used Korwahk, “I understand this is not of your world, my Circe, but he shares our bed tonight.”
Oh no, I didn’t like the sound of that, like, at all.
Lahn kept talking. “His body has been burned on the pyre, his head has become a toy or trophy, the Korwahk celebrated his death with cheers and chants, drink and dancing. And he knew humiliation, beaten, disarmed and immobilized before his defeat, cut down by his own steel. But I am not done with him. His blood shares our bed as I take you with my mouth, with my cock, with my fingers, your mouth sucks me deep and I make you beg and gasp and cry out. And he shares it as you sleep underneath me, my seed leaking from between your legs. Tomorrow, I will bathe him away from you, tonight, if there is any part of his spirit left in this realm, he will know the beauty we share in our cham and, since he threatened to defile my queen, this is my way to shove it up his ass.”
All right, I could get where he was coming from, I knew my man was pissed after what Dortak said. But now that the passion was spent and the cuddling had begun, I wasn’t all fired up to sleep with some guy’s blood on me.
And I started to tell Lahn this. “Lahn –”
He shook his head and his thumb moved to my lips. “No, Circe. This will be. Your king commands it.”
When he slid his thumb from my lips, I whispered, “But, baby, it’s gross.”
He blinked. “Gross?”
I nodded. “Gross. Icky. Yuck. Blech. Nasty. Gross.”
He grinned. Then he reminded me, “You didn’t think it was… gross… when you gave me nahna xaxsah while carrying his blood and my paint.”
“But –”
“Or when you begged for my cock harder.”
“But, La –”
“Or when you pushed your hips into my cock so violent –”
My arm moved from around his shoulders and my fingers covered his mouth. “Okay, okay, I get it. You’re right. And this means something to you so all right…” I moved my hand from his mouth, sighed and gave in. “I’ll sleep with icky blood on me.”
I caught his grin before his face disappeared in my neck where he murmured. “Shahsha, kah rahna Dahksahna.”
“Nahrahka,” I muttered, sliding my hand down his neck to the back and then down between his shoulder blades, thinking, jeez, the things I do for my king.
“Kah teenkah tunakanahsa was very brave today,” he said in my ear and lifted his head, his thumb moving to sweep my cheekbone. “I know that took effort, Circe, to watch that. I was very proud of you.”
I felt my pique fade away as his sweetness invaded.
“Thanks, honey,” I whispered.
His eyes moved over my face and he whispered back, “I could not dream a better you.”
Oh my God.
Oh… my… God.
Did he just say that?
I stared into his warm eyes.
He just said that.
And that was so sweet, so unexpected but so welcome, my breath arrested and all I could do was continue staring at him.
He wasn’t done. “A better wife, a better queen. Not even in a dream could I create better than you.”
“Stop it,” I whispered because I couldn’t take anymore and I couldn’t take anymore because the happiness blooming inside me threatened to overwhelm me.
He lips tipped up slightly but his eyes warmed even more. “Okay, kah Lahnahsahna, I will stop it.”
I sucked in breath through my nose to control the tingling there and then I lifted my head and shoved my face in his neck, holding on tight with all my limbs.
Lahn spoke in my ear. “My queen, do not get drowsy. I am not done fucking you.”
Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have taught him the f-word. Sure, when I explained it to him, he laughed loud then he picked me up, threw me on the bed and acted out its meaning.
But his saying it was hot, too hot.
My head dropped back on the bed and I stared up at him in disbelief.
“You’re not?”
“No. Not close.”
I felt my eyebrows shoot up. “Not close?”
“No.”
“Wow,” I whispered. “Maybe you are a god.”
He burst out laughing and he did this a long time, his massive body shaking with it, moving mine as it did in a way that I didn’t like, I loved.
Then, still chuckling, he dropped his forehead to mine and whispered, “Kay lapay el Pahnsahnak, kah Pahnsahnalla.” I am a god, my goddess. “And I will prove it to you.”
Then his mouth took mine and he proved it to me.
Boy, did he ever prove it to me.
I thought my man kicked ass on a field of battle, and he did, I was in awe.
But I was more in awe at what he could do in our cham.
Much, much more.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The Decision
A month later…
“Circe, oh, Circe, I couldn’t,” Diandra breathed as she stared at the heavy gold bracelet inlaid profusely with garnet and amethyst that she’d been examining with obvious yearning but, being so weighty with gold and gems, likely could not afford – a bracelet that I’d just cuffed on her wrist.
“You can, my friend, and you will,” I whispered and her head tipped back from her study of her new bracelet, I saw wet shimmering from her eyes and I finished, still whispering, “As you promised me, you stood by my side and I know, my sweet friend, I know,” I shook her wrist once for added emphasis, “that there were times it wasn’t easy. But I want you to know there will be times when being at my side will provide you with the bounty you deserve because you are kind, you are patient and you are generous. I want you to have this gift, from Lahn and me, as a token of our gratitude for all you have given us.”
I watched one tear slide down her cheek as her hand not captured by mine lifted to cup my cheek.
“You made every minute, even the difficult ones, a pleasure, my true, golden queen,” she whispered back, I felt the tears fill my own eyes and I smiled at her.
Then, to lighten the mood before I burst into unqueenly tears, I joked, “Even now, you’re being generous. I know I can be a pain in the ass.”
She stared at me a second, probably not knowing what a “pain in the ass” was but definitely understanding it. Then she burst out laughing, pulled her wrist from my grip and yanked me into her arms for a tight hug.
I gave it back as good as I got.
When we pulled away, I grabbed her hand for one last squeeze, smiling into her shining eyes. Then I let her go and smiled at Teetru.
“Give the man some coin, sweetheart,” I said in Korwahk, Teetru jerked like she’d been pulled from a trance even though her eyes were on Diandra and me. She nodded and jumped toward the merchant, opening the drawstring leather pouch she carried that was filled with Lahn’s coin.
I grabbed Diandra’s elbow and turned her away from the stall, looking back and smiling at my entourage.
