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"I will never hurt you again," I promised. "Let's get you cleaned up. Are you hungry? Thirsty?"
She shook her head and slung her arms around my neck as I set to carry her off the bed and into the bathing chamber where I quickly filled the bathtub. "How hot do you like it?"
"Steaming," she said, making me smile, because that's how I liked it as well.
Within a short while, we were in the filled tub, facing each other, our legs intertwined, and I watched mesmerized as she moved a sudsy sponge over her slender but muscly arms, her neck, her chest, and when she was about to reach her breasts, my desire to do so myself grew and I stopped her.
"Allow me," I offered hoarsely.
Pulling on her legs, I scooted her closer to me and took great care in washing the oil off her full breasts. Next came her legs and when it was time to wash her back, I sat her straight on my already erect cock.
Filling her was the most exquisite sensation I had ever experienced and soon, water sloshed over the tub's edges as I once again took great care washing her full tits while rocking her back and forward.
Not much later, both of us were satisfied and clean. I dried her thoroughly before I carried her back to my bed, and she was asleep before her head hit the pillow with a happy smile on her beautiful face—a face I studied in fascinated rapture.
I sat on the edge of the bed, combing some stray strands of light brunette hair from her cheeks, marveling at how such a little thing had managed to turn my life around in the span of only a few hours.
I relived every moment from when she stepped foot into the great hall, analyzed it, but I couldn't make sense of the inexplicable pull I felt toward her. Never before had I even looked at a human kallini, let alone desired one, and now she was all I could think about. Just staring at her, my cock swelled as if he hadn't already gotten his fill. Twice!
I was a male and a warlord at that. I took my pleasure where I found it, where it was offered. Usually a quick romp here or there satisfied me enough to not feel horny again like an untrained youth within the span of hours.
Not with her though. I would have plunged back into her warm depths immediately and with abandon had she not been sleeping so peacefully.
With a sigh, I rose. Correspondence had arrived earlier by messenger, and I needed to go over it and reply so the messenger could take it back with him in the morning. Pretty soon the cold season would make delivering and receiving messages much more difficult and only the most urgent ones would be sent.
I turned the gas in the fireplace up and made sure plenty of furs covered my human's fragile body. Tomorrow I would order the shutters to be installed again to keep the cold out—I had them removed every year as soon as the cold season was over to enjoy the view. I even considered moving back into the original warlord's quarters because they were warmer than the tower, which would be assaulted from all sides by the howling winds and freezing cold. Knowing that this season I had somebody else to consider besides me warmed me and brought a smile to my lips. Alahna. Her name rolled perfectly through my mind and off my tongue. Alahna. What a perfect name for a perfect creature.
I mused that the gods themselves must have sent her to me because I couldn't possibly imagine a better match for a warlord like me.
The kallinies I knew tolerated horses as a means of transportation. I had never seen one bond with an animal the way Alahna had. And that her beast was such a quarrelsome one made it even more alluring.
Smiling, I reached for the first envelope, remembering how Alahna had bitten me in the great hall only hours ago and then again, in bed tonight. How different those bites had been. What a fascinating kallini she was. I would gladly spend the rest of my life trying to figure her out.
I broke the seal on the first letter, which came from Governor Kay of my holding to the east, named Cliffborough. The letter was nearly a week old, but the news was enough for me to curse out loud. Kay's lookouts had seen sails on the Dark Sea early in the morning hours, coming from the south.
Fury burned inside me at the thought of the Vandalls having returned to challenge the Thyre Empire. My blood churned at the prospect of another war against our archnemesis who claimed the south side of our planet.
The Dark Sea was vast and separated the Vandalls from us, but over the centuries, many wars had been fought as the Vandalls sought to expand their empire into ours.
They won't be stupid enough to cross the Dark Sea during the cold season though, or will they? I wondered. Even they had to know that the usually tranquil Dark Sea turned murderous during the cold season. Waves could reach the heights of three males standing on each other's shoulders and it was even worse out on the high seas.
I needed to warn our khazar and my fellow warlords, deciding that no matter how frosty it would get, we would need to increase our patrols.
I spent the rest of the night sitting by my desk, poring over maps while figuring out where it would be best to build more shelters for the patrols I would need to send out. During the height of the cold season, no man or animal would be able to be outside for more than a few hours, no matter how many layers of clothing protected their bodies.
The crowing of the roosters outside announcing daybreak rose me from my dark musings and letter writing. Surprised, I stared out the window, where the sun was slowly rising in the south over the Dark Sea, and for a moment I thought I saw sails on the horizon.
I stood and reached for my spyglass. Opening the window, I allowed the cold in but it enabled me to scan the skyline in search of white sails decorated with black skulls, the Vandalls' trademark. It must have been a figment of my imagination or a trick of the light though because I didn't see anything.
My blood, however, sang at the thought of clashing my sword once again with the Vandalls, who were much worthier opponents than the Udruns.
"You are going to freeze to death," a melodious voice ripped me from my thoughts.
Tentative arms wrapped around my waist, and I put my hands on hers to let her know I welcomed her embrace. "Good morning, beautiful."
"You're up early, or have you not slept?" she asked, nestling her head against my back.
"Just some letters I needed to finish," I said, not wanting to scare her about the Vandalls. I wasn't even sure if the humans were aware of their threat. Most human settlements lay much farther inland and thankfully, the Vandalls had never made it past the shore; held back by our strategically built fortresses all along the coastline.
