Savage Splendor (Savage Lagonda 2) (32 page)

"Sit down, Mara, I want to talk to you."

"I do not want to talk to you. I have said all I came to say. I will be waiting in my room for the return of my baby."

"Why do you always revert to English when you are angry, Mara?"

"I meant what I said, Tajarez," she said, ignoring his barb.

His dark eyes scanned her face with such intensity that Mara closed her eyes against them. "Mara, Andrew will remain in the nursery."

"You only took him as a weapon to use against me. I do not know why you are doing this to me. What have I ever done to you to make you want to treat me so cruelly?"

"Mara, the last thing I would ever want to do is to cause you pain. I have done everything others have told me to do, without knowing what was right. I will now make a decision on my own." "I do not understand what you are trying to say." "Great Father, I cannot stand much more of this. Can you not see? Are you so blind that you do not know that Andrew is my son!"

25

Why do I covet that which is not mine?

Why do I grow bolder with the passing of time?

Mara's face whitened, and she could feel her body begin to tremble. Her hands were shaking so badly she tried to clasp them together to steady them. Seeing her reaction, Tajarez began to fear she could not handle any more. He was glad he had not blurted out that she was his wife.

She backed away from him shaking her head. "No! You lie! Oh, dear God no. Why are you saying this to me? You said before that Andrew was
not
your son."

He reached out and drew her unwilling body into his arms. "No, Mara, I never denied that Andrew was my son."

She searched her mind trying to remember. "But you implied that he was not your son, that is the same thing." She tried to pull away from him, but he held her firmly.

"Mara, Andrew is the son of my flesh. You and I have loved each other many times in the past," he said, resting his face against hers. "I want to make love to you at this moment."

His warm breath stirred her hair, and she felt a weakness in the pit of her stomach. Try as she might, she could not find it in her to resent that he was her son's father. It seemed only right that Tajarez had fathered her son.

"I cannot stand by day after day, wanting to make love to you, yet not being allowed to. If you only knew the torment I have been living through, Mara."

His mouth was only a hairs-breadth away from hers, and his hands were drawing her tightly against his body, Mara's pulse quickened and she closed her eyes as his lips settled on hers. Someone somewhere was moaning, and it took Mara seconds before she realized it was she.

His lips left hers to start the slow mind-destroying trip down the curve of her neck. Nothing and no one mattered at that moment but the feelings Tajarez awakened in her starving body. His hands moved up over her breasts and Mara gasped as his mouth nibbled at the lobe of her ear.

"Mara, beloved," he cried out in his agony, as he crushed her in his arms. "Allow me to carry you to my room. I want to love you; do not deny me."

Everywhere his hands touched her flesh they seemed to sear her skin, as well as her mind. She could feel his hard body pressed tightly against hers, and she knew that the last thing she wanted to do was to deny his slightest wish. Everything but the feelings he had aroused in her body was blotted out. She had all but forgotten her reason for seeking him out in this room, but some tiny voice in the back of her mind reminded her she could not go with him to his room. She would not allow him to make love to her in the room where he slept with his queen.

"No. Not in your room," she whispered, groaning as his mouth settled on hers. When he raised his head, Tajarez saw that Mara's eyes were bright with desire. Lifting her in his arms he carried her out the door, across the anteroom and down the hallway to her room. Mara leaned her head against his chest listening to the heavy drumming of his heart. This is wrong, her mind said. It was meant to happen, her heart answered.

Mara saw that he was taking her to the room she occupied, and she hoped Falon would not be waiting for her. But when Tajarez laid her on her bed she saw the room was empty.

Mara thought she could not stand it as Tajarez unfastened the back of her gown slowly, deliberately. When her gown fell to the floor in a heap, he picked her up and placed her on the bed.

"The queen?" Mara whispered, in a last attempt to free her mind.

"I love you," Tajarez said against her lips. "I love only you." His lips came down on hers hungrily, as Mara's heart sang, "He loves me, he loves
me
."

Mara felt her undergarments being removed. Closing her eyes, she felt the weight of Tajarez's body pinning her into the soft covers.

"Beloved, I have been in torment. I searched for you, not knowing if I would ever find you, and when you returned to me you looked at me with the eyes of a stranger. Hold me, Mara; let me feel alive again!"

Mara's hands ran down his back and settled at his narrow waist. She could feel the hardness of his body, and she knew he desired her as she desired him. It did not matter what happened tomorrow, this was now, and she could feel the torment he had spoken of. His body trembled as she turned her head and sought his lips. With a strangled groan, he sought entrance to her body, an entrance made easy for him by the arching of her eager body. As he started moving inside of her, Mara thought she would not be able to bear the beauty of it. Her fingers laced into his long ebony hair as her body became a part of his. Sensuous feelings filled her body, and Mara knew that she had been created to give and receive pleasure from Tajarez. If she were to die tomorrow, tonight she was more alive than she had ever been.

Tajarez's breathing had become labored as he took her beautiful body. He had thought in the past that she had given him more pleasure than a man could ever hope for, but never before had he felt this deep love that surpassed mortal love and reached for the immortal. His body was on fire, his mind was attuned to Mara's. It was as if he could feel every sensation she was feeling and know every thought she was thinking. Their bodies were soaring among the heavens, on golden wings. When Tajarez was sure they had reached the highest point anyone had ever attained, their bodies floated softly back to earth. Time seemed to have no meaning as they lay in each other's arms, both overcome with the wonderful thing that had just passed between them.

Mara looked into the dark eyes of Tajarez and was almost blinded by the love she saw reflected there.

"Did I love you before?" she asked as her hand drifted down his arm and her fingers laced through his fingers.

"You said that you did," he told her as he raised her hand and kissed it softly.

Her free hand pushed a strand of dark hair from his handsome face. "It would seem that I fell in love with you twice, then."

Tajarez cupped her face between his hands and looked deeply into her eyes. "Are you saying that you love me now?"

Her voice caught in her throat. "I love you so much it hurts."

"Beloved, I have waited so long to hear you speak those words to me," he said as his hand drifted over her hips.

"I feel as if this is not the first time I have said those words to you. I must have said I love you many times."

"Not nearly enough," he murmured in her ear. Sounds of pleasure issued from her lips as his hands moved over her breasts. "Having babies does no harm to your body, Mara, you are still unblemished.

"I have only had one baby," she whispered, wondering how his stroking hands could awaken her body so easily. "Tajarez, am I . . . was I promiscuous?"

"No." Her soft curves were driving him wild with renewed desire.

"Are you the only man I have ever been with?"

He raised his head and looked at her, a smile playing on his lips. "I am the only lover you have ever had."

"I am glad. I would not like to think I would allow anyone but you to touch me."

"Beloved, I wish you could remember all we shared in the past." His smile deepened. "We shall make new memories."

Mara closed her eyes as his hand rested on her thigh. She remembered when he had told her he loved his wife. Was it possible for a man to love more than one woman? She could not imagine ever loving anyone but Tajarez. The woman who was his queen began to fade from her thoughts as Tajarez pulled her beneath him. She met his forward thrust and soon everything faded from her mind but sensations that seemed to move the very earth. If her mind did not remember Tajarez, her body had not forgotten him, for she obeyed every command his body issued to hers.

Afterwards he rolled over on his back and pulled her on top of him, his hands moving lovingly over her body. Resting her head on his shoulder, Mara closed her eyes. A feeling of peace descended on her. It was as though, after searching for so long to find where she belonged, she had at last come home. She could not think about tomorrow, when she must plan how she could leave. Tonight belonged to her.

"Beloved, do you still not remember?"

"No, I remember nothing."

Moments passed and they were content just to hold each other. Mara was quiet for so long that Tajarez thought she might have fallen asleep, until she raised her head and looked into his face.

"Tajarez, are you permitted to have more than one wife?"

Now was the time to tell her that she was his wife, he thought. But no, Tabo was visiting one of the other Cities, and if Mara should have an extreme reaction to finding out that she was the queen, he wanted Tabo to be present in the palace. He would send for him tomorrow, and by tomorrow night he would tell Mara who she was, even if Tabo objected.

"No, Mara, I am permitted but one wife. Even if my wife were dead I would be unable to remarry."

"Why is that?" she asked with a heavy heart. She would even be willing to share him with another, if he could marry her, she thought.

"Were there not a son to become prince royal and my wife were to die, I would then be required to take another wife."

"I do not understand."

"It is believed that the prince royal should have no rival brothers from a different mother."

"Like Andrew?"

Tajarez chose to misunderstand her. "Mara, brothers of the same mother and father are rarely jealous of one another, not if they are raised properly, but a half-brother could be envious of the prince royal."

"Yes, I can see what you are saying. But what about Andrew?"

"Mara, I want you to know that I love Andrew every bit as much as I do Hamez and Tamera."

"You pointed out to me how Andrew would be treated in the white world. Will he be treated any differently here in this valley, as the illegitimate son of the king?"

"I can assure you that Andrew will be well received."

Mara laid her head back against his shoulder and spoke so softly that he almost did not catch her words.

"Do you have any other illegitimate children?"

His body shook with laughter. "No, I have no children other than Hamez, Tamera, and last, but no less important, Andrew."

"Oh."

"Let us not talk of others, Mara. I want you to think only of me."

Indeed, Mara was unable to think of anything but him as he raised her head and captured her lips.

Mara fell asleep in Tajarez's arms feeling loved and wanted.

The next morning Tajarez arose early and dressed. He moved silently so he would not awaken Mara. There was much to do today, and the most important thing was to send someone to bring Tabo back to the palace.

Mara awoke and reached out her hand for Tajarez but discovered he was gone. She knew she had not dreamed the night before, for her lips were swollen from Tajarez's kisses, and her body was strangely alive. She climbed quickly out of bed and picked up her discarded gown. She needed some answers, and she knew who could supply them for her. She would visit Sasha.

It was only a short time later that Mara stood before Sasha's door rapping softly. The door was opened by Sasha herself, and the Indian woman's face lit up at the sight of Mara.

"Is my brother here?" Mara asked as she stepped into the room.

"No, but I am sure if he knew you wanted to see him, he would come at once," Sasha said, knowing how much Jeffery had suffered because Mara would not talk to him.

"I did not come to see Jeffery. I want to talk to you."

"I will get you a cup of coffee. Would you like breakfast?"

"No, coffee is fine," Mara said, sitting down.

Mara waited impatiently for Sasha to return with the coffee, and when Sasha handed her the steaming brew Mara placed it on the table without tasting it.

"Sasha, I want you to tell me about the queen."

Sasha's eyes widened. "What would you like to know?"

"Anything and everything."

Sasha set tensely on the edge of her seat. "I, like everyone else, love the queen. After Jeffery and John, I love her best in the world. She is kind, and is always thinking of others before herself."

"What does she look like?"

"I think she is by far the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, and many share that opinion, especially the . . ."

"The king," Mara finished, feeling as though a knife had pierced her heart. "Does Tajarez love the queen?"

"Yes, he loves her above all else."

Mara closed her eyes. Was Tajarez a man who loved two women, or had he told her nothing but lies last night?

"If Tajarez loves the queen as you say he does, why would he be unfaithful to her?"

Sasha's face seemed suddenly to be drained of its color, and she leaned forward and spoke in a hushed voice. "You must not say this thing, Mara. The king would never betray the queen, to do so would mean his death!"

"W . . . what are you saying?"

"I am saying that it is forbidden by law for the king to seek pleasure with anyone other than his queen. Should he do so he would be put to death. It is the law."