by Mara Kelly
Gracielle put down her teacup. "I take it, by your mooning this morning, that you and the prince are still getting along well?"
"Oh yes," said Aliana, unable to stop smiling. "Joshua is simply wonderful to me." She ran her hands over the satin skirt of her gown and remembered the delicious feel of Joshua's lips moving over the soft skin of her stomach, and had to suppress a little shiver.
"Hmm. Well, your mother and father will be pleased to know that," said Gracielle.
Aliana frowned. "Are they planning another visit soon?" Her parents' visits weren't unpleasant, exactly, just uncomfortable. And inconvenient—everyone grew far too cross about Joshua's visits to her bedchamber when her parents were in the palace. She didn't understand what all the fuss was about—they'd been engaged for nearly twelve years now, and would marry when Joshua turned eighteen next spring. Cionne and Tillara would be united for good, and her parents could stop fretting. One would think, thought Aliana, that my parents would be delighted that my fiancé and I are actually in love.
Gracielle nodded. "In the fall, I think."
Aliana bit back a smile. No doubt that was her father's idea—each time her parents came to Cionne to visit, her father invariably called Gracielle to his bed, much to her mother's chagrin. No doubt her mother had thought that, by sending the king's favorite courtesan to Cionne to be nursemaid to her daughter, she would rid herself of a rival. It hadn't worked out that way.
Aliana supposed she ought to have felt resentment at the idea of Gracielle sharing her father's bed. But Gracielle had been more of a mother to Aliana than her own had ever been, and she had difficulty summoning feelings of daughterly loyalty for the simpering queen of Tillara.
"I'm sure my father will have much he wishes to speak with you about," said Aliana. She hid her grin behind her teacup as she took a sip.
"As I am sure Prince Joshua had much to say to you last night," returned Gracielle, doing a much better job of keeping a straight face.
"Oh," said Aliana, unable to resist, "his tongue was much too busy for talking." She grinned.
Gracielle put down her teacup and raised one eyebrow. "Is that so? Busy doing what, pray tell?" Gracielle dismissed the two maids by the door with a nod of her head and turned expectantly to Aliana.
Aliana had anticipated this. She gladly described the entire evening for Gracielle's benefit, eager to share her giddiness and her pride in her fiancé's prowess. Aliana's fingers gripped her handkerchief as she described the way Joshua's tongue had sent her spiraling into vibrant caverns of pleasure she had never before known.
She looked up to find Gracielle frowning thoughtfully at her. "Is this typical?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, does he always give you pleasure, and take none for himself?"
"Well, yes," said Aliana, a bit defensively. "It means he truly loves me."
"Of course he loves you, Aliana. Any fool can see that. He's been smitten with you since you were children."
"Then what is the problem?" Aliana lifted her teacup to her lips, but the tea had gone cold. She set it back down.
Gracielle pushed a lock of her long brown hair behind her ear. "There's no problem, of course. Joshua loves you and wants you to be happy. That may be enough for him now."
"What do you mean, enough for him now? Stop speaking in riddles, Gracielle." Aliana twisted the edges of her handkerchief uncomfortably.
Gracielle paused and looked at her, as if formulating her words carefully. "I know you love Joshua, and would want him to be true to you."
Aliana's eyes widened. "Of course he'll be true to me! He loves me!"
"But he is also a prince. Remember that. He has many options, and you are only one of them, even after you are married."
Aliana's mouth fell open. "You're not suggesting that Joshua would..."
Gracielle sighed. "You are young, Aliana, and you wish to believe only one picture of the world. But men are different creatures from women. Have I taught you nothing?"
Aliana sat up straighter. "So I must simply accept that my fiancé—my husband—will have other women?"
"No, no, of course not. You must simply prevent him from wanting any other."
Aliana stared at her. "How do I do that?"
Gracielle smiled. "I think you already have an idea. But I can help you." She stood and went to the door to summon the maids. A few moments later, Karene and Annia entered with a tray of long, thin green plantains.
Aliana surveyed the tray as the maids set it down before her, beginning to understand what Gracielle had in mind. "It's a shame no one ever gave this lesson to my mother," mused Aliana.
"I tried, once," said Gracielle with a smile. "She insisted she didn't need it."
* * *
That evening, Aliana was waiting on her bed when Joshua came to see her. He'd been hunting that day, and she'd known from when he'd first sat next to her at dinner that he would come to her when the lamps in the corridors had been turned down low. Hunting always made him lusty. It had nearly been more than she could stand, to sit next to his heat and musky scent, and refrain from reaching down between his legs under the table. She'd been a picture of modesty, though, save for her low-cut gown and the way she had—almost accidentally—brushed his thigh with her hand as he had stood to help her up.
Karene announced the prince with a smile, and Aliana dismissed her with a nod and a meaningful look—she had already instructed her maids in their parts tonight. Aliana went forward to give Joshua her hand, which he bent and kissed, and she let the folds of her blue silk robe slip just slightly apart to show him that she wore nothing beneath it. She smiled as she noted the bulge in his trousers grow larger—he had most definitely noticed.
"Come, darling, take off your jacket," she said softly, and Joshua obliged—he still wore his dinner clothes, which meant he hadn't even bothered to pretend to prepare for bed, but had come straight to her from his father's study, where the men gathered after dinner.
Joshua draped his jacket over the settee by the door, then turned to Aliana and swept her into his arms, pressing his mouth hungrily over hers. "Oh, 'liana, I've been waiting all night for this," he whispered into her ear, and shivers ran down her spine. She was tempted to let him do the things he always did to her, to let him take her down onto the bed and make her forget she was a princess, not a lusty tavern wench. But she remembered what Gracielle had said—she thought of Joshua leaving her bed to lie in the arms of some duchess or courtesan—and her resolve hardened.
Joshua was whispering in her ear again, telling her that she was beautiful, that he had dreamed all day of holding her and touching her, and she drew him to the bed with her. He pushed her down and opened her robe, pausing for a moment to let his eyes rake over her; Aliana's skin grew warm under his gaze. She reached up and unbuttoned his shirt, then pushed it back off his shoulders. It had barely fallen to the floor before he was on top of her, kissing her mouth and her neck, moving his lips along her shoulder blade and stopping to encircle her breasts with his tongue. Aliana writhed under him, repeating her instructions to herself over and over again, willing herself not to get lost in the soft motions of Joshua's mouth.
When his lips moved to her center, she began to doubt the wisdom of her plan. How did she ever expect to remain coherent enough, while Joshua's tongue danced over and inside her, making her arch up to him?
Fortunately, Karene and Annia had been well-trained in their parts. Aliana gripped the satin sheets of the bed and opened her eyes as the two maids crept soundlessly in from the adjacent sitting room, each carrying two long silken scarves.
Joshua obviously hadn't heard them at all—his face was buried between Aliana's legs. As the two maids moved closer to the bed, Aliana let out a half-feigned moan to cover the sound of their approach and pulled Joshua's hands, which had been massaging her breasts, into her own. She twined her fingers with his and writhed some more as Karene and Annia gently tied scarves around each of Joshua's wrists.
H
e didn't notice at all—he moved his tongue in small circles over the button of her pleasure and pressed himself harder between her legs.
"Joshua, darling," she said breathlessly. "I want you to lie on your back."
He looked up then, a dazed expression in his eyes. He saw the scarves and looked confused, but then a delighted smile spread over his face and he sat up to obey.
He froze when he saw Annia and Karene standing by the bed, holding more scarves.
"It's all right," said Aliana softly. "This is for you."
Joshua glanced at her questioningly, but he lay down on the bed nonetheless. Aliana fumbled with the buttons on his trousers, wishing she could do this less clumsily, but she had only had the opportunity to do it once or twice before, on the few occasions Joshua had let her. Ordinarily he left her, satiated and sleepy, and went back to his own room before she had a chance to do anything for him.
His cock sprang from the fabric easily, and she ran her fingers over it, making him shudder, before she slid his trousers and boots off. She took the silken scarf that Karene held and ran it lightly over Joshua's lower body. He squirmed. "Aliana..." he said huskily.
Aliana smiled and handed the scarf back to the maid. Karene and Annia performed their task efficiently—Aliana almost suspected that they had done this before. Within moments, they had tied the other two scarves around Joshua's ankles and secured all four to the posts at the corners of Aliana's bed.
Aliana ought to have dismissed them then—that had been her plan—but she did not, and they hovered nearby. She sensed their surprise that she had not sent them away, their wondering if they ought to go anyway, but she pointed to the place at the side of the bed, and they stayed.
Aliana reached over to the bedside table and, very deliberately, lifted a small clay pot from it. Joshua's dark eyes were on her, watching in anticipation as she lifted the lid of the pot and reached inside. She sprinkled the honey powder over Joshua's skin, and it glimmered in the firelight. She handed the pot to Annia, and straddled Joshua's legs, bending down to lick the powder from chest and neck. The sweetness of the honey blended with his own particular musky scent, and Aliana hummed in pleasure against Joshua's shoulder. She traced kisses along his jaw, and he turned his head to reach her mouth. She kissed him deep, letting him taste the honey and his own skin, and then she moved her lips down his body, tracing the lines of his muscles in soft, teasing strokes of her tongue. Joshua let out a moan, and she glanced up to see his eyes closed. She grinned.
She traced her fingers lightly over his stomach, letting them drift down to his thighs as she moved her lips over his chest. Joshua stiffened as her hand brushed the bulge between his legs, and Aliana feathered her touch over him deliberately, moving her mouth downward as her fingers moved upward. She brushed her lips over his lower stomach, and paused, sitting up, to survey the effect.
Joshua's face was twisted in ecstasy—she thought he might be on his way to that place he had taken her so many nights.
Aliana reached down to stroke his cock, looking at it thoughtfully. She thought it was large—but then, she had no basis for comparison—and, as far as she was concerned, it was the loveliest cock in the world.
She leaned forward and let her lips brush the tip of it, and Joshua let out a moan that reverberated through her body. She opened her mouth wider and lowered herself over him, so that her tongue and lips barely touched him, and Joshua wriggled in obvious frustration. Aliana smiled and sat up, an idea seizing her. She beckoned to Karene and Annia and told them through hand signals to stand on either side of her. Karene caught on to what Aliana wanted quickly, and bent to press her lips to one side of Joshua's prick. Annia followed suit on the other side, and Aliana bent to cup her lips over the tip once more.
Joshua bucked in surprise, and his eyes flew open. He no longer looked alarmed at the maids' presence, only dazed and completely awestruck. Aliana took in the expression in his eyes—an expression of love, singly for her—with a flash of triumph. Aliana pressed her lips over Joshua's prick and pulled him into her mouth, and pushed Karene and Annia out of her way. She drew him in as far as she could, as Gracielle had made her practice that morning, and she moved her tongue up and down his shaft while her hands moved constantly over his thighs.
Joshua let out a cry and rocked his hips against her. She glanced up to see him straining at the scarves, trying to reach her, but she pushed him back onto the bed and continued her ministrations.
A sound to her right made her look up, and Aliana saw that the two maids had joined, unbidden, in the fun. Karene was pressed up against the wall, her blouse gone, while Annia suckled one of her breasts. Karene's hands had disappeared under Annia's skirt.
Aliana had had no idea that her maids were like that, though she might have suspected something from their ready acquiescence to tonight's plan. Next time Joshua goes away on a hunting trip, she thought wickedly, I will invite them to my bed.
Joshua arched and rocked under Aliana's lips, and she increased the pressure of her tongue.
"Aliana...oh, Aliana..." Joshua moaned over and over again, and, all at once, he filled her mouth with his warm, salty essence. Aliana sucked and sucked until it was gone, and he began to grow soft in her mouth.
She raised herself on her hands and looked at Joshua, and saw the love and awe in his eyes. "Let me pleasure you now," said Joshua softly. "Aliana, let me."
A low moan made her look up; Karene still stood pinned against the wall, but now Annia knelt before her, her head buried between Karene's legs. Karene's skirt was bunched up around her waist, and her bare breasts glimmered in the light of the fire. Aliana watched her, stroking Joshua's cock, and enjoying, rather than resenting, the fact that it sprang back to hardness as he watched the maids too.
Aliana waited for Karene's high-pitched moans of ecstasy to subside before she drew herself up and impaled herself on Joshua's burgeoning cock. He slipped into her easily—she had been excited before, but making him come had made her slippery and hot, and seeing the maid's pleasure had pushed her toward the edge of her endurance. The moment she had him inside her, Joshua's attention was squarely back on her, and he did not even seem to notice the renewed moans from their right as Karene pushed up Annia's skirt and returned her favors.
Annia's small whimpers and cries, however, vibrated along Aliana's skin as she rocked against Joshua's hips. She drew her hands along his sides, and reached under him to grip his buttocks, pressing him more firmly against her.
She waited for Annia's breathless moans to subside before she ordered the maids back to the bedside. "Untie my fiancé," she said, "so that he may fuck me properly."
Karene and Annia hurried to oblige, their hair disheveled and their skirts rumpled; Karene's naked breasts swung lustily as she bent to untie the scarves from the posts at the head of the bed. Aliana reached up impulsively to pinch the pink nipple, and Karene gasped.
Joshua looked at her in surprise, then with a kind of growl, he flipped her over and plunged into her. Aliana gasped in pleasure as his hands covered her breasts and his mouth covered hers; the maids had not had a chance to untie the scarves from his wrists and the silk trailed over her skin, heightening every sensation.
Joshua tore his lips from hers and pushed himself up. He grabbed Karene, who stood nearby, and pressed her down to Aliana's breast. Karene's lips suckled Aliana hungrily; a moment later, Annia's lips encircled Aliana's other breast.
Aliana arched and bucked, the triple sensation almost too much to bear. She struggled to retain coherence, but Joshua plowed into her again and again, obliterating every thought but the pleasure of three warm bodies connected to hers. Joshua rode her like a hunter in the chase, and she looked past Karene's dark head and Annia's fair one to see Joshua's eyes locked on hers. He let out a strangled, almost victorious cry as he poured himself into her; she felt her insides vibrate with the liquid proof of his pleasure. The pressure on her breasts increased; the two maids had, as one, begun to roll her nipples between th
eir teeth, and Aliana thought she might die from the bliss of it.
Joshua paused for only a moment before he pressed into her again, and then Aliana was sailing, over the sea and sky, into the cosmos of stars where nothing existed but rapture.
Karene and Annia stood up, and Aliana reached for Joshua. He collapsed on top of her, whispering words of love against her neck, and she reveled in his warm weight. He did not even seem to notice as the two maids retrieved their lost clothing and tiptoed out the door.
"I love you, I love you, I love you, Aliana," Joshua murmured.
"I love you too, darling," replied Aliana, nipping softly at his neck. She held him close and thought of what Gracielle had told her while teaching her how to practice with the plantains that morning.
"You were right", she would tell Gracielle the next morning over tea. "Those who give willingly will receive their gifts back tenfold."
Initiation
"Are you nervous?" Ilion asked.
"No," Shillah replied. "Are you?"
"No."
They lapsed into silence as the carriage rattled along the south road. Shillah wiped a clear spot in the condensation at the window, but all she saw when she looked out was grey fog. The closer they got to the southern coastal town of Marah, the thicker the fog seemed to grow. She began to wonder if she and her brother had been altogether wise to accept this placement in the Marah temple; after all, they'd spent their whole lives in the northern, sunny city of Paila on the river.
And they'd both been lying about being nervous—she didn't need the special sense she'd always had about her twin to know that. It was a big step, going from being apprentice Caracolii in the schools of Paila to a permanent appointment in the temple. And theirs was an enormous responsibility, to represent the love of the goddess Deia through the twining movement of the temple dance, to honor the goddess' daughter Dandle just as the Clercas honored Dandle's twin Baruch. But at least they'd found a placement in the same temple. Of course, that had practically been a guarantee from the beginning. Twins were good luck, and secured the blessing of the goddess.