A King to be Feared by Brea Alepoú

Contracts were drawn up,and both Gin and Kyo signed them. Gin’s eyes constantly strayed to Titos, and he tried more than once to get closer to him. Seth could tell Titos wanted to get close to the man just as badly.

Like the others, there was no jealousy, just acceptance. Maybe it had to do with Titos being a soul eater instead of a regular edoli, but they all felt a connection with him, and when another joined, it didn’t feel as if one was being kicked to the side.

Seth checked the time and walked over to Titos. He lounged on the couch in the library, a book in hand. He leaned against Adom, who brought his work in the room to be next to their master.

Seth bent down and placed a kiss on Tito’s forehead. Bright green eyes stared back at him. They were filled with so much love and affection. Seth couldn’t help himself as he kissed Titos. Their tongues danced together in a familiar way before Seth forced himself to pull back.

Titos was left breathless, and it brought a grin to Seth’s face.

“I’m going to switch with Kail and Adom in about an hour and switch with Mazki in the sky. Kyo is setting up the border now, but we don’t want to take any chances,” Seth said.

Titos sighed. “Can’t wait till the border is fully up so that all of you are in here with me.”

Adom glanced up from his papers again, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly. “Soon.” There was so much promise and conviction in such a simple word. Seth felt them deep within.

Alfrik made his way into the library, and Seth clasped a hand on his shoulder. The man was a few inches taller than him, but ever since their duel for alpha, Alfrik had seemed content with things. He followed Seth with no complaints.

Seth: Watch over him.

Alfrik: And Gin?

Seth glanced over his shoulder at Gin. He sat in the window seat with a book in hand, but his golden gaze was solely focused on Titos. He’d flip a few pages, but Seth doubted he was reading. He’d started on the far couch a ways from Titos, but now he was only a few feet from him. The next seat was either the floor or the same couch as Titos.

Seth: Make your best judgment. Titos feels a connection with him, and so far it seems as if all he wants to do is be near him.

Alfrik by far was the kindest out of all of them. He might have come to them with a hard exterior, but once he’d been accepted and he realized what they were about, his true personality had shown. A gentle giant.

Seth nodded and took one more glance at his master before walking out. He hated having to leave his side, but how could he expect the others to if he wasn’t willing to as well. It was only fair as the alpha to lead by example. He never wanted to be like other alphas who only gave orders and never assisted the keepers under them. That would never be their dynamic. With Titos being different, it meant Seth didn’t have to follow the dated way of life. The very one that would have made them more like competition instead of his lovers. He could trust each and every single one of them fully.

“Kail, you can go in and get some rest,” Seth said.

Kail rubbed at his eyes and shrugged. “Yeah, probably a good idea.”

Seth grabbed the young man’s arm before he was able to walk away. Kail’s blue eyes looked back at him, and his thick brow went up in question. Seth was a man who followed their instincts. He pulled Kail to his chest and hugged him. They were all unexpectedly drawn to Titos, but there was a special bond between each other as well.

Kail was stiff for a second before he melted into the hug, and his arms slowly wrapped around Seth’s waist. They stood there for a little bit longer, basking in each other’s embrace.

“Thanks, but I’m not glass,” Kail said.

Even as he said it, his arms tightened around Seth. “Yeah, I know you aren’t.”

Kail sighed. “I feel like I should be madder than I actually am. And yet here I am mad that I’m mad.”

Seth pulled back from the hug. “Walk with me.”

Kail nodded, and they began to walk the path already. Seth could feel a slight difference around the perimeter of the house.

“You’re not wrong for feeling that. Most edoli would feel it too. Although we are more accustomed to sharing than most humans, when it comes to our master, keepers become more possessive in a way.”

Kail nodded his understanding. “So, what, it just disappears once an edoli Titos likes comes around?”

Seth thought about it. “Huh, kind of. I don’t think it feels different than any other edoli approaching Titos. Sure, we initially keep the other edoli back, but that’s because that’s what we all have been taught, but if you sit back and think about it, when Alfrik joined us, it took no time at all. He fit in with us.”

Seth’s gaze took in their surroundings. He placed an arm around Kail’s shoulder and leaned on him. He caught sight of Kail’s sly grin, his long hair up in a bun.

“You weren’t serious about me getting a spanking too, right?” Kail asked.

A soft chuckle slipped from Seth. “Are you asking because you really don’t want that or because you’re curious?”

Kail groaned, and Seth felt along their bond. It was strange—he’d always thought he’d only have a bond with his master, but here he was sharing one with four other men and possibly five. Kail’s felt strangely similar to Titos’s, and he pulled Seth closer, beckoned him to deepen their bond.

“Both?” Kail said.

Seth hummed. “Well, if you really don’t want one, then that’s fine, but as of right now, yes, I was very much serious.” He gripped Kail’s chin and stopped their movement. He stared into his endless blue eyes before caving and kissing him. Seth kept it short, but it was just as intimate. “Go get some rest.”

Seth walked the rest of the perimeter, and the sun started to go down. His eyes adjusted thanks to his manticore wolf. He noticed that his eyesight in the dark was improving even more. Another thing to thank his master for.

Something glowed bright in the forest. Seth approached slowly, his wolf ready to attack if need be, but the moment he saw them clearly, his shoulders dropped. Liby and Kyo stood close, sharing an intimate conversation. He didn’t want to be rude and stepped back only for a crack to echo around the otherwise quiet area.

Liby’s blue eyes went right to Seth, and her hand rested firmly on her sword. The moment she recognized him, she relaxed somewhat. Seth wasn’t sure if she really knew how to relax.

“Sorry about that. Just walking the perimeter,” Seth said.

Kyo chuckled. “Yeah, and a little spying.” She turned and hammered something into the trunk of the tree. “The barrier will be up shortly. Should be done overnight. The larger one is going to take some time. There is a weak one already up, but I’ll have to take it down and start from scratch so it can be tied to Titos directly.”

Seth nodded. “Sounds good. Then we will continue to rotate. Liby, you will stay with Kyo.”

Liby slightly bowed her head, but it was Kyo who sported a smile. “If I wasn’t being paid for this job, I might be tempted to draw it out.”

Seth shook his head.

“That is unprofessional and a waste of time,” Liby said matter-of-factly.

Kyo rolled her eyes. “Not a waste. I’d be spending it with you.”

The words looked to go right over Liby’s head. Seth cleared his throat before either one of them could go further into it. He excused himself and continued to walk around, making sure that the place his master called home was safe as could be.