Fighting Lady Jayne

by Michelle M. Pillow

  “Banish—”

  “I can’t believe you’re out here in the woods.” Her words lost some of the venom as she looked to the trees. The steady trunks and dancing limbs held no answers.

  “What are you doing here, Jayne? Methought you wanted to go home. Methought I was giving you everything you’d asked for.”

  “I did want to go home. I do.” She growled. Anger she could do, but it would seem she still wasn’t great at this part. “But only to gather my belongings, and for the selfish reason of avenging my name by kicking Big Bobby and his father’s asses. After that, I want to go home with you. I want to do the thing with the orphans and the rebuilding of Firewall Castle so I don’t have to live with the queen. I want one bed, no more of this two rooms nonsense. On my side, I want a hard, stiff mattress and on your side you can have your fluffy softness. And I don’t want to style my hair every morning and I want my own clothes. I’ve had enough of these corsets. I can’t run in a skirt.”

  At the last bit, he smirked. “You can’t dismount either. I saw your landing from the horse. And I like your hair.”

  “Well, tough,” she blustered. “I like it down or pulled back, not up.”

  “Are we fighting about your hair now?” Ronen crossed his arms, but any menacing in the stance was taken away by the subtle shifting of light in his eyes. “What is it you want, Jayne? You ran from me, endlessly. You begged me to send you back to your dimension. You fought me at every turn.”

  “I fought out of pride because I never thought you’d let go, but I was wrong. You let go and I hate it.” The more she spoke, the more she realized she did know what she wanted. “I want you, Ronen. Just you. Well, you and that other stuff, but mostly you, my lord husband. I want a life here.”

  Ronen took a hesitant step forward. Jayne heard snickering and glanced to where their audience watched, captivated and amused. Dersly was the only one grinning openly, as he nodded his head in approval.

  “I want you, too, Jayne,” he whispered, drawing her gaze back to him with a gentle hand to her cheek. “But I refuse to spend any part of our marriage with one of us chasing after the other. I need to know you’re sure, that you won’t change your mind. I can’t have doubts in my head when I’m away at battle.”

  At his admission, a rush of pleasure flooded her, carrying with it the barely suppressed desire that always simmered near the surface. “I don’t want you to have doubts about my loyalty to you. I want you to be safe and careful so that you’ll always come home to me. Because, if you don’t, I swear I’ll kill myself and come after you into the next life before I let another man claim me.”

  The pleasure in his gaze warred with concern. “You will never harm yourself.” The words left no room for argument.

  “Then you had better always come home. You promised to protect me, my lord, and I’ll hold you to it.” Knowing if she kissed him, she’d not be able to stop, she gave him a meaningful smile and leaned closer, dropping her tone to whisper, “Are you sure there will be no chasing in our marriage, my lord?”

  When she pulled back, he watched her intently, not answering. Jayne backed toward the trees, keeping her eyes on him as she led him away from the group. The second her meaning became clear, he sprang into action, darting after her.

  “We’ll leave you to it, Lord Ronen,” one of the drunken knights called after them.

  “Unless you need help capturing the Fighting Lady,” another added, which caused a fit of drunken laughter and a stern scolding from Dersly about respect.

  Jayne chuckled, not bothered by the men’s good-natured teasing. She ran faster, absentmindedly dodging through the trees, leaping over logs and ducking low-hanging limbs. Realizing she didn’t hear Ronen’s pounding feet chasing after her, she began to slow, her smile slowly dying on her lips.

  “Captured,” Ronen exclaimed as he emerged from the trees to grab her by the arms and pull her tight to his chest. Her heart pounded, more from the excitement than from the run. He’d barely broken a sweat and his breath was steady, but she felt the beat of his heart hammering in time with hers.

  Pleasure erupted every place their bodies touched. Jayne focused on him and only him. When she looked into his eyes, the rest of the world didn’t matter—not Divinity or her boxing career, not Bossman or his oaf of a son, not the Starian war or her past. All that mattered was Ronen and the life they would have together. And Jayne planned of fighting to her very last breath to keep it.

  “Captured,” she repeated, nodding her head. “Always.”

  Ronen grinned, his captivating eyes keeping hers locked in their magical pull. The hard length of him pressed against her, leading to the unmistakably thick outline of his cock. He kissed her and she moaned, wrapping her arms around him. Ronen knelt, pulling her down with him so that their knees pressed into the damp earth below. Leaves rustled in the treetops, as the forest seemed to enclose them in its private hold.

  Their lips joined in a soft, exploring embrace. Jayne sighed. “You taste like mead.” When he would stop, she moaned in protest. “No, I like it.”

  His kiss instantly deepened as his lips devoured hers. Ronen pulled at her corset, loosening it so she could pull it over her head and toss it aside. Without the constricting material, she breathed deeper. He gripped the gown at the small of her back, tugging but unable to pull it all the way up with her knees trapping the skirt. Giving up with a grunt of frustration, he instead found hold on her clothed breasts, massaging them through the bodice of her gown. The strong fingers rubbed in firm strokes, budding her nipples into his palms.

  Jayne swayed back and forth, pulling at her skirt until it was finally free from her knees. With his fumbling help, she managed to wiggle out of it. Ronen snapped it in the air, laying it over the ground behind her. Now that she was naked, she set to work on the laces of his black tunic. It was the same warrior style she’d stolen from him the night they met and she had to admit, the outfit looked much better on him.

  The hem of his shirt tickled her breasts as he lifted it over his head. Jayne eagerly explored his chest with her hands and mouth, trying to touch every muscle and trace every scar. She wanted to feel all of him at once, needed him to feel her. Ronen unfastened the laces at his waist, loosening his breeches. A twinge of anticipation worked over her, centering on her sex. Her pussy ached to be filled.

  Jayne gripped his hair, forcing their mouths to join. She thrust her tongue into the warm of his mouth, tasting the delicious flavor of his mead-laden tongue. She’d been so worried she’d never see him again as she rode from Daggerpoint, and now poured all that emotion into her touch. Panting against his mouth, she whispered, “I love you, Ronen.”

  He moaned into her, leaning so she was forced back onto the ground. The cool breeze was no match for the heat of his body. Her gown, padded by fallen leaves, crackled beneath her as she moved, creating the perfect bed.

  Jayne hooked her legs around his waist, rubbing her thighs along his hips to push down his loosened pants. She loved the strong texture of his skin as muscles bulged in all the right places. He reached between them, cupping her sex with his warm palm. Ronen stroked the clit he found buried within the slick folds. Each stroke of a calloused finger made her jolt a little inside until she was moving restlessly against him in desperation.

  “Methought I would never feel you again.” He drew his lips along her jawline, nipping and licking a hot trail from her chin to her ear. Sucking on the lobe, he groaned and forced a finger up into her sex. Wiggling it inside her, he continued, “I was sure I’d die from wanting you.”

  “Then why did you send me away.” Jayne gasped and arched, trying to hear his words but torn between the pleasure and need for concentration.

  “To make you happy. My pain is nothing compared to your happiness.” He moved his finger faster, adding a second to the first while his thumb pressed over her clit. She jerked, squirming frantically for release. Ronen had found that sweet spot and worked it mercilessly.

  “Ronen,
I…” She gasped, unable to say what she meant as a long incoherent mumbling sounded from her throat. Ronen, I’m happiest when I’m with you.

  Jayne clawed at his back with one hand as she reached for his wrist with the other. She forced his fingers from inside her before grabbing his cock and guiding it to the mouth of her sex. With a pant, she thrust up, urging him inside her. He obeyed, thrusting to the hilt.

  As if unable to hold back his own desires, Ronen rocked wildly on top of her. He braced his arms on either side of her, slamming his hips in a primal rhythm. Jayne took everything he gave and returned it. Sunlight framed his body from above, slightly shaded by the treetops. The sweet smells of nature, pure and perfect, infused with the masculine scent of his flesh.

  “Jayne.” Her name sounded rough and loud from his lips as his body tensed. She came a second later, trembling violently in release. Ronen’s body strained as he jerked a few more times. Then, with a shortened yell of victory, he too found his end.

  When the tremors subsided, he fell to her side and cradled her against him.

  “I could do that forever.” Jayne yawned, closing her eyes. The stress of their fight had ebbed from her body. That, combined with sexual pleasure, left her spent.

  “I told you the gods knew what they were doing.” Ronen held her close, not looking as if he planned on moving to rejoin the encampment anytime soon.

  Jayne merely smiled, perfectly content. “Perhaps they did.”

  Epilogue

  “I know I said we could raise a houseful of orphans, but don’t you think we should rebuild Firewall first so we have somewhere to put them?” Ronen eyed the three little boys his wife had collected on their journey through Staria. She’d insisted on rerouting the drunken party of knights, taking a trip to every village between Daggerpoint and Battlewar, even if that village was a half-day’s ride out of the way. A journey that should have been a matter of days, took weeks.

  “What?” Jayne demanded, turning to look at him from where she stood next to the controls to the Divinity portal. She appeared to know what she was doing as she pressed the buttons and turned the many dials.

  Turning her attention to the three dark-headed brothers, she asked, “You all don’t care that we don’t have a castle yet, do you? Hughe? William? Tree?”

  The three boys quickly shook their heads in denial. They didn’t say much, especially the youngest, Tree, who wasn’t much older than three. After the tragedy they’d witnessed while living in the isolation of the forest borderlands, Ronen couldn’t blame them. After their parents were murdered in front of them, they’d been shipped from family to family. None of the borderland peasants had the resources to care for three young ones for very long periods of time, though they’d done their best.

  “See, they’re fine. I’m fine. Are you fine?” She arched a meaningful brow and he knew she wanted him to reassure the children they were wanted.

  Ronen cleared his throat, still not completely used to the affections his wife wanted him to express toward the children. “Yea. I’m pleased to have such fine boys.”

  They merely stared back at him in confusion that he’d say such an unmanly thing. Oh, the things a man would do to please a wife.

  “Why don’t you take them out to the fire ceremony we saw them building outside? Or help them get settled into the spare room in the Mace Tower while I handle this.” She turned her attention back to what she’d been doing.

  “I’m not leaving you alone,” Ronen stated. Jayne smiled, but didn’t argue.

  The portal was kept hidden in a special room beyond the old iron-door prisons, very unlike the cell Jayne had been kept in upon her arrival. Ronen almost laughed at himself for believing Divinity’s lies about keeping the women locked up while they adjusted to the new dimension.

  The room was more of a cave, hand dug especially for the portal to keep it hidden beneath the castle in an underground clearing. At the end of the clearing, a large domed vault had been constructed by Divinity to reflect the architecture of the castle. A soft blue glow shone onto the portal from the far, high corner of the cave.

  “How does it work?” William, the middle child asked his oldest brother softly.

  “Magic,” Hughe responded, confident in his answer.

  “That’s right,” Jayne said. “Magic.”

  Ronen suppressed a laugh. For someone who fought really hard not to be part of a family, she took to mothering better than any woman he’d ever seen—especially to children who were not her own blood.

  “That should do it,” she announced, pressing one last button before backing away from the controls to stand beside Ronen. She wore a pair of breeches and a tunic shirt tailored for her smaller frame. Even a small knife graced her waist, at his insistence. Though she swore she didn’t need it and that her fists would do just fine.

  “How do you know it will work?” he asked.

  She angled her body so she stood before the boys. “I used the secure code for Divinity’s head of entertainment and offered to let him hold a warriors’ battle challenge here in Staria with the promise of so much money he’d not be able to refuse coming himself to seal the offer.”

  Ronen covered his mouth and coughed loudly, warning the soldiers he’d ordered to hide in the stairwell to be on alert. Jayne might think she could take on all of Divinity with her fists, but he wasn’t taking any chances with her life. After a few minutes, the light on the portal began to shift from blue to a light gold.

  Ronen saw his wife grin. “We’re just going to talk to them, right, Jayne?”

  “He’s coming.” Jayne lifted her hands to her hips and stared at the center light. A dark shadow began to appear.

  “Uh, Jayne, right?” Ronen persisted, wondering why he hadn’t demanded she promise to behave when he had the chance.

  Oh yea, she started kissing my stomach and I forgot.

  He swallowed hard, refusing to listen to his suddenly very interested cock.

  Jayne’s grin widened as a smiling figure emerged. “Go hide in the stairwell, boys, and see how your new mom kicks a little offworlder ass.”

  The End

  About the Author

  Michelle M Pillow has always had an active imagination. Ever since she can remember, she’s had a strange fascination with anything supernatural—ghosts, magical powers and oh…vampires. What could be more alluring than being immortal, all-powerful and eternally beautiful? After discovering historical romance novels in high school, it was only natural that the supernatural and romance elements should someday meet in her wonderland of a brain. She’s glad they did, for their children have been pouring onto the computer screen ever since.

  She is married (madly in love) and has a wonderful family.

  Michelle would love to hear from you and tries to answer her e-mails in a timely fashion. That is, if the current hero will let her go long enough to check the computer.

  Michelle welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and e-mail address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

  Tell Us What You Think

  We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can e-mail us at Comments@EllorasCave.com.

  Also by Michelle M. Pillow

  Call of Temptation

  Call of the Sea

  Call of the Untamed

  Lilith Enraptured

  Maiden and the Monster

  Scorched Destiny

  Taming Him

  By Michelle M. Pillow & Mandy M. Roth

  Date With Destiny

  Pleasure Cruise

  Pleasure Island

  Red Light Specialists

  Stop Dragon My Heart Around anthology

  Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.

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  Michelle M. Pillow, Fighting Lady Jayne