Darque Wants (35 page)

              “A thousand years ago,” he began as she lay on his chest. “There was a beautiful woman. She lived by the sea in Connacht, Ireland. Her father was a powerful sorcerer named Talisin. The woman's name was Ceridwen. She had pale skin that glimmered like moonlight and flowing black hair that swept around her like the waves of the ocean around the rocks of the shore.” His words sounded like music, and the constant vibrations that emanated from his chest soothed Anna. She felt as if she might actually be asleep and dreaming as she listened to his bedtime story.

              “Bedtime story?” she thought to herself. Something about this seemed familiar, and she wondered if she had heard this all before.

              “Talisin and the King were very good friends and often spent hours together discussing the magic of the natural world. But Talisin had a secret he kept from even the King. The sorcerer was an immortal spirit who had seen a beautiful woman bathing in the forest pool in the moonlight and fallen madly in love with her. He sacrificed his immortality so that he could take human form and woo the beautiful woman. Once a mortal man, he found the woman and made her his wife. But what Talisin had not known was that it had been a trap. The beautiful woman had been a nymph that was sent to seduce him by another spirit named Lug. But the nymph fell in love with Talisin and told him of the deceit. The two had fled to the far side of Ireland to escape Lug. There they lived by the sea together and were very happy. The nymph bore Talisin a beautiful daughter. And when she was born and took her first breath, the night sky burst into blue flames, and the fabric between the worlds opened up so that all the spirits might gaze upon the beauty of the child. But the flames caught the attention of Lug and exposed Talisin’s hiding place. No longer content with simply killing Talisin, Lug sent evil spirits to kidnap the nymph. In his dungeon, Lug tortured the nymph until she bore him a daughter as well. When the child took its first breath, the sky erupted in a burst of red flames that burned the fabric of the night and allowed the evils spirits of all the worlds to spill onto the earth. The nymph, wrought with pain and sorrow, sacrificed her life to seal the fabric and save the world.”

              “Lug was furious and vowed to reopen the fabric and destroy the world using the power of both the nymph’s daughters combined. But Talisin had once again moved and hidden his daughter. Having sacrificed his immortality for love, he was growing old. When he realized his time on the earth was ending, he took his friend the King into the forest and told this tale. He asked the King to marry Ceridwen so that he would know she would be kept safe. The King, who had always been in love with Ceridwen, agreed and made her his Queen. When Lug discovered that Ceridwen had been made Queen, he sent an army to destroy the kingdom and bring Ceridwen to him. He sent his own daughter, Arwin, to lead the attack along with his most devoted hunters. Arwin laid waste to the kingdom and destroyed everything in her path. Her personal hatred of Ceridwen led her to go against her father's wishes. She killed Ceridwen rather than returning her to Lug. As the King lay dying he called his personal guard, made up of the sons of his most loyal houses. He entrusted them with protecting the heir to the throne. To give them the power to protect his daughter, the King used a vial of magic blood Talisin had left upon his death. He poured the potion into his glass and filled it with the last drops Ceridwen's blood and then his own and commanded the guards to drink it. The potion gave them special abilities but also bound them to the King’s bloodline for eternity. All descendants of the great houses of Connacht are bound to marry and protect the descendants of Ceridwen, or they will perish. But the potion bound them so they could not tell the heirs, they had to choose to surrender to the guardians willingly.”

              “Perish?” Anna thought to herself as she listened. She thought back to the night she was taken by Connor. On the bed that had always been where she saw Kat in her dreams was the lifeless body of one of the strangers. “This fairy tale bullshit can't be real?”

              “But seeing the potion,” Connor continued as he pulled Anna tighter to quell her restlessness. “Arwin's hatred got the best of her, and she spilled her own blood into the cup to curse the heirs of Ceridwen. Their magic was bound by the curse to their lust, which the power of Arwin's hatred multiplied so that the heirs would be controlled by it and fall victim to their desires as Arwin herself had.”

              “Multiplied their lust?” Anna thought about the way her dreams had built in their intensity until she was so horny she would have jumped anyone who stood still long enough. But something about the “fall victim” line made her tremble inside. She forced her face tighter to Connors chest and shivered. Sensing her concern, Connor pulled the blanket up over Anna's shoulder and picked up the towel from the bed. He wrapped it around her still wet hair and pulled her back to him closely.

              “The story is almost over, Anna,” he said as he reassured her. “Then you can sleep. I will stay tonight to watch over you.” Connor held her tight and went back to his tale. “After the battle was over, the lords of Lug’s army returned Arwin's body and the cup that held the potion to him. Lug was furious that the heads of his most loyal houses had failed him and not brought Ceridwen to him, but when he saw the body of his own daughter, his fury was overwhelming. He took the cup which still held a few drops of the potion and with his magic made it full again. He forced the sons of the lords who failed him to drink from the cup and bound them to the same fate as the protectors of the heir. They would have the same abilities to hunt down the heirs as the guardians had been gifted to protect them. They would also be motivated by the need to seduce and marry an heir or perish. But he added a drop of his own blood to the cup as well. The anger and hatred that flowed through his veins poisoned the potion, freeing the hunters to be as cruel towards the heirs as they desired. And so for a thousand years, the great houses have hunted and battled over the heirs of Ceridwen and the throne of Connacht. If the heir on the throne is a bride of the Guardians, then the fabric between the worlds is protected. If the heir on the throne is a bride of the Hunters, then the fabric between the worlds is torn, and evil spills into the world.”

              “Sleep now, Anna,” Connor said and he leaned his head down and kissed the top of her forehead. Anna felt her body ease. She melted into him and quickly fell asleep as she tried to hold on to the pieces of his story. But it was no use. She was fast asleep before the tale had sunk in. Connor's eye stayed fixed on the night sky beyond the window as he held her tightly to his chest.

*****

              Anna slept peacefully for the first time since she could really recall. Connor had stayed, and she was still in his arms when she woke early in the morning. As her eyes cleared and she saw him, feeling the warmth of his closeness, the strange story he had told last night was the furthest thing from her mind. She was a newlywed after all. That is if she understood this all. As she stirred in his arms, Connor brushed the hair back from her face.

              “Good morning,” she said lifting her head from his chest. “Oh God. I bet I have the worst morning breath,” she thought to herself. Connor didn't seem to notice as he lifted her chin and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on her lips. The gentleness of it made the little girl inside her shiver. It was also a contrast to the images she had in her mind of him. The cool dark stranger standing in the shadows watching over her. Or the firmly sculpted man hovering between her thighs as she lay bound to the stone altar.

              “Hush,” his voice came softly. “You don't want to get things fired up again so soon,” he said stroking her hair back behind her ears. “They have only just fixed the lights in the building, and the bathroom is still taped off.

              “Shit!” Anna piped out as the memory of the events in the shower came flooding back into her mind. “Ok, whatever the hell is going on is insane.” She protested, “And on top of it all, I really have to pee!” She pulled herself from Connor and slipped off the bed. As the blanket fell away another realization came to her. She was stark naked. She stood frozen, her pale skin marked with intricate sleep lines that made her look like a porcelain road map. Her skin began to flush with embarrassment as Connors eyes studied the map like a man lost in the wilderness. She could see that the calm cool persona he projected wasn't always the real person inside the dark black suit. She watched as the bulge in his pants grew quickly. The motion of it lurking just under the thick black cloth made her body react. She felt flush now, not from the embarrassment of being exposed, but from the memory of their wedding night. The memory of that hard cock and how it felt as it forced its way inside her.

              “Anna, hush!” His voice came a bit firmer as he rose from the bed. “I mean it. You have to calm down.” He tried to adjust his now stiff cock without being entirely obvious. “This isn't a safe place, and you haven't learned how to control your power.” He marched across the room and snatched up a robe from the dresser. He came up behind her and wrapped it around her. 

              “Calm down,” Anna huffed. “What the hell does he mean calm down? I'm on fire!” She thought to herself as she jerked the robe and wrapped it around herself with a decidedly angry motion.

              “Come on,” he said grabbing a pile of her clothes up from the floor and tucking them under his arm. “You can use the bathroom downstairs, and then we will go somewhere safe.” They stepped out the door into the hallway. The daylight seemed to have a different effect on Connor. He was less comfortable, not that Anna would have ever labeled him as a relaxed kind of guy. Also, unlike being in the cover of the shadows that the night made abundant, he was actually noticeable to the other people drifting through the hall. One of the girls on her hall was sitting at her desk with her door open as usual. She instantly stopped her work and locked eyes on Conner as he moved into the hallway. Anna's eye slimmed into a spiteful line as she cast a glare at the girl.

              “He's mine, bitch,” she thought as she shoved her arm underneath his and pulled herself close to him. She wasn't really sure why she felt so possessive all of a sudden, but she did and that was all that mattered. She leaned against him and smiled, then cast her eyes back towards the girl at her desk just to make sure she got the message. Anna wasn't sure what all this was really about, or if she was even actually married to him. But she didn't really care. Something about him was for her and her alone, and she wanted that. She would sort the rest out later, she thought, as she just held his arm and let him guide her.

*****

              Kat woke up that evening in the bed lying beside Anna who was still fast asleep. She had never slept next to anyone before. She had never done a lot of things before she met Anna. She looked down at the girl laying beside her. They looked so much alike. They WERE so much alike. They had shared their nightmares, the fears, and the first real friendship Kat felt she had ever had. But there was something else Kat couldn't put her finger on. As she looked at Anna intently, contemplating the last few months of her life, her body started to flush. Kat certainly noticed, it was that same flush she had been getting for some time now whenever she looked at Anna. She felt guilty. Anna was her best friend. But sometimes she couldn't help it. Anna was so relaxed and free around her. She would change her clothes while in the middle of a conversation or lounge around wearing almost nothing at all. And then the dream.

              “Oh God!” Kat whispered under her breath as she looked down at Anna's breasts slowly moving up and down with each delicate breath. The mysterious dreams they shared. Laying bound on the stone altars, their bodies stripped bare as they were ravaged by some stranger. Every night the dreams came. Once they realized they shared them, once their dreams had merged and the two could look beside them and see the other in that vulnerable position, Kat could hardly keep her eyes off of Anna. Each night the man would take her body, but her eyes stayed on Anna, watching in total amazement the beauty of her friend lost in the throes of passion. The touch of the stranger was irrelevant to her, her body was reacting to Anna's pleasure. As she thought about those scenes, Kat's body began to sweat and the ache she had grown so used to started to throb between her legs. Being so close to Anna like this was driving her crazy.  She tried to shift her weight slowly so as not to wake Anna. The pendant around her neck slipped between her breasts. The cool metal against her skin made her jolt with guilt. It wasn't her first Christmas present, but it was the first in a very long time that wasn't identical to every present handed out in the orphanage. It was the first Christmas present she felt was really hers. She clutched it to her chest and began to cry silently. But her body was still burning, and she knew she couldn't control it much longer. She slipped from the bed and made her way in the darkness of the room to the door.

              Kat walked out the door of the dorm into the cold winter night hoping the chill in the air would help diminish the heat that was boiling inside her. She was so confused by all the changes and complications that leaving the orphanage had brought to her. She was torn by the growing, aching lust she felt. She was so confused about her feelings for Anna. “Is it just because she's my first real friend?” She wondered as she marched down the icy sidewalk. “Or am I really..,” her thought was cut short but the sound of something in the darkness behind her. It sounded like scraping metal on the bricks, and it filled her whole body with dread. The heat that had been so all consuming instantly fled, and her body became colder than she ever remembered it being. The winter air now burned her lips as it passed into her lungs.

“Shit.” She said to herself as she turned away from the sound and quickened her pace. As she turned around the corner of the long wall that ran behind the dorm she saw him. Her stranger, as Anna called him.

              “Kat, come here quickly. You're in danger,” he said as his eyes shot past her towards the echoing sound screeching out once again behind her. Kat didn't feel the same about her stranger as Anna did hers. He didn't comfort her. He didn't thrill her quite the same. But the sound terrified her so she ran into his open arms. As she pressed herself into his chest she felt the heat return to her skin slowly. He held her tight and turned to guide her down the sidewalk towards the library. The closeness made Kat uneasy. She had come out into the night confused and now was not only more confused, but afraid too. Being this close to the stranger made her body tremble, and she felt her panties start to soak between her thighs. But it was wrong, something about it felt mechanical and cold. Not like when she thought of Anna.

              “Anna!” she said out loud as the couple came to a quick stop at the steps above the drill field. Her stranger turned and pulled her close to him as he wrapped his arms around her. His hips pushed into hers, and she felt him throb against her.

              “Anna will be ok. Connor will find her,” he said as his head leaned down and his lips pressed against hers. The touch felt like an explosion inside of her. Kat felt a pulse start to beat low in her belly as his lips parted, and his tongue slipped into her mouth. She felt her nipples pulse against the pressure of his body pushing into her chest. She felt her legs shake and weaken as he held the kiss firmly. As he pressed to her the pendant brushed across her breast, and her mind instantly rushed back to Anna. Her eyes burst open wide, and she bit down hard on the tongue slipping between her teeth.

              As the stranger jolted backwards, Kat sprang to life like a rabbit from a cage. She ran, and she ran fast. She didn't look where she was headed. She didn't care. She felt angry and disgusted with herself. She didn't know why. She didn't understand any of this. She just knew she had to escape. Her feet hit the ice at the edge of the sidewalk, and she sprang forward. Her body lurched, and she felt herself flip forward as her body tossed itself down the hill and was thrown into the bushes. Her head was spinning, and her body throbbed with pain as she lay in the snow staring up at the night sky. Her lungs burned from the cold air and the panicked sprint. The force of her body striking the frozen dirt had forced the air from her, and she choked as she desperately gasped for air. Tears ran down her face, and her vision blurred as the throbbing in her head overwhelmed her and she faded out of consciousness.

              “Oh fuck,” Kat groaned as she winced at the pain in her head. She could barely open her eye as the throbbing moved from her temples and down over her face to make her teeth pulse. 

              “Shhh.” The soothing rich feminine voice came from beyond the other side of Kat's heavy eye lids. “It's ok. You're safe.” Kat didn't recognize the voice, and she struggled to open her eyes to find out where she was. The room was dark and warm, lit with the warm glow of a candle by the bedside. As things came into focus in the darkness, Kat saw where the voice had come from. Sitting by the bed in a small wooden slat-backed chair was a young woman. Or maybe she was older than Kat. Her features were so smooth it was impossible to guess her age. She had pale skin that flickered with the candlelight, deep red lips, and her wavy auburn hair that flowed over her shoulders down to her hips. There was something about this woman that screamed seduction. At first glimpse, Kat felt her body react as it warmed and her nipples stiffened.

              At that moment Kat realized something was missing - her clothing. She was naked beneath the warm fur blanket. The silky feeling made every inch of her body tingle. The woman's green eyes seem to pierce right through Kat. Her full lips almost pouted as she looked down at Kat. As if reading her mind, the woman slipped a small hand over and wrapped her thin fingers around the edge of the blanket.

              “Your clothes were soaked and freezing,” she said as she pulled the blanket up and tucked it under Kat's shoulder. “I had to strip you down, or you would have frozen.” The woman rose from the chair and stepped back into the darkness for a moment and then reappeared with an arm full of assorted pillows. She approached the bed and leaned over Kat to work the pillows in behind her head. As Kat leaned up to allow her room, her face slipped right up to the woman's breasts. They were full, firm-looking breasts that seemed to fight against the tight blouse to escape. Kat couldn't help herself as her eyes sank down into the darkness between the woman's breasts. The scent of perfume, like slightly burned wood and sage drifted into Kat's nose, and she felt herself growing even more hot beneath what was now far too much blanket. “I'm Iris, by the way.” The woman's voice slipped out like music. It sounded soothing but commanding all at once. The tone of it made Kat tremble.

              “Uhm,” Kat muttered out. “You, uh undressed me?” she asked clumsily.

              “Yes, I did, little one. You were going to catch your death in those clothes,” Iris said as she slipped backwards gracefully until she was sitting back in the chair with her legs crossed over one another and her hands propped on her knees. The way she moved seemed almost like a butterfly. It was sudden, quick, but graceful, and somehow delicate, as if she might break in the process. But something about the presence of her made Kat think she was the strongest person she had ever seen.

              “Well thanks, I guess,” Kat responded as she sat up on the pillows and let the blanket slip slightly. The heat building up in her skin was starting to make her sweat. 

              “Oh little one, it was my pleasure,” Iris spoke and the words rolled off her red lips as she leaned back in the chair. Kat's body surged with heat at the look on Iris's face as her words struck like an arrow. She choked on her breath and started to cough. Iris was on her feet in an instant hovering over Kat and peering down at her.

              “Are you ok, little one?” She asked as her she leaned against the wall behind Kat on one hand and stroked her other cool hand across Kat's burning cheek. “Oh you're burning up, little one. It's almost time. Bless your little heart.”

              “Almost time for what?” Kat managed to ask as she regained her composer a bit.

              “Well now, that's a long story, little one. Let me get you some tea first.” Kat noticed the way she called her “little one.” Had it been anyone else, it would have seemed offensive. But the sound of it on Iris's tongue made Kat feel warm inside like nothing ever had before. It felt safe and somehow made Kat proud. Kat's eyes stayed on Iris's every move as she walked across the room. The deep red blouse that was so tight around her breasts, opened up and flowed out like a breeze just above her hips as she swayed across the floor. Her perfect ass seemed to have been poured into a tight pair of black leather pants. The motion of it made Kat's heart pound in her ears. As Iris turned back toward the bed with a small, cracked tea cup in her hands, she saw Kat's eye jump up to meet her. Their eyes locked for a moment, and Iris's lips curled into a smile as she brushed her hair back with one hand and stepped forward with the tea cup extended politely. “Here you go, little one. Drink up,” she said as Kat reached for the cup. Her fingers brushed against Iris's, and the tall strong woman smiled even wider as she passed the vessel to her. Kat felt complete awe for this woman. Despite the events of the evening felt she herself contract at the touch and the flames inside her started to flurry. Iris slipped back into the chair and watched for a moment as Kat simply held the tea cup and stared. “Come on now drink up, little one, and I will tell you a story.”

              “A story?” Kat asked as she finally snapped back to life. She drew the cup to her lips. The warm liquid made her lips tingle and tasted earthy but slightly sweet. “What kind of story?” Kat asked as the tea slipped down the back of her throat with a soothing feeling.

              “The kind of story that explains the dreams you've been having and all the strange things in your life.” Kat's eyes shot towards Iris with a sudden sense of fear. Her mouth hung open slightly as she trembled and wondered if she was actually as safe as this woman made her feel. Sensing her concern Iris leaned forward and laid her hand on Kat's bare arm. “Hush, little one,” she said softly. “It's ok. I understand what you're going through, and I am here to help. You can leave if you want. I will get your clothes.”

              “No.” Kat said nervously. “No, I'm ok.” Her mind was dizzy with the way things had been going insane lately. Her body ached so often, and her mind was confused. But being here, with Iris, she felt calmer. And she longed to know what the hell was going on so she could bring some order back into the chaos she'd been suffering. “Please tell, tell me your story.”

              “Alright, little one, but it’s a long one, and it's going to sound a little strange.” Iris leaned back slowly letting her hand drift down Kat's arm so the touch lasted as long as possible. “Now then where do I start?” Iris asked herself as she finally settled back into the chair and placed her hands on her knees again. “Oh I know,” she said and started carefully telling a long fairy-tale to Kat.

              It was a story about how a very long time ago an evil sorcerer named Talisin had kidnapped a beautiful forest nymph and forced her to marry him and bear him a daughter. The nymph bore him a beautiful daughter named Ceridwen, whom he then sold to the King as a bride so he could have greater influence over the kingdom. But when the nymph escaped him to return to her true love,  a feminine spirit called Arwin, the sorcerer killed her.  Talisin cursed all of her descendants by binding their magic to their lust, and because he was disgusted by the fact that his wife truly loved another woman, he added to their curse that their lives would only persist if they were to surrender to men who served the King as brides so they would forever be Queens as he had made Ceridwen. But Arwin had stolen the curse, and to save the daughters of her beloved throughout the passage of time, she asked her own most loyal houses to volunteer to be cursed as well so they might protect the heirs of Ceridwen forever. But before she cast the evil curse upon the volunteers, she sacrificed her own life so her blood would break the bonds of ruthlessness that Talisin had sold his own daughter into with the King of men.