Frozen Stiff

by L. J. Vickery

  “I’d say that was a very bad idea.” Enten grunted, and didn’t budge.

  “Can we at least talk about it?” Glory moved the blanket off her body and put both feet on the floor.

  “Nothing we talk about is going to make it any better,” Enten’s voice clipped. Clearly his brain had been working overtime while she slept, and despite the tender eyes she’d witnessed upon waking, he refused to let his guard down. “Don’t you understand? I’m nothing but a danger to you.” His eyes snapped in the semi-darkness.

  “Enten. I had a talk with the goddesses, and they all agreed a Chosen…”

  “I don’t care what the ladies had to say.”

  Did it piss him off that Glory had gone to the other women for advice?

  “I’m not Marduk and I’m not Anshar. Both of them are elementally in control. Marduk calls down thunder and lightning, exciting but not something that lasts for hours and hours. Most thunderstorms are short, sporadic, and people consider them wild and romantic.” He snorted. “I’m sure the lady Tess finds them so.”

  Glory kept her mouth shut, letting him continue.

  “Anshar is the god of the whole sky. What could be more beautiful than that?”

  Glory interrupted, “But his serpent…”

  “He had Dagon to help him sort that one out. And even if he didn’t, the Lady Lenore is a different breed of woman.”

  Glory chafed at his insinuation that Lenore could handle danger and she couldn’t, but decided to fight that battle at another time. She straightened up. “Enten, we haven’t even tried.”

  “And we won’t,” he decreed. “I know how close I came to losing control of myself earlier.” He got up from his chair and leaned in to her, forcing her head back against the upholstery. “Do you know how long a snowstorm can last, Glory?” His eyes glinted dangerously like chips of ice. “Well, do you?” His hands gripped the armrests by her sides and he looked like he could rip them off. The temperature in the room dropped to an uncomfortable level. Glory shook her head, and Enten continued.

  “A storm can last hours, even days,” he whispered coldly. “Think about that Glory, and tell me you could survive my…closeness for that period of time.” He got even more brutal. “My cock frozen inside of you for days on end.”

  Glory shivered and Enten nodded glacially. “I thought not.” He attempted to straighten up but Glory’s hands, which had been buried behind her back, whipped up around his neck.

  “What the…” He stood and put his hands up, giving an incredulous growl. “The collar?” he roared. “You’ve got to be shitting me.” His icy eyes now resembled a barren wasteland. “Did Lenore give this to you?” he demanded.

  Glory remembered she was now in control, so before Enten could blast a blizzard she shakily gave him his first order. “It’s okay, Enten. Go lie down on the bed and relax.”

  The god of winter looked like he couldn’t believe what was happening. His feet turned of their own accord and he found himself lying on his back on the soft comforter. His breathing was regular, but Glory could tell he seethed.

  “Now what, Glory?” His voice seemed calm, oddly calm and coldly biting. Glory suddenly didn’t like the change the collar had wrought one bit.

  “Will you order me to get hard for you? Will you ride me while I’m caught in the prison of this collar?”

  Glory caught her breath. “Oh no,” she breathed. She’d used the collar to overpower him, to take away his free will. She did to him what Pete had done to her, forcing him to behave the way she wanted him to. But this was different, wasn’t it? “It isn’t like that, Enten. I only…”

  “You only what?” he asked in that strangely blank tone. “You only want me to behave?”

  “Stop it,” Glory cried. “Stay on the bed but be yourself. Stop that awful voice.”

  The room instantly plummeted to below zero. Ice formed on the ceiling, and Glory moved backward to snatch the throw from the chair where she’d been sitting and wrapped it around herself, her eyes never leaving Enten.

  “This is it, Glory. This is the real me.” Now his voice whipped around her like an arctic wind. “Don’t let me up if you know what’s good for you. You don’t know what I’m capable of.”

  Enten saw white. Damn Lenore. He’d have Anshar thrash his interfering wife within an inch of her life for this. A chilled laugh escaped from his throat. Scratch that. The fucking goddess would probably love every minute of a punishment. He’d find a more suitable retribution, but right now, he had to get himself under control so Glory would release the collar from around his neck.

  Did his destined mate know that his withdrawal was for her own good? Screw the whole notion that a god couldn’t hurt his Chosen. He didn’t really know the truth of that since he’d never had a mate. This simply remained his own need to protect Glory, to keep her safe. And it came directly from his heart. If anything happened to her, if he inadvertently hurt her in any way… Enten breathed in, the air condensing in his lungs, and breathed out a cloud of frost. She needed to see reason.

  Something else occurred to him, and it chilled even his cold being.

  “Wait.” He turned his eyes from hers. “Did you think you could order me to be warm?” he questioned between stiff lips. “Take away the very thing that makes me who I am?” Enten’s mood went from protection mode, to despair. “Huh. You had me fooled. I thought you were the one woman who liked me despite my cold.” He was unable to suppress a shiver, remembering the hundreds of rejections he’d had at the hands of beautiful women over the millennium.

  “I wanted to keep you safe and walk away from you like a god, Glory, knowing there was someone, one person in all the worlds who could look past the cold and see just me.” He closed his eyes against the sudden hurt, the pain that felt physical as it stabbed through his chest. “And now you’ve stolen that from me.”

  “Oh, Enten.” Glory went to her knees on the bed next to his now quaking body. “I never would have taken your cold away,” she cried, and he struggled to hear the truth in her voice. “I did think that to begin with, but I realized right away I couldn’t do it…I didn’t want to do it.” The tears that formed in her eyes immediately froze to her cheeks as they dropped. He wanted to believe her.

  “Look at me, Enten,” she begged. “Look at me…please?” He turned and saw her anguish. He was stunned. She told the truth. Glory felt this as deeply as he.

  “I only wanted to say you can do anything to me…and not be afraid.” She met his gaze with one of pure honesty. “Do you understand? I don’t want you to feel any fear of what you are, or how you might treat me. I trust you, Enten, and I want you just the way you are.”

  Enten felt his face drain of all blood.

  “My gods, Glory,” he whispered. “Do you know what you’ve done?” He met her questioning gaze with one he was sure quickly turned to pure, unadulterated lust. Shit. Glory had told him to have no fear, to do anything he wanted. And he wore the collar. Her words had been an order and he had no choice but to comply.

  His inhibitions about freezing her leached out of him fast. He could only think of how good it would feel to plunge his now frigid cock, hard with permafrost, into her warm softness. Her decree that he do what he wished had freed his mind of all restraint.

  With Enten’s last ounce of sanity, he was able to hold himself still on the mattress. The words wrenched from his throat. “Run, Glory. Run. My conscious mind is slipping away fast. Gods’ help you if you can’t get away.” His nostrils flared and ice formed like fangs in his partially opened mouth. “If I catch you, I’ll fuck you ‘til I’m sated…going to fuck you cold.”

  Glory gasped as she backed toward the doorway. She wrapped the blanket more firmly around her, shivering from his harsh words. What had she done? This didn’t sound like Enten. Glory wasted no time. She did exactly what Enten told her to do. She ran.

  Down the stairs and out the door, her feet pounded on the pavement, then on the soft cushion of leaves that had just begun
their fall exodus from the trees above. Her breathing was shallow as she made her way through the moonlit woods, hoping to find a place to hide. Anyplace…anything until Enten snapped out of it. Glory sobbed. But would he snap out of it? She had no idea, really of how the power of the collar worked.

  Glory’s side burned from sprinting. Her body had gone from achingly cold to suffused with adrenaline and heat. Just when she thought she could run no more, she spotted two boulders close together that afforded a nook into which she could squeeze her body. She whimpered. If she got lucky, Enten wouldn’t find her. If he was able to locate her hidey-hole, he’d at least have something that would slow him down before he could reach her.

  She tucked herself into the crack, hating the confined space and the feeling of hopelessness that enveloped her having to put herself there. The only difference between this confinement and any other she had experienced, was that she had brought this upon herself. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the cold rock. Moments later, she heard footfalls running her way.

  “I know you’re close by.” Enten’s voice was arctic, without any trace of his usual equanimity. Glory shook with terror. “You were right, Glory. So right. I shouldn’t have been afraid to fuck you.” She heard his biting laugh. “I’m going to be certain we make up for lost time. I’ll make sure you like it.”

  There was dead silence. No noise, not from wind or animal or her pursuer. Glory held her breath. Perhaps he’d gone. She dared to open her eyes.

  “I liked this game, Glory.” His penetrating glare was only inches from her face and she screamed.

  “Now come out so I can take what is mine…Chosen.”

  Enten’s hand reached between the boulders and grabbed her wrist. As hard as she fought, his god strength was far superior. She didn’t stand a chance.

  Glory was terrified…petrified… She knew there was something that would save her, but her brain had frozen, and she couldn’t quite…what the hell was it? She begged and moaned as Enten pulled her like a lamb to the slaughter.

  “Please, Enten…please…”

  It was if he didn’t hear her, dragging her into a clearing.

  “Nice. Blanket.” He snatched the material she still clutched around her, and threw it to the ground. “Take off your clothes and lie down.”

  Glory whimpered, all of her nightmares came back to immobilize her. She fell, shocked and still to the blanket, watching in shock as Enten made quick work of his clothes. His cock, which had looked so beautiful to her before, suddenly appeared sinister…lethal in its frozen state.

  “I said, take off your clothes. I will pleasure you until you are numb with ecstasy.” Enten’s icy voice cut through the snow squall that was now happening all around them. Her fingers fumbled for a moment, but he clearly wasn’t able to wait. He wrenched her upward, ripping first her shirt and bra before tearing her pants and briefs from her body. She tried to jerk away, but tripped on a root and fell back to the blanket, now covered in white.

  “Stop fighting it, Glory. This is what you want,” he said, lust showing in his eyes. “You begged for it, remember? So now we’ll both be satisfied.”

  What she wanted? What did she want? Her numb brain tried to tell her something. She remembered talking earlier…in the kitchen…something important…something she needed to do. Holy shit. That was it.

  “I love you, Enten,” she screamed. The truth wrenched upward from her gut. She loved Enten. She truly did. And she had to believe, right now, that he wouldn’t hurt her.

  The witch and the ladies had made her promise to tell him, that it would make all the difference, and she forgotten, but maybe it wasn’t too late.

  Enten blinked down at her, frozen like a statue.

  Had she declared her feelings out loud? To be sure, Glory said it again.

  “I love you,” she announced with determination this time, letting all of her feelings for Enten show in her eyes, and she suddenly felt strong.

  Instead of scrambling away, Glory found herself reaching out for Enten. She forcibly thrust back all of her fear, all of her worries. Her fingers found his cold thighs and she imbued every bit of her touch with love. “You’re mine, Enten.”

  The snow slowly died around her…and Glory warmed.

  ****

  Enten cried out and dropped to his knees. What had just happened? His bone-deep want of Glory, who lay propped and naked in front of him had not abated, and yet the solid coldness that had enveloped him eased. Not just eased, he realized. Disappeared.

  Enten leaned forward, amazed. Glory lay back and he touched her smooth belly. She quivered and her eyes lit. He took her hand and lifted it, marveling that her warmth seemed to travel up his arm. She sensed what was happening to him, and reached her other hand up to hold his cock. Heat burst into his loins and he groaned at a feeling he’d never before experienced.

  “What did you say? What did you do?” he asked hazily. “Glory, my sweet.” He was transfixed by the heat she not only generated, but shared with him. “I need to hear it again. Tell me what you said?”

  “I said I love you,” she murmured, pulling him down and moving against him.

  He lowered himself gently, still unsure. But it felt like Glory knew what she was doing. His mate quickly punched in some numbers, took the collar gently from his neck, and flung it aside, making sure he knew his transformation and capitulation had nothing to do with the magic around his neck. He held back for a minute…waiting. His cold didn’t return. This was truly him.

  Enten dropped and kissed Glory deeply. Her heat invaded his mouth and he pulled away, groaning.

  “Glory…this is…I can’t…” Enten took a deep breath and regrouped. “I’ve always been able to feel warmth against my skin when someone touches me, but it quickly dissipates.” His eyes roamed over her beautiful face lit by the moon. “I haven’t, since I was a small child, felt another person’s heat not only linger, but move into me.” He remembered that something similar had happened with Glory’s mother, but not to this extent.

  “That’s good?” Glory questioned lightly, running her fingers over his face.

  “That’s very good.” Enten lowered his mouth again, wanting the feeling, wanting more.

  Glory moved her legs apart and he sank between them. His hardness now deliciously cold―but under his control―up against her willing sex. He attempted to move down her body, but she clutched him to her.

  “I want to make you ready, my love. Let me do this,” he whispered.

  Glory shook her head. “I’m ready Enten. I’ve been ready.”

  She took his hand and moved it between her thighs. Gods. She didn’t lie. Glory was wet and wanting and he couldn’t hold himself in check a second longer.

  He spread her sweet lips, reared back, and in one solid thrust, entered Glory’s waiting pussy; seating himself in her welcoming heat, feeling her sultriness moving up through him, clutching at him until it brought tears to his eyes.

  Enten filled her completely. The fit was so perfect and so right that Glory moaned low with a satisfied wiggle, her head buried in his shoulder. Moments passed, and he didn’t move. She shifted to look up into his face and her breath caught in her throat. He knew what she witnessed, the beauty of his amulet, fully alight.

  He regarded her, his dark eyes filled with moisture not cold. His frost melted. And it was all because of Glory. Tears stood in her eyes, clearly floored by his transformation, and with an elated cry she wrapped her ankles around his back, tilting her pelvis and dragging him deeper.

  Only then did he begin to move. He brought his cock nearly out of her tight pussy before plunging back in. Glory cried out with his every invasion, clutching him to her and enveloping him in warmth.

  He lowered his head and tenderly sucked a nipple until her hand in his hair demanded more and he nipped the small bud, causing her body to lurch up into his, filling his mouth and flooding his senses with her heady flavor. His fingers replaced his mouth as he continued his smooth glides int
o the depths of her.

  He didn’t know how long he could last. The heat suffusing his balls was something new. His testicles, usually snowbound, teamed with life. He could feel the tingling of nerve endings long frostbitten, coming to life.

  Enten rolled Glory’s nipple. He cupped her ass, picking her up to drive into her hard, grinding his pelvis into her clit. A series of interior tremors told him her climax approached, but his cock grew near to exploding, and she needed to reach her pinnacle fast, or he’d finish before her. Unacceptable, he growled. Glory must have heard his distress. While sucking his tongue, she removed his hand from her breast and placed it between them, positioning his fingers on her swollen clit. At her moan, he took his cue and pinched the swollen bud. She screamed his name and arched up, grabbing hold of his shoulders.

  Damn. Glory’s pussy milked his cock with her spasms and she held on for dear life.

  Enten wasn’t far behind, and when Glory regained some semblance of herself, she began the rhythm again and met him thrust for thrust. She dug her nails into his flanks and chanted his name.

  “Enten. Fuck, yes. Enten.”

  She used her heels on his ass and he was damned near delirious when he finally released far up inside her, causing her to twitch and spasm around him again.

  Enten was stunned. Amazed. He held Glory tight to him, not wanting to break the connection they’d just forged. His mind was blown away by what had just happened. He could barely wrap his head around it. The cum he’d just explosively ejaculated into his woman…was hot. Not cold, not tepid, but actually hot. That had never happened before. What came out of him had always been slush or snow or ice, depending on his mood. Enten felt his heart clench. It occurred to him he and Glory might even be able to have a family one day, something he’d long ago decided the fates had taken off the table for him. He felt wonderful, he felt complete…he felt, shit. Awful.

  Worse than awful. He’d behaved abominably toward Glory. He’d scared the crap out of her, tracked her through the woods, chilled her to the bone, and what had she done? She had told him she loved him. They would talk about the bad things that had happened later, when he’d settled her back into his bed, but for now, there was only one way to make this right. If he could just get his mind off her soft, very warm body for a moment, he’d man up and do it.