A/N: This one has M-rated content so I am changing the story rating; you can skip over after they get behind the waterfall if you'd prefer not to read it.
Their trek that morning felt different though the terrain was much the same. However, Akkarin felt lighter, like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and he could tell from the gleam in Sonea's eyes and the smile on her face more often than not that she felt the same. He knew they would still need to discuss the ramifications of their earlier revelations in more detail, but for the moment, there were more pressing concerns. They could simply enjoy being together for a bit longer, to carve out this slice of happiness from the otherwise bleak circumstances around them.
When they reached the waterfall and Sonea turned to him, he knew what she was going to ask before the words left her mouth. "Can we stop? We can stop, can't we? I haven't had a real bath for weeks!" Her joy was infectious, and he smiled.
"I guess a short stop won't hurt." He watched as she eagerly removed her boots and waded into the water, shivering as it soaked her trousers. For a couple minutes, he was content to watch her, delighting in her joy. However, he soon decided that a bath would be welcome for him as well, and he quickly divested himself of his own boots, tucking them and Sonea's in a crevasse just in case, and splashed into the water, diving under almost immediately. It had been a long time since he had a chance to go swimming, but he found the motions coming back to him relatively quickly, and he surfaced, treading water in the deep pool. "Come here," he told her.
She shook her head. "I can't swim."
He moved closer to her, rolling onto his back. As he did so, long-forgotten memories surfaced of lazy days in the water with no concerns beyond when he was going to need to head back to his family's summer home for dinner. "My family used to spend every summer by the sea," he told her. "We swam nearly every day."
"I lived near the river a few times, but nobody swims in that."
He chuckled. "Not willingly, anyway." He could hear the muted roar of the water from the fall, and he decided to investigate further. Turning onto his stomach, he swam over and stood, studying it carefully. There appeared to be a small ledge behind it, a fact he confirmed when he used his hand to part the water briefly. Carefully, he stepped through the falling water, pulling himself up onto the ledge. He glanced around, noting that it would be just big enough for two. Smiling, he sat back, crossing his legs as he waited for Sonea to join him. He knew her curiosity would not let her stay away for long.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, she appeared behind the curtain of water. He smiled at her. "It's quite private in here, if a bit cramped."
"And noisy," she added, pulling herself up beside him. They sat in silence for a moment before she remarked softly, "It's beautiful."
He looked at her carefully, noting the way that her hair curled around her face, softening her features. His eyes traced a few drops of water as they slid down her cheek to her neck and then to the top part of her breasts. "Yes," he agreed softly. Reaching out, he took her hand in one of his, noting that her fingers were like ice. "You're cold." Without waiting for a response, he lifted her hand and placed it between his. He saw the glint in her eye as she looked at him, and he guessed the direction of her thoughts without bothering to try and read them. A small smile curled at his lips as he lifted an eyebrow. "What are you looking at me like that for?"
"No reason," she said with a shrug. He laughed then, realizing with a start that it was the first time he had laughed like that in quite some time—carefree and without a hint of mockery. Strange that it would occur in such a situation, exiled from his home and running for his life to try and save the city that had cast him out. But with Sonea sitting beside him, her hand now warm in his, he could not help but feel a strange sort of elation. He let his gaze wander down her body where her wet clothes left little to the imagination, and his groin tightened immediately. Her gaze dropped as well, and he felt a slight tug on his hands as she tried to pull away, but he did not let her go. She met his gaze again and smiled, giving him all the permission he needed. He pulled her close. Though the rational side of his brain told him that it was neither the time nor the place for such things, for once, the emotional side drowned out all its protests.
As she moved into his lap, he kissed her deep and longingly. Their kisses early that morning had been a start, but both had been holding back, still growing accustomed to the new dimension in their relationship. Now, with the heat of Sonea's body pressed into his as her fingers tangled in his hair, Akkarin could not bring himself to hold back any longer. He pushed his tongue into her mouth greedily, and she met it with her own. With a small exertion of his will, he created a disk of magic behind her to cushion the rocks somewhat as well as a heat shield around them. Carefully, he lowered her backwards, his lips still locked to hers. Once she was lying on the rock, he pushed himself to his elbows, brushing the wet locks of hair from her face as he whispered, "Sonea?"
"Hmm?" She stretched underneath him, her hips coming into accidental contact with his own. Automatically, he thrust against her.
"Either of us could die in the next few days."
"All the more reason for us to do this now. If the worst comes to pass, I do not want to regret the missed opportunity." Well, that was certainly an argument. Together with the look on her face, it chased away all his doubts about the rightness of their actions. His fingers came up to untie the laces of her tunic as his lips returned to hers. He fumbled a moment with the laces, and he heard her laugh quietly against his mouth. Pulling back slightly, he glared at her, but she simply grabbed his head and pulled him to her once more. He lost himself in the kiss, only realizing that his fingers had stalled in their work when he felt her small hands push his aside to take over unlacing the tunic.
As he peeled it away from her body, he ran his hands up her sides and over her stomach before placing one over her right breast and squeezing. She moaned, pressing herself into the contact. Though he wanted nothing more than to take her immediately, he knew from his mind reading that this was her first time and understood he needed to move carefully. Drawing on a bit of his power, he banished the worst of his desire, allowing him to focus on her.
He untied the band around her breasts before letting his hands dance across her upper torso, his lips following soon after. As he closed them around a rosy nipple, bringing it to a peak, he heard his name in her moan and smiled. His tongue flicked against the nipple while his hand massaged the other one. After a few minutes, he let his hand drop lower, loosening her trousers and pushing them off her body with her help. Before he could explore the newly-revealed skin, however, he felt her hands on his own chest, untying his tunic. He helped her with her goal, quickly discarding the tunic before turning his attention to her thighs as she began to caress his bare chest. His hand moved upwards, and he could feel the heat of her desire before even reaching her center. Keeping his movements slow and deliberate, he parted her folds and pressed his thumb firmly against her clitoris. "Oh," she breathed, her eyes widening. He smirked as he continued to caress her center, letting his movements grow gradually firmer. She shook beneath him, and he knew she was nearing her end.
"Has anyone ever told you what happens when a magician orgasms?" he whispered, his finger increasing its speed. She shook her head, eyes wide. "Your natural barrier goes down. When two magicians make love, you can feel each other's pleasure as if it is your own, and if you both want it, you can enter one another's minds."
"I want it," she breathed.
"Then let go." He pressed hard against her center, and she gave a cry of pleasure as her orgasm overtook her. He felt her barrier go down, and he slipped easily into her mind. The desire he felt there almost caused his own end, but he instead forced himself to reflect it back to her, prolonging her pleasure. The waves of it crashed over her, and her hands grabbed at his shoulders, anchoring herself to his body.
When her orgasm finally subsided, he slipped out of her mind and smiled gently down at her. "I didn't know it could feel like that," she told him breathlessly.
"That is merely the beginning." Her eyes met his, and she gave him a brilliant smile. Her hands reached down, undoing his trousers, and he quickly kicked out of them and his small clothes. As he pushed them to the side, he felt one of her hands wrap around his member and sucked in a breath at the contact. Reaching down, he gently pushed her hand aside before lining himself up to her entrance. With his eyes still locked on hers, he pushed slowly inside her until he was buried completely. Desire pounded in his ears, but he refused to give into it, instead watching her carefully for any sign of discomfort. He had seen a brief flicker of pain when he penetrated her, but her face had quickly cleared. Satisfied that he was not hurting her, he began to move.
He had been close to the edge when he first entered her, so much so that he had considered banishing his desire again, but he had decided to try and keep it at bay without magic. After a few thrusts, however, he was beginning to doubt the wisdom of his decision. He did not know how much longer he would be able to hold off his orgasm, and he doubted he could do so long enough to bring her to completion again. He considered pulling out to bring her close again, but as if reading his mind, she suddenly hooked a leg around his ankles, pinning him to her. He sucked in a breath as the action caused her to tense the muscles around his erection. "I'm close," he warned as he increased the speed of his thrusts. Her only response was to raise her leg higher, letting him slide a bit deeper inside her. Unable to take it any longer, he relinquished control of himself, thrusting into her with abandon as his groin tightened almost painfully. With a low groan, he pushed himself as far in as he could go, letting his orgasm rush over him. When the barriers around his mind went down, he felt her presence hovering there, seeming a bit unsure, and he quickly pulled her into his mind, letting her feel the pleasure that suffused his senses. He heard her gasp beneath him as he continued to thrust lightly, emptying himself fully inside of her.
At long last, he finished, collapsing on top of her briefly before managing to push himself onto his elbows. He looked down at her beneath him and smiled broadly. She smiled in return, and he rolled to the side, pulling her against him. He felt her body relaxing, and his did the same, both basking in the afterglow. His eyes slid shut, and he breathed deeply, allowing himself to savor the moment. They would start moving again soon. For a moment, they could rest.
When he felt her stiffen, his eyes shot open and he looked at her in confusion. "What is it?"
"Someone is standing beside the pool." Akkarin felt himself tense immediately, the pleasure from their recent lovemaking quickly dissipating as the reality of their situation came back in full force. He listened in on the conversation until Parika finally moved away and then looked back at Sonea. He noted the fear on her face immediately, and he cursed himself internally once more for bringing her into the current situation. Crossing to her side, he embraced her, hoping to give her whatever strength he could. Feeling her shaking beneath him reaffirmed his resolve to find a way to keep her safe.
Try as he might, however, he could not dissuade her from taking a place by his side. Eventually, he relented, hoping that he would have another chance at a later time to convince her to make her way to safety. For the moment, however, he would enjoy her company a bit longer.
They made their way to the pass as quickly as Akkarin dared. Just before crossing, he took the opportunity to kill Parika's slaves, knowing that he needed to take away any advantage the Ichani had if they were to have any chance of emerging from the upcoming battle victorious. He could see Sonea's horror at the thought written clearly on her face and knew she disapproved of his actions without even needing to reach for her surface thoughts. Years of fighting slaves and preparing himself for the eventual invasion as well as his time in Sachaka had hardened him, however, and he was able to push any feelings of regret aside in order to think rationally. Perhaps that did make him a monster as so many believed. He had long since stopped trying to determine that, for those thoughts did not lead in a productive direction.
After the second slave fell off the cliff, Akkarin set a grueling pace down the mountain, knowing they had little time until Parika would be after them. They were close to Kyralia—if they could make it over the border, they would buy a bit of time, perhaps even enough to make the journey back to Imardin and prepare for battle. It was not much of a plan, but in the current situation, Akkarin found himself unable to think more than one step ahead, for there were simply too many rapidly-changing variables to do so. At the moment, all that mattered was that he and Sonea made it into Kyralia alive.
At long last, they crossed the border, and he slowed to a walk, chuckling slightly when Sonea breathed a great sigh behind him. He let her catch up to him and then pulled her close with an arm around her shoulders, relishing his ability to touch in such a way. It had been so long since he let himself grow close to another person that he had almost forgotten what companionship felt like. Now, however, he allowed himself to simply enjoy their togetherness, feeling almost like any other couple out to take a moonlit stroll.
Once they had journeyed a good distance from the border, he steered her off the road, carefully picking his way down the slope of the foothill on which they found themselves until he saw a small cluster of trees that would give them a bit of shelter for the night. He sat down, and she sat beside him, close but not touching. "What now?" she questioned, and he felt a tugging at her heart at the trust he heard in her voice. He knew that if he asked her to continue walking, she would do so though he was sure she was beyond exhausted. For the moment, however, they were safe.
He pulled her close, breathing deeply and assuring himself that she was there with him. "Sleep, Sonea," he whispered. "I will watch. We will decide what to do next tomorrow." She sank into his chest, relaxing immediately with his words. He pressed a kiss to her head as her breathing even out before resting his cheek on top of her hair. It did not take long for the fear and exhaustion to catch up to him as well and despite his best intentions, he, too, fell asleep.