Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
ORTHORR
I knew I needed to get up and clean up the mess, but Cedric held so tightly to me, I assumed he needed a moment.
Sliding my hands underneath him, I wrapped my arms around him, turning my face to bury my nose in his hair.
My heart still thundered in my ears and fatigue dragged at my senses.
I hadn’t come that hard in years. I hadn’t realized how much it would take out of me to do so.
“Ravsol?” I murmured when he tightened his grip around my shoulders just a little more. “Are you alright?”
“Mm.”
His grip on me meant I couldn’t sit up to look at him without taking away his comfort, but I worried perhaps I’d gone too far.
I told him I’d take it slow for him, I thought I was reading him well enough, but perhaps I was wrong.
I shouldn’t have pushed so soon. He’d only experienced his first kiss a few hours earlier. Dragging him into my bed was too quick.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have–”
He jolted, finally releasing me so I could look up at him. “Sorry for what? That was amazing, Orthorr. You have nothing to be sorry for.”
Pressing my lips together, I shifted to lean on one elbow so I could stroke my fingers through his hair and along his jaw. “Then why do you cling to me, ravsol? I worried I upset you.”
He shook his head, his cheeks turning red, and his eyes avoiding mine as he admitted, “I was worried if I let go, I’d wake up, and it would have all been a dream. It feels like a dream. My life has never been this amazing. I’m afraid if I don’t hold onto it, it’ll all disappear.”
My heart twisted at his confession, and I gathered him close again, rolling us onto our sides so I didn’t crush him with my weight. When I tucked his head under my chin, he made a happy noise, melting against my chest.
“If it is a dream, then we are dreaming together. I would not wish to wake if it weren’t real.”
He groaned, rubbing his face against me. “And you’re a romantic, too? How am I supposed to resist that?”
I chuckled, lifting his chin to press a soft kiss against his lips. “Don’t resist, my ravsol. Just let me cherish you as you deserve.”
He let out another soft happy sound, and when I kissed him again, his fingers wrapped around my wrist, keeping me from releasing him. I didn't move away until I was sure he knew it wasn’t a dream, and the intimate moment we shared together was real.
I’d heard my clan brothers complain enough to know I couldn’t let us fall asleep with our release still on our skin, so after Cedric started to drift off, I moved away long enough to grab a cloth and some water to clean him up.
He huffed a sleepy laugh when I wiped his belly, squirming a little, and opened his eyes just enough to give me an accusing look.
“You’re tickling me,” he murmured.
“I’m sorry, ravsol. I was trying to be gentle. Go back to sleep.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose on your space–”
“I’m sure,” I reassured him, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Get some rest.”
He sighed, melting into the bedding, and soft snores told me he was asleep moments later.
I smiled at the sleeping man in my bed, silently thanking Tessa for knocking sense into me.
I could practically see her smug smile as I closed my eyes.
She would definitely say she told me so if she had the chance.
“Clan leader! An urgent message has arrived!”
The call yanked me out of sleep. I sat up suddenly, frowning at the sunlight beating on the side of my tent already. I must have slept in. I hadn’t done so in many years.
My sharp movements must have woken Cedric as well because he blinked up at me sleepily, his brows drawn together in confusion. “What’s going on?”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “Stay here. I’ll look into it.”
I slipped out of bed, dressed quickly, and stepped out just as a clan brother from Clan Velgraz sent his bird into the sky again, a small roll of paper in his hand that he offered to me when I came to join him.
“This arrived just this morning. The bird is Tyos’s. He was with Uttin’s company. The color means it's urgent.”
Unrolling the scroll, I carefully read the common tongue words written in Uttin’s rough handwriting. Neither of us was fluent in the common tongue, but our people didn’t have the written word until Finn arrived.
“They are being blocked by the king’s knights. We need to alert King Zohaib.”
“I can send a runner,” the Velgraz brother offered, but I stopped him with a raised hand.
“No. He will need to hear from me directly. He will have questions.” I turned, searching the crowd until my eyes landed on one of the children of the clan who stood nearby.
I crooked a finger at him, kneeling enough to speak on his level.
“Go find Godr. Tell him I will need my stallion. I will bring two others with me. Do this now.”
He nodded sharply and took off toward the makeshift field we’d constructed for the stallions. Tavik and Saneth, who’d overheard me, followed him, already preparing to join me for the journey.
“Orthorr? Is everything alright?”
Cedric’s cautious tone drew my attention, and I turned to find him peeking out from my tent, a worried frown on his face.
My gut tightened at the thought of leaving him behind so soon after we had decided to spend more time together.
I found myself offering to take him with me without thinking about it.
“Are you comfortable riding horses? I need to go to Al Nuzem’s capital to speak with the king. I’d like you to come with me.”
He blinked rapidly, gaping at me. “Me? Why?”
I raised an eyebrow at him, conveying without words why I wished him to accompany me.
He flushed bright red, looking around the crowded village center.
I knew what he saw. My clan was nosy, and I wasn’t unaware of their attention on us the night prior.
I ignored it because I wanted to gain Cedric’s favor without their intervention.
Perhaps I would have more privacy to do that if Cedric joined me for the journey.
“O-Okay. I can ride a little, but I don’t think I can ride a horse as big as the ones you have.”
“That’s alright. You’ll ride with me,” I encouraged, jerking my chin at my tent. “Finish getting ready. We will leave momentarily.”
He disappeared back into my tent again to get dressed while I turned to the rest of the clan.
Uttin hadn’t picked a second yet, but Rath stood nearby, and I trusted him to watch the clan in my stead.
He approached me when I looked at him, putting a fist to his chest and bowing slightly in deference to the position I no longer held.
I chose not to comment. It’d be a habit easier broken once Uttin returned.
“Watch over them. I should only be gone a few days. And send a runner if anything more occurs. Have Khaul send a runner to the other clan leaders as well.”
He nodded once seriously. “It will be done, clan leader. Blessings on your journey.”
I squeezed his shoulder, turning to duck into my tent to change. I would need fresh clothes to meet with the king.
CEDRIC
I wasn’t sure what to pack to go to the capital, or how much.
I didn't know how long we’d be there. I figured a spare outfit was good enough and my money pouch to buy anything else I might need while I was there.
Maybe I could buy Orthorr some more of his bread oil to make up for using it the night prior.
A shiver rolled through me at the memory of the way his hand felt on me, the glide of his cock against mine. It was a shame we couldn’t have a repeat when we woke this morning. After a lifetime without sex, I was eager for more.
“Cedric? Where are you going?” Tobias asked as he came into the shared tent. He cocked his head at my bag. “Are you leaving?”
“Just for a little while,” I told him, checking for the fourth time that my money pouch was where I’d left it. “I’m going with Orthorr to the capital. He has to speak with the king and asked me to join him.”
“Oh, to help with more paperwork?” he chirped, plopping down on his bed and digging through his things. “I’m glad you found something to do here. The classes are nice, but I feel weird not working, you know? I spent my whole life on the farm. I’ve been feeling restless lately.”
Straightening with my bag on my shoulder, I suggested, “Speak to Finn. He mentioned something about finding work in the clans. I’m sure one of them has animals to care for, if that’s what you’re interested in.
Otherwise, you’ve got plenty of options, I’m sure.
I’ll be back soon. Remember to wash your clothes.
You’ve been avoiding it since we arrived. ”
He wrinkled his nose, and I realized I sounded a lot like his parent, but he was still so young. And his clothes were starting to look more brown than cream like they had been when we arrived.
“Alright, alright. I’ll wash them,” he grumbled. “Have a safe trip. I can’t wait to hear what the city is like.”
Giving him a fond smile, I waved at him and stepped outside, nearly bumping into Orthorr who had come looking for me.
He beckoned me to join him, launching himself onto his horse like it was nothing before offering me a hand.
If I hadn’t seen all the muscle he kept hidden under those robes, I would have wondered how he made it look so easy. Goddess, the man was sexy.
I was far less graceful getting onto the horse behind him, and I wrapped my arms tightly around his middle once I was seated properly.
It was one thing to see them next to the wagon.
It was something else entirely to ride one.
The ground didn't look quite so far away when the stallions walked next to us.
Orthorr’s hand squeezed mine momentarily in a reassuring gesture before moving to the mane of the horse, speaking gruffly to the men who were traveling with us. “Make haste. The longer we take, the longer they go without our support.”
The two guards with him nodded sharply and we left at a quick pace, fast enough that I would have unseated myself if I hadn’t been clinging to Orthorr so tightly. Perhaps I’d been too cocky when I said I could ride. This was insane.
It wasn’t as smooth as the rides I’d had before, the sand making the horse’s strides shorter, but we eventually came onto a packed road leading to the capital that made it easier on the animals.
They picked up speed, the landscape whipping past me so fast, I had to close my eyes to not get too dizzy.
Orthorr leaned forward slightly, the movements of the horse rolling through him like he was born upon the animal’s back, and man and horse were one and the same.
Meanwhile, I felt like my arse would be bruised by the time we arrived, feeling every bump and jostle along the way.
Thankfully, the barbarians’ temporary settlement wasn’t too far from the capital.
Far enough that they weren’t bothered by foot traffic and the bustle of the city, but close enough that it didn’t take that long to get there riding at top speeds like they were.
They slowed near the gate where guards in gold armor stood checking each person as they stood to enter the city.
Orthorr went around the line to the other side, speaking hurriedly to one of the guards who seemed to recognize him.
“We must speak to King Zohaib. We have word from Prince Zakai.”
The guard straightened a little and turned on his heel, fetching his own mount to lead the way. A normal sized horse with a saddle. I was a little jealous.