2. Marius

Chapter 2

Marius

T he vineyard extended from the manor house into the rolling hills like a deep green wave. The flickering light of the workers' lanterns bobbed like fireflies and Marius felt silly for wishing he and Tahlia were only here for a holiday.

"Come on, slow poke!" Tahlia waved at him from the third row of grapevines, where she was dropping another cluster of wine grapes into the basket looped over her arm. "We have to beat Waith!"

It was tradition that every soul on the grounds during early fall join in on the harvesting. Marius didn't mind it one bit. This was honest work—and a calming break from the stress of dragon rider business. He wished the rest of the order could have stayed with them, but they were needed for tasks in the mountains. Training and keeping the occasional troll out of the high altitude villages would keep them busy in this fine weather.

Marius stalked over to Tahlia and took the vine knife from her outstretched hand. Her shining eyes reflected the lanterns' light and the glow of the moon. "First, you are so beautiful it hurts. Second, we don't have a chance against Master Waith, seeing as he has been running a vineyard since before either of us was born."

Tahlia had frozen, a grin lifting one edge of that pouty mouth he longed to devour like a decadent sweet. "I love it when you use so many words at once. It's as rare as unicorns, my love."

He growled at her and turned back to the vines.

She snickered and eased the basket into the leaves to catch the grapes he cut free. Master Waith, a male with fair skin, waved a hand at them, the two stripes of gray-white in his dark hair like the imprint of former horns.

"They will be here in the morning! Just heard." Waith nodded toward a slim lad leaving the vineyards and heading toward the stables. A messenger, Marius guessed.

"So we have all night off," Tahlia said, glancing at Marius from the corners of her painfully alluring eyes.

Marius's body heated, and he shook his head at himself as he adjusted his trousers. His mate could have ordered him to do literally anything when she looked at him like that.

"Seems so," he said, his voice rougher than he'd meant it to be. His tone didn't appear to dampen her spirits, thankfully.

"I think we should visit this exact spot after everyone has gone to bed."

He eyed the ground at their feet. Soft grasses had been pressed low during the harvest work, and blue-green moss laced a patch of earth here and there. Looking back at Tahlia, he nodded.

"Agreed."

She snorted a laugh. "You make it sound like we've planned some dark mission."

Using the full power of his speed, he moved behind her and set his teeth against the side of her throat. He edged the vine knife against her throat, though he kept the dull side toward her.

"I'll make it a dark mission if you wish it, little salty."

She shivered and rubbed her arse against him. "I do. I really do."

He chuckled and went back to harvesting.

They finished the row, and Waith called out for everyone to cease their work.

"Leave a cluster on each row for good luck!" Waith shouted.

"Aye!" the workers shouted in unison.

Happy conversation and laughter rose as everyone dumped their full baskets into the great vat at the back of the first set of outbuildings.

Most of the staff gathered at a long table outside. Dishes set with sauced chicken, piles of cubed orange cheddar, and fat slices of bread weighed the entire length.

Waith collected Marius and Tahlia and escorted them inside the manor house, where another feast awaited for the higher ranked staff.

A table had been dragged into the center of the main room. Platters of bright green apples and roasted venison sat beside flagons of dark wine. Round cottage loaves baked with the vineyard's mark steamed, fresh from the ovens behind the house. Varied wheels of cheese dotted the table as well as bowls of what appeared to be grape preserves.

Tahlia clasped her hands and sighed, her head tilting to one side. "Sorry, Marius, but I'm leaving you for this table. I mean, there is so much cheese."

He shot her a look and she stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. Thankfully, Waith and the other workers were too busy filling crockery with wine and singing harvest songs to notice or care about Tahlia's lack of propriety.

"We truly should go over the mission details as soon as we finish here."

"You aren't suggesting we skip this feast, are you?" She gazed at him like he had told her someone died.

"No, I don't wish to be rude to the household."

Tahlia put the back of her hand to her forehead. "Oh, thank the gods!"

"After we eat. Did you read the lines about Ragewing's position while we infiltrate the city, the location and purpose of the safe house inside city walls, and about our contacts both in the city streets and in the fortress?" he whispered.

He tried not to notice the way the soft skin under her jaw pebbled when his breath skirted over her flesh.

"I read the entirety four times. Ask me anything, Commander."

"Very good." He started to throw her a difficult query, but Waith's voice cut him off.

Those gathered for the smaller feast inside the house had at last stopped yowling like pups under a full moon.

"Please sit and let us talk about the first time you tasted one of the king and queen's vintage, Commander Marius, Lady Tahlia."

The talk went on and on, but Marius wasn't so uptight as to break the conversation to continue checking on Tahlia's memory. He kept his tongue and enjoyed the bites she fed to him.

"And this cheese is called sunlight. Can you even imagine?" She tucked a sliver into his mouth. "What's it taste like?"

He chewed, savoring the flavor despite the fact that he felt foolish eating from his mate's hand the night before a mission briefing and in full view of the king and queen's staff.

"You're too slow. I'm trying it on my own." Tahlia sliced another bit of the sunlight cheese and popped it between her lips. She moaned like, well, like she wasn't just eating food.

"Gods save us, this is divine. The smoothness. The bright flavor!"

A female with curling hair and brown skin nodded approvingly to Tahlia. "My son made that," she said proudly.

Tahlia's mouth fell open. "You must be so proud."

The female grinned and refilled Marius's and Tahlia's crockery mugs. "He's only just reached adulthood and he's already working his way to mastery."

"Give him good wishes of undying love from me, would you?"

Laughing, the female walked off to join another female standing by the front door.

Marius pursed his lips. "Leaving me for a cheesemonger, are you?"

Tahlia patted his hand, then downed her wine. "At least you were defeated by the finest of competitors."

Growling quietly, Marius shook his head and finished his wine too.

When Waith and the rest of the staff had retired to their rooms in the house and in the outbuildings, Tahlia tugged Marius's arm until they were back in the vineyard. She had knotted her hair on top of her head and donned the linen shift that the staff had given her to sleep in. He wore trousers woven of the same type of linen. Both of them were barefoot, and with the crescent moon shining down on them, that fact only made him more aware of how wild he felt at the moment. His mate. A fine night. Time enough for mating.

Tahlia stopped near the vine they had worked on and turned to face him. "I've decided to wait on leaving you for the young cheesemaker until I've had my way with you."

He took her in his arms and pressed a kiss to her ear. She smelled like a goddess of pleasure—gently floral and as aroused as he was.

"Such a cruel mate I have," he whispered. "How will I survive you?"

She laughed throatily, the sound rousing his body as well as any touch. He laid her in the soft grass and braced himself over her, kissing her jaw, then the pulse point underneath. Her throat was silk. He licked and nibbled his way down to her collarbone while her hands tangled in his hair. She bucked her hips and rocked against his length.

"What if I slipped away and ran from you?" Her tone was teasing.

He was quite nearly shaking with need. "I would be forced to chase you, love." He set his teeth on her breast and growled, driving his hips forward. The pressure between their bodies poured pleasure through his blood. "You're mine, remember?" He gripped her hip and held her against him.

She moaned softly and shifted underneath him. And then she suddenly had a vine knife in her hand and was holding it to his throat.

"You will let me run, darling." Her gaze was taunting and absolutely the most desirable look she'd ever given him.

He eased away from her body a fraction.

She was up and running, laughing quietly, before his lust-hazed mind caught up.

"Oh, you are finished, little salty. I will hunt you and take you down in a way you will never forget."

Laughing again, she turned at the end of the row. He followed.