Authors: Diana Steele
He looked down at her and saw that she was staring back up at him. Their eyes locked and the world stopped. Out of pure instinct rather than conscious thought, he leaned his head towards hers and kissed her softly on the lips.
To his surprise, Katrina returned the kiss and pressed her lips firmly against his. He inhaled sharply as his blood rushed through his veins. He wrapped one arm around her and planted his hand on the back of her head, tangling his fingers in her hair and pushing her even deeper into his kiss.
Slowly, he parted his lips and he could feel her reciprocate the movement. Their tongues met and danced in the openings of each other's mouths. The taste of her kiss was like the juice of a ripe berry in summer time. He could feel her heart beating in time with his as their chests pressed together.
Without breaking the kiss, Kirrowind rolled over and pinned Katrina beneath him. His hands held her at the hips and he pushed himself between her legs. Then, just as quickly as he had begun, she stopped. He looked down at Katrina, disappointed.
“I'm sorry. I really am. This isn't right. I only just met you,” she said softly. “I've never done anything like this before. That was my first kiss,” Katrina admitted.
Kirrowind felt confused. His culture viewed sex as a basic need such as thirst or hunger. Katrina's culture apparently did not view it in the same way. As an honorable person, Kirrowind felt as if he should not push any further.
“But it's okay,” she said as if she could sense what he was feeling. “I think I want this. I don't really know why, but it feels right that my first time be with you.”
Kirrowind looked deep into Katrina's green eyes. They reminded him of fresh spring leaves in the tree tops. This strange woman from his dreams was not only real, she was in his bed and in his arms. Suddenly, all logical thoughts were swept away in a wave of pure, primal passion.
He kissed her again with even more heat than before. His hands raced up and down her body, feeling the curves of her breasts and the firmness of her thighs, carefully avoiding her injury. She, in turn, ran her hands up and down his chest and back, feeling the strength of his muscles. She moaned softly into his mouth as he pushed his hips forward into her body.
With one swift motion, Kirrowind pulled her dress down to her waist, exposing her breasts. His hand moved over one breast and gently massaged it. He pulled his lips away from hers and made a line of small kisses from her ear and down her jaw to her neck and over her collarbone before finally settling onto her soft pink nipple.
Kirrowind heard her moan loudly and her back arched as she buried her hands into his hair and pulled his head deeper into her body. He slowly sucked and licked at her nipple and then moved to the other causing Katrina's body to shake in fits of pleasure.
Kirrowind then felt Katrina's hands move down his back and to his waist. She pulled his loincloth off and threw it off of the bed. Kirrowind responded in kind by pulling her dress the rest of the way down her legs and tossing it to the floor.
He paused for just a moment to look again at her naked body. The first time he saw her nude and vulnerable, it was purely to take care of her. Now, he was looking at Katrina in a different way. Kirrowind was seeing her with fiery passion in his chest. Her eyes were no longer giving him looks of innocence and shyness like before. The candlelight flickered and glowed in them now, reflecting the flame in her own heart.
He laid back down on top of her and kissed her again. He felt her legs spread wide and wrap around his waist. He wrapped his arm around her and held her close to him as he pushed his hips forward until he entered her.
Kirrowind moaned as he felt the warmth of her and he could feel her gently biting down on his shoulder as she attempted not to scream from the shock. He pushed into her gently to avoid hurting her until eventually he could feel her muscles relax. After a moment, he was able to push into her with more speed and force.
His hands squeezed and rubbed all over her body as he made love to her; such a strange yet supremely beautiful woman. He took great pleasure from the smell of her hair and the way her skin felt pressed against his. He barely took notice of the cool breeze that blew over his back. He could feel his own beads of sweat mixing with hers. He kissed her passionately and deeply between her moans and sighs.
He pushed himself as deeply as he could into her when he felt her body tense up. He could feel her fingernails dig into his back as she screamed in ecstasy. Her uninjured leg held him in position. As Katrina reached her orgasm, Kirrowind reached his.
He had never felt something so pure and magnificent. Collapsing against Katrina, he rested his head between her wonderful breasts as he relearned how to breathe. While he listened to the gentle music of her heartbeat, he was able to revel in the feel of her chest rising and falling as she took deep breaths.
Once he had come down from his post-orgasm high, he rolled onto his side and took Katrina into his arms. He kissed her again, softly and tenderly, and stared into her eyes as he held her.
“That was...incredible,” was all he could think to say.
“Yes it was. I didn't know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't that. It just felt right,” Katrina answered him as she laid down next to him with her head on his chest again.
Kirrowind never wanted this feeling to end. Unfortunately, it came to an abrupt end as Spiroot came bursting into the room. He wore a look of panic on his face.
“Kirrowind, you need to come with me. Things have gotten bad, really bad. The Outlanders are coming. Your father has called the Valley to the Counsel Tree,” Spiroot said with his voice trembling in fear.
Kirrowind sat straight up. It took him a moment to realize what was going on. In his state of pure bliss, he had forgotten about the oncoming war.
“What's going on? What do you mean they are coming? From where?” he asked.
“From the river. They must have sailed further down the coast in the night and found a place to land across Eagle River in the Flatlands. They have set up camp there and are getting ready to march. One of the Fishers saw them and brought us the news.”
Kirrowind's mind raced. “The Battle of the Beach had been only a small sample of what the strangers had, surely. The boats they landed on were small. The ships in the sea were much bigger. And now they are all on land. They will be marching in the thousands if not more. This is all my fault. I have to think. We had one hundred men to fight with at the beach. We need much more than that. We need everyone. I have to get Katrina out of here,” Kirrowind thought out loud.
“Who is Katrina?” Spiroot asked.
Kirrowind cleared his throat and looked down at the drowsy naked woman lying next to him. In all of the excitement, Spiroot hadn't even noticed the scene in front of him.
“Is that an Outlander?” Spiroot asked.
Kirrowind was caught red-handed and he knew it. He saw no point in denying it. “Yes. That's not important right now, though. Invaders are coming and we have to stop them. No matter what it takes, we have to save the Valley,” he said.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Katrina wasn't really sure what had driven her to give herself so entirely to Kirrowind. Never before in her entire life had she been anything less than a proper lady, but she felt so free and uninhibited here. Now, she laid in a strange bed with a strange man to whom she had given her virginity.
As soon as Kirrowind had picked her up after her dinner she felt the strength of his muscles holding her and felt a stirring low and deep in her stomach. When she felt his heart beating so strong and so steady against her ear that rested against his firm chest that gentle stirring ignited into a warm ember of attraction. When he laid her down in the bed so tenderly, that warm ember became a flame of desire. Her muddled mind raced as she thought of ways to keep him near to her. She grabbed his hand in an effort to keep him from walking away.
She looked up into those eyes that reminded her so much of the summer skies and felt a sudden rush of peace flow through her body. This native who had spirited her away from her people was now also taking her breath away.
As her mind drifted in and out of what felt like a chilly fog, she realized that she was once again alone. She called out softly for Kirrowind. When he appeared in front of her holding a pile of furs, the man who so often appeared in her dreams, it felt natural for him to join her in the bed. What happened next was a blur of passion and intensity that she would never forget.
She was cradled in his arms and felt so safe and warm in that spot. When he squeezed her tightly, her heart attempted to jump through her chest. She wanted nothing else except to be with him. Her lust burned so brightly that she could no longer feel the dull throbbing in her thigh from her injury.
Katrina was unsure if it was the medicine that made her head spin or the fact that this stranger had been haunting her dreams for so long, but she struggled to retain her sense of self.
When he finally kissed her, Katrina's heart stopped. Her longing and desire set a fire inside of her that threatened to consume her if she was not satisfied. Every kiss and touch from him sent a spark of pleasure through her entire body that caused her to see bright flashes of light, even with her eyes closed. Her mind cleared for a moment and she broke the kiss. However, she regretted it as soon as she did. After a lifetime of chastity, her lust was finally consuming her and she was happy to give in.
She needed more. She wanted to become one with him. His musky, masculine odor clouded her mind. His hands, rough and callused as they were, felt sublime against her naked body. He was a wild animal and gentle all at once and she needed him.
Finally, when he entered her body she shook with the waves of pleasure that rushed up and down her spine and every inch of her became covered with goosebumps. She felt the tightness between her thighs as he first penetrated her, but soon she was relaxed and the pure pleasure overtook her. She felt her pleasure building higher and higher as he pumped himself deeper into her until that blissful moment when she shattered into a million pieces and finally knew what true joy felt like.
Katrina's muscles relaxed fully and she felt as if nothing could ever spoil the magnificent feeling. After Kirrowind rolled off of her, she snuggled closer to lay next to him and listened to his heart beating again. It was fast, but still steady as a drum. Then someone came into the room and spoiled the moment of afterglow. She quickly pulled the fur up to her chin to cover her naked body as Kirrowind spoke to the rude intruder.
“What are we going to do?” Katrina asked as soon as they were alone again.
“I have to get you to your father. We still might be able to stop this. But just in case, I have to prepare the Valley,” Kirrowind replied as he got out of the bed and dressed himself. “How does your leg feel?” he asked as he handed her dress to her.
She got out of the bed and took a few steps. “Still pretty sore, but I can walk now,” she said as she pulled the dress over her head.
“Good. The medicine has worked out of your system,” Kirrowind explained.
Katrina walked around the room, testing her stability. She stopped and seemed lost in thought for a moment. She looked at Kirrowind with a mixture of anger and confusion and opened her mouth to say something. However, she stopped herself and continued with her pacing.
“So where are we going?” Katrina asked after a moment.
“To the Counsel Tree; it's in the center of Oldwoods. It's where the Valley meets to discuss important issues.”
Kirrowind gave her a cloak to protect her from the cold, grabbed her hand, and led her outside. He helped her walk down the staircase carved into the trunk of the tree. She felt a dull pain in her leg each time she took a step, but it was only a minor inconvenience. She followed Kirrowind past dozens of trees, each with windows and stairs. She saw torches hung in smaller trees next to the path that illuminated the way. She saw a whole city built into the very forest. At the center of it all, was the largest tree that Katrina had ever seen. She could not believe the sheer size of it. The doorway was just as large as the palace doors she had once known but was only a small hole in comparison to the tree as a whole.
“The Counsel Tree,” Kirrowind announced as they got close to it. He led Katrina in through the doorway and she was stunned by what she saw on the inside.