Bound by Sin (22 page)

She slid herself around into his lap, and for a moment her backside dangled in the air over the cliff as she straddled his legs and seated herself across his thighs. He anxiously locked his grip at her hips, drawing her in tight and close at the fear of her possibly falling over backward, down the long cliff face, and into the water.

“Don't worry,” she whispered across his lips, “I'm not going anywhere. You won't be rid of me that easily.”

“That's just it. I'm not looking to be rid of you at all. Just the opposite, I find.”

She smiled at that and shifted herself as close to him as was possible, chest to chest, sex to sex, and snuggled in tight.

“There, now. See? I'm not going anywhere.”

“Yes, you are rather…secure,” he said as he nuzzled her ear beneath her hair. “But I'd much rather you be safer than this. After all, only one of us is immortal.”

“Mmm…after a fashion. I won't grow any older. Selkies never do. So I'll never die of old age.”

“But you can die from falling off a cliff,” he said dryly.

Jileana leaned back in his lap until her hair was dangling out in the open air beyond the edge of the cliff.

“This cliff? I've dived off this cliff before.”

“Good gods,” he breathed, jerking her back in tight to his chest. “You're insane. I'm immortal, but it still hurts to hit that water wrong. I'd likely break every bone in my body.”

“You likely would since you aren't natural to diving. But we are. It's like second nature. There's something inside us that makes us hit the water just right every time. Accidents do happen of course, but it's rare.”

“I think I would prefer it if you don't do that while I'm watching. Come, let's go where it's safer.”

“No!” She tensed her body and stayed him from getting up. “Let's stay right here. Just like this.”

She gripped his strong shoulders with both hands, and with a flex of her limber thigh and abdominal muscles, she undulated her sex against his, rubbing him hotly in her wet kiss.

His heart pounding, blood filling his cock, he gripped hold of her wicked hips. He glanced beyond her, out into the open air and down, past all the levels of caves and at last the water. His entire lower body tensed, as if he could cling to the ground beneath him and make it more safe somehow. But the fact was, it wasn't safe at all…and that was what was making his heart race and his blood burn.

He reached up, grabbed a fistful of her hair, and controlled her head as he crushed his mouth onto hers. He invaded her mouth with his tongue, lapping at the heady flavor of her. She was beyond delicious to him, and he savored every second of his tasting of her. He let go of her hip but did not lift his hand from her body for even a second. He wasn't going to risk anything with her—at least not more than he already was. But he had to admit there was an immeasurable excitement to be found in what they were doing. Which was no doubt her entire purpose. He ran his free hand up along the curves of her side, the hand in her hair clenching tighter as he embraced her full breast. All the while, he was kissing her as if he were starved for her. And he was. It felt like forever since he had been inside her, and he was definitely willing to change that…even if it was while she dangled over the side of a cliff.

Jileana kept her hands busy as well. They left his shoulders and brushed down over the tight swells of his pectoral muscles, her thumbnails scraping at his nipples in taunting little flicks. Then, while her left hand remained at that particular task, her right continued down over the ridges of his abdomen and farther down until her fingers were scraping through the wiry hairs where their bodies met. She lifted her hips just enough for her hand to reach between them and take hold of him. He sucked in a breath, then released it in a growling groan of pleasure. He wanted to lift up into her touch, but he dared not move an inch lest he topple them over the edge. Instead he was forced to let her do all the work, let her stroke him tightly until he was beyond hard for her. She alternated stroking him with her hand with rubbing him against the wet flesh of her sex. Then she rose up in his lap, trusting him to hold on to her, and offered her breast to his lips. He took her in between his teeth, sucking at her urgently until she gasped from the punishment. But she deserved to be punished, he thought. Look at what she had him doing. Look at the risks she was willing to take. He was beginning to realize that she had very little in the way of a self-preservation instinct. It was obvious in everything she did. She was utterly fearless…and she even sought out trouble aggressively. Oh, she didn't mean to get into trouble, but she did nothing to lessen her chances of it and she put herself into situations where trouble was just as likely to occur as not.

Through with punishing her, he gentled to teasing flutters of his tongue around her hard, distended nipple. The gentler undertaking made her moan with pleasure just as the rougher one had. Her free hand crawled through his hair, clutching at his scalp.

Finally, after he had left her breast in trade for the side of her neck, her shoulder, and then her opposite breast, she rose up once again and guided his shaft into the waiting embrace of her body. She lowered herself onto him slowly, bringing him snugly into her with small undulations of her hips. His hands rocketed to her hips, holding her and guiding her as he exhaled in a gusting groan of pleasure.

“Ah gods, how you
feel,
” he said between clenched teeth. He could not thrust up into her as he would like, not without risking the worst, so he was forced to let her ride him as she saw fit. It was frustrating and erotic at the same time. His blood was pumping through his every vein with brutal force and he felt as though he could barely catch his breath.

As for Jileana, she was loving every minute of her control of their pleasure. She rode him in slow, wicked, torturous moves until she had built up to short, quick undulations of her hips. Their mouths touched, but only enough to exchange hard, rapid breaths. She trusted him to hold on to her, to keep them rooted to the cliff's edge while she gave in to her need with absolute, heart-stopping abandon. She threw her head back, then slowly curved her body backward over the abyss, her hair hanging in the open air, only his hands around her ribcage anchoring her to solid ground. She came back upright at his insistence and once again focused on the movements of her hips. It was more than she could bear, her heart pounding with the thrill of the danger she was in at every instant and the even more ecstatic thrill of having him inside her. Danger was one thing…but it was nothing…nothing without the thrill of having Jaykun. Nothing could compare—only enhance—what was already there, making it so much more. Jaykun was wild. Having him like this was wilder.

She launched into orgasm, knowing she was free to do so, free to let her body spasm and curve, to throw her head back…all with complete abandon and trust that he would not let her go, would not let her fall.

To be given that trust made a huge impact on Jaykun. It was an erotic high all its own. He had to force himself to wait, however, force himself to keep control until she had gone limp and he could pull her back into balance against him. Then, with her help, he was able to release, to let his orgasm be birthed. But it was a controlled passion. He dared not forget himself for even an instant.

The moment he had recovered his breath he pushed away from the cliff's edge and rolled them onto solid ground. He had her on her back beneath him and was settled between her thighs as he looked down into her face. She looked mightily self-satisfied, proud of herself for her achievement. He couldn't help but laugh.

“You seem quite content,” he said.

“I am at that. However, one could always use more contentment.”

He laughed again. “If you were truly content, then you would not want more. But I can see I have somehow come up short. I think I shall have to remedy this.”

“You shall, but not right now,” she said, giving him a little push. “We have to get to our midday meal.”

“Must we?” he asked, dipping his head and nuzzling the crook of her neck.

“Yes! We must! Stop that.” She laughed.

“Very well. But I will be readdressing this matter at a later time,” he said just before he surged to his feet and held a hand out to her. She took it and he pulled her up to her feet as well. When she moved to the edge of the cliff, he snagged her hard about the arm and pulled her back. “Don't even think about diving off from up here. I am sure you would be fine, but I'm also sure my heart could not withstand the terror of watching you do it.”

“But it would be so much faster,” she said hesitantly.

“Please. For me,” he begged her gently.

“Very well. We can climb down to the dining level.” But it was clear she was only mollifying him; she would have chosen to dive off had it been up to her. The thought was absolutely harrowing to Jaykun. He was not a cowardly man by any stretch of the imagination, but still…it was a long way down to the water and he had tempted fate enough for one day.

T
he midday meal was a gathering of all the nobles of the court, including Jileana's father and five of her brothers, Silan, Lalo, Misan, Kidas, and Gruen. Lalo, Misan, and Gruen seemed a little more laid-back than their surly elder brother, Silan. The jury was still out on the remaining one who seemed to be watching him with sharp eyes. Jaykun watched the proceedings around him quietly and with a careful eye. He decided he liked her brothers after only a short while of watching them. They were clearly careful and thoughtful where their brother Silan was headlong and headstrong.

Also amongst the attendants was a beautiful woman with sea-green hair and fey features, including pointed ears. It was instantly obvious, even to him, that she was not a selkie. And when Jileana's eyes settled on her, she went hard with instant tension at his side.

“Oh no!” she cried softly. “I had forgotten!”

“What is it?” he asked her quietly.

“The siren ambassador!”

At her words he began to share her tension. The idea that this woman could open her mouth, sing a few notes, and ever after hold him in a thrall of love made his soul go cold. He had been in the thrall of love once before. He would never wish to be so stricken by that emotion again—and left blind to the faults of his partner because of it. He did not want a woman to have the power to manipulate him at her whim. He could think of no worse fate.

“We must visit my mother after this,” she said anxiously. “Surely she has a spell that can counteract the effects of a siren's call.”

“A wise plan. I am not comfortable being within earshot of her.”

“For now it is best we do not draw any attention to you,” she said.

But as luck would have it, attention quickly turned solely to him. Jalaya was utterly fascinated by him and would hear nothing from anyone else at the table. The “table” was a cleared, raised platform of stone around which everyone sat cross-legged. Servers circled the table with trays full of various selections and allowed for each individual to choose what they wished and how much of it they wished.

Jalaya focused completely on Jaykun, laughed at him, lavished him with her attentions. It wasn't long before Jileana realized Jalaya was flirting with him—and an even shorter period of time before jealousy set in. It wrapped itself hard and fierce around her heart and she shocked herself with the level of hostility she suddenly felt toward the empress. What was wrong with her? she asked herself. She had wanted Jaykun to find a useful position in the empress's attentions, had she not? Had they not come here with the sole purpose of striking an accord between Jalaya and Jaykun?

But an accord was one thing, a flirtation something else entirely. Did the empress not see that Jaykun was hers? But if the empress decided she wanted Jaykun, what power did either of them have to refuse her? It was her court, her power, her rules. They would merely be pawns in her game.

Suddenly Jileana wished she had never brought him here. It would have been better if she'd just stayed in the world of humans for another month than risk him to sirens and bring him to Jalaya's attention. Gods, what had she been thinking?

She had been trying to hold on to him at any cost, she realized with dawning comprehension. They'd had only three days before she brought him here, and she had not been ready to let him go. She had swiftly become addicted to having him in her life. She had felt changed ever since meeting him. At first she had thought it was because the Overworld was so different and new—so exciting. But now she realized he had been a key factor in that excitement. Oh, she would have found everything to be just as wondrous but her pure passion had been all Jaykun's doing.

The understanding left her a little shaken. She had known things with Jaykun were different—exciting and more than a little bit wild—but this was the first time she had considered there might be more to it than just simple good feelings and good times. It was the first time she had considered there might be any depth to the relationship beyond what they were feeling at any given moment.

But what truly made the comprehension dreadful was the understanding that Jaykun would never want anything beyond what they were already sharing. She didn't know why he closed himself off, but he most definitely shut down whenever it came to his emotions. Perhaps it was because of his curse, because of the limitations set upon him by Weysa. Yes, she was sure that was it. He was not free to give himself, and so he did not wish to engage in any behaviors that might bring another's feelings into the mix, that might leave someone else vulnerable and hurting, because he was unable to give himself completely.

But Jileana did not need completeness. She did not need all of him in order to be happy. She would be content with exactly what she had right now: time with him, in his arms and in his bed. True, she knew his attention to her could not last; he had a duty to perform and he could not be swayed from it, be it for circumstance or for his honor. He would honor his bargain with Weysa until the end. Were he free of the curse tomorrow she believed he would still fight in Weysa's name and for her cause. He was a warrior at heart and a principled one at that.

And Jileana would follow him. She knew in a heartbeat that she would leave her world, leave all of her friends and family behind, just to follow Jaykun into the world of humans. And she knew his goals might take him far from the ocean, that she might be cut off from all ocean water for long periods of time—months…maybe even years—if she followed him. Still she did not care. She would not mind. She would easily trade away the comforts of the ocean for the comfort of his arms.

But right now there was a danger far more serious than being separated from the ocean. If Jalaya formed an attachment to Jaykun, if she set her sights on him, there would be a great deal of trouble to be had. And now Jaykun was stuck within Jalaya's reach for the next three weeks. How were they to avoid her, and avoid her attentions?

Disturbed, Jileana found herself leaning into his body, settling her weight against him, and setting her chin on his shoulder. To her pleasure, he reached up and buried a warm hand in her hair, petting her absently as he talked with the empress of the selkies. Whatever Jalaya's intentions were, Jileana took comfort in the thought that it was very unlikely that Jaykun would go along with those intentions. Not unless he was given no choice. And maybe not even then. She simply did not know. The best idea would be to remove him from the equation as often as she could. But she didn't see how that was possible. It was a dangerous quandary for them to be in.

“Tell me…are all human men as intelligent as you are?” Jalaya was asking him.

“No. Not all. Haven't you ever been to the Overworld?” Jaykun asked her.

“I have…once, when I was very young. I spent a full month in the world of men. I wanted to see what it was like for myself. I also was trying to escape the demands of my family.” The empress gave Jileana a knowing wink. “But that was almost two hundred years ago and I was not impressed with men at the time.”

“In some ways men are greatly different than they were two hundred years ago; in others they are ever the same.” Jaykun was silent a moment. “I do not think you would like the Overworld much. This place is idyllic compared to the Overworld. Were I another man I might never wish to leave.”

“But you are not that man?” she asked curiously.

“No. I have too many responsibilities awaiting me in the Overworld. My brothers as well. And I am bound by my goddess to serve her. Also, I search for my lost brother.”

“Lost brother? How was he lost?”

Jaykun hesitated. His first instinct was to avoid talking about his curse and what he and his brothers had done to prompt it. But this was not the Overworld. It was a different place, a place set apart from the world of humans. In the end, he gave her a quick retelling of the tale, ending with each cursed brother's fate.

“Each of us was consigned to punishment by a different god. Weysa thrust my brother Dethan into the bowels of the eight hells. Hella chained my brother Garreth to a frozen mountainside. Lothas chained me to a star, and Sabo buried my brother Maxum beneath the soil. Maxum is the only one who has not been freed from his curse and we search for him everywhere we go.”

“And what will you do if you find him?” Jalaya asked him, suddenly seeming less open to him, less flirtatious. Her body language had changed significantly. This hardly surprised Jaykun. It was nerve-racking, no doubt, to be close to someone who was so damned by the gods. It amazed him that Jileana did not react similarly. Perhaps it was for the best. He had not been blind to Jalaya's flirtations and interest. He had just avoided opening a tricky can of worms.

“Bring him up out of the ground. Hope that we can free him from his curse somehow. We haven't thought that far ahead. We must find him first before the rest can be worried about.”

“True,” she murmured. Then suddenly she was rising to her feet, forcing her courtiers to stand hastily in deference to her. “Jaykun, I will have you come to midday meal again tomorrow. I think it will be interesting to see how you take Horgon's measure and how he takes yours.”

“I will be honored to do so, Majesty,” Jaykun said with a deferential nod.

The empress left, and those at the table sat down and finished their meals. But it quickly became apparent to Jaykun that Jileana had lost her appetite as well as her usual vivacity.

“Are you well?” he asked her after a few minutes of watching her.

“I…I will be better once we have seen my mother and I know you are protected from the sirens' call.”

“Then let's go to her now. I won't have you worrying,” he said, rising to his feet and holding his hand out to her. She took it immediately and rose as well. They walked out of the dining area and onto the open ledge. It was a short dive to the water and they prepared to make it.

“Leaving so quickly? And before I have had time to make your acquaintance?”

They turned together at the address, which was followed by a musical little laugh. There she stood, the siren herself, her green hair flowing all around the slim planes of her nearly boyish body. Unlike Jileana, she lacked the curves that would make her markedly a female. She had small, nearly nonexistent breasts, but her features were everything fey and feminine. Other than the hair on her head, she had no other hair on her body, except eyelashes that were green as well. She had no eyebrows to speak of. There were swirls of tiny white spots on patches of her skin, almost as though they were there in place of the hair that was missing from her body, and her nails, on both her hands and her feet, had a purplish tinge to them.

“We have somewhere to be,” Jileana said with poorly veiled hostility as she stepped protectively between Jaykun and the siren.

“Please, little one,” the ambassador said with a lightly scoffing laugh. “If I want him, the placement of your body will do nothing to protect his ears.”

She turned her attention to Jaykun. “I am Falin,” she introduced herself, holding up a palm in respectful greeting. “Do not be afraid I will enrapture you. It is clear you are the empress's favored companion and I will not risk war between the sirens and the selkies simply to win the attentions of a man.”

Jaykun took her measure for a moment and then realized she was telling the truth. Clearly the siren leader had chosen well when she had chosen her ambassador.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Falin,” Jaykun said, holding out a hand to her. She looked at him with ice-blue eyes a moment, then took his hand in hers. Her skin was smooth and cool under his touch. “I am glad you will not attempt to enthrall me. You might make me love you, but I would kill you for it.”

“You would love me too much to want to kill me.”

“I have killed things I loved in the past,” he said quietly. “And in any event, it would not be true love, merely an illusion. Illusions can be broken.”