Ileus: The Dark Prince

Fuchsia praised Olivia a lot. "She is taken care of Kaizan in a way you can't imagine." 

Kaia's eyes brimmed with tears. She had never thought that her daughter would eventually end up getting wedded to her mate. She was so sure that Olivia was going in a den of vipers that her days and nights were plagued about the thoughts of her well-being. So, when Fuchsia proposed that she wanted to go along with Bernice to Silver Vales to see Olivia, she was more than happy. She thought that with Bernice, Olivia would be able to bear the whole situation, and Fuchsia would oversee if Olivia was mistreated. Ever since they had left, Kaia was waiting for them to return and tell how Olivia was doing. 

Kaia held Fuchsia's hands and squeezed them. "Thank you for looking after my daughter, Fuchsia. I am so indebted to you." 

Fuchsia chuckled. "This is nothing, sister. I would have gone to the other end of the world to see whether my Olivia was doing fine or not." 

Kaia couldn't contain herself as emotions overwhelmed her. She embraced her sister tightly and gazed at her husband. She mouthed a thank you to him. Vaarin's grin converted in a laughter. A genuine laughter which eluded him from the past ten days. The peace treaty that he had been working on for a long time couldn't have gone any better. "I think the Whiteclaw pack needs a proper celebration." 

Fuchsia removed herself from Kaia. She turned her face to Vaarin and said, "Of course! But I have a suggestion." 

"And that is?" he asked. 

"You must call Olivia and Kaizan over here for the celebrations. Last time, the tension between our packs was so high that none of us enjoyed it. Now that things have eased, we should have the new couple amongst us." 

Bernice's eyes flew wide. What the hell was her mother doing? Had she gone mad? What if Olivia told them about the vow? She glared at her mother for keeping her mouth shut, but Fuchsia was in no mood. 

She continued, "After all, now that we know that they are mates, it only makes sense that the relations between the Silver Vales and Whiteclaw pack are strengthened. And you must invite all the members of the pack in the celebrations." 

"You are right!" Kaia exclaimed. "We must call them for the celebrations." She looked at her husband with hope in her eyes. When he didn't speak a word, she said, "How about we call them for private celebrations?"

"But mother—," Bernice protested when she saw that things were going out of hand. "It's only been ten days of the marriage. You should give them privacy. Since we already know that they are mates, we can call them any other time." She glared at her mother to be quiet. 

However, Fuchsia hushed her daughter. "You don't know anything, Bernice. Stay quiet and don't speak in between when elders are speaking." 

Bernice's mouth fell to the floor. Panic seized her chest as blood drained from her face. 

Fuchsia pushed Vaarin. "I suggest that you call them in two weeks. By that time Olivia will be well settled and be able to come to easily. General Kaizan is a rich man. Not only is he the second in command to King Dmitri, he has vast groves which need his constant attention. I am sure that sparing time would be difficult for him. When I was there, I rarely saw him at home." 

Vaarin nodded. A thought later, he slapped his thigh and said, "I am going to invite them to come next week!" He knew that Kaia was eager to meet Olivia and so was he. 

Kaia's lips curled up. After a long time in her life, she was genuinely happy. "Great!" she exclaimed. "I will start preparing for their visit." 

Fuchsia waited till everyone became quiet and then in a very serious note, she said, "There is one more favor I wanted from you, Vaarin."

Vaarin raised his eyebrow and tilted his head. "Ask away Fuchsia." He was in a lovely mood and he could grant her a kingdom if he had one. 

Fuchsia looked at Bernice in a forlorn way. "I want to get Bernice married to one of your best men out there. Ever since Olivia went to Silver Vales, I feel it will be difficult for me to part from my daughter. And so, I would love it if she stays close to me." She turned to gaze at Vaarin. "Do you know of anyone?" 

A crease came on Vaarin's forehead. He pondered for a while and then said, "One of my units will be coming back next week. They had gone to check on the rogues in the trade path. Their Captain is a nice boy. If you like, we can go for him." 

Bernice gnashed her teeth. A Captain? Not even the son of one of his councilmen. 

"That's lovely!" Fuchsia said with a smile. "We can arrange for their meeting." 

All the way back to her home, Bernice fought with her mother. "I will never marry a Captain. He must be earning a paltry amount. And all the time he would be going out for patrolling." 

Fuchsia glowered at Bernice and snapped, "You will do exactly as I say, Bernice. If you jeopardize this, I will personally force you into this marriage!" 

--- 

Tasha reached the house where Murtagh was. As soon as she got down from the horse, a soldier came to hold its reins. "How is the prisoner today?" she asked as she strode on the cobblestone pathway that led to the entrance. 

"He injured a guard in a tussle," said the soldier, gritting his teeth. 

"Why did he do that?" she asked. 

"There was an issue with food! You must report this to the queen. Murtagh is getting out of hand. This is the third time in a month he has done this."

Tasha stopped and placed her hands on her hips. She knew that the food in question was something which Murtagh used to make poison. Nervous on the inside, she put up her emotionless face forward. "I am here to manage it. You don't go around troubling the queen on a tussle about food!" 

"Then tackle him!" The soldier sneered and took the horse away. 

Tasha exhaled heavily. She shook her head and walked inside. Maybe they have to find another way to message her. When she reached inside, she found that the main room was empty. Smell of grilled bacon, roasted chicken and steak with peas and gravy wafted in the air. She followed the smell and reached in the kitchen to find that he was cooking food with nothing but an apron. The table was ready with more food including grilled salmon with lemon and herb seasoning and dressed side salad. The man was sexy as hell. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his torso. "You don't have to make so much noise to call me." 

Murtagh kept the ladle down, wiped his hands and turned. His cock was tenting the apron. "The noise was not to only call you, but it was to treat you to good food." He cupped her face and kissed her lightly. "Any information about Kaizan?" he asked. 

"A lot." 

--- 

Today's song choice: "Turn Off the Lights" by Teddy Pendergrass, suggested by Janice Pickens