There's something wrong

John Shepard didn't know why, but he felt that there was something wrong with Jane. The last few months she hadn't asked near has much sparring or lessons, John tried to think of something he might had done or said to upset her, but he came up empty.

" For heaven's sake! What are they doing, I'm going to starve to ****." Complained Arthur while banging his head on the table. Arthur is the biggest and the strongest of the sibling in term of raw power, he could seriously become intimidating when he was agitated. Funny thing is the guy hate **** with a passion, another reason why John was the one stuck with sparring duty for Jane so often.

Arthur loved animals, and they loved him in return. John didn't know how the hell his brother did it, but Arthur could tame wild horses like no one else. Maybe it was the elfin blood or maybe animals sense something that appeased them in him. Strange how Lety, John own horse, was letting Arthur feed and sometimes even pet her. Lety never lets anyone other than john too close to her, she had almost knocked Dante teeth out the day John had brought her back to the castle.

.......................................flashback...........................................

The young prince had found her on one of walk in the forest, he was lazily wandering when a commotion caught his attention. John followed the sounds to a clearing to the scene of the white mare facing a deathmaw, deathmaw are a big dog like creatures with six legs and needles like spike on their back.

__Of course, their main feature is a big jaw full of razor sharpened teeth, but what makes them dangerous is their agility. A deathmaw can jump 2 meters high and twist their body to snap at their prey with those teeth. However, they have little defenses other than their spiky back, if one can be fast enough to strike at the deathmaw flank or underbellies it does not take much to injure them. Not to say it is easy to be fast enough when a deathmaw stare you in the face.

__John was about to help her when the horse decided to buck in a way John never saw before. The dog-like creature had just jumped intending to strike at the mare neck when she lunged forward only to lock her front legs in the grass and use the momentum to twist her body bringing her hinged back legs to bare on her attacker. One of her hoofs caught the deathmaw straight in the jaw and the other in is flank, the predator flew awkwardly sideways, crashed down tumbling and rolling to stop. He tried a few times to get up only to whine and fall back down, the mare had probably destroyed the predator rib cage condemning it to a slow and painful ****.

__John decided to end his suffering, careful not to spook the horse he moved slowly toward the dying beast and plunged his dagger through the animal heart before turning back to the unconcern white mare. John was surprised to see none of the reaction you would expect to see in an animal who just had been in a deadly encounter, she just started grazing as nothing had happened. John wanted to approach her, but after what he just saw decided it was better to keep his distance for now.

__It took him 3 months of going back to the clearing, with juicy apples offering to finally gain her trust enough to gently put a rope around her neck. However, he thought she would fight him when he tugged on the rope to make her follow, but she didn't. Even when going through the city the mare didn't seem to care, she followed him without any fuss or causing trouble. Only when Dante had approached carelessly to get a better look that the fearless animal reacted, One of her hoofs came like lightning only to barely miss his face by a centimeter. The young prince couldn't be sure, but he was suspecting that the miss was voluntary.

After that, everyone knew to stay clear of her and never to surprise her. The beautiful white mare didn't become any less wild with the time either, of all John siblings, Jane had passed the most time with the mare. Yet, Jane could have the juiciest apple offering and Lety would not take it from her hand. However, Lety tolerated Arthur enough to eat his offerings and even let him brush her sometimes, one time Arthur tried to put her saddle on only for him to get headbutted out of her stall.

John thought were interrupted by his older brother voice, returning him to the present.

.......................................flashback end.................................

" You will serve us now servant, if our parents can't bother to be on time then they shouldn't have set a schedule for us to dine together." Said Jake condescendingly when Siha came to refill the water.

Jake knew very well that Siha would never serve dinner without the royal couple present, what was more satisfying was her answer.

" If you are so eager to eat, you can always prepare your own dinner ........ my lord." Taunted the experienced servant. John could only smile at the woman brazenness toward someone that was heir to the throne. Siha never gave a fuck about what someone rank was, if you disrespected her she'd put you in your place regardless.

" HOW DARE YOU!" The heir snapped leaping from his seat and grabbing Siha forearm. John saw Jane about to intervene when a voice boomed in the dinning room.

" JAKE! UNHAND HER THIS INSTANT!" Ordered the king angrily. Jake immediately letting go of the head servant arm and meekly sat back down. Dante Shepard was king for a reason and although he was never wonderful at any complicated magic that needed long chant or hands gesture, the raw strength of his magical aura could be suffocating when he was angry.

" I know I overreacted father, but she was disrespectful." Jake started but was interrupted by his mother, making her presence known in the process.

" If you want respect Jake, you need to respect others and yourself first." The queen said firmly. " Siha's doing a wonderful job and you are the only one she has problems with." The mother defended. Before continuing in a lower and slightly threatening voice " That 'better than you' attitude is not how you will earn respect from anyone. I am warning you, son, If you touch any women, servant or not, without their permission again you will regret it, that's a promise." Finished Eliana while gracefully sitting down.

It was clear as day the threat was effective, Jake with wide eyes could only nod and shiver at the angry mother reaction. All the siblings knew it was bad to be punished by their father, but an entirely different affair when their mother got involved. The king punishment was harsh and sometimes painful depending on the gravity of the offense, but their mother was relentless when it came to correct one of their mistakes.

Jane shivered remembering the time she had destroyed all her dresses to rebel against the training she received to act like a proper lady, as punishment Eliana had **** her to spend a month working with the servants in charge of their wardrobes. The young female warrior could still remember how her fingers felt after only a day, Fingers bloodied by countless needles pricks she could barely hold her fork at dinner that night.

While Jane was trying not to flinch at her inner thoughts, John had an entirely different train of thoughts.

' So that's why they were late.' The awakening incubus thought. Then John was surprised at the feeling of jealousy that settled in the pit of his stomach. He knew they just had some sort of sexual contact, he could smell the arousal of his mother and the faint smell of sperm emanating from her. John didn't know how he could tell that from this distance, but what concerned him was that he was angry because of it.

John shook his head in an attempt to shake the thoughts away and joined his family in sharing the meal that was now being served.

That night after John had retreated to his bedroom, he decided to immerse himself in a book for advance strategist. Reading on strategy always helped him clear his mind from any other distraction, he quickly forgot his troubling thoughts and went about his nightly rituals.