Portal

I waited until Anithis had completely re-laced my bodice to my dress before responding to his request. There was no way I could let him know the words to make the portal to my world. If he was able to carry 'druidic' powers with him, who knows what kind of mayhem he could cause there? I wouldn't do it.

"I can't tell you that." When I gave him my answer, I knew it was not what he was expecting. As if he thought I'd just bend to him like I did to him in bed! Remembering giving in so easily, I felt like kicking myself in retrospect. What power he had over me now was of my own doing. Once more vines crept up my legs and arms, holding me in place where I stood. Anithis stood glaring at me, his expression overflowing with anger as I struggled against my newest bonds.

"You tell me or I will have them slowly pull your limbs apart!" His words were so full of cruel anger that I was dumbstruck for the moment.

"You... you promised you'd never use the vines on me again!" I tossed back at him, angered that twice he had gone against his promises. The man would have made a great politician, I thought humorlessly as I fought against the bonds with all I had.

"Tell me, you stupid whore!" He slapped my face hard, my head ringing from the blow. But the term 'whore' hurt worse. He did it once more and I felt it shake my body as his hands were brought to my head. Once there, they grasped double handfuls of hair and pulled, causing me to yelp.

"You tell me the words or I will rip you apart. I am not toying with you so TELL ME!"

When he bellowed in my ear, I was so angry tears began to leak out of the sides and I felt my bottom lip begin to tremble in fear and loathing. He slapped me a couple of times until I could taste blood.

"Stop it!" I screamed at him, continuing to struggle against the vines. "I will never tell you!" My words brought a few more smacks against my cheek.

"Tell me now!" His voice was losing steam, which encouraged me. I was holding fast against his brutality and he knew it. With a few soft words, I felt my feet free of the vines, but my arms were still tied tightly. I struggled to remain on my feet as he pushed me back to the main part of the palace. We walked through his room and down the hall. The looks the guards gave was one of shock and fear, which made me wonder just how bad my face looked that they would react that way. I knew I was bleeding in several places, but I still felt strong enough to try and fight him as we walked the halls, heading to some unknown destination.

Once we traveled down a spiral staircase, which caused me to nearly fall twice without any way of stopping myself until Anithis caught me roughly and righted me both times, we entered into what appeared to be under the palace marble as it was made of dirt instead of the hard white stone. Was it a dungeon? There were torches not made of the orbs that normally lit the grounds, giving the place an eerie and frightening look to it. Once inside, I saw the entire place was made of dirt -- dug from underneath? I was not sure how it had been created, but it was dark, dank and smelly.

Anithis snapped for a couple of the guards to unlock a cell and inside we went, the men brought lanterns to hang on the walls to grant us light as we did. At the very back of the cell, lying on his side was a naked man with long pointed ear and black skin so dark it nearly blended into the chambers dark dirt walls. He stirred at the sound of our entrance, which had not been soft, and I gasped when I recognized the swollen face of the prisoner.

"Vytex?" I would have rushed to him, but Anithis held on to one of the vines that held my arms tightly in place so I turned to the pale man and screamed, "Let me go! Now!" The look in Anithis' eyes was that of amusement; he was obviously enjoying my suffering. When I felt the vines shrivel and fade into dust, I shoved the pale elvish arm away and dashed to the injured Drow's side. He was not truly conscious of what was happening around him, having been beaten badly during his stay. There was an ugly, puckered, festering wound on his side and I grimaced at how bad he looked. It was a wonder he was even alive.

"Oh Vytex." I bemoaned and then began to chant softly, touching the places I could and letting the druidic magic flow as I healed each place until he was lying with his white-haired head on my lap, sleeping peacefully for once.

"Wake the fool." Anithis snapped, but I just glared at him. "We shall add that healing spirit spell to the list you shall teach me. I do wonder what else you know." He tapped his chin and then snapped his fingers, waving them in the air. From out of thin air water splashed upon us, drenching both Vytex and I; this caused me to shriek in surprise. It did the intended job and the Drow woke with a start, sitting up in alarm as he did.

"K-Kendall?" His voice was a welcomed treat and I wrapped my arms around him, holding him tightly to me. I could feel myself tremble with emotion as I struggled not to weep on his shoulder. Touching his skin was like magic and I decided right then and there I would never let him out of my sight once free of Anithis' grip. "Is it really you?" He frowned when he squinted and saw my face. I looked down at my dress to note it was torn and raggedy from the vines. If I could have had a choice of reunions with him, it would not have been like this.

"I'm sorry, Vytex. I thought you were dead." I felt the blood drain from my face when I realized I had so readily slept with another, other than the one I loved sitting before me.

"I am glad to see you, my lady, but now is a grave time for you to have returned to my world. I was so relieved to see you set free of it through the portal. But to see you next to me now makes my heart sing with joy, I will not lie." He sighed softly and then glanced beyond me to his enemy. "Anithis." The word was spoken like a curse and it was all I could do to hold him down so that he did not endanger himself more. "We must escape this place together." His black eyes were filled with shadows from more than just the lanterns' casting and I nodded, knowing what to do.

I chanted the words I had memorized so well from when I had so desperately tried to get back to the new world that I had considered more home to me than my old one. The irony of it was that now I was attempting to go back to that place, instead of leave it.

The moment the swirly portal appeared, I held on tightly to Vytex and together we stood quickly, leaping to the center of the gate. I thought it strange just before my mind bled into unconsciousness that I did not hear any complaints behind us from the King and his men.

*******

I landed on the carpet of the museum, as expected, with the fall shaking and waking me from my unconscious state. Groaning softly, I stood as swiftly as I could under the circumstances and pulled out a wicked-looking sword from one of the displays. It wasn't authentic, but it was sharp and strong enough to pierce Anithis through if he had followed us. I stood prepared, facing the big stone, ready for him if he were to show. Would I have the guts to kill someone? I did not know, but I'd not hesitate to find out if he did show there. I'd do anything to protect myself, my man and my land.

"Kendall?" Vytex's voice was weak and I instantly remembered the Drow had come with me to my world. I lowered the sword to the floor and turned to stare in shock at the man I loved as he lifted himself from the carpet. He looked different. His hair was still long and white, but now his body was a dark ebony color, instead of purple-black. His mouth was fuller, his nostrils flared in an incredible pleasing way, and his eyes were now white with black irises and pupils. I had thought him handsome in his own land, but in mine... it was almost painful to look at him; he was so perfect in every way - a black Adonis if ever there was one.

"Wow." It was all I could say as captivated as I was.

"Is this your world?" His eyes flicked around him as he took in the room full of the mock-ups of Celtic and medieval life. It must have seemed similar to his own but I knew he'd have some adjusting to do if he were to survive in this place.

"Yes." I replied, unwilling to stare too long at his naked form. His physique had gone from muscular to absolutely ripped in this world and it took every ounce of willpower within me not to jump on him and beg him to rock my world right there on the carpeted floor. Despite my best efforts, I began to feel aroused by his naked perfection... until I remembered my own normal appearance and felt the ragged dress sagging on my lumpy unattractive body. Fear began to seep into my heart as I realized that I was no longer pretty. I no longer was someone he could possibly enjoy looking at. I cursed my ugliness and stepped a few feet back from him so that he was slightly out of the distance of my eyesight, making him fuzzy so that I could barely see his naked body to be tempted. I turned my back to him so that he did not have to look at my face and be pained by it.

I knew we had to wait before returning as it seemed the portal had to reset. I figured we had about twenty-four hours until we could return, which would be a week or two in his land. That would be perfect. Except that I would have to figure out how to keep him from looking at me. I wondered how he would feel about sitting in the dark for those twenty-four hours and then laughed mirthlessly at myself as I contemplated the situation. It was not long before I felt a strong pair of arms wrap themselves around my waist, pulling me so that my back was leaning against his firm torso.

"What do you see that is so humorous, my lady?" His voice was the same as I had grown to adore and I felt my body shudder at his touch as he held me close.

"N-nothing." I dared to not tell him of my ugly state in case he hadn't noticed yet. But how could he not? My boobs were tiny now, and I knew most men preferred a handful over a mouthful any day. I felt quite a bit of self-pity at that moment. If he had ever felt anything for me, sexually or otherwise, seeing me like this now would certainly cure him of that. I felt like running away, but I knew I couldn't do that to him. I couldn't leave him alone in my world. I glanced around for a mask to wear or something to cover my face with, but of course, there were none. There was nothing to hide the fact that I was just a hideous blob of human tissue, shaped in the most unpleasing way possible. I knew I couldn't just stay with my back to him, frozen and unmoving. We would need food, water, rest, so I turned to face him. Might as well get it over with.

"I know I am ugly in this world, Vytex. I don't expect you to love me, but I do hope you'll consider the fact that I prefer your world and want to return as soon as possible. All I am asking is that you put up with this face," I pointed to my cheek as I spoke, "just for a little while until we can return." I flinched when his dark hand caught mine and then moved to my chin, cupping it tightly as he studied me as if trying to decide which tunic to wear for the day. Was he mocking me? Unwelcomed tears began to form in my eyes as he grinned at me. When the once-Drow saw my tears, his smile faded quickly into a frown.

"My lady, you are confusing me. I see nothing amiss with your appearance. It seems to be the same as before. Beautiful."

"Are you blind?" I searched his face for honesty. I could see nothing but some form of adoration, which boggled my mind. "Can't you see—" I paused, remembering how many blows I had taken from Anithis' hand. My face must have been swollen and bloody, hiding the fact that I was hideous from him. I sighed in relief, but still, I could not disguise the fact that I had no size 'C' breast size any longer. I wondered if I could wear bulky clothing the duration of the time, if he would notice. Above all, I could not let him see me naked. The thought reminded me that he was without clothing and so I scanned the room for something that would help. There was an authentic robe, but it was so old I knew it would fall apart in my fingers if I tried to remove it. I did not see Dave appreciating me ruining something so old and on loan like that, so I continued to search until my eyes were once more drawn to the dark man in the center of my world.

"Vytex, I'm going to take you to my apartment, er to my quarters now. We will have to return tomorrow to go back. I'll do my best to help you, and if you have any questions, just ask. Okay?" I put a hand on his smooth chest, enjoying the warmth and softness of it. I smiled when he placed a hand over mine, weaving his fingers where he could.

"Thank you, my lady. I have no doubts that you will tend me well." His tone was soft, sexy and I wanted to wrap my arms around him and just hold him, but feared that touch. What if he could feel my lack of boobage through the embrace? I could not risk it. When he leaned in to kiss me, I flinched, turning away, ignoring the pained look in his eye.

"I'm sorry, Vytex. My face hurts." I lied, knowing he knew I was lying. I couldn't help it though -- I couldn't let him get physical with me and risk being naked before him. His face was a mask of concern as he studied me closely as if I were a rabid dog. "My lady? Why you do turn from me? Am I hideous to look at?" His words stung as I thought he was mocking me again, but his hurt expression made me think again.

"No, it's me. I'm the ugly one here. You are perfect." I told him honestly and was shocked when he pressed his lips against mine, crushing them. When his hands looped my wrists, holding them captive against his chest, I knew was in trouble. I tried to fight myself and him, but began to slip into the kiss, shutting my eyes tightly and sighing in bliss at the touch. He began to nibble his way down my cheek and neck, which allowed him to bend low enough to grasp the loose part of my ragged dress and pull it up. He would have pulled it off of me, but I protested and fought him.

"I'm ugly! Don't you understand!" I exclaimed as I began to cry, tears racing their way down my hideously freckled cheeks as I struggled against the removal of my dress. He gave up for the moment but brought his lips back to mine, kissing me with as much heat and fire as I felt inside of me to match. It was not long before he began to push me up against one of the display cases, lifting me up so that he did not have to lean over and I allowed him full access to my mouth. His hands supported my back for a moment as I let him slide his tongue inside of my mouth, exploring, probing, desiring and craving. It was sexy erotic and I had an explosion of wetness between my legs to prove it.

"Oh Kendall, my Kendall," Vytex's soft proclamation was followed my his hands roaming under my dress, touching my inner thighs as he caressed every speck of skin he came in contact with there. I shivered deliciously when his probing fingers landed in my soft, wet folds and began to stroke my clit and labia gently. I knew he had to be uncomfortable contorted that way, but the man did not seem to mind. I felt a loss when he removed his hands and returned them to the small of my back, but gasped in surprise when he thrust himself at the edge of my soaking wet folds with his rock-hard cock. My dress was bunched up so that he had access and for once I did not fight him.

I slid my hands down to cup his firm butt cheeks as he pushed himself inside of me, pulling out slightly and entering again. He did this gently, an expression of sheer ecstasy on his face as he made love to me ever so slowly with much adoration in his eyes as he did. Our lips joined as he continued but when I heard a soft gasp behind him, I broke the kiss to look around his head. Lindy, a co-worker and fill-in tour guide at times, was there staring at us in horror, a bunch of people on a tour with her, mimicking her expression. Without my glasses they were fuzzy, but I could still see the look on their faces and it was not that of amusement.

"Uh oh." I pushed Vytex gently from me, sad to feel his dick slide out without either of us finding release and slipped in front of him to hide his nudity as Lindy sputtered in complete embarrassment.

"Um, uh, oh my, okay folks, let's go to the Egyptian display. Right down that hall, please." I could tell she was totally taken by surprise especially since she had recognized me as the one getting fucked on the Celtic necklace display and knew I'd probably be the last one ever to have been found doing that there. Once they were gone, I could not help myself but begin to laugh. It was a slight nervous laugh at first but it turned into a loud, full-hearted belt out and Vytex chuckled along with me, embarrassed himself for the situation. I ripped the skirting from one of the carvings tables and wrapped it around the dark man's waist, trying to keep my eyes off of his package and on the goal -- to get us out of the museum before the cops were called.

"Come on, sexy." I growled playful at him as I took his hand within mine and darted out of the room into the hall. I pushed my slightly cracked glasses onto my nose and led him to the back way and down the alley, where the afternoon's sunlight hit us and we had to shield our eyes. We had to be careful where we trod as we were both without shoes, but we managed to make it home by bumming a ride from an off duty cab driver who was heading our way anyway.

Once I led Vytex inside, ignoring the stares and catcalls that we had to endure since stepping outside of the museum, as well as trying my best to explain the "metal beasts that carried people within them" to the man, I relaxed on the sofa, relieved to be home and out of the public eye. I felt the couch quiver as he joined me and smiled when Mimsi and Meatheat, my two cats, jumped onto my lap and began to meow.

"Hi darlings, you miss mommy?" I patted each and spent a moment introducing my guest to my pets. He spent a moment patting them after letting them sniff his hand and I heard our stomachs growl almost as if synchronized. "Let me prepare us something to eat." I stood and went into the kitchen, feeling very strange being in my little apartment after spending most of my time in a whole different world. It was almost surrealistic in a way. As I opened a can of tuna, the cats went crazy around my feet and I felt bad for them. Suppose I never had returned? Would they have starved? Frowning I decided that I would let Mrs. Kowplonic in 2B have them. She had two cats already but always had told me she'd take mine if something happened. I would call her out on that favor before the day was done.

As I prepared us a tuna-ful lunch, after feeding the cats first so they could leave us in peace, I sat the plates at my small kitchen table and told him, "It's ready." But when I got no response from the slumped-over man, I went to his side and realized he was snoring softly, completely worn out. Smiling lightly, I went to the table and began to eat, letting him rest. He stirred, waking after I was nearly finished with my food and joined me at the table as I ate my last nibble.

"I apologize, lady. I must have fallen to sleep." His words were accented by a gentle smile as he sat at the table and began to eat the food I had provided for him. It was awkward sitting with him like that in my kitchen. I was uncertain of what to say. I knew he was being nice to me by pretending he didn't care about my looks, but that'd last only so long. And I knew I'd have to figure out how to entertain him long enough for the portal to reset so we could return. Perhaps it would be a good time to show him my world. I rested my head on a curled palm and asked, "Would you like me to take you around my town and show you where I have spent my life?"

Vytex paused mid-chew and smiled at the suggestion.