A commission for my lovely friend Ruby !
"I can go with you. No one's going to miss me." Lapis offered, grabbing Peridot's hands-tugging her friend back from the steps. She stumbled at her words.
"I'd miss you." Peridot murmured, turning away from her mourn stricken face. They'd discussed this day in and day out for the past month.
"You can't miss me if you're dead, Peridot." Lapis coerced, pulling her detached fingers with her.
"And you won't be alive if I don't do this!" Peridot shouted, clenching her fist and jerking it from Lapis' hold. "I have to do this, Lapis. I have to do this alone." She beseeched, refusing to look at her any longer.
Lapis' voice hitched as she spoke, a small sob escaped her friend's lips. "I just..."
"I know."
"Why did it have to be you?" She asked, but she wasn't asking Peridot. She was asking fate.
Peridot faced her. "I'm just happy it wasn't you. Alright? Now who says I have to die, huh?" She forced a grin, chucking Lapis under her chin. A tear fell from it.
It ached her to see her friend like this, but there was nothing else to be done. Peridot's name had been drawn by the village council. She was supposed to make the journey here alone, but Lapis had refused to allow that. Not even ten minutes had she set off on her journey to the Beast's temple- Lapis came screaming down the trail, arms flailing and her water wings jetting her forward. It would have been funny if she wasn't headed...here.
Peridot glanced up at the ancient trail before her. A multitude of moss laden steps led onward, climbing up and up to the peak of the mountain ahead. She squinted past the thickening fog but could scarcely make out the temple that lay beyond. On clearer days you could just make out the ruined pantheon wedged in the mountainside, nearly swallowed up by thick vines and age old vegetation.
She was to be...sacrificed to the beastly guardian that lived in its walls.
Lapis rolled her shoulder, averting her teary eyes. Peridot smiled softly at her and snagged a wooden bead from her hair, she made Lapis open her palm.
She closed Lapis' fingers with purpose, holding her fist tight in her hands as she murmured a simple incantation. A clean magick wafted from her gem and ensorcerelled the little bead.
"If this breaks, assume the worst."
Lapis choked out a sob.
"But! But- if it glows." Peridot soothed. "It means I'm thinking about you."
Lapis paused, a few silent tears rolled down her face. She opened her hand and carefully wove the bead onto her sash, letting her fingers brush over it for a moment longer.
"This doesn't make up for any of this." She mumbled.
"It isn't supposed to. I don't have magick strong enough for that." She joked, trying to get a smile from her friend. Futily.
Lapis grabbed Peridot's hands frimly, finally looking at her. Her eyes puffy with her crying, and her nose running as her wrists shook. The bangles she sported clattered as she trembled and Peridot was helpless to stop it. She wrapped her in a tight hug, either of them propping their chins on the other's shoulder. Starring off into the direction they'd part on.
Lapis took in a deep, shaky breath. Exhaling as they parted, their fingers still locked.
"Don't give up on me so fast, Lapis." Peridot soothed, easing her hands back her side. "I'm not dead, yet. I'm not going to be dead. You think this beastie can stand up against me?" She boasted, grinning all while Lapis fought back tears.
Lapis shook her head with a genuine laugh. "No I don't suppose anything could stand a chance against you, Peri."
That's my girl.
"Then trust me when I say- everything is going to be okay."
But everything was definitely not going to be okay. For all Peridot knew...atop those steps in that hollowed temple...waited her absolute demise. She could be eaten. Mauled. Used...
Peridot had a very minimal idea of what the Temple Guardian looked like. The beast sported a tail and a dragon's mouth. Some rumors bespoke that the demon could breath fire from its toothy maw. Would that be her end? Death by dragon flames? Seemed a mystical enough way of going out.
Yet, no matter what awaited her atop of those steps, she wasn't going down without a fight. And Lapis knew that. She just had to. They'd been friends since they were gemlings. Lapis knew her better than anyone, even better than she knew her own self.
Peridot's magick was emotion based, it was always stronger with Lapis around., but she could feel the tether waning between then as they readied to part. In her mind, in her heart...Peridot knew there was little to no chance she'd see it out of this alive. Lapis knew that too, didn't she?
"Everything. Is going...to be okay." Lapis droned back, her breath hitching as she held back a sob. "Everything will be okay, Peridot. Cause I'll come back for you." She promised, a smile forming on that freckly face.
Peridot nodded, snagging a tiny philter from the diamond pocket sewn across her breast. "Except you won't be, Lapis." At least not for a good month. Peridot made this elixir not even two days ago. She knew Lapis would go all hero on her and try to rescue her at some point.
"Oh don't you dare, Peridot!" Lapis shrieked, reaching for her in an instant.
Peridot slung the coloured bottle to the ground, it shattered upon impact. A thick cloud of pitch blue smoke rose from the shattered glass.
Lapis' face fell, and she swung her fist, hammering it against an invisible barrier. "Peridot!" She shouted, bashing her fist against it again. Her cries were muffled by the thick enchantment. There were no more tears, now she was livid.
"You're the only important thing in my life, Lapis." And I can't have you in danger over me.
"We can take it on together!" Lapis wailed, her voice becoming dim as Peridot began climbing the endless mount.
She began to run, taking leaps- clearing three and four steps with each bound, tears welled in her eyes, streaming down her cheeks as she ran. She wiped her sleeve across her face.
Peridot cleared her mind of everything, lest she lose her nerve and tuck tail. She had a purpose this time. This wasn't some spontaneous treasure quest that she could drag Lapis along. She was walking almost assuredly to her own death. One mossy step at a time.
She glanced back, her heart aching for the loss of her friend, and at the thought of the agony it must bring Lapis. Yet the fog had grown too thick, she strained to see even a foot ahead of her own face.
The sun had set a little ways back. This staircase was endless. It seemed to go on and on, building annoyance rather than fear by this point.
Peridot squinted at the pantheon just a ways ahead. She could just make out the muted glow of firelight. Her heart fluttered as she neared her destination. She took each step a wee bit slower and thoughts of home overcame her, soothed her.
She thought of Healer Rose, and how she had cried huge pink tears upon hearing Peridot's name announced at the Culling Festival. She imagined the life she had for herself back in her village. A humble living with a simple home. She and Lapis used to daydream for hours, fantasizing about the enormous mansions they'd live in with their vast riches.
The steep climb in altitude must have been more drastic than she'd thought. There was a cold chill in the air, giving her shivers in her thin tunic.
The vegetation grew thicker up ahead. Cumbersome branches sagged over the crumbling path, sheets of vines had to be pushed aside to advance.
A rather fragrant aroma wafted on the night winds, culled from vibrantly inked flowers.
The fog broke into a clean circle around the temple grounds. Peridot gasped. It was utterly magnificent. Enormous pillars jutted towards the sky with ivy climbing to their tops, oddly shaped fruit hung ripe and ready for the picking along its length. Peridot craned her neck to take it all in.
Along the temple's face were pristine cut open air windows. Makeshift hide curtains swayed in the breeze. The architecture of the sanctuary was astounding, as if it were put here only yesterday, and not thousands of years ago.
She could hear water babbling somewhere, but could not see its source. A large bathing fountain off to the side appeared to be the culprit. Petals and aromatic leaves floated on the clear surface.
From a distance, it was impossible to tell just how vast and wondrous this domain was. It was beautiful. A secluded jewel. One could easily forget that a monster dwelled inside.
Warm fires roared inside, contained in heavy cast iron pots. Peridot decided now was as good a time as any to check out the inside. She peeked past the open doorway, peering around the expansive entrance hall. She took a step forward, hesitant to be in this place. As inviting as it was...
Peridot stumbled over her own boots, tumbling to the floor in panicked mess. She quickly jumped to her feet and clasped her hands over her mouth in shock. Everywhere on the ground was scattered...
Gold.
Breathe left her and she dropped to her knees at once, snatching a palm full of the glinting coins on the stone floor. They fell through her fingers and clinked atop each other. Peridot gazed around with a slackened jaw.
There were treasures strewn in all directions, heaps of it was gathered in the corners, catching the firelight in the best of ways. The room appeared almost molten. She crawled across the stone, trembling as she beheld her surroundings. If she'd thought this temple was beautiful before.
Peridot brought handfuls of coin to her face, inhaling their metallic scent with glee. She fell unto her back in a fit of giggles, coins spilling across her chest. She pocketed some immediately, stuffing her leather trousers with it, filling her boots up to the brim.
Wait till she showed Lapis! All of their wildest dreams...it could all come true! That mansion in the valley. She'd have her own personal horse stables, she'd have servants! She wanted to weep with joy.
A low growl sounded from the darkened room up ahead. A deep, guttural sound.
Peridot tensed, summoning an unstable amount of electricity in her palm. If that beast tried coming for her, she'd at least knock the thing on its ass. Fuck the sacrifice. With these riches, Peridot could afford to move her whole damned village! Then who would need some ancient guardian's protection?
Two golden eyes glowed from the shadows. Brighter than all of the treasure in the room.
Peridot cocked her head, sneering as she readied her spell.
"Come out of those shadows, Guardian." Peridot barked, sparking her magick threateningly.
Those intense eyes didn't blink-they narrowed. On her.
Peridot reeled her arm to fling the spell, but was knocked unto her back. She and her assailant skidded across the floor. She kicked uselessly, coins spilled out of her boots with each punt, but the creature atop her didn't so much as flinch.
It had her shoulders pinned and full weight resting on her chest. Peridot wheezed and looked at her attacker-ready to flick her magick into its face.
"You're just a small witchling..."
"A small...wha..." Peridot froze, trailing off into nothing as she starred at the creature before her.
Except it...wasn't a creature. It was a person.
Peridot respired a bated breath. "You're...what are you?"
She turned her head into the light to get a better view.
"Same as you." They gruffed in reply, their white mane falling around Peridot like a blanket. It was just as fragrant as the blossoms outside. "Jasper."
Peridot was speechless. This wasn't a monster at all. All those tall tales she'd been fed as a gemling...nothing more than tall tales! She almost laughed at her discovery. The Gem above her was more striking than frightening.
Silence fell between one another for a moment. Peridot took her time admiring the other's features. They were...female, weren't they? She tilted her head, taking in Jasper's fascinating face. Her nose was plated golden with shimmering scales. Her skin was painted in deep red lashes that cut in all directions. Those designs followed the curve of her toned muscles seamlessly. That bronze skin gave off a heat so warm Peridot could have settled beneath her comfortably.
"I'm...not here to make conversation!" Peridot interrupted, scrambling out from under the brute. This guardian, or whatever she was, had still tackled her to the floor with ease. She was most certainly still a threat.
Jasper stood quickly, putting Peridot in her shadow. She peered up at her curiously. Were those horns atop her head? They were! She came to a stand as well, rising on the tips of her toes to get a better look. Surely enough, two kohled red horns jutted forth from her skull. They were weathered and rigid to their points, one sported a rooted gash- as if it had been cut by blade.
Without reason...Peridot reached up and grasped one, rubbing her finger along it. Jasper's eyes went wide and her shoulders tensed, but she didn't shy away as she touched. Her horns were leathery against her skin. The beast shivered from the contact.
Peridot pulled her hand away, but Jasper pressed closer. Inquisitive one, wasn't she?
She toyed with the array of beads in Peridot's braids, clinking them together before moving her attention to her face. She raked her thumb across Peridot's bottom lip. Innocent and full of wonder.
Peridot brushed her hand away.
"You're this temple's guardian?" She asked, finding it a bit surprising one such as her was the object of worship for all these millenniums.
Jasper nodded.
"What happened to the other sacrifices?"
"Sacrifices..." Jasper repeated back, sounding confused. She took a step back, her claws curling. "Other Gems? I let them go."
Peridot snorted. "You let them go? Unbelievable..." She trailed off in thought. All those nightmares she had as a child of the monster that lived in the temple. Protecting the villages from the night creatures that stalked these mountains. Demanding yearly tributes from every village in the radius. Once every century a living sacrifice was needed. All that buildup for what? She didn't even want them?
"You can go." Jasper ground out. Her voice sounding thick with years of neglect. How long had it been since she'd spoke to another person?
Peridot was more than happy to be out of this guardian's hair. She pointed to the obvious treasure spilling out of her own pockets. "I can...take some of this right?"
Jasper looked at her with an emotion Peridot couldn't quite tack. Like desperation and agony all at once. She agreed, even stooping to cup more in her hands- offering it to Peridot generously.
This dragonling was growing on her already. She held out her tunic greedily as Jasper poured handfuls of coin and gleaming jewels unto it. It sagged with weight, seams popping but holding strong. She was speechless at the sight. Her mouth watering with thoughts of her future purchases.
Jasper held up her finger. "Think you'll like this one." She insisted, heading towards the back corner. She rooted her arm deep in a pile of silver doubloons, her forked tongue pinched between her fangs as she searched.
Peridot had a lap full of gold but couldn't seem to tear her eyes off of the gentle giant.
Jasper donned an immense scaled tail, it dragged on the floor- whipping to and fro as she found what she was looking for. She held aloft a fat opalized egg in, grinning a bit proudly as she brought it back to present to her.
Peridot nearly dropped her payload as she examined the exquisite treasure. It was pearlescent white with jagged shimmering cracks. Light scattered off of it from the fire, making her blink against its brilliance.
"You like this?" Jasper asked. Pensively.
Peridot grinned. "Yes. Yes I do like that. Are you going to give it to me, big guy?"
Jasper nodded enthusiastically. "Not even the good stuff yet." She teased. So the dragon could be playful, and if she was this charitable with strangers...Peridot could only imagine how giving she could be with friends.
Peridot cocked her brow. "Good stuff?" She inquired with a peckish smile. "Where is the good stuff, Jasper?"
What could possibly be better than a room full of gold and precious gems? Her mind nearly fritzed out at the thought. She had to know.
"Where I sleep. That's where I keep the things I like."
This Gem was lonely. She radiated with it. Oozed it. And Peridot knew exactly how to play that fiddle.
Peridot released the hold on her tunic, letting coin and jewels cascade to the floor. "Is that so?" She asked, dragging her clawed forefinger along Jasper's stomach. The muscles beneath there were taut and heated. Jasper wore a simple wrapping around her breasts, with a pair of torn trousers. Her feet were bare and adorned in the same razored claws as her hands.
A shaky breath left the other, and her fists clenched at her sides. Peridot leaned in closer, almost pressing their bodies together. She batted her lashes up at Jasper, nibbling her bottom lip.
"I think I'd like to see that room of yours. How's that sou-"
Jasper crashed her lips into hers, cupping the back of Peridot's head to deepen the kiss. She growled deep in her throat, rumbling her chest as she broke away for a moment's air.
Peridot was left dizzied. She righted herself, taking the lead again.
"You're alone up here, aren't you, Jasper?" She murmured, her cheeks heating as she prodded a rise from the dragon.
Jasper seemed to break her focus. She gnashed those fangs of hers, scowling at Peridot. Why the sudden change in demeanor? She seemed eager enough to kiss her. Maybe she needed a little more...persuasion.
Peridot snagged the beast by her horns, pulling her in for a searing kiss. She directed her mouth across her and felt Jasper's forked tongue dip past her lips. She grunted her approval, allowing herself to be led by the witch.
Peridot whimpered into the kiss, playing up her neediness to get the other to crack.
Jasper wrenched away from her once more, her eyes lidded with pleasure. Her sharp pupils were dilated in a fog. She pawed at Peridot's sides absently, squeezing her hips with a whine.
"So beautiful..." Jasper rasped, lightly grazing her claws across Peridot's cheek.
Did Jasper pull her tongue from her mouth just to give a compliment?
"Not too bad looking yourself, demon." She replied, reading to get on with this seduction.
"Not a demon..." She groaned, sounding nigh in pain. "Don't want to hurt you." She managed through her clenched teeth.
Peridot laughed. "I doubt you can hurt me, Jasper." She relayed, tugging her by the horns once again. Peridot laid her head to the side, beseeching a tender kiss on the neck.
Jasper clutched her tight, dragging her seamlessly close, She inhaled her, moaning a heated breath across her flesh. Her intensity gave her chills. Jasper snarled against the column of her neck, placing a burning kiss there. Her tongue slithered past her lips, laving against her hungrily.
The hair on Peridot's arms stood up. A storm began to brew outside with a low rumbling thunder. She cursed her own magick. She could scarcely masturbate without summoning at least a moderate rainstorm. Electricity sparked off of her skin and Jasper liked it.
"I can taste your power, witchling." Jasper grated against her neck, growling as she pierced her with a clean bite. She groaned, lapping up the blood that welled there.
Peridot cried out in pain, but Jasper was quick to soothe it away. She kissed her bruising skin gently, giving a final tentative lick before forcing herself away.
"Did it hurt bad?" She asked. Gods, Peridot could hear the pleading in her voice. "Don't want to frighten you away..."
"Peridot. My name is Peridot, alright?" She whispered to her, changing the subject from pain.
"Peridot."
Jasper spoke it like a prayer. She repeated it again beside her ears, murmuring praise to her.
"Peridot is soft." Jasper acknowledged, brushing her knuckles from her ear to her collar. She tugged on the hem of her tunic, coins jingled in the pockets. "Off with this." She pinched Peridot's nipple through her shirt, making her shudder.
She rocked her hips against the other-grinding against Jasper's thigh. She sighed as she felt Jasper harden against her stomach.
"What else is Peridot?" She asked, her lips pressed against Jasper's chest in a kiss.
Jasper growled, dragging a claw down the front of Peridot's shirt, splitting it open. She pulled it down her arms, exposing her taut breasts to the cold temple air. "She's wicked." Jasper rasped, her eyes wide in amazement. She had Peridot backed against the stoned walls, pinning her on either side with her arms. She palmed her breasts fervently, dipping her head to suckle them sweetly.
Peridot mewled between pants, working her fingers along Jasper's rigid horns. They had seemed to swell- their color more vivid than before. They flared upward and Jasper seemed to delight in their touching. She laved her tongue against one, just to see.
The beast trembled, groaning as she flicked her forked tongue over Peridot's kiss sore nipples. Her eyes rolled back before focusing on Peridot's, her gaze zealous and worshiping.
It made her heart flutter and lightening struck outside, thunder cracked above them.
"That feel good, Jasper?" Peridot cooed, tossing her head back as Jasper snapped her teeth. Her big palms covered Peridot's back, tugging her down to the floor and pressing her against it. She crawled atop her in a predatory fashion, her tail slinked towards her. It tenderly feathered across her face, tickling her affectionatly before stirring between her breasts.
Jasper's gaze was riveted sure. Peridot had never been the object of such...obsession. The brute looked at her possessively, adoringly.
Jasper straddled Peridot's lithe hips, leaning back to free her erection from her trousers.
Peridot whimpered at the sight.
The engorged crown swelled before her very eyes. A tumbled crystal was wedged between the slit. Pre come dripped from the head and Peridot licked her lips for a taste of it. The shaft was rigid, the veins along it protruding deliciously thick.
Her mouth watered and Jasper nearly buckled in half.
"I can shift something different." She stumbled, seeming bashful. "If this is too much."
Peridot was almost lament at the very idea. So Jasper was a shifter then? That explained all the rumors about her varied appearance. Was this is what her true form was? She purred her approval.
"Keep it, Jasper. Wouldn't want to see this gorgeous cock go." Her face flushed. Oh gods, she was getting wrapped up something fierce in her seduction game. She was falling for this beast's charms.
Jasper fell atop her, snagging Peridot's little hands and bringing them to her shaft. She thrust blindly against her palm, not seeming deterred in the least by her detached fingers.
Peridot decided some mercy was in order, she cupped her heavy sac, hefting it as her fingers squeezed the base of her bulging member. The tips of her fingers could not meet due to her thickness.
Jasper's massive body shuddered, her tail winding its way around Peridot's waist, holding her snug.
She clawed at her leathers, whining in an attempt to pull them off. Peridot more than obliged, she lifted her hips eagerly. But it mattered not, Jasper dragged her claws along her inner thighs, shredding her trousers in an instant.
Peridot's head fell back on a breathless cry and another streak of lighting cracked just outside the temple. Jasper tugged the tattered clothing from her legs, her tail lifting Peridot up off the floor entirely.
"You've soaked through your panties, Peridot." Jasper grated, nuzzling her plump thighs, kissing them softly as she nudged them open.
"Bedroom...Jasper." Peridot mewled out, feeling her panties shoved aside for Jasper to explore her.
"Can't wait for that." She growled in answer, snapping her fangs at the sight of Peridot's heated core.
"No Jasper, take me where you sleep." She whined, relaying that she wanted to be taken on an actual bed. At least not on the floor. Not that she was...on the floor at the moment. "Take me on your bed. That's where I want it." She panted, feeling her body lifted higher by Jasper's powerful tail, the tips of her boots left the ground and she was held aloft for the taking.
"We do it here." She commanded, leaving no room for argument as she ran her horn against Peridot's thigh- sighing at the gentle contact.
Shit. Shit! Peridot's plan was faltering. She needed the big lug in the bedroom. She ached to see the treasures she had hidden there, but her mind was quickly being shut down. She could scarcely think above her own arousal.
Jasper cock twitched and she used her own hand to stroke her shaft, peering hard at Peridot's spread sex.
Peridot wiggled, she could practically feel Jasper's gaze upon her. Her tongue flicked out to caress her fang and she gave a hard lick, parting her drenched folds.
Peridot whimpered, her body bucking against her tail's hold. Lightening struck the grounds once more, spooking Jasper to some degree. She jolted back, kicking over a fire pot- sending hot coals across the floor. The room shimmered brilliantly and Peridot took her chance in an instant.
She kicked Jasper in the chest, sending her tumbling on her back. Peridot wrangled her to the ground, straddling her hips quickly. Jasper's shaft jutted forth proudly, rubbing against Peridot's abdomen.
A severe burning sensation shot through her left shin. She jerked away, looking down to see a fiery coals were the culprit.
Peridot shrieked in pain as a blister tore open on her skin, searing her to the bone. She swatted the sticking cinders from her legs.
Jasper grabbed her, hefting her up frantically for inspection.
Peridot wailed, tears stinging her eyes, threatening to spill over.
"No!" Jasper roared, clasping Peridot close as she rocked her easily despite her outburst.
"It hurts!" She cried, her body seizing against the pain. The tears gushed and she felt her nose running. This seduction plan was over, wasn't it?
"I know. I know." The beast cooed to her, holding her head tight against her chest. "I can make it better." She assured, clutching her as she bolted deep into the temple, abandoning the treasury room.
Peridot howled for Healer Rose. She could cry her healing tears and the pain would be no more. She thought of Lapis and how she would chastise her for getting hurt. And for trying to seduce a millennium old monster. Who wasn't really a monster...
Jasper tore through her vast halls with purpose, never slowing down even as she turned corners. Peridot could scarcely make out her surroundings. Enormous tapestries hung from the rafters, dust from centuries gathered on them- billowing as Jasper ran by.
Her heart was beating hard in her chest, and it put Peridot somewhat at ease.
"Don't cry..." She soothed, carefully brushing a kiss against Peridot's faceted gem.
Peridot's lip quivered as she was uselessly toted along for the ride, powerless to take care of her own injuries. Healer Rose had scolded her for years about her novice in the healing chaste of magick. But that's not what Peridot was good at! She liked battle magick more. It came easier to her than restoration.
Jasper paused, propping Peridot gingerly against the stone wall. Light shone from a gaping hole in the high ceiling. A full moon was casting overhead, appearing so close from their vantage. She had to squint at its radiance.
Peridot's visioned waned with each sluggish pump of her heart, pain radiated from her leg and she could smell her own singed flesh. She chanced a look at her wound, immediately regretting it. Flayed skin was blackened and peeled back. She didn't doubt there was still coal embedded in the gash.
Jasper grunted from beside her, her muscles bulging as she hefted a tremendous carved door aside. It slipped into the wall and Jasper dropped to her knees to scoop Peridot up once more.
"In my chambers now, Peridot." Jasper murmured quietly, taking her into the now opened room. She didn't bother with pulling the door closed. She walked over to a pile of furs, laying Peridot atop them.
Her head lolled as she gazed around the sizable room. Vast little pretties and jewelry hung from the walls. Silk bolts were strewn and tangled in the rafters, glinting with gold fibers woven in the patterns.
There was one colossal window in the room, but to call it a window was an understatement. The entire left wall was knocked out, vines crept from the sills. Some were shredded, as if Jasper had cut them to keep her view of the outside world.
Jasper was busy rummaging through trinkets, tossing things carelessly behind her. Were these her priceless treasures? The good stuff?
Peridot forced herself to sit up. She plucked a little doll from the bedside table. It was worn in the seams. Cotton and straw peaking out from its joints. Dozens of bottles of all colours and sizes were stacked neatly on shelves along the walls. Hundreds more were clustered together on long tables near the chasm window.
Peridot could only imagine how the sun light played off of them during the day.
A calm breeze wafted in, jingling the chimes hung above her. Wood and metal sung together in a pleasant harmony.
Jasper grumbled to herself, eyeing things she pulled from her pile, throwing them against the wall in her frustration. What was she searching for?
Peridot tossed her legs over the makeshift bed pallet, wincing as she tried to put pressure on her left leg.
Jasper growled at her. "Stay, Peridot." She warned, rooting through a chest of more bottles, intent on finding a certain one. Did she have a poultice that could cure her?
Jasper must have found it, for she laughed haughtily. A deep sound that rose from within her chest. She clutched a small phial in her hand, making her way back to Peridot with a relieved smile.
"A...sacrifice gave this to me. Before she left."
Jasper crouched to her knees, holding Peridot's ankle delicately. She put the bottle up to her lips, biting the stopper off and spitting it away.
Peridot cocked her head, examining the liquid inside of the little vial. It was a translucent pink serum, clear of impurities. She gasped. She knew what this mixture was.
It was a bottle of Healer Rose's tears. Had she too...been a sacrifice? Then why had she been so upset to see Peridot go? Why hadn't she given her some sort of heads up?
Jasper poured the salve all across her wound, being careful to douse every abrasion thoroughly. Peridot hissed at first, but in seconds her skin began to weave together. The pain dissipated entirely and she almost passed out with the relief that overcame her.
She fell back on the pallet of furs, sighing as her heart slowed its beat to a normal pace.
Jasper grinned haughtily at her, flashing Peridot those perfect fangs. "Better?" She asked.
Peridot nodded. "Much better. Thank you, Jasper." She praised, her heart melting for this brute. Now that there was no pain clouding her arousal, it roared to the forefront once again.
"Peridot has no discomfort?" Jasper asked, her brutal face so soft and caring. Her eyes lidded with a different sort of intent.
Peridot peered around the room once more, shaking her head. Taking in at once that Jasper's most prized treasures...weren't really treasures. She liked the pretty things, trinkets and children's toys. Things without value that poorer families must have offered for tribute.
Jasper had a leather trunk overflowing with wooden games and other trifles. There was a bucket at the bedside full of hand blown marbles. She even had a table in the corner dedicated to candles alone. Dried wax pooled in the floor beneath it.
A basket was filled to the gills with scrolls of different enchantments. For those who lacked the skill of their own magick, scrolls could be used in lieu. She must have hundreds littered all about the chambers.
If Jasper desired to be a monster, she most certainly could be with all this fire power. The room reeked of magicks and Peridot wanted to revel in it. She inhaled deeply, bringing her hands to her face, scrubbing her palms down her cheeks.
Lapis was back home, mourning the loss of a friend- and Peridot was being drowned in riches and spoiled by her gentle demon.
Jasper eyed her hungrily, dipping her tongue past her lips. Peridot's breasts were still exposed, her pink nipples puckered in the night air. But she was feeling brazen. She stretched languidly, yawning like a kitten with her arms above her head.
"We can...continue now?" Jasper asked restlessly, her body tense- ready to pounce on her again.
Peridot nibbled her bottom lip, nodding eagerly. That was all it took. Jasper crawled atop her in an instant, fanning open her tattered shirt to display her slight breasts. She set her mouth upon each one, keeping their eyes locked as she sucked her nipples between her teeth, flicking her tongue across them.
Peridot mewled, pawing Jasper's thick mane, giving those horns a tug.
Jasper steered her head away. "No, Peridot." She commanded, eyeing her threateningly. "It will be over before it starts...if you do that."
Peridot stifled a chuckle. Those horns were more of a hot spot than she'd realized. She kept that little nugget of information stored away for later use.
Jasper dropped her head to kiss the sore peaks of her breasts a final time. She kept gaze with Peridot as she dragged her face along her creamy abdomen, snarling as she bit as her panties. She ripped them apart with claw and teeth, setting upon her sex in a frenzy.
Peridot shot straight, crying out as Jasper laved her silken tongue between her folds, the divet in her tongue working over her clitoris skillfully. Jasper reached her big hands forward clutching Peridot's waist- lifting her ass off the bed to cup in her palms.
Jasper was ravenous in tasting her, she pressed a calloused thumb to her slick entrance, prodding just enough to make Peridot squirm.
"Don't be teasin' me, Jasper..." She begged, rolling her hips to deepen the contact.
Jasper groaned, tonguing her so thoroughly that Peridot could see stars in her vision. Jasper wedged her finger in, testing her boundaries most likely. But that wasn't enough.
Peridot whined as Jasper laved her with the flat of her tongue, dragging it across her lazily, moving in languid circles to stimulate her sensitive little clitoris. She seemed to delight in the noises Peridot made.
Peridot could feel a bond tethering between them, her body heated with their connection. She could feel the satisfaction radiating from her lover, it heightened her senses. A bolt of lightening cracked over head, but Jasper didn't flinch.
Peridot was a quivering mess from her erotic kissing. Jasper glared down at her, those golden eyes promising wicked things.
"You're shaking." Jasper grated out.
"With need."
Jasper's eyes nearly rolled back in her skull.
"You're going to let me have this?" Jasper asked, her voice clearly strained.
Peridot tossed her head back on the furs. Let her have this? She was begging for it. She decided words didn't do her feelings much justice, though. She wriggled from Jasper's tight grasp, flipping over to come to her hands and knees.
She smiled as Jasper hissed in a breath.
Jasper's palms covered her backside, spreading her to peer deep into her pink sex. A growl rumbled from her chest and she pressed her erection against her plump arse, rocking it against her, creating a delicious friction.
Jasper splayed her palm across the small of Peridot's back, pressing her face against the furs. She mounted her, fisting her cock as she dragged the crown along her sticky core.
"Peridot..." Jasper rasped from behind her. The storm outside was howling, thunder rolling as Peridot purred beneath her mate.
Peridot tossed her an impish smile from over her shoulder, pressing her chest low to furs- lifting her ass higher. She dipped a finger past her lips, sucking it with a playful smirk. She ran her hand down her stomach, seeking her sex to spread.
Jasper convulsed, her face taut as if she were in agony. She groaned at the display, feeding her cock in another inch. Peridot was worried she had become stuck, for she didn't budge for a long moment.
Peridot whimpered, rocking against her needfully. She clawed at the furs with her other hand. "Move, Jasper." She whined, working her fingers over her clit to alleviate the pressure.
"Need you wetter." Jasper ground out in reply, her body shaking with the effort she gave not to fuck Peridot into the bed.
Jasper snagged Peridot around the waist, lifting her off her hands and knees. She moved her steady hands to cup Peridot's thighs, holding her upright. She cried out when Jasper's length slipped deeper inside.
Jasper snarled against the back of her neck, her heart beating powerful in her chest. She grazed her fangs along Peridot's lithe shoulders- brushing soft kisses as she did so.
"Touch your self, Peridot." Jasper cooed, her will shaking. She was on the brink of bottoming out inside of her, Peridot could feel it.
Peridot trembled in her hands, she leant her head against Jasper weakly, undulating her hips in abandon, her hands moving to toy with her own breasts.
Jasper lifted her wee body up a bit, only to bring her back down deeper, stuffing her throbbing shaft inside of her. Peridot sucked in a breath between her teeth, Jasper was a bit bigger than she had once thought.
Jasper worked her easily, sliding in inch by inch, murmuring sweet nothings against the shell of her ear. "That's it, love."
Peridot shivered. This beast simply adored her, didn't she? Lightening must have charred the courtyard by now, bolt after bolt struck the ground outside.
A soft sound was pulled from Jasper's chest, she nuzzled Peridot's cloudy mane lovingly.
Jasper wedged deeper, finally plunging all the way to the base. Peridot writhed against her, her body getting used to the fuller sensation. Jasper moved her hands from Peridot's thighs to her ankles- spreading her even further. Her powerful tail slithered around Peridot's waist, hugging her close and holding her supported.
"Jasper!" She cried out, her hands flying to delve in her lover's hair, massaging those flared horn as Jasper sunk into her over and over- wrenching her along her cock how she pleased.
Jasper pricked Peridot's neck with her sharp fangs, lapping up the blood that pooled there. She bit her hard, marking her. Gnashing her teeth fiercely, kindness devoid in the act. Until she kissed her wounds, whispering how lovely she tasted across her skin.
The beast grunted from behind her, dropping Peridot onto the bed and plowing into her. Jasper's hips slapped against her audibly, and she was relentless in her thrusting. She fucked her so hard Peridot's eyes crossed.
"You're going to make me come, Jasper!" Peridot moaned, hiking her ass up more as Jasper slammed into her. She rocked against her, greedily taking all that Jasper would give. Demanding more as her face was crushed against the furs.
Without warning, Jasper grabbed her little waist, flipping her unto her back. Those golden eyes scorched her, locking intensely with her own. She nearly orgasmed right then and there.
"Wanted to see...your pretty face." Jasper murmured, brushing her thumb along Peridot's cheeks. Her hips still for the moment.
Peridot whimpered, reaching her hands up to anchor onto Jasper's broad shoulder. She squeezed the bulging muscles there, leaning forward to lick her bronzed skin, tracing her designs with her tongue. She watched in awe as rope after rope of toned sinews work in unison, flexing and contracting as Jasper moved atop her.
Jasper grabbed Peridot's hips, lifting them up to set in her lap. She'd never pulled out of her. She snagged Peridot's chin, making her keep her eyes with hers as she stirred her hips.
The smaller Gem arched her back, meeting Jasper thrust for thrust. She fed her length into her more gently now, moving her thumb in slow rotations on Peridot's clitoris, pressing it against her shaft deliciously.
Peridot squealed as her oncoming orgasm surmounted impossible heights, those stars bursting behind her eyes again. She was so close. And Jasper knew it.
Jasper pressed their bodies closer, blanketing Peridot in her white tresses. She crashed her lips over Peridot's messily, kissing her between her panting. She kissed her vivaciously, desperate to taste her warm mouth.
Her rough hands splayed across Peridot's back, one cupped the back of her head, holding it up for her to admire with that heart warming gaze. Thunder cracked deafeningly loud overhead, lightening striking in contest with it.
"Ohhh-Jasper! Jasper that's-" Peridot cried out, her body spasming in Jasper's tight embrace.
Jasper left no room between them, each slow thrust pushing her further over the edge. Peridot was a panting mess against her, her body completely lax in Jasper's hold.
"Come for me, Peridot!" Jasper roared, fucking her quicker, her cock swelling even bigger. Peridot was absolutely wanton, her body rigid as she came.
Jasper was relentless, thrusting deep inside of her, dragging on her orgasm. Peridot's sex clenched impossibly tight, leaving little room for Jasper to even move. She came in a wet rush, her toes curling and her breath hitching.
Jasper was helpless against it, her orgasm spurting forth in answer as Peridot's sheath milked her cock dry. She pumped waves of hot come inside of her, flooding her womb with it till she screamed.
Peridot's body sung as her orgasm waned, letting her come back down from the sky. The storm outside fell to only rain.
Jasper held her weight upright for the most part, her arms quaking with effort. She collapsed atop her, rolling to her side quickly and tucking Peridot's spent body against her.
Jasper curled around her, her chest vibrating as she purred, wrapping her tail around Peridot.
That was...
Incredible.
Jasper fawned over her attentively.
"You're alright?" She asked in concern, planting tender kisses all over Peridot's nape.
Peridot yawned, her claws curling as she relaxed completely in Jasper's arms. "That was far more than alright." She sighed, her eyes already threatening to close. She'd been fucked into a stupor. "How did you learn those things?" She asked teasingly.
Jasper chuckled. "I just follow instinct. The same as you."
Peridot snorted, covering her nose. "So that's what you can do without even trying?" She couldn't wait to see Jasper's different approaches. How would she take it if Peridot rode her? Surely no one had been brazen enough with Jasper to attempt mounting her. She was...imposing to say the least.
Shouldn't this be crazy right now? Peridot should be finding excuses not to stay the night. But here she was, snuggling up to what used to be there source of her nightmares.
Jasper pet Peridot's hair softly, playing with her beaded braids, nibbling a few.
A silence fell between them, only the sound of ebbing rain and wind rustled vines echoing in the room. Peridot's eyes began to drift closed again, she fought to keep them open.
Wasn't it strange to fall asleep- be in your most vulnerable state- with someone you'd met hours ago?
But it didn't feel so.
Jasper hummed against her, sounding just as content as she.
Peridot turned over in Jasper's arms, looking up at her rested face. Her golden eyes were lidded with languor. They drooped shut for a moment and then focused on her.
"Jasper..."
"Peridot?" She uttered back, seeming to enjoy someone's name on her lips.
"Earlier you said...we are the same. You never told me what that means exactly." They certainly didn't look the same.
Jasper cocked her head. "I'm a Gem, as...you are, too?"
Peridot squinted. "But where is your gem?" Hopefully it wasn't that menial little crystal she sported on the head of her cock.
Jasper tapped her finger against her gold plated nose, and sure enough- between the seams was the hint of a shimmering orange gem. "Beneath here."
"Ohhh." Peridot replied, brushing her forefinger across the polished gold. "You were born with it under there?" She asked.
Jasper shook her head, her face completely absent of tension. "Grew over it in my adulthood."
It was funny to think that this massive woman had once been a stumpy little baby, and even a child. What did she have bad dreams about? Being so powerful.
"I have questions, if that's okay." Jasper relayed, propping her head in her hand. "You were going to leave once you had your fill of treasure?" There was no heat to her words, or expectancy in her eyes.
Peridot decided to answer honestly. "Yes."
Jasper didn't flinch. She simply nodded. "Who wouldn't?" She agreed. "Why did you decide to stay?"
"What makes you so sure I'm staying?" Peridot asked warily, even as her lids fell closed again and again.
Jasper grinned, gesturing towards Peridot with played hands. Her tail flipped up and fell with her amusement.
"I'll indulge you for this night, beastie." Peridot murmured against Jasper's warm chest. That heart beat lulling her to sleep. She gave in to her drooping eyes, closing them. Usually she'd complain of the lack of covers, but Jasper more than made up for warmth with her own body heat. Like her own persoanl furnace.
Jasper stroked Peridot's cheeks, sighing contentedly as she laid head head down. She knew the other gem was watching her rest, but was too exhausted to complain.
Jasper spoke in a hushed voice, her lips brushing against her gem. "Good night then, Peridot."
~ One month later ~
Jasper awoke yet another morning, side by side with her new mate. Peridot yawned like a wee kitten, stretching as she roused from her slumber. Her plaited braids in a bed headed disarray. She'd made some changes to Jasper's room. Hell, she'd made changes to the entire temple.
Her room had been quickly organized. Lucky for her, even more bottles were placed on new shelves. Peridot herself had insisted on more color. Every morning they woke up to light shattering in all directions off the vials. It flooded the room in an array of tints, bouncing of Peridot's skin in the most wonderful of rays.
The light illuminated her heart achingly beautiful face. Illuminating her like some god sent angel.
Peridot even let Jasper feed her by hand! Though Jasper had pressed awfully hard for those privileges, but she found the most satisfying pleasure in providing and nourishing her mate. She'd quickly learned the little witchling was a herbivore, preferring fruits and breads. She'd beheld cooked birds with blatant distaste.
Jasper was learning her more and more everyday. She'd never met a more fascinating creature.
When the sun was highest in the sky, her mischievous Peridot would tug her by the trousers- leading her to the sun warmed fountain outside. She delighted in bathing one another. Jasper adored combing out the braids that framed her face, letting her hair take its natural state. A poofy, downy little cloud that smelled like the woods.
Peridot had moaned for days about a companion of hers. Another witch Gem from her village. She spoke so highly, so fondly of her. She missed her terribly.
Jasper feared Peridot would receive repercussion if she tried to return to her village. She insisted she stay here, but in the end it wasn't really a matter of yes or no.
Jasper offered to walk a hand written letter down to Peridot's barrier, pressing it through for this...Lapis to read. She ensured Jasper it would set both her and her friend's mind at ease. Making note to write how she was here more than consensual. Take she was...happy. Plus it made Peridot smile awful nice and big when Jasper asked in the first place.
And then she'd greeted her with sex! Jasper dragged her hand down her face, kissing her mate's sleepy cheeks tenderly. She'd never been more whole in her entire life.
"Stay here, I'll get us water." Jasper stretched wide, swinging her leg over the bed and setting off to make a small breakfast for her mate. The morning was sunnier than most, the seasons beginning to shift. The fruit on the vines around the temple was warm to the touch.
She strode over to the water fountain, drinking handfuls of water humbly, splashing her face with it. Reminding herself over and over...that this wasn't a dream.
Jasper reached for a jeweled goblet, filling it up with water.
A ferocious shriek sounded from behind her. Jasper dropped her payload, snapping her gaze to the oncoming threat.
A lithe blue hair Gem ran at with a snarl on her face. "Where is she, demon?!" She screeched, summoning enormous wings of water from her shoulders. "You think that forged letter was going to fool me? I know you have her!"
Realization hit Jasper all at once. This was Peridot's wee friend from the village!
"Lapis!" Jasper laughed, making the other Gem falter for a second.
"Tell me where she...w-wha?"
Jasper tore off through the temple before Lapis could make a fuss. She could hear those powerful wings swooping up air, pushing it so hard it made Jasper stumble. She caught herself, running hard to her room.
"Why are you running? Peridot! I'm here!" Lapis yelled out from behind her.
Jasper skidded into her bed chambers, a weary Peridot just tossing on an over sized tunic.
"Jasper?" She asked, peering past her to a dimly echoing scream. "What's going on?"
"There's a fierce and tiny witchling here and I'm almost positive she's here for you."
"Peridot!"
Peridot's jaw slackened and she took off for the chamber's entrance. "Lapis? Lapis!" She called back.
Jasper couldn't hold back a smile at the sight of her giddy mate.
"Peridot- I'm here!" Lapis wailed, rounding the corner and nearly careening into Peridot face to face. The two of the burst into a fit of laughter, screaming as the clutched each other so tight. Jasper expected them to fuse, so close were they.
"Lapis! Lapis why- why are you here?" Peridot babbled, jerking her friend back. "It's an hour's travel up those steps."
"And it's be thirty goddamn days since I've seen you! I knew that barrier spell of your's wouldn't hold up much longer. I came back every day. I shouted your name every day, just hoping you might...hear me!" Lapis' words fell so easily as she relieved. She quickly fidgeted with a small bead at her side. "Your talisman! It glowed every single day! I knew you were thinking about me. Peridot I didn't know if I was supposed to be happy or not. I-I-I had no idea-"
"Lapis, Lapis. Please...I missed you." Peridot sniffled out, hugging her close again. "I'm so happy you're here."
Lapis held her friend contentedly, sighing as they broke away from each other with a smile.
"I missed you most. You wouldn't believe all the crying Healer Rose has done over you. She was a mess there for a while." She laughed.
But the moment quickly turned sour. Lapis flicked her attentions to Jasper, as if she'd forgotten her completely during their reunion. She tensed to pounce- but Peridot snagged her by the wrist.
"Peridot." Lapis gritted through her teeth.
"Lapis, no. She's been nothing but good to me."
Lapis' face twisted in confusion. "Good to you...?" She looked Peridot up and down. Noting her messied hair, her bare legs in the tunic that nearly swallowed her whole. Realization must have hit. "Good to you!" She shouted, nigh flabbergasted.
Peridot's cheek flushed.
"Ohhhhhhhhh!" Lapis teased, her mouth still hung open from disbelief. But it was obvious Peridot wasn't lying. "You mean...real good to you." Lapis jeered with a toothy grin.
"Don't be gross." Peridot mumbled. "It's more than that."
Lapis looked to Jasper with an indifferent scrutiny, shrugging. "I'm...sure." She tried.
As happy as Jasper was for her mate right now, she could feel awkward questions were in the works, so she intervened. "Peridot. Didn't you prepare something for Lapis?"
Peridot nodded, grabbing her friend's hands with stars in her green eyes. "I was going to make Jasper take it to the bottom of the steps. And leave it there for you. But...since you're here..." She grinned, skipping to the corner of the room and dragging an overfilled satchel over to her, coin spilling from the open mouth. She slung it to Lapis' feet.
Lapis' eyes grew wide and she brought her hand to her lips. "Oh my gods...is that..."
"Ohhhh yeah. And I we have much more where that came from. For you. Whenever you need anything-"
"This doesn't make up for any of this."
"It isn't supposed to." Peridot grasped Lapis' hands again. "You know I can't come back to village again."
Jasper walked by Peridot's side, standing proudly beside her mate.
"You are welcome here, Lapis."
"And listen to you two fuck all day? Pass." Lapis snorted in reply, snatching up that bag of treasure and tossing it over her slim shoulders. "I'm going to go back home, Peridot. I'm going to dump this treasure on the bed. I'm going to cry over it, scream over it, make love to it. On it."
"Lapis!"
"This isn't some buy off. I'm coming back here to see you." Lapis added, jabbing her finger on Peridot's chest.
"I had no doubt about that." Peridot laughed. "You'd better come see me."
Lapis' face fell soft, and she opened her arms up, wrapping Peridot in them so tenderly. "I love you."
Peridot sighed. "And I love you, Lapis." She murmured.
They kept intertwined for a long moment, simply enjoying the feel of one another. Lapis broke away first, more tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
"Well..." Lapis began, adjusting the satchel slung over her shoulder. "I should go."
"That treasure burning a hole in your pockets already?" Peridot joked, pushing her friend playfully.
"I've already got blueprints for my new mansion laid out. I'm thinking why not make half the house a master bedroom? Sound's cozy enough. Above ground fountain or...in ground pool?" Lapis asked, her face lighting up.
Peridot pondered for a moment. "In ground."
Lapis laughed. "I'll take your word for it then." She beamed, nodding to Peridot. "And try to keep those thunderstorms of your's in check. You know I can see those, right?"
Jasper grinned this time, looking down at her simpering mate. A pink blush on her cheeks.
They couldn't stand to part without a final squeezing hug. Both of them content from the time they'd shared. Lapis tossed a wave over her shoulder. Glaring at Jasper a final time, pointing a threatening finger. "Keep her happy, Guardian."