Free QueensQuest by Suz deMello Page B

enclosed and enveloped. Not imprisoned
or trapped, but surrounded by his masculine power in a very pleasurable way.
    I held his elbow as we walked to the Great Banqueting Hall,
meeting Kaldir and his retainers outside. Smiling at Kaldir, I took his hand,
and the three of us paraded onto the dais at the head of the room.
    Dinner passed in a delirium of desire so intense it bordered
on pain. I was surrounded by two seductive, attentive swains, for Storne sat
next to me with Kaldir on my other side, and occasionally one or the other
would brush against me. Each time, my body reacted. When I moved, my clothes
shifted and the clamps stirred also. The multitude of tiny tugs on my
increasingly sensitive nipples slowly drove me insane with lust.
    Our conversation was dominated by a discussion of the Royal
Progress. Both Storne and Kaldir professed eagerness, but I was sure that
Kaldir was disappointed that Storne had arrived soon enough to join the
expedition. And I guessed that Storne would have preferred that Kaldir simply
leave so he, Storne, could continue seducing me without interference. I was
delighted that they saw each other as rivals, for an alliance between them
would doom the Shadowlands.
    Though I had not been trained to occupy the throne, I
blessed my education as a royal, for maintaining my part in the conversation
took every shred of discipline I had acquired. I agreed that we should leave in
about two weeks, which would allow enough time to arrange all our delegations.
I also stated that Storne’s warriors might appreciate a rest between journeys,
an idea he found quite humorous.
    Finally the last sweetmeat had been nibbled and the last
goblet of wine drained. We accompanied Kaldir and his entourage to their suite.
Then I headed toward the wing in which I’d ordered the DarkDwellers housed,
with Storne, his retainers and warriors following him, and my guards, ladies
and Maia following me.
    Storne opened the double doors to his wing and gestured his
warriors in. Two assumed positions outside his quarters. He said to me, “I’ll
walk you to your rooms.”
    One of his guards stepped forward as if to follow, and with
an impatient wave of his hand, Storne ordered the guard back to his place. “I
trow that the castle is safe,” he said, smiling.
    “From some kinds of attack, but not others,” I murmured as
we walked toward my chambers, my hand on his elbow.
    “Will you wear my gift through the night?” His voice was
conversational but low enough that the servants couldn’t hear our flirtation.
    “No, for I wish to sleep. I find it most…distracting.”
    His eyes gleamed in the light of the flambeaux lining the
corridor. “Good. May I take it off you tonight?”
    I glanced behind me to see Maia, Rall, Parron, Frayn,
Geoman, Mercourie and a host of others trailing in our wake. “Perhaps that can
be arranged.”
    “Is your life always so crowded?”
    “Yes, since I became queen. It is apparently a consequence
of my position, though I do not think our retainers were so protective of my
parents. They mean me no harm, of course. I did assume the throne quite young.”
    His angular face softened. “I understand their anxiety. If
you become mine, I will concern myself with your safety every moment of every
day.”
    “There is no need. As you told your guard, this castle is
safe, despite my warriors’ concern about our many foreign guests.”
    He tilted his head. “That is a thought. Since we are inside
the castle already, we could seize it with ease.”
    I glared at him.
    “But that would be poor repayment of your hospitality. Worry
not, Queen Audryn.” He took my hand. “I plan to conquer you by gentler means.”
    At my chambers, guards opened the double doors. We entered
and I kept everyone else out with a gesture. When the doors closed behind us, I
leaned against them with a sigh and closed my eyes.
    His finger traced the curve of my cheek. “Long day?”
    I nodded wordlessly and he said, “I won’t