She looked up at him and found his gaze riveted on her mouth. Suddenly anxious to give him pleasure, she focused on the swollen head in front of her, noticing that a drop of pearly liquid had settled on the tip. She swiped at it with her tongue, intrigued by the salty flavor.
When she fit the head of his shaft between her lips, he groaned. Her gaze flew to his, wanting to watch his face as she slowly took his cock inside her mouth.
His eyes were like the clouds, filled with energy and fierce power. He reached for her head and rested his palm there, helping her find a rhythm as she took his shaft in and out of her mouth. He moved his hips against her, sliding in and out slowly, then faster.
Never had she imagined that she could be so aroused by pleasuring a man. His groans catapulted her into a near-frantic state. She eagerly gulped his cock, taking his huge length as far back into her throat as she could.
“By Lal, Starr!” he cried out, tensing and withdrawing his cock from her lips. When she reached for him again, he pulled her up against him, crushing her lips with his mouth.
She wanted more of him, wanted him to release in her mouth. But when she tried to slide down his body again, he stopped her. “No. You will make me come if you continue to suck me like that. And I want to pleasure you first.”
Rolling her onto her back, he shifted on top. He moved his mouth along her jaw and neck, his tongue leaving a fiery trail that had her tangling her fingers into his hair and pressing his mouth harder against her.
He licked her collarbone, sliding his tongue down and across the swell of her breasts. Using both his hands, he teased her until she begged for more.
With a light chuckle, he continued the torture, easing ever downward until he laved her navel with his tongue, then lower. When his chin brushed her sex, she jerked against him. The throbbing ache between her legs was incessant, growing every passing second until she wasn’t sure she could bear the waiting.
His hot breath sailed over her exposed sex. She lifted her head to watch him, shocked and yet incredibly aroused at seeing his mouth settling over her slit. When his tongue snaked out and licked the swollen flesh, she cried out and arched her hips, wanting more of that sweet pleasure.
Lycan was relentless in his pursuit of her response. So much that she became mindless, her head emptying of all thought except climbing that mountain. Step by step he led her to the pinnacle.
When he stopped, she heard her own voice begging him. Any other time she’d be appalled at the words spilling from her lips, but this time she couldn’t help herself. He held the key to her release, and she wanted it. Now.
“Lick me, Lycan. Make me come, please. I can’t bear this.”
When he grinned and fit his mouth over her clit, suckling lightly, she exploded into his mouth, writhing underneath him until the spasms left her limp.
But he left her no time to catch her breath. He pushed up and kneeled, then reached for her hands. Hauling her up against him, his mouth crashed against hers, devouring her lips and tongue. The sweet, musky flavor of her own juices mingled with his taste, readying her once again.
Slipping his hands underneath her buttocks, he pulled her astride him. His cock rested against her sex.
“Are you ready for this?” he asked.
Any hesitation she might have felt fled when he rocked against her, sending shooting sparks of delight between her legs. Virginity was nothing more than a physical barrier, and not a necessity for a queen. This was her choice too, and she wanted it more than she had ever wanted anything in her life.
“Yes, Lycan, I’m ready. Make me yours.”
Chapter Nine
The words Lycan had wanted to hear since the moment he’d first seen Starr had finally been uttered.
An urge to take her fast and furious overwhelmed him, but he forced himself to ignore that instinct.
Starr may be a warrior on the outside, but inside she was still a virgin, a woman, and as such he would treat her with care.
He slowed his ravaging kiss, licking at her lips and tenderly stroking her tongue. Deliberately, he lingered on her mouth, caressing her back at a leisurely pace.
Her frantic heartbeats lessened, as did his. Lycan fought for control, knowing what he wanted would not produce an adequate first sexual experience for Starr. But by the gods, she was making it difficult for him to maintain this pace. Sitting on his lap like this put her sex in direct contact with his raging erection. He was poised at the entrance to her moist core, and with one hard thrust could bury himself fully inside her.
But this moment was for her, not for him. He wrapped his arm around her back, then pushed her backward so she leaned against his forearm. With his other hand he caressed her breasts, drinking in the sight of the taut peaks reaching toward him.
Such a curious woman she was! She watched his every movement, licking her lips and paying such rapt attention it nearly drove him over the edge. When he took her nipple between his fingers and rolled it, her eyes drifted shut and she tilted her head back. Her hair brushed his knees as she arched her back to thrust her breast into his hand.
This erotic image of her would be burned into his memory for all time. Her body was perfection—womanly curves, strong legs and beautiful breasts.
“Did you know you have the most perfect sex I’ve ever seen?”
She leaned forward, frowning as if she didn’t understand his statement. “I do?”
“Yes. Without fur covering your genitals, I can see everything, from your swollen slit, to the hard knot peeking out from under its hood.” He demonstrated by reaching down and sliding his finger between the folds of her pussy, then circling her clit until he heard her raspy breaths.
“Do you like when I touch you, Starr?”
“Oh yes, very much.”
“Would you like to come again?”
She worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “I don’t know if I can.”
“Oh, trust me. You can. Already your nectar pours over my legs, your pussy quivering with the desire to feel my cock deep inside you. Is that what you want?”
“Yes.” Her answer spilled out on a husky whisper as she clutched her fingers in his hair and pulled his head toward hers. She kissed him with a passion that only experienced women should know, yet also with the eagerness of one who had yet to know carnal delights.
When she pulled away and looked at him, her lips were swollen, her eyes glazed with desire. “I tire of all this talking, Lycan I am no empty headed female who knows nothing of what can be between a man and a woman. I may never have experienced it, but I know what it is. Fuck me.”
He shuddered at her bold command, realizing that he was indeed in the presence of a woman who matched his needs. No longer caring if he was gentle or not, he reached for her hips to lift her up and guide her over the tip of his shaft.
Starr complied eagerly, watching as he breached her swollen nether lips, focusing on their bodies as he slid, inch by inch, inside her heat. When he met the barrier, he paused. Her eyes met his and she nodded. With one quick thrust he breached her hymen and impaled himself within her.
Her eyes glistened with tears, but she smiled at him, then sighed.
Lal, she was tight. Her cunt wrapped around him, squeezing him hard. He was loath to move inside her, wanting her body to grow accustomed to his size.
“Are you hurting?” he asked, brushing the hair away from her face.
“No.” To prove it, she lifted herself up, then back down over his cock, sheathing him deep within until her buttocks rubbed his balls.
Lycan groaned at the feel of her surrounding him, unable to believe that she could take him in so completely. Her moisture poured over them both, running down over his balls and enticing him to thrust upward. Starr tugged on his hair, pulling his mouth over hers and devastating him with a passion-filled kiss.
Making love to Starr wasn’t at all what he had expected, and yet it was everything he had hoped for, and more. They moved together in rhythm, touching each other every
place they could reach, sharing sighs and moans of pleasure. Her clit brushed his skin as she rocked against him. He could feel the tension building up in her.
In him as well. His balls tightened, and he knew release was imminent. He stepped up the motions, wanting her to reach the edge at the same time. Her nails dug into his shoulders as she worked his cock, squeezing him mercilessly until she tensed, threw her head back and howled, her orgasm sending spasms around his rigid shaft.
Watching her in the throes of pleasure was more than he could bear. With a loud cry he emptied his seed inside her, riding out the waves of his orgasm until he, too, was spent.
Lycan rolled onto the grass, taking Starr with him. She rested on top of him, her breathing heavy and labored like his. He stroked her back and kissed her hair, wanting her to rest, wanting to sleep with her cradled in his arms.
Soon, her breathing evened out and he knew that she slept. The rain had finally ended, leaving in its wake clear skies. The warmth of the sun coupled with the woman sleeping on him lulled him into a sense of peace he had never felt before.
Truly, she was his match in every way. Strong, intelligent, beautiful and sensual, he knew then that he would never let her go.
“You will be mine always, Starr,” he whispered to her sleeping form. “Soon, I will make you my queen.”
Confident that their fates were falling into place exactly as they should, he let sleep overtake him.
* * * * *
Starr had been floating, drifting off to a magical place of fantasy and rest. Lycan’s strong arms surrounded her, his body her cushion. His hands wove a magical tapestry of delight over her skin. How could she not be lulled into sleep?
But then he said those words. Mine. Always. Queen. The ease with which she had settled into his embrace vanished. She tried not to show the tension that she felt, instead waiting until she heard his even breathing and knew him to be asleep.
“Lycan?” she whispered, waiting to see how deeply he slept. When he didn’t answer, she asked again. Then again. When she was confident he would not wake, she carefully slid away, then kneeled, watching him.
Lal, he was glorious She could never tire of looking at him. His masculine face, warrior’s body and magical hands mesmerized her.
He had been tender with her in their lovemaking. Admittedly, his gentle nature had surprised her. She expected him to be as she had heard most men were—interested only in their own satisfaction. But Lycan had deliberately set out to pleasure her. And he had. Time and time again until she had no strength left.
She hadn’t expected to feel something for him, hadn’t expected to fall under whatever spell he cast. No wonder his concubines followed him around like pets. There was a magic to him that was nearly overwhelming, and wholly irresistible.
But resist she must. When he whispered that she would always be his, that he thought to make her his queen, harsh reality set in.
She could not stay here one moment longer. Not only did her people need her, but she had to guard her heart. Already she felt an attachment to Lycan that made her feel guilty for what she had to do.
But she would do it, of that there was no doubt. She could no more live the life of a slave than she could cut her own throat. She wouldn’t live like that. Born a free woman, she would die that way too.
Now he trusted her. And here they were, alone in the forest, with Lycan sleeping soundly at her side. If there was ever an opportunity to escape, this was the time. She knew the forest would eventually lead to the outskirts of Dognelle. It would be a long walk, but she could make it on foot.
So why was she still there? Why couldn’t she make her body move? This was the chance she had looked for since the moment she’d awoken to find herself a prisoner of Raynar.
For that matter, why hadn’t she left earlier when she’d hidden from him in the forest? He’d never have found her. She could be back in Dognelle by now.
Because she hadn’t wanted to leave him then. She’d been caught up in the laughter, the silent walk, the way they seemed to fit together so well, that she had simply enjoyed the moment. She had thought as a woman thought, not as a warrior. A warrior would have taken that opportunity to make her escape. She hadn’t then, and didn’t want to now. But she would, because she had to.
The thought of never seeing Lycan again tugged at her heart in unexpected ways, leaving her with an empty feeling in her stomach.
A feeling she forced aside. She had to go. Her people needed her, and they were more important than her silly, womanly feelings. She’d just had fabulous sex for the first time. No wonder she felt a bond with Lycan. Given enough time as his slave, she’d grow to hate him.
She swept the dark hair away from his face, her hand lingering on his forehead. When she caressed his cheek, he groaned, and she froze, hoping she hadn’t woken him.
His eyes did not open, and he did not stir again.
He would be furious when he discovered she had left him, that she had violated his trust in her. A twinge of regret tightened her chest, fueling the guilt already settling there. What could she do? She had to take the chance and escape. She was no Raynar queen. She could never live as a slave, no matter how she felt about…
No. No more thinking of Lycan, of what could be. They could never be.
Carefully, she stood, stretching her muscles. When she looked down at her legs, she saw the bloody evidence of her virginity staining them. But there was no time to wash up. She grabbed her clothing and dressed quickly, careful to make no noise. Fortunately, they lay on a grassy bank where no leaves would crunch against her feet as she moved away from Lycan. She could only hope the Reevlo birds didn’t squawk as she reentered the forest.
With one last look at Lycan, she disappeared into the safety of the trees.
* * * * *
Lycan woke with a start, then smiled, his dreams still filled with a sweet smelling Starr and the magic they had shared. Her passion surprised him, and he knew that they could share years of pleasures simply exploring each other. His cock hardened at the thought of slipping inside her again, and he reached for her, hoping she would not be too sore to enjoy more lovemaking.
But the only thing he made contact with was the now-cool grass.
Opening his eyes, he sat up and looked for her, thinking she might be bathing in the lake.
Not a ripple marred the water’s surface.
The lowering sun filtered through the tree branches. It was nearly sunset.
“Starr?” he called out tentatively, not wanting to frighten her.
She did not answer.
“Starr!” This time, more forcefully, as worry began to set in.
He stood, realizing her clothes were not nearby. Dressing quickly, he went the way they had come, retracing his steps through the forest in the hopes that perhaps she went to check on their tethered balon By the time he reached the creatures, his blood was boiling.
There was no sign of her. And if he knew Starr, he knew exactly where she had gone.
Back to Dognelle.
“Deceitful, lying bitch!” he shouted out, too incensed to hold his ire inside. No one could hear him out here anyway.
A myriad of emotions coursed through him. How could she have done this to him after all he had done for her? He trusted her, and he let his guard down. As soon as he gave her a little freedom, she ran.
How stupid could he have been? He should have known better than to trust a Dognelle warrior. She had never cared for him, had merely strung him along as if he were her puppet, biding her time and awaiting an opening so she could go running back to her people.
She couldn’t have gotten that much of a head start. If he tracked her, he could catch up to her before she reached Dognelle, and then take her back to Raynar.
When he returned her to his kingdom, he’d shackle her, keep her well guarded, and then figure out what to do to tame her.
If that was possible.
No matter, He’d do something to make her bow to his will. Anyt
hing but give his trust to her.
Or his heart.
That part of him would never be hers again.
* * * * *
Starr crept through the forest, hoping she would reach the outskirts of Dognelle territory before too long. It would be dangerous to be found wandering in the desert outside their walls after the sun went down. She could only hope that her instructions to keep sentries at the edges of the forest had been heeded. Though quite a distance from the Dognelle holdings, Starr had always feared an attack from the forests.
Hopefully, she’d run into one of her guards as soon as she reached the end of the trees.
The walk took a great length of time, the thick bushes and trees slowing her pace. Her skirt kept getting caught on thorns and she had to stop and work it free. But she persevered, knowing the sooner she returned, the faster she could prepare her warriors for a possible attack by the Centuri.
Finally, she was near the edge of the forest. The stone walls of the Dognelle kingdom appeared in the distance, a vision that had never failed to bring her great joy.
Except for the first time ever, she looked at the twin stone towers and felt empty, as if Dognelle was no longer her home, her refuge. Her vision was clouded by a naked, sleeping warrior with dark hair and eyes the color of the bark of the cacao trees in the forest. A man who infuriated her, challenged her, had taken away every freedom she had ever known.
But also had treated her as an equal, even though she knew it went against every law in his land. He’d asked for her counsel on matters only warriors discuss. And he had made love to her in a way that went beyond anything she could have dreamed of.
Her heart would always be with him, no matter if she never saw him again.
Shaking off the melancholy thoughts, she spotted an approaching rider in the distance, grateful to see it was one of her warriors. If she moved into the clearing, she could wave her down. But before she could fully step out of the forest, a hand clasped around her mouth, cutting off the scream she tried to emit. A strong arm encircled her waist, dragging her back into the tree-covered forest.