The king made a low, growling sound. Eyes glacial, he looked over the ruins of the once great city. “We have to know who is behind the attacks.” The words were spoken low, more to himself than anyone else. His eyes never left the people emerging from portals around the ruins to search the rubble.
Abruptly, Rieve turned back to Raeder. “Take Aleea to Fauvin Palace. Your mother and I will meet you there tomorrow. She won’t leave until she knows there are no survivors in the ruins.”
“We could help,” Aleea blurted. If there were survivors trapped in the rubble, she wanted to help find them.
Raeder hugged her close to his side. “Your life is too important to risk. We’ll be at the palace waiting.” He turned Aleea and walked with her back through the portal.
Black spots swam before Aleea’s eyes as they stepped through the portal. She covered her face with one hand. Why was it trembling? Her legs felt like they were going to collapse again. Whatever was going on, she was keeping it to herself. Raeder already had to think she was the most fragile person alive. She’d collapsed after the jump and battle, cracked her head open.
Which was probably what was wrong now. A reaction to everything that had happened plus translocating twice in a row. If she got a little rest, she’d be fine.
“What is it?” Raeder’s tone was sharp. His arm around her waist tightened.
Aleea lowered her hand, blinked as the black spots danced before her eyes. “Nothing rest and being stationary won’t cure.”
Raeder swung her up in his arms.
She gasped and wrapped her arms around his neck. “What are you doing?”
“Carrying my bride to our bedchambers. I don’t want you too exhausted to take me. I need to feel your heat clamped around me.” He growled the words against her throat.
Aleea laughed. “That sounds wonderful.” She snuggled her face into the crook of his throat. If anything would help take away her shakes, it would be making love with him.
Raeder held her tight in his arms. He strode up the black-veined, green marble stairs and through the entrance hall of the palace. He turned down a long corridor to the left and walked into the second of two doors on the right.
He ignored all the furnishings and amenities and walked to the bed. He laid Aleea on it and stripped them both.
With single-minded intent, he kissed her. Devoured her mouth, stroked into it with his tongue.
She moaned, writhed where she lay but couldn’t lift a hand to help him. She was weak, unable to move. No doubt a reaction to him.
His tongue in her mouth was stroking, probing, rough and tender all at once. He moved to her neck, his lips warm, his tongue wet, and his teeth sharp.
She loved all the textures, the biting, licking, sucking. If she could feel him on, around and in her for the rest of her life she would be happy.
He moved down, licking his way across her chest, sipping at the swell of one breast before moving to the other. He nibbled around the nipple, concentrating on the aureole. Everything about her fascinated him.
She moaned, tried to lift into his caress but couldn’t. There was nothing she could do but lie still and feel what he did to her. She wanted his mouth on her nipple, wanted to feel him pull it deep into his mouth, press it hard against the roof of his mouth until it was so much pleasure it bordered on pain.
“Raeder, taste my nipples. Make me burn.”
He did as she asked, took her nipple into his mouth and drew it deep with hard suction, pressed it against the roof of his mouth. It was tight, pinching, hurting, so much pleasure she was ready to explode.
Before the waves of pleasure could envelop her, he moved to her other nipple. Treated it to the same soul-shattering loving.
She wasn’t sure how he got between her legs but he was suddenly there.
He licked her nether lips, nuzzled and sipped at them. Pushed his tongue into her vagina, groaned when she gasped. He sucked on her clit and the world exploded.
Waves of pleasure washed over her. Her inner muscles clenched tight. She was empty and hurting. There was nothing she could do. Her legs lay unmoving as her insides tightened, clenching, fighting for release.
Yet he didn’t allow it. She wanted to scream at him, to be strong enough to roll him on his back and straddle him. She would take his thick, hard length in her hands and ease herself down on him, feeding his turgid length into her channel one slow inch at a time.
He sucked, not letting up the pressure until she was whimpering, tears streaming from her eyes as her head thrashed back and forth, the only part of her she could move.
Just as white heat enveloped her, his mouth was gone, her clit throbbing, aching for the pressure of his mouth that would shatter and rebuild her in orgasmic fire.
He grasped his cock, rubbed the head damp with pre-cum along her wet folds. He parted her with his fingers, pushed the head of his penis snug against her entrance. He was hot, and hard, fire burning against her wet heat.
“Oh yes. Push it into me. You’re perfect, Raeder. Perfect for me. Filling me so tight. Making me burn until you make me shatter.” She wanted him inside her. She wasn’t complete without him.
He forged into her, fast and hard, his great length and girth stretching her inside where she was the most vulnerable and the most receptive.
She cried out. Unable to move, she lay under him, a willing receptacle as he cleaved through her clinging heat, thrusting into her. The slide of his flesh in her was a hot, rough hammering of flesh in flesh.
Her vagina clenched, trying desperately to hold him. She breathed deep of the smell of their sex, the combined scents making her ache for more. Her mouth watered. She could feel him in her mouth even as he slammed into her. The pleasure-pain sending her closer and closer to the edge she had walked so many times before with him.
He pulled free, flipped her onto her stomach and thrust home once more.
She cried out as he filled her full, the head of his penis hitting deep inside each time, making her hurt in the most excruciatingly pleasurable way.
Her nipples rubbed against the bedding as he slammed into her from above and behind. She couldn’t stop the motion, could only gasp as each thrust pushed her into the bed, rubbed her nipples as he stretched her beyond bearing.
Orgasm racked her. She screamed her release.
“Come in me!” she begged. “I want to feel your seed, hot and thick, filling me. I want to feel everything there is of you.”
His cock grew thicker, longer, harder, and hotter.
She cried out at the friction on already well-worked flesh.
He yelled as his semen pumped from him. Each thrust into her emptied his seed into her vault. She felt the hot fluid fill her and the inner spasms began again. Clenching, releasing. Everything for him. All of him in her.
He collapsed on top of her, his heart thundering against her back, his seed seeping out to wet her thighs.
She couldn’t breathe but didn’t want him to move. She loved the feel of him crushing her into the bed, the feel of his chest moving with each breath, the throb of his heart. If she could lie like this forever, keep him insider her, she would be content.
He pulled his cock free.
“No.” She murmured the protest unable to put more emphasis on it than that. His flesh, heavy and semi-flaccid, pulled from her making her groan as her vagina gave up its treasure unwillingly.
He rolled off of her, kissed her forehead and got out of bed.
“Where are you going?” She turned her head to watch him. Stars, she didn’t even have the energy to roll over on her side toward him.
He walked through a sonishower, faced her as he dressed. “There is work to be done here while my mother and father are busy at Mearyn. Rest. I’ll be back soon.”
She wanted to protest as he strode from the room but didn’t have the energy for that. Slow tears leaked from her eyes as she watched the door close behind him. Why was she so weak now? The trip to Allouria was over. She’d survived almost freezi
ng, the first jump of her life, cracking her head during the first battle she’d ever experienced. People had lost their lives and all she could do was lie here and feel sorry for herself. She had everything she’d ever dreamed of and never thought to have. She had Raeder. What more could she ask of life?
It was just the jump and the battle. They had exhausted her. She’d feel better after she slept. Maybe then she could help with the survivors. Once the disaster was dealt with things would be better.
She couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. Her chest was tight and it was hard to breathe. What she needed to do was sleep. The hopeless, helpless feeling that weighted her stomach would leave when she wasn’t so tired.
She closed her eyes and lay boneless on the bed where Raeder had left her. Everything would be better when she woke. She would prove to herself and to Raeder that she was worthy to be his bride, not a weak woman in constant danger of losing her life.
When she woke up, everything would be better.
* * * * *
Raeder strode from the bedchamber and Aleea. In his father’s communications room, he opened a link with his father. His mother appeared with his father in holo-image before him. As beautiful as ever, she looked more than tired. Her eyes were dull and dark-rimmed. She’d been crying, the evidence plain in the tracks running through the dirt that smudged her cheeks.
“What are you finding?”
He watched his father put his arm around his mother. He would face the future in the same way he had grown up seeing them face it, with his wife at his side. He hadn’t realized how important that was to him until now.
“No survivors.” Rieve’s face was cold, Ellowin’s sad.
“None?” Raeder’s hands fisted. He had to fight to keep from striking out. He would not show such a sign of weakness.
“None.” Ellowin’s voice was soft, husky and resonant from a throat roughened by tears. “No men, women or children.” Her voice broke on the last.
Raeder closed his eyes for a moment; the image of the tiny pink shoe from Callen Minor filled his mind. Beside it was the image of a tiny, dark-haired boy who had been the light in his grandfather’s heart, the pride he had shared with the royal family. Gone.
He looked up. “When can Aleea and I be joined?”
His mother took a deep breath, visibly drawing herself in. “Tomorrow. We had all the arrangements made before the Sharakan attacked.”
“Tomorrow.” He felt a lightening inside that was completely unexpected. Aleea would be his the next light cycle. His and his alone. She would never again speak of leaving him. “I’ll see that a relief center is set up for those who lost their homes and loved ones today.”
“Raeder, rest tonight. Alaric is seeing to the relief center.” Ellowin reached out as if to touch him. “Your joining will happen tomorrow. There will be enough time after that to take care of anything that needs to be done.”
Raeder opened his mouth, thought better of what he was about to say and closed it. Ellowin was right. He needed to sleep. The battle had drained him. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.”
“And be sure it’s sleeping you do.” Rieve’s voice boomed through the room. “Your bride needs to be well-rested when you take her to the crystal cavern to consummate your union.”
Ellowin elbowed Rieve.
Raeder smiled as the holo-image of his parents disappeared. His mother trying to curb his irrepressible father. Some things were meant to be—his mother and father, although not a genetic match. Just like him and Aleea were meant to be.
Unbowed by the exhaustion that plagued him, he stood up and rubbed a hand over his face. Rieve had nothing to worry about. The only thing he and Aleea would do this night was sleep. Neither of them had the energy for anything more.
He walked out of the communications room and strode through the palace back to his bedchamber. He wanted to be beside Aleea. He needed her in his arms. She’d been as receptive as ever to his loving her but she hadn’t been as responsive. Something wasn’t right but they would deal with it after they were both rested. And resting would probably cure the problem anyway.
He walked into his chambers, saw Aleea lying as he’d left her and frowned. She was more tired than he had thought. He hadn’t taken care of her as he should have. That was something he had to change.
Shedding his clothes, he lay down beside her. He rolled her to her side, cupped her breast with one hand, laid his leg over both of hers and tucked her head under his chin.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Now he could sleep.
* * * * *
While Raeder talked to his parents, Aleea tried to sleep. She couldn’t keep her eyes open but her mind wouldn’t stop running. And it was running in circles that were going to drive her crazy. She wanted Raeder, had thought helping him was a temporary thing. But it wasn’t. He was going to marry her. But was she going to marry him?
Stars, how had life gotten so complicated? She went to Illusions for a fantasy and ended up with a Darkeen prince who wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Not that she wanted to say no. She wanted to stay with him forever.
And she would.
A frown wrinkled her brow. She would? When had she decided that?
“About the same time you decided to come to Allouria with him to save his people.” She winced at the bite in her own voice. Ouch. She’d been hiding from herself the whole time. She’d been kidding herself thinking she could ever leave him. He’d have to send her away and she’d probably come back and haunt him if he did. She wasn’t going to give up what was hers and Raeder was hers.
“He’ll never be yours.”
Her insides jumped at the sound of the voice coming from the foot of the bed. “Laiera?”
“Close.”
“Tayera?”
“Now that was a stretch, wasn’t it? If not Laiera, it has to be Tayera. What does Raeder see in you?”
Aleea shivered. There was something not right about Tayera’s voice beyond the open derision. Something in the other woman’s tone made her skin crawl.
“Were you looking for Raeder?”
“Why would I look for Raeder when I wanted to find you alone?”
The soft, almost singsong voice made Aleea shiver. Alone was definitely not something she wanted to be with Tayera.
She tried to push up from the bed. Her arms wouldn’t move. She tried to move her legs. They wouldn’t move. It was getting harder to breathe.
“Having trouble, Centeran whore?”
“What’s your problem, Tayera? I’ve never done anything to you.” She couldn’t move but there was nothing wrong with her mouth.
“You exist. That’s a problem.”
Aleea seethed inside. “You’re the one with the problem. Incom. Raeder, I need you in your bedchamber.”
Harsh laughter broke out from the foot of the bed grating already stretched nerves.
“You’re not on The Summit, slut. Fauvin Palace doesn’t come with the same communication system the Strider does. There’s no one to save you now, is there?”
“Why would I need to be saved from you?”
Tayera strolled around the end of the bed and into view. Her dark eyes shone bright. Red flags marked her cheeks and her lips were too red.
“Tayera, did you…take something?”
“Only your life.” She laughed again, the harsh grating sound of before.
“You’re not making any sense. I’m still alive.”
Tayera reached out and brushed Aleea’s hair away from her face.
Aleea wanted to jerk her head away or slap the offensive hand but she couldn’t move. Everything was frozen. Her breath was nothing more than gasping as she fought to take in air. Had Tayera taken something, somehow given her something? “What have you done?”
“Me?” Tayera’s voice was too sweet. “I didn’t do anything. I just explained to Fallyn what needed to be done. And I came to make sure it was done right.”
“What…what was done right?”
“I’ll let Fallyn know you’ve enjoyed the benefits of her care. And as you fight for your last breath, think of me.
Aleea shuddered deep inside, fought to open her eyes, to breathe.
Tayera disappeared.
Raeder lay down beside her, held her close and went to sleep unaware she was dying in his arms.
Chapter 10
Sunlight refracted through the giant crystal set in the center of the sleep chamber’s ceiling woke Raeder. For a long moment he lay unmoving. Aleea was in his arms and for the moment Allouria was safe. By the end of the day he would be able to relax his guard as he hadn’t been able to for longer than he cared to think about.
First, though, he had to get Aleea through the joining ceremony. Consummating their union in the crystal cavern wouldn’t be the problem.
He cupped her breast in his hand, weighed it and stroked the velvety tip. It didn’t respond.
Frowning, he pushed up on one elbow. He released her breast, pushed her hair away from her face.
His heart kicked hard against his ribs. She was pale, almost white. Even her lips were colorless.
“Aleea?”
She didn’t respond.
His chest tightened around his thundering heart. The jump followed by battle had been exhausting. It had taken more from Aleea than he’d realized.
“Aleea. Baby, wake up. You have a joining ceremony you have to participate in.” He stroked her face, brushed his thumb over her lips. She was cold to his touch.
His heart slammed into the wall of his chest again. He pressed his ear over her heart, closed his eyes and concentrated. It was a long moment before he felt her chest move. It barely rose.
He lifted his head and pressed two fingers to the side of her throat. Her heartbeat was a faint, wild flutter against his fingertips.
Darkeen Dynasty 1: Raeder's Woman Page 14
