by Moira Sutton
Zoa groaned and tried to roll, but Jeric held her down, sucking her clit between his lips. With every pull of his mouth, pleasure crashed through her, and with each crash, her hand jerked against Izar’s cock. He moaned with each motion and then tore himself away. She had one brief moment to wonder where he’d gone before his cock was at her lips and Izar’s voice was in her ear, shaken and nearly begging.
“Please, Zoa,” he whispered, his voice so tight the words came out in bursts. “Please, suck me. I have to feel your lips. Please.”
Zoa opened her eyes in a drugged blink, and then, keeping her gaze on Izar’s straining face, she slid her lips over the smooth skin.
The effect was immediate. Izar jerked and threw back his head, his cock throbbing against her tongue like a drum as she drew him in. But that was expected. What wasn’t was Jeric’s reaction. He jerked against Zoa, his sucking growing more frantic as Izar began to thrust into her mouth.
As the captain rocked into her, Jeric’s hands came down, his fingers sliding into her wet slit and curling up to find the sweet, ridged spot inside her. She gasped at his touch and Izar groaned, his cock jerking. Jeric moaned as well, the sound vibrating against her. He flicked his tongue across her clit as he began to stroke her spot with his fingertips, moving them and his lips in perfect rhythm with his captain’s thrusts into her mouth. It was like the two men were in unison and the passion of their combined lust threw her over the edge.
Zoa came in a great staggering stutter, her entire body seizing up in throbbing pleasure. Above her, Izar had his hands in her hair and was holding on for dear life as she sucked him in deep. Below her, Jeric was panting with pleasure, his fingers sliding out with the force of her spasms. When the waves finally faded, Zoa felt Jeric’s wonderful mouth leave her clit and she nearly cried out in alarm, but then his long fingers grabbed her legs, lifting her hips until the tip of his rock-hard cock was pressed against her entrance.
“Zoa…” Her name was a moan on his lips.
She moaned in reply, shifting against him. That was all the invitation Jeric needed. He plunged into her with a desperation that made her gasp, and then, holding her up with one hand, he began to thrust into her while his other hand splayed across her lower stomach, the thumb pressed solidly on her clit, stroking it with every buck of his hips.
But as Jeric began to thrust, it was Izar who grew wild. The captain’s cock was like a metal rod in her mouth, harder than she’d ever felt it, even last night. He was curled above her with his eyes clamped shut. In control, she realized with a shock. Even lost in lust, he was trying not to thrust wildly into her mouth, not to hurt her. A wave of warmth went through her at his concern and Zoa pulled herself up, wrapping one hand around his hip while her other dropped between his legs to seize the length of him she couldn’t fit in her mouth. He shuddered at her touch and Zoa moved with it, using her hand and mouth to work him in time to the thrusts Jeric was pounding into her.
“Oh gods,” Izar bit out as her tongue slid down his length. “Oh gods, Zoa, Jeric.”
Jeric began to pound harder as Izar said his name and Zoa felt something powerful begin to build. It started like a delicious knot in her lower belly, almost like the beginning of a wonderful orgasm, but this was deeper, stronger, wilder than any orgasm she’d ever had. And more, she could feel it building in the men as well.
Zoa had been an Avatar of Dezira for five years. She’d slept with other Chosen on occasion, dark moons and white, but she’d never felt something like this. There was power rising in the room, a great, heady magic far larger than any she could work on her own. And then, like a flash of light, Zoa realized what was happening. Jeric’s power was flowing uninhibited.
She cursed herself for a fool. How could she be so stupid? He’d Awakened only hours ago, of course he hadn’t learned how to control the lust that all Avatars radiated like an aura. She hadn’t felt it because, as a fellow Avatar, she was immune, but Izar was human and it had hit him like lightning.
As a relatively young Chosen who’d never brought another into power, Zoa hadn’t even thought to consider this problem. Control came quickly, after all, but not this quickly. Oh, she should have known better. After so long with sex being nothing but frustration, of course Jeric was desperate. That desperation had swept Izar up in its tide and then the two of them had taken her along for the ride.
Zoa stared up at Izar with growing fear. The captain was coiled tight as a spring above her, his tan face nearly white with strain. The lust in the room was dangerous now and Izar was right at its heart. When it finally broke, it very well could break him.
Jeric would never forgive himself if he hurt his captain. She needed to stop this now, but when she reached for her own power to try to bring things down, all she touched was lust. It was too late, the thing that was building between them was bigger than her power now. Even she was caught in its grasp, her body moving almost without her control as she sucked Izar deep into her mouth, clamping her legs around Jeric’s hips in the process as their thrusts stoked the fire higher and higher until, in a final, glorious burst, the power broke.
The orgasm hit her harder than any since her first. Zoa went stiff on the bed, helpless beneath the power that tore through her. Above her, Izar came with a shout, his fists clenched bone white in the blankets as he poured himself down her throat. But Jeric’s orgasm hit them strongest of all.
He made no sound as he came, but Zoa felt his body go hard as iron, his muscles slamming against her as he came and came and came. Each clench was accompanied by a wave of power so intense Zoa could do nothing but surrender as another orgasm slammed into her body right on the heels of the first. Izar clenched as well, his cock slamming against the back of her throat as he came again, the unprecedented, magically driven second orgasm gripping Izar until he was white from the effort.
Finally, with one last great thrust, Jeric collapsed. The power faded, drifting out of the room like smoke. Izar fell as well, tumbling onto the bed beside her. Zoa was up at once, sliding out from under Jeric as she hurried to turn the captain over. Izar was still breathing, but he was white as snow against her red sheets, his eyes closed and his face strained.
“Captain,” she whispered, careful not to touch him. “Captain, are you all right?”
She felt the bed shift as Jeric started to get up, but she stuck out her hand, stopping him. Now that she was awake and free of the magic’s grip, she could feel it plainly. Lust was still rolling off Jeric in controlled waves. She couldn’t risk it near Izar, not after he’d been so overloaded. Even she didn’t dare to come any closer. All they could do was wait and see.
After a full minute, Izar suddenly took an enormous breath and opened his eyes. They were dazed and wild, but also filled with wonder as they slid from her to Jeric and back again.
“Izar,” she whispered, not daring to breathe. “How are you feeling?”
“Bloody amazing,” Izar whispered, sinking into the bed. “What happened?”
“What did happen?” Jeric asked, coming up behind Zoa.
Relieved, Zoa fell back against him, sliding into Jeric’s lap. “You did,” she said. “You’re an Avatar of Dezira now. Sex isn’t just pleasure anymore. It’s magic, and you nearly overloaded our dear captain.”
Jeric went stiff behind her. “What?”
“What?” Izar said at the same time. “Wait, Avatar?”
“It’s my fault,” Zoa said, glancing up at Jeric. “I should have told you, but you passed out last night, and then this morning I was distracted, not that it’s any excuse.”
“Overloaded?” Jeric said, his voice torn between bewildered and slightly panicked.
Zoa nodded. “Dezira’s magic is powerful, especially when there’s so much lust here already.”
Jeric looked down at the captain, still pale as death, stretched out on the bed and Zoa bit her lip as she saw him put the pieces together.
“No,” she said before he could speak. “This was my fault, not yours.
I was sent here to bring you into your power and guide you, and I failed.” She looked at Izar and gave a solemn bow from the waist. “I am sorry, Captain Izar. Because of my negligence, you were put in danger.”
Izar glanced at her, and then, to her complete surprise, he began to laugh. The laughs were short and breathy, as though they hurt him, but his pale face was split with an enormous grin. “I don’t even want to hear it,” he said, slurring the words like a drunk. “Don’t you ever apologize for something that amazing.”
“This is nothing to make light of,” Zoa said, crossing her arms with an annoyed look. “You could have died.”
That only made the captain laugh harder still until he was wincing from the pain of it. “Lady,” he said at last. “I would count my life well given to go out like that.”
“Don’t say that, sir,” Jeric said. “I could have—”
“Enough,” Izar said. “Didn’t I just tell you? Nothing to apologize for. Now,” he said, glaring at both of them. “Why don’t you explain exactly what the hell happened in words I can understand.”
Zoa nodded and raised her fingers to her forehead. The moment she touched it, her white moon lit up like a lamp, filling the dim room with radiance. “I am Zoa Ionera,” she said. “No city courtesan, as Rosa told you, but an Avatar of Dezira.”
Izar’s dazed eyes widened. “A godtouched?” he whispered. “Here?”
“I was sent here to find one of our Own and bring him into the goddess’s hands,” Zoa said, glancing at Jeric. He caught the hint and touched his own forehead. The moment his fingers brushed the skin, his mark blazed to life, a blinding white crescent rich with power. It was so bright, even Jeric winced a little before he hid it again. For his part, Izar was staring at his lieutenant as if Jeric had just grown a second head.
“You’re one too?” he nearly shouted, his voice hurt and reproachful.
“I didn’t know until last night!” Jeric protested.
“He didn’t,” Zoa said, backing him up. She reached out to take Izar’s hand. “I came here specifically to find him. Now that he’s awakened, we must return to the Imperial Capital.”
“What?” Jeric said, jerking away from her. “But, my duties—”
“Forget them,” Izar said with a sigh, closing his eyes. “An Avatar,” he muttered. “In my Legion, and of Dezira to boot. Doesn’t that just burn all? I thought I’d at least get a Chosen of the Great Sun with all the heroics going on.”
Zoa bristled. “Dezira is not a goddess to be underestimated.”
“Peace, Chosen,” Izar said, grinning weakly. “I meant no offense. Honestly, after this morning and last night, I’m ready to take my oaths as a follower of Dezira myself.” He opened his eyes again and his face broke into an enormous smile. “You know what this means, right? I’ve had two of the Moon’s Own at the same time. Twice even! Most men would sell their own mothers for one night with an Avatar and I got you both.” He began to laugh again. “I’m almost sad you didn’t kill me. Life’s going to be nothing but disappointment after this.”
“Captain,” Jeric said warningly. “This is nothing to make jokes about. I really did nearly kill you.” He looked at Zoa, his face desperate. “You’ll teach me how to control it, right?”
“Yes,” Zoa said. “I’ll be with you until we get to the temple in the Capital.”
Jeric shook his head. “I can’t just pick up and leave,” he said. “Do you know how hard I worked to get this position? Izar’s the best in the Legion. Making second under him was a dream come true. I can’t just—”
He stopped, suddenly going red, and Zoa smiled. He hadn’t meant to say that much in front of the captain. But Izar looked very touched. He reached up, grabbing Jeric’s arm. “Thank you, Jeric,” he said sincerely. “But much as I’d love to keep you forever, you’re not mine anymore. You just showed me, didn’t you? You’re the Moon’s Own. You and Zoa both.” His eyes roved over the two of them and his face grew almost wistful. “I really am ruined for life, you know,” he said softly, and then he pursed his lips. “When do you leave for the Capital?”
“Today, if possible,” Zoa said, reaching out to stroke his cheek. She’d grown attached to the clever captain over the last few hours. Suddenly, she wasn’t so eager to go home anymore. Even with Jeric, it felt like something was missing. From the way Jeric was staring at the bed, she could tell he felt the loss far more than she. Izar was his captain, after all. But Izar had reminded Jeric he was following a new commander now and Jeric was too much of a soldier to abandon his post. Still, Zoa’s heart went out to him. She was trying to think of something to say when Izar spoke again and surprised them both.
“Well,” the captain said. “If you can wait until tomorrow, I’ll escort you there myself.”
Zoa blinked and Jeric looked up in alarm. “Sir?”
“It’s winter, season’s over,” Izar said with a shrug. “Someone has to go report to the emperor that, despite five years of pouring his money into this northern sinkhole, we’re no closer to defeating the tribes than we were when I arrived. I usually leave that bit of unpleasantness to someone I don’t like, but this year I meant to do it myself. I’d been putting it off, but you’ve just given me an excellent excuse. Besides,” he said, giving them a sly look. “How were you going to get to the Capital anyway? It’s dangerous countryside around here, even for two Avatars. It would be a blasphemy against Dezira if I let her Chosen go through such danger unprotected.” He paused, like he was considering this, and then firmly shook his head. “No, I can’t allow it. You’ll ride down with my squad and I will not listen to any opposition.”
Jeric shook his head. “I guess we’ll have to accept, then,” he said, sliding an arm around Zoa’s waist. “Isn’t that so, Avatar?”
“It seems that way, Avatar,” Zoa replied. “A very gallant offer.”
“You have no idea,” Izar said. “I’ll be lucky to get away with my head once the emperor hears my report.”
Jeric grimaced. “If that’s the case, shouldn’t you just report to the Legion office and let it go up the chain?”
“Gods, no,” Izar said. “They’ll dumb the message to bland, inoffensive mush and nothing will change. I’ve held my tongue for years waiting around for someone else to speak the truth, and all I got was more of the same. I’m sick of seeing my men die for nothing in this icy waste. It’s time for me to step up and tell the truth myself. And if the emperor really does take my head for it, I’ll count it a glorious death for my country.” He said this last bit with a roll of his eyes. “See what I meant when I said I was a little sad you didn’t kill me here?”
Jeric sighed. “You’re impossible, sir,” he said, but his voice was indulgent.
Zoa smiled and reached out to pull a blanket over Izar. “Rest and recover,” she said, kissing his pale forehead. “I’ll go tell Rosa the bad news.”
“Bad news?” Jeric said, his eyes following her as she stood.
“Very,” Zoa said. “She’s about to lose her best customer and her best whore at the same time. If she hadn’t just made enough money to run this place for a year, I’d be worried about her throwing herself in the river.”
Jeric laughed at that, and Zoa ducked down, kissing him deeply before she pushed him down on the bed beside the captain. “You sleep too,” she whispered. “Your body still needs to adjust.”
Jeric caught her and pulled her into a real kiss, and suddenly Zoa was having trouble breathing. When he finally released her, she was flushed and panting like a virgin, but Jeric only grinned and fell back. “Come back with breakfast,” he said.
Zoa heaved a put-upon sigh, but she couldn’t hide her grin as she left the room, carefully closing the curtain behind her so no one would disturb her men.
* * * * *
As expected, Rosa took the news hard, but she accepted that Zoa was an Avatar of Dezira without argument.
“Makes sense to me,” she said, dabbing her eyes. “You were the best from the moment you cr
ossed my doorstep. But oh, Zoa, how I shall miss the money you brought in!”
The old woman was so genuinely distraught that Zoa was forced to spend the rest of the morning comforting her, and then several more hours at her side as she directed the cleanup. The pleasure hall was completely trashed. Food, cups and trays lay scattered on every surface, and anywhere the trays weren’t, men and women lay in tangled heaps, spent and sleeping. This in itself wasn’t unusual following a night of such debauchery, but with Jeric’s awakening into power on top of the lust magic Zoa had been weaving, it took Rosa and Zoa several tries to get the girls to wake up.
As for the soldiers, they only rousted when Izar himself came down, still pale and leaning subtly on Jeric, but otherwise himself. Zoa had sent up a girl with breakfast an hour ago and both men looked better with food in them. Jeric especially was nearly glowing, though that had more to do with his new power than a made-up plate of banquet leftovers. Zoa watched him support his captain with a slow smile. If this morning’s activities hadn’t been enough, the fact that his aura was already starting to swell again was a sign that Jeric would become a powerful Chosen. She’d have to teach him control quickly before his power became more than she could safely shield on her own.
By midafternoon, Izar had his men well in hand. The soldiers were up and getting ready for the ride to their winter camp. The only ones not kissing the girls goodbye was the squad of twenty veterans who would be riding with Izar to the Capital. At last, the soldiers rode out and the cleanup began in earnest. Meanwhile, Rosa, still dour faced about the loss of Zoa, set up a table at the end of the square and began the long, arduous process of paying everyone. This caused a bit of a riot as people jostled to be first in line. Never one to waste an opportunity, Zoa took this chance to grab Jeric and led him back up the stairs to her room.
“We need to control your aura,” she said, sitting him on the bed.
“Aura?” he asked.
“We all have them,” Zoa answered, sitting down beside him. “The Moon’s Own control desire, but our own desires are part of our magic as well and they can affect those around us. That’s how you got Izar so worked up this morning. Your lust bled into him.”