For the first time in a long time she didn't wake with dread and pain filling her heart. She woke feeling satisfied and sore. It was a good sore. A healthy sore. A sore she didn't think she would ever welcome again.
She sleepily looked at the hearth and thought about adding a log to the fire but she was so comfortable next to Sam's warm body. She never looked at her cottage like a home. It was barren. She didn't need adornments. She did however look towards the cabinet in the corner to be sure the stone inside was not glowing. She knew if it showed a hint of light that she would soon be discovered & once again it was time to run.
Her feeling of satisfied soreness meant she accepted someone again. Her life was already weaved with uncertainty being both Fae & Phoenix. Not only was she capable of magic that could create worlds but could also destroy them. She was the only one of her kind, born of both natures. That is a dangerous combination. She felt the fire in her only when her emotions were stirred deeply. She knew the line where her emotions overlapped with her magic.
This is why taking a mate was not something she did lightly. Her passion was weaved through her magic in every fiber of her soul & sinew. When she gave of herself she gave of her magic, a magic coveted by many. There were those envious of her magic & wished to destroy her. There were others who wanted her magic for themselves & would suck every last bit from her if she allowed it. There were those in the past who simply just took what they could from her, whether she gave permission or not.
Her life was a delicate balance since she had been cursed & living in hiding. She could have lifted the curse but she wore it like a cloak of protection. She wore it like a mantel of punishment & a reminder that she let her guard down & let someone in who had fooled her. She punished herself for her nature that she had no control over. That was no excuse to allow someone in. She jeopardized the fate of the realm with her stupidity and her Phoenix nature. The ember that burns in her soul constantly pushing her to dance with the fire that will one day transform her or consume her.
"Thea," he whispered, she felt his breath on the back of her shoulder and she instantly felt tingling in between her legs and a fire in her stomach. He was laying on his side behind her, she felt him awaken in other ways. He slid his hand up her side, over her hip, to the front of her and in between her legs. She felt the rush of warmth flow from her.
Part of her curse was being disfigured, her flower poisoned by what she thought was a humble Elf but was actually an Incubus. He too was of two natures but she didn't allow herself to think of his other half for that would remind her of the fire that stirred inside long ago. She knew when she met him what he was but still allowed him to sink his claws deep into her magic, deep into her soul. He had almost sucked her dry. He purposely helped her magic grow so that he could consume more and more, control her more and more. At one point she wished he had sucked her dry instead of leaving her deformed and poisoned on the outside and in.
She felt tears well up as Sam's hand explored her body, priming her for penetration. She never expected to feel someone who didn't care about her curse, who saw her beauty inside. She didn't think she would allow anyone to touch her again. She didn't think she deserved it.
Nothing stopped him from exploring her body, driving her passion further & further. When Sam found her she tried to spell him, push him away and ignore the pull when they spoke but she could no longer deny her nature. She had to release her magic if she did not want to go through the change, the next step in her transformation.
