Irish Seduction (2 page)

Jasper sensed the change in her body. Her sex tightened around his cock and her legs crossed over the back of his, pulling him closer. She moaned and bucked beneath him, her breath coming in shorter gasps. Leaning up on his hands, he gazed into her face. His balls tightened. Jasper tried to slow his pace, torn between wanting it to last and needing the release that had eluded him night after night.

She moaned and shifted her body higher, making the decision for him. With a growl he grabbed her hands, holding them together over her head, and thrust into her throbbing sex. His breath hitched, the groan in his throat turning into a guttural roar. His body shuddered and he pumped his seed into her.

He ran his hands down to her face and dropped kisses on her neck while letting his body slow. Jasper held his body still as his cock strained and pumped, squeezing out every last drop of cum.

Sighing deeply, he cradled her body close to his, tucking her into the safety of his arms. He was exhausted not only from their joining tonight, but from the tension of the previous night’s dreams that had left him unfulfilled and screaming for release. He stroked her face with his thumb, tracing the lips that felt swollen from his lovemaking. Her hand draped over his back, her fingers making tiny patterns on his damp skin, and they drifted off to sleep.

***

A knock on the door woke him the next morning. Stirring, Jasper opened his eyes, his gaze going to the pillow beside him. He was alone.

“Enter,” he called, suddenly feeling bitter that it was another dream that left him feeling alone and betrayed.

“My Lord, you asked to be woken early before your tenants arrived.” His manservant poked his head in the doorway.

“Thank you, Patrick. I will dress myself and be down directly.” He dismissed the man.

“Very good, sire.” Patrick bowed and left the room.

Jasper dropped his head into his hands, shattered. Another night of passion that died before he awoke. Where was this leading him? To have a dream lover was an empty feeling. He was a normal man, normal as any Wiccan Master could be with normal feelings. He needed a mate, someone to be by his side, to share his bed. He wanted someone to share his body, bear his children, and grow old with.

He threw back the sheets, ready to climb out of bed and face another depressing day. It was the small bloodstain on the sheets that froze him and threw his already muddled mind into total confusion.

How could this be? It was only a dream. A dream that was lost the minute that he woke. If that was so, what
was
this? In his dream he had bedded a virgin and this was the proof of that. Last night Jasper gave his heart and soul to the woman he did not know. In his mind, the vows had been said. If they had been said in front of the local priestess, they would have not have had more meaning. But this was not a marriage and she was nowhere in sight. She was a dream. Wasn’t she?

He crawled out of bed and stalked to the window. Leaning on the window ledge with both his hands, he set his head against the tiny diamond-shaped glass and breathed heavily.

“Gods, what are you doing to me?” he groaned. Surely this was someone toying with him. Even his magic could not conjure up such a dream lover. He had touched her, tasted her, and fucked her until they were both sated. Hadn’t he?

Jasper was an elements wizard and could control the wildest of storms. But never would he have tried to bring someone to his bed with magic. He would have his mate honestly or not at all. Who could be doing this to him and why? No one readily came to mind, but if there was foul magic at play here, he would find out. Jasper’s sanity depended upon it. Even thinking of her now, his body was betraying him.

Disgusted with himself, he turned from the window and bathed and dressed before Patrick came back looking for him. There were meetings that day with some of the tenants and they would need him to have a clear head. He decided their futures now that his father was dead and he was the new Lord of Kilcane.

Jasper ate in the kitchen with the cook fussing. He quickly gulped down his breakfast with a mug of herbal tea. Patrick called him when the first tenants started filing through the gates.

The old Lord of Kilcane, his father, had been a fair but brusque man when dealing with the farmers. They had given him the respect that was his due. Now they were here to find out if Jasper would let them continue the way of life they had become used to or demand more from them than they could offer.

He stepped out of the kitchen door, his gaze roaming over the gardens that his mother had planted when she first came to the castle on the cliffs. She taught him the magical herbs that he used in many of his spells for healing and summoning
.
It was time for harvesting; the beds were full of mature plants that he needed to dry and hang for winter use. The smell of the lavender in bloom caught his nostrils.

He approached a large group of men and women that stood quietly watching him, their children held close by their side while they waited for their chance to put forward their case to stay in their homes.

“I thank you all for coming today and on behalf of my mother, I thank you for your messages of condolence on the death of my father. I want to assure each and every one of you that nothing will change. You are to carry on with what you are doing now, growing your crops and running your cattle.” He looked over the heads of the children to their parents, who were hanging onto every word he spoke. “Live your life the same way you have in the past. I will not be turning any of you away or extracting more than you already pay.” Jasper smiled at the relief on their faces. These people had been with his father for long before he was born and he needed their loyalty. Their sons would become his soldiers when they came of age if they showed promise.

“If you could pass on my message to those that couldn’t make it today I would be grateful. Is there anyone that I need to make potions for?”

He stood among the chatter, listening to the ailments that needed his attention. Jasper worked out the most urgent cases, then went to make what was necessary. The next couple of hours were spent running between the garden and his workroom. By the time he had seen the last of his tenants it was late afternoon.

Jasper walked briskly up the wide stone staircase to his room. He needed to bathe and dress in preparation for his journey at dusk. The smell of his green-eyed angel still hung in the room and his body reacted when he stripped off his day clothes. Stroking his throbbing erection, he imagined her lying back against the pillows, cupping her naked breasts in offering to him. Cursing himself for his lack of restraint, Jasper poured water into the wash bowl. He splashed his face, letting it run down his chin, drip onto his chest, then trickle down to his groin. His cock twitched and he cupped his balls. Rolling them between his fingers, he stretched his body tight, clasping his butt cheeks together. It would take no more than a few short strokes for him to reach his peak, but he held back.

Would he be dishonest if he pleasured himself? Before last night he would have said no, but knowing what he saw when he awoke, he wasn’t so sure that it was a dream anymore.

Jasper ignored his body’s obvious display of need and dried himself before dressing. He wore dark breeches and a soft white shirt that had been laid out on his bed. With deft movements he pulled a leather strip out of his pocket and tied his hair back. With a sigh, he sat and pulled on long soft calfskin boots.

He looked over at his bed. In his mind’s eye he could still see her there, lying deep in the soft pillows, her golden hair splayed out over the white lace pillows. His nostrils flared, remembering the way her smell stayed in his bed after he had woken. Sensual and warm, it made his heart ache for what he could not hold onto in the real world.

***

He kissed his mother on the cheek and begged her not to worry before taking his leave. Jasper made his way to the headland to the portal of the gods and then waited for the golden bright light that would take him to Upper Therrus. The wind toyed with his hair, setting free strands to blow over his eyes and high cheek bones. He brushed them away, impatient now to meet those that ruled his world. This was a journey that he had made before when he was first initiated into the Wiccan world. The gods had lain down the laws that governed those like him and their powers. It was the same trip that his father had made before him when he had reached manhood and his powers had come into their own.

The light was blinding when his body lost its solid form to travel to the world of the gods. The warm sun bathed him in a golden light and he found himself in the same bright airy courtyard that he remembered from his last visit. A messenger was there to greet him and guide him to those that wished to speak with him. He followed the young man through a central courtyard where an enormous fountain spouted water over marble nymphs in different poses. Children dressed in white ran and danced around the water’s edge, laughing. Young maidens watched close by to keep them safe.

Perfect, everything about the place was perfect, the gardens and the buildings. There was no sound of a child crying in pain or frustration. No one went hungry here or felt the bite of the cold that lashed Jasper’s land. Never would any of the gods be torn from their beds to fight a battle for the home that they desperately tried to keep to hand down to their sons. This was their world and would always be so. It was a far cry from the life he lived by the edge of the sea where everyday could be a battle to hold onto your life.

The hairs on the back of his neck prickled and started to rise. A chill went down his spine and a cold sweat broke out on his brow. Something was wrong and Jasper quickly cast a protective spell around himself before looking for the source of his unease.

Two young women huddled against one of the large marble pillars that supported the roof of the building he was walking through. They had their arms wrapped around each other and their heads together. They were both strikingly different, one blonde haired and the other had wild deep-red tresses that fell down her back. Jasper couldn’t hear what they were saying, but from the glances they sent his way, they were obviously talking about him. He chided himself for his mistrust. There was nothing here that would hurt him. Unless he upset them, the gods would treat him kindly. Relaxing, he laughed at his scattered thoughts. The last few weeks had made him far too tense and this visit was doing nothing to calm his frazzled nerves.

Following the guide into the Great Hall, he glanced around. Small groups of well-dressed men and women were seated on chaise lounges, talking and drinking wine. Servants circled the room, filling cups and carrying platters of food on quiet feet.

Jasper was led to the end of the sun-filled room. On a large dais were two ornately carved golden thrones. Seated before him were the reigning gods, Elena and Helan. They ruled Upper Therrus and he could not remember anyone else being in their place before them.

Jasper bent his head low and dropped to one knee before them. A hand on his shoulder made him glance up. Looking into the compassionate eyes of Elena he almost faltered. She beckoned him to rise.

“Jasper, we are so sorry about your father’s death.” She took his hands in hers. “Please tell your mother we are thinking of her.”

“Thank you, Elena. She is missing him terribly. I fear that she will wilt away now that she no longer has him by her side.”

“I will give you a potion for her when you leave. She must be allowed to grieve and will do so until she has grandchildren around her skirts. But she will need help so that she does not fall so far that she cannot pull herself back up.” Elena turned back to her throne with her hand still on Jasper’s arm. “Come, sit with us.”

She guided him up onto the dais to sit on a low, heavily carved stool at the foot of her throne.

Jasper inclined his head to Helan, giving the god the respect that he deserved.

“You are well, Jasper?” Helan asked. “Life is treating you kindly?”

“Yes, I am well. Apart from the death of my father and the constant battles over the land to the east of our estate, things are running as one would expect.” Jasper summoned the nerve to ask what was foremost in his mind. “Is this what you asked me here for, Helan?”

“No, it is not. I’m sure you know, our eldest daughter Mari has almost completed her studies and is doing well.” He smiled and glanced at his wife before continuing. “She has just returned from discovering the way of the worlds that she will rule when her time comes. You must have known that we would call upon you one day to help teach one of our children your skills, Jasper. It is Leona that we wish you to work with. She is of the age that her powers are coming through and we wish for you to train her in the elements. We could think of no one that has a better knowledge of them than you.”

“Why would you want me to train her?” Jasper asked, stunned that he had been given such an honor. “Why not the elements master that trained Mari?”

“You know the laws of the gods and the human race. Each must remain true to their own kind,” Helan said with thunder showing in his eyes. “The last teacher we brought here stepped over the boundaries of trust. We can no longer allow him in our court.”

“I understand.” Jasper’s gut twisted at the words, a feeling of foreboding rising from his stomach. “Anything that I can do for you, you need only to ask.”

“Elena, call Leona,” the god commanded. Elena turned to a young servant girl behind her, whispered in her ear and sent her scurrying for her youngest daughter.

“If you could see your way clear to come once a week, Jasper, and teach our child the elements, we would be forever in your debt.” Elena smiled at him warmly. “She is willful but a handsome young man like you will no doubt be able to hold her interest. You do good work, Jasper. We have seen for ourselves the forces that you can control and would be pleased if Leona had half the skills that you do.”

“Here she is now.” Helan beamed, watching his youngest come into the hall. “Come closer, child. Meet your new instructor.” He held his hand to her. “Jasper, this is our youngest child, Leona.”