by Rachel Angel
“Oh,” I said, breathing freely for the first time since taking my last bite of dessert. “That feels good.”
With the bodice loosened, he gently tugged the dress off my shoulders, letting the soft fabric fall to my elbows. The bodice still clung to my breasts, but barely.
“And how does that feel?” he murmured as he kissed his way along one shoulder, up to my ear before going to the other ear and kissing his way along the other shoulder.
“Nice,” I whispered. I closed my eyes and allowed his sweet kisses to soothe me. “So nice.”
Tugging a little more, he pulled my arms out of each sleeve and let the bodice fall to my waist. My breasts, proud and perky stared back at us.
“Truth is,” Axel said. “You don’t even need a sensual garment such as this. You are always deliciously tantalizing and arousing, no matter how you are dressed.”
“You are sweet,” I said. “But you are also aroused. A maiden should never fully believe the words of a man so aroused.”
“Wise words,” Axel said. He pushed the gown over my hips, letting the luxurious fabric pool at my feet. “Look at you,” he whispered as he ran one hand over my belly while the other gripped a breast. He continued to kiss his way along my shoulder, his kisses now hot and biting.
And when his hand traveled farther down my belly and down to the crux of my thighs, I sighed and leaned back into him.
Closing my eyes, I let the world slip away and concentrated exclusively on the movement of his fingers between my thighs as well as his fingers pinching one erect nipple.
“I saw how smart you are at the chess tournament,” Axel said. “And I saw how quick you are to find your way out of that labyrinth.”
“Yes,” I said breathlessly.
“Now I want to hear you in rapture. I want to hear the animal in you; that wanton woman who is not proper and prim and dainty. I know there is a heat in your belly that needs to explode.”
I opened my eyes to watch his hands working over my body. There was something oddly erotic about watching instead of just experiencing. I felt like a voyeur, spying on a loving couple. It was incredibly arousing.
When I felt the approach of a tremendous climax, my knees buckled.
“I’ve got you,” Axel said into my ear as his hand released my breast and took a strong hold of me, wrapping his arm around my waist while his fingers added more pressure to my lady parts.
I let go. I stopped fighting to stay on my feet as the euphoria took over.
“Beautiful,” Axel said. “You are simply beautiful.” He swept me off my feet and carried me to the bed.
As my body still throbbed with pleasure, I leaned back into the pile of pillows and watched Axel remove one article of clothing at a time.
He was patient and taking his time. It was unlike him. He was usually so hungry. His need typically so urgent.
But now, fully nude, his muscles tense and enticing, he crawled onto the bed. As he climbed over me, he looked hungrily down at me.
“I would have thought you’d devour me,” I said, surprised by his restraint.
He was such a magnificent beast of a man. For a prince who could have chosen to live the easy life of pleasant royal duties and peaceful days of idling by, he worked hard to stay strong, and his strength was a big part of his beauty.
“I would have thought the same,” he said. “But I now find myself wanting to savor you. I want to take my time, see all of you, touch all of you.”
He lowered himself on me, all while keeping most of his weight on his elbows. With tender kisses spread over my shoulders, my breasts and my arms, he aroused me all over again.
And when he nudged my thighs apart with his knee, I eagerly yielded.
He was slow and methodical as he reached my core, touching the depths of my soul. Unhurried, he made love to me, his eyes filled with the love his body showed me.
“If it’s possible,” he said. “I think I am even more attracted to you than ever. Seeing you today, not only the beautiful dress and your dramatically made up eyes, I fell in love with you all over again.”
“That’s interesting.”
“Yes,” he said, continuing to gently stroke the very depths of me. “I’ll admit I surprised myself. I mean, I always knew you were smart. But today… You surpassed any expectation I might have ever had about you.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned up to kiss him. “So, does that mean that you will drop out of the competition and let me take my rightful title?”
He chuckled softly. For a brief moment, he stopped stroking me as he kept a steady gaze on me. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
I nodded, though I knew it was useless.
“I’ll never stop competing to ensure you do not become the next Kingmaker, Violet. Never.”
“Why?” I said through a breathless groan as his motions led me to the edge of another climax.
“You know why,” he said as he pushed in deeper and deeper. “I want you. I want you for life. I want you all to myself. My wife.”
“Aren’t you being a bit selfish?” I said with a teasing smile.
“I really do want you for my wife, Violet, and as my wife, you will be treated as a queen should. Is it truly selfish of me to want to give you the best the world has to offer?”
“Perhaps I have no desire to be queen,” I said. “Have you ever thought of that? Perhaps the role of a royal doesn’t appeal to me.”
He pressed his chest to my breasts and let out a satisfied sigh. “Really? Tell me that you wouldn’t want this every night. Tell me that you don’t love being with me like this.” He stopped moving and looked pointedly at me. “Tell me that you’ll stop this silliness and drop out of the competition. Tell me that you’ll abandon the notion of becoming Kingmaker once and for all.”
I watched him as he resumed the slow sensual rhythm, bringing me to the edge of a super climax.
“I want to be Kingmaker, and I will do everything in my power to make that happen. If ever I was to choose to become your wife, it would be because I’d chosen for it to be, not because I was unable to prove my worth as Kingmaker.”
Axel sped up, bringing the rhythm to a more urgent pace. “Then,” he muttered through heated breaths. “I’ll just have to find other ways of convincing you that you belong with me.”
He gave one final, deep thrust, finding his ultimate release just as I reached another climax.
Chapter 16
Violet
The night was long as sleep escaped me. I tossed and turned, unable to let go and simply doze off. The tension of the day refused to leave me. At some point in the night, I got out of bed and looked out my window. The night was still dark. The moon hadn’t come out yet.
I thought of Ollie, and his explanation of the rhythm of the moon. It should be coming out soon, I thought as I looked up into the star filled sky.
I waited a few moments and soon the faint light of the moon appeared over the distant island. Breathing in the sweet, cool air and smiling as I thought of Ollie, I watched the moon emerge and light up the sea.
Nocturnal animals scurried about on the gravel path below or climbed nearby trees. I could see nothing but heard them going about their nightly business.
Satisfied that I had calmed down enough, I returned to bed, and while I slept through one fitful dream after another, I finally slept.
I was deep into a dream, deep, deep in sleep when a strong hand abruptly shook me.
“What?” I said in alarm as I sat up in bed.
“Time to get up.”
Trying to shake off the weight of deep sleep, I looked at Lucinda who sat on the edge of my bed. Already fully dressed and with her hair pulled severely off her face, she looked impatiently at me.
“What are you talking about?” I said. “I don’t have a training session today.”
“Special events training,” Lucinda said as she stood and tore the down duvet off me. “You want to win or no?”
“Well
,” I said as I got up and pulled on a robe to ward off the morning chill. “Of course, I want to win, but…”
“No but,” Lucinda said firmly. “Dress and be ready in five minutes.”
“Five minutes?” I heard the childish whine in my voice and knew it was a mistake, a mistake I blamed on my sleepiness.
Lucinda glared at me. “Five minutes… downstairs.”
Without wasting another moment, I went into my dressing room and pulled on a tight but flexible pair of pants. They were like a second skin, molding to my every curve. I topped them with a snug dark brown wool sweater.
I grabbed a pair of sturdy boots and carried them down to the back entrance. Looking out into the garden, I saw Lucinda waiting. I hopped into my boots and headed out to meet her.
“Ready,” I said, trying to sound enthusiastic. “Where do we start?”
“A quick stretching session to warm up your muscles.” She led me to the edge of the forest that bordered the sea and headed to a flat outcrop of granite slabs.
It was a beautiful morning with the sun throwing long shadows on the pink, white and pale green slabs of stone. Several gulls danced in the sky, all glancing down at the sea water below, looking for a meal.
“I haven’t come out here very often,” I told Lucinda as I admired the view. “In fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever come here at all.”
“You have,” Lucinda assured me. “The landscape has changed. This outcrop reached farther out into the sea when you were younger. A large portion collapsed winter last.”
That must be it, I thought as I settled into various stretching exercises. The view of the small islet nearby was familiar. I had never stopped to consider the changes the island was subject to.
“Everything ultimately falls to the sea,” Lucinda said as if reading my thoughts.
I reached for the sky while I looked down at the broken stones. Then I bent completely over to touch the granite at my feet while looking at the forest between my legs.
“Ready to work now?” Lucinda said.
Before I could answer, she was off and running. I hurried to catch up to her. She led me to the maze.
“I already won this competition, Lucinda,” I said.
“It is the best place to run, to make quick turns. A lot of stop and go, turn right, turn left, sprint and stop again.” She looked up at me. “Go!”
I darted into the maze, running as fast as I could, stopping suddenly to turn and turn again. Breathless, I emerged on the other side to find Lucinda waiting.
“Not bad,” she said.
“I would say that was pretty good,” I said smiling.
“Now, you need to work on your muscles.” She handed me a hen-sized stone.
Frowning, I looked at the stone then back up at Lucinda.
“Run maze backwards with stone.”
I didn’t argue. I took the stone and ran. The burden was cumbersome and made running awkward, but I emerged at the entrance of the maze in good time.
Sweating but smiling, I looked to Lucinda.
“Not bad.”
I tossed the stone aside and shook out my arms.
Without saying a word, Lucinda led the way to the forest. We walked briskly until we reached a short and sturdy tree with a low branch.
“Pull up,” she said simply.
I reached for the branch and pulled my weight up and let it come back down.
“No,” Lucinda said. “Hold your weight as long as possible.”
Again, I pulled my weight up and held it steady.
“Good,” Lucinda said as I continued to hold on.
After a while, my hold became shaky, but I still held on until I could no longer.
“You are strong. That is good,” Lucinda said.
We walked on, crossing the forest and emerging on a jagged slope that led down to the churning waters below.
Lucinda walked to a large, bright white chunk of quarts and sat down. As I came to sit beside her, she glared up at me.
“No. You still have work to do.”
Can’t I take a break, I wanted to say.
“See the pink stone below.”
I followed her gaze to see a pinpoint of pink amidst the black slabs of rock.
“I suppose you want me to go down there and get it, right.”
Smiling, she nodded. “I’ll wait here.”
I turned and headed down, careful as I negotiated my way over loose rocks, wobbly slabs and sharp, thorny shrubs that bordered the path.
As I reached the rocky shoreline, a large wave smashed against the rocks, forcing me to stop for a moment. When the foaming water receded, I continued on my quest for the bright pink stone.
Only slightly larger than my hand, I was able to easily carry the stone back up the jagged path. As I neared the rim where Lucinda sat waiting, a stone gave way beneath my foot and I stumbled but quickly recovered and ran up to the top.
“Here you go,” I said breathlessly.
“How do you feel?” she said.
“Alive!” I said enthusiastically. And it was true. There was something about the sea air, the invigorating run and the sense of accomplishment that excited me.
“Good.” Lucinda stood and we walked back to the castle. “You are well deserving of a good breakfast now.”
I looked up to the high sun. “Breakfast?”
She laughed as we arrived at the kitchen entrance.
“She is all yours,” Lucinda said as she essentially transferred me to Rosie.
“Thanks for the training, Lucinda.”
She nodded and headed through the kitchen and out into the castle.
“Are you hungry?” Rosie said as she finished preparing a meal.
“Hungry? I haven’t had breakfast. I’m famished. Lucinda has had me running for the past few hours.”
“Good.” Rosie gave her thick stew a final stir before spooning some into a large bowl. “This is specially fortified with everything you’ll need for your next challenge.”
“Thank you, Rosie.”
She smiled as she handed me the bowl. “We are all watching you, Violet,” she said softly. “We are all supporting you.”
Her words touched me deeply.
“Your father has always imparted his wisdom on you. In his gentle but consistent way, he taught you the ways of the Kingmaker. We all know that. We’ve all been witness to that over the years. Even when you were young and had no idea what your father was doing, he was teaching you. Some questioned the wisdom of teaching a girl the ways of a role intended for men. But we knew. We’ve always known that you were capable of anything you set your mind to. All that remains now is proving it to those who have not had the privilege of watching you grow these last years.”
“I appreciate that, Rosie. Thank you. And thank all the staff. It means a lot to me that you are all in my corner.”
She nodded. “Now go eat. You’ll need all your energy.”
I took the bowl of steaming stew to the small informal dining room and ate. In addition to being delicious, I sensed there was something more to the stew than Rosie let on. Had Rosie added something a little enchanted to the stew? Was a touch of alchemy involved?
When I had emptied the bowl, I returned to the kitchen for more.
Lucinda had returned and she was talking quietly with Rosie. They both stopped when I entered.
“Am I interrupting something?” I said.
“We were discussing your upcoming challenges,” Lucinda said.
“I have fed your body, while Lucinda has prepared your body to be strong,” Rosie said.
“But there is one aspect of your training that we have neglected to touch on,” Lucinda said.
“What’s that?”
Lucinda pointed to her head. “Your mental strength.”
“Your faith in yourself,” Rosie added.
“You are the rightful heir to the title of Kingmaker,” Lucinda said. “Killian Kingsbury has always made that clear.”
“Know in your hear
t, in your soul, that you are the one,” Rosie said.
“This afternoon, you will face opponents that are considerably larger than you.”
“Burly brutes who will think themselves capable of breaking you like a twig.”
“Do not back down. Do not fear. You have it in you to beat them all. Don’t lose that conviction.”
Smiling, I looked at the two women who meant so much to me. My heart swelled at the thought of the faith they had in me.
“I will win,” I said. “I will be the next Kingmaker.”
Chapter 17
Violet
Sir Richard Honeywell called the competitors to the edge of the forest on the west side of the island. A large clearing was filled with loose sand and dirt and a huge grizzly bear was chained and held in place by several knights.
Small and frail in comparison, I stood among my competitors; Axel, Avery, Ollie, Reggie, as well as Prince Barnaby of Borax, Prince Gerr of Glencoe, Prince Merck of Merryville, Prince Flamish from Battleguard and Prince Lach of Lockland.
Still wearing the skintight pants that showed off my best assets, I’d shunned my wool sweater and had pulled on a thin, almost transparent purple cotton shirt that also clung to my skin. Lightweight, I felt almost naked, which would make moving around all the more easy.
Most of the men openly looked at me with lust, while a few of them were a little more discreet in their gazes.
“Did you come out here to compete,” one prince said, “or to dazzle us with your beauty?”
“A little of both,” I said with a confident grin.
“Another distraction,” Prince Lach said as he looked at me with a grimace.
Honeywell cleared his throat. “Battlegrounds are rarely a fair ordeal. If you are so easily distracted, young prince, perhaps you do not belong in this competition.”
The prince grimaced again, then turned away.
I looked over my many competitors and knew that I would win. If it meant using my beauty and femininity, then that was what I would do. I knew the importance of carrying and presenting myself in a way that showed my strength, and my devotion to the task at hand.
Even my relationship with my princes told of my devotion.