Chapter 11
Graz
I f I could, I would devour her so no other eyes ever get to see what I have.
This has taken on a new form, this heat between us, and I’m gentler with her than I ever intended to be. I can tell her little body—while it wants me as much as I want it—needs careful attention to make this pleasurable.
And I will make sure it’s more than simply “pleasurable.”
There is no sound at all like Vienne’s high-pitched cries each time I test her depths, getting a sense of what she likes. I’ve never been tuned in to another being this way, as if I can feel what she feels in my bones, each stroke of my cock inside her red, swollen pussy ricocheting between us.
When her head falls back again, I can’t help licking her exposed throat, drinking up the taste of her sweat. Her back arches, bringing her flush with my chest, and her arms draw me in even closer.
Fucking has always been something I did to expend energy, to satisfy my instinct and move on. But this is a completely different act, as if at any moment, our bodies are going to envelop one another and turn us into a single writhing organism. I’m inside her and around her and a part of her, as if we were always meant to fit together.
When Vienne opens her eyes again, they spear me through the chest. That sensation constricts into a powerful tightness, one that can only be quenched by kissing her again and again. Fiercely I play with her tongue and lips, plundering them as thoroughly as I am her marvelous cunt.
Graz, please, I— Her thoughts are a jumble. Please, don’t stop.
Never. I reel my hips back slowly, teasing her in circles before I dive into her again, managing to fit even more of myself in her small channel. I’m holding on tightly to my control, trying to claim as much of it as I can until she’s perfectly ready for me.
She cries out again, her legs tightening around my hips, her heels digging into me as she begs for more. I want to see her, all of her, so I sit back and gaze down at her while I make her mine.
Mine. What a powerful word, and one that I know in my bones. Maybe she doesn’t know it yet, but it’s the truth. Now that I’ve tasted her, I could never forget it.
I don’t know how all of this ends, but after this moment, I am sure of that single thing. Vienne is mine.
Armed with this newfound knowledge, I brace myself on the stone pedestal and pick up my pace, fucking her harder, reveling in the grip of her perfect body. When she clenches so tight around me I think I can’t move, all sound ceases coming out of her. I can feel her pleasure ratcheting up as if it’s in my own body, and around us...
The floor begins to glow. I’d be more alarmed by it if I weren’t being sucked into my little human, my eyes rolling back in my head as she squeezes so tightly I might just unspool. She’s shaking all over with her final pleasure as I yank myself out and then slam into her again. Her voiceless scream gains sound, filling up the entire cavern around us. My very balls tighten, drawing up as my cock swells, and I groan a heavy, hot groan because I can’t hold it back any longer.
Beneath us, the stone growls and shifts, and I feel us moving. But I’m helpless to do anything else but spill into her pulsing sheath. I roar as I pump inside her again, releasing it all as the purple light swells up higher and brighter around us. I am both invincible and horrifically vulnerable, reveling in the sweet milking of Vienne’s flawless cunt while also knowing I have given up something invaluable to her, something I can never get back.
I hope I don’t regret it.
When my fog clears, I realize that we’ve risen. Far below is a pool of glowing purple liquid, and I blink a few times to figure out what I’m seeing.
Magic , I whisper.
Definitely, Vienne says with satisfaction in her voice. Wow. Didn’t think you had that in you, orc.
No, no. Look. I squint as I slowly withdraw from her, my cock dripping with both of us. I urge her forward on the pedestal carefully, so she doesn’t topple off the side.
Oh. Holy shit. Vienne falls perfectly still when she peers over it. There’s so... much .
We found it. Whatever is hidden here in this cave, we’ve opened it.
But first... I lie down on my side, too drained to be as elated as I’d thought I’d be when we discovered the secret. I feel like all the energy was sucked out of me and replaced with this heady bliss, and now all I want is to keep fucking my woman, over and over again. Vienne squeaks as I roll her up into my arms, feeling more certain of the truth with each passing second.
I’ve found my only, my everything.
My mate.
But I carefully keep my thoughts closed off from Vienne. I don’t know what she, a human, would think of such a declaration. Humans don’t have mates, and she’s only just learned of the concept. Voicing this desire would be idiotic. I don’t need to frighten her. No, I want her to choose me, to realize what I’ve realized, to understand the fact that we are now tied together for the rest of time. The idea of building a life, making whelps—that is for a very different moment.
At long last, I sit up and venture to the edge of the pedestal, where the pool of magic far down below us still glows. I help a naked Vienne up to her feet, and before we can step down, I pull her to me and kiss her fiercely. She’s reeling when I release her, then I cautiously make my way to the edge of the platform. I lower myself down slowly, but Vienne simply hops off of it without a second look, plunging the six feet to the ground.
Oof. Hard landing. She rubs her feet as I finally drop to the floor beside her.
I’m going to worry a lot about this human, I can already tell.
We stand side by side and stare down past our feet at the gap that’s now appeared between the platform and the floor. It’s big enough to slide through, but who knows how far down it goes?
Don’t worry , Vienne says, flapping a hand at me as if she can read my mind. We can always use the magic to get back out again.
It’s flippant, but she’s right. We have to investigate what’s down there after we’ve come this far—and done this much.
What is this place, and why is it here? Who were all those humans and trollkin we saw in our vision?
Let me help you down this time, though, I tell her.
Vienne smirks, then navigates to the edge. I hold her hands tightly in mine as she slides off, into the darkness, and she’s much lighter than I expected. I could throw her over my shoulder if I had to.
Something tells me that’s a distinct possibility in the future.
There’s a floor down here , she says, excited. I can’t tell how far down it is, but it’s probably fine if you let me go.
‘Probably fine’?! I don’t know if I like how callously Vienne regards her own life.
Instead of me releasing her, she slips her fingers through mine and drops.
Vienne!
I’m alright. I can almost hear the wink in her voice. Come on down.
I’m not nearly so thoughtless with my own limbs, so I navigate over the edge and down into the darkness cautiously, hanging as low as I can with one hand until the tips of my toes brush the floor.
See? she says brightly. It’s not so bad.
With a grunt of annoyance, I let go and drop the rest of the way down. The purple glow of magic is so bright here it’s nearly blinding, but when I turn away, my eyes are able to adjust to the dark.
Vienne stands silhouetted against more carvings, the deep channels filled with magic. These are very different designs, though. I come to stand beside her as we take in the walls around us.
There are figures everywhere, but they all lead up a mountain toward two individuals—one human and one trollkin, their hands raised into the air as one. Opposite them is what appears to be a massive, curling worm.
I trace over the worm’s outline with my fingers.
The tunnels, Vienne says in wonder. That’s one of the ancient worms, who made all those tunnels in the desert.
I turn to her, arching a brow. In the desert?
I found some in the Hazrain with the rest of the History Corps. Ancient tunnels carved by the worms, which humans or trollkin then later occupied . I think that’s what this is.
I know of what she’s talking about. I’ve seen drawings of the massive skeletons out in the desert.
I thought the worms all went extinct?
Vienne shrugs. A beam is erupting from the couple’s joined hands, streaking out toward the worm like a blast of flame. I have no idea what it means, but it looks like the memory of a great battle fought once upon a time.
Is that magic, do you think? Vienne asks. Coming out of her hands?
Maybe. What makes you think so?
Her jaw tightens. Just seems powerful, that’s all.
You’re right about that. I inhale sharply, remembering just how destructive magic can be. One of the other sites I went to... the whole damned place blew up.
Her eyes get big. What?
In Morgenzan. I believe there was magic there, too. I remember arriving in the middle of a huge conflict, the very earth shaking with the fury of it. The Grand Chieftain was mining the mountain, but by the time I got there, it was all up in flames.
Vienne turns back to the pool, regarding it with suspicion. I thought so.
I cock my head. You thought what?
I knew this stuff was bad news. She leans down to scoop some up into her palm, regarding it with suspicion. We can’t let anyone else get their hands on this.
I agree wholeheartedly with that. I don’t think that will happen. And it’s not inherently nefarious . I scoop some up myself. It’s a tool like any other.
And I know just what I need to use it for right now.
I stand and tilt my hand, feeding the magic my desire before letting the droplets spill out onto the floor. Slowly, the purple ooze shifts and grows, sprouting up from the ground to form the metal shape of a great big tub. Vienne gets to her feet, eyes wide as the tub fills with water, and soon steam is rising from the surface.
Vienne’s mouth broadens as she sees what I’ve created for her. Is that a bath? she asks in a voice too breathless to hope.
A warm bath. I grab her by the hips and lift her up, then settle her down in the hot water.
Ooh, hot, hot! She wriggles as I get into the tub with her, adjusting our legs so now she’s resting on top of mine, her little feet sitting to either side of my waist. The water lifts Vienne’s breasts in an appealing manner, and in turn, the head of my cock floats to the surface.
All right , she hedges, sinking lower into the water to submerge herself. This isn’t bad, I have to admit.
I grin, knowing exactly what it would take to convince her. She leans back against the opposite wall of the tub, resting her head there and closing her eyes. While she relaxes, I take one of her teeny, adorable feet in my hands, first admiring her five little toes, then rubbing my thumb down the sole.
“Ooh,” Vienne hums out loud. That’s good.
I continue my work on her left foot, until she’s little more than a human body full of jelly, then I switch to her right foot. I make my way up her thighs, leaning forward so I can rub her muscles and touch even more of her skin. I want her even closer, so close I could simply eat her.
What a bizarre sensation. I’ve never experienced such a deep affection for someone, especially someone I barely know. But I just want to pull her into the ring of my arms and bind our bodies together, so she can never leave me.
Finally, when I’m done with both her thighs and the water has gone tepid, we rise out of the bath. Not long after, the tub itself vanishes.
So strange, Vienne says, eyeballing where it used to be. While she’s standing there, wet and skeptical, I scoop out some more magic from the pool.
I know what else I want to do with it, what other things I can create. Then, perhaps, I can convince her of what I know to be true.