The Beginning of Everything by Kristen Ashley Page 0,131

things I don’t wish,” I mumbled.

“This is because you wish them, my princess,” he replied. “You might not wish to wish them, but you do.”

I couldn’t argue that.

I wished I could.

But I could not.

“We will be wed in less than three months,” he reminded me. “We must find our times to learn of each other.”

“What I find is that you’re annoying,” I blurted.

He raised his brows. “This is because I’m right most the time.”

“‘Most’ is not the correct word. We’ve known each other but days. It’s impossible at this juncture to know if that word has relevancy.”

He grinned at me.

And then he did what he was known to do very well on a battlefield. Something that caused my sister no end of complaint.

In our banter, with my lips swollen from his kisses and my body pressed close to his, he perpetrated a sneak attack.

“What vials was that Go’Doan talking about, Elena?”

“Please don’t ask me that,” I said softly.

He studied me.

“You are right,” I relented. “We must share. We must do it openly. But don’t ask too much of me too quickly, Cassius. You’ve been a husband. You’ve…dallied.”

The reflection left his gaze as humor sifted back in.

“I have indeed dallied, my warrior,” he murmured.

“I have not.”

He grew serious.

I continued to speak.

“My mentor, Melisse, taught me that if you find a raging river you need to cross, you might make it if you take a great bound. However, you are more likely to find yourself falling into the waters, lost to them. But if you took your time and studied the riverbank, eventually, you would find safe passage.”

“Your mentor sounds wise.”

“This is why she’s a mentor.”

He gave me a squeeze with his arms, stating, “You’ll have what you wish, my princess. I’ll give you today, and tomorrow, and the next day as well.”

I didn’t want to smile at him. I fought it.

But I was almost certain part of it leaked.

Cassius released me with one arm and tucked my hair behind my ear before he fully released me.

He walked to the door but didn’t open it.

He turned back to me.

“I will share in my rooms tonight when we have privacy guaranteed. But much is happening that if you don’t know of it, you need to. To that end, it would be cataclysmic now much more than it normally would if Serena assumed reign of the Nadirii.”

I was suddenly unable to breathe.

His voice grew quieter when he finished, “The Go’Doan, particularly G’Liam, know many ways of healing. I urge you to consider using those vials. As much as this might be loathsome to you, I advise you test them first on an animal. If they’re safe, then use them. With what is happening, we all need more time with those having wise, composed heads.” His voice went downright low when he concluded, “And I would suspect the one who would need that time most is you.”

After delivering that, and with a short bow, he opened the door and walked through it.

I studied it after he closed it behind him, feeling a chill on my skin.

I knew what this chill meant.

My mother was hiding nothing.

Princess Serena

Private Play Suite, Dahlia Rooms, Heden District, Fire City

FIRENZE

There was a large mirror before her.

Her sheers were on the floor.

The cups of her brassiere were shoved down, pushing up her breasts, their rosy peaks stiffened and jutting with need.

Her wide belt of beads and fringe was about her hips, the bits dangling driving her mad as they consistently brushed her sensitive skin.

The curls between her legs were partly exposed to the eye.

Her arms were high above her, tethered at the wrists with suede straps.

There was a tool thrust inside between her legs that was long and bulbous, coming down to a narrow end with a handle that could be seen. It was filling her so wide, it would stay in place on its own. However, the walls of her cunt were spasming around it uncontrollably.

And he stood beside her, examining her arse like he was a physician vaguely interested in a patient.

Serena watched as he then swung back and landed a sharp swat on her already stinging cheek, the beaded fringe digging in, and her eyes rolled back in her head as her pussy spasmed again.

Another sharp slap and he held on, gripping the abused flesh and bouncing it about.

Then a few lighter strikes that would almost seem affectionate, if she did not open her eyes and see he was more involved with opening the fly on his leathers with