by Emma Merrell
Jonathan reached to the side of the bed and pulled up his breeches, slipping them on quickly.
"Where are you going?"
"I'll be right back," he said, dropping a kiss onto her forehead.
Luce was disappointed that he had left her, for even a moment, after what they had just shared. The bed grew chilly without him and Luce drew the blankets more snugly around herself. She was aware of voices murmuring outside briefly and then the flap opened as Jonathan came back in. Happily, he was carrying a platter of fruit with him. "I didn't think that you would want any servants coming in."
"You were right. I'll keep my illusion of modesty, thanks." Luce sat up to eat, the covers pooling in her lap and leaving her breasts bare to him.
He sat down beside her, placing the tray between them. Luce began popping grapes into her mouth, suddenly ravenous after their exertions. Jonathan ate at a less savage pace, content to watch her gorge herself.
"I told the guards to fan out. They have what they came for and I would prefer to spend the rest of the evening with you privately. I also told them that we would be staying for another night. I am enjoying it out here and I'm in no hurry to get back to my mother, my brother, or any of my duties."
"Good, on everything that you just said. I'm not ready to go back to the girls yet either. I like our little bubble out here."
"Didn't I tell you? You won't be going back to the courtyard with the rest of the girls. You will be moving into the family courtyard."
"Isn't that reserved for wives and children?"
"Luce, if you're not pregnant after that, then you certainly will be soon. Giving you a more comfortable living situation is the least that I can do."
"Thank you for that." Luce said, and then after a moment's thought, "You know, you are much different than I thought you would be."
Jonathan raised his dark eyebrows. "And how did you think I would be?"
"Cold, demanding, arrogant."
"Like my brother?"
"Yes, kind of like that, but you're not. You're sweet and charming. The sort of gentleman that doesn't exist anymore. Except for maybe my brother, but I've never really noticed that kind of thing about him."
"I'm glad that you think of me so highly. You are not what I expected either. Normally the other girls are subservient and eager to please, but they show no real personality. You were among the first to do so, and it made me like you more than I had thought possible."
Luce pushed the tray away from them and turned to the prince. "Why don't you show me how much you like me?"
And he did, repeatedly, over the course of that night and the next. It was wonderful in the little world they created around themselves. There were no cares or concerns, nobody to answer to, and only the flesh demanded anything of them. It was sort of perfect, but Luce knew that it couldn't last. They would have to face the queen and Marianne. Not to mention the fact that her brother was helping to lead a battle right to their doorstep. No, it couldn't last forever, but they made the most of it while it did.
Chapter Fifteen
Jude
He wasn't sure what Berenice meant by celebration, and between training with Bran and spending the whole of the afternoon replenishing the water stores, he hadn't had time to ask. Jude had allowed himself a brief nap when he got back to his room, the work had been back-breaking, but now he was feeling good and ready for whatever tonight would bring. He didn't end up waiting for too long, just a few minutes after he finished washing and dressing, she spoke from the other side of his blanketed doorway, "Jude?"
"Coming."
When he caught his first look at her Jude was relieved to see her in the same worn garments that she had on yesterday. He hadn't known if maybe things were going to be fancier tonight and all he had were the two basic outfits that had been on the foot of his bed when he arrived. "So, what kind of celebration is this?"
"We are celebrating going into battle. It boosts everyone's confidence and gives us one last chance to really enjoy life before it might end."
"Nice."
"Yes. I hope you can hold your liquor. I don't want to be stuck cleaning up after you tonight," she said matter-of-factly.
"Trust me, you have nothing to worry about there.”
It was in both caverns that the people were spread out. There were bonfires blazing in the centers of each room, throwing crazy shadows all over the walls from the bodies dancing around them. A few makeshift tables had been set up and they held a wide assortment of jugs that people would pick up and drink from. There was a flute sounding from somewhere and a woman singing a folk song.
Berenice cut through the crowd and went immediately to one of the tables. She hefted a clay jug and grimaced as she swallowed. "Your turn," she said, handing it to Jude.
He wasn't sure what to expect but tilted his head back gamely. It was alcohol, the burn in his throat attested to that, but on the end of it, there was a hint of some spice his mom had used when making cookies. Anise, maybe? It sounded right to him. In any case, it wasn't half bad, and he helped himself to another long drink.
"Come on."
Berenice pulled him out into the crowd, and they began to move with the music. She was a good dancer, her tall body swayed gracefully in time with the music. Maybe it was the booze or the firelight, but Jude thought that she looked prettier tonight than she had yesterday. He leaned onto her to ask a question. "Why did you invite me to come with you?"
"Not much happens around here. You're the most interesting person to come our way since Leona. I had to get to know you."
"Damn, and I thought that it was because you liked me."
She laughed, "I do like you. Stop being such a girl."
The night quickly became a blur of dancing. The heat in the cave from all the bodies packed together was suffocating and the bonfire was also putting off its own heat. Sweat poured off him and he asked Berenice if any of those jugs contained water. She led him to the back wall of the cave where there were tubs of it lined up. He drank five ladles full before he felt like he could stop. Berenice had a couple as well. Her clothes were clinging to her in a way that allowed Jude to see the entire shape of her body as she drank. She was tall and thin, without breasts to speak of, but for the first time that Jude had been here, he found himself feeling aroused.
She had read his gaze and leaned toward him. "Do you want to go outside where it's cooler?"
"Yes."
They wound their way out through the crowd, stopping along the way for a couple of drinks. It was only when fresh air slapped him in the face that he realized just how overheated he was. Berenice too, she stumbled as she led him around to a little alcove in the rock face with a bench chiseled out of it.
"It feels better out here, but cold," she murmured. "Can you think of any way to warm me up?"
Jude was surprised at her brazen attitude. "Won't your father kill me if anything happens here?"
"He has never found out before. Besides, I'm a big girl and I make my own decisions. Tonight, I want to see if they do things differently where you are from."
Jude was indecisive for a handful of seconds. She might have only been acting this way because of the celebration, it seemed to have affected his libido as well. Or maybe she was just an upfront girl with little shame. Whatever the case, dancing with her had been driving him nuts. She had brushed up against him more than once, in a very purposeful way, and Jude was getting the message loud and clear now. They were both adults in it for a little bit of fun.
He stepped forward and kissed her. It was a little weird at first, as he had never kissed a girl that was his own height before, but he quickly forgot about that. She tasted like anise and salt, and she kissed him with a passion that made him clutch at her body. He felt her hands at the waist of his pants, loosening ties and plunging in. He bit back a gasp as she closed a hand around him, stroking him to arousal. She broke back from the kiss to focus on releasing him from his pants. Berenice freed him and turned her body around, rubbing
her ass against him as her hands busied themselves once again with her own pants. He trailed sloppy, wet kisses over her neck and the side of her face, waiting for her to be done.
And at last, she was. She pulled her pants down to her knees and the feel of her naked ass against him made him throb painfully. He moved against her, enjoying just the pleasure of rubbing himself against her cheeks, but then she adjusted her position and he found his way inside of her. They both groaned loudly as he slid in. She was so wet. He thrust into her hard and she threw her arms out to brace herself against the wall. They moved against one another desperately, the spontaneity and immediacy of the act adding an extra layer of spice. It felt hot and kind of cheap, like all liasons did, but sometimes that had its merits.
Jude pulled her arms from the wall and leaned her over so that she was bracing herself on the bench. That improved things considerably, giving Jude total control over her body and the way that it was moving against him. She was bucking beneath him, trying to meet him thrust for thrust and crying out with each one. She was enjoying it, Jude knew, because she was slick with moisture down to her mid-thigh.
It was a heated, frantic coupling that ended in an intense climax for them both. Jude's head swam, and he rested himself on her back for just a moment before pulling out and straightening up and tucking himself back in. She gave a loud exhale and stood as well, pulling her pants up as she did. She pushed her hair back out of her flushed face and gave a lazy smile, "Thanks, that was just what I was needing."
Jude snorted, "Glad to be of service."
She gave him one last kiss, a peck on the cheek this time and pulled him back to the party. As they walked Jude asked, "So was that just sex?"
"Are you wondering if I'm going to start following you around like a moony calf? No, it was what it was. I am not looking for anything from you. I just wanted a good time before we march on the palace."
Jude gave a nod, understanding where she was coming from. She was a nice girl, but even after what had just happened, he still saw her as more of a friend in the future than anything else. It seemed like she felt the same way. They spent the rest of the night, into the early hours of the morning drinking and celebrating together. Berenice could have gone longer but Jude was still weak from his experience in the pit and he headed back to his room a bit before she was ready.
Drunk and exhausted as he was, Jude found himself lost almost as soon as he left the cavern. He got completely turned around and ended up in a room full of yarn and a loom. This was something that Berenice had skipped on their tour, correctly assuming that Jude would never have a reason to come here. He stumbled in, thinking that he would examine the loom a little more closely, it was interesting and he had never seen one in real life. He was distracted when he got further into the room by a shelf stacked with leather pieces. These were not like any clothes that he had seen since arriving here and he guessed that maybe these were what constituted armor around here. It certainly wouldn't stop a sword.
He wandered farther into the maze of rooms. They all held something different in this area, but all of it was battle-related. He entered a much larger room and this one was lined with rows and rows of swords and daggers. They weren't jeweled and ornate like Norrick's, but they were functional and looked wickedly sharp. Shelves twisted throughout in a maze and Jude realized belatedly that there was someone else in here. Firelight flickered against the walls in the back corner and if Jude strained his ears, he could just make out someone whispering. The shelves blocked his view of who could be in here and so he dropped to his hands and knees, unsure of the steadiness of his feet, and began crawling as quietly as possible.
He made it close enough to see but still, remain hidden. With a shock, he saw that it was Leona sitting by the fire all by herself. She had a pile of weapons at both sides and one in her hands that she was speaking over. Her eyes were closed and her focus entirely on what she was doing. Jude doubted that she would notice him even if he stood up and began dancing. She finished saying her words and opened her eyes, she looked down at her fingers and began squeezing the tip of one. It took Jude's muddled brain a moment to figure out what she was doing and then it hit him. She was cursing all the weaponry and using her own blood to do it. No wonder she was so confident of their victory when they would all be fighting with cursed blades.
She managed to squeeze a drop of blood out and she rubbed it into the leather of the grip, where it would go unnoticed. She placed it in the pile to her left and drew another from the pile to the right with a weary sigh. Jude noticed how tired she looked and knew that this process must have been taking a lot out of her. Leona closed her eyes and began to chant over the blade once again. When she finished this time, she had to prick herself anew at the tip of the sword to get the blood going again.
Jude's head swam. This was too much. He needed to get out of here before he was caught because he doubted that she wanted anyone to know about what she was doing. The way that Bran would react to her secretly using magic to imbue their weapons was not something that Jude wanted to think about. The space between shelves was too narrow for him to turn around, so he began backing out as carefully as possible. If he knocked over anything he was going to be in deep shit. It took ages for him to do it, but he finally succeeded in getting the hell out of there.
He plunged through the dark hallways, hoping to come upon something that looked familiar. It took him a while, but he finally did manage to make it back to his room. He tried to lay down, but as soon as he did the world began to spin and his stomach gave a lurch. He lunged for the chamber pot and made it just in time to be violently sick. Great, it was going to be a long night. But Jude was wrong. He promptly passed out on the floor curled up around the chamber pot and knew nothing else until a hand was on his shoulder shaking him roughly awake.
"Stop," he groaned. Hitting at the offending hand on his shoulder, it was bad. Jude felt rough. He didn't want to open his eyes.
"Jude." It was Bran, and suddenly the previous night came rushing back to Jude. Crap, was he here because Jude had slept with his daughter? He opened his eyes and sat up, wincing at the sharp pain in his head. His eyes flew over Bran's face looking for any signs of anger and relief flowed over him when he found no signs of it. Instead. Bran was smiling at him rather indulgently. "You enjoyed the festivities last night I see."
"Yeah, maybe a bit too much. How early is it?"
"Just past lunchtime. I am going to take a walk and speak with Petunia, I came to see if you wanted to come."
Jude nodded and then instantly regretted it as pain and nausea engulfed him. "I do, can I just have a minute?"
Bran nodded and stood from his crouch. "Of course. Meet me outside by the dining area."
He left, and Jude let his head rest for just another moment before rising for the day. Every movement he made was slow and deliberate, intended not to exacerbate his condition. He washed as best as he could with the rag and put on his other set of clothes. He ran a hand over his jaw to gauge how unkempt his facial hair was getting and winced. He felt damn shaggy. After draining a couple of glasses of water Jude met Bran outside. The sun was ridiculous, and Jude added another item to his wishlist. A hat.
"Here." Bran offered him a waterskin and a handful of dried fruit. "Eat slowly."
"Thanks."
The first bite made his stomach heave, but he choked it down and kept going as they walked. To his surprise, Bran had not given him water in the skin, but watered-down wine. A little hair of the dog, Jude thought. Some things were universal it seemed. And it began to help, taking the edge off Jude's hangover.
They walked for about twenty minutes before Bran stopped at a scraggly looking tree. "This is my quiet spot. It is where I come to get in touch with Petunia, I feel like it keeps my people safe from the touch of her magic. I would not have their minds infiltrated as mine is."
Your people are much closer to magic than you think, Jude thought silently. He briefly considered telling Bran what he had seen
, but he wasn't sure that the large man would believe him. He was in love with Leona, Jude could tell, and probably wouldn't hear a word against her. And Jude's own drunken state at the time he had seen it wouldn't help either. He would just have to see what Petunia thought. Bran spoke to her first and Jude found it interesting to watch. He had never been able to watch anyone on the receiving end of her power before. He was staring quite blankly, hardly blinking and his breath came as slow and shallow as possible. He looked like he was in a trance.
When he finally moved his head again, Jude gave a start, but before he could say anything, he could feel her summons. "Jude? Let me in."
It was good to hear her voice. "Petunia, I'm here. How is Luce?"
"She is unharmed. The queen was livid when you left, in fact, she is still looking for the traitor in our midst."
"Are you in any danger?"
"I don't think so. It could have been anyone in the palace really. In any case, she was going to kill your sister, make an example out of her."
"What? Are you fucking kidding me?" Jude's blood ran cold at the thought of it.
"But Prince Jonathan stepped in to save her. They are together, right now, trying to conceive a child. It was the only way that the queen would relent. Luce has to be the one to break the curse or die trying."
It was a huge blow. He had thought that he was helping, but now to find out that his sister was being forced to do things, because of him? It made him sick. "Oh, God. What have I done?"
"Jude, do not despair. I have spoken with one of the servants, she came back to get more supplies for them. She said that they are very happy, that Luce and the prince spend all day cuddled up chatting. That last night, well, that your sister did not sound as if she were being forced to do anything against her will. Quite the opposite."
It was maybe more than he had needed to know, and it was still a bitter pill to swallow, but Petunia made him feel marginally better. He remembered back to Norrick's chambers and how angry Jonathan had seemed when he found what he was doing to Luce. He had seemed to care a little, even going so far as to save Jude's life. He hoped that the prince did care for her, and that Petunia was right, and she was happy. Not just playing the part. "Can you speak to her?"