The Storm King

With a satisfied smile, Leon ran his hands over his bedmate’s body. She purred in delight at his touch, reveling in how much he desired her. He didn’t do much more than that, however, their actions over the previous night having sufficiently slaked his thirst, but that didn’t stop him from just one more indulgence.

She returned the favor, feather-light touches exploring every defined line and muscle of his body. She lingered along his abs and chest until Leon pulled her close and nuzzled into her light brown hair.

Lake blue eyes met his golden gaze as she raised her comely face upward, brushing her lips against his. Maia smiled as she pushed herself closer, almost enveloping him in her embrace as much as he was enveloping her.

But as much heat as he could see in her eyes, as much as they both would’ve loved to continue indulging in the pleasures they could offer each other, they parted only a moment later.

“How’re your girls?” Leon whispered.

“The river is mine again,” Maia gently replied. “From the coast to the first main fork, my nymphs have taken complete control over the river system.”

Leon nodded. The cities of the Far West knew the river system that flowed from the Finger Lakes south along the mountains and through the Artor Valley as the Southcourse. Leon, however, thought that the river deserved a different name. He intended to make the Far West his foothold in the Nexus, and from here, his Kingdom would return to the Void and attempt to regain the old holdings of the Thunderbird Clan. He wasn’t going to let the river flowing through the capital city of such a Kingdom be dictated by anyone other than himself.

Deciding on the right name wasn’t easy, however. He had quietly run through many different possibilities, needing several days to settle on one he liked. Eventually, inspiration came when he took flight in Thunderbird form to enjoy the feeling of Mir’s chaotic wind flowing through his feathers. He’d landed by the deep spring beside which the Stormborn acorn had been planted and looked at his reflection. The crest of blue feathers on his head had caught his eye, and in that moment, he settled on the name ‘Blue Feather River’.

“How have they been doing since the Ocean fuckwits retreated?” Leon quietly asked. The nymphs had largely taken over the river to the south of the valley when they’d arrived, but they had been forced to return to the valley when Terris’ forces made that area their base camp. As far as he knew, the river nymphs were more interested in moving upriver than down now, despite Terris’ retreat.