Jewel of Apthgar Page 3

  Callum ignored that and strode toward her, one hand on the hilt of his sword to control its movement. Upon reaching her side, he extended his free arm. She wrapped her hand around his inner elbow and walked in silence with him toward the forest.

  They slowed then stopped. She glanced back toward the two groups of men, who had by this time dismounted and now stared at each other warily. All except Fermin, who watched her and the prince with a grim gaze, no doubt afraid she might do something untoward in front of witnesses. With a small sigh, she looked up into Callum’s eyes. “I’ve missed you,” she whispered. Without moving the position of her hand, she stroked her fingers against his forearm and felt the muscle tense beneath the linen of his shirt. “I want you.”

  “And I you.” He bent his head, his face so close to hers she could feel his breath against her cheek. “This could be our chance, Zee. Our one chance to be together has been handed to us by Apthgar himself.”

  She knew that. She was tempted to take the chance. But… “My father expects me to bring the Jewel back to Gar, Callum.” She sighed and blinked back tears. “It’s my one chance to finally gain his approval.”

  He shifted their position so his broad back hid her from view of the rest of the men. Lifting one hand, he cupped her cheek. His glove was soft against her skin and smelled like leather and horse. She resisted the urge to nuzzle him.

  “You’ve been trying to gain his approval your entire life, Zee. And he never has. Why would you think this time would be any different?”

  “Because this time it is. This time it’s the Jewel.” She curled her fingers around his hand and pulled it away from her face. She couldn’t yield on this. She wouldn’t. “And it’s important to my people that the Jewel reside in Gar.” And for me, if I want to be seen as a legitimate ruler. Her father was right on that point.

  Callum’s hand tightened around hers. “And it’s just as important to my people.” He sighed and dropped her hand. He pulled off his gloves and slapped them against one muscular thigh. Sighing, he raked his fingers through his hair, making the strands lift up before they settled once more against his head. “So you’re willing to pass us by, is that it?”

  She bit her lip. “Your father would be just as dead set against us as mine if he knew.”

  “Yes, he would.” He reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. His hand lingered, sending a frisson of awareness through her. “Our fathers won’t live forever. We cannot continue to live our lives to their expectations. What about us?”

  “If our fathers are both against us, we could start a war. Callum, I can’t have that on my conscience. Is our love worth the lives of the countless hundreds—maybe even thousands—who would die?” She stared into his eyes. Even though her heart was breaking at the thought that this love between them would wither on the vine before it really had a chance to thrive, she knew she was right.

  He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “You’re right.” His eyes closed. “Navech. You’re right.” Opening his eyes, he stared down at her. “But it will resolve nothing for us to fight over the Jewel. Better we work together against the wyvern later then expend energy in battle now.”

  She nodded. “I agree.” Reaching up, she smoothed her palm down one lean masculine cheek. The stubble on his face rasped against her hand and made her want to feel it in much more sensitive places. “Once we have the Jewel, we can decide how to proceed.”

  Callum stared down at Rahziya. She was so lovely it made his heart hurt to look at her. Her dark blonde hair was pulled back into its customary thick braid, showing her square, stubborn chin to perfection. A thin gold hair net studded with amethysts covered the top of her head, with one larger stone dangling down in the middle of her forehead. The pattern was the symbol of Garan royalty, with the amethysts also meant to provide the wearer with clear thinking. While perhaps impractical to wear on an expedition of this type, he knew she intended to give herself every advantage possible in her quest to retrieve the Jewel.

  Dark eyes pleaded with him to go along and, at this moment, he had no choice. While his men were well trained and the fiercest of warriors, he knew Rahziya’s men were as well. Too many would today die were they to go to battle over who would retrieve the jewel.

  So he’d go along for now and hope that in the next twenty-four hours he could persuade the princess that his way was best.

  The faintest smell of sulfur drifted to him on the light breeze. In the time he had to draw his sword and put Rahziya behind him, the trees at their backs, he heard the flapping of large wings. Looking up, he watched a large bronze wyvern—easily the length of three of their warhorses—fly over the treetops. While the beast couldn’t breathe fire like its dragon cousins, it had the same nasty odor as they and wielded the barb on the tip of its tail with deadly accuracy.

  Already the men were drawing their weapons, some staying with Bec and the horses while others sprinted toward Callum and Rahziya.

  Callum knew he and the princess were safe enough in the trees—the dragon wouldn’t be able to reach them through the thick branches. His men, and hers, on the other hand, were out in the open and in danger.

  “Shields!” Callum yelled to his men.

  Both groups of soldiers immediately went down on one knee, their large shields held over their heads, the magi sandwiched between the group nearest the mounts. The horses’ eyes went wide with fright, their heads tossing, but their training kept them in place.

  Until the wyvern swooped toward them. With shrill whinnies, the horses reared, pulling their reins from the grips of the soldiers who held them. Hooves churning dirt, the mounts galloped away from danger.

  The wyvern circled the men and gave a pre-emptive strike with its barbed tail. The man who was struck swayed under the force of the blow, but his shield held firm. With a screech of fury, the great beast tried again, the iron-hard barb slamming against another man’s shield. When that man did not yield, the creature turned its golden serpentine gaze toward Callum and Rahziya.

  “Into the trees.” Not taking his gaze from the wyvern, Callum urged Rahziya back. He’d left his shield on his horse, which was probably halfway back to Apth by now. There was no hope for it—”We need to get it on the ground,” he muttered, pushing Rahziya behind him, his arm curved around her side to try to keep her there. He heard the snick of metal sliding against metal and, glancing over his shoulder, saw she’d drawn her short sword.

  He knew she’d been trained in fighting with weapons, as all members of the nobility were. He just hoped she didn’t have to show him how proficient she was.

  The wyvern’s tail slashed through the treetops and the beast roared. But because Callum and Rahziya stayed where the trees were the thickest, the creature couldn’t reach them. After several minutes of trying in vain, smashing the barbed tip of its tail between branches, it gave a final angry screech and flew away.

  Callum waited, his gaze darting from tree to tree.

  Rahziya pressed against him. “It’s gone. Right?”

  He hesitated a few moments longer then slowly sheathed his sword. “Aye. It looks that way.” He turned toward her. As soon as she replaced her weapon, he pulled her into his arms and tried to ignore the slight trembling in his hands. God, that had been close. Too close. He’d be damned before he lost her to a wyvern, let alone let her go because of politics. There had to be a way.

  But that was something to think about later. For now they needed to get to safety. “We’re no match for the thing when it’s airborne.” With his hands on her upper arms, he pushed her slightly away and stared into her face. “Are you all right, Zee?”

  Her face was pale and fear lingered in her eyes, but she nodded without hesitation. “Are you?”

  He gave an affirmative grunt. The damned thing would be waiting for them, making their job that much harder. It was imperative now more than ever that the two groups work together.

  Shouts of “Your Highness!” and “Princess!” heralded the appr
oach of the guards. Captain Fermin was the first to arrive. “Princess Rahziya, are you unhurt?”

  “I’m fine, Captain. Thanks to Prince Callum.” Her gaze darted over each of her men then Callum saw her checking over his soldiers as well. “Are all of you all right?”

  “We are unharmed as well.” Fermin scowled. “That damned beast will be ready for us.”

  “My thought as well,” Callum muttered. “We’re easy fodder for it out in the open. Let’s get a little further into the forest and make some sort of camp.”

  Fermin nodded, though his gaze flicked away from Rahziya. No doubt he remembered his own stubborn insistence on making camp out in the open.

  No matter. It wasn’t something to worry over at this juncture—they had another far more daunting task to accomplish.

  “Oh the horses!” Rahziya stared out over the veldt. “They have all our supplies.” She looked at Callum. “What’re we going to do? It’s supposed to get cold tonight.”

  His grin was slow and wickedly sensual. “We’ll just have to make our own heat.”

  Chapter Four

  Rahziya carefully took off her gold and amethyst hair covering and laid it next to her. Lying down, she propped her head on her bent arm and tried to get comfortable. Though she was close enough to the fire to feel the warmth of its flames and had her cloak pulled around her as tightly as she could, the coldness from the ground seeped through her clothing and chilled her skin.

  Not to mention it was hard. If the horses hadn’t run off, she’d at least have had a padded bedroll to sleep on. The men had been creative though, and found vines to form a makeshift rope, from which they’d hung several of their cloaks to provide her with some privacy. Only Fermin was on her side of the makeshift barrier. He slept across from her on the other side of a small fire.

  Without warning, Callum swooped down and pulled her into his arms. He settled on the ground in her spot and spread her over him. “There.” His voice was quiet in the night, a low murmur meant for her ears alone. “You can be my blanket and I’ll keep you off the cold, hard ground.”

  She levered herself up, hands braced against his chest, though her lower body was still plastered to his because of his strong arms around her waist. She felt the bulge of his erection nestled between her thighs. Her blood heated. “Callum, we can’t sleep together.” She kept her voice as quiet as his had been.

  “Why not? It’s cold—we can share body heat.”

  She glanced around. There were a few men scattered around, standing guard, though she couldn’t see any of them. Fermin still slept, his snores low and even. Snores came from the other men as well. She stared at Fermin. Even if he woke, she knew he wouldn’t raise the alarm. Having assisted her before in some of her clandestine meetings with the prince, he would have no objections to them being intimate. Even as she watched, he turned over, presenting his broad back to her.

  “What about your men?”

  “I’ve told my second in command that I’m on this side of the blanket.” When her eyes widened and she started to protest, Callum put one finger over her mouth. “I trust him, Zee.” He stroked his fingers back and forth over her lips. “As a matter of fact,” he went on, “if we’re discreet, we can do much more than sleep.”

  Her heart jumped. Except for Fermin, she had a feeling everyone else would object. Dare she? No. She couldn’t give in to the temptation of flesh, knowing how much was at stake. Yet, looking down into his handsome face, seeing his eyes glittering with humor and passion…

  Why not? There was no worry of pregnancy—the herbs she took daily precluded any chance of that. Besides, they could both be killed by the wyvern tomorrow. Were that to happen she’d never know the sweetness of his loving. One night of passion wouldn’t shake the foundations of the world. Her mind felt muddled, confused by her indecision. Yet her body knew exactly what it wanted.

  With a sigh, she relaxed onto his chest and brought her mouth down on his. His lips parted, his fingers flexed against her back. One hand slid to the nape of her neck, the other to her waist and he took control of the kiss.

  His tongue teased her lips, then swept inside boldly. This wasn’t the sweetly seductive kiss she’d expected—this was an outright conquest. His mouth ate at hers as if he were starving for her taste. The hand at her waist moved up to curl over her breast. Beneath the fine linen of her blouse her nipple peaked.

  He gave a low, growling groan and tightened his hand, kneading her breast. His mouth left hers and traveled down her throat, nipping and sucking, driving her arousal ever higher. His thumb stroked over her nipple. It hardened even more and she gasped. She felt his smile against her throat, then he plucked and twisted the tip, sending a swirl of hot pleasure quaking through her body.

  Knowing she needed to keep silent, yet wanting to cry out in her passion, Rahziya buried her face in the crook of his neck. With the need to feel his warm skin, she yanked his shirt free from his breeches and slid her hands under the soft linen. Her fingers skimmed over the silky hair that bisected his belly, explored the hard ridges of his ribs.

  When she rubbed her thumbs over his nipples, they hardened. He shuddered under her hands. “Two can play at that game, princess,” he breathed against her neck. He pulled the tail of her blouse free from her pants and drew the shirt up until her breasts were bared.

  Flames from the fire reflected in his eyes and heightened the look of dark lust in their depths. His lids swept down. He drew her up until her breasts were even with his mouth. His lips closed over the taut peak of one breast.

  She clutched his head, fingers tightening in the silken strands of hair. He raked his teeth gently across the beaded nipple, sending another swirl of heat through her. He did the same to her other breast and then, with a low groan, flipped them over so that he was on top of her. The ground still held the heat of his body, but she could have been lying on a bed of nails for all she cared.

  Long fingers unlaced her breeches and delved between her thighs. She gasped as he pushed one long finger between the lips of her sex, tracing the inner folds before stroking inside her damp sheath.

  “Callum,” she breathed.

  “You’re so hot. So slick.” His words rumbled in her ear.

  “You’ve made me that way.” Rahziya curled her fingers over his erection. “You’re so hard.”

  “You’ve made me that way.” He reached down and undid the laces of his pants, shoving them down around his thighs. His thick cock sprang free, hard and long. The tip held a pearly drop of his passion. Before she could reach out and take him in her hand, he lifted her with one arm around her waist and pushed her pants down to tangle around her ankles.

  Beneath the cover of their cloaks, he kissed a path down her torso. By the time he reached her most delicate flesh, she was writhing in anticipation. His tongue teased her, stroking through her folds, circling the swollen bud of her pleasure. Finally he closed his lips over the hard little nub and suckled.

  She pressed her fist to her mouth and bit down to hold back her scream. He slid his finger back into her drenched pussy. Pleasure erupted through her body, arching her spine into a tight bow. Heat pulsed through her, so bright she saw it behind her closed lids. She writhed, spurred on by his ruthlessly skilled mouth.

  Just as the last wave died down, Callum began working his cock into her. He felt even bigger than he looked. She opened her eyes to see him rearing over her, palms braced on the ground by her shoulders, leaning in, pushing hard. His face was a mask of concentration and dark passion. “So slick. So tight.”

  When his balls finally rested against the curve of her ass, he began to thrust. The strokes were long, deep, searing her sensitive flesh with hot friction. All she could do was grab his broad shoulders and hold on.

  Callum felt like his cock was wrapped in a fist of creamy velvet. The pressure of his climax built in his balls and he fought it with gritted teeth. He wanted this to last, this first time inside his Zee.

  Their clothing and the men nea
rby restricted his movements. Though he wanted to do nothing more than drive into her fast and hard, he kept his pace steady, slow, driving deep with each lunge, fighting the culmination that roared closer and closer with every thrust. She met him stroke for stroke, hips rising to meet his.

  She moaned his name. He brought his mouth over hers, stifling her cry as her inner muscles clamped around him, pulsing with another orgasm. His climax shot up from his balls in a wave of strangling heat. Throwing back his head, he clenched his teeth around his own shout of completion. He drove deep and stiffened as his cock spasmed with each hot jet of his release.

  He collapsed over her, keeping his weight braced against his forearms. His lips nibbled at hers, light, gentle kisses meant to soothe and calm, but all too soon the kisses were deep, tongues tangling together. His gut tightened as his arousal began to build once more. Reluctantly, he withdrew from her sweet body, gritting his teeth as her slick flesh tried to hold him in place. On his back beside her, he pulled his pants up and tied the laces.

  He saw her shiver. She yanked her shirt down, covering her full breasts. Callum reached behind him and grabbed his duster, and pulled a handkerchief from the front pocket. “This isn’t very much, sweetheart,” he whispered as he began to clean away the evidence of their loving, “but I’m afraid it’ll have to do for now.”

  Her smile was sated and sleepy. When he placed the cloth aside and started to pull her breeches up, she raised her hips to help. “Thank you,” she whispered. Her slender fingers tied up the laces and she smoothed the hem of her shirt over her hips. She closed her eyes, but not before he saw the stirring of doubt in their depths. He wouldn’t let her regret what they just shared.

  “Thank you, Zee.” He kissed her once, then again, and forced himself to stop. They both needed rest—needed all their strength to face the wyvern at first light. It would be best to attack the creature in the morning, when the day was cool and the beast was sluggish. Callum pulled Rahziya into his arms, once again arranging her so she lay mostly on top of him—keeping his promise to be her mattress—and tried to ignore the hard insistence of his renewed erection.