Chapter 212: A Deeper Understanding

Bren Hedera

“I know we cannot hear them, but I swear to the Gods I can feel the ground bump every now and then.” Bren was lying on his back in his night clothes, staring up at the dark peak of the tent.

“Imagination,” Lucia said, giving off a feeling of derision. “Not that strong.”

“I know. Still, they are so open with their fornications and lusting after each other that it burrows into your mind despite attempts to fortify against such.”

“Still worry? Kat strong. Knows herself. Fine.” Lucia sat up from her bedroll. She wore a loose shirt at night and some modest shorts. It was honestly the most comfortable Bren had seen her, despite their time in the city. Those crimson eyes turned to stare into his soul. “Stop.”

She’d noticed. Damn, he had tried to hide the worry and annoyance. “I knew she would find another woman. It is Katlyn we are speaking about. She could wink and have another girl falling all over her. I… I do not know, it might be that she found two? Not only that, but they are intrinsically tied to us now? That and I know far too much about their relationship. There are certain things a lady should not share, and Annita just speaks them openly without a care in the world. I have heard harlots with more discretion. Not to insult her, she is from a different time and has different standards, but it is unbecoming!”

Lucia chuckled. “Kat subtle?”

“I know, I know. She has a reputation. Womaniser, meathead, and a complete buffoon at times.”

“Last is you.”

“Yes, it is! Because she can be! You have not had to put her back together after she decided trying to wrestle a Twinwolf in our earlier years was a good idea. I did not have magic, so I had to make do with bandages! Thank the Gods it was only one of them.”

Lucia sat there. She was hiding her emotions. Even with the Life Debt’s bond getting stronger, she was good at that. Something Bren wished he could emulate. Oh, he could keep a straight face and an outwardly calm appearance, but inside was a tumult of humanity’s base feelings.

“Jealous?”

Bren coughed on nothing.

“Knew it,” Lucia grinned smugly as she sputtered.

“I am not!”

“Are. Can feel.”

“I have had plenty of my own conquests, thank you very much. I do not have to be jealous of my sister! You heard the story.”

“Know true,” Lucia nodded. “Doesn’t stop feeling. What? Happiness? Also, cute call sister.”

“I mean, she practically is, at this point. Regardless, no. Well, maybe. It might be a mix of things. I am the proper one. She is the one who makes all of the mistakes, and I bail her out.”

“Not true. Made big mistake. She saved. Well, after, but still saved. Good pair. Both trouble. Both get out of it. Not real reason. Stop dodging.”

He knew she was reading him like a book. Bren could feel her probing the bond, digging into what he really felt.

“Gods, just leave me alone!”

Lucia’s eyes flashed, and her mouth snapped shut. Immediately, she turned and faced the opposite wall, her knees curled to her chest.

“Shit, oh Gods, I’m sorry, ignore the last order.”

Again with the flash, and Lucia could speak once more.

“Not nice.”

“I didn’t mean to,” Bren sighed. “I reckon that is another part of my consternation. It would be nice not to constantly have to parse my words for hidden orders that would trigger our Debt. I am well spoken, but I make mistakes. No one is perfect. What if I made one I couldn’t take back?”

Lucia squinted at him, then growled. Pulling open her bedroll, she stalked towards him on her hands and knees.

“Wh-wha?” Bren stammered.

She kept crawling, forcing Bren back into a reclining position. Not until they were nearly nose to nose did she stop.

Bren’s cheeks burned as she loomed above. Could she feel how tense this made him? She absolutely could. What was he to do? Saying anything right now might come out as an order. Anything telling her to stop would probably be interpreted that way by the insufferable woman.

A spark of pain bloomed on his forehead.

Lucia had flicked him!

“Stupid.”

Green lips closed around his. Tusks pressed into his cheeks, just barely wide enough for his face to fit between. His breath caught in his throat. She was kissing him again!

“What?” Lucia asked, pulling back. “Don’t want?”

“I…” Bren couldn’t form a coherent thought.

“Thought after Seed, might be different?” Lucia was blushing! Even in the darkness, he could tell. Her breath was warm on his face as she stayed close.

“Should we talk about that?”

“Ugh!” Lucia groaned and rolled off him. “Always talk. Talk talk talk. Never do! Never decide. Frustrating man!”

“I just want to know what you think and feel.”

“Have bond, stupid! Know what feel!”

“I would still like you to say it!”

Like this? Lucia hit him mentally along with a powerful wave of desire. Can speak in mind, Bren. Can’t hide. Dodge too much, talk too much. Going to lose.

Lose what?

Me.

For a reason he was only beginning to grasp, Bren’s heart sank. He hadn’t expected those words to hit him as hard as they did. It was like Kat had slugged him in the stomach again. No physical pain, but he was sent reeling.

I don’t want that.

Then what? Stupid man dances around topic. Never speaks mind about me. Kissed for half hour! Never touched me! Still nervous! Still will not decide. Bren had never actually felt Lucia angry before. Her fury blazed in her soul like a furnace. Make choice. Am done with game.

When?

Tonight. No more waiting. Until sunrise.

Bren’s heart was pounding. He’d committed to going on a date with her. To feel out their relationship, but she was accelerating things. How could he plan for issues if he did not have proper time?

Can feel that, Lucia thought at him.

“I know you can. Look, I agreed to figuring out what we are to be, but I thought we would have more time. It has been days since we escaped Korvas. Almost a week since our first kiss!”

“Know. Changed mind. Am allowed. After Seed, done waiting. Been waiting since Life Debt. Not that you cared.” Lucia sulked, looking away from him.

“I… I cared.”

“Did not.”

“I did! Perhaps too much, damnit! How in the Hells am I supposed to navigate a relationship based on a fucking shunned practice? I have read every single law and bylaw on the blasted curse, and there is nothing that says it cannot be made, but the breaking is not up to us! Think about this, Lucia! If we commit to a relationship, if we get serious and this goes poorly, then we’re fucked like a whore in a ditch. No way out. We get to be miserable together for however long the rest of this Debt lasts, and if Bryltia decides it’d be funny to have that last forever? Hah!”

Lucia was quiet for a minute. Her eyes had flashed, but the only thing he’d told her to do was think about it. At this point, he was too riled up to care.

“I think you think too much,” Lucia said, her words slow and careful. “If we are going to argue, I will do it on your level. You agreed to this. I have been pining after you for months, Bren. Every time you reinforced your stance on not abusing this Life Debt, every time you saved our lives, that feeling has only grown stronger. I am more certain than anything in my life that I want to be with you. I want to court. I want to figure out what we could be together. You keep running away from it, though!” She stood, towering over Bren. He scrambled to his feet, but she still had a few inches on him. “You,” her long green finger drove into his chest, “keep running away like scared prey. You,” another jab forced him further back, “are not prey. I have seen you working. Keeping those three together and going. I do not see weakness. I see strength. I want that strength to be at my side. You,” she poked him again, and his back hit the front of the tent, “do not value yourself enough. You do not give yourself enough credit for what you do. Not only that, but for who you are. Rosalyn is bashful, but she knows her worth. You keep doing what you do, and don’t take risks. It took a damned Inquisitor for me to have the opportunity to kiss you! The second time was a Warped threatening our lives! That is no way for our firsts to have been! You, Bren, are worth more than they know. You need to figure this out now.”

Bren couldn’t look away. Her crimson eyes pulled his past the curtain of her ebony hair. Deeper into those raging flames. He’d fucked up. He’d not even known how badly he’d fucked up. Hells, he was basically going through the motions of what he’d do when pursuing a woman for a night of fun and hoping this would be different. Lucia was different. She wasn’t a barmaid or some noble socialite. She was a Huntress blessed by Bryltia herself. Qu’Sella damn him, he was an idiot.

“Alright,” he muttered.

“Can’t hear.”

“Fine! I will be serious about this. I apologise for not taking you seriously. For dismissing your feelings for fleeting fancy. For not treating you appropriately despite our connection.”

Lucia kissed him again. Nothing about it was gentle. Her hands wrapped around his head as she held him close and devoured his lips.

It was never like this. He was usually the one to make the first moves, but she was stripping all of that away from him. Her tongue wrestled past his lips, and he just let it. No, not quite, he enjoyed it?

Her hands left his head, gripping his night shirt, pulling him closer.

His hands moved without his bidding, reaching around Lucia’s shoulders.

Their kiss deepened. Both vying for dominance, but neither wanting to win.

Bren’s chest felt open air as Lucia ripped his shirt open.

He didn’t care.

Her hands were on him in the next moment, running over his skin.

His own hand ran down her strong back, finding the hem of her shirt, and pushing up underneath.

A muffled moan. It wasn’t hers. Had he made that noise?

Lucia broke the kiss, her breath ragged. Her eyes were aglow with the lust he felt through their bond.

He poured it back in equal measure.

Before he knew it, Bren’s long shift was on the floor, leaving him in his undergarments.

Lucia hauled him from the side of the tent and threw him to the bedroll. He didn’t have time to move before she was on him, tugging at his shorts.

His length sprang free, proud against his toned stomach.

Lucia pulled back from the kiss. A feral purr rumbled in her throat as her hand closed around him.

“By the Gods,” Bren panted. His back arched in need as she began to stroke. “Please, go slow?”

She leaned in, lips to his forehead. “No.”

No? She’d refused? Lips found his forehead, kissing just at his hairline as the tusks pushed through his locks. Lucia’s hand was experienced, but not overly so. She knew where to touch, where to stroke and grip. He was already getting close.

“Lucia… I…”

Lucia stopped.

Bren let out a plaintive cry.

“Not there,” Lucia grunted as she sat up. Sat up and removed her shorts. She wasn’t wearing undergarments. Her lean legs and firm rear were on full display before she remounted Bren.

“Lucia, we… we can’t. I don’t have contraceptives!”

“Use bond. Know limit. Stop hiding.”

Long fingers lifted his member. They gently guided it upwards until it met with the heat of the woman’s nethers. Bren felt the heat radiate between them. Not just physical heat, but the anticipation coursing through their link.

Lucia lowered herself. Slowly, carefully. Any time Bren got too excited, too overwhelmed, she would pause. Deep satisfaction spread between them as she reached his base. Hips meeting hips. Cravings being filled. Desires being met.

“Good fit.”

“Indeed,” Bren breathed in a scandalous whisper.

They remained there for a time, feeling each other. Bren’s hands gently explored Lucia’s thighs, feeling the corded and defined muscles. Lucia’s ran over his stomach, tracing the lines of his chest and hips. They were exploratory, both. New to each other’s bodies, despite being familiar with each other’s minds.

Bren watched as Lucia’s small but pert breasts rose and fell with her every breath, the way her tusks glistened as her hot breath coated them with a fine dew. Her ruddy eyes were watching him as well, their focus unwavering.

She was looking into his eyes, his stomach, his arms as they moved. He felt like the prey she had called him. An animal being watched by a predator, but less so than what others described. She wouldn’t consume him. She was studying him. Watching how he reacted to certain touches and motions. Understanding how she could work with him, instead of against him.

“Will move.”

Bren sucked in a breath as her hips rocked for the first time. He’d felt this a hundred times before, but the Bond’s connection heightened every pleasure. Setting his teeth, he met Lucia on her first downward movement.

“We move,” he corrected.

“Yes,” Lucia moaned.

It took two thrusts to find their rhythm. Two more to find their synchronisation through the Bond. Two more to understand how long they had left.

Bren wanted to last in this moment, but their knowledge wouldn’t let them. Lucia was steady in her conquest. She would not rush, nor would she slow down. He would have to meet her there, in the middle, then push her over just before.

They reached the precipice. His time was now. One hand slipped from a green thigh and sought her core. His thumb reached the spot just as Lucia rose, then pressed home as she fell.

Lightning arced between them as Lucia bit back a moan. Her eyes closed, and he could feel her climax washing over her. Now! He lifted her hips and slipped out between beautiful green mounds. His release was larger than he was used to. It had been since they’d been Bonded since he’d last climaxed. All of that tension was released at once across Lucia’s arching back.

Her lips pressed to his once more. Together, they muffled their moans of deepest pleasure. Heavy breathing only made the moment more intense as their tongues spasmed and wrestled.

All too soon, Bren was spent, and Lucia was not far behind.

“Mmm,” Lucia murmured, lying on top of him, her breasts pressing into his chest.

Tentatively, Bren reached up and wrapped his arms around the woman he had just made a massive leap with. She didn’t flinch or shy away. She just let him embrace her. Slowly, his hands rubbed her back in practised soothing motions. He found some spots sticky with seed and subtly wiped them clear. Both of them were covered in sweat despite the winter chill, but neither cared.

“You feel good,” Bren whispered.

“Same. Really good. Do again?” Lucia’s head turned. The question in those eyes was nearly pleading. The Bond was a little overloaded with their combined satisfaction, but Lucia pushed through a moment of eagerness.

“I would love to.”

“Word,” Lucia mumbled, curling her arms up around his, locking him into the hug.

“Word?”

“Love.”

“A turn of phrase. I meant to say I enjoyed myself.”

“Not bad.”

“I know. Just… please give me time. We stepped forward together here. Let me find the right words for my feelings.”

Lucia sighed as her eyes flashed. He’d ordered her, but it was minor enough that neither of them cared. Her annoyance wasn’t enough to dull the contentment, though. “Will wait. Don’t take long. Not patient. Not for this.”

“I won’t,” Bren promised. His head was swimming. Endorphins mixed with dangerous thoughts. He needed a clear head before he could make a decision on what this all meant to him. Lucia was a woman of instinct, but he was not. He was… of the mind… one of Orenous’ domains.

“This is all Annita’s fault.”

“Maybe. Blame her?”

“Could be fun to. She teases us enough.”

“Own medicine,” Lucia laughed quietly.

“Yeah.

“Tell her?”

“No. Absolutely not. Let her keep trying. Let’s get her frustrated,” Bren said, grinning with a mischief he attributed to Kat more than anyone.

Lucia met his grin with her own.

“But when alone?”

“She doesn’t need to know that.”

“Deal.”

“We should get cleaned up. We still need to rest.”

Lucia’s arms wrapped tighter around him.

“Or we can sleep like this,” Bren shrugged. “You comfortable?”

“Mhm.”

“At least take your shirt off. It is a mess.”

Grumbling, Lucia sat up and chucked her nightshirt to the side. It hadn’t hit the floor before she’d locked Bren back into the hug.

“Goodnight, Lucia.”

“G’night, Bren.”

It took an admittedly long time for Bren to slumber that night. His heart would not stop racing even after Lucia’s breathing had relaxed into soft snores.

So much to ponder.