Unholy War by David Hair

pulled her shift over her head, then put his mouth to her left nipple and began to suckle it, hard, drawing a moan from her lips as she held him there, arching against him.
    Only once did the ugliness of Gatoz and his threats intrude, a brief flash that she pushed aside. Done was done, and there was no point in dwelling on it. If there was one thing her career in the shadows had taught her, it was how to forget. Life was always renewing itself: that was its lesson. She let the pure physical pleasure of his touch lick her soul clean, then murmured, ‘Let’s try out that cot anyway, shall we?’
    *
    Kazim undressed, and then she let him pull her leggings off. The afternoon sun was brilliant outside, but inside the tiny shepherd’s rick, there was shade enough to make it a haven. All he could see was Elena as she lowered herself onto her back and pulled him down onto her. Her hair shone palely as he stopped, poised above her, then he had to catch his breath as she grasped his shaft and pulled him towards her. She lifted her face to meet his and his mouth locked on hers. She tasted salty, as if she’d been drinking tears, and her lips moved as she sighed. His hand found her breast and he cupped it, his fingers stroking the nipple into a hard little nub while he pushed into her wetness, into her warmth. Memories of Ramita flashed momentarily before him, then they were swept away by the here and now as Elena gasped and made a sobbing sound as he thrust into her. Her hands gripped his buttocks as he found his rhythm,
in-in-in
, and the heat inside him rushed to his loins and suddenly all control was gone, borne away on the tumult that flooded through his lingam and into her yoni. A moan burst from his throat and he found himself sobbing tearlessly into the soft triangle of her neck.
    When his breathing had come back to something like normal, he slid out of her and rolled back onto his side, his eyes never leaving her face. ‘I love you,’ he whispered, because that’s what the boys in Aruna Nagar said you were supposed to say, and right now, it was very possibly true.
    She giggled, a girlish sound that made him quiver. ‘Thank you. I’m rather fond of you too. That was … mmm,
passionate
.’ In the soft light she could have been sixteen. Then her eyes narrowed and her rasping almost-cough voice sounded more its usual acerbic self. ‘However, it was also exceedingly
brief
.’ Her mouth twitched and she stroked his hair affectionately. ‘Young men … no control at all.’
    ‘Don’t I please you?’ he asked anxiously.
    ‘You please me very much. You have a face like a demi-god, and the body of a mythic hero. You rescued me from an awful fate and I adore you for all of these things.’ She rolled over to face him and propped herself up on one elbow. ‘However, one minute of lovemaking is not enough. But you’re young: there’s still time to knock you into shape.’ She smiled, reached out and grasped his softening member. ‘I’ve had to teach you war, magic and cooking. I will very much enjoy teaching you this as well.’
    He cuffed her gently, growling. ‘I’ll show you how to—’
    She smiled softly, putting a finger to his lips. ‘No,
I’ll
show
you
. Listen! I have some good news for you: we’re magi and that comes with some very nice side-benefits. Now, start by closing your eyes, and thinking of an incredibly desirable woman. Obviously I’d like to think it’s me,’ she added with a giggle. ‘Now, let those thoughts swirl about, then wrap them around your gnosis … got it?’
    He concentrated and his imagination roaming over her body gave him all the stimulus he needed. He began to feel a warm, erotic glow.
    ‘That’s it,’ she whispered in his ear. ‘Now, send those naughty thoughts coursing into this fellow.’ She stroked his slick member with one fingernail, sending a shiver up his spine, and to his amazement it began to grow turgid again. ‘Mmm,’ she murmured, ‘that’s the