Her clinging made him feel strong, in charge, an emotion new to him. He studied the rows of shelves in the hazy blue lamplight. Oval shaped holes ran across the length of every shelf, harboring only emptiness. "I think it’s a wine cellar, or used to be. Now it’s just forgotten."
They walked along the ends of the aisles, pausing every so often to peer down the length. He hoped they’d find a bottle peeking from one of those oval caves, but no such luck. "Should we camp out here for a while?"
"I didn’t bring my tent." She looked bedraggled. He guessed her pain medication was wearing off by now. They’d walked for over an hour at least.
"You have a blanket." Razi tugged at the edge of it, teasing her. "I think that will do. It’s just the two of us and the cobwebs. Maybe a little dust."
"About a hundred years of it by the looks." She followed him down the last row of shelves. At the end of the line, they sat on a floor made of aluminum grating that went out of fashion long ago.
He leaned against the wall, letting out a pent up breath of relief. Sima stood above him, regarding him with her curious gaze. The medical blanket hugged her body much like the towel did that first night. She knelt slowly, then scooted close to him.
"Does it hurt?" he asked, nodding at her.
"A little."
He liked the way she closed her eyes when he placed his hand on her cheek. Holding his palm against her silky skin for a long time, he watched her visibly calm. When her breathing fell in time with his, he swept his fingers across her temple, combing through her thick hair with one slow, sweeping motion.
"I still don’t know how you found me. How did you get onto the palace grounds?" Her body shook for the first time, a reflex of the pain he knew would start racking her.
"I have a friend at the Habiri church. Sister Lensi, she’s a nun that works the church grounds. Leuj hired her a while back to revamp his gardens. She’s the best at what she does."
"Was she the redhead?"
"Yeah."
"I saw her in the window before I smacked the chair into the glass." Another tremor shook Sima’s body, worrying him.
"I should have stolen some meds for you. You’re gonna be hurting real bad for a while." He slipped his hands under her armpits, urging her atop him. She obliged, straddling his legs.
"I’ll be all right." She swayed forward, curled herself against his chest and nestled there. "So, a nun brought you in. You have unusual friends."
"I knew it was only a matter of time before he caught you. It’s only a matter of time before he catches you again. He always gets what he wants." He wanted her to understand the truth, the reality of what he knew would happen.
"Then why did you come?" She glanced up, hurt by his words, tears rimming her eyes.
"I had to see you again." He didn’t know why he felt that way, but ever since she’d left him in the Ward, her face haunted him. He thought about her, about how to see her, and about how to save her from Leuj. It’s hopeless, he knew, but he didn’t want to tell her that, not yet. "Digging in manure was my best chance." He grinned.
"You should have run, gone to the coast and made a life for yourself. If he catches us, he’ll kill you for helping me. He’ll probably kill me too." She pursed her lips and he could tell she fought her emotions.
He stroked her cheeks, hoping to ease her mind. "It’s hurting isn’t it?"
She nodded.
He pushed two fingers between the blanket and her skin, releasing it. The fabric slid down her body, puddling in his lap. "Keep your breathing steady. Don’t gasp, don’t fight the pain. Sometimes it’s just a matter of putting it out of your mind."
"I’ll try," she whispered.
He bent his head to kiss her neck in slow, sliding strokes. Her skin felt warm beneath his fingers as he massaged away her fear. He stroked the tense muscles at the back of her neck, worked his way cautiously over her shoulders and swept her sides in a firm touch that avoided the wounds. "I’m afraid I’ll lose you," he told her in a soft voice. "What if this is our only chance to be together?"
In her silence, she nodded, her fingers shaking as she reached beneath his shirt to explore his skin, sending waves of heat crashing through him. She pressed her way across his chest, rubbing back and forth in hot passes. "I should have stayed in the Ward with you."
"Mm. Maybe. I wish you’d stayed a little longer." He caressed the roundness of her hips, paused to squeeze a handful of flesh in both hands and winced when his cock moved. "You should have gotten your money’s worth."
"It felt weird to pay for it." She giggled softly behind the pain. Her fingers plucked at his nipple ring, sending a tingle through the sensitive skin.
"Well, thanks to you, I’m free now." He slid his right hand between their bodies, reaching for her naked mound. Her curly hairs were slick beneath with excitement. She flinched at his intimate touch, but he didn’t stop, not this time. Her cheek ran against his neck, the softness of the caress animalistic, reminding him of a cat. Shivers assaulted her as he teased her moist labia, trying to ease the pain she felt elsewhere, and desperate to hear her voice in the throes of passion.
With two fingers, he swept deeper, past her lower lips to the hooded nub of her clit. He stroked the sides, tugging the sensitive part toward him, reveling in the way her breathing caught in her throat with each gentle pull. Her neck tasted sweet and salty against his hungry mouth. Razi teased her harder, a third finger joining in the sensual torture. This time, her legs quaked around his. He suckled at her skin, drawing nibbles into his mouth, biting her in firm but tender tastes. She whimpered beneath his ministrations, her hands failing to act as they edged around his waist. She held on, so absorbed in his attentions that she could do nothing more than endure.
"I want to make you cum," he murmured against her skin. "I want to make you scream." He slid his fingers lower, teasing the entry to her pussy. Three fingers circled there, causing her to arch her back, her body hungry for release, urging him to enter.
The musky scent of her arousal tortured him. If she wasn’t in pain from the surgery, he’d crush her against the floor and kneel to taste her sweet juices, but not now. He slid his fingers inside her body, the hot warmth devouring him. With the pad of his thumb, he found the center of her clit. He tapped out a fevered rhythm there. His fingers rubbed within, searching for that sensitive spot to give her release.
Her body shuddered, her legs shaking in spasms of pleasure. Finally, he heard her voice, a sobbing cry of ecstasy that rose from the depths of her throat and tantalized him. Thrusting his fingers deep within, he felt the pounding of her pussy as the walls grasped him, swelling and releasing in heated spasms. She bucked against him, grounding her hips down, and crying onto his shoulder.
When the quakes of her orgasm waned, he released her, freeing his hand to grasp her ass. Razi laid back on the metal floor, pleasantly stifled by her weight pressing down on his body and erection. "Can you sleep like this?" he asked, hoping she’d want to.
"Yes," she whispered, breathless.
"Let your body rest. We’ll find a way out of this mess. Don’t worry. I’ll protect you from him." He smiled when she squirmed, nuzzling closer against him. Razi held her butt, and lay awake while she slept. There has to be a way out, some passage that I’ve missed.
Chapter Twenty One –
Attack on Taraf
The alarms sounded until Leuj reached the security chamber. He entered the dark room, a round area filled with vidscreens, touchscreens, keypads and so many guards that watched over the palace grounds that he’d long ago lost count. "Turn that damned thing off!" he cried, the anger in his voice setting everyone on the edge of their seats. The head guard spun around, startled, his blue eyes wide. Leuj watched him approach, wishing he could adjourn to his gardens to think.
"Yes, my Oemir," the guard muttered. He waved his hand to one of his cloned minions and the annoying pulse-tone halted.
"What the hell is going on?" He crossed the plied metal floor, his slip
pers making a soft whooshing sound. Leuj placed both hands on his hips, his gaze flicking from vidscreen to vidscreen, seeking the source of the disturbance.
"My Oemir, Dr. Jesek sounded the alarm. It seems your woman has escaped. Nurse Dobray is—"
"What!" He threw his hands in the air. "What are you raving about? I left her in the doctor’s care with that stupid Unangi gardener. Where is she?"
The guard snuffled once, trying to keep his composure in the face of the Oemir’s anger. Leuj knew the man’s look, his plaintive eyes, his nervous tic, and the jiggle of muscle by his left eye. The guard took another step forward and smoothed his gray uniform, the buttons glittering in all the rainbow lights from the computers. "Nurse Dombray is dead. The doctor said he doesn’t know what happened, that he woke up after the Unangi man punched him and found Dombray’s body on the floor."
"How did he die?"
"He was beaten to death, my Oemir."
"And the girl? Where is she? Where is she!" he shouted so loud that spittle flew from his lips, spraying down on the guard’s chest.
"We…don’t know at this time." The guard flinched when Leuj raised a fist at him.
"I want her back. Now! Before night falls, I expect her to be in my quarters." He glanced over the screens, his anger seething within, ready to bubble over. "If any of your people hurt her, I’ll kill them, personally."
"Yes, my Oemir."
Leuj spun on his heel, stomping out of the security room with too much on his mind. The Unangi stole her. Yes! That’s what happened. He took her from me, for himself. Fuming all the way down the stairs to the first level of the palace, he wanted time to think, to calm down. He paced for a moment in his study, then barreled through the paned-glass door to the rose garden.
Outside, the double suns shone high in the sky, lighting up the bulging clouds with oranges and crimsons. It reminded him of his daydreams as a child. He thought the clouds were on fire during the day, and that the constant Irnian rains came to set the flames to rest. He marched across the copper bridge, half noticing its shiny hue. Across the paths, he hurried, anxious to sit in silence among the wisteria and low growing herbs Lensi had planted around the statue of Nimmet.
The ebony goddess stood on her white pedestal, her body a curved rendition of delight as she held her arms to the sky. Everything about the statue exuded beauty and sexual desire. Leuj sank into his jade encrusted bench, drawing his hands into his lap. He stared at the goddess’s shape, the tips of her erect nipples taunting him.
Somewhere, on the other side of the world, his troops hovered across Taraf. Bombs exploded to destroy the free nation’s political buildings. The army had strict orders to assassinate Enrue on sight.
Leuj rubbed his temples. A headache rooted itself at the fore of his mind, pounding out a painful tune. "Why am I like this?" he asked Nimmet. "Lensi is right. I’m vile. No one can love me. I’m a monster." The realization didn’t bring him any comfort or peace. It only made his migraine stronger.
For the first time in his life, he leaned forward to kneel on the fine imported flagstones. Clasping his hands, Leuj prayed for someone to save his soul, someone to save the world of Em-7 from his greed. He doubted an answer would come.
When he looked up from his position, he noticed drops of moisture sliding down Nimmet’s cheeks. In that strange instant, he thought he felt the trill of religious fervor swelling in his chest. Then thunder sounded. Rain pattered down to wash away the stone idol’s false tears.
He stood up, wiped real tears from his face and, feeling foolish, he made his way back to the palace. Anger returned as he entered his study. He sat at his desk, rifled through a drawer for two pills to banish his headache, and touched the screen of his computer. It was not his way to accept blame when things went wrong. Someone must pay for this.
The welcome screen for the Habiri Church flashed into view, a picture of the building gracing the screen. The digital image faded and changed into a view of the exorbitant gardens behind the church’s walls. He imagined Lensi walking among the rows of plants, her wide body swaying in its alluring way.
"It’s her fault," he muttered. "All her fault for bringing that Unangi here." He keyed in the code for her com link and waited, tapping his fingers on the top of his desk. The tone sounded ten times before her recorder picked up.
"I’m sorry I’m not here to take your com at this time. Please leave a message, and I’ll get back to you once I return to the office."
Leuj’s fist crashed against the marble desktop. The pain throbbed in the lower heel of his hand, surging up his arm in fiery prickles. He growled out his frustration. For a moment, he closed his eyes, trying to breathe and concentrate. When that didn’t work, he swiveled in his chair to look out the expansive window. The statue of Nimmet stood in the midst of the gardens like a dark accusation against him.
Sighing, he turned around, pressed the keycode to call his private police and waited. The familiar bushy-browed officer appeared. "Yes, my Oemir?"
"I want you to go to the Habiri Church. There’s a woman there, a nun by the name of Lensi. Have her brought to my palace at once."
The man’s face flickered with confusion, but he nodded his ascent. "Yes, my Oemir."
Chapter Twenty Two –
Delayed Escape
The pain dulled to an annoying twinge in her back, lancing across the sutured skin if she tried to move. Razi held Sima still, his well-muscled arms forbidding any escape from the heated embrace he kept her in. She raised her head to look at his face. That mischievous smile seemed to be too familiar, something she didn’t want to lose or forget.
"Let’s lay here a little longer," he whispered. "Won’t hurt you to sleep and it won’t hurt me to hold you in my arms.
"We should try to find a way out." She squirmed a little until he nipped at her chin. His questing lips found their way across her face to her mouth, halting any effort to get up.
A crackling sound ripped through the silence of the wine cellar. Sima sucked in a breath, startled. "What’s that?"
"Not sure." He turned his head to one side, his gaze seeking the source of the sound. "Must be an old speaker in here, probably connected to the main com system."
The tenor of Leuj’s voice echoed in the room at an annoying pitch. "Sima, if you can hear me, I know he stole you. My guards are searching every room in the palace. I’ll find you and have him executed. No harm will come to you." The crackling fizzled.
"He thinks you kidnapped me?" Her brow furrowed. "What gave him that idea?"
Razi shrugged. "I think you kidnapped me." I was content in that Ward hall. Fresh food every day, all the hot showers I wanted…"
"You can go back and do it for no charge, if you want." She smirked at him. "You sure complain a lot about being free."
"It’s too much work." Turning onto his side, he urged Sima to follow. Razi ran his nose across hers, his hand working over her hip in circles. "How’s the pain?"
"Almost gone. I can walk. Let’s try to find a way out." Reaching up, she traced the line of his jaw. "Look Razi, I know you think you care for me, but I’m nothing but trouble. Leuj wants you dead, you’re trapped in some forgotten part of his palace, and I’m the daughter of the Shiemir. Let me turn myself in. I don’t want to be responsible for anyone else’s death. Maybe I can convince Leuj to send me back to my father."
His mouth twisted to one side as he contemplated her offer. A faint reflection of the blue lights overhead flickered in the depths of his eyes. "Mm, no."
She felt his palm cupping her ass, drawing her body tight against his lower body. The firm, demanding shape of his erection pressed her for more. "You don’t know me; you don’t," she whispered.
"And you don’t really know me, do you?" He winked before he kissed her, his tongue pressing her lips to part.
She relented, heat raging through her body. Is he going to finger me again? she wondered. Sima didn’t think she could bear the intensity of an orgasm like that a second time in o
ne day. Relaxing into his grip, she met each hungry thrust of his tongue. His hips urged hers into motion. Soon they were moving in time, their bodies spooned together in an erotic sideways dance.
His fingers sought the zipper of his pants, the grating sound of that small release, both thrilling her and sending a warning that things were getting out of hand. Razi slid his clothing down; the only thing separating his cock from her was the thin layer of his cotton underwear.
"I think we—"
He silenced her with one well-placed thrust. The bulge of his dick crushed against her clit, stealing her senses for a moment. "I think I should make you beg for me." He gripped her butt cheek, squeezing hard. "Have you ever begged for a man?"
"No," she managed to gasp out. He thrust again, taunting her. The slick wetness of her pussy cried out for his body. She wanted to thrust back, to reach down, slip her fingers in the waistband of the loose underwear he had on and tear them off. Instead, Sima reached between their bodies and grasped his hardness through the cotton. "Have you ever begged?" she asked in a hoarse whisper.
His mouth twisted with pleasure. "You sure you want me to answer that?"
She drew her fingers around his shaft, massaging. As she worked, his dick grew, the length rising. The thought of his sex entering her body frightened her. She paused.
He moaned in a mournful way. "Oh. Don’t stop," he said. "Not now."
She giggled, the seriousness of the moment passing. Sima slid her fingers up his cock, past the bulging head, then dipped them inside his underwear. The tip of his dick dripped precum. Never having explored a man in such a way before, she took her time.
"You’re torturing me," he said, sighing against her lips.
"Am I?" She gripped his cock hard, causing him to sigh again. "I don’t mean to. You’re just so…big." His hand came against hers, guiding her hand up and down.
"I can’t help it," he said through clenched teeth. "You’re just so sexy. Turns me on. And every time I see you, you’re dressed in almost nothing."
Nimmet, Goddess of Love Page 10