by Hunter Blain
A still frame of her beautiful face was spliced into the live movie of my life, here and gone so fast as to never have happened at all.
My brain, sensing the building turmoil, sent an executive order to use the watch Collin had given us to return home immediately. The floating sack of fat and neurons had an empty military general’s uniform dangling below while floating in a high-tech control room.
In contrast, my heart, sitting at an outdoor French café, lowered its sunglasses with a cigarette between its fingers and casually mentioned that maybe we should go to Faerie to see how Depweg and Magni were. Yeah! That was the ticket!
In response, my mind seemed to process the suggestion before agreeing that it, too, wanted to know how our allies were fairing with the Seelie. The executive order was rescinded, and a new one was sent down the pipeline.
My heart raised one corner of its mouth, pushing the sunglasses back in place, and took a satisfying drag from its cigarette before blowing out a smoke circle in the shape of a cupid’s heart.
24
Focusing on my friends, I reached up to grab the world around me. As I began to shift, the woman I loved flashed into my mind as my heart did a sneak attack that my brain really should have seen coming. The warm, dry world that surrounded my body slid over my skin as a cold blast of air stole my breath.
Opening my eyes, I was bombarded with a scene of whites and grays. The tip of my nose alerted me that it wasn’t happy about the heat transfer it was enduring as the frigid air of winter robbed my body of warmth.
I reached down and was about to begin buttoning my trench when I stopped and pictured my armor. It shimmered to life, and the cold retreated from my skin and muscles with a hiss of anger.
Something on my face caught my attention, and I tried to roll my eyes downward to see. I couldn’t make out the mustache or nose that were normally there whenever I focused my gaze down. Instead, an ivory plate etched in gold stretched across my lower face, protecting me from the harsh winds.
“Hmm?” I hummed, bringing a gauntleted hand up to caress my face. The helmet, having sensed my desire, had covered all exposed skin, leaving only enough room as to not hinder my sight.
“Neat!” I exclaimed at the sudden realization that I could control my armor’s appearance. I’d have to play around with that later, you know, when no one was watching.
Now that the ravenous cold was no longer an issue, I began taking confident steps toward the castle that was built into the enormous mountain range ahead.
The magnificent Court of Winter was located at the apex of a strategically significant bottleneck. Or maybe it could be considered the base of one. Hard to tell with it on its side. And I suppose your own perspective had something to do with it. Either way, it was built into a mountain range that formed a V shape. Any army that tried to lay siege on Winter, no matter their size, would have to narrow into much smaller formations. It was like that movie 300 with that one buff, bearded dude with killer abs...John Cook, I think his name was, though I might be misremembering.
My eyes drifted upward as my jaw tried to take an escalator to the ground. The top of the castle disappeared into the thick gray cloud bank that steadily spilled large snowflakes of varying geometric patterns. I watched one drift in front of my face, admiring its beauty as it surprised me by glinting in the gloomy light.
I continued forward, searching the enclosing mountain ranges for any signs of guards.
As I neared the impressive stone gates, an explosion of ice and snow made me jump back several feet, willing my gladius into existence as I landed in a defensive stance.
An entire wall of debris came raining down around me, including jagged shards of dense ice that I had to actively try and avoid. By “actively try,” I of course meant fall on my ass and do a frantic crab walk/run backward while narrowly avoiding death by impaling.
As the last of the debris fell still, my eyes bulged as I saw a line of what could only be described as giant ice dudes.
They were the deep blue of an iceberg, each wielding melee weapons that looked bigger than a city bus.
A sizzle of snow reminded me that my own weapon was still out, and I rolled backward to gracefully glide to a standing position...and then slipped. My audience got to witness both of my legs try to run away from each other, much to the dismay of my crotch.
I eventually twisted and went down on one knee before scooting my other foot—which was fully extended in front of me—back a few inches. It took several leaning scoots until I was confident that I could stand on the ice that was hidden beneath the snow. A portion of me acknowledged it was probably a part of the castle’s defenses.
Standing up straight, I casually brushed snow off of my shoulders in an effort to look cool (he lied to himself).
One of the giant ice dudes chuckled a few times before receiving an angry glare from what appeared to be the leader.
He stood directly in front of the gate with a weapon that required two hands to heft. Where some of the others had clubs the size of city buses, this guy had one the size of one of those British city buses. So...you know...bigger. Like, twice the size.
“Who trespasses on the lands belonging to the Queen of Air and Darkness?” the leader rumbled, scowling with eyes that only had the indentations of irises and pupils. He was entirely deep blue, but I could see he was staring at me.
“There are some who call me...John,” I said, mimicking that Monty Python movie about the Holy Grail; I forgot what it’s called.
At the mention of my name, all eyes began flicking to one another. All except the leader’s whose scowl deepened with audible cracks, like a heavy truck driving on a gravel road.
“I’m here to see my girlfriend. I need to make sure she’s still Team John and not that Edward dude that bathes in glitter before leaving the house.”
The giant continued to stare daggers at me. Or maybe they were full-blown longswords. I couldn’t tell. Either way, he seemed tickled blue that I was here. Bah, that was terrible. I’ll get back to you on that one.
“So, um, can Lily come out and play?”
“You shouldn’t be here,” the leader said in a softer tone that was more in warning than in threat.
“I’ve been getting that a lot lately.”
He regarded me for another few moments before turning to his right and nodding once, and then repeating the process on his left.
The soldiers on either side of him began sinking into the ground, all eyes locked on me. It was creepy, man.
I flailed my arms out in a full-body shudder while going, “Ye-uck.” I didn’t know if it was from the cold or the giants eye-fucking me. Probably both.
“She is expecting you,” the leader said as he, too, began disappearing into the ground. Just before his head went under, he whispered, “It’s not too late. Run.” Then he was gone.
“Eh, I hate cardio,” I said to the air in response to his suggestion.
The gate groaned as massive chains steadily clicked somewhere behind the castle walls.
As the door reached just over six feet in clearance, I strolled forward with my eyes scanning the area beyond with a little more vigor than what would be construed as “casual.” As I passed under, I took note of a section of the stone door that looked like it had been patched with dense ice roughly the size of a man. “Hmph,” I let out in mild wonderment as I continued forward.
I was in a clearing between the actual castle itself and the defensive walls. Gray stone poked through the mounds of white snow, with the bulk collecting in piles near stone structures.
To my left was an archway above a long hall that eventually curved out of sight and into blackness. It was the same on my right.
Facing forward, I let my gaze roam up the castle and made a “not bad” expression, though it felt like I was trying to do an awful facial impression of Robert De Niro.
Another set of large stone doors—carved to look like wood—began opening inward in front of me. There was a distant roar
that sounded like it belonged on a dinosaur mixed with a lion, and I scanned the sky to see the outline of something massive disappear into the thickening clouds, a black reptilian tail slashing a path through the cover before being swallowed by the gray sky.
With a nervous gulp that took me by surprise, I forced my eyes down and willed my feet to step forward to take me to my beloved.
The castle interior reminded me of the Seelie Court to a small degree. Where they had the colors of summer and spring, this was all the darker tones of winter and autumn. Instead of green moss and living vines on the ground, a pale frost created a patchwork over a path of brown leaves that somehow didn’t crunch underfoot.
I continued to casually stroll through the castle’s interior, taking in everything, when a tender, feminine hiss echoed down the main hall in front of me, accompanied by a gentle breeze that caressed one of my cheeks.
Taking my cue, I picked up my pace and strode down the hall where a truly impressive throne room awaited me.
I wanted to take in all the splendor of the Fae architecture, but my focus was immediately pulled to the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.
Lily—my Lily—sat upon a throne of ice that stuck up from the floor. It sat in direct juxtaposition from the Seelie Court. Instead of a living dress comprised of lush foliage and a crown of vines, Lily wore a glinting gown made of virgin snow with a crown of ice atop her head. It spilled a veil of frost down my love’s alabaster face. The blue of her lips made me frown for the briefest of moments, reminding me of a corpse. Five-year-old girl.
I shook the thought free and forced my mind to open the faucet of joy at seeing Lily.
“You shouldn’t have come, John,” Lily said in a tone that hinted at sorrow and disappointment, though I couldn’t figure out why. “I told you not to come.”
“It’s only been, like, a day, Lily. Surely you haven’t lost your mind yet.”
“It’s not that,” Lily said as she tightly closed her eyes, which were now almost as white as the snow around her body.
“Then what is it?” I asked gently, taking a few more steps forward with my hands dangling at my sides, palms out toward her. All I wanted to do was hold her.
“I...” she tried to say before something caught in her throat and she shot a hand up to her chest as if trying to breathe.
“Lily!” I called out, blurring forward and up the throne, resting my hands on her shoulders. Her skin felt like smooth ice, and I almost yanked my arms back in surprise. Only the overwhelming desire to feel her kept my hands in place.
“I’m fine,” she got out, clearing her throat in a dignified way that only royalty could pull off after a lifetime of practice. This wasn’t my Lily, but she was somewhere beneath the cold skin.
I brought a hand to her face and ran my thumb down the line that went from her eye to the corner of her mouth.
Regaining her composure, Lily asked, “Why are you here, John?”
I took note that she hadn’t called me lover like when she normally teased, and it worried me. I glanced around at the different hallways leading to the throne room, leaned in, and asked, “Is there somewhere we can go to be alone?”
She looked at me, a microexpression of rage crossing her features, before the Lily I knew manifested. I could tell it was her by the way her snow-white eyes darkened to a color between blue and gray. Then she nodded.
Lily stood up, grabbing my hand, and made her way gracefully down the throne steps. I followed just behind, letting the air that carried her scent drift into my nose.
I was glad she couldn’t see me as she led because I could feel myself frowning at what I smelled. I was used to the delightful aroma of flowers that teased my heart. What went into my nose at that moment was like the air after a heavy snowfall; clean and lacking a definable smell. It was almost as if the cold itself acted in place of her scent in much the same way that water’s flavoring was based on its temperature. It wasn’t that I didn’t like it. It just...wasn’t her.
After following Lily down a series of hallways, we arrived at a door that stood alone amongst the stone. No other rooms lined this particular section of the castle, and I took it to be her personal quarters.
Once inside, Lily walked with a magnificence that would have made female stars from the days of black-and-white films jealous with her flowing grace.
I gulped again as my eyes locked onto her perfect, perky, and plump posterior, the lovely lady lumps evident even under her dress of snow.
Stopping in front of a pedestal that stood at chest height, Queen Lilith removed her crown of frost and set it on a red felt decorative pillow, once again becoming Lily.
The snow faded from skin that was the color of pure marble as she pivoted to face me, completely naked.
My mouth went dry as I nervously rubbed my hands up and down my thighs, fighting a moan of desire that fought, desperately, to escape my throat.
My Lily looked at me in her usual coy fashion before something in her controlled demeanor gave way and she rushed over to me with her arms outstretched.
I matched her step for step and we collided in the center of her queen’s suite, a coil of exploring limbs and my falling clothes.
Lips locked in an embrace, forming a cage for our tongues to vigorously wrestle one another, with both being crowned champion.
Our hands found a common goal and we feverishly tore at my clothes until I was left standing in just my black socks.
She broke my embrace with a smile before biting her bottom lip, which had flushed red. Fingers inserted into my hair and she yanked my head sideways, giving her full access to my neck. Teeth lightly, playfully, bit into my flesh before being replaced with countless tender kisses.
The woman I loved moved down my chest, dragging a finger between my pecs and kissing every few inches, all while staring up at my eyes. There was a carnal hunger building that only passionate lovemaking with someone that truly held your heart could alleviate.
She lowered herself to her knees as I stood straight up in more ways than one.
As she kissed around the front of my hips, I prepared for the indescribable feeling that was moments away. I closed my eyes and took quick breaths as my skin tingled in delight.
With a giggle, she leaned down further and slid one of her fingers into my...left sock, pulling it down. I opened my eyes with one brow arched and looked down to see her lifting my foot off the floor with a playful smile. She repeated the process on my other foot before saying one of the sexiest things a guy could hear in the bedroom.
“No socks.”
Okay, it might not be the sexiest thing, but it definitely showcased a man’s innate ability to ignore all social cues while so close to getting laid. Oh shit! Back to the hot stuff (Sorry!).
As I began to wind down from the buildup of what I thought she was going to do while on her knees, she lunged upward, grabbing me with pleasantly warm hands, and knocked my socks off in more ways than one.
I inhaled sharply as her free hand reached up to rake down my chest, leaving deep claw marks that left bloody trails before instantly healing. I let out a moan of pained pleasure as my nerves fought over what signals to send to my brain. I could feel my brow fighting between quivering in pain or relaxing in complete ecstasy.
Looking down at her, we locked eyes, and I could see her smile with me still inside her mouth before pulling a magic trick. I couldn’t even brush my teeth without gagging, so it was beyond impressive to see what Lily was doing right then...or maybe I was giving myself too much credit (Am I right, fellas? Shit! I’m doing it again. Back to it!).
After a few minutes of toe-curling bliss where a portion of my brain had to focus on not falling over backward, she pulled back with a beaming smile, her lips glistening.
I forcefully grabbed her by the tops of her arms and lifted her to desperately press her full lips into mine. After a few seconds of sloppy kissing, I grabbed her firm, muscular ass and lifted her up, pressing her trembling body into mine before
making my way over to the bed.
Some fucking little foot stand with a cushion on top decided then was a good time to embrace my pinky toe, and I yelped while continuing to make out.
When my knees hit the bed frame, I moved my hands to grab her under her armpits and then slightly lifted her tiny frame while aggressively pushing her backward. She let out a tiny yelp of surprise and delight as she landed, kicking her feet excitedly.
Grabbing her ankles with both hands, I yanked her butt closer to the edge of the bed while separating her legs in quick, fluid movements, all while staring at her with eyes that dripped with confidence and a desire to please.
It was my turn to drop to my knees, kissing slowly up her thighs, biting every now and then at random intervals. Sometimes it would be a gentle kiss, then a deep bite, before going back to gentle kisses. I may have succumbed to the irresistible urge to blow a raspberry on her thigh, but I don’t kiss and tell...wait...
Lily writhed with anticipation, unable to control herself and not wanting to do so.
I returned the enthusiasm of her oral show of love, bringing her to the edge over and over again until moans of pleasure that teetered on climax became sexy grunts of enjoyable frustration at being denied at the last moment.
When she lifted her red face and messy hair to stare at me with pleading eyes, I smiled once, then went in for the kill.
I had to grab her hips from both sides to keep her from bucking away from my lips and eager tongue that I could move faster than any mechanical toy.
Then she collapsed to the bed with heaving breaths, and I slowed my momentum to let her enjoy what she deserved.
I moved my hands from her hips, which were gently gyrating now, and lightly kneaded her firm breasts. Her own hands glided over to land on top of mine, and she forced her fingers through mine to grab her flesh much more aggressively. I took the hint and followed her wordless commands, feeling her hips beginning to buck again as she gasped.