by I. T. Lucas
Apparently, the last comment was one too far. Khiann was fuming. “Really? Maybe you could go to your father and renegotiate?”
Annani put on a mock sad expression. “Toven is happily joined, and he is loyal to his mate.”
“What if he were not?”
She playfully flicked Khiann’s nose with her finger. “Then you would have a serious competitor for my affections.”
“Is that so?” Khiann lifted her up, but instead of pulling her into his lap, he draped her over it and smacked her behind.
Annani turned her head and smirked at his angry face. “Jealous?” she taunted.
“Yes, I am.” He flipped the back of her dress up, exposing her naked bottom, and smacked it again, then repeated it on the other cheek.
It did not hurt at all. If anything, it was arousing. Khiann could see not only her bare cheeks but also her femininity blooming between them.
His sharp inhale confirmed that he had seen the effect, or smelled it. Annani had been told that the scent of a goddess’s desire was most pleasing to her male counterpart and acted as a powerful aphrodisiac.
As Khiann’s palm rested on the fleshy part of her upturned behind, Annani waited with breathless anticipation for his next move.
Would he caress her heated flesh?
What she wanted most was for his fingers to find her moist center and touch her the way she had touched herself when thinking of him. It would no doubt feel a thousand times better when he did it.
“Beautiful,” he said, smoothing his palm down the curve of her buttocks.
She almost cried out when Khiann stopped a fraction of a finger away from where she wanted him to touch her.
What was he waiting for?
With the haze of her desire clouding her thoughts, it took a moment until it occurred to her that he might be waiting for her permission.
“Touch me,” she breathed.
A single finger feathered over her nether lips, as if he was afraid his touch might break her.
“More.” Well aware that her request sounded more like a command, Annani was too needy to care. The hunger building up inside her was frightening in its intensity. If she did not get immediate relief, she was going to explode.
Leaning over her, Khiann kissed one buttock and then the other before blowing softly on the hot flesh in between them. “I want to lick that sweet nectar you have made for me. Is that all right?”
Had there ever been a more rhetorical question than that?
It was more than all right. It was necessary.
“Yes,” she whispered. When he did not respond immediately, she added, “Please.”
Holding both cheeks in his large hands, Khiann delved his tongue inside her. His gentle lick had the effect of a bolt of lighting on her.
Annani jerked up and away.
The sensation was too much, too intense, and she had not been prepared for her body’s response. It was like nothing she had experienced before using her own fingers.
“Too much, too soon?” Khiann asked.
“I did not expect it to feel like that.”
“Good or bad?”
“Good. Definitely good.”
“Okay then.”
When he licked her again, she forced herself to stay still.
With a soft sigh, Khiann kissed her bottom and then lifted her up and hugged her to his chest.
Bewildered, she asked, “Why did you stop?”
“You are not ready, my love. Your beautiful bottom scrambled my brains, and I jumped ahead, skipping over several necessary steps.”
What was he talking about?
“What steps? I liked your tongue on me.”
“At the least, I should have kissed you first.”
She had not been aware that a particular sequence had to be followed. Her seamstress had not mentioned it when describing the many pleasures of the flesh, and neither had her mother.
But given the fact that Khiann had been schooled in the sensual arts by experts, he probably knew better how things needed to progress to maximize her pleasure. Annani trusted him more than her female sources of information.
“Then kiss me now and then quickly follow with the other steps.”
He chuckled. “Annani, my love, you have no idea how precious you are.”
6
Khiann
It took a lot of effort to stifle the laugh bubbling up from Khiann’s chest—or more precisely from his overflowing heart. The unexpected mirth had also helped the situation with his fangs, which had retracted to their normal size.
For a few moments, he had been very close to the danger zone, the predator in him threatening to overwhelm the thinking man. The sight of Annani’s naked flesh and the evidence of her desire for him had tested his restraint.
Holding her to him, he had been struggling with the need to sink his fangs into her. Thankfully, the remainder of her inexperience and innocence had cooled him down.
Annani was like a child, who in her eagerness for the candy had resigned herself to eating her vegetables first and getting that necessary evil out of the way as quickly as possible. What she did not know, however, was that without eating her veggies first, the candy would not taste as good.
Reluctantly, he lifted her up a little and tugged down her dress, restoring her modesty. “Patience, my beautiful flower. There is a lot of pleasure in prolonging the buildup and exercising self-denial.”
Leaning away, she eyed him as if he were out of his mind. “I do not see how it makes any sense. I know what I want, and I want it now.”
Khiann shook his head. “Do you trust me?”
From the rebellious gleam in her eyes, Annani knew where he was leading and did not like it. She crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her chin up, affecting an imperious expression. “I have no choice but to trust you.” Releasing one arm, she waved it in front of his face. “You are the one who has been taught by experts and has all the experience. I am only a naive virgin.” Annani huffed and returned her arm to where it had been before.
Feisty sprite.
Khiann loved Annani’s spunk and her spirit, but the flip side was that she was not as pliable and accommodating as the other women he had been with. He was used to females who were eager to please him and thought little of their own pleasure. It had been up to him to ensure they had received as much or more than they had given.
But then he had never been with a goddess.
Of course, she would be more demanding than those who considered themselves inferior to gods.
Except, Khiann had a feeling Annani’s assertiveness had nothing to do with her godly heritage. It was not even the result of her upbringing as the next ruler. It was her nature. She was born with it.
“I will make you a deal,” he said.
Annani narrowed her eyes. “What kind of a deal?”
“Until our third joining, you will have to obey my instructions and follow my rules of sensual engagement without question. It will give you time to learn what is pleasing to you and what is not. I do not want you to rush things. As I have said before, the anticipation enhances the pleasure.”
She lifted a brow. “And after our third joining, you will obey my instructions and follow my rules without question?”
He would not like it, but it was only fair. “Yes.”
Considering his proposal, Annani tapped a finger on her lips. “What if I do not know what I want even after the third joining?”
“Then you will command me to continue teaching you.”
With a soft sigh, Annani uncrossed her arms and put her cheek on his chest. “I am confused, I will admit it.”
He caressed her back. “About what, my love?”
“On the one hand, it excites me when you take charge, and I yield to you, but on the other hand, I want you to do exactly what I have in mind, at the exact moment I want it. I know it does not make any sense, and not only because of the contradiction. You are not a mind reader. Also, I do not wish to be selfish
. I want to know what pleases you as well.”
Perfection. He loved that she was not afraid to reveal her innermost thoughts. In fact, it seemed that Annani was not afraid of anything.
His courageous princess.
Before answering, he palmed her nape and kissed her long and hard, leaving her panting and breathless when he was done.
“I do not need to be a mind reader to fulfill your desires. It is my pleasure as well as my duty to learn your every little response and know your body and mind better than you know it yourself. Because you are inexperienced, you need to learn it as well. The art of sensual pleasure is not a theoretical study. It can only be learned by experiencing and experimenting, preferably with one who has reached mastery in the field.”
Annani chuckled. “I will make you a deal.”
That should be interesting. “Yes?”
“I will agree to your deal provided you never mention your prior experiences again. I would rather pretend that you were born with the knowledge.”
He was not going to get a better one than that. “Agreed.”
Annani wrapped her arms around his neck and lifted her head. “Let us seal the deal with another kiss.”
Evidently, agreeing to the deal and actually following his rules were not one and the same. Annani could not go against her nature. But she would learn.
“I will let it slide this time, but from now on I am the one giving out instructions. Is that clear?” He arched a brow.
“Sorry. Old habits and all that. I will try to hold my tongue and practice obedience until our third joining. Hopefully, it will not take too long to reach that pinnacle.” She winked at him.
“Imp.” He tweaked her nose. The earth’s core would freeze over before Annani learned obedience, but it would be fun watching her try.
7
Esag
“Can you come with me?” Esag asked Khiann.
“To court Ashegan? Have you lost your mind?”
“Please? I cannot stand being alone with her.” The girl talked and talked and talked. If he were a human, he would have gotten a headache.
Khiann shook his head. “You need to break off the engagement. Imagine an eternity of misery being mated to someone you cannot stand.”
Esag scratched the back of his head. “I wish I could, but my family needs this. My father has gained a lot of business connections thanks to Ashegan’s father, and my sisters have better chances of securing good mates. If I break the engagement, all of it would be lost. It would ruin my family.”
“I understand. You have explained all of that before, but you did not tell me you were actually suffering in her company. It is one thing to be joined with someone you do not love, and another thing altogether to be joined to someone you cannot stand. In the first case, love can come later, which is not likely in the second.”
“That is what concubines and mistresses are for.” Esag winked. “You will have to raise my pay.” As Khiann’s squire, he was earning decent wages but not enough to support a wife and a mistress.
The thing was, everyone expected Esag to leave Khiann’s employ after the joining and start working for Ashegan’s father. The pay would be much better, and after learning the ins and outs of the metalworking business, he could open a shop of his own. Not a bad life for an immortal from a lowly family. All he had to sacrifice for it was joining with an annoying woman.
Besides, Ashegan might mature into someone he could at least tolerate. After all, she was pleasant to look at, and if he stuffed his ears with wool, he would not have to listen to her either. She would not even notice because their conversations were one-sided. She talked, and he pretended to listen, smiling and nodding from time to time.
It was safer that way.
The girl got offended by everything and cried over nothing. Esag had given up on having a normal conversation with her a long time ago.
“I should be going. If I am late even a little, Ashegan will take offense and cry.”
Khiann put down his tablet and looked up at him. “What if you could secure another joining that is beneficial to your family? Find a nice immortal girl who will not drive you crazy?”
“Too late for that. Besides, Ashegan is the best I can get. Her father must have known she would grow up to be an intolerable female and made sure her intended could not run off.”
Khiann tried to hide the pity in his eyes by looking down at his tablet. “Good luck, my friend. Maybe she will change for the better after the joining.”
“I hope.” Esag bowed. “I will see you tomorrow morning.”
“Esag!” Khiann called after him.
“Yes?”
“Remember what I have told you about keeping ‘you know what’ a secret.”
Esag put his hand over his heart. “I have sworn it on my immortal life, my lord. Your secret is safe with me.”
“Very well.”
It was a testament to their friendship that Khiann had confided in him about his secret courtship of Annani.
The lucky bastard.
Luck seemed to follow the rich and the powerful. Khiann was courting the woman he loved, one who also happened to be the future ruler of their people.
Would Ahn have agreed to the courtship if Khiann was the son of a poor family instead of the richest? Not that any of the other gods were poor. As heads of city-states, they collected taxes and were rich without doing much.
Except, Esag did not envy Khiann his future bride, he envied Khiann’s ability to choose. Annani was stunning, probably the most beautiful goddess of them all, but she was a handful.
Esag liked demure girls. Not subservient, but feminine, quiet, and well-mannered.
Like Gulan.
The girl had run off on him when he had told her she was beautiful. Chasing after her all the way back to the gazebo, he had been surprised at her speed. Apparently, Gulan was not only as strong as a male but could run just as fast.
When he had finally caught up with her, he could not ask her what troubled her in front of the two gods. She had refused to even look at him.
For some reason, his compliment had scared her away or offended her. Had she thought he had lied?
It was true that most males would not have thought of Gulan as feminine, but that was because they looked at her tall frame and did not bother to look at her beautiful face and gorgeous eyes.
Esag could see nothing else.
Well, that was not entirely true. The girl was blessed with an impressive pair of breasts that he could not wait to put his hands on. And he had noticed her legs as well. They were long and strong.
Last night he had pleasured himself while fantasizing about those legs wrapped around his middle, squeezing as he thrust into her.
Damnation. Esag’s steps faltered as he hardened and had to adjust himself.
Gulan was precisely the type of girl he would have chosen for himself if he were free to do so. Her size and strength aside, she had a very mellow character, was polite to a fault, and as demure as they came. She was not stupid or vacuous either.
Perhaps he could convince her to become his concubine. He could build a separate life with her, treating her as well as he would an official mate. And if Ashegan retaliated by taking lovers of her own, he would not mind at all.
It could work.
Gods and immortals were not known for their fidelity, and arrangements like that were common. Except for the truelove couples, most everyone took lovers on the side; some did it only occasionally, while others opted for more permanent arrangements.
Gulan was not a daughter of a prominent family, and given her unusual physical attributes, her chances of a good mating were slim. The best she could hope for was a position as a permanent concubine or a mistress.
Why not his?
With that idea lifting his spirits, Esag’s strode into Ashegan’s residence with a big smile on his face.
“Hello, my lovely intended.”
His greeting was met with a frown. “You are late.”
8
Annani
Six weeks into Khiann’s daily tutoring, Annani had learned very little about commerce and a lot about her own sexuality, or as much as was possible to explore with both of them keeping their clothes on.
There was only so much they could allow themselves to do under the protection of the shroud. From time to time people stopped by to talk to them, and there was always a chance a god or goddess would venture into the gardens.
Shrouding did not work on gods, only on immortals and humans.
Frustration had become Annani’s constant companion, so much so that she had started snapping at poor Gulan for no good reason. Despicable behavior, since the girl could not retaliate. She was just an easy and available target. Annani felt disgusted with herself for the way she was treating her best friend.
Bottom line, it was time to graduate from Khiann’s course on sensuality, or at least move to the next level. Meaning, she had to find them a private place where they could finally touch each other all over without worrying about getting caught.
The gazebo was no good, and so was her room. The entire palace would know if she invited Khiann into her chamber. Which left only one option.
Enlisting Ekin’s help.
If there was any god who would be willing to risk her father’s wrath, it was Ekin. As second in command and an invaluable scientist and inventor, Ekin was untouchable, and he knew it. There was nothing Ahn could or would do to him.
Her uncle would also be sympathetic to her cause. Or at least she hoped he would. Ekin was all for free love, but he was also Mortdh’s father. Annani still found it hard to believe that he would choose her side over his own son, even if the two were not on speaking terms.
“I am going to talk to my uncle,” she told Gulan.
“Do you want to change before you go, my lady?”
