Author's Notes: And here's another chapter for you all! Enjoy! The beginning does contain some sexual content. If it's not to your liking, feel free to skip it.

Chapter XIX

Iliana never felt more invigorated as she woke up the next morning, the sunlight streaming through the open window. Not only was her blood singing, her skin also seethed with gratification. When she blinked a few times to clear her blurred vision, she smiled at the sight of Tristan's sleeping face across from her. The events of the previous night came back to her, and she blushed upon realizing that she was naked and sharing the bed with him. She pulled the hem of the bedsheet up to her chest, covering her bare, tender breasts and hardened nipples from view.

She gazed at Tristan's face as he slept soundly next to her, feeling her heart flutter at the sight. Not only was he incredibly handsome, he looked so serene, which was a sharp contrast to the deadly warrior she knew him to be. If she could freeze this moment in time, she would stare at him and live in it forever while staying in bed with him.

He eventually let out a sleepy groan as he stirred in his sleep, burying the side of his face deeper into his pillow for a moment. When he opened his eyes, his brown gaze greeted her as he blinked a few times to clear his vision, and she smiled at him.

"You're finally awake," she spoke in a soft tone as he reached out to touch her cheek.

"And I'm awake to the most beautiful sight I could ever lay my eyes on," he purred, his voice rough with sleep.

His words added to her growing smile, and she leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to his lips. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close as he deepened the kiss, drawing out a moan from her that he swallowed. He savored the sweet, addicting taste of her lips before rolling her over, positioning himself on top of her. Iliana gasped at the feel of his arousal between her legs, and her hands ran down the length of his spine, finding his hips and giving them a squeeze.

"I'm surprised you want me again, considering we spent a good chunk of last night making love and a lot of noise," she teased, bringing his hips closer to hers.

He lowered himself towards her and planted a kiss on her lips.

"I will always want you, Ili," he growled, his voice filled with lust. "Now that I know your touch, your lips and your body, I won't be able to keep my hands off of you, nor will I ever get enough of you. You will always be the addiction that keeps me coming back for more."

At that moment, Iliana knew she had finally found what she had been searching for in this handsome, insufferable man. He completed her in every way imaginable, filling the void in her heart, and only with him did she finally feel whole again.

Her hands moved upwards from his hips and back up his spine, tracing the ripples of the muscles on his back. Before he had the chance to react or say anything, Iliana rolled him over so that she was on top of him and straddling him. She smirked at the surprised look on his face, but she could tell that he would not complain as she felt him brush up against her backside, emitting a low moan from her. Tristan took a moment to gaze at her body, eagerly reaching out to cup and knead her supple breasts that fit perfectly into his palms.

She tilted her head back as her hands found his, encouraging his kneading and his touch. She let go when his hands descended downwards to roam and caress her body, taking every curve and nuance to memory. When they found her hips, Tristan gave them a hard squeeze before lifting her up, positioning her over his arousal. Iliana felt her breath hitch, and when she looked at him, he gave her a look that was asking her if he could lower her onto him. Without having to speak, she nodded, and she gasped when her core swallowed his entire length in full.

He groaned at the feel of her engulfing him, and he placed his hands on her waist to steady her. She let herself go lax before leaning back to stroke his hips, and then her hands ran upwards to stroke his bare chest. When they got to his shoulders, she leaned forward and kissed him hungrily, gasping when his tongue found its way into the cavern of her mouth. When she pulled away, Tristan captured her bottom lip in his and tugged on it, earning a breathy moan from her that exhilarated his pounding heart.

"Ride me," he spoke on her lips, his voice barely above a whisper.

Placing her palms on his chest, Iliana straightened up and rocked her hips. Tristan tilted his head back slightly, keeping his eyes on her as he answered her movements with upward thrusts into her, hitting the deepest pit of her core every time and adding to the pleasure. Despite tilting her head back, he could still see her euphoric expression, and his pride grew at the thought that he was the one to put that look on her face.

Although he preferred to be the dominant one ravaging her as she writhed beneath him, Tristan realized he liked it when she was on top. He had a better view of the body that was now his addiction, and he also had the advantage of holding and caressing that said body as she rode him. It was the perfect moment for him to drown in, and if this was his last day to live, it would have been the best way for him to go.

He sat up after a while, burying his face in the valley between her breasts. Iliana moved to tangle her fingers into his hair, holding him against her chest as he kissed the tender swells and suckled her hardened nipples, the bumps of his tongue sending a pleasurable chill down her spine. She grabbed his hair with both hands, tugging slightly and earning her a groan that she felt rumble against her skin. She squeezed her legs tightly around him, and in combination with her riding him and his lips lavishing her chest, she became lost in the world of pleasure Tristan was giving her.

She buried her face into his neck, her moans rumbling his throat as she rode him. When her warmth clenched tightly around him, Iliana let out a moan that flooded the entire room before achieving her release. Tristan joined her a minute later, falling back on the bed and taking her with him. She kept her face buried in his neck until her breathing steadied, and when she tried to pull away from him, Tristan held her against him.

"I need to get up and resume my training regimen with the girls," she announced, resting her chin atop his chest and looking into his eyes.

"What exactly have you been doing regarding training?" Tristan asked, running his fingers through her hair.

"Our respective weapons, archery, hand-to-hand combat and stamina training by running in the forest and climbing the watchtower," she replied.

"Can the men and I join in and teach you what we know?"

Iliana smiled.

"Of course. It would honor us to learn from the legendary Sarmatian knights."

She leaned forward and kissed his lips, and he rolled her over so that he was on top of her, ready to make love to her yet again.

It didn't take the two of them long to get dressed following their latest round of lovemaking. When they left the cottage, Tristan had his hand on her lower back, and Iliana was holding her sandals in one hand. Looking at the ocean and the waves crashing down, Iliana thought of her old home in Corfu.

"For the first eight years of my life, I grew up near the ocean on Corfu, the Greek island I was born and raised on," she explained. "The beach was my kingdom, and the sand and shoreline was my place to play and unleash my imagination.

"After moving to Sarmatia and spending the next eleven years there, I did miss the beach. However, I have no regrets in fulfilling my father's longing to return to Sarmatia. Plus, I got to see the lives my father and Andres lived before Rome recruited them as knights."

She stepped away from him and made her way to the shore, dipping her feet into the water. Once again, she felt like she was back in Greece, and at the very least, it helped to ease the moment of homesickness she had regarding the ocean.

Tristan approached her, kissing the top of her head as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. He rested his chin on her shoulder and then planted a gentle kiss on her neck.

"Would you be willing to take me to your birth island when I'm finally free?"

In response, Iliana turned to kiss his cheek.

"I'll take you there someday, and that's a promise."

"Ili!"

The call of her name interrupted their moment, and the couple looked to see Sophia waving at them from the other side of the beach. Exchanging a quick glance with Tristan, Iliana gave him a small smile before taking him by the hand and leading the way towards where Sophia was.

"Good morning, Soph," she greeted.

"Good morning. I can tell the two of you made up last night in more ways than one."

The auburn-haired girl gestured to Iliana's neck, where she spotted a fresh lovebite that formed on her fair skin. Iliana felt her cheeks grow warm and playfully smacked Sophia on the arm in response.

"Come on. Would you expect any less of me, the girl that's become your best friend and closest confidant?"

Iliana chuckled as she allowed herself to smile.

"Nay. I wouldn't."

Their conversation had Tristan wondering how they got so close in the week they've mingled. For them to have clicked so quickly, they must have had a lot in common.

"Well, since you're up and I'm still waiting for the rest of the girls to get up, want to spar with me? Hand-to-hand combat?" Sophia asked.

"I don't see why not," Iliana replied with a glint in her eye before glancing at Tristan from over her shoulder. "Would you do the honor of observing and providing feedback for the both of us?"

Tristan nodded without saying a word.

"At the very least, change out of your dress, Ili," Sophia suggested before leaning towards her ear. "I am surprised that it is less crinkled than I expected."

This teasing statement earned her another playful smack in the arm from Iliana, whose blush darkened to a deeper shade of pink. Once she regained her composure, she looked at Tristan once again.

"Meet us at the arena in the village," she announced.

The scout nodded and let them be on their way, and he retreated to the quarters he and the men were borrowing to retrieve his sword and bow.

Tristan watched from the sidelines as Iliana and Sophia pushed each other back, the two of them breathing heavily as they got into their stances with their fists up. They spent the past twenty minutes sparring with each other, throwing their fists and kicking at each other. They both quickly attacked and countered, and not only kept up with each other's movements, but also pushed each other to unleash their true potential. As he observed from the sidelines, he noticed how they communicated with every punch and kick they threw, and he also noted the pent up anger that was lurking within Sophia. Iliana also had her own anger that she was still letting out, and Sophia was the perfect outlet to help release it.

"I can see that you girls are more than capable of holding your own with lacking a weapon," he announced. "However, there is always room for improvement, and there is something I want the both of you to know."

He climbed up on the raised arena and stood behind Iliana, and he held her arms to adjust them and her stance. Iliana felt her breath hitch at the feel of him touching her, and Sophia couldn't help but chuckle at her attempt to keep a straight face.

"Stay focused, Ili," she warned. "Distraction can lead to death if you're not careful."

"She is right," Tristan said, his voice barely above a whisper, prompting Iliana to steady her heavy breathing and regain her focus. When he felt her relax, he resumed adjusting her arms until he had them right where he felt they should be. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Sophia mimicking his adjustments until her stance matched Iliana's.

"Perfect. The two of you catch on fairly quickly," he stated. "Now, I will ask you both a question. What would be the best places to land a punch or a kick?"

"The neck, chest and stomach," Iliana replied. "You can knock the breath right out of your enemy's lungs or make them lose consciousness if you hit hard enough and in the right spot."

"The knees to incapacitate your enemy quickly, or if you really want to fight dirty, below the belt," Sophia replied, earning her a giggle from Iliana and a chuckle from Tristan.

"You're both correct," he announced, rubbing Iliana's shoulders to help her relax. "And what I want the both of you to know is this. In any hand-to-hand combat fight, you can always change your position and switch the odds to your favor.

"Never think you can't change your position, even for a split second. You just have to find a way, for if you don't, it could mean your death."

The two best friends nodded, and when Tristan leaned in towards Iliana, the Sarmatian-Greek girl took in his affections happily. Sophia lowered her arms, smiling as she watched her best friend share a cute moment with the knight she called hers.

"Oi, Ili!"

Bors's sudden, loud holler broke the moment, and the three of them looked to see the men and the girls coming their way to join them.

"Good morning," Dimitra greeted. "Have the two of you been warming up with some hand-to-hand combat?"

"You guessed it," Sophia replied. "Tristan's been observing from the sidelines and providing us some good advice."

"Got room for a few more?" Estrella asked, gesturing to herself, Catalina and Dimitra.

"I don't see why we couldn't make this an opportunity for all of us to train together," Iliana replied. "We can learn something from these fearless knights."

"Hmm…"

Bors's moment of thinking caught everyone's attention, and then he spoke up.

"Let's make this a little more interesting," the rounded knight announced. "Each girl spars with whoever they mingled with last night."

This caused the four Sirens to exchange looks of surprise between each other, and Iliana couldn't help but giggle as she glanced between them.

"I think it's a brilliant idea, and that idea coming from you surprises me, Bors," she commented, causing the rounded knight to give her a look as the men laughed. "Come on, Sirens. This won't just be good for the men. It will be good for you too. Show them what we've spent the past week practicing and perfecting."

Her words of encouragement seemed to be the push they needed, for she saw the familiar glint in each of their gazes as she glanced between the four respective knights that they each chose.

"Get ready, boys. Don't get too distracted."

The knights and the Sirens battled hard into the day with Arthur and Andres watching. Each girl gave their all and gave the men a run for their money with their skills. Even though he was the oddball of the group, Bors engaged with each one of them to ensure his inclusion in the entire fun. While the girls felt the pressure of fighting the most feared men in Britain, it inspired them to push themselves as hard as they could.

By the time the sparring was done, most of them were feeling exhausted. Either the girls tied with the knights or the knights got the upper hand, albeit barely. There was only one match that still had yet to reach a conclusion, and that match was against Tristan and Iliana.

Just like their sparring match the night of the festival, it was a dance between the two of them. The only difference was the fact that they were using their actual swords as opposed to the wooden ones back at the festival.

As Tristan clashed blades with Iliana, he saw she had improved in the week they had been apart. She was more adept and alert than before, as if their spar during the festival was just a mere fraction of what she was truly capable of as a warrior. As she held her sword up and pointed the tip at him, he was sure he saw the spitting image of her father in her for a split second. Her looks and dresses revealed her Greek heritage, but her abilities as a fighter truly highlighted her Sarmatian heritage. There was a fighter lingering in her; she just needed the right push for her to come out of her shell officially.

When he blocked her counterattack, Tristan struggled against her as they both fought to push the other back. The others watched with intrigue and excitement as they wondered who was going to win between them. After about a couple minutes, the couple knocked each other's swords out of their hands, and when Iliana lunged at him, Tristan grabbed her and pinned her down to the floor of the arena, holding her wrists on either side of her head.

"Guess we're even now. I win," he purred.

She breathed out a sigh, her body shuddering with pleasure over the fact that he was hovering over her.

"Okay. I surrender," she announced.

Smiling at her, Tristan leaned forward and gave her a brief kiss before helping her back up to her feet and gathering their swords.

"Good match, you two," Arthur announced. "I have to say that I'm impressed, Ili. Usually, I'm the only one that can match Tristan in combat. You really are your father's daughter, and you've come a long way since coming to the Wall. He would be very proud of you if he could see you today."

On cue, the sun shined down on her, warming her skin with a familiar comfort as she closed her eyes and tilted her head back.

You heard him, didn't you, Father? she thought.

She took in the sunlight and its heat for a moment, and when she straightened her head and opened her eyes, Iliana saw that the sun was shining in the beach's direction.

"Okay. The beach is calling me," she announced before turning to look at the girls. "Sirens, let's put that stamina training to the test and see if any of you can keep up with me, if at all."

With that, she jumped off the arena and took off, following the path the sunlight had given her.

"Don't think you'll outrun us all, Ili!" Sophia called as she and the others followed her while the men watched in amusement.

"Let's catch up to them before they end up wrestling each other into the sand," Andres announced.

"Whoa. That's the hardest I've ever had to run in so long," Estrella said as she plopped down on the sand, panting heavily as she caught her breath.

"Tell me about it. I don't remember breathing ever hurting this much," Catalina stated.

"It's a good thing, though. We weren't able to do that before we began training with Ili," Dimitra said, placing her hands on her knees to steady herself.

"It is because of her we have the skills and stamina needed to face the Saxons if it ever comes down to it," Sophia stated.

Iliana had kicked her boots off and walked into the water, soaking her bare feet and the hem of her breeches as she listened to them speak. At the mention of the Saxons, she felt a chill tear through the base of her spine. She really hoped that it wouldn't come down to them facing the Saxons in combat, but if the fates had something else in mind, they would be prepared to fight.

"I have to say that I'm impressed with the men," Sophia added. "They sure as hell didn't disappoint with their skills and their looks."

"I wouldn't have expected any less of them, especially considering it is Arthur they serve under," Estrella pointed out.

"Let's just hope we don't disappoint when the time comes for the journey to Hadrian's Wall," Catalina said.

It was at those words that Iliana chimed in.

"You have absolutely no reason to fret. We have shown we can hold our own in combat, and if we have to fight, we can provide additional support for the men."

The girls nodded, and after stealing a glance in the village's direction, Estrella had a mischievous glint in her eyes as she stood up and brushed the sand off her breeches.

"Okay, Estrella. You've got that teasing look in your eyes, which only means you have an idea that is anything but innocent," Catalina commented.

"I suggest we give the men a little something for them to ogle at as thanks for sparring with us," Estrella suggested, and with that, she tugged on the opening of her tunic that was laced, revealing a bandeau top of an emerald green.

"Whoa. I'm wearing my belly dancing top as well," Catalina said.

"As am I," Dimitra said.

"And so are Ili and myself," Sophia commented. "What say you, Ili? Let's rehearse what we've taught you and see how well our dance turns out. The men will have the honor of being the first to see it."

Iliana smiled and nodded, and off in the distance, she saw the men making their way towards them.

"Okay. Time for a little striptease and some dancing," she announced, loosening the laces of her shirt and then reaching for the hem, pulling it upwards.

"What in the hell are they doing?" Galahad asked with wide eyes, his mouth agape as the girls took their shirts off, exposing their revealing tops hiding underneath.

"Are they going to dance? If so, I happily welcome it," Lancelot said in a teasing tone. "Pretty faces and figures to gawk at."

Except for Galahad (who was still gawking at the girls), the rest of the men rolled their eyes and shook their heads. Following that comment, Tristan took a moment to gaze at Iliana, who wore a baby blue halter top that exposed her back and tied at the nape and the middle of her back. Add the tightness of her breeches, her hair hanging loose, the suggestive look in her eyes and the smile she was giving him, and down he went.

Once he and the men got close enough, the girls stood in a horizontal line. After Iliana glanced between each of them and nodded, they danced. Arthur and Andres watched as Iliana and her Sirens captivated Arthur's men (except for Bors) with their synchronized performance.

"Better brace yourself, Arthur. I think your men are in for the ride of their lives when we get to Hadrian's Wall," Andres commented.

The commander couldn't help but smile.

"Considering Ili made Tristan come undone, I cannot wait to see how these Sirens of hers will make my men come undone."

End Notes: The heat and tension is picking up now! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and check back next week for more!