Episode Fifty-Two Bold Proposal

H azlan

I feel whole for the first time since I was stolen from my family so many years ago. The love of beautiful, courageous Lylah was step one. Gaining my freedom came next. This new family I have, bonded to three good people? It has certainly changed my life. Having the respect of Azael, Drixxa, and the others? Well, that's the final piece of the puzzle.

"I think you just grew a foot taller," Lylah says as she squeezes my hand.

"Aye," I say, loving that she's so attuned to me.

I shake my head, still in awe of the idea Drixxa can breathe fire. The meeting ended, and now we're following Szoka, the naga who accompanied us to the first cabin. It seems like months ago, although it's only been a matter of days.

"We knew you'd be coming. Some new arrivals are living in huts in the trees, just like the monks. I am. It's nice up there. We knew that wouldn't work for your coalition." Szoka pauses and we all chuckle at the thought of Zoron climbing a tree. "We built you a small hut on the outskirts. Here we are."

Gratitude bursts in my heart. We've been the recipients of so many kindnesses. The good people in the Village built us lodging.

"We can't thank you enough," Lylah says as we cross the threshold into the small round hut made of thin sticks tied together with what looks like reeds from the nearby marsh.

The naga slides away in that interesting way he has of undulating forward with almost no movement in his upper half.

"Alone," Eldar says as he eases to the pile of furs our new friends left us. "At last."

Someone was even thoughtful enough to build us a small fire, which is nice. Since the sun set it's gotten quite cold.

The four of us cuddle together, Zoron being the touchpoint for all of us. His warm, bulky body is like a magnet. As is his calm, generous spirit.

"We'll be attacking the Tower in days," Zoron says. "There are a lot of things we need to do between now and then."

He enumerates a long list of tasks designed to keep us all safe. My mind had been so disturbed by Drixxa's tale, I could barely think straight. Zoron, though, has come up with a dozen things we need to accomplish, from finding a hiding place should the humans attack the Village to teaching Lylah and me how to shoot a bow and arrows.

"I'll help you make your bows and arrows," Eldar offers as he affectionately unbraids and re-braids Zoron's hair. At times like this he can barely keep his hands off the male. My chest expands as I enjoy watching the love they share.

It's hard to believe this is the same elf who wanted nothing to do with Lylah or me. I had the feeling he would have been more than happy to have left us for dead in that cage. As if to remind me he's changed, he reaches over and scratches the fur between my ears. This causes me to purr. I'd forgotten how my mother used to do this to me when I was a cub.

"Heaven," I say, then close my eyes and float in the feeling of comfort.

Soon our affectionate scratching, cuddling, and hair braiding transforms into desire, then passion, then blazing lust. Although Zoron is the most creative at troubleshooting possible problems, Eldar is the best at suggesting new ways our four bodies can fit together.

All those years in the slave barracks, I was never attracted to the males I shared space with. As unattainable as it was, my dreams revolved around having my own female.

Now, though, as Eldar ties off the end of the centaur's braid and focuses his blue eyes on me, I don't allow my gaze to run from his.

Zoron is lying on his side with Lylah between his two sets of legs. Eldar is sitting behind the centaur. I'm near Zoron's wide, naked chest.

The elf eases toward me, his gaze flicking from my eyes to my lips and back again. In our couplings, the two of us have kept our distance. That first night, I mated the centaur without much choice, or rather, he mated me. But I've steered clear of Eldar as much as possible even when we were sharing Lylah last night.

At this moment, as he inches closer, I'm not sure why I've resisted his touch.

Just a kiss , I tell myself. Let me see how this feels.

His lips are soft as they seek me out, getting a feel for me. I thought this would be awkward at best and uncomfortable at worst. But it feels… arousing. My cock is hard for him.

Lylah and the centaur are openly watching us, arousal written on their faces. Even that doesn't make me uncomfortable. In fact, it makes me harder.

Eldar can be impatient. Of the four of us, he's the most highly sexed. He's anything but pushy right now, letting me set the pace.

It's me who changes the kiss from closed-lipped to open. Me who breeches his lips and sweeps inside to savor his spicy tang. I'm the one who cards my fingers through his long white hair, then gets lost in the moment as I trace his pointy-tipped ears.

"You're a good kisser," he breathes, then turns the table and stabs into my mouth with vigor, as if he's been longing to do this since the moment we met.

"I'd love to spear into you, proudborn. Take you right here while our other mates watch."