The Truth About Cinder Page 7

  Her eyes glittered with tears, the words stinging her soul.

  "I have never admired a woman before," he said, his finger moving to tease her lower lip, torturing her with such a gentle touch. He sighed and stepped backward, his hand dropping away.

  It was a struggle not to reach for him, to not fall into his embrace, to not feel his intimate touch. She remembered the way his hand felt against her skin, how the discipline of last night had her moaning for more. The hunger for his cock almost took her breath away. It must have been all the training, but she had never felt so sexual and passionate before. She’d never once thought of a man’s member before arriving at the Palace of Lazar. All this time being trained as a harem girl had left her thirstier than any day in the desert. She desperately wanted her thirst quenched by his seed.

  She wanted to give herself to him. She wanted it even more than serving the prince of the palace. But she was also afraid. Her virginity belonged to the prince as it was part of being in the harem.

  Donte’s voice brought her back to the present. "We are going to have to evacuate the harem," he said, turning away and walking toward a window to stare out.

  "What? Why?" Her heart stopped. She wondered if she'd faint right there. She knew what his answer would be.

  Resting an arm on the windowsill, with his back facing her, he answered, "Jaden is planning their attack on the palace. We aren't prepared, and although we plan to fight, the battle will not be in our favor." He turned to face her. "We’re going to split up the harem and have you all go to different communes. We have neighboring allies who will assist us in our time of need. But in the meantime, we have to make sure the women cannot be taken hostage. Capturing the harem would be quite the prize and offer bragging rights. No matter what, even with the fall of Lazar, we’ll not give them the harem."

  Cinder shook her head, not knowing what to say, but positive she didn't like what she was hearing.

  Donte continued, "I’m going to ask you to lead one of the groups. You clearly understand the land and the ruthless nature of the desert. You’re a fighter, and I have no doubt you can lead your group to safety."

  Cinder's ears rang, her breath ragged. She shook her head again, but remained silent.

  "We feel breaking the harem in three groups will be the best. We need all the guards to stay and fight, so we have no choice but to send the women alone. I will put Mistress Krin and Mistress Lana in charge of the largest group with the weaker of the women, and Mistress Tula in charge of the other. But the remaining one will be led by you."

  Words escaped her. She wanted to scream no, but her voice was lost in her ocean of fear.

  "It will be expected that you lead your group, and wait for us to retrieve you."

  Cinder finally found the words. "I want to stay with you," she whispered hoarsely. "Let us stay and fight. At least let me stay and fight."

  Donte shook his head. "You would not be a help, but a hindrance. I cannot have my men worried about the safety of the harem, when they need to be worrying about their own lives."

  The words stung even though they were true.

  Donte crossed the room in three long strides to where she stood. "I need you, Cinder. I need your strength to keep you and the other women safe. I need you to do this for me."

  Cinder shook her head vehemently. "No. I can't."

  "I am not asking. I am commanding."

  "No! No! No!"

  She shook her head, hysteria washing over her. They were going to die. Donte, the prince, the guards, even the harem. They were all going to die.

  "No!" she screamed. Breathing became harder, her heart threatened to rip out of her chest.

  Donte grabbed her by the shoulders and shook. "Cinder, look at me. Control yourself. I have no doubt you can do this. I need you to be able to do this."

  His mouth descended. His kiss conquered her lips as she so desperately hoped he would conquer Jaden.

  Passion erupted, a fervor stronger than any power known to man. His kiss dominated every sense in her body. It demanded every emotion, every feeling. Everything in her became his with one demanding kiss. She couldn't breathe, couldn't reason, couldn't put up any resistance as his strong arms swooped her up and carried her over to his bed. And fear of the future erased within his arms.

  Without saying a word, he removed her silk in one fluid motion. She stood at the edge completely nude. It wasn't the first time she stood naked before him, but this time was different. Her body sizzled beneath his hungry stare. Lust melted her core. Her pussy throbbed in anticipation.

  "Lay down." His command was husky.

  Cinder parted her lips with bated breath.

  The nearby candlelight fired his ebony hair, his face glowed in the warm light. His hard edges softened as he pressed the palm of her hand against his chest. She could feel his heart beat against her touch. He never released her of his stare as the rhythm of his life pounded against her hand. One beat at a time, the bond between the two shaped.

  He kissed her again, dominating her mouth with slow thoroughness. His lips pressed firmly to hers as his tongue plunged deep within her mouth. Pulling away, he placed soft kisses down her neck, along her shoulder, slowly lowering until his tongue teased her erect nipple.

  Her body shuddered in response to the touch. A gasp escaped her lips as his mouth sucked her nipple completely. Lost in erotic touch, Cinder's mind eddied beneath her closed eyes. He moved to the other hardened nipple, edging her closer and closer to a cliff of uninhibited fervor.

  With a stream of kisses down her stomach, Donte placed his body between her spread legs. Stroking her moistened folds, he skillfully plunged his finger into her pussy. Cinder tensed at the surprise penetration, but relaxed as he massaged his way in. He began a seductive dance with his finger, in and out of her wet entrance. Looking into her eyes, he lowered his mouth to her clit and circled his tongue along the bud. Gentle licks with rougher thrusts of his finger pulled a moan from the depths of Cinder's core.

  “Wait here," he commanded as he got off the bed.

  When Cinder turned to see why he had stopped, she found him undressing. Once naked, Donte resumed his position.

  "Did you like that?" he asked huskily.

  A moan was her only answer.

  Returning his finger to her pussy, he soon added a second one and pressed even deeper. "Do you like your pussy being spread wide?"

  She arched her back and moaned even louder.

  Keeping his fingers planted in her pussy, Donte leaned forward and took her breast into his mouth. He sucked and nibbled as Cinder's pleasure grew. He pulled away from her pebbled nipple just enough to ask, "Do you want more?"

  Nodding, her whimper speaking of her desire, she was rewarded by Donte thrusting his fingers in and out of her pussy over and over again. He wasn’t being gentle, but he also wasn’t being overly aggressive or rough.

  "I want to fuck you, Cinder," he growled as he took her other breast into his mouth with a little more force than the last time. “I want to fuck you and make you mine.”

  "Yes, sir. Please," she begged.

  In one fluid motion, he pulled his fingers out of her wet pussy and placed his cock at the entrance, applying pressure but not breaking past. He paused and looked into her eyes. "Are you truly a virgin, Cinder?"

  She nodded, suddenly scared that he would stop. She should save herself for the prince, but she didn’t care. Donte is whom she wanted to belong to.

  His. Forever his.

  He had become her fairytale.

  He had become her truth.

  "Will you allow me to claim you as mine? May I take your virginity?"

  She nodded again and smiled. "Yes, sir. Please."

  “You traveled all this way to service the prince. Wouldn’t you rather give yourself to royalty? To a prince who could give you all kinds of riches?”

  “I know being part of the harem means servicing the prince, but I no longer care. I want you. I can’t help it. It’s a need stronger th
an I can explain.”

  Donte placed his lips gently to hers. A slight buzz rang in her ears, and all she could do was open her lips slightly, allowing him access with his tongue. Donte wasted no time and delved his tongue in, deepening the conquest of her mouth. He applied a little more pressure with his cock at her pussy as he continued to kiss.

  After what felt like an everlasting embrace, he pulled away and whispered, "This will hurt for a moment. Cry out against my mouth."

  With that command, his lips once again crushing hers, Donte pressed his cock all the way into her virginal pussy in one quick motion. There was a startling pop, followed by a biting pain. Cinder did as he ordered and cried out against his kiss, allowing him to swallow up her pain. He remained still once he was fully planted inside her.

  "Shhh… relax. The pain will subside in a few moments," he soothed.

  Yes, there was some pain, but the hunger for more overruled any other sensation. Cinder was the one to begin moving her hips in hopes of more. Donte didn't need any further coaxing. He began to thrust his cock in and out of her welcoming pussy with a rhythm that almost hypnotized her. He lowered his finger to her clit and applied pressure as he circled around her nub. Her juices of arousal coated his dick, making each thrust of his cock wetter than the last.

  He nibbled on her neck and whispered, "Allow the sensations. Feel the pain, feel the pleasure, feel me as I claim what is, and always will be, mine. This virgin pussy is now mine. There is no turning back."

  Over and over his cock pumped into her. The steady passion reminded her of a drum, beating her way to orgasm. She had imagined what this day would be like, but hadn't even come close to the pure ecstasy that coursed through her core. Pump after pump of his hard cock brought her closer and closer to a peak she knew she wanted to reach. And once she reached it… she jumped off into an explosion of pleasure that shook her body. A scream escaped her lips as it was met with a guttural moan from Donte as he too leapt off that peak.

  As his seed spilled inside her body, she lay limp beneath his weight. Chills of pleasure danced along her skin, followed by the soft kisses of Donte. She savored what had happened, feeling alive, free, and for a brief moment… safe.

  She knew that was all about to change.

  Her fairytale was about to morph to a war.

  A deadly and dangerous war.

  But for this very moment… she had found her Prince Charming. Her happily ever after.

  Regardless for how long… her story had ended how she had always pictured it.

  For now…

  11

  Donte stood before Cinder and spoke in a low voice. "These women have been instructed to follow your orders." Cinder looked over at the five frightened women behind her. "You are to head west for a couple of days. You’ll run into a commune that has been mostly abandoned." He reached for her chin and tilted it up so she was staring directly into his eyes. "Wait there for me. I’ll come and get you all."

  "Can Elbi come with me?" Maysa was one of the five women standing behind her, but Elbi had been assigned to another group.

  Donte shook his head. "The groups have been decided." When Cinder looked down at the ground in defeat, Donte tilted her chin back up. "Elbi will be fine. I assure you. There’s been a bounty placed on all of your heads. We need to do whatever we can to protect you."

  Tears clouded Cinder's vision. "What about you?" She should probably worry about the prince as well and where he would go, but had no doubt his best men would protect him with their lives. But what about Donte? Who would protect him?

  "I stay and fight. Once our allies arrive, we plan on stopping the enemy before they even reach the palace. We have horses and will meet them in the desert. They’ll be hot and exhausted from the journey. We will not."

  "Then let us stay."

  "We’ve been over this, Cinder. This is a precaution. It’s our job to make sure that Jaden cannot get their hands on you." He smiled softly and whispered, "I’ll find you and bring you back. Wait for me."

  He took a couple of steps back and declared in a loud voice. "I know you are all frightened, but Cinder knows the desert well. Listen to her, obey her, and all will be fine." Cinder glanced at Maysa who nodded and gave a smile of support.

  "We're not that far," Cinder said, gesturing off into the distance.

  Maysa stared in frustration, her hands on her hips. She looked to where Cinder was pointing, but there wasn't anything in the distance to see. Maysa looked from the horizon to her and back again.

  "We're not that far from what?" she asked.

  "From the commune," Cinder answered. "We've been traveling for two days now. I can tell we're getting closer."

  Maysa dug a flask from her satchel. "The girls are tired. They're worried you're getting us lost."

  "I'm fine," Cinder said when Maysa extended the flask to her. She shook her head firmly and only looked at the horizon.

  The idea of cool, crisp, refreshing water sounded like a delightful change from the dry heat they had been experiencing for the past days, but they needed to conserve all the water they had. Cinder didn't know when they would find resources next. She knew there was water out there somewhere, but she didn't know how far away it was. Her only hope was that the commune would have some.

  Maysa held the flask out to her and insisted. "No, you need to drink. I can tell you’re trying to save all the water and food for everyone else, but we need you healthy."

  "I'm fine," she said firmly as she pushed Maysa's hand away. She felt guilty for snapping, but her patience had worn out. She'd been carrying the bags of the other women when they complained they couldn't go on. The extra weight and her self-imposed rations had taken their toll.

  Taking the bags hadn't helped as much as she hoped. The women were weakening with every step toward nowhere. Their progress slowed as she had to keep stopping to allow them to rest. She hated to show signs of weakness, especially in front of Maysa, but she needed the rest just as much as they did.

  "We’ll rest here for a bit. Take a small drink of water, but remember it needs to last," Cinder called out to the women. She pulled a ragged piece of cloth from her satchel and sat next to Maysa on the sand. Carefully, she pushed back her hair, which nearly blended in with the color of the sand, and wrapped the cloth around her head.

  Maysa did the same with another piece of cloth from her satchel, covering her crop of dark hair. The cloth was the same tan as her skin. Her dark eyes were sunken with exhaustion, enough to make Cinder worry about her friend. She feared the intense heat would claim one of them soon if they didn’t find the commune.

  "How long can we rest?" Maysa asked, taking another sip of her water.

  Cinder looked at the other women sitting nearby. "Until I feel the girls can get back on their feet," she answered, brushing sweat from her forehead.

  Maysa reached over and patted Cinder's leg. "Donte would be really proud of you."

  Cinder sat in silence, but smiled.

  "You have feelings for him, don't you?"

  Cinder looked down at the sand and nodded.

  "You'll see him again. I'm sure of it."

  The tears threatened to fall. "I hope so."

  Cinder refused to show any sign of weakness. Immediately, she leapt to her feet, pausing to clear the darkness from her eyes from rising too quickly. She regained her vision and declared, "Let's get moving. The time we waste sitting here, is time we could spend finding the commune."

  With that, they started off.

  Two and a half days in the desert. Walking over dune after dune with five women tested everything she had. They needed her strength. They relied on her encouragement and prodding. They required her leadership to help them through this awful expedition. Cinder doubted her own resolve many times, but knew other's lives were in her hands. Step after step, she powered through.

  "Is that it?" Maysa asked, breathing heavily as the sun was about to set.

  Cinder nodded as she looked at her dear friend. Poor May
sa looked haggard. Matted hair, chapped lips, and burned skin claimed all of the beautiful harem women standing under the relentless sun.

  Cinder spoke loud enough for everyone to hear. "We're almost there. We'll go into the commune and find shelter for the night."

  When they finally spotted the skyline of a small commune ahead, they were united in their tears of joy. They had reached their destination! They had survived. They made it.

  As they entered the town, Cinder couldn't help but wonder how long they would have to stay. When would Donte return? She wasn't naïve. She knew there was a real possibility of him not returning at all. Jaden had the manpower and the weapons to wipe out Lazar completely. She could lose Donte to the sword of a Jaden warrior.

  Cinder scanned the village as they cautiously walked down the street. It appeared abandoned. No people, no life, no civilization. She tried to take stock of where their water source may have been. It might have dried up, which would explain why the commune had been abandoned. Finding food would be futile, and Cinder worried how long the women's rations would last. She spotted a building that appeared still in good shape and decided it would be their home for the night—if not longer.

  Pure exhaustion took over as the women entered the building and settled in for the night. The trip through the desert was by far the hardest thing most of them had ever done. Cinder had done worse, but after reaching Lazar, she’d thought her desert nomad days were over.

  Maysa came and sat down next to her on the floor. "Now what?"

  Cinder shrugged. "We wait."

  "How long do you think it will take until they come to get us?"

  Cinder shrugged again. "I don't know. We have three or four more days of food and water. If they don't come by then, we'll have to find it ourselves." She paused a moment to ponder. "I think tomorrow we'll go and explore the city and see if we can find anything."

  "It doesn't look like anything was left behind," Maysa said.

  "No, it doesn't." Cinder watched as Maysa took off her shoes, the soles of her feet a mass of pus-filled blisters, bruising and swelling. She was pretty sure her feet, as well as the rest of the women's feet, all looked the same.