Wild Desire

Daniella's wrists and ankles burned where the silk ropes bit into them, waking her from half-sleep. She had been tied face down on the bed for what felt like hours as her Lord alternated between teasing her and letting her drift off into fitful rest. She pulled on the ropes and moaned. The sharp sensation layered over the low current of pleasure running through her body, fueling her need.

She opened her eyes blearily. The room was pitch black. Her Lord's body was pressed against her side, and he was trailing his hand lazily down her hip and back up her inner thigh in maddening arcs. Every place he touched sang with pleasure.

"Are you wet for me?" he purred in her ear. Daniella groaned in response, lifting her hips. He still hadn't touched her there. It felt like she'd been tied up for hours, and he still hadn't so much as brushed against her aching heat. She thought she might scream. Instead, she consciously stilled her body and waited. She knew by now that impatience would not be rewarded.

For the first few days of his recovery Malachite had been indulgent, almost subdued. Now, he had his energy back and seemed eager to pay her back for all the teasing she'd gotten away with while he was recovering. His finger trailed up her inner thigh again. Daniella held her breath and forced herself to stay utterly still.

"Making an effort, I see," he murmured. This time he trailed his fingers all the way up. He glided his fingers, feather-light, over her pussy. Daniella couldn't help the moan of pleasure that spilled from her. He drew his fingers away and Daniella swallowed a groan of frustration.

"Very wet," he said, more to himself than to her. He rolled on top of her, his rigid cock nudging at her entrance at last. He bottomed out in one push, giving her no time to anticipate him. Daniella fought for breath as her body whipsawed between the desire to voice her pleasure and the need for air. He drew out and slammed back in, setting a punishing rhythm. Daniella could do nothing but take the deliciously overwhelming sensations.

"I enjoy you like this, Little One," he panted without missing a beat. "You get so still when you try for me." Daniella could only moan and lift her hips in response, giving him better access. He gripped her hips and slammed into her, growling his pleasure.

Her Lord continued his hard pace, and Daniella could only submit to it. With each thrust he pushed her into the bed, giving her just enough stimulation to keep her body in suspense and not enough to build toward release. Before long she felt his cock stiffening. His rhythm bucked, and he groaned as he surged deep into her one final time to empty himself into her.

Daniella moaned, half in pleasure and half in frustration as he came inside her. Ambiant pleasure swirled through her body, never quite coalescing. She thought she might go crazy from not coming. She felt used in the best way.

He pulled out and collapsed next to her. She expected him to untie her, but instead he resumed his slow, teasing strokes up and down her body. Daniella sucked in a cry of frustration. She considering begging for release. She considered snapping at him that play time was over, but if she was being honest she wasn't ready for play time to be over either. She knew he would let her come in his own time. Eventually his gentle touches slowed and she drifted to sleep, still taut with pent up desire.

Her Lord woke her sometime later, fucking her again until he came. When he pulled out of her she couldn't help but whine. She wanted him to untie her and at least hold her if he wasn't going to let her come. He chuckled and smacked her ass. With a quick check of her wrists and ankles, and a mollifying kiss to her temple, he rolled over to go back to sleep. Daniella sighed and forced herself to ignore the gnawing hunger in her body.

The third time her Lord woke her, Daniella almost snapped at him. She was half ready to push him out of the tree if he didn't let her come. He slid his hands soothingly down her legs and untied the bindings at her ankles. It took all Daniella's self control not to move her legs as he trailed his tongue over the sensitive flesh of her inner thigh toward one ankle. He lavished attention on the ligature marks left from the silk ropes. He licked and kissed each ankle, sending shivery tendrils of pleasure up her stiff legs. He massaged each leg started from the foot up. He took his time. When he was satisfied, he trailed kisses up her body. He paused at the apex of her thighs, letting his tantalizing, warm breath wash over her pussy for a moment.

He continued his journey up her body, placing gentle kisses and bites on each cheek and then up her back. He kissed the back of her neck and nibbled her ear. Daniella sighed with pleasure. He untied her hands, licking and kissing the marks at her wrists and massaging her arms. When she started to move them experimentally, he murmured "They still belong to me, Little One." He pressed her arms firmly to the bed at her sides.

Daniella shuddered involuntarily at his firm control. She wondered what he had in store for her next.

"You were so good for me tonight, Little One," he said, his voice silky with pleasure. "Do you like pleasing me?"

"Yes," she whispered. The firm blow to her ass was immediate. "Yes, my Lord," Daniella amended. Her Lord stroked the glowing imprint of his hand on her ass, making her arch her hips with pleasure.

"Good girl," he whispered.

He flipped her onto her back and sat back for a moment, staring into her shining eyes adoringly. He leaned over her, carefully not touching any part of her except his favorite spot at the base of her neck. He licked and sucked her there, marking her until she was gasping and arching into him.

He slid down to lavish each breast with attention, rolling and pulling her nipples with his teeth. Daniella gripped the sheets with white knuckled determination. Every time he lifted his head from her breast, even just to move to the other nipple, she had to fight the urge to grab his head and shove him back onto her.

When he finally moved down again her nipples were tingling with pleasure and want. The first lick over her pussy drew a strangled cry of pure pleasure from her. He swirled his tongue over her clit in a sloppy open-mouth kissed. She arched into his mouth and babbled for more, harder, faster. He obliged her.

He slid two fingers into her well-used pussy and sucked on her clit hard. Daniella broke apart instantly, screaming her release. He continued licking her through her orgasm, pulling away only once her spasms had stopped.

When she opened her eyes Daniella saw him watching her. He wiped his messy face and licked her juices off his hand, his smoldering eyes never leaving hers.

"I do believe the waiting makes you more delicious, Dani," he said. Daniella blushed and smiled, still too dazed to think of anything clever to say in return.

When he entered her for the final time that night, he took his time. He knew every inch of her body and played it like a maestro. He intertwined his fingers with hers as he sinuously drove them both toward the pinnacle together. Every familiar touch had the single-minded goal of bringing them both pleasure, building steadily in intensity. As soon as he felt Daniella coming he let himself go, losing himself in the rapture that was quickly starting to feel like home.

***

Daniella awoke to find Malachite just coming back into the bedroom with two steaming cups of tea. He was wearing nothing but his favorite lounge pants. Her eyes roamed unabashedly over his bare torso, drinking in the hardness of his pecs and sculpted obliques. He caught her eye and smirked at her obvious ogling. Daniella smirked back. She wasn't ashamed that she found him wildly sexy.

"Just making sure you didn't grow any bark over night," she said airily. Malachite snorted. The bark had disappeared days before and she wasn't fooling anyone with that excuse.

He set Daniella's tea down on the nightstand and slid into bed with her. She looked sated, albeit tired from the night they'd shared. He pressed a kiss to her temple. She arched her head away, baring her neck to him. A surge of possessive joy ran through him and he nipped and kissed his mark on her neck and inhaled her scent. He was convinced there was no better way to start the morning. Little moments of casual intimacy like this were becoming routine. It felt like catching a glimpse into his future, a future that until recently he never would have believed was possible.

***

They had moved into the kitchen for a quiet breakfast when they felt it. Daniella nearly threw up at the sudden, wrenching feeling of invasion. It was like getting a pap smear, all over her body.

"What was that?" she asked shakily, clutching her stomach.

Malachite pushed back from the table jerkily. "Someone's here," he ground out. "They're on the border." Sweat appeared on his brow and he looked at Daniella. Rage and fear warred in his gaze. He tore his eyes from hers and looked wildly around the tree, like a caged animal searching for the way out.

Daniella sucked in a steadying breath and tried to ignore the disgusting feeling of violation running through her. She reached for the Wood within herself. There were dozens of unfamiliar faeries right at the border of the Wood. No, she realized. Not entirely unfamiliar. Two of them had a malevant, corrupted energy she recognized. Hemlock and Oleander had returned with dozens of their kin. She could only assume they'd come to attack the Wood.

The sensation of the unfamiliar faeries on the border felt like ants crawling over her body. Daniella grimaced and met Malachite's eyes. She was surprised to find that she wasn't scared, or at least not as scared as she would have expected. She was pissed. This was her home and she wasn't going to let anyone take it from her, least of all the sadistic faeries who had murdered, tortured and raped their way through her friends' lives.

In a blink Malachite had magically dressed in a version of his severe black tunic and pants, though the fabric looked subtly padded and tough. He strode to a cabinet and began pulling out swords and knives to strap on. As he did, he threw a glance Daniella's way and she found herself dressed similarly. She ran her fingers down the surprisingly heavy fabric of her shirt. Thin, protective plating was embedded in the fabric. She looked at Malachite and realized why he looked scared. He wasn't afraid of the other faeries. He was afraid for her.

"Don't you dare even think about it," she said, as she watched the fear tighten his face. She knew he'd want to convince her to stay away from any hint of danger. He started to open his mouth and she cut him off. "I also protect the Wood. You need me down there"

He winced and drew her to him. He held her for several long breaths and she clung to him in return. "If one of them should get close to you, you run. Do you hear me?" he said in a tight voice. Daniella nodded against his chest. He gently pushed her away so he could study her face. "Promise me, Dani. Promise me you will not do something foolish. Gneiss, Feldspar and I have training and experience. There is no need for you to get near them."

"I'll be careful, Mal, but I'm going down there. You'll need another person who can channel the Wood. I want to protect our people just as much as you do," she said, feeling a bit nervous. It was the first time she'd really laid claim to the Wood and its people as hers, but it was how she felt. She stood on tip-toes and kissed him softly. He rested his forehead against hers and eventually nodded.

Only a few faeries of the Wood were in the Meeting Tree when Malachite and Daniella appeared on the dais. Daniella shared a quick look with Malachite as he sat down in his throne, a picture of unconcerned ease. She sat in the identical throne he'd grown for her and wound her fingers through his. She squeezed his hand and he gripped her back.

Gneiss, Feldspar and Nephrite appeared moments later, already sensing something was amiss. Malachite brought them up to speed quickly and quietly. They had a hushed discussion in terse shorthand developed over years of comradeship. Daniella had to listen closely to catch their plan. Malachite would call his people into the Meeting Tree. Those who could fight would join Feldspar, Nephrite, Gneiss and himself in defending the tree from attack. Daniella's role was noticeably absent. She frowned. She knew they wanted to protect her, but she could contribute.

Daniella closed her eyes and focused on the foreign bodies crossing into the Wood. A few had made it fully across the border, many more were just outside it. "We can stop them at the border if I go out there," she said, not caring that she was interrupting Malachite's deliberations with the others.

Malachite frowned and shook his head reflexively, but the others seemed to consider it. Nephrite opened her mouth and Daniella almost thought she was going to voice support for her suggestion, but catching Malachite's look of disapproval she snapped it shut.

"You cannot fight, nor can we spare anyone to protect you. Hemlock and Oleander want you. It would be madness for you to expose yourself unprotected," Malachite said firmly. "You should stay here and help keep our people calm."

Daniella gave him a withering look that conveyed how very unimpressed she was with him at that moment. His face softened a fraction and Daniella pressed her point.

"There are too many of them for you to fight if you have to face them all here. If I go to the stream at the border and command the water wraiths to defend it, it will even the odds plus it will buy time to get everyone to safety. I won't even have to fight, just get the message to the wraiths."

Gneiss nodded her support, unconcerned by Malachite's glower. "My Lord, her strategy is sound. How many of our people have ever held a weapon? Those who have — how many years has it been? The four of us cannot defend our people against a force of this size."

"Then I shall go myself to command the water wraiths," he said, his voice almost petulant.

"Your people need you here, as you already know," Gneiss said a touch impatiently.

"Feldspar then," he said.

"They would scorn me, proud things that they are," Feldspar said. "I am loathe to say it, but Dani is the only one who has a chance of gaining their support. She has the power of the Wood in her. The rest of us are little more than prey to them."

Malachite sighed deeply, worry etched into every line of his face. He stood and pulled Daniella into a hug so tight it bordered on painful. Daniella hugged him back and inhaled his spicy scent, steeling herself for the terrifying assignment she'd just created for herself.

"Go quickly. Do not be seen. If you see Hemlock and Oleander, you run," he said. He pulled back to see whether she was listening. He frowned at her. "They are stronger, faster and crueler than you. Promise me you will be careful, Dani."

She squeezed her arms around him in silent promise. "I promise. I'll be back before you know it."

Daniella sprinted across the tree, casting her senses out across the Wood. She could feel the web of the Wood connecting all the faeries of the Wood like strands of spider silk. Malachite sat at the very center of the Wood, urgently tugging those threads in silent command: come to the Meeting Tree. You are not safe anywhere else.

With conscious effort Daniella ignored the tugging and focused on the sensation of invaders entering the Wood. She needed to make it to the stream before them and she could only do that with the Wood's power. There had been a time when the Wood warped and changed its shape under her very feet to keep her from leaving. It could be slippery as an eel when it wanted to be. She focused on her connection to the Wood and compelled it: get me to the stream fast and unseen.

She began to walk, feeling the path shifting under her feet to carry her to the stream. The Wood twisted and compressed as she cut through it. With her first step she passed through the orchard. On her second step she found herself hidden behind the waterfall. She sensed three strange faeries nearby and kept walking, trusting the Wood to navigate her around them. With her third step she was surrounded by aspens. Then she was on the bank of the stream.

"I have need of you," she said quietly, her command carrying across the burbling stream. Somehow she knew they could hear her even when she couldn't see them beneath the surface of the water.

The stench of death hit her before the water wraiths appeared. Daniella swallowed a wave of nausea as instinctive terror and revulsion clawed their way up her throat. She inhaled their rotting scent, forcing herself to accept them as they were without outwardly betraying her fear.

A water wraith took a step forward and Daniella met the empty black of her eyes. She tried not to linger on the gray, rotting flesh of her misshapen face. Daniella willed herself to stand her ground, pushing down the instinct to run from the terrifying creatures.

"Yes?" the wraith said, the sound a rasping shadow of a woman's voice.

"Faeries are coming to attack the Wood," she paused, considering what tone to take with them. She drew herself up taller, summoning every ounce of authority she had. She let a bit more of the Wood into herself, feeling the power of the ancient place making her more. "You and your sisters will not let them past this stream."

The wraith stared at her, grotesque slash of a mouth open just enough to show off rows of serrated teeth. Daniella met her stare, her heart hammering in her chest. The fear that sat heavy in her stomach began to uncoil, snaking its way up to her chest. Daniella tried to breathe deeply but the stench of the wraiths and the tightness around her chest made it difficult. She struggled to maintain a semblance of regal composure. Time was not on her side. If they weren't going to help, she needed to cut her losses and get back to safety.

The creature watched her impassively for what felt like hours. Eventually the wraith bowed her head to her. "As our lady commands," she rasped. With that, the wraith whirled back down into the water. Daniella breathed out a sigh of relief and stepped back toward the tree line, keeping her eyes on the treacherous water.

Just as she stepped back into the shadow of the trees, three faery men stepped from the trees on the opposite side of the bank, all pale as chalk. They spotted Daniella immediately. One smiled, baring his teeth at her. The other two noticed her soon after.

"Hey, babe," the first one called out. "We're lost, can you show us the way?"

The other two laughed coldly. "We heard there's a bitchboy who thinks he's king of these parts. Maybe you can take us to him so we can have some fun," one of them added to more snickers.

"Or show us a good time," the third called out.

Rage flooded Daniella, obliterating all fear. "If you want to keep breathing I suggest you turn around and go back the way you came," she said.

Their knives were drawn. Daniella knew she should run, but she couldn't make herself go just yet. They stalked toward her, their eyes trained on their prey and not the stream in front of them. They didn't hesitate when their feet plunged into the ice cold water. Daniella watched as they waded confidently across the stream, silently praying that the water wraiths would keep up their end of the bargain.

The strangers were waist-deep in the water when the wraiths struck. So quickly Daniella could barely track the motion, the three faeries were yanked violently down into the water. The stream churned and foamed with the violence of the fight, making it nearly impossible to see what was going on. Daniella's ears strained above the sound of splashing water. The fight was eerily quiet. There was no way to tell what was going on beneath the surface of the water.