Page 56 of Vows of Sacrifice

When she began to stare at a point far above my head and behind me, I finally understood what was bothering her: my outfit. Or lack thereof, to be precise. I smiled.

“You should think about getting used to it,” I teased.

“Getting used to what?”

Her inflection remained as piercing as ever. I felt my smile widen.

“Me. Naked. Often,” I said.

This summed up the effect she had on me: I’d storm into a room, consumed by the vital need to light a cigar or risk gutting every human who had the misfortune to cross my path, and a few moments later, thanks solely to her, I’d be in a good mood.

To gain composure, Ashana preferred to head for the big window, wisely turning her back on me as I continued to undress. Which I did, as I detailed her. My wife was wearing a deep green Osacanian gown that brought out the flamboyant hue of her hair and accentuated the softness of her alluring curves.

“I would very much like to see you wear the dagger I gave you.”

My sentence had the merit of attracting her attention enough for her to send me a brief questioning glance.

“Now?”

I gave her a charming smile.

“All the time. You have to tame it, get used to moving with it. It may seem strange at first, but I can assure you that you get used to it very quickly.”

From my tone, you’d have thought I was talking about something other than a weapon with a terribly sharp edge. Only, I knew that Ashana’s mind was too innocent to join my impure thoughts.

“It’s too big,” she explained.

Or not. My head jerked back. I was uncertain. Just a little. I stroked my chin thoughtfully, scratching my short beard as I wondered if I should outbid, just to test this possibility.

“Of course, but don’t be afraid of it,” I replied.

As serious as death, Ashana crossed her arms, then scrutinized me carefully. I held back laughter.

“How can you not fear being hurt? Have you seen its size?”

At this rate, my internal organs would be twisting in on themselves to contain the laughter that threatened to explode.

“I know her measurements, since she belonged to me before becoming entirely yours. And while we’re on the subject, it’s now your duty to use it as often as possible. The more you use it, the more familiar it will feel in your hands. Thanks to your enormous learning potential, I can assure you that you’ll quickly become an expert in this area.”

I’d pushed it too far, because now Ashana was staring at me suspiciously.

“What exactly are you talking about?” she asked, trying to get to the bottom of it.

I dedicated a smile to her, resplendent with a fearsome hypocrisy.

“My dagger, of course!”

“Really?” she insisted.

I raised a hand to interrupt her before she realized the deception of this double-entendre speech.

“I may have a belt in my belongings that could be useful to you.”

I opened my large wooden chest, then rummaged around inside to pull out a brown leather strap. I walked over to her and fastened it around her waist. I heard her take a deep breath and hold, which made me smile.

“Breathe, Ashana.”

She gave me a surprised look.

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