Obsessed (46 page)

She licked her lips, her core tingling to feel that length inside her. “Yes, my Lord.”

Renn’s frown deepened. “This is no game, denai.”

Tierra looked up at him, taking in the serious look in his eyes, and her belly twisted. “What do you want from me, then?”

“Everything.” His expression softened, and she realized she had never seen her dark warrior look so caring. “You are my heartmate, Tierra.”

Her skin prickled as she absorbed what he said. “No.” She shook her head to deny him, but he captured her face in his hands and forced her to look at him.

“I know this with everything in my soul,” he murmured, and when she started to protest again, he continued, “You are a gift of the gods. You were created for me.”

“How can you say such a thing?” Tierra brought her hands to his and gripped them so tight her knuckles ached. “We have done naught but fuck and fight.”

He smiled. “You are my match. My equal.” His thumb caressed her lips. “I know this to be true.”

Tierra opened her mouth to deny him again, but he swooped down and trapped her words in her mouth with a kiss that made her world spin. His lips moved over hers, warm and sensuous, claiming her.

She melted, dissolved into a puddle of lust within his arms. She needed his touch, needed his taste, his masculine smell. Needed his arms around her and his cock in her.

Her moan blended with his as their tongues mated and danced. He pulled away and murmured, “Do not make me beg for you.”

Confusion swirled within her. The way he looked at her, touched her, spoke to her. Could love be what she felt for this powerful warrior?

No,
she told herself as she stared into his silver eyes.
Maybe.

“I need to be inside you, denai.” Renn brushed his lips over Tierra’s. “But first we have much to discuss.” He kept his body pressed to hers, just enough of his weight that he felt good and solid against her and between her thighs. “Your heart-sisters. It is important that you know I spoke the truth.”

She bit the inside of her lip so hard she winced from the pain. “How can you expect me to believe such outlandish tales?”

“Do you think I would have created those stories to gain your trust?” The corner of his mouth quirked. “It would have been easier had I simply told you they were being kept safe from harm and had taken you to them at once.”

Light filtered into her thoughts, everything becoming clearer. Laughter bubbled up inside of her and spilled out, causing him to smile. “Likely we would be there now, instead of here in Faerie land,” she said with an answering grin.

Her warrior shook his dark head and sighed. “Why I felt compelled to tell you the truth…I do not know.”

“So it is true?” Tierra’s smile faded as she contemplated all that he had shared with her earlier. “It all sounded too unbelievable. It still does.”

His gaze remained fixed with hers. “I do not lie to get what I want, denai. I simply take it.”

“And you have decided you want me?” An odd tingle flushed her body and anger stirred within her breast. “You will take me whether I choose you or not?”

Renn slid one hand into her long hair, wrapping the strands around his fingers. “You have already chosen me.”

Tierra tried to shake her head, but he held her fast. “No.”

“You have.” Renn used his free hand to guide his cock to her wet channel. Instinctively she arched up to meet him, wrapping her thighs around his waist. He rubbed the head of his cock in her drenched folds. “Even your body tells me how much you need me. How much you desire me.”

She would not be owned by any man. “Simply because I want to fuck you does not make you my heartmate.”

Renn growled, his cock throbbing and aching to be buried inside Tierra.

Her refusal was a knife to his heart. He had never been a patient man, and when he wanted something, he simply took it. By the gods, would he be forced to wait ’til this woman realized she belonged to him?

No. He’d had enough talk. He intended to claim her as many times as needed ’til she came to her senses.

Just as he prepared to slide his cock into Tierra’s core, tinkling laughter came from beside the bed.

Tierra gave a cry of surprise, and Renn tensed, barely holding back a groan of frustration. He turned his head to see Anistana leaning on the bed, naked as always, her elbow on the mattress and her chin in her hand.

Anistana’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “Go on.” Her wings snapped open and shut and her wicked smile broadened. “I am enjoying this most immensely.”

Tierra squirmed beneath Renn, trying to get out from under his weight as she said, “We are not going to fuck with you or anyone else watching, you Faerie bitch.”

Cock aching, Renn sighed and rolled off of Tierra, but kept his arm around her waist. “Leave us, Anistana.”

The Queen giggled. “Oh, but I was enjoying your refusal of the mighty stud warrior, dearest Tierra.” Her wings fluttered as she stood and moved back from the bed, her green eyes fixed on Renn. “To think that the man who claimed he would never settle for one woman has fallen for the one woman who will not have him.” Hands at her slim hips, the Faerie laughed again. “The irony is sweet, do you not agree?”

Tierra pulled away from Renn’s embrace and scrambled from the bed so that she was facing Anistana. As she stood up to the Faerie Queen, Tierra’s emerald eyes snapped fire, her chin high and her red tresses loose and brushing her buttocks.

Renn narrowed his gaze as he looked from Tierra to Anistana and back, seeing them together for the first time. The resemblance…uncanny. And then he realized where he had seen a starmark like the one on the back of Tierra’s earlobe.

Tierra clenched her fists and glared at the Faerie. “I do not care if you are Queen of Qinokshit,” Tierra growled and Renn’s eyebrows shot up. “You have no right intruding on our private conversation.”

Answering fire flashed in Anistana’s green eyes.

“Tierra—” Renn started to warn her, but in the next instant the Queen vanished.

Blue mist filled the room so quickly that Renn had no time to react before he found himself completely stretched out on the bed and tied to all four bedposts. He struggled to free himself from the mist ties, but as usual, the bindings held fast.

“Release me,” he bellowed.

Anistana appeared again—between Renn’s thighs, his huge cock in her hand, her lips over the head, her eyes focused on Tierra. “I am Queen. I do as I please.”

The sight of the Faerie Queen with Renn’s cock in her hand, and so close to taking it in her mouth, filled Tierra with such fury that her hair all but stood on end.

Anistana flicked her tongue out.

Tierra flung up her hands and whipped out her spellbindings. One from each finger.

Ten bindings wrapped around the Faerie Queen in a movement so fast that Anistana had no time to react. One moment she had been about to go down on Tierra’s dark warrior, and the next she was tied from neck to toe in spellbindings, face down on the mattress, with only her wings left uncovered.

Mist ties around Renn’s wrists and ankles vanished and he moved away from Anistana and eased off the bed.

“What have you done?” Anistana shrieked and fought against the spellbindings. “My magic. I can’t—”

Satisfaction swirled within Tierra and she folded her arms across her naked breasts. “Can’t undo my magic, eh? Don’t tell me the all-powerful Queen isn’t exactly all-powerful.”

“Release me,” Anistana demanded, turning her face toward Tierra, her wings snapping open and shut with her anger.

Renn moved to Tierra’s side and smiled at his woman before turning a frown on Anistana. “First you must speak the truth to Tierra, for your binding leaves little doubt. The resemblance—it is no coincidence, is it?”

“Silence,” Anistana hissed.

“Tell her of her true heritage,” Renn persisted. “Now.”

Surprise widened Tierra’s eyes, but she kept her focus on her spellbindings and on Anistana’s enraged features.

The Queen scowled. “I will tell her naught.”

“Tell her,” Renn said in his deep, controlled voice, “or we shall let all of Faerie into your bedchamber to see you trussed up like a fatted boar. And they will all know there is one who has power enough to control you.”

Anistana stilled and Tierra did not need the magic of senses of her halias to know that losing face to her people would be the worst of fates for the Faerie Queen.

Renn strode to the bed, picked up Anistana by her shoulders and raised her to a sitting position as though she was no more than a doll. “Second,” he added, “before Tierra releases your bindings, you must promise to transfer us at once from Astral, directly into Sky Castle in Phoenicia. With our clothing and weapons. And Feymir, along with all of our other belongings.”

“Bastard.” The Queen glared at Renn, her voice tight with anger.

She suddenly looked very young, and Tierra wondered about Faerie aging. Anistana didn’t look a day more than twenty seasons.

Like me.

“Of course I am twenty seasons,” Anistana snapped, turning her fiery gaze on Tierra. “Are you so daft you have not figured it out for yourself?” She cocked her head at Renn. “Your lover obviously has.”

Tierra studied Anistana, and realization dawned upon her…she and the Queen did look alike. Very much alike. From the shape and color of their eyes to the shade of their hair.

Child of Fae… The words of To’en and one of the ebony Faerie twins echoed in Tierra’s mind.

“You and I are related,” Tierra said slowly.

“Obviously I inherited the larger share of intelligence.” Anistana rolled her eyes to the silver-leaved ceiling, before returning her gaze to Tierra. “Sisters. Twins. Now free me.”

“Twins?” Tierra’s skin tingled all over, and she could scarcely maintain her concentration on the spellbindings. “You are my sister? I—I am Faerie?”

Anistana gave an exaggerated sigh. “As the second born, you have no wings.”

“And the starmark behind your right earlobe,” Renn said to Anistana. “It matches the one on Tierra’s left.”

Tierra’s gaze shot from Renn back to Anistana as the Queen replied, “Aye, ’tis the mark of Astral royalty.” Her gaze rolled up to the silver-leaved trees above. “The symbol matches the star pattern on the mishnui leaves. The mishnui is a most sacred tree to Astral.”

Astral royalty? Tierra thought. To think that the star marked her as a royal Faerie.

“Do not get any ambitious ideas, sister.” Anistana’s gaze cut to Tierra. “Now you know your heritage. Untie me and I will send you to Phoenicia at once.”

“There is more.” Renn’s deep voice filled the room. “You are too eager to be shed of us. There must be more. Details.”

The spark seemed to fade from the Faerie Queen’s eyes and for a moment she was silent. “As you wish.” Anistana swallowed before saying, “By recommendation of the Council, Father sent you away when we were mere sprites.”

A sense of the surreal overcame Tierra as she eased onto the golden chair, still concentrating to control the spellbindings. “Why?” she finally asked.

Something like sadness flickered in Anistana’s eyes. “Mother had been murdered by the Fae killer, and they feared for both our lives. They decided that if you were hidden, you would be able take over the throne if something should happen to me.”

Tierra let Anistana’s words sink in.

Her birth mother was a Faerie, and she had been murdered.

I am…a Princess?

Second in line for the throne of the Faerie realm.

It was so bizarre, so unreal that she almost wanted to laugh.

Yet was this any more fantastic than Renn’s stories of Ranelle and Liana?

Instead of voicing her confusion and doubts, Tierra asked the next question on her mind, “Then it is me who inspires you to seek vengeance, not Renn. But why?”

Anistana’s features hardened. “Our parents gave the bulk of their magic powers to you at birth. Father said it was because you would face more adversity. But the gifts were wasted, from what I can tell.”

Renn cut in, “Tierra simply needs to be trained in how to use these gifts.”

The Faerie Queen’s words were almost more than Tierra could process. “I have the same powers as you?”

“Nay.” Anistana shook her head. “Yours are different, maybe similar, but beyond mine.”

Still feeling dazed, Tierra murmured, “I have more powers.”

Anistana raised her chin. “Do not let it go to your head. I am still the rightful Queen and will remain so ’til my death.”

“Which could be centuries as you are Faerie,” Renn said, his expression thoughtful.

The Faerie Queen shrugged beneath the spellbindings. “Or it could be days if Mother’s killer gets to me before I find that bastard. He has struck again, for the first time since Mother’s death, killing more Fae.”

Overwhelmed at everything she was learning, Tierra almost let control of the bindings slip and barely held them in time. “Our father still lives?”

“Aye, but I have not seen him in many moons.” Anistana tossed her head back in an unconcerned manner. “He prefers the realm of the dryads.”

Tierra wasn’t sure what she thought about her sister or her father at that point. Her father had given her away, her sister never sought her…would likely never have explained their heritage had she not been forced to. And Anistana cared so little about her sister, obviously anxious to send her off as quickly as possible.

Why?

“You have your answers.” Anistana gave a proud toss of her head. “Now remove these wretched ties.”

Tierra stood and moved to Renn, trailing her fingers along the scar on his cheek. “I want to know how Renn received this scar.”

Renn shook his head. “No. You don’t.”

A wicked gleam came back into Anistana’s eyes. “From a wild fuck we shared.”

Heat rushed over Tierra. She clenched her fists and magically tightened the bindings around Anistana, causing her Faerie sister-bitch to gasp. “Maybe I should wrap a new spellbinding around your throat, wench,” Tierra said as she glared at Anistana.

Despite the tighter bindings, the Queen raised her chin, a defiant glint in her eyes. “I used aradne, a Faerie powder that acts as a powerful aphrodisiac to most males. Works particularly well with Nordain and Elvin men.” The Queen smiled. “Helps them to be wild, barbaric lovers.”