The man she had dreamed of and longed for now came to life in full force, made of flesh, blood, and raging passion. Immensely powerful, he loomed splendidly over her, his hard body surging inside her, overwhelming her entire being. Her arms slid up and around his naked back, her fingers digging into the hard muscles as she scratched his shoulders. Beneath her palms, his skin stretched smooth and taut, the rippling muscles flexing. He braced his arms along each side of her to keep his weight from crushing her. His upper arms felt like steel covered in silk. The intensity of his movements had coated the smooth skin with a faint gleam of sweat.
Aislan tore her mouth from his, her lips scraping along the raspy stubble of his jaw. Sweeping her tongue along his shoulder, she tasted the saltiness of his skin, intoxicatingly male and delicious. His hair brushed her face, and she weaved her fingers through the dark strands. He lifted his head, and she opened her eyes languorously to find him looking at her, his silvery eyes bright and intense, almost molten in their hot regard. She touched his face and felt the satisfying rasp of his stubble against her fingers. He continued pumping into her, both of them gasping with each thrust, their breaths fanning each other's face as they stared at each other.
"Aislan,” he panted as he towered over her, his shoulders impossibly wide, blocking her world with his presence, a majestic sight of a lover enthralled with her. Even in lust, gentleness underlay his expression, his gaze burning her with the heat of his desire. She touched the sharp ridge of his cheek and the wide curve of his bottom lip, then the cleft in his chin. The barely restrained force of his thrusts brought an intense pleasure up her spine. Closing her eyes, she wrapped her legs about his upper thighs and ground herself against him.
Her heart raced so wildly, Aislan felt the beating of it in her temples, in her breast, and deep inside her pussy. The head of his cock hit her insistently in a spot at an angle so deep that her entire body twitched, and Aislan nearly howled. She stopped moving under the relentless thrusting against the same spot. He did not even have to touch her clit as she climbed towards another climax. When her release came again, her body shook convulsively. Her orgasm shocked her in its overwhelming intensity, making her throb and pulsate. Sensations racked through every nerve in her body and set the tips of her nipples and fingers and toes to tingling. Tensing above her, Lucien thrust into her one last time. Her muscles tightened about his wondrous cock as she clung to him, as if trying to draw the last satisfying action from him. A warm burst of liquid flooded forcefully inside her as he shuddered against her in the aftermath of his own release.
His mouth rested against her wet cheek as his hot breath mingled with her own short, rapid gasps. Aislan turned her head slightly towards him, and he kissed the bridge of her nose before moving downward to cover her mouth again. She kept her lips parted as he rubbed his mouth lazily back and forth across her lips. Her body still shook while he remained nestled deep within her. Finally, he lifted his body off her. She felt the sharpness of his withdrawal, and her arms loosened about his body to fall lifelessly onto her sides.
"I tried to be gentle.” His palm rested against the flatness of her stomach. “You should be all right."
Aislan's mind drifted in and out, her body still throbbing from the climax.
His hand swept up over her breasts before sliding up her throat. He brushed her hair off her wet face. “You seem not far along with your babe."
Babe? Aislan had forgotten all about her claim. She opened her mouth but could not make the effort to straighten out the matter. His attention had shifted back to her naked body. His hand gentled considerably as he lingered on her breasts. The intensity in the silver eyes warmed her soul.
"Aislan, did I hurt you?"
Smiling, she shook her head. Lucien's touch made her feel alive, sparking feelings that had withered up and died a long time ago on her wedding night when her innocence and her dreams were shattered. Her lover of choice played with her hair for a while, smoothing it, combing his fingers through it a few times, wrapping it once around his hand and tugging at it lightly. He brought a strand up to rub it against his mouth, then let it go and took her hand in his.
"Tell me you are ready again. Tell me you want me back in.” He wrapped her fingers around his cock, and she marveled at his size and strength.
Although sore, but wonderfully so, Aislan wanted him in her body again. “Yes, please..."
* * * *
Afterwards, Lucien settled beside her, his arm pillowing her head. When he had calmed down, he pulled back slightly so he could look at her. He smiled at the spectacular sight of her still absorbed in her own climax, her elegant face soft, her golden hair tousled and spreading about her, her smooth skin still flushed pink and slightly dewy. Her long, dark-brown lashes rested on her cheeks in two lush crescents. The fine wings of her brows curved over her beautiful features.
Lucien's breath caught in his chest, but it was not just her physical beauty that drew him. She had an indomitable spirit, one that he hoped no one would try to break. Fate had dealt him a lucky stroke to be there to save her. He had made the right choice, and he felt no regret at sacrificing everything to keep her alive. Lifting a lock of her hair, he played with it, combing his fingers through the soft silk occasionally.
Aislan turned her face into his chest, her breathing slowing down from the ragged panting, each exhalation fanning his hot skin. He pulled his cloak over her body to cover her, and she fell asleep. As the night descended, Lucien held her as he listened to the sounds around. Even during sex, he had kept on the alert, ever mindful of the danger of rolling about naked in the open. He could have detected any sorcery presence within a certain distance, time enough to grab his weapons, which always remained within his reach. However, he did not want to overestimate his ability to detect anything while in the middle of an orgasm. It would take only one inopportune moment.
It would by no means be the first time he got surprised while in the middle of sex and had to fight while stark naked. He was not that easy to kill. More than likely, they would try to capture him and take him back to be made an example of how the Circle would punish a rogue sorcerer. However, Lucien did not want to exalt his importance under present circumstances. They could just kill him and be done with it.
Finally, he got up and wrapped her securely in his cloak before getting dressed himself. As Lucien adjusted the weapons on his belt, he pondered the decision of returning to civilization. First, he had to know why the king and his sorsverein wanted Aislan executed. The new decree arrived only a few days before the ambush, carried by Nadan and accompanied by Mallers and the four shape-shifters. At the time, Lucien had assumed the month-long delay had unearthed new information. The new decree had ordered the execution of the entire hunting group instead of the original three, adding one more name specifically, Lady Aislan.
After his decision to go against mandate, the best course of action would have been to bring Aislan directly to the king and demand a trial to prove wrongdoings she supposedly committed. Not for one moment did Lucien believe Aislan guilty of treason. However, he no longer had the option to face the king. Because he had killed a sorsvasus brother, if he showed up at Court, they would separate him from Aislan immediately to face his own trial for murder. That would leave her vulnerable to whoever wanted her dead in the first place.
Eventually, they both would have to face the king because they could not hide forever. Lucien's case was cut and dry, and he could do nothing for himself now, but Aislan might still have a chance. No longer able to move freely in the palace and the Circle to dig for the information he needed, Lucien had only one alternative.
The Fulfillment.
Lucien wrung Aislan's clothes bone dry and put them aside. He took out the spare tunic he had packed. When he sat her up and pulled the tunic down over her head, she did not even stir. Pausing, he stared at her thin, naked body. The outline of her ribcage protruded through her skin where he could count each rib. As he studied her stomach, he gingerly presse
d his hand against the flatness, her belly almost concave. He wondered if she had lied to avoid rough handling. Lucien had been careful with her during sex, and when he healed her earlier, he had studiously avoided channeling sorcery power anywhere near her womb. Having survived his mother's abortion attempt, or so he had been told, the thought of tampering with an unborn babe made him shudder in distaste and some horror.
Regardless of whether or not she was with child, Aislan looked like a half-starved waif. She needed to eat regularly. Smoothing the tunic over her tiny waist and slim thighs, Lucien's hand lingered for a moment on one shapely calf as he admired her long legs and perfect ankles.
He packed all her clothes before going to the riverbank to retrieve her boots. Rewrapping the cloak about her, he picked her up. She weighed nothing, but she slept like the dead, striking him again with her oddity. He jostled her, and though she stirred, she would not wake up. Even though she breathed steadily, it still gave him a moment of unease because she slept too deeply. A light sleeper, he could not imagine being oblivious to the world. Again, he wondered what could be wrong with her.
First things first, they needed shelter for the night.
* * * *
Aislan woke when dawn broke the sky. “What happened?” She rubbed her eyes.
Lucien looked at her almost quizzically even as he shifted her in his arms while he continued walking. “You slept through the night in a cave, through a rainfall, with bats flapping overhead.” He shook his head, looking concerned. “I have never known anyone who slept so soundly."
She did not know how to answer him. On many occasions, Hayton had to fetch a healer to wake her, thinking her brain had become damaged while she slept because she could not be roused. This usually happened when she hurt herself applying sorcery energy improperly, when plagued by confusing images and sleep took control, or when highly distressed. Aislan did not know what to do about her deep sleeping, which she had no control over.
They stared at each other.
"'Tis all right, milady. You have been through a lot.” He gave her a warm, understanding smile that lit up his devastatingly attractive features, causing her heart to dance a few extra beats. His gaze lingered on her mouth for a moment. She remembered what had transpired between them, seeing the image of his head between her legs, his mouth wreaking havoc, and then—
Mortified, Aislan pressed her hand to her mouth.
"'Tis all right.” He smiled again and kissed her forehead.
Refusing to discuss this, she looked away, feeling her entire face flaming. “Sir, you need not carry me all the way."
"You weigh nothing."
"Milord, please put me down. I—I can walk."
"We will stop soon. You need to eat."
In a short moment, they came to the river again, where he put her down. He set about building a small fire, then went in the water and caught a couple of fish with his bare hands. While he cleaned them, Aislan went to freshen up. Breaking off a twig, she stripped the end and used it to brush her teeth and scrape her tongue clean. Feeling considerably better, she rinsed her mouth and washed her face. She combed her fingers through her messy hair until she had freed the last tangle before she braided it, all the while aware of Lucien's gaze on her.
He joined her to wash up also. Aislan avoided looking at him, trying not to draw too much attention. However, she could not stop the flashing of images from last evening of him hovering over her, his silvery gaze hot, his face divinely absorbed in ecstasy, his broad shoulders flexing and straining with his exertion as he rode her all-too-willing body. Aislan's entire body suffused with heat, and she felt a shameful trickling down her legs. Her pussy ached and throbbed.
Aislan turned her back to Lucien. God in heaven, how could she be aroused in the full light of day? Instead of controlling herself better, she could only focus on a fierce need to have sex again. She had been frigid with Hayton because he beat her the first few times. Her anger and resentment only built and festered every time he forced himself on her. She denied him deliberately because she could not forgive or forget. However, she had no problem seeking her own satisfaction when alone. Aislan's imagination had been active enough to impose a fantasy lover as she sought her own release.
Just because she wanted to have sex now, however, it did not mean she would dare to instigate anything. Keeping her back to Lucien, Aislan splashed water on her face, trying to compose herself so she would look like a lady she was supposed to be. When she felt presentable enough, she turned and found Lucien watching her. He smiled at her, looking somewhat amused. Walking quickly to the fireside, she sat down and studied the fish cooking over the small fire as if they fascinated her. She avoided looking into Lucien's eyes when he joined her as he settled his tall frame across from her.
"Feel better?"
She nodded, stealing a glance at him, and then looked away from the intensity of his gaze.
"You have not been eating well,” he commented. “Why not?"
Surprised with the line of conversation, Aislan hesitated, and then shrugged. “I do not eat much."
Food had always been plentiful, but she had to make a terribly poor choice with Hayton, going on hunger strikes so he would release her from confinement. It had worked to a certain extent because he occasionally allowed her to be out while under guard, and he ordered a huge patch of ground cleared for her to grow a garden so she could at least enjoy the sun. Even then, she had not softened to him because it was just another form of imprisonment. Aislan always ran at the first opportunity, and sometimes she had to go without eating while hiding out in the forest.
"Now, you eat.” Taking one fish off the fire, he used his small knife to extract the meat, handing her a morsel. She took the flakes with her hand, and he watched as she ate. He watched her too much, Aislan thought, but he did not make her feel awkward. She remembered how sinister Lucien had first appeared. Though approachable, he still looked formidable, unbridled strength just beneath the veneer of calmness. Aislan could see in his warm regard that he was smitten with her. He had abandoned his mission to keep her safe and had fought so valiantly against the wolves for her life. She could not help but feel impossibly drawn to him, a mixture of the devil and her own guardian angel.
She had not anticipated the intensity of his feelings for her. It had been wicked of her to allow herself to fornicate in such an unruly manner. Aislan looked away from him because she did not know what else to do. She did not want him to fall in love with her because he might not let her go when the time came for her to leave. She refused to be under the control of any man.
Aislan finally refused the next morsel. “I can eat no more."
"Just a few more bites."
"I'll burst."
"Just this last one."
She would not argue with him over something this trivial, so Aislan ate. Licking her fingers, she looked up to find him watching her mouth. Considering all the liberties she had allowed him, she should not sit here blushing like a virgin. Trying to compose herself, Aislan looked away.
After finishing their meal, he killed the fire and packed up before they both returned to the river to wash their hands. She looked up to see Lucien looking at her with a smitten expression. How could a man who had terrified her so with his intimidating presence now seemed to allow infatuation to take over and control him so easily? Aislan could deal with lust. She could not deal with love, although how could he love her so quickly, considering he knew nothing about her? But Hayton had known nothing about her and had claimed to love her. Men easily confused love and lust and behaved as intensely in either case. Lust or love, it meant imprisonment. Aislan wanted to give nothing of her feelings. She only wanted to find a place in life she would be happy, and she knew that only Victania would give her peace.
Despite her resolve to remain firm, not to soften too much, she could not stop herself from reacting when Lucien reached over and cupped her face, sending shivers of pleasure prickling along her skin. He caressed her cheek
before moving to her throat. Already a charismatic man, he was also physically gorgeous, making it a pleasure simply to look at him. Everything about him appealed to Aislan. She stared at his mouth, remembering how well he knew how to kiss her, what he could do with that sinful mouth all over her wanton body. He wanted her, and heaven forbid, she weakened.
Lucien sat on the bank of the river, adjusted his baldric, and set his weapons along his side, then pulled her down in front of him. His fingers weaved into her hair to cup the back of her head, and he propelled her until she rested partially on top of him, between his legs. She let herself go as he kissed her. Having never felt physical lust before, she faced it full force, wanting badly to satisfy that need just one more time. Melting into him, her mouth opened for his questing tongue as she slid her arms about his neck. They stayed in that position for a long time, just tasting each other. Settling her on his lap, he inserted a hand under her tunic and touched her breasts. He cupped, kneaded, and squeezed them, pausing occasionally to pinch a nipple or roll it with his fingers.
She sighed in pleasure as he moved a hand down her stomach and pushed her tunic up her thighs—his tunic, actually. He had not given her anything else to wear. Probing between her legs, he fingered the wet folds, playing mercilessly with the nub of her clit, rubbing and rolling it until she writhed for release. He pushed the tunic all the way up and pulled it over her head before directing her hand between her legs. She jumped when he wedged two of her fingers into her pussy, pulling them out, and pushing them back into the wet channel.
What is he doing?
"Did you like to taste yourself?"
"You should not talk about that.” Although she should not be so easily flustered, Aislan felt her cheeks burning. She had never talked about sex in such a frank manner. Actually, she had never talked about sex.
"Why embarrassed? ‘Tis natural."
Vision of Light [The Renegades 1] Page 8