Queen of the Pale Read online

  “Aye. We haven’t seen them since, but I doubled the night watch just in case. Watcher knows what horrors those elves are plotting…”

  “Maybe they’re here for her,” the female sentry said, her weather-beaten face scowling at Sehris.

  “If so, we will protect you,” Zin said in his most diplomatic tone. “She’s an artificer and a healer. If any of your people need help, she can—”

  “We can take care our own,” the woman said. “Best you get her inside soon.”

  Her voice dripped with scorn, but it was still one of the politest ways Sehris had been dismissed in recent days. After spending so many years behind the walls of the Galespire, she had almost forgotten how much her mere appearance could frighten humans. They would have distrusted her even if she hadn’t been a sorcerer, and the restraints hadn’t seemed to make much of a difference.

  Not that she could really blame them, considering the well-earned reputation of the dark elves of the Underworld. The stories about her people scared her, too, and the sentry also wasn’t wrong that Sehris herself might act as a lure for the Chol. That was the entire reason she had been sent here alone rather than as part of a group of channelers.

  “Your hospitality is appreciated,” Zin said, somehow managing to sound earnest rather than sarcastic. He glanced back over his shoulder and signaled to Thorne to bring the rest of the army into the village.

  All told, Dorelas was little more than a collection of ramshackle huts clustered together for warmth along the frozen shore of Lake Hollanshir. The locals had done everything they could to welcome the army, however, including constructing a palisade and setting out a few dozen tents and campfires. They were probably hoping the soldiers would stay, at least for a little while, and once again Sehris couldn’t really blame them. No one in Torisval would be safe until the horde was crushed.

  Zin was content to allow Thorne to manage the logistics of setting up the camp, and he helped Sehris dismount before escorting her to the village’s one and only inn, a wide, one-story cottage that looked like an old, renovated longhouse. Despite the rough exterior, however, the building was quite warm and pleasant on the inside. The owner had prepared a heaping cauldron of stew for the army’s officers, and he happily gave a bowl to Zin even while he kept a wary eye on the chained dark elf accompanying him.

  The fact that anyone was willing to tolerate her at all was a testament to how much the common folk respected the Keepers. They weren’t quite as beloved as the Templar, for obvious reasons, but dangerous channelers were a far more frequent threat than demons or the Chol. Almost one in a hundred Darenthi children were born with the Aether in their blood; every village from Torisval to Arduon had to deal with sorcery at some point.

  Still, it was clear from the faces of everyone in Dorelas that they saw Sehris differently than normal channelers. They weren’t convinced that mere chains could keep a dark elf female in check.

  If only they knew the truth about our relationship. If only they knew what Zin is going to do to me once we finally have some privacy…

  A few minutes later, they were alone inside their modest room with some bread and another bowl of stew. Zin fiddled with the straps of her gag and shook his head in disgust.

  “By the bloody void, I’m sorry you had to wear this damn thing all day,” Zin said as he tugged at the straps. “Let’s get you something to drink.”

  Sehris wet her dry lips with her tongue once the gag was free. “I’d rather have a kiss.”

  He smiled and pressed his lips against hers. They’d had so little time alone over the past week that she could practically taste the bundled-up frustration on his tongue. They couldn’t kiss in public at the Galespire either, obviously, but at least they could hide in their quarters for a few hours without anyone noticing. That was where she had first gotten accustomed to wearing a gag like this, in fact. It was the only way to keep the noise down when he touched her.

  “Damn, morning is going to coming early,” Zin said when he finally pulled away. “I was hoping we’d get here early enough to have some time to ourselves.”

  “I’m not tired,” Sehris told him with a coquettish smirk. “And after the welcome we got outside, I doubt any of the locals will bother us.”

  “Probably not,” Zin agreed, grinning and combing his hands through her long black hair. “Well, let me at least get these shackles off you so we can—”

  “You don’t have to,” she said, nibbling at her lip. “Not yet.”

  “Is that so?” he asked, arching an eyebrow. “Are you planning on misbehaving?”

  “You never know. Perhaps you should remind me how sorcerers get punished just in case.”

  Grinning, Zin leaned forward and kissed her again, this time more forcefully. Sehris’s toes curled inside her boots, and an excited tingle rippled up through her body. She had been waiting for this moment all day; the thought of him holding her in his arms had kept her warmer than her own barrier. Besides, so long as they were here together in this room, she didn’t need to worry about the Chol or the Wailing or anything else. All she could think about was how badly she wanted to feel him inside her.

  Zin unclasped the brooch around her neck and tossed her heavy purple cloak upon the floor. Her black leather armor was hardly scandalous, given the conservative nature of the Galespire, though the breastplate was cut low enough to give him a pleasing glimpse of her gray cleavage. He also couldn’t help but stare at the thin strip of exposed thigh between the top of her leggings and the bottom of her skirt. Sometimes less was more, after all, and she had enjoyed figuring out new subtle ways to drive him crazy.

  “It’s a little warm in here,” she breathed. “Can you help me cool off?”

  Zin snickered. “Are you trying to seduce me, sorcerer? It won’t work. I am an ever-vigilant servant of the Watcher.”

  “Is that why you left your trousers open?”

  “What?” he gasped, glancing down.

  Sehris giggled impishly when he took the bait. “It’s a good thing you have me tied up or I could have hit you on the back of the head,” she teased. “Ever-vigilant indeed…”

  Zin scowled. “Just for that, I really am going to punish you.”

  “Is that so?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow at him. “How—ooh!”

  A jolt of energy struck her between her shoulder blades but quickly surged through her entire body. She seized up as if every single one of her nerves had fired simultaneously, and her legs became so wobbly she couldn’t help but topple to her knees. The initial burst of pain diminished quickly, however, and in its place followed a wave of excitement she hadn’t felt in far too long.

  “The Watcher’s leash is short and tight,” Zin said, holding up a thin metal gauntlet on his left hand. The small vatari runes inscribed on the surface were shaped into the Eye of the Watcher just like the heraldry on his brigandine. He could activate them to trigger her Brand whenever he wished.

  “You’ll never break me,” Sehris said, biting down on her lip again. “Etrit yeunn rivvil—

  Another jolt of energy crackled through her, this one more painful—and more delightful—than the last. She cried out, first in shock and then in pleasure, before he clamped his other hand over her mouth to keep her quiet.

  “I won’t allow you to utter any more of your dark speech here, pale-blood,” Zin said playfully. “I’d put your gag back on, but maybe there’s another way to keep you quiet…”

  He opened his trousers for real. Sehris smiled at the sight of his stiff member, amused that the mere sight of her kneeling before him had already gotten him hard and ready to burst. She eagerly parted her lips to accommodate him, and he wasted little time thrusting the head deep into her waiting mouth. With the aid of her fingers, she could have made him spill in no time…but she had been looking forward to the challenge of using nothing but her lips and tongue all day.

  “Hnn, that’s it,” Zin said, pushing even deeper. “Take it all like a good little sorceress…”
/>   Sehris dragged her tongue up and down the length of his shaft even as he buried himself in her throat. Her eyes never left his; she could see the reflection of her luminescent gaze in his belt buckle. She only wished there were a full-body mirror in here. For whatever reason, she had grown to enjoy watching herself pleasure him, especially when she was bound and helpless. Just knowing that he could have her however he wanted sent a shiver of delight cascading down her spine and into her quim.

  “Oh, gods,” he breathed, rifling his fingers through her black hair and grabbing a firm hold of the back of her head. Sehris relaxed her throat and awaited the flood, knowing he wouldn’t be able to last long…

  She was right. Zin exploded so deep down her throat that his seed spilled straight into her gullet. She had assumed that years of practice would prepare her for anything, but it had been so long since she had gone a week without relieving him that the deluge nearly overwhelmed her. His cock fired again and again and again…

  “Maiden’s…fuck!” he gasped, finally relaxing his grip enough for her to pull away. Sehris swallowed every drop she could, but a few strands leaked from the corners of her mouth and trickled down her chin. He looked down at her and smiled, amused and aroused by her struggles. This was definitely the last time she would ever underestimate the copious bounty of a young human male.

  “More than you bargained for, pale-blood?” Zin chided as he caught his breath. “I told you I’d bring you something to eat.”

  “Alu vith dosstan,” she hissed, playing along as she licked her lips clean.

  “I warned you about talking back to me,” Zin said, stroking his wilted stem back to life with his left hand. Knowing him, it wouldn’t take long. “Apparently you still need another lesson.”

  He raised his gauntlet, and another jolt of pain shuddered through Sehris the instant the runic eye flashed. She yelped and twitched in place, instantly paralyzed by the Brand. She almost wished he would unleash the full wrath of the Flensing upon her sometime just to see how much she could take…

  “The Tel Bator priests always say that dark elf females are masochists by nature,” Zin said. “I guess they’re right.”

  Sehris moaned as the last spark of pain—and its accompanying aftershock of pleasure—rippled through her core. A part of her couldn’t help but wonder if he was right about her ancestry. She knew almost nothing about her people beyond the legends—she had been taken from the Underworld when she was still a toddler—but dark elf females were notoriously depraved. Perhaps she couldn’t help reacting this way.

  Not that it truly mattered either way. She wasn’t ashamed of who she was or what she enjoyed.

  “Weak little rivvil,” Sehris said between labored breaths. “I told you that you will never break me!”

  “We’ll see about that, won’t we?” Zin asked.

  After shocking her with the Brand yet again, he grabbed her flailing body and hurled her up onto the bed. Zin let her lie there waiting for him, her face stuffed in the pillows and her ass up in the air while he unfastened his belt and stepped out of his trousers. Her quim tingled in anticipation of him mounting her like a bitch in heat…

  “I gave you your dinner, pale-blood,” he said, climbing onto the bed behind her. “Now it’s time to take mine.”

  Zin pushed up her skirt and slapped her ass hard enough it almost certainly left a mark. Removing her armor would have been impossible without unshackling her wrists, so he didn’t bother. All he had to do was yank down her panties before his tongue was suddenly upon her slit.

  Sehris stuffed her own face in the pillow to muffle her gasps of delight. Years of practice had taught Zin exactly where to nibble and how to lick, but what was really igniting her quim was the knowledge that he could literally feed off her power. When she twisted her neck and looked back between her own legs, she could already see him trembling in delight. A glowing blue latticework of hidden tattoos flared to life beneath his flesh, revealing his true power as a Keeper. The more he fed, the stronger he would become.

  And the harder he would fuck her into submission.

  “Ooh!” Sehris cried out when his tongue slipped into her folds. She knew the magical feast would renew his stem in a matter of moments, and she wasn’t disappointed. When Zin leaned back, his face slick with her sorcerous elven nectar, his manhood seemed even thicker and harder than when he had sheathed it in her throat.

  “This is your last chance to beg for forgiveness, pale-blood,” he said, climbing on top of her and pushing the head of his cock up against her quivering sex. “What do you say?”

  “Burn in the Pale, rivvil scum,” Sehris said, her voice trembling in anticipation.

  “So be it,” Zin said, grabbing a thick handful of her black hair. “Then take your punishment!”

  She squealed in delight when he thrust his manhood inside her, and Zin promptly shoved her face back into the pillows. The locals probably expected him to discipline her a little, but not like this…

  He triggered the Brand again once he had buried himself to the hilt, and Sehris squirmed so hard she nearly broke free of her restraints. The pain transformed into pleasure almost instantly this time, triggering a cascading climax that left her paralyzed and breathless. When Zin began pumping her in earnest, even the pillow could barely muffle her cries.

  “Gods, you are so tight,” he breathed, nibbling at the pointed tip of her ear from behind.

  Sehris smiled and clamped down on her lip. Over the past year, they had gotten quite adept at relieving each other quickly and (relatively) quietly. She couldn’t even count the number of times she had surreptitiously crawled beneath a table and swallowed his seed, nor had she kept track of the number of times he had bent her over a table or pressed her against a bookshelf in the library while she was doing “research.” The danger was part of the fun. She knew they weren’t the only sorcerer and Keeper to indulge themselves, either. If the Lady Seeker and her Sanctori knew what was really going on in the Galespire sometimes…

  “Oh, fuck!” Zin swore as he slammed into her hard enough to shake the whole bed. “Here…it…comes!”

  He pulled out at the last instant and flipped Sehris onto her back. She opened her mouth in anticipation, and he barely managed to grab her head and pull her lips to his cock before he exploded again. His second offering was nearly as overwhelming as his first; he fired two thick jets straight into her mouth while the rest splattered across her lips and chin. The raw heat of his seed on her flesh sent another shiver of delight cascading through her, and her eyes rolled back into her head as he slowly came down.

  “By the…fuck,” Zin wheezed, still holding her head upright in front of him. His Keeper markings were still blazing so brightly they almost hurt her sensitive eyes, but Sehris still reached out her tongue and lathered his wilting stem, eager to claim every last drop he could give her. As much as she loved feeling him spill inside her, it simply wasn’t worth the risk. Humans couldn’t always impregnate elves, but it was far from impossible. Hiding their relationship from the Keepers was already difficult enough without her growing thick with his child, and despite how much she enjoyed the thought of becoming a mother, half-bloods like Rohen weren’t treated any better than she was.

  “Maiden’s eyes, you are so beautiful,” Zin whispered, brushing a long raven lock from her face as she licked his mess from her chin and cheeks. “I’d take you again, but…”

  “But what?” Sehris breathed. “I’m a patient girl—I can wait a few minutes.”

  He chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose. “We have to leave at first light.”

  “Then we should make certain we’re tired enough to get a good night’s sleep.” She smiled and giggled. “Besides, I’m thinking about misbehaving again.”

  “I bet you are,” Zin murmured as he lovingly cradled her cheek. “I bet you are…”

  ***

  As usual, Zin recovered faster than he gave himself credit for, through it did take him long enough that he was finally a
ble to remove her bindings and undress her properly. He held her so close that Sehris never felt cold, not even for a second, and his manhood felt so good and so right that she almost begged him to spend inside her despite the risks. He left his gratitude upon her belly instead, right above the large, black spider tattoo encircling her navel. The symbol of the dark elf goddess was nearly as sacrilegious as their entire relationship, and for whatever reason he had always found it impossibly alluring.

  Sehris held him against her for a long time—far too long, really, considering the risks of getting caught and how badly they needed to sleep. He eventually set out some furs and laid her down upon the floor, not because she wanted to but because it was the safest position if someone did enter their room unexpectedly. After helping her back into her armor, Zin rebound her ankles and shackled her wrists above her head. Sehris found it almost impossible not to beg him to take her again once he was finished.

  He fell asleep on the bed not long afterward, and she closed her eyes and tried to mentally prepare herself for the journey ahead. Waking up early would be annoying enough, but the real threat would be the Wailing. She wasn’t certain if her training could properly prepare her for the wrath of the Chol…

  She expected to wake to the searing light of the sun burning her sensitive eyes, but this time it was her sensitive ears that dragged her back into consciousness. She rolled over on her side, confused and groggy, as she struggled to make out the words from the numerous shouting voices outside the inn. The locals were clearly upset about something.

  “Zin,” she whispered, craning her neck to look at him up on the bed. “Zin, wake up!”

  He didn’t even twitch. He looked completely dead to the world, which she might have taken as a compliment if she hadn’t needed his help to get up.

  “Zin!” Sehris repeated, still trying to keep her voice low. “Zin!”

  When he still didn’t move, she groaned and lifted her shackled feet to kick him in the side. It took a surprising amount of force, but after a third whack he finally snorted and leaned up.