Here She Rules: The Chronicles of Erla: Book 1 (23 page)

Cassie’s warriors greeted her, and she smiled a greeting to her troops as they quickly fell in line, followed by the Serlenn and Destian warriors.
 

Kara joined them at the front of the line, and Cassie led them through a vigorous warm up and then into kick and punch combinations. She worked them hard purposefully as she wanted Nall and Darien to understand she was a serious warrior—not one who would sit back and let her warriors do all of her work.
 

Sweat was pouring from her when, over an hour later, she called for a water break. Kara, Nall, and Darien joined her as a slave passed them each a cup of water.
 

“Lady Cassandra, it is no wonder your troops are in good fighting form!” Nall’s indigo eyes smiled into hers. She returned his smile and allowed herself the indulgence of finding both men very sexy with sweat covering their muscular frames.

“I do wonder, though,” Darien interjected, “how useful all of this kicking about would be during a sword fight. Far be it for me to criticize your training techniques, but an emphasis on sword and strength training may see your people better prepared for battle.”

“You find fault with my warriors before you have even seen them fight?” Cassie’s eyebrows shot up, and her ire rose instantly.

“Lady, forgive me. I did not mean that exactly as it sounded. I meant only that should they be in combat with warriors such as mine, then they may be at a disadvantage if their swordplay is not up to par. I beg your pardon, but you would
never
be able to kick a sword out of my hand!” Darien said arrogantly.
 

Why am I so attracted to this conceited bastard?! What is wrong with me?

“Your Highness, I would love to prove you wrong.”
 

She turned to her warriors and said, “Warriors of Erla, the Destian King doubts your skills with the sword. Shall we engage in mock battle so that he might see your true worth?”
 

The women roared with approval.
 

Cassie turned back to Darien and arched a brow. “Well, My Lord? Are you game?”
 

Darien grinned, and with a mocking bow, he motioned his readiness.
 

Cassie turned to Nall, who quickly said, “Lady Cassandra, please believe I harbor no such doubts regarding your prowess. My men will engage in this battle purely as a means of training.” He bowed and shot a knowing grin at Kara, which was readily returned.
 

Nall had seen the demonstration of their skill when he arrived, but Darien, having missed the display, was sorely underestimating Cassandra and her warriors, and Nall could not wait to see him humbled.
 

When the warriors and soldiers were all armed with wooden practice swords, Kara gave the order for the women to find a male opponent. She then paired herself with Nall as Cassie faced Darien.

Darien smiled with self-assurance which, at Cassie’s serious mien, turned into a very
Rhett Butler-esque
grin which infuriated the hell out of her. She silently vowed that if it took every ounce of strength she had, she was going to take him down.
 

She nodded and raised her sword, signaling to a slave to ring the bell. Darien and Cassie circled each other, each waiting for the other to move first. Finally, Darien raised his sword and swung at Cassie’s head, and she deflected the blow with one of her own.
 

They parried back and forth for a while—meeting strike with strike—and Darien’s grin faded as he began to realize the skill of the woman he faced. He truly had to work hard, and it astonished him.
 

Darien attacked with renewed vigor, advancing and trying to make her back down, but he found it was useless.
 

A sharp swing at her neck had Cassie dodging the blow, so when he shot out his foot and caused her to stagger, Cassie’s eyes blazed.
 

The bastard wanted to play, did he?
 

She righted herself and met his next blow with her sword. As he pulled his arm back, she sent a front kick to his gut—making him double over. Then, she pivoted and aimed a round kick at the side of his face as he was slumped over. This sent him shifting sideways until ultimately he landed on his knees.
 

Darien knelt. He felt dazed as Cassie deftly kicked his sword out of his hand, sending it spinning to land in the dirt at Kara’s feet.
 

She approached him and went down on one knee as Darien raised his face to look at her in astonishment. She gently wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and then she leaned forward and whispered in his ear, “
Never
is such a long time.”
 

The Destian King’s eyes widened as she rose like a warrior goddess to meet the awed gazes of the male soldiers who stood frozen, watching the spectacle.
 

Cassie looked at Kara, who stood with Nall, and Kara’s face was full of her pride in her Commander as she elbowed Nall in the ribs.
 

“See you how a woman of Erla defends herself?” Kara asked mildly as a grin spread across her face.

“
I
never doubted her,” Nall said with a smile.

“Have them run a couple of miles before dismissing them,” Cassie barked out as she strode across the training field, leaving Darien to rise to his feet and submit to the good-natured ribbing of his warriors.
 

Unseen by the Lady, a smile broke out on his face as he watched her walk away.

“Cassandra . . .” The sound of the Queen’s voice halted Cassie in her tracks, and she whipped to her right to find Nera and Nyles standing outside the training field.

“Did you have to completely humiliate the man? We
are
trying to reach an accord.” Nera fought to keep a straight face and maintain her dignity before Nyles.
 

“Forgive me, Your Highness, but that man has gotten under my skin. He drives me crazy!” With a short growl, Cassie continued her tirade. “To insinuate that my women can’t fight as well as his men?! I should have handed him his balls!” Cassie truly had worked herself into a full-fledged snit fit.
 

Just then, Darien walked up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder, but Cassie, whose defenses were still set on high, grabbed his hand and spun around till she had his hand twisted up behind his back.

“Ah! Lady, I come in peace!” Darien grunted out. Nera’s eyes flew open wide and shot to Cassie as she quickly released him.

“It is my wish to apologize to you, Lady Cassandra, as I already have to your warriors. I arrogantly assumed things of which I knew nothing, and I was wrong.” Darien’s deeply rich voice caressed the words and Cassie met his green eyes warily—still not willing to give up her anger.

“My Lord Darien, I accept your apology and I hope that we may avoid such misunderstandings in the future,” Cassie said, forcing herself to speak graciously as she bowed before him.
 

Darien took her dirty hand and raised it to his lips. Much to her chagrin, a thrill shot through her at his touch, and she castigated herself once again for being attracted to him.

“So, we are friends then?” he queried with that damn smile on his face again.

“Indeed, Your Highness,” she said as she bowed again.
 

Nera beamed and said, “Well then, this is very good. You must all join me for noon meal.” Cassie and Darien accepted, bowed, and removed themselves to clean up.

It was some time later when Cassie approached the Queen’s quarters, having bathed and changed. She was wearing an outfit dyed a bright blue, which brought out the red highlights in the hair that hung loosely down her back. When she reached for the door handle, a large hand landed on the door next to her, and she spun around to find herself pinned to the wood by Darien’s large, muscular frame.

They looked into each other’s eyes silently for a moment before Darien lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her deeply, parting her lips with his tongue and kissing her gently, but with passion.
 

Despite her best intentions, Cassie’s tongue returned his caress, and they embraced each other tightly as their long-denied, simmering passion took over.
 

Darien’s mouth plundered hers, nipping at her lower lip and sucking on it gently. Cassie moaned as she slid her hand around his neck into his hair, loosening it from the band which held it back. He slid his hands down her back to her bottom, cupping it and bringing her tightly against him as his mouth moved across her cheek to her neck. He nuzzled her—licking and biting—until both of them were breathing hard. When the sound of voices from within intruded, they broke apart, panting and aroused.
 

Darien stared at the woman in front of him. Her breasts heaved against her silken vest, and her lips were swollen from his kiss. Even her heavily-lidded, blue-green eyes were simmering with desire.
 

The beast within him demanded he throw her over his shoulder and find a private spot to ravish her as his body throbbed and ached to be inside of her. He drew several ragged breaths, trying to calm himself as she did the same.
 

Cassie’s head was spinning. When they touched, it was like a flash fire, and desire twisted through her veins; she wanted him so badly. She felt female and pliant in his hands, and she knew he would take her—dominate her in bed—and a part of her longed for it while her other, newer self rebelled against the thought.
 

She shook her head to clear it and watched as he mastered his arousal, fighting it down so he could enter the Queen’s chambers without his need being on display. A few moments later, he pulled the door open and held it while she entered first.

Nera’s eyes narrowed as she took in Cassie’s flushed face and Darien’s loose hair. Her friend seemed a little disoriented, and she blamed the tall, gorgeous Destian King who seemed every bit as distracted.
 

How Interesting
 . . . 

“I am glad you finally made it. We were beginning to wonder.” A wicked smile lit Nera’s face, and Cassie flushed deeper. Darien merely flashed a cocky grin and bowed to Nera and Nyles, who returned the greeting.
 

Nera motioned to the cushions placed around a low table, and they sat as slaves immediately brought forth plates of food and tankards of Mull.
 

Darien sat next to Cassie. Their knees touched throughout the whole meal, which made it nearly impossible for her to taste her food or attend the conversation. She was acutely aware of him; each breath and each movement making her want him so badly that the sound of his voice sent shivers straight to her core.
 

The men spoke lightly of politics and even of their disagreement over the disputed land. Each argued politely as he stated his individual case regarding his rights to owning the land.
 

Cassie forced herself to pay careful attention to their words (pulling her mind out of Darien’s pants with effort). She suggested they share the land, since it was between their countries and seemed fertile enough to support use by both. The three of them stared at her open-mouthed. The men sputtered a bit before looking at each other and finally snapping their mouths shut. It was an insanely simple solution.

“Perhaps we
can
come to a compromise, Darien,” Nyles said. Darien nodded in agreement.

“Well, it looks like we may not need to draw out the negotiations,” Nera said with a smile. The men agreed, and each visibly relaxed.
 

“I think it would be mutually beneficial for all of our nations to work together and share what we can,” Nera added. “Trade alone would benefit all of us immensely.”

The monarchs spoke for some time as Nera and Cassie watched a truly historic peace accord work itself out over Nera’s dinner table. Finally, the women rose and left the men to their discussion.
 

Across the room, Cassie asked Nera how she was enjoying King Nyles, and smiling archly at the double entendre, Nera replied, “I find him very enjoyable. How have
you
found our guests?”

“Aggravating,” Cassie chuckled.

“Yes, it must be truly wretched to have two strong, handsome men panting for you.”

“Nera! That is not true . . . Is it?” The women laughed and turned as the men joined them.

“My Ladies, I believe we have reached an agreement. Our Kingdoms owe you a great debt, Queen Nera, and we both look forward to a strong alliance amongst the three of our lands,” Nyles said as his eyes briefly caressed the women.
 

Darien’s hot gaze, however, was for Cassie alone.

“Excellent!” Nera exclaimed. Wrapping her hand around Nyles’ arm, she gave Cassie a loaded look which had her heading for the door with Darien hot on her heels.
 

Cassie pulled Darien by the hand as he seemed to lag, looking over his shoulder at the royal pair as they caressed one another. They heard the sounds of groans and giggles as they closed the door.
 

Cassie leaned back against the closed door and laughed as Darien’s look became steamy with promise. Cassie felt a slow burn start which she tried to stifle to no avail.
 

He moved closer to her and she tried to inch away, but his hand snaked out around her waist and pulled her to him. Cassie knew she could free herself easily, but she found herself unable to summon the desire to get away from him.

She wanted to hate him. He was so arrogant and cocky; it was maddening. But, as his head bent and his lips found her neck, she fervently hoped that if she had him, then this consuming desire would wane. Her breath caught in her throat when he swung her up into his arms and fused his mouth with hers. Darien moved quickly to his suite of rooms, opened the door to allow them entrance, and then kicked it closed.
 

Setting her down beside his bed, he quickly began disrobing her, and Cassie could be still no longer, she started pulling his clothes off. Darien was amazed at her aggressive behavior, and it hit him that he was not dealing with a gentle, submissive woman of his race; this was a woman who took what she wanted.