Her jaw tightened to the point of pain as she refused to blink.
“Who are you? And where is here?” she demanded.
The fire in her spirit surprised him. It caught him off-guard that a woman spoke to him in such a disrespectful manner. Plus, she didn’t answer his questions. She’d hit him with a few of her own.
As ruler of this world, he commanded the right to interrogate first. Tor swallowed his dismay and made the decision to start the conversation by any means possible. He wanted to know where to find the magi, and without this creature’s help, that might not happen.
Tor stood, extended one hand and stated in the friendliest manner he could muster, “I am Torbjorn Artur, leader of the Morphionian clans of Eximius Mundus. You may call me Tor. You have teleported through the Mirror of Azure and landed in my bedchamber on the Isle of Avalonia.”
A delightful red hue shimmered up her neck to pool in her cheeks as she glanced around. Obviously, she hadn’t realized she stood in
his
bedchamber until now. He swallowed the smile that threatened to split his lips. It wouldn’t do to embarrass the creature any further. He needed information and if he mortified her, he wouldn’t get it.
“I have given you my name and the location where you landed,” he continued in as nice a tone as even he could handle. “May I have the pleasure of knowing your name? What do the creatures of your world call you?”
The sight of the largest bed she’d ever seen came into view as she scanned her surroundings. Oh god, his bedroom. King-sized back home matched nothing near the size of this thing. Large black pillows were scattered near the tremendous granite headboard of the unmade bed. Thick covers the color of gold trimmed in black lay tangled in a mess. The sheets matched, gold with black trim.
The bed’s location astounded her. It sat dead center in the room and stationed on a sort of dais with three steps leading up to it on the sides and at the foot. The footboard matched the deep-green granite headboard. It seemed sturdy enough to handle a two-ton truck parked on it. A beautiful golden canopy loomed above the bed. Sheer panels hung down the four tall bedposts and were gathered around each post with a solid black sash. Looking around, she realized not only was the man large, but so was everything else in the room. The huge desk was ornately carved wood with an oversized wooden swivel chair.
Why hadn’t she noticed this before?
Must have been dazed or hit my head during the teleportation
, Deveney speculated. Had she landed in a world of giants? Were the women just as big? Oh god, it was true. He’d reinforced the location Maven gave her earlier. She’d landed in another dimension.
Deveney tugged her gaze from the furniture. Amusement shone in his eyes. Did he find her discomfort at being in his bedroom funny? Hell, in any other instance she would have found it funny too, considering her lack of sexual experience.
“My name is Deveney,” she managed to force from her dry mouth as she clasped his extended hand. There were things she needed to know and he held those answers. “Deveney Dupree and I’m from Prescott, Arizona, which is on Earth. Am I still on Earth? Does this dimension parallel Earth’s?”
When he lifted her hand, the heat of his lips on her knuckles nearly buckled her knees. Moisture formed in her panties and her heart skipped a beat. What was wrong with her? Was she that desperate for a man? Deveney chewed her lower lip. Yep…yep she was.
“Earth. I know nothing of this place called Earth.” The heat of his breath across her skin sent chills up her arm.
But the admittance in his words cut her to the core. He didn’t know of Earth. Maven’s words faded as she tried to sift through what she’d been told by the magi. But her brain froze. Where the hell was this place that didn’t know of Earth’s existence? Fear seized the last of her strength. Deveney’s knees gave way.
Before she hit the ground, Tor gathered her in his arms. Immediately he realized his mistake. Touching her reignited the fire in his blood. He swallowed hard, trying to steady his nerves as she squirmed. Each brush of her hair to his arm and the rub of her body against his fanned the flames of lust that ravaged him to the core. Did she have any clue as to what she was doing to him? Looking down at her, he determined she didn’t. His world and customs were foreign to her as hers were to him.
Not knowing what else to do and sensing the situation overwhelmed her, he walked to the bed and placed her on it. She wasn’t unconscious and protested. But he managed to keep her on the bed without much effort.
“Deveney, you’ve had a rough experience. I’ve never traveled through the mirror but I’m certain its magic is draining of the spirit. You need to rest.”
Her hair spread on his pillow tugged at his desire to twist his fingers in it. The rise and fall of her breasts as she lay upon his bed made his mouth water and his groin tighten. He wanted nothing more than to crawl beside her and make her his mate.
No, he reminded his raging libido. She came from another world. The trip through the mirror had been taxing and he needed her well if he wanted to find the magi and send her home.
“We can talk later,” he added as he tugged the covers up and tucked her in. “Rest. I’ll return with some food and drink.”
She grabbed his hand before he turned away. Heat shot up his arm and spearheaded its way directly to his soul. Tiny pinpricks of energized sensations riveted him and elevated his sexual desire by ten notches. Something wasn’t right. He shouldn’t be feeling this way for this woman. She wasn’t a Morphionian.
It took tremendous strength to stand in place and not crawl into the bed. Those big blue eyes seemed to plead for reassurance and comfort. But he wouldn’t bend in his decision. The throb of his shaft gave evidence he’d chosen wrong. When she spoke, her voice shook and tore at the thinning invisible shield of defense he held between them.
“Tor, where is this place?”
The distress in her voice didn’t fall on deaf ears as he replied, “I don’t know where we’re located in conjunction with your Earth. But I promise you, I will find out. I will help you return home.”
The sudden need to calm her surprised him as he held her hand to his lips and pressed a warm kiss to her knuckles. A delectable flavor from her skin coated his tongue when he lifted his mouth from her hand and licked his lips. Fierce hunger roared to life in his gut and his cock twitched, heavy with need for the beauty in his bed.
Tor steeled his resolve as he forced himself to turn and leave.
Deveney lifted to rest on her elbows as she watched him walk across the room. Pure determination filled the tone of his words. Though she didn’t know him, something inside told her he wouldn’t let her down.
If nothing else, Deveney allowed herself the hope that Tor would help her find her way home. Confusion muddled her brainwaves. Did she truly want to go back? One thing popped from the fog in her brain. Maven suggested she didn’t. Was she right?
At the door, he shot her a look of, if she read it right, pure desire mixed with indecision. Did he want her as much as she wanted him? If so, what stopped him? Even though she’d thought it was a dream, she
had
boldly grabbed his cock in her hand. Didn’t that warrant some form of sexual action on his part? Heat seeped into her cheeks as the phantom feel of his solid cock resurfaced in her palm. It made her hand itch with a need to caress it once again.
Deveney forced herself to hold his steady gaze and hoped the necklace didn’t give him the ability to read her thoughts. But then again, if he read her mind, he’d know she wanted to have sex with him. Exhaustion riddled her body. Every muscle ached in her attempt to maintain her semi-upright position. Maybe now wasn’t the best time for sexual exploration after all.
One last glimpse of him from head to toe before the door closed sent heat to her core, and a hunger for more rumbled to life. At home, life equaled loneliness with the exception of Tiara. Here, the possibilities for change abounded, lighting a candle of hope in her heart. Indecision twisted her stomach into knots. Return home or stay?
Chapter Four
She heard the latch click. Locked in
again
. She lifted her hand to stare at the site where he kissed. The warm sensation of his lips on her skin lingered. Oh how she wished he’d suckled her nipples with that fabulous mouth. Both eyes closed tight.
Stop thinking like that!
Sex with Tor, the possibility didn’t exist. She’d kissed him and touched his cock because she thought she was dreaming.
From her history with men, she knew her unwanted magical chastity belt wouldn’t allow a sexual relationship. Deveney inched into a seated position and arranged the pillows for support. Tor knew nothing about Earth. So how far had she traveled? The last she remembered was touching the mirror, then everything went black. No matter how hard she tried, nothing of the actual trip resurfaced and her head throbbed.
Deveney relaxed into the pillows and rubbed her temples. She doubted she’d landed on another planet. Didn’t that require a spaceship? Maven’s cryptic conversation from earlier slid to the forefront. Dissecting the words, the term
universe
surfaced. In a slow movement, she turned and stared at the mirror. A fuzzy paragraph from some book she’d read taunted her thoughts. It claimed mirrors were simply doorways to different worlds that coincided with Earth, but were located in a whole other dimension of space and time. A parallel universe? Was it possible?
Tiara would say yes. The thought of her friend made her smile though her head hurt and her insides quivered. As she looked around, undeniable proof stared her in the face. Reality hit. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Would she ever see her best friend again? God, she hoped so.
For several long minutes, tears flushed her soul of unwanted fears. Deveney shifted to her side and curled around a pillow.
Nothing cleansed the head like a good cry.
Tiara’s words whispered through her thoughts, which made her lips tremble into a smile. Deveney brushed the tears away with the back of her hand. Ti wouldn’t wallow in self-pity or allow fear to hold her down. She’d be strong in the face of adversity. Deveney sniffed and made a decision that would make Ti proud. She’d be strong and do whatever it took to make things right again. Whatever right turned out to be.
She snuggled her knees to her chest and felt lost in the sea of the giant bed. A masculine woodsy scent filled her senses. Tor’s fragrance taunted her nose and fueled her desires. If he were here right now, she’d forget about place and time and give it her best shot at sex.
Both eyes widened as she inhaled deep, loving Tor’s essence. Hunger for him increased. A low hum vibrated through her core, making her tremble from head to toe. Moisture formed within her feminine folds. God, why was she so hot and horny for a guy she didn’t even know?
Lifting her gaze upward, she gasped at the sight embroidered in the canopy. Phenomenal detail showed golden bears huddled in a group as if they were one large family on a search for berries in the bushes. Drawn to the picture, she slowly stood in the center of the bed. On tiptoe, she traced the work.
More of Maven’s words filtered through the fog of her headache.
Find the animal that called to your heart. Find your lifemate.
The image of a huge golden bear consumed all thought. She knew which animal she’d touched on the mirror. Find the animal that set her on this journey and find her lifemate. If memory served, she’d touched the bear carved on the mirror. What did a bear have to do with anything? Had Maven lost her mind? A bear. Lifemate. What did it all mean? Her head spun. The headache increased, causing her thoughts to jumble into a pile of unconnected puzzle pieces. Deveney folded back onto the bed.
The embroidered image of the golden bears in the canopy toyed with her overwrought brainwaves. What in the hell did Tor have to do with bears? Nothing made sense.
* * * * *
At this early hour, only a few of the palace servants were up and about. Tor slipped into the kitchen and beckoned Nona from her duties. He couldn’t remember a time in the palace without her or her brood. A smile brightened her face when she caught sight of him. She’d practically raised him and his brother. Her smile washed over him like that of a mother filling him with the momentary warmth of an invisible hug. Trust in her ran deep.
Nona accepted what he told her in confidence and without question. She filled a tray with a variety of foods and drinks, and then handed it to him. Before he left, she touched his arm and smiled up at him as she spoke.
“Take this as a sign of salvation. Maven seeks only to help our people. Word of this woman’s presence shall not leave this palace. You have my solemn oath on it, Tor. But it would do this old woman’s heart good to know you’ve found a mate. From the smell of you…” She inhaled deep to stress her meaning before she continued. “I know you have.”
Tor’s jaw dropped and Nona laughed, turned on her heels and went back to work in the kitchen. At several intervals on the return trip to his bedchamber, Tor sniffed himself. Nothing smelled different to him, but his gut told him he was wrong. Nona knew. Morphionian men who came in contact with their intended mate released a subtle scent meant to lure the female. The initial contact between mates spontaneously released the pheromone. It couldn’t be controlled.
Great.
He groaned. This meant trouble. How would he keep from mating with an out-of-control, hormonally fueled female? A moment of hope shot through his brain. Would this Earth woman react to his scent like a full-blooded Morphionian woman? Would she become his mate? Was it even possible? The temporary spark of joy instantly extinguished as guilt weighed heavy on his shoulders. For a split second, a few faces flashed through his head of friends older than he who were also in need of mates. He winced, whisking the images temporarily from his mind.
He knew the chakra, or magical soul, of each being selected its mate. It wasn’t up to the individual to pick a lifemate. The magic ruled the heart. The mating ritual involved high levels of magic, which stemmed from both the male’s and female’s chakras. Tor doubted the Earth woman would survive. He paused. There was one thing he needed to concentrate on—he’d promised her he’d help find her way back to Earth and he intended to honor it.
By the Goddess Nirvana, he prayed Deveney didn’t react to his pheromones or he might never be able to return her home. Tor rolled his eyes to the heavens, issuing a silent prayer for strength. The image of what would happen
if
she reacted to his scent filled his brain.
Morphionian women in heat were uncontrollable and didn’t stop until they mated their man. Morphionian men looked forward to this highly sexual adventure. But Tor couldn’t find happiness in the prospect, not with the curse looming for so many men. Finding mates for his people was his first and foremost concern. His personal love life came last in the list of things to accomplish as leader, even though his time was running short.
The words
keep the bloodlines pure
ricocheted around his thoughts in the sound of his father’s voice. He closed his eyes and tried to shake the agenda his father had drilled into his head, but couldn’t completely. Tor redirected his thoughts to the matter at hand.
If Nona was right, this Earth woman triggered his pheromones. It had to be a misfire, he tried desperately to convince himself, but his imagination wouldn’t leave the idea of sex alone. A woman primed for sex and lots of it was every man’s dream. He knew the mating ritual sometimes lasted for several days to a week or until both parties were sexually drained and mated to their partner for life. The thought of mated sex hardened his cock.
He’d heard the phenomenal stories. It was the goal of every Morphionian to find their mate. Love grew into an unbreakable bond. Sexual pleasure increased with each and every mated experience. Tor froze for a second as the single most important advantage shone bright. A mated male stayed in control of their inner animal and didn’t turn
Proprius Bestia
. He shook his head and tried to remain focused on his mission…find an answer to their possible extinction and find it quick or he too would be turned forever.
With each step closer, his level of concentration waned. Deveney filled his thoughts. Every muscle tingled and his cock stiffened even more. He swallowed. Was Nona right? He’d never suffered from the inability to control his urges as he did at the moment. No matter how he tried, his brain refused to refocus on anything but the Earth woman.
This wasn’t happening, he ordered inwardly. The nature of the inner beast primed his body for sex. Nothing else. He refused to believe his mate lay in his bed. This was his fault. He’d denied himself pleasure for many years, thus he clamored for release and she just happened to be the female in his horny path.
With the threat of extinction looming over his head, Tor sacrificed sex. He’d had no desire. The truth slapped him in the face. Though sex for the simple pleasure of orgasm was common practice among the clans, Tor hadn’t partaken. The need had vanished until now. Why did his body react in such a manner?
Confusion rippled through him. He knew the mating ritual couldn’t be forced. Magic controlled the sex. Two became one when their chakras joined through mating intercourse.
But with an Earth woman? He refused to believe there might be a slim chance of success and steeled his will. As far as he was concerned, it wasn’t possible for his chakra to combine with Deveney’s. She didn’t belong here and there was no way her soul housed even one ounce of the magic required to become a Morphionian’s mate. Of that, he felt certain.
His cock twitched and jutted, tenting the front of his robe. He snorted at the readiness of that part of him. Tor paused outside his bedchamber, gathering his strength to resist. Sex with this female would not happen. No matter what, the woman had to go back. She wanted to go home to her world called Earth and he intended to help her.
Balancing the tray on one hand and arm, he unlocked the door, swung it open, stepped inside and then locked it. The scent of feminine arousal hit him like a hard-driving rain and stopped him cold as he turned to face her. The bright-eyed beauty sat up, looking lost in his bed. Long hair cascaded around her face and shoulders, making her a pure vision of delight. Every ounce of moisture left his mouth at the sight.
By the Goddess Nirvana, he silently prayed. Not only was his cock the hardest he ever remembered, keeping it out of Deveney was going to be the most difficult feat he’d ever accomplished,
if
he managed it.
When Tor stepped inside, Deveney’s nostrils flared. Something smelled exquisite. She couldn’t determine which smelled better, the man or the food. Though an array of unusual delights filled the overly large tray, the sight of his cock tenting the front of his short, golden-colored, Roman outfit caught and held her attention.
Something clicked inside her head and made it difficult to focus on anything other than him. Every ounce of her craved sex, but not just any sex. She wanted Tor. Heat permeated the air around her and it hurt to breathe. Needing relief before she sweltered, she tossed back the covers. But it wasn’t enough. Her skin sizzled and moisture beaded her brow.
Oh god, was she getting sick? Deveney swallowed hard as she tested her forehead for fever. She stared at him, the need in her core rising to practically boiling. Never had she wanted anything as much as she wanted him, right here, right now.
When Tor turned his back to set the tray on the desk and organized the food, she slipped out of his cloak, her shirt and skirt, leaving only her lacy pink bra with matching panties. She wanted desperately to be closer to the handsome hunk across the room. In a flash, she scooted to the end of the bed before he finished with the tray and turned around.
The sight of his jaw dropping and his cock twitching made her smile. The image of a cat in heat and on the prowl for sex flashed inside her head. She felt just like that cat. Hot, horny and hungry for mating. Deep in her gut she knew Tor would satisfy this uncontrollable sexual urge. All thought of the disastrous tries at sex dissipated from her brain. A phenomenal odor pulled her toward Tor.
God, did he smell great.
Fueled by his raw, masculine scent, Deveney slid off the bed and sashayed down the three steps toward Tor, who stood stock still staring at her. The flare of his nostrils turned her on. The thick scent in the air kicked her hunger for sex up ten more degrees. With each step closer, her clit throbbed, her body hummed and her need to have his shaft buried in her heat intensified.
God, there had to be something wrong with her. No matter how hard she tried to redirect her train of thought, it refused to obey. Sex captivated her every instinct. An intense craving saturated her senses. Never had she felt like this before. It seemed as if the tips of her fingers would burst if she didn’t touch him, grab his cock and fondle it in her hands. Whatever sickness claimed her had her nipples sharp as spikes and aching for the warmth of his mouth. Absently, she cupped the tender mounds as she held his stare. The look of pure desire on his face spurred her on.
Did he like watching her touch herself?
The inner muscles of her vagina trembled in anticipation of just one thing. And somehow, Deveney knew nothing would help her but Tor’s rock-hard shaft. Knowing he watched her every move had her trailing one hand down her abdomen to slide beneath the pink satin lace covering her pussy.