"Shh." I kissed her again, softly. "Tonight is for celebrating tomorrow's victory, not planning impossible futures. Let me hold you, let me love you, and let tomorrow bring what it will."
She settled against my chest, her warmth seeping into my bones, soothing aches I hadn't even known I carried. I stroked her hair, marveling at how something so simple could feel so profound.
"You're wrong, you know," she murmured against my skin. "About being earthbound. You soar in your own way, every time you fight. Every time you show them that their hatred can't touch your honor, your kindness."
I didn't answer, just held her closer. Outside, I could hear the celebrations continuing - shouts and laughter and music drifting down from the villa. But here in the quiet darkness, with my dragon in my arms, I had all the celebration I needed. She sighed, and I could feel her still tense, still thinking. I shifted position, gently pulling Livia's tunic over her head.
"Your turn," I murmured, guiding her to lie face-down on the straw.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Just close your eyes and trust me," I said, reaching for the bottle of oil she'd brought. I tipped some into my hands, rubbing them together to warm them. I started at her shoulders, working the tension from muscles that felt like knotted rope beneath my fingers. Gradually, I felt her begin to relax, though not completely - never completely. Like the dragon down the corridor, she was always alert, always ready.
Her skin told stories beneath my hands. A thin scar across her left shoulder blade - training accident, three years ago. The remnants of a whip mark curving around her ribs - punishment for some minor infraction. But between the marks of violence,she was soft as silk, pale in the torchlight except where the sun had kissed her skin. I worked my way down her back, admiring how the muscles shifted beneath my touch. She was built for fighting - strong, quick, lethal - but there was softness too, in the curve of her hips, the gentle swell of her stomach. The contrast fascinated me. Like everything else about her, she defied simple categorization.
A knot in her lower back made her tense. I worked it carefully, using my thumbs to ease the tension. "Breathe," I reminded her softly, and felt her exhale, forcing herself to relax. "That's it."
Her breathing deepened as I continued, becoming slow and regular. The worry lines around her eyes softened, though they didn't completely disappear. They never did. But for now, at least, she was here with me, allowing herself this moment of peace.
I traced the line of her spine, feeling each vertebra, marveling at how something so strong could also be so delicate. Like the rest of her - fierce and gentle, hard and soft, warrior and woman. My hands moved lower, working the muscles of her thighs where they were tight from fighting. A small sound escaped her - pleasure or pain, I couldn't tell.
"Too hard?" I asked, easing my pressure.
She shook her head against the straw. "Perfect," she murmured, voice heavy with relaxation.
I smiled, continuing my work. The oil made her skin gleam in the torchlight, highlighting every curve and plane. Another scar on her calf - this one I remembered. She'd gotten it protecting a younger fighter during a practice bout gone wrong. Always protecting others, my little dragon, even at a cost to herself. I began to work my way back up her other leg, kneading the taut muscles. As I reached the curve of her hip, Livia let out a soft sigh that sent a shiver through me. I hesitated, my fingers tracing lazy circles on her skin.
"Don't stop," she murmured, her voice husky.
Desire pooled in my belly as I continued my exploration. I ran my hands over the swell of her buttocks, admiring their perfect roundness. Livia shifted slightly, parting her legs in clear invitation. My cock hardened at the sight of her, so wet, and pink and inviting.
Gently, I let my fingers brush against her pussy.
She was already slick with arousal, and a small moan escaped her lips as I slid a finger inside her. Her ass lifted in the air, and I slid another finger inside, loving the sound she made as I did so. She was so hot, so tight around me. I began to move my fingers, curling them to hit that spot that made her whole body shudder.
I was new to all this, but I had yet to understand how some men took women like they were nothing more than their own hand. I’d seen Cato in the dining hall, seen the way he’d push a slave down onto the table, lift their tunic and force his way in. I could tell by the smug look on his face that it made him feel powerful, and I almost felt sorry for him. It hadn’t taken me long to realise that this was the ultimate power. Not to dominate by strength, but to see her come apart under the gentlest touch, to hear her moan my name, to beg for my cock rather than to endure it.
Sometimes I was more forceful, when she begged me to take her hard and fast, to drive everything from her mind except the reality of us together in that moment, but she didn’t need that tonight. Tonight I just wanted to worship her.
I leaned down, trailing kisses along her spine as my fingers continued their slow exploration. Livia arched into my touch, a soft whimper escaping her lips.
"Tarshi," she breathed, her voice thick with need. "Please..."
I knew what she wanted, but I wasn't ready to give it to her yet. Instead, I withdrew my fingers, eliciting a frustrated groan fromher. Before she could protest further, I gently turned her over onto her back.
Her eyes met mine, dark with desire. I took a moment to drink in the sight of her - flushed skin, heaving chest, lips parted in anticipation. She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.
Slowly, reverently, I kissed my way down her body. I lingered at her breasts, teasing each nipple with my tongue until they were hard peaks. Her hands rested on my shoulders, urging me lower. I obliged, trailing kisses down her stomach, across her hips. When I finally reached the apex of her thighs, I paused, looking up at her. Her eyes were half-closed, her breath coming in short gasps.
"Look at me," I murmured. She obeyed, her gaze locking with mine as I lowered my mouth to her pussy.
The first swipe of my tongue made her cry out, her back arching off the straw. I took my time, sliding my fingers slowly in and out, my tongue moving in slow, deliberate circles. Livia's breath came faster, her hips rocking against my hand, and I knew she was close. I took her just a little further, before pulling back.
Livia gasped as my fingers stilled inside her, and her eyes flew open. I leaned down to take one of her nipples in my mouth, sucking gently, feeling it harden against my tongue. Her hips pushed up, craving the release she’d been so near.
"You're torturing me," she breathed.
I smiled against her skin. "The best kind of torture," I murmured, moving to her other breast, before resuming my journey back down between her legs. I was obsessed with her. The sight, the scent, the taste of her, I savoured all as my tongue danced around her clit.
