28. Ellie （BEGIN）

Though everyone had been more than pleasant, and Cadmus' mother a genuinely caring woman, Ellie felt tired and overwhelmed. Tanselm had so much more magic than Foreia. Her jump from Seattle to Foreia had felt strange, but Foreia's Darkness and muted power had eventually felt as natural as breathing. In Tanselm, she felt as if she were continually being tested. Probing mind touches, feathers of Light mixed with welcoming Darkness, and the pressure of keeping a pleasant front so as not to interfere with Cadmus' welcome home had taken its toll.

And then there was Arim—a hulking mass of testosterone who kept a constant eye on her, as if waiting for her to do something evil. The first hour she'd tried to be understanding, but now, half the night had passed, and the powerful mage still watched her.

While the others continued to talk and dine, she whispered into Cadmus' ear, "I'm really tired. Would you mind if I went somewhere to rest? You don't have to leave, though. I know how much you've missed your family."

He glanced down at her, his brown eyes sparkling, and a wave of lust replaced her tiredness. As if he sensed her feelings, he grinned, a sensual smile that made her stomach flutter.

"It's no problem, baby." Oh, no, not the I'm-going-to-make-love-to-you-for-hours baby. "I've been getting a bit tired myself."

He put a hand to her shoulder and rubbed softly, the heat of his palm spreading Dark want through her system.

Cadmus turned to his mother. "Mother, I'm sorry, but Ellie and I are pretty tired. It's been a long day."

"Of course it has. How thoughtless of me." Queen Ravyn leaned close to accept a kiss from her charming son and shooed them away. "I'm sorry to have kept you, but I've missed you so much. Ellie, it's been a true pleasure. I look forward to getting to know you like the daughter I've been missing."

Cadmus raised a brow. "You've got three daughters sitting right down the table." He motioned to Samantha, Tessa and Alandra joking and eating with their husbands.

"Yes, I know. And I'll never take any of them for granted. But now, my last, irascible son has finally found a bride, and I couldn't be happier she's so lovely."

Ellie smiled but wondered, uneasily, if Ravyn had been told who and ‘what' Ellie really was. Would the queen find her so acceptable if she knew of her heritage?

"Relax, Ellie. Light or Dark, it doesn't matter to me," Cadmus sent with warmth.

Maybe not to him, but Cadmus didn't feel the need to prove himself to his family. Whereas she had a hell of a lot to prove.

"Oh, really?" came the dry response. "We really need to talk, Ellie. But not now, later. After we get some much-needed…sleep." He stood with Ellie and asked, "Is my room still mine, Mother? Or have you turned it into a scrying center like you've always threatened to do?"

Ravyn shook her head. "I should have. But I never trusted that you hadn't booby-trapped the area. Especially after Marcus managed to turn completely blue after one such trek into your room."

Cadmus chuckled with his mother.

Marcus scowled. "You know, Mother, I don't appreciate you taking his side."

Tessa jabbed him in the ribs and took another sip of wine. "Relax, Cool Blue. You probably deserved it." She grinned. "I bet that was something to see."

"It was," Aerolus agreed, his grey eyes twinkling.

"Right, well." Cadmus tugged Ellie's hand. "We'll see you all in the morning, if you're still here?"

Darius nodded. "We'll meet for breakfast. Then the party'll break up. Arim wants us back in our respective territories."

"But not you two, not yet," Arim spoke, staring hard at Ellie, then Cadmus. "Enjoy your respite, and I'll see you both in the morning."

"In the morning, right." Cadmus tugged Ellie after him, but Ellie couldn't so easily dismiss the vague sense of warning she felt in Arim's words.

"Stop dragging your feet, Ellie."After leaving the dining hall and nearly racing through several dim corridors, Cadmus stopped so suddenly Ellie fell into him. Without giving her a chance to catch her breath, he swallowed her protest with a kiss that set her pulse skyrocketing. His mouth caressed and teased, promising so much more. Then he thrust his tongue between her lips, making her moan with desire.

"Cadmus," she rasped, trying to think. "Not here." They stood in a darkened hallway through which anyone could enter.

"Hmm, I don't know. I've never had sex with an audience before. Might be fun." He chuckled when she punched him, and despite the heat in her cheeks, she laughed as well.

"You're such a perv."

He captured the fist aimed for his arm again and kissed her knuckles. "Yeah, but I'm your perv. So stop stalling."

Nimbly racing past several startled pairs of lords and ladies, the pair of them streaked through a maze of hallways and up two sets of stairs. After what felt like forever, they entered a darkened room enclosed by a heavy oak door. Blinking, Ellie readjusted to the darkness and, to her surprise, found she could see with the faint bit of moonlight reflected off an illuminating mirror.

A loud thunk made her turn back to Cadmus, who stood with his back against his now barred door, lazily studying her with bedroom eyes.

"You know, you really are the sexiest woman I've ever met. Around you, I'm a walking hard-on." He straightened and moulded his prominent arousal, cupping it like an offering to her.

"Tell me what you want, Cadmus," she said breathlessly, caught by the hunger in his eyes. Those beautiful, chocolate brown orbs made her melt, and she wanted more than anything to see his gaze turn black with lust and love. For her. "Let me give you what you need."

He lifted his shirt in a smooth motion and unbuttoned the closure to his trousers. Immediately, his erection sprang free, thick and hard, and she noticed the moisture pooling at his tip.

"Suck me, baby." He held his cock to her. "But I want you naked first. Come on, let me see your nipples all puckered and tight for me. And that pussy." His voice deepened as she deftly removed her shirt and bra, then discarded the rest of her clothing. "I love the feel of that pussy around my cock when I'm fucking you."

His crudity turned her on, the harsh words so at odds with the smooth playboy she normally saw. She bit her lip and saw his eyes darken, heard his breathing hitch and saw his cock twitch, the veiny shaft glistening as he rubbed precum over the head and around his length.

"I love eating you, lapping up your sweet cream." His fingers moved faster, and she dropped to her knees before him. He reached out and buried his hand in her hair, massaging her scalp as he brought her mouth towards his straining erection. "But I absolutely love your mouth. Take me, baby. Suck me long and hard. Make me come down your throat."

He stared down at her through half-closed eyes, and when her lips curled around his crown, he shut his eyes on a rusty groan. "That's it, Ellie. Light, yes."

She ignored the hard stone under her knees, the cool air that circulated through the room, and feasted on his arousal. She loved the salty-sweet taste of his flesh, the smooth feel of his semen as it pulsed down her throat. Bringing her lover to his knees and arousing him beyond measure brought her unbearable pleasure. By the sounds he made and the grip that tightened in her hair, she knew he felt it as well.

Sucking softly on his cockhead before moving down over his shaft, she played with him, teasing him unmercifully. Her teeth lightly scored his length, and with a hard press of her tongue, she massaged the underside of his shaft, just below the head—his most sensitive and erotic zone.

He tensed and moaned, and she smiled around him, taking him deeper into her throat. Waves of Dark, sensual energy filled her, stemming not only from her own desires, but Cadmus' as well. Lexa's words flashed, reminding her that her lover could be as Dark and sensual as a Djinn, and she revelled in the notion that only she could bring him such pleasure.

"Ellie," he whispered and inched deeper into her mouth. "Fuck. I have to come, baby."

She stroked him with her tongue, sucked him hard and added a hand to rub the hard sac between his thighs. Ellie wanted his release, needed it as much as he did. She grazed his buttocks, teasing the crease between.

Cadmus jerked against her, his thrusts increasing in frequency. Ellie sent out several tendrils of energy to hold him in place, stimulating his sensitivity until he was nearly mindless with the need to come. She could hear him crying out in her mind, could feel him seeking bliss as animalistic desire began to consume him.

Then she shocked him by shoving her finger into his anus while at the same time sucking him harder, and he yelled her name as he exploded in her mouth.

Streams of seed shot down her throat, a salty and tantalising cream that made her squirm with the desire for her own relief. She pressed her finger deeper into his ass and massaged his balls, and he cried out as he pumped down her throat.

"Ellie, oh Ellie." Cadmus clutched her head with his hands, his grasp gentle but firm. "Baby, that was so fucking incredible." He breathed hard, and as she removed her finger, she swallowed the last of him and let him fall from her mouth.

"You are so mine." He stared at her, his eyes a fathomless black, and she absently noted the earthy smell growing in the room. An almost lavender-like scent filled her head. Her nipples tightened and her clit throbbed.

"Cadmus?"

He grinned and rubbed her blonde hair between his fingers, nudging her to stand before him. "Don't worry, love. That's just my orgasm causing every plant in this damned room to blossom. That smell? It's iria, a powerful aphrodisiac that grows in Tanselm's valleys. And it's at its most potent when in full bloom."

He inhaled and chuckled, staring deep into her eyes. "I barely have the energy to move, you little witch." Hugging her tightly, he stumbled with her to his bed and fell with her into plush, thick blankets. He pushed her onto her back next to him, and they lay side by side, his breathing still heavy. "You'll just have to lie back and let me relax a minute."

Ellie simply nodded. The iria was making it hard to think about anything but sex, especially since she still had his taste on her tongue, could still feel him pulsing inside her mouth. She closed her eyes and covered her face with one arm.

When she suddenly felt breath over the curls between her thighs, she gasped in surprise. "Cadmus? I thought you were too tired?"

"I am." He sighed. "So I'll probably only be able to do this once tonight."

Before she could ask what exactly he meant, he spread her folds wide and clamped his lips over her clitoris. Stars flashed behind her lids as she arched into his mouth. Shocks of delight burst through her body, and she moaned, dimly aware of Cadmus' hoarse chuckle.

His lips and teeth stimulated her clit, sucking her flesh with rapturous ardour before drawing down towards the glistening and empty channel of her vagina. With his tongue, Cadmus pierced the void, lapping the growing wetness gathering there. His fingers joined his tongue. First one, then two. Then he added a third to toy with her ass.

She wanted to come, and when an electric touch massaged her breasts, she nearly did. Elemental energy swirled around her nipples, her belly, pulling at the ring around her navel and running along her breasts until she wanted to scream.

"Please, Cadmus. Let me come," she moaned, aware he kept bringing her close before pulling back, stroking her higher and higher.

His teeth nipped at her clit and he shoved his forefinger up her ass, making her see stars, before he suddenly lunged up her body. In the blink of an eye, his cock replaced his tongue and he pummeled her with hard strokes, his thick shaft hitting the erogenous peak deep inside her body. Working her hard, he leaned close as he thrust, his chest hair brushing her nipples and causing her to cry out from the sheer pleasure making her mindless to everything but him.

"You're so good, so tight," he rasped, thrusting his tongue into her ear as he rode her hard, unrelenting as he drove her to places she'd never before been. "Now come around me, affai. Suck me into your womb, milk me of my seed until it takes root within you."

He bit her earlobe and shifted, the new friction against her clit shoving her into a mind-blowing climax. She screamed and tensed, trying to will herself into his very being. The pleasure overwhelmed, the rapture of the moment so totally Dark, yet pulsing with streams of Light.

Ellie felt herself burn in truth, and impossibly, the pleasure intensified. She heard Cadmus groan and felt him shudder, spilling inside her. On and on the ecstasy lasted, until sheer exhaustion pulled at her mind and body, and unwillingly, she began shutting down.

Cadmus pulled her closer into his arms, still embedded deeply within her. "Shh, that's it, Ellie. Go to sleep. We've had a long day, and I'm sure tomorrow will be even longer." He kissed her forehead, and she sighed. "And if I haven't already said it, welcome to Tanselm."