Calrain moved toward her, his silver gaze burning with intensity. He was still hard, and as Tariel was still warmed up from her bout with Riann, she opened her arms, intending to take him directly insideher.
But Calrain did not enter her immediately. Instead, he took his time, kissing and stroking her, using his mouth and hands to explore her curves. Little shivers of pleasure raced across her body as he found sensitive spots she didn’t know she had—her earlobe, the crook of her neck, the inside of her thigh. His warm breath ghosted over her wet folds as he kissed her very close to thatspot.
“I have dreamed of touching you like this for so long,” he said, lifting his head to look at her. He pinned her with a look that took her breath away, and the sight of him kneeling between her legs made her ache even more fiercely for him. Sitting up, she curled her hands around his hips and pulled him to her until his manhood nudged at herentrance.
Calrain hissed as he sank into her, his eyes sliding half shut with pleasure. He braced his hands on either side of Tariel as he buried himself inside her, and she gasped as he slid in even deeper than Riann had. She tightened her grip on his hips, but there was no need to encourage him—he was already thrusting inside her, the bed rocking beneath him as he sent shockwaves of pleasure throughher.
“Faster,” she gasped, clinging to him. He was not as heavy as Riann, so she was able to move more freely beneath him, urging him on with her body. His cheeks were flushed, his silver gaze hot. She had never seen him so wild, and his passion made her burn even hotter. Reaching up, she gripped his hair hard and pulled his mouth down to hers. He kissed her fiercely, his tongue tangling with hers, and in that moment, as she lost herself in the taste and scent and feel of him, there was no one else butthem.
This time, when the climax hit Tariel, it was even more intense than the last. Calrain came at the same time. As the bond between them snapped into place, power surged through her body, as if a floodgate opened, and she gasped as every nerve ending in her body awakened. Her senses heightened, boundless energy flowing through her veins, and she felt more alive thanever…
“By the gods,” Calrain exclaimed, pulling back a little so he could look down at her. “You’reglowing!”
Tariel looked down at herself to see that, indeed, she was enveloped in the same purple light she’d grown to associate with her magic. But this light was somehow purer, and more powerful. Sitting up, she ran her hands down her naked body, marveling. Her skin was smoother, the few blemishes she’d had were wiped away, and she even felt physicallystronger.
“How do the two of you feel?” she asked, looking at hermen.
“Like I could lift a horse,” Calrain said, grinning at Riann. “I thought you were exaggerating, but you were right. I feel so muchstronger!”
“I think making love to me makes you more resilient,” Tariel said. “Zolotais told me that a mage’s lovers enjoy longer lives, faster healing, and almost never growill.”
Their eyes widened. “That is quite a boon,” Riann said, sliding a hand through his hair. He looked at her in wonder. “Just being with you and going on grand adventures would have been enough, butthis…”
“Is more than we could have hoped for,” Calrain finished. He took her hand and kissed it. “Thank you,Tariel.”
“No, thankyou,” she said, squeezing his hand. She lifted her other hand, and with a little bit of focus, conjured a glowing ball of light. “I cannot wait to see what I can do now that I have access to all mymagic.”
The three of them burrowed beneath the blankets together, the heat of their activities fading away, and discussed what to do next. They agreed that since Tariel’s wedding was set for the day after next, they would flee tomorrow night, after everyone in the castle went tobed.
“We’ll use tomorrow to get our affairs in order and gather supplies,” Riann said. “I must also visit my sister and give her the gold. Since this is to be goodbye, I must go to see her inperson.”
“How will we escape?” Calrain asked. “You have a horse, but she is in no condition for hard running. Are we going to steal from thestables?”
“Yes,” Tariel confirmed. Her stomach twisted at the idea, especially since horse theft was a capital crime, but they had no choice. “I can disguise us as guards.” She waved a hand, bringing up the image of one of the guards in her mind’s eye, and suddenly Calrain was a muscular, armored man with dark brown hair and a thick beard. He yelped, looking down at himself, and Tariel laughed, dispelling the illusion as quickly as she’d broughtit.
“That was incredible,” Riann said. “Can you dome?”
Tariel grinned, then waved her hand again. Riann cried out as he suddenly transformed into a voluptuous, naked woman, but his protests quickly faded to fascination. “These are quite nice,” he said, squeezing his new breasts. His voice even sounded different, a feminine purr quite different from his deeptimbre.
Calrain snickered, and Tariel rolled her eyes, dispelling the illusion. “This is actually much easier than it was before,” she said. “I believe I can hold these illusions for some time now. So long as we act the part, we should have notrouble.”
“Even so, we might run into trouble if we impersonate our own guards and run into them,” Calrain said. “And the horses here will be missed quickly, no matter how clever we are. What if we took them from Lord Sowell’s stables first? Since he is so big and fat, he likely has some very strong beaststhere.”
“True, and there will be fewer guards to contend with,” Riann said. “We will have to walk there, however, and that will take us about anhour.”
They spent a few more minutes working out the details, then reluctantly took their leave, promising to meet here again tomorrow night. Tariel kissed them both goodbye, then slipped back into her room, where she would spend a final night. She left the abacus upstairs, to retrieve tomorrow—she had already packed for the trip, and had hidden her small pack upstairs in case anyone came into her room to lookaround.
As she lay in her bed, her body still humming with energy, she stared at the ceiling and thought about what they had done. She should feel guilty about making love with two men at once—after all, she was a fallen woman now! But all she could feel was a sweeping satisfaction that Lord Sowell would not be able to claim her virginity, even if she did marryhim.
The door banged open just as she was falling asleep, and she bolted upright in bed as Caralina, one of the ladies assigned to watch over her, stormedin.
“What is the meaning of this?” Tarielcried.
The woman grasped her arm, her nails digging in hard enough to hurt. “Where were you?” she demanded. “I came in to check on you, and you weren’t in your bed! I was nearly ready to sound thealarm.”
Tariel’s pulse hammered with fear. “I went to the privy,” she said, yanking her arm from the woman’s painful grip. “I have been feeling unwell. My upcoming nuptials have my stomach in quite a state.” She pressed a hand against her abdomen, feigningnausea.
Caralina narrowed her eyes. “I suppose it’s possible I could have missed you on your way back,” she said. “Even so, I’m not entirely sure I believe you. I’ll be assigning a maid to keep an eye onyou.”
