Perilous Love

by J A Essen

  They look at each other perplexed, then me, then back to Faudron.

  “Go on,” King Nathair prods.

  “What do you know of the elves’ magic, sir?”

  “I know the stories of healing abilities and casting, using the elements. Why?”

  “Do you know of anything else?” Faudron inquires.

  “Are you going somewhere with this, Faudron?” It’s obvious that the king is growing impatient.

  “What about you, Wallace?”

  “Only what I’ve heard in stories, just as the king has already said, and rumors about animal projections or something.”

  “Well then, listen closely. As your men undoubtedly told you, a large bear charged me from the woods. I took two shots that both missed their mark, not due to my misfiring, but rather from the incredible abilities of the bear. I knew the only chance I had against this cunning beast was to shroud its vision and make it come to me cautiously. Backing through the waterfall at the mountains, I played on this tactic and waited for the charge. When it finally came at me, I launched a bolt into its side as I threw myself clear of its path. It crashed into the rock wall as I tumbled across the ground. When I shook the dizziness from my head and approached the crumpled pile of animal, this is what I found instead.” He points again to me as he finishes the brief explanation.

  “I don’t get it, Faudron. What the hell are you talking about?” Wallace looks completely confused, as does the king.

  “It was Edana.”

  “What was Edana, Faudron?” King Nathair motions wildly with his hands.

  Completely exasperated, Faudron looks at me, “Edana, show them please.”

  I nod my head and stand from the table. Both men look on as I turn my attention to Faudron, “Um, something to cover with?”

  “Oh yeah, sorry.” He turns back to the king, “May I have a blanket or some sort of covering, please?”

  There are folded linens on the other meeting table in the room, and he motions for Wallace to retrieve one.

  “Here,” is all Wallace says as he tosses one to Faudron.

  Standing behind the makeshift changing divider, I remove my tunic and leggings and drape them across Faudron’s shoulders.

  “Well Faudron, I didn’t realize we were getting such a show.”

  The king’s insinuation is demoralizing, and I cast my eyes down.

  “Sir, I say this with the deepest respect possible, but shut up.” Faudron never takes his eyes off me and then continues, “Edana, do it now.”

  “Athraigh,” I pronounce loudly, and as my body form begins to waver, Faudron drops the cloth so that the two men may see it happen. In little more than the blink of an eye, I have transformed into my large and very imposing bear form, sending both men scurrying backward out of their seats with Wallace tripping and falling flat on his ass.

  “This, gentlemen, is your ‘Beast of the Forsaken Woods,’ but there is much more yet to this story. If you are satisfied…” He trails off as he looks at me and then the other men.

  “Y-Yes, Faudron. Quite.”

  I’m smiling deep inside at the king at this moment, quite certain of his unease with the current situation.

  Picking the covering back up, Faudron nods his head at me, “You can change back now.”

  My body begins to fluctuate again, and I shift back into elven form, not bothering to change my hair color again. They know everything now, might as well present them with the entire real me. I take my tunic and leggings back from Faudron’s shoulder and redress. I can feel my lover’s eyes raking over my body as I do so, and take slightly longer than necessary, licking my lips as I catch his glance. I can hear his low, guttural growl and the grinding of his teeth, knowing there is nothing he can do about his undoubtedly growing, situation.

  “So you see,” Faudron looks from me to King Nathair, “there is no way I was bringing you the head of the creature that struck down your men; I did indeed though take care of the circumstances, and no more harm will come to any venturing into those woods.”

  King Nathair and Wallace look at each other and through glances of amazement, then with shrugs of their shoulders, seem to agree with Faudron.

  “I’m sorry for the innocents that were caught up in my attacks,” I finish braiding my hair, clip the bottom and turn to the king, slanting my eyes and pursing my mouth, “but several of your men were in a group that killed my mother three years ago, and I will make them all pay.”

  Standing from his seat, King Nathair smooths the gathered material of his royal robes and begins to walk toward me. I feel uneasy, but stand my ground, waiting for what is coming.

  “My dearest Princess,” he speaks softly, “I know.” Then, leaning in and whispering into my ear he continues, “I gave the order.

  Chapter 20

  Faudron

  I grab Edana as she begins to flail wildly and King Nathair steps back out of her reach.

  “Calm down, Princess, for I’m not the monster,” the king has both hands out in front of himself as he continues to move backward.

  Edana has given in and let her body sag into mine.

  “How could you? She was a good soul and never hurt anyone. She didn’t deserve it.” The sobs begin to take over as she muddles through. “She did nothing to your kind. NOTHING!”

  “Princess, I didn’t know who she was. Under the agreement, I was told to be on the lookout for a doe or an elk that would have a light purple streak on its neck. If this creature was shot, then it would draw out the elf we were hired to kill. I had no way of knowing that that creature was the elf and the queen. My men told me the tale, but I brushed it off as a tale told by men who’d had too much mead. That is, until just now when I saw you change.”

  Edana is now completely supported by me as I walk her back over to the seating area.

  “Edana, I…” I wave King Nathair off.

  “Perhaps it would be better if we continued this later. Think about how devastated you would be if someone had killed your son and you just came face to face with his executioner.”

  “Yes, of course, Faudron. I see your point completely. Wallace,” he turns to his trusted guard, “please see these two to quarters at once. Have water brought in, clean clothes, food and anything else they need. They are our guests.”

  Turning back to me, “Faudron, please understand, the agreement with him was without names, only details on where to watch, and what to watch for.”

  Edana has passed out in my arms, and I’m ready to follow Wallace, but I can’t wait so I ask, “Who? Who did you make this agreement with?”

  King Nathair looks down at Edana’s limp form, brushes a strand of hair off of her face and swallows hard, “Her father.”

  *****

  “NO! HE COULDN’T. THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE!”

  Edana is hysterical as I explain to her the conversation I had about her father with King Nathair after I deposited her body in our quarters. I explained that the physical description of Brennus was spot on; there’s no doubt it was him.

  King Brennus sent a messenger to Dun Felmar that he wanted a meeting that would be mutually beneficial to them both. In exchange for having Nathair’s men take down an unnamed elf, the humans were to be provided with two shipments of elven solidite ore to enhance their steel folding abilities for weapons. Brennus gave him the location in the woods to watch and on the third day, it was, unfortunately, his son that took the shot. Edana’s mother was knocked out of form when the bolts took her life. The shocked men returned the body to King Nathair, and when it was confirmed that it was indeed her, she was cremated, and the ashes dumped into the winds behind the castle.

  “I don’t understand, Faudron. My father loved my mother. He provided her with everything she ever wanted.”

  “But she couldn’t provide him with the one thing he needed… a male heir.”

  Edana’s eyes are as large as saucers as I explain the cold, harsh reality.

  “After my mother had given birth to me, there wer
e complications and she was unable to bare any more children.” She wipes the salty tears from her puffy, red eyes, “I never heard them discuss it; never saw that level of dissatisfaction in my father’s eyes. He was distant, but I just thought it was Mother’s job to handle my upbringing while Father took care of the kingdom.”

  Her tears have dried up now, and her mood is beginning to change.

  “So my entire life, his distance from me and lack of interaction were because I wasn’t born a boy? He had no desire to raise me because, what, he couldn’t teach me how to run the kingdom? Did he even love me?”

  She’s pacing the floor of the room, and I catch her in my arms on one of the passes. “Edana, if he didn’t love you, do you really think he would’ve agreed to let me go?”

  “But he didn’t, remember? His plan was to kill you.”

  “Brennus could’ve simply had me executed there in the dungeons if it weren’t for your concern for me. Even if he was just putting forth a show, there is something there.”

  “I guess,” she shakes her head, “but that means nothing now.”

  She’s trying to push away from me, but I hold her close, feeling the heat of her body radiating out more so than usual.

  “It’s been an arduous day already, and we still have dinner later. What do you say to a bath?” I whisper in her ear, trying to be somewhat seductive, but not overly so as to not be a complete ass. I can feel the tense muscles of her body release slightly at the recommendation.

  “With you?” she asks, laying her head on my chest, giving into my hold on her finally.

  “Unless there is someone else you would rather…” I smile as she puts her fingers over my mouth.

  “I’m so exhausted. Will you undress me?” she coos in my ear.

  “I guess if I have to,” I banter back playfully, and she slaps my chest with her dainty hand.

  Standing us both up, I set Edana down on her feet, and she immediately raises her hands over her head. Grabbing the form fitting tunic by its bottom, I pull it up and stop just as it clears her bouncing little breasts. With my left hand, I gather the material and both of her wrists as I back her up against the wall. Cupping her breast with my right hand, I begin turning the already lengthening nipple between my thumb and forefinger. Repeating the process with the other, she presses her chest forward into my hand, and I can hear a muffled moan come from behind her top.

  “Something you need to say, Edana?” I inquire. As she starts to respond, I take a nipple into my mouth and sliding my arm around behind her, grab her by the ass and pull her into me.

  Essh, I hear as she takes in a sharp breath. Sheathing my teeth, I continue the torture I began with my fingers, rolling her hard nipple in between my lips. With a quick pop, I release her breast and instruct her, “Keep your hands where they are. Do you understand?”

  “Mm-hmm,” she responds, and I pop her at the junction of her thigh and ass. “Yes!” She jumps in shock.

  “Good girl.” I place both hands over her breasts as if I were going to cup them, but make contact with my fingertips only. Tracing the contour of the outside of her breasts, I flick both nipples simultaneously with my index fingers as I pass over them. Continuing down her milky, white skin I move my hands back to her center and over her flat stomach until I reach her hips. My left hand disappears around back and cups her ass as my right flips and slides easily down into her leggings, in between her drenched lips. It elicits a very well earned groan as she drops her hands to my shoulders.

  Removing my right hand, I smack her again on the thigh as I pinch her ass with my left. “I told you to keep your hands where they were. Since you couldn’t listen, I think you should be punished.” I pull the tunic the rest of the way off and then tell her to stay there.

  Walking clear across the room, I take a seat on the large, iron-framed bed, “Now come here.” She begins to take a step forward and I clarify. “No. Not like that. On all fours.” She slants her eyes at me, and I raise my eyebrows. “I’m waiting.”

  I can see the slight snarl in her lip as she lowers herself to the ground, and I can’t tell if It’s in anger, or lust. Based on the way her body is currently moving toward me, though, I would rest on the latter.

  Halfway across the floor, Edana stops, looks me directly in the eyes and very, very slowly exposes the tip of her tongue from the corner of her mouth and drags it agonizingly slowly across her lips, making them glimmer in the candle-lit room.

  When she finally makes it to me, I’m so hard that I have nearly forgotten why I have her crawling to me in the first place. Pulling one leg back, I leave one knee protruding, “Here.” I motion for her to lie across my leg.

  Edana does so without reservation. My body is angled such that she’s able to hold onto the bed to support herself. These brown leggings have lacings on each side, so I untie both and remove the lanyards from the top holes, loosening them up amply. In contrast to her slow, seductive crawl, I grab the leggings at the apex of her back and yank them down quickly. Her skin is so unbelievably smooth as I run my hand up from her right thigh, over her cheeks, and down the left. I repeat this back and forth several times before I raise my hand and bring it down with a firm impact across both cheeks, leaving a perfect pink imprint of my hand and receiving the squeal I was hoping for.

  Tracing the curve of her buttocks with my fingertips down to her left thigh, I slide my hand in between her legs. As I begin to run back up, I can feel the slickness on her leg before I ever make it to my final destination. With her still splayed across my lap, I insert two fingers into her soaked pussy and begin stroking her, in and out, toying her other sweet little-puckered hole with my thumb. With my left hand pressed firmly into her back, Edana has no choice but to lay here and succumb to the sweet torture I’m inflicting.

  Or so I think.

  I can feel her body start shaking as her pussy greedily consumes my proffered fingers, my thumb pressed a knuckle deep into her tender ass, rubbing and teasing. I slow my pace, not allowing her to come, and apparently that was the wrong decision.

  Suddenly, I hear the sheets pull and tear as she buries her nails through them and arches up, those pure primal eyes locking onto mine as she grabs my tunic and rips it apart. “Whoa, baby.” I start, but she’s entranced. Edana shoves me back onto the bed, scooting me several inches in the process, and my feet are no longer touching the floor, but rather dangling just off the side of it. Grabbing my trousers by the waist, she removes them with slightly less force, leaving them intact.

  We are both now stark naked, and I know this is her game. Like a panther stalking its prey, she moves slowly up my body, crawling across the bed on all fours. I try to grab for her, and she swats at my hands, taking them and pinning them beside my head, her breasts lying across my face. I move my head to try and take a nipple into my mouth and am rewarded with a slap across my cheek.

  “So you want your mouth on something?” She says as she slides her way up to my face, pinning my arms with her legs and displaying her perfect, bald, glistening entrance just above my mouth. She grabs me by the hair, “I’m not moving until you make me come with that talented tongue of yours,” and she shoves her impeccable lips down onto mine.

  I slide my tongue in and out of her hot core, her juices flowing down my lips and over my chin. I can’t think of a better way to drown than in this sweetness. Grinding herself on my mouth, I lock my lips onto her clit and start sucking, rolling, and nipping at it, praying for her release. Voraciously, I suck her clit as hard as I can and lick the very tip of it that I have drawn into my mouth; without warning, she begins convulsing on my face, and I open my mouth, lapping up all that she has to offer me, drinking in this blissful torment.

  Collapsing onto her hands, her breasts once again just out of reach of my face, she removes her weight slightly, allowing me to free my arms. No sooner has she done so than I have her on her back, and I’m lining myself up to pierce her entrance with my strained cock. I know this won’t last long, and I slan
t my lips across hers just before I press in, absorbing her pleasurable moans into my mouth. Pumping into her hard and fast, Edana wraps her legs around my waist and pulls me in deep, only allowing me to grind, and I realize quickly, that it isn’t going to take much to take her over the cliff with me.

  Gyrating my pelvis into her, she slides a hand in between us and furiously begins rubbing her clit, her tongue buried deep in my mouth, wrestling with my own. Our bodies become one, all points entangled and working as one to build to a cataclysmic dual release. She bites my tongue in between her front teeth and pulls, I grab at her breast and twist her nipple, her legs pull me completely in one last time and both our eyes fly open, locking onto one another’s souls as we spiral out of control, deep down into the abyss.

  Completely spent, I roll off of Edana, and she curls into my side, a leg draped across mine, smearing me with our combined orgasm. I love the way her fingers tickle my chest just so as she traces around my pecs and through the hair. This…this is worth living for. This moment in time here. Nothing else matters.

  I place a kiss on her forehead and run my fingers through her beautiful purple hair. “Well if the day wasn’t already exhausting enough…” I trail off into a smile as I watch her mouth curve into one as well, even with her eyes closed. “Bath and then a short rest?” I inquire.

  “Mm,” is all that I can get out of Edana. She’s apparently still floating in the clouds of the abyss.

  “Come on sleepy,” I hoist her up and walk us over to the bath. The coals under the copper basin have long gone out, but the water is still warm enough. I lower us in, and the surface rises over our chests, bringing even more comfort to an already near perfect moment. I clean Edana and she, in turn, cleans me.

  Drying off, we don’t even bother with clothes, but rather just slip into the bed and under the heavy fur blankets.

  Surely someone will check in on us in time to prepare for dinner.

  Chapter 21