The Fine Print

Both of our chests heaving from the exertion. The only sound for many minutes was the sound of heavy breathing, punctuated finally by the sound of metal buckles being undone as I untied her from the bed. She collapsed against me, straddling my leg, and dragged a fur pelt across the bed to cover herself with as she settled in to lay her head on my shoulder. She still shivered as she ran her fingers over my ribs, but not from the cold. Her legs clenched against me with the pulsing aftermath of her powerful orgasm.

"That's what I'm going to do with you."

She whimpered happily into my chest.

*****

The battle was, amazingly, just as she predicted. The few sorcerors in the enemy lines were entirely unprepared; a red streak fell with a great thunder, and bodies flew, grotesquely disfigured; and then it happened again. And again. Though there was a charge, and men fought, there was no question of the outcome once the sorceress took to the field.

After the enemy was routed, my commanders and I rode forward to survey the remnants of the opposing leadership. I found my newest ally stumbling carefully across the grounds, drenched in blood from head to toe, her red hair matted and jumbled in disarray, her fine leather bodice with decorative silver buttons and cord-laced leggings slashed and ruined.

"Dear gods," my squire said. "Are you alright?"

"Nothing a few rags and a brush won't fix, mostly," she replied with an exhilarated smile. "Although it turns out that if you throw metal together hard enough, some of it can shatter and fly back at you."

A few cuts on her face and arms ran with her own blood to illustrate what she meant.

"Come with me," I said, intending to lead her back to the command tent. Then, to my commanders, "Jace, Berkowitz, you know what to do."

"Sir," they both acknowledged with a salute.

I dismounted my horse to let her ride, and handed up a cloak from one of the fallen to use to clean up. I helped her down as we reached the tent. She smelled of blood and death. And leather. And something else, vaguely familiar...

"I know how we should celebrate our victory," she said. "You remember what we did when we signed the pact?"

"Wouldn't you like to get a bath first?" I started to say, but she broke in at the third word, clutching at me.

"No! Now. Just like this. I want you, and I will not wait. Take me again."

The fire in her eyes refused to be denied. I found wetness, and the source of the scent I now recognized, between her legs, as she growled at me, face flushed with adrenaline and desire. And then I couldn't wait either. I cast the map table aside and ravished her right on the command tent floor.

It was the start of a long, beautiful, dark association.