Doira'Liim (The Beautiful Whisper of the Goddess Saga) (44 page)

     She felt the fingers between her legs move lower and swirl around her opening. Did Arizira plan to move inside of her? She recalled her mother, years before, telling her that when a man laid with a woman the woman would feel pain. When she'd asked why such a thing was so, her mother had responded,
"Because a woman's body cannot withstand the force of such purity that resides within a man. A man is the vessel of Esuval. Pain is what we feel when they mate with us and what we must endure to bear our children, because our bodies are inherently flawed."

     Was the same true if she was lying with a woman? Would there be pain? Would Arizira hurt her? The fingers between her legs dipped just inside of her before moving back up to the source of her pleasure. She felt her breath catch as her legs opened wider, her heart beat faster, and her wetness increased.

     "I will not hurt you," Arizira whispered in a ragged breath next to her ear.

     "I know," Talliea replied. Arizira hesitated a moment. "Tah-li, we will be different after this. We shall be more. Please understand, there will be no going back after this."

     Talliea turned her head and brought her lips to Arizira's. She kept one hand on her love's lower back and moved the other one up to grasp her neck. Kissing Arizira with every ounce of passion and love she possessed, Talliea readied herself for the coming moment.

     She was about to become a woman. She was about to become Arizira's. "Put your hands on me, love," she whispered, not caring that she had just unintentionally confessed her feelings verbally.

     No words were spoken. Arizira moved her fingers back down to Talliea's opening . She could feel the bond she shared with Talliea growing and becoming something more. Their feelings were merging to the point that it was proving difficult to discern her own feelings from those of Talliea's. Her fingers dipped inside slowly. She could feel the tightness, the wetness. The heat.

     Bracing her weight on her left arm, Arizira looked down to watch Talliea's reaction. She needed to see her. The other woman's eyes were hooded. Her breaths were haggard. Pushing in with a little added force, Arizira's fingers were soon enveloped by nothing but throbbing, hot, slick walls of muscle.

     Talliea's eyes widened before closing. Her breath hitched, her back arched, and her legs spread even wider. "Ari-sera..."

     Other words left Talliea's mouth. Whether they were cries, moans, pleas, or praises were not known. The feeling of having Arizira inside of her was not unpleasant. The pain had been minimal and had not lasted. That fact had surprised her. Arizira's fingers fit inside her body as if she had always been meant to be there. The sensation of being filled so intimately was enormous. Never before had she felt so close to Arizira. This moment belonged only to them.

     Their bodies were pressed tightly against one another. Their hearts were beating against the other's chest. Talliea could practically feel every minute movement Arizira made. She felt Arizira's life suddenly wash over her body and pass before her eyes. Memories and thoughts, joys and times of sadness, loves had and loves lost-- all flittered through her mind in a dizzying array of images.

     In this one moment, Talliea knew nearly everything about Arizira. She knew how she had struggled before their feelings had been shared. She felt Arizira's curiosity from the first time they met and her inner turmoil before the first time they had kissed. She saw faces dance before her eyes; other Arnia, some adored, some honored, some loved.

     She watched Arizira's childhood race before her in the blink of an eye. She saw her learning to use a bow. She witnessed her first kiss. She walked through dense parts of the forest she had never seen before, but were known and revered by Arizira.

     She remembered the first time Arizira had called her
failira
in the cave of
Li'nas Dei
. The word and its meaning were suddenly known to her completely. She could barely fathom the strength of Arizira's emotions for her. Such a simple and beautiful word encompassed all the things she, herself, felt for Arizira. Everything that made Arizira who she was, Talliea felt, experienced and knew.

     The same was true for Arizira. She felt her fingers being guided deeper inside of Talliea's body. The tightness around them was intense. Talliea's virginity felt wonderful to her. She watched her love react to the sensation of being filled for the first time and her heart pounded happily upon witnessing the myriad amount of emotions that passed through her dark eyes.

     She felt and understood Talliea completely in that one moment. The deeper inner workings of Esu politics was suddenly known to her. She saw Talliea's life, so dull and lacking in vibrancy and worth, enter her mind. The images brought tears to her eyes. She watched a young and defiant Talliea leaving the safety of an Esu settlement and become lost. She saw a flower blossom before her mind's eye.

   
Tahlet Vahllah.

     The years passed and soon Arizira saw a powerfully built man with elaborate tattoos over his chest. She immediately knew the man as Markahn. She watched him touch Talliea and fondle her through her clothes and felt Talliea's repulsion as though it were her own. She saw him make his claim to join with her before other Esu men and women.

     A sadness fell over Arizira as the events of Talliea's life played out before her eyes. An image of herself came next. She saw her first encounter with Talliea through Talliea's eyes. The wonder; the fascination; the sense of hope that Talliea had felt became Arizira's. Every moment she had shared with Talliea, she witnessed from the other woman's point of view. Talliea's uncertainty and confusion made her smile.

     She experienced their first kiss again. She felt Talliea's pain and guilt over her accident. She felt everything. As the unusual and commanding feelings engulfed both women, they felt tears brim their eyes. Talliea looked up at Arizira. Arizira looked down at Talliea. They each knew what the other had just experienced, and though baffled at the nature, neither question anything. This moment was intimate in more ways than one.

     Arizira leaned down and kissed Talliea again. Her tongue embraced the other woman's as her tears fell down her cheeks. Slowly, she pulled her fingers out of Talliea before sliding them back inside. Talliea moaned, kissing her back, before rolling her hips up to meet Arizira's movements. She cradled the back of Arizira's neck with complete and utter reverence. Her fingers grasped silken threads of silver-blonde hair as she allowed herself to let go.

     For the first time in her life, in twenty-three years, Talliea felt as if she had finally come home. She felt a sense of peace that only bards and minstrels sang about. Arizira was moving on top of her, her fingers so, so deep inside of her body, and the touch was the most heated but gentle of any she'd ever experienced.

     She understood suddenly what Arizira had meant when she had told her the Arnira loved in the spirit, not the flesh. Though it was her body reaping the rewards, it was her spirit that was the cause of such staggering sensations. Arizira was speaking to her body from what she felt in her heart.

     Talliea began to roll her hips faster as Arizira's fingers continued to push inside of her. She felt a thumb rub against the source of her wetness and the sensation was mind-blowing. A gasp, a moan, parted her lips. They were moving as one now, Arizira on top of Talliea pushing their sweat drenched bodies together. Arizira's head was nestled in the crook of Talliea's neck, her lips pressed against moist skin, while Talliea's was resting against Arizira's shoulder. Both women's faces were wet with tears, both of their bodies shook.

     The muscles flexing and contracting in Arizira's body as she moved captivated and enchanted Talliea. Feeling their fluid and smooth movements beneath her fingers was enrapturing and intoxicating. She felt as if the two of them were moving toward some end, some goal. Her body felt ready for a release of some kind. She desired such a thing, yet, she did not. The feelings coursing through her body were the most beautiful she had ever felt.

     She did not desire for them to end, ever. Yet, she knew her body could not continue as it was. Her muscles were sore. Her breathing was stretched. She was hot and tired, but,
oh
it all felt so good. How she could want and wish for two completely different things, things at such odds with one another, was beyond her.

     Arizira bit down lightly on Talliea's neck. Her breaths came in heavy pants. The arm she had supporting her body above Talliea was weary. Not only was she focusing on her love's pleasure, she was having to stave off her own. Every swipe of her thumb and thrust of her fingers was felt by her as they were felt by Talliea. She had never experienced such a phenomenon.

     She felt as if her own innocence had been returned to her. She was experiencing their entire encounter from Talliea's perspective. The body beneath her own was moving more jerkily and spasmodically. Talliea had completely given over to her body's instincts. Her hips rolled up in such a beautiful way. Legs were spread wide open, heels were digging into Arizira's calves, and hands were grabbing at her neck and back.

     She could hear the pants, dry and uneven, that left Talliea's lips. Moans and whispered cries of her name filled the air around them. Talliea was nearing orgasm. Her first. Arizira smiled, her love for Talliea filling every fiber of her being, and sped up her actions. It did not take long for her to feel the muscles around her fingers begin to tighten.

     As for Talliea, she was lost; lost to everything but what Arizira was doing to her. She could feel something, some power, wishing to be released from deep inside herself. She did not know what it was. It felt...ancient; powerful and preeminent. What it was, she could not ponder, for another sensation vied for her attention. A physical sensation. A release.

     She felt her entire body readying itself for...something. Struggling to help herself achieve what her body wanted, Talliea increased the pace of her hips. She heard Arizira moan against her neck in appreciation. Words spoken in the Arniran language left her love's lips. She did not need to know their meaning to enjoy the sound of them.

     Faster and faster they moved together. Until...

     A paroxysm rocked Talliea's body. She arched her back up completely off the ground, as if offering herself to Arizira wholly. She felt an eruption shatter her into a million different pieces. The most intense of sensations raged through her body. Wave after wave after wave of white hot, explosive pleasure rippled and spread from her sex to her belly to her fingers and toes. She felt her throat constricting. The muscles deep inside her body were contracting around Arizira's fingers. Colors caused an outburst behind her eyes.

     Her emotional bond with Arizira peaked and reached new heights. There was only the two of them. Only Arizira. The rest of the world fell away and became inconsequential. Clans and tribes, gods and goddesses, night and day --  all meant nothing to Talliea. She was where she was supposed to be, in the arms of her love being brought the most beautiful and glorious of pleasures.

     Arizira rolled her hips into the back of her hand. She could feel the enormity of Talliea's orgasm. The sensations rocked her own body. Never before had she felt something so all consuming, so perfect. She knew, as they found their release together, that she could never be parted from Talliea. They shared a heartbeat now, an essence of life that would forever tie them together.

     There was no turning back. Their lives belonged to each other now. Arizira's tears pooled against Talliea's neck. She could feel their bodies convulsing together. Their moment seemed to stretch forever, so lost in one another they each were.

     Finally, Talliea sighed heavily and lowered her body. Her legs fell from around Arizira's calves, yet she maintained her hold on Arizira's neck and back, but only barely. Arizira fell against Talliea and released a gravid breath of her own. A copious amount of moisture covered her fingers which were still buried deep inside of her love's shaking body.

     Slowly, she pulled her fingers from out of their tight space. As soon as they were free, Talliea's hand reached for own and entwined their fingers. Her wetness covered both of their fingers. Arizira moved so that half of her body was on top of Talliea and the other half rested on Talliea's right side.

     They each breathed heavily trying to calm their beating hearts. Arizira kissed Talliea's chest and neck. Keeping their hands together, she leaned forward and began to pepper small and light kisses across her face. Her lips exalted Talliea's chin and nose. They praised her cheekbones and her eyelids. She felt Talliea move their conjoined hands over her heart and realized they were both sharing the same rhythm.

     Outside, light had given way to an early darkness. Snow fell in a deluge of white fury and wind howled as if crying for a lost love. Talliea swallowed several times in an attempt to moisten her dry throat. Her entire body hummed and purred with a delightful ebullience. She felt whole and complete for the first time in her life. Turning her head, she pressed her lips to Arizira's forehead and allowed them to linger. She could feel and taste the sweat along the other woman's brow and the heat that covered her body.

     They laid together, arms and legs wrapped around one another, for several quiet moments. Talliea ran her free hand in soft and tender patterns over Arizira's body as they lay cuddled side by side. She wished to experience what they had just done again and again and
again
. "Ahmanae?" she murmured, her voice hushed.