Disclaimer – I do not own BMT world, it belongs to Trudi Canavan

Decision

Sonea awaited Akkarin with considerable feelings of trepidation. It was all very well knowing what the plan was; it was another matter to carry it out. Somehow, without allowing any hint of her own feelings to leak out, she had to persuade him to agree to the marriage with Anyetta. It would have been easier, perhaps, if she'd thought that the Princess would grow to love her husband, but her conversation with Anyetta had put paid to that thought. She's so cold, Sonea thought, and someone to be afraid of…despite the pretty face and charming voice.

Akkarin would know it too. His ability to read surface thoughts as easily as another read a page, meant he would have a shrewd idea of the Princess's character. Sonea wondered if he had delved deeper into Anyetta's mind during their intimate conversations earlier that evening. If Sonea had his ability, she knew she would have been unable to resist the temptation of finding out more about a prospective marriage partner. But Akkarin didn't want the marriage, so perhaps he hadn't bothered.

Sonea moved restlessly under the smooth sheets and fine woollen blankets. She had come up to bed almost an hour earlier, leaving Akkarin downstairs still talking with Anyetta. Merin had excused her readily, allowing a warm smile to cross his face, as she murmured how tired she was. There had been no reaction from Akkarin, although Anyetta had shot her one of those sharp glances when she stood up to leave.

I wonder if Merin left them alone? The thought was painful, but she steeled herself to examine it. She must try to get used to the idea of Akkarin and another woman. It felt very strange, though. In all the time she had known him, she had never seen him with another woman in what might be called intimate circumstances. Only she had succeeded in becoming his lover and that had been a difficult path. Part of her rejoiced at the thought that Anyetta would find it less than easy making her way into his bed, but she firmly shut the door on that delight. Anyetta and Akkarin must marry, she thought. I will do anything to keep him safe….

She must have fallen asleep because the next thing she was aware of was a warm naked body sliding into bed next to her. She was still drowsy, half believing she was dreaming, but instinctively she turned towards him and felt his arms enclose her and hold her close. A little sigh escaped her; she was where she was meant to be. She kissed the flesh under her mouth and felt her body leap in response to his quiet caress as his hands slid down her back. She pressed herself against him, reaching up to pull his head down towards hers. His mouth enclosed hers and she tasted the rich flavour of Anuran Dark on his lips and tongue.

So pleased you're awake….his mental voice slithered into her consciousness like smoke on the wind, so soft it was a mere whisper.

She laughed, So am I…

She moved suddenly, catching him unawares, rolling her body so that she found herself above him, her legs straddling his hips. She stared at him lying there motionless, his hair spilling over his shoulders and she thought he had never seemed so desirable to her before. He watched her look at him, his eyes black pools in the pale oval of his face, that faint crooked smile she loved hovering on his lips, waiting to see what she would do next.

She bent down to blot out his smile with her own and felt the thrust of his tongue move quickly in and out of her mouth as his hands cupped her breasts, moving his fingers in teasing little spirals, setting up a tingle in her flesh. She heard herself moan as her body cried out for more; he responded by turning until she lay underneath him, then his hands drifted down her body, creating eddies of pleasure as his fingers passed over her flesh.

She tried to move her body to encourage his movements, but he held her fast, unable to respond in the slightest, all the while setting up currents of pleasure in her flesh. She moaned again, Please…..please, she sent….but he ignored her mental cries and concentrated on creating deeper ebbs and flows of pleasure until her entire body was crying out for satiety.

Just as she felt she could take no more, he claimed possession of her, his fierce movements creating a rising tide of pleasure in her body. She responded in kind, using her mouth to find pulse points in his throat and neck, sucking and nipping with her teeth until she felt his flesh quiver beneath her touch. She could feel her own pleasure build and, for the first time, sent her mind questing for his. Abruptly, she was in his head, experiencing the pleasure and delight he took in her, feeling the depth of his emotions as he took them both to the peak of pleasure and desire.

Everything exploded around her as she encountered the double impact of her own pleasure allied to his. It was like nothing she had experienced before and like some desperate addict she wanted to do it all again and again. He was still inside her so she circled her hips against his whilst moving her hands over his back and the firm swell of his buttocks.

Akkarin… She was still in his mind and could hear her mental voice as he heard it, gliding through his consciousness.

Sonea you continue to surprise me. There was warmth and pleasure in his mental voice which echoed loudly in the mental space they both occupied.

She was conscious of herself as a small figure standing in his mind, watching as he strode purposefully towards her. It was the black clad figure of the High Lord which caught her imperiously in his arms and kissed her fiercely. Understanding flooded into her. It was the High Lord she had fallen in love with and, regardless of what had happened afterwards, Akkarin would always be the powerful and commanding High Lord in her eyes. That was how her heart and soul saw him and it was to that dominant figure of power that she belonged. Along with that revelation came another; she would never be able to let him go. Anyetta should not have him; he was hers and hers alone.

She opened her eyes and she was once more in her own mind and body. Akkarin was looking down at her, a smile curving his lips.

"What a delight you are, Sonea," he whispered. "So much more to discover….."

"I never dreamed what being in your mind during lovemaking would be like," she said with a giggle. "I can't wait to do that again."

He put his lips close to her ear and said in a mere exhalation of breath, "You will not have to wait long…"

His words sent a sharp sensation lancing through her and she felt her desire begin to grow again. It wasn't long before they were both caught up with the needs of their bodies, but in her head, Sonea could see the silken robes of the High Lord framing the pale flesh of his Warrior's body, as Akkarin took her with relentless passion to an even higher level of pleasure. Afterwards, she wondered how she appeared in his mind; she could only hope she was perhaps a little taller and more of a beauty.

They lay quietly in each other's arms, in that comfortable drowsy world of 'afterwards'. For Sonea, it was a time for considering her new position as far as Anyetta was concerned. Certainty was strong within her that she couldn't agree to let him go, to never be able to touch him again would be more than she could bear. Anyetta would know if she did, Sonea knew that as surely as she knew the Eye of Heaven blessed all those in Kyralia. So, she would have to tell the King that she couldn't let herself give Akkarin up to his cousin. That would break the bargain between them, but she would just have to find another way to get into the Guild.

It seemed as if Anyetta was on Akkarin's mind as well, for he said, "I shall not marry her, Sonea, despite the advantages you think she will bring. I will tell Merin in the morning."

Something made her say, "She's very beautiful, Akkarin."

He laughed, "She is, but she's also cold and shallow, not caring for much beyond her own pleasures. I could not trust her the way I trust you. She wouldn't think twice about arranging to rid herself of anyone she decided was of no further use. I doubt that her interest in me would last very long."

He went on, "Merin told me about your bargain, Sonea."

She felt the colour rush to her cheeks, Could the King not keep anything to himself! "I only want you to be protected," she said softly, "a royal marriage would help with that."

He laughed quietly, "A determined assassin would not let a small thing like a marriage ring prevent him from doing what he felt was right or what he was paid to do. No marriage will protect me, I must do it myself."

She rose up and rested on an elbow so that she could look him directly in the eyes, "You won't leave me behind, I promise you that. If you decide to go back to the Guild, I shall go with you."

"And what about Justen?" he asked.

For a terrible moment, Sonea realised that she had forgotten all about her son, the only thing that had mattered to her was Akkarin's survival. She took a deep breath and tried to marshal her thoughts. "He can live in Imardin with Takan. We can see him often, it won't be any different to you going off with the smugglers."

"Except you won't be there either," he pointed out.

"I can't be with him and with you," she said quietly. "I have to choose and I choose you, Akkarin. Justen will be safe with Takan. No one need know who his parents are; he will simply be another boy living in the city. But you, everyone will know who you are! There will be no hiding place in the Guild or at Court. Everyone's eyes will be firmly fixed on you. Someone will have to watch your back and that someone is me."

She watched him carefully, aware that he could easily prevent her from following her plan. Of course, she could read nothing in his face, but she continued to look at him, almost daring him to refuse to let her go back with him.

"Do you want a marriage ring, Sonea?"

His unexpected question threw her completely. In all her years with him, she had never considered marriage. He was a noble, despite all his denials and talk of starting the new family Verrin, and she was a dwell. Marriage between them seemed unlikely at best and impossible at worst. She thought about it, briefly, then dismissed it. If marriage to the King's cousin couldn't protect him, marriage to a dwell would certainly diminish him in many people's eyes. It would simply make his task so much harder.

"No," she said, "All I want is your love. I don't need a marriage ring to prove we are lovers."

He kissed her, his mouth lingering on hers. You have my love…..

Sonea felt the warmth of his words spread though her. He didn't say the words she always longed to hear very often, which made them all the more special when he did say them.

"Have you decided to go back?" she asked.

"Yes. In many respects, it is my fault the Guild is in such turmoil. If I can, I mean to put it right. I will become the King's Magician for as long as it is necessary to sort things out. After that, well, we shall have to wait and see."