Chapter 12
Katie
What a fool Asterion is to be so easily tricked.
I hadn’t thought my plan would work as well as it did.
Some nice words and a couple of smiles to distract him, and he didn’t even think of checking if I was really asleep.
I grin to myself at my sheer dumb luck as I listen to him pottering around the campfire, the dishes clattering as he tidies up.
Silence, then some rustling as I assume he readies his fur for sleep.
Ever so slightly, I wiggle the knife out from my pocket, careful not to move too much and give myself away.
I frown, hearing his footsteps move away, the rope jiggling with each step, and it takes all of me not to look over at him.
Why is he not sleeping? What is he doing?
It occurs to me that maybe he’s changed his mind and has just left me up here to rot, but then I realize I’m lying in the way of the path down the mountain.
Maybe he’s gone to fetch the Drakons instead, tired of carrying me already.
Ice chills my veins. There is no better time than the present, then.
I am careful to muffle the snick as I unfold the pocketknife.
A groan rings out, and I freeze like a deer in headlights, my body coiled and tense, ready to explode to my feet if he so much as breathes in my direction.
When silence follows, I let my body relax.
He’s probably gone to take a piss. Taking the blade to the rope, I begin to saw.
The rope, though roughly made, is thick and strong, and it takes me some time to cut through the first bunch of fibers.
Wet slapping sounds echo out, and I still, straining my ears to figure out what the hell Asterion could be doing over there.
There’s a muffled moan, and my mouth pops open. Is he—
Heat crawls up my neck, making my face flush as I pause to listen to him stroke his cock.
Wetness pools between my legs as my body begins to tingle.
I catch myself panting in time with the slick slapping of his hand on his cock.
I clench my thighs together, shaking myself out of whatever horny sex magic has overcome me.
I saw faster, cutting my way through each strand of rope in what feels like a painstaking amount of time.
Finally, the last section splits apart, separating me from Asterion.
I breathe a sigh of relief and quietly get to my feet, throwing a glance over my shoulder at the hulking form standing with his back to me, though not far enough away for my liking.
For a moment, I am transfixed, watching the muscles along his back tense and ripple with each of his strokes.
A shiver wracks my body, desire pooling low in my belly.
I tell myself it’s a lie, a falsehood, the mate bond or whatever.
I am not attracted to the Minotaur, and I am certainly not interested at all in what he might be packing under that loincloth of his.
Though I have gained some ideas over our short time together.
I trail the rope around the bend with me as I tiptoe away from the campsite, a small attempt to delay the chase I know is inevitable.
Just let me get as far away as I possibly can first. A chance, no matter how small, is still a chance, and I’ll take every opportunity I can get to live life on my terms. I didn’t shoot my abuser and go on the run from corrupt law enforcement just to be handed over to a couple of monsters who may or may not eat me.
I drop the rope, and without looking back, I take off on a light jog back down the mountain path.
The light from the campfire disappears quickly around the bend.
The stars in the night sky do little to illuminate the path before me, but I cannot afford to slow down.
The darkness makes it treacherous, but it’ll be mere moments before he realizes I’ve run away again, and he’ll be after me.
I stumble, a rock catching my boot, causing my ankle to twist painfully.
I hiss as I go down on one knee, biting my tongue to not yell out.
Tears spring to my eyes, partly because of the pain and partly because I know this will slow me down more.
Whimpering, I stand, testing the weight on my sprained ankle.
Pain shoots up my leg, but I’m still able to walk on it.
No longer able to jog, I limp slowly down the mountain.
My breaths come in pants as sweat trickles down my back.
The night has a chill, but I barely feel it as I attempt to navigate any more loose rocks in my path.
I’m surprised I haven’t been caught yet.
Surely Asterion has noticed I’m missing by now, but perhaps he hasn’t.
He could very well still be masturbating for all I know.
I lack all knowledge of Minotaur biology; maybe it takes them a long time to come.
The memory of his grunts and groans, and the way his arm moved with each stroke, flares back to life with startling clarity.
The ache between my legs has only slightly abated due to the distraction my sore ankle has provided.
I throw my head back and look at the sky, my pace slowing before I decide I need a rest and to check my ankle again.
Sitting with my back against the rocky wall, I struggle to remove my boot, giving my foot a little wriggle when it’s free.
My ankle is swollen and sore to the touch.
I need to stay off it; however, that’s not an option.
I huff and rest my head against the rock.
Weariness seeps deep into my bones as I look out over the land before it meets the water, the moon reflecting off the sea in the distance.
Not everyone would think they were lucky to find themselves stranded in the middle of who knows where, but not everyone is me.
If I didn’t have Asterion on my ass, this would be as good as a holiday.
Almost. Once I shake him, I’ll be free. Freer than I’ve been in a long time.
Stars blink in and out in the sea of black above me.
Now that I’ve stopped moving, the ache between my legs grows more persistent, and my walls pulse as if trying to grip something.
Sighing, I decide I may as well stop here for the rest of the night.
I overestimated how much I’d be able to see, and now, with my ankle, I may as well just wait for Asterion to catch me.
The discomfort from my ankle and the persistent throbbing between my legs make it impossible to relax and get some sleep.
I grow frustrated that Asterion hasn’t caught up to me yet.
What could he possibly be doing that takes so long?
Maybe he’s decided that gone is gone, and it doesn’t really matter if he doesn’t return me to the Drakons so long as I’m not bothering him.
I let out an exasperated cry. If I could just get some relief, I might be able to sleep, or think, or both.
I can’t do anything about my ankle right now, but I can solve one problem.
I undo the button and zipper on my jeans, slipping my hands beneath the waistband.
My underwear is already soaked from the brief glimpse I had of Asterion, and I move them to the side.
My clit is already so sensitive when I tentatively brush the tips of my fingers against it.
I let out a shaky breath, closing my eyes and applying pressure, rolling the bud beneath my fingers.
My hips buck, a soft moan escaping me. It’s been a long time since I’ve found pleasure in being touched, Greg all but destroying that part of me, but here in this moment, my body is perched on the precipice.
One rightly timed stroke and I know I’ll fall over the edge of my climax.
My mind wanders back to Asterion stroking himself, tenting his loincloth, the silken skin of his cock in my hand.
I dip a finger inside of me. I’m so wet that it’s not enough.
Adding another finger, I pump them in and out while my other hand applies pressure back on my clit.
I let out a soft moan as I pump and swirl simultaneously, my hips rocking with the motion.
I whimper. I’m so close. I think about Asterion at my back with his nose in the crook of my neck, at my front with his body pressed in close, being bracketed by his arms and thighs as he moves my hands for me.
I gasp as the waves of an orgasm roll over me, my walls fluttering and tightening around my fingers.
“What do we have here, little viper?”
My gasp chokes off into a scream as I scramble to my feet, stumbling when I put weight on my swollen ankle and fall forward.
Asterion takes two steps toward me, catching me in his arms and walking me backwards until my back is pressed against the rocky wall.
We stare at each other, his nostrils flaring as I grab onto his biceps.
My mouth is agape at being busted with my hands down my pants, when he tilts his snout and inhales deeply.
Horror floods me as I realize what it is he can smell, and I snatch my hands away from him, attempting to balance on one foot.
With a growl, he snatches my hands back, holding me firm around the wrists as he brings one hand up and places my fingers inside his mouth.
I can’t think of a single thing to say as his warm, rough tongue sucks any traces of myself off my fingers.
His tongue stills, pupils blown wide as I gently pull them out of his mouth and his eyes flutter shut.
“Exactly how I thought you would taste.” He huffs before bending down and throwing me over his shoulder.