Tested by the Night (40 page)
Zander gulped again.
Briar got a faraway look in her eye. “I never had an official deflowering ceremony myself, so I want this to be perfect for my daughter. All the pomp and glitter, presents and parties. How can we expect her ever to pass her sexual theory and practices finals if she doesn’t get her deflowering out of the way? Prep schools are such sticklers. You wouldn’t want to be responsible for holding Kitrina back. Now would you?”
Zander watched Briar stroke the half-grown black cat again who suddenly struggled furiously to get free. And though the animal had tried to do him bodily harm, he felt a certain empathy for the poor little creature. If he could escape like it was trying to do, he’d jump on the back of his steed this very moment and ride away from Castle Kuropkat as fast as he could.
He needed time to think. He needed time to decide how to let them down gently. Knowing that if he put off answering them long enough, they’d have no choice but to simply find someone else for the job. But to make his parents’ best friends wait indefinitely for an answer would be rude. And if there was one thing Prince Zander Hammerstrike had been taught by those self-same parents was, never to be rude. So instead, he stood and listened, as Kitrina’s mother went on and on and on.
“You are Kitrina’s choice, not ours. Her heart is set on you, I’m afraid. We would’ve naturally preferred a nice, older professional deflowerer who would have experience enough to be gentle and patient, but she wouldn’t hear of it. She demands it be you and only you, or no-one at all.”
Zander smiled as the cat finally managed to escape Briar’s grip and leap once more to the floor. Uthiel Dragonheart’s wife didn’t seem to notice, however. She didn’t bat an eye or miss a syllable as she continued.
“We’ve both tried to talk her out of this, trust me we have. A girl’s deflowering is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and we certainly want it done right. If not, God Draka knows she could end up traumatized. And, as you know, that’s the reason deflowering and seduction ceremonies began in the first place, so young ladies and young men would never again have to feel the embarrassment and uncertainty of becoming an adult.”
Mrs. Dragonheart’s eyes filled with tears matching the rain now pouring outside, and Zander knew himself to be lost. “Will you do this one small favor for us, Zander? Will you do it for Kit, please?”
He sighed. Her choice? Why had Kitrina chosen him of all people? Could she possibly have the tiniest smidgen of the same feelings for him he’d always held for her? Did he dare to hope? And if she did, considering who he was and what his current circumstances were, was he within his rights to nurture it? Especially now?
Zander’s heart pounded in his chest, and a lump formed in his throat.
Kitrina. Her name fit her well. Tiny and lithe, kitten-like even, with long flowing hair as black as a starless night and large questioning eyes the color of an angry sky. Kitrina, mostly human with just a quarter high-elf from her mother’s side that showed in the slight point of her ears and the paleness of her completion. Kitrina, who was so very delicate she might break in two if a huge, hulking barbarian like himself actually got up the nerve ever to touch her.
In all of his years, he’d never seen another creature as fragile, as delicate, as lovely.
Zander shook his head. He simply couldn’t do it, could he? Kitrina’s parents had no idea what they were asking. Even for a barbarian, he knew certain parts of his anatomy were considerably more…well-endowed than average. A fact he’d relished and even bragged about with friends. Now he wished with all his heart to be counted among the simply average, if only for a night.
Could he do it? Would he dare?
What should’ve been a simple request was an extremely hard decision to make. Even if he could force himself to stop at just penetration, he feared he couldn’t willingly cause Kit pain. Not even if she wished it, had asked for it. And pain he surely would bring her if he attempted to deflower her. It wasn’t as if he could actually say that to her parents, though. How embarrassing would that be? But then, could he deny Kitrina Dragonheart anything?
With reluctant determination, Zander sighed and lifted his gaze to Uthiel and Briar Dragonheart. “If it’s me she’s determined to have do this for her, then I’ll certainly give it my best shot.”
Through one of the large windows in the hall, lightning streaked across the sky once more. Thunder shook the castle, and rain continued to pelt the ground. So much for control.
Briar smiled. “Thank you so very much, Zander. We’ll see you a week from tomorrow at sunset. That’s when the festivities are set to begin. You will remind your parents, won’t you?”
The black kitten scurried from the room.
****
Scrawny. He still thought her scrawny and giggly and…and…stuttering? She’d show Zander Hammerstrike just how wrong he was.
Kit laughed. Two years had been a long time, and the difference in her appearance had been nothing short of amazing. Zander didn’t know that, however. He’d been away, studying at The Academy of Magical Arts. Well, wouldn’t he be surprised?
She ran a brush through her long black hair until it crackled with energy and smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Oh, yes, Zander would be surprised.
Though she hadn’t grown taller than the last time he’d seen her, other parts had filled out quite nicely. Her hips were more shapely and rounded, her breasts full and lush, and her ass, though not too big, was not too small, either. She’d been told by more than one admirer, her ass was just the right size to grab two fists full and hold onto.
But then she hadn’t been the only one to change. He had, too. For one thing, he wore his hair longer. Thick strands, the exact color of burnt wheat, brushed the top of his shoulders. His eyes were an even darker, more intense shade of silver-gray than she remembered, and his mouth more kissable. Especially since it was surrounded by what looked to be a season’s worth of beard growth. And then there was his chest, arms, and legs. Kitrina would never have guessed that in just two years’ time Zander could become more muscled and more defined and…and simply more than his perfect barbarian self had been when last she saw him. But he had.
A tingling began between her thighs and spread inward until her pussy vibrated with it. It shot upward into her belly and then downward, all the way to her toes. She began to sweat. A week from tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.
Kitrina smiled as she stroked the length of the gossamer thin, pale green gown she’d wear for her deflowering. She’d made it herself for the event. Every seam had been stitched to showcase her curves and cause Zander Hammerstrike’s eyes to pop right out of their sockets. Oh, yes, he was definitely in for a surprise.
Scrawny wasn’t going to be what he thought when he entered her room next week. Though Kitrina was still technically a virgin and didn’t have firsthand knowledge of how much pain would be involved, that didn’t mean she wasn’t experienced in the preliminaries.
She’d studied sexual practices and theory, among other things, thoroughly during the last couple of years at both Kuropkat Middle and High School and excelled in kissing, touching, teasing, and heavy petting. She had no intentions of letting Zander get away with the simple penetration and pull out move she’d been told most deflowerers practiced. Oh, no, she’d have it all or she’d have nothing.
After all, how much more could there be to the whole process that she didn’t already know?
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