Bride of Alvar (Redemption Saga, Book 1) Chapter 33

I wish I could hang on to this moment forever. Bathing with Alvar is so surreal. I had no idea I’d ever experience this kind of love for someone. 

The sensation of his strong, muscled arms around me from behind in the ornate tub in his room is heaven, and the warm water soothes my body.

Yet my anxious thoughts cannot be contained even by this bliss.

“What are we going to do?” I ask softly, taking Alvar’s hand and pressing it to my lips. I am determined I want to do this everyday for the rest of my life. Which may only last a few more days if we don’t figure out something…

“You are quite appetizing like this, all wet and slippery, I think we should see how good you taste,” Alvar answers, and he kisses the back of my neck, his teeth lightly grazing my skin.

I smile at his compliment, but I can’t erase the overwhelming shadow of doom I see over everything.

Even this perfection.

“Am I just going to die?” I ask without looking at him.

“No, I forbid that from happening.” Alvar tenses at my words and grips my upper arms from behind in a protective kind of way.

“How can you say you forbid that from happening? You soon will have no choices left. I love you, more than anything I’ve ever loved, but I don’t know how I can save this world. How can I do anything to stop Saul? I’m just a helpless woman from earth.” I let it off my chest finally.

“Lucy, I don’t know the answer, but I do know you’re not helpless. I pray it comes to you, but for now… I just want to be near you.” He nuzzles into my hair, his breath lightly tickling my ear.

“I do too,” I whisper. I turn in his arms, and press my breasts against his hard chest. “Kiss me.”

His lips are on mine before I can say anything else.

“I’ll do more than kiss you,” he growls between our kisses and firmly grasps my hips in his hands to place me astride him.

A while later we are both wrapped in each other and fur blankets on his floor by the fireplace. I am enjoying this simple moment until I notice his eyes turn red. He abruptly gets up and walks to the window, magnificently naked. I languidly watch him with appreciation and stretch against the soft furs with a pleasant moan.

“What’s going on, baby?” I ask him breathlessly.

“That word again. Baby.” He laughs and turns his head to look at me with teasing skepticism.

“It’s an Earth expression. You know, like ‘hey, baby, you’re so sεﾒy’.” I try to defend, but laugh with him. I guess such a word would sound strange to someone never having heard it used that way.

“Still not making much sense to me,” he says amusedly.

“How should I address you?” I ask, rolling my eyes dramatically.

“‘My love’ is fine,” He says with a shrug, but then he gets a playful sparkle in his eyes which have gone back to normal, “or my king.”

“Alright then, your majesty, how may I serve the king?” I laugh and move my body, letting him get an explicit view of my nakedness.

Alvar growls and pounces on me pressing me against the furs, swiftly bringing me against his strong body in a kiss and making me shiver with happiness. His hands are on my body, touching and exploring every part of me, making me squirm with desire.

My fingers curl against the muscles of his back. He lowers his head to my belly, running his tongue up along my side, tickling my skin so I shudder. Then he’s presses his tongue over the curve of my breast, finding its sensitive center and making my back arch at the hot sensation. A moan escapes my lips. His gaze rises to mine and I realize his eyes have begun glowing red again.

Alvar draws back, taking the wonderful heat of his body away from me, and closes his eyes, rubbing his temple. “In about five minutes I’m going to belong to my Curse.”

“Then go, I’ll be here waiting for you,” I say with an understanding smile.

“I’m going to tell them, Lucy,” he says.

“Tell them what?” I call after him with a giggle at his abrupt change of subject.

“My people. All of Underlund. They need to know the truth.”

*

“I’ve called you all here today because I have been alerted to grave news that will affect all of you,” Alvar announces. “The malevolent tyrant, Saul, is returning and will once again try to oppress you, my people. But I cannot save you from the monster he controls. I cannot protect your families as I’ve promised to.”
There were terrified murmurs among the people and a desire to run up and hold Alvar’s hand is strong as I sit in the front bench of the chapel where he is declaring the imminent threat.

“The truth is, my good people, I am undeserving to be your king as what I am is a facade.

Many of you do not believe in magic and I understand this sentiment, how can we believe in something that has no scientific grounds? But I do believe in magic and the supernatural, as I’ve witnessed it’s power in myself. There are forces at work in our world and in the worlds outside of our realm that cannot be explained by science or even our transient logic.

I’m deeply indebted to you for accepting me and allowing me to do what I can. But you have never been free of the monster Saul used to enslave you for I–” He stopped and the entire room falls silent.

“I am that monster. Before you come at me with weapons drawn, let me first explain my story.

I was enslaved to Saul just as you all were. True, I was the instrument of his death dealing, but I had no choice. My family threw me out of my home when I was but a young lad when they discovered I carried the Curse. Saul found me and saw me as a way to get what he wanted. He placed a Fe collar on me. For all of you who do not know, a Fe collar is a device of dark, evil magic. Whoever holds the key to the Fe collar can control the one who wears it. I never told you of my origins because I was afraid if I did you would shun me and stop my mission to use my Curse to free Underlund once again.”
There are some people who rise from their seats, they start crying insults, but the rest remain hushed and some even hold the ones angered back. I’m surprised at this.

“I want to give you the gift of preparation. It is the last gift I can give you. You must flee this palace as Saul shall return and again take me under his control and use me to destroy the good people here. I wish it wasn’t so. I would end my own life if I could, but as a Cursed, I am unable to do that. I beg you, if you know of a way to kill a Cursed to begin preparations. For I will not be able to stop myself once Saul has returned.”