At the King's Pleasure (Epic Fantasy BDSM Romance) (3 page)

Picking up on my confusion, he said,
“The Daliki believe women must be prepared to become wives. This
ceremony is to ready you for the marriage bed and child bearing.
Tonight we will open the gate of life.”

I frowned at him, not
understanding.“The what?”

“
The Daliki say the pleasure
of victory takes pain. Always pain with pleasure.” As he spoke a
Daliki woman came forward and the Koti handed her the gold chain
connected to my most private places. She gave a sharp tug and I
jumped at the unpleasant sensation that shot through me, biting
back a shrill moan.

Another woman stepped forward and took
the chain from her to do the same; pulling on me until it
hurt.

“
Do not show weakness,
princess,” he warned me. “And do not trust the ones who go gently
with you. The harder they pull, the more respect they give
you.”

“
How will I know what’s a
hard pull?” I gasped out. They all felt hard to my
senses.

But he didn’t understand me and my
question went unanswered. There were at least thirty Daliki and
they all came forward in turn to yank on me. By the end, I had
bitten my lip bloody to keep from crying out. Tears burned at my
eyes, but I blinked them back. My body throbbed in time with the
drum. Pain rolled through my breasts in waves, and the slick heat
between my legs wept.

After what seemed an eternity, they
were done. The Koti raised a hand and the drum beat stopped. “May
the Horse God give the Kota stallions. May the mounting be
fruitful.”

The Daliki fell to their knees and
began to chant.“We pray now. May the Kota know the pain of victory.
The pain of love. May she serve the Horse God. May the rains
come.”

The drum started up again and the
Daliki began a slow dance, their steps ponderous and measured. As
the drumbeat gained speed, they whirled, spinning in place so fast
their faces were a blur. The drum went even faster and so did the
Daliki creating the illusion that their feet did not touch the
floor.

Koti Kafele spoke to me, “Now it is
time to complete the awakening of the Gate of Life.”

I froze. “We are not married. We cannot
consummate a marriage that has not yet happened.” Even as I spoke,
my body yearned for my words to be untrue, for him to spread me on
the bed and take me to completion. His touch and the ceremony had
ignited a burning desire, something I had never felt before. Its
heat surged through my veins and pulsated at the nexus of my
legs.

The Koti pulled on the chain, forcing
me to follow him back into his room. Even through the closed door I
could hear the drum as he led me back to the bed, taking off my
dress, tossing it to the floor and pressing me down into the
mattress once more, fastening my hands over my head. This time, I
did not fight, eager for him to touch me again.

First he removed the clip from between
my legs. This did not hurt at all and there was no sensation to
speak off. I looked at him, disappointed and he laughed as he dove
between my legs, tongue seeking out my nub once again.

That at least felt good and I sighed,
my hips undulating up and down under the ministrations of his
masterful tongue. Pleasure climbed to a peak within me and I
trembled at its force, beginning to feel as if I would fall to
pieces. It washed through me, making me gasp and wish my hands were
not tied so I could reach down to clutch the Koti’s
head.

As I quivered, he reached up and
removed a clip from one breast. I bucked as pain tore into me,
eating up the pleasure until it was all gone. He sat up and crawled
up my body to kiss me. I tasted the salt of my desire on his lips,
and the scent of my musk filled my nose. He nuzzled my neck, and a
hand stroked the skin between my breasts. This made the pain more
bearable and he continued until it had faded enough for me to fully
relax my weight back into the mattress.

He kissed his way down my body,
swirling his tongue in my belly button and then caressing my inner
thighs, which were more sensitive than I had ever imagined.
Returning to where he started, he increased the speed of his tongue
on my center, lashing the pleasure before him like a slave
master.

When I reached the peak once again, he
removed the clip from the other breast. Only this time he kept his
tongue on me, pinning my hips with his large hands and mumbling
something as he did so. The vibration of his words shivered through
my core in a burst of pleasure.

I could no longer discern where
pleasure started or where pain ended. It all merged into a fireball
of sensation. As much as his hands would allow, I thrust my pelvis
up against his mouth, my hands fisted around my bonds, back arching
off the bed, my breasts achingly sore but in a way that added to my
release rather than detracting from it. I cried out, heels drumming
the bed, hitting the wooden frame.

Outside, thunder rumbled, growling like
a caged beast. Rain poured down, plinking on the roof sharp as the
tap of shoes on a stone floor. The room grew dark as the storm cast
its veil over the sun. The Koti left me to stand by the window and
watch the rain. From the drawing room, a faint chorus of howls
sounded. The Daliki were rejoicing.

The Koti released me from my bonds and
helped me dress in my gown as I was too limp to properly care for
myself. With a gentle strength he lifted me and moved me to a
chair.

“
Every time you move you
will feel me on your skin, remember my touch. Now the gate of life
is open. You are ready for your wedding night and the union is sure
to be blessed.” He pointed out the window and continued, “The Horse
Gods trample the heavens with their approval and rain life down on
us.”

Unsure of the proper response, I simply
nodded. His words were true, my body tingled with his
touch.

“
You did well, princess. The
Koti is pleased.”

“
Thank you, Your Grace.” I
bowed my head. “I am at your pleasure.”

***

The wedding was a strange mix of Siana
formality and Daliki wildness. I rode a white mare down the aisle
of the temple as was the custom among the desert tribes. The High
Priestess officiated our union according to Sianan tradition, using
the same texts that had joined my parents. My gown was another
piece of gauze fluff in pale blue, displaying the painted glyphs on
my skin for all to see. The Koti wore nothing but his breeches. The
only acknowledgement of the occasion was that his broad chest had
been oiled until it gleamed in the dim temple light.

The crowd that had gathered to see us
wed was joyous. The storm from the other night had given everyone
hope. It had also made it easier for me to face my fate. As the
Koti had promised, his touch lingered on my skin. My breasts were
tight with need and my core clenched every time I thought of that
night, which was often as my body constantly reminded me. I was wet
all the time as well, feeling the slick moisture between my legs
with every movement.

I still feared the loss of my
innocence, but now I also craved it. The Koti had filled me with
passion and it swelled within me, wanting to burst through the
confines of my skin.

The ceremony concluded and we broke our
bridal fast over a large meal, following his custom of feeding each
other. Then there was dancing and finally, we were escorted back to
his chambers and shut inside his room.

The sudden quiet roared in my ears. All
day I had heard the cheering of the crowds, the loud conversation
at the banquet and then the dancing music. Now nothing.

“
Stand in the center of the
room.” The Koti’s voice was loud in the silence. He motioned for me
to move.

When I was in place, he said, “Lift
your arms up.”

He removed the dress and I shivered as
the fabric caressed my skin. Then he grabbed my wrists and bound
them over my head. Surprised, I looked up to see a chain suspended
from the ceiling.

The Koti went to his trunk and pulled
out an implement I didn’t recognize. Standing he showed it to me,
running his hand along the wood handle. On the end were straps of
what appeared to be leather. “The rain comes with you, princess.
You must weep. Not from here,” he touched his eye. “But from here.”
He stepped forward and cupped my core in his hands. As hot as I
was, he was hotter and his touch burned. “And when my seed plants
inside you, as you swell so will the waters of the
world.”

With a flick of his wrist, he ran the
straps over my skin. Their touch was light, almost a caress. The
leather was soft and pliable, wrapping around my body as he struck
me.

“
This is a flogger. It can
kiss or sting, depending on how I use it.” He moved behind me and I
heard the snap of the flogger in the air before it hit my
backside.

I yelped at the sensation which was
akin to a sharp slap.

“
The Sianan way is all
kisses.” He stroked me with the flogger, bringing it down gently on
my shoulders and letting it fall down my spine. “But now you belong
to the Daliki and we sting.” He punctuated his statement with a
series of hard hits to my backside.

I danced with the pain. Swaying and
wiggling as I tried to evade it, but his aim was true. My body
throbbed, pulsing with heat.

The Koti laid his palm on my backside,
squeezing each cheek in turn and then rubbing. It eased the sting
somewhat and I stilled under his touch.

“
You are like a wild mare.
You know your stallion is near and ready to mount you.” He wrapped
an arm around my waist and pulled me back until I felt his hardness
between my cheeks. Nuzzling my neck, he whispered in my ear, “You
want to be taken, yet you fear it.” His hand moved up across my
stomach to caress a breast, fingers teasing the nipple into a hard
point.

I gasped, leaning back into him as the
sensation made my knees weak. He played with my nipples until my
breasts were heavy with desire. Compelled by an instinct I didn’t
understand, I pushed into his pelvis, rubbing against his
hardness.

“
Yes, princess. Feel what
you do to me.” His hands swirled over my body and a finger dipped
into my core, pushing aside the lips to touch the wetness
underneath. “Feel what I do to you.” He rubbed the sensitive nub
there until my hips circled.

The Koti did not bring me to
satisfaction. He toyed with me, building peaks of pleasure within
me and then he stepped away. I whimpered at the loss of his
touch.

He laughed. “I own your pleasure and
your pain, princess.”

The flogger snapped across my backside
again and I yelped at its harsh touch. I grunted with each hit, but
did not try to move away like I had before. Slowly the pain
transformed into burning heat, a flame that licked over my
body.

The Koti stepped in front of me, the
flogger held nonchalantly in his large hand. “Spread your
legs.”

“
Please, Your Grace. Not
there.” I clamped my legs tightly together. The idea of the flogger
striking my most tender place terrified me.

He raised his eyebrows at me, not
knowing my Sianan words but understanding the tone of my voice and
the plea in my eyes. “And how will you birth my sons if you cannot
withstand the flogger?”

I shrugged. “I-I-I don’t know, Your
Highness.”

“
You will spread your legs
for me, princess, or I will do it for you.” His voice was dark,
vibrating with authority that strummed over my skin, causing me to
tremble. This was the tone of voice a king and our marriage had
made me his to command.

I hung my head, tears hot in the
corners of my eyes. “Please, Koti, please do not do
this.”

In answer, the flogger slapped across
each of my thighs in turn. I hissed in pain. The strikes had been
harder than any of the others, clearly meant to punish
me.

“
Open your legs.”

“
No,” I said, trembling yet
defiant.

He slashed my thighs again with the
flogger, but I didn’t move. “Would you deny the people water?” The
flogger smacked me once more. “Would you let them die of
thirst?”

I shook my head.

“
Deny me and you deny them,
princess.” He raised the flogger, but this time he caressed me with
it. Sweeping it across my breasts and over my stomach. The contrast
in sensation from hard to soft was startling. His voice rumbled low
in his throat, “Do not shirk your duty. Open your legs for
me.”

I bit my lip and looked at him with
wide eyes.

“
This is the sacrifice the
prophecy demands.”

A tear slipped down my cheek and he
caught it with one finger, sucking its salt into his mouth. “Are
you so weak that you cry for yourself? You live a life of soft
privilege while babies die and crops wither.”

I glared at him. “I am not weak and
there is nothing soft about my life, Your Grace.”

He just shrugged at me. “The tongue
stone does not give me your words. Will you fulfill the prophecy or
not?”

Inhaling deeply, I inched my legs
apart.

He smiled at me in approval and reached
out to touch my core, stirring the passion he had awakened there
the other night. “Spread your legs wider, princess.” He encouraged
me with his touch alone to spread wider and wider. Soon my legs
were so far apart, the muscles shook in protest. The change in
position had used up the slack in the chain holding my arms
overhead. I hung, suspended by my wrists, my torso stretched long
and legs split wide.