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‘Was I faster than you?’ she asked, rubbing the flat of her palm against the horse’s forehead as it nickered softly, nuzzling into her touch.

‘Maybe,’ Wilder replied with a teasing grin. ‘But you know what this means? It’s time to name the mighty creature. I was thinking —’

Thea threw a hand up. ‘Don’t you dare.’

Wilder laughed. ‘I wouldn’t dream of it.’

The midday sun shone in golden rays as together, they rode through the sweeping, richly textured valleys of Tver. With Thea at his side, Wilder felt more at home than he ever had in his cabin back at Thezmarr. Here, beside the crystal-blue rivers topped with white foam as they coursed through the gorges, he felt content. He felt free.

Eventually, he brought them to a beautiful woodland area and jumped down from the saddle, offering Thea his hand, though she didn’t need it.

‘This way,’ he told her.

‘Where are we going?’ Brow furrowed, Thea followed him, her stallion falling into step behind her. Wilder was glad she didn’t recognise the spot yet. He’d discovered that surprising Thea was one of the truest joys in his life.

‘You’ll see.’ When they reached a small grassy glade, Wilder took her reins from her and looped them over the saddle horn. ‘They can graze here,’ he said.

‘But Pancake —’

She stopped herself, her eyes wide. She hadn’t uttered the warhorse’s name aloud yet, but Wilder knew it had been on the tip of her tongue for hours. He’d planted the seed himself.

A deep laugh burst from him, and Thea put her head in her hands.

‘Gods,’ she muttered, cheeks flushing. ‘And I thought Biscuit was a terrible name for a Warsword’s horse.’

Still chuckling, Wilder laced his fingers through hers and tugged her towards the treeline. ‘Biscuit and Pancake… They make quite the pair.’

‘Malik’s going to love it,’ she said, laughing at herself. ‘Are you going to tell me where we’re going yet?’

Smiling to himself, Wilder said nothing as he led her through the trees, until they came upon the spot he was looking for. ‘I promised I’d take you back here…’

He watched Thea’s mouth fall open at the sight of the ribbons of steam drifting up from the surface of the hot springs.

With a lazy grin, Wilder removed his breastplate and shirt, letting Thea’s gaze roam over the planes of his chest and the bolt of lightning he’d had inked over his heart. She bit her lip as her eyes raked lower, to the muscles along his abdomen.

‘What are you waiting for, Princess?’

A soft whimper escaped Thea, which only emboldened Wilder further. Keeping his eyes locked on her, he pushed his boots off at the heel and undid his belt, and then his buttons, sliding his pants and undershorts down his thighs.

When he was completely naked before her, he took his hard cock in his hand and stroked it up and down, the tip already damp with need. ‘Well?’ he said.

Thea licked her lips, her hands drifting to the buttons of her shirt. ‘Two can play at that game, Warsword.’

Still stroking himself, Wilder watched Thea undress, each layer that fell to the ground sending a bolt of desire straight to his balls. When she freed her breasts from the band she wore, he couldn’t stand the distance any longer. He closed the gap between them in a single step and crushed her naked body to his, moaning as her nipples hardened against his chest, as his cock pressed against the soft skin of her stomach. He gripped her hair at the back of her head and forced her gaze up to his.

Silver eyes met celadon, and for a moment he simply swam in the tempest of feeling he saw there.

But he’d never known Thea for her patience. She broke eye contact, her lids fluttering closed as she kissed him, hard.

In a tangle of limbs, they claimed one another with mouths, tongues and teeth, white-hot need surging through Wilder at the feel of her. She was perfect, she was everything, and he had to bury his cock inside her, now.

Scooping her up in his arms, he carried Thea to the steaming water. Hissing at the heat, he walked them into the hot spring, eliciting a soft gasp from Thea.

He released her, only to back her up against the ledge, his hands tracing her curves with a quiet moan, coaxing her nipples into even harder points.

Bracing herself and gripping the edge of the spring, Thea wrapped her legs around him, drawing him close, so that his cock brushed against her core. Her head tipped back at the contact, giving him access to her breasts above the waterline. Wilder trailed kisses across her soft skin, biting softly before taking her nipple into his mouth and sucking gently.

Thea moaned, and the sound made his cock jerk against her, sending a frisson of longing through his entire body.