Page 85 of Wrath of the Oracle

He positioned his rigid shaft against her slippery opening, and Sholei held her breath. Taking his time, he pushed forward, gliding inside her. She opened to him, her arms held onto his toned shoulders, and her eyes stared into his blazing ones. The ardent look he directed at her took her breath away. Her hands lifted to push the dark locks from his sweaty forehead. As he pressed on, his breath became erratic, and his arms trembled around her. His invasion was a little uncomfortable as her body stretched to accommodate him. His mouth lowered to hers and drugged her with fervent kisses as he filled her. Sholei drew a suddenbreath, and the sharp pinch brought tears to her eyes. Buried deep inside her, he whispered foreign words to her ears, his tone gentle and soothing.

Sholei became aware of a pleasant fullness as the pain receded, and her body tingled deliciously. Slowly, he began to move, and her world shifted. Lifting an arm, he ran his hand down the outside of her thigh and cupped her calf before draping it across his back. Tension started to build inside her, as pleasurable as before but more intense. Her hips rose to meet his, and Ojore’s grunt of approval boosted her confidence. Before long, she forgot her reserve and met his thrusts full-on, her body pulling him deeper. Their collective sighs of pleasure permeated throughout the dimly lit cocoon they were in.

As she writhed in ecstasy and welcomed the weight of his body as it sank into hers, Sholei clung to Ojore. Without warning, the sensual tension that built inside her snapped, and she lost control and spiraled into a mysterious abyss of pleasure so intense it robbed her of breath. She held onto Ojore as her body splintered into pieces, her mind incapable of forming a single thought. Somewhere above her, she heard him groan, and he shuddered against her. Slowly, Sholei floated back to earth. He lifted his weight from her and moved to her side as he pulled her backside to his front and wrapped his arms around her.

For a while, everything was quiet except for the crackling of the wood on the fire, and their tempered breathing returned to normal. Sholei felt warm and languid in Ojore’s arms. She couldn’t believe how light and satiated she became.

“Did I hurt you?” Ojore’s deep voice reached to her ears. She turned, and the look of intense gratification in his eyes caused her belly to flop. His eyes turned to a warm color, the fire behind them gone.

“It was wonderful.” She shook her head, and heat crept to her neck at her candid statement. Ojore smiled at her, his long finger lifted her chin.

“You should sleep.” His face lowered, and he bumped his nose against hers. Sholei sighed at the tender display of affection.

“I’m not tired,” she protested, her eyes lingered on the seductive curve of his mouth. Ojore planted a soft kiss on her swollen lips. Sholei raised her head to deepen the kiss. Ojore groaned and pulled back.

“You should rest,” he urged again, his words lacking conviction, and his eyes glazed with desire. Sholei cupped the back of his head and pulled him down to her. Ojore moaned. His lips captured hers in a searing kiss as he pushed her back into the warm covers.

Sholei awoke, and her body ached in delicious ways. Sometime in the night, Ojore pulled her into his embrace again and took her body to new heights of pleasure. Morning light filtered inside the room, and a fire burned in the pit. She patted the side of Ojore’s bed to find it empty and cold.

“My Lady,” Mueni called, and Sholei turned to her. Mueni sat beside the bed, a wide smile on her face.

“Where is Ojore?” Sholei cleared her throat and pulled the covers close to her chest, conscious of her naked state. She sat up and gazed around the room. No one else was about. Why didn’t he wake her up?

“He left to receive delegates from the Dembe capital.” Mueni came to Sholei’s side and placed a loose robe on her naked shoulders. “He promised tojoin you for the midday meal once he’s finished with the morning court session.”

As Sholei went through her morning toilet, her thoughts were on the new direction of her relationship with Ojore. It would be difficult to part with him when the time came. With the incoming of more officials from Dembe, the transition period was about to end, and a new ruler would be selected. Soon they would leave for Dembe and once she received her merits, she would go to Faye Islands. Ojore hadn’t agreed to her request, but Sholei hoped she could convince him. Her life seemed to find ground at last. If Musembi would join her, everything would be perfect. Tula’s eyes flashed before her eyes, and Sholei’s heart squeezed.

Where are you?Sholei whispered into the air.

“Did you say something?” Mueni asked as she rubbed Sholei’s back.

“No, nothing,” Sholei answered. She didn’t have anyone to consult about her friend’s whereabouts. She considered going back to Tula’s home, but the reception she received the last time she was there was fresh in her mind. It was too risky. She hardly moved outside the palace without a guard, and if she took one to Tula’s home it would aggravate the residents of Mukuru even more.

Should she consult Ojore? Would he help her search for someone who almost crippled his army?

”You promisedthat Prince Ojore wouldn’t leave the grasslands.” Queen Nnandi tapped her long, golden-painted nails on the chair’s armrest. The quick movement of her fingers betrayed her calm demeanor.

“Patience, my queen,” the old man in dark robes and a wide-brim black hat answered, his voice low. He knew better than to disappoint the mother of the Dembe Nation.

“My patience is growing thin.” She stood and walked toward him. Queen Nnandi had dressed down to avoid detection. She couldn’t be caught with the likes of Mzee Chabo, the leader of the Sokwe Society. It was the dead of night, and she left the palace with her most trusted guard. They rode horses deep into the mountains to meet with the leader of the assassins.

“Prince Ojore will die in the savannah. He can’t survive for long,” Mzee Chabo lowered his head.

“How? He is busy holding court in Mukuru Kingdom. Ojore has survived several assassinations, and his father is urgently recalling him back home.” She came to stand before him. “Forgive me if I fail to see the return on the gold I have given out for this task.”

Mzee Chabo raised his head and caught a glimpse of the queen. Her beauty was well-known throughout the land, but few knew of her lethal ways.

“There are other ways Sokwe Society can help Prince Kengani inherit the throne.” He tried to suggest another way to help the queen achieve her goal.

“Silence.” Queen Nnandi turned her head fast enough for the cap adorning her head to fall, revealing a mass of inky dark hair. “You are not to mention the name of the prince ever again. Remember your place.” He saw her angry reflection in a puddle of water in the moonlight.

”Forgive me.” Mzee Chabo bent forward. “We have information that Prince Ojore is interested in a girl.”

“How is that important?” Queen Nnandi ran her long gold-painted nails through her thick hair.

“He heavily protects this woman. She hardly leaves his side. I have done some digging and found out she’s a physician from Mukuru. A very gifted physician,” he went on.

“Wait,” she recalled. “Is she the same woman who helped cure the military camp’s epidemic?”

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