Taking Karre Page 6

  He hesitated at the command. “You wish for me to…”

  “Yes. I wish for you to…” She drew her hands away, placing them on either side of his shoulders as she kept her body to his.

  His cock ached even worse now that the pressure of her hand was gone. He pushed back from the wall, not turning as he grabbed himself. She continued to rock along his body, keeping him moving. Slowly, she pulled away. He couldn’t hear her feet but he knew from the sudden abandonment of her heat that she had put distance between them.

  “Mm, yes, keep going,” she ordered. “Show me how well you move, warrior.”

  The bed behind him made a small creak. He glanced back. She crawled onto the bed completely naked. With her lush ass to him, she didn’t see that he watched. Karre maneuvered onto her back and he glanced back to the uneven stone of the wall. But he had to peek again, had to see. She had lain down and parted her thighs. Her hand touched her mound as she rocked against it. A finger slipped into the wet folds of her sex only to come out glistening. Her eyes lifted, meeting his. Her free hand moved up her stomach to her breast to tease the hard nipple.

  He pumped his hips harder, so close to coming, so aroused by the very presence of her. His face tightened and he bit his lip. So close. So close. So…

  “Don’t finish,” she ordered. “If you do, I won’t fuck you.”

  A terrible physical pain racked his stomach at the very thought, but his desire to claim her forced him to obey. A little bit of his seed managed to escape on a tremor but he tensed, forcing it not to happen completely. He swiped the tip to remove the evidence and wiped his hand on the stone wall before turning to face her. “Your warrior is ready, my lady.”

  —

  Karre knew she had to take control of their affair from the start or else she would be forever at a disadvantage. What she didn’t expect was to enjoy the game so thoroughly or to be able to bend him to her sexual will so completely. As he stood, so near completion, cock so full that veins ran up the sides to the flushed tip, she took a deep, steadying breath. Oh, but he’d been gorgeous to watch—firm ass, tight hips, rippling back.

  She tried to pull her hand off her pussy, but neither her hips nor her fingers would stop what they were doing. Without waiting to be commanded, he came for her. Karre knew she should demand he stop but consoled herself with the knowledge that she beckoned him with her eyes thus not ruining her game.

  “Fuck me,” she ordered belatedly. He was already crawling onto the bed to do just that. He smiled, a small curling twist of his lips that said he noticed the lateness of her command as well. His eyes narrowed, as if to say he intended to do just that.

  He came between her legs, not stopping his crawl until the head of his cock was at her slick entrance. With a perfect thrust of his hips, he filled her with his thick length. She gasped at the size of him, even as she’d been expecting it.

  No testing thrust. No time to adjust. Vidar pulled back only to strike. Keeping his hands on the mattress, he stayed above her, riding her hard and deep. A low, pained growl escaped him as she grabbed onto his shoulders.

  It felt so good, being pounded by the thick warrior and his amazing weapon. Her breasts bounced, drawing his eyes, and he fucked harder. Sweat spread over his face and she realized he was holding back his release, waiting for her to come with him.

  He leaned back, drawing her body up so that she sat somewhat on his bended knees as he continued to thrust. She braced back on her hands. Vidar took hold of her hips. The new position pressed his cock tight to the sweet spot of her sex and she jerked in warning of what was coming.

  “Ah,” Karre cried, tensing so hard she couldn’t control herself.

  “That’s it, my lady,” he urged. “Finish for your warrior. Give me my prize.”

  The intimate words more than anything forced her to come as he wanted her to. She gripped the coverlet beneath her. Ripple after pleasure-laced ripple coursed over her. Vidar grunted, suddenly stopping with a victorious yell of his own. He came inside her, their bodies pressed tight as he trembled and released.

  Seconds later, he dropped her hips and fell forward, nearly crushing her with his weight before he rolled next to her on the bed. Minutes more and the heavy breathing slowly subsided. Neither one of them moved to separate their tangled limbs. Karre was sure she might never move again.

  “I believe I will enjoy having you often, Lady Karre,” he said, slipping a hand up to rest on her exposed breast. “Yea, oft indeed.”

  Karre wondered why the bold promise both exhilarated and frightened her.

  “Mm, we should get dressed. We ride out tonight toward home. The knights will be waiting for us to catch up to the supply carts.”

  “Tonight?” She could barely move, let alone ride. She had seen the big horses and knew exactly what he meant. “But I thought we would sleep here tonight. Do we really need to run off so soon?”

  “If it is another go at my cock you are after, I’ll gladly make sure we find the time.” He licked at her cheek playfully, stroking close to her ear. Slapping her ass cheek, he ordered, “Now, come.”

  She suppressed a groan. So much for controlling him.

  Karre would just have to try harder.

  Chapter Four

  Because right now, in this moment, she needed to stop staring at his finely tuned ass and figure out her next move.

  Karre could take many things with a fake smile, a pretty pout or a well-played blink of her lashes. Riding a galloping animal that bounced her into Vidar’s back as she was forced to hold onto him wasn’t one of them. If her nerves weren’t stinging with wicked purpose, her backside was being spanked by the constant movement until, even several minutes after she had gotten off the horse, her ass was numb.

  Glad to have an excuse to walk around, she heeded Vidar’s warning not to wander too far from the makeshift campground. It wasn’t as if she had anywhere to go. A fire burned in a small forest clearing, attended to by a handful of knights. The orange, flickering glow danced seductively along Vidar’s back as he stood, arms crossed, talking to a new rider who’d just joined them. He shifted his weight, instantly bringing to mind the way she had ordered him to turn his back to her. What in the stars was she doing? Because right now, in this moment, she needed to stop staring at his finely tuned ass and figure out her next move.

  Oh, but his ass was so nice to watch. He shifted again and she forced her eyes away. Noticing that several of the men around the fire studied her, she gave them a smile she didn’t feel and made her way toward the tree line for a closer look into the depths of the forest.

  All traces of Brigitte had faded from the forefront of her mind until the memories felt more like a book she’d read long ago. She knew the story, but the vivid details and feelings it evoked were gone. The mild headache and state of confusion she was left with would pass soon as well. Tomes had no idea how right he was when he mentioned the brain scramble. The implantation device was useful and made staying in character easier, but she wasn’t sure how many more times she would be able to use it.

  Looking at the campfire, she thought, Not that I’ll have reason to use it here.

  The full moon shone bright over the clearing, illuminating that which wasn’t orange with firelight. Beyond though, inside the denser trees, only speckles managed to pass through to move softly over the forest floor. A stout breeze whipped her hair into her face and she tugged it back, absently pulling the long strands onto the back of her head to pin them into place.

  “Your friend, Lady Jayne, has run away from her husband.” The low resonance of Vidar’s tone warmed her and she turned to look at him. A few of the men moved from around the fire to mount their horses and join the rider who’d come to the camp. “I fear it is not a good omen, considering Lady Paige also ran from her mate.”

  “She’s not my friend,” Karre said distractedly, all the while thinking, Good for you, Jayne. I didn’t think any of you would have the guts to resist them.

  And the truth was
, Karre hadn’t believed it. She really thought the other brides were all talk.

  “Where are they going?” She nodded to the departing men. The sounds of hooves beat over the night.

  “To help Lord Ronen search. I can spare Sir Oskar and the others for a few days. We are away from the battlefront and no Caniba will harm us during this part of the journey.” He glanced around the encampment. Motioning to a low tent, he said, “If you would like to get out of the wind, we could—”

  “Wait,” she broke in, “do you mean to imply that the Caniba might attack when we get to Spearhead?”

  “Yea, it is possible.” He nodded. The strange combination of distant firelight silhouetted him while the moonlight contrasted his face into a ghostly pool of irregular shadows. “The borderlands are not as tamed as Battlewar Castle, but I will protect you. It is my duty.”

  Karre brushed his comment aside. She could take care of herself. Then, as a cold chill crept over her, she shivered. Why hadn’t she considered his home before? “What manner of people are the Caniba again?”

  “I do not wish to speak of such things to you,” he answered. “Not on this night.”

  Even as he said it, his words from the day before unfurled in her head.

  They are a dishonorable, disgusting people who eat the flesh of men and think only of pleasing their overlords.

  “I would have you speak of such things to me,” she countered. “If I’m going to be put into danger, I have a right to know what it is I’m facing. Are they really as bad as you said before? Or is the whole man-eating thing just a story to scare tourists?”

  “Tourists?” A heavy sigh left him and he instantly dismissed the question. “You have nothing to fear from the Caniba. You will not be running like the others and I will protect you.”

  He seemed so sure of the fact. Not really lying, she agreed, “No, I have no plans to run away from you.” It was true. At this moment, she had no real plans of running away. Her plans consisted of finding something of value she could trade so that she might possibly later run away.

  “Good. I do not know how much or how little Divinity told you about our world, but you otherworlders do not know this land or the dangers in it.” He looked as if he would lift his hand to beckon her to him, but she subtly shifted, letting the heavier shadows of nearby trees fall across her face. She hoped it hid her expressions.

  “Do we need to look for Jayne?” Karre asked. She tried to never get emotionally invested with people from the planes she visited, but she couldn’t see leaving someone to die a horrible death by cannibals.

  “I have promised to keep an eye out for the missing bride, but it looks as though she’s gone in a different direction. I need to get these supplies back to the fortress. There are matters there that await me.”

  “What matters?” She curled her toes in the oversized boots she wore.

  “They are matters of war,” he dismissed, as if that answer should have sufficed.

  “Are you going to try and find where that Maggie’s encampment is?”

  “Sorceress Magda.”

  “Are you going to try and find where Sorceress Magda’s encampment is?” She crossed her arms over her chest, not liking the way he spoke to her—as if she were some silly woman who couldn’t possibly understand.

  “There is no need to discuss it.”

  “I want to discuss it,” she insisted in frustration.

  This time the denial was firm, flat, final. Vidar crossed the distance to join her in the deep shadows. “I do not think you should worry yourself with—”

  “Then I don’t think you should worry yourself with ever sleeping with me again. If you are going to treat me like a child, I’ll act like one. This is me pouting.” She dodged his hand, not bothering to uncross her arms as she skirted past him toward the fire.

  —

  Vidar watched her leave, frowning after her in confusion. He’d been told women had strange moods, but this was unexpected. Women were to be protected. Why would she wish to hear of the atrocities of the Caniba tonight, their wedding night? Surely, Divinity had told her everything she was required to know.

  Perhaps this is another test?

  The firelight outlined her as it had in Battlewar’s main hall, showing the shadow of her figure beneath her gown. His body stirred. She had less brains than a tree stump if she thought of never coming to his bed again. Then, hearing the laughter of the knights as she approached, he tensed. They couldn’t see what he did from their position, because the flames would cast her in orange light, but that didn’t stop him from stalking after her.

  “My lady, please, join us by—” Lother, one of his warriors, said. The man shared a wife with three others and never showed a moment’s regret in the decision. Though the man was married and would not seek another, Vidar didn’t like the way Lother smiled at Lady Karre.

  Vidar grabbed her arm tightly from behind and jerked her with him toward his tent. She gasped, her eyes widening as she looked at him in surprise. He thrust her in front of him and shielded her body from the view of the others. Sudden silence turned to a burst of noise as the men laughed at his supposed eagerness.

  After several paces, he pushed open the front flap, pausing so she could lower her head and duck inside. Once they were alone, she ripped her arm from him. At first he couldn’t see her expression, but as his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he found her glaring angrily in his direction.

  “Lay a rough hand on me again and I will bite it off.” The words came from behind her gritted teeth, as if she didn’t trust herself not to make good on the threat.

  The venom in her words surprised him.

  “You had better say you understand or Lady Jayne will not be the only woman running tonight.”

  Surprise turned into a scowl. He stepped menacingly forward to tower over her. “I do not know where you come from, but in Staria we do not make threats we cannot carry out.”

  “Do not presume to know me or what I am capable of. Oh, I assure you, the threats I speak out loud are the ones you should be least worried about.” A new passion came to her eyes. He knew he’d just met her and he shouldn’t be surprised by any of her expressions, but this one concerned him. First meek, almost innocently sweet, then giving, then calculatingly cold, then an outspoken bride, challenging him, controlling him, softly agreeing to stay with him only to now threaten abandonment and much worse. Who was this woman? Which of the temperaments was truly hers? Or were they all her, a mingling of mixed messages and teeming emotions inside of one person, changing her as constantly as waves changed the ocean surface?

  Then a thought unfurled in his brain, one he could not stop once it started. Lord Sorin had chosen his second wife this night, but the first, Lady Bianka, had tried to play Sorin false, throwing herself at every man who’d look at her. She had burnt down Sorin’s family home of Firewall before seeking her carnal pleasures at the hands of the Caniba. Those monstrous beasts took what Bianka offered before ultimately taking her life. The tale was whispered amongst the people—a warning to young girls of the price of dishonor, a warning to men of the price of defying the gods.

  “Perhaps you did not understand when your place in our world was explained to you.” He craned his neck, purposefully trying to scare her. “I will explain again. Marriages are unions, unbreakable, ending only in death. Women are to be protected and cared for. You will not run from me for I will do my duty and protect you, even if I must protect you from yourself. Women are to be provided for. I will provide for you. I will be a generous husband and you will not want for anything that is in my power to give you, so long as you do your duty. Threaten me again and I will punish you. Run from me and I will come for you. You are mine, my lady, and I do not let go of what is mine.”

  He’d expected feminine outrage at his words, some kind of feverish denial. Instead, her face calmed and her eyes deadened of their angry passions. Vidar did not like the change in her. He did not like the anger, but this coldness was much worse
.

  So be it, he resigned himself. I cannot take back my words for I did not lie to her.

  “Death you say?” She arched a brow and leaned back to study his face. She touched where he’d grabbed her and began to rub. The motion was brief, as if she caught herself and changed her mind. His hand flexed with the urge to reach out and check to see if he had hurt her. He did not think his hold too firm, but then again, he was used to ordering about knights, not women. “So there is a way out.”

  “I’ll pretend you meant to humor me with your wit.”

  “Anything I want, huh?” Her eyes lit at the prospect. “What exactly is my duty? Because the only explanation I received was from the maid, Sera, insisting I sleep with you in order calm your bad temper.”

  “Divinity—” he began.

  “Knocked me unconscious and dragged me here as a prisoner. That is what I was doing in the hall,” she broke in. “I was escaping my captors.”

  “Prisoner? What have you done?”

  “I don’t suppose you would believe that I am innocent?” Karre chuckled. She didn’t meet his gaze as she began to walk around the tent. The one-room enclosure had been put up in a hurry as the men made camp. Usually, they would only bother with a tent if there was to be rain, instead choosing to sleep outside by the fire. However, considering the quickness of their departure on Vidar’s wedding night, he’d ordered the small comfort for his wife. All right, he’d ordered it for himself as well—for the privacy it would afford him with his bride. How was he to know she would fulfill his desires before leaving Battlewar?

  He licked his lips, remembering just how good she’d felt. The tight grip of her quivering sex as she came, flooding him with her cream. A low groan sounded in the back of his throat and he fought to suppress it, remembering the feel of her breasts, the look of her parted thighs—thighs that welcomed him to slip inside.

  Her feet absently kicked at the fur pelt on the ground, flipping it over before smoothing it right again with the tip of her toe. The words low, distant, she said, “I did nothing wrong.”