Bound to the Prince (26 page)

Igraine visibly shivered when he moved his
hand over the soft mound of her breast. His thumb and forefinger
captured her sensitive peak and twitched it gently until she
hardened for him. He continued with her other breast, stroking her
up and down very slowly. This time he used his palm to rub over her
nipple in tiny circles, slowly increasing the pressure. The prince
smiled, noticing how quick the little rosebud tightened this time.
His little minx seemed to like this very much. He had to keep that
in mind for later. Maybe he could try this on other parts of her
body, too.

The dress was in his way, so he grabbed the
hem of her skirt and shoved it slowly upwards over her hips,
groaning when he saw the seductive dark triangle between her
thighs. He pushed it higher until he had her lying naked in front
of him. The crimson fabric gathered above her full breasts, now
exposed to his view and touch. Satisfied, he lowered his head to
take the wonderful fruit of passion with his mouth, raising them up
and together with his hands to devour her. He covered her with
kisses before he licked her tight nipples one after another,
circling them with his tongue. When he sucked her deep into the
moist warmth of his mouth, he heard it.

Igraine moaned. It was a very soft sound, but
it didn't escape his elven ears. He raised his head to look at her
face, but she still slept.

“Oh, you enjoy this very much, little human,
don’t you?” he said, covering her neck with hot kisses. The elf
quickly discarded his own clothes. Then he placed his naked body
fully on top of her, lifting his weight up on his strong arms while
he began to rub his whole length up and down her belly. He kissed
her gently before he spread her thighs with his own. “Open for me,
sweet Igraine,” he murmured. Reaching down with his hand, he opened
her and began to caress the swollen little center of her desire,
pleased when he felt the wetness there.

“You are ready for me,” he said, stroking her
gently until he heard another moan. But he still hesitated to take
her. Her body had already agreed to join with him; she burned with
desire for him. Yet he wasn't sure if she really wanted him right
now, when she was still hurt from the encounter with the unicorn.
He pressed his forehead to her and quickly entered her mind.
Do
you want me to take you, Igraine?
He reached out into the
darkness, uncertain if he would find her.
Let me love you. Let
me take away your pain.

Yes, elf. What are you waiting for?
Her desperate answer hit him with its force, and he knew that she
had almost succeeded in tearing down the wall that separated her
from him.
Help me
, she added weakly.

The prince didn't need more encouragement. He
rubbed his hard male heat along her moist folds before he entered
her, delving deep until he was fully embedded in her wonderful
warmth. The pleasure of joining was so strong that he almost spent
himself on the spot, but he held still for a moment, heavily
breathing at her neck until he had regained his self-control. He
felt little tremors running through her body, and her inner walls
seemed to hug him closer.

Relieved, he laughed out loud and pressed her
close to his chest, feeling the strong, fast beating of her heart
while he began to move. He began slowly, but with every thrust he
felt life entering Igraine’s body, reviving her with his own
strength and magic. But instead of weakening him, it only increased
his pleasure. The feeling of becoming one with her was almost more
than he could take. Groaning, he lifted her legs over his shoulders
so he could enter her more deeply than he ever had before, moving
harder with every stroke until he heard her moans again, sounding
like lustful sobs now.

Igraine awakened more with each of the elf’s
sensual movements. Her muscles tightened, and she began to lift her
hips upward to meet him, adjusting to his hard, primal rhythm. He
pounded into her again and again, driving life into her until he
felt her arms around his body, embracing him while they rocked
against each other. One final thrust, and he could not hold himself
back any longer and poured himself into her, finding release in
glorious waves of splendor. When he groaned with incredible
satisfaction, her voice mingled with his as she reached the final
peak with him, convulsing around his manhood with uncontrollable,
shuddering contractions.

Breathing heavily, the prince lifted his head
and looked into her face. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips
were slightly opened. He heard her soft sigh and knew that she was
with him.

Elathan grinned. “Was that finally sufficient
to wake you up, Igraine? I thought you would sleep forever. If you
continue neglecting your duties, woman, I will have to find another
slave of pleasure.”

Igraine opened her beautiful green eyes and
silently looked at him for a moment. When he heard her sweet,
irresistible laughter, an overwhelming feeling of relief washed
over him. At the same time he felt like spanking her for the sorrow
she had caused him, and not for the first time. But in his heart he
knew that it was much more than sorrow he had felt.

Igraine, however, found a way to distract him
before he could become too angry with her.

“I am not sure if I'm already awake,” she
said. “To be honest, I still feel quite sleepy after this. Maybe
you should try it again. But this time, my Prince, a little more
effort will be required.”

Chapter 18:
Calatin

They didn't know it was their last night of
blissful peace, lying in each other’s arms in the intimacy of their
house in the old tree.

The prince had refused to love Igraine once
more although she begged him, claiming that she needed her strength
to recover from the events of the day. When he had called Ahearn,
the steed had returned, stomping excitedly when he saw his beloved
master and his lady.

Igraine couldn't tell how long the ride back
had taken. She had slept like a child in Elathan’s arms, while he
kept her safely in the saddle before him. This time, it was the
deep, dreamless sleep of exhaustion, and it gave her rest and peace
of mind. She wouldn't fight against her destiny anymore. Instead,
she had decided to embrace it. Elathan had made her come back, he
needed her. And she would be at his side until her heart stopped
beating, even if her time on earth was more limited than she had
expected. For now she just enjoyed the moment, leaning against his
strong body, her head at his neck. Surrounded by his comforting
warmth, she happily breathed in his wonderful male fragrance that
had become so familiar to her. “Sleep now, my love,” he said with a
tender kiss on her hair, wrapping his strong arm around her waist
before he urged the horse into a fast gallop. “We are going
home.”

It felt like home indeed when they came back
to the clearing. Elathan magically lit the fire and left her there.
She was cuddled up in his blanket, leaned comfortably against a
tree. “Stay here. I mean it,” he said slowly to emphasize his words
before he disappeared into the forest. After a while he came back,
with another boar he had hunted down slung over his broad
shoulders. “You need your strength,” he commanded when she had
resisted eating the roasted meat at first, not feeling hungry at
all. He also had brought her fresh fruit and nuts, which she
preferred, but only gave these to her after she had first taken
some large bites of the meat.

She noticed that the prince seemed to be an
excellent cook. He had seasoned the boar with some unknown herbs he
had found in the woods, and it tasted delicious.
This elf has
some unexpected qualities
, she thought, smiling to herself. “I
will let the fairies bake bread for you in the morning,” he said,
nibbling on his roasted boar leg. “Oh, and new undergarments for
you too, I forgot. I’d better let them make several of these
ridiculous thin shreds of fabric. They are quite useless,
anyway.”

“I happen to like wearing a chemise,” Igraine
said, smiling. “And it would be very kind of you if you let me
undress first before you want to love me next time, Sire.”

“Hmm. I do not know if I can promise that,
but I will give it a try, woman.” When he watched her with a rakish
grin, her heart beat faster. “Though I have to admit that my
patience has been wearing thin lately. I seem to be unable to
resist your allure, my slave of pleasure.”

Igraine didn't show him her disappointment
that he still used this expression. After all that had occurred
between them, she had almost forgotten what she was to him - a
slave. She knew that her position was a place of honor among his
people, more than any human woman could ever hope to achieve in his
world. Yet she wanted to be so much more to him. But how could
she?

He was an elf, and even royalty among his
race. His people despised her own race, thinking them the inferior
species. Maybe they were right. Humanity had learned to understand
some of the laws of nature and had used them to exploit the earth,
leaving destruction and death behind wherever they went. Elathan
had told her how it used to be long ago, when the world was still
young. His people had once inherited the forests, rivers, the
mountains and the sea, coexisting peacefully with the humans who
had preferred to stay on open land, tilling their fields. But the
mortals’ hunger for power, always wanting more, had forced the Fae
to retreat more and more until they hid deep in their beloved woods
or in the bowels of the earth, protected by magic. Over the
centuries man believed them to be imaginary, born of myths and
legends, not real creatures who lived and breathed.

But now that she finally knew her destiny, it
could have been worse than to die for the prince she loved. For the
first time in her life, her soul was completely at peace. It was so
good to live just for the moment. No worries about the future, no
regrets for what she said or did - just for the things for which
she now wouldn’t have enough time left. But for now, being with him
was all she needed to be happy.

Later, when they had retreated to the shelter
of their home in the trees, for the first time the prince had shown
signs of exhaustion himself. While he lay down on their makeshift
bed, he pulled her to his side and held her so close she could
hardly breathe, quickly falling asleep after he had placed a loving
kiss on her hair. Igraine lay awake for a while, her head snuggled
comfortably to his chest. The sound of his strong heart beating
inside his chest comforted her, and finally she closed her eyes,
smiling to herself.

* * * * *

They awoke the next morning to a strange
wetness dropping on their faces. Elathan was awake in an instant,
jumping to his feet with his sword drawn. Igraine sat up, rubbing
her eyes while she tried to understand where the water came from.
How could it rain through the roof when the chamber was built
inside a massive tree trunk? But then she lifted her eyes and saw
that it didn’t just rain through some hole in the ceiling. The
water poured down like a waterfall, running down the walls and
covering the floor. Cursing, Elathan took her hand and pulled her
to her feet before she drowned. Already knee-deep in the icy water,
they waded to the door, opened it and climbed on the wooden
platform outside. There they grabbed a thick branch while the
chamber overflowed and water gushed out all around them, down the
side of the tree.

When it was over, Igraine smoothed back her
wet hair, feeling like a drowned rat. When she turned to the side,
she had to suppress a giggle because her noble prince had lost a
good portion of his grandeur. His shimmering mane was plastered to
his head, the wetness dripping even from the tips of his pointed
ears. His clothing clung to his muscular body like a second skin, a
sight that was most welcome to her eyes. She was only human, after
all.

The prince would have maintained a certain
amount of dignity if he had not shifted his weight to his other
foot, causing a squeaking sound. It seemed that his boots were
filled with water, too. Igraine couldn’t deny the absurdity of the
situation any longer. She felt a fit of hysterical laughter rising
inside her chest, hardly able to restrain herself while she covered
her mouth with her hand. Elathan ignored her muffled noises. His
predatory eyes were fixed on a point on the floor, deathly anger
flaming up inside their golden depths. “Magic,” he murmured. “Who
else could have the audacity for this foolish prank? Trying to
drown his own prince. I should have known it was him.”

Igraine was so astonished by his words that
she forgot to laugh. “Him?” she said breathlessly. “You mean,
someone did this deliberately? But who …” Her gaze followed
Elathan’s.

“Calatin.” Elathan’s raised voice startled
her. There was a stranger standing in safe distance of the tree,
just far enough to prevent his polished boots from being ruined by
the water. So far, Elathan had been the most stunning male she'd
ever laid eyes on. But the beauty of this man made her want to
shield her eyes. No, not a man. He was an elf, his pointed ears
clearly visible between the thin braids of his long red hair which
shone like a copper shield in the bright morning sun. He wore light
chainmail armor made of shimmering silver, with a fine grey tunic
and trousers underneath. She simply couldn't help staring into his
almond-shaped eyes, green as emeralds, which were currently,
wandering up and down her body with an openly admiring expression.
Igraine gasped when it occurred to her that right now, Elathan
wasn’t the only one dressed in wet clothes. With the light behind
her, the thin fabric of her gown doubtless left very few parts of
her to the imagination.

“I am relieved that you finally have left the
comfort of your cozy little nest up there, my Lord,” the elf named
Calatin said calmly. His insolent smile made his perfect face look
definitely rakish. Igraine mused that elven maidens threw
themselves at his feet when he smiled at them like this. “Obviously
your warrior days are gone, Sire. Methinks you have spent too many
centuries alone in your caves, sulking over your destiny. Your
sleep was so sound that you wouldn't have heard a horde of trolls
climbing up your tree, so I had to use a little magic to get you
out of there. But I never would have expected to see such beauty in
the morning light,” he added gallantly, bowing before Igraine.