All the King's Men (23 page)

“Fellow Arisians,” Vida said, her voice carrying through the
cavern, “we are gathered here today to witness the Trials of Nelina Lannen,
chosen by the Tradition to become our new queen. I would ask that you all
remain seated for the duration of the ceremony, regardless of how much you may
desire to rise and clean up.” A lilting chuckle went up from the audience. Vida
smiled good-naturedly then continued. “There will be no running commentary, no
explanation of what is happening on stage. Many of you are familiar with the
Trials. For those of you who are not, I’ll only say that there are three of
them. We’ll bear witness to the Test of Submission first. If Nelina passes, the
Fates will let me know and in turn, I will instruct the Guardians to continue.
The Test of Sharing is next. If our lovely queen-to-be has learned to share
herself body and soul with the people of Aris, we will rejoice in the Test of
Release.”

Vida’s voice quivered momentarily. Kirel waited along with
everyone else as the pause stretched on a beat too long.

At last, the seer cleared her throat. “The Test of Release
isn’t really a Trial at all. There has been no training or preparation for this
final step of the mating ceremony. During this time, the new royal couple will
consummate their union and test their compatibility, affirming their dedication
to one another, to the Tradition and to Aris.”

A murmur of approval slid through the crowd. Kirel didn’t
join in. His lips were pressed together into a thin line. Adrenaline surged
through his muscles, pumping a steady stream of anxious energy through his
veins.

“Sit back, relax and delight in the pleasures being bestowed
upon Nelina. For the remainder of the evening we can all live vicariously
through her.”

The audience sighed appreciatively but Kirel narrowed his
eyes. Was it his imagination or had Vida’s words held a little more sarcasm
than necessary? He clenched his fists on his knees, wondering if he had an ally
tonight. Perhaps Vida’s reasons for bringing him here to witness the Trials
weren’t as altruistic as they could have been.

Swallowing hard, Kirel forced himself to look to the center
of the dais where Thor was reaching for the clasp holding Nelina’s garment
together over one shoulder. He unhooked it with leisurely grace and the
material fell to the floor, pooling around Nelina’s feet.

She stood naked before them, her royal bearing never
faltering. This time, she allowed her gaze to roam over the crowd but avoided
the row where he sat, transfixed by her ethereal beauty.

Her right hand slid down over her belly to nudge her pussy
lips with her index finger. A groan lodged in Kirel’s throat. His cock pulsed,
oozing a bead of liquid from the gaping slit.

Vida had been right. At this rate, he’d need to clean up
multiple times before the Trials were over. And afterward he’d need an ice-cold
bath and a few bottles of Siccian wine to block out the sight of Nelina—
his
Nelina—sharing herself body and soul with all the king’s men.

All the king’s men but him.

Thor slid his hands up Nelina’s arms until he could curve
his palms around her shoulders then turned her so she was pressed against his
chest. He tucked her head beneath his chin and raked his fingers down her back
to cup her ass, drawing her closer yet.

His erection pressed rigidly against her stomach, impossible
to ignore. Cream slicked her nether lips, the response purely feminine.

“The Trial of Submission is the easiest one,” he whispered
in her ear. “Let us pleasure you, Nelina. You’ve passed once you peak. It’s
just that simple.”

She clenched her fingers in the silky material of his robes
and closed her eyes, breathing in his scent. “There’s nothing simple about
this.”

He chuckled softly, the sound almost comforting.

This entire day had been a series of trials and none had
been easy. She’d struggled fiercely as Thor and Domenic returned to the castle,
all the while thinking of ways to escape them. Her efforts, no matter how
valiant, had been of no use.

Once back at the castle, the Guardians had handed her over
to the care of a dozen female servants who’d been tasked with preparing her for
the upcoming Trials. They’d bathed her despite her sullen attitude and
decidedly non-queen-like snarls.

Even that she could have endured if she hadn’t been
surrounded by brawny guards who’d been assigned to keep a close eye on her.
They’d even watched as she’d bathed, though thinking back on it now, she
supposed that had been a blessing in disguise. Their lustful stares had given
her a taste of what the Trials would entail.

While going through the motions of readying herself for the
Trials, she’d managed to come up with a plan that hopefully wouldn’t get her
killed. She had no idea what the punishment of the Fates entailed, but it had
to be preferable to mating with a man she didn’t love. A man she didn’t even
know.

Now all she had to do was implement that plan.

Nelina closed her eyes, breathing in Thor’s scent. He
smelled of sheer masculine musk. The aroma was pleasant enough but it was
nothing like Kirel’s spicy, almost savage scent.

Good
.

It would be impossible to trick her body or her foolish mind
into thinking it was Kirel touching her, teasing her, bringing her to the brink
of ecstasy and sending her tumbling over the edge. As long as she didn’t look
at him, she’d be safe from the magnetic power he had over her.

Once she failed the Trials, the seer would have no choice
but to choose another queen. She’d accept whatever punishment the Fates thought
up for her. And then she’d be free to get away from here and live the rest of
her life as far as possible from the wicked temptation of Kirel’s myriad little
lies.

And they’d all been lies. Everything he’d ever told her.
He’d just about admitted as much when he’d abandoned her on Tradition Mountain
without a word of goodbye.

He was a coward too. Why else would he be sitting in the
audience, content to watch other men ravish her instead of enjoying her body
like the other Guardians? He had to know she was furious. He probably even
suspected that if he neared her, she was as likely to kick him where it would
hurt the most as she was to welcome him into an intimate embrace.

Yet there’d been a moment, a mere fraction of a second while
their gazes had met as she’d swept past him, when she could have sworn the
agony in his dark eyes had been real. His brows had been drawn downward,
eyelashes casting long shadows over his sculpted cheekbones. He hadn’t shaved
and the rough traces of a blossoming beard had given him a feral appearance
that had sent a pulse of arousal straight to her clit.

Then he’d opened his mouth to speak and she’d wisely
gathered what was left of her wits, forcing herself to look away before
whatever spell he’d cast on her could take hold again.

I love you. I always have.

Liar.

Angry with her thoughts for taking such a dire turn, she
rubbed her mound against Thor’s muscular thighs, grateful when she felt nothing
more than the gentle flutter of a distant arousal travel through her veins.

All she had to do was keep her climax in check, no matter
what the Guardians did to her. How hard could that be?

She steeled her nerves and pulled back a fraction then
lifted herself on the tips of her toes and pressed a kiss to Thor’s lips. It
was chaste at first but she felt him respond instantly. His hands kneaded the
flesh of her ass cheeks and his mouth opened to her insistent prodding.

This was the Trial of Submission but unbeknownst to them,
she was the one in control.

Thor’s tongue grazed her lips, burrowing inside her mouth.
He was a skilled kisser but the swift swirl of his tongue against hers didn’t
remind her at all of the way Kirel had kissed—gently, with so much pent-up passion
that every small stroke had sent shimmering sensations to dance through her
veins.

Warmth and hard steel pressed against her back.

Domenic
.

She felt his hands caressing her rib cage, fluttering over
the sides of her breasts. His touch sent a shiver down her spine. Thor chuckled
against her mouth, released her then spun her around so he handed her into
Domenic’s arms in a perfectly performed move, as though he’d been practicing
that hand-off for an eternity.

Domenic wasted no time claiming her mouth. His kiss was
filled with curiosity. She could taste his arousal as he thrust his tongue
between her lips, mimicking the act of fucking with wild abandon.

He cupped her right breast in his broad hand and plucked a
nipple between thumb and forefinger. Arousal shimmied through her pussy lips,
causing a tiny spark of heat to light within her.

She kissed him back eagerly, knowing she was nowhere near
the danger zone. She had to give Thor credit for knowing of what he spoke. This
was almost too easy.

With a false purr she summoned from deep in her throat,
Nelina grabbed Domenic’s hand and led it down the slope of her belly to her
pussy. Her inner folds were dewy, slightly moistened by her natural cream.

He groaned against her mouth when his fingers found her wet
heat. Sliding one into her pussy, he began finger-fucking her in earnest, his
tongue matching the rhythm he set between her legs.

Strong hands grabbed her ass cheeks, spreading them open.
She nudged herself forward, arching her back, giving Thor greater access to do
what he intended.

He burrowed between her legs, his mouth flush with her
pussy. The first swipe of his tongue through her slit nearly sent her knees
buckling. She pictured him having to lick her outer labia in order to avoid
Domenic’s finger and the thought caused another small gush of liquid to coat
her inner walls.

So intense was her concentration that her senses became
hyper-aware. She was conscious of the way those in the audience watched her and
found herself wondering whether anyone she knew had attended. Would Reah be
there, growing damp at the sight of two strong men pleasuring her? Would the
seamstresses who’d seemed so eager to be chosen be touching themselves, cursing
her all the while?

Thor lapped her juices with apparent relish, circling her
clit like a trained predator. She squirmed and thrust her hips in rhythm with
Domenic’s strokes but she was no closer to orgasm now than she’d been when
they’d started.

She closed her eyes, picturing herself as if from above
while the Guardians did carnal, passionate things to her body. They relished
her with pleasure, focusing on her wants and caring nothing for their own
desires.

She could almost see Thor’s shaft, stretched like a steel
rod against his belly as he kneeled on the floor, a silk pillow beneath his
knees, his robe tossed over a bowl of lubricant. And Domenic, his firm ass
hollowing through the folds of his garment as he rubbed the tip of his cock in
smooth, circular movements over her navel.

They were both dazzling specimens of the male form. Any
other woman would have been delighted to welcome them into her bed. Into her
heart.

Unfortunately for the two virile Guardians, Kirel had beaten
them to it. He’d done such a number on Nelina’s heart that she was unable to
allow herself to open up to them enough to receive the pleasure they so
intently tried to bestow upon her.

Gods, but she hated to admit how desperately in love she was
with Kirel. Yet how could she deny it? She’d loved him madly for all the years
she’d thought him tortured by the king or worse. And despite herself, she’d
fallen even more in love with him over the past few days.

How ironic then that her love for him, the love he wasn’t
capable of returning, was the one thing that would save her from her fate.

“Stop! Gods above, can’t you see this isn’t working?”

Nelina froze. The blood drained from her face as she heard
Kirel’s voice boom through the interior of the cavern.

Thor’s mouth slipped a notch and he ended up placing a kiss
on the inside of her thigh. “Don’t move,” he said. “Dom, watch her.”

Domenic nodded. Withdrawing his fingers from her channel, he
gathered her to him and pressed her back against his chest. She clung to him,
unable to do anything else.

Thor stormed toward the front row where Kirel stood, hands
fisted at his sides.

“What in the name of the Tradition do you think you’re
doing?” Thor ground out between clenched teeth.

Kirel shoved past him, his shoulder ramming into the other
man’s arm. “What you couldn’t.”

Nelina’s eyes widened as she took in the determination in
his step. She could read his intention on his features. Gods, he looked as if
he wanted to devour her whole! Lust and sheer agony shadowed his dark eyes yet
he continued to move forward. For a moment, she had the impression that an army
of guards wouldn’t be able to stop Kirel from reaching her.

Domenic held out a hand, pressing his palm against Kirel’s
chest. He held Nelina away from him, inserting his body between them. “I can’t
let you do that.”

On the benches surrounding the dais, the grumble of discontent
that had begun as a low buzz had grown to a loud murmur.

“They’re getting restless,” Kirel said, jerking his head
over his shoulder in the direction of the crowd. “How much longer do you think
they’ll let us stand here and squabble?”

Vida came up to stand beside Kirel. Tilting her head, she
assessed him from beneath furrowed brows. “Why would you do this?”

A muscle pulsed in Kirel’s jaw. He looked straight at Nelina
and the fire in his eyes threatened to burn her alive. The sight of it sent a
spearing jolt of heat to her pussy where it lingered and spread outward,
causing ripples of sensation to course through her nerve endings.

“Because she’s going to be the best damn queen Aris has ever
known. Look at her.” He’d raised his voice and the sound of it carried through
the Temple like booming thunder. “Have you ever seen anyone more suited for the
throne? The woman can keep her composure and behave like royalty even when on
display in front of a thousand people. She’s utterly, devastatingly…perfect. Gods
forgive me…even I’m not that selfish.”