The Quest for the Heart Orb (20 page)

“Perfectly,” Kapia said, careful not to look at her brother.  While she had no problem discussing sex with Karma or even Bredon, she was only slightly less embarrassed by Zakiel’s presence than he was.  “I’m in complete agreement with you, Karma, on this matter, as well as your other conditions, and I’m sure that Bredon will be too.  You have my solemn promise to adhere to them faithfully.”

Zakiel relaxed at Kapia’s forthright agreement.  “If you become engaged, we will revisit these rules.  Agreed?”

“Of course,” Kapia said.  Then, for the first time since entering the tent, she smiled.  “Thank you, both of you, for understanding.  And for loving me so much.  I know this isn’t easy for you, Zakiel, and I’m sorry for that.”

“The most difficult part of this for me is accepting that my baby sister is a woman, and that is not something you need to apologize for,” Zakiel said.  “As you said, this is the Orb Quest, and the danger to all of us each and every day is all too real.  I cannot deny you and Bredon the chance to grab a few moments of happiness while you can.”

Kapia leaned over and hugged Zakiel tightly for a long moment, relieved when he returned the hug tightly.  Then she rose to her feet, offered Karma a brilliant smile, and left their tent, her step far lighter than it had been when she arrived.  As soon as she was gone Zakiel turned to his wife.

“Why hasn’t Bredon asked her to marry him?”

“I don’t know,” Karma replied, frowning.  “Bredon loves Kapia as much as she loves him.  There can be no doubt of that.  Do you have any ideas?”

“Maybe he wants to wait until he can ask my father for permission,” Zakiel said.  “Bredon has always been a stickler for following the rules.  I’m very surprised that he’s willing to risk Kapia’s reputation, much less his own.  Just between us though, I can’t say I blame him for it after all they’ve been through.”

“I don’t think he had much choice,” Karma said. 

“You think this was Kapia’s idea?”

“Without a doubt,” Karma said, smiling.  “I’m proud of her.”

“You’re proud of her for wanting to destroy her reputation?”

“No, love,” Karma said.  “I’m proud of her for having the courage to reach for what she wants while it’s here for the taking in spite of what anyone else might think about it.”

***

After dinner Kapia went into her chamber and freshened up.  Caral brushed her hair until it gleamed, and she changed into a fresh skirt and blouse, leaving the pants off, but taking her staff.  Then she put on her cloak and left the women’s tent.  She’d asked Caral to find out exactly where Bredon’s tent was, so instead of wandering around the camp, she walked straight to the far side of the central fire to the first small tent set a few yards back from those around it.  She paused outside, biting her lip nervously.  She forced herself to stop, sucked in a nervous breath, and scratched at the flap of canvas covering the entrance.  “Bredon, are you here?”

The flap over the entrance was pulled back almost immediately, and Bredon stepped outside.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Of course,” Kapia said.  “But I’d like to talk for a few minutes first.  Can we take a little walk around the camp?”

“As you wish,” Bredon replied.  “Let me get my cloak.”  Kapia nodded, then watched him duck back inside.  She caught herself biting her lip again and released it just as Bredon rejoined her.  He offered his arm and she took it, letting him guide them.

“Did you speak with Zakiel?”

“I did,” Kapia said.  “Him and Karma both, in fact.” 

“How did it go?”

Kapia told him about the meeting she’d had, and the first two conditions she’d agreed to.  “There’s one final condition,” she said when she was finished.  “Karma was adamant that I not do anything that could end in pregnancy, and I swore that I wouldn’t.”

“I also swear to abide by her conditions,” Bredon said without hesitation.

“Thank you,” she said, then deliberately brightened her tone.  “You asked me for a chance to talk in private, and I’ve provided it.  I’d like to hear whatever you wanted to say.”

“I would prefer to show you, rather than tell you,” Bredon said, his voice deepening.  “If you’re agreeable, of course.”

“I am,” Kapia said, glad that it was too dark for Bredon to see her cheeks.  He turned them around immediately and guided her back toward his tent.  “Bredon, I know that my behavior today has been very bold, but please don’t take that to mean I have much knowledge on this subject.”

“Don’t worry,
surna
,” Bredon said softly.  “I will not push you, and I swear that we’ll stop at the precise moment you ask me to.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, surprised by the depth of her relief.

“Tell me, when you imagine us together, what is it we’re doing?”

“Kissing,” Kapia said.  “The way we kissed when you returned.”

“Nothing more?”

“No,” Kapia said with a heavy sigh.  “It seems I’m incapable of imagining something that I haven’t actually seen or experienced.  I’ve seen Zakiel and Karma kiss like that, so I could imagine you and I doing it.  But, even after Karma shared her knowledge with me, I couldn’t actually imagine it.”

“This is why you want memories,” Bredon said, understanding a little better than he had.

“In part, yes,” Kapia said.  “If I never see you, or touch you, or feel you, then I can never dream of it.  And I will regret it forever.”

“As would I,” Bredon said.  Then he grinned.  “Even though I have a very vivid imagination, I will be more than pleased to have memories over fantasies.”  He stopped in front of his tent and pulled the flap aside.  She entered and he followed, letting the flap drop behind him, secure in the knowledge that no one would dare enter his tent without his express invitation.

He helped Kapia with her cloak and gloves, then gestured for her to sit while he removed his own.  She sat on one of two cushions pulled close to the firepot and looked around.  This tent was much smaller than the women’s tent, and had only one chamber.  But it was cozy, warm, and private.  She saw Bredon’s bedroll near one wall, and a few baskets here and there containing his belongings.  She watched silently while he removed his weapons and placed them carefully on a stand within easy reach. 

“Would you like something to drink?” he offered. 

“Not right now, thank you,” she replied.  Bredon sat cross legged on the cushion close beside hers, then opened the screen on the firepot and tended the fire.  Then he closed the screen, and turned his full attention to Kapia.

“It’s so odd to have you here,” he said in a low voice that wouldn’t carry beyond the walls of the tent.  “I’ve dreamt of it for so long that it feels like reality is the dream.”

Kapia smiled nervously.  “Now that I’m here, I’ve no idea what to do.”

“Then let me,” Bredon said.  He reached for her hands and tugged gently.  It took a few moments for her to understand what he wanted, but eventually she found herself across Bredon’s lap, his arm cradling her neck.  She’d never even seen a woman in a man’s lap before, so her face was all but bursting into flames as she tried to decide where to put her hands.  Then, Bredon lowered his mouth to hers and slipped his tongue between her lips.  She froze, her heart thumping loudly.   

Bredon was patient.  He traced her lips with his tongue, reminding her of their first real kisses a few days earlier.  When he felt her relax, he deepened the kiss, delving into her mouth, teasing her tongue with slow, careful strokes before retreating, then starting over again.  Kaia caught on quickly and was soon following his tongue back into his mouth.  She was rewarded with a deep, rumbling groan that thrilled her to her toes.  When he finally gave in and broke the kiss they were both gasping for air. 

“Tell me what you want, Kapia,” Bredon said. 

“What I want?” she asked, still panting. 

“Yes,” he said, placing light, teasing kisses along her jaw.  “Is there anything you’ve wished to experience above all else?”

“I want to touch you,” she whispered.

Bredon stilled, his heart skipping a beat before it began to pound so hard he wondered if she could hear it.  “You wish to touch me?” he clarified in a strained voice. 

“More than anything.” 

“I am yours to do with as you will,” he said, using his free hand to open the fastenings on his winter vest.  Kapia reached up with one hand and placed her palm on the center of his chest.  He closed his eyes, savoring the soft, hesitant touch of her hand against his bare flesh.  When he opened his eyes again, it was to see her smile as she raised her other hand to his neck.  Her cheeks were pink, her eyes half closed with desire, her lips red from his kisses.

He kissed her again, deeper this time, more demanding.  She moved restlessly in his lap, her hip brushing against his arousal in a tantalizing caress.  He reached for the hem of her skirt and raised it high enough that he could place his hand just above her ankle.  He waited, but Kapia gave no sign of resistance, so he slid his hand higher, groaning again at the silky feel of her leg beneath his hand.

Kapia slid her hands down his chest, then around to his back, exploring the ridges of muscle with her sensitive fingertips.  When Bredon’s hand moved up to her thigh it was all she could do not to dig her nails into him in anticipation.  He held the back of her head still in the palm of one hand as his tongue claimed her mouth with raw passion unlike anything she’d felt from him before.  She was so swept away in the heat of it that she barely noticed at first when his hand reached the seam between her thighs.  The light pressure of his fingers urged her to part her legs, and she did so without hesitation.  She moaned softly into his mouth as he ran his fingers through her curls, then dipped into her hot, moist folds.  He stroked something incredibly sensitive with his thumb, and her hips bucked.

Kapia broke the kiss with a gasp of surprised pleasure, her eyes wide.  Bredon smiled, then stroked her again, and again, setting up a slow, steady rhythm as he leaned down to kiss her neck, just below her ear.  When she moaned again, he nipped the delicate flesh, smiling again when she jerked in his arms. 

Kapia’s body tensed as the pleasure built and built until she sensed that something momentous was going to happen.  She arched against him, pressing herself helplessly against is hand in a silent plea for she knew not what.  Suddenly Bredon’s fingers slid inside of her while his thumb pressed against that small secret spot, and her pleasure exploded into a million bright fragments behind her eyes.  Bredon’s mouth captured her screams of pleasure even as he fed it with stronger, harder strokes.  When her orgasm faded, he lightened his touch, bringing her down gently. 

When her eyes opened again she felt almost sleepy she was so relaxed.  When he removed his hand from her and raised it to his mouth, licking her essence from his fingers, she shuddered as new heat flashed through her.  “You are so sweet, Kapia,” he said hoarsely.  “I cannot wait to put my mouth there and lick you into orgasm.” 

Kapia’s eyes widened in surprise, her belly tightening at the thought.  Then she noticed the strain around his mouth and eyes.  “Help me,” she whispered.

“Of course, love,” he said.  “What do you need?”

“To touch you, as you touched me,” she said.

Bredon stared into her eyes for a moment, then smiled tightly at the desire and curiosity he saw there.  “It would be my pleasure.”  He reached down to untie the laces of his pants, then reached inside to free himself from the soft leather.  She shifted in his lap so that she could see the heavy shaft that now rested between them.  She’d never seen a naked male, man, boy, or even infant.  If not for Karma’s unembarrassed and forthright explanations, she would have been quite shocked at the sight.  Instead she was fascinated.  She brushed her fingers over it lightly, surprised by its silky softness.  “What do I do?”

Bredon placed his hand over hers and gently wrapped her hand around his erection, then guided her so that she was soon stroking him in a steady up and down motion.  After a moment he removed his hand from hers and continued to watch, unable to tear his eyes from the sight of her hand on him.  “I’ve dreamed of this, Kapia,” he whispered.  “Your hand on me, stroking me, just like this.”

“You like this?”

“So much,” he groaned.  “Faster,
surna
, please.  Squeeze me harder.”

Kapia complied, her gaze torn between Bredon’s face, and his arousal, her own excitement rising quickly to match his.  They were both panting now, and she felt him move as though reaching for something, but she didn’t look up until he leaned down to kiss her again.  She parted her lips and surprised him by slipping her tongue into his mouth first.  Bredon’s entire body stiffened.  He tore his mouth from hers and groaned deeply, his arm tightening around her shoulders as his body shivered and shook, his other hand covering hers and squeezing as his hot flesh pulsed over and over in her hand.  She looked down and frowned when she saw that he’d covered himself with a cloth.  She wondered at that for a moment, until she realized why.  Then her cheeks heated again.  Bredon relaxed, and rested his head on her shoulder as he fought to catch his breath.  His hand relaxed around hers, so she released him and leaned her head against his chest. 

“Are you well?” Bredon asked, his voice rumbling against her ear.

“Yes, I am,” she said.  “You?”

Bredon’s shoulders shook with silent laughter.  “That was the single most exciting experience of my life, Kapia.”

“Then why are you laughing?”

“Because I’m a man,” he said.  “What we just did was exciting and beautiful and unforgettable and much more than I ever expected we’d share outside of marriage.  And yet, I still feel like a starving man denied a banquet after one small taste.”  Bredon’s breath caught.  “That reminds me of how very good you tasted,” he said, his voice deepening as he looked down at her with hot eyes.  “The next time we’re alone, I plan to thoroughly indulge myself.”

Kapia’s eyes widened, then narrowed.  “Are you teasing me?”

“Not even a little,” he replied.  “Does the idea shock you?”

“Yes, it does,” she said.  “But it makes me wonder, too.”