Chapter Twenty-Nine
TAKING ADVANTAGE OF Helia’s ambiguous command, I make a quick detour to the common bath for the non-officers.
It’s small, but a luxury I never had back at Athos.
I had been using it every day I could since we made it to Hecalon.
An hour later, I show up at Helia’s door hoping I’m not later than she expected.
Helia opens the door to my knock, and I immediately am hit with a waft of rose and pine. Her black hair is damp, but not soaking wet as she waves me inside; she must have taken a bath as well. My second breath is deep as I pass her; I could fill my lungs with that intoxicating scent forever.
A small brazier in the middle of Helia’s quarters provides enough light to feel cozy; more intimate than before. She gestures to my regular spot on the bed before I shake my head. Much as I want to see where that could lead, we need to talk about a few things first.
“Where do you want to begin, Commander?”
Helia slumps down into the chair and sighs before speaking.
“Let’s go in order. Coins and the attack on the temple of Solon.
” Helia rubs her temples. My hands ache to be doing that instead.
I want to take away her pain, her frustration.
What an interesting thought; I’ve never wanted to soothe someone before. Instead, I answer.
“Right. According to the Solonite priest, their temple was attacked a month ago by followers of Lunos, proven by the prisoner and the coin with the symbol of Lunos minted on it.”
Helia nods before interjecting. “Which is eerily similar to the coins of Solon on all of our attackers since Athos. It’s as though we’re being pushed into a conflict.”
I lick my lips at Helia’s insight, having been on the fence about sharing my conversation with Nia.
“That lines up with what I heard from Nia tonight.” Helia stares blankly at me, hurrying my words.
“They possessed a priest at the temple when I left to get water. They implied that one of the members of the lower pantheon was to blame; maybe even the cause of this war Lunos keeps mentioning.” I hold back the warning Nia gave, the omission leaving an acrid taste.
“Well. You get up to all kinds of trouble, huh?” Helia smirks at me, trying to lighten the mood. I smile in kind; it’s a poor attempt, but we both need a reprieve. It is brief, as I contemplate my next words carefully.
“I, uh, also heard something about a sacrifice. In Askepollo.” Helia’s mirth flees, her eyes downcast. Trouble indeed.
“I wasn’t intending on listening!” I walk over to her chair and squat down beside her.
I cup one side of her face, pulling her from whatever internal depths her soul had dropped to.
“I do not want to lose you to some sacrifice; some oblivion that awaits you. We will find a way.” Helia brings her forehead to mine. A promise then. A hope.
Eventually, Helia chuckles; a surprisingly delicate lilting sound coming from her. She pushes back from me and stands, a smile broader than the ocean upon her face.
“Thank you Itho. I know the day has been long, but I’d like to give you something. Well, a few things. While we have time.” Bittersweet, then. Hope, tempered with the reality of fate. And yet, the thought of receiving a gift from Helia pushes away the cloudy horizon. For now.
Helia makes her way over to a simple wooden chest at the foot of her bed. With a simple flick of her wrist, the lock opens, the contents impossible to see from my vantage point. Not that it stops me from peering over her shoulder to catch a glimpse.
“Close your eyes, Itho! I want to surprise you.”
Giggling, I obey, a bundle of warmth building in my stomach. I hear rustling as Helia prepares whatever she has in store for me. Finally, she comes around behind me, engulfing my back fully. I can hear the smile on her face when she nudges the back of my knee gently, guiding me a few steps forward.
“All right, open!” I blink my eyes wide and my mouth immediately dries as I take in what I see. Laying across the fur bedding, is a gorgeous, deep blue draped tunic, almost exactly like the one Davra wore back in Ionos.
It’s perfect; the right length for my height, a cord of the same color wrapped around the waist, one shoulder more exposed than the other. My body trembles as I reach out and touch the delicate material.
“I told you, you would look amazing in that dress. Found a tailor here, and now that we’re not going to be staying long…
I wanted to make sure you had it before we leave.
” Helia finishes with a smile and shrug, clearly proud of herself.
I struggle to find the words, too enmeshed in the silky folds cascading across my palm.
“I’ll be in the outside room. Let me know when you’re dressed. Oh, and don’t worry; I’ll give you the other gifts later.” And with that, Helia swaggers out the door and then it’s just me and the dress.
An eternity stretches as my thoughts turn to wisps of smoke, fabric sifting through my fingers.
Fire ignites my chest as I shrug out of my simple tunic, hands shaking, raising the river of cloth up in front of me.
The deep blue fabric is lightning across my skin as I pull it up past my hips and upon my shoulders.
I wrap the belt around my waist a few times, creating the appearance of a corded band.
I can’t help but run my hands along the folds of the dress, gently rubbing the fabric across my skin. It fits perfectly.
I boldly saunter to the door and open it wide. Helia turns in the doorway, smirk fading into something else entirely as her green eyes widen, looking me up and down.
“I knew you would look great, but you are stunning.” Unbidden, my hand comes to my chest, failing to slow my thrumming heart; the gleam in Helia’s eyes sending heat through me. Taking a mere two steps, she crosses the gulf between us, my head tilting up to keep drinking in that look.
Helia’s meadow eyes flick to my lips for the briefest moment before the warmth of her lips caress mine.
Goddess, she tastes as sweet as her voice; rich and divine.
Any other thought dissolves as her tongue dances gently with mine, hands pulling my hips close.
I moan into her mouth, earning a low purr from her throat.
Gently, Helia applies pressure with her hips, guiding me back until my heels tap the edge of fur bedding. She stops, and breaks away and immediately, I feel the worse for it. I meet her commanding gaze, and see uncertainty on her face.
“I don’t want to make you feel uncomfo—”
I put a finger to her lips as I shake my head. Throwing my arms around her neck, I pull her in for another kiss, deeper than before.
I turn us around, my tongue now seeking purchase, Helia’s back to the bedding. Without breaking the kiss, I push against her oak-like frame. She gives way, settling softly back on the furs, pulling me onto her lap.
Our kiss breaks as my hips spread across Helia’s legs, and I gasp as the dress slides up my leg, tiny explosions of sensation sparking along my skin.
With a smile, Helia puts a hand on my hip and pulls me slowly farther in, until my groin pushes achingly into her.
I breathe in sharply, my member deliciously trapped between the loose folds of the tunic, wonderful and confusing sensations going through me.
Helia catches on, taking her other hand to cup the side of my face.
“At your pace,” she whispers. I nod, knowing this is new for us both, knowing this is special. I kiss her cheek, before moving to the back of her jaw, leaving a trail of desire and eliciting another purr of approval. I would destroy mountains to hear that sound forever.
“I want to thank you for this.” Helia chuckles throatily, and allows me to push her back on the furs.
My hips splay across her thighs, my dress riding up even further.
Hands shaking, I untie the cord at her waist pulling Helia’s tunic aside.
I let out a whimper of appreciation; her body is chiseled and statuesque. Laid bare, my eyes linger, savor.
My gaze slides further down and my whimper becomes primal. The V-shape of Helia’s muscled hips leading inward, a hint of moisture glinting in the firelight along her. I reach a still shaking hand between us, delicately feeling her wetness, her folds.
Helia groans, her breathing catching as a fingertip brushes her clit.
Circling slowly, I watch her push her head into the furs, eyes closed in blooming bliss.
I scooch my hips forward, trapping my hand in place.
I lean forward, free hand caressing Helia’s cheek.
As soon as she finally cracks her eyes open, I roll my hips slowly with my fingers.
“Oh fuck…” Pantheons, why have we waited so long?
My own arousal builds as Helia moans with every slow gyration, every circle around her clit.
Fingers thread through my hair, gripping firmly, keeping me looking at Helia’s eyes.
It doesn’t last long as her hands slam against the furs, pulling them tight in her hands, moans rumbling higher.
An orgasm shudders through her body, flowing freely, hips pushing hard into my hand. I ride the wave of her body, holding my own pleasure at bay. I want—no, need—to make Helia feel good.
Helia’s breathing returns to normal as she opens her eyes.
Without warning she rotates, flipping me on my back.
Arousal courses through every vein as I look up at Helia, her presence dominating my vision.
Her lips fall upon mine as her hand traces down from my neck to my chest. Our mutual hunger for each fuels the breathy and needy kiss.
Her fingertip grazes a nipple through the gown and I gasp for breath, moaning in ecstasy. Mischievous smile broad in the firelight, Helia plays more; more fingers, more pressure, teasing, playing, stoking the fire raging through my body.
“Tell me if you want me to stop.” Blinking amid a haze of sexual awakening, I struggle to understand.
“What do yo—Ooooh fuck…” Helia’s fingers trace a quick line to the tip of my member, a wet spot shining through my gown.
Tiny explosions of sensation cascade along my body, but my mind grows dark.
This isn’t how it’s supposed to be, right?
She shouldn’t touch me there; that’s what men use. Not women. Right?
“Hey. Come back to me baby. Come back.”
My focus snaps back to the present, worried meadows gazing down at me, hands freed from my body.
“Sorry. I’m not sure if I’m ready for you to touch me down there.”
Helia places a finger along my lips, quieting anything more. “Never apologize about that. Is there something else that might work?” Genuine care oozes from every pore of her body as Helia furrows her brow.
I bite my lip, trying to think of something. I smile as I look over her body, an idea forming quickly. “I’ve got a plan. Lay on your back.”
Helia obeys with a smile, uncertain, but willing to trust me.
Straddling her hips again at first, I shimmy backward, lying flat against the fur bedding, and eagerly taste her.
Honey must run in her veins. A moan and slight raise of Helia’s hips tells me this woman is ready for another round.
No, not a woman; a goddess. My goddess. I flick my tongue up along her slit to the hood of her clit, divine nectar rewarding my worship at her altar.
My supplication slowly elicits a string of moans and Helia's hips rock gently against my face.
I wrap my arms around her hips and savor the feeling of her muscles flexing under my ministrations.
The position feels natural, but uncertainty begins to creep in at the edges of my mind; my experience is lacking and I want to make sure that I time this right.
“Oh shit,” Helia exhales sharply. Her muscles flex as I roll my tongue between her clit and folds.
Smiling as I work Helia up into a second frenzy, my own need responds in kind.
My hips start to rock against the furs in time with Helia's moans, my member trapped within the folds of the gown, sensation suffusing my body.
Moans vibrate from my throat, causing Helia to buck against me, her breathing shallow, a leaf tossed about in the wind. Tension, taut as a bowstring, builds in my groin, hips moving faster. Helia threads her fingers through my hair and pulls my head firmly against her.
I eagerly respond by sucking harder. Her moans explode into a guttural cry, as her orgasm takes over, hands still holding my head in place.
My hips move furiously of their own accord, climax within reach as Helia's begins to subside.
Her grip disappears as she pushes herself up on her arms, her breathing still tense, watching my gyrations while I still worship her body.
“Good girl.” She purrs at the sight, as I moan loudly into her. The tension that had built in my body snaps with the fury of a storm at her words. Lightning rages through my muscles, surging and coursing like the tempest I’ve become.
After what seems like an age, my body finally stills, head resting on my goddess's thigh, unable to lift myself up. Helia's gentle hands reach down and pull me alongside her, my head moving from her thigh to her chest. Finally, she breaks the silence as our breathing reaches a normal rhythm.
“Well. That was…” She trails off, seeking the right words.
“Yeah. It was.” Words don't suffice. Helia chuckles and rubs my arm, clearly pleased. “I think I ruined my dress.” Her chuckle turns into a conspiratorial laugh.
“Good thing I bought an extra one!” I look up at her incredulously before laughing at the pure joy on Helia’s face.
“The other gift is simple. I got you a blue cloak to wear during the day so you can remember a little bit of what you felt like tonight. And it will go perfectly with your second dress when, or if, you ever want to wear it publicly.”
My laugh dies as I stare at her, feeling deep care from her to my core. “That is no simple gift, Helia. None of this is. Thank you.”
She blushes, fingers still delicately tracing illegible patterns on my arm. Silence overtakes the room, broken here and there by the dying crackle of the fire. Blissfully, we fade in each other’s arms, sleep a pale dream compared to the warmth in our souls.