The Academy Volume One

by Maxine Mansfield

  Still she remained silent and refused to meet his eyes.

  Adan’s frustration bubbled over. For as long as they’d been wed, he’d had an inkling she was holding something back from him. But he had no clue what it could be.

  When she was in his arms and they were making love, she was the most responsive woman he’d ever held and she gave freely and completely of herself. But in the light of day, when they were face to face, discussing day-to-day issues, there was something…not quite right. Something he couldn’t put his finger on. Something she was hiding. Some secret she wasn’t willing to trust him with.

  Could whatever she wasn’t willing to discuss have anything to do with the obvious animosity between her and his mother? Surly not. In Lizbeth’s entire life, she and the queen had spent hardly more than the matter of a week or two every so often in each other’s presence.

  He had no idea what haunted Lizbeth or what traumas may have befallen her. What he did know, however, was if she wasn’t willing to confide in him, there was no way they’d ever be able to deal with it. He wanted to know. He deserved to know. He was her husband, for God Draka’s sake, and he was tired of her hiding from him.

  “Say something, Lizbeth, anything. You can’t tell me the exchange I just witnessed between you two was nothing more than a simple case of dislike. Did something happen that I should be made aware of? What are you keeping from me? And don’t tell me you aren’t.”

  She did look at him then, and Adan almost wished she hadn’t. Her soft hazel eyes were filled with tears, and it was all he could do to not reach for her, enfold her in his arms, make love to her, and make the world all better. He couldn’t though. There was a very important point he needed to get across.

  Instead, he sat on the edge of the bed so he no longer towered over her and pulled her onto his lap. He nuzzled her neck. “Ah, my little Lizard, what am I going to do with you? Keep your secrets to yourself if you must but know that I’m proud of you for standing up for yourself today. I truly am. But at the same time, you will some day take her place as queen, and you must learn to do whatever you do diplomatically.

  “Today was only the first of many times you and my mother will be forced to interact. If you carry yourself like a queen, perhaps she will, too. I hope you can someday be friends. But if that isn’t possible, then at least try and not be adversaries.”

  He tipped her chin until she had no choice but to look him in the eye. “Like it or not, we’re going to have to share that big castle in Alaria with her and my father, probably for a very long time. Our home can’t become a constant battleground, Lizard. No one can live like that for long.”

  She shook her head. “First, don’t call me Lizard. You know I hate it. And, I won’t live with your mother, ever. I…I simply won’t.”

  Adan sighed. “Why? You’ve never stated those sentiments before today. You’ve always known the castle is where we’d live. There has to be more to this…this…thing between you than what happened today.”

  Lizbeth lifted her chin a notch, stared him straight in the eyes, and adamantly shook her head no.

  It was at that very moment Adan realized he’d fallen hopelessly in love with his stubborn little wife and would move God Draka’s chambers and Albrath itself to make her happy. The thought was sobering.

  Even tear-streaked, pursed-mouthed, sitting with her spine ramrod straight and ready for a fight, she was still the most beautiful, desirable woman in all of Albrath. He couldn’t imagine life without her.

  Telling her so was on the tip of his tongue and almost out of his mouth before he realized now was not the time. Now was for making his point. There would be plenty of time later to not only tell her but show her how very much she was loved.

  “Fine, Liz—beth, have it your way, for now. But understand this. I will speak to my father about building us a castle of our own. Still, we may not have a choice but to reside with my parents at some point. At least until it’s completed. You are my wife and you will go where I go.

  “Soon, and I do mean soon, we need to start thinking seriously about producing the next heir. It’s part of the marriage agreement, remember? And the moment you’re with child, it’s to the castle in Alaria we must go. Even if you fight me on this, Lizard, know that I’ll always do what I think best to keep you and our children safe, even if you don’t like it.”

  She didn’t say a word, just nodded, but the set of her jaw spoke much clearer than any words she could’ve uttered, and Adan wondered if the little speech he thought would help ease her worries, hadn’t inadvertently made matters worse.

  ****

  Lizbeth rolled her eyes. “It really wasn’t that funny.”

  The giggling reverberated off the dusty walls of what had to have been the tenth identical library basement they had searched. She tapped her foot and waited for her three companions to compose themselves.

  Lark was the first to recover. “I would’ve paid a hundred platt to have seen my mother’s face when you threatened to turn her into a toad. As a matter of fact, it would have been priceless. How can you keep from doubling over with laughter every time you think about it?”

  Laycee cackled. “Not just a toad, ya know, but a toad with warts. Would’ve served her right if ya ask me.”

  Lizbeth shook her head. The last thing she felt like doing right now was laughing. “You don’t understand. I did the one thing a future queen should never do. I lost my composure, and now there’s a chance I’ve damaged beyond repair everything important to me.”

  She wrung her hands. “You weren’t there. You didn’t see Adan’s face when I walked out of that room. Though he took my side, he looked so disappointed. I’ve apologized over and over, but all he says is I shouldn’t have taken it so personally and to not worry about it. He swears he isn’t angry, and that he understands. I can feel the difference in him, though. He seems…distant, and he’s spending a lot more time in the lists with your father than he’s spending with me.”

  She shook her head. “There’s no way I can chance telling him about the baby right now. I doubt our relationship could handle any more surprises on my part. And he told me it’s off to Alaria the moment I’m with child, so I really can’t tell him right now. And…and…anyway, the Yulemass ball is tonight and I’m sure the Queen will be there and I’ll have no choice but face her again. And let’s not forget the enchanter finals are tomorrow. It’s almost more than I can take.”

  Lark frowned. “You still haven’t told Adan about the baby? What are you thinking? You can’t hide it forever, Lizbeth. One way or another, he’s bound to find out soon. He won’t send you away. That’s all bluster, and it would be better if it came from you.” She sighed. “My nephew isn’t going to just disappear because you don’t wish to deal with the fact you’re pregnant with a Spiritmaster. That might even be a big part of his distress. Babies can sense when they’re not really wanted.”

  Tears formed in Lizbeth’s eyes, and she fought them back while protectively covering her stomach with a hand. “I do want him, very much so, really I do. It’s just complicated. Not only do I not know where I stand with Adan right now, but your mother talked Headmistress Seychelle into allowing her to sit in and observe the final exams. I have to successfully complete an enchantment I’ve never even read the spell for in front of not only my entire class, but also the woman who, if she didn’t hate me before, surely does now. And I have to do it all with a smile while my unborn child continues to wreak havoc on the skies above. I promise I’ll tell Adan everything after my final tomorrow, just not tonight. I really need this evening to be perfect, inside the ballroom anyway. I have no control over what the weather will be doing outside.”

  To accentuate her point, thunder so loud it was easily heard from the inner sanctum of the library basement, rumbled somewhere overhead. Lizbeth chose to ignore it as she continued.

  “I’m so nervous about tomorrow’s test I can barely think straight. The only thing I know about the final is, I’m suppose t
o find a piece of dragon scale down here in the bowels of the library and take it with me to class, and I can’t seem to even do that right. I was told there’s a whole box of them lying around here somewhere.” She turned in a circle. “We’ve been down here for at least two turns of the hourglass and not one single dragon’s scale to show for it. And people wonder why I detest dragons.” Lizbeth grimaced. “It seems I’ve dragged you, Briar, and Laycee down here for nothing. I’m sorry.”

  Briar awarded her a bright smile. “Don’t be silly. You didn’t drag us along. We wanted to come. And I don’t believe for a moment you really detest dragons. They are wonderful creatures. And to tell you the truth, I’m glad you asked for our help. It’s nice to get a minute away from my big strong paladin of a husband. I love Uthiel Dragonheart with all that I am, but since he’s been here, he’s barely let me out of his sight. He keeps saying the dragons back at Castle Kuropkat are restless, especially his favorite one, Carnelian, and it’s making him really nervous. Dragons know things long before we mortals do. It’s kind of spooky sometimes.”

  A sudden squeal of delight from Laycee had all three women turning in unison. The female gnome was bent over a dusty-looking, wooden box tucked in a corner across the room. Standing, the dorm matron held up a shiny, iridescent crystal. It was blue, veined with gold, oblong and thick. The entire piece was rimmed with what had to have been a metal of some sort.

  “Looky here at what I’ve found. Appears ta be a mighty fine specimen of dragon scale, if I do say so myself.”

  Lizbeth sighed with relief. Finally, something was going her way.

  ****

  She stood before the full-length mirror of Adan’s bedchamber and fidgeted with the lacy yellow ribbon adorning her upswept, toffee-colored ringlets, even though it didn’t need adjusting. Her other hand toyed nervously with the only piece of jewelry she wore, the heart-shaped locket on the thin gold chain about her neck. Perfect. It was imperative she be without flaw this night. Adan deserved no less from her, especially after the mess she’d made of breaking their fast with his parents a few days ago.

  She took a deep breath and ran her fingers slowly down the front of the gown, straightening any unforeseen wrinkles. She had to admit Lark, Briar, and Laycee had certainly outdone themselves this time. The dress was amazing.

  Golden silk, in the form of a low-cut, snug-fitting, strapless bodice pushed up her already abundant breasts, accentuating the fact she was more than a little voluminous. While, at the same time, the high empire waist and long flowing skirt hid any hint of the secret she wasn’t quite ready to reveal.

  Even the delicate slippers beneath the hem of her gown had been fashioned from the golden silk, and as Lizbeth twirled before the mirror for the first time in her life, she felt like the queen it had always been her destiny to become. Now all she needed to complete her outfit was the arm of her future king.

  As if thinking about him conjured him, the door opened and the royal-purple-and-gold-plaid-kilted, strikingly handsome barbarian prince of her dreams strolled leisurely into the room.

  Her eyes met his, and he stopped in his tracks, mouth agape, staring as if he’d never really seen her before.

  Lizbeth’s heart beat so hard she could’ve counted each individual thump if she’d had the fortitude to concentrate enough to do so. She didn’t. All she could manage was to stand waiting to hear her husband’s opinion while trying unsuccessfully to swallow the dry lump in her throat.

  Slowly, he smiled, puckered his lips, and whistled as a gleam of blue fire glistened in his eyes. His voice rumbled low and deep with a chuckle as he quickly closed the distance between them and took her into his arms.

  “Who is this exquisite creature inhabiting my wife’s body? I’ve always known you to be beautiful, Lizbeth, but tonight even a goddess would pale in comparison. Remind me to bring along my claymore and broadsword to stave off all the eager males groveling at your feet for a chance to sweep you around the dance floor.” He rubbed the hardness of his cock against her. “Speaking of broadswords.”

  Lizbeth giggled.

  Adan sighed deeply. He placed a hand across his heart and smiled. “You wound me, Lizard. I’m being completely serious. Every other man in the room will soon know what a greedy, selfish barbarian I truly am, for I cannot fathom being parted from you for even a short time. Mine are the only arms you will find yourself in this night.”

  Lizbeth laughed as she lifted a finger and gently stroked the cheek of the man she’d come to love. “Then take me…umm…to the ball, my lord. Hold me close and dance with me all night long. I happen to be quite fond of your arms.” She winked. “And your broadsword.”

  He growled as he yanked up the edge of her gown and pushed her up against the wall. “I’ll take you now, and then I’ll take you to the ball. What do you think about that?”

  Lizbeth gasped as he unbuckled his belt and allowed his kilt to drop to the floor. He lifted her legs, wrapped them snug about his waist, and with a single quick thrust, entered her. The world about them slipped away.

  Outside, the three moons of Albrath shone down from a clear, star-filled sky, and the only sounds floating on the breeze were the songs of night birds and the strains of melodies sung by bards somewhere in the distance. But Lizbeth no longer heard them. All she could hear was Adan’s pants of pleasure and the beating of her heart.

  His hands gripped her hips, and his fingers bit deliciously into the delicate skin of her ass. The cold brick wall cooled her back while Adan’s chest overheated her breasts. The sight of his muscled biceps flexing as he held her tight and drove himself in and out of her pussy had Lizbeth’s breath coming hard and her insides tingling.

  Oh, my God Draka, he was magnificent. His rock-hard cock slid along the walls of her sheath as if fashioned with only her in mind. He was thick and pulsating, filling her, touching her womb, touching her soul, driving her near insane. His balls slapped at the insides of her thighs with a delightful sting, reminding her that this barbarian, her barbarian, though civilized, could never truly be tamed. She liked that about him.

  Lizbeth locked gazes with Adan. Loving this man, loving his possession of her, and trying to let him know without actually saying the words her heart could not deny. Knowing that once she actually said the words out loud, she’d never ever take them back. She would be bound to him tighter than even marriage vows could make them. Bound to him forever, heart, body, and soul.

  Could she give him that much power? Could she really completely trust a Hammerstrike, any Hammerstrike with that much control over her?

  He captured her lips with a kiss that rattled her brain and melted her heart. His thrusts became even more forceful, and her pussy zinged with the pleasure of it.

  “I love you, Lizbeth, God Draka help me, but I do,” he whispered.

  Tears stung her eyes. She wanted to tell him she loved him, too. She wanted to scream it from the rafters, yet she hesitated, afraid to give him that much rule. Instead, she rocked against him hard and sighed against the tender skin of his neck, nipping, kissing, licking a path to his ear. “Fuck me, Adan. Oh, yes, just like that.”

  His tempo increased as he relentlessly pounded her pussy.

  Lizbeth held on and gloried in the ride. Tomorrow, she would tell him she loved him. Tomorrow, she would take that leap of faith. But not now. Now, all she wanted to do was feel the length of him, the width of him, the strength of him deep inside her, pleasuring her, loving her.

  There was much she knew she would worry about tomorrow, but she refused to dwell on it another moment this night. Her dragon scale was tucked safely away and ready for the enchanter final exam in the morning. The moment the test was over, she’d tell her husband about the extraordinary life growing within her and the love she had for both of them. Together, they would forge a future.

  But that was tomorrow, and tomorrow wasn’t here yet. For tonight, her husband was fucking her brains out and looking at her with love shining in his eyes. Life couldn’t possib
ly get any better.

  A moment later, she changed her assessment of better when spasms shook her body and sparks of excitement rocketed through her pussy. Her stomach clenched and her mind went fuzzy. A heartbeat later Adan shouted her name as his cock contracted and his seed shot up coating her.

  For long moments, they stood that way, simply breathing, simply being. Then, slowly, Adan pulled himself out and allowed Lizbeth’s feet to once more touch the floor.

  She looked up into his eyes and smiled while she ran her hands over her gown straightening it. Tomorrow would just have to take care of itself. For the remainder of this evening, she would dance with her husband and be merry.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Amazing! That was the only word Lizbeth could think of to describe the room stretching out before her. She’d never once doubted Headmistress Seychelle was a talented enchantress, but the way the woman had transformed her stranger-than-strange office into a ballroom worthy of the gods was so far above merely talented, Lizbeth was in awe.

  She had only been in the headmistress’s office once before during the first week of the semester when she’d had to change all her official documents over to her married name. That one trip had been more than enough.

  When the door had opened that day, she’d stepped into an entirely different world. The floors were covered completely with snow-white fur and as white as the floors were, the walls were dark, reminding her of a medieval castle with cold, damp slabs of stone hung here and there with strange, torturous-looking devices. There’d appeared to be no ceiling, just the illusion of a night sky, complete with stars and a single full moon. Gray clouds had moved back and forth across the horizon as a gentle breeze blew. There had only been two stationary objects in the entire room. One, a small wooden desk against the far wall where a receptionist sat. The other, a huge black obsidian throne, complete with straps and shackles.

  That was gone now, all of it, and in place of gloomy medieval torture-chamber decor was light and color in every form imaginable.