Ceremony of Seduction (16 page)

“There’s a legend here that tells of a powerful princess who even before the ascension has more power than the reigning queen.”

“Go on.” Icy dread trickled down Stone’s spine. He wasn’t sure how he knew, but he knew this legend spoke directly of Alyssandra.

“It says that such a princess will come when Tador is in danger and she will wield so much power that it tends to be unstable and even dangerous. Then it alludes to something called the triangle, which is needed to allow full healing to come to Tador and to keep the new queen from destroying herself. It sounds almost as if this triangle, whatever it is, is the only thing that will keep the queen alive and thriving after the ascension.” He shook his head. “You both know what that means for Tador if she’s not.”

Stone took the book from Ryan and stared down at the words. “We have to figure out what this triangle is before the ascension.”

Grayson gestured to the half of the fourth level that held books pertaining to the ascension. “Any bright ideas on how to do that with just the three of us? We’ll need to enlist more help.”

Stone snapped the book shut and rested it against his forehead. “I get an eerie feeling that we need to be extremely careful who we ask to help.” He looked at his two friends.

“Agreed.” This from Ryan. “The council doesn’t need any reason to question Alyssandra’s right to the throne. After the way she embarrassed the Council Head, no matter how well-deserved, I think they would be happy to find any weakness to keep her from ascending, no matter the threat to the planet.”

“Prince Stone!”

Stone turned to see an elderly servant on the spiral staircase. “Come quickly, it’s the queen.”

T
he queen’s archive turned out to be in the basement of the castle. Lovingly polished bookshelves stood floor to ceiling, overflowing with books, while sweeping spiral staircases and landings dotted with comfortable alcoves allowed access to any of the ten floors. The smell of beeswax and lemon made the room comforting and homey even though a hundred people could fit in the round chamber.

Alyssa stood at the bottom in between the overstuffed chairs and footstools and looked up, her mouth open in awe. “I can see all the way to the top.”

Sasha laughed as she stepped up beside her. “The top you see there is actually the bottom floor of the castle proper.”

“I can’t believe I can read any of these books I want to at any time.” She turned in a circle, her head still tilted back to study the view. She suddenly felt like a child at Christmas—or at least what she wished Christmas would’ve been.

“You’ll soon be queen and will be writing a nightly journal which will someday grace this archive along with your mother’s, and all the queens who ruled before you.” The pride in Sasha’s voice surprised her.

Alyssa stopped turning and looked over at her lady’s maid. “Every time I think I’m getting used to the notion that I’m going to be queen, something comes along that makes it seem surreal again. There must be thousands of journals here.” She trailed her fingers along a bookcase full of multicolored journals written by past queens, the history and the legacy contained in those pages her birthright.

“I can’t imagine people wanting to read a journal full of my thoughts when they have all these to choose from. In fact, until Stone found me, my adoptive family convinced me that I wasn’t smart enough to read anything but magazines.” Her laugh was bitter and short. “But I’ve decided to take some good advice and decide for myself what I can and can’t do.” She smiled across at Sasha.

Alyssa closed her eyes and inhaled, imprinting the smells and ambience of this room into her memory. When she opened them, she was eye level with a journal that had been dyed a soft lavender. The color had faded a bit with time, but when she pulled the book from the shelf and opened the first page, the leather that folded inside the cover held the full rich color that reminded her of Stone’s eyes when they were darkened with passion.

“That’s the oldest queen’s journal we have in the archive. I’ve never read them all, but when I asked why there were none before this one I was told that that queen started the tradition of journaling and has passed it down through the ages.”

Alyssandra smiled and ran her hand over the soft leather of the cover. “At the beginning. That sounds like a good place for me to start learning how to be queen.”

Sasha smiled. “I’ll have some refreshments brought. Read at your leisure, Princess. I’ll let you know when it’s time to meet Prince Stone for lunch.”

Alyssa nodded, taking her treasure and settling into a large overstuffed chair with a large leather ottoman in front. She turned her gaze toward the title page.

Queen Angelina de Klatch

Today is my first day as queen. I’m still terrified that I won’t know what to do, that I’ll let my people down. My darling William rules at my side, and I’m eternally grateful. But if not for Gwen, my faithful lady’s maid, I would be lost.

Several have already questioned my decision to bring back traditions from the past. It has been many centuries since a queen employed the strength of the triangle, but to restore Tador, I will do what I must. I couldn’t live with the destruction of the planet I love.

How past queens have managed to maintain the symbiosis without the triangle amazes me. I envy their strength and their persistence. May Tador forgive me if I’ve made the wrong decision.

I must prepare since the Seer’s and Healer’s coming-of-age happens over the next few weeks and soon after we must form the ancient bond if Tador is to be saved. I hope…

Alyssa held her breath as she turned the page, but the ink had faded until it was almost unintelligible. “Damn!” She vowed to read every journal in the archive if that’s what it took to find out more about this triangle. The Klatch Council may not be open to listening to options, but Alyssa certainly was. She trusted her parent’s judgment, and her gut told her whatever this triangle turned out to be, could very well be the saving grace of Tador.

“Alyssandra.”

She turned to see Stone, his face set in hard lines of granite, his eyes shadowed. “What’s wrong?”

“The queen has collapsed. Come quickly.” He held out his hand to her and she scrambled up, dropping the journal in the overstuffed chair and following Stone. Panic clawed inside her throat and her eyes burned with unshed tears. She’d spent so many years without her mother, she couldn’t bear the thought of losing her now.

When they reached her parents’ chambers, she ran ahead of Stone, shoving open the large wooden doors and rushing to her mother’s bedside. Annalecia lay on her back, the rich purple blankets pulled up to her chest. Her face was drawn and pale, her eyes closed, her breathing shallow.

“Mother…” It came out a strained whisper, her voice carrying all the desperation and helplessness that swamped her. Her mother gave no indication that she heard.

“Alyssandra.”

She turned at the sound of her father’s voice and rushed forward into his comforting embrace. “What happened?” She murmured against his tunic while she squeezed her eyes shut against the words he would say.

Darius gently stroked her hair and rested his chin on the top of her head. “She and I were meeting privately with the leader of the council and she collapsed in a heap. She is weakening, as is her bond with the Tador.”

Alyssa pulled back enough to look at her father. “We have to start the ceremony. I won’t risk losing her!”

Stone started forward, but King Darius held up a hand that stopped him in his tracks and returned his gentle gaze to his Alyssa. “If we start the ceremony early, you both will die.” His thumb swiped across her cheek to capture a tear that had escaped. “It is only another few days.”

Protests lodged in her throat and she swallowed them back like bile, bitter and harsh. She knew her father’s words were true, but she couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to her parents now that she’d finally found them.

A soft moan from the bed caught her attention and she turned to see Annalecia’s eyes flutter open and focus. “Mother!” She rushed to her bedside and sat down beside her, careful not to jostle the frail woman.

Annalecia’s hand reached out to close over Alyssa’s. “Shhh. I’m fine, just a bit tired.”

Stinging tears flowed freely down her face to fall in fat round drops onto the blankets. She took her mother’s hand in her own and remembering what Stone had done for her many times, she concentrated and sent a steady flow of energy through their bond and into her mother.

Annalecia gasped and arched up on the bed, but Alyssa refused to stop. She pushed the energy through her mother and out to meet the tenuous bond with Tador. The planet responded like a cat wanting attention. Warm waves of energy flowed back and forth between them until she could sense almost an invisible sigh of contentment. But she didn’t know if it came from the planet or her mother.

She slowly drew enough energy back inside her mother to ensure she was safe and then broke the mental connection and let go of her mother’s hand. When she tried to stand, her legs buckled under her and Stone’s concerned face loomed large in her vision as he swept her into his arms. She buried her face against his chest and allowed sleep to claim her.

Alyssa awoke to the wonderful sensation of a muscular and very male body spooned behind her. Stone’s thick cock lay cradled against the crack of her ass and his springy chest hair tickled the sensitive skin on her back. She reached back to touch him and her seeking hand met the cloth of his breeches. She bit back a sigh of disappointment. For one glorious second she thought she had him entirely naked in her bed, but she knew that wasn’t advisable before the ceremony. Stone would never put her in danger.

His index finger traced lazy circles around the fullness of her bare breast, a strangely possessive yet comfortable touch. “I’m glad you’re awake, Princess. I was beginning to worry that you’d pushed yourself too far past your limits.”

There was no censure in his tone, only deep concern. A flow of warm emotion curled around her heart. “Did it work?”

Vibrations from Stone’s deep chuckle reverberated through her body, bringing with them a slow wave of mounting arousal. His finger tracing moved to her areola, the touch gentle but steady. “What you did was very brave, Alyssandra. You most likely saved her life, not to mention it stopped the deterioration of Tador…for now. The queen is feeling much better. She wanted to resume her normal duties, but Darius has confined her to bed and is most likely doing everything within his power to keep her there and well provided with energy.”

His words pushed away the arousal his touch brought. Relief flowed through her followed by pure joy at Stone’s words of praise. It was only the second time she could remember that someone actually sounded proud of her—the first was just a few days ago after the meeting with the Klatch Council when her father had expressed his pride in her. She was surprised to realize she was proud of herself, as well. “So is that your plan too? To keep me confined to bed and well provided with energy?” She arched back against him, grinding her ass against his cock.

He hissed and nipped her shoulder until she stopped, causing her to laugh aloud. Then he continued his slow feathery touches over her sensitive breast. His callused finger sent tiny jolts of awareness through her, igniting small fires all over her body.

“Definitely, witch.” His breath feathered over her nape and he leaned down to place a gentle kiss against the spot. Gooseflesh marched over her skin and she gasped at the intensity of the sensation. Then he placed his lips against her sensitive nape and sucked softly, ripping a moan from her throat and whipping energy through her body like a sudden explosion.

All the while, his finger continued to trace, around and around, slowly moving up to tease the aching tip of her breast. “In fact, I plan on keeping you here all day, replenishing you with all the energy you need—even if practicing that much restraint kills me.”

She moaned again as he switched his gentle ministrations to the other breast. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” Her whispered words sounded husky and faint.

He laughed again, the vibrations zinging a path straight to each of her engorged nipples and then flowing in a wave of hot lava to her aching pussy. A long sigh escaped from her throat before she could stop it and her hips began a slow instinctive grind against his heated cock.

In a quick movement, Stone rolled forward, forcing her onto her stomach. She gasped at the sudden move and then relaxed as he straddled her and began his gentle tracing over every inch of her skin. He ran his fingertips down her arms and then linked his fingers with hers, and in another quick movement, lifted her arms so they lay palm down on the bed above her head. When she tried to lift them, she discovered that they were magically bound again. “Damn it, Stone. I hate it when you do that!”

Stone’s weight shifted as he leaned over her and his hot breath feathered against her ear. “It’s time for more energy lessons, Princess, and the bindings keep you from hurting yourself. Magical binding is an easy spell. I’ll teach it to you sometime—after I’ve had my fill of you.” He nipped her earlobe and fire speared through her straight to her womb. Moisture pooled between her swollen pussy lips and she groaned as her hips began their instinctive grind against the softness of the mattress.

“Be careful, my prince,” she warned. “Paybacks will be absolutely my pleasure. And I happen to know Klatch Witches are a very vindictive breed.”

His low rumbling laugh feathered across her neck and she tipped her head to the side to give him better access. “Really, Princess? What makes you say that?”

“Because I’m enjoying fantasizing about my revenge.” She bit down on her bottom lip as he placed his lips against her neck and gently sucked, then soothed the site with a swipe of his tongue. Another gasp ripped from her unbidden, ending in a long sigh. “Just remember, revenge is exponential.”

“Good, I’m always up for a challenge.”

Alyssandra opened her mouth to continue the banter, but then Stone began to explore her body in earnest with seeking hands, lips, teeth, and tongue. He lavished each curve and dip with so many sensations that she thought her body would spontaneously combust. The hurricane of energy began its rushing flow through her, steadily building in intensity.

She couldn’t form any coherent thoughts, she could only feel as Stone caressed and teased her. When he nipped her hip and began to slowly trace a finger deeper and deeper between her ass cheeks, she arched toward him as best she could since he straddled her knees. “Please, Stone. Please…”

“Shhhh.” The soft hiss of air against her hip sent another wave of fire through her and her clit throbbed and ached.

Warm oil dripped against her ass, surprising her, and the scent of lavender and vanilla suddenly filled her senses. Stone’s strong hands rubbed and caressed both her ass cheeks in turn before once again dipping down inside toward her openings. One blunt finger probed her tight rosebud and she shuddered and pushed up against him, silently begging him to enter her.

“I’ve been thinking about that day in the gardens when you ached for a cock inside your ass. The ceremony comes soon and I thought we should prepare your body to accept me, and give you more chances to get used to channeling energy.”

Another rush of the warm oil against her skin, and she inhaled, letting the scents fill her. Stone slowly inserted the tip of his finger inside her ass, gently rotating until she relaxed to accept him. His finger slowly retreated until her body retightened behind him and then he slipped easily back inside her with the aid of the warm oil.

Alyssa shifted her legs farther apart to give him better access and moaned as his finger delved deeper with each slow thrust. She arched up to try to take more of him, but his other hand anchored on the small of her back inhibiting her movements as he continued to set an agonizingly steady pace that was driving her crazy. The energy inside her began to whirl faster and faster and her skin tingled and sizzled with the force of it.