"We will have to leave in the morning," Grethron told Celouise when they were alone.
Ice cold fingers gripped her heart in a tight fist as she looked at him.
"So soon?" she asked as misery flooded her.
I have only just got him and now he is going to leave. Will I see him again? Is this it for us?
"I should go and make preparations," Grethron said, standing.
"Dawa's ass you will," Celouise snapped. "If this is to be our last night for some time, you will spend it with me."
"As you command, majesty," Grethron said with a smirk.
Some time later, when they lay, entangled in a warm glow, Grethron spoke.
"Did you make him Knight Protector so he can be with Alystra?"
"No, I gave him the title as he has earned it several times over and asked nothing in return," she said, chuffing a laugh. "It just happens to be an advantage his status has been elevated to hers."
"You are sneaky, majesty," Grethron rumbled, his deep voice vibrating in her chest.
"I am aware, highness," Celouise replied.
She rolled over, climbing atop Grethron and covering his body with her own. Her head tucked below his chin and she listened to the beating of his heart.
"You better come back to me, old man," she said as a tear rolled down her cheek. "It is a royal command from your queen," she added sniffing.
Grethron wrapped his arms about her tightly, stroking and scratching.
"Then I have no choice," he murmured. "As your loyal subject I am honour bound to carry out your commands."
Celouise chuffed a bitter laugh at the comment and sat up, straddling him.
"Promise me," Celouise said, tears rolling freely down her face. "Promise me you will return."
Grethron reached up and swiped the tears from her soft cheeks, cupping her face in his hands.
"I promise, my love. There is nothing in this world or another that could keep me from you."
"Then I give you this," the queen purred as she shifted, taking his body into hers.
***
Alystra was shivering as Dumar took her into her suite and he knelt to make a fire, blowing the flames into life as she shuddered.
"Shall I get someone?" He asked as she hugged herself and grabbed a thick blanket.
Alystra looked at him as he stood in the firelight. Her noble knight looked dark and dangerous in the shadows cast by the fire and something squeezed deliciously in her abdomen.
"No," she said. "Come sit with me."
Dumar did so, leaving a gap she filled by shuffling across to him. The vital heat from his body warming her more than the fire ever could.
The horror and disgust she had felt when Malthrom had invaded the ball had begun to subside replaced by a warmth and gratitude that Dumar had been there to save them all.
Many, when faced with the fact the man beside them had ripped off a dead man's arm and thrust it through his belly, would want nothing to do with Dumar.
Alystra felt different. A savage joy had risen in her to see someone face her uncle unafraid and she was thrilled at the fact she was here with him alone.
Even so nerves grabbed at her, causing her to pause.
I have never been with a man. The tales I overheard the maids telling are one thing, the feelings radiating – desire, lust – are something else but they are other people's feelings. I'm just scared.
"What's wrong?" Dumar asked gently.
"It was frightening, in the ballroom," Alystra said.
"Is that all?" He wondered.
Can he feel what I am feeling? Alystra worried. Of course not, he has no empathic abilities. She told herself.
"No," she admitted.
"So what's up?"
Alystra pulled back a little, looking into Dumar's eyes. Something flipped and dropped inside her as she stared. The abrupt memory of her falling from a tree in her childhood flashed back, the feeling incredibly similar.
"I am nervous...I mean I want this...I want to...I think I need it...I mean you…"
Alystra's words were cut off as Dumar leaned in and took her mouth in a kiss.
Surprise made her flinch initially but as soon as she realised what was happening, she relaxed.
Alystra almost fell forward when Dumar pulled back, placing a hand on his chest for support.
"What were you saying?" Dumar asked.
"Who cares?" Alystra asked diving at him.
Their mouths met in a wet battle as Dumar grabbed a handful of her hair holding it gently but firmly to keep her in place. Alystra grabbed his arms for support as she weakened, becoming dizzy with the intensity of her first kiss.
His tongue brushed across her lips and she moaned, her mouth opening automatically. A thrill of excitement shot through Alystra as she felt his hot tongue inside her mouth.
Dumar pressed himself against her as he invaded her mouth, capturing her tongue and licking it in long strokes.
She pulled back, panting heavily and feeling his breaths wash over her face as he panted too.
"I have never…" Alystra began. "My first kiss."
"Mine too," Dumar growled, his voice even deeper than normal. "More?"
"Oh, yes," she breathed as Dumar pushed her back onto the sofa.
His lips found hers again, and they remained that way for what seemed an age, desire and lust heating Alystra's core.
A needy ache began in her abdomen and she had no idea what it was or how to get rid of it.
Dumar trailed his lips from her mouth to her throat and Alystra threw her head back for him to get to her skin.
It came alive under his kiss, trails of heat blazing in the wake of his lips. When he moved up her neck and behind her ear, tingles exploded across her sides, hips and belly.
A low moan issued from her throat and her hands explored his body, feeling nothing but the odd armour he wore.
"Take it off, I need to feel your skin," she panted.
Dumar stood and flicked catches, the soft snapping sounds bringing tingling anticipation at the thought of seeing him naked. He shrugged his shoulders, taking the top half down and Alystra drank in the sight.
The bodysuit he wore had covered his defined muscles, his broad chest and shoulders rippling with tension and suppressed power.
The muscles on his chest were similarly well developed but not immense, she stared at the flat discs of his nipples and her fingers twitched.
Alystra sat up as she reached for him, running her hands over his skin and squeezing. Heat blazed from his skin as she worked her hands lower, feeling the taut muscles in his abdomen. The power and strength she could feel coming from him was worrying at the same time as filling her with exhilaration.
Dumar sat beside her once more, nuzzling at her neck as she gripped his back. Shock tore through her at the ridges and scars she felt there and she sat back, staring at him.
"What happened?" She demanded.
"Told you I was tortured," Dumar said in a matter of fact tone.
Alystra stood and went behind him, gasping at the sight. The firelight did not reveal the full extent of the damage that had been done but she could clearly see lines and ridges of raised scar tissue running across his back from shoulder to shoulder and down to his hips.
It was plain to see the torture had been systematic and repeated, scars crossing other scars where he had been exposed to it again and again. Some of the scars shone in the firelight, raised, jagged circles that must have been caused by burning.
"Dawa," she breathed, feeling something heavy in her chest.
Dumar drew in a shuddering breath, blowing it out nervously as she ran her finger along one line of scar. He stiffened a little as she pressed both palms against his wounds and rubbed gently.
"No one will ever do this to you again," she whispered into his ear. "As long as I draw breath."
Her lips went to his shoulder and the side of his neck before dipping to kiss some of the scars that destroyed his skin. Alystra pressed herself against his back, tight and close, wrapping her arms around to grip his muscles once more. After a few moments she stood and returned to stand before him, her hands shaking as she reached up to unlace her bodice.
"Are you sure?" Dumar asked. "Cos if I start I don't know if I'll be able to stop."
"Do not stop, then," Alystra said, shrugging her arms from her dress. "Whatever you do, Dumar, do not stop," she added, dropping the dress and exposing herself to his gaze.
She went to where he sat, looking down into his eyes and seeing the intense look of lust and desire exploding from them. It sent a thrill of excitement through Alystra to see.
Me! She thought. I make him look like that. Me!
Dumar's rough hands skimmed over her sides and up to cup her breasts, his thumbs finding her nipples. Alystra felt therm harden at his touch, her breasts heavy with blood as they heated from his touch. He leaned forward and placed his mouth between them, kissing the line that ran down her body.
Alystra's breaths came in short, shallow gasps as Dumar, kissed his way from breast to breast, circling the areola before taking each nipple into his mouth and lashing his tongue over the tip. Her knees weakened and she threw her head back as shocks of delight shot from her breasts, down her spine and into her liquid core.
The sensations and emotions whipped up like a tornado inside her and she almost fell but his strong hands lifted her with ease, his mouth finding hers as he carried her to the bedroom.
Alystra felt joy and passion that night. Delights she had never experienced and the brief flash of pain when he took her maidenhood was fleeting, washed away by their lovemaking.
"I loved that," Alystra said when she lay in his arms. "Can we do it again?"
"In a little while," Dumar said. "It takes a few minutes for me to recover."
"I have never felt…" Alystra started, pausing. "Even before my father died. I never felt anything like I feel when you are near."
Dumar said nothing but began caressing and kissing her flesh, working his way slowly down towards her sex. Alystra giggled as he fluttered kisses across her hips and belly, groaning a deep moan as his tongue rasped over her most sensitive spot.