“I do understand.” Rana swept her gaze over Karissa’s face as if weighing her ability to follow through on the threat.
“My mother waits for you to join her, Rissa.” Callan drew Karissa close to his side. “Aliara Denar, please keep an eye on those around Karissa. We’ll be watching, but you’ll be closer to her.”
“I’m not a helpless infant.” Karissa gritted her teeth to keep from screaming at them.
She pressed her fisted hands to her sides, resisting the strong urge to smack Callan in public. Beside that being very poor behavior in any Court, uncertainty of his response to being hit in front of his people kept her from doing it—but the temptation tugged at her. She did dig her nails into his hand when he grasped her hand in his, just to let him know that she wasn’t happy with him.
Rana’s chuckle drifted back to Karissa as she walked ahead to where the Queen waited with a group of other women. Karissa glared up at Callan, contemplating deluging both men with an icy downpour right in the middle of the Royal Hall. Without a doubt, that would infuriate them, but no more so than she was now.
Calm down, Rissa. Ijina’s soft voice drifted through her with waves of understanding commiseration. I know they’re being impossible and arrogant. Try to relax and enjoy the night.
Enjoy it? she fumed, They’re treating me as if I’m helpless. Her eyes narrowed as she swung her gaze to Tyral.
Talk with the Queen, meet some of the Ladies. We’ll see to their lesson when we’re alone with them later tonight.
Throwing her focus on the coming night, she followed Ijina’s advice and tried to relax. By the time she made her curtsy, she could smile easily at the Queen and greet the Ladies around her with good humor. As the Queen introduced the Ladies, she noticed that these Ladies were much younger—closer to her age than those who’d joined them in Queen’s Parlor.
Karissa introduced Rana to the Ladies and the conversation began to flow naturally from that point. The women talked of everything from clothing to the other Ladies’ own experiences with the Ra’Asien. She was enjoying herself. The women had just begun to talk about men—Volirian men specifically—when Callan stepped forward, a frown drawing his brows together. He looked very determined and very fierce.
“Mother, Ladies, I’m sure that Karissa has enjoyed talking with you, but it’s getting late. It has been a long day and she needs her rest. She was injured recently.” Tyral stepped forward, his fingers wrapping around her arm and drew her back against his chest in a hug.
Feminine titters greeted this declaration and she clenched her teeth. They knew she wasn’t tired—everyone knew. Resisting the urge to drive her elbow into his ribs, she stood stiffly in his grasp. Hot anger flashed in her eyes as she turned to find Callan smiling broadly as his eyes ran over her. They knew they were fooling no one with their polite excuse.
Tyral turned toward the main doors of the Hall, urging her to move in that direction with the sheer size of his body. This time, she didn’t hesitate. She drove her elbow into his ribs, stopping him momentarily. She turned and looked toward the Queen. Just because they were in a rush to get her out of here didn’t mean she was going to be rude.
“Queen Maya, it appears I must bid you good night. Ladies, Rana, I hope to speak more to you tomorrow. I enjoyed our chat, although it was much too short.” She curtsied to the Queen.
“I look forward to talking more with you, Karissa.” Queen Maya nodded, an amused smile stretching across her face. “Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll expect to see you in my parlor without excuses. Perhaps we can talk in detail about solutions to difficult problems then.”
Callan took Karissa’s arm and pulled her away from the group of Ladies before she decided to say anything more to delay them. As they left the Royal Hall, Tyral walked just behind her to ensure that no one tried to attack her from that avenue. Upon entering the corridors just outside of the Hall, Tyral and Callan seemed to relax a little.
She used the time on the walk to their room to plot her revenge, trying to decide how best to attain her goal. There were two of them and she wanted to get both of them. That increased the difficulty of the exercise. They also knew that she was angry with them over their unrepentant arrogant behavior. She couldn’t act immediately. She had to let them relax a little.
She entered the room just behind Callan and reminded herself that she must be patient when he tossed an arrogant look over his shoulder. His golden eyes brimmed with an infuriating combination of masculine triumph and heated desire. She felt a rush of reciprocal warmth stir low within her belly, but the triumph almost shredded her control. She wanted to Ice him right then.
She walked into the closet to get a robe and a bottle of bath oil that she’d packed in her bag. She was ready to take a bath, to relax. As she left the closet, she gave the two men a challenging look.
“Rissa, my Lady, you beg for a lesson.” Callan strode forward and brushed her hair back from her face. “In spite of that dire need, we must leave you for a short time. You’ll be safe in these rooms while we are gone. Don’t attempt to leave.”
“You’ll really get a lesson if you do.” Tyral shot her a fierce frown.
“I’m interested in a bath and some peace. I have no plans to test my luck or tempt your enemies.” She raised a brow and turned away from them in dismissal. “As you won’t be here to bother me, I’m sure I’ll find the peace I seek.”
Tyral stepped forward and turned her back to face them. “I believe that you do want that lesson badly.” His finger wagged in front of her face in teasing reprimand. “We’ll be back as soon as we’ve finished. You behave yourself.”
She nipped at his finger, just grazing the pointing digit with her teeth. He jerked it back and glowered at her. She smiled, flashing her teeth at him.
“I think you need to learn some respect.” Tyral’s stern expression was belied by the light in his eyes.
“Don’t you have somewhere to go?” She gave them a sweet smile.
“Ooh…an unruly little Ice witch trying to put us in our place,” Callan chuckled. “We know it well and soon you will, too.”
She smiled as they left. She enjoyed sparring with them and hoped that tonight it would also serve to keep their minds off of her promised retribution. They needed to relax before she could put her plan into effect and then she would revel in the moment. She smiled as she thought about what would happen after her revenge. If she knew Callan and Tyral, their retaliation would be deliciously sensual.
Chapter Fourteen
Karissa filled the large tub in the bathroom and added a drop of the lightly scented bath oil, giving the water a good stir with her hand. She stepped into the warm water and relaxed back against the cool slope of the rim of the large, glossy black tub. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the silence and lingered in the liquid embrace.
“Now, that is a beautiful sight.” Callan’s deep voice cutting into the silence which had nearly lulled her into slumber startled her. She sat up straight and blinked at him. “Is the water still warm, eli moru?”
Sluicing water over her arms and chest to wash away any soap, she wondered how long they’d been gone. “Yes, but surely you would rather go with me to the bed. I can promise it won’t be restful.” She stood as the men undressed. Water ran in small rivers back into the tub. She knew that they wouldn’t take her up on that blatant invitation. Tyral had made a point of saying they wouldn’t be led.
“We’ll be following you soon, but we’ll bathe first.” Tyral stepped into the water, but didn’t immediately sit. His hand curved around her hip, turning her to him for a kiss.
Karissa relaxed against him, her hands sliding over his arms and up to his shoulders. She tangled her tongue with his, reveling in the intan spice taste that flooded her mouth. She loved that taste, couldn’t get enough of it. With a last nip at her lips, he drew back, leaving her standing in the knee high water as he casually lowered himself into the warm water.
Callan smiled as he stepped into the water. His hand
wandered over her backside and up in a sweeping stroke along her spine. His lips quirked and he turned away from her. He sat and reached for a cake of soap.
She recognized the smirk tilting his lips and the one curving Tyral’s. They thought that she’d forgotten their transgressions. That attitude reinforced her determination to see them pay.
Clenching her jaw, she stepped out of the water. She reached for the robe and then stopped. Why waste time? She left it and turned back to the two men. She dipped down as if to pick something off of the floor and ran her fingers over the surface of the water. Immediately, she felt a flash of cold zing through her as Ijina’s power rose within her.
Ijina was actually an Elemental of water, although their kind was known by their connection with Ice. She could control and manipulate all forms of water. Rissa was more than willing to use that power to get a little revenge.
In an instant, the water was a chilly slush. She got one glimpse of their outraged surprised expressions. Almost simultaneously, they shot to their feet. When they were standing, Ijina’s power whipped out once more and simultaneously encased both of them in icy bonds.
I think those are going to be a little uncomfortable for them, Ijina. And they can melt them. Karissa pursed her lips as she studied the two glaring men.
“You’re going to pay, my teasing sitga,” Tyral warned as he shivered.
You’re right, Ijina admitted. Ice crystal, maybe, and we could get creative with it.
Gags—we can’t forget those. In a few more moments their going to try busting out of this with magic and we have to make sure they can’t until we’re ready for them to get loose. Karissa smiled as she stepped into the water between the two men.
Karissa’s magic blended with Ijina’s and together they created Ice crystal bindings to replace the Ice bonds on Callan and Tyral. Soft, silky cloth gags prevented any chanted spell from freeing them. Her very presence between them would prevent them from using any spell to break the Ice crystal. They wouldn’t want to chance hurting her.
She turned from one to the other, surveying the expanse of blue-green flesh while she tried to decide where to begin. Translucent blue bands circled their wrists and biceps. Strips of Ice crystal crossed their chests and abdomens and kept their arms pinned to their sides. Thick shackles surrounded their ankles, with a thick bar of Ice Crystal running from the left shackle to the right kept them from moving.
She looked down at the water and frowned at the slush. While it felt great to her, they would find it much too frigid. With a wave of her hand, she warmed it to a temperature they would find comfortable. Now, she could begin playing with them.
She turned to face Tyral and ran her hand up his outside hip, trailing her fingers up over his corded abdomen. He was such a gorgeous man. She saw his cock twitch, hardening and lengthening. The slush had had a definite effect.
“You know this is the only time I’ve been able to touch you without you taking over.” Karissa looked up into heated, golden eyes. “I think I’m going to enjoy this. Maybe we’ll have to do it again soon.”
She knelt and reached past Tyral to turn the water on at a trickle. Cupping her hands, she gathered a bit of the clean water and Ijina froze it. She held the ice in her hand, waving it in front of him as she stood, so that he could see the frozen chunk.
“I don’t see what the big deal is. Most of the time, I take baths with chunks of ice floating in it. It feels good.” She slid a look up at Tyral, just before she ran the ice over his nipple. She watched as the dark blue areola tightened and hardened.
Muffled sounds exploded from behind Tyral’s gag as she reached down with her free hand and encircled his cock. She stroked her cool hand over his hot flesh and felt him swell and pulse in her fist. As she pumped his shaft, his hips rocked forward, thrusting into her slick hand.
Determined to torment him, Rissa drew her hand away before he could come. She reached down and brushed her thumb over the rounded head, collecting the bead of pre-cum that had gathered there. Looking up into his eyes, she brought her thumb up to her mouth and sucked the spicy, salty taste from her finger.
“Um, that’s good. Now, I think I’ll see if I can get some reaction out of your brother. I’ve neglected him long enough.” She leaned forward and stroked her tongue over the tight bead of his nipple.
She turned to Callan. Arrogance oozed from him in spite of the fact that she had him bound and gagged. This little demonstration wouldn’t change his arrogance and his expression shouted that.
“You and Tyral are so strong.” She leaned down and began brushing a trail of fleeting kisses across his chest and stomach deliberately avoiding his nipples. She smiled against his heated skin as he turned his body trying to bring those hard buds to her lips. “Do you know what you do to me with just the feel of your hands or your lips?”
She kissed her way down to his navel, swirling her tongue around the outer rim of his belly button. A shudder tore through his body and he leaned toward her. She savored his flesh, licking and sucking. She stroked her hand up and down his thigh, drawing close to his cock but never taking it in her hands. She placed nipping kisses down to the light thatch of purple hair.
“And I’d swear that at times when you kiss me, you’re setting live flame to me.” Karissa turned her head and made certain that he felt the heat of her breath across his cock. She nipped his thigh and was rewarded with the sight of his shaft hardening even more.
She rose and turned to Tyral. He watched her and she could see the promise in his eyes. Heated revenge swirled in those amber depths. She smiled and nipped just below his dark nipple. He tensed as her tongue flickered out and laved the small spot.
“I’ve got something to show you, my handsome Prince.” She smiled up at him. “It’s a trick of the water element.”
She chanted a few words and water rose and enveloped Tyral’s cock. The glove of water began moving over his shaft. His eyelids fluttered closed and he moaned and his hips rocked as the water moved over his hard, erect length.
Karissa turned back to Callan, satisfied that Tyral was being tormented for the moment. She reached down and got a bit of water which Ijina turned into a sliver of ice. With wicked intent, she drew the ice over his chest in a curving, almost aimless pattern. She drew the ice away from his chest and bent to nip at the hard bud of his nipple. She flicked her tongue over the stinging flesh to soothe it.
She turned her head as a particularly loud groan rose from behind the soft cloth. She smiled and with a shake of her head dissolved the water from around Tyral’s cock. “I wouldn’t want you to think that I would so easily forget your transgressions. I can’t let you off too lightly. You deliberately provoke me and have no fear of reprisals.”
She turned back to Callan and found him staring down at her with his eyebrow raised. A low growl rumbled in his chest as she ran her hand over the hard, flowing muscles. She smiled up into his gleaming golden eyes. Standing on her tiptoes, she reached up and brushed her mouth across the soft cloth of the gag.
“Don’t worry.” She patted his pec as she drew back to survey his wide chest. “I’ll be gentle.”
Leaning close, she ran her tongue over the flat bud of his nipple. She swirled her tongue around the dark areola before gently closing her teeth over the hard bead. Placing her mouth flat over it, she began sucking. She felt his groan rumble against her lips as she continued to draw on the hard nipple and his hips thrust forward in demand.
“You like that,” she breathed against his chest as she reached down and found his cock. “I think you’ll like what I have in mind even more.”
She knelt before him and brought his cock to her lips. She ran her tongue over the round, dark blue head. As she took him into her mouth, she reached back and cupped the smooth globes of his balls. She sucked at his shaft, drawing it deep into her mouth. The taste of intan spice flooded into her mouth and she greedily drew harder on him. She loved that flavor.
She squeezed his balls rhythmically as her
mouth moved over his cock. Callan was far from unaffected. He pumped into her mouth, his hips driving his rod deeper into the warm, wet cavern of her mouth. She felt his balls tighten as his excitement grew and drew back.
“How does it feel to be at my mercy?” Karissa growled huskily as she looked up at him through her lashes. “You want to come, but I’m not ready to let you just yet. I don’t think you’ve paid enough for the torment you’ve caused me.”
I think you’ve done more than enough, Rissa, Ijina cautioned. Look at how tense they are.
They are looking rather fierce. She stood and surveyed both bound men. They strained at the Ice Crystal bonds. She wasn’t afraid they would break them with just their physical strength, but she also didn’t want them to hurt themselves trying. One more thing, Ijina, something to motivate them…
I know just what you mean. Ijina’s amusement twirled through her mind. Step out and I’ll do it and you’d better be prepared to move.
Ijina was right. Once she was out of the way it wouldn’t take them long to get free of their bonds. Karissa cautiously moved to the side of the tub, staying between them for as long as she could. She stepped out of the water and then leapt back, not wanting to give them a chance to grab her. She turned and began backing toward the door, knowing she should leave the room, but also wanting to see what Ijina did.
Water rose from the bathtub and swirled around them, gathering in a nebulous mass over their heads. She could almost feel the chill from that water and chuckled as it poured down over them. Muffled shouts rang in the room. Even as she laughed with success, the cloth gags disappeared and they turned promising looks her way.
“Thali, you’d better run.” Laughter lurked under Callan’s threat and provided reassurance that they weren’t really angry over her prank. “You won’t get far, but try, you tease.”
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