"The water feels great!" Monica tossed her hands up, flinging water above her. I nodded to her and again checked the other women's distance from Tara and me.
Victoria wasn't quite as deep. She reached into the water which came to her waist and cupped some in her hand, then spilled it onto her other arm. She continued washing herself, paying no attention to anyone.
Alara sat closer to the beach, letting the waves submerge her legs and hips. Nithia knelt just behind her. Alara tipped her head back, letting Nithia rinse her hair with the sea water.
Another wave fell against my back, pushing me against Tara once more.
"Oh, Den," she said. "That hurt." She didn't look hurt in the slightest. I might have been a little hurt, however. Our last collision was a little jarring, but I had settled a hand on her bare ass and my other cupped her breast just below the surface of the water. My brain had already dialed down my pain receptors to give my libido center stage. Right on cue, I stepped up ready to give my best performance.
Alara and Nithia stood up. The two of them made their way out of the water. I wondered if they'd look back. Tara's head stood far enough below mine for me to keep an eye on the other women.
"Don't you think you should be paying attention to what's right in front of you?" She reached up and touched my cheek.
I glanced to Victoria and Monica to see what they were doing now. Getting off. Out, not off. "Tara."
"Uh huh." She slid her hand into my pants and cupped it against my manhood, which was paying more attention to her than my eyes.
I decided to stop worrying whether one of the others would swim over to us. I relaxed into Tara's green eyes.
"That's better." She tilted her head back a little and closed her eyes, puckering her lips.
"Den!"
I looked past her toward Alara's voice. The splashing waves around us made me question if I'd caught all she said.
She stood near the water, waving her arms overhead. "Den! Your horse! Hurry!"
"Oh, crap." I released my grip on Tara's ass and let my other hand fall away from her breast.
"Hey." She gave me a pouty face.
"Sorry. I need to go see what's going on. Sounds like something's happened to my horse."
"Pudding?" Tara's voice had a hint of playful mockery.
"Uh, yeah. I better make sure the pudding's okay."
I could tell by her widening eyes and slow nod she didn't think my comment was as funny as I thought.
I hurried through the water to get to the shore, but had to slow my pace midway to allow the extra few seconds for everything below my waist to settle down out of notice.
Alara met me when my bare feet touched the sand next to where I'd left my boots. "Your horse left."
I slipped my foot into one boot and then the other as fast as I could. "What do you mean, left? Did someone steal her?"
"I don't think so. There aren't any tracks, aside from the horse's, but they disappear at the edge of the beach."
I nodded, remembering the area of flat rocks we crossed before coming to the sand. "Did you look farther, where the ground's dirt again?"
"Yes, but I couldn't see the tracks." She looked to Tara, who was still in the water. "Maybe she could."
"No," I said. "I'll take one of the other horses and run her down." A little too Rawhide, maybe. Hope I can.
Alara followed me as I jogged to the other horses, who were enjoying the tall windswept grasses on one of the mounds at the far side of the beach, closest to the rocky area.
Nithia walked toward us, but I didn't slow to greet her. "Are you going to get her?" she asked, but I was already well past her and didn't answer.
The horse Monica and Victoria had been sharing was the biggest of the bunch, aside from Pudding. I went to it and took the reins.
Alara stood beside the other horses, holding the reins of hers. "Should I come with you?"
"No. She couldn't have gone far." I mounted the horse and turned It toward the path. "Be back soon."
I rode across the flat rocks and picked up Pudding's trail again after a few hundred yards.
Saddle ache in my balls, giant spiders, and now I've gotta find my horse. ‘Mind of her own,’ he said.
I watched the edge of the woods as the path curved and ran beside them. A shallow in the dirt presented a set of deep hoof prints, close together. At least she's walking.
I rounded an outcrop of trees and spotted Pudding ahead, still walking away. "Hey, horse!" I slowed mine to walk, not wanting to startle Pudding into running.
She ignored me and continued walking away from me.
As I eased up to within twenty feet, I called again, not using her name. Something about the idea of yelling Pudding just didn't appeal to me. She was the biggest strongest horse, but acknowledging the fact that my horse was a dessert or a ten-year-old girl's affectionate name for her cat, like Cupcake or Whiskers, kept me from saying it aloud. Maybe I was in a mood, given the circumstances.
I cleared my throat, like that's supposed to work for horses too.
She kept walking.
With lines creasing my forehead into my nose, I gave in. "Pudding!"
She stopped.
"That's better," I said.
She turned her head to look back at me. We stared at each other for a few seconds. I knew I'd made myself clear.
Then she turned away again and started walking.
"Son of a bitch."
Pudding jutted her head back just a few inches and blew out a loud wet-sounding reply.
I stirred Monica's horse to speed ahead of Pudding, swinging around so that we stood head-to-head. "Where do you think you're going?"
Pudding walked around me and Monica's horse. Why am I talking to a horse?
I dismounted and hurried in front of Pudding again, this time taking hold of her reins. "Time to go back to the beach."
I stepped toward Monica's horse, holding Pudding's reins in one hand, but once the leather strap was taut my arm jerked me to a stop. I glared at Pudding, and she glared back at me.
"Okay." I exhaled the stress and shook my head as I marveled at Pudding's stubbornness. I couldn't decide whether to yank on the reins and see if I could out muscle Pudding or to say the hell with her and head back without her. I dropped the reins and stood for a moment, taking a few deep breaths to calm down.
Pudding turned around and walked past me, then past Monica's horse. She was heading back toward the beach on her own.
Chapter 10
By the time Tara, Monica, and Victoria came back with a handful of sticks each, Nithia had crafted a bow drill, demonstrating one of the skills she'd mastered during the time she spent living on her own in the woods, before she joined up with Alara. I'd seen one used on one of those wilderness survival shows, but I never tried to make one. Little need for camping skills at college, unless you count packing snacks in your backpack for on-the-go meals or whipping up late-night Ramen noodle specials with whatever leftover condiments still smell reasonably edible.
Alara and I had spent the time checking on the horses and gathering some large rocks to make the fire pit circle. Once we'd warmed ourselves a little by the fire, we decided to take a walk on the beach. She said she needed to talk to me in private. I hoped that meant boom-chicka-wow-wow time, but it actually sounded like she really wanted to talk.
"We're going for a stroll," I said to the others, as we stepped away from the circle. "We'll get some more wood."
"Okay," Nithia said, "but we're not going to wait on you two if you take too long."
"Huh?" I said.
"To eat, I mean." She laughed.
"That's fine." Alara laced her arm under mine and leaned on my shoulder. "We won't be long, but you don't need to wait on us."
Won't be long, huh? Guess that means no playing in the sand.
She wanted to walk near the water at first, so we did. After a few minutes, the sound of the rolling and cresting waves made it easier to forget about the long journey ahead. W
e held hands as we followed the water's edge.
"Den, something's wrong."
"What is it?"
She shook her head slightly. "I'm not sure."
I said nothing and hoped she'd give me a little more to work with.
"Something isn't right in the world."
Lady, there's a lot that's not right in this world. "Are you talking about Thautus? I'm still planning on taking him out. I'm just building up to it." I decided some levity might help lighten the mood, which I sensed could be turning a little too dark for our romantic stroll. "It's my first time taking down a dark overlord of the world."
She chuckled. "I know." She looked into my eyes. "And it's a lot to ask of you, but I know you'll be ready when the time comes."
"But that's not it, is it?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I'm imagining something which isn't there. But I have a sense that something different is happening."
I couldn't help but think of Star Wars and imagine she was feeling a disturbance in the force, but I kept it to myself.
"As a priestess, you're supposed to feel stuff like that, aren't you," I said. "I mean, you sense what's going on in whatever magical dimension there is out there, right? Like Doctor Strange."
"Who?"
"Nevermind. It's just a story. But for you, it's real. Right?"
"Yes."
"Then trust that sense. Maybe in time, it'll become more clear—whatever it is you feel is wrong."
She looked happier, or at least a little less stressed. "You're wise, Den."
"First time I've heard that, but thanks."
She squeezed my hand and we made our way farther down the beach. Well, done, man. Even though I started the walk with her fixated on the two of us getting naked as soon as possible, I felt proud that I successfully dealt with her feelings. Wow. Did I just level up as an adult or something?
I let such thoughts drift out of my mind as I returned my attention to her and the fact we were walking together down the beach on a beautiful night with clear skies. For now, I thought, life is perfect.
A few minutes later, she stopped and pointed to a grouping of stars in the sky. "We call those the Waterfall."
I followed the line of her arm to see which stars she meant. "Okay, yeah. I think I can see that."
"You can?"
I leaned close to her, so we both had the same line of sight, and pointed through the sequence of stars from one side to the other. "Is that it?"
"Yes. Can you see it from your world?"
"No. But we have other ones. We call them constellations."
We continued our walk.
She nodded. "They tell the stories of your gods, then."
"No," I said. "Well, maybe. Some of them."
"You don't know?"
"They've been part of our culture for a long time. Most people don't pay attention to them anymore. Myself included."
She nodded. "It's the same on Galderia. There are a few groups who still pay attention to the old ways—who know about them. The Order of Carnera is one such…"
She stopped walking and looked down at the sand, which was wet from the water coming in more now. Our boots were discolored around the bottom edge.
I stepped away from the water and gently pulled at her hand to get her to move over too.
She stepped with me, but looked up with a confused expression. "What are you doing?"
"Getting out of the water," I said. "Isn't that what you were looking at?"
She huffed. "No."
Think. What'd you miss? The Order.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Alara."
"It's fine."
"No. I was an idiot. I understand. It must be difficult now, without them."
"I miss them every day."
I let a few seconds pass in silence. "You have us now."
She looked at me and I saw the starlight reflect off the welled-up tear in her eye. "I do, don't I?" She said.
I nodded. "And who knows, maybe you can reform the sisterhood one day. Nithia, maybe, to start."
"She is a lot like her sister. But I don't want to push her into it."
"I seem to remember she didn't have any trouble telling you no before. So, I wouldn't worry about that. But give her time. Maybe."
"She did help me bring you here." She smiled at me.
I wiped her tear as it broke free from the corner of her eye. "I'm glad she did."
Alara turned to face me. I knew she was giving me a signal to hold her, to kiss her, but she evidently couldn't wait for my brain to process the moment. She threw her arms around me and kissed me first.
After she nearly burst my thermometer, she leaned back. "I need to tell you something," she said.
"Okay, but make it fast." I grinned. "I was kind of in the middle of something."
She grinned back at me. "Yeah. I could tell. That's what I wanted to talk to you about."
"I'm not sure it's something we really need to talk about. I'm more of an action kind of guy when it comes to that."
"Trust me. I know." She smiled.
"So?" I reached for her, but she put her hands up against my chest.
"Hold on. I want to tell you something. I've been asking about this for a while. The understanding was bestowed upon me recently."
But we did the talking part already? I shrugged slightly and waited for her to continue. I figured she meant she had been communing with her gods or some such thing.
"When I got so tired before, in the forest…"
"Fighting the giant spiders. I understand. It's okay."
She shook her head. "No. It wasn't normal."
"But you used your magic," I said. "Doesn't that drain you? Same thing happened when we defended Darguna. After, I mean. I remember you leaning against the rock. You looked pretty tired then too."
She looked up at a diagonal, evidently remembering the incident. "Oh, yes. You're right. That's my point, though."
"It is?"
"Yes. Over the years since I've been priestess and wielded the staff, I have wielded the power many times."
I nodded to let her know I was listening, waiting for her to clarify.
"It's been different since you arrived."
Gonna need a little more.
Her eyes widened and she raised her eyebrows while gesturing with her hands, as if I should get what she meant. "Well?"
"Well…I'm sorry?"
She chuckled. "No. It's not your fault…but it sort of is. Or mine."
I felt a headache coming on.
She shook her own head a little. "I should have known better than to do the summoning ritual by myself. Well, Nithia and me."
"What are you saying?"
"I think the reason I get so tired now after using my magic…or if it's been too long between, is our connection. When I summoned you, I carried your power for you until you arrived and began to reclaim it. But now, I think we are still connected, somehow. Our energy at least. It's a balance thing, I guess."
My head moved around like I was watching a bee flying near my nose. Following her reasoning wasn't easy.
"You said too long between. Between using your magic?"
"No between each time we are together." She glanced toward my manhood, which had settled down a little, but not given up completely on the prospect of coming out of my pants for some exercise.
"I see."
"Don't tell the others. Okay? It'd be weird."
"Don't worry. I won't say anything."
She looked relieved.
"Does that mean my becoming stronger after we do the deed is happening at your expense?"
"No. I don't think so," she said. "I feel rejuvenated also from our unions."
No idea how that works, but I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth.
"I see," I said, ignoring the fact I didn't understand why things were as she said, but liking the implied consequences.
I placed my hands on her shoulders. "Here's what I'm going to do to help you." I fought desperately
to keep from laughing at myself.
She cracked a wry smile, knowing what I was up to, evidently.
"I'm willing to have sex with you as often as you want—daily, twice a day, every thirty minutes—if you need me to." I shrugged. "I'm just a heck of a guy like that. What can I say?"
She burst out laughing, then I did too. When our laughter settled a few seconds later, she stepped close to me again and put her arms around me. "You are a heck of a guy, Den."
"Just doing what I can," I said.
"Why don't you show me." She gave me those eyes which unquestionably meant, 'Give it to me now!'
Boom chicka wow wow.
I felt her push gently downward on my arms and I followed her hint, both of us lowering to our knees. I kissed her once, then pulled back a few inches. Her eyes dazzled me, and I could see how happy she was. I kissed her again, this time without ceasing. She put her arms around me and, as she leaned back toward the pile of soft grass behind her, I put my right arm out past her back and held her with my other, lowering us both to the ground.
We stretched our legs out and together shimmied our way up onto the soft natural bed.
"Oh, Den," she said, between our kisses. "I want you."
"I'm yours."
She reached down and rubbed her palm against the base of my manhood, which already was yearning to get out. I tore at her shirt, but she put her hand on mine, stopping me before I actually ripped the cloth.
"I'll," she said, then took it off. I was impressed at how fast she removed it.
She pushed her hands against the top of my pants, but I had to loosen my belt before I could wiggle myself free of them. While I did, she slid out of hers too. The cool ground only made the warmth of her body all the more enjoyable.
I moved my face down between her cleavage, then in a moment of sheer animal instinct, I reached up and ripped her bra off her breasts. She froze and looked at me, causing me to realize what I'd done.
"I'll help you fix that later," I said.
She laughed at me, then grabbed the sides of my head and plunged my face into her breasts. I stayed there, nibbling at first. Then, when she took her hand to my sword and unsheathed it from my shorts, I rubbed my open mouth around her chest, letting my tongue slide over her skin.
Swing and Thrust: A Harem Fantasy (Sword and Sorority Book 2) Page 6