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The Seduction of Seleste

from the world of the mating season

The Price of Heartache

Chapter 31

When Ahote left them, Seleste was so frightened, she couldn't move. Keme backed off and just sat, as if he didn't know what to do either. He helped Seleste sit up, and after stroking her mane sadly behind her shoulder, he closed his arms around her. She huddled in his lap, her cheek against his shoulder, and her frightened gray eyes remained fixed on the curtain through which Ahote had only just passed.

"What are we going to do?" Keme said after a long pause. "And do I get to snap his neck yet?"

Seleste laughed in spite of everything. She pulled back and looked up at him, and her eyes crinkled up with laughter. "Keme! No! He figured out who you are - somehow - but . . . but he didn't do anything."

"Besides have sex with us."

The weak tone in Keme's voice made Seleste look at him quickly. Her lips twisted in a smile and she smoothed her paw over his chest. "So you like both? When did this happen?" She laughed when Keme blushed furiously across the scalp under his fur.

Keme looked away gruffly. Awww, he was embarrassed. How cute! Seleste tried not to laugh at his awkwardness. She rose and began to dress instead, all the while wondering why it was so difficult for males to accept their sexuality. Being with Talisa had awoken Seleste to incredible new ways of knowing pleasure and it hadn't frightened her at all. But Keme . . . he was so ashamed. She glanced at him furtively as she was dressing. His green eyes looked upon her miserably, and she couldn't understand why: Ahote hadn't seemed angry in the slightest.

"You liked it with Ahote?" Seleste said, her back to him. "It's okay, Keme. Stop looking so guilty!" She turned and couldn't believe the strained look on his face. What was going on in that head of his? He looked as wretched as if they were married and he had cheated on her!

"What happens now?" Keme said as Seleste tied on her top. "You go find Talisa and we get out of here?" He climbed to his feet and just stood watching her.

Seleste shook her head. "No. I should talk to him. I can't just walk out of here without --"

Keme's face twisted. "Why the hell not? You don't owe him anything, you're not in love with him - are you?" He swallowed hard and stared at Seleste searchingly.

Seleste squirmed under his piercing gaze. "Just because I'm not in love with him doesn't mean I should have no regard for his feelings!" she cried. "Keme, Ahote loves me! Before you were brought in, he and I were content to live our lives together, and now suddenly, I'm just going to walk out on our marriage - the least I can do --"

"I understand, I understand . . ." Keme said darkly and squeezed his eyes shut. He rolled his eyes to the ceiling as he said, "I guess if you were dumping me, I'd want you to be nice about it."

Seleste laughed as she came to him. She pressed her paw to his chest and looked up at him happily. "Thank you for understanding."

Keme nodded moodily and looked away.

"I'm sorry, Keme," Seleste said, smoothing her paw up to his neck. She hugged him tight and buried her face in his shoulder. She was glad when he hesitated, but held her back. "I was so certain I'd never see you again . . . if I'd had any idea you were alive --"

"Seleste," Keme said wearily. "I'm not angry. I promise."

Seleste laughed: the way he spoke through his fangs said he was anything but not angry.

"Honest," Keme insisted when she looked up at him skeptically. "It's not like we were married or . . . or I had any claim on you --"

"Why wouldn't you have a claim to me?" Seleste looked at him searchingly. "Is this because of Honia? What did he tell you?" Seleste pulled back to study Keme. God, why didn't she realize it? For all she knew, Honiahaka had told Keme that he and Seleste were intended. He seemed to think they were, anyhow. He'd been prancing around planning their wedding since they were pups.

The mention of Honiahaka made Keme's eyes cloud over and the look of guilt returned.

"What is it you're not telling me?" Seleste demanded. "It's something about Honia, isn't it!"

"It's nothing," Keme snapped and glowered. He gestured angrily at the curtain. "Go and talk to your husband!" He glanced again at her womb, and Seleste stood very still.

Did Keme really think she was carrying Ahote's child? And why was he so determined to think so? Hadn't they enough on their minds with trying to leave this place? God, if only she could get in his head! But as ever, he threw his walls up in her face and would not answer her when she questioned him further.

Fed up, Seleste marched from the room, her breasts and jewelry bouncing. Keme was acting so strange. Rubbing her womb, refusing to have sex with her, trying so desperately not to come inside - he hadn't cared at all back in the sun village! He came inside her the night they slept with Talisa, and because a silent understanding had passed between them that they were now together, it had only seemed like a minor mistake to him. Now he was acting as if coming inside her were catastrophic! Something that had been so inconsequential to Keme before was now earth shattering.

Maybe Keme was frightened she would get with his child. The thought had never crossed Seleste's mind. After all, she wasn't frightened of bearing Keme's pup. To bear pups would have been her life anyhow - she was a princess.

Her lips tight with anger, Seleste stormed up the hall with her mane streaming, her tail swishing, and ignored the respectful bowing of the corridor guards. She knew where Ahote would be: every morning before his audiences, he took a stroll on the surface among his subjects. He loved to see the children run and play, he told her. And after her escape attempt restricted her to the palace, he began to bring her flowers from the surface each day.

After ascending a long flight of earthen stairs, Seleste reached the large double doors that barred the way to the surface. The two guards standing either side bowed to her and opened them. After the gloom of the underground palace, the sunlight was blinding. Seleste had to stand for a moment to let her eyes adjust, and the delicious scent of grass, flowers, and trees washed over her as the laughter of children met her ears.

Seleste stepped into the sunlight and heard the doors close behind her. She sighed. It would be so hard to leave this beautiful place and its golden fields, its flowers, its trees. She could see slender females gathering fruit in baskets, breastfeeding pups, laughing together in small groups as their children clung to their legs. Small pups darted, crawled, leapt, and ran through the grass, and somewhere in the distance, a wolf was playing the flute.

Seleste instinctively followed the sound. She knew Ahote loved music and that it was likely he was somewhere in the fields, listening to this flute player. She passed through the scattered crowds of wolves, and this time she smiled sincerely when they bowed to her, lovingly touched the heads of the pups who clung to her tail, and waved in greeting at the females who called to her. They were so happy, the plains wolves. Seleste was starting to wonder if the summer wolves wouldn't benefit from magical seclusion when she noticed the flute player. He was seated alone on a hill, and behind him, a tall thin tree stretched white to the bright blue sky. The white tree was bursting with pale orange leaves, and the leaves broke away to dance across the sky in the wind. It took Seleste a moment to realize the flute player was Ahote.

"Good. You came," grinned Ahote when Seleste had climbed the hill to him. He sat in the grass with his knees open, and his skirt fell back against his thighs, revealing the thick cock underneath. The feathers on his cape lifted in the wind as his muscular body eased back against the tree. He played idly with the flute as Seleste sat carefully at his side.

"Of course, I came," Seleste said, gazing off at the running children in the distance. She sat with her legs folded thigh to thigh, her silk skirt flowing open around her hip. The breeze lifted her mane and she smiled when Ahote brushed it back from her face and kissed her cheek.

"It must be so hard for you," he said, "breaking my heart."

Seleste looked at him quickly. "Ahote . . ."

"I know," he said over her. "You know how I know? Before I sentenced Hiamovi, she tried to strike a deal with me. Said she had some very interesting information regarding you. I told her I was listening - though I still had every intention of sending her to the Beyond. She confessed that she had eavesdropped on you with the slave. Apparently, you knew him! Knew him and were planning to escape _with him! Well, it _was interesting information, indeed. But I had her beheaded regardless." He touched Seleste's cheek tenderly as he said, "No one threatens my wife."

Seleste's lashes lowered miserably.

Ahote cleared his throat and examined his flute.

"I'm sorry I lied to you," Seleste said to her lap. She lifted her head and said in earnest, "I was scared you would hurt Keme! And I had no idea that he was alive when I married you --!"

Ahote laughed humorlessly. "Or that he would so conveniently wind up on our doorstep. Funny how life works, isn't it?"

"Hilarious," Seleste said dispassionately, and Ahote laughed.

"Oh, Seleste," he said with a sad smile. "I'm really going to miss you."

Seleste gazed at him sadly through the strands of mane that slapped across her eyes. "So you're letting me go?"

Ahote shrugged moodily and gazed off into the distance. "You were always free to go. Those manacles were pure despite, you know that. You deserve better than a rotten bastard like me. I used you - selfishly and without regret. I used you to gain the throne; I used you in some fumbling attempt to discover love . . ."

"Ahote --"

"I did," he insisted. "I know I did. You're too good for this place. I need a wife as despicable as I - and as cunning."

"Hey!"

Ahote laughed when Seleste punched him in the arm. They looked at each other and smiled.

"And I don't regret using you," Ahote said. His golden eyes bore into hers helplessly. "Not for a second."

Seleste looked away. "Don't look like that - please."

"Why? Should I pretend not to care to make things easier for you? Perhaps you're as selfish as I after all."

"Shut up."

Ahote laughed.

"But you were a good friend," Seleste told him. "For a while."

Ahote leaned back against the tree again, regarding Seleste fondly. "You know the three of you can't leave unless I open the way, right?"

Seleste frowned. She could smell a proposition on the air. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I want a final night of passion before you go." He fingered his flute idly, not looking at her.

Seleste smirked at him. Typical.

"With Keme."

Seleste stiffened. "What!"

Ahote grinned. "I want to fuck Keme. Or perhaps he'll fuck me."

Seleste's face hardened. "We _just _had sex with him! Isn't that enough?"

"Ah. We. The key word there is we. I don't want there to _be _a we."

"But why Keme!" Seleste demanded angrily.

Ahote grinned at her indignation.

"Stop grinning about it, you bastard!"

Ahote laughed again. "Hmm. Why? Why. Because he's gorgeous. Because I'll never see another male as deliciously exquisite again." He leaned close to Seleste's ear and whispered, "Because he's the one thing you don't want me to have."

Seleste folded her arms and jerked away.

"Didn't you think there was a price _for breaking my heart?" Ahote asked her in much amusement. "Come now, Seleste. I've given you everything. I saved you from the slavers and in essence gave you your life back. I've given you my love, my home, fine jewelry, wine, and food. You've lived pampered and spoiled and adored here. You took vows to stay with me _forever - then decided to leave me. I _think _you owe me this one little thing - though there's nothing little at all about your delectable lover, is there?"

Seleste bit her lip. What was she going to say? Ahote was right.

"But . . ." Seleste said miserably. "What if Keme won't do it?"

"Oh, he will," said Ahote, still looking amused. He continued to examine his flute and stroked it lovingly. "He'll do anything you ask him to."

"Why do you say that?" Seleste snapped, her head wagging.

Ahote smiled at her anger. "Because he's a slave to you."