Traveling through the dangerous wilds with a troop of gladiators... what better companions could there be?
John stepped out of the trees and into the small camp. Four riding horses, an open wagon pulled by another horse, and three tents made a loose circle around a campfire set up with a proper iron spit with pots hanging to heat soup. A portly man tending the fire and food. A young girl stood at the ready to jump whenever he asked for something. Two tall, slender men were sparring on the far side of the camp. Others were sitting, standing or probably resting in their tents.
"Now this is a camp," John mused.
"John, I need a favor," Jennaca said.
"Another favor?" he asked with a lewd wink.
Jennaca blushed. "It's because of that," she whispered.
"I don't understand... is something wrong?"
"Not wrong... exactly. It was right. So very, very right."
"We were seen, you know."
She grinned. "I know... I think that's part of the problem."
"You've never been shy before. It's natural, you said... why now?"
"Oh, I'm not worried... I'm... well, I'm still ready for you, if you know what I mean."
John's jaw dropped. He collected it and stared at the blushing woman. "I'm not going to bed you again this soon! It's been what, fifteen minutes?"
"Closer to twenty or thirty, I think," she said and shrugged. "I'm not asking for that though. Might be awkward, rutting away like animals in heat in the middle of their camp."
"Yeah!" John scoffed. He shook his head and chuckled. "What's gotten into you? Besides me, I mean."
She grinned. "Yeah you did. So into me. Saints, it felt wonderful. You were so rough and powerful and fucked me so deep."
John coughed. "Jen!"
She grinned. "Sorry. I can't help myself. And after, when I swallowed you down? Mmm, so good. You've changed me, John. I see these men here and I wonder how they'd compare. Could they fuck me half as well as you? Would they taste as sweet?"
He stared at her with his lips parted. He was shocked and turned on. Granted, he was always at least a little turned on since waking up pledged to Mistress Beytrixxa, but this was something different.
"Oh, don't worry. I won't touch them," she said. "I wonder, but I couldn't bring myself to be with anyone else. I don't understand it, but I know it's true."
"The contract," John said.
"Oh, from our first time, when you finished inside me?"
He nodded. "It will last a year. You're stuck with me until then, I guess."
"Mmm, good," she said. She looked him up and down and bit her lip while squeezing her legs together. "Next time, maybe take a little more from me?"
"I think I might have to," John agreed. "Is that the favor?"
She shook her head. "No... I need to bathe, but I can't come up with a good excuse to go jump in the river."
"Why do you need to bathe? You, um... I finished in your mouth."
"It's not you that's running down my legs, it's me," she said. "You do this to me, John. Didn't I ever tell you that?"
"I... wow. No. No you didn't."
"Well, you do. Now stop being so smug and use your magic to freshen me up."
John nodded. "Right... just... there you go, all better."
Jennaca let out a sigh and smiled. "Thank you, Master."
His eyes widened.
Jennaca giggled. "Got you!"
"Remind me to thank my Mistress," John said. "If I were still a normal mortal man my heart wouldn't have been able to handle you."
Jennaca grinned. "Thank her for me too then."
John chuckled and turned his attention to the new man walking up to him. Another man followed behind him, shorter and younger and... John wasn't sure he could be called a man. He was young. Old enough, John supposed, but only barely. John turned his focus back to the man. He was more than old enough, judging by the salt and pepper beard and the grey at the temples of his dark hair.
"Lord John and Lady Jennaca, I'm told?" the man greeted them and offered his hand.
John took the man's offer and they grasped forearms before breaking away. "She's Lady Jennaca," John said with a nod to his scantily clad huntress.
The man's mask broke with a laugh. "I hoped as much! My name's Matthew. No title to it, but I lead this sorry group. My apologies for the misunderstanding with your furry friend."
Sasha answered with a soft roar.
"It ended well," Jennaca said. "I think Sasha enjoyed the hunt more than your friends did."
John frowned. "Are they well? They mentioned you had a healer?"
"We do. Sadie, she's a priestess of Eile that can't seem to get her fill of us," Matthew said. "She'll have them swing a sword in no time."
John nudged Jennaca.
She turned and looked up at him. "What?"
He glared at her until it was obvious she had no idea what he was hinting at. "Weren't you going to say something about what you did?"
Her brow creased. "On the trail? When we—"
"No!" John hissed. "Your arrow?"
"Oh... that. Well, I hadn't planned on it. Should I?"
John let out a heavy breath and looked at Matthew. "Matthew, please forgive my companion. She's spent much of her life in the northern wilderness and sometimes simple matters of courtesy escape her. I cherish her honesty and company, even if it comes at a cost of civility at times."
Matthew laughed. "Begging your pardon, milady, but I'm lowborn and don't have much use for civility either. Still, I expect I'd put up with a lot from a companion as fine as the one you've got yourself, my lord."
John smiled. "All the same, I'm sorry she put an arrow in your man. It was unnecessary and I hope your healer can help him."
"She's healed worse," Matthew assured him. "Might be it taught him a lesson too, although I was the one that sent them off after your cat proved better than our trap."
Jennaca's eyes narrowed. "Your trap?"
"Sure enough. We knew there was a tiger in the area. They usually stick to the plains north of here, but sometimes one comes down. Figured he'd make a fine addition to our show."
"She," Jennaca corrected him. She spoke with tight, controlled words that left no doubt as to her change in mood. "And I saved her from another group of people like you that used her for sport."
He held up his hands. "No harm done," he said. "And we'd have made sure she wouldn't have been killed. Sadie could fix her up too, if she was hurt. That's part of what we do here. We fight and yeah, sometimes accidents happen, but we're here to entertain, not to kill."
"The last people that had her only cared about how much gold she could bring them on bets," Jennaca admitted. She nodded after a moment. "We're good, but let me warn you now, never try to enslave any animal for your purposes."
He glanced at John and then back into the deadly serious eyes of the young woman. He smiled and nodded. "I'll take your words to heart, milady. I've got a feeling about you... I'd love to see you spar with one of my fighters. Would you?"
"Why?" she asked.
"To humor an old man and maybe teach one of my men a few things."
"I already taught a few of them how to shoot a bow," Jennaca reminded him.
Matthew laughed and turned to see the boy at his side staring at Jennaca with wide eyes. He clapped the boy on the shoulder and said, "Careful Troy, I'd guess she's only a few years older than you but she's probably more dangerous than her tiger is."
"Sasha's not my tiger, she's my friend," Jennaca said. She softened a little and added, "But you're right about the other thing."
Matthew laughed again and waved them in. "Come, join us. The hour grows late and George has been cooking for a while now, it must be near to done."
"We would," John said. "I've a wagon and more companions back down the road a bit though."
"I'll go get them," Jennaca offered.
Matthew shrugged. "They're welcome. Blasim told me you were headed north, as are we. I'd welcome people as skilled as you are. Perhaps you might even come to enjoy what we do?"
John smiled. "From what I've heard, strength in numbers would be wise. I'm afraid I'm not much of a fighter."
"That's a fine spear. Unusual though, I've never seen metal quite like that nor a blade like it. Was it cast with four blades?"
"It was," John said. He didn't offer any more about it. He turned to Jennaca. "Go ahead and tell Artesia to join us. Hurry, I'd like to watch you too."
Her eyes twinkled. "I'd like to be watched."
John smirked as she turned and broke into a jog. A few of the people in the camp turned and watched her run past the outskirts of the camp and then disappear into the forest with a flash of black and red fur beside her.
"Your wife is something else," Matthew said as he led John into the camp.
"Oh, she's not my wife," John corrected him. "Just one of my traveling companions. A dear friend, to be sure, but that's all."
