The Elfmaid's Curse (The Elfmaid Trilogy Book 1) (27 page)

            "I understand," she whispered.

            He palmed the back of her head, holding it steady, as he traced her lips with the tip of his dick. Danica closed her eyes and parted her lips, letting him have his way. She understood the price of the water he'd given her. Now it was time to pay.

            He pressed the head of his penis to her lips, and slowly pushed inside. Danica let him in, opening her mouth wider as he thrust in until he filled it. She opened her eyes, looking up into his gaze. He held her a long moment, looking so pleased with himself as she started sucking, bobbing her head up and down his length.

            His leer intensified. "That's good. You're noble, aren't you?"

            Danica felt a moment of disgust. Faiser was baseborn. He didn't even care that she was an elf, only that she was a member of nobility. He gained pleasure by bedding the women of nobles. It probably made him feel equal, if not superior to them. He was nothing and knew it, so bolstered his self-esteem by taking advantage of those the Gods had placed over him. Danica's contempt for the man rose with the bile in her throat.

            "Yes. I am a noble."

            Danica felt disgusted with herself. She submitted to this pathetic bastard's every whim and lust and perversion, allowing him to shore up what little manhood he possessed by satiating his passions on her body. What really sickened her was the knowledge that she was afraid of him; indeed, terrified of him and the power he now had over her. She had sold herself for a drink of water.

            She rolled her tongue around the head of his dick, and then kissed it. Then she pulled back and turned away.

            "What are you doing? I haven't come yet," he said.

            "I'd really rather you came inside me more traditionally, first," she said. Danica picked up her burnoose and indicated a bare patch of dirt. "Do you mind?"

            Dark hunger filled his face as he eyes dropped to her crotch, and the tiny blonde patch there. Her nether lips were shiny with her own needs.

            "Yes. It's a long trip, so I can have you every way there is," he said. "We'll start like this. Just to make you happy, Danica."

            "You are so sweet," she said, unable to suppress her bitterness.

            Spreading out her burnoose to cushion her humiliation, Danica sat and angrily tugged off her boots and peeled off her sweat-soaked breeches. Faiser was one step ahead of her, so eager was he to sample his newly won prize. Now nude, Danica bitterly looked up at him standing over her, raking her body with greedy eyes.

            Laying back and spreading her legs, "Let's get this over with, shall we?"

            Faiser dropped between her legs, caressing her thighs as he looked her over with unbridled lust. Danica was both appalled and oddly fascinated by his admiration and desire. Then he lowered his face between her legs, and gave her a long, firm lick. Then another and another.

            Danica moaned. Her head started to rock when he pulled her sex open with his thumbs, and licked much deeper. The sweetest sensations filled her overheated body, washing away all of her misgivings and concerns. She buried her fingers in his dark hair, holding on tightly as he started sucking on her clit.

            "Oh Lyss!" she cried. She couldn't control herself. Her body writhed and pressed herself hard against his talented mouth. "Oh, damn you, Faiser. Oooooh."

            Faiser chuckled, and started kissing and licking his way up her body.

            "I know. I've had several women tell me how much that hate the way I make them feel in bed," he said. After kissing and sucking on her neck and lips a long moment, he guided his erection to her nether lips, and pushed just the head into her and held it there. Then he seized her wrists and pressed them to either side of her head. He locked eyes with her, as she panted and writhed. "You are mine, Danica. You will give me anything I want, when I want it, for the rest of this trip. Even if we find water, and you somehow manage to acquire a bladder to carry it. Agreed?"

            That made her head spin even more than his touch had already caused. Faiser wanted her word, her commitment. He would bind her to him, so there was no escaping her fate in his bedroll.

            "I agree, as long as you don't deny me or my horse the water we need."

            Faiser thrust half his length into her. Danica gasped, back bowing, as she stared up into his triumphant eyes. She lost her breath when he lowered his face to hers, stopping so that his lips brushed her as he spoke.

            "Agreed. Sealed with a kiss."

            He tilted his face, lips parting for that kiss.

            Danica tilted her face the other direction, her voice a breathy whisper. "Sealed with a kiss."

            They both groaned as he lowered his lips into hers. Danica wrapped her legs around him as he pushed deep into her. His body hot and sweaty pressed against hers, his lips stroked and caressed hers. She couldn't believe how much she enjoyed kissing him, or how great he felt pumping into her. Then her body changed, and she knew she was
really
going to enjoy it.

            "Just like that," she gasped out when he final released her lips, and kissed his way around to her ear. He kissed and nuzzled her ear, then played with the point with his tongue. Danica thrust her hips up into his thrusts, desperate to get him deeper, harder, faster. "Lyss be praised. Please, just a little longer…Uuuggh."

            As Faiser pumped into her a bit harder and faster, starting to show the signs he was about to come, they were interrupted by the sound of hooves down the trail. Danica looked up, expecting to see nomadic tribesmen charging in to enslave her. Instead, she saw Lana riding down the trail towards them.

            "Go away!" Faiser cried through clenched teeth. "Leave us be!"

            "Danica, we found the oasis and it has water!" Lana said. She watched him a moment longer. "But it appears I'm too late with that news."

            "You knew!" Danica cried, eyes fierce.

            "No," he said, still humping frantically. "But I didn't want to take the chance. I wanted you bound to me that bad."

            She felt worse than stupid. Did Faiser come back to take full advantage of her, knowing her salvation was but minutes away? Did it really matter?

            "You…are such…
ugh
…a bastard," Danica gasped out to his hard thrusts. Suddenly he gasped, thrust in deep and held it. She felt him coming inside her, but she wasn't finished. "Damn you, Faiser, keep going! I'm almost there!"

            "Lusty wench!" Lana cried, and laughed. "Fuck her, Faiser! Fuck her crazy and she'll come back for more, more, more!"

            Danica had a few sharp words for Lana, but Faiser reclaimed her lips as he started thrusting into her again. She bucked and writhed and cried out inarticulately as he pushed her closer and closer.

            The sweetest hot, tingly sensations flowed into her thighs…

            "Yes! Sweet Lyss! Yes!" she cried as her body erupted, pure pleasure washing through her.

* * * * *

            Danica leaned back against the still warm boulder, grateful for its added heat. She wore the black wool cloak she had bought from Abdul to fend off the cold night air. The moon was coming into its last quarter. It lit the desert night well enough to travel if need be. She alternated between staring at the fire and the constellation the Archer.

            The stars had always fascinated her, but tonight even they couldn't drive away the feelings of despair. She submitted to Faiser on the trail. Now she was his woman, pretty much his to command. Part of her was horrified and disgusted. Another, deeper, baser part of her was thrilled.

           
Have I always been this sick, or did Talar truly curse me?

            She'd been in the oasis for many hours. Faiser had come to her three more times, demanding sex. Her throat tightened as she remembered each time. She'd so wanted to defy him, to deny him. She did not. Danica gave Faiser her word on the trail. So she gave him what he wanted.

            Danica licked her lips, mouth dry, as she remembered how he tasted. How he always started with her sucking him. The first time he came to her in the oasis, she had to suck him until he came in her mouth. She wasn’t sure she'd ever get that taste out of her mouth.

            Later, as she bathed in a smaller sand bottom pool, off the main water supply, he came to her. They spent a lot of time doing wicked things to and with each other. The others in their group watched it all. And then right after sunset he rolled out his bedroll and took her again.

            That was several hours back, and it was time to go to bed. Faiser was across the camp, watching her intently.

           
Looks like I'm about to get all hot and sweaty again
, she thought as she stretched.

            "Son of a...Dragon!" Treena cried from her post as camp guard.

            Danica was immediately on her feet, sword out. Peering into the darkness, she tried to spot the dragon, wondering how big it was. Sand dragon attacks were swift and vicious. Their wide padded feet allowed them to sprint across sand and stone alike, with speeds rivaling that of a race horse. Their normal prey were the herds of wild camel, so a tender-fleshed human meal must seem like a godsend to them.

            Though small as other breeds of dragons went — they rarely grew larger than a full grown man, excluding the tail — they were tireless hunters and voracious eaters. Though dragons had a reptilian look, they were hot-blooded and needed more food more often to survive than reptiles. A sand dragon's sharp teeth and claws could easily rip through armor, if any of Danica's group was wearing any. Indeed, sand dragon teeth and claws were consider holy by some desert tribes, and were thought to bring good luck to those who wore them.

            "There it is," Faiser shouted, pointing to Danica's left. It wasn't a big one, maybe weighing in at thirty pounds tops, but Danica figured it could wreak havoc within their undisciplined ranks. "He's coming straight for us."

            "Probably smells the horses," Lana said.

            "He's not very big," Danica said. "We shouldn't have any trouble running him off."

            Faiser picked up a fist-sized rock and hurled it at the beast. The rock struck it in the side, causing the dragon to snap at the air to it left. The dragon paused, testing the air to its left. Sand dragons had a keen sense of smell, but poor eyesight.

            Danica picked up a rock and threw it. Others quickly joined them and soon a deadly rain of stones was pelting the dragon. The beast, not smart enough to understand from where the danger came, tried to escape the stoning by racing toward the oasis. Men, women, and horses screamed as the little monster ran into their camp. It snapped viciously at the men and women darting in, trying to skewer it with their swords, all wishing for a good hunting spear.

            Danica stood between the dragon and the horses, sword presented threateningly. She started a silent prayer of thanks as the sand dragon veered away from her and headed for the safety of the open desert, but Faiser leapt in its way and struck it in the head with his sword. The dragon's thick armored hide saved it from the sharp edge of his blade, but not without a painful cut. Turning away from the looming threat, it headed straight for Danica and the horses.

            Knowing better than use the edge of her blade against such an enemy, Danica charged forward and brought the tip of her sword straight down through the sand dragon's triangular, horned head. Releasing the hilt, she jumped back as the dragon thrashed about on the ground in its death throes, surrounded by relieved warriors.

            "Well met, Danica!" Lana cried, clapping her on the back. "At least someone knows how to kill the little buggers."

            Danica looked at Faiser and smiled wide. "The secret is using the point. The blade's edge is useless against them."

            Faiser frowned. "I knew that, but forgot myself in the excitement."

            "Well, the excitement's over folks," Lana said, taking charge as usual. "Let's all bed down now. Tomorrow is going to be another day like today."

            Faiser's head shot up, turning to look at Danica with fierce eyes. She swallowed hard, fearing what she must do. Really, afraid of her own feelings and reactions to all he did to her. Danica nodded, and grimaced as her body started preparing for what was about to happen.

           
Gods, look at me, in one afternoon he's turned me into some wanton wench, eager to be bedded,
she thought.
I swear, Talar had to put some kind of spell on me before he sold me.

            "Come along, Danica," Faiser called. "This time we're going to do it until we both pass out with exhaustion."

            All eyes turned to a suddenly defensive Danica, who stood over the dead sand dragon staring at Faiser.

            "That won't take much for me," she said. "You've already worn me out four times today. I can't believe you still want more."

            "You're the most beautiful woman I ever had. I can't get enough of you."

            Oddly, his words of praise did strike home. Her sex ached, throbbed with need. As her heart rate increased, it became harder to breathe. It was embarrassing how much she enjoyed it, how much she wanted it.

            "You're a pig," she said.

            "I noticed how much you enjoy eating pork," he said, wagging his brows.

            Danica bit her lip as memories of sucking him off filled her mind. The taste. The smell. The feel of his meat filling her mouth. It all stirred something she'd have rather kept pushed deep down and unfound. It wouldn't be so bad if they had some privacy. As it was, they would go at each other in full view of the rest. Many of them would watch, too.