The Dai’Shi-en smiled; a smile that turned Senshu’s blood to water. “As promised, you have earned your release.”
“The bitch lies,” Senshu insisted. “I’m not Lady Senshu. I’ve never seen that girl before in my life.” She watched the woman being dragged from her cell.
“I have other prisoners, many of whom are also able to identify Lord Naga’s consort. Do you wish me to have them brought in as well? Or will they all prove to be liars, Lady Senshu?” He raised his dark eyebrows. “You know nothing. Will you rescind that statement?”
“I’ll tell you everything you want to know,” she gabbled, well aware he’d give her no respite until she’d told him everything.
“So you will.” He casually brushed the tip of the keitan across her naked belly. The jolt of agony made her legs jerk, increasing the strain on her aching arms, and she screamed in pain.
“What do you want to know?” she whimpered. “Let me tell you. I can’t stand this any longer.”
“You’ll stand it as long as I want you to.” Grinning cruelly, he slipped off one glove and then the other before tucking them into his belt.
“Are you sure you want me to accompany you?” Jaden asked Nerya as they walked toward the apartments of the king and queen of Kabra.
“I’d prefer you were with me.” This was a momentous moment for her and she feared something would go wrong and nothing would live up to her expectations.
They’d been back in Ruberoc for two days now, and everyone was recovering well from their ordeal. Their journey had been fast but not unduly hazardous and they’d easily avoided the soldiers tracking them. Chang had used the magical powder to cause an explosion which had sent an avalanche of rocks tumbling down to block the pass through the mountains. For now Kabra was safe, but for how long? Jaden had said he didn’t know for sure what would happen in the future.
These last two days they’d spent sequestered in her rooms, reaffirming their relationship, and she’d lost count of how many times they’d made love in a variety of ways.
“Do you want me to be there in case you don’t like what you hear?” Jaden voiced her troubled thought aloud.
“I just need to know the truth once and for all, whatever it is.”
Nerya moved closer to him and slipped her hand in his, wanting the reassurance of his presence as they stepped into the royal chambers, which were vast and opulently furnished. However, Nerya didn’t spare a glance for the furnishings. All her interest focused on the man and woman standing beside Rianna. The statuesque, red-headed, middle-aged but still beautiful woman must be Kitara. Nerya had tried to imagine what Gerek would look like. She’d expected someone massive and commanding, but this man was shorter and stocky, with iron-grey hair. She wouldn’t class him as handsome, although he might well have been in his youth. Nevertheless, he was attractive, but what drew Nerya’s attention was his warm smile and the kindness reflected in his eyes.
“Mother. Father. This is Nerya,” Rianna said, smiling warmly at Nerya.
As she approached them, Jaden slipped his hand from hers and moved over to the wide window embrasure to stand next to Tarn.
“I’m honored to meet you.” Nerya instinctively curtsied. She hadn’t intended to, but it felt right to do so.
She stiffened as she felt a hand on her arm pulling her upright. “Nerya,” said a soft female voice. Nerya could barely bring herself to meet Kitara’s probing gaze. The woman had green eyes much the same shade as her own. Nerya found herself in a loving embrace. “Daughter,” Kitara said, her voice sounding a little shaky.
The gesture was so unexpected that Nerya stiffened, overcome by surprise. When at last Kitara let go of her, she stepped back a pace. “Daughter,” she repeated. “Did I hear that right?”
“Yes,” Gerek confirmed. “You are our child, Nerya. The daughter Danara has kept from us all these years.”
This was what she wanted—wasn’t it? Yet Nerya could feel nothing but confusion, and her emotions overwhelmed her for a moment.
“Come.” Rianna took her hand. “You’ve gone quite pale, Nerya.” Her lips curved into a warm, affectionate smile. “I’m the one who’s pregnant. I’m supposed to look as though I’m about to swoon, not you.”
“I didn’t think it would be quite this simple,” Nerya murmured as Rianna led her to a chair.
“Sit, sister,” Rianna insisted.
Nerya sank onto the cushions, and Kitara and Gerek sat opposite her. Nerya’s mind whirled, awash with so many questions. “Are you certain I am who you suppose me to be?”
“Yes.” Kitara nodded. “Let me explain. I’d only just told Gerek I was pregnant when our lives fell apart.” She sighed. “The fault was mine. Pregnancy made me rather irrational at times. Gerek and I argued over something foolish—I cannot even recall now what it was. I rode off in a huff and, for some quite insane reason, decided it would be safe for me to cross a river that had been swollen by the late winter storms. My horse was swept away from under me. Poor Gerek believed I’d perished.” She glanced over at her husband.
“To this day, Kitara doesn’t remember what happened after that,” Gerek continued. “Danara told her she’d been found by peasants who cared for her and that a traveling warrior from Freygard recognized her and carried her back home.” He shrugged. “We’ve no idea if that’s true or not.”
“I had a terrible head wound. I was very sick for a great length of time.” Kitara leaned forward and patted Nerya’s hand. “When I eventually regained consciousness, I didn’t even know I was pregnant and had no idea who I was. Danara told me we were cousins, but she never mentioned Gerek or Rianna, and she led me to believe I’d never been out of Freygard.”
“And when you had your child,” Nerya prompted as Kitara paused in her explanation, appearing to be overcome with emotion.
“The midwife gave me something to mask the pain of labour. I was barely conscious when you were born. Danara told me the child was born dead, and I had no reason not to believe her.”
“I thought you’d deserted me,” Nerya said. “That’s what my mother…” She hesitated and rephrased her reply. “What Danara led me to believe.”
“So we understand.” Gerek frowned. “I can only presume Danara lied to Kitara because she was barren and she was desperate for an heir.”
“I’ll never forgive her for denying me my own child,” Kitara added, her voice filled with anguish.
“Is it true that you remained in Freygard for many years after my birth?” Nerya asked.
“Quite true,” Kitara confirmed. “Yet in all those years, Danara was careful never to let me see you. After the birth, Danara insisted I would recover better from the trauma if I retired to my own estates. I did so, but every time I was invited to court, she gave me some reason her beloved daughter was missing. Either you were away visiting someone or furthering your education. I thought it strange, but I never thought to question why I’d never met you.”
“Freygard keeps itself isolated from the Western Kingdoms, as you know, Nerya. So when Mother’s memory at last started to return, it was easy for Danara to twist the truth,” Rianna explained. “She convinced Mother that Gerek no longer wanted her. That he’d set her aside and was planning to marry another. It was only when Tarn and I were forced to take refuge in Freygard, many years later, that she learned Father hadn’t deserted her. That he and I had been mourning her for almost ten years, because we believed she was dead.”
“I still can’t understand why you’re both so willing to accept that I am who I say I am.” Nerya couldn’t even bring herself to meet Kitara and Gerek’s gaze, so she looked down at her hands clenched in her lap. “How do you know for sure that Danara didn’t lie to me as well? Perhaps I’m not your daughter, and your child truly was stillborn?” Nerya couldn’t accept all this yet. Part of her feared something would go wrong and she would eventually be disappointed.
“Aurora confirmed it,” Kitara said. Gerek handed his wife a folded parchment. “I received
this letter from her only a short time before we left Harn. In the letter, Aurora told me Danara had lied and that my daughter lived. She said I should expect her soon, as she was traveling to Harn to see me. That was why Gerek and I didn’t turn up on time at the meeting with Lord Sarin. We lingered in Harn, hoping you would arrive, but you never came.” She glanced at the two men standing some distance away. “Not that I blame Jaden. He believed we would all be in Kabra.” She unfolded the parchment, and Nerya immediately recognized Aurora’s elegant handwriting. “Aurora also said that it was she who had persuaded Danara to at last tell you the truth. Too many people knew the secret of your birth, and Aurora believed it was better for you to hear it from Danara and not from some other source. She had no choice but to do as Aurora suggested.”
“So you really are my mother and father?” Nerya felt overwhelmed.
“And we are sisters.” Rianna grabbed hold of Nerya and pulled her close. “Sisters with a very special bond, because you helped Tarn and Jaden rescue my precious son.” She kissed Nerya’s cheek. “I can never thank you enough for that.”
“I wonder why you both didn’t see it when you two first met,” Gerek interjected. “Apart from the color of your hair, you’re so alike.”
“But Rianna is beautiful,” Nerya said in confusion.
“As are you, my child.” Gerek rose and held out his arms to her. “Would you allow me to embrace you now, daughter?”
“I told you it would all turn out all right.” Jaden pulled Nerya into his arms. It hadn’t taken much persuasion on his part to lure her back to their bedchamber.
“I don’t recall you saying that,” she teased as his fingers reached for the lacing of her gown.
“I’m certain I did,” he murmured. “Just as I’m certain you told me you were tired and that’s why I insisted we retire so early tonight.” Brushing her hair aside, he kissed her ear, nibbling gently at the lobe.
Nerya gave a soft sigh as the familiar warmth of desire filled her loins. “Do you know what that does to me?”
“Of course I do. Why else would I do it?” he said huskily as he eased her gown off her shoulders. The soft, pale blue satin slithered down her arms and upper torso, gathering in folds around her hips. Jaden trailed his fingers over her full breasts. As he touched her nipples, they stiffened. He breasts started to ache, and desire flooded her veins.
“I can’t resist you, Jaden.”
“Nor should you.” He tugged at the silk, and her dress landed in a pool around her feet. “You’re not wearing any undergarments.”
“It didn’t seem worth it.” She smiled seductively. “No sooner am I dressed than you insist on removing my garments again.”
“That’s because I desire you so much.” Jaden lifted her into his arms and carried her to the large comfortable bed that had become their refuge over the last two days. “Perhaps I should just make you remain naked all the time and keep you confined in my bed so I can pleasure you whenever I want.”
“Try it and you might regret it,” she warned. “My sword is in the chest over there. Just about within reach.”
Jaden stripped off his doublet. How had she ever thought the female form attractive in comparison to this? She found the play of his well-developed muscles beneath his smooth dusky skin so fascinating. The feel of his body fitting so completely inside hers was compellingly delicious. How had she lived for twenty summers without this? The women in Freygard didn’t know what they were missing.
Jaden kicked off his boots. When he turned back to her, the tempting bulge in his tight-fitting breeches drew her fascinated gaze. He had only to touch her to become aroused. “I love a challenge, you know that, Nerya.”
“How about tomorrow, in the bailey at noon?”
She was desperate now. Hurry, she wanted to urge as he unlaced his breeches. She drew in her breath as his engorged cock sprang free of its covering.
“Have I to wait until then?” he teased, his dark gaze raking her naked body.
“Do you prefer to settle it now?”
“You know I wasn’t serious about fighting you,” he said with a wry grin as he lay beside her and pulled her into his arms. Gently, he cupped her breast, his fingers caressing her nipple.
“Why not?” She pressed her body closer to his as desire surged through her belly. Her sex felt moist already, and she was so hungry for him she was willing to forgo the pleasure of extended foreplay, if she could soon feel his engorged shaft sliding inside her. “Do you think you’d lose?”
“One glance at your beautiful face and I’d fall to my knees and surrender to you,” said the man who’d killed countless mercenaries because he thought he’d lost her forever. “You know I’m yours, Nerya.”
Jaden slid across her body and kneeled between her outstretched thighs. His eyes were no longer dark and soulless, but warm and gentle, filled with love. “I love you, Jaden,” she whispered as he leaned forward, supporting his upper body on his strong arms.
“I love you too, Nerya. So what do we do next?” he asked, making no move to enter her, although she was wet and desperate to welcome him into her willing body. “I need to know.”
“Rianna wants me to stay here, and Mother and Father want me to go to Harn,” she said. “But first we have to go to Freygard and rescue your men.” She smiled at the magnificent man who loomed above her like some glorious, ancient god. “This time, Jaden of Iberim, Suzerain Commander of the forces of Marquab, you will enter Freygard with at least a thousand soldiers under your command.”
“Will Danara be impressed?” He sounded very amused.
“More than impressed, no doubt.” Nerya gave a soft laugh. “I think she’ll be very concerned. She might even be scared of you, Jaden.”
“I confess I would enjoy that.” He gave a hungry groan as she brushed her fingers against his erect cock. “Wait, Nerya, please.”
“Wait for what?” She eased her legs wider. “I’m desperate to feel that delicious cock fucking me.”
“First I need to beg you not to go to Harn, or return here to Kabra after we’ve been to Freygard.”
“Why?”
“What do you think, my love?” His expression became very serious. “Because I want you to come to Iberim with me and be my wife.”
“Wife?” she asked, her heart leaping. She’d not allowed herself to even think of what the future had in store for them. She’d just concentrated on the here and now.
“That’s if you can bear to marry me. A mere man. Especially when it goes against all you’ve been taught to believe in.” For once, she thought she detected doubt in Jaden’s eyes, as if he were fearful she might not say yes.
“I think I can bear to be married, Jaden. As long as it’s to you. After all, marriage appears to please my mother well enough, does it not?”
“It does indeed. Gerek is a lucky man, but I’m far luckier.”
Nerya gave a soft gasp as he plunged his cock deep inside her. It felt so delicious, it was almost too much to bear. Only one thought filled her mind: Jaden was as much a slave to her love as she to his, and this would last forever.
About the Author
Deanna Ashford lives in England, a country steeped in history. Her surroundings and her love of the ancient tales of heroism and romance first stimulated her to put pen to paper. Savage Kingdom is her sixth novel. She loves to hear from her readers and invites you to visit her website at www.deanna-ashford.com.
He stole her heart. Now they’ll have to steal their chance for love…
The Thief and the Desert Flower
© 2009 Bonnie Dee
Chala might be a princess, but as her caravan bears her toward an arranged marriage, she feels more like a prisoner, robbed of any chance for true love. When she is kidnapped by a band of nomads, escape is her first instinct. But as the leader, Kyo, turns his seductive charms on her, she finds fury and lust inextricably entwined.
Kyo only meant to take the treasures Chala carried, but the fiery tempered princess draws
more than blood when she scores his face. She ignites a craving in his veins that burns hotter than the desert sands. Impulse drives him to seduce her until she freely gives him everything he wants. What he gets is a battle of wills—and a new enemy in the form of her jilted fiancé, who isn’t about to let a merger between two kingdoms dissolve without a fight.
Captured between duty and desire, Chala must use every ounce of her cleverness to save a desert people…and take back the most precious treasure of all—a future with Kyo.
Warning: Kidnapping, but no forced sex. Sand, sun, seduction and sensual slavery.
Enjoy the following excerpt for The Thief and the Desert Flower:
Chala watched Kyo from beneath her lashes, checking his reaction. Over the past few days she’d begun to believe he didn’t intend to ransom her at all. He was going to keep her as a slave to do his menial labor for the rest of her life. This discussion of kidnapping brides made her doubt he’d ever planned to free her, and when she thought of it, he’d never actually had a chance to give a ransom message to anyone from the caravan.
He blinked and poked at the fire with a stick. The movements in themselves meant nothing, but his demeanor proclaimed guilt. “I leave to negotiate with Brachas today.” He lingered with a hiss on the word “negotiate”, and she guessed it was a new one in his Genderese vocabulary.
Standing, he held out a hand to her. “Come. You bored from sit too much. I show you something.”
She rose without taking his hand. “Show me what?”
“I can’t take you. You will be alone for some days. I trust you not to run because I take horses, but you need know how to defend if something happen.” He suddenly seized her arm. “In caravan you fight good. I show you how to do even better.”
Her eyebrows shot up. He was going to teach her to fight? The man really was crazy.
“When man grab you like this how you break free?”
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