by Sharon Green
It took a couple of minutes, but her success was confirmed when the beast lay down on the bed beside her. He’d removed all his clothes, and the first thing she knew he’d pulled her into his arms and up against his bare body. She moved in protest over that, but all he did was tighten his grip.
“Wasn’t there something you wanted to ask me?” he said as he looked down at her oddly. “No, don’t try to move farther away. This is the position I want you in.”
Elissia now lay on her side up against him, and the sensations inside her weren’t getting any easier to bear. She forced herself to remember there was only this last part of the torture left before she would be left alone in her misery, and that made speaking possible.
“I – must ask that you lie with me, and – and – allow me to do my wifely duty,” she got out, again finding it impossible to meet that dark, fierce gaze. “And if the experience isn’t as pleasant as you expect it to be, the fault will surely be mine.”
“That’s not completely true,” the beast surprised her by saying, his tone suggesting he wasn’t joking.
“I’m sure there are times when the failure of a merging between man and woman is the woman’s fault, but more often than not it happens because of the man. If he has no true idea of what a woman responds to, if his own pleasure is all that concerns him, if he expects the woman to find desire for him through nothing but her own efforts All these things will bring him disappointment, and he will, naturally, blame the woman in his arms.”
One of his big hands had begun to stroke her thigh, the other moving slowly on her back. The small movements stirred Elissia in a way she’d never experienced before, in some strange way complimenting the sensations inside her while at the same time adding to them.
“But that won’t happen here, because the woman in my arms is my wife and I want her to have the same pleasure I do when performing her wifely duties.” The beast’s voice continued on in a murmur, and Elissia discovered she had to force herself to listen. She’d realized there was something else she wanted from this man, a something she couldn’t quite define “Raise your face to me, wife, and we’ll begin the mutual giving of pleasure.”
Elissia did as he asked and then his lips were on hers, hot and demanding and yet gentle for all of that. In no time at all she found herself responding to his kiss, startled to find that she actually wanted to respond. The revelation confused her, but for some reason she wasn’t up to thinking it through. The way his hands moved on her body their touch seemed to leave a trail of fire in their wake. The fire had begun to flame up through her skin, and she really needed to do something to quench it.
But the beast wasn’t ready to do any quenching. He ended their kiss as he moved Elissia to her back, which made her gasp and raise her bottom out of contact with the bed. The ache of the spanking was still very much with her, but once her knees were bent and her feet were easing the problem, she quickly discovered another almost as bad. The beast had lowered his head to her breasts, and the touch of his tongue and lips was fast driving her insane. She moaned as she tried to escape the exquisite torture, but that just caused the beast to chuckle as he held her still and continued with what he was about.
An eternity of time went by, at least five or ten minutes, before the beast took pity on her. His lips slowly moved from her breasts up to her throat, and from there to her own lips. This time the kiss was very brief, and then he was crouched between her knees and touching her most intimate parts with a rod of hardwood. When it began to penetrate her she realized that that was exactly what she wanted, exactly what she most needed. Her body rose by itself to greet him while his arms circled her again and his lips came back to hers.
His kiss drowned her as his desire slowly merged with her own, but his presence inside her inflamed the sensations she’d been feeling all along. Elissia whimpered and struggled to escape being burned alive, but the beast simply held her still and entered her completely. There was the least amount of pain when he did that, due to the fact that there had been only one other man before him, not to mention the still-fresh remnants of that spanking. But then he began to stroke her slowly but with strength, and all thoughts of pain vanished entirely.
Elissia clawed at the back of the man atop her, frantic to stop his kiss long enough for her to ask what she was supposed to do. His stroking gave her the conviction that there was something she could do to increase the indescribable sensations, but simply squirming around wasn’t it. She needed desperately to know, hating the idea of missing the unknown thing she was seemingly being promised. It was a thing of magic and marvel, a thing she wanted above all else to make her own, but she didn’t know how to reach it!
And then the beast answered her question without her having to ask it, in a way that worked despite its being rather humiliating. One of his big hands came to her aching bottom, the touch making her raise her hips immediately to escape. But she raised her hips just as he was thrusting into her, and the same thing happened the next time and the next. The beast was using the spanking he’d given her to match her movements to his, and that was just the thing she’d needed to find out. She began to match his movements on her own, and after a moment his hand moved away.
After that there was nothing but frenzy and sensation, the most marvelous sensations Elissia had ever experienced. She screamed in delight while her hands moved over the hard body above hers, even when the strength of his thrusts made her bottom feel as though she were being spanked again. But it didn’t matter, since nothing mattered beyond meeting his thrusts as they rose toward the promise of perfection achieved.
It took quite a while, but at last Elissia’s body exploded in that sublime, shuddering joy that nothing could match. She hadn’t known that anything could be so good, so completely satisfying, and only dimly was she aware of when the beast grunted with his own release. Exhaustion now rode her as strongly as he had, and as soon as he withdrew from her she closed her eyes and tumbled into warm, overwhelming darkness.
Derand watched the girl go out like a flame blown from a candle, and he couldn’t keep from smiling. She’d been as ready for him as he’d wanted her to be, and she’d given him the best experience he’d ever had. And if the scratches he could feel on his back meant anything, her own experience had been just as good.
All of which meant he now had to try doubly hard to find a way to make her accept him completely. His smile died at that thought, as lying to himself was no longer possible. The plan he’d come up with might work, but counting on “might” wasn’t something he could continue to do. He needed a “would for sure,” to replace it, and he’d have to find one quickly. He had the feeling he’d find it impossible to give his full attention to anything else until he did, and this was a time that needed his full attention.
A sigh escaped him as he reached out to stroke the girl’s hair, the long, bright red hair that gave him so much pleasure to look at. And that lush body of hers, with its softly curved hips, full breasts, and enticing womanhood. He’d already known about her lovely, bouncy, round bottom, but the rest of it He’d been ready for her from the moment he’d first walked into the room and seen her standing there, trying to pretend she wasn’t dying of embarrassment.
“All right, so it’s time to admit I want her for reasons other than political,” he whispered, finding it incredibly hard to say the words. “I never expected to feel anything other than fondness for the wife others chose for me, and maybe not even that. Now, though”
There were so many sides to this woman, he hadn’t yet decided which he liked best. Her mind attracted him as much as her body, and that wasn’t supposed to happen. Who ever heard of a man being attracted to a woman’s mind?
Derand made a sound of annoyance, directed at himself as much as at the world at large. He’d never worried about what other people did when he decided on his own actions, and now wasn’t the time to start. He’d admire whatever he wanted to about the girl, and anyone who objected could meet him face to face with sw
ords.
But it wasn’t possible any longer to think of her or call her “the girl.” She was his wife and a woman he was fast becoming very involved with, so he had to call her by name. But the name Elissia was much too formal and long, so he needed something else in its place. Let’s see now, he mused. What about Yes, what about Seea? It’s part of her actual name, but much easier to use. Yes, that’s what I’ll call her from now on.
And with at least one decision made, Derand felt considerably better. The girl – Seea – had turned to her side on the bed, so he had very little trouble gently removing the device from her bottom. She moaned a bit in her sleep as it was being done, but she didn’t wake up even when he left the bed to replace the device in its special pouch. Once she began to feel desire for him without outside help, the device would not have to be used again. But until then it would help him to bind her close, a temporary aid to be used until a permanent solution was found.
And one he’d better find fast, he warned himself as he blew out the lamp and groped his way back to bed. No matter how many promises he’d gotten out of the woman, he was willing to bet that only her own desire to stay would keep her beside him. He couldn’t stand the thought of losing her, but he’d better remember it could still happen.
Derand freed the quilt and put it over Seea before getting back into bed beside her, but it took a while before he joined her in sleep as well.
Chapter 5
copyright 1999, 2002 by Sharon Green
Voices in the outer room woke Elissia, but not to the point of making her want to jump out of bed. She felt much too comfortable and satisfied – at least until the doings of last night came back. Then her eyes opened wide before they closed again in weariness, and she buried her face in the pillow.
How could you have acted like that? she scolded herself silently, a heavy warmth coming to her cheeks as she remembered more and more of what had gone on. And with someone like that beast? How could you?
It would have been possible to find all sorts of excuses to answer the accusation, but the truth of the matter refused to let her avoid it. She’d acted the way she had with that beast of a man because she hadn’t been able to resist him. For some reason she found him incredibly attractive, and that despite the way he treated her. In fact it was probable that she found him attractive because of the way he treated her. No one had ever paid her enough attention to even think about changing the way she behaved, assuming they’d been strong enough to stand up to her. But most hadn’t been strong enough, and the rest hadn’t had the least interest
Not that the beast really had an interest in her, she also admitted as she turned her face back to a position where she could breathe. He enjoyed making her pay for disobeying him and also seemed to enjoy using her body, but that was certainly as far as it went. That he’d taken the trouble to let her enjoy the time as well wasn’t terribly significant. She was, after all, the daughter of his father’s longtime friend, and the woman he’d been made to marry. While he stayed married to her, he probably considered it only proper not to brutalize her completely.
But she couldn’t ignore the fact that he’d been willing to let the marriage end before they found out about the attack on Gardal. Her father wasn’t likely to have talked him into it, not considering how much her father disliked discussing things other people disagreed with. No, the man himself must have been willing, and once Gardal was free he would certainly be willing again. Not that she wasn’t just as eager to be rid of him. The way he spanked her was beginning to be just the least bit intimidating, so the last thing she would have wanted was to be made to stay with him
“Ah, good, you’re awake,” she heard, and then the beast himself was walking into the room. “Our breakfast was just brought, so why don’t you get up and come join me in eating it. We’ve got something of a busy day ahead.”
“What’s going to be making it so busy?” she couldn’t help asking as she looked over to where he stood. “All we have to do is get back on the road to Ramsond.”
“We’ll be riding toward Ramsond, but not on the road,” he corrected with a smile. “This hunting trail continues on to another cabin, so we’ll stick with it and use that other cabin tonight. That should let the men I sent ahead have the time to get back with their report about what’s happening in Waysten’s city. Going in blind doesn’t make much sense.”
“No, it doesn’t,” she agreed in a murmur as he turned to leave the room. It would have been interesting to know when he’d thought of sending scouts into the city before he got there, but asking the question would have been impolitic. If the time had come only after she’d pointed out that Waysten was after the beast’s head, he might not enjoy the reminder.
And right now she wasn’t terribly eager to do anything the beast might take offense at. Sitting up in bed was distinctly uncomfortable after his efforts of last night, which meant she’d need that cushion again when it was time to climb back into a saddle. If he decided to add to those efforts before they left, she’d certainly have to continue on walking instead of riding.
It wasn’t very long before she’d pulled on her trousers, tunic, and boots, so she went out into the front room. The beast had opened the shutters to let in some light and air, and now sat at the table where two metal bowls stood. But he didn’t seem to have started on his own breakfast, and when he saw her he rose to his feet.
“Considering how hungry I am, I appreciate your being prompt,” he said with another smile. “Come and join me at the table, and we can taste what’s here together.”
All that smiling the beast was doing was definitely making her nervous, but Elissia still walked over to the table as he’d asked. She wasn’t much looking forward to sitting down on the hard wooden chair, but when she reached it she found that something had been added to it.
“That cushion was in one of your saddlebags,” the beast explained when she stopped short. “I happened to see it, and the thought came that you might enjoy having it now as well as later. If I’m wrong, feel free to correct me.”
Elissia felt embarrassed enough to do just that, but she managed to remember just in time that she’d decided to watch what she said. And if she told the beast that she didn’t need the cushion at all, she wouldn’t put it past him to keep it from her even when it was time to leave. Rather than let that happen, she simply nodded to acknowledge his “kindness,” then moved the chair a bit and sat down.
“There’s also tea in this skin,” he said, gesturing to the single skin on the table. “Help yourself whenever you like, but first taste the porridge and let me know if you think there’s enough honey in it.”
“What if there’s too much honey?” she couldn’t help asking as she picked up the spoon which lay beside the bowl. “What can be done about it at this point?”
“Not much,” he granted as he watched her taste the still-hot porridge. “All we can do is make sure it doesn’t happen the next time. So, what’s your decision?”
“It’s edible,” she grudged once she’d swallowed, refusing to add anything more. In point of fact it was really tasty, and warmed her insides even as it filled the small hollow her skimpy meal of last night had left. She applied herself to her bowl as he did the same with his, and they ate in what was probably supposed to be a companionable silence. Elissia wasn’t feeling very companionable, but that was something else that had no need to be said.
“That wasn’t bad at all,” the beast allowed when he’d cleaned his bowl, finishing only a short time before Elissia. “But I happen to be curious about something. I’m used to living a lot rougher than this from the time during the campaigns I waged, but I’m sure you never experienced the same. Why aren’t you complaining nonstop about the awful conditions and food, or at least whining about what you’re forced to put up with?”
“There’s no sense in complaining when you chose to be where you are, or when nothing can be done to change things,” Elissia pointed out as she reached for the skin of tea. “And as f
ar as whining goes, I can’t stand people who whine. I’ve been tempted more than once to ask my father to make whining a hanging offense, but if he ever did he’d lose at least half the members of his Court.”
“So would some of the other kingdoms around here,” the beast agreed with a grin as she drank a bit of the tea. “I’ve been tempted to pass a law like that myself, but so far I’ve been able to resist the urge. Once things are more settled in my kingdom I may change my mind, but for now I’ll just have to put up with it.”
He took the skin when she finished with it and also drank some tea, then he put it aside and sat back in his chair.
“Tell me what you know about Waysten’s courtiers,” he said, and there was no longer any lightness in his tone. “Does he have anyone he listens to all the time, someone whose advice he takes without question? Does he ever take advice, or does he rely solely on his own judgment?”
“He pretends to take advice, but I don’t think he really does,” Elissia responded, once again surprised that she would be asked for her opinion. “He considers himself the only one around who can really think, an attitude that’s perfectly clear if you watch him talking to others. He’s usually condescending if someone tries to give him advice, and that no matter who the person with the advice happens to be.”
“That’s good news,” the beast said thoughtfully, making no attempt to ask if she was sure or if there was anyone who could corroborate her opinion. “If he’s relying only on his own judgment, he’ll make a mistake sooner rather than later. And when the mistake happens he’ll also try to correct it himself, and won’t look around for help until he’s in so deep that even the gods would be powerless to help him. I’ve been thinking about what you said yesterday, and there’s a very good chance that Gardal is being kept in a farmhouse somewhere outside of the city. If your friends can tell us which farms have been abandoned until now, we can check them out fairly quickly.”