Warrior's Dawn (Fire and Tears)

by Isabo Kelly

  “My last view of my brother was of his eyes clouding over. And then we were running for the border, most of the minions left dead. I never did see my father again. Something I’m actually very grateful for.”

  He pressed her close until he felt her deep sigh and her shivering subsided. Then he said into her hair, “You didn’t have to tell me that. You didn’t need to relive it for me.”

  “I’m reliving it just being here,” she murmured. “And I owed you.”

  He pulled back enough to frown down at her. “Owe me for what?”

  “After I left, after I had a chance to think more clearly, I realized what it meant…you telling me about what you’d been trying to do when you turned traitor. Or pretended to be a traitor.”

  His frown twisted.

  “No one else knows what you were trying to do, do they?”

  “I wish you didn’t know either.”

  She snorted a soft laugh. “I thought you’d feel that way. You have no reason to. I promise I’ll keep your secret as long as you want me to.”

  “That’s not why I wish you didn’t know.”

  She nodded. “You feel like you failed and don’t want anyone to know about it.”

  With a sigh, he tucked her head under his chin again. “You are far too clever sometimes.”

  “I feel too worn out to be clever right now. Anyway, when you brought up my family, since you figured out this was our home, I figured I owed you a truth for a truth.”

  “The reason you hate the traitor elves so much.”

  “With a passion I can’t even begin to describe.”

  “You don’t have to. I understand.”

  “Having you here… Before hearing your story, having you here was almost as painful as being back.”

  “Because I was a traitor, one of the ones who destroyed what remained of your immediate family.”

  “I reacted from that anger earlier. When we first met.”

  He smiled at the memory. “Threatening to kill me.” He felt her cringe, and his smile widened. “You weren’t the first to tell me you wanted me dead, you know.”

  “I know. Still…”

  “You believe me, then. That I wasn’t really a traitor?”

  She was silent for long enough that his frown returned.

  Finally, she said, “I’m still having trouble trusting you, Althir. Even though you’ve proved I can several times now. My feelings for the traitors make it more difficult for me to allow myself to see the man I think you really are under all that arrogance and rude behavior.”

  He chuckled at that, accepting it as a just statement.

  “But I wouldn’t have told you about my brother if I truly thought you were a traitor. I believe you were trying to do good, even if your motives are suspect.”

  He raised his brows. “Suspect?”

  “Sibling jealousy? Hardly a good reason to risk everything.”

  He rolled his eyes, glad she couldn’t see his face. When she put it like that, it was even more humiliating than a simple failure. “You haven’t had to live with Ulric for more centuries than I care to count.”

  “I don’t know him very well, so I can’t really judge that. But I do know you had a good underlying reason for your actions, to help your people. I can’t blame you for that, or for the fact that you were thinking of your people before mine. It was unfair of me to expect you to care about us more than you do your own.”

  “Not unfair. I didn’t think enough about your people. My intentions to end the war would have ended it for you as well as prevent my city from being invaded, but that wasn’t my major concern.”

  “It’s okay, Althir.” She patted his chest. “We get that List back to my people, and the war will end. We’ll get the result we all want.”

  “There’s an arrow,” he blurted. Then sighed. It really was better she didn’t know this if she was captured. But he felt like she needed this truth now.

  “An arrow? You mean the shrapnel arrows Glengowyn is trading with us now?”

  “My cousin makes those. She’s the only one who can. And she’s recently invented another type.”

  He’d talked the details out of the council before agreeing to tell them about the List. They’d been so desperate to find out if there was a way to get the Sorcerers’ real names, they’d answered his questions. He’d pushed them, played on their fears, and in that moment, they forgot he’d agreed to give them information in exchange for his life. They weren’t required to give him answers. He wondered later if they regretted telling him the truth. Not that it mattered. He’d gotten what he wanted.

  “Only a very, very small number of people know about them—”

  “Wait.” Mina stopped him. “You shouldn’t tell me. Until we’re safe inside Sinnale territory.”

  “If you prefer.”

  Her nod rubbed her face along his chest, and a frisson of desire warmed his blood.

  “Just knowing you’d trust me enough to tell me is…nice? Stupid word. You know what I mean.”

  He stroked a long line down her spine and back up again, savoring the feel of her in his arms. He felt the first stirrings of the Shaerta and wanted to curse the damned pheromone. While it would make the sex between them phenomenal, it also reminded him that they had very little time together.

  “I do know what you mean. And I do trust you, Mina. Probably more than I should.”

  “Now there’s something we can agree on.”

  “That I shouldn’t trust you?” he teased.

  She laughed. “That too. But that I might also trust you a lot more than I should. We have that in common.”

  Her statement made his pulse kick over with emotions he didn’t bother to analyze. She made him feel better in the midst of all that was wrong with the world. That was enough.

  He slid his hand up her spine and stopped when he got close to her wounded shoulder. “How is this doing now?”

  “Better. The sting stopped. The Chemist is some miracle worker.”

  “Are we safe here for the night? I want you to take more time to heal before we try for the border. And don’t argue. We won’t make it if you’re dragged down by injury.”

  “I think we’ll be safe enough. The fighting is keeping everyone occupied. Those that know the List has gone missing will probably be looking for the thieves to make for the border sooner rather than later. And to be honest, I’m not sure if the fighting will make for good cover to reenter Sinnale territory, or if we risk getting caught up in it and killed.”

  “We’ll consider our options in the morning. Then we’ll make a plan. Right now, you need to rest and heal.”

  “And you?”

  He hugged her closer because he couldn’t seem to help himself. “I’m doing what I need to do right now.”

  “Althir…”

  Her voice was so quiet, if he didn’t have elven hearing, he wasn’t sure he would have caught her whispered word, so full of question and trepidation.

  “The elf-fire… That part of what you said to the Sorcerer was true. It… It means…”

  “Yes. It means. And for now, I don’t want to think about it.” He stood, still cradling her and turned to lay her down on the bed. “You did good today, my little spy.” Pushing her hair back from her face, he held her gaze. “It’s my turn to take care of a few things.”

  She grabbed his hand. “What…?”

  “I’m not going anywhere. Just to scrounge us up something to eat. Then you need to sleep.” The circles under her eyes made his chest ache. “The outside world, all those decisions we have to make, can wait a few more hours.”

  She released his hand. “There’s more to say.”

  “And we’ll have time for that too.” He’d make sure of it.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Mina woke to the soft feel of Althir’s lips on her nape. She knew it was him without having to see him. Though she should probably protest, she didn’t feel any need to do so. The effects of the elf-fire were already humming in he
r blood. Each featherlight touch of his mouth against her skin sent a cascade of chills and heat over her body.

  He was lying behind her on the bed, the full length of him a seductive warmth along her spine.

  “What time is it?” she murmured, then arched her back so her ass pressed into his groin. The feel of his erection made her moan quietly.

  “You’ve only been asleep for a few hours, don’t worry. It’s still early in the night.”

  “Full dark?”

  “Full dark. But we’re not going anywhere tonight.” He settled his palm low on her stomach, keeping her pressed against him to make his point.

  She wasn’t inclined to argue.

  She’d changed from her dress to a tunic and trousers to sleep in and kept her hair tied in a bun—old habits in case she had to wake and move quickly into a fight, or run. But she hadn’t bothered to belt the tunic so when Althir began to lift the material over her hips, there was nothing to get in his way. The heat of his palm on the bare skin of her stomach shot another wash of shivers through her, and she ground back against him harder. He nipped at the skin low on her nape in response.

  When she would have rolled to face him, to touch in return, he kept her in place with that insistent hand on her abdomen. Again, she didn’t argue because the feel of him along her spine, the hard length of his cock against her ass, all felt delicious. And right.

  That surprised her. There was no awkwardness, no hesitation. Just a growing need to get rid of their clothes so she could feel all of his firm, muscled body against her naked flesh.

  He settled his mouth at the side of her throat, nuzzling her tunic down so he had access to the curve between her shoulder and neck. Another gentle bite made her gasp. She couldn’t keep her hands away from him then, so she slid her top arm behind her, rubbing her palm over his waist and hip, around to knead at the firm muscles of his ass. He was still fully dressed and the material was too thick to really feel him as she wanted, but the buck of his hips against her was some reward.

  The hand on her stomach finally moved, inching upward in teasing strokes. Her skin felt charged from each caress, building anticipation, making her pant. No caress had ever felt like this, no man’s touch had drawn such a sharp, overwhelming response. It was the elf-fire, she knew. She could feel it like a drug flowing through her blood, stealing away all thoughts beyond the feel of Althir.

  The effects might have scared her, but she was ready for them this time. Even then, she hadn’t realized that a simple caress would light her body on fire. Wetness seeped between her legs, and Althir hadn’t done more than kiss her throat and caress her stomach.

  Then his hand closed over her breast, palming the fullness, squeezing gently. Mina threw her head back and moaned. She had unbound her breasts, a single concession to more comfortable sleep, which gave him unfettered access to her naked skin. He pinched her nipple, drawing out her pleasure. She bit her lip and ground against him again, unable to control the response.

  With her hand on his muscled backside, she had better purchase now, and she held him close, rubbing against his thick cock in a vain attempt to relieve some of the building pressure. He pinched her nipple tighter, almost convulsively.

  She gasped his name, pushing and pulling to prevent any space between them, arching into his palm, demanding the increased movement and pressure as he squeezed and kneaded first one breast, then moved lower to the other.

  “You are the sexiest woman I have ever had the pleasure of touching,” he murmured against her neck, still pulling and sucking on her skin. “You have no idea how desperate you make me.”

  She rolled her hips against his cock and smiled. “I have some idea.”

  To her surprise, he suddenly flipped her onto her back and his mouth came down over hers, demanding and hard, the gentleness of his earlier seduction falling to need. She would have laughed, but she was too busy answering his demand, tangling her tongue with his, tasting him fully.

  The change in position gave her more freedom to touch him, and she took full advantage, her hands rubbing up underneath his tunic to feel that hard stomach and chest. Then she slid one hand lower, rubbing the rigid length of him through his trousers, squeezing and teasing despite the barrier of soft leather.

  He dragged his mouth from hers and moved lower, pushing her tunic up high to fully expose her breasts. The passion in his stare sharpened her already humming need.

  “Beautiful,” he whispered. “Perfect.”

  When the heat of his lips closed over her, she thought her body might come apart. He pulled and suckled at her nipples, licking, nipping, dragging out the exquisite torture. So much pleasure filled her up, she wanted to burst. The tight growing tension at her core built to an extreme with each wet pull of his mouth on her breast.

  Her hips pumped against him, as she squeezed his cock more firmly, resenting his trousers but too caught up in her own growing ache to do or say anything about them. His teeth scraped across her overly sensitive nipple, and she cried out, the sound surprising her in the otherwise quiet room.

  Too much noise, a small part of her warned. She bit her lower lip to prevent another outburst, but she panted with the effort to hold back another echoing gasp of pleasure when he tugged none-too-gently at her nipple with his teeth.

  “Clothes,” she managed. She moved the hand on his cock to the top of his trousers and started pushing without much effect.

  His grunt was part frustration, part amusement as he rose above her and stripped his tunic off over his head. Her mouth went dry at the sight of all those firm muscles, the thickness of his chest and arms. He hadn’t lied about being a warrior. Each ripple of muscle beneath his pale skin was a reminder of all the contained strength of his deliciously masculine body.

  She propped herself up on her elbows so she could press her mouth to his stomach, licking a wet line around his navel, tasting salt and sweat and Althir. He dropped a hand to the back of her head, his fingers digging roughly through her hair to hold her in place. She smiled against his stomach before continuing to kiss and lick his skin. His muscles were tight under her caress, his groan low and deep above her.

  With one hand still braced behind her, she used the other to tug at his trousers again. “There’s a lot more I’d like to suck here, Althir,” she murmured and reveled in sound of his harsh curse.

  He moved away so quickly she dropped back against the bed with a bounce and a giggle. His gaze fixed firmly on her breasts and darkened when she cupped herself, pinching her own nipples because she knew the move would push him further out of control.

  “Strip,” he ordered, his voice rough and quiet.

  It never occurred to her not to follow that order. She sat up long enough to pull her tunic off over her head, then wiggled her trousers over her hips, tossing them alongside the bed to join her tunic. The worn material of her underwear came next.

  Finally, fully exposed to his hot gaze, she thought she might feel some self-consciousness. But none surfaced. Instead, she felt lush and sexy, too consumed by her own desire to care about anything beyond Althir, dizzy with the effects of lust and elf-fire.

  Althir’s trousers joined her pile of clothing and then he was on the bed, stretching his body along the length of hers, his mouth closing over hers. She dropped her fingers to his cock without hesitation, wrapping him in a firm, insistent clench that made his body convulse.

  He felt exactly as she’d expected, hot and hard, thick and silky in her palm. She rubbed her thumb over the tip of his erection, gathering the moisture there and using it to smooth over his skin as she stroked and played with him. His hips pumped against her hand, creating a rhythm and friction that echoed through her to her core. His hand found her breast again, hard and rough to match the pressure of his kiss, the demands of his mouth and tongue.

  Mina’s every nerve screamed with the raw intensity of having his skin rub against hers, the texture of his hard muscles, the light hair on his legs and chest scraping over her curves, acro
ss her thighs and stomach. The sensations were so much more than anything she’d felt before, overwhelming, beyond imagining.

  Althir growled against her mouth and gripped her wrist to still her pumping fist. “Too much too soon,” he said.

  “Not enough,” she argued, and his growl turned to a chuckle.

  He lifted away from her just enough to slide farther up her body. “Press your breasts together,” he instructed and when she did, he slid the length of his cock between them, pumping between the soft mounds.

  She’d never had a man fuck her breasts before, though many admired them. The sight, the feel was more erotic than she could have guessed. He braced one hand on the bed and the other against the wall above her head. When she glanced up, he was watching his cock slide between her breasts, his eyes dark, his jaw clenched. He glanced up, caught her gaze, and it was like touching lightning. She felt that look everywhere. So raw, so open and needy. The awe of his beauty in that moment stole her breath.

  Could he see those same things in her expression?

  She looked back to where he continued to stroke between her breasts. Her head was braced at just the right angle on a pillow, and he was just long enough, that when the tip of his cock slid between the top of her breasts she could reach him with a quick swipe of her tongue. His entire body shuddered, his hand fisted beside her on the pillow. When he surged forward again, she tasted the tip of him again.

  “Goddess, Mina,” he moaned. “You’re going to kill me.”

  “I seem to recall promising that.”

  Her comeback earned her a gravelly chuckle before the sound dissolved into a moan when she licked him again. The brief tastes weren’t enough for her, though. She wanted him in her mouth, as much as she could take. She released her breasts and slid down the bed far enough to wrap her lips around the head of his cock. She gripped the base and slid her mouth lower, humming in pleasure as his taste hit her tongue fully. The hand he’d kept clenched in the pillow moved to her hair, loosening her bun, holding her head as she sucked him in long, pulling strokes. His fingers tightened against her scalp, the sensation adding to her pleasure, the erotic control of having him at her mercy.