Four Kings (The Rothhaven Trilogy Book 2)

by C. J. Pinard

  Alexander’s entire body shuddered with her. He was so hard, and his muscles so tense, that he thought he might just cum at the feel of her slick core tightening around his fingers.

  “Please, Your Majesty, please. I need you inside of me. All of you,” Mariselle whispered in his ear after she came down from her climax.

  He didn’t need to be told twice. Alexander removed his fingers from her tight, wet hole, licked them clean, and quickly disrobed himself. Left in nothing but the taut, pale flesh the good Lord had given him, he reached down and tore the fabric from between Mariselle’s legs. She then sat up and they both slid the simple black gown over her head. He threw it to the floor where it landed, along with the lilac. She lay back on the bed in anticipation.

  Taking a minute to appreciate her smooth, alabaster skin and creamy curves, Alexander gazed down at Mariselle. “You’re so beautiful.” He plunged a finger into her tight wetness and stroked her there. “You’re so wet for me. And I’m so hard.”

  Mariselle gasped as his fingers speared her. “Please, Alexander. Please.”

  He continued to slide his fingers in and out with a sardonic smile on his perfect lips. “Please what, little ginger girl?”

  Mariselle suppressed a smile. “Little ginger girl?”

  His gaze lazily slid down to where his fingers were doing all the work. “You are a true redhead, head to toe.”

  She licked her lips and nodded. “I am. Now, make love to me, my king.”

  He removed his fingers, sucked them in between his perfect lips, and then lay down on her. He pressed his mouth to hers, and just as their lips moved together in sync, he thrust his tongue into her mouth at the same moment his cock slid into her hot, wet core. They both cried out in relief as her hands found their way to his back, where she raked her short nails up and down his flesh.

  King Alexander worked his hips back and forth as he stroked in and out of Mariselle. The sensation of how wet and tight she was for him was almost overwhelming. He had to think of something else before he blew his load into her.

  He wondered why she had been wandering the hallways. Was she bored, or had she legitimately been looking for him? He remembered back to earlier that day when she had comforted him at the loss of Amber. While he’d been embracing her, he hadn’t failed to notice her ample breasts heaving out of her gown. But that wasn’t the first time he’d notice them, obviously. Alexander thought back to their time in the courtyard a few weeks back. The feel of her hot, virgin mouth on his cock and the way she had held his gaze as her plump, glistening lips and wet tongue had taken all of him in…

  Think of something else, he mused to himself as he felt his body tingle and ripple with impending release.

  “Oh, my God. This is so amazing,” Mariselle murmured in his ear. “You fill me up so perfectly.”

  That was it. Alexander pulled out of her, and, up on his knees, looked down at Mariselle’s body under his.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, alarmed.

  With a wicked grin, he grabbed one ankle and flipped her over as if she weighed nothing. Once on her stomach, he gripped her hips and lined up her backside with his hips and then plunged himself inside her.

  She cried out at the forcefulness of the action, but was secretly thrilled at his aggression. “Harder,” she whispered.

  Alexander obeyed. With a grunt, he slammed into her hard, and then pulled all the way out. Pausing and waiting for her to react, he smiled as she whimpered.

  “Please.”

  He slammed back into her and continued to thrust until she tightened around him and then screamed out his name.

  His entire body tensed up, and then he let himself go inside of her, grunting and groaning. He continued to grip her hips tight as he lazily rolled his hips until he could stay in no longer. She collapsed on the bed, and he went down with her, lying on top of her, and then rolling off.

  “That was…” She was out of breath and out of words.

  “Amazing,” he finished.

  She laid her head on his chest, and he wrapped his arm under her neck, his fingers caressing her shoulder.

  She looked up at him, her green eyes hooded and looking sated. “We waited way too long to do that.”

  He looked down at her, his eyes sparkling in amusement. “I definitely agree.” Then, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her mouth. “I want you warming my bed every night. You understand?”

  She nodded. The kiss had been soft, warm, and had made her feel like she was going to melt. “I don’t want to be anyplace else.”

  Alexander leaned down and kissed Mariselle once more, climbing on top of her, preparing for round two.

  Hecate snuck out of King Alexander’s chambers, traveling with ease through the walls in her translucent form.

  “Whew, I need a smoke,” she murmured to herself after watching the young lovers enjoying each other’s bodies. She smiled to herself, realizing that the curse her protégé Angelique had put on the Kingdom of Syracuse was halfway to being over.

  Truth was, Hecate was growing tired. The citizens had begun to use any magic they could get their get their hands on, or bargaining with any witch or warlock they could find, to contact Hecate and beg for her help to break the curse. She hated having to tell them that she couldn’t—that the curse could only be broken one way. Then they would, of course, want to know how, and Hecate would not be able to tell them.

  She had thought many times of putting a strong spell on Mariselle herself, causing her to bed each of the princes—kings—quickly, just to get it over with. To tell Mariselle about the terms of Angelique’s curse, but she was afraid it might backfire somehow. She wanted the young redhead to have sex with each king when she wanted to, not out of some obligation. She wanted them all to enjoy themselves.

  Besides, Hecate was a powerful enchantress and knew the first rule of witchcraft was that you never altered or revealed the conditions of another witch or wizard’s spell. The one Angelique had put on Syracuse was much too delicate and clearly extremely powerful, and the only thing she could do was monitor what was going on, and give Mariselle little pushes like the little boost of sexual confidence she’d given her before she had taken King Griffin into her bed.

  And now that Mariselle had bedded Alexander, she only had two more kings to go.

  Hecate floated over to the window at the top of the turret. She looked down when she heard voices and horses in the front of the castle. She smiled as she realized who it was, and disappeared in a shimmering, jasmine-scented cloud.

  Chapter 6

  With a yawn and a smile at the delicious ache between her legs, Mariselle popped her eyes open, anxious to look into the bright blue eyes of the King. She hoped they could go another round on the massive bed. She’d lost count how many times they’d done it the night before, and was ready for more.

  A frown marred her pretty, pale, freckled face when she saw she was alone in the circular bed. The bedclothes were scatted and messy, a sign of how many places and positions they had tried.

  Standing, Mariselle got up and took the sheet with her as she found the royal bathroom. She marveled at the ornate stone tile that lined the floors and walls. A shiny copper basin served as a sink, and a large metal, claw-foot tub sat in its center. A drying cloth and soap had been set on the side in preparation for a bath—which Mariselle felt in desperate need of one. Her eyes widened when she spotted an actual garderobe with a toilet. Her ‘bathroom’ back on the farm had consisted of a stinky, cramped outhouse, and her bathtub was outside next to the chicken coop. She remembered all the times she’d had to boil pots of water just to have a warm one, and how exhausting it had been.

  After relieving herself, she replaced the sheet onto the bed and pulled her dress back on. She didn’t bother with the knickers, as they were torn anyway, or the corset, as she planned on heading straight to her chambers and summoning Shawna to help her with a bath.

  After rolling the undergarments as tight as she could, she exited the
king’s chambers and held them behind her back. She walked with her head held high, hoping nobody would be up in the turret. But luck was not on her side.

  “Hello, miss,” Catherine, an old chambermaid, said to Mariselle in greeting. She was carrying a mop, a bucket, and some dusting rags.

  “Good morning,” she replied back.

  Catherine let out a raspy chuckle and shook her head. “It’s a half past noon, madam.”

  Mariselle’s cheeks flushed. “Oh. Well, good afternoon then.”

  The old maid just shuffled off, cackling as she entered the king’s chambers.

  Mariselle cringed at the thought of having to go through the kitchen after taking the back staircase to get into the guestrooms area of the castle, but she had no choice. She thought there had to be another way to enter the turret, aside from the back staircase. Then she thought about the outdoor staircase. But who would be there?

  Before taking the door that led to the kitchen staircase, she peeked her head out the window and looked out. She couldn’t see anyone about, aside from the armored guards standing at attention in front of the drawbridge.

  “Why not…?” she murmured to herself.

  She made her way to it and cracked it open. A warm, humid breeze blew into her face and she breathed in the fresh air. Still not seeing anyone around, she pushed the door open and stood at the top of the massive winding staircase that led to the ground. As she began to descend the stairs carefully, she smiled to herself at her craftiness. This way, none of the gossipy castle staff would see her coming down from the turret.

  As she was about to reach the last stair, a thought suddenly came to her and she froze. What if I can’t find a back way into the castle? I’ll have to enter through the front doors. Oh, my God!

  She felt mortified. Frantic, she jumped down the last step, her corset and knickers still wadded up in her hand, and ran to the back of the massive castle, trying to find the back door. As she gazed up at the turret from where she’d just left, she marveled at how far down she’d had to travel on the windy staircase to get where she was. As she was about to turn the corner to the backside of the castle, her movements were suddenly halted as she bumped into a wall of something warm and solid.

  Gasping in surprise, Mariselle looked front and her eyes went wide as she took in the massive wall of a man standing before her. First, there was the rock-hard chest, in which she found both hands had landed on. Then there was the sharp jawline, perfect lips, and straight nose that led to hazel-green eyes that were staring down at her in amusement.

  Mariselle blinked up at the mountain of a man and cocked her head to the side before composing herself. She pulled back gently, making sure she wasn’t touching him. She bowed her head. “I’m sorry, sir. I should have been watching where I was going.”

  The handsome man stared down at her, amusement in his hazel eyes. “Why are you apologizing, Mariselle?”

  The redhead looked up, surprise coloring her face. “I’m sorry, do I know—” Suddenly, her eyes grew as big as saucers. “Oh, my goodness. Zackary… is that you? Is that really you?”

  The blond man smiled down at her. “Yes, little lady. It’s me.”

  “Oh! I’m so happy to see you!” she exclaimed while thrusting herself into his arms.

  Zackary picked her up and swung her round and round before placing her back on the ground.

  “What are you doing here?” she breathed, an unbreakable grin stretched across her flawless, freckled face as she looked up at him. She quickly put her hands back behind her since she still held the garments.

  “I’ve got business with Alex,” he replied, jutting his thumb over his shoulder, but not breaking eye contact with Mariselle.

  Her stomach felt as if butterflies had taken up residence, and she pressed the flat of her hand to her belly as if that would quell them. “Oh.”

  They stared at each other a little too long, until Zackary said, “Is there a problem with that?”

  She cocked her head to the side. “A problem with what?”

  “I’m here to see my brother, and you seemed a tad disturbed by that fact.”

  She laughed, trying to sound casual, but she only felt stress. “Of course not. But I must be going. I have to, um, have my chamber cleaned today.”

  Oh, my God, that was the stupidest excuse ever! Mariselle thought, wishing she could slap a hand over her mouth.

  Zackary smiled down at her. “Okay, milady.” He reached for her hand and brushed a chaste kiss on her delicate knuckles. “I hope to see you again while I am here.”

  Mariselle swallowed down the lump in her throat as her cheeks flamed. “I hope so too, King Zackary.” She bowed slightly and disappeared around the corner leading to the back of the castle.

  Mariselle found her way to her chambers and, after entering, closed the door behind her, exhaled a sigh of relief, and pressed her back to the door, her eyes closed.

  Grinning in triumph that she hadn’t been approached by anyone else, Mariselle giggled. That was a close one!

  “Milady, do you desire a bath?”

  Mariselle’s eyes flew open as she caught sight of Shawna, and she gasped. “Oh… I didn’t know anyone was here. I’m sorry.”

  Shawna’s brows dipped, and she chanced a glance behind her at her fellow chambermaid June. Looking at Mariselle again, she said, “Milady, er, I mean, Mariselle, we always come after twelve noon to tidy up. Have you forgotten?”

  Mariselle took a deep breath and shook her head. “No, Shawna. I’m sorry, I haven’t forgotten. I just lost track of time, that’s all. And yes, please draw me a bath. I could use the relaxation.”

  Shawna’s face lit up. Smoothing back her light-brown hair in its ponytail, she made sure no stray hairs had escaped as she retrieved the bucket from beside the large, metal tub and disappeared out of Mariselle’s chambers.

  As June finished tidying up Mariselle’s un-slept-in bed, the redhead smiled at her and said, “Why don’t you help Shawna with the water? I’ll be here when you get back.”

  June bowed slightly and replied, “Yes, ma’am.” She then scurried out of the bedchamber.

  Mariselle breathed a sigh of relief. As much as she appreciated the maids’ help, she wasn’t used to it, and just wanted to be alone for a few moments of reflection as to what had happened outside the castle earlier with Zackary. Not only that, she had spent the night in Alexander’s room, making love to him over and over, and knew that her immediate attraction to Zackary had been sudden, surprising, and had also made her feel… what was it she was feeling? Guilt?

  But did she need to feel guilt? The whole entire kingdom of Syracuse was in turmoil. Mariselle knew something had to be done to give the Rothhavens an heir. So if all of that bed-frolicking from the night before didn’t do the trick, she may just have to move on to the next brother.

  God, that sounds so dirty and awful! She giggled to herself.

  Shawna returned with the bucket of hot water, followed by three other maids also carrying buckets. They dumped the steaming water into the tub, and then June retrieved a fourth bucket of cool water and then dumped that in.

  “Perfect temperature,” Shawna said, smiling as she dipped her finger into the bathwater. “Let’s get you undressed.”

  The other maids left, and then Mariselle disrobed. She didn’t feel embarrassed or ashamed in front of Shawna, but she definitely didn’t want an audience with the rest of the maids while she’d been disrobing.

  Shawna gasped as she looked down at Mariselle’s bare body.

  “What?” Mariselle asked, looking down at herself. Both hips had finger-shaped bruises on them, and both arms were peppered with the same ones. She put a hand to her mouth to hide her grin. “Oh.”

  “Are you all right, miss?” Shawn asked in concern.

  She nodded. “Fine, the king just likes it… a little rough is all.”

  “Oh my,” Shawna replied, biting back her own smile.

  As the maid helped her ease into the warmth
of the bath, Mariselle slid down into the water and groaned. “This is amazing.”

  Shawna smiled. “I’m so glad you are pleased, mi… Mariselle.”

  “Do you draw your own baths or does June do it for you?” Mariselle asked, curious.

  Shawna took a small paring knife from her pocket and began to shave off small strips from a bar of soap and dropping them into the bathwater. She grinned. “I draw my own, but I don’t get one very often.”

  Mariselle frowned. “Why not?”

  After she was done with the soap, she set it on the floor, along with the knife. She then used her hands to crush the strips so they made a fragrant, bubbly mixture in the water. “Well, we all share a tub in the chambermaids’ quarters. My day is Saturday, so I draw my own.”

  Mariselle nodded, then looked around, even though she knew they were alone in her chamber. “Well, you can use my bathtub any time you want. I won’t tell.” And she winked.

  Shawna looked at her in horror. “What? No, milady. I couldn’t.”

  Mariselle flicked water at her, and it landed on her cheek. “I insist.”

  “If I were to be caught bathing in a royal chamber, I could be fired—or worse!”

  Mariselle frowned. “Fired? And what do you mean ‘or worse’?”

  “It’s nothing, miss. Let’s get you cleaned, then I’ll light a fire in the hearth so you can stay warm.”

  She sat up in the tub, exposed breasts bobbing the surface. “No, tell me. I thought King Alexander treated his staff really well. I need to know if you or any staff are mistreated. I mean it, Shawna. I won’t stand for it.”

  “No need for alarm, milady. The king treats us very well. There are others in his employ, however, who do not.”

  Mariselle’s face grew stormy. “Names. Now.”

  Chapter 7