“I agree. I’m in pretty good shape from all the walking I do but I certainly feel out of shape now. I don’t remember it being this hard when I was a kid,” she laughed self-deprecatingly.
“I’m pretty sure kids are indestructible. If you asked your parents, they would probably tell you how tired they were.”
She looked wistful when I reminded her of them. “I suppose you’re right. I would run ahead and have to come back and hurry them along. Now that I think about it, they always carried the packs and I only had my water and my snacks.”
Feeling as if she were opening up to me, I tried to make conversation. “Did you do anything like this before? I know you talked about all the camping trips and hiking, but I don’t recall if you had ever done it like this before.”
“No,” she replied, her voice not hard or snippy, yet it was as if something changed in her demeanor and she was shutting me out again. “We would only go for day hikes and stay at the same campsite. This is a whole new adventure for me.”
“I’m glad that I can be here for your first time,” I lowered my voice to the way she liked it, and saw an immediate reaction as she shivered.
The blush rose in her cheeks and she avoided answering by changing the subject. “We should get moving again soon. I can check the back of your ankles if you check mine. Make sure we don’t miss anything.”
I swallowed hard and nodded, my voice failing me as she lifted her leg and placed it on my lap. Hesitantly, I touched her calf and moved it around so that I could see. I felt searing heat travel from where I touched her straight to my cock. I glanced up at her and saw the desire in her eyes, and I ached to kiss her and take her on the forest floor.
She pulled her leg away and gave me the other one, my cock now straining against my pants as I touched her skin and slowly moved my hand up as I inched closer to her center. I reached her knee and she didn’t stop me, yet it felt wrong to know that she was still angry at me. I wouldn’t take advantage of her, nor would I set myself up for her rejection.
Snapping out of the spell she was under, she pulled her leg back, as soon as my hands let go of her, and started putting new socks on and her boots on. “Let me check you now.”
I lifted my leg up for her and she gently stroked my skin, her fingers raking through the hair on my lower leg as she searched my skin for any signs of tenderness as she turned my foot to see better. Goosebumps erupted on my skin at the feeling, and I wanted nothing more than to feel those fingers on my head as I devoured her mouth.
She bit her lip as she searched my other leg, and this time I couldn’t stop myself. With my thumb, I stroked her bottom lip as I pulled it from between her teeth. She met my eyes and I braced for her anger, but instead she displayed nothing but wanting.
I dared not move as she seemed to be warring with herself. I was shocked when she dove at me and captured my lips, and it took me a moment to respond. When I did, the floodgates opened, and I kissed her with all the love and passion that I possessed. If this were the only time I would get to feel her kiss, I would make sure she knew how I felt about her.
My head spun as I tasted her sweetness, running my tongue over hers fiercely, possessively holding her hair as if I let go, she would vanish. All the sounds of the forest faded away as it was only Lorelei and I, our love shared in the magical moment that I had so longed for. I didn’t care that I couldn’t breathe, nor did I care if I died at that moment because I would die the happiest man on earth.
She clawed at my back and moved closer as she straddled my lap. I could feel her desire as she pushed against me and took my entire soul and made it her own. At first, I let her lead even though I wanted to taste the salt of her skin and feel her round breasts beneath my hands. I feared that if I moved at all, she would never come back to me.
Her hips moved against my growing bulge and she moaned in my mouth. I took everything she was willing to give, and it seemed to be all her passion. Rocking against me, her fingers tangled in my hair, her movements became more desperate and erratic, and I knew she was close to bursting.
I groaned against her lips and moved my hands down gripping her ass, as I pulled her to rock harder against me. I strained against my pants and I was close to exploding. She broke our kiss and whispered, “Klaus,” as she stared into my eyes.
Thrusting my hips up to meet her movements, I drove her over the edge as my shaft rubbed against her clit. Her screams echoed through the forest as she fell apart, not once taking her eyes off mine. She rode it out and I was quick to follow, grunting as my seed spurted out and left me trembling.
Pulling her head to my chest, I stroked her hair. “I love you so much, Lorelei. My life is nothing without you in it.”
She sighed and said nothing as our hearts still raced and we tried to catch our breath. It was as if nothing had changed between us for that sweet moment that we shared in the middle of the forest.
When she finally caught her breath, she looked up at me, tears in her eyes, “If that were true, you would trust me enough to tell me what you hide from me.”
.
I couldn’t believe I lost control like that. How did something so innocent turn into me dry humping the man that betrayed my trust?
I supposed it was the way that he looked at me with such adoration, yet there was something else at the back of my mind that niggled at me. It was almost as if I’d been here with him before. I knew logically that couldn’t be right and maybe I just got caught up in the moment, and his touch and body were so familiar with all the times we were together before he kept things from me.
When he professed his love for me, I snapped back into reality and I felt the hurt all over again. I lost my cool and yelled at him, for good reason, yet I felt guilty for doing so. Maybe because I knew that I gave him hope of getting me back so simply, without apologizing or telling me the truth of what he knew.
Or maybe I was just angry with myself for not being able to stay away from this man that left me heartbroken. I felt weak because I gave into my carnal desires and I hated feeling that way.
He looked so hurt at that moment, and what should have felt triumphant, felt nothing but remorse. I had no idea how I would get through the rest of this adventure with my warring emotions. I wanted him, I cared for him deeply. I had even started to fall in love with him. But that was all ruined by his actions, or should I say inaction. I didn’t understand why he wouldn’t tell me the truth.
As we continued with our long hike, my mind wandered to the woman on the train. Her words that I thought I hallucinated, her words for me to trust Klaus that was repeated in a dream I had – it felt right that she said them.
I wanted with all my heart and soul to trust him when he said he couldn’t tell me his secrets, yet my mind didn’t want to believe it. The dreams continued long after I left his home that day and last night was the first night I slept peacefully since then.
Each night, the dreams were more real and revealed a past with Klaus that I knew I could never have had. It was so strange how real they seemed, and I kept telling myself that it was because of my own lifelong learning of history.
As much as I studied the past and lived it through books and art, it would make sense that I would have that deep in my subconscious. Logically, that would explain why I could see the wardrobes, carriages, and buildings of the past. There was no other rational explanation.
The only thing I couldn’t figure out was why I not only saw things, but I smelled them too. The odors were also things that I shouldn’t have been able to recognize, like the flowers that were native to Germany and the earthy smell of the river that I had never been to. It was a scent that was unlike any other body of water I had ever visited yet it felt like home to me and I recognized it as the Rhine River, a place I hadn’t visited in all the time that I’d lived in Germany. And I could even feel the roughness of the clothing and the tightness of the corsets that I wore in some of the dreams.
So much was unexplainable, and I felt as if Klaus
had the answers I needed. That’s why I was so angry at him. He chose to let me suffer instead of telling me what I needed to know, so that I didn’t feel like I was losing my mind. All he could do was tell me that I wasn’t losing it.
I threw my hands up and grumbled which caused Klaus to look back at me. “Are you okay?” he asked, with concern in his voice.
“Fine,” I replied, unable to get over my anger at him.
“So, we are back to the word fine again?” his voice filled with sorrow.
It stabbed at my heart, yet I couldn’t get past the anger. “I don’t know. I don’t know when we will be back to normal. I don’t know when I will stop feeling so betrayed and like my heart has been ripped out. Or when I’ll stop wanting to do nothing but go back to the way we were before I found out you hid such important things from me and continue to do so!” My anger reached a climax and my voice rang out through the forest as all my feelings of hurt and fury came out.
“Lorelei…” Klaus started to say, but I cut him off.
“No! I don’t want to hear your excuses! I want the truth and if you can’t give that to me, then don’t say anything.” I hugged myself with my arms as my body shook with sobs that tried to escape. “Please, I just can’t take any more pain.”
I wiped my face and waved for him to start walking again. His body sagged and I could see all the hurt he felt as he looked at me with pleading eyes that made me want to run into his arms and forget everything that had happened to ruin our relationship. I didn’t though, and when I looked away, I heard his footsteps as he led the way.
We trudged through the forest the rest of the afternoon and the sun started to go down casting shadows over the ground. “We should stop and make camp for the night,” Klaus said the first words since my outburst earlier.
“Fine,” I responded quickly before realizing that I shouldn’t say that anymore. “Let’s keep an eye out for an even spot.”
For the first time since I yelled at him, his body lost its heaviness, as if the weight of being around me lightened. I knew I caused him just as much stress as he did to me. He had tried so hard to talk to me the past week and I refused to give in. I just couldn’t handle his voice and his nearness that made me want to throw away my convictions and be his love again.
“What do you think of that spot?” Klaus asked, as he pointed to a small, relatively flat area that would be perfect for one tent and a fire.
“It’s a good spot but we need more room for the second tent. We won’t be able to have a fire for cooking dinner and breakfast in such a small area,” I responded lightly.
Klaus looked down at the ground and ran his hands through his hair and I braced myself for what he would share. “I didn’t bring your tent. It would’ve been too much for us to carry.”
As much as I wanted to be angry, with how tired my legs were, I felt thankful that he did that. “That’s fine. I’m sure we can make do with sleeping arrangements. That spot will work. Would you rather pitch the tent or start the fire?”
“I’d rather start the fire. I’ll go collect wood,” he responded with the relief clear in his voice. He dropped his pack and pulled out the tent, leaving it for me as he traipsed off into the woods.
I kept an ear out for wildlife and for his footsteps as I worked on setting the tent up. It was peaceful here with no noise except the sounds of nature. I managed to get the tent up before Klaus made it back and I settled myself on a downed log and breathed in the fresh air. The scent of pine and oak overwhelmed my senses and reminded me of all the family camping trips as a child. I felt a bit melancholy as I thought of how much I missed my parents. I would need to take some time off soon and travel back to America to visit them.
“A flower for your thoughts,” Klaus’ voice startled me, and I jumped. I looked up to see him with a bundle of sticks in one hand and a May Bell flower in his outstretched hand.
“Thank you,” I smiled shyly as I took it from him and inhaled the scent. “I was just thinking of my….”
Klaus held my favorite flower out to me. “A flower for your thoughts,” he said teasingly as he tried to pull me out of my sour mood.
“I was just thinking of how sad I am that my father tried to kill you. And then he didn’t even care that he hurt me, his own daughter.” I sat back against the tree trunk in the middle of a thick forest.
Klaus stroked my cheek. “I know it hurts but he is a different being. Most of the Nix people don’t feel love. You are the exception and I’m so happy that you are. I promise I love you enough to make up for their lack of emotions. And soon we will have dozens of children of our own to love you, as well.” He kissed my nose and I knew that he was right.
“I love you so much, Klaus. You are my everything and you make me the happiest Nix in the river. I will never regret leaving my family behind. You are my family now and I can’t wait to have children of our own.” I felt fear as I admitted, “I just hope we can keep them away from my father. The king will recognize his kin and I feel that he will not accept a half-breed. It will be hard to stay away from water since it calls to me, but I must.”
He pulled me into his chest, and I inhaled the scent of pine and his paints that still clung to him, after all this time away from them. “I promise that we will travel to the ends of the earth to find a place where your father can’t reach us, and you can still have the water you need to live.”
I knew from the conviction in his voice that he would follow through on his promise. He had freely given up something that we didn’t know the price of yet in order to save my life. I hoped that the dark magic used to save me wouldn’t take too much from him when the time came to pay. We managed to escape my father’s detection so far, but I still feared the king with the long white hair that would do anything in his power to get me back to my place on the rock that rose out of the Rhine River.
“Lorelei,” I heard Klaus’ voice and it sounded far away. I wondered when it became so dark and where the fire went, or where I went that I missed a chunk of time. “Wake up, love,” his voice sounded as if he were pleading, and I didn’t understand because I was awake.
I snuggled into his warm chest and enjoyed the feeling of his arms wrapped around me. I didn’t know how I got in this position, but I never wanted to leave it. I could feel his heart beating through his chest and it felt as if it were beating just for me. I sighed heavily in contentment.
“You can open your eyes now, love.” I didn’t realize they were closed until Klaus pointed it out. My eyes slowly opened, and I was met with the low light of the sun going down. I realized that I hadn’t been out for that long since the shadows were barely darker than my last memory.
“I remember things. You gave me a flower before. There was a man that didn’t care if I lived or died and I called him my father. I don’t understand what this all means. I keep getting pieces of information that are somehow intertwined, but I can’t connect them,” I rambled on my jumbled thoughts. “They aren’t dreams but that doesn’t make any sense. How?” I looked up at Klaus, pleading for him to tell me I wasn’t losing my mind.
He sighed heavily, “I can’t tell you, Lorelei. You have to remember on your own otherwise there are consequences. Even saying that might be too much.”
“Is it the spell? A price for the dark magic?” I asked, as I remembered that piece of my memory.
“I can’t tell you that. I’m sorry. I won’t take any chances with your life. I’d rather have you hate me than lose you again,” his voice was full of regret and sorrow.
This new dream made me realize that there was so much that I didn’t understand, and that Klaus really was true to his word. He couldn’t tell me for my own good, whatever that meant. “I’m sorry that I didn’t trust you, Klaus. Please forgive me?”
“There’s nothing to forgive,” he whispered, as he touched his lips to my forehead. “We should eat before it gets dark. I’d rather be in the safety of our tent when the sun goes down.”
I reluctantly peele
d myself from his warm embrace and went about the business of getting the food ready to cook as Klaus started a small fire. I glanced up at him and felt an overwhelming feeling of need for him. “I haven’t set up the sleeping bags, but I think we can just use one and leave the other behind. Less for us to carry. I’m sure the animals will make good use of it after we leave.”
The way his face changed from questioning, to understanding, and then a broad smile made butterflies flutter in my stomach. I realized at that moment that I was more than just falling in love with him. I was already there. Whatever the pieces of the puzzle were that I missed would be revealed in time, and I wouldn’t let my stubbornness get in the way of my life with Klaus again.
.
The birds chirping in the morning woke me up from sleep. Lorelei’s naked body pressed up against mine and I felt my cock stir again at the feeling. The night before was glorious, and I didn’t think I would ever come down from the elation I felt at having her back with me again.
Though I didn’t want to get up, I knew we had a long hike ahead of us again and needed to get moving. I carefully slid out from under my sleeping princess as I tried not to disturb her. With everything she had given me I wanted to let her rest a little longer. I was more used to the treacherous trails that we would be coming upon before the afternoon.
Despite being careful, she stirred, and her eyes popped open. Her face beamed up at me and everything was right in the world again. “Rest, my love. I will get our things packed up,” I told her, before giving her a chaste kiss on her lips.
She stretched her arms above her head and the sleeping bag slipped down revealing her breasts to me. Unable to resist, I sucked a nipple in my mouth making her moan. “Maybe you can come back to bed with me,” she made an offer, one that was almost irresistible.
“I would love nothing more, but I want to get you to the village and get you the answers you need. On the way back we can take our time,” I sighed and got up to get dressed, as she watched me with hunger in her eyes.
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