The instant our lips touched, I forgot about everything else. Riggs must have, too, because she met my fervor in equal measure if not more so. She clutched my face and held me close, not letting me get too far except to breathe.

"I didn't...didn't think you'd do it," she whispered before pulling me in again.

"No?" I let her nibble my lower lip tenderly. "Mm...do you want me to stop?"

She snickered. "Never."

"Thank the gods." I pulled her forward so I could embrace her properly. She was so comfortably plush, light, effortlessly moldable to my whim. I couldn't get enough. As familiar as she was, it still felt foreign, like I'd never touched her before despite hugging and dancing and wrestling with her a thousand times. This was everything I'd ever wanted. She wiped my mind of anything unpleasant and forced more than just the hair on my body to stand at attention.

"Lokison..." She leaned her neck backward so I'd kiss down to her collarbone and up the other side. "I've been waiting so long for this."

I affirmed with a mumble and kept going. Not as long as I have. She slowly lowered so I'd have to lean over her on the bed and give her my weight. I was hyperaware of any sounds she made that might signal apprehension; if she changed her mind, I'd be ready to honor her wishes immediately.

Fortunately, Riggs was beyond sure. She spread her thighs and pulled me in strongly. If not for the blanket between us, I would've worried our proximity would be too much for me to handle, but the barrier was just enough to keep me from coming too soon. Just.

She rocked her hips, encouraging a tandem wave between our bodies. "I want you, Vali. Please say you want me."

"Aye, I want you, Ragfrieda." I kissed her again and groaned as she slid her soft tongue against mine. Her taste was as sweet as I'd ever imagined. I wished to drink her into me. "Don't wake me from this dream."

"No dream here." She rolled a bit to her right, nearly knocking me into the wall, but she did it to edge out from under the blanket and switch our positions to straddle me. We were similarly covered—her in a soft mustard nightgown, me in my black sleeping robe—equally exposing the top of our chests and relying too much on precarious catches down the center to keep us modest. Her pert breasts made a delightful swell as she panted above me.

From my new perspective, she was more powerful. Her long plaits covered her shoulders in a curtain, adding darkness to her features. The brightness of her eyes and the shine of saliva on her lips stood out in the low light. Her erect nipples made an unmistakable shadow in the front, practically begging for attention.

I salivated without thinking. I ached to see her flesh and stop seeing her only as a friendly ally. Under her clothes, was she as spectacular as I imagined, or beyond what I could comprehend? I had no doubt my estimates fell short.

"Your teeth are chattering," she whispered. "Let me ease your mind." Again, she kissed me with an open mouth. Riggs pulled away an inch or two and forced me to chase her with my tongue, though I wasn't successful at catching her. She let out a throaty chuckle at my expense.

"You enjoy torturing me, don't you?" I relaxed my head onto her pillow again. A waft of her scent poured over me.

"Oh, yes. It's delightful to watch you squirm." She smiled with the playful edge I missed so much, then took a turn to a more serious and slow tone. "You'd tell me if you didn't want this, right?"

"Don't want this? Me?" I rubbed her cheek with my thumb and trailed over her supple lower lip. "Getting to taste you is all I've ever wanted, Riggs. Whatever you ask of me, I'll give."

"Good. So stop holding back." She took my unoccupied left hand and placed it on her hip. "Make me feel how bad you want me."

I squeezed where she'd guided me while simultaneously pulling her face close again. I still wanted to be cautious about her boundaries, but she took the liberty of devouring my neck and claiming me bit by bit. Whatever small amount of bare skin I offered wasn't enough for her; Riggs opened the front of my tunic to expose my chest, then she lowered to suckle my right nipple with a slightly painful edge.

I hissed and arched my back reflexively. "Shit, Riggs."

"Is it better on the left..."—migrating over my sternum, she gave the same treatment to the other side—"...or right?"

I clenched my eyes shut and tried to think of something else. Don't you dare let this end yet. Not yet.

She tickled the center of my belly with her long nails and blew into my ear until I shuddered. "Aren't you going to at least return the favor?"

"Oh, it was an instruction?" I laughed and raised myself on my elbows as she sat up on her knees again. This time without hesitation, I mouthed at her chest and didn't care that her nightgown would soon be wet with my saliva. I ached to feel her wrapped around me, suffocating me, letting me drown in her body. She cooed at my touch and rubbed my shoulders to keep me close.

"May I have more?" I whispered.

"As much as you want," she returned.

At her sternum, between two buttons that barely maintained the taut horizontal stretch of her nightgown, I reached in with my tongue to find her skin. Here, I developed a quick addiction for her sweat. On top of the clothing, I massaged her full breasts and manipulated the two main buttons until they popped open and exposed the ebony nipples that matched the claret shade of her lips—both made me feel drunk. Following her previous instruction, I brought the left side into my mouth where it found a comfortable home on my tongue. When I exchanged it for the right, Riggs pulled my hair.

"Goodness..." she mumbled.

I couldn't move very far if I tried, but now I had a new mission: her satisfaction. I'd been so callous on purpose since we arrived, so she'd certainly earned and deserved whatever I could do to make up for it.

She trembled in waves and I suckled harder. My most graphic thoughts never took us this far; somehow I presumed she'd require weeks or months of gaining ground before agreeing to share so much of herself. Her confidence was admirable.

"You're not nervous," I muttered against her, kneading the loose and forgiving skin of her sides in rhythm. "No hesitation."

"Would you rather I reinvent myself a virgin?" She pushed me back a bit and covered her chest with one arm, holding me at bay with the other side. "Why, Lokison, what are you doing here? I'd never dare let a man into my room at such an hour. No chaperone and only a single bed for both of us." She winked and gave an impish grin to encourage the game.

But something about what she asked was far from what I had in mind. "Hmm...you mean, do I wish I were the first man who's ever touched you?" I stroked up one of her bare thighs while lightly fondling her ear. "What if I'd rather be the last?"

This tempered her heat a bit. "You mean that?"

I nodded and beckoned her down with a kick of my chin. Once she was low enough, I rolled her back to the mattress the way we first began and kissed her hard again.

My right hand trailed up the front of her leg, inch by inch, stopping just above her knee. "Is this alright?" I whispered.

"Mmhmm," she returned.

I crept closer to the loose hem barely covering her. "Still alright?"

A distinct sigh escaped her when I asked again, though she answered the same way. It was a tease for her this time—a delicious trade from all the times she'd flirted and I couldn't tell how serious she was.

I slipped my fingers under the hem of her nightgown to the pad at her hip adjacent to the crease of her thigh. To my surprise, there was nothing covering her beside the nightgown. She was otherwise bare.

Another opportunity to prove myself.

I swirled my fingertips, lightly brushing the edge of her soft nether hair. "And now?"

She gripped my chin surely. "If I didn't want your hand there, I would move it."

It was certainly enough enthusiasm for me.

With my eyes squarely on hers, I wetted my right middle finger with a deliberate pass through my lips. Without deviating more than a blink or two, I returned to my position and slipped it between her lips below. Though she was more than ready, wanton, and slick with her own excitement, I was glad how my action clearly signaled the next step, since Riggs spread her legs and rocked her pelvis up to welcome me further.

"Yes," she groaned while closing her eyes.

I hadn't entered her fully yet—pacing myself was crucial—but I did tap her skin to encourage more wetness. She shivered in waves as I massaged a slow circle around the slight protrusion at the top of her vulva.

While I touched her, the hardness of my cock grew more severe. It ached because of her. Needed her. Wanted her. Too much more and I wouldn't be able to hold back.

I dove in anyway, sliding two digits as deep as I dared while keeping my palm firmly pressed against her clit. "Are you surprised yet?" I asked in a low a voice, gently kneading the ridged ceiling inside her.

Riggs bit her knuckle and poorly stayed quiet. Every so often, she'd grip my fingers. It felt like a challenge and a prize all at once. I wasn't hurried.

"You feel incredible." I didn't pull my hand all the way back before moving in again. Quick, mindless back and forth couldn't be enough for her. I gave varying pressure with my palm and rubbed up and down until her own squeezes told me what she liked best. "It's thrilling to worship you."

Her shallow breathing was muted on purpose. Every time I spoke, she let out an almost imperceptible whine.

I nibbled her ear, grateful for my long limbs and my ability to take care of her while remaining available for a kiss at any time. "Can I make it better?"

"No...don't stop."

Understood. I kept a steady pace with my hand and pecked her neck, her shoulder, her collarbone, then down to her breasts again. When I suckled her, she squeezed harder than before. The thought of such strong pressure enveloping my cock made me shudder. A thick spurt of precum made a wet spot on my robe that she didn't seem to notice—or, maybe, hopefully, she swelled with pride to know the power she had over me.

I was lost in the heat of her flesh. Completely wrapped up in the smell of her sweat. I lost count of her twitches that beckoned my victory and her flinching eyes that said she was so close. If the night was exhausted with nothing more than this, it would suffice, so long as she knew bliss by my efforts.

However long it'd been already, I couldn't know, but the way her breath caught signaled change. She grinded against my palm a bit more and even swirled her fingertips in a tight circle on my back, as if miming what she'd do to touch herself and finish the job alone. I took the cue and copied it the best I could.

I sampled her skin with the flat of my tongue. As I did, I put my other hand at the base of her abdomen and pressed down until I felt the action of my fingers inside her, however faintly.

She gasped and her thighs shook. Almost there.

Our foreheads knocked together and we breathed at the same pace. I sped up, not curling my fingers so much as I was driving my hand up and down with more force. "Riggs, may I come with you?"

She gripped a tight handful of my hair and tried to arch her back, but my force was stronger. "Vali..."

"Tell me yes. Please." I huffed into her, blindly praying she'd announce her arrival in the next few seconds. "I can't hold on."

Riggs kissed me and screamed, only muted by our lips, and her whole body convulsed. She flooded the mattress and rhythmically massaged my hand, still inside her. I slowed my movement—but didn't exit—until her pulses tapered to nothing.

At the same time, enormous pressure built from my belly and tickled its way to the end of my cock. I did come, yes, strongly and mostly contained to the inside of my robe, keeping her unspoiled. Youth had certain benefits, thankfully; while I might be ashamed in any other circumstance, Riggs would understand that I had more to give, wouldn't she?

She relaxed her legs and softened her kiss, trading her tongue with mine once again. We'd never be able to go back to before; we now knew each other in ways unbecoming of friendship. My dream had come true; we were far beyond that.

When our heartbeats calmed, she pulled back to say, "In case there was any confusion, that was a y-yes."

I laughed. "That, I got."

"Did you, really?" she asked, searching my face like she didn't know every inch. "Are you satisfied?"

"I did. But satisfied? No." I rubbed my nose against hers. "I'm only getting started, if you'll allow me to show more."

Riggs hummed for a moment, then stood by the bed. Her nightgown left only an open V down her sternum, as there was no final button to split it in two. Her voluptuous figure was almost more enticing this way than if she were fully nude. She made no comment about the state of her sheets and confidently offered her hands. "Stand for me."

I did as she asked, all too aware how sensitive my body was below the waist. Careful, careful...

She was shorter, but she still held all the control. I looked down to her eyes and felt like begging for her mercy. She lightly scratched over my chest again until meeting the loose tie in my sleeping robe with a plum smug grin.

Even if she ordered me to smile, I couldn't. I practically whimpered instead.

"You nearly kept me waiting too long." Riggs pulled the shorter tie strand in bursts, leaving us both to guess when the robe would fall open and reveal me. "Now, tell me, Lokison—do you know to please a partner because you are sincerely generous, or do you do so because of necessity?"

I raised a brow. "Are you implying I have a chore so as not to harm my recipient?"

"Yes." Her playful grin reminded me of any game we might have on the battlefield. All the more confirmation of why I adored her.

"Why don't you tell me if you think it was necessary?" I opened my arms for the robe to fall easily as soon as she finished untying it.

Riggs pushed it off my shoulders and tickled my neck on both sides while it fell to the floor. Like her mess on the mattress, she ignored mine. Her glance over my equipment was brief, but she couldn't withhold the smirk that flashed on her lips. "I suppose it's possible you are attentive for both reasons."

"Indeed." I didn't need her assessment to know I had nothing to be ashamed of, but it was comforting to see how pleased she was that my talents weren't unimpressive.

"You're strong, aren't you, Vali?" Her survey of my body was slow but methodical. She traced the bow of my collarbone, the divots in front of my shoulders, the curve of my biceps and the smooth, flat shelf of my upper chest. It wasn't, in my mind, grotesquely bulky in the same way Modi's was—he often paraded about on the practice field to prove his virility by peacocking his gains—instead, I focused on precision and tone over wasteful weight and preferred to stay private.

Of course, now I doubted if it was enough. Was she captivated the way I was with her? Did I please her? Could I live up to her expectations?

She rubbed the gently ribbed sides of my abdomen with her thumbs, then stopped short with a gasp at the sight of my mostly-healed stab wound. "Goodness—are you still hurt?"

I shook my head quickly. "No...I would stop you if that was a risk. It doesn't bother me much anymore."

Riggs furrowed her brow and investigated it. "I really had no idea how severe it was. I'm so sorry." She rested her warm palm over it and closed her eyes.

I lifted her chin with my forefinger. "Then it's a good thing I'm resilient. In more ways than one."

She sighed. "I can't quite express how happy I am that I didn't lose you. What I would've done if you never came back."

"I pray you never have to find out." In our standing position, it was like starting over. A new chance to properly make my wants known. I wrapped my hand behind her neck and embraced her tightly through another kiss, one that triumphed over all we'd had already. Without the anxious urges of our bodies, it was more genuine and full of heart. I still wanted her, but I had an honest need for her as well.

Evidently, sweetness wasn't enough for her. Riggs pushed my shoulders down until I sat on the mattress edge again with my feet on the floor. She hiked up the hem of her nightgown and straddled me. "It's been long enough, Lokison. Don't you dare make me wait any longer."

I was too stunned to reply with much more than a shaking head.

"Can I show you pleasure this time, Vali?" She rose on her knees and looked down at me, forcing my perspective straight up, extending my neck fully. "Do you have anything to say or ask before I begin?"

I strained through a gulp. "Are...are you p-p-prepared?"

"You prepared me just fine. Or are you worried I'll get pregnant?"

"Yes. Th-that."

"Shh, fear not, Lokison." She ran her thumb over my left eye and down my cheek. "In that sense, I am prepared as well. Are you ready for me?"

My cock ached again. "Shit, yes."

She snickered. "For all that you love cursing, there's one I've never heard you say. Perhaps I'd like to hear it."

I furrowed my brow. "Which one?"

"One unbecoming your status, surely. It's my favorite," she whispered, nibbling at my earlobe. "Can you feel me dripping, Vali?"

I groaned and dragged my hand between her legs. "I can."

"If I let you take me however you please, will you do what I ask?"

"Anything," I said. My eyes felt pinned open, unable to blink as I fixated on her. "What do you need?"

She blew into my ear again until I shivered. "Can you silence me?"

I wasn't certain I'd heard her correctly. "Beg your pardon?"

"It's a risk to be here in my bed, you know." Riggs yanked my hair again. "Please make me scream."

My teeth chattered again at all her implications, and she enticed me further by dropping her hips slightly, almost letting my cock taste her below. So close. So in character. What a damn tease. "B-b-be careful what you wish for, Riggs."

"I know what I want, Lokison. And I don't want us interrupted."

"And if I can't hear you, I might very well hurt you." My heart thundered at the base of my throat. Thankfully, an alternative occurred to me. "There is a way we can have both."

"Which is?"

I steadied my breathing so I could focus on the spell. Letting her balance against me, I spread my hands apart in a quick motion. The room, while still dark, was overtaken with a cast of deep navy, and bright blue sparkles from my magic glimmered in the corners.

"Wow," she said. Her voice echoed back slightly. "What is it?"

"A sound barrier." I wrapped my arms around her waist again. "Now we can be as loud as we like. No one will hear us."

"You're certain?"

What better way to prove it than by letting my inner wolf speak for me? Throwing my head back, I let out a strong howl; it made her laugh while helping me feel grounded in the moment. I refocused on her and tipped my head. "Now, what were you saying?"

She bit her lower lip with her snicker. "Just this." Lowering herself surely, needing no assistance since I was stiff and ready, Riggs enveloped me in full. Her warm insides gave just enough resistance to make me worry she wasn't ready for me, but the whine she made said otherwise.

"Gods, Riggs," I said just before my tongue turned to jelly. The rest of my body might as well not exist.

Her control and desire exceeded every one of my wildest expectations. She rocked above me, bucking her hips to stimulate us both. Every so often her breasts peeked out of the slit in her neckline, begging for attention that I could hardly give.

My mind was all but incapable of complex thought; she had one real request, and I would fulfill it. I held her close, halting the movement of her legs so I could plunge into her with thrusts of my own, as fast as I could keep pace for.

"Yes...yes, there." She tucked a hand under her nightgown to touch herself, which I tried to give room for as much as possible. Riggs closed her eyes and twitched around me, tightening and kneading me from bottom to top.

"You're so beautiful," I muttered, out of control of whatever I said. "Ragfrieda, Goddess of Beauty, I would lay down my life if it would please you."

"No, no. That's not what I want at all." She kissed me and dropped to the mattress, pulling me on top of her. I appreciated the change of angle and pumped into her again, slowly enjoying the ridges inside her with every pass. Riggs had more space to get herself off in the process, jerking her hand in a tight circle.

I sped up when she did and held her thighs open to dive deeper. "You're taking me so well, Riggs. We fit together." I pounded harder once I knew which approach made her moan the loudest.

Sweat poured down both our faces. She squarely met my gaze, flushing a distinct tone of mauve in her deep cheeks. I couldn't help but notice how her lips matched her delicious nipples, however briefly I saw them when her breasts waved into view. Her bed creaked beneath us, yet we couldn't stop. If we fell through the middle of the world, we'd do so together.

Her breath caught again in the same signal I recognized from before. She rubbed herself harder and squarely met my gaze. "Curse at me, Vali. The worst you can think of."

The brief clue from earlier left few options, but what else could she want at the brink of climax?

I bared my teeth and growled. "You want me to fuck you, Riggs?"

She shut her eyes and panted harder. "Yes. Yes!"

"Oh, I will. I won't stop until you're satisfied." I pulled her in as I thrust, slapping our moist skin together. "Listen to that, Riggs. Do you like hearing me fuck you?"

"Vali...V-Vali—"

"Yes. I'm filling you. All for you. Every hair, every inch, every drop within me—yours." To satiate her, I exhausted the last of my energy, pumping with a prayer. "In your dreams, have I ever fucked you like this?"

"N-never. Oh, gods, don't stop!"

"I'll never stop. I'll gladly put old dreams to shame. I'll fuck you 'til you dream of me in daylight!"

Her climax gripped me in place, confirmed by a scream and a full-body spasm. I came with her once again, filling her in a new way, instantly struck with recognition that she'd exceeded my wildest expectations. Riggs covered her face while catching her breath, and I fell forward to lay at her side.

We didn't do anything but breathe for a few minutes, both of us riding the aftershock of what we'd done. Every so often, my magic sparkled around us—it reminded me of when I was younger and scoffed at the idea of learning such a useless charm. Now, I was beyond grateful for mastering it.

"Did I hurt you at all?" I whispered, breaking the silence.

She smiled. "No. You didn't hurt me. That was divine." She stretched and started to roll toward the wall.

"No, don't go. Don't go." I pulled her in tight against my chest again. "Please don't leave me. I might wake up."

She sighed and pecked my forehead. "You've done well, Lokison. I want more once you're ready."