He scanned carefully as he unrolled the stiff parchment. He stopped midway, then rolled it back up. With a soft chime of medallions, he re-tied the ribbons, placing it on a low table beside him. “What is it you wish to know?”
Oh dear. She studied his austere expression, trying to decide on a diplomatic way to start. “Why is marrying me so distasteful that you would flee the planet for fifteen years?” She winced inwardly. Tactful, Fleur—very subtle.
Ari’s eyes narrowed and his fingers started drumming on the arms of the chair. He rose and paced to the window, then stood looking out.
“It was not the thought of marriage to you that was distasteful. What was distasteful was the thought of a marriage to anyone based solely on my genetics. It is how you breed animals, not people. I am not a stud horse to be bred to Patricio’s favorite mare.” His back stiffened. “My apologies. I did not mean…”
“Please, Ari, sit down,” she interrupted. Patricio’s ‘mare’? Ouch.
“I prefer to stand,” he responded curtly, not moving from the window.
She rolled her eyes in exasperation. “I am not used to speaking to someone’s backside half-way across the room. Will you at least turn around?”
He glanced at her over his shoulder and a smile flickered. He turned. “I didn’t want to ‘loom’.” Laughter lurked in his eyes, and a half-smile lingered on his lips.
He really is quite extraordinary. A soft laugh escaped her. “Thank you.”
He nodded and folded his arms across his chest, then crossed his legs at the ankles as he leaned back onto the windowsill. The heavy muscles of his arms and chest stretched his black knit sweater, and the black leather leggings tucked into his over-the-knee boots left little for her to imagine. Such a handsome man.
Something about the way his eyes explored her body sent heat up and down her spine then straight to her lady-parts. She remembered the weight of him as he lay atop her. She remembered looking up into his gold-flecked eyes, feeling his mobile lips caressing her cheeks, feeling the rough brush of his beard on her tender inner skin as he—mind on present business, Fleur!
“Ahem,” she cleared her throat. “So, have you given this contract any further thought? Do you still find it so distasteful?” Oh, by the gods, Fleur, show some subtlety. What is wrong with you?
“Why? Are you going to ask me to marry you?” He eyed her dispassionately.
She held his gaze steadily. How did this conversation get away from me? “Not today.”
“Good.” He looked at the timekeeper on her table. “Your Highness, I am very short on time. I will continue this discussion with you another day.” He started toward her door.
“You haven’t answered my question, sir!”
“Yes. No,” he tossed over his shoulder as he left the room.
Argggh! She slumped back onto the couch. Yes? No? What? She replayed their conversation.
Have you given this contract further thought? “Yes.” Do you still find it so distasteful? “No.”
Her mouth gradually developed a delighted smile.
Chapter Four
She wondered if her unabated arousal was cinnagin’s nasty side effect. Her warlord need only be in her vicinity and need flooded her. Her response was immediate, visceral and involuntary. But the most intolerable aspect of all was that, no matter how aroused, no matter how she teased or tormented herself, she could not find relief. Unwilling to confess her dilemma to a soul, she spent several intensely uncomfortable days in a vicious state of continual arousal. It came to a head when certain portions of the lower city started to lose their heat and light. To renew the heat and light source would require a working of the Lesser Rite for Renewal of Small Flame.
He is angry with me, again. Fleur had asked Ari to partner her in the Lesser Rite. Her polite request rapidly degenerated into confrontation.
“I will not cooperate with this,” he said coolly. “I have given you my reasons. Resign yourself to waiting.”
“You mean, until the cinnagin clears my body.” Fleur rearranged the figurine on the display shelf for the hundredth time. “According to you, I can’t orgasm without your semen in me. Do you really expect me to believe that? Elder Patricio would certainly have mentioned that side-effect.” She challenged him with her disbelief.
“Yes. He certainly should have mentioned that side effect. He should also have told you if you were exposed to me too often with cinnagin in your system, I would control your orgasm permanently. Imagine how pleasant that would be.” Ari crossed his arms, his voice scathing. “This inexcusable ignorance of yours is another example of Elder Patricio’s inadequate preparation of you. You are exceedingly fortunate to suffer no further side effects resulting from our encounter.”
And he was exceedingly fortunate she was controlling her temper. His arrogance was stunning.
“Even if I did believe you, it is difficult to condense seven years of study into three without skipping something,” she shot back, defending Patricio. “This Lesser Rite is part of my obligation to our people. It would be irresponsible to neglect them. Certain portions of our city are already without heat and light. If you refuse to partner me, I will find someone else.” She straightened and held Ari’s gaze.
He returned her stare for a long moment. “A reasonable woman would heed my words. You will not succeed without my cooperation.”
Fleur raised her jaw in an obstinate gesture. Arrogant ass. “That remains to be seen.”
His head jerked in a silent nod. He turned and left the small antechamber to her apartments.
The breath she let out was almost a sob. Well, at least he left the door on its hinges. That is an improvement. Her shoulders slumped in dejection. She wondered if Patricio was wrong in his assertion Ari cared for her.
She summoned a palace page. “Summon Magister Fortunay, Tell him I need him.” Peregrine would help her.
* * * * *
Ari’s long legs made short work of the distance to the library he commandeered for his personal use. Obstinate, pig-headed woman. A slow satisfied smile crossed his face. How it will irritate her to acknowledge I’m right. With a lingering smile, he pulled out the leather desk chair and slouched into it, slinging one long booted leg over the wooden arm and resting his forearm on the desktop.
Admiration for her independence snuck into his irritation at her ignorant stubbornness. Fleur was strong minded and tenacious with a solid sense of responsibility for her people. Excellent qualities. But he couldn’t cooperate for long. The consequences would be disastrous.
Courier bags from the mobile command center arrived for him every day. Doral’s requests for his return were becoming urgent. Well, his exceptionally competent second-in-command would handle it. It would be difficult to leave Fleur now. She needed him.
The subtle pleasure accompanying that thought irritated him. I am only doing my duty to my future queen and my planet. The young princess was exquisite, intelligent and astonishingly brave. She would make an amazing queen but he had no desire to be reduced to her consort. I will tell Patricio to dissolve the marriage contract. When this war ends, I am going home to raise horses.
With an audible thump, his head fell back. No, I won’t. He must find out what the Senzienza meant. He needed time to research why the princess pulled him so strongly. There must be some precedent, some explanation. And who is the ‘other’?
There was only one person to ask.
* * * * *
Ari stood in Elder Patricio’s private apartments, a supplicant. His lips tightened into a straight line. He crossed his arms on his chest and stared at the ceiling. I fucking hate this. The muscles in his jaw clenched then released.
“I have a request.”
The old man regarded him cautiously. “Yes?”
“At the end of the Great Rite, I felt the presence of Her, the Senzienza. I have felt the Senzienza before, but never so clearly. She left me with a maddeningly obscure directive.”
The elder sat back in his chair,
his hands steepled in front of his mouth, tapping his fingertips and thumbs. “Indeed.”
“She expressed—I can only describe it as a ‘push’ of urgency—then, ‘find the other’. I must know what She means.”
“Why do you think the L’anziano can answer your question, Conte DeTano? You are the last magister alive to whom Verdantia speaks. DeGreggio and DeFlores are aware of Her but She does not speak to them. Who is the L’anziano supposed to ask?”
Ari paced back and forth in frustration. “Something should be recorded in the thousands of tomes lining the Great Library—some reference to this happening in the past. You have hundreds of researchers and resources I cannot begin to match. I want them at my disposal. I want them looking for answers.”
Patricio was quiet for many long minutes, tapping his fingers together once more. “All right, Conte. Consider your request granted.”
Ari nodded, folding his arms across his chest. His sense of fairness prodded him sharply. “Thank you, Elder. I appreciate your cooperation.”
Behind Patricio’s steepled fingers, a wry smile slowly distorted one side of his mouth. A glint of humor bloomed in his steady eyes.
Pain lanced through Ari’s jaw as his teeth ground together. “The irony of that statement does not escape me.”
* * * * *
Seated at his commandeered desk, Ari turned another page fruitlessly scanning for the words The Tetriarch, A Rule of the Three. Slamming the book closed, he tossed it to the floor and reached for another on the teetering stacks randomly dotting the area around his desk. A light knock interrupted his research.
“Conte DeTano, Your Lordship, please, if you would, Her Royal Highness has urgent need of you.”
At his raised eyebrows, Fleur’s chamber attendant, Camilla, stammered, “Yes, I know. I know, Your Lordship. You warned her. We warned her. But she insisted she must try and, well…” The agitated and flustered Camilla flushed with color. “Oh sir, please, just come. You will see how it is.”
With a sardonic, self-satisfied smile, he laid the book down and rose to his feet. “Of course I will come.”
It was only a short walk down the hall to the royal apartments. He entered the bedroom to find a gloriously nude Fleur writhing on her bed in great distress. A highly aroused and very miserable young magister lay between her legs, propped on his elbows. A low growl began in Ari’s chest.
The young man was pleading with Fleur. “Please, tell me what to do, Princess! Goddess, I can’t stand seeing you like this. Help me! What should I do? What do you need?”
“Magister Fortunay.”
Hearing Ari’s low, murderous snarl, the wide-eyed magister gasped and scrambled off the bed, wincing as his rigid erection caught the bedding.
“Sir! High Lord! Magister DeTano! Please, help her. I don’t understand. We have worked this Lesser Rite many times. We know it well, but…” The young fifth-level gestured at Fleur helplessly. “She cannot finish. She hangs just on the edge, tortured. I know it is my fault, it must be, but, oh goddess, just help her.” The young magister’s voice trailed off in abject confusion.
Ruthlessly smashing his homicidal fury at seeing another male intimate with Fleur, Ari responded flatly. “Peregrine, you are not at fault here. Her Royal Highness is suffering from her own pig-headed stubbornness.” Disrobing as he walked to the side of her bed, Ari asked, “What rite were you attempting to complete?”
“The Renewal of Small Flame, sir.”
“And where in the rite did you stop?”
“At the end of the fourth quatrain, sir.”
“Stand over there, Peregrine. Make yourself inconspicuous and shut up.”
Ari moved on to the bed, pulled the princess close to his nude body, then snuggled between her unresisting legs. Propped on his elbows, Ari stroked her face. “Open your eyes, Princess. Your Royal Highness, look at me.”
She flung her arm over to hide her face. “No. I don’t want your help. I told Camilla not to go for you.” She sniffed delicately. “I don’t need you and I am not pig-headed.” A small tear leaked out to trickle down her cheek.
“Ah, sweet lady, I am afraid you do need me. But I stand corrected. You are not pig-headed. You are far too beautiful.” Ari considered for a moment. “Mule-headed? Hmm. Yes, I think mule-headed. There are some very lovely mules.”
“Oh! You! You! Argggh!” Fleur stuttered to a stop. She struck out angrily, pounding at his shoulders—with no effect.
“Come now, Fleur, let’s complete this small rite,” he coaxed, impervious to her flailing hands. “You distressed yourself and young Peregrine quite enough.”
“Oh! Perry, are you…” She pulled back her arms and attempted to sit up. His chest bounced her right back into the feather pillows. She stiffened, then snarled at him. She looked as threatening as a hissing kitten. Ari bit back his laughter.
Squinching her eyes tightly shut, refusing to look at him, she lay rigid. After a few moments, Fleur breathed a small sigh. “I am sorry I hit you. Help me, please. I cannot finish. I…I…” She opened her eyes. “Take that amused smile off your face, you presumptuous, arrogant ass. I hate you.”
“Hmm. I don’t hate you, Princess.” With a slight swirl of his hips, the head of his cock found her slick opening and pushed in. Her flesh resisted him for a brief moment. He penetrated her slowly, unwilling to hurry the delicious slide of her wet flesh against him. Her initial gasp became a choked, needy moan.
“Oh gods, Ari. So good. Please, more, please.”
She was slick, hot and tight. He stifled a gasp of pleasure and fought desperately to keep a straight face. It was a toss-up which was harder.
He began the chant that would complete the Lesser Rite. As her breathless voice joined his, he stroked slowly, timing his climax to end with the chant. Gods and goddesses, she felt good. This was so dangerous on so many levels.
The atmosphere in the room throbbed with contained power. As he brought both of them to the brink, he commanded, “Come for me. Come for me, now, Fleur,” and lost himself in his release. With a feminine cry, Fleur followed him over.
A bright, sparkling force dashed throughout the chamber like a berserk bumblebee. With a pop and a spitting of sparks, all the light globes in the chamber shone brilliantly. Ari watched an unusually robust ball of flame flare violently from the room's formerly stone-cold brazier.
Curious.
Fleur collapsed bonelessly underneath him. Propped on his elbows and forearms, he marshaled enough energy to slowly withdraw.
“Ari, stay.” Her gentle request pulled at him.
Resisting the dangerous desire to linger and make love to her properly, he whispered a gentle, “I don’t dare.”
Gathering his clothes and a clearly flustered Peregrine, he left her bedroom, closing the door quietly behind him. Baring his teeth in a smile, although he wanted to rip the young man’s balls off, he handed Peregrine a robe. He pulled on his black leggings, then slipped his finely woven white shirt over his head, tucking the long tails into his pants. Sliding his feet into his soft, leather slippers, he regarded Peregrine with narrowed eyes. “I think it would be best to allow Her Royal Highness some time to regain her composure.” Ari nodded at Peregrine’s still rigidly hard arousal tenting the front of his robe. “And you might want to find a willing partner to help you with that.”
“He will be punished if he does,” a feminine voice responded. “He is not to come except by my hand or my will. Since it was Her Royal Highness asking, I permitted him to perform the Lesser Rite for the Renewal of Small Flame. Since he did not complete it,” the lovely brunette simply shrugged, “he can suffer the results.”
“Mistress Gabriella, I did not hear you enter.” Ari acknowledged the statuesque beauty. Mistress Gabriella. He winced inwardly. The last time he had seen her, chains had held his straining body to a bondage frame while she alternately whipped his ass and teased his cock. Years had not dimmed the memory. She had a most talented tongue.
“Magist
er DeTano.” She smiled warmly. “I was told you were summoned for the Great Rite. I am not amazed at the uniquely powerful result. I understand we must thank you for the continuing good health of our princess.”
He shrugged dismissively. “Is our Peregrine one of your students? I seem to remember being a sixth-level before I encountered your form of discipline.”
“Yes, well, many things changed since you walked our halls. As I remember it, when I got you, you had already been through the advanced course. Julianna de Gresse saw to that.” Gabriella mused, “You were such a beautifully perfect student, Conte DeTano. I hated to see you leave before I could find your breaking point.”
Peregrine shuddered and swore under his breath. Ari could not stop his snort of laughter. “It seems impossible to you now, Peregrine, but speaking from personal experience, one day you will be indebted to Mistress Gabriella and the discipline she imposes.”
Surprised gratitude flickered across her face, replaced swiftly by her normal countenance of stern good humor.
“By the gods, sir, she has not allowed me release in six months,” Peregrine groaned. “Today is another excruciating tease heaped on the wretchedness of my life. Worse is what the Mistress does to me between times.”
“I am aware of what she does between times, Peregrine. You will live,” Ari responded dryly.
“Only four short months remain, providing you maintain your self-discipline, Magister Peregrine.” Gabriella's eyes sparked with wicked humor. “But you won’t. You will be with me much, much longer.”
She ran a long, sharp, metallic fingernail along Peregrine's erection, lightly scratching the damp circle on his robe created by the head of his cock. He eyed her warily. “Those with Magister DeTano’s discipline are a rarity, thank the Goddess, else I would have no fun at all.”
A salacious smile crossed her lips. “How long are you to be with us, Magister?”
“I think that depends on our lovely Principessa, Mistress.”
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