Wonderland 2: King of Spades Read online

  “Wow,” she said, her mouth feeling strange and rusty after being gagged for so long. “That was unbelievable.”

  He gave a sinful smile that she knew would be outlawed in half the U.S. “You have been well punished for your bad behavior, wench.”

  She licked her lips. “What if I’m thinking about being real bad again, real soon?”

  Darronn’s smile turned positively untamed. “Then you must be punished at once.” And with that he drove into her again.

  Chapter Seven

  A Tarok week later, Alexi stood on the balcony outside the king’s chamber, enjoying the panoramic view. She drank in the beauty of Darronn’s realm while she waited for him to return to his quarters. Mist rolled off the falls in the waning sunlight, the ever present roar of the falls her only companionship at this moment.

  While she watched Darronn’s subjects at work and at play, she grasped the smooth granite wall of the balcony that was only as high as her waist. Often from this vantage point she had seen couples having sex in the forest, or even in the terraced gardens. Heck, sometimes she would see three and four people going at it. No one seemed to care if they were seen screwing away.

  Beneath her bare feet the granite flooring was cold and a breeze caressed all the parts of her skin not covered by the leather clothing Darronn had provided. The mountain air was fresh and invigorating, but her nipples were rock hard beneath the straps of leather that crisscrossed her breasts. Her outfit was skimpy, like all the mini dresses he’d given her. No, they didn’t hide a whole lot, but they sure made her feel sexy as hell.

  This past week after her first fabulous fuck with Darronn had flown by incredibly fast. Their days were longer in this world, so she’d actually been in Spades for approximately a week and a half in Earth time, yet it often seemed as if she’d just arrived. She’d been there long enough that Darronn no longer sported a black eye.

  It was strange how comfortable she felt in this alien world, and how much she’d come to enjoy every minute she spent with Darronn. But at the same time she desperately missed her Aunt Awai and Cousin Annie, and hell she missed her work, her office, and her secretary Angie. What were they doing now? How were they handling her disappearance? God, she hated the thought of making her friends, family and co-workers worry by just up and vanishing…like Alice had.

  Alexi swallowed, but the lump inside her throat was about the size of a cannonball as she thought about her twin. She had missed Alice for so long. The ache in her heart would never go away until she found her.

  Damn it. I’ve got to escape and get back to San Francisco, and find Alice!

  With a sigh she moved to the wooden trellis and breathed in the rich scent of the purple ravenwood blooms. Their sweet perfume was soothing in the clear spring air, but their countless thorns were a reminder that things weren’t always what they seemed. Beautiful and peaceful, yet a real bitch if you got too close.

  Careful not to prick herself on a thorn, Alexi plucked a bloom and brought it to her nose and inhaled. It had a thick perfume that reminded her of jasmine. Almost too strong, but she liked it.

  In many ways it was hard to believe she was a captive because she was enjoying herself too damn much. Darronn certainly kept her well fed and well pleasured. He had shared with her little of himself, though. She knew that he had three brothers, a niece and nephew, and a sister-in-law, and that his parents had passed away around twenty Tarok years ago. But other than that, he didn’t say a whole lot about himself.

  Often he did take her jul-back riding and hiking through the forest, and on picnics beside the waterfall. She wanted to keep in shape, and the hiking had been great exercise. Her lips curved into a grin. Talking about great exercise…they’d had sex here and there and everywhere they’d gone. Damn, but that man’s appetite matched hers perfectly. He was insatiable.

  But Darronn also kept her mostly to himself. She’d gotten to know the servant Kira and the sorceress Kalina a bit, but Darronn rarely left her with the women for long. Not to mention that he rarely left her alone, and when he did he locked her in tight. At night when he went hunting, he not only locked the double doors leading from his room into the rest of the château, but also the balcony doors.

  Why did he bother locking those? It was so damn high… Alexi frowned as she took a better look at the trellis and touched the hard wood between a cluster of blooms and the thorny vine. Yeah, it would be easy to climb down it, if you didn’t mind a few hundred scratches…but where would she go if she did escape?

  The dreams.

  Alexi set the ravenwood bloom on the low granite wall and it immediately was swept off the balcony by the wind. It swirled and twisted through the air, just like the memory of her nightly visions. Well, at least that’s what they seemed like. She’d never had recurring dreams before, but ever since arriving she’d dreamt that she was in the meadow and the mirror had been there, waiting for her.

  Could it possibly be?

  She ran her finger over another ravenwood petal. As she withdrew her hand, a thorn pricked her finger. “Damn it,” she muttered as she backed away.

  And smacked into a solid wall of muscle.

  She started to turn around, but Darronn grasped her shoulders and murmured, “Let me see your finger, firecat.”

  Alexi shivered at his low and vibrant tone and raised the finger where a single drop of blood had collected like a red tear. Darronn leaned over her shoulder as he grasped her wrist below her gold bracelet. He brought her finger to his mouth and gently licked the blood away then sucked on her finger.

  A moan slipped from Alexi’s throat before she could stop it.

  “Every part of you tastes as honeyed as the nectar of ravenwood blooms,” he whispered by her ear as he pushed her auburn hair over her shoulder.

  “You’re definitely one hell of a sweet talker, your Highness,” Alexi replied.

  Darronn gave a soft laugh and in the next moment he wrapped one arm around her middle. He placed his free hand at her nape and gently pushed, forcing her to bend over at her waist and putting her off balance. It was a dominant move that placed her completely at his mercy, helpless to do anything.

  And it turned her on more than she wanted to admit.

  “Hold on to the wall,” he said in a low, sensual tone.

  Alexi reached out and grabbed the smooth wall as she stared out at his realm. “What if someone sees us?” The thought of being watched as Darronn fucked her was both unnerving and exciting all at once.

  “They will see naught but my hips thrusting against yours, and know only that I claim you.”

  Quivering with excitement, Alexi gave in to the desire that now set her entire body on fire and caused her juices to flow. She gripped the low wall tighter and widened her stance. “What will you do to me, Master?”

  “I wish to see your lovely ass.” Darronn removed his arm from around her waist then pushed the skirt of her dress up over her hips. Alexi bit her lip to keep from moaning as he caressed her buttocks. “You have been a well behaved wench of late.”

  He still kept his hand on the back of her neck, keeping her from rising up. She could see the gardeners at work. A man and woman were screwing in the swing that hung from the massive blue feathery leafed ch’tok tree in one corner of the tiered gardens. “Will you reward me, Master?” she asked, hoping to hell he would and soon.

  “Your skin is pale and beautiful, like a starflower bloom.” Darronn stopped caressing her ass. Her heart beat faster as she heard the soft sound of leather lacings being undone and then felt the tip of his cock pressed to her core. “What would you like as your reward, firecat?”

  Alexi tried to push back against his cock, but his grip on her neck kept her from moving. “I want you to fuck me, Master.”

  “Suitable compensation for such a lusty wench.” He moved his cock just a fraction inside her pussy and stopped. “What else would you enjoy?”

  She didn’t hesitate. “To have you pinching one of my nipples while I play with th
e other one.”

  “Very good.” Darronn kept the one hand at her neck but brought his other to one of her breasts and yanked down on the thin strap. “Fondle your other nipple if you wish for me to take you now.”

  “Yes, Master.” Alexi held onto the balcony wall with one hand and used her other to free her breast. She pulled and tugged on the nipple while Darronn attended to the opposite one.

  When Darronn drove into her core, she gasped and stopped touching herself as she became lost in the sensation of having his cock inside her.

  “Play with your breast, wench, or I shall stop.”

  Immediately Alexi fondled her nipple while he tugged at her other one and fucked her. Damn but the sensations were so incredible, so unbelievable. She moaned as she watched the servants go about their work, watched people strolling in the gardens, and then again turned her gaze toward the couple screwing in the garden swing. If anyone noticed her and Darronn going at it, they sure weren’t making it obvious.

  Just as she was close to coming, Darronn stopped and she almost screamed. “You are far too loud, wench,” he murmured as he released her neck just long enough to gag her with a silk cloth.

  Alexi was glad he had, because she’d been close to screaming and she wasn’t sure she wanted everyone to look up at the balcony and see her and Darronn.

  He placed one hand on her neck again, the other at her breast and began fucking her with slow, methodical strokes.

  Faster! she wanted to scream, but the gag held her cry back. Harder!

  She was so close, so damn close, but not quite there. But the moment Darronn said, “Come for me, firecat,” it was like a match set to a bonfire. Her orgasm roared through her, the flames hot and wild. She screamed behind her gag as he continued plunging in and out of her pussy, drawing her climax out for an eternity.

  Moments later Darronn purred as he came, his cock throbbing inside her as he released his semen into her core. How he held back his normal bellow, she didn’t know, because she sure as hell couldn’t hold back hers.

  After Alexi enjoyed a rather erotic bath with the gorgeous hunk of a king, he escorted her to the private dining chambers where a table for two had been set with golden plates, flatware, and goblets bearing the Spades crest. It was now evening and the buttery glow of candles filled the room. Candlelight flickered from the candelabra at the center of the black tablecloth and from several sconces upon the walls.

  Like every other place in his château, the room was gorgeous. This one was filled with oil paintings of men and women, and she wondered who they all were.

  Once he had seated her at the table to his right, and then had seated himself, servants appeared bearing platters of roasted fowl and roasted vegetables, along with several other delicacies. Kira appeared for only a moment as she poured amber ale into their goblets, and then she quietly slipped out of the room.

  Alexi was in a good mood and dug into the meal with enthusiasm. Unlike her sister, Alexi never had to watch her weight. She’d always thought Alice was beautiful just the way she was, but her twin had struggled with accepting herself. Since she hadn’t had to face what Alice went through, Alexi could only be supportive and did her best to try to make her twin realize that she really was gorgeous, inside and out.

  As usual, thoughts of her missing sister dampened her mood. To get her mind on something else, she gave a sweeping gesture and asked, “Who are all these people?”

  “In the portrait above the fireplace are my parents, the former High King and Queen of Tarok.”

  He pointed to the one beside it. “That is Jarronn. He and his new queen are now the High King and Queen of Tarok as well as King and Queen of Hearts. Jarronn is my twin, the eldest by several hours.”

  “I didn’t realize he’s your twin.” Alexi studied the black-haired man in the portrait and noticed the heart tattoo on his biceps. “You’re obviously fraternal twins like Alice and me. The two of you don’t look anything alike, except for your eyes.”

  Darronn seemed disinclined to discuss his elder brother, and gestured past his own portrait to one of another dark-haired man with penetrating black eyes. He was bare-chested and positioned in a side-view so that the diamond tattoo at the back of his right shoulder was visible. “My younger brother Karn, King of Diamonds.” And then he pointed out a blond man with a club tattoo and a devilish smile. “The youngest, Ty, is King of Clubs.”

  Alexi’s eyes moved to the portrait of a blonde woman who had a captivating smile, but something about her eyes seemed dark. “Who is she?” Alexi asked when Darronn didn’t volunteer the information.

  Darronn gave a casual shrug. “The youngest of the Tarok clan.” His voice grew soft as he said, “The portrait was done a long time ago, before the sister I knew and loved died.”

  “I’m sorry, Darronn.”

  He shook his head. “Do not be. It was of her own doing.”

  Suicide? Alexi wondered, but did not ask aloud. It was obvious from the look in his expressive green eyes that he did not want to discuss his sister, so she changed the subject. “My cousin Annie is an artist, but she primarily does landscapes.” Alexi frowned at the thought of her cousin who would be worried sick by now.

  Darronn actually smiled as he glanced back to the picture of the former High King and Queen of Tarok. “My mother was the artist of all that you see. Even the one of her and my father.”

  Alexi smiled as she admired the paintings. “She was incredibly talented.”

  When they finished eating, and Alexi had downed a good two goblets of ale and was feeling fiiiiiiine, Kira appeared with a platter of strawberry tarts. Alexi glanced up at the picture of the King of Hearts and almost sniggered. Was Darronn the knave who stole the King and Queen of Hearts’ tarts?

  While they each ate their share of tarts, Darronn asked her questions about her life and her career in San Francisco. He seemed particularly interested in her law practice. “In Spades we have need for a new arbitrator…” He broke off and leaned forward, his green eyes focused on her. “What happened, firecat, to make you so distrustful of men?”

  His question caused her strawberry tart to stick in her throat. She grasped her goblet and swallowed a large gulp of the smooth ale. From all the ale she’d had, she felt loose and relaxed enough to talk with him about one of the worst times in her life. When she set the goblet back onto the black tablecloth, her gaze met his.

  “During my last year of law school, I started dating a guy from one of my classes. His name was Larry.” She dabbed her lips with a napkin. “He was intelligent and gorgeous, not to mention the sex was great.” She almost laughed at the scowl that darkened Darronn’s handsome face. But then she frowned, too, as she thought back to those days when she’d been so naïve. “I really thought he was perfect for me. And I thought I’d fallen in love.”

  “What did he do to you?” Darronn asked through clenched teeth. “If the bastard harmed you I will track him down and kill him.”

  Alexi almost smiled again at Darronn’s protectiveness. “Larry didn’t harm me. At least not physically.” She turned her gaze to the goblet and trailed her fingers up and down the slender shaft as she became lost in her thoughts.

  “He used me,” she said. “I was the top student in law school and he was second only to me. I later found out that he had been taking my class work and copying it.” Anger and hurt swelled up within her at the memories. “I was so stupid. It wasn’t until we were close to graduation that I found out. One of my papers had vanished. I discovered that Larry had turned it in as his own.”

  The fury that struck her at the memory was almost surprising in its intensity. “I talked to the professor, but he sided with Larry who claimed that I had stolen it from him. Seems the old boys club didn’t like a woman being valedictorian.”

  She gripped the goblet’s stem so tight it was a wonder it didn’t crumple in her hand. “When I confronted Larry about it, he just laughed and said he’d been using me all along. That I’d better learn quick not to b
e so damn trusting if I was going to make it in law.”

  The corner of her mouth quirked in a wry smile as her gaze met Darronn’s furious green gaze. “I thanked Larry for the lesson and then taught him to guard his nuts.”

  Darronn winced.

  “Yeah, that bastard was walking and talking funny for about a week.” Alexi picked up her goblet. “You should feel lucky. I blackened both his eyes, broke his nose and rammed his balls up his throat.”

  The king snorted and Alexi could tell he wasn’t sure how to react. Whether to be pissed at the asshole who had hurt her, or to laugh at her revenge on him.

  “Larry taught me a lesson all right, and so did the class professor.” Alexi swirled the ale in her goblet. “I showed both of them, though. I aced absolutely every final exam and wrote an award-winning paper that more than replaced the one Larry stole from me. But I’ve never trusted a man since.”

  Darronn reached out and placed his palm on top of her free hand. “I would never hurt you intentionally, firecat. Know that you can trust in me. I do what I believe is best for you as well as my subjects.”

  Alexi tipped her head back and downed the last of her ale. She thunked it onto the tablecloth and gave him a direct look. “I’ve heard that one before, Darronn. I trust no one but myself, my sister, and my aunt and cousin. I don’t trust my scum of a father who ran off with some bimbo and left me and Alice. And I can’t trust my mom because she’s been gone mentally for a very long time.”

  She tried to pull her hand away from Darronn, but he wouldn’t let go. “Trust me,” he said, his words intense and fierce, like a command.

  Slowly she shook her head. “Trust is earned. Not given.”

  Chapter Eight

  Three more weeks passed before Alexi finally found the opportunity to make her escape. She woke in his bed knowing that now was her chance. It was dark in the bedroom, with only a sliver of moonlight slipping through a gap in the drapes—and Darronn wasn’t in bed with her. No doubt he was out prowling the forest behind the château, something he did most nights. She hated that she missed him when he wasn’t in bed with her and it was time to make those feelings go away.