“I have an idea,” Sophie offered. “Conall’s sister, Ida, is a mind-witch with some empath ability. I also know that she and her sisters relentlessly research magick. Perhaps she can send us more information on empathy, and we can try out some new things together?”
“I know of Ida,” Arianna nodded thoughtfully, “although I’ve never met her. I think it is a great idea, and I’m honored to be included in your learning. It will be our learning then,” Arianna’s magickal laughter trilled sweetly, delightfully. Used to the general joyful disposition of the fae, she grinned in response. “Now, let’s focus on filtering and emphasizing what you pick up,” Arianna stated. “Only this time, I want you to focus on one object only and intensify your magick so that you pick up more than what is on the surface. Look into the past, search for the context of the emotion.”
Sophie pictured a baby’s blanket covering everything around her - the summer kind with little crocheted holes in them. Dribbles of emotion filtered through the tiny holes, like glimpses of the past. Letting her intuition guide her, she chose the sofa by the window as her focal area, pulling at one of the tiny holes that overlapped it until the hole engulfed the entire area. A swarm of emotions wanted to rush at her, but using the shielding control that Arianna had taught her, she blocked it and allowed the emotions to trickle through instead. It was like looking through a photo album only instead of just pictures, you got the feelings associated with each picture. She saw Arianna, content, and reading a book, her heart racing when she read a particularly frightening passage. She got glimpses of other fae visiting, some filled with angst over a problem they wanted the sorceress to help them with and others simply visiting and gossiping. As she flitted through the pictorial and emotional history the sofa had been a part of, one lingering memory grabbed her attention and pulled her in. It was Arianna and a man engaged in a passionate embrace. Feeling like a voyeur, but unable to stop herself, Sophie watched as Arianna straddled the man.
The lust they felt for each other was fierce and foreign to Sophie. Arianna’s raven hair snaked up and down her back as she moved against the man, moaning in ecstasy. The man was blocked from her view by the sorceress’s back; all but his long legs. They were visible from the sorceress’s bottom downwards where they were taut with sexual tension. Sophie felt his lust increase and saw the muscles in his legs flex with Arianna’s movement. His long hands moved from the sofa to Arianna’s back. There those delicious, masterful fingers stroked her along her spine with surprising gentleness and alluring skill. Lost in the scene from the past, Sophie felt her breath quicken as those hands moved from back to her bottom, firmly caressing the mounds of flesh. The hands moved to beneath her bottom, lifting her slightly so that it could capture that place on her thighs just below her feminine mound. Arianna’s back flexed and her breathing became drowned by her wails of unadulterated rapture. This gave Sophie glimpses of his shaft and testicles. She felt her pulse leap. She pushed aside the effects the scene was having on her by focusing on the passion the two lovers had shared.
The man felt masculine pride at the responses he evoked from Arianna, his own desire heightening with every stroke he managed when the straddling sorceress moved up before plummeting down onto his shaft. Sophie felt his eagerness to please his lover increase as his own climax neared and she watched him quicken his strokes. He had the effect he wanted as Arianna screeched with her release, throwing her head back involuntarily while the hands that Sophie could not take her eyes off grabbed the globes of Arianna’s bottom and squeezed when he climaxed. Arianna was still bent backwards, riding him with involuntary spasms - a result of her intense climax. No longer distracted by the machinations of those expert hands, curiosity urged her to peek at the man’s face and that sent her spinning back to the present.
“Mon Dieu!” Sophie exclaimed, gasping for breath. Being an empath, she’d experienced every emotion, every ecstasy of the lovers as her own. The moisture between her legs made her panties stick to her hot sex. Her skin was covered in a layer of damp, her nipples were hardened, her breathing labored.
“What did you focus on?” Arianna inquired with bemusement.
“The sofa,” Sophie responded, flushed.
“Ah,” Arianna said, knowingly, “I’ve had quite a few interesting experiences on that sofa.”
“I saw you with Sylvain,” Sophie re-joined, accusation slipping into her tone. She winced inwardly. The incident happened in the past, and yet she felt like ripping the woman’s head off. Sophie forced her head to take over before her heart embarrassed her further. “Sorry,” Sophie mumbled, it was a bit of a shock.
Arianna waved the apology away. “That’s not necessary. I imagine that such a passionate scene would be a shock to anyone. I’ve been the Prince’s lover. Many have. But you already know that. The fae are after all sexual creatures with an appreciation for beauty. I wonder why, out of all the trysts I’ve had on that sofa, that that was the one that you chose.”
“I didn’t choose it,” Sophie blurted out defensively.
“But you followed intuition?” Arianna asked. At the affirming bob of Sophie’s head, she smiled. “Then it was meant to be. It is too much of a coincidence not to be. Tell me, how do things stand between you and our fae prince? I had assumed that you were lovers. The desire and affection you have for each other is obvious and since coming to the hollow, you’ve spent an inordinate amount of time together.”
“We’re not lovers,” Sophie responded a bit too quickly. “And we spend a lot of time together because we have a common purpose, and he is being polite as I’m his guest.”
“We’ve had guests before, but never before has the prince taken them on walks and picnics alone. And I don’t believe any of his previous lovers have been to the Moroccan hollow. That caused quite a bit of delicious speculation amongst the fae. Oh, don’t be bothered by it,” Arianna placated. “With the mess the humans are making of looking after the earth, we have more time than we used to in the past. There is less left for us to care for. So, we’ve developed masterful gossiping skills. Your adventure with our prince gave immense satisfaction to many. I, for one, had my first experience with cross-portal gossip.”
“I’m glad I could help alleviate your boredom,” Sophie replied dryly.
Arianna nodded, caught up in her own train of thought and was either oblivious to or ignoring Sophie’s sarcasm, continued, “The two of you would gladly jump each other’s bones. My question is why not? Why haven’t you become lovers?”
Sophie was beet red at this point, from her ruby-tinged cheeks to her scarlet eyes. “It’s complicated,” Sophie replied, her answer sounding lame to even her.
Arianna shook her head in confusion. “I don’t buy that. What’s complicated about sex? If both parties are interested, then it should happen. There is absolutely no logical reason for denying oneself pleasure when the result will be unhappiness and frustration. And Sophie,” Arianna leaned in to whisper mischievously, “you and our prince are very, very frustrated. It’s your human past, isn’t it? Goddess knows that is the only explanation I can think of. They always over-complicate matters. As a vampire and witch, you would not be so resistant.”
Sophie was struck dumb. She didn’t know how to respond to such candid questions. Her upbringing had been one of a sheltered noble female, the nuns had been practically frigid and well ... Pierre had been another sort of revelation altogether. Recollecting Sylvain and Arianna’s moment of passion, she realized that it was something she wished to experience, too. There had to be something to it if everyone made so much fuss about it. She’d tackled her fear of intimacy. It may have been inadvertently through Sylvain’s administrations, but she’d tackled it nonetheless.
Arianna sensed her inner turmoil and took her hand in hers. “May I?” the sorceress, asked more seriously. Willing to take help in whatever way she could get it, Sophie nodded and dropped her shield. After what seemed like eternity, Arianna sat back then took her other hand into hers too. “I�
��m sorry for what you’ve been put through, Sophie. And I’m sorry for what I said about humans over-complicating matters.” Arianna’s apology was sincere and she felt empathy come off her in waves. The sorceress had also dropped her shield. It was an act of deference to their relationship and acknowledgement of Sophie’s willingness to share her own emotions and memories. “It seems that I’ve underestimated how sheltered our lives are as fae,” Arianna noted.
“Thank you,” Sophie accepted the apology. “There was a lot of truth behind what you said though.”
“Of course,” Arianna agreed matter-of-factly. “The fae are rarely wrong. But, we often disregard other races because of that. You’ve reminded me to rein in my arrogance, Sophie. A valuable lesson.”
“De rien,” Sophie replied. “You’re welcome.”
Arianna sat for a moment, facing Sophie, but looking through her as she plotted, considered. “Will you let me help you, Sophie?”
Relief washed over Sophie. Gone was the embarrassment of their discussion and in place, were a woman on a mission and her pupil. “I’d love that.”
Arianna’s musical tinkle of laughter reverberated through the room. “Come, Sophie,” and she gave her hand to her pupil, pulling her up from the mat. “I think it’s time for your horizons to be broadened.”
xxx
Sophie was still blushing by the time she reached Sylvain in the meadow. Since their first date, they’d spent a lot of time together. Meeting for lunch after her training had become a daily occurrence. Sophie was grateful for the time because it allowed them to get to know each other. More importantly, it allowed for her to see beyond the many masks he wore. She wasn’t a fool. Sylvain-jovial-but-fair-fae prince was as much a part of him as the side she most favored, which was that of the man with a kind heart and quick sense of humor.
Her usual eagerness for their picnic was absent. If she backed out, he would know something was up and come looking for her. So she walked slowly to delay the inevitable, which was silly, she knew, but it gave her time to think.
She had met with Arianna earlier than her regularly appointed time so that she could continue her ‘sex education’. Sophie still marveled at the candid approach the fae took to sex. Her first lesson had been a frank discussion about the ‘birds and the bees’ with a twist. Sophie grinned at the memory. She doubted that any mother had sat her daughter down and informed her about the joys of orgasms, g-spots, and the pleasures of clitoral stimulation. The second lesson was less uncomfortable as Arianna took an almost academic approach to furthering her knowledge. Sophie and Arianna had sat with piles of books on sex - from the kama sutra to ancient lore on sex magick. The amount of material on the subject was so vast that this lesson had transpired over a number of days.
Today’s lesson was her last. As Arianna had cheekily put it, practice makes perfect. And it made her as nervous as a bride on her wedding day. Arianna had allowed her to see snapshots of numerous fae engaged in various amorous activities. Of course, it had been done with their permission. She knew that because each of the fae she’d witnessed having sex had also spoken to her. She should have been mortified, but they had been eager to inform her and had sworn to keep the discussions a secret. Fae, or at least Seelie could not lie, and so they’d keep her secret. Their belief in honor was greater than their own joy of gossiping.
The men and women she had spoken to had been kind and entertaining. Soon, she’d forgotten about her reticence and had plied them with questions. Some of the men flirted shamelessly with her, but it was harmless—they too had seen the prince’s interest in her and respected that. The women were eager to ensure that she knew exactly what she had been missing. Sophie had a good idea of what that was, which was a problem. The image of Sylvain having sex with Arianna still popped into her head regularly. Add the firsthand accounts of fae in the most satisfying carnal positions and you got yourself one as-horny-as- hell witch-vampire empath.
Sylvain rose to greet her when she arrived at their favorite tree in the meadow. “I wondered if I was being stood up,” he said before kissing her thoroughly. Sophie sighed with relief at the touch and leaned into him, throwing all the pent up frustration she had been harboring.
“Whoa,” Sylvain broke the kiss and grinned at her, “we’d better stop or I won’t be able to.”
Catching his meaning, Sophie grinned back. “Okay, change the topic. Tell me of your latest royal endeavor.”
Sophie heaped his favorites onto a plate and handed it to him. She liked knowing these little things and time together, again, had allowed her to gain these minor insights. She sat with her back to the tree trunk, her plate on her lap and looked at him to focus on what he was saying. Thus far, in the conversation, sultry images had warded off her ability to listen and she’d only caught snippets of what he had actually said.
It was a mistake to look at him. Images of his face filled with passionate release sneaked in; turning her thoughts to the wicked delights, he was more than capable of offering. Dieu! She had a strong need for this man.
“Sophie,” Sylvain called, interrupting her thoughts.
“Yes, yes,” Sophie responded. “That’s an excellent idea.”
“What’s an excellent idea?” he asked, bemusement making his blue eyes twinkle.
“Taking the fae children on excursions into the human world. That’s what we’ve been chatting about.”
Sylvain chuckled and tipped her chin up affectionately with a finger. She saw that finger between Arianna’s legs, bringing her to climax. Having his finger on her face, an affectionate gesture he’d employed many times before, sent thrills throughout her body. Biting back a moan, Sophie moved away and forced a smile on her face. Distance. They needed distance.
“I’m not that hungry. Let’s go for a walk,” she suggested. “I’m sure that there are many delights in the hollow. Why don’t you show me something I’ve never seen before?”
Sylvain, clearly amused, replied, “I aim to please.”
Oh Lordy, thought Sophie. I know. I’ve seen and felt exactly that. He gave her an arm to hook into to. Sophie couldn’t exactly refuse without being rude, although the close proximity to him after her peeping Tom experience made her gulp.
“What’s going on? You’re a bit preoccupied. Did the lesson with Arianna not go well?” Sylvain asked after a while. They’d walked away from the village and into a part of the hollow that resembled a coastal region. The ground had become white sand jotted with wildflowers and protruding rocks.
Navigating the rock-strewn path gave her the time to come up with an answer. She couldn’t exactly tell him that the image coupled with Arianna’s ‘alternate lessons’ had her wanting to jump his bones. Being alone with him and physically close heightened her awareness, making it hard to breathe and speak normally. Hell, she didn’t think she’d had an innocent thought the entire time she’d been with him.
“The lesson went well,” Sophie responded, concentrating on the ground. “I had quite a few revelations, actually.”
“That sounds interesting. Is that what you’ve got your mind on?” Sylvain glanced at her, “You know, we don’t have to do this. If you’d rather go back to the village and be alone, I wouldn’t take offence.”
“Oh no,” Sophie replied. “I’m sorry. I’m being rude.”
“Not at all,” Sylvain shook his head, “being an empath isn’t easy.” The way in which he said it, was disconcerting. It seemed that he knew more than he was letting on. “Come on,” he took them off the path, “I’ve got something to show you.”
Sylvain was fine. Sophie shook her head in self-derision. She’d been so preoccupied with sex lately that her mind was playing tricks on her. She followed him through closely clustered pines, and down a verge that led to the beach. She stopped for a moment, breathed in, and relished the salty twang in the air. “This is beautiful.” Before her lay, an ocean of sparkling waters the color of sapphires. It was bluer than the Mediterranean and calmer than a babe in sleep. “Is t
hat?” she pointed towards a brown object diving into the water from a rock. “What is that?” she corrected.
“A selkie,” replied Sylvain, looking at the giant seal-like creature. “There are many other magickal creatures here and my hollows offer them a place of safety, from humans and less peaceable supes.” He slanted a glance at her and was pleased to see the tension she’d displayed had momentarily dissipated. “Come, we’re nearly there.”
“If this is your spot, why is there a path? I would’ve thought that it’s secret.” Sophie inquired. Sylvain was leading her down steps that had been carved into the rock with a makeshift handrail flanking it on each side as it made its way down to the beach.
“It is my spot, but it isn’t secret. I don’t pull rank often, but with this I did. I need a place, just one in each hollow, where I can go to and be silent. A place, I know I will not be disturbed.”
Supernatural Seduction (Book 2 of the Coffin Girls Series) Page 12