by Sarah Hawke
“I wondered about that. You can communicate with everyone now, not just me?”
“Yes—though our bond remains the strongest,” she said a little too quickly, as if she were afraid he might think otherwise. “I sense the others all the time. I can feel their hopes and their fears. It can be somewhat…distressing.”
Cassel nibbled at his lip, and he braced his hand on the back of the plush chair in front of the smoldering fireplace. He couldn’t even imagine what it must be like to be intimately connected to so many other people. She was the nexus of the entire Order, a living river feeding a multitude of lakes and streams.
A Conduit to the unfathomable power of the gods.
“I wish I knew how to help,” Cassel murmured. “We know so little about the Conduits of the old world. They must have learned all sorts of tricks we can’t even imagine.”
“I don’t need tricks—I have you,” Tahira said, gently pushing her robe from her shoulders. As always, the sight of her plump breasts and smooth, unblemished skin made his heart race. “That is more than enough.”
She leaned forward and kissed him. Her fingers had grown quite adept at unfastening his armor, and they demonstrated their prowess yet again tonight. It only took her a few minutes to strip him down to his smallclothes, and he was just about to sweep her up into his arms and carry her into the bedroom when a heavy gauntlet knocked at the door.
“What is it?” Cassel asked, annoyed at how hoarse he sounded.
“Sir, Ranger-General Starwind just arrived. She wishes to speak with you.”
Cassel wilted. He knew he shouldn’t have worried—Serrane had made it clear many times over that her people didn’t view sex or relationships the same way as humans. In theory, she wouldn’t bat an eyelash if she walked into the room while he was busy fucking another woman senseless. But for whatever reason, he still felt like a squire who had just been caught in the stables with a farmgirl.
“Send her in,” he said, clearing his throat. He tossed a glance back at Tahira, assuming she would be scrambling to get dressed, but she hadn’t moved an inch. She simply eyed the door, her nakedness on full display. Cassel’s blood froze when he realized she had no intention of covering up, and he practically dove to the floor to grab her robe and toss it over her shoulders.
The door opened a few moments later, and Serrane’s scowling face and determined stride revealed her mood before she uttered a single word. “There you are,” she said. “I figured you’d—”
She paused and arched a golden eyebrow at the sight of him in his underclothes. “Did I interrupt something?”
“Uh, n-no, not really,” Cassel said as his face flushed with embarrassed heat. “W-we were just—”
“Julian was about to make love to me again,” Tahira declared proudly.
The air rushed out of Cassel’s lungs. His knees went so weak he had no idea how he managed to stay upright.
“Is that so?” Serrane said, crossing her arms over her chest as she glanced between the two of them. “And here I assumed he would be working hard all night to prepare the city for an attack.”
“He has been training the squires and organizing the city’s defenses all day,” Tahira said. “He was also promoted to Knight-Commander.”
“So that’s what Crowe was doing instead of attending the Council meeting,” Serrane muttered, her eyes settling on Cassel again. “It sounds like you’ve had a busy day.”
He cleared his throat and turned to Tahira. “Could you, uh, could you give us a few minutes to speak in private?”
Tahira glanced between the two of them, her eyes hardening ever so slightly when she looked at Serrane. “Of course,” she said, finally closing the front of her robe. “I will be in the bedroom whenever you wish to copulate.”
She turned and walked away, and Cassel didn’t breathe until she had shut the door behind her. His cheeks were probably beet red, and he would have given just about anything to be somewhere else right now.
“Well, that was…illuminating,” Serrane said, unable to hide a wry smirk. “Apparently, I should have taken my time walking over here.”
“You’re not making this any easier,” he mumbled.
“Maybe that’s the point.” Serrane snickered and sauntered close enough to place her hand on his chest. “As much as I love watching you squirm, I don’t understand why you’re so embarrassed. The moment you left the city with that girl, I knew what would happen.”
Cassel pursed his lips. “Why?”
“Because I’m not an idiot, Julian. You’re a handsome man in his twenties, and she’s a pretty girl who thinks you’re her savior. Besides, I saw the way she looked at you when you returned to the city.” Serrane shook her head knowingly. “Do you really think I’m that dense?”
“No!” he protested. “It’s just that…well, we’ve barely had time to talk about anything these past few days. We’ve pretty much been in our own little worlds trying to get ready.”
“I know, and it’s time to change that,” she said, stretching up on her tiptoes until her lips could reach his. “That’s why I’m here.”
She leaned forward to kiss him, and every spark of tension left in his body drained away when he wrapped his arms around her slender waist. He had fallen in love with Serrane for more reasons than he could count, but this reminded him of just how special she really was. She didn’t feel the least bit threatened by the fact he had been spending so much time with another woman.
Not that she should have been. She remained the best thing that had ever happened to him. Even a Bâl Frohim blade—literally a sword out of legend—was nothing compared to the affection of a highborn elf. And he wasn’t the least bit afraid to say it.
“You should know by now that I’m not the type of woman who shies away from a little competition,” Serrane said slyly. “You shouldn’t be, either. You could learn a lot from Valuri.”
Cassel grunted softly. “Is that so?”
“Absolutely. Do you think there’s anything I could learn from that priestess?”
“I may be a big, dumb paladin,” he said, “but even I’m smart enough to avoid that trap.”
“Clever boy,” Serrane said, cupping his cheeks in her hands. “Gods, I’ve missed you these past few days. We’re both finally back at home and we still haven’t been able to find time to be together.”
“The burdens of command,” Cassel whispered. “What about the dragon? Is he as tame as you’d hoped?”
Serrane snorted. “Jorem is…well, he’s not what anyone would expect when they think about a dragon. But his powers are real, and he has as much reason to hate the Inquisitrix as anyone.”
“If he can sink the rest of the fleet like he did that war galleon, we might all live to see a new tomorrow after all.” Cassel shook his head. “There are times when none of this feels real. Conduits, dragons…it would be nice if we had a few years to figure all of this out instead of a few days.”
“We’ll manage,” Serrane assured him. “We always do.”
Smiling, Cassel kissed the tip of her nose, ran his fingers through her lustrous golden hair, and then abruptly hoisted her up into his arms. She giggled as she clamped her thighs around his waist and her arms around his neck, and she kissed him again when he pushed her up against the wall. His manhood swelled against her; he could feel the heat of her quim even through her trousers. If they had been alone, he would have already buried himself deep inside her.
But they almost never were these days, and that was the whole problem.
“There’s…there’s something we need to talk about,” Serrane whispered between his frantic kisses.
“Is it about why you don’t wear skirts more often?” he asked, nibbling at her lips. “Because they’re a lot more convenient.”
She snickered. “It’s freezing outside!”
“But it’s scorching in here,” he said, pressing his cock against her so hard that a soft moan escaped her lips.
“I won’t stop you from buying me something ni
ce with your new Commander stipend,” Serrane breathed. “But this is important. I wanted to talk before…well, before whatever is going to happen tomorrow.”
He frowned. She almost seemed nervous, which was incredibly out of character for Highwind’s stoic Ranger-General. He feared that something had gone wrong, but then she smiled and placed her hand on his face.
“I have good news,” Serrane said. “I’m…I’m pregnant.”
The air rushed out of his lungs again, but this time he wasn’t sure if it would ever come back. He stood in place, paralyzed and breathless, and his grip on her thighs faltered until he dropped her altogether.
“Pregnant?” he gasped. “But…how?”
Serrane cocked an eyebrow. “Do they really not teach you about that in knight school? I suppose it would explain the behavior of some of your squires over the years.”
“No, I mean…” He coughed and struggled for words. “When?”
“You’ve tried your best plenty of times since Icewatch,” she pointed out. “Though not nearly enough recently for my tastes.”
Cassel continued staring down at her, heart hammering, still wondering if all of this—the war, the dragon, the sword, the beautiful elven woman standing before him—was merely an illusion after all.
“You don’t seem thrilled,” Serrane said anxiously.
He blinked and snapped himself out of his stupor. “Are you kidding? This is…this is amazing.” He reached out and placed his hands on her exposed belly. “I just…shit, I’m sorry. I just wasn’t expecting…Escar’s mercy!”
Cassel knelt in front of her and kissed her stomach. She giggled and held him against her as her hands ran through his short brown hair.
By the gods, she’s pregnant. Pregnant! How does this seem more incredible than dragons and Conduits and swords of legend?
“This…this changes everything,” he breathed, kissing her belly again.
“It’s a lot to think about, I know,” Serrane said. “I honestly wasn’t sure if I would ever want to start a family, but—”
“We should get married,” Cassel blurted out.
She stared down at him incredulously. “What?”
“We should get married,” he repeated with a grin. “Whenever the war is over.”
Now it was her turn to stare blankly, paralyzed and breathless, as he kissed his way down her stomach and started unfastening her belt.
“Julian,” she whispered, shaking her head. “I told you before that my people don’t marry.”
“Your people also don’t live in human cities,” Cassel said. “Or sleep with human paladins.”
Her mouth opened several times, but no words escaped her lips until he finished opening her belt and pushing her trousers off her hips. Her bald elven quim was every bit as slick and scorching as he expected, and the rich scent of her arousal wafted from her pink, barely parted labia.
“Julian, are you really…?” Serrane swallowed and clutched the sides of his head in both hands. “Are you…proposing?”
“Absolutely,” he said, smiling. “I want to marry you. I’ll summon one of the priests right now if you want to make it official.”
He had never seen her so dumbstruck, not even back in the White Ridge when he had first told her that he knew about her secret identity as “Faewyn.” This moment felt far riskier. He should have been terrified that she would refuse, or at the very least rebuff the idea as silly human nonsense. She had explained her people’s traditions at length. Highborn slept with whoever they wanted, whenever they wanted. Even their queen took multiple lovers.
But for whatever reason, Julian Cassel had never been as certain of anything in his entire life. He was going to marry her, and he was going to spend his life making her the happiest woman in the Reaches.
“Serrane Starwind,” he whispered, “will you marry me?”
She stared down at him, blue eyes wide and body trembling. He leaned up and kissed her belly again, his gaze never leaving hers. “Please say yes.”
Her lips slowly but surely curled into a smile. “Yes.”
Cassel smiled so wide his face hurt. “Now hold still,” he told her. “I don’t have a ring yet, but I have another gift I hope will tide you over.”
With his hands still holding her waist, he crouched down low enough for his mouth to kiss her quim. Her entire body seized up as he dragged his tongue across her swollen clit, and he swore she almost fainted when he pushed inside her puffy folds. Her carnal nectar was as sweet as ever, and he feasted upon her hungrily, ravenously, his tongue sweeping her hot, silky walls, until she cried out and clutched the back of his head to hold her against him.
Her knees wobbled so unsteadily after her climax that Cassel was genuinely surprised she didn’t slide down the wall and melt onto the floor. He would have gladly devoured her all night, but he knew from ample experience that she would want him inside her as quickly—and as roughly—as possible.
He had never been more eager to oblige.
Squeezing the outside of her smooth thighs, he promptly stood and lifted her back up into his arms. Her long legs clamped around him once more, and she moaned in delight when he pushed her against the wall again. Her core was like an inferno with only the thin layer of his underclothes separating his cock and her quim. All he needed to do was—
“Wait!” Serrane interrupted in between gasping breaths. “Not yet…”
Cassel frowned. “Not yet? But what—”
“Take me into your room,” she said, her eyes glinting devilishly as she locked her arms around the back of his neck. “Tahira is in there waiting for you.”
His mouth opened, but his throat went so dry it took a moment to find his voice. “But…”
“I don’t have a ring for you, either, but you still deserve a gift,” Serrane said, flashing him another coquettish smirk she brought her lips to his ear. “I want to watch you fuck her, Julian. Can you do that for me?”
His fingers clawed into her thighs. “Anything for you.”
“Good,” she whispered, biting down on his earlobe. “Because when you’re done, I expect you to fuck me twice as hard.”
***
Serrane swore she could actually feel the blood rushing into Julian’s cock as he swelled against her wet, waiting core. She couldn’t believe he didn’t burst free—frankly, she couldn’t believe she wasn’t begging him to throw her onto the floor and mount her like an animal. She had never wanted to feel him inside her more than this moment, but she was also so deliriously hot right now that she wanted a cunt on her tongue almost as much as a cock down her throat.
If they were going to get married, the least he could do was share.
Julian was sprinting toward his bedroom a heartbeat later, Serrane still held aloft in his strong arms. When the door burst open, Tahira was lying naked in his bed, her knees parted as if waiting for him to come ravage her nubile flesh. She looked up at the two of them, her eyes wide in confusion.
“I need your help with a little problem, dear,” Serrane purred, hopping out of Julian’s grip and unclasping the straps of her breastplate. “A big problem, actually, from the looks of it…”
Serrane dropped to her knees the instant she tossed her breastplate aside. Julian’s hard, throbbing cock sprang out of his underwear at the slightest touch, and she eagerly lathered the tip with her tongue. She wondered how the human girl would react. Would there be outrage? Jealousy? Fear?
But Tahira didn’t hesitate for a second. Her emerald eyes lit up with delight, and she practically dove off the bed and slid down onto her knees next to the elf.
“Here,” Serrane said, offering the girl his stem. “Show me what you can do.”
Tahira smiled as she curled her fingers around the shaft and began stroking him. Her eyes quickly flicked up to his, and she leaned forward and swallowed the tip. Julian moaned in appreciation as he feathered his hand through her flowing red hair.
Personally, Serrane was more interested in the rest of the girl’s bou
ntiful assets. The elf reached out and gently squeezed Tahira’s plump human breasts, then leaned in to suckle her increasingly hard nipples. The priestess let out a muffled moan of ecstasy, though whether it was from Serrane’s ministrations or Julian working his cock down her throat was difficult to tell.
“Don’t you dare spill,” Serrane warned him between licks. “You better have enough to fill us both up.”
Snickering impishly, the elf turned her attention back to the girl’s wonderful tits. Serrane rarely found herself jealous of human women, but she couldn’t deny that their bulkier frames had a few advantages over their elven counterparts—two, to be precise. Serrane continued greedily suckling Tahira’s nipples while Julian took a firm hold of the girl’s skull and fucked her throat. She was clearly up to the challenge of taking his full length, and Serrane couldn’t help but wonder how many times he had already broken her in.
If only Valuri could be here, too. Gods, I should have brought the enchanted phallus along…
Serrane eventually let the girl’s pert nipples slide from her mouth as she kissed her way down to Tahira’s stomach and eyed the faintly glowing red tattoo on her belly. The symbol almost looked like the top of a decorative staff or scepter, and it seemed oddly familiar. Serrane wondered if she had seen it somewhere in the libraries of Nelu’Thalas when she had been younger…
Either way, the symbol wasn’t made of ink like a normal tattoo, nor was it inscribed with vatari dust like Valuri’s Senosi markings. It was more like a birthmark…and when Serrane gently grazed it with her fingertips, she could feel an enormous current of Aetheric energy coursing through the girl’s body.
“Faarea,” she whispered. Even having seen what Tahira could do, actually feeling the nexus of power inside her was…well, awe-inspiring, to say the least. This girl may have been the closest thing to a real goddess the world had seen in eons.
That just makes watching Julian ruthlessly throat-fuck her even more arousing.
“Oh, gods!” he cried out as he abruptly pulled his cock from the girl’s mouth. Serrane half expected him to burst all over Tahira’s face, but thankfully he kept his stem under control.