She was small and warm in his arms. Her skin fragrant. He’d seen her red feet. Had they rouged her nipples as well? His blood heated at the thought. What was it about Dani that made him want to lose control as he did? All of his life women had been plentiful. As a thirteenth generation Overseer for the Realm, he held power and luxury in his palm. Both were powerful aphrodisiacs and it had attracted women to the house of Wryven in droves. He’d partaken in his share of the ladies, enjoying their company and the sensual delights of their bodies. But none had invaded his mind like the one in his arms.
He ducked his head and walked through the doorway and into his bedchamber. The massive bed, the same bed where generations of Wryven rulers had been conceived and born, had been moved directly beneath the towering stained glass window, throwing patches of color on the white silk sheets. A low fire crackled, illuminating the bottle of wine and assortment of cheeses awaiting their pleasure.
He moved to the bed, then released his grip on her legs, allowing her to slide down his body. Her luminous eyes widened as his cock nudged her belly. He stroked the soft skin of her arms, then moved to her back. She relaxed into him, her arms sliding around his waist.
He slid his hand along her neck and tilted her chin upward. His lips brushed hers, then moved in for a lingering touch. He savored the texture of her skin, the taste of her mouth. Hesitant, she opened beneath him as his tongue slid along her lower lip then dipped inside. He cupped the back of her head, reveling in the feel of his mate in his arms, her heated mouth open to his.
Their tongues tangled as he taught her how to kiss. Soon she proved herself to be an adept student when she nipped his lower lip. His blood surged at the feel of her teeth.
Too soon…
She needed more time to accept him as a woman accepts her man.
He abandoned her mouth, his tongue zeroing in on the spot at the base of her throat where her pulse beat frantically. The tie of her dress tickled his ear as he laved attention upon her. Her head tipped back as he caught one end tie with his teeth and gave it a gentle tug.
The silk held, then slithered apart, baring her to the waist. He heard her gasp and she grabbed for the cloth, but he caught her wrists, halting her movement.
“Don’t cover yourself.” His voice was hoarse. “You’re beautiful and I want to see you.”
She quit resisting and he released her. Her breasts were beautiful—small but perfectly formed. And, to his delight, her nipples were rouged scarlet. He slid his hand over a soft globe, plumping it as his thumb teased her nipple. Her breath caught and he repeated the movement, watching as it hardened even further. He moved in and took her nipple into his mouth to tease with his tongue. She moaned, her fingers fisting in his hair, holding him tight to her breast.
His blood surged at her tight grip and he switched breasts, suckling hard as her breathy cries urged him on. His hands dropped to her waist, finding the tie that held her dress. Beneath the silk he could feel the jeweled belt and his cock thrust against his codpiece. He was so hard it was becoming painful to keep himself confined.
He tugged on the tie and her dress came free, sliding to the floor. He picked her up and laid her on the bed, taking only a second to admire her pale form against the paler sheets before joining her. Her nipples stood in sharp contrast to her body, their tips red and damp from his mouth. Dressed only in the jeweled girdle and the gold anklet, she was a sight to make any man weak in the knees.
He teased her nipples, alternating between biting and sucking, before he kissed a leisurely path down her stomach. The belt rode low on her hips, the gems gleaming in the semi- darkness. On the front of the belt was a small loop. He slid his finger through it and gave the belt an experimental tug.
Dani gave a surprised cry and she grabbed for him. “What—”
“Shh. Close your eyes.” He waited until she did as he requested. “Now, just feel.”
He gave the belt a slight tug and she whimpered, her fingers twisting in the sheets. He pressed her thighs together, knowing the friction would be greater. He pulled on the loop and her hips followed his direction, thrusting against the jewels. He settled into an easy rhythm, her sighs and gasps setting the pace of his movements. Her driving hips increased their pace with each tug of the leather and when she cried out, the sound was muffled by her own fist in her mouth.
She was limp as he parted her thighs and removed the belt, catching a glimpse of her damp inner flesh. She was now ready for her mate.
Shaking, he rose and stripped off his clothes, his gaze never leaving her soft curves as they lay spread across his bed in a banquet of femininity. He covered her, taking her mouth with a savage hunger, and she met him, stroke for stroke. His stomach clenched as she rolled her hips beneath him and his cock tightened to an almost unbearable level.
He left her mouth for a taste of her nipples. Her soft pleas sounded as he suckled first one then the other. He nibbled a trail of heat down her stomach, ending at her neatly trimmed thatch. He parted her damp flesh and blew against the sensitive bundle of nerves. She arched at the blast of air and gave an agonized cry.
That sound almost threw him over the edge. He felt pre-come dampen the head of his cock. He thought he could wait, but he was wrong. He had to have her, now.
He rose, pressing his cock between her thighs, torturing himself by rubbing against her damp lips. So close and yet so far. She was trembling, arching beneath him as he mastered her flesh, raising his and her arousal to a near fevered pitch.
He gripped her backside in his hands, spreading her legs to accommodate him better. He knelt for a second and looked down. At where her damp flesh and pale curls touched the head of his cock. The moment he entered her, they would be bound and their lives would never be the same.
With a thrust of his hips, he buried himself in her heat. He felt her cry, the slight resistance that proclaimed her innocence, but he was too far gone. He covered her tense body, bracing his upper body on his arms. The urge to thrust himself into oblivion was strong and it was only by the slimmest of measure that he managed to restrain himself. He wouldn’t go alone, he’d take her with him or die trying.
He spread his legs, forcing her thighs farther apart, exposing her delicate nodule to every movement of his cock. Fully open beneath him, he thrust slowly until the tension left her body and she began moving with him.
His body automatically fell into its natural rhythm, each movement increasing the tension as he thrust deeper, longer into her flesh. As the blood pounded in his ears, he heard her breathy cries and could feel her straining beneath him. At the first caress of her release, a pleasure so intense washed over him that it sucked the breath from his lungs and all feeling from his extremities. As wave after wave of release washed over him, he heard a sharp crack of thunder and imagined the bed shook with the reverberations.
After a time, his breathing slowed and he rolled to his side, taking her with him. Their bodies entwined, his heart slowed and his breathing returned to normal as a sense of wellbeing crept in.
He’d fulfilled his duty.
Chapter Seven
Dani’s gaze moved over Haaken as they lay together. His magnificent body was illuminated by the colored panes overhead and the brilliant moonlight that poured through them. Fully clothed he was a big man and his size hardly diminished with the absence of garments.
His chest was broad and well-defined by long hours spent practicing with a sword. Not an ounce of fat disrupted the long lean lines of his body. A pale yellow pane illuminated a thigh made muscular by hours in the saddle. Against her stomach, she could feel the heat of his semi-hard member and a quiver of womanly awareness clenched her sex.
As a virgin, she’d heard sex was a painful, messy occurrence and she’d grown up believing such. She’d secretly figured it couldn’t be that bad as women allowed men to crawl between their thighs, nay, even encouraged it at times. After barely a week at the castle, she’d learned just how right she was as the women made use of the jaJin fre
quently.
Just as she would like to make use of Haaken again. Soon.
He lay quietly beside her, but she knew he did not sleep. His big hand was lazily stroking her back and she longed to stretch and purr like a cat. Her body still tingled from his possession and she wondered how long it would be before he would take her again.
“What are you thinking?”
Her face burned. There was no way she could tell him, even with the intimacies they’d shared. She tipped her head back to gaze at the upside-down stained glass window. “Tell me the story of the window.”
Haaken’s magical touch paused for a split second before he released her and rolled away. Suddenly chilled, she grabbed the silken sheet and began to pull it up to her chin.
“Don’t.” He towered over the bed. “I like looking at you.”
Flustered, she arranged the pillows behind her, but made no move to cover herself.
Haaken gave her a warm look, then poured two glasses of Elyrian wine. “The window depicts a myth surrounding the house of Wryven. It is said that hundreds of years ago, Rik, the seventh count of Wryven, was a cruel man who pillaged and plundered the area to increase his holdings.” He handed her a glass before retreating to a chair near the fire. “He raided villages, burned them to the ground and forced their inhabitants to swear loyalty to him and him alone.
“After one particular raid, a wise-woman was rousted from her house and he ordered it burned to the ground. It’s said that she placed a curse upon him and his first-born son and every first-born son thereafter. Until the Wryven men found their one true mate and learned the importance of love, they would be cursed for all their days.”
“What is the curse?” Dani took a sip of the pale green liquid, torn between wanting to savor the refreshing taste and hearing more of his tale.
“They’d turn into the form of the raven during the daylight hours. Only at night can they retain their male form.”
“Has anyone ever broken the curse?”
“You don’t doubt that there was a curse?” She heard the amusement in his voice.
“I’ve been on the road all of my life and I’ve seen many things I cannot explain. I once saw a man who drank blood and only came out at night because the sun burned his skin. I’ve heard stories of shapeshifters from all corners of the world. I heard one story of a man who could change into a cat at will, while another was forced to change with the cycles of the moon.” She shrugged. “There’s a great deal we don’t understand about magic.”
Haaken’s expression was remote, his wine untouched as he stared at the towering window. There was a disturbing undercurrent as if something dark waited in the shadows with its breath drawn.
Dani shivered and put the glass aside.
“The curse has existed for centuries.” He downed the contents of his glass in one swallow before he rose and stalked to the bed. The flickering fire illuminated his lean lines and bulging muscles. “The Wryven men married, bred and ruled with an iron fist and yet the curse still existed. Only at night were they in their human form, during the daylight, they were cursed to the form of the raven.” He climbed on the bed and loomed over her, his big body dwarfing hers.
She leaned back into the pillows. “I don’t see any feathers on you.” She sounded breathless.
“Mmm…” He dipped his head and bit the sensitive area where her neck and shoulder joined, sending a jolt of anticipation through her. “Have you looked?”
“Umm,” Dani fought to keep her eyes from rolling back in her head as he palmed her breast, his calloused thumb teasing her nipple, “I t-t-hink so.”
“You might have missed a spot.” His breath was hot against her skin. “Or maybe I missed one.”
He lowered his head, his tongue dampening her nipples as his restless hands explored her hips and thighs. Dani curled her fingers in his long dark hair as he continued to lave her breasts. His mouth burned a trail of desire over her abdomen. He licked her hip as his big hand covered her woman’s mound. Nudging her thighs with his hand, she parted them as he continued his lazy exploration of her body with his teeth and tongue.
She closed her eyes in the anticipation of his entry—that long, slow agonized rush of desire that lingered just out of reach. Instead of his entry, he continued his mind-bending exploration, finding places of pleasure she’d never dreamed existed. She released her grip on his hair as he nibbled the sensitive flesh of her inner thigh before breaching her damp core.
She arched, her breath sucked deep as he slid first one finger then another into her body, moving them in and out with silky ease.
“You’re so wet for me,” he breathed.
Dani forced her eyes open to the sight of Haaken between her thighs. His thumb stroked her nerve center and her hips arched, following his movement. His dark eyes glittered feverishly as he continued working her flesh with bold strokes and the fire spiraled higher. She dropped her head against the pillow and cried out as release washed over her body.
Before she could gather her scattered senses, Haaken withdrew his fingers and lowered his head to her sensitized flesh. At the first brush of his hot wet tongue, her eyes flew open and she gave a startled yelp.
The sight of his dark head between her thighs tightened her stomach as nature took over and she thrust against his mouth. One finger entered her slippery soft channel and began stroking as his tongue continued tantalizing. She thrashed against the pillows and Haaken grabbed her hips, holding her in place as he commanded her flesh. Her body arched higher as tension grew and her nerves sang with arousal.
“Come for me.”
His voice rumbled against her flesh and tumbled her over the edge. White-hot stars burst forth as she shattered into a million pieces. Dani fell limp against the bed, her pile of pillows now scattered. Sated, she licked her lips, knowing she couldn’t move if she tried. She could feel him moving, the bed shifting beneath his weight. He spread her thighs and pressed her knees toward her breasts. She felt the insistent press of his erection against her mound.
“Look at me,” he growled. “I want to see your eyes as I consume you.”
Dani forced her eyes open as Haaken plunged into her with a force that left them both breathless. She stretched beneath him, raising her ankles to link around his waist, forcing him deeper. Her nails dug into his back as she met him stroke for stroke, heated flesh slapped against heated flesh as they gave as good as they received.
As promised, he consumed her. Her world receded to the bed and his pounding cock and hot mouth as he feasted on her flesh, bringing her to completion so many times she lost count. She couldn’t have been more branded than if he’d burned his name into her skin. He mumbled words in a language she didn’t recognize as he thrust into her. It was lyrical, almost a chant, and she lost herself in the cadence of his words and magical possession.
His movements quickened, his pelvis thundered against her. Suddenly his muscles tensed as his magnificent head was thrown back and he shouted his fulfillment. Dani wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he collapsed into her. She closed her eyes, savoring the feel of him still buried deep within her.
“Well?”
Haaken scowled at Ty before returning his gaze to the ripening sky. “Well, what?”
“Was she any good?” Ty refilled his glass of Elyrian wine. “I took KayLe and Mara to bed and they fucked my brains out. I’m surprised I could get out of bed to meet with you.”
Haaken ignored his brother, preferring to concentrate on the coming sunrise. Had his mating with Dani succeeded in breaking the curse or would the sunrise send him into raven form once more?
“You aren’t answering me,” Ty said.
“Nor will I,” Haaken grunted. He took the glass from Ty’s hand and drained it before handing it back.
“What’s the problem?” Ty refilled the glass. “We’ve shared women before and you’ve never shied from the details before now.” He set down the decanter with a clang. “She’s really the one, isn’t she?”
/>
Haaken scowled as his brother stared at him, a comically shocked expression on his face. “For the love of Ola, what are you talking about?”
“You’re in love with her.”
“I’m nothing of the sort—”
“Then you’re falling in love with her.” Ty shook his head, his expression amused. “Who would have thought I’d see the day my brother fell in love with a commoner, a little slave girl at that.”
“You’re a fool. I’m not in love with her nor will I fall in love with her. She’s my fated one, the one to break the curse. I’ll fuck her until she reaches completion many times over, she’ll give me children and she’ll want for nothing for the rest of her life so this curse can be broken.” He reached for the glass. “No more no less.”
Ty chuckled and raised the glass in a mock salute. “I think you protest too strongly here, my brother. It’s almost as if you seek to convince yourself of this.”
Panic fluttered in his chest and Haaken turned away to stare outside again. He couldn’t be in love with Dani, he couldn’t. Wryven men were cursed with horrendous luck with women and, if they were foolish enough to fall in love with them, it was a sure death for the unlucky woman. Many Wryven wives had died in childbirth or by a pernicious fever that would overtake a seemingly healthy woman, reducing her to a shriveled corpse in mere weeks.
True, he was the first Wryven male to find the woman who was marked as told in the lore of the myth. But could Dani survive the curse? His fist clenched. It was too much to risk. She was but a means to an end and that was the only way he could allow himself to view her.
On the horizon, the sun continued its inexorable climb. As it breached the horizon, Haaken felt the familiar tingling sensation that heralded his transformation. “It didn’t work. Why didn’t it work?”
“She’s marked,” Ty said. He dropped the glass and it shattered on the stone floor. “How could it have not worked?” He opened the window of the tower room and the cool morning breeze swirled in.
Paradox I Page 13
