Aphrodite's Reward Ch. 03

Lustful gratitude swept through his mind, both toward his partner and toward the goddess who oversaw such fortunes. Three beautiful, sexually confident women in a day and two nights. He wasn't even tired.

"I owe Aphrodite prayers of thanks for this," he murmured aloud.

Majella shivered underneath him. "We both do." Her fingers interlaced with his hair, then formed a tight fist to afford her a good grip. "Later."

* * *

"Boy-king. Wake up."

The low, guttural hiss snapped Alaric out of his slumber. He sat upright in his large, comfortable bed and looked around the moonlit room. He found two pairs of yellow eyes staring back at him. The goblins dressed all in black from the look of it, with the usual mishmash of armor under their black cloaks.

They didn't have weapons out, but their hands were near. Still, if they'd meant to kill him, they'd never have woken him. Alaric sat upright, naked but for the sheets covering his waist and legs. "What do you want?"

"Deal got broked," croaked the goblin closest to him. "Dragon alive still. Angry at the goblins. Very angry."

"I did not break the deal," Alaric shot back, his voice low despite the privacy offered by his large bedchamber and its solid walls. "Your shaman died through no action of mine. He knew the risks. My deal was with him."

"Deal not with shaman! Deal with king! Shaman fight for king! All goblins fight for king!" the goblin said, turning his face up and raising his hands as if in praise.

Alaric balked. "I never spoke with your 'king!' Nor did my wizard—who is also dead, mind you!"

The goblin made a face. "King does not know your human monkey-speak. King not do talky work with humans. Shaman do that. Heralds do that. Grald is herald," said the goblin, jerking a thumb at himself. "Good for human monkey-speak. Good for sneaking. Come talk to boy king. Talk new deal."

"A new deal?" Alaric fairly burst. "What do you even know of the old deal?"

"Know all of old deal," said Grald, crossing his arms over his chest and nodding with a proud air. "Shaman control dragon, invade city. Prince kill dragon, talk out peace. Make humans think mountains past Blue River safe, pull back human soldiers. King take control past Blue River. Everyone get rid of dragon, but boy king take on curse from killing it. Goblins win."

Alaric scowled. "Yes. The curse," he muttered. He didn't bother hiding his disdain for such a ludicrous idea. It wasn't as if the goblin would understand his scowl.

"Now dragon hunt for goblins," said Grald. "Smash bridges in mountains. Spits fire in our caves. Dragon slept before deal. Dragon supposed to be dead by now. Dragon not dead. Dragon angry."

The goblin leaned in and poked at Alaric's chest. "You fix."

Alaric slapped its clawed grey hand away. "Don't you touch me, filth!"

Grald made another face—hardly any better or worse than its original expression to Alaric, but he noted the difference. "Boy king fix problem. Boy king kill dragon."

"Are you mad?"

"Great king very mad," Grald nodded, raising his hands in praise again. "Great king pissed."

"We could kill it before because your shaman could control it," said Alaric. "Can your tribe do that again? Do you have another shaman?"

"Not with such power, no," Grald shook his head. "Old shaman could only do once. If shaman could do it more than once, king would not make deal. Humans kneel before goblin king!" Once again, Grald put his hands toward the sky... but then shrugged and let his arms drop. "But not so much. So goblins stay in mountains and raid lands for what they want. Let humans work and make stuffs. Goblins take." He nodded sagely. "Goblins smart."

Then it was Alaric's turn to make a face. Grald stunk. His garb seemed held together as much out of luck as anything else. His nameless partner stood there openly picking its nose. The goblins were plainly savages, but if they had to tell themselves they were smart to justify holing up in the mountains and staying out of human lands, so be it.

"But goblins not take on dragon. Boy king do that. Boy king promised to kill dragon. Boy king do it, or human queen find out about deal," Grald threatened. "All humans find out about deal. Goblins have ways. Like goblins have ways into human city now. Not so easy to keep us out after battle, boy king."

"You bastards," Alaric seethed. "How dare you dictate terms to me."

"Boy king is still boy. Goblin king is king!" The hands, naturally, went up again. "Our king not have shame of deal with boy king. Goblins not know deal, but goblins obey. If goblins find out, goblins still obey. The goblin's eyes narrowed. "Grald know humans not feel same. Humans not have loyalty."

Alaric nearly choked on that. He'd seen goblins trample one another in a mob for the loot off of a fallen man or to escape a foe. He'd seen them literally throw one another in the way of pursuing enemies. But the hypocrisy didn't bother him nearly as much as the demand it encompassed. "Your stupid shaman was supposed to make the dragon vulnerable for me," he hissed. "How the hell do I kill that thing now?"

Grald just shrugged. "You boy king. You figure it out. Boy king have one week. If not seen in mountains hunting for dragon by then, goblins act."

He stepped back, crossed his arms over his chest, and waited. His partner did the same. "Now we go."

"Fine. Get out," Alaric sneered.

Grald nodded, but didn't move.

"Well?" asked Alaric.

"Boy king look away. Not see how goblins got in."

"You can't be serious!"

Grald made another strange face. "Grald not just give away secret path! Boy king turn away or put soft bag-thing over head!" he insisted, pointing to the pillows. "Grald have reputation to protect!"

* * *

Majella's soft moans and purrs could go on all night and day as far as Davos was concerned. The lithe, naked woman underneath him knew how to enjoy a man. With her energy largely spent, all she could do was lay there, look pretty in the light of the second moon and accept the slow and indulgent touch of her partner, but she did that well.

"I can't believe you're still hard and up," she murmured, stroking the tool that rested on the intimate patch of hair between her legs, "or that I'm still ready for it. Is this what they teach you in that temple?"

Davos grinned. "Would it change your outlook if I said yes?"

"Not sure I'd dedicate myself to Aphrodite, but I'll sure step up the offerings and prayers," she answered with a sly smile.

"Might want to do that, then. In the meantime... did you really break into my room for this?"

"More or less," she all but giggled. "I was... alright, you promise not to be mad? Because I really... really like you right now. I did before this, too, but now I think we need to be very good friends."

His eyebrow rose. "You could have won that wrestling match if you'd wanted to, am I right?"

"Who says I lost? I feel pretty triumphant right now."

"Fair enough," he grinned. "My point is, you could've hurt me and didn't. At a couple of turns. So no hard feelings, no."

"Oh, but I like the hard feels," she joked. "No. I felt pretty charmed after dinner, but I was watching you because... well. A man like you shows up at just the right moment in just the right place, saves the day and all that? Can't blame anyone for being a little careful and keeping an eye on you."

"Alaric sent you to spy on me?"

"I didn't say that," Majella countered, still flirtatious and cheerful. "I'm admitting my own curiosity." She paused. "I owe Alaric some degree of loyalty as a comrade, but I'm not his errand girl or his subject. I'll not do something for him that I don't want to do for myself."

"I would think a band like the Companions would have some oath of loyalty."

"Funny enough, no," she shrugged. "Earlier Companion bands had one. Ours hasn't. I have to wonder sometimes if it's Alaric who fears being bound. He's still learning his skills of courtly intrigue and all that," she explained, rolling her eyes, "but no, it's more a matter of unspoken obligation and implied loyalties and that sort of thing. If things were more formal, I think Terrwyn and I would've broken off a few months ago. We... I'm admitting things I shouldn't, but we stay more out of professional interest than personal loyalty."

"I got a sense that the men didn't like me much."

"Rum usually gives courage, but sometimes it just makes one's insecurities stronger. I wouldn't worry too much about it... but I would be grateful if you didn't tell anyone about tonight."

"I'd love to claim the bragging rights of catching a rogue like you," he grinned, "but I think we both know that'd be a hollow boast."

Again, Majella giggled. "I'll need to be gone before the dawn," she said. "No one will see me leave. But until then, I'm happy to make up for your lost bragging righ—ohh, just like that," she sighed as his cock slid back down along her wet lips. She relaxed into a state of bliss as he pushed inside of her, happy to be penetrated once more but lacking the energy to give back.

"You sure you need to go?" he whispered into her ear before he kissed it.

"Yes," she said. "Might need to rest before then, though."

"Then just relax," he replied, but his slow and indulgent thrusts continued. "I don't have anywhere to be in the morning."