Page 16
He hummed deep in his throat as he came to a stop right beside the bed. I rolled onto my side and scooted closer, the cold receding as heat thundered through my veins. I licked my lips, noticing how that made the red glow of his eyes flare brighter and his cock twitch toward his belly. “Ah, sweet princess,” he said, his voice low and rough, “I wanted to let you sleep. You’re so tired. But how you tempt me… You tempt me so blazing much. Too much. Will you wrap those pretty lips around my cock?” When I nodded, he stepped closer, and that was all it took. I opened my mouth, licking his heated flesh as he shuddered and moaned, his hands clenching into fists against his thighs. “Yes, stars, that’s it. Suck me deep, pretty woman.”
So I did, hollowing my cheeks and sucking him deep. I could not hold him properly when I wrapped a hand around his length, and he curled a fist around mine and helped me stroke him in time with the bobbing of my head. His husky groans were all the encouragement I needed, but the taste of him was equally rewarding. I did not know what to expect; I had only ever been with a handful of Xurtal males. This male was nothing like them—his texture, his scent, and his taste all different. Better, at least to me. Aramon was like the scents and flavors I recalled from home: gingerbread, cinnamon, warm cozy afternoons.
Then he slid his hand into my hair, holding me in place so he could pump his hips gently into my mouth, his thighs quivering with each thrust. His jaw was clenched tightly, and his eyes burned holes into my face as he watched me suck his length. It was almost as satisfying to pleasure him this way, to let him use me for his own needs, as it had been to come apart in his arms in the shower before. Almost. My legs shifted restlessly beneath the blankets, my clit ached, and my passage flooded with wetness all over again. I was starting to think he was wrong—I wasn’t too tired. I needed him to fuck me right now.
I began to pull back so I could tell him that, but then his hips stuttered, and with a final thrust and a loud groan, he came. His seed flooded my mouth; it spilled from the corner and dripped down my chin. He tasted good, and he sounded even better, groaning my name: “Evie.” “Blazing stars, that’s good. So good, my sweet,” he groaned as the last of his seed spurted from the flushed, pierced tip. When he pulled back, I licked the semen from my lips, and he groaned again. “That’s so hot.”
Of course he’d think that. Pulling my arms back to curl them safe and warm under the blanket, I felt treasured when he leaned over to tuck the blankets more tightly around me. Then, he dipped his head to brush a kiss over my forehead, and he was gone again, strutting back into the bathing room. He had one hell of an ass—his cheeks tight and his thighs thick with muscle. It wasn’t a bad view at all, but I liked it even better when he returned to wipe up the wet puddles we’d left on the floor. I could appreciate a guy who cleaned up after himself, and I hadn’t expected that of Aramon.
“Let me pull on clean clothes and then we’ll cuddle, my pretty Evie,” he rumbled when he caught my stare. “You’ll need your sleep. I have so many plans for you.” Yeah, he’d said that and I couldn't wait but now that the passion was cooling again, nerves began to flutter in my belly. Tomorrow, I’d have to return to the negotiations and try again. I did not hold out hope that I could make this alliance take shape without conceding to some kind of export agreement with all parties. It was the last thing the Xurtal Kingdom wanted, but itwasstill better than risking an invasion.
Aramon returned with pants on—a clearly new set of leather pants—and he was stomping his feet back into his boots. “Why are you getting dressed?” I wondered aloud, and he gave me a very serious look that sent a chill down my spine. Something was up.
“Just a precaution. I’m keeping watch; I don’t trust the situation. But you can sleep, Evie. I’ll keep you safe, as will my brothers outside. We’ve got Jaxin and Gamesh on guard tonight, too.” He had just finished pulling on his second boot when there was a knock at the door.
Chapter 14
Aramon
“Get dressed,” I ordered my woman, even though it was the last thing I wanted her to do. I wanted to keep her naked beneath the warm blankets, soft and sensual after our round of sex. If I could, I’d ignore that knock and get her to sleep in my lap, wrapped all warm and safe while I kept watch. She deserved all the rest she could get after that grueling day, but alas, it was not to be. This could be a threat to her safety, and I needed her ready at a moment’s notice.
I waited to see her nod before I turned for the sitting room and went to answer the door. It would have to be someone whom Jaxin was willing to allow entrance this late at night. Darkness had fallen outside the windows, a glittering sky of black studded with millions of stars. The empty expanses of the desert tempted me to go for a mind-clearing flight, but I would never leave my princess. Whatever Evie might say, she was stillmyprincess, and I would continue to think of her that way. Mine.
“What do you want?” I barked, not caring how rude that sounded. I might have altered my tone if it was anyone but this guy, but I doubted it. I did not like the interruption, and truthfully, I would expect any Asrai noble to feel exactly the same. They were the rudest of all, and I didn’t give a Batan’s ass about upholding their good name; they didn’thaveone to begin with. Today’s trio was a prime example of that.
Theronix’s expression grew tight, his dark brow lowering. Everything about this asshole was neat as a pin—military straight and regulation length. From the shaved hair on his head to the way he wore his sleeveless uniform, the golden markings along his arms glowed with luster and health over newly bulked-up muscle. I should admire the male for working so hard to get back in shape after his captivity at the hands of the former crimelord Batok, but that stick up his ass made it impossible.
“Where is the princess?” he asked, his mouth a tight bud in his sour face. He needed to unwind—this dickhead wasn’t even fun to poke anymore. Honestly, I just wanted him out of the way now because I knew how hard he was pressuring my Evie to do a job she never should have been forced to fulfill. These Xurtal bastards had made her a shield to kill for their princess since she was eight.
What royal bastards did that to a child? It was wrong in so many ways that it got my blood pumping with rage every single time I thought about it. Evie never had a choice, and she continued to do this out of a misguided sense of loyalty. Well, once she’d secured this blasted alliance, I was going to make damn sure she knew she did not have to keep up the charade.
“My betrothed is sleeping,” I drawled, crossing my arms over my chest and blocking his path into our suite. He was not welcome here, and I was going to remind him of the claim I had on her as often as I could. I saw him inhale deeply, his chest expanding, and I was reminded that the Xurtal had a great sense of smell—much better than mine. Did he know that Evie and I had sex? I hoped he did; that would rattle his cage and let him know that he had lost control over her.
He bared his teeth and hissed, but he did not back away. I could see Jaxin over his shoulder, and the Rummicaron looked amused—something he should not have been able to feel, by all accounts. Maybe Jaxin was good at faking that shit, but I was pretty sure he had failed his all-important Rummicaron conditioning and felt all the emotions he was supposed to suppress.
“I demand entrance,” Theronix said, jerking my attention from my superior officer back to his assholeness. I could feel the presence of Solear at the back of my mind, peering with intense dislike through my eyes into the Xurtal’s face. I knew he could sense that double glare; it was an impressive Asrai feat that most never considered.
“Blazing stars! Don't you ever stop to think, ‘Whoa, I’m being such a jerk. I should apologize for my behavior?’” I said, grinning. My words made Jaxin flinch in surprise, his grey features coloring with an emotion I couldn’t decipher. Theronix was caught off-guard as well; his mouth dropped open before he could snap it shut, growling in outrage.
I think he would have attacked me if not for Evie’s timely intervention. Too bad; I would have welcomed that fight. “Theronix, what do you want this late at night?” Her melodic voice sounded so posh and fancy when she pretended to be Evadne, and I was very tempted to say something to make her unravel that act so I could hear and see the real female—my woman.
I turned a little so I could get her in my sights and had to suppress the instincts that surged inside me. Even Solear agreed inside my head that it was starting to look very wrong to see her with the illusion device. He had given us privacy when I’d ravished her, but he was fully present as soon as I’d grown tense from the knock on the door.
Still, she looked stunning in a simple nightgown and a robe tied with a sash, the red being a favorite color for Xurtal females to wear. She stood with a hand against the doorjamb that separated the sitting room from the bedroom, and she looked so elegant like that. Her green hair lay in tousled waves over one shoulder, and her dress and robe clung to every sexy curve.
“We need to discuss the negotiations. I received word from Xurtal; you’ll need to hear this,” Theronix said. My attention snapped back to the jerk in uniform, and I wanted to grab him by his starched collar and toss him out the door. Evie was more impressed by his impertinent tone; she gestured him in with a graceful hand, and I had no choice but to step back and let the bastard in.
He strode past me with a triumphant look on his face that did not become a proper Xurtal warrior. I was very tempted to remind him of that, but Evie was already talking rapidly as she recapped today’s events. “What did Xurtal say? Did they have any news? How is Queen Ashcrao doing? Has she passed yet?” I recalled that this was the Queen currently part of the alliance, and with her passing, a very war-hungry crown princess would take her place. Xurtal and other Tarkan Queendoms heavily feared that she’d demand Xyraxin and start conquering others.
Theronix shook his head but waited to speak until Jaxin had closed the door behind him, giving us privacy to talk without anyone listening in. It was obvious, when he glared at me, that he expected me to leave the room too, but I made sure to go to Evie’s side and curl my arm around her shoulders. I was not going anywhere, and I wanted her to know she was not alone—she had me.
His expression darkened, flicking from me to Evie and taking in her state of dress and mine. "I see you've sunk to new lows: sleeping with the hired help. I expected better of you." His scathing tone immediately got my hackles up, and I was ready to bite his head off for that remark. "You donottalk to my fiancée that way," I snapped, reining in my desire for violence by the breadth of a hair. The male had no idea how close a call it was, but I knew Evie sensed it by the way she stiffened under my arm. This close, I could see her heartbeat racing in the pulse at her throat, and I didn't want my precious woman to feel lessened. Not because of this jerk, nor because of anyone else.
“She’s yourfakefiancée,” Theronix drawled smugly, as if he held all the cards. I dipped my eyes to Evie to see if she’d dispute it. She knew she was my mate and could say that, claim the betrothal as true right this instant. She didn’t, and for a second I was the one feeling lesser, unworthy. But she didn’t mean that, she wanted me, I knew it. I couldn't let it bother me; she was simply unwilling to share that with this jerk. Really, he didn’t need to know.
Feeling like he had now sufficiently put me in my place, Theronix started talking—first to deny that the Queen had perished, but then adding that her demise was likely imminent. He then began berating my female about her role in the negotiations, reminding her repeatedly that she could not give away any rights to the Xyraxin. The longer it went on, the angrier I became, fuming silently at first, until my frustration morphed into a soft growl. Solear was pacing in the back of my mind like a mind-broken Ferai beast.
Evie listened silently, her poor heart pounding in tune with her anxiety, but she did not object to anything Theronix said. When he started to comment on her attire and her choices again—the ones regarding me—I had enough. He could whine about the negotiations, but he wasn’t going to be in that room, so he could jabber all he wanted. Evie could do it her way once he was gone. But us? Her choices? No, that was a line he did not get to cross.
So I did, hollowing my cheeks and sucking him deep. I could not hold him properly when I wrapped a hand around his length, and he curled a fist around mine and helped me stroke him in time with the bobbing of my head. His husky groans were all the encouragement I needed, but the taste of him was equally rewarding. I did not know what to expect; I had only ever been with a handful of Xurtal males. This male was nothing like them—his texture, his scent, and his taste all different. Better, at least to me. Aramon was like the scents and flavors I recalled from home: gingerbread, cinnamon, warm cozy afternoons.
Then he slid his hand into my hair, holding me in place so he could pump his hips gently into my mouth, his thighs quivering with each thrust. His jaw was clenched tightly, and his eyes burned holes into my face as he watched me suck his length. It was almost as satisfying to pleasure him this way, to let him use me for his own needs, as it had been to come apart in his arms in the shower before. Almost. My legs shifted restlessly beneath the blankets, my clit ached, and my passage flooded with wetness all over again. I was starting to think he was wrong—I wasn’t too tired. I needed him to fuck me right now.
I began to pull back so I could tell him that, but then his hips stuttered, and with a final thrust and a loud groan, he came. His seed flooded my mouth; it spilled from the corner and dripped down my chin. He tasted good, and he sounded even better, groaning my name: “Evie.” “Blazing stars, that’s good. So good, my sweet,” he groaned as the last of his seed spurted from the flushed, pierced tip. When he pulled back, I licked the semen from my lips, and he groaned again. “That’s so hot.”
Of course he’d think that. Pulling my arms back to curl them safe and warm under the blanket, I felt treasured when he leaned over to tuck the blankets more tightly around me. Then, he dipped his head to brush a kiss over my forehead, and he was gone again, strutting back into the bathing room. He had one hell of an ass—his cheeks tight and his thighs thick with muscle. It wasn’t a bad view at all, but I liked it even better when he returned to wipe up the wet puddles we’d left on the floor. I could appreciate a guy who cleaned up after himself, and I hadn’t expected that of Aramon.
“Let me pull on clean clothes and then we’ll cuddle, my pretty Evie,” he rumbled when he caught my stare. “You’ll need your sleep. I have so many plans for you.” Yeah, he’d said that and I couldn't wait but now that the passion was cooling again, nerves began to flutter in my belly. Tomorrow, I’d have to return to the negotiations and try again. I did not hold out hope that I could make this alliance take shape without conceding to some kind of export agreement with all parties. It was the last thing the Xurtal Kingdom wanted, but itwasstill better than risking an invasion.
Aramon returned with pants on—a clearly new set of leather pants—and he was stomping his feet back into his boots. “Why are you getting dressed?” I wondered aloud, and he gave me a very serious look that sent a chill down my spine. Something was up.
“Just a precaution. I’m keeping watch; I don’t trust the situation. But you can sleep, Evie. I’ll keep you safe, as will my brothers outside. We’ve got Jaxin and Gamesh on guard tonight, too.” He had just finished pulling on his second boot when there was a knock at the door.
Chapter 14
Aramon
“Get dressed,” I ordered my woman, even though it was the last thing I wanted her to do. I wanted to keep her naked beneath the warm blankets, soft and sensual after our round of sex. If I could, I’d ignore that knock and get her to sleep in my lap, wrapped all warm and safe while I kept watch. She deserved all the rest she could get after that grueling day, but alas, it was not to be. This could be a threat to her safety, and I needed her ready at a moment’s notice.
I waited to see her nod before I turned for the sitting room and went to answer the door. It would have to be someone whom Jaxin was willing to allow entrance this late at night. Darkness had fallen outside the windows, a glittering sky of black studded with millions of stars. The empty expanses of the desert tempted me to go for a mind-clearing flight, but I would never leave my princess. Whatever Evie might say, she was stillmyprincess, and I would continue to think of her that way. Mine.
“What do you want?” I barked, not caring how rude that sounded. I might have altered my tone if it was anyone but this guy, but I doubted it. I did not like the interruption, and truthfully, I would expect any Asrai noble to feel exactly the same. They were the rudest of all, and I didn’t give a Batan’s ass about upholding their good name; they didn’thaveone to begin with. Today’s trio was a prime example of that.
Theronix’s expression grew tight, his dark brow lowering. Everything about this asshole was neat as a pin—military straight and regulation length. From the shaved hair on his head to the way he wore his sleeveless uniform, the golden markings along his arms glowed with luster and health over newly bulked-up muscle. I should admire the male for working so hard to get back in shape after his captivity at the hands of the former crimelord Batok, but that stick up his ass made it impossible.
“Where is the princess?” he asked, his mouth a tight bud in his sour face. He needed to unwind—this dickhead wasn’t even fun to poke anymore. Honestly, I just wanted him out of the way now because I knew how hard he was pressuring my Evie to do a job she never should have been forced to fulfill. These Xurtal bastards had made her a shield to kill for their princess since she was eight.
What royal bastards did that to a child? It was wrong in so many ways that it got my blood pumping with rage every single time I thought about it. Evie never had a choice, and she continued to do this out of a misguided sense of loyalty. Well, once she’d secured this blasted alliance, I was going to make damn sure she knew she did not have to keep up the charade.
“My betrothed is sleeping,” I drawled, crossing my arms over my chest and blocking his path into our suite. He was not welcome here, and I was going to remind him of the claim I had on her as often as I could. I saw him inhale deeply, his chest expanding, and I was reminded that the Xurtal had a great sense of smell—much better than mine. Did he know that Evie and I had sex? I hoped he did; that would rattle his cage and let him know that he had lost control over her.
He bared his teeth and hissed, but he did not back away. I could see Jaxin over his shoulder, and the Rummicaron looked amused—something he should not have been able to feel, by all accounts. Maybe Jaxin was good at faking that shit, but I was pretty sure he had failed his all-important Rummicaron conditioning and felt all the emotions he was supposed to suppress.
“I demand entrance,” Theronix said, jerking my attention from my superior officer back to his assholeness. I could feel the presence of Solear at the back of my mind, peering with intense dislike through my eyes into the Xurtal’s face. I knew he could sense that double glare; it was an impressive Asrai feat that most never considered.
“Blazing stars! Don't you ever stop to think, ‘Whoa, I’m being such a jerk. I should apologize for my behavior?’” I said, grinning. My words made Jaxin flinch in surprise, his grey features coloring with an emotion I couldn’t decipher. Theronix was caught off-guard as well; his mouth dropped open before he could snap it shut, growling in outrage.
I think he would have attacked me if not for Evie’s timely intervention. Too bad; I would have welcomed that fight. “Theronix, what do you want this late at night?” Her melodic voice sounded so posh and fancy when she pretended to be Evadne, and I was very tempted to say something to make her unravel that act so I could hear and see the real female—my woman.
I turned a little so I could get her in my sights and had to suppress the instincts that surged inside me. Even Solear agreed inside my head that it was starting to look very wrong to see her with the illusion device. He had given us privacy when I’d ravished her, but he was fully present as soon as I’d grown tense from the knock on the door.
Still, she looked stunning in a simple nightgown and a robe tied with a sash, the red being a favorite color for Xurtal females to wear. She stood with a hand against the doorjamb that separated the sitting room from the bedroom, and she looked so elegant like that. Her green hair lay in tousled waves over one shoulder, and her dress and robe clung to every sexy curve.
“We need to discuss the negotiations. I received word from Xurtal; you’ll need to hear this,” Theronix said. My attention snapped back to the jerk in uniform, and I wanted to grab him by his starched collar and toss him out the door. Evie was more impressed by his impertinent tone; she gestured him in with a graceful hand, and I had no choice but to step back and let the bastard in.
He strode past me with a triumphant look on his face that did not become a proper Xurtal warrior. I was very tempted to remind him of that, but Evie was already talking rapidly as she recapped today’s events. “What did Xurtal say? Did they have any news? How is Queen Ashcrao doing? Has she passed yet?” I recalled that this was the Queen currently part of the alliance, and with her passing, a very war-hungry crown princess would take her place. Xurtal and other Tarkan Queendoms heavily feared that she’d demand Xyraxin and start conquering others.
Theronix shook his head but waited to speak until Jaxin had closed the door behind him, giving us privacy to talk without anyone listening in. It was obvious, when he glared at me, that he expected me to leave the room too, but I made sure to go to Evie’s side and curl my arm around her shoulders. I was not going anywhere, and I wanted her to know she was not alone—she had me.
His expression darkened, flicking from me to Evie and taking in her state of dress and mine. "I see you've sunk to new lows: sleeping with the hired help. I expected better of you." His scathing tone immediately got my hackles up, and I was ready to bite his head off for that remark. "You donottalk to my fiancée that way," I snapped, reining in my desire for violence by the breadth of a hair. The male had no idea how close a call it was, but I knew Evie sensed it by the way she stiffened under my arm. This close, I could see her heartbeat racing in the pulse at her throat, and I didn't want my precious woman to feel lessened. Not because of this jerk, nor because of anyone else.
“She’s yourfakefiancée,” Theronix drawled smugly, as if he held all the cards. I dipped my eyes to Evie to see if she’d dispute it. She knew she was my mate and could say that, claim the betrothal as true right this instant. She didn’t, and for a second I was the one feeling lesser, unworthy. But she didn’t mean that, she wanted me, I knew it. I couldn't let it bother me; she was simply unwilling to share that with this jerk. Really, he didn’t need to know.
Feeling like he had now sufficiently put me in my place, Theronix started talking—first to deny that the Queen had perished, but then adding that her demise was likely imminent. He then began berating my female about her role in the negotiations, reminding her repeatedly that she could not give away any rights to the Xyraxin. The longer it went on, the angrier I became, fuming silently at first, until my frustration morphed into a soft growl. Solear was pacing in the back of my mind like a mind-broken Ferai beast.
Evie listened silently, her poor heart pounding in tune with her anxiety, but she did not object to anything Theronix said. When he started to comment on her attire and her choices again—the ones regarding me—I had enough. He could whine about the negotiations, but he wasn’t going to be in that room, so he could jabber all he wanted. Evie could do it her way once he was gone. But us? Her choices? No, that was a line he did not get to cross.