Chapter 21
Sylvan
M y mind is racing as I try to work out how much danger we’re in.
“Are the ones behind me poisonous?” Hawk whispers as if he fears even the sound of his voice could bring about our destruction.
“Come back to me. Very slowly,” I say, taking a deep breath. He hasn’t alerted the fungi’s receptors, so we still have a chance to survive this unscathed. Hawk takes dainty, careful steps, as if he were walking over thin ice, and while it makes him look like a bear attempting ballet, I’m glad he’s taking my warning seriously.
I grab his hand and pull him to me as soon as he’s close enough. After a deep exhale, he stuffs the pretzel into his mouth, glaring back at the shimmering golden caps of the Nightbells growing all over the tunnel in front of us.
I frown, squeezing his fingers. “They’re not dangerous by themselves, but they’re here for a reason. We can’t pass without alerting them, as they react to movement. All their gills will start ringing at once, hence their name, Night bells, and then their caps will pop off in the direction of the movement.”
“Like… bullets?” Hawk asks with widening eyes.
“Not exactly. Getting hit wouldn’t hurt much, as it’s a strategy meant to attach spores to an animal, not kill it.”
“So what are we worried about? We can cover our ears and run through.”
I shake my head. “Someone planted these here on purpose. What I mean when I say they all start ringing, is all the Nightbell roots are connected. Some elves living in the wild use them as a warning measure against predators. The roots might lead all the way to whatever’s at the end of the tunnel and alert someone. It works like cables transferring electricity in your world. We’ll lose the element of surprise. But then how would anyone pass through here…” My thoughts drift off as I look back at the Puffballs.
Of course.
“This is a trap. If you walk between the Nightbells, they will ring in alert, but the caps flying at you will also hit the Puffballs, releasing their spores into the air and putting you to sleep, so you can then be easily captured by whoever set this up.”
Hawk squints at me. “This doesn’t sound good at all, so why are you smiling?”
I lift my chin with pride. “Because I know exactly what to do. Hold my bag, please.” I pull out an empty vial and a pair of small shears I took from Tassarion’s workshop. I then wrap a scarf over the bottom of my face as Hawk’s frown deepens.
“Are you sure this is safe, princeling? We can still go back.”
I straighten up and head for the Puffballs. “Worst thing to possibly happen here is that I fall asleep, in which case, do take me back to the bedroom and try to wake me up, but I have experience with these.” Which fills me with pride, because so often I’m made to feel inadequate, unable to do the simplest things, like reaching items from a high shelf. Now, I get to prove to Hawk that my knowledge can save us in more ways than one.
“Baby, please be careful,” Hawk says, but trusts me enough to not intervene, which I appreciate.
I approach the Puffballs, pinch one at the stem, then cut through the delicate skin of the cap so instead of popping in my face, the spores inside can be collected. I go on, continuing the process until I have a full three vials, then get back to Hawk, presenting my bounty.
“Now, cover your face too,” I urge him, already making my way toward the Nightbells. “In nature, these two are enemies, competing for resources, and so, I can do this…” My heart beats faster when I approach, because I do worry that I might set off the Nightbells. But as I sprinkle the Puffball spores over the golden caps, only the faintest chiming rings out before stopping altogether.
The golden glow dims when the mushroom I’ve just sprinkled darkens. The others soon follow its example.
The air that’s been trapped in my lungs finally escapes my mouth, and I grab Hawk’s hand with my sweaty fingers. I pull him forward with a triumphant song in my heart. “I put them to sleep,” I say, proud of my ingenuity when his eyes slide over me with awe.
Hawk strokes my hair as we pass the sleeping Nightbells. “Pretty and smart. I really hit the jackpot with you, my prince.” I’m not sure what a “jackpot” is, but this is clearly a compliment, and I’m sure my face is pink when I take off the scarf.
But even the sweetest compliments can’t take my mind off the view revealed in front of us beyond the bend of the corridor, where the passage expands into an elongated underground chamber. The cavern is filled to the brim with endless varieties of fungi, flowers, and moss cascading down the walls. I set aflame the swamplight torch on the wall, and even more colors are revealed to us in a cacophony of underground life.
As we walk hand in hand, my nerves ease, and I sense in Hawk’s fingers how he relaxes when I do.
“And those are Rotting Starlights,” I point to mushrooms resembling oversized starfish, which have nothing to do with their ocean-dwelling doppelgangers. One of the fungi makes a sound reminiscent of a burp and releases bright green spores from a hole in the middle of its body. “They’re harmless, but their flesh smells awful after they’re harvested, unless you pickle them within a few hours. You have lots of the spores on your nose,” I laugh and try to reach the green specks that look very much like fluorescent freckles.
“Mm, spores… You know a lot about those after tonight,” Hawk says, and rubs my ass out of nowhere. The jolt of pleasure traveling deep inside me at the memory of his girth makes me stumble. “I just worry they haven’t really taken root inside you.”
My face heats, and I have to bite my lip to stifle a whimper. “No place to take root I’m afraid. Or thankfully, for that matter.” I give him a nervous smile, so absorbed by the lust in his eyes I stumble over a mushroom the size of a table. Hawk catches me, of course, so I don’t fall.
I don’t know if no one’s been here for a while, or if this part of the tunnel is left to grow wild on purpose, but the sheer size of the fungi here makes the mind boggle. It’s like a giant terrarium, and we’re just passing visitors in this space overflowing with awe-inspiring mushrooms and mosses. Patches of lilac algae illuminate the walls, lighting up in glee every time the Starlights release their spores above us. I’m sure I spotted a large, yet harmless, Gooli spider skitter away into a crevice in the rocks where a single lily of the abyss peeks out at us with its tiny black caplets.
I’m so amazed by this unique flora I almost forget Hawk is trying to bed me again.
Almost . Because the insistent way he pushes me at a large specimen of the Pearly Star makes it impossible to ignore.
I sit on the soft white cap as heat pulses in my face. I lack the words to stop him when he slides his hand down my abdomen and gently cradles my crotch.
Hawk whispers into my ear. “Maybe we should keep trying until we succeed? Aren’t you mine to use now that I gave you my shadow?”
I will only have power over it once we say the vows under the full moon in the Nightmare Realm, but his words are like a spell. One that makes my tongue twist and my body incapable of standing up from the soft mushroom.
There’s something about the idea of being a body available for his pleasure that makes me boil from the inside in the most delicious ways. “I’ve never been desired this way,” I whisper, glancing up his imposing form. “But since I’m an anomaly in terms of size, maybe I will also one day be receptive to your seed.” Ridiculous, but why not indulge the fantasy?
Hawk sucks in air as if he were drowning, and his eyes, colored by the green glow of sparkly moss, darken in response to my words. He’s a predator eager for yet another meal, but I’m no longer afraid of his sharp claws and teeth.
“Holy hell, that’s so damn hot, princeling,” Hawk rasps, rubbing his hands over my body, as if he wants me to understand that I’m not in a position to say no. In fact, the faster I yield, the quicker we can resume our journey, or so I tell myself, because I know he would let go if I pushed him away.
It’s me who doesn’t want to stop.
A rumble leaves Hawk's lips as he nips at my cheek, and I join him when his thigh glides along my stiffening cock. “I don’t know what dumbasses live in that court of yours, but it’s criminal that nobody got you naked before me. Your body’s made for riding dick.”
I give up and slide my backpack to the ground, because we’re not going anywhere until my beast is sated. “The men I like, who possibly were also attracted to me… I think my position intimidated them.” But not Hawk. He doesn’t give a fuck if I’m a prince, and manhandles me as if I were a drunk stable boy. Perhaps he even revels in the power he has over me. I feel like I’m an offering to him, and that I shall be reborn after this only to be consumed again. Over and over, because his hunger can never be satisfied.
“Really? What kind of men were they?” he asks and opens my legs wider, so he can step between them. His hands keep wandering, touching every bit of my body, as if he acknowledged no rules of conduct. As if only his desire is important when it comes to this.
Opening up about such intimate matters doesn’t come naturally to me. I swallow to ease the dryness in my throat. “It’s not about who they were, but what the expectations are because of my royal status.”
Hawk slides his hands to my jaw and forces me to look up. “Are you saying there’s expectations of the role you take up in the sack? And, as we established, you like to be taken .”
I swallow and kiss his thumb as I place my hands over his wrists. “It’s less about who does which act in the bedroom, and more about…” I have to think of how to explain something that is a social construct I inherently know, not a law, “power. Being one of the princes means that I’m of high social standing and therefore expected to be the pursuer . And I admit I never felt adequate when it comes to that role. It’s my inherent flaw, that in matters of romance, I wish to be pursued, which goes against the expectations of everyone at court. Even my mother, as a princess of the Goldweed bloodline chose her husband and courted him , as he was of lower social standing.
“Were I to desire another royal… things would be a bit easier, since he’d be my equal, but the kind of men I’ve always been attracted to… I suppose it would have been acceptable for me to pursue a tryst with them, but I never had the confidence to make a blatant offer. Especially after my mother made me realize spies are everywhere. And how would I even go about explaining to a potential lover that I want him to ravish me on the hay in the back of the barn? It was easier to give up on such fancies.”
I groan and close my eyes because I cannot bear looking into Hawk’s curious eyes any longer, fearful of his judgment.
But he just strokes my cheeks with his thumbs. “And what kind of men would you have liked to pursue you?”
The way he’s worded it makes my heart skip a beat. He already understands what I want better than anyone.
“Tall. Strong. Confident…” I say and run my fingers up his forearm because he is everything I’ve dreamed of and more. I’m embarrassed to tell him all this, but there is no way around it if I wish us to connect. “Men who don’t care about my status and would instead be lured by what my flesh can offer. Those who crave to conquer my body, not gain favors thanks to my position. Men who’d grab and use me if they wish, paying little mind to manners and the decorum of courting. A palace guard, a fisherman, a hunter in the woods, who doesn’t know my name, doesn’t know my title, just likes what he sees.”
“Ooh, I can be your hunter,” Hawk whispers, and his fingers slide to my groin, making me stir with pleasure. “Just found you lost in a dark cave, hungry, tired, and unable to protect yourself. And I only demand one thing for taking you to safety.”
He understands me. My heart beats faster by the second, and my face is glowing with heat. “I have nothing, so what is it you demand?” I ask, but my eyes stray to the front of his pants. I can’t wait to see his stiff cock again. The Nightmare Realm can wait an hour or two.
He kisses me. Hard. With passion that makes my insides turn into goo. I’m ready to let him do anything he wants. My hole is still tender from its last encounter with his prick, but if he wants to leave his seed inside me again, I know I’ll let him. I desire to be anything he wants me to be. I want him to crave me more than he craves food, drink or even sleep. I want to haunt his dreams and be the only one for him.
“I’ve been wandering the woods on my own for so long, and that pretty mouth of yours really caught my eye,” Hawk rasps as his hands spread my thighs wide, massaging their tender flesh.
I’m already hard, lust pooling in my balls, but whenever he calls me pretty, my stomach does a backflip as if I’m sixteen again and a handsome guard winked at me for the first time.
“My mouth? What could you possibly want from it?” I lick my lips. Does this game make me a pervert? Is it wrong that I want to be desired to the point that another man is willing to break all rules to embed his cock inside me? My whole body is throbbing with need.
“Oh, I’ll show you,” Hawk remarks with a giddy smile, and I whimper when he gently squeezes my throat.
A moment later, he pulls my face to his bulge. I make a greedy whimper and stroke his thighs.
“I see you already have an idea,” my promised says but it sounds more like a purr to my ears.
I glance up at him, tucking the bottom of my shirt into my collar to show him my stiff nipples. If it wasn’t for the barrage of compliments, I would have never done that, but he makes me feel like I’m not only “pretty”, but worth worshiping. As if my compact size is not just acceptable but exactly what turns him on.
“You can touch me wherever you wish. I’m yours to toy with,” I rasp, breaking out of character because my reality with Hawk is even more delicious than the fantasy we’re weaving together.
He grins and leans down, so we can kiss again. My head spins as he squeezes my pec, then glides his hand lower, toward my stiff cock, but as I believe he’s about to touch it, the hand pulls away, leaving me to wail.
“Come on, now, that’s not very prince-like, is it?” Hawk teases as he pulls down his sweatpants to reveal his thick dick. “Your body is mine now,” Hawk continues, drilling his gaze straight into my soul. “I can have it whenever and wherever I want, can't I? You sold it.”
“I did. However you wish to have me…” I salivate at the sight of the stiff cock in his tattooed hand. I love how thick and veiny it is. A drop of pre-cum already beads at the tip, and most of all, I love that it’s so hard for me .
“Open your mouth and show me your cock,” he demands, and I oblige, pulling down my jeans to show him my excitement.
The mushroom under me is soft like a cloud, and the glowing colors swirl around us, creating a world where we can indulge in each other. And while the species I’m sitting on doesn’t have intoxicating properties, my mind buzzes when my man strokes my cheek with his cock. He smells like the beautiful beast he is, and I open up, showing him my tongue, desperate for a taste, for his touch, for attention.
“Good boy, so pliant for me. Go on, show me some love,” Hawk tells me as his cockhead rubs my lips, then slides into my mouth. This is only the second time I’m letting him do this, yet I’m salivating as if it were the greatest gift he could ever give me.
He pushes it in over my tongue, and it’s so thick it barely fits, but I still give him all of my attention, hollowing my cheeks. I extend one hand to touch his hairy stomach and reach for my own needy manhood with the other.
“Yes. That’s what I want to see. Jerk off for me,” he grunts, forcing his prick in faster while he slides his hand into my hair.
I can’t get enough of it. His smell, his taste, the low moans he makes as I suck him harder, all send me into a frenzy of lust. I should have been so much more sensible, said no and continued our journey, but how could I possibly deny a cock this gorgeous, hot, and stiff?
He’s rough, and forceful with his thrusts, but he’s also stroking me gently, and waiting for my reaction when I stir too rapidly or choke on his long shaft. I feel so very filthy when saliva dribbles down my chin and I sense it drip on my chest, but while this is shameful for someone in my position, someone who should rule over others or face humiliation, I long to be the vessel for his lust. I want Hawk to use me how he likes, to squeeze and prod me. I want to drink his cum with the same fervor I dedicated to my alchemical studies.
This human might be lowborn, a fugitive, and crude, but I adore him more than anything. I don’t care if I shouldn’t find his crassness exciting, because I love his raw hunger for my body.
With Hawk, I can be my purest self, like a diamond pulled out of a ring so it can be seen in all its glory.
“That’s it, throat tight and open for me, your perfect body ready for my cum. Such a pretty little cock,” Hawk mumbles and tugs on my hair, speeding up his thrusts as I stroke myself with abandon. I’m not even offended for being called little because I know he finds it attractive.
I gag a bit when the sensation of fullness becomes too much, but I’m too aroused to care. All I can think of is him watching me jerk off to the edge of orgasm. The excitement is painted all over his face just like when he pushed his dick into me for the first time, as if I’m the pinnacle of his lusty dreams.
When he withdraws, I embarrass myself by attempting to reach his shaft with my tongue. Oh, how low have I stooped, but I can’t get enough of his desire for me. When I see him rubbing his cock in fast, jerky motions while the green spores float all around us, I offer him my open mouth.
His cum is hot on my face. I shiver, and when I taste it, already covered with its thick drops, my own balls tighten, and I come, twisting on the soft mushroom cap.
“Fuuuck, baby boy,” Hawk rasps, offering me the head of his cock to kiss. This might be my new favorite angle to watch his prick from. I’m still panting, mouth open, when he drags two fingers over my face, gathers some of his seed, and then smears it over my lips. “I’m going to have the most delicious eternity with your greedy mouth. Tell me how much you liked having your tonsils rubbed,” he teases with a smirk and heat burns me from the inside.
“I…”
He trails his finger over my sticky cheek. “You made such a pretty mess all over yourself.” He points out my cum-stained chest. “Go on, say ‘I’m a needy boy and I love your meat in my mouth’.”
I swallow, pushing down my shirt, even though my cock is still exposed. “I’m… a needy boy who loves your meat in my mouth,” I admit with cheeks on fire.
Hawk grins, then leans in and kisses my sticky lips. “That’s my good little prince. I’ll enjoy defiling your royal highness again very soon.”
He lets go of my hair to grab my shoulder when my world whirs, and I’m about to fall back. My bones feel soft like the damn mushroom. I use the ripped shirt to clean myself a little, but I still smell of sex. How can I complain though, when the sight of Hawk pulling up his pants makes me salivate all over again.
“You really can’t get enough of me, can you?” I utter between catching one deep breath and another.
His eyes open wider, and he’s back between my thighs, a grin firmly planted on his face as he kneels to be at my eye level. “How is that surprising? You are literally the best-looking person I’ve ever seen. Slender, cute as a button, but deadly. You have those big blue eyes, pale hair, the little nose, ass like a damn peach, and a BJ-swollen mouth,” he adds, winking when he slides his arms around me, claiming me all over again. “And you’re so smart on top of that, but still chose me . Just thinking about you makes me horny.”
I wrap my arms around his neck. “It doesn’t bother you that I barely reach your shoulder?” I utter and kiss his round ear, which might be the only ‘cute’ thing about him.
He snorts and pulls me off the mushroom, adjusting my clothes once my unsteady feet are back on the ground. “Honey cheeks, I couldn’t date if that bothered me, because I’ve not yet met anyone taller than me other than my dad. But I love that you’re so compact. That I can just pick you up with one hand whenever I want to, toss you to the bed, hold down those tiny wrists. Makes me feel all big and mighty. I bet I could fuck you holding you up no problem,” he adds with a vicious laugh.
My ears go hot, but I can’t ponder this idea right now. We need to go .
I smile at Hawk, so happy that this man, this massive wall of muscle with an endless supply of energy and a shadow so dark it stands out even underground, is mine . He might not be my Dark Companion yet, but he belongs to me already, and I cherish him.
“Maybe one day we’ll find out,” I tease and grab my bag.
I’m surprised when his big hand squeezes mine almost right away. The spores are still floating around the mushroom that was the scene of our tryst as we take the first step farther down the passage. “We better, because I’m leaving everything behind for one stubborn prince.”
“As far as I know, you’re a fugitive.” I poke his side, amazed at how easily I’ve adapted to closeness with another person after years without as much as a hug. “I’m doing you a favor.”
He snorts and places his hand on my shoulder in a gesture that feels protective. “Yeah, but I’m leaving behind electricity, the internet, reality TV, and even chocolate. You should appreciate my sacrifice, princeling.”
I smile up at him, filled with pure joy. I’m leaving banishment, I will have the greatest Dark Companion the Nocturne Court has ever seen, the Sunwolf Crown is hidden in my bag, and I’ve just had a spectacular orgasm. What more could I want?
“I do appreciate it. I will make sure to acknowledge that in my vows to you, and I will always be ready to meet your needs,” I glance down his body and grin when he winks at me.
How lucky am I to have found him by chance in the world of humans? He is not only handsome and strong. He’s proven himself thoughtful and kind, he fought for me against his own family, and he trusted me even when he suspected I might have lost my mind. He never complained about needing to carry my possessions, and made it clear that he wishes to take care of me. My heart soars every time I think about his tender touches and fond smiles.
We walk for another ten minutes before the steady row of torches comes to an abrupt end, but the final light illuminates the iron steps of a folded ladder attached to the wall at the end of the tunnel. The mushrooms have been mostly cleared around it, to create more space, but the trapdoor I see in the ceiling doesn’t look like anything special.
“Is there a trick to it?” Hawk asks, and I stew in the juice of uncertainty, because while I have crossed the border between worlds, I did so using the proper channels. This is an unofficial (or should I say, illegal) route, and I don’t know whether we should open the door in a specific way, like when we entered the grimsmith’s home, or force our way through.
“I’ll go first.” I reach for the first rung of the ladder and drag it down, so I can step on it, but sigh in frustration when I discover it’s beyond my reach. “A lift, please?”
Hawk chuckles, and the ease with which he can pick me up never fails to amaze me.
As I start climbing, I shroud myself in a pale veil of shadow. “It’s not much,” I explain, “but I might be able to hide for a moment if it’s needed.”
He’s right behind me, and while I roll my eyes, I suppose it’s best for us to not lose sight of one another.
The way up only takes a moment, and then I’m hesitantly touching the rough wood of the trapdoor, listening to whatever might surprise us on the other side. But I hear nothing, and while my stomach is shrinking from worry, I can’t be a coward in front of the man who agreed to give me his shadow.
I push the door up with the same kind of abruptness Kurt once tore off my Band-Aid, and the moment warm light touches my face, the world flips, and I’m falling.
I yelp, even though I told myself I need to keep silent. To make matters worse, Hawk is right behind me with his massive backpack.
I hit fabric first, but it doesn’t break our fall much when we drop to… a bed?
I panic when something moves right under me, and I’m about to stab it with a dagger I took from Tassarion’s when the creature yells from beneath the fabric.
“What in the Darkmoon!?”