“What do you want, Lusk?” she asked, immediately regretting it. There was no answer he could give that she would like.
“You figured out that your husband is impotent. You’re smarter than the last one. Prettier, too. You think fucking that boy will give you what you need? You’re wrong. You need a man to put a child in you. I can be that man. I can give you the son you crave and spare your miserable life from the end the Emperor was planning for you.”
“I wouldn’t do that with you, not if you were the last man alive,” she hissed.
“Come now, Lenora. He’s almost done. He’ll be out any minute. He likes to walk around down here afterward, naked, past the prisoners’ cells. He makes sure they’re all nude so he can admire them as he passes. He has some interesting proclivities. If he comes out here and sees you, well, I shall tell him I found you down here, wandering around, looking for men to fuck. Why else would you be walking around in such attire? Only sluts and whores walk around with no knickers on.” He slipped his free hand around her waist and down her hip, lifting her dress up with long and calloused fingers, then roughly shoved his hand between her legs. “Mmm, wet for me again, are you? Dirty little bitch. What’s it to be? A few escapades with me until you have a child inside you, or do we tell your beloved husband the truth? I expect he’ll have your head cut off while he eats his breakfast.”
She heard shuffling from inside the room, and Lusk pushed her head forwards for her to see through the gap. Barentyn was on his knees, sucking her husband’s cock. Averys had his head thrown back, pot-belly sticking out, white cum dripping from his hairy ass. She almost spewed her dinner into the room with them.
“Well?” Lusk hissed.
“Yes, fine. I’ll do it.”
He pulled her back roughly and dragged her by her neck along the corridor, shoving her up the stairwell. As they reached the top, he took the lead, snaking past the guards as Nathanial had done—but with much less grace—until he reached her corridor.
“Wait here until I say otherwise,” he said, pressing her into the shadows. The guard had returned to stand in front of her door, his hands down his trousers again. Lusk stalked along the corridor and sprang out in front of the man, terrifying the poor bugger. She watched from the shadows as Lusk whispered harsh words to the soldier, pointing at his crotch.
Eventually, the soldier took out his cock and placed his hands behind his head, a grimace on his face. Lusk reached up and brought his hand down with one swift move, smacking the poor, erect appendage with all his might. The guard crumpled into a heap on the floor, then half-crawled, half-ran in the opposite direction.
Lenora felt her body shuddering in terror. She did not want to have sex with that man under any circumstances.
He beckoned to her with a long, bony finger. She glanced around, hoping Nathanial might jump out of the shadows and snap the man’s neck. She’d even settle for Averys striding down the corridor nude to deal with him. Instead, she found only emptiness and a cool breeze. Resigned to her fate, she headed to her room.
IX – Into the Lair II
The lantern still sat on the bedside table, the flame wobbling in the cool breeze which trickled through the open window. The ornate carriage clock showed three in the morning. Lenora cursed silently, wishing she’d taken longer to skirt across the palace. Lusk clicked the door closed, then shut the window opposite. She watched him warily, hoping he would be a brisk lover; at the very least, she could force her eyes closed and imagine almost anything else while he finished his business.
He tracked around the room, subtly sniffing at the air like a hound, paused for a moment to sniff his fingers, then turned his attention to the bed. Lenora watched, dumbstruck at such an odd display. He bent over and inhaled along her bedsheets, hands clasped behind his back as he moved up and down in rigid movements.
“Ah,” he said as he found a spot at the end of the bed. He reached between the sheets and removed the hidden fork, stuck it in his mouth to chew on the last flake of dinner, and brandished it at her triumphantly. “To think, I dropped this at the dinner table.”
“How careless.”
“Quite.” He stalked around her, walking in slow circles, looking up and down, getting close but not touching, tapping the handle of the fork on his chin. “Take off your nightdress,” he instructed from somewhere behind her.
She rolled her eyes and shrugged the dress over her head in the most unappealing way she could muster, flinging it to the floor in a huff.
“You can act the spoiled brat with me if you like. I have ways of hurting you that won’t leave a mark.” He appeared at her shoulder again and ran the prongs of the fork down the side of her neck. “If you act nicely, I may treat you well.”
“I’m not sure a man like you knows how to treat anyone well, especially women.” The prongs scraped over her nipple as Lusk added some pressure to the act, and she had to grit her teeth against the sensation.
“Would you like to know how the Emperor had me deal with his first wife?”
“No.”
“He had me pull her fingernails off, one by one, as he stood in the dungeon corridor listening to her scream. That was just the beginning. And to think, he liked her far better than he ever liked you. Perhaps I shouldn’t tell you the rest. You might not like me very much afterwards.”
“I don’t like you very much right now.” She flinched as he prodded her in the stomach and rested his chin on her shoulder, turning them both so she could see herself in the mirror.
“Spread your legs.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and did as he asked. Her body started to shake from head to toe, fear manifesting itself physically in a way she could do nothing to control. The feeling of the fork disappeared for a moment, then returned as he rested the metal against her clit.
“I can be nice.” The fork moved up and down, slowly, softly, and to her surprise, it felt exquisite. If it had been anyone else, even Averys, she might have purred deeply in response to the sensation. Her traitorous libido seemed oblivious to the fact that it was Lusk doing the teasing. “Or I can be nasty.” He jabbed the prongs into her clit, not hard enough to break the skin but with enough force to take her breath away. To her credit, she did not scream, but a murmur escaped her lips as a wave of pain and fear rushed from through her.
“Well, that’s interesting. I do believe the kitten may enjoy a little pain with her pleasure.”
He continued on, rubbing her softly with the fork, teasing reactions out of her she was simply not trained to hide—not like Nathanial. Something lightly stroked across her nipple—his other hand—the two movements causing a stirring in her core. For all his diabolical lechery, he knew just how to elicit the reactions he wanted. She kept her eyes closed, not wanting to watch herself being touched by him. Without warning, the prongs jabbed in again, while at the same time he pinched her nipple hard. She squealed within an intake of air.
“Shh, control yourself, or you will be punished. Open your eyes and watch.”
“I don’t want to watch you.”
“Then don’t look at me. Look at yourself. Look at the wetness glistening on your thighs in the lamplight. It’s quite the picture.”
Her eyes fluttered open, partly in fear of his doing something awful if she disobeyed and partly in curiosity. He was right; she was dripping wet in reaction to his ministrations. Her eyes darted over her body, looking at herself, avoiding looking at the face over her shoulder in the mirror.
Lusk scraped the fork along her inner thigh and then lifted it to his mouth. “Mmm, delicious.”
He reached down and did it again, scraping the wetness from her other leg, then offered it to her mouth.
“Taste.”
She closed her eyes again and opened her mouth as he pressed the fork on her tongue, and she tasted herself for the first time—warm and wet, musky and salty with a touch of sweetness. If she’d been alone, she might have dipped her fingers in and licked them clean, despite how dirty the notion ma
de her feel.
“Good. This is turning out better than I’d dared hope, Lenora. You and I will make a lovely team. I think we shall develop something over a far longer period than I’d first thought. I’m not just going to put one child in you. We can do this over and over for as long as I draw breath, and if you ever dare tell your husband, I’ll be sure to cut out your tongue and any other parts you hold dear before he cuts off my head.” With that, he turned the fork over and inserted it, handle first, all the way into her pussy as before.
Lenora stayed silent. There was nothing she could possibly say in response to him and his abnormal appetites. To think, he’d described Averys as having odd desires.
“And now to find something to put in back here,” he said as he teased her backside.
A knock at the door prevented him from enacting that part of his plan. Lenora turned just as Lusk dove beneath the bed. She wasn’t given a chance to answer the knock before the door swung open; she squeezed her legs together to hide the fork. Barentyn appeared in the doorway.
“What’s going on?” he snapped at her.
“I could ask you the same thing.” She folded her arms across her chest.
“Why are you out of bed and nude?”
“I was going to use the washroom when I thought I’d stop to see if I had a tummy yet.” She pointed at the mirror for no reason other than that it sounded far better than Lusk came in to put cutlery in my privates and he’s hiding under my bed. “I don’t think it’s appropriate for you to be in here with me while I’m nude.”
“I have no interest in you.”
“Oh, I know you much prefer my husband.” Her heart jumped up into her ears and an alarm bell peeled in the back of her mind. What was she doing saying that to him?
For his part, Barentyn gave her a slanted look and marched into the washroom. During the split second he was out of the room, Lusk slithered out from under her bed and slipped into the corridor. Barentyn returned, looked under the bed, and stalked over to the window.
“Did you lose something, Commander?” she asked in a cool voice, though she had to squeeze her thighs together both to stop the fork slipping out and to keep her bladder from letting go all over the floor.
“The relief guard came to get me when he found the night guard missing from his post. When I saw your lantern was lit, I wanted to check on you. Do you know where the guard has gone?”
“No idea.”
Barentyn stood staring at her for a moment. He wore a nightshirt and plain night trousers, but she could see his bulging muscles beneath the fabric and she recalled how good he looked nude for an older man. He’d make quite the lover if he had any interest in women, though the dark brown eyes scrutinising her carefully seemed to hold no lusty thoughts despite her lack of clothing. It was probably a good thing; she wasn’t sure she could come up with a good excuse for the silverware sticking out of her lady parts if he decided to start touching her up.
“Commander,” Lusk called from the doorway. Barentyn spun around, blocking her view, or perhaps blocking Lusk’s view of her. Either way, she didn’t mind; she’d seen quite enough of that man for one evening.
“What is going on?” Barentyn bellowed.
“I relieved your guard. I found him behaving in an inappropriate manner instead of guarding. You may ask him if you like, though he is currently nursing an injury. Perhaps you could inspect that for him at the same time.”
Barentyn stormed out of the room and slammed the door shut. Lenora shuffled up to the door and pressed her ear to the cool wood, listening to the muffled voices as they headed away down the corridor.
“…quite happy to take over the guard duty for the remainder of the night,” Lusk was saying.
“No, I’ll send someone else up.”
“You don’t trust me?”
“You think I’m a fool?”
The voices faded from her range.
Lenora sighed, allowing her shoulders to slump. Though she’d escaped Lusk’s clutches, it was only a temporary relief. He’d no doubt try again the following night, and every night after that. She was inextricably torn between hating him and, in some sick way, wishing he would come back to carry on. As awful as he was, something in his controlling and determined nature made some distant part of her psyche crave to experience more. She pulled the fork free, staring at it for a moment before placing it on the bed.
A few minutes later, a new pair of boots appeared across the hallway. Her new guard had arrived, probably under strict instruction to leave his penis alone. She sat in the middle of the bed, not bothering to dress, and stared at herself in the mirror. At least no one had told her to leave herself alone. She spread her legs wide, admiring the view that appeared, wishing Nathanial was there to see it with her. Then she retrieved the fork to use on herself for a while.
By the time the sun came up and she dressed for breakfast, she had a fresh plan to try subverting Lusk. She headed down the stairs to the dining room with as much grace and calm as she could manage. Averys was not there, although he rarely shared meals with her except at dinnertime. Even then it always seemed to be a formal affair, and even when they were alone. She polished off the plate of cooked eggs and toast as quickly as possible, then headed off to the opposite end of the palace, skirting around the staff who still cleaned up after the gathering.
By the time she reached the Emperor’s rooms—his official office areas and a place she rarely frequented unless it was in secret to spy upon him—she’d rehearsed her plan over and over. That didn’t stop her hands from shaking as she tentatively knocked on his door.
“Come,” he barked from within.
She pushed the heavy oak door inwards and padded softly across the carpeted floor to stand in front of his desk. He sat in a large leather chair, surrounded by the paperwork piled high on the desk in front of him. Some of it had even been stacked up on the floor around the desk. Despite being a pleasantly warm Spring morning, a large fire cracked and hissed in the fireplace behind him. He didn’t look up from the paper on which he scratched his signature to acknowledge her.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I need…”
His head snapped up so fast she thought he might leap out of his seat to pummel her. “What do you want?” he barked, slamming the inky quill onto the desk, sending a spray of black ink across the paperwork.
“I’m sorry. I know you don’t like to be interrupted, but I was hoping you could spare a few minutes for me.”
“Make it quick.”
She pushed a shaky breath between her lips and headed around the desk, coming to a stop beside his chair. He looked up at her through sharp eyes, flashing with fire and impatience. If she was going to achieve anything, she would have to be flawless in her approach. Lenora sunk down to her knees at his feet and reached up to clasp his hand. She couldn’t become a man for him, but she could do her best to give him something else, something she hoped he might want besides a child.
“I’m sorry I did not do well for your gathering last night. My lateness was unforgivable, and my fainting spell was regrettable, but I wanted you to know I appreciate that you honoured me in that way. I am undeserving of such kindness.” She chanced a glance up at him.
The expression on his face had faded from utterly angry to something more like confusion. That was some form of progress, at least. She was relatively sure he wouldn’t just smack her and send her away.
“Well,” he said, pausing to take a deep breath, “you have an excuse for now, I suppose. Is that all?”
“No, I’m… I don’t want to be alone at night. I presume Commander Barentyn informed you what happened with the guard last night?”
“He did. It has been dealt with, I assure you, and will not happen again.”
“I understand. It’s not just that—”
“Then what is it?”
“You. I don’t want to be without you, my love. I don’t get to see you during the day, and you’re often away from the palace.
When will I ever spend time with my husband if not at night?”
He stared down at her, frowning, blinking blankly. She tried not to be offended. They had never claimed to love one another; that barrier in their relationship had been clear from the outset. But she needed some kind of protection from Lusk, especially at night, and she doubted he would make a move if the Emperor shared her bed. She would just have to figure out how to see Nathanial during the day.
“I would not risk being amorous with you in your condition,” he said, choosing his words with care for once. She felt a small twinge of guilt tug at her heart. They weren’t so very different, after all. He was as much trapped by his station as she, unable to pursue his preferences and bound by a need to leave an heir. Though it didn’t excuse him from being a complete ass of a husband, she supposed she hadn’t made too much of an effort to be a loving wife.
“We don’t have to be amorous all the time, but if you desire it, I can pleasure you in other ways.” She licked her lips and slipped her hand along his thigh. He flinched, the frown on his forehead deepening although he made no move to stop her.
She reached the top of his trousers and poked her hand under his pot belly to work the buttons free. He twisted in the chair, pushing his hips forward, glancing up towards the doorway briefly. For a moment, he looked like a naughty teenager afraid of getting caught, as though he’d forgotten he was the most powerful man in the Empire. If he wanted to let his wife suck him off at his desk, who would dare argue?
When she’d finished unbuttoning, she found him limp and flaccid, unsurprising in one way though he’d always come to her already hard in bed. She’d never needed to arouse him. She wondered what he must have to do in that washroom alone to get himself worked up enough to want her. Had she never turned him on, not even once? Undeterred, she softly ran her lips and fingertips along his skin, pushing his shirt up his chest and trying to work his trousers down to get at the surrounding skin; she’d tease and tickle him into the mood.
Desire and Duty (The Consort's Chronicles Book 1) Page 7