Here She Rules: The Chronicles of Erla: Book 1 (22 page)

Lust flared through both of the men as they watched her.
 

She pulled them in closer. Darien was at her back, and Nall was in front of her. Finally, Cassie melded their bodies together, and they writhed as one. Their hands caressed her arms and sides. Her head spun, and she leaned her head back against Darien’s broad shoulder as she raised her arms and swayed, feeling free and sexy.
 

Nall took the opportunity to lower his head to her throat, running his mouth up and down the vulnerable flesh, and Cassie growled low. She then purred as Darien’s lips found the curve of her neck.
 

She was on fire, but she knew she was too drunk to commit to this, so her eyes sought and found Kara on the edge of the dance, watching them with a huge grin on her face. She motioned to her, and her friend quickly cut through the writhing bodies to her.
 

Cassie grabbed Nall’s hips, using them to turn and propel him into Kara’s waiting arms where Kara looked up into his eyes seductively.

God, she’s so gorgeous! Nall is a fool if he doesn’t take her up on that invitation!

Darien spun her around and pulled her into his arms, making Cassie’s head swim, and to her great embarrassment, she hiccupped loudly.
 

“Isn’t Kara gorgeous?” she asked of him. “Seriously, look at her; she’s sexy as hell!”

“Do your tastes run to women, then?” Darien asked in a husky, smoldering voice as his lips caressed her ear. Cassie blinked up at him in shock.
 

“Not like that, no. She is like a sister to me. I am just ashamed to say it never occurred to me to see her as the beautiful woman she truly is.”
 

She hiccupped again, and Darien smiled as he buried his face in her wild curls and breathed in her scent, which was a heady mix of rose and jasmine. Cassie rubbed her hips against his when he pulled her snug against him, and she felt his burgeoning arousal.
 

I am so wasted, and he is sooo sexy!

The sober Cassie and the drunken Cassie both warred within her.
 

Her hands slid down his hips and moved around to grab his tight, round ass. She growled, and a chuckle rumbled through his chest.

“Lady Cassandra, it would be my sublime pleasure to take you to my bed and fuck you senseless all night long, but I refuse to do so while you are drunk. When you have sobered, if you want me still, then I will be more than happy to oblige and give you a night you will never forget or even a week, if you so desire.”
 

His eyes burned into hers and her groin throbbed at the images his words evoked. She grinned.
 

“I don’t remember asking you, My Lord. Did I miss something?” Cassie asked with mock innocence before she gave his ass one last squeeze and broke free. She laughed as she made for her group of warriors. When she turned back, she saw him sauntering after her with a sexy smile on his handsome face.
 

He was followed by Kara and Nall. Kara was removing Nall’s wandering hands from various parts of her body and laughing.

Cassie half-staggered to her women and was handed another shot which she downed quickly. A belch broke free from her lips, and her women brayed with laughter as they continued toasting her. She laughed right along with them and pushed her hair out of her face as Kara and Nall joined them.
 

Nall’s eyes still burned with desire for her, and she hoped he was just horny (which was why she pushed him at Kara). To her great disappointment, however, he came over and whispered in her ear, “The Destian King could not please you, My Lady?” His breath raised chills on her neck.

“My Lord Nall, I am so drunk that no man could please me right now.” Her women howled with laughter, saluting her once again with raised glasses.
 

Cassie returned their salute with another shot, which she again tossed back quickly—nearly falling over as she did so. Nall’s strong, warm arms caught her and pulled her to him as his lips scorched across hers.
 

The women cheered loudly as Cassie’s tongue warred with his for a moment before she pushed him away. She spun into Darien’s arms, and his mouth promptly crashed down on hers. When he lifted his head, the surrounding Erlan women again howled with laughter.
 

“I wanted you to have a fair comparison to judge us by, My Lady.” That damned wicked grin was still on his face.
 

Suddenly, Cassie became something she had never been before—a mean drunk—and she squared off, facing them both.
 

“Let me tell you both something,” she said, speaking slowly, enunciating each word as Kara moved to her side. “I will not be the pawn in whatever game you two assholes are playing. If you want to get at each other, then do it directly, and act like men rather than as the spoiled little children you act like now.” Their mouths dropped open as they stared at her in shock.

“I will not be a trophy fuck, and I don’t play games. I think it’s only fair to tell you that, when drunk, I am not
difficult
to get . . . I am
impossible
to get. You have both wasted your time!” She spun, tripped, and was caught by Kara as she tried unsuccessfully, to make a graceful exit.
 

Her warriors fairly rolled on the ground with laughter, enjoying the spectacle of their very inebriated Commander giving these foreign men the rough side of her tongue.
 

The men looked at each other for a moment and, in mutual accord, followed after the women to make their apologies.
 

Halfway back to the Palace, Cassie’s good nature and their concerted groveling got the best of her, and she accepted their apologies—much to Kara’s amusement.
 

Once at the Palace steps, Cassie refused to let Kara go home. Instead, she insisted Kara stay with her. Cassie was still very drunk, and she simply wanted to be with her friend, and Kara conceded with little coercion, they wished the King and Prince a good night as they headed for Cassie’s suite.
 

Stumbling through the doorway, Cassie tried to be quiet and failed miserably. This made them both laugh uproariously, and as if on cue, the door to her slaves’ room opened, and they all poured out at once. They were astonished to find their Mistress collapsed on the floor in a heap—entangled with the Lady Kara, and in a fit of giggles.
 

Cassie tried to rise, but she fell back down twice before her slaves ran to help her to stand. They helped Kara up as well before carrying the women to the sofas. Her slaves had never seen their Mistress in this condition, and they had no idea what to do.

Cassie started singing “Ninety-nine Bottles of Beer,” which sent her and Kara into gales of laughter yet again.
 

The slaves exchanged glances, and Mika quietly instructed them to take the Ladies into the bathing room. As the tub filled, they removed their gowns and placed them on a stool.

“Well, Kara, here we are—a couple of drunken, naked bitches surrounded by some of the finest men you will ever see!”

“Yes, and it’s too bath I am too drunth to tuck them,” Kara slurred.

“I hear you, sister,” Cassie said with a laugh. She proceeded to smile idiotically as if everything Kara said was crystal clear and supremely intelligent.
 

The men choked back laughter and removed their clothes leading the women into the bath. They quickly washed and dried them before sliding them into nightshifts and carrying them towards Cassie’s bed.
 

“Mistresses, will you try to eat something?” Both women shook their heads
no
.
 

When they laid them down upon the bed, Cassie told them to stay with them, and they all snuggled up together. Kara’s head rested upon Arn’s chest. Cassie curled up with her Mika, and when Garen wrapped around her from behind, she finally lost consciousness.

XV

Cassandra groaned as sunlight pierced her eyelids, and a throbbing pain threatened to rip her head open.
 

She forced her eyes to open and looked around.
 

Kara lay on the other side of the bed looking like she was dead; only the steady rise and fall of her chest kept Cassie from shaking her.
 

Standing slowly, pain lanced through her head and stomach, sending her running out of her bedroom to find her men tidying up.

“Help!” she cried, and six pairs of eyes swung towards her. Noting the greenish cast to her skin, Mika ran for a basin as the others ran to support her. He arrived with the basin just in time to catch the contents of her stomach as Cassie dropped to her knees, clutching the bowl and retching over and over again.
 

Garen ran for a wet cloth, and Mika sought out another basin. The others helped her to sit on one of the sofas. Mika exchanged the full basin for the new one as Garen wiped her face clean.

“Oh, my God . . . I think I’m dying,” she cried, clutching her head.
 

Aidan rose and announced that he was going to consult the Queen’s physician on her behalf. Cassie’s stomach lurched again, and she bent over the basin. “I don’t remember having eaten this much,” she groaned into the porcelain.
 

Finally, the heaves stopped, and her head screamed with a new intensity.
 

“Oh, Lord . . . I swear that if you help me now, I will
never
drink to excess again!” she sobbed into the fresh wet cloth which Garen was softly rubbing against her face.
 

“Mistress,” Garen asked quietly, “do you think you can hold down some water?” Cassie nodded and then winced. Moving her head was a bad idea right now, apparently.
 

She sat with her elbows on her knees—head cradled in her hands—as he offered her a cup of cold water. Aidan soon returned holding two small brown vials.

“Mistress, the physician said to drink this with a glass of water and to lie back with your eyes closed. The pain and nausea should then ease quickly.” He uncapped the bottle and gave it to her.
 

Cassie drank it and the water quickly.

“Ugh! Nasty,” she groaned as she lay back against the cushions.
 

She heard an answering groan from her bed and sent Arn and Kai to care for Kara. She shut her ears to the sounds of vomiting, knowing her stomach was so tender that she would rejoin her if she thought about it too much.
 

Before long, thankfully, the medicine Aidan had procured worked its magic, and Cassie dozed. When she opened her eyes again, her head no longer ached, and she was voraciously hungry.

I wonder what was in that vial. What a wonder-drug! They could sure use it back on Earth!

“Aidan, love, please get me something to eat.” They had all been sitting on the floor near the sofa waiting for her to awaken. At her words, Aidan leapt to his feet and went to the kitchen, followed by Taylyn.
 

Moments later, he and Taylyn came out with two trays containing hot cereal and milk. He called to Arn, who appeared through Cassie’s bedroom doorway.
 

“Is the Lady Kara well enough to eat?” he asked.

“I am coming,” Kara called out. She emerged from the curtains looking very pale. “Gods above, Cassie, we must have lost our minds!” Kara ran her hands through her hair.

“Tell me about it. I think I threw up stuff that you ate,” Cassie replied.

“Doubtful. I threw up way too much to have missed anything,” Kara groaned.

They looked at each other and smiled weakly.
 

Cassie’s slaves began feeding them, and the women sat back and let themselves be cosseted. They both looked better and felt perkier after eating.
 

Kara stood, stretched, and announced that she was going home, and Cassie’s slaves found her clothing, helping her dress. Cassie rose, and the women embraced and promised to meet on the training field in the morning.

“Mika, I want a very hot bath, please.” He rose immediately and went to the bathing room to make ready her bath.
 

She followed him, and as she slipped into the hot water, she allowed him to bathe her, dry her, and then tuck her back into bed—where she stayed for the rest of the day.

The following day, Cassie arose refreshed and ready to train. Her slaves had been so tender and loving the previous night . . . lavishing her with shoulder and foot rubs and filling her with food and water. They had very nearly turned a wretched hangover into a positive experience.

Cassie quickly donned leather pants and a vest, pulled on her boots, lacing them up as she went, and then, to complete her ensemble, she pulled her hair into a ponytail.
 

Entering the other room, she found the door to the gym open and breakfast on the table. She ate quickly and then strode over to the gym to watch them workout for a moment. She never got tired of looking at them. All of that smooth, well-muscled flesh was hers for the taking.
 

She sighed and called out her farewell as she turned on her heel.

Cassie was bounding down the steps of the Palace when a voice called her name. She turned and found herself looking into the sinfully sexy smile of King Darien.
 

“Good morning, Your Highness,” Cassie said as she bowed.
 

“Good morning, Lady Cassandra. I thought I would join you for training this morning. I hope you weren’t too ill yesterday.”
 

Good God, I want to smack that smug look right off of his handsome face.
 

“Not at all and you?” she responded.
 

“Horrible headache. You should provide your troops with higher quality liquor,” he said with a laugh, and Cassie’s lips quirked in response.
 

They walked together to the training grounds where Cassie was surprised to find Nall already there doing sword work with Kara along with a gathering of all the warriors from all of the nations present.