He ignored the food and clothing stores, ambled Rocky by them. The mare followed obediently and Po, soft female bundle that she was, the arrogant temptress, sat before him making his cock wish it were inside her. This was a dilemma he’d not ever faced before.
Women tended to like him. He and Xander had shared a few, though he’d had most solo in his bed. None of them had been princesses or as theoretically off limits as was Po.
The things he’d already done to her made him feverish for all the wrong reasons.
He halted the black stallion to study the last stall before they passed it.
Was that a giant? A woman taller than he by several feet, and far broader, dressed in pants and flowing shirt with purple flowers, sat cross-legged beside the last stall. On her rounded, muscled shoulders sat two bluebirds, preening themselves or peeking about at the people walking by. They launched into the air to swoop and circle above her.
This was a true stall, with a canvas roof and walls behind a front display of wares on a shelf. On the cloth-draped shelf brightly colored objects were laid in neat rows. He wasn’t sure those were fruit. Were they toys?
The banner above declared, THERAPIST AND TOY SELLER.
Po spoke. “You know, sir, once caught you will be condemned to execution. The laws are impossibly strict when it comes to defiling royalty. Especially me.”
“What?” He glanced down at the head of scarlet curls that represented Po. “Oh. Yes. I know.”
He still had her wrist roped.
This reminded him of his previous thoughts. He loved what he’d done to her for all the wrong reasons—and not, of course, because he might get executed for abducting her, kissing her, and birching her bare ass while she was sexy and squirming on his lap. His toes curled in their boots at the memory; his cock gave a twitch in his pants. Blue balls were apt considering her lineage, and his.
Yes, he’d condemned himself to every nasty punishment in the Bitzocoin legal system, and he gave not one noble fuck. He was here to save his brother. The consequences would be dealt with when and if necessary. If.
In fact, he would do all those bad things to her all over again, except that his rather frayed morals were whispering no to him.
Wait, had she called him, sir? He looked down at her again. Hmmm.
“You should release me. Beg for clemency before the courts, or better yet, before me, and we shall let you go free… to seek your brother.”
We, meaning the royal we.
John sighed. His cock had swelled but so had the royal princess’s head.
“Any guards ahead will have been warned by now. You have heard of semaphore? Signal towers?”
“You are not going to be good when I pass the border checkpoint, are you?”
She was silent and was probably mentally critiquing his planning.
“Yes, I figured that out, finally, Po.” He looked over at the stallholder, who waved.
“My name is Ruth, sir, most interesting traveler!”
“I am?”
“You are.” Wriggling and unfolding her legs, she stood. She towered over him, the horses, and her stall. Above her, the birds circled.
“I’m John.”
“You look in need of aid and therapy.” A grin spread. “Perhaps some of my toys.” She held up what was clearly a pink rubber dildo and waggled it. The thing looked miniscule in her big fingers.
He smirked.
“Oh! My goodness,” Po squeaked. “Is that what I think it is? Disgusting.”
He needed a gag for her, not a dildo. Today, anyway. Tomorrow was another matter. And… that thought ran off and spawned other thoughts. It wouldn’t be enough. Even if she were gagged, they would know her. She was right, word would have reached them of the abduction of Princess Po.
A bag over her head? They would look.
“Come, Princess.” Dismounting, he tugged on the rope leading to her wrist, making her dismount beside him. He left Rocky to his own devices. The horse wouldn’t roam, and the mare would stay by him.
Stepping closer to Ruth, he craned his head to see her eyes—and what lustrous green eyes they were. They reminded him of rumors of a green-eyed dwarf-giant, a dwarf who had suffered a late growth spurt and was shunned by her tribe. A woman who could see the future.
“Ruth?”
“Yes, sir?”
“I believe I have heard of you. You can see the future?”
“Ahhh.” She screwed up her heavy mouth, smacked her lips. “Not really. I am just a very good therapist.”
“Uh huh.” A pity. He could have used a premonition today. Perhaps she’d been here awhile? “Would you, by any chance, have seen some soldiers or soldier types, and a tall man with a cloak or overtunic…” He wasn’t sure what the Storyteller had worn. “… go past in the last few days?”
“I did. They had a coffin with a glass lid, wheeled along on a cart. A fair-haired man was inside.”
John swallowed. No. This cannot be.
“However, I do believe the man inside was not dead.”
He took a deep breath to calm himself. “Okay.”
He let his gaze lower, taking in the array of rubbery things for sexual joy, and a glittery costume of golden chains, made for a woman from the sizing, with a cute
