Game of Temptation (4 page)

Chapter Four

Alethi could still feel the heat of Arun's
touches even as she immersed herself in the cold waters. She thought she could
break whatever spell it was that he entrapped her with the chilly waters.
Unfortunately, the cold only made her seek his warmth more.

She sank in the water lower until it nearly
reached her nose. Her body still remembered his sturdiness against her. He was
firm and hot against her when their hips met and it was such a surprising
delight that she could not say a word, torn between wanting it and pulling away
for propriety's sake. His feather-light touches on her back made her ache more
for his touches. Her mind wildly entertaining other thoughts of what more he
could do to her.

She shook herself in her thoughts and
directed them on more important matters. What would she say to her father when
they meet again? That she wasn't her daughter and that his wife and most
trusted liege commander had betrayed him? She could not bear to tell him all
that with what he was going through, but he also deserved the truth. And what
of Dosalam? What if they learned of that treason? She could not and will not
hand over her rule to the witch, Niraya. Even she had no successors, anyway.
Besides—

Her thoughts stilled hearing something
intrude the stillness of the waters. Or someone. She groaned inwardly, hoping
that it was not who she feared it was.

Arms circled around her pulling her into a
warm and solid body and she yelped. She didn't need to turn to look who it was.
The undeniable scent was familiar and she could feel her nether regions blaze
anew. They burst into flames when her sensitive virginity brushed lightly
against his leg and rested on it. She dared not move fearing the betrayal of
her body getting closer to the edge as her back and her stomach took in the
radiant fever he was giving off.

She closed her eyes to hold off her
feelings, but only manage to conjure an image of him. She saw his bright green
eyes, his radiant fair skin, the blond tresses that were more silk than hair
and those exotic pointed ears. His lips inviting her into a temptation she was
only happy to give into. She forced her eyes open to fight such a temptation.

Her mouth worked soundlessly for a while
trying to unlock whatever it was that caught her voice. When she managed to
speak, it came out a squeak. "What do you think you're doing?"

"You seemed cold," he replied,
voice sultry, alluring and tempting her far beyond what she thought she could
endure. "I thought to help. That's all."

He ran his finger from her neck to her
shoulder and she gasped as waves of pleasure hit her. She wanted it and her
body ached for it. But it was…wrong! She took a deep breath to steady her
voice. "Let go." It came out as a whisper, but it was commanding and
more than she had hoped to accomplish with the torrent of lechery that was
coursing through her.

"And leave you cold?" His hand
brushed her hair off to one side, brushing and exposing the nape of her neck,
while the other stroke her stomach. "That would be ungentlemanly."

Alethi could do nothing but bite her lips to
keep herself from crying out. She noticed how quickly she was breathing and
cursed herself. He knew he was playing her like a fiddle and she was sounding
out silent notes that told him he was doing things right. She stiffened and
sucked in breath as his lips pressed at the nape of her neck.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?"

His hot breath seared her to the core and
any coldness she felt from the waters vanished completely. All she felt were
their bodies touching, his hot breath on her neck and his heartbeats resonating
her own. She shuddered as his fingers moved along her back, tracing her skin
lazily and she knew she was not only wet because of the water.

"Truly, princess," he whispered,
lips touching her ear and she couldn't help a whimper, "you are exquisite,
but I reckon you would want to bathe in peace. I will leave your new clothes by
the bushes."

As suddenly as he had come, he vanished. His
body no longer touched hers, but she could still feel him. His thighs caressing
her intimately, his hands teasing her body mercilessly and his breath forcing
fire out the embers of her body. She could not dare look at him. At the man who
had so expertly brought out in her desires that she didn't know existed.

And the man infuriatingly left her as if
nothing happened!

She didn't know what was in his mind when he
teased her. His breathing was even and she was unable to notice the tell-tale
signs of arousal she heard her nurse talk about. He was stone, steady as he
rocked her core and made her shiver and whimper.

At the same time, she was glad he stopped.
She did not know if she would have been able to stop him herself if he did go
further.

She willed herself to look around and,
confirming that the prince was nowhere to be found, she dashed to the bushes –
only to find out her knees were too weak for the dash. She managed to walk on
shaky legs toward the bushes and picked up the dress.

It was the purest white she had ever seen
and the cloth was unlike anything she had ever felt. They were so thin, but at
the same time, strong and very much opaque despite its sheerness. She donned
the clothing and it felt even smoother than silk and lighter than even her
thinnest chemise, making her feel like she was wearing nothing at all. It was
perfect, except for the hem that only reached halfway down her thigh. It was
the most scandalous thing she had ever worn, but looking back earlier, she did
notice a few female elves with dresses above their knees. Even so, it did not
make her feel any better.

She looked down on herself and shook her
head. She could not face the prince in these clothes. They would not provide
any defense against his lechery…and her own. Wearing them, she became very much
aware of the cool night air caressing her thighs – and beyond. Already she
could feel her nipples responding to the feel of wearing nothing. It was then,
she decided, that she needed her old clothes.

She looked around the bushes for her clothes
and saw that she could not find them. On the ground beside the bushes, where
she was sure she left them were slippers woven in what seemed to be the purest
silver, only it was like cloth to the touch. She sighed and wore them – fitting
her perfectly – eager to find her clothes.

"Prince Arun?" she called out
unwillingly. He would be the only one who could have known where her clothes
went. She called to him over and over until she found him striding toward her
holding something in his hands. Her eyes widened horrified at what she saw.
"What have you done to my clothes?"

He stopped in front of her and gave a
chuckle. It was not exactly evil, but she felt that they hold something else.

"These rags?" he asked, holding
out the tatters that had been her clothes. "They do not deserve to touch
the skin of royalty. You are my guest and you will be treated as such. Only the
finest spider silk for royalty, of course."

Spider's silk? She knew silk was made from a
kind of worm, but one that is made from spiders? Perhaps that was why it felt
so exquisitely different. But it did not change the fact that she still missed
the conservative nature of her old clothes. One look at the tatters and she
knew it was impossible to regain them. "At least give me something that is
not this short."

Arun shrugged. "I don't see any reason
why not. You have nothing that you should hide. For a human, you have your own
unique perfection." His gaze lingered on her exposed thighs for quite some
time before looking up to her face with a chuckle.

Blood rushed up Alethi's face and ears. She
had never known elves to complement humans in their appearances, not with their
own perfection such commonplace for them. But then again, she had not met many
elves until now.

"Shall we retire for the evening,
princess?" he offered her his hand, "I'm certain it has been a long
day for you."

Alethi nodded but did not take his hand. She
knew she could not trust herself or him once their skins touched. His scent on
her lingered and it haunted her and as he walked beside her, he smelled
of…something else. She could not put her finger on what it was. She was sure
the smell did not come from the ruins of her dress that he carried. It was
something else.

Something that made the middle of her thighs
heat up and dampen as she walked, trying to reveal nothing in her features or
her movements.

Chapter Five

Arun had not expected it, but it happened.
He had never felt a desire so thick it threatened to choke him if he did not
let it out, and it had only been partially diminished as they walked in silence
to his haven.

Touching and teasing her would bring out her
lustful nature, he knew, but he did not expect that it would bring out his own
so quickly. It was not so much as feeling her body in his hands – there had
been many times in his lifetime that he had held female elves – but it was something
else about her.

Her gasps and moans stroke fire inside him.
Her quivering and her heat stiffened him. Her resolve drove him to insanity in
his demand to dominate her. His control when he held her in the lake had been
threadbare and pulling away from her was a herculean effort. But he managed it.
Barely. He did not know what it was, but something about the princess of
Dosalam made him want to take her and – the gods be damned – make her cry out
his name over and over until his strength failed him.

By the gods, he did not only want to possess
her body and fuck her senseless, he wanted to possess her mind and soul! No.
Fucking would not do it with her, unlike the others. He wanted more. So much
more. That much he thought when he finished himself at the far edge of the
lake, her scent on her clothes adding to his need to quickly reach the edge
before she could find him.

He wanted to open up his senses. To see and
smell her more acutely as she matched him stride for stride, but he fought the
temptation. To do that would be to push himself dangerously close to raping
her. He should hold himself back. She was not yet willing and her current
resistance was real, not yet a façade. If he forced to satiate his desires on
her, she would resist at the last moment leaving him to decide whether to deny
himself or rape her.

No. It was not yet the time.

He stopped as he entered his room. The
thoughts that ruled his mind were so human. They were wild abandon and
recklessness that defied an elf's distinct sense of control. It was a piece of
insight into the human mind, but he did not yet know how to make use of it.

He watched her as she scanned the room. The
dress was not enough to hide her curvaceous form, though the peaks on her chest
were not easy to find through the crimps that the seamstress formed into the
dress. Her bare thighs were elegant and looked like a combination of softness
and firmness at the right places. Soon, he would find out if he was right about
them.

"Well?" she asked, thankfully
shaking him from dangerous thoughts, "Where do I sleep?"

"On the bed," he responded
nonchalantly.

"And where do you sleep?"

"On the bed."

Her eyes went wide – cutely so, he might add
– and her mouth worked before she could say, "That is very improper! And
the bed can barely hold two!"

"Improper for humans. Not for
elves." It was not exactly a lie. Males and females sleep together during
wars, campaigns and hunts. And only then. But he was not about to say that.
"Or are you afraid that you're going to rape me?"

He could not help but let those words out of
his mouth. It was he who was on the verge of doing it and he transferred the
accusation to her. It was the only thing he could think of that would stall her
opposition: a challenge.

And it worked.

"Which side are you sleeping on?"

"I give you the liberty to choose as my
guest."

She bit her lip and crawled – accentuating
her ample bottom – to the edge of the bed at the side of the wall, edging at
the farthest corner and facing the wall. He grinned. It clearly was a bad
choice. If he lost control and took her, it would be impossible for her to get
away, but he knew in the depths of the mind, devoid of logic, walls were always
supposed to be a safe place.

"Good night then, Princess
Alethi."

"Good night, Prince Arun."

Arun smiled, amused at the stiffness her
voice took despite almost yawning her words. He laid himself beside her and
tried to sleep, but found it difficult to put his mind at rest. He had almost
completely shut off his senses, but he could still smell her faintly. He turned
to her and watched as the light of the moon touched her skin, highlighting the
contours of her face, her arms, her thighs.

Before he knew it, he reached out and traced
each graceful line. He watched her face, but there was no sign that she was
awake. Still, her body felt his touches as almost-invisible hairs stood
yearning for his touch. He dared press his lips on her shoulder gently and he
stopped as she stirred, but did not wake. He dared further and swept her dark
tresses from her neck and kissed her there, taking in her scent. She shuddered,
but her face remained passive.

Finally, he grit his teeth and tore away. He
wasn't supposed to be doing what he did. He wanted to seduce her and tear down
the defenses in her mind as only sex could. He would make her beg for his
touches and her release and he would bargain them for information. He would
torture her sweetly until she yielded. He knew that if he went on like this, he
would be the one begging for his desire to be quenched. Already, his desire was
tightening his breeches.

But he could not stop himself. He nipped at
her ear causing her to breathe more quickly through her parted lips. Her face
was still impassive as she slept through his ministrations, but he could smell
it again. Her sensual arousal. It was yet faint, but it was enough to push him
nearer the edge. His eyes remain transfixed on her full lips tearing at him. It
was impossible to taste them without moving her, with her face so close to the
wall. He was already pushing the limits of what he could do to her without
waking her and he did not want her to wake. Not yet. He wanted to savor each
moment of her yielding vulnerability. He wanted to let the sweet ache in his
groin grow.

The thought hung. Was this what it meant to
be united with a human? To match their insatiable urges to the point where
control only became a distant memory? He wondered if this was what his great
grandmother went through when she decided to marry a human and let her grief
over her loss take her with him.

What he was feeling now was estranged from
the myriad of feelings he had ever had in his lifetime. It transcended lust
into something unknown. Lust, he was well-acquainted with. He had had countless
elves warm his bed and fathered children he did not know. Lust was a duty that
he could turn away with a shrug. But with her, lust was a desire that consumed
him. It held him by the neck and he was loath to let go. He knew it wouldn't do
if he gave in.

What he needed was a spell to keep him from
going too far. He would make her give in before he did. And then he would send
her away. It wouldn't do for him to be panting after a human when the
relationship between their races was still strained. What would that do to the
reputation and respect he had built over the years? Political animals would eat
him alive!

Spells were many for this predicament and
deadening his senses to her was not one of his options. Somehow, he knew he
could not bring himself to do that. He wanted it – wanted the sensation she
brought to him. It was uncharacteristic of him, but that was his problem. He
brooded on which spell to make until he finally settled on sending ice cold
shards of pain down his groin when he reached a certain degree of desire. It
was a brutal method, but it would be a painful and effective reminder of what
he had to do and what he ought not to do.

And since he already had spells on his side…

Arun chanted and touched her forehead. He
didn't know how strongly the spell would affect her, but if hid it right, it
will not be long before she would welcome his advances and then, he'd break the
spell he cast on himself.

Strangely, he anticipated it. He had never
looked forward to uniting with the female kind before, but he yearned to do so
with the sleeping princess before him.

He caressed her shoulders and slid them down
her thighs and back up under her skirt. A sudden flash of pain through his
groin stopped him and he quickly withdrew his hand, hissing a string of curses.
At least he knew that spell was effective. He looked at her to check if she had
woken. She had not, but instead of facing the wall, she was now lying on her
back her skirt riding up a hair's breadth away from what he had been coveting.

"Gods have mercy on me!" He
whispered to himself. He loomed over her and planted a small kiss on her lips.
They were soft, hot and was perfect for his own. The light touch of his lips on
hers gripped his heart and pulled him up to heights unknown. He wanted to wrap
her in his arms, protect her and give her his whole being. In that small and
light contact, he could feel all of her. He wanted to feel more of it and go
deeper, but kept his mouth shut.

He finally tore away and shut her eyes
vowing never to do it again. It was dangerous. He had heard such feelings
described by the elders and it was one of the most potent killer of their race:
infatuation. At least he thought it was only that.

By the gods, he would protect her from
Liushan. He would protect her until he got what he wanted. And then…what? In
truth, he did not want to let her go. But he would have to. Keeping her was
dangerous, and her father would not live forever. He would let her go. And what
of him? He would forget her, that's what.

The thought infuriatingly made him ache. He
tried to focus. All he was losing was a toy. An informant. A human. That was
all, nothing more.

He laid himself back down and tried to sleep
and the last thing on his mind was the thought of losing her and it gave him
nightmares.