Chapter 8

Unity tugged nervously at her shirt. Or rather one of Cronan"s shirts which he had given her to wear. It was far too big for her but she"d tied knots at the neck and hem to adjust it a little bit. She"d also had him cut off a strip around the bottom which she"d used as a type of makeshift bra. Explaining why she needed the cloth had been... interesting. She wouldn"t have thought a Farlain could blush but the color had definitely deepened across his cheekbones and she was sure her own face had been scarlet.

She was also wearing a pair of his training shorts, which clung a little too tightly to her butt. Of course they clung equally tightly to his very fine ass and the extremely impressive bulge between his legs. Either Ulmat had been extremely undersized or Cronan was exceptionally large but there was no doubt that he was built like a larger version of a human male. A much larger version, she thought sneaking another look at him before snatching her eyes away.

Ever since he"d kissed her she"d found herself thinking about him in a way that was totally inappropriate. Wasn"t it? She was certainly attracted to him physically, even if he wasn"t human, but it was more than that. His determination, his sense of honor, his intelligence, all of it combined to create a compelling whole.

As he led her down a maze of corridors, she tried to concentrate on the new environment, hoping to keep her mind off of him. The stone walls and floors continued, but unlike her dungeon they were brightly illuminated by concealed and clearly modern lighting.

"Is this part of the castle new?"

"No, but it was renovated to incorporate modern technology. The training rooms are new," he added as he turned into a side passageway then opened a door.

She wasn"t sure what she"d expected but it wasn"t a plain white room. The only indication of it"s possible use was a large red outline painted on the floor in the center of the room. A padded floor, she realized as it gave slightly beneath her feet.

"No equipment?" she asked nervously.

"I don"t believe you"re ready for weapons quite yet."

He had an amused look on his face and she glared at him.

"You don"t know that. I could be an expert marksman."

"Are you?"

"Well, no. But I could be and you just assumed I wasn"t because I"m a woman."

"I assumed you weren"t because you"d never mentioned it. And you do not carry yourself like a warrior," he added.

She gave him a skeptical look.

"How does a warrior carry himself?"

"Balanced, prepared. Try to knock me off my feet."

She did, but nothing she tried worked. He only looked more amused.

"it"s not my fault you"re build like a damn tree," she muttered, and he laughed. "Plus you were ready for me. I couldn"t take you by surprise."

"I am always ready."

"I could be ready."

He shook his head.

"Very well. It will make no difference but I can see I will have to prove it to you. Are you ready?"

She nodded, doing her best to brace herself before -

And then she was on the floor. He"d come down with her, breaking her fall so she didn"t crash into the ground, and now he smiled down at her.

"You see?"

She nodded, still breathless from shock - and very aware of his large powerful body on top of hers. Her mouth went dry and she licked her lips nervously. His eyes immediately focused on her mouth, the golden glow intensifying. The thick bar of his erection flexed against her stomach and she realized that as large as he seemed in the tight shorts, he had definitely grown.

"Are you convinced now?"

His voice was a deep growl that sent a shiver down her spine.

"I don"t know." She gave him an innocent look. "You might have to show me again. Maybe even more than once."

"Perhaps," he said distractedly as he stroked a finger down her neck, left bare when she"d tied her hair into a high ponytail. "Such a pretty neck."

it was clearly a compliment and the touch of his finger was making her quiver, but she managed a somewhat breathless laugh.

"That"s not usually the part of my body that men admire."

"I am not concerned with other males." There was that growl again. "And I admire every delightful inch."

He lowered his head, almost as if he couldn"t help himself, but instead of kissing her, he buried his face in her neck, sucking lightly at the sensitive flesh. Damn that felt good. She tilted her head to allow him greater access and when he scraped his teeth delicately across her sensitive flesh it sent like a shockwave of excitement straight to her needy clit.

Her entire body was on fire, her breasts tingling where they brushed his chest, heat pulsing low in her stomach. She put her hand on his head to hold him against her neck, his short hair surprisingly soft, and ran her other hand over his powerfully muscled back. He groaned and raised his head, eyes blazing gold.

"An interesting approach to training," a voice drawled, and then Cronan was lifting her, bringing her up to a standing position and taking several steps back before she"d even processed the movement.

"What do you want, Barthar?" he growled to someone over her shoulder.

She spun around and found another Farlain in the entrance to the room. He was big, easily as big as Cronan, but clearly older and heavily scarred on both his face and body.

"We were supposed to train together this morning," the newcomer said. "Or were you too... distracted to remember?"

"Lady Unity wishes to learn to defend herself."

"I see it was quite successful. She was clearly the victor."

Despite the mockery in his words she found herself smiling.

"You"re being ridiculous," Cronan snapped.

"Am I? A weaker opponent must rely on whatever skills they have, however... unusual."

The words could have been a compliment but she couldn"t detect any softness on his face. She lifted her chin defiantly.

"At least I"m doing something rather than just standing around mocking others. Is that what happens when you"re too old to fight?"

There was a moment of stunned silence and then Cronan started to laugh. He returned to her side and put his arm around her shoulders.

"Unity, may I introduce this aging warrior? Barthar is my second in command."

Barthat looked at her and shook his head but he didn"t seem offended.

"Many skills improve with age, Lady Unity. As His Majesty has reason to know," he said and then raised an eyebrow at Cronan. "So perhaps I should be the one to train her."

There was that growl again, and his arm tightened around her shoulders.

"That is not going to happen. But perhaps we could demonstrate?"

"Of course. Try not to take advantage of my aged self."

"First one outside the square loses," Cronan told her quietly before he left her standing by the door and returned to the square.

There was no warning, no discussion - the two males simply flew at each other. As far as she could tell the fact that it was a training match made no difference. The blows were hard, brutal, and neither male hesitated. They appeared to be well-matched. Cronan was a trifle faster and Barthar a trifle heavier. Barthar also seemed to have a canny sense of where Cronan would strike, frequently slipping away just before a blow landed.

There was something primal and thrilling about the fight - the two powerful males struggling silently, muscles straining. Cronan"s golden skin gleamed with sweat and his eyes blazed, his face intent. So masculine, so ferocious. So incredibly hot.

She shifted against the wall as her clit pulsed between her legs and Cronan suddenly focused on her, his nostrils flaring. The momentary distraction was enough - Barthar hit him low and caught him off balance. Even though Cronan recovered almost immediately, it was too late. One of his feet was outside the square.

"Foolish," Barthar sighed. "I thought you knew better."

Cronan ignored him, his eyes focused on her.

"Leave us," he ordered.

Barthar opened his mouth, then looked at Cronan"s face and shut it again. He left without another word as Cronan stalked over to the door and locked it behind him.

"You distracted me," he growled low in his chest, moving towards her like a predator.

She instructively took a step back and collided with the wall. Her heart was beating frantically but it was not from fear.

"I didn"t intend to," she whispered.

He growled again, leaning in so his body crowded hers against the wall, his mouth just inches away from hers. She"d never wanted to be kissed so badly in her life.

"It was not your intention?" he mocked, one hand trailing over the exposed curve of her neck.

"No." She licked her lips and he followed the movement, eyes blazing. "I was... impressed."

"Just impressed?" he growled low in his chest, moving towards her like a predator.

She stared up at him, her heart still hammering, waiting to see what he would do. He studied her for a long, intense moment, then moved with the same lightning speed he"d shown in the fight, his hand closing over her breast and tugging on a throbbing nipple. She gasped and he captured the sound, his mouth claiming hers as she melted into him, her hands sliding around his neck. He yanked at the knot at the top of her shirt, tearing it open then ripping her makeshift bra away, baring her breasts to him.

"Fucking perfect," he breathed, his thumb rasping across the now naked peak and making her writhe.

Then he lifted her, pinning her to the wall, as his mouth closed over her nipple, hot and demanding. She wrapped her legs eagerly around his waist as he sucked, the heat and pressure driving her wild.

"More, please, more," she begged shamelessly as he sucked on her other nipple.

She could feel the hot length of his cock throbbing against her clit through the thin fabric between them and she writhed against him as he kept sucking and nipping until her nipples were both aching peaks, her clit throbbing with the same aching need. He finally raised his head to look down at her, golden eyes blazing with satisfaction.

"Can you come just from this? From my mouth on those fat little nipples?"

"I need more," she gasped and then his hips surged against her and she cried out, clinging to him as the pleasure built.

Her nipples tingled, still sensitive from his demanding mouth, and his weight between her legs pressed them against him, making the pleasure even sharper. Each thrust against her clit made it better and she didn"t think she could take anymore but he demanded it again and again until one last jerk of his hips triggered her climax, her head thrown back and her cry echoing through the room.

She collapsed against him, her body still quivering, as he gently stroked her hair.

"I have you, little one," he whispered.

"Not little," she protested drowsily and he laughed.

The fierceness that had possessed him had washed away with her climax and she tilted her head back, smiling up at him.

"Do all your training sessions end like this?"

"This is a first." He sighed. "Barthar is right. You are a distraction."

She bit her lip, guilt sweeping over her.

"I"m sorry."

"Don"t be. It was due to my lack of discipline."

"Umm, what did I do, exactly? So I won"t do it again."

"I could scent your arousal."

Her cheeks heated as she gave him a horrified look.

"You could smell me?"

"Indeed. Your scent is deliciously sweet. Intoxicating. Distracting. And I very much hope it happens again, but perhaps not in the training room."

"We didn"t get very far, did we? With my training, I mean," she added when he smiled.

"No, but we will start again."

"Now?"

Her body still felt languid, heavy with satisfaction.

"Now. As I said earlier, you should always be prepared."

Ignoring her muttered protest, he put her back on her feet, tied her bra back in place - with only the quickest caress of her still sensitive nipples - and smiled at her.

"We will begin with breathing."