After the Flood 1: Blood and Magic

by Lena Austin

  Hold the reins, Kella, he mind-spoke to them both. It will give your hands something to do and provide you with a bit of balance. He sent a picture of her feet in the stirrups. Put your feet like so.

  Kella managed this. “I’m showing a lot of leg, here. I’m glad it is dark.” The embarrassment in her tone was clear.

  There is no one to see you, he consoled. He’d have to see about getting her some leggings or trews. He didn’t want any Vampire to get the idea she was about to become his mistress.

  Sedna touched Kella’s leg briefly. “Good luck, dearling. I’ll see you tomorrow, and you can tell me all about your adventure, hmm?” She turned and marched back inside, shutting the garden doors firmly.

  Tanne turned and walked silently away, making as little noise as possible until they were out of sight of the village. With only a warning to Kella to grip his barrel more tightly with her legs, he broke into a gallop.

  Kella’s small cry of triumph and pleasure was his reward as they raced off into the night.

  Chapter Four

  Kella clung tightly to the reins and tried not to shiver in the cold night air as it whipped past her. As exhilarating as it was to ride on Tanne’s blue back, she was uncomfortable after more than an hour of steady riding.

  “Do we have much further to go?” She hoped Tanne understood her over the wind.

  We’re almost there, came Tanne’s voice inside her head.

  She looked around at the passing landscape, but even with her superior night vision, everything was a blur. Occasionally, a tree or boulder might be visible for a brief moment, and then was swallowed by the night, too quickly to get more than a glimpse. As was to be expected, nothing was familiar. A dark shape loomed out of the darkness and came closer with each passing moment.

  “It is that a cliff ahead?” Kella saw one of Tanne’s ears swivel back to catch her voice before the wind took it away.

  Tanne never broke stride. Yes, it is. And that is our destination.

  His voice was soothing and soft inside her head, and left her with a feeling of trust. She had plenty to be nervous about, and was quite willing to let him calm her. She just wished she could send thoughts like he could.

  The cliff, many Dragon-lengths in height, now obscured the view in front of them. Tanne’s hoofbeats slowed, and the wind no longer made Kella shiver. The tenderness in her buttocks and legs did not abate, however.

  “I heard you say that you’ll test me. Will you tell me now what we’ll be doing?” It was hard not to be little nervous, but Kella wanted this night desperately. Not only for the possibility of being able to study magic, but the opportunity to be alone with Tanne. She licked her lips in anticipation, and dared to hope she might persuade him to end her embarrassing virginity. One night was all she dared hope for.

  A warm chuckle tickled her mind. Nothing difficult or painful, I assure you. Do you remember making the energy ball? All I will ask of you tonight is to do something practical with your energy ball or another form of energy.

  Tanne now slowed his pace to a walk. He stepped into a stream so gentle and small that, until she heard the splash, she’d not known it was there. An opening in the cliff was the source of the stream, and it was easily large enough for Tanne and Kella to go through.

  She sat on Tanne’s back in the thick darkness and wondered what would happen. The blackness was not oppressive, but Kella still worried how anything could be done when she could not see. On the other hand, was that the point?

  Close your eyes, Kella, and I’ll make a light. It was very comforting to feel Tanne’s warm body beneath her and hear his voice.

  She did as instructed and shut her eyes tightly. Even through her eyelids, she saw the light flare. When she’d blinked away the brightness, a blue ball glowed near the ceiling of an enormous cavern with walls that sparkled.

  Tanne stepped a few paces out of the water and stood near a rock so large it would provide an easy platform to get off his back. If only she could move her stiff legs! Kella took the hint, and balanced herself on the stirruped foot nearest the rock.

  Are you stiff and sore? Will you permit me to help? Tanne turned his head until he looked at her with one blue eye. His horn remained pointed safely away from her. It looked long and sharp, and glinted like a silver sword.

  Her attempt to move her leg failed, and Kella groaned. “Yes, please!” Pleasant warmth moved from her back, caressed her buttocks, and moved slowly down both legs until she sighed in relief. “Oh, thank you! Much better!”

  You’re most welcome. Move slowly, still. Swing your leg over and touch the rock with that foot first. Then free your foot from the stirrup.

  His voice turned contrite in her head. I’m very sorry. I didn’t think about the fact you probably haven’t done a lot of riding in your life.

  Kella freed herself from the saddle and jumped down from the rock. “No, I’m afraid not. I got to ride an old farmer’s donkey once when I was little, but that’s all.”

  She walked under Tanne’s horn and moved to the other side of his body. Tugging on the string’s knot, she managed to free her bedroll and little pack. “How do I remove this other stuff from you so you can change?” She hefted her things over to a sandy spot a few feet from the boulder and close to one of the cavern walls.

  “No need.” Tanne’s voice now came to her ears, instead of inside her head. Kella dropped her bundle in surprise, and whirled around. Tanne was now in his human form, and she tried not to drool on her boots. His shirt was more open than on previous occasions. “I simply made them go away when I transformed.”

  His boots crunched on the sand as he joined her. “Shall I make a fire?”

  She swallowed the quip that he caused one in her merely by existing, and looked around for firewood. “I’ll go outside to gather wood,” she offered. The cool night air might chill the warmth in her belly sufficiently to allow her to think.

  Shaking his head and grinning, Tanne gestured to the center of the sand circle. A small fire appeared out of thin air and burned cheerfully.

  “Lord and Lady!” Kella exclaimed, and knelt near the bright flames. “It burns without fuel!” She put her palms out and felt the heat. “It’s the same as a real fire!”

  Tanne knelt nearby, but a respectful distance away from her person, much to her regret. “It’s called a mage fire, and it’s often the first magic taught. You could do this just as easily, I have no doubt.”

  “Is this something I could do with my little ball?” Kella asked carefully.

  “Exactly. You can make many things with your ball. Care to try?” Tanne folded his long legs into the same seated position the tailor of her village used for needle sewing.

  After consideration, Kella remained kneeling. She put out her hand, palm up, and concentrated on making the green ball as she had earlier. It appeared in her palm, firmer than before. “Practice does help, doesn’t it?” She laughed.

  “Assuredly! Very good.” His voice, full of praise, warmed her much more than the fire. “I’d suggest putting it down on the sand. The fire might be a bit hot for your hand.”

  “You are so confident in me!” she teased, before placing her ball in the sand. Her belly rumbled, but she promised it a meat bar from her pack later. There were more important things to do than eat. This was her future, she hoped, to be taught by Tanne. She forced herself to not tremble, using the rituals of the temple.

  “Yes, I am.” He paused. “See the ball growing warm, and changing into flames. That’s the trick, to visualize it changing.” The encouragement in his tone calmed her nerves once again.

  Kella tried to concentrate on imagining the ball glowing, warming, and turning to flames. But her traitorous belly rumbled again, demanding food. Her concentration wavered for a moment, and she saw a meat bar where there should be flames. The ball changed into a meat bar!

  Kella put her face in her hands and groaned. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” She was so embarrassed at her failure, she longed for the night t
o swallow her.

  Silence, and then she heard a smothered chuckle. “I take it you’re hungry?” The humor in his tone told her he was laughing at her.

  As if in answer to his question, her stomach rumbled audibly.

  “Congratulations, Kella. You passed my test. You made something practical out of a ball of energy.” A warm hand pried one of her hands away from her face and pressed the meat bar into it. “Why don’t you eat your creation while we celebrate?”

  The hand covering her red face fell away in shock, and she found herself nose-to-nose with Tanne. His blue eyes twinkled.

  “I did? I did!” Kella launched herself into his arms, forgetful of everything in her joy. “Oh, thank you!”

  There was a moment of stillness while she continued to look deeply into those wondrous blue eyes. He closed his eyes and shuddered once. Before she could even blink, his lips came down hard on her surprised mouth.

  She had not thought her joy could be increased, until that moment. One arm became trapped when his arms clamped around her, holding her still. Her free hand dropped the meat bar and moved up to tentatively touch, then tangle in, his silver hair. This was a new hunger, which overrode all others. More than being in heat, even. Dimly, the thought came that this was what all females craved and fought for. Then, no thoughts were possible.

  One of his arms released her, but escape was the last thing on her mind. Her lips had parted in her surprise, and his tongue slipped easily inside to dance with hers.

  A tug on her bodice laces told her his plans, but she kept her eyes closed to relish the kiss and surrender to the hot sensations coursing through her. This was the hunger of being in heat, doubled, and she welcomed the feeling of warmth and moisture between her legs. For once, the aching need would be satisfied to the fullest. She could have shrieked with joy.

  Tanne’s mind touched hers, tentatively, and she felt his need, as well. He throbbed with the same desire she felt, delighting her more. When his hand freed her breast from the confines of her bodice and cupped it gently, she reveled in his joy at the softness. Two fingers gently tweaked a nipple, and she echoed that pleasurable sensation back to him even as she felt her nipple harden.

  The scent of an aroused male assailed her nostrils, and she inhaled deeply to savor it.

  You smell wonderful yourself, Tanne mind-spoke.

  He broke the kiss, and she ventured to open her eyes. His eyes were half-shut, and he trembled with an emotion she could not understand.

  Gently, he pushed her back on the sand. “Forgive me, I must taste.” His voice was so soft and low she barely heard it.

  Without conscious decision on her part, her arms moved until her hands clasped each other above her head. “Take what you need, Tanne. I’m willing, for you,” she whispered breathlessly. She lay splayed out on the sand and closed her eyes ‑‑ not in fear, but in anticipation of more delights.

  Tanne’s mouth closed over her exposed breast, and his tongue rasped her nipple. With the renewed contact came the waves of his hunger for her breast, and she cried out softly, giving that yearning back to him. One of her hands dug deeply into his hair, wordlessly begging him never to stop.

  The new sensation of tender suckling at her nipple drove her nearly insane with desire. Her other breast was freed and played with, and the nipple teased, until she thought she lived for the responses of her body and the cravings they induced.

  Tanne released the nipple from his attentions, scraping it gently with his teeth. He rolled gracefully beside her to attack the other breast. His rough breathing mingled with her soft pants. One of his legs was thrown over hers, and she felt the hardness of him against her thigh.

  Her skirts, already around her thighs from her lessons, now moved. What new sensation was coming? Would it ease the persistent wet ache between her legs? Tanne’s hand crept along her thigh nearest him, and found the very center of her heated need.

  A shout of pleasure mixed with more craving than she’d ever felt bounced off the ceiling of the cavern and echoed her voice back to her. “Oh, please! Oh, please!” she cried, begging for what she had only heard whispered rumors about. Were they true? Would it really hurt? She didn’t care. The want edged closer to pain than she thought possible.

  Tanne’s desire wrapped her own, and the two became one. His ache was as great as hers, but he had the presence of mind to break away from her pulsing nipple, to whisper in her mind and ear, “Are you sure?”

  Wildly, Kella begged. “I don’t know what I ask for certain, but I beg for it.” She panted for a moment. “If it is true, I must have it. Please, please, take me there.”

  Tanne groaned, and muttered, “I must be gentle. I must!” His blue eyes closed, briefly, and Kella could feel him fight for self-control. “A kiss, then…a kiss while I master myself.”

  The revelation that a gentle Unicorn could be so feral made Kella tremble with longing. “A kiss, then,” she begged.

  Tanne attacked her mouth with a ferocity that matched her own predatory hunger, and their minds joined once more.

  It was a rude shock to hear another voice shout, Tanne! echoing in both their minds. Violently, they broke apart and looked around for the source of the voice, before Tanne muttered, “Mind-call,” and looked off into the distance, his breath rasping harshly.

  Kella lay upon the sand, not caring that her breasts and femininity were exposed to his gaze. Without the contact, she could not hear the conversation that Tanne appeared to be having, but whatever it was, it made him frown and run his fingers through his hair as he sat up, his eyes looking far away.

  When his eyes refocused, he turned back to Kella’s willing and waiting body, and he shut his eyes. “Mother, you have exquisite timing, as usual.” He took three long, deep breaths, but did not open his eyes. “I must go, Kella. There is a healing I must help with.”

  Kella sat up and calmly covered her nether regions with hands that trembled only slightly. She struggled to hide her disappointment and continued need. The stream looked inviting, and she hoped it would cool her. “I understand,” she managed, proud her voice did not tremble. “Healers must heal.” She refused to look at his handsome face, or she might abase herself and beg him to stay.

  Tanne took her hand and squeezed. “I shouldn’t have touched you, in any case. It was wrong of me, and I hope you’ll forgive me. I almost dishonored us both, compromising the teacher-student relationship. I’ll control myself better in the future.”

  He stood. Kella turned to see the evidence of his need directly in front of her an instant before he was gone. He’d simply disappeared.

  Kella sat upon the sand for a few minutes. She now questioned what the other bitches had told her about sex. She knew the physical act. But it didn’t seem to hurt one little bit. In fact, she found it wonderful. It made her hunger and ache, much more than being in heat.

  She stripped off her clothes and sat down in the icy stream, gasping. “I would have risked it,” she growled as she cupped the frigid water to her aching nipples and shivered. “And I will have you, Tanne. I will. I vow it.”

  Chapter Five

  Kella awoke in the morning to the sensation of unaccustomed weight on her body. She held very still and used all her senses to judge her situation. There was more warmth than the blanket wrapped around her provided. There was something or, perhaps more likely, someone pressed up against her back. Her nose told her it was Tanne, so she snuggled back until her head rested on a firm bicep. It was a luxury to allow herself to awaken slowly, and in her own good time.

  “Good morning,” Tanne whispered softly. “I hope you don’t mind, but you shivered when I came back. I conjured a blanket, then shared it with you.” There was enough rigid control in his tone to warn her not to recommence last night’s pleasurable activities.

  Kella cursed deeply within herself for a lost opportunity to rid herself of her virginity. She forced herself to answer pleasantly. “Good morning to you, too! No, I don’t mind a bit that I shared a blan
ket with you. It is a practical solution to a cool night. I’d imagine these rock walls leech away heat, even from your pretty mage fire.”

  The fire burned still, a few feet away. But it was the sunlight reflecting off the crystal in the walls that caught her attention. Kella sat up and gasped in delight. The entire cavern glittered and shone. “It’s like we’re inside a jewel!”

  Tanne’s arm fell away and he, too, sat up. He shoved his silver hair out of his eyes. “This is one of my favorite places, because of the crystals. Something about them cuts off the prying eyes of those who can scry. We had no watchers on us last night.”

  Kella laughed behind her hand. “Oh, that would annoy Sedna. She taught me to scry, and does it very well.”

  Tanne flicked his hand, and a kettle appeared to hover over the mage fire. “Tea?” he offered, with a chuckle.

  “Only if I get to make my own mug!” Kella worked to produce her green ball without waiting for an answer. “I’m determined to get this right and make what I want with the same ease you do.”

  She loved the tea Sedna saved for special occasions, and it was foremost in her mind when the green ball changed. The scent of the prized spiced tea wafted up, and she snatched it from the sand with a happy cry.

  Tanne waved the kettle away, and a mug of a grass-green tea appeared in front of him. “Since you can make your own, there’s no sense in having the kettle.” He laughed.

  Sipping her perfect tea, Kella joined in his laughter. “And now I can have this little bit of luxury any time I want it! I’ll even share with Sedna, since she shared with me.” Her belly rumbled again. “But am I going to be hungry and tired every time I create something?”

  Tanne frowned and thought for a moment. “I’m a fool!” he exclaimed. “You are a Vampire. Your teaching automatically says to use the power within. I’d forgotten that.” He slapped his free hand on his forehead before a small plate of warm muffins appeared in front of Kella. “Eat. You’re hungry because you are using your personal energy to create things. Until you are taught differently, every time you create something, you will have to replenish what has been lost.”