The Knight And The Acolyte Book 9, Chapter 1: Bound Up Love free porn video

Book Nine: Blossoming Danger
Chapter One: Bound Up Love
By mypenname3000
Copyright 2016

Note: Thanks to B0b for beta reading this.
Bebhinn the Twinborn Witch – The Haunted Forest

The dark, foggy canopy of the Haunted Forest stretched out before me, an endless sea of foreboding that stretched to the horizon in all directions. Even above it, soaring in the form of a mighty eagle, the sun's light was wan and pale, like it couldn't shine as strong over this cursed land. The very presence of Drakin Castle, the ruined lair of the Biomancer Vebrin, had poisoned these woods and populated them with his abominations.

And here, Angela would come. Once I realized her true goal, claiming the High King's sword, I knew where her path would lead her next. In the dark forest, I would have my chance to subdue her and her companions, bind them with the spirits, and return them to Raratha for the rewards.

But I had to be careful. Crafty. Angela and her companions left a trail of bodies where they went. Of the bounty hunters original dispatched by the Doge, I was the only left. Fredagest, one of the most accomplished bounty hunters in the world, vanished with the elf Adeliatholaria in the caldera of Mount Peritito. Farson, the Shizhuthian warlord and shadowmancer, was lost into the sands of the Halani Desert. And just last night, I watched in the form of a songbird as Angela and her companions easily defeated the Ifrit Hakeem and a group of knight and priestesses sent to capture them outside the Labyrinth of Grahata.

I almost had my chance to strike, but the halfling's damiana bomb filled the air with spicy lust. And in my small form, my tiny body only needed a whiff to be lost to the passion. I had lost my transformation and spent hours masturbating in the brush, my poor pussy rubbed raw. By the time I recovered, they had left.

So here was where they would come next.

Here was where I would make ready my ambush.

The red conjuration spirit, bobbing before me and guiding me to my goal, suddenly dived down into the trees. I let out a caw, my wing feathers rustling as I folded them in and dived after, the wind rushing past, my talons flexing and clenching. I burst through a gap in the branches, entering the dark gloom. The fog swallowed me, my keen vision almost reduced to nothing.

I flared my wings and landed on the ground beneath the trees. There were hardly any brush, the tall trees canopy's strangling the life from smaller plants. This was a place of death. A chill settled through me as the yellow transformation spirits swirled around me, restoring me to my natural form. My feathered wings sprouted into thin, pale arms. The brown feathers at the crown of my head became my bright-red hair. My breasts swelled, my legs grew long and sleek. I rose as I stretched, my beak fading into plump lips. I blinked my green eyes, my clothing appearing about my skin, a dark, loose dress cinched tight about my body with colorful scarfs, proclaiming my Tuathan heritage.

The yellow spirits danced around me when they finished, happy to serve me. I was a twinborn witch. A century or more ago, I would have been condemned to a Triad, wandering the Lesh-Ke with my twin sister and a paladin of Gewin, married to them both, having to fight monsters and save the world. But the knightly orders and the guardians—those freakish leotaurs and octogirls—had ended that need, freeing me to do what I want. My twin was happy marrying a dumb farmer and staying in our mountain valley.

But I wanted to see the world. To travel and have adventures. And being a bounty hunter let me do both.

My mother had lamented when I left. “You're descended of Fiona, the greatest witch, and her mighty husband Seamus. You bring shame on us by leaving.”

I had only laughed at her. What did I care about legends who lived hundreds of years ago? “Seamus fucked every woman he came across. Half the people in the Lesh-Ke Mountains are his spawn. Let them defend it.”

A red spirit snapped me out of my reverie. It flashed towards me from my right and danced in vigorous warning. Then a second and third appeared. They were protection spirits warning me of danger. I took a deep breath, my heart fluttering.

“Thank you,” I whispered to the spirits. Only I or another witch could see them. But they were everywhere.

My heart raced as I turned slowly, scanning the foggy woods, trying to see the werewolves creeping upon me. They were silent. I didn't see anything except for the fog rippling. But it didn't ripple from a breeze—the air was still.

And then the first werewolf launched out at me out of the mist, a vaguely humanoid shape of gray and white fur, detritus thrown up by sharp claws as she bounded in at me, teeth bare, snarling. I took a deep breath, slipping into a fight stance and—

Red light flared behind me. A werewolf snarled in pain, crashing into the protection spirits that rose about my body, my spells triggering into effect. Then the first werewolf charging at my front slammed into the spirits' wards, the red balls driving her back and knocking her to the ground.

“Well, that was exciting,” I said, clutching a hand to my breasts. “As you can see, I am well—”

An entirely black-furred werewolf leaped at me, arms outstretched. She had jumped easily ten or twelve feet into the air, her body nimble, her eyes a hungry green. I flinched, raising a warding arm as she flashed down at me.

And crashed into my protective spirits. The red orbs drove her back. The swarmed around me in agitation. The werewolf fell back, landing on her hands and feet. Her muzzle opened in a low, dangerous growl that made my skin crawl.

“So, as you can see, I am well protected,” I told the three as they circled me. “You and your entire pack couldn't defeat me.”

“How strong is your magic, witch?” growled the first werewolf. “How long can you hold us off?”

“I can hold you off in—”

I didn't hear the fourth werewolf, only the sharp flare of crimson lights and the howl of pain. I whirled to see her drop to the ground, brown fur raised. She was the smallest of the four, lean and limber as she circled me.

“Oh, this is getting annoying,” I said. “Is every member of your pack going to try that?”

“You can't keep the spell up forever,” the gray werewolf said, crouched while the other three circled me. Howls rose around the fog, the rest of her pack answer. I shivered as I lost count at five or six. The howls all blended together.

“I can smell your fear,” the black werewolf said.

“Mmm, yes,” snarled the brown-furred werewolf.

“Well, let's change that,” I said, trying to keep my voice under control. “Spirits of transformation, return them to their human forms and rid me of their bestial sight.”

The words didn't matter, I just had to direct the spirits with my will. The harder I concentrated, the more spirits obeyed me. And since I was a twinborn witch and not one of those hedge witches who had to learn the art, they obeyed me with glee. They loved me.

A wave of yellow spirits rose from the ground around me, each the size of my feet and glowing with a soft light. I smiled at them. The werewolves snarled at me, fur tensing, unable to see my spell in action. The yellow lights shot out, the transformation spirits swarming over the werewolves. The monsters jumped in shock as the spirits touched them.

Frightened howls and snarls issued from teeth-filled muzzles as the werewolves writhed. Fur retracted into skin. Limbs shortened. Claws retracted. Breasts appeared, the gray werewolf's large and pillowy, the brown's small handfuls. They were all lean women, strong and fiercely beautiful. The black werewolf had the ebony skin of a Halanian, her hair short and wiry, but her eyes the same haunting green as her beast form. The gray werewolf had pale skin and tawny hair, her father Thosian maybe, while the small, brown-furred werewolf was blonde like a Zeutchian.

“What did you do to us?” snarled the alpha, the tawny-haired woman crouched low, her large tits dangling.

“I wanted to see your true forms. And aren't they appealing,” I purred, a hot itch growing in my pussy. “You have such large tits. Is that your name? Big Tits?”

“Moon,” she said, and I saw the silver of her eyes as she glared at me. “Change us back.”

Beyond, my spirits flowed into the mist, finding the rest of the pack. Their howls turned into feminine hisses. I grinned, striding towards Moon. Then the red-eyed werewolf rose, her skin swarthy brown, and lunged at me.

A red spirit smacked her in the face, throwing her to the ground.

I stopped before Moon. “I'll change you back when I'm ready. But first, you need to understand your place.”

Moon rose. Her body was tall, her breasts bouncing as they thrust at me. I looked up at her. She was taller than many men, her body perfectly proportioned, curvy like a goddess. A wild goddess who would rip my throat out.

“And what's that, prey?”

“That you're my bitch. And bitches belong on their knees,” I hissed.

A snarl escaped Moon's lips as she stared down at me. “Drop your spirits, witch, and I will rip out your throat and devour your heart.”

“Oh, I have a better place for you to devour,” I purred. “Spirits of abjuration, bind my lover and bring her to her knees.”

Moon yelped as the blue spirits spun about her, spinning lines of azure energy about her body like a cocoon, following the pattern in my mind. Intricate cords of magical energy wrapped about her body. Her legs were yanked tightly closed and she gasped as she fell to her knees. Her arms were pulled behind her back, bound to her ankles. This thrust her large breasts forward. Energy wrapped about those tits, lifting them into lush mounds, squeezing them. They turned red as the blood pooled in her swollen mounds.

“You bitch,” snarled Moon. “Release me.”

“I think you're the bitch,” I purred, my pussy so hot. My hands went to the broad, purple scarf about my waist. I untied it and my dark skirt fell to the ground, leaving me in only my blouse. My bright-red bush was right before her face. “Right, bitch?” I seized Moon's tawny hair in my hands with a hard grip. “You're going to eat my cunt, right, bitch?”

“Never,” snarled the wolf.

The other werewolves gave nervous growls, crouching apart, watching as their alpha knelt before me. Werewolves were so much like wolves. You just had to dominate the alpha, and the rest of the pack would fall in line.

“Oh, I am so glad you're resistant. Mmm, now the fun begins.” I gripped the scarf in my other hand. I gave it a flick and purple energy rippled across it. It was enchanted to hold my supplies. In a flash, the scarf was a large pouch. I reached inside and found some of my favorite toys. “Well, look at this,” I said, pulling out a nipple clamp. “Do you know what this is?”

Moon shook her head, and I smiled broader, my pussy clenching. Oh, yes, this would be so much fun.

I squeezed the nipple clamp's, opening its jaws, and brought it to her fat, pink nipple. I held the alligator-like teeth around her nipple, the spring wanting to slam the jaws shut. “Do you see where this goes, my little bitch?”

She grit her teeth, defiance in her silver eyes.

I clamped her nipple.

Her howls were so sweet. A trickle of juices ran down my thigh. Her pink nub pinched between the jaws. She shuddered, snarling through her clenched teeth as she glared at me. I just smiled, still holding her tawny hair in a tight grip, and grabbed the second clamp.

“Mmm, I bet you can't wait to feel this one,” I purred, opening and closing the jaws.

“Clamp me, bitch,” she snarled. “I can take the pain.”

“Oh, goodie.” I reached out and clamped her other nipple, savoring the pain. My hips shifted. “Ooh, I am getting so juicy. I bet you can smell me, huh? I bet you're just hungry for snatch. All you have to play with, right? No men in the Haunted Woods for you to enjoy.”

She growled, low, dangerous, but I could hear the pain in her voice.

“Lick my pussy, and I take them off,” I purred.

“Pain is nothing,” she snarled.

“You're right. Pain is nothing.” I pulled out the next object, a polished dildo made of ebony. It was smooth, the tip sculpted to perfectly resemble a dick. There were even a pair of thick balls at the base. Lovely craftsmanship. I licked it, feeling the enchantment spirits inside. “But pleasure, that is so much harder to resist.”

Her eyes narrowed as I let go of the dildo. It floated in the air and then darted at her, leaving a trail of purple light. It pressed between her thighs bound tight, sliding straight for her pussy. Moon's face contorted as the tip reached her cunt and pressed into her depths. Her back arched, her lovely, bound breasts jiggling, the nipple clamps wagging. Pain crossed her face, her nipples throbbing hard while she let out a purring gasp.

“Pain and pleasure mixing,” I smiled as the dildo settled into her. And then it came alive. I could hear the humming through her body. Confusion crossed her face. Her body shuddered as I controlled the dildo's vibrations, the spirit inside so eager to please me.

And her.

“What are you doing to me?” Moon demanded as her body squirmed. “Stop this.”

“Stop the wonderful humming buzzing in your pussy?” I purred, stroking her cheek. She tried to twist her head and bite my finger. “Stop the wonderful pleasure I'm giving you? But maybe what you need is more pleasure.”

The humming grew louder. She gasped, her eyes widening. A shiver ran through her body. Her pack watched. More and more slinked out of the foggy trees, silent, waiting to see if their alpha could escape or would she become my bitch and submit to me.

“Stop this,” Moon said, her voice thick, throaty.

I reached down and brushed both nipple clamps, activating the enchantment upon them. Her back arched. Her breasts bounced more as the pain in her throbbing nubs became ecstasy, flipping the sensations in her mind. She had been warring against the pain, fighting it.

And now it was gone and instead ecstasy charged through her.

I smiled, loving the way her cheeks blossomed with crimson color. I increased the dildo's humming. I could hear it churning her pussy as her bound body struggled. Her pupils dilated as the pleasure washed across the werewolf's mind.

“Please,” she moaned, her hips swaying. “Oh, please.”

“What?” I asked, stroking her cheek. “Make it hum more?”

I did.

She howled, her head thrown back. Her breasts jiggling. I squirmed, my pussy so hot, so eager to feel her submissive tongue lapping at my folds. I whispered, “Spirits of enhancement, let me feel her pleasure, let me know her passion.”

The green spirits sank into her flesh. My pussy burst with sensations. Pleasure rippled out of my nipples. I let out an aching moan, feeling the dildo humming in her pussy, the rapture slipping into her mind, driving her closer and closer to the edge of cumming. Feeling it, I could control the stimulation so precisely.

I smiled. “Mmm, that's it. You like that, don't you?”

“Yes,” she moaned, eyes fluttering. She was on the verge of ecstasy. “Yes, yes, more.”

“Then lick my pussy,” I told her, stepping closer. “Just lean forward and lick, and then you'll cum. Be my bitch.”

“No,” she hissed, shaking her head.

I lowered the humming. She gasped, her body convulsing. She snarled in anger. “Don't stop it! Make it hum louder.”

“And let you cum?” I laughed. “You don't get to cum until you're my bitch. It's your reward.”

She glared at me, her face flushed. I turned up the humming just a notch. My body quivered, feeling the pleasure grow in her. She rocked on her knees, her arms stretching behind her as she struggled to break free. The pleasure swelled, carrying her closer to her release.

So I brought down the humming. I teased her. I kept her on the edge, almost getting to her cum, driving her more and more mad for the bliss. Pain could be resisted for hours, even days, but pleasure... No one could resist pleasure for long.

“Please,” she whimpered.

I stroked my hands up my thighs, reaching my red muff. I stroked my pussy lips. “Mmm, can you smell my spicy excitement?”

The werewolf's nose flared. She licked her lips. She ached. She was so close to cumming.
I turned down the humming for just a few heartbeats, just enough to yank her orgasm away. “You know what to do.”

“No,” she moaned. “I can't. They're watching.”

“Yes,” I moaned, feeling the hungry werewolves staring at me. Some already rubbed their dripping pussies. Others pressed together, rubbing hot cunts on each other's thighs, naked breasts pressed together. Their feminine lust filled the air. “They are watching.”

Moon shuddered again. She let out a whimper, her body squirming She took deep breaths, inhaling my pussy's scent as I stroked myself. She couldn't look away from my snatch. Her eyes were so hungry for me. She was so desperate for her orgasm.

I slowly increased the humming, feeling her orgasm swelling through her body, her nipples throbbing with ecstasy. Juices flooded out of my pussy as I stroked my clit. I rubbed it in slow circles, groaning.

And then she broke. She submitted. She became my bitch.

“Yes,” I moaned as her face buried between my thighs. Her tongue licked and lapped furiously at my pussy. I seized her tawny hair, holding her in place. Silver eyes stared up at me as her tongue swirled through my pussy's hole, stroking my silky walls, making me shudder in delight. “Yes, that's it, you little slut. My bitch.”

“Bitch,” the rest of the pack moaned. And then they fell on each other in a wave of lesbian, orgiastic lust. They were all women. Werewolves were born of Las's indiscriminate masturbation. They had to find males of other races to mate with. They would ravish them, the entire pack fucking the man to death. They would raid out of the Haunted Forest, attacking the villages of the Queendom of Naith or the farmlands around Thaville.

I shuddered, watching werewolves scissor their pussies together, breasts bouncing as they humped. Others licked each others cunts, some in pairs, others forming daisy chains of licking, lapping delight. The Zeutchians, petite werewolf rode the Halanian's face, grinding her snatch on pliant tongue.

“Yes, yes, yes,” I moaned, the pack becoming my tools as I savored Moon's licking tongue.

I sent the dildo to its full vibration. She howled into my cunt as her orgasm exploded in her depths. I felt it rippling through her body, her cunt spasming on my toy. I shuddered, her moans vibrating my pussy, teasing my clit.

As she came, she devoured me. She ate me with a primal ferocity no man or woman, not even that deliciously skilled Chaun, had ever done. I snapped my head back, grinding on Moon's tongue and lips, my pussy churned to a froth.

“That's it, you little bitch,” I hissed. “Oh, yes. Oh, fuck, yes. You're going to make me cum. Oh, fuck. I'm going to cream your hot, hungry mouth. Mmm, yes.”

My pussy tingled. She growled and snarled, her orgasms rippling one after the other through her body as she devoured me. She drank my spicy musk, worshiped me. She had broken. She was my bitch, which made me the alpha of the pack now.

And they would be so useful. The distraction I needed to subdue Angela and her group.

My pussy clenched on Moon's probing tongue. She brushed that delicious spot in my depths. Pleasure sparked through me. I threw back my head, and added my voice to the howls of the pack around me. My orgasm boiled through my mind. I heaved and thrashed as the ecstasy washed over me.

It was glorious.

I would earn the Doge's bounty. It was such a shame about Chaun. I liked him. He was a wonderful lover. But he trespassed against the Doge of Raratha, and I couldn't pass on 5000 gold dupondius. I ground my hot, cumming cunt on Moon's mouth as thoughts of all that wealth burned inside me.

I would be rich.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Acolyte Sophia – The Golden Hunger, the Nimborgoth

I couldn't stop trembling. I was still so overcome by the events of last night. Not even my brief nap I took the moment I boarded the Golden Hunger in the early light of morning had calmed me. So much had happened last night. We had descended into the Labyrinth and almost been butchered by the Minotaur. All so we could claim his heart to power the reforging of the High King's sword. We had liberated the people of Grahata. No longer would they have to send young women into the Labyrinth to placate the brute.

But that wasn't why I was trembling.

Angela picked me. Me!

Four months ago, she had given up her memories of her lover Kevin as payment to receive the Lesbius Oracle's prophecy, the words that had guided us on the path of claiming the sword and led to gathering all our wonderful companions. Even Chaun. And since then, she had come to love me. But, in the back of my mind, a worry nibbled.

What if she only loved me because she couldn't remember Kevin?

Chaun saw Angela's love in her mind. He was a changeling. He could take on the appearance of a woman's male lover or her husband. More proof that Angela, despite forgetting him, still loved Kevin. And then he appeared, trying to arrest her, trying to win her back. And he kissed her, blessed by Luben, and her memories came back.

And she still picked me.

If the Oracle asked me today to give up my love for Sophia, I would tell her no. I would walk away.

Those beautiful words echoed through my mind. She loved me more than Kevin, more than the Quest to kill the dragon Dominari. A giddy giggle burst through my lips as I strolled the deck of the ship. I know I should sleep. We had fought all night and then Minx's lust bomb had thrown us into an orgy. I was exhausted.

But I was too keyed up to sleep.

Angela loved me.

I threw back my head and laughed, not caring that the brawny pirates of the Golden Hunger gave me strange looks as they moved along the deck, doing...whatever it is pirates do to keep a ship sailing. I didn't care. I spun around, my white robes swirling about my legs. I breathed in the salt spray of the ship. Seagulls cawed in the air, almost hovering in place beside the ship's sails, flying on the same wind propelling the corsair through the gray-blue waters of the Nimborgoth.

Our quest was almost done. We sailed southeast for the River Kemoh crossing the Vyman Plains into the Haunted Forest. We just had to get through the dark woods, reputed to be home to all manner of monsters from werewolves to the foul creations of the Biomancer Vebrin. In the heart, we would find Drakin Castle, the Biomancer's old lair and, according to legend, where the last piece of the High King sword lay. Once we recovered it, we had to sail north back to the mainland and head to the Altar of Souls in eastern Zeutch on the edge of Dominari's Desolation.

And then we had to kill the most dangerous dragon still alive. Angela would complete her Quest and...

We would be together. Fugitives, but together.

I let out another squeal of delight. We were almost five months on this quest. We started in spring and autumn was already upon us. The skies overhead were gray, the water's choppy. But the prospect of storms didn't scare me. Nothing scared me.

We would overcome all obstacles because Angela loved me.

“You should be asleep.”

I gasped, spinning around to see my Angela, my Queen, striding the deck. Her red hair fell about her beautiful face, ruffled by the breeze. Her blue eyes were shining. She wore her armor, dressed like a knight even though her name was attained for the crimes we committed in Raratha to secure a piece of the blade. Her large breasts filled out her half-breastplate, her cleavage a delight to behold. Thigh-high boots and metal greaves adorned her long legs, a loincloth of chainmail swinging between her thighs. It dangled from her thick sword belt. Pauldrons covered her shoulders, kissed by her fiery hair, and bracers clad her forearms.

“I'm just too happy to sleep, my Queen,” I said. I loved calling her that. Maybe, once she had the High King's sword, she could take her ancestor's place, defy custom that said no woman could rule, and reforge his empire.

She was his heir, descended from his daughter Lily. And then she would be my Queen in truth. The sphinx I met in Raratha said I was fit to be a queen's concubine.

“I can see that,” Angela smiled. She shifted with the ship's roll, rustling a coil of coarse rope looped over her right shoulder. In her hand she held a small, leather satchel.

I smiled at the rope. “Do you need to secure something, my Queen?”

“I have a naughty concubine who has decided to dance about the deck.” She glanced up at the skies. “And with the sea so choppy and the sky darkening, I feel the need to secure her properly. To bind her in place.”

My heart thudded more. I loved bondage. I didn't know that when we started the quest, but being wrapped up by a giganraneae's web and then bound by a dryad's tree had awakened desires in me. I liked being bound. I liked being spanked. I liked pain and domination.

And Angela liked giving them to me.

“It would be tragic to lose your concubine,” I said with a grin, my pussy growing hotter and hotter. My nipples ached. “She is such a lovely thing. And where else can you find a woman as beautiful as her?”

“Oh, the Halanian women are gorgeous, and everyone knows nothing rivals the radiance of a Zeutchian woman.”

My eyes widened. “Is a dark-skinned whore or a busty, blonde slut at all comparable to a Secaran flower?” I licked my lips, savoring the feel of my tongue stud. “Especially one temple-trained and dedicated to Saphique.”

“Well...” Angela's smile played. “Maybe she's not irreplaceable. It would be a lot of work to find another woman like her. So I guess I better tie her up. Make sure she's safe and sound.”

I nodded my head. “Whatever my Queen thinks is proper.”

Angela licked her lips, her hips shifting, chainmail loincloth clinking. “Strip.”

“Yes, my Queen,” I said, my cheeks growing crimson. There were so many men on deck, watching us. They all stared at me with lusty eyes. They knew I was dedicated to Saphique, sworn to never touch a man, so they all lusted after me. They all wanted to be the guy to fuck me straight.

And Angela delighted in showing off my body to them, humiliating me. She knew how wet it made me.

I trembled as I undid the knots of my rope. Excitement and shame writhed through me as the pirates stopped their work. Coarse words found my ears as I slipped my robe off my shoulders, letting it fall off my naked body, exposing my small breasts and shaved pussy. Both my nipples were hard. I stroked my stomach, brushing my belly piercing adorned with a single ruby marking my proficiency at cunnilingus.

I was such a pathetic acolyte. I should have been a priestess by now if I had applied myself.

“Mmm, just lovely,” Angela said. “Turn around with hands behind your head and legs spread apart. Let me look at you.”

“Vedr's queef, I would love to break in that cunt,” a sailor grunted from above.

“And drink milk from those tits. She would be a fuck.”

My cheeks burned as I obeyed. My hands went to the back of my head and my legs spread apart. My sticky pussy lips parted. I groaned, a trickle of juices leaking down my thighs. I turned slowly in place, my entire body trembling. I was exposed. My tits jiggling as I moved, my shaved snatch gleaming. The sailors gathered, the rough men a motley collection of Thlinians, Halanians, Valyans, Zeutchians, Thosian, and even Atholosian. They stared at me with unmistakable lust, openly grabbing their dicks, wanting to fuck me.

“Mmm, they are all eager for my concubine,” Angela said. “Just want to pounce on her.”

“Aye,” a dark-skinned Halanian named Abdwal said, his skin almost as dark as Chaun's.

“But then I would have to kill you,” Angela said with a laugh. “And who would sail the ship?”

The pirates grunted, mumbling.

“And I would have to skin you alive,” Captain Thyrna purred from the stern deck. She had rich-brown skin and predatory eyes. She leaned over the railing, fixing eyes on her crew. “Back to the sails. Stop ogling the little morsel.”

The pirates all obeyed her. Despite the fact that Thyrna was Thrak's slave and he had let the entire crew gangbang her on the voyage to Grahata, they still feared her. Many sported fresh lash marks. While we were in the Labyrinth, Thyrna had proven to her sailors why they feared and obeyed her.

She was a dangerous woman. I was glad Thrak tamed her because she scared me. Even know, my pussy dripping with lusts, her eyes made me shiver.

“Now lets get you in the hold and bind you all safe and sound,” Angela purred, bending down and picking up my robe. My pouch, containing healing potions and other items, clinked as she threw it over her shoulder. “Keep those hands behind your head and march. Let me stare at that ass.”

She gave my rear a smack, hard, stinging. I groaned then shuddered as her hand lingered, squeezing so possessively. She owned me, and I wouldn't have it any other way. “Yes, my Queen.”

I walked across the deck on bare feet. My nipples ached so hard. Shivers that had nothing to do with the chill in the air washed over me. My pussy burned and my body was eager. I could smell my tart musk trickle down my thighs. My clit throbbed. I reached the stairs and descended into the dark hold.

There were no lights down here. The only illumination filtered down through the gaps in the decking, shafts of light falling on the cargo in the hold. It was all food. The Golden Hunger had been ferrying us about the Nimborgoth for little over a month. She hadn't been pirating. The treasure we stole from the Doge's Great Vault had paid our way, kept her pirates in coin, and kept the ship supplied.

I trembled as I walked through the dark hold, moving cautiously as my eyes adjusted. The ship creaked around us, rocking to the swell of the Nimborgoth. Angela had finally developed her sea legs, no longer throwing up like she had on our first few days. It was strange how you could get used to the rocking of the ship, naturally shifting your body with it.

“Right here is perfect,” Angela said as I stopped between two columns of wood supporting the deck. Iron hooks were set into the columns sides, places to tie down cargo I supposed.

I froze in place, trembling with excitement, anticipation. Angela didn't say a word. Her chainmail loincloth clinked as the ship creaked. My feet shifted with the ship's sway. Another trickle of pussy juices rolled down my left thigh. I felt the bead work farther and farther down, teasing me as I waited.

What were we doing down here? What was in the leather satchel?

My breath quickened as the anticipation built. And then I heard a buckle come undone. Metal clanged as Angela stripped off her armor. I wanted to look back at her, but she hadn't give me permission to do so.

So I stood, listening to her strip, picturing her lush body coming into sight. Her breasts were large and soft, topped with pink nipples. Her shaved pussy would be on display, glistening with her tangy juices. Her legs so long. I could hear her work off her leather boots, freeing those gorgeous calves to be loved.

And then the rope rasped, rough fibers sliding against each other. Her bare feet slapped on the deck, moving closer. I trembled, my nipples aching. I bit my lip, fighting the urge to blurt out questions, to demand to know what she would do.

That wasn't my place.

I gasped when her hard nipples and soft breasts pressed into my back. The contact sent ripples of delight through my body. I let out a moan. I was so keyed up, her slightest touch burned me. And then her wet crotch pressed into the curve of my ass. Her hand stroked up my arm to my hands clasped behind my head. She seized the right, pulling it away.

“Let's get you nice and secure,” she whispered, hips undulating with her excitement, rubbing on my ass.

“Yes, my Queen,” I moaned as she went to work.

The rope was looped over my wrist, the knot pulled tight. I savored the burn as the rough fibers rasped around my skin. I shivered at the sound and feel. My pussy clenched. Then she yanked my arm taut a she drew the rope to one of the hooks. My arm, extended at an angle over my head, was pulled securely. Then she brought the rope over my head to another hook, secured it and seized my left wrist. The entire time, her body pressed and rubbed on my back, nipples massaging, my ass wiggling as my excitement grew.

I groaned as the rope rasped about my right wrist. The knot pulled tight. My arms were stretched taut, my shoulders aching. I loved it. I wiggled my hips. And then she did something devious. She threw the remaining rope over the span of rope running between the two hooks and pulled it taught above my head. She secured a knot there, the rope dangling before me. She then yanked hard on the end of the rope.

The line over my head pulled both my arms upward. I gasped, rising on my tiptoes as she tied the rope around my waist, securing the knot. If I tried to come off my tiptoes, I would pull on the central line and that would stretch my arms more, increasing the strain. It forced me to stay on my tiptoes. It was so wonderfully cruel. I groaned, shifting on my toes, my leg muscles already burning.

“Mmm, don't you look just beautiful,” Angela purred as she walked around me. She gave the taught line of rope leading to my stomach a twang, pulling on my arms, the fibers biting into my skin.

I groaned in pain, my pussy growing hotter and hotter.

She held up the satchel. Wood clinked inside. “I bet you're wondering what I have in here.”

I nodded my head, groaning, my feet shifting as the boat rocked. Oh, she was so cruel. I loved her so much. The pain only made me more excited. My nipples ached. Milk beaded them. I couldn't control myself right now.

“Beg,” Angela purred.

“Please, my Queen, what is in the satchel? What naughty treat do you have in there?”

Her grin grew. She was so beautiful. I could feel her love in every action down here. She knew me. She knew this is what I craved, and she gave it to me. I groaned as her fingers opened the satchel, reached in, and produced a clothes peg. It was a thin dowel, one end split into two prongs you could pry apart and clip your clothes to a line.

What was she doing with those?

She pried open the ends and brought it to the edge of my right breast. I gasped as she released the ends, my skin pinched between the peg. I groaned, pain flaring in my tit. She grabbed another, a naughty grin on her face.

“Beg me to cover your tits in these,” moaned Angela.

I shifted on my tiptoes, my arms aching, my calves burning. “Please, my Queen, clip all those clothes pegs to my tits.” As I squirmed with the rolling boat, the one clothes peg moved, shifting, pinching at my skin. A dull throb formed. “Please!”

Juices poured down my thighs. The pain made me so excited.

“You are so cute when you beg,” Angela moaned. “Mmm, and you are wet. I can smell you. You're such a slut. You want me to inflict you with pain.”

“I do,” I moaned, my fingers clenching. My wrists burned, rubbed by the rope. “Clip me! Please!”
She grabbed a second and attached it next to the first. I groaned at flare of pain. I shifted, both clothes pegs pulling on my tits. Then a third. A fourth. She followed the curve of my breast down and around. My nipple leaked more milk as each pinch made me gasp.

Made my pussy clench.

My right breast throbbed with numb pain. Every time my heart beat, the pinched skin ached. She had attached fifteen to my right breast, the ends dangling down, pulling on my tit, wanting to pop off but they were too tight to.

She squeezed my left tit. “Keep begging, concubine.”

“Cover my left tit, my Queen,” I moaned, my body trembling. It was so hard to stay on my tiptoes, but if I sagged, I would dangle for my arms. Oh, it was such sweet torture. I loved her so much.

With a naughty smile on her lips, her nipples so hard, she pried apart the ends of the next peg and clipped it on. I gasped at the initial rush of pain as it clipped my skin, the ache dulling to a throb. She clipped the next and the next, moving around my breast, giving me more and more pain, making my pussy hotter and hotter.

I kept grunting and groaning with each one. Pain-filled moans escaped my lips. Tears burned at my eyes. My entire body quivered. Already, my brain swam with the excitement of her touch. The pain grew, swelled, coming closer and closer to ecstasy.

“Only two left,” Angela purred when she finished encircling my left breast.

All those points of throbbing agony made me groan. “Where do you want to clip them, my Queen?”

She held the last two in her hand, dropping the satchel. Where had she even gotten them? Did she buy them in Grahata just to play with me?

I loved her so much.

“I'm thinking here,” Angela smiled, stroking my hard nipples beading with milk.

My eyes widened. “Yes, yes, clip them on my nipples.”

“It will hurt so much,” Angela purred. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, my Queen!” My voice echoed through the hold.

She pried open the first, brought it to my hard nub. She let the ends snap back together. Pain flared in my nipple. My head tossed back. I shifted on my tiptoes. Throbbing agony shot from my nub. It hurt far worse than any of the ones decorating my breasts.

“Slata's hairy cunt,” I cursed as the pain shot through me. “Oh, Gods, that hurts.”

As I spasmed in pain, she clipped the second one on my right nipple, not even giving me a chance to get used to the first. Another flare of agony shot through me. The ropes creaked as I shifted on my tiptoes, my pussy clenching so hard. I gasped and moaned, screaming out my pain, cursing that bitch-goddess Slata.

“My Queen,” I moaned, tears falling down my cheeks.

“Do you want me to remove them?”

I stared into her blue eyes. “Only if that would please you, my Queen.”

She brushed at the falling tears. “I think it would please you more if I left them on.”

I smiled through the pain. “It would.”

My nipples were numb, the ache lessening, fading. The weight of the clothes pegs pulled on my nipples. I groaned, shifting with the ship as Angela moved around behind me. The pain made my head swim. I loved that feeling. I was getting closer and closer to drifting.

I just needed more stimulation.

Angela rustled behind me. What was she doing back there?

“Mmm, perfect,” she purred.

Something hard and smooth rubbed on my ass. I gasped, feeling my marble dildo. Angela had pulled it out of my pouch and strapped on the leather harness. The hard end dipped between my thighs, rubbing at my hot flesh.

“My Queen!” I moaned as Angela thrust it into my cunt.

The force of her thrust made my breast jiggle. All the clothes pegs, particularly the two on my nipples, swayed, pulling on my flesh. I moaned, my feet shifting as my pussy clenched down on the hard, fake cock invading my depths. Pleasure rippled out of me.

She drew back and slammed it in again, our flesh slapping together. Her arms went around me, holding my stomach while her breasts brushed my supple back, nipples kissing my skin as she pounded me. The pain flared through my nipples and tits every time they jiggled from the force of her impact.

The pleasure churned in my cunt washed through my body, meeting the agony in my breasts. Together, the competing sensations washed through my mind. I moaned, rising higher and higher into a whole new space. A new reality of pleasure and pain.

“Fuck me, my Queen,” I howled. “Use me for your pleasure.”

“Uh-huh,” gasped Angela, her strokes hard and fast. She rammed the dildo deep into me. “You naughty concubine. You love it. You love being hurt and fucked. You would do anything I ordered.”

“Anything, my Queen,” I howled, the friction building the pleasure in my cunt. My flesh gripped the thick shaft. “You know that. I'm yours. You own me.”

“Yes,” Angela groaned. “You worship me. You love me.”

“I do! More than Kevin. He would never do this for you. He would never be your slave!”

“Never,” she agreed as she plowed me. My body shook and convulsed. The hot delight rushed through my body. My eyes widened. The rush of sensations poured through me, leaving me gasping and moaning. Shuddering. I couldn't help bucking, writhing. “I'm yours! Always! To the ends of the world!”

“Yes, yes, yes,” she groaned, her hands rubbing at my stomach, sliding up my flesh. “My little slut. Mmm, I love fucking you with the strap-on, pounding you from behind. Your ass jiggles every time I bury in you.”

My head leaned back. So much sensations rippled through me. I drank them all in, pain and pleasure, letting them carry me through a world of rapture. Her fingers moved higher, sweeping over the rope bound about my waist and nearing my tortured tits.

She grasped two of the clothes pegs pinching my breasts. And yanked.

My pussy clenched on the thrusting dildo. Pain flared in the numbed flesh. As the sensations rushed back in, so did the agony. I groaned, shuddering as it faded back away. It compelled me higher, swelling the rapture building in my cunt.

And then she yanked off another two.

“My Queen,” I howled as the pain flared. It hurt more when they were removed than when she put them on. “Oh, yes, yes. You're so wonderful.”

“You naughty slut,” she growled and yanked off another pair. “My slave. How much does this hurt?”

“So much!” I screamed.

“Captain Thyrna told me all about this.” She yanked off another two. My eyes rolled back into my head. “Maybe I should let her fuck you and claw you up as payment.”

“Whatever you think is best, my Queen,” I howled.

She kept pulling off the clothes pegs, working around my tits. The pain had me swimming in rapture. Pleasure and agony were so closely related. They bled from one to the other. My orgasm swelled in the depths of my cunt. I wanted to explode.

But I didn't have permission. Yet.

She kept ripping, throwing them to the floor as she pounded me. The dildo thrust so deep into me. She fucked me so hard, pounding me with her passion. My breasts jiggled, the two clothes pegs on my nipples bobbing and swaying. They were the only ones left.

Her hands grasped them. “You want to cum, slut?”

“So much, my Queen,” I moaned as she twisted the clothes pegs.

I almost came from the flare of agony. I shuddered, fighting it back down as my legs trembled. I wanted to collapse, to dangle from my arms. But that would hurt so much. My pussy clenched on the thrusting dildo. The friction burned so hot, with so much rapture.

“Cum, slut!”

Angela ripped off the clothes pegs.

Agony exploded in my nipples as sensation returned to them. They throbbed with my frantic heart beat.
I screamed out my rapture and agony. My head threw back.

My orgasm burst in my cunt's depths.

Rapture and agony burned through my mind. They boiled my thoughts. Nothing else mattered. Pain flared in my arms as I convulsed. My orgasm writhed through my body. Waves of pleasure met the pulses of pain. I spasmed and moaned, screaming out wordless pleasure.

I drifted. I soared. I was lost in my own universe. My body retreated. There was only the clashing sensations in my mind. The wondrous delight that being submissive and used could give. Only my Queen could give me this treat.

And I loved it. I savored it. I never wanted it to end.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Knave Angela

“Love you, my Queen,” Sophia mumbled as her body shuddered. She dangled by her arms, her pussy impaled on the dildo. I held her as my rapture rippled through my body, juices flooding down my thighs.

“I love you, my concubine,” I moaned, holding her, treasuring the pleasure I gave her. The pain. She deserved this reward after the Labyrinth. After the stress of Kevin.

It was such a shock to have my memories come flooding back, to have the holes filled up in my mind. Kevin was there. I missed him. Part of me pictured the life we could have had as married knights facing dangers together.

If I had received a different Quest than slaying the Dragon Dominari, we would have had that life. I never would have been so angry at him that I would have given him up. I never would have needed to. So I wouldn't have fallen in love with Sophia. I would have fought my feelings like I had in those first few weeks of our journey.

But I had her now. I loved her. I was so glad I did. I would care for Kevin always, but he wasn't what I really needed. Sophia was. My little slave, my concubine, that I could tie up and hurt. There was a part of me that enjoyed inflicting pain, probably why fighting turned me on so much.

And Sophia enjoyed being hurt. I wish I could cum like she did. But I was so happy I could give her such joy.

“Love you,” she kept mumbling as I untied her. She was out of it, drifting through rapture. I sank down against a crate, holding her on my lap, her tits covered in red marks from the clothes pegs, her nipples swollen.

“Love you,” I whispered as I held her, stroking her face, waiting for her to come back to reality.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xerathalasia

The wind ruffled through my hair as I stood on the top of the mainmast in a little tub they called the crow's nest. I had no idea why. I leaned against the last few feet of the mast jutting through the tub's center, staring back at the gray ocean, the sea churned into a white froth by the ship's wake.

A seagull gave a haunting call.

Minx loved me. The little halfling thief, bursting with energy, loved me. She had blurted it out when she thought I was dying, and then as we writhed in the damiana-induced lust, I had called out I loved her while licking the Priestess Belinda's cunt.

But I don't think Minx heard me.

I couldn't love her. It was impossible. I had a wife, Atharilesia. Right now she would be holding our daughter in her arms, nursing her. She must have given birth since I left the forest four months ago. I married her when I slipped my cock into her pussy. That was how it worked for our people. She was my wife. I loved her.

Right?

I had to love her. We were married. It was a serious thing for an elf to slip her cock into another hermaphrodite's pussy. The potential for offspring demanded they be married, that they love each other. It had to be lust making me think I loved Minx. I was out of the forest, surrounded by duel-sexed races like humans and halflings. Women who let me fuck all the pussy I want. It wasn't cheating because I couldn't impregnate them.

So that was what my feelings for Minx had to be. Infatuation brought on by lust.

I closed my eyes, trying to picture my wife, but Minx appeared, her bronze face surrounded by her pixyish bob of metallic-red hair, her body slim and curvy, perfectly proportioned for her small stature. The way she laughed, how she grinned when she had a naughty idea, the way she bounced on her heels, how much energy burst out of her.

No. Atharilesia. Think of her. I tried to picture her green hair, her tall, lithe form. But she was only a faded image, an idea of an elf. I couldn't capture her face, her smile, her pointed ears, any of the details.

I took a deep breath. I was away too long. But this was almost over. I just had to remember that. I couldn't love Minx. I was married. It would only hurt us both if I even contemplated it. I had spent too much time with her. It was only natural, we were the only two members of the group not paired up, and Minx had her fascination with hermaphrodites.

She loved my cock. She loved my pussy. She loved me.

My heart raced. I wished she was up here right now so I could just be around her.

I didn't miss my wife. I hardly thought about her any more. When had that happened? I used to think about her face every night before I fell asleep, and then I met Minx. I chased her through Raratha, and she had wormed into my thoughts.

Atharilesia. Atharilesia. Atharilesia.

Remember how she smiled. Remember how she laughed, how she walked, how she moaned in bed. Remember the feel of her breasts, of her cock pumping inside my pussy. Remember it all. Don't forget her. You have to go back to her when this is over. You can't take Minx with you.

Flashes of the Mirage Garden interrupted my recreation of Atharilesia. Riad, the garden's master, had used our own desires to try and trap us in illusions. Minx had found more treasure than she could imagine, but he showed me my forest. And Minx. She was with me. I was teaching her how to track. I didn't see my wife.

Matar's cock, did I really love her?

No. Minx loved me and saw treasure.

But she didn't fight at all when I took her away. She was happy to see me.

“Hey,” a cheerful voice said, snapping my eyes open.

I groaned as Minx hopped over the side and landed before my naked body. She stood at eye level with my crotch, a grin on her lips. She stared up at me and my heart quicken Her smile was so radiant. My wife's image banished from my mind.

“Hi,” I said, trying to be cautious. “Do you need something?”

She grinned and then pressed her face into my pussy. I groaned, my back arching. Her tongue licked through my folds. It was so small yet moved so quickly. It darted through my petals, teasing me, sending delight rippling through my body.

My large breasts bounced before me. I groaned, shifting as she licked and nuzzled. Her nose brushed my clit, making me throb while her short arms reached around, her hands barely grabbing the cheeks of my ass. The wood of the mast rubbed on my back as I squirmed.

“Minx,” I panted. Annoyance tinged the pleasure. I didn't need this right now. She was just confusing me. I couldn't love her. I loved Atharilesia.”

“Mmm, you taste so delicious,” Minx purred. She licked again.

I groaned. She was so insatiable. My hand reached down, stroking through her metallic hair. It was so soft and silky. My eyes fluttered as her tongue licked again, her small fingers digging into the cheeks of my ass. I shuddered as she pulled them apart, the rough mast sliding partly into my crack.

My nipples ached as my breasts jiggled. My ears twitched. I let out a groan as her tongue flicked around my clit. She circled it and then her lips sucked. I bet she wanted it to sprout into a cock. I stared down at her eyes as she worshiped me.

And saw her love burning in them. How had I missed it before now? It was so obvious.

“Minx,” I moaned, wanting to tell her I didn't love her.

Wanting to tell her I did.

I ripped my gaze away, grinding on her mouth. She sucked and slurped, devouring my juices. The scent of marigolds, my pussy juices, mixed with a fainter, lavender musk, her excitement. I groaned, my ears twitching more as the pleasure built in the depths of my body. I sucked in breaths through my nose. My body quivering.

She stirred up such pleasure through me. Her tongue licked at my folds again, thrusting into the depths of my pussy. She had her lips pressed tight into my snatch, pushing her tongue as deep as she could. It slid around, swirling and caressing them, making me squirm and moan and shudder.

It was wonderful. Amazing. I wanted to scream out my enjoyment. She was amazing. The best.

“I love...” My eyes widened as I clamped my jaw shut. I almost blurted it out. “I love your tongue.”

“Mmm, and I love your pussy” Her right hand moved from my ass, shoving between my thighs. Her fingers joined her tongue, licking and nuzzling.

“Matar's cock,” I moaned as I shivered. My ears twitched violently as her fingers massaged my clit, her tongue flicking at my folds.

“Mmm, your pussy is so juicy. But it needs to be filled.”

“Yes.” Three of her fingers penetrated my cunt. “Oh, yes, Minx. Henta's prowess, that's wonderful.”

Her three fingers probed so deeply as she pumped them in and out. Her tongue flicked at my clit, teasing me, making me squirm and spasm. My pussy clenched on her digits as ripples buzzed through my body, my toes curling on the wood.

Her lips sucked on my clit. She made me spasm while she slipped a fourth finger into my pussy. They wiggled inside of me. Wonderful delight rippled from her touch. My orgasm swelled as she nibbled on my clit.

I groaned, ears wiggling. My hands moved up, stroking the sensitive tips. “Minx.”

“Mmm, now you're really going to love this.” Minx grinned at me, her lips smeared with my juices. Her fingers balled up inside of me.

She fisted me.

“Oh, yes,” I gasped as she fucked her arm inside of me. Her fist bottomed out, her arm sank in past my wrist. “You naughty minx, yes.”

My breasts jiggled and bounced as I humped against her fist ramming into my pussy. She stretched my cunt while her tongue flailed at my clit. The friction burned through me. I shivered against the rough wood of the mast, my moans ripped away by the gusting wind.

I savored its caress on my body as Minx fisted me. I moaned and groaned, humping, my pussy clenching on her arm. She shoved it so deep into me. Over and over, going faster and faster, making me twitch and gasp.

“Cum,” she moaned, her blue eyes shining up at me. She wanted to give me such pleasure. “Oh, yes, cum for me.”

“Minx,” I gasped, the pleasure rising. I switched to elvish, knowing she couldn't understand me, and gasped, “Yes, yes, I love you so much. Oh, my goddess, you're making me cum! Matar's cock! Henta's prowess! Love you!”

My body exploded with pleasure. I heaved and gasped. My cunt spasmed about her pumping fist. Waves of pleasure rippled through my body. My eyes squeezed shut while my finger stroked my pointed ears. Rapture burned through me.

I heaved and gasped. My mind boiled. Minx danced in my thoughts. I loved her. I really did. And that couldn't be. I was married. I couldn't be with her. I would have to leave her. Even as ecstasy melted my mind, grief panged my heart.

“Minx,” I moaned. “Oh, yes, Minx.” I stared down at her as the last ripples of my pleasure shivered through me. I would just hurt her. I couldn't let her think I loved her.

“You looked so sad up here,” Minx said. “You still do. I hoped cumming would cheer you up.”

My heart yearned to give Minx what she craved for.

“What's wrong?” she asked, pulling her fist from my cunt.

“Just missing home,” I lied, tears beading my eyes. I couldn't love her. I had responsibilities. “My wife.”

Minx swallowed. “Oh.”

My heart broke at the pain in her sapphire eyes. She did love me, but she had to know I was married. She had to remember that. I didn't want to be cruel to her, but... Maybe it was best if she understood that I didn't love her.

“I miss her a lot,” I said, my heart aching worse and worse as her smile fell. “I can't wait to see her and our daughter. We're almost done with the Quest. And then I can return to them.”

“Yeah,” Minx said, nodding her head, looking so glum. Then she took a deep breath, trying to hide it. “Me, too. I can go back to Baraconia and get back to thieving.”

“I'm sure there will be plenty of treasure in Dominari's lair,” I said. “You'll be able to buy that house and have that harem of halfling men or hermaphrodites that you want.”

“Yeah,” she said, forcing a smile. Then she turned and climbed over the crow's nest and descended.

I groaned, wanting to follow. But I had to let her go. It was Atharilesia who I should love. I had to relearn that. And I had to keep my feelings for Minx bound up in my heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Minx

I thought I heard her scream out she loved me during the orgy. But... Maybe I was wrong. She was addled on lust. But...the way she looked at me. The way she moaned my name. I thought she really did love me.

But she was married. She had her family.

Tears burned in my eyes as I descended down through the rigging. I moved slow, not having fun on my descent, not taking chances. Why did I have to blurt out that I love her when she was dying? What if she heard me? What if she knew?

I knew she was married. Why did I fall in love with her?

Because she was amazing. She was silent, and observant. She could track me through a bustling city. She was the only person to ever catch me. She was beautiful. She was fun and wise. She had taught me so much. She was so gentle. The way she smiled. The way her ears twitched as she laughed. The way she whispered my name as we snuggled in bed.

I slumped on a spar halfway down, the sail rippling in the wind, my hair blown. What was the point of even stealing the High King's sword once it was reforged at the Altar of Souls? Xera wouldn't chase me like I always imagined.

She would go home to her wife and child.

I stared off at the sea. What was even the point in traveling with the group now? It all seemed so empty. What was the point in having the wealth stealing the High King's sword would bring me if all I had to look forward to was being alone?

Why did I have to fall in love? It was all so easier before. “Damn you, Luben. Why did you have to poison my heart?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xandra

The seagulls call ached my heart. I leaned in the bow of the ship, watching them almost hover along side the Golden Hunger, balanced perfectly on the winds to move the same speed as the ship knifing through the waves. With their long wingspan, they could fly across the world. So free.

I couldn't. Despite being an avian, I couldn't transform. I didn't know why. Every time I tried, it wouldn't happen, and it would make me all panicked and flustered, and then I would start crying. I hadn't even tried in a year.

Failure was too disappointing.

“I stared at my lady fair with sadness on her lips. What shadow clouds her beauty? What pain aches her heart? Her lips were made for smiles, her eyes for dancing joy, so I came to her, song on my tongue, and strove to banish grief.”

I turned and gave my husband a faint smile as he walked the deck, his voice melodic in the rhyme of the poem he quoted. He was tall and slim, his skin the color of midnight, his hair silvery moon. His face was almost beautiful, perfect, making my heart beat faster as his violet eyes stared at me.

“Just feeling incomplete,” I said as he joined me on the bow. I turned from the seagulls, staring at the gray waters before us, waves slapping into the hull.

His arms slipped around my waist. “So there is no way for me to banish grief,” Chaun sighed. “If I could, I would sing a song of such beauty, and let it lift you into the skies to soar with them.”

“I know.” I pressed back into him. “But feeling your arms around me helps. It reminds me of what I gained by failing.”

“Failing is not an inspiring word.”

“What else would you use? I failed to transform, to achieve flight. But... I have you. I never would have if I could fly. I would have been mated two years now.”

“And that puts me at an awkward spot.”

“Hmm?”

“To find joy in having you means joy in your failure. It's a riddle.”

“I found joy in failure, too,” I said, my smile brightening. I couldn't fly, but I had never done it. What was I really missing out on? I had Chaun. I was happy with him. Soon he would fertilize my egg and I would lay it, hatch it, and delight in the child we created.

“I try to imagine what it would be like if I couldn't change my appearance. I would be...incomplete. I wish you could fly.”

“Even if it meant that I would have already been mated and we never would have had each other.”

Chaun didn't immediately answer. “Yes,” he said after a moment. “Because you would be whole.”

I smiled, my hips swaying. “I am whole, Chaun.”

His lips nuzzled at my neck. I groaned, shuddering. My pussy clenched, burning with heat. He had awakened me to sex, and my body craved it. I groaned, my eyes looking over my shoulder. Some of the crew watched us as they worked. They were all such br