This is ridiculous." Jackson said as soon as they were gone, "She made her demands so high that we really only have one option."
"We could make a list of counter demands." Alonzo argued.
"And then we are here for months, because we all know what she really wants." Emiko countered.
"You could always just mate her and refuse to acknowledge them as citizens." Jackson said.
Kazuhiko scoffed, "If you think she would do that, then you do not know her very well."
"She would keep her kingdom for herself even if he was her mate?" Jackson asked, clearly unconvinced.
"My Mom will protect what is hers. She always has." Shippo said softly.
"We cannot trust these people. We just went to war with them." Jackson growled.
"It won't be easy." Emiko argued, "But we would grow twice in size. The amount of gold the East has—the amount of resources."
"The South will protest." Jackson said
"And with the East and West combined we are almost equal in size to the South." Emiko rebutted.
It was difficult for him to keep his face under control. To show no interest. He wanted the bitch for himself, but he would not force his council to make that decision. They would, eventually, default to his judgment. But he had to lead them to it, to have them be make the decision to keep her without him forcing their hand. He would have her one way or another. After all of this, he had to have her.
"And the Kingdom of Reckton." It was a kingdom to the west of the West.
"And many others." Kazuhiko argued, sounding exasperated and making it clear that they shouldn't list all of the kingdoms that would be larger.
"We could always put it off. Counter with naming the same heir for both kingdoms, so Kazuhiko would be the first to rule both." Emiko said.
"Why would we do that?" Jackson asked.
"It's just another option."
"My lord?" Alonzo asked, turning to Sesshomaru, "What do you think?"
"We are debating on whether to become one stronger country or stay two separate ones." Sesshomaru said, raising an eyebrow. Sesshomaru was glad he was sitting down and for his pants because he was hard with need of her. His mokomoko that had returned to him snuggled up around him. Kagome was an excellent bitch; she was making his kingdom twice as strong.
Fuck. He wanted her.
"We know how you feel about Lady Kagome." Lord Alonzo said, "I can't help but think it is clouding your judgment with your decision."
His eyes flashed red as he turned to the Lord, "I know how much work will be ahead. Combining two kingdoms is no easy task. But by saying no, we are saying no to power. We are saying no to a challenge." He grinned and watched Alonzo squirm in his seat, "I don't say no to a challenge."
"Doesn't she know this about you?" Alonzo asked.
Sesshomaru chuckled, making half his advisors take a step back. Fear was emitting off of them, except for his sons who stood strong, "Yes, she does."
"So we accept and she gets everything she wants?" Alonzo asked.
"I get everything I want." Sesshomaru said with a growl, "Does anyone disagree with me?"
"I think you should—I want to Lord along the southern part of the East along the ocean." Jackson joked with a smile.
"I support your choice, milord." Emiko said softly
Alonzo huffed a negative response, his decision clear.
"So, you will mate the Eastern Queen?" Jackson asked, "And start one country?"
"Yes." Sesshomaru said.
"When do you want to tell her?" Emiko asked.
"In the meeting tomorrow." Alonzo said, "No reason why we can't make them sweat for a bit."
"No, we tell them today." Sesshomaru said.
"I will bring them back." Kazuhiko said.
And so Sesshomaru waited.
He could wait a bit longer.
It did seem like forever for them to gather back.
It took forever to exchange pleasantries again.
They all sat down at the table.
"Have you come to a decision?" Ghazi asked.
"We have agreed to become one kingdom under King Sesshomaru and your Queen. We agree to the mating." Alonzo said.
"When will the date be set? I am aware inu mate quickly." Ghazi asked.
"Tonight? After the ball?" Alonzo asked.
"We agree."
"May I have a word with Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked, she had never sat down.
"Of course, Lady Queen." Alonzo said standing.
Sesshomaru sat and watched all of them leave. And when the door was shut, it was still quiet.
"Sesshomaru?" She called softly, and he looked up at her, "Is this ok?"
He stood up and moved around the table quickly, "I would mate you this second if that is what they agreed to."
"I just—I know you don't like to be forced into your decisions." She said with a small grin.
"Any decision that gets me closer to you, isn't a decision at all." He swore.
She blushed, "You are romantic when you want to be."
He laughed, it was a true laugh, kissing her head.
"Come on." He said leading her out, and when they did, they found all of the advisors outside the room.
"We were just—making sure you weren't mating—now." Ghazi said.
"You are an awful liar, General." Kagome said with a raised eyebrow, "Now, if you all don't mind, I have a ball to prepare for."
She had much to do, people to look after. She had a long discussion with Edward in which she passed Neil's duties on to him until Neil was in a better state to run things.
"Lady Queen?" Edward asked in her office. She was trying to think of it as 'hers' now. She had made some adjustments, sold some of the expensive pieces, but she had kept some too. It felt more like her own now than Richard's.
"Yes?" She asked.
"May I speak about my brother's state of mind?" He asked.
Kagome nodded.
"My brother has two sides of himself. One who is humble and remembers his suffering, and the prince who is snobby, entitled, and a true son of Richard. He had it much worse than I did, and I fear—I fear his mental state if he is given a stressful assignment. Perhaps he may be able to in sometime, but it has been too soon." Edward said.
"And you, Edward? Can you handle this post?"
"I am not sure, Lady Queen." He said honestly, "I know I will try my hardest every day, and I can't promise to learn everything as quickly as I should. But know I will try hard."
"That is all I will ask of you, Lord Edward."
"Milady?" Another male general walked in the door. His name was Murad. He was about as goofy as he was brilliant.
"Murad, what can I do for you?" She asked.
"Mate me instead of that old inu." He said with a smile, and she knew he was teasing her. He was about as old as they come for yokai.
"Hm," She said with a smile, "Don't tempt me."
He chuckled, smoke coming out of his nostrils as he did, "I heard you were to mate him, I feel sorry for the poor bastard."
"You should." Kagome said with a laugh, "I hope you don't take this the wrong way, Murad, but how are you still alive? I would think Lord Richard wouldn't like someone like you."
He laughed loudly, "Ah, the bastard hated me. But I am loved by many, so he had to keep me alive."
"Couldn't he just exile you?"
"And risk me joining the West?" He chuckled, "No, he wouldn't dare."
"Very clever." Kagome complemented.
"I have come to warn you, Lady Queen. There are many in court who are angry with you for freeing the slaves. There are many who wish to have your head."
"The crown employed eighty percent of the slaves." Kagome said with a frown.
"And the remaining twenty percent kept many Lords very wealthy."
"Who?" Kagome asked.
Murad slid a list of five names over to her, "I suggest whipping them into shape quickly."
"I will." Kagome promised.
"Though I have a feeling once you mate, they might back down. Sesshomaru's reputation precedes him."
Kagome smiled, "It would be fun to set Sesshomaru on them. But I think I will handle this personally."
"Why?" He asked.
Kagome smiled at him, and if she could see herself, she would have thought she looked like Sesshomaru when he was about to kill someone, "Because, he can't have all the fun."
"Mom!" Shippo said, sliding into her room.
"Shippo!" She said back.
"Why are you napping?" He asked, jumping into her bed and crawling up to her.
"Because this party tonight is going to go late."
"And you are going to be up late." He said suggestively.
"Shippo!"
"Mom!" He said back, big grin on his face.
"Are you ready to go back home?" She asked.
"Yes. Dragons are not very fun to play with." He said with a grin.
"Why?"
"Inu react—dragons are slow." He said with a pout.
"I might have to be here awhile."
He sighed dramatically, "Then I guess I'll deal with the dragons."
"Milady?" A servant came in one whom Kagome didn't recognize, "Cala sent me. I am here to get you ready for the ball."
Kagome put on a white satin dress with a plunging neckline that ended just above her navel.
"I think I am seeing a trend in the dresses." Kagome said with a frown.
"You refuse to go topless, your grace." The servant said with a small smile, as she wasn't wearing a top.
The white gown synched together just above her belly button and fell elegantly to the floor. Her hair was slicked back with her golden crown on top of her head.
Her fingers went along her diamond and gold encrusted necklace.
"You chose that as your symbol?" Shippo asked. She had to choose today the symbol of her dynasty. It would be combined with Sesshomaru's when they mated to show the houses were united. She had poured over books with the man who was in charge of her library. He was a dreadfully thin old man who had been most unpleasant to her until he got warmed up.
In the end, she settled on an eye. She thought back on how she made her decision.
"It is the Eye of Ra, your grace." He explained in a soft voice that had the tone of a teacher, "It is one of the old gods of the sun. He is to protect over us, keep us in good health."
"A good symbol for the start of a reign" Kagome said softly.
He agreed with her. She also didn't tell him that she liked being the sun.
Because Sesshomaru was the moon.
"Are you wearing a white dress because you are getting mated tonight?" Shippo asked.
"No, I don't pick out my dresses." Kagome said, looking at him in the mirror. He was wearing the full uniform of the West. His medals and accomplishments showing just how much he had truly done. Her eyes filled with tears before she could help it.
"Mom." He said softly.
"I can't help it, I am so proud of you." She said, turning from the mirror to looking at him.
He laughed before kissing her head, "I am proud of you too. I didn't think I would become royalty when I agreed to live with you." He said with a grin, "If Mom and Dad could see me now."
"They would be stupidly proud of you." Kagome said with tears in her eyes.
"Don't, you don't want to mess your make up for tonight."
"I can't believe I am going to mate Sesshomaru. I thought I never was going to."
"I can't believe it's taken this long." Shippo said with a grin.
She smiled faintly, "I wish my Mom and Dad could see me now too." Shippo had pulled her to a standing position.
"Maybe they are all watching us together."
She kissed his cheek, "You are too cute."
She reached the entrance hall where she bade goodbye to Shippo as he walked into the ballroom. He kissed her head lightly before composing himself and looking much more like a man than a boy before entering the room.
He had grown up so much.
When she entered the room after Shippo had been gone for a few minutes, the only person she saw was Sesshomaru. He was dressed in the full regalia of the West and his eyes burned into hers.
It took her a moment to realize everyone had stopped and was staring at her. There were hundreds of yokai there all waiting for her to say something.
"If you have heard rumors today about an upcoming mating, I am here to announce they are true. We will be uniting under one banner of the West." She smiled, "But if we are East and West, I suppose we will be the horizon. This is a momentous occasion, a historical one. And we will celebrate it as such. So drink all the wine you can muster, because my cellars are positively full of it. And my wine man tells me I had a great season, so I need to make room for more wine." She grinned, "Let us leave our concerns for tomorrow—maybe in the afternoon." People laughed and she walked down the steps.
Sesshomaru loved watching her interact with people. She was in a precarious position by being the new Queen, but she already had so many rallied around her. Ones who liked her were monitoring the ones who had been giving her trouble, and he knew she had not set anyone on it. She would not approve of them doing that, but people did it anyway.
She inspired those around her.
"You truly are blessed, Sesshomaru-sama." Emiko said softly by his side, "She is an amazing woman."
"I will be content when I can finally call her my own." Sesshomaru replied.
"She will be a much better Queen than Rachel." Emiko said softly. Sesshomaru tensed.
"I know. I know you don't like talking about her. And you know I was never a big fan of her." Emiko was overly outspoken about her dislike of Rachel. Granted, his father announcing their arranged mating is what caused Sesshomaru to break things off with Emiko, but Emiko had never been a fan, "But the only thing missing from Kagome is the fact that she is not an inu."
"No." Sesshomaru disagreed, "She is perfect."
"Many blessings to you, Lord King." An older dragon general walked up to him.
Sesshomaru nodded.
"I am Murad."
"I have battled you." Sesshomaru said, "A few hundred years ago."
Murad grinned, "You were a young pup then."
"Hn." Sesshomaru said, and turned to Kagome who was walking up.
"Murad, are you causing trouble?" Her voice glided and sounded like angels.
"No more than usual, when are you going to tell this fool you are running away with me?" Murad asked.
Sesshomaru stiffened, but he loosened as he watched Kagome laugh. Her head tilted back and her long black locks swayed, "Murad, I told you not to talk about that in front of him." She teased. But one look in her eyes showed how much love she held for Sesshomaru.
"Would you like to dance, Lady Queen?" Sesshomaru asked, holding out his hand.
"It would be my honor, Lord King." She replied with an easy smile, taking his outstretched hands as he led her to the dance floor. The music playing was easy to dance to as she took his hand.
He loved that the moment they started to move, she trusted him to lead her. She was an easy dance partner because she didn't want to go anywhere he wasn't going.
"Do you think they will stop watching?" Kagome whispered softly into his hear. It was just low enough where yokai wouldn't hear it over the music.
"Eventually." He answered.
He loved holding her this close. When she was this close to him, all the other smells in the room faded into the background, and he could only smell her. She smelt like morning dew in the summer and cinnamon.
"You do look beautiful." He complemented as people started to make their way to the dance floor and dance too. And people began talking again as well, so not everyone was watching their every move.
She blushed, "Thank you. I could do with one dress that didn't have an absurd neckline or scandalous cut out."
He chuckled, "I do think the red dress was my favorite."
"I think you are bias." She said with a raised eyebrow.
"How?" He asked, confused.
"I gave you a blow job in a linen closet wearing that dress." She said with a smirk.
Just thinking about it had him stiffening. She was skilled with that mouth of hers. Remembering her lips around his cock sent a jolt down his system.
"If you talk like that we won't be here very long." He said.
She frowned, "As much as I don't want to be here very long, I suppose we should make an effort."
He grinned, his fangs slipping out a bit, "For now." He said, letting her go because the dance was ending.
He kept an eye on her the entire night. Consciously choosing to stay away from her because he didn't think he could take the teasing. There was no way he could be inches away from her and not take her. His beast was slowly becoming loose. Knowing his desire was just hours away made it easy for him to break his chains.
On the outside, Sesshomaru looked almost bored with the entire evening. He talked who he needed to, and stood in conversations he had to. He danced with other people for appearances sake.
But all the while he was getting closer and closer to his goal.
When he noticed her starting to shift more on her feet because of her heals, he made a purposeful stride toward her. He didn't want her tired for tonight. He had looked forward to this for too damn long.
And he knew it was true for her too.
"Lady Queen." He called, stepping by her side and placing his hand on the small of her back.
"Have a nice evening, gentleman." She said with a smile.
"You have a better one." A young general goaded with a wink.
"You know I will." Kagome countered, and he was glad she wasn't embarrassed.
It wasn't the yokai way.
He lead her away but still careful to keep her gaze from too many eyes that were watching them.
It was well within his right to claim her as his mate publicly, but he didn't want that. Not for her. She was his. She had been his far longer than she had been theirs.
His fingers ran along her arm as they walked, and he watched her hips sway back and forth. He could smell her anticipation as they walked the empty hallways.
When he finally smelled her arousal he couldn't take it anymore.
He pulled her body to his as he pressed her against the wall. He was hard the second he pressed against her core. Kami, how he missed being inside her. She was wiggling against him because he had pinned her arms.
But he wanted her for himself.
His fangs went down her neck, and he loved the sound she made whenever he did that. It was somewhere between a moan and a gasp. Her hips ground against his, which he punished with a nip to her collarbone. Her body was arching, begging him to take her breasts into his mouth.
"Sessh—room." She growled.
He didn't want to lose the pressure of her up against his cock.
But it was only a few yards.
He pulled her off the wall only to slam her up against the door of her room.
"Ah!" She moaned, grounding her hips into his. Her hands suddenly began to claw at his clothes, "I want it off!" Her moves were frantic like she was being overcome with arousal.
He backed up off of her to take off his shirt, and she used the opportunity to open the door to her room and walk inside.
His beast merged with himself as he followed her, stalking his prey. He knew his eyes were red as he stared at her, his fangs slid over his lips. He walked up to her and quickly sliced off her dress.
And she was bare for him.
"Pants." She growled, taking them off with one push. He stepped out of them.
"On the bed." He demanded, though he wasn't sure if she understood it because it came out so feral.
He was glad she did what he said.
He was so hard that it was uncomfortable to watch her climb on top of the bed, her ass moving up as she looked over her shoulder at him before laying down and turning over. His breath was coming up short, and he was sure he wouldn't last long once inside of her.
His entire being called out to be inside of her.
Not to mention his beast yelling at him to mate her.
Bitch is finally ours. Bitch is FINALLY ours. He wasn't sure who was happier to be back with Kagome him or his beast. Mount bitch. Mount bitch.
He leaned down and finally pressed his naked body against hers and the feeling was nearly enough to make him come as a groan ripped out of him.
"Kagome." He whispered her name like a prayer, because that's what it was. She was a need. A necessity. His thigh went between her legs as he kissed her, hoping to show her how much she meant to him as his fingers pulled her tight to him. Her long legs wrapped around his waist and pulled him down to her.
He licked along her already sweaty neck. Right where he would mark her as his mate.
"I can't—please." She whispered, twisting beneath him to get what she needed as much as he did.
"Look at me." He ordered.
So her blue eyes turned to him. They were hazy with need, and met him with the same amount of passion that was in his eyes.
Her breaths were short as he looked at her.
He stared into her crystal blue eyes as he pushed into her. He always loved how her eyes widened slightly when he did and then tried to flutter shut. The feeling of being inside of her would never get tiring. She clung to him almost painfully, and his cock longed to drive into her. His every nerve endings were on fire as his aura expanded with hers to bind them in mating.
Grinding his hips into her, he hooked her legs higher as he pushed into her again.
Her head rolled back revealing her neck as she said his name.
"Again, again, again." She begged.
And so he pulled out slowly, so slowly because he didn't want to leave, and then pushed back into her again.
His breath caught in his throat at the feeling.
He couldn't take the slow pace much longer.
He pulled out again and pushed inside of her as he drew his fangs up her neck.
"Sesshomaru." She moaned so sensually that he thought he would come at the sound of her voice. Her inner muscles squeezed him as he pulled out, as if begging him not to leave.
"Kagome, fuck." He growled.
"Please, please." She begged.
And so he moved only marginally faster, though she seemed annoyed by it. His clawed hand ran along her breast as he thrust back into her, and this time her hips came up to meet his.
She was gripping his cock so tightly that it was nearly painful, and each time he pulled out, she begged him to thrust inside her again. Sweat moved in between her perfect breasts that bounced every time he thrust into her.
He was already so close that he was contemplating holding his base to keep him from coming so she would come with him.
"I'm so close." She whispered, her fingers were dragging down his back in the most pleasing of ways. He moved her legs a bit so he could slide in deeper and she moaned in appreciation.
He thrust his hips and ground into hers.
Her muscles clamped down as she gasped, her mouth opening as she groaned her release.
Mate His beast was melding his aura with hers to become one. Finally.
Another thrust had him coming as he bit down into her shoulder, his beast growling in release.
Their auras clashed and began to mold together as two became one.
He was heaving on top of her as she was still riding out her orgasm. Her hips still rocking against his as blood trickled down her collarbone.
He drank it up greedily.
Their auras finished combining and curled back inside as he collapsed on top of her, pulling her to his chest.
"I—are we?" She whispered, her voice hoarse though he didn't remember her yelling.
"Yes. You are mine forever."
"As you are mine." She said with a grin, licking his jaw as she snuggled into his naked chest.
He fell asleep contently for the first time in months.