Chapter XI
The next few days pass quickly with Sable around and the quiet of the new safehouse.
Mariam keeps up with the physical therapy supplies she was given to heal her arm and leg, and the splintering wounds are just pink scars by the time a week has passed since the attack.
Sable still gets a look on her face when she sees them, but less and less as time goes on, and Mariam herself could care less. Scars just tell stories.
The first morning of their second week at The Bog begins with Mariam waking to a cool bed…
and no sign of Sable. Confused, she looks around for the woman, but doesn’t see her anywhere.
Sable is typically a night owl. This is the first time Mariam can remember her being first to get out of bed.
A moment of panic passes before Mariam registers the sounds of hammering outside.
Hurrying, she throws her legs over the side of the bed and dresses, then heads outside.
She’s relieved to find Sable immediately.
She’s shirtless, in front of a training dummy that looks…
frankly, like a significant downgrade from the ones she had seen at the previous safehouse.
The frame appears to be a thick tree branch, and the torso is spare pillows bound to it by burlap potato sacks, secured with ropes and what looks like duct tape for good measure.
It’s buried maybe a foot into the soft ground.
She realizes Sable has built this herself, apparently in quite a hurry.
She’s putting the final touches on it as Mariam approaches.
“Sable? What’s this for? Your training?”
“Something like that.” Sable finishes securing the “head,” another pillow-stuffed sack, to the branch before stepping back. She tosses the roll of duct tape down onto the ground, then she turns to look at Mariam. “This is for me to train you with, too.”
Mariam must have misheard. She laughs, then says, “I’m sorry, I could’ve sworn you said you’re planning to train me with that thing.”
“I did.” Sable sighs, closes the distance between them, and cups Mariam’s chin with a callused hand, running her thumb along her cheekbone. “I want you to be able to protect yourself, even when I am… not there. And I can teach you to do so.”
Mariam smiles softly and runs the backs of her fingers down Sable’s cheek. Oh, the woman makes it ever so easy to fall in love with her. Mariam’s heart constricts at that thought, of being in love with Sable. “I don’t know about this, Sable. I’m no fighter. I don’t have… the physique for it.”
Sable’s brows furrow. “I—ugh. I just want you safe, Mariam. I almost lost you once.” Her voice thickens with emotion, making Mariam’s own throat tighten.
“Okay, maybe you could just teach me some specific moves, in case I need to get out of someone’s hold or something. For now. Does that sound fair?”
Sable’s face lights up and she grins. “Yes, yeah, I can work with that.”
* * *
Mariam fixes her body in the stance Sable has taught her: her feet equal to her hips, her back straight. She looks the training dummy in the “eyes,” where she and Sable had borrowed a marker from Jimmy to draw on a frowning face.
“I’m going to teach you to punch first, okay?” Sable says.
“Er. Sure, I guess.”
Sable does a practice punch through the air in slow motion, showing Mariam how to twist her body into the punch. “Do you see how I did that? If you move your entire body with the punch, it’ll be more powerful.”
“Can you show me one more time?”
Sable nods and throws the punch again, moving even slower. Mariam clears her throat, watching her carefully. She can see how Sable’s form is like a symphony: every muscle of her body sings together.
Mariam corrects her stance more confidently this time, resolute.
Her eyes lock onto the dummy. She swings, throwing her whole body in it, and without intending to, her fist arcs up, slicing the air in an uppercut that connects with the dummy’s head.
The power of it surprises her. The dummy lurches back dangerously, displacing soil and threatening to topple over completely.
Sable claps, grinning. “You’ll get the hang of this in no time.”
* * *
The morning is a long one, with only one substantial break when Jimmy arrives with breakfast. By the end, Mariam is a sweaty, tired mess, resting on the front deck of their shack while Sable begins her own round of training.
Mariam tied back her hair before they began, but loose tendrils of it are stuck to her neck and cheeks with sweat.
Her shirt sticks to her uncomfortably as well.
Sable seems to be enjoying it, however; her eyes keep running over Mariam’s breasts and belly hungrily every time she looks over.
Mariam turns her mind away from that thought and towards what she has learned: how to break holds, where weak points are on the humanoid body, how to use them to her advantage, and how to throw a damn good punch.
Sable is a great teacher. Mariam is hopeful she will never need this information, but she’s taken it to heart; the last thing she wants is to disappoint Sable.
As Sable continues her own training, Mariam stands from her spot on the deck. “Sable, I’m gonna head in and shower. I think Jimmy will be by with lunch soon.”
Sable pushes her wet hair back from her forehead and smiles. “Go ahead, sweet. I’ll be in there soon.”
“Okay.” Mariam heads into the shack and strips off her sweaty clothes, settling them into a pile outside the bathroom door, and heads for the yellow plastic shower-tub combo.
She turns the water on as hot as she can stand it, then turns on the showerhead.
As she steps in under the water, she hears the door open to the shack.
In comes the sounds of Sable’s familiar, heavy footsteps, then rustling clothing.
As the water heats her skin, her core heats at the thought of Sable undressing.
Then there she is, pulling back the shower curtain just a bit. She’s naked. Her eyes dance playfully. “Can I join you, sweet?”
Mariam feels her face flush at the thought.
She has never showered with someone else before…
but the tub is big enough for them both standing.
She nods shyly and scoots forward, letting Sable in behind her.
Strong arms pull her back to Sable’s hard chest, her breasts pressing into her shoulder blades.
Mariam turns her head and kisses one, earning her a soft growl.
She gasps when Sable cups her breast and her mound, claiming them. Like they are hers. It melts Mariam to her, and Sable easily takes the additional weight as Mariam slackens. Sable’s lips come close to her ear and whisper, “Put your foot up on the side of the tub, Mariam.”
She does as she bids, and she whimpers when Sable reaches around her and her rough fingers spread her folds.
Mariam jerks as more of them find her clit and begin to circle it, sending waves of pleasure into her lower stomach.
Sable’s other hand begins to pinch and gently twist one of her nipples.
Mariam’s legs shake, to the point she’s almost worried she’ll fall, but Sable holds her steady as she rolls her clit between her fingers.
She leans her head back against Sable’s collarbone, moans leaving her easily.
She moves her hips to Sable’s fingers, weak and shaking from the pleasure.
Her legs’ quaking only worsens when Sable begins to pick up her pace.
Mariam’s core tightens, the coil in her stomach eager to make her come.
Sable bends her neck down to bring her face close and kisses her jaw, her cheek, her forehead.
Her hand switches to her other breast, and Mariam can’t help but to groan loudly, grinding back against her.
Mariam feels her inner walls clench around nothing, but it feels so good.
Everything feels good. So, so good. The roughness of Sable’s fingers, the way she handles her breasts, and then Sable sinks one of her fingers into her, pumping it in and out slowly, giving her walls something to hold onto.
She gasps and whines, and within moments, Mariam keens as pleasure rips through her.
She squeezes her eyes shut, letting it flow, leaving her entire body hot and sparking.
The coil tears her apart, her pleasure heightening and becoming too much as Sable continues her ministrations, not stopping until Mariam pushes her hand away.
“I-I’m,” Mariam half-starts, her head spinning and light from her orgasm.
She turns in Sable’s arms to find her eyes devouring and dark.
Sable cups the back of her head and kisses her roughly, slanting her lips across her own.
Sable’s tongue tip laves at her lower lip and Mariam opens her lips eagerly, tasting Sable as much as she tastes her.
Mariam only pulls away when she needs air.
Panting, she grins and pecks a kiss to Sable’s jaw.
It occurs to Mariam that Sable has never let her touch her properly.
She always worries so much about Mariam’s pleasure, and never her own.
Her heart hurts at that… sacrificing even in love.
She’ll change that today, if Sable will let her.
“We wash up and then it’s your turn, my lady. ”
Sable chuckles darkly. “Alright, then.”
~§~
After they’ve taken turns washing each other and dried off with the big fluffy blue towels that come standard at this safehouse, Sable lets Mariam usher her back into the main room and onto their bed.
She lies back, spreading her knees and propping herself up on her arm so she can see Mariam.
Mariam kisses her sweetly, warmly, gently.
It makes her chest tighten. Mariam pulls back to kiss down her torso, one of her hands splayed out on Sable’s lower stomach.
She loves the difference in their color; Mariam’s creamy skin is so light compared to hers.
Sable’s abs tighten when Mariam nips at the underside of her breast. She lets slip a growl, then sighs contentedly when Mariam takes her breast into her mouth, suckling gently on her nipple.
Sable cups the back of her head, encouraging her as Mariam runs her nails over her side, sending chills all over her body.
The woman is not playing fair. She loves it.
Mariam switches to her other breast as her hand begins to make circles on Sable’s inner thigh, sending little trills of pleasure through her.
Sable closes her eyes, enjoying Mariam’s touch fully.
Her eyes flit open when Mariam begins kissing down her stomach, then presses a kiss to her mound’s curls.
Mariam offers a playful smile as she wiggles to be able to lie between Sable’s thighs, earning her a laugh from the wolfmaiden.
Sable spreads her legs wider and gently runs her fingers over Mariam’s hand.
Sable snarls in pleasure when Mariam presses a kiss to her folds.
She does so again when her devious tongue flicks out to taste her, then runs a line from her opening to her clit.
Sable squeezes her eyes shut as Mariam rolls her clit around her tongue tip, sending sharp spikes of pleasure through her legs and stomach.
She’s dimly aware of a low growl in her voice box the entire time, which only grows when Mariam moves to using the whole flat of her tongue.
It writhes against her clit, and Sable can feel her wolf snarl in its own satisfaction at their mate pleasing them.
Her magic roars to life, so strongly that the lightbulbs burst.
Mariam pauses at the sound, but Sable murmurs, “Sorry, my powers…” She snaps, and the shattered glass of the bulbs reassembles itself.
She chuckles, kissing her folds again. “Quite a power you got there.”
“Why, thank you.” Sable hisses eagerly as Mariam returns her tongue, flicking it in a pulsing beat. Sable lets her powers flow through her, heightening her senses and intensifying the experience further.
It’s not long before she comes with a roar, her hands clenched in the bedsheets.
Mariam continues to move her tongue, tasting her and touching her, until Sable pushes her head away.
She watches Mariam wipe her mouth as she crawls back up the bed, lying on her side beside Sable.
She grins and kisses Mariam’s forehead. “Did we miss a knock? I’m sure I smell lunch. ”
“Oh, shoot!” Mariam gets up in a hurry, much to Sable’s amusement. She roughly pulls a dress down over her body, then opens the door to claim their lunch before the insects do. When she has it in the room, Sable closes the door with her mind, then makes space on the bed for Mariam and the tray.
Lunch is a playful affair, punctuated with touches and kisses, teasing words, and warm looks.
The rest of the day is spent outside with the two of them enjoying the warmth of a southern fall while Sable whittles and Mariam types away at her computer.
Sable continues work on the same figurine; she’s pleased with how it’s coming along.
Her knife proved too dull for some of the details, but she was able to borrow a better knife from Jimmy.
Overall, it has been a fairly fun project, one she likes to think they will keep for a long time.
She notes Mariam half-watching her out of the corner of her eye, to her amusement. The woman does like to watch her…
When Sable finishes her figurine, she offers it to Mariam.
~§~
Mariam looks up from her laptop as Sable offers her what she’s been working on. Curious, she takes it and inspects it. It seems to be a curvaceous woman in comfy dress, with… a tray in her hand. Her throat tightens, touched. “Sable, is this me?”
“It’s a memory of the first time I saw you.”
Mariam looks up to find Sable watching her, her gaze intense but warm, leaning forward with her hands hanging between her knees. Mariam leans over and kisses her, enjoying the softness of her lips. When she pulls back, she offers a tender smile. “Sable, I love it.”
“I was worried you might hate it,” she says with a laugh, rubbing the back of her head. If Mariam didn’t know better, she’d say Sable looks shy.
“You’re really talented, honestly.” Mariam looks over the detailed touches: the stitching on the sweater, the wrinkles in her leggings, the shoestrings. She is really talented.
“Thanks. It’s the main thing I did to pass time on the Plains.”
“I can definitely tell you’ve had a lot of time to practice.” Mariam sets the miniature of herself between them with a bright smile, letting mini-her enjoy the weather as well.