Tested by the Night (13 page)

The heat of him, the length, the girth, the strength, the very essence that made up Talon Starkweather had never felt as barbarianly wonderful as it did this very moment. She trembled as shivers of delight cascaded along every inch of skin he touched. Tiny sparks of hot pleasure, so intense they had her eyes crossing and her breath coming in short pants, shot straight through her belly and all the way to her toes.

Without missing a stroke, he leaned forward, kissed her back, nipped her shoulder blade, and fondled her breast. The warmth of his breath against her naked skin and the pressure of his fingers tweaking her nipple, teasing it to pebbly hardness, had tiny spasms of pleasure gathering deep in her core and skittering downward, causing her clit to throb.

The longer and deeper he thrust, the more intense the tremors became. The walls of her sheath spasmed around him and clenched his cock tight, holding him in place, milking him of his essence. He stiffened behind her, slammed into her quickly twice more, and shouted his release to the rafters.

The sparks of her own orgasm morphed and coalesced into full out quakes of ecstasy so intense they took her breath away and shattered the reality around her. The night faded, the room blurred, and even the feel of the bed beneath her hands and knees disappeared.

Mia smiled in wonder as Talon gathered her close, and with a sigh of contentment, she drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Nine

No matter how many Alarian Mountain Sheep Talon counted, sleep would not come—again.

He lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling above their bed as he’d done every night for the last two weeks since Mia had first told him how
thankful
she was for his help and for believing in her when it seemed so few others did.

God Draka, what was he going to do?

He sighed into the darkness of pre-dawn. How had his well-plotted-out life become such a complete and total mess? And what could he do to fix it? He’d always followed the rules, at least he had since the incident. He’d done exactly what was expected of him. He’d even willingly and without complaint gone to the school chosen for him and taken classes he’d had no say whatsoever in after it had been decreed that he must. And he’d done it all without so much as a single act of rebellion.

Well, perhaps that wasn’t quite true. There had been that one grievous episode, the one that led to a promise that needed to be fulfilled in the first place.

The promise. Talon sighed into the darkness once more and breathed in the scent of the woman sleeping so contently at his side. He’d come a long way from cold, desolate, lonely Bane to sharing a bed with a princess. The smell of the sweet liniment he’d continued to rub into Mia’s sore muscles over the last couple of weeks blended nicely with her natural feminine essence in such a way his cock awoke and immediately hardened.

“Down boy,” he whispered. “Now is not the time.”

Though there was nothing he’d rather do this very moment than slip deep inside her and make fast, passionate love with the oh-so-exquisite Mia Hammerstrike, there were much more important things to contemplate. Things like what the VoT was he going to do about the promise? If he kept his word, he’d without a doubt destroy any chance Mia had of ever becoming a ruling queen, and if he didn’t, he’d betray the one person who’d always stood by him, his best friend Zander.

He’d been a teenager when he’d made that promise to a boy he’d never laid eyes on before that week. It had been his very first semester at the Madra Conservatory for Exceptional Young Men. A school his parents had dreamed of sending him to one day but never got the chance. His father had died in a bear hunting accident that had been partially his fault the year before, and his mother followed not long after from what Talon suspected was a broken heart and disappointment in her son.

They would’ve been so upset at him if they’d known he’d earned his chance at an education from the most prestigious barbarian prep school in the entire country not because of his brains or brawn, but because of his acts of vandalism and a ruling set down from the new magistrate.

The judge had told him, “I knew your father. He was a good man. Because of him, I give you this chance. Complete this program without incident or find yourself thrown into the deepest, darkest dungeon I can find.”

Talon had decided to go to school.

He’d been so out of control and angry after the loss of his parents. And since he wasn’t old enough or fast enough to become a paid hunter like his father, he’d done his best to live up to the traitor side of the Starkweather name instead. He ran with barbarian gangs, stole from others in his own village, and even used his size and strength to intimidate those smaller and weaker. He wasn’t proud of what he’d done, and if it hadn’t been for Zander Hammerstrike, he would’ve ended up in that dungeon after all.

His fourteen-year-old self had felt so important that afternoon when two of his fellow schoolmates, Alistair Daggertoss and Jagger Swiftriver, invited him to go exploring the surrounding woods with them. It was the first time any of the boys residing at The Conservatory had invited him to do anything let alone hang out. Paid tuition or not, he hailed from Bane and would always carry the taint of being the distant relative of a well-known traitor.

And it wasn’t like it had been just anybody who’d asked him. It had been Alistair Daggertoss, one of the most popular boys in school, for God Draka’s sake. No one said no to Alistair, ever. Not unless they wanted to be ostracized and shunned. Talon had had enough of that to last him a lifetime.

Alistair was the first-born and very important son of Duke Algen Daggertoss. The very same Duke Algen Daggertoss who set at the head of the council deciding Mia’s quest. Alistair was then and still was the heir to not only the dukedom, but also the leadership of the city of Madra. Even at thirteen, a year younger than Talon, Alistair wasn’t someone lightly crossed.

And his buddy Jagger? He was Alistair’s best friend and constant companion. Where you saw one, you always saw the other. They were inseparable.

The day had dawned bright, and the Lughnasadh breeze of early autumn was crisp and clean. Leaves had already begun to fall, and they crunched beneath his boots as he followed the two younger boys deeper and deeper into the woods. When the trees suddenly opened into a plush, wide open valley, Talon had been surprised. There beside a pretty little lake sat a rustic looking cabin, and on the porch of that cabin sat a big wooden rocking chair, a spittoon, and a fishing pole.

Alistair had picked up three stones. “Bet I can hit everything on that porch from here without a single miss.”

Jagger had laughed and picked up three stones of his own. “Bet ya can, too, and I know I can. But I bet Talon here can’t. Matter of fact, I bet he misses with his very first throw.”

Talon had shaken his head. “Where I come from, if you aim at something you’d best hit it. If anyone misses, it’ll be one of you guys.”

“We never miss,” Jagger Swiftriver hissed as he threw all three of his stones in quick secession. The first binged off the wooden rocking chair while the other two clipped the spittoon and glanced off of the fishing pole. “Beat that, I dare ya,” the young barbarian crowed.

Talon bent down and collected three stones of his own. He knew this probably wasn’t the wisest course of action since a large picture window graced the wall right behind the rocking chair, but he didn’t want to be labeled a coward on top of his title of grandson to a traitor. He took a deep breath and tossed the first stone. It thunked the back of the rocking chair. With his next throw, he took two deep breaths and squinted his eyes for better aim. The hook at the end of the line smacked against the fishing pole itself with the force of the impact. For his third toss, he lobbed the stone. It flew in a perfect arch, slid right through the narrow opening of the spittoon, and clanked loudly on the container’s bottom.

Alistair nudged him out of the way. “Not bad for a newbie, but step back and let an expert show you how it’s done.”

His fist stone whizzed through the air and struck the spittoon dead center. He chuckled and winked arrogantly as he quickly threw his second stone. It hit the reel so hard, the entire fishing rod toppled over. Jagger high-fived his friend, and Alistair took a bow.

Starring up into the darkness, Talon couldn’t help but see and remember what happened next. But then how could he not? It was the throw of that third stone that ultimately changed his life forever.

He hadn’t realized Alistair was already primed for his next fling. He’d simply wanted to congratulate his new friend on his great toss with a high five as Jagger had. But somehow, he connected with Alistair’s elbow.

The rock flew out of Alistair Daggertoss’s hand, missed the back of the rocking chair, and crashed straight through the window behind it. Shards of glass rained down upon the porch, and Talon gasped. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean…”

Alistair whirled. “You idiot. Look what you’ve done.” He turned toward Jagger. “Let’s get out of here before old Roly-Poly gets wind of this. Didn’t I tell you it was a mistake to try and befriend a traitor’s spawn? My father’s right. Troublemakers, that’s all that ever comes out of Bane.”

Talon saw red. “Go on then, get going. Run as fast and as far from this stinking traitor’s spawn as you can get. I don’t need you. I don’t need anybody.”

The door to the cabin burst open and out stepped the biggest, meanest looking barbarian Talon had ever seen in his life. He was eight feet tall if he was an inch. His shoulders were as wide as a bull oxen, and his arms and legs as long and as big around as tree trunks. But it was his clenched fists that were the most frightening. They were as big and thick as sledge hammers.

Alistair and Jagger slinked backed into the woods, but Talon didn’t move. He couldn’t. He stood there, frozen in place, as one very angry looking, Roland Stonecrusher, the headmaster of the Madra Conservatory for Exceptional Young Men, stomped toward him.

Before he could turn and flee, Talon felt one of those big fists grab his tunic and lift him off the ground. “Oh, no, you don’t. You aren’t getting away. What do you mean throwing rocks at my cabin and breaking my window? Can’t a barbarian get even an afternoon of peace away from you little trouble-making peckerheads?”

The headmaster glared at him. “You’re that vandal from Bane, aren’t you? I knew I should’ve refused your admittance. Blood is as blood does. It’s a fact of life, boy. There’s no changing it.”

Talon shook his head. “Let go of me. I didn’t break your stupid window.”

The headmaster glanced around. “Well, I sure don’t see anybody else, do you? And I’m going to enjoy sending you back to Bane. They can deal with their own juvenile delinquents.”

“Do whatever you want. I don’t care.” Talon glared. “But it still wasn’t me.”

Roland Stonecrusher laughed. “If it wasn’t you, then who was it, boy?”

Talon clamped his mouth shut and shook his head. The only thing worse than being the great whatever grandson of a traitor was being a snitch.

The headmaster growled. “Oh, it was you, all right, and I’m going to expel your useless arse for this. A criminal from Bane has no business around decent barbarian folk. I told the courts that. Maybe now they’ll listen to me.”

From somewhere behind came another voice. “He’s telling the truth, Headmaster Stonecrusher. He didn’t break your window, I did.”

The big barbarian suddenly dropped Talon on the ground and whirled around. “You? You broke my window? I don’t believe it.”

Talon gulped. He’d only ever seem this particular boy a couple of times before, and that had been from a distance. But then, princes didn’t keep company with the relatives of traitors.

“Believe it or not, it really was I,” Zander said. “I assure you, it was an accident, though. I was tossing stones toward the lake and simply missed. But if you are determined to expel the guilty party, I suppose I should go pack.”

Headmaster Stonecrusher stuttered. “Of—of course I wo—won’t be expelling you, Your Highness. Accidents happen. Everyone knows that.”

Zander bowed. “Thank you for being so understanding, Headmaster. I will see to it your window is replaced.” He motioned toward Talon. “My friend and I will be on our way then.”

Talon scooted past Roland Stonecrusher and followed the prince. When they were out of sight of the headmaster and his cabin, Talon stopped. “Why’d you help me?”

“Because that’s what friends do for each other.” Zander smiled. “I see potential in you, Talon Starkweather, and I believe we’re going to be very good friends.”

Those words rolled through Talon in the darkness as if Zander had spoken them moments ago instead of many years in the past. And it had been in that very same past, that very same day, when he’d made the promise.

“I’m honored, Your Highness,” Talon had said. “I’ve never had anyone call me friend, especially not a prince. If there’s ever anything I can do, anything at all, no matter how big, no matter how small, all you need do is ask and I swear, I’ll do it or die trying.”

Zander had chuckled. “I can’t think of a single thing I need today except for a sparing partner. Want to practice swords? But who knows, perhaps I’ll hold you to that promise someday.”

The very first glimmers of morning rays filtered through the curtains and lifted the total darkness from the room. It wasn’t like he minded the idea of forfeiting his own life if that was what was asked of him, but he did very much mind forfeiting Mia’s future, her hopes, her dreams. There was only one thing to be done. As soon as the sun completely rose and he could wake Mia, he’d travel to Halla and pay Zander and Kitrina a visit. There had to be something he could say or do to convince Zander that Mia deserved all the help they could give her, not their deception.

The only problem was, though, how was he going to sneak away for an entire day without Mia finding out where he was going and what he was up to? For if he even hinted at his destination, she’d insist on joining him, and then there really would be no discussing the promise or how to get out of it.

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