His passion for her was too much. Her tight passage quivered around his hard shaft. The second her body started to climax, he let loose. His hips jerked as a hot jet of his seed filled her.
Mina gasped softly, clutching him as she continued to spasm and clench. Larus pushed and pulled, milking the orgasm from her body, even as his own was spent. Her body’s cream and her sweet blood were mixed together on his lips when he kissed her.
“I think you’re wrong,” she said, panting as she tried to regain her breath. His weight pressed into her, covering but not heavy. “I have to be under a spell. I feel numb all over, except for my heart which is pounding violently.”
“It’s no spell,” he denied, lifting up to look at her. She smiled at him, raising her hands to him in acceptance. Larus relaxed. “We should get you back to the fire.”
Mina sat up as he pulled off her completely. She thought of Sophia and instantly felt guilty for what she’d done. Here she was experiencing one of the most heavenly acts she never dreamt possible, and her sister was locked away with some vampire.
Larus turned and glanced at her and she hid her expression from him, not wanting him to see her vulnerability or her guilt. Pulling the cloak around her naked body as she stood, she walked over to grab her dress and shoes. She had no desire to put the dirty clothing back on.
“I’m just going to wash these and hang them to dry.” Mina went to the stream and rinsed them the best she could. She also rinsed her neck, surprised to find there were no wounds this time. Her body was sore, but not in a completely unpleasant way. When she finished, she found Larus had draped his tunic over himself once more and held his boots in his hands.
Larus searched her face and she coolly met his eyes. Mina guiltily thought of her sister, even as she wished for him to say something tender to her. He turned, leading the way back to the fire. Neither one of them said a word.
Chapter Eight
Sophia blinked, looking around the elegant castle chamber. Red and black silk draped the walls, even where there was nothing to hide but stone. She had instructions from Lord Devlin’s manservant, a little green creature, that she was to await his master. Her host had left her to bathe and had even given her a fresh change of clothes.
The gown was beautiful--a rich burgundy with gold embroidery along the edges. Such clothes would surely be worn by a queen. The square neckline was low, showing off the tops of her rounded breasts. The waist was made to fit tight, but as she was so skinny from their scarce diet the last year, it hung a little loose on her frame. The full skirt moved when she walked, splitting up the front to reveal a cream linen underskirt.
Tilting her head to the side, she hummed lightly. Her head swam, but it wasn’t with thoughts, so much as the knowledge she loved Larus and wanted to see him. But, at the same time, she thought to love Devlin. His beautiful eyes swirled with such silver promise. It was strange that she could go from wanting no men in her life, to loving two of them with what had to be her whole heart. But, Sophia didn’t have the will to question it.
Sighing, she turned as Lord Devlin came into the chamber without knocking. He smiled at her, looking her over. He was graceful, elegant. His dark clothing looked strange, the black silk tunic buttoned down the front. Unlike Larus, he wore pants. They too were black, but didn’t look to be silk. The color contrasted with his beautifully pale skin. Lifting his hand, he gestured her to stand. She did, walking toward him without hesitation.
“You’re not frightened?” he asked.
“No,” she said simply. “I love you. But, I’m torn, for I also love my Larus.”
Devlin frowned. When she stood in front of him, her glassy insipid gaze looking up at his face without fear or emotion, he leaned down. He purposefully stopped mesmerizing her. “Are you sure you love us both?”
“Actually, as I think on it, I think I love Larus more. Would you take me to him?” Sophia asked. “I miss him.”
“You’re enchanted,” Devlin said flatly, pulling away.
“Thank you,” Sophia said, not really listening. “Doesn’t my Larus have the most enchanting smile?”
“I’ve never looked at the lycan king in such a way, my dear.” Devlin chuckled dryly.
“No, not the lycan king,” Sophia said. “My Larus. I don’t know the king. Don’t you think Larus brave and true?”
Devlin smiled. “Who put you under this spell? Do you remember?”
“My Larus,” Sophia sighed. “I’m under his spell. One look and my heart was lost to him.”
“One look,” he mused. Devlin allowed his eyes to swirl again and her mouth fell open as she stared lovingly at him.
“You are brave and handsome as well, my love,” Sophia said, batting her eyelashes. “Don’t be jealous. I love you, too.”
“Show me your neck,” he said, not even bothering to hide his amusement at her words. “I wish to have a taste of you.”
Sophia instantly obeyed tilting her head to the side, smiling brightly. Devlin touched her face, holding her still as he leaned down to drink. She didn’t even flinch.
* * * *
“Do you have family who will be looking for you?” Larus asked, tossing a twig into the fire and watching it burn. He kept his expression guarded. The act of coming inside her, coupled with his bite, claimed her even more as his lover. He knew no one from his world would dare touch her so long as she carried the lycan king’s unmistakable scent.
Resting on her side, Mina stared into the dancing flames. Her dress lay drying across a low branch near the fire so she was naked beneath his thick cloak. She blinked in surprise at his words. They hadn’t spoken since their joining by the stream. Sitting up, she hugged the soft material around her shoulders. He could feel the turmoil in her, just as he felt her renewing desire for him. She fought it still, but their passion was growing bigger than the both of them.
“Why do you ask?” she inquired after a pause.
Larus’s gaze bore into her, studying her carefully. He sat a few feet away. She seemed nervous and he was sorry for it. It was possible she didn’t know what to say to him after what had happened. She’d been untouched before him and he’d given no indication of his feelings on the matter. But, he would not embarrass her by speaking on it until she said something first. “I’m curious. Do you have anyone who would be looking for you?”
He could sense that Mina thought about lying, but was relieved when she instead spoke the truth, “No. Sophia is all I have.”
“No father? Mother? Brothers?”
Mina’s face turned hard. She pulled the cloak tighter. “No. My mother died having my sister. We are the only two. We have no brothers.”
“And your father?”
“Why do you care?” Her tone was bit too harsh.
“Why do you not answer?” he insisted, keeping his words level.
“He died two years ago,” Mina said. “Sophia and I have been alone ever since.”
“That’s why you fought the wild animal for meat? Because you were starved?” Larus probed. Mina nodded. He didn’t need her confirmation. He’d felt her body firsthand. Though she was beautiful, she was too skinny. Wanting to know about her, he asked, “How did he die? In battle? Is that why you are bitter against royalty and men?”
“What do you mean I’m bitter?” Mina defended. “I never said I was bitter.”
“You said that the lycan king was probably just as greedy and deceitful as your king. Also, you said that men were all the same and you wished to go to a realm of all women. Then, you assumed the lycan king would kill you and Sophia rather than deal with you justly.” Larus leaned forward and moved to study her. Firelight caressed their skin, giving their bodies a warm glow. She appeared surprised that he’d listened to what she’d said and actually remembered it. “I wish to know what happened to make you bitter.”
“I’m not bitter,” she said carefully.
“What would you call it?” Larus continued in the same probing tone.
“Disencha
nted.”
“You also said that the devil had already taken from you,” he continued. “So I ask, what happened? How did your father die?”
Mina sighed. “Two years ago my father was accused of conspiring with the Archbishop of York against King Henry. The king, in an effort to quell the rebellions against him, executed the archbishop and then came after my father. My father didn’t wish to surrender, so the king besieged our castle.”
“What then?” Larus asked. Feeling a prickling along his neck, he glanced over his shoulder and listened for sound beyond their campsite. Seeing nothing, he drew closer to Mina, but she wasn’t watching him, she was watching the flames set against the dark forest.
“Many of the knights were killed and the king won. He hung my father the same day he stepped into our keep, citing his resistance as proof of his part of the conspiracy.” Mina glanced over at him, as if suddenly realizing he sat closer to her. She blinked, swallowing nervously. Heat curled through him at the memory of what they’d done, what he could sense she wanted to do again and again.
“Did he conspire?”
“Yes,” she said simply.
“And you were left unharmed?” Larus looked deep into her eyes.
“We weren’t discovered. One of the loyal knights escorted us from the castle with the servants. The servants ran away, we came back a fortnight later, and, until we were brought here, we lived in the shell of what was once our home.” Mina laughed, but the sound held no pleasure. Glancing up at Larus, she said, “I’m glad you’re not a nobleman. I’ve had my fill of those. I’m tired of being lied to and deceived.”
“How do you know I’m not?” he asked.
“You would have said.”
Larus glanced at the fire, wondering what she would say if he told her he was king of the lycans, born of a noble and ancient lycan family. “Does it matter to you what I am?”
“So long as you’re not king, I think I shall be fine,” Mina teased to lighten the conversation. She naturally leaned into him to playfully nudge his side and it felt right that she should do so. Larus set his arm around her shoulders to keep her from pulling away. She stiffened briefly and then settled into his warmth. “The past is the past and dwelling on it won’t change it.”
He didn’t say a word.
“Is your kind always so warm?”
“Yes,” he chuckled at the odd question.
“Are there many of you?” Mina made a small movement, nestling closer.
“Yes, there are.”
“And do you all look the same when you...?” Mina gave a light shrug and blushed.
“When we shift?” Larus laughed. “No, our faces are as different from each other as humans’.”
“I meant are you all shaped the same?” Mina turned pink.
“Being lycan does keep us from gaining excess weight,” Larus said, furrowing his brow. “So, yes, in a sense we are all strong and tend to be well formed.”
“Ah,” Mina said, nodding. She glanced away, pinker still.
“Oh,” Larus chuckled. His arm drew her tighter against him, urging her to look at him. “You wish to know if my--”
Mina gasped and put her hand over his mouth before he could say the actual words out loud. She’d been asking if his arousal was normal in its great size, but as soon as she got closer to the answer, she’d been too embarrassed to continue. He grinned beneath her hand. His tongue darted out, licking her palm.
Peeling her hand back from his lips, Larus began the slow process of kissing each finger before working down the inside of her wrist. Heat built within her and now that she knew what to expect from his kisses, she trembled with longing. She moaned lightly, leaning into him more.
“Come here,” he said, nuzzling her ear. He slid his hand around her waist and hauled her forward to sit astride his lap. He caressed her face. “You’re beautiful.”
“Even if I am human? Despised by the lycan kind?” Before he could answer, she hurried, “Now it’s your turn. What about your family?”
“The last of an old line,” he said. “Long, long ago I had three brothers, two sisters, a pack of cousins. Most were killed in the wars with the humans, about three hundred years past.”
“So long,” Mina said, touching his cheek. “You don’t seem to have forgotten them.”
“I haven’t. I can still see their faces, though their voices have faded from memory.” Larus worked his fingers beneath the cloak to feel her hips.
“So that’s why you hate my kind?” Mina asked. She could feel his loneliness as if it was her own. “Because they took your family away from you, your whole life? I know that’s how I feel about it. I can’t blame you for hating us.”
Larus shot her an easy smile, which belied the seriousness in his eyes. “I don’t hate all humans.”
“Do the vampires hate humans as lycans do?” Mina’s eyes cast down, thinking of Sophia.
“Sophia will be fine. Devlin won’t harm her. He thinks she’s under my protection.”
“But, he’s obviously a nobleman, why would he care if she was under your protection?” she asked.
“It’s our way,” he answered, not sure he wanted to say, because I am king and to displease me is to bring down the wrath of the entire lycan army upon your head.
“Oh, then you are different than my kind,” Mina mumbled.
“Your skin is so soft. I love touching it,” Larus said to draw her back to him. His fingers glided up, parting the cloak so he could look at her breasts outlined by firelight. “Lycan women are so hard and muscled. I like your softness.”
Mina’s breath became ragged. His hands stroked, doing wickedly delicious things to her body. She sighed and he was glad that she let him.
* * * *
Cupid paced the forest. It was later than he liked being out, but he’d been traveling all day, trying to find where Larus had taken the women. With great irritation, he finally found their campsite. Keeping himself cloaked with magic, he crept closer to see what was happening.
Larus sat beside the dark-haired sister. Cupid picked a plug of wax from his ears, but couldn’t hear what they said. Seeing the blonde one wasn’t with them, he frowned. Where was the enchanted sister? Why wasn’t she there?
Cupid went to his knees and reached forward. Seeing the glob of wax on his finger, he looked around for a safe place to stick it for later. Not finding one, he wiped it back into his ear, licked his finger, and continued forward. He crawled on his hands and knees, trying to keep the leaves and twigs from rustling as he inched closer. Suddenly, Larus turned, looking over his shoulder. Cupid bit his long lips together to keep from making a sound. The woman kept talking and soon Larus was again paying mind to her. The lycan leaned closer to the woman. Cupid frowned and again inched forward.
“Does it matter to you what I am?” Larus said when Cupid was close enough to hear.
“So long as you’re not king, I think I shall be fine,” the woman answered.
Cupid’s ears perked up. What was this? She didn’t know the lycan was king? Aye. He’d just have to remember that little tidbit for later. It might serve him well. The lycan king probably didn’t want the Lycaon court knowing he was pursued by two humans.
Cupid grinned. He’d be only too happy to let all at Lycaon know about it. It would serve Larus right. After all, it was he who told all who’d listen about Cupid’s ‘good deed.’
Bah! Ach!
A bug crawled across Cupid’s hand and he looked down in pleasure. Grabbing the giant black insect, he sat back and studied it before popping it into his mouth. It wiggled its way down his throat as he swallowed. Ignoring the couple, he looked for more bugs.
“Oh,” Larus chuckled, once more drawing Cupid’s attention. He didn’t see any more insects, so turned his attention back to the lycan and human. Flinching, he saw them in each other’s arms. He gagged, wincing at their closeness. Hideous, ugly, horrible vision! Larus only drew his arms tighter around her, turning her toward him. “You wish to kno
w if my--”
Cupid shut his eyes, not wanting to watch. He forced his ears to listen. Where was the blonde sister? He had to know! After a long silence, the human woman moaned lightly.
“Come here,” Larus said. “You’re beautiful.”
Cupid backed away, not daring to peek at them. He stomach lurched and he was hard pressed not to laugh. The ugly human, beautiful? Whoever heard of such a thing? She wasn’t even passable. No warts or moles. No corns, or boils, or rashes of any kind. No hook nose. Not even a beard upon her chin.
Beautiful? Bah!
“Do the vampires hate human as lycans do?” Mina asked King Larus.
Cupid’s tiny ears perked up. He froze, glancing around the forest but refusing to look at the hideous couple. Vampires! Why was she talking about vampires?
“Sophia will be fine,” Larus answered. “Devlin won’t harm her. He thinks she’s under my protection.”
Devlin! That Master Vampire had his human? Cupid shook with anger. Why did Devlin have the girl? He was going to ruin everything. Well, it was lucky Cupid knew where to find this Devlin. Aye, he’d show that vampire what happened to those who meddled in a troll’s revenge.
“You’re skin is so soft. I love touching it,” Larus said. Cupid flinched, turning on reflex to look at them. Larus pulled the woman’s cloak aside, baring her horrendous chest. Cupid gagged.
Ach! Larus was right. The human did look soft. Cupid gagged again, close to losing his stomach. Soft and pink and... and...
He was going to retch!
Joyous toadstools!
Cupid turned, running in horror into the forest, not caring if they heard him as he escaped the horrendous vision. Looking back to make sure they were no longer in view, he ran headfirst into a tree, knocking himself unconscious.
* * * *
“I want you to kiss me again,” Larus said along her throat. “I want to feel your soft, full lips on me.”
Mina groaned. She knew she should be embarrassed, but she wanted him too much to care. She leaned forward, kissing his shoulder. Then, pulling back, she worked the knot free to bare his chest. The tunic dropped across his waist. She trailed light kisses on him, exerting pressure with her tongue as he had on her. His breath caught and held as she explored his chest. She flicked her tongue over a nipple, causing him to lightly moan with pleasure.
Naughty Cupid Trilogy Page 23