Stone pulled his T-shirt on over his head and turned to see Alyssandra pulling up her jeans skirt. “Well, witch,” he said with affection and smiled when she blushed. “It seems you’ve given us both enough energy to make it to the city and back ten times over, even with those orgasms.”
Her eyes widened with shock, but then her face softened and a smile blossomed across her face. “Anything I can do to help. And what do you mean, even with the orgasms?”
Stone knew she didn’t have much experience with compliments or praise. He planned to change that. “The sex helps you build your energy, but until you can harness it—until your coming-of-age ceremony, the orgasm drains some of it away again.”
“At least now I know why you left me hot and bothered every night and dissolved away.” She sat on a nearby boulder and pulled on her cowboy boots.
“Believe me, I would’ve liked nothing better than to finish what I started. I too was left ‘hot and bothered’ as you put it. But don’t worry, your ceremony will take care of that problem.” A mental picture of him sliding his aching cock inside her hot core sent a sudden flood of arousal straight toward his groin and he had to adjust himself inside the tight jeans more comfortably.
“How am I supposed to remember all this stuff? I feel very out of my element.”
The vulnerability in her eyes made him ache. This woman should have been raised as royalty, not treated like a pet for the Cunts. He fisted his hands at his sides, containing his anger. “You’ll learn, give yourself time.”
She nodded slowly and combed her fingers through her hair, smoothing the mahogany locks into a ponytail. Before she could slip the elastic band in place, he snatched it from her hand, pulling her into his arms and fused his mouth with hers. Threading his fingers through the silky waterfall of her hair, the scent of honeysuckle surrounded him and he inhaled, trying to imprint her smell into his memory.
Pulling back reluctantly, he leaned his forehead against hers. “This is your world, Alyssandra—yours and mine. We will rule together and the world will prosper.” He took a deep breath and then said with obvious strain in his voice, “And don’t bind your hair. There’s not a bigger crime against nature than hiding your beautiful crowning glory.” He kissed her forehead and took her hand as he resisted the urge to undress her again and spend the entire day discovering every secret her curvy body held. “Ready for the walk into the city?”
She nodded and bent to pick a small blue flower, bringing it to her nose to inhale the musky vanilla fragrance she knew it held. “Tell me about the city. What’s it like?”
They walked hand in hand, picking a path through the trees, the wind whistling through the leaves and branches high above them. The path before them dappled with sunlight. “It’s beautiful, built from balda, the white stone which is native to Tador. Throughout the city, there are waterfalls and fountains that feed into bathing pools and several large grassy areas dotted with trees and flowers.” He pulled a branch back, allowing her to pass before letting it spring back into place.
“It sounds lovely. And a bathing pool sounds great about now.”
Trying not to think about all the wonderful things he wanted to do to her inside a bathing pool, he swallowed hard and willed his erection to relax. “Soon enough. But for now, I think we should discuss your parents.”
She stopped walking and turned to face him, all the blood draining from her face, leaving her pale and drawn. “My parents?” Pulling her hand from his grasp, she slumped down against a large boulder. “I’ve thought about it a few times since I found out about my parents—my real parents. But I think I was afraid to ask.”
“Why?” He knelt in front of her and placed a finger under her chin, raising it until she met his gaze. “They have been looking for you for twenty-three years. It was extremely hard for them to wait until I reached maturity and could psychically connect with you. Until that day when I turned sixteen, they didn’t know if you were dead or alive.”
She sighed, the sound sad and vulnerable. “How much worse for them. I spent my entire life not even knowing they existed.” Her eyes sparkled with tears and a lone drop slid down her cheek.
He caught the tear on the end of his finger before he placed the salty liquid on his tongue, her energy and her grief surging through him from the contact.
“What do I say to them? How do I know they won’t be disappointed with who I am?”
He pulled her against his chest and buried her head against his shoulder, as Alyssa let the sobs come. “Shhh, beloved. They will love you as I do.” She stiffened in his arms at his words. She would have to come to terms with his feelings for her, but not now. He knew she hadn’t thought him real all those years, but he had always known one day they would be together.
He’d lost his heart to her over the course of the first several months of their dream contacts. Meeting the real woman all these years later only assured him of his love. “They are your parents and would gladly have traded places with me all these years. I got to connect with you each night and they were forced to wait until I came into my powers and was able to search for you in the human realm.”
Gently rocking her, he let her sob. He knew years of frustration and loneliness had finally caught up to her as well as the betrayal of those she thought were her family. Through her dreams, he’d learned enough to know that the Cunts had eroded her self-confidence and sense of worth from infancy. She’d spent her life hiding behind baggy clothes and developed an uncanny ability to blend into the background. He’d done his best inside her dreams to show her how special a woman she was, but each dream connection took so much energy, he often didn’t have time to do anything but give her sustenance and retreat before having to recharge himself.
She pulled away far enough to raise her tear-stained face to his. “Do they look like me?” She looked so hopeful and fragile, he was glad to reassure her.
Wiping away her tears with his thumb, he nodded. “Your mother looks just like you, except her hair is longer. King Darius looks much like me—all the Klatch do. Dark hair and lavender eyes are the easiest ways to identify the Klatch.”
“Darius…” She looked up at him, her teary eyes sad. “I can’t believe I don’t even know their names. What’s my mother’s name?”
He swallowed hard. How would she react when she learned of her mother’s illness? “Annalecia,” he said softly and kissed her forehead. He knew he’d have to face it and tell her eventually, but not while she was still so fragile. She took a deep breath and smiled, hoping to lighten her mood. “If you continue to cry, all your energy will be drained before we even get into the city. And if that happens, we’ll be extremely late getting back.”
She laughed, as he’d hoped. The sound twisted around his heart, warming him.
“I suppose I should pull myself together so I can meet them.” Wiping her eyes on the tail of her oversized shirt, she straightened and stood. Will I have a chance to get a shower before I meet them? I don’t want them to see me like this.” She gestured down at her rumpled clothes and looked so beautiful, he was tempted to get her out of them again.
“Earth to Stone,” she said, and waved a hand in front of his face.
He laughed as he realized he’d been staring. “Yes, you’ll have a chance to get cleaned up before your parents see you. I just wish I could help.” He pictured her naked and glistening with water in the bubbling baths, surrounded by dozens of other voluptuous Klatch women.
Turning to him with desire smoldering in her lavender eyes, she asked, “Why can’t you?”
“Because there is too much of a risk that some of my essence would reach you within the waters. Women who have not yet gone through the coming-of-age bathe together in all-female baths. It’s not a matter of modesty for them to bathe