"Hey." Legacy reached across the table for my hand. "You've got that look again—the one that says you're about to charge headlong into another battle."
"Old habits," I muttered, my head spinning slightly. “And maybe the ale.”
There was no hiding anything from Legacy, not when she had a knack for seeing right through me.
Her fingers squeezed mine.
Varna leaned forward, her hands clasped before her.
"So, I've been thinking," she began, "about what comes next. There are so many out there who have lost everything to the war. Homes, families…hope. What if we offered to mend what's been broken?" Her eyes, alive with fierce resolve, locked onto first mine and then Legacy’s. "I want to help those people. To give them a place where they can find peace, even after all they've endured."
"We’ve talked about the same thing,” I said, gesturing to Legacy. “Build a new world from the ashes of the old."
"A lofty goal, I know," Varna said.
Legacy nodded. “I’m in.”
"What are we waiting for?" I asked, my voice much too loud because of all the ale I’d drunk. "Let's toast to the future."
Our glasses clinked together, and laughter spilled from our lips, genuine and free.
Legacy downed the rest of her ale, stood, and helped me to my feet. “And on that note, I’m afraid I need to get this one home since she seems to have had too much to drink.”
Her hand on my waist stoked a fire inside of me, more than just desire, but the stirrings of hope too. Hope for our future. Hope for us. Because the most potent magic was the kind we forged together.
"Go on, then," Varna replied with a smirk. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
Legacy laughed, bright and daring. "That leaves very little off-limits, doesn't it?"
My grin widened. "We’ll plan details very soon. Minus the ale so we can focus better."
“It wasn’t the ale that made me lose my focus,” Legacy muttered on our way out. “It was you.”
We exchanged a look, one full of heated longing and promises. Of love and lust and life itself, carved into the space between us.
We walked home under the stars that had guided us through the war, our footsteps in sync as we made our way through the winding streets of the town. We had two homes, one right next to each other, but we made sure we were always together in one or the other.
As soon as we stumbled through my home’s door, Legacy traced the curve of my jaw with a touch as soft as moonlight. Moaning, I drew her into a kiss that was both a surrender and a claiming.
Stripped of our roles in the war and our kingdoms, we could finally be ourselves.
Her soft lips tasted of sweet ale and desire, igniting a fire deep within me that threatened to consume every inch of my being. Legacy's hands roamed my body with a tenderness that left trails of fire as she explored every curve and contour of my skin.
The sound of our ragged breaths mingled together as I pulled her closer. The heat between us intoxicated me, the air thick with anticipation and raw desire.
With trembling hands, I began to unbutton Legacy's tunic, revealing the soft curves of her body. She did the same to me, starting with my pants.
As our clothes fell to the floor in a haphazard pile, she reached out, her fingers tracing the line of my collarbone, her touch coursing magic through my veins.
We moved towards each other until the lines of our bodies blurred, our lips meeting in a kiss. I couldn't help but moan as her hands found their way to the apex of my thighs, her fingers teasing and stroking. Gently, she pushed me toward the bedroom and onto the bed with my legs parted, revealing the heated core of my desire to her.
Her eyes met mine, filled with a hunger that matched my own. She leaned in, her mouth descending upon my throbbing center.
Shockwaves of pleasure bolted through me, reverberating in every inch of my being. I moaned, arching my back in response, my hips bucking involuntarily as her lips and tongue worked magic.
In return, she moaned against me, the sound vibrating into my center. Her hands gripped my thighs, pulling me closer to that wicked mouth, that talented tongue that brought me to new heights every time we made love.
The building tension within me was almost unbearable, the anticipation of release a thrilling torment. Legacy's fingers found their way inside me, her movements in perfect sync with her eager lips.
