“Who is this Ricki?” The female asked, tilting her head. “Where is she?”
“Where is the vault?” Ristéard interjected in a harsh voice, flashing a look of warning at Nema and Walter. “What is in it?”
The female turned and looked back at Ristéard. Her face was hard and her shoulders stiffened. Twirling the staff in her hands, she struck him across the jaw with the blunt end of it. He stumbled backwards, but didn’t fall.
“How do you know of the sacred vault?” The woman demanded. “How did you discover this location?”
Ristéard spit out the Blood where he had bitten the inside of his cheek when she struck him. He slowly turned his head glare at her. His own eyes promised that he wouldn’t forget her attack.
“Because I told him,” a soft voice said, pushing through the crowd of cloaked figures.
*.*.*
Ricki stared down at the line of cloaked figures. They were moving into a line to pass through an especially narrow cut in the rocks. Marvin and Martin were moving in on the last figure in the long line.
It hadn’t taken long to catch up with group. How the two brothers were able to track the group on the rocky surface, she would never know. She was just thankful to have their expertise. They had warned her to stay hidden in the cluster of rocks until they returned.
She winced when she saw Marvin grab the figure from behind and drag them out of sight. She bit her lip and crawled back until she was standing once again in the shadowed alcove of the rocks. It didn’t take long for them to return, the unconscious figure tossed over Marvin’s shoulder.
He stepped forward and lowered the body to the ground. Martin quickly pulled the mask covering the creature’s face off. All three of them sat back, stunned when the face of a young woman was revealed.
“You didn’t kill her, did you?” Ricki asked fearfully. “She is young, little more than a child.”
“No,” Marvin replied. “I was going to until I realized how small the creature was,” he admitted reluctantly.
“Get the cloak off,” Martin instructed. “We don’t have much time. Ricki, you will wear it and fall into line behind the others. Marvin and I will follow behind the group.”
“Just remember,” Marvin said. “If it becomes too dangerous or you are discovered, our first priority is to get you out.”
Ricki nodded. “What about her?” She asked in concern. “We can’t just leave her here.”
Martin touched Ricki’s chin, tilting it toward him. His eyes were sad, but determined. She knew immediately that she wasn’t going to like what he had to say.
“We will secure her in such a way that she will eventually be able to free herself, but we cannot take her with us,” Martin replied. “This is not a time to let your heart guide you, Ricki. You must do what is necessary to get inside the mountain.”
Ricki glanced back down at the peaceful face of the young girl. Yes, she knew she shouldn’t let her heart guide her, but she also had to be true to who she was. Drawing in a deep breath, she nodded.
“As long as she will be able to free herself,” she insisted, taking the cloak that Marvin held out to her and rising so she could slip it on over her clothing. She lifted the mask to her head, pausing for a brief moment before sliding it on. “I’ll see you inside.”
Martin nodded. He would follow Ricki while his brother secured the female. Once Marvin was finished, he would follow. This gave them a better chance as well if something should go wrong. Then, there would be at least one of them that could come to the rescue.
*.*.*
A short time later, Ricki had slipped into the gathering of cloaked figures standing outside the magnificent entrance to the maze. She immediately recognized the image from the doors. It was only when the group parted that she saw Ristéard’s proud features standing high above everyone.
Biting her lip, she clenched her fingers around the staff in her gloved hands. She wanted so badly to push through the group and go to his side. She needed to know if her parents were okay. She could see Sadao and Ajaska’s heads once she focused. Surely her parents would be with them.
She forced herself to remember Martin’s words to stay at the very end. It would allow him time to follow and her time to know what was going on. She took a purposeful step backwards when the procession began to move up the steps. Glancing over her shoulder, she could barely see the difference in the rocks behind her. It was only because she knew that Martin was there that she could pick out the slightly unusual shape. Turning back around, she slowly climbed the steps and disappeared into the dark entrance.
*.*.*
Ricki gripped the staff in her hands and tried to focus on her surroundings, but it was impossible. She had caught a glimpse of her mom and dad as they climbed the steps. It had broken her heart watching her dad carefully help her mom up the tall stairs. No one around them offered a hand, but at least they didn’t try to hurt them either for taking longer to navigate the almost two foot high steps.
She had expected to be disoriented for a few minutes when she first entered the mountain, but the goggles she was wearing immediately adjusted to the dimmer interior. Making sure that she stayed to the back, she stared ahead trying to keep Ristéard in her view.
Crossing the narrow bridge, she felt a sense of déjà vu sweep through her. It was as if her dream was coming alive. She turned, looking back at the entrance. Her breath caught as she gazed back at the huge, narrow opening. Turning as if in slow motion, she swore she saw the ghostly figures from her dream moving around her.
“Emera…,” Ricki whispered, staring at the large tapestry hanging from the wall.
She blinked several times as the sound of Ristéard’s voice echoed in the chamber. Pushing forward through the crowd, she watched in horror as the woman struck him across the face. Fury burned through her, chilling her Blood. Her fingers curled and she knew that the tips were glazed with ice on the inside of her gloves.
“How do you know of the sacred vault?” The woman asked harshly. “How did you discover this location?”
Reaching up, Ricki pulled the mask from her head as she stepped through the crowd.
“I told him,” she replied in a soft, cool voice.
Chapter 21
Ristéard kept his arm wrapped firmly around Ricki’s waist as he watched the mixture of men and women in the vast hall. He still couldn’t believe that she, Martin and Marvin had followed them. His gaze swept to where the two Kor d’lurs stood against the wall near the entrance to the underground chamber. He would be having a word with them when this was over about not following his orders.
“Hey,” Ricki murmured in his ear. “Quit glaring at them. They did the right thing.”
Ristéard turned his head and brushed a hard kiss across her lips. “They disobeyed my instructions to get you to safety.”
Ricki leaned her forehead against his and sighed. Yes, they had disobeyed his orders, but they had also made sure that she was safe. They didn’t take any extreme risks and both of them had been there as back up for her.
“It worked out,” she simply replied, turning her head back to the festivities going on around them. “This cavern was empty in my dream.”
Ristéard heard the faint unease in her voice. Shifting even closer, he held her as they watched a group of young children retell the story of the First Empress of Elipdios. The graceful movement of their arms and the echo of their song rose and reverberated throughout the dining chamber.
*.*.*
Lyna, the Keeper to the Temple of the Empress of Elipdios, had been shocked when Ricki had ripped off the mask. Fear, anger, and disbelief crossed the other woman’s face as she returned Ricki’s icy gaze. When the woman raised the staff in her hand, Ricki had quickly yanked one of her gloves off. Her hand rose at the same time as the woman pointed the staff at her. Red met white as the charge from the Blood Stone was engulfed in ice.
With a flick of her hand, both the ice and the charge dissolved into a mist, raining brillian
t red crystals down among those in the room. Lyna had slowly sunk to her knees, her eyes wide with disbelief and reverence, before she bowed her head.
He and the others had watched as if in slow motion as one after another sank to their knees until only he, Sadao, Ajaska and her parents were standing. Martin had slipped into the room and quickly cut through the bonds holding them. Ristéard had known immediately that the show had drained Ricki. He had pushed through the kneeling crowd and caught her as her knees started to give out.
“I thought I told you not to do that,” he had muttered, holding her cradled against him. “I need water.”
Lyna had glanced up at his demand. Rising, she nodded and motioned for him to follow her. Ristéard had ignored everyone else. His only concern was on Ricki who lay quietly in his arms.
*.*.*
He jerked back to the present when he felt her warm breath in his ear. “What are you thinking about?”
“I worry about you,” he admitted. “When you do things like you did earlier, it takes a lot out of you.”
He felt the sigh she released. “I reacted instinctively,” she confessed, raising her hand to touch the bruise on his jaw. “I was furious with her for striking you.”
His eyes darkened and he glanced back, relieved that the performance was finished. He wanted her. After today, when he thought he would never see her again, he realized that he wanted to grab every second for the rest of his life and hold her close.
Rising out of his seat, he pulled her with him. He nodded to Marvin and Martin to let them know to keep an eye on Walter and Nema who were clapping and chatting excitedly with the children from the performance. He just shot Ajaska an exasperated look when the Kassisan raised his eyebrows and laughed.
Turning, he gave Lyna a look that warned her not to stop him. “My Empress is tired and needs to rest,” he said in a curt voice. “My men have set up our shelters in the outer chamber.”
Lyna bowed her head in respect. “My people will guard the chamber,” she promised. “Tomorrow, I will lead you to the entrance of the maze.”
“Until the morning,” Ristéard said, turning away.
Ricki glanced over at where her parents sat. “My parents…,” she started to say.
Ristéard pulled her close to him. “They are fine,” he whispered in her ear. “Marvin and Martin will make sure they are escorted safely back to the chamber.”
Ricki frowned as she glanced around the large dining area. “Where’s Sadao?” She asked. “I haven’t seen him since right after dinner.”
“He is probably scouting the area,” he replied with a shrug. “The only one I am worried about right now is you.”
Ricki glanced at him and he grinned. The rosy blush that spread across her cheeks showed that she finally understood what he meant. An answering smile curved her lips and she nodded, slipping her hand into his and squeezing it.
“I’m worried about you, too,” she murmured.
Ristéard’s eyes darkened until the silver in them looked like it had turned to liquid. The moment they turned into the long corridor leading to the upper main chamber, he pushed her up against the smooth wall. His hands wrapped around her wrists and he pulled them up over her head.
She opened for him, her lips meeting his in a heady kiss that stroked the fire burning inside him to a white-hot flame. For several long minutes, the kiss deepened as their tongues tangled and fought in a passionate dance. He released her hands and pressed his lips to the warm skin of her cheek before following the curve of her jaw to her ear. Their hands frantically ran over each other in an attempt to memorize the other.
“I love you, Ricki,” he breathed against her skin. “I thought I would never see you again and for the first time in my life, true hopelessness threatened me in a way nothing else in my life has ever done. I have lived through a lot, but the idea of anything happening to you….”
His voice broke and he captured her lips again. He slid his hands up and tangling them in her hair. Her hands wrapped around his back, frantically searching for a way under his shirt to his skin.
With a muttered curse, he pulled back and swept her off her feet. Holding her close, he strode down the dim corridor to the chamber where Marvin and Martin had set up the shelters they had retrieved earlier. Crossing the room, he shrugged the cover over the doorway aside and stepped into it.
Carefully lowering Ricki to her feet, he grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it up and over her head. His breath caught when he saw she was not wearing the cover over her breasts. Her nipples pebbled as he stared at them.
Her hair, which she had braided after bathing before dinner, hung down over her shoulder. He brushed it aside and cupped her breasts with his hands. Her loud gasp filled the tent when he captured one taut peak between his lips and sucked deeply on it.
He followed her down when her knees gave out and she sank down onto the soft bedding. His hands caged her beneath his body even as he continued his assault on her breasts. Her fingers worked frantically on the stays of his shirt, pulling each one free until it hung open.
A shudder ran through his body when her finger pinched his nipples. Releasing the rosy peak, he captured her lips again in a kiss that challenged her to meet his passion with her own. Their tongues fought, danced, and mated, in a ritual older than time.
Rising up away from her, he twisted and kicked off his boots and pants. She did the same, meeting him flesh on flesh as they both knelt on the bed. He groaned when she suddenly released her grip on his shoulders and lowered herself down until she was on her hands and knees. The position placed her even with his cock.
“Ricki,” he groaned, threading his hands through her hair on each side. His fingers curled around the back of her head and he guided her forward. “That’s it. Take me! Take all of me,” he demanded in a guttural voice.
A choked cry escaped him when she did. He looked down and watched as she slowly slid his throbbing cock between her lips. This time there was no hesitation, no shyness. She took him like a woman that was starving. His breath hiccupped as he watched her take inch after delicious inch into her mouth.
He threw his head back when she began sucking on him. The feel of her hot, moist mouth wrapped tightly around him drove him crazy. A hoarse cry escaped him when she began sliding her mouth back and forth along his length.
Bending his head forward, he watched her suck on his cock. His balls drew tight and he tried everything he could to hold back his orgasm, but the erotic sight of his cock disappearing between her beautiful lips was too much. He called out a low warning, hoping she would stop. Instead, one delicate hand reached up and cupped his rock hard sack and she gently rolled it at the same time as she slid her mouth back around him.
He exploded down her throat. Instead of pulling back, she drank his hot seed while holding his heavy sack in her hand. One slender finger reached out and gently rubbed the smooth skin just below it. If he thought his orgasm had been incredible before, the unusual stimulation she added sent him into a new realm of ecstasy.
“Ricki!” He breathed out in a hoarse voice. “Oh, my Empress.”
He was trembling by the time she leisurely released his cock. The last touch of her lips against the sensitive tip was so pleasurable, that it bordered on pain. His hands moved down to her shoulders, holding her so that she knew he wanted her to remain down on her hands and knees.
He ran his hands down along her back, before bringing them up under her to cup her breasts. Now it was his turn. He had not been lying to her when he said that Elipdios males were aggressive, or that they had a high sexual appetite. Tonight, Ricki had ignited both.
He pulled back just far enough to study the smooth lines of her back. Rising he released a low growl when she started to move. Her head lowered, but it was so that she could follow his movement more than out of submissiveness.
Her low cry of surprise echoed in the tent before she buried her face in the covers to smother it. A grunt of satisfaction escaped him as he
pushed another finger into her slick vaginal channel. She had not been expecting him to press into her so aggressively to test her desire.
She was more than slick. Her own need dampened the silky curls between her legs until he could see it. Rubbing his fingers in it, he leaned over her, pressing his cock between her buttocks as he spread some of her slick juices over her nipples.
“Ristéard,” she whispered hoarsely.
“Tell me you love me, Ricki,” he demanded, pinching her nipples hard and holding them. “Tell me. When we get back to the palace, I am going to clamp your nipples.”
She buried her face in the covers again when he released them. Blood pumped to the tips making them throb. Her body trembled when he leaned over her again. The feel of his cock, hard and ready again, pressing against her ass, made her both hot and nervous.
“I need you,” she whispered brokenly. “I ache.”
“There are things I want to do to you, Ricki,” he whispered in her ear. “Things that will make you scream.”
Ricki turned her head and looked at him. Her blue eyes had turned to the color of the mountain lakes, deep, and crystal clear. In them, he saw the curiosity.
“What kind of things?” She asked.
Ristéard smiled and stroked her pulsing clit with his fingers. Once they were slick with her juices, he slid them up along the line of her buttocks. Her eyes widened in shock when he pressed against the tight rosette of her ass.
“Wonderful things that will make you beg for more,” he promised, straightening until he aligned his cock with her hot channel. “You will be mine in every way, my Empress. I will know every inch of your body.”
*.*.*
Ricki smothered the groan in the covers again. His words drew a very vivid picture of what he planned to do to her. What she had not expected was that her lessons were to begin right then and there.
Ristéard’s cock was fuller and thicker than she remembered as he pushed it into her. She breathed in deeply, holding back the urge to demand that he take her hard and fast. Her hips thrust backwards as he impaled her with his cock. It was as if he wanted her to feel every inch of it.