Gambit (25 page)

Her body was moving before her brain engaged. What would it look like? The Empress of the Ladaians tearing around the palace corridors like a madwoman. It would strengthen Odgar’s position with the other princes and by default, the Prince of Ara had to support her. The political thoughts snapped through her head. Both good, sound reasons to tear through the twists of corridors, past doors, past guards and servants who dropped hasty bows. The thoughts were no doubt spurred by the sunder-seld. Damn chair.

But politics and the chair didn’t have her heart hammering. It was the thought of Daned catching her, pushing her up against the nearest wall and fucking her that had her skin flushed and her mouth dry. How the hell did she think that was hot? She’d had to run and hide from enough people on Arkhengai and never once had it turned her on. But now it was hot because he thought it was.

Chae skidded around a corner and met a long bank of windows that looked out onto the darkening shadows of a garden. She pushed at the frame and the cool evening air washed over her, scented with unknown flowers and foliage. Insects whirred and buzzed and the distant hum of the city far below thrummed in her veins.

Life would certainly be interesting if she took on his kinks and he took on hers. A smile tugged at her mouth as she slipped out into the garden to crush short grass under her boots. The soft scent of nutmeg drifted on the breeze and Chae pulled it deep into her lungs. Everything was so fresh, so untainted. Every breath was a joy.

She increased her pace, heading for the dark line of trees. A wall of rock threaded with black crystal enclosed the long grounds. The odor of the crystal mixed with the other unknown scents and the spices in the air caught her breath. Her fast walk slowed. In the growing darkness, the silence, she opened her thoughts and tried to “feel” Daned. She couldn’t. Somehow he’d masked himself.

Liquid need mixed with the beauty of the garden. Chae stroked her fingertips over velvet-soft leaves and silently slipped deeper into the small cluster of bushes and trees brushing up against the high wall. She kicked off her boots—she’d get them in the morning—and her bare feet sank into the cool earth, the tickle of leaf litter crinkling between her toes.

She was probably making too much noise, but she knew how to move through stone and brick and marble, not earth and trees. A smile curled her mouth. It was a skill she’d have to learn if she wanted to chase down Daned.

“You think you can hunt me?”

Strong hands grabbed her wrists and barreled her back until her spine hit the wall. A
whoomph
of air burst from her lungs and her heart raced. Daned loomed over her, his face lost to shadow, but she knew him, his scent, the way his quick breaths warmed her skin, the indefinable shape of his mind.

“I’m a quick learner.” She struggled and gave him a sharp grin as his fingers tightened and he pushed her against the wall with the lean strength of his body. “Hunting you would be easy.”

“Really?”

The heat in his question rolled her hips against his. She couldn’t help herself. A soft groan escaped her lips. She pulled in her thoughts. This would be over far too quickly and she didn’t want that. Daned was hers completely, only. She didn’t have to share him with anyone and now the same was possible for her.

She lifted her chin. “You’ll wear gold after this.” She cursed the lack of light, wanting to see his expression. His thoughts burned and she could almost feel their shape, but he was successfully blocking her. “It’ll writhe under your clothes and my slightest touch will make your blood yearn for me.”

“I wouldn’t be naked?”

“No one sees you naked but me.”

“Good.” Daned’s fingers flexed against her wrists and a sharp touch of anger undercut his words. “And you’re not getting…friendly with Odgar.”

“Odgar…” Chae rolled the name around her tongue, echoing the prince’s rich tone and feeling the rise of anger in Daned. “Not
exactly
handsome, but…”

His mouth hovered over hers, his breath hot and sweet against her lips. “Do you want me to stop?”

The promise of Daned, of his mouth, his body, his mind, taking her wiped away all other thought. But the hunted never gave up easily. “I’m going to make you pay for this.”

Daned pushed her arms up, forcing her to arch against him. “I look forward to it.” His teeth teased over her bottom lip, and the contact fired under her skin. She pulled in a breath, her gasp deepening his touch. His tongue licked her upper lip before following the curve of her teeth and his mouth moved to cover hers.

Chae gave a soft little needy sound and hooked her leg around his, urging him harder against her. The ache low in her belly demanded he fuck her right there, right now.

“Is that what you want, Majesty?”

She frowned at him and then sank her teeth hard into his bottom lip. He groaned and rolled his hips against hers, bright sparks of need flaring under her skin. “Call me that again and I’ll run.”

Daned tightened his grip on her wrists and Chae’s heart pounded. “You can’t escape me.”

His kiss was hard and ruthless, the power of what he was driving from his flesh into hers. His hand caught both of her wrists and his freed fingers chased down over her breast, ribs, waist, to tug at her trousers. They pooled at her feet and cool night air teased her bared skin. Daned’s long fingers traced slow patterns over her mons.

His mouth eased back and his lips brushed hers. “Just because I don’t like you, doesn’t mean you’re not mine.”

Chae fought to focus. “You don’t like me?”

His sharp smile covered her mouth. “I love you.”

Her heart turned over, warmed and irritated by his playing with her emotions. Thumping him felt like an excellent plan. “You’d better be good.”

Daned laughed and his fingers teased lower over her mons, almost, almost slipping to where she ached for him. The pad of his index finger dipped over her clit and she bucked against him. “I promise, I will be.”

The slow play of his fingers was an exquisite torture and her own fingers curled into her palms, the struggle to free herself and make her own explorations thwarted by his strength. “Let me go now, Daned.”

He ignored her. He freed his own trousers and the brush of his cock against her skin forced Chae to pull in a quick breath. The low, liquid heat churning through her flesh made her want to fuck him and fuck him hard. “Your hunt is over.” He teased his cock over her clit, pushing closer to the deep ache. “I fuck what I catch.”

She grinned against his mouth. “Always?” The question came out as a breathless squeak as the head of his cock pushed at her and a quick ripple of her release darted up through her body. “Must be…inconvenient.”

Daned pushed into her, fast, hard…and stilled. “Now.” The word was a growl against her mouth. “You can be funny, or I can make you scream with pleasure.” Her gaze, used to the growing darkness, caught the hot need burning in his eyes. “Your decision.”

The tension in his body, the hardness of him, danced fire under her skin, and his stillness made it impossible to move, to find her own release on his firm body. His slow breathing, his complete control, only deepened the need she had to fuck him. “I want to scream.”

“Wise choice.” His free hand gripped her thigh and held her to him. He sank into her and rolled his hips. Chae couldn’t fight the escaping groan. “Nice, but not good enough.”

“Now, who’s funny—”

He’d pulled back and stroked into her, hard and deep. Sparks leaped behind her tightly shut eyelids. And then he found a rhythm, a rhythm that found her clit with every firm push into her flesh. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, only succumb to the wildness of the fire tearing up, taking her body. Curses and pleading fell from her lips. She didn’t know what the hell she was saying. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that Daned was inside her, fucking her, making love to her as only he would.

Tension tightened her belly, its fierce strength gripping her, promising to ride her flesh, make her body sing. And then Daned was in her thoughts, his rough need stoking hers, and with a low cry her release burst over her, taking Daned with her, merging them, spinning light and heat and joy in a wild orgasmic rush.

Daned held her, hard, his face buried in her shoulder. The horror of being the first of the Host burned from him, his guilt full and dark and gripping him as hard as he held her. He couldn’t hold it back. Chae kissed his neck, his jaw, murmuring reassurances. She wasn’t dead. Hell, she’d just proven how alive she was. She’d prove it over and over again.

She lifted his head and found his mouth in a clashing kiss, wanting him to know how much she wanted, needed and loved him. The word brought a warmth, a sweet heat that softened the wildness of their kiss, eased it into a gentle tasting, something slow and just so toe-curlingly nice.

“Nice?”
Daned’s invading thought was wry.
“I am not nice, Chae.”

She pulled back and licked her lips, enjoyed the taste of him there. “Yes, you are.” She let her head fall back against the high wall, and the vein of black crystal thrummed against her skull. This was her life now. One of wealth and status and, most important, Daned. She wiggled against him and his gaze narrowed on her. And it was time that she started that new life properly. She was the empress, after all. “We have a deal to keep with Odgar.”

A swift spike of jealousy, quickly suppressed, flared over Daned’s thoughts. For a brief moment, regret pushed at him and Chae shared it. They could never share that Daned was the father of her child, of her children. There could never be any doubt of the successor’s parentage, not if the Houses of Ladaia were to remain intact and not torn by infighting.

Daned’s forehead dropped to hers and the contact twisted her heart. “You’ll know and I’ll know.” He eased free of her body and fastened his trousers. “We knew the job came with conditions.”

Chae let out a slow breath. She bent and shrugged her way back into her trousers. She made a wry smile twist her mouth. “Shame all you Ladaians are insane.”

Daned gave her a flourishing—and sarcastic—bow. “We follow our empress in all things.”

Chae glared at him. “You were supposed to be immune.”

“Permanence does strange things to a man.” He took her hand and his strong fingers wrapped around hers. “Time for bed, Majesty.” He tugged her forward. “You need to rest.”

Chae let herself be pulled forward, her bare feet causing the twigs and leaf litter to crack and crinkle. “Yes, rest.” She couldn’t keep the smirk from her voice and Daned glared at her. Her smirk widened to a grin. “And lots of it.”

At least they didn’t have to hide what they were now, how permanence bound them. The sunder-seld stood witness to Odgar as the imperial choice. Not even a stubborn prince would or could question the heart of their civilization. They wouldn’t think to. That freedom was beyond even them.

Daned scooped up her boots. “Glad to see you’re following the wisdom of your imperial advisor.”

He squeezed her fingers and her heart did its usual insane little flip. It’d only been two days. At the beginning of the week, she hadn’t known he existed. That thought seemed impossible now. Daned was as much a part of her as she was of him. It had been a risk to accept his deal, to risk permanence when it could’ve brought horror. But now…she couldn’t imagine not being with him.

The light from the palace windows gilded his profile, and his beauty caught her breath, but he was more than that, more than just perfect flesh. Chae bit back a smile. Hell, when had she stopped being so shallow?

Daned slid his gaze to her, the humor and heat there making her body remember in vivid detail the pleasure he could bring. “You’re still shallow, Chae.”

Her grin broke free. “But you love me anyway?”

Daned brought her hand to his mouth. He paused, his breath brushed her skin and his thoughts opened to hers. Warmth, affection and love swept over her. “I am yours, lady. Do with me what you will.”

Damn, the man was manipulative…and addictive. But he was hers. Hell, maybe she wasn’t so unlucky, after all. Chae tilted her head. “You may come to regret that offer.”

“No.” His lips touched her knuckles and her body tightened at the brief meeting of her skin against his mouth. “No, I won’t.”

About the Author

Kim lives on an ancient boundary line once marked by a Neolithic burial tomb. The tomb’s now a standing stone circle—thank the Georgians for that one—and it stirs her mind with thoughts of history and ancient myths. She mixes the essence of the past into fantasy, along with the essential mix of magic and sex. She also writes science fiction romance, pushing out into the far future with effortlessly sexy men and the women who can’t resist them.

Kim is also with Ellora’s Cave, Samhain Publishing, Loose Id and Liquid Silver Books. You can contact her on her website or come and chat at her blog: www.darknessandromance.com.

Email:
[email protected]
Website:
www.kim-knox.co.uk

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