Blade Heart

  She could hear her sharp cries yet somehow they sounded muffled. She could feel his presence behind her, but all that mattered were the strokes he imposed on her titillated flesh.

  Then he darted his finger back and forth on her clitoris and a violent climax hit her from every side. Out of her senses, overthrown by his vanquishing touch, she cried out his name as she came in his hand.

  Daylight dimmed and glowed. Noises dulled and heightened. Deep in her chest, Cara’s heart beat for love, passion and Morgan.

  With his spread palm keeping her pussy warm, he shifted his body.

  “Doing this to you gets me extremely excited. When you take your pleasure, you sound like a she-wolf.”

  His soft tones loosened her lingering stiffness. His affectionate words enchained her deepest feelings. She hunched her spine when he gently caressed her back then bent over to whisper in her ear.

  “Would it be too much if I entered you?”

  Too much? Not in a million years. Not in the next minutes. Doubtful that her voice would be able to convey the depth of her emotion she lowered her head down on the mattress and raised her ass.

  He penetrated her an inch at a time. A sigh of profound satisfaction burst out of him when he embedded himself as deep as he could go. Her excited flesh responded instantly to his incursion and her inner muscles clamped around his rigid shaft. He moaned. She pressed her cheek to the linen.

  He moved in and out. The measured, rhythmic sway of her nipples along the sheet showed his restraint yet his deliberate slowness renewed her desire. But not like before. As he rubbed his shaft inside her she already felt aroused and well on her way to paradise. How could he do that?

  He withdrew his cock completely. When he touched her again, a cry passed her lips. She dug her nails into the mattress while he rubbed his tip against her wet pussy, and she had to press her mouth on the linen to refrain from shouting. Unable to tell which part of their bodies was hers she arched her back. He impaled her.

  This time she yelled while rocking under his long, vigorous thrusts. She had wanted a warrior—she’d got one. Fingers fastened around her waist, harsh grunts matching her loudest moans, he held nothing back. Driving his dick like he wielded a sword, he struck her repeatedly until she burned with yearning.

  Without breaking his stride he rammed into her. Her impulsive shout spurred the loudness of his grunts, now almost unbroken. His rigid length thickened in her constricted sheath. She quivered and writhed in his strong grip while he banged his pelvis against her buttocks and held her firmly in place.

  More than his hands, his will pinned her to the bed. His strength rooted her to his every motion yet she wished for nothing else than to be pounded faster. She spread her legs wider. He contracted his fingers around her hips and pummelled her with his cock. His blows took her breath away. His rapid thrusts brought forth the most violent orgasm she had ever experienced.

  She must have screamed because her throat itched. She must have blacked out a second because when she came to he had collapsed on her back and his body twitched with post release. She dropped her legs onto the bed.

  Lying flat on her stomach, eyes closed, she enjoyed his weight on her while she concentrated on getting some air back and listening to his wild breathing. Did he know she’d always treasure this unforgettable moment?

  After a while he rolled over and brought her close to him. Nestled in his arms, she sighed with contentment. She still hadn’t told him about the prophecy, but that would wait a little longer.

  What couldn’t wait were her bothersome suspicions regarding the Amazon queen. In spite of the amazing love Morgan had just given her, the image of the rival woman pricked her happiness like a thorn.

  And Cara knew she wouldn’t be satisfied until she’d openly discussed the matter with him—until she got it out of her system forever. Bracing herself, she looked at her contented warrior.

  “Tell me about the Amazon queen.”

  “What would you like to know?”

  “You seem to get on well with her. I saw the way she looked at you in the courtyard of Devlyn’s castle. She values you.”

  “Siobhan?”

  Cara nodded, her heart attempting to take in a heavy rush of blood. She swallowed as his features took on a weird expression.

  “I do respect and trust Siobhan because she has proved herself countless times over the past winters. She’s the leader of the toughest strongholds in enemy territory, but she’s not the Amazon queen.”

  “Oh! Which one is it then?”

  “I don’t know.”

  What had gone into him? Why didn’t he want to tell her? Although Cara hadn’t paid attention to any of the Amazon apart from Siobhan, curiosity gnawed at her. Was the queen’s true identity a secret guarded by her devoted followers?

  “How come?”

  “I’ve never seen her face. Nobody has except her Amazons, and maybe Caius given that he’s healed her so many times.”

  Unbelievable as the story sounded, his tone possessed the ring of truth. He harboured no particular feelings for Siobhan, and all this time she had been jealous of the wrong person.

  “I don’t understand. I got the impression you fought together many times so how could you not have seen her face?”

  “Because she always wears a mask in battle and I think she’s right. It states her rank as queen as well as instilling fear in her adversaries. Actually, I…”

  His voice trailed off. Shifting his body, he cupped her head in his hands and observed her as if he was looking for answers.

  “You what?”

  “When I found you in the meadow, I thought you were her.”

  Now that explained why he had expected her to be able to run a sword through the bounty hunters. But what a funny idea!

  “Why did you think that?”

  “Intuition. A hunch. I don’t know what to call it. I saw you sleeping and I sensed you were the woman Caius had asked me to find. As he had stated, a look at you and I knew. But on top of that, I got the distinct feeling that you were the Amazon queen.”

  In spite of knowing full well she came from the city of New York in the United States of America, Cara experienced a strange sensation. Igniting in her guts, the perception slithered up her body to brush her mind.

  “That’s so weird. Any particular reason you felt that way?”

  “Probably because the queen disappeared last fall. Even her Amazons have no idea where she might be. Later I recalled she’s also a dragon rider and Haedron’s immediate acceptance of you confirmed my suspicion.”

  “You said he’d made an exception.”

  “I lied. Dragons never make an exception.”

  Her mouth went dry. What was he saying? He had crossed over to her universe. He had made love and slept in her apartment before witnessing a green and reddish marvel of the sky over there. He had jumped into the hole with her. Suddenly, the idea of this amazing man deluding himself struck a nerve. Gaping at him, she cleared her throat.

  “Don’t tell me you’re still convinced I’m her!”

  His gaze didn’t leave her face—never wavered. As he passed a tender finger over her cheekbone, he pulled a ‘sorry, yes I do’ face. “You are my queen.”

  Now wasn’t a good time to humour her. Disbelieving and a little frantic, Cara stared at him and her tone came out a shade higher. “Come on, you’re well aware I’m from another world. And you’ve seen with your own eyes I can’t hold a sword or ride a dragon without you or…or…whatever else she does. Morgan, why would you think I’m her?”

  “Her name is Cara.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Yeah, well, plenty of women bore the same name and it didn’t mean anything. At least she saw why he had been familiar with her name in the meadow. Yet, his apparent certainty silenced her.

  She dozed off for a while. At some point she felt him getting up, but her languid body refused to move. Too much love did that to a woman. So she kept her eyes shut and let her mind wande
r.

  Angry voices brought her round. As Cara emerged from her light slumber she realised Caius was back and arguing with Morgan. What had gone wrong now? Trying to be as quiet as possible, she got out of bed to put her clothes on. With the door open, she had no trouble overhearing the quarrel.

  “If you believe for an instant that I’ll go along with this absurdity then you must be insane, wizard.”

  “My opinion is irrelevant, but the prophecy is what it is. Whether it pleases you or not, I don’t have the power to change it.”

  Oh, shit. Morgan knew. The moment she had been fearing had finally caught up with her, but it looked like Caius had beaten her to the draw. Pants on, Cara sat on the edge of the bed to lace her boots.

  “No, but you might misinterpret it like you did the first time.”

  “Had I been aware of all the facts I wouldn’t have. I am now, and I’m telling you Cara will bear Prince Melchior’s son.”

  “I won’t accept that.”

  “Then accept that you have no say in the matter.”

  Cara flinched as something hard shattered against a wall. Heart in her mouth, pulse speeding up, she tied the boot’s string and quietly buckled the weapon belt around her waist. The feel of the daggers reassured her.

  Although the wizard’s resolute undertones conveyed a certain irritation, she felt positive he wasn’t responsible for throwing and breaking objects. Morgan had lashed out.

  “Who do you think you are, wizard? If it wasn’t for me, Devlyn would have won this war long ago and you owe me the Four Kingdoms’ salvation. I do not take orders. I do not bend to anyone’s will and you’d better remember that.”

  She shivered with desire at Morgan’s haughty, commanding voice. Once more, Caius had brought forth the stranger she had fallen in love with, the fierce warrior who had pounded her body until his unbending cock made her scream with raw pleasure. As she listened to his harsh words, a little moistness seeped out. His anger becoming more palpable, Caius retaliated.

  “Calm down, will you? We don’t have time for pointless bickering, we should plan ahead instead. I’ll have to study the skies in order to foresee the next rare occurrence, but given that the thread has been mended, I’d say it will happen very soon. Probably within hours.”

  “Fuck the stars! Cara’s done everything you asked of her, so from now on you shall leave her alone.”

  “I appreciate your concern, Morgan, but try to be reasonable. She’s destined to be the mother of the prophetic child and she can’t get out of it. Besides, you know as well as I do that Prince Melchior is a good man and that he will treat her with all the respect and kindness she deserves. He won’t use her like a mistress, but he’ll marry her to legitimise their child and someday she’ll be the queen of Palance. Don’t you want that for her?”

  The news destabilised her. Deep in her heart, she had sometimes imagined the prince of Palance to be cruel or mean or just too weak to act. Because things would have been simpler and she’d have had leverage to reject the prophecy.

  Learning that he was a kind man, willing to marry her, destroyed all her hopes of a life with Morgan. In a way, Caius was offering her the existence most girls dreamed of. Careful not to make a sound because of the boots, Cara tiptoed to the bedroom door to listen to Morgan’s answer.

  “You misunderstand me. I have no quarrel with Melchior and as far as I’m concerned he can do whatever he likes. But he can’t have Cara.”

  “She’s a grown woman. Aside from the fact that she must play the final part in the fulfilment of the prophecy, she doesn’t need your permission.”

  “Have you told her?”

  “Yes.”

  Strained silence ensued. Morgan must be thinking she had already accepted having sex with the prince, and she had to prove him wrong. She walked into the tub corner, but the drawn curtain prevented her from seeing them. As she advanced towards it, Caius’ next statement incited her to halt her steps.

  “Look, I’m not throwing Cara into hardship or misery. She’ll have a wonderful life in Palance and I don’t understand your reluctance. I asked you to find her, but that was the extent of your involvement. You succeeded in your quest and I’m grateful to you. However, your path together has come to an end so why won’t you let her go?”

  “Because I’m in love with her.”

  Her vision blurred. He had told her before but the fact that he revealed his feelings to Caius moved her to the core. Breathing through the sudden knot in her throat, she struggled to hold back the tears of joy threatening to dissolve her common sense. She felt like running to him. She wanted him to hold her in his arms and assure her they would live happily ever after. But the scrape of a chair against the floorboards interrupted her fantasy. Did Caius need to sit down?

  “You what?”

  “I love her. Prophecy be damned—I won’t let another man touch her.”

  “By the Mighty Gods!”

  Followed by his exclamation of total surprise, the wizard’s heavy sigh reached Cara’s ears. She clenched her fingers as he uttered a second one.

  “I’ve known you since the day you were born, Morgan. In all those years I’ve never seen the tiniest shred of emotion in you. You fight only to have something to do, you go through life like a wanderer, and now you’re telling me you love someone. What can I say except that I’m afraid you picked the only woman you can’t have. Still, this is astonishing. How did it happen?”

  “I don’t know. It just happened.”

  “I never thought I’d see the day.”

  Cara was instantly reminded of the time Morgan had battled against bounty hunters. Watching him fight that day, she had perceived darkness in him, a tangible void indicating he didn’t care whether he lived or died. As most people called him Dead, she obviously hadn’t been the only one to sense that black hole. But he had changed. Somewhere in their time together his mental barricades had crumbled down and his heart had burst out with passion—with life.

  “Well, you’ve seen it now so this conversation is over. You’ll just have to find another woman for Melchior because I’m taking Cara with me.”

  “You know I won’t let you do that, Morgan.”

  “I don’t recall asking for your advice.”

  His voice sounded so cold and inflexible that Cara feared they would soon grapple with each other. When she heard the chair being moved again she pulled open the edge of the curtain to peek into the main room.

  Caius was standing. Face to face, determination hardening their features, both men waited for the other’s next move. As she shifted her weight to get a better look, Morgan issued an order in a menacing tone.

  “Step out of my way, wizard.”

  “I sincerely wish it hadn’t come to this but you leave me no choice. Forgive me, my boy.”

  Before his opponent could move, Caius waved his hand. A light glowed in the centre of his palm and Morgan appeared to gently float down to the floor. Cara ripped the curtain open and rushed to kneel beside her fallen warrior. He seemed asleep, eyes closed but breathing with regularity. Anger twisted her guts and she shot a dark look at the wizard standing above them.

  “What have you done to him?”

  “A little spell. Don’t worry, he’ll wake up tomorrow fit as a boar. In the meantime, you and I are going on a trip.”

  Cara straightened up to face Caius. She might have gone with him if he hadn’t used his magic on Morgan, but she wouldn’t let this treachery pass.

  “I’m not leaving him and I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  “Look at him, Cara. This is what I can do. You will accompany me whether I have to carry you or not. So what say you?”

  No option. She’d have to follow the wizard because he’d make her if she refused. And what would be the point?

  “Okay. I’ll come providing we don’t leave Morgan on this cold floor. Knock me out if you want, but I’m getting him on this bed.”

  Smiling at her acceptance, Caius waved his hand and floated M
organ’s unconscious body onto his small bed. Emotion tightening her throat, Cara crouched beside him before glancing up at the man behind her.

  “I need a minute with him.”

  “He can’t hear you.”

  “I know. I just want to say goodbye.”

  Caius shrugged but walked over to his worktable and began packing documents into a small bag. Turning her attention back to Morgan, she stroked his brow with tender fingers and spoke to the sleeping man in whispers.

  “I’m sorry, my love, but I have to do this. I’m not strong like you, and I can’t fight the whole world without you. You’ll never know how I wish to spend my life with you, but I guess it doesn’t matter anymore.”

  She seized his fingers and brought them to her mouth. Feeling his warm skin against her lips, she kissed the strong, cherished hand that had saved her life many times and given her so much happiness.

  “I’ll love you forever, Morgan.”

  Cara stood before her tears fell on him. Wiping her eyes, she turned round to face the wizard.

  “I’m ready. Where are we going?”

  “To meet the prince of Palance.”

  Chapter Forty

  They arrived in Palance in the early evening. Cara discovered the awesome place from above as Haedron circled the city from east to west before landing in the main courtyard of the castle. Palance didn’t resemble Agravar in the least. Although roughly about the same size and enclosed within sturdy town walls, the settlement appeared to be in much better condition and was livelier.

  A long drawbridge connected the town to a large gateway leading straight to the castle. On the borders of the town, beaten pathways headed towards the countryside and the forest. They crossed the bridge to enter the city.

  Separated by streets, entire blocks of houses and buildings had been built in an orderly fashion and formed protective layers all around the fortified castle, not unlike an inner and outer city. Heart of the stronghold, the impressive royal residence displayed defensive qualities likely found in most fortresses, yet it shared more similarities to a palace.