The Necklace Read online

  The Healer glanced away, the pale green of her eyes so translucent he could nearly see a reflection within. Lines creased the corner of her mouth, and he could see the pondering, the worry crossing her features.

  He tried to peer into her mind, detect what disturbed the legendary woman, one of the oldest living in all of Eritrea, but her gyree was too strong.

  Finally she turned her head, peering at him steadily. The look in her eyes didn’t bode well, and Tylan was nearly afraid to ask, “What is it?”

  “The Am’an could work to bring her back from the darkness. But it hasn’t been used in over a thousand years, my Lord. It’s dangerous. If she rejects you…” The Healer’s words trailed off, leaving the consequences unsaid.

  Tylan nodded, understanding the unspoken statement.

  Slowly, his gaze roamed around the large expanse of the room, taking in the swirled blue and silver lining the walls. The elaborate designs marked his royal lineage, his ascendance from the great line of Kamis Kings who had ruled Eritrea for over ten thousand years. A great history of men, a line he had hoped to make a mark on.

  But as his eyes moved toward the bed, and the pale figure of Marissa. Without him even being aware, Tylan knew the decision had been made.

  “I need a few moments to speak with Keanan. He will need instruction if all does not go well,” he stated firmly.

  The Healer turned to face him again. Her pale features an enigma of mysteries. “You are willing to know death for her? Even being aware of the fact that I can not assure your survival?”

  “Yes, I am willing,” he answered, staring the Healer directly in the eye, dropping his gyree, allowing her to see inside his soul, to see beyond the shadows of doubt.

  Glancing down at his beloved sena, Tylan knew facing the long years of his life without her were too terrible to contemplate. And he could never live with himself if he did not try all within his power to save her when he had the chance.

  The Healer’s head dipped forward, her long, straight black hair guarding her expression. “Then go, my Lord. Speak with your brother. I will hold onto her until you return.”

  Tylan stared once more at Marissa. She seemed swallowed within the folds of the larger than normal bed, her long golden-brown tail lying straight down the middle.

  “Go, my Lord. I cannot hold her forever.”

  Tylan started, heeding the Healers words, quickly walking from the room.

  Casting a shyre inside the huge palace, he located his brother easily.

  Thankfully, Keanan was nearby in the meeting chambers, sitting with a few members of the senate who’d been on hand for the return of the delaphin.

  “Out! I must speak with the Prince alone!” Tylan ordered upon his entrance.

  Everyone, including the guards present, jumped at his tone, leaving at once.

  The sounds of booted and clicking heels quieted down, layering the room in silence, and he turned toward a seated, startled Keanan.

  “W-what is it, Tylan?”

  “My mate is dying. The drugs they gave her depressed her natural instinct to shift,” he rushed, not having time for minute details.

  “But she should shift automatically once her skin has dried completely.”

  “The Healer says her mind is stuck in some sort of limbo. She’s not allowing herself to shift. The only way to reach her is through the bonding of the Am’an.”

  Keanan’s mouth dropped open, the harsh sound of air whooshing from his lungs the only noise in the room. “The Am’an is dangerous, Tylan. Very dangerous.”

  “I know. I know the risk, breha,” he said softly, staring Keanan in the eye. “If things go badly, I ask that you continue to allow Cowan to serve as royal advisor. He is a good friend, and you will need his counsel. I also ask that you exhaust every resource to help him find his sister, Omea,” he paused, stepping close to Keanan, squeezing his shoulder in a hard grasp. “The fate of our people will rest in your hands if I do not return, breha. I will not ask if you are equal to the task because I know you are.”

  Keanan swallowed visibly, his Adam’s apple bobbing nervously in his throat. “Thank you, breha. But I want to see you back here in a few hours. May the fate the Gods go with you.”

  Tylan blinked back the moisture in his eyes, staring at his brother for a long, hard minute before finally turning to stride from the room.

  He breathed deep breaths, as he walked along the halls of his palace, possibly for the last time. But his footsteps remained steady, unfaltering, and he didn’t stop till he reached the imposing doors of his chambers. Mentally pushing against the xerilon paneling, he walked quietly into the room.

  The Healer stood quiet, stationary at the foot of the bed, her head bowed and her arms folded in the signs of deep prayer.

  When Tylan came to stand in front of her, their eyes level because he’d yet to step onto the high dais, she spoke quietly. “Are you ready, my Lord?”

  “Yes.”

  “Disrobe and join your mate.”

  Tylan did as the Healer asked, shedding the soft skin of his leather pants and silk shirt. Naked, he climbed onto the huge mattress, stretching his long frame next to Marissa.

  The air wheezing from her lungs frightened him, and he knew that in the few moments he’d been gone her condition had worsened. Reaching a hand toward her head, he hoped his touch would reassure her, save her.

  “Do not! You cannot attempt the Am’an alone, my Lord. You will both die if you do so. I must break through the abstraction in her mind first.”

  “I would not ask this of you. I am her mate.”

  “There is no other way, Sire. I will not let you face this task by yourself,” she murmured softly, placing a knee on the large bed.

  Tylan sighed, hearing the determination in the Healer’s voice. “Eritrea needs you, Healer. I can’t let you do this.”

  Pale green eyes lifted to gaze at him across the expanse. Strangely, it was just the length of Marissa’s body, but it felt like the entire ocean depths stood between.

  Blinking slowly, he tried to remember when and how she moved closer.

  “Both of you must survive, my Lord,” she said, interrupting his thoughts. “And you have already given in to the doubt plaguing your mind,” she stopped, piercing Tylan with her strong stare. “You must trust in her.”

  Tylan looked down at Marissa, inhaling deeply, filling his lungs with her scent.

  It may be the last time he ever smelled her, ever smelled anything again. But for the chance to breathe with her, he would risk it all.

  “I trust in her,” Tylan whispered.

  “Do not interfere, no matter what you see or hear. You will know when she is ready.”

  Tylan nodded, his heart beginning to beat rapidly. “Begin then, Healer. I will wait for your call.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  “Wake up, Marissa.”

  “It’s dark in here. Where am I?”

  “Stand up and look.”

  She wanted to obey, but her legs felt unsteady, wobbly. “I don’t think I can stand.”

  “But, you won’t know where you are if you don’t stand up,” the soft feminine voice urged.

  “Who are you?” Marissa asked, wanting to find the source of the persuasive tones.

  Words whispered near her ear. “You have to stand to find out.”

  “But it feels nice to lay here. It’s peaceful.”

  “I can show you peace, my Lady. A peace unlike any you have ever known,” the seductive womanly murmur continued, her tongue beginning to lave around the lobes of Marissa’s ear.

  Slow tendrils of yearning unfurled in her belly, easing through her body. Blood pushed toward her unstable limbs, and Marissa sucked in a whiff of air, helpless to stop the lust careening inside.

  Gentle, soft, lips trailed down the column of her neck, and Marissa moaned aloud, feeling her legs shudder in response.

  “Yesss, stand. Stand with me, so I can show you all the delights I have to offer.”


  “I don’t know if I want this,” Marissa breathed, not sure if she meant standing or the woman teasing her with entrapping appeals.

  “Yes, you do want it, Marissa. I can sense your curiosity, your desire. You’ve never been touched by a woman before, but your body is eager for the experience. Let me taste you, Marissa. Let me kneel between your thighs and taste your sweet nectar.”

  “Ohmygawd,” Marissa moaned aloud, as hot wetness curled around her nipple.

  The feeling of a woman’s tongue caressing her breasts felt foreign, forbidden. But she couldn’t deny the spears of lust, couldn’t deny the desire.

  Again, her legs twitched, the needs of her body demanding she rise right now.

  “Stand, Marissa. We have so much to give to you.”

  “We?” she questioned, unconsciously moving her body closer toward the source of pleasure.

  “Tylan and I. We want to give you so much bliss.” The voice paused, and then Marissa felt a hard sucking pressure on her neck, in tune with a hard suckling on her nipple.

  “Tylan,” she breathed, his distinctive and recognizable scent filling her nostrils.

  Inhaling, she tried to take his essence inside. “I’ve missed you so much. Why did you leave me?”

  “I would never leave you, beloved.”

  Marissa remembered pain, like a raw ache. She remembered craving his touch, calling for him. “You didn’t answer me. You left me alone.”

  “Open your eyes, my sweet. See that I am here next to you.”

  Soft breath wafted across her skin, close to her mouth, and she opened her eyes to peer at him.

  Tylan looked insubstantial—real but not quite real.

  “I have always been here, my heart. Always,” he murmured, kissing her gently on the lips.

  “Don’t you crave for his touch, Marissa? Don’t you want to feel him inside you?” the woman questioned, her lips and hands still fondling the malleable flesh of her breasts.

  “Yes,” she moaned, wanting all the pleasure they both could give.

  “Then stand, beloved. Stand,” Tylan whispered, his hands framing her face.

  Pain stormed along her thighs, numbing her feet as unbelievable pressure built in her hips and pelvis. She screamed loudly, a distant part of her mind listening to her frightened yells.

  “NO! I can’t. I can’t do it. I don’t want to be like this!”

  “I love you, Marissa. I love you, my beloved wife. Please don’t leave me.”

  The feeling of Tylan’s hot face, wet with tears she could taste in her mouth, the sincerity of his words haunting through her soul, strengthened a resolve Marissa didn’t know she had.

  She screamed louder, wanting the hurt to cease, but incapable of going to the serene place she knew she would go to without Tylan.

  She began to fight against the pain, fight against the darkness.

  Suddenly, like it had never been, the agony ended, fading into nothingness.

  Remarkably, Marissa felt renewed, refreshed. The shadows before her eyes began to recede, bathing her in a silver and blue hue.

  * * * *

  “No more pain, Marissa. It’s over now. Nothing but pleasure from here on,” the delicate, genteel voice tantalized, fingers beginning to trace down across her stomach.

  A soft hand eased between the folds of her labia, teasing her budding clit, causing a flood of warmth and wetness to saturate her core, and a different sort of ache rioted through her body.

  Tylan continued to trail whisper like kisses along her collarbone, his lips moving with slow determination down the centerline of her body.

  Large, calloused hands squeezed and massaged her breasts. Pushing the supple flesh together, so the nipples stood side by side, like little, attentive soldiers as his mouth fed on her tender tips.

  Marissa arched, hollering in ecstasy, raising her chest higher, begging for more. Hips bucking wildly against the hands and fingers manipulating the soft folds of her pussy, she reached between her thighs, moving the fingers caressing her clit in frenzied, faster pace.

  Inhaling in a gulp of air, pressure began to build inside her like a slow rolling boil of heat, lust, and desire. She whimpered, needing surcease, needing for the pleasure to end and begin again.

  “Do you want me to put my mouth on you? Do you want for me taste you?” The soft voice questioned seductively.

  Tylan growled against her chest, increasing the pressure on her nipples, and she could sense his own desire to pleasure her, and have her be pleasured.

  “Yes!” she screamed, pushing her hips higher.

  A low, throaty chuckle sounded, just before a mouth fastened to her pussy.

  The top finally blew, the room shaking with the force of her orgasm.

  Tremors stirred through her body, rattling her insides.

  She needed more, had to have more.

  Rearing, she grabbed hold of Tylan’s head, bringing him forward for a passionate kiss, his tongue moving through her mouth with abandon while another tongue slurped against her clit, laving her flesh with golden rays of satisfaction, fingers ceaselessly caressing her vagina.

  Pleasure overwhelmed her body, and Marissa tossed and turned against the cushions, feeling alive for the first time in years.

  Everything—touch, taste, sight, smell, and feeling—magnified to heightened degrees, increasing her carnality.

  As Tylan began to breathe into her mouth, his lips parted and lush, Marissa sucked on his tongue, savoring the rich essence of his body.

  Moaning aloud, wanting more, both of her hands sought out the rock-like planes of his stomach, intent on touching and feeling his smooth, velvety cock. The tips of her nails sketched invisible marks against his skin, and she clasped his thick, long length between her palms.

  Squeezing him hard, Marissa caressed the satiny flesh till he bucked, drops of pre-cum moistening her fingertips.

  Tylan growled, moving his pelvis reflexively so his heated shaft rotated in her palm. “Just like that, sena.”

  Marissa couldn’t stand the torment anymore. She needed to be fucked so bad her jaw hurt from clenching her teeth with anticipation. Sighing, she bucked her hips against the black-haired woman suckling and licking against her clit, spreading her legs wider and pushing her pussy closer until the vibrations tickling were intrinsic to her own body.

  Tylan’s silky cock continued to contract in her hand, and she squeezed a bit harder, wanting to feel more of his pulsating warmth.

  “Suck on my cock, sena,” he moaned, pulling his hardened rod from her grasp, rising to kneel above her. “I want to feel the heat of your mouth before I fuck you.”

  Tylan’s long, broad penis dangled inches above her lips, and she needed no other encouragement to lift her head and succumb to the silken skin, her body quickening from the taste of the thick, rich semen dotting against her tongue.

  Marissa swallowed the pungent fluid, reveling in his desire, keeping her eyes glued to the woman between her thighs. Her cheeks indented from the force of her suction, her excitement moved to the next level of desire.

  Parts of her mind wanted to deny the gratifying instincts of the tongue rolling against her clit, but she couldn’t.

  Her whole body was lost in rapture.

  Sucking harder, twirling her tongue around Tylan’s cock, she finally let go of the restrictions hampering her mind.

  Tylan and the mysterious woman were so intent on pleasing they ignored each other. She felt like an offering, like a feast for two willing participants, and no matter how hard the prudent side of her brain railed against the explicit sex, nothing could change her wanting more.

  She moaned, whimpering as another orgasm rocketed through her body. Arching and boosting her hips, she moaned louder, feeling wanton beyond reason.

  Tylan growled, the room darkening as electric currents of longing pulsed between her spread legs. “Mine! She is mine. I want to fuck her now!”

  Fingers flexed on her thighs before the tonguing pressure against her clit eas
ed. “As you wish, my Lord.”

  Blurry-eyed, Marissa tried to rise, but her muscles were like jelly. She flopped back against the pillows, waiting, knowing Tylan’s cock was coming soon.

  She had loved the feel of the soft tongue in her pussy, but she wanted more.

  She wanted only Tylan now.

  “Leave, Healer. I thank you for your help, but the Am’an is done. Get out!” Tylan muttered harshly.

  “Forgive me, sire. I-I was carried away.”

  Tylan snarled in response, and suddenly Marissa felt a slight breeze fan across her skin.

  Instinctively, she knew the two of them were alone. How the other woman left didn’t matter, and as she gazed into Tylan’s eyes, feeling his desire throb through her body. She really didn’t care.

  “Make love to me, Tylan. Please. I need you so much,” she whispered.

  Tylan murmured incoherent words as he moved between her thighs, raising her legs, wrapping them around his hips.

  His eyes remained focused, unblinking, peering down at her with intensity. The silver-blue orbs glowed brightly, highlighted like glistening rare diamonds.

  The fragrance of his body mingled with the smells of her desire.

  When his cock eased between the folds of her vagina, penetrating her core with sure steadiness, an aching fullness surrounded her, turning her inside out with longing.

  Arching, Marissa pushed her pelvis against him, grinding her hips to take more of his velvety thickness.

  Tylan sighed as he leaned against her, the hard muscles of his stomach flexing with movement, as his cock plunged slowly inside her pussy.

  Wispy strands of his blonde hair teased her flesh, trailing across one of her breasts, and he rested his forehead against her collarbone, inhaling her scent.

  “Oh, sena. Had I lost you…”

  No one disturbed them. Time moved forward for Marissa in a haze of bliss.

  Over and over, Tylan continued to rock against her, steadily stroking his cock inside her pussy.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  So, it is done.

  Baline lifted her eyes from the ancient text she’d been reading to stare at the golden ceiling above her head.