Dark Harvest

by Anitra Lynn McLeod

  Deciding that she was probably making fun of him, he turned back to the knobs. Before he tried another one, he stood away from the jets. Good thing, too, since hot water gushed from the crotch-level jet.

  A hand on his shoulder caused him to turn. Behind him, Rown smiled shyly and stepped forward. With three deft turns, warm water poured from the top jet. Sterlave watched, but he didn’t understand until Rown explained two were for temperature, one for the hot air, and the other three to activate the top or side jets.

  Sterlave ducked his head under the water, then felt two hands smoothing lather down his back. Rown seemed most eager to help. Sterlave politely refused.

  “I’ve been bathing myself for a long time.”

  Rown bowed and backed away with a wistful frown.

  Sterlave took his time washing up since he hadn’t bathed in warm water for seasons. Among a dozen bottles, he found the soap Rown used and lathered it from the top of his head to his toes. The scent was something masculine and spicy, but he couldn’t identify exactly what the smell was. When he finished, he turned on the air jet and dried himself.

  Stepping out, he said, “I could become used to this luxury.”

  Kasmiri ignored him.

  He pulled his robe off the floor only to discover Kasmiri had shredded it. Dropping it, he looked around and realized he had nothing else to wear. Nudity didn’t bother him so much, but he had a feeling he could make Kasmiri regret her rash decision. If she wanted him to run about naked, he’d be happy to indulge her.

  Striding over to the table, he went to grab a plate but found the only one there broken. A quick glance to Kasmiri revealed a superior smirk. Since he couldn’t eat like a man, he decided to eat like an animal. Plucking the covers off the warming platters, he ate directly from the dishes with his hands.

  Kasmiri rolled her eyes and uttered a small mew of annoyance.

  He continued to eat, but the sheer volume of food amazed him. There was so much for only two people. This feast could feed at least twenty men. All of it was perfectly prepared with just the right amount of seasonings. Warming platters kept each dish at the ideal temperature. In the training rooms, the food was often cold, unseasoned, undercooked, and he had to fight for every mouthful. Here, with so much plenty, he stuffed himself to the point of bursting.

  “This is very good.” He held a handful of the seared aket smothered in sticky fruit syrup out to Kasmiri. “Here, try some.”

  Her upper lip curled back.

  Deliberately, he dropped some on her end of the table. “Oops. Here, let me get that for you.” He swiped at the spilled food, knocking her plate into her lap.

  Screeching, she shot to her feet and blasted him with expletives so vile they would make a raw recruit blush.

  “Such language from the future empress,” he scolded.

  “You cratifan! You’ve ruined my favorite robe!”

  Refusing to rise to the bait of the insult, he said, “Oh, I’m sure I can clean it.” Swabbing his hands around the mess on the fabric, he managed to spread the stain and feel her strong, sleek thighs at the same time.

  “Stop that!” Kasmiri slapped at his hands.

  He did his best to look chagrined, but he couldn’t keep a smile off his face. “I guess next time you’ll let me use a plate.”

  “Next time I’ll put you in a cage and toss you a raw haunch of aket!” Swirling away in her ruined robe, Kasmiri stomped to the bathing unit and rinsed off. She emerged naked, holding the robe away from her as if it were coated in excrement.

  Sterlave used an edge of the dripping robe to clean his hands. “There, now we’re even. I have nothing to wear and neither do you.”

  Her glare could have stripped the hide right off him.

  Another round of itching caused him to scratch at his chest. He rummaged through the bottles outside the bathing unit. When he found a pleasant-smelling one that he assumed was lotion, he poured a generous dollop in his hand.

  “I wouldn’t—” Kasmiri cut herself off and turned away. She went to the table and again spoke in the unknown language.

  He sniffed the creamy white lotion. Was there something wrong with it? He decided it was unlikely Kasmiri would keep something dangerous in her collection of creams and potions, so he smeared it all over his body with defiant motions.

  Rown entered with a clutch of crimson fabric. He tilted a curious glance to the bottle in Sterlave’s hand, then helped Kasmiri on with another robe. This one wasn’t as fine as the other, but still, red was definitely her color. Once covered in finery, her spine stiffened and she regained her regal posture. Oddly, she didn’t lift her nose to convey disdain, Kasmiri pushed out her proud chin. She squared her jaw along with her shoulders. Solid, dangerous, not a woman to mess with, which only made him want to tangle with her more. Subduing such a conceited creature pushed all his buttons.

  Rown whispered something to Kasmiri, and she responded, “I warned him, but he insisted.”

  Sterlave set the bottle aside. Before he could ask about the contents, his head swam and his entire body felt warm, almost gooey, as if he were melting into a puddle. As he started to sink to his knees, Rown grabbed him about the waist and helped him up to the bed. Three steps seemed massive and he barely managed to get up them before he collapsed.

  Above him, the open ceiling exposed a crisp harvest sky. The blue was rich, saturated, and almost unreal. Suddenly, blue eyes appeared before his. Rown reminded him of Chur in some ways, but his eyes were unique. Rown’s eyes had soft blue irises with white shards that spiraled outwards from the pupil.

  “For a man, you have beautiful eyes,” Sterlave said, then regretted it. He didn’t want to give Rown the wrong idea. However, it didn’t matter because that wasn’t what came out of his mouth.

  Rown said something in return, but it made no more sense than what he’d said.

  Sterlave tried to respond, but his voice garbled incoherently. He decided he didn’t mind. He was too sleepy to care about anything but floating on a soft bed while staring at a beautiful cloudless sky and Rown’s seductive eyes….

  Sterlave woke in restraints. Pillows propped up his head so he had a good view of his naked body. Fur-lined animal hide manacles bound each wrist and ankle. Kasmiri and Rown sat at the foot of the bed whispering. He couldn’t understand the language at all, but it sounded lyrical, as if they sang rather than spoke.

  When they realized he was awake, a wicked grin flattened Kasmiri’s plump lips. Rown met his gaze, then quickly looked away. Sterlave knew that look; Rown was at once ashamed but also aroused.

  Sterlave tested the restraints and realized Kasmiri had solved the problem of anchoring points by strapping the line under the bed. When he pulled his right arm, he felt greater tension on the left, and the same with his legs. Utterly and totally bound, his heart pounded in his chest so hard his vision wavered with each beat.

  Sterlave enjoyed binding a woman, but he had never allowed a woman to bind him. Never had he trusted a woman enough to permit her such power. Here, however, it seemed he had no choice. Plastering an indifferent cast to his face, he lifted his brows, and said, “If you wanted me naked in your bed, all you had to do was ask.”

  Disappointment caused Kasmiri’s victorious smile to fade. For the first time, he saw the truth below her facade; she wanted him more than she would ever admit to herself, let alone admit to him.

  Snidely, Kasmiri reminded him, “I’m only using you as a tool, remember? You are going to teach me all about what men enjoy.”

  Sterlave tested the restraints with a sharp yank that caused Rown to flinch. Realizing that resistance was futile, he sarcastically asked, “And what will I be teaching you today?”

  Kasmiri motioned to Rown. With a glance to his mistress, he then cast a gaze to Sterlave, then quickly lowered his gaze to Sterlave’s hips. Flaccid, his cock rested against his thigh. Rown slid up the bed, between his forcefully spread legs, and took his soft prick into skilled hands. Blood pooled in his hips, fillin
g his sex, causing his breathing to accelerate.

  “What was in that damn lotion?” Sterlave asked, trying to distract himself.

  Rown lowered his face close to his stiffening member and breathed. “Nanatul is for headaches. You apply a small amount to your head, not your entire body. To ease your itching, I covered you with a different lotion.” Skillfully, Rown sucked the tip of Sterlave’s sex into his mouth.

  Sterlave arched back. Gods spare him, but Rown had a mouth made for sucking cock. Deft lips surrounded the crown, slipping down, taking every bit of him into welcoming heat. Rown’s cheeks drew in when he suckled gently. Twirling his tongue around his shaft, he spiraled down, then up.

  Sterlave couldn’t take his eyes off him. Rown’s intensity was almost as arousing as his technique since he focused all his attention on giving pleasure. Rown caught Sterlave watching and drew his cock almost completely out of his mouth before plunging back down. Sterlave damned the restraints because he wanted to grab the back of Rown’s head, hold him steady, and then rock his hips. Sensing this, Rown held his head still, then encouraged Sterlave to plunge by cupping his hands around his hips.

  Lost in the erotic sensation, he forgot all about Kasmiri until she slid up the bed for a better view. Her heavy lids lowered over dilated pupils, her plush lips parted, and her nipples strained against her robe.

  “Rather than just watching, why don’t you help?” he suggested softly. Her eyes blinked rapidly as if she were just coming out of a dream. “You said you wanted to learn.”

  Rown motioned to Kasmiri, inviting her to try her hand and mouth at mastering this erotic art.

  If he thought she would leap right in, he was disappointed. Rown began with instructions in the lyrical language. He started with basic anatomy, pointing out the most sensitive areas. Kasmiri nodded, then repeated his words, teasing her delicate fingertips over his entire cock and balls until he was practically growling with frustration.

  Next, Rown performed the spiral technique, then moved back so Kasmiri could emulate him. When her plush lips wrapped around the tip and slid down with her questing tongue, he thought he’d died and gone to Jarasine. He couldn’t help but groan and thrust.

  Kasmiri flinched back, gagging and coughing.

  Sterlave apologized profusely. “Kasmiri, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, I just—”

  Rown cut him off. “As I said, at times a man can move involuntarily.” He flashed a cautionary frown to Sterlave. “One can only hope the man has more self-control.”

  Having a servant chastise him was embarrassing, but he vowed to exercise every shred of discipline to keep still. The last thing he wanted to do was frighten Kasmiri. He wanted her to learn this because he wanted her to do this to him willingly. And often.

  “It won’t happen again.”

  Rown nodded and Kasmiri tried again.

  Sterlave gripped the leather straps and pulled to keep still. Her technique wasn’t as perfected as Rown’s, but that’s what made it better. Kasmiri was raw, untried, but spectacular in her enthusiasm. When she drew away, Rown instructed her to flick the smooth back of her tongue against the point where the shaft met the head. Watching her comply almost caused him to break the restraints because she did it while looking right into his eyes.

  A small drop of moisture pearled at the tip, and she flicked it away with a seductive dart of her red tongue while flashing him a masterful grin.

  Much to his dismay, Rown moved her back so he could teach her something else. Sterlave’s brows lowered when he watched Rown apply something slick and shiny to a slender wand with a slightly bulbous tip. He had no idea of his intent until Rown slowly inserted the device into Sterlave’s ass.

  A terrifying flashback to a brutal night in his cell caused him to clench and try to wriggle away. “No, wait—”

  Then the most explosive pleasure radiated through his body.

  Stunned, Sterlave relaxed as Rown thrust the device slowly while stroking his hand up and down Sterlave’s shaft, increasing the pressure on the down stroke. Sterlave was on the brink of an explosive orgasm when Rown stopped.

  A spew of expletives passed Sterlave’s lips.

  Kasmiri whispered something, and Rown departed with a bow and a sly grin.

  Sterlave watched him leave with trepidation. He had no idea what Kasmiri’s intensions were. When he turned his attention on her, she pushed her chin out, straightened her shoulders, and flashed him a wicked smirk.

  6

  Kasmiri knelt on the bed and removed her robe. Sterlave ran his gaze over her and she preened under his attention. Just as Rown had said, men were extremely visual creatures. Sterlave growled appreciatively when she cupped her breasts and tweaked her nipples to full attention.

  “Is the lesson over?” he asked, his voice raspy with desire.

  Kasmiri pouted tartly and shook her head. She’d asked Rown to stop because she recognized the signs that Sterlave would climax soon, and she didn’t want him to. Not until she decreed his release. One way or another, he had to learn that she was in charge.

  Having Sterlave at her mercy would be thoroughly enjoyable. After last night and his antics this morning, a little payback was certainly in order. Unlike her mother, she wouldn’t tolerate an uncontrollable consort.

  Grasping the end of the wand, Kasmiri worked it slowly as Rown had instructed. Sterlave arched back. His penis twitched, releasing more drops of moisture, like tears, as if his cock wept with frustration.

  “When Rown first tried to insert this, why did you want him to stop?”

  “Kasmiri, remember how I said conversation during sex isn’t—”

  “I want to know.” Last night, he had refused her pleasure until she answered his questions, so Kasmiri stopped thrusting the device. His primal fear reaction so intrigued her she simply had to understand his reasons.

  With gritted teeth, he glared at the open ceiling. He shook his head as if pushing a thought away. “I was raped.”

  Shock popped her mouth open. “In the training rooms?” No wonder he’d been adamant he wouldn’t rape Rown.

  “Three seasons ago, in my cell, by one of the other recruits. A man named Loban.”

  His cock had softened considerably and he would not meet her gaze. She now wished she hadn’t asked. Her curiosity caused him a great deal of pain and ruined the moment. If she could take the question back, she would.

  Cupping his chin, she turned his face to hers, then whispered, “Never again will that happen to you. Do you want me to remove it?”

  Her compassion must have surprised him because his brows lifted. “I was afraid at first but not now. It feels…incredible. More so with you than with Rown.”

  “I’m sorry I forced him on you.”

  “No, you’re not.” He chuckled. “Watching him suck me excited you.”

  She nodded. Observing them had aroused her to the point she wanted to stoke her fingers along her dripping sex. Coyly, she pointed out, “You seemed rather excited yourself.”

  Sterlave laughed. “He’s good at what he does. He’s also an excellent teacher.”

  Lowering her head, she took him into her mouth as she stroked the wand. He hardened again.

  “Kasmiri, straddle across my face, that way I can pleasure you at the same time.”

  She found it awkward to get into position, but once she did, Sterlave fastened his mouth to her sex, chewing, biting, and thrusting his tongue while she continued to tease him with her mouth and the wand.

  When he gently rocked his hips, she was ready for him, and pulled back a bit so he could thrust more deeply. This also pushed her more firmly over his face. On the verge of orgasm, Sterlave pushed her over the edge when he slipped his tongue between her cheeks.

  Her thighs tightened around his head as her climax washed through her. When he lifted up, growling between her legs, she worked the wand more quickly. He shot deeply into her mouth, but Rown’s instructions prepared her. Swallowing while sucking more forcefully, she managed to ta
ke all his pleasure without spilling a drop.

  For a moment, she lay atop him, feeling him softening in her mouth. She removed the wand, which elicited a final groan. His head fell back on the pillow and his panting tickled her slick sex.

  “Gods, your whole body has the sweetest flavor, like sugar-drenched nicla.”

  The comparison to the red-orange fruit pleased her. “You taste like the Valry Sea, salty and ferocious.”

  He laughed and kissed her inner thighs. “So, now that you’ve drained me, are you going to release me?”

  Kasmiri crawled off him, then lifted one brow. “Maybe I’ll keep you here, where I can use you whenever I wish.”

  “You don’t have to bind me for that.” He flicked his chin as if to draw her near to tell her a secret. When she leaned close, he whispered, “All you ever have to do is ask.”

  She laughed, but that was something she’d always had a problem with; asking could result in refusal. She’d found she got her way far more often by manipulation. Turning her attention to the manacles, she fumbled with the little clasps, but they wouldn’t budge.

  “This isn’t funny, Kasmiri.”

  “I’m not trying to be. I can’t get the clasps to release.” Her long nails prevented her fingertips from being able to push the tiny metal parts.

  “Summon Rown, if he got me into these things, he can get me out.” He sounded cool as spring rain, but his rapidly blinking eyes and straining chest revealed his rising panic. She had enjoyed binding him, but if she couldn’t free him, he wouldn’t want to do it again.

  Kasmiri yanked on her robe while she strode to the table. She pressed the button and tried to keep her voice level, but Rown must have heard her distress because he burst into the room with wide-eyed alarm. He ran directly toward Sterlave. After examining him and finding him safe, Rown relaxed and removed the restraints.

  Each popped apart almost effortlessly. Kasmiri cursed herself for not being able to work them. She took her frustration out on Rown, yelling at him until Sterlave told her to relax. Through gritted teeth, she ordered Rown to have the clasps enlarged so that in the future, she could work them despite her long nails.