“Attack!” she cried, and Riann and Yarim spurred their mounts forward. Anger built inside her, fueling her magic, and she swiped her hand again and again, throwing the bandits from their mounts to either be trampled underfoot or finished off by Riann orYarim.
“Are you sure that was really necessary?” Calrain asked once the carnage was finished. Several of the bandits had run off, escaping Tariel’s wrath, but six lay on the ground, their lifeblood soaking into the dirt. “They would haveretreated.”
“Only to attack another innocent victim,” Tariel said tightly. “I am quite fed up with allowing ruffians to roam the land unchecked, targeting those too helpless to protect themselves. It is high time someone did something aboutthem.”
“Too right,” Riann agreed, wiping his sword on the back of one of the bandit’s shirts. “The more of these scum we kill now, the less we will have to worry about themlater.”
Calrain still looked a bit doubtful, but nevertheless, he got off his horse and helped the others search the bandits for belongings. They left the weapons, as they were too heavy to carry, but did take a sizable purse from the leader. Tariel felt a bit guilty about profiting off stolen money, but it wasn’t as if she could return it to its rightful owner. If they left it here, someone else could come along and takeit.
Finished with the bandits, they continued their journey until nightfall, then camped near a waterfall in the shelter of the woods not far from the road. There, they took turns bathing in the icy water, then climbed up to the top, where they found a large cavern with sufficient room to pitch Yarim’s tents. Tariel used her magic to mask the fire they lit, and they roasted a brace of rabbits that they had killed along theway.
“You know,” Riann said, getting to his feet. He stretched his arms overhead and yawned loudly. “I think I’m going to have a bit of a walk before bed. All this riding has made my legsstiff.”
“I agree,” Calrain said quickly, standing as well. “Mind if I come along withyou?”
“Certainly.” Riann caught Yarim’s eyes, and something passed between them. “You’ll take good care of her while we’regone?”
Yarim nodded. “I will guard her with mylife.”
The two exited the cave, leaving Tariel and Yarim alone. For a minute, the crackling fire and the slow exhale of their breaths were the only sounds in the place. Tariel met Yarim’s gaze, and warmth spread through her limbs as he stared back at her. His violet eyes were even more captivating than usual as they reflected thefirelight.
“Come here,” he said softly, reaching forher.
Tariel did, her pulse fluttering in her throat. Yarim gently pulled her into his lap, then ran his fingers through her hair, loosening the braid she had hastily plaited that morning. The inky black locks, identical to his own, spilled freely over her shoulders, and Yarim followed their trail until his hand was resting at the curve of herback.
“It seems as if I’ve been waiting forever to touch you like this,” he murmured, his voice deep and resonant. “But in reality, it has only been a few days since I first laid eyes onyou.”
“I feel the same,” Tariel said, reaching up to trace the curve of his cheekbone. She loved Riann and Calrain, but there was room in her heart for more, and it seemed to swell every time she looked at Yarim. “There was a…connection between us when I looked across the room atyou.”
“Mmm, yes,” he agreed, brushing a feather light kiss over her lips. Tariel sighed, and he did it again, and again, until she was melting into him, her arms wrapping around his neck. Then he kissed her deeply, his tongue stroking hers as he saturated her with his spicy-sweet scent. The warmth in Tariel’s limbs grew into a slow burn, and the space between her legs ached with sweet, persistentneed.
“Ah, ah, ah,” Yarim said, catching her wrist as she reached for the waistband of his trousers. “I intend to fully ravish you before you lay a finger onme.”
Tariel laughed as he stood and carried her into the tent, where his bedroll had already been laid out. “I believe I’ve already laid a finger on you,” she said, tapping the side of his neck as he laid herdown.
He grinned. “That is not the ‘me’ I am referring to,” he said, rocking his hips into hers. Tariel moaned as his bulge ground against her sex, increasing the ache. She reached for his hips, wanting more, but he grabbed both her wrists in one hand and pinned them over herhead.
“You’re a sneaky one,” he said, nibbling on her neck. She whimpered when he dragged his tongue along the same spot, stoking the fire within. “Have you ever used your magic to make a privacybubble?”
Tariel shook her head. “What isthat?”
“It is a way to block out the sound, so that no one hears you as you scream my name with pleasure,” he said in a silky voice that made her even wetter. “It also muffles the sounds outside, so you are not distracted. Do you think you can makeone?”
Tariel frowned, pulling herself out of the moment a bit so she could concentrate. Summoning her magic, she envisioned an invisible bubble wrapping around the tent, preventing sound from coming in or out. A second later, she felt some of her magic leave her, and the air around themrippled.
“There we go,” he said as the thundering noise of the waterfall died to a barely audible roar. “Now we canbegin.”
“No,” Tariel said, giving him a wicked grin. She looked at his clothes, summoning more magic, and after a few seconds of concentration, they vanished off his body. “Nowwe canbegin.”
“You little minx!” Yarim laughed, his eyes gleaming with wicked delight. Tariel eagerly drank up his body—he was perfection, dark skin poured over strong muscles that gleamed in the dim light. A light dusting of dark hairs covered his strong chest and tapered across his abdomen into a thin trail thatled…
“Do you like what you see?” Yarim asked, soundingamused.
Tariel raised an eyebrow. “I might like it better if I could touchit.”
“All in good time,” he assured her. He slid his hands beneath her skirt, and Tariel thought he would nudge her legs open. But instead, those strong, warm hands glided up the outsides of her thighs, then over her hips, lifting her dress as hewent.
“There we go,” he breathed as he pushed her dress up over her head. His eyes darkened with lust as he surveyed her naked form for the first time, and he stared so long that Tariel wondered if he was committing every curve and line to memory. But she did not mind—in fact, her skin grew hotter everywhere that hungry gaze touched her, until she was aching and swollen forhim.
