Master of Desire
An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication
www.ellorascave.com
Master of Desire
ISBN # 1-4199-0376-4
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Master of Desire Copyright© 2005 Lacey Alexander
Edited by: Heather OsbornCover art by: Christine Clavel
Electronic book Publication: September 2005
This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 443103502.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.
Warning:
The following material contains graphic sexual content meant for mature readers. Master of Desire hasbeen rated E–rotic by a minimum of three independent reviewers.
Ellora’s Cave Publishing offers three levels of Romantica™ reading entertainment: S (S-ensuous), E (E-rotic), and X (X-treme).
S-ensuous love scenes are explicit and leave nothing to the imagination.
E-rotic love scenes are explicit, leave nothing to the imagination, and are high in volume per the overallword count. In addition, some E-rated titles might contain fantasy material that some readers findobjectionable, such as bondage, submission, same sex encounters, forced seductions, and so forth. E-rated titles are the most graphic titles we carry; it is common, for instance, for an author to use words such as
“fucking”, “cock”, “pussy”, and such within their work of literature.
X-treme titles differ from E-rated titles only in plot premise and storyline execution. Unlike E-rated titles, stories designated with the letter X tend to contain controversial subject matter not for the faint of heart.
BRIDES OF CARALON:
MASTER OF DESIRE
Lacey Alexander
Dedication
The Brides of Caralon series is dedicated to Leonie Daniels, who first encouraged me to try my hand at erotica, and to Anya Bast, who gave me a helpful tip or two along the way.
Master of Desire
Prologue
3587 AD
Teesia’s skin prickled with awareness as she shifted her attention to the dark man across the room. As she’d suspected, his gray gaze burned into her, forcing her to look away quickly. Her heart pounded in her chest and the juncture of her thighs tingled.
Despite the quick glance, she’d gotten a good enough look. Smooth raven hair, as dark as her own, fell past his shoulders, and a shadowy stubble dusted the bottom half of his olive-hued face. Black leather encased his body from his broad shoulders all the way to his boots. He was a study in darkness, a creature of the night—simply leaningagainst the wall, arms crossed, staring.
Beneath the long feasting table where she sat, she grabbed onto her older sister’s wrist. “Maven, who is that?”
Maven turned from where she’d been speaking with her husband, Dane. “Who is who?”
Teesia could hardly point the man out, of course, and now she didn’t even want Maven to look, lest he know they were talking about him. His gaze continued to brand her. “Don’t turn your head,” she warned, “but he’s clad in black, with dark hair, and…” Something about him makes me feel like I’m melting from the inside out.
“And what?” her sister asked impatiently.
Teesia swallowed past the lump in her throat. Ares above, she’d never had such an instant and visceral reaction to a man. It was at once frightening and scintillating. “Andhe keeps looking at me.” She took a long sip from her wine goblet to distract herself.
Teesia watched as her sister cast a subtle sideways glance across the room. Fortunately, he was easy to spot—not the sort of man who blended with the crowd. “Ah,” Maven said. “That’s Ralen of Charelton.”
“Charelton?” The region lay only a few days journey south of Teesia’s own home in the Myrtell area of Caralon, and like Myrtell, bordered the sea. “Why have I not heard of him before?”
“He came into power there only within the last year, I believe, on the death of his
father, Granick.”
Teesia pulled in her breath and took another sip of wine. No wonder the man looked so fierce. Granick had been known throughout all Caralon as a ferocious and terrifying warrior, not to be angered—and the reputation had persisted even into his old age. As a daughter of Enrick, Ruler of Caralon, Teesia knew Granick had guarded the domain’s southern border her entire life. “Does this Ralen now guard Caralon to thesouth, as his father did?”
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Maven nodded. “Dane tells me this is the first time he’s met Ralen, but he considers
him a formidable man of power and thought it wise to make his acquaintance.” The autumn feast in Dane’s northern region of Rawley was a celebration of Maven’s pregnancy, but as royal daughters, both girls knew that any meeting of such wealth and authority in one place became political, as well. And if Dane, of all men, considered Ralen formidable, then it was a description surely well-earned.
Teesia was sorely tempted to gaze back at him, bold and brazen. But she couldn’t quite make herself do it. Perhaps more wine would help. She reached for the wineskin on the table before her, refilling her goblet.
Maven glared. “Mother said one cup for you.”
But Teesia only smirked. Now that Maven was married and pregnant, she thought she could treat Teesia like a child?
Just then, their younger sister, Laela, approached behind them, bending to whisper loudly in Teesia’s ear. “That man is watching you!” And then she pointed!
Horrified, Teesia spun to push Laela’s arm to her side. “Must you be so obvious?”
Laela’s eyes sparkled with her usual immature excitement. “He is obvious. So what difference does it make if we are, too?”
Teesia swallowed nervously, deciding Laela might actually have a good argument. “But even so…” she reprimanded, then let out a sigh.
“Perhaps it’s your gown. I told you it was cut too low.”
Teesia glanced down at the sea green silk draping her breasts, which now tingled beneath the soft fabric. It was the most revealing thing her mother had ever permittedher to wear, and Laela was simply jealous.
“In fact, if not for your braid, a man might think you were not a virgin,” Laela accused.
Teesia pulled in her breath in mock outrage, yet secretly, she was pleased. The long