by K. L. Thorne
Lori smiled and excitement fizzed in her belly. Now she had her very own real-life hero to stroke lovingly.
That last kiss, back in the log... Lori curled her toes inside her boots. That had been straight out of the pages of a steamy novel. She had never been kissed like that before. It made her previous experiences seem awkward and slobbery. She grimaced.
Now all she could think about was kissing Lephas again. Though he had been receptive to her, she was nervous. Last night she had hidden behind her grief as a reason to get closer to him, but now? She didn't have any excuses left, other than simply wanting to kiss him. Lori fiddled with her braid thoughtfully.
“Are you feeling cold yet?” Lephas turned and glanced at her over his shoulder. He was out of breath, clearly struggling with his painful injury.
“I am a little. I could do with a rest.” Lori nodded. Though she was cold, she could have continued on a little further but the demon sounded exhausted. He could do with a rest.
Lephas came to a halt and dropped his satchel from his back before sitting carefully on the thick branch of a nearby tree.
“How's the rib?” Lori asked, kneeling to pull the nearly empty water skin from the side of his bag. She held it out to the commander.
The demon winced, taking a large gulp of water. “Painful. We're not going to get as far as we need to get today.” He sounded disappointed.
“We'll just have to take it one day at a time.” Lori smiled softly.
“I'm just worried about the weather getting worse again.” Lephas glanced up at the sky. It was still clear, but a fine mist of cloud had begun to form once more. “And we're out of food. I'm going to need to find us something to eat before it gets too dark.”
“What did you have in mind?” Lori asked, taking the water skin from his hands and sipping at it herself.
“Honestly? We have limited options. There are not many fruits or vegetables around at this time of year. Our only hope is to hunt a rabbit or a deer down.”
“You're not exactly in any condition to do that, are you?” Lori shook her head.
“No and that's what worries me,” Lephas sighed, immediately grimacing and holding his side.
“So, what should we do? We can't just sit here and starve to death.” The princess flipped her braid over her shoulder.
“It's a bit risky but I could try to fashion together a trap. We've still got that one biscuit left, right?”
“Yes. I put it back in the parcel.” Her stomach growled. Lori had been looking forward to eating it, but she kept quiet.
“Maybe we could use that as bait. I've got a snare wire in here somewhere.” He reached for his bag and began hunting through it.
Lori pursed her lips “A snare wire? That doesn't sound very friendly.”
“No, unfortunately not, but without Karn or a bow and arrow, the likelihood of us catching a rabbit is zero.”
“Where's that damn mutt when you need him?” Lori scowled.
“I hope he's made it back alright. He wasn't in a good way.” Lephas' face flickered with worry
“The wolf seems pretty hardy. I'm sure he's gotten to safety.” Lori smiled sympathetically. She got to her feet and sat beside the demon on the branch.
“He is tough, but he'd lost a lot of blood...” Lephas shook himself. “I'll worry about Karn later. For now, just not starving or freezing to death would be an achievement.”
The demon pulled a long thin wire from his pack and flexed it back and forth a few times. Lori watched on curiously.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked.
“Do you know much about tracking rabbits?” He raised his brow curiously and smiled.
“Less than nothing I'm afraid.”
“Figured as much.” Lephas shook his head. “So, first I need to tie this up...”
He deftly bent the wire into a small loop and wrapped it around itself securely. Then he turned his attention to the other end and fed the wire through the loop he had made.
Lori pressed her lips together as the wire formed a sinister-looking noose shape. Lephas placed his fist in the looped section and pulled it to the correct size.
“Any bigger than that and you'll only catch the rabbit's middle or back end. We need to trap it by its neck,” he instructed, holding up the wire to show her.
The demon reached into his bag and pulled several more pieces of wire out. He quickly and professionally bent them all into the same noose shapes.
“We'll need to set a few. Rabbits are difficult to out-smart.”
“Poor bunny...” Lori whined.
“There's no 'poor bunny' about it. Do you want to starve?” Lephas retorted sternly.
The princess sighed. “No... It's just so sad. They're so cute.”
“They carry diseases and destroy farmland,” Lephas replied, getting carefully to his feet. “It's not sad, it's life. Now come on.”
“Where are we going?” Lori asked, hopping to her feet as well.
“I need to find some rabbit tracks and find a place to put these snares down. After that, it's just a waiting game.” The demon glanced up at the sky as he shrugged his bag back on. “It's probably about midday, maybe just after. We should keep walking for the time being until we find somewhere to camp and then set the snares nearby.”
Lori dutifully filed in behind Lephas as they began trudging through the snow once more.
“So, these snares may not even catch something tonight then?” Lori asked.
“No, potentially not and those biscuits are hardly the best bait either. However, we do have the weather on our side. Rabbits will be especially hungry at this time of year.”
The faerie nodded, listening intently.
“If I can find a few rabbit runs, we can put the biscuit down as bait to draw them in. When we flush them out, they will use their runs as escape routes. When a rabbit runs through one of these, it'll–”
Lori held up a palm. “Please, spare me the details. I really don't want to know.”
“They're only rabbits, Lori. Did you never have rabbit served to you back in Awrelwood?” Lephas scoffed.
“Well, yes, but that was already cooked and sliced up so it didn't look like a bunny any more.”
Lephas laughed. “But this is how that rabbit got to be on that table. Or maybe by even worse methods. I've heard they–”
“No, don't tell me!” Lori squealed, hiding her face. “I really, really don't want to know.”
“Alright... But you need to harden yourself up to things like this. You're no princess out here with me, remember?” The demon grinned.
“Honestly, I don't think I could be considered a princess any more, full stop. My father certainly seems to have forgotten,” Lori replied bitterly.
“Then it's definitely time to start experiencing the real world. We'll start with hunting rabbits.”
“Great,” she grumbled playfully.
Though she didn't like the thought of snaring and strangling a poor innocent rabbit to death, the faerie had to admit Lephas was right. She had led such a sheltered life and she knew nothing about how to survive outside the castle walls.
The demon commander was so knowledgeable and prepared for everything - part and parcel of being a soldier of his ranking, she figured.
Although wary and unsure about what fate awaited her in Banesteppe, she couldn’t deny she was also excited to experience real life for the first time in twenty-six years. Lori hoped Lephas would be as willing to educate her on other things too; like interacting socially with the demon populace, new foods and drinks to try, new music to listen to...
Lori licked her bottom lip. Maybe her demon companion would be game for teaching her a thing or two in bed, as well. He was older than her and, looking the way he did, she could imagine he'd had his fair share of bed partners.
Her own sexual experiences so far hadn't been nearly as thrilling as she had hoped. The first had been awkward and a little painful, and the second had been over before it h
ad really begun. Surely there was more to it than that? Or maybe that romance book had been just another lie all this time.
Lori had to admit, they were off to a good start. The two brief kisses had been really eye-opening. She hoped anything else they may experience together would follow suit.
She desperately wanted to feel those wonderful hands on her again – touching her face, her waist, between her legs–
“Lori?” Lephas interrupted. He had stopped walking and had turned to look at her.
“Hm? Sorry, did you say something?” She blinked, feeling her cheeks flush.
The commander sighed irritably. “Glad you've been paying attention. I was just saying that rabbits tend to come out in the early morning and late evening. If I can get set up early enough, we might be lucky enough to get one in time to eat before it gets too dark. We’ll have to be quiet and wait one out.”
“Okay.” Lori nodded.
“Fortunately, I've seen a few rabbit trails as we've been walking. It seems there are a few burrows around here.” He stopped to crouch, groaning and holding his side as he did so.
The demon looked into the undergrowth, his brow furrowed with concentration. Lori knelt beside him and tried to pretend she could see anything other than the snowy forest floor.
“Here. See those tracks?” Lephas pointed towards a slightly hollowed out section of plant life.
“Yeah.” Lori looked harder, barely making out some small scuff marks through the snow.
“Those are rabbit tracks. The snow makes it easier to see them.” Lephas held one of the snare traps up and wrapped the free end of the wire a few times around a nearby thick bramble so the noose section encircled the gap in the undergrowth.
He stood with a wince. “There, that's one. Now if I put a few more around...” The demon glanced curiously around the wooded area.
“Where will you put the bait?” Lori asked, following behind dumbly.
“In the middle of the snares. The chances of the rabbit choosing any one of the routes to escape is quite high that way.”
Lephas quickly and expertly set up all his snare traps whilst Lori watched on. She shivered, shifting from foot to foot. It got cold so quickly when she was stood still.
“There.” Lephas got to his feet and brushed snow from his gloves. “Now we need to find a spot to lay low for a bit. Not too close, but not so far that we won't notice a rabbit coming in to have a look at the bait. Have you still got the biscuit?”
“Yes.” Lori fished the linen parcel from her coat pocket. She unwrapped it, revealing the remaining blood berry and the biscuit from earlier that morning.
“Okay, great. Break it into four pieces and sprinkle it around in this clearer area here.” Lephas motioned. “That's about central to all the snares.”
Lori crushed a small section of biscuit and dropped it into the snow.
“Keep the rest, just in case. We don't want to waste it all too early – especially if rabbits aren’t keen on biscuits.”
“So where shall we hide?” Lori asked, looking around.
“Just up here.” Lephas pointed through the forest and began hiking forwards once more. The princess followed obediently. Once they reached the top of the small incline, Lephas turned and surveyed their vantage point.
“Perfect. If we lie here, we can see straight through to the bait. If a rabbit shows, we’ll scare it off with a loud noise and hope it startles in the right direction,” he said, kneeling in the snow
“There seems to be a lot of factors that could go wrong here.” Lori mused, getting down in the snow to join the commander.
“There always is when hunting game.” Lephas agreed. “Unfortunately, it's highly likely we won't succeed; at least not the first time. We've just got to hope the harsh winter and that snow storm we had yesterday has left a lot of rabbits hungry and willing to take risks.”
Lephas glanced at Lori, the look on her face was clearly evident.
“Don't you dare say 'poor bunny' again.” He grinned.
Lori laughed. “Sorry, sorry! I can't help it.”
Lephas reached for his pack and unfurled the rolled mattress. He laid it out flat in the snow.
“Here, lie on this. We might be waiting a while.” He gestured to the mat.
Lori got down onto her stomach, resting her weight on her elbows. “What about you? You're hurting already and lying in the snow isn't going to help. We can share.” She shifted across.
“Alright, but remember we have to be quiet.” Lephas lay down beside her. He hissed with pain as he got comfortable, clearly favouring his right side, and shunted his sword out of the way.
“You're suffering today, aren't you?” Lori whispered.
“Yeah, it's hurting a lot.” He admitted, his voice soft and low. He kept his eyes trained determinedly through the undergrowth, focussed on rabbit look-out.
Lori was far more absorbed in watching him. She tried to feign the same level of interest in capturing a rabbit, but she couldn't stop herself from glancing across at the commander's handsome face.
He was sat up slightly, also resting his weight on his elbows. They lay beside one another, so close that their shoulders were touching. If he was aware of her looking at him, he did a good job of ignoring her. His dark eyes were fixed solely on the bait.
They both lay still, only breaking the heavy silence when one of them shifted to get more comfortable and the snow creaked beneath their weight.
Lori's heart hammered in her chest. She so badly wanted to touch and kiss him again, but he was so fixated on this rabbit. Would he be angry with her if she distracted him?
Almost as if he could hear her thoughts, Lephas sighed heavily.
“Still nothing. Usually you'd set up these snares and go home for the day and check back on them in the morning, but we need this to work for us tonight,” he murmured.
“It's a pretty boring first date, I'll admit that much.” Lori teased, keeping her voice low.
“Since when were we on a date?” Lephas asked with an incredulous look on his face.
“We're not, but, y'know, if we'd met in a normal capacity and had kissed like we did yesterday, then I would have considered today to be our first date.” Lori joked.
“Well shit, this is a bad date even by my standards then.” Lephas laughed quietly.
They fell into a comfortable silence once more. Lori shifted under the pretence of adjusting her position and deliberately pressed herself a little closer to the demon. He didn't move away from her.
A bird sang nearby, its warble echoing through the forest. Lori fought to keep her eyes trained on the still empty clearing. They had been waiting for at least an hour already, with nothing to show for it.
“You said rabbits like to come out at dusk, didn't you?” Lori whispered, breaking the silence once more.
“Yes, but that's not a hard and fast rule. We needed to start early to stand a chance of getting something to eat this evening. I wanted to get our scents clear from the area,” Lephas replied.
“I'm bored,” she retorted, resulting in a low chuckle from the demon.
“Yeah, me too, but we have to stay here and keep trying. Unless you’d rather go hungry?” He shot her a grin.
Lori huffed, pausing thoughtfully. “I've got an idea for how we could pass the time.” Her heart sped up, stomach flipping nervously as she took the plunge.
“Yeah?” Lephas eyed her curiously. The look on his face suggested he knew what she was implying, but she wasn't ever really sure with the demon.
“Yeah,” Lori replied simply. As quietly as she could manage, she rolled onto her back and turned her head to face him.
So far, she had grabbed him before they hurtled off the cliff and she had started the kiss in the log... This time Lori was determined not to make the first move.
The princess desperately wanted to know if Lephas actually wanted to kiss her. She needed him to take the initiative.
They gazed at one another for long moments, neit
her of them moving. Lori wet her lips, pleased to notice Lephas' eyes dip to follow the movement.
“What are you waiting for?” Lori whispered, her heart beating wildly in her chest.
“I'm not sure,” Lephas answered honestly. With a small, frustrated growl, he finally leant over and placed a soft kiss against her lips.
Lori immediately responded and the tension melted away. She allowed her eyes to flutter closed and kissed him back.
This time, the demon wasted no time before deepening their kiss and Lori opened up invitingly. She placed her hand gently on his neck for encouragement.
Lori sighed shakily, brushing her tongue against his as they explored one another. She felt hot, the warmth of arousal pooling between her thighs.
The kiss grew deeper and more frantic. The demon commander pressed his mouth firmer against hers with a deliciously deep, masculine groan.
She needed to touch him, for him to touch her. Lori squirmed and raised her knee in a silent request.
Lephas understood. He broke their kiss momentarily to shift himself into a more comfortable position and Lori hurriedly shuffled closer, hooking a leg up over his hip.
Their mouths melded once more and, being careful not to squeeze him too hard, the faerie wrapped her arms gently around the demon's chest.
Lori sighed and a soft moan escaped her when he delved forwards with his tongue once more. She rolled her hips forward instinctively.
Lephas grasped the thigh she had draped over him. He pulled her in against him so they were pressed together tightly, body to body.
As they continued to kiss, the warmth between her legs began to develop into a familiar dull, aching need. When Lephas shifted slightly to bring his own thigh between hers, she took full advantage.
Lori moved her hips in an attempt to rub against the demon, desperate to ease the tension that was steadily building inside her.
Lephas rolled his weight onto her and Lori eagerly brought her leg up to join the other, wrapping them around his waist.