Rituals of Passion (25 page)

Read Rituals of Passion Online

Authors: Lacey Alexander

Tags: #none

BOOK: Rituals of Passion
4.75Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

He gave his head a short shake. “They’re not coming after the estate. They know it’stoo well-protected for them to breach. Instead they’re headed south and east, toward weaker settlements.”

A fear unlike any she’d ever known assaulted Maven, trickling down through herlike cold water replacing the blood in her veins. Caralon wasn’t safe? Total innocents in unguarded villages might soon be  killed? And her husband—her
 
husband
—had given himself the charge of stopping all this?

The last thought filled her with an entirely new sort  of agony, something that pulled on her heart and felt much  closer to home.

“But…why must
 
you
 
go? Can’t Kells lead the army?” After all, she’d come tobelieve Dane was more of a stern figurehead  now, the man who gave the orders, not a man who would ever again need  to fight on  the front lines.

“This is a serious attack, Maven. The most  serious threat to Caralon from the Virgs since my parents were killed. I’m needed and I must go.”

She felt her lower lip begin to tremble as  her stomach  churned. Why did she even care? In truth, she barely knew him. And as  she’d told him so many  countless times, shedidn’t like him. What did it matter to  her if he went off to war and  got himselfwounded—or killed?  She could scarcely understand  her reaction, yet it felt exactly as if someone she
 
loved
 
were being forced into danger.

He tilted his head slightly. “If I didn’t  know better, I’d swear I saw fear for me in those pretty eyes.” Then he shook his head. “But  surely  I’m  seeing  things.  Be  of  goodcheer, Maven. You might get lucky. I might get killed.”

She sucked in a deep breath at the very suggestion, her stomach now tying in painful knots. “I never said I wished you dead.”

This new, shocking sense of panic and worry raced through her more deeply still as her husband stood looking at her. She couldn’t read his expression—she was far too busy trying to absorb the news he’d just given her, trying to decipher why it upset her so.
 
Dear Ares, he was going off into battle, risking his life, a mere few days after marrying her!

Finally, he drew in a deep breath, looking as  if perhaps he’d just surrendered some part of himself, then stepped up and crushed her to him  in a hard embrace. As warmth and terror filled her, it was the first time she  understood with clarity that  her feelingsfor Dane ran deeper than lust.

122

Rituals of Passion

At the moment, she didn’t want to rip his clothes off or take him inside her—she only wanted  him to hold her, and she wanted for it never to end.

After what  seemed a long while, he released  her, only  to lift his hands to her face.  He gazed intensely into her eyes, then pressed a kiss so  rugged and wild  to her mouth that it was all she could do not to collapse beneath its power.

Upon releasing her, he gave her one last,  long look, then turned and walked fromthe room—headed off to war.

Maven’s heart felt as if it were crumbling in her chest. How had this happened? When had she started
 
caring
 
about the big beast? What in Ares’ name had he ever doneto
 
earn
 
her care?

But that quickly, she began to understand that  those questions no  longermattered—because much more pressing ones  were replacing them  in her thoughts.

What if he died?

What if she never saw her husband alive again?

* * * * *

“Dane, behind you!”

Kells’ warning sent Dane spinning, lightning fast, to find a leather-helmeted Virg  running toward him, blade raised and ready to  strike. Dane threw his spear, aiming for  the Virg’s heart, hitting him just below, beneath the ribs, in a  swift, clean kill  that dropped the encroacher with an “Ooomff.”

As the dirty Virg was pinned  to  the blood-soaked ground, Dane snatched up the man’s blade and scanned the area for more attackers.

He saw only  his own men—outfitted in black—dotting the body-strewn battlefield.  “Is that all of them?” he asked, breath labored.

Next to him, Kells, too, breathed hard. “I don’t see any more.”

Dane’s heartbeat began to slow for the first  time in an hour as a cautious sense of relief began to set in.

But just then, a vague, low hum could be heard in the distance,  drawing his gaze to the northern horizon.

“Ares,” he breathed, “another regiment.”

They could be seen three hills away, a blur  of brown leather and steel that glinted

beneath the sun.

“Regroup, men!” he yelled to those around him. “Take cover in those trees!” He  pointed to a large line of tall pines that would conceal their presence until the Virgs were upon them.

Hurriedly, the forces in black grabbed up  what weapons they could from their  fallen enemies and retreated to the copse of trees.

123

Lacey Alexander

Dane lay on  his stomach next to  Kells, looking out over the field of battle, eyes peeled for the first appearance of the troops they awaited.

“Ares, what I wouldn’t give to be in  Lonya’s arms right now,” Kells murmured, sounding sad but also determined. “I swear to  Ares, Dane, if I get out of this  alive, I’m going to take that woman for my wife.”

Dane drew his eyes briefly from the Virg-littered meadow to his friend. “Your feelings for the girl are  that strong this quickly? Strong enough to last your whole life?”

Kells nodded without a hint of  hesitation. “She’s the one.”

Funny, a few days ago, such words would have shocked Dane, even left him confused. Before a few days ago, marriage was strictly a means to an end—a societal expectation for a wealthy man, a  way to get an heir so he’d have someone to leave hisvast estate to, and most of all, for him, a  bid for power over Caralon. But as he lay there among the  pine needles, the scent of the  moist soil underneath filling his senses, herealized that if he  died, the  thing he’d hate  most to  leave behind  was not  his power, nor his estate—but his bride.

Even if she hated him. Even if they were never happy.

The moments when they were joined by sex had brought him more profound gratification than he’d ever known. He  hadn’t expected that.  He’d not thought itpossible, given her disdain for him. Yet somehow he’d come to feel something deeper for her than mere desire. He’d thought a  few days ago about wanting to  make her happy, but now that want was more like a need,  a compulsion to do whatever it took to make Maven smile. To make Maven feel safe. To fulfill her in the ways in which he suddenly felt fulfilled
 
by
 
her.

It made little sense to him, given the very rocky start their marriage had gotten off to, but sense was beside the point at a time  like this. It was at moments such as thesethat a  man looked into  his  heart and understood what was important. Now, one word, one name, kept playing over again and again in his head.

Maven. Maven. Sweet, impudent, eager Maven.

He wanted to make her smile.

He wanted to make her scream with pleasure.

He wanted everything with her—everything two people could feel. He wanted what his parents had had, a truly wonderful marriage, a marriage of genuine love and trust and respect. He supposed he hadn’t thought for a long time  about his parents, inthat way, before she’d entered his  life.

It hit him then—
maybe that was all she was really asking for?
 
Genuine love and trust and respect. Suddenly it sounded so easy. And  he’d made it so difficult, feeling so sure his headstrong bride  was trying  to change him, trying to  take something away fromhim. Feeling so determined to break her  will after discovering her stubborn streak.

In that moment, with death and  danger all around him, filling his senses, it struck him how unimportant his quest to rule Caralon suddenly seemed. Oh, certainly, if he

124

Rituals of Passion

survived this, he knew  it would again rise  to importance for him, but life was about  more than just gaining power and having control.

Ares—knowing Maven, even for so short a time, had softened something in him,  opened him to feelings he’d not quite known lived inside him. He’d  intended to  conquer her, but he couldn’t help  thinking  she’d conquered something in him instead,  and he couldn’t be sorry for it.

Just then, the awaited regiment of Virgs came running over the  nearest rise at the  edge of the field, swords and hatchets and  spears raised, the invaders yelling with all  their might.

Ares, but they were a  wild, heathenish people—enough to strike fear into his own  heart. If, that is, he would allow himself to  feel such an emotion. But he wouldn’t.  Especially not now. Defeating them was a matter of course, a thing that  simply had to be done—no other outcome was possible. And if  he’d begun to allow himself to feel a hint of fear earlier in this  day, a sense of worry, a modicum of doubt—it was wiped  away now by his unflinching determination to  return to his wife and make things right  with her.

He watched as the ferocious Virgs grew closer to an enemy they  couldn’t see, now slowed by the numerous dead in  their path, their war cries lightening slightly at thesobering sight of their fallen comrades.

Dane watched their  approach, studied their eyes—some of which were beginning to cloud with worry—until they came closer,  closer, and he  suddenly knew  the right moment was upon them.

“Commence!” he yelled, and Caralon’s northern army of Rawley leapt up and charged from their cover, ready to attack their enemies, ready to take back their land.

* * * * *

Days had passed and the only news Maven had heard was that battle after battlewas taking place some miles to the east of  Dane’s fortress. As for losses, there were many on both sides, although reportedly more Virgs lay dead than Caralonians. Of the  Caralon army, though, no one knew who had fallen, nor even if their leader still stood.

Walking to the second-story window in  the chamber where they’d spent their wedding night, she looked out on the vast  hills and  fields. All lay quiet but for the songs of birds, the occasional cry of a hawk  or the voice of a gardener—it was hard to believe war was being waged not far from here. Only  since Dane had  gone had  shetaken the time to notice  what lovely lands he lived upon.

She’d moved into Dane’s parents’ bedroom just after his departure, thinking it was right that she slept there, and right that  she prayed there, willing Ares to protect him and bring him back to her.

At first, she’d been stunned by her own  worry for his safety. But now she’d given up the shock, concentrating only on her fear.  She couldn’t help thinking that if he died,

125

Lacey Alexander

she would die, too, on the inside. Such intense emotions  sounded insane even as she  experienced them, but Ares help her,  she feared she’d grown to…well, to
 
love
 
the big  brute.

Was she betraying herself?

Maybe.

But she no longer cared.

A light knock on the door came behind her and Kaelen  entered, ready to dress her and arrange her hair.

“Is there any news of Dane?” she asked,  drawing her gaze from window to maid.

Kaelen gave  her head a sympathetic tilt. “Not today, I’m  afraid.”

With a nod and a sigh, Maven sat down on  the padded  bench at her dressing table before the viewing glass. She silently watched Kaelen brushing her hair, concentrating on the long, smooth strokes, trying not to think of Dane.

But it was impossible. She found herself imagining him at fifteen, losing his parents so harshly,  and fighting back without any  thought for his own safety. What a brave, virile man he’d become because of  it.

A moment later, her thoughts shifted to more  recent times—to thrilling memories of his body and hers, melded together. She  bit her lip, imagining  him kneeling between her thighs this very moment, pushing up her skirt and sinking his skilled tongue into her warm, damp and oh-so-hungry-for-him cunt.

But no, even that vision wasn’t enough—she needed more. She needed his incredible cock pounding into her, making her forget everything but how it felt to befucked by the great and fearsome Dane of Rawley—her husband.

Still peering into the  jagged, veined glass,  she spied the black leather choker still secured  around her neck. It was hard to believe  she’d  so  recently  wanted  to  take  it  off. Since he’d been gone, having his gift—which  had begun to feel almost like a part of her body—to look upon in the viewing glass or  to reach up and fondle, had given her asmall bit of solace.

“If he comes back,” she admitted to Kaelen, “I won’t waste our time together— I won’t behave like a silly child.”

Behind her,  Kaelen spoke in a soft, soothing tone as she placed a gentle hand on  Maven’s shoulder and squeezed. “Your feelings for Dane have changed then, deepened.”

“Yes. Very much so. I’ve been  a fool with him, Kaelen.”

The maid shook her  head lightly  in the viewing glass, lightly caressing Maven’s upper arm. “Not a fool, Maven. You’ve gone  through a  tremendous change in your life these past days. And sometimes…well, sadly,  sometimes it takes a tragedy to help put things into perspective.”

Other books

Betibú by Claudia Piñeiro
Shakti: The Feminine Divine by Anuja Chandramouli
The Guardian Mist by Susan Stoker
Eye of the Coven by Larissa Ladd
The Icing on the Cake by Elodia Strain
The Monster of Florence by Magdalen Nabb
THE (tlpq-4) by Daniel Abraham
The Ice Princess by Elizabeth Hoyt
Opposites Attract by Nora Roberts