Thorn Queen Chapter Eleven

Along with Ysabel, Dorian sent me back with nearly shipments of food on c flushedit. I al just ab issue would submit thought he was tasteing to soften the blow of me being stuck with her, except Dorian was the type who would actu entirelyy enjoy the thought of us having an uncomfor accede trip. He would get a frisson come to the fore of fill ining how irritated I was and believably regretted he couldnt be there to witness our interactions. N championtheless, I mitigated the discomfort by riding at the head of my group, sticking Ysabel all the substance in the back behind my guards and Dorians servants.Shaya was understandably surprised when we arrived back. I left her to distri hardlye the food and deal with Ysabel. pull her somewhere. Anywhere, I said. It doesnt matter to me.solely whywhy is she even here? Thats Dorians mistress.Oh, yes, I said, cracking as a scowling Ysabel stepped a nerve for the rest of the entourage spilling into my castle. I kind of took offense at th e scoff she gave my residence, despite the fact that I knew it was in disarray compargond to those of opposite monarchs. Believe me, I hunch she is.Shaya seemed mollified and distract enough by Dorians gifts that I was able to slip away with step up too more argument. I contact the interbreedinging back to my world, not even bothering to change c dopehes before I went. When I ultimately got back to my own house, I had the pleasant surprise of finding Kiyo lying on the couch. Three cats slept on the couchs back enchantment angiotensin-converting enzyme rested on its arm. The fifth lay sprawled across Kiyos stomach.That, he said, is a great dress. Smells a little like horse, though.I glanced down at the color silk dress, which was holding up remarkably well considering all the dust and sweat it had been subjected to today. It was part of a diplomatic bring emergereach.Dorian, huh?What was your first breath?The slit.I headed across the living room, toward the hall that led to the other side of the house. Im hitting the shower. You pauperization to go to Texas with me afterward?Kiyo straightened up, spooking a couple of the cats. Is that like a new restaurant? Or do you tight the state?State. I have to go talk to those two shamans that Roland told me ab erupt. I glanced at a clock. Wed probably have to stay overnight.He considered. If we can be back by noon tomorrow, Ill do it.I assured him we could and then(prenominal) left to shower away the days dirt. Miraculously-and a little disappointingly-Kiyo didnt come harass me while I refreshfuled up. He had a tendency to show up while I was showering and offer to financial aid clean me off.Conscious of our time, he permit me be, and a half-hour later, we were ready to hit the road. colour River was unspoilt over the Texas border, making it about a four-hour drive if we unploughed a little over the recreate limit. Kiyo liked to drive-I deem it was some manly instinct-so I let him. We stuck to casual topics, which allowed my intellectual to wander to the uncanny affairs on my plate.The whole stress of running and caring for a kingdom still weighed upon me, scarcely I had the comfort of knowing Id done what I could and that Shaya would manage the rest. That was her job. We both knew it, and she would perform her duties excellently. I inevitable to stop stressing about that. The missing girlswell, those were my problem. At least, Id made them my problem. Meeting with these shamans in Yellow River would hopefully deteriorate light on that situation, so until I saw them, there was no point in unreassuring about that either.Ysabelyes, well, that was something worth worrying about. Id just let a viper into my household and took some comfort in realizing that my reluctance to stay the night in my castle would probably save me from being smothered in my sleep. If Id had my way, I would package her up and send her straight back to the Oak Land. My stupid promise recoil me. Maybe she did have something useful to teach me, alone I had no evidence that shed really try to be helpful. Shed probably just glare the whole time, no doubt paranoid I cherished to move in on Dorian.Dorian.I sighed. He was a problem, one I kept thinking would go away alone didnt. I needed him, and we both knew it. So long as I did, he was going to use that as leverage to keep seeing me and taunting me. For the to the highest degree part, that annoyed me. I hated being part of his games. Yet, at the same time, there was always something irresistible about Dorian, something that made me laugh in spite of the exasperation he so often caused.And, yeahI hated to admit it, barely no matter how much I loved Kiyo, and no matter how much Id washed my pass of the romance between Dorian and me, there was still a part of me that would probably always be attracted to him. Our night together still haunted my dreams. His hand on me earlier today had woken a potbelly of those nipings, and I couldnt help scarcely imagine again how tardily it would have been for him to slide that hand up my leg.Eugenie?Huh? Kiyos voice startled me out of my indecent thoughts.What are you thinking about? You have the weirdest look on your face.Oh, well, I I was originally astonished when the neighboring words burst out of my mouth. How come we never have any foreplay?Kiyos hold on the steering wheel momentarily faltered, and I feared wed run off onto the shoulder. He quickly regained control. What are you lecture about? Of course we have foreplay. Remember that thing I did with the honey last week?Yeah, I guess. But thats more the exception than the norm. We always just kind of jump right into it.You never rightfully seem to mind.He had a point. NoI mean, its always good. Itd just be excellent toI dont know. Expand our horizons.Im okay with that, he said after several thoughtful moments. Im up for anything. Its just mywell, instincts, I guess, that tend to drive me right to ward the main attraction.I knew what he meant. The problem with spending part of your vivification as an animal was that you picked up some of their traits. Foxes in the wild didnt really devote a lot of time to foreplay.I dont really mind. Im just saying that Id like to shake it up.He fell inactive for a while. Finally, he asked, Does this have anything to do with Dorian?Why do you say that? I asked blandly.I dont know. More instinct. His dark eyes narrowed as they focused on the road. Im not stupid, you know. I know you slept with him.I jerked my head in surprise, unable to attempt any sort of denial. Id never technically be to Kiyo about what had happened with Dorian, but seeing as wed been broken up at the time, Id never really matte the need to go into detail.How do you I couldnt finish the question.Kiyo gave me a rueful smile. Dorian used to watch you like a starving man who wants meat. Now he looks at you like he wants seconds.I didnt say anything. No response came to mi nd.Its okay, continued Kiyo almost amiably. I know it happened when we were apart. Whats past is past-so long as it doesnt mess with our present.It was rather magnanimous of him, and I felt both grateful and guilty. Its in the past, I agreed. It has vigour to do with anything anymore.The first shaman Roland had directed us to was a guy named invention. Like Roland and me, Art lived in his own piece of suburbia, in a large house that hardly looked like it belonged to someone who battled enliven and nobility. The sides were painted a sunny yellow, and the yard-which bore the signs of daily tending-was even ringed with a white march fence. I could hear children playing down the street.In fact, Art himself was out in the yard, weeding flower beds as the afternoon light turned orange. I pegged his age around thirty or so. A red snake tattoo coiled around one of his arms while a stylized down showed on the other. No doubt there were more under his shirt. He glanced up and smiled when we stopped beside him on the houses sidewalk.You must be Eugenie, he said, standing up. He brushed dirt off his gloves and looked apologetic. Id shake detention, butI smiled back. No problem. This is Kiyo.The two men exchanged nods of greeting, and Art directed us around the side of the house. Roland said you wanted to chat, right? How about we sit down in the back? Let me clean up, and Ill go get us something to drink.Kiyo and I followed his direction and found ourselves sitting at a cute, umbrella-covered table in a backyard even more lush than the front. Though a bit more humid, Yellow Rivers climate wasnt that far off from Tucsons, so I could only imagine the amount of water and comprehend it took to maintain this greenery. A funny thought came to me, and I couldnt help but laugh.What? asked Kiyo. Hed been watching a hummingbird jump around a red-f take down bush that flanked the house.I was thinking I need Art to come do landscaping in the Thorn Land.I think that might blow your cover.Likely. I dont even know if he crosses over very much.If he does, its probably only a matter of time before he finds out and tells Roland. Actually, its only a matter of time before anyone does that.I made a face. Roland knew a lot of shamans, all around the country. Yeah, I know.Art stepped out through the back patio, gloves deceased and a new shirt on. He set down a small cooler, carefully skid the glass and its screen shut again. The drapes hanging on the other side of the patio were blue and purple watercolors laced with silvery threads that I envied after my own had been ripped up by a violent storm Id inadvertently caused. Between his excellent decor and yard, I was feeling like a lame homeowner.He opened the cooler. I didnt know what you wanted, so I brought some options.The cooler revealed an intermixture of pop and beer. Kiyo opted for the last mentioned I took the former. The hot summer afternoon had cooled down to a pleasant temperature, and the shadows cas t by the trees helped too. The retentiveness of the hot journey to Dorians was still with me, though, and I drank my Coke gratefully.This is a great yard, I said. Wish I had the patience. Mines kind of a rock garden.Art grinned, crinkling up the lines around his eyes. They were an azure blue that stood out against his sun-weathered skin. But thats jaunty up there, isnt it?Yeah, kind of. But theres a fine line between a fashionable arrangement of sand and rocks, and, welljust a pile of sand and rocks.He laughed again. Well, Im sure you have better things to do. Roland tells me youre keeping busy now that hes retired.Retired is a dubious term. Its hard for him to sit still, knowing Im out there doing business by myself.And I hear youve got some business questions to ask me?Right to the point. I liked that. Youve got a big occasion here.I do, he agreed. Keeps me busy.You get a lot of nobility crossing over?He took a long sip of his beer and considered. Well, there are always gentry crossing over.Has there been an unusual amount lately? Girls in particular?His eyebrows rose in surprise. not that Ive noticed. Why do you ask?Following up on a job, I said vaguely.Women cross over all the time, of course, he mused. But men outnumber them. Seeing a surge would be noticeable. Most of my time lately has been spent on exorcisms.I nodded. Until gentry and Otherworldly creatures had decided they wanted to father my child, spirits had made up the bulk of my business too. That was a normal shaman workload. sinister I cant be of more help, added Art kindly. I must have looked disappointed. You should check with Abigail, though.Shes the other one here, right?Yup. We work together somemultiplication. Maybe shes noticed something I havent.I thanked Art for the info, and we spent the next hour or so chatting about assorted things. Art asked questions about Kiyos background. Roland could sense Kiyos Otherworldly nature, but Arts blandly polite style made me suspect it wasnt a t alent he possessed. Art to a fault wanted to know about my jobs, no doubt curious about my interest in gentry girls. I kept my answers vague, in no way coming close to the fact that I was defend my subjects.After making our good-byes, we headed off to the second address Roland had overstepn me. Abigail lived in an apartment in downtown Yellow River, very different from Arts homey location. The downtown area was actually more thriving than I would have expected. Yellow River was a small town at the end of the day, but it still had an assortment of interesting shops and restaurants. Abigails apartment was above an antiques store, and we climbed two flights of rickety stairs to get to her. The mysterious, dusty nature of it all was much more in line with stereotypical shaman images.Indeed, when she answered the door, I suspected she would have met most peoples visions of a shaman. She was an older woman, gray hair styled into a long braid down her back. Her loose crosspatch blouse was patterned in mauve and yellow flowers, and crystal beads hung around her neck. She broke into a cherubic smile when she saw us.Eugenie So nice to in the long run meet you.She ushered us inside, and I introduced Kiyo. The apartment was attractively constructed and nicer than its outside suggested-but cluttered with candles and assorted statuary. It made me feel better after Arts immaculate home. The apartment was alike filled with cats. I counted at least seven, and all of them looked up at Kiyos entrance. Four of them got up and rubbed against his legs.Youve for certain got a way with animals, noted Abigail.Im a vet, he explained, giving her a winning smile that tend to make women weak in the knees.Like Art, Abigail sat us down and forced beverages on us, this time in the form of herbal tea. We started with the usual small talk. Abigail was a big fan of Roland and couldnt say enough nice things about the work he did. I couldnt help feeling a little bit of stepdaughterly pri de. When we finally got to the issue of gentry girls, though, Abigail didnt have much more to offer than Art had.Most of my work is actually along the lines of healing and spirit retrievals, she explained. Spirit retrieval was itself a form of healing, often done when some entity was plaguing a human in a possession sort of way. Id done it a few times but was no expert. I dont do much in the way of casting out. Thats Arts specialty, but that crossroads is so big that he sometimes gets more than he can handle. So, I help out every(prenominal) once in a while.But you havent noticed a surge of gentry girls?Abigail shake her head, making the crystal beads click together. No, but like I said, Im not out in the field enough to say for sure. And gentry usually arent so difficult to cast out. Art tends to handle those on his own and call me in for the entities that are harder for him to get rid of. She gave me a rueful grin. Neither of us is as strong as you or Roland.I played with my tea bag, question how to parse this new information. Was my theory about gentry girls sneaking over here a total bust? Or were they being crafty enough to avoid detection? I usually ended up casting out gentry because they did something troubling that put them on my radar. Gentry girls slipping in among humans wouldnt necessarily attract a lot of attention.We thanked Abigail when we finished our tea and left for our hotel. Id booked one that sat just on the edge of town. As we walked toward where wed parked my car on the street, Kiyo declared that he wanted to take it over to a splash station on the corner for both gas and air for the tires. I told him I would walk down there and meet him. I wanted to stag a few of the shops before we called it a night.Poking my head in the little stores gave me a casualty to get my mind off the gentry girls and todays disappointing intel. Most of the shops were what youd expect for a small town. Antiques. vintage clothing. Crafts. One, however, wa s a sex-toy shop, and I couldnt help but raise my eyebrows at that. It was surprise in this town. Equally surprising was that I went in and bought something.I met Kiyo at the gas station shortly thereafter. non much in the way of information, he said as we drove out to the hotel.Yeah. I want to check out the crossroads in the morning before we go. That was the main reason Id chosen to actually come out to Yellow River in person, rather than plainly call with my questions. If that doesnt yield anything, we might just have to give this theory up.Kiyo shook his head, a small smile curling his lovely lips. I dont know what to think of you sometimes. Youre so annoyed about this whole queen thing, yet here you are, going to a lot of trouble to help these girls. We reached the hotel and found a parking spot. He turned off the car.And let me guess. You want me to stay away from it all?Only inasmuch as itll keep you safe. But truthfully? What youre doing is great.The look he gave me showed just how great he thought it was-and how great he thought I was. There was wonder there in his eyes, underscored with something heated and dangerous and wonderful. I might make jokes about his animal intensity, but when channeled into sex and passionwell, there was nothing to laugh about. My whole body felt the heat of his gaze, every nerve coming to life.Lets go inside, I said softly.Yeah, he agreed. No place Id rather be.His hands were on me as soon as we cleared the hotel rooms door, reminding me of the first night wed spent together. He pushed me onto the bed, savage off my clothes as he did. I wanted to sprawl right there and let him take me-but just barely had enough presence of mind to wriggle away.Did you mean what you said earlier? I asked, my breathing hard.His dark eyes were hungry and impatient. If it gets the rest of your clothes off right now, then yes, I stand by whatever I said earlier.About expanding our horizons?This gave him pause. What did you have in mind?I s lipped away from him-no small feat-and produced my purse and the purchase Id hidden in it the bag from the sex-toy store. I pulled out a pair of handcuffs.Are you serious? Kiyo asked, not sounding particularly opposed so much as curious.That headboards got a nice spot to lock your wrist joints in. I might dream of Dorian restraining me, but right now, it was the thought of me being Kiyos captor that aroused me.Me? This was a surprise to him too. He hesitated only a moment, though. There was desire and lust radiating from him, and while he might have preferred simply jumping in and having his way with me like usual, the bottom line was that he wanted me, period. One way or another. Okay.He pulled off the rest of his clothes and lay back against the beds covers, hands stretched up. I paused to adore his body, filled with such strength and power. After removing my own clothing, I leaned over him and fastened one wrist to the headboard. I heard his breath catch as I did, my breasts on ly a few inches from his face. His other hand immediately went out to my hip and ran up along the side of my body. I pulled away, out of reach.Not allowed, I warned. You dont get to call the shots here.He gave me a saucy grin. Being tied down wasnt in his nature, but he felt bolder with only one hand bound. He was still able to feel in control.Ive got another hand and two feet, he pointed out.I smiled sweetly and reached back into the bag. I pulled out three more pairs of handcuffs. His smile faded to astonishment.Dont worry, I said. Ive got it covered.I made sure all his hands and feet were locked into place, putting him at my mercy and ensuring he wouldnt do anything I didnt want him to. And as I lowered my hips down near his face, spreading my thighs so that the warmth of his mouth and tongue had no choice but to lick and suck as long as I wanted, I felt smug atonement in knowing for certain that I would be the one who got off first tonight.