Warrior (30 page)
pink cotton bed gown and settled onto
the mattress, the fire at the hearth
warming the room nicely, Magda and
Asha left. Ingrid had found them cots
in the servants’ quarters for the night
and was working on relocating them
closer to the queen. Jaisyn pulled the
soft covers up to her chin and stared
through
the
gauze-like
material
surrounding her bed, at the door that
led to Vulcan’s chambers. Was he
there? Would he come to her tonight?
He had not touched her in thirteen
days. Was he entertaining the lady
from supper in his chambers? Feeling
herself grow angry at the last thought,
she pushed it away and closed her
eyes. She did not care. Burrowing
further into the soft, comfortable bed,
she thought of her sisters. What were
they doing? Was another bard
serenading Mathilda? Was Isolde still
bossing Mathilda around? Warmth
filled her and before long, sleep
claimed her.
***
Jaisyn awoke to a different type of
heat swarming her body. She peeled
her eyes open and blinked sluggishly.
It was dark in her room except for the
low fire burning at the hearth but she
was burning up. She tried to pry the
covers from her body only to find that
there were no covers on her body. In
fact, her hands came in contact with
naked flesh. A squeak escaped her as
she sat up and looked around.
Vulcan lay on his side beside her, a
lazy smile forming on his face. She
glared at him, even as her heart
attempted to jump from her chest
from the heat coursing through her
body.
“What are you doing here and
where
is
my
nightgown?”
she
demanded immediately, crossing her
arms over her breasts.
His eyebrow rose and he replied
easily. “I am here because it is my
right, and as for your nightgown, you
will not need it.”
“Your right? You constantly forget
that I am not your slave, liege.
Besides,
why
pester
me
with
unwanted attentions when there is
another who would eagerly welcome
you into her bed? She sat near you
this eve. Perhaps she is still within the
castle?”
***
The smile vanished and smoldering
grey eyes scanned her face. He chose
to ignore the last part of her question,
knowing without a doubt to whom she
referred. With the frequent glances
she’d sent his way during supper, he
was positive she’d noticed some of
Belinda’s brazen tactics to bring him
back to her bed.
“Unwanted attentions?” Quick as
lightning he reached out and pulled
her back onto the bed, so that she lay
on her side, facing him. Her eyes
widened and she tensed. His lips
brushed her ear and she shuddered
and attempted to pull away. One arm
held her securely to him as the other
slid down her body, burrowing
between her legs, finding the wetness
at her core. He slid a finger inside and
watched her face as she whimpered.
Her bottom lip trembled and he
sucked it into his mouth.
“Are you certain my attentions are
unwanted, wife?” he asked softly,
rolling them both so she lay on her
back with him above her.
She did not answer him. Her
breathing intensified and her eyelids
fluttered down to hide the heated
expression he knew would be in her
golden gaze.
She looked up at him accusingly.
Vulcan withdrew his finger and
smirked.
“I am sorry that you find my
attentions unwanted, Jaisyn,” he said
in what he hoped was a calm,
unaffected manner, before he moved
away from her.
***
Jaisyn sat up, too shocked to utter a
word as Vulcan, clad only in loose
breeches, the glow of the fire playing
deliciously on the muscles in his back,
walked through the door adjoining
their rooms and closed it behind him.
She couldn’t believe it. Vulcan had
come into her room, interrupted her
sleep by arousing her and left her
unfulfilled! Lyria take him! She
reached down and pulled the covers
against her body, biting her lip as they
brushed her sensitive nipples.
Sometime later, finding that she
could not sleep due to the heat pulsing
through her body, Jaisyn slipped from
her bed and tugged on the nightgown
that had been abandoned to the floor.
Slowly, she headed for the door and
before she lost nerve, opened it and
stepped through. Vulcan’s room was
much larger than her own, but she
wasn’t quite as interested in the room
as she was in the man who was
somewhere in it. He would not find
her so easy to toy with. If he intended
to awaken her hunger, and leave her
wanting, he had another thing coming.
Her eyes sought out his bed and she
made her way over to it. The even rise
and fall of his chest told her that her
husband
was
sleeping.
Before
completely losing her nerve, she
pulled the bed gown over her head
and slipped under the covers with him.
He moved immediately, his arm
snaking out to grab her before he fully
awoke.
“Jaisyn?”
he
asked,
confusion
obvious in his tone.
She didn’t answer. Instead, she
lifted her head and attached her lips to
his, running her fingers through his
mane of black hair. Vulcan groaned
into her mouth and crushed her to
him, moving the length of his body
against hers, grinding himself against
her.
His lips moved to her neck. She
moaned loudly and he flicked his
tongue against that spot again. Her
fingers moved down his body, slowing
only when they neared the hardness at
the juncture of his thighs. Grabbing
hold of her nerve, she touched it,
timidly at first, before wrapping her
fingers around the steely length of
flesh.
He let go a ragged moan and she
released him, but when his lips
touched hers once more, silently
encouraging her exploration, she
returned her hand, squeezing gently
before releasing.
***
Shocked at her boldness, Vulcan
could barely lift his head to peer down
at her. Her hands, strong but careful
hands, had him in their grip. Golden
eyes held his unflinchingly. He was
not sure this wasn’t a dream but he
suddenly found he did not care. If it
was a dream, it was a damned good
one. Reaching down, he moved her
hand away, before positioning himself
above her once more. Her legs
stretched up and locked around his
buttocks as her arms snaked around
his back. Vulcan pushed his hips
forward slightly, feeling her moisture
coat the head of his shaft.
Reaching a hand between their
bodies, he pressed his finger against
her swollen nub and attacked her
neck vigorously. She was ready…
more than ready. Grasping his aching
member, he pushed forward, barely
entering her, held still, and rammed
himself home. They both cried out. It
had been too long.
Leaning down, Vulcan kissed her,
forcing his tongue past her lips and
into her mouth as he rode her hard.
Jaisyn moaned and clung to him.
Moments later, a scream erupted from
her throat moments before she
plunged headfirst into the abyss.
Vulcan pulled himself from her
body, and flipped her onto her
stomach. He covered her and began to
place slow kisses along her spine.
Jaisyn surfaced slowly, groaning in
contentment and exhaustion. With a
grin, Vulcan reached past her and
grabbed a pillow, lifting her hips to
settle it underneath.
“What are you doing?” Jaisyn
murmured, moments before he ran a
finger through the wetness at her
apex. Her thighs clenched as a tremor
rocked her body.
“Teaching you something new.”
Vulcan brushed his lips over the pale
scar on her shoulder. She must have
fallen when she was younger.
Dismissing it, he moved further down
her body, kissing her the two perfect
globes of her backside before coming
to his destination. A few quick laps
had her crying out and calling his
name and he inserted two fingers,
caressing her smooth buttocks as he
did so. He felt her clench down on
him as her hips pressed back against
his hand. Quickly, he removed his
fingers and grasped her hips, lifting
her slightly.
“Vulcan,” she whimpered softly,
turning her head to look at him. He
entered her slowly this time.
By the time he was fully cloaked in
her warmth, they were both covered
in a new sheen of sweat. Vulcan
nipped at her shoulder lightly before
raising himself onto his hands and
rolling his hips.
Jaisyn clutched the sheets into her
fists, and pushed back against him
eagerly. She felt full, full to the point
of bursting. The speed of his thrusts
increased and she could focus on
nothing else except for how he made
her feel.
***
Vulcan rose to his knees and
grabbed her hips, one in each hand,
forcing her to go to her knees as well.
He reared back and delved deep.
Jaisyn’s eyes flew open, feeling him
go deeper than he’d ever gone before.
A cry escaped her lips and he thrust
again. Another cry. Thrust. She
screamed his name. He pushed
forward again. She shattered, coming
apart on a shout that began as his
name and ended as a scream. He was
not
far
behind.
His
deflating
appendage slipped from her body and
he easily maneuvered her, pulling her
against him. Her eyes were closed;
her eyelashes fanned her flushed
cheeks. He stared at her face for
many long moments, cast in shadow
and light by the fire at the hearth,
before closing his eyes.
Jaisyn of Lytheria was getting under
his skin and he did not like it. He was
beginning to care about his wife, and
that was a weakness. Before Jaisyn,
the Northern Wolf had had only one
weakness—his brother—and he did
not consider it a true weakness, as
Varian was more than capable of
defending himself. Although Jaisyn
was a spitfire, and seemed to have a
knack for lifting deadly weapons
against him, she was a woman. She
would not last against any of his
warriors, or any of his enemies. A
scowl touched his lips. He would have
to make sure she did not become one
of his weaknesses, for both of their
sakes.
Chapter 9
Neren, Lytheria
With a snarl upon his face, Kegan
Reinhardt stared at the parchment in
his hand. He, like many of the nobles
of Lytheria, had heard the Northern
Wolf had forced the submission of the
Lytherian army, married Jaisyn St.
Ives, and declared himself rightful
ruler of Lytheria. While that had
enraged Kegan for many a week, this
made him seethe in unbridled rage.
The missive was simple and to the
point. At the request of the new ‘king’
of Lytheria, all nobles were required
to pay homage to their new liege, by
way of swearing their loyalty to the
king’s proxy, Prince Varian Mor’an,
at St. Ives Castle, and paying whatever
dues were owed. Kegan glared at the
missive once more. The Mor’an crest
at the top seemed to mock him. With
a cry, he tore it to shreds, allowing
bits of paper to scatter across the
table.