Oath Forger (Book 4)

by Nia Mars

  A soft, choked, desperately needy sound comes from somewhere behind me.

  Dason has finished his shower, come out, and he’s staring at us wide-eyed, unblinking, as if in a trance.

  Roax swings me up into his arms and walks me into the bathroom, pushing past the younger krek.

  Only when the door is closed does he say, “He’s going to need a firm hand. He needs it. Do you understand?”

  I think I do. I nod. “I’m not sure how...”

  “I’ll help.” His grin is the devil’s own, his voice as smooth as silk sheets. “It’ll be...interesting.”

  Oh. The images his words bring to my mind turn my muscles into wet noodles. Good thing Roax is holding me against his body once again.

  His smile is nothing if not predatory. “That look in Dason’s eyes. Heady, isn’t it? How does it feel to have five kreks on their knees in front of you, little bird?”

  “Not you,” I manage to say.

  He gives a careful nod. “I prefer things the other way around. I like people on their knees in front of me.”

  I’m wet with need. From a conversation with Roax. He hasn’t even fully kissed me yet.

  “People?” Why does my voice have to sound so weak?

  “I’ve already admitted to having had lovers.”

  People he’d said, not women. He didn’t say I like women on their knees in front of me.

  He reads the question in my eyes, and answers easily. “I’ve had both male and female lovers. Often at the same time.”

  And he would give that up? For me?

  “Yes,” he says, before his hard lips descend on mine.

  He barely breaks the kiss as he pulls my dress over my head, and then I’m standing there in front of him in my wet, transparent underwear.

  His eyes drink me in, drink me down, absorb every inch of me. “You let Dason see you like this?”

  I nod, half-fearing punishment.

  “Torturing that poor pup now?” he asks with a raised eyebrow before flashing a dark smile. “Then again, I think he would enjoy a little torture. Or possibly a lot. He’s strong enough. He could take quite a bit.”

  I have no idea what to say to that.

  “Hands up,” Roax orders.

  My hands shoot up into the air on their own.

  He pulls the stretchy bra over my head and drops it on the floor. Then he reaches for my underwear and tugs, rolls it down my legs. “Step out.”

  I do.

  He starts up the water, sets the temperature, and sets me into the shower.

  When he goes to the door, a soft whimper of protest escapes me. I don’t want him to leave. I want him to...

  And, oh, he knows. He doesn’t walk out; he turns the lock instead. When he returns to me and lets his gaze slide over me, the look in his eyes...

  Why isn’t there any air in here?

  Under the weight of that scorching gaze, I lose the ability to think. I don’t know my own name. Or what planet I’m from. I don’t know what’s up or down.

  He rolls up his sleeves, the sight of his muscled forearm making my throat go dry. Every part of him radiates strength.

  “I want your back to me. Face the wall.”

  I do.

  “Hands on the wall.”

  I do that too.

  “Feet apart.”

  My heart pounds so hard I can barely hear the water.

  “Good little bird,” he says, and puts soap into his hands.

  He washes me, starting with my hair. He spends an indecent amount of time on it, letting the wet locks slide through his fingers over and over.

  “My new favorite shade of red,” he tells me as he massages my scalp, spoiling me into oblivion.

  Then his hand closes around the back of my neck and he holds me, firmly, for an endless moment. I don’t know why that sends a new rush of wet heat to the V of my thighs. I don’t resist. Maybe that’s the right response, because in another second he slowly moves his hands down my back, kneading, massaging.

  The pain, when it comes, is sharp, but not overwhelming. Seconds pass before I realize he’s drawing a single fingernail, inch by slow inch, down in a straight line over my spine, scoring me, marking me. I’m trembling. The pain on my spine somehow radiates pleasure to my clit. I bite my lower lip, but a soft moan escapes me anyway.

  “Good girl.”

  Was he assessing my response?

  “A very good girl,” he repeats.

  I think I could come just from that deep, raspy voice, if he kept talking to me.

  When he reaches my lower back, the nail is withdrawn, and he palms my butt cheeks, soaps them, massages them. He washes between them.

  Eventually his hands move around me, to the front. As he palms my aching breasts at last, I close my eyes. When I think I can take no more of his fingers teasing my nipples, he makes his way down to between my thighs, where he slowly slips a finger inside me. The hot pleasure is instant.

  “Stars, you’re tight.”

  My body clenches around him.

  His finger moves slightly.

  I clench again.

  When he adds a second finger, I clench harder.

  He works in and out of me, and I wish I could sink my nails into the wall for support, wish there was something to hold on to.

  I’m on the edge of falling when he stops. “Do you think you deserve to come right now, little bird?”

  I don’t know anything, and I tell him.

  He laughs. “I don’t think you deserve it. Not yet.” His tone grows serious. “Here is what I want you to do. Make sure that the Confirmation Committee stays in Merim for another few days. You think you can do that?”

  I’m certainly not going to admit defeat without even trying. So I whisper, “Yes.”

  His fingers leave my body. The sensation of loss makes me want to cry. I’m so keyed up, I want to touch myself, but I’m too embarrassed to do it in front of him.

  As if he knows, he doesn’t leave me alone for a second. My only consolation is that if I’m frustrated, so is he. His pants are stretching over a massive erection as he dries me off, then combs my hair.

  Of course, he doesn’t show that being left hanging bothers him. He’s self-contained as always, while I can’t stop squirming on the chair he pulled over for me, which seems to entertain him. He’s even more sinisterly handsome when he’s smirking.

  When he’s finished braiding my hair into a crown on the top of my head, he plucks me off the chair and carries me out of the bathroom in his arms.

  My mind is so hazy with arousal, it takes a while for me to realize that I’m...naked!!!

  By the time I protest, it’s too late, because everyone has seen me. Because, hello, the rest of The Five are back.

  “What have you been doing in there with her?” Tiam’s lips are bracketed with tension, silver eyes flashing, fingers curled into fists at his sides.

  “Getting her ready.” Roax stands me on my feet. “I believe the Oath Forger needs to dress. Are you all going to help or just keep staring like a bunch of idiots?”

  Koah gives a warning growl and steps closer, brushes a kiss over my lips then draws me to him to hide my body from the others.

  I appreciate the gesture, but they’ve already seen everything there is to see. So when Uthan brings clothes from the closet, I move toward him. “Thank you.”

  Roax stops me with a hand on my elbow. “Underwear first.”

  He holds out a pair of nude panties, and the others don’t argue or try to take that privilege, as if they know he won’t give it up without a fight. I’m not going to waste time arguing, either. I step into the leg holes, grateful when he pulls up the scrap of cloth at last and covers me.

  The back of his hand brushes against my mons. I can’t help the shudder of need that runs through me. The room is so heavy with silence; if a leaf fell outside in the garden, I would probably hear it hit the grass.

  Roax helps me put on my bra, too, the back of his hands brushing against my n
ipples. I bite my lip so I won’t moan with pleasure. By the time I begin to consider that he’s not accidentally touching me but deliberately torturing me and taunting the others, he’s stepping back to allow Tiam and Koah to slide my frothy dress of crimson silk over my head. The bodice, embroidered with golden butterflies, is a perfect fit. As the hem, embroidered with golden leaves, kisses my ankles, Uthan and Dason help drape my Oath Forger robe over the dress.

  Then Dason kneels at my feet and slips on my matching slippers. “Perfect.”

  The men are ready, already in their ceremonial uniforms, wearing the colors of their territories. Roax rolls down his sleeves. His clothes must be damp from the shower’s mist, but he doesn’t seem to care.

  The five sets of eyes watching me hold just as much heat now as when I’d been naked.

  If they can’t look away from me, I can’t look away from them either. They must be the five most gorgeous men who have ever lived. Admittedly, I might be biased.

  Dason opens the door for me. “Oath Forger.”

  I walk out first, the men following me as a group, literally having my back. They stick close as if wanting to make sure I know that they’re here for me. Having their support reassures me and settles my nerves.

  We exit through the front doors of the palace, under the clearest sky ever, down wide steps lined by uniformed guards, to a small stage at the foot of the steps.

  A sea of people stretches in front of me, as far as I can see. Okay, this is definitely more than a couple of thousand. Deep breath.

  The Confirmation Committee is already on the stage. They bow to me as one—small bows, but still an obvious, visible sign of respect and acceptance. The head of the committee, Senator Wortly, is talking, and his voice is somehow amplified, probably through his comm unit.

  He’s short and hairy, but he manages to look official despite the fact that his bushy beard is sticking out like a garden gnome’s. People give him their full attention, but I can barely hear a word he says. My blood rushes too loudly in my ears as my newfound calm disappears.

  When the senator finishes, he steps in front of me and loops a necklace with an azure medallion over my head. The audience cheers.

  Senator Wortly steps aside.

  It’s my turn.

  I forget every last word of my speech. There’s nothing in my head except: Oh God. This is happening. Right now.

  Then Roax moves closer to me, and his hand brushes against mine. Koah steps up on my other side. Tiam too, then Uthan. Dason is at my back.

  My mind clears. I am complete with these men. I have nothing to fear. I am the Oath Forger.

  I smile at the sea of people and draw a deep breath. When I speak, my voice rings clear.

  “I am so incredibly honored to be here with you today,” I begin.

  With rapt attention, they listen.

  And I’m not scared. Because this is who I am, and this is my moment.

  Chapter Three

  “WELL DONE,” Roax whispers into my ear once we’re in the ceremonial dining room, hosting the Confirmation Committee after the ceremony. He’s sitting next to me, his hot breath fanning the sensitive skin of my neck and sending a shiver of awareness down my spine.

  Well done. He means not only the speech, but that I invited the committee to the upcoming masquerade ball. The organizers postponed it when I was hurt by the exploding glass ceiling. They really want me to attend. The ball will take place in three days. I invited the Confirmation Committee at the end of my speech, on the stage, in front of everyone. They couldn’t exactly say no to me.

  Roax asked me to keep the Committee in Merim a little longer, and I did it.

  He stays bent to my ear and whispers, “Now you deserve a reward.”

  At his softly-spoken words, heat courses through my body.

  I want him to finish what he began in the shower, but, at the same time, I’m afraid of him. He’s too intense. He’s not like the others. I know he has darker tastes. I’m not sure if I’m ready for him.

  I don’t dare meet his eyes. Instead, I stare at my plate. I can feel the amusement radiating off him as he draws away.

  Thirteen people sit around the table: the six of us, along with the six committee members and Olipha, Tiam’s sister. Koah is seated next to Senator Delza, and neither of them look comfortable with the arrangement. They’re avoiding conversation a little too studiously. I catch Delza stealing glances at Koah when she thinks nobody is watching. More surprisingly, I catch Senator Seke stealing glances at Delza. Longing glances.

  The discovery distracts me for the rest of our lunch, after which the committee members choose to retire to rest. Since the Onyx Tower is under inspection for structural damage, the three men and three women will be staying in the palace guestrooms until after the masquerade.

  Tiam thought this would be a good idea. He wants to keep an eye on them. The whole keep-your-friends-close-and-your-enemies-closer thing.

  The Five escort me back to my quarters. As we stop outside the door, Koah brushes a kiss over my lips.

  “I’m going up to my ship. I have a meeting with my generals.”

  His ship is in orbit. It’s probably the most secure place for a military meeting. The kreks are pulling back from their civil war positions and joining forces. It’s going to take a lot of coordination.

  He stays with his head bent to mine for a moment, and his indigo gaze tells me he remembers every second of our ‘connecting,’ when he was inside my body. I do, too, every wave of pleasure as he moved, as my body clenched around him, as he claimed me.

  And now my cheeks are burning.

  When he steps back, Uthan takes his place and kisses me. “I’m off to look into Senator Wortly’s background and connections. Whoever is moving against us, is a wily bastard. Wortly is a mystic. I want to find out what his powers are exactly.”

  “I’ll be going, too,” Dason says, his gaze somber. “Military funerals for the people we lost in the pirate attack. I need to be there.”

  I hug him close and kiss him hard.

  After Koah, Uthan, and Dason leave, Tiam informs me that he’ll be staying with me for the afternoon. He opens the door for me.

  I look back at Roax. “And you?”

  “Going off planet. But not yet. I’ll find you to say goodbye before I leave.” His eyes are full of dark promises. He flashes me an evil grin before he walks away.

  I swear my skin is tingling.

  After I change into a simple blue dress with Tiam’s help, putting away my Oath Forger’s robe and the fancy gown, I head to my office. I’m done recuperating. I want to start fulfilling my duties.

  “I need to figure out my calendar of events,” I tell Tiam.

  “I’ll work on my online investigation,” he says.

  We go through the still-empty reception area. While Tiam checks the secretary’s empty office next to mine and settles in, I sit behind my black glass desk and think about where to start. The schedule really does have to come first. So I order it up on the display.

  “Password?” the computer asks in Tiam’s voice.

  “Tiam is an egomaniac,” I say, maybe louder than necessary, and hear a snort from the outer office.

  It puts a smile on my face as I accept and decline invitations for the next twenty minutes. There’s another hour’s worth, at least, but I pause when Roax appears in the doorway.

  He has a way of filling the space. The office feels a lot smaller than when I was in here with Olipha, and Roax isn’t even all the way inside yet. He leans his shoulder against the doorframe as he lets his dark gaze pour over me.

  “You look lovely behind the Oath Forger’s desk, Ava Mine. You look right.”

  I open my mouth to thank him for the compliment that’s uncharacteristically free of snark or things that make me catch my breath, but then he adds, “I can’t wait to have you bent over it.”

  And that’s Roax.

  I wait, expecting him to kiss me goodbye before he leaves. I brace myself, beca
use our encounters tend to leave me shaken.

  Instead of stepping closer to me, he says “Come around to this side and sit on the desk.”

  I do, because I want his goodbye kiss.

  “Pull your dress above your knees,” he tells me next.

  “I’m at work.”

  “And you’re mine, no matter where you are. Pull up your dress.”

  You’re mine.

  Not yet, I want to remind him, but my mouth is unable to form the words.

  Fine. It’s not like showing my legs is so terribly risqué. I tug up the soft material and let it pool on my thighs.

  “Higher.”

  I squirm, but I do as I’m told. The thick glass of the desk is cold under my naked thighs.

  “Now open your legs.”

  Tiam is just in the next room. Yet I obey. Because with each command, it’s somehow more and more difficult to resist Roax. His voice is pure domination.

  His gaze dips to the V of my thighs and heats. “Wider.”

  I lose my breath.

  “Now give me your underwear.”

  I gasp. And hesitate too long.

  His eyes narrow. “Are you trying to earn a punishment?”

  No. Maybe? What punishment?

  The possibilities tingle through me. A punishing kiss? Or... Then I do decide on no. Not in my office. Not with Tiam within hearing distance.

  I tug off my underwear quickly and hold it out, while looking down. I don’t want to see the smug satisfaction on Roax’s face.

  He comes closer, tucks the scrap of material into his pocket, then steps between my legs. As his probing fingers trace a path up my inner thighs, I suck in a quick breath. I’m beginning to think that he has more in mind than just a goodbye kiss.

  My traitorous body thrills to the idea.

  “You were magnificent on that podium,” he tells me. “You will be a magnificent Oath Forger.”

  His compliment warms me, but I don’t get any time to enjoy it, because the next second, his fingertips are at my entry. Sharp pleasure tingles through my body.

  He gives a low, approving grunt. “Have you been wet since the shower?”

  My face flushes with heat. “Yes.”