Chapter THIRTY SIX

"Princess, you have to leave, now!"

Sami shook her head, the necklaces around her neck tinkled musically. "I will not leave my people!"

"The Turks are at our door, your highness," said her hand maiden, face etched in concern.

"You go," Sami urged her.

"I cannot leave you."

"I command you to, go, save yourself!"

The woman backed away reluctantly, shaking her head.

"Go," Sami ordered her, "I'll be alright."

With a last hopeless look at her mistress the young woman fled the room. Sami grabbed up her veil, wrapping it over her head and around her shoulders. The fitted pink and purple bodice of her top stopped just above her belly button, exposing pale flesh until the voluminous drapes of her matching ornate skirt began. She was barefoot, anklets adorning her ankles so she made music as she moved. The sounds of fighting were becoming louder as the fighting was brought to the very door of the King's house.

Sami snatched up a knife and ran out her chamber door. Her heart beat wildly as she ran down the long, richly decorated corridors of a kingdom about to fall. At the top of a wide balcony she looked down at the foyer below just in time to see the Turks burst through the door and take on the royal guard. The invaders flooded in, eager to claim their new possessions. Some were on foot, swords drawn; others were on horseback as they flooded the hopelessly overwhelmed protectors of her home.

Sami's eyes locked with a dark haired man on a giant palomino who had led the charge into her home. His skin was dark against the white clothes. She gasped at seeing the fire and wild intent in those brown depths. Even from this great distance Sami could feel the power of this man. She turned and ran, the only way she could, up to the roof. She looked back over her shoulder to see the man and his horse galloping up the stairs and her heart began to beat in over time. Sami ran as fast as she could, conscious of the sound of clattering hooves on the polished mosaic floors bearing down on her. She was almost at the stairs to the roof, stairs too small for the horse to navigate, when strong arms encircled her and pulled her from the ground. Sami struggled in the man's arms as he slowed the horse.

"No, no, no!" she screamed at him but there was only a deep laugh in response.

He slid from the horse, Sami still in his arms. She went to break free but he simply threw her over his shoulder. He kicked open the door to one of the many bedrooms on that floor and strode inside, his unwilling passenger still over his shoulder. Once inside Sami managed to wiggle free of him, falling to the ground. She leapt to her feet, producing the knife.

"Stay away from me!" she yelled at her capture.

He laughed, the sound rich and luxurious. "I see my prickly pear is especially prickly today."

In some part of her mind Sami knew this was a dream and that she was talking to EJ, but everything felt so real she couldn't do anything about it.

Sami waved the knife at him. "If you come any closer I'll kill you!"

EJ cocked his head and looked at her thoughtfully at the threat. "Is that right, princess?"

He took a step forward and Sami took a hasty step back. EJ advanced on her, Sami backing up until the wall behind her ensured she had no place to go. She held the knife up with a shaking hand as EJ continued to close in on her. Sami was forced to crane her head right back as he loomed over her, standing toe to toe with her now. Her knife was at EJ's throat, but he didn't seem to care, just looked down at her with those unblinking, dark eyes of his.

"I'll do it," she whispered hoarsely, the blade of her knife pressing into the flesh of EJ's neck.

"No you won't."

Sami's lips tightened. "What makes you so sure?"

"Because you want what I can give you."

"You don't have anything I want!"

"Liar," he purred. "I have everything you want." EJ's warm gaze swept her body. "Just like you have everything I want."

Sami pressed the knife harder against his throat. "You can never have me!" The waver in her voice undid the conviction of her words. "You'll have to kill me first!"

"I know," said EJ throatily, "you'd rather I take it from you and then you can pretend you had nothing to do with it, that your heart doesn't want this as much as your body does."

Sami gasped in distress. "That isn't true! I don't want this!"

"You're too frightened to want this, alley cat. You're frightened of what will happen to your heart if you give it away."

"I'd never give you my heart!" Sami spat out at him. "You're nothing but a thief who delights in taking what isn't his."

"Then kill me and be done with it," EJ challenged her. He leant forward, pressing the knife even harder against his throat. "Kill me, Samantha, and prove to me what you're saying is true."

Sami's hand began to shake violently, her eyes filling with tears as she tried to take up his challenge. All she had to do was move the knife less than half an inch and EJ's throat would be cut and this would be all over, she'd be safe. EJ stood there, not moving to protect himself in any way, his eyes never leaving her. Sami gave a groan, her body wilting as she finally gave in, knowing she couldn't do it. EJ's hand snaked up and encircled her hand with the knife, taking it from her. Sami leant back against the wall, looking up at him as her shoulders sagged in defeat.

A small smile played around EJ's lips at her inability to kill him, despite her threats. "My beautiful liar," he purred. EJ reached out with the knife, resting the very tip of it against Sami's quivering lips. "Such sweet lies fall from these luscious lips of yours, sweetheart, it makes a man want to taste you completely so he can know the truth at last."

"Take what you want and then leave me alone," Sami said hoarsely, "but you'll never have what you want from me willingly."

EJ arched an eyebrow. "That sounds like a challenge, alley cat." EJ dragged the tip of the knife very lightly across Sami's skin, from her lips, down her chin and neck until he was at the little dip of her collar bone. The blade, despite its sharpness, felt like more like a caress and Sami felt her breath begin to roughen. Her body had already responded to EJ's close proximity and there was a dull ache between her thighs that cried out for some satisfaction. EJ licked his lips slowly. "And I do love a challenge."

The knife continued its downward journey, trailing between Sami's breasts until it was at the bottom of her midriff bodice. EJ held her gaze unblinkingly as he slid the blade under the material and drew it upwards. The material of her bodice cut like butter with the sharp knife as EJ cut it in two. Sami was frozen to the spot, unable to stop him and not wanting to even if she could. Still with the tip of the knife, EJ eased the two pieces back to expose her breasts. Sami watched his face tighten and a hungry flare of desire fill EJ's eyes. She moaned loudly as EJ circled first one then the other tip of her breast. Her nipples hardened into painful buds, liking the attention as his blade scraped over them.

Sami's breathing was coming in short pants now as EJ's knife end continued on the downward journey. It tickled down her bare stomach until it was at the top of her skirt. Sami closed her eyes and couldn't stop the moans falling from her lips as she felt EJ cut her skirt from her body as well. Suddenly she was naked before him, trapped in a delicious prison of his body. Sami was on fire. She could hear breathy, panting moans of need coming from afar and knew they were hers but could do nothing about it. A throbbing had begun between her legs that was getting stronger and EJ hadn't even touched her yet. Her eyes flew open when she felt the knife tip scrape against the delicate flesh of her inner thigh.

EJ was watching her reaction with intense interest, his breath warm on her face. "You know what I want you to do, Samantha." The blade travelled higher, making the blood course in Sami's veins.

"No," she groaned even as her body began to betray her.

EJ moved so his lips were against her ear. "Cum for me, cum for me now, Samantha."

The blade tip had reached the apex of her thighs, dragging itself along her wetness and swollen folds. Sami was unable to control her body's response to this teasing invasion. The throbbing between her legs burst into new life, nerve endings sending searing fissures of pleasure to her most secret places. Sami cried out and grabbed EJ's shoulders for support as her knees buckled. Her climax was short but so intense Sami could see stars. EJ withdrew the knife and gave a pleased growl to see it coated in the juices of her arousal and climax. Making sure she was watching he slowly licked the knife clean, savouring every drop of her. Sami could only lean against the wall, half caught between it and EJ's body and watch him, as she struggled to catch her breath.

The sounds of fighting and men shouting could still be heard all around them, from the corridors outside and the streets below but Sami had difficulty hearing them over the sound of her thunderous heartbeat. EJ stepped back and dropped the knife. Sami looked up at him with wide eyes, fearful that her punishment for her lies had only begun, but even more terrified he'd stop.

EJ took hold of Sami's hips, moving her away from the wall and backing her up towards a small balcony that over looked the city below. He picked her up and deposited her on the narrow stone railing. Sami's naked backside felt the coldness of the stone which was quickly warmed with the warmth of her body. She looked back over her shoulder to see the city streets, three stories below, filled with men at war. It was a bloody mixture of men , horses and drawn swords. Sami moved to get off her precarious perch, conscious of the fact that a fall from this height would kill her in an instant.

EJ stopped her, his hands tightening on her hips and keeping Sami in that position. He leaned in closer to her, so that his face was level with hers. "Give yourself to me," he ordered her.

Sami gave a helpless groan, knowing she was going to comply. It didn't matter that anyone could look up and see her naked body being ravaged by one this man, it didn't matter that she was completely at his mercy. All that mattered was for EJ to finish what he started.

EJ leant Sami right back, his hands moving up her waist and fingers splaying out across her back to support her. Sami was now dangling precariously over the side of the balcony, almost upside down. The only thing between her and certain death was EJ's hold on her. Sami's heart beat wildly with a mixture of fear and arousal, the two mixing together in a thrilling confusion of emotion. Her legs instinctively wrapped around EJ's neck to have something to hold onto. She felt his heated groan at her actions against her aching core, EJ's face buried between her thighs. Sami was unable to do anything but wait for EJ's next move, quivering in helpless anticipation. EJ didn't make her wait long. Sami gave a long, appreciative moan as she felt his tongue stroke her slippery folds. He lapped at the juices he found there, driving Sami mad with pleasure. EJ's clever tongue found her nub next, swollen and already overly sensitive from her first climax. Sami made a strangled cry as EJ's rough tongue tortured it with his ministrations.

Sami's head was beginning to spin, both from her upside down position and what EJ was doing to her body. The throbbing was back again, this time promising an even more gut wrenching end for her. Sami's opening pulsated, eager for attention but EJ was taking his time with the little distended piece of flesh, teasing it mercilessly. Sami squirmed against his attack, paroxysms of pleasure making it hard for her to care about her precarious position. Despite everything she'd said to him, Sami knew EJ would never let her fall. Her life was in his hands and she knew there was no safer place in the world.

Finally EJ's tongue found her opening and he plundered her depths eagerly. Sami moaned her approval as his tongue flickered in and out of her, making her walls begin to bear down in time to his penetrations. Her body felt like a musical instrument and EJ the maestro. He continued to play her, her body giving up its sweet music to him, but as close as her body came to that final crescendo Sami couldn't seem to claim that last peak. She writhed against him, squeezing her knees together tightly around EJ's head, desperate for her release as EJ worked her body hard but her climax remained elusive.

Sami groaned so loudly in frustration at being denied that she actually woke herself up. She sat bolt upright on the ground and looked around her, cheeks heated with embarrassment and arousal. Her heart was beating like a wild thing from her dream as she looked around to see if EJ and Tosh had caught her out. Tosh was to her left, lying face down on the grass, a near empty bottle of vodka tucked under his arm and snoring gently. Sami blew out a shaky breath of relief that her wayward dreams hadn't woken him. Almost fearfully she looked around for EJ. To her great surprise he was nowhere to be seen. Sami's body was a throbbing powder keg of unsatisfied desires and she could almost scream from the sheer frustration she was feeling right then.

"It's okay," she whispered to herself, "dreams fade, you're not going to remember this."

But the longer she sat there, the more of her dream came back to her. Sami groaned and buried her head in her hands as she relived every bone shattering detail in her head, again and again, knowing there was no escape.