Pure Surrender

by Aja James

  She pulled back slightly and winked at Ishtar, who was feeling hopeful enough to smile in return.

  “The lengths I go to in the name of friendship,” Jade mock sighed. “However will I muddle through the marathon orgy that awaits me?”

  Rain gave Jade a playful shove to send her on her way.

  “Get to it, woman,” she ordered in her no-nonsense healer voice, “we haven’t a moment to lose.”

  *** *** *** ***

  “What’s your favorite body part on a man, Eveline?”

  “Why are you asking me such a strange question?”

  Aella raised one brow at the strange rebuttal.

  “Just making conversation since we’ve been on the road together for days. Don’t you get tired of talking about the Zodiac Prophesies and Scrolls and impending Apocalypse?”

  The Seer frowned. “No. It’s an important topic.”

  “Come on, Evie, work with me here. I’m trying to get you to loosen up and live a little. Dream a little. Fantasize about some juicy meat a little.”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  Aella slapped a hand on her forehead and rubbed it down her face.

  Even Cloud could tell she was exasperated by the Seer’s unwillingness or inability to engage in silly dialogue.

  And it was silly.

  Immature. Flirtatious. Aggravating.

  Just like Aella.

  He knew that she was poking at this particular topic—the one about males and their parts—to rile him up in particular.

  Ever since the attack, he’d noticed a change come over her. Whereas, for most of the past three years she avoided and ignored him after his initial rebuff of her flirtations, now she seemed a hundred times more determined to ply her wiles on him. She used every opportunity presented by their prolonged proximity to each other on this journey to press her advantage.

  She touched him as much as possible without really touching him—a glance of her breasts against his chest as she squeezed by him, a brush of her fingers on his bicep in passing, a bump of her hip against his, the almost-there touch of her lips upon his ear and neck when she leaned in close to look over his shoulder.

  It was driving his body insane.

  His mind, though, was merely irritated. He certainly had the cerebral wherewithal to control his body, but he resented having to do so with such alarming frequency.

  It was hard work!

  Literally.

  Because his cock was hard all the time around her, aching and throbbing for relief.

  Stupid cock.

  He never had to worry about these types of physical reactions in the Celestial Palace. This humanoid body would be the death of him.

  Aella went on, her tone one of exaggerated patience, “I wasn’t referring to the kind of meat you eat, Evie dear—”

  “Why do you persist? My name is Eveline.”

  Aella rolled her eyes. “—Eveline dear. Although, I guess you absolutely could eat this kind of meat. Well, not actually masticate it in your mouth, of course, but lick it and suck it and drink the juices from it. That’s all very doable.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” the Seer muttered.

  Cloud wasn’t entirely sure either, but a flush of embarrassment was heating up his skin anyway, because he just knew Aella was talking about something sexual and depraved, if the voracious look she aimed at his groin was any indication.

  Cloud surreptitiously shifted his seat on Bai Long, in the guise of better balancing Eveline across his thighs while he held her as they rode. But really, it was because his stone-hard erection was about to push her off the horse, and his balls were so full he could barely keep his own seat.

  “Eveline, work with me here. Sophia and I have this conversation all the time. I miss her like crazy. Can’t you even try to be interested in the world’s most wonderful activity?”

  “If you have it all the time, why repeat the conversation with me?” Eveline asked mulishly.

  “Because it bears repeating.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Sex.”

  Cloud wanted to block his ears. But no, he heard Aella’s sultry voice just fine. The flush in his skin was so deep now, his ears burned.

  “I don’t agree that’s the most wonderful activity at all,” Eveline argued.

  “Because you haven’t had the right kind of sex, obviously,” Aella retorted.

  “How would you know? I’ve had sex. Not everyone enjoys it as much as you do.”

  Cloud cleared his throat. Really, could they not have this conversation while he was there?

  But of course, he knew that Aella chose this topic precisely because he was there. She lived to aggravate him.

  “Honey, all women enjoy sex if they’ve had the right partner. But I cede you a point—I do enjoy the exercise more than most.”

  Eveline frowned again, but it was a thoughtful frown.

  “I suppose it is possible I haven’t had the right partner.”

  “Extremely possible. No wonder you’re so uptight all the time.”

  “I beg your pardon,” Eveline said huffily, offended.

  “Relax, Evi—Eveline. You can be uptight all you want, no judgement. I just think you’ll feel much better if you let your hair down some, unwind a little.”

  “My hair is down,” Eveline pointed out literally. “But I guess…I guess I can unwind a bit.”

  “Atta girl!” Aella encouraged.

  “Body parts, hmm?” Eveline said thoughtfully.

  “Favorite on a man?” Aella prompted again. “Unless you like women?”

  “No, I like men. I like the lean, bookish ones with soft lips.”

  At this, Eveline smiled shyly.

  “And I like glasses. I think men who wear glasses are very attractive.”

  Aella nodded with consideration.

  “I can totally see that. Lots of hottie librarian-professors out there. What about Ere, then? He seems to be right up your alley. Just imagine him with glasses. People wear those as a fashion statement these days.”

  Eveline considered this seriously, but slowly shook her head.

  “No, he’s too good looking. I’m intimidated by his handsomeness. I would worry about him being a flirt, and I absolutely can’t stand flirtatious men.”

  “Got it,” Aella nodded. “No man-whores for you.”

  “W-what? I didn’t say—” Eveline stuttered at Aella’s terminology.

  “It’s just an expression,” Aella rushed to assure her. “It means men who flirt and fuck too much.”

  Eveline wrinkled her nose.

  “I definitely don’t like those sorts of men. But I doubt Ere is in that category. I think he’s very nice. He’s just too pretty.”

  She shrugged.

  “And, I feel no attraction to him whatsoever.”

  Aella didn’t press further, steering them back on topic.

  “So, soft lips, huh? Is that your favorite part then?”

  “Hands,” Eveline added. “I really like a man’s hands. Long, slim, graceful fingers.”

  “Hmm,” Aella acknowledged.

  “And eyes,” Eveline went on, getting into the spirit. “Clear, soulful eyes of any color. But I particularly like light eyes, so that when I gaze into them I feel like I’m weightless and flying through cloudless skies, or lying in a grassy field surrounded by daisies, or floating on the most serene lake.”

  “Did you… ah… did you happen to like Orion that way, Eveline?” Aella ventured, and hoped that she wouldn’t trigger too much sadness in the Seer. She and the late Scribe had always been close.

  “No,” Eveline murmured, and while she was still sad at the loss of Orion, she was no longer grieving.

  “We never saw each other that way. We were more like brother and sister.”

  “But he matches your description almost exactly of your favorite kind of man,” Aella pointed out.

  “But I don’t feel…” Eveline paused and tried to find the right words.
“I don’t feel strong sexual attraction to that kind of man. Maybe I’m just not a very sexual woman. Not every female is like you, Aella.”

  “Thank the Goddess for that,” Cloud muttered beneath his breath.

  But Aella heard him anyway and shot him a knowing smirk.

  “I stand by my earlier assertion,” Aella said, “You just haven’t met your match, Eveline.”

  “Well, what are your favorite body parts then, Aella?” Eveline asked, truly curious now to hear the answer.

  “I—”

  “Let’s camp here,” Cloud interrupted with alacrity, dismounting so fast Eveline wobbled and almost toppled from Bai Long’s back.

  “I’ll hunt some meat—”

  “Oooohhhh,” Aella enthused, waggling her brows at him.

  Cloud gnashed his teeth.

  “—some game for supper.”

  Without a backward glance at the females, he made his getaway.

  No way in hell was he going to be present while Aella enumerated her favorite body parts on a man.

  While she picked those parts out with her devouring eyes on him.

  *** *** *** ***

  Aella watched Cloud stride away as fast as his long legs could carry him.

  Inwardly, she sighed, even as she carried on an easy dialogue with Eveline.

  No matter how hard she tried to engage the warrior, he always turned away from her. She’d never failed so miserably to attract and hold a male’s attention.

  Well…

  There was that one man.

  Something about these mountains, or the journey itself, or her prolonged proximity to Cloud, was making memories long buried penetrate the surface of her psyche.

  Yes, there had been that one man. And no matter how many Aella had conquered before and after him, he was the only man that mattered…

  190 A.D. Altai Mountains, Scythian border.

  Aella had never seen a Han man look like the one standing before her.

  She’d encountered a number of them over the years at trading posts and when expedition paths crossed serendipitously. They shared some features with the northern Mongols—the long eyes, not as deep set as Scythians’, broad foreheads and straight, raven’s wing hair.

  But there the similarities ended.

  Han people had fairer skin, almost as pale as some of the Sarmatians, but with an ivory instead of peach undertone. And their skin was the finest Aella had ever seen, like silk, hairless and smooth.

  Their black hair also looked much finer than the Mongols’ coarser mane. The men pulled their long hair into buns that they hid under intricate caps or tied cloths on the back of their heads, and the women wore their hair up in elaborate braids and ribbons or flowing long and loose down their backs.

  Whereas Amazons were known for their buxom, sturdy build, like large predatory cats, Aella had always considered the Han women to be the most “feminine.” Lithe and graceful like swans.

  The Han were usually slighter and leaner than Scythians and Mongols, like willows instead of oaks. Their facial features seemed drawn in light lines by a thoughtful hand, understated and delicate.

  Even the men looked somewhat feminine, especially since both sexes bundled themselves under layers and layers of wrappings and long robes that looked like gowns until only the face and hands showed. And sometimes, they even hid their hands in large, voluminous sleeves. Some of the men had facial hair, but it was always neatly trimmed.

  The warrior before her, however, definitely defied the mold.

  While he had the typical fine features and lean build of a Han man, there was nothing remotely feminine about him, even though Aella rather suspected that between the two of them, he was the prettier one.

  There was an energy he radiated that bespoke incredible power in every line and sinew of his body—tall for a Han. Taller, in fact, than Aella, who usually towered over the average man, no matter their origin.

  His hair was not wrapped up in a bun but tied in a ponytail high up on the back of his head, the end of his thick, glossy hair reaching almost to his waist. Loose strands around his face were neatly tucked in place by a narrow band that wrapped around his forehead, with a pearl in the center.

  That was the only ornament on his person, for the rest of his attire was mostly white, unlike the colorful robes other Han wore, tied off at the waist with a light blue belt.

  Aella had the sudden urge to see him wear nothing but his long black hair down his back. Would it reach past his buttocks when it was loose?

  Her sex pulsed and moistened between her thighs as desire blazed like wildfire through her veins.

  She quirked a corner of her lips.

  Looked like she found her “ride” for the night.

  Now, to fight him for the right to have him.

  But she had to act fast because the Han’s comrades were calling to him, distracting him finally from the staring match they’d been engaged in after he saved her from a sneak attack by the opponent she just defeated.

  As he turned away, she reached out on instinct and grabbed his hand.

  The moment they touched, it was like she’d been struck by lightning. Her body practically buzzed with excitement and awareness.

  His eyes widened as he looked down at her. It appeared that he’d felt it too.

  “It’s the sex, gorgeous,” she said to him, even though she knew he probably didn’t understand her language.

  “Our bodies want each other.”

  His eyes narrowed slightly, trying to decipher her meaning.

  She gave him her sultriest smile and smoothed her thumb slowly across his palm, making him draw in a breath sharply at the sensation.

  “See. You feel it too, don’t you? The need within you. We can satisfy our mutual hunger this night.”

  He tried to pull his hand away, but she held on tight.

  “I’ll make it so good for you, warrior, you’ll never be the same,” she promised low.

  The faint blush on his high cheekbones showed that he might have an inkling what she was talking about, but he didn’t try to respond to her, not even answering in his own language.

  She wondered what his voice sounded like.

  Especially when he was inside of her, groaning with ecstasy.

  “But first, I intend to win you fair and square,” she stated with a grin of anticipation. “I challenge you to a duel with the weapon of your choosing. Winner takes all.”

  She pointed to a wooden slab leaning against a table of weapons that Atalanta was standing beside. Her comrade grinned back at her and gave her a look that said, “You sure can pick them!”

  Aye, Aella only chose the best. Life was too brief to settle.

  They’d managed to get passersby from various provinces to translate the challenge they put up in four different languages, including Han Chinese:

  “Win in one-on-one combat against an Amazon warrior, and you have the honor of taking her this night. Lose, and she has the choice of taking you. Only the bravest warriors need apply.”

  The Han warrior’s brows lowered in a slight frown after he finished reading the placard, and Aella wondered which part of the challenge he didn’t like.

  No man, in her experience, could ever turn down an opportunity to show his strength to a woman and take her to bed afterwards.

  So why was this one hesitating?

  The warrior shook his head and pulled his hand out of Aella’s grasp. He was turning to walk away.

  Everything in Aella told her to keep him from leaving, so she acted without forethought.

  She couched low and swept one leg across the back of the man’s calves, making him fall backwards.

  But before his body hit the ground, as any other man’s would have done, the warrior used his downward momentum to arch his back and push out with his hands, smoothly doing a backflip and landing on his feet behind Aella.

  She was more than impressed.

  This was a worthy opponent. In fact, he could very well be a better fighter t
han she. Now she really wanted to test her skills with him.

  She launched a series of bare-handed attacks in rapid succession, engaging him in combat whether he wanted to or not.

  He answered her smoothly with flowing grace, his movements seemingly effortless, deflecting her attacks as if it was child’s play. And though her onslaught should have pushed any other opponent into retreat, he merely circled around her, always keeping his ground within a small radius, never losing his footing with her.

  Aella had never seen the like.

  She was fighting in earnest now, not holding anything back. Her punches and kicks connected with full force.

  But most of the time, he somehow defused the power of her strikes before they could land on him, and when they did land, she felt like she hit unyielding stone. He was lean, but he was all hard muscle and strong bones. There was no give to him, not anywhere on his body.

  And though Aella would never pull underhanded moves like knee him in the nuts in the middle of mock battle (real battle was a different story), she suspected he might have iron-clad balls too.

  After several minutes of fighting, Aella noticed that their spectators had gone completely quiet, totally riveted by their match.

  Aella herself was absolutely thrilled!

  She’d never met a better warrior. She already knew that he was more skilled. Whatever his fighting style, he could have beaten her dozens of moves ago. The few that he’d allowed himself to land on her had knocked the breath out of her body, though she struggled not to show it. She was giving him everything she got, but he was easily holding himself in check.

  She wanted more!

  “I have ridden the Tiger every night, sometimes during the day, when the mood strikes me (and it always does—what a magnificent Beast!). I have become addicted to his cock, his scent, the unparalleled physical strength and perfection of his body. But I never lose sight of my ultimate goal: to grow another spawn within me, in case the boy I birthed is not the one. I must say, the process of achieving my goal is most enjoyable and entertaining. I cannot do it enough…”

  —From the secret journal of the Vampire Sorceress Circe