Midwinter heat

The road was rather narrow but still visible in the snow and wind, it was used a lot and finding your way wasn’t all that difficult. The two riders wore thick cloaks and had the cowls pulled forth to protect their faces from the cold wind. Their target lay a short distance away now, a small village where they were to meet some others. The front rider turned in the saddle at times, to check that the one behind him was keeping up. Getting lost in the winter darkness was never a good idea, and in special when the temperature got this low. 

The village lay by a rather large lake, and people there made a living fishing and farming, the land was rather rich and the village was well off. They looked forwards to a good meal and maybe even a warm bath, they had been travelling for several weeks to get there. The gate was not guarded, in such a remote location that was rarely needed and they stopped their steeds outside of the inn which had been mentioned in the letters they had received.

Kyall pushed back the cowl, he stared at the building with narrow eyes and sighed, it was not a cheap place for sure, but he had money. The academy of magic had sent him off on this journey and they paid well. Lorcan slid down from his tired old gelding and rubbed his butt, he was obviously not too used to riding and he was very tired as well.

A stable worker came to take care of their horses and he stopped and stared, the sight of Zharykk was obviously shocking, the enormous destrier was an impressive sight and not what people there were used to for sure. Then the stable worker noticed the man holding the reins and he took a few steps back, not quite sure of what to think. Lorcan had also pulled back his cowl and he grinned. «Relax man, Kyall doesn’t bite»

The stable worker tried to smile, he was still staring at Kyall and he was nervous. «Ah…for how long do you plan to stay?»

The voice rose at the end, making it high pitched. Kyall shrugged. «A couple of days maybe, my stallion need some extra oats and the gelding is in need of a couple of new shoes.»

The stable worker nodded, he gestured for them to follow him into the stable. It was almost empty, few people travelled at this time of the year and the inn was almost empty. Kyall could see that their friends hadn’t arrived yet, and he was glad to see that the stable had room also for a horse as huge as his destrier. They took off the saddles and rubbed the horses down before the worker came with oats and hay and some pieces of carrots.

Kyall flung his saddle bag across his shoulder and they entered the inn, the main room was large and warm and it smelled of food and beer. The inn keeper made huge eyes when he saw them but he didn’t allow his surprise to affect him. He welcomed them and Kyall told the man about their meeting and that there would be more people coming. Then he asked for food and a bath and a servant brought their things to the room they had been given. Usually inns like this had just one large room with several beds but since the academy paid Kyall wanted a bit more privacy. Lorcan was obviously almost beside himself with relief, the young man had not been too used to travelling in winter and the cold was a problem. He was studying to become a magician and he was a very good student. The magic which was inherent in him was getting stronger by the year and he needed to be able to control it. This journey was an attempt at getting a very old and sacred relic from an abandoned temple in the mountains and they had to wait for the other two before going there.

Kyall had been travelling with Atzwha for some time but she hadn’t wanted to go north at this time of the year and had chosen to go to some islands instead, intending to gather some rare herbs for the academy. They were to meet with Ealeah and Dhayal who had been travelling together in order to learn more about the world. Ealeah had been too protected and needed some real education and experience and the young half dryad Dhayal had been a good teacher so far. She was way more experienced and knew things few others did. Kyall was looking forward to seeing them again and Lorcan had never met Dhayal and was eager to speak to a half dryad.

The bath was rather large and very warm, it felt like entering a sauna but it was a good thing, they hadn’t been able to wash themselves for quite a while so they were not smelling like roses and lavender to say the least. Lorcan put his shirt into a basket meant for clothes which were to be washed and he made a grimace. “If I was to use this any longer it would have developed a sentience of its own”

Kyall had to laugh and he got rid of his clothes and got into the tub, he felt that the water was almost too warm but it was pleasant still. Getting the sweat and filth out of his hair was wonderful, he felt better right away. He sat there dozing for quite a while before getting out of the water and drying off. Lorcan had almost fallen asleep and had to be nudged to get out of the by now only lukewarm water. They had some clean clothes and got them on before entering the hall again. The room smelled of stew and they sat down, a servant maid came running with a huge bowl and some plates and utensils, another one came carrying tankards of beer and Lorcan barely had time to thank them before he attacked the food with exceptional zeal. The beer was dark and strong but it had a nice nutty taste Kyall found that he liked, he usually shied away from strong alcohol but this wasn’t really that high in alcohol content so it was safe.

The cook also came strolling by with a basket with small round bread and some butter, together it formed an excellent meal. They ate until they felt stuffed and Kyall was almost certain that he hadn’t eaten better for at least a decade when he finally stumbled off to bed. Lorcan fell asleep right away and Kyall found that the bed was a bit too short and rather hard but he was used to way worse and allowed his fatigue to overtake him. Here they were safe, they could afford to sleep and he drifted off without trying to fight it.

The next morning came with strong wind and grey skies, it was a nasty weather and he started to get worried about the two they were to meet. The breakfast was bread with cheese and some very thin ale, it was good and he was still hungry so he ate a lot. Lorcan was also hungry and showed great appreciation of the bread, it was a type they hadn’t encountered before, there had to be ground nuts in the flour and maybe even some maple syrup. Now they could only wait and Lorcan found that the inn keeper had a small collection of books with a lot of local history. That meant that he was lost to the world for a while and Kyall went to the stable to check on their horses. The feed there was excellent so the animals were very satisfied and he made sure to check Zharykk’s hooves before returning inside. The stallion had never worn shoes but his hooves were extremely hard and there were no signs of cracking or problems.

The inn keeper kept the tall elf entertained with stories about the local history and Kyall found that he enjoyed listening to the man. He was entertaining and also very funny and the day passed by rather quickly. But there was still no sign of Ealeah and Dhayal and Kyall was a bit worried. If they had gotten stuck somewhere due to the weather it could take days before they arrived. The next day came with no wind and a bit of sun too, it was very nice and the area was beautiful but Kyall couldn’t relax, he had a nagging feeling that something was wrong. Ealeah had been visiting the academy many times over the last years and she was never late, she saw it was a sign of trustworthiness to be on time. He started to contemplate taking his horse and riding out to search for the two.

It took two more days before anything happened and by then even Lorcan started feeling a bit nervous. Kyall sat by the hearth when they heard the sound of hooves and it was a horse which was ridden hard. Kyall got up right away, he just knew that this was something serious, nobody would gallop a horse when it is this snowy and icy if there isn’t an emergency.

He almost ran out the door and saw it was Ealeah, she dismounted the horse the academy had lent her, a very tall grey mare. She made a short sound when she saw him and ran over, her eyes huge. “Oh thank the deities, I was afraid you hadn’t arrived yet”

Kyall stared at her. “Where is Dhayal?”

Ealeah swallowed hard. “In a cabin half a day’s ride east of here, she is ill”

Kyall frowned. “Ill?”

Ealeah nodded and she was a bit pale. “Yes, I can barely speak to her, she is so strange, weak and feverish”

Kyall felt confused, Dhayal was a half elf and those of elven blood cannot get ill very easily, and he had a feeling of having heard that dryads were the same. But maybe her mixed heritage made her more vulnerable somehow? “Did it come suddenly?”

Ealeah nodded. “Yes, in less than a day, we were stuck there due to the weather and then she just more or less collapsed. And she asked me to get you”

Kyall took a deep breath. “Right, I will get ready, your horse is exhausted, I will ask if you can borrow one from the inn”

He ran inside and the innkeeper looked a bit shocked when he explained the situation, there was a riding horse there they could borrow and Kyall got his warm clothes on. Lorcan insisted on following him and he didn’t mind, the young magician could perhaps be of help if the problem was of a more magical nature. It didn’t take long before they were out of the village, riding hard in the direction Ealeah showed them. The riding horse she had borrowed had lots of energy but it wasn’t the fastest horse around, it was rather stubby and had short legs but it was capable of running for a long time without breaks and that was valuable now.

The path they followed entered an area with very variable terrain which made it crucial that Ealeah didn’t lose it. There were hills and cliffs and steep canyons everywhere and Kyall was glad there was snow, for it showed the tracks Ealeah had made on her way to the village very clearly.

The cabin was placed within a small valley which ended in a steep hill, it was a hunting lodge and there were no other buildings there. Ealeah was slowing her horse down and getting ready to dismount, she looked frantic and Kyall could understand her rather well. She wasn’t used to such things. He got off his horse too and ran after Ealeah. Lorcan dismounted too, with way less elegance and Kyall entered the cabin right after Ealeah. He stopped dead in his tracks, his mind reeling and his senses going haywire. He knew what the problem was, the scent in there attacked his nose with relentless power and he almost bent over, the effect was immediate and almost violent. Dhayal was laying on the cot which was the only bed there, she was writhing, covered with sweat and moaning. Her eyes were rolling and she was apparently in a great deal of discomfort and pain. Ealeah gasped and her eyes got huge. “She wasn’t this bad when I left?!”

Lorcan was staring too, he looked scared, then suddenly his nostrils flared and he jerked, his eyes got huge as teacups and very dark. Kyall swallowed hard, he didn’t like this one bit, “I know what is ailing her”

Ealeah gaped. “You do?! But… what can we do to help her?”

Kyall forced himself to think, the scent of Dhayal was enough to drive anyone absolutely mad and he had an extremely sensitive nose, almost like a dog. “Ealeah, listen to me, this is very important. Do exactly what I say, take Lorcan with you to the village. Stay there until tomorrow evening, do not return here until then or until I return with Dhayal, understand?”

Ealeah looked very confused and Lorcan closed his eyes and moaned, he had been hit by the effect rather hard since he was young and strong and most definitely a male. “What? What is wrong with her?”

Kyall took a very deep breath. “She is in heat, that is the problem. And she has waited for too long, she should have sought help days ago.”

Ealeah blinked, her expression spoke of disbelief. “Are you kidding me?”

Kyall shook his head. “I wish I was, but no. This is very serious, I have helped her once before, her first heat. I have to help her again, if I don’t she’ll get ill for real, it can potentially kill her”

Ealeah swallowed hard and she was a bit pale. “That is…strange.”

Lorcan gasped and shuddered and Kyall grasped the young man by the back of his neck and more or less pushed him outside. He closed the door. “Has she acted strangely lately?”

Ealeah shrugged. “When you mention it, yes. She has been very quiet, and she has avoided people.”

Kyall nodded. “Yes, she must have known it was coming, but maybe not how fast. Ealeah, a dryad in heat gives off a special scent, it can only be felt by males and it makes them…extremely needy. It cannot be fought and it cannot be reversed, She must have known the danger of entering heat in an area with males present, she could have gotten herself into some real trouble if she had”

Ealeah bit her lower lip. “They would have attacked her?”

He nodded. “Violently, possibly raped her to death, fighting over her like mad animals”

She looked shocked. “But why such an adaptation if it is dangerous to them?”

Kyall walked over to the small bed. “Dryads live in the deep woods, and they do not allow people they cannot trust entrance to their cities. So if one enters her heat there will be some chosen males allowed to help her and nobody else will be allowed near her.”

Ealeah nodded. “So, you will have to…uh…do that, fuck her?”

Kyall nodded. “Yes, until it lets go of her, thank goodness I have rested for some days”

He took a look at the cabin. “Go outside and get the extra blankets from the horses. And leave the canteen with wine here, it is on my saddle”

She exited and he turned around and stared at Dhayal, she was making some strange moaning sounds and she wasn’t really conscious. “I am so sorry Dhayal, this shouldn’t have happened to you”

Ealeah entered, she carried several blankets and Kyall took them. “Get yourself and Lorcan out of here, he is affected too and will have problems if he is to stay near this cabin”

Ealeah had to giggle. “Oh I noticed that, he had a very funny gait. It is affecting you too?”

He nodded slowly. “Yes, I can control myself but Lorcan cannot, he is too young and inexperienced to handle this. Besides, Lorcan is probably a fertile male, and I am not. I do not think Dhayal will be too pleased if she gets knocked up”

Ealeah looked at him with a stern expression. “Right, we ride now. Her horse is behind the cabin by the way, it is a sort of corral there. Should I place your horse there too?”

Kyall nodded, he was glad he was wearing a pair of rather tight pants, if not they would have been tented badly by now. She sent him a small smile. “Good luck, we’ll see you tomorrow evening”

Kyall just nodded, he was busy arranging the blankets on the floor, the bed was simply not solid enough for this. There were a few extra blankets there too and he managed to create a sort of matrass out of them, the floor was made from wooden planks and there was a small hearth there. He got it lit and then he started to undress. He knew there was no point in waiting, it would get worse for Dhayal and it would take way longer to get her through it. He remembered the last time, when they had just met. She hadn’t even been aware of the fact that dryads have a heat cycle and it had been a huge shock for her. He and Atzwha had to teach her everything she needed to know and he had been her first. It had been a challenge to say the least since he had to demonstrate everything with Atzwha but this time there was only Dhayal and him and she knew what she was about to experience. He wondered if she had been in heat since that time years ago, she probably had but he had no idea of whether or not she had actually been with anybody. There were herbs which could supress it and he doubted that she was very interested in being taken by someone she didn’t know.

When he was naked he lifted her off the cot, she was burning warm and he felt a deep sense of pity, this wasn’t a pleasant experience for her, not by far. It was disturbing and painful and very humiliating. She moaned and grasped onto him, as if she was drowning and he was a life raft. He could feel her fingernails cutting into his skin, but he didn’t fear pain, he only feared that he wouldn’t be able to bring her out of her misery. The last time he had truly had to work for it and this time she had waited way too long. He suspected that she in fact had ignored her heat cycles and managed to supress it, that would make it impossible to fight in the end. Her scent was making him feel light headed and he feared that it would make him lose control, he didn’t want to hurt her.

She was naked under the blankets and he knew that he had to be efficient and bring her to a climax as fast as possible, it would help making this a swift affair. There was no time for any tenderness nor any hesitation, she was already so wet her inner thighs were glistening in the vague light and he placed her on the blankets and got into position over her, she was trembling, making strange sounds, writhing against the blankets. She was clawing at him still and he would look as if he had been fighting an army of cats come the morrow but that didn’t matter. He didn’t hesitate, he pushed himself into place and had to moan, the pleasure was sudden and way stronger than he had expected, the scent affected his body too and made him way more driven by instinct than normally.

She was so very warm and tight and he held himself up and started to thrust, making sure the angle provided the maximal amount of stimulation. She was moving against him, meeting him, body wet with sweat and it felt like it would be too much. He knew it was the pheromones she excreted that caused it, even he was affected by it, he wouldn’t have been alive if he wasn’t. He wouldn’t be able to last very long, it had been too long since the last time he had been in bed with anyone. When he was with Dhayal last he had taken Atzwha too, just to get rid of the worst of his need. It had helped him staying in control of himself, but it was too late for that now. Dhayal needed something else this time, no tender love making or gentle caresses. It wouldn’t help her at all, she had to be thoroughly fucked, hard and long and he was ready to do just that.

Dhayal was making mewling sounds, her body jerking and twisting, completely in the grasp of the heat and she was probably not fully conscious. He set a swift pace and felt her strong inner muscles almost grasp onto him, he had to moan as well, it felt so good he barely could believe it. Dhayal tensed up, then she screamed and he felt her pulse around him in swift convulsions. She was arching and he had to hold onto her to prevent her from tearing herself loose from him. He knew this was just the beginning, he would have to be able to continue until the heat was over and that depended on the amount of stimulation he managed to provide. For once he was glad he was very well endowed, it made it easier.

Dhayal was moaning and her eyes out of focus, dark and glassy. She was as lovely as ever but he knew that this would have damaged her seriously if she hadn’t managed to make Ealeah go get him. Atzwha had explained that to him the last time, a dryad is a bit like a ferret, if there is no mating when the heat strikes the body starts to attack itself. He would have preferred to do this differently, to be gentle and considering, to be able to caress her, to truly make love to her but it was impossible now. He just had to go ahead and act like an animal, making her come as often and hard as possible until it got better. He was being a saviour by simply acting in a manner he otherwise would loathe. In his eyes those who only thought about their own fulfilment and pleasure were bastards of the highest degree, to him it mattered more that the one he was with had a good time than what he himself felt.

But it was good, too good. He could feel himself reaching the point of no return, and it hit him like a war hammer. He had to bite into the blanket underneath them to stop himself from screaming like a dying beast, the world turned into blinding light for a few seconds and he arched and shook, the power of the release so strong it almost knocked him out. He knew that dryads often chose several partners to keep them satisfied during their heat, that was probably a very good idea for an ordinary person would never be able to keep up with a heat stricken dryad.

He gasped for air for a few moments, Dhayal was still writhing underneath him and the scent was not getting any less potent. He started moving again, the same swift pace with hard thrusts and she met them and made mewling sounds, her eyes almost glowing. It would have been sexy as hell if it wasn’t so disturbing, she would never have acted like this if she had been in control of herself. He was getting sweaty too, since he had come once he was able to keep going a bit longer and he made her climax twice before his body reached the end of its endurance and he came again, even harder this time.

He had to rest for a few moments, even he was just flesh and bone and this was overwhelming and strange, even to him. Dhayal was covered with sweat, her body shining in the faint light from the hearth, he could see that she had put on some weight since the last time and it was a good thing, she had been way too skinny back then. She looked way healthier now but this situation wasn’t truly a good one at all. He decided to change their position, he turned her around onto her stomach and rolled a blanket inn underneath her, lifting her hips a bit. Then he proceeded to take her from behind and she immediately started to moan and gasp, she seemed to be wee bit more aware of her surroundings now and that was a good thing. He knew she would feel him way better like this and she came fast, and hard. He could feel warm wetness almost flowing out of her and he fought his own need to finish, he stared at the wall and forced himself to continue, she still needed a lot more and he didn’t want to disappoint her. He had to make sure she got out of the heat in a good way, one that didn’t leave her unsatisfied and ill.

It took a couple of hours before she started to calm down, by then he was close to exhaustion but he was still able to do his job, the scent was making sure that he stayed hard even if it shouldn’t have been possible. He took her from a spooning position for a while, that way he could use a hand too and not just his cock and he leaned over her and played with her nipples, using his lips and tongue. That made her climax almost immediately and she was shuddering within his grasp, body convulsing and shaking. He had come too, several times and the blanket underneath them was wet and slick and would have to be washed, thoroughly. He hadn’t truly believed that he was capable of coming that many times but apparently he was, and he wasn’t even coming dry. He was glad he wasn’t able to put a bun in her oven, for with this amount of fucking that result would have been almost guaranteed. It was after all the very point of the process of going into heat, to procreate with or without the persons own consent or wishes.

He was on top of her again when she started to groan and blink, her eyes getting back into focus and he got up and found the canteen, poured some wine into a cup and handed it over to her, she was still shaking, still smelling of the heat but was more vague now, not as powerful. She drank it all in one go, probably almost desperate with thirst and he pulled the blankets up around them, allowing her to rest against his chest. “Kyall?”

He nodded. “I am here precious one, relax now”

She closed her eyes. “I am an idiot”

He stroked her hair, she smelled of sweat and cum but so did he and he kissed her cheek gently. “I would disagree with that statement, do not think so badly of yourself”

She blushed, moaned again. “I was so sure it wouldn’t hit me until we had met you and Lorcan, but the weather delayed us and…”

She leaned against him. “I was so stupid”

He shook his head. “No, you were not stupid, you had a plan, it wasn’t your fault it failed”

She looked down. “It came so suddenly, and I couldn’t fight it, it was simply too strong”

Kyall had to grin. “I have noticed yes, talk about being insatiable”

She cringed. “Oh gods, but I am glad you are here”

He nodded and caressed her shoulders gently, feeling that she was calmer, that her scent was dissipating by the minute. “Ealeah was beside herself with worry, and Lorcan got a nose full of your scent, he has probably spent the night getting really familiar with his right hand”

Dhayal had to grin. “Oh no, maybe Ealeah has agreed to help him?”

Kyall tilted his head. “Maybe, she is capable of doing just that. But you must have been in heat several times since we last met?”

She looked down, shivering slightly. “Yes, and I have in fact done what it demands of me, several times. But none…”

She looked up at him. “None have compared to you. This time it came so fast, there isn’t that long since the last time I was in heat and back then I simply forced it back, there were nobody there I wanted to be with”

He shook his head. “Silly girl, you know what happens if you fail to follow your instincts?”

She sighed. “Yes, but I was so certain I would make it to the village before it struck, man was I wrong”

She moaned again, and pushed against him. “I am not completely out of it yet, I need…”

He sent her a swift almost sad grin. “I know, I will not leave you to suffer you know, I am here for you”

He let her lay down on the simple bed again, pulling a dry blanket forth underneath her. “Here, this will be a bit more comfortable, we have soiled the last one completely”

He leaned down and kissed her gently on her cheek but she turned her head a bit and gave him a tentative kiss on the lips, very gently. He hesitated for a second, then he answered the kiss and made it a real one, suddenly she was hanging onto him again like a remora and lifting her hips towards him, making it very clear that she needed him still. He tried to make it a bit more gentle this time, more like love making and less like a mindless fuck. Dhayal was panting and gasping, meeting his movements with surprising strength and before long she came screaming again, straining against him. He found that he enjoyed this way more than doing it with her barely aware of her surroundings. She kissed him again, pulling him close with her legs and he had to grin, he was getting close again and wanted to enjoy it, for as long as it lasted. “Oh Gods, this is…”

He had to moan and closed his eyes, trying to hold back . “Insane, and wonderful”

She threw her head back, mouth open and eyes closed, her face contorted by ecstasy. “Divine”

He wanted to answer her but his own orgasm hit him again and he arched and this time he just let go and roared, allowing it to rush through his body, unchecked. Dhayal screamed too, writhing with pleasure and he could feel her body clenching yet one more time. She kept shuddering and strained against him. He stayed in place until she finally relaxed, then he let himself slide down next to her, gently caressing her breasts and waist. Dhayal was panting with exhaustion, her eyes looked normal now and the scent was almost completely gone. She was exiting the heat, finally. Kyall felt exhausted and his body was sore and stiff, he felt that his balls actually felt tender and it was no wonder, he had pushed himself way beyond his normal limits, and considering how much more capable he was than a normal male that said quite a bit. Dhayal sighed, stretched herself out and licked her lips. “I am thirsty”

He nodded. “Yes, no wonder, you have been sweating a lot”

She bit her lower lip. “How long…how long were we going at it?”

He scoffed. “Several hours, maybe half a day. It is dark outside so hard to tell”

She cringed. “Oh by every deity, I feel as if I have been run over by a herd of wild boar”

He had to grin again. “Are you comparing me with a boar?”

She giggled. “No, but I am so glad you came to help me, it has never been this bad before”

He tilted his head. “I noticed yes, you were not even truly conscious”

She looked down, played with a lock of his long silky hair. “I cannot truly remember anything after Ealeah left, only…”

She frowned. “I remember you laying me down onto the blankets I think, and then I remember coming, again and again. No wonder I feel tender”

He felt a wee bit proud of himself. “That is to expect now yes, you were desperate, and so was I too, your scent drove me absolutely insane”

She sighed, laid an arm over her face. “I am safe now, for some months, but if it starts getting like this each time I fear I may go insane, I cannot follow you around like some dog on a leash.”

He frowned, lifted himself a bit so he could look down upon her. “How long has it been since the last time?”

She closed her eyes. “About a year and a half, it usually takes two or three years between the heat cycles”

He blinked. “Know what, I think you better follow us back to the academy, they have a lot of knowledge there, not only about magic. Maybe there is something there which explains this”

She looked eager all of a sudden. “Oh yes, that would be wonderful, I am so confused right now, it usually takes way longer to get that strong”

Kyall poured some more wine and she drank it all, sent him a swift grin. “I needed that, I am hungry too but we don’t have much food here now have we?”

Kyall shook his head. “No, so we will return to the village as soon as we can, now we’ll just rest. I think we both need it”

She nodded and leaned back into the blankets. “Yes, I am so tired, now that I am no longer caught by that goddamn urge, I feel like a wrung up piece of cloth”

He pulled the blankets up and laid down next to her, feeling that he too was extremely worn out. “We’ll sleep for a few hours, it won’t get light yet”

She yawned and didn’t protest, she just curled up close to him with a trust that was endearing and unexpected. He would have wanted to get up and check on the horses but he was simply too tired, he was out like a blown out candle the moment his head hit the roll of blankets.

He woke up and noticed that Dhayal was awake next to him, she was moving around a bit and he yawned and ruffled her hair. It was light outside and the small window showed that it was nice weather. The room was rather cold and Dhayal looked sheepish. “I need to..,pee, but it is so cold.”

He stretched and felt how stiff his muscles were, and the room was still reeking of sex, he had to blush faintly. He rolled himself out of the blankets and managed to get the hearth going again, since the cabin was so small it didn’t take long before it got warmer again. Dhayal wrapped a blanket around herself and got up, she almost sprinted out the door and returned after a few short moments, visibly relieved and also very cold. She slipped back underneath the blankets and he placed their clothes close to the hearth so they would be warm. She blinked and blushed. “I need a bath, badly. I stink, and by every deity, how much cum did you leave in me? It was gushing when I squatted to pee”

He had to cough, it wasn’t what he had expected to hear from her. “Uh, I think I came quite a few times so probably more than normal”

She scoffed. “True words, I didn’t know that much about males at all when we first met, remember?”

He had to nod. “Yes, you were extremely inexperienced”

She bit her lower lip, looking down. “Know what? I have never done it when I wasn’t in heat, I had to do it you know, to avoid getting ill”

He tilted his head, eyes narrowing. “I understand that, and you are saying?”

She took a deep breath. “I want to do it again, for real this time. Not because I have to do it, because I want to do it.”

He frowned. “ Are you sure? You aren’t sore or tired?”

She shook her head. “Know what? I feel good, very good in fact.”

She got out of the blankets again and stood there, naked and not trying to hide at all. She was gorgeous, a way more curvy and sensual beauty than the bladelike elegance of Atzwha or the wild reckless energy of Ealeah. He got up too, then he leaned inn and kissed her and she answered the kiss eagerly. He suddenly found that he too like this idea, she ought to experience it as it should be, not simply because she didn’t have a choice. He started to caress her, using everything he knew and she returned the caresses. He was already hard again and she wasn’t shy, she used her hand on him until he was shuddering and gasping her name. He shouldn’t be this easy to turn on now considering the last day but she had talent and a good grip and he had to stop her before she took him too far. He returned the favour, paying attention to her nipples until she was shaking and he laid her down again, not even letting go of her for a second. This time there was no rush, no desperate chase for a relief that was just a small part of the goal. It was so different, and he liked the idea, truly making love to her properly and showing her how he worshipped her and her beauty. They could take it slowly, truly feeling and enjoying and when they finally reached the very peak of pleasure it was together, as one. Kyall wasn’t ashamed of howling her name and Dhayal was shrieking and clawing at him, it made the ecstasy even more fulfilling. He could take her this high even without that darn heat making her desperately wanton.

Afterwards there wasn’t really much to say, they got their clothes back on, which he regretted. She was exquisite to look at and he wondered if he would have the chance to admire her again sometime. But it was cold and they needed to be covered up, the hearth was getting cold and they left the cabin almost reluctantly. Dhayal kissed him before they mounted their horses, she looked a wee bit sad. “Thank you, I can never repay you for what you did for me”

He scoffed. “As if I ever would expect you to do anything in return? I should thank you instead, I enjoyed it too remember?”

She giggled and there was a roughish glint in her eyes as she got onto her horse, very carefully and with a grimace of discomfort. “Yes, I can remember that, you were roaring like rutting buck. I kind of loved that”

He shook his head in mock shock, then he spurred his horse and followed her, feeling that it had ended well after all. But there was still the question of what she was to do when she entered heat again. And why it came so suddenly, and with so little time gone by since the last one. He could only hope that the academy had the answers she needed.

Back at the inn they were welcomed by Ealeah and Lorcan and Kyall headed for the baths right away, he had a feeling that everybody could smell what he had been busy doing. Lorcan came carrying some blankets and he stopped and stared, his expression one of disbelief. “Kyall?! Your back and shoulders? Have you been attacked by someone with a blade?”

He had to lean back against the tub and he raised an eyebrow in a telling manner paired with a wry grin, he already knew that Dhayal had marked him and done it well too, the scratches hurt a bit in the warm water but he felt proud of them. He shook his head. “No, from a battle with a wildcat and it was glorious”

Lorcan blushed almost violently and raced out of the room and Kyall had to laugh, even in the cold darkness of winter there was joy to be found and if he was lucky Dhayal would want to repeat the last tumble they had enjoyed. There were after all weeks of travel and work ahead of them, yes, he definitely hoped that she would want him again, just not while in heat.