A Warlord's Heart (7 page)

Ramar approached the stairs with a determined
stride only to have the one Raasa he least expected cross his path
and hinder his pursuit of the female taking up his thoughts.

Maen met his gaze evenly. “Leave her be,
Kabanian. Haven’t you done enough?”

Ramar jerked back. He’d done nothing to harm
Vesa. Would never. “Best you move aside, Raasa.”

Maen hissed, green eyes flashing as he leaned
forward. Ramar gripped his knife but kept it sheathed. Raasa venom
burned flesh to the bone. He’d be severely injured if Maen
attacked.

“If you don’t want her, let another win her
heart.”

Ramar began citing his warrior cadence to
keep from flinching. The thought of Vesa caring, no loving another
struck him like a dagger blow. “There will be no other.”

Maen snorted. “There have been others.”

Ramar’s hand snapped out and gripped the male
about the throat as he increased the steady pressure. Maen stepped
to the side despite the hold and kicked out, striking Ramar below
the knee. His leg gave and bent, causing Ramar’s fingers to loosen
as he stumbled.

Maen jerked away and raised his puny fists.
Ramar would have laughed if he didn’t respect the Raasa’s efforts
to defend Vesa. Especially in the face of a Kabanian Warlord he had
no hope of defeating. Ramar took a deep breath and relaxed his
stance as he forced himself to ask the question he dreaded the
answer to. “Are you her mate?”

Raasa True Unions were to the death and if
Vesa pledged herself to this male, Ramar would never have a chance
to hold her in his arms again. Never have the chance to feel her
body beneath his in bed play once more. Never experience the
pleasure his friends spoke of when they discussed kissing.

Maen smirked. “You’ve no idea.”

Then the male stepped aside, clearing the way
for Ramar with nothing more than a taunting grin, his fangs fully
displayed. Ramar calmly walked around him not showing his relief at
the answer but picked up his pace as soon as he reached the stairs.
He took them two at a time worried that he had truly lost the only
woman he’d ever dreamed about.

At the top of the stairs, Ramar turned left
heading in the opposite direction of the rooms for the youngling
and his Overlord. He traversed the narrow corridor that was
impractical for defense as he neared the space he hadn’t visited in
well over a year. The door was wide open and Ramar had to tamp down
his anger at the lax attitude the Raasa had toward their safety. He
entered the room quietly.

Tapestries hung on the wall in vibrant shades
of yellow and purple, forming abstract shapes, a basket rested on
the floor with bits of cloth and thread spilling over the wicker
edges. Two chairs bracketed a small wooden, scarred table where
Ramar remembered sharing cider with Vesa as they spoke of many
things the night she’d invited him to her bed. It was the first and
last time he’d ever spoken with a woman before bed play.

Vesa stood by the bed, her back to him. The
purple and black striped sheets were neatly folded with a jumble of
pillows tossed on top. Pillows Ramar had once thrown to the floor
in his haste to have her.

“Vesa?”

Her back stiffened and Ramar was at a loss.
He closed the door behind him and leaned against the stone barrier
for support. Balal had the right of it. If he did not speak, he ran
the risk of another claiming that which he wanted. “Vesa, I would
apologize for my earlier actions.”

She reached for a round pillow and clutched
it to her chest. Ramar swallowed and pushed past her silence to
continue. “I…I have feelings for you.”

Feelings he had no means of explaining. They
were so different. Vesa was kind, always offering a sweet smile to
those around her. Ramar didn’t bother to smile unless his brethren
shared jokes. He would never be like the gentle males of Raasa.
Perhaps she would not want a warrior hardened by battle. Years of
fighting and defending his Overlord made him the man he was and he
took pride in his skills.

Ramar pushed off the door to approach her,
seeking the right thing to say. “If you would have me leave you
alone I shall understand and bother you no more.”

He lifted his arms to touch her then lowered
them for fear she’d pull away. The very thought gnawed at him. He
couldn’t take Vesa pulling away from him again. “That is all I
wished to say. Again, I extend my apologies.”

Ramar turned to leave, his heart a laden
weight. His eyes burned and the pain in his stomach spread to his
chest. He’d waited too long to take action. The worst mistake a
warrior could ever make in a fight to win a worthy prize was to
delay his attack.

“What of amends?”

Ramar turned at the question but she still
had her back to him. His heart skipped a beat then thudded madly
and out of rhythm. “Amends?”

Vesa faced him and offered a small smile
despite the dried tear tracks on her cheeks. He regretted that he
was the cause of her tears. “The Su-Su says when Vaan angers her he
makes amends.”

Hope reared its head. Ramar pushed the
question past the thickness in his throat. “I have angered
you?”

She narrowed her eyes and walked toward him,
slim hips swaying in her skirts. “Yes…Ramar. You’ve made me angry
for well over a year.”

His name on her lips had Ramar weakening in
relief. His tongue moistened his suddenly dry mouth. “A year is a
long time.”

Vesa reached up and tugged at the leather
cord holding his hair in a warrior’s knot. The long waves slid
about his shoulders. “Yes, a year is very long. What are you going
to do about it?”

Her spirited response sent his pulse soaring
and his toqa stretched within his leathers. Ramar answered with a
confidence he didn’t quite feel. “I am going to make amends.”

Vesa laughed and wrapped her arms about his
waist. Ramar closed his eyes to absorb the sensation of her body
pressed tight to his. He placed his arms almost hesitantly on her
back. Vesa covered his forearms with her hands and tightened his
hold. “Like this.”

Ramar followed her lead and squeezed harder
than he probably should have as he buried his face in her hair to
whisper, “Thank the Blessed One.”

He held her and she accepted the embrace for
a while longer, neither speaking. Ramar cleared his throat, wanting
to know her wishes. He would do anything for Vesa. “What would you
have of me to make amends?”

Another chuckle and though the words were
muffled against his chest, Ramar heard her clearly. “Why bed play,
of course.”

Ramar froze. She must have sensed the change
in his demeanor because Vesa leaned back and tipped her face up to
see him better. “Ramar?”

He sought to move from her but Vesa latched
on to his wrists as he attempted to separate them. “Ramar, what’s
wrong?”

“You will not be satisfied with my bed play.
It is the reason you left my bed the last time we were
together.”

Vesa gawked and Ramar felt the heat of shame
stain his cheeks.

“You left
my
bed, Warlord.”

Ramar frowned and gentled his actions to ease
her hands from their death grip on his wrists. She was wrong. This
he remembered clearly. “You refused me the next night.”

“B-because you couldn’t wait to leave me. You
found your release and barely pulled on your pants before charging
out the door.”

Ramar paused and focused. The night stood out
because he had never enjoyed himself more with a female. Vesa’s
toque had a slight chill about it and each stroke had soothed and
aroused as he sought his release. Afterwards, he did leave but only
because he’d almost fallen asleep cradled between her firm thighs.
“I went to my bed for sleep.”

Vesa growled and Ramar found the sound cute
and far from scary. “You could have slept with me.”

“But-”

Vesa snapped a hand up. “Bah! Don’t tell me
of your Kabanian ways and lack of trust. If you want to make
amends, you’ll stay in the bed with me this time and spend the
night.”

Ramar knew his mouth hung open and had to
consciously close it.

She continued, diamond eyes glaring. “You can
sleep with your knife under your pillow in case I change my mind
and want to strangle you like I’m tempted to right now.”

Ramar surprised himself when he let out a
rich laugh at her claim. “I am trusting your honor if you vow not
to slay me in my sleep if I do not satisfy you.”

It was his biggest concern. He wanted to be
more for Vesa. He wanted to please her so she did not regret being
with him.

For the first time in over a year, Ramar was
on the receiving end of Vesa’s full-blown smile. “I vow it and I
vow that we both shall find pleasure this night.”

Such faith humbled him. Ramar took a deep
breath and released it. “I will stay in your bed through the
night.”

Small fingers attacked his chest harness with
a nimbleness he’d not expected. He shifted his shoulders as she
withdrew his sheathed sword and turned to lay it carefully on her
table among her sewing items. Next, she worked the fastening of his
leathers. When her hands brushed his thickness, Ramar groaned
deep.

Vesa glanced up and winked. “We’re getting
there.”

She shoved his pants down stopping at his
boots. Motivated by her eagerness, Ramar steered her hands away to
finish the task until he stood naked before her. When Vesa
straightened and whipped her dress over her head, tossing it to the
floor with less care than she’d handled his weapon, his breath came
in light pants. Her Raasa body was as he remembered. Large
beautiful breasts, a curvy waist and full hips that led to long
legs. The lack of body hair left the smooth folds of her toque
bare.

Vesa stepped closer to him and captured his
hands in hers, bringing them to the plump globes. Raasa females had
no nipples which had surprised him when he saw her undressed for
the first time but it didn’t stop her eyes from closing in pleasure
on a sharp inhale when she pressed his hands onto her. Encouraged,
Ramar brought their bodies together and lowered his head. That’s
when he noticed the small circular red mark on her neck.

“What is this?” He eased a hand free of her
luscious body and tapped a finger along the edges of the
bruise.

Vesa flinched then met his stare boldly.
“Maen kissed me.”

Ramar’s instinct as rage boiled was to shove
her away and find the hapfe dung. He knew by the glint in her green
eyes that she expected such. Driving back his emotions proved hard
but he managed. Ramar smoothed his hands down her tempting body and
clasped her hips roughly until her loins fit snug against him. “He
will not mark you again. Only I shall have that pleasure. Now, show
me your kisses.”

Vesa snickered but Ramar had no chance to
correct her. Soft lips pressed to his and her forked tongue teased
at his mouth until his lips parted. He swallowed her moan as their
hips rocked together and his hands clenched on her full buttocks.
Ramar’s toqa throbbed in need. He wanted release. Now

“Come with me.” Vesa eased her mouth away,
lips damp and moved to her bed. She lay down on her back, legs
parted and curled her fingers in his direction.

As if under a spell, Ramar followed and
kneeled over her. Black hair spread about her pillows and her
green, diamond-shaped eyes took on a glazed cast.

***

Vesa

Vesa’s breath stalled at his approach.
Ramar’s thick warrior build was as hard as she remembered. Taut
muscles defined his chest where the copper discs of his male
nipples taunted. Her gaze lingered on the ridges of muscle
displayed down his torso, the slight indention of his belly button
and then the hairy area of his groin.

She reached for the firm shaft and caressed
it with even strokes that pulled a groan forth. Ramar’s neck arched
back as he shifted to perch between her legs while on his knees.
Vesa increased the pace of her hand as it slid up and down his
length, her thumb pressing on the tip each time.

Ramar grabbed her wrist. “Too much,
Vesa.”

She twisted her hand and entwined their
fingers. Ramar leaned over her, balancing on one hand planted on
the bed by her head. With her free hand, Vesa guided him to her
waiting entrance. She cried out as Ramar rocked his hips and filled
her with a hard thrust. Releasing his hand, she spread her fingers
through the black curtain of hair falling about his face.

Never had Vesa had the chance to touch a
grown male’s hair until Ramar. She hadn’t realized the enjoyment to
be had in running her fingers through the pitch-black strands. She
smoothed a section back only to watch in amazement as it fell
forward over his forehead in a sleek wave.

Ramar’s deep chuckle broke her fascination
with the silk sections. “Is it my hair or my toqa that you
want?”

Vesa flushed, realizing he’d stopped moving
after he filled her core. “It’s so soft,” she murmured.

Ramar pulled back and drove forward. “I will
make it harder.”

Vesa jerked at his words then smiled and
nipped at his chin in admonishment. Ramar froze and Vesa’s smile
fell. Her hands twitched on his shoulders as her heart raced.

“No,” he said. “Do not change for me. Show me
all the ways Raasa share pleasure with one another.”

“Mmm.” Vesa’s heart swelled at his
willingness to let her be herself in the bedroom. “You will not
mind?”

Brown eyes darkened. “I made a mistake
before. I am mindful now. Do what you will, sweet Vesa.”

Vesa blinked away the burning sensation in
her eyes and swallowed. She wrapped her legs around him and licked
at the salty texture of sweat on his shoulder. The muscles beneath
her mouth tensed but Vesa didn’t let it sway her. After another
series of kisses, she paused at his throat where a vein beat wildly
and bit deep. Her fangs pierced his flesh and Ramar groaned above
her.