Dark Sculptor: Dark Sculptor Novel 01 Read online

  She scoffed at that, “I volunteered, remember? Being with you is worth any price.”

  Then she blushed at her own words, and the deep passionate conviction she’d spoken them in.

  I was intensely aware I was flawed, and wondered how I could be worthy of that faith, but maybe compared to the men in this world and their attitudes toward women I would be a good catch.

  I slid off my chair, and rounded the table and took her hands.

  She looked confused, “What are you doing?”

  I smiled, “On my world, the man proposes to the woman he loves on his knee.”

  Her face softened, and she froze.

  “Regina, I love you, and can’t imagine my life without your brightness in it. You make me believe anything is possible. Will you do me the honor and privilege of being my wife?”

  After a moment of dead silence, I squeezed her hands, and whispered, “Breathe.”

  She gasped in a breath, and dropped off her chair to hug me.

  “Yes.”

  We kissed lingeringly, sweetly, and then with deeper passion.

  She said, “Finding a mage might be problematic. There might be one in the city that’s free, but it’s too dangerous to risk going in. Any mages in a small village like this probably work for the baron, so we may have to wait until we’re in Eastguard. But yes.”

  I said, “I can wait another five or six days, but in my heart, I’m already yours, as you are mine.”

  She smiled happily, and nodded in agreement, but there was uncertainty and a little guilt in her eyes.

  “I don’t think any woman has ever gotten a proposal like that before.”

  I stood and pulled her to her feet, and we sat back down.

  “Something is bothering you about what I said.”

  She smiled, “Not bothering me exactly. I just… haven’t told you the full truth of things yet. About marriages, and men and women on this world.”

  I frowned, “It can’t be that bad.”

  I hoped.

  She blushed, “I am yours, and claim you as well, but powerful men on this world, and men of means, can take more than one wife. Most of the poorer people do not, but not because of the law, because they can’t support more than one wife and as many children.”

  I wanted to be shocked, but I actually wasn’t, not after all I’d learned about this world so far. Multiple wives wasn’t looked down on back on Earth either, in the past.

  I said, “Regina, I’m neither powerful nor rich, and I don’t want anyone but you.”

  She sighed, “I know you think of yourself as a healer and physician, but we both know you’re a flesh sculptor. Our future may be unsure right now, but if we win through it and find stability, you are a man of power and will accumulate wealth. It’s… expected for you to have more than one wife.”

  I looked her in the eyes, “You’re an incredible woman, intelligent, resourceful, and joyful despite the circumstances of your past life. I’m in awe of you Regina. How do you feel about that, truly? Forget society and expectations, wouldn’t it bother you? I’d never hurt you, or want you to feel lessened, or like a piece of property. If I have anything to say about it, and I do, I’ll love and cherish you for all the days of our lives.”

  She blew out a breath, and looked reluctant.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She sighed, “I don’t want you to think less of me, because I can sense your disgust at the idea. I love you James, and I’m yours because I choose to be. I love that you respect me, and value my opinion, it’s one of the reasons I came with you, and why I fell so deeply in love with you. But no, I wouldn’t mind. You claiming another wife has absolutely nothing to do with us, or how you love and treat me. Our future is unsure, and who knows what will happen over the next days, weeks, and months, so all I’m saying is don’t close your mind to it.

  “It isn’t even all about you, or just having another woman to fuck, I’m talking about love and family. Being your first wife with sub-wives below me also raises my status, and gives me help with taking care of you, our home, and raising our future children. It wouldn’t just be a selfish act on your part.”

  I frowned, “I’d never think less of you, but I don’t understand it, not really, not yet. That sounded like you want me to find others?”

  My voice may have sounded a little confused, I never saw this coming. Not the multiple mates part, but that Regina would want me to pursue others. That seemed crazy given the society I was from.

  She smiled sheepishly, “Multiple wives isn’t the same, it isn’t demeaning for me like being treated as less than you would be, the way most men on my world treat women. By tradition, I’d get a say in it before it goes ahead. I want our lives to be long, happy, and successful, and that means yes, I want you to find others you could love. That won’t take away from what we have, it will only enhance it.”

  I said, “I’ll keep an open mind, and consider it, but I’m not going to go actively looking for it. You are enough for me, and always will be. If another woman captures my eye, we’ll talk about it then.”

  Wow, this conversation was surreal.

  “Oh, what did you mean, respect was one of the reasons you came with me?”

  Regina blushed, “Did I say that?”

  I nodded.

  She smirked, “Fine, but I have to explain something first so it makes sense. I’m twenty-three, and stood behind that counter to watch men walk into that brothel for almost ten years, since I couldn’t lie with any of them I was stuck with the job of organizing. For ten years I’ve been watching men walk in, and look around with the same exact hot covetous eyes, and measure me and the other women there as if we were sides of beef at the market, something to be possessed, used as an ornament on their arms, and a status symbol. Something to be owned, controlled, and something capable of giving them more pleasure than any other woman because of our magical talent of pleasure.”

  She was silent for a moment, and I was afraid to talk and derail her thoughts, or accidentally stop her from finally telling me her ambitions.

  “Then you walked in. You had the same heat and desire in your eyes as the rest I’d seen over the years, but I saw so much more. Concern for some of the girls that you believed too young, respect for us as women, as people, and then you asked me for food and conversation. No other man would even think about talking with us, as if we had brains in our little heads. I was intrigued by the differences in you.

  “Then we spent two hours together, and I found myself having fun and laughing. You’re witty, but not cruel, and the gentlest man I’ve ever met, perhaps the strongest as well. What was my ambition, and why did I come with you? You were my ambition, and what we have now was my hope. I wanted to be the woman that fulfilled your ambition of family and children. From the moment you healed me, and I knew I didn’t have to be alone anymore, I knew I wanted to be yours.

  “Of course, we’d just met, I didn’t love you, but I was very attracted to you. At the time, love wasn’t even on my radar as a consideration. Love and your huge cock are just unexpected bonuses. You’re a handsome man, and you respected me, that’s what was important to me. Compared to my other choices, there was no contest. All that was required at that point was to put in the time to get to know you, and have you get to know me. It would either work, or it wouldn’t, but I wanted the chance to find out if you’d have me, and if I would still want you when I got to know you better. So… I followed you, and now I love you, and will never stop following you. You love me, your attracted to me, you respect me and value my opinions, I couldn’t find a better man to marry if I looked for the rest of my life.”

  She smiled, “So my ambitions were fulfilled, and now they’ve changed, to love you, and give you a family, maybe help you pick out a few more wives if it comes up. I am yours James Cook, always. In a way, I have been from the first moment you walked through my door.”

  I was speechless, and felt humbled by the way she saw me. I was still a bit shocked at her
attitude about more wives, but I’d never judge her for that, and time would take care of that part I thought. I just wasn’t going to worry about it.

  Words didn’t seem sufficient to tell her how much I loved her, and how highly I regarded her, so I scooped her up in a bridal carry, took her to the bed, and made sweet love to the woman of my dreams…

  Chapter Ten

  “Fuck, you’re getting awfully good at that.”

  Her eyes twinkled with mischievous enjoyment up at mine, from between my legs, as her sweet silken lips and soft hot wet tongue slid down my shaft. Her curly dark red hair was spread out, and teased my thighs and stomach. She moaned softly as I pushed against her throat, sending pleasure through my body as it stimulated my swollen head, only to rise up and swirl her tongue around it in a way that made my eyes roll back in my head.

  She was also using her pleasure talent to keep me on the edge, little tiny sparks of pleasure from her hot tongue, and her hands on my body. She teased me a long time that morning, perhaps because we had a comfortable bed for once and weren’t in a hurry to leave.

  She sucked hard on the tip, concaving her cheeks, and begged me to fill her mouth with her bright green eyes. It was a signal that she was done teasing me, and I could see true desire in her eyes for me to finish on her tongue, and splash the back of her throat. Her hand cupped and rolled my balls, and her nails teased my taint as sparks of pleasure left her hand, then she started to bob up and down on my cock faster and faster, slightly gagging each time I pushed up against her throat.

  The pleasure was almost too much, my heart was racing, and my body was tingling.

  She didn’t deep throat me, it was something she was still working on, but I didn’t mind in the least. It gave her other hand room, which was twisting and jerking my base in time to her bobbing head, and the three feelings of pleasure combined after the teasing had me racing headlong toward completion in just seconds.

  “Regina,” I breathed as I arched my back and pushed into her sweet wet and hot mouth.

  She moaned in approval, and as I went over the edge she gave me an extra hard push with her magic, raising the intensity to a mind-blowing state of bliss. There were no average orgasms with Regina, with her power they were all mind-blowing. She moaned and trembled slightly, as she swallowed down each pulse of my essence.

  I knew she enjoyed giving me orgasms a lot, but I knew her little mini-orgasm was most likely from her magical ability instead of that, and the backwash of pleasure she enjoyed from my own.

  She milked and sucked me softly, with my head lying on her tongue, and didn’t stop until she was sure that she’d swallowed every drop. Then she lovingly cleaned me with her tongue, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.

  “Good morning.”

  I smiled, “Thanks to you.”

  She giggled naughtily, and blushed at the same time.

  “I really enjoy that, having total control of your pleasure I mean, and the way you feel in my mouth.”

  I nodded, and understood it, I felt the same way about going down on her.

  Which I would have done, if she hadn’t mounted and impaled herself on me then. I guessed we were getting a very late start today, and I sure as hell didn’t mind. My Regina was just as insatiable on day six, and if anything, a little more wanton and wild as she aggressively surrendered her body to me. I’d have guessed at the time, that it had to do with our conversations yesterday, and being engaged now, but it didn’t occur to me until later. I was in no condition to think at all, at the time…

  The inn was quiet as we headed downstairs for a late breakfast. Most of the travelers had already moved on, and I relaxed slightly when there were no signs of the baron’s guards in the common room. I figured we’d run out of luck at some point, but so far, the first half of the journey had been trouble free.

  We sat down, and the same girl from last night brought our breakfast out. We didn’t talk, we were already late getting back on the road, but we did exchange a lot of silly smiles. I was one of those people, and completely wrapped around Regina’s little finger. Luckily, she was equally besotted, and wrapped around something of mine quite often as well.

  It was a crude thought, and we were so much more than that to each other, but it was also true. She’d gone from sex starved virgin to wild nymph overnight, and couldn’t get enough. I couldn’t get enough of her either.

  We finished up breakfast, and I left a copper tip as we left the inn and headed toward the stables.

  We quickly saddled the horses, and started out on the road. Our normal easy conversation started up after we’d gone about a mile, and put the village behind us.

  Regina said, “This second half we have to be warier. The routes between the three main cities are watched more carefully than the road between Dulcier and Eastguard. We could run into guards heading back and forth to the city, or be ambushed by bandits, or even elven scouting parties.”

  I got the first two.

  “Scouting parties?”

  Regina nodded, “Eastguard draws large companies of elves or dark elves when they counter-attack Desal, but I’ve heard they have smaller scouting parties that keep an eye on military movements. No doubt trying to spy out when we move large amounts of troops their way.”

  I shook my head, “It seems like such a waste. Are the elves even interested in our land?”

  She shook her head, “They like the forest, and we don’t want their land either, but I suppose they’re doing it for the same reason King Hanson does, to keep us in check. Kingdoms butt heads at the borders, but I agree with you, it is a waste.”

  It seemed stupid, but again, Earth wasn’t much different. It’s only in modern times that invasions are rare and borders have become so accepted and sacrosanct. In the past, invasions were far more commonplace. Then there’s the middle east, they’ve been butting heads at their borders for millennia, so it was impossible for me to really judge this new world for it. People were people, and this place wasn’t all that much different, just far more primitive in the sciences.

  I was also a little concerned about bandits, neither one of us was a warrior, and we had no weapons on us. I could knock people out if they came close, but I was under no illusions I couldn’t be overwhelmed quickly by numbers.

  Regina was so beautiful, and she awed me. The idea of her submitting and obeying seemed old-fashioned, but she was clearly okay with and even thrilled by the concept of being mine. I’d never even consider abusing the authority she gave me, and in a real way it humbled me and made me want to be a better person. To be worthy of such a thing. Giving me children, taking care of me and my needs, my house, that was her ambition. It seemed almost wrong, but if she was happy, and she was truly joyful to be mine, how could I not accept it?

  Still, I worried, I was also supposed to protect her, that was my part of things, but I was a physician who refused to take a life, in a violent world that still lived by the sword. I thought about that a lot, and how I was partially leaving her and my safety up to chance. I was far more worried about her, and her absolute faith in me made me determined to figure something out. If anything happened to her, it would kill me.

  I could handle two, maybe three people, that was it, and only if they didn’t have bows.

  She asked, “What are you thinking about so hard.”

  I grunted, “We need allies.”

  She nodded, “We’ll find them in Eastguard, if we’re careful.”

  I agreed with that, I was just worried about right then, and what would happen if we ran into bandits, soldiers, or even elves. We’d been extraordinarily lucky the last six days, and I couldn’t help but feel like it couldn’t last another five.

  I pushed it all out of my mind, there was nothing I could do about it for the moment, and then I changed the subject.

  We talked about hobbies, and I asked about music and entertainment on this world. There were plays, and concert halls in the main cities. She got a kick out of my explanation of golf, and in t
urn told me about her enjoyment of star gazing, and how she liked to design and make her own clothes. I was a bit surprise to hear she’d designed and made most of the lingerie I’d seen on display on the day I met her.

  We talked the day away, even as I kept a nervous eye out for any party crashers. There weren’t any though, and at the end of the day we got off the road. She set up a cook fire, but she kept it small and guarded it from casual view from the road, while I refilled the water skins at a creek, and got the tent set up.

  It was another wonderful day, and I kept waiting for the bill. Since I’d already been thinking about tomorrow’s ride, that bill came due sooner than I expected…

  Chapter Eleven

  The night sky was beautiful, and we’d allowed the fire to go out to keep us hidden from anyone still on the road. Our camp would be impossible to see from the road in this darkness. I had my head resting on my pack, and was lying on the ground outside.

  Regina was on her side, plastered against my side, with her head resting on my shoulders as we watched the night sky. It was foreign to me, none of the stars looked right, and there were no familiar constellations. It was still beautiful, and there was a glowing green nebula close by that was visible to the naked eye.

  “This is nice,” she breathed into my ear, her hand wandered my chest.

  “I’m liking this hobby a lot too, or maybe just you in my arms.”

  She grinned, “I bet you’ll like the other one too, once I get some supplies and lace.”

  I nodded in easy agreement, “Feel free to model your clothes for me anytime.”

  She giggled.

  We both froze as we heard a loud female scream of rage, maybe fifty yards away.

  I debated with myself, and decided it was more dangerous not to know.

  “I’ll be right back, going to see who our neighbors are.”

  She shrugged, “It could be anyone, we’re not even a day’s travel from the city.”

  I nodded, and stood up. I wondered how I didn’t hear them set up camp, maybe they were farther away than it seemed?