All the King's Men (16 page)

The sexual energy thrumming through her body intensified,
zinging into her nerve endings with every hoarse groan that slid from his
throat. His cock pulsed in her hand so hard and insistent it seemed to throb
with an inner energy of its own that blended with her desperate need, kindling
a frantic desire she hadn’t known herself capable of.

Sinking her teeth into her lower lip to stifle a cry, Nelina
swung one leg over Kirel’s waist. Balancing her weight on her knees, she shook
with the effort it took to keep from sinking down on his bare shaft.

As though sensing the inner turmoil raging inside her, Kirel
reached between her legs and nudged the slick, hot cleft of her sex with his
index finger to expose her aching clit. She gasped and arched her back, rocking
her hips so the head of his scorching cock brushed the sensitive flesh of her
fevered labia.

“Come for me, sweetheart,” Kirel whispered. “Come just for
me.”

His fervent demand served to fuel her arousal. When he
pressed down on the tight nub of her clit, her climax ignited instantly. The
spasm that shook her was so violent and unexpected, it tore through her body
with the strength of an erupting volcano. She cried out from the force of it
even as her limbs quaked and gave way beneath her.

A little plea of lust lodged in her throat. If she could
have spoken, she’d have begged for the hot, slick thrust of his cock inside her
waiting channel but the ability to speak escaped her.

Kirel jerked his hips upward, meeting her halfway. The head
of his cock stretched the tender skin of her cunt. She held her breath as her
abdomen rippled with remembered pleasure and her inner muscles squeezed down on
the thick girth that was only moments away from offering complete fulfillment.

When the door burst inward, she was so lost in the bliss of
the moment that the flurry of angry voices that erupted around her and Kirel’s
furious shout failed to penetrate the barrier of sensual lust except as distant
murmurs. Only when rough fingers tightened around her upper arms and yanked her
off Kirel’s magnificent cock did she cry out, desperate for the satisfaction
that had been denied her.

“Gods take you, Kirel! You knew better!”

Nelina thrashed in Thor’s grip but he held her hard enough
to send jolts of pain down her arms. She watched through a fog of trembling
arousal as Kirel’s eyes narrowed. Fury flashed like bolts of lightning in the
dark depths.

“You don’t know what you’re asking of me,” he ground out
between gritted teeth. His cock bobbed long and hard against his abdomen. The
flushed head oozed a bead of pre-cum that slid down his shaft to drip onto his
tight, velvety balls.

“I’m not asking.” The Guardian’s voice was low, the threat
clear. “The Tradition is demanding. And so is your king. You remember him,
don’t you? He’s the one to whom you swore undying loyalty.”

Thor might as well have landed a closed-fist blow against
Kirel’s jaw. The color drained from his face instantly. Grief transformed his
features and he rubbed a hand through his disheveled hair. His jaw was clenched
so tight she could make out a thin line of muscle that pulsed frantically at
its edge.

Domenic stepped in Nelina’s field of vision. His mask hid
most of his face but she could make out the wrinkled lines of his brow as he
frowned at Kirel. “Are you going to come along or will we have to carry you?”

Indecision flittered in Kirel’s eyes for a moment. His gaze
darted from Nelina to the Guardians then back again. Finally, he reached for
his discarded uniform. “Where are we going?”

Thor sighed, sounding almost pained. “You didn’t think your
little midnight tryst would go unpunished, did you?”

Kirel pressed his lips into a thin line but said nothing.

A shiver stole down Nelina’s spine. The desperate, aching
need had dissipated enough to allow her to think clearly but the longing that
had settled low in her belly still throbbed.

Domenic crossed the distance to the wardrobe and pulled out
a floor-length cape. After inspecting the black material and the emerald lining
inside, he nodded his approval. “Here,” he said, thrusting the garment out
toward Nelina. “Put this on.”

She lifted her chin and darted a glance at Kirel. He wouldn’t
meet her eyes. “Not until you tell me where you’re taking us.”

Thor’s husky chuckle drifted over her skin like sensual
fingertips to burrow deep in her cunt. He yanked her back to him until her body
pressed against his abdomen. His thick erection was unmistakable as it prodded
the base of her spine.

“You, my queen,” he whispered in her ear, “are in desperate
need of a bath.”

She might have been offended if every breath she inhaled
didn’t bring with it the musky miasma of spilled cum. She’d been covered in it
the night before. Cream still dripped from her pussy to coat her inner thighs
in a mouthwatering mélange of her own arousal and Kirel’s leftover seed.

She reeked of sex, exuded the familiar scent from every
pore. And instead of shaming her as it should have, the knowledge only
intensified her lust.

Gods…they’ve turned me into the castle whore.

Even as she thought it, she knew it wasn’t true. The
Guardians hadn’t done anything to which she hadn’t consented. Far from making
her feel used, their sensual attention had delighted her, appealing to a part
of her she hadn’t even known existed. The exhibitionist, wanton part of her
that wanted—
needed
—everything they had to offer.

Then there was Kirel. A sigh bubbled up in her throat. She
wanted him most of all. Yet with the carnal yearning came an even greater need,
a terrifying awareness that he alone held the key to her satisfaction. The
other men might be able to possess her body, but none of them would ever be
able to touch her heart, her soul, her mind the way Kirel could without the
slightest effort. Thor had said that in order to enjoy a sensual experience she
had to trust in the hands and mouths and cocks that touched her.

After last night, she knew without a doubt she didn’t trust
any of them the way she trusted Kirel. Inherently, she understood that without
him at her side, a thousand Guardians couldn’t make her come.

The thought shook her to the core. Eight years earlier,
Kirel had abandoned her. He’d made no attempt to search for her in all the time
they’d been apart. If not for the Tradition, he’d still be here playing
bodyguard to the king and she’d be worrying herself sick, pining after a
messenger who’d never existed.

Nelina jerked her arm free of Thor’s grasp and yanked the
cape from Domenic’s hands. With a twirl, she draped it over her shoulders,
bringing the sides together in front of her body.

Willing her heart to stop hammering against her rib cage,
she drew in a deep breath. Her body was a mass of aroused nerve endings, each
begging for attention. Her pussy still throbbed, protesting its empty state.

With trembling fingers, she pulled her tangled mass of hair
from beneath the cape’s collar and shook it loose over the back of the garment
then stepped into a pair of thin-soled sandals Domenic had chosen from among
the dozens lining the closet floor. “Let’s go.”

Outside the confines of this room, she might have a chance
to escape. If all else failed, she’d figure out how Kirel had scaled the side
of the building to sneak into her room and do the same when they brought her
back. One way or another, she was going to find a way out of here. Another
night in Kirel’s arms could make her lose her mind completely.

Too easily he’d convinced her to allow him to spend the
night in her bed. At this rate, he could convince her to mate with the king by
the next morning and have her believing it was all her idea.

“We will,” Thor said. “Once Kirel finishes dressing. Dom,
grab the bowl.”

Nelina didn’t know which bowl he meant until she saw Domenic
reach for the container of lubricant they’d used the previous night. Heat crept
up her cheeks and curled in the pit of her stomach, pulsing slowly with
remembered pleasure.

Kirel pulled on his pants without a word but the angry
glares he threw Thor spoke volumes. When Kirel was ready, Thor wrapped a strong
arm around Nelina’s waist and pulled her to him then led the way into the hall.

The guard standing by the door bowed slightly as they
passed, his gaze lingering a little too long on Nelina’s chest. Suddenly aware
of her nudity beneath the cape, she pulled the sides tighter together.

Thor paused in front of the man. “Send two guards to follow
us down to the hot springs. Instruct them to wait at the top of the stairs. If
their services are needed, I’ll send for them. Otherwise, they’re to ensure no
one else comes down. Understood?”

The man paled slightly. He wore a too-tight emerald uniform
belted with a wide leather strap over a thick waist. “Yes, sir. Right away.” He
was gone almost before he finished speaking, darting around the corner and
disappearing from view.

Thor nudged her in the opposite direction. Domenic fell in
beside Thor and Kirel stepped up alongside Nelina. She darted a glance at
Thor’s profile. Although she couldn’t make out his face clearly beneath his
mask, there was no mistaking his clenched jaw and furrowed brow. Whatever he
had in store for them wasn’t worth starting an argument in the corridor.

He must have known Kirel wouldn’t leave Nelina’s side. There
was no need of coercion to convince Kirel to come with them, no threats. Kirel
matched their pace, his right hand finding hers through the thick folds of her
cape and grabbing on to her fingertips.

As desperately as she wanted to yank her hand away, the pull
of his touch was too strong to resist. Instead of drawing back, she curled her
fingers around his, feeling the warmth of his skin seep through the fabric of
her garment.

Thor’s strong physique radiated heat. His thigh was even
with her waist, the lean muscle pressing against her as they walked. The men trapped
her from both sides, guiding her strides, leading her deeper into temptation
with every step. Her body responded with dark pulses of lust that seemed to
burrow deep in her cunt and throb against her clit.

She swallowed hard, not knowing how much more of this she
could take. Her fingers itched to throw off the cape and offer herself to their
hands, their mouths, their luscious cocks.

At the top of a dark, narrow corridor, the Guardians halted.
Domenic stepped back but the mouth of the tunnel was still too small to allow
all three of them to pass at once.

Excitement thrummed through her as she caught the heated
exchange of angry glares over her head. Kirel set his jaw, his fingers tightly
gripping her hand.

“She’s not yours, Kirel.” Thor’s voice was low enough to be
a whisper but it seemed to boom abnormally loud in the stone-encased mouth of
the corridor. “She never was.”

“We’ll see about that.” He stepped forward onto the top step
and yanked her after him. Her cloak came loose, falling over her shoulder and
baring her left breast in its entirety as he pulled on her hand. With a sigh,
Thor released her and she half walked, half stumbled after Kirel.

“Is it really wise to anger him?” Nelina asked when they’d
almost reached the bottom. She had to raise her voice to be heard over the
sound of cascading water.

“I’m not letting you go, Nel. No matter what he says.”

His words seemed to reach inside her, find her heart and
squeeze. Her stomach flip-flopped absurdly at the determination in his voice.
“You’ll have to eventually.”

“Perhaps. But not right now.”

He stepped off the stairs and drew her into his arms.
Taunting Thor further, he waited until the man reached them before bringing his
mouth down on hers. His tongue swept between her lips and she opened to him instinctively,
her pussy already throbbing in response to his bold move.

Thor growled and pulled them apart. Grabbing Nelina’s wrists
and bringing them behind her back, he pulled the cape from her shoulder and
tossed it to the ground. “You’re testing my patience.”

“How terrible for you.” Kirel crossed his arms over his
chest. “This whole situation’s been testing mine since the moment we brought
her here.”

Fine mist sprinkled Nelina’s skin, stiffening her nipples.
She gaped and took in the cave where they’d brought her, marveling at the twin
waterfalls cascading over midnight black rock and the pool rippling below.
Goose bumps broke out over her flesh. She craved the feel of the water, knowing
it would be warm and inviting.

“May I?” she asked, already stepping away from Thor.

He released her with a grunt. “Go. Domenic will join you.”

“And me?” she heard Kirel ask mockingly. “What would you
have me do?”

Thor growled low in his throat. “Strip.”

She didn’t hear Kirel’s response. The water called to her
and she kicked off her sandals before stepping in, sighing as her toes broke
through the warm surface of the pool. A moment later she’d lowered herself into
its irresistibly seductive depths. Strong currents curled around her legs and
prodded between them, trickling over her clit. Tremors ran through her. Water
sluiced from the ends of her hair to drip down into the valley between her
breasts. Her nipples felt puffy and ripe with need, as though the water itself
held magical properties that amplified the heady stream of lust already pouring
through her veins.

Floating on a current of pure elation, she shimmied forward.
A sharp pain pierced the sole of her left foot when she steadied her balance,
causing her to stumble back a step. Gasping, she gently used her toes to find
the offending object then dove in after it. She had little difficulty finding
the small item. Studying it in the flickering light of torches ensconced high
in the walls, she found herself looking at a sharp little jagged shell. She
recognized it as the pearly-blue carapace of a
morang
, a small animal
that burrowed inside its shell at the slightest hint of danger.