Chapter Twenty-One
T he heat in the room increases tenfold.
My breathing gets heavy and I feel like I am going to burn right out of my skin.
And that smell, oh Gods that smell!
It’s the smell that makes you think about a warm hug on a chilly autumn night. I want to wrap it around me like a comforting blanket. It also makes me crave some things … or should I say some one .
It’s like a light goes off in my head and I understand it now, even if it doesn’t make any sense.
That dusky, fiery, Earthy smell…. is 100% Blake.
Well shit.
So it’s not the greatest idea to start drooling over my new bestie and trainer. Even if he does have a body that begs for me to run my fingers…
I snatch my hand back, as it has clearly got a mind of its own. Turning my face away from his heated gaze, I attempt to calm down and level my breathing.
This is kind of a weird intense reaction, right? Like I had found him attractive before and definitely had some dirty thoughts come to mind, but this? This is intense. This is like foreplay all in itself.
It’s probably because I was just standing around mostly naked, asking him to look at my body, and letting him run his fingers across my skin. I mean, I can’t really blame him for getting a little turned on by that. Right?
There is a slight tug on my side and I look to the left in time to see the slightest hint of my tail swishing, before I yelp and it sucks back in. My shoulders slump a little at the reaction. “Awe, dammit! I was so close,” I can’t help the whiny tone in my voice. I haven’t even gotten used to my own extra appendages and now they are, what? Shy? It’s kinda bullshit.
Blake chuckles behind me. “No, but I think it’s time we talk about the other half of your genetics. There are some things that you need to learn.” As he talks, his scent quickly fades away. Almost as if someone has opened a window. “Do you think you can get us to the training area again? It would probably be easier if we could—“
I had already begun focusing when he started the request and we snap there a little quicker than even I had anticipated. Based on his reaction, I don’t think Blake was properly braced for it either. Oops.
“Gods dammit!” He yells as he hunches over to catch his breath. “How about you warn a body first? Maybe we should work out some kind of signal when you’re transporting me with you? Like a tap on my elbow. Sound good?” He asks as he stands back up, surveying the small section of forest outside the village that we have claimed as our training area.
“Yeah, I can do that,” I say with a smile. After all, it wouldn’t do me any good to have a partner that is not immediately ready if we are transporting to sneak up on the monster. “I wonder if it makes a sound when we pop into places?”
“Hmm... good question.” He rubs his chin. “Oh, do you think you could do like a quick pop back to the house and then back here? I’m not sure if you feel tired or–”
He said we are on a short time frame, so I don’t let him finish. Instead, I push my magick and pop back into the kitchen at Cordelia’s. Thankfully it’s empty. I hadn’t thought about her being here and me possibly scaring the shit out of her again. I spot my water bottle next to Blake’s on the table and snag them up, before popping myself back in our training area.
“–you feel a little nauseous.” He is giving me a serious grump face, so I thrust the water bottle at him. Shaking his head, he takes it from me.
“You’re rude. Also, thanks for this.” He opens his bottle and takes a big pull from the contents.
“So?” I’m not even going to feint patience here. Out with it dude.
“Nope. No sound. Just you walking.” He takes one last drink and snaps the cap back into place. “Great, ok now that we have settled that, let’s have a seat here in the clearing,” he says, letting out a deep breath and gesturing to the small open space in the center of the training area. “It will give me a chance to explain some things to you and also give you a chance to work on grounding yourself. The deeper your connection with Earth, the easier it will be for you to call on your abilities without having to focus so hard on them.”
He moves to the clearing and sits down on the ground, his body in a meditative pose. I move to join him by sitting across so that I can face him while we chat. I know that a lot of my training also involves my need to learn more about the other parts of my magick, so I try not to dwell on the fact that lectures are so boring .
He scrubs a hand across his face before he begins. “Alright, so I’m just going to get right to the point and then you can ask questions as I go, ok?” I nod in response. “Right, so demons tend to release pheromones when they are aroused or seeking sexual attention.”
I blink at him dumbly when I realize he is waiting for a response or reaction from me. Why would I care if demons release pheromones when they—
My jaw goes slack.
“Oh. My. Gods. Are you kidding me ? Your smell!“ I’m a little embarrassed and seriously irritated, so I know that my words are coming out as more of a squeak than the stern tone I wish I was portraying. Blake hasn’t said anything yet, but is seriously scrunching his brows at me. What the fuck does he have to be confused about?
“Back at the house,” I begin, feeling the need to explain my declaration regarding his odor. “I started smelling this scent. I’ve smelled it a few times before—which now that I think about it just means that you are a dirty, dirty man, Blake.” I shake my head. I’m trying to sound disappointed in the now obvious physical attraction the man before me seems to have for me, but inside I’m a little too giddy to really put heart into it. And don’t even get me started on what my vagina thinks about his attraction. She is a hussy and—
Wait a fucking minute… If demons exude these pheromones when they are horny, and I’m half-demon, then that means…
Oh fuck.
My gaze snaps back to Blake’s face but based on the dilation of his pupils and the clear boner he is rocking, I’m too late. I cover my face with both hands and wish the Earth would swallow me and protect me from my own embarrassment. I can feel the heat radiating from my cheeks and know that I’m sporting a nice ripe tomato complexion.
I’m not embarrassed by my own sexuality by any means, but I had no clue I was waving it around on display like a big ol’ “ Come and Get It” flag whose logo is a map right to my happy place. I’m not just embarrassed about this situation, but all of the previous awkward moments I have been clearly oblivious to.
Another thought punches through me. Did the teas suppress this, if not... How the fuck long have I just been running rampant turning everyone on with my own vivacious sexual appetite? Oh Gods! I’m some kind of perverted horny monster!
He clears his throat and shifts his body a little, but I don’t dare look at him right now. “I don’t think you were able to do it before, because of the tea. Now that you are getting into the ‘total Forsythia magicks,’ that is something you seem to have inherited from your father as well. I have to admit though, yours doesn’t hit like a soft lust caress most demons have the ability to provide. Yours is more like a punch to the gut and nearly makes me have to change my pants. We’re going to have to work on your control over your hold on those pheromones, or training is going to get… err… awkward.”
I drop my hands to my lap but don’t look at his face. “Ok,” I manage to say, but a thought niggles at me and I can’t stop myself from looking up at him and asking the questions. “Why did you push yours on me then? And how did you do that to me in the dream before I met you?”
He holds up his hands in defense. “I have no idea about a dream. I didn’t even know you existed before you fell on me and shoved a sandwich in my face.” I smile a little at the memory, and so does he. “I did it back at the house as a test. Then I couldn’t tell if you were pushing yours at me on purpose. Once I realized you had no idea you were doing it—and I should have realized that sooner—I stopped right away. I’m sorry for that.”
“Oh ok. I forgive you. No harm done.” I chuckle nervously.
Do you know how hard it is to not think about sex when that is the only thing your brain seems capable of doing? I blame my vagina. She’s relentless in her pursuits.
“Is that why I’m so horny?” I blurt out without even thinking.
Blake’s eyes go a little wide. “Uhm, well I… that is... it could…” he purses his lips and makes a few more weird noises that could be words. It’s almost like he can’t decide what reasoning he wants to go with. He kinda looks like a fish. Opening and closing his mouth over and over.
He must finally make a choice because he stops stammering and gets that cocky smile on his face that makes me want to either punch him or jump him.
Maybe both?
Do demons like S&M?
“That’s probably just because I’m irresistible, little nymph,” he finally says.
Yeah, punch. Definitely punch.
I clap my hands together in an attempt to get us back on track. “Ok, so how do I shut this shit down? I don’t want to walk around smelling up the place every time a dirty thought pops into my head. It’s nobody’s business how pervy I really am up here.” I tap the side of my head.
He scrunches his eyebrows a little before he responds, “Yeah, that’s another thing. The pheromones don’t actually smell. At least I’ve never met anyone who could smell them. Some proficient aura readers can see wisps from them, and strong doses will read as magickal fragments from a spell, but no one has ever mentioned smell before.” He seems to think about that for a moment before finally asking. “What do I smell like? It’s not bad , right?“ He almost seems a little nervous about that idea.
“No, it’s not bad,” I say. “It’s actually quite comforting. Almost like a smell that makes you think of home. It reminds me of the smell from the blacksmith’s forge on a cool autumn day after the rain.” I chuckle a little at his quirked eyebrow and shrug my shoulders, before continuing on. “To be honest, it’s one of my favorite smells. I wonder if that’s because you were sending lust specifically to me?”
He chuckles lightly and shakes his head. “I honestly have no clue. This is the first time my lust has ever smelled, so it’s kind of new territory for me as well.” The look in his eyes as he stares back at me is one that you might consider awe. The sight of it makes my heart squish a little.
No heart. Bad. Maybe tossing lust around is better than squishy heart flutters? Stupid feelings.
He sighs, and starts in. “Alright, to prevent your pheromones from leaving your body, it’s kind of like…well I guess it’s like holding in a fart.” I start laughing, but he soldiers on through his explanation. “First you are going to have to try and purposefully release them this time.”
“Woah.” I raise my hands and attempt to interject, but he holds up a finger and I back down. After all, if I am relying on him to properly train me, I have to trust that he knows what he is doing.
“I’m not saying that it’s going to be great, but you have to know what it feels like when you let them out so that you can form an idea of how to prevent it.”
He finishes and gives me space to turn down this method of teaching, but dammit all if I can’t think of a better way. After a few minutes, I finally huff out a breath. “Fine.”
“Great. I’m ready. Go ahead.” He holds himself stiff as if a physical shield will protect him from this.
“Uhhmm… since when have you ever been able to just switch on the horny?” He smirks at me and I roll my eyes in response. “Yeah, ok, so maybe for an enormous perv like you, but I don’t just get instantly wet on command,” I say, crossing my arms across my chest. Like seriously, I don’t care how many women he has been with, there is no way in hell he just said ‘ Get ready for me baby ’ and she turned into a geyser.
And now I am imagining stabbing women who I don’t even know for touching my–
Oh hell no. That train of thought can go fuck itself.
He waves his arm around in front of him. “Just think of something that gets you excited or whatever.” When I just continue to stare at him, he sags a little. “ Fine . Try this then. Close your eyes.”
He lets out a sound of frustration when I just continue to glare at him. “Gods Sythia, I won’t touch you or do anything inappropriate. I’m just trying to help you here, remember?”
He’s right, and I’m being a brat. Ugh... I hate when he is right. Even if I won’t ever say it out loud. Giving in I relax my arms and let them drop to my lap. I didn’t mean to be a turd about it. Blake is my friend, and I trust him. It’s not his fault I am battling stupid feelings inside my own head. So I nod at him and close my eyes like he instructed.
“Alright, now… imagine we’re back at Cordelia’s again. Standing close together in that room.” Ok, I can do this. We are in the room. I start to relax even more into the vision he is painting for me. “We’re standing so close we can feel our body heat intertwining. You liked the way I held you before, so you start to imagine what it would feel like if I did again. Then that smell you love so much starts to gently breeze by you.” His voice is taking on a more husky, yet dreamy tone.
A small breeze flutters across my skin and I almost smell his scent. I know what he’s doing, but it’s a bit of an overkill. I was already starting to feel a little tickle across my abdomen. When another caress of sweet-smelling breeze moves across my skin, I can’t stop the sigh of pure pleasure that crosses my lips.
When I hear the sound of heavy panting, my eyes fly open, only to land on a clearly pained Blake. He is sweating and breathing heavily. His eyes are hooded and he looks like he is holding himself in place. Once he notices me studying him, he starts talking very quickly. So fast I almost can’t keep up.
“Understand what it feels like now?! Great! Let’s work on reigning this shit in, shall we?!” He sounds slightly crazed and that’s when I realize that he is about two seconds away from losing control… and devouring me .
But maybe I want that?
That thought only intensifies the heat pooling in my core and my nipples painfully hard. Oh Gods, yes! A feral Blake, possessively ravaging me and—
He lets out a groan and his eyes roll back into his head a little before he manages to grunt out, “Sythia, please. I can’t take much more.” Poor guy…
I spare a brief moment to let a wicked smile cross my lips over the control I am wielding. At this very moment, for the first time in my entire life, I feel like the sexiest woman alive. A pure Goddess, with the power to wield over others in their most vulnerable state. I feel as though I am sex personified. I feel so powerful.
A deep moan and more heavy breathing from Blake pull me out of my thoughts.
Right! Deep breaths, Forsythia. I have to get a handle on this. I have to focus.
Ok, so when that feeling first started, it was like a flutter across my abdomen. Maybe if I imagine the flutter again, but instead of warmth rushing through me, I try to imagine it as a cooling sensation. I direct all of my focus, and after a few moments, I start to feel strange. Not uncomfortable, just… well I guess the whole “ holding in a fart “ analogy was pretty spot on.
Blake is no longer sweating and his shoulders are more relaxed. His breathing isn’t quite even yet, but I think I did something right. I’m not sure if I voiced that out loud or if my facial expressions gave me away, but Blake responds just the same.
“You did good,” he says in a raspy voice. “Just give me a second, ok?” I nod, but he brings his hands up to his face so quickly he misses the gesture. He works towards evening his breaths, and then I hear him use his magick words.
Refrigescant
When he lowers his hands, I notice the pink that was overwhelming his cheeks a minute ago has gone, and he is back to his normal color. “Well, I hope you learned well from that experiment because I will not be repeating it.“ He states it in such a matter-of-fact tone that I completely lose my composure and fall on my side, laughing and snorting in a very not lady-like way.
Once I gain my composure, I notice that he has narrowed his eyes at me a little. He did say he was worried about having to change his pants. I wonder… I let my eyes drift down but before they reach their intended target, he startles me with the snap of his fingers and a gruff tone. “Hey, perv. Pay attention. We have a lot of training to do, and no time for your ridiculousness. So focus.”
“Fine,” I growl at him as I stand up. If I can’t fuck him, I want to at least prove I can do something intentionally.
Focusing my awareness on my own body, I try to imagine my wings and tail. I concentrate for several minutes, but nothing happens. No tingles. No flutters. Nothing.
“Gods dammit!” I yell in my frustration. I just wanted to be able to shift and rub that in Blake’s smug face.
However, I’m so focused on my failed shift, that I don’t notice how the sky visibly dims with my anger.