Character Profile - Lorien from Arcadian's Balm

Lorien, Daughter of Maryne Cosgrove, Bride in the NorthWest Wood

Lorien

Lorien was born in the North-West Valley City of the nation of Arcadia, the youngest daughter of Peytar and Maryne Cosgrove. Her mother died when she was two years old, her father when she was twenty. She has one older sister, Ava. Ava and Lorien were then raised by a nursemaid, Estia.

When Lorien was eighteen, she began a courtship with Warder Bellamy, a colleague of her father's at the Scholars' Guild. She quickly fell in love with the quiet, gentle man. They married when she was nineteen. Their marriage was very happy. Shortly before her father's death, they found out they were expecting theri first child. Lorien was thrilled. When she was six months along, though, she was devastated when her beloved sister Ava was sent away to become a Tribute Bride to the Wildlands.

Overall, Lorien was considered an ideal Arcadian woman. Small and slender, delicate of feature, she's also ideally soft and gentle in demeanour. Her one major flaw was kept hidden in the bedroom. Though women are not supposed to feel physical desire, Lorien has experienced several paroxysms in her time with Warder. Being a loving husband, he did not censure or judge her for them. However, Lorien loses all of her respect and standing in Arcadia when she contracts Sweating Sickness while pregnant, and gives birth to a stillborn boy. Warder dies just hours after hearing of his son's death, Estia a day later.

A month after the deaths, Lorien is discovered in the forest outside of the Circle of the NorthWest Wood. She's exhausted, half-starved, and emotionally distraught. The newly-formed Clan of Gevaril, Tomis, and Cale bring her back to the Circle, where she can be nursed back to health.

But it will not prove to be so simple. There is a Darkness that feeds upon a broken heart, and it will take the impossible to heal her....

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.   

First Look at the Characters of Arcadian's Balm!

I'll quickly point out... still no release date set. I'm not going to set it until I'm in the final editing stage, and we are nowhere near that yet. But it's definitely progressing. And I'm getting the cover art in order. So I thought you might like to see how I envision the characters. I'll add the actual profiles at some point, likely when I'm closer to being done the novel, but here are the faces anyhow. Some new sexy Wildland flesh to drool over!

Gevaril

Tomis

Cale

Lorien

What's Happening

So things are flying forward with Arcadian's Balm right now. I'm so incredibly happy. It's actually starting to work!

As I've gone through Wildlanders' Woman to check out minor details and the like, I keep noticing little errors, a few spelling mistakes, etc. that I just can't stand. So I'm going to do an edit and revision of Wildlanders' Woman. Nothing major. I won't substantially change the subject matter. I'm just going to clean up where I failed in my editing (and I'm ashamed to admit I failed at all) and adjust a bit of wording. But it's better to do it now than to let it sit.

When it's done, I'll re-upload the file to Amazon and Smashwords, which should automatically update the book in people's libraries. No set date on this release. It's just a planned project.

Sneek peak from Arcadian's Balm

I'm not going to give a release date on Arcadian's Balm. Not until I'm well and truly almost finished. But here's a scene that you might enjoy:

When Lorien woke, she saw that no Arcadian woman sat with her. There was only Ava’s

young, beautiful husband, who smiled sweetly, and without a word, lifted a drink to her lips. Though she knew they’d been introduced, she could not remember his name.

Lorien sipped gratefully, enjoying the wash of liquid over her tongue. Once she’d had her

fill, she lifted a weak hand to nudge the cup away.

“Better?” the too-pretty man asked.

“Yes, thank you.” Looking around, Lorien realized that they were alone in the cavern, but

for one large man who snored on a low bed near the back. “Is it night?”

“Aye. I sent the ladies to their homes to rest. They been nigh wearin’ themselves here with you.” The words were said with no rancour or resentment, just a simple fact.

“You’re still here,” Lorien pointed out.

“Aye.” He winked. “Was the only way our Ava would go home. Mind it none, little sister,

I’se glad enough to help out.”

“Why do you call me that?”

“Little sister?”

“Yes… I mean, you can’t be any older than I am.”

Lorien’s conversational partner (what was his name?) looked amused. “I’ve two-and-

twenty years on me. Not so much more than ye, but is not about that. Is a term of respect. I can also say sister-kin, which is how we speaks to the sisters of our Clan mates, if they be so lucky to have ‘em.”

It took a moment for Lorien to remember that Wildlanders rarely produced female

offspring. It felt unnatural to her ears, to hear of anyone, much less a man, being grateful for girls born into a family, but it would make sense if they had such a shortage of them. He spoke with the same reverence that Arcadians reserved only for sons.

“So do I call you elder brother, then? Or brother-kin?”

“Killian will do fine.” His long-lashed eyes were a piercing, lovely shade of blue, deeper than the sky on the clearest day. And as he reached out to stroke her hair back, she saw that his hands were slim-fingered but obviously strong, his movements sure and graceful. Warder had had beautiful hands. Lorien blinked against a wave of grief.

“What happens now?” she whispered.

The healer seemed to understand her question. “I want to keep ye here a while. Your body’s been through some terrible trial, ye knows that. You been so weak. We’ll have ye regain your strength, bit by bit, and then you’ll come stay with us at our place while your mind and heart heal up. From there….” He didn’t seem to quite be able to find the words.

But Lorien knew. “I’ll be made to join a Clan.”

“Is our way. You’ll have some time, of course, to mourn your losses, but eventually it will happen. A few Clans have already approached Blaise, askin’ to be considered, but he told ‘em all to back away.”

Lorien blinked. “Already?”

“Women are in short supply, little sister. There’s still thirty or more Clans in this area who don’t have a bride. Havin’ a female walk right into our Circle, see, that’s a rare gift.”

“How will… how will it be decided where I go? Do I have to try court all of them?” Lorien shuddered, remembering her sweet, chaste courtship with Warder, the fluttering glances, the gentle words, the few soft, stolen kisses.

Killian shook his head. “Blaise, our clan leader, has laid claim to you for now. The elders accepted it because, through Ava, we’se the closest thing you has to family. Any Clan wants at ye, they comes through us.”

“Will I have any choice?” Lorien asked, not certain if she even cared. Warder was gone. What did it matter, who she was given to, if it was not her beloved? But something stirred within, a frisson of that will that had given her the strength to leave Arcadia and seek out her sister. She was not about to just lie down and let things happen.

“The Wildlander way, we helps ye decide. Ava, she’s insisting it be done that way. Ye won’t be forced to Clan with men ye finds truly objectionable.”

But she had to marry one of the groups, Lorien knew. She’d tried to come to terms with that in her long days of walking through the Wildlands. If she was to survive, she would have to accept their way of life. “I’m not a virgin,” she said bluntly.

Killian seemed amused. “I’se given to understand that the Softfoots have interest in that, but we don’t. Rare is a Wildlander woman that goes to her Clan a maid.”

“I’ve been pregnant.”

“A proven breeder is a desirable mate.” Killian chafed her palm with his thumb, a comforting gesture. “From what I could see when I examined ye, you’ll regain your health, and won’t be a problem bearing another child. Sure, you’ll want to wait a time, which is best all around, but when ye feel ready, your womb will bear fruit again. And there’ll be no shortage of men offerin’ to provide the seed.”

Lorien remembered the feeling of Warder’s organ inside her, the wet heat of his release. Even though a lady was not supposed to enjoy such things, she had. She’d been a poor wife to Warder, with her lack of control and unnatural urges, but he’d loved her anyhow.

It was as though her sister’s husband knew the direction of her thoughts. “Is not the time to think about Clans. Just know that you’ll be protected. Ava’s so glad you’re alive and you’re here… she’ll take such good care of ye. We all will.”

The thought warmed Lorien as she drifted off to sleep again.

Wildlanders' Hope is Live!

I'm proud to announce that as of this afternoon, Wildlanders' Hope is published!

As of posting time, it is available here on Smashwords. Within a week, it should be there on Itunes, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble.

I uploaded to Kindle this afternoon, which means that it should be on the site by sometime in the wee hours of the dawn tomorrow morning. Kindle tends to take about 12-14 hours to work through the system. As soon as that's live, I'll post the link. (Or after I wake up).

I hope you all enjoy!

What's Coming Next

First, I’d like to thank everyone for their support and the downloads of Innocence Awakened and In the Fury with the Footman. They are both intended to be series of novellas, quite fun and light-hearted compared to the more intense world of the Wildlanders.

That being said, here’s what’s coming….

La Belle Époque

The next book in the La Belle Époque series will be entitled In the Gatehouse with the Gardener. It will be the story of Isobel’s older brother Wakey, and his forbidden romance with the Brackenridge Park gardener. This will be my first straight m/m story. I’m not sure what it is about two gorgeous men together that gets the motor running, but judging from the proliferation of gay erotica in the market, I know I’m not the only one!

The Innocents

Coral’s story continues in Innocence Aroused. Having agreed to stay at Josiah’s homestead for at least a little while, Coral is drawn deeper into his sensual world. She meets the rest of Josiah’s friends, and begins to learn about her body’s capacity for pleasure and her need for erotic pain. But has she stepped too far away from her conservative upbringing? Can an innocent embrace true sexual freedom?

Wildlanders' Hope - Cover and Sneak Peek!

Here's the cover for Wildlanders' Hope! And I've put up a sneak peek, just to whet everyone's appetite. It will come out on Amazon and Smashwords to start, and soon after that on Barnes and Noble and IBooks.

Niomi frowned. “You cook? I mean, not just when you’re traveling?”
 
“Of course. I don’t like to starve.” Rustan’s hands moved to the fastenings of his clothing. Dack watched as the feral warrior stripped down, admiring the sharp lines of his body, the stone strength of his muscles, the power in his movements. He’d been face-down below his Clanmate countless times, and it was always a gratifying experience. He wrapped an arm around Niomi’s shoulders, glad to be sharing the experience with her.
 
Their bride did not comment as Rustan slid into the water. She seemed to keep her gaze studiously away from his gorgeous body and his fierce erection. “I will cook at your home,” she mumbled. “And I will make your meal tomorrow morning.”
 
“Is no trouble. I can do it.”
 
This did not seem to make sense to Niomi. “But I’m a woman. You are men.”
 
“We will be your Clan.” Dack pressed his lips against her temple, pleased to note that she did not shrink away. “Wildlander men look after their brides. If ye wish to cook, we would appreciate that, but it won’t only lie on your shoulders. We takes care of ourselves, and we takes care of you. We provides clothing, food, whatever ye needs. And of course, pleasure.”
 
As he’d spoken, he could feel the tension bleed from her shoulders. But when he’d idiotically spewed out that last sentence, she tensed up again.
 
“You truly… make love to women while they are pregnant?”
 
“Yes.” Dack took her hand and brought it to his erection. He shuddered at the feel of her touching him. When her fingers wrapped tentatively around his stiff flesh, not quite able to encircle the girth. 
“I’m told that women often feel even more need during that time than they normally do.” 
 
Niomi grew very still, and he understood what she did not say. Slowly, carefully, he moved the hand that lay on her shoulder downward, tracing the delicate skin of her collarbone, then moving to cup her breast. His cock jumped as he felt the firm mound. He’d touched so few women in his life, and none so lovely. The hard pebble of her nipple jutted into his palm. “No shame in your desire,” he said quietly. She did not reply.
 
Dack eased his hand off of the one he’d held over her hand and his cock. To his utter relief, she did not let go of his flesh. Was it just his imagination, or was she stroking a little? He fought to keep his breathing steady.
 
“How does it work?” Niomi finally asked. “How do we make love? In the book, there were pictures of two men with a woman between them. They appeared to be both… having her together.”
 
A glance at Rustan told Dack exactly what his Clanmate was thinking. Carefully, he urged Niomi to come before him. He spread her legs open a little, and watched as Rustan came to stand behind her, lifting just a little. She bobbed weightlessly in the water, and rested on the warrior, her back against his chest. Rustan’s hands moved slowly up to caress Niomi’s beautiful breasts. Though her breath came in short gasps, she did not protest, and she did not pull away.
 
“We make love like this.” Dack skimmed his hands down the curve of her wast, over the firm swell of her belly. “With you between us.” He slid a hand down to her female flesh, stroking the seam of her sex with a delicate touch. “One of us enters you here.” He increased the pressure, slipping his finger between the dainty, swollen lips, gratified to feel the slick wetness there that was not from the water.
 
Though Dack could not see beneath the water at what his Clanmate was doing, the expression on Niomi’s face said it all. Rustan kissed Niomi’s exposed neck and shoulder. “And one of us enters you here.”
 
Their bride squirmed, moving in and out of their touches, as though she did not know whether she wanted to stay or go. Dack leaned forward to kiss her cheek. “We moves in rhythm, one going in whilst the other comes out. That way you’re always filled with cock. Is tough to do the first time, because your holes are small, but when you stretch enough to take us, it’s supposed to be the finest bliss a woman can feel. Some scream with the pleasure of it."
 
Niomi’s eyes were round as plates. “It hurt a little, when Nelius did it. And that was just… in the normal place.”

“The first time often does. After that, if your lover is gentle, it’s wonderful. And I promise you, sweet one, we are very gentle lovers.”

That wasn’t entirely true. Rustan was a savage beast when he fucked. But Dack was certain that he’d be careful with his bride.

“And you would like to start tonight? Truly?”

Dack’s brain jerked to a halt. Had he heard her correctly, or was his own desire so intense that he’d mistaken? He looked over her shoulder to Rustan, who looked equally shocked.

The Clan second spoke for both of them. “Aye, love. We can start tonight.”

Back to the Wildlands!

As I’ve said before, my personal situation is making it very difficult to finish Arcadian’s Balm right now. I am healing, and I will continue to work as I’m emotionally able, but I am sorry that you all have been waiting for something that’s not yet been delivered.

Well, take heart! The Wildlander Saga lives on! I’m about to release a novella called Wildlanders’ Hope. It’s an origins story, taking place about eighty years before Wildlanders’ Woman.  It tells the story of Niomi, who might have been the very first Tribute Bride.

Wildlanders' Hope

For centuries, the Wildlander warriors have kept the forces of the Dark at bay, protecting the gentle nation of Arcadia. But their numbers are decreasing. Between the deadly struggle with the Dark creatures and a lack of female babies born, it’s becoming uncertain if the Wildlander race will continue on past a few more generations.

An unmarried, pregnant woman in Arcadia has two choices: die, or go to work at the laundries, where she will spend her life hidden away from the rest of society. Niomi Harpechel’s family has made the decision for her. She’s to be taken out into the cold winter night and quietly disposed of. When she’s rescued by the fierce barbarian Wildlanders, she sees the opportunity not only to survive, but to have a safe home and a future for her child. During their journey through the mountains, passion flares and Niomi’s body awakens to the true pleasures of love. But will it be enough? No Wildlanders have ever taken an Arcadian-born as a bride. They are considered too weak, too frail, to survive the rigors of life beyond the wall. Can Niomi prove them wrong? Does she represent a new hope for the future of the Wildlands?

Stay tuned for more information.