The Hawk Lord by Amy Sumida

Chapter Four

“You can change your mind, Ravyn,” Raeshal said as he followed me into my tent. “You don't have to do this.”

“I want to do this,” I said absently as I shrugged out of my cotton tunic and pulled on the padded one I wore beneath my armor.

“Why would you want to do this?” Raeshal asked, baffled.

“I have a feeling.” I grinned and slapped Raeshal on the shoulder. “I'll be fine, Rae. Don't worry about me.” I grinned wider. “Although, it's very sweet that you are.”

“Oh, fuck you, you little prick,” Raeshal huffed but cracked a grin. “I feel awful that I'm the one who got you into this mess.”

“You didn't,” I went serious. “It was my choice. Those amulets sound important.”

“They are,” Raeshal admitted, lowering his voice. “It astounds me that not one, but two of them were taken.”

“Which warlords lost them?”

His voice dropped to a whisper, “The Lion and Coyote Lords. Every warlord has an amulet, and they're supposed to guard them with their lives.”

I whistled. “I have to admit that I'm a little shocked that anyone could steal anything from a warlord.”

“Being powerful doesn't make you smart,” Raeshal grumbled. “And neither does being fast. Be careful out there.”

“Always.” I grinned.

I reached for my leather breastplate, but Raeshal grabbed my wrist and pulled me against his chest. His other hand went to the back of my head, holding me still for his violent kiss. I growled against his lips, and he nipped at mine as he pulled away.

“Don't you dare mess up that fine ass,” he smacked said ass and strode out.

I smirked after him. I'd had no expectations when I started screwing Raeshal. I'd heard about him from some of the other guys, and the Red Hawk, as they called him, never nested for long. Rae had gone from man to man in the camp, changing lovers every week. But that was before me. We'd been together going on six months now. My grin faded as a pair of amethyst-emerald eyes flashed in my mind. Did I love Rae? No; I hadn't allowed myself to. I'd thought we'd be over in a week after all. But he was showing possessiveness and... could he... nah. Not the Red Hawk. He liked me, liked fucking me more, and we had become friends. I was pretty sure we'd be friends even after he moved on. But love? No, he didn't love me. No one ever did.

I got into my armor—a design of boiled leather plates cut to resemble feathers. The gold feathers—one on each shoulder— showed my rank and the black of the rest of them showed my affiliation. Any soldier from any beast army could take one look at me and know that I was a corporal in the Hawks. Just looking at my armor made me proud, especially those feathers. It was a symbol of what I'd accomplished—just me. I'd gone from a homeless unwanted gay boy to a Corporal in the Hawk Army and now, I had a chance to save Varalorre.

“Varalorre,” I whispered to myself.

There wasn't a human alive who hadn't dreamed of seeing the Fae lands. They were rumored to be beautiful enough to make a man weep. The thought of helping to protect them straightened my shoulders. The Fae were our allies; we never would have lasted this long without them. It was an honor to be chosen to help protect their home. I picked up my helmet—a streamlined thing with a point resembling a beak that served as a nose guard—and tossed it on my cot.

My sword was in its sheath beneath the cot, but I didn't think it was worth the extra weight. In fact... none of this would help me. If I got into a situation where I needed a sword and armor, I was probably going to die. With that thought in mind, I started removing all the armor I'd been putting on. I had just gotten down to my underwear—a pair of thin homespun shorts—when someone walked into my tent. I turned to see who it was... and froze.

The fucking Hawk Lord was standing in my tent. Staring at me. Not at my eyes either.

An elegant hand that looked better suited to holding a scepter than a sword, dropped the tent flap, sealing him inside with me. My tent suddenly seemed small, his presence expanding into every corner and his body looming above me. I hadn't realized just how tall he was. I was around six feet, but he had a good five inches on me. The Hawk Lord had his hair braided back and was dressed in a robe, but not the sort that fancy men wear in their fancy houses. No, this was a war robe. Fae soldiers wore them into battle so they could shuck them off quickly and shift into their beasts. His war robe was deep black and embroidered with a gold hawk on the back. Not that I could see the back at the moment. Not that I even cared about the back when he was looking at me like that.

The Hawk Lord's jewel eyes had gone molten as they roamed my body. Moving over my shoulders and down my biceps, taking in every hardened curve that I'd built over years of battle. They slid across my chest, pausing at my nipples, then down the ridges of my belly. His jaw clenched and he swallowed visibly, his gaze snared on the bulge in my shorts. My cock had decided to salute its warlord.

Under the Hawk Lord's hot stare, I felt no shame for my body's reaction to him. Instead, I stretched my shoulders and stared back, all of my nervousness gone now that it was just him and me. I ran a hand through my hair, smoothing back the cropped locks, and gave him a lopsided grin.

“Is there something I can do for you, Hawk Lord?” I drawled in my I-want-to-suck-and-fuck-you voice.

The Hawk Lord's stare snapped up to mine and a flush suffused his cheeks. He cleared his throat. “I'm sorry. I didn't expect to find you... I thought you'd be dressed by now.” He made to turn away. “I'll be outside.”

“Don't go,” I said softly.

He lifted a brow as he turned back toward me.

“I could use your advice,” I said smoothly.

Sweet Gods, had I worried about being nervous around him? It suddenly felt as if I'd known him for years. Known and lusted after him.

“Oh?” The Hawk Lord grinned, his flush replaced by an intrigued look.

“I was going to wear my armor, but I'm having second thoughts.” I waved at the leather, totally disregarding the fact that I had a serious erection tenting my shorts—a hard-on that seemed impossible for the Hawk Lord to ignore. His gaze kept straying to it.

“Why is that?” Dalsharan edged closer under the guise of inspecting my armor, and his chest brushed against my arm.

I felt his nipple harden into a pebble through the fabric of his robe. I twitched my hand, “accidentally” sliding it against his thigh, and he inhaled sharply.

“I think I should go with something lighter.” I looked up at him. His face was inches away from mine. His fucking gorgeous face. “Dress for speed instead of protection. After all, you're my protection, right?”

Dalsharan made a low, pensive sound in his throat as he looked from me to my cot. I got the feeling that he wasn't contemplating armor anymore.

“That's right,” he murmured and shifted further into the tent, sliding around me to gracefully sit on my bed. He picked up my bracer and stroked a hand over the leather, then looked up at me. “Wear something dark... like your hair. And lightweight. Don't bother with weapons.” His gaze didn't have far to go to find my cock again, but he took his time lowering it so that it was clear what he was looking at. Then he stood, and as he passed behind me, he brushed his chest along my back. Just before he moved beyond my reach, he leaned down and whispered in my ear, “Very impressive, Corporal.”

Then he was gone.