"Do you think Lorlen suspected anything?" Sonea asked from the doorway of her bedroom as Akkarin came up the stairs.
Akkarin waited until he had reached the landing and beckoned Sonea to follow him. Although the residence was completely dark and silent at this hour, Sonea created a sound shield around her feet as she followed the tall, black-robed figure striding swiftly and silently towards his bedroom. Akkarin sent a small amount of power towards the door to shut it carefully, then created an acoustic shield around the room. "He sensed a shift in our rapport at dinner, but I reassured him that we were simply on better speaking terms nowadays. And that visiting your family does you good," he replied.
Akkarin walked over to his desk, and ran his hands over the cover of a book. Sonea could make out the title Magical Conflicts of our Time.
"I remember the last time Lorlen came over for dinner. No wonder he noticed a difference. I should have been more cautious…" Sonea said with a frown. I was anticipating being back in Akkarin's presence all day, and it probably showed.
Akkarin walked over and raised a hand to trace her jawline. "Don't worry, Sonea. I am keeping a close eye on Lorlen. You did nothing wrong," he replied softly. Sonea closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of his touch. She felt his lips on hers, and she kept her eyes closed, returning the kiss.
Akkarin's arm snaked around her waist and firmly pulled her towards him, and Sonea's breath caught at the sudden movement. She could feel his stiff manhood pressed up against her belly.
"Though I wasn't exactly pleased to be called old," Akkarin whispered, the corner of his mouth curled upwards.
Sonea felt her heart race at the close contact, and her face warm as she remembered her comment. "I simply meant… it's hard to imagine you as anything but High Lord," she whispered.
"Good. Because I should add that you forgot to bow to me, twice, tonight. Your newfound disobedience could raise suspicion. Do not neglect to do so again in the presence of another member of the Guild," Akkarin said, the authoritative ring in his voice not entirely matched by his dark eyes, which were glinting with amusement.
"Forgive me, High Lord. You are right. I have been… forgetful," Sonea replied, daring to reach for a playful tone.
Akkarin ran a hand through Sonea's hair, then gripped the back of her neck gently. "Do you need a reminder?" He applied a little pressure to emphasise his words. His long fingers could almost grasp her slim neck entirely.
Sonea's eyelids fluttered shut as his other hand worked its way in between their bodies, untying the sash of her novice's robes. "I do," she breathed.
"I rewarded you for your patience last night, Sonea. Rest assured I will do the same for your obedience."
The fine line Akkarin was treading between treating Sonea like a lover one moment, then like an insubordinate novice the next, was having an intoxicating effect on them both. Sonea hadn't realised just how much her earlier fear of him had been tinged with fascination, and – dare she admit to herself – attraction to his power.
Since discovering her magic, Sonea's instinct had been to reject, refuse, minimise and hide from the power within her. To feel its energy, to relish in its capacities, somehow felt wrong. Power-hungry was never an epithet she wanted to associate with herself, or anyone she respected.
But when she began to familiarise herself with her magical energy, and notice how it coursed through her body, its dynamism also felt creative, life-giving, and reviving. Rumours of Akkarin's vast power – several times over any Guild magician, apparently, which had resulted in his elevation to High Lord – had always intrigued her. And living in close proximity with the man himself had begun to turn that curiosity into attraction well before last night.
She felt a strange throb in her magical power at the thought, as if it was no longer in the shape of the globe she had been instructed to imagine, but infused into every corner her body.
She pulled herself away from her thoughts and into the present only to find Akkarin studying her closely, as if he had just noticed something new. "Did you do something?" He asked, and Sonea knew he meant with her magic.
"No. I was… just visualising it," Sonea replied uncertainly.
Akkarin gave her a puzzled smile. "You are full of surprises, Sonea," he said, but said nothing more. Sonea was wondering if he had sensed what she had: that shift in the form and location of her power. But then Akkarin jolted her out of her head by removing the top half of her robes. He bent down his head to kiss and nibble at her neck, working his way down to her collarbone.
They relished each other's lips and clothed bodies for a moment, then Akkarin straightened and Sonea opened her eyes. "Have you taken the necessary precautions?" he asked quietly. "I assume we wish to enjoy one another without… any untimely consequences."
Sonea's brows furrowed slightly in incomprehension for a moment, then her eyes widened. "Oh. I… I'm afraid I'm not sure how. Can our powers be used in that way?"
Akkarin looked slightly displeased, but not at Sonea. "I'm surprised your learning has been neglected in this way. Usually a Healer covers the topic, separately, with male and female second-year novices. Beyond your own use, it is something often requested by couples from the Houses."
Sonea's mind flashed to several instances in the past year when Regin and his gang had waylaid her, and her face darkened. "Perhaps they didn't see the need. I haven't exactly been popular during my time here."
"That is no excuse on their part for this oversight," Akkarin's voice took on a dangerous timbre. He paused a moment to compose himself and his face relaxed again as he looked at Sonea. "No matter for now. Yes, magic can be used by either magician for this purpose. I will take care of it," he said.
The half-smiled then returned to his lips as he leaned down to resume their kiss. He chuckled under his breath when Sonea reached up to wind her arms around his neck, and took the opportunity to sit back on his bed. He grasped her waist and pulled her forwards against his body once more. The height difference now meant Sonea, still standing, could feel the tip of his hard member press against the place between her legs. She took a sharp intake of breath at the sensation that briefly ran through her.
"Now then. I hope I can leave you in no doubt that I am anything but in my prime, Sonea," Akkarin said, his tone silky.
"You are, High Lord," Sonea whispered, her voice deepening with anticipation. She rocked herself forward to feel him through her robes again.
He reached for Sonea's undershirt and slipped it up and off her. Her chest was level with his face, and Akkarin's hand fluttered over her small, round breasts. Sonea shivered at the touch and closed her eyes, leaning forward towards him. She felt his mouth close over one nipple, then the next, licking and biting gently. Sonea let out a quiet moan and felt the vibration of Akkarin's chuckle against her chest. It took a lot of self-control not to grab the back of his head and bring his lips back to her nipples.
"I can see you took your lesson in patience to heart, Sonea," Akkarin said approvingly. He raised both hands to cup each breast and slowly massaged them with his thumbs.
Sonea squirmed in his hands but stayed still, chest rising and falling rapidly as her nipples grew harder. "I did, High Lord," she breathed.
As Akkarin replaced his thumbs with his lips again, Sonea hesitated for a moment, then did something she had imagined from a distance more than once. She tentatively ran her fingers through Akkarin's silky black hair, stopping at the ribbon tying it at the nape.
She had enjoyed surrendering herself the previous night, but now wondered what Akkarin's reaction would be if she dared be more… forward in her desires. There is only one way to find out. She gently pulled one end of the ribbon and his hair came loose. She ran her hand through it again.
Akkarin gazed snapped up to meet her own. His lips were parted slightly and his eyes narrowed. Then his mouth curled up at the corner. "Well, well," he said softly, almost to himself.
In one swift, smooth movement, he stood and held Sonea's waist, turned then both, and lifted her onto the bed. Sonea lay back as Akkarin leaned over her, their positions now reversed. His loose hair tickled her breasts as he bent his face to give her a deep kiss. Sonea arched her chest up, trying to get her nipples to brush against his black robes.
Akkarin moved onto all fours, holding himself above her. His lips descended to her neck and shoulders again. When Sonea reached up a hand to the sash of his black robes, his hand leapt up to intercept it, grabbing her wrist.
He's angry, Sonea thought worriedly. But then Akkarin looked into Sonea's eyes mischievously, an eyebrow raised. "I see I've underestimated just how wayward my novice has gotten," he whispered, sounding… pleased.
He tightened his grip on her wrist, then to Sonea's excitement and surprise, led her hand down and in between the folds of his robes. She felt for and gently grasped his manhood, her hand exploring from root to tip. Akkarin's dark eyebrows furrowed and he exhaled in a sharp hiss.
Sonea gently placed a hand on his chest and sat up. Akkarin watched her with a small smile playing about his lips as her hand applied a little pressure to switch their positions. Akkarin now lay back and Sonea leaned over him for a kiss. He returned it hungrily as Sonea continued to explore him with her hand.
Then Sonea paused and pulled away, biting her lower lip. She looked down at Akkarin questioningly for permission. The dim yellow globelights around the room lit his harsh features softly, the contrast making him even more attractive in her eyes.
– Can I…? She sent mentally. Misunderstanding was almost impossible mind-to-mind.
The High Lord raised an eyebrow again and his eyes glittered with amusement.
– How can I refuse my favourite? He replied.
Sonea smiled, a mixture of apprehension and curiosity rising inside her. She wriggled off the bed and Akkarin moved to sit on the edge, leaning back on his hands. His head was slightly cocked to one side and his half-smile was anticipatory. His watched Sonea closely as she knelt down on her knees in front of him.
Sonea had no experience of having done this before; she was just allowing a bold and very aroused voice in her head free rein to explore what had, until then, only happened in her imagination.
She knelt between Akkarin's legs and freed his member from between the folds of his black robe, then took him into her mouth.
Hearing Akkarin's quiet growl of satisfaction was all the encouragement she needed to continue. As she tried various things, from licking up the length of him to taking his manhood as deep into her mouth as she could, Akkarin's breathing grew shallower and his hand crept to the back of her head, grabbing a fistful of Sonea's dark hair.
She was finding this just as arousing, enjoying having the upper hand. Their lovemaking the night before had been just what she had hoped for, but Akkarin had very much sustained his position of power. And I loved it, but I'm not going to be sitting back and awaiting his instruction all the time, she thought slyly.
Her efforts were making Akkarin breathe erratically, and hearing him beginning to lose control – the High Lord who was perpetually composed – was hypnotising.
Then she felt his fist in her hair tighten painfully, and he pulled Sonea away. "Enough," he breathed, his voice deep and gravelly. "Enough, girl. Or you'll be the death of me."
Akkarin's face was half in shadow in the low, warm light, but Sonea noticed how a faint colour tinged his angular, pale cheekbones, and how his black eyes were devouring her.
"Undress fully," he ordered quietly.
Sonea stood and began to untie the lower half of her robes, still looking into those unwavering eyes. She let that fall, then slipped off the underskirt beneath it. She fought the shy urge to cover herself with her hands, willing them to stay by her sides. Her pale breasts rose and fell as she tried to steady her breathing.
Akkarin's gaze took her in, slowly, leisurely. "Impeccable," he said softly, the corner of his mouth curling upwards. "Do you remember being taught to strengthen your body's natural barriers with magic, making it undetectable?"
"Yes," Sonea whispered, wondering long he would make her stand there naked, when she was desperate to touch and be touched.
Akkarin leaned forward into the light, his eyes glinting with lust. He was no longer smiling. "Remove it," he said.
"I – what do you mean?" Sonea wasn't sure where he was going with this.
"We sustain the barrier unconsciously once we grow practiced in it. Grow conscious of it, and remove it," Akkarin instructed.
Sonea realised what he meant. Focusing within, she noticed that she was using the steadiest and slightest trickle of power to contain her magic within the boundaries of her skin. She gently ceased to provide this trickle, and the barrier dissolved away.
She didn't feel any different, but Akkarin's facial expression changed slightly. He took in a deep breath and looked at Sonea with both pride and passion. "You're radiant, Sonea. Look."
Sonea extended her senses into her body and found that her power, like a seeping mist, extended well beyond her skin in every direction. It was invisible to the eye, but it was detectable to a magician's senses. It's full and unrestricted potential overflowed from within, throbbing in the air around her.
When she looked up at Akkarin, she noticed the same aura of energy around him. He had dropped his magical barrier, too. His power extended slightly further beyond his body than hers, but had the same quality of stirring the air, as if he was enmeshed in a bubble of invisible, pulsing energy.
We are completely vulnerable, Sonea realised with a jolt, in more ways than just the physical. What would it be like to touch each other?
She didn't have to wait long to find out. Akkarin extended a hand and she walked forwards to take it. Sonea could immediately sense how their fields of magical energy seemed to overlap at the point of touch, pulsating together until she wasn't sure whose power was whose. It felt like entering water the exact temperature as her own skin.
As she stepped close, Akkarin stood up, kissed her, then began to remove his black robes. Sonea reached for the black silk vest and trousers beneath them, eager to speed up the process.
They moved onto the bed, and Sonea let out a sigh of satisfaction as she felt the weight of his naked chest on hers. He kissed her breasts as a hand caressed her between her legs. Every sensation seemed to have intensified with the absence of their magical barriers.
Then Akkarin took her, slowly, deeply, with none of the rougher urgency of the previous night. As his breathing grew faster, Sonea gripped his back and met his thrusts. When his hand felt its way between their bodies to combine his strokes with the pressure of a thumb on her nub of pleasure, Sonea moaned quietly into his ear. Only when she tensed in release did Akkarin allow himself his own climax. Their magic seemed to pulsate around them.
After a moment of rest, Sonea noticed Akkarin watching her with that half-smile. She turned towards him and returned it, then leaned in for a kiss. He sent out a small amount of power, warming the air around them.
Sonea's last thought before drifting off to sleep was that, surely, this was too good to last.