The Wizards of Venus Book One: Magic Touch (18 page)

* * * *

Harold drummed his fingers nervously on the cushion of the seat. Glancing at his watch again, he urged time to go faster. There were still two hours before he could show up at the prearranged time.
I can’t wait to whisk Gracie away and back to Earth. I
know Earth will be totally foreign to her, but I think she’ll love the little piece I’ve sliced
out for myself in its rich and fertile land.
A groan slipped out as his thoughts of fertile land turned erotic. He’d never expected to have Gracie and he only hoped he could 179

control himself.
If not I’ll make it up to her. Only pleasure sweet Gracie, that’s all I’ve
ever wanted for you.

“I see you’re ready to go.” Charles eased down in the chair across from Harold.

“Anxious is more like it, but I can’t thank you enough for your generosity.”

“Think nothing of it. When Deanna told me you’d been personally invited to the wedding but there were no available rooms, I was more than happy to have you as a guest.”

Charles glanced at the timepiece on his wrist. “I wonder what’s keeping my luscious little wife. I think I’ll go and check on her. We should be ready to leave for the palace in the hour or so. Deanna said something about arriving early.”

“Of course. The earlier the better.”

* * * *

Gracie yawned softly. Lying on her side, she couldn't help but smile at the picture Rand made. Her tempting husband lay on his back, snoring softly.
Who’d have thought
that a Crown Prince would snore?
The heat of the
mezclar
still burned brightly inside her and their bond was strengthening with every passing hour. She knew they were both exhausted, but regardless the
mezclar
would soon wrap them both in its tendrils again.

When he stirred, she yanked her gaze up to his face. She wasn’t surprised to see him watching her with hot eyes. He’d allowed no denial since she’d completed their first bonding.

"Come here."

"Why?"

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"Because I want to make love to my wife again." Slowly, he pulled her to him by the silken binding that still held them together.

"Damn, I'll be glad when we're done with this. You’re not above using it to your advantage." She tugged back on the binding holding them together.

"You realize, Gracie, it’s just symbolic? The real bindings are always going to be there. There’ll never be any release from them for either of us.”

Before she could reply, he captured her parted lips and slid her slender body under his torso. When she flipped him over, he arched an eyebrow at her.

The feel of a moist mouth landing on his stomach drove all thoughts of protesting out of his mind. When it traveled lower towards his already hardened sex, a warning growl erupted from him.

She lightly stroked his manhood. With one hand behind her in deference to the binding that bound them together, she laid across him, slowly stroking him and licking the wet head of his cock.

“Gracie, you tease, enough. Come here.”

“Not yet.”

Rand resisted the urge to roll her under him and thrust deep and hard into her welcoming depths. When she lifted her head and stared down at his throbbing cock, it looked swollen and ready to erupt.
“I’ve read that if I touch a certain spot it will make
you come violently, Rand. I do believe I need to explore this.”

"Don't you dare! I want to come inside your tight little body.

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"Too bad!" She lowered her head and sucked him as deep as she could..

Immediately, he arched his back and thrust his hips towards her. Even while sucking strongly on him, she moaned happily.

"Gracie," he warned, his voice becoming rougher as his climax neared.

“Relax and enjoy it. I love the feel of you in my mouth, Rand.”

His cock was already on the verge of exploding, and while he’d been taught about these techniques, he’d never dreamed Gracie had. Well she did read a lot of books from the palace library.

”You taste so good.”

Her words drove him closer to the edge. Breathing harshly, he tried to control his body until she slid her free hand under his sack and found the sensitive flesh behind it.

He arched and roared while he skated along the edge of an incredible release. She moaned and bobbed her head faster.

"Gracie!" His cock spewed and he bucked under her lighter weight, throwing Gracie off him in the process. He shook as pleasure hot and wild continued to rack him.

When it finally eased, he tipped her head up so he could see her face.

"You do realize turnabout is fair play, don’t you, Gracie?"

"You wouldn't. I just wanted to pleasure you.”

"And I have the same desire.” He rolled her over onto her stomach.

"Rand?” Her surprise was obvious.

"Shh, relax, Wildcat." He ran his free hand down her back to her heart shaped bottom then forward to her wet folds. "That really turned you on, didn't it, Gracie? I’ll bet this does too."

182

Gracie moaned and wiggled under his touch, too lost in the pleasure to answer him.

"Seeing me lose control made you so wet, I can feel it halfway down your little thighs." Leaning over her, he nipped her shoulder. "I bet it wouldn’t take much to make you come."

"No.” Her agreement sent blood coursing through him again.

"And I want you come." Drawing her up to her knees, he thrust his renewed arousal deep inside her.

"Yes!" She bucked under his much more substantial weight.

"Shh, baby," he murmured in her ear, then stopped moving all together. "We'll get there, I promise."

Gracie squirmed under him, trying to coax him into moving. He had her pinned against the bedding and wasn't moving a single muscle.

"Please, move," she pleaded with him.

"Not yet." He reached under her and tweaked her nipples.

“You tease.”

“I believe I said something just like that earlier. How does it feel to have the tables
turned, Wildcat?”

“We'll see about that.”

“Yes we will.”

Rand groaned when Gracie used her vaginal muscles to grip and release his trapped manhood.

"What are you doing?" His hand smacked her bottom..

"Convincing you," she whispered aloud. "How am I doing?"

183

"You convinced me." His breath hissed between his clenched teeth while she continued to caress him with her inner muscles. Pulling his hips back, he surged back into her forcefully. Gracie moaned raggedly. "Like that?"

"Yes!" Gracie pushed back onto him.

"Good." He quickened his thrusts. Soon the sounds of the bed squeaking and slapping of flesh filled the room. As they approached their peak, he slowed down a bit.

"Admit you’re in love me, and I’m the only one in your heart.”

"No, I won't.”

“You’re mine and I won’t allow any man to take what belongs to me!” He punctuated his words while he began to pound against her. His roar followed her scream of release.

184

Letting the water of the shower wash away her tears, Pati wondered how she’d ended up like this.
How the hell did he bind us together when I’ve no power?

"Pati?" Jonathan's voice sent another wave of awareness over her.

After she’d managed to drag herself out of his embrace in the small alcove off the chapel, she’d run as fast as she could. Escape was the only thing on her mind.
I didn’t
even make it ten feet before he turned Neanderthal on me and tossed me over his
shoulder. Damn his cousin for giving him such ideas. Gracie, if you can hear me, I’m
going to kick your husband’s ass when I see him next.

Despite her protests, he’d carried her to the chamber he’d been given for his stay during the wedding preparations. After he’d set her on her feet in the adjoining bathroom, he’d crossed his arms over his chest and ordered her to shower before taking his leave.

"Damn it, Jonathan. I’m taking a shower. I'll be out in few minutes.”

“Don’t take that tone with me, Patience. I’ll paddle your ass.”

“Like hell you will!” Her vehement protest lost most of its sting because she whispered it so softly he couldn’t hear it.
I may be headstrong but I’m not stupid!

“When you come out, we’re going to have a talk and there’ll be no running. Do you understand?”

Sticking her tongue out at the shadowy figure, she was startled when he yanked the curtain back.

185

“You know, Pati, you shouldn’t offer things you’re not prepared to give.” He tugged on a piece of her wet hair while focusing on her mouth. “After we talk, I may just take you up on that tempting little offer. Finish quickly, baby. Our presence is going to be needed when the guests begin to arrive.” After sliding the curtain closed once more, she heard the muffled thud of the bathroom door closing. Leaning her head against the cool tile of the shower, she tried to figure out how she was going to get herself out of this new bit of trouble she’d managed to find.

* * * *

Jonathan paced back and forth between his bed and the open French doors.
Damn
it, I know she’s upset about our bonding but she’s got to get over it. We belong together
just as much as her sister and Rand do. My sentient power wouldn’t have bonded with
her if it wasn’t meant to be.
Struggling with his feeling of complete helplessness in the face of how to sooth his mate, he barely noticed when the bathroom door opened. “All right, Jonathan, lets get this talk out of the way. I need to go back to my own chambers and get ready to help Aria with the two thousand guests who should be arriving at any time.”

He turned to face her and a surge of possessiveness washed over him. She was standing barefooted, in his robe with its sleeves rolled up with a towel wrapped around her wet hair.

“The guests will wait, Pati. We need to present a united front.”

He almost smiled when she propped one fist on her hip and glared at him. “For what?”

186

“Do you honestly think your father or my uncle are going to let the fact we mated in the chapel be forgotten?”

A flush settled over her face.

“They’ve nothing to say about it because as soon as I figure out a way to undo this, I’m going to. I’ll track Master Iason down on Earth if need be. This is ridiculous. You shouldn’t be trapped just because of my reaction to my twin sister’s
mezclar.
”

“I don’t care what you think, there's no way in hell I'll ever let you go. Even as powerful as Master Iason is, he won’t interfere with this, Patience.” Lifting his amulet over his head, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her against his body. As if sensing what was about to happen, she tried to slip out of his embrace.

“Knock it off! There’ll never be another for me. You’re not stupid. You know how it works. Once a pair has bonded either they marry one another or not at all.” Capturing her hands in his, he restrained her before slipping his amulet over her head. “Bound to you and no other.” The ritualistic words had the desired effect and his amulet’s chain shortened and became a snug choker around Pati’s neck. Satisfaction filled him as he looked at it. She was now irrevocably his. He released her hands and completed the bond by adding. “You now hold all that is me, heart, mind, body and soul.”

“No!” Her hands flew up to her neck and she tried to remove it.

“Yes." Heat flared in his eyes. “I can’t wait to see you wearing nothing but my amulet, Pati.”

“Never!” Her hiss of denial only made him chuckle.

“We’ll see about that won’t we? I wonder how long you’re going to be able to resist jumping my bones?”

187

“I won’t!”

“Don’t worry baby, once you decide you want me, I won’t put up too much of a fuss.

You’ll only have to ask me nicely and I’ll take you to bed for the next week.”

Pati’s scream of frustration filled the room when she turned and fled.

* * * *

Jonathan chuckled while he watched her escape down the hall towards her sister’s rooms. “Was that my daughter I just saw running away from you?” Looking over his shoulder, he smiled at Colin.

“That would be her. Not that she’s going to be running very far.”

Colin gave him a questioning look as they headed towards the banquet hall.

“Care to explain that?”

“Of course. She now wears my amulet.”

Colin jerked him to a stop with his hand around Jonathan’s arm.

“She what?”

“I apologize for rushing, Colin, but I’m not going to make the same mistakes Rand made with Gracie. There’ll be no opportunity for her to escape.”

“So you forced the amulet on her!”

Jonathan could see the anger in the older man’s eyes. Holding his tongue, he decided to let him vent for a moment before explaining the reality of the situation to his future father-in-law.

“Do you realize unless she truly wants it, the amulet won’t shorten? Until then it is nothing more than a pretty bauble with extraordinary powers.”

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“Of course I do. But it won’t be an issue, Colin.”

“Why not?” Colin stopped in the middle of the hall with his hands on his hips.

At that moment, Pati came rushing out of Gracie’s room, once more dressed as befitted the sister of the future queen. It was obvious she was in a hurry. Catching her arm, Jonathan drew her to halt.

“Take a close look at your daughter,
my chosen.”