Priestess Bound

by Lidiya Foxglove

  Abel spread empty hands. “Sir Forrest…please, let me explain.”

  Forrest, Gilbert, please!

  But I knew Sir Forrest was still itching to do battle with Abel ever since the last time, and I knew how this must look with my body on the ground, barely moving, and Niko apparently fading into unconsciousness again. And, yeah, I mean, maybe Abel deserved to get beaten up. We just didn’t have time for that now.

  “Your empty hands mean nothing. You don’t even need a sword,” Forrest said, swinging his blade close to Abel’s ear. Abel turned away in the nick of time; I think he might have been out an ear if he’d stayed put.

  “He looks hurt,” Gilbert said.

  “I don’t care. He froze me. What would have happened if Phoebe hadn’t been there? That’s how you kill men, isn’t it; like a magical coward? But I don’t care about myself. Now you’ve hurt her.”

  Forrest! Please don’t hurt him! I still couldn’t scream at all.

  Forrest was obviously deaf to my internal cries. I had a bond with my guys, but it didn’t seem to work if they were unwilling to listen. Even if I could scream out loud I had a feeling he wouldn’t hear me. Forrest was still trying to strike at Abel, and Abel was dodging, but I could see his foot was badly wounded and there was calculation in his eyes. Maybe he would have to fight back. “Listen to me,” Abel said. “I don’t want to hurt her. I want to help you. I was raised to be loyal to the empire, and I realize I took too long to open my eyes, but I’m never going back there now.”

  I’m not sure that was really what Forrest even wanted to hear. I was going to have to lay here paralyzed and watch them kill each other, and what could I do? At least Gilbert and Rin were holding back, letting Forrest and Abel have their fight. Gilbert rushed to my side and pulled my limp body into his arms. I tried to give him a pleading look.

  “Phoebe? Speak to me, love…” I think he interpreted my look as pain or fear. I’m not sure that helped matters.

  I realized that if Forrest wasn’t listening to me, maybe Abel would. When I was first searching him out, he was the most difficult to sense. But for whatever reason, once I healed his sigil, he became more aware of me than any of the others.

  Abel, give him Monster Cleaver!

  As I said this, Abel took a hard blow. Forrest had struck him with the side of his sword. At least he wasn’t trying to draw blood—yet. Abel stepped back on his twisted foot and fell back. He quickly unbuckled his sword belt and threw it at Forrest.

  Abel huffed. “Phoebe doesn’t want us to fight. I know I’ve made mistakes. Maybe unforgivable mistakes. But—if it’s possible to atone for them, I want to try.”

  “I don’t trust you.” Forrest picked up the sword. “I don’t know that I ever will.”

  “I know the truth now,” Abel said. “I’m not the son of Lord du Lac, I’m a dragon. My adoptive parents and the Emperor burned off my sigil and used me. They knew I had great power and they raised me to kill. That has been my entire life. Training, fighting, rising through the ranks. I’ve never loved anyone, really. I thought I was hollow inside and it made it easy for me to ignore the things that felt wrong. It’s not an excuse, but—all I can say is that when Phoebe touched my sigil, I felt something open up inside me, and it scared me, because I knew in that very moment everything I had been raised to believe was threatened. I resisted her…until I no longer could.”

  “Please,” I croaked. My voice was working a little bit. “Don’ hurrim.”

  “Don’t hurt him, she says,” Gilbert helpfully translated for scowling Forrest.

  “I heard her.”

  I realized some of the party crowd was starting to gather around.

  “We do need him,” Gilbert said. “If he’s willing to help us. We’ve always known that we’d be much stronger that way. Whatever we might think of him, Phoebe can’t help but be drawn to him. It will cause her much less pain if he is on her side. If we love her, we have to love him.”

  “I love Phoebe. I have a mission. We’ll leave it—at—that.” Forrest could barely contain the rage in his voice, but he quietly put Monster Cleaver back where the sword belonged. I’m sure he was thinking of Elder Dion giving it to him, and Abel killing Elder Dion at the Emperor’s command. I couldn’t blame him for being angry.

  “If I’m going to help you, we have to leave the city now,” Abel said. “The emperor’s guards are waiting for me just outside this house. If he knows I’ve turned on him, this is our only chance. Either I bring him Phoebe tonight, or we flee tonight.”

  “Niko’s not well enough to travel and you look like shit yourself,” Forrest said, looking at Abel’s ankle, which, without the boot, was swelling up almost as much as Himika’s did before. “Can you walk?”

  “I’ll manage.” Abel looked at Niko. “I know you can fit him in a carriage wagon.”

  “But he can’t heal up cramped into a carriage,” Forrest said.

  “He won’t have to. We’ll take my ship,” Abel said. “The Claire de Lune is waiting in the harbor. It’s the fastest ship in the fleet. We’ll get to Pentia; it’s near Gaermon as you probably know and some of the Gaermoni swordsmen have fled there.”

  “We might be able to summon more from Imiri as well,” Rin said. “The bulk of them would have gone there.”

  “Do it,” Niko growled. “It’s a good plan.”

  Abel shifted position and Rin, bless him, offered a hand to help him up. Forrest turned away from them but he looked at Emmaline, who had walked onto the scene. “I need any men who know how to fight and sail.”

  Abel couldn’t seem to put weight on his foot.

  “That looks bad,” Rin said. “Let me see.” He pressed on the wound and Abel gritted his teeth. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve broken it. You can ride in the carriage with Niko.”

  “Damnit,” Abel said.

  “We need him,” I said. “Let me…heal you. While they get ready.”

  Gilbert was still holding me in his arms and I felt his grip shift, clutching me closer. “Phoebe, you’re not well either.”

  “I’m not in pain…it’s getting better…” I twitched my fingers.

  “I’m coming with you, then,” he said.

  “Gilbert…it’s okay,” I said. “Just him. I want to.”

  The truth was, I felt like Abel needed to touch me and our sigils needed to truly join. It would heal him and make him stronger for the fight ahead, and more than that, he would feel more than words could ever say what that bond meant. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. And he wouldn’t be able to take his time, either. Our situation was too perilous. He would have to lose himself in the moment, and it would be the first step to all the many times he would lose himself to me.

  “All right,” Gilbert said. “But I will stand guard outside the door.”

  “You do that,” I agreed. “I might need you to keep Forrest out as much as anything…”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Phoebe

  We didn’t have much time, I knew. The Emperor’s guard was waiting for Abel to appear, and Sir Forrest would have to gather men and prepare transportation and weapons as best they could without being noticed. They might have to fight.

  But I had to forget all of that and think only of what I could give to Abel now. I had to make him strong for me, and bind him to me.

  Gilbert hurried me into a spare room, draping my limp body onto the bed and gently kissing me. “Be careful, my lady,” he said. He brushed my sigil with his hand, knowing it would help me be more aroused—maybe unaware that I was already more eager for Abel than I ever wanted to admit. Rin helped Abel limp along, and then the door shut behind us and suddenly we were alone. My fingers and toes were stating to regain movement but I was, by and large, helpless.

  It didn’t seem to matter, though. Not in this situation. I was becoming more aware by the day of the power I held. Abel had tried to resist the magic, and he couldn’t, so there was nothing to fear from him now.

  I was still afraid tho
ugh, in a more confusing way, that maybe we would never really come to an understanding.

  “Do you know what you need to do?” I asked him.

  “Yes.”

  He limped close to me and sat down on the bed beside me, his eyes carefully studying every inch of me.

  “I’m not good at love,” he said. “You look so young. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  I snorted. “I’m twenty-two. I guess it’s nothing to you, old dragon, but half the girls my age in the village already have babies. And I’m the priestess.”

  He looked like he didn’t know what to do with a girl who snorted. “I hope you mean that, because I’ve never felt anything like this before,” he said. “I desire you so intensely that I’m not sure I can be gentle.”

  I bit my lip as my own desire rose to meet his, mingled with apprehension. “Just fuck me normally, okay?”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “I mean—your channel is the, uh, back, during the Grand Quintet. But no one’s ever done anything there before and since we’re in a hurry and I can’t move, please don’t.”

  His ears got slightly red, which was surprisingly endearing, contrasted with the cold blue of his eyes. “No, I won’t—not in this moment. But don’t be afraid of when I do.” He dared to graze a hand over the line of my neck, and a shiver went through me. “You are a little afraid of me.”

  “Not exactly, but…”

  “Yes. I don’t blame you at all. I would be afraid of myself, if I were anyone else. Your skin is warm…”

  “Your skin is cold,” I said.

  “I’m an ice dragon. But I do warm up at times.” He peeled down the edge of my bodice, revealing my breasts. I almost cringed when he took them between his rather cold fingers, but it was pleasure and pain, like making love to Forrest when he was frozen. And Abel was not as cold as that. He did seem to warm on contact.

  I could feel every nerve in my body responding to that touch, and I tried to arch my back against the sensation, but all I could do was flap my hands and flex my toes a little. I was paralyzed but not numb at all, which was a very strange feeling.

  “We don’t have much time,” I said.

  “I know…but I can’t move too quickly,” he said. “I never realized until now how long I’ve been waiting for this. This is the first time. The only first time we’ll ever have. Time will have to stand still for us. I want to taste all of you.”

  “Just…hurry,” I said.

  He lifted my skirts and I shuddered anew in anticipation. The froth of my skirts blocked my view of him but I felt his hands slide up my thighs and his breath fall—warmer than his fingers were—against my clit. His tongue slipped into my folds, licking like he wanted to taste me and he truly savored every drop of my cream and my body responded by giving him more. I stopped trying to fight against the poison. I was falling into the sensation of it. I couldn’t do anything else. His tongue was slightly rougher than a human, I thought. Not nearly as rough as Wretch’s little tongue, there was just a slight abrasiveness that left me so stimulated, I was seeing stars. Was Niko’s tongue like this too? I realized I wasn’t sure. Niko was more of a taker than a giver, and it wasn’t as easy to tell when we kissed.

  I hadn’t expected Abel to do this to me. There was something animalistic unleashed in his ravenous tasting of me. He’s a different kind of beast than Niko, I thought, not what I expected when Abel seemed so cold. But maybe that was why it was so hard when he fell. I knew Niko had been with many other women, while Commander Abel was famous for spurning suitors. I let out a ragged moan as I felt his tongue thrust inside me, stroking my inner walls.

  “Lord Commander,” I murmured, because the vision of him as the famous commander, pushing away all other women, and then succumbing to me was making me feel even more aroused.

  He made a little “hm” like this pleased him, and spurred him on. I was so wet that I could feel it trickling down, despite that he lapped it up. The sensation was too exquisite, and he felt like such a prize.

  He gathered me into his arms, all in one fluid motion. My body hung limp in his arms. I struggled to lift my hand up to touch him.

  “Priestess…you taste as sweet as honey,” he murmured. “If I had my fill of you I think you’d be begging for mercy.”

  “Mm…something for later. Is your foot feeling better?”

  “A little. But I need more.”

  “Go for it,” I said.

  He pulled me back, sitting on his lap, shoving my skirts up around me until his sigil pressed against my tailbone and I felt his rigid cock between my ass cheeks. The brush of his sigil made me feel like he could have done anything to me and I wouldn’t have cared, but he respected my request for now, the head of his cock probing forward to find my pussy as his hands supported me. I was starting to be able to move a little more, and my legs flailed as I tried to spread them wider. He realized what I was doing and lifted my knees wide open. His cock drove into me; I had never even gotten a look at it before I felt it inside me. I don’t know big he was, but he was cold at first. I had no idea when I healed Forrest from the freeze that I was only preparing myself for an ice dragon. The shock of it made everything sharper and I gasped.

  He growled in my ear with wild desire. “This is everything,” he said. “I never knew—“

  He pushed me down on the bed and spread himself over me, claiming me mercilessly as he started to warm up and I started to lose myself, once again, in my position. My hands curled around the sheets. I could barely lift my head.

  “How many other women have you been with?” I asked.

  “One.”

  “Just one? Yeesh, you and Forrest both, and I thought military guys would be the worst.”

  “Yes…a courtesan in Rungenold. She didn’t want to touch my cold skin, and asked what was wrong with me. I didn’t really know what was wrong with me. She gave me a release but within five minutes I wanted you again. I don’t care about other women.”

  “You wanted me? But you didn’t know I existed.”

  “That’s right.” He laughed humorlessly. “It’s just that I didn’t have a name for you then. When you woke my sigil, I started to realize, tamping it all down as best I could. I can’t hold back anymore. I want to devour you.”

  He covered my hands with his own and nipped at my bare shoulder, as he fucked me so hard I wondered if I’d be able to walk after all this. My pussy was blazing hot by now, overwhelming his iciness entirely. None of the other guys had ever taken me so roughly as this, like they didn’t even care if they bruised me; even in the heat of the moment I think they tried to treat me with a certain respect. Yeah, even Niko. He was more of a big talker than a hard lover. Emotional dominance mattered most to him; his body still treated me like I was precious. And I loved that about them.

  But I had to admit, I loved this too, and I loved it more because it was Abel, the most straitlaced of them all, the man who had resisted me for so long and maintained a reputation of so much strength and control, now fucking me with complete abandon, his breathing hard and verging into moans. Even as I felt him drawing my magic and my healing power, leaving me spent, I really felt like a goddess if I could do this to ‘Lord Commander Abelard du Lac’.

  I didn’t want to lose it too hard with Gilbert just outside the door, but I couldn’t help it. The ferocious pounding of his cock was suddenly shattering me into pieces. The paralysis poison had done some weird things to my insides too, so the contractions of my orgasm came slow and deep, and I couldn’t even move much, so I had to scream. I let out a frenzied cry.

  “Phoebe?” Gilbert called.

  “Ahhh!” I tried to sound less distressed.

  “We need to go! The Black Army is onto us.”

  Abel’s seed wasn’t as cold as his skin, luckily. I felt it filling me, heard our mingled juices, slick and wet as he pulled out.

  Abel stepped back, breathing hard.

  “How’s your foot now?” I asked.

  “It
seems…almost good as new.”

  “Good. Carry me. We have to get going.”

  “I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

  “I’ll be all right.”

  He wiped me off a little with a corner of sheet, shoved my skirts down, and took me into his arms. I curled against him, clutching the edge of his collar. As we stepped into the light of Gilbert’s lantern, I had a moment to get a close look at him. Except for a few spots that had been bloodied and torn in the fight, his clothes and light armor seemed so clean and pristine. His hair was soft with a recent wash and he was closely shaved. I could just tell that Abel kept everything perfect, not out of vanity, I thought, but from a need to project control.

  “Feeling better?” Gilbert asked.

  “Very much so…”

  “Good. I’ll hold Phoebe. You’ll need your sword.”

  “I gave my sword to Forrest. Your music might be as useful in this instance. The Black Army isn’t very well trained to resist bards, only the mages.”

  “Oh, well, are you comfortable, Phoebe?”

  I think Gilbert wanted to take me from Abel as much as Abel wanted to keep me close.

  “Yes. We just need to move,” I said, trying to smooth things over. “The carriages are ready, then? Is Niko all right?”

  “For now. He’s in the carriage. Yes, everything’s ready, my lady.”

  Gilbert held up the lantern and Abel kept close to him. We rushed out through the courtyard, some of Emmaline’s servants pointing us to the stables. The stables were huge, a mansion unto themselves (although smellier). I was freshly astonished but how much rich people had compared to the people in my village back home. At least Emmaline was willing to share. The scene was somewhat frantic by the light of flickering lanterns as trunks were tossed onto carriage racks and men were arming themselves. The stable doors were barred. I heard some fighting outside. I wondered if we’d be able to get out.

  I saw Forrest rush by, and then stop, and I realized I should have asked Gilbert to carry me after all. Forrest looked so stunned to see me in Abel’s arms. And I knew that pain was reasonable. He had known Abel before I did, and fought at his side.