Chain of Illusions (Bringer and the Bane)

by Brux, Boone

  She inched backward and rested her shoulders against the edge of the tub. The tips of her breasts hovered just beneath the water but could be easily seen. She held her breath, trying to contain the thrill racing through her. The pink buds bobbed into view with each movement she made. Was she being too bold? Siban’s massaging fingers slowed and she knew she had not been.

  She watched his fingers creep along her shoulders toward her breasts. The breath stuck in her throat and for a few seconds she didn’t move. But she wanted more. With a silent invitation, she let her head fall back to rest on his shoulder, giving him complete access. Siban’s lips grazed her throat and his warm breath sent tremors of pleasure down her torso and up along her neck. She needed him closer, wanted more contact with him.

  The desire he stirred inside emboldened her. She turned her face toward him and offered her mouth. He captured her lips. His hands drifted down her chest and cupped her breasts, his thumbs strumming her nipples to a hard point. Sparks of intense pleasure traveled to her core. She gasped and Siban’s tongue swept inside, melting away her inhibitions.

  Rell twisted and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him as close as she could get and deepening their kiss. Heat radiated from him. The water from the bath caused her skin to slide smoothly across his chest. He groaned.

  Nothing had ever felt this good—or right. She broke their kiss. “I need more.”

  Siban shifted and dragged her from the water as he stood. The cool air brushed her skin but did little to temper the fire he had ignited within her. The stone scraped her thighs and knees but the passion encompassing her dulled the pain. Her body pressed against the length of him, his erection straining against her stomach. Still it wasn’t enough.

  She lifted her leg and ran her calf and foot up his thigh. In one seamless move, Siban bent and lifted her, wrapping his arm under her rear end. Instinctively Rell encircled his waist with her legs. His hardness pressed against her sex and she gripped his shoulders, staring into his eyes and savoring the sensation. The act was so intimate it made her feel alive. He kissed her again, his mouth dominating hers.

  She was vaguely aware that he carried her somewhere. It didn’t matter where as long as he didn’t let her go. Cold stone pressed against her back and she gasped, breaking their kiss.

  He’d pinned her against the wall but continued to hold her around his waist. He stared at her, his eyes burning bright with barely contained passion. “I’m only noble to a certain point, Rell.” His breaths came in short pants. “If you don’t want this to continue, you’re going to have to stop me now.” He took a deep breath and exhaled. “This will be your last chance.”

  The effect she had on him was intoxicating. Such control. Such power. Such beauty. The truth was she couldn’t have stopped herself if she’d wanted to, and she didn’t want to. Words failed her. She twined her fingers in his hair and pulled his mouth back to hers, pouring everything she had into the kiss. He was the man that she wanted now—that she’d want forever.

  Siban pressed her more firmly against the wall and reached below her bottom to work free the tie of his pants. Within seconds the smooth skin of his cock pressed against her sex. Anticipation mixed with anxiety and her eyes slid closed. Her mother had explained what happened between a man and woman—that the first time might be painful, but she didn’t care. She wanted the pain—wanted to feel every second of coupling with Siban.

  He released his cock and replaced it with his fingers. Her eyes sprung open at the new sensation. The calloused tips brushed her sensitive nub, sending intense pleasure through her. In an effort not to scream, Rell bit her lip. She held his stare, letting her head rest against the wall. The need to move washed through her. Tightening her legs around Siban, she lifted her hips and lowered onto his fingers. A smile stretched across his mouth at her actions. His fingers continued to work her, sliding deep inside and then slowly pulling back out, only to repeat the slow, wonderful torture. Rell rotated her hips in small circles.

  “You’ve plagued my dreams.” Siban’s voice came out harsh and labored. “I’ve wanted this for so long.”

  His finger entered her again, pumping faster and his thumb flicked her clit each time he pulled out. Tremors of pleasure skittered to her core. A whimper slipped from her.

  “You like that?”

  She nodded and bit her lip, gyrating her hips.

  When Siban lowered his head and captured her nipple in his mouth, Rell thought she’d shatter into a million pieces. Desire spiraled downward to mingle with the yearning building between her legs.

  “Please.” She didn’t know what she begged for, only that she needed more.

  Siban replaced his fingers with the tip of his cock and slowly pushed into her, inch by gloriously agonizing inch. “Bloody hell, you’re tight.”

  She didn’t know if that was good or bad, but she didn’t care as long as he didn’t stop. He completed her in a way she’d never experienced, not only physically, but as if he filled the black hole that still remained in her soul. She opened her mind to him and was swamped with his desire. She sensed that he barely maintained control and that ratcheted her passion higher.

  He slid into her another inch and stopped. His eyes narrowed and his breathing stuttered. “You’re a virgin.” He shook his head. “I didn’t know—didn’t think about it.”

  “It doesn’t matter.” She cupped his face. “I want this.”

  He shook his head again and Rell could feel his mood shifting to panic. “Not like this, Rell. Not against the wall. Not for your first time.”

  Irritation flared inside her. This is exactly how she wanted it, hard and passionate. It made her feel alive, like she was desired as a woman. That she was no longer an abomination to be feared. His hold slackened and from his expression she could tell he was about to pull back. But that was not acceptable. He wanted her and she wanted him. Like this, right now.

  She gripped his hair and pulled. “Don’t you dare stop.” Her lips curled in a seductive smile. “You say you’ve wanted this for a long time? Well I have too. I’m not some delicate maiden, Siban. The way you touch me makes me feel alive. More alive than I’ve felt in years.” She pulled his mouth to hers, kissing him hard before pulling away. “Use your powers and read me. I want this.”

  His gaze focused on the wall beside her head for a second and then slid back to her face, his expression once again darkening with desire. “I can sense your need.”

  “Do it.” She ground her hips against him, coaxing him back into action. “Make me yours.”

  “It will hurt.”

  She tightened her grip in his hair. “I want the pain.”

  “I promise I will make you feel good again.” He hesitated only a second before driving into her. Rell gasped at the sharp sensation that erupted inside her and drank in the experience of becoming Siban’s woman. With slow, measured movements he slid in and out of her. His tongue stroked her nipple, pulling it into his mouth to suckle, and stoking the passion building between her legs. When he reached between them and massaged her clit, Rell almost exploded.

  His gentle movements quickened and he thrust urgently into her. The stone scraped against her back and hips, adding to the erotic collection of feelings enveloping her. He braced his hand against the wall, continuing to plunge inside her, his panting turning into low grunts of ardor. Her awareness of him pushed her toward ecstasy.

  Unable to silence her desire, she whispered his name again and again, encouraging him to continue making love to her. The junction between her legs throbbed, pulsing with each thrust. Faster and faster until finally, she shattered. He claimed her mouth, swallowing her scream. Waves of unfamiliar pleasure washed over her, the sensation reaching so deep it filled her very soul, burning away the darkness and leaving only love.

  Siban pumped several more times and stiffened, moaning against her lips. He thrust again and shuddered. His body convulsed, the waves that racked him growing shallower after a minute. He pressed his head agai
nst the wall, his breathing slowly returning to normal. They stood connected, not speaking. Rell stroked his hair, savoring the feel of his hot skin against hers and the cool stone against her back.

  After another minute, he buried his face in her neck. She clung to him when he shifted and kicked off one boot, and then the other. He stepped out of his pants and then carried her to the bed. The wood frame creaked when he climbed onto it and lay down. Never once did he release her, holding her as if afraid she would fly away.

  Rell unwound her legs from his hips and straightened them against the dark lush duvet. A dull ache radiated at her hips from where she’d gripped him so tightly, but the rest of her body purred with life. Siban pulled back and looked at her. For several seconds he just stared, as if taking in every feature of her face. She didn’t disrupt his contemplation with words, content to lie in his arms and let him look his fill.

  Finally he brushed a lock of hair from her cheek and laid a hand over hers, curling his fingers around her fist. “Rell?”

  “Yes, Siban.”

  “I want to be with you.” He hesitated. “To be your man.”

  No teasing lurked within his eyes and she felt his sincerity as if it were her own. Though she wanted the same, she had reservations. “You hardly know me, Siban. I hardly know myself. How can you be sure that you want to be with me?”

  “I have no doubts.” He ran his finger along her cheek. “We are the same, you and I. We’ve touched the darkness and survived.”

  “And that’s enough to know you want me as yours?” She shifted and rolled to her back, staring at the red and gold pattern of the bed’s canopy. Maybe a bit of innocent Esmeralda still waited inside her. His words touched her and made her feel less like an outcast.

  “I think it’s all we need—for now.” He plucked at the edge of the pillow sham. “What I feel for you goes beyond anything I’ve ever felt for another person.”

  She turned and looked at him. “Me, too.”

  “In the Shadow World you were the only thing that kept me fighting for my life. There were times I wanted to give up, but knowing all I had to do was hold on and I would see you again, got me through my darkest hours.” He trailed a finger along her upper arm, sending shivers of pleasure through her. “Even when you were a Bane, I loved you. When you helped me escape, it took all my will to leave you behind, but I knew the situation was growing dangerous for you. Too often you almost got caught healing me.” His fingers wrapped around her arm with a gentle but firm grip. “I spent the next year battling not only the nightmares, but how much I missed you. It was like part of my soul had been left in that prison. Then when I saw you that night on the ship, when you plucked Jade from the crow’s nest, I almost didn’t want to believe it was you.”

  Her brow furrowed. “Why?”

  His grip tightened. “I couldn’t bear the thought of thinking I’d found you only to be disappointed. It would have been like losing you all over again.”

  “It was me though.” She turned to her side and twined her fingers with his. “And here we are.”

  Siban exhaled. “Yes, here we are and I don’t plan on letting you go again.

  More than anything she wanted to be with Siban. He understood the darkness that still affected her. She wouldn’t have to explain when she woke in a cold sweat from the nightmares. He’d loved her while she was a demon. He’d love her at her worst. “Yes, Siban, I’ll be with you.”

  Chapter Six

  Night had finally fallen. Folding her wings tightly against her back, Sha-hera crept from the shelter of the trees and inched toward the closest tent. Ever since Vile had banished Icarus, he’d become more secretive, less forthcoming about his plans. Long ago she’d learned to trust her instincts when it came to the powerful demon. Even though she’d served the king faithfully for millennia, her instincts screamed that events in the Shadow World were not unfolding to her advantage. With Vile’s apparent lack of action against the Bringers, she’d been forced to seek help from an outside source.

  Small fires dotted the encampment and the haunting music of flutes and slow-beating drums mingled with the brisk wind rustling the leaves. She had business with the Splinters, one in particular.

  Splinters were nomads, traveling in groups and stopping only long enough to bleed the locals of their gold before moving on. But to only focus on monetary gain was a great waste of their talent in Sha-hera’s opinion.

  The white magic of healers paled in comparison to the force of the dark skills of the Splinters. Black magic wanted to be used. It fed on the greed of those who pursued it. The humans who shunned the dark ways in hopes of a normal life were like sheep, souls for those with less scruples and the Bane to feed on.

  Sha-hera suspected those Splinters who heralded from the line of the Summoners were capable of far greater feats than just separating men from their gold. But she would not be the one to reveal that information. Their ignorance worked best for what she needed done.

  She skirted the tent and slipped through the slit at the front. Fatima sat next to a sleeping child, stitching a veil onto a beaded strip of material. A single lantern burned on a low table and the smell of jasmine permeated the air. Fatima’s long auburn curls shielded her face, the gleaming locks something Sha-hera had always been envious of.

  “So domestic.” Sha-hera cocked her head, a sneer pulling at her lip.

  Fatima jumped, stabbing her finger with the needle, and looked up. The Splinter’s beauty irritated Sha-hera. The features were too perfect and innocent for a woman such as her. She glanced at the sleeping child and then back to Sha-hera, her large brown eyes wide. “What are you doing here?”

  “We need to talk.” The demon took a step toward the pile of lush pillows. Once, her life had held such luxuries—pillows, silks, satins, and jewels. All the riches one could have ever wanted. But that was before she’d chosen to serve Vile. Sha-hera stared down at the little girl snuggled under the woven blanket. A child—another sacrifice she’d made for her king. “Have you entered Illuma Grand?”

  The woman set her sewing aside and stood, wrapping her bright orange shawl more tightly around her. “I go tomorrow.” Her mouth curved in a look of disgust. “I’m to enter through his private entrance. I doubt he’ll allow me beyond his chambers.”

  Sha-hera smiled. “I’m sure you’ll think of some way to persuade him.”

  The Bringer fortress was impenetrable to the Bane, warded against their kind. But any human could easily breach the boundaries.

  “He’s not as susceptible to my dancing as the others. What if he doesn’t grant me permission?”

  “It would be a pity.” Sha-hera squatted next to the child and stroked the blanket covering her leg. “Such a pretty girl.” She let the threat hang in the air.

  Fatima stiffened. “I will see it done.”

  “Good.” Sha-hera’s hand lingered on the child’s leg for a second before she stood. “We must know what lies beyond the Council Chamber doors.”

  “You will assure Vile that I am making progress?”

  “Of course.” She would reveal the minimal truth. The Demon King’s lack of punishment toward Icarus’s treachery had been the last failure Sha-hera would endure from her king. If Vile did not wish to take this war to the Bringers, then she would do it herself. “I’m sure he’ll be pleased with your efforts.”

  The woman’s stance relaxed. “Where should I meet you next?”

  “Don’t vex yourself. I will find you when it suits me.” Sha-hera took a step toward her and to Fatima’s credit, she didn’t shy away. “You and I are not so different.” She ran a talon down the woman’s flawless cheek. “We are unappreciated by those we serve, but I promise I will reward you for your loyalty.” Fatima didn’t move, her face a stony mask. Sha-hera lowered her hand and looked once again at the child. “If you succeed, you and your child will have my protection and want for nothing.”

  “What of Vile’s protection?”

  Sha-hera repressed the urge to l
augh. There was no such thing. He did as he pleased and took what he wanted. “As far as you’re concerned, we are one and the same.”

  “Thank you.” The woman’s words lacked conviction.

  Tired of the conversation, Sha-hera turned and walked to the slit in the tent. “You’ve done well thus far, Fatima.” She glanced over her shoulder. “See that you continue.

  Not waiting for the Splinter’s reply, she slipped into the night. Though the wind swooshed through the trees, she thought she heard Fatima’s sigh of relief.

  Once back in the shelter of the woods, Sha-hera stopped to contemplate her next move. Being around the Splinter dredged up memories from long ago, servicing men and gaining power the only way she knew how—with her body. Where had it gotten her? Nowhere and alone. Most of the soldiers in her succubus army had sworn loyalty to Vile, not to her. When Sha-hera wanted to continue her attacks on the Bringers, all had refused to go against Vile’s orders. They were coward. Just as much sheep as the humans.

  It was of no consequence now. She’d made her decision to continue the fight without her king’s approval. After Fatima seduced Fromme Bagita into revealing what lay within the Council Chamber, she would have the secrets Vile refused to share with her. Perhaps those confidences would lead her to the Abyss of Souls. If that were true, she’d find a way to open it and command the army herself. When this battle was finished, Icarus would be dead and Vile would be bowing at her feet.

  Chapter Seven

  For Rell the next week at Lord Le Daun’s manor consisted of long, grueling days of hand-to-hand combat, learning the art of conjuring energy to use as a weapon, and mastering control over her Tell. Not to mention the extensive history lessons about the Bringers. Each night she fell into bed exhausted. The restlessness inside her had abated and she finally felt like she was gaining some semblance of normalcy in her life.