“Now stay!” she ordered the female, brown eyes fierce.
Vigholf chuckled until a hand reached up and gripped his crotch and twisted.
“Owwww!”
Rhona ran over and desperately tried to pul another cousin’s hand off him.
“Let it go!”
“It’s huge, Rhona! You should give it a feel.”
Rhona dropped to her knees in front of him, one hand trying to pry the other female’s fingers off him, the other pul ing at her wrist. “I wil . I promise.
But you need to let go!”
The she-viper final y released him and Rhona flung her kin’s arm away. Dropping back on her heels and panting, she looked up at Vigholf.
I am so sorry, she mouthed at him.
Vigholf nodded and forced himself not to rub his poor cock.
It took some time, but eventual y they got al the females in their bedrol s and asleep. Once done, Vigholf and Rhona headed back to the castle.
“Wel ,” he muttered, “that was fun.”
“I’m sorry,” she said again.
“No need to apologize. But I’m surprised you didn’t keep your promise.”
“Promise? What promise?”
“The one to your cousin to give it a feel.” He glanced down at himself, gave her a wicked grin. “So you can see how huge it is.”
“What are you talk . . .” She shook her head and laughed. “Gods, you’re pathetic.”
“I’m merely trying to help you keep your promises to your kin.”
“Of course you are. Look, a few of my cousins may not be able to hold their liquor, especial y when a male is around, but I assure you that I can.” Vigholf stopped, studied her when she faced him. “You drank tonight?”
“Drank more than any of them, that’s for sure.”
“And yet you’re . . .”
“I’m what?”
“Sober.”
She chuckled. “I’m my father’s child, Northlander, and he can hold his liquor.”
“Considering how badly off the rest of your cousins are, I have to say I’m impressed. You don’t seem even a little different.”
“What can I say? It’s a gift.” Rhona suddenly held up a finger as if to silence him—although he hadn’t said anything—and then she sat down hard on the ground. Stil holding up that one finger.
Vigholf crouched next to her. “You al right?”
“The universe began to spin, so I decided to sit until it stopped.”
“Good plan.”
Since he didn’t know how long she’d need to sit, Vigholf sat beside her. He careful y took her raised finger and tucked it back into her fist.
“Thank you. I didn’t seem to have control of that talon.”
“Finger.”
“Whatever.” She smiled a little. “You can let go of my hand.”
“I could, but probably won’t. What with your universe spinning and al .”
“Any opportunity. You Lightnings take any opportunity.”
“There’s truth to that, I’m afraid.”
“You are, however, surprisingly light of touch.”
“Pardon?”
“The way you’re holding my hand. I always thought you’d be more of a mauler. Like a diseased wolf chewing the knuckles off me fist.”
“That’s very nice.”
“Not real y.”
“I was being sarcastic.”
“Oh. I see.” Rhona gazed off for a moment, then asked, “Where are we?”
“Okay. That’s it. I’m taking you to bed.”
“No, no,” she protested as Vigholf got to his knees. “I’m fine. I can walk.”
“Is the universe stil spinning?”
“No. Now it’s just the trees.”
“Right.” He reached for her, put his arms around her. “I’l put you to bed and you’l feel better in the morning.”
“I’d rather stay out here. Sleep under the stars.”
“You don’t like beds much, do you?”
“They’re al right, I guess. But I’m just as happy on the ground, looking up at the sky.”
“Then we’l do that.”
Vigholf picked her up and carried her over to a big tree. With care, not wanting to bash her head against the ground, he set her down.
“This is nice,” she said, smiling. “Can’t see the stars, though. With al those branches and leaves in the way.”
“I’m not destroying a tree so you can have a view of the sky. You’l have to imagine what it looks like.”
“Such care about foliage.”
“We don’t have much in the way of lush trees and plants in the Northlands. So the ones strong enough to survive, we take care of.” Vigholf stretched out next to her, lying on his side and propping his head up with his hand.
“So you must be glad the fighting moved to Euphrasia,” she said.
“I am. Especial y the way you Fire Breathers just blast everything in your way.” He smiled. “We have much more finesse with our lightning than you have with your flame.”
“Yeah. Right,” she laughed. “Finesse.” Rhona looked at him. “You don’t have to stay out here if you don’t want. I’l be safe. My kin’s right there.” She pointed in front of her, then off to the side. Then she sort of flitted her hand about. “They’re around.”
“You act like I have somewhere to go. Besides, I want to stay here. Keep you company.” When she frowned a bit, he added, “I like you. You and your little spear . . . cute.”
She gazed at him for a long time before she asked, “Do you actual y like me, or is any unattached female worth your time? You Northlanders do seem a bit hard up and I do have a p**sy available. And it’s been pretty unused lately.” It took a lot for him not to laugh. Mostly because he knew she’d regret al this come first light. And they had at least two and a half days of travel together back to Euphrasia during which he could absolutely torture her over it.
It was wrong, wasn’t it? That he couldn’t wait for the torturing.
Yeah. It was wrong.
The Lightning glanced off for a moment, probably trying to come up with some appropriate and smoothworded lie. Males were al alike, weren’t they? They’d say or do anything to find a warm hole for the night. Worthless. The lot of ’em. Bloody worthless.
Thankful y, Rhona wasn’t like her cousins and most of her sisters. She didn’t have what they al termed “needs.” She could—and often did—go ages without a lover. Unlike Delen, the slut, who became right cranky when she’d gone for more than a few months without a cock, Rhona found better uses for any additional energy she may have stored up. She prided herself on that. So the dragon could just get that bloody look off his face.
“What look?”
“What?”
“You told me to get that bloody look off my face.”
“Oh. Yeah.” At least she hadn’t said anything else out loud.
“That was after you mentioned you can go long periods of time without a bit of c*ck unlike your slutty sister Delen. Although I’ve never thought of her as slutty. Maybe a bit forceful—”
She slapped her hand over his face.
“Ow.”
“If you even think of repeating anything I’ve drunkenly said here tonight—” He pul ed her hand away. “Not a word. Promise.”
“I think I’m going to sleep before I say anything else about my sisters that they’d cut out my tongue for.”
“Al right.”
“And we leave tomorrow, head back to the Val ey, end this war, get al the glory we can stomach, and never see each other ever again. That’s a plan we can both live with, right?”
“Possibly.”
“And I’m sure I’m only saying this because of that last ale I had, but your human form . . . quite attractive.”
“Thank you.”
She lifted her hand, fingers sliding across his chin. “The scar on your jaw is a very nice touch.” Vigholf’s eyes closed, he let out a breath. “You’re kil ing me, Sergeant.”
“Wel , it’s not like I haven’t tried before. If it’l make you feel better . . . I have scars, too.” She started to lift her shirt. “Want to see?” He caught her hands, held them. “Another time.”
“That’s right. You lot don’t like scars on females.”
“That’s not the problem at al .”
“So it’s just my nak*d human body you find hideous.”
“I have no problem with your hideous human body.” He scowled, but she didn’t think it was directed at her. “That’s not what I meant to say.”
“That’s al right. Among my mum’s offspring, the triplets are the ones considered pretty.”
“Then no one’s looked at you at al .”
“You’re only saying that because you’re a desperate Northlander that’s forced to steal She-dragons and mutilate them so they’l never leave you.
You’d think anything with a p**sy was pretty.”
The scowl this time . . . for her. “First off, we don’t do that anymore. Second, not al Northland males did it in the first place. And third, I have no idea how pretty your p**sy is, but I do like your face.”
Rhona reached up, patted his cheek. “You’re sweet.” She closed her eyes. “And I’m tired. Can we have sex another time?”
“Were we planning to have sex?”
“I was. But I’m too tired. So another day, yes?”
“Al right.” The Northlander lay down and snuggled in close, his nose tickling her ear. “Another day of lots of sex,” he murmured, his breath warm against her neck.
“I didn’t say anything about lots.”
“No. You didn’t.” And she could feel him smile. “But I did.”
Junius Bato Toranius of the House of Toranius knew he was one of the most powerful dragons in the Quintilian Sovereigns. Only Overlord Thracius held higher rank. But when it came to actual power . . . wel , that was one area the good Overlord never tested Junius on.
Yet, as with al things, there was a price to pay for his power, for his skil as a mage. It wasn’t too high a price, though. Junius merely had to ensure that al Irons worshipped one, and only one, god. And that as the power of the Irons spread throughout the world, this worship of one god would spread along with it.
Not easy. Some were quite attached to their multiple gods. But the Quintilians knew many ways to get and keep the loyalty of those whose countries they invaded and eventual y conquered.
The lands to the east of the Provinces would be no different.
Junius stood alone in the dry riverbed and waited. Like his father before him, he was very good at waiting, patience being important for any mage.
The hard earth in front of him stirred and cracked and the one god pushed his way up and through.
Chramnesind. The Sightless One. A name he’d received because he had no eyes, for Chramnesind saw wel enough without them. In fact, he could see everything.