empress of storms (22 page)

He massaged that hungry little spot inside while his lips and tongue made love to her. He felt surrounded by her heat, the delicious scent and taste of her, the sweet little cries she tried to keep quiet so as not to alert the entire ship that she was being pleasured. Glancing up again, he saw her white teeth sink into her fist, biting down hard.

Yes, that’s it, little bird. Give yourself over to me, spend hard on my tongue. Let me taste your release.

He rubbed the flat of his upper teeth against the swollen center of her pleasure, then drew it into his mouth and sucked once, hard, as his fingers pressed into her. The little muscles surrounding them began to flutter and quiver, making her shudder against his one-handed grip. With sweet ruthlessness he worked her through it, not letting up until his hand was drenched with her fluids and his cheeks and chin were equally wet.

“Please,” he heard her beg, “please, Matthias, enough. I can’t, I can’t…”

He backed off as her legs collapsed. He caught her, easing her to the bedding and straightening her limbs. Discreetly wiping his mouth on the sleeve of his tunic, he kissed both nipples, then the column of her throat. “I’ll treasure that for the rest of my life, little bird,” he murmured against her moist skin. “Watching you standing there like a goddess tormented by pleasure, surrendering yourself to me. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

She urged him up to lie alongside her. “The way you touched me, kissed me. I’ve never felt anything like that before. It was as if I’d been set on fire inside.”

“Good.” He gave her a long, lingering kiss, loving the way her flavors mingled into something that intoxicated him. “There are more things I’d like to do with you tonight, little bird. If you’re willing.”

Her eyes went wide, as did her smile. Silently, she nodded.

****

The next morning Danaë walked out on deck, aware that she was beaming and unable to wipe the expression from her face. Darius spotted her from his usual spot near the bow and ambled over, the usual goblet in his hand.

“Good morning, sister dear,” he said with a smirk. “You look well.”

She refused to blush at his amused tone. “I slept well,” she said, pretending to study the glittering sunlight dancing on the waves. Ahead of them the sky was pellucid, streaked in blue and rose around the gleaming disk of the rising sun. She couldn’t see it yet but she knew the island of Rhodope lay over the horizon. In an hour or so it would come into sight, green-brown-gold against the blue ocean.

That reminded her of something and she took another, closer look at her brother. “Haven’t you retrieved your chain from Luna yet?” she asked. “You’ll need it for when we land.”

The expression Darius made could only be called long-suffering. “You obviously haven’t heard the shrieks when I tried to take it back. I’m trying to find something else she’d like, but I’d need to raid your jewelry chest for that,” he said. “I suspect your foster child is going to have expensive tastes when she gets older.”

“Or she’s a toddler who likes shiny things,” Danaë said. “We liked playing in Mother’s jewelry chest often enough, I remember.”

“Yes, because we were pretending to be pirates gloating over our booty.”

“You were a pirate,” she said. “I was a pirate queen. I think I have a rope chain that’s too big for her to swallow. We can try swapping that for your ambassador’s chain after breakfast.”

He gave her a florid bow. “You have my eternal gratitude, your majesticness.”

“Oh, hush,” she ordered. Even his teasing couldn’t bother her this morning. The issues of the previous day still remained in her mind, but they had become items with achievable solutions instead of maddening ghosts. As for her body, it ached deliciously in certain places, adding to her serene sense of well-being. Matthias had used depths of ingenuity even she hadn’t suspected to bring her again and again, forcing her at the end to clutch at his shoulders and beg for an end to it.

He’d insisted on cleaning her afterwards, wiping away their combined fluids with a tenderness she’d never felt in any lover. And then she’d slept in his arms, boneless and exhausted in the best way as she breathed in his warm scent. When she’d woken up she was alone in the muddled bedding, but a steaming cup of tea and a plate of fruit waited for her on the desk along with a note.
Seeing to Schrader and the other mainlanders. Eat this, drink this, and know that I worship you.

She smiled again at the thought of the note. It was in with her other private papers, and would be stored in her jewelry box once they reached the palace.

“While we’re on the subject of gratitude, might I make a tiny suggestion?” Darius said, dragging her thoughts back to the day.

“Have I ever been able to stop you?”

“Not really,” he said. “The next time the ship goes in for a refit, have the royal cabin’s walls thickened. Or soundproofed. You may have slept well last night, but I was next door and heard some astonishing things. My congratulations to your husband, by the way.”

Now she felt her cheeks flame, but kept her voice even. “I think I’ll send you Ghobos next. Or perhaps Huangzou. By rowboat.”

He saluted her with the goblet. “Just trying to save you from future embarrassment, sister dear.”

9

HELLASPONT

The royal trireme sailed into the harbor at Rhodope shortly past noon as promised, docking at its guarded berth. Danaë and Matthias were escorted off the ship by their respective guards, spending a few minutes receiving the cheers of the dock workers and the greetings of the harbor master before climbing into chariots for their welcome procession.

The Royal City of Hellaspont was a sprawling collection of sun-washed buildings that purled up the green hills of Rhodope like the foam on a sea wave. At the top of the hill overlooking the Eastern Sea stood the Royal Palace, a compound of elegant buildings with columned frontages and steeply sloped roofs surrounded by a stout defensive wall. A high octagonal tower rose from the center of the palace and was capped with a column-supported cupola under which an eternal flame burned, serving as a lighthouse for the island. 

The clamoring crowds thronged on both sides of the street as the royal party rode past, and the cheers that echoed off the polished walls had Danaë smiling and waving to her people with enthusiasm. Kostas, Schrader, and other members of both royal guards paced before and behind her in war chariots, and Darius, who usually rode with her, had volunteered to come up with Ife and Luna, who were arriving with the luggage wagons. Instead, Matthias was her passenger for the day. She took a moment to glance at him, admiring how the sunlight lit his hair with a golden glow like one of the gods. The few strands of silver along his temples didn’t detract at all, but served as elegant touches that added a formidable gravitas to his good looks. She imagined what he would look like naked and in her bed, where she’d fantasized about him for so long.
Thank the gods I’ll find out tonight.

He caught her glance and returned a rakish smile. “I’ve never been on this road before,” he said over the rumble of the chariot wheels. “On our previous visits we were always escorted on a rather winding route to the palace.”

“Father enjoyed showing off his capital to visiting royalty,” she said. “This is the normal way we go to and from the harbor. It continues down the other side of the hill to that bay I told you about, the one with the dolphins.”

“Yes, the one with Darius’s unrequited paramour. Any chance we might be able to visit it while we’re here?”

“I’ll make sure of it.” She only had to decide whether or not to make it a private visit for the two of them, or to take Ife, Darius, and perhaps little Luna as well. That was another matter she would need to attend to as soon as possible. Flavia had her own chores and shouldn’t be expected to continue doing double duty as nursemaid.
The nursery should be cleaned out and aired, and I’ll have to find a trustworthy nursemaid. Perhaps Nidas can suggest someone appropriate.

The road curved around the jut of a building near the top of the hill, then split into a Y junction. The rightmost road curved down towards the bay, while the leftmost road continued up to the cliffs overlooking the sea. The Royal Palace of Hellas had been constructed there to remind all who sailed upon the sea who ruled this complicated archipelago. The fact that the palace also commanded a superb view of the sea from one side and the sprawling city of Hellaspont from the other was an added benefit.

Danaë eased her chariot up through the switchbacks, letting the horse choose its own pace. “The wagons will take a bit more time to make it up to the top,” she said, leaning into the incline. “I’ll need to meet with the head of the royal council once we arrive, but I’m hoping that won’t take long. We should be able to have a peaceful dinner by ourselves.”

“Before the festivities start, you mean? Yes, I’d like that,” Matthias said. “Schrader’s men have reports from the consulate so I can work on those while you’re meeting with your council.”

The promise in his voice was tempered by the knowledge that both of them had duties to attend to before pleasure. “I’ve already had an office prepared for you next to mine,” she said. “I hope you don’t mind—it’s the consort’s office so it used to be Mother’s.”

His eyes twinkled. “I’m your consort, am I not? To be honest I’m looking forward to it. Not being responsible for everyone around me will be a pleasant change.”

His words reminded her that he had been king of Ypres for well over twenty years and had decades of solid experience in ruling a country. With a bit of a shock, she realized he was an invaluable resource that she could use. “Perhaps I can ask for a masterclass in kingship, since you’ll have the time?”

His gaze sharpened, in approval she imagined. “I’m at your service, my queen.”

She guided the chariot around one last hairpin turn, and the bulk of the palace appeared in front of them. The road entered a brick-paved courtyard where the Hellene Royal Guard stood at attention. Their armor mimicked the ancient designs of the hoplite soldiers, with protective greaves, chest plates, and forearm protection in addition to the crested helmets. But each piece had been forged from steel, not bronze, and gleamed in the midday sun. At her approach an officer called out and the guard banged their spears onto the courtyard in salute.

She brought the chariot to a stop, handing the reins to a waiting stable hand and alighting with Matthias in her wake. She could now see her prime minister, a tall, rangy woman named Athena Akrolos, and other members of the royal council waiting behind the guards along with the palace chamberlain Nidas. Akrolos had served as a bridge between her father’s reign and her own, and was an able politician who had supported Danaë as she found her footing as a ruler.

Linking her arm in Matthias’s, Danaë went up to them. “Welcome home, your majesty,” Akrolos said in a pleasant alto, bowing. “I hope your journey wasn’t too tiring.”

“It was very pleasant,” Danaë said, easing Matthias forward. “Prime Minister Akrolos, council members, I present my husband, King Matthias Laurent IV of Ypres.”

Akrolos and the other council members bowed again. “Welcome to Hellas, your majesty,” the prime minister said, dark eyes flickering across Matthias.

“It’s a pleasure to be here,” Matthias said graciously. “I’m assuming from your presence that you need to meet with her majesty as soon as possible?”

Akrolos gave them both an apologetic smile. “I’m afraid so. Nothing earthshaking, your majesty, but a number of items have cropped up in your absence that need your attention.”

“Of course.” Danaë introduced Matthias to the other council members, then waved Nidas forward. The portly, bewhiskered chamberlain bore more than a passing resemblance to an old walrus, but his eyes were alight with good humor as he bowed. “Nidas, please take the king to our chambers,” she instructed. “Make yourself at his disposal for anything he may need.”

“Of course, majesty,” Nidas said in his usual raspy voice, the result of a botched hanging in his youth. “Will Prince Darius be joining us?”

“He’ll be along soon. Have a guest room prepared for the mage accompanying him near the royal family’s quarters. There’s also a small child we’ll be fostering, so the nursery should be aired out. If you can find a selection of reliable nursemaids, that would also be good.”

The chamberlain’s bushy eyebrows didn’t even twitch. “As you command, majesty.” He gestured for Matthias to follow him and the two men left with Schrader in tow.

Danaë turned to her waiting council. “Well, then. Let’s get to work.”

****

Wishing to see to the quartering of his men (and perhaps get in one last quiet vomit), Schrader sent two Ypresian royal guards with Matthias to the queen’s quarters. The three followed the genial Nidas up a set of stairs and through numerous marble hallways, the floor done in dazzling mosaics that represented various scenes from the history of Hellas.

One of the guards glanced down at a scene and stumbled, swearing. Matthias followed his gaze and came to a full stop, gaping at the surprising artwork under their feet.

Nidas paused, turning back. “Majesty, is there a problem?”

He managed to close his mouth. “Er, no. I was just … admiring this mosaic.”

The chamberlain glanced down at the floor, then beamed. “Oh. The Seduction of Petraus by the Goddess Lis. Legend has it their offspring founded the Hellene royal line, you know.”

Both guards were now staring at the artwork. “How charming,” Matthias said, trying for an urbane tone. “And I take it the goddess was in her, er, dolphin form when this seduction took place?”

“Oh, yes. It’s why the royal family all swim so well. Come, the queen’s quarters are this way.”

He continued on, three bemused Ypresians in his wake.
Well, brother-in-law, at least your unrequited cetacean paramour makes more sense now.

Nidas stopped in front of a pair of double whitewashed doors that featured a bas relief scene of a sea battle. “The royal chambers, majesty,” he said, opening the doors with a flourish.