The Heat of Dorne Chapter 5 (Patreon)

“It’s huge,” Bellegere said in awe as their party approached Winterfell.

“Not the first time I’ve heard those words out of her mouth,”Daemon thought to himself with a smirk.

“The second largest castle in Westeros,” he said proudly, “second only to Harrenhall.”

“There is a larger castle here?” Bellegere asked.

“That half-melted testament to one man’s feelings of inadequacy hardly compares to this,” Arianne piped up. “This is a fortress.”

Daemon laughed and smiled at his wife.

“It would be a remarkably difficult thing to try to take by force,” Areo added.

“Halt!” came the voice of a guard almost as soon as they passed into Wintertown. “State your busin...Prince Daemon?”

“Indeed,” he replied. “Run along and inform my uncle that I’ve arrived.”

“Aye, my prince,” the man said, bowing.

He turned and ran as fast as he could towards the gates of the castle, whilst Daemon and his party continued their leisurely journey on horseback.  They had pressed the loyal animals hard over this last stretch of their journey from White Harbor, and they were not so rushed that they couldn’t take it easy on them here.  It was at a gentle cantor that they all passed through the gates and into the courtyard of the castle he had called home for a decade.

They had sent word ahead when they were within a mile of the place, and his uncle had had time to assemble everyone.  The servants and guards all knelt as he approached and got off his horse, his family merely bowing their heads in respect of his title.  He turned and helped Arianne down from her horse.

“Daemon!” an enthusiastic cry came from the crowd just a moment before a little girl crashed into his side.

“Arya!” Catelyn’s disapproving shout echoed through the courtyard.

Daemon turned and looked down at his favorite cousin with a grin.  She wasn’t as little as he remembered, being about an inch taller than she was at his wedding.

“It’s good to see you, little wolf,” he whispered as he hugged her.

“I missed you,” Arya whispered back, a slight waver in her voice.

“I missed you too,” he said, ruffling her hair.  She grinned up at him, her big grey eyes beaming.

“Welcome back, nephew,” his uncle said as he approached. “Winterfell is, as ever, a home to you.”

“Thank you, Uncle,” he said, hugging the man.  He looked slightly grayer than he had when they last saw each other, but his eyes, which could be so steely when dealing with others, were as warm as ever.

“Princess,” his uncle said, turning to Arianne, “welcome to Winterfell.”

“Call me Arianne, please,” she said. “We are all family.”

“Arianne,” Catelyn said, “you must be cold.  I know I was when I first arrived here, and Riverrun is nothing like Dorne.”

“I could use a warm fire,” his wife admitted, despite her heavy furs.  She was wearing the better part of a black bear around her, and yet she still looked cold.

“Then let’s get everyone inside,” Ned said. Turning to the stableboys, he added, “see to their horses.”

“Yes, milord,” the oldest of them said, directing the others to get to work as he moved.

Once they were within the walls of the main keep, Daemon turned to his family and started making introductions.

“You’ve all met Prince Lewyn,” he began, “but this is Areo Hotep, the captain of my goodfather’s guards, Arianne’s lady-in-waiting, Bellegere, and this is my squire, Edric Dayne.”

“Called Ned,” the boy piped up, and turning to his uncle, he added, “it’s an honor to meet you, my lord.  We didn’t get a chance to meet back in King’s Landing.”

His uncle looked down at the boy, a flurry of emotions passing through his eyes which seemed to grow older for a moment.

“The honor is mine,” he finally said, smiling down at his squire.

“Daemon,” Robb said, grasping his forearm, “married life seems to be treating you well.”

He returned the gesture and grinned, saying, “you have no idea.”

“A pleasure to see you again, Arianne,” Robb said, taking his wife’s hand and kissing the back of it.

“My goodness, you two look alike,” Arianne commented. “Not your coloring, of course, but still.  Tell me, Robb, are you yet betrothed?  I ask because I know a few noble girls who would jump at the chance to marry such a handsome man.”

Daemon resisted the urge to roll his eyes just barely, knowing that his wife was just being polite.  No Dornish woman would ever move this far north, not with the kind of winter that they got.

“I am actually,” Robb said, blushing. “Mother and Father have arranged for me to wed Alys Karstark.”

That was a good choice.  Daemon had met Alys before, and she was pretty enough, but more than that, she was a noble girl of good reputation who followed the Old Gods and even had the Stark look.  She would be a very popular choice among his uncle’s bannermen.

“Congratulations, Robb,” he said warmly.

The blush was fading from his red-haired cousin, and as Daemon looked past him for a moment, he noticed that he wasn’t the only blushing Stark.  Arya looked mildly flushed as she stared at his party and it took him a moment to realize that she was looking at his squire.  The moment she noticed him staring, she looked away and walked off in a hurry.

“Interesting,”he thought to himself.

“Daemon, Arianne,” Sansa said.  He turned and saw his red-haired cousin standing there, looking mildly nervous and holding a bundled quilt in her hands.  “I sewed this for you.  I figured, this being your first time in the North, Arianne, that you would be cold.”

“Thank you, Sansa,” Arianne said, as she took the gift.  Opening it up, she noticed that it was half in the colors of of House Targaryen and half in the colors of house Martell.  “Oh, it’s beautiful.  You have quite the talent.”

“Thank you,” Sansa gushed under the praise.

“It was quite thoughtful,” Daemon added, taking her hand and kissing it. “Thank you, truly.”

Sansa blushed redder than Robb had and stuttered out something that might have been “oh, it was nothing.”

He wasn’t sure.

She took off then, and Daemon chuckled.  Looking around the room, he noticed that Rickon had already left, being too young to care much about such a gathering, while Bran was already talking Lewyn’s ear off.  He had warned the Kingsguard that his second-youngest cousin would want much of his attention while they were there.  The young boy had driven old Barristan mad the last couple years with his constant questions about knighthood and the white cloaks.

“I think that one wants you,” Arianne whispered in his ear, looking at Sansa and giggling.

“Not her,” he replied flatly, provoking further laughter.

“Of course not, my love,” Arianne said. “She’s too young and too noble, besides.”

Before Daemon could get her to elaborate on that last part, his uncle came over.

“Your things have been brought to your rooms,” the man said.  Turning to Arianne, he asked,“you mentioned that the other woman you were traveling with is your lady-in-waiting.”

“Yes,” Arianne replied. “We met her in Braavos. and I took her into my service.”

“Well, we set her up in the room adjoining yours,” Ned said.

“That’s perfect,” Arianne said, grinning widely. “Thank you.”

“Now,” Ned said, “do you want to meet him?”

“Yes,” Daemon replied, not quite managing to keep the excitement out of his voice.

Daemon and Arianne followed Ned through the halls of Winterfell to a particular room.  The second his uncle opened the door, Daemon heard an excited bark.  A small, grey wolf cub bolted to the door and went straight to Arya, who had joined them.

“This is Nymeria,” Arya said. “Named her after the princess, like your cousin.”

“She looks just as fierce,” Arianne said.

Daemon was so fixated on the wolf Arya had leaned down to pet that he didn’t notice another four-legged creature join them until he felt the snout pressing on his leg.  He looked down and saw a wolf cub, just like Nymeria, only slightly smaller and clearly albino.  His fur was white as snow, and he looked up at Daemon with big red eyes.

“Oh, he’s so cute!” Arianne exclaimed as Daemon bent down to greet the wolf.  He licked his hand and let him scratch around his ears without complaint.

“Cute he might be,” Ned cut in, “but keep in mind that he is a direwolf, and when he’s fully grown, he’ll be big enough that you could likely ride him, Arianne.”

Daemon picked up the wolf cub and held him to his face.  He couldn’t explain it, but he felt oddly connected to the animal.  He stared into the wolf’s eyes, only remembering after a moment that doing so would normally be a bad idea.  For whatever reason, the cub didn’t mind in the slightest.

“What’s his name?” he asked.

“We decided to wait for you to name him,” Ned said.  “I’m honestly surprised that he survived.  He was the smallest of the cubs when we found them and has a few issues.  The albinism is obvious, but he is also mute.  He’s not made a single sound since we found him.”

“Well, he’s clearly very strong,” Arianne cooed, holding out her hand for the cub to sniff before petting his head.

“Ghost,” he decided.  “We’ll call you Ghost.  You’ll fit in on my ship, funny enough.  It’s called the Silence.”

Ghost just panted quietly in response, the look on his face nearly resembling a smile.  Daemon set him down, and he immediately ran back into the room, followed closely by Nymeria.

“Your letter said that you found them with their dead mother after going out to execute a deserter from the Watch, right?” Daemon asked.

“Yeah, she died killing a stag,” Arya replied before her father could.

“You were there?” he asked.

“I wanted to see,” she said, looking away.

“That’s neither here nor there,” Ned said flatly. “I did actually want to talk to you about…”

“Milord,” a servant interrupted them.

“Yes?” Ned asked, bristling at the interruption.

“A thousand pardons, milord,” the man said, “but you said that you wanted to be told when your brother arrived.”

“Benjen’s here?” Daemon asked.  He hadn’t seen his other uncle in years.

“Let’s go welcome him back,” Ned said, leading the three of them away from the two wolves.

*****

The feast was a raucous and happy affair, and as Arianne sat there next to her husband, enjoying the roasted venison that had been served for that course, she couldn’t help but compare it to feasts back home.  When they were entertaining large parties, the feasts in Dorne could be splendid things, but more often than not, they were quieter, owing in part to how dour her father often was.  Feasts in Winterfell seemed to be rather warmer too, ironically enough.  As she sipped her ale, she grimaced slightly.  That was one thing that was better in Dorne.

“It’s an acquired taste,” Daemon whispered to her. “You could have had the wine.”

“I will next,” she said, “but I wanted to get a taste for what you experienced growing up here.”

He dipped a piece of bread in his bear stew and brought it to her lips.  She accepted the morsel with a smile, nibbling on his finger just a little before letting him go and held back a moan.  It was beautifully seasoned.

“It was a lot of stuff like this,” he said softly. “Not as hot as you like it, but delicious.”

“I don’t need my food spiced with peppers to enjoy it,” she said quietly. “I enjoy hot food because it arouses my passions.”

“A stiff breeze can arouse your passions, my love,” he whispered in her ear.

“Only around you,” she replied, her lips inches from his.

“So you say that the lad seemed normal?” Ned asked Benjen loudly enough to get their attention.

“Seemed perfectly fine,” Benjen replied, “not the sort I would have foreseen deserting at any rate.  He must have seen something that frightened him.”

“Not the Others, surely,” Robb scoffed.

“No, but there are plenty of things beyond the Wall that can scare a man stiff,” Benjen replied.

“Things I hope not to hear described around present company,” Catelyn said, subtly signaling to Bran, Arya, and Rickon.

“I want to hear it,” Arya said defiantly. “Uncle Benjen, have you ever seen an ice spider?”

“Arya, that’s enough,” Ned scolded.

“Is there anything that the Watch needs?” Daemon asked, changing the subject. “I can write to my father if so.”

“That’s kind of you, lad, but we need the same thing that we have for centuries now: more men,” Benjen sighed. “Your father has been more helpful than most of his predecessors, but it’s never enough.”

“When did it start declining?” Robb asked.

“I would imagine with the Conquest,” Arianne piped up.

“What do you mean?” Robb asked.

“Well, correct me if I’m wrong, Benjen, but I would imagine that there are four types of men at the wall,” Arianne began, “men seeking redemption or purpose, fools seeking glory, lowborn criminals, and men it would be politically inconvenient to execute.”

Benjen snorted, saying, “I haven’t heard it described quite like that, but you are more or less correct.”

“Prior to Aegon’s Conquest, war was Westeros’ natural state,” Arianne continued. “All of these petty kings warred with each other almost constantly, and every war produced prisoners that it was simpler to send to the wall than execute.  By bringing most of Westeros under his banner, Aegon ended this, which was good for the people, but…”

“Bad for the Night’s Watch,” Benjen finished. “You’re not wrong.”

“That does make sense,” Ned commented. “The past three centuries have seen many conflicts, but it’s still nothing compared to the millennia before it.”

“In all likelihood,” Daemon said,“the time between Maegor’s reign and the Dance was probably the most peaceful period on this continent since before the First Men arrived.”

“It’s possible,” his uncle agreed.

“There is more to you than a pretty face,” Daemon whispered in her ear, making her smile widely.  She saw the look of mischief on his face for only a moment before he added, “you have a fantastic pair of tits too.”

Arianne let out an indignant squawk and slapped his shoulder playfully.  He just chuckled and kissed her forehead.  She glared up at him, lips twitching in a smile she tried to keep off of her face.

“I’d say you’re an ass, but we’re in the North, arse,” she said quietly, making him laugh.

“Daemon!” Arya called. “I’ve been practicing the things you showed me.  Would you like to see after the feast?”

“I’d love to,” Daemon said, pretending not to notice Catelyn bury her head in her hands. “In fact, I’d like to see how you fair against my squire.”

“Huh?” Edric asked, quickly reddening and adding, “I mean, what, my prince?”

“I’d like to see you and my little cousin spar,” Daemon replied. “I taught her how to fight long before I started teaching you.”

“Oh,” Edric said, turning to look at Arya, whose eyes had widened. “I’d love to.”

Daemon smirked, and Arianne leaned in to whisper, “what was that about?”

“I saw Arya blush looking at Edric earlier,” Daemon whispered back, “which is unheard of for her.”

“She’s likely just starting to get to that age,” Arianne said. “Not everyone blooms as early as we did.”

“She’s abhorred the idea of marriage and ‘stupid boys’ all her life; this is quite new,” Daemon said. “I want to set them up to spar and see what happens.”

Arianne chuckled and returned to her meal.  She hoped her husband knew what he was doing.

*****

“Alright,” Daemon said as the two took their places, training swords in hand, “the first one to land three solid hits, disarm their opponent, or get the other to surrender wins.”

He looked over and saw Arya standing just as he’d taught her.  Her mother had been very opposed to the idea of her youngest daughter learning to fight, but Daemon had managed to convince her, eventually, that it could give the rambunctious girl an outlet for her energy and help her get into less trouble.  It had actually worked, to the surprise of both of them.

“She’s been putting even more time into practicing since you left,” Catelyn commented. “I think she’s been hoping to impress you the next time you saw each other.”

“This should be a good matchup,” Daemon said. “Ned’s perhaps a shade more skillful than I remember Arya being, and stronger as well, but he’s not as quick on his feet.”

“I wish she had any interest in more feminine pursuits,” Catelyn groaned. “It’s going to make finding her a husband difficult.”

“I’m sure it’ll work out,” his uncle piped up.

“She reminds me so much of Lya,” Benjen added.

Daemon swallowed the sting that always came when he thought of his mother.  “Different men appreciate different attributes in women.  You needn’t worry so, Aunt.”

Before Catelyn could reply, he turned to the kids. who were effectively his two squires, and said, “begin.”

Arya struck first, thrusting towards Edric’s head in a move so obvious thatDaemon was sure it was a feint.  He was proven right a moment later when she slashed down around her opponent’s hastily raised shield and struck him in the leg.  Edric countered with a slash of his own, which Arya deftly hopped away from and took a step back himself.

The two circled each other for a moment before Arya struck again, thrusting towards Edric’s right shoulder.  He sidestepped the attack and thrust quickly towards Arya’s chest.  She dodged the attack but stepped within range of him, and Edric attacked.  Hooking a leg around hers, he used his shield to hit her dead on and knock her to the ground.  Before she could even try to get back up, his blade was at her throat.

“Yield,” she growled.

“Are you alright?” Catelyn called out.

“I’m fine,” Arya said as she got back up. “That’s what the armor’s for.”

They were both wearing simple training armor made of boiled leather.  Good enough for protect them from the blunted training swords, though that blow would still bruise, Daemon was sure.  The fight had gone about as expected, with Arya taking advantage of her greater speed and Edric countering with his greater strength.

“Again,” he ordered.

The two took their stances again and circled one another more cautiously.  Arya in particular didn’t seem to be in the rush to attack that she was before.  She did still strike first, though, slashing low towards Edric’s legs.  He parried and riposted with a thrust towards her head.  She stepped away from the strike and hit his sword arm with her shield, making him hiss.  When he tried to hit her with his shield and step away from her, she dodged and slashed towards his arm, catching him in the wrist.  Edric cried out and dropped the blade.  Daemon went over to talk to them.

“You alright?” he asked.

“Fine, just bruised,” Edric replied ashe rubbed his arm.  Turning to Arya, he said, “you’re good.”

Arya cocked her head at the compliment. “You don’t mind being beaten by a girl?”

“I don’t like being beaten,” Edric said, “but I’m used to seeing women back home who fight, like some of the Princess’ cousins.”

“The Sand Snakes,” Arya said. “I met some of them.”

“There’s no greater shame in being beaten by a woman than a man, especially one as skilled and pretty as you.” Edric said with more confidence than he likely felt.

Daemon held back a snort.  It was a clumsy line, but that was to be expected from a boy so green he pissed grass.  Arya’s reaction was far different, flinching back as if struck.  Instead of replying, she just shoved Edric as hard as she could, making him stumble back a step before stomping off.

“Arya!” Catelyn yelled after her retreating daughter.

“What did I say?” Edric asked, sounding confused.

Daemon watched Arya leave and said, “something that I suspect she doesn’t hear very often.”

He would have to talk to her later.

*****

“I’m sorry we neglected you so during the feast,” Arianne said as she let Bellegere into their room. “In Sunspear, you will sit with us whenever possible, as my cousins do, but Lady Catelyn is a very different woman.”

Arianne liked her husband’s aunt well enough, but she was very typical of noblewomen from most of Westeros, and her ideas of propriety were decidedly un-Dornish.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Bellegere said, shrugging. “It gave me a chance to talk to the servants and learn more about this place and its people.  I talked to no fewer than six women who, while they didn’t outright say it, I suspect had fucked our handsome prince here.”

“I tried not to bed my uncle’s servants when there were perfectly good whores around, but some of them…” Daemon went to say.

“Tripped and fell on your cock?” Arianne asked with a grin.

“Something like that,” he replied with a laugh. “I’ve decided to give Ghost your room, Belle, since you won’t be needing it.”

“Won’t I?” Bellegere asked, managing to just keep her grin off of her face. “Wherever will I sleep?”

“That will depend on you,” Daemon said, his voice taking on that low, rumbling tone that never failed to make Arianne wet. “This is a very comfortable bed here.  You’ll like it a lot if you earn the right to sleep in it.”

“How can I do that?” Bellegere asked, the corners of her lips tugging upwards.

“You’re a smart woman,” Daemon said. “You’ll think of something.”

With a grin, Bellegere dropped to her knees and made quick work of freeing his cock from his breeches.  She wrapped her lips around the bulbous head of his hardening length and quickly coaxed him to full hardness.

“Fuck, that mouth of yours,” Daemon groaned as she started pleasuring him.

She let him slip out for a moment and said, “please do.”

He slipped hisfingers into her dark curls and thrust forward, burying himself in her throat.  He moaned at the hot, constricting vice around his cock and started fucking her face at a slow pace.

“Did you talk to Arya?” Arianne asked as she undressed.

“I did,” he replied. “Turns out I was right; the poor thing had never been complimented by a boy before and thought he was making fun of her.”

“I can talk to her if you like,” Arianne offered as she laid back on the bed and spread her legs. “The gods know I understand what it’s like to be an awkward-looking thing prior to flowering.  Sure, she’s skinny now, and her baby fat makes her long face look odd, but she’ll be lovely one day, I’m sure.”

“That might...oh fuck...help,” Daemon groaned.  He pulled his rock-hard cock out of Bellegere’s mouth and grinned down at the beautiful woman.

“Fucking...my mouth...and talking like I’m not even here? You brute!” she exclaimed.

Daemon reached between her legs and grinned as the fabric of her dress grew wet as he pressed it against her cunt. “You say that like it didn’t make you as wet as the Stormlands.  Now get this off and go lick Ari’s cunt like a good girl.”

Bellegere’s pupils widened until her blue eyes were nearly black, and she said with a shudder, “fuck.”

She was naked as the day she was born in seconds and quickly moved to get on the bed, burying her face between Arianne’s thighs and sticking her incredible arse in the air.  Daemon and Arianne had discovered that treating her like their little pet in bed got the gorgeous former courtesan hotter than just about anything else and had taken shameless advantage of it, much to her delight and theirs.

“Oh fuck, just like that,” Arianne sighed as the other woman got started. “You were born to eat my cunt, Belle.”

He lined himself up with her dripping cunt, sunk his fingers into her fleshy hips, and buried himself in one thrust.

“Gods!” Bellegere cried at the sudden insertion.  Arianne grabbed her head, pulled her back between her thighs, and started grinding on her face.   Bellegere grabbed Arianne’s hips for support and started bouncing back in time with his thrusts.  The sounds of her gloriously fat arse slapping against his hips with each brutal thrust echoed through the room, drowned out only by Arianne’s moans.

“Can’t...ugh...wait to introduce you to my cousins,” Arianne moaned.

“They’re gonna fucking love you,” Daemon hissed. “The five of us are going to have so much fun together.  All four of us are going to use that lovely mouth of yours, my pet.”

“YES!” Bellegere shrieked as she came, “fuck!”

Her tight cunt rippled around his pistoning cock as her orgasm overtook her.  Arianne watched the display with a grin, content to wait for Bellegere’s pleasure to fade before getting to start eating her out again.  Daemon flipped her onto her back as soon as it stopped and thrust back inside just as roughly.  Arianne sat on the other woman’s face, grinding her cunt on her mouth as Daemon started fucking her again.

“So good,” she cooed.

Daemon snaked a hand around her head and pulled her in to kiss her.  Their tongues grazed each other’s as they deepened the kiss, both still tasting of their meals at the feast.

“Love you,” Arianne whimpered as she started to shake with her fast-approaching peak.  He kneaded her breasts, toying with her sensitive nipples as she grew ever closer to her orgasm, not losing his rhythm for a moment as he continued fucking Bellegere.

Bellegere chose that moment to focus on the other woman’s throbbing clit, and Arianne let out a wordless shriek as she came.  She fell forward into Daemon’s arms. and he held her as the pleasure coursed through her.  He had to admit that there was something delightfully dirty about holding his wife as he fucked another woman.

As her orgasm abated, Arianne climbed off of Bellegere’s face and moved lower down the other woman’s body.  The princess grabbed their lover’s breasts and started sucking on her nipples, switching between them as she pleased.

“That feels so good,” Bellegere whimpered.

“It’s the best part of having multiple lovers in bed at once,” Arianne said. “You can have so many things done to you at the same time.”

She kissed her way down Bellegere’s soft stomach until she reached the dark curls that crowned her sex.  Without warning, she started flicking her tongue over Bellegere’s clit as Daemon continued to fuck her.

“Holy shit!” Bellegere screamed as she came, her cunt gushing around his cock.

“Finish inside her, my love,” Arianne said. “I want to slurp your seed from her cunt.”

That image. together with the feeling ofBellegere cumming around him again, was too much and Daemon groaned as he came, painting her tight cunt white.  He pulled out with a groan and laid back on the bed as he caught his breath.  Arianne dove between Bellegere’s spread legs and started drinking deeply of their combined fluids.

Daemon reached over and pulled Bellegere in for a kiss, tasting Arianne on her full lips.

“Fucking hells, Arianne,” Bellegere moaned, “you’re incredible.”

Daemon looked down at the head of black curls between Bellegere’s legs and smiled.

“She really is,” he thought to himself.

“I think I got it all,” Arianne said as she finished, wiping a little white seed from her lips and licking it off her finger.

“This was worth leaving my home for,” Bellegere sighed.

Arianne crawled up tothe other woman’s face and licked her own fluids off her cheek.

“You’ll have a new home with us,” she said, tracing a finger down from Bellegere’s temple to her jaw. “We’re going to take such good care of you.”

The sight of his wife’s intimacy with the other woman made Daemon hard again, and he moved behind her.

“Fuck me, my love,” she cooed, crying out as he buried himself inside her.

Daemon had a feeling that the three of them were in for another very long night.

*****

He woke with a start as the constant cries coming from the other room finally stopped.  The bed he was on was comfortable, so soft and warm, and yet he wasn’t tired in the slightest.  He wanted to look around to find someone to play with.  He jumped off of the bed and landed with a thump on his side.  Shaking his head, he got up on his four stubby little legs.

Four stubby little legs?

He looked down at the white fur of his paws like it was somehow new, but it had always been there.

Hadn’t it?

He shook his head again and looked around the room.  Everything looked bigger for some reason and yet it also didn’t.  As he padded around the room, looking for something to play, with he came across a door that was not properly shut.  He lifted himself up, moved his front paws into position, and with all his tiny might, pushed the door.

It budged a little.

He whined and tried again and again, until finally he could squeeze himself inside.  The room smelled like something he couldn’t place, yet it seemed unmistakably familiar.  He saw three forms on the bed that it took him a moment to recognize.  It was the nice one, the one that smelled like sunshine, and his mates, all sprawled out on top of the furs on their bed.  The one closest to him he hadn’t seen earlier, but the one he liked had smelled of her.  Her foot was hanging off the bed, and without thinking, he licked up the entire length of it.

A squeal woke Daemon, who sat up, startled.

“What in the seven hells?” Arianne groaned.

“Sorry, Ghost licked my foot and it tickled,” Bellegere said, sounding embarrassed.

“He did what?” Daemon asked sharply.

“He just licked me; it’s alright,” Bellegere said. “It’s our fault for passing out on the furs instead of under them.  I’m surprised the cold wasn’t what woke me.

“We were exhausted,” Arianne said, getting out of bed and stumbling slightly.  Bellegere quickly joined her.  “Daemon?”

“I dreamed that,”he thought to himself, not hearing his wife. “I watched it happen as though I was Ghost.”

“Daemon?” Arianne asked more loudly.

“What?” he asked.

“We were going to get into bed,” she said, the moonlight illuminating her confused face. “Are you alright?”

“Fine,” he said, getting up, “fine.”

As he watched them pull the furs back, only one thought occurred to him:

“What in the hells was that?”