Chapter 16
Kal and Kashka stood looking at an abandoned digging camp and shared a look between them. Iron pickaxes rusted by the weather leaned against boulders and piles of rock. Canvas bags once used to tote rubble away fluttered in the mild breeze where they were set down.
These were the remains of a plan to bore a tunnel straight through the bottom of the ridge. Digging stopped a few months after the Reavers moved in. Lassedo didn't have a large enough militia to dislodge the ex-pirates. After Calfera's attempts to remove the brigands failed, no one was willing to fund a costly tunnel they couldn't even use. Upon finding out, they wouldn't get paid, the workers dropped whatever was in their hands and walked away.
The road turned sharply to the north and made its way up the ridge at an incline much safer for wagons and carts heavy with tradable goods. Kashka scowled at the road. It wasn't very steep, but the exchange for safety was length. From where she and Kal stood, they couldn't even make out the gap where they crossed over to the Boordus jungle side of the ridge.
"My legs hurt just thinking about walking that far uphill," said the cat-girl. "Hiking out of Lassedo's 'bowl' was bad enough."
Kal chuckled. "I did most of my hunting growing up in forested hills that lead into the mountains. The land doesn't flatten out until just north of my farm. Fazal is extremely flat, and we didn't walk much while crossing the desert. Until Lassedo, the savannah was just rolling grasslands. You've been spoiled."
"And you're going to spoil me a little more," said Kashka turning toward him and holding her arms out. "Your mistress wants you to carry her up the hill," she stated in an imperious tone. Despite her commanding attitude, there was still a tiny hint of a question in her order.
Smiling, Kal scooped her into his arms and started up the road.
"Nooo," Kashka whined, "I meant fly us up there. If you're going to just walk, then put me down. I'll walk with you." She snuggled into his chest, "I am liking this, though."
The mage bent down and kissed her on her forehead. His feet lifted a few finger widths off the ground, and they began gliding up the rutted gravel road.
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The band of mountain sheep had never seen anything like the small, off-white, triangular structure near the trail that ran along the ridge crest. The sunlight glinted off the morning dew collected by the canvas occasionally ran down in rivulets. The glistening water caught the sheep's attention, and a few of them gathered around the tent to lick it off. A couple even tested whether or not the fibrous material was edible but quickly gave up when their teeth couldn't tear or even loosen the fabric.
Inside the tent, Kal stood naked outside the bathroom, watching with amusement as the fuzzy gray and white images cast on the tent's inner walls meandered around outside for a while longer before eventually continuing on their way. The walls returned to their normal color as the sound of wind rushing through trees faded. The tent appeared to interpret the sheep's nibbling as an attack.
Chuckling to himself, he walked the handful of steps across the green carpet to his room. Inside he found Kashka sitting on his bed, beckoning him with a finger. Her eyes flicked between Kal's face and his growing erection as he approached. She spread her legs and pointed at the floor as he stopped in front of her.
"On your knees," she said, her voice thick with desire.
"As you wish," Kal replied with a smile as he sank to the floor. The cat hooked an ankle behind his neck and pulled his mouth to her sex. The mage wasted no time and drew his tongue over her outer lips, teasing her until she gripped his hair and directed his mouth to her clit.
"Lick me there," she panted, then leaned back on her elbows and moaned as he dutifully obeyed.
The mage lapped at her pearl for a few minutes until the cat-girl's hips couldn't stay still. Bringing two fingers up, he collected some of her wetness before slipping them into the tightness of her pussy.
She looked down at him. "I didn't tell you you could put your fingers in me," she said in half-hearted annoyance.
Kashka squeaked as he dragged his tongue over her clit before lifting his head and smirking at her. "I know you didn't. I think I'm done having a 'Mistress' for now," he said before sucking her pearl into his mouth and lashing it with his tongue. At the same time, his fingers curled upward and began lightly massaging the rough, sensitive spot inside her.
The cat-girl gasped at the pleasurable assault and collapsed to the bed before bringing her hands up to roughly knead her breasts and tease her nipples. "It's... about... time..." she said between throaty moans and panting breaths.
Kal pressed his tongue flat against her clit and made small circles with his head as he withdrew his fingers and used them to coat her pucker with the cat's natural lubricant. Kashka's breath caught as one of his fingers gradually but insistently pushed through the tight ring of muscle.
The cat-girl's mind flitted back to her lessons from Laika. She squeezed as hard as possible on the invading digit then bore down to let it slide further in. With very little resistance, Kal's finger slipped all the way into her bottom. By itself, that felt wonderful, but then the mage began sawing his finger in and out while sucking on her clit again.
Kashka's world exploded as her climax crashed into her. She only vaguely recognized that Kal's tongue continued to make tiny circles around her pearl despite her unwitting attempts to crush his head between her thighs. She was only slightly more aware of the finger still lodged in her bottom, waiting for her body to relax.
Kal continued teasing the cat's clit until she finally released him and pushed his head away. He noted that there was a definite moan of disappointment when his finger slipped free of her ass. No sooner did his tongue leave her clit than she started grasping at him, pulling him up and on top of her.
"Get inside me, Master. Please, your servant needs to feel you inside her."
The mage suppressed a chuckle at a servant ordering her 'Master' to fuck her and guided his cock to her entrance. After coating the head of his prick with her wetness, he slowly pushed inside. He soon found out he was going too slow for the cat-girl as she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him forward, burying him to the hilt inside her. Kashka's back arched as the sudden rush of pleasure stole her breath.
Settling into a steady but strong rhythm, Kal leaned over the bed and pressed his lips to hers.
When he broke their kiss, she looked up at him with pleading, needy eyes. "Do you love me?" she asked.
Kal slowed his thrusts slightly as he smiled down at her. "Absolutely."
"I want to be your servant and let you love me like this forever," she panted through the pleasure. Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes. "I want to belong to you, Master."
Kal's eyes widened as he felt the bonding magic rise up from her body and encompass him. He didn't let the sadness reach his face from knowing he would let this moment pass. He was her first love, and there was a whole world out there full of people who could make her happy and, unlike him, be devoted to only her. He swallowed hard as the pain of his decision formed a lump in his throat.
