The Warrior

CHAPTER 2: Spellsworn

Allorah awoke to the vigorous chirping of birds and an unfamiliar ache. It encompassed most of her belly, but seemed to originate at the apex of her legs. Keeping her eyes tightly shut, she turned a little and burrowed deeper into the warm softness of her blankets. She knew she would have to deal with the bleeding soon enough, but in this chaotic time, quiet moments were rare, and she relished the opportunity to simply relax. When Dannonae came to wake her, she would get up.

At the thought of Dannonae, she sighed. The old Priestess had likely been up all night again, caring for the wounded. And as much as she wanted to stay abed, Allorah couldn't reconcile her own selfish wishes with the suffering of the men awaiting her attention. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes.

She noticed immediately that she was not in her bed. Instead, she was outdoors, in an ancient glade with the pale morning sun angling in to light the area in sparkling rays. And she was not alone. A man sat not so far away, cross-legged, studying her with brilliant green eyes. He was completely nude.

With a gasp of shock, Allorah shot upright, reaching too late for the cat-skin that had been covering her, as it fell to her waist. For a moment she froze, until she saw the man's lips curve in a small smile at the sight of her bare breasts, nipples proudly erect in the sudden draft. Her face burned in humiliation and she quickly snatched up the pelt again to hold it close under her chin.

"Good morning, Priestess."

His voice sent shivers over her skin and suddenly unlocked her memories of the past night. She felt her cheeks flame brighter as she remembered the intimacy of those events, and the reason why she was here now, naked, with this strange man.

"Warrior Varyn." She acknowledged curtly.

The more she remembered, the more she wished she didn't. Her behavior, her forwardness, was better suited to some twitterpated young goose than the apprentice of the Priestess! She had not known the man two minutes, and yet she had given herself to him. Completely. Without thought. What was wrong with her?

"I was beginning to think I would have to wake you." He said. "Yet you slept so sweetly, it seemed a shame."

"Yes, well, I was tired." She muttered, shrugging her ivory shoulders uncomfortably.

He grinned. "I can't imagine why."

She felt her blush deepen even further but she straightened her back indignantly. "We Healers on this island have been hard-pressed over the past year, most particularly these last few days. One rarely has the luxury of sleep anymore."

"Ahh..." He said, leaning forward intently. "And that is because you are at war, yes?" She nodded slowly and noted how his emerald eyes took on a predatory gleam. "Which is why you summoned me."

"Yes." She agreed. "You are a dragon warrior, born to fight. To one such as you, battling is as natural as breathing. Is this not so?"

He leaned backward to rest on his elbows, stretching out one leg casually. "My kind are rather good at killing, yes." His tone was also casual, but the predator's gleam was still in his eyes and even relaxed, he radiated power. To Allorah he seemed very much like one of the giant island cats, a mass of sleek muscle and dangerous intelligence.

"Well, unfortunately, my people are not so gifted." She smiled bitterly. "We are being overrun."

"And you think I can change that?" He asked. There was no apparent malice in his voice; just curiosity.

Allorah cast her eyes down and shook her head. Ebony curls tumbled about her face. "I don't know what to think, Warrior. I can merely hope."

He didn't reply aloud, but Allorah could feel his eyes on her. They burned into her skin, and made her shift uncomfortably, all too aware of how exposed she was. She felt very vulnerable indeed, and still terribly confused as to what had made her act so rashly last night. It was true he possessed an Otherworldly attractiveness, but she had seen handsome men before, and she had not immediately gone to bed with them! No, last night, it had almost been as if another person was acting from her body, or as if she had been somehow bewitched...

That was it! Her violet eyes widened slightly and she sucked in a sharp breath. She had been under the influence of the spell! Allorah remembered the sensation of half-dreaming and now she recognized it for what it was: an enchantment.

She suddenly felt horribly betrayed. By her senses that had succumbed so easily to the deception, and by Dannonae who had let her perform the ritual in ignorance. She felt her throat tighten with tears she would not allow herself to shed in front of Varyn. He who lounged so casually in front of her, studying her quizzically. He who had taken her innocence. She needed to get away from him for a little while until she could compose herself.

Keeping the pelt covering her, she stood with some difficulty. Varyn stood too.

"No." She said, shaking her head. "You stay here."

He raised one silver eyebrow. "You're going somewhere?"

"I..." She cast about for a reasonable excuse. "I'm just going to wash up. In a stream nearby. I won't be long, and then I will tell you all I know about the invaders." She promised.

He shrugged. "All right." But he remained standing.

Allorah decided to just go about her business anyway and began looking for her robe. She spotted it quickly, off to the side where she'd left it, and picked it up. To put it on without relinquishing her meager covering was a more difficult task. Realizing it would look far more ridiculous to attempt to keep herself completely covered throughout the process, and being unwilling to bring more attention to the situation by asking Varyn to turn around, she simply dropped the pelt and whipped the robe around her hastily, turning away from him in the process. She caught a glimpse of his expression before she turned: a very cat-like smile. It was enough to hurry her away.

As she'd said, the stream was not far, within hearing range of the ceremonial glade. A small waterfall sluiced into a quiet pool, with several moss-covered rocks that made excellent seats. Ferns surrounded it, but the trees were not packed so tightly here as to keep the place in shadow. Instead, the sunlight filtered gently in, heating the water to bearable temperatures.

Allorah quickly stripped and waded in. The water was cold, but not frigid, and soon she was in to her thighs. Experience of the treacherousness of the weed-slick stones under her feet made her keep her balance against one of the larger rocks.

She washed herself quickly, pausing only once when she noted the dried blood on her inner thighs. As the water came away pink, she felt her throat tighten again, but she swallowed the lump and continued her ablutions. To wash her hair, she made her way over to the waterfall and stood under the small protruding lip, letting the steady deluge pour over her. She closed her eyes and imagined that the chilled water was washing away her tension. The cold raised goose-flesh all over her ivory skin and made her small nipples into hard points, but she stayed under the stream for a long time.

When at last she emerged, she felt calm, serene as she had not in a great while. The feeling evaporated as she noticed Varyn standing on the bank.

He was different in the daylight. More alien. More commanding. The so-rare silver of his strangely spiked hair reflected the light, turning it to a bright corona that illuminated the rest of his long body with a white glow. Perhaps it was simply the angle of the sun, but in places, the light almost seemed to shimmer on his skin as it would off scales. His features were sharp, but magnetic. Even from as far away as he stood, she could discern the bright color of his cat eyes, and the hunger in them. She could not fail to notice his erect cock, either.

Allorah averted her eyes, covering herself as best she could. She sat in the water to make her task easier.

"I told you I was just going to bathe." She said.

"So you did." He replied evenly.

When he continued to stare at her, she glanced at him again. "Do you intend to stand there much longer?"

He cocked his head slightly, smiling. "Perhaps. Why?"

She wrapped her arms tighter around her chest as she started to shiver. At long last, the combination of inactivity and the water's chill was getting to her. "Because it is rather cold in here." She hinted.

But instead of turning away, he started walking into the pool with her. Allorah jumped to her feet, alarmed. The sudden move made her slip on a slick stone, and she would have fallen if not for Varyn's hand catching her. He steadied her, then began to pull her toward him.

"Wh-what are you doing?" She squeaked.

He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. The sensation of his warm, naked flesh coming in contact with her own chilled body set her nerves afire. "Warming you."

She squirmed and pressed her palms against his chest, trying to push him away. "I don't want—" She began.

"Why do you fight me, Allorah?" His voice was soft, insistent.

She glared up at him, meeting his eyes even though she knew it was likely a mistake. They had turned a beautiful golden-green color, like afternoon sunlight on new growth, and the pupils seemed to be slightly pointed at the top and bottom. "I don't much like being bewitched." She growled.

His mouth curled in amusement. "I did not bewitch you, Allorah."

"I didn't say you did."

"Then you are referring to the spell?"

"Yes. It has to be." She shoved against his chest again. "Now let me go!"

"The spell did not bewitch you either." She stopped struggling for a minute to look at him doubtfully.

"Then what did?"

He shrugged and let one of his hands trail gently down her spine. She sucked in a breath. "You were not bewitched at all."

She felt warmth and pleasure following in the wake of his hand but she ignored them. "Then what do you call this?" She demanded.

"This?" He smiled wickedly. "This is something altogether different."

As his hand dropped to her womanhood she became highly aware of his erection pressing into her belly. Allorah renewed her efforts to get free. This was getting out of hand. He pulled her closer, dipping his head to nuzzle her neck. One of his long fingers found its way inside her and she gasped. She was tender down there from last night's activities, but the contact of his hand reawakened the fire he had kindled and she felt herself weakening under the assault of desire.

"W-why are you doing this to me?" She whimpered.

"Because, my beautiful Priestess," he murmured, his breath warm at her ear, "We are bound, you and I."

"Bound?" Her voice quavered with repressed sensation.

He pressed another finger inside and she had to bite her lip to keep from moaning. Her fingers curled unconsciously against his chest. "Yes. For we are spellsworn."

She opened her mouth again, but he caught her jaw between his fingers and made her look into his eyes. "No more questions." And he sealed her mouth with his own.

Whatever she had been about to say flew from her mind as she was lost in the hungry dance of tongues and teeth and lips. He used alternately gentle and forceful strokes of his tongue, and a steady pumping of his fingers in and out of her, to break down her last resistances until she was plaint in his arms.

When he finally broke the kiss, she sighed at the loss. She dreamily stretched up on tiptoe, trying to capture his lips again, but he kept his face teasingly out of reach, close enough to feel his breath, but not quite touching. In frustration, she slid her hands from his chest up to his neck, intending to hold him in place, but he removed his fingers from her pussy and caught her wrists easily. She whined softly in protest and bucked her hips against his leg. He merely smiled and kissed her lightly before using his grip on her arms to turn her around.

Allorah could feel how hard he was against the small of her back. One of his hands was now pressed firmly against her abdomen, while the other kept her arms tucked close to her chest. Her sensitive nipples were being pressed against her forearms at every breath and this new stimulation made her grind back into him. Gods, she wanted him.

Abruptly, Varyn let go of her wrists and grabbed the base of his cock. He used his other hand to still her wiggling, and to keep her at the right angle as he guided himself to her entrance. For a moment, they both paused, relishing the charge of the moment, before he slowly slid all of himself inside her.

Once again she felt the pleasurably painful sensation of being stretched to capacity. He fit within her so perfectly, so closely, that she could feel his heartbeat throbbing against her walls from his cock. His now free hand rose to her breast where he rolled the nipple between his fingers. He waited like that for a few breaths, letting her take in the tide of feeling, then began slowly rocking in and out. This new angle made him rub almost constantly against a highly sensitive spot on the front of her pussy walls, and it quickly had her moaning in dizzied pleasure.

The hand on her breast slipped across her chest to pinch and roll her other nipple, while his right hand trailed down to where they were joined. With an ease that usually comes with long familiarity, he found her clit and gently pinched that too. Allorah cried out wordlessly. He began rubbing in time with his thrusts, tormenting her inside and out.

The barrage of sensations and the slow pace were driving her wild. In a haze of desire, she reached as far back as she could with one arm and grabbed his hip, trying to pull him further inside. She arched her back wantonly, pressing her breasts into his arm, and pushed her pelvis back into him. She was rewarded as he thrust in a little harder. Her shallow breath hitched and released with a sighing whimper.

As if this was the signal he needed, Varyn picked up speed, keeping the out-strokes leisurely and sensual, but driving in hard. Every time he shoved in, it put delicious pressure on that special place inside her, and she let out a small cry. His rubbing on her button got faster, he pinched her nipple harder. Allorah felt the swirling heat of her pleasure coalescing to the imminent explosion of her climax and knew he was growing close as well. There was a low growl rumbling in his chest, and his breathing was as ragged as her own.

As they drew nearer to their mutual release, his pace quickened further. He began driving in and out with a ferocity that reminded her of last night and she clutched his arm desperately. Her nails dug into his skin and his grip on her breast grew painful, but they didn't care. She came suddenly, and she was unprepared for the magnitude of it. It was as if golden flare detonated in her middle, rushing outward to her extremities in tingles that were charged with lightning. She felt herself arch against him, then go limp as her pussy clenched again and again around his wonderful, powerful cock. And as strong as he was, he could hold out no longer. Allorah felt him swell even further and throb inside her, as his liquid warmth hit her womb. In the one part of her that was not focused on the squeezing spasms of her core, she was grateful for the strength of his arms holding her up, else she surely would have fallen.

They both came back down slowly, winded and trembling with the aftermath of their ecstasy. Allorah gradually became aware of their surroundings again. They still stood in the middle of the little pool, and the waterfall poured down gently with its soothing, constant sound. Varyn breathed hard against her back, and his arms around her were warm in contrast to the cold of the water. The sun had not changed; though it had seemed an age, it could not have been more than ten minutes they had spent in the realm of passion.

And as her sense of the real world returned, so did her logical mind, with all its condemnations and disapproval. She had done it again. Coupled with this man who she barely knew. And if he was to be believed, there had been no enchantment to make her do anything. It had been her own doing. She thought she ought to feel ashamed, but the intensity of her orgasm had drained her, and all she felt was a sort of resignation.

Allorah let her arms fall to her sides, then, when Varyn showed no sign of releasing her on his own, she gently pried his arm from around her chest, and lifted his other hand from her loins. As she stepped away somewhat awkwardly, she felt him slide from inside her and was surprised by how empty she felt without him. She tried to distract herself from the feeling by quickly rinsing herself again under the falls then wading out of the pool to dry off. She realized belatedly that the only thing she had with which to dry herself was her sheer robe.

Sighing, Allorah sat down on the grassy bank. She'd been naked all morning, and he'd already seen —and touched— all there was to see. Fifteen minutes more nakedness wouldn't hurt. He strode out of the water as well, and sat down beside her. Close, but not touching. To keep her gaze from wandering to him, she began finger-combing her wet hair.

"What did you mean by 'spellsworn?'" She eventually asked.

He stretched languidly and lay back, his hands resting behind his head. "There was an ancient pact between our two peoples, you know. My kind swore to always come to your aid when called. And in return, your people gave their promise to be the guardians and caretakers of this land, for it holds great importance to both our worlds."

"The ritual you performed," he continued, "The summoning, is the manifestation of that agreement. Just as our two peoples are bound by the promise our ancestors made, so too are you and I bound individually to one another, by the spell itself."

"So I was bewitched!" She cried.

"No. It is not that sort of spell." He rolled his head to the side and looked at her intently. "Think of it more as a marriage of sorts."

She stared at him for a moment. His eyes were lit by a golden fire, and the pupils were more than slightly pointed now. It reminded her of a question that had been bothering her since she'd first seen him, and she used it as a way of changing the unsettling direction of the conversation.

"If you are a dragon, why do you look so human?"

He smiled. "Because you yourself are human. I did not wish to frighten you away with my natural form."

She narrowed her eyes. "So this is a mere disguise."

"It is an aspect of myself; there is no falsehood in it. This form is as much me as my more... intimidating appearances."

"Show me, then."

His expression grew serious. "Perhaps later." He said and rose to his feet. He offered his hand to her. "We should go. Apparently, I have an enemy to rout."

Allorah looked at his hand then scooped up her robe and stood on her own. She was afraid to touch him again, lest she be overtaken by the mysterious power he had over her. In the time they'd sat, she had grown dry enough to don the robe, which she did hastily. She kept her eyes from his and gestured for him to follow her as she went back to the glade.

It was a quick process to gather up what tools she had used for the ritual the night before and put out the smoldering remains of the fire. She had Varyn keep the cat skin and use it as something to wrap around his nudity. He looked amused at her insistence, but tied it cleverly around his waist and helped her carry some of the other items. The remaining wax lines were scuffed away and the incantation of completion was said. The last logs, they left.

When they had finished, Allorah took one more look around the now-peaceful glade and, sighing, turned to lead them home.