Warrior (70 page)

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Authors: Violette Dubrinsky

Tags: #erotic MM, #Romance MM

BOOK: Warrior
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tingling, the achy muscles, but

something else, a heaviness that did

little to quell or inspire fears. The only

person who’d helped some had been

Lady Lydia. She had described how

they’d encountered Bael and what the

three of them had spoken of, and

assured her that she’d walked off with

Bael. During the three days that

passed, Jaisyn could think of nothing

else. She racked her brain for any

indication that she’d slept with Bael, a

snarled memory, a reminder of a

different touch.

Nothing came.

And then there was Vulcan.

Belligerent, cold Vulcan. If she had

thought him harsh upon their return to

Morden after she helped Malcolm

escape, she’d been wrong. He had not

been as cold then, for at least he still

spoke to her on occasion. Vulcan did

not even address her anymore. When

he looked at her, she saw barely

leashed rage in his gaze, sadness and

hurt as he looked to the swell of her

belly, and she hurt because she could

do nothing to alleviate it. He did not

believe the child she carried his and

although it made her want to cry long

and angry tears, she understood.

When he’d thought her pure and

loyal, Vulcan had opened his heart to

her. But now…after Bael, he despised

her. He was not polite, and even

Varian, who was usually calm and

easy-going with her, was cold.

“I know you hate me at the

moment,” she continued, staring at his

dark head and wishing that he would

turn so that she could see his eyes.

“And I understand, Vulcan. I do. I’m

sorry but you have to believe that I

don’t

remember

anything

that

happened. I have nothing to gain by

lying to you now, so—”

When he spun to face her, she

began to wish that he had continued

staring at those flames. The hatred she

saw there only cut deeper into her

already-torn heart.

“Nothing to gain?” he repeated

menacingly, closing the distance

between them easily. “You have

everything to gain, Jaisyn! How far

will you go to be sure that I do not

cast you aside? For you have given me

reason enough, although as you know,

I do not need any, to have this

marriage terminated. No doubt, you

asked about that because you feared

that I would find out about your

indiscretions!” His voice lowered to a

soft sneer. “What will you do to

continue your life as my queen, to see

your child raised as a Mor’an?”

His hand reached out quickly and

she gasped as his thumb and index

fingers secured her face, forcing her

to look into his eyes.

Jaisyn flinched when he asked the

question,

for

another

emotion

accompanied the hatred blazing in his

eyes. Her husband might hate her, but

he still desired her. His eyes lowered

from her face and traced the length of

her body, stopping briefly on the

round curve of her belly, and

narrowing before returning to hers. As

she suspected, had even expected, he

was going to cast her aside. He stared

at her long and hard, and then as if

she burned him, pulled his fingers

away and walked back to the hearth.

He braced a hand against the stone

ledge above it and told her firmly, “Go

back to your chambers, Jaisyn.”

She stared at his back before turning

from him. Her brain told her to put

one foot before the other, to leave.

Her feet took her to him, and she

leaned her cheek against his warm

back, and released a deep breath. He

would push her away but she still

wanted to touch him, if not for a small

second. Vulcan tensed instantly and

spun around, catching her arms lest

she fall against his chest.

***

“Did I not tell you to leave?” he

demanded. She did not answer, but

continued to stare at him. When his

arms fell from her and he would have

turned again, she stepped closer and

pressed the side of her face against his

chest. Her hair was right under his

nose and before he could push her

away, he caught her intoxicating

scent, and his body reacted. Damn

her!

Was she purposely trying to seduce

him? Narrowing his eyes on her face,

that face that looked so innocent, with

a tongue that lied with the grace of a

snake, he said cruelly, “So, you
are

willing to do whatever it takes to

remain my queen.”

She blinked and began to pull away

from him. She couldn’t tamp the

anger in her voice. “Is that what you

think I am doing, Vulcan?”

He kept his hold on her. “Why else

would you come to here? We have

nothing left to discuss. There is only

this.” He leaned into her, capturing

her lips in a hard and brutal kiss. She

pushed against his chest but he didn’t

budge.

When he finally pulled away, she

shook her head and tried to pull away

from him. “No, Vulcan. Not like this.”

He ignored her and kissed her again,

and this time it was softer, although in

no way a gentle kiss. Coaxing her lips

open, he licked at her tongue, feeling

anger and desire surge together as he

tasted her sweet mouth. When he

pulled away, he could read the need

there. He wondered if she looked at

Bael or Malcolm as she looked at him.

That thought almost pushed him into

insanity but he managed to hold onto

his control as he took her to the bed.

Suddenly, he released her and stepped

away.

Confusion marred her features as

she stared at him. He pushed his

breeches off, revealing his swollen

need for her, and moved over to the

bed, laying against it and watching her

with piercing and unforgiving eyes.

“Take off the gown,” he ordered

coldly.

***

Jaisyn swallowed and turned to look

at the connecting door. She knew she

should leave, that Vulcan didn’t want

her. He wanted sex. Had she been

any other woman, he would have lain

with her. But as she stared down at

him, she remembered that this was the

man she loved, the man whose child

grew inside of her. More and more

she was beginning to believe that she

had not been intimate with Bael. How

could she, when her heart belonged to

the man before her?

She should leave. Even as her senses

told her that, her body was acting in

the opposite way.

Undoing the laces at the top of the

gown, she gently pulled the material

over her head, allowing it to fall into a

heap on the floor. She lifted her head

and stood before him, bearing the

scrutiny of his gaze.

“Come here.” His voice was

gravelly and hoarse. He waited until

she was near to him before reaching

out and pulling her over him.

Her breath came out in a rush as she

was gently rolled and pinned beneath

him. His body settled against hers

briefly before he placed the majority

of his weight onto his hands and

kissed her. As his tongue delved into

her mouth, she forgot about their

problems and focused on him.

Reaching up, she slid her arms

around his sinewy back and parted

her thighs for him. Vulcan released

her lips and moved his fingers down to

her nether regions. A groan escaped

him when he found her ready for him.

Without any more preambles, he

shifted against her and entered her

body.

***

“Vulcan,” she moaned breathily,

angling her hips to deepen his access.

Vulcan tried to focus on only his

pleasure, but found he could not.

Staring down at her face as she sighed

and moaned under him, feeling her

contract around him, inhaling her

scent, made him forget what she was.

His hand moved to caress a bouncing

breast and when the dusky tip grew

hard and budded, he lowered his head

and suckled, growling when her

fingers parted his hair, and her legs

locked around his hips. She was so

close that he could taste it. He drove

into her again and she spiraled under

him. In that moment, Vulcan held

himself still, marking the soft ‘o’ of

her lips, the slight marks that crinkled

her forehead as passion contorted her

face. His wife was a beautiful woman,

but seeing her like this almost robbed

him of breath. A scowl touched his

lips. Had Bael seen this face as she

took her passion? Had he kissed her

lips to keep at bay her screams?

His hips surged forward, the power

of his thrust bringing a whimper from

Jaisyn. Vulcan ignored it, continuing

to push against her. He did not last

much longer, releasing a loud grunt as

his seed left his body for hers. In that

moment, with their breaths coming in

ragged gulps, and her hand lovingly

caressing his back despite his callous

treatment of her, Vulcan faltered.

“Why?” The harshly whispered

question left his lips before he could

quell it, and once it was out, his entire

being demanded an answer. With his

head buried against her neck, Vulcan

felt her pulse increase. It beat like a

crow’s wings against his lips. “Why?”

***

Jaisyn had no answers for him.

Instead, she shifted slightly, inhaling

the spicy and earthy scent of the soap

he’d used to wash his hair.

They remained interlocked for long

minutes before Vulcan shifted and

pulled from her body.

“I’m finished,” he told her coldly.

Jaisyn watched him walk naked to

the fireplace and felt the chill of the

night hug her body. Blinking rapidly,

she moved from the bed and reached

for her nightgown. Slipping it over her

head, she headed to her chambers.

She should have done that minutes

ago instead of allowing Vulcan to use

her like the common whore he

believed her. As she reached the door

that led to her chambers, one thought

kept replaying in her mind.

It was much easier when she hadn’t

loved him…and he had genuinely

disliked her.

***

Vulcan rode out with his warriors a

week later. Although he mentioned

nothing of it to Jaisyn, she’d heard

from both Lydia and Isolde that he

was heading to Montak. Since the

night she’d gone to him and he had

treated her so commonly, Jaisyn kept

her distance. He refused to listen to

anything she said and although she felt

the pang of guilt nearly every hour of

the day, she refused to let herself be

treated that way again. Most of her

time she spent with her sisters, who

actively sought to cheer her up. As

she could not ride, she took long

walks in the garden, and through the

village outside the castle. It had grown

chilly once more in Morden, and

Jaisyn found herself looking forward

to the harsh winds that would bite into

her cheeks as she walked outside.

It was the day after Vulcan’s

departure and she was walking around

the gardens when she felt eyes on her.

Instinctively, she spun, her eyes

searching out whatever was making

her feel uneasy. She only saw her

guards, stationed at various points

along the garden, with their eyes

trained on her.

Feeling irrational, Jaisyn shook her

head and moved to a large wooden

bench that sat before a stone-carved

pool of water. She dragged her

fingertips along the cold surface

before taking a seat and staring at the

flowers. They would soon die, for

they were not flowers that could

withstand the cold winters of this

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