by Autumn Dawn
Cool dark hair caressed her as he teased her lips, nibbling and licking but refusing to go deeper, to let her respond. She twisted in frustration, snarling at him as his mouth slid aside to torment her ear. “Now, dang it, NOW!” she shouted, wrapping a leg around his hips and surging upwards.
Instead of complying, he rolled aside, propping his head on his hand as he watched her with masculine satisfaction. “Who is your husband?"
"You are, blast you! You scurvy, bloodless—"
"What is my name?” he interrupted, circling one dusky nipple with lazy possession.
She moaned, and her head rolled to the side. “Keilor."
"Mmm,” he said, and rewarded her with a brief, too shallow kiss. “And who is your lord?"
"God!” she snapped, just to irritate him.
"Among men,” he allowed, amused. His finger trailed down her belly and slowly circled her navel.
Shivers began and would not stop, but danged if she'd give him the satisfaction. “You really get off on these domination games, don't you, babe? So sorry to disappoint you, but—” She broke off as he reached above her, bringing a bottle of dark cinnamon oil, packed full of the curled bark and a decanter of rich caramel sauce into view. “What are you doing with that?"
He winked at her and uncorked the oil, pouring a generous pool into the palm of his hand.
Nearly mesmerized and a touch horrified at what that stuff was going to do to her control, she whispered, “That can't be good for fur."
He chuckled, and a moment later his slick hands came down on her body.
It was far worse than she'd imagined. She pleaded and begged, hollered and swore, but he was relentless. Every square inch of her body was treated to a heated, merciless torture.
All but the one place that needed him the most.
It was the kisses that were her final undoing, though.
"Will you obey me?” he whispered against her lips, teasing her with butterfly kisses when what she need was hard contact. “Am I your lord?"
"Pirate!” she snapped, too close to losing the skirmish.
"Marauder,” he agreed, amused. He rubbed his hard length against her, stealing another gasp. He licked the inside of her mouth.
A woman could only take so much. “Yes!” she gasped. “My lord, you can be my lord. Please!"
Triumph flared in his eyes. “I am your lord, and you will obey me."
For a moment the words stuck in her throat in rebellion, but it only took one teasing touch of him at her swollen entrance and she started babbling, “Yes! Oh, God, yes, please, you're my lord, I'll obey, I'll—” A scream tore from her throat as he slid deep, deep inside her, pinning her squirming hips to the table.
"You'll obey me,” he questioned, forcing her to say it once again, sealing it for all time, even though it cost him. He braced himself, steeled for yet another defiant refusal. If this were about anything less than the safety of their child....
Her entire body shuddered as she fought the words before they rushed out, along with last of the defiance. “I will obey you, my husband, my lord,” she groaned in fealty.
He kissed her long and sweet. “Thank you,” he murmured, and began to love her with a gentle passion that soon turned to flaming need. He could not get enough, and she strained against her bonds until he set her loose. She lunged up, wrapping around him with arms and legs, sinking her teeth lightly into his shoulder to grip him yet more until screams and sobs of pleasure forced her to let go.
The pleasure that came then was the best they'd ever known.
"What did you get that out for?” Jasmine asked later, snuggling against Keilor with sated affection.
He took up the decanter of caramel sauce and gave her a wicked grin. “Let me show you."
Keilor was surprised to find Raziel leaning against the opposite wall when he exited. Then he remembered that it was time for his shift to begin.
Raziel smirked, his blue eyes twinkling as he toyed with his earring. “Is it safe to return to Haunt? The noise coming through the door was too much even for poor human ears, Commander."
A rare flush bronzed Keilor's cheekbones. “I am out here, am I not?"
"So you are.” Raziel inclined his head in merry acknowledgment. “I'll see to it that no one disturbs our sleeping lady."
Keilor snorted, choosing to ignore his friend's imprudence even as a smile teased at his lips.
They had been rather noisy.
"We seem to be making a bad habit of this,” Jasmine joked, sitting down in the chair beside her friend's bed two days later. “How are you doing, Rih?"
"I'm beginning to understand why you were such a grouchy patient.” She shifted against the mattress, grimacing in discomfort. “Between Jayems’ hovering and my mother trying to cheer me up, I'm slowly going mad. Tell me I wasn't that bad."
Jasmine grinned. “Worse. Just be glad you don't have to live on liquids for a week,” she said when Rihlia groaned in dismay. “The important thing is you're going to be okay, the baby is doing fine, and you'll be on your feet in time to watch your toes disappear under your baby belly."
Rihlia glared, but then her look softened. “Thank you, Jasmine. If it hadn't been for you—"
"You would have done the same for me,” Jasmine interrupted before Rihlia could grow maudlin again. The pregnancy was really turning Rihlia into a bawl baby. Jasmine shuddered. She'd count herself lucky if all she suffered from was bad temper.
Rihlia picked at the covers. “I suppose you heard that one of the assassins was Knightin?"
Keilor had told Jasmine that they'd uncovered evidence that Knightin had been receiving bribes during the last year, possibly longer. A discrete investigation had begun to search for other possible traitors, but there was only so much that could be done.
"Jayems is talking about moving me to a safer place until all of this is over."
Jasmine looked up, surprised. “No one has said anything to me about that."
"He just brought it up today. I was too tired to fight about it much, but I don't want to go, especially now of all times.” Tears shimmered in her lowered eyes. “I don't want to leave him right now."
Biting her lip, Jasmine averted her face. The idea of escaping danger was appealing, no doubt, but she didn't want to leave Keilor behind to do it. Besides, there were no guarantees in life. Who was to say that sending Rihlia away would make her any safer? “I'd be happy to talk to Jayems for you, if you like,” she offered.
Fresh tears of gratitude sprang to Rihlia's eyes, and Jasmine jumped up, rushed her good-byes, and beat a fast retreat.
God save them all from pregnant women.
Jasmine commandeered a bench at the side of the training area where Keilor was instructing a group of soldiers in the art of the sword. She'd never watched him at work before, and it was a novel experience to see him through the eyes of his students.
They worshipped him. He asked the impossible, and they delivered because it was he who asked. He was curt, but never cruel. He didn't accept excuses, merely worked patiently with a student until that student understood what he wanted of him, demonstrating where necessary. The beauty of it was, his demonstrations were always matter-of-fact and instructional, never an outlet to showcase his own skill.
And he was skilled. Every fluid movement and graceful gesture spoke of strength and stamina, both in battle, and—
Jasmine flushed as images of the night before tumbled into her head, popping up behind her eyes and frizzling up through her nerve endings to explode in her lips, her breasts, her—
"Mind if we join you?” Urseya, dressed in a stunning brocade gown of rust and gold, joined Jasmine on her bench without waiting for an answer. Leo, accompanied by two of the Symbiont riders, took the remaining space on Jasmine's other side.
An unaccustomed stab of jealousy groped at Jasmine's heart, but she pushed it aside. There was no reason to feel that way, and she wasn't about to start playing the clinging, insecure wife at this late date.
Jasmine stilled and searched her face. Her brain had instantly labeled the dark thing malice, and her every instinct told her not to relax, to search below the surface of Urseya's now placid face. “Yes."
"I suppose Keilor is very happy,” she said, watching him demonstrate a movement without expression. “If the child survives, I'm certain that its ... mixed blood will barely bother him."
"Why wouldn't it survive, Urseya?"
Indifferent eyes moved again to Jasmine's stomach. “We've only the history of the by-blows, of course, but the odds of you carrying the baby through the third month are astronomical. No human woman has ever carried a Haunt child past the fourth month. Didn't you know?"
Leo cleared her throat. “The symbiont might make all the difference, Lady Jasmine,” she said quickly, touching Jasmine's shoulder. “You've seen yourself what they can do, I wouldn't concern myself too much about it."
Urseya's voice dripped false concern. “I'm certain that Keilor only wished to protect you by not telling you this."
A low sound of fury escaped Jasmine's lips as she rounded on Urseya. “Do not pretend to be my friend. Now leave!"
"Do not presume to order me around, Sylph,” Urseya sneered, allowing gold to flicker in her eyes. Isfael took a warning step nearer, and she eyed him with contempt, standing up. “Do not worry for her, Sylph's pet. She faces no danger from me.” She cast one more mocking look at Jasmine's belly then turned on her heel, leaving in a swirl of rust brocade.
Still simmering, Jasmine saw Keilor approach from the corner of her eye. “Your best defense is silence,” she warned him before he could say a word. Standing up, she told him with barely suppressed fury, “Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go check on the fragile sticker apparently glued to my forehead. I think I feel it peeling off."
Keilor, of course, did not leave her to simmer, but fell into step at her side. “It is a well known fact that even strong women behave oddly when they are breeding, just look at Rihlia."
"I did, I have, and I'll forgive you on those grounds this time only. Do you understand? This is my body, Keilor! You can't just demand courtesy without giving any in return.” She took his silence for agreement. “Now, don't you have a class to run?"
"What did Urseya say to you?” he asked, ignoring her hint.
Her lips tightened. “I think you got the gist of it.
A gentle but firm hand on her arm pulled her to a stop in the shadow of a garden archway. “I'm not interested in the ‘gist’ of it, Jasmine. I need to know details.” His serious, concerned expression told her without words why.
"You're afraid that she.... “she whispered, unsettled. She wanted to protest, to say that even Urseya wouldn't sink so low as to betray her family, but the words died unspoken. With everything that had happened, dare she dismiss Urseya's actions as simple jealousy? She touched her stomach, remembering the dark thing in Urseya's eyes, and clenched her jaw. “Why don't we go find some privacy?"
Jayems rubbed his lips with his thumb, his face grim as Jasmine finished repeating her brief exchange with Urseya.
"I've already assigned the necessary personnel to look into it,” Keilor assured him, crossing his arms as he waited for Jayems to respond.
Jayems glanced at Jasmine, who was seated in a chair in front of his desk. His gaze cut to Keilor. “Are you prepared to use the option we discussed now?"
Keilor closed his eyes for a moment, then sighed in frustration. “Jasmine."
She looked at him expectantly. She'd never seen him so tense, and she braced for the worse. “Yes?"
"Knightin is not dead. We have him in custody.” When the blood drained out of her face, he took her hand and knelt at her side. “Easy. He can't hurt you now."
A vision of an exploding head colored her vision, and she swallowed bile. “His head—"
"That wasn't him,” Keilor reassured her. “But he has given us no useful information, and right now we need detailed, accurate facts. You could help us with that, if you're willing.” At her mystified look, he explained, “You could command him to speak, to tell us what we wish to know."
Misery settled over Jasmine's expression. She'd thought she'd left that sort of thing behind her when she'd married him. Do I have to? Her expression said, but out loud she answered, “I guess so."
He was silent for a moment, and then he touched her cheek. “I'm sorry."
Keilor did not like taking her here, to the interrogation room on the prison level. It went against his every instinct to expose her to this white-walled dungeon, even if, with the exception of Knightin, she'd never see the prisoners.
Knightin was already manacled to a chair when they entered the bare room, and before he could register his danger, Jasmine did as she'd been instructed, saying quickly, “Don't turn to Haunt."
Knightin blinked at her.
Flanked by Jayems and her husband, Jasmine sat down in the chair across the table from Knightin and studied him for a moment. His long red hair was unkempt, hanging loose around his shoulders, and his face sported the beginnings of a beard and fading bruises, but his blue eyes held a startling lucidity.
She cleared her throat. “Tell us the names of those who've worked with you against my family." Obediently he began to rattle off a list of names. Jasmine watched him for nearly a minute. “He's lying."
"How can he be?” Keilor asked, sending her a sharp look. “He's not mated."
"Look at his eyes. No dilation,” Jasmine insisted, even as Keilor started swearing. Jayems called for a guard and began questioning him, but Jasmine barely paid attention. “Who's the girl?” she asked, looking into Knightin's mocking face.
He blew her an air kiss.
"Enough of this.” Keilor took her arm and assisted Jasmine out of her chair. A medic entered the room with a syringe and Keilor subtly maneuvered so that the instrument was out of her sight. “Call me when you need me,” he told Jayems, leading her out the door.
Jasmine craned her neck to get another look at the needle, but Keilor hurried her on and the guards shut the door behind them. “What was that?” she asked, a sick feeling in her gut.
"Truth serum,” Keilor answered, never slowing in his brisk walk.
"Why didn't you just use that before?” Jasmine asked, puzzled. “Why bother with me?"
His nostrils flared, just a bit. “It's clumsy, as well as fatal. He might not have given us the information we needed before he expired."
Jasmine froze in her tracks. “You're going to kill him?"
"It is what we do with traitors and murderers,” he told her without a hint of remorse.
Shivering, she allowed him to lead her out of the prison level and into the sunlight. Then she broke away and jogged towards a bench set up in a nearby grove of orange trees. Her bottom connected with a silent thump as she sat down and hid her face in her hands.
The general public did not see condemned men in the society that had raised her. She'd always believed in the code ‘an eye for an eye', but seeing that code in execution brought death much closer to home than it had ever been before. Even her near-death in the swamps had been a dreamy, almost peaceful thing. The stark walls and ugly needle she'd just witnessed were no dream.
A vision of Keilor's sword came to mind, and her breath hitched and came much faster than it should have, making her dizzy. He'd been in a war. He'd spoken of killing, but she'd never connected his words with the vision of carnage spilling into her mind at that moment. Blood on sparkling steel, blood everywhere ... or would the wounds be cauterized by the energy blades? Then there would only be piles of mangled bodies....
"Come on, Dragonfly,” Keilor coaxed, pulling her into his arms and giving her a quick kiss. “Come let me distract you.” He was naked, and it was evident by the gleam in his eye how he intended to di
vert her.
"No way.” Jasmine crossed her arms and stared her naked husband down.
Keilor tilted his head and eyed her with mischievous intent, completely oblivious to his state of undress. “You think not?"
Licking her lips, she forced her gaze away from her mouth-watering lover and eyed the secluded pool in the middle of the orchard. Countless pink and white blossoms scented the air, almost drugging in their pleasurable fragrance. “I am not getting caught with my pants down in public, thank you very much.” She glanced at his delectable body again. “No matter how tempting you make it,” she muttered under her breath.
He threw his head back and laughed, advancing on her with playful menace, his long hair sliding across his powerful shoulders. “Surrender or be taken.” he warned and pounced, tickling her breathless as he stripped her down to pink skin.
"Keilor!” she shrieked and squealed as he picked her up and jumped into the cool water, causing a miniature tidal wave. “Yiiee!” She tried to climb up his shoulders, but he distracted her with a kiss and dropped her.
The war was on.
Tripping him or dragging Keilor under the shallow water proved impossible, and splashing only provoked him to send a deluge in her direction. Summarily defeated, she crossed her arms over her breasts, sank down in the water, and glowered at him. “You're no fun."
One dark brow rose. “No?” he inquired and waded closer, stopping with his better parts inches from her nose. “None at all?” Gently he stroked her slicked back hair, rubbing himself across her cheek.
Jasmine became an instant convert to the sport of skinny dipping.
Much later, after she'd helped Keilor wash the grass stains off of his back and they'd dressed, Jasmine asked, “Where is your parent's memorial?"
Keilor hesitated in the act of buckling on his sword belt. “It is not far, a short walk. Would you like to see it?"
Surprised at his almost diffident manner, she hesitated a moment and then nodded. “If that's okay with you."
"I would be honored.” A smile in his eyes, he offered her his arm. After they'd walked a little while in silence, he said, “I've never taken a woman to see them. No one has ever been interested before."