In the Flesh (17 page)

Rubbing his sweat-slick forehead against her, he panted, “I am crazed for you like a youth with his first woman.”

“I wish I was your first,” she breathed. “Your only.”

A half smile uplifted one corner of his mouth.
“I’m grateful for the experience I have, or I would doubt my ability to please you.”

“You please me too well.” Her hands covered his where he held her hips. “I always want more.”

His features grew solemn, losing all levity and taking on a bleakness that constricted her chest. “How much time can you spare with me?”

“A week. Maybe. If I can speak with my father and allay his concerns.”

Wulf nodded. “Will you give me that?”

“If I can.” Sapphire pressed her lips to his brow. “If I could, I would stay with you until you tired of me.”

“Or you tired of me.”

“I doubt that’s possible.”

His smile was grimly determined. “I have a few days. I intend to make it impossible.”

Chapter 11

Sapphire stared at the smear of blood that marred Wulf’s bed, and a painful knot formed in her stomach.

Her courses had started. On time, as usual.

You knew this was coming
. But forewarned didn’t mean forearmed.

She wouldn’t be able to accommodate Wulfric tonight or for the last few days before she left. She knew from Sabine and her own personal experience that Wulf was a man of voracious sexual appetite. A few days ago—before the horrid scene with Prince Duncan in the courtyard—she might have believed Wulf would want her with him anyway, that he would be willing to spend their last days together without sex. Now, she didn’t know what to believe.

He no longer kissed her, no longer cuddled her, no longer smiled. Their lovemaking was as passionate as ever and at times she felt as if she’d reached him, touched him. His eyes would glitter down at her in the semidarkness and she would imagine
longing there. Yearning. Her lips would part in hunger for the taste of him, the feel of him drinking her in as if he’d never have enough.

Then he would retreat and become the distracted prince she didn’t know at all. A reserved stranger who wasn’t cold, but wasn’t warm either. Distancing himself emotionally before he had to physically.

Moving into the bathing chamber, Sapphire went through her morning ablutions by habit. Then she traversed the long stone hallway to the
seraglio,
where she spent her daylight hours for her safety. The sounds of various conversations and women’s laughter were familiar to her after the five years she’d spent in service to the King of Sari. Reading or talking with the concubines helped to shorten the hours while Wulf was occupied.

Today, however, Sapphire wished time would stand still. The other women came to her, smiling tentatively, trying to draw her into conversation, but her gloomy mood soon drove them away. She couldn’t eat or lose herself in a book. She could think of nothing but the moment Wulf would return and the choice he would be presented with. Would he call a concubine to serve the needs she couldn’t? Perhaps he would send her home early? She couldn’t fight the hope that he would emerge from his isolated shell and return to being the man who set her blood on fire. A man willing to fight for her and claim her, despite the costs.

“Mistress.”

Turning her head, she watched Sabine approach.

“It’s time to prepare you,” the chamberlain said.

Releasing her pent-up breath in a rush, Sapphire blurted out, “My courses have begun.”

“Oh…” Sabine frowned. “I see.”

“I thought you might,” Sapphire muttered bitterly.

“Well…” the chamberlain began hesitantly. “Under usual circumstances—”

“Under usual circumstances, you wouldn’t send a concubine to His Highness who was unable to perform her duties.”

Sabine offered an encouraging smile. “This is a different situation, Mistress.”

“We don’t know that. I would prefer that we follow protocol.”

“You want to provoke him.” Sabine took a seat on the padded chaise opposite her.

“Perhaps. It would be a relief to see some fire in him.” She rubbed at her stinging eyes. “He’s distracted to the point where I think he sometimes forgets I’m here. I feel like a piece of furniture. He refuses to discuss anything personal. He—”

“Calls for you every night and keeps you with him until morning,” Sabine interjected dryly.

“Because the sex is fantastic. It’s certainly not for our sparkling conversation. He only talks about military maneuvers. Last night I fell asleep before he even came to bed.”

“And you slept until morning?” Sabine asked with a teasing smile.

“Well, no, but that proves my point. If I can’t service him, what use will I be? We did nothing else. We ate. He worked at his desk. I slept. Aside from the sex, I served no other purpose.”

Wulf had shut her out, as he’d once accused her
of doing to him. He shared his body freely, but everything else was locked away.

“His distance is bad enough. I refuse to be rejected…” Sapphire shuddered.

“Mistress, I suggest—”

“I’m sorry, Sabine,” she said with quiet authority. “His Highness told you to obey me in all things. Please do as I ask. Follow protocol.”

Sabine stood and bowed. “As you wish.” She gestured for a willowy redhead to follow her.

An hour later, Sapphire watched as the flame-haired concubine followed two of Wulf’s guards out of the
seraglio
. It was obvious the woman had slept with Wulf before; her eager anticipation was evident in the lightness of her steps. She was lovely, tall and slender with a wide mouth and a ready smile.

Sapphire turned away, her stomach roiling. She began to circle the pool restlessly. Clarke fell in step beside her.

“I think this was a bad idea,” he grumbled. “Idiotic and ill-conceived.”

“I have to know.”

“It’s a woman’s wile, designed to drive men insane. It will only lead to trouble.”

She stopped abruptly. “You think I like this? I
hate
this. I hate that I care. I hate that my chest is so tight I can’t think straight for lack of air. I hate that he made me care.” Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “I
hate
this.”

His dark eyes softened. “Then why?”

In her mind’s eye Sapphire saw Wulf pulling the redhead into his arms. Gifting the woman with one of the devastating kisses he no longer gave to her.
Caressing the length of the concubine’s slender frame with his skilled hands…

She shook. How long had the concubine been gone? Too long…far too long…

The doors to the
seraglio
slid open. She pivoted. As Wulfric entered the room with concubine in tow, Sapphire reached for the support of Clarke’s massive arm. Pausing just inside the threshold, Wulf gripped the redhead’s shoulders and pressed a swift kiss to her forehead. Then he urged her toward a waiting Sabine.

Sapphire’s hand lifted to her chest. The sight of Wulfric kissing the concubine was painful, despite the chasteness of the gesture. Needing a moment to collect herself before facing him, she spun blindly away, darting toward the room Sabine had readied for her use. She didn’t get far. Wulf overtook her, stepping nimbly into her path. He was casually attired in loose trousers and sleeveless tunic, the latent power of his body visible in every line of his tall form.

“So,” he drawled, his gaze burning. “I can fuck her, but kissing her upsets you?”

Her chin lifted.

Catching her by the waist, he tugged her closer, his biceps flexing with the movement. “From the very beginning, Katie, I have most admired your honesty. Why start playing games now?”

She stared at the golden expanse of his chest revealed by the V of his tunic. “My—” She sighed. “I’m menstruating.”

A muscle in his jaw ticced. “I see.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.” Wulf lifted her chin with his finger and studied her. “Did I pass the test?”

She jerked her head to the side, her face heating.

“Is this where I tell you how wrong you are?” he asked hoarsely. “Where I allay your concerns with protestations of my undying affection?”

“You’re cruel to tease.” She glanced at him, unable to resist. The sight of him made all they risked worth it.

His mouth curved in a tender smile for the first time in days. “It worked. You have my undivided attention.”

Sapphire’s breath caught. “I do?”

“When I was told the concubines’ annex room had been prepared, I was surprised, but thought maybe you meant to role-play or tease me in some way. I was aroused by the mere thought. I can’t tell you how disappointed I was to find another woman there. A cold shower would have been kinder.”

The rigid tension in her shoulders released. She sagged into his strength, clinging to his beloved body.

He held her firmly against him. “Sweet Katie. I would kill any man who touched you. Don’t you feel the same possessiveness toward me?”

“Yes…” She buried her face in the crisp hair of his chest. “But you’ve been so distracted. I assumed your feelings had changed. I’d hoped you would prove me wrong. I should have asked, but—”

“Shh,” he soothed, his hands molding her curves into him. “Yes, you should have asked. But then you’re menstruating, which seems to mess with women’s minds.”

Sapphire gave a mock growl. He laughed.

“You haven’t smiled at me in days,” she noted. “I’d almost forgotten what it does to me.”

“I’m under a great deal of stress.” The lines of strain that had begun to bracket his mouth in recent days deepened.

“But you don’t share any of it with me.”

“I don’t want to burden our time with it.”

She snorted. “Every moment is spent keeping me distant with talk of stratagems and—”

His head dropped to hers, his hot, open mouth covering her lips and silencing her effectively. His hands cupped her shoulder blades, pressing her breasts into his chest, as his tongue swept inside with teasing flicks. She surged into him, holding his lean hips to keep from losing herself in his unexpected display of passion.

An hour without a kiss from him was too long. The last two days had been torture.

He pulled away with a groan.

“I am not keeping you distant,” he denied gruffly, resting his forehead against hers. “I speak of military matters, because you’re so adept at them. I admire your reasoning and respect your viewpoints. I discuss those things with you because I want to show you how much I value your knowledge.”

“Liar. You’re shutting me out. Now, kiss me again.”

A faint smile teased the corner of his mouth. “You won’t let me save myself, will you?”

“Save yourself for what? Another woman? No, I won’t. I gave myself to you completely for a week. It’s not fair when you won’t give me anything of yourself in return.”

“Save myself
from you
,” he corrected with a resigned exhale. “It’s not lack of interest that affects me. It’s too much interest.”

“Wulf.” She wrinkled her nose. “We’re acting like idiots.”

“Right. Let’s go. I want to be alone with you. We have so little time.” He laced his fingers with hers and led her back to his rooms.

As the doors to his bedchamber slid open, Sapphire’s eyes were immediately drawn to the mass of maps and notes that littered Wulf’s desk.

“If you want to show respect for my opinions, tell me what’s troubling you,” she challenged.

He settled into the sunken seating area and pulled her backward to recline against his chest. His hands stroked the length of her arms; his fingers teased the centers of her palms. “The four mercenaries we have in custody had little information of any importance. They could only say that I was captured for a different purpose, then traded for their leader when he was apprehended by a Sarian patrol. Interesting, but not really helpful.”

She heaved out a frustrated breath. “I can’t stand this uncertainty. I worry about what will happen to you when I leave.”

He nuzzled against her neck. “My personal guards are now the envy of the entire palace unit. You trained them well. You continue to protect me, just as you’ve done since we met.”

“Why would the mercenaries go to so much trouble to capture you, then relinquish you so easily?” Sapphire turned in his lap to face him. “You would
think they might sacrifice their leader in order to claim whatever reward there was for you.”

Wulf retained his hold on her hand. “Unless he was the only one who knew what my value was, and who would pay it.”

“Ransom from your father? Talgorite maybe?” D’Ashier held the distinction of having the largest deposit of the stone anywhere.

“Yes. Anyone who uses talgorite as a power source would have motive.”

“That opens endless possibilities.” She could feel the weight of weariness that descended upon him and knew she would do everything in her power to help him discover the truth. When she left the Sarian palace, she’d wanted a purpose. She had one now, something to occupy her after she returned home.

“It does.” His voice rose. “Guardian. I’m starved.”

“I will see to it, Your Highness.”

A few moments later, several attendants arrived bearing platters of food and chilled wine. Wulf fed Sapphire her dinner by hand, his long fingers bringing tempting morsels of her favorite foods to her mouth. She memorized the sight of him, his gaze focused with singular attention on her lips, so intent on serving her and making her happy. The earlier incident with the concubine seemed to have worked in refocusing Wulf on how little time they had. Not enough time to waste even a moment on lack of communication, doubts, or juvenile tests of affection.

Moments like these, fleeting though they were, gave her a tiny glimpse of the life they could have had, if only they were different people. Her warrior
lover was her perfect counterpart, so like her, yet different enough to keep her enthralled. He continued to surprise her, yet he remained familiar and comfortable.

She was madly in love with the impossible man. The food he fed her with such tender eroticism could have been tasteless for all the attention she paid to it, arrested as she was by the panicked beating of her heart.

Later, Wulf tucked her into his bed, his body curling behind her, the heavy weight of his erection wedged in the valley of her buttocks. He held her close, with no space between them, burying his face in the curve of her neck and quickly falling asleep.