The Pearl Heartstone (7 page)

And he was still sleep. Damn it. She couldn’t even blame him.

Her blood burned hotter. She needed him. Needed to touch him. If

she didn’t, she would burn from the inside out. Stretching up, she connected to his lips, pulling at his. She traced them with her tongue. Her hands shook with both want and fear as she ran her fingers along his chest. He was going to wake up, and when he did, he would take her. But this time she wouldn’t be able to blame him. No, this time it would be all her. And that’s what scared her.

“Mmm,” he moaned into her hair.

She thirsted with the need to taste him again. She leaned up to him and captured his mouth. This time he parted his lips and welcomed her tongue inside. His flavor was a mix of vanilla and cream with a hint of spice. The vanilla cream must have been the last thing he’d eaten last night, because he couldn’t taste this delicious naturally. That would be just wrong.

He tightened his hold on her and then opened his eyes. Sleep and

passion mixed in his gaze, and she could almost pretend he truly cared for her. Not that it mattered. Right now, all she wanted was his body inside of hers. She wanted the skin‐to‐skin contact. The towel was no longer a 47

The Pearl Heartstone by Leila Brown

benefit but more of a hindrance. She broke the kiss and pulled her towel open to press her skin against him. Her nipples brushed against the thin fur covering his body, and she shook with the pleasure of it. She needed him now. He was going too slowly.

She pushed him over onto his back and straddled him. His penis brushed against the inside of her leg, and a trail of fire followed in its wake. Suddenly she couldn’t think. Couldn’t take it slow. All she could do was line him up with opening of her sex and sink down onto him.

He came fully awake then. His cock was rock hard as she slipped

down onto it. Her inner pussy muscles clenched him, making him feel even bigger. She didn’t breathe easy until she was fully seated on him. She felt so full. Staying still wasn’t and option.

He grabbed her thighs and pushed up then pulled her back down

onto his hard shaft. She pulled in a ragged breath and clenched around him. He moaned deep. The vibrations from the sound pushed her control past her breaking point.

She moved up and down, riding him as if she were riding a horse.

Every time she slipped up then down on him, her body sang with pleasure. She closed her eyes and inhaled a much‐needed breath. And with each movement, she tightened her inner muscles on him, sending more electric waves of ecstasy coursing through her. He was so big and hard that she felt every ridge, every vein, every inch of him.

It seemed just a few short minutes before she felt him swell. Damn it, she was so close, so damn close to reaching her own orgasm that she whimpered with the knowledge that he would finish before her. He reached between their bodies and stroked her clit then pinched down on her tight bud, and she screamed as the orgasm hit her. It swamped her every sense. Her heart threatened to explode out of her chest as it burned through her.

It seemed to take several minutes for her breathing to go back to normal, but finally she felt as though she could pry her eyes open. Jorel was staring up at her. He was looking up at her with an expression she couldn’t decipher. She turned her head away.

“You can wake me up that way any morning.” The laughter in his

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voice should have irked her, but it didn’t. It made her want to smile. He could’ve been a smart ass about it, but instead, he said something that made her a tiny bit more comfortable. Another piece of ice melted.

After a few minutes passed, she climbed off of him. He reached over and hit a button on the stand next to the bed. She wanted to ask him what he was doing but was afraid that if she opened her mouth, he would ask her why she decided to sex him up this morning. Because honestly, she didn’t know.

There was a knock at the door, and the same men who’d brought

the water in yesterday brought in more. Some time during the night, someone had emptied and cleaned the tub. As soon as the water bearers left the room, she jumped up and raced across to step into the tub. Damn it, she forgot to get the soap from the cabinet. Now she could either get out and get it, or ask for help. Neither of which sounded good to her.

“Need something?”

Shit. No, she didn’t. She turned away from him. He got up from the bed and walked over to the cabinet. She didn’t miss the fact that he grabbed two sets of towels.

“I’ll wash your back if you wash mine.”

He was laughing, damn it. Why was he laughing? He wasn’t acting

like the jerk from yesterday.

“Why are you being so nice?” She bit her lip and watched as the laughter in his face disappeared. She didn’t want the guy from yesterday back, but she did want to know what had changed.

“You prefer I not be nice to you?” He dropped one set of towels by the tub then walked out of the room with the other.

That wasn’t what she meant, but it looked like she’d screwed it up.

She took a deep breath then reached for the towels and soap. At least he hadn’t chained her to the bed. That was a plus. She could explore the palace. She washed up quickly, toweled off, then put on the stupid excuse for clothing. She was as good as naked. But seeing as she’d stalked around the castle naked yesterday, this was an improvement.

She opened the door and saw two guards standing there.

Hopefully they weren’t waiting on her. A few steps and she wanted to kill 49

The Pearl Heartstone by Leila Brown

Jorel. The guards were following her. She needed to find an escape route, but first she needed to lose the goon squad.

After she turned down the fifth hallway, she turned on the guards.

“Where is Jorel?”

The guards looked at each other then at her. They really didn’t want to answer her. She could see it on their faces. They knew she was going to make problems. The question was, did they want to be part of that problem or not.

“Either you can answer me and we find him quickly, or you can stay quiet and we search every room in this place, got it?” She was serious too. She would do it just to spite them.

“I will take you to him,” one of the two said.

“Smart man. Very smart man.” She followed him, trying to take in

her surroundings. She was creating a mental map of the palace. If she found an escape route, she needed to remember how to get to it.

All too quickly, they walked into a room where both Jorel and the

man she assumed was his father sat over what could only be described as a chess set, or at least that was what it looked like to her.

“Jorel, call off the goon squad. I don’t need a guard.” She stalked over to stand right in front of the desk, nodded her head in greeting to the king, but seeing as it was his people out to kill her she wasn’t about to get all warm and fuzzy. Jorel backed his chair away from the board, and she took a step in his direction. If he said something asinine, she wanted to be within slapping distance.

“The guard was not my idea. You can thank my father for your followers.” He swept his hand out in the king’s direction.

Well, hell. Now she was going to have to talk to him. She turned and plastered a smile on her face. “Your Highness. Thank you for your concern, but I do not need anyone to guard me.”

“Nonsense. I saw the blood on you last night. Someone has seen fit to target you, and I will not allow you to be hurt.”

“It’s not me you should be worrying about. I’m not aiming to
hurt
anyone who attacks me.” She was going for the kill.

“Be that as it may. My son has already indicated that there is a 50

The Pearl Heartstone by Leila Brown

possibility that you may already be carrying his heir. I will let no harm come to my family.” He inclined his head, and she could see the steel in his silver gray eyes. He wouldn’t relent. He wanted her for the children she could produce. There would be no help from his quarter.

“Fine. Just know this. I claim no responsibility for them, and although I have no plans on killing them, I will not cooperate with them.

So if you find them laid out in the hall or tied up in a room somewhere, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She flipped what must be the king piece down on the tiny board and walked to the door. Before she could slip through it, Fi’on ducked into the room.

“I think I have a solution, Sire,” Fi’on volunteered. “Let me be her guard.”

Ally cut her gaze toward the woman. This had to be some sort of trick. Fi’on didn’t even like her. “I don’t think so,” Ally said, taking another step to the door. Fi’on wouldn’t be as easy to take down as the two men who followed her. She would definitely give Ally a run for her money.

“Wait,” the king said in a booming voice. “The idea has merit.

None have bested Fi’on. And surely, the princess can take a female guard places where a male guard may not follow. Yes. Yes. I like this idea.” He rubbed his hand along the thin fur covering his chin. “Fi’on is now the princess’ personal guard.”

Ally blinked in surprise. She should have just ignored goons one and two but no, she went and expected someone else to solve her problems for her. When was she going to learn that it never quite worked out that way? Now she had an even bigger problem.

“So where are we heading?” Fi’on asked, coming up to stand beside her.

Ally looked the muscular woman up and down. She was almost a

mirror image of Fi’an in the face, but the sheer size of her muscled body made her appear more masculine than feminine.

“I’m going to plan my escape from this delusional world.” Ally walked out of the room without a backwards glance. She could hear the soft sound of Fi’on’s footsteps coming up behind her.

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“Well, I’m about to hunt down my sister’s attacker.” Fi’on didn’t look at her. Didn’t ask for help.

They came to a fork in the hallway. Left or right? She could always find an escape route later. She owed Fi’an justice, and she owed someone else a quick and painful death. Ally opened her mouth and sighed before saying, “I’m following you.”

Fi’on didn’t say anything as she led Ally through a maze of hallways until they came to a set of stairs that led them outside. Ally tried to memorize the way out, but it was useless. As soon as they were outside, Fi’on turned to her.

“So the killers want to get you. We give them the opportunity,” she said, smirking.

“Gee, when did we decide to offer me up as bait?” Ally didn’t mind being bait. Truly, that would’ve been her plan. Only difference was that she would have asked first.

“It’s the only way,” Fi’on said, her eyebrows arching as if she expected a fight.

“I know. I just prefer to be asked before I put my life on the line.

Now, either you can fill me in and we can do this, or you do what you do and I can do what I do.” Either way, Ally was going to end this thing so she could find a way out of here.

“Fine. We stand out here and wait for someone to attack,” Fi’on said, turning to look and see who was watching.

“This isn’t going to work. No one is going to attack if they think we are just sitting here waiting on them. We need to look busy. Do something that can be written off as an accident.” Suddenly an idea struck Ally. “Do you fight?”

Fi’on frowned at her. “It would be an unfair fight.”

“I’ll go easy on you,” Ally said with a smile.

“You can’t really think you will beat me.” Fi’on’s arrogance would have been disconcerting if Ally wasn’t one hundred percent sure that she could use that confidence against her.

“Your mate won’t like it,” Fi’on said, bending and stretching her legs.

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“And I should care why?” As far as Ally was concerned, that made

it even better.

“If they ask, I was showing you how to defend yourself.” Fi’on stalked away from the stairs.

“And when I beat you, tell them that I was showing you how to defend yourself.” It wouldn’t take long to wipe that smug smile off Fi’on’s face.

Soon they were in a stone clearing. “This is where the youth first train.” It was a dirt field surrounded by a semi‐circle of rocks. A really open area. Even a person with a gun would find it hard to hide.

“Ready?” Fi’on asked.

“Bring it on,” Ally said, crouching into a defense stance.

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“Stupid.” Ally closed the door behind herself. She hurt all over. Her arms, her legs, even her ass was sore. But she smiled at the knowledge that Fi’on was just as sore. The woman had pinned her three times, but Ally had won three times too. They were tied. After a while, they became so involved in one‐upping each other they hadn’t noticed the gathering crowd. By the end, they both decided there were too many bystanders for anyone to try anything. The plan was to regroup tomorrow morning.

She leaned her head against the wall and groaned. The sound echoed in the room and ended with a growl. Ally flipped around and stared into the golden eyes of the fiercest looking animal she’d ever seen.

He looked to be about the size of a lion, but it’s mousy brown fur and rodent face told her it wasn’t something she’d ever run into before. Was it another shifter like Jorel?