Exiled by Nina Croft Page B

nipples tightened into hard, little buds. Between her thighs, she was hot and heavy with need. His fingers found her nipple and pinched it gently. The touch sent a jolt of pleasure down through her belly and her back arched with need. He was hard against her, his erection pushing against her thigh. She twisted to get closer and the movement upset the horse, so she pranced nearly tipping Cass from the saddle.
    “Shit,” she muttered, grabbing hold of the pommel and righting herself. Callum released her to take the reins and bring the animal under control.
    He bent his head and kissed her throat. “Later...” Would there be a later? She wasn’t sure, and that thought filled her with urgency. She wanted him so badly, just once, and then she would accept whatever fate had planned for her.
    But up ahead, she could no longer see the other two horses; they’d already fallen way behind. Releasing her grip, she flung one leg over the saddle so she rode astride with her back pressed up against the front of him, nestled between his strong thighs. His muscles shifted as he kicked the horse into a canter one arm holding her around the waist.
    “Later,” she agreed and hoped she spoke the truth.

Chapter Eight
    Dawn was a faint wash on the horizon by the time they drew to a halt in the tree line, where the forest gave way to grassland.
    Between them and the Keep lay a wide-open space.
    They dismounted and studied the great fortress. It had stood for thousands of years and now seemed almost part of the land itself, a vast sprawling group of buildings, with a single tower in the north corner, but otherwise built low to the ground.
    A tall, black stone wall ran around the perimeter. The main double gateway faced south, but there were other smaller entrances at intervals around the wall. Freya and Jarrod were heading for a small wooden gate at the back of the structure, which would lead them into the area of the Keep that housed the pleasure slaves.
    Freya was to go in first. Jarrod had refused to let her go entirely alone, though he’d agreed to stand guard at the gate and only enter in case of trouble. Freya would talk to the slaves and then give a signal if it were safe for the others to approach.
    It sounded simple.
    But Cass suspected getting into the Keep would be the easy part. Reaching the Goddess would be harder as Malachai was bound to place guards around the tower. And they could well be walking into another ambush.
    No matter; it wasn’t as though they had any other options.
    She watched until Freya and Jarrod disappeared around the back of the Keep. Shayla and Tallon had seated themselves on the ground. Tallon leaned against the trunk of a tree, Shayla between his thighs. Her back rested against his chest and they spoke low words to each other.
    Cass turned to Callum and held out her hand. “Come with me.”A frown flickered across his face, but he took her outstretched hand and she tugged him deeper into the cover of the forest. If everything went bad, she wanted this one last time to remember.
    Once far enough away so she could no longer hear the sound of voices, she stopped and turned to face him. “Callum, I choose you.”A slow smile curved his lips. “As if you ever had any real choice. You were mine from the moment we met. You just needed to remember.” She pulled her hand free of his and raised it to the tie of her cloak. Loosening it, she shrugged out of the heavy material to stand before him in nothing but the scarlet diaphanous shift of a pleasure slave.
    Callum went still, but she could see the pulse throb at his throat.
    She took a step closer and sank to her knees before him. Shock flared in his face, but he didn’t move away. She licked her lips and heard him groan. Then she reached out a hand and traced the shape of his erection beneath the soft material, felt him jerk beneath her touch.
    She used her other hand to unfasten his pants. Breathing in deeply, she filled her nostrils with the warm, musky,