Chapter 13: Testing the Suspension

~~~

Nine's kiss only deepened as the seconds passed, and I had no objection. I pulled one of my arms out from the covers to cup her cheek and pull her slightly closer. One hand of hers fiddled with my hair as the other slid down and undid the ties of my britches.

She broke away and pulled back a few inches before diving forward and pecking my lips softly.

"Master had a rough night," she said. "Let me help you. Make you feel a little bit better."

Without saying anything, her slender fingers drifted further down, running the length of my already stiff shaft. And then she pulled away from my fingers in her hair and slid my torso to do what I had interrupted her when I had first awoken.

Her mouth was cool, which was a little weird, but her tongue was skilled as she ran it up and down me before going a little bit lower. I groaned as her mouth did things to me that I hadn't imagined.

My hand moved down and tangled in her hair, not even guiding her, just feeling her move up and down on me. I let out a deep breath that I didn't know I had been holding. Half blissed out, I felt my shoulders relax completely, and Nine hummed in contentment.

The humming did interesting things. I felt the vibrations as I was pressed against the back of her throat. She pushed a little harder, and I felt myself pushing' through something tight. Suddenly, the humming surrounded my tip, and I bucked once.

She bobbed her head slightly to ride with me. Her nose almost brushed against the bottom of my shirt. With a pop, she slid off and sat up, giving me a soft smile.

"I think One knows what's going on," she said. "She won't tell me, but you're a lot gentler. Something happened, and One seems so much happier. I won't question it, but I'm going to take advantage of every little bit of it as I can."

For a second, she studies my face, looking for a reaction. Honestly, I was too distracted to fully understand her words for a second. By the time I did, I had schooled my reaction.

Slightly nodding, she leaned forward at the waist to murmur into my face. Then she brushed her fingers over my cheekbones as she swung one leg over my waist. Sitting back up, she reached behind her, gripping my shaft and guiding it towards her entrance. Once everything was lined up, she slowly sank down.

When she finally bottomed out after a several-second descent, I groaned. Without thinking, I grabbed her hips, thrusting that last half inch until I was as deep as I could get. She let out the faintest of whimpers before she began to rock her hips forward and back.

That was too slow for me. Reaching up, I fisted my hand on the back of Nine's hair and pulled her down away from her sitting position so that her head was nestled into the crook of my neck. With her in position, I grabbed her ass and planted my feet. Then I let loose, jackhammering up into her, causing her to let out little gasps with each of my thrusts.

She wiggled a little bit, pulling her head free and bracing her hands on my shoulders. As she looked down at me, her head bobbed a little bit with each thrust. She timed it to reach down and peck my nose with the softest of kisses.

Gasping, her eyes rolled back up in her head as she collapsed back to my chest. Ever so slightly, she began to shake, her fists balling up, clenching around my shirt. That was enough for me, and it pushed me over the edge.

A few moments later, panting, Nine rolled off me and shifted her hips slightly So that I came free with a sucking sound. She pulled out a neckerchief from somewhere, wiping me clean before doing up my pants again.

~~~

She lay next to me and let out a sigh. Boneless in the way that her cool body pressed up against mine.

"Good?" I asked.

She tilted her head to look up at me. "Yeah. Very good."

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

I smiled, sitting up for the first time this morning. Reaching over, I gave her chest a playful squeeze. Her eyes shot open in surprise, and she gave me a small smirk.

"Yes, something's definitely different, but that's okay..." She paused for half a second. "Don't let five now, though," she said. And then she practically kipped up and dashed out the door, leaving me alone and surprised as hell. What was that?

My knees were a little shaky when I followed Nine out of the carriage for breakfast. One shot me a knowing smile as she handed me a bowl of bland porridge. Four met my eyes for a brief second before they flicked down to the right with a faint blush, glancing back at Nine, who was already looking down at her food. Following her eyes, I realized that the carriage walls probably didn't mask sound very well.

But Four's reaction surprised me. I didn't know she was so shy; it was shocking. From her relatively low number and One's description of the numbered rolls, it sounded like she had been with me for some time now, but I didn't question it. Perhaps she was playing a role she was supposed to play, or it was just something that made her feel more secure.

Taking the bowl that One offered, I sat down on a log by the fire next to Nine. The servants were off to the side in their own fire where the cooking was actually done. But we paid them no mind as we briefly ate in silence before heading back to get back on the road.

By the time I finished eating and we went back in the carriage, I noticed that Four had already set up the cabin for the day's journey. The beds were raised, and the cushions were put back into place. This day was much like the previous one. But instead of One sitting next to me, Nine did.

She didn't press up on me or sleep on my chest the way One did. But she did lean against me from time to time, and I was always shocked by how cold she was. Even through several layers of clothes, I could feel it. She was chilled even when we were in the throes of passion. The coolness of her skin surprised me. Was it something to do with magic?

I know she had some affinity, but I'd always assumed it was shadows based on the way she dressed and the fact that she worked for me. However, it very well could be some sort of ice thing. I thought about putting my arm around her to try to warm her up but looking around, I realized that it was a comfortable enough atmosphere, and I didn't need to push any further.

Besides, I think it was time to get things rolling, so I leaned forward, putting away my notes. And said, "I think it's time we talked about the plan."

This got everyone's attention, and we gathered close to talking softly so that even the driver wouldn't be able to overhear us. If he was even listening. I hoped the Court’s employees knew better, but I wasn't going to risk it.

"So I have these." I showed them the papers that I had prepared. "And I need to get to the King. I don't care about keeping this cover. I need the King, and maybe his family needs to know who did it, but no one else. The Queen and heir should know enough to keep quiet. If they know it was me, the message will be sent."

One nodded approvingly as I laid out the requirements, and Four and Nine watched passively. After we were all on the same page, I laid out the most rudimentary plan that I could think of.

It was nothing fancy, but in my own words, it was a foolproof plan. As in, I was a fool and didn't know how assassinations worked. But none of them had any real objections. I really hoped that it was because there wasn't anything wrong with my plan rather than they were too afraid to question me. I was pretty sure the One would be willing to call out any bullshit. I would need to make sure she had a chance to tell me privately to make sure that she just wasn't about to question me in front of the others.

The sheer audacity of my plan was a bit astounding. While no one objected to it, they did help me fill in several of the gaps where they could support me, where they could keep watch, where they could make sure I had an out.

After a few minutes of talk, I reached forward and knocked a signal for the driver to halt. A few minutes later, I stepped out of the carriage. "One, come with me."

She smiled and followed me a little way into the forest. Once we were out of earshot from the rest, I stopped and turned around. Before I had a chance to say anything, I felt her lips meet mine. Gently, I put my hands on her shoulders and pushed her down a little. I read surprise in her eyes, and her hands froze on my belt.

"Woah there," I said. "I just want to get your thoughts on the plan?"

The confusion left her eyes, and she shook her head. "Oh."

She reached up and tapped my nose, taking me off guard. She pulled a thinking face, and I asked. "You forgot?"

"I didn't forget who you are and who you are not," One shot me a breathtakingly brilliant smile. "but you carry yourself with the same self-assurance that it didn't occur to me that you might not be that confident."

"So?" I prompted.

"It's a little basic, but with the timeline you set out, there are only so many options. The cover that Five got for you is really good. It was good she had it ready for this job early, or else this would have been a lot more difficult."

One must have read the surprise in my eyes as she twisted and slipped out of my hands and went up on tip-toe to peck my cheek. "You need to be more confident in yourself. You are doing great!"

With those encouraging words, we returned to the ride. Nine looked at us with a raised eyebrow. "That didn't take very long."

One smirked, but I just shook my head. "There was just something we needed to talk about. Nothing to worry about."

She seemed to get the idea.