Arcadian's Balm Cover and sneak peek

So it's here!

This is the Arcadian's Balm cover. Still not promising a release date (not falling down that trap again), but the cover is done, and things are going splendidly as far as the writing is concerned. Lorien and her men are throwing a few surprises at me, but the Wildlands wouldn't be any fun at all if they were predictable, now would they?

Here's a scene from the novel, for those of you who are waiting so patiently.

Rather than going straight home, Tomis instead followed Jodah’s directions to the steam caves, caverns deep in the mountain that held naturally-formed pools of hot water. His own home had a bath-pool of course, but the current was not so strong, and the water not so hot. There was something about the heat and the moisture of the air that had been infinitely soothing to him, the few times he’d gone into such a place.

The passage was lit by a few gel-fire lanterns, but it was still filled with shadows.

As he felt the wash of heat from the cavern, he knew he’d made the right choice in coming. This would be infinitely healing, he knew, right down to his battered soul. He moved through the archway and into the wide, humid cavern. He shuddered in pleasure at the feel of steam over his flesh.

The cavern was large, larger than the whole of his home, with a soaring ceiling. Steam rose in curls from the four pools, blurring the air enough to make visibility poor, but not impossible. Tomis could see a bench piled with blankets and towelling. Obviously, this place was a popular destination for the members of this Circle.

He heard a high-pitched giggle, followed by a low, rumbling moan. Aye, some Clan was enjoying the pleasures of more than just a steamy bath. For a moment, he considered simply walking away, but some perverse part of him insisted he move forward, and get a better look. The lovers would have no reason to complain even if they saw him – anyone who got naked in a community space knew the risk of being watched. Some enjoyed it.

Tomis crept as close as he dared, ducking between two massive boulders. He had a fine and direct view of the action. Blankets were spread out, and a Clan frolicked upon them, three men and one woman. He caught a flash of golden hair and recognized the warrior Tamun, who knelt between a pair of dark, wide-spread legs.

The woman was obviously Soft-born. She was the smallest one Tomis had ever seen, the top of her head likely no higher than his own chest. Her bones were fine, her waist so narrow a man could easily clasp it between his hands and reach right around. He noticed, almost absently, that her breasts were small, like two applums, tipped in black, instead of pink. Indeed, she had skin the rich brown of roasted nuts. He’d heard about such people, but had never seen one before. She was really quite lovely.

One of the other Clan mates had her bum cheeks grasped in his hands, holding them apart, while the third moved something round that entrance. Tomis blinked, trying to see through the steam. It was a lingam, he finally realized, one of those gifts from across the Southern Sea. The carved form of a penis was buffed and polished to such a smooth texture that it could be safely inserted into a person’s body without tearing the delicate tissue. One had to be careful, of course, but it could be done. He’d heard of some men using the devices to help stretch their Soft-born brides’ openings to accommodate their cocks. Some people simply found the feel of the stone pleasurable.

Obviously, this was the case with Tamun’s bride. She moaned and squirmed as her mates carefully worked the toy in and out of her back hole. As her gasps became frantic, the warrior drew back from her cunt, grasping her hips and ignoring her pleas for him to continue with his licking. But it was not long after that she threw back her head and shrieked in triumphant pleasure, her voice ringing richly through the cavern.

Interesting, Tomis thought. He’d never realized that the Soft-borns truly enjoyed pleasure at their bums. He knew it was not done to females in Arcadia. But this girl had achieved an exquisite climax from anal stimulation. Sure, Tamun working on her cunt had helped build her up, but he’d stopped well before she’d gone over.

The bride’s Clan mates eased her down, kissing and caressing her, murmuring the sweet things that men said to their women at times like this. Their touches grew more intimate, and in very little time, she was writhing again.

Tamun lay back, and the little minx crawled eagerly atop him. Tomis caught a glimpse of the bride’s dripping sex petals, bare of any hair. He shuddered, remembering briefly the scent of Delamia’s damp curls, and how he’d loved to nuzzle there.

Forcing himself to focus, he watched the girl settle over her Clan mate’s cock. A few thrusts of his hips, and he was hilt-deep. She leaned down to kiss his chest and jaw, and one of the other mates took the opportunity to begin working his well-oiled member into her arse. As was natural, this took a little longer, but the bride seemed extraordinarily eager to take him there, sighing happily once the two were buried all the way inside.

Seeing this beautiful act of possession might have turned Tomis’s thoughts back to his Clan, and the times they’d loved one another like this, but for his amazement that this wee slip of a female could take both those massive cocks. He wondered if he could actually see her abdomen bulge with the force of it. But she was smiling, trembling in ecstasy.

She opened her mouth, and Tomis stared as the third Clan male worked his cock past her full lips. All three at once! He knew many Wildlander women who did not do that. Part of the reason he and Kendo and Delamia had not sought out a fourth Clan mate was because Delamia had hated sucking cock so much. It had not been a terrible thing; he and Kendo had simply accommodated one another when the urge struck, but Tomis had often wondered what it would be like to be in a full possession like this.

In one way, awkward, he thought, as he watched the Clan writhe together. Sure, Tamun and his partner had worked up a rhythm, one sliding in while the other slipped back, but the girl was obviously not practised at suckling. She made a heroic effort, though, sliding her lips over that bulbous head, and when her mate had grunted his orgasm, she’d swallowed hard, taking his seed down her throat.

The bride went next, wailing her pleasure, and the two men impaling her pelvis were soon to follow. Tomis watched as they collapsed in a heap.

In earlier times, such a show would have set his cock to swelling, and he might not have even needed to stroke to obtain release. But as he got up to leave on silent feet, he realized that he had not even felt a twitch. His cock was limp. The last time it had been otherwise had been the night before the cusith attack, when he’d loved his Clan for what none of them had known would be the final time.