Summoned and Stolen (Summoned Series Romances) (8 page)

Kel was in a battle for control of his own body, and he was losing. Her hot little body was clamped around his dick so tightly he was seeing stars, but still he fought to give her time to adjust to his size. He wanted nothing more than to pound into the sweet heat of her pussy forever, so that she would remember the feel of his cock buried to the hilt inside her for the rest of her life. Deep in the darkest parts of his soul something was stirring, a primal need to claim and mark her for his own.

He had fought for her and won. No one was taking her from him. She was his.

“Yours,” she agreed, speaking so softly he almost missed it. He hadn’t meant to say any of those thoughts aloud. Wasn’t even sure he had. Still, she had agreed with him, and that was all he needed to hear.

“Mine,” he growled in affirmation as he began to move, claiming her with his body as well as his words. “Come for me Lily, let me hear you scream my name again.”

Though she had the freedom to disregard her master’s requests, this one time, Lily chose not to. She let the magic of the torc influence her body, bringing her to orgasm so quickly she barely had time to draw a single breath before she was caught up in the winds of passion and sent soaring. This time Kel didn’t give her time to recover, instead he kept up his rhythmic thrusts, his eyes half-closed as he raced toward his own release, taking her with him.

She lifted her legs, twining them around his hips as he moved over her, his mouth on hers and their breath mingling as they came together for one perfect moment. Two bodies bound, two hearts beating together and two souls finally finding solace in each other.

When he emptied himself inside her at last, it was her name he groaned against her lips. She may have agreed to be his, but Lily hoped that a little piece of her warrior’s heart now belonged to her too.

***

CHAPTER 1
0

If there was a trail to follow, Kel had yet to see it. Since they left the clearing, all he had seen was a lot of foliage that seemed intent on not staying put the way plants were supposed to. The entire forest around them was shifting, and he didn’t like it. The fact that neither Lily nor his horse appeared to be at all concerned wasn’t helping either. Animals moved, plants didn’t. That was part of the natural order of things.

“Not much farther to the edge of the forest. We’re being guided back to the road, or near enough to it we’ll be able to find it easily,” Lily informed him, gifting him with a sweet smile that banished his dark mood in an instant. She was airborne, leading him through the verdant maze with a confidence that spoke volumes about her state of mind. She was happier, stronger and apparently more in tune with the world around them now that she was not forbidden to use her innate magical abilities.

“How can you tell? It’s a wall of greenery in here.” He waved a hand toward the forest in annoyance.

“How can you tell when you are nearing the edge of a battlefield? Your senses tell you it is so. You trust your instincts in war, and I trust mine when it comes to the natural world. This is where the forest is guiding us, and it’s where the energy of the woodlands is weakest.”

“So it’s not my imagination? The damned forest
is
moving?”

Her laughter was as sweet as the nightingale’s song. “It’s parting before us and closing up behind us, hiding our tracks. I have a little influence over all living things, but only a little.”

“I’m not overly fond of magic,” he grumbled. Not many soldiers were. They preferred to fight an enemy they could see and hear, one who bled when you cut them and died when you made them bleed sufficiently. Magic, especially battle magic, made monsters of men and turned battlefields into hellish nightmares filled with illusions and trickery.

Lily’s wings slowed to a faint flutter that couldn’t possibly be enough to keep her aloft as she looked back at him with sad eyes. “I didn’t know that.”

Fuck.

“I didn’t mean that the way it sounded,” Kel said apologetically.

“You don’t like magic. Yet you saved a creature of magic and you are currently wearing a very powerful magical ring that allows you to control her.”

“I don’t understand magic. It makes me uneasy. I prefer to deal with things I can touch, see, and know are real. You’re real, Lily. You’re not a creature of anything. You’re just…you. And I
like
you.” He glanced down at the ring on his finger and frowned in distaste. She was right about one thing. He was wearing the damned thing. At least that could be easily rectified. Kel tugged the ring off his finger and held it in the palm of his hand so she could see it. “I’m not your master anymore.”

Lily swooped in closer and stared at the ring in amazement. “You…you just took it off. Just like that?”

“Aye. Did you not hear me last night, little one? I don’t want to be your master. I never did. I want you to be free. Take it.” He reached out and offered the ring to her but she backed away from his hand.

“Thank you, but no. I don’t want to touch it. It’s bad enough having this vile thing around my neck.”

“Does the collar hurt you?” It had never occurred to Kel that it might, but suddenly he was sick at the idea that she might be in pain.

“It doesn’t hurt. But the magic that binds me is tainted, and I can feel that taint against my skin. It…I suppose the best description is to say it makes me itch.”

“If you won’t take it, will you trust me to keep this until we can find a way to destroy it?” He waited, surprised by how much it mattered that she said yes.

“Last night I trusted you with my life, and this morning I trusted you with my…body. Of course I trust you to safeguard my freedom.”

Kel caught her hesitation and wondered what she had stopped herself from saying. He didn’t press her though, perhaps because he wasn’t ready to hear it. He shoved away such thoughts with an inward growl. “I’ll put it with the other one,” he muttered.

“The other what?”

Clearly this was going to be his day for saying stupid things. “My other ring.” He hoped that would be enough to appease her, but Lily wasn’t going to let it go.

“Why don’t you wear it? If I had something pretty to wear, I would never take it off.”

Her words reminded him that she had nothing at all in this word to call her own. Even the simple cotton shirt she wore was one of his few spares, the back of it slashed with a knife to allow for her wings. “The first village we come to I am going to find you something nice to wear. You have my word.” If it made her happy, he’d spend every penny he had on pretty things for her to wear. Gods above, he was losing his mind.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“You’re right, I didn’t.” Kel winked at her and fished a small pouch from his cloak, slipping her ring inside without letting her see anything more. Very soon he was going to have to show her the ring that bore the royal crest of Wulfshaven, and explain why he possessed it. He just wasn’t ready to talk about his father or the fact they were on their way to see him. For now, he wanted to know more about her. He would have to talk about himself soon enough.

Lily had very nearly told him she trusted him with her heart. That was true, but something told her that Kel wasn’t ready to hear it. Lily wasn’t even sure
she
was ready to hear it. Something was happening between them, something more than chemistry or gratitude or even simple desire. She’d had lovers before, but none of them made her feel the way Kel did. None of them had ever made her feel dominated and empowered at the same time. It was intoxicating.

Even the fact he was keeping secrets didn’t really bother her. Lily was certain that he’d tell her about the other ring, and everything else, given time. He was not a man who gave of himself lightly. He was guarded and cautious. She had seen it in him last night with the Duke. Still, they had time to get to know each other now. After all, what else was there to do on their journey? Kel had told her only that they were going to see someone who could help them. He’d said it with his features carefully schooled, but she’d caught a flicker of some deep emotion in his sky-blue eyes. Wherever they were headed, it was not a place he was looking forward to seeing again.

On impulse she flew in close and kissed him, giving no warning before swooping in and landing in front of him. “I will never be able to tell you what it means to me that you took off that ring so easily,” she whispered and then kissed him again. “Thank you, Kel. And thank the Gods of this world for sending you to me.”

Strong arms snaked around her waist, tugging her up against his armored chest. “I’ll be sure to relay your thanks the next time I remember to pray. Do you think Jagged can find his way out of here without your guidance?” Kel asked, his mouth a hairsbreadth from hers.

“I suppose. The trees will show him the way.”

“Good, then there’s no reason to let go of you yet.” Kel’s lips brushed hers, sending shivers of pleasure rushing through her. As soon as they left the shelter of the forest, Lily knew she would have to shift to her smaller form and hide herself away. She was too easily recognized for what she was, and they couldn’t afford to be spotted before they made it to their destination.

“We still have a little time left. Is there something you wish to do before I have to hide?”

“Aye, there is, little temptress. And I think you know full well what I wish for. Unfortunately, we’ve not got time to stop for that. I’ll have to be content with having you in my arms for now.”

Lily’s laughed and spread her wings, allowing herself to float until she was hovering above the saddle instead of sitting in it so that the two of them eye-to-eye. “Who said we have to stop?”

“Temptress indeed.” Kel slid a hand between their bodies to palm her breast while his other arm kept her close to his chest.

“Not a temptress. I just have no desire to be anywhere but in your arms,” Lily whispered her confession and Kel answered her with a kiss that made her quiver to the tips of her wings. There was hunger in his touch, but there was something else as well. His lips lingered, teasing and tasting her with a tenderness she’d never felt from him before. His hands, roughened by years handling weapons, were gentle as they caressed her.

The kiss deepened and she let her senses drink in everything as their tongues danced. His natural scent was earthy and dark, like the deep woods they had hidden in last night. The red-gold stubble of his jaw was scratchy where it touched her face, and she could feel the hard surface of his chainmail beneath his shirt. Kel’s hips rocked gently in time to his horse’s pace, an echo of the hard, fast thrusts he had used to bring her to orgasm just that morning. All around them birds sang and the trees rustled as they shifted, leading them out of the forest and back into a world full of danger. This time, though. She wouldn’t be facing that world alone.

She had Kel.

Kel’s need for Lily hit him with the force of sword blow, leaving him stunned. He had wanted women before, but never needed one. Lily was different. He couldn’t explain what it was that made her special, but she was. His men were going to be merciless when they saw him again. For so many years he’d claimed a true warrior needed nothing but his blade and an enemy to fight. Whether Lily stayed or not, Kel knew he’d never be able to make that claim again.

It was Lily who broke their kiss and then shifted herself in his arms so that she could reach the laces of his pants. Nimble fingers made short work of the knots he had tied, drawing out his cock with a soft coo of delight. That tiny sound made him even harder, and he had to resist the urge to haul her down onto his shaft and fuck her then and there. The only thing that stopped him was the knowledge that he’d hurt her if he did. The last thing Kel ever wanted to do was to cause her pain.

He removed his hand from the sweet curve of her ass, letting his fingers trace a line down between her legs to her pussy. Wet heat enveloped him as he slid a thick digit into her folds, seeking out her clit. “You’re already wet for me, little one, and I’ve barely touched you. Tonight I’m going to lay you down in the moonlight and learn every inch of your body. I will learn every secret place, every spot that makes you moan, and I will make you come harder than anyone has ever done. Your body is going to remember mine forever.”

Lily could only moan in response to his whispered words. Tonight couldn’t come fast enough. She had no doubt that Kel meant every syllable, and there was nothing she wanted more than to spend the night lost in his body. Until then, they would just have to settle for what they could get. His index finger found the swollen bundle of nerves and pressed down hard enough her entire body quivered. Her hand tightened around the thick shaft of his cock in response, and he groaned deep in his throat.

His mouth found hers again, hungry and wild with urgent demands that exactly matched her own. His fingers moved faster, sending her pulse racing. She rode his hand, letting his mouth muffle her sounds of pleasure. She stroked his cock in time to the rocking of her hips, and soon they were both breathing hard and she was lost to everything but her lover’s touch. Her attention slipped and she inadvertently dropped a few inches, bringing their bodies together. Once that happened, Lily let gravity work in her favor. She made a quick adjustment with her hands, wrapped her legs around Kel’s waist and sank down on his cock.

“Gods! You’re not ready for me yet.” Kel tried to move away, but there was nowhere for him to move to, no way to stop what was happening.

“I need you,” she whispered as she tightened her legs and drew him another incredible inch into her body.

“I need you too, little one. You have no idea how much.” Those softly spoken words were Lily’s undoing. She heard the pain buried in the words, and recognized the same loneliness that filled her heart. In that moment of instinctual connection with her battle scarred warrior Lily knew she’d found more than a protector. She’d found a kindred spirit.

One look into her beautiful eyes, so full of acceptance and trust, sent Kel spiraling into a firestorm of need. His hands gripped Lily’s hips, moving her in time with his thrusts as he claimed her body with his. Light flared around them, as dazzling as the sunshine that shone down in dappled splendor through the trees around them. It surrounded not just Lily, but Kel as well. It was so bright he closed his eyes, the loss of one sense serving to heighten the others. Every touch was ecstasy, every sound a symphony. Her scent was so intoxicating he felt drugged by it. He sheathed himself in the glorious heat of her body again and again. At last, the light around them flared impossibly bright, and her inner walls flexed around his cock tight as a fist as she cried out his name and came.

“You are so fucking beautiful,” he ground out the words as he continued to move her over his cock, stretching out her orgasm until her wild cries reverberated through the trees. She was so hot and tight around him that he could barely breathe, and when he followed her into bliss his

balls felt as though they turned inside out as he came harder than he had imagined possible. The light around them faded a little and Lily slumped into his arms, her head falling into the crook of his shoulder.

“This was a very good idea,” she muttered against his chest.