by Nhys Glover
When his release was over, he groaned into my neck and slumped heavily against the wall, me pressed between him and it.
Hmm. I remembered why this wasn't the ideal position. I felt crushed, and a splinter was pressing into my butt.
"Dark..." I moaned into his ear. And not with pleasure. "You're crushing me."
He immediately lifted off me with his arms and I slid free of him and down, until my feet touched the veranda. My skirts fell with them. For a moment more we just stood there, pressed gently together, waiting for the pleasure to ebb and our breaths to return to normal.
"This feels familiar, somehow," a voice said from behind us. "I'd think as the Goddess Incarnate you'd have found a better place for coupling than the veranda."
Dark swore under his breath and quickly reached to rebutton his breeches. I smothered a giggle. When he was ready, he eased away from me, and I stepped out to greet Flea.
"As Goddess Incarnate I have the right to couple any place I like. Without impertinent girls commenting on it. How are you Zem? I have missed you."
Flea laughed, throwing her head back and letting her wild red locks fly as she did so. At eighteen she was fully a woman and her body reflected that, though her tunic and breeches were still those of a lad. She had grown into quite the beauty, and from the confidence she exuded it was clear she knew it.
Zem stood at her side, as always. He was no longer the skinny runt with old eyes he'd been when he first arrived at the homestead. Now he stood a head taller than Flea, with shoulders broad enough to turn many females' heads, and toned muscle easily identified beneath his thin tunic. In this moment, he wore his dark hair bound back away from his angular face, and his eyes held a glint of amusement and embarrassment. Though he would never be considered handsome, there was something about the way he carried himself that screamed sex appeal. Even I was not immune.
"I am well. I have missed you too, Goddess. There has been no one to keep this one in line," he gestured with his head to Flea, so it was clear who he meant. As if it could be anyone else.
"And who keeps you in line, warrior? I'm getting sick of being thrown out of hostelries because of you," Flea countered, hands on hips.
"We're thrown out because you insist on flaunting your beauty, and men can't help but buzz like flies around you. Then someone always makes an inappropriate comment, which I have to punish. The fight that follows is all your fault," Zem complained with false exasperation.
I felt very old listening to them argue.
"I do not flaunt myself!" Flea threw back heatedly, her cheeks a bright red. "Is it my fault they've never seen a girl in breeches before? I'm not going to wear gowns just to stop men from looking at me. It would make riding Spot very difficult, and probably show off more leg than you'd be happy with me revealing. You are such a... prude."
My mind flashed back to the last time we stood like this, and she'd called Darkin a bloody-minded bastard in just this way. Now Zem was the one in the line of fire.
And loving it, from the amusement that twinkled in his dark eyes. He loved everything about this fiery red-head, and she could call him names and yell at him until the airlings left to mate in the high mountain eyries, and he'd still love it, and her.
"So the scouting went well, I gather. Except for the taproom fights," I said, interrupting the argument with a laugh.
Flea turned back to me, still frowning in annoyance. "Well enough. No further word on Laric. He's still in the wind. But Beila has accepted Kean's offer of marriage, even though her parents do not approve. But then, they never approved of her anyway, did they? Still amazes me that she had the nerve to leave home and join the rebellion and fight. All because she thought her brother was killed by the Godling, when in fact he was working for the Godling. I asked her whether she would have done it any other way, had she known. She said she'd probably have stayed home and married any man her father could find for her. So she's glad she didn't know.
"Kila and Freta are doing well back with Freta's people. They were asking about Julz. I told them he was doing important work for the government. That's right, isn't it?"
"Aye. He's making sure the Goddess' Will is a priority with the clerics and administrators. He blows up a gale if they step out of line," Dark told her with a laugh.
"Anything else to report?" I asked a little wistfully, missing my wind magic more than any other. It always felt like mine, where the rest had been the Goddess'. But I would never think to take it back, even if I could.
"The Highlunders are still having problems with the Clifflings, but there's nothing new there."
"You didn't fly over any, did you?" Dark interrupted in concern, remembering how Rama had been shot down by Clifflings long ago.
"No, we avoided them at all costs. Do you think I want to have to rescue this one when he falls off Storm again?" Flea harped, still not ready to give up on their argument.
"I can fight my way out of any Cliffling camp, as well you know. And I might not be the one shot down. You aren't invincible, Fellica."
"Fellica! Don't you dare turn me into a girl just because you're losing this argument."
"Hey!" I yelled over the rising voices. "Enough. Clearly the sexual tension between you two is getting troublesome. May I suggest you alleviate it? You're well and truly old enough."
Flea's mouth fell open, and Zem blushed just as he used to do as a shy lad.
"It's not like that with us," Flea said too quickly, glancing at Zem out of the corner of her eye.
"Aye. I love her, but only as a friend," Zem added, throwing his own glances Flea's way.
"I am going to say this once and that will be the end of it," I said with annoyance. "Flea, my brother hurt you when you were a girl. You aren't that girl any more. You love Zem and he loves you, and not as just friends. Everyone else knows it, so it's about time you did too. Sharing pleasure will not destroy your friendship, it will only enhance it. Of course, if it doesn't work between you, then that's fine too because you'll still have your friendship, and you can stop wondering if it's more.
"There, now you have had the Wisdom of the Goddess and I'll go back to minding my own business. But remember, people line up for hours to get what you just got. So heed it!
"Now, do you want to come inside and see how much the childlings have grown in your absence, or do you want to stay outside and fight some more?"
Flea threw Zem an apprehensive glance, and he grinned. "Come on Flea, if the Goddess says it's so, it has to be, right?"
"This is none of her business. You're so full of yourself! And don't think I don't know about the girls you share pleasure with. You just want to add me to your stable. And that isn't going to happen!"
"At least those girls want me, unlike some others I can name!"
"Ahhh, we'll just be inside, when you're through..." I said, scrunching my face up as their argument moved closer to boiling point.
"Probably shouldn't have done that," Dark said as he wrapped an arm around my waist and led me inside.
"Probably not. But we've all been watching them circle each other like this for suns now. There aren't two people who belong together more than those two."
"I disagree. We belong together more." Dark kissed my forehead. "Flea has awful timing, by the way."
"All right. I will agree. Mayhap I should say two people who belong together who are not together already. And, yes, she does. Or we do. It was rather unwise of us to squeeze in a coupling when we knew the others would be home soon."
"Better. And I'll take any spare moment I can get with you. They're scarce these days."
"There will be more of them now we're back here permanently."
The sound of little running feet heralded the arrival of the twins. At two suns old, they had been causing mischief since they started walking at nine moons. Tema kept them in line most of the time, but there were always moments like this when they obviously slipped out from under her steely watch to look for trouble.
Dark and I ambu
shed them from either side of the door, as soon as they entered the living space, and swung them up in our arms. Two identical white-haired imps. They screamed with surprise and delight, and made the most of the short flight in our arms.
"Where is Tema? What are you doing out here alone?" I demanded fiercely, once they were on their feet again. They were both pouting because they wanted more flying. Big blue eyes were pinned on me and I imagined Dark was getting the same treatment.
"Tema change Trace, we find Grammy for sweetie," Dalma told me. Her speech was better than her brother's, who preferred to stay silent.
"Your Grammy isn't back from town yet," I told her. "You are too impatient."
"Pashund? Whad's dat?" she asked seriously, thoughts of more flight instantly gone. Gods, she was like me. Always asking questions.
"Impatient. Not patient. It means not willing to wait for your Grammy to come with your sweeties," I explained with what little patience I possessed.
The front door opened suddenly, and I expected it to be Flea and Zem. Instead, it was the rest of my husbands, followed by my mother and her husband. They had taken airlings into Bordertun, so my mother could have an opportunity to fly. Beyen wasn't much into flying, but he wasn't about to let my mother fly off on her own. Not even with my men at her side.
He always looked a little green after a flight, and this time was no exception. I patted him on the back and led him into the kitchen to find some of my herbs that settled stomachs.
I was glad he'd survived the war. Mother had ridden into camp not long after the final battle was over. Beyen had insisted she stay safely at a distance with my babes during the battle, and she had done so, dutiful woman that she was. But as soon as word reached her the battle was done she'd ridden to us, desperate to assure herself that Beyen and I had survived. I still remember the moment they were reunited. It was like she was a young girl again, finding the love she'd feared lost after so short a time together. My heart had warmed for them both.
Now she was happily a grandmother and the mother of a new little girl. This one, she told me, was not nearly as full of questions as I had been. As their visit was only a brief one, just to welcome us back, they had left Yinya at home with her nurse. I expected she would make a noisy addition to our brood when we finally put them all together.
"Sweeties!" cried Dalma, running over to my mother with her arms open wide.
"Yes, sweeties. I did not forget, granddaughter mine. You and Ramin come with me back to the nursery, and I will give them to you all. You cannot think to leave Trace out?"
"Trace too young for sweeties," argued Dalma.
"No," Ramin said, shaking his head.
"Is," his sister insisted.
Rama held his ground, chin firm. "Not!"
"They sound just like Flea and Zem," I said to Dark. Then I turned to my other men. "Are they still out there fighting?"
'Yep. I managed to get a hug out of my sister, but then she just went back to it,' Calun told me with a smile.
We had explored a few avenues in the last sun and discovered Flea and Calun's father. He was a nobleman, disowned by his family when he developed the ability to read minds. He'd escaped the priests who'd wanted to take him away and made himself rich as a conster. On his travels, he visited the Airlud's mother, who was by then keeping a roof over her childlings head by selling her body. Some suns later, he met and taught Flea's mother all he knew, before leaving her when the Godling's men threatened to catch up with him. Though happy enough to discover he had childlings, he had no desire to make their acquaintance. And neither Flea nor Calun felt any differently. It was enough to have their sibling-bond confirmed.
I went over to Calun and pressed a kiss to his lips. My mind was open to him, and he read the recent pleasure I shared with Dark. His own arousal stirred to life, though it was always on a slow-burn around me, anyway. Unfortunately, he would have to wait until there were a few less people around to make good on the tempting thoughts passing through his mind at that moment.
He looked at me as Dalma had when told her Grammy wasn't back yet with the sweeties, but agreed the time was not right and let me go.
I moved on to kiss Rama and then Jaron. They kept me between them, arms around my waist, just happy to have me close. And I couldn't help agreeing. It always felt better when we were all together, even though I enjoyed the peace and quiet of a short reprieve when I was alone.
"It's good to have you back. Your mother misses you when you're in Godslund," Beyen confided. "She's never as happy as she is when she's with you."
"It's good to be back. And this time it will be for much longer. They have resolved most of their issues and are settling in to governing the new provinces. Even the die-hard nobility have accepted the right of commoners to have a voice in their government. If they can have magic they can have rights. I will only be needed for formal occasions from now on. But I have kept the deciding vote on all major issues. Just to keep them honest. It will be good to step back, though. I am not a political being. If not for Darkin, I doubt I would have seen through half the ploys they tried to get past me. Brainless little woman that I am."
Beyen laughed. "No one underestimates you, Goddess. They wouldn't dare. But men are men. If they think they can get away with something, they will."
Rama leaned down and kissed my cheek again. "You're a scary little thing when you get riled up."
"She's scary when she isn't. Have you seen her hair in the morning?" Jaron joked.
I trod hard on his toe. He yelped and limped off, though I knew I hadn't hurt him. I was wearing indoor slippers, after all.
"See what I mean," he whined, hamming it up until everyone groaned.
"Go get your sweeties with the rest of the childlings," Dark said.
Jaron huffed. "When are you going to start treating me like an adult?"
"When you start acting like one."
I took the opportunity to step back to Calun and wrapped my arms around him.
'You're happy,' he observed.
'I am. Blissfully. I never thought my life could be so filled with love. I sometimes think my heart is too full of joy that it can't take anymore. It's almost painful.'
He rubbed his face against mine. 'Your heart will never be too full. It will just keep expanding to take more. To give more.'
I nodded and hoped he was right. If anyone would know, it was him.
'I love you so very much.' My voice, even in my head, was soft and gentle − meant as a caress.
'As I love you. And I too am happier than I ever expected to be. Thanks to you.'
I looked at the rest of my men and felt joy overtake me. This was my life, and though it had been a long, hard journey to get here, I was now just where I wanted to be.
Thank the Goddess!