Fervor (The Fervor Chronicles Book 1)

by Lynn Carmer

  Kill?

  “Bring me the water.”

  “W-what? Why?”

  “I want you cleaned once and for all of the glass. You will not suffer one more second at the hands of those sadists. Do it.”

  Placing the bowl at his feet, she stood slowly. The glow of his skin surrounded her, bathing her in light. She saw his nostrils flare as if he scented her. The arousal in her was at a burning pitch. “Will you wash me?”

  “Gods, I wish, but I can’t. I will not hurt you, Caprice. I would die before that happens. You are my priority. Take off your dress. Now.”

  She shivered, loving the command in his voice, deciding no matter what he said, she would have him tonight. He needed it, she needed it and felt as if she would die without his touch. And he thought to deny her?

  Fumbling with the intricate buttons at the back of the dress, she tugged and pulled until the dress finally pooled at her feet. She removed the girdle before he asked, biting her tongue to hold in the scream as the bone-herring band peeled back from her skin. As soon as she dropped it to the floor, she felt freer, cooler, and most of the pain was gone. “It’s done.”

  “I know. I can smell your need. It makes my bones ache, desperate to taste you again. Your scent is…” He shuddered with longing, “so damn beautiful.”

  Yes! Yes, I want that too.

  “Take the rag in your hand and start with your shoulders and run it down your breasts.”

  She obeyed. The lukewarm water only stoked her desire. She imagined it was his hands coasting over her breath, snagging her nipples.

  “Tell me how it feels.” The words were torn from him.

  She almost smiled in response until she ran the rag lower and lost the ability to think. Time to bring him into the fun. “It feels wet and hot, just like your tongue. I imagine it, sucking and pulling on my nipple…”

  “Princess.” His groan was deep and long.

  “I need help with my back.”

  “What?”

  She tried to sound innocent, but it was hard to fight the wicked delight. “That’s where most of the glass is and I can’t reach. I hurt, Arun.” She used his name deliberately, preying on his sense of responsibility. He said he would take care of her.

  She saw him fighting himself so she backed into him, her shoulders only inches from his chest. With each deep breath in, his skin came within a hair’s breadth of touching her. “I want to, want to so bad, but I can’t touch you. Not like this. What if I burn you?”

  “You have never hurt me. You don’t have to touch me. Just use the cloth. Please.” Not bothering to hide the longing in her voice, she knew she’d melt on the spot if she couldn’t get him to touch her. She was a Princess of the Glissante. No one, not even this beautiful man, would deny her. She dropped the wet cloth in his hand and waited. “I’m turned. Run it along my back.”

  The rag danced along her skin, initially rough and fast, as if he handled a draft horse rather than a willing female, but soon enough his hand slowed, swirling gently, dipping lower.

  Her breath caught when he grazed her neck and shoulders. “Yes, there too. It’s all over.”

  A burst of light lit the room. Without looking, she knew what it was. The energy in him was growing in power, seeking a release. “Caprice. Have to… stop. I-I’m about to… You’re so soft.” His words ended on a rough growl.

  “Don’t worry. You’re almost done.” She couldn’t control her shivers, the heat of him seeping through the cloth. “Now, go lower.” She was beyond shame, only listening to the demands of her body.

  A strangled sound came from him as his hands went lower, traveling up and down the crack that separated her cheeks. When he went to dip the rag in the bowl again – she turned. When he returned to wash her, his fingers landed right on her core, right where she needed them to be.

  He stiffened, as still as a cloudless night. His fingers moved slowly, exploring her, gliding along her plump lips. “Caprice, I could kill you. If I touch…”

  “I need you. You finished in my hand. I felt the sparks but nothing else happened.”

  “But I wasn’t lit up like a firestorm. No! I’m fighting for control. What if it’s too much? When we touch it gets worse, not better. Nothing can happen to you, Princess. I couldn’t bear it.” His words were tortured but still he didn’t remove questing fingers.

  Narrowing her eyes, she allowed the fury to creep up. “If that’s your answer, fine.”

  His breath expelled, but he didn’t move away.

  “I understand. If you will not touch me, you must doubt I am the woman who ignites your fervor. It’s a relief, really.” Not a relief, not a relief. But she needed to do something, remind him he believed that they were destined to be together.

  “Relief?” He gritted out as his fists clenched, then unclenched, his entire body knotted in tension.

  “Yes. It means I am free to find a man who truly meets my needs, who isn’t afraid to touch me.” She kept her voice deliberately airy… and waited.

  “I can meet your needs. I have! You will have no other!”

  She was baiting him. He had to admit, here and now, that he wanted her. Had to want her enough to trust the fervor between them, trust her enough to take the chance. “Oh yes I will! I will have a man who will touch me, love me with everything he has. I would welcome him into me, loving the feel…”

  He roared, and sparks jumped in the air. His skin glowed, lighting the room in blasts of heat, like lightning strikes during a winter storm. “You are mine!”

  “Prove it!”

  He smashed the bowl against the far wall, grabbing her around the waist. Her bare chest mashed into his as the exquisitely soft heat of his mouth enveloped hers. His tongue attacked, and she went weak. His teeth tugged at her lip, his hands cupped her backside, bringing her up high. “Say you will have no other. Say it.”

  A secret smile touched her lips. This was where she needed to be. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she felt her soft core come into contact with his warm stomach. Her thigh muscles clenched. The urge to punish him further was there, but he just felt so good.

  “Say it. No other!” He was lost in a daze of passion, kissing her face, her neck.

  She thought she saw a flash of panic, and her heart melted. Grabbing his face and running her finger against his lower lip, she said, “Arun, there is no other. Only you.” The bright white of his eyes blinked and then skimmed over her face, as if hoping somehow her features would come into focus. Raining kisses down his face, she said, “You. Only you. I need you, Arun.”

  “What if I hurt you?”

  “Never! You would never hurt me. I will die if you don’t touch me. Touch me now. Please, right here.” She placed his hand against her throbbing clit and almost jumped from his arms when he circled his thumb, once, then twice against her. He placed one finger inside of her and she rode him hard. “More.”

  He groaned and laid her on the floor, away from the broken bowl and dirty dress. The stone felt cool against her skin. A second finger entered, and she cried out, her muscles suckling the digits as she climbed higher. A swell of passion threatened to drown her, but she knew there was more. She felt as if she were rising, riding the wave, desperate to glide into pure bliss.

  “Come for me, Princess. For me.” He placed his mouth around her nipple and sucked in time with his thrusting fingers. She flew, flew, over the edge, her orgasm blanketing her with pleasure. Unable to breath, to scream, she felt her body spasm, milking his fingers. He pulled back from her, and she whimpered in need. Yes, that’s what she had been waiting for.

  On his knees, he tugged his pants from around him and tossed them across the room. Every inch of luscious skin glowed, and his beautiful cock throbbed in front of her. Sitting up in front of him, she grabbed his long length. His groan ignited her passion, and she leaned in, desperate to know his taste. Her mouth engulfed him. She had wanted this from the moment she’d seen his jutting cock in her dungeon. She dreamed of the slow gli
de of her tongue on his protruding member. But she could never have guessed at its strength. So firm, yet so silky.

  She lapped at his length, and she shivered as his hands fisted into her hair. “So good, Caprice. I’ve never felt this, this…” At his words, she went deep, taking him to the back of her throat.

  Moving up and down, she mimicked what it would feel like between them. One of his hands fell from her hair and touched her breast, grazing her nipple. She gasped, and he pulled away from her, the width of his shoulders dwarfing her as he leaned down, further and further. “Can’t wait, Princess. Need you.”

  Supporting her with his arm across her back, he lowered her to the floor. He spread her legs and grabbed her thighs with his large hands.

  “Gods, yes. Please…” She needed him inside of her.

  “I’ll go as slow as I can.”

  When his hand brushed her lips it ignited a mini-spasm, the effects still lingering from her last orgasm. She bathed him in liquid heat. Panting, she said, “I’m ready.”

  His forehead touched hers, and she watched, fascinated at his expression. At him! She just noticed the sparks flying around them, on her, through her. Her pleasure had been so all-consuming that she hadn’t noticed the power of the current coating her body and his. Yet she felt a mild shock that heightened her senses. Then she felt him, and her musing were lost. Her focus now was his long length entering her one slow inch at a time. She wanted to shout with joy. Another slow inch, another retreat.

  “Please, Arun, please.”

  He growled and then launched forward, almost to the hilt. The action knocked the wind from her, the small barrier in her breached. Her inner muscles burned, her hips stilled, trying to adjust to his size. “W-wait.”

  “You all right? I’m so sorry, but gods! You are… so tight… so—I’ll go slow. I swear it.”

  Slowly, he worked her. Her body bathed him in silky liquid, and finally she felt her muscles relax. Wrapping her legs around him, she squeezed, undulating against him, ready for the perfect friction. She felt full, unused to the sensation, but she needed something, anything that would make the pleasure rise again.

  He kept a steady pace, pumping once, then again. She reared up, scraping her hands against his back, and he roared. He went into a frenzy, the humming increased, and bolts of lightning lit the air. Even with her eyes closed, she saw the flashes of light.

  The mini-spasms grew, and her muscles clamped down. Smaller spirals turned into longer ones, and she was lost, the movement of him inside her bringing her to orgasm. Her body started to shake at the force of the pleasure.

  “I love the feel of you. You are gripping so tight.” He cocooned her in his arms, roaring his release. Silky bursts of liquid heat filled her. The room was bathed in light, a sonic boom shook the walls, and all his energy expanded, floating around them, blanketing them in heat.

  His light was a bathing warmth, smelling, tasting, feeling like the essence of him. She couldn’t get enough. But with all things, good or bad, the universe sought balance. His light and heat seared her, bringing intense pleasure, but it also melted the last of the cold within her. The freeze was gone.

  With one last surge, the glow from his skin was gone, and all was silent. Chunks of rock fell from the stone walls, but they remained intact. The room was now pitch black. No longer able to see even the hand in front of her face, she reveled in his large, warm body above her.

  “I finally get my sight back, and I can’t see a thing.” His deep voice tickled her cheek.

  Something bubbled inside of her; a strange sensation tickled her throat. Noise flew from her lips, and she couldn’t stop. Something fluttered in her stomach, and she rolled back and forth with the sensation. It felt amazing.

  Dear gods, I’m laughing!

  When she settled, he rolled to his back and pulled her atop him, kissing her forehead. “You are a gift. Caprice. My Princess.”

  Exhausted, she allowed herself to float away, for once warm, and… loved.

  Chapter 22

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  Pillowed on a silky mound made of muscle, Caprice awoke. They lay entwined, wrapped in each others’ arms. Completely naked. She’d never touched anyone so intimately, so completely. Breathing him in, she stilled, realizing she may never again have this chance to languor in a man’s arms. No, not just any arms. Arun’s arms.

  The room was bathed in black. She had no idea when the sun would rise. At home, it had always been her custom to wake early, while the castle was still quiet, at peace. Her heart ached because it reminded her of all the times she’d had to prod Addy out of bed. She was never an early riser, yet another secret the two kept from the world.

  Sitting up, she was careful not to disturb the giant—No, he was Arun now. She knew him too intimately to relegate him to mere “Giant”. Feeling her way across the room, she felt around for the washcloth, hoping it was still wet enough that she could clean up. As she moved, every muscle in her body clenched. She was sore. She had the warrior women to thank for that, but the muscles lower, down her stomach and between her thighs, were all Arun. She shivered at the delicious memory of him riding between her legs.

  Finding the cloth, she was surprised again at its lukewarm temperature. Would she never feel the cold again? A shuffling sounded from the back of the cell. In a flash, a glow permeated the room, and she caught her breath in response.

  In comparison to last night, this light was softer, gently skating over his skin. Somehow, she could feel it, him, the energy and the man irrevocably intertwined. How was any of this possible? And why didn’t it hurt her? The glow suffused every inch of exposed flesh, turning his bronze skin into a golden pulse of light. Everything was the same, except his eyes.

  For the first time his eyes were whiskey brown instead of white.

  “I’ve waited so long to see you like this, Princess. You make my heart hurt, you’re so beautiful.” His soft words were countered by the rough growl of his voice.

  She flushed, uncomfortable with his romantic words, but she didn’t cover herself. “You can see me, but you glow?”

  “The energy ratchets up whenever I want you.” He scratched his chest, looking like a contented snow cat.

  “Does that mean you can control it now?”

  He sighed. “I don’t know. It’s all so new. I’m just glad you weren’t hurt.” Glancing about, they noted the crumbling stone and melted metal. “Looks like I ruined their little cell, though. Too bad.”

  She wasn’t ashamed of her body, but his intense scrutiny started to make her feel self-conscious. This was all so new to her. Reluctantly, she searched for her gown, almost groaning at the idea of putting the dirty rag back on. She was finally clean and free of glass. She found it in a heap on the floor, the once pristine wedding dress now a muddy mess.

  “You have a gorgeous ass, Princess. Anyone ever tell you that?”

  The words coasted over her, warming her further. A loud knock interrupted them and before she could brace herself, the door creaked open, and a long rectangular box slid across the floor, skidding to halt by her feet. The door slammed shut, and Caprice blinked, unsure of how to proceed.

  “Don’t touch that!”

  Ignoring him, drawn to the simple elegance of the item, she leaned down and flipped the lid. “Look, Arun! It’s a dress. Ooh, it’s lovely.” She ran her hands along the fine green silk, trimmed in golden velvet.

  “Don’t put that on, Caprice. You don’t know—”

  Too late. The gown was already over her head and sliding down her body as he spoke. The silk lining the inside of her dress floated over her skin. Divine. And it fit like a glove. No need for a girdle—not that she’d ever place that torture device against her skin again.

  Rushing over to Arun, she asked, “Isn’t it beautiful? Pull the ties in the back, please.”

  Sighing, he complied after he pulled on his own pants. “Caprice, you really must think before you…”

  At the last tug, she spun around. “How
do I look?” The words were out before she had time to think. They made her feel vulnerable, giving weight to his opinion.

  “You look… My gods, you’re lovely.” He raised an unsteady hand to her cheek.

  A whoosh buzzed past, tickling her ear, and Arun slapped a hand against his neck. Roaring, he looked to the door, the light increasing in the room. A wooden tube, slim and smooth, peeked through the slats in the door.

  “What is that? What just happened?”

  He took a step, wobbled on his feet, took another, and then landed hard on his knees.

  “Arun. Are you all right?” Rushing over, she tried to catch him as he toppled, just saving him from smashing his face into the concrete floor. His weight knocked her down and he ended up face first in her lap.

  Rolling onto his back, he gurgled, unable to speak. The hand he held against his neck dropped to the floor. Caprice saw a small dart protruding and then dissolving into his skin. His chest rose and fell sharply, each breath a labored task. His energy pulsed bright, lighting the room, then would fade as if he couldn’t sustain the power.

  The door flew open and two female guards entered, flanking the opening. They wore the same scrap of leathery material as Cameo, and both had long swords strapped to their backs. Caprice could make out the shadows of several more women in the hall.

  Gently laying his head on the ground, she pulled herself up, standing in front of him, blocking him from their view. Fury wrapped around her, but instead of the freezing spark she was used to, it felt more like a lukewarm buzz. She’d hoped the pain and hatred she felt for these women would bring on the freeze. Shutting off her emotions, everything except anger, she faced them.

  The warrior advanced. Caprice jumped, trying to get her hands on her, but she evaded easily. Caprice was no match for her speed. A voice came from the shadow of the warrior, saying. “He is fine, Glissante. He only sleeps.”

  “So you say. Know this. You have touched what is mine, and you will pay!”

  Just as she readied to lunge, Cameo poked her head through the door. “That’s not a smart move, Ice-Pop. Even if you manage to get your hands on her, which I doubt, it’ll only make Gwinny over here put you to sleep, too.”