Ch 64: The Fires Of Passion & Protection

The most passionate depiction of lovemaking that can be remembered in the history of all time, paled in comparison to the union of Astasha and Calder upon their engagement. It was neither frantic, nor slow, gentle, nor aggressive. It was the perfect balance of all things, just as their souls were the perfect balance of each other. And it seemed to go on for eternity.

Astasha’s senses were alive, as if they were entities of their own. The smell of Calder’s skin, like a blanket of aroma, warm and comforting… the sound of his breath in her ear as he whispered her name, like a symphony of music from the Gods. The taste of his lips as their tongues danced together, the sweetest of temptations, and the feel of his body against hers, like silk over the most sensitive of flesh. And as she opened her eyes to look at him, his face, the most enamoring thing of beauty she had ever witnessed.

The way he moved within her was almost torture, each thrust of his hips, a shock of sensations coursing through her body. His eyes followed his hand as it trailed down, from her face, over her breast, making her gasp with pleasure, down to her waist.

“In all the ages and all the lands, I shall never set my gaze on anything as beautiful as you.” He uttered as he admired every inch of her. “I want to share something with you.” He added sitting up, still buried inside her.

Bringing his hand to his chest, he closed his eyes, and Astasha watched as blue flames began to coil around it from his scar. Returning his gaze to her, he gathered the tendrils in his palm and leaned closer to her.

“If ever you are in doubt of my love for you, I want you to remember this.” He whispered, before touching his hand to her heart.

There was a surge of emotions and images that overwhelmed her mind and senses, taking her breath away, all relating to the moment she had said yes to her Prince, and agreed to become his Queen. Seeing herself though his eyes, feeling the bursting of joy and love and desperate fulfillment in that moment, it was almost too much to bare.

As Calder came back into focus, a tear ran down Astasha’s cheek.

“Cal…” her voice was barely audible.

“Now maybe you can understand why I would sacrifice everything for you. Why I would do anything for you. And why you’ve made me the luckiest and happiest man the world around.”

There were no words she could speak, so instead she flung her arms around his neck and kissed him fervently.

Pulling herself up, she wrapped her legs around his waist, sitting in his lap, their bodies intertwined, and slowly began rocking her hips, Calder moving in tandem with her.

She focused on everything she had felt for him, everything she loved about him, every memory she cherished, each moment they had shared. She could feel each one, a tendril of flame, as it wound its way out of her, and she willed it to wrap around her Prince, like a lover’s embrace. And with each sway of their bodies, she slowly wove her blanket of passion and protection around him.

As she began to climb to the pinnacle, she could feel him with her, clinging to the edge. Wanting to see his face, her eyelids fluttered open. He was glowing with amber light, engulfed in her power. His eyes met hers and she uttered the last words of the spell and let herself fall, watching as the magic enveloped her soulmate, sending him into bliss with her.

They clung to one another, panting, and covered in a sheen of sweat, as the last of Astasha’s shield melded with Calder’s skin.

His face nuzzled into her neck and she wrapped her arms around him, lacing her fingers through his hair.

“Is that really how you feel about me?” He whispered finally.

She nodded slowly. “All that and more.”

“Good.” He said with a sigh. There was a small smirk on his lips as he pulled his face back to look at her. “I’d hate to think I had misjudged things when I proposed.”

A smile and a laugh came from Astasha in response as she shook her head. “After everything, how could you ever doubt it?”

She brought her mouth to his in a tender kiss as his fingers began to trail lightly over her skin.

“I feel like I could conquer anything right now.” He said, resting his chin on her head as he cradled her in his arms.

Just like this, wrapped in Cal’s embrace, basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking, was where Tasha wanted to stay for the rest of eternity.

She breathed him in as they stayed entangled together, lost in time with one another. Finally, Calder broke the silence. “Are you as famished as I am?”

Astasha chuckled lightly. “Now that you mention it, I am. But that would require moving, and I want to stay like this as long as I can.”

He kissed the top of her head. “Such a predicament. But I do believe I have a solution.” Slowly, he began to untangle himself from her which was met with a groan. “Don’t worry, I’ll only be a moment.” He wrapped a fur around her in his place and slipped off the bed, grabbing his trousers from the ground and pulling them on.

Exiting the tent, she could hear muffled voices and hearty laughter, and it dawned on Astasha that Talib had been standing guard through their entire coupling. Heat rose in her cheeks as she buried her face in the pelt. Goddess, they truly did lose all thought of the outside world when they were alone together.

A moment later, Calder returned and she peaked out from her cover. “Sustenance shall be here soon my love.” He said making his way back to the bed.

“Was the Captain just outside the entire time?”

The Prince let out a laugh. “Well, not right outside, he knew well enough to step slightly away while being close enough to protect the entrance.”

“Oh Gods.” She replied hiding her face again.

Joining her, he scooped her into his arms. “Don’t worry, he might chide us in private but Talib would never be indiscreet around anyone else.”

While she knew he was right, it didn’t save her the embarrassment of realizing their lovemaking had been anything but private, and she gave him a look that said just as much.

“That truly doesn’t help.”

He laughed again and pulled her closer, resting her head against his chest. “He’s just happy for us.”

“You told him?”

She could feel him nod. “And tomorrow we will tell the rest.”

Agreeing to marry him she knew meant that eventually, their secret would truly be common knowledge, and with it, risk and resentment, but so soon, with battle not far ahead… She sat up with every intention of dissuading him. “Cal—“

But he shook his head. “No, no more hiding Tasha. I’m tired of lurking in shadows with you, unable to show my feelings or say what I really feel. I’ve tasted freedom here, and I refuse to lock you and our relationship away again.” He gently took her chin in his hand and turned her face to his. “Future Queens are to be celebrated, not tucked away in shame.”

“We already don’t know what enemies are among us Cal. We’re facing a threat more dangerous than we can understand, we can’t risk causing turmoil amongst our own army.”

A smile spread across his lips and she cocked her head in confusion. This wasn’t a topic she found particularly pleasant.

“Our army.”

She shook her head. “What?”

The smile grew as he answered. “You said ‘our army’, I could get used to hearing that.”

Of all the things for him to have focused on…

This, this was one of the reasons she couldn’t help but love him. In all the darkness, he always found the light, even if it was the tiniest of rays.

She sighed in defeat. “Yes, our army.”

He swooped down and kissed her, catching her off guard. His hand trailed over her skin and she realized she would never have enough of him.

But he pulled away with a deep breath leaving her wanting more. “As much as I want exactly the same thing as you, I don’t fancy the idea of anyone else seeing you naked, especially Talib.”

Of course. The food.

Calder got up and walked over to where the clothes that had been gifted to her sat. Looking through them, he picked up a fur cloak and returned to the bed, wrapping it gently around her, covering her exposed skin.

“I love you Tasha.” He said as he finished.

“And I love you.”

“Alright you two, I’m coming in so you better be decent or I’m gauging my eyes out!”

Talib’s voice came from right outside the entrance and Astasha couldn’t help but laugh.

“Yes, yes, we’re fucking decent.” Said Calder rolling his eyes.

A moment later, the Captain entered carrying a tray laden with a hunk of meat and bread.

“If I’d have known I’d be playing servant to the future King and Queen I’d have cut and run a long time ago!” He said with a wink in Astasha’s direction.

“I wouldn’t have blamed you.” She responded with a smile. “Thank you Captain.”

Calder walked over to grab the food from him. “Come now, we all know you wouldn’t make it a day before running back to check on us.”

“Mmmm, you think so aye?” He chuckled and turned his attention to the sorceress. “I hear congratulations are in order, although, I think an apology is better suited saying yes to this man.”

“I guess only time will tell.” She shrugged.

“Aren’t you supposed to be making sure no one tries to kill us?” Calder playfully pushed his friend toward the door.

“Once word reaches that prick Alaric, you’ll need more than me to protect you.”

She knew he was making jest, but it was a serious thing to consider all the same, and the light atmosphere suddenly became thick with worry.

“We’ll take our enemies one at a time.” Said Calder calmly. “For now, we need to find a way to protect our soldiers from one that we don’t even know how to kill.”

Talib nodded solemnly. “If what I witnessed of that demon bitch is anything to go by, we’re going to need some seriously powerful spell work from our sorcerers.”

And then something clicked in Astasha’s mind.

“I think I might have an idea.” She said.

Both men turned to look at her.

“I’ll take anything you’ve got.” Said the Captain.

Tasha’s eyes moved to the Prince. “That piece of shit demon gave us the answer without even realizing it. The most powerful magic…”

She could feel the realization dawn on her love. “Powerful enough to release a demon, and trap it.”

Hope trickled into her as Astasha nodded.

“What the fuck are you two talking about?” Talib was looking between the two of them in complete confusion.

Calder turned to him with a smile. “I believe your future Queen just solved all of our problems.”


**Author's Note:** *Hello Lovelies! I'm sorry I haven't updated in awhile. I've been working to get my story up on more sites to really broaden its exposure and it took up a lot of my time. I'll be posting on here once a week until I get caught up, so thank you in advance for the patience! Love & Light Everyone!*