“Dark times,” she countered, knowing the past always had to be rationalized away in order to carry on with a clear head.
He grunted with what sounded like agreement.
“Think revenge for your parents is what still drives you?” Nyset asked, placing a hand on her bare hip and felt her cheeks flush with blood at revealing her bush, coils of light brown hair bare for his eye.
“It’s all I’ve been able to think about, besides getting back to you. It’s my fondest wish, to watch Asebor, the Wretched, the Death Spawn… lay dying. Something that drives a lot of men to war, I think.” He wrinkled his brow, iron heaviness to his voice. “It’s a bitter taste, though. I had another taste with Alena. There isn’t anything nice about death.”
“Think you’ll feel better? Think it will make the pain go away?” Nyset cocked her head.
Muscles twinged on the side of Walter’s face. “Not sure. Suppose I’ll find out eventually.” His eye went to the Chains of the North draped over the front of her ornate bed frame, the blades shimmering with pinks. “I would have liked to take up what Noah might’ve called a righteous path, defending those who can’t defend themselves. It wasn’t my path, though. I had to come to hate them and you well know why. They need to be stomped out, like the rot fly biting your neck. I know the wheel will keep turning either way… getting my revenge, your revenge. It might not answer any questions, sure won’t make the world any less cruel. But there’s a chance I, we, can peel off some of the darkness, make right on our parents at least.”
“We’ll have our vengeance, scour them clean from the realm,” Nyset said. “It will certainly taint us if it hasn’t already, but I think you’re right. The realm will be better for it, but then what?”
“Then… you remember how I had described the Shadow Realm to you?” he asked.
“Yes, I think.”
He shook his head. “It’s too terrible a place to exist. I can’t imagine you there, Juzo… anyone. If men knew the truth of it, the hearts of the world would turn cold as the Abyssal Sea in winter. Something has to be done.” There was something about the hardness to his expression she hadn’t seen before and hadn’t expected, now of all times. “I want to purge it of the demons, make it a place where men go to rest, the way it was supposed to be.” There was a desperate, frustrated tone to his voice. He let out a long breath and turned to face her.
She knew he would never let what happened with Juzo go, but could she if she had been in his position? “You have to forgive yourself with Juzo. You did all you could. Anyone would’ve done the same.”
“Did I? Did I do all I could?”
There was a long moment where they simply looked at each other. Nyset was sprawled out on the bed, smiling at him. “You did.” And she meant it.
She didn’t weep when he first told her. Juzo had been dead to her for a long time. Once she knew he was a Blood Eater, she knew it was only a short time before this day would come. There wasn’t a place in this world for men who drank the blood of other men. She, of course, kept these thoughts to herself.
She put her arms overhead and stretched the muscles from her fingers to her toes, tension slipping out of her as she sunk deeper into the mattress’ confines. She put one hand behind her head, the other over her tanned and flat belly. “Seems like the only way to get there is through death. Not a good way.”
“Perhaps not. Not enjoyable in the least.”
She gazed at him. “I won’t let you go there again.”
He was grinning in the shadows of the fading sun. “Think you could stop me if you wanted?”
“You know, I just might be able to. I’ve developed my powers quite a bit since I last saw you. You might be surprised at what I can do now.” She winked at him and pushed up onto her elbows, chest stretching. “Did you ever think we would go from farmers to warriors? Quite a career change.”
“Can’t say I had any idea.”
“We didn’t really have much of a choice, did we?”
“There’s always a choice,” Walter said. “The easy one and the right one.”
“The choice to live or die, not much of a choice at all.” Nyset contemplatively pursed her full lips. She swallowed. “Think I did the right thing with the Earl?” He had left her no other option, but she needed to hear it from someone else.
“I don’t know, wasn’t there, but I trust your judgment. You have to do what needs doing.” He shrugged, his expression was flat and not the least bit comforting.
She supposed that was the best she could ask for. This chat had gone on long enough. She slid from the bed, felt the warmth of the sheets melting away. She sauntered towards him, narrow shoulders drawn back, trying to look confident in her bare skin. She felt awkward, felt his eye looking her up and down. But wasn’t this to be expected? “Let’s not dwell upon our past, our mistakes.”
He nodded with a quick smile. “They’re endless.” He reached out and closed the other half of the shutter, casting the room in lines of pink and orange. “I try not to think too much on them, starts to make everything hurt.”
She reached out to his face, brushed her thumb over the puckered scar that remained of his eye.
“Our wounds will heal in time. Everyone has them.” Walter wrapped his hand around her hip, traced the back of his hand up her stomach. She felt goosebumps prickle at his touch, her stomach tightening as if preparing to take a blow. He pulled his hand back an inch, looked at her, eyebrows going up and grinning. She forced herself to relax, slowly exhaling.
“Some don’t heal,” he said, casting a sour glance at his stump.
“They don’t change who you are.” She put her hand over it, then traced it up his arm and over the raised crisscrossing scars that ran up his chest. She avoided the wound over his gut left by Alena, yellowed with puss. It was healing, but the healing was slow.
“Not even this one?” He turned his face, putting his ruined eye close to hers. It was raspberry of flesh, bumpy, red, and tipped with white.
“Not even that one.” She ran her hand along his arm, gently closing over his stump, feeling spots of bone where the flesh loosely covered it. She didn’t care.
He wrapped his big hand around hers and found herself flinching at first. It had been too long since she’d felt his touch. Relax, there is a first time for everything, she told herself. His fingers pressed between the bones of her palm, massaging it. They traveled to her fingers, gently squeezing and pulling. It felt surprisingly good. She closed her eyes, let her mouth fall open with a pleased moan.
She felt him shift closer, felt the warmth emanating from his body. He was warm as a furnace, his breath hot against her face. He smelled like a mix of old leather and her lilac soaps, an odd combination. She wondered what she smelled like to him? Did she smell nice?
His cheek skimmed against her nose, skin rough, despite shaving an hour ago. He inhaled sharply against her neck, nuzzled his nose against the bottom of her sharp jawline. She found herself involuntarily smiling, neck tingling, inching her chin back, exposing her neck for his mouth.
He released her hand and she placed it on his lower back, sliding it down onto the curve of his ass, giving it a squeeze. He snickered, felt his laugh against her neck. His hand slid under her breast, fingers running back and forth over her nipple. She felt a shock go down to her toes, his hand traced up to her jaw and wrapped around her head, gave her hair a gentle pulling. She felt her hands prickle with sweat.
She had read enough romance novels that she knew the gist of what to do next. With her free hand, she reached for his cock, lightly caressing it. He was already hard and stiffened further at her touch, shooting her with a thrill. She grinned as he moaned. She wrapped her hand around it, and stroked, the skin soft in her palms. She watched her fingers slide up and down the shaft, the tip appearing and disappearing. It was a nice size, she guessed but had no experiences to draw upon.
She lifted her leg to draw it around him and he caught it under the elbow of his bad arm, spr
eading herself wide. He met her eyes with a mischievous twinkle. He pressed his palm against her stomach, over the apex of her hip, brushing her hair, and finally finding its home between her legs.
She released the hand holding his ass, grabbing his neck for more support. It felt like clinging to an immovable boulder. She tugged on him a little quicker and he responded in kind, deep waves of pleasure spreading over her abdomen. She pushed her face against his and slipped her tongue into his mouth. He tasted like a foul mix of onions and wine, remnants of their earlier supper, but nothing would stop her from lapping her tongue against his and nibbling at his dried lips.
He drew her tight, pressing himself against her, skin against clammy skin. She fought down the wriggling thoughts of her dead parents, managing a city, the Silver Tower, and the war against the Death Spawn, and focused on the two of them. She concentrated on pleasing him. Giving and taking from him in turn. Her hand tightened, moved faster, harder as his finger slipped deep inside of her. She moaned, ecstasy driving her hips into his. Flutters of pleasure crawled through her with every in and out of his finger.
“I want you inside me,” she whispered into his ear, his breath hot against her jaw.
“Yeah,” he said hoarsely. He clumsily hooked both of his arms under her thighs and lifted her. He walked her to the bed, sitting her on the feather mattress. The wood squealed when she slid back from the edge, giving him space to join her. He crawled up her body, settling between her legs, fiercely kissed her as if it were his first and last time.
She felt his cock stab against the inside of her thigh, then the other, then lower, between her round ass cheeks. “Er, wrong hole.”
“What the…? Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “Let me try again.”
Nyset suppressed a giggle. “Let me help, a little higher…” Her fingers wrapped around him again and she raised her hips, directing him to the right spot. “There.”
“Mm.” He moaned as their body’s connected and hers slowly absorbed his. His thumb ran across her nipple, rough and calloused against her satin skin. She felt herself warming down there, parting for him.
“Oh, yes,” she moaned in return, arching into him. “There it is.” She felt herself getting wetter, welcoming him.
He started with shallow thrusts, each slightly deeper than the last. He ran his hand up her chest, cupping around her firm breast, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“Ah,” she moaned.
“Mmm.” Walter ran his hand over her thigh, down her knee and around her ankle. He traced it back up, hips working in small circles, and wrapped his hand around her ribs. He gave a hard thrust.
“Gentle!” Nyset winced, placing her hand on his stomach to slow him down.
“Sorry,” he whispered and continued to move in and out of her body, more gently this time.
She felt herself relaxing, a little less tight and with a bit more lubrication. She slid her hand between their bodies, touching his thrusting cock. It was slippery between her fingers.
“Ah,” he moaned, his head back.
She pulsed when her finger found her bundle of nerves and began rubbing herself with her index finger, working around and around, intense waves of pleasure pulsing through her body.
Walter put his arms above her shoulders, driving himself deeper, she moaning in kind. They found a good rhythm, building up speed as they went.
Nyset looked up at his face, saw him looking down at her, eye maybe glittering with a touch of Dragon fire.
She felt herself doing the same, drawing on a little of the Dragon as a latent urge to consume all of him bloomed out. They both grimaced, driving into each other’s hips.
Walter opened his mouth and wrapped it around hers, bit and tugged on the bottom of her lip, dragging his teeth across it. She slumped back flat, letting out a pleased gasp. She wrapped her hands around his ass, feeling his muscles contract and relax with every thrust.
Faster they went, wet skin slapping against wet skin. Their moans became grunts as the sounds of their lovemaking filled the room. He slid his arm under her hips, a big hand wrapping around an ass cheek, squeezing and pulling it apart from the other. His fingers slipped inside her ass crack, getting a better grip that was almost painful.
The bed frame creaked with every thrust, each more forceful than the last. She wrapped her legs around his hips, feet dangling in the air. He reached his hand out from under her, dragged his fingers through her waving golden hair, tugging her head back. He pressed his face against hers, hot with sweat. She opened her mouth, sucked on his tongue, licking and nibbling. She was wet with his saliva and he hers.
“Ah, ah, ah!” A tsunami of ecstasy came over her, stomach clamping, legs crushing his hips. “Oh, oh!” she cried and moaned between grimaces. She was a kite in a hurricane, trying not to crest, to make it last longer. She never wanted it to end.
“Ah!” he moaned in turn, thrusting himself deeper, harder within her.
She cried out, her fingers digging into his back as she found her release. It triggered his. “Oh… Dragons, shit.” He moaned with the pure primal pleasure of his seed transferring from him to her. Driving thrusts slowed as he milked himself into her body.
Sanity returned and he lowered himself on top of her, draped his arms by his sides, his face pressed into her throat. “That… was amazing,” he breathed against her skin. “You are amazing.”
“Mm,” she grunted in agreement. She drew herself back and waited until he looked at her, watching the light fading in his eye. “I love you, Walter.”
“I know.” He grinned at her.
She knitted her eyebrows, staring at him. “You’re an ass.” She slapped him on the shoulder, laughing.
He snickered. “You love it.”
Maybe she did.
He kissed her then. Kissed her completely, passionately, and deeply. She never knew lips could be so soft.
She ran her fingers up and down his back, gently scratching, then massaging his back the best she could from her position on the bottom. She felt him deflate and slip out of her. He took long, deep breaths, face pressed against the side of hers and nestled on her pillow. Within the next few minutes, she felt his body grow limp against hers. A soft snoring shortly followed.
Nyset stared up at the ceiling, the last of the sun leaving the world cast in black. I can see why people become obsessed with sex, she thought.
Her worries came rushing back moments later, but muted. When would they take the Silver Tower? How long until the Death Spawn tried to take the city again? They were mixed into a bed of relaxation. And for the first time in a while, she could observe her worries without the feeling of near crippling anxiety coming along with them. The thoughts melted away and with them came sleep, Walter being her blanket.
Chapter 19
Preparations
“Magic toes a fine line between new discoveries in alchemy and herbalism.” -The Diaries of Nyset Camfield
The following two days were a blur for Walter. They consisted mainly of long needed rest, helping apprentice wizards, and getting himself re-acclimated with the new Silver Tower. Nyset had been busy while he was gone. There were three new houses built along the Tower’s grounds for apprentices and followers alike. The practice grounds had been well built, the fields plowed and starting to yield crops. She was a leader he’d willingly follow. How she had time to manage it all and stay sane, he couldn’t fathom.
There were almost a hundred apprentices now and almost as many veteran wizards. Their testing wasn’t nearly as strict as what they would’ve gone through to become a veteran at the old Silver Tower. She thought book learning didn’t matter much in times of war, but what you could do with the powers did. Nyset had said that would change when the realm was stabilized. He couldn’t argue with her logic.
She had elected to stay in the Silver Tower, leaving the Earl’s palace to his distasteful heirs. No doubt they would soon be plotting their vengeance, but they had bigger problems to worry about. Grimbald and Thalia arri
ved late last night with her soldiers, thankfully they brought carts full of supplies and tents for setting up camp. The Tower’s stocks were thin as it was, and she could only take so much from the coffers of Helm’s Reach in good conscience. They had brought baskets of amber plum berries, apparently a treasured rarity this far east and commanding a high value in the marketplace.
Shortly after Thalia Treeborn’s men settled in, naturally came the Midgaard Falcon battalion lead by general Stokes. Walter had been surprised to find that he’d lived up to his promise. Perhaps he had to learn to have more faith in people, but Scab’s betrayal had left him deplorably sore. They mixed in the with apprentices, filling the bunks and getting along well enough. The rest crammed themselves into makeshift tents and rooms in the surrounding brothels and taverns, most seeming not too displeased with their quarters, especially those holed up in the brothels.
Walter leaned back in a chair with Dragons carved into the armrests. The Silver Tower’s meeting room, across from Nyset’s office, was an entirely different spectacle since he’d last been here. Back then, there was still sawdust on the floor, sand in the air, wall planks exposed, and the windows covered with potato sacks.
The walls had been finished in a deep cherry, ornate crown moldings fit for a person of Nyset’s stature adorning the ceiling. Walter wondered if there had ever been an Arch Wizard who was also an Earl, likely a new note for the histories. The windows had glass fitted into them now, the clearest sort Walter had ever seen. They were propped open and let the cool morning air curl down into the room.
The group sat around a great circular table nearly four inches thick. Strewn about were a few decanters of steaming elixir, a plate of hissing sausages, a bowl of bright plum berries, a few apples, browned bacon, a few jugs of cool water, mugs, glasses. A fine meal before marching on to slay one’s mortal enemy, Walter thought.
He looked at the faces around him, chewing on a strip of bacon. His eye went around the eclectic group, putting them all in categories to get some perspective. He started with Nyset, his love, the Arch Wizard and Earl of Helm’s Reach. Beside her was Claw, her ever dutiful yet mad guardian. Next to him, Grimbald his loyal friend, then Senka of the Nether, last of the Scorpions, and Isa, a seemingly part crazed Tower assassin. Between Isa and himself sat Thalia, dangerously seductive one day, fearsome warrior the next. And to Walter’s left sat Grozul, ancient wizard of the Silver Tower. He tried to sort out their thoughts, motives, wants, and needs, but decided another piece of bacon would do instead.
A New Light (The Age of Dawn Book 5) Page 39