Her breathing came in harsh gasps as she continued to ride him, drawing out his o.r.g.a.s.m and her own "til she collapsed against his chest. Their sweat mingled together, and he caught the smells of her quim juices and his s.e.m.e.n.
When he could again speak, he murmured, "Might you set me free now?"
"Mayhap." Tierra laughed and raised herself to a sitting position on his chest, and she gave him a radiant yet mischievous smile. His c.o.c.k, still lodged inside her, lengthened and hardened again.
G.o.ds, would he never get enough of this woman?
Chapter Nine.
With a sigh of satisfaction, Tierra eased Renn"s c.o.c.k from her channel and rose to her feet so that she stood above him, astride his hips. His c.o.c.k arched up from his belly, hard once again, and wet with her juices. Her thighs and quim ached from being so well f.u.c.ked since she met Renn, but it felt quite delicious.
She thought about teasing him a bit more, knowing she was bound to pay for her mischievousnessa"and realized she was looking forward to whatever "punishment" he would come up with.
"Tierra." He sounded as though he was struggling with his patience. "The cuffs. Remove them if you please."
"I please." Smiling, she turned her attention to the restraints, this time sending out four spellbindings at once, one to each lock. Four cylinders clicked and metal clattered against stone.
In a swift, athletic movement, Renn sprang to his feet, scooped Tierra up and flung her over his bare shoulder, causing her to cry out in surprise.
Laughing, she pounded on his back. "Put me down, barbarian."
"Never." He swatted her a.s.s, his hand so large that it covered both cheeks. She gasped at the combination of the sting from his swat and the answering tingle in her quim.
When he reached Feymir and their belongings, he let her slide down the length of him, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and mound rasping against his muscled flesh. Tierra"s head spun and she clung to him, her heart beating and desire flushing through her body anew.
How could she want him yet again?
And something else filled her that she did not under stand... how the playfulness and gentleness he showed her excited her as much as their erotic games.
Tierra shoved the thoughts away. No. It was all one fun s.e.xual gamea"no more than that. She would never allow it to be otherwise.
Renn cupped her chin and smiled. "Let us leave this place. A hidden pa.s.sage leads directly to my chambers...where we can continue to enjoy one another in private." He brushed his thumb over her cheek. "And where I might teach you a lesson for all your taunting and teasing, denai."
Her knees went weak from his mere touch. What was it about him that drove her near madness? "Let us hurry then...my Lord," she added in a tone that let him know she was anxious for more play.
He gave her a roguish grin as he released her, but she caught his hand. "Wait," she said as she looked at his wrist, and he paused. Blood crusted where he had strained against the cuffs, his wounds already scabbing over.
Barely realizing what she was doing, Tierra lowered her head and brushed her lips over the wounds. She closed her eyes, her lips tingling as she gently kissed his wrist. It was as though something from within guided her.
When she opened her eyes, she blinked for a moment, almost feeling as though she had been sleeping. And then she saw his wrist...the wounds had vanished, leaving his flesh unmarred and only a bit of dried blood remaining.
"You really can heal new wounds, as Anistana has the power to do." Renn"s voice cut into her shocked thoughts and she turned to see his thoughtful smile. "A useful gift."
Tierra nodded and reached for his other wrist. Again she kissed it, closing her eyes and merging with the tingling sensation, actually feeling her touch heal him. The magic rose within her breast, warm and heady.
When she finished with his second wrist, she knelt to check his ankles. On her way down she brushed her lips over Renn"s c.o.c.k and flicked her tongue along its length, tasting their s.e.x.
"Stop." His breath hissed between his teeth and he captured her head with his hands, forcing her to halt. "My bedchamber, wench."
"As you wish, my Lord," she replied with a grin.
After she healed the lesser wounds upon his ankles, she stood and backed away. Renn moved his sheathed sword from where it lay on top of Feymir"s saddle blanket and set it upon the pile of their clothing. When he snapped the blanket open, gold glittered in the air around them and Tierra blinked in surprise, wondering what had been on its surface.
Renn"s back went rigid and he turned his fiery gaze on Tierra. "I cannot wait any longer." His muscles bulged, his veins again rising beneath his skin as though he fought for control. "I must have you. Now."
The wild look of need in his expression sent a bolt of l.u.s.t through Tierra. Her gaze cut to his c.o.c.k that somehow looked larger than ever before. Excitement flared within Tierra. Her quim tingled and her nipples ached with the promise of another good f.u.c.k.
A feral growl rumbled in Renn"s chest. In a swift movement, he tossed the saddle blanket onto the dungeon floor and grabbed Tierra around the waist. The next thing she knew she was on her hands and knees on the blanket.
Renn grabbed her hips and drove his c.o.c.k into her core.
"Yes!" Tierra cried out as he plunged in and out of her, hard and fast. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s swayed as he rammed into her, his b.o.l.l.o.c.ks slapping her quim. "So deep. G.o.ds, you"re so deep."
"You are mine, denai." His words punctuated every thrust of his hips.
Her body shuddered and she shouted, "Renn!" as her climax wracked her body.
"Mine!" he roared as he came.
Tierra started to relax against the blanket, but he jerked his c.o.c.k out and flipped her onto her back.
"Again," he said as he brought her ankles up to his neck. The look in his eyes was untamed, sparking an answering wildness within Tierra.
"Now!" She reached up and wound her fingers in his long black hair, drawing his face to hers at the same time he buried his c.o.c.k inside her.
Their mouths mated with furious intensity. Renn"s stubble rasped her fair skin, the feel of it adding to her frenzy. His tongue thrust into the moist depths of her mouth and she drew him in as deep as he could go, just as she took his c.o.c.k as deep as possible in her quim.
Renn captured her scream in his mouth when she climaxed. Even as her body trembled with each wave of o.r.g.a.s.m, he continued to f.u.c.k her. He tore his mouth from hers and captured one nipple in his teeth. Tierra screamed again, this time her cry echoing in the dungeon.
One o.r.g.a.s.m after another ripped through her. When she thought she could take not another moment of such intense pleasure, he bellowed and shuddered against her. Their breathing hard and fierce, their skin slick with sweat.
Tierra felt as though her body had merged with his. His heart was her heart. His breath was her breath. As though they were one and might never be parted again.
"Denai," Renn murmured as he rolled onto his side, cradling her tight to his chest. "G.o.ds how I love you."
The moment the declaration was out of his mouth, he tensed, unable to believe the words had rolled over his tongue so easily. Words he had never thought he would say in his lifetime. But then he smiled. In his heart he had known that what he felt for her was more than desire, more than simply knowing Tierra was his heartmate.
He loved her.
She had gone still in his arms, as though she was afraid to move, afraid to breathe. He pressed his lips to her silken hair, inhaling her honeysuckle scent and allowing it to slide through his being, savoring every moment.
Renn pulled back to look into her eyes. He gently stroked his thumb across her cheek as he studied her emerald gaze. "I love you, Tierra."
A sigh shuddered through her and her lips trembled. "Ia"I think..." She paused as though battling against her desire for him, mayhap battling her affection for him. She lowered her eyes, and murmured, "I do not know what I think."
"I will wait for your love." He hooked his finger under her chin and raised her head "til her gaze again met his. "As long as it takes."
Her eyes widened, but she did not respond.
"Come." Renn brushed his lips across hers, tasting her breath in the same movement. "I believe there are two women within this castle who will be most pleased to see you."
"Oh, my G.o.ds." Tierra bolted to a sitting position and clapped one hand to her forehead. "What was I thinking? I wasn"t thinking. Liana and Ranelle are here! I must see them at once."
Renn could not help but smile at how fl.u.s.tered and excited Tierra became at the prospect of seeing her heart-sisters. He propped his elbow on the saddle blanket and watched her search the pile of clothing and yank out her breeches, continuing with her nervous chatter.
"It has been at least two weeks since I have seen them." She slid one leg into the breeches and then the other. "I have imagined finding Ranelle and Liana so many times, but it seemed I would never locate them."
As she talked, he started to push himself up from the blanket...and then noticed a golden glitter against the dark surface. He brushed his fingers over the blanket and raised them to his face and nearly groaned aloud.
Aradne. Faerie dust. No wonder he had not been able to wait "til they reached his bedchamber to f.u.c.k Tierra. That"s why he had taken her like a wild animal.
Surely the aradne was Anistana"s final gift.
"I cannot wait to see Liana and Ranelle," Tierra was saying as he got to his feet. "We have so much to talk about."
"Much," he agreed as he reached for his own clothing, his thoughts still trying to absorb the implications of the dust.
Whenever used between heartmates, it always resulted in a child.
Tierra now carried his babe.
Fierce joy filled his warrior"s soul and he wished to shout it to all who would listen. He opened his mouth to tell Tierra, but stopped as he comprehended the words she was saying.
"I cannot believe they are expecting children." She shook her head. "The both of them. Mothers! Well, that is not for me."
Renn clenched his jaw and yanked his tunic over his head. Perhaps this was a conversation best saved for later.
After they were dressed and Renn had saddled Feymir and tied their belongings to the saddle, Tierra unlocked the dungeon door with her spellbinding.
Renn slapped Feymir on his flank and sent him up the stone steps to their left and into the daylight. "He will know where to go," Renn said to Tierra. "The stable workers will care for him."
The stallion"s hooves clattered upon stone and he whickered and snorted as he vanished out the door.
Nervousness and excitement sent a swarm of damselflies swirling through Tierra"s belly. Renn clasped her hand and strode down the darkened hallway, in the opposite direction Feymir had gone. Strange torches lit their waya"like fire glowing on the end of a stick, yet no flame.
His boots clomped against the stone floor, her own brogans making a whispery soft sound as she hurried to keep up with his big strides. She glanced at him beneath her lashes, taking in his ma.s.sive frame now clothed in black tunic and breeches, and could not help but feel pride that this fine warrior wanted her above all other women.
It seemed as though they walked forevera"along an endless corridor, past several doors, up a winding staircase and down another hall. Renn was silent as they went, apparently as lost in his thoughts as she was in her own.
Finally they stopped before a wooden door. Renn put one hand on the iron handle and with his other squeezed Tierra"s fingers, smiling down at her. "Are you ready?" he asked.
Tierra took a deep breath and returned his smile. "Yes."
Hinges creaked as Renn opened the door, leading them into an incredible realm. Tierra caught her breath as her gaze traveled around the ma.s.sive chamber they had entered. Decorated in royal blue and gold, the room was filled with ornately carved furniture, vivid tapestries and oil paintings, elaborate works of art and floor coverings.
"Welcome to Sky Castle." Renn moved his lips close to her ear and she shivered as his warm breath caressed her neck. "Our home."
Our home.
She raised her chin and swallowed past the denial rising in her throat. "Your home is beyond lovely."
"Tierra!" A feminine cry came from the right and Tierra"s gaze cut to the staircase to see Liana hurrying down, her moonlit tresses flowing around her like a silken cape. "I knew it! I sensed you were here."
Tearing her hand from Renn"s, Tierra ran to meet her halia at the bottom of the stairs, her heart pounding in her throat with the force of a thousand drums.
"Liana! Oh, but G.o.ds it is good to see you." Tierra hugged her heart-sister, squeezing her tight as though her friend might vanish at any moment. Liana"s hair wrapped around Tierra, embracing her, and her friend"s familiar scent of jensai blooms flowed over her in a comforting wave.
"I have been so worried about you." Liana pulled back and smiled, tears glittering in her sea green eyes. But I knew Renn would bring you safely to us, she added in thought, a knowing smile upon her beautiful face.
Warmth flooded Tierra and she glanced at Renn to see him leaning against the wall, arms folded across his huge chest, one eyebrow raised, and an amused smile upon his handsome features. Oh, lords, but he looked good.
"Ranelle and Jalen have gone out for a horseback ride around Phoenicia," Liana said, drawing Tierra"s attention. "They should be back soon."
"I have missed the two of you so very much." Tierra held Liana by the shoulders at arms length, her gaze traveling over her friend"s slender form. She looked radiant, confident, and happier than Tierra had ever remembered seeing her. Liana was clothed in a sleeveless gown, the shimmering color matching her sea green eyes. It clung to her body, outlining her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, her hips, and even the juncture at her thighs. A circlet of gold rested upon Liana"s moonlit tresses, and at the front of the circlet was a blood red stone.
"You look like a G.o.ddess." Tierra reached up and touched the stone that matched the one in Renn"s dagger. "Is it true? You are Queen now? You are married?"
"That she is," a powerful voice boomed from behind Liana. "She is my wife."
Tierra s.n.a.t.c.hed her hand back and she looked up to see a handsome man with black hair and eyes, dressed much the same as Renn. He smiled and wrapped his arms around Liana"s waist from behind, and nuzzled her ear. "And soon to be the mother of our children."
Liana blushed a pretty pink from the tips of her pointed ears down her neck to the collar of her gown. Her tresses slid away from Tierra, reaching behind to caress the man who now held her. "Tierra," Liana murmured, "this is Aric. My husband."
Tierra extended her hand to Aric and he raised it to his lips and kissed the back. When he released her hand, he said, "It a pleasure to meet my zjenni"s heart-sister."
"Your Highness." Tierra gave a slight bow of her head and then lifted her chin. "Just know that if you ever hurt my halia in any way, I will spellbind your c.o.c.k "til it shrivels and drops to the dirt."
Aric raised an eyebrow and Liana smiled.
"Take her threats seriously, brother." Renn came up and settled his arm around Tierra"s shoulders, his hold possessive. "She is a wily wench."
Tierra planted her elbow in Renn"s side and glared up at him, but he simply looked down at her and winked.
She turned back in time to see Aric and Liana exchange glances. For some reason Aric chuckled, a grin spreading across his face as he looked from Tierra to Renn.
Liana separated herself from Aric and went to Renn, flinging her arms around the dark warrior"s neck and kissing his cheek. "Thank you for bringing Tierra back to me."
Shock crossed Renn"s strong features and he released Tierra to awkwardly pat Liana"s shoulder. "It was most definitely my pleasure, my Queen."
When she released him her smile faded and she ran her fingers along the cheek she had just kissed, and then looked at the other side of his face. "Your scar.. .it is gone."
Liana"s form went rigid, her tresses stilled. Her hand moved to Renn"s forehead in a quick movement and she closed her eyes.