“And what about
your
ablutions?” She arched back against him, grinding her ass against his swollen cock.
“Witch,” he growled playfully before he flipped her onto her back and anchored himself above her.
Reaching down between them, she rubbed the bulge straining at the front of his breeches. He pumped against her hand until his breathing became ragged and he grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers in hers and stretching her arms up high over her head. The movement caused her short top to ride up, the hem barely covering the tips of her hard nipples. The soft material grazing across her engorged flesh sent coils of hot lava flowing through her veins.
When Stone ran a line of open-mouthed kisses along the hollow of her throat, she gasped and heat pooled low in her belly, flowing steadily outward like a hot tide. When his hot mouth closed over her nipple through the soft cloth, she thought she would explode. Energy flowed through her body faster and faster until her vision blurred and white spots danced in front of her eyes. In the next instant, the energy broke out of her body and zigzagged outward toward every surface in the room. The
balda
stone of the walls sizzled around them and short bursts of electricity danced along the pink veins in the rock.
When Alyssa could breathe again, she looked up at Stone. “What just happened?” she asked, the wonder in her voice surprising her.
A slow smile spread across Stone’s face as his gaze moved from her face up to the still-sizzling
balda
and back again. “You’re coming into your powers, and you didn’t fight the flow of energy. You’re learning.”
Her skin still tingled where the energy had escaped and she wondered why it hadn’t done that in the gardens. “Does it always happen like that?”
He rolled off her and cradled her close to his side. “No, but because the ceremony draws near, your powers are gathering. Things will continue to increase in intensity right up until the ceremony.”
At the mention of the ceremony, her breathing caught and her pussy drenched. Her vision blurred and for a moment she saw herself in a candlelit tent surrounded by naked, virile men stroking pale, long cocks. All of them staring at her hungrily as if she were the latest course on the dessert menu. A feeling of claustrophobia overtook her as the circle of men closed in around her, and power surged through her veins until she exploded inside her own skin. The orgasm exploded outward until her entire body zinged like one giant erogenous zone.
“Alyssandra!”
After Stone’s frantic voice finally reached through the haze, which drifted over her mind, she opened her eyes to see his concerned expression looming over her.
“Alyssandra, speak to me!” His lavender eyes sparked with fear.
It took several attempts before she found her voice. “I’m fine. I think.” She closed her eyes and took stock of herself. She floated in a sea of a languid afterglow of the power surge and orgasm she’d just experienced. But she had no idea what triggered it.
“Tell me what happened. I know none of my essence touched you.” His hands roamed over her as if to ensure she was unharmed. His frantic touch against her oversensitized heated skin sent small aftershocks of power sizzling over her.
When she opened her eyes again, Stone looked ready to shake her. She licked her lips and gathered her thoughts. “When you mentioned the ceremony, a picture of what it might be like popped into my head. The next thing I knew, there was a power surge and a really big orgasm. I’m not sure what exactly happened.”
Stone exhaled audibly, a broad smile spreading over his features, chasing away the fear in his eyes. “Thank heaven. You scared the hell out of me.” He flopped down beside her on his back, a low chuckle escaping from his lips.
Irritation pricked her. He seemed relieved, but he still hadn’t told her what happened. “I’m glad you feel better. Are you going to tell me what happened?” She propped herself up on her elbow to glare at him, still none too steady.
Stone pulled her on top of him so she straddled him, her still-sensitive pussy lips rubbing over his breeches as she moved. If she weren’t so interested in his answer, this position could be very promising—even with their present restrictions.
“You had a vision of the ceremony to come. Again, it’s another sign that your powers are growing, and another reason to know that you will succeed where so many others have failed.” She wasn’t sure if he said it for her benefit or to reassure himself.
She started as realization hit.
I saw the upcoming ceremony?
She closed her eyes, trying to recall the picture inside her mind. She saw the men surrounding her, their long pale cocks jutting out before them, straining out of their nests of stiff blond curls. She turned to see a man with dark hair and lavender eyes approach toward her open thighs. He didn’t look like Stone, but his features were obscured.
Her eyes popped open as she thought about what she’d seen.
Wait! The men surrounding her had blond pubic hair! Klatch men all have dark hair…
“Are you sure I was seeing the future? I don’t think some of the details are quite right.”
Stone’s arms cradled his head resting on the pillow. He gazed up at her. “Describe the scene to me.”
She shifted on top of him to find a more comfortable position and smiled as he groaned. Placing her hands on his chest, she leaned over him, so she could study his face while they talked. “I saw myself in a room. There were lit candles everywhere and I was lying on my back naked on some sort of altar. There were a ring of naked men stroking themselves and closing in around me.”
Stone’s eyes darkened with the description and his cock hardened beneath her. His voice sounded husky when he finally spoke. “That sounds like the correct ceremony.”
“I saw a man with dark hair and lavender eyes approaching me, but his face was obscured. But the men surrounding me…”
“What? Tell me.” He sat up, with her still straddling him and shifted them both so he leaned back against the headboard.
“The men surrounding me had blond pubic hair.”
Stone’s eyes widened and he grabbed her by both shoulders, his fingers digging into her skin. “Are you sure?”
Alyssa closed her eyes, replaying the scene inside her head again. “Yes. And they were thin and pale like my Cunt family. What does it mean, Stone?”
When she studied his face, it was a mask. She could glean no emotions at all from him. Fear flowed through her veins, chilling her. “What does it mean?” she repeated in a strained whisper.
“It’s probably nothing. After all, it’s your first vision.” He kissed her forehead before setting her gently off him and rising from the bed. “I’ll send Sasha to you for breakfast and bathing. I have duties to attend to.”
“Damn it, Stone. What the hell aren’t you telling me?”
He turned back toward her and brushed a quick kiss over her forehead, but his face remained a passive mask. “It’s nothing, beloved. I merely have duties to attend to.”
Before she could protest, he’d disappeared through the doors to her room leaving her confused, angry, and scared. She crossed her arms under her breasts and huffed out a frustrated breath. “I’m not the only one who’s a horrible liar around here. Damned infuriating man!”
Stone didn’t bother to change or bathe before requesting an audience with the king and queen. The royal women’s visions were always very accurate, and if Alyssandra had seen men with blond pubic hair surrounding her during an ascension ceremony, then it was an omen of the future.
Cold fear pricked along his spine at the thought of his beloved in the hands of the Cunts. Not to mention, she’d seen a Klatch man who would complete the ceremony. Jealousy burned hot, chasing away the fear and replacing it with cold determination. Alyssandra was his, no other man would enter her slick canal but him.
He knew of no Klatch who would align themselves with the Cunts—especially not after the atrocities committed during the civil war. However, Alyssandra’s vision said otherwise, and they would all have to be on their guard if there was a traitor in their midst.
As soon as the majordomo announced his presence, he pushed past him, lengthening his stride until he stood next to the king and queen’s breakfast table.
King Darius’s smile faltered as it met Stone’s concerned frown. “Come sit, Stone, and tell us what’s wrong. Is Alyssandra all right?”
Stone ignored the invitation to sit and instead gripped the back of a wooden chair so hard he was surprised it didn’t break off in his hands. “The princess has had her first vision, an omen of things to come.”
Queen Annalecia’s haggard face drained of color, but she lifted her chin in a stubborn gesture that Alyssandra shared. “Tell us.”
Stone relayed the vision and when he reached the part about the blond pubic hair, Darius shot to his feet, his chair and silverware clattering to the floor.
“Guards!” His voice echoed off the walls causing the
balda
stone to vibrate and small pink sparks popped and fizzed throughout the room.
The king and queen’s personal guards burst into the room. Each of the dozen dressed in the dark purple livery of the royal family and each was a powerful witch and warrior in his own right. After assessing that there was no immediate threat, the leader, Gavin, bowed low before them, while the others followed suit. “How may I serve you, Your Majesties?”
“I need a special guard for the princess until her coming-ofage ceremony. She is in danger, and I’ll not lose her again!” The king punctuated his words with a fist to the table, causing the dishes and food to jump and wobble precariously.
Annalecia rose and placed a gentle hand on the king’s arm. “Calm yourself, my love. Her powers are gathering. The fact that she had this vision and trusted Stone with it speaks well of the outcome.”
Stone turned to the king and queen. “The princess doesn’t know that the royal women have visions. When she described the scene to me, I told her it was probably nothing. She has enough to worry about without adding to her fears.”
“That’s probably for the best, Stone, at least for now.” Darius scrubbed his hand through his hair leaving unruly tufts behind.
“I disagree.” The queen pierced Stone with a look that reminded him of the time he’d used one of her best skirts to catch frogs from the water gardens. “Keeping information from Alyssandra is not the best course. First, visions are one of her Klatch powers, and they usually only come to warn of great danger. She has every right to know. And second, the men of the royal families seem to think that by keeping information from us, that they are protecting us, when in fact, they are treating us like children.” She shot first Darius and then Stone an arch look before she crossed her arms under her breasts and fell silent.
Stone sighed. “Annalecia. I have no desire to incur your wrath, but I must protect her. She’s having a hard enough time dealing with her new circumstances without adding this.”
The queen’s lips curved. “Are you sure it’s not you who is having the more difficult time?” She shook her head. “May the universe have pity on you, Stone, because my daughter is not stupid. I’ll defer to your decision as her betrothed, but I wish her well in whatever punishment she devises for you when she finds out you’ve been keeping things from her.”
Stone breathed a sigh of relief that the queen was going to accede to his wishes on this issue. He hadn’t thought she would. “Thank you, my lady. I assure you, I only do what’s best for the princess.”
The unladylike snort that emanated from the queen surprised everyone in the room. “Just don’t say I didn’t warn you. All women, royalty or not, like to be treated with respect. Acting as if we aren’t strong enough to grasp the gravity of a situation is
not
giving us the respect we deserve.” She sat quietly, showing that she’d had her say on the matter and was now finished.
Gavin stepped forward, obviously impatient to understand the situation. “May I ask from what quarter you perceive this threat?”
Stone relayed the vision and by the time he was finished, the guards looked as angry as the king and queen.
Gavin’s eyes narrowed, a sign Stone knew meant he was analyzing the situation. “We will immediately be on guard for a Klatch traitor. Where is the princess now?”
“She is with Sasha at either breakfast or in the bathing chamber.”
“Good. Sasha is an expert warrior and will protect her well inside the bathing chamber. However, I’ll speak with her to ensure they only use the private chamber until the ceremony.” He nodded to Stone. “And I’ll ensure Sasha keeps the details of this from the princess per your wishes, sire. However, if the princess does find out, we will let her know we were acting on your orders.”
The man tried and failed to hide a smirk before he turned to the other eleven guards and motioned to four women, who stepped forward and nodded their heads in respect at the request. “Protect the princess at all costs. We have only a few days until the ceremony, so the Cunts will move soon if they mean to take her.”
“It will be done,” they said in unison before slipping out the door toward their new duty.
“Wait!” King Darius glowered over Gavin, who stood un-flinching against his wrath. “I want every royal guard protecting my daughter. Do you hear me?”
Stone opened his mouth to protest, but Gavin beat him to it. “With all due respect, my king, I must decline.”
Darius’s face turned a mottled purple and he took a deep breath to retort until Annalecia stood and grabbed the front of his tunic and captured his attention. “I love her too, Darius, but Gavin is right. Hear him out.”
“Thank you, my queen.” He turned to Darius, his back stiff, his gaze direct. “My duties are to protect the queen, her husband, and the royal family. If we leave the queen and yourself unprotected and the princess fails to ascend to the throne, Tador is lost. We must protect all until we know the extent of the threat. You are welcome to dismiss me from my post, but I must warn you, every guard has taken the same oath.”
Slowly, Darius’s stance relaxed and he nodded to Gavin. “I’m sorry, you’re right. I just can’t bear the thought of losing her again.”