The Priestess and the Thief Kindred Tales 30 - Evangeline Anderson Page 0,40

“Come on, sweetheart—sit back against me.”

He pulled Elli back into position but she gave a little yelp when she felt something hot and hard pressing against the small of her back.

“Sorry,” Roke muttered in her ear. “Can’t help it. Now settle down,” he added, and pulled Elli back against him when she tried to sit up.

“But won’t I, er, hurt you?” she whispered, looking over her shoulder. “I mean, uh, leaning against it like this?”

The big warrior gave her an amused look.

“You really are innocent, aren’t you? No, little priestess, you won’t hurt me. Just relax and we’ll both be fine.”

Elli tried to do as he said, but the hard ridge of his shaft at her back seemed to throb with heat and she couldn’t help feeling anxious about it—and ashamed of herself for responding so eagerly to the kiss. What was wrong with her, anyway? She wasn’t drugged this time, as she had been at the humans’ Christmas party. So why was she acting like this every time Roke kissed her? She—

“The second course, my Lady,” a servant said as the bowl of slime soup was whisked away to be replaced by a platter of exotic looking fruits.

“Oh—this looks lovely,” Elli said, glad she didn’t have to fake her delight this time.

“These are the fruits of our home world,” the Duchess informed them, smiling. “Try one of the tooka-figs. They’re exquisitely juicy and sweet.” She gestured at the small, plump blue fruit she held in one hand, which she had already taken a dainty nibble out of. The flesh inside was pure white with tiny pink seeds.

Elli found a similar fruit on the tray beside their lounge and took a tentative bite. The tender skin of the fruit gave way easily under her teeth as she bit into the sweet, juicy flesh beneath.

“Mmm—so good!” she murmured and looked up at Roke. “Try one—they really are delicious.”

Roke ate one whole and nodded approvingly.

“A lot better than the soup,” he commented.

“Absolutely,” Elli agreed. Next she tried a tiny purple fruit, about the size of her thumb. This one had a slightly harder flesh and a nutty, spicy flavor she really enjoyed. It reminded her a little of the flavor of her grandmother’s spice cake. She was just reaching for a new fruit—a bright pink one, as long as her arm and tapered on one end—when she realized that no one else in the entire room was eating.

“Here we go again,” Roke muttered in her ear. “What in the Seven Hells is he doing this time?”

Elli realized he was talking about the Crown Prince. She looked up to the golden dais and what she saw made her bite her lip.

The Crown Prince had stopped eating and was running his hands all over his Bride of the Night’s body. She was moaning as his short, stubby, beringed fingers ran up and down her sides and over her breasts with long, caressing motions. Elli could scarcely tear her eyes away but after a moment she realized that the Duke and Duchess were hissing at her and Roke that they needed to be “Mirroring His Highness” if they didn’t want to get kicked out of Supper.

“You must Mirror!” the Duke was muttering to Roke. “Whatever are you waiting for?”

He’s waiting for me, Elli thought, looking up at the big warrior. Because he promised not to touch me without my permission—unless I asked him to.

“Little priestess?” he murmured, raising an eyebrow at her.

Elli bit her lip. Normally, she would never do such a thing, she told herself. But she must fulfill her vow to do anything she had to in order to get the Healing Lattice. And there was clearly no other way to get along in the Tenebrian Court.

“Yes,” she whispered, nodding her permission. “Go…go ahead, Roke.”

“As my Lady wishes,” he growled softly. And then he was pulling her back against him and running his big, warm hands up and down her body, which was bare beneath the mostly see-through lace gown.

Elli tried to hold still, but she couldn’t help shifting restlessly against him, especially when his big, warm hands ran lightly over her breasts. He was just barely touching her—teasing her, she thought—and though she tried not to want more, she couldn’t help herself.

Arching her back, she pressed her breasts more fully into his hands, her nipples feeling so tight and achy she didn’t know how much longer she could stand it.

“Sweetheart?” Roke murmured in her ear, his hands stopping their roving caresses as