“I’m not sure yet,” he said hoarsely, looking away.
“I take it the curse has affected the queen and she’s unable to bear you a child?”
Her brazen question should have surprised him, but it was Mariselle. He was used to it. “No. Unfortunately, she has not.”
“Yours is supposed to become the next monarch, right?”
He sighed. “Yes. That’s what was supposed to happen. I’m hoping that the curse has been lifted, seeing that you…”
“Have my period?”
Griffin nodded.
“I hope for your sake, it’s true,” she said, looking ahead.
“Me, too.”
She was silent for several seconds. “However, if it’s not the case, I could very well be the only woman in the land who could give you what you desire,” she whispered.
“The queen would never allow it,” he murmured, unable to believe that they were actually having such a conversation. “Anyway, if you can provide an heir to the throne, it would probably be with Aiden, since he’s next in line. And not married.”
“Would we get married then?”
“That’s something we’d need to discuss.”
“So, he would take my virginity away from me and if I don’t give him a son, I will be tossed away?” she said, and edge to her voice. “I don’t think that’s what my father had in mind. It’s certainly not in my best interest.”
“Your best interest is going to definitely be taken into consideration. I promise you,” he said, relieved to hear that she was still a virgin.
“I should hope so,” she replied, crossing her arms under her chest. “To be totally honest, this wasn’t my idea, anyway. It was my father’s.”
Griffin had figured as much.
“Mariselle,” he said, reaching over and taking her hand. “I promise that whatever happens, you will not be tossed away… like a whore. Trust me, okay?”
She stared into his eyes and nodded. “I trust you, Griffin.”
Feeling her small hand in his palm, he wondered if he could trust himself.
28
IT TOOK FOUR days to reach North Haven. Fortunately, they’d passed through several towns on the way, so Mariselle was able to purchase items she needed, all paid for by King Griffin. Most of the things he bought for her were of necessity and he promised to send for a seamstress as soon they reached the castle.
“What do I need a seamstress for?” she asked.
His eyes swept over her figure. “For the gowns you’ll need of course.”
Bursting with excitement, Mariselle threw her arms around Griffin and hugged him. “I’ve never had anyone do that for me before. Thank you, Griffin.
He hugged her back stiffly. “You’re welcome.”
Remembering that he was now the king and not someone a girl could hug whenever she wanted to, Mariselle suddenly felt foolish. She released him and stepped back. “I’m sorry. Thank you, Your Majesty. I’ve forgotten my place.”
“It’s okay, Mariselle,” he said, his eyes twinkling. “Old habits die hard.”
“Indeed they do,” she replied softly.
Upon arrival at North Haven, they were greeted ceremoniously by many of the town’s people, who cheered and followed the convoy to the castle entrance. When Mariselle finally saw Aiden, on the other side of the gate, she was pleasantly surprised to find that he recognized her.
“Mariselle?” he gasped, looking down into her face with a warm smile.
“Yes. It’s me, Your Majesty,” she said, staring back at the red-bearded Rothhaven shyly. As a young boy, he’d been tall and lanky, now he was muscular and looked as strong as an ox. His boyish face had also changed considerably. Unlike his older brother, who could almost be called beautiful with his sculpted cheekbones and cleft chin, Aiden’s features were sharp and his nose looked like it had taken a beating or two. But, he was still very handsome, in rugged kind of way.
He picked her up in a bear hug and swung her around, making her laugh. “It’s so good to see you. And don’t be a stranger. Call me Aiden.”
“If you insist,” she replied.
He set her down and turned to his brother. “Let me guess - the queen didn’t feel like making the trip?” he asked with a dark smile.
“No,” he said and smiled. “Thank God.”
Aiden laughed. “And I used to be jealous that you were the eldest.”
Griffin’s eyes twinkled. Not anymore, huh?”
“Hell no,” he replied. “Life has never been better, to be honest.”
“I’m happy for you. There are times when I’d give anything to…” Griffin’s voice trailed off.
Aiden’s smile widened. “Be in my shoes?”
“Honestly, yes.” Griffin sighed. “Anyway, it’s good to see you and there is much to discuss.”
Aiden glanced back toward Mariselle. “I imagine it has something to do with your traveling companion?”
“You imagine correct,” he replied.
MARISELLE, AND HER new attendants, were shown into the castle, which was almost identical to Griffin’s. They were then turned over to one of the maids, who brought Mariselle to her bedchamber. When she stepped inside, her eyes widened in pleasure. It was just as extravagant as Eva’s, from what she’d remembered, only everything was much newer and decorated in rich, burgundy and green colors.
“Wow,” she said breathlessly, gazing at the large, draped canopy bed, which seemed to fill up the room. There was also a fireplace, across from the bed, and her own personal tub.
“Oh my goodness,” Mariselle said, walking over to it. She ran her hand along the side and sighed. “I could certainly use a bath right about now.
“We’ll get one started for you, Milady,” one of her attendants said, Shawna.
Not at all used to such formality, she told Shawna to just call her Mariselle.
“Whatever you wish,” she said, curtsying.
Mariselle couldn’t help it. The gesture pleased her even though she knew that in reality, she was just like them and always would be. A simple peasant girl.
“How hot would you like your bath?” the older woman, June asked.
“As hot as I can stand it,” she replied, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Running her hands over the blanket she lay back and closed her eyes, wondering what the two brothers were discussing and what would become of her.
Would she marry Aiden?
Or maybe one of the other brothers?
The idea was somewhat nerve-wracking and yet exciting at the same time. When she’d admitted, to Griffin that she’d had crushes on all of them growing up, she hadn’t been lying. Each brother had special qualities she’d been drawn to. Griffin, because he’d always been dashing and probably the most handsome. Aiden, because of his imagination and spirit. Zackary, who’d always thought of himself as her protector. And Matthias, who had a heart of gold and was the most sensitive of the bunch. She still remembered when he’d picked some of the queen’s prized flowers and gave them to her. Lizbeth had been furious, but Matthias had known how to sweet-talk his mother into forgiving him and even allowing the young prince to pick more. He definitely had a way with women and imagined now, he was quite the smooth-talker.
Closing her eyes, she imagined herself as one of their wives and couldn’t for the life of her, choose one over the other.
Good thing Griffin was making that decision, she thought. If it were up to her, she’d marry them all.
29
“WAIT A SECOND, are you actually proposing that I sleep with Mariselle?” Aiden said, staring at him wide-eyed. “Our little Mariselle?”
“She’s not so little anymore,” Griffin said wryly.
“No, she’s not,” he agreed.
“If you don’t want to-”
“Now, hold up. I didn’t say that I didn’t want to,” Aiden said quickly. “I mean she’s… beautiful. I just don’t know if it would be right.”
Griffin sighed. “What would be wrong is for our kingd
om to become obsolete.” He tapped his fingers on the table nervously. “I mean… without an heir…”
“I know,” Aiden replied. “If things keep going as they are, our entire country will eventually just be a legend.”
“Yes. A laughable one at that.”
“Is she agreeing to this?” he asked, pouring them each a goblet of wine.
“She doesn’t want to be treated like a whore, but essentially, I believe so.”
“I can respect that. So, it’s marriage she wants?”
“Basically.”
Aiden sighed. “I don’t know, Griffin. Marriage would interfere with my love-life,” he said with a smirk.
Griffin shook his head and smiled. “You could grow to love Mariselle.”
“In a way, I already do. I just never imagined it would be in a romantic way,” he replied.
“You act as if it’s a horrible thing I’m asking from you. If it were me, I’d jump all over the chance.”
“Why don’t you do it then?” he replied, sitting down.
“Because, I’m married,” he mumbled, staring at the goblet. “Obviously.”
“To a royal cunt,” Aiden said.
Griffin smiled. “So, you’ve met my wife?”
He laughed. “Unfortunately, yes. Anyway, your child should be the next heir to the throne. It is your duty to try and make it happen, married or not.”
He took a gulp of his wine and licked his lips. “My duty, huh?”
“Yes. Think of all the bastards out in the world, created by the seed of royalty. It’s not like you’d be the first king to lay with another. Hell, when I do get married, I doubt if I’ll be able to keep my hands off of other wenches. Variety is the spice of life, big brother.”
“So, I’ve heard.”
“You’d know it too if you weren’t faithful to that old sourpuss. Do you two even have relations?”
“We used to. Until I got to know her better,” Griffin replied, smirking.
Aiden grunted. “So, your dick hasn’t been waxed in many moons, is what you’re saying?”
“Precisely.”
He leaned forward and poured more wine into his brother’s goblet. “Here, have some more. Maybe you’ll loosen up enough to do what’s right.”
“And what is that?”
“Produce the heir that was meant to be. Yours.”
“And if I do and Georgina finds out it’s mine?”
“Who cares? You’re king. The damn monarch. You make the rules and you do what you want. It’s expected of you anyway.”
Griffin stared ahead, seriously thinking about it. “And what of Mariselle? I promised her honor and marriage.”
Aiden sighed. “We’ll worry about that later. Hell, if it comes down to it, I’ll make her a queen, if you really want. As long as she understands I need more than one woman to warm my bed, on any given night.”
Griffin chuckled. “I don’t know what I’d do without your, Brother. I can’t say that I agree with your antics, but I sure as hell enjoy hearing about them.”
He snorted. “So, you believe my stories finally?”
“I believe that you can’t make some of what comes out of your mouth up. Especially your sex-capades.”
“True. Did I tell you about Loose Lila?” He held up his fist. “I swear you can fit-”
“Stop.” Griffin held up his hand. “I haven’t had enough to drink yet.”
“The let me take care of that,” Aiden said, reaching for the wine.
30
WHEN MARISELLE’S BATH was ready, her attendants asked if she needed help undressing.
“No. Thank you, though,” she replied shyly and then told them she wanted to be alone.
“We’ll be back in an hour to help you prepare for supper,” June replied.
“Thank you. For everything. You’re both so kind.”
“So are you,” Shawna replied. “You’re so much nicer than the queen.”
“Shawna,” June said sternly.
“Don’t worry. I won’t say a word,” Mariselle promised.
“Thank you, Milady,” Shawna said, looking embarrassed. “I need to work on my manners.”
“Indeed you do. Let’s go,” June said.
The two left and Mariselle undressed. She noticed the bleeding had stopped and hoped that it wouldn’t be a problem. Especially if Griffin and Aiden decided they wanted proof of her menstruation. Deciding that there wasn’t anything she could do about it now, she slipped into the warm tub and groaned in pleasure. It had been days since she’d had a bath and it felt luxurious. Especially in a tub that size.
Closing her eyes, she sank in deeper and lay back against the padded headrest. After a while, she became drowsy and began to daydream about Griffin. For the last three days, the electricity between them had been intense. More than once she’d caught him watching her with hunger in his eyes. Mariselle knew without a doubt that desired her and she ached to feel his hands on her body. Imagining the two of them in the bath together, she slipped her fingers between her legs and began touching herself.
GRIFFIN, FEELING SLIGHTLY tipsy, left Aiden and headed to his quarters to wash up and sleep off some of the wine before supper. Between the two of them, they’d drunk enough to piss out a pond. Especially Aiden, whose tolerance level was much higher than his. As he walked down the corridor, he ran into Mariselle’s attendants.
“How is she doing?” he asked, giving them a lopsided grin.
“Very good, Your Majesty. Her chamber is to the right of yours,” June said with a little smile.
“Oh. Okay. Very good,” he replied, swaying slightly. “Carry on.”
The two women walked away and he could hear them giggling. Wondering if it had something to do with Mariselle, and hoping that they were treating her with respect, he decided to check on her.
When Griffin arrived at Mariselle’s chamber, he raised his hand to knock and that’s when he though he heard her whimpering inside. Concerned that she was upset about something, and would try to deny it, he quietly opened the door and stepped inside. That’s when he saw her lying naked in the tub, her eyes closed and her face flushed. Realizing that she was pleasuring herself, he stared, transfixed as her fleshy, breasts bobbed in the water with each movement.
“Griffin,” she moaned, biting her lower lip.
His cock lurched in response and his blood roared hot.
Her hand moved faster. “Yes…. I’m… oh… God…”
He watched as she came and something snapped inside of him. He was hungry for her in ways he couldn’t even describe. He wanted to possess and claim every part of her but knew that going to her was wrong. He wasn’t supposed to be there.
With all of the strength he could muster, Griffin quietly slipped out of her chamber and went to his own. Blind with lust, he pulled his throbbing cock out, spit into his palm, and imagined he was in her chamber, pulling her out of the bath, and throwing her onto the bed. As his hand moved, his mind raced with images of her slippery, wet body under his. Grunting, he thought about his mouth on her breasts and what it would be like to take that tight, virgin pussy and make it his. Within seconds he was gasping and spilling his hot seed into the palm of his hand, wishing that things were different and he wasn’t married to the shrew from Baristara.
31
MARISELLE HEARD WHAT sounded like the door closing. She gasped in horror.
Mortified that someone had walked in on her, she quickly finished up her bath, dried herself, and dressed in one of the new tunics Griffin had purchased. Grabbing a comb, she ran it through her wet hair, thoroughly embarrassed that someone had caught her in the act of touching herself. She guessed it to be one of the attendants and didn’t know how she would be able to look either of them in the face.
Finishing up with her hair, she sat down on the bed just as someone knocked on the door, startling her. Feeling her cheeks heat up again, she cleared her throat. “Yes?”
“It’s just us,” June said, peeking her head in. �
�Oh, darn. You’re already dressed.”
“Yes,” she replied nervously.
“We have a surprise for you,” June said, her voice filled with excitement.
Curious, Mariselle stood up. “Really?”
“Yes, you’re going to love it,” the woman replied. “Bring it in, Shawna.”
The younger woman stepped inside, holding a gown. “King Aiden sent this over. Isn’t it beautiful?”
Mariselle’s eyes widened as she brought the dress closer. It was dark green and made of velvet and silk. Turning it around, she noticed that it laced up the back. “It’s gorgeous,” she replied breathlessly, touching the elegant, soft material.
June’s eyes twinkled. “You’re to wear it for supper. Now, get undressed and we’ll help you put the gown on.”
“We’ll braid your hair, too,” Shawna tilting her head and staring at it. “You have gorgeous curls, Milady. I’m sure you hear it all the time.”
“No, but thank you and… call me Mariselle. Please,” she said.
“Yes, Milady. I mean…” She giggled. “Mariselle.”
AN HOUR LATER, she felt beautiful in the curve-hugging, gorgeous gown. The two attendants had also fussed with her hair, braiding it into one long rope that went over her shoulder. They’d also added colorful green and white ribbons through the strands.
“You look like royalty,” Shawna said, tucking in a loose ribbon.
“Like a true queen,” added June.
She smiled demurely. “You’re both much too kind.”
“Goodness,” June said, her eyes widening. “It’s about that time. I believe King Aiden mentioned something about collecting you for dinner himself. He should be arriving any minute.”
As soon as she said the words, there was a sharp rap at the door.
“Speak of the devil,” Shawna said, winking.
“Yes, you’d better watch out for that one,” June whispered. “He has a voracious appetite and I’m not just talking about food.”
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