Page 14 of The Iron Oath
She plucked one off and tossed it into her mouth. Her eyes closed briefly while a slight moan came from her. Magoza’s core clenched at the sound. A fierce desire and need to hear Amuleta make that noise again filled her. She opened her eyes and plucked another one and offered it to Magoza.
“Try them. They are perfect,” Amuleta whispered.
Her pupils were dilated wide. Magoza opened her mouth to allow Amuleta to deposit the berry into her mouth. She hesitated at first but slowly came forward and popped it into Magoza’s mouth. She closed and bit down on the berry. The sweetness and tartness of the fruit exploded on her tongue. It was extremely good, but she was sure it would pale in comparison to what Amuleta would taste like. She chewed and swallowed the berry, careful not to choke on it.
“You are right. They are delicious. I could eat them all right now.” Magoza tore her gaze from Amuleta and looked around at all of the trees that held the vines low on their trunks. There were even bushes next to them. It would appear the bushes created vines that latched on to the trees that grew next to them.
“Well, I’m sure lots of people will be disappointed if I did not bring berries. I guess I could explain that the commander ate them all.” Amuleta chuckled. She placed the berries in a collection bag that held other vines she had removed from the trees.
“No one would dare challenge me,” Magoza boasted.
Even though she was a strong warrior and had fought in plenty of battles, she needed to convey to Amuleta that she was a great warrior. One who no one would cross. A protective nature grew with a fury inside Magoza. Amuleta may be part orc, but she wasn’t as large as a full-blooded one. Her human features softened her and gave her a smaller, more delicate frame.
“Oh, I’ve heard stories,” Amuleta murmured. She moved away slightly and continued harvesting the berries.
“Fan of gossip, are you?” Magoza’s eyebrows rose high. She didn’t think Amuleta would be one of the gossipers in town. She was sure there were plenty of tales making their way around about her. She always ignored the hearsay. She would dare anyone to share their lies with her to her face.
“Not really, but it’s hard to ignore when there are so many tongues wagging at the market about the great Magoza.” Amuleta glanced over at her with a teasing look in her eyes. She placed another length of vine in her bag. She motioned to Magoza. “Come on. No slacking. You wanted to help, remember?”
This little female was a spitfire. It just took her getting comfortable in Magoza’s presence to start letting her true personality show. Magoza grinned and slid the dagger she kept hidden underneath the leg of her boot from its scabbard. It was a tiny one that wouldn’t do real damage like her axes, but it was a backup weapon for her. She never left home unprepared. She never knew what dangers she would encounter.
“Kraz,I said I wanted to help. I wouldn’t want to let it be known that I’m a slacker.” Magoza moved over to the other side of the wide base of the tree. She carefully mimicked Amuleta’s action and was able to successfully remove a strip of the vine away from the tree with the berries safely secured. She thought back to the singing she had heard and that it wasn’t in the Universal language, nor was it in Orcish. They were currently speaking in Orcish, but that other language was one Magoza wasn’t familiar with. “Your singing voice is beautiful. What language was that you were singing in?”
Magoza held her breath as she retrieved another section of the vines. She was certain Amuleta was still on the other side of the tree. Her delicious scent was still strong in the air. Shemoved around the tree with her berries in her hand. Amuleta was kneeling in front of the bushes next to the tree. The vines were completely removed from her side.
“Did you hear me, Amuleta?” Magoza asked. She walked over to her and knelt beside her so she could add her berries to the bag.
“Kratz, I heard you.” She glanced over at Magoza with a guarded look in her eyes. She sighed and turned her attention back to the bushes. She carefully pruned more berries.
For a moment, Magoza thought she would not answer her, but then she spoke again softly.
“That song was taught to me when I was a young child. It is Peyali, an ancient Fae dialect.”
“Fae?” Magoza was impressed. There were many dialects of the Fae language, but this one was not one she was familiar with. There was more to this woman than the eye could see. With her humanoid features, her one brown eye and her one amber eye, one could see she was a half-breed as many called her. But Fae was thrown in there, too? Very interesting. “It was beautiful.”
“Shamir omie.”Thank you.Her lips turned up in the corners. Her fingers continued working quickly as she cut and tugged the berries from the bushes and placed them in the bag, which was almost full. She plucked another berry from the bush and popped it in her mouth. “I have to stop eating them. I won’t have much to sell. I guess I can tell my customers that I was a glut and ate most of the berries with you.”
She turned and offered Magoza another berry. Magoza leaned closer to Amuleta. She inhaled deeply and ignored the sweet smell of the berries near them and focused on Amuleta’s. She opened her mouth and closed it around the berry still held between Amuleta’s fingers. Her lips brushed them, a gasp escaping her. She pulled back slightly, unable to taste the berry as Amuleta’s wide eyes locked in on her mouth.
Magoza chewed slowly and swallowed the berry. She reached up and brushed Amuleta’s hair from her face. She trailed her fingers down her temple and the side of her face. Her green skin was just as soft as it looked. Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment before opening and focusing on Magoza. Her lips parted slightly, and Magoza found herself focusing on them. Her plump lips were a temptation she was fighting to resist.
“I’m going to kiss you,” Magoza whispered.
This was her warning for Amuleta. If she didn’t desire the kiss, then this was her chance to move away. They were kneeling on the ground, but all was forgotten at the moment. The only thing that held Magoza’s attention was this beautiful female in front of her.
She wanted her.
Magoza slipped her hand down to the back of Amuleta’s neck and held her in place. Amuleta’s nodded slightly. It was all Magoza needed.
She dropped her head and pressed her mouth to Amuleta’s whose opened immediately. Their kiss began as a simple one until Magoza thrust her tongue forward and was welcomed by Amuleta’s. The taste of the berries greeted her. Magoza groaned and gathered Amuleta to her, careful to keep her tusks from scraping Amuleta. Magoza couldn’t get enough of her. The kiss intensified; Amuleta grew bold with her tongue. It was becoming overwhelming for Magoza. She wanted to lay this woman down on the soft grass and strip her clothing from her.
But she reined in her control.
The smaller woman’s hands slid up Magoza’s arms. A growl was ripped from Magoza as Amuleta explored her arms. Her soft hands slid over her biceps, traveling farther up until they reached behind her neck. She entwined them together and opened more for Magoza who took advantage of this.
She wanted to memorize this taste of this female in her arms.
Mate.
