The Destroyer Book 4 (16 page)

“Come with me!” I grabbed her arm and almost yanked her off the ground.

“What is wrong, Mistress?” She had been talking to servants in the kitchen about my dinner arrangements. Almost immediately I tasted her fear in the air like a bitter cheese. I turned to look at the beautiful woman and she understood what I wanted.

Once in my room I slammed the door shut and Relyara locked the dead bolts.

“Do you wish for me to bathe first?” she asked, since that was our usual routine. I didn’t have time for that and I silenced her mouth with my own.

Then we were kissing, licking, and sucking on each other’s tongues. Her arousal musk wrapped around me like a blanket. I pulled off her blue dress with practiced ease and she helped me quickly undo the leather knots of my pants and the ties to my satin blouse.

“The bed. Now!” I commanded. The walk was short and I took off the remainder of my undergarments on the way there and lay back against the pillows.

“Yes, Mistress. What do you want me to do?” She crawled onto the bed toward me with her ass in the air.

“Lick me.” I opened my legs and pointed to my entrance. I was still wet from the scent in the stables, my lips were swollen and throbbing. Relyara’s hungry eyes only further aided my arousal.

She smiled and then moved her face down to my spread legs. We were frequent lovers, and she knew exactly what to do. This time felt different though. I had never been this aroused. Every small turn of her wet tongue across my opening or into the passage was more exquisite than anything I had ever felt. The sensation flared out and up from the lips of my entrance to my hips and then wrapped around my stomach.

It didn’t take long for my pelvis to rock upward against her mouth. Sex was almost like giving up control to someone else. My hips and legs were at the mercy of her lips, tongue, and the slender fingers that slid into me.

“Oh I needed this,” I muttered softly into my hand between moans. Relyara gasped appreciatively while she licked my wetness.

I thought about the human in the stables. Perhaps he had been lurking in the back of my mind since I realized he was the source of the wonderful scent. I wondered what it would feel like for his tongue to touch me as Relyara’s did right now. I imagined his hands sliding over my legs, hips, stomach, and nipples. My fingers reached down and grabbed a fist full of Relyara’s silky blue-black locks. Would his hair feel the same in my grip? No. His was thicker, a bit lighter in shade, with some brown in the black instead of blue. Her tongue started to dart against my entrance quicker and my body responded. I was no longer in control. It felt so good to not be in control of something for once.

Humans were disgusting. Like pigs that could walk upright but still enjoyed wallowing in their own mud and filth. Yet, this one seemed different. Why did he smell so wonderful? I inhaled again and could still feel the smoky scent of pine and lavender in my nose. I looked down in between my legs and instead of Relyara I imagined him licking me with abandon. Then he would sit up and slide his massive animal penis into my entrance.

I let out a gasp and felt the first climax wave hit me. Relyara wasn’t as strong as I was so I had to be careful not to twist her head off with my legs. My body went numb and I heard a deep scream echo in the room while I twitched with pleasure. She continued to lick and prod with her finger in me. The climaxes continued and crashed through me like boulders, each one faster and larger than the last.

Finally I gasped in submission and rolled away from her. My entrance clenched a few times in relief and I thought again about the human entering me.

Relyara moved up the bed and wrapped her arms around my waist. Her lips kissed the nape of my neck through my hair and she murmured something soft in my ear. I sighed again. My body was relaxed and my arousal felt satisfied.

“I was expecting this later tonight,” she whispered. Relyara was always giving and never asked for anything in return, which was especially good now because I didn’t feel like indulging her at the moment.

“I was aroused.”

“I could tell. What was attractive enough to do such a thing to the Singleborn?” The question was innocent, but I wondered what assumptions she made. She must have been hopeful that I was finally feeling attraction toward one of my suitors. Relyara was not pressuring me in the way my family was, but she was concerned for my safety and knew breeding would give me some protection from the attempts on my life.

“We went to the stables. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed riding. Cancel all my appointments for the rest of the day. I don’t wish to see anyone else.”

“Very well.” She slid out of bed and ran her hands through hair that looked like dark ocean water. “You should go horseback riding every day.” She smiled and I caught a slight peach scent from her.

“I think I will.” She nodded and moved into the foyer of my suite. I heard her pick up her clothes and begin to put them back on her slender body. I rolled over to lay flat on my bed and enjoyed the complete relaxation that spread through my muscles. The incident with the human’s scent was just an oddity. I doubted that the fragrance would be there tomorrow morning when I went riding. Perhaps I really did need to choose a mate. My body was urging me to breed.

I closed my eyes and tried not to think of the human. But when I attempted to remove his face from my memory I thought about others of his kind and then circled back to him.

“Relyara!” I called into the room before she could leave.

“Yes, Mistress?”

“Vertarus is involved in some workings with my father and the other elders. I normally wouldn’t care about the foolish games of idiots, but something made me think of it just now.”

“I have not heard anything.”

“Find out all you can without raising suspicion.”

“Yes, Mistress.” She turned to go.

“Oh, and Relyara.”

“Yes, Mistress?” She turned to me.

“After dinner tonight, you will be my dessert.”

“Leave us.” Alexia’s voice echoed down the hallway and leaked under the door of my cell. I raised my head from where it rested against the stone floor and tested my arms against the manacles that bound my wrists to the wall. They held, as they had a thousand times before when I tried to rip them free.

I didn’t hear her footsteps, but her stealth could not keep the key from ratcheting in the lock or the door scraping along its metal hinges as it opened. My friend looked the same as she had yesterday. She wore a formfitting outfit of suede pants and a pale blue satin blouse. The shirt was a few shades lighter than her blue eyes. Her now long blonde hair was braided down one side of her pretty face and fell in front of her chest.

She closed the door behind her and regarded me for a few moments in silence. Alexia had always been guarded with her feelings and I was still unable to gauge any emotion from her face.

Finally, I grew tired of her stare and I opened my mouth to ask her what she wanted.

“If you exit this cell and make a sharp right, there is a stairway,” she cut me off with a soft whisper. “Two flights down is another hallway lined with cells. At the end of the hallway there is a sewage chute. The maintenance staff accidently left it pried off.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I kept my voice the same whisper as hers.

“The sewage chute is only a few feet in diameter, and will be slick with slime left over from flooding, but it feeds into a waste cavern beneath the city. If you exit northward, it will feed into the river. On the shore of the river you’ll see a rotted log with a red scarf around one of the limbs. Enter the forest there and you’ll find two horses and equipment to travel.”

“How will I get out of the manacles?” I nodded to my wrists. My heart was galloping like a racing colt’s.

“If you were to ride those horses for three months bearing southeast, you would come to the War Ocean.” I nodded. The body of water had once been named the Black Ocean, but the Elvens and my people were not skilled at sailing, or versed in methods to navigate by water. It was said that there was land on the other side of the vast ocean, but the legends could have been false; there were many human communities that we saved on the coast that had never seen any sort of vessel on the water. We called it the War Ocean as it marked the end of the world we fought for.

“There is a city there named Grenagall. Do you remember it?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“For the past three years, they have been crafting a vessel that can sail the ocean waters. The ship will be ready for you when you arrive.”

“Exile?” I asked. Perhaps my heart sank a bit.

“Would you prefer Shlara’s treatment?” She raised an eyebrow.

“What of the Elven woman?” I hesitated to ask. Alexia stared at me for a few moments and then sighed.

“What if I were to meet you at Grenagall?”

“What do you mean?”

“We would be on the ship together. The thought of sailing across the unknown waters does cause me some fear, but I would risk it to be with you.” Her face broke, revealing a vulnerability I had never seen from the woman. Shlara had often told me that Alexia had feelings for me, but I never gave much weight to the words.

“I have questions.” I strained my ears and didn’t hear anyone walking down the hallway toward us. Of course, I had not heard Alexia either.

“There is not much time.”

“Do you love me?” I asked the obvious question.

“I did long ago.” She smiled slightly and her hands moved up to rub across her braid. “I thought you knew. You always seemed to know what everyone around you was thinking and feeling. But you did not return my admiration, so I kept it to myself. I have more pride than some.”

“You say long ago?”

“I was angry with you for a long time, Kaiyer. Perhaps I will come to love you again. I will need to escape these lands. Shlara will know I aided you.” Our eyes met and I sighed.

“I loved Shlara. I love this Elven woman. I have loved you like I imagine a brother loves a sister, but I can’t return the feelings you have for me.” I knew my words would disappoint her, but I had caused too many problems by hiding my feelings.

“I know. Perhaps your feelings can change as I predict mine will.” She crossed her arms. “Do you want my help?”

“I love her,” I said without hesitation. “I cannot leave her.”

“Then you will watch her die and then be tortured by Shlara. Or you can live, with me.”

My mind scrambled. Perhaps there was a way I could convince Alexia to assist me in rescuing Iolarathe. It was unlikely, but I would not give up Iolarathe.

“If the Elven woman truly loves you, she would want you to accept my offer.”

“I need time.”

“There is no time, Kaiyer! You must leave now.”

“Can you help me free her?” I should have thought of a more eloquent way to beg.

“No. I am unable to free her.” She shook her head and a hint of anger entered her voice.

“I doubt that.”

“Fine. I don’t want to. You no longer command me, Kaiyer. This is a gift I give to you and it means I’ll be betraying my friends as well. If you
—
” her voice cut off suddenly as footsteps sounded down the hallway.

Several sets of footsteps.

“Oh my. Am I interrupting something?” Shlara said once she yanked the door to my cell open. Alexia crossed her arms and stood to the side so that the burned woman could enter. Now that the door was opened, I could smell the stench of her burnt flesh. Behind Shlara stood Malek, along with six guards.

“Well?” Shlara shifted her gaze back and forth between the blonde woman and I. Her green eyes never blinked in the torchlight and their dilated pupils enhanced my perception of her madness.

Alexia shrugged and crossed her shoulders. I was surprised that she was able to maintain her usual calm exterior. Malek looked between me and Alexia, it was clear from his expression he understood exactly what was happening. So did Shlara.

“Well then. I am glad I arrived before you two decided to do something stupid.” She giggled a bit and then it turned into a hysterical laugh that made her bend over in the melted armor while she clutched her stomach. While she cackled my body broke out into a cold sweat and my heart began to race. Fuck me, I should have escaped when I had the chance.