Savaric slid his spent cock from between Avelina's soft, spread thighs. She stretched her arms languidly above her head and smiled dreamily at him as her eyelids fluttered open. His gaze feasted on her huge lush breasts which jiggled tantalizingly with her every movement.

"'Tis time to go, my beauty," he said as he pushed his body off the wool blanket they'd tumbled upon in the open meadow. He reached for his breeches and pulled them on.

She rose, turning to face the mid-day sun. "Why spoil the afternoon, Savaric? Let us stay here and enjoy one another more."

His eyes roamed down her full physique, the sun casting a shimmer on her creamy soft skin. She was rich and sinfully sweet, and she made his mouth water. Her taste was still on his tongue as his gaze roamed down to the pale curls at the juncture of her thighs.

"I must go." Savaric pulled on his boots and mantle as Avelina pouted prettily. At last she donned her own tunic.

"There is something I must share with you, Savaric."

The sudden urgency in her words made him tense. The sun was hot in the sky and all around the little meadow was the vast expanse of the Northern Forest of the King. Shadows in the dappled woods weaved and grew around them.

"What is it, Avelina?" he asked holding onto an inhalation.

"'Tis only that I've fallen in love with you," she said to his back.

His breath left in a loud whoosh. He had sensed her deepening emotions, but had decided to ignore them.

He stared hard into the forest beyond, unable to turn and face the beautiful young woman with whom he'd experienced so many wicked delights. His hands trembled ever so slightly as they found his hips. The toe of his boot brushed against the flattened meadow grass.

"Savaric?" Her voice was as tight as the string of a lute. "Do you have no words for me?"

"I can say nothing, Avelina."

That was all he could say. He inhaled deeply the earthy scent of the woods beyond.

"Are there others then?" Her voice was quavering and small. He could feel her energy enveloping him. "I have left behind all others for you."

Savaric's shoulders slumped and his gaze dropped to the ground.

"I never made the pronouncement otherwise, Avelina."

"I don't understand you. When I decided to end things not long ago you came to me, proclaiming that you could not live without me in your life. You seduced me back. Does that not speak of some profound emotions on your part?"

He winced at her words. It was true that he had gone to her, but it had only been because she was willing to explore areas of sexual excitement his other lovers wouldn't. She had always been an eager and willing partner.

"This was never meant to be a commitment. That was our agreement from the beginning." He truly had never meant to hurt her.

"How could you have spent so much time with someone, yet not love them? How could you expect me to do so? You are a beast." Her voice broke on her last word.

"Avelina, I do care for you." He swallowed hard. "But I cannot say that I love you."

He prayed to the gods she wouldn't start crying. They answered his prayers.

"You sorry son-of-an-ox," she said. His back stiffened and he turned to face her. Her eyes were narrowed with tears shining within them. He remained silent as a sudden dread overtook him.

A sorceress was always more powerful than a sorcerer.

Raising her arms to her sides, her tunic sleeves falling back from her hands and wrists, she lifted her face to the bright hot sun. The dread turned to fear as he stumbled back from her, muttering a quick spell of protection. He feared it would be of little use.

"Savaric, from this day forward..." Her gaze dropped to his, her soft red-brown eyes becoming redder as the power built within her. "For evermore you will be unable to find release for your rampant desires." She paused considering her words as Savaric tried to maintain his composure.

"Until the day you find a woman with whom you lose all your selfish gratifications, and feel for her as I do you. You will then know what must be done." With a snap of her fingers a shock coursed through Savaric's body, dropping him to his knees.

That's the day he learned you should never piss off a sorceress.

Evelyn Bowers snorted as she read the text message that had just popped up on her phone.

"Seriously? You're breaking up with me via text?" Her fingers worked furiously over the keypad of her phone as she walked down the sidewalk. Her stiletto heels clicked as her footsteps quickened. Her feet ached and she wished she'd driven and not walked to work today. The college where she worked as a professor was only a few blocks from her apartment building.

Her phone buzzed, signaling an incoming text message. Sorry if I hurt you.

Evelyn swallowed her squeal of frustration and disgust, resisting the urge to throw the cell phone on the sidewalk and stomp on it. She considered calling Nathan and chewing out his butt, but decided he wasn't worth so much effort.

"So what if the sex was hot?" she said aloud to no one.

Why am I such a loser magnet

Nathan had been one in a number of lousy relationships she'd had this year.

Heck, all my relationships since Junior High have been this way, she thought ruefully. Her two younger sisters were already married with children, but she had never been even close to marriage. At thirty years old, she felt destined to be an old maid. She glanced up as she approached the intersection, noting that the light for cross traffic had turned yellow. Cars were slowing. She wanted to get home so she could drown her sorrows in a pint of rocky road ice cream and a package of Oreos.

A man waiting to cross the street gave her a quick glance before his eyes roamed down her figure. A salacious smile crossed his thin lips, which Evelyn ignored as she stepped forward texting furiously to her best friend Shelly.

You won't believe what happened today with Nathan!

She heard the loud blare of a horn, before the breath was knocked from her lungs. She flew several feet through the air.

Savaric was lost in thought over his latest investment success. Money wasn't an issue as he'd collected too much of it over the centuries; it was simply the thrill of the chase for him. He'd wagered a sizable sum that a perishing company would pull itself around and it had.

A woman in a tantalizing floral dress brushed passed him, staring at her cell phone. The scowl on her pretty features left him curious as he let his gaze pass down to her luscious round backside that swayed side-to-side with her rapid gate. Her dress swirled around her knees, exposing shapely calves. She wore a pair of those stiletto heels that oddly excited him since they'd come into fashion.

He imagined running his tongue from the heel of those shoes up to her inner thigh until...

He brushed the thought aside and ground his teeth together. Damn this eternal punishment.

He watched as the woman stood at the intersection playing on her cell phone, before stepping into the path of an oncoming delivery truck running the red light.

There was no time to think, only to react, as he was a half-block away. In a snap of his fingers he moved within the space between spaces, without the impedance of time. He ran to her and threw his body against the woman's as he stepped again into the current reality. His body flew with hers through the air. The truck's horn blared and its brakes squealed. Savaric twisted his body so that he was the first to land, taking the full impact of their combined weights against the pavement.

His breath was jarred from his lungs and it took several moments before he could suck in another. The woman lay on top of him wrapped securely in his arms. People talked excitedly around them as he opened his eyes, at last taking the deep breath he needed.

"Wow...amazing...where did he come from..." were the excited shouts of the group that collected around him.

"You stupid bitch! Were you trying to kill me?"

The delivery driver stormed toward them, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. Spittle flew from his mouth as he shouted.

"What the hell's wrong with you!"

The woman moved and Savaric rolled to his side, keeping a hold of her in case she was injured.

"You stupid cu..." The delivery man stopped dead in his tracks as he met the full force of Savaric's gaze.

"Speaking to a woman in that manner is highly inappropriate. I think it's best if you stop right now." He kept his voice low and controlled.

The collected crowd fell silent at once as he got to his feet, gently pulling the woman with him. His gaze never left the delivery driver's, who seemed to shrink several inches. He drew his sore body up, using his full six foot five inches to intimidate the irate man. He hugged the shaking woman tight to his side. She wobbled on her feet and moaned. His eyes darted to the top of her head, her light brown wavy hair hanging in a lop-sided bun.

"Are you okay?" He gave her a gentle shake as he guided her from the street. Her teeth chattered, and he worried shock was setting in.

"Miss, are you hurt anywhere?" He walked her to a bench outside of a shop.

She shook her head weakly and finally met his eyes. Her gaze was an intriguing mix of olive and gold.

"I'm fine," she said in a shaky, soft voice. Her perfume wafted to him, a mix of orange blossom and rose petals. He inhaled the scent deeply. She reached up and pulled the remaining pins from her hair allowing its waves to cascade nearly waist length. His fingers itched to run through the silky strands that caught the sunlight in glimmers of gold, copper, and dark fawn.

She still somehow clutched her cell phone tightly in the other hand.

"I know you're not supposed to text and drive, but I guess that extends to walking as well," she said with a quick chuckle. "For me at least."

He shared her smile as she shyly met his gaze once more. There were slight laugh lines around her eyes, and he rather enjoyed seeing them. It meant she was someone who found real pleasure in life.

Pleasure...his eyes darted to the cleavage shown by the cut of her dress, before falling to the pale skin exposed where the dress had ridden up her thighs. He pulled his eyes back to the trembling hands that lay in her lap and noticed the scrapes along one of them.

"You are hurt; let me see." He took the hand that held her hair pins. It was merely a few scrapes but he worried over them.

"No, honest, I'm fine. Thank you so much by the way," the woman said, her voice growing stronger. "You're my hero for the day. I'm Evelyn."

"It was my pleasure, Evelyn" he said, grinning. "I'm Savaric."

"That's an interesting name, Savaric," she said, trying the name out on her tongue. "How unusual."

"It's very old," he said, still holding her hand. It was small in his, soft and warm. He allowed the pad of his thumb to trace lazy circles on the back. There was a slight catch in her breath and awareness flooded his veins.