Sorry for the delay. I've had some things on and haven't been writing.
***
"Sage!" Edmund growled, braced at the end of the tree, unsure whether to climb or be ready to catch her. "Come down.
Now."
Perched merrily on a high branch some ten metres from the grass, Sage sheltered her eyes and peered under her hand toward the sunset.
"Edmund, you can see the point of the King's Castle from here! The high tower!"
"I can also see up your skirts, which is my preferred view," he retorted, unimpressed by her discovery. "If you so wish to see Therondia, I will take you. If you do not come down this instant, you will be sorry."
Sage sighed. "Aleksis would join me," she said devilishly, deliberately aggravating him. "Well, to watch the moon."
"And I am about to join you now," Edmund drawled, rolling up his sleeves.
Sage registered his warning tone and nervously peeked down as he began to climb. "To...To watch the sunset with me?"
"No, my darling," he calmly replied, the muscles of his arms flexing against the material of his shirt, pulling tight with the effort, though he was hardly tired. "I am going to carry you down, then I am going to put you over my knee."
"Edmund!" Sage squealed, curling up on the branch as he drew nearer.
"That
is foolhardy!"
"I have carried wounded men across river, down steep cliff faces," Edmund serenely answered. "You are hardly the weight of a soldier."
With a firm hold on the groove of the branch, Sage swung over and dangled, almost face to face with Edmund. "I am not your typical lady of society," she pouted, holding on easily. "I grew up in the forest."
"And you are also precious to me," Edmund said gravely.
With a resigned sigh, Sage built enough momentum to connect with the tree and obediently climbed onto his back. "You wouldn't
really
punish me," she whispered in his ear.
"Why not?" Edmund said gruffly, focused on the slow descent.
Grinning wickedly, Sage gently pulled his earlobe with her teeth, and sucked.
Edmund ignored the stiffening between his legs, relieved they were only a couple of metres above ground. "I never bluff, Sage."
"But you can be persuaded," she slyly answered.
Edmund felt his resolve weaken when Sage slipped from his back and lay in the soft grass. Watching her stretch indulgently into the Earth, like a spoiled kitten. He smiled.
"A woman not caring for the ruin of her dress," he shook his head, captivated by her natural beauty. "That is a remarkable sight, indeed."
The sun reflected in Sage's eyes, creating a uniquely pretty blue. Watching him, Sage toyed with her long plait while her other hand reached down to draw her skirts up her thighs. Edmund felt suddenly dizzy as the blood rushed to his loins, watching the fine material slide further up and bunch at her hips.
"Sage, your refusal to wear undergarments is positively indecent," he hoarsely chastised, remembering it was the up-skirt view of her taut bottom and fleshy opening beneath that distracted him from halting her climb to begin with.
"Is that a complaint, my Lord?" Sage teased, letting one leg fall to the side.
"An observation," he said wryly.
Sage's eyes had turned distinctly sultry, enjoying the effect she had on him. She was not practiced in playing the vixen, but she certainly enjoyed the role now. Parting her thighs wider, she sighed lustfully and arched, letting her hand travel further down.
Edmund didn't notice dropping to his knees, crawling closer to stare at Sage's small hand between her legs, her fingertips tracing the wet, pink slit to spread her lips wide.
"Gods!" Edmund dived forward.
Sage moaned when his mouth connected to her, his hands, large and warm, gripped the sides of her thighs to keep them open.
Edmund groaned, tasting her unique sweet nectar, his tongue exploring the area and leaving nothing to neglect. Sage's hips lifted and fell in motion with Edmund's mouth.
"Edmund," she breathed, her fingers running through his soft, light-brown hair to push him back, wanting something else. "Take me."
Some distance away, easily concealed amongst the barrage of trees, Simon watched. Unlike Aleksis, he discovered that sunlight, though immensely uncomfortable, could be endured.
Not particularly set on eternal life and unwilling to exist only in darkness, Simon tested the theory and subsequently survived the gamble.
Watching Edmund and Sage, Simon knew his appetite was under control. Their coupling, however, triggered a different kind of hunger. He watched Edmund slide up Sage's body, cup her face and kiss her; their mouths hotly open, ravenous for each other.
Edmund's hips moved strangely, searching for a fit. When he found it, Sage cried out, the joyous sound smothered by Edmund's lips again. He shifted on top of her, a more commanding pose, holding her under him. Though Sage wriggled futilely, she obviously liked it.
Then they found a rhythm, grinding together, building to something urgent. Sage's pretty face seemed pained; Edmund's tight with strain and pleasure. Neither cared that they lay on the ground in the open, sullying their clothing, they were so caught up with each other.
Simon's pupils flexed and dilated; the pale brown of his eyes layered by black. Glancing to the tree his palm rested, he noticed his grip tightened, tearing the bark. He looked back to the lovers, the thrust of Edmund's hips, Sage's head falling back with the momentum.
He remembered his mortal boyhood, finding Sage chained to the bed. He'd felt nothing but shame and anger on her behalf, but still he'd seen that lovely, secret part of her, her beautiful nakedness.
