Chapter 9

Kat sat in the picture window in her bedroom, staring out into the starry night. Her mind was still buzzing from her conversation with Charles. This was the last thing that she had expected. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" she called, not wanting to move.

The door opened and Charlie's mother walked in, shutting the door behind her.

"Healer Arianna! I wasn't expecting you."

"I'm sorry to disturb you so late, my dear but I needed to talk to you." Arianna replied, walking over to her. She stared out the window. "It has been along time since I have been in this room. I had forgotten what a beautiful view there is from here. Does it make you homesick?"

"There's nothing for me to miss at home. Other than my Gramps."

"Oh, child, I am sorry to hear that your parents are gone."

"I never knew my father as a child, Arianna. So there is nothing there for me to miss. My grandpa tried to fill his gap for a short while."

"And your mother?" Arianna asked softly, sensing that she was treading on dangerous ground.

"I have no mother." Kat said flatly before turning at looking at Arianna for the first time.

"Oh..."

"But once I marry your son, or bond or whatever it is called here, I guess you'll become my mother."

"Yes, that is true." Arianna sighed as sat down next to Kat. "I sense that there is trouble between you two."

"That's between Charlie and I. Either we will work it out or we won't. It won't effect our relationship in the least. That's if you still want to train me."

"Of course, child. I haven't trained a young person in years. It will just be the thing to get the old blood pumping."

I can get your blood pumping anytime you want, Ari.

Arianna's face heated along with her blood.

Back off, Dean!

Have I ever told you how sexy it is when you call me by my last name?

You are the most perverted wizard I have ever met!

And you love it. A sexy chuckle filled her head.

"Is everything okay?" Kat's voice distracted her.

"Yes. Nothing's wrong, Katrina. Will you be able to meet me tomorrow morning to start your lessons?"

I would love to give you "lessons".

Stop it!

"Sure. What time and where?" Kat asked as she closely observed the healer. Something fishy was going on with her. Her face was flushed and she was breathing raggedly.

Right now, I'd love to bend you over and have you where you stand. Can you imagine what that would look like? You and I joined together? Me pleasuring you until you can't stand it anymore and come all over me?

"At eight in the solar." Arianna said between gritted teeth as his words evoked erotic images that filled her head. Quickly she turned and headed for the door. "I'll see you then."

Meet me in the solar. Now!

"I don't see a problem with that." Kat said as Arianna closed the door behind her.

Stephan paced back and forth in front of the fireplace. He wondered if she was coming or not. He knew that sending her those thoughts had been rather unfair but he wasn't going to worry about it. He wanted her and he was going to take her anyway that he could get her.

BANG!

He turned and looked at the woman that was standing in the open doorway. Her face was flushed with anger or desire. Or maybe a bit of both, he mused. He raked her over with his eyes. She was wearing one of her usual healing robes. It's soft cream folds were absorbing the light, making her look ethereal. He knew that there was a passionate woman luring under those robes. One that he was determined to bring out. She used her status as the king's mother and healer as a shield to keep them apart. It was time to rip that shield away!

"If I weren't a healer, I would kill you!" Arianna stormed into the room.

"Why? Because I dare to see you as a woman? Not as just the king's mother or a healer? I find you extremely attractive, Ari. I want to be your lover. I want to be your chosen."

"Have you ever listened to yourself, Dean! It's always, "I", "I", "I". You never stop and ask, what does Arianna want! Well, I am happy with my life. I don't need you turning my life upside down at this point in time. My son is my first responsibility. He needs me." "And you are saying that his need comes before mine." Stephan walked towards her, shutting the door behind her with his magic.

"His needs have to come first! He is the King. How do you expect Areseric to flourish if the King has no balance!"

"The little earthling healer will give him his balance, Ari. Why don't you let her do it! She is his chosen, soon to be his wife, and our queen! A mother has to let go," he added softly.

SLAP!

Stephan winced as he felt the sting on his cheek. Without thinking, he grabbed Arianna by the arms and drug her up against him.

"You know, Ari, for a healer, you are a rather violent woman." He lowered his head, growled deep in his throat and covered her mouth with his.

Arianna protested against his lips, instinctively trying to break free. She didn't want this! Not like this! She could feel his teeth tugging on her lower lip as he demanded entrance.

"No..."

He groaned and thrust his tongue inside her mouth. She moaned softly as it tangled with hers. She could barely feel the hand that was tangled in her hair, gripping the back of her head. He wasn't taking any chances that she would pull away before he was ready to release her.

When he lifted his head, she was panting softly, her body soft against his. He smoothed a thumb over her cheek.

"Why must you fight me, Ari? I know you want me as much as I want you. Why won't you just give us a chance?"

"I..."

"No more lies, Arianna. It's time to stop running from me." His hand tightened in her hair bringing her upturned lips closer to his. "Because this is never going to go away."

He leaned in and covered her lips once more. This time, she decided not to fight him or this. For one night, she was going to sate herself with him. Then maybe she wouldn't keep wondering what she had given up. It would be the memory she would cherish for the rest of her life.

She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer and thrusting her tongue into his surprised mouth. Stephan growled in response as he slid one hand down to her ass while continuing to hold her head with his other hand.

She protested when he tore his mouth away from hers.

"Dean!"

"Stephan," he corrected as he brought his hand down and took her cloth-covered breast in hand.

She was sure that he could feel her hard nipple under the cloth. She arched her back and pressed herself closer to him. The heat! It was wild compared to the desire that she and Charles's father had felt. She didn't know if she was going to survive this!

"Relax, Ari. Just let me give you this," Stephan coaxed as he gently rubbed the tip of her nipple. She moaned softly when he squeezed it before tugging on it gently. He trailed kisses down her neck to gently bite the rounded flesh of her shoulder.

"Stephan!" She stiffened in his arms as the bite pushed her closer to the edge.

He growled and lifted his head. She had her eyes closed as she breathed raggedly.

"Open them!" he ordered as he lifted her by gripping her behind the knees and pulling her legs up around his waist. He strode over to the desk and sat her down on it, before dropping into the leather chair that sat behind it.

She stared at him, her senses still hazy from his kisses. He looked up at her smiled, his face tight with desire. She could see the fire in his indigo eyes. Her eyes widened even more as he tugged on her robes until he had them pulled up far enough to expose her long legs. Her modesty was still preserved. Just barely, she realized as he slide his rough fingers under the folds of cloth to gently stroke at her wet opening.

She could tell by his quick intake of breath, he had not expected her to be without undergarments.

"What a little minx you are!" He stood quickly and bent over her to unfasten the front of her robes. As he unfastened them and slowly pushed them apart, she could tell that he was savoring every minute of her revealing.

Stephan stared hungrily at the flesh that he had just bared. He had fantasized about what she looked like under her robes for years. He had never guessed that she had this lush body under her robes.

"Ari, this, it should be outlawed."

"What?"

"I'm going to talk to your son. It's a crime to cover this up with healer robes. He reached down and touched one of her raspberry colored nipples. He smiled as it hardened under his touch. He slowly trailed his fingers down her soft belly to the bare mound at the apex of her thighs. As he slowly rubbed his thumb over the seam of her sex, he watched her eyes, savoring every response she gave him.

"I... I... I..." Heat flushed her face.

"You're beautiful, minx. And I'm going to love you until you can't think straight," he vowed as he settled back down in the chair and spread her trembling legs. Lifting one, he gently draped it over one muscular shoulder before gently dragging her closer to the edge of the desk.

Arianna shrieked softly when she felt the moist tip of his tongue caress her inner thigh. She squirmed even more when he gripped her ass in his hands and lifted her bottom off the desk as his tongue dipped into the crease where her thigh meet her wet sex.

Stephan laughed softly at her reaction before switching to her other leg. He was definitely a leg man. And she has some luscious legs for him to relish. He growled as he lifted her other leg and placed it on his other shoulder, daring her to protest his action.

"Stephan?" she gasped as she realized that he now had an intimate view of her wet folds.

"Enjoy it, Ari because I surely am." He dipped his head and ran his tongue up the seam of her lips before lightly dipping between them, just enough to tease her flesh.

She arched her back and cried out, her own hands flying to her bare breasts. Stephan raised his head just in time to see her wanton reaction. He groaned as it set off a raging fire in his loins. Not that he hadn't been hard, since she had entered the room. Seeing her hands on her own flesh was like adding gasoline to an open flame. The heat exploded in his loins. Reaching between them, he tugged on the buttons that held his pants closed before lifting his hand and parting her folds. He exposed her hard little nubbin to his gaze before extending his tongue to caress it lightly. He heard her soft moan in response.

"Please!" she begged as she tugged on her own nipples.