‘Tired, but she’ll be fine. The flux drained her the same as the other mages, and impressive as it was, the repeated casting didn’t help either,’ said the tired healer, rising from her chair to bow.
‘No need for formalities. Is that why she’s still sleeping?’ I gestured for the healer to stop bowing, too tired for court theatrics.
‘I gave her a sleeping draught. No one could cast, so I used a potion to replenish her body. She should wake up soon.’
‘Good.’ I nodded, approaching the bed. ‘Get some rest, but on your way, tell the innkeeper to send a maid with water. I need to wash.’ The woman bowed again and left the room while I continued towards the bed. Sana looked exhausted but unharmed. I had to fight the overwhelming need to wrap her in my arms and hold her until the terror of seeing her collapse disappeared from my heart.
‘You are my greatest weakness, little Viper,’ I whispered, brushing a strand of her hair with one finger. When she murmured my name, I had to turn and walk away. I was sweaty, stinking of charred wood and wet wool, with my shirt stuck to my body in all the wrong places.
I was halfway to the door to shout for water when the first servant rushed in with a steaming bucket. Several more followed, and before I knew it, the bath was ready, even if I could barely squeeze into the tub designed for an average person.
I didn’t bother dressing myself afterwards, simply sliding under the covers, wrapping my arms around Roksana, and resisting the urge to crush her against my chest. My throatbobbed as I swallowed hard, struggling with the wave of relief that threatened to unmake me.
I needed this. I neededher.
The sounds from outside, the chatter of the soldiers bursting from the inn’s dining room, faded away as I buried my nose in Sana’s hair, losing myself in her presence. This woman, unaware of the turmoil she created in my heart, turned around and wrapped her leg over my hip in a gesture so possessive it made me grin.
‘Good girl. Claim what’s yours,’ I whispered in her ear, letting the joy of the moment seep in as I lazily stroked her back.
She arched, pressing closer, her nose wrinkling when my chest hair tickled. ‘Rey?’ she murmured, stretching and rubbing her cheek over my skin, still flushed and soft from the bath. ‘This must be a dream; war could never smell so sweet.’
‘I bathed for you.’ Blurting out the words like an idiot, I blushed. I couldn’t believe it; Reynard, the War King and monstrous berserker, blushing like a virgin suitor. Roksana moved, brushing against me. I was hard for her, all thoughts of cuddling until the sun set, demolished by the first touch of her silky skin.
Understanding dawned in Sana’s eyes, but when she raised her head from my chest, my name wasn’t the one on her lips. ‘Tova?’
The fear in her voice pained me, but I had the perfect answer to dispel her worries. ‘Alive and kicking, currently searching for a metal box with my soldiers. Also, he’s lauded as a warlock and a hero.’ My light-hearted tone made her frown for a moment before her lips twitched in a relieved smile.
‘Does he know?’ She grinned, placing her head back on my chest. My fingers caressed Sana’s cheek, making her sigh. With a grin, I held her head, rolling over until she lay on her back, eyes wide as she looked up at me.
‘He doesn’t, but, more importantly, I should put you over my knee for worrying me,’ I said, only half joking.
‘I had to… The mist crept up without our knowledge and the aether within it… Gods, if it had touched us.’ She wrapped her hands around my neck, pulling me down. Her lips parted as they touched mine, and I groaned, disarmed by her softness but not surrendering yet.
‘Why were you travelling here in the first place?’ I muttered, a hand sliding over the curve of her hip.
‘I had to come. Tova said he was on the cusp of understanding the schemata. He just needed a sample of one of the materials, something more than marks on the paper,’ Sana said, looking up defiantly.
‘Maybe I should lock up our newly discovered warlock in the dungeon again. Only then will I be sure you are safe.’
Sana threw her head back and laughed before giving me a sharp look. ‘You are not being serious, are you?’ she asked, her fingers tangling in my hair as she pulled me back to her neck.
‘No, I’m not serious.’ I nipped her earlobe before whispering, ‘You should rest, Viper. Stop teasing me.’
‘I’ve rested long enough, and you’ll sleep better if you relieve this twitching tension that keeps tapping my thigh,’ she answered, stretching with such a sweet purr my resistance crumbled. Her body welcomed me, warm, soft, and eager as I caressed her thigh. My muscles trembled from exhaustion, but I wanted her too much to let the pain cool my ardour.
‘Lie on your side,’ she murmured, finger tightening in my chest hair as she pushed. I complied, initially confused when our bodies parted, but as Roksana lay beside me, her delicious rear pressed against my hips. The moment her legs parted, my brain started working, and my hips moved forward, the tight velvet channel wrapping around my manhood.
‘Yes, my liege, just like that,’ she whispered when I began rocking back and forth.
I held Sana’s rounded hips as if my life depended on it, without fearing I might crush her under my weight. Unable to help myself, I leaned in, kissing the slope of her shoulder, growling softly when Roksana moved my hand to the soft flesh of her breast. It felt so fucking good I could barely hold back my desire, and yet there was a peace in our joining, in the slow, deliberate movement of my cock as it slid in and out of her body.
Sana turned to me, her lips finding mine in a long, languid kiss. Our lips parted before she whispered, her voice breathless with need, ‘I want your hands to caress me. I need you to touch me, Rey… please.’
Without waiting for my answer, she took my hand and slipped it between her legs, both submitting to my touch and taking control.
It was intoxicating.
I swallowed the quiet gasps and frantic moans she made as my fingers teased her sex. Sana’s hips jerked instinctively against my hand, desire driving her every move. I almost gave in to the urge to thrust faster, but loving her felt too good to rush.
