Liana swallowed as her gaze met Angelei’s in the mirror. With a sensual smile, the Elvin woman moved in front of Liana and set the brush on the dressing table.
“Your need for the King is great,” Angelei murmured and stroked Liana’s cheek with the back of her hand, causing gooseflesh to rise on Liana’s arms. “Since Tirnac has returned to Seraphine, my needs lack fulfillment as well.”
Unable to take her eyes from Angelei’s crystal blue gaze, Liana nodded. “I—I can hardly wait to be with Aric.”
Angelei slid her hand from Liana’s cheek, along the curve of her neck and shoulder. Lightly she caressed Liana’s arm through the thin material of her gown. “There is no harm, only beauty, in enjoying one another until we can once again be with our men.”
Liana shivered and her eyes widened as Angelei continued, “Amongst my people our sexuality is accepted as a gift from the goddess. Even the Nordain believe such pleasures to be a part of our sensual natures. Surely you recall how much Tirnac and I enjoyed you at the lake in Seraphine?”
Liana’s heart beat faster at the memory of being under the influence of the orlai in preparation for the Council meeting. “I—I cannot. I would feel as though I was untrue to Aric.”
“I do not believe the King would mind if you experienced pleasure with another woman.” Angelei smiled and picked up the sheer gown that she usually wore while walking about the castle, and slipped it over her head. The filmy material clung to her body, outlining her hard nipples, her firm breasts, slender waist and rounded buttocks.
As she glided from the King and Queen’s bedchamber, Angelei said over her shoulder, “Call upon me if you change your mind.”
When the door closed behind Angelei, Liana rose from the velvet bench and stood before the mirror. Thinking of Aric, she was almost instantly thoroughly aroused. She eased the gown off her shoulders and let it drop to the floor in a silken heap.
Liana ran her hands over her breasts, down the curve of her waist to the slight flare of her hips as she studied her naked reflection. Her lips were parted, dying for Aric’s kiss, or to slide down his cock. The sea foam hair at her apex was already damp, desiring him to enter her. Her nipples were hard, crying out for his mouth.
She walked across the cool stone floor of the bedchamber to the cushioned seat beneath the window that Aric had flown through almost a week ago. Her naked skin felt luxurious against the royal blue velvet as she eased onto it.
Aching with need for him, she cupped her breasts and stared out at the fleecy white clouds, searching for some sign that he was on his way back. She raised herself on her knees, her fingers rolling and pulling at her nipples, and looked down below at the expansive lawns surrounding Sky Castle.
Gods, but she needed Aric. She wanted to feel his thick shaft in her hand and suck on it. She wanted his tongue between her thighs and his cock plunging deep inside her.
Although she planned to make him pay in some creative way, she had finally forgiven him for leaving so abruptly. No matter that Aric had no control over the situation, he would have some serious penance to pay upon his return. For the gods’ sakes, he should have warned her that he would have to leave as soon as it was moonchange, rather than spilling his seed and disappearing into the night.
A breeze gently blew through the window as Liana slowly ran her palms along the curve of her waist, imagining that Aric was touching her skin, his callused fingers rough against her softness. Her hair moved down her back, caressing her buttocks, and the ache deep in her quim grew more intense.
It had taken a castle full of Nordain women, human servants, and the Elvin warriors to calm Liana and keep her from leaving Phoenicia in search of Aric so that she could give him a piece of her mind. She had known that adult Nordain males were relegated to their raven form at moonchange, but she had not realized they migrated to the northernmost reaches of the mountain during the almost weeklong event.
Still kneeling, Liana shifted on the seat so that her legs were spread apart. She slid her fingers into the patch of hair between her thighs, teasing her clit as she studied the sapphire sky in hopes she might see Aric flying home, even though it would probably not be until tomorrow. Every moonchange was different, so no one was ever sure exactly how long it would last.
Fortunately, moonchange did not affect female Nordain in the same manner as the men, so the castle and the kingdom were never left undefended. Of course the women guards outside Liana’s bedchamber door, and the warriors who accompanied her everywhere, were more than an annoyance. She felt like a prisoner rather than a Queen.
And that was another thing she was going to discuss with Aric when she got a hold of the man, she thought as she stroked her aching bud. He had not bothered to tell her that the gold and ruby circlet upon her brow meant that she had been officially joined with him. The ceremony that his subjects were planning at this very moment was a mere formality as she was already considered to be the Queen of Phoenicia. The event would take place immediately upon the return of the king and his men.
Liana tipped her head back, enjoying the feel of her hair as it moved against her, and wishing it was Aric’s touch. She moaned as she stroked her swollen folds and studied the sky. Clouds billowed outside the window, making her feel as though she truly was in a castle in the air.
She imagined in the future she would be looking out that very window, her hands upon the sill as Aric slid into her and fucked her from behind. It would be like making love in the clouds.
The movements of Liana’s fingers intensified as she fondled her nipples with one hand and fingered herself with the other. Her hair slid across her naked back and her belly tightened. A fine sheen of perspiration coated her skin as she soared higher and higher. She pictured Aric’s large cock as he thrust into her, felt him filling her aching channel, his bollocks slapping into her as he rammed her from behind and she begged him for more.
Glancing down to the expansive lawns below her window, she observed gardeners and other castle servants performing their duties in the warm morning sun. Liana was certain she could not be seen, but the thought of being watched as she pleasured herself made the sensations feel even more erotic. What would they think if they saw her caressing her own nipples and stroking her clit?
Liana’s body trembled and she pumped her hips as though Aric rode her. Blood rushed in her ears and her vision blurred as she climbed higher and higher toward the peak—and then she climaxed, crying out as she came.
Her breathing was ragged as she drew out her orgasm, continuing her strokes until she could take no more.
She braced one hand against the sill to steady herself—and heard a soft moan from behind her.
Liana whirled around, almost falling off the window seat.
And saw Kerriel and Damianne in the middle of her bedchamber—naked, with Damianne suckling Kerriel’s nipple.
“Beg pardon, Milady.” Kerriel arched her back and gasped for breath as Damianne slid her mouth to the other nipple. “We came to see if you wished to go for a walk about the castle grounds.”
Grasping the edge of the cushion to steady herself, Liana fought against waves of embarrassment at being caught pleasuring herself—and renewed desire at the sight of the Elvin women. “Wh-what are you two doing?”
Damianne sank to her knees and grasped Kerriel’s hips. Damianne lowered her lids, giving Liana a sultry look as she murmured, “When we saw you reach your orgasm, we could not help but feel impassioned.” The Elvin woman touched Kerriel who sighed and slid her hands into Damianne’s shimmering black hair.
Unable to move or speak, Liana’s body flushed with heat as she watched the Elves. Gods how she wished she were with Aric right now.
Damianne paused for a moment. “Join us, Majesty.”
“Aye,” Kerriel moaned, moving her hands from Damianne’s hair to caress her own breasts.
Liana’s passions were at such a peak she barely had the presence of mind to shake her head in refusal. Aric had better get home soon, or s
he might just give into the carnal activities of these Elvin women.
Chapter Twelve
Dressed in a shimmering sleeveless gown in an effervescent sea green shade, Liana strolled through the extensive gardens of Phoenicia, trailed by her usual guard. It was the afternoon following the magical pleasuring of the Elvin women. Liana had done her best to avoid Damianne and Kerriel in the hours since then, afraid of what the pair might do to her the next time they got her alone.
Liana breathed in the perfume of the garden’s many flowers, but she gave the patch of jensai blooms a wide berth. The sun and all of nature filled her senses, renewing her lifeforce. Aric should arrive soon, she hoped. The Nordain women had all but promised her that moonchange had ended.
As she rounded a gurgling water fountain, Liana admired the marble sculpture at the center of the fountain. It was an erotic sculpture of a Nordain male and female, the man suckling the woman’s nipples as her head was thrown back in ecstasy, and her hand grasping his enormous cock.
The sculpture made her mouth water and her body ache. She bit the inside of her lip as she turned to walk along another garden path, and almost stumbled over a pair of Nordain women in the throes of passion. Both were naked on the grass. They writhed and moaned as they pleasured each other, their supple bodies gleaming in the afternoon sunlight.
Liana bit back a groan at the sight of the women who obviously could not wait for the men to return. It was a common occurrence around the castle, but it was about to drive her out of her mind with lust for her man.
If only Aric was with her. She would take him right there in the grass beside the women.
She shook her head at her wayward thoughts as she sought escape from the erotic scene. Casting a glance over her shoulder, she wondered if the women who were assigned as her guard were aroused after witnessing the sexual play by the fountain. The guards smiled at her, but maintained their professional demeanor. They were apparently well used to it, or at least hid their desires while performing their duties.
Now if it had been Elvin women who came upon the Nordain couple, the Elves would have joined in the pleasuring without another thought.
Liana sighed as she walked, and looked down the rolling castle grounds to where several Nordain children were at play, their mothers close by. Two boys chased one another, shrieking with laughter. The first took a running jump and transformed into a nordai, and then the second boy quickly changed and leapt into the air as well. The pair continued chasing one another in their raven forms, but stayed well in range of their mother’s watchful eyes. The boys would not join the men for the moonchange migration until they reached puberty.
With a smile, Liana continued her stroll. She pressed her hand to her flat belly, still unable to believe that she was pregnant with Aric’s child.
Children. We shall have twins.
It had only been a week, but there was no doubt in her mind that she carried Aric’s sons, just as the vision had foretold. If it was not for her Seer’s senses, then the morning sickness and the mood swings would certainly have been a sure sign. The past few days she had gone from wanting to throttle her man, to crying from missing him, to being filled with wanton desire, to dancing with joy around the castle grounds at the thought of their future children, and at the thought of the man she loved.
Whom she was going to strangle the moment she got her hands on him.
Well, after she rode him long and hard and made sure he couldn’t walk for at least a fortnight. Then she would throttle him and make him answer all of her questions.
Including how the Sorcerer Zanden happened to be Aric’s brother. And why hadn’t Aric bothered to tell her? She had asked the questions of anyone who would listen, but down to the last person, they each told her it was for the King to discuss with her.
And there was something else Liana felt she needed to know. It niggled at the back of her consciousness, but she could not quite place her senses on what it was.
She drew near the castle and her thoughts turned to her friends Ranelle and Tierra, and she again wondered how they fared. On the journey from Seraphine, Aric had promised Liana that he would send out some of his finest warriors in search of Tierra. He had claimed he had no doubt that Jalen, an Elvin warrior, would easily retrieve Ranelle. Liana hoped Aric was right—she couldn’t bear it if anything happened to her halia.
Because her visions were usually of the future, Liana didn’t know if the Sorcerer had actually captured Ranelle yet, or if it was an event that might not happen if Jalen reached her first. Liana could only pray to the gods and goddesses that Jalen reached Ranelle before Zanden did.
Liana paused at a bed of roses, taking a moment to touch the petals of a deep pink bloom. The petal felt soft to the touch, reminding her of the velvety feel of the head of Aric’s cock. As she stroked the petal between her thumb and forefinger, she pictured his erection in her hands when they had been at the Bewitching Pool. And then how she had slid her lips over the tip of his cock, working his shaft with her mouth, tongue and hands until he had spilled his seed into her throat—
“Your Highness.” Angelei’s voice crashed into Liana’s erotic fantasy.
With her cheeks flaming from embarrassment, Liana straightened and faced the Elvin woman, desperately trying to think of something to say. “I—I keep telling you to call me Liana, and not Highness or Majesty.”
Angelei gave her a sly smile, as though she knew what had been in Liana’s thoughts. Then the Elvin woman’s expression changed and her tone became serious. “You have guests waiting in the drawing room.”
“Guests?” Confusion flickered through Liana. She was so far from the village she had grown up in, and her only friends were missing. “Is it Ranelle and Tierra?” she asked, a hopeful note in her voice.
Shaking her head, Angelei replied, “Nay, ’tis not the friends you have spoken of. ’Tis best you come with me. You will find out soon enough.”
For a moment Liana considered trying to use her “Queen” status to demand an explanation, but she doubted it would get her anywhere. With a knot of worry in her belly and Angelei at her side, Liana headed back to the castle.
Angelei leaned close, her shoulder brushing Liana’s, her voice a caress in Liana’s ear. “While I am in Phoenicia, I am at your service if you wish to enjoy Elvin pleasures.”
“Ah, yes,” Liana muttered, embarrassment flooding her once again.
Liana really had to get some, and Aric damn well better get home and give it to her.
The Elvin woman gave Liana a quick grin, but as they entered the front door of the castle, Angelei’s expression altered and once again she became somber. The knot of concern grew within Liana’s belly as she wondered who could be waiting, and why it seemed to bother Angelei that they were here.
Angelei paused outside the drawing room door and rested her hand on Liana’s shoulder. Her crystal blue eyes met Liana’s. “Remember that ’tis always best to listen to all sides of a story.”
“What are you talking about?” Liana narrowed her gaze. “I don’t understand.”
Instead of answering, Angelei gripped Liana’s upper arm while opening the drawing room door, and ushered Liana inside.
Shock slammed into Liana, rendering her immobile. She barely processed Angelei’s retreat as the drawing room door closing behind her.
A muscular Tanzinite man commanded the center of the drawing room. He wore a simple white cloth around his waist, his wings were folded, and his powerful arms were at his sides. Like most Tanzinites were rumored to be, the handsome man was albino. His eyes were red, his skin was even paler than Liana’s, almost translucent, and his shoulder-length hair devoid of color.
Liana’s heart pounded and her mouth grew dry as her attention turned to the petite woman at the man’s side. The Tanzinite female’s small, firm breasts were easily seen through her opaque tunic. Her wings were folded and her complexion almost as pale as the man’s. But her tresses reached the back of her knees and were the same moon
light color as Liana’s—and her eyes were the exact sea green shade.
The man took a step forward.
Liana stepped back.
Do not be afraid, the man said in Liana’s thoughts. I am Palme and this is Salana…we are your father and mother.
* * * * *
Finally he was able to return to his heartmate. Aric pumped his wings harder, blood thrumming in his veins as he soared amongst the clouds and toward Sky Castle. The past week had felt like the longest moonchange of his life, passing by agonizingly slow.
The fighting drills, conditioning exercises and maneuvers he and the men had performed while in their nordai forms had done little to take his mind off Liana. More than once Renn had chastised Aric for his thoughts being elsewhere, rather than on his duties as King of the Nordain.
One day perhaps Renn would meet his own heartmate, and find his wings ruffled as well.
All Aric had been able to think of was how much he loved Liana and how badly he wanted to be with her. Every waking moment he had pictured her sweet smile, the sensuality burning in her sea green gaze, and her soft and welcoming body.
He wondered if she had pleasured herself as she thought of him, or perhaps even sampled the talents of the lusty Elvin wenches. The mere thought of his zjenni being pleasured by other women made his passions rise beyond belief.
Desire powered his flight as he led the flock of Nordain men back to their women. The warriors formed a V behind him, with Renn to Aric’s right, and his second in command, Troyas, to his left. The morning was crisp and clean, the wind exhilarating beneath his wings.
Yet Aric’s conscience bothered him. As though something was not quite right—and his zjenni was troubled. He had no doubt that the female warriors guarding the kingdom could fend off any invasion. They were a fine fighting force, equal to the men in intelligence and cunning, and superior in many ways.
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