Countess of Desire (The Young Ancients Erotic Moments Book 1) Page 7

  Which was why she grinned then.

  "Holly and I were never like that. We're just friends."

  "Oh? Well, I know for a fact that she enjoys women well enough, and she's been lonely for a long time. Even if you don't want her for yourself, you should make sure she has people. Gerent perhaps? Speaking of which, if he's willing, I wouldn't mind having him over to entertain sometime? Both of you, if you can work that out?"

  The larger woman shifted a bit, and put an arm over her shoulder, then gave a gentle squeeze.

  "That sounds fun, actually. I'm glad we did this. I think. I know that we haven't always been close. As for my husband... I hate to complain, since he's a very good person, but for the last few months he's been busy all the time. Getting plants from Earth, and helping to build up the forests on the Moon. The domed ones? That, and making constant runs for the same thing to the Mars stations. Sara Debri is keeping him pretty busy."

  There was a bit of a grin and then a head shake.

  "Not in a fun way either. The runs are so constant that he barely gets to sleep sometimes. If it doesn't ease up soon I'm going to have to go and have a talk with her. She's so different since she's changed. You heard that she was made immortal? The Ancient of the Martian Circle?"

  Maria had heard that, of course. It had made the rounds of the entire world, as it turned out, since the woman was known in several lands. All of them, as it turned out.

  "Yes. That's a good jump in social situation for her, isn't it? I was taken a bit by surprise. I mean the Wizard Timon never offered that kind of thing to me, did he?" She gestured at herself, still dressed for bedroom games and sighed. "Who'd have thought he'd like her better than this? Well, that's what I get for not sleeping with him when he was twelve. I'd flirted hard enough, but thought to set things up for later, when he was older. Not for that, of course. You don't make friends just to use them." Except of course, she did that all the time, didn't she?

  Pet nodded, then stretched.

  "Gerent's been offered that. I..." She looked away then, and made an outfit appear then. It was all black, and looked to cover her whole body. Like leather, but not polished for sport. Dusty and like it would work to protect her from the blows of a practice sword pretty well. "Timon offered that to me, too. I didn't think he would, but he just walked up to me once, a few years ago, and suggested it. I haven't decided yet. I mean, it isn't really living forever, since the best guess is that everyone doing that will go crazy at about six or seven hundred years old, if they aren't killed first. That's a long time though. Do I want to live that long?"

  Maria tried to think about it first, rather than start out by calling Petra a fool. They were just starting to get along, after all. That would be a poor plan. Instead she closed her eyes and dressed in head to toe black too. A simple, very heavy outfit that was a lot like what a military man might wear. Simple and hard to damage, with black boots. Ones that didn't shine much.

  "Well, that's a choice to consider carefully. If it were me I'd take him up on it. Are you two lovers? I know that you were both going around together for a while? There were some rumors? He was a bit young at the time too, wasn't he?" She didn't smile, because those rumors had been false really.

  Rather, the two had been close for nearly half a year. Even sharing the same bed chamber at times. That was all though. Her spies had been firm that there was nothing closer than that going on between them.

  Pet scowled at her, but then shrugged.

  "No. We're friends. He... When I was taken, by Will? He and some Royal Guards were the ones that came to rescue me. Then he... Do you know how William was taken?"

  She nearly rolled her eyes. Of course she knew that one.

  "I'd heard that Tim and Judith, the Printer heir, kidnapped and tortured him, then after breaking him, passed him off to the King? That's what King Richard told me." Which was true, and got a nod.

  "That's about it. When Timon found all that out, he just made a plan, and took him. A Count. Then made him pay. I was there for that part. What was done to him... Well, pain wise it was enough, nearly to make up for what had happened to me. Not that I'm unhappy he's dead now." She stood, and moved the fifteen feet back to the front seat, settling before she spoke again. "Sorry, I'm being gloomy. To answer you plainly, yes, Tim and I are close. I didn't know that you knew him that well."

  It was leading, but Maria grinned.

  "I don't. We've met a few times, but you know me, I'm not that subtle all the time. I made it clear that I could help him find his manhood, when the time came. Apparently I wasn't needed for that. Well, good enough. He's done well for himself without me. For all of us." Which was just true, but she stood too.

  "So, ready for the next fun event?" She smiled wickedly, enough so that Petra frowned.

  "Yes? What do you have in mind?"

  It was clear that she was thinking they'd need some lube, and implements, for the next portion. It wasn't the plan though.

  "Well, I need to pass a message to King Richard, and it isn't so late we can't do that, I don't think. I don't want to be traced though, so I was thinking that we could jump out from here, and use our shields to land at the Palace? The darkness should cover us. Then we'll need to fly back in the night, but we can just tell everyone that we spent the night in orbit, playing. It will be good for your reputation. I'm very well thought of in certain circles you know." There was a tiny smile then, because it really wasn't all that true, was it?

  Once it had been. So long ago that it seemed a lifetime away now.

  Pet looked at her like she was insane for a moment.

  "You want to do a space drop? In the dark? No one does that Maria. It's considered a thing so frightening that almost everyone that does it wets themselves. I mean, I've done it, ten times, but you? I'm not certain..."

  That got a frustrated bit of hand waving. Like that wasn't part of the point?

  "Exactly why no one will believe I did it. They should of course. I don't know why anyone would think me a coward though. I'm not a fighter, perhaps, but what have I done to make them think that?"

  "Um... I think it's all the crying and carrying on you do after anything intense happens? That, and complaining about things like accommodations, like after the thing with the Larval..."

  That got Maria to nod. It had been years before, but of course that was the portion everyone would remember, wasn't it?

  "Pet... That wasn't about me being weak. Or even nearly dying. Those things had attacked my people. We were helpless before them, and only the fact that Tor was able to defeat them in battle like he did saved so many lives. I'd tried to distract everyone from that, that's all. Now, let's go and get this done before we have to try a midnight raid on the King's chambers? That would be a bit difficult and might make some tongues wag. Not that it wouldn't be worth it. Really, if I can get in that way, and... Well, the plan is to send a lovely young woman after him. With her body being poisoned so that he'll die after he dallies with her. I've heard of such things... It will kill the girl too, but after she leaves, if it’s done right." She made a face, and then shook her head.

  That was the point, wasn't it? That girl would be able to talk about what she'd done, if she were able to. Better to let the evidence die. At least if you had no soul.

  She reached out and touched the leather covered arm.

  "So, let’s get this done? I've been wanting to try this part anyway." She meant the jumping, not the killing the King portion. Luckily Petra seemed to believe her on that one.

  That was clear, because she simply brought the ship they were in around, settling right over the Capital. It was clear, due to the loop of purple light there, and a smaller shimmer of silver next to it.

  The Captain pointed.

  "We aim for the spot between those two colors. The glowing rivers. Almost in the direct center of those two things is where the back palace wall is. Once you get down, lay on the ground and show your hands, or the Royal Guard will try to kill you. It will come fast,
since Tim has been improving some of them. They have good shields too, and weapons to take ours down, so make sure to act humble, and not be a bitch. We're invading, after all, and part of their job is to stop that. Don't make a stir, and ask for George first thing. He's their leader."

  It all made sense, though the idea of groveling to underlings like that was a bit galling. What was the point of being a Countess if she had to crawl on the ground and scrape to people like that? She got it though. In this case it was about staying alive long enough to pass what was needed.

  "Understood. Shall we then? We're losing time."

  With a grin, one that was probably meant to be wicked, Petra shut her ship of, letting it blink off instantly. Her shield kicked on just before that, getting what was about to happen before her brain caught up. That caught a pocket of air around her, and held it in solidly.

  The drop itself was easy enough. Petra pointed, as if it were hard to figure out that they had to move toward the lights above them, flying that way using their shields. Looking up at it, she flew toward the planet head first. Pet had her feet down, which would make it hard to see what they were doing.

  There was a thrill as the planet caught her, pulling her up toward it, but there didn't seem to be anything to be afraid of really. She let herself rush that way, making little corrections as she went, not wanting to miss the mark by too much. It took longer than she thought it would, since she had to slow down after a few minutes, so that she didn't lose her companion. It was hard to see the ground, but the lights from the city became clear as they closed with them. Not just the rivers, which really were pretty, but the other magical, and even gas and oil lamp, glows that led their way. There were several places that shone in the dark, but she knew where the palace had to be. In the center of the back wall of the city. Just inside the purple half ring that was the magical river on the wall.

  That got her to feel a flash of fear. Not because she might hit it, that was insane. She just slowed to nearly a stop, and then flipped over and moved so that she'd be in the dark courtyard behind her destination. No, it was due to the fact that to get a river or six like that for her people she needed to face Tor again. That made her nervous.

  On the ground she laid on the grass instantly, like Pet had instructed her to, and suspected that the guard would be on her, so left her shield on, just in case they got violent.

  Then she waited, as Petra settled in next to her.

  After a few minutes she wondered if they should call out. It was getting hard to hold her hands up like she was, laying on her stomach. Finally, just as her patience was about to wear out someone saw them. It was a young seeming man.

  "You! Halt... Um... Right." She could kind of see the confusion there. After all, they were obviously intruders, but were already showing they were unarmed, and surrendering. What did you do in that case?

  She wondered that herself, but Petra handled it, whispering.

  "We need to speak to George. This is secret. You can use my communications device to get in touch with him. Left front side pocket. Do you want me to get it, or..."

  The boy, and he wasn't old at all, being just past fourteen, Maria thought, moved in carefully. Clearly expecting Petra or her to surge up and attack at any moment. Then he plucked the thing from the pocket and moved back, using the device like he'd at least seen one before.

  That got him growled at when George picked up a few moments later, and got what was going on.

  "Hold them, Tuvin. Back off and keep a shield stripper on them. I'll be there in... Two minutes." The fellow didn’t sound happy, but it was pretty close to ideal, as far as Maria was concerned. Not too many people were alerted, and even though she had to prove her intent to the older guard using a Truth amulet, which glowed, he let her keep her face in the grass, making it harder to see who was there.

  That didn't get them to see the King instantly, but rather taken to the dungeon. Or she figured that was what was happening, as the man walked her and Petra down a long underground staircase. The room they were taken to had a heavy metal door, but inside wasn't an array of torture devices, but a simple wooden table and some chairs.

  They were left there alone, as George went to wake the King.

  "So... This is the secret meeting spot here? I've never been invited in for a secret meeting before. Then, I've never tried to sneak in at night like this either. Have you been here before?" It was an offhand question, but her sister in-law shrugged, the room well lit, thanks to the magical lights on the walls. All on copper, showing they were early Tor works. It made sense for them to have that kind of thing there though, didn't it?

  Richard was the King, so of course he'd have the best of everything.

  It took half an hour for the man to get there, and he didn't look all that happy to see them. Not just yet, at least. Maria stood and bowed as he entered and George stepped outside, closing the door. She was a known traitor, so that meant what?

  It was possible that the King was a good enough fighter that the Royal Guard figured he could take her, certainly. Petra though was a tough fighter. Not as large as the giant man was, since he was over nine feet tall, if thin. Still, she was known to be one of the better fighters in the Kingdom. Possibly the best one or two female fighters. She also went well armed at all times.

  That probably meant that George, a man sworn to protect the King to the end of his life and beyond all reason, thought that Pet would stop her, if anything happened? That was trust beyond anything that Maria would have expected. Even if they, Petra Ward and King Richard, had been lovers, the guard wouldn't have been so relaxed.

  The King bowed back, his face a little sour.

  "So, I take it that you have news? Something important enough to wake me at this hour?" He did manage a low chuckle after that, so she winked.

  "What? I can't come in the middle of the night just to entertain you? That seems like an oversight in our relationship. Here, get those clothes off and we can...” She pretended to move in on him, but then shook her head. "Well, we should, of course, but yes, I have a way to break the rebellion once and for all. Or rather, they're about to break themselves. Here, I have a letter from them." She pulled out the paper from the hidden shirt pocket that she'd kept up the whole time, even when Petra had taken her own clothing off to have fun. She hadn't, and there was a reason for it. That paper was proof that she was innocent, or at least more clever than anyone would have believed.

  The real trick would have been to deliver the note, then gotten in to the King like this, she realized. If she could have acted then... Well, that would do the trick, wouldn't it? That Richard was there meant that he, at least, honestly trusted her. It left her feeling warm.

  The man read the whole thing, then nodded.

  "I understand. So, when can we set this up? I don't regularly take visitors like that, do they have someone specific in mind?"

  Maria shrugged.

  "Honestly, I don't know. It's clearly a last effort. A thing of desperation that could leave too many of them exposed. I was thinking that I could find a lot of them directly by doing it myself. I'll let them know that I'm willing to die to protect them, as long as it takes you down? It's well known how you covet my tender and delicious flesh, isn't it? The thing there... Well, I could just use a healing amulet. You would too... I'm betting that no one has thought of that. No, the clear plan would be best served for the poison to stun you, while I used some kind of weapon on you. Any ideas what might work?"

  The man gave her a look that spoke of contemplation, rather than doubt. She would have been suspicious of her, given everything. That he wasn't said more about how good he was than she would have figured.

  "A hidden shield wand? If you can get one from Queen Tiera. Her guards in Harmony all have to carry them. They don't just take down shields, they can kill as well. Force blasts or explosions. If you tucked one inside yourself, then worked out how to get into place... That would be challenging however, how is that supposed to work?"

&nb
sp; Maria got that one, then shrugged, moved over to his chair, and bent over in front of him. Touching his trousers she focused, which got them to vanish. She did it with her eyes open, being familiar with that particular trick. Few had magical clothing, but Marvin did. The King didn't cover himself or jump, but Petra looked ready to hit her.

  "Scoot forward a bit? Pet, come, join us?"

  "Um..."

  Maria rolled her eyes, then reached forward and took the King gently in her hand. He was above average size, though on him he looked smaller than that. It was actually a good thing though, since that meant he wouldn't cause pain when they had sex. Some of the large noble men were so vast that way that only trained women could take them without damage. This man was nicely sized for actually having sex, and lean enough that there was nothing to get in the way of their pleasure, but some red hair.

  "Think, Petra." She worked her hand a bit, which did get a response from the large ruler. He started to stiffen nicely in fact, as her fingers closed around him, pulling the skin over the tip with each stroke as he grew. "If I actually do something with him, I can claim that under a Truth amulet. A real one. It will take some clever speaking to make it seem like I actually plan to kill him... But I think that we can get around that by actually having the poison in place, and speaking about how to get the weapon ready? I know, how about you actually do the 'killing' part? That way I can confuse things that way. Or, well, maybe not. You've killed a third of the rebels yourself with those silly duels of yours. No one would buy it. I'll figure that out. Now, let's suck off the King? I'll swallow at the end. You like that, don't you Richard?" She smiled up at him, being saucy using his name like that.

  That got a nod.

  "Yes. I do like that, indeed." Then he went silent, as she leaned in, her legs and back bent, but not kneeling. He was far too tall for that to work.

  Looking up, into his eyes, which were a lovely blue, she moved in and licked the tip of him gently. He had a good taste about him. Clean. There was a slight hint of lavender oil, but not enough to numb her tongue. She carefully swirled her tongue around him, not putting his cock all the way between her lips yet. It was teasing, but most men didn't mind that sort of thing, as long as it didn't go on too long.