There and Back Again

Chapter 135: Apparent Anger

The first thing I noticed, when I could finally feel anything again, was that I'd let go of all the mana I held. Panicked, I scrabbled for it before even opening my eyes...but there wasn't any. I couldn't sense a single mage.

That startled me enough to make me start noticing other things. I was lying in a bed, for example, not the hard rock and dirt floor I expected, and it was warm – warmer than I'd been in what felt like a very long time. As I mentally took inventory of my situation, it also became clear, from the lack of itch and general stickiness, that I was blessedly clean. My scalp wasn't prickly, my hair wasn't plastered to my face, and there was no dried darkspawn blood cracking in the creases in my skin. And while I felt gloriously well-rested, I was also stiff and sore, and had to wonder how long I'd been lying there.

I must have twitched, or maybe it was the change in my breathing, but before I had time to think about anything else, I was being picked up and turned, and found myself sprawled across the firm body of my husband, face buried in his neck; he held me tight, whispering comforting nonsense in my ear. I took a deep breath, inhaling his unique scent, pressing myself tighter against him.

I couldn't be sure it wasn't some new hallucination, some misfiring of sleep-deprived neurons or possibly even some ploy by a desire demon who'd managed to make my exhausted, screwed-up mind its home...but at that moment, I didn't care. If I was that deep in a hallucination so vivid, I'd already lost my hold on reality – never mind the Architect's mana, and he'd had all the opportunity he needed to do whatever he wanted to me. I was as good as dead already. So I might as well enjoy what I can get before I go.

I spread my legs, straddling Alistair's hips awkwardly, the material of the nightgown I was wearing pulling uncomfortably. Before he could say anything, I sat up, eyes still closed, and worked the gown over my head, tossing it in a random direction, leaving me naked. I finally opened my eyes and looked down on the gorgeous man underneath me; his face was slightly flushed, his eyes wide as he seemed to be struggling to keep his gaze on my face, away from my naked flesh. I smirked.

"Sierra..." he began, but before he could finish the sentence, I leaned down and captured his lips in a searing kiss. He seemed about to object, so I slipped my tongue into his mouth when it opened, tasting him, devouring him, my fingers sliding into his short, sandy hair to pull him harder to me. He groaned when I rocked my pelvis against him, and I could feel him hardening underneath me. His hands came up to grip my hips, whether to stop me or pull me closer I wasn't sure.

My brown curls fell around us in waves, curtaining us off from the world; it was like no one else existed, and I had to admit it was possible no one did, being in my hallucination like we probably were. I spent an eternity just kissing Alistair, exploring his mouth with my tongue like it was the first time. He just let me, teasing me with his own tongue, panting softly when I pulled away to breathe, and letting me set the pace. After everything I'd been through, it was heaven.

Untangling my fingers from the hair at the nape of his neck, which was a little longer than I was used to, I stroked my fingers down his ears, relishing the shudder that caused, then down his strong neck. I reached the neck of his shirt and began undoing the laces there with a sniff of irritation.

"Not a desire demon," I muttered to myself, amused that I was so rationally pondering that possibility even within a waking dream. "Too many God-damned clothes!" I thought I heard him chuff out a slight laugh, and I smirked as I hauled his shirt up; he half-sat up to help me peel it off.

And then I had my hands and mouth on him. I sucked at the taut cord of muscle in his neck, while I stroked his broad shoulders, his muscular biceps, his washboard abs and bulging pecs. I buried my nose in his sparse chest hair, treasuring his smell and his little gasps of pleasure as I gently pinched and rolled his nipple. I explored the tantalizing recess of his belly button with my tongue while I gripped his waist with desperate strength, afraid he would disappear on me again if I let go.