Chapter 6

Sigrun held her breath while Anders examined Thorin's still form. From where she stood, she couldn't detect even the slightest movement of his chest, the faintest hint that he was still breathing.

Ancestors, no! I can't lose him. I can't!

The mage took his time, checking carefully for signs of life, but his face was sombre and it took all her innate optimism not to give in to the feeling of dread that spread in her stomach as he bit his lips, tutting and huffing.

Finally Anders got up with a sigh. "There's a pulse. It's very faint, but he will live."

She almost sagged with relief. Looking up, she met Nathaniel's kind gaze. He had been watching her, she realized, no doubt ready to step in if she broke down. For all his broodiness he had a good heart.

Megan let out a long, shaky breath and bent down to pick up the chalice. "Maker, I'm glad. For a moment there I thought-"

"You weren't the only one, Commander!" Oghren's deep rumbling voice filled the room. "Bless my britches, I'd have sworn he was a goner. Now let's get him settled and find ourselves some breakfast."

There was a general mumble of assent and the Wardens drifted out one by one. Nathaniel and Anders helped Sigrun take Thorin to his room. They put him on the bed and the mage ran another quick check-up.

"He'll be fine, Sigrun. He'll probably be out cold at least until the early evening, and then he'll be very hungry. Better find something else to do and return later with a basket of food." Anders stretched to work the kinks out of his back. "There's nothing you can do for him now."

But Sigrun shook her head. She remembered those first few hours after her own Joining, slipping in and out of consciousness, helpless and fearful she would die, the nightmares already tugging at the edges of her mind. Thorin was as strong a warrior as any she had ever known, but no one should have to go through this alone.

Shooing the two of them out, she sent a maid for food, lots of it, and had a quick snack, then crawled under the covers with him, clutching a slim volume of Antivan poetry. If nothing else, her warmth would do him good, help him relax and drive the cold from his stiff arms and legs. It was the least she could do.

At some point during the day she must have fallen asleep. When she woke, it was almost dark and she got up to go to the bathroom and light some candles. On her way back to the bed she grabbed a few spicy sausages and some rolls. Her stomach felt decidedly empty again.

When she drew the curtains aside, he was awake, watching her with his intense blue eyes.

"Sigrun. It's over."

She nodded, unable to keep a bright, idiotic grin from spreading over her face. "It is. And you're alive."

Sigrun half expected him to point out that he'd told her so before, but instead he sighed deeply, a shudder running through his whole body. He closed his eyes and leant back against the bed's headboard. His shirt gaped half open, making him look very vulnerable.

Vulnerable... and extremely hot.

Unconsciously she licked her lips. "Are you hungry?"

"Like a bear." His eyes opened again and there was a small, tentative smile on his lips. His gaze roved over her body and she wondered briefly what she looked like, tousled and scrunched up from sleeping.

But then he noticed the sausages and inhaled sharply. "By the stone, those smell good."

Sigrun laughed out loud, unable to hold back her merriment. "Don't worry, there's more."

She tossed him a sausage and he easily caught it, biting into it with relish.

Reaching behind her for the basket of food, she heaved it onto the bed, and dug within it for more delicacies. "Look, there's cheese. And some cold beef with mustard, more rolls, a few apples. Oh, and cook made custard pie this morning, see?"

He almost tore the first morsels from her hands, and groaned with delight as he ate heartily. When his first hunger was sated, he sat back, looking more than a little ashamed of his initial greed.

Sigrun laughed and climbed nimbly in his lap, offering him a piece of the pie with a cheeky smile. "Go on. This is your chance. Grab anything you fancy."

The double meaning of her words was completely intentional, of course. She smiled to herself when his breathing hitched and he took a deep bite of pie, his gaze burning hot into hers.

He swallowed the mouthful. "Anything?" Maker, his voice must have dropped another octave. It hit her right in the stomach, or maybe a few inches deeper.

She shivered at the tingling feeling spreading inside of her and raised a shaking finger to brush off a few crumbs stuck in his beard. It was the faintest of touches, but his whole body responded to it. He took another mouthful of the pie, and chewed slowly, his eyes never leaving hers.

Sigrun almost moaned aloud. Her breasts ached with the need to be touched, and her tunic felt rough and heavy on her suddenly oversensitive skin. Maker, he hadn't even touched her! If he keeps doing this with his looks and voice alone, I'll be useless all day long from now on!

He smiled, a slow, lazy smile, full of promise, and she gave up all pretence of control.

"Thorin." Her throat was almost too tight to speak. "By all that you hold dear, put that basket away and remember what you promised last night."

He kept smiling, but moved impossibly fast, shoving the food off the bed. He pinned her hard to the mattress, his lips hot on her throat. "Remind me."

The dark, rasp of his voice took her breath away. Feeling him like this, on top of her, warm and strong and taut with barely contained desire, she was almost overwhelmed by the heat racing through her veins.

"You told me..." His hands had found their way under her tunic, pushing up the fabric to bare her to his touch and she had trouble forming a coherent sentence.

"What?" There was a feral gleam in his eyes as he tore off his own shirt and began to tug at her leggings.

Sigrun wriggled out of the tunic and almost cried out when his hands brushed over the thin leather at the inseams of her pants. "... something about making love to me until... Oh, Maker, Thorin!"

"Yes?"

Sigrun rolled her eyes at his smug expression, but his voice was still doing things to her insides, making her melt into his touch.

"Until I beg you to stop." Enough! There was no way she was letting him get away with this! She slipped out of her leggings, losing her smallclothes in the process, and reached for his laces. "Except I won't beg. Never."

Thorin slapped her hands aside with a growl and got rid of the garment himself. Seeing him in all his naked glory sent another rush of heat through her and she swallowed hard. But a quick glance told her he wouldn't be able to hold out on her for long. Especially not if...

With a wicked grin she used one of her dirtier combat moves to topple him over, and she knelt down between his outstretched legs. Before he could respond, her lips closed around him, hot and tight. He cursed violently. But he didn't try to stop her when she licked a hot trail all along the length of him. And he didn't protest a little while later, when she straddled him and sank down on him, taking all of him, until he filled her completely.

He let her set the pace, even though the effort it cost him to hold back was obvious from the way the tendons in his neck tautened, hard like cords. His hands were anything but idle, though, finding her breasts and teasing her nipples until even the slightest touch was almost too much. Sigrun felt as if she would die of pleasure as she undulated on top of him, feeling him all the way inside her, working herself against him. She didn't want it to end, but the pleasure was building inexorably inside her, building toward a climax that she knew would be completely overwhelming.

Thorin struggled now, no longer able to keep his hips from moving, adding to the delicious friction between them. She was hanging by a thread when he grabbed her by the neck. He pulled her down into a deep, hungry kiss and thrust up sharply, no longer holding back. She shattered into a million pieces, her cry swallowed by his lips as her body clenched hard around him and pulled him over the edge as well. He spilled deep inside her, pulsed against her, hot and heavy, and then relaxed with a deep groan.

Sigrun expected him to pull back, but instead he gathered her closer, his lips warm and soft on hers, his arms holding her in a tight, secure embrace. She shifted a little until she was comfortable. Dimly she was aware that it was messy and awkward to stay in this position, but she didn't care. It felt so good, his warmth against her belly, their bodies still joined, his beard tickling her breasts. They didn't talk, just lay there, as close as two people could get, their hearts beating in the same rhythm.

She had almost fallen asleep when he stirred inside her again. Mmmhmmm. Definite advantages to him being a Warden, now that she thought of it. Sigrun rolled her hips against him, more than ready to join him in another round.

No, she wouldn't beg him to stop. Not any time soon.

Much later, when they were finally both too worn out to contemplate any further activities, Thorin held her again, kissing the top of her head, looking utterly relaxed and at peace. "Thank you, Sigrun."

She tilted her head up to look into his eyes. "What for?"

"For giving me something I never had in my old life." His arm tightened around her shoulder. "There was always a cause worth dying for. But you've given me something worth living for. You. I love you."

For once she couldn't think of a sarcastic reply.

* The end *

And here it ends... Thank you all so very much for your lovely reviews and comments - this has been so much fun. And of course a huge big thank you to heretherebdragons. Without her beta efforts this wouldn't be posted yet and I'm enormously grateful for all her suggestions.