Jewel of Apthgar

  An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

  www.ellorascave.com

  Jewel of Apthgar

  ISBN 9781419915604

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  Jewel of Apthgar Copyright © 2008 Sherrill Quinn

  Edited by Briana St. James

  Cover art by Syneca.

  Electronic book Publication February 2008

  With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/)

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  Jewel of Apthgar

  Sherrill Quinn

  Chapter One

  Princess Rahziya Sanura, heir to the Garan throne, stood as witness to the latest marriage ceremony between two noble houses and tightened her lips at the unfairness of it all. Why could a duke of Gar and a countess of Apth get married, yet her father continued to forbid her to have anything to do with Prince Callum?

  She smoothed her elegant gown over her hips and glanced over the heads of the bride and groom to the Apthian delegation. Her gaze met Callum Hefeydd’s and, as always, her pulse zoomed at the look of banked desire in those gray-green eyes. If it weren’t for her father’s—and, admittedly, Callum’s parents as well—continued resistance to a reunification of the kingdoms, this could be her and Callum declaring their love publicly.

  “With the vows spoken and approval given by these witnesses, there is but one more stage to complete.” The magi took the hands of the nude bride and groom and joined them, keeping his on top of them. His solemn gaze went first to the couple, then to the assembled guests. “One of the joys of being a magi to the people is the task of conducting unification ceremonies such as these. To be used by the great god Apthgar to bless these young people’s union is both a privilege and an honor.”

  Knowing what was coming, Rahziya swallowed and tried to calm her breathing. She always became so aroused at these ceremonies and with Callum standing just on the other side of the small circle, this particular union would be unbearable to witness.

  The magi unfastened a few of the loops holding his robe together, then shrugged the purple and blue garment off his shoulders. The clothing pooled around his feet, leaving him as naked as the bride and groom. At his nod, the couple knelt at his feet. First the bride kissed the magi’s penis, then the groom. Accepting a cup from a nearby neophyte, the magi drank the contents. Immediately his cock began to engorge, becoming erect in a matter of a few seconds.

  “I humbly offer myself in the place of our god, sanctifying this union and offering myself in place of the Jewel of Apthgar.” The magi took a step back. The bride and groom stretched out on a large pad at his feet.

  The dark-haired groom pressed a soft, lingering kiss against his bride’s lips then trailed his mouth down her neck to her breasts. He began suckling her, moving from one rigid tip to the other, and stroked one hand between her thighs.

  The woman moaned and bent her legs, her knees falling apart to open herself more fully. She brought her hands up to the man’s head and clasped him to her breast.

  As the groom began thrusting his fingers into the bride’s pussy, his thumb rotating against her swollen clit, Rahziya drew in a sharp breath. She clenched her thighs together, trying to stem her own rising arousal. She took her gaze off the couple and looked up to find Callum’s heated stare on her.

  His face was impassive but for the fire in his eyes. From her peripheral vision she could see the bride and groom repositioning themselves, the groom going to his back with the bride straddling him, taking his hard length into her sheath.

  Rahziya couldn’t break her gaze away from Callum. The gasping cries and moans of the wedding couple only heightened her own frustrated desire for the enemy prince. The man she loved.

  The man she could never have.

  Unable to bear the intensity of his gaze, the intensity of her own emotions, she looked back to the wedding couple just in time to see the magi pour oil over the bride’s anal opening. He massaged it in and slipped one finger into the tight ring of muscles. After several minutes, he added another finger, stretching the opening, preparing her to receive the symbolic god-cock.

  When he deemed her ready, the magi grasped his erection and placed the blunt tip at the bride’s anus. He pressed gently in, his strokes matching the lunging action of the groom’s hips.

  Rahziya’s core clenched, grasping greedily, wanting to be filled as the bride was being filled. Rahziya curled her fingers into her palms, trying to remain as stoic as possible. That all the men among the assembled guests had erections bulging beneath their trousers didn’t help.

  That Callum still stared at her with that stormy passion-filled gaze didn’t help, either.

  The three participants of the noble ménage cried out in unison as they found their release. After a murmured prayer of thanksgiving, the magi withdrew from the bride and donned his robe once more. The bride and groom remained joined together, lying on the pad at the magi’s feet.

  “I hope that one day soon,” the magi said, his gaze going over the group, “the Jewel of Apthgar will be restored to us. Then once more the great god may work through his Jewel to sanctify such unions. Until then…” He smiled. “You are, I’m afraid, stuck with me.”

  The assembled guests laughed. Rahziya met the gaze of the magi and shook her head at his dry sense of humor. She loved this old man—he was kinder to her than her father ever had been. And he counseled her to keep her faith that Apthgar would find a way to bring her and Callum together.

  Holding one hand out over the couple, the magi spoke the words of blessing. “Two houses become one, two souls merge. Where once was loneliness let there now exist bountiful love.” He held out his other hand.

  The bride and groom each took a hand and stood, facing each other, with the magi at their side.

  “By the authority granted to me by the great god Apthgar, I hereby sanctify this union. Go in peace.”

  The couple pulled on their own robes and turned to receive congratulations. Rahziya went forward and hugged the woman, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “You look so radiant,” she murmured, trying to ignore Callum, who had walked around the small circle and now stood behind her. No one could know that she and the prince were anything more than polite enemies. Especially their fathers. Were word to get back to either king that their children had acted with anything less than circumspectly… Well, Rahziya had been locked in her chamber more than once. Until she could find a way to be with Callum without allowing any wiggle room for their parents to ruin their union, she had to play this game.

  Thankfully, Callum realized it too and was working just as hard as she was toward a solution.

  “Having sex in front of people does bring color to your face,” the new duchess remarked wryly. “As I hope one day you will find out for yourself.”

  Rahziya smiled and moved to the side to congratulate the groom. Once that was done, she walked out of the small chapel. When she heard Callum call her name, she hesitated, then stopped and turned toward him.

  “You were just going to leave without saying goodbye, princess?” He ran one big hand through his dark hair, leaving it ruffled and making him
look so sexy she could hardly stand it.

  “I am here merely to do my duty, Prince Callum,” she said, keeping her tone and words formal so that the wedding guests passing by would have no cause to suspect anything. “Aren’t you eager to return home to Apth?”

  He inclined his head slightly. “Of course.” His voice was deep and smooth, that of the practiced diplomat. But she knew the body of a warrior lay beneath his loose clothing. While they had touched each other intimately—very intimately—they had yet to be able to consummate their love.

  With her body still thrumming with arousal from the wedding ceremony, standing here talking with Callum, not being able to touch him and acting as if he meant nothing to her, was torture.

  Callum must have felt the same way, because he gave a quick glance around and then, with one hand at the small of her back, drew her around the corner of the building. He urged her into a secluded alcove and covered her mouth with his.

  Rahziya moaned and pressed against him, wrapping her arms around his back. His thick erection prodded her belly. She tilted her pelvis, rubbing against him, drawing a deep groan from him.

  He moved his mouth over her jaw to her throat. “God above, I want you.” He sucked lightly on her skin, eliciting another soft moan from her. “There has to be a way for us to be together.”

  She tipped her head to one side. Tightening her hands on the hard muscles of his back, feeling the material of his shirt bunch under her fingers, she whispered, “There isn’t, Callum. Not without inciting war.”

  He lifted his head and stared into her eyes. “We can’t know that, not with any certainty.” She knew he didn’t believe his own words, because they’d talked about this before. Their fathers were so entrenched in their hatred of each other, neither could bear the thought of his child being married and under the influence of the other. Callum’s mouth firmed and he shook his head. “Our fathers wouldn’t risk countless lives in a war fought over their children.”

  “Wouldn’t they?” She gazed at him, despair clogging her throat. She swallowed to try to ease the tension. “Neither one is willing to give up his throne. Both will fight to preserve what they have. You know it. I know it.” She brought up her hands and cupped his face. She rubbed her thumbs over cheeks, loving the feel of his days’ growth of beard rasping against her skin. “There’s no hope for us.”

  “There has to be!” With a muttered oath, Callum brought his mouth back to hers, grinding against her lips with clear desperation.

  Rahziya gave herself up to the moment and returned his kiss, anguish setting her heart into a dull, heavy throb. When he eased open two buttons of her tunic and slipped his hand in to cup her breast, she shuddered as arousal flared anew.

  His thumb swept across her nipple, making it tauten into a hard bud. He groaned and bent over her, brushing the material out of his way, and flicked her nipple with the tip of his tongue. Then he pulled the tight peak into his mouth and suckled her with such force his cheeks hollowed.

  The action sent fire zinging straight to her clit. Her womb clenched, sending moisture flooding into her pussy. Riding the wave, she shoved her fingers through his hair and held on.

  He lifted his head and blew a light breath over the wet tip of her breast. It tightened further. Callum gripped it lightly between his thumb and forefinger and tugged, gently exerting more pressure until she gasped at the erotic pain.

  Without a word, his face dark with passion, he slid his other hand beneath her short skirt, groaning when he found her pussy, no other clothing impeding his touch. His fingers dipped between the folds of her sex, rubbed against her clit. He moved lower and slid one long finger into her slick heat.

  Rahziya bit her lip against a moan and pumped her hips, seeking more, wanting him deeper. He curled his fingers slightly and rubbed against the sensitive walls of her sheath. Her pussy clamped down. She spread her legs further apart, opening herself to him. Another finger joined the first, shuttling in, out. Slow, unhurried strokes that drove her closer to insanity. “Faster,” she urged, knowing they could be discovered at any moment.

  To encourage him, she unbuttoned his trousers. Curling her hand around his cock, she drew it out, feeling it thicken against her palm. The plum-shaped head was dark with passion, a drop of fluid beading at the tip. She swiped her thumb through the viscous liquid, spreading it over the head.

  He groaned and thrust into her grip. He sped up the strokes of his fingers, his thumb pressing against her clit. Her body tightened, her breath coming fast and hard. Callum’s breathing was just as labored as he thrust in and out of the circle of her hand.

  “Pardon me.” A man’s voice intruded upon their passion.

  Rahziya gave a gasp and let go of Callum, her face flaming, even though his big body hid her from view. He slowly pulled his hand away from her pussy, letting the skirt fall back into place, and turned his head to one side to gaze at the speaker.

  The other man cleared his throat. Though she couldn’t see his face, she’d recognized the voice. It was the captain of her guard—Fermin, a loyal man who yearned for the joining of the two kingdoms. Because of that he was willing to look the other way. “The princess is expected back at the palace. Her father…” Captain Fermin’s voice trailed off. “Well, she was only to be gone long enough to attend the wedding. Because he knew a delegation from Apth would be here, he didn’t want her to stay for the reception. If she doesn’t return soon, he’ll want to know why.”

  Callum looked down at Rahziya. With a sigh, he tucked his cock back into his trousers and fastened them. He pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. “Are you all right?”

  Denied passion simmered through her. “You’re joking, right? Of course I’m not all right!” She kept her voice low, but she really wanted to shout at the captain to go the hell away. But of course she couldn’t. Because he was right. She pushed against Callum’s shoulders, relieved when he moved away without protest.

  She met her captain’s eyes. The regret and soft embarrassment she saw there lessened her own unease at being discovered with Callum in what could have been an incendiary moment had anyone but Fermin discovered them. Trying to ignore her body, which still hummed with arousal, she lifted her chin. “Let’s be on our way, captain.”

  He gave a salute and turned. She let him get several feet away before she looked up at Callum. Her beloved.

  The man so out of reach it broke her heart.

  “I hope to see you again. Soon,” she whispered, her voice strangled by emotion. With a light touch to his hand, she turned and hurried after the captain of the guard.

  Back to the palace.

  Back to her duty.

  Back to her lonely life.

  Chapter Two

  Two days later, Rahziya strolled down the hallway of the Garan palace, the latest book of the kingdom’s royal advisor in her hands. Her eyes eagerly skimmed each line as she walked on toward the throne room. Not looking where she was going, she bumped into a brocade-covered chair. Muttering a curse, she rubbed her knee and pushed the chair back against the wall. She continued on her way, one finger running under the sentences to keep her place.

  “Watch where you’re going, girl!” she heard, and hands roughly grasped her upper arms, bringing her to a halt.

  She looked up to see her father’s ruddy face, his eyes narrowed with irritation. “Always with your nose in a book,” he said and released her. He sighed, shaking his head. “Always preferring fiction over reality.”

  “This isn’t fiction,” she protested. “It’s the Treatise of Sexuality—”

  He snorted, slashing through the air with one hand. “Save it. Not interested.” With a shake of his head, he curled his fingers around her elbow and guided her into the throne room. As usual, every light in the room was lit, glinting off gold-inlayed chairs and gilded picture frames. “I have something much more important for you to attend to than that.” He nodded toward the book in her hand.

  Rahziya stared at her father and tried
unsuccessfully to tamp down the rising anticipation that tightened her stomach and made her heart thump faster. Her father… Was he finally taking an interest in her? Seeing her as a person of value rather than the infant who killed his beloved wife in childbirth?

  “My scouts believe they have located the Jewel of Apthgar,” he went on, releasing her elbow and continuing on to his throne. With a flourish, he swept his crimson robe out of the way and sat down. “In order to be a strong leader, all Garan heirs to the throne must perform a feat of great bravery before they may rule. As my only heir—” His jaw tightened and she saw the familiar disappointment in his eyes. She tried not to react to it, though it hurt, as always.

  Her father cleared his throat. “As my only heir, I want you to retrieve the Jewel. It will do much to solidify your reputation as a worthy successor in the eyes of the citizenry.”

  Rahziya’s eyes went wide. The Jewel of Apthgar! An artifact treasured most highly by the Garans, as well as their political enemies, the people of the Kingdom of Apth. Said to be an amethyst taken from the hilt of the great god Apthgar’s mighty sword, it was purported to have been used in unifying ceremonies exclusive to the nobility.

  That was the story, anyway. The Jewel had been lost for four hundred years. No one knew what it looked like—at least, if they did, no one had ever told her. But it was said to be around six mahtongs long, roughly two-thirds the length of her forearm, and carved from one solid piece of amethyst.

  “If we know where it is,” her father said, standing to pace in a circle in front of his throne, “then you can be sure that that bastard knows as well.”

  That bastard—meaning the king of Apth. The father of Prince Callum.

  Callum, the one man she was forbidden to have. The animosity their fathers felt toward each other was based solely upon the centuries-old feud between the two families that had divided Apthgar’s kingdom to begin with. If she and Callum were anything other than politely apathetic toward each other in public, it could plunge the two countries into war.