Part IV: Gyges
Sand was sitting at his desk, the books opened reverently before him. Lantan portal construction really was quite the marvelous feat if you could get it just right; if you made a mistake (and mistakes were easily to be had), it was always disastrous.
Pity magic was so all-or-nothing.
He rubbed his blue eyes tiredly. He hadn't had much sleep the night before. Not that he minded - Torio had been a rather unexpected and surprisingly welcomed companion.
She's your lover. Admit it.
Fine. Lover.
He had found it exceeding difficult not to stand near her, watch her, and speak to her at the last briefing and he had found himself protective when Ammon had started attacking her trustworthiness and motivations. Which was foolish, because Sand still had the same reservations about her; just because they had spent the night together didn't mean he necessarily trusted her either. And yet...
And yet here he was, waiting for her to stop by his room, under the pretense of discussing some mundane Luskan arcane lore when really she would be coming by to have him remove his enchantments from her silver bracelet.
He hoped that decision wouldn't be the beginning of his untimely demise.
There suddenly seemed, to Torio, to be a higher number of guards wandering the halls.
She kept her pace slow, nonchalant, avoiding eye contact with the armed men as they stood like statues along the hallways she was walking through. She had the ridiculous urge to break into a run to get past all of them.
That's it, is it? Not to get you to Sand's door faster?
It had been somewhat of a challenge keeping herself schooled throughout the briefing; releasing some irritation at the warlock had helped, but then Sand had stepped in, and it had taken most of her control not to meet his eyes, to merely turn her head and ignore him. She had felt strangely pleased...
Well, it had shut Jerro up...
She glanced over her shoulder; the noise her heels made against the floor was inevitable, but as she turned the corner that led past the Library and towards Sand's room, she blithely passed behind the wall and bent down, wriggling her feet out of the slippers. Giving a cautionary glance up the hallway, she stole barefooted, undignified, and near-silent towards his door, rapping on it quietly and hurriedly with the backs of her knuckles.
Sand heard the knock and he nearly stepped on Jaral's tail as he bolted for the door. He stopped short and took a deep breath, smoothing down his robe and already immaculate hair. Sand opened the door slowly, speaking in what he hoped was a loud, unassumingly sarcastic voice. Jaral took this opportunity to dart out into the hallway, no doubt to try to catch some mice. "Ah, Torio, how kind of you to be on time. Tell me, when you were in Luskan, were you this particular with how punctual you were with your ..ah... clients?"
He ushered her in and closed the door, locking it.
Torio snorted derisively as she dodged the fleeing cat slipping between her legs and out into the hallway. As he locked the door behind her, her skin prickled slightly taking in his room again...hardly 24 hours ago, she'd been lying on that bed..."Impeccably smooth, Sand," she said caustically. "You're lucky the be-louted guards their 'Graces' post around this keep are half-asleep, as it is." She set her shoes down by the door and stood, smoothing her dress down as she eyed him momentarily. He looked tired...probably as tired as she felt. She couldn't quite keep the warm flush from spreading through her at the thought of what had kept them up all night.
"You are ready to cast the spells, I hope?" she asked quickly.
"Hmm. Yes well you're just as lucky that they're so careless." He gave her a quick, mocking smile. "What, no hugs and kisses today, my dear girl? Just the spell?"
He went to a chest by the desk and pulled out a rough stone with glittering minerals, and a fine white crystalline powder in a small pouch. He rummaged through until he found a simple glass bowl, and a thin wooden dowel. He showed the spell components to her. "Loadstone and saltpeter. Come. Sit." He led her in front of the fireplace, and sat cross-legged. He placed the loadstone into the bowl and poured the saltpeter on top. He held out his hand for hers. "You will need to hold the bracelet very steadily over the bowl."
She sat across from him over the bowl, placing her hand in his; she shivered slightly at his cool skin, a small trace of goosebumps rising along her flesh. "I'm reserving affection in case the spell backfires, bodaes," she said, her voice wry. "I can't very well retract a kiss after my arm's accidentally been disintegrated, now can I?"
She watched him through the few strands of hair that constantly seemed to fall in front of her eyes, despite her attentive neatness. His hand was dry and almost chillingly cool compared to the fire that licked across her skin, and she watched as he positioned her arm so that the bracelet hung squarely over the bowl. She felt a trill of nervousness shiver through her...what if it didn't work? Their deal would be moot; he wouldn't be able to deliver his end of the bargain, and she wouldn't be required to hold up hers...
She found herself somewhat disappointed at the thought as she watched him, waiting.
Sand gripped her hand tightly, tighter than what was really required but he found himself secretly enjoying the touch of her skin again. He lifted the dowel of wood and placed it into the fire, waiting until the end became lit. He lifted it between them, the smoke rising softly. He caught Torio's eyes, nodded reassuringly and then closed his, focusing on the strange arcane words he was now muttering and the sharp, precise movement of the lighted dowel. He opened his eyes and quickly stuck the little flame into the bowl.
There was a burst of white, metallic light and a visible morphing of the air around them; but just as it had started, it ended.
Sand let Torio's hand go, saying softly, "I've released you from my enchantments, Helkaer."
Torio felt nearly nothing; a slight, complaining twist around her wrist that shot up her arm for merely a heartbeat, and then sudden lightness, almost weightlessness...the air around her no longer seemed as heavy as it had before, and she closed her eyes, inhaling deeply as a slightly relieved, pleased smile touched the corners of her mouth.
Well. It seems to have worked.
Yes, thank you.
Her head felt a little clearer, as well. The weariness that had been dragging at her all day ebbed slightly, and when she opened her eyes, she bent forward, brushing her mouth against Sand's lightly, her breath quickening at the mere act of leaning towards him. "Consider that a thank you," she said, her voice slightly rough as she pulled back.
Torio pulled away too quickly before Sand could return the kiss. He felt a little disappointed at the briefness of their contact but quickly masked it, saying professionally, "Well, don't thank me just yet, dear girl. We still have to see if I can suppress the other enchantments."
He rolled up his sleeves. "This will be significantly harder, even for someone of my considerable talents. The Reaving Dispel spell can fail; there is never any guarantee." All-or-none. He stood again and went back to his chest. He pulled out a small, flawed alexandrite crystal and placed it in front of Torio. "The gem will hold the enchantment limiting you to the Keep. However, the Torture enchantment requires a living creature. Let me see if I can move it me for a time. Just a little experiment, dear girl."
Sand stood back, his hands weaving invisibly glyphs in the air, his lips working furiously but quietly. Sweat was starting to bead on his forward; he didn't want to tell her but if something went wrong with transferring the Torture spell there was a possibility he'd activate it either on himself or on her.
That would be a pleasant way to end the evening.
Torio watched his fingers weaving in poorly disguised fascination, his face focused and eyes slightly glazed with concentration. She could feel the prickle of building magic along her skin, and her heart ran unutterably fast as a rush of adrenaline shot through her...
His words ended, and there was a straining, resistant pull along her arm that made her flinch; and then a barely tangible snap! as whatever it was flew from her body.
She blinked at him, momentarily startled; the bracelet fell unusually cool against her wrist; normally it felt like a live thing, clinging to her skin like a leech. She found herself morbidly curious. "Did it work?"
Sand sank to his knees, exhausted but entirely pleased. He smiled at her, "Well neither of us are screaming in agonizing pain, so yes, dear Torio, I would have to say it worked." He felt the enchantment sitting on him; it was utterly unpleasant. A strange, heavy prickling, anticipatory feeling - much like having that ranger Bishop constantly watching you out of the corner of his eyes but never quite being able to catch him doing it. He picked up the alexandrite and placed it discreetly in his desk drawer. He would love to see Neeshka try to steal the gem and have it refuse to leave the Keep.
He exhaled, wiping the sweat from his brow. "I do have enough energy for two invisibility spells, if you'd like to go outside for a bit..."
Torio felt wonderful. Feeling somewhat ludicrous, she stretched her arms above her head, her body feeling incredibly light and supple and weightless. She hadn't even noticed the difference the spell made until it was gone...understandable, since she'd been shackled when they'd closed the bracelet around her wrist. His smile, when he looked at her, looked tired and pleased at the same time, and she felt her stomach clench with eagerness at his suggestion.
Down, girl. Do you want him to think he's got you wrapped around his finger? That's your job. Remember?
She moved to where he was kneeling, her face impassive...standing in front of him, she reached down, brushing a fingertip across his sharply pointed ear as she pushed a strand of hair from his face; she was surprised to feel the slight dampness of his forehead. Strained, are we, dear wizard?
"I wouldn't mind getting outside of the walls for a bit," she said. "If you're sure you've got the energy for the spell..." Her eyebrow quirked sardonically, a wry smile twitching across her lips.
Sand gave a happy murmur when she touched his ear, but stood nevertheless. "After that spell, Invisibility is nothing." He reached out and took her hand with one hand, and pulled out the components with other. A quick incantation, a few movements of his fingers and suddenly - POP. They were both invisible.
"Lead the way, dear Torio. You're a free woman for an hour."
Stifling a chuckle, she pulled on his hand, unlocking the door and carefully pulling it open; out into the hallway, she carefully let it shut behind them, and then stood for a moment, flabbergasted. Did she even know any of the exits from the Keep? The main door would be too obvious; if it appeared to be opening and closing by itself they'd have every Cloaktower Mage in the Keep down on their heads, impeding their every move and examining the gate for demon possession or trickery.
She knew a part of the Keep that wasn't quite finished yet; accessing it might be difficult, but if they hadn't started rebuilding yet... Silently, she pulled Sand behind her, heading towards the West Wing; there were a pair of guards standing in front of the poorly blockaded entrance, and for a moment she felt her lip curl disdainfully; while building keeps cost money, she hoped the young Knight Captains realized what a vulnerable position they were leaving themselves in.
As she pulled Sand past the guards and over a few tricky pieces of scattered masonry, she felt a slight tugging, faint; it seemed to drag at her momentarily before releasing, and then she was out, out, out...walking across blasted cobblestones of the ruined West Wing, the evening sky crisp and clear above her head.
She'd never been one for indulgences that didn't have some sort of immediate benefit to her situation; but with her shoes abandoned back in Sand's room, and the relative safety of the Invisibility spell, she lightly stepped from the edge of the ruined foundation and past the boundaries of the Keep's walls, clutching Sand's hand. Curling the grass between her bare (and probably rather dirty) toes, Torio sighed.
Sand followed her silently, letting her take control of her first taste of freedom in...weeks? months? She led him to the grassy area, overlooking the farmlands. The stars were shining above them and he could hear the muted night sounds of animals and people. He heard her sigh and found himself happy he could give her this moment of contentment.
You're certainly getting sentimental in your old age, elf.
What? I'm not old!
How long before she goes from lover to love?
Never. She's Torio.
Instead, he merely stood there in silence, holding her hand, waiting for her to make the next move.
She stood for a long moment, staring at the tree line many leagues in front of them, interspersed with pockets of farmland.
It wasn't that far, she realized. Her eyes shifted to where Sand was standing next to her, imagining she could really see him; his long, sleek dark hair and regal profile etched in moonlight.
You're about the same size. With a weapon, and the element of surprise, you might be able to...
A weapon wouldn't do much against the spells of his magnitude.
Maybe not when he's fully rested, but perhaps when he's tired...after casting a particularly draining spell, perhaps? One that will allow you to walk a few ways from the Keep's walls, where no one would be looking for him...?
She could hear him breathing lightly, he was standing so close to her, his hand resting easily around hers. She hadn't needed a weapon to get him to bring her out here.
Why pretend to consider it? You know that you're not going to do it.
The thoughts slipped from her mind, and she slid her hand up his arm, tucking it around his waist and nuzzling her face against his shoulder. "I never thought I would see the day you didn't open your mouth to say something, bodaes," she said dryly.
His arm went automatically around her as she pressed into him. "Hmm. You had me speechless - or at least incoherent - several times last night, if I do recall correctly, Helkaer." He started walking forward, pulling her away from the Keep, feeling the thrill of rebellion and power. To hells with Nasher and Nevalle - he had found a way around them and their sniveling Cloaktower mages.
He looked down where he knew her face would be, more out of habit than anything. "Anything in particular you want to do? Anywhere you would like to go? Time is of the essence, dear girl, and I suggest you make the most of it while you still can."
Torio was content to follow where he walked for the moment; she'd barely seen the outside of the Keep when they'd ridden her here, and since that day she'd been inside the walls. "Is there much one can do while invisible? I don't even know where we are, besides outside." She gave him a sly look, reminding herself belatedly that he couldn't see it. Keeping contact with his body, she stepped in front of him, sliding her arms up his chest and around his neck. "But I must say, rendering you speechless seems like something I could get used to." She nuzzled her face forward until her mouth found his, and kissed him firmly, her tongue brushing against his lips.
Sand pulled Torio closer to him, pressing his mouth to hers and sliding his tongue between her lips. The heaviness of the enchantment resting on his body lifted momentarily as he embraced her and he sighed. The chill of the night air was a sharp contrast to the warmth of her human body. He tasted the familiar lip ointment again and he could smell her skin and the grass beneath their feet. He pulled back, and looked where she should have been, finding it strange to kiss somebody he could not see. "Well. That was some thank you."
His fingers found her face and he stroked her cheek briefly before taking her hand again. "I could give you the grand tour of the property, I suppose." He walked forward until he came to the edge of some farmhouses being rebuilt, a half tilled field and a few cows, sleeping.
Her lips still burned gently as he turned and walked her towards the front of the Keep, and she felt her blood stirring inescapably. The grass felt cool, and soft, and prickled against the bottoms of her feet in a rather pleasing way...
"Before us you see the attempts of brave and gallant commonfolk trying to force a sense of normalcy into a very abnormal situation. If you look to the left - the same! The right - oh look, more of the same." He chuckled wryly. "There's not much here unless you like construction and farms and I know for a fact you don't, dear girl."
Torio choked on a laugh. "Ah, the stubborn persistence of farmers...you would think, after so many years of being violently driven from their homes by one war after another, they would try to live somewhere else." She gazed at the farmlands in front of them with veiled contempt as he spoke...
He continued walking down the path that would lead them to the main road exiting the Keep to the High Road. He wondered how far he could take her before the other enchantments resisted. "There's not much else to do out here..."
But Sand knew perfectly well what he wanted to do with Torio, out here, while invisible.
Listen to yourself! Sleeping with a woman outside? You're turning into a crazy wood elf. What's next, turning into a badger?
She heard his voice trail off in an almost half-question
"Sand," she said, her voice low and sultry...she was suddenly giddy with the idea that nobody could see them, out in the open as they were. She bent towards his ear. "The grass feels rather lovely..."
Without waiting for her to finish her sentence and suggestion, he started pulling her towards the wild, untilled fields, his normally cool skin starting to flush slightly with excitement.
You are definitely turning into a wood elf.
When he was certain they were out of earshot of anybody walking the roads, he stopped, and spun around, wrapping his arms around her. He whispered lowly, "If we're caught, we'll be hanged."
Instead of filling her with dread...like the words very well should have done...she felt her stomach clench tightly with excitement, shooting fingers of heat through her loins. "Oh do tell," she whispered, her voice catching in her throat. "We shall have to try to get back before the spell wears off, then, hmm?"
She covered his mouth with hers once she found it, delving her tongue inside of it, while her fingers scrabbled searchingly against his invisible body, looking for the fastenings on his robe.
His words did very little to deter her and for that he was privately glad. He murmured into her mouth, "Yes, we have to hurry, my dear girl." She was still wearing the dress from earlier and his hands were pulling up the skirted portion up over her rounded backside. He pulled his mouth away from hers, pulling the dress very gently over her head - going slowly as to not have a repeat of last night's shirt fiasco. He dropped her dress to the ground and watched as it suddenly materialized.
Oh gods, he was really going to do this, wasn't he? The urgency of their situation pressed down upon him and he felt his member hardening with the thought of her naked, in front of him. He pulled her hips to him insistently. How much time did they have? 10 minutes? 15?
Not enough...
He looked back in her general direction, his hands running up and down her body lightly. Without his sight to aid him, he could only go by touch.
Torio gasped as his hands began running across her body; there was something intensely erotic about only being able to feel him in front of her. Her skin felt sensitized beyond belief, and as she fumbled with the last of the fastenings and pushed the robe off of his shoulders, she nearly shivered when her hands met his cool, smooth skin, sliding down across his chest and abdomen, to where his trews were tied together.
Knots were a bit harder without being able to see them, and he wasn't helping...she felt his fingers cup her hips and pull her against him; she could feel the fabric of his trousers pressing against her bare thighs, and his already hardening member straining against her body through the cloth. She forced her eagerness down, forced herself to work slowly; it would be the mother of all ironies if you get caught because the spell wears out while you're still trying to undo his trousers...
Technically, they couldn't hang us for doing anything illicit...we wouldn't have gotten there, yet.
Finally, she heard the laces part, and she pushed the trousers off his hips, drawing her hands up the front of his thighs and wrapping her fingers around the length of him. "Amin merne amin ras darn llie," she murmured silkily, "Leha thaelol llie car ei tanak eidelandri..." I wish I could see you...but feeling you has a certain advantage. Her own eyes shut involuntarily in pleasure as his member became impossibly hard underneath her touch, and she stroked slightly, reveling in the feel of him.
Sand felt his whole body tightened when she began stroking him. He had to get her on the ground. Quickly, Sand kicked off his pants, watching it reappear when it hit the ground and began slowly pulling her down to the soft grass, trying to be mindful of where her arms and legs would be. "Shar shyr shi eil eidalandri byrn air ei shalaer..."What would be an advantage now is a blanket...
He pulled her on top of him. So strange! He could look up where he knew her face was and see the stars above him - but there was no time to admire the heavens, not when he could feel the moisture between her legs and his own desperate throbbing. He pressed his mouth full onto hers, feeling his tongue against hers. "Hurry, Torio, dear..." he whispered, hoarsely, urgently as he began pushing her legs apart with his.
9 minutes left...
Torio exhaled slowly as she braced herself over him, her hands holding her weight from where they were pressed into the grass on either side of his head. She thrust her hips down mercilessly, hearing the urgency in his voice...whether for her body, or for the rapidly approaching end of his dampening spell, she wasn't sure, but as soon as she felt his shaft push up inside of her, her mind had room only for the maddening haze that took her over.
She barely noticed her knees grinding into the ground as her hips rode against his, blades of grass crunching between her fingers as she gripped at them, her breath coming heavy and warm and hard against Sand's cheek. She could see the ground beneath her, where Sand's body should have been, but the intense, heated brush of his chest against hers as she fell up and down against him burned a picture in her mind of his lithe, lean body spread out underneath her. She turned her head slightly, until she found the pointed tip of his ear, and murmured breathlessly, "Llie myr cael syr amin mylaes sut sai llie jhojaer shael arta llie n'alaquel...Amin shyr cae ordondraer llie." You should have told me sooner how much you liked being on your back...I would have obliged you. She closed her mouth around the lobeless point...gods, how she loved those sensitive ears of his...and sucked gently in time with her thrusts.
"Ordondraer amin? Sher eir shar tyr, paes Torio?" Obliged me? But at what cost, dear Torio? He ran his long, slender fingers down her back, stopping briefly at the small of her back. She was driving against him with short, quick strokes, and he could feel the small pebbles, and twigs digging into his backside painfully. But it was so worth it, to feel her on top, sliding her wet sex around his stiff staff. The danger, the anticipation, the sheer need to finish before the spell wore off was speeding Sand towards a speedy release he never thought possible.
Hurry hurry hurry...
She started sucking on his ear again and Sand's hands dug shamelessly into her round bottom, pushing her closer to him. He was beginning to realize that he was really quite lucky he had met a woman who knew how to use her mouth in all the best ways. "Mmm you must have the most talented mouth in all of Luskan, my dear girl." He sighed and pressed his cheek to hers, feeling the wisps of her hair on his face.
8 minutes left...
She chuckled throatily against his neck, amusement breaking through her lust-clouded mind. "How many mouths did you sample in Luskan, Bodaes, that mine shall come out as the most talented?" Aaah, but this senseless, maddening, thrillingly dangerous rhythm was burning her up; she closed her eyes...no use in having them open anyway...and felt his entire body smack gently against hers as she thrust down against him, over and over, faster and faster...
Sand wrapped his legs around hers, intertwining them and pulling her even nearer, relishing how close she was, how the cool night air differed from the burning heat of her skin. "Helkaer..." He inhaled the scent of her hair. "I don't need to sample many to know - I know I have impeccable taste."
Her mind was blurred with the intense pleasure that washed over her, moving as one long, aching, straining wave. Her hands clutched at his head, pulling his face against her shoulder as she gasped out raggedly, "Lisse'corm...a'mael...melar..." The Elven endearments rolled off her tongue before she realized quite what she was saying...
There seems to be a rising problem with not censoring your words in the heat of passion, Torio.
Deal with it later... she was so close...
Sand felt her hands on his face as she began impaling herself on him in earnest and…
Oh Mystra - did she know what she was saying to him? Surely, she couldn't...
Sand felt his whole organ palpitate inside her and he nearly bit his tongue to stop the mad of torrent of words that he wanted to say in response. Vanima...melamin... Beautiful...my love... It wouldn't be fair to say sweet Elvish nothings in the heat of passion.
Instead, he moaned raggedly, "Oh gods, Torio..." He selfishly grabbed her hips and began guiding her movements along his shaft, spearing her fiercely between her legs, his breathing wild and unrestrained. With every lunge of their bodies, Sand could feel the time slipping away until he gave a trembling inhale between his teeth and the orgasm hit him full force.
His whole body bucked, his back coming off the grassy ground. He felt the rhythmic contractions inside his hard sex and he groaned as he felt the pulsations expelling his fluid into her. The heaviness of the Torture enchantment suddenly lifted fully from his chest and he thrashed violently against her, the gratification rippling over his lean body.
His body rocketing against hers, almost violent in his climax, sent a long, shuddering whimper tearing from her throat, and she clutched at him as he writhed underneath her. Her walls clenched around him unbearably, and then an explosion of a release, sharp and euphoric, shot through her and she cried out, muffling her voice against the soft part of his neck where his shoulder met, her fingers plunged into his hair. Her body was wracked with uncontrollable spasms of nearly painful pleasure, and she rode them out on his lithe, lean, lovely body.. Oh sweet Deneir and all that is holy...
Sand was pushing her lips to his pointed ear again, wanting to feel the wetness of her tongue and mouth. "Oh please please..."
Torio never, in her life, thought she'd hear the word please come from Sand's mouth... directed at her, nonetheless. Her body shaking and trembling with the receding throes of her orgasm, she turned her face and obligingly closed her mouth around the tip of his ear, running her tongue along the slightly curved, pointing shell, her breath pushing raggedly from her lungs.
Sand lay under her, twitching uncontrollably as the last of his pleasure emptied into her. Torio's mouth was now on his ear and he found himself making some quiet whimpering, murmuring noise of blissful contentment. He turned his face to look at her, seeing instead only grass and trees and sky...Oh hells!
"Torio! We have to get back inside the Keep. Quick quick, there's no time to get dressed." He sat up, kissing her swiftly on some part of her face that he couldn't see before grabbing for his robes.
Trying to control her heaving breath, Torio stood shakily and snagged up her dress; together with Sand, they bolted back up towards the Keep...she could feel a growing, insistent tugging on her body as she got nearer, and realized with dismay that the spell was seeking her out again. She felt grossly disoriented as the slipped over the cracked flagstones of the West Wing, over the broken keep stones, and past the guards, seeing the two sleepy looking sentries turn slightly at the noise they made slipping down the hall.
As Sand opened his door, it focused on her again with a sharp snap! Aha...you've found me again, haven't you? A familiar weight settled around her body as Sand's door shut behind them, and she could feel her shoulders slumping.
Sand quickly dispelled the Invisibility spell, finally seeing Torio naked after their coupling. Her skin had a slight sheen of sweat and her lips were flushed red. He held her firmly by the shoulders as he felt the Torture spell lift from his body and settle onto her, noting the way the spell seemed to weight down her entire body. He touched her cheek gently. He did not envy her curse; but it was a small price to pay for getting a second chance at life instead of an unmarked plot of land 6 feet underground.
Torio gasped for breath, her body caught between the return of the spell, and the still glowing after effects of her climax; her knees were practically trembling as she gripped Sand's hand. "Well," she said breathlessly. "Once again, I find myself running naked through the halls with you, Bodaes."
Sand laughed. "We should make it a hobby, a sport. To run past that holy paladin and see if his divine sense picks up and abhors our naked, carnal, devious selves." His blue eyes glittered in the firelight, playfully.
She let her dress fall from her fingers, chuckling at the mental image Sand painted; she could very well see themselves running circles around Casavir, naked and invisible. "You've got a wicked mind, Sand," she said, her voice mock-scolding; but her lips half-curled in a smile. "I think we'd injure his brain irrevocably...hmmm..." She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Not a bad idea..."
Sand began pulling her to the bed. "I am suddenly very glad I am not going on that escort task tomorrow. Somebody needs to keep an eye on you."
"Ha!" she said, falling back onto his bed. "From the way you fly fast and loose with invisibility spells, I'm surprised the members of this Keep can see me half the time." She tugged at his arm, impatiently wanting his body next to hers; they had been torn apart too soon for her liking out in the fields, and now that she could see him...his hair was mussed impossibly around his face, dimpled marks in his back and high on his buttocks from where he'd been pressed into the ground.
Arching a brow at him, her voice mockingly light, she said, "Brave wizard, have you been wounded? You seem to have done battle." She traced a hand around the indented, angry looking grooves in his back.
Sand, in his mad rush to get back to the room, had forgotten about the scratches and dents on his back. Her touch was soothing though and he crawled onto the bed next to her, enjoying the way her fingers stroked at his wounded skin. He was exhausted, the tiredness only hitting him now that he was in bed. How did people sleep at night when they were with a woman?
"Hmm." He said, his eyes half-closing. "Battle, mmm yes. With a crafty..." He kissed her forehead. "Deceitful..." He kissed her nose. "Guileful..." He kissed her lips. "Luskan harpy." He closed his eyes, a small smile on his mouth. "I think I won."
She shivered as he trailed kisses down her face. Wriggling slightly, she maneuvered the blanket around them, sliding her arms around him and pressing her face against his chest.
Her eyes sank shut for a moment as she sighed, brushing her lips across his skin momentarily. "Maybe this round," she said grudgingly. "But don't think I'm done with you yet, Bodaes."
She rested her cheek against his lissomely muscled chest, feeling his breathing settle deeper as she traced light, steady circles around his skin with her finger. The words she'd inexorably uttered during that particularly intense climax were niggling at her, and she opened her eyes, staring at the opposite wall.
Deal with it later, you said?
Not now...later.
She was quite adept at diversionary tactics; she'd used them in the past with great success, and she closed her eyes again, sighing slightly.
