Queen of Jastain (31 page)

A new tune played, familiar, sensual. For a moment, they stood with just the song between them. The desire emanating from him pounded as severely as the beat of the music.

In an instant, he spanned the distance between them in three strides. With one arm around her waist and the other behind her head, he pulled her into a rapturous kiss. His passion, a breathtaking rush, swept over her and continued to spill like a waterfall, thrashing with powerful current.

Slanting his lips against her mouth, he took as he pleased, and she tried to keep up. Hot and forceful, his tongue danced across hers, his velvet strokes sending electric shocks coursing through her core. Dizziness threatened her balance, and breath was in short supply. She could only hold on. His urgency possessed her like a demon spirit, and heat burned between her legs.

After a time—she couldn't say how long—his pace slowed, but his kiss, still deep, became languid and full of promise. Leisurely and fluid, his mouth moved but never relinquished his hold. She molded to his chest and would've given her fortune to stay in this moment for the rest of forever. His hold loosened, and the kiss slowed like a carnival ride coming to a stop.

Finally, he pulled from her lips. If he let go, she'd melt into a pool on the floor.

He released her body and walked to the door.

She sucked in a breath and held out her arms for balance. Her pounding heart sank and her eyes refocused.
Damn.
It was over.

But then he closed the door and turned around.

Capturing her in his sight, he unbuttoned his shirt as he stalked toward her. She let out a gasp and stepped back.

The feral desire in his eyes left little doubt to his intent. A chill swept over her where flame had burned, and she continued to retreat. Never releasing her from his gaze, he slipped the shirt from his shoulders, discarded it, and reached for her. The back of her knees hit the bed. She swallowed hard.

Pulling her close, Avant whispered into her ear, “Why are you afraid, little rabbit?” He slid his hands under her blouse and pushed it up over her head. Then he brushed his lips down her neck, over her shoulder, and across her chest, which rose and fell with force. Her senses heightened and every touch intensified. She felt his lips and breath like velvet on her skin, but most of all she felt the heat. It radiated in waves. He slipped his fingers under the waistband of her skirt and pulled it past her hips until it fell in a
whoosh
to the floor.

God Almighty. Is this really happening?
His warm tongue trailed over her skin, indicating it was. Her eyes fluttered closed. He released the hooks on her bra and slid the straps from her arms. His hands trembled as they cupped her breasts. Pleasure shot through her core as his thumbs stroked her hardened nipples.

Any fear incinerated in the wake of his touch and only desire existed. Her hands slid the length of his chest down to his jeans, the muscles rippling under her fingers. He blew out a hot breath. Their hunger for one another drowned anything else in its way. Abby shimmied from her panties and scooted onto the bed.

The look of want and need in his eyes pulsed heat between her legs.

* * * *

Avant drank in the vision of her naked body like cool water on parched soil. He removed his jeans and boxers then slid into bed next to her. Slipping one arm under her and the other on her hip, he pulled Abigail to his mouth, drowning her in kisses. How long he'd waited. His need to have her beneath him, to make love to her, overtook his will, and he relinquished control.

Everything dimmed but her softness. His heart slammed against his ribs. With insistent lips drawing in her sweetness, he took possession of her with a ferocity that shocked him. He wove his hand into the back of her hair and pulled her head back. She sighed and trembled. The fear and vulnerability in her eyes had intoxicated him, and in his drunkenness, released his doubts. He couldn't do anything but give himself over to passion.

Brushing her neck with his lips, he exhaled in her ear. “My angel. My beautiful angel.”

A treasure in his arms. Where to go first? His hands, finally free to roam her silky skin, caressed her sides and hips. He slid his palms around her waist and down her backside, where he grabbed and pressed her firmly against his thigh. She shuddered and moaned. If she continued, he'd not be able to withhold his release.

He bent and filled his mouth with her dark pink bud. He teased the tip with his tongue and sucked in the pebbled flesh. She arched into him. Her warm hands explored him, moving across his shoulders and back, intensifying the throbbing need to penetrate her.

Her fingernails raked over his hips, and her fingers kneaded his behind, pressing the length of their bodies together. A growl from deep in his chest rumbled from his lips. He seized her thighs and pushed her legs apart. He trailed his fingers the length of her satin folds drenched with desire. She whimpered. The sound of her pleasure was his undoing. He could wait no longer.

He rolled on top of her and positioned between her legs. Then mercilessly, he thrust into her with a force that caused her to cry out. Had he not been connected to her mind, he would have thought her in pain. The untamed need within him took her unashamedly. He pulled back and drove deeply again and again, capturing her, claiming her with each push. Their bodies merged along with minds and hearts. Light gathered and electric current circuited through them. She threw her head back and arched into him, meeting him stroke for stroke. The pleasure that engulfed him built, and he could not contain it. He withheld nothing but pounded with his relentless passion.

Her thighs tensed. She came with a rapturous explosion of sounds and shudders that swept him over the cliff. His long denied desire roared through his heart as his seed pulsed into her body. Light shattered. Raw energy and emotion, in an ebb and flow loop, gave as aggressively as it received.

Their bodies became a reflection of what their hearts and minds already were. Intertwined. Merged. One.

He collapsed onto her, breathing in the faint strawberry scent of her hair. His heart raced and sweat streamed down the sides of his face. Rolling to his back, he pulled her to him. She wrapped an arm around his waist and a leg over his thigh, nestling her head into his shoulder.

“Holy fuck!” Her words came breathy and labored.

Through his panting, a hearty chuckle escaped his lips. “Yes, wasn't it?”

“If I'd known letting you lead would produce these results, I'd have surrendered months ago.”

A feeling of invincibility spread through him at the thought of giving her so much pleasure. After the Crown was restored, he would make Abigail his queen. She was for him. He glanced down at his angel with gold-spun tresses. Her creamy skin against his filled a longing he never believed could be sated, and he drank her in. 

Her desire for him was just as great. A warmth spread through him at the thought of how she loved him, and he pulled her in tightly.
Mine.

Smiling in satisfaction, he was pleased with the memories he had created. He glanced down at her body draped over him, finer than kingly robes. He was by no means finished creating new memories tonight.
Let her dwell on these images tomorrow and feel the after effects of my claim on her.
This Chad should take care, or he would find himself at the end of a sword.

The exquisite pleasure of her flesh set his body into motion again. By the Light, he would tell her tomorrow that this passion needed to be shelved until their task was completed, when they could properly marry. Humph. He scowled at her. To think he could abstain now he had tasted her was folly, and she would be no help to his cause. Tomorrow they would cloak their passion and wait for its time, but tonight….

He silently held her then made love to her again. And again. Exploring her like a new treasure, he unlocked the hidden places of pleasure she'd never articulated. Her secret desires lay bare before him, and he intended to fulfill. Every. One.

Abby’s head lay on Avant’s chest, his heartbeat providing comfort and security. Her body felt like butter at room temperature, and the slightest movement would cause her to irreparably melt into the mattress. If the house caught fire, she'd just have to go down in flames, because there was no way her jellied limbs could save her.

With his middle finger he traced her arm, shoulder to elbow and back again. “Abigail, have you considered what you'll do after we accomplish our task?”

The sound of his husky baritone poured over her. “Mmm….” She sighed. “I haven’t really thought much about it.”

“I want you to live in the palace with me.” His heartbeat quickened under her, and he swallowed. “Have you ever considered being queen?”

Had he just proposed? She lifted her head to see his face. “Queen? What do you mean?”

“Abigail, I expect to be in the castle after this is over, and I expect you to be there with me.” He bent his head and kissed her. “My Light, you will make a beautiful queen.”

Her heart pounded in her chest and tears stung her eyes. She held him tightly and smiled. “Queen? It just seems so unreal. Wow. Of course I want to be with you.”

After all these months, he’d finally allowed himself to open up. He wanted to marry her? To live with her? Holy crap. She was going to be a queen.

“Then we need to regain our kingdom. I searched the files you gave me but found nothing. My Gift tells me this Chad is not the answer we need. Are you certain there was nothing else in the safe? It seems the most logical place.”

“There were only the files…and the empty box.” A revelation flooded her mind. “Why would my father leave an empty box in the safe?”

Apparently Avant was thinking the same thing. He jumped from the bed and slid on his jeans. She threw on her robe, and they trailed down to the study.

After she’d opened the safe, Abby carried the box back to her bedroom. She flipped on a lamp and sat Indian style in the middle of the bed. Pop music played softly as they studied the oval container of inlaid wood. Opening the lid, she let out a frustrated sigh. Still empty.

He reached over. “Let me see it.”

She absently handed it to him. Where would her dad have hidden something for her? This had to be it.

“This looks strikingly similar to a box my father made for me.” He opened the lid. Feeling the inside edge, he found a button that opened another compartment underneath. “Abigail, look. The rubies!” Avant gasped as he gently removed two papers and handed them to her.

She laid the papers to the side and moved closer to look in the box. The stones sat securely in the bottom of the secret compartment. “We found them.” She wrapped her arms around him and captured his mouth, but he captured hers right back. In a delicate tug-o-war, their lips playfully battled for supremacy.

Avant pulled from her kiss. “Where are those papers?”

She caught her breath and handed one to him then opened the other.

Abigail,

I trust you have found this letter when the time was ripe. You'll find the Crown and the sapphires in the house of Naphen, your grandfather. I was entrusted with the Stone of Light and have given it to you to keep until the Crown is restored. The mated earring is a diamond for which I paid a high price but if the stones have found you all is not lost. The Amethysts and the Emeralds have been entrusted to Kasten. Raieda had possession of the rubies, but upon her death, I've placed them in this box. She was known by the evil one to be your mother, and could not risk your life by being with you. She loved you, Abigail.

I write in haste and regret I couldn’t share more. My angel, we have each made our own sacrifice to the Light, and you not least of all, Chosen One. To reset the Crown will not be an easy task, but I foresee the end and your great accomplishment.

I've always been proud of you, and I've always loved you. – Daddy

She laid the paper at her side. A lump formed in her throat and tears dropped on her leg.
I wish you were here, Daddy.
But he'd confirmed her mother's death. Was it possible Raieda had gone into hiding and was still alive? Or was something else going on?

This letter confirmed everything. Her father had known of her destiny. He’d hid her away until the right time. All those years of thinking she wasn’t good enough, that he didn’t love her enough were a guise to keep her safe so she could return to the place where she belonged. He had known she would marry the king, that one day she would be queen.

Avant still held the other parchment. He appeared to be re-reading it.

“Avant, you need to read this letter. It’s from my dad. All we need are the amethysts, the emeralds…and the Crown…and of course, we have to confront the King’s Army…Avant…What is it?”

The blood had drained from his face, and he swayed as if he might pass out.

“Honey, are you all right?” She touched his arm. His chilled flesh shook beneath her fingers.

He tossed her the paper and rose from the bed. Pacing to the window, he peered out into the dark. She glanced down and unfolded the parchment. Perfectly formed, scrolling letters decorated the aged paper. Her father’s writing.

On the last eve of her twentieth birthday, The Seed of Light will be fully grown and the Crown of Light fully known.

A song for the singing

Life for growth

Love now in bringing

Hearts once were smote

Hope to the wise

The tree now is green

Crown her the Head

Make her the Queen

Blessings and bitterness at dawn will they duel

The Keeper of Stones crowns the new rule

The Chosen One now chooses

The fruit borne is seen

A king rules no more…

The Reign belongs to the Queen

Annum 1567 - Song of High Priest

Festival Keihev Neous

She finished reading the last prophecy of Avant’s father, the high priest, as transcribed by Jo-Naphen, her father over forty years before.