Chapter Thirteen
My companions and I were leaving the Pilgrim Inn, but instead of walking toward the stables, I veered off in a different direction. I headed into the shadows of the streets of Kassar with my head held high, but it wasn’t very long before my friends and lovers realized we weren’t headed toward the horses.
“Where are we going, Bash?” Elissa asked as she trotted to keep pace with me. “I thought we were going to saddle the horses.”
“I’ve decided we won’t need the horses,” I explained, and I slowed down so my wife could keep up with me without exerting herself.
“What do you mean?” Eva pressed. “How else are we supposed to get out of the city with the duke’s son?”
“We aren’t leaving Kassar tonight,” I said, and I flashed my fiancée a wink.
“Where are we going to take the littlest lord?” Ako asked. “Maybe there’s an abandoned house or building we could use instead? Have you found one already, Sir Bash?”
“We aren’t doing any lordnapping tonight,” I informed my companions. “I have a different activity in mind for us, but it’s going to be a surprise.”
“You’ve had us distracted with preparing for a kidnapping all day,” Elissa said with a thoughtful furrow of her adorable eyebrows. “But all along you were planning a surprise? Bash, you are a mischievous god, aren’t you?”
“You got me there.” I grinned. “Now, who’s ready to party?”
“Shouldn’t we stay focused on our mission to find the duke?” Mahini asked as she pursed her lips.
“I’ve got it handled, my beloved,” I assured her. “Just trust me, okay? We can afford to relax a little.”
“That’s what you said a few days ago,” the desert goddess observed with a wry smirk. “But of course I trust you, Bash. Lead the way to wherever you’re taking us.”
“Good.” My grin grew even wider. “You guys have been working so hard lately, I wanted to do something to show my appreciation.”
“We haven’t done much,” Ako said, and his ears twitched from side to side. “I feel like there’s more you’re not telling us.”
“Bash is just odd like that,” Elissa informed him with a dismissive wave of her hand. “After a while, you learn to just go along with it.”
“I’m learning this slowly,” the cat-man said with an amused smile. “The ways of the gods are a mystery, indeed.”
“Believe me, my friend,” I said as I clapped him on the shoulder. “You don’t want the burden I carry upon your shoulders.
“What have your godly eyes seen in this world, Sir Bash?” Ako asked, and his honey-colored eyes filled with wonder. “I would love to hear more tales… I feel as though I’ve barely scratched the surface.”
“I feel the same way about you, you mysterious shapeshifting cat-wizard,” I laughed. “So, why don’t we go somewhere to get some drinks and share stories?”
“That sounds like a fine evening to me,” Eva said, and her luscious lips twitched into a smile. “But some of us shouldn’t consume alcohol.”
“Oh, I’ll have plenty of fun without getting drunk,” Elissa assured us with a confident sway of her hips. “Becoming a mother is worth the small things I’ll have to give up.”
We’d made our way a few blocks down the street by this point, but I’d already memorized the location of an interesting looking tavern while I was buying supplies with Elissa earlier in the day. The heat of the sun had caused my thirst when I first spotted the bar, but now my feet turned in the direction of The Vagabond’s Drink because I was feeling the urge to celebrate.
I’d gotten multiple leads for my duke hunt during my lordnapping adventure, so all I needed to do now was plot our course. I already had a general idea about where we should go next based on my previous glances at the map of the Duke of Edinburg’s territory.
Evyn Edinburg, the second oldest son of Eurik, was in the town of Aramore, which was closer to Kassar than Edinburg Manor was, so I had a strong feeling the port town would be our next destination. Maybe the coastal breeze would give us a break from the desert heat before we faced our final challenges, but even if the weather was scorching hot, I would do what was required of me.
The girls and Ako mused out loud about where I was taking them, but no one guessed correctly. It was amusing to listen to their conversation, but I stayed silent. I didn’t want to give away any clues, so I kept my poker face on.
“Where are we going, Bash,” Elissa practically begged, and the tiny goddess stuck out her bottom lip in an adorable pout. “You can tell us.”
“You’re going to find out soon anyway,” I pointed out. “Plus, it’s way more fun to listen to all of you trying to guess.”
“But it’s so much better if you tell me I’m right,” my wife explained. “That way I can rub it in everyone else’s faces.”
“Patience, my love,” I chuckled.
“She has the patience of a wildfire,” Mahini snickered. “It’s one of her better qualities.”
“If I didn’t know you care for me so much, I might have taken offense,” Elissa huffed, but she flashed the desert goddess a cheeky grin. “But I love you, too, Mahini.”
A few moments later, we made it to The Vagabond’s Drink, and I brandished my hands out dramatically. The building boasted two towers on either side topped with minarets, and it looked like something straight out of the Aladdin movie. The windows were illuminated with light, and music echoed from the open doorway. Beyond the portal, I could make out the shapes of people moving around, and I heard laughter among the sounds of instruments.
It had been a lot less lively during the day time hours when I’d first seen the establishment, but even then I could tell it was a good place for my companions and me to try.
“We have arrived!” I announced with a broad smile.
“Ooh,” Elissa gasped. “It looks like a fun place to spend the evening.”
“Only the best for you, babe,” I quipped.
“I wonder if there will be dancing,” Ako said in an absentminded tone as his honey-colored eyes gazed at the tavern with longing.
“You did it again, Bash,” Eva chuckled.
I led my friend and lovers inside the tavern, and we fought through the densely packed crowd in search of a table. We found a circular one with plenty of chairs for all of us gathered around it, so we quickly crossed the room and claimed it for ourselves. I glanced around for a barmaid, and I spotted a woman wearing an apron dipping between the patrons.
“You there,” I called out, and I waved my hand over my head when I caught her eye.
“I’ll be right over!” she promised, and an instant later, she’d disappeared into the crowd.
The barmaid was good on her word, though, and she returned a few moments later with menus and a smile. My companions and I all ordered our drinks, beers for Ako, Mahini, and I, wine for Caelia and Eva, and a non-alcoholic fruit juice cocktail for Elissa. The fun began when we all had our mugs in hand, and we spent a couple of hours exchanging funny stories. The sound of my women and friends laughing warmed my heart, and I chalked the night off idea up as a success.
After a while, though, the conversation returned to our current mission, and everyone pelted me with questions about what was going to happen next, so I explained how the duke had delegated certain tasks to his sons and the tier of power among Edinburg’s offspring.
“So, do we go after Evyn or the bastard first?” Ako asked.
“Finding the bastard could amount to nothing.” I shook my head. “There’s too much at risk to put all of our eggs in the bastard basket, so I think we should set our sights on Evyn next. While he isn’t the oldest son, he is still more trusted than Exavier, and it’s possible he’ll know where his father is.”
“Do your powers have a radius?” Ako asked, and his whiskers twitched. “I’ve been wondering if you’ll be able to locate the duke once he is within proximity.”
I cast a sideways glance at the shapeshifter as I considered whether or not I should attempt to explain more about my abilities. Shortly after I’d arrived in Sorreyal and met Mahini, I’d tried to tell her the full story about how I was so powerful, but it had ended badly. I hadn’t tried to reveal more to my women since then, but I rather enjoyed keeping an air of mystery around myself anyway.
“All things in time,” I said in a vague tone, and I turned to signal the barmaid for another round of drinks. “How’s your thirst, my friend? Satiated?”
“More than,” Ako assured me, and he dropped the topic of my powers.
“I still can’t believe you already know everything about Exavier and his brothers,” Mahini murmured in an awed voice. “Even after all this time, you still amaze me, Bash.”
“It hasn’t been that long, has it?” I’d lost count of how long it had been since I’d met the desert goddess because I’d lived through so many lifetimes thanks to my reset button.
“You accomplish much in very little time,” Elissa said. “I wanted to be your wife the moment I saw you, but I could never have imagined how wonderful it would truly be.”
“You say that now,” I chuckled. “But wait until you’re dealing with my baby and then see how much you like me.”
“With any luck, the child will have your temperament, Bash,” Mahini said, and she shot my wife a teasing glance. “I would feel sorry for Elissa if the babe inherits her fuse.”
“Hey, I’m not that bad,” Elissa pouted, and she stuck out her tongue at the desert goddess. “But I do hope our baby resembles Bash.”
“Can you imagine a little girl with Elissa’s eyes?” Caelia breathed with wide chocolate eyes. “Stunning.”
“Oh, shush.” My wife blushed beneath her freckles, and she waved a dismissive hand at the shopkeeper. “You’re too nice, Caels.”
Everyone proceeded to share hopes for mine and Elissa’s baby, and it made my heart swell two sizes bigger to hear how eager everyone was to meet mini me. We drank, joked, and laughed until late into the night, but then my wife began to yawn as she cradled her belly, so I ushered everyone out the tavern door.
We headed back to the Pilgrim Inn, and the jokes continued as we traversed the streets of Kassar. Once we arrived at our rooms, everyone began to split up and go their separate ways, but Mahini pulled me to the side.
“Tonight was a lot of fun,” my warrior woman observed with a sly smile. “You’re incredible, Bash, truly.”
“That makes the two of us, beautiful,” I replied.
“I pale in comparison to your greatness, my beloved.” Mahini shook her head, but her piercing blue eyes were full of desire when they returned to my face. “Maybe… we could spend the rest of the night together… alone?”
“Oh, fuck, yeah.” A shit-eating grin spread across my face at her less than subtle suggestion.
I made a new save point before our activities grew more entertaining since I wanted the opportunity to experience it over and over again to my heart and cock’s content.
“Let’s go.” The desert goddess smiled coyly, and she took my hand before leading the way to the room. Her hips swayed seductively from side to side, and she glanced up at me while her tongue grazed against the edges of her lips.
My lips were on hers as soon as the door shut behind us, and my hands roved over her shapely curves to cup her ass cheeks in my palms.
“You’re so fucking sexy,” I murmured as I nibbled on her jaw, and I supported her head in my hands as I trailed my tongue down her throat. “I’m so glad you asked for a night alone with me.”
“Now that we are alone,” Mahini said, and her lips curled into a devilish grin. “I have one more request for you.”
“Name it.” I grinned, and my hands found their way to the curve of her back, so I pulled her hips tightly against mine. My bulge throbbed through my pants, and it was practically begging to be set free. “Your wish is my command.”
“I like it best when you’re… a little… rougher.” Mahini bit her bottom lip, and her eyelashes fluttered in a surprisingly feminine manner. “Would you mind, maybe, fucking me hard tonight?”
“Oh, hell, yes!” I growled with desire as I wrapped her in my arms. “I’ll take you any way you want me to, but it’s incredibly sexy for you to even ask.”
The desert goddess flung her arms around my neck, and her lips met mine once more. Her tongue roved freely, and she was a little more aggressive than usual.
I really liked it, if my rock-hard cock was any indication.
I slowly backed her toward the bed as I continued to explore her curves, and then the back of her shins bumped against the frame. Without asking permission, I pushed Mahini onto her ass, and she gasped as she bounced on the mattress. Then I pulled my shirt off over my head and kicked off my boots while I unfastened my pants.
“Take off your clothes,” I commanded without taking my eyes off the desert beauty laying on the bed before me. “Slowly.”
Mahini hopped up onto her knees, and the blue-eyed babe crossed her arms over her chest to grab either side of her shirt. She lifted the fabric at a tantalizingly slow speed, and my mouth watered as more and more of her tan skin was revealed.
“Now the pants,” I said. “But turn around first so I can watch your ass slide out.”
Mahini’s cheeks flushed a rosy hue, but she repositioned herself obediently.
The idea of the stoic warrior woman wanting me to be more aggressive with her already had me turned on beyond belief, but my desire was amped up to a thousand as her leather pants slid deliciously slowly off her hips.
“I’m yours.” The desert goddess bent over with her pants around her thighs, and her perfectly-shaped butt wiggled in the air. “Take me, Bash.”
“And I am yours,” I said before I rewarded her with a couple of sharp spanks across her ass cheeks.
“Mmm,” Mahini purred. “I like that.”
The skin reddened where my hand had been, and I rubbed her cheeks gently. Mahini leaned into my touch, and she arched her back like a cat wanting attention, which caused her ass to stick even further into the air.
“I can tell.” I spanked my obsidian-haired lover a few more times, and she moaned with each well-aimed connection of hand to flesh. Then I caressed her with a feather light touch, and goosebumps erupted across her flesh.
My fingers drifted toward her well of pleasure, and I wasn’t surprised to find Mahini dripping wet already. I slid against her clit with my thumb, and she inhaled sharply. Her pussy was like an oasis in the desert, and it drew me in like a flower attracting a bee.
I spread her ass cheeks apart while I buried my face in her crevice, and I licked her from bottom to top in one fluid motion.
“Oh, fuck!” Mahini gasped, and she pressed her hips backward, which drove my tongue even further inside her slit.
I wiggled my tongue in a circle, and then I began to thrust in and out of her. Mahini wiggled beneath me, and she leaned into my touch while I held her in place.
I could feel the tension deep inside of her building in intensity, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before she climaxed. I growled with the urge to taste her juices and let them drip down my chin, and I attacked her pussy with the fervor of a starved man eating his first meal in days.
“Oh, Bash…” Mahini moaned, and her skin shivered with pleasure as an orgasm shook every muscle in her body.
“You’re mine,” I growled.
Her wetness washed over me, and I lapped it up greedily, but before her climax subsided, I gripped my cock and repositioned myself behind her. Then I grabbed her ass cheeks and pulled them apart until the lips of her pussy separated, and my cock instantly surged toward her dripping opening.
I wrapped a fist in her shoulder-length obsidian locks, and I pulled backward until her head was facing the ceiling. As her back arched, and her pussy pulsated, I slid inside her until my tip rubbed against her cervix.
“Fffuck!” Mahini practically screamed, and my blood quickened at the sound.
“Say my name.” I pulled back only to slam into her, and the sound of skin slapping against skin filled the air.
“Bash!” Mahini gasped. “Oh, Bash! Yes, just like that.”
The tension in my body began to build to an unbearable level, and I took a few calming breaths to regain control.
“You belong to me…” My voice was husky with lust, and my focus was razor sharp as I fucked Mahini as hard and as fast as I could. Her ass cheeks bounced with each stroke, and the sensation was amazing. “This pussy belongs to me. Forever.”
I could feel her pulsating around the shaft of my cock like she was massaging me, and I worked the muscle in my jaw as I held on to my last sane thoughts.
“I… am… yours,” Mahini said between thrusts. “Forever! Please, Bash, fill me with your seed…”
“Mahini!” I gasped out as the tension broke in an explosion of euphoria, and I gripped her ass tightly in both fists while I emptied my load deep inside her wet pussy. My body spasmed through aftershocks, but the desert goddess wasn’t helping matters by wiggling her curvy little ass around.
All the energy was drained from my body, and the two of us collapsed in a sweaty heap on top of the bedspread, but I gave zero fucks.
“You’re amazing, Bash,” Mahini murmured from beside me, and she rolled over to snuggle up against my bare chest. “You always give me exactly what I want.”
“Just watch.” I grinned. “Next time, you won’t even have to ask.”
“Next time we make love?” Mahini blinked up at me.
“During my next attempt, my beloved,” I explained. “I’m going to go back in time and fuck you all over again, but the next time will be even better than the first.”
“H-H-How is that even possible?” Mahini frowned. “Is this part of your powers?”
The desert goddess gazed up at me with the most confused expression, I was afraid her brain was going to hurt from the strain, so I chuckled to myself, squeezed her tightly, and then reset.
Chime.
The door closed behind us, and Mahini’s lips were on mine with a fiery passion I had almost forgotten about. Her tongue explored my mouth with an urgency, but I opened myself to her eagerly.
This time, I paused to ask if we could be rougher, and Mahini’s ice-blue eyes practically melted.
“I was going to-- Never mind.” Mahini shook her head in awe. “You never cease to amaze me, Bash. Every single day you get more incredible.”
“You should see me on my bad days.” I smirked. “Now, take off your clothes nice and slow for me.”
“Yes, Bash,” Mahini purred, and she pranced into the center of the room.
The desert goddess was once again obedient and eager to please, but I used this opportunity to play around with my techniques. I wasn’t satisfied with just spanking her and fucking hard when I knew she wanted it rough, so I practiced over and over again until I got it just right.
The sound of the chimes echoed in my ears long after it had ceased its ringing, and it created an interesting backdrop for the noises Mahini and I were making. With every run through, I got better at predicting what she wanted me to do to her, and her moans grew louder. Soon, I was worried about waking the others up, but I knew they wouldn’t mind the music of love playing through the walls.
I was reminded that my blood-bonded warrior woman liked more animalistic and passionate sex, and her growls of pleasure encouraged me to up the ante each time. After a while, I added bites, scratches, and mild choking to the mix, and I was rewarded with the feeling of Mahini spasming through orgasm after orgasm.
I reset for a final time to put all the pieces together, and I kissed Mahini at the same time so her cherry sundae flavor lingered on my lips while the chime rang in my ears.
This time, I didn’t pause our kissing to discuss how rough we were going to be, and when Mahini tried to ask me herself, I pressed a finger across her lips.
“Shh,” I said. “I already know.”
Then I wrapped one hand around her throat exactly the way she liked, and her mouth fell open in surprise.
“I love you, Bash,” Mahini said, and her blue eyes filled with emotion. Before the tears could spill over, however, I seized her mouth in a passionate kiss and walked her backward toward the bed.
I ripped off her clothes myself, spanked her ass until she was crying out in pleasure, and then slid my cock inside her slippery entrance without preamble. While we’d both enjoyed the run throughs where I ate her pussy, that wasn’t exactly what she was wanting, so eventually I cut it from the mix. I still reached around to rub my fingers against her clit while I fucked her from behind, but that was only when she started to beg for my seed.
A couple of hours, and countless orgasms later, Mahini and I laid in a sweaty, tangled, exhausted pile. It was the closest thing to a coma I could probably experience without actually being injured, and it took my final ounce of energy to make a new save point before I fell asleep.
I definitely wanted to lock that session into the books forever.
Mahini slept like the dead all night long, but she was predictable as ever, and she was awake before the sun rose the next day. She was wearing her traveling clothes, and my eyes flicked to the door where our bags were neatly stacked.
“Ready to go?” I chuckled.
“It is time to continue our mission.” Mahini nodded.
“I can’t wait.” I grinned.
A short while later, my companions and I were leading our horses away from Kassar into the desert again. I had to squint to see through the bright sun reflecting off the pale sand, and I quickly realized none of us were dressed appropriately for the terrain, so I decided to reset back to my save point in order to prepare better.
Chime.
Before leaving town, we bought long, loose-fitting tunics in colorful designs, and I purchased scarves for us to wrap around our heads. We could have blended right in with the locals, but they were the ones who were familiar with the climate, so I trusted their choice in attire.
I also purchased some coconuts from a street vendor on our way out for their multiple uses. Flashes from Cast Away played in my mind’s eye, but it helped entertain me during the time spent riding through boring landscapes.
Aramore was a three days’ ride away, but it was halfway between Kassar and Edinburg Manor, so it was a good destination to pick next. We wouldn’t lose any time even if we didn’t find Evyn, but Edinburg was only getting stronger the more time we spent on the road, so I set a fairly brisk pace.
We started a schedule of riding until the intolerable mid-day heat began to beat down upon us, and then we would strike camp and hide inside our tents until the desert cooled. The routine worked well with Elissa’s morning sickness, as well, and everyone adjusted without complaints.
At long last, the walls of the port city of Aramore came into view, and we all let out sighs of relief at the sight of the oasis. A bath sounded like a pipe dream after being covered in dust from head to toe for days, but I decided getting clean was my number one priority.
The guards didn’t attempt to stop us as we made our way past the open gates, and the sound of the waves slapping against the dock was the only thing that greeted us.
I made a new save point as the walls of the city fell behind us, and we followed the new looking cobblestone street down a slight incline. The road rounded a corner, but it looked like the main way through town, so we continued to follow it. There wasn’t a single person in sight anywhere, and it was close to the middle of the day, so the streets should have been busy.
Where did everyone go?
“Do you hear that?” Ako asked as his ears rotated to face the east. “There’s something going on up ahead.”
“What is it?” I frowned as I focused my ears, but I didn’t hear anything. The cat-man must have super strong hearing or something.
“Let’s go find out, shall we?” Ako waggled his eyebrows at me.
“Absolutely,” I chuckled.
Ako clicked his tongue to his horse, and then he took the lead. We all followed him down the street and around the corner, but once we were facing the east, I heard the noise.
It was like a dull vibration, and I noticed the glass window panes on the buildings we passed were shaking. As we drew closer, the sound changed ever so slightly, and I realized it was people yelling.
The sound was a multitude of voices all chanting, “kill him.”
What the fuck was going on?
“Giddyup,” I commanded as I nudged my heels against Goliath’s flanks, and the massive warhorse leapt forward into a fast run.
My horse skidded around another corner, and his hooves slipped over the brand-new cobblestones of the street, but we managed to keep enough traction to move forward. As I gazed at the end of the road, I saw a line of blurry forms creating a wall across the path. When I got a little closer, I realized they were people, and they were all screaming at the top of their lungs.
“Out of my way!” I yelled over the noise of the crowd. “Let me through.”
A few people heard me and jumped out of the way of Goliath’s hooves, but others were slower to get the message. I managed not to trample anyone, though, and a few moments later, I broke through the crowd to an opening.
Standing before me was a circle of soldiers wearing Edinburg’s crest and a tall man in a thick fur cloak. The cloaked man had curly blond hair, a bushy beard, and a hooked bird-like nose I recognized instantly.
It was Evyn Edinburg.
My luck couldn’t have gotten any better, he was exactly the man I was looking for.
Now, the God of Interrogation could strike again for the very first time.