[The Onic Empire 03] - Sinful Harvest (20 page)

“Stop!” Ariss’ voice was cold with fury. “How dare you turn your back to me?”

Kerrick stood very still.

Ariss stepped before him. She cupped his face into her hand and forced him to look at her. Her eyes blazed with a ruthless determination he had never seen. At first, he feared that Tavarus had possessed her, but her eyes remained smoky gray. Intense and sharp, but not swelled black.

“You are my slave.” She straightened her shoulders, tilting her head back so that even though she looked up at him, she held the power position. “I tell you what to do.”

His nostrils flared in fury, which only drew more of her scent to his lungs and caused his cock to swell even tighter. If he didn’t find release soon, he feared he would be permanently disabled.

“Do you understand?” She lowered her hand to her side, lifting her body throughout her centerline so that she stood in a most commanding pose. Her position also thrust her nipples firmly against the material of her dress.

“I am your humble servant.” He didn’t drop his gaze, as he should have, because he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Not once in the last two cycles had Ariss flaunted her status over him. He couldn’t believe she was doing so now. Was she looking for revenge on him for what Tavarus had done to her through him? Or was something else going on?

“Do you enjoy giving me your tribute in the temple?” She asked the question with some reserve. One brow rose inquiringly over her right eye.

Her curiosity wasn’t surprising, given how he’d hung his head and masturbated as fast as he could jack his arm both times. Most of the other guards took their time, their eyes riveted to her exposed breasts. Kerrick just wanted the damn ritual
over. What irritated him wasn’t that she watched him; what goaded him was that she watched him and every other guard in the palace. How could he compete against all of those other men? He worried his cock wasn’t big enough, that his moves wouldn’t be erotic enough, so he didn’t even try to compete. He just did what he had to do and walked away with his head hung low. Kerrick wasn’t sure how to answer in a way that would please her, so he told her the truth.

Lowering his head but meeting her gaze, he confessed, “I can think of more pleasurable ways to give you my tribute.” Right now, he’d like to bend her over her big bed and tease his hand along her sex until she begged for him. Kerrick would give anything to have their roles reversed. He would be a lustful but benevolent master. Never would he demand more from Ariss than she could give, but he would press her to test her limits. Kerrick’s mind suddenly flashed on Tavarus and what he’d forced Ariss to do. He shook his head, for that was not him in charge, but a self-absorbed god with no concern for anyone but himself. Kerrick wanted to master her, not abuse her.

“I can also think of more pleasurable ways to receive your tribute.” Her gaze dropped to his crotch. His erection pressed against the bland brown of his trousers. Lifting her gaze to his, she ordered, “Remove your weapons.”

Now he had some idea of where she was going with her sudden need to boss him around. “How can I protect you without weapons?” he asked humbly.

She tilted her head to the massive Onic timber door. “Four stout palace guards stand beyond.” Rotating her head back so that she faced him directly, she said, “I think I am well enough protected by them at the moment.”

Kerrick glanced at the door. The last time they’d done something like this, palace guards had yanked him off her, beat him senseless, and then left him bound in the
gannett.
Only Chur
and Sterlave had prevented the recruits from taking turns with his upturned bottom. Kerrick had no desire to repeat such an adventure. Still, Ariss was his owner. If she were ordering him to do something, he must obey. Further conflicted by the fact that he wanted to do what she asked only to waylay her into trusting him so he could turn the tables on her, Kerrick hesitated. True to form, he followed his initial impulse.

With a deep sigh, he removed his blade from his belt, setting the
cirvant
on the floor. When he stood, he removed the next weapon, placing each on the floor in measured movements. He could have just removed the entire belt all at once, but stripping down in increments was a curious sort of foreplay. Removing each weapon rendered him less powerful, in a way. No matter how stripped down, his sheer size made him more powerful than she was.

Ariss’ gaze tracked his every action. Her tongue darted over her lips, licking in anticipation for the final reveal. Once he stood freed of his weapons, he rested his hand on the buckle of his belt.

Eyes wide, Ariss waited, holding her breath. When he only held his position, she blurted, “Why are you hesitating?”

Kerrick swore at that moment he wouldn’t do anything unless she told him to do so. Lowering his face and his voice, giving up every last bit of his pride, he swore, “If you want to be my master, you must command my every move.”

A
t first, Ariss shrank from Kerrick’s challenge. She didn’t want to master him, not in the full sense of the word, but she also didn’t want to spend a lifetime receiving his tribute in the temple. Watching him stroke his cock in the mating room had been one of the most erotic moments of her life; however, watching him masturbate in a frenzy of shame in the temple only caused her indignity at her role. Given her druthers, she would prefer to feel Kerrick spend inside her, not at her feet once a cycle. She would much rather enjoy him finding release within her body on a nightly basis. Everything in her world changed after that moment in the temple when Tavarus claimed her.

She could never tell anyone the truth, not if she wished to survive, but in all honesty, she hated Tavarus. He was the god of war and sex, yet he was also the bastion of cruelty. Tavarus took. Never, ever did Tavarus give. Always his position was one of demanding accolades, demanding acquiescence, demanding humble obeisance. Ariss despised him.

However, Ariss enjoyed receiving tribute. How could she
not feel aroused by watching guard after guard stroke himself to fulfillment? The men chose whether or not to offer tribute. If they wished, they could refrain and give a greater tribute every few cycles or so, but most chose to give each cycle, releasing their tension in an acceptable forum.

As she sat upon her tawdry throne with Tavarus’ crystal-clear cock buried deep inside her aching sex, she watched each guard come forward, fall to his knees, remove his loincloth, and masturbate while gazing upon her exposed breasts. Her nipples stood at hard attention, aching for the touch of not just any fingers, but Kerrick’s. If only she could have him behind her, rubbing and twisting her nipples while she watched the men below, she would know the most profound orgasms. If Kerrick became her tawdry throne, she would climax in waves that would milk his cock dry. As things stood, she enjoyed her time in the temple, but her climax hovered just beyond her reach, elusive and frustrating.

What she wanted and needed was the one thing she wasn’t supposed to have: Kerrick.

As her slave, he was to minister to her needs, mainly to protect her from those who wished to do her harm. Tonight, Bithia put the idea in her head that he could minister to her other needs as well. Since he was her servant, he had to do what she said. If she wanted him to pleasure her, she could demand his acquiescence. Ruthlessly, she pushed away the thought that she was just like Tavarus, taking and never giving, because she would give back to Kerrick. She wanted to pleasure him as much as she wanted him to pleasure her. The fact that suddenly he’d become a stickler for the rules was bizarre. Although his reluctance was more understandable after he’d explained about becoming a slave. But still, what would it matter if they indulged one another? How could anyone claim that Tavarus was not inside Kerrick when they engaged in their lustful encounters? Frankly, Ariss didn’t think anyone had any damn say in
anything she did. She was the consort to a god. If anyone dared to condemn her, he or she could take their complaints up with Tavarus directly.

Standing there, considering Kerrick, his silky hair obscuring his gaze, his massive hand hovering above his belt buckle, her body consumed with painful longings, Ariss knew what she had to do. Together, they had worked very diligently to turn her into a bad girl, and that’s just what she wanted to be.

“Remove your belt.”

From below the curtain of his hair, his brows rose slightly, but he did as she asked. Ever so slowly, he undid the metal buckle, then pulled the leather from around his narrow hips. At the end, he yanked hard, flicking the belt, making the end of the leather snap in the air. She jumped. Her nipples tightened. Somehow, the belt sounded just like the slap of a hand against flesh. Exactly like the way his hand had sounded when he’d playfully paddled her bottom. Right before he slid his tongue …

“Give me that.” She yanked the belt from his hand.

“Are you going to use that on me?” he asked mischievously, his tone lightly submissive, yet oddly masterful.

Ariss considered the length of leather in her hand. Did he want her to spank him? Unsure, she said, “Perhaps I will.” Slapping the folded leather to her palm, hard enough so that he could hear her motions, she added, “If you continue to defy me, I’ll have no choice but to punish you.” Her belly took a dangerous lurch. She wasn’t sure she could actually do what she suggested; but she wasn’t about to back down from a challenge, either.

“I would never defy you, my most sacred mistress.” Submissively, he hung his head. In the same breath, he straightened his shoulders.

Now she realized he was mocking her. Kerrick as a willing, humble slave? No. Not in a thousand seasons would he bow down his will to another, and certainly not to a woman, definitely
not to her. He was only playing. Well, she could play, too.

Walking behind him, she flicked the belt out as he had, snapping the tip against his right buttock. Kerrick shot into the air, clenching his cheeks together tightly, but he didn’t turn around or speak. Using the belt, she fashioned it into a strong double loop that she placed around his wrists. Once she tightened the strip through the buckle, she yanked hard enough to convey that she now had him bound.

“Kneel.”

After the slightest hesitation, Kerrick dropped to his knees in a graceful fall, difficult to do with his arms bound behind his back. He kept his head lowered, using his golden strands to obscure her view of his face. Without seeing him, she knew his face was one of probing interest. Kerrick would do as she ordered, but always he would hold a certain reserve, as if he indulged her, not the other way around.

Irritated by his continued indifference and subtle disregard, Ariss was determined to master him in this moment.

As she returned to the front of him, so that he now was on his knees before her, she cupped his chin, forcing him to lift his face and look at her. Like a good slave, he respectfully kept his eyes lowered. Clearly, he’d played this game before.

“Look at me.”

His gaze shot to her face. Curious speculation lurked within his green-eyed gaze. He wondered if she could finish what she started, especially since she’d backed off last time she’d attempted such a scenario. She’d tried to control him but had ultimately given control back to him, which seemed to be what he was expecting now. Knowing she needed something to bolster her courage, she turned the crystals low, mimicking the ambient light in the temple. Carefully, she parted the bodice of her dress, exposing her breasts. Watching Kerrick’s intent gaze,
she cupped her breasts, flicking her thumbs over her nipples until they stood hard.

Kerrick swallowed. Into his gaze crept the smallest bit of uncertainty.

Striding toward him while undulating her hips caused her breasts to bounce. Once she stood directly in front of him, forcing him to crane his neck far back to keep his attention on her face, she lifted the gauzy fabric of her skirt. Below she was bare.

Kerrick held her gaze forcefully, but she knew he wanted to look down and see what lay hidden below her skirt. In that moment, she understood how power like this could be so arousing. He could not even dare to look unless she ordered him to do so. When she glanced down, his cock swelled so tightly with need it bounced in time to his heartbeat. His breathing had grown erratic, sharper, more labored.

Holding her skirt up, she peered right into his eyes and ordered, “Taste me.”

With his eyes still open and riveted to her face, he leaned forward. Leisurely, he extended his tongue. Separating her folds, he drew his tongue down to the very core of her and then stroked up to the hard tip of her clit.

Flexing her knees, she parted her legs a bit wider to give him greater access. “Again.”

Willingly, he continued and she tracked his movements, rocking her hips to help him tease along the full length of her sex. Building tension gathered in her clit. Holding her skirt with one hand, she used the other to bring his face to that hard little nub, and commanded him, “Wrap your lips there, draw my clit into your mouth, and flick your tongue across the tip.”

He did exactly as she asked.

Each swipe of his tongue jolted her body, causing her to twist her hand in his hair, as if she could steady herself by holding
his head. Waves of pleasure rolled, tightening her nipples even more. She knew if she told him to continue, he would until her orgasm exploded across her flesh in a cascade of desperately needed climax.

Stepping back, she released his head and dropped her skirt. The look that crossed his face was one of confusion, but he caught himself before he asked her why she’d retreated. Instead, he lowered his head but kept his gaze on her. Watching her intently, he deliberately licked his lips and lifted his hips ever so slightly, displaying his cock, encouraging her to use his most captivating asset.

Ariss considered how much she wanted to feel him inside. A thousand ways of placing him for her own greatest pleasure paraded through her mind. Still, she could do more with him. So much more that she hadn’t even considered yet. Into her mind flashed an image of him with another as Bithia had suggested. Even in her thoughts, Kerrick was more powerful; he stood while the other man knelt before him.

Lifting her chin, she asked, “Have you ever been with another man?”

A flicker of apprehension crossed his face but quickly disappeared. “No, my sacred mistress.”

Considering him, curious about his fear, she demanded an explanation.

Haltingly, Kerrick confessed that he did not find men attractive, not the way he found women attractive. He told her of what punishment he had suffered in the
gannett,
and his fear that if not for Sterlave and Chur, a series of recruits would have brutalized him. “I do not find the prospect of an encounter with another man at all appealing, my sacred mistress.” He didn’t hang his head, but he lowered his eyes a bit. In this, he was determined not to offer her any challenge.

“You would not even wish to have another man suck your cock?” That was the scenario she found most appealing; Kerrick
standing tall, his massive hand cupped to the head of another man who greedily took his cock into his mouth. Ariss would want to watch. A man would know all the secret places and how to tease Kerrick into a frenzy of arousal.

Confused, Kerrick abruptly asked, “Why are you asking me this, Ariss? Do you want another man in here with us?”

She should chastise him for speaking without permission, but his genuine puzzlement compelled her to ease the rules.

“Perhaps.” One thing she’d realized about being in command of another was that the master, or in her case, mistress, did not reveal the full of the desires within. Soon enough, their roles would be reversed, and she didn’t want to give him too much power over her. Also, keeping him unbalanced took away a bit of his smugness. Humbling Kerrick was a difficult, if not impossible task. She was pleased that she’d finally found a way to bring him down a bit. When she looked closer at his face, she saw terror. That was not at all amusing or arousing.

“You think I’m going to make you do it, anyway, don’t you?” Stunned that he could think her so cruel, she was on the verge of releasing him and stopping this entire charade.

“Wouldn’t you?” He lowered his gaze to the carpet before her feet.

“Why would I deliberately try to hurt you?” She couldn’t even believe she was asking. Hurting Kerrick or forcing him to do something he didn’t want to do wasn’t at all what she’d been after. She’d only be curious. Tavarus might enjoy such perversities, but she certainly didn’t.

“To pay me back for what Tavarus did to you through me.” He fell back until he sat on his heels, his entire body curved in as if to ward off blows.

Soundlessly, her mouth hung open; then she deliberately pressed her lips together. After a few deep breaths, she commanded, “Look at me.”

Warily, he met her gaze without lifting his head.

“I would never do anything to hurt you. Just as I know you wouldn’t ever hurt me, not deliberately. Tavarus compelled you.” Once she moved near, she dropped to her knees. “You had no choice. I could no more blame you for that than I could blame myself.”

“What are you going to do with me?”

She wasn’t sure if he meant now or in the future. All the playful joy she’d felt at commanding him evaporated. Silently, she leaned forward, reaching her hands around to his back to free him from his belt. Both his arms were already free. He’d simply clasped his hands together. Somehow, the discovery hurt her deeply. Shaking her head, she rose.

“Ariss, wait.” He climbed to his knees as if to come after her.

Spinning around and facing him, she said, “Don’t bother. I can’t believe that you didn’t trust me enough to let me—” She didn’t finish the thought. What was the point? He didn’t trust her. That was enough.

“I’m sorry, but when you started talking about another man, I panicked.”

When she gazed down, she discovered her parted dress still provocatively displayed her breasts. Ashamed, she tucked them back and straightened her skirt. Never again would she attempt such a situation. Apparently, in their relationship, the trust only went one way: from her to him. A relationship without mutual trust wasn’t any kind of a relationship at all.

Turning her back on him, she took two steps toward her bed, but his hand on her shoulder stopped her. Without looking at him, she pushed his hand away.

“Ariss, please.” He didn’t touch her physically, but the plaintive tone of his voice did.

Keeping her gaze on the decorative folds of her bed, she took a deep breath before speaking. “I can’t do this anymore, Ker-rick. I can’t play these games with you.” Blowing her breath out sharply to waylay her gathering tears, she added, “It’s all just a
competition between us to see who can be the most in charge or who can be the most naughty.” Lifting her arms, she removed the clever set of pins and twists that held her hair up, then tossed them on her bedside table. “Go play with Bithia. I have a feeling she would deeply enjoy such mischief.” After fluffing out her hair, she pulled the blankets down. “I’ll send word to her tomorrow that she may borrow you if you wish. I’ll include a directive that you abhor other men.”