WarDance (Chronicles of the Warlands #5)(7)
“So she did,” Simus said, catching Eloix’s gaze across the camp.
Her answering smile matched his.
Chapter Three
They walked away from the tents, but stayed within the circle of guards he’d set. Eloix was ahead of him, carrying a blanket, her sword bouncing gently against her swaying hip. Simus enjoyed the sight as he followed, feeling a warm curl of anticipation. They stopped just far enough from the camp to be out from underfoot as the warriors and horses settled for the night.
Eloix spread the blanket over the grasses and disrobed, placing her weapons close at hand, piling her armor neatly beside them.
“Your skin reflects the starlight,” Simus murmured as he admired the silver shine on her skin. Even her golden hair seemed to mirror the stars. He moved closer to help her slide her trous off, down her long legs.
“Such words. Are you sure you are not a Singer in training?” she whispered back, then laughed, reaching to stroke his jaw, and run her fingers over his close-cropped hair.
“Just a humble warrior,” Simus said into her ear as his dark hands wandered over her pale breasts. “With a desire to please.”
“Oh, you please—” Eloix drew a long breath as he ran his thumbs over her taut nipples. She pushed him back slightly and reached for the clasps of his leathers. “But humble? I think not, warrior.”
“Oh, yes,” Simus said. “Humbled by your loveliness.” He ran his hands up over her collarbones and felt her shiver under his touch even as she laughed again. He traced a path down her back, pulled her close and caught her lips with his.
Eloix leaned into him, moaning into his mouth, her hands moving faster to strip his armor and weapons and set them aside. They collapsed together to the blanket, lost in the pleasure of skin on skin. The air was filled with the scent of crushed grasses and the warm, musky scent of their bodies as they reached for one another, the heat growing between them.
Eloix pulled back, pushing him down, letting her hands stroke his stomach, ghosting over the long scar on his thigh. “Now the distraction I promised,” she whispered, and straddled him, easing his length into her warm, hot wetness.
Simus moaned his appreciation, reaching for the breasts that swayed above him, and allowed himself to be completely and utterly distracted.
Afterward, Eloix curled beside him, her back to him, facing her weapons. Simus made sure the second blanket covered them both, then stretched out on his back, his hands behind his head. His body was sated and relaxed, the tension and tightness gone from his muscles. The warmth of the coarse blanket felt even better with the touch of the cool night air on his face and arms. He took in deep breaths, enjoying the scent of the night, the grasses, the blade oil on their weapons and the muskiness of their bodies. A warrior could not ask for more.
Better this than the stone walls of Xy surrounding him, shutting out the skies and stars.
He’d remained in Xy to secure the kingdom when Lara and Keir had left to confront the Council of Elders. Parts of that time he’d enjoyed, especially teaching the city-dwellers the ways of the Plains. He chuckled at the memory of strolling naked through the castle until Anna the Cook chased him through the halls armed with nothing more than a wooden spoon and the sharp edge of her tongue.
But there was much he would not miss. He hadn’t cared for their thick walls, or their beds that wanted to swallow a man whole, thrashing in the softness, unable to rise. Nor their notions of pleasure, or their rules as to who slept with who, and the rituals of binding. They’d not seen a man of his color before, or any color other than their own, and their shock at the idea of women warriors had been something to behold.
And their senels, skies above. Simus winced at the memory of meetings held in stone rooms, talking endlessly about nothings, a waste of breath and sunlight.
It had been no hardship when the threat to Lara and Keir had called him back to the Plains.
Simus stretched again, relishing the slight tug of the scar on his thigh. There was no pain, no weakness in the limb, all thanks to the healing skills of the Warprize. He smiled in fondness of the little healer who’d followed her Warlord to the Plains. And now they’d left at the first break in the snows, returning to Xy for the birth of their child. Both besotted with each other, and Lara as big as an ehat.
Not that he’d ever say that to a life-bearer. He snorted at the very thought.
Eloix stirred at the sound, shifting so that her back touched Simus’s hip before she melted back into sleep. Simus’s own body stirred in response, anticipating a bit more ‘distraction’ when she woke. She was a joy to share pleasure with...and yet...
Simus frowned up at the stars.
He’d never seen the benefit of bonding as Lara and Keir had, never thought it was something he would have interest in. Limited to one partner? Bond together to the snows and beyond? No, sharing pleasure with multiple partners on equal terms suited him best.
And yet...there was something between Lara and Keir, something different. Simus narrowed his eyes as he considered it. It was a different kind of sharing, beyond their bodies, and it reflected between them.
He’d seen it in Anna and Othur too, those two fat city-dwellers who had earned his respect in the time he’d been in Water’s Fall. Anna for her skill with that spoon, and Othur for his insights in the problems of bringing their two peoples together. They’d shared the same lives for many years, longer than any bonded couple he’d known. It seemed a fine thing, for them.