by Aldrea Alien
“And if she doesn’t know anything after all that?”
The hound shrugged. “Then at least the sex is good.”
Reaching the top of the stairs, Dylan glanced over his shoulder at the floor below. With the room sprawled before him, it rather put him in mind of a buffet. He halted at the railing, his gaze running blindly over the scene. He’d never been in a situation with more than one person. It was risky enough being intimate with one, more only increased the chance of discovery and punishment.
Tracker leant on the railing next to him. “Are you all right, my dear spellster? I ask only because you look rather flustered. It is nice to see a little colour in those cheeks, it is cute and all, but if you are uncomfortable…”
“I’m fine.” No one said he had to participate. He could stare out the window whilst Tracker did whatever the woman wanted.
“There is no need to put on such a brave face. It is no fun if you are ill at ease with the idea. You are free to wait here until we have the information. I am hardly going to push you to do something you would prefer not to do.”
“Like you tried to do back at that pond?”
A small, altogether nervous, laugh trickled out of the man’s lips. “Thank you for reminding me of that rather embarrassing moment. I do not believe I apologised for it either, for I am truly sorry. I had no idea you and our dear warrior were a couple. If you had told me then and there, I—”
“You mean it would’ve made a difference?” At the time, there’d only been a handful of intimate moments. He didn’t think that was enough to assume anything, but if sleeping with someone was all it took to be considered as a couple, then he really didn’t know how intimacy worked beyond the tower.
“Of course it would have. It still does. I may be a great many things, but a cheat?” Tracker shook his head. “That is one line I have not been willing to cross.” The man’s gaze ran over him, his eyes a richer, warm shade of honey under the candlelight. “It is a shame we did not meet earlier, though.”
The last time he’d slept with Authril before the pond incident had been the previous night. If he’d wanted the hound instead… “It wouldn’t have made a difference.”
“As you say. One thing, if I may? Your lady love seems the jealous type. You might want to consider putting your tongue away.”
He lifted his gaze from a group of half-naked men lounging on the chairs just below the railing. “My tongue isn’t out.”
“Is it not?” Tracker nodded at the group. “You are practically drooling over them. You know, my offer to pay for a little alone time with one still stands. You could indulge whilst Treasure and I occupy our dear warrior.”
Dylan straightened, pointedly turning his back to the railing. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The hound gave a soft hum. A small smile lifted one corner of his mouth. “As you like.”
“Are you two boys coming?” Treasure called. “Or were you looking for a little alone time with each other? I’ll warn you, Precious, it’s not like old times, these rooms are for paying customers.” She tipped her head to one side, resting her chin on the back of her hand. “Although, I might consider waiving the standard fee if you let me watch.”
Dylan swore his heart leapt into his mouth. Surely, that wasn’t going to be the condition on getting the information the woman supposedly had.
Tracker laughed. “And subject him to all your helpful comments? I would never be so cruel to him. Look, he is like a stunned deer at the mere suggestion. You must rein yourself in, my dear. This one has not had the pleasure of visiting such a place as this. Practically an innocent.”
He glowered at the man. “I was born in the tower,” he muttered through clenched teeth. “That means the woman who birthed me was also living in the tower. There are hundreds of us there. Do you think we all don’t have sex if we want to?”
“Want to, yes.” The hound grinned. It rather reminded Dylan of a cat having spotted a mouse. “Yet I distinctly remember that you are not supposed to.” The man nudged Dylan’s side. “Did you ever get caught?”
Dylan shook his head. He’d come close multiple times, but always managed to escape suspicion. Sometimes, by a whisker.
“Oh?” The man’s laughter was small, brief and little intrigued. “That simply must spark a whirlwind of inventiveness.”
“It might do,” he admitted, his face warming slightly. “But you’re not going to find out the truth.”
Tracker’s shoulders shook in a silent chuckle. “You utter tease,” he fired back over his shoulder as he followed the two women through one of the many doors dotted along the corridor, leaving Dylan to trail along or wait out here.
Dylan glanced over his shoulder, frowning at the half-naked men lounging below before joining the trio. He had not been drooling over those painted, pampered divas.
The room Treasure had led them to was a decent size, perhaps slightly smaller than the one he used to share back in the tower. A massive bed dominated most of the space, a chair and cabinet took up a portion of the remainder.
“All right, whore,” Authril snapped as soon as the door clicked shut behind them. She seemed to have regained some of her previous composure, although her face was still quite flushed. “You’ve got your privacy, now talk.”
Treasure ignored the woman to recline on the bed. “Did you know that these walls are so very thin?” She toyed with one of the tassels on the corner of a cushion. “Every single moan escapes. The usual, is it, my darling Precious?” she asked the hound.
“Indeed, my dear woman,” came Tracker’s muffled response.
Out of the corner of his eye, Dylan caught the man in the middle of pulling his undershirt over his head. The rest of the hound’s armour already lay at his feet.
Dylan shuffled back, not quite able to tear his gaze from the elf’s tattooed body. His focus kept dropping to where the man was unbuckling the belt holding up his trousers. He wet his lips. “Wh-what are you doing?”
“Like I said, you buy her time, you use it.” The trousers hit the ground. Dylan’s gaze remained right where it had started. “Then she will tell you want she knows.”
His stomach knotted at the thought. He leant back. The door handle had to be somewhere just behind him. “So you are actually going to have sex with her with us right here?”
“You are welcome to watch,” Tracker purred. “It would not be the first time I have done it with an audience.” The man’s attention lifted as his smallclothes joined the rest.
The knots in Dylan’s stomach tightened at the very idea of being in the building and knowing that these two were otherwise occupied, much less sharing the room. There were quite a few spellsters in the tower who’d didn’t mind being intimate in the presence of those not participating. He wasn’t one of them.
Maybe it wasn’t too late to wait outside.
“You’re even more welcome to participate,” Treasure added. “I’ve never had the pleasure of entertaining a spellster before.”
His head whipped around to eye the woman. She couldn’t have been close enough to hear him mention the tower to Tracker. “H-how did you know I was a—?”
She gave him a wide smile. “The robes, darling. I’ve seen enough of your kind being escorted through Oldmarsh to recognise another. I won’t even charge extra for either of you.”
It was only then that Dylan realised the fourth member of their group hadn’t made the slightest objection. He glanced at Authril, expecting to find her glaring at the pair, to discover she’d already removed her armour and was in the process of disrobing further.
Once the warrior was fully naked, she planted herself before the hound with one finger held up in warning. “Let’s get this straight. If you touch me, or him, I’ll rip your balls off.”
Tracker grinned. “Then I shall leave you in my dear Treasure’s capable hands. Providing they are not already full with our dear spellster.”
Treasure stood off to one side, her gown already p
ooled at her feet. She lifted a finger to her lips, letting the nail drag across them. “Does that mean I am allowed to touch you?” she asked the warrior, the husky tone in her voice turning breathy.
Authril shuffled on the spot, the redness adorning her face slowly slinking down her neck. She lowered her head and managed a very small, “Yes.”
The prostitute moved on, standing before Dylan. One hand reached out, hesitantly hovering over his chest. His own face heated for a far different reason. He felt rather self-conscious being the only clothed person in the room.
Treasure looked back at the warrior. “And him?”
Dylan opened his mouth.
“Yes,” Authril said.
“Oh?” Tracker whined. “She can touch but I cannot?” He flashed the other elf an altogether wicked grin. “Or are you afraid I will tempt your lover from your side?”
Authril frowned. “He’s not my lover.”
The man’s brows shot up at her denial. His eyes darted between her and Dylan. “My apologies. I was under the impression that you two are intimate.”
The warrior folded her arms. “We are. Not that it’s any of your business.”
“Intimate, but not lovers?” Tracker stuck out his bottom lip. “And I am still not allowed to touch? That hardly seems fair.”
“Stop pouting, Precious darling,” Treasure said to the hound as she ran a finger along Dylan jawline. “You’ll frighten him off. Relax,” she whispered into Dylan’s ear. Warm, pliable lips caressed his mouth. Her fingers linked with his and he found himself being led to the bedside.
The world slowly became a haze of brushing fingers and teasing kisses. Treasure rid him of his clothes one piece at a time before coaxing him onto the bed, his calves still dangling over the edge of the mattress.
Out the corner of his eye, he spied Tracker slowly crossing the room. Dylan grasped the bedding, unease bubbling in his gut. How had he gotten himself into this?
The woman’s mouth descended his body in a row of wet kisses. Her hands slid up his thighs. He tipped his head back, a groan slipping through his throat. Surely the hound would heed Authril’s warning.
A leg flung itself over his head. His heart skipped several beats before he registered that Authril knelt above him. It had to be her, even if he couldn’t see much beyond the glistening mound of orange hair and pale skin. Tipping his chin up allowed him to catch a glimpse of the underside of her breasts before her hand grasped his hair and tilted his head back.
Dylan caught Treasure’s giggle, followed by a faint “Naughty”. It barely registered there was another’s hot breath heating his thighs, yet that had to be the prostitute’s eager lips wrapped around his length. It was an odd sensation, one that made his stomach squirm. Clearly two heads down there.
There was the muffled slap of flesh on flesh. That placed the hound. Ploughing into the prostitute rather forcefully if he were to judge by the way she’d swallow him on the down strokes. Good. Although the man was the same height as Treasure, Dylan was pretty sure that Tracker wouldn’t be able to reach much beyond a thigh. As long as the man stayed there, then he could let his guard drop and fully enjoy himself.
Dylan grasped Authril’s backside, tilting her enough for his tongue to hit all the places she liked. She moaned as he lapped at the little bundle of flesh, grinding down onto his face. Her fingers dug into his hair, trying to bring him closer. The heady, sweet scent of her clogged his senses.
He dove deep, pulling her free only to gulp down another lungful of air. Her thighs closed around him, crushing his head to the point where it bordered on painful. The fingers digging into his scalp tightened and—
She arched, pushing herself hard against him.
Over her breathy sigh, he caught a muffled grunt and a blast of heat engulfed his length. Dylan continued quietly licking and sucking Authril as she came down from her height, vaguely noting that the slap of flesh had stopped. It seemed the hound was also done. Already? They couldn’t have been at this for more than a few minutes, surely.
Treasure pulled away. The weight on the edge of the bed shifted. Soft, thick thighs settled either side of his hips. Treasure ran her entrance along his length.
Dylan moaned into the warrior’s skin. Between her cries and the prostitute’s teasing, he wasn’t going to last long. He tried to move his hands, to put the woman where she kept tempting to go, but Treasure was far stronger than he would’ve imagined. She grasped his wrists and pinned them to the mattress.
Authril shakily clambered off his face only to turn around and plonk herself into his stomach. The air rushed out of him. He coughed, bouncing his burden who giggled, and was about to demand she get off when both women started slowly rocking on top of him.
Dylan tipped his head to one side, a groan creeping through his lips. It wasn’t quite the glorious sensation of Treasure’s lips, but it came close. He peeked through his lashes, watching the two women exploring each other’s bodies with their mouths and hands.
His gaze lifted, searching the room for where the hound had gone. Perhaps Tracker, having had his fill of the prostitute, had left the room, leaving the two women to grind atop Dylan.
He finally spotted the elf sprawled in the armchair by a cabinet of bottles, quietly sipping at a goblet.
Tracker’s lips twitched as their gazes locked. The man’s chest heaved, making his tattoos move in a way that practically dared Dylan not to follow their passage downwards.
He succumbed to the temptation far quicker than he thought possible. By the gods. It seemed the man was nowhere near sated. How could Tracker wilfully ignore his very much erect length in favour of watching them?
Dylan bit his lip, unable to look away from the sight. There was something strangely thrilling about knowing they were being watched. It buzzed through his body, causing him to plant his feet on the rug and lift his hips enough to thrust up as Treasure came down.
The hound’s fingers dug deeper into the plush fabric of the chair arm in time to Dylan’s movements. Tracker sat up. The goblet hung by its rims in his fingers, all but abandoned as he gave them his full attention. The way those eyes burned with desire should’ve been illegal. Along with that smirk and the subtle roll of his tongue across his bottom lip.
Dylan swallowed. He could feel the edge creeping up on him, aided by the prostitute’s enthusiastic bouncing. He strained against the women, fighting to rid himself of their weight. A whimper escaped his clenched teeth. Too close. He’d tip over the edge very soon at this rate. He couldn’t be inside the woman when that happened. “Wait,” he cried out, the word leaving in a strangled gasp.
Treasure shuddered around him, a breathless moan filling his ears. He desperately clung to the desire to hold back, to wait until her climax was over before insisting she get off him. Just a little longer. His body vibrated with the strain. She’d leave soon enough and then… he could—
Trying to keep himself from falling over the edge was like riding a waterfall.
The roar that rasped through his throat didn’t sound entirely human. He blindly sought for something to grab, fastening his hands on someone’s hips. His back arched, pushing him deeper into the woman, as he spilt himself inside her.
He flopped back, gasping. His heart pounded feverishly. Dylan closed his eyes as he rolled his head to one side. Perhaps, just this once, he could get away with it. Treasure must service quite a few men and could already be pregnant to another. And the hound knew, Tracker would—
Long fingers brushed his jawline, tipping his head up. A gentle whimper passed his lips as he obeyed.
His mouth met another’s. The gentle sweep of a tongue ran across the seam of his lips, coaxing them apart and slipping in to play. He moaned into the other’s mouth, swallowing their breath, tasting the hint of wine on their tongue.
Dylan frowned. These weren’t the thick, pliable lips of the prostitute. And, in any case, she was still sitting on top of him. And Authril… Well, even if she hadn’t currently been straddling
his waist, these lips didn’t hold the same cold familiarity as hers, either.
That left only the fourth in their little tryst.
He pulled away. When he opened his eyes, he found it was indeed Tracker. The man’s honey-coloured gaze stared back without shame and there seemed to a knowing twist to his lips.
It took all of Dylan’s willpower to break eye contact. Gods. Bad enough the man had been watching him this whole time, but that hadn’t just happened, had it?
On the edge of his vision, he caught Authril glaring at the other elf.
Tracker stood, seemingly unconcerned, and began gathering up his clothing. An act that Dylan rather wished he could follow. “Now we have all had our fill,” he purred.
Unbidden, Dylan’s gaze dropped to the man’s groin. Clearly that wasn’t true of everyone.
“Tell us, my dear woman,” the hound continued, seemingly unaware of the brief scrutiny he’d received. “What have you heard from the north?”
“Strange things.” Groaning, the prostitute swung her leg over Dylan and off the edge of the bed. She sashayed across the room to the cabinet and poured herself a drink from the silver pitcher. “There’s a host of armed men heading west from Wintervale. Looks and acts like a mercenary company. Far too big for one.”
The hound paused in pulling on his smallclothes. “Aimed at the border?”
Treasure shook her head. “If they were, then it’s not where the army usually camps or I’m certain they’d be here by now. My sources say they are heading upriver. Whatever they’re after is situated further north.”
Dylan frowned, recalling every map he’d ever seen of the kingdom. There was nothing further north that would interest a host of armed men. Beyond the tower lay more land. Beyond that was Dvärghem, which was of no threat to them and the king surely wouldn’t start a war with an ally when there was already an enemy testing their borders.
Tracker bowed. “Thank you, my dear. Your assistance has been as delightful as ever.” He pressed a large black coin into her hand. “For your services.”
“Precious,” she said. “This is…”
