The Seduction Plan Ch. 05

He slept, wrapped around me.

I didn't think I would ever be able to sleep again. My stomach kept knotting up tighter and tighter with each mere moment that passed.

Saymar was probably telling the others, right now, how I had fallen for the Master of the Realm. They would never trust me again.

But the plan was on. It had to be on.

I looked at his sleeping face. His breath was warm and his brow relaxed. The last decade of my life had not been a waste. I had seduced him and now I would get my revenge. I looked at his lips. I could still taste him in my mouth. I closed my eyes and remembered that this was what I wanted.

Mom had been a jokester; she loved pulling pranks on her daughters and husband King. Dad pretended he didn't approve; he'd sit on his throne and shake his head and tell her that Queens should not pull pranks. Of course he couldn't keep a straight face when a bucket of water would mysteriously spill over his head. And he would chase her through the castle and the guards would look like they didn't know what to do, and the rest of us would roll on the ground laughing.

My father loved my mother in a quantity larger than could be considered within the bounds of the universe.

My eldest sister, Ilsara was going to be married. There was a prince nearly an entire continent away named Mavgor; he wanted to marry her. I thought Mavgor was a hideous name at the time and told her often it was a bad idea. She always seemed a little sad that I wasn't happy for her, but there it was. A terrible name is a terrible name, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Still, when she was gone, killed before she had a chance to meet her groom, I wished I hadn't said anything. I could still remember brushing out her long golden hair, jealous because mine was so different -- dark and curly, and telling her what a mistake she was making. Imagine! A twelve-year-old talking to an adult like that; but I guess that was classic me. My mouth worked better than I did. Why didn't I just tell her how happy I was for her? How beautiful she was? My sister Ilsara had been a girl who had never, and would never do the wrong thing once in her life. Why couldn't I have taken her place? Why couldn't she have been the one to survive?

Ilsara wouldn't be lying in bed with the Master of the Realm. Ilsara wouldn't be plotting to kill him, or anyone. Ilsara wouldn't have betrayed the resistance to him. --Or him to the resistance, for that matter. Ilsara would have known what to do.

And whatever she did, she would have been graceful about it.

Eric pulled me tighter, sleep-mumbling, "Mine," and burying his face in my neck. His smell was intoxicating, and I was depressed though not shocked to discover that I wanted him carnally, again, already. How did divorce happen? Surely no one had the complaints I did, and still I was overwhelmed, drowning, in the force of our mating. Even justified, I would go to hell for betraying a bond this strong.

But this was the plan and it was going to work.

Somehow.

Obviously the resistance would suspect that if I was in love with Eric, I would warn Eric. Couldn't really blame them for that leap of logic, seeing as how I had told Eric everything even before... before whatever this was... happened.

Would they still bother to kidnap me?

Would I be dead to them, or maybe, maybe the plan would change, had already changed. Maybe they still meant to take me away but now kill me, for the betrayal.

Gravlor's Peak.

The Master of the Realm's power would be lessened on Gravlor's Peak. Perhaps, perhaps if the resistance wouldn't meet him there, perhaps I still could. I would have to stay out of the resistance's hands long enough to do the job myself.

"Dor," he whispered into my skin. "You said you'd tell me what was wrong when we were done."

"Who said we were done?" I asked. And I kissed him, pulling him on top of me.

"More?" he asked, unable to help the smile in his voice.

I nodded, adding, "In my father's day, devoted couples would have to stay in bed for two weeks straight after their first mating, otherwise they weren't allowed to marry."

"How did they eat? Or go to the restroom?" Eric asked, chuckling.

"They could go to a restroom if it was close to the bed, but a lot of them used chamber pots. And as for food, well -- people in those days were allowed to marry whoever they wanted, but in those two weeks the couples had to rely on the support of their families and friends to bring them food and water. If their loved ones didn't approve, well, those couples didn't make it."

"They had to give up?"

"In some cases. But the ones that were really in love, well, a lot of them just died."

Eric was quiet a moment, simply looking at me under the light of the moon. Then he said, "You want to stay here for two weeks?"

"We'd never make it," I laughed.

"Yes we would," he said.

"You have work to do," I replied.

"What if," he began, then he paused. He leaned in and gently caressed his face against my own. "What if we get up tomorrow, and do all the work we can, set up some spells to keep the place running on its own for a while? Then jump back in bed for two weeks. --That's not too much of a cheat, is it?"

"It's not... I was just telling you a story. --To point out that I'm being exactly insatiable here. It's just a story about how things used to be," I replied.

"Marry me," Eric said.

"You know that on this planet, that's just a formality," I said, shaking my head. He was just staring at me though, wanting an answer. Quietly, I pointed out, "When you took me, I became yours." I poked him in the chest with my index finger.

He kissed me then, suddenly and deeply.

I felt almost as if I was disappearing, dispersing into the air -

"I'm glad you know that," he said. "Still, I like formalities."

I took a breath, thinking.

He began kissing me, which was way too distracting.

Gravlor's Peak.

A kidnapped bride.

Oh Eric tasted good.

I could kidnap myself, if necessary, I guessed.

And his hands...

I realized that I would need to figure out what Eric had originally planned for Gravlor's Peak.

He got into position between my legs, then spread his hands through my hair.

...Damn, if only I had found out what the resistance had originally planned, this would all be a lot simpler. I hadn't wanted to know the details though; I had figured they would handle it... and I suppose I really hadn't wanted to know in any case.

Eric's mouth pulled off mine, and he looked pissed. "WHAT is bothering you?" he demanded.

"I'm just thinking about the Plan."

"No! No way, Dor -- we're done with the plan. Those bastards want me, they can come get me. They're leaving you the hell out of it."

"For one thing, that might not be entirely within our control," I said.

"Everything is under my control," he said, serious. "I am the Master of the Realm." For emphasis, I suppose, he pressed his male hardness up against me, eliciting my sudden gasp.

In a moment's reflection though, his action struck me as pretty silly. So I began to giggle.

He slumped. "Are you laughing at me, Dor?" he asked.

I just nodded, still giggling, trying to ignore the pressing weight of guilt and sadness that I couldn't escape no matter how much I tried to focus on the plan or his words or anything, anything at all.

"Heartless, cruel, badass, Dor," he said, contemplatively. -Everything he said was eerily true. "I would do anything for you. I will do everything, from now on, for you."

"How about a big wedding?" I asked, my heart itself jerking like it didn't want to hear my deceit.

"Of course."

"In town," I suggested.

He paused. "Why in town?"

"We can't have it here. We're ALWAYS here. How would I know it was a wedding and not a Thursday?"

"I've always thought the palace would make a great wedding venue," he replied, shocked.

"First, I'm, I'm flabbergasted you've thought about it before," I began.

"A man can dream."

"And second, this palace has always been the most maddeningly tacky building on the planet."

Uh oh.

He actually... looked offended. "I designed every brick of this palace!" he declared.

"On the same day you came up with the plans for the horse thing? If so, we should make that a holiday. --Is there a patron saint of bad ideas?"

He gave me one last withering look before getting up and leaving the bed.

I laughed, "Where are you going?" He ignored me. "Eric! It's okay, you're the Master of the Realm, the Patron Saint of Bad Ideas can't steal your thunder!" I was finally cracking myself up.

It seemed to brighten his mood a bit too -- he was suddenly dressed, and he paused in the doorway to watch me silently laugh, open mouthed. He was trying to look angry with me, but he didn't quite manage it. "I'm going to get working now. You get some rest. Big day tomorrow."

Such a good idea, that.

And I tried to hold onto my laughter for as long as I could, hoping against hope I could fall asleep with a smile. But it disappeared as quickly as he did, and I was back to feeling like the horrible person I certainly was.

I would never see my family again. --Not the ones in heaven.

Though... maybe Eric would forgive me in hell.

Morning light crept over the balcony and through my room almost clumsily; waking me up despite the gentleness of the color and the lack of warmth it brought. I rolled over in my bed, discovering I was still naked from the night before, still sore and messy down below. I felt a little like I wasn't quite complete anymore; being apart from him was like being a piece torn from the whole.

Oh bullshit, Dor. He's a man. You're a woman. You mated. Big deal. Everyone does it sooner or later.

I went to wash in the bathroom, considering my options.

I turned the knobs to fill the tub; the water was instantly warm and scented. I plugged up the drain and watched the level rise.

Truth was I had as many options as I ever had. If I wanted, I could just get back on track for the ideas I planned on using before this Seduction Plan had even come up. I could just go on trying to kill him my way.

-Except he was reading my emotions, damn him. That's why none of those plans had worked before. -Or at least in the last year. He thought he knew when I was up to something.

Damn it. I was up to something this moment. He had to know. That was what was bothering him last night, after all. If he could tell that I was trying to kill him all those other times I had been simply a little down about it, what must he have thought last night when I gave him my body as a betrayal?

And it was too much, I realized now. I had gone too far. I had been upset, and scared, and I did something I would always, always regret.

This is why it had to be for something.

I slipped into the bathwater, suddenly realizing how dirty I felt.

So, no. No more plans bound to fail.

This was for real, now.

-Not that it hadn't always been... but... I couldn't fail this time.

I picked up a scrub brush and a wedge of yellow soap. I started with my feet.

Gravlor's Peak.

It was my only chance to kill him. And I had to be sure. If he survived long enough to look at me with sincerely betrayed eyes...

He would be obviously suspicious if I just planned a picnic up there. The kidnapping was still the best plan. If he was honestly weaker up there, then I had a few options... but I wondered what the Resistance had planned. Hell, they might still have a trap in place up there.

I had to know.

I couldn't plan without knowing.

I'd have to talk to them.

Eric appeared in the door. My eyes slid over to him. I was blank-faced; his spell almost had me worried he could read minds. And for some reason my first reaction to that sort of threat was a poker face. Yeah, sure that would work.

"You're late; should have been downstairs ten minutes ago."

"I'll be out in a minute."

He stepped into the bathroom and started walking toward the tub. His eyes had gone dark. He was staring into the water.

"Eyes up here, Buddy," I said.

"I forgot how breasts float a little in water," he said. He smiled strangely, like he was lost in a memory, and began to say, "When I was," then he stopped abruptly, almost like he remembered where he was. He looked at me. "You're beautiful; you know that right?"

"I know what I look like, Eric. My room has a mirror."

"Right," he said, coming even nearer.

I don't know why it made it harder for me to breathe, him standing over me like that. I should have been past that. We had already been together. But my knees shivered, not sure whether to hide myself or present.

Suddenly he knelt by the tub, rolling up one of his sleeves.

I swallowed. "Uh, you know I'm really going to get out now; I'll be down in a minute."

He put one of his hands in the water. "It's okay;" he said, just testing the temperature for a moment, "I finished everything last night." His hand then skimmed the surface of the water, headed for me. "When you're done, you can come back to bed." His hand dipped down and cupped my right breast firmly. I gasped. He massaged me with his thumb and my nether regions ached to hold him.

"Okay," I said, then, "Wait, what? You're done?"

"Yeah," he said, "I'm kind of awesome." Then he pulled gently on my breast and wrapped his other arm around my shoulders as he brought me into his kiss.

Why were our most intimate parts separated by the tub?!?

Wait -- no, that wasn't the problem.

The problem was I had things to do.

I pulled away, though he still hadn't let go with his still massaging hand. "Okay, wait, I'm not done with the... Hey, uh, this is really distracting," I said, pointing to his hand. In reply, he kissed me on the nose. He didn't remove his hand though. "Uh, still... But, anyway -- before we can get back to bed, I have to go into town, for... uh, supplies."

"No you don't," he said, leaning in to kiss me again.

"Yes I do," I said, discovering the warmth of my bathwater was a tease; warm and seductive like a body with none of the hardness or pressure of one. I was too, too ready.

"No you don't." He then swept his upper half into the tub, pulling me into his arms and off my feet... er, rear, I guess, and out of the water. He was soaking wet, but he didn't seem to notice as he carried me back into the bedroom.

Then he dropped me, a sopping mess, onto my best sheets. "Wait!" I finally put my foot down. "Wait," I said calmly, trying to ignore his sex eyes. "Seriously Eric, I have things I have to take care of." He opened his mouth to respond, but I stopped him, putting up a hand. "If you want to do this right, I have to go to town. Lady... stuff," I added, assuming that would shut him up.

He paused, leaning back on his heels a bit. "I do like your lady stuff."

"I noticed. Look, I'll be back before sundown."

"I'll come with," he offered, his clothes suddenly drying with purpose.

"No! No, no," I tried to look appalled by the idea of doing lady shopping with him -- hopefully it would seem right compared to his readings of my feelings or aura or whatever it was. "This is not," I waved my hands around, "Not something for you. To be a part of."

He looked at me suspiciously.

"Can't a girl have some mystery? You're... defeating the purpose of my going in the first place. Nevermind." I'm not sure why "nevermind" felt like such an ace in the hole, but I think it was. The look on his face gave me permission before anything else did.

I stood up to kiss him, and was startled when he pulled me in hard to his body, one arm trapping me tight to his chest, the other suddenly and unabashedly exploring my backside. He was getting kind of rough. When he let go of me, I almost fell.

"I thought I was losing my mind before I had you, Dor. Sometimes I wanted you so badly I thought I'd do something terrible. But it was nothing before. It was nothing compared to now." My underwear materialized over my body. It was an odd feeling. I immediately had to readjust the bra. "I've often wanted something, badly, only to lose interest once I had acquired it."

"Since when is that true?" I blurted out. "You acquired the whole damn planet -- and you sure haven't..." I stopped when a shirt and pants appeared over my body. Socks began rolling up my feet. "I'm not wearing socks today." I started pulling them off.

"You're not wearing... Of course you're wearing socks today. You should wear socks everyday!"

"It's too damn hot."

"Not later. Not at sundown when you'll be riding home. To me."

"Well hopefully you'll have lost interest in my feet by then," I began.

He attacked me. His body fell onto to mine and then the bed, and he was kissing, and pressing my arms into the mattress, pinning my waist with his own. "I've been trying to tell you, my stupid, badass Dor. I thought that taking you would calm my desires. I thought if I just did it, went ahead and had you, it would relieve me of this sense of distraction." He kissed my face -- all over.

"Gee, thanks."

"And I was an idiot. I've sealed my own doom, with you. I want you even more. I can't even believe it. I honestly thought that this would satiate me... make me able to... treat you like a..." he suddenly stilled.

I shrugged. "Like a person who's tried to kill you?"

Slowly he lowered his lips to mine. "You'll be the death of me."

"Okay!" I said, shoving him off me before grabbing my pack from under the bed. "Sundown!" I said simply as my departing words, fleeing the room and the palace.

I was riding Greystone, unable to remember how exactly I got out of there so quickly, trying to ignore the water in my eyes that hadn't shed yet, but was going to. But now at least I had my mission. They might kill me on sight, the resistance, but that was better, easier to focus on. A mission. The mission. Calm down, Dor -- the plan was working...

Much too well...

I made sure to dry my eyes before stabling my horse; the town was awake and bustling with merchants and travelers, gossips and traitors, people, people, everywhere.

I pulled my pack over my shoulders and managed a smile to some passerby. I would go down to the fruit market and see old Kiel Boringkton about seeing one of the Resistance's members. That might catch them off guard, my asking to see them without warning, but it could buy enough time to...

A hand slipped into mine, clutching my palm. I looked over to find Dartix, eyes wide and honest under the shade of a hood, holding my hand and pulling me to a side alley off the main way. He was nodding in that direction.

Oh Somebody, I pleaded to the universe, if they're going to kill me, don't let them make Dartix do it. He's just a kid!

I thought about resisting, refusing... but what could I do then? My plan was to meet with them after all. I let him pull me into the alley, where he pulled off his hood while pressing me into a corner behind a garbage heap where no one could hear us.

It stank there.

"Dor! We know about Saymar!" he whispered quickly and furiously, "We know what he tried to do!"

My mouth was suddenly dry. "I'm sorry, Dartix, but it's complicated, I had to..."

"You were just sticking with the plan, we know, Dor."

Oh. They did?

Dartix looked so furious all of a sudden; more impassioned than I had ever seen him before. "Once Saymar returned, Bolthos and the others knew there was something wrong with his story. We've been watching him, Dor. We know now. He's... a traitor."

"Oh?"

"We've been waiting for you to return, keeping a close eye. Saymar doesn't know that we've caught him yet. And he's swearing up and down that you're the traitor." Dartix suddenly chuckled, oddly. "Like that makes any sense at all. It's your throne!"

"Shut up!" I hissed, grabbing his mouth.