All that Glitters (Stavin DragonBlessed Book 1) by Loren K. Jones Read Free Book Online

the stove that warmed the room, and in that light Stavin saw the promises of a lifetime glittering in the eyes of his wife.
    Sharindis smiled softly. She couldn't see him in this light, but she felt him staying back. “Come here, Stavin,” she whispered. “Let me hold you, and teach you the mysteries of man and wife.”

Chapter 8
    S TAVIN AWOKE TO A STRANGE SENSATION and froze while his senses probed the darkness for what had disturbed him. After a few seconds he identified what it was: there was something in his bed! Ancestral instincts flared to life as he prepared to attack the intruder. Then a high-pitched voice cried out, "Who's there?"
    Memories flooded into Stavin's conscious mind and he simply said, "Stavin."
    Sharindis struggled to a sitting position with the blankets pulled up to her chin. "Stavin! What are you—Oh, Gods, I forgot!" She was silent for a moment, then she began to laugh. "Oh, Stavi, I'm sorry. I forgot! I almost stabbed you! I always keep a knife in my bedside table. I didn't think of it last night, but Mom didn't send it with my other things. I wonder—?"
    Stavin had to laugh at that. "You said your mother taught you the bedroom mysteries. I'll bet that's one of them: No weapons near the marriage bed. Our people are predictable. I was about to attack you when you asked who I was. Gods Above, I haven't shared a bed with anyone since Sora moved out of the nursery fourteen years ago."
    "That's comforting to know. What hour is it?"
    Stavin thought, but his time-sense had never been very good. "Let me look," he said as he got out of bed and shivered his way across the room to a window. It was pitch-black outside, but he could see the outline of Hyvalin's Peak against the stars. There was no hint of dawn around the mountain and he hurried back to bed. "It's still a long time 'till dawn." He climbed under the covers and Sharindis hugged him close.
    "Oh, you're frozen!"
    Stavin wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her hair. "I'm warming up now."
    That made her giggle, then she sighed when his hands rubbed her back. "Stavin, that feels wonderful." They hugged and kissed, continuing last evening's explorations of one another until Stavin's hand slid between her legs and she gave a little cry of pain. He instantly backed away and looked into her eyes.
    "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—"
    "Shhh, it's all right. I'm just a little sore there right now. I expected it."
    "Why?"
    Sharindis was quiet for a moment, then pulled him close. "The first time always hurts for a girl," she whispered. "There is something inside that gets torn. That's part of the reason a man who rapes a virgin is emasculated before he's beheaded."
    "I didn't want to hurt you," Stavin whispered. "I never want to hurt you." He was almost in tears as he thought of his passion causing her pain.
    Sharindis hugged him fiercely and held him as he tried to pull away. "Only the first time, Stavi. You might call it a rite of passage from girl to woman. Maybe not tonight, but soon you'll see that the pleasure later is worth the pain now." Stavin stopped trying to pull away and she eased her grip enough to let him lie down beside her again.
    "Shari, I—There are stories, things boys say behind their hands. Things that get them a trip to the woodshed if their parents hear them." He had to chuckle at that memory. "I never knew what they really meant. Now I begin to see why mothers get so upset and fathers seem so—disappointed."
    Sharindis found his lips with hers and silenced him with a kiss. "You are a man now, not a boy. Don't let such silliness concern you until our sons start saying it. I'm not sore here," she whispered as she moved his hand to where she wanted it. Sometime later a crowing cock announced the dawn. Sharindis immediately squirmed away from Stavin and started getting dressed.
    "Where are you going?" Stavin asked sleepily.
    "To the kitchen to help with breakfast, of course," Sharindis replied.
    "She won't let you help, Shari."
    Now