“Damn!” Her body shuddered as she felt her climax wash over her body. It felt like the waves lapping at her, but only inside her body. And Aleksei, that sneaky bastard, released her nipple and moved down lower. And, he didn’t even come up for air.
He could breathe underwater.
He moved lower, licking a path down her belly, and then hooked her legs over his shoulders. She closed her thighs around his head.
“Oh! Aleksei!” She gripped the edge harder as she felt his tongue on her. His mouth clamped over her clit, sending her into a spiraling orgasm as he sucked on her and his fingers continued to move inside her, filling her, but making her ache for his cock to be inside her.
When her body began to calm down, Aleksei’s head finally popped up in front of her. “Did you enjoy that, lyubimaya?”
“Uh-huh.” She reached for him. “Now, take me to bed.”
“I will,” he said. “But not, mine. I shall escort you back to your rooms.”
“What?” Her hazy, pleasure-soaked brain sobered. “What about you? Aren’t you … Don’t you want—”
He moved his lower body up against hers, so his hard cock brushed against her belly. “Never ask me again if I desire you, because you know the answer.”
“But you said that you weren’t going to have sex with me until after we got married. Clearly, we’ve crossed that line.”
“I said I would not take pleasure from you,” he reminded her. “But, I never said I would not give it to you. So, Sybil, I will give you as much pleasure as you want. Just ask.”
“But you won’t let me touch you,” she finished.
“Not until you agree to give what I ask.”
Damned bastard. “I can’t … you’d really …” How could he think she would even let him suffer like that?
His reply was quick and decisive. “Yes.”
Clearly, she’d been outmaneuvered. But then again, he probably had more experience in negotiations than she did. “Fine,” she pouted. The orgasms he gave her had been mind-blowing, but she could hold out if he could. “But you don’t know what you’re missing out on.”
It was like his gaze could penetrate the water as he stared down at her body. “Oh, I do. Believe me, I do, lyubimaya. But it will all be worth it.”
Chapter Fourteen
Aleksei stood outside Sybil’s door, fist held up to knock, but he didn’t move. He hesitated, worried about how she would react to him this morning. He wondered if she would pretend last night didn’t happen. But, at the same time, eager to see her again this morning.
Last night’s Sybil was like the fire of her dragon: hot and burning bright. Her boldness tempted him, as did her sweet little body. He controlled himself, though his dragon and his cock were in agreement and had other ideas. He soothed his ache with a cold shower after he had escorted her to her room. It had worked, for at least a little while, but still, he couldn’t erase the memory of her and how she tasted.
I must control myself. There was no compromise of negotiations—he would have all of her and he would wait. Because she was worth it. He had fallen so deeply in love with her, there was no other alternative. Hopefully, she would accept him before all this waiting killed him.
Finally, he knocked on the door. Three decisive raps before he called her name softly.
“Wait a minute,” he heard her voice call out. He could hear her scrambling about the room, then walk closer to the door.
“Good morning,” she said as she opened the door.
“Good morning.” Today, she looked lovelier than ever. She was wearing another long sweater dress, but this time it was the color of rust, plus a pair of dark trousers underneath. The top she wore had a deep V and showed off a hint of cleavage and his mind traveled back to last night, when he held her bountiful breasts in his hands and teased her hard nipples. She merely stood there and yet she tempted him. He wanted to push her back in her bedroom and have his way with her, and plunge into her willing, delectable body.
And she was willing, as she had shown him. Last night, jealousy had been a catalyst for her to move forward. He had no choice but to be polite to Lady Vera, despite his irritation that the annoying little gnat had somehow switched places with Sybil. Still, he was an honorable man and would never manipulate Sybil intentionally with jealousy. No, she would come to him, of her own accord, and not because she was some child whose toy was stolen by another.
“Are you ready?” he asked, clearing his throat.
“Yes, but I hope this is okay.” She gestured to her outfit. “I wasn’t sure what to wear on a formal tour with a king.”
A cute blush bloomed on her cheeks as his eyes roamed over her again. “It’s fine. You are fine.” He wanted to rip the sweater off of her, but bit his tongue before he could make a comment. “We should go. Father is waiting.”
Automatically, Sybil stepped forward and linked her arm around him. Interesting. She didn’t seem like she was playing games today. She seemed pleasant, her usual self at least, but he wondered what she was thinking about. Was her mind also on last night? He sincerely hoped so.
They walked out of his wing and back down to the garage. The nondescript van was already waiting for them, and Thoralf stood by the door. This was the vehicle his father used when he didn’t want to be spotted, and today called for that. After all, this was going to be an important morning for them all.
Thoralf greeted him a good morning in his mind as he grabbed the door to open it. King Harald was already seated inside.
“Good morning, my dear,” he said cheerfully. “I hope you had a good sleep.”
“Good morning, Your Majesty. And I did, thank you for asking,” Sybil said, another blush coming on and her eyes seemed to avoid Aleksei’s. She took the seat beside King Harald. “May I ask, Your Majesty, where we are going today?”
His eyes sparkled with glee. “Ah, today I will show you our greatest treasures. Niklas,” he called to his Dragon Guard and driver for the day. “I want to get started. Let’s go.”
“At once, Your Majesty.” Niklas started the car and soon they were off.
Sybil seemed content enough to stare out the window, watching the scenery go by.
Do not fret, my boy, King Harald said through their mind link. We will seal the deal today.
Aleksei hoped his father didn’t hear the inward groan in his head. This morning, he had barely woken up when he’d knocked on his door politely. Obviously, his father was being a nosy old man, wondering if he had bonded with Sybil yet. After all, since meeting her, all he wanted to know was when he was getting his dragonling grandchildren. He seemed mighty disappointed to have found his son alone in his room. Aleksei had invited his father in for a chat and told him (minus last night’s events in the pool) that Sybil still had her reservations. King Harald had given him a pat on the back and said, “I shall take care of this.”
And now, here they were, on the way to the Quarry. He wasn’t sure what his father meant to do, but Aleksei doubted Sybil would be impressed enough to accept the mating bond by what she was about to see.
Soon, they were deep into the Middlelands, right in the heart of the Northern Isles. The roads had become unpaved, and a few miles later, they passed foreboding gates and reinforced steel walls.
“We’re here,” King Harald declared as the vehicle stopped. “Let’s go.”
They alighted from the van and Aleksei helped Sybil out. The van had stopped right outside the mouth of the Quarry. Two men waited outside, dressed in traditional Northern Isle armor. They stood ramrod straight, though they executed an impressive bow to one knee as King Harald walked by.
Sybil turned her head, watching the two guards. “Who are they?” He couldn’t blame her, despite the feeling of jealousy rearing inside him. They did look splendid in their armor, plus both men were nearly seven feet tall.
“The Royal Quarry Guards,” Aleksei said, his arm tightening on her elbow.
“Are they like the Dragon Guard?”
“Something like that. Except they do not guard the Royal Family.” He guided her carefully as they walked over the slick and uneven stones.
“Then what do they guard? Is it—” Her eyes grew wide and she went slack-jawed the moment they entered the next room. “This is …”
“Splendid, is it not?” King Harald gestured behind him. “Welcome to the Royal Quarry.”
“This is some quarry,” Sybil said. “Those are … gemstones!”
Indeed, the walls of the Quarry were covered in all kinds of precious stones. They were mostly emeralds and sapphires, though they also found rubies and, much to their surprise, pearls. And these weren’t just ordinary jewels. The smallest ones were the size of Aleksei’s fist. They covered the entire cavern, which was about the size of the ballroom in the palace with walls about twenty feet high. And this was just the main corridor. The Quarry itself extended for miles underground, and were so vast that they had only finished mapping out the entire place a decade ago.
“This is our main natural resource,” King Harald explained.
Sybil chuckled then turned to Aleksei. “I remember that day when Matthias was trying to insult you and you said the same thing about ‘natural resources’. This certainly isn’t just sticks and rocks. Why … with all these gems … you could probably buy Fort Knox five times over.”
“It would attract a lot of attention,” King Harald said.
“Which is why we prefer to keep our wealth a secret,” Aleksei added. “If anyone were to find out …”
“I can see that.” Sybil still looked agog. “But … how do you manage to sell it?”
“Our ancestors relied on the black market,” Aleksei explained. “But with technology and such, we are able to use the Internet to put up hundreds of websites to sell to jewelers all over the world. We’ve been able to turn our treasure hoard quickly into cash, gold, stocks, bonds—”
“And a few shell companies and Swiss bank accounts to hide it all,” Harald finished.
“Has this always been here from the beginning?” she asked him.
“As far back as our history goes, the secret passing from King to Crown Prince.”
“As you’ve heard, dragons hoard treasure,” Aleksei began. “Water Dragons hoard gemstones.”
“In this case, however, our ancestors had already found this hoard and thus we are content to simply use them to care for our kingdom and our people.”
“Except for a few prized pieces,” King Harald said with a wink. “We are still dragons, after all.”
“The bigger ones and the really exceptional pieces we keep in the hoard treasury or have them fashioned for use by the Royal Family.”
“Wait, bigger than this?” Sybil pointed to the ruby the size of an ostrich’s egg.
“Much bigger, my dear,” King Harald said with a laugh.
“This is …” She held her hand out to touch the ruby. “May I?”
“Of course.”
She touched the gem, running her palm over the stone. “This is incredible.”
“Not as incredible as the way your family mines the blackstone,” King Harald said.
“No, but this is different.” Sybil gave a girlish laugh. “This is amazing. Thank you for showing this to me, Your Majesty. I promise to keep it a secret.”
King Harald’s eyes twinkled again. “This is a secret reserved only for the rulers of the Northern Isles, and the Dragon Guards.”
Aleksei had to give his father credit. He was a clever one. Sybil bowed her head, but flashed Aleksei a dirty look.
“We could do a tour, but it’s pretty much the same all over,” King Harald said. “Besides, I have another event planned for us.”
“An event?” Sybil asked.
“Yes. I thought it would be nice to have a gathering. A … barbecue? Is that what you Americans call it? Like a picnic.”
Sybil laughed. “Yes, a barbecue. Though we usually have those when the weather is warmer.”
It was King Harald’s turn to laugh. “My dear, this is warm in the Northern Isles. Besides, I think you will enjoy this gathering.” He gave his son a meaningful look, but didn’t send any message through their mind link. “At least, much more than last night’s dinner.”
As they approached the Royal Gardens, Aleksei still didn’t know what to expect. His father had already told him about bringing Sybil to the Quarry, but not what he planned afterwards. He just hoped he hadn’t arranged some fancy tea or soirée with more of the noble families or ministers. Something told him that Sybil would hate it, but would be too polite to say anything.
“Welcome to the Royal Gardens,” King Harald said as he led them through the gates. The Royal Gardens was located in the center of Odelia. “It was built to be a public place where people could come and enjoy the fresh air, the splendid flora, and outdoors in general, but sometimes we do close it for special functions, like today.”
The gate was open, but cordoned off with a blue-green velvet rope. Thoralf moved the rope as they approached.
“Ah, good, they are already here,” King Harald beamed.
Aleksei’s eyes scanned over his father’s guests. The delighted shrieks of children filled the air. They seemed to be everywhere—running around the paths, climbing up the trees, playing hide and seek behind the topiaries. Then, there was a group of elderly people sitting under a tent, drinking tea, chatting, and playing card games. “Who exactly did you invite, Father?”
“I thought it would be nice to have a party for the recipients of the Queen’s Trust,” King Harald said. “These are the people who most need our help.”
“It’s a charity foundation?” Sybil asked.
“Yes. We like to take care of everyone in the Northern Isles, but we still do have some especially vulnerable people. The children are from some of the more disadvantaged families on the Isles. We provide for their needs through the Children’s Foundation, while our elderly guests come from the senior community center and the local hospital.” King Harald flashed a knowing glance at Aleksei. “Your family has a similar foundation, right? The Lennox Foundation? And I’ve been told that you yourself work for the government as a social worker.”
Aleksei definitely hadn’t mentioned anything about what Sybil did for a living, but he wasn’t surprised. His father probably had Gideon gather as much information as he could about her the moment he told him about her being his mate.
“Would you like to meet them, my dear?” King Harald offered his arm.
“Of course.” Sybil took it and allowed the older man to lead her, with Aleksei following behind. They walked over to the tent where there was also food being set up—some Northern Isle delicacies, but also a few American dishes he recognized, like potato salad and hot dogs. King Harald was met by an official-looking woman, the director of the Queen’s Trust, Magda Allenstrom. Magda introduced them to the managers of the Children’s Foundation, the senior center, and the hospital. Afterwards, they all spent a significant amount of time meeting the elderly guests. It was good timing because it allowed the caretakers and volunteers from the Children’s Foundation to round up the rambunctious children. King Harald laughed at the antics of the young ones. He seemed amused that they were not impressed by his presence and obviously just wanted to keep playing and running around.
As they mingled and spoke with the people at the barbecue, someone—one of the volunteers—had to run off to help one kid who was stuck in a tree. She handed Sybil one of their youngest charges: a child a few months old whose parents had died in a terrible fire. The baby survived, and now she lived under the care of the Queen’s Trust.
“You work with children, correct?” King Harald asked, peering down at the baby in Sybil’s arms.
“Oh, yes.” She cooed at the child, tickling its nose, making her laugh.
Aleksei couldn’t help the intense feeling that was coursing through his veins as he watched Sybil cuddle the baby. Of course, he was thinking of how beautiful she would look, with her stomach round wit
h their child and eventually, holding his heir just like this. His dragon agreed wholeheartedly, and then gave a snort, probably one of disapproval at his idiotic stipulations.
We cannot dishonor her, he said to his dragon. I know getting her with child would mean she would always be tied to us, but she must come willingly.
His father wiggled his eyebrows at Aleksei. He didn’t even need to send a mental message to know what was on the king’s mind.
King Harald turned to Sybil. “I do hope you’re enjoying yourself, my dear.”
“Oh yes, this is much better than last night.” Then she turned red. “I mean, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to imply—”
“No, no need for apologies.” King Harald chuckled. “You know, my beloved Anastasia, that’s Aleksei’s mother, she loved all of this. She loved working as the head of the Trust. It was her project, after all. She started it.”
“She did?”
“Yes. Of course, we take care of all our citizens here, but Anastasia wanted to bring it all together under one umbrella organization.” King Harald smiled fondly, as he often did when he spoke of Aleksei’s mother. “See, there are people here who need help, too.”
Aleksei had to hand it to his father; the old man was sneaky. But then again, that’s what made him a good king—he knew how to read people.
“I see that,” Sybil said.
The young woman who had handed the baby to Sybil came back, all the while apologizing profusely. Sybil assured her she didn’t mind at all and was happy to help. Aleksei couldn’t help but feel proud of his mate; she would absolutely make a great queen and mother to their children someday. He just wished she would see it too. Unable to stop himself, he put a hand around her shoulder.
“Aleksei,” she whispered. “People might see.” But she made no move to shrug him off.
“Then let them see.” He leaned down close enough to her ear that he could smell her delicious scent, his nose a hair’s breadth away from her soft, smooth skin.
They spent another two hours at the barbecue, talking with everyone, eating the delicious food, and Aleksei even played a traditional Northern Isle game with the kids. When he was defeated by one of the older children, he graciously deferred to the boy, who seemed both shocked and proud that he had defeated the Crown Prince.
The Blackstone She-Dragon: Blackstone Mountain Book 8 Page 16
