“Do you think we did the right things today?” she asked.
“I think we tried as hard as we could, and did the best things possible under the circumstances. That’s all anyone can ask.”
“Do you think I’ll survive until morning?”
He kissed her on the top of her head. “I have never known anyone who was more of a survivor than you.”
Chapter XLIII
Hrappa
WHEN TAYA WOKE AND SAW the daylight filtering in through the windows, her first thought was, I’m alive. She was still wrapped in Mandir’s arms, though they’d thrown off the blanket. She was vaguely aware that he’d been up once during the night—her half-dreaming mind had registered it—though for what reason, she did not know. At any rate, he was back now. She could feel his breathing as his powerful chest rose and fell against her back.
Lying there, she felt exhilarated. She was alive! There was no three-day poison. The horrors of yesterday were fading, and she was beginning to perceive that despite the ugliness of having to execute Zash and destroy Amalia’s magic, she and Mandir had, on the whole, been successful in Hrappa. They’d been sent to solve a trio of murders, and they’d solved them. Their methods had been unconventional—in some cases illegal—but she would not have had it any other way.
She and Mandir had cured Hrappa’s banana blight, freed its farmers from Bodhan’s crushing loans, and rid the community of the murderous Zash.
Infused with a rush of new energy, she twisted in Mandir’s arms to face him. She tilted her head upward and kissed him on the lips. “Wake up, handsome.”
Mandir’s eyes blinked open. “Was that for real? Or am I dreaming?”
“It’s morning, and we’re alive!”
“Of course we’re alive.” Mandir stretched luxuriously, like an enormous bronze panther. “Everyone knows there’s no such thing as a three-day poison.”
“Be honest,” said Taya, her eyes roaming over the mouth-watering expanse of his body. “You had your doubts.”
“Tiny doubts.” Mandir pressed his thumb and forefinger together.
“Not so tiny.” She pulled his fingers apart.
Mandir placed his other hand over Taya’s to make the space smaller again.
Taya tried to pull his hand away, which turned into a wrestling match as she grabbed for his hand, and he dodged, holding it out of reach. Finally she jumped on him for better access, and they fought that way. She could tell he was only playing, using less than half his strength, until suddenly he turned the tables and flipped them over, pinning her beneath him.
“What were you saying again?” asked Mandir, his breath warm on her face.
“I don’t remember.” She was a little bit frightened, but she wanted him.
Mandir lowered his great body onto hers and kissed her. Something throbbed in Taya’s nether regions—a feeling she rarely experienced except when she pleasured herself. She gasped, which excited Mandir. He nipped her on the lip and kissed her again. “Is this something you want?”
She nodded.
He raised himself enough to take off his nightshirt. “Are you sure?”
She gaped at the sight of his well-muscled chest and abdomen as the shirt peeled away. “Yes. Do you think it will hurt?”
“Why, is it your first time?”
She nodded.
“I don’t think so.” He kissed her forehead lightly. “But if it does, you can stop me.”
Taya nodded, but as he unfastened his pants, she tensed.
He paused to stroke her hair. “I’ll be gentle. If there’s anything you’re not enjoying, tell me, and I’ll stop.” He pulled his pants down, revealing his erection.
Taya couldn’t help but stare. She’d never seen one before.
Mandir didn’t seem to notice or care that she was staring; he was occupied with her nightshirt. He found the ends of it and tugged it upward, encouraging her to raise herself off the bed to release it. She wasn’t wearing anything underneath, and her breasts fell free. Mandir, sitting atop her, gazed at her reverently. “You are one fine-looking woman, banana girl.”
“You’re not so bad yourself, banana man.”
He rolled his eyes. “I suppose I asked for that.” Lowering himself on her, he kissed her again. One of his hands found her breast, cupped it, and stroked. His thumb circled her nipple, pressing hard. Taya’s nether regions throbbed, and her back arched. She moaned.
When she couldn’t stand it any longer, and her body demanded more, Mandir seemed to sense it. He moved downward and captured her nipple with his tongue. He circled it with firm pressure, nipped lightly, and stroked her breast with his fingertips.
“Great Mothers,” said Taya, arching her back again. She was wet; she could feel it, and Mandir’s erection was hot and hard between them. She wanted him inside her, needed him. “Now, Mandir.” She reached for him, wanting him to pull that wicked tongue off her, and satisfy the beautiful and terrible need within.
“Not yet,” he said, taking her arm and pinning it beneath his body. “I’m going to make you wait.”
“Mandir,” she gasped.
“I waited ten years to have you in my bed,” he said. “Now that I’ve got you here, you can wait for me.”
“Mandir,” she protested. He was ruthless with his tongue, pinning her arms as he pleasured her just enough to drive her into a frenzy, but not enough to satisfy her. She moaned, her body shifting in frustration and pleasure. She gasped as his tongue teased her sensitized nipple. “Mandir.”
“I love it when you say my name.” He reached down and pulled at her smallclothes.
She shimmied her hips to help remove them.
In an instant, Mandir’s cock was pressing into her, slowly. Poised above her, looking into her eyes, Mandir said, “Tell me if anything hurts.”
“It doesn’t hurt,” she gasped. “It doesn’t hurt at all.” And then, for a moment, it did. She felt a twinge, but it came and went, and was quickly forgotten in the deluge of more agreeable sensations.
He pushed in, farther and farther, until Taya felt the moment they were joined, his body warm and solid against hers. She wrapped her arms around him, wanting him closer in every possible way. When he began to move, she moaned and arched her back. This was what she needed. This was what she’d been waiting for.
“Oh, Great Mothers,” said Mandir, moving faster. His eyes glazed.
Every movement of their joined bodies sent a thrill of exquisite pleasure through her body, emanating from her nether regions all the way through the tips of her fingers, and as Mandir accelerated, the waves of pleasure came faster. His mouth found hers, joining them doubly, and when her pleasure spilled over, she bucked in his arms, driving him to a shuddering peak of his own.
He rolled onto his side, taking her with him so they did not have to separate. “That was worth the wait,” he said.
Taya laughed. She was hot and sweaty, pressed into another body that was equally hot and sweaty, and she didn’t care.
“I love you,” said Mandir. “I always have.”
“I’m starting to believe you.”
“From the beginning, from the day we met, you were the one,” said Mandir. “I did everything wrong. More than wrong. I was a fool, but I loved you.”
“I wanted to love you then,” said Taya. “But it didn’t happen until just a few days ago. Which reminds me, when we were down in that hole at Zash’s, you said there was something about the fire maze I didn’t know.”
“Oh.” Mandir pushed a lock of damp hair back from her face. “The Coalition forbade me to speak of it.”
Taya snorted. “As if you follow Coalition rules.”
“I try.”
“Tell me,” said Taya. “I think I have a right to know.”
“I’ll tell you if you promise to keep it to yourself.”
She found Mandir’s hand and interlocked their fingers. “I promise.”
“You know the basics of the story. Cole, Talin, Lilit, and I built a fire
maze as an elaborate, cruel prank just for you. It took us weeks to design and build. We had to map it out on tablets, clear space for it in the fields, assemble it.”
“I’m not impressed.”
“I know,” said Mandir. “I’m just saying we went to a lot of trouble to be zebu’s asses.”
“It was your idea, wasn’t it? You were the leader.”
“Yes, it was my idea.”
“Then why did Cole, Talin, and Lilit get expelled while you only got a Year of Penance?”
“I’m getting to that,” said Mandir. “We drugged you with kimat and shydra. The shydra made you sleep so deeply we were able to remove you from your bed and carry you to the starting area of our fire maze. You know what happened with the maze. The intent was to torment and scare you. There was no way out. We didn’t let you backtrack, and every turn you took was guaranteed to be wrong. We’d designed the maze such that we could alter it on the fly. We planned to terrify you for a while, then eventually open up a path for you and run off so we wouldn’t get caught.
“But the maze broke down. Our ambition exceeded our ability, and we couldn’t control the fire. Mother Isatis was on the rampage, and we realized you could die in there. Cole, Talin, and Lilit were terrified they’d be caught and executed for causing your death. So they ran away.” Mandir’s hand tightened into a fist around hers.
“And what did you do?” asked Taya.
“I went down there,” said Mandir. “I went into the fire maze and got you out.”
Taya turned in his grip. “You’re the one who got me out of the fire maze?”
“There was no one else to do it.”
“I always thought it was one of the ilittu. That someone had seen the flames and come to help.”
“They came later,” said Mandir. “You were unconscious, and I was badly burned. I tried to control the flames, but Isatis mocked me.”
“You walked into fire to rescue me.”
“I had to,” said Mandir. “I was the one who put you in there.”
“You and three other boys, and the other three ran away. So that’s why you got a Year of Penance and they got expelled,” said Taya. “I always thought it was favoritism because you were Prince Tufan’s son.”
“Everyone assumed that,” said Mandir. “Nobody knew how you’d been rescued except a handful of ilittu and the Elders. They forbade me to speak of it. They thought it would be wrong for me to act like a hero for rescuing you, considering I’d built the trap for you myself.”
“That makes sense,” said Taya. “Still, I wish I’d known the truth. I might not have hated you quite so much.”
Mandir ran a hand down the contour of her waist and hip, exploring her body in a way that was more curious than sexual. “Back then, you were right to hate me. The important thing was that I knew what I’d done. I knew I’d run into the fire to save you. And that was a turning point in my life. I’d say it was the turning point in my life.”
“I thought the turning point was Neshi.”
“I wouldn’t have learned a thing from Neshi if I hadn’t been ready to change. When the other boys ran away and I was left alone on that ledge, I knew that if I ran too, you would die. I realized I would rather die in that fire myself than live in a world that didn’t have you in it.”
“I never imagined that was how you felt back then.”
“After Neshi, I’m better about not being a zebu’s ass all the time,” said Mandir. “It helps that you chasten me when I slip back into my old ways. Do you think we’ll be together again after this mission?”
“I’d like us to be,” said Taya.
Taya squeezed herself into the tiny space on the saddle between the blood bay’s withers and Mandir’s legs. The horse grunted with displeasure at the extra weight. Mandir wrapped his arms around her to take up the reins. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but it had an upside. She’d be snuggled against Mandir’s chest for the entire trip.
Mandir nudged the blood bay into a walk. “I can’t believe you gave Pepper away to that jackal.”
“She’s no jackal, remember? Just a banana farmer.”
“Not a jackal. Right.”
Taya didn’t care if he disapproved. It was a delicious memory, one she would relish all her life. When she’d handed Amalia the black mare’s reins, the girl had fallen on her knees and sobbed, she was so grateful. “I’ll buy another horse when we get back to the temple. I have plenty of money these days.”
“That black mare was special. You had a great bond with her. Didn’t you say she was the finest possession you’d ever owned?”
“She was. But I can afford another Coalition horse, and Amalia can’t, no matter how well those banana plants produce. This was a way of giving back a little of what Zash took from her.”
“I think you’re crazy,” said Mandir with a shrug. “But you’ve got the biggest heart in the river valley. That’s lucky for Amalia—and for me.”
He nudged the blood bay into a jog and they headed through the streets of Hrappa, followed by the dwarf elephant that carried the city’s tax payment. Townsfolk came out of their homes and shops to watch them pass. Some of them smiled and waved. Others frowned. It was impossible to be Coalition and be liked by everybody. But that didn’t mean it was impossible to do the right thing, or at least to try one’s very best. Not everyone would approve of what she and Mandir had done, but she believed they were leaving Hrappa a better place than they’d found it.
Outside the city gates, Mandir slowed the blood bay to a walk, and they rested, basking in the morning sunshine.
Taya nestled her head in the crook of Mandir’s chin. “I think I’ve found a possession I like better than the black mare.”
“I’m a possession now, am I?” He tickled her, causing her to squirm away. He glanced back to make sure the elephant was still following them. “Where are we headed? Mohenjo or Rakigari?”
She hadn’t thought about it. They were going to stay together rather than split up, so it wasn’t clear which temple they should report back to. “How about Rakigari? I’ve never seen it, and I’m not ready to go back to Mohenjo with you right now.”
Mandir nodded grimly. “I don’t blame you. I’ve ghosts there too.”
“Rakigari, then,” said Taya. “And let’s think of happier things. The sun on our faces. The wind at our backs...”
“You in my arms,” said Mandir.
Taya reached up and kissed him. It was going to be a lovely trip home.
The Journey Continues in… Book 2: The Coalition of Mages
Coming Spring 2015
Afterword
AMY IS THE AUTHOR OF the fantasy romance Hearts and Thrones series as well as the fantasy/romance/mystery Coalition of Mages series. She is a 2011 Golden Heart® finalist for Assassin’s Gambit, a 2012 Daphne du Maurier winner for The Fire Seer, and a 2014 PRISM winner for Spy’s Honor.
Want to learn more?
Subscribe to Amy’s new release mailing list if you’d like to be informed when a new book comes out: http://eepurl.com/yJfU5
Website: http://www.amyraby.com
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Other Books by Amy Raby
The Coalition of Mages Series:
Book 1: The Fire Seer
Book 2: The Fire Seer & her Quradum (Spring 2015)
The Hearts and Thrones Series:
Book 1: Assassin’s Gambit
Book 2: Spy’s Honor
Book 3: Prince’s Fire
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THE LEGENDS OF DIMMINGWOOD, BOOK #1 - MAGIC OF THIEVES
C. Greenwood
A Beginning
THE BRISK AUTUMN WIND PLAYS through my hair and tugs at my clothes impatiently, as if trying to pull me down the forest trail more quickly. Each new gust sends a storm of red and ocher leaves showering to the earth to crunch beneath my boots as I
follow a well-remembered path to a better-remembered destination, one that has been my home almost longer than I can remember. One that will be my home no more after today.
Unwilling to explore the feelings accompanying that realization, I jerk my thoughts quickly in a safer direction. It’s surprisingly easy to feel hopeful right now despite the previous day’s events. The birds are noisy in the trees overhead, and the sun is rising in the sky to warm my back. Or possibly that reassuring warmth is radiating from something less dependable than the sun—the bow slung across my back. The bow often grows warm, glowing with an eerie light for no apparent reason. I’m still not used to that. I’m not used to a great many things, not the least of which is the plan before me and all that led me to it.
As my steps draw me nearer to Red Rock camp, I find my memories drifting to an area less familiar, to a time and place almost forgotten, and to a voice lost to me many years ago…
Chapter I
“HURRY, LITTLE ONE. WE MUST be ready as soon as Da pulls the cart up to the door.” Mama’s voice was tense and her hands were busy as she spoke, shoving food and provisions into a bag.
“I’m trying, Mama,” I whined. “But I cannot find my boots.”
“Never mind. There’s no more time,” she said, snatching a woolen scarf from a peg on the wall and kneeling to wind it around my head and shoulders. I couldn’t understand the reason behind the tight lines around her mouth or the dread filling her eyes.
FIERCE: Sixteen Authors of Fantasy Page 211
