I’m instantly cocooned in warmth as the heavy cover settles over my shoulders, and the only thing that’s exposed is my hands, but that’s a simple fix. If they were to get too cold, I can just bring them inside of the serape and they’ll be shielded from the cold completely. I don’t know if it was a test or not, but I refuse to freeze to death if she’s the one that offered me a solution to the cold.
With me fully covered and ready for the weather, we exit from Dee’s home and straight into the softly falling snow. I’m so thankful for Dee and her wool serape, because I feel more protected from the elements in this than I did in all of my hoodies. The walkway is full as people mill around and walk to the center of the village. Some stop to talk to Dee with looks full of respect, but most of them stop to stare at the strangers that’s walking with their Elder.
Dee graciously introduces us as travelers, and a lot of them accepts that with a nod of their head. Others… others look at us as if we’re here to kidnap their children. I can’t help but gawk at the kieranella seeds strung up throughout the walkway. The bright purple glow that emanates from them light up the night in such a magical way, I don’t even try to tamper down my wonder. It’s almost as if we’re walking down a path lined with light bulbs.
As we draw near to the center, the sound of music drifts on the breeze to float around us. The music is fast paced, almost like the music that was played in those old-timey movies. Clapping and cheers can easily be heard over the breeze, but what makes me smile is the sound of laughter.
We finally enter into the center and it’s full of people. Blonde, black, brown and red hair can be seen intermingled amongst each other, while skin tones range from the freshly fallen snow to the starless night sky. A lot of the women are wearing dresses like Dee, but they all range from long to scandalously short, dark to ridiculously bright. They’re all mostly dancing right in front of the pavilion, where a band is happily playing instruments I’ve never seen before. They look like the estranged cousins of the flute, guitar and fiddle.
The music is crisp but it has a strong melody that even makes Sheya perk up at the sound. There’s a bonfire set a few paces behind the pavilion, where people are huddled around it, cooking the food that the gatherers have brought out earlier.
I turn my attention back to the dancers and I really wish I knew the dance so that I could join in. They clap twice on one side of their face as they smile at each, and then they do this intricate twist and turn and dip before interlocking their arms. I twitch a little as I watch them twirl and clap, trying to memorize their moves as best as I can.
“Do you want to dance?” Caylen asks me quietly beside me. Before I can answer, Dee grabs his hand and pulls him to the ‘dance floor’. I try to squash the instant feeling of envy that overtakes me as I see them effortlessly blend in with the crowd. Caylen’s light brown hair catches the light as he moves easily with Dee. There’s a light in his eyes that I’ve never seen before and I can’t help but notice how well he knows the moves. He belongs here. He belongs with someone like Dee, while I’m just an outsider pretending to be a Relvarian.
“Come,” Titus says with a tilt of his head. Instead of dragging me over to the dance floor as I was expecting, he drags me to a table surrounded by people. They look at us warily, but there is no malice in their gaze. Just cautiousness and curiosity. On the table are cups full of steaming hot liquid. It smells sweet like juice, but I can’t put my finger on the other thing that it smells like. It has a tangy after smell that sits right on the back of the tongue.
“What is this?” I whisper to him.
“It’s called preel,” he mutters for my ears only. “It’s a juice made from the prele fruit. It is incredibly sweet, but it also has a spicy flavor to balance it out. This is the closest thing to a wine that we have here. We heat it up during the winter and it makes it a little more potent. I will advise to have only one glass to see how it will affect you.” He reaches out and grabs two cups of preel for us. I grab the cup from him and bring it close to my nose. Just the smell of the preel clears up my nose and makes the night air smell even more crisp.
We move away from the table and back near the dance floor. I take a tentative sip of the preel and the flavor burst on my tongue. It’s almost like a grape juice with a splash of turmeric. He wasn’t playing about the sweetness of the drink. It almost gives me a headache with the level of sweetness, but the spiciness cuts it down and it leaves almost a refreshing taste. Titus slams his cup back and walks over to the table to garb two more.
“Is that for me?” I tentatively asks. He just said that I should drink just one, but maybe he changed his mind on the whole thing.
“No, they’re for me,” he gruffly responds. He slams back his second glass before sipping from his third.
“Why are you drinking so much?” I ask as I sway to the music.
“Because I’m about to ask you to dance, even though I don’t know how to dance.”
I splutter a laugh and almost choke on a sip of my preel. Just the image a massive Titus lumbering on the dance floor has me warming with affection. If he’s blundering on the dance floor, then that would mean that no one would bat an eyelash at me blundering through the steps.
“Do you even know the steps of these dances, though?” I ask him.
“Yeah, I know the steps. That doesn’t mean that I can do them.”
“That’s fine by me,” I cheekily say to him. I slam back my drink, trying not to cough as it sloughed in my stomach. “I can’t dance either.” He slams back his drink and grabs my hand, pulling me to the dance floor. The energy on the floor is so high and intense, I can’t help but stomp my feet like everyone else.
The music changes and I try not to look around for Caylen and Dee. Zavid disappeared long after we went over to the preel table. Speaking of preel... the effects of the wine hit my system as we move around the floor. Titus is looking uncomfortable as he mimics the movements of everyone else.
I clap and laugh as the breeze blows through my hair. I hook my arm with Titus as we turn in a circle, only to unhook our arm to turn the opposite direction. I can tell when the preel finally hit his system when he starts smiling and laughing at our missteps. People give us a wide berth as we bumble through the steps, but they all smile at us as they watch us dance.
My face is flush as we laugh and twirl together. The kieranella seeds blaze in his eyes and I can’t imagine having this experience with anyone other than him. He cups my cheek as we spin slowly in a circle and I get lost in his eyes. I press against his chest as he reach down to press his lips against mine. The feeling of his lips is intensified ten fold, and I know that it is all thanks to the preel.
“I have never enjoyed dancing, until now,” he murmurs against my lip. A huge smile overtakes my face as I ponder what he was saying. “I never wanted to dance, until you.” He kisses me firmly, slipping his tongue between the seam of my lips. I groan into his mouth as I deepen the kiss. I can taste the preel on his tongue and it causes me to want to taste more of him. I grab the front of his shirt so that I can pull him closer to me.
“Let's go for a walk,” I say against his lips.
His eyes smolder as he stares at me and I know that he’s on the same page as me. I grab his hand and I lead him away from the festivities. We quickly walk along the path, skirting around laughing couples and playing children.
We laugh as we trudge through the snow, we laugh as we toss snow at each other, we laugh all the way up until we’re standing outside of Dee’s door.
I open it without hesitating, instantly welcomed by the warmth of the barely burning fire. I stomped the snow from my shoes and enter into the house. Titus goes to add more wood to the fire as I take the serape and my shoes off. A lightness is filling my head while my limbs feel as if they’re five pounds heavier. But my mind is as clear as it’s ever been.
“Are you really about to do this?” Sheya asks as I silently slip out of my jeans and my shirt.
“Yup.”
/>
“You want this to be your first time?”
“Yup.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yup.”
“Well… ok. There’s no protection just lying around, ya know.”
That brings me up short. I can’t imagine how hilarious I look as I stand there with a confused look on my face. I’m primed and ready to lose my virginity tonight. I know that Titus is the perfect person for this and I want it to be with him. He fits in my heart in a way that I never imagined before.
He turns around after he finish placing the wood in the fireplace and stops in his tracks. His Adam’s apple bobs as he strongly swallows. His gaze burns a path along my body and all thoughts of protection flies from my mind.
“Renee, what are you doing?” he asks. His voice is deeper than I’ve ever heard it and it’s heating my body from the inside out.
“You said you never wanted to dance until me,” I start. I walk slowly over to him as he continues to stare at my body. “Well, I never wanted to do this, until you.”
His eyes burn brighter at my confession, but there’s also another emotion on his face that I can’t decipher.
“You mean, you’ve never had sex before?” he asks. I shake my head and I stop in front of him with only a few inches separating us. His hands immediately closes over my hips and pulls me flush against him. “Renee… I… I don’t think we should do this.”
Rejection slaps me across the face and I immediately step out of his embrace. “I’m so stupid,” I mutter as I turn back to gather my clothes. How the hell did I misread this entire situation? I thought he wanted me as much as I wanted him. My face burns with embarrassment as I struggle to get my jeans on as my eyes fill with tears.
“Renee, stop. I didn’t mean it like that.” He grabs my wrist, stopping me in my futile efforts to pull my legs through my jeans.
“I thought you wanted me,” I whisper.
“I do want you, Renee.” He tilts my head up so that he can look me in my eyes. His expression is tortured as he gazes down at me. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my entire life. You have to understand that.”
“Then why don’t you want to have sex with me?”
“Because I don’t deserve to be your first,” he whispers.
“Do you want to be my first?” I counter.
“Yes.” His confession was like throwing gasoline on a flame. I grab his face and smash my lips against his. His hands grip my waist painfully tight, but not tight enough. He pulls my hips until they’re flush against his and a low groan emanates from his mouth. He pulls his lips away from mine, gasping for air. “Renee, we shouldn’t-.”
“No,” I cut him off. “We should. I don’t care that you’re Unblessed. You’re worth it in my eyes.”
“That’s not it-.”
“No more talking.” I grab the hem of his olive t-shirt, pulling it up and over his head. I yank the long sleeves off of his arms and toss it behind me to where my clothes are piled. I run my hands over his muscled stomach and his muscles flex as I graze lower. His damn black jeans are blocking my path to his shaft and my inexperienced hands fumble with the belt and the buttons to his jeans.
He slaps my hands and deftly takes his jeans off. My mouth instantly dries out at the sight of his member. I stare at it and then look down at my forearm, struggling to see the difference in size between the two. How is that going to fit inside of me?
“Uh, good question. I’m going to, uh, go somewhere else for a while. Good luck.” The feeling of Sheya leaving my mind is something I don’t think I could ever get used to, but I can’t focus on their absence right now. I’m actually happy that they’re giving me a little privacy.
Titus’ strong thighs move closer to me, and I hesitantly reach out and grab him in my palm. A low hiss escapes between his teeth as I shyly stroke him for the first time. I’ve never seen a dick in person before, and I most definitely never touched one. I slowly drag my free hand up his abs and run it over his chest. He stands rock still as I lean forward and place a trail of kisses on his chest and towards his neck. He only allows a few more seconds of exploration before his control snaps.
He moves out of my grasp, grabbing my sports bra and ripping it over my head. After that he fists my panties and pulls them clean off of my body. The pain of the fabric biting into my hip causes me to gasp out loud. He grabs me around the waist and lifts me so that I can wrap my legs around his waist. He walks over to the area that we slept earlier and places me on the floor. The soft rug and bean bag molds against my skin, and I can’t help but wriggle on it.
Titus places his strong body over mine, supporting his body weight with just his forearms. He kisses me deeply and the feel of his member poking against my stomach causes another heat flash to course through my body. I can’t help but to grind myself against him as he keeps kissing me as if I’m the most important thing to him in the world.
He releases my lips only to drag them down my neck and over my breast, until he latches on to my left nipple. I gasp as the sensation shoots through my body. His tongue dances vigorously against my peeked nipple and I can’t believe I’ve gone this long without experiencing this. His left hand grabs my right breast and he tweaks my nipple between his fingers. The pain is almost as good as the pleasure that my other nipple is feeling. After giving both nipples an equal amount of attention with his mouth, he continues his journey down until he gets to the junction between my thighs.
My breath is rushing out of me in spurts and I feel like I’m going to pass out from lack of oxygen. I grab the rug on either side of me as I try to keep myself grounded. He easily parts my legs and settles himself until his mouth is right next to my sex. He bends my knees until I’m bare to him and the world. I’ve never felt so exposed and vulnerable than I do now.
He teases me with soft kisses on the inside of my thighs, slowly working his way closer to his destination. I never knew I could get so wet and he hasn’t even really done anything to me, yet. After several tortuous moments, he finally brings his hot tongue against my waiting sex and my hips jerk up at the contact.
He licks his wide tongue up my slit until he reaches my sensitive bundle of nerves. Fastening his lips around my clit, he gently sucks on it and stars burst from behind my eyelids.
“I want to take my time tasting you, Renee,” he murmurs from his place between my thighs. “But we don’t have much time. The others could walk through the door at any moment.” I nod my head that I understood, but right now, I couldn’t give a damn if the whole village walked in on us. As long as no one tried to stop him from continuing.
He continues feasting on me and I can’t keep the moans from slipping from my lips if I tried. Which I didn’t. When I thought that it couldn’t get any better, he adds a single finger inside of me and curls it as if he’s beckoning me to come closer to him. The pressure of his finger inside me and his tongue working me from the outside pushes me to the edge a lot quicker than I thought was possible. One minute I’m writhing softly beneath him and now I’m riding his face as if I’ve done this a million times.
The pace of his tongue picks up and he flicks it against my clit with more pressure until I’m shattering against him. He keeps licking me until it’s almost painful in its sensitivity. “Titus, please,” I gasp out, not knowing what I’m begging him for. He flicks his tongue against me one more time, causing my hips to jerk up, before he climbs up my body and fasten his lips against mine. I never knew how sexy it was to taste myself on another person’s mouth until now.
“Are you sure you want to do this? It’s not too late to back out,” he murmurs against my lips.
“Of course I want to. I just don’t want to get pregnant,” I confess.
“You won’t. A Blessed is infertile until their eighteenth birthday.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” I grab his lower back and pull him closer to me, urging him with my body to penetrate me.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he confess
es.
“You won’t,” I lie, because I know for a fact that a dick that size will stretch me in ways that I’m not prepared for.
He spreads my legs further apart before grabbing his dick and positioning the head right at the entrance. He hesitates for one moment before pressing forward and into me. I gasp as a ripping sensation shoots through my pussy and I tense underneath him.
He leans his head against my forehead, grey eyes boring into my own. “Relax, Renee. You’ll only make it hurt more if you tense up.” I try to take his advice, breathing deeply and releasing the tension from my body on my exhale. As soon as I grew limp underneath him, he surges forward and immediately bottoms out in me.
He fills me up so completely, it’s almost impossible for me to take a deep breath. He begins to move inside of me, gentle strokes at first as I get used to the feeling of him inside of me. He captures my lips with his, his hot exhales brushing against my face.
“More,” I gasp out.
He hooks my legs over each of his arms, opening me and giving him the access to go deeper. I cry out as he begins a punishing pace, driving into me with enough force to push the bean bag back with each thrust. My breasts bounce with each forceful thrust and sweat slicks my body as he continues ravishing my body. Masculine moans slip from Titus’ mouth as he slides in and out of me.
We fit so perfectly together, as if we belong together.
The only sounds that can be heard in the room is our collective moans, the crackling of the fire, and the slick sound of skin slapping against each other.
He leans forward until he’s placed perfectly over my neck. “You feel so good, Renee,” he moans into my ear. “Fuck.” He bites down hard on my shoulder and I shatter again, my pussy squeezing until it elicits another long moan from him. He slams into me for a little while longer until he releases inside of me.
We stay that way for a while, my legs resting on his arms and him still inside of me. Our breaths are just gasps as we try to come down from that amazing experience. We stare at each other, and for some reason, the “L” word pops up on the tip of my tongue.
The Inner Self: The Prophecy Page 18