Grant lowered his mouth to her ear. “I do love how hot your body gets for me.”
The deliciousness of her lush form tormented him too. Wanting her and knowing he should not give into his desire was hell. Caressing a path with his mouth along her jaw stirred an uneasy need inside him.
He hovered close to her mouth, nearly kissing her. The smooth skin beneath his lips caused a blistering heat on his flesh. She pushed her tongue into his mouth.
The sweet tang of her breath elevated his hunger. He tugged her body to him and lifted her. As she coiled her strong legs around him, she rocked her sex into his groin. A hungry, lustful little thing she was--his wife. He cupped her breast and pinched the peaked nipple. The scent of the moisture between her folds woke the dormant demon inside, and he surrendered to it, grinding his cock into her pelvis with a sharp motion.
“I’m going to take my time learning your body.” He stroked away the curls from her neck.
“I think you’ve studied up enough.” Her pelvis pressed to his hard member.
The red flare in her cheeks whirled a storm inside him, and he bit her flesh. How she loved to toy with him. He pressed the width of his cock to the heat between her thighs.
She gasped. “More.”
“Soon.” He pulled back, breathless, let her feet touch the ground. As he did, his wings vanished, revealing her to the warriors.
They combatted with staffs in groups of three. At once, they stopped, turned and bowed to him.
“My wife, Auria.” He lifted her hand, directing her forth.
She curtsied. They returned the respect in unison. “I’m sure many of you have been very eager to meet with me. How many would like to a chance to do battle?”
Nearly every hand went up. Just as she couldn’t help herself and had challenged his warriors, they needed to rise to her taunt.
Auria glanced at him with a naughty grin, which only furthered his desire to ravage her body.
“If you must.” Grant glanced at the ceiling and shook his head with a huff.
She lifted a stick from the wall and twirled the wooden weapon around her body.
“Two of you to begin. Mavik and Deil may go first.” With two fingers he gestured the males to the center.
The other warriors’ shoulders slumped forward with evident disappointment as they gathered around them. All of them wanted a chance to prove their fighting skills to him, however, fighting his beauty would leave his warriors embarrassed by their quick defeat.
Auria closed her eyes as she held her staff straight up along her body. The vibration from her mental awareness as she sensed the room sent a charge through the space.
Lean-framed Mavik circled, then swooped his stick. The wood stopped within a hair of her.
“Why didn’t I move?” she asked.
“I don’t know.” Mavik shrugged.
“I could tell by the sound of your movements you weren’t committed to the strike.” She reopened her eyes. “Do you doubt your own abilities, or does your fear rest with Grant’s anger?”
“I will not punish any hits. My wife has offered to fight.” He waved Deil off.
Deil inched closer, and flipped his long hair.
“Do you intend to battle or snuggle up to me?” She laughed. “I do believe my husband would be enraged by that.”
She did love to provoke him. “You know I would punish such an act.”
Mavik took a position in front of her. Behind her Deil stood in a Kung Fu bow stance.
The wind whooshed in her hair as Deil’s staff displaced molecules of moisture in the air.
She lowered to the floor, extended her leg, and spinning along the ground, sent the two males onto their backs. As she rose, she placed a foot on Deil’s neck and her stick to Mavik’s jugular.
“An opponent worthy of my skills, please?” She darted an angry glance his way.
As though he’d picked the weakest of the group, when in fact, he hadn’t much to work with.
Reah strutted into the room and picked up a staff, then winked at Auria. “Ask and you shall receive. A fight until one of us requests mercy.”
“Sounds like fun.” Auria cocked an eyebrow.
“With your permission of course, Grant.” Reah bowed before him and adjusted her skirt to cover the dark curls between her thighs.
“Nice outfit,” Auria said.
In no way did he like the idea of Reah fighting his wife when she held such contempt for her. Auria wanted a bloody battle but wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of calling mercy. Reah would have to show compassion, or kill her. Neither one would make him happy. What option did he have? He couldn’t seem to be protecting his wife from Reah, either.
“Until one of you has three body hits on the other. This is a display of skill, not infighting, which I won’t tolerate.” He leaned on the wooden desk a few feet away, sure that this wouldn’t end well.
“As you please.” Reah nodded.
“Poor you. I guess he yanked that short leash he keeps around your neck. Better make each hit count,” Auria taunted.
“Strange to hear a former slave, whore and servant of the lord speak of leashes. A mother unable to protect her own young from the one person she believes to be the most danger to them.” She raised her eyebrows. “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of him and your boys when he is done with you.”
If she didn’t watch how she spoke to his wife, he might have to do more than shorten the noose around her neck. The last thing he needed was more doubts about his intentions planted in Auria’s head.
“And yet he still can’t help but chase me. That must burn you, knowing when he lay with you, he imagined me.”
Her words pleased him, as she spoke with a sense of pride regarding his relentless pursuit. Say what she would, he was not fooled by her bitter outward behavior. Deep down, his unrelenting search for her and his sons pleased her.
Reah stalked over, swiveling her hips, and faced her.
Stillness blanketed the room. The warriors backed away from the posturing females into a demi-moon around them.
“Begin.”
Reah lifted her staff and struck down, met by Auria’s. She backflipped over the demon, poking her in the ribs.
“Auria, one.” He understood the ability of his woman. A match in every sense. Now he needed her to see he was her equal, that she belonged with him, at his side.
“I expected better from the devil in the blue dress.” Auria threw her head back and snickered.
The whispers of the fighters amongst themselves buzzed in the air. None had ever managed a first hit on Reah.
“You wasted your first chance to weaken me. Don’t expect the same from me. You’ll be feeling me for days, bitch.” She flashed teeth.
Grant shifted in his seat. Admittedly, he’d created the tension between them when he lay with, then discarded Reah. The demon knew who he wanted. Each of the females he frequented did.
“Such angry words. I’m sure Grant will enjoy the tapestry of love bites you’ll leave behind for him to kiss.”
“I will not.” He sighed. “I do not take pleasure in seeing you hurt but, if need be I have the courage of my convictions to see things through.”
“Set me free then.” Auria’s eyes gleamed with the dark tar coating as she took up a Kung Fu horse stance sideways and extended her hand, gesturing to Reah to come get some.
“You are. You just cannot take our young with you. Do not battle to inflict wounds upon yourself to hurt me. Your rejection already rips gashes in my heart.”
“That isn’t true freedom and you know it. I will not leave my sons.”
Wands collided midair, and the wood curved inward from the power of the blow. Their feet met and they bucked, casting off tiny dust particles. A wave moved outward from the women through the space. Their fists slammed down to the floor. Each stepped back from the other.
“I guess this is you, wanting to ‘dance’?” Auria smiled. “How about this? I’ll keep my feet planted here to even your odds.”
“Don’t do me any favors.” Reah leapt forward.
Auria deflected the frontal strike. Her opponent slid down and rammed the other end of the stick into her torso, catapulting her across the room. Blood sprayed from Auria’s lips as she exhaled midair. Pain radiated through her body.
“Reah one.” He squeezed his fist at the agony of the blow moving through him.
Auria bent her knees and landed, crouched. A flick of her tongue collected the red coating from her lips, accentuating her lush mouth.
“I was beginning to wonder if you could fight.” A bright grin shone her teeth in his direction. She swiveled her head back, tossing her curls over her shoulders.
The woman was an ancient, timeless goddess, whose dark sinful eyes elicited a hint of her hidden treasures.
“Isn’t vanity one of the seven deadly sins?” Dusting blood off her sleeve, Reah flicked a gaze at the ceiling.
“And here I thought it was envy.” Auria chuckled.
With eyes narrowed, Reah sprinted, swung her staff, which was blocked by her rival’s wand. She whipped her staff to each side of Auria, and then against her back, breaking the weapon in half. Wood chips splintered in slivers onto the ground. The broken end fell and wobbled to the floor.
“Reah two.” Grant’s jaw tightened.
“Game point.” She faced him and bowed to him.
Auria tapped the end of her stick on the demon’s hip. “Oops, my bad. I should have waited for your little interlude to end.”
“Auria two.”
“Game point.” Maneuvering into a bow stance, Auria winked. “I guess no one taught you the age-old rule. You should never turn your back on a superior warrior when you believe you have the upper hand.”
A lean male tossed Reah a replacement staff, and she moved back into position.
“What will be the tie breaker, my dear?” Auria asked in his mind.
Her question only served to anger him, though he’d known all along that she wanted him to hurt with her anguish. “I tire of this game you play with me.”
“Seeing me in pain does not please you, love?”
“No, you know very well I take no pleasure from this. Isn’t that the very reason you engaged in this sport?”
“Yes.” Her lips curved up to one side.
“Finish this so I don’t have to kill Reah. Unless your wish is that I not spare her life?” If need be, to prove his point he’d dispose of the demon.
“Very well.” Auria closed her eyes. Her attacker descended, and met the wood post. The weapons clashed, echoing in the room. Crowded around, the others gasped with each advance and retreat of the Spartans. She jabbed. Reah swiped, narrowly missing her.
Pouncing, Auria nudged her tool into the demon’s side.
“Auria wins.” Grant announced with a huff.
The collective sigh of disappointment aggravated him. His soldiers had yet to accept she would teach them and be their leader. First he needed to convince her to join his holy war. How else could he win the battle ahead?
“Do you really expect them to welcome me?”
The pain in Reah’s face was haunting. She drew a knife from her boot, concealing the dagger behind her. With a quick curtsey to Auria, she drove the weapon forward.
Grant took a cleansing breath and sent out a wave of energy. The burst molecules froze time in place. Over the past year, he’d discovered very interesting angles to his abilities. To be accurate, he stepped outside of the movement of time.
The blade pressed the material of Auria’s tank top. He lifted a sword from the wall, removed the scabbard and twisted the handle in his hand. Sliding behind his lamb, he pulled her outside of time with him.