Warrior's Dawn (Fire and Tears) (19 page)

“You are the most stunning woman I’ve ever seen,” Althir murmured. “With a body designed for loving. How anyone could resist you is beyond me.”

She snorted. “I’m not even close to being stunning or I wouldn’t be able to do my job.”

“I’m stunned by you.”

His gaze flicked up to hers, holding, the intensity stealing breath she’d only just recovered.

“Althir…” She wasn’t sure how to respond, because he’d stunned her too.

He kissed her, his lips that sweet combination of gentle and firm. She tasted a hint of herself on his tongue and shuddered at the eroticism of it. Finally, her limbs obeyed her commands, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him over her as she spread her legs wide to welcome him. He rocked against her, his cock teasing at her entrance without slipping in. That tease shattered what remained of her control. She reached between them, gripped his cock and angled until the head dipped into her wetness. With a solid roll of her hips, she took him farther, sighing as he slowly filled her.

Her muscles clenched at him, tightening around his thickness, and he buried his face against her neck.

“Mina…”

The sound of her name murmured in that guttural tone was as seductive as the feel of his erection easing into her, opening her. She was tight enough to enjoy every rigid inch of him, but her body yielded to his length and thickness easily, past ready to have him fully inside her. The final bump of his groin against her as he settled deep inside sent a sharp shock of pleasure through her.

And then he moved. The slide and thrust created a friction so exquisite, Mina lost all sense of the surrounding world. Every fiber of her being drew down into a tight focus on Althir, his rhythm, his scent, the texture of his skin under her roving hands, the sharp sting of his teeth when he bit her shoulder, the tension and heat rolling through her. She matched his pace, clenching her muscles tighter around his cock to increase the friction. She’d never felt anything quite so perfect. Sensual beyond words, sexier, more intense than any experience in her life.

She held him, rocked with him, and when his demand built, when he thrust into her harder, faster, she followed. Scraping her fingers across his back. Sucking at his tongue the way she’d sucked his cock. Demanding more with each breath, each moan. Her orgasm broke through her suddenly, taking her by surprise so that she cried out, the sound muffled by his kiss. Through the waves of pleasure and shock, she felt him stiffen, felt the hot pulse of his release, and greedily swallowed his groan.

This time, her limbs didn’t relax beyond her control immediately and she was able to hold him tight, his body heavy on top of her. He nuzzled her neck, his breath hot and harsh. His heartbeat pounded against her breast.

When she felt she could summon enough strength to speak, she said, “I usually don’t come more than once. That was amazing.”

He kissed the skin along her throat before rising onto his forearms to look down at her. His smile was smug, but she couldn’t begrudge him that expression now. He’d earned every ounce of smugness as far as she was concerned.

“And just think,” he said, dropping a fleeting kiss onto her lips, “we don’t have anywhere to go for hours and hours. Lots of time for more.”

Her eyes widened. “I can’t keep this up for
hours
.”

“You can. You will.”

She shook her head. “Althir, I don’t have an elf’s stamina.”

“You’re going to surprise yourself, love. Elf-fire does more than just make the encounters intense.”

She nibbled her bottom lip a moment, before saying, “Do you think it’s safe? Here, I mean. Shouldn’t we…pay more attention to possibly being discovered?”

“The battle at the border is still in full swing.”

She opened her mouth, and he quieted her with another quick kiss.

“While you were sleeping, I overheard a few passing servants. Every solider has been called to the front. Every elf, every Sorcerer is required to fight right now. I’m not sure what your people are doing, but whatever it is, it’s keeping the enemy well occupied. Too occupied to search for us and that missing List.”

“Do you think they’re doing that on purpose? Maybe we should try to make for the border tonight.” Though the thought of getting out of bed and actually walking seemed impossible at that moment.

“We won’t get that far in what remains of the night.”

Her eyes widened. “How late is it? I thought…”

“Late enough.” With a sigh, he said, “But I wanted to keep you here so you could rest and recover from the fight before we made for the border. I’m not letting you do that right now, am I?”

She almost giggled. “No, I’m not exactly resting. But I do feel a lot better.”

He smiled, but resignation settled over his expression. “The real world is a harsh mistress. You’re right to remind me.”

She didn’t want to break their bubble of sex and elf-fire-induced madness either. She hadn’t felt so relaxed, so free in forever. But the reality of their location, their situation couldn’t be ignored, no matter how much she wanted to.

“I wish we didn’t have to think about this right now,” she said. “I’d rather worry about being able to keep up with you here in this bed.”

Her admission drew a small sigh from him, and he set his forehead against hers. “Mina. You tempt me beyond any woman I’ve ever known. When we’re back inside Sinnale territory, we’ll return to this. I am not nearly done with you yet.”

The feel of his cock starting to harden again inside her emphasized his statement and made her gasp in surprise. “The elf-fire really does help you recover quickly.”

He nodded then closed his eyes briefly when her hips jerked convulsively against his. “The journey back to friendly territory is going to be torture,” he said.

She tried not to laugh but a soft chuckle escaped anyway.

“Minx,” he accused, kissing away her amusement.

The kiss turned her own body against her, and before she realized what was happening, they were moving together again, his long strokes taking her beyond whatever limits she’d thought she had. He dipped low to suck her nipple into his mouth, licking and nipping until the line of sensation between her breast and her core drew taut, bringing another build to another crest of impossible pleasure.

She didn’t bother trying to control her descent this time, didn’t have the strength to hold back or resist. She gave herself completely to Althir’s sensual attention and discovered she did have the stamina he promised.

The real world, the dangers beyond this quiet room, remained at bay for just a little bit longer, and Mina fell back into the bliss of freedom, taking the satisfaction only Althir could give her. While she had the chance.

Chapter Sixteen

In the end, Althir did let her sleep for another couple of hours, insisting she needed some rest before they started to plan their return to safety. He woke her just before dawn with a small meal of dried fruit and a surprising loaf of fresh bread.

“Where did you get this?”

“I snuck out and stole it,” he said.

“Althir! You shouldn’t have done that.”

“I didn’t go far. I wouldn’t leave you alone and unguarded like that.” He scowled at her as if she should have known better.

“I was more worried about the List.” But the fact that his first concern was for her sent warmth spreading through her body.

“As I said, I didn’t go far. And I was able to overhear a little gossip that confirmed the battle is still going strong. Whatever is happening on the front, it’s not easing up.”

She swallowed a bite of the dark bread. “We need to get back. As quickly as we can. They’re giving us a distraction.”

He frowned down at the sheet between them where he’d placed the small meal. “It’s a distraction, all right. Until we get close to the fighting. Then we’ll have to work our way through the enemy lines to get into Noman’s Land. That’s not going to be a simple task, Mina.”

She nodded. “But we just need to meet up with a group of Sinnale and we’ll have an escort, someone to cover our backs.”

“Again, that’s not going to be easy.”

“I know. But we can’t plan until we get close enough to see exactly what’s happening.”

He shrugged, but she could tell his attention was turned inward, thinking ahead to what they had to do.

“I’m not particularly happy you did it, but since you did go out without being spotted, what did you see? How many people are left in the area? Can we move during the day or do we need to hold out until tonight?”

“There weren’t many servants about, but it was pre-dawn. There wouldn’t be. We’ll still have to contend with them during the day.”

“But minion patrols? Sorcerers?”

“From what I overheard, and what I know of minion numbers, I doubt the Sorcerers had enough bodies to leave any behind. Your people do still outnumber them, even if their magic makes it an even fight. But if the Sinnale are making a serious push to regain more territory, the Sorcerers won’t be able to spare minions to search for us or patrol the streets. Not if they want to keep from losing more ground than they already have.”

“They know about the List by now. Won’t that worry them?”

She was trying to work her way through every possible scenario. With the fighting still such a distraction, she wanted to take advantage of it, but she was afraid in her hurry she’d sacrifice her usual cautious approach and get them both killed. It was always better to move around at night if she wasn’t moving in disguise. But the thought of waiting out another day made her antsy and restless.

“Which is why making our way through their lines and into Sinnale territory won’t be easy. They’ll be watching for us—for anyone they think might have stolen the List.”

“Can we get from here to Glengowyn?” she said suddenly. “I know it’s more roundabout. But if we can reach Glengowyn, the king and queen can help us return to friendly territory with the List.”

His mouth twisted in a faint snarl. “I won’t find any help from that direction. I’m not welcome back yet. If I go into Glengowyn now, I’ll be taken before the sovereigns still a traitor and subject to their full wrath. Until I put the List into the council’s collective hands, and they speak to the king and queen on my behalf, the elves consider me a criminal.” His scowl cleared. “But for you…”

She shook her head. “No. It’s not an option then.”

“They would look after you, ensure you got back safely.” He nodded as he considered the possibility further. “Sneaking past the city limits might be a little easier now. There’s still the spells to consider. We’d risk triggering something. And there’s at least two miles of open grassland between the city this far east and the edge of the forest.”

“Althir, no. We’ll find another way.”

He continued as if he hadn’t heard her. “We’d probably be safer in the open grass, though, than trying to move farther west through the city to get to a place where the crossing to the forest is shorter. And if we don’t start out into the open until after nightfall…”

“Althir!” She grabbed his arm to get his attention. “It’s not an option. Not if it means your sovereigns will turn you back into a prisoner. Or worse. I don’t know what their ‘wrath’ will entail, but after all you’ve done to earn your freedom, I won’t have you throwing that away.”

“You’re more important than my freedom. Taking that List to the council safely is more important.”

She swallowed hard, emotions she refused to examine clogging her throat. “No,” she said firmly. “You’ve risked everything for this. Too much to throw it away now and be labeled a traitor forever. Especially when you never really were.”

She wasn’t sure exactly when she started to believe in him, to be certain his story was true. Sometime during her trip to the Chemist? Her belief had started then. Making love to him had somehow solidified it. She didn’t know if what she felt could be called trust yet. But she was positive he’d been honest about his original intent in joining the traitors. He was too humiliated by the failure for it to have been a lie. Because of that, she couldn’t stand to see him fail again. Not when he was this close to doing exactly what he’d set out to do.

“Althir, we’ll find our way through enemy lines and back to Sinnale. Glengowyn, the king and queen, they can wait until you’re no longer labeled a traitor.”

He cupped her cheek, a gesture that surprised her. “We’ll try the front first, because you ask it of me. But if we can’t find a way through safely, we go to Glengowyn for help. No arguments,” he said, cutting off her attempt to interrupt. “I will not have you fall into the Sorcerers’ hands under any circumstances. And if that means I live the rest of my life as a traitor, so be it.”

His declaration robbed her of the ability to speak, but she knew, deep inside, she couldn’t let him fall victim to that fate. Not anymore. They would find a way to save them both. And to end the war that had brought so much suffering.

Althir knew she hadn’t given in even though she’d stopped arguing with him. She had no intention of using the option of Glengowyn, no matter how much he insisted. That only made him more determined to protect her.

He couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment when everything changed, but everything had sometime in the last day. His priority wasn’t to get the List to the Sinnale anymore. It was to get Mina to safety. He wasn’t interested in examining his change in motivations either, or the meaning behind it. He refused to look too closely at his own feelings. They were irrelevant at the moment anyway. All he knew was that Mina’s safety was paramount, and he intended to do whatever it took to return her alive and well, mission accomplished, to the human council.