Page 21

“I am so tired,”

I sighed as I stretched my back and rolled my neck to get rid of the knots pushing against my tendons. My entire body was shattered, and I could barely keep myself awake. But I had promised Karisha to help her with the final stack of reports for the month and she had been overly excited to announce that it was the first time ever when she finished with plenty of time ahead. Which gave her around ten days to relax.

Ten days, I thought to myself. That was the time I had to do something about this situation. To try to change Dahr’s mind.

“I don’t doubt it,”

Karisha snickered. She even felt the need to stop putting on makeup and fully turn to me to watch my expression as she said.

“Word is you and Dahr spent a loooong time in that training ring,”

she threw joyful blinks at me.

I rolled my eyes, but did not hide away a blush.

“Yeah… we… trained,”

I grimaced at the weird way of putting it.

“I’m sure your legs must be very tired. Everyone saw them wrapped around Grannicus’ waist for most of the afternoon,”

she giggled for a few seconds, until curiosity overcame her.

“Did he seriously fuck you in the training ring? Against the ropes? For hours?”

My stomach twitched at the memory. At the thought of how perfectly Dahr fit between my legs, how he’d stretched me out while supporting my body weight against those ropes and how he’d made me scream. My core throbbed at the thought, at the anticipation and desire that started building through me.

“By the gods, Nora,”

Karisha looked at me with an astonished gaze.

“You truly are mating this man,”

she chuckled with joy, then pushed her elbow into me playfully.

“I’m sorry, I was…”

I shook my head to banish the thoughts, to force my mind to bring me back to the present.

“Thinking about Dahr’s dick?”

she snickered again, and I knew that I would not get rid of her comments for the rest of the day.

Which was why I hurried to finish my assigned tasks and left Karisha to celebrate her new freedom. I chose to return to the tent with the excuse that I wanted to take a walk and clear my head, but when the tribe lady replied with an ‘uh-huh’, I knew she saw right through me. I did not say anything and waved her goodbye as I walked home.

Home.

My heart twitched at the thought. Of the pure sentiment of joy I was experiencing, of the happiness that weighed so heavy over me I was almost bursting out. Of the fact that, I had found my place.

A place where I was accepted, a place where I was starting to build friendships. A place where I was finding love.

Love.

Every time thoughts of Dahr invaded my mind and shattered my body, I was starting to feel closer and closer to it. Was it truly possible to let myself fall in love with my captor? Could I truly forget my entire life and continue living nestled in their customs? Shamefully, I didn’t have to think too hard to know the answer.

I guessed there were still a few hours until the training day finished and took the opportunity to ask for a nice warm bath and lingered in the bubbly water Mira had prepared for me. My new friend offered to stay and help me get ready for the evening but I thanked her with a smile and told her I would not be needing much clothing. Just like Karisha, she giggled and bid me farewell as she retired from the tent.

I let myself float, lingering in the warmth and fuzzy sensations that twinkled across my skin. I let myself drift away and ignored the twists my stomach made every time the thoughts that Dahr would be back soon came.

When two females I didn’t know entered the tent with warm plates of dinner, I jumped out of the bed where I had lingered for a while and offered to help, moving some of the maps away. The anticipation started building again, the thought that Dahr would be returning soon almost made me fly with joy. Whatever this sentiment was, I had never experienced it before, that was for sure.

Even though my stomach grumbled at the sight of the feast these ladies had prepared for us — I took the opportunity to thank and compliment them before they left — I did not want to start without Dahr and I guessed he would be starved from an intense day of training. Adding the fact that I planned to make him waste even more calories, I thought it would be nice if I waited for him so we could have dinner together.

I remained at the table, planning to wait for him with a ready-made dinner — by someone else — like the good wives from the old movies and looked over at the maps that started piling on the side of the table, making a mental note to clean some of this mess.

I had a look at some of them in my very first week, but I must have been too focused on my own situation because I did not remember seeing all the sketches and trajectories edged on these maps. Not surprisingly, they were painted over thick leather, just like most of the materials used in the camp, with water-coloured designed maps of the entire continent.

Some of them were arching towards other territories, some that I had only seen in history books while others portrayed the fire kingdom and some sort of hierarchy. Overcome by curiosity, I grabbed the leather pouch fabric that displayed the Fire Kingdom’s chain of command, surprised that this sort of information was left on display for anyone to find.

I must have been the only human in the camp however and judging by the way Karisha showed me all their finances and resources, the drakes were not a shy people. I took the opportunity to scan through the information, my fingers moving over the etched names that skidded down the page.

At the very top, there was a fire emblem alongside a crown that followed a prominently painted name: King Thayer and with a trailing horizontal line, he was connected to Queen Renora. Spiralling down with a single sharp thick line was a name I had heard before: General Raakim. My heart started beating faster at the memory. This was the man that had killed Dahr’s and Markos’ family. The one who forced Dahr into battle with the constant burden of sacrificed lives over his shoulders. He was the reason Dahr was barely now, learning to smile.

I continued reading to discover a name I had heard before as well. Captain Xadom. His line was drawn right under the general, with two adjacent ones of two other captains. And beneath Captain Xadom were two smaller lines, one for Grannicus and one for Markos. I let my fingers trace Dahr’s name on the map and followed the dotted line that moved from his name, which was surrounded by flame designs, very similar to the ones on his back, to the very top, where the dotted line reached General Raakim’s name. Symbolising that Dahr was reporting directly to him, through some sort of machinations that were not presented on that simple line.

Since Dahr wasn’t here yet, I went for another map. This one had drawn my attention because it showed my region and the entire part of the continent until the city of Senesra, which was circled in red, marking it as the main target. I trailed my finger down south to find a line of small towns, just like mine, scattered across the mountain and went even lower to find my hometown marked in the same shade of red and circled on the map. Then I went even lower to see a trace of other small towns, which forced a line of red circles that led to the very edge of the continent and traced back up again, to follow the drake camp’s advancement. And confirm what I already knew, deep down in my heart.

That Enderflagg was next.

My hands started shaking, my fingers unable to control the shutters that went through my skin and crawled deep down in my bones. Understanding dawned on me. Whatever plans I was trying to devise, whatever strategy I had played until now, if any, would not matter. These maps looked like a planned objective, one that was coming from high above. One that the camp could not so easily reject.

But maybe Dahr could. After all, his name was dotted on those maps in connection to the general, whose power was situated right underneath the king. Maybe he had enough power to refuse this task, to lead his warriors elsewhere.

I fumbled around, trying to find any other piece of information that would help my cause. My shaky hands moved the maps and pushed them across the table, some falling over the plates of food and some dropping off the table. One of the heavier Fire Kingdom tunnelling maps moved slightly to the side to reveal a stack of papers, which I immediately jumped towards. All of them were addressed to Dahr.

Some from Captain Xadom and some from General Raakim.

This was it. This was the proof I needed, the shrivel of hope I had been looking for. I opened the first letter, without caring about the immoral thing I was doing. Reading someone’s correspondence might have been an offence, but so was attacking an unsuspecting town, so one sin trumped the other.

Grannicus,

Orders to march towards the town of Vrothran, 30 miles north.

The letter was dated 30th November. I immediately moved to open another one, to find it extremely similar, this one from General Raakim.

Grannicus,

March to Fenesra, 22 miles North.

30th January

Unwilling to believe what my eyes were reading, I opened another one.

Grannicus

Order to march to Rashera, 41 miles North

31st December

With trembling hands and a broken heart, I opened the one that would become my damnation. It came directly from General Raakim.

Grannicus,

Enderflagg, 27 miles North-West.

The letter was dated 28th February.

The day of my kidnapping. The day that my world turned upside down. The day I lost everything and let myself be fooled by these people. By this man.

He was the one, my heart barely beat through the shreds its breakage left behind. He was the one in command, he was the one destroying town after town. He would be the one to kill everyone I cared about, everything I had ever built for myself.

Dahrrian Drake Grannicus.

A name I thought brought me joy. A name that I was determined to destroy, even if it cost me everything.

“Hello, little flame,”

his voice shrivelled deep into my bones as he entered the tent with his usual sweaty bare chest and that smile that made my knees weak. No more. Shock pulsated through my body, and I let myself fall into the chair where I had initially sat, waiting for him.

“Dinner is ready,”

I said, but the words felt like ash in my mouth. So far away. Everything was far away. It felt like I was flying away from my body, my mind refusing to believe that I had let myself fall in love with a murderer. That Dahr looked at me as though I was his sunrise, knowing that in nine days he would kill everyone I knew.

Dahr stepped towards me, his feet hurrying to close the distance in between us. I expected him to take a seat at the opposite side of the table, facing me, but when he circled the wooden surface and positioned himself right behind me, my soul jolted out of my chest.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

I barely mumbled, doing my best to move the plates around and display them to the warrior, trying to distract his attention from the papers that fell from my hands with his arrival.

“Of course I am hungry, little flame,”

he leaned in and murmured into my ear. Before I had time to react, Dahr grabbed me by the waist and spun me in his arms, the slit of my dress creating easy access for my feet to involuntarily wrap around him in the position he’d placed me in. My ass was on the table, my legs were spread and Dahr’s midsection shoved in between them. Just like every other night.

I blinked at him, trying my best to banish tears from my eyes to see his darkening gaze, already pinned on me, following my every move. His breath was already heavy, hardened with desire, same as another part of his body that started poking in between my legs.

“I missed you today,”

Dahr leaned in and nuzzled my cheek, his breath falling in long strokes down my skin.

“I missed your touch,”

he said as his hands wrapped around my naked thighs and squeezed.

“I missed your scent,” he breathed in deeply, enjoying the smell of my freshly washed hair.

“I missed your body,” he let his fingers climb higher on my thighs until he reached my ass and the orange thong I was wearing. I didn’t know if it was Dahr who made the request or if Karisha herself placed the order for me, but my underwear choice was very limited. I had received three bras, two pairs of boxers and five pairs of thongs. I instantly regretted my earlier choice to pick the flimsy underwear, especially when Dahr’s fingers kept moving towards the lace and started pulling at the thin fabric.

God, what was I about to do? How could I punish this man? What would make him suffer? The only thing I knew was that I had to endure. At least for tonight.

I had nothing to gain if I snapped at him now. I had no plan, no backup, no route of escape. He could very well tie me to that metal bar again and keep me there to starve and soil myself, like he did in the very beginning.

And I still didn’t know my involvement in all this. Why did he need me? And why didn’t he act on his plans, whatever they were. I doubted my kidnapping was staged as a mere distraction for Dahr. What did he want? Fuck someone from every town he destroyed? Was this some sort of sick bucket list?

I was pulled from my thoughts when Dahr’s fingers started circling my clit, my panties pulled to the side to give him better access. I let myself follow that finger and feel everything it brought me. I felt the pleasure that started building in my core, the way my body — even now — relaxed into his expert caress.

There was nothing I could do today. Nothing but reveal my knowledge and put myself in danger.

My skin started sizzling at his touch, at the way his tongue moved over me, following the same rhythm his fingers started to build in between my legs. His body remained plastered over mine, his length throbbing for me as he continued to drag his fingers into my pleasure and piercing my desire.

I would give myself another night, I decided when Dahr pushed two fingers into my core and started to expertly caress me from inside, while his thumb made my clit dance. Pleasure exploded through me, ripping the tension from every muscle and every thought. All that mattered was Dahr. His body, plastered over mine, the firmness in between his legs and the way my pussy exploded under his touch.

“I don’t have time for this,”

I grabbed him by the hair and pulled tightly, forcing his neck to snap upwards and fix his attention on me.

“Fuck me now,”

I ordered as I pressed my hips forward, the movement pushing his fingers more into me.

If I was going to do this, if I was going to give myself one more night, I wouldn’t waste it with the dance of his fingers. I wanted the warrior. The man that destroyed lives. The one that burnt cities.

Dahr’s adamant eyes glinted with surprise, a challenging smirk brushing the side of his cheek as he accepted my challenge and removed his fingers from inside me. When he touched me again, this time to push my dress up and free my legs from any restraints, I felt the trail of my wetness where they touched. I felt the betrayal of my own body and the way it still listened to this liar.

Murderer.

Enemy.

His girth jerked when I pushed his pants down, setting it free. Involuntarily, my mouth watered at the sight. At the throbbing need sporting between his legs and all I wanted was to get on my knees and worship him like the god that he was. The god of death.

“Take me, now,”

I spread my legs and raised my hips suggestively, desperate for the motion that would fill me and make me forget. It had to happen now. It had to happen quickly. Before I changed my mind.

“Your command, my will, little flame,”

Dahr grinned. A piece of his hair escaped from the plait he’d kept his locks in and fell on the side of his face, caressing the tight jaw and pleased smirk he continued to greet me with.

Without giving me time to change my mind or even letting me adjust, Dahr slid himself into me with one long, deep thrust that made my entire body jolt. My muscles tensed and my skin burst with the sensation as my core struggled to adjust to his shape and the strength he’d pierced me with.

“Fuck!”

I screamed, in pleasure or pain, I did not know.

Dahr’s eyes widened for a split second, questioning if the slickness he’d encountered would be enough adjustment to his large size, but I immediately shook my head and moved my hip to press more of myself into him, desperate to have him whole. Fully. One more time.

“Don’t stop,”

I said as my hand moved over his sculpted abs and caressed downwards, urging him on. “Don’t!”

I repeated, my voice weeping with desperation. And thank all the gods that ever were and ever will be, Dahr listened.

The warrior removed himself from me as fast as he’d entered, only to push deeper, his erection pressing against my inner walls and opening me to receive him. All of him. I was so desperate for the connection, for this final moment that I met him stroke for stroke, my hips pushing against his, deeper and harder, as though my life depended on it.

I felt impossibly full, I felt as though there was no part of my body Dahr hadn’t touched, Dahr hadn’t been into, and every single thrust brought me closer to that moment.

“By the god, Nora,”

Dahr hissed a breath when my core started pulsating around his hardness, my entire body coiling around that sweet spot where our bodies met. My legs started shaking abruptly as a climax ripped through me, breaking apart my entire universe.

Dahr hissed, his voice hardened with as much desire as I was releasing and, with another few thrusts, he followed me over the edge. We both remained interlocked, our limbs and bodies joined too tightly to accept separation, our panting breaths ripping through waves of desire. Both of us, broken. Both of us, free.

I couldn’t let myself feel. Not yet. Not until the night was over.

With another determined breath and a sharp move, I reached over to where Dahr rested his head on my shoulder, his body still wrapped into me and grabbed him again, making him rise to gain his attention. The warrior blinked at me with soothed hunger, like a tiger who had snatched a gazelle and had just taken the first satisfying bite. I hoped this tiger was hungry, because it was going to be a long night. I would make sure of it.

“Do it again,”

I ordered, biting my lip with newfound desire at the sight of his sweaty torso.

A minute later, Dahr’s erection demanded my attention.

I dropped to my knees and made sure my last night with Grannicus was a memorable one.