by Suz deMello
Queen’s Quest
Suz deMello
Janus is a planet that lacks both tilt and spin. Its Shadowlands is the pewter band of dusk dividing the violently hot Lightside of the planet from its Darkside, which is imprisoned by eternal night. Birth rates on the planet are low and indiscriminate mating and ménage sex are encouraged.
Audryn, Queen of Shadow, has reached that time in her life when she must choose a king to rule with her or fail to bear an heir, casting not only her realm but all of Janus into chaos. Despite her duty, she is reluctant to share power, even a bit distrustful. Janus’ nobles vie for Audryn’s hand. Although she enjoys trysting with all her suitors, none seize her heart.
Then Storne, the warrior Prince of Darkness, arrives to claim her as his bride, and she finds she cannot resist his masterful ways.
Inside Scoop: This book contains lots of hot ménage action including an F/F/M scene.
A Romantica® science fiction erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave
Queen’s Quest
Suz deMello
Chapter One
Everyone is trying to make babies except me.
Due to the bizarre configuration of our slowly moving planet, Janus, with one face always turned to the burning sun and the other eternally confronting the chill of space, birthrates are low and indiscriminate mating encouraged. Except for me, Audryn, unwed ruler of the Shadowlands, our pewter band of dusk dividing the violently hot Lightside from Darkside, imprisoned by eternal night.
But I was not always celibate. Before the deaths in a boating accident of my family, the king, queen and crown princess of the Shadowlands, I was the less-important but happy younger sister rather than the current occupant of the throne. My family was by my side when, at my thirteenth starturn—an age that our Terran Progenitors would have called twenty years—my virginity was taken with much pomp in a public display, as is the custom for royalty.
I remember the ceremony well.
My first lover was my step-cousin Frayn. I chose him because he was experienced but not so much older that I would feel intimidated. And we had long been accustomed to each other—we’d grown up together, played together throughout our childhoods. We grew apart because he was older than I and therefore allowed sexual congress before I was.
When the day dawned, a servant shaved my labia to expose my clitoris. Then I was massaged by two hearty men from the guard to arouse me, ready me. This was considered a great honor and I hand-picked my favorites from among the finest and strongest of our warriors. Murmuring endearments, they joined me naked on my canopied bed and caressed me for hours while I sprawled, mindless with pleasure.
With the scents of the rose and lavender oils they used perfuming the air, they did not miss an inch of my flesh, even gently probing and opening my quim and my bottom so my body would easily accept Frayn’s member, which I knew was quite large. One plucked my nipples to hard red points while the other caressed my clitoris with the tingling essences of mint and cinnamon to heighten my arousal until I moaned with completion.
Frayn entered when I was in my bath, rinsing off the oils. He pulled off his boots and stripped, dropping his codpiece, gold-embroidered tunic and snug leggings onto the white marble floor before joining me. We washed and touched, looking into each other’s eyes in anticipation. Our servants brought us sweet pastries to keep up our energy, and wine so I would remain relaxed. Despite the drink, I said, “I am a little nervous.”
“Do not fear me, Audryn.” Frayn slid a finger inside my slit. “You’re ready. I promise you there will be no pain, only pleasure.”
I moaned and gasped as he probed, but managed to say, “But everyone will be watching.”
“That is the point of Exhibition Day.” He gave me a smile that gleamed wolfishly from behind his red moustache and beard, and his green eyes glinted as he continued to explore me. “Some find that watchers heighten the pleasure.”
Heat swept my body. I flung my head back and my breath became short as he prodded the barrier of my virginity. He withdrew and stood, water streaming off his body. He was slender but not thin, with a fine thick cock rising out of a cloud of reddish hair. “If I remain, your maidenhead will not last until the ceremony. Until noon, Princess Audryn.”
With a sigh, I watched him dry his body, dress and leave.
“He is a healthy young man,” my handmaiden Maia remarked, adjusting her white tunic, which flapped loose over black slacks. All our servants wore similar garb, with the royal sigil embroidered in silver over the heart. Tall, with a regal bearing, Maia today wore her mink-brown hair in a simple chignon at her nape.
“He is honored by my selection but I think he prefers my sister.” I reached for the towel Maia held.
“He prefers the Golden Throne.”
“Beryla is not close to him.”
“The crown princess must hold herself apart.” Taking another towel, Maia dried the hard-to-reach spot on my back.
“I am very sorry for her.”
“She will be the most powerful person on Janus.”
“Of what use is power? With it comes responsibility, duty and constraint. She did not have the ceremony I will enjoy today,” I said. “She must wait until the future king is chosen, and who knows when that will be?”
“Soon, since she grows older and approaches her seventeenth starturn. She must select a mate and bear children, for the stability of the Shadowlands.”
Maia took a fine chemise, ironed and ready for the noon ceremony, and draped it over my head, tugging it over my body. Of thin pink gauze, it hid none of my curves.
My mother and sister entered, both elaborately dressed as the ceremonial day demanded in beautiful gowns with the high, stiff ruffs my mother preferred framing their faces over square necklines. Both wore colors that complemented them—my mother in rose, a shade that flattered her fair hair and milky skin, and Beryla in leaf-green. A brunette, she looked especially pretty in green.
“Are you ready, darling?” My mother hugged me, then kissed me on both cheeks as was our custom.
Tearful, I hugged back. “Today I become fully a woman. I am so excited!”
“And I am envious,” Beryla said. “Mother—”
“Yes, we know you must find a future monarch soon. We have sent emissaries to both the Darkness and the Light,” our mother said. “They will select from among their highest-born, and after they arrive you will choose the prince who will provide the best seed and will marry into the house which will be most politically advantageous.”
“Sounds like great fun,” muttered Beryla.
“You won’t be forced to take a man you don’t want,” the queen said.
“You know how Father is when he gets an idea into his head.” Beryla compressed her lips.
“I will take care of your father,” our mother said with affection. “Now let’s not allow your worry to overshadow Audryn’s Exhibition Day!”
“It won’t.” I pushed my long dark-blonde hair behind my ears and Maia began to braid the mass before securing it with a ribbon.
“Let’s go. It is time.” My mother took one hand and Beryla the other. Maia followed.
As we left my rooms, we were joined by the same guardsmen who had pleasured me earlier that morning, now attired in the black-and-red royal uniforms, swords sheathed at their sides. I smiled at them and they smiled back. Renewed desire flooded my body as I remembered what they had done with me, to me. I realized that after the ceremony I could have them also, whenever I wished.
My flesh tingled. I felt wet between my legs and I could hardly put one foot in front of the other from the trembling in my limbs.
I was very ready.
We walked through the palace to the front, where a marble terrace some yards wide formed a platform below
which lawns extended to the castle walls and portcullis. Today the gates were open and the public had gathered to watch. Two of Janus’ three moons adorned the somber sky and a festival atmosphere prevailed, with temporary booths distributing food and wine dotting the perimeter walls. I could smell roasting meats mingling with the scents of the freshly cut lawns and the perfumes worn by the scantily clad populace.
Despite the thin light and slight warmth provided by the moons, many women wore flimsy garments like mine. The males sported large decorative codpieces poking from the front slits of their tunics. I guessed that our coupling would have a stimulating effect. Good. We always needed more births.
Plus the people attended because the continued sexuality and fertility of the royal family was of great concern to Shadowlanders as well as the rest of Janus. We control the narrow strip of Shadow between Darkside and Light, the most livable part of our planet. We control the flowing streams of water, the canals and rivers along which travel all commerce. We grow most of the crops, produce most of the wealth. The rulers of the Shadowlands control Janus, and heirs mean stability.
A high platform bed rested in the center of the terrace. Behind it, against the palace wall, stood a massive gilded chair, large enough to hold three.
The Golden Throne, the literal seat of power on Janus.
My mother and sister took their places on the throne to watch. The king, my father, entered. With a proud smile, he took my shoulders in his big hands and kissed me once on each cheek. I will always remember how handsome he looked that day. Dark-haired but with green eyes like mine, he was stockily built and clad in robes of ermine and green velvet.
Tears in his eyes, he squeezed my shoulders and murmured brokenly, “My little girl…” I hugged him, my heart full of love and gratitude.
“Blessings on you, my darling dear.” He turned to the front of the terrace and raised my hand, shouting, “Blessings on Princess Audryn!”
The crowd responded, “Blessings! Blessings!” This was the traditional call for a fertile union, as well as an acknowledgment of my status as a royal.
My father wiped his damp eyes with a handkerchief and joined my mother on the Golden Throne.
Alone, I walked to the bed. I could feel the cool breeze flutter my chemise, which brushed against my breasts. My nipples firmed.
Frayn waited, already naked, already hard. He stroked his cock and a cheer rose from the watching men along with giggles from the females. He turned his head and winked at the crowd. I laughed.
Now at the bed, I took his hand. We smiled at each other and kissed.
A murmur rose from the crowd, a murmur that rose to moans as I took his face in my hands to kiss him more deeply. He reached for the front of my chemise and ripped it away, tearing it from my body. The crowd roared, as if they knew that real action was close. But Frayn had other ideas.
He eased me back onto the bed so I lay with my hips at its edge. He kneeled before me and, reaching up, parted my legs so my blonde muff and pink quim were fully presented to the onlookers. Mutters of admiration filled the air and, to my surprise, I wasn’t frightened, anxious or shy. My pussy seemed to blossom open from the sounds of acceptance I heard from my people.
Lifting myself onto my elbows, I looked over the crowd, fixing my attention on the first row. Most were watching me, but all seemed to have very busy hands. Either they stroked themselves, or more often, caressed a partner. The fancy embroidered codpieces were open and feminine hands grasped a multitude of rods. Some ladies were already on their knees, while other women had exposed their breasts, tempting the males to taste their nipples.
Frayn leaned forward and fastened his mouth to my quim. Lightning shot through me and I wantonly pushed my pelvis forward, seeking completion. Already swollen from the attentions of the guards, my clit twitched between his lips as he sucked and licked. I drew a long, deep breath and allowed the pure joy of this day to flow through my being as Frayn’s talented tongue, the lovely scratch of his beard, took me higher.
He stood, his face shining with my pussy juices, and bent over me. “The important aspect of this ceremony is that the people see me enter you, see me take you thoroughly, again and again, and see the blood of your virginity spilled over my cock. How do you want to do it?”
I blinked, called out of my erotic cloud to do my duty. I managed a grin, though I was annoyed. I was already aware of the event’s significance. “We should do it…visibly, I suppose.”
He caressed my pussy and fingered my slit. I took his tool in my hand. His cock had swelled, thick and red with desire, and I wanted him inside me. “Lie down,” I said, pulling on him to enforce obedience.
“Yes, Your Royal Highness.”
“Oh, hush up,” I said. “You’re as royal as I am.”
“Not quite.”
“Jealous?” Pushing him down, I straddled him and teased him with my body, bending my knees to dip low, letting my quim caress his cock head. My breasts brushed his chest.
He gasped, his previous arrogance gone. “Audryn, please. I’m about to burst.”
Smiling, I lowered myself onto his cock. As it entered me I heard a thousand breaths drawn, and as I took him fully into my body, those breaths whooshed out of a thousand throats. As he’d claimed, there was no pain, just a slight stretching and tingling. I seated myself firmly until I could feel his pubic hair mingling with mine and ground my pussy against him. Pleasure began to claim me, but before I lost control I lifted my body off his and, taking the shreds of my chemise, wiped the blood from his cock and my quim. I tossed it to Maia, who showed it to the crowd. The people shouted their approval.
I climbed atop Frayn again, took him again. Again the little sting, which I welcomed as the price of my womanhood. I began to ride, giving Frayn the thorough fuck he’d promised me. Ahhh… He was big inside me and it was good, better than anything… I threw back my head, arched my back and thrust my breasts skyward. The cool air teased my nipples before Frayn grasped them and pinched the tips. I rocked, rubbing my clit against his pubic bone, driving us both into a frenzy. His rod reached back all the way to my womb and the feeling of being parted, being opened, was glorious.
I ran my fingertips up and down my sides, then clasped Frayn’s hands as they cupped my breasts, increasing the pressure, increasing my pleasure. I ground against him harder and rapture tore through me as I came. I sensed rather than heard or saw my people with me… I felt as though I were floating high above them as they shared my delight… A thousand cocks spurted into a thousand willing quims while sperm rushed into a thousand wombs.
Gripping me around the waist, Frayn flipped me onto my back and pressed his weight upon me, pinning me to the bed, and began to bang me hard and long. Still peaking, I flung my legs out wide so he could get in deeper, and he grunted as he thrust. “Put your legs around my waist. It is better so.”
I obeyed, and he was right, at least for that moment. I could feel the hardness of his body inside me, atop me, rubbing against my clit. Pleasure again flooded me with inexorable bliss, pushing me toward a delight unlike anything else I had known. Yes, I knew my own body and had allowed others to pleasure me, but the unique sensation of a man inside me, his bigness, his hardness opening and dividing my channel, brought me to new heights of lust. I writhed beneath Frayn, crying out with joy… I knew that this ecstasy would be mine, again and again.
I enjoyed the first experience and all those that succeeded it, but alas, such pleasure was denied to me a scant six months later when my family drowned. Not only did grief for my loved ones sap my sexual urges, but the succession was far too important an issue to be left to random chance or my emotions. Matters of the heart are fleeting and unrelated to political reality. If I became pregnant, my child would be the heir or heiress to the Shadowlands, and my mate Shadow’s king.
Long would I hesitate and ponder such a step.
But time was running out, as the Progenitors might say. As I approached my seventeenth starturn I was at the heig
ht of my fertility, and the demands of my body had become more strident. Though any of my subjects would be honored and joyous to help me find satiety, I was careful, seeking intimacy only when I could not control my cravings. Even then, I observed limits. I could not risk a pregnancy. Too dangerous.
And I had to bear a child before I lost my precious ova, destined to die near my twentieth starturn unless I became pregnant. My private unwillingness to share power could not remain an impediment.
* * * * *
“My seventeenth starturn approaches. On that day, I am determined to crown my mate as king,” I told my ministers at our morning meeting. “Gather the best candidates from the Three Lands so that I may make an informed choice.”
Arrayed at a carved and polished wooden conference table facing the Golden Throne, the Ten grumbled and muttered. Their voices mingled with the crackling fire in the big stone hearth at one end of the wood-paneled and tapestry-clad room. Smoke spiced the air.
“What is it?” I asked. There were moments, I believed, that managing the elderly coterie, the Ten Ministers, was the most onerous task of my monarchy. Dispensing justice was, by comparison, easy. Running the bureaucracy in an efficient manner was also difficult, as was the collection of revenues. These were tasks allocated to the ministries, but even so they required oversight. They needed one strong hand on the reins of government. My hand.
That I was many starturns younger than most of my ministers was only the beginning of my difficulties with them. When I ascended the Golden Throne, I had not been educated for my role. Nearly four starturns later, the Ten had become accustomed to teaching me rather than obeying my commands.
So I had designed garments that emphasized my authority. High-heeled boots and shoes so I stood taller than any of them. Long, sweeping skirts, some with hoops and panniers to broaden my slender silhouette. The finest silks and furs, velvets and brocades. Wherever it was moved, the Golden Throne was set on a platform above all.
