"What happened last evening?" Shannon asked.
"You fell asleep and left me alone to listen to the man whine," Aida laughed. "Off with you now. The sun is growing high."
The clip-clopping of the horse's hooves along the well-traveled road was the only sound which could be heard, other than the squawking of a distant bird. Dom had warned Shannon that this leg of the trip would be long and uncomfortable, with few inns to visit. Two weeks passed slowly, and Shannon found herself growing restless. She had taken over the job of cooking for Dom and his knights, a task much appreciated by all.
It was on the third week that she found herself, once again, nose to nose with Dom about a horse. "I want an animal of my own. I am not going back to riding in that awful carriage just because your guardsman is feeling better."
"Where am I to find a horse?" Dom gestured around the dark, thick forest. "Am I to just pull one out of my ass? Be reasonable, woman."
"Give me your horse."
"This destrier was given to me by my father, and will not allow another to ride him. No."
"If you give me some time, I am willing to bet that he would cooperate with me."
"Must I spend a lifetime repeating myself? No. Go into the carriage."
"I will not."
"Then you may walk."
"That is fine with me," Shannon said, lifting her chin and starting down the road.
"Damn stubborn woman," Dom grumbled behind her. "Do not wander away! There are thieves in these woods. Stay close to the main road and within the sound of my voice."
Shannon waved him off as she stepped off the main path and rummaged for herbs and wild edibles. She did not pay attention to the distance she drifted further away from the company. Pleased with the greenery filling her basket, she turned around to discover that she had gotten herself lost.
"He is going to kill me for this," she grumbled aloud, trying to backtrack through the thicket. She stumbled upon a campsite that held a smoldering fire, several bedrolls, and multiple weapons. She looked closely—the weapons were clearly stolen ones. These were bandits!
Cursing under her breath, Shannon followed a careless trail of broken twigs and grasses. A group of five men were splashing lazily in a pond, bereft of clothing. With her decision made, Shannon silently gathered their boots and trousers, and snuck off back to their camp. She made quick work of the weapons, tossing them over the side of a small cliff, along with their clothes, and then lurked in the bushes to figure out a way back to camp.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when her shoulder was tapped. It was the guardsman who had been injured. "Madam, you have a very angry king looking for you."
"Shh, there is a camp of thieves nearby. I—"
"A king's knight and a comely wench? Tell me, dear," a knife tip touched Shannon's throat, "are you the one responsible for stealing our clothes?"
"I obviously forgot to look in your flea-ridden saddlebags. Unhand me."
"Where is your master?" the man asked the guardsman, holding the knife firmly at Shannon's neck. "Will he miss his whore?"
"I am not a whore," Shannon hissed, as he used her braid to pull back her head and expose her throat. "I am a witch, and if you do not release me, you will die."
"A witch, are ye?" the man laughed. He forced his mouth down on hers, laughing as she struck him heavily across his scarred face. "Kill the guardsman and let's find the king's company. There are always good things to be had when a ruler travels with whores."
Shannon stumbled backwards, filled with rage. The keening came out slowly, deliberately, and she released her fury upon her assailants. One by one, they dropped their knives as they raised their hands to their ears and stumbled to the ground. Each had a glazed look on his face as she took their minds from them, not stopping until the guardsman placed his hand upon her shoulder.
"Mistress, they are dead."
Shannon stared, stunned, at the men she had just killed. She began to tremble, and sank to the ground. The guardsman sat down beside her, offering her a sip from his wineskin. "Are you well?"
"I have not killed since… they were going to," Shannon stuttered numbly, downing gulp after gulp of the man's wine. "Were you hurt again?"
"No, I was spared. I only saw you open your mouth, but did not hear the cry. Drink more," he urged gently. "You saved my life, Mistress McCleary. They were ready to cut my throat. I thank you."
"These were bandits, weren't they? Please tell me they were not good men," Shannon stumbled over her words, clearly shaken.
"They were, indeed, madam. They meant no good for you or for our king."
"Dom is going to roast my tail-end for this."
"I will defend you, my lady."
"You will?" Shannon blinked, perplexed. "Why would you defend me? I caused you harm, spoke ill of you. I have made no effort to show any kindness towards you at all."
"You were protecting yourself from my ignorance, Mistress. I reacted, not just because you were threatening my king, but because I was afraid of your power. I beg forgiveness," he said, going down on a single knee and bowing his head. "I give you my loyalty and my life, and pledge myself to you until such time as you say no more."
"Please stand," Shannon sighed. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I ask your forgiveness as well."
"Mistress, the queen does not ask for such from her subjects."
"I am not yet the queen and, more so, how can subjects respect me if I do not respect them? We need to find our way back to the camp and tell Domitri what has occurred before he discovers the truth on his own."
"I will guard you, my lady. I can block him from harming you."
"Nay, there is no protecting my backend when he is discontented with me," Shannon sighed. "Nor will he harm me. Perhaps one day I will learn to obey him, and will spare myself the flat of his hand."
The captain smiled and offered her his arm. "I mean no disrespect, Mistress, but I doubt that to be true. Disobedience seems to run thick in your veins."
"You are correct, my friend. Is that bellowing I hear?"
***
"Shannon McCleary! Did I not tell you to stay close and not wander off? We found traces of bandits…" Dom rushed to her, grabbing both of her hands in his.
"Sire, the thieves are no more. The lady eliminated them," the guardsman said, quickly kneeling.
"Stand up, man. What do you mean by eliminated?" Dom looked suspiciously at Shannon.
"They attacked me from behind. She came to my rescue and released her wail."
Dom looked confused. "She keened? I heard nothing. Did anyone else hear her scream?"
"No, Sire." The men behind him shook their heads.
"How was it you heard her cry and you experienced no pain?"
The guardsman looked at Shannon with confusion. "I did not hear her wail. I watched as she opened her mouth, but heard no sound."
"How can a banshee keen without a din?" Dom asked, his brow drawn to a frown. He shook his head, dismissing the question. "These men are dead, you say?"
"Yes, your majesty."
"Very good. Shannon, walk with me. You and I have a few things to discuss."
"Your Highness?" the guardsman stepped boldly between them. "I beg you to show mercy on your lady. If not for her, I would be dead."
"Sir Jorje," Dom placed his hand on the man's arm, "if not for her, you would not have been wandering the woods in search of my wayward betrothed. She disobeyed my instructions, again, and this time put both herself and her men in danger."
Jorje looked at Shannon's unhappy face. "I beg pardon, Mistress. I tried."
"Thank you. I suppose that my chastisement is well-deserved this time," Shannon sighed despondently.
"Are you saying that your prior chastisements were not deserved?" Dom asked, his lips curving with amusement.
"I am saying that you tend to be overly hard-handed when it comes to my posterior."
"Perhaps I need to be even harder to keep you out of mischief."
"Kind
ness might serve you better," Shannon argued, eyeing his outstretched hand.
"Kindness is given as needed, as are proper spankings. We will be back within an hour or two," he called to his men. "Do not seek us out."
"You need not bring that leather binding with you." Shannon shuddered at the thick belt around his waist.
"Why not? Should I feel the need to use it, it is available."
"I should pray you do not feel that need. It took days before I stopped feeling that wicked thing the last time you laid it across my flesh."
"I think my hand, and perhaps a switch, will serve the purpose this time. That is, unless you provoke me for more." He spoke lightly, traipsing into the grove with his hand wrapped firmly around her wrist.
"What if I make a deal with you?" Shannon said, pulling to a halt and making him face her. She reached her hands around his neck and gazed into his eyes. "If I pleasure you, may we forego my punishment?"
"You vixen," Dom's eyes glittered, unwrapping her arms from his neck. "Do you believe me to be so easily swayed?"
"One can always hope, yes?" Shannon blinked innocently at him. "I do not know what is happening within me, but I find myself longing for your touch."
Dom chuckled, knowing that Shannon's need and boldness had been awakened by the siren conjuring Aida had bestowed upon her. "You will feel my touch, my lady. Upon your naughty backside. Keep walking."
Shannon pouted, taking his hand and following him to an area where a clear stream plummeted into a small pool. She looked at him hopefully. "Let's bathe!"
Dom raised his eyebrow. "Are you able to warm the water?"
"Yes! Please?" Her wide, blue eyes stared pleadingly into his dark ones.
Dom sighed, throwing his hands in the air. "I relent. On one condition."
"Anything!" Shannon said with excitement.
"That you allow me to touch you. With my gift."
Shannon hesitated. "You will not spank me if I allow that?"
"I did not say that. You will still feel my hand upon you."
Her face fell. "Oh."
"Do you trust me?" Dom asked, his face serious.
"With my life, my lord. Just not my bottom. It trembles in great fear of you."
He laughed and kissed her hard on the mouth. "Look at me and allow me into your soul."
Shannon felt herself sinking into his eyes. She became a spectator, not a participant, watching herself respond to his persuasion. Her clothing slipped from her body, falling upon the ground in a wrinkled puddle.
"Dance for me, druid," Dom ordered, sitting down with his back against a log.
Shannon's body began to effortlessly swirl and spin, over the moss-covered rocks and through the shallow stream. She released her hair from its thick braid and allowed the heavy mane to cascade across her white shoulders, covering her pert breasts and flowing past her abdomen and upper thighs, falling to the tops of her knees. She began to sing a cheerful air, joining her voice with the chirping birds and the sounds of running water.
As she danced, steam rose from the tiny pond. "Come to me, my king," she beckoned, sliding into the water with the grace of a practiced seductress.
Dom disrobed, his cock bobbing painfully as it escaped from his breeches. It had been a long time since he had last been satisfied, and his hunger for his druid spared him nothing. He slid into the pond, gasping at the heat that penetrated his body.
Shannon twirled her fingers upon the water's surface, stirring the liquid to spin around their bodies, massaging their flesh and bringing new sensation to their skin. Boldly, she reached her hand beneath the water and closed it around Dom's rigid cock.
Her eyes widened at the discovery of his girth. "You were not lying to me, my lord," she whispered. "You said that your two fingers were nothing compared to this beast I was to ride."
"I did not say it that eloquently," Dom chuckled proudly, "but, yes."
"You are certainly gifted," Shannon whispered, eyeing the swaying monster in her hand. "May I taste it?"
Dom's eyes widened in surprise. Slowly, he nodded, and sighed as Shannon put her head beneath the water and engulfed his prodigious cock in her hot mouth. She came up for air, smiling as she met his eyes.
"Yes?" she asked eagerly.
"Yes," he answered with an emphatic nod. "But you need not drown."
Dom pulled his body to the slanted embankment, his swaying rod raised above water level. He watched as she timidly wrapped her hand around the base of his long shaft and ran the flat of her tongue underneath it. She looked at him with questioning eyes, and he responded with a nod and a low, vibrating hum.
Shannon pressed her head forward and slid her lips around the swollen tip, tasting the soft skin and the saltiness in the tiny slit. He seemed to grow larger, fuller, more solid—and she slowly took him deeper into her mouth. Dom sighed as the tension grew, then placed his hands upon her face to stop her.
"I have many plans for you," he whispered, bridging the distance between them as he pulled her close and tucked her hips and bottom warm and snug against him.
"Why did you stop me? Did I do something wrong?" Shannon asked with a concerned frown.
"You have done nothing wrong. Your mouth is heaven to my cock. But there is more."
"More? What are you speaking of?"
"You are going to find out," he assured her, sliding his hand over the swell of her bottom with his finger slipping between her generous mounds. Shannon gasped and wiggled when he found the sensitive flesh of her bottom hole and just rubbed her there, around and around.
"I will tell you this much," his breath tickled her ear as his finger lightly probed. "At the moment, my plans involve enjoying this part of your body."
"Is that natural?" Shannon whispered nervously.
"Are you enjoying the feel of my finger and how it seeks your tight entry?"
Shannon turned slightly to afford him easier access. "I do. But I fear that this invasion will be a painful one."
"It will, indeed. It will also be pleasurable. I promised that your maidenhead would not be taken before our wedding day, but not that you would remain a complete virgin." He kissed her neck, licking at the spot that made her shiver with desire. "Grab a handful of Sǎpunele, and I will start by washing this magnificent mane of hair."
"Sǎpunele?"
"Soapwort. That little bush with the pink and white flowers."
"Ah, yes. I usually soak the leaves in hot water first. Dom? You look positively wolfish," Shannon said, glancing back at him as she bent over a small rock shelf to gather the plant. "What are you looking at?"
He straightened up and raised his eyebrow. "Your arse."
"Do you ever think of anything else?" Shannon asked, shaking her head.
"Perhaps at one time I did. Since seeing that glorious bottom, there is nothing greater on my mind," he replied, tilting his pelvis upward to reveal his hardening cock. "Show me what you can do."
Her breath caught in her throat as she inched her way back to him, handing him the crushed leaves. She arched her back and opened her thighs slightly to tease him. "What would you like of me?"
"Spread open as wide as you are able," he instructed, his eyes dark and focused as he worked his gift of persuasion upon her. "I wish to view your flower in full. Obey me."
Swallowing, Shannon parted her thighs and tilted her bottom, and then reached her hand down between her legs to part her lips.
"Turn around," he murmured, his eyes glued to her body. "Show me your little hole."
Shannon's face flushed as she turned her back to him, and reached down to clutch her right cheek in obedience.
"You have the most beautiful pucker I have ever laid eyes upon," Dom groaned. "Use both hands, and lean forward against the embankment."
Shannon bit her lip as she bent over completely, forced to rest her forehead on the mossy edge as she placed one hand on each buttock, and pulled them apart. Dom ran his hand over the smooth skin of her hips, admiring the sight of her as she stood
completely exposed and vulnerable.
"Still afraid?" he asked, trailing his wet finger down the crack of her ass, stopping to rest on the dimpled hole.
"Only a little," Shannon said, feeling his finger pressing between her lips. He slid the digit slowly into her sex to open her, spreading his fingers gently to spread her wide. She gasped when he grabbed her hips, pressing his fingers snugly inside her to nuzzle against her womb.
"Maybe I should just fuck your tight little cunt instead?" he growled, beginning to move his hand. He let go of her hips to sharply smack her rump. "Would you like me to fuck you until you forget that I promised you that we will wait?"
"Ohhh, please. Yes," Shannon gripped the edges of the rocks to keep her balance. She lifted her hips, her mind lost in the abyss of his desire as his fingers gripped her fleshy bottom and strummed his thumb over the delicate opening of her asshole. She shivered.
"No. I don't think you want me to take your maidenhood just yet. I think you want me to slide my cock into your ass," he said, pressing his thumb until she started to gasp and squirm. "Don't you? Spread yourself, girl, and tell me what you wish me to do with your bottom," he ordered, moving his hands off her backside.
Trembling, with his finger still moving slowly in and out of her pussy, Shannon again reached back to open her cheeks and spread them wide for him.
"You love being touched there, don't you?" he asked, sliding the wet heat of his cock up to touch that puckered hole.
She squirmed and whimpered. "Yes."
"Does it make your ass tighten with the thought of being filled?" he asked, adding more suggestion to her conjured state of thought.
"Yes."
"Come here next to me," he ordered, pulling his hands from her body.
Shannon sank down beside him. Dom's hands slipped over to hold her hips and pulled her against him. She found his cock with her hand, pulling and tugging it against her belly as they rocked. She rubbed him up and down her smooth slit, and groaned as his fingers penetrated her once more.
She slid down upon them, wiggling her bottom and wrapping her legs around his waist. His thumb found her clit and she whimpered, lost in the sweet sensation of lust touched by magic.
Her King's Command Page 12
