Beastress Inferno

by Mark Albany

  I pushed her off my lap and onto the bed. She squeaked and giggled at being manhandled like that. Her eyes closed as I moved on top of her, kissing her neck, spreading her thighs around my hips as my hands moved down over her body. Even with the lightness of her clothes, they were still too much. Too much standing between myself and her. My fingers gripped the fabric, bunching it up and trying to move it aside. When that failed, I gave a firm tug and felt them rip.

  I licked my lips at the look of need in Norel’s eyes as I tore the rest of her clothes off. I didn’t know if she had any other clothes to replace them, and at the moment, I didn’t care. I needed there to be nothing between us. I lowered myself over her naked body, kissing her lips roughly, hungrily. She reached out and gripped me, moaning as she slipped her arms under mine and over my back, nails digging into my skin and raking all the way down to my hips. I growled back at her all the way down, feeling a shiver of pleasure rushing up my spine as she gripped the hem of my trousers and pushed them down. Shoved, really, almost tearing at them as they resisted her efforts at first.

  She gasped as she felt my cock pressing between her thighs, panting gently as she reached down between us, taking the object of her desire in her hands. There was no teasing, no preparatory stroking as she looked up into my eyes, guiding the hard, throbbing shaft down between her legs to press it to her pussy.

  I needed no encouragement to push my hips forward, filling her with a firm thrust. Her back arched and she pushed back, reaching down to grab my ass. I placed a hand over her shoulder, giving me something to lean on as the second settled on her breast, enjoying the feel coupled with the sight of the heavy orbs jumping each time I pushed myself into her. She moaned, eyes closed as she gripped me tighter, nails digging into my skin, the pain fueling the pleasure as I picked up my pace, feeling my hips slapping the insides of her thighs with each thrust.

  “Harder… Right there… Yes, Grant,” she gasped, pressing her breast into my hand as she tried to match me stroke for stroke, wanting more. There was a greediness about her that set her apart from Aliana. She was demanding, and not uncomfortable with taking what she wanted.

  It was intoxicating.

  “Oh…fuck…” Norel gasped, her body shuddering as I felt her walls tightening around my cock, her orgasm drenching my shaft.

  I looked up to see Aliana watching us, as she said she would be, but I could see her fingers slipping inside herself, matching my thrusts into Norel over and over again, as her other hand grabbed her breast, squeezing the nipple and showing everything for me to see. My eyes were drawn to hers, feeling Norel coming down from an orgasm just as another was rising to meet it as I gave her no respite. I knew she could feel my pleasure matched with Aliana’s, and she was reveling in it, almost lost in it, letting her body take what it could have.

  As full of their pleasure as I was, it was impossible to resist when I felt my body begging for release. I ducked my head, my growl becoming a rumbling roar as I felt Norel’s fingers coming up to tangle with my hair. She pulled me down to feel her breasts against my lips just as I jerked into her, feeling that telltale wave of pleasure washing all over me, sending shivers up and down my body. I settled down over Norel, hearing her gasping and moaning. I slowly stopped my thrusts, feeling her warm, sweat-touched skin pressed into mine, her eyes still closed, her mouth still open as she struggled to catch her breath.

  “Gods, Grant,” she whispered, kissing my shoulder and licking her lips. “Every time with you is just… Fuck.”

  “Amazing,” Aliana whispered, moving closer, sitting on the bed next to us and running her fingers over my bare back. “I think that is the word she was looking for. Oh, look at these…” She chuckled as she let her fingers run over the spots Norel had scored with her nails.

  “I think those will stay for a while,” Norel said with a soft, breathless giggle. “You don’t mind that, do you? Reminders of our time together?”

  “I think I can live with it,” I replied, kissing her lips then pulling myself up to savor the taste of Aliana’s kiss as well. She gripped the back of my neck and pulled me in for a longer, hungrier kiss.

  “I’ll take what you have next,” she said, and I grinned in response.

  “I think I can fit you into our busy schedule of training,” I replied with a cocky raised eyebrow.

  She opened her mouth to reply, but our attention was drawn to the sound of horses being ridden nearby. Close enough that we could hear them, in fact. As far as I knew, Cyron’s golems had no need or use for horses, but I also didn’t know much about the other forces the man had at his disposal. This was no time for making assumptions. I pulled away from the bed, pulling my trousers back up and collecting my shirt as well. I could have fought without it, if the situation called for it, but I felt more comfortable in it. I pulled it over my head and swept up my sword, jogging over to the entrance of the ruins.

  I knew who it was almost before I reached the door. The banners being held and the way the men outside were dressed told me that these were men of the gentry, and what men at arms they still had command over. I still gripped my blade in hand, watching them. I wasn’t sure who was on Cyron’s side and who wasn’t. I actually had very little idea who the banners belonged to, and as their faces were all hidden by heavy helmets, I wasn’t taking any chances.

  I was quickly joined by Aliana and Norel, though both lacked the battle readiness I was carrying. Norel, for her part, was already dressed and there was no evidence of the rough fucking we’d just shared. Even her hair was done up in the neat braids Aliana had started. And here I was, still sporting the marks she’d left on me.

  “You will have to forgive our Varion’s enthusiasm, my lords,” Norel said, taking on the voice she always used when talking to these men. “We have had little chance for civilized negotiation over the past few weeks, which has us on edge. I can see you are in a similar state. Less than half our number remain.”

  One of the men dismounted from his armor-plated horse, pulling his helmet off his head. Despite the sweat and dust from what looked like a long trip, I still recognized the bearded, stout man as one of the members of the circle we’d been working with before leaving the city.

  “Lady Norel, a pleasure to see that the rumors of your death were heavily exaggerated,” he said, his thick, booming voice easy to hear as he took Norel’s offered hand and kissed it lightly. “We were worried that we had lost you, your sisters and our Varion in the onslaught when Cyron took the city.”

  “What news do you have, my lord?” Norel asked, quickly taking command of the situation. “What happened to the city?”

  “Most of us were commanded from the city to deal with attacks on our borders,” the man replied, showing Norel deference despite her clearly elven features. “We were halfway there when news about Cyron attacking the Imperial City arrived. What troops we had were quickly recalled, although the battle to attempt to retake the city was overly brief. Cyron is more powerful than he ever was, and he has taken a horde of familiars to house his power. Pollock and Vis are among the lords that have been seen among their number.”

  Just hearing the man’s name was enough to set my blood to boiling. I took a deep breath, but I could still feel the heat coming from the runes branded into my hand. The runes in my sword also started to take on a soft glow, visible even in the sunlight that remained in the day.

  Aliana placed a hand on my shoulder, and I could feel my anger starting to seep away as I closed my eyes, relaxing my body and letting her consciousness touch mine, soothing it.

  Norel noticed the silent interaction but made no mention of it as she turned back to face the man.

  “From what could be seen, Cyron’s destruction was basic and random, letting his golems run wild once the battle was over, but he appeared to be searching for something,” the lord continued. “Anyone who had any kind of magic was put to question. There was… Well, an elf was seen with him, though not in a state of prominence. Is that…”

&nbs
p; “Abarat, yes,” Norel said. “It seems that their relationship is a good deal less equal than was originally thought, and yet… Well, there is still very little we know.”

  The lord nodded, squaring his shoulders. “We took heavy losses in attempting to retake the city, but our numbers are still sizeable. Most of the powerful mages are still inside the city, unable to get out, but if we were able to coordinate with them, we might just be able to take it. With your help, of course.”

  Norel nodded, taking a deep breath. “Where are all your men?”

  “We’ve made camp in the words,” he replied without hesitation. “Spread out as well as we could, so that we can’t be found.”

  “You should stay here for the evening,” Norel said quickly. “Once you are rested from your journeys, you should tell your men to reposition here. With the fortifications and the wards in place, it is the most defensible position outside the city. With our numbers joined, we will be able to set Cyron back.”

  The man nodded, turning back to face the men he’d brought with him. “We will camp here for the night!”

  I smiled. It was interesting sight to see these men follow an elf so readily. Of course, if things hadn’t been as bad as they were, I had no doubt there would be a lot more questioning and a lot more prejudice—but when the time came for survival, humans were willing to ally with whomever offered them the best chance.

  It was one of the best and worst traits of my race, I thought as I saw Braire coming closer. There was an annoyed look on her face I didn’t understand until I realized she had been watching the exchange between Norel and the lords, and she wasn’t pleased with the results.

  Questions sprang to mind in that moment. Ones that weren’t easily put aside as I joined Aliana and Norel when they reentered the ruins.

  5

  The next morning, the four of us were together in seeing the lords ride off. They had separated their forces throughout the whole of the forest, leaving them hard to track down by Cyron and what forces that he had. While they were well-fortified within the city, the golems lacked the mobility to keep up with an army on the move, and it seemed that Cyron was more than content to let them roam the forests until he was ready to handle them on his terms.

  My only hope was that we would be ready in time to catch him off-guard and be able to force him to fight on our terms.

  I gritted my teeth as I watched the men riding away to give their respective troops their orders. I looked away and walked back into the ruins, followed by the three sisters, in relative silence. There had been some breakfast set up, but I wasn’t feeling particularly hungry. I nibbled on a piece of bread that was already starting to taste a bit stale, keeping my eyes down for fear of them looking up at Braire.

  “All right,” Aliana finally said as the silence threatened to last forever. “The two of you have either been staring daggers at each other or avoiding each other’s gaze. Would you care to explain what the problem is?”

  I looked up at her in surprise when I realized she was talking about Braire and me. It was true enough, I supposed, even if I didn’t think there were any daggers in my stares. There certainly had not been any intended.

  Braire looked equally surprised. “I have no idea what you mean, sister,” she replied coolly.

  “Grant?” Aliana asked, turning to me. There was no escaping this, I thought, placing the bread back down.

  “There is nothing hostile, I promise,” I said, still trying not to look at Braire. “I just question at what point Braire became aware of the fact that there were potentially friendly forces waiting for us to make contact with them.”

  Aliana and Norel turned to look at Braire, leading my gaze to her as well. She was clenching her teeth, picking the piece of bread in her hands to pieces but not eating any of them.

  “My beasts caught sight of smaller camps of troops spread across the forest,” Braire said softly. “I assumed they were refugees moving away, and as I had my darlings moving closer to the city, they were not seen anymore, thus making me think that they were moving away from the city. Since none of them were anywhere close to these ruins, and didn’t seem to be headed in our direction, I didn’t think it was important enough to note.”

  I wanted to call her a liar. Tell her that she was wrong not to tell us about what her beasts had seen or make the decision of what was and wasn’t worth mentioning to us. But considering that we had enough enemies beyond our little group, there was little reason to start dividing the few people I knew were on my side. We all needed each other, and my saying something that would crack the bond of trust between the three sisters while lacking proof wasn’t an intelligent move.

  I clenched my teeth and nodded, keeping silent so I didn’t inadvertently say something I would come to regret.

  Braire noticed my restraint, and smiled in appreciation.

  Meanwhile, Norel and Aliana weren’t convinced that the topic was put to rest, but from the way Braire and I were looking at each other, they knew nothing more was going to be shared.

  “I need to go for a walk,” Aliana finally said. “Would you come with me, Norel?”

  Norel nodded firmly and the two of them quickly stood, making their way toward the door of the ruins, heading out into the forest beyond and leaving me alone with Braire. Sometimes things needed to be settled just one person to another.

  “I see that my sister is helping you with your restraint,” Braire said softly. “I suppose I have her to thank for your silence as well as you.”

  “I don’t think you’d be able to get away with thanking her without spilling some of your secrets,” I said with a small smile, toying with the food in front of me.

  “I will tell them in time,” she replied with a chuckle. “I…I am just not ready to share some parts of how I’ve changed since we were last together. Too much time has passed, too many things happened for me to be with them as we were before.”

  I nodded. “Since I’m not privy to any of the history, would you consider telling me the real reason why you kept the sight of the army a secret from us?”

  She tilted her head and took in a deep breath. “The humans might be willing to work with us now, and may even think they trust us, but… You have to understand that the bad blood between our species stretches back longer than either care to remember. As the monsters of our past start to resurface, it’s hard not to think that old grievances would as well. I… Well, I knew we had to be enough to beat Cyron on our own, since we can’t afford to give any hope to an alliance with the humans.”

  “I’m a human too, you know.” I said, trying to keep my tone light.

  Braire chuckled. “I know, but you’re different. You always have been. Those men… I could see it in their eyes. They only need the slimmest excuse to hate and they will.”

  “I’m guessing they tried to hurt one of your darlings, too?”

  She laughed. “Yes… they tried to shoot my falcon down when they saw her in the sky. So there is that as well.”

  I nodded, letting my face take on a more serious look. “I understand how you feel. Well, I know, not really, since I lack all the experience you carry, but… You need to realize you’re not in this fight alone. Others have their lives and their hopes and dreams tied to the outcome of our battle with Cyron, and they have a right to fight as well. And… If we start to trust each other again, maybe this time we can do it together, from a position of greater strength than before.”

  Braire took a deep breath before pushing herself to her feet, standing over me. “You have to understand that the last time I placed my trust in a human, I ended up having to put one of my own, a man I once considered one of my closest friends, in a hellish prison of which I made myself the warden, and thus isolated myself from the world for gods know how long. My trust isn’t something that is easily granted and is easily broken. But…you have given me hope for the rest of your race, I suppose.”

  I smiled. “Well, that’s a start, anyway.”

  Braire grinned
down at me before offering her hand to help me to my feet. I took it, and was soon standing in front of her, staring into her pearly eyes. This was as close as I’d ever been to her…intentionally, anyway. The heat radiating from her skin wasn’t quite the same heat that came from Aliana, but it was there and difficult to ignore. I could feel her staring back at me, looking for… Something. I wasn’t sure what.

  I realized I was searching for something as well, and I wasn’t entirely unsatisfied with what I found. It did make me quickly look away and take a step back, disengaging my grip from hers, which had lasted a bit too long to be comfortable.

  I was embarrassed for a moment, thinking she might see the reddish hue touching my cheeks that had nothing to do with the amount of sun I’d absorbed over the past few days, but it disappeared as I saw the same tint touching hers.

  Interesting. I didn’t think elves were capable of blushing. Had I ever seen Norel blush before? My memory was feeling a bit fuzzy at the moment.

  “We should find my sisters,” Braire said quickly, moving away from me and toward the door Norel and Aliana had used. “We have a great deal to do today.”

  “Agreed,” I said softly, leaning down to pick my sword up and strap it to my back before I followed her.

  6

  Training had to continue despite the fact that our little fortress was now flooded with soldiers. The lords hadn’t been lying when they said that their forces, while modest, were still sizeable. I counted at least five hundred moving into the vicinity of our ruins by the end of the first day, with more coming in through the night.

  I decided I wasn’t going to keep count. I wasn’t going to be commanding any of these men. I didn’t know anything about leading soldiers into battle. I didn’t even know how this many people were being fed while they were all out in the forest. In fairness, they did look rather gaunt when they joined us, to the point that Aliana started to make runs into the city, using her portals to quickly jump in and find what food could be looted from the destroyed houses and bring it back to help with their rations.