Heirot

Vlad relaxed in the firelight, absorbing the banter of the troops. As a lifelong soldier, this type of evening was a familiar pleasure. He fit in easily with the scene, but didn't say much. Once they were all drunk, they posed less intellectual challenge. Teasing them was too easy. Plus, his mind tended to wander back to his lovers, the way they'd looked on top of each other, driving each other to oblivion. His wife knew him again. She knew Atul again. He carefully put aside the lovely matter of his own non-performance, and let the full relief of the situation settle in like a fine pair of shoes.

"Alright!" Tenele announced, rising to her feet out of the sand with a bottle of Rathrakian whiskey in hand. "I throw in my towel." She bent forward to bow, and nearly toppled over onto the captain. With a giggle, and his help, she righted herself. "I bid you good night!"

"Good night!" The men replied happily.

Tenele made her way to where Atul and Vlad were sitting, managing to stop without falling over into their laps. She giggled, covering her mouth with her hand until she could get control of herself. "Oh dear," she sighed. "I seem to have had a little too much to drink." She waved her bottle at them, tossing it into the sand between them.

Atul chuckled. "That's what you get for trying to beat him in a drinking game," the King sighed. "I warned you."

"I'm stubborn," Tenele sighed, swinging her leg over Vlad's lap and sitting on his knees. She curled her fingers in the collar of his shirt and drew him into a kiss. "Don't stay up too late..." she whispered to him. She reached across to Atul, grabbing his shirt and drawing him over for a kiss. "That goes for both of you."

Tenele managed to stand up on her own, but did narrowly miss stepping on Atul's family jewels. She waved at them before heading off into Atul's tent. Atul sighed happily, leaning back into the sand to look up at the twinkling night sky.

Vlad watched the men joke and drink for a few more minutes, but didn't feel as amused by their antics as he'd been earlier. Tenele's kiss had left him feeling far more intoxicated than the wine had. He rose and made his way through the camp to the tent, hoping to cool down his desire with the brisk walk. His body was not in the mood to be cooled. Even the desert breeze seemed to tease his skin. Perhaps he shouldn't have watched them earlier. Now, he could think of nothing else. It would make for an awkward night if he had to sleep with them like this. One look at his state would give them ideas they'd best not act upon right now.

Thinking about that turned him on. "For crap's sake," Vlad huffed, veering away from the tent just ahead and opting for another lap around the camp instead. It was a pain to have his body be like this, when he couldn't have them. Who knows when he'd be able to have them again. When he was finally composed three laps later, he let himself cautiously into the tent.

Atul watched Vlad walk off, and thought about following him, but he felt that maybe it was best to leave the two of them alone for a few minutes. He wanted them to be able to work through whatever problems Vlad had, at their own pace, and he felt that his presence might make it a little difficult for them. So, the King settled back into the cooling sand and kept staring at the stars, blissfully happy with dreams of their wedding.

The soft sound of Tenele's even breathing filtered up from where she'd fallen, naked, into the softness of Atul's bed furs. She was stretched out on her side, with her head resting on a mound of pillows, and a fur blanket dragged over her hip.

Vlad stopped in the doorway, holding the canvas up to duck inside. One look at his wife sprawled in the furs made his body go live with power. It was too late to do twenty laps around the camp now that he'd stepped inside, so he let the fabric fall behind him and walked slowly to the furs. Maybe she was sleeping, and he could use the quiet tent to calm himself down.

Tenele made a soft sound, snuggling deeper into the softness surrounding her smooth skin. She rolled in her sleep, onto her back, dragging an arm across her waist so that her hand smoothed flat over her bare abdomen. Vlad's quiet presence didn't disturb her, but it was still hard to tell how deeply she'd succumbed to her drunkenness.

Vlad lay at her side, facing her. His fingers played over the furs as if they were her body, but he didn't touch her. Why get her hopes up when he knew he couldn't follow through for her?

Still, he thought of touching her, and his body remembered what if felt like to touch her. He closed his eyes in an expression of firm control, carefully silent.

Tenele startled awake. Nothing, not even a sound, had been loud enough to cause it, but something shook her. Maybe a dream, or maybe the feeling of falling, but her eyes flew open and she flinched in her sleep, inhaling a soft gasp.

Her husband was so quiet, that at first she didn't recognise him. She stretched lazily across the furs, staring at the flap of the tent with disappointment before she noticed the shape next to her.

"Vlad," she grinned happily, rolling into him. She curled an arm around his neck and burrowed her nakedness against him. "Coming to bed?" She nuzzled his neck tenderly, but made no other move than that.

Vlad shivered. "Yes. I thought I'd rest with you," he murmured silkily. He stretched his neck out, pretending he was just getting comfortable, when he was truly relishing the small contact of her face against his neck.

Tenele sighed happily. "I'm glad," she whispered to him. His outstretched neck encouraged her and she let her lips drag feather-light across his pale cool skin. "Husband," she whispered to him, nipping lightly at his neck. She kissed to his ear, where she nibbled gently. "I think I had too much to drink. The world is spinning."

Vlad shuddered, melting in her mouth. "Tenele," he murmured. His hands found her sides, despite himself. "You know what happens when you tease me," he mumbled seductively into her hair.

Tenele smiled, pushing him over onto his back. She bit his neck firmly. "I want you," she purred. Her hands explored him over his clothing. Her naked body straddled him, rubbing against him through his clothing. Her lips found his, her tongue slipping in. Her world felt dizzy and surreal, but there was one certainty, she loved him and wanted him.

Vlad's breath came thick in his lungs as he stretched out under her touch. "Ah..." he huffed. His hands kneaded her lower back, and his hips rose to tease against her. The pants Atul had given him felt way too tight. "I want... to drive you crazy," he managed to say, rolling over on top of her as if he weighed nothing. He kissed her deeply, sliding his hands over every inch of you. He kissed her neck, holding back almost painfully, and ran his tongue along her collarbone, then lower. He sucked at each breast, a little roughly, supplementing his skills with both hands, and when he couldn't wait, he ducked lower, down her stomach and toward the part of her he needed to taste.

Tenele moaned softly, lifting her hips to meet his touch. "Yes," she whispered, tangling her fingers in her hair. She squirmed beneath him. "My love..." She stretched out her arms for her silk robe, drawing the sash free. She smiled devilishly as he leaned forward and tied the silk around his eyes. "Now, you'll have to feel your way around for everything," she snickered.

"You are very drunk if you think that will stop me," Vlad chortled, he voice a low rumble as he ran his tongue lower and burrowed against her with his lips, using his entire mouth to make love to her with deep, sucking caresses. His fingers felt their way along her inner thighs and in between her legs, and strong fingers slid inside of her. He moaned against her, wishing it was him sliding in and out of her. He couldn't see anything, which let his imagination run wild, but he didn't react the way he had watching Atul and his wife together. That was a rather particular trick, and the irrational ecstasy he'd felt watching them was something Lelana must have done to his brain.

Being blind did open up his mind to other things. He cringed at the images that tagged along with his excitement, but unlike before, he could hide it from her. He licked her more deeply, and hoped the tremble in his hands would be a turn on.