The warriors followed.

The rain fell.

And I lay in bed in the tent, listening to the drops slap against the cham and I tried to do as my husband ordered – rest and sleep.

But all that filled my head was the beautiful, tragic bride of a monster saying a word she did not know but a word I knew in my soul she understood, “Rainbow.”

And I hoped she was over it, her spirit now inhabiting a wonderful world.

* * * * *

I woke when Lahn’s arms shifted me into his body.

Sleepily, I lifted my face to his and my eyes fluttered open.

“Is all well?” I whispered.

“Yes, my golden doe, now sleep.”

I nodded but kept my face tipped to his as his moved closer to mine.

And then when his lips pressed against mine, groggy and not thinking, mine parted.

And the instant they did, his tongue swept inside.

It felt great and he tasted even better.

My body snuggled closer to his as I drowsily offered my mouth to my husband, he accepted, his arms growing tight around me and he drank deep.

When he ended the kiss I felt his lips move against mine as I heard the rough, whispered words, “Golden honey.”

I mumbled, “Mm,” dipped my chin and tucked my face in Lahn’s throat.

Then I fell asleep in his strong, tight arms.

Chapter Twenty-One

The Golden Goddess

“Wake, my queen,” I heard Lahn’s voice, my eyes fluttered open but before I was fully awake, he plucked me out of bed, planted my ass in his lap, knees bent, one arm circling my calves and waist, the other hand sifting in my hair from the neck up.

I focused drowsily on his handsome face and whispered, “Hey.”

Then I watched his eyes smile as he whispered back, “Hey.”

I was pretty sure my eyes smiled too mainly because I knew my mouth did it. Then his gaze dropped to my mouth, his eyes grew heated and his head bent.

I was registering the heat in his eyes when he murmured against my lips, “Your king wants your golden honey.”

A vague memory of the night before filtered into my brain and I didn’t hesitate before I parted them in invitation and immediately felt Lahn’s tongue sweep inside.

Nope. It wasn’t a dream I had last night. My husband could kiss.

My arms slid around his shoulders as he dropped back then twisted, my back hit bed and Lahn’s body hit mine; all the while we kissed, our tongues dancing. He shifted and I knew what that shift meant, my legs parted, his h*ps fell between and his hand went to the ties on one side of his hides.

Seconds later, his tongue plundering my mouth, his c**k slowly invaded me.

I moaned into his mouth.

Oh, this was good.

He started moving, slowly, his sweet strokes unhurried, his mouth never leaving mine.

No, this was good.

His lips finally moved to trail down my cheek to my ear as I lifted my knees and pressed my thighs to his sides to take him deeper and held on tight with my arms.

“My golden queen commands the heavens,” he whispered in my ear, I turned my head to ask what he was talking about but he turned his head too, his mouth came back to mine and my question evaporated as all thought moved to his mouth, his weight, his heat, his cock… him.

His eyes were open as his tongue slid back into my mouth and I felt my belly plummet, my limbs tense, my lungs burn as I saw it, I saw it, golden, shimmering, bright and brutal and deep… God, so deep in his eyes.

But I saw it.

My hand slid up into his hair to keep his head to mine so I wouldn’t lose it as he kissed me, made love to me and showed me his spirit.

I’d never seen anything like it and it… was… beautiful.

With nothing but kisses, light touches and slow, sweet, deep strokes, Lahn built the fire until I had to let his spirit go so I could close my eyes with my cl**ax, my moan drowned in his mouth.

Mere seconds later, not yet fully recovered from my own orgasm, my mouth received the gift of his groan.

Once he recovered, his lips swept my cheeks, my eyes then his face disappeared in my neck.

I held him tight and stared at the roof of the cham, not able to stop myself from feeling moved that he showed me his spirit, something so precious to him, something he kept safe, something he did not share and further not able to stop myself from being dazzled by the display.

Shit.

I pulled in a breath, turned my head and, mouth at his ear, I whispered, “You’re a natural at this kissing business.”

His head came up and his eyes came to mine, the shimmer gone but his gaze was warm.

“Natural?”

My hand slid to cup his jaw. “Have you ever kissed a woman, my king?” I asked my question softly in Korwahk.

His eyes held mine in a way it felt like he was trying to read me before he grunted his clearly guarded negative admission of, “Me.”

I was his first.

He’d given that to no one else. He’d given it only to me.

Shit. I liked that.

I smiled at him. “Well, you’re good at it,” I said softly in English. “A natural.” He stared at me so I lifted my head two inches, my lips a breath from his where I whispered, “Kay anhay tee.” I paused then finished with emphasis, “Chah.”

I liked it… a lot.

I watched again as his eyes smiled.

Then they grew intense and he whispered back, “Kah rahna tunakanahsa Pahnsahnalla.”

I blinked.

This was new. He called me, my golden warrior goddess.

“What?” I asked then in Korwahk, “Tela?”

Instead of answering, he pulled out, rolled and sat up, taking me with him so I was straddling him. His hand cupping my head tipped mine down and his arm around my waist squeezed tight.

Then he said in Korwahk (most of which I caught, some of which I guessed), “I am sorry, my tigress, but you have a difficult choice this morning. Either you attend the pyre or you do not. It is your choice but I urge you to watch the ashes of Dortak’s bride drift to the heavens.”

All thoughts of what Lahn called me flew from my head.

Last night, I attended an execution slash suicide. This morning, a funeral.

Fantastic.

It must be said, sometimes this queen business sucked.

My eyes slid to his ear and I whispered in Korwahk, “I will go.”

“Lahnahsahna,” he called and I looked back at him. “This is not the easy choice,” he told me then gave me a squeeze. “But it is the right one.”

It was way cool he understood and even cooler that he seemed proud of me.

I didn’t tell him that. Instead, I sighed then I nodded.