by Amy Sumida
“That's different and you know it. I'm talking about strangers who should never be allowed to see Elaria naked and writhing beneath me.”
“Priss.”
“Pervert.”
“Oh, absolutely.” Declan beamed.
Slate grimaced.
“Will you two please stop that and help me think of a way to politely back out of this party?” I whined.
“We can't back out, my love,” Declan declared. “You've accepted on behalf of all of us and now, we must attend.”
“I accepted because I couldn't come up with an excuse right on the spot,” I argued. “But I fully intended to do so with the help of my supportive lovers.”
“This is the price of royalty, my love.” Declan gave me a look more smug than sympathetic. “You must attend the parties, especially those held in your honor.”
“You just want to see the nymph-sex,” Gage accused Declan.
“Of course,” Declan said blandly. “But that doesn't change the fact that we can't back out after we've accepted.”
“Is it truly that bad?” Torin asked me, his deep voice colored with worry.
“No,” I said.
He started to relax.
“It's far worse,” I added.
Torin and Darc shared concerned looks while Declan smiled like a child on Christmas morning.
Chapter Fifty
The Nymph Palace is more chateau than castle. Three stories of grandeur that Marie Antoinette herself would have been envious of. Vases overflowing with fresh flowers stood on delicate tables set before walls festooned with stone carvings of the same blossoms. Pediments of nymphs lounged over doorways, reaching dramatically toward each other in naked glory. Paintings of lush gardens and flowering meadows hung on the walls beside grand, mullioned windows that overlooked similar vistas. The furniture consisted mainly of chaise lounges interspersed with tiny tables and the occasional chair. Shimmering silk drapes swung back from the windows and chandeliers dripping crystals dangled from the high ceilings. It all looked so refined.
Except for all the sex.
We were shown into the foyer and then down a gallery lined in chaise lounges. Nymphs in diaphanous gowns or loose trousers passed us with soft smiles and intrigued expressions. They barely glanced at the couples who were having sex on every chaise available; they were far more interested in us. Even the ones having sex eyed us hopefully.
“Wow, we're here no more than two minutes and we've already seen six sexual positions. Correction; seven, eight, make that nine,” Slate murmured under his breath.
“Oh, you ain't seen nothin' yet,” Cerberus said with amused eagerness.
“This way, please.” Our guide—an ample-bosomed woman with poppies strewn through her long, blonde curls—waved a hand forward as she entered a room off the hallway. “You may refresh yourselves in here. Wine, water, and appetizers have been provided for you. Please indulge in anything you desire.” She gave us a lascivious grin before she bowed and left the room.
A line of male and female nymphs stood along the wall to either side of a table covered in platters of tiny food. They held jugs of water and wine and wore hardly anything. I sighed deeply and went forward to grab something to nibble on and a glass. The men followed me and filled their little plates, completely ignorant of the glances they were getting from the nymphs; both males and females. I approached a woman carrying a jug of wine, hoping that she would be safer than one of the men. She wasn't.
“Your Majesty,” the nymph purred as she poured wine into my glass, “is there anything else I could do for you?”
“No, thank you.” I edged away.
She set her pitcher on the table and followed me. “I could help you relax before the feast. If you would just lay back on a chaise, I'll be more than happy to provide you with a few orgasms.”
“What did you just say?!” Gage asked as he wrestled with someone on my right.
At first, I thought he was reacting to what the woman had said to me. But then I realized that Gage was blushing and trying to disentangle himself from his own female nymph. A quick look around the room showed me that all of the men, including Cerberus, were being sexually harassed.
“Well, that took longer than I'd expected,” I muttered.
“What was that, Your Majesty?” The woman asked as she stroked my arm.
“Nothing and no thank you. I'm not attracted to women.”
She pouted, but I ignored her. I was too distracted by the other conversations in the room.
“The Hound of Hades is renowned for his sexual prowess,” a nymph exclaimed as she stroked Cer's bicep. “Surely you could handle two of us at once?”
“Oh, I could, sweetheart,” Cerberus confirmed. “I could handle four of you, but I'm romantically involved.”
“We all are!” Darc declared as he jerked out of the dual embrace of a male and female nymph; a nymph sandwich, if you will. “Cease your ministrations!”
“If you do not remove your hands from my person this very instant, I will remove them from your body,” Slate growled at a male nymph as he simultaneously extricated himself from two females.
“No, I do not want you to stick your tongue there!” Torin shouted.
Banning and Declan were the only ones who looked perfectly at ease. Declan teased the nymphs back while he smoothly refused every offer. He let them lightly paw at him while he expertly evaded the more intimate caresses. Banning, who had spent centuries in a Blooder court, may not be used to this level of intensity, but he was the heir apparent, and he had been pursued with the determination of ancient killers. Bann had no problem extricating himself from every seduction attempt, and he did it with impressive class.
I picked up a silver fork and clinked it against my glass. Everyone went still. The nymph who had been propositioning me froze with her hand half extended to my breast. I took a pointed step back.
“That will be all, thank you,” I said brightly. “Your service is no longer required. Leave the pitchers on the table and go.”
The nymphs bowed as one and left the room. As soon as the door closed behind them, Cerberus, Declan, Banning, and I burst into laughter. The rest of the men just looked irritated.
“That's all it took to be free of them?” Gage asked in amazement.
“They're nymphs, not rapists,” I chided. “You just have to know how to say no.”
“I thought I was saying no,” Slate protested. “Quite clearly and repeatedly.”
“They think that's barbaric teasing.” Declan pounded Slate's shoulder congenially. “Next time, tell them that you are faithful to your woman.”
“Like I did,” Cerberus said.
“That didn't seem to be working for you either,” Gage pointed out.
“It would have after a few minutes.” Cerberus shrugged. “Just enjoy the attention. El can't fault you for anything the nymphs do.”
“That is hardly the point!” Torin snapped. “We are their guests and they assaulted us.”
“Oh, and here I was thinking you were going to say that you didn't want another woman touching you,” I teased him.
“You already know that, little bird,” Torin's voice softened. “I think I made that very clear when you turned yourself into a redhead.”
I kissed his cheek. “Just say; that will be all. You're royal guests. When you tell them to leave, they have to obey you.”
“Sweet stones, this is going to be a long night,” Darc sighed.
“A long night spent watching other people have sex,” Slate grumbled.
“Yep, this is going to be fantastic. It's like free porn.” Cerberus grinned eagerly.
Chapter Fifty-One
“Elaria!” Persephone exclaimed as I approached the high table with Cerberus and my men.
Persephone jumped to her feet as I climbed the steps and made my way onto the dais the high table ruled the room from. As was tradition, everyone was seated on one side of the table, facing the room. When she stood, I got a good look
at the sheer, daffodil, silk gown she was wearing. Even with the multiple layers of Persephone's dress, I could still see the shadow of her nipples through them. A gold belt held the gown on, with little straps coming up from it to keep the swaths from falling off her shoulders. Dark, tightly curled hair trickled down from the top of her head, adorned with her crown of bones and a bouquet's worth of flowers. I hugged her and the scent of underworld blossoms teased my nose.
“I'm so glad you're here,” Persephone said.
“So am I,” Hades muttered as he stood. He gave me a grim look. “Thank you so very much for attending.”
I laughed as I slid over to hug Hades. Then I whispered in his ear, “Just keep her within arm's reach.”
“Oh, I know the drill,” he assured me. Then he looked up at the others. “May I introduce all of you to Queen Daphne?”
Queen Daphne of the Nymphs stepped around the King of Styx and smiled beatifically at us. Her acorn-colored hair twined back from her sweet face in a mass of braids that wove around a crown of golden flowers. Her lithe figure was revealed more than hidden by a dress very similar to Persephone's except with fewer layers and her sky-blue eyes flicked over us as if she were wishing that we'd dressed more like they had.
“Queen Daphne, you know Queen Elaria and Lord Cerberus already,” Hades went on. “These men are Elaria's husbands, mate, and consort; King Darcraxis of Kyanite, King Torin of Onyx, King Declan of Alexandrite, Prince Banning Dalca of the Blooders, Lord Gagerian of the Saeiqa Griffins, and Lord Slate Devon of the Oregon Zone.”
“Oh, you lucky girl,” Daphne murmured to me as she held her hand limply out to the men for each one to kiss. “I think I shall settle on a few consorts as well. You make quite an entrance together.”
“It's lovely to see you again, Queen Daphne,” I said as politely as was possible while she was undressing my men with her eyes. “We were honored by your invitation.”
“Nonsense!” She declared brightly. “You saved my people. All of you did. Then you went above and beyond and found the lost ones. The Nymphs owe you a great debt.”
“Perhaps we'll call it in someday,” I said with a grateful nod. I'd learned to never turn down a favor. “But for now, let's just celebrate the return of your people.”
“Well said!” Daphne declared. “My entire court is here to entertain you. There shall be wonderful food, singing, dancing, and even a play.”
“How exciting,” Darc noted dryly.
“Oh, Your Majesty,” Daphne stroked the muscular curve of Darc's chest, “you have no idea how exciting it shall be.”
“Shall we take our seats?” I interrupted before she got carried away, and I had to hurt her.
“Yes. Please, sit down.” Daphne waved at the chairs set behind the high table. “I'm afraid I'll have to separate you from some of your lovers, Queen Elaria. It wouldn't do for me to be pushed to the end of my own table.”
“That's fine, Your Majesty.” I sat one seat down from Hades; that wise man had put his wife between the Nymph Queen and himself.
My men scrambled for the last three seats beside me. Darc, Slate, and Gage won the race; Darc to my left, between Hades and me, Slate to my right, and Gage on the end. The rest had to make do with the chairs to Daphne's left. Declan took one for the team and sat beside the Nymph Queen while the other men spread out to his left, Cerberus snagging the seat on the end.
We had just gotten settled when Lucifer strode in with an entourage of Angels behind him and a female nymph on each arm. His wings were open and lifted and his hair streamed down his shoulders in sparkling ribbons, but he wore casual human clothing; jeans, boots, and a black T-shirt. With his adoring escort and the contradiction of modern clothing on his angelic self, Lucifer looked like a cosmic rock star. I hid my chuckle behind a hand.
“King Lucifer!” Daphne practically leapt to her feet. “What a delight to have you in my court. Welcome!”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. It's a great pleasure to be here. A great pleasure indeed.” Lucifer grinned at the women on his arms.
“The pleasure has only just begun, Your Majesty,” Daphne promised in a sultry tone.
Lucifer lifted a brow at the Nymph Queen then nodded to his angelic escort, and they went to find seats. Nymphs eagerly made room for the angels. My ex-boyfriend, Raphael, was among the entourage, and he gave me a little head nod before he sat between two stunning women. They immediately offered him several choices to whet his appetite.
“Here, take my seat,” Declan grandly offered Lucifer as he stood and fled to the end of the table.
“Thank you, King Declan, that's very kind.” Lucifer released his nymphs to step up to the high table, but they followed anyway and took up a position behind him. As soon as he settled himself and folded his wings away, the nymphs began massaging his shoulders and pressing their breasts against his arms. “Queen Daphne.” Lucifer took her hand and kissed it gallantly. “Your beauty surpasses the rumors I've heard.”
Daphne giggled like a girl and slid her hand onto Lucifer's lap. “You charming devil.”
“No, never that,” he protested with a glance my way. “Not anymore.”
“What a pity.” She pouted. “What do you think of my court, Your Majesty?”
“It's very... satisfying.” His gaze shot back to the women massaging him.
“You'll be far more than satisfied before you leave my table,” Daphne vowed as she leaned toward Lucifer.
I saw her arm move and his eyes widen before I looked away. At least Lucifer was keeping Daphne's attention away from my men.
The Queen lifted her hand from Lucifer's lap briefly to clap once and signal the start of the feast. Nymphs adorned in swirls of gold paint and nothing else swept into the room bearing trays of food. The first platters were taken to the high table and then the lower tables were served.
A line of nymphs came sauntering up to the dais and flowed down the narrow space left in front of the high table. They placed the platters down simultaneously then settled into suggestive poses as they dished out portions onto our plates. I studiously ignored my server's gilded penis as he took his time selecting prime pieces of meat to lay on my plate. Then a chorus of “that will be all”s came from the other end of the table and made me giggle. Unfortunately, the man before me interpreted my giggle as encouragement and immediately crawled under the table to serve me in another way.
“That will be all, thank you!” I nearly shrieked as I pushed my chair with a strident scrape.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” The nymph crawled out beside me, gave me one last disappointed look, and took his platter elsewhere.
Slate stood and helped me slide my chair back while he glared after the nymph. “What kind of self-respecting man paints his dick gold?”
“The kind that wants to draw attention to it,” Gage murmured as Slate resumed his seat.
“You'd think that walking around naked would take care of that,” Darc added.
“Not here. In the Nymph Court, you need a little something extra to stand out,” I said grimly. “I did warn you guys.”
“No one likes a person who says 'I told you so,' Elaria,” Slate chided with a smirk.
“Queen Daphne, are you the same Daphne of the laurel tree fame?” Lucifer asked.
“I am, although that story is colored by human perception.”
“Do tell,” Lucifer purred.
“Apollo and I were playing a little game,” Daphne launched into the story I'd heard a thousand times, from both Apollo and her. “You know the sort; 'Oh, help! Save me from this brute!'” she pitched her voice dramatically and giggled.
“Yes, I'm familiar with all types of games.” Lucifer looked past Daphne and met my stare briefly.
His eyes went tight around the edges as he looked away. My stomach clenched but I determinedly pushed away my anxiety. Lucifer would get over me soon; he was obviously trying his best.
“I'll bet you are, Your Majesty.” Daphne waved away the nymphs who still stood behin
d Lucifer and then leaned closer to the god.
“You were saying,” he prompted her.
“Oh, yes!” She declared. “I was running from my savage pursuer when I stumbled into a group of human men. I couldn't exactly explain myself, but I didn't want them attacking Apollo either, trying to foolishly rescue me. So, I turned into a tree.”
“You turned yourself into a tree?” Lucifer asked in surprise.
“Powerful nymphs have nature magic,” Daphne explained. “I can help things grow and transform into some types of plants.”
“So, you turned into a tree, and the humans thought it was divine intervention,” Torin concluded with amusement.