Sapient Salvation 4: The Claiming (Sapient Salvation Series)

by Jayne Faith

  I let out a slow breath and lowered my eyelids briefly. When I opened them, I looked her in the eyes. “I hold no grudge about the choices you made,” I said. It was difficult to say it. I would never forget what happened, but I knew I needed to forgive.

  Her shoulders lowered and her face reflected relief. “Good. I truly am glad, Maya. You’re probably the closest thing I have to a friend.”

  I reached out and whacked her lightly on the upper arm. “Of course I’m your friend.” I stepped forward and pulled her into a hug, which she returned. I kept it brief, though. I knew Clarisse wasn’t the hugging type.

  I went back inside, and Lana, Iris, and I sat down to share some after-dinner tea. Iris and my twin took to each other immediately, and it was as if the air in the house slowly awakened. The emptiness of home was filling in with warmth.

  On the seventh day after the Return, I left my office in the palace earlier than usual. I descended from the mesa, and instead of taking my usual route toward home, I veered north. I dropped by a market to buy some bread and fruit.

  I’d heard that Jelique had acquired a piece of forested land and was building a rustic home.

  My pulse quickened as I entered the quiet of the tall trees. I purposely moved noisily so I wouldn’t catch her by surprise.

  “The Earthen princess has paid me a visit.” Jelique’s heavy accent floated down from above.

  I looked up to find her piercing green eyes peering down at me from a rudimentary platform in the trees.

  I swallowed. “I hope you don’t mind.” I held up the brown paper bag I carried. “I brought you a bit of food.”

  With catlike grace, she dropped the nine or so feet from the platform, landing in a crouch. She straightened with a sinuous movement of her spine and walked to where I stood.

  “And with this offering there is a request?” She reached for the bag and then held it at her side.

  I gave her a slight smile. “You know what I’ve come for,” I said in a low voice.

  She just looked at me, still and unblinking as a statue.

  “Will you teach me?” I asked. Somehow, I knew she would agree, but still my heart beat hard.

  Without hesitation, she nodded once. “I will.”

  17

  Maya

  I RETURNED TO Jelique’s camp that night after dinner, and she began to instruct me in the Pirro ways of seduction.

  After the third night of verbal teachings, she rose from her cross-legged position. “Tomorrow night, we go to the man.”

  “Go to the man?” I stood too, brushing pine needles off the seat of my dress.

  “Toric,” she said. “I will instruct you in his bedchamber.”

  I felt a series of expressions pass over my face.

  She watched me stonily for a moment and then barked a laugh. “Do not worry, Earthen princess. I will not touch him. I will only instruct.”

  I nodded, my mouth suddenly dry. That meant she’d be in the room, watching while we . . . I straightened my spine, refusing to let the idea intimidate me. I gave her a little curtsy. “Thank you. I will see you tomorrow night at the palace.”

  The next morning, I pulled Lord Toric aside and confessed that I’d been visiting Jelique. When I explained what she and I intended to do that night, I watched his face closely. He’d seemed at peace with her, but I wasn’t sure whether having her in his bedchamber would dredge up too much of his years of torture.

  His eyes sparked with interest and also relief. “Thank you for doing this for me,” he said simply. “A birthday present perhaps?”

  I slapped a hand over my mouth as my eyes popped wide. “Your birthday, it’s today!” In the blur of activity following the Return, I’d completely forgotten. “I’m so sorry it slipped my mind.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t need any celebration. You and the Return are the best possible gifts I could imagine.”

  Then he slipped one hand under my hair at the back of my neck. I thought he was pulling me in for a kiss, but his lips went to my ear. “You have no idea how I long for you,” he whispered, his breath hot on my skin. “Know that I want you and only you.”

  The heat of passion burst to life inside me, shooting downward through my core. He covered my mouth with his and the heat grew. When he pulled away, I was panting.

  *

  That night, I was much too distracted to eat dinner. When the time came to meet Jelique at the edge of the forest, I found her waiting for me like a sentinel. She carried a small pack slung over her shoulder. Something about her posture conveyed that she came from a warrior race—she radiated power and confidence and the potential for violence.

  All three of those characteristics were things I’d have to find within myself if I had any hope of learning what she had to teach.

  But I had an aim in mind. Just over two months remained until my wedding night. By then, I swore to myself, I would be ready. I would know how to give Lord Toric what he needed.

  We walked in silence up to the mesa where the palace stood. The sky was streaked with clouds that reflected weakening sunset colors. By the time we made it to the top, the sun was long gone below the horizon.

  I led Jelique to the entrance I used when I came to work with Lord Toric. Tullock stood guard there, and although his glance paused on Jelique, I could tell he was expecting us.

  He moved aside and let us enter.

  A stillness had descended over the palace as most of its residents and workers had retired to their homes on Calisto or their residences within the palace. Only a few servants haunted the hallways.

  In the quiet, I could hear my own heart beating. The palms of my hands were damp, and I kept surreptitiously rubbing them down the sides of my skirt. I’d worn a plain dress, thinking I would change into one of the handful of my negligees that hung in Lord Toric’s dressing room. I hadn’t worn any of them since the Return—though that didn’t mean that he and I hadn’t stolen a few moments of pleasure together here and there.

  I glanced over at Jelique, wondering if I should tell her I was still a virgin and that I intended to remain so until my wedding night. I decided against it. I didn’t need her permission for anything.

  When we neared Lord Toric’s chambers, a guard was waiting to escort us to a specific entrance. I soon recognized that we were going to the place where I used to enter Lord Toric’s bedchamber from the harem quarters.

  In the tiny powder room, the last stop before his bedchamber, Jelique placed a hand on my shoulder.

  I turned, and she pulled off her pack and opened the drawstring at the top. She unfurled a piece of clothing. It was simple—either a long shirt or a very short dress made of stretchy black fabric.

  “Put this on, nothing underneath.” She handed me the shirt—or dress, it must have been, as there were no pants to go with it.

  She turned to give me some privacy, and I quickly undressed and pulled it on. It was like a second skin. The sleeves went down to my wrists and the neckline was modest, but somehow it felt like the most risqué thing I’d ever worn.

  When she faced me again, she held out her hand. A small metal object rested in her palm. “Put this in your ear,” she said.

  I looked at her in question.

  “It’s an earpiece. The bedchamber is rigged with cameras.” She paused and pulled out a tablet, switched it on, and showed me a live shot of the bedchamber. She tapped her own ear. “I’ll be instructing you from here.”

  My eyebrows raised as understanding dawned. It was quickly followed by relief. Lord Toric and I would be the only ones in the bedchamber.

  I pushed the earpiece into place in my left ear.

  “Ready?” she said.

  “Yes.” I gave her a tiny smile. “And thank you again.”

  I took a deep breath and went down the short corridor to the door that led to the bedchamber. I was the only one in the room, but I noticed the open armoire right away. It had always been closed before.

  “Go and take out the riding crop,�
�� Jelique said in my ear. She described which one it was, and I found it in the armoire.

  When I turned around, Lord Toric had come into the room. He stood shirtless near the bed, wearing only loose linen pants slung low on his hips.

  “He will not speak until you give him permission,” Jelique said. “Walk slowly to him.”

  She guided me every step of the way, reminding me to keep eye contact, to raise my chin.

  Lord Toric’s breathing became more rapid as I approached, his eyes flicking to the whip in my hand.

  Even though I knew Jelique could see us, it was still a moment of such intimacy, my love for him surged through me like electricity.

  But I did not allow my expression to soften into one of affection. Jelique had assured me there would be other times to be affectionate together, and that aspect of my relationship with Lord Toric would not be lost.

  As she told me what to do, my confidence grew. I had complete faith in her. After all, she had instilled these desires in him herself, she’d molded him and knew exactly how to meet his needs.

  I lost myself in the role, in my single-minded focus.

  It wasn’t until the end, when I finally allowed him release, that I seemed to come back to myself.

  But I preserved our respective roles right up until the moment I left the bedchamber.

  Alone in the corridor to the powder room, I sagged against the wall and rested my hot forehead against its cool surface. I hadn’t performed perfectly, but I knew it was enough.

  I knew I could become the lover he needed. A triumphant smile spread over my face. I pushed away from the wall and strode to the door where my teacher awaited me.

  *

  The only thing that kept our wedding day from perfection was the absence of my mother. But I felt her spirit in my heart and knew that wherever she was she celebrated with me.

  Toric and I—he had finally persuaded me to drop the Lord title—married in a small, private ceremony under a rustic arch at the edge of the orchard. Jeric and Lana were our attendants, and Orion’s parent, Iris, Clarisse, Jelique, Toric’s sister Cassi, Cassi’s husband, and Cassi and Ralor’s new baby girl were the only guests. The officiant was Iris’s grand-nephew, a minister.

  Standing there with Toric under the warm late afternoon light that filtered through the trees, I took it all in. It was, perhaps, the most joyous moment of my life.

  After a small sunset feast in the orchard, Toric and I made our way hand-in-hand up to the palace.

  His bedchamber had been strewn with white petals, and the balcony doors stood open. Now, the balcony looked over the boroughs, the neighborhoods where I’d grown up.

  We kicked off our shoes by the door and went out onto the balcony and stood with our arms around each other, watching the evening stars appear.

  When we turned to go inside, I pulled away from him. “I’ll be right back,” I said, intending to go to my apartment to change. My things had been moved there before our arrival.

  He reached out for my hand, pulling me back. “No, stay.”

  I glanced at the armoire. “But . . .” I didn’t want to say it, but there was no way I could wield whips while wearing my wedding dress and pretty flowers woven through my hair. It was completely the wrong look.

  He followed my gaze, and then shook his head. “Not tonight.”

  Bending to sweep one arm under my knees, he lifted me and carried me to the bed.

  Our bed.

  He lowered my feet to the floor, and with his aquamarine eyes locked on mine, he undid the small hook at the back of my neck and slid my dress off my shoulders. It slipped down my arms and legs to pool around my feet.

  “Tonight I want only you,” he said.

  18

  Maya

  Three months later . . .

  ON THE UNEXPECTEDLY warm afternoon of the autumn equinox, Toric and I watched hand-in-hand as Lana and Jeric exchanged their wedding vows on one of the palace terraces. To my delight, they’d gotten engaged a week after Toric and I married, and they’d wasted no time making plans for their wedding.

  I inhaled sharply at the faint stirring in my belly, and my hand moved automatically to press lightly against it.

  I felt Toric looking down at me, and he shifted a step closer in a protective gesture.

  We hadn’t yet told anyone that I was pregnant. I wanted to wait until after Lana’s wedding so I wouldn’t take away anything from her day, though it was killing me to keep the news from her. I suspected she already knew, but she let me keep up my charade.

  I closed my eyes and lifted my face to the sun as the baby moved again.

  I was absolutely convinced we were having a boy. Toric didn’t believe I could know for sure, but he’d agreed that if we had a boy, we would name him Orion.

  It was a little strange to think that our baby wouldn’t just be Earthen and Calistan. He would be part Pirro, too, from Toric’s side. But the mix of heritages seemed fitting in an odd way I couldn’t quite explain.

  I opened my eyes as a wave of emotions washed over me. Sorrow that my mother wouldn’t meet her grandchild mingled with gratitude that I was back, returned to Earth against impossible odds and standing there with my husband to watch my sister marry. It was a different world than the one I’d left behind a year before, and I was a different woman than the one who’d stepped through the portal onto an alien land.

  But somehow, I’d survived, and I’d made it home.

  As Lana and Jeric kissed, joy arrowed up through me. I turned to look up at Lord Toric with tears of happiness welling in my eyes and sent up a silent prayer of thanks.

  ***

  A Note from Jayne Faith:

  Thank you so much for taking this journey with Maya and Toric! Your feedback, comments, and enthusiasm about the Sapient Salvation Series mean the world to me! Many readers have asked whether there will be more books in this series. At the time of this release, this is the final full-length novel we have planned for Sapient Salvation. We’d like to write some novellas set in this world—we’re thinking prequels, epilogues, and alternative-point-of-view stories—but only if our readers want them. If you’d like to see more stories featuring Calistans and Earthens, find us on Facebook (facebook.com/JayneFaithChristineCastle) and let us know. If you enjoyed Sapient Salvation 4: The Claiming, please consider leaving a review on the website where you purchase your eBooks. Thank you so much!

  And you won’t want to miss our next big adventure, an urban fantasy series with witches, demons, vampires, shifters, and tons of magic, mystery, and intrigue. Each book in the series features a stand-alone mystery, while main character Ella’s personal quest spans across multiple books.

  Here’s a little teaser for what awaits you in Stone Cold Magic, the first book of the series:

  18 minutes.

  That's how long I was dead after a demon catch went terribly wrong.

  But that wasn't the worst of it.

  Someone, something, followed me back to the living.

  Now it's trying to take over my mind. My body. My life.

  It feeds me visions. Some are straight out of a nightmare. But others are images of my missing brother, who I failed to protect years ago. Whatever's in my head wants him, too—or knows someone who does, someone with horrifying intentions.

  And my new partner, sharp-eyed, mysterious Damien, is on to me. He knows I'm hiding something. There's a link between a new demon we’re investigating, my visions, and my brother. I’m not sure how much longer I can keep my secret. I don't want to let Damien in, but he may be the only one I can trust . . .

  Look for Stone Cold Magic, the first book in the Ella Grey Series.

  ***

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