Enboldened he pushed his tongue into her mouth. Shyly Nyura touched his tongue with hers then sighed. Kolgrim began to stroke the beautiful body in his embrace. She did not flinch as his hand caressed her breasts, fondling them gently, tweaking the perky little nipples that froze beneath his fingers. He moved swiftly, eagerly down her torso, her belly, arriving at her smooth mons. A single finger slid easily along the shadowed slit, and she trembled. He heard himself reassure her, kissing her mouth again. The finger insinuated itself though the fleshy folds, and Nyura stiffened.

“My lord?” she murmured nervously.

“I will not hurt you, Nyura,” he promised her, even as he found her tiny jewel. “No, my pet, I will instead give you a taste of pleasures.” The tip of his finger flicked back and forth, back and forth over the little nub.

Nyura moaned softly as her flesh began to tingle, the sensation building until she thought she could bear no more and whimpered for his mercy. She knew what he was doing, for while she had withheld herself from men she was a Hetarian girl. None of the women in her family withheld information of this nature, and both Divsha and Yamka were always comparing the attributes of their lovers.

Then Nyura gasped at the tingling burst, and she was weak with a pleasure she had never before experienced. His finger moved down slightly to insert itself into her sheath. She stiffened again with her anticipation.

“I must ascertain something, my pet,” he whispered to her as she lay in his lap, her eyes closed tightly. The finger moved deeper, and suddenly Nyura winced. He immediately stopped. “You are a virgin,” he said.

Nyura’s eyes flew open. “Of course I am. You are meant to take a virgin for a wife, my lord. Why do you think I never took a lover? I but waited for your coming.”

“What!” He was astounded. What did she know?

“I knew I was meant to be your bride,” Nyura said. “You need the power of Ulla that I possess to add to your own powers. My ancestress came to me when I was a child to tell me this. We will wed, and I will give you Ulla’s powers for your own, my lord.”

Kolgrim laughed aloud. “Why did you not tell me this sooner, Nyura?” he asked.

“What? And spoil my cousins’ dreams immediately? Nay, my lord. I have waited my whole life to see the look on their faces when they must face the fact that I have gained the prize, and not them. Did you enjoy taking pleasures with them?”

“I found them quite ordinary,” he told her, for he knew it would please her. This exquisite quiet girl had a delicious dark streak running through her. “Yamka swore when I had her ass that she had only entertained one man before me there, but I knew she lied.”

“Indeed she did,” Nyura said. “Being ass-fucked is quite her favorite perversion, my lord. I shall be fascinated to see what it is all about.”

Her words drove him into a wild excitement. “I must have you, Nyura!” he cried.

“Nay, my lord, you cannot. You must wait until our wedding night, for a pure virgin is very much prized here in Hetar and incredibly rare. The taking of my virtue will bring great and special prestige to my family. It will be publicly announced that I am a virgin. You must take my maidenhead before witnesses so all know it is no lie. You will not mind that, will you?” she teased him wickedly.

Kolgrim’s cock was so hard he thought it would break off. To fuck her first and do so before an audience, would be a magnificent start to their marriage. But he would not remain in Hetar once they were wed. The mating frenzy that would come upon him shortly must be carried out in his own land. He wouldn’t take her ass until then, for he wanted his lesser rod to be the first penetration of it. He closed his eyes in an attempt to cool his lust. “The wedding must be soon, Nyura,” he told her. “I want your family to have all the prestige due them, but I want you in my bed sooner rather than later.”

“You will tell my grandfather then that I am your chosen one, my lord, and that the wedding is to be set seven days from this day,” Nyura told him.

“The Dark Lands are very different from Hetar,” he said, not knowing why he bothered to say it. She was his. It was foretold.

“I know,” she said. “You have lots of wonderful storms. I will be happy there with you, my lord.”

“Let us join your grandparents now, and I will tell your grandfather of my decision,” Kolgrim said. He restored her robe, unlocked the door to the chamber and hand in hand they went to find Grugyn Ahasferus.

Nyura led the Twilight Lord to her grandfather’s sitting room, where he waited with his wife, Lady Camilla, Divsha and Yamka. The young woman entered, bowing first to her grandfather and then curtsying to her grandmother, who held out her hand to the girl. But Nyura did not take it.

“I have made my decision as to which of your granddaughters I shall take as my bride and my queen,” Kolgrim said to Grugyn Ahasferus.

“So quickly?” the magnate replied.

“Your granddaughter Nyura meets my criteria and that of the Book of Rule,” Kolgrim said. “She is a virgin, and she descends from Ulla.”

“You mean she has Ulla’s gifts,” Grugyn Ahasferus remarked astutely. “Both those virtues will cost you dearly, my lord Kolgrim.”

“Name your terms, but the marriage must be celebrated in seven days’ time,” Kolgrim responded.

“I thought you liked me best,” Divsha said, tears springing to her eyes.

“You are a most charming companion, my lady Divsha,” Kolgrim said.

“Did I not please you well?” Yamka demanded to know.

“You pleased me very well even if you lied to me.” Kolgrim chuckled. “Your ass was far too easy to breach, my pretty.”

Yamka flushed and stamped her foot angrily, but said nothing more.

“Did I not tell you to use the tightening lotion?” her grandmother hissed at her.

“I will want the mineral rights to your mountains,” Grugyn said.

“Forty percent of the ore you mine will come to me,” the Twilight Lord said. “And I will take all of the jewels you find while seeking the metals.”

“I want the transmutes,” Grugyn answered him.

“We will split them fifty-fifty,” was the quick reply. “But the rest of the jewels are mine.”

“My granddaughter is a prize worth having, my Lord Kolgrim, is she not?”

Grugyn said slyly.

“That you give me a pure virgin will shower honor and prestige upon your house,” Kolgrim replied, also slyly. “When I have her maidenhead her screams will echo throughout your hall so your guests may know the truth. You will choose the witnesses to her defloration yourself, my lord. And have a bloody sheet to fly from your housetop shortly thereafter. I am taking your granddaughter and making her a queen. Do you think any of her gifts are greater than mine? I am Kolgrim, sired by Kol on Lara, a faerie woman. My powers are enormous and they are strong. If I wanted, I could take the girl and give you nothing. But I am of a generous nature, and so I have come as any suitor would to sue for the hand of Nyura.”

Sixty percent of the mineral ore, half of any transmutes he found. He would shortly be the richest man in Hetar, Grugyn Ahasferus thought excitedly. Taking Kolgrim by the arm he said in a low voice, “Palben will expect a share of what I have. Let me tell him of our agreement, my lord.”

“So you may lie to him and keep a greater share for yourself, of course.” Kolgrim chuckled. “Why not? Nyura is worth it. Reverse the percentages for him, and tell him you are getting forty percent, then give him twenty. What you do about the transmutes is your business.” He chortled again. If Grugyn Ahasferus was an example of Hetar’s ethic, this world would fall into his hands like a ripe peach when he was ready. But not until after Nyura had birthed his son. He clapped Grugyn upon his back. “We are agreed then?”

“We are agreed,” came his reply.

“I believe this calls for a toast,” Lady Camilla said. She looked to Divsha and Yamka. “You may go home,” she said, dismissing them. Then she put an arm about Nyura’s shoulders. “Come, child, let us celebrate this magnificent betrothal you have made. We are very proud of you. Our quiet little granddaughter catching the heart of a powerful man,” she gushed.

“The Twilight Lord has no heart, Grandmother,” Nyura said bluntly.

“Nyura!” Lady Camilla reproved the girl. “Apologize to Lord Kolgrim.”

But Kolgrim laughed, and catching up Nyura’s hand kissed both the back of it and the palm, then the soft inside of her wrist. “She already knows me well, my beautiful bride-to-be,” he said. “There will be no illusions between us.”

Lady Camilla shrugged. “You are both too clever,” she noted.

“Nothing is settled until the Lord High Ruler approves this match,” Grugyn Ahasferus reminded them. “Tomorrow Lord Kolgrim and I will deal with Palben. Then we may prepare for the wedding feast.”

“The bribe must be large,” Lady Camilla said, “and Palben should not know that Nyura is the inheritor of Ulla’s powers. Any thought that there might be another more powerful than he will cause him to block this alliance.”

“If he knows of Ulla’s powers he will not believe in them. Palben does not believe in magic,” Grugyn reminded his spouse.

“Then he is a fool,” Lady Camilla responded tartly.

Kolgrim chuckled to himself. He actually liked these mortals who would be his relatives. They were greedy and thought only of themselves.

THE LORD HIGH RULER was pleased to receive the Twilight Lord and Grugyn Ahasferus in his privy chamber the next afternoon. He smiled toothily at them. “I take it you bring me happy news, Grugyn, my old friend,” he said.

“I have come to seek your permission for my granddaughter Nyura, only daughter of my younger son, Zenas, and his wife, Sabine, to wed with Lord Kolgrim,” Grugyn said.