tingling, the achy muscles, but
something else, a heaviness that did
little to quell or inspire fears. The only
person who’d helped some had been
Lady Lydia. She had described how
they’d encountered Bael and what the
three of them had spoken of, and
assured her that she’d walked off with
Bael. During the three days that
passed, Jaisyn could think of nothing
else. She racked her brain for any
indication that she’d slept with Bael, a
snarled memory, a reminder of a
different touch.
Nothing came.
And then there was Vulcan.
Belligerent, cold Vulcan. If she had
thought him harsh upon their return to
Morden after she helped Malcolm
escape, she’d been wrong. He had not
been as cold then, for at least he still
spoke to her on occasion. Vulcan did
not even address her anymore. When
he looked at her, she saw barely
leashed rage in his gaze, sadness and
hurt as he looked to the swell of her
belly, and she hurt because she could
do nothing to alleviate it. He did not
believe the child she carried his and
although it made her want to cry long
and angry tears, she understood.
When he’d thought her pure and
loyal, Vulcan had opened his heart to
her. But now…after Bael, he despised
her. He was not polite, and even
Varian, who was usually calm and
easy-going with her, was cold.
“I know you hate me at the
moment,” she continued, staring at his
dark head and wishing that he would
turn so that she could see his eyes.
“And I understand, Vulcan. I do. I’m
sorry but you have to believe that I
don’t
remember
anything
that
happened. I have nothing to gain by
lying to you now, so—”
When he spun to face her, she
began to wish that he had continued
staring at those flames. The hatred she
saw there only cut deeper into her
already-torn heart.
“Nothing to gain?” he repeated
menacingly, closing the distance
between them easily. “You have
everything to gain, Jaisyn! How far
will you go to be sure that I do not
cast you aside? For you have given me
reason enough, although as you know,
I do not need any, to have this
marriage terminated. No doubt, you
asked about that because you feared
that I would find out about your
indiscretions!” His voice lowered to a
soft sneer. “What will you do to
continue your life as my queen, to see
your child raised as a Mor’an?”
His hand reached out quickly and
she gasped as his thumb and index
fingers secured her face, forcing her
to look into his eyes.
Jaisyn flinched when he asked the
question,
for
another
emotion
accompanied the hatred blazing in his
eyes. Her husband might hate her, but
he still desired her. His eyes lowered
from her face and traced the length of
her body, stopping briefly on the
round curve of her belly, and
narrowing before returning to hers. As
she suspected, had even expected, he
was going to cast her aside. He stared
at her long and hard, and then as if
she burned him, pulled his fingers
away and walked back to the hearth.
He braced a hand against the stone
ledge above it and told her firmly, “Go
back to your chambers, Jaisyn.”
She stared at his back before turning
from him. Her brain told her to put
one foot before the other, to leave.
Her feet took her to him, and she
leaned her cheek against his warm
back, and released a deep breath. He
would push her away but she still
wanted to touch him, if not for a small
second. Vulcan tensed instantly and
spun around, catching her arms lest
she fall against his chest.
***
“Did I not tell you to leave?” he
demanded. She did not answer, but
continued to stare at him. When his
arms fell from her and he would have
turned again, she stepped closer and
pressed the side of her face against his
chest. Her hair was right under his
nose and before he could push her
away, he caught her intoxicating
scent, and his body reacted. Damn
her!
Was she purposely trying to seduce
him? Narrowing his eyes on her face,
that face that looked so innocent, with
a tongue that lied with the grace of a
snake, he said cruelly, “So, you
are
willing to do whatever it takes to
remain my queen.”
She blinked and began to pull away
from him. She couldn’t tamp the
anger in her voice. “Is that what you
think I am doing, Vulcan?”
He kept his hold on her. “Why else
would you come to here? We have
nothing left to discuss. There is only
this.” He leaned into her, capturing
her lips in a hard and brutal kiss. She
pushed against his chest but he didn’t
budge.
When he finally pulled away, she
shook her head and tried to pull away
from him. “No, Vulcan. Not like this.”
He ignored her and kissed her again,
and this time it was softer, although in
no way a gentle kiss. Coaxing her lips
open, he licked at her tongue, feeling
anger and desire surge together as he
tasted her sweet mouth. When he
pulled away, he could read the need
there. He wondered if she looked at
Bael or Malcolm as she looked at him.
That thought almost pushed him into
insanity but he managed to hold onto
his control as he took her to the bed.
Suddenly, he released her and stepped
away.
Confusion marred her features as
she stared at him. He pushed his
breeches off, revealing his swollen
need for her, and moved over to the
bed, laying against it and watching her
with piercing and unforgiving eyes.
“Take off the gown,” he ordered
coldly.
***
Jaisyn swallowed and turned to look
at the connecting door. She knew she
should leave, that Vulcan didn’t want
her. He wanted sex. Had she been
any other woman, he would have lain
with her. But as she stared down at
him, she remembered that this was the
man she loved, the man whose child
grew inside of her. More and more
she was beginning to believe that she
had not been intimate with Bael. How
could she, when her heart belonged to
the man before her?
She should leave. Even as her senses
told her that, her body was acting in
the opposite way.
Undoing the laces at the top of the
gown, she gently pulled the material
over her head, allowing it to fall into a
heap on the floor. She lifted her head
and stood before him, bearing the
scrutiny of his gaze.
“Come here.” His voice was
gravelly and hoarse. He waited until
she was near to him before reaching
out and pulling her over him.
Her breath came out in a rush as she
was gently rolled and pinned beneath
him. His body settled against hers
briefly before he placed the majority
of his weight onto his hands and
kissed her. As his tongue delved into
her mouth, she forgot about their
problems and focused on him.
Reaching up, she slid her arms
around his sinewy back and parted
her thighs for him. Vulcan released
her lips and moved his fingers down to
her nether regions. A groan escaped
him when he found her ready for him.
Without any more preambles, he
shifted against her and entered her
body.
***
“Vulcan,” she moaned breathily,
angling her hips to deepen his access.
Vulcan tried to focus on only his
pleasure, but found he could not.
Staring down at her face as she sighed
and moaned under him, feeling her
contract around him, inhaling her
scent, made him forget what she was.
His hand moved to caress a bouncing
breast and when the dusky tip grew
hard and budded, he lowered his head
and suckled, growling when her
fingers parted his hair, and her legs
locked around his hips. She was so
close that he could taste it. He drove
into her again and she spiraled under
him. In that moment, Vulcan held
himself still, marking the soft ‘o’ of
her lips, the slight marks that crinkled
her forehead as passion contorted her
face. His wife was a beautiful woman,
but seeing her like this almost robbed
him of breath. A scowl touched his
lips. Had Bael seen this face as she
took her passion? Had he kissed her
lips to keep at bay her screams?
His hips surged forward, the power
of his thrust bringing a whimper from
Jaisyn. Vulcan ignored it, continuing
to push against her. He did not last
much longer, releasing a loud grunt as
his seed left his body for hers. In that
moment, with their breaths coming in
ragged gulps, and her hand lovingly
caressing his back despite his callous
treatment of her, Vulcan faltered.
“Why?” The harshly whispered
question left his lips before he could
quell it, and once it was out, his entire
being demanded an answer. With his
head buried against her neck, Vulcan
felt her pulse increase. It beat like a
crow’s wings against his lips. “Why?”
***
Jaisyn had no answers for him.
Instead, she shifted slightly, inhaling
the spicy and earthy scent of the soap
he’d used to wash his hair.
They remained interlocked for long
minutes before Vulcan shifted and
pulled from her body.
“I’m finished,” he told her coldly.
Jaisyn watched him walk naked to
the fireplace and felt the chill of the
night hug her body. Blinking rapidly,
she moved from the bed and reached
for her nightgown. Slipping it over her
head, she headed to her chambers.
She should have done that minutes
ago instead of allowing Vulcan to use
her like the common whore he
believed her. As she reached the door
that led to her chambers, one thought
kept replaying in her mind.
It was much easier when she hadn’t
loved him…and he had genuinely
disliked her.
***
Vulcan rode out with his warriors a
week later. Although he mentioned
nothing of it to Jaisyn, she’d heard
from both Lydia and Isolde that he
was heading to Montak. Since the
night she’d gone to him and he had
treated her so commonly, Jaisyn kept
her distance. He refused to listen to
anything she said and although she felt
the pang of guilt nearly every hour of
the day, she refused to let herself be
treated that way again. Most of her
time she spent with her sisters, who
actively sought to cheer her up. As
she could not ride, she took long
walks in the garden, and through the
village outside the castle. It had grown
chilly once more in Morden, and
Jaisyn found herself looking forward
to the harsh winds that would bite into
her cheeks as she walked outside.
It was the day after Vulcan’s
departure and she was walking around
the gardens when she felt eyes on her.
Instinctively, she spun, her eyes
searching out whatever was making
her feel uneasy. She only saw her
guards, stationed at various points
along the garden, with their eyes
trained on her.
Feeling irrational, Jaisyn shook her
head and moved to a large wooden
bench that sat before a stone-carved
pool of water. She dragged her
fingertips along the cold surface
before taking a seat and staring at the
flowers. They would soon die, for
they were not flowers that could
withstand the cold winters of this