The Princess and the Blade

[Emora Deen]

A few minutes later, Tenara tore her gaze from the sea and looked over her and Laurius’s joined shoulders for Havi. He was not by the fire.

Had he gone to bed already?

It wasn’t typical of him to go before her. They did most things as a pair, if one of them wasn’t on watch.

“It’s late,” Laurius said, removing his arm from around her shoulders.

She nodded, and he rose from the sand, offering her his hand. They walked back toward their tents, passing the fire. Merry’s gaze tracked them and Tenara felt a bud of worry and confusion bloom in her chest.

“Good night, princess,” Laurius said as they paused in the space before the tents. “Maybe we can work on some sort of failsafe should you fall down another memory in our experiments.”

“You still want to continue them?” she asked, her voice lilting with surprise.

“Of course,” he replied, backing toward his tent. “I mean, what else are we going to do on this blasted island?” He gave her a grin, the moon’s glow reflecting on his teeth. Then, he ducked into the dark beneath the woven ferns.

Tenara stared after him a moment longer before she slipped down into her shared space with Havi. Neither the moon’s light or the firelight reached inside very well, so she felt along the leaf-covered floor until her hand brushed his body. She climbed in, sliding to curl along his side.

Her fingers darted out until she found his face, and she cupped her hand along his cheek. Her lips pressed to his before she realized she might be waking him.

He must be very tired to go to bed without her. She pressed a softer kiss into his hair, her fingers brushing into the locks and along his horn.

——

Laurius eased down into their tight space with a heavy sigh, stretching out on his back and flinging an arm over his eyes. His other hand fumbled out, feeling in the dark for Ren. “Are you well? Did the polish on the blade help?”

[Soran Nightblade]

Ren's attention piqued as he finally heard Laurius's steps outside. He heard the princess's too. He wondered if he would bring her in here. There wouldn't be room. He listened to their conversation and began collecting himself in case he was asked to step out.

The makeshift curtain opened and Laurius's now-familiar scent filled the small space. A warm hand fumbled out and settled on his bicep.

"Are you well? Did the polish on the blade help?"

Huh? He turned his attention to his body like he'd forgotten it. "Yes, it worked. My skin feels normal. Better even." He placed his fingertips cautiously on the back of his hand. "Thank you."

_________________

Havi leaned slightly into the soft touch of her fingers on his scalp. "Tenara," he murmured, and then her lips pressed to his. Fully alert now, he melted into her, mourning it when her lips retreated. He thought of asking if she was okay, but another kiss heated his hair, and her light touch traced over his horn. His breath caught, pleasure leaking into it. His body responded so easily to her touch. "Yurivis," he whispered with a soft sigh. His fingers traced the contour of her hips in the dark. They wandered up to her cheek and drew her face back down to his. He melded his lips to hers in slow, languorous kisses.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius's thoughts lingered on the fingertips brushing the back of his hand. "I'm glad," he said. "I'll take better care of you." Then he conjured that wicked grin and lifted the arm from his eyes. He twisted his head in Ren's direction, though he couldn't see him in the dark. "I'll give you a good spitshine every night. A nice rub down before bed."

---

Tenara's pulse raced a bit faster at the attention of his hand, at the soft feel of his lips on hers. She hadn't meant to entice him, but she wasn't going to complain about his lack of interest in sleep.

"My Havi," she murmured against his mouth. Her hand stretched out, brushing along the length of one horn, and then tracing the top of his head to the other.

[Soran Nightblade]

Ren swallowed. Why did it sound like Laurius was no longer referring to the sword? He couldn't make out the man's expression in the dark, but his talk of a rubdown somehow made him recall what had happened earlier at the spring. He fought back the greedy memory. The promise of nightly attention alone was enough to make the hairs on his arms stand on end. Was he talking about the sword, or... "E-every night is... not necessary," he shivered. It was imperative that he not become a burden or obligation to this man, but he couldn't convincingly claim to hate the idea. "And I believe it is I who owe you a... rubdown..." His cheeks blazed. He had to be insane for bringing the idea up first.

____________

Havi twitched as her hand found his other horn... the one she had grabbed and driven into the earth earlier. A throb struck down the center, straight through his skull. His breath caught, and he went still in her hands. "That one's a bit..." he struggled to explain without making it sound like an injury.

[Emora Deen]

A husky chuckle rumbled low in Laurius’s chest. The hand on Ren’s bicep stroked gently. “I suppose it is only fair,” he said, his hand curling over Ren’s wrist and shifting his arm over to rest on Laurius’s thigh.

—

Tenara heard the hitch in his voice, but with the dark it was hard to tell what it meant. “Sensitive?” She breathed into his hair, stroking a little more firmly.

[Soran Nightblade]

Ren bit his lip. It seemed the princess wasn't coming, and his master seemed to be in the mood. He went along with what he seemed to be permitting and glided his hand up along the man's inner thigh, under the leg of his shorts. Underwear had become an unnecessary layer of fabric that was better used for other things, so he wasn't surprised when his fingers brushed into the warm shape of his balls. He startled slightly at the unfamiliar sensation, but didn't pull away. This person was his master. He needed to know how to give him pleasure.

He felt along the soft swell of flesh and ran his fingers testingly over the shape of each orb. He turned in against Laurius's side, his face brushing the man's ribs as he concentrated and explored.

_______

Havi struggled to stay still, hopeful that the sensation would meld into pleasure if he gave it the chance. An awful splitting sensation traveled down his horn, reminding him of the crack he thought he'd heard earlier. He'd bruised his horns before; head injuries were common in battle, but his tolerance for this particular sensation wasn't great. It tended to feel like there was glass lodged in the marrow. The feeling was too sharp to tolerate, despite his wishes. He grunted and clasped her hand, drawing it shakily away from his horn. "Forgive me," he said, kissing her fingers. "That one will be ready again in a day or two."

[Emora Deen]

Laurius’s breath shifted at the sensation of Ren’s touch. His need responded, growing firm and straining against the confines of his tattered trousers. But he didn’t rush to remove them. He swallowed hard and let Ren explore, curling a hand over the being’s head and holding it to his belly.

Eventually, though, the need to be freed won out. He nudged Ren gently, shifting his hands to his clasp. He unfastened them with less grace and more haste than he meant, and once the fabric parted, he shimmied the fabric down his hips. Warm night air greeted his skin, and he reached up, curling around Ren’s head and hair, pulling him so it rested low on his belly again.

“There,” he whispered. “Easier to study, no?”

—-

In a day or two?

Tenara frowned and tried to think what might of happened, but she knew. She saw the blurry, magic-blind memory like a hazy dream.

“I hurt you,” she said softly, pressing her forehead to his. “I’m sorry. I’ll get better at controlling it.” Tenara wasn’t certain that was possible, but she knew she would try. She would try anything to keep from hurting someone else with her magic, but especially—especially—Havi. “Let me help you. Please.”

Tenara reached out for his sword, feeling along the dark until her hand touched the blade. Her finger slid along its edge, and with an ounce more pressure, it bit into the skin.

Healing Havi was night and day to healing Laurius. Laurius had felt like a whirlpool dragging her down. Healing Havi was like bathing in a hot spring—relaxing. Easy. It was like being filled instead of drained, and she wondered if that had anything to do with the sword or her connection to it.

But before her thoughts could linger on why, bliss was a molten river burning through her. Her breath locked in her chest as her power burned forward and she curled her fingers around his horn again and urged her will into it.

Mend. And it did.

The magic slinked away, leaving desire like an aftertaste. “I’m sorry,” she said again, but the words sounded more like a plea than an apology.

She kissed his brow. Then his cheek, then his jaw and neck and chest, sliding down him. Long, open mouth kisses caressed his skin. “I will take better care of you,” she murmured against his navel. “Spoil you.”

[Soran Nightblade]

Ren's focus spun wildly as Laurius's tight grip on his hair placed his face to the man's belly.

"There. Easier to study, no?"

He pressed his face into the man's warm, smooth skin and glanced up the line of his abs. Ren couldn't see Laurius's form properly in the dark of the tent, even with the distant glow of the fire flickering faintly at the leafy walls. He wondered what the man looked like while saying those words. Despite receiving no commands, he felt a wild sense of curiosity about the body his master had just laid bare to him. He'd touched Laurius in the heat of the moment before, but this time the man had specifically offered himself for his phage to explore.

His hand slid back up his leg, cupping him as he had before. His other traced up his chest, exploring the unfamiliar contours of his masculine form. His fingers found his nipple out of habit, and he pressed it between his thumb and forefinger, just enough to sting. In the same motion, he took Laurius's length into his mouth, engulfing him until it pressed into the back of his throat. Excitement welled up inside him. He knew exactly what he wanted to do, and he'd been given permission. The phage kneaded him with his fingers above and below as he sucked him hard, from root to tip. The smooth flesh made an enticing pop as he released it. He panted quietly just over him, taking in his scent and feeling out every quiver in the man's body with his hands. His throat twitched hungrily. He wanted to do it again.
_________________________

Havi knew how guilty she'd felt all afternoon. He knew why it would be important to her to heal him, and so he didn't try to stand in her way. That didn't mean he was prepared for what it would feel like to have her power poured and concentrated into the most sensitive part of his body. Pleasure thrummed through him, so strong that he didn't dare twitch a muscle lest he make a spectacle of their tent for the others.

"I will take better care of you. Spoil you."

Tenara's words tugged at the part of Havitharon that was purely Ivis, even after all his years of resistance. Those words made him hungry to surrender himself to her, to serve and be treasured in return. He groaned, despite his best efforts to control his voice. Her magic still tingled through him, concentrated around his horn. Her light grip felt like a mouth sucking along its hard black surface. "Te...nara..." he gasped, shuddering each time her mouth lapped at his hypersensitive skin. He didn't care anymore. His fingers slid through her hair. "Please....Spoil me, then."

[Emora Deen]

Laurius's fingers curled in bed at his back, breaking through the leaves they used as bedding and into the soft sand beneath. He tried to be quiet, sucking in a breath and hissing it out through his nose. The tightness kept coming as Ren seemed to mercilessly suck, and the hissing air rushed out of his mouth in a deep-bellied groan. His hips jumped as Ren's mouth set him free, the pop filling the air. Laurius had never been a shy man, so the idea of making noise that might give away what was happening in the privacy of their tent didn't bother him. His lips curled back with a pleased smile, and he lifted his hips, urgently seeking the warmth of his mouth again.

----

Tenara was too focused on Havi to hear anything beyond the walls of their tent. "Spoil me, then," was his breathy reply, and his fingers were in her hair. She drew a line down his belly with her tongue, curling her fingers in the fabric wrapped around his hips. She took her time in the soft, sensitive skin at the dip of his hip, kissing and nipping at the flesh. "My Havi," she murmured into his skin, pulling the fabric around his hips lower until she freed him. She teased his skin around the base, dragging her tongue along him, biting where she could find purchase.

They had not done anything like this in their tents before. They had not dared to make sounds or bring discomfort to their surrounding neighbors, but Tenara thought that it was too late for modesty. Perhaps Laurius was right. They might never get off this island, and so the others would need to get used to their lovemaking. After all, at least a few times a year, they would send days locked together.

"Mine," she murmured, straddling his knees. Her small, slender hands took hold of his impressive need. She felt dizzy with want as she bent and took him into her mouth.

[Soran Nightblade]

Ren's hand slid away from Laurius's chest and strayed downward, grasping the base of his cock. The way the man arched his hips upward, asking for contact, sent a shiver of excitement through him. He was doing something right. He took his master back into his mouth and devoured him, his hands pumping over Laurius's shaft while his tongue wrapped over the tip and swirled. He closed his green eyes and took in the feel of him, the sounds he was making, the sensation of him pulsing inside his mouth. He had no intention of giving the man time to recover. He wanted to feel that crescendo build to its peak at his touch.

______________________

Havi's breathing went ragged the moment she swallowed him. His hands slid over her shoulders, bunching in her soft hair. A short cry escaped him, and he immediately choked it back, shuddering. "Tenara," he whispered urgently, but broke off in a gasp. He didn't want to stop her, and wasn't sure he could.

Then he remembered something... the sword lying next to their mat. His reached for one of her hands and drew it sideways, pressing it down over the scabbard. *That feels so good...* his dusky voice caressed her thoughts.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius arched his head back, huffing soft moans at the building sensations pulling everything tight in his body. His hips jerked in Ren's expert touch. Gods, did he learn quickly. "Fuck," he said, and wished he could see the man. All he could make out was shadow against night, but there was something also wonderfully thrilling about not being able to see. His hand fumbled out and curled tightly in one of the man's horns. "If you keep going as you are, I'm going to fill that perfect mouth of yours."

----

Tenara's hand curled over the scabbard as Havi's voice filled her mind. She came up for air, holding him firmly with the other hand as she smiled and dragged her tongue along his head. *You are so big...* She giggled a little and opened her mouth again, drawing him in. She sucked at him, opening her throat as best she could. Her small hand worked over him, dragging along his skin as her mouth did. *Would your horns like this?*

Tenara's cheeks burned. Maybe that was weird. Was it weird to want to lick and suck his horns as she did his need?

[Soran Nightblade]

Ren's choked cry was muffled by Laurius's huge organ in his mouth. The man's praise, his harsh grip on his horn, the feel of him warm and throbbing at the back of his throat, the sound of his hungry warning... Me too. Oh, fuck.... me too! He made a pleading sound around the man's cock and devoured him. He could feel his body tightening, coiling in anticipation. How on earth was he this sensitive without even being touched?

______________________

Havi struggled for focus. Oh gods, for her to ask a thing like that so innocently... *It would feel incredible, but it is rarely done. It puts the Yurivis at undue risk.*

[Emora Deen]

Laurius pumped his hips into Ren's mouth before his grip on his horn tightened and he buried into that warmth. His body quaked as he came, heavy groans rumbling out of his chest. "Hah... Yess... Good boy. That’s my good phage."

---

And just like that, Tenara was sold on the idea. If those cruel witches on his world wouldn't be interested, she definitely was. She reluctantly drew her mouth away from him. It was dangerous how much he tasted like candy. Literal candy. Like caramel. She gave him a long lick before she grabbed his arm and urged him to sit up.

She straddled his thighs, but sat up off his legs, kneeling before him as her hands framed his face. She placed a deep kiss on his lips, slipping her tongue between them. It was then that she heard the faint sounds coming from the leafy tent on the otherside of Tabetha and Merry's. It was unmistakably Laurius's voice, his pleasure groaning unabashedly into the air. She wanted to make Havi sound like that. Louder, she thought—not that it was a competition...

Tenara finished her kiss by dragging his bottom lip between her teeth and then she took her hands and guided his head so that it bent ever so slightly. Her fingers explored his horns first, darting lightly over them in the dark, exploring their texture. Then, she pressed soft kisses to each one, before picking a particular horn (the one she'd hurt) to devote some attention to. Tenara slid open mouth kisses across the hard surface, treating it much the same as she had his body below. When she reached the pointed tip, she stretched and opened her mouth, taking it in.

She was so, so wet. So turned on. Why was this so hot? It was a horn. A HORN.

It did not taste like candy. Not like his cock. But it was wonderful to know it pleased him. That it would bring him pleasure and it was something no Yurivis on his world would dream of offering.

Tenara sucked, drawing it deeper into her mouth, but careful of the point. She testingly let it scrape lightly against the back of her throat before she released it to drag her tongue over it again.

*How does that feel? she asked as she moved to mimic the gesture to his other.

[Soran Nightblade]

The praise felt so good. For the first time since he could remember, Ren actually felt confident that his partner was not just satisfied, but pleased. The sensation of Laurius's strong grip on his horn and his cock twitching against his throat undid him. He swallowed him harder and moaned. His eyes rolled back and his belly twitched with his own release. He drank his master in long, sensual gulps, high on the heat pouring down his throat and the sound of Laurius's approval.

___________

Havi could hear the sounds from the other tent now, too, but he needed all his focus to deal with his Yurivis. Her hands teasing over his horns made his belly tight with need. The one she'd just healed, in particular, was much more sensitive than usual. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. The sensation changed, and he swallowed back a moan. It felt so smooth, and hot. It almost felt like...

He opened his eyes to the sight of her pale neck stretched in front of his face. The moment he realized what she was doing, he began to pull back in protest, but then that slick heat closed over his tip. "Tenara!" he whispered, shuddering, "You can't... I could.... hnngh!"

She'd actually put her mouth around his horn. She was sucking him. He didn't dare move a muscle. It would be so easy to injure her, but forcing himself still just made him more aware of her tongue dragging over his hypersensitive rings. It was too sensitive... He threw a hand across his mouth and gasped into it, struggling for composure.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius’s breath came ragged as his climax eased. He was still trapped in the warm, wet heat of Ren’s mouth. He’d happily stay there forever.

He held the man’s head where it was with his hand around the horn. His other hand brushed tender fingers through his hair. “Hmm…” he sighed pleasantly. “That’s it. Every drop. You’ve gotten so good, Ren.”

——

Tenara heard Havi’s breath quicken, felt it rush over the skin of her neck and chest. She drew back a hair and smiled—*That good, hmm?*—then dipped her face and traced the ridges, down, down, down with her tongue. She nuzzled his hair a minute, using her hands to explore their textured shape, before she dragged her tongue back up the length of his horn and took him back into her mouth.

Trust. She was pretty sure he could kill her by accident like this. It was likely insanity what she was doing. But she felt his breath on her chest, heard his voice rattle tightly from his throat. He enjoyed this, and she enjoyed him enjoying it.

Her body ached to be touched, but she would spoil
him. She would make him melt beneath her touch.