Fiery Passion

My moans are captured by her soft lips, her hand holds me in place as I buck against her hand and I shake until my eyes roll back and I think I see angels.

As I am brought back down to earth she stops kissing me. I breathe heavily, slowly opening my eyes. I meet her satisfied dark eyes.

"What was that?" I do not feel the embarrassment or shame I thought I would. I feel content and at ease in her arms. I feel like a woman.

She pecks my lips. "My way of loving you."

I blush.

She grins, and my heart contracts. She looks so beautiful.

"We should get ready. Everyone will be wondering where I am." She stands.

My eyes widen as I take in her full naked body. I must have been too tired to notice last night. She is beautiful. Her breasts sit high, her dark nipples point up. There is a dark bush in between her legs. I feel the heat blossoming on my cheeks. Her stomach, arms, and legs are as toned as before but she looks more powerful without anything to cover her up.

"Corine," Her voice is low. "We need to get ready." I can see the hunger in her eyes.

I bob my head up and down and drag myself from the cot. She hands me some fur and I put it on. It feels natural to remain barefoot. I am back where I belong.

When we walk out of her house everyone in the village stops what they are doing. It is as if we are back to the first day I was brought here. Mila holds my hand causing everyone to start running towards us in glee. People begin to hug us and place their hands on our heads blessing us. I get emotional at the outward display of affection and that causes them to shower me with more love. The kids tug at my arms until I hug them. I look for Tula or Beatrice's face but do not see them.

Mila pulls me away from the crowd after she bows to them and guides me to Chief Bearson's home.

Once we step inside, I see Tula with the rest of the elders sitting on each side of the Chief. She winks at me and looks down at my hand in Mila's, her smile widens.

Mila bows and I follow her lead. Before she can speak, the Chief raises his hand.

"Do you realize the implications of bringing her back here?" He speaks down at Mila from his throne.

She is staring down at the floor. "She is my soulmate, Chief Bearson."

His frown deepens. "When did you realize this?"

"From the first moment I laid eyes on her." Her answer seems really important.

He nods. "Are you prepared to fight to keep her?"

Fight? I look at Tula, she shakes her head stopping me from saying anything.

"I will do whatever it takes." Mila does not sound concerned at all. She actually sounds like she is willing to fight for me at this moment if it came to it.

I squeeze her hand.

"Let us hope it does not come to that. But they are moving in quicker than we anticipated. I suppose since we have not received help from her father, we have perhaps made another enemy who will only help them take our land quicker." The Chief stands and turns to look at me. "Corine, do you take Mila as your soulmate?"

I look at Tula, she nods in encouragement.

"Yes." I look at the Chief. Mila squeezes my hand. "In regards to my father, I am hoping to get his help saving your land." I try to take advantage of the fact that he is speaking directly to me to say something.

Mila shakes her head, indicating that I should not speak.

He comes to stand in front of me.

"And how will get your fathers help?" He is talking to me as if I am five years old.

I bite my lip. I may as well be a child, since I do not have a response.

The Chief puts his hands behind his back. "How long do you think it will take him to realize you are here?"

"I left a letter for him, letting him know I was coming back to where I belong." I will admit the Chief is intimidating, but my love for Mila gives me strength.

He raises his eyebrows. I do not know if that is good or bad

"I asked him to help preserve your land if he ever wanted to see me again."

"Let us hope his love for you is bigger than his ego." He turns to Mila. "If he decides to help take over our land, she might have to go back to him to even our odds. We cannot take on both of them."

Mila's head snaps up. "We can take them on. She will not-"

The Chief raises an eyebrow at her. She lowers her head.

"I will do whatever it takes to help our village." I bow to the Chief.

Mila looks at me and whispers "You are not leaving my sight."

"Mila, I will do whatever it takes to make sure we do not go to war. My father will help us." I hope he will.

~~~

That same afternoon we hear some commotion outside of Tula's house.

Mila and I came here to have dinner after Tula insisted. Kat and Beatrice were so happy to have me back. They are just going over everything I had missed when I hear yelling outside.

I stand to go see what the noise is about but Mila places a hand on my shoulder. "Stay here until I say it is safe." She grabs her arrow on the way out.

She leaves me. I stare at Tula and follow Mika before she can say anything.

Everyone in the village is gathered in front of Tula's house. I move past some bodies following Mila's dark head. Someone tries to yank me back but I move with a purpose.

My father's carriage is there. I quicken my pace until I am next to Mila. Somi is standing next to her, he looks ready to jump in front of her if he needs to.

She glares down at me when she sees me. "Why do you not do as you are told?"

I lift my chin "They're here for me"

She grabs my chin and lowers her face so it is inches away from mine. "You are not going anywhere."

She's no longer glowering. If I had to pick an emotion, I would say she looked uneasy. Worried even. I grab her hand and kiss her palm.

"I am not leaving. But I do have to speak to him." I move away from the crowd and walk to the carriage. Before I can knock on the door it flies open, I jump back.

My mother comes out of the carriage. She looks frazzled. Her mint green dress is wrinkled, her hair looks like a bird's nest, and her eyes are bright.

My eyes widen when I realize she has come alone. She rushes to me and hugs me with all of her strength. "Oh, Corine." She rubs my back.

"Mother, what are you doing here?" I hug her fiercely. Leaving home was easy when I did not think about leaving her behind. I am sure she was crushed when she found my letter on my bed. I hoped my maid would find it first and rush over to give it to my father.

"I am here to help." She pulls back and gives me a determined look. Then her eyes widen and her jaw drops. "What are you wearing?" Her cheeks turn a bright pink and she averts her eyes.

I want to cover myself up but decide to hold my hands at my sides. "Clothes, of course."

She nods hurriedly and looks at the others behind me. Her blush turns brighter as she realizes they are all wearing the same thing. "You really are one of them." She does not sound like she is judging me. She is probably trying to imagine all of the people I talked to her about and put names to these faces. I look at them, most are openly staring at my mother's clothing and the carriage we are standing next to.

"Mother, I am so happy to see you. But how are you planning on helping? And why is father not here?"

She grabs my hands and shakes her head. "Your father lost you once, it crushed him to lose you again so soon.

The guilt settles in its usual spot on my chest. "I am so sorry, mother." I wipe away at the tears rolling down my cheeks. "But," I turn to look behind me. "They need our help. This is all they have."

She pats my hand. "You always did have an enormous heart, my dear." She steps around me looking for someone, I stand next to her. Who can she be looking for?

The Chief comes from around the carriage and steps forward. "I believe you are looking for me."

My mother turns back to the carriage and grabs some papers before turning back the Chief. "Yes, I am. Thank you, sir."

He holds his arm up to guide my mother to his house. She grabs my arms and pulls me in to give me one more hug before leaving with the Chief. I look at Mila. Her face mirrors my confused look.

~~~

They are in the Chief's home for a long time.

The sun has finally set. My mother's coachman has not left his spot, on top of the carriage, looking very uncomfortable by all of us. Me in particular. When I offered him some food, he did not seem to know where to look and ignored me instead. Mila and I are leaning against Tula's house, keeping an eye at the Chief's front door. All the elders went inside as well, so Tula is not around.

"Did she see me?" Beatrice looks worried.

Kat wraps her arms around her. "I do not think so, love. But come, we can make ourselves scarce while she is here."

Beatrice looks towards me, with a sad smile. "It does not feel right to leave you here to handle it all alone."

Mila grabs my hand. "She is not alone."

Beatrice nods and lets Kat pull her back towards the river.

I pull my hand out of Mila's grasp and look back toward the door.

"Are you afraid your mother will not approve?" Mila is looking back at the door as well.

"She will not approve." I do not bother lying. "I just want to know why she is here. And why the Chief seems to know."

"Do you trust him?" She takes my hand again.

I try to pull it out of her grasp but she pulls me into her. I gasp when I land against her and look up. The words die in my throat. She looks down at me with her dark eyes. They are not quite as angry as before. More predatory.

"I trust him." I nod. My breath hitches when she leans in closer to me.

She kisses me softly. I almost believe I am imagining it.

When she pulls back, she has a satisfied smile on her face. Her arms fall at her sides and she leans back against the house.

"What was that?" I gasp.

"You looked worried." The corner of her mouth turns up and my heart flips.

I make a move to lean into her and kiss her again but I hear the Chief's door open. I quickly turn and see my mother walking out, the papers are no longer in her hand. She looks tired. When her eyes land on me, she smiles sadly.

I run to her and hug her.

"Can you please tell me what is going on now?" The nerves are turning my insides around, I cannot take it anymore.

She holds an arm around my shoulders but starts moving towards the carriage.

Mila comes to stand in front of us and crosses her arms. We both stop walking and stare up at her. My mother is frightened, I am upset. "Mila, please move. I am just waking my mother to her carriage."

"Mila," The Chief calls out from behind us. "Please come here."

She doesn't hesitate but gives me a final look.

"That was scary." My mother holds my hand tight and walks to her carriage quicker.

"I am sorry, mother. Mila, is...intense." I help her into the carriage. She seems to understand I am staying and not going back with her. I begin to relax. I hoped she would not ask me for something I could not give her.

"He will explain everything to you. I have to hurry back before your father does anything rash." She closes the carriage door and sticks her head out. "My dear, I will see you again soon. Take care, I know you are in good hands."

~~~

Mila and I are the only ones standing in front of the Chief that night.

"It has been an eventful day. One I will never forget. And one that must end very soon." Chief Bearson settles into his seat.

Mila is looking down at her feet, I follow her lead.

"Your father purchased our land."

I look up at him and feel the blood drain from my face. Oh no, what could this mean? Did I make the situation worse than I expected?

"With persuasion from your mother he took it upon himself to draw up the paperwork to purchase it."

"How can he purchase something that is not up for sale?" Again, nothing makes sense to me anymore. Just when I think I have it all figured out I am left at a loss.

"I should have probably explained that your mother and I have sent letters to each other a couple of times since you have been here."

My jaw drops. Of course, my father did not suspect this. He would have forbidden it as soon as he figured out what she was doing. She must have been doing this behind his back. My heart grows that much fonder of her. She has been trying to help since the first time.

"She was the one who suggested we offer our land up for sale, in a very private manner, and your father agreed to purchase it." The Chief smiles.

"When did this happen?" I reach out to hold Mila's hand.

"This morning, when they found your letter." He stands and walks towards us. "I see you got your heart from your mother."

"What does all of this mean?" Mila speaks for the first time.

"It means, your father is not only paying us to purchase this land but he will protect it as his own while we live unbothered."

I blink back my tears. He did it. He listened to my mother and he did what he thought was best.

"What about Corine? Is she free to stay?" My fingers are numb from the force that Mila is holding them.

His smile is less prominent. "That is something she will have to discuss with them." He walks us to his door and places a hand on my head. "May our Gods bless you with as many blessings as you have given our people."

~~~

Mila rushes back to her home as soon as he closes the door behind us. I try to keep up but I can see she is upset. The door almost closes on me when she slips inside. I slowly open it, waiting for her to ask me to leave. When she does not say anything, I close it behind me and walk to stand behind her.

"Mila," I try to wrap my hands around her.

She shrugs me off and goes to the corner to get some wood. She puts it in the dying fire. "I do not wish to speak at the moment."

"Mila, please." I try to hug her from behind again as she faces the fire.

Her breathing is short and deep. "I cannot."

"Just listen to me." I kiss her shoulder.

She quickly turns to face me and tightly grips my arms. "What? What are you going to say?" She leans over me. Her nostrils are flaring and her eyes are bright. In the past this would have scared me but I have come to realize it is all an act. She feels out of her element. She is no longer in control.

I am leaning back staring into her eyes. "Mila," I sigh and lean up to kiss her lips. "Oh, my Mila." I kiss her again.

She moans and lets me kiss her deeply. Her grip loosens and her arms wrap around my waist.

I pull back and watch a tear slip down her cheek.

"You cannot leave me." Her voice is hard but her eyes are soft.

My cheeks heat up and I have to look away. I can feel my love pouring from my eyes. I do not want to scare her away with how much of it I am feeling. Her hand comes up to grab my chin. She forces me to look at her.

"Promise me you will not leave me again."

I lick my lips. "I will not leave you." I whisper.

She pulls me into her chest and sighs in relief.

We stand by the fire long enough to melt away the ice between us. "I will never leave you." I say more clearly against her chest.

She pulls me towards her bed and yanks me down so I am laying on top of her. "You will not leave me?" She looks up at my eyes. I imagine they are dark with desire as her own. One of her hands softly cups the side of my face while the other trails in between our bodies.

I shake my head.

Her hand settles in between my legs until her fingers find my dripping hole. I gasp when I feel her middle finger rub along my wet lips. "Never?" She asks against my lips.

I moan into her mouth and shake my head. Her tongue sneaks out to savor my whimpers. My eyes flutter close as her finger inserts my tight hole. "Mila," I moan into her mouth.

Her finger feels intrusive, I feel myself tightening around her. She uses her thumb to rub against the little nub that drives me insane. As she does this, she makes love to my mouth with her wet tongue. My hand comes out to slow down her fingers but it is useless. She has one goal in mind. The quicker the rubs against the tiny nub the harder it is for me to contain my moans.

"Shhh, Corine. You do not want others to know what we are up to." She inserts a second finger and chuckles when I yelp. My moans fill the room. She bites my bottom lip and moves the fingers at a quicker pace. I feel my juices coat her fingers as they move in and out of my warm hole. There is a sensual sound coming from her finger in between my legs.

She allows me to rub myself against her palm, looking for release. Not much later I feel myself unraveling against her hand, losing all of my wits. She continues to make love to my mouth but slows the petting in between my legs. Once I have caught my breath, I move to lay next to her and wrap my arms around her.

"I cannot wait to taste you with my own tongue." She licks her finger as I watch, amazed.

"What do you mean?" I feel the tingling in my lower belly return just as quickly as it left. Surely, she does not mean what I think she does.

"Do not worry. We have plenty of time for that. Right now, I just want to enjoy these few seconds of silence while we can. Once we leave the comfort of this little hut everyone will be asking about our ceremony." She chuckles.

"Ceremony?" I look up at her. She has her eyes close and her hands and behind her head. I have never seen her looked more relaxed.

"You'll like it, I promise. Now, let us rest our eyes. Tomorrow we start our life as soulmates." She kisses me deeply.

"I cannot wait." I smile against her lips, knowing I will not let her go to sleep anytime soon. Not until we have both shown each other how much we really love one another.