Chapter Three

 

King Rodas awoke from a dead, lust crazy sleep with a jolt. He sat straight up in bed, pushed the feminine legs that hung over him off, stood up on the bed, walking to the foot and jumped off. Naked, he stumbled across the floor to the ceiling window and opened it with a wave of his hands. Cold winter air hit his body, cooling it but not the anger that began to rise within him.

Cleto is back!

He felt his brother, knew without a doubt Cleto had returned, and it pissed him off to know that the curse had been broken. After all, he had things just as he wanted them, and now they would go back to the old ways with Cleto back, unless he could cast another spell upon him.

Turning away from the window, it closed with a loud bang, waking up his playmates in the bed. By the time Rodas reached the double doors, he’d pulled on his pants, opened them, and was now headed for Kalena’s chamber.

Her doors opened automatically. Kalena stood in front of the window, staring out at the gray sky, keeping her back to him.

“I know why you’re here,” she said. Slowly she turned, and her lovely face and cool, collective eyes met his. “The time for your reckoning has come.”

Kalena dressed still in bright colors. A rich, white, and ruby sparkled gown covered her luscious body. Around her throat she wore a ruby and diamond necklace with matching earrings at her ears. Her long black hair curled down her back. In the five years Rodas had a hold on her, Kalena still held the beauty to steal his breathe.

Instead of using his magic, Rodas slammed the doors shut himself. He enjoyed seeing Kalena jump at the sound.

“Well, at least now I know why you have refused to give me my son,” he said with a sneer, as he looked her up and down. “You’ve been waiting for him to come back and rescue you.” Slowly he advanced on her. “Do you think he’ll have you, knowing that you’ve been with me willingly?”

“Nothing about this marriage is willing,” she stated, standing her ground, chin raised up. “You used me against him, and Cleto knows it.”

Rodas lost his control, raced the rest of the distance. Once he did, he backhanded her so hard she went flying to the floor, landing hard. “I told you to never speak his name!” he yelled.

“What are you afraid of?” she yelled back. “Him or me?”

Rodas grabbed her by the hair and yanked her back up to her feet. He held her close, glaring into her eyes. For the past fifty years he’d had Kalena all to himself, he’d both loved and hated her. She may have given him her body, but her heart belonged to his brother, and as long as that was out of reach, as long as she refused to love him, he wouldn’t have sons or the full power to rule the kingdom.

However, Rodas also learned that beating Kalena had little effect, bending her to his will. He learned very fast her weakness and used it against her quite often. One of those weaknesses was being a submissive.

“It seems, my dear, I’ve neglected you far too long,” Rodas said, releasing her hair. “Just as it seems you’ve forgotten your place.” He closed his hand around her throat gently, rubbing his thumb against the throbbing vein. Down her throat he moved to the top line of the sparkling red dress she wore. With a hard yank, he tore it off of her. “On your knees. It’s time to pay your dues to your king, once more.”

* * * *

Clair woke slowly and thought about the strange dream she’d had. A nutcracker soldier coming to life had to be one of the craziest dreams she’d ever had. But then again, she’d had a few drinks, and mixing alcoholic with her medicine wasn’t good. Her doctor had said, once the tumor began to grow, that she might start seeing things that weren’t really there, so that had to be it.

Opening her eyes, she saw bright colors like blues, pinks, greens, purple and a mixture of so many others, Clair sat straight up in bed. Only the bed she realized wasn’t hers, and the sheet which covered her naked body, definitely didn’t belong to her.

Naked! Why the fuck am I naked?

“Toto,” she murmured to herself, “I don’t think I’m in Kansas.” She looked around, thinking the bedroom reminded her of the game, Candyland, with all of its bright colors.” She noticed three large white and black animal hides on the floor, with the heads facing a set of thick dark chocolate doors, their mouths open.

Looking down at the bed, Clair got the impression she was lying on a pink cotton candy treat, only the bedding felt like silk, and wasn’t sticky. The bed hung from thick golden chains, and had pale pink sheers hanging around it. Off to the side a fire burned—the strangest kind she ever seen in her life. Instead of orange, the flame burned blue. Across from the fireplace was a large sofa in dark chocolate wood with blue cushions. There were also other chairs and large pillows on the floor.

Wrapping the pink sheet around her body, Clair scooted from the middle of the bed to the side. She was just about to rise when her eye caught sight of a man coming through a door she hadn’t noticed before.

“Holy shit,” she gasped, watching his every move.

It just happened to be the same guy she saw coming out of the toy soldier in her grandfather’s home. Only this time he had clothes on—pants at least. His hair, which was blond with black streaks in it, had a soft appearance. And he had the most amazingly beautiful blue eyes. Clair wanted to drop to her knees and give him anything he asked for, as long as he stared at her all night with those sexy eyes of his. But then there was the matter of his lips. A mouth like that—oh brother, get a grip on yourself girl!

“I must be dreaming,” she whispered.

Draped across his arm was silver fabric she realized was a dress. In his other hand he clutched a cloak of some kind with pink, blue, and white fur around the hood and cuffs.

“You are not dreaming, Clair,” he said. Her name purred off his tongue, giving her the shakes. “This is very real, just as I am.”

Clair couldn’t help herself and she tightened the hold on the sheet around her body. “Who are you? And why were you in my grandfather’s house?”

“I am Prince Cleto of Eltora,” he replied and bowed to her. “I’m at your service. My brother cast me aside to steal my home, my kingdom.” He straightened back up. “And you freed me.” Her mouth went dry when he knelt down on one knee, his hand stretched out to her. “It will be my honor to dress you.”

“What?” she could barely get the question out and the soft manner in which he stared at her didn’t help matters.

“Here at Eltora we men take the taste of pleasure and service toward our women seriously,” he said. “You freed me. I’m in debt to you and wish to service you in the manner of my people.”

“And that would be what?”

“By giving you pleasure.”

“Oh shit,” she gasped again. Suddenly she felt a little light headed. “This had to be a dream. The sickness is causing me to see things already.”

“I assure you, this is no dream. Please.” He held out his hand to her again. “Let me show you the ways of my home.”

You only live once, girl, and your time is short. Live out this dream. Clair took a deep breath, swallowed hard, and then scooted off the bed. She took his hand and he surprised her by not standing back up. Instead, he stayed on his knees and shocked her by snapping his fingers. The dress and cloak he held instantly moved and floated in the air right next to him.

“How’d you do that?” she asked.

“Magic,” he answered, taking hold of the sheet. But Clair wasn’t ready yet to give that up. She didn’t know if she could handle letting him see the scar on her body from the surgery to remove a tumor three years ago. “Please?” he asked.

It had to be the look of trust in his eyes that encouraged Clair to release sheet and stand naked before him. There wasn’t any other reason, or explanation for it. She never took her clothes off, and she never showed her body to any man on a first date. For crissakes, it took her ex-boyfriend months before she’d let him touch her. Clair just wasn’t comfortable with her body. Not after all the crap it had endured, and the scars that were left.

He looked from her face down her body and Clair stiffened, looking up, waiting to hear that disgusted sigh. What she wasn’t expecting was for him to touch her by rubbing his face gently over her belly, and the scar that ran across and down to her right hip.

“You suffered,” he said softly against her belly. “I can sense the pain you went through.” His hand touched her next. Warm fingers traced the scar. “And when they took the pain out they also removed something else from you.” She looked down at him, met his blue eyes, and felt like crying. “It’s still there, Clair. The woman you are is now hidden behind this scar.” Both of his hands went to her hips, turning her around. She had to take a deep breath, tried to stay calm. “When was the last time someone thought of you and only you?”

Now that’s a good question.

His hands were so warm on her back, moving up and down, curving around her rear, rubbing tense muscles until they relaxed. When she felt his lips touch her back she sighed, eyes closing of their own will. He parted her legs slightly, rubbed her body as his lips skimmed her backside.

“To have the fears you keep close pushed away...” Now his voice sounded thicker, darker, and richer. “...and allow pure pleasure take you on a ride.” His thumb touched her clit and she opened her eyes quickly, grabbing hold of his wrists. “Shhhh,” he soothed. “Don’t fight it. Never fight it.”

What’s he doing to me? Clair could barely breathe and thinking just went out the door. She released her hold on his wrists, her eyes once more closed to the soft kissing he did on her back, and when he turned her once more to face him, she went willingly.

He kissed her hip, licked, and sucked his way to the front, and all the while his thumb teased her clit. She felt it swell, felt herself get wet from his touching it. Hunger she hadn’t felt in a long time tore through her body.

She didn’t know him and she couldn’t believe she was allowing him to touch her—make love to her. He simply kissed her belly, the scar. His other hand teased her breasts with only the pad of his hand. Her nipples peeked, hardened so much they throbbed for a harder contact, but none came. And the one that played with her clit simply drove her nuts.

“Your hunger calls to me,” he breathed against her belly. “It’s a request I shall never deny.”

One leg went up to his shoulder and a kiss landed on the very spot he had touched. Air rushed out from her lungs at the pleasure from his kiss on her clit. Nothing in her whole life felt as good as that.

He kissed, she panted. The moment his tongue parted the folds of her pussy, and he licked her, Clair tossed her head back in bliss. He licked and sucked her clit as his fingers held her open. The pleasure was exquisite. None of her lovers ever made her feel this at ease, and enjoy oral sex like this. She’d always felt so self-conscious before, but not now, not with her toy soldier man.

Clair fisted her hands into his long hair. The thick strands felt like silk between her fingers. He moaned, she shook, and once his tongue stopped to flick over her clit Clair couldn’t keep quiet any longer. She moaned loudly, pulled at his hair, wanting him to stop, yet not! He kept right on flicking her clit with the tip of his tongue, and wound her up so tight she didn’t think she could breathe for much longer.

When he moved away from her clit she whimpered, feeling lost and disappointed. Looking down at him she met his blue-eyed, heated stare, until he ducked his head once more and pushed his tongue deep inside her and she lost control.

Clair cried out, her orgasm washing over her. Colors seemed to explode behind her open eyes—bright oranges, reds, blues, and many other colors. The pleasure became so intense, so powerful, that she had to take a step back from him, stopping it.

“I’m sorry,” she panted, picking up the sheet from the floor and covering herself once more. She pressed a hand to her forehead, and then covered her mouth, trying to gain control of herself.

“Never be sorry.” He stood up then and she got a look at the very nice size package between his legs. In the tight, white, leather pants he wore, Cleto’s cock strained against the front of it. “Your pleasure is my pleasure, and the first time is always the most powerful.”

She frowned. “I don’t understand.”

He smiled, licked his lips and she shivered. He took two steps and stood close to her. One finger went under her chin, holding her face up to his. Clair held her breath as his face came closer.

“You will,” he whispered before kissing her lightly. A snap of his finger and the dress, which floated in the air, suddenly appeared on her body. “Now let’s bring some color back to my home.”