Although Darronn relished the thought of dealing out the punishment for climaxing without his permission, a punishment he was sure his future queen would enjoy, he could not believe her stubbornness. As it grew more apparent that she would rather be seen naked in the streets of Spades than to call him Master, his frustration mounted and his muscles tightened to steel.
Although nakedness or near nakedness was commonplace in all of Tarok, including Spades, Darronn had no desire for anyone to view his mate’s treasures but him. The possessiveness took him by surprise and nearly shocked him speechless.
He was tempted to guide Tok away from the village and fuck Alexi to their mutual oblivion. It would be well into the night then, and the darkness would be a fine cloak when he took her to his chateau.
Or perhaps he should retrieve clothing for her now. She had asked, she simply had not addressed him in a respectful manner, as a submissive mate should.
“Ask,” he hissed.
“Nope.” And then the wench pressed her bound palms against his cock and, as much as her position would allow, skimmed her fingers along its contours.
Darronn bit back a growl and a groan.
“Very well,” he said between clenched teeth. “It is your choice, wench.”
“Sure is,” she said in a voice that taunted him, as though she knew he wished for anything but her delectable breasts and folds to be viewed by his people.
Darronn straightened in his seat and urged Tok forward. He was king, damn the skies. And he never backed down on his word.
The black eye Alexi had given him was likely to raise questions in the villagers’ minds, but they would not say them aloud.
He nudged Tok with a slight press of his knee, wanting to get this damnable thing over with. They approached the high curtain wall of the chateau’s defenses and guards swung the gates open. The men were too well trained to show any possible surprise at seeing him with Alexi in this way. Still, he wanted to cover her, anger burning through him that anyone should see her like this but himself.
He pressed his knee into Tok’s side, urging him forward. The guards shut the gates behind them and they entered the village.
Embarrassment flushed over Alexi, but she kept her chin high. While bowing to their king, men and women openly appraised her, obviously enjoying the sight of her naked body while Darronn gave rumbling snarls that almost made her laugh out loud. His little plan had backfired on him, and she knew it.
Alexi was still incredibly relaxed from her once-in-a-lifetime cataclysmic orgasm. She felt drugged from it, and drugged from the power she now knew she held over Darronn.
She smiled at the people and would have waved if her hands weren’t bound behind her back. Their appreciative stares made her body come back to life, and soon she was hornier than ever. Especially after getting a glimpse of what the villagers in this place wore. Big, brawny men in tight leather shirts and pants, and the women in strips of leather that showed more skin than they covered.
Darronn let out a low rumble and Tok trotted faster. Alexi had to bite her lip to keep from giggling, even though she so rarely giggled.
One thing she noticed was that his people did not look at him with fear, or with reverence as if he was some kind of god. Instead they smiled and appeared open and friendly, as if they were used to him working right beside them. Yet she could clearly see their respect for their king, too.
The village reminded her of a cross between a medieval setting and something more fantastical. Jul-pulled carts laden with produce, hay, and things Alexi didn’t recognize, traveled along the wide street. Vendors stood behind boxes of fruits and vegetables, bartering or selling their produce. So much was going on that she couldn’t quite absorb it all.
She wondered where the children were. School, maybe? Yet, shouldn’t younger children be around, those who were not old enough to be in school?
The road was paved with flagstones and all kinds of shops lined each side. Everything was clean and well-kept, and it smelled wonderful—of fresh baked bread from a bakery, roasted meats from a street vendor, and ale from a tavern. Her stomach rumbled and she thought about her dinner with Annie.
At the thought of her cousin, she frowned. If Alexi didn’t get back to her soon, Annie would freak. She was calm and quiet, a real southern lady, but she could get riled in a hurry if people she loved were in trouble.
When Alice had vanished, Annie had searched for her as hard as anyone. Even though Annie had told Alexi she needed to get on with her life, she knew better than to believe that her cousin would follow her advice. In her own quiet way, Annie would continue the search for Alice and never give up. And if Alexi didn’t make it back—damn. Annie might even blame herself for not walking Alexi into the house and making sure it was locked up tight.
And of course Aunt Awai would go ballistic. Never mind Alexi’s administrative assistant, Angie, who also happened to be a friend.
Nope, not even going to consider not getting back home. Alexi never let down the people she loved.
When they were beyond the admiring stares of the villagers, Alexi was almost disappointed. She could understand how models and movie stars enjoyed showing off their assets to the public—it made her hotter than ever. And best of all, it had made Darronn crazy.
As Tok carried them from the village and climbed higher on the mountain, Alexi caught glimpses of a massive earth-toned structure through the trees. It blended into the mountainside, like an incredibly huge work of art.
“Did it please you to have my people look upon your body?” Darronn asked in a furious tone, breaking into her thoughts.
Holding back a laugh, Alexi replied, “And what if it did?”
His voice deepened. “You will learn to respond to me in a manner befitting your station.”
Alexi rolled her eyes. “Get off it already.”
He actually growled. “Your punishments continue to grow.”
“Whatever.” She was too damn light-headed and hungry to argue with him right now, and she was afraid that he was going to make her beg for food. She could just see it now, her dying of starvation because he was too stubborn to stop trying to make her call him Master.
And she was too stubborn to give in.
When they finally broke through the cover of trees, she could clearly see the chateau spilling down the hillside, flowing with the terrain. She straightened in the saddle, pulling away from Darronn as she absorbed the most beautiful place she’d ever seen.
“It’s gorgeous,” she said aloud, without meaning to.
“Welcome to Spades.” Pride filled Darronn’s voice. “Your new home.”
She ignored the comment and instead concentrated on the terraced gardens, the balconies and large windows that must give a breathtaking view of his realm.
When they reached the point, at the highest floor of the building, Darronn guided Tok to what she thought must be the stables. Unusual animal sounds came from inside, like the sounds Tok had made upon occasion during the ride to the chateau.
After they entered the stables, Darronn swung off Tok’s back then pulled Alexi down on her stiletto heels. In a quick movement, her hands still bound behind her, he spun her around and clasped one hand on her ass cheek, forcing her tightly to him, while his other hand cupped the back of her head and held her still.
“You are a stubborn woman,” he said in a fierce growl, his eyes blazing as if lit with fire from within.
She met his gaze head-on. “And you’re a stubborn ass.”
Darronn brought her roughly to him at the same moment he lowered his mouth to hers. His lips crushed hers, and her head spun with the thrill and excitement of the barely contained power raging through him.
He was furious with her, but he wouldn’t hurt her, she was absolutely certain. Her instincts had never failed her. King Darronn might be a bad boy, but he was a good man…who just happened to want to get his way all the time.
Well, he’d met his match in Alexi O’Brien, and if he hadn’t figured that one out,
he was sure to in a hurry.
Darronn pulled away from her and snarled. With a roar he threw Alexi over his shoulder and strode toward his chateau and his quarters. The anger and lust burning through Darronn was beyond anything he had felt in his over two hundred Tarok years.
“Neanderthal!” Alexi wiggled against his back and shouted, “Put me down!”
He positioned his arms just beneath Alexi’s ass so that her folds would not be seen by residents of his chateau. With his mate over his shoulder, her breasts and mound were covered from curious gazes. He no longer questioned why he felt such desire to keep his future queen as his own. She belonged to him, and never again would he share her in any manner. In the presence of others, she would always remain clothed.
It occurred to him that he now understood his brother, Jarronn’s, reluctance to perform the mind-bonding that had been necessary with the four brothers and Alice.
The sound of Darronn’s boots rang out against the polished wood flooring as he strode down steps that led him through the magnificent doors with beveled and carved glass set into the wood. The wood had been carved from the finest ch’tok trees.
“Put me down.” Alexi nearly screamed the words.
Before any of his servants could hear her, he swatted her naked ass with the flat of his free hand.
She yelped and moaned all in one breath, and Darronn’s cock was surely going to explode. Torches lit his way as his long strides ate up the endless hallway of polished wood flooring that led to his quarters. Servants remained scarce, apparently sensing his foul mood. Darronn had never harmed any subject within his realm and he never would. Nevertheless, when his mood was dark, those in his realm stayed clear.
When he finally reached his quarters, Darronn shoved the doors open with his magic and used it again to slam the heavy wood shut behind him. He slipped Alexi from his shoulder and tossed her into the middle of his bed.
Alexi landed on her back, her legs splayed, her eyes wide, her lips parted, and her hands still bound behind her back. She wore only those damnable red shoes and sheer leg-coverings. The sight of them seemed only to make him want her more.
Growling, Darronn paced the floor at the foot of the carved wooden bed. He used his magic to start a fire in the hearth. Warmth began filling the room as he coaxed it with his magic.
He had to regain control. He could not allow this wench to gain the upper hand on him in any way.
With a twist of his fingers in the air, he used his magic to release the binding he’d placed on her bracelets.
“About time.” She pushed herself up so that her freed hands now braced her, but she didn’t close her silk-clad thighs. Instead she tossed back her head and waited, as if daring him to slide between those thighs and take her.
“You have earned more punishments, wench,” he said as he continued pacing.
“You don’t get it, do you?” Alexi rose so that she was on her hands and knees, moving to the edge of the bed, toward him, in a slow feline crawl, and he came to an abrupt stop. Her breasts swayed, almost mesmerizing him with their movements, and her tiger charm dangled from her navel. “I don’t care what you think, or what you do to me. I will bow to no man.”
“In that you are greatly mistaken.” Darronn strode to Alexi and grabbed a handful of her auburn hair, causing her to let out a small cry of surprise and maybe a little pain. She quickly recovered as he held her head in front of his furious leather-clad erection. “If I order you to suck my cock, you will.”
“No.” She shook her head and her mouth brushed against his leather breeches, making him think she might intentionally be doing it to drive him mad.
“If I order you to lie on your belly so that I may take you from behind,” he growled, “you will do so.”
“Nope.” Alexi skimmed her tongue along the outline of his erection, and despite himself it jerked in his breeches. “I’ll do it only if it’s because that’s what I want.”
Darronn grabbed Alexi’s waist. In a quick movement he sat on the bed and had her settled across his lap. She gasped and tried to move, but he had her positioned so that her ass was up in the air, her arms and hair hanging over her head. He slid his fingers between her thighs and forced them apart so that he could see her folds. Her warm scent nearly drove him to take her, damn her training.
“Let me up, Conan.” She struggled and pounded at his boot-covered calf. “Ow. What’s that thing made of—steel?”
Alexi wasn’t sure what Darronn was going to do to her, but she had a good idea that he was going to spank her. She hoped he would. She was already wetter at the thought, and struggling against him, acting like she didn’t want it, was turning her on even more. The masterful way he handled her was sexually exciting, and not demeaning at all—not like calling him Master would be. That was pushing things too far.
She moaned as he rubbed her ass with his palm. “What will it take to teach you your rightful place?”
“I’m your equal, Darronn.” She squirmed in his lap, feeling the hard press of his erection against her hip. “When are you going to realize you can’t control me?”
“Do you understand why I am punishing you?” he asked, his callused hand stroking her ass cheeks in a slow, rhythmic movement.
“Just do it already.” Alexi arched her hips up toward his hand. “And then fuck me.”
A sharp inhalation, as if she’d thrown him for a loop, and then his hand smacked her ass. Hard.
Alexi shouted, more from the surprise than from the sting. Before she had a chance to catch her breath, he swatted her again and again, each time in a different location.
The sensations were wild and unexpected. She’d been turned on by the thought of being sexually spanked by a powerful man, but she’d never imagined it would be like this. His swats smarted, but each sting turned into immediate warmth that spread over her ass cheeks and between her thighs.
Just when she was about to come, Darronn flipped her off his lap and onto her back on the bed. A glaze of passion and need filled her vision, and she prayed that he was going to drive himself into her. But instead he shook his head and eased away from her until he stood at the foot of the bed. “A bath will be drawn for you and dinner shall be served here in my quarters.”
Darronn ignored the lust and surprise in her eyes and strode toward the doors. He shoved the wooden doors open with his hands, but used his magic to close and lock them tight so that his future queen could not escape.
He stood with his back to the closed doors and fought to control his breathing and the pounding of his heart. Damn the skies, but this female infuriated him and aroused him like he had never been angered or aroused before.
A few moments passed as he allowed his muscles to relax and his breathing return to a normal rate.
He was king and he controlled those in his kingdom and that included Alexi. He would allow nothing less than total and complete submission.
When his heart no longer slammed against his chest, he called with his magic to the sorceress, Kalina.
Kalina came from the direction of her chambers, where she performed most of her sorcery. She stood in front of him, the glitter of her red eyelid powder sparkling in the torchlight, her eyes rimmed with kohl. The leather that barely covered her body would normally have enticed him into taking her back into her chambers and driving into her welcoming core.
“What may I do to serve you, King Darronn?” The hint of a smile teased the corner of her lips and he wondered if she was amused by the interaction between himself and his mate.
He ignored the thought, not wanting to lose his temper with the sorceress. “I wish for you to take a dinner tray to my future queen.” Alexi would be hungry and he did not wish for her discomfort. “When she has finished her dinner, have Kira see to Alexi’s bath.”
Kalina bowed from her shoulders. “It will be my pleasure, Master.”
He gave a slight nod before turning from her. As he left Kalina, he shifted into a tiger and loped along the hallways of his
chateau, his paws silent against the wood floor.
By the time he left his home, it was dark. He hadn’t realized so much time had passed since he had brought Alexi to his home. The woman made him lose all sense of time.
He growled as he used his magic to open one of the wood doors with beveled, carved glass and slipped through the large gap before using his powers to close the doors. He left his home to prowl the darkened forest through the ch’tok and sini trees.
Cool air brushed his nose but his fur protected his body as he slipped between bushes and bounded over crystal streams. He made not a sound. The whiskers on his snout aided in navigating his way through the darkness, and his pupils dilated, assisting his night vision, so that he easily took in all that surrounded him.
His sensitive hearing caught every sound, from the chirrup of crickets to the skittering of mice among the forest’s damp leaves. Calin scampered through the trees and squirrels chittered.
If they became aware of Darronn, the small creatures would go silent and still. But it was his domain and he mastered it—he would not be heard or sensed until it was too late for his prey.
He caught the scent of an anlia buck and started in the direction of his prey.
As he stalked the buck, his thoughts turned toward Alexi’s concern for her missing sister. What would she do if she knew Alice was merely a kingdom away? Should he tell Alexi that her sister was now High Queen of Tarok and the Queen of Hearts? The fact that Alexi had a niece, who was her namesake, as well as a nephew, would likely be quite a surprise as well, and create a sense of greater urgency within Alexi.
A rumble nearly rose in his chest, which would have scattered or silenced nearby creatures and scared off the buck, but he managed to hold back the sound.
If Darronn did tell Alexi about Alice, it was a given she would want to leave immediately, making it far more difficult to convince her that her place was with him in Spades.
He closed in on the buck, its scent becoming stronger and Darronn’s hunger doubled in his belly.
No, Darronn would not take the risk of Alexi being distracted by knowledge that her sister was fairly close. He would wait until the appropriate time, when he determined it was the right moment for her to know.
Claimed by Pleasure: King of Spades (Wonderland Book 2) Page 6
