by Cheever, Sam
Our musk rose up between us, making my stomach clench with desire.
Dialle grabbed my hand. “What, Astra? Tell me what you want.”
I shuddered with incapacitating need. “I want you, Dialle. I want your hands, your lips, your cock.”
He slid a hand between our bodies and rubbed the nub of my clitoris, sending me ever closer to the delightful culmination building within me. “Only me, Astra?”
“Oh god, yes. Only you. No one else.”
He slipped the first inch of his shaft inside me. I panted, waiting for the rest. “You are my queen, Astra, my heart, my power. I need your loyalty above all else. What do you need from me, my heart? Only my body?”
My head was shaking before he finished the words. Swamped by the needs of my body, throbbing under the physical demands of my Settling, I finally realized what my pride and my independence had kept me from realizing since Dialle and I had begun our emotional dance together. I realized that I’d already given him my heart. He’d taken my body long ago, and I’d easily and willingly given it to him. But I’d thought I was withholding my heart from him, keeping my emotions under tight control. I realized now that that wasn’t true. I’d been fooling myself.
All of the recent close calls. I’d thought I’d escaped them through sheer chance and lucky happenstance, but I now realized I’d stopped myself. Each and every time.
Even drugged by my Settling. Even drenched in lust. I had chosen Dialle.
Chosen what he offered me.
Chosen what we were when we were together.
The realization made me even needier, created even more fire between us. Like a flash fire, the silken sheets beneath our bodies erupted into multihued pillars of fire, dancing to the beat of a song only Dialle and I could hear.
“You, Dialle. Just you,” I murmured against his lips.
He plunged deep and I screamed with delight.
The fire framed our writhing bodies, bathed us in harmless heat and color. We barely noticed as we reached toward the bright culmination dancing just out of reach, strained toward it.
Until, with a primal scream of sheer joy, we fell over.
Our bodies pulsed and clenched. Bright lights erupted around us, stars danced before my eyes and my toes curled happily as the last wondrous waves of pleasure swamped me.
When we softened into gentle aftershocks, as the flames died down to a wisp of smoke, I said his name and captured his incredible lips in a reverent kiss.
Finally, he panted against my mouth. “Our bond is complete. You have given yourself to me.”
My tongue came out and swept the fragrant seam of his mouth. And I moaned at his exquisite taste. “It’s your fault,” I told him with a crooked smile, “I was waiting for you to decide.”
His laughter warmed my quickly cooling body and sent us into the dance again.
Chapter Twelve
Back to Wonderland
The sister still remains aloof, her destination vague,
But auntie waits upon our miss, in the dungeons of the rogue.
While my personal life was happily back on track, Settling and all, I still had a shitload of problems to address. Tops on that list was rescuing Darma from Dialle the First’s evil clutches.
I lay in a tangled pile of damp and smoldering sheets and watched Dialle. He was going through Court business on his televisual, occasionally glancing toward me as if making sure I was still there.
I gave him a little finger wave each time, making him smile. My inactivity was unusual and unexpected, for both of us. I wanted to take action, had been trying to do just that for days, but until I knew where Darma was being kept I couldn’t exactly go get her. It was frustrating to say the least. However, my mind was busily working through my options as I lay there.
I kept coming up against a dead end because I couldn’t figure out how to get what I wanted without Dialle’s help. And I was pretty sure he was too involved in saving his crown to mess with saving my cranky sister.
Maybe Torre could help me… I blinked. Torre! I sat up. “Dialle?”
“Hmmm?”
“Where’s Torre?”
He looked up, his dark eyes swirling with emotion and bright specs of color. “He is at Father’s court, keeping an eye on your sister.”
I blinked. I hadn’t seen that coming. “Really?”
Dialle nodded. “I could not stop him. He vowed to kill father if he touches her.”
My eyes widened in surprise. Torre was not exactly warrior material. “And?”
Dialle’s sexy lips spread in a smile. “He has not had to save your sister’s honor yet. The few times Father has tried to press his attentions on her he’s ended up fleeing the room a hair in front of a power arrow or heavy flying objects.”
I laughed. “That’s my girl,” I murmured. When push came to shove, apparently Darma was willing to use what the Big Guy had given her. “I’m glad to hear she’s protecting herself at least.”
“Yes.” Dialle tapped a button on the televisual and stood, frowning slightly. “Unfortunately, Father has taken steps to contain her and cut off her use of power. Torre has reported that this night will be their official mating ritual.”
I leapt from the bed. “We have to stop him!”
Dialle strode toward me. He was wearing his usual uniform of tight, black leather pants and a voluminous, white shirt that framed his golden chest and muscular biceps perfectly. I licked my lips against a surge of lust and forced it back.
I had things I needed to do before succumbing to Dialle’s charms again.
He reached me, grabbing my hand and pulling me into a searing kiss. When he released me I was dazed, my blood boiling with longing. “That is exactly what we must do, my love. If father succeeds in bonding with your sister, his power will be more than doubled. I cannot allow that to occur.”
I licked my lips and nodded. “Yeah.” My skin prickled with awareness. I fought to kick start my brain into functioning again. “Um…so what now?”
He touched my lips with his finger and trailed it down my chin, tracing his lips over the areas he’d warmed with the finger. I pulled him closer, wrapping myself around his long, lean body. Sparks flew from our bodies wherever we touched. Dialle pulled away, chuckling, and dropped his forehead to mine. “This Settling is going to be the death of me.”
I sucked in supercharged air and pressed my knees together. “You think it’s hard on you.” But I grinned at him, happy we were good again.
Dialle turned away with a look of regret in his dark eyes. “I’ll be back shortly.”
“Wait! Where are you going?”
He didn’t turn or slow. The door to his chambers opened as he approached, showing me Gerch and several other members of his guard waiting for him outside. “I’m going to torture and dismember Nerul. And then, just before he gasps his last breath, I’m going to make him tell me where your sister is being held.”
I laughed. “Funny guy.” Then I frowned. “You are joking, right?” When he just continued walking I thought it prudent to remind him, “We may need him, you know.”
That time I got a wave.
I sighed. “Much as I’d like to help dismember him,” I murmured. A quick, painful memory of how he’d played with me, using my Settling against me, only an hour previous brought anger, bright and sharp, to the forefront of my emotions. “Damnable devil.”
My mental drawers shifted and my sister’s strident, accusatory voice intruded on my thoughts. Astra!
I closed my eyes, praying for strength. Darma?
Why am I still here?
Good Lord! I’m trying, Darma.
Maybe Aunt Myra would be more successful. So far you just suck.
My eyes widened. Myra! Oops! I gotta go, Darma. We’ll be there to get you shortly.
Wai—
I switched mental paths, looking for Dialle. Hey! I need to pop out for a minute, can I borrow Frick and Frack?
I could feel his frown in my mind. Who?
/> My guards, the ones you saddled me with earlier.
You mean Darielle and Omnus? The guards who saved your virtue and possibly your life with Nerul? He reminded me none too subtly.
I rolled my eyes. Dialle could be such a drama queen. Yeah, them.
I don’t want you gallivanting around in this circle, Astra. We’re very close to the fiery pits here. The temperature is over five thousand degrees in the shade. If you stepped outside by accident, you’d be ash before you managed to take a full breath.
I’m not going outside, I’m going topside. I need to get Myra out. I think she can help retrieve my sister.
Dialle sighed in my mind. He was silent for a long moment. Then, All right, but be very careful. I believe the dungeon where she is being held is protected by Dis demons.
I did a mental shrug. I can Dis with the best of ’em.
I could feel his smile in my mind. Astra, you must return within the hour. From what I’ve managed to extract from Nerul already, our window for withdrawing your sister is quickly closing.
I thought a salute at him. Aye, aye, cap’n!
At times you are so odd, Astra.
Chuckling, I grabbed up my weapons and marched from the room. I found Frick and Frack standing on either side of the door as expected. “Come along, boys, we have an angel to rescue.”
I grabbed each guard by his hard, muscular forearm and visualized the castle Dialle had extracted me from. Sight and sound stopped while we traveled.
I had the fun of staring at two surprised and horrified red faces for the entire trip, which only took seconds. When we landed, Frack gasped and jerked his arm from my grasp, looking around with trepidation.
I glared at him. “Man up, Frack, this is a simple angel extraction. You glugs should be able to do it in your sleep.”
Omnus frowned. “My name is not Frack.”
“It is now.”
Darielle, the larger of the two, cocked a craggy brow at me. “I suppose that makes me Frick?”
I turned away and headed quickly toward the wide stone steps descending toward the dungeon. “Got it in one.” I heard the sound of swords being pulled from sheaths as they ran to catch up with me. “Dialle said there are Dis demons here so look alive.”
“Frunkin’ wonderful,” one of them murmured.
As my adrenaline spiked in anticipation of the battle to come, I couldn’t help grinning. I’d missed kicking demon ass and found I was really looking forward to it. At that moment I realized something else. As battle lust slid through my blood, the effects of my Settling were muted.
Finally, something to mute the Settling.
All I had to do was kick ass to keep from giving it.
Piece of cake.
* * * * *
The stairwell down to the dungeons was wide at the top and grew progressively narrower as we descended more deeply into the putrid bowels of the castle. The smell, which had been an ugly promise at the top, became nearly insufferable by the time we reached the bottom.
I fought constantly with Frick and Frack to keep them from stepping in front of me, finally resorting to singeing Frick in his broad chest with a power arrow to get him to step back and let me have the lead.
Even so, I felt him tight at my elbow, breathing sulfurous breath down my neck, ready to leap between me and any trouble we encountered.
Damn stubborn devils.
We reached the lowest level and splashed into water. The stone and dirt floor was dotted with cold, oily puddles of water as well as piles of refuse. The place smelled like a backed-up voiding receptacle.
I pulled my shirt up, covering my nose with it, and groaned. “The stench alone could kill a person.”
I turned to find Frick glaring at me disapprovingly, his beady black eyes flicking to my exposed belly.
“You’re kidding me, right? You’re a member of the dark world. You aren’t gonna go all judgmental and puritan on me are you?”
“A queen should carry herself at all times with decorum and passivity.”
I snorted. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Where’d you get that drivel?”
Frick’s scowl deepened. “It is the way of our people. You are to be treasured and protected at all costs. It is a great honor to be your guard.”
Several snarky remarks flashed through my mind. To my credit, I didn’t spew any of them, I simply gave him a nod. “I think you might need to rewrite the queen of the devils rules just a tiny bit, Darielle. I’m not your average queen, and it’s unlikely I ever will be.”
His wide face split in a grin, making me frown with suspicion. “What?”
“You called me Darielle.”
I shrugged. “Frick suits you better.”
His stupid grin widened. I shook my head, turning away. “Let’s get my aunt out of here and get back to Dialle. We’re running out of time.”
Despite the seemingly endless hallways covered with hundreds of metal doors, it didn’t take us long to find her. I sent out my sensing power and located her aura within only a few minutes.
The problem we had was that she was being guarded by not one, but two Dis demons. Dis demons were huge, usually close to nine feet tall, and they had black bodies with patches of snow-white hair on their heads, arms and chests. A Dis demon’s wide, simian brow hung over a pair of small red eyes to the point that you could barely see the eyes. Dis demons tended to place themselves in front of whatever they were protecting and not move until you tried to move around them. They seemed to have the capacity to expand to fill whatever space they needed to fill.
I’d never fought one, but I knew Dialle had. He’d made a five-hundred-piece puzzle out of one a while back, at Demonica, the demon king Alcott’s center of operations before it was destroyed. I figured if Dialle could defeat one, I certainly should be able to.
I glanced at Frick. “You guys take the one on the left, I’ll get the bigger one.”
Frick’s massive head was shaking before the last word came out of my mouth. “Nay. You wait here and we’ll kill them both.”
“Not happenin’, devil.” I started toward the demons. “Fine, I’ll kill them both.”
Frick reached out an enormous paw and wrapped it around my forearm. “Nay! You stay here, where you’ll be safe.”
I reached up and touched his ear with a power-saturated finger. The finger sparked and he jerked under what I knew was unimaginable pain. A lower devil’s ears, like a demon’s, are excruciatingly sensitive. Smoke drifted upward from the ear and the smell of cooked meat wafted past my nose. Frick sighed, dropping my arm. “Fine, you may kill the smaller one.”
I grinned. The back and forth had been just for show. I knew where I wanted to be at the culmination of the negotiation, and that was where I ended up. The smaller demon was obviously the more intelligent of the two. I could tell by the way his small red eyes followed my every move.
I felt smug.
Although outsmarting a lower devil wasn’t exactly solar rocket science, it was personally satisfying anyway.
I nodded my agreement and sighed, making Frick believe I’d given up more than I’d wanted to give, and started toward the smaller Dis demon, which was eight and a half feet tall if it was an inch.
I watched the demon carefully for signs of its weak points. Generally a demon will telegraph its weaknesses by protecting them somehow. Standing so that the weak area is away from you, or holding its arms over a certain body part.
The Dis demon’s body language didn’t change discernibly as I approached it. It stood in an open, defensive posture and spread hands that could pop a basketball at its sides.
Wide open and ready for me.
Not a good sign.
“Okay,” I murmured, “so you have no weaknesses, eh?” I stood a few feet away, aware that Frick and Frack had engaged the second demon and were having a jolly old time amidst the sound of grunting and the splashing of bodily fluids nearby.
I only hoped the blood came from the demon rather than my enthus
iastic guards.
Somehow I doubted it.
I caught the demon’s red gaze and held it, my hands filled with knives and my power throbbing just under the surface of my skin, ready to be pulled out at the first sign of movement from the demon.
But it didn’t move. Its red gaze locked on to mine and its massive body held firm.
I concentrated hard on the area behind it, realizing there wasn’t much room between its huge, rocklike body and the metal door, and pulled my power forward.
I saw the slight widening of the demon’s eyes as I started to disappear, and realized I’d lost the element of surprise.
Sure enough, when I reappeared just behind it, the demon was turned, waiting for me, and grabbed me by the shoulders before I could attack.
It threw me high and hard, toward the greasy wall on the other side of the passageway. I hit the metal grate in the door and barely avoided being grabbed by a filthy claw of a hand that snaked through the grate as I hit.
The impact knocked all the air from my lungs and nausea blossomed in my stomach from the pain. A filthy face replaced the clawed hand and sewer breath swept over me. “Better get up, missy.”
I blinked and saw the Dis demon standing over me, its face unreadable in the dim light. I rolled as it reached for me, using a preternatural speed that seemed impossible given its size and blocky build. I hadn’t been expecting that kind of speed and barely avoided its grasp.
A bloody sword lay on the ground beside where I landed. Grabbing it, I leapt to my feet and flipped, flying over the demon’s head and slashing downward with the sword as I skimmed over it.
I was pleased that I managed to open up a sizeable gash in the demon’s chest before landing behind it. Lunging forward, intending to embed the sword up to the hilt in the thing’s back, I suddenly found myself flying over its head again, this time it hadn’t been my idea.
The demon had turned, grabbed my sword and used it to launch me across the space. I hit the same door and slid downward again to the sound of rusty chuckling from the cell’s inhabitant.
I glared at him. “I’d like to see you do better.”
