liquid splashed across
his back.
They held each other, their panting breaths melding with the
torrential downpour of the waterfalls to create an orchestra of spent passion.
Kirel leaned his forehead on Thor’s shoulder. Behind him, Domenic placed a
tender kiss at the hollow between his shoulder blades.
“I think you’re ready,” Domenic murmured. Kirel could hear
the amusement in the younger man’s voice. Any other day, it might have annoyed
him. Today, it made him smile.
“For what?” Kirel asked at last.
Thor’s hips ground against Kirel’s, his softening cock
touching Kirel’s still-quivering rod. The Guardian pulled back. A glint of
emotion flickered in his sky blue eyes. “For Nelina.”
Chapter Five
From the window of her room, Nelina watched night fall for
the second time since she’d been brought to the castle, slanting its deep
shadow across the red dust that coated the expanse of the vast garden. The day
had been a blur. From the moment she’d awoken, she’d barely had a second’s
peace.
At first, the torrent of servants who kept pouring into her
room provided a welcome intrusion from her tumultuous thoughts. But soon the
constant scrutiny of their overly attentive ministrations began to grate and
she longed for the safety of her room back at Shadow’s Fortune.
She missed being swept up in the bustle of the busy inn and
she yearned for a heart-to-heart talk with Reah more than she could have
imagined. Though she’d always preferred solitude even to the well-meaning
chatter of a good friend, Reah had been like a sister to her. They’d grown up
together. Through scraped knees, awkward growth spurts, heartaches and immense
joy, they’d held each other’s hand and had been able to find some comfort in
knowing neither was alone.
But here, in the midst of Waldemar Castle, surrounded by a
dozen servants who all seemed to have nothing better to do than dote upon her
every move, she’d never felt lonelier.
Most frustrating of all was the way no one wanted to speak
with her. Oh they were all polite enough when they served her, but if she asked
even the most innocuous of questions about the castle, its customs, or—Gods
forbid—its Guardians or king, they clammed up as though their life depended on
their vow of silence.
“Are you sure you won’t allow me to help you bathe?”
Nelina tightened her grip on the windowsill and forced a
calmness she didn’t feel into her voice. “No, thank you. Please leave.”
“But the Guardians will be here soon. I’ve been told to
ensure you’re ready for them when they arrive.”
Nelina whirled around and pierced the frail servant girl
with a withering glare. “You mean they won’t fuck me if I’m dirty? I had no
idea they were so discriminating.”
The color drained from the girl’s cheeks. “I didn’t mean to
imply you wouldn’t please them, m’lady. Just that a bath would take care of
certain…odors.” By the time she finished, her voice had dropped to an
embarrassed murmur.
The first genuine amused grin since she’d arrived at the
castle played upon Nelina’s lips. “Why don’t you let me worry about my own
odors and how displeasing they might be to the king’s men, hmm?”
With a final furtive bow, the girl left the room, shutting
the door quietly behind her.
Nelina sucked in a deep breath, closed her eyes and leaned
her head against the frigid windowpane. She could hardly believe they’d all
gone. Finally, she could have a moment of much-needed solitude to gather her
thoughts.
A sudden knock on the door made her eyes jolt open. She
should have known this newfound privacy was too good to last.
“What is it now?”
A woman she didn’t recognize slipped into the room on a
cloud of spiced incense. The scent should have been too strong to be pleasant
but it filled the air with a musky, almost comforting odor that reminded Nelina
of home.
The newcomer looked almost ethereal. A gauzy white gown
enveloped her slender body,
his back.
They held each other, their panting breaths melding with the
torrential downpour of the waterfalls to create an orchestra of spent passion.
Kirel leaned his forehead on Thor’s shoulder. Behind him, Domenic placed a
tender kiss at the hollow between his shoulder blades.
“I think you’re ready,” Domenic murmured. Kirel could hear
the amusement in the younger man’s voice. Any other day, it might have annoyed
him. Today, it made him smile.
“For what?” Kirel asked at last.
Thor’s hips ground against Kirel’s, his softening cock
touching Kirel’s still-quivering rod. The Guardian pulled back. A glint of
emotion flickered in his sky blue eyes. “For Nelina.”
Chapter Five
From the window of her room, Nelina watched night fall for
the second time since she’d been brought to the castle, slanting its deep
shadow across the red dust that coated the expanse of the vast garden. The day
had been a blur. From the moment she’d awoken, she’d barely had a second’s
peace.
At first, the torrent of servants who kept pouring into her
room provided a welcome intrusion from her tumultuous thoughts. But soon the
constant scrutiny of their overly attentive ministrations began to grate and
she longed for the safety of her room back at Shadow’s Fortune.
She missed being swept up in the bustle of the busy inn and
she yearned for a heart-to-heart talk with Reah more than she could have
imagined. Though she’d always preferred solitude even to the well-meaning
chatter of a good friend, Reah had been like a sister to her. They’d grown up
together. Through scraped knees, awkward growth spurts, heartaches and immense
joy, they’d held each other’s hand and had been able to find some comfort in
knowing neither was alone.
But here, in the midst of Waldemar Castle, surrounded by a
dozen servants who all seemed to have nothing better to do than dote upon her
every move, she’d never felt lonelier.
Most frustrating of all was the way no one wanted to speak
with her. Oh they were all polite enough when they served her, but if she asked
even the most innocuous of questions about the castle, its customs, or—Gods
forbid—its Guardians or king, they clammed up as though their life depended on
their vow of silence.
“Are you sure you won’t allow me to help you bathe?”
Nelina tightened her grip on the windowsill and forced a
calmness she didn’t feel into her voice. “No, thank you. Please leave.”
“But the Guardians will be here soon. I’ve been told to
ensure you’re ready for them when they arrive.”
Nelina whirled around and pierced the frail servant girl
with a withering glare. “You mean they won’t fuck me if I’m dirty? I had no
idea they were so discriminating.”
The color drained from the girl’s cheeks. “I didn’t mean to
imply you wouldn’t please them, m’lady. Just that a bath would take care of
certain…odors.” By the time she finished, her voice had dropped to an
embarrassed murmur.
The first genuine amused grin since she’d arrived at the
castle played upon Nelina’s lips. “Why don’t you let me worry about my own
odors and how displeasing they might be to the king’s men, hmm?”
With a final furtive bow, the girl left the room, shutting
the door quietly behind her.
Nelina sucked in a deep breath, closed her eyes and leaned
her head against the frigid windowpane. She could hardly believe they’d all
gone. Finally, she could have a moment of much-needed solitude to gather her
thoughts.
A sudden knock on the door made her eyes jolt open. She
should have known this newfound privacy was too good to last.
“What is it now?”
A woman she didn’t recognize slipped into the room on a
cloud of spiced incense. The scent should have been too strong to be pleasant
but it filled the air with a musky, almost comforting odor that reminded Nelina
of home.
The newcomer looked almost ethereal. A gauzy white gown
enveloped her slender body,
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