by Randi Darren
“Don’t worry about that too much. All those Dryads you brought back, and the ones I brought here, will be helping out. As soon as you take them fully into the grove they’ll be helping.”
“How many are we at now?” Vince asked, taking a moment to stare into the face of each one of his children. After checking in on them all, Vince ghosted back towards the door.
He didn’t want to disturb those who slept.
Meliae was practically stepping on his heels, her hands roaming over his lower back and hips as they went.
“Low twenties I think? I’ll be happy with ten more. We can look into getting more later,” she said in a husky voice. “You’ll need to seed them all soon. In the next week. Most of them have a temporary tree in the back yard.”
Looking over his shoulder, he found Meliae’s eyes glowing brightly. “I take it you’d like to watch me seed them?”
Meliae bit her lower lip and nodded a bit.
“Watch your husband be serviced by twenty other women while you are only allowed to watch?” he asked, experimentally.
With a flash her eyes were greened over completely, her breathing coming out in short rasps. She had closed in on him, pressing herself bodily to him. “Yes.”
“Of all the Dryads I have, you seem to really have a preference for watching me with other women.”
“It shames me. To know you’d choose others over me. My ripe curves and willing mouth. It shames me horribly to be forced to watch you with others.”
“Huh. Alright. Then from now on, if you’re able to, I think you should watch me with every other woman in our family.
“Now, I should probably get a leg on. I think I’m supposed to meet with someone but I really wanted to see the kids.”
Meliae only nodded her head woodenly, her fingers gripping tighter to his clothes, any type of semblance of thought lost in her eyes.
There’s a bedroom right across the way.
“Suppose I could stay for ten more minutes. Make sure you get a good ‘I’m home’ greeting from me?” Vince asked, his hands moving up Meliae’s stomach.
Shifting in the deck chair, Vince stared out over the expanse of his “back yard”, that was more akin to a field. It was huge, with more room than he thought he could ever use.
Promising he wouldn’t be going anywhere, Elysia had left him there and gone to bed.
They apparently had a long day of the same planned for tomorrow. Much as the last several days had been.
There was no light except for what the moon cast down upon it. Torches lined the wall that encircled the property, but none of that light made it in here.
He also knew for a fact that the Elves had magically warded the entire wall, then put guards along its length at the base on top of that.
If he had to make a guess, this area would probably be where the Dryads were going to plant things and use on occasion. They loved their natural areas. Torches and guards wouldn’t be conducive to that.
In fact he could pick out a handful of trees growing.
Must be the temporary trees Meliae was talking about earlier.
Everyone was asleep. Even the babies were nestled in their blankets.
Mother on duty tonight was apparently Fes, and her backup was Petra. Meliae would be backup tomorrow, and on duty the day after.
Another reason to get the Grove built. Get those three some help.
The problem for Vince was that he actually wasn’t quite looking forward to “seeding” twenty Dryads in a row. Sure, it sounded fun. But after the sixth he was betting it would become more of a chore than anything.
Sighing, he suddenly realized what he was thinking and laughed at himself.
“Ah, poor me. I have to bed twenty beautiful Dryads. My life is so terrible,” Vince said to himself mockingly. Getting up he stretched his arms above his head and wandered out into the dark field.
Vince felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Walking as casually as he could, he cast about with his senses and mind to see if he could find what it was.
His thoughts picked up on it almost the same moment that Vince caught the reflective light of a red pair of eyes. They were on the extreme edge of his vision.
Red had taken up a game of seeing if she could sneak up on him as if he were prey. She insisted it was to hone her skills, but he secretly wondered if she enjoyed not being the apex predator.
Pretending as if he didn’t spot her, he continued to stroll along.
As if she were never there, she vanished from his senses. Almost as if she’d backed up and run away.
Red never bolted unless she felt that the hunt would be interrupted.
After all, it had become more than a game since he took the opportunity to reward her when she did well.
By feeding her of course.
That and I enjoy doing that for her too damn much.
Reaching out again, Vince couldn’t feel anything nearby. There wasn’t anything lurking that he could detect.
All was as it should be.
Which made his paranoia ratchet up several degrees.
Moving forward he could at least be sure of one thing. If Red backed off, and didn’t attack, that meant whoever was out there was friendly.
Smiling to himself, Vince decided he might as well make it fun for himself.
He’d been cloistered in rooms all day going over the details of agreements with the communities, both large and small, that were around Yosemite.
Gliding off into the murk of the evening, Vince began to get lower and lower to the ground. Moving as quietly as he could, he focused on his senses. Pushing them and letting his instincts guide him.
There.
It was a quiet thing. A soft dark hole in the wall. The dark shadow watched him, and kept pace with him.
Moving deeper into the field, Vince aimed for the bushes and trees, working to break the line of sight between himself and his hunter.
No sooner had he done so, than he felt that shadow detach itself from the wall and ghost towards him.
Come closer, come closer. Let’s have a word, Sneaking Sneak.
Turning partially back the way he came, he wedged himself into a figurative tree branch and waited.
It took a full minute for his shadow to creep by.
Thera?
Vince smiled at the thought that the Dark Elf had come that far along in her stealth work.
Let’s make this fun. Real fun.
Gently, carefully, Vince entered her mind.
Doing everything he could to not alert her, he carefully started feeding her mind incorrect information.
Such as being able to see Vince out ahead of her, staring up at the sky above. And that the tree to her right would provide great cover.
As if directed, Thera moved over to the tree. Her head tilted to one side, her ears twitching ever so slightly as if homing in on any sound he might make.
Trying his hand at something new, he tried to give her mind the impression that she could hear him talking from the false image.
“Would you still have me, Thera?” the image asked in her mind.
Thera froze, her entire body locked rigid. A rabbit that’d been sighted by a predator.
“Yes,” Thera whispered a full ten seconds later.
Getting his answer, he cut away his ghost image, it simply fading into nothing.
Thera’s head whipped around and she began to stare into the trees and bushes around her.
“Vince?” she asked.
Staying where he was, he fed her the feeling that something was coming from above her.
Looking up, Thera braced herself, her arms coming out in a defensive posture.
Moving in a flash, Vince brushed past her. As he went he deftly sliced away the dark black tunic and undergarment she wore, splitting it up the back.
Moving behind another tree, he used his link into her mind to know her position and what she was doing.
Her tunic and under tunic sagged, tangling her elbows
and forearms up in the fabric.
Focusing, he pushed an imaginary hand along her spine, teasingly across her skin.
Thera spun, panting, her breath coming out in shudders. Fighting with her clothes she stared into the night, seeing nothing.
She was confused, nothing had come from above. Her heart beat rapidly with excitement and a touch of fear.
And deep inside of that, Vince could feel her arousal.
She wasn’t a Dryad, or an Orc, but she was a warrior. On some level, Thera felt as if she were the one in charge in most things.
At this moment in time, she wasn’t.
Worming a thought into her mind. Of her being watched, eyed, and hunted in the field. Carefully, methodically.
Her clothes being destroyed one at a time with each pass, never being able to catch Vince as he did.
Before he finally pinned her to the soft grass and claimed her then and there.
There was no compulsion in the thought. Only a vague impression of his own want.
That and it lacked a bed.
A bed had been promised before, but this was such a random moment in time it would be hard to pass up.
Vince wasn’t prepared for the response from her. Her mind became incandescent with desire. Her breath hiccupped and caught in her chest as she shuddered.
She didn’t care about the damn bed.
You’re a lot more like a Dryad than you’d ever let on.
He pulled another thought through her mind. That he was already behind her.
Spinning again, Thera took several steps backwards, bumping up into the tree Vince was hiding behind.
Reaching around the tree, he deftly slit her belt, pant hem, underwear, and a good portion of the seam in one movement. Clothing hissed as it couldn’t support itself and began to sink.
Diving towards another tree, Vince rolled up behind it and went back into Thera’s mind.
It was screaming in exhilaration. He was doing exactly what he threatened her with. She was powerless.
She loved it.
Thera stumbled from the tree, putting distance between it and herself. Her mind was a flurry of thoughts, most of them racing around in circles, but she was trying actively to find him.
Her clothes slid down, prompting her to try and grab at them with one hand. Her top toppled forward, covering her hands and arms and revealing pale flesh.
Flicking her hand up she managed to get her top free and off while holding tight to her pants. She covered herself with one arm while holding up her pants with the other.
Shuddering gasping breaths were the only sound that could be heard.
Her dilated eyes jumped from tree to tree, waiting for his next attack. Her mind secretly hoping for it. Wanting it.
Unwinding his leather belt from his waist he thought out his next play.
Again he gave her the impression of being attacked suddenly, from every direction except the one he was in.
Thera reacted predictably, she put her back to the safe spot and moved as nimbly as she was able.
Right up until she bumped into the tree he was hiding behind again.
Moving as fast as he could, he blurred out behind her. Snatching up her wrists, he locked them together behind her back. Wrapping them up in his belt in a fraction of a second, he released her arms. Giving her as light a shove as he could, he sent her tripping forward.
As she stumbled forward blindly, Vince sprinted out from around the tree and into the darkened brush to one side.
Panting, Thera’s pants and underwear dropped down around her ankles, her arms belted behind her back. Rotating as quickly as she could, her eyes glinted as she stared at the spot he’d been moments before.
Turning around, she slowly inspected everything around her. Her breathing was ragged, but her demeanor beyond that one thing almost made it look like she was in control.
Inside her mind was another matter. It was eerily similar to how Meliae and Daphne responded to these types of games. Thera was normally so reserved, patient, and straight laced.
Quite fun.
Deciding it was time to push the fun up a notch, Vince stood up when her back was turned and stepped out of the foliage.
Waiting for her to turn around again, he started moving as her eyes found him.
Those dark eyes were wide open. Her breath caught as he advanced on her swiftly.
Dropping his pants and kicking off his boots as he went, he gave her a smile. Doffing the rest of his clothes just before he got to her, he reached out with his right arm. Thera arched her back away from him, as his arm slid around her hips. Easing her down to the grass gently, he pinned her pants with his knees, effectively forcing her legs to spread around his shoulders, and leaving her unable to lift her ankles.
Lifting his forearms, he eased her thighs wide and looked down between them.
Smooth, hairless, and glistening, her privates were exposed and easy to see.
Glancing up, he caught Thera staring at him wide eyed, unable to do much of anything.
He kept eye contact with her, smiling, and lowered his head. Casually, gently, he slid the tip of his tongue up along the edge of her lips. Thera’s body tensed around him, her knees locking to his shoulders as if to squeeze him out.
Chuckling he breathed out against her moist entry. Breaking eye contact with her, he leaned in and worked his tongue up between her lips and into the hood of her clit.
Thera’s breath caught audibly and she shivered from head to toe.
Having only touched it once, he let his tongue wander back down the other side.
Above him he heard the bound Dark Elf moan.
Using his index fingers and thumbs, he carefully spread her lips apart and moved his tongue into her. Then up towards her pink pearl again.
Diligently he worked at it, light and delicate he lapped at it. Only to spear into it for a breath to keep her off balance.
Settling in to his work, he reached up with one hand and began to finger one of her nipples.
All at once, Thera dropped her knees to the sides, opening herself as wide as possible to him. She didn’t struggle or fight.
She’d given in and only wanted one thing now.
To be possessed by him.
Not to be broken, like Karya.
Or used, like Meliae.
Just possessed. Claimed.
Catching the hint, he released her oversensitive clit and squirmed upwards.
Pressing his forearms to her shoulders he settled himself down atop her.
Pressing his thighs to the inside of her legs he lowered his hips and guided his tip into her entry.
Looking up to her eyes, he got the barest of nods from her, before he simply entered her. Straight to the hilt he went, only stopping once there was nothing left to put inside of her.
Thera gasped, her body locking up as he ruptured the thin membrane that was her virginity.
Giving her a few moments to herself he waited. Only after that did he began to work himself back and forth through her. He held himself above her, making sure to move smoothly from hilt to tip with each thrust. Grinding her hips into him, Thera did all that she could to work with him. Lifting her knees up, she pulled them up high, her torn clothes trapping him between her legs. She gave him a wonderful angle to pummel her thighs with.
Moving steadily faster, he nuzzled her head to the side and then bit down roughly into her throat.
He hadn’t missed the way she’d eyed Eva’s own marking. So he’d give her a beautiful one of her own.
Biting into her as hard as he dared, he picked up speed and force.
“Vince, yes. Please. Inside, please. Please,” Thera whispered, her voice shuddering with the impact of his hips into her thighs.
Turning his head, Vince only bit deep into her throat again instead of replying.
His shaft forced her wide around its girth, stretching her forcefully as he took her.
Eventually his speed and force caught up with him, and he couldn’t hold
himself back any longer.
Pushing hard and deep into her, he climaxed.
Letting go of her neck, he sunk his teeth into her for a third time, further down where her neck met her shoulder.
Thera moaned, pushing herself into him as her ankles clasped to his hips, pulling him in close.
Giving her a few final thrusts, he emptied out into her depths. Then, with a sigh, he released his Dark Elf and slowly lifted himself up.
He stared down into her eyes.
She gave him a coy smile, her ankles tightening around him.
“The night’s still young,” she said.
Chapter 14
Vince looked out into the audience chamber that he’d be holding open council in. He wasn’t fond of things of this nature, but everyone assured him this had to happen.
Every week he was supposed to do this.
In fact, if there was too much going on, Meliae had already told him it might be every other day.
What I always wanted. Sitting in a chair and making decisions for people. The dream of every Ranger.
The audience chamber was rather full. The council seats on each side of the central dais were full. One for every race that was part of Yosemite.
For the larger races, like Trolls and Ogres, they’d been forced to create a separate entrance and seating arrangements.
This chamber would do until a proper fort and receiving hall was put together.
A team of Dwarves were working round the clock to get the stone together to build a fort of their own design. He’d briefly looked at the blueprints with Deskil and found it looked like a monstrosity of fortified thick steel and stone.
Until that was built though, this assembly hall was the largest building in all of Yosemite.
“And it’ll be packed full of people all staring at me,” Vince murmured.
“It’ll be fine, my liege,” Elysia said, tapping her ledger with a finger. “We’ll be there with you.”
“There’ll not be a problem, Lord,” Thera said, dressed in her full leather armor.
The deep dark purple bruises on her neck were on display for all to see.
Eva snorted and waved a lazy hand at him. “All will be well, Master.”
“Oh, I’m not afraid of something happening. I’m honestly… I’m not made for this. I’m a dirty Ranger who makes a living by braving the wastes for someone else. This… this is all so beyond me,” Vince admitted. He brushed a finger across the strap of his leather armor breastplate.