Free ThirteenNights by Sabrina Garie

a
pillowcase off the pillow, then carefully ripped it into five ties and handed
them to her. To be tied up and blindfolded, to give oneself to such
vulnerability was an act of total trust and it hit her in the gut. This went
beyond words, beyond touches—he was giving her all that he was and trusting her
to take care of him. His courage touched her heart, made her strong.
    With a kiss she accepted them. The image of Tai at her
sexual mercy had her core clenching in anticipation, the reality even better.
All that hard, lean muscle offered up for her pleasure, the memory of those
black eyes gone midnight with passion focused completely on her before she
covered them up—a willing sacrifice to the gods of love and war. The battle
would begin soon. Tonight was about love and she was going to show him just how
much she loved him.
    She kissed and licked every ounce of skin exposed to her,
taking time out for all-consuming kisses that branded his mouth with hers. With
her tongue, teeth and fingers, she caressed every mark of his tattooing,
memorizing each of his victories. She nipped with gusto along the corded muscles
that rippled across his chest, his arms and his stomach.
    Drunk on the salty male taste and scent of him, she settled
at his cock and decided to make him squirm. Flicks of her tongue on the crest,
whispers of kisses along the engorged vein, and finger tickles of the sac had
him bucking and groaning, straining the fragile ties.
    “You’re only showing me your mean streak now,” he rasped.
    “I like the way your muscles bunch when you’re reaching for
more.” She nibbled at the tender skin where thigh met groin.
    “Damn it, Annie. You’re killing me.”
    “I wouldn’t want that, now, would I?” She took him in her
mouth, his moan of pleasure scorched down her spine, an aphrodisiac racing
through her blood. When he came close to the edge, she mounted him, wanting to
ride out the explosion. Even though her instinct was to take him hard, she kept
the rhythm gentle. That mix of tenderness and ferocity was simply how they were
together, a blending of human, warrior and empathy. Tai allowed that part of
her to surface, embraced it with gusto, and she never wanted to give it up.
    When his thrusts accelerated, she abandoned any pretense of
civility. The ride turned wild, ferocious, warrior, until they both detonated
into oblivion. Annie returned to earth in Tai’s arms, the ties ripped to
shreds, more determined than ever to keep her half-human warrior.

Eleventh Night
     
    Sander was waiting for them, soda in front of him on a
corner table, when Annie and Tai arrived at the Quill and Parchment carrying an
overstuffed bag. “I just want to be sure I’ve got this down. Thirty years ago,
I had a wild week with an Amazon warrior masquerading as a history professor,
and you’re the result.”
    “No masquerade. Phoebe’s not only an Amazon scholar whose
job is to maintain the records of the race, she earns income as a history
professor,” Annie said.
    “You’re an Amazon warrior as well.” A shrewd intelligence
shown from Sander’s eyes—a sharpness which had been buried last night under the
surprise and the scotch.
    She nodded and continued. “What’s rare is an Amazon-human
coupling. Many humans cannot satisfy our carnal needs so we tend to have our
flings with our own kind.”
    Curiosity drew lines across his forehead and had his
eyebrows scrunch low over his nose. “Do you know why Phoebe dallied with me?”
Her real name now seemed to come easily to his lips.
    “Your mind. Her intellect is not widely appreciated amongst
the warrior races. For a human, you’re in excellent shape,” Annie said with a
smile, touching Sander’s arm lightly. Although she hadn’t admitted this before,
she liked Tai’s intelligence, the way his mind thought through and around every
situation—it challenged her, excited her, she could spend a lifetime engaging
with it.
    “And your research.” Tai jumped in. “The