Breath of Night
Page 5
Benjamin turned and led them down a narrower passageway that Geva knew led to the Keep as well as the dungeon beneath the castle. He was eager to see what modern improvements they had made to the rest of the place. Another heavy door lay ahead, this time with a small, silver box set into the wall to the left of it.
“Swipe your key card and place your thumb like so,” Benjamin said, demonstrating.
Geva pulled his key out of his pocket and inspected it. One edge was smoother than the other. He slid it through the groove of the metal box, observed the blinking light, then placed his thumb on the shiny glass window at the top of the box. A heavy click sounded from somewhere inside the door and Benjamin moved to let them through.
Geva became more impressed with the measures of security as he went, but kept his interest to himself. Everything he had seen so far represented his inheritance. He had expected his family’s wealth to be his when he awoke. Before he slept he had lived with a sense of entitlement that had only gotten him into trouble. His mother had graciously tolerated his transgressions. His father had inflicted him with passionate lectures about being worthy of the legacy. He’d had centuries since then, during his hibernation, to let it all sink in. Now with the memories of his parents haunting him like ghosts as he traveled the halls of his childhood, he was determined to be a son worthy of those memories. And to be a mate worthy of the beautiful woman at his side.
They descended down the narrow, spiral stone steps into the dungeon.
Erika chuckled. “Deja vu. Are there sleeping dragons down below?”
“Not below,” Benjamin said, surprising them both. “The living quarters are in the upper floors of this tower. Lord Hayden liked to call the bedroom ‘where the dragon sleeps.’ I believe that was his term of endearment for her Ladyship.”
“Oh, that’s sweet,” Erika said, shooting Geva a playful look.
Geva smiled back at her, and when he looked away felt the pleasant squeeze of her hand through the trousers covering his ass. He tensed just slightly under the familiar caress, then let out a hiss of breath when her hand ventured further between his legs from behind. The pressure against the back of his balls sent a jolt into his cock, which became instantly rigid. Sweet Mother, the woman was testing him. He’d have taken her right there on the stairs if he wasn’t trying to prove to himself he could assume the role of Lord here.
At yet another heavy door, Benjamin paused and waited for Geva to repeat the unlocking procedure. The young man’s eyes widened when he caught a glimpse of Geva’s groin. Erika’s hand still rested against Geva’s hip and she had a devious smile on her face. She was using his reactions to test the other man. Geva didn’t exactly disapprove but his focus was faltering as a result.
He wasn’t sure what to expect on the other side of the door. His memory of the dungeon was of a place filled with dark corners to hide in, and it had very rarely been used to house prisoners. Considering the level of security, he’d predicted they would find a majority of his family’s collection. He wasn’t wrong, but the elaborate arrangement of every priceless object was far more impressive than he could have imagined.
The doors of each jail cell had been removed, the small alcoves converted into elaborate displays organized by century.
As they stepped silently down the corridor, Erika gripped his hand, her fingers clasped tightly around his. Her breath sped up and Geva caught the sweet, warm scent of her sex. She was only that aromatic when she was ready to be fucked. And very ready if the pink glow of her skin indicated anything.
“This is all yours?” she said, her voice sounding like she had trouble finding the breath for words.
“It’s ours,” he replied, squeezing her hand.
They reached a wide chamber at the end that had an open staircase leading to the deeper dungeons. The chamber was filled with priceless objects from a time even before Geva had been born, and the pieces were arranged in the manner of a large and luxurious boudoir including rugs, cushions, tapestries, armoires, and chairs. A massive wooden bed featured prominently, the headboard taller than Geva.
Erika gasped. “Is that an original Byzantine bed? And in perfect condition, too. Oh, baby!”
She rushed toward it and brushed her hand reverently over the elaborately carved footboard, then up along one of the columns that supported a heavy red velvet canopy.
Geva had never seen the bed before, but then if his parents had always used parts of the dungeon in this manner, it was no wonder.
“Can I?” Erika asked, making as if to climb onto it. “I don’t want to break it.”
Benjamin nodded. “It is really quite a sturdy piece of furniture. It has easily held her Ladyship, his Lordship, and guests.” Geva shot a surprised look at him and Benjamin stammered. “I—I mean her Ladyship and—oh, bugger.”
“Exactly how close were you and my parents, Ben?”
“Ah—um—they were lovely, lovely people. Took me in and made me welcome. And—well, your mum—I should say it was quite a blow when they were killed. In the prime of their lives, too. I’ll just—go now. Leave you two with the, er, bed.”
Geva resisted the mirth that bubbled forth hearing the young man fumble for an explanation
“Do stay,” Geva said, not looking at Benjamin, but watching Erika.
She kicked her shoes off and slid onto the bed, her eyelids fluttering as she sank back against the cushions and velvet. She made pleasant little noises of appreciation and looked for all the world like she didn’t even need a partner. She watched him in return, turning on one side to face him and slide her hand down over her body as if to smooth her already wrinkle-free dress.
Instead, the tug of her fingers caused the skirt to slide up over her thighs a little higher until Geva could almost catch a glimpse of the lacy underthings she’d put on that morning. A garment so spare as to be almost pointless, aside from his arousal to see her wear it.
Benjamin was even more enthralled by the sight. Geva stepped over to him and slid his hand across the man’s shoulders, then bent and murmured in his ear, “Shall we see if it’s sturdy enough for us three?”
About Ophelia Bell
Ophelia Bell loves a good bad-boy and especially strong women in her stories. Women who aren’t apologetic about enjoying sex and bad boys who don’t mind being with a woman who’s in charge, at least on the surface, because pretty much anything goes in the bedroom.
Ophelia grew up on a rural farm in North Carolina and now lives in Los Angeles with her own tattooed bad-boy husband and six attention-whoring cats.
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Also by Ophelia Bell
Sleeping Dragons Series
Animus
Tabula Rasa
Gemini
Shadows
Nexus
Ascend
Rising Dragons Series
Night Fire
Breath of Destiny
Breath of Memory
Breath of Innocence
Breath of Desire
Breath of Love
Breath of Flame and Shadow
Breath of Fate
Sisters of Flame
Dragon’s Melody (a standalone dragon novel)
Immortal Dragons Series
Dragon Betrayed
Dragon Blues
Dragon Void
Dragon Splendor
Dragon Rebel
Dragon Guardian
Dragon Blessed
Dragon Equinox
Dragon Avenged
Immortal Dragons: The First Four Box Set
Black Mountain Bears
Clawed
Bitten
Nailed
Stonetree Trilogy
Fate’s Fools
Fate’s Fools
Fool’s Folly
Fool’s Paradise (February 2019)
Fool’s Errand (March 2019)
Nobody’s Fool (May 2019)
Standalone Erotic Tales
After You
Out of the Cold
Breath of Night
Copyright © 2014 Ophelia Bell
Cover Art Designed by Willsin Rowe
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