by Anna Hill
But Lio and Angelo had a confidence that Rhyion did not. Rhyion had, for so long, seen himself as the outsider in my romantic life. As the boy I didn't want. His self-esteem had been cut to shreds…
And I hadn’t even known it.
I hated myself for that. I should have seen it. I thought I was finally starting to get a read on Rhyion’s emotions, but I clearly had no clue. That man had a depth that I couldn’t see. At least, not until I dived in.
I began to kiss him more and more wildly, our tongues danced around each other as I felt his body inch closer and closer to me. This is what I had wanted… this was what I had been fantasizing about.
I had chills go down my back, every hair on my body was raised out of anticipation. My breaths were becoming heavier each time our mouths pulled away. The feeling of needing him was so overwhelming that I allowed my hand to drift off.
I first slid it down his chest then slowly, so slowly, I inched down to the place I was dying to touch: his cock. When my hand rubbed against his large mound I was overwhelmed with how big it felt, even through his pants. I shouldn’t be surprised by now, after being in a relationship with two other shifters, but I didn’t think I’d ever get used to how large they all were.
He pulled his mouth away from mine for a moment, his eyes staring deeply into mine. I didn’t dare speak, I wouldn’t know what to say even if I wasn’t completely wrapped up in the passion I felt.
Instead, I just stared at him longingly, waiting for him to make his next move. He stared back for a moment, gave me a cheeky smile, and began to undress. First, stripping his shirt off his back and then dropping his pants in front of me. I looked around because, of course, we were in the middle of the woods… But there was nobody around. It was just us out here… alone in the middle of mother nature.
I followed his lead and began to drop all of my clothes until I was also completely naked in the forest. He was seeing me naked for the first time and his eyes widened in shock and pleasure.
He reached out to me, cupping my naked breasts in his hands. Then he lowered his head to them and began sucking on my nipples.
I tossed my head back in pleasure, his groping of my body without even a question had me soaking wet. I couldn’t wait any longer, I needed his cock and I needed it now.
“Fuck me.” I instructed. “I just want you to slam that fat cock into my pussy, please.” I pleaded.
He nodded and then hoisted my naked body up, pushing my back up against a tree. I didn’t mind the rough bark on my back… I didn’t mind anything as long as I finally got to feel Rhyion inside me. As he pulled me up my legs instinctively wrapped around his torso, so he was holding me up in the air against the tree.
He slid his prick in slowly, clearly not wanting to hurt me, I expected nothing less of him. As he inched deeper and deeper I could feel my walls opening up easily for him. I was soaking wet but he still slowly slid himself into me.
Once he had pushed himself all the way in, he pulled in and out slowly, still being so careful and gentle with me.
I relished every stroke, his prick made me feel things I’d never been able to feel before. Not necessarily better than Angelo or Lio just… different. A good different, they were all a good different.
His hand moved to my clit and began to rub my button quickly, and now I was twisting and squirming wildly between him and the tree. I groaned under his touch and my animalistic noises sparked something primal in him.
He stopped with the slow and gentle act as he started thrusting in and out of me rapidly. It was like a switch was turned and he was no longer the sweet and considerate Rhyion I’d known so well, but was instead a fierce animal who wanted only to pound me ruthlessly.
And he did, he rammed in and out of me so fast that my pleasure began to intensify. I was screaming into the nothingness of the woods. He was beginning to groan with each thrust as well, both of us feeling unbelievable pleasure.
I couldn’t take it, it was all too much for me. My groans had become incoherent, they barely even sounded human. Hell, I barely even felt human! It was like my primal instinct had come out too and all I cared about was getting my brains fucked out.
He began to grunt at me too and I knew he was approaching orgasm, he had the face of the man that was ready to release his seed. I didn’t dare stop him, I wanted him to fill me like I was his. I wanted to belong to him thoroughly, the same way I belonged to Angelo and Lio and they belonged to me.
Just a second later, he did. I felt the warm explosion of cum being squirted inside me. He breathed heavily as his steady stream of cum shot deep into me until I was literally overflowing with his juice. He stayed in that position for a moment, letting his cock slowly wilt inside of me before he pulled out completely and gently began to lower me to the point where my feet touched the forest floor.
I panted as I began to catch my breath, grinning at him. Had we seriously just had hot forest sex?
He looked at me and smiled. “You are positively wonderful, you know that?”
I shrugged. “At times.”
“Well, you are. You really are.” He brushed the hair out of my face. “I mean, look at all you’ve accomplished in such a short amount of time. You’ve even mastered your dreaming, something you weren't sure you could do!”
“Hey, hey, let’s not say mastered.” I laughed. “I wouldn’t call it mastered.”
“But you can guide yourself into the past now, as your mother can.”
That part was true. I was nowhere near as good or as self-assured as my mother. But just as she had predicted weeks ago, I was now able to bring us into the past. I did guide most of our dreams now if I had the right questions, just as she told me.
“I’m just not sure where to go from here, you know? I’ve found a lot more information out, and I definitely am honing in on this dream thing. But it just… isn’t getting anywhere.”
After weeks of guiding us into dreams and asking questions, I was no closer to knowing when I’d be able to defeat Robert or when he might run out of the stores of my magic. When was the best time to attack? Once he lost use of my magic, I had no doubt I’d be able to beat him. But the timing was crucial.
He thought for a moment. “Why did your mom suggest you’d be able to guide the dreams from now on?”
I thought on this. “Oh, it was because I finally asked the right question. A question that would lead somewhere else. She thought I’d be able to guide us into dreams now.”
And she was right. That night, I was able to lead us into another scene with Jacob and Robert.
I was ecstatic. It was the most intense thing, knowing that I had forced myself to have a pastsight dream. I took us to a moment when Robert was checking in with Jacob a few months after my parents’ death, trying to figure out how well things were going. He had seemed to soften on him considerably by then. There were no more threats or anger in his voice. He behaved more like I’d seen him behave to Jacob when he was holding me captive. He didn’t show a lot of affection for him, but no hatred.
“And what was the question that led you to control your dreams? The very first one, I mean,” Rhyion pressed.
“Well, after Jacob killed my parents without Robert’s permission, Robert threatened him heavily. He said he wanted to kill him, and the only reason he didn’t was because he was still vital to the cause or whatever. But Robert also said he would ruin Jacob if he ever fucked things up with me again. But that’s the weird thing… Jacob did fuck up with me again. And yet, Robert let him live. I wasn't sure why.”
Rhyion looked at me, and he had his thinking face on. I knew it well. It was adorable, actually. I hadn’t admitted that to myself before, but it truly was.
“So, did your subsequent dream answer your question? On why Jacob lived?”
“Kind of. I mean, not super clearly. But Robert had warmed up to Jacob a lot since then. So I assumed it was just water under the bridge.”
Rhyion was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "I think
you should try again, but focus on that same question. Why did Robert let Jacob live?”
“Really? You think so?" I hadn’t thought about revisiting old questions I had.
He nodded. "I know that dreaming is difficult when it comes to past and futuresight, so you may not have gotten it fully right the first time. And that seems like an incredibly important question.”
I looked at him seriously. "Why? Why do you think it’s so important?”
“Think about it: what did we find out from the pebblerot? That Jacob was vital to taking down Robert. That if you let Jacob live, he would get in the way of you destroying Robert. Jacob clearly had a more important role than we know of… And I want to find that out.”
“Right… Okay, yeah. Of course. That's smart. I'll try again tonight.”
He kissed my forehead. "I have no doubt you’ll find the answers we’re looking for.”
I put my hand on his cheek. "And neither do I. You’re going to figure it out too, Rhyion. We're going to figure this out together. We’re a team… All four of us are a team.”
"You're right.” He sighed. “And I’m so sorry for the way I overreacted. It was unbecoming of me. I looked… childish."
"No, you didn't!" I assured him. “You just looked like… you were having emotions. Which, I admit, is kind of a weird look for you." We both laughed. “But that's just what happens when you bottle things up for so long… They’ll come bursting out, one way or another. This was your burst, but it was perfectly normal as far as I can tell."
“Well… If that’s a normal emotional outburst, I really don’t care to have any more.”
I smiled. He was adorable. “I don’t think you will. Now that you have what you wanted for so long… now that we both do… I hope it’s easy emotional sailing from here.”
He nodded. “Me too.”
5
After I slept with Rhyion for the first time, we walked back to the cabin, his hand in mine. And as we stepped through the door, wrapped up in each other, both Lio and Angelo gave each other a sly look.
“So…” I said softly, trying to defuse the awkwardness a bit. I left to go talk to Rhyion, but I came back in love with him. What was I supposed to say? “Have you guys met my new boyfriend, Rhyion?” I joked.
"Yeah, we’ve met." Angelo shrugged. "A few times, I think.”
Lio smiled. “Yes, we’re most certainly well acquainted."
“Great! I'm going to be sleeping in his bed tonight, then."
“Alright with me,” Angelo said casually, and Lio nodded in agreement.
I wasn’t expecting any jealousy from them. After all, they didn’t seem to have jealousy for each other in any capacity. I did think they’d show a bit of surprise or something… But, no, they didn’t seem surprised in the least. It was like they were expecting this to happen.
Hell, maybe everyone was expecting this to happen. Lio, Rhyion, my mom… Was I the only one blind to the chemistry between us?
No, of course not. Rhyion was equally as blind.
We went to his bedroom and curled up together, cuddling properly for the first time since there wasn’t a lot of room for that out in the woods.
I was torn between lying with him and going to sleep. On the one hand, we’d just discovered our feelings for one another and I felt like I couldn’t get enough of him.
But on the other hand, I was eager to try and do what he suggested. I really wanted to go to sleep and dream, hoping to find clearer answers to my question, but I wanted to soak in our time together as much as possible.
I didn’t end up having to decide. He made the decision for me.
“You should go to sleep,” he told me.
“Really? Right now?”
He nodded. “Focus on that question… Why did Robert let Jacob live? Think about it obsessively, and focus on Robert and Jacob’s nature. Robert is vindictive and cruel, so why would he let Jacob live? Jacob is desperate and slimy, so what could he have done to ensure the safety of his life? Just really focus on it as much as possible.”
“Good thinking. Okay… Yeah, I’ll try.”
He gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek. “Goodnight, my love.”
I smiled at him. “Goodnight.”
I rolled over, he curled up behind me, and I did as he said.
I thought not only of the question in my mind but of Jacob and Robert’s personalities, their behaviors, the things that motivated them… I tried to soak it all in.
And I drifted slowly off to sleep.
I stood in an all-metal room with my mother. The room was empty. There was nobody and no object in it.
My mom looked at me, confused. “Where are we?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I honestly don’t know.”
“Well… where were you trying to take us?” she asked.
“I don’t really know that, either. I was just asking that same question again: why did Robert let Jacob live?”
“Huh.” She looked around. “Why did you decide to go back to that question?”
“Rhyion did, actually. He suggested it.” And when I mentioned his name, I couldn’t control the smile that was forming on my face.
My mother noticed it immediately. “What?” she asked.
“Well, uh, I guess you were kind of right about Rhyion.”
She grinned. “You’re dating him?’
“Yeah… Yeah, I guess I am.”
She gave a short squeal and then wrapped her arms around me. “Honey, that’s fantastic! I knew it! I knew you cared for him.”
I was about to respond when we were interrupted by the sound of a door to our far right being opened. Suddenly, Jacob was thrown across the room, landing mere feet in front of us.
And Robert was on his trail.
“And now we’ve lost her! All because of you! What the hell did I tell you, Jacob? What did I say would happen to you if you failed me again?”
I immediately knew this had to be after I ran away and subsequently got taken to the shifter island.
“I just… I don’t understand how she could have escaped—”
"A shifter took her! I told you! He had magic, and he took her! I don’t yet know for what reason, but I know that this wouldn’t have happened if you never let her storm out that door!”
"But I had to have that fight with her! Your Majesty, she was going to use magic! She was saving up money for black magic, and if she was able to use it to find out who killed her parents…"
“Yet again, your mistakes come back to haunt you! You were a fool to think that this would all work out in your favor! An insolent child, that’s all you’ve ever been!”
“I'm so sorry! I thought that it was okay, that she had accepted being with me and was going to leave the death of her parents alone…”
“Who would ever leave the death of their parents alone? Would you? Would you just forget about it if your parents died today?”
“Well, probably not…”
“Then maybe that’s what I should do!” Robert bellowed. “Maybe I should end the lives of your pathetic parents just to punish you.”
Jacob’s eyes widened in shock and desperation. “Please, leave them alone. They had nothing to do with it, not any of it! They didn’t even want to involve themselves with Annabelle! They haven’t lived in the city for years, they don’t even know what I’m up to these days!”
“I think that’s exactly what I should do.” Robert ignored him. "I'm going to end their lives, and then I'm going to end your pathetic life!”
“Please!” Jacob pleaded. "Let me live, we can get her back! I can convince her to stay with me! We just have to find her and—”
“We’ve tried tracking her! She is nowhere in Elderan, nowhere we can see! It could take months or years to discover where she is. Hell, if she’s being cloaked by magic we are unaware of, then maybe we'll never find her!”
“There's no magic we’re unaware of, though! You know everything!”
“Once again, your naiveté makes an
idiot out of you! There is all kinds of ancient magic we know nothing about. There is magic that wasn’t ever written down in any books. I couldn’t possibly know all of it, nobody can!”
“Robert, please…” Jacob had actual tears in his eyes now.
“Oh, don’t worry, you little idiot. You’re temporarily safe because you’re right: if I do find her, you are still my best bet for being able to manipulate her. So you get to live… for now. As long as you’re useful to me, you shall live. But I wouldn’t expect that to last long. And you better hope when we find her—if we do find her—that she hasn’t figured out the true snake you are.”
“And-and my parents?” Jacob stuttered.
“I have no reason to keep them alive.” Robert shrugged.
“No, please!” Jacob screeched. "Please, I’ll do anything! I’ll do anything you need, if you can just… leave them alone. Punish me only.”
“You have nothing that I need anymore! Your utility to me is very limited now. If you think there’s something you can do for me, you’re dumber than I thought.”
Robert whipped around, and it looked like he was going to leave Jacob locked in this room until Jacob finally raised his voice.
“Wait, wait! What if I can extend your magic? What if I can make it last longer, maybe even another hundred years?”
Robert stopped and then turned around slowly. “Don’t lie to me, Jacob.”
“I’m not lying! I've… I’ve been doing research! I had a small vial of magic I collected from Annabelle, and I turned it into a gallon. I promise, I’m not lying!”
Robert looked suspicious. “Then why wouldn’t you tell me this before?”
“Because I just did it this week! I’ve been experimenting with different chemicals for months! But I finally did it with a mixture of leonite and trebonase. If you… If you just let me show you, you’ll see!”
Robert looked hesitant to believe him.
“You know I wouldn’t lie to you! If I wasn’t capable of it, why would I claim it? You’d find out immediately, and you’d do what you were going to do anyway.”