by Jenna Grey
“How did you manage to learn so much?” she asked, letting her hand drop. “I mean in Midgard, you hardly seemed to know where you were or what was going on. You could barely speak, so how could you learn so much about Elphame and magic?”
She had been wondering about that for quite some time, but with everything that had been going on they’d hardly been in a position to discuss interdimensional communication. Connor gave her a bright smile and rolled onto his back, staring up at the drooping canopy of the huge four poster bed.
“I was far more in Elphame than I was in Midgard. A lot of the time I was able to hear and see almost normally what was going on here in Elphame, even though my body was in Midgard. I was lucky. If it had been the other way around I would be helpless now.”
He moved in and kissed her, a gentle and reassuring kiss, and Lily took it gratefully, because she needed something good to drive away the bad.
“What Hecate said, about our power being strengthened by sex… funny old business, ay?” Lily said, with a giggle.
“I’m not complaining,” Connor replied, with a mischievous smile, reaching down to pop the two little buttons that fastened the collar around her bodice. Lily didn’t stop him.
“No, neither am I, but weird all the same.”
She watched his nimble fingers as they unfastened the tiny mother of pearl buttons so that he could slip his hand inside. The rest of the fastenings were at the back, so he wasn’t going to be able to get too far unless Lily wanted him to.
“A great many of the fey gain their strength through sex… well, a great many supernatural creatures, like the succubus and the korrigan,” Connor said, his hand sneaking around to the back.
Lily made a ‘huh!’ of disgust, pushing his hand away.
“Oh don’t talk to me about that bitch, Virginia was totally evil… what she did to her victims doesn’t bear thinking about.” Lily hesitated, letting memories of that night wash over her, thinking back to the corpses they had found chained in Virginia’s numerous bedroom come torture chambers. Innocent humans that she had picked up in pubs and nightclubs and taken back to her lair to humiliate, torture and eventually murder. Those poor souls had died the most hideous deaths, her sexual deviancy something Lily could barely understand. She got her kicks by devising the most depraved and sick sexual tortures, things that made Lily sick to her stomach just thinking about them. They had been so lucky to get to those two men before Virginia had done her worst. Were they still alive? Perhaps they were resilient and got through that ordeal. Perhaps there was a chance for them after all.
Lily was suddenly overcome with a dreadful and overwhelming feeling of disquiet.
“But she is dead, isn’t she? We did kill her? I mean her domain vanished and that must have meant the she died, even though we didn’t actually see her die. She has to be dead,” Lily said.
Connor made a small noise that might have been a laugh, as if he thought that Lily were being quite ridiculous even thinking such a thought.
“I’m quite certain she’s dead. Stop worrying about it. We’ve got enough to worry about without creating problems that aren’t there!” He said it with a smile, and kissed the end of her nose as a full stop, but Lily couldn’t help but think he was just humouring her. She pulled herself further onto the bed and bounced up and down a bit on it. It was wonderfully soft and squidgy.
“Well, we’ve slept in worse places,” she said.
She began to take off her clothes, finding herself surprisingly warm. She looked across the room and saw what looked like an old cast iron radiator, replete with pipes running along the walls like any modern heating system.
“Central heating, of sorts,” Connor said. “The hobs have big smelting furnaces somewhere in the city left over from when the dwarves were here and they use them to heat the city now, and get rid of all the waste.”
Connor began to peel off his clothes as well and they both clambered back onto the bed and snuggled under the covers. They smelt a bit old and dusty, but the sheets were tolerably clean and Lily could live with it.
Connor began kissing Lily’s neck, light butterfly kisses that barely touched her skin, and she closed her eyes for a moment, sinking into them, loving the brush of his lips against hers. She opened her eyes and found her gaze locked on his.
“I really do love you, you know, and I hate that you’re so insecure about yourself. I think you’re the bravest, smartest most beautiful person I’ve ever met,” he said.
Connor pulled her closer and she pressed against Connor’s side, feeling him the whole length of her, his arms warm against hers. She twined her fingers into his and felt content, despite the danger, the misery and fear she felt deep inside.
Connor’s hand slipped down her body and she felt a shiver run through every molecule of her being, electric shocks that were blissfully delicious. He kept his eyes locked on hers the whole time, a smile playing on his lips that grew wider as his fingers slipped down to her thighs. The warmth of his fingers made her tremble; every time Connor touched her she felt wonderful things happen in her body. He ran his hands over her breasts, cupping the globes and running his thumbs over her nipples, making her tingle. He gave a little laugh of pleasure at her reaction to his touch.
“Everything is going to be all right you know. We’ve been promised that by Hecate, and the prophecies.”
“I know.”
Connor’s hand slipped between her legs, his mouth clamped hard on hers, squeezing her thighs just a little too hard in his eagerness. Lily twisted her hands into his hair, and pulled him in for a hungry kiss; his tongue moved into her mouth, greedy and desperate. She felt cheated when he pulled back from the kiss, but he moved his way down her, kissing and licking his way down to her stomach, his movements uncontrolled, urgent now. She bucked under him, every nerve of her body tingling. His lips were on her belly, nipping her here and there and making her squirm and giggle.
He eased her legs open and his touch was gentle now, his breath quietening, but she could feel his heart pounding hard against her thigh as he moved his way down her body. He nuzzled between her legs, nipping her very carefully, just enough to make her moan, moving into the crevice and nibbling at that tiny spot, already swollen and throbbing, making her gasp at the exquisite torment. He looked up at her and grinned, then buried his face between her legs. She felt hot spurts of breath on that most intimate part of her and gasped her pleasure. His mouth closed over that tender spot, sucking and licking, sending a wonderful tingle up through her body that seemed to fill every cell, every molecule. It sent tiny electric shocks that brought more gasps from her and she pushed her head back into the pillow as his mouth kept sucking and licking her until a throbbing heat began to build, a heavy weight that dragged on her, until she didn’t think she could bear it any longer. The muscles in her belly tightened as his tongue slid inside her, sending shivers of ecstasy through her whole body. His teeth nibbled at her gently, sucking her into his mouth. It was exquisite torture, more than she could bear, and she felt herself losing control of her body, the sensation between her legs taking her over. She arched her back as a scream tore from her throat and she orgasmed; bolts of lightning shot through her body, her hands bunched the sheets into balls in her fists. She let the white heat take her, let it ride over her in wonderful waves, then she sank back into the bed, shaking and struggling to breathe.
Connor moved back up her body, and she could see his aura glowing a white blue, that almost dazzled her. She gave him one last kiss and rolled him over onto his back, giving him a wicked smile. His muscles were stone hard under her fingers, knotted sinew and smooth perfection; she ran her hands over his chest, letting her hand trail down over the flat plain of his abdomen, over the line of fine sweat-damp hair to his groin. She cupped him in her hand, fondling him, making him shudder.
"You bitch," he whispered, giving a small purr of pleasure as she teased his nipples with her teeth, gently biting and sucking them. He buried his face in her hair, nuz
zling her as she sucked, small groans escaping from his lips. She moved further down his body, kissing and licking until she reached his groin.
She licked around his shaft with long strokes, sliding her tongue up and down the length, making him slick with her saliva. Then she took him in her mouth, relaxing her muscles so that she could take him right down into her throat. He pulled in a sharp gasp as she got most of him in, closing her mouth as far down over him as she could. She couldn’t take all of him in, but most of him, tightening her lips around him and making him gasp.
“I want to finish inside you,” he said, and pulled himself out, gently forcing her back down onto the ground. He lowered himself onto her, kissing her before he slid down far enough to be able to get himself inside her.
Lily guided him in, and he pushed upwards with a sudden thrust that took her breath away. He held himself up on his arms and began to move against her, slowly at first, ramming home every time, bringing groans of pleasure from her as he hit the back of her. She was wet enough for him to move easily, sliding in and out, so large and ripe that he filled her completely. His breath quickened, soft grunts coming from him as he thrust harder into her, losing himself entirely in the moment. All she could feel was the friction of the rough mattress on her back, and him rubbing hard against the front of her, that point of fire between her legs eventually blotting everything else out.
“I love you,” she whispered and wrapped her legs around him, pulling him down hard against her so that he almost crushed her with his weight; his lean body pressed hard against her breasts; their bodies locked together, sweat damp and trembling. Connor wrapped his arms around her neck, supporting her head and she lay with it cushioned on his forearms, her face was buried against his shoulder. She was trapped under his weight as he thrust himself into her, again and again, a relentless pounding that became more insistent, more desperate, as he got closer to orgasm. He started to lose his rhythm, his breath coming in ragged gasps, his teeth clenched, soft keening noises forced from his throat as he got closer to the edge. Lily felt a white heat building in her loins, as he smashed into her, his movements growing more and more frenzied, until he finally came at exactly the same moment she did.
For an instant the world disappeared and Lily felt a dreadful sense of panic ‒ all she could feel was white heat and a sensation of being lost. There was no other way to describe it ‒ for a moment she seemed to be taken out of reality, and there was just a dazzling white light and a nerve tingling feeling that filled her entire being, filled their entire being. Their throbbing bodies became one for that moment in time, as she felt him come inside her, their auras mingling together. A surge of power ran through them that poured out of them, filling the whole room with radiance. Lily felt her body leave the bed until she was hovering inches above the mattress. It seemed to go on for an eternity, a complete joining of their bodies and souls. Then the light faded and they slipped back to the ground again, their bodies still buzzing with the energy pouring through them.
Something had just happened, although she had no idea what; for a moment there had been a connection between them, a bridge between more than just their bodies. She had felt what he was feeling, been inside him; for an instant she had felt every molecule of his body, just as she could feel the universe around her when she called on her power. And she knew that he had done the same.
“What was that?” Lily asked. “That’s never happened before.”
“I think that our power is just getting stronger. It’s what Hecate said would happen.”
“I feel a bit weird,” Lily said, holding up her hand and staring at it. Her fingers, her hand, all of her was tingling. It wasn’t exactly unpleasant, but it was a very odd sensation.
“Me too, Connor said, “but it’s nice.”
Lily bent over and gave him one last kiss, before snuggling back down into the pillow.
“We need to get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be… interesting.”
They were woken the next morning by a very enthusiastic Nob, jumping up and down on the bed, and startling her awake.
“Wake up sleepy heads, we’ve got a lot to do. The boss has called a war council and you gotta be there. Got some nice clobber fer yer as well, make yer look like Tuthy Danin. Can’t go and see old Elidor lookin’ like somethin’ the cat’s dragged in.”
Lily sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Connor was lying on his back beside her, with his mouth slightly open, snoring softly.
“What time is it?” she asked. She slapped Connor’s chest lightly to wake him up, and he grunted, turned over and started snoring again.
“Oh, some time, never take much notice of that down here. My belly’s telling me it’s breakfast time. Come on, up you get.”
He made a grab for the covers and Lily yanked them back from him before he could get a grip.
“We don’t have any clothes on, Nob. Would you mind waiting outside?”
He stared at her blankly for a moment.
“Oh, right you are. I’ll wait outside. Take yer time.”
He gave them a lascivious grin and a wink and leapt off the bed, disappearing out of the door. Lily flopped back on the bed and gave a yawn. She was far too comfy here to even think about getting dressed and facing all the misery she was going to have to face today. What she wouldn’t have given to be back in her bed at home, with nothing to look forward to but a day of bitching from the three Bs, and a plate of soggy fish fingers and lumpy mash when she got home. She missed her brothers and sisters more than she could bear. Connor had stirred beside her and sat up, bleary-eyed, giving her a gentle wake- up kiss.
“Did you manage to get any sleep?” he asked.
“I slept like a dead thing. I don’t even remember my head hitting the pillow.” She looked across at him and gave him a smile as weak as winter sun.
Lily looked around to see if there was somewhere she could wash, but nothing was evident. She had a feeling that personal hygiene was pretty far down the hobs’ priority list. She didn’t smell exactly, but she would have killed for a bath or shower. She picked up her dress, which still smelt vaguely of two-headed fish, and clambered down from the far-too-big bed, picking up Connor’s clothes and hurling them at him. “Everything is going to be all right. Grendel might not be the sharpest tool in the box, but he seems to understand just how serious the situation is and he’s going to help us.”
“It’s not him I’m worried about. Elidor and Mrs King of the North are the unknown quantity,” Lily said, rummaging under the bed for her boot, and pulling out an old sock that looked as if it had been there a thousand years. She threw it away in disgust.
“Whatever happens we can deal with it,” Connor said, so confident, seemingly so sure that they really could deal with anything that came their way. He was already dressed, calm and unruffled and gave her a wonderful smile.
“Ready to enter the world of hobgoblin politics then?” Lily asked as she disappeared underneath the dress.
“If I know anything about hobgoblin politics it’s going to be quite an experience. It always ends in a punch up,” Connor replied. Lily emerged through the neck opening of her dress, and wriggled down into it.
“Perhaps not this time, there’s too much at stake,” she said.
She turned to get her cloak, and as she did she spotted something she hadn’t noticed in her rush to get dressed. Hanging over the backs of the two large chairs were new sets of clothes, which looked just about the right size for them. The dress was sumptuous, fit for a queen, not one of those voluminous creations with layers and layers of hoops and petticoats underneath that they wore in our world in days long gone, but a fairy tale princess dress all the same, which actually looked as if it would be comfortable to wear.
“Oh my God, look at this,” she said, holding up a gloriously embroidered dress of ivory brocade, beaded with what looked like real pearls. It was far heavier than she imagined it would be, the fabric weighted down by the pearls and tiny precious stones. “
Where the hell did they get something like this?”
“Probably best not to ask,” Connor said, holding up the velvet tunic, a deep wine colour with fine gold edging.
“Are they for us, do you think?”
“I suppose they must be, but we can’t wear them for travelling. Best to stay in what we’re wearing.”
Lily gave him a self satisfied grin.
“Well, at least they won’t laugh us out of the court wearing clothes like these. In these we really will look like royalty.”
Connor was ignoring her and concentrating on something far away.
“What was that?” Connor asked, listening hard.
Lily didn’t hear a thing, but was loathe to admit to it.
Then she did and it was a sound she would have given anything not to have heard. It was the sound of distant screams and terrified pleas for help. Lily hadn’t even had time to process the information when the door flew open and Nob came running in, breathless, his eyes wide with fear. Sweat was pouring down his flushed face, spittle foaming at the corners of his frog mouth.
“We gotta get you out of here, chillies, gotta get you outta here now.”
He looked frantically around the room, then, spotting what he was looking for, ran over to the corner and grabbed a large Santa sack. He began throwing things into it willy nilly, including the sumptuous clothing lying on the chair, just cramming it in, higgedly piggedly and throwing other bits and pieces in on top, until the bag was bursting.
“What’s going on, Nob?” Lily asked, frantic herself now.
“No time to explain, gotta go, gotta go. Goblins.”
Nob really didn’t need to explain any more than that. Lily and Connor both understood only too well. Lily looked up, startled as a huge form burst through the door. For a moment she thought it was Mawgum, it looked so much like him, but she could see that beneath the woolly hat he wore that he was bald and his belly twice as large around. He filled the entire doorway, a great, panting behemoth, and Lily threw herself behind the bed, peering up at him over the top and ready to use her most powerful magic to attack if he came any nearer.