to encourage you to learn your drumming duties but because he enjoys spending time with the little brother he loves,” I continue. “Do you know he encouraged Eretar to be with us this morning during breakfast? Giving her stories about you as if to show her of a great love she might miss should she not be interested in you fully?”

  Atan’s bleak eyes round with shock as if this is something he never considered.

  “Perhaps your parents did not look at your birth with disappointment that there was another offspring to rear. Perhaps they were thrilled that this was their last chance at raising another bundle of joy. Perhaps they let Naag have so much time with you because they wanted him to enjoy you just as much as they did. Because you were the golden child who could do no wrong.”

  “Surely…I always…that cannot—” he sputters.

  “It still does not solve the other problem that we have,” I say.

  “What problem?” Eretar looks puzzled.

  I take a deep breath and decide to lay my feelings out about something Atan and I discussed. “I love you, Eretar. I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I know Atan feels the same way. I am trying to figure out a way for the three of us to be together. Forever.”

  Her breath hitches.

  “Yes, I love you, also,” Atan murmurs, catching her jaw and turning her face to deposit a kiss to her lips. “Diont and I have spoken of this.”

  Her eyes well with tears. “I love you both. I wish we could figure this out.”

  “We can,” I say urgently because it sounds as if she wants to throw away what we have despite our love. “We will figure it out. We will go slowly, give your people time to adapt. Somehow, we will find a way.”

  She nods. “We’ll have to take it very slowly. My people are close-minded. For centuries, we believed the entire world existed within our own underground caverns. We tend to believe others have to bend to our rules. It is my responsibility to enact change within our community. It will take time, and I did not want the two of you to feel as if you had to wait for me.”

  “I will wait until the end of my days for you.” I pick up her hand, kissing her knuckles.

  “As will I,” Atan murmurs. “There
is no one else for either of us.”

  She smiles tremulously. “Then it is decided. It is a tentative truce. The three of us know we will be together someday but that it will take time. And know that you each own my heart.”

  Atan needs her right now. Just like I’m sure I’ll have need for her in the future. “I will go get us something to eat,” I say, leaning forward to kiss Eretar’s forehead. I catch Atan’s eyes as I do, and he looks grateful for his time alone with her.

  Chapter Three

  Eretar:

  “Come here, goddess,” Atan says, wrapping me in his arms. “Diont will find us some lunch. Let me have a moment to hold you to myself.”

  “He is hunting without us?” I feel guilty. I do not like feeling as though someone caters to me. It reminds me too much of the dynamics within my own tribe.

  “Mmm. We wish to spend the entire day with you alone. Being in the hut with my uncle, I learned that the elders visited the ship that stole the humans and Drakar. They learned a storm will move in by the end of the moon. They wish to send you back and have a new group here before that. With this group, the focus will be on teaching them our customs and our language, whereas your focus was more on the survival on the surface.”

  A plan starts to come together in my mind as I realize this would be good training for Shen’robi and her followers. It will teach them that the surface people have ways much different than ours, more open-minded. And she does not really need surface survival unless she plans on leaving our tribe. Not that it would be a bad thing. I would be willing to teach her how to hunt and hide from the night crawlers myself for that gift from the gods.

  “Then our time is up?” I ask him. I am saddened by this. We wasted too much time flirting before we cultivated our relationship. I have not even had one-on-one time until it was with Diont earlier.

  “It is.” He kisses the top of my head gently.

  I turn to face him, straddling his lap. “Then we should take advantage of our final moments.”

  Hunger flares in his face before he tamps it down. “I cannot ask that of you. I am aware you just satisfied yourself with Diont.”

  “You know what would satisfy me more? I would like to satisfy you. If you please.” I punctuate my request with a kiss to his pouty lips. I love the sudden intense look in his dark, mysterious eyes as if he wishes so hard for this but can’t believe his good luck.

  “Satisfy me? I cannot fathom such selfishness on my part.”

  “Mmm, my sexy barbarian. Is it really selfish to lie back and give me the pleasure I wish?”

  “What type of pleasure?” I’m not sure if his voice is curious or wary.

  “I’d like you to sit up higher on the edge of the rocks so just your feet are immersed.” And his burgeoning cock is cutting through the air.

  He does as I request, and I have his beautiful body splayed out before me. The man is amazing; not an ounce of fat. Just thick, mouthwatering muscles on top of muscles.

  His magnificent cock juts forward, proud and strong, and more than a girl needs. But I am selfish, and I want it all. He’s thick in circumference and delicate cockrings encircle it from the base of his shaft to the tip. Just me staring at it has a tiny drop of blue appearing at the tip.

  I lean down and lap it eagerly, and his sweet flavor bursts on my tongue. He groans at the same time I do. The beaded rings shift under my tongue and his knuckles whiten. From my vantage point, I can see his abs quiver. The sliding rings of a male’s cock are highly sensitized, and he shudders when I shift them with the point of my tongue.

  “Eretar,” he groans. “Where did you learn…”

  My mouth is busy, so I cannot tell him that many nights, I couldn’t stand the thought of a male slave being left unsatisfied. That I snuck a male into my quarters to give him what his owner should have had she not been so cruel. But all of that stops as of now. The thought of another male besides Atan and Diont turns my stomach.

  * * * * *

  Diont has a sparkle in his eye as we return.

  “You are ravenous, I suppose?” His voice is teasing. “Worked up an appetite?”

  “Cocky fucker,” Atan mutters.

  “Fucker?” I ask, bewildered. “What is that word?”

  Diont snorts with laughter. “It is a human term. Derogatory but can be teasing. Doesn’t exactly mean what the word says. Fuck is mating. Fucker is a person who mates? Makes no sense. But it is still amusing. The other baffling term is motherfucker. Of course, a mother must be fucked to become a mother. Makes even less sense.”

  “And how would you know if it is used as derogatory or as teasing?” I find it perplexing.

  “If we were drawing blood in battle, it would be derogatory,” Diont laughs. “Don’t worry about it. He’s just being an ass.”

  Now Atan snorts.

  I think ass means the same as fucker in this case. I wish I had more time with the humans. It seems there is always more to learn.

  My attention is caught by the creature roasting on the spit.

  “Hukalayet? You eat it?”

  Diont’s brow creases in puzzlement. “We call it Hyak. It is delicious.”

  “We use the spine as a death rattle.”

  “A death rattle?”

  “Yes. The creature has no large brain, no skull. Instead, the spine extends into the head cavity. We cut it out and when the small, round portions of brain harden, you can shake them loose. Eventually, they will rattle throughout the entire length of spine.”

  “I left the spine in so the meat will not fall apart.”

  “I will show you after we pick it clean.”

  Diont removes the hukalayet from the spit. “How do you get such creatures underground? They live in the sun.”

  “And cool off at the edge of the water. Sometimes they swim too deep and drown. They will wash up at the bottom of our waterfall.”

  “You have a waterfall?” Atan asks. “While you are underground?”

  I nod. “My world is very different from yours. It is as light as it is out here though the lighting is different. It comes from the glow rocks, but they burn brighter underground. It is as if you have older, less charged versions? Or perhaps fewer? Our caverns are not as warm as your surface. The caverns extend outward in sort of…tunnels. Each tunnel leads to various pools of water. Several caverns house small waterfalls, but one houses a deadly one.”

  “Has anyone died in it?” Atan asks.

  “No. We use the pool, but of course, we have no reason to swim so far out toward the falls. Anyway, in some of the smaller falls, these creatures drown and wash up at the bottom. We collect the bodies and pull out the spines.”

  As I watch, Diont slices into the long, arm-like creature. His blade is sharp as he cuts away the portion. The spine is attached to nothing else. “Careful, it’s still hot,” he warns.

  He places it on a rock for me and hands me a small knife. I whittle away at the meat, clearing the top portion of the spine. The bottom portion looks different. It is shaped like a hook on the end.

  “Once the meat is removed,” I say, slicing away a good chunk. “There is a small opening covered by a thick membrane. It separates the brain matter from the rest of the spine.” I poke through the opening. “When the brain matter has hardened and dried, it is easier to see. They consist of round balls, which fall through the spine. For now, I will open the spine so you can see.” Using Atan’s cleaver-like machete, I hack through a flexible portion of the spine. When it hardens, it will not be as easy to do, as the bones strengthen.

  Smoke rises from the inside of the spine, and I wave it away.

  “When we get the creatures, they are already dead. They would not be edible, so we never thought to eat them. And the long soak in the water makes them somewhat pliable. We are able to bend the spine and hook the tail end onto the top to make it ring-shaped. We poke the inner membrane and then leave it alone to dry.” With the knife, I jar the brain matter loose. “See the brains?” They are small, the size
of my knuckles, and round. “They are soft and squishy now. But they harden and bang on the inside of the bony protrusions of spine, creating the sound.”

  “How many of the brains are in here?”

  I shrug. “Depends on the age of the creature, I believe? Some have as many as twelve pieces. Some have four or five.”

  “You will enjoy the taste,” Diont says. “It is not like the creature with many fat legs. It is a softer meat. Dark and flavorful.”

  “My love,” Atan says and brings a piece of the meat to my mouth. I close down on his fingers, making sure to suck them clean as I did his cock earlier.

  “Goddess, that’s hot,” Diont mutters.

  Atan and I laugh, but suddenly, it’s not funny. The tension has thickened between the three of us, and I know what we will be doing after the meal. But even at that, there is a pang of sadness. I wonder if I will be able to pull this off with my people.

  * * * * *

  As soon as we are back at the village I am summoned by the leader of the surface dwellers, First King Drakar, and the elders.

  “Do you wish for us to go with you?” Atan growls, ever protective.

  I have a feeling I know what this is about. “No, I’ll be fine. I’ll come find you.” I kiss one, then the other, and leave my males standing in the main cave as I follow the messenger down the passageways.

  When I enter the cave where they wait, the rulers are seated in a circle. Only Drakar stands.

  “It is time to bring you home, Eretar,” Drakar says gently. “Would you like to be escorted by Diont and Atan?”

  I nod, grateful for more time with my two. “Yes, I would.”

  “They can bring back whomever they wish upon your direction. After the next party is given our language and is ready to return home, we will take the long route with them and show them the vessel that had abducted us. It is important for everyone to know the dangers of other species.”

  “Agreed. I wish I had been able to see it.” I know my voice sounds longing because I am eager to learn as much as possible here.