The True Ruler, page 10
part #5 of Worlds Apart Series
“I know a short cut that will get you home faster,” Barash said.
Cassie was not averse to taking a different route home. She needed to learn the city and returning the way they came would not offer the opportunity to see more of Aster Province. They passed several shops she had not seen before and Barash did not object to her peering in the windows to check out the displays. There were a variety of women’s clothing stores that offered Troyk fashion that did not appear to be as risqué as the ones Madame Gigi forced upon her. She would have to return with Shirl and JoAnna.
When they started heading to her left, Cassie believed they were going in the wrong direction. “Shouldn’t we be heading toward the gathering place?” she asked. She could see the trees several blocks to the right.
“I want you to meet a friend of mine,” Barash said as he shoved her down an alley.
Cassie knew she was in danger and Candy’s senses must be having a field day. “Candy, Barash Kleyman is abducting me. I’m several blocks on the other side of the gathering place. There was a green awning over a woman’s clothing store just down from where he is dragging me.”
“Darden,” Cassie simultaneously called out to her soul mate through their channel. “I’m in danger. Head in the direction of the gathering place and over three blocks to the east.”
Reaching out to her friends made more sense than screaming for help and alerting Barash’s accomplices, if he had any. The street they had been walking down was deserted. She struggled in Barash’s grasp, buying Candy and Darden time to get to her. There were no immediate replies to her pleas for help, which was troubling.
At the end of the alley, a door opened as they approached. She did not recognize the men who made way for her and Barash to enter the apartment. Cassie was dragged forward, although at this point she had stopped struggling. There was something about her new surroundings that did not indicate she was in any danger.
They entered a smartly decorated room. It looked like something that would be laid out in an expensive department store for the very rich. Things were not adding up. A well-dressed woman sat on a cream colored sofa. Something about the woman was familiar. It was as if she was staring in the mirror, reflecting what she would look like in forty years.
Cassie could not believe her eyes. This woman had to be her grandmother, or at least, a close relative. Benko rarely talked about the woman who had given him up at birth to Jeryl Jarlyn.
“I never gave up your father,” the woman said. “He was taken from me by that monster.”
It alarmed Cassie that her grandmother could read her thoughts and Darden had not responded to her pleas. She needed information and the best way to get it was to cooperate. Cassie sat in a chair next to her grandmother.
“That crystal you wear interferes with your telepathic communication capabilities,” her grandmother stated. Cassie pulled it off and handed it to the woman. “Its proximity will still prevent you from calling for help. I mean you no harm. Kidnapping you seemed the most efficient way to meet you. My name is Elyn, by the way.”
“Father never mentioned your name,” Cassie replied. It was more of a comment to herself than to Elyn.
Her grandmother gave a half-laugh. “I imagined he would not. Benko was the model son. He surprised everyone, including me, when he tried to overthrow his father. Does my son still live?”
Cassie studied her grandmother. She was as leery to provide her news of Benko’s whereabouts, lest any of the people in the room report back to her grandfather. It was becoming a well-known fact Benko still lived, so Cassie did not give anything away by letting Elyn know her son was alive.
“My father was fine the last time I saw him,” Cassie said in a noncommittal tone. “How do you have the ability to read my mind?”
“Several years after I gave birth to Benko, I met my soul mate,” Elyn responded. “After we made love, I had the ability to read people’s minds.”
It was the same telepathic enhancement that Alex and Tarsea possessed once they mated. Elyn was admitting to being a soul mate and was aware of what could happen when they came together for the first time. Cassie did not have a reason to doubt her grandmother’s word.
“What is your association with my grandmother?” Cassie asked Barash.
She could not figure out why he was the one who brought her to this little family reunion. From everything she had gathered, Barash was loyal to Jeryl Jarlyn. However, as far as the general population knew, so was Solfa Theffar.
“You can say we have the same interests,” Barash responded. Cassie raised an eyebrow, requesting clarification of that statement. “I did not like what my father became when he started running for office and what has happened to him since he won the seat. He tolerated the government, but enjoyed the wealth it brought. As he became friendlier with the powerful Prime Representatives, his values changed. Mine have not.”
“How did the two of you find each other?” Cassie asked.
Elyn smiled. “People of like beliefs have a tendency to gravitate to one another, even when it is not healthy to do so. I used my ability to read minds to identify others with similar inclinations. We ignored our telepathic abilities and started to meet in crowded locations, speaking in hushed tones. Over the years, we made many unsuccessful attempts to unseat my former lover. Barash is a newer member of our group. When Jeryl Jarlyn threw the two of you together, it seemed like destiny that we would meet. After the display this afternoon, I knew the time had come.”
Her grandmother stood and grabbed the rose colored crystal that prevented Cassie from communicating with Darden and her friends. Elyn lifted a heavy metal candleholder and proceeded to crush the stone. Cassie immediately reached out to Darden and Candy, who were frantically transmitting to her through their respective channels.
“Would you like something to eat while we wait for your friends to arrive?” Elyn asked as she pulled a tray of food from the cold storage unit.
Their lunch had been interrupted, so she had not eaten since breakfast. Cassie grabbed some cheese to take the bite off her hunger. She did not want to eat too much, since she was still nervous about her current situation. The food allowed her to better focus and control her emotions. Her behavior would not alert her grandmother she was communicating with Darden and her friends.
Darden, Candy, and Tarsea were led into the living room in less time than she expected. Cassie immediately went into Darden’s arms. He kissed her while she telepathically communicated who the woman who kidnapped her was.
“How did you get here so fast?” Cassie asked Darden through the soul mate channel.
“Candy became uneasy, so we evaded the guards surrounding the house,” Darden shared telepathically. He did not want to give anything away to a room full of strangers. “Shirl and JoAnna were able to distract the men, while the three of us went looking for you. There were various sightings of you along this street. Sometimes communal pathways can be very informative.”
“What is it you want?” Tarsea asked her grandmother. She could hear the anger and impatience in his voice.
“That is easy,” Elyn answered. “I want your assistance in overthrowing Jeryl Jarlyn and bringing my son home.”
“That is easy?” Tarsea responded. “What makes you believe we will not turn you over to the Palace Guard? You speak of treason.”
Cassie was surprised the strangers in the room did not react violently to Tarsea’s threat. Her grandmother just responded to Tarsea’s words with another knowing smile. Her calmness was unsettling. She could not read her grandmother’s emotions from her expressions or body language. Although she had struggled against it, Cassie finally used her abilities to enter her grandmother’s mind.
She ran against a strong barrier that prevented her access into Elyn’s mind. Her grandmother continued to stare at her, fully aware of what Cassie was trying to attempt.
“What will you do if I let you in?” Her grandmother connected with her mind as JoAnna had in the past. Was her grandmother a mind control telepath and failed to mention that tidbit of information?
“I need to know if I can trust you with my life, the life of my father, and my friends,” Cassie responded. “You are a stranger to me. This could be an elaborate trap my grandfather concocted to test my loyalty to him.”
“Fair enough,” Elyn said.
The barrier to her grandmother’s mind disappeared and Cassie entered her thoughts. She could detect no trickery or deception, only a desire to be reunited with her son. Cassie could not locate any distinct thoughts, just emotions of a distraught mother who had been separated from her child for too long. Somehow she knew her grandmother was dying and desperate.
“You found what you were looking for?” Elyn asked.
“She can be trusted,” Cassie informed the others.
Tarsea exchanged a look with Darden. It was obvious he was not convinced. This group only accepted entry into the warrior channel as a sign of trustworthiness. Something they did not believe Cassie had been able to do.
“We will consider what you have shared,” Darden said. “If we wish to meet again with you, we will contact Barash. Under no circumstances do you take Cassie by force again.”
Darden did not share the nature of their relationship with her grandmother. The seeds of distrust that had been brewing in Darden had begun to grow. It was not a question of whether her soul mate trusted Elyn, but whether he trusted her. Cassie was not looking forward to the explanations she would have to make once everyone knew the truth.
Chapter 11
Candy chattered as they walked back to the Childers’s home. Cassie only took in every third word, not bothering to make any sense of what her friend was rambling on about. Her mind was overwhelmed at how angry her soul mate was. She turned off the link between them, but was pre-occupied by what was going through his mind.
Darden was seething mad. She had felt him trying to rein in his nearly out of control fury before she broke their connection. It wouldn’t surprise her if he took her by the arm and dragged her back like some kind of caveman. His barely controlled rage made her stay close to Candy.
When they reached their destination, Cassie had planned to join the others in the common room. There was so much to discuss, especially now that part of the group had met her grandmother. She was still a little shell-shocked by the encounter.
Darden, however, had other ideas. As soon as she stepped through the threshold of the house, Darden wrapped his arm around her waist and led her to the room they shared. She figured it would not be a good idea to fight him, especially with most of her friends present. The last thing she wanted was to start a civil war in the Childers’s household.
As soon as they entered their quarters, Darden shut and locked the door. His normal warm blue eyes were an icy gray. Cassie took a step back, unsure if her soul mate meant her harm. She had never seen his irises that color before.
Darden removed his shirt, exposing his sinewy upper body. There was not an ounce of fat, just pure muscle. He pulled down and stepped out of his leggings. His fully erect member surged forward. Cassie swallowed hard as her eyes took in the magnificent being before her. Regardless of his anger, he was hers.
“Remove your clothing and get into bed,” Darden ordered.
Obviously, he was not in the mood for seduction. He did not move forward but waited for her to comply with his demand. Cassie could feel his patience was wearing thin.
Rather than removing her clothing slowly or seductively, Cassie undressed as if her clothing was on fire. She scurried under the covers, only to have him whip the sheets from the bed. She lay there naked, exposed.
“Do not move,” Darden said. His voice was cold, without emotion. This was not the man she had dreamt being with for the last eight years.
This Darden was a little dangerous and unpredictable. She had never seen this side of his personality. Cassie could not help being turned on by his attempt to dominate her.
He walked to the end of the bed and grabbed her left ankle. Darden reached to grab something from the chair behind him. Cassie took in a breath when she saw what he had retrieved. A black silk rope was tied around her ankle and then secured to the bedpost. Where the hell had the rope come from?
“I had plenty of time to contemplate how to punish you for today’s recklessness,” Darden answered her unasked question.
The rope had so shocked her, she temporarily released the shield blocking Darden’s anger. Cassie brought the shield to full strength and checked out her bound leg. She tugged on it lightly, hoping Darden would not notice. He seemed distracted by binding her other ankle. The rope had a coating on it that did not chafe her skin, but was secure enough she could not release herself with a more powerful tug.
This macho crap both alarmed and excited Cassie. If she were truly in danger, Candy would be charging through the locked door. She might as well lay back and enjoy her ‘punishment’. It was as if one of her fantasies, or one of the hot kinky scenes in her favorite romance novel, was coming to life. Excitement, not fear, made her weak with want.
Cassie’s right ankle was now tied to the other post. Her sex was now fully exposed. Rather than tightening with fear, her body throbbed with anticipation. She watched Darden as he examined his handiwork and then drew his sight to her spread legs. Her breath quickened as she watched his eyes lose their icy shade. They now burned for her, as her body burned for him.
As if sensing her desire, Darden leaned over her body. He captured both her wrists and raised them over her head while laying his torso next to her, one leg in between hers. Her wrists in his right hand, he slowly explored her with his left. Her skin warmed to his touch. Need rocked through her as his fingers tantalized her flesh.
When he got to her left breast, his thumb and index finger took hold of its nipple. Pinching and releasing the nub a bit harder each time, he relished in both nipples hardening in response to his ministrations. Cassie closed her eyes and took in all the sensations rushing through her body. She cried out when his lips replaced his fingers. He sucked harder, bringing more of her into his mouth.
Cassie was barely aware of the hand that stroked down her body. Darden’s mouth on her breast had most of her attention. The harder he sucked, the more Cassie enjoyed it. She made no attempt to free her hands or fight the restraints that bound her legs. Various moans escaped which she did not attempt to stifle.
She was totally aware of his hand when his fingers caressed the juncture between her legs. His tongue lathed her nipple and two of his fingers entered through her feminine folds. When a third finger joined the others, Cassie nearly bucked Darden off the bed.
His fingers fucked her hard. Cassie always hated that word. It was crass and poorly described the act of making love, but she couldn’t think of a more appropriate word to better describe what he was doing. She could feel an incredible orgasm building in her core. His fingers were like the kindling used before the logs in a fireplace started to glow. Her breathing quickened as she gasped for air.
Just short of her climax Darden stopped. If her hands had been free she would have smacked him. She finally realized that was her punishment—orgasm denial. Darden had led her to the promised land, just to leave her stranded in the barren plains outside paradise.
Darden shifted his weight, released her arms, and moved down her body. She brought her freed hands down to rest naturally at her side. The problem was, she wasn’t quite sure what to do with them. Cassie was too focused on her frustration to consider any of the weapons now at her disposal.
All thoughts fled when his tongue entered her. Darden secured his positioning and then lifted her hips to give him better access. The ropes had enough slack to allow him a little more freedom of motion where her legs were concerned.
She’d never experienced giving or receiving oral sex before and was both embarrassed and entranced by what he was doing. His tongue lapped up the result of her passion, not unlike a cat consuming cream. Her hands grabbed ahold of the mattress as he continued to devour her. Cassie was once again having difficulty maintaining the mental barrier. She was close to giving up every thought and control of her body to the wonderful things Darden was doing to her.
As soon as his tongue brushed her clit, Cassie’s shield came tumbling down. Everything she was feeling and experiencing now seeped into their telepathic channel. Darden hesitated as he took in the emotions she was helpless to keep hidden from him. Cassie felt his response through the same channel.
Darden’s anger cooled when his mind could once again connect with hers. He realized he loved her too much to use sex as a weapon. He wanted to give her pleasure, not frustration. Withholding her orgasm was the closest he could get to show her the agony he experienced twice today.
She felt movement on the bed as Darden reached down and released her legs. With their freedom, Cassie captured the lower section of his body. He brought her into his arms as her legs rose and tightened around his waist.
“Take me,” she said before she bit his ear. “I want you inside me.”
Darden pushed back the hair plastered to her forehead and examined her face. She was not sure if her expression revealed the love she bore him. Cassie was certainly pushing those feelings through their channel. He simply kissed her. Where his fingers had been relentless, his lips were tentative. She knew he was questioning whether he had been too rough earlier. Cassie deepened the kiss and tightened her hold on him, communicating without words she was not a china doll. Cassie silently reassured him she would have told him had he truly hurt her.
As cautious as his kiss had been, there was no mistaking his intent when he entered her with a single powerful thrust. Cassie cried out in surprise and then placed her lips against those of her soul mate.
