Home of Consequence

by Archibald Bradford

  “I’m sorry for being such a pain. I’m being so stupid! And I d-don’t even know why I’m crying!”

  “It’s alright, really!”

  “No it isn’t! I mean, yeah sure you kidnapped me that one time, but you said one of the Hornets would pick up the pie and I forgot and just burst in here like an idiot while you’re so busy setting up your home, and you’re being so nice to me and I’ve been such a bitch, I’m always such a bitch! To everyone even when I try not to be!”

  It was as if a floodgate had opened and all of her insecurities flowed out of her. She felt a gentle buzz from Oldeera as she held her while she babbled on.

  “Honey, you are not a pain, and you are certainly not a bitch either. I should never have had my girls grab you, it was like you said: this isn’t Garland. I should have just gone to your father’s bakery and ordered a pie, without putting the moves on you like I did.”

  Cordelia sniffled, and then hiccupped.

  The queen leaned her head back to consider the volatile girl that so fascinated her.

  “Better?”

  She sniffled again before nodding, but then she pulled her face off of Oldeera’s clavicle and furrowed her brow as she met her warm gaze.

  “Why did you put the moves on me like that?”

  Oldeera clucked her tongue as she thought for a moment.

  “The truth? Because when I had you brought here, you didn’t let me get a word in edgewise. You reminded me that though I am a queen, I am not your queen. And that… vexed me.”

  The towel had fallen down Cordelia’s back during their embrace, the only reason it stayed up now was because it was pinned between their breasts.

  “Vexed you? Why?”

  Oldeera trailed her fingers absently down the young woman’s naked back, causing her to shudder, that same flutter in her belly back with a vengeance.

  It felt good to be touched so tenderly.

  “Because normally I can snap my fingers and get whatever I want, and yet twice in as many weeks I have gone after what I wanted and been denied, both by you and by… another.”

  “So is that the only reason? You came after me because you thought you couldn’t have me?”

  The sting of that thought hurt the vulnerable girl, but not for long as the queen shook her head and tightened her embrace.

  “No! Certainly that was part of the initial draw, but even with the short time we’ve spent together, you have fascinated me. You have a fire in you that is intriguing. What happened before, I regret that, both having you brought here against your will, and being so forceful with you. I didn’t realize that you had a man already and-”

  “Brandon is not my man, not anymore. So if you want to have your Hornets kick his ass again I could care less!”

  In her vehemence, Cordelia leaned back slightly too far and the towel that separated them slipped to the floor. With a squeak she pulled herself back into the Hornet queen’s arms, naked now save for her panties, her perky breasts smooshing against the other woman’s through her thin negligee.

  “Perhaps it is you being too forward now, Miss Loskins?” Oldeera all but purred as she once again stroked her naked back.

  Cordelia hiccupped again, their flesh jiggling together from the sudden motion.

  “Um, any chance you could turn around again?”

  “I could, if you really want me to.”

  The queen tilted her head and pointedly directed Cordelia’s eyes to the bed.

  She swallowed her nerves as their eyes met again, looking up into the queen’s face, their lips inches apart.

  “Weren’t you just apologizing for coming on to me?”

  The queen chuckled.

  “Yes, but that was in your family’s bakery, in full view of the public, not in my bedchambers. Where you are already undressed and in my arms.”

  Her tone was mocking, but inviting nonetheless, as she traced her nails up her spine.

  That flutter in Cordelia’s belly had spread, warmth radiating out from her groin, up her arms and shoulders and to her neck and face.

  The heated possibility of the moment filled her; she knew this experienced woman could show her mysterious and possibly wondrous pleasures, and would gladly help her to explore the other side of her sexuality that a freckle-faced sheep had woken in her so many years prior.

  But the reality was, she was just a village girl, who loved to bake and gossip with her sisters, while before her stood a warrior queen, servant to the Aegis and protector of the innocent.

  Cordelia may have been emotional and even volatile, but she was also pragmatic.

  So despite this strange new hunger, she couldn’t help but see the vast gulf that separated their two lives.

  And to imagine all of the different ways this could end really badly for her.

  When she spoke again it was with great reluctance.

  “I think… that would be a mistake.”

  Oldeera tried in vain to hide the disappointment on her face, but Cordelia’s fingers reached between them and settled on her lips to still her as her mind continued to work through the possibilities.

  “If I were to go down this path, I think one step at a time… would be safer than just a headlong dive between the sheets. I’ve never been with someone like you, and as I have displayed on multiple occasions now, I am kind of a mess. Me and Brandon, well, he was always so selfish, and for a long time I convinced myself that either he would eventually grow up, or he was just the best I was going to get. And to be honest I don’t know if I even know how to be with, with someone like you. Someone… better.”

  Oldeera licked her lips, trying now to hide her excitement as her breath quickened.

  “But you are not… uninterested?”

  Cordelia swallowed as she focused on her emotional and physical response to the woman whose arms were still wrapped around her.

  She spoke with even greater care.

  “Without getting anybody’s hopes up, but while still being honest? Yeah you’re-”

  Her throat closed with desire and her eyes welled from the heat of the admission.

  The Hornet queen’s eyes hooded.

  “Then perhaps, I could offer, just a slight taste?”

  Oldeera was already tilting her head down, her lips inching forwards, but they did not complete the journey, instead hovering just out of reach, her nose faintly brushing Cordelia’s cheek as she waited on her response.

  The feel of the Hornet’s sweet breath washing over her face fanned the flames that burned in Cordelia’s loins and it was too much to bear.

  She let down her guard and folded herself into the warrior queen’s arms while lifting her face the rest of the way and pressed their lips together.

  The heat from earlier blazed even hotter and had her rubbing her thighs together as she reached her hands up, her fingers slipping into Oldeera’s short hair to cradle her head while they kissed.

  Her last kiss had been during a moment of weakness with Brandon, his mouth demanding and his tongue invasive. But this was her experience with the Lambda all over again, soft and sweet.

  Even when the queen slipped her tongue out and into Cordelia’s mouth, it wasn’t a forceful intrusion, but a gentle visitation, or even an invitation.

  An invitation the passionate young woman accepted as her own tongue lashed out to grapple with the exotic monster girl’s.

  The suckling sounds their lips made as they made out echoed around the silent chamber, the Hornets outside having stilled in their work as their queen basked in the embrace.

  Their hardened nipples brushed against each other’s through the thin fabric of Oldeera’s negligee, the sensation causing Cordelia to moan softly into the Hornet’s mouth as their kiss deepened.

  The queen’s slid her knee between Cordelia’s legs and her hand dropped lower to grip one cheek of her succulent ass, pulling her closer as her leg shifted ever higher, until Cordelia found her legs parted and her panty covered mound pressed tight to Oldeera’s thigh.


  Then the Hornet buzzed her wings and Cordelia melted.

  She let out a sharp cry of pleasure at the smooth contact and the sudden vibrating sensation, but that same cry also caused her to snap out of the moment and she wrenched herself away from the intense embrace.

  All but falling to her knees, Cordelia scrabbled to pick up the towel and hold the fabric in a bunch to cover her exposed breasts.

  When she stood again on shaky legs, her wide eyed gaze met the queen’s smug expression.

  “Too much?”

  Cordelia swallowed as she dwelled on the incredible sensation, however brief, of the Hornet’s thigh vibrating on her groin.

  “Way too much.” She nodded, but offered the woman a nervous smile; “But in a good way?”

  The two girls were both flushed and breathing heavily, Oldeera using both hands to daintily fan her face.

  “Whew, I must say honey, you are a very talented kisser!”

  The shift in her tone was enough for the heat between them to die down, albeit gradually.

  Cordelia blushed and couldn’t help but feel a little smug as she slipped the towel around her back.

  “Thanks, you’re… pretty amazing at it actually.”

  Oldeera drew back the hangings around her bed and sat down.

  “Long hours of practice, honey.”

  She tilted her head towards the entrance where the wingless Hornet was blushing while bringing in a tray of drinks and snacks for the suddenly ravenous Cordelia.

  The girl watched the silent Hornet, who set the tray down on the low table and very deliberately wriggled her tushy and winked at her before she left with the wash basin and cloth.

  She gaped.

  “Wait, you mean you… with them?”

  The queen took up a little cookie from the platter and nibbled at it delicately.

  “Every day. It is in all of our natures to crave the touch of others. And for a Hornet queen her hive is an extension of herself, though they do have a certain degree of autonomy. I suppose… you might consider it a form of masturbation?”

  She gave a saucy wink as she nibbled at her cookie some more.

  Cordelia felt another wave of heat take her and plopped down on the edge of the bed next to the queen; it was a heady thing to think about.

  “Wow, just wow.”

  Oldeera giggled as she served her some tea.

  “Yes, my sweets are so very devoted. As you may yet learn, hopefully soon though, because if you kiss me like that again without following through, I might catch fire!”

  She shifted her hip on the bed to bump against Cordelia’s teasingly.

  They sat together for a time, making small talk and waiting on the Hornets to return with her dress.

  It wasn’t long before Cordelia found herself relaxing and laughing with the queen, who she discovered had a wicked sense of humour.

  “-and then, and then he said ‘please just let me go!’”

  They were leaning against each other as they laughed themselves silly at Nameless’s expense; Oldeera had revealed that he was the last one to rebuff her advances, but rather than be jealous Cordelia found the whole encounter hilarious as the queen recounted it.

  “I was baffled! He thought he was like, my prisoner or something!”

  This being just the latest of Oldeera’s stories, Cordelia flopped onto her back on the bed with her arms over her belly and tears streaming down her cheeks, her sides hurt from having laughed herself giddy.

  Eventually they had mostly recovered their wits, with only the occasional giggle when Cordelia goaded her with a nudge of her elbow.

  “So then what happened?”

  But the queen’s mirthful expression faded and her smile became slightly fixed as she looked away.

  “Ah, well. I sent him back to his bond-mates and that was the end of that.”

  Cordelia sat up, adjusting her towel again as she reached out and placed her hand on the queen’s shoulder.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  She tried to play it off, but Cordelia wasn’t having it.

  “Please, Oldeera, you can tell me.”

  The Hornet stared at her with a grave expression on her face, before pursing her lips and nodding.

  “I suppose I can at that. Please understand though, there is much I cannot say.”

  The girl nodded quickly, her concern growing by the second as the queen’s eyes grew distant.

  “Her name was Kar Brael, she was an Amazon who served the Aegis and was very close to him. She died protecting him from… harm.”

  Cordelia’s stomach dropped and her hand flew to her mouth as she gasped at the revelation.

  “Did, did you know her too?”

  “Yes, my hive worked with her team a number of times in the past. I remember that she smiled a lot and was always cheerful. From what I learned afterwards, I believe that she loved him.”

  Cordelia felt a lump form in her throat as she processed the new information.

  “That’s awful! Was it some kind of accident or something?”

  Oldeera’s face shifted into a stormy scowl, the warrior queen emerging for a moment.

  “No, it was not. It was… murder, honey. Forgive me, but I cannot tell you any more, the Aegis keeps many secrets, some I think are quite silly, but most, including this one, they keep for very good reasons.”

  The young girl’s eyes were wide as she nodded, the jovial mood completely gone as she considered that single word.

  Murder. Nameless’s friend was murdered.

  No wonder he held such sadness in his eyes.

  They sat silently together for a few minutes, until the queen stood and extended her hand to help Cordelia up.

  “Anyways it seems that the local seamstress is finished with your dress.”

  “Seamstress? But I thought-”

  The queen smiled and helped her to her feet.

  “You thought my girls were fixing it? No, they have many talents, but dress repair is not one of them. They took the garment to a woman in town, Linda?”

  “But it normally takes a few days for her to get a dress back!”

  The queen’s face was artless as she responded.

  “Oh does it? Well, my sweets were perhaps a bit more insistent than her average customer.”

  The wingless Hornet came in then, dress neatly folded over her arm and once again the queen turned her back as Cordelia dropped her towel and pulled it on.

  But Cordelia felt the now familiar heat as she pulled her hair over her shoulder.

  “Um, Oldeera, can you see where the rip was at all?”

  The Hornet turned to see the girl’s back to her; Cordelia’s face was looking over her shoulder and her cheeks were flushed.

  “Let me check.”

  “Thank you.”

  Her gratitude came out in a whisper as she felt the queen move behind her.

  Oldeera, a self described opportunist, traced the fingers of both hands over the fabric and down the muscles below Cordelia’s shoulders.

  The young girl cast a frown behind her at the liberties the queen was taking.

  “The rip was on the right.”

  The wandering hands were flush with her back now as they drifted lower, the heat of the young woman’s skin radiating into the Hornet’s palms.

  “Just being thorough, wouldn’t want to miss anything.”

  She shifted her hands over her lower back, then apart and over her waist just above her ass, then to her sides and down her thighs as she sank to her knees.

  Cordelia’s breath caught as the queen’s hands finished their journey, resting now on her naked calves just below her knees.

  Then they shifted upwards as the Hornet bit her lip, her wrists were bunching the dress above them as her hands slid over the smooth skin hidden beneath.

  Soon most of the skirt was gathered together halfway up Cordelia’s thighs and the queen leaned in to press her lips just above the swell of her butt, kissing her through the fabric.
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  “Oldeera.”

  Another kiss, this time a little higher and to one side on her sensitive waist, though still through the dress as her arms pulled the skirt up ever farther.

  “Oldeera, please.” Cordelia’s voice hitched slightly.

  The queen’s hands halted on the outside of her upper thighs.

  Her skirt was hiked up enough that if Oldeera were to drop down onto her own thighs she would see the edge of her panties cupping her luscious behind.

  The temptation was overwhelming.

  With a groan the queen let her hands drop as she buried her face against Cordelia’s tushy.

  “You make it very difficult, frustrating girl, to control myself.”

  She rose to her feet with a quick buzz of her wings before Cordelia could complain about her burying her face in the pliable flesh of her bum.

  “You’re not exactly making it easy yourself you know. I mean we hardly know each other, and this is all really new to me and I don’t want to-”

  “I know, and I’m sorry. I don’t mean to push, but you have captured my interest in such a way that has honestly never happened before.”

  Cordelia threw her hair back over her shoulder and smirked.

  “Oh really, what about Nameless?”

  Oldeera waved a hand dismissively.

  “That’s different, he’s an Emp-” She coughed suddenly as her eyes widened; “H-he’s an empty-headed boy! Sweet to be sure, but I want someone with more wit.”

  Fortunately Cordelia was smoothing out her skirt and didn’t catch the slip.

  “I wouldn’t call him empty-headed.” She protested slightly; “He seems pretty smart.”

  It was Oldeera’s turn to smirk.

  “Oh if only you knew, ask any of the girls around him and they will tell you that he is an incredible dumbass.” She pursed her lips in thought; “Except maybe the Amazons. Actually for your own safety, don’t suggest that he is stupid in front of them.”

  Cordelia absorbed the advice as Oldeera led her back through the halls and to one of the many openings in the side of the dome.

  “So, do you know how that all happened? I mean the Valkyrie and the Amazons and everything? All that anyone in town seems to know is that he saved her somehow and then something bad happened in Garland…”