Queen of the Gryphons: Ishtar's Legacy: Books 1 & 2

by Lisa Blackwood

  “Hmmm, yes, I’m drunk.” His voice had mellowed to a deeper tone which did things to her she was better off not thinking about.

  He was silent for a time, but then he turned to her and reached out to cup her cheek. “But I do mean it. I have always needed you, always loved you. I’ll still remember that come morning.” He traced a finger along her lips.

  His words held her frozen. She should pull away. She really should. She didn’t.

  “Gryphons never forget. Though some memories are better than others.” He made a rolling sound in his throat which sounded a lot like a gryphon’s purr. She hadn’t known he could make that sound in a human body.

  It was surprisingly appealing.

  Her curiosity peaked, she asked, “What are you remembering?”

  “My coronation. Afterward, when you seduced me.”

  “What? Oh, by Ishtar, I was drunk out of my mind that night. I was such an idiot, wasn’t I? I should have known better—you were always complaining about females continuously coming after you. I would have apologized once I sobered up but Burrukan had me bundled up and away…I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”

  “You were sweet. I welcomed your attentions.” Ditanu took advantage of her distraction, and suddenly his hands were roving along her sides. “You’re wet.”

  “I jumped in a bathing pool to keep your drunk ass from drowning.” One of his hands tried to go up under her gold torque to fondle a breast. Too surprised to think, she smacked it away. “What are you doing?”

  “I want my mate.”

  “But…we’re not…I mean...”

  “Ishtar has made us mates. You are now mother to Kuwari. You shelter my unborn cubs. How much more of a mate could you be?”

  Iltani honestly didn’t know, and she wanted to be his mate in a most desperate way. She couldn’t tell him that, though, not drunk and grieving as he was at the moment.

  Perhaps in a few months?

  Instead, she frowned at him and said, “You are drunk. I will not take advantage of you.” He might think he craved her now, but come the morning and a clear head, he might have regrets.

  “I won’t have regrets,” he said as if reading her mind, and sounding a lot less drunk than he had earlier. “Ahassunu wasn’t a true mate to me.”

  Even as her heart lurched in surprised shock at his words, hope bloomed in her heart. Cautiously, barely daring to believe her ears, she asked, “What do you mean?”

  “Ahassunu and I begot children, and she was a good friend and a wise consort, but we were never mates.”

  Ishtar’s magic whispered that Ditanu’s words were impossibly true.

  “How? Female gryphons will only come into heat for their mates.” Even as she asked, she knew.

  “Ahassunu and Burrukan were mates. They had been in love secretly for years.”

  While she was mulling that over, Ditanu captured her wrist and gently dragged her under the covers with him. Iltani tensed but relaxed when he did nothing more than wrap an arm around her waist and draw her closer.

  His voice continued to rumble above her head. “When I learned about Burrukan and Ahassunu, you were almost a year into your training. The council had been leaning on me hard to take a mate or, at least, spend some time with a creature of the opposite sex. Beletum’s father was the most determined. Ziyatum almost succeeded in convincing the rest of the council that Beletum and I should be betrothed for a trial year.” Ditanu shuddered.

  “Nobles have been throwing their daughters at you since you turned fifteen.”

  “Earlier, actually, you were just too innocent to see it.”

  “That’s disgusting.” Her fists clasped and unclasped, wanting to throttle the ones responsible for making a boy grow up too fast.

  “Tradition mixed with desperation, actually. I was the last of my line.”

  “Still,” Iltani countered. “Doesn’t make it right.”

  “No, but I used you to keep all but the most determined at bay.”

  “Hmmm, is that why I always happened upon harlots lying in wait for you?”

  “Probably. I figured chasing away unwanted females was an honorable way for Ishtar’s Blade to serve her king.”

  “Duty. Ha! Not sure if I was feeling the ‘honor of serving my king’ at those times.” She huffed and then clarified. “I saw way more bare asses and breasts then I should have had to endure.”

  “It was always entertaining to watch you convince them to give up the hunt.”

  Iltani heard the smile in his voice. “I guess we were quite the pair when we were younger.”

  “I think the councilors might think we are still quite the pair.”

  “You’re right.” Iltani started to laugh. “You were starting to tell me about how Ahassunu came to be your consort but is not your mate.”

  “The council wanted me betrothed and to complete a year of courtship to increase the chances a female might go into heat for me.”

  Iltani hated the idea of Ditanu having his hand forced. A year’s betrothal wouldn’t guarantee a female would become fertile for him, but it would force a kind of intimacy between the two betrothed. Even as a young woman, it had not sat well with Iltani. It also influenced why she’d been an idiot the night of his coronation. That hadn’t been a snap decision, but something she’d been working up the nerve for days in advance. As her younger self had judged it, if Ditanu were going to have to take a mate, it should be someone who at least loved him.

  Ditanu nuzzled her wet hair. “The thought of getting betrothed was bad enough, but when Burrukan pointed out something alarming, I listened to him.”

  “Was there some danger I wasn’t aware of?” The thought disturbed Iltani.

  “Burrukan had noted that three other females around my age and of suitable bloodlines had died over the years, leaving only a few candidates for potential mates.” Ditanu sighed. “That was when Burrukan broached the topic of making Ahassunu my consort.”

  Relief washed over Iltani’s mind. “I knew Burrukan was loyal, but that must have been hard for both of you.”

  “Yes, but he said it was better to beget heirs with a trusted female, even if she wasn’t in actual fact, my mate, than finding a viper in my marriage bed that might desire my throne more than me. As he pointed out, I would also have Ahassunu’s powerful family at my back in the crucial first few years of my reign.”

  Iltani felt her throat thicken with unshed tears. Poor Ditanu. “The last four years haven’t been easy for you either.”

  “I would have endured nobles tossing their daughters at me for an eternity, and I would still not have taken any of them as my mate willingly.” Again, Ditanu shuddered. “But Burrukan told me there are drugs that could be given to both a male and female that would make a male ache and ensure the female went into heat even if she didn’t have a deep emotional bond with the male.”

  “That’s what Beletum gave you…” Iltani cleared her voice and tried again, having to shove aside the terrible imagery and jealousy the thought conjured. “Is that how you and Ahassunu...?”

  Ditanu started to cough, when he had himself under control, he said, “Even Burrukan isn’t that loyal, and I had no interest in another man’s mate.”

  “Then how?”

  Ditanu swallowed another laugh. “My hand and a cup to catch it in, if you must know. I never asked how Ahassunu and Burrukan worked out what to do with my donated seed.” His hand slid from

  her hip to cover her belly. “I imagine it was done with magic, much like how Ishtar planted my little ones within you.”

  “I knew Burrukan couldn’t have been betraying you as it seemed.”

  “Ah, you caught them. The first night?”

  “Yes. It was a shock.”

  “Burrukan must have thought I’d keep you up all night reminiscing.”

  “I didn’t tell you that first night because I didn’t know how to go about it, and my power didn’t judge them as a direct danger to you.”

  “That must have
been stressful for you,” Ditanu said distractedly.

  The hand against her stomach had started to wander again.

  “Not as much as this,” she mumbled under her breath.

  “Your clothes are cold and wet, and you’re still wearing your sword and harness. That can’t be very comfortable.”

  “Whose fault is that?” In a louder voice, she added, “You’re still drunk, my king. Let me go before I get your bed any damper.”

  “It’s big. We can move over.”

  His hand rose up and she felt him working loose the buckle of her harness. A few strong tugs got it free. After a moment, he eased it off her shoulders. The combined weight of the sword and sodden scabbard made a hefty thump as it landed on the carpeted floor beside the bed. Next, his fingers felt around at the back of her neck for the clasp to the heavy golden torque.

  “Ha!” He sounded rather delighted to have conquered the collar’s clasp.

  He reached across her, and part of his chest and arm brushed against her breasts as he tossed the torque over the edge of the bed. Her breath quickened at the contact, but she didn’t say anything or try to draw away.

  If she was truthful with herself, she didn’t want to be anywhere but where she was. She remained silent as Ditanu’s fingers glided between the valley of her breasts and then continued their slow, caressing journey to her navel before venturing the last of the way to the ornate belt of her skirt. The muscles of her abdomen quivered at his touch.

  He hesitated a moment and then as if he couldn’t stop himself, skated his fingers along the sensitive skin just above her belt. “This is developing faster than an honorable man would allow—we were supposed to read our letters to each other, become reacquainted over several evenings. I was going to court you properly if a little belatedly. My noble intentions seem to have departed.”

  “It’s all right.” And it was, Iltani decided at that moment. She’d never wanted a fancy courtship or any of the other elaborate trappings that went with the crown. She’d only ever wanted Ditanu, and he was offering himself to her.

  Warm lips caressed her shoulder, following the curve of her neck to a sensitive spot just below her ear. Iltani’s breath hitched.

  Again Ditanu’s voice washed over her senses, more intoxicating than wine. “Your scent calls to me, your voice soothes me, your smile sets my heart pounding, and your lush body makes me ache for you.” His tone turned raw and desperate. “Do you grow aroused when I’m near, as I do for you? Do you dream of me when you’re alone at night? Touch yourself even though it’s never enough to fill the emotional need?”

  Her throat tightened with sudden emotion at the loneliness she heard in his voice, and she couldn’t get words out to answer his heated questions. The silence stretched longer. Foolish foolish tears pooling at the corners of her eyes.

  He pulled away, bracing himself above her with an arm planted to either side of her head. He watched her, his king’s mask suddenly in place. “If you don’t want this, tell me now. I’ll stop and never accost you in such a way again.”

  “You overwhelm me. A feast offered to a starving woman. Can you blame me for not knowing which delectable dish to start with?” Iltani touched him then, running her hands slowly up his chest, savoring warm skin and hard muscle. “Be assured I want this. I’ve wanted you since I first became a woman.”

  Ditanu released a strangled breath and lowered his head down to her lips, sealing them together. She slid her hands along his sides and kissed him fiercely in return.

  They kissed for a long time, neither in a hurry, but eventually, Ditanu freed her of her sodden skirt and then rolled with her, so she was resting atop him in a dryer part of the bed. Between kisses, she helped him out of the robe she’d just gotten him into.

  “Told you not to bother with the robe, but do you ever listen to me? No.” His throaty chuckle hitched and changed to a deep purr as she brushed her fingers across his right nipple and then sealed her mouth over it.

  She moved to the other one, giving it equal attention before planting a kiss over his sternum. As she worked her way downward, his purring increased in volume. Taking her time at his navel, she nuzzled him and then kissed her way down to one hip bone, ignoring the one part of him that was standing proud for her attention. When she ran the tip of her tongue closer to his groin, his hips jerked.

  The desperate sound he made had her own body clenching with need.

  She sat back on her haunches then, just studying Ditanu’s masculine beauty.

  “Iltani?” he sighed out her name and then raised his head to look at her, humor and desire mixing together in his gaze. “Would you like me to get you pen and parchment to draw on?”

  “Maybe later.” Never one to pass up a challenge, she reached out and wrapped her fingers around his thick length and he jerked in her hand.

  “Then perhaps there is something else you would like to...say?” he asked lazily as his hips rocked into her caress.

  After trailing her nails along his length, she wrapped her fist around him again. “You are breathtaking, my king.”

  “It’s Ditanu, remember?”

  He sounded rather hoarse. She grinned wickedly and squeezed him, flicking her thumb over his crown, collecting the tiny beads of liquid gathering in a groove there.

  Ditanu bucked, thrusting up into her fist and hissed out unintelligible words.

  “I’m sorry? I didn’t catch that.”

  He growled at her words but answered her. “That feels so much better than my hand. Keep that up, and you’ll end me before we get to the good part.”

  Iltani didn’t want to stop and debated keeping up the playful caresses to see how long he would actually last, but her curiosity could wait. She simply wanted to join with him. In the end, he pulled her back up to capture her lips again.

  Ditanu grew less passive, his kisses and caresses more demanding before he suddenly flipped her over onto her back. Iltani was still gasping in surprise when he took one of her nipples into his mouth. He soon had her gasping for an entirely different reason. He seemed to particularly like her breasts, kissing and toying with them until Iltani wanted to cry out in frustration.

  His hands stroked up her sides, feather-light caresses that made her shiver. He touched her everywhere but where she most needed him to. Thinking he needed some encouragement, she wrapped her legs around his hips and arched up, rubbing against him. He hissed appreciatively, but only continued to kiss her.

  She broke their kiss and glared at him. “Ditanu, you do actually know what you’re supposed to do with a woman, right?”

  He grinned. She could see the flash of his white teeth in the darkness. “And if I don’t? Are you going to teach me?”

  His words were accompanied by gentle little thrusts that promised relief from the desire tormenting her if he would just get on with it. She spread her thighs further and wrapped her legs around his hips, trying to force him deeper.

  He chuckled in that purely masculine way. “Not so fast. I think you’re forgetting something.”

  Iltani shifted under him until they were better aligned, and then she reared up, impaling herself on him. She and Ditanu groaned in unison, and finally, he started to move.

  “Damn it, tell me you love me,” Ditanu growled as he thrust into her.

  Lost to sensation, she nearly didn’t understand his words. Then she did and understood he had desires greater than just the physical that needed sating.

  “Ditanu, I have always loved you.”

  To punctuate her words, she kissed him with a fiercer passion, until his purrs vibrated against her chest. He made a hissing sound of pleasure and increased his rhythm. His passion drove her that much closer to her own end.

  His one hand found its way between her legs and the added stimulus was almost enough to send her over the edge. “My king, I have loved you for years.”

  “Iltani,” he gasped out and froze suddenly, his body tensing as he came. “My beautiful warrior. Forever and always the
Queen of my Heart.”

  His words, his voice, his powerful body still grinding against her, it was enough and she shattered moments after he had.

  “My beloved king,” she sighed out. “That was better than wonderful.”

  “Not bad for being half drunk?”

  Iltani started to laugh.

  Chapter 29

  The sound of drapes being drawn back registered in her ears. A moment later, light from an east-facing window found its way directly into Iltani’s eyes. Squinting, she grunted something unintelligible. Dawn had come. Mmmm. So too had servants. Damn it.

  She’d been having the nicest dream, too.

  An arm around her waist tightened, dragging her naked body back against another equally naked body.

  Ditanu, never easy to wake, growled something under his breath.

  “Tell them to go away,” he said again, slightly clearer.

  Iltani was still coming to terms with a few new realizations as the servants continued laying out a table with two settings. The sound of a throat being cleared behind her had her blushing harder. She rolled over and peered over Ditanu’s broad shoulder to see Uselli standing there with Kuwari.

  The cub was wiggling and fighting. Only an occasional soft growl could be heard—that was when he wasn’t chomping on Uselli’s fingers, trying to chew his way free.

  Kuwari’s head snaked around, narrowing in on Iltani at which point he loosed a cry fit to rattle teeth. Ditanu bolted into a sitting position, taking the blanket and Iltani’s cover with him.

  Uselli released the cub and Kuwari bound across the bed, leaped over his father, and landed in Iltani’s lap.

  “My king,” Uselli mumbled, “I’m sorry to disturb you, but Kuwari was fussing and wouldn’t be calmed. His grandfather said he’d been fine all night, it was just this morning. We thought he must be hungry, but he wouldn’t drink from the milk skin.”

  Ditanu took the milk skin from Uselli and held it out to Iltani. She took it, but the cub had already settled down, purring contentedly while he waited. When she offered the milk, he took it willingly.