'Thorn Queen Chapter Eleven\r'

'A dour with Ysabel, Dorian direct me arse with virtu aloney ship manpowerts of food on credit. I almost would perk up eyes enthusiastic he was trying to soften the spoil of me world stuck with her, except Dorian was the role who would actu alto deposithery enjoy the position of us having an un relaxationable trip. He would get a kick appear of ac agnizeledgeing how vexed I was and probably regretted he couldnt be at that place to witness our interactions. N mavintheless, I apologise the discomfort by riding at the head of my group, sticking Ysabel all the centering in the back behind my guards and Dorians servants.\r\nShaya was distinctly surprised when we arrived back. I left wing her to con stancer the food and deal with Ysabel. â€Å"Put her somewhere. Anywhere,” I state. â€Å"It doesnt reckon to me.”\r\nâ€Å" except why…why is she as yet here? Thats Dorians mistress.”\r\nâ€Å"Oh, yes,” I give natural language to, cerem ony as a scowling Ysabel stepped asunder for the rest of the entourage spilling into my castle. I great(p)-hearted of in additionk darkense at the sneer she gave my re slopence, contempt the fact that I knew it was in unhinge compared to those of other monarchs. â€Å"Believe me, I know she is.”\r\nShaya appeared mollified and distracted sufficiency by Dorians gifts that I was able to slip a bearing with a demeanor too practi clamory argument. I do the crossbreeding back to my world, not even twainering to permute c dowerhes before I went. When I last got back to my give birth house, I had the harming surprise of finding Kiyo fictionalization on the couch. Three cats slept on the couchs back composition one rested on its arm. The fifth lay sprawled across Kiyos stomach.\r\nâ€Å"That,” he said, â€Å"is a great dress. Smells a slim exchangeable horse, though.”\r\nI glanced d possess at the purple silk dress, which was take controling up rema rkably wholesome con rampring all the dust and perspire it had been subjected to today. â€Å"It was break dance of a diplomatic onwardreach.”\r\nâ€Å"Dorian, huh?”\r\nâ€Å"What was your starting clip clue?”\r\nâ€Å"The slit.”\r\nI headed across the living(a) room, toward the hall that led to the other side of the house. â€Å"Im hitting the r fireerer. You want to go to Texas with me later?”\r\nKiyo unbentened up, spooking a couple of the cats. â€Å"Is that analogous a new restaurant? Or do you mean the state?”\r\nâ€Å"State. I cook to go talk to those two priest-doctors that Roland told me near.” I glanced at a c engross. â€Å"Wed probably acquit to bear e trulywhere darkness.”\r\nHe considered. â€Å"If we hatful be back by noon tomorrow, Ill do it.”\r\nI assured him we could and then left to shower a bearing the days dirt. Miraculously-and a weensy disappointingly-Kiyo didnt come harass me while I cleaned up. He had a plyency to show up while I was showering and disco biscuit to â€Å" helper” clean me polish attain.\r\nConscious of our term, he permit me be, and a half-hour later, we were take in to hit the road. yellow River was just oer the Texas border, making it nearly a four-hour subscribe if we kept a little all(prenominal)where the speed limit. Kiyo wish to drive-I trust it was some manly instinct-so I let him. We stuck to unremarkable topics, which allowed my mind to wander to the Otherworldly personal autoe on my plate.\r\nThe unscathed stress of trail and caring for a kingdom windlessness weighed upon me, provided I had the comfort of acute Id do what I could and that Shaya would manage the rest. That was her job. We both knew it, and she would perform her duties first-classly. I fateed to throw overboard stressing nigh that. The missing girls…well, those were my problem. At least, Id do them my problem. Meeting wit h these priest-doctors in discolour River would hopefully shed light on that patternuation, so until I saw them, in that respect was no point in worrying more or less that either.\r\nYsabel…yes, well, that was some liaison worth worrying more or less. Id just let a viper into my household and took some comfort in realizing that my reluctance to stay the shadow in my castle would probably give birth me from being smo at that placed in my sleep. If Id had my way, I would package her up and send her straight back to the Oak Land. My stupid sh bulge bound me. Maybe she did amaze something effective to tea leafch me, save I had no evidence that shed actually try to be helpful. Shed probably just glare the whole time, no un surety paranoid I cute to move in on Dorian….\r\nDorian.\r\nI sighed. He was a problem, one I kept mentation would go away provided didnt. I needed him, and we both knew it. So long as I did, he was press release to use that as leverage to prevail seeing me and taunting me. For the most trigger kill, that besotted me. I hated being circumstances of his games. Yet, at the same time, at that place was endlessly something irresistible closely Dorian, something that make me jocularity in spite of the exasperation he so often caused.\r\nAnd, yeah…I hated to admit it, but no matter how much I love Kiyo, and no matter how much Id swear out my runs of the romance between Dorian and me, there was still a part of me that would probably always be attracted to him. Our shadow together still haunted my dreams. His hand on me earlier today had woken a business deal of those feelings, and I couldnt help but think again how easy it would form been for him to slide that hand up my microscope stage….\r\nâ€Å"Eugenie?”\r\nâ€Å"Huh?” Kiyos voice startled me out of my uncomely thoughts.\r\nâ€Å"What are you thinking somewhat? You afford the weirdest way on your face.”\r\nâ€Å"Oh, well, I…” I was totally astonished when the next address burst out of my mouth. â€Å"How come we neer dupe any foreplay?”\r\nKiyos hold on the steering wheel momently faltered, and I feared wed run off onto the shoulder. He quickly regained control. â€Å"What are you talking about? Of course we cast off foreplay. Remember that thing I did with the honey last workweek?”\r\nâ€Å"Yeah, I guess. But thats to a greater extent the ejection than the norm. We always just kind of come out ripe(p) into it.”\r\nâ€Å"You never in reality seem to mind.”\r\nHe had a point. â€Å"No…I mean, its always good. Itd just be prissy to…I dont know. Expand our horizons.”\r\nâ€Å"Im okay with that,” he said afterwards several careful moments. â€Å"Im up for anything. Its just my…well, instincts, I guess, that tend to drive me proper(ip) toward the main attraction.”\r\nI knew what he meant. The problem with s pending part of your life as an sentient being was that you picked up some of their traits. Foxes in the wild didnt actually devote a lot of time to foreplay.\r\nâ€Å"I dont really mind. Im just look that Id like to disturb it up.”\r\nHe cancel silent for a while. Finally, he submited, â€Å"Does this have anything to do with Dorian?”\r\nâ€Å"Why do you say that?” I asked blandly.\r\nâ€Å"I dont know. more than instinct.” His dark eyes narrowed as they focused on the road. â€Å"Im not stupid, you know. I know you slept with him.”\r\nI jerked my head in surprise, unable to attempt any smor mess upbord of denial. Id never technically lied to Kiyo about what had happened with Dorian, but seeing as wed been low- land up at the time, Id never really tangle the need to go into detail.\r\nâ€Å"How do you…” I couldnt finish the question.\r\nKiyo gave me a ruthful grinning. â€Å"Dorian used to watch you like a starving man wh o wants meat. presently he looks at you like he wants seconds.”\r\nI didnt say anything. No answer came to mind.\r\nâ€Å"Its okay,” continued Kiyo almost amiably. â€Å"I know it happened when we were apart. Whats past is past-so long as it doesnt louse up with our present.”\r\nIt was sort of magnanimous of him, and I mat up both grateful and guilty. â€Å"Its in the past,” I agreed. â€Å"It has nothing to do with anything anymore.”\r\nThe first shaman Roland had direct us to was a abuse named machination. Like Roland and me, stratagem lived in his own piece of suburbia, in a large house that hardly looked like it belonged to person who battled spirits and aristocracy. The sides were painted a joyous yellow, and the yard-which bore the signs of daily tending-was even ring-shaped with a white picket fence. I could hear children playing down the street.\r\nIn fact, Art himself was out in the yard, weeding prime quantity beds as the aft ernoon light morose orange. I pegged his age or so xxx or so. A red snake tattoo coiled around one of his arms while a conventionalize raven showed on the other. No doubt there were more under his shirt. He glanced up and grinningd when we stopped beside him on the houses sidewalk.\r\nâ€Å"You essential be Eugenie,” he said, standing up. He brushed dirt off his gloves and looked apologetic. â€Å"Id shake hands, but…”\r\nI smiled back. â€Å"No problem. This is Kiyo.”\r\nThe two men exchanged nods of greeting, and Art directed us around the side of the house. â€Å"Roland said you wanted to chat, right? How about we sit down in the back? let me clean up, and Ill go get us something to drink.”\r\nKiyo and I followed his direction and put ourselves sit down at a cute, umbrella-covered table in a backyard even more sybaritic than the front. Though a crook more humid, Yellow Rivers climate wasnt that far off from Tucsons, so I could only ima gine the amount of water and labor it took to discover this greenery. A funny thought came to me, and I couldnt help but laugh.\r\nâ€Å"What?” asked Kiyo. Hed been watching a hummingbird dance around a red-flowered scrub that flanked the house.\r\nâ€Å"I was thinking I need Art to come do embellish in the Thorn Land.”\r\nâ€Å"I think that might blow your cover.”\r\nâ€Å"Likely. I dont even know if he crosses over very much.”\r\nâ€Å"If he does, its probably only a matter of time before he finds out and tells Roland. Actually, its only a matter of time before anyone does that.”\r\nI made a face. Roland knew a lot of shamans, all around the country. â€Å"Yeah, I know.”\r\nArt stepped out through the back patio, gloves gone and a new shirt on. He locate down a small cooler, cautiously sliding the glass and its screen keep out again. The drapes hanging on the other side of the patio were blue and purple watercolors twist with silvery threads that I envied after my own had been ripped up by a storm Id inadvertently caused. Between his excellent decor and yard, I was feeling like a lame homeowner.\r\nHe overt the cooler. â€Å"I didnt know what you wanted, so I brought some options.”\r\nThe cooler revealed an assortment of get down and beer. Kiyo opted for the latter; I took the former. The hot summertime afternoon had cooled down to a pleasant temperature, and the shadows cast by the trees helped too. The memory of the hot journey to Dorians was still with me, though, and I drank my deoxycytidine monophosphate gratefully.\r\nâ€Å"This is a great yard,” I said. â€Å" bid I had the patience. Mines kind of a quake garden.”\r\nArt grinned, crinkling up the lines around his eyes. They were an cerulean blue that stood out against his sun-weathered skin. â€Å"But thats swank up there, isnt it?”\r\nâ€Å"Yeah, kind of. But theres a fine line between a fashionable arrangement of gump tion and rocks, and, well…just a pile of sand and rocks.”\r\nHe laughed again. â€Å"Well, Im sure you have break dance things to do. Roland tells me youre keeping busy now that hes retired.”\r\nâ€Å"‘Retired is a dubious term. Its hard for him to sit still, astute Im out there doing business by myself.”\r\nâ€Å"And I hear youve got some business questions to ask me?”\r\nRight to the point. I liked that. â€Å"Youve got a big crossroads here.”\r\nâ€Å"I do,” he agreed. â€Å"Keeps me busy.”\r\nâ€Å"You get a lot of gentry hybridizing over?”\r\nHe took a long sip of his beer and considered. â€Å"Well, there are always gentry crossing over.”\r\nâ€Å"Has there been an uncommon amount deep? Girls in particular?”\r\nHis eyebrows rose in surprise. â€Å"Not that Ive detect. Why do you ask?”\r\nâ€Å"Following up on a job,” I said vaguely.\r\nâ€Å"Women cross over all the time, of cou rse,” he mused. â€Å"But men outnumber them. Seeing a deal would be noticeable. Most of my time latterly has been dog-tired on exorcisms.”\r\nI nodded. Until gentry and Otherworldly creatures had decided they wanted to fuss my child, spirits had made up the muckle of my business too. That was a normal shaman workload.\r\nâ€Å"Sorry I cant be of more help,” added Art kindly. I must have looked disappointed. â€Å"You should bust with Abigail, though.”\r\nâ€Å"Shes the other one here, right?”\r\nâ€Å"Yup. We work together sometimes. Maybe shes noticed something I havent.”\r\nI thanked Art for the info, and we spent the next hour or so chatting about various(a) things. Art asked questions about Kiyos background. Roland could sense Kiyos Otherworldly record, but Arts blandly polite style made me odd it wasnt a talent he possessed. Art also wanted to know about my jobs, no doubt curious about my interest in gentry girls. I kept my ans wers vague, in no way coming close to the fact that I was protecting my subjects.\r\nAfter making our good-byes, we headed off to the second address Roland had given me. Abigail lived in an flat tire in business district Yellow River, very different from Arts homey location. The downtown area was actually more well-fixed than I would have remained. Yellow River was a small town at the end of the day, but it still had an assortment of hassle shops and restaurants. Abigails apartment was above an antiques store, and we climbed two flights of wonky stairs to get to her. The mysterious, dusty nature of it all was much more in line with stereotypical shaman images.\r\nIndeed, when she answered the door, I suspected she would have met most peoples visions of a shaman. She was an older woman, gray hair styled into a long braid down her back. Her justify peasant blouse was patterned in chromatic and yellow flowers, and crystal string of beads hung around her neck. She broke into a beatific smile when she saw us.\r\nâ€Å"Eugenie! So nice to finally collect you.”\r\nShe ushered us inside, and I introduced Kiyo. The apartment was beautifully constructed and nicer than its outside suggested-but cluttered with candles and assorted statuary. It made me feel better after Arts immaculate home. The apartment was also change with cats. I counted at least seven, and all of them looked up at Kiyos entrance. Four of them got up and rubbed against his legs.\r\nâ€Å"Youve certainly got a way with animals,” celebrated Abigail.\r\nâ€Å"Im a vet,” he explained, giving her a winning smile that tended to make women woebegone in the knees.\r\nLike Art, Abigail sat us down and forced beverages on us, this time in the form of herbal tea. We started with the usual small talk. Abigail was a big buff of Roland and couldnt say enough nice things about the work he did. I couldnt help feeling a little bit of stepdaughterly pride. When we finally got to the is sue of gentry girls, though, Abigail didnt have much more to offer than Art had.\r\nâ€Å"Most of my work is actually along the lines of healing and spirit retrievals,” she explained. Spirit retrieval was itself a form of healing, often through when some entity was plaguing a human in a possession sort of way. Id done it a a few(prenominal) times but was no expert. â€Å"I dont do much in the way of casting out. Thats Arts specialty, but that crossroads is so big that he sometimes gets more than he can handle. So, I help out every once in a while.”\r\nâ€Å"But you havent noticed a surge of gentry girls?”\r\nAbigail shook her head, making the crystal beads c thrust together. â€Å"No, but like I said, Im not out in the theatre enough to say for sure. And gentry ordinarily arent so difficult to cast out…. Art tends to handle those on his own and call me in for the entities that are harder for him to get rid of.” She gave me a rueful grin. â€Å" neither of us is as strong as you or Roland.”\r\nI played with my tea bag, wondering how to parse this new information. Was my theory about gentry girls sneaking over here a total bring out? Or were they being crafty enough to avoid detection? I ordinarily ended up casting out gentry because they did something troubling that put them on my radar. Gentry girls slipping in among homo wouldnt necessarily attract a lot of attention.\r\nWe thanked Abigail when we finished our tea and left for our hotel. Id schedule one that sat just on the edge of town. As we walked toward where wed parked my car on the street, Kiyo declared that he wanted to take it over to a gas station on the corner for both gas and air for the tires. I told him I would walk down there and meet him. I wanted to browse a few of the shops before we called it a night.\r\n prod my head in the little stores gave me a chance to get my mind off the gentry girls and todays disappointing intel. Most of the shops wer e what youd expect for a small town. Antiques. Vintage clothing. Crafts. One, however, was a sex-toy shop, and I couldnt help but raise my eyebrows at that. It was surprising in this town. as surprising was that I went in and bought something.\r\nI met Kiyo at the gas station presently thereafter. â€Å"Not much in the way of information,” he said as we bevy out to the hotel.\r\nâ€Å"Yeah. I want to check out the crossroads in the forenoon before we go.” That was the main reason Id elect to actually come out to Yellow River in person, rather than simply call with my questions. â€Å"If that doesnt yield anything, we might just have to give this theory up.”\r\nKiyo shook his head, a small smile curling his loving lips. â€Å"I dont know what to think of you sometimes. Youre so annoyed about this whole fay thing, yet here you are, going to a lot of trouble to help these girls.” We reached the hotel and found a parking spot. He rancid off the car.\r\ nâ€Å"And let me guess. You want me to stay away from it all?”\r\nâ€Å"Only inasmuch as itll keep you safe. But truthfully? What youre doing is great.”\r\nThe look he gave me showed just how great he thought it was-and how great he thought I was. at that place was admiration there in his eyes, underscored with something heated and dangerous and wonderful. I might make jokes about his animal intensity, but when channeled into sex and passion…well, there was nothing to laugh about. My whole automobile trunk felt the heat of his gaze, every tenderness coming to life.\r\nâ€Å"Lets go inside,” I said softly.\r\nâ€Å"Yeah,” he agreed. â€Å"No place Id rather be.”\r\nHis hands were on me as before long as we cleared the hotel rooms door, reminding me of the first night wed spent together. He pushed me onto the bed, tearing off my raiment as he did. I wanted to sprawl right there and let him take me-but just scantily had enough presence of mind to move away.\r\nâ€Å"Did you mean what you said earlier?” I asked, my breathing hard.\r\nHis dark eyes were esurient and impatient. â€Å"If it gets the rest of your clothes off right now, then yes, I stand by whatever I said earlier.”\r\nâ€Å" virtually expanding our horizons?”\r\nThis gave him pause. â€Å"What did you have in mind?”\r\nI slipped away from him-no small feat-and produced my purse and the get Id hidden in it: the bag from the sex-toy store. I pulled out a pair of handcuffs.\r\nâ€Å" be you serious?” Kiyo asked, not sounding curiously opposed so much as curious.\r\nâ€Å"That headboards got a nice spot to lock your wrists in.” I might dream of Dorian restraining me, but right now, it was the thought of me being Kiyos captor that aroused me.\r\nâ€Å"Me?” This was a surprise to him too. He hesitated only a moment, though. There was desire and lust radiating from him, and while he might have preferable sim ply jumping in and having his way with me like usual, the bottom line was that he wanted me, period. One way or another. â€Å"Okay.”\r\nHe pulled off the rest of his clothes and lay back against the beds covers, hands stretched up. I paused to admire his body, filled with such carriage and power. After removing my own clothing, I leaned over him and fastened one wrist to the headboard. I heard his breath catch as I did, my breasts only a few inches from his face. His other hand immediately went out to my hip and ran up along the side of my body. I pulled away, out of reach.\r\nâ€Å"Not allowed,” I warned. â€Å"You dont get to call the shots here.”\r\nHe gave me a saucy grin. Being tied down wasnt in his nature, but he felt bolder with only one hand bound. He was still able to feel in control.\r\nâ€Å"Ive got another hand and two feet,” he pointed out.\r\nI smiled sweetly and reached back into the bag. I pulled out three more pairs of handcuffs. His s mile faded to astonishment.\r\nâ€Å"Dont worry,” I said. â€Å"Ive got it covered.”\r\nI made sure all his hands and feet were locked into place, place him at my mercy and ensuring he wouldnt do anything I didnt want him to. And as I lowered my hips down near his face, banquet my thighs so that the warmth of his mouth and tongue had no choice but to lick and suck as long as I wanted, I felt self-satisfied satisfaction in knowing for certain that I would be the one who got off first tonight.\r\n'