Without hesitation, he agreed, “Nahna.”

I stared into his heated, gleaming eyes and said softly, “Kah Dax, kah tunakan, kah Lahn.” My king, my warrior, my Lahn.

His lips came to mine and he whispered, “Meena, my Circe, jak nahna.” Yes, my Circe, all yours.

My lips curved into a smile seconds before his tongue slid between them, the tip of mine met his for a sweet touch before he broke that connection, pulled me off of his cock, turned me and planted me on my back in the bed. He pulled my legs apart, came down on top of me then yanked them around him as I circled his broad shoulders with my arms. Then his hand roamed my body, all the skin he could touch that wasn’t being touched by his body as his other arm rested in the bed taking on the bulk of his weight.

All the time he did this, his beautiful, dark, painted-black eyes stayed locked to mine.

Eventually, my limbs gave him a squeeze and I whispered, “I like our paint, honey, but I don’t like Dortak on me. Can we take a bath?”

He dipped his head and touched his mouth to mine as his hand came up and curled at the side of my neck.

Then he spoke softly and I knew he meant what he had to say because he didn’t bother with English, he used Korwahk, “I understand this is not of your world, my Circe, but he shares our bed tonight.”

Oh no, I didn’t like the sound of that, like, at all.

Lahn kept talking. “His body has been burned on the pyre, his head has become a toy or trophy, the Korwahk celebrated his death with cheers and chants, drink and dancing. And he knew humiliation, beaten, disarmed and immobilized before his defeat, cut down by his own steel. But I am not done with him. His blood

shares our bed as I take you with my mouth, with my cock, with my fingers, your mouth sucks me deep and I make you beg and gasp and cry out. And he shares it as you sleep underneath me, my seed leaking from between your legs. Tomorrow, I will bathe him away from you, tonight, if there is any part of his spirit left in this realm, he will know the beauty we share in our cham and, since he threatened to defile my queen, this is my way to shove it up his ass.”

All right, I could get where he was coming from, I knew my man was pissed after what Dortak said. But now that the passion was spent and the cuddling had begun, I wasn’t all fired up to sleep with some guy’s blood on me.

And I started to tell Lahn this. “Lahn –”

He shook his head and his thumb moved to my lips. “No, Circe.

This will be. Your king commands it.”

When he slid his thumb from my lips, I whispered, “But, baby, it’s gross. ”

He blinked. “Gross?”

I nodded. “Gross. Icky. Yuck. Blech. Nasty. Gross. ”

He grinned. Then he reminded me, “You didn’t think it was…

gross… when you gave me nahna xaxsah while carrying his blood and my paint.”

“But –”

“Or when you begged for my cock harder.”

“But, La –”

“Or when you pushed your hips into my cock so violent –”

My arm moved from around his shoulders and my fingers covered his mouth. “Okay, okay, I get it. You’re right. And this means something to you so all right…” I moved my hand from his mouth, sighed and gave in. “I’ll sleep with icky blood on me.”

I caught his grin before his face disappeared in my neck where he murmured. “Shahsha, kah rahna Dahksahna.”

“Nahrahka,” I muttered, sliding my hand down his neck to the back and then down between his shoulder blades, thinking, jeez, the things I do for my king.

“Kah teenkah tunakanahsa was very brave today,” he said in my ear and lifted his head, his thumb moving to sweep my cheekbone.

“I know that took effort, Circe, to watch that. I was very proud of you.”

I felt my pique fade away as his sweetness invaded.

“Thanks, honey,” I whispered.

His eyes moved over my face and he whispered back, “I could not dream a better you.”

Oh my God.

Oh… my… God.

Did he just say that?

I stared into his warm eyes.

He just said that.

And that was so sweet, so unexpected but so welcome, my breath arrested and all I could do was continue staring at him.

He wasn’t done. “A better wife, a better queen. Not even in a dream could I create better than you.”

“Stop it,” I whispered because I couldn’t take anymore and I couldn’t take anymore because the happiness blooming inside me threatened to overwhelm me.

He lips tipped up slightly but his eyes warmed even more. “Okay, kah Lahnahsahna, I will stop it.”

I sucked in breath through my nose to control the tingling there and then I lifted my head and shoved my face in his neck, holding on tight with all my limbs.

Lahn spoke in my ear. “My queen, do not get drowsy. I am not done fucking you.”

Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have taught him the f-word. Sure, when I explained it to him, he laughed loud then he picked me up, threw me on the bed and acted out its meaning.

But his saying it was hot, too hot .

My head dropped back on the bed and I stared up at him in disbelief.

“You’re not?”

“No. Not close.”

I felt my eyebrows shoot up. “Not close?”

“No.”