L'istra studied the collar, so innocuous around his neck. What would he do if she removed it? She could. She had the guard stones in her jewelry chest. It would be a matter of moments to press them against the collar and dispel the magic wrapped around his throat.
And then what? Would he flee the moment the collar was removed? Would he become a target of enemies in the palace and throughout the city? L'istra had seen him sparring with the soldiers who were his friends, so she knew he could defend himself, but was he equal to the dangers that would enfold him?
In the end, she cursed herself for a selfish coward and curled up against Adon, to take what pleasure she could from his presence. When she woke again, she lay neatly covered with a sheet, alone in her room.
* * * *
L'istra beckoned, and Adon followed her into a shadowy archway in the formal gardens of the palace. A massive, sprawling banquet filled the gardens. Adon was glad this strategy to discourage Amaran kept him close at her side. Hialatus’ soldier-spies reported that Eber had obtained a vial of some glowing green liquid from his exiled priest, and four hours later had delivered the same vial to Prince Amaran's retinue. What better staging than this very public banquet, to slip some filthy drug into the princess’ food so she behaved in such a way that marriage was the only way to repair her honor?
"I don't think anyone can see us here,” Adon murmured, half-turning to glance back at the golden spill of lantern light.
"Good.” L'istra flung her arms around him and pressed her open mouth against his. She tasted of wine and spiced meats. Adon fell into the sweet intoxication of her mouth and hungry, grasping fists clutched at his clothes. Their tongues tangled and L'istra's moan sent a vibration through his soul.
Then the healer in him sensed the poison trickling through her blood, to deaden her mind as it enflamed the beast in her soul. Adon felt the pinpricks in his own skin where the potion emerged in her sweat and touched him.
"Eber's poisoned us,” he muttered against her lips. “Princess—L'istra, look at yourself.” He pushed her out to arm's length and squeezed her shoulders, sending healing magic into her. He could only try a general purging spell, until he knew exactly what was in that potion Eber had given to the Gohlians.
Her eyes were wide and sweat streaked her face as she fought something deep inside. His healer senses told him when the disciplined general awoke, horrified at the ambush. Adon saw the moment L'istra pushed aside the drugged, enflamed woman.
"Blessed Unseen, what—” She cursed and bent double, wrapping her arms around her belly.
"Someone tried to drug you, for purposes of seduction,” he said, when she straightened and wiped the back of her hand across her mouth. He almost laughed aloud when fury creased her forehead. “Come with me. Hialatus can better explain.” Adon took her hand and led her back to the feast. He hoped whoever had slipped the drug into L'istra's food saw them walking hand-in-hand and exploded with fury at the thought that the drug worked for someone else's benefit.
He had no idea how long the drug was supposed to last, and how amenable the princess was supposed to be. Adon guessed that someone would soon come running to separate him from L'istra and take advantage of her amorous state. That would give them the guilty party.
To his disappointment, he and L'istra reached the high table without any interference. He stood back, keeping watch as the princess went down on one knee next to her uncle and spoke quietly with him. Three times, Hialatus raised his head and traded stern looks with Adon, and relief mixed with his expression.
Blessed Unseen, my exile here is worthwhile, if I was able to protect her this night, Adon vowed.
In his dream the night before, L'istra had begged him to stay with her always and called him her love. If only that could be true in the waking world.
* * * *
"Amaran's men are likely mad with frustration,” Nona said, her voice sharp when they returned to L'istra's quarters and told her what happened. She nodded once for emphasis. “I wonder how long it will take before we have importunate visitors at your door."
"They have to get past four layers of guards,” Adon said. He worried about L'istra's feelings in all this. From all the nightmares they had shared, Adon guessed she equated the arousing drug with another attempt at rape.
L'istra would have another nightmare tonight. He vowed he would be ready, if he had to climb into bed with her and hold her to drive away the nightmare the moment it began.
* * * *
L'istra knew the moment Adon entered her dream, because that was the moment she knew she walked through a dream of the shadowy, deserted rooftop garden.
"Adon?” She stepped out into the moonlight and spread her arms. “Where are you? I know you're here. Please, come out."
"I'm here.” He stepped through a slit in the air and the moonlight shimmered, like a shield of magic surrounding him. L'istra rested her hands flat on his bare chest and shivered at the warmth that streaked up her arms. “Princess—"
"Is it really you, or just a dream of you?"
"Dream?” He frowned and stepped back.
"No. Not this time.” L'istra laughed and lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Adon yelped and they went down.
And fell out of her bed, to hit the floor, so she sprawled across him, their legs intertwined.
Chapter Seven
L'istra had worn a tunic to bed that went to her knees, and nothing else. The cloth now twisted around her waist, baring her to him. Adon choked and turned his head away, and she had to laugh.
"If you were able,” she whispered, pressing her lips to his ear, “would you make love to me?"
"Princess—"
"Please, Adon, no rank between us. If you were able, would you make love to me?” She kissed his ear, then kissed a trail to his mouth, trying to soothe the hard, tense muscles of his jaw with her touch.
"Princess—L'istra.” His voice gentled. Adon grasped her shoulders to lift her just enough that he could untangle his legs from hers. He set her down on the edge of her bed, and she took hope from the fact that he left his hands resting on her bare thighs. “If I could ... I would drive that nightmare from your mind, so it never troubles you again."
She frowned, thinking he hadn't answered her question. Then she understood the intensity of his eyes, and warmth flashed through her. She leaned forward, and Adon met her with a kiss sweeter than anything they had played at all that long day. His mouth never left hers as he shifted to his knees, then stood, drawing her to her feet while his arms wrapped tight and hot and hard around her. She felt small and sheltered, and a strange sense of delightful danger, as if he were a hawk and she was a small, helpless bird. L'istra didn't understand all the sensations spilling through her as Adon's hands roamed over her body while his mouth held hers prisoner. The sensation of his warm hands against her bare belly and then cupping her breasts should have startled her, but she could only moan in delight and shiver and hope for more.
Adon lifted her, cradled for a moment in his arms, then settled her down on her bed. L'istra braced herself for the feel of his weight stretched on top of her. She had never thought she would want such a thing. A soft cry of disappointment choked her when Adon settled down beside her.
"Please."
"Prin—L'istra.” Adon stroked sweaty hair out of her face. “I would gladly give you a night filled with pleasure, but it would not be.... “He sighed and shrugged.
"I have the guard stones. To release your collar,” she added when Adon just frowned, as if he didn't understand her.
"You are a princess and I am your slave."
"That means nothing to me!"
"And that is exactly why I don't dare finish this. I shouldn't have gone as far as I did. Someday you will marry, and even if you don't love him—especially if you don't love him—what we share here would only give you pain. My mother taught me that. She begged me never to take a maiden's purity or her heart unless I was ready and able to share all my life with her."<
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"And you want to go home someday.” L'istra was sure that being raped wouldn't hurt as much as this widening, aching empty hole that cut through her.
"I would stay by your side until the end of my days,” Adon whispered. “But how can I watch you marry someone else and know that you share his bed and watch you carry his children after being your lover for however long we are able?"
"Lover?” She felt a giggle rising up in her throat to choke her. “Being lovers means ... more than once."
"If we shared a bed, do you think I would let a single night go by without making love to you?” He caught up her hand and pressed it to his lips.
"Why can't we take whatever we can grasp, now, tonight? I won't marry anyone. I won't want another man."
"You are a princess—"
"And my father is the emperor of the most powerful nation in this half of the world.” She rolled over, pushing him down flat in the bed so she straddled his hips and pressed down on his shoulders. “He loves me. He will give me what I want—because I never ask for anything. What I want is you.” She caught her breath, instantly thinking of Taisha. “But only if you want me,” she whispered.
"You're lucky I'm wearing this collar.” Adon pushed himself upright and slid his arms around her waist, holding her against him.
"How?” She knew she sounded like a pouting, willful child, but she didn't care. What was wrong with her, that the only man she wanted refused to indulge in all the promises their kisses had made?
"Consider where you're sitting, Princess,” he whispered, his mouth almost touching hers. “Any other bed, any other place, I would already be inside you."
She shivered, aching from old memories and nightmares. Adon resisted, just for a moment, when she shoved free of his arms. He moved to slide her off his lap, but L'istra pushed him down flat on the bed and then reached past him, to the jewelry chest she had tucked between her pillows and the wall. In a matter of moments, she had the guard stones in her hands.
"Are you ready to live up to your promises?"
"Threats, Princess.” Adon swallowed hard as she wriggled down his thighs so she perched almost at his knees. “How soon does the magic of the collar wear off?"
She paused, reaching with the guard stones to press them against the collar. “I don't know.” She gasped when he caught hold of her hands, stopping her.
"Did you see the hot springs and the geysers when you captured Yastone?"
"What does that have to do—” L'istra swallowed her frustration and nervousness. “Yes. Fascinating."
"After so long without feeling lust ... I'm afraid I'll hurt you, that I won't be able to control myself.” Adon brought her hands to his lips and his light kiss sent new shivers across her flesh. “Your first time should be delight.” He smiled, crooked and pained. “We will be lovers, but first ... let me serve you."
The import of his words, the implications, stunned her so that she didn't resist when he took the guard stones from her hands, then guided her to lie down again. Then his mouth was on hers, his hands stroking down her body, and she forgot the aching sympathy that had settled in her chest. Despite their friendship, how much had it galled him to be the slave of a woman all these moons? How strong was this man, to reach beyond what hurt and humiliated him?
If I don't keep him with me for always, what will I do? L'istra wondered, then forgot the thought as a river of warmth and breathlessness washed through her and she moaned.
It wasn't enough to lie there and let him caress her, though her limbs had turned strangely weak when she tried to move. L'istra indulged her idle dreams of the last few moons, learning the smoothness of his skin, the hardness of his sleek muscles, the warmth of his flesh. She laughed, startled, when Adon settled on top of her and wrapped her legs around him. Then she laughed more when he turned them over so she lay on top of him.
"What do—” The words escaped her when he slipped her tunic up over her head. Despite the warmth of the night air, it felt deliciously chilly against her sweaty skin. She felt small and helpless, captured in his eyes, as Adon sat up and gently cupped her face between his hands and kissed her thoroughly, gently at first and then making demands, exploring her mouth with tongue and lips, so she forgot to breathe and everything inside her melted.
Through the swirling haze that lifted her higher, so that she felt separated from her body and yet every sense heightened, she felt the hardness of Adon pressing between her legs. How could she not, straddling his lap as she did? She felt a moment of regret that Adon didn't drown in this glory with her, then laughed against his devouring mouth as she realized how wise he was. Someone had to be in control this time. But only this one time.
The ballads were lies, L'istra realized, as her heart beat faster and all her existence centered around the feel of his flesh under her hands, the stirring that tore through her with every caress he lavished on her. The ballads told of lovers who quoted extravagant promises and sweet words while they pleasured each other. The reality was breathless moans, dizziness, and desperate, hungry clutching.
She far preferred reality to all the fancy words Adon might ever say to her in her dreams.
Magic tingled in his fingertips as he lifted her hips and guided himself inside her. L'istra whimpered in mindless protest, not understanding until she felt the flashes of numbness where she had expected pain. Then his deft fingers tangled with all the threads of sensation running through her body and spun her up among the stars. From far away, she heard herself cry out, the sound muffled against Adon's mouth.
* * * *
"How am I going to make you feel this way?” L'istra whispered when the rich, drowsy sweetness seeped out of her body enough to let her think again.
Adon laugh, a contented rumble that made her think he had found some pleasure in what they had done, despite the collar. He stroked up her back, making her purr, and that brought more laughter from both of them.
"Hialatus warned me that we wouldn't be able to function unless we gave pleasure. It's all tied into the magic. I guarantee you, Princess, I functioned at a ... higher level than I ever have before.” The giggles she couldn't control brought her thoroughly awake. She sat up, leveraging herself out of his arms, so she leaned over him. “I swear, Prin—L'istra ... I have learned a great deal most men will never learn. There is pleasure in kissing, in all of this, that I would have missed otherwise, lost in my lust."
"Do you—will you feel lust, looking at me?” She knew it was ridiculous, wanting to know such a thing.
"Considering that you wear no armor?” Adon waggled his eyebrows and raked his gaze up and down her, lingering on her breasts.
She snatched up the guard stones while they laughed, and pressed them against his collar before Adon could understand what she did. It was a matter of moments to recite the spell words to unlock the magic. The collar sparked once, shimmering, and the emerald studs popped out, letting the collar fall open. L'istra scooped it up to toss to the other side of her room.
"Teach me to pleasure you,” she whispered as she stretched herself out on top of him.
They traded positions several times, laughing as they played at wrestling for dominance. In moments, they were both hot and damp, breaths short and fast and muffled by mouths locked tightly together. Several times she stopped, drew back, wanting something but not sure what it was. The first time, Adon drew back, gasping and sweating, his mouth twisted in a grimace as he fought for control. It made her heart ache, even as it tore away at the wall of timidity that tried to steal this new pleasure.
"It's all right,” he whispered, his voice harsh. “We can stop."
"I don't know what to do. How to—I want to make you feel like you make me feel."
"Anything you do.” He laughed. “You're already doing it.” He caught her mouth under his again and stole her breath and her uncertainty all in the same sweet, demanding kiss.
After that, whenever she paused, he drew back enough to see her face, to gauge her feelings, then guided
her hands over his body, teaching her to echo his caresses. He gasped and bit back a curse when she gathered up her courage and stroked up the hard, hot length of him.
"Does that hurt? I'm sorry.” She gasped when he clutched her hips, holding her still on top of him.
"Lovelight, I'd gladly pay with my life for the agony you're putting me through right now."
His words were leagues away from the pretty phrases and vows of ardent lovers in ballads, and L'istra nearly wept as something broke open inside her, melting the last aching memory and fear. She much preferred Adon, clumsy with eagerness, cursing and hungry, than anything she had dreamed of in those ridiculous ballads.
Later, as the last rolling waves of pleasure spread through her, sweeping her into sated sleep, she vowed that anyone who recited one of those ridiculous, unrealistic love ballads at her wedding feast would lose his head, after a dozen tortures she couldn't list because her brain was so sodden with pleasure.
* * * *
L'istra was delighted to awaken with her head resting on Adon's chest, soothed with his muffled heartbeat under her ear, and his arm wrapped around her. So this was what made her women warriors smile when they came back from conjugal visits.
She was able to go back to sleep for another hour or two, but then she woke too fully to let her lie still next to Adon, no matter how pleasant that was. L'istra cursed herself for being a habitually early riser. Not that the long, luxurious exertions of the night before had stolen her strength. If anything, she felt more rested and alive than she had felt in moons.
Adon hadn't benefited quite as well, from the limp way he just lay there. With some regret, she slid down to the end of the bed, where she let herself sit and watch him sleep for another quarter hour, until the first glimmers of sun peeked over the roofs of the palace complex. L'istra supposed some of Adon's exhaustion could be blamed on the breaking of the magic that had bound him for so long. She didn't want to, though. Despite being a novice at the carnal pleasures, she had enough pride to hope she had thoroughly drained Adon last night.
The Sword and the Slave Page 9