SARA
(Outside the royal chambers, just after leaving Benjamin)
Sara stood motionless for a long moment after the vine curtain fell closed, sealing Benjamin inside with the Queen.
Her chest felt tightened.
A part of it was pride, and another part was something sharper she did not want to name.
"I had found him first. Carried him through the Wilds when he was half-dead. Bathed him, fed him, taught him the first wonders of touch. Last night he had trembled beneath me, looked at me like I was the only thing in the world. His bond with me already feels deep, warm, and alive in a way no fleeting mating from the outer settlements ever had…"
But now Queen Elara would taste him.
Sara pressed a hand to her lower belly, where the faint feel of the new bond pulsed gently.
She was not afraid of losing him… She trusted the soft strength in Benjamin's eyes. The problem was, Amazons were raised on stories of queens who claimed the best for themselves.
Queen Elara was very fair, wise, beloved… and used to having whatever she desired.
Sara exhaled slowly. Let the Queen have her night.
When the Welcoming Rite came, Sara would stand among the mated warriors, but remind Benjamin exactly why he had called her name first.
She turned away, forcing her steps to stay measured as she descended the stairs to wait for Benjamin below.
The drums for the Rite were growing louder. Soon the whole village would gather under the full moon.
Tonight would change everything… for the Spire, for Benjamin, and for her.
She would be ready, nonetheless.
BENJAMIN'S POV
The vine curtain settled, and the chamber felt suddenly smaller.
Queen Elara watched me with those piercing silver-gray eyes, patient as a predator who knows the prey has nowhere to run.
"You are afraid," she said softly.
"Yes." I nodded.
There's no point in lying.
"Good." She stepped closer, bare feet silent on the thick moss. "Fear is good sometimes. It keeps us honest and honorable."
She then took my hand. Her grip was warm and strong.
Next, she led me not straight to the bed, but to a low table where a carafe of dark wine waited beside two carved wooden cups.
"Sit," she said.
I sat on a cushioned bench grown from the tree itself. She poured for both of us and handed me a cup.
"Drink. It will steady you."
The wine was rich, spiced with something that warmed my blood immediately. So I drank gratefully.
Elara sat opposite me, legs crossed, the slit in her emerald silk robe revealing a long expanse of golden thigh. She sipped slowly, studying me over the rim.
"Tell me of your old life, Benjamin Mark."
"Uhm…" I hadn't expected… conversation at all.
I had expected… well, something far more direct.
However, I told her.
The modern city of my world. The endless office days. The illness that stole everything. The loneliness that hurt worse than the pain.
Then dying alone and regretting only that I had never been close to anyone.
When I finished, silence hung between us.
Elara set her cup down. "And now the gods have placed you here, among women who have never known a permanent male. Women who are strong, proud, sometimes fierce in their wants."
Her lips curved faintly. "Do you feel burdened by it?"
I thought about it for a short while.
"No," I said honestly. "Overwhelmed? Completely. But not burdened. In my old life I was basically invisible. Here… I feel seen. Haha, I feel like I'm getting all the attention."
Her eyes softened a little. "That is a respectable answer."
Then she rose and moved behind me; her strong hands settled on my shoulders, kneading gently. And tension I carried began to melt under her touch.
"You carry old weight still," she murmured. "Let it go tonight, won't you?"
Her fingers worked lower, down my arms, then around to my chest. The silk robe brushed my back as she leaned over me. Her scent was like wild jasmine. And her warm skin… It all filled my senses.
I closed my eyes. My body responded instantly, heat pooling low.
Elara's lips brushed my ear. "Stand."
I obeyed.
Then she moved in front of me again, close enough that the silk of her robe grazed my tunic.
"Undress me," she said quietly.
GULP!
"Y-Yes."
My hands shook slightly as I reached for the delicate ties at her shoulder. The robe loosened and slid down her body like water, pooling at her feet.
And god… She was breathtaking.
Full, heavy breasts with dark nipples already peaked. Narrow waist flaring to wide hips. Powerful thighs and the dark triangle between them glistening faintly in the glow of the flowers.
Every inch of her spoke of strength and fertility.
I couldn't help but stare.
Elara smiled. Probably understanding my gaze.
"Now you." she whispered.
I pulled off my tunic, then the trousers.
She watched openly, approval sharp in her expression as my new body was revealed: lean muscle and the evidence of my desire standing proud in-between my legs.
She stepped close, pressing her naked part against me. Skin to skin. Heat to heat.
Then… Her lips…
Her kiss was different from Sara's; deeper, commanding, yet kind of patient.
She tasted of the spiced wine and something else. Something richer, I suppose.
Her tongue coaxed mine, really teaching rather than taking.
I instinctively wrapped my arms around her, hands sliding over the smooth muscles of her back, down to the curve of her hips. She made a low sound of agreement.
We then moved to the wide bed without breaking the kiss. She lay back among the furs, pulling me down with her. Her legs parted, inviting.
But she did not rush anything.
First, exploration.
She studied my body.
Her hands mapped my chest, my stomach, tracing every line as if memorizing me. When she wrapped fingers around my lump, I groaned into her mouth.
She stroked it slowly, deliberately, as she kept watching my face.
"So responsive," she whispered. "Sara was precise."
Damn… I needed to touch her too.