King of Clubs (19 page)

* * * * *

Puffy blue-green clouds floated across the endless aqua sky the evening of their joining day. Awai stood at the window of their bedchamber staring out at the sky as her nieces fussed over preparations and laughed and chattered behind her.

A feeling of contentment settled over Awai. She had met a man beyond her wildest dreams, a man who loved her and was willing to listen to her heart and to allow her the freedom she needed. A man who dominated her, but would never harm her in any way.

“Come now,” Alice said and Awai turned from the window. Alice tossed her white-blonde hair over her shoulder. “It’s time you put on your wedding dress.”

Awai smiled and let her black robe fall into a swirl of silk at her feet. She was naked, but in the two weeks her nieces had been here, she had learned that none of them batted an eye at anyone being around them in the buff.

She was surprised, however, when Alexi plucked the nipple charms off her nipples. “Since Kalina isn’t here, I guess this is up to me,” Alexi said, her aqua eyes focused on her task. Awai frowned but didn’t argue as her black collar was also removed from her throat.

Annie pushed her gold-rimmed glasses up the bridge of her nose then helped Awai into the white silk robe that barely concealed her lush figure. The robe was fitted and had an off-the shoulder cut to it that dipped down to fasten just beneath her belly button, exposing the star charm at her navel. The creamy silk barely covered the sides of her breasts and her nipples.

The robe was fastened from below Awai’s navel and down to her mons, but then flared out, exposing her thighs and her long legs. It was also cut low in the back, all the way down to the base of her spine. The sleeves were long and covered more than the rest of the robe did.

Awai felt something roll over her feet and laughed when she saw Abra playing with her black collar, batting it around and flipping it into the air. “All right you little imp,” she murmured as she bent to scratch the calico cat behind her ears. The cat had her own red collar with white diamonds glistening along the band. Awai straightened and put her hands on her hips. “Just be sure to keep your paws to yourself when it comes to my wedding robe.”

Alice laughed and sprinkled cherry blossoms in Awai’s hair while Annie handed her a bouquet made of cherry blossoms.

“Perfect,” Alice announced. “You make the most beautiful bride.”

Awai smiled, but her insides felt like she was going to explode with nervousness. “Will the children be at the ceremony?”

“Are you kidding?” Alexi rolled her eyes. “Eleven children racing around. I don’t
think
so.”

“The nannies are taking care of them,” Annie said. “They need to make sure the children get to bed at a decent time.”

“Not to mention they are being heavily guarded.” Alexi’s hands were on her hips. “We are not about to take any chances with our children. The way those
bakirs
slipped through the guards—it was like they used magic or something.”

“Mikaela is no longer under the King of Malachad’s control,” Annie said with a hopeful note to her voice. “If only she can continue to fight him off, she will remain free.”

Awai nodded. “I hope for her sake and ours that she wins in the war for her soul.”

When they were all ready, Awai told her nieces to go along without her. She needed a moment to herself, and then she would follow to where the ceremony would be held.

Alexi gave a small frown. “You’re not going to run off on us now, and stand up the groom?”

Awai couldn’t help a teasing grin. “Can’t say it hasn’t crossed my mind.” But then her expression grew serious. “I just need a little quiet to collect my thoughts.”

“All right, sugar.” Annie gave Awai a quick kiss on her cheek. “You take all the time you need.”

When everyone had left the bedchamber, Awai clutched her bouquet in one hand as she went to the window to stare out at the beautiful world she now lived in. No San Francisco skyline, no Chinese food from her favorite
dim sum
restaurant, no trolley, no corporate ladders to climb. Instead she would live in an almost medieval world run by magic and men and women, in a male-dominated society. Yet the women
were
treated as equals here, for the most part, just not when it came to sex.

Of course the women all seemed to love it, and Awai couldn’t argue.

Awai sighed and touched her fingertips to the pane of glass. The aqua clouds grew a deeper blue as they floated in the sky. It was growing darker and would soon be sunset.

She would miss so much of her former home. Sourdough bread and clam chowder, lobster and crab, the hustle and bustle of the city she loved. The broad mixture of races and cultures.

Could she do this? Could she stay in a foreign world?

All of her family was here. Her nieces—and good lord, all of their children that she had grown to love as much as Annie, Alexi, and Alice.

And Ty. She loved him more than anything.

His warm presence suddenly surrounded her. She saw his reflection in the glass the second before his arms wrapped around her waist and his chin rested on the top of her head. “You miss your world,” he said simply.

Awai closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again. “It scares me to think of never experiencing life the way I’ve known it for so long.”

Gently taking her by the shoulders he turned her around in his embrace and she tilted her head to look up at him. “If you wish to live in your world,” he said, “I would go with you.”

“You would—” A prickling sensation at the back of Awai’s eyes started and she bit her lip to keep from crying. “You would,” she finally started again, “leave all that you know and love for me?”

He brushed away the errant tear that slipped down her cheek. “I would do whatever would make you happy. As long as we are together, that is all that matters to me.”

Awai became lost in his blue gaze as she stared up at him. “But your people, your family…”

Ty caught her hands, crushing the bouquet of cherry blossoms between them. “I would miss them, yes. However they would go on without me. They would continue to survive and thrive. But I could no more live without you than my world could live without the sun.” He brought his forehead to hers. “I need you, Awai. You are my other half, my heart, my soul. I will do whatever will make you happy.”

“You big oaf.” Awai threw her arms around him, forgetting she was holding the bouquet and sending it flying across the room. “I love you so much.”

He smiled as they parted, yet his eyes held seriousness. “What is it you desire?”

“I want to stay here with you.” She smiled and wiped away a tear with the back of her hand. “But I would like to visit San Francisco now and again. Can we do that?”

“If it is within my power, I will do whatever I can to grant this wish.” Ty held her chin and gave her a soft kiss. “Now come before everyone has the ceremony without us.”

Awai laughed and Ty helped her gather the bouquet of cherry blossoms. Arm in arm they walked through the palace to the coach waiting outside. The coach was golden with a black club upon its door. It was late evening and growing darker even as the coach pulled away from the palace.

“Where is the ceremony to take place?” she asked as she looked out the coach window.

Ty drew her close, keeping her from leaning out. “You will see.”

In a matter of moments, the coach pulled up to the wharf. Awai gasped in amazement at the sight of the beautiful black yacht that was at least ten times the size of the sailboat they had made love on all those days ago. It had a golden club emblem on the side, and upon the bow
Tigress
was written in gold.

“Oh, now you’re really going to make me cry,” she said with a sniff. “It’s beautiful, Ty.”

He took her by the arm and led her down the beautiful mahogany landing and then led her up the mahogany gangplank to the yacht’s main deck. Waiting there were all of her nieces and their spouses. Alexi was beaming, Alice was crying, and Annie had Abra gripped tight to her chest.

Awai’s heart swelled in her throat as her future mate brought her to the head of the small crowd. The crew drew up the gangplank and the anchor, and the yacht began its trek across the dark water.

Before them the aurora began to fan the sky in shimmering waves. Like starlight and rainbows blending and spilling into the water surrounding the yacht. The surface of the lake glittered and sparkled, reflecting the brilliance of the aurora. The only sounds were of the yacht making small splashing sounds as it cut through the water and night birds singing their evening song.

A balmy breeze ruffled the hem of Awai’s robe and caressed her nearly bare breasts. Ty’s hair lifted from his shoulders and the club tattoo on his abs flexed as he turned her to face him.

Awai lost all sense of time or place as she looked into the eyes of her man. The bouquet slipped from her fingers, blooms spilling across the deck and scattering in the gentle wind.

“On this day I wish to join with my true mate.” Ty’s voice boomed in the evening silence as he brushed his fingers lightly across Awai’s cheek. “I join with the woman who fills my soul with her strength, my very being with her laughter and intelligence. And the woman who fills my heart with love. Will you take me as your mate, my dear Awai?”

“Yes,” she replied clearly, her voice ringing out through the night. “You are everything to me, Ty. I love you with all my heart and soul.”

And she knew she was telling the truth, that she was finally and truly healed from the wounds of her past, and her heart and soul were fully hers to give once more.

Ty held out his palm and upon it appeared a glittering collar of diamonds with ebony clubs in the midst of the diamonds. “Will you wear my collar?”

Awai’s voice trembled a little at the importance of the moment. “Yes.” She reached up and held her dark hair away from her neck. “I belong to you.”

A very male smile crossed Ty’s lips as he slid his collar around her throat and fastened it. When he backed away, Awai let her hair slide over her shoulders again. She couldn’t take her eyes off her beautiful man.

He held his hand out again, and in it were two diamond and ebony nipple rings. “Will you wear my insignia, showing all that you belong to me?”

Awai’s heart beat faster. She loved how it had felt to wear the club charms before, and these were gorgeous and most importantly, significant to Ty.

“Yes, I will,” she said.

Ty brought up his hand and pushed aside the silk covering her left breast. Awai gasped and her nipple tightened at once. She was vaguely aware of her family and his brothers watching, but it didn’t embarrass her.

He slid the loop over her nipple and tightened it with the diamond bead so that it ached and caused her pussy to drip with moisture. His eyes still focused on his task, he pushed aside the silk covering her right breast. The air had cooled and her nipple grew even harder. Ty slipped the second ring over her nipple and tightened the loop.

When he was finished, Ty cupped the back of Awai’s head and brought her roughly to him. Her taut nipples and charms brushed against his heavily muscled chest and his erection pressed through his leather breeches against her almost bare belly.

“I claim you as mine,” he said before crushing his mouth to hers.

The sound of cheering broke out, but Awai was lost in the kiss, lost in knowing she had joined with her soul mate. A man she could never have dreamed of finding had found her.

His mouth moved over hers, his tongue delving into her mouth, his taste, his masculine scent seeping into her senses.

When he pulled away, he grasped her chin and smiled. “I love you, Awai.”

She caught her breath at the beauty of the moment, at the beauty of her man. “Any time, any place, any world. I love you, Ty.”

Chapter Sixteen

Awai gasped as Ty swept her up in his embrace and strode away from the bow of the yacht. She flung her arms around his neck, and her gaze was only for him as they passed their family. Awai could hear her nieces sighing and sniffling and the proud rumbles of their spouses.

Ty carried her down an ebony staircase into the depths of the yacht, down a hall lit by glowing golden orbs. He brought her into an enormous stateroom and the moment they were through the doors he used his magic to shut them behind him.

The room was filled with vases and baskets brimming with cherry blossoms. Candles in shades of pink perched upon every surface not covered by blooms, and warm yellow candlelight flickered throughout the room. The bed was enormous and the soft coverlet was covered with the sweetly scented blossoms.

Huge windows faced the northern sky and through them Awai saw the fabulous aurora, its hues of pinks and purples and golds shifting and changing into reds and blues and silvers.

Ty carefully set her down on her feet in front of the windows so that she was looking out at the aurora and her back was to him. “I can hardly believe you are mine,” he murmured as he pushed away her dark hair and kissed her soft shoulder.

She shivered and tilted her head back, baring her throat to him. It felt sensual and so erotic to be standing before the aurora with her breasts naked despite her clothing, and her new nipple rings so tight that her breasts ached.

Awai sighed. “You are more than I could have hoped for.” Her dark hair slid across his chest as he brought her tight against him. He brought his hands up to cup her breasts and squeezed each of her nipples.

A sigh escaped her lips as she let herself feel and experience his callused hands upon her soft skin, his rigid erection pressing through the silk of her robes against her back. She reached up high and slid her fingers into his long blond hair as he kissed her nape. His hands worked lower, moving from her breasts to the star charm at her belly. He passed the fastening at her waist and pulled apart the front of the robe so that he could reach her bare mons.

She gasped as he slid his finger into her slit and her pussy grew even wetter. Slowly he stroked her clit, then slid his wet fingers back up over her mons, to the bare skin above her waist.