Rapture's Etesian (10 page)

“How come?” he asked, as he moved his attention to the other nipple.

“Aunt Galatea most likely decided you were the one, else she would never have suckled you.”

He stopped and looked up at her. “Is that going to be a problem should we become life-mates?”

“Aunt Galatea?”

“Aye.”

“I think not. She approves of you,” Kynthia replied. “I think she gave you her seal of endorsement, don’t you?”

“I suppose you could say that,” he said, withdrawing from her luscious breasts. He was about to push his breeches down over his hips when a discreet clearing of the throat snapped his head sideways.

Kratos was standing where the wolf had been lying. Arms akimbo, he was looking up at the night sky, studiously avoiding looking at the naked woman lying beside Leksi.

“What the hell are you doing out here?” Leksi demanded. He got to his feet and began buttoning up his breeches despite the stiff erection that threatened to poke through the fabric.

“Lord Krull has called in all the men. We have a situation in Pleiades,” Kratos answered, finding something even more interesting than the night sky as he studied a date palm close beside him.

“Now?” Leksi moaned. “Why the hell now?”

Kratos risked looking at his young friend. “I suppose I could go back and ask him to delay whatever it is he thinks is important until you dip your wick, Helios. Think you he will be understanding?”

Leksi cursed beneath his breath. He looked about him for his shirt and picked what he thought was his clothing, and thrust his arms through the sleeves, frowning as he tried to button it.

“I think that belongs to the lady,” Kratos said with a chuckle that pretended to be a cough.

Kynthia sat up—unconcerned by her nudity and unsure why—and snagged her own breeches. “Is there a border war brewing, Lord Kratos?” she asked, remembering the name the warrior had termed this very striking man.

Kratos smiled, greatly entertained at the sight of her nudity. “Aye, Lady Kynthia, I believe ‘tis.”

As she stepped into her breeches, Kynthia glanced at Leksi. “Was that why you were in Qabala? Were you trying to arrange a truce between Ventura and the Pleiadesians?”

“For what good it did me,” Leksi said. He stuffed his shirt into his breeches. “The Qabalans are afraid of their own shadow. They refused to get involved.”

“Well, they have always been neutral during any of the wars,” Kynthia defended.

“They are noncommittal, evasive, irritatingly vague shitheads,” Leksi snapped.

“But they make an excellent cheese,” Kratos observed.

Kynthia hid a smile behind her hand. “Perhaps my sisters and I could be of some assistance to you. We have reason to hate the Pleiadesians.”

Leksi looked around. “Are you offering the help of the Amazeen?”

“The Daughters of the Night, as well,” Kynthia said. “Queen Mona of the Bandarese has ample reason to hate King Abalam of Pleiades. Her daughter Lilit, even more so.”

“I’ve heard strange tales of Princess Lilit,” Kratos commented.

“Aye,” Kynthia agreed. “She is power-hungry and when her mother dies, I think the Daughters will be led in a new direction if Lilit has her way.”

“I will need to run this by Lord Krull, but I imagine he would welcome all the help he can get against King Abalam. The Akkadians are keeping out of it along with the Qabalans so we’re up against a force greater than our own as it is.”

“The Akkadians are in the midst of their own civil war,” Kynthia pointed out. “Now is not the time to ask for their help.”

Leksi shrugged. “There has never been any love lost between Akkadia and Ventura.”

“I will ride back to my aunt’s villa and have her call an assembly. She sits on the Council of the Elders and her word is held in high esteem,” Kynthia said, making for her mount.

“Aren’t you forgetting something, wench?” Leksi called out.

Kynthia looked around. “What?”

“Did you not ask me if I intended to do something?”

Kynthia glanced at Kratos then back to her lover. “Aye,” she said.

“Then consider the question asked,” Leksi said.

Narrowing her eyes, Kynthia put her hands on her hips. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “That is not the way it will play out, warrior.”

Leksi frowned. “You want me on my knees?”

Kratos puckered his lips in a silent whistle, and looked from the warrior to the lady then back again.

“I will have it done properly,” Kynthia agreed.

Rolling his eyes and throwing his hands to the heavens, Leksi strode to her, stopped, and then went gracefully to one knee. Reaching out, he took her left hand in his and put his right hand over his heart.

“Lady Kynthia, will you Join with me and become my life-mate?” he asked.

Kynthia grinned. “Aye, Lord Leksi Helios, I pledge myself to you as your life-mate.”

“So be it,” Leksi said, and released her hand. “When this present situation has been remedied, we will plight our troth.”

“We will,” she agreed and put her shirt back on. She nodded and without another word, un-hobbled her steed and swung atop the restless beast. With a curt bob of her head to Kratos, she kicked Aeolus into motion and was soon lost in the dark shadows of the desert.

“By the gods, boy,” Kratos said, his voice rife with admiration. “I believe you have plucked the cream of the crop there. She is as lovely as you claimed her to be.”

“Let’s get this war over with so I can claim her in reality, old friend,” Leksi said then realized he had forgotten to bring a mount of his own when he had returned Kynthia’s.

“Up for a run, are you?” Kratos remarked as he headed for his horse.

Chapter Six

“It requires a meeting of the combined assemblies,” Galatea explained, “but I doubt any of the Sisters will gainsay a temporary alliance with Ventura if it means ridding the land of Abalam.”

“The Daughters might balk at helping,” Celadina said. “The Hell Hags are a breed unto their own.”

“Aye, but Queen Mona has been known to spend time incognito in Ventura during the Festival of Spring,” Ophelia commented. “Some say that is how Lilit came to be.”

“Lilit,” Haidee said with a frown. “I’ve heard it was a demon that sired her. She is a bloodthirsty child.”

“A child not more than a year or so younger than you,” Erinyes remarked.

“Four years younger,” Haidee said. “And has yet to have her first monthly.”

“How would you know?” Erinyes questioned.

“Must you question everything I say, Erinyes?” Haidee threw at her sister. “I spent two months in Bandar, remember? I was forced to sleep beside that miserable little bitch. She told me she would be glad when she had her first flow for then all her power would come to her.”

“What power?” Celadina asked.

“How would I know?” Haidee snapped. “I tried not to talk to that witch any more than I had to.” She shot her aunt a disgusted look. “I wasn’t there of my own accord.”

“No, but you were there to represent the Ancaeus family,” Galatea reminded her niece. “Well, at least the female side of it even though my sister—the gods rest her burdened soul—was never allowed to make the trek to the Gatherings once she married that illiterate ass.”

“Speaking of the illiterate ass, have you visited our father and brother of late, Kynthia?” Erinyes asked.

Kynthia shot her sister a nasty look. “No, why should I? Have you?”

“No reason to,” Erinyes replied. “Like you, I am well rid of those barbarians.”

“You had best be thankful our laws do not require you to be re-dowered as do the Venturian and Akkadian laws,” Galatea said. “Else you would be back on the marriage auction block and not free to come and go as you do here.”

“Father and his simpleton son can go to hell for all I care,” Erinyes said. “They have made their last copper piece off me!” She turned to Ophelia. “But you? You are different. They might remember you never wed that handsome boy, Phaon, and strike for another betrothal.”

“They won’t,” Kynthia stated. When the others looked at her, she shrugged. “They know I’d never allow it. If Ophelia wants a man, it’s up to her to find him.”

Galatea tilted her head to one side. “As you found Lord Leksi?”

“All right!” Kynthia grated. “I admit you had a hand in putting the two of us together, but it was not your doing that sealed the deal!”

With that said, Kynthia stalked off to her room.

“The Venturian is going to have his hands full with Kynthia,” Celadina said.

“I still can’t believe she gave in on this one,” Haidee said. “What makes this man different than all the others we brought to her?”

“Did you get a good look at his cock?” Erinyes asked. “That alone should have been enough.”

“It wasn’t the strength and length of his cock that won our Kynthia’s heart,” Galatea said, surprising the others who looked at her with wide eyes. “Aye, you heard me right—he won her heart.”

“By going up through her cunt apparently,” Erinyes scoffed.

“Perhaps,” Galatea agreed, “but since that was the crux of her problem with men to begin with, I believe he handled her just as the gods meant for him to.”

* * * * *

Leksi was miserable as he pretended to listen to the Lord High Commander of the Venturian Forces detail the plan to subdue King Abalam. The warrior’s mind was on the lovely woman he had yet to make his own though he knew he had pleasured her quite well and—in the doing—won her affection. His hands itched to hold her again and his tool throbbed with the desire to plunge—

“Helios, are you listening to me?” Lord Konan Krull bellowed.

Leksi jumped, his face hot with embarrassment. “Aye, Your Grace. I have heard every word!”

Lord Krull’s midnight black eyes narrowed. “Then you will agree to the assignment for which I just asked for a volunteer?”

Swallowing, for in truth he had not heard his commander’s request, the warrior dared not look at those around him—and especially not Kratos—so stared straight ahead as he replied, “Aye, Your Grace. I will accept the assignment.”

“Fool,” Leksi heard Kratos say under his breath.

Wondering what it was he’d gotten himself into, the warrior forced his attention back to Lord Krull.

“As soon as Helios has completed his part of the plan, we will ride into Nebul, take Abalam hostage and place our stalwart warrior upon the throne as Princess Clea’s consort.”

Leksi frowned. What stalwart warrior, he wondered? When the implication hit him, his eyes flared wide and his mouth dropped open.

“You’ve stepped in it this time,” Kratos mumbled out of the side of his mouth. “You can kiss the lovely Kynthia goodbye.”

Slowly Leksi turned his horrified gaze to Kratos. “To what did I agree?” he whispered, terrified of the answer.

“If you will remember,” Lord Krull said, strolling down the ranks to where Leksi stood at the head of his regiment of troops, “I asked for a volunteer to take the Princess Clea to wife.” He stared at Leksi. “You did agree to the assignment, didn’t you? That
was
what you agreed, wasn’t it?”

“Aye, Your Grace, but—” Leksi began.

“And you also will remember me saying that only with the production of a suitable heir of joint Pleiadesian and Venturian offspring would the troubles between our two countries ever cease and that whoever took the assignment must agree to get Clea with child as quickly as possible.”

Risking a look at Kratos, who stood beside him, Leksi could see pity etched on the older man’s craggy face. The warrior’s shoulders slumped for he had gotten himself into unbelievable trouble.

“You weren’t listening, were you?” Lord Krull asked.

Leksi shook his head. “No, Your Grace. I was not.”

“So, now you must pay the price for your woolgathering, eh?”

Nodding miserably, Leksi dug his fingernails into the palms of his hands. “Aye, Your Grace. My humblest apologies.”

Krull stood in front of his second in command and glared at him. The legendary warrior towered over Leksi’s six-foot-two-inch height and his muscular body made Leksi look almost effeminate. With strong hands—the knuckles of which bore scars from many a fistfight—planted on his lean hips, the Lord High Commander of the Venturian Forces had the undivided of attention of every soldier in the room.

“What thoughts had claimed your mind and caused you to ignore my words, Helios?” Lord Krull demanded.

Leksi knew better than to compound his sin with another lie. “A woman, Your Grace.”

There was a smattering of snickering among the troops but Lord Krull’s piercing black gaze swept over the assemblage and the snickers ceased. When he was satisfied no obvious humor remained, he turned his hawk-like glare back to Leksi. “What woman?” he asked.

“Lady Kynthia Ancaeus,” Leksi replied.

“I do not know this woman,” Lord Krull stated. “From where does she come?”

“Near the Qabala border, Your Grace.”

Another rumble of sound shifted over the troops and once more Lord Krull surveyed the room. His eyes were fierce and not one man there could meet that steady gaze.