by Olivia March
Annabelle’s movements became increasingly frantic, her body wanting that sweet moment of release. She jerked her mouth away from Nefarion’s at last, letting her moans and cries finally fill the air, gasping in breaths in between. Nefarion’s mouth moved south then, finding that sensitive spot under her ear with unerring accuracy, and proceeded to drive her even crazier.
“Nefarion please…” she moaned breathlessly.
“Please what, young one?” came his reply. Annabelle could detect not even a hint of exertion in his tone, while she was panting like she’d run a marathon. No, he didn’t sound winded. He sounded…like he was waiting for something.
“Please, stop torturing me. I need more. I need everything. Take me harder,” she begged, beyond pride now.
“I don’t want to hurt you Annabelle,” he replied, lifting to look her in the eye. “My people can be savage, but we can also show restraint when we need to.”
Annabelle was dying from this show of restraint. She focused in on his eyes while his hips continued their leisurely thrusts. His eyes showed the toll that his attempt to be noble was taking on him. Even if his tone was calm and his breathing even, his eyes burned and his jaw was clenched. This was her fault. Nefarion clearly thought she was too weak to take her the way he would normally take a woman. She wasn’t weak though. Annabelle wanted everything Nefarion was holding back from her. If this was going to be her only night with him, she wanted every ounce of passion he had to give.
But how to make him lose all that caution and restraint? Annabelle had no experience with intimacy before now. All she knew was what felt good. And having Nefarion inside her was the most amazing feeling she’d experienced in her whole life, and she wanted more. Bracing her feet flat on the ground, she lifted high into his next thrust, gasping in delight as he went even deeper inside. Nefarion clearly liked it too, judging from the groan that erupted from his throat.
Annabelle felt power surge through her then, knowing she affected Nefarion so strongly. So, she did it again, and again, meeting every thrust from her lover. And gradually he began to pick up speed, like he couldn’t help himself. The friction was causing shivers of delight to race up and down her body like a tidal wave, cresting and receding. She was hot, so hot where they were joined, all over her skin was flushed and dewed, her head tossing and turning on her pillow. More, she needed more.
Nefarion seemed to know, and was willing now to oblige her. He started moving faster still, drilling her, so hard and fast she couldn’t keep up with him. When her rhythm faltered, he picked it up seamlessly, gripping her under the ass with both hands and forcing her body up to meet his increasingly brutal thrusts. Instead of scaring her though, and Nefarion had imagined, Annabelle was enthralled. She was overwhelmed by his passion, not intimidated. She let him know with her moans, with her open-mouthed kisses on his skin, with tiny bites over all that tempting flesh working above her.
Encouraged, Nefarion nudged her head back and captured her lips again. Annabelle met the thrust of his tongue with her own, delighting in the taste and texture of his tongue, the salty, clean taste of him. Harder, and harder he thrust, until her body was slick with sweat and her pussy began to ache and pulse. Annabelle’s heart was racing, her senses reaching, consumed by Nefarion. And then…and then…she died. Or, she hoped this is what dying felt like. Pleasure flooded her body from where they were joined, stopping her heart, stilling her breath, leaving not even enough air to cry out. Her back bowed, a silent scream on her lips, hands gripping Nefarion in desperation.
Nefarion thrust hard one last time, pushing her down onto the palette and holding her there. In the distance, Annabelle heard him grunt, followed by a wash of heat inside her. The feel of Nefarion coming deep inside her triggered more cascades of pleasure through her body, tingling, bewitching. Addicting. Annabelle held Nefarion tightly, needing to be close to him as they slowly drifted down from the plateau of pleasure they’d climbed to. As her body succumbed to sleep she made sure she was locked firmly around her lover, comforted, sated, and unwilling to let him go.
Chapter 12
Annabelle had passed out. Or perhaps was just sleeping. Nefarion watched the even rise and fall of her luscious breasts for a time, replete like he’d never been before with a woman in all his long life. His conquests had to number in the thousands by now, and yet not one of them had aroused him like sweet, virgin Annabelle. None of the experienced wiles of the palace courtiers compared favorably against Annabelle’s eager, untried passion. Even now that his own climax was spent, he didn’t want to leave her tight, hot channel.
Initially he’d intended to pull out of Annabelle. With Lady Gwen’s pregnancy, all Keepers now knew what could happen. Many now wanted to find humans to mate with. On Arthaneas, Keeper pregnancies were not terribly frequent. It could take couples years, perhaps even decades, to produce one living child. It was a terrible strain on their communities, and hard on mated couples. On top of that, the pregnancies more often ended up with males instead of females. That was good for the security of their world, but bad for increasing the population.
Knowing that he could get Annabelle pregnant should have compelled him to release outside of her body. Now was not the time for such things. In time, he knew, he would see Annabelle swell with his child. But to come inside her now risked much. He was not a Commander, he did not have servants at his command here. His tent was small, his possessions few. Once they were back in Balruin, he could see to all her comforts when it was time to make a child together. Here, he knew, he had to exercise caution. His mind told him that. But when the time had come, his body had refused the orders of his mind. Releasing inside her had been an irresistible compulsion that he’d been unable to deny.
Indeed, he couldn’t even leave her body now. He was still deep inside, keeping his seed where he wanted it most, deep inside her hot, wet body. Annabelle’s sex was still quivering with her climaxes, subtly caressing his shaft with aftershocks. Goddess, she was tight. Forging his way into her body had been the most incredible experience of his life, and he didn’t want it to end. She made him feel…well, just feel. He’d been cold for so long, emotionless for so long. He craved Annabelle’s life, her vitality. Annabelle was the light, when his whole life had been only darkness since his mother was killed.
Nefarion sighed, lowering his body finally and moving them until Annabelle was draped on top of him, still connected with him. While she slept, he began formulating plans. He was sure he would find Mithrain tomorrow. He needed to get Mithrain’s body back to camp, with Annabelle in tow as well. Then he’d deal with Commander Helion. The Commander hadn’t forbidden other Keepers from taking mates, but it did complicate things. He wanted his own men in charge of Annabelle’s protection, and he’d need Commander Helion’s permission to call reinforcements from the palace guard in Balruin. Given how much Helion despised him, it might be a tough sell.
And then there would be Annabelle’s own resistance. She really believed that this would be for just one night. Even though he’d warned her it would be forever, she hadn’t agreed, and thought she could dictate the length of their involvement. Poor thing. He’d been honest with her, about everything. This was for life, the two of them. Annabelle would have to be trained to deal with her new role as his mate. He’d protect her as much as possible, but Balruin was a dangerous place. It was no place for an innocent like Annabelle, and part of him loathed what he was doing. He’d tried to resist, had told her to resist him, but neither of them had listened.
He could make her safe. With some physical training, on top of psychological training…she’d need to know who to trust, which was a miniscule number of people. And who not to trust, which was essentially everyone but a handful. And he’d need to get only the most hardened and loyal warriors to guard her, Keepers he’d campaigned with for years and years. His assignment under Helion’s command was a loan specific only to the mission to wipe out the Scourge. On Arthaneas, Nefarion commanded his own men, a company of all B
alruin assassins that struck fear into the hearts of the masses. He’d select only his finest warriors to be Annabelle’s guard, the most loyal but also ruthless killers. Anyone who dared to strike at his mate would die a traitor’s death.
As he was thinking about Annabelle’s protection he felt Helion knock on his mental door. He grimaced, knowing he had to answer.
“I’m here Commander.”
“Nefarion, what’s your status? You know I don’t want to give up on this mission, but we need you back at the camp. The situation with the human refugee camps is hitting a crisis point. Three more have been found slaughtered and emptied of the women and small children.”
“I’m very close now Commander. I feel sure I will find Mithrain tomorrow in this town, Minneapolis. And when I do, I will bring him and my mate back to camp with all haste.”
There was a pause. Nefarion could feel the wheels spinning in his Commander’s head as he processed what Nefarion had deliberately let slip. Helion needed to know what he’d done, and if he knew now he could become accustomed to the idea before Nefarion arrived back at camp.
“You mated the human you rescued?” came the query. As usual the Commander’s voice was blanketed in frost, and Nefarion couldn’t tell how he was taking the news one way or the other.
“I did Commander, just this night. I didn’t expect this to happen, and I tried to stop it from happening, but she’s my mate now. With your permission, I would like to contact my father, and arrange a palace guard for my mate.”
“You’re a prince in your own right Nefarion, though you took a position under my command to aid in this mission. As such, your mate is entitled to a full palace guard as my own Gwen has. With respect to this, you need larger accommodations for you and your mate and your palace guards. I will arrange it to be ready for you before your return if you wish it.”
Nefarion took a moment before replying, a little surprised by Helion’s fast acquiescence and helpfulness. There was certainly no love lost between them. Shadow Keepers and Light Keepers were naturally at odds even at the best of times. Where Balruin Keepers were the assassins in the dark, doing the dirty work with a smile, the Light Keepers of Arloren were the gold-plated heroes, champions of honor and fair play. Nefarion had butted heads with Helion more than once in their long history. But he wasn’t about to turn down this olive branch, not when Annabelle’s safety was at stake.
“Thank you, Commander. I will gladly accept your assistance in this matter. I will want Annabelle protected and comfortable with all due haste when I get her back to camp.” The thank you stuck in his throat a little. Nefarion hadn’t imagined a time when he’d thank a Light Keeper for anything. But he had his own brand of honor, and Helion was doing him some major favors in this regard.
“You’re welcome Nefarion. Having a human mate is a wonderful thing. They are beautiful, and brave, but also very fragile compared to Keepers. You will need to watch your mate very closely until we leave this planet. And, I expect, you will need to watch even more closely when you get her back to Balruin.”
“You are correct on all counts Commander, and I know how to protect what’s mine. I should be back to camp by this time tomorrow with Mithrain, dead or alive.”
“Thank you Nefarion. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.”
Helion cut off the connection, and Nefarion settled back and relaxed into the palette. He wanted to savor this time with Annabelle limp and boneless against him, her body wrapped around him in every possible way. Tomorrow he might find his comrade dead, or injured, or maimed. For this night, he wanted to enjoy the warm weight of his mate. He wanted to marvel in the fact that she belonged to him, that there was someone so innocent and pure in the world and she was his. This night was for them, tomorrow he’d deal with all the rest. There was still quite a bit of night left too. He had plans for his little mate. Plans that would take them well into the night, and on to the morning.
* * * *
Helion stared at his mate Gwen. She was sound asleep next to him, worn out by his attempts to supply their son with all the essence he needed to grow strong. Truthfully, he’d have worn her out even if she wasn’t carrying the miracle that was his child. From the moment he’d met Gwen, he’d been consumed by lust, and later with love as well. He could make love to Gwen for hours and still be hard and ready for her in an instant, it was never enough for him. Acknowledging that she had stamina limitations in the bedroom kept him from going too far, however. Once he felt her reach the exhaustion point he stopped, no matter how his need raged still.
The news from Nefarion intrigued him on many different levels. He knew how compelling and irresistible a human female could be, so Helion didn’t find Nefarion’s obsession with a human so hard to believe. Ever since Gwen had gotten pregnant he had been besieged with requests for more information, and plagued for assurances that his fellow Keepers could mate amongst humans themselves. And who could blame them? Many of his warriors could go tens to hundreds of years before attracting an available Keeper female, and they could wait even longer to conceive children together. His fast success mating and breeding with a human had given many of his men hope for their future. Helion did not grudge them that.
However, when he considered the matter, Nefarion would have been the last among his men that he’d think would mate a human. Balruin Keepers were quite different than other races of Keeper. They were cold, and calculating, even manipulative. Balruin Keepers took pride in being assassins, knifing people from their cloaking shadows instead of facing their opponents in honorable combat. They valued not just strength, but cunning and ruthlessness. The King of Balruin, Galkith, was Nefarion’s father. Helion had yet to meet a colder bastard than that one, and that was saying something considering Helion himself was known through the galaxy as one ice cold warrior.
The facts were facts however. Nefarion had claimed the woman, and that left just the reckoning. Helion himself had been dodging communications from his father. Word would have reached King Jathrane by now that Helion had pledged himself to Gwen. He’d probably also learned that Gwen was expecting the King’s first grandson. Normally that would be an occasion of much feasting and reveling. The kingdom of Arloren had celebrated for a solid month before calming when he had been born. But Helion knew his father could not possibly be happy that his heir was mating with a human instead of a Keeper. He wouldn’t be pleased that the heir to the kingdom after Helion was a half-breed.
Helion didn’t care about any of that. The Keeper traits were strong in his son, Nathal had assured him of that. Gwen needed regular injections of essence, which Helion was all too eager to supply. But even still, it would take time for the Keepers of Arloren to accept that the future Queen of their country was a human, and that the heir to the throne was a half-breed. And that was among the more culturally tolerant people that made up the Light Keepers. Balruin Keepers were not as sanguine. He hoped that Nefarion could protect his new mate from the machinations of his people, he really did.
“Verdun,” he called via the mind link.
“Yes Commander?” came Verdun’s calm reply. Verdun was always like a pool of still water. Always in complete control of himself always. Helion wished he could figure out how to shake some of that composure. It rankled at times that his bodyguard was completely unable to be ruffled.
“How is my daughter?” he asked first. His daughter, Evelyn, was really Gwen’s daughter by a base, scum-sucking dog who’d abandoned her when she became pregnant. But that lowlife’s loss was his gain, because now he had an amazing mate and a beautiful young daughter to raise with his son.
“She’s perfect Commander, sleeping like the angel she is,” Verdun replied.
Helion grinned, amused at how Evelyn had a warrior like Verdun wrapped around her tiny fingers. Verdun went on missions just to find things for Evelyn, anything from pretty clothes to special foods. He brought her toys, and blankets, and commissioned Tohran to make her the finest wooden toys and furnishings. And he always to
ok Evelyn to his tent when Gwen and Helion needed private time. It’d been hard at first for Gwen to allow her daughter out of her sight for long, but after that last attack on their camp, Gwen had come to trust Verdun implicitly.
“In the morning, I need you to begin a little project for me Verdun. It seems that Nefarion has mated the female he saved from being defiled by those human males a few days ago. He’ll be bringing her back when he comes with Mithrain, and due to his position, he will need different accommodations now.”
“Of course, Commander, I understand. Do we want the works? One large tent for Nefarion and his mate and support tents around for his palace guard I assume? All fully furnished and ready for the Princess?”
“You know me too well, Verdun. Balruin Keepers don’t put much stock in creature comforts, but this Annabelle is human. Make the bed the way Gwen likes it, plenty of fire stones, warm blankets. We can get her garments after she arrives and you have a chance to take her measure. Stock the palace guard tents as well. King Galkith won’t be too happy with his heir, but he knows what’s expected.”
“As do we Commander. Everything will be ready and perfect well before Nefarion arrives tomorrow, my word.”
“Thank you, Verdun. Please bring my daughter back when she’s ready to eat.”
Helion cut the communication and turned his attention back to Gwen. He laid his hand on her gently rounded stomach, trying to get a sense for his son. Helion didn’t have Nathal’s talent though, and couldn’t connect yet. That was fine, he still liked to touch Gwen, as often as possible. He leaned down and touched his lips to her stomach, and began his nightly conversation with his son. There were many responsibilities waiting for him when he was born, but for now Helion told him of the beauties of their world, and the delight his mother and sister brought to his life.
