Tale of Obsession: Courting Daphne Ch. 06

Oil lamps lit every hallway in the Duke of Northcove's palace. As Daphne followed the guard to the duke's bedchamber, she took note of this, and concluded that, perhaps, every duke in this world was like that. Her own father kept his palace as bright as this at night.

She has been told by a maid earlier that the duchess was not in the palace at all. Gabriel Northcove sent his wife back to her parents in the neighbouring kingdom as soon as the war began, even though the duchy was not under threat. Daphne wondered if his wife's absence was the reason why Gabriel wanted her on his bed tonight.

Then again, he must have a mistress or two. As Northcove mentioned the night before, his bride was chosen for convenience. Money, power, name -- those were enough reasons for a nobleman to marry a woman he did not particularly like, sometimes even a woman he has not even met before their betrothal. After the marriage, the wife's only duty to her husband was to give him an heir; he might look for sexual satisfaction elsewhere, hence, the mistresses.

When the guard finally stopped in front of a huge oak door, Daphne's heart started beating rapidly. Was it a good idea to talk to Gabriel at this hour of the day -- two hours before sunrise? Or should she wait a while longer before talking to him?

"We are here, my lady," the guard told her. "The duke's private chambers."

Swallowing hard, Daphne tried to smile. Perhaps, she was acting rashly; perhaps, she should wait. "I changed my mind. I shall talk to the duke later, when the sun is already up."

Although the guard's face did not betray his thoughts, Daphne knew by the way his eyes laughed that he guessed what it was that the lady was afraid of. With her face burning, Daphne raised her chin higher, as if she did not recognize the laughter in the man's eyes.

"As you wish, my lady," the guard said, slightly smiling at her as if she were a child asking for the moon.

Before they could move from the spot, however, the great doors opened and out walked a lovely woman with tan skin and honey-coloured hair. She flashed a small, shy smile to Daphne, curtsying, before hastily walking away. Daphne was too shocked to even respond to the woman. She was aware of the possiblity of a mistress, but to see the woman with her own eyes...?

The duke's chuckle interrupted her thoughts. "I see that you have changed your mind, my lady."

Daphne's already red face flushed even redder. "Y - your Grace." She cleared her throat in an attempt to stop herself from stammering. "I changed my mind, indeed, but not regarding your proposal late last night."

Gabriel's grin was too annoying. With a nod of dismissal to the guard, he swung the door open for Daphne. "Come in and let me entertain you inside."

She shook her head, wishing the guard back as the man walked away. "Your Grace is too kind, but I shall not want to abuse your kindness. Please, go back to your sleep and I shall be back later, at which time we shall talk."

Much to her chagrin, Gabriel actually laughed and waited until the guard was out of sight before speaking to her. "Tell me the truth, Daphne. You are afraid of my powers of seduction, are you not?"

Incensed, Daphne raked her eyes over the duke from head to toe. He looked glorious, indeed, as he stood there with only a sorry piece of blanket around his waist. Her eyes were full of haughty dismissal, however, when she looked up to his face again. "Excuse me? Do you think me an easy catch even after the way I ran away from you two years ago?"

A very amused Gabriel leaned against the door frame and lifted an eyebrow. "No, indeed not. But you were such an innocent girl back then, unacquainted with the physical pleasures of male and female union. But now...?"

Daphne almost slapped him. Instead, she faced the challenge he posed and walked into the room, brushing against him as she did so. Gabriel was chuckling as he closed the door behind him, before following Daphne.

"You are very much like your father," he commented when they were safely inside his bedchamber. He gestured for Daphne to sit on the couch beside the fireplace. "Seeking audience at the most ungodly of hours."

"In case you have forgotten, I decided to come back later," Daphne said, refusing to take a seat.

"Which will be such a waste of time, seeing that you are already here," Gabriel said, shrugging as he threw away the blanket covering his private part, revealing a semi-erect cock.

Daphne's face reddened as she averted her gaze. Truly, this man had no shame!

"Allow me to make a guess as to why you are here," Gabriel told her when she said nothing. He walked behind her and gently peeled off the quilt from around her shoulders. "You need to rush your plans so that you can be back in Van Halen's arms soon."

Although much provoked, Daphne said nothing. As she felt Gabriel's palms lightly stroking her upper arms, she silently cursed herself. Yes, it was really a bad idea to try talking to him at this hour of the day...

"Am I right, Daphne?" Gabriel asked as he stood behind the woman, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close until Daphne could feel his erection pressing on her backside.

"Yes," she answered, feeling very uncomfortable yet not daring to move away.

"And don't you think that is too much to ask?" came his whisper on her ear. Daphne shivered. "Your plans are risky enough without the hastiness. What made you think that I shall agree to this...modification?"

Even though her heart was wildly racing inside her chest, Daphne tried to calm down. "It is not as if being with Leander sooner is my only motivation for asking you to quickly put the plan under way."

"Yet, it is the main reason why you cannot rest easy," Gabriel said softly as he bent down to kiss Daphne's shoulder. "You need him beside you, because you cannot function well without him."

The truth of his words hit Daphne hard, but she did not give him the satisfaction of knowing how much his knowledge bothered her. So, in a haughty voice, she asked, "So what?"

Gabriel chuckled and turned her around so that they could stare into each other's eyes. "Convince me, Daphne, to act upon this hasty plan of yours. I must warn you, however, that I am done amusing you by granting you leave to use my army for your heroic endeavours. If you should try to convince me, then do it so that I have something in it for me."

"What do you want?" Daphne asked in a neutral tone.

The duke smirked. "You know what I want."

"Anything but me," she said.

"Anything but you?" Gabriel chuckled as he stepped away from her and began pacing the floor slowly. "That translates to 'anything or nothing.'" He paused, looking at her with narrowed eyes. "What if I ask for Van Halen's head in return for all the favours I grant you?"

Daphne turned to look at him, glaring in both anger and fear. "You cannot do that."

"What stops me from doing it?" asked the duke, stopping his march. "Nothing."

"You bastard," croaked Daphne, knowing that she has been cornered.

The sound of Gabriel's chuckle was an insult added to injury. "Look who's talking."

Daphne wanted nothing more than to fly at him and kill him at that moment. His last comment was meant to remind her that she was the illegitimate child of the Duke of Wildercross. Her mother was her father's mistress long before the duke married, and Daphne was the fruit of their liaison. Although her father treated her as if she was not born out of wedlock, everybody knew that Daphne was his love child.

"I will never regret running away from my arranged marriage to you," she said bitterly as she wondered whether to undress or not. "You are the most heartless person I have ever met."

"Really?" Gabriel's eyes shone with mischief as he looked at Daphne. "What do you think of your father, then?"

She refrained from taking his bait this time. The Duke of Wildercross held the reputation of being the cruellest of all the Thersalian nobles -- perhaps even of all the noblemen from the surrounding kingdoms. Yet, to her, the duke was nothing but a father -- indifferent at times, but always looking after her well-being. Although she might not love him, she respected him -- respected him enough not to say anything against him.

Gabriel walked to the bed and sat there, watching Daphne's reaction. Her face was pale, her eyes full of dread, so that, for a moment, Gabriel felt bad about asking her to give herself up to him in exchange for Leander Van Halen's safety. But he could not look at Daphne and not want to bed her -- not after he held her in his arms and felt her responding to his kiss the night before.

"What do you think, Daphne?" he asked, undressing her with his eyes. "Shall I give a reward to whoever can give me your beloved general's head?"

"Curse you, Gabriel," hissed Daphne as she clenched her fists.

The duke just shrugged and held out a hand. "Your choice, my lady."

'Choice?' Daphne exclaimed inside as she walked across the room towards Gabriel. 'I have a choice in this matter?'

As soon as she was close, Gabriel pulled her down to his lap, where Daphne stiffly sat, hating the feel of his cock pressing against her thigh. The duke brushed her hair away from her neck and started showering the exposed part with kisses. When Daphne felt one of his hands cupping her breast, she bit back her whimper of humiliation.

Gabriel stroked her breast lightly until Daphne's nipple hardened. With a soft chuckle, he proceeded on rolling the tip between his thumb and forefinger, pinching it hard from time to time. Every time pain would shot through her body due to that pinching, Daphne could not help but gasp, which seemed to delight the duke as his erection grew.

Much to Daphne's dismay, her body was reacting to his touch. She could feel heat rolling down her womb, oozing out of her sweet sex. However much her mind refused to succumb to the tentative pleasure of being held by another man, her body knew what it wanted, paying no heed to Daphne's feelings.

The duke undressed her and deposited her in the middle of his bed. Daphne closed her eyes, not wanting to see his face. Perhaps then she could pretend that it was not him -- that it was Leander whose touch put her body on fire.

She felt his mouth on her bare breast, planting kisses on her burning skin. His tongue then flicked to her nipple, eliciting another gasp. She closed her eyes more tightly, not wanting to acknoweldge the pleasure that Gabriel was giving her.

When his hand began stroking her wet folds, Daphne bit her lips as guilt washed over her. She remembered all the times Leander took her and told her that she was his alone -- that his world revolved around her. She remembered the way Leander held her -- full of care, of love. And then, what? She would allow this man to touch her? God, she would never forgive herself!

"Gabriel, please!" she blurted out, rolling on the bed and onto her stomach so that she could escape his attentions. She burst out crying, burying her face on the pillow. "I can't do this!"

The duke stared at her, surprise registered on his face. "You cannot do this? Even for him?"

"I cannot do this because of him," Daphne said, pleading with her eyes when she looked at him. "I cannot break his trust, Gabriel. Please, ask anything of me but this."

A groan sounded at the back of Gabriel's throat, but he pulled the blanket up to cover Daphne's body before he got out of bed. "Then, go to sleep, my lady, and rest assured that I shall keep my words and do nothing to General Van Halen, lest I aggravate you."

Biting her lips, Daphne closed her eyes. "Thank you."

"You are way, way tougher than I gave you credit for." She could almost hear a smile in the duke's voice. "Now, just take a rest. I shall do what I can for you."

Daphne opened her eyes and looked at Gabriel. He was reaching for a robe for himself. His erection was still prominent, making Daphne blush. "Are you going to be all right?"

Gabriel realized what she was pertaining to and chuckled. "I have a mistress in the house since Thea is with her parents. I will be all right."

"Thank you for your understanding," she said lamely.

The new duke laughed as he walked towards the door. "I am merely acting upon a deathbed order I received from my father." He looked back at her and smiled. "Take care of you as I see fit."

"Why would he do that?" Daphne asked.

"You know that your aunt and my father were lovers, did you not?" Gabriel asked, smiling.

Daphne did not know, but she only smiled back at Gabriel. Only when she was alone in the room did she realize how exhausted she was. As she drifted off to sleep, she murmured a prayer of thanks to Gabriel's father.

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Gabriel walked along the palace halls, heading for his mistress' bedroom. Sara would not be pleased to see him very early in the morning, especially when he has asked for Helen the night before, but the duke could not force himself on Daphne when the lady was crying, and now, he badly needed someone to take care of his angry member.

He once again cursed himself for being under his father's command even when the old man was already in his grave. Then again, the former Duke of Northcove had been a powerful man.

'Pity,' Gabriel thought, remembering Daphne's beautiful golden-green eyes and slender body. 'If only she had not run away...'

It was his father's greatest dream that he should be married to the eldest daughter of the Duke of Wildercross. Not for power, not for wealth, not even for love. The old man only said that Gabriel needed a firm guiding hand, and Daphne would be that and more. When Gabriel first met Daphne, he was certain that his father was wrong. Still, he decided to take her as his bride if only to follow his father's orders.

Now, as he remembered Daphne's plans, he realized how right his father had been. The lady was one hell of a catch. Wildercross' daughter through and through, she shared the duke's cunning and strength of will. Already, she fit his idea of a bride. And more than that, she was faithful -- so faithful that she would not even consider sleeping with him even when he has threatened to kill the man she loved.

Gabriel found himself shaking his head, a smile plastered on his lips. Yes, she would have been his ideal wife. Both hard and soft on the inside, she would forever intrigue him. Not that he thought he stood a chance of ever winning her heart when it was already won by another. Besides, he was already married, and Daphne would never consider being a mistress. She deserved more than that, after all.

There was, however, another way of having Daphne close so that she could still be the firm guiding hand that his father wished Gabriel to have. He only needed to discuss it with the general she was heart and soul into, and perhaps with the Duke of Wildercross.

Sara was already up when he entered her assigned room. She was sitting on the bed, looking annoyed, and his presence in the chamber did nothing to improve her mood. When he took off the robe and she saw his erect member, a frown marred her beautiful features.

"I need you, my love," he said as he strode closer to her.

She would never deny him, although she would most likely throw hurtful words his way when all these was over. Gabriel didn't mind; he was used to that. That was the main reason why he would ask for another mistress when he would rather be with Sara; Sara was always irked by his choice, and would remind him why she was the best mistress he ever had.

Standing up, she received the kiss he offered, her tongue darting inside his mouth and ravishing him. Always, Sara was as demanding as this. No word spoken, no question asked, she would introduce him to pleasure the way that no other woman ever did. The acidic reproach would come later, when his desire was satiated.

A few more minutes, and her mouth was kissing its way down his body as her hands further spread the fire in his groin. Gabriel watched as Sara went down on her knees in front of him, holding his cock and licking it from base to tip. Her eyes met his, and there was a mischievous glint in them as she took his cock in her mouth. Her game has began.

Gabriel groaned, loving the warmth and wetness as Sara began pleasuring him through her mouth. Immediately, thoughts of the desirable young woman he left in his chamber fled from his mind, along with the demands she exacted.

The hell with this war. Gods, life was meant to be good.

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Sitting astride his horse, Leander fixed his gaze on the eastern horizon, watching as the sun broke free of the confines of darkness. His blue eyes were hard as he perceived the slow coming of the day, as if he blamed the world itself for the pain he was feeling.

He hardly found sleep the night before. So consumed was he in his thoughts about how to get Daphne back that his mind refused to allow him rest.

Gods, what he would do when he sees her again! He had avoided being rough on any woman before, but he could imagine himself breaking his self-imposed rule when he claims her back.

'Damn that woman,' he thought, frowning at the slowly-peeking-out sun. 'I probably should have tied her down...'

But the image of Daphne bound by ropes and struggling to free herself triggered an unwelcome reaction from him. He had known her long enough to know that she would plead herself out of those bounds, that she would wriggle and slither to free herself. Just thinking about what she would do, how she would sound like, how she would look like, already aroused the general. Everything about Daphne seemed to reduce him to a sex-deprived man wanting to claim a virgin.

Disgusted by the way his body was reacting to mere thoughts of Daphne, Leander urged his horse to return to the camp. There was no use thinking about her right now. She was probably sleeping comfortably in one of the rooms of the duke's palace, dreaming sweet dreams now that she has finally found her way away from him.

He could not really understand her. What was she trying to prove by running away, anyway? That she could live without him? That she did not need him?

Fair enough. It was very much like Daphne to flee the moment Leander has his back turned. It was very much like her to deny herself the pleasures that her life brings, as long as she could be free. But he would find her and keep her for himself. To hell with bringing her back to her mother! Daphne needed to be taught a lesson and Leander would make sure that she learns it properly -- from him.

The camp was beginning to stir itself awake when he arrived. Leander immediately headed straight for his tent, wanting nothing more than to have a swim in the river before he met up with Anthony and the rest of his officers. He would send someone to the duke and politely ask for Daphne back. Not that he thought the duke would budge that easily. The old man was known for his penchant for sticking to his principles, and if he gave his words to Daphne that he would keep her, then no amount of coaxing would make him give her up -- the way that no amount of coaxing made him enter this war.

Leander winced when he entered the tent and saw Sylvia proudly standing naked on the carpeted ground. She lifted an eyebrow at him and put her hands on her hips as she did so.

This was one of the other reasons why he chose to be awake all night.

"You did not sleep," Sylvia stated the obvious.

"Where did you expect me to sleep when you were parading around naked inside my tent?" he asked, frowning at her as he walked to the trunk that contained his clothes.

"Anthony sent me to entertain you last night," Sylvia said, sitting on the bed. "He said you would be lonely now that Daphne is gone."

Leander glowered at her for speaking Daphne's name aloud. That was one name nobody has mentioned while the general was at earshot. "That still does not mean that I need somebody to give me a fuck. Daphne is not my whore. She means more than that to me."