19. Taldesa
Taldesa
Tala liked to believe that the reason they were being so sweet was because she threatened them and not because she let them fuck her into the new age of Ordia.
She was quiet as Ameriden summoned water in his hand and used it to dampen the soft material of one of the blankets.
Not a single complaint escaped her mouth as Casimine pulled the coffee table closer, setting the breakfast basket she had picked from the inn’s kitchen that morning onto it.
When Ameriden dipped the damp blanket between her thighs, she winced slightly from the over stimulation, to which he rubbed her thigh as an apology.
And when Casimine offered her a piece of cheese from the same fingers that—while clean now—had been rubbing her clit in the last hour, she only opened her mouth.
Whether the water Ameriden used was magical, Tala wasn’t sure, but she admittedly felt a lot cleaner by the time he was done. Ameriden was quick to clean Casimine up as well, pressing an affectionate kiss against his forehead.
He does this for Casimine all the time. Cleans him up after he makes a mess out of him.
The last time Tala had been with someone it had been a half-drunk affair. A meeting in the woods against a tree that had been over too soon and had lacked any kind of post communication. The asshole hadn’t even kissed her goodbye before he pulled his pants up and made his way back to the festival.
She wasn’t used to someone wrapping a blanket around her naked body because they were worried that she was cold. There had rarely been anyone after to cuddle, let alone two grossly affectionate bards who each hooked an arm around her and took turns feeding her apples, bread, and cheese.
Do not get used to this, Tala thought. This was a one time thing and it’s going to be over the minute you walk out that door.
“You both good?” Ameriden asked.
“The extra magic took it out of me. I’m definitely going to need a nap,” Casimine sighed against Tala’s shoulder. “But I’m all right. Tala?”
“Hmm?” She blinked, mouth still filled with cheese and a cup of water in hand. She chewed enough to swallow before answering. “Yeah, yeah, I’m good.”
“You sure?” Casimine brushed the mess of hair from her face. “Nothing hurts, does it? I’m tapped, but Amer has some knowledge in healing that could help.”
Fuck, why were they being so nice? She had mentally prepared for the charming personas to drop the minute they got what they wanted.
The jaded parts of her had even expected it, but Tala knew that the way they were staring at her that they both meant it.
That they cared and that only complicated the storm of feelings growing inside of her.
Honestly, while her body might have been a bit tender, it wasn’t necessarily unpleasant so much as a reminder of what they had done.
“I’m a monk. I’ve been through worse during ambush training.” Tala shrugged.
Ambush training was at least planned—well, with the few exceptions from when Tala had first arrived at the Valiant Circle and she happened to piss off some of her fellow disciples.
Getting jumped in the kitchens in the middle of the night hadn’t been ideal and had resulted in a handful of demerits and a black eye.
Granted, they had looked more worse for wear than she did.
Had been worth it for the berry cobbler.
“So, no weird feelings?” Ameriden asked. “We good?”
Casimine nodded against her shoulder, squeezing her softly around her waist. With Ameriden’s arm slung around her shoulders, Tala wasn’t so sure.
She lied anyway.
The rest of the morning was spent eating the rest of the breakfast. Ameriden made sure their cups stayed filled with water, reminding the two of them to drink as he checked in on Dumpling.
At some point, Casimine had nodded off against her shoulder.
He was warm against her side, his absurdly long lashes keeping her attention for some fucking reason.
“He’s beautiful, isn’t he?”
Tala froze, eyes darting back to the cup in her lap.
Ameriden chuckled against her side, as if he was amused by her embarrassment.
The thought pissed her off, but the way he was gazing at Casimine over her shoulder stalled the smart ass response.
He must have seen her struggle, because he only laughed again, the fucking bastard.
“It’s not going to kill you to admit it, you know,” Ameriden teased. “Casi was always beautiful, even when he was a walking stick. People used to mistake him for a girl before he grew into his body.”
“Didn’t he find that annoying?” Tala asked, eyeing his sleeping face.
There had been a period of time growing up that Tala was constantly mistaken for a boy.
It hadn’t bothered her, until her peers had started shaming her for it.
Children were fucking clowns, but Tala still felt the sharp edge of that time nestled against her rib cage.
It had only been made worse when her mother would complain about the cuts and bruises on her knees or how Tala could never keep her hair neat.
“Sometimes,” Ameriden replied. “But Casimine never let it get to him. The Water Mother gave him the gift of beauty and song, it’s not his fault people are too boring to think more openly.
Plus, look at us now? Casi’s making coin while those losers are still trying to get into the most rundown of taverns. ”
“Must be nice,” Tala murmured without realizing it.
“What is?”
“Just…” she shook her head. “Being able to prove to shitty people that you’re unbothered. That you’re better off despite their mouths.”
“Oh, yeah, that part is pretty great,” he grinned. “Only wish I could do it more.”
Tala frowned, “What do you mean?”
There was something there in the way he just spoke. Something heavy that was hiding behind his dimpled smile, behind his sharp eyebrows. Whatever it was, Ameriden was guarded about it as he just shrugged.
“Just some stuff from before. Doesn’t really matter now.”
It would probably be hypocritical for Tala to push further given how closed mouthed she was about her own bullshit past. Even with Avie, Tala had never gotten too detailed about how she ended up with the Moon Maidens in the first place, let alone why she was transferred to the Valiant Circle.
And yet…
“It matters if it’s bothering you.” Tala sipped the water, just to keep herself from bullying him into telling her.
It was all nonsense anyway. Knowing more about these two slap dicks was only going to make things more messy.
Tala had already broken so many rules when she had been impaled by both their cocks earlier, what was a few more in the grand scheme of things?
It suddenly didn’t matter if the Valiant Circle sent her away because what was there left for her in Eshorion?
Avie was long gone—with some asshole she didn’t know—living her life.
A life that definitely didn’t revolve around Tala, as misguided as that way of thinking had been.
She’s better off without the angry warrior on her heels, punching anyone who even looks at her the wrong way.
“It kinda doesn’t.”
The denial irked Tala for some reason. For whatever reason, Tala slapped the back of her hand against Ameriden’s naked chest. He was hard—his muscles were fucking sick—but he still looked surprised at the hit.
“It kinda fucking does.” Tala glared. “If something’s bothering you, fucking say it.”
“That’s rich coming from you,” Ameriden glared right back.
Gods damn it, if that wasn’t a little hot.
“Oh, I’m fully aware of my bullshit. I never said I wasn’t. But we aren’t talking about me, we’re talking about you.”
Tala wasn’t certain why she couldn’t let it go.
Why she needed to know what was bothering Ameriden as if she could possibly do something to fix it.
It was confusing, but she couldn’t let it go and Tala refused to back down and Ameriden could tell.
His wide shoulders slumped a little as he withdrew his arm from her, lost in thought.
She might have been impatient as fuck, but Tala wouldn’t rush this. Just because it wouldn’t matter once the job was over, didn’t mean it had to be a terrible experience. Or maybe her head was still too sex drunk and her belly too full of cheese to think straight.
“Gimme a kiss and maybe I’ll tell you,” Ameriden said with a petulant pout.
Tala slapped his abs—a bit harder that time.
“Are you fucking serious—” she groaned in frustration, yanking his face to hers. “Fine, fucking get over here.”
The kiss was harsh, Tala putting all her frustration into it. She nipped at his lips, but that only seemed to excite the asshole. When she yanked him from her mouth, fingers twisting in the short strands of hair at the nape of his neck, Ameriden looked way too damned pleased with himself.
This fucker.
“Spill, you arrogant prick with an eight pack.”
“So, you did notice,” Ameriden grinned, but settled upon seeing her lethal glare. “Okay, okay. You wanna know about shitty people, right?”
Tala nodded as she shifted her hold on Casimine’s hand under the blanket. They were all still very naked, but somehow it didn’t feel weird. Casimine was pleasantly warm, his breath cooling her skin as she waited for Ameriden to gather his words.
“I… have some people from my past,” Ameriden licked his lips, glancing at Casimine’s sleeping face. “Before I met him, I mean. I can’t go into too much details about it—don’t give me that look, it’s not because I don’t want to say it, calm down. It’s because it’s bigger…. maybe even dangerous.”
Dangerous?
That piqued her interest. Was there someone from Ameriden’s past that might have sent the ring and flowers? She hadn’t even considered that their stalking problem might have been personal—though it made sense. A lot of destructive behavior was personal one way or the other.
“My family is… well, they’re powerful, to say the least. I don’t have a relationship with them anymore, but sometimes I wish I did if only to shove my career in their faces,” Ameriden sighed. “Nothing says ‘fuck you’ like seeing their son live his life without their approval.”
“Story of my life,” Tala said. “My family’s shit, too.”
“Yeah?”
Tala nodded. “I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m kind of hard to deal with.”
Saying it out loud felt… well, not as bad as Tala had thought it would.
She hadn’t seen her family since she was twelve or so—it was hard to keep track of time when Tala was spending her days being angry at everyone.
Screaming, crying, throwing up and all that.
Not very healthy or fun to be around. Tala had been completely unsociable for the first year with the Moon Maidens.
She only ever spoke with the High Priestess who had been responsible for her.
“Maybe a little,” Ameriden said. “But I’ve been told I can be hard to deal with, too. Ask Seira… or him.”
“You’re a scared kitten compared to me,” Tala laughed. “I made my first teacher at the Moon Maidens cry when I was twelve.”
Ameriden whistled lowly. “Yeah, well, I got my tutor fired when I was eight because I hated the sound of his voice.”
“Oh, so you were lucky enough to have a tutor?”
“As if you weren’t. I can tell, you know. Rough exterior or not, you can’t hide the fact that you were a rich girl from me, sunshine.”
Rich was pushing it in Tala’s opinion, but there was no denying that a family that could afford to send their kid to an academy for the arcane had some gold to their name. A lot of gold. But Tala didn’t want to linger on herself.
“And him?” She gestured to Casimine on her shoulder.
Ameriden’s stare grew soft.
“That’s not my story to tell.”