The Shackled Sorceress' Mate

An Arrangement

Ladon’s mouth hits the floor at my words. He obviously hasn’t spent too much time around self-assured women.

“You don’t have other plans, do you?” I tease, getting slowly closer to him until my arm is just touching his.

He sputters a little. “Well... no, I don’t.” He manages to say.

“Look, Ladon. I know you felt something in that kiss, and so did I.” I look him dead in the eye. “I am not a little wilting flower who is going to play games about it though. Either you want me or you don’t. We only have tonight, so I don’t have time to mess around with maybes.”

He takes a shallow breath. “Well, when you put it like that...” he starts, and a nervous smile crosses his lips.

I return the smile, then wave for Ivan to come over to us. When the enormous bartender lumbers toward me I whisper into his ear, “We will be needing a key for the room upstairs.”

Ivan chortles and whispers back “Atta girl!” He pulls the key from a drawer under the bar and places it in front of me. I slide a leather pouch full of my father’s coin back to him.

I look over at this mysterious young man next to me, and my heart begins to race with anticipation as I wrap my fingers around the cold iron key. “Meet me upstairs in five minutes... if you want to.” I say under my breath. I take the last swig of ale from my cup and put it down with a slam. After I push my chair in, I leave Ladon with a smirk and a wink.

I make my way to the dirty staircase in the darkened back corner of the tavern, and begin to climb its creaky, uneven steps.

I finally reach the hallway at the top of the stairs and see Ivan’s room to my left and the spare room to my right. I put the key in and push open the ancient splintered door. The room is much like the rest of this tavern; dusty and dirty. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I get so tired of having every moment of my life planned to perfection that I only find comfort in disorder and chaos.

I kick my shoes off, and find a polished brass mirror on the bedside table to examine my reflection. I gasp at the face I see looking back at me. What a mess!

Quickly, I pull the pins out of my hair and try to smooth it a little, yanking twigs and chunks of mud out as I go. I peel off my tunic, the long sleeves tinged with mud and frayed at the ends. My corset is not as easy to escape, but my eager fingers are finally able to finally get it loose. I take a long-awaited deep breath when it hits the ground. Finally, I dip my hands into the water basin and clean my muddied face.

As I dry my self off with a dingy linen cloth, I begin to wonder what is taking Ladon so long. Did he have second thoughts?

I pace nervously across the room and the minutes pass by like hours. It feels silly now, standing in this strange room in nothing but my chemise, waiting for the attention of a man I’ve just met.

Oh well, at least I have a private room for the night. One last night of freedom before this foolish lockdown. I flop down on the straw-stuffed bed and close my eyes.

Tap tap tap... Rings a quiet knock on the door. My eyes spring open. I sit up on the bed and grab the blanket to wrap around myself... just in case. As I shuffle to the door, my heart is slamming against my chest. What if it isn’t him? I open the door a c***k, and exhale when I see Ladon standing in front of me. His eyes are locked on the ground.

“Took you long enough,” I tease. “Having second thoughts?”

He shakes his head. “No, just... you’re not like any woman I’ve ever met.” He says quietly. He’s searching for the correct words. “It’s a little intimidating. And I’m... I’m different. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I can look out for myself, Ladon. Besides, I knew you were different from the moment I saw you. I wouldn’t have been interested otherwise.” I lean against the doorframe, and let the blanket drop down a little, exposing my bare shoulders to him. “So, do you want to come in or not?”

He pauses for a second before his eyes begin to curiously draw their way up my legs and over my curves until they settle on the bare skin of my arms and shoulders. He finally finds his way to my eyes, and my heart skips a beat when those dark golden eyes peer into mine.

They wrinkle at the corners as a smile finds its way to his lips. I lean forward, dropping the blanket to the floor and revealing my skin-hugging chemise while I grab his coat with my hands. I look up at him with hunger in my eyes, hoping to see the same feeling in his.

His scarred hands begin to gently trail their way up my arms and to my chin. He caresses it with his thumb before he leans in with lips parted.

We stand there, only an inch apart for ages. I want him to close the gap, to make the first move so that I can tell for sure he wants me too.

His hand finds its way to my lower back, and a little whimper escapes my lips. He groans at the sound, and pulls my nearly naked body to his. Our lips are magnets, finally together once again. Exploring, caressing, devouring.

Without letting our lips separate, he picks me up in his deliciously sculpted arms and walks me through the threshold, kicking the enormous door closed behind us.