Chapter 9

 

Truth grinned as she followed the messenger through the palace gardens. This was the perfect plan and the odds were already in her favor. She could already see Edmund's weakness " it was so typical of men that she would have had to be dead not to sense it. She could always see the truth in women's hearts; men were much harder, but his desire for her was stamped on his forehead. Now all she had to do was give in to him, which she would gladly do, and with Edmund on her side, she would crush Drake until he gave into her. A large stone fountain erupted to her left, water shooting out of horses' mouths, their manes ruffled in an everlasting wind, their bodies rippled with muscle and hind legs to forever hold them in a gallant rear. The grass was still green within the palace walls, but the grand trees could not escape the arrival of autumn, and their orange leaves were scattered across the pathway they walked upon. Truth avoided them, not wanting to disrupt the peace. The scents of the many flowers that the gardens held made her thoughts light and her mood carefree, adding a bounce to her step. The messenger dared a glance back at her to which she flashed him a smile. He turned away with a suppressed cough. As they approached the back of the castle, Truth's bounce slowed to a normal walk. “Why are you taking me this way?” she asked.

“The Prince told me to take you through the gardens, my lady,” he said, walking up the stone steps to a small wooden door tucked behind an old weeping willow. Pulling back the branches that hung over the door, he pushed it open, extending an arm into the hallway. Truth ducked under his arm and inside.

“But this is the back of the castle.” She was hoping for a more grand appearance.

“I only do as I am told. I know not his reasons. Please, follow me and watch your step. There are some stairs up ahead.” The man's obedience to his monarch reminded her of her own to the Lord. Angels were the messengers of God, after all. But she no longer had to follow his rules. A fallen angel only had her morals to follow, and right now hers were close to nonexistent. Deception only required the brain, not the heart.

At the top of the stairs she was asked to wait, and the messenger went on into the throne room. Hearing her name announced, she immediately strode into the room and onto the purple rug that covered the cold stone. Only the prince and a handful of guards occupied the spacious room. The roof soared high above her, great chandeliers hanging over the the long rug leading up to the main attraction, a magnificent wood throne. It was big enough for two people, covered in red satin, engraved roses winding around the cedar. It was truly a masterpiece, and Edmund looked rather meek sitting in it, but the expression he wore showed he felt like a god.

The evening sun filtered through a stained glass window behind the prince, splaying its array of colors onto the ground in front of him. Truth gazed down at the projection she now stood on.

“My grandfather, defeating the dragon.”

She looked up at Edmund. “Dragons don't exist, my prince.”

Edmund sat up straighter against the high back of his throne, crossing one leg over the other. “Of course they don't,” he said with a smile.

Truth curtsied. “My lord?”

The prince chuckled. “The dragon represents Fafnir, one of Eldor's neighboring kingdoms. My grandfather, King Drake I, led a war against them fifty years ago.” He glanced down at the floor. “As you can see, he was victorious. It was probably the greatest battle in the history of Eldor. From then on my grandfather became known as the dragon-slayer.” Clapping his hands together, he added, “But enough of that. Come, sing for me.”

Truth glanced around nervously at the guards, but shrugged any nerves off, and lowered her head, preparing her mind and body. Head clear of distracting thoughts, her limbs became relaxed. She took a deep breath, held her head up high to the prince, and expelled the first word from the depths of her chest. She had chosen the most beautiful song she knew. She had heard it countless times as a guardian angel to the point where she knew it by heart. The original singer had a beautiful voice, comparable to an angel's. Edmund was not the person she had originally planned to sing it to, but she knew it would do the trick. The way her lips wrapped around each word, the hint of vibrato, and flow between notes " she doubted he could resist her.

Throughout the song, Edmund remained motionless and stoic, his eyes focused on hers, searching into her soul. Truth, however, would not let him in, and looked at a point past him, a rose just to the left of his ear. The engraving was extremely well done. She wondered who had done such, bringing her mind back to Drake, causing her to end the song on a rather flat note. She covered her dismay with a low curtsey and held it, waiting for some kind of cue from Edmund. She heard the rustle of his robe as he rose from his chair, but the thick carpet muffled his footsteps, and his meticulously polished black shoes came into view. He reached down and gently brought her chin up, his many rings like ice against her skin. They met eyes as she stood, and suddenly that ice turned to fire, and she took a step back. Edmund grabbed her shoulder to steady her, but the fire intensified and her blood boiled inside her, her heart beating madly against her chest. Sweat erupted on her brow and her body shook. Her legs now unable to support her, she fell to the ground, Edmund easing her fall.

“What's wrong?”

“I can't breathe, “ Truth gasped. Eyes tightly closed, she put forth all of her might against the force that threatened to overcome her mind. Then the whispering began, the temptation, the desire. Truth... he called. Truth grabbed at Edmund's shirt, pulling herself closer to him, grasping the cloth white-knuckled. Sweat laced her entire body, her black dress clung to her hot skin.

He held her tighter against him. “Bring some cold water to my room,” she heard, only a muffled voice now. Then everything went black. She knew not where she was, when she was, how she was, not even who she was. All she felt, was alone, an overwhelming feeling of solitude. Fear grasped her. Truth heard screaming, a wail of despair. It was the most heart wrenching thing she had ever heard, so laced with sorrow, fear, and anger. The ultimate emotion " hopelessness. She searched madly for a glimpse of light, one speck of white in the darkness that surrounded her. Edmund's face flickered before her. Truth closed her eyes again. He wasn't the one she wanted. She waited for an image of Drake to appear, anything of him, but when nothing came, she began to open her eyes again. Edmund reappeared, and she felt slightly comforted. At least there was someone there for her. She let the blur of the prince sharpen into reality.

“Truth?”

She was laying on a bed, silk sheets beneath her, caressing her still slick skin. Edmund sat on the bed next to her, his face without emotion. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yes... Thank you. I'm still rather hot, though...”

“Would you like me to help with that?” he said. His look at Truth became more intense as he waited for an answer. His pupils became wider with lust.

Truth was surprised at his forthrightness. It was odd how he could shake off her collapse like that and go straight to bed. It was as if he knew something she did not. But now was not the time to question his actions.“How can I refuse?” she whispered. Truth knew exactly what she was doing and welcomed it with her whole being. This was it, what she had planned for the moment he had first approached her at church, and she was ready. Slowly sitting up, she reached her hand to the back of her neck and pulled away her hair. Edmund, confident in what she wanted, moved closer to her and began unbuttoning her dress. The anticipation rose inside Truth's stomach as she felt the cool air of the room tickle the bare flesh of her back. Edmund stopped, and she turned her head toward him, but before she could fully look at him, his lips met the side of her neck, a kiss so tender and light that it sent chills down her spine. She closed her eyes and waited for another, her muscles tense. She felt his breath against the back of her neck, then up to her ear. “Are you still warm?” he whispered.

“Quite,” was all she could say before all thought was lost with one simple bite of the ear.

“Good.” Edmund placed his hands on her shoulders, then gently slid them down to her sleeves until arms no longer occupied them. Soon, the dress lay empty on the floor, still warm from its owner. He stood and untied his flowing cape, letting it fall next to the other garment, and then all other clothes besides his shirt and pants. He climbed back onto the bed, lowering Truth down under him, supporting himself on his hands and knees, inches above Truth's slip. She glanced anxiously up at him. “What about now?” he asked, his voice low and sultry.

Truth giggled. “Does it matter now?” And with that she pulled his head down to her, allowing their lips to finally meet. Truth savored his rich taste, pulling him even closer to her, his well-toned body pressed against hers. As the kisses became more passionate, so did Truth's mood. When she dared to hold his bottom lip between her teeth, he smiled.

“Someone's getting a little feisty, I see.”

Truth stopped his lips from any more speech with another kiss, this time brushing her tongue against his lips. Edmund, however, did not linger, and began kissing his way down her neck and chest. “It seems you forgot something,” she said, glancing down at her slip.

“So it seems.” He sat up and brought his hands down to the top of her dress, gripping the coarse fabric and ripping it down the middle. He gazed at her naked body with admiration. He flicked his eyes over to hers, then back to her chest. Truth gasped as he brought his mouth to one of her breasts, her eyes closing involuntarily with the pleasure. Her senses were not as heightened as a human than as an angel, but there was something about the prince's touch that left her skin tingling where he had been. Truth ran her fingers through his hair, suddenly pulling at it as he reached a rather sensitive area. Edmund responded with a hand gliding along her legs to her thighs, a quiet sigh escaping her lips.

She clasped her legs around his, pressing him closer to her, but not too close. It was her time to take some revenge for the feelings he gave her. Running a hand down his back, she felt him shudder on top of her. Truth waited for an even better response as she pulled the strings of his pants loose. They tickled her bare stomach. Next she searched for the bottom of his tunic and pulled it up toward her, over his head. It was thrown to the side with little care. The sight of his muscular chest made her hungry for more. Apparently, the feeling was mutual. “As your prince, I order you to finish what you started,” Edmund whispered, breath heavy with intoxication.

Truth grinned, and replied with a firm grip to his groin, then pushed his pants down to his knees. He kicked them off with much haste, bringing his face level to hers. “And I beg you to finish.”

Author's Note

Yay sex! XP