by Alta Hensley
Sweat trickled down her arm as the blazing sun began to set. Would Jaden wait until nightfall to attack? That seemed the most logical thing, but the waiting game tortured her. She tried to busy her mind and not allow it to go to thoughts of what it would be like to kill someone again. How would it feel to throw a knife and actually hit a human's eye? No… those thoughts could not exist right now. Those thoughts led to weakness.
"Cinder," she heard being whispered behind her. She turned quickly to see Elbi hunched down with her bow ready. "I wanted to tell you that I'll be in the tower behind me." Cinder looked over Elbi's shoulder at the tower looming over them. "I’ll shoot anyone who tries to get near you."
She nodded, not sure what to say. The fear of what was happening began to weigh her down.
"I love you. You're going to be just fine. You can do this," Elbi assured her. She then turned and quickly made her way to her post, leaving Cinder to struggle with her internal demons and fighting back the fear that made her want to run and search for Donte.
Just as the shadows were taking over, the calls of war pierced the air. Shouts, screams, commands… even the first groans of death. What was once a stagnant silence became wave after wave of chaos.
Cinder held her hand on the hilt of her sword and palmed a knife with the other. She waited with the sounds of war all around the outside of the encampment. She waited for the doors to be opened as fear threatened to paralyze her body. So far, the walls of Casen were holding Jaden back. No one had entered, and the damage was being done to Jaden on the other side by the archers.
The question of whether she would see battle was answered by a loud crash, followed by what was left of Jaden's men storming through. It was her time to perform. Without any hesitation, she began to throw one knife after another, aiming for their eyes. Moving targets were harder, but her intentions were met for the most part. Arrows whirled around her, swords clanging against swords. People cried out in agony as weapons made contact with flesh. But Cinder focused on her knives and her duty. A tidal wave of mayhem surrounded her, with its only saving grace being that it didn't give Cinder time to think. It didn't give her time to process that she was engaged in battle. She did not have a second to consider that people were dying all around her as bloodshed became the norm.
As the knives were becoming few, the bodies surging forward slowed. The sounds of misery lessened, the howls of the night weakened, and after a time of nightmarish proportions, the fight seemed to end. Cinder stopped throwing and stood. Silence…
And then the cheers of victory roared through Casen.
Had they won?
Was that it?
Was the attack from Jaden over?
Donte? Where was Donte? Cinder didn't know as she stood and circled in place, searching for the answer. Was he one of the fallen soldiers? No doubt he'd led his men, charging toward his own death in the hopes of victory. Was Donte dead?
A sound behind her brought the answer, Cinder turning on bare heel to lay her eyes upon a tall figure emerging from the shadows. Her heart skipped a beat as anticipation filled her, her breath catching in her throat as she waited to see if it would be her lover returning to her or just her mind playing some terrible farce against her.
His face was weary, and he had deep circles beneath his dark eyes. He looked very much the tired man, the warrior. He looked broken, almost defeated. And yet, when their eyes met, the doubt that had filled his gaze, the fear, melted away.
Neither of them moved for what seemed an eternity, both believing the other to be a dream, a mirage conjured up by tired minds to soothe the tormented soul. He would be the first to break that silent stillness that seemed to encompass them like a heavy blanket.
"Cinder!" she heard called from the distance. Her name bubbled from his lips like the most precious of secrets. She smiled to see Donte charging forward, his lengthy stride closing the distance between them. She remained in position, as he had commanded, until she was engulfed in his arms and spun in a circle. "We won. It’s over."
Cinder knew they both had waited with building anxiety for the battle to end, both having their own hopes as to the outcome. By the end, each had only wished it over, if just to see the other's face once more. As brutal minutes had passed and turned into hours of murder, fear planting a seed of doubt within their hearts, both had feared the other dead.
She didn’t speak, but the joy she felt shimmered in her brown eyes, spilling down her cheeks in crystal droplets, soon to be wiped away by dirty fingers of his calloused hands.
"I thought I had lost you. It was my biggest fear through this all." Her voice was barely a whisper above the gentle breeze that blew her hair over one cheek. She gripped at what remained of his tattered shirt, fingertips smoothing over his sun-kissed flesh.
"I wasn’t going to die this way. Not by Jaden. Our story has just begun and I wasn’t going to cut it short." His fingers, stained with blood and dirt, slid over her cheek as his lips met hers in the tenderest of kisses. Passionate, fulfilling, perfect.
The pain of war, of loss, of defeat… and now victory.
When finally their lips parted, there was nothing to be found between the pair but smiles and warmth, compassion and understanding passing through the depth of their gaze. His fingers wound into her hair, the strength of his arms crushing her into him as her tears soaked his chest.
"As much as I want to truly celebrate in other ways, we need to hurry. We need to leave for Lazar tonight. We need to strike now before Jaden can rebuild."
"Just allow me to stay with you," she pleaded with him, her fingers clutching desperately at his chest, fear once again gripping her. "I don't want to be apart again."
He merely shook his head, brushing her lips with his own before he took her hand, twining their fingers together. "Nothing will separate us again. This is a promise I will make."
"Nico is leading the troops to Lazar now. We didn’t want to waste a minute," a commander informed Donte as they stood in the main house.
Donte had a gash across his forehead but seemed fine otherwise. Elbi held her commander’s hand as if she would never let it go, undoubtedly relieved to have the man she loved still alive. Cinder understood the feeling as she watched Donte. Not only had they won the battle; all the women of the harem had survived the attack. Though many soldiers had died, Cinder hadn't lost anyone she'd been close to, and she was grateful to be alive and well in the same room with the man she loved.
Donte nodded. "Good. Let us get everything and everyone ready for departure. We’ll leave first thing in the morning. Let everyone rest for the journey. Hopefully by the time we arrive, the Palace of Lazar will be ours once again." Donte smiled at Cinder and squeezed the hand he hadn't released since they'd been reunited.
"What about Casen?" Elbi asked.
"We’re handing it over to the allied forces. It’s our gift to them for all their help in defeating Jaden," Donte answered.
The commander nodded and added, "The reign of Jaden is not over yet. We’ll need the continued help from our allies in order to keep Jaden at bay. Giving away Casen is our first step toward peace. Greed leads to war, and we plan to share our wealth."
"Today we won. In a few days, with Jaden being weak, we will regain Lazar. But Jaden will try to rebound, and we must be ready." Donte's voice deepened as he spoke, and his face grew dark.
"And we will be ready. We will reclaim the Palace of Lazar and never lose it again,” the commander said.
Donte’s jaw tightened and he nodded. “When Jaden comes knocking again, we will answer the door with vengeance."
31
Deep in the desert, the clash of swords and shrill screams could be heard for miles as the harem marched toward the palace. A war had broken out two weeks ago, and when Nico and the troops came swiftly down the dunes, they attacked Jaden with a ferocity that would become legend for hundreds of years.
Now, as they approached what was once their beautiful palace, Cinder stopped and clutched her heart.
"I see it," she declared, her voice raspy from the days of travel through the harsh desert.
Other gasps and cries were heard as each person glimpsed what she observed. Their palace stood—though battered—it stood free from Jaden. Charred land, burnt structures, and smoldering fires still lingered, but there was not a Jaden soldier in sight.
Nico came charging up the dunes on horseback with pride in his eyes. Behind him rode several more men. One man had a stake in his hands, with the head of General Rhys impaled on it. The general's eyes remained wide open, his face frozen in the fear he'd felt right before someone had ended his life and beheaded him. Flies had already begun feasting on his dead flesh. General Rhys was dead. Cinder could barely take her eyes off the head of a man who had tormented so many.
It took all of her will to look at Nico as he approached and declared, "We have conquered the Palace of Lazar! It’s ours! The Palace of Lazar is ours!"
32
The Commander stood up to begin the celebration. He proudly held up a wine glass and bellowed, "My friends, my family, I am honored to stand before you. We sit here and celebrate in our precious Palace of Lazar. What we once lost, we have found again. What we may have once taken for granted, we now see as a prized jewel." His gaze went to Elbi. "And some of us have found the most precious gift of all—love." Everyone in the room cheered in unison when the commander went to one knee. "Will you, my dear Elbi, do me the honor of being my wife?"
"Yes, yes," Elbi answered, as tears streamed down her face. "I will marry you!"
Cheers erupted again and congratulations rang out. Cinder smiled and nodded at all the toasts. Although she was delighted for her best friend, seeing such complete love struck her to the core with jealousy. She tried to hide her unwelcome emotions, but tears threatened to fall. Donte must have sensed her discomfort, because he reached for her hand. A soft squeeze from his fingers did wonders for her rampant emotions.
"So tonight," Donte announced, standing up to add to the toast, "we celebrate our victories. Tomorrow, we rebuild. The palace is not what it once was. In fact, it’s badly beaten. But the shambles are ours, and we will make it thrive once again." More cheers broke out as Donte returned to his seat, clenching tightly the hand of Cinder.
For the next hour, everyone launched into playful banter, and Cinder found herself laughing more now than she ever had. She'd almost forgotten what it was like to laugh so easily. Fear was replaced with joy, war was replaced with friendship, and death was replaced with promise of the future.
Just as Cinder was getting ready to call it a night, and wondering where she would sleep that evening, Donte wrapped his arm around her and leaned forward so his lips were at her ear.
"Do you mind taking a walk with me?" he asked quietly.
The heat of his breath against her skin sent a shiver down her spine and her insides heated almost instantly. She smiled and nodded, trying to keep her composure. Donte stood and helped her out of her seat, and they slipped out of the dining room without anyone saying anything or noticing.
"Where are we going?" she asked, when Donte took her hand and started pulling her down the hallway.
"Home," he said in a whisper, urging her to follow him, pulling her into a room.
The room they were standing in once held a lavish bed with four posts, with a canopy stretched over it. The walls were once decorated with opulent paintings, and ornate rugs once adorned the marble floors. The elaborate room that was once Donte's had been plundered, and nothing endured the possession of Jaden. All that remained was a mattress with some simple bedding.
"This will be our new quarters. It’s not much now, but I will focus my attentions on bringing back the glory that you deserve," he said, gesturing to his room with a sweep of his arm.
"Our quarters?" she asked. They hadn't discussed this, and Cinder realized that she had desperately hoped that Donte would still want to live with her even after they returned to the palace.
"Of course, Cinder. I can’t imagine spending even one night apart from you."
With her heartbeat piercing her chest, she walked up to him and placed her forehead against his body. "That makes me so very happy to hear."
"Here, let us lie down on our bed," he said softly, leading her to the mattress on the floor. He fell back against the pillows at the head of the bed and she joined him, leaning her head against his chest.
Donte smelled like security, if there was such a smell to describe it, and she inhaled deeply as she nuzzled her face into the lee of his neck. His warm embrace made her feel as if she were sinking into his body. She felt heavy in love. She took another deep breath and released it slowly, taking in the moment of complete relaxation.
"I’ve been waiting for this day for so long," he murmured against the top of her head, his fingers stroking her scalp. "I’ve wanted nothing more than to hold you in my arms, in our home—the palace."
She simply nodded.
"What is it you want of the future, Cinder?"
She froze.
He must have felt her tension. "Why does the question bother you?"
"I don't know how you want me to answer it." She held her breath, not sure what to say or what to do.
"The truth. I simply ask the truth of you."
"I want love," she confessed.
"Do you not feel love?" he asked, as he continued petting her hair.
There was a long moment of silence. Cinder glanced up at him and before she could give him an answer, Donte's lips were pressed against hers, and her body caught aflame. She smiled against the kiss and let her hands wander up to stroke his face. Reveling in the taste of his lips, she softly moaned with the need for more.
"I love you," he whispered against the kiss. "I love you more than I ever thought possible. The love I have for you I fear will suffocate you with the intensity."
"And I love you," she admitted freely.
"I don’t know what tomorrow will bring when it comes to the palace, but I do know that from this day on, I want you by my side."
"What about the harem?" She didn't want to ask the question, because she feared the answer. She didn't want to go back. She didn't want anyone of the harem to pleasure Donte. She wanted conventional, but feared he did not.
"The harem will serve its original purpose. We will not take away from what the harem is, what it stands for, and what it will become." He kissed her softly before continuing. "But you will no longer be part of the harem, and I have no need for it either. The harem will simply be the jewels to this broken palace. You’ll serve me as the harem once did. And I’ll serve you."
"Will you not miss the harem?"
Donte smiled. "The harem gave me beauty. I now have this with you. The harem gave me surrender. This I will still demand from you. The harem gave me sex. And this, my dear Cinder, you have mastered. The harem offers me nothing I do not already hold with you."
She blushed with the memory of their sexual experiences.
He kissed her deeply, forcing his tongue into her mouth only to be met with her carnal return. He rolled her onto her back in one swift move, never breaking the kiss. He effortlessly removed her silk, exposing her body to him, and then quickly shed his own. His eyes locked with hers, casting a spell of seduction. She knew what was to come, but the anticipation nearly choked her.
"Can you leave the harem and only belong to me?" he asked as he straddled her now nude body. His cock stood hard and ready, and Cinder could not keep her eyes from it. "I can be very demanding in all ways. Your time, your attention, your presence."
"I only belong to you," she panted, licking her lips in anticipation of his dick entering her mouth.
He lowered himself and kneeled before her face, his cock mere inches from her lips. "Can you surrender to me?" He placed the tip of his penis on her lips. "I will require a lot. I can already tell my thirst for you will only grow with each day."
"My submission is yours," she answered, and licked the shiny pre cum that escaped his rea
dy sex.
With a growl that rose from the depths of his chest, Donte thrust his dick into her expecting mouth. She took the girth and began to suck with a hunger, a need, an uncontrollable urge to give the man she loved pleasure. Up and down as she closed her mouth even tighter with every move. Up and down as she moaned against his flesh, reverberating against the mass that filled her mouth. Donte grabbed her by the hair and helped guide her head, claiming his will.
He quickly pulled out and flipped her over, positioning her on all fours. "I can’t be gentle," he hissed as he slapped her ass.
Cinder moaned at the sting of his hand, hungry for more. "And that is not what I ask. Spank my ass, Donte. Show me who my master is! Spank me, and show me what will happen if I disobey you. Show me, Donte. Show me, please."
As if she had just released the dam, Donte began the intoxicating punishment. Spank after spank, his hand descended against her milky surface. With each searing smack, her flesh sparked. She held her position and squeezed her eyes against the sting, the pain, and against the most intense pleasure. Signs of her arousal dripped down her pussy to coat her inner thighs as she pleaded for more. He continued to spank without mercy or without letting up. The force of each swat of her ass rocked her body forward, only to have her thrust her ass back, eagerly awaiting the next punishing blow.
He rewarded her surrender to his discipline by thrusting his cock into her pussy. Not gentle, not with ease, but with a capturing onslaught. He dominated; he took and captured her body. Her orgasm exploded around his cock as her screams lined the room, only to be followed by his moans of release. Nothing, nothing, nothing could compare to the impression left on her soul. To be mastered. To be conquered. To be his!
"Do you hear that?" Donte asked as they lay in each other's arms. He sat up and listened. Cinder sat up as well and tried to focus her attention on the noise around her. She tried to keep the panic at bay.