by K. L. Thorne
“Do you want me to tell him?” Haros asked softly.
Sivelle just nodded, not trusting herself to talk. As Haros relayed the details of their capture and subsequent escape to her uncle, Sivelle felt more tears roll down her cheeks. She simply stared out of the tall window at the end of the room, watching small brown birds hopping around on the lawn and scratching beneath the snow for bugs.
Cirro was silent for a long moment as Haros concluded their tale. Sivelle risked a quick glance at him, alarmed to see her uncle’s usual kindly face contorted into a dark scowl. He eyes flickered with rage. For the first time, Sivelle saw a similarity between him and her own father.
“I am ashamed to be the brother of that monster,” he whispered. “It sickens me to even think about it. Lazuli has well and truly lost his mind. Though I am sure you would not believe me; he was not always like this.”
“How so?” Haros probed.
“When we were boys, Lazuli was so much fun. He was so carefree and kind… I blame our father for this. He too was plagued with madness, convinced the demons were plotting against him. His evil and corruption has soaked into my older brother, twisting him into this beast you know today.”
Cirro swallowed a mouthful of his drink and closed his eyes. Sadness enveloped his expression.
“…To his own daughter.” Cirro shook his head. “I’d rather take my own life than harm even a hair on Briar’s head.”
Sivelle felt more tears well and she swallowed them back. How different her life would have been if she had been Cirro’s daughter, not Lazuli’s. She wondered if her cousin knew how lucky she was.
After a long moment of silence, Cirro snapped back to life. He swiped a small tear from the corner of his eye and got to his feet.
“I swear on my life, you are both safe with me here.”
“Lazuli will be sending his men after us, of that you can be certain. Do you have enough men here to hold this castle, should he attempt to take us by force?” Haros asked, placing his empty mug on the small wooden end table.
“I have a small barracks of men here. Rosenhall has some nifty defence mechanisms I’m keen for the opportunity to test out. Besides, your king and I have some plans in the pipeline. I can’t go into any further detail, but I can promise you your safety.”
Haros nodded.
“I assume you would be keen to clean up and rest after the horrendous day you’ve both had. Sivelle, I will arrange for Briar’s handmaiden, Jayla, to tend to you. I’ve already got two bedrooms set up for you both.” Cirro clapped his hands together.
Sivelle glanced across at Haros. The demon caught her eye and rubbed his neck self-consciously. After a moment, it became clear the princess was going to be the one who filled her uncle in.
“One room will suffice, Uncle,” she mumbled.
“Nonsense, there are plenty of spare rooms here. No need to worry about imposing on me.” The faerie smiled.
“Haros and I are, uh…” She groped for the right term. “Well, we are together, in, um, that kind of way.”
Cirro glanced between them, clearly shocked for a moment.
“Well. Now that is a surprise.” The faerie cleared his throat. Sivelle was almost sure she could see the hint of a blush on her uncle’s cheeks. “No matter, I will arrange for your things to be transferred to the same room.”
“Thank you.” Sivelle stared at the carpet, trying to ignore her own face growing hot.
Cirro strode to the door, calling a servant in from outside.
“Please show Haros and Sivelle to their room.” He stood aside at the doorway as Sivelle and Haros passed. The princess evaded looking her uncle in the eye.
“Rest up. I will have a servant call on you for dinner, but don’t feel pressured to attend. We can meet tomorrow morning and discuss our next steps.” Cirro cast them a kindly smile.
“How can we ever repay you for this?” Haros asked.
“By helping me rid Hestaesia of the plague that is my brother. Now go, we will talk of more serious things when you are feeling well enough.” The faerie shooed them away.
Sivelle and Haros trailed behind the servant as he led them through the castle. Though Rosenhall was vast, it was only a matter of minutes before they opened a door to reveal a large four poster bed. The room was intimate but lavish, it smelt of clean sheets and soap.
Sivelle noted their belongings had already been brought up – Haros’s included – and a small platter of fruit and cheeses awaited them, along with a bottle of wine and a jug of water.
They thanked the servant and, as the door clicked shut, Haros wrapped his arms tightly around Sivelle.
The princess squealed with surprise, melting as he slanted his mouth over hers. She squeezed him in return, not even attempting to hide the relieved and exhausted tears that crept from the corners of her eyes.
“No offence, but you stink sweetheart,” Haros whispered as they parted.
Sivelle laughed and swiped away her tears. “You’re not so fresh yourself.”
“I’m exhausted, but I don’t think I could bring myself to sleep smelling like this,” Haros replied wearily.
“Bath?”
“Definitely.”
Sivelle led Haros by the hand into their adjoining bath chamber. A large tub greeted her, but another peculiar device caught her attention.
It looked to be a hose-like contraption that was suspended on the wall. Taps, like those you would see on a bath, stuck proud of the wall beneath it. The tiled floor sloped towards a drain in the corner.
“Fancy,” Haros mused as he eyed the equipment too.
“What is it?”
“It’s a shower. I’ve seen them outdoors before, but never inside a bath chamber. Your uncle sure knows how to treat his guests. I bet it even runs hot water.”
The demon stripped off his ruined shirt and carefully leaned in to twist the taps. Water hissed from the faucet above like rain.
Within moments, steam was billowing from the shower. Sivelle hastily gathered some soaps and a sponge from the edge of the bath and placed them nearby, taking care not to get soaked.
As she went to take towels from a rail on the far side of the room, Haros grabbed her waist. Sivelle spun to face him and the demon began unbuckling her tunic.
The princess stood, still and silent, watching the demon’s fingers slowly rid her of the constricting leather. He pushed it off her shoulders and Sivelle tugged the rest over her hands, whilst Haros busied himself with unbuttoning her breeches.
Sivelle pulled her vest top up over her head and threw it onto the floor with her tunic. Her hands curled to her back, pausing at the clasp of her brassier.
Haros, having finished unbuttoning her breeches, smoothed his hands over her hips and slid them beneath the leather material to palm her bottom.
He stooped to press a soft kiss to her lips and, with a flurry of arousal, Sivelle boldly rid herself of her brassier. With her top half bare, she draped her arms around Haros’s neck, pressing her body tightly against his.
The demon sighed against her and kissed her harder. His hands, still on her bottom, squeezed her before he turned his attention back to removing her breeches.
Sivelle, still mouth to mouth with him, allowed Haros to tug her trousers down to mid-thigh. She shivered when he smoothed his hands over her bared bottom once again, this time dipping his fingers to stroke between her legs. After several teasing touches, Sivelle pulled away and rid herself of her boots and the remainder of her clothing.
Haros stripped himself eagerly. The princess noted the evident beginnings of his arousal with a small, self-satisfied smile.
He pushed her into the shower and Sivelle groaned as her cold skin prickled beneath the stream of warm water. There was something immensely satisfying about feeling his large body, wet and warm against hers. Sivelle turned, tugging the demon down into a passionate kiss once more.
Haros ran his hands through her wet hair gently, stroking the dirt and debris free. When Sivel
le’s hair was thoroughly wet, he ducked to grab the soap from the floor. The demon placed a quick, chaste kiss to her hip bone as he passed. Just that simple act sent Sivelle’s stomach fluttering with anticipation.
“Turn around,” he instructed and the princess obeyed.
Haros lathered up some soap in his hands before smoothing them over her hair. Sivelle sighed heavily, letting her eyes flutter closed as the demon washed her hair. It was something she had experienced a thousand times with nannies and handmaidens, yet it felt so different. Haros rubbed the soap into her scalp and Sivelle felt her body grow boneless beneath his touch.
As she stood beneath the warm water, letting the stream wash the brown soap suds from her hair, Haros bent to lather more soap onto a sponge. Still with her back to him, he began scrubbing her body.
He started at her shoulders, working small circles into the aching flesh, venturing only as low as the small of her back before returning to soap along each of her arms, right down to her fingertips.
He washed her chest, deliberately avoiding her breasts, much to Sivelle’s dismay, then scrubbed over her stomach and down each of her legs. Once he had finished washing her feet, he dropped the sponge and lathered yet more soap between his hands.
Sivelle held back a satisfied moan as he smoothed his large, soapy hands over her bottom, grasping a handful of flesh as he cleaned her.
Haros’s palms slid easily upward over her moist, soapy hips, trailing further and further, until he held a breast in each hand.
Sivelle gasped, feeling her knees grow weak. She reached out a hand to steady herself.
The demon’s touch was soft and slippery. He squeezed her flesh gently before smoothing each nipple between a thumb and forefinger.
Sivelle reached an arm over her head to tug Haros in tightly against her. He pressed a kiss against the delicate skin near her ear. She pressed back firmer still, delighted when his hard shaft slipped between the cheeks of her soapy behind.
“I thought you said you were tired?” Sivelle said, tipping her head to one side to allow Haros access to her neck.
“I am,” he replied. She felt his lips curve into a smile. “But I’m never too tired for this.”
He kept one hand on her breast, whilst the other slid down her flat belly. Sivelle curled her hips, rubbing her bottom against him. Haros didn’t hesitate, just slipped his wet fingers between her thighs.
Sivelle shivered, despite heat flooding every inch of her body. The demon gently explored her with his fingers, spreading her open to his attentions.
A soft moan escaped her and Sivelle automatically rocked up onto her tip-toes, as he slowly pushed a finger inside her. Her sex tightened, squeezing around him eagerly. After a few slow thrusts, he pulled his finger free and began brushing back and forth over her most sensitive spot.
Sivelle sank her teeth into her lip and flattened both palms against the tiles. As pleasure began to build behind every stroke, she pushed back against Haros keenly, enjoying the sensation of his cock sliding against her.
Just as she was starting to lose herself in Haros’s touch, the demon stopped and pulled himself free of her. He grasped her shoulders firmly, turning her to face him. He walked her a step backwards until she was pressed against the cold, wet wall. Sivelle looked up at him with wide eyes.
Haros penned her in with his body and, before she could question him, tugged her forward. Sivelle squealed as Haros easily lifted her off her feet. He threw her up into the air a little as he adjusted her weight in his arms. His large hands were spread wide beneath her bottom, holding her steady.
Sivelle wrapped her arms around his neck and stretched her legs apart, her toes already curling in anticipation.
Haros leant in, resting his forehead against hers and looking down between their wet, naked bodies. Sivelle didn’t need to say a word. She simply rolled her hips forward and Haros met her halfway.
She gasped as he balanced her in his arms, just so, until she sat suspended over his cock with just the head touching her core. She squirmed in his arms.
“Haros!” she whined impatiently.
The demon laughed breathlessly, dipping to capture her mouth with his. As they kissed, he gradually allowed her body to slide onto his.
Sivelle huffed desperately as she was filled agonisingly slowly. She felt her sex pulse, eager to grab hold of anything it could. The princess felt his shaft pressing firmly against a sensitive spot inside her and her thighs trembled.
It was too much. She couldn’t bear it any longer. Sivelle took a hand from the back of Haros’s neck, hastily dropped it between them, rubbing her fingers against her own flesh.
“That’s cheating,” Haros teased.
Though Sivelle had very limited experience with all forms of sexual pleasure – including self-gratification – it didn’t take her long to get the hang of it. Though there was something immeasurably intense about Haros touching her, her own fingers responded quicker to her desire than his could ever hope to.
It was better than she had thought anything could ever be. Sivelle closed her eyes and her face contorted into a frown of concentration as she drove her own arousal forward. Her fingers stroked and flicked at her flesh until she was writhing in Haros’s arms. Her body begged him for the missing piece of the puzzle.
She groaned as Haros finally seated himself fully inside her, but with nothing to gain purchase from, she was completely at his mercy. A strangulated cry escaped her.
“Haros!” she hissed, scowling when his strong arms stopped her from thrusting herself against him. The demon dropped his mouth to her neck.
“What? Tell me what you want,” he grated between soft sucking kisses.
“Ugh, you know what I want!”
“I know, but I want to hear you say it,” the demon laughed.
“Stop teasing me.”
Haros pulled his shaft out a fraction, before rocking it back inside her. Sivelle whimpered.
“P-please!” she cried as her fingers pushed her body closer still. She teetered on the edge, aching for the kind of satisfaction only her demon could provide for her.
“Seeing as you asked so nicely,” Haros grunted, withdrawing himself from her body almost entirely before slowly and mind-numbingly thrusting back inside.
Sivelle squeezed her eyes shut, holding her breath. She petted herself harder and faster.
The demon kept his thrusting slow, yet deliciously deep. Sivelle felt her body squeeze tighter around him still. Just as she thought her orgasm was upon her, it evaded her, slipping from beneath her fingertips to linger just at the edge of her awareness.
“Harder!”
Haros simply groaned in response and took a small step forward. Sivelle felt her back press against the wall.
“Are you close? Fuck I hope you are. You’re so fucking wet and tight, I think I might lose my mind if I have to hold off much longer,” Haros hissed, pounding into her with increased ferocity.
Sivelle didn’t answer, her thoughts stuck on a single track. Her body tensed as she swirled her fingers around the swollen bundle of nerves between her thighs. Her channel pulsed, readying for release.
“Oh…” she moaned, her internal muscles clamping down around Haros’s cock. “I’m coming!”
Sivelle’s legs fought against the brutal hold Haros had on her, attempting to snap closed as she came. She sucked in a breath, astounded as waves and waves of pleasure continued to wash over her. Her fingers flew away from her painfully sensitive flesh, but Haros’s thrusting just served to prolong the ecstasy.
When she finally started to spiral down from her high, Sivelle cracked her eyes open to find Haros looking at her with a dark expression. He shot her a handsome smile that made her insides dance.
“You’ve got a seriously sexy orgasm face, y’know that?”
“Shut up!” Sivelle grimaced, hiding her embarrassment by crushing her mouth against his.
Haros continued to bounce her in his arms, driving into her body with a rene
wed vigour as he approached his own end.
Sivelle felt boneless. She splayed her legs further until she was almost in a full split and pulled away from Haros’s kiss, gasping and moaning into his ear as residual pleasure still flickered to life with each thrust.
Haros shoved his cock deep inside her, the most tantalising masculine moan escaping him as he came. He stilled for a moment, gasping for breath before eventually pulling free of her, allowing her to slide back down his body to her feet.
Sivelle felt like she was standing on the slippery stones beside the bog once more. Her legs shook, stumbling a little as they attempted to take her weight. Haros laughed and tugged her to his chest.
Sivelle, now sated, was exhausted. She clung to Haros’s wet chest and relaxed beneath the hot water with her eyes closed, whilst he quickly washed himself off.
When they eventually parted, so Haros could rinse the soap from his hair and body, Sivelle took advantage of him having his eyes closed to shyly wash any traces of their passion from between her thighs.
Haros turned the spray off and padded a little way into the room, stretching to get some towels. He handed one to the princess and she took it, wrapping herself up in the thick, fluffy material.
They dried off quickly, both too worn out for words. Sivelle plaited her wet hair, wrapping it into a bun so as not to wet the pillow too much. She clambered, naked and uncaring, into the large soft bed, sighing as her head hit the pillow.
Haros pulled the drapes closed, blocking out the daylight, before climbing into bed beside her.
Skin to skin, Sivelle tucked herself against his large frame. If she had been able to, she was sure she would have purred with happiness as Haros wrapped her in his arms.
∞∞∞
There was a sharp rap at the door.
Sivelle hadn’t been aware she had fallen asleep until she was waking groggily, entangled in the bedsheets.
She was confused for a moment. Where was she? What time was it? The princess glanced at the dark, sleeping shape beside her. Haros.
Sivelle rolled onto her back, sliding her eyes shut again. Another rap at the door startled her, making her sit up.