I strolled around the night market which was festive and alive with music and flickering lanterns. The air was heavy with excitement and thick with the scent of exotic spices, burned herbs, and something richer, like magic itself. I wasn't surprised about the last bit, because Alfred mentioned that the market is frequented by fae's and witches alike.
It was my first time attending the market, and according to Alfred, it was meant to be a learning opportunity for me. I wondered how much more learning I had to undo. As I walked through the colorful stalls, something pulled at me. A whisper in my mind. A feeling in my bones.
My guide, Alfred, walked beside me, his body tense.
"I don't mean to alarm you, Flora, but we just need to see a couple of the stalls and then be on our way back to our motel. This market is filled with beings who thrive on making deals they never intend to keep."
I raised an eyebrow at him. "But you mentioned that I needed to be here to learn."
"Yes, true. But also, don't fully immerse yourself into the experience."
I rolled my eyes at him. "I'm just looking. I'm not doing anything else."
I understood what he meant, even though he didn't want to say the words out rightly. I knew I hadn't been the best person to 'babysit' because I kept disappearing with one creature or the other or getting myself into a shit ton of trouble. But also, in a way, it was also all a learning experience.
I looked at the trinkets laid out under stalls and the charms that market women displayed, which they called on me to check out and buy, but nothing really caught my eye. But then, I saw it. It was a tent in the corner of the market that was made of shifting shadows and silver mist. I wondered how I even noticed it because it seemed to be flickering in and out of existence as if it wasn't truly there. But something from that tent called onto me.
"I'll be right back," I called over my shoulder to Alfred without fully turning back to look at him.
"I won't let you wander off on your own again, Flora," Alfred said with a strict voice, gripping my wrist.
I turned around and tore my wrist away from his hold. "I'll do what I want to, Alfred. I'm your queen, and you're just my guide, not my superior."
Alfred sighed and hung his head. "I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you, but this is a bad idea."
I looked at him with a smile playing on my lips. "Aren't all the best ones?"
Before he could stop me, I slipped inside the tent. The tent was as quiet, eerie, and dim as I thought it would be. And the first thing I noticed was that it wasn't a tent at all. It was an endless space made of swirling mirrors that reflected not just my body but my thoughts, my memories, and all my lewd desires.
And in the center, lounging like a king on a throne of silk and gold, was him. I perceived his strong scent and knew who he was instantly.
A trickster. Alfred had warned me about them. Throughout my journey, I'd never encountered one because they were not to be trusted, and they could get me into a lot of trouble or even completely steal my magic.
But I also couldn't help but notice just how beautiful he was. He stood up, and I took time to appreciate his tall and lean frame, with long fingers that tapped lazily against the armrest. His hair was wild and red, just like mine, and his eyes were a gorgeous shade of blue.
But his smile, confident and wicked, told me exactly who he was.
"Hello," he purred, looking at me. "If it isn't the little queen who walked into my den of her own free will. How exciting."
I folded my arms across my chest, not wanting to be intimidated. "I wasn't aware I had a choice in the matter. I felt a very strong pull to your tent."
He laughed, a sound that sent shivers down my skin.
"You always have a choice, darling. But choices have consequences." His eyes suddenly changed colors, disarming me for a second, but I focused almost immediately. "Tell me, do you know what you seek?"
I frowned, glancing around. "That depends. What exactly is this place?"
"A place of truth. A place for games." He approached me, stepping even closer to me so that I could fully smell him. And he smelt of spices and temptation. Then he leaned in, his breath fanning my face. "And you, my little queen, have walked into my favorite game of all."
My heart was pounding in my chest, and I wondered if I should have followed Alfred's instructions and not come in here at all. I swallowed, but I refused to step back or be intimidated by him. "And what game is that?"
His lips curled in a very wide, sinister smile. "Seduction."
A pulse of heat rushed through me, but I kept my expression neutral. "That doesn't sound like much of a challenge."
He raised an eyebrow. "Really? And why's that?"
"Because my entire journey has been based on the seduction and sexuality of supernatural beings."
"So you're confident in your chances of winning?" he asked. The way he said it made me very unsure.
"I think so."
He grinned. "But you haven't heard the rules of my own game yet."
He stepped behind me, his fingers barely grazing my bare shoulder. The mirrors rippled and then began to show a supercut of all the moments I've had this past week with other supernatural creatures. I watched it in awe as it all played one by one in video form. It was so weird that a supernatural being had as much power as a trickster does. Or maybe it was my own mind playing tricks on me. I couldn't tell.
"Well, the game is pretty simple," the trickster murmured into my ear. "But before we begin, my name is Seth. Back to the game, it's pretty simple. We take turns tempting each other, pushing and teasing but never fully giving in."
I turned to face him, my breath shallow. "And what happens to the one who does give in?"
His blue eyes darkened. "They lose."
"And the winner?"
He kissed my ear as he whispered. "Take everything."
I was ready to play because I've endured some of the worst scenarios and still come out stronger, so I didn't expect this to be that big of a deal. Yet, I was scared because I have never encountered a trickster and I didn't know the extent of their power.
I met his gaze, my chin lifting. "Let's play then."
His grin was pure sin. "Oh, you're going to be so much fun."
At first, I waited and expected him to touch me first or something, but he didn't do that. I stalled a bit, expecting him to press his lips to mine. To trap me against one of the endless mirrors and stroke my pussy, but he didn't.
"First, we'll begin with a show to get us both in the mood."
He led me to another side of the market square which was pretty hidden, and we entered a door before being led underground by an usher. I was skeptical at first on how Alfred would find me if I needed help, but I pushed the bout of fear aside.
We both took our seats in front of a stage, and slowly the curtains were lifted open and on the stage were naked men and women. I swallowed as I watched the women try to seduce the men. They moved toward them one by one, their hands reaching out to touch the men's cocks and I watched fascinated as the men's bodies jerked and they let out groans.
One by one, they moved from man to man, holding and touching them. They began to straddle the men, grind their hips and slippery, wet pussy on their cock while also kissing them.
I could feel my thighs press together in need, but I wasn't going to be the one to lose. I couldn't afford to do that even if this turned me on more than I expected it would.
After a couple of minutes, my breathing grew difficult as an ache settled between my legs, my pussy screaming to be touched.
"If you want to join them you can let me know," Seth whispered from where he sat. "But that'll mean that you lost."
I glared at him and looked back at the stage. I wasn't losing so easily. We finished watching the show after what felt like hours, and when Seth and I left there, my panties were completely soaked through with arousal. There was no way he couldn't smell it.
He led me to a room in the same building the show had been at. It was pleasantly decorated and smelt of freshly lit scented candles.
"Lay down on this table," he instructed me.
I did as I was told, trying to make up my mind not to enjoy it so I didn't have to lose this game. My back pressed firmly against the hardwood, and then he walked up to me and slowly and painstakingly began to remove my panties.
"Brave little queen," he murmured, his voice a caress. "Then let's make this more interesting."
I wore a simple dress, so he pushed the dress and bunched it up at my waist, removing my panties.
"Take off the dress," he instructed.
Then he stepped back.
I held his gaze as I reached for the straps and pulled, letting the fabric slide off my shoulders, down my arms, until it dropped to the floor. The cool air kissed my bare skin, but it was his heated stare that sent goosebumps racing over me.
He drank me in, his mismatched eyes darkening as his gaze devoured every inch of exposed flesh.
Then he smiled, obviously liking what he saw. "It's going to be rough," he said, rolling his sleeves up as if preparing for battle. "You can tap out now if you want."
I lifted my chin, meeting his eyes with a fire of my own. "I'm not tapping out."
He grinned.
"Good. Since you're so determined," he purred, trailing a finger from my collarbone down the valley between my breasts, "let's add another rule." His finger went deeper, teasing, circling, never quite touching where I wanted.
"If it gets too much," he said, voice low, "you'll have to say the answer to my riddle. Only then will I stop."
I breathed through the anticipation, trying not to shudder. "What's the riddle?"
He leaned in, lips brushing the shell of my ear as he whispered:
"I have no mouth, yet I tell the truth.
