empress of storms by nicole m cameron Read Free Book Online Page B

tendons, bones and tender flesh.
    After a few minutes they found a flexing, dancing rhythm that drove Matthias against her in delightful waves, first shallow and slow and then hard and fast. It was primal, this dance, and drowned them both in its greedy beauty. Danaë clung to him, feeling him strike all kinds of wonderful nerve endings and making them sing. 
    Sooner than she expected she felt her second orgasm begin to build. His hips moved faster now, stuttering their rhythm until it was no longer a dance. This was work now, striving towards their mutual pleasure.
    “Matthias, I’m close,” she gasped. “Very — oh, gods, please, please, with me.”
    He grunted in agreement, stepping up his rocking pace into her. Her nerves lit and white fire blinded her vision, thrusting her over the edge again. Dimly she heard Matthias shout as he grew thick and hard in her. After one last powerful thrust, he cried out in his own climax. It triggered another, smaller spasming in her and she wrapped arms and legs around him, flying in his arms just as she’d always dreamed of doing.
     With care, he dropped down until he was lying half on her, making sure not to crush her with his weight. “Little bird,” he kept repeating, kissing her ear lobe. “My little bird.”
    The endearment made Danaë’s heart rejoice. She stroked his back, feeling the slick of sweat on his skin. “My conquering king and his mighty weapon,” she said dreamily.
    Still breathless, he chuckled at that. With another kiss he rolled onto his back, pulling her along so that her head rested on his chest. “You are a marvel and a treasure,” he said. “This morning, I was wondering how we could make this work. Now I wonder why I was even worried about it.”
    “I’m glad,” Danaë said, reaching out to wind his chest hair around her fingers. “Does this mean that you’ll stay with me? Tonight, I mean?”
    “Are you sure? I’ve been told that I snore.”
    “Flavia can shake a building down with her snores,” she reassured him. “If I can learn to sleep through that, I can sleep with you at my side.”
    “Well, then.”
    He pulled her into his arms, settling her against him. She drifted to sleep with the lull of his slow, steady heartbeat in her ears.
    ****
    Matthias gazed at the shadowed ceiling, Danaë a warm weight against his chest. The bone-deep satisfaction that came after lovemaking made him reluctant to move, even when his blue-haired bride turned a bit and began to snore softly.
    Is this your blessing, Hanne? Have you forgiven me for letting you die, for letting Lukas go? Can I rest now, forgiven for my sins?
    There was no answer from the darkness. That in itself was a blessing that he had given up on long ago.

3
     
    THE DEMON MIRROR
     
     
    The next days were busy ones, but with pleasant intervals that surprised Danaë. She spent the mornings being presented to various city guilds, touring hospitals and barracks, and letting the populace get to know her as Ypres’s new queen. Afternoons were spent in council together with Matthias and his councilors, hamming out details for expansion of trade between their countries. In those sessions Danaë learned far more than she ever wanted to know about the transport of crops from field to market and the intricacies of horse breeding. When she could she would glance across the table at Matthias. He seemed absorbed in the reports from the various ranches, asking questions or making suggestions about bloodlines and trades.
    When the topic turned to imports from across the Eastern Sea, however, it was Matthias’s turn to sit and listen while she, Darius, and their advisors explained fish runs, storm patterns, the care needed to transport delicate silks from the Han Empire, and ways to expedite customs practices and safeguard against both bandits and pilfering managers. A gleam of admiration grew in the king’s eyes, and she gave him a brief but meaningful smile in return.
    Evenings were spent