I could still feel his heat on my lips as I explored downtown Cradle with Fenrir and Seth, something about treating ourselves to some well-deserved goodies. The two took turns wrapping their arms around my shoulders, ushering me along the streets, stopping at every other shop to inspect their unique goods, but my mind was elsewhere.
The image of his hands feeling the curves of my back and thighs kept flashing into my mind, gooseflesh rising in absence of his touch. My teeth sunk into my bottom lip each time I remembered the way he suckled it each time he pulled away from our passionate kisses. Even though it was just last night, my body was aching for his, to feel it against me once more.
"Hellooo? Anyone home?"
With a sudden jolt, I snapped back to reality with both my escorts peering into my face; one annoyed and one overly concerned.
"Alice, what's gotten into you?!" Seth nearly shrieked.
"Yeah, you've been zoned out nearly this entire time," Fenrir scoffed, scratching his chin. "Is everything okay, Manami?" I could feel the cold sweat running down the side of my face. No one in the Black Army was aware of my relationship with Harr and now wasn't exactly what I would call the right time.
"Of course not!" I tried to laugh it off, but they could both feel the tension emitting from my expression. "I'm just a little… distracted."
"Distracted? By what?" Fenrir took a quick second to glance at our surroundings before locking eyes with me. "We're out so we could all get a distraction from work."
"I know," lowering my gaze, I began to fiddle with my fingers. Even now, I could almost feel Harr's hot breath against my earlobe, wishing to hear him softly call out my name. "It's just that—"
"Are you not enjoying our company, Alice?" Seth asked, tears nearly pouring from his eyes as his lip quivered like a sad puppy as he clasped my hands in between his.
'No, that's not it.' I can't say that to them. 'It's just not your company I want right now.' Definitely can't say that.
"That's a silly thing to say, Seth," I giggled, feeling my face relax into a soft smile, easing the tension between all of us. "I guess I'm not just in the mood for sweets right now, that's all."
"I KNOW!" Seth leapt slightly into the air, nearly taking me with him. "Let's go get you a new dress!" My eyes gaped with panic, but I managed to keep my smile on my face. I'm sure my expression came off as psychotic, wide, panicked eyes with a small, innocent smile, as I tried to quickly come up with an escape plan. Turning to Fenrir for help, he just shrugged in defeat.
"It's not exactly what I was expecting," he smirked, "but it's only fair. We've been dragging you around all morning, we should do something you want to do." I was so speechless at his inability to hear my silent screams that I wasn't able to retort before Seth was leading us down to the nearest dress shop.
Dress after dress, Seth and Fenrir whistled and applauded at every one I came out in. It was sweet and encouraging, but none of these dresses were what I was looking for… but, what was I looking for? Still feeling heated from my memories of last night, perhaps I was looking for a dress a bit more…
"This one," I pulled out a cute little black dress out from one of the racks in the back while Seth was still gawking in a different section of the shop. I didn't have a good chance to look at it, so I quickly grabbed the blue dress next to it and tucked it under my arm, hoping the guys wouldn't notice.
"That's a cute one," Fenrir commented, appearing just around the corner. I jumped a little, clutching to my two dresses hoping that he only saw the one. "The blue one ya got, it's cute. You should try it on."
I was safe..
Shoving me back into the changing room with an armload of gaudy dresses, Seth insisted I show him and Fenrir each and every piece. I agreed to get them out of my hair, but I wasn't about to show them my little black dress, my little secret.
Finally able to hold it up and inspect it, it was exactly what I was looking for. The straps and the skirt had a slight ruffle to them and the material seemed to have a subtle sparkle to it. Could fabric in Cradle be fused with magic? I wasn't sure, but I was planning on asking Harr for the next time I see him, I want to be wearing this dress. Just for the two of us, like a little secret.
I held the dress to my chest, feeling my hear pounding from the very thought of being with him again, feeling his lips and his touch again.
At last, I was entering my bedroom back at the Black Army headquarters just before they were about to serve dinner. After what felt like an eternity, I collapsed onto my bed with large bags adorning my arms. The boys were sweet enough to buy all the dresses I chose, which I actually found a few to my liking. I did feel a little guilty for sneaking in the black dress, the only one they didn't even know about. One day I'll repay them.
Now I need to see him. I need to see Harr. Something in my heart told me he was thinking of me, as well. Shuffling my bags into my closet, I pulled out my new dress and carefully displayed it on top my bedding, planning to change into immediately after dinner, then opened up a box I kept hidden underneath my bed, pulling out a drawstring bag.
Inside the bag were these little lavender-colored magic crystals. Pulling one out, I closed my fingers around it tightly as I stuffed the bag and box back into their hiding places. Approaching my window, I opened it, feeling the warm late-summer breeze brushing my skin. Opening my fist, I glanced down at the shard, glowing so brightly, it outshone the sun. Clasping my hands around it, I hid the light as I held it close to my beating heart.
Focusing all of my energy into the crystal from my hands, the image of Harr's face appeared in my mind once again. His cool grey eye locking my gaze with his captivating smile melting me to pieces. It almost felt real and I wanted to reach out and place my hand on his face, but I had to resist the urge, otherwise the spell wouldn't work. I could feel hot energy forming in my hands as I whispered, "Please, Harr, I want to see you tonight."
The second the final word slipped from my lips, the energy cooled. Carefully opening my hands, a tiny little crystal hummingbird fluttered out of them. I smiled at it before it swiftly took off into the forest. All that was left to do was wait until after dinner, and hopefully my message was heard.
Dinner lasted a little longer than I was expecting it to, and the after dinner drinking party was tempting me to stay, but I gave them the excuse that I was worn out for being out all day. That alone was amusing as everyone started giving Seth and Fenrir a hard time for wearing me out. Smiling as I left the dining hall, it wasn't easy pushing down the guilt. It was practically me lying to my family to go see my secret boyfriend.
Locking my bedroom door behind me, I quickly changed into my new dress. Not wanting to overdo it, I passed all the jewelry that would've matched perfectly, which also saved me some time. Brushing my hair out, I took a few seconds to model in the mirror. Before I could even gather an opinion for myself, I heard a small tap at my window. Skipping across my room, I opened my curtains to see the tiny crystal hummingbird tapping at the glass. Smiling from ear to ear, I eagerly opened my window. The sudden gust fluttered my curtains, when they settled down, Harr appeared.
He smiled the instant his eyes found me. The hummingbird disappeared with a flash, followed by the window and curtains closing. I did my best to resist leaping into his arms, instead I returned his sweet smile with my own, my cheeks burning scarlet.
"Hello, Manami," the wizard's suave voice was hot chocolate during a blizzard, and his gaze was the large fluffy blanket wrapping itself around me during said storm. Every day with him was even more special, and after last night, I finally feel like our love is progressing in a more lustful direction. "A little bird told me you wanted to see me tonight."
"Yeah," my voice was hoarse and I coyly looked away from him. Even though Harr had given me those crystals to call for him whenever I wanted to see him, I always felt really embarrassed whenever I did. Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, I turned my face away from him, but kept my eyes locked with his. "Is tonight a good night?"
"I can't say no to you," he chuckled. It was true, he had told me that if, for whatever reason, he could not answer the crystal I sent to him, he would not appear. I assumed that meant it would be too dangerous for me to see him. There has yet to be day that it's happened, for he always came for me when I sent for him, but I also didn't use the crystals that much. They were supposed to be used for extreme cases, but if I felt like this, even though this was the first I desired him so much, I always beckoned him to retrieve me.
Holding out his hand to me, I reached out to take it, preparing myself for teleportation. The instant his fingers wrapped around mine, he pulled me forward, closing the gap between us just before the warm light enveloped us.
As the bright light disappeared, I found my self deep within the forest, shrouded by the cover of night, in front his house. Still pressing myself against him, I looked up at him, my eyes pleading for him to come closer.
"Are we—," my soft voice was cut off, still bewildered that I was seeing this man so soon, as it was normally a few days in between visits, "are we, you know…" I felt so selfish asking if Loki was out because I wanted Harr all to myself for the entire night, no interruptions this time.
With a gentle finger placed underneath my chin, he tilted my face up to his and placed a kiss on my lips. The hand I had placed against his chest clenched, his cloak blocking me from feeling more of him.
"I sent Loki away for a rigorous task," his whisper nearly shattered me to pieces as I felt his arm wrapping around my waist, "We should be completely alone until morning at the earliest." Relaxing in his hold, his words settled any worry as he placed another kiss upon my lips.
I was certain now that he had been thinking of me since last night. He had brought me to his room, both of us now sitting on the edge of his bed exchanging sweet kisses that grew heavier with each breath. My hands explored his now bare shoulders, no longer shielded by his thick cloak. His skin felt like silk beneath my palms as my fingertips explored the firm muscles of upper back.
Like he was handling fragile glass, he lowered me down, hovering above me and never breaking our kiss. His tongue slid against my bottom lip, asking to be let in. I didn't hesitate to greet him, our tongues vigorously slow dancing together. The rough kisses forced moans from my throat, enticing him even more as I felt his large hand slid up my thigh and slipping underneath my skirt.
"If I knew you were going to get a new dress just for me, I would've set out candles," his jest was slipped into my ear by his husky voice, locking it inside with a sneaky nibble on my ear. My body rose up to press against his, my hips meeting his as I felt his thumb massage me through my cotton panties.
"I was worried," I purred, soaking up the intoxicating feeling of his lips and tongue traveling down my neck from my ear, "that after last night, you would've given up on this, but I wanted to show you that I wanted it, too."
Then, I felt both of his knees on either side of my hips, the very sensation sending sparks down to my core, now throbbing with heat. My pelvis jolted up into his each time his thumb, which had slipped beneath my cotton fabric, applied pressure to my slick nub. His teeth had pulled down the front of my dress, revealing my breasts to him for the first time. I didn't have time to react self-consciously, his tongue was already swirling around my erect nipple. With his tongue and thumb spoiling me with pleasure, my body writhed beneath him, pushing me close to the edge of my peak.
"We've gone over this before," his hot breath cooling my saliva soaked nipple, "I have no intention of letting you go, and my desire for you is great, but I don't want to rush into anything you're not prepared for… but now, now that I've had a taste, I find it hard to resist— aaah!"
I reached down and grasped the rock hard bulge pressing against my inner thigh. He needed to know that he wasn't the only one feeling this way! The desire, the taste, everything! I felt it, too, but all I could do was mewl and moan from his touch.
With all the movement, the skirt of my dress was now up to my stomach. The rustling of fabric mixed with symphony of our heavy breathing and sensual moaning, it was difficult to know how my panties came off and ended up on the floor, but they did. His hand didn't want me to lonely, so it found it's way back to my center, his fingers spreading my slippery petals apart.
Leaving my breasts, his face met mine again, his eye molten with desire as his tongue flicked the tip of mine before enchanting me with another slow dance. His thumb still rubbing my nub, I was distracted from the movement of his hips and the sound of more fabric as hot pleasure nearly took me, but then it stopped abruptly, as did our dance.
He gazed into my eyes, so close to me I thought I was drowning. Confused, I was about to ask why he had stopped. Then, my back arched and my head tossed back into the mattress as far as it could go as I felt his rock hard member fill me. He was taking his time, keeping me guessing on how far in he intended to go. My moans were loud enough to reach Cradle, so Harr found my lips again to muffle my cries of pleasure.
Finally, he stopped, his breathing heavy with pleasure as I felt his body tremble against mine, his manhood throbbing inside my volcanic heat, waiting for him to continue. Mentally, I begged him to continue. I never realized how much I wanted this, how much I wanted Harr to claim me. The reality of my feelings truly set when I felt him pull out, only to thrust back into me again. I was instantly addicted. If it hadn't been for his lips and tongue occupying mine, I'm sure my cries would concern the animals of the entire forest.
My fingers dug into his back, clawing at the piece of clothing still attached to him as he relentlessly thrust into me, deeper and deeper. Unable to contain his own moans, he released my lips and nearly howled out in pleasure, which now became too much for me.
"H—Harr!" I cried out, digging my fingers into his back as my body became electrified with pleasure and my overbearing heat buried him at my core, bringing him down with me. The last few slams of his pelvis into mine while I was still experiencing my orgasm were sheer delight before he released himself deep within me.
Now that we had settle down, I was able to completely remove my dress, now soiled with sweat and juices, and feel the cool night air against my clammy back. Harr also removed what was left of his drenched clothing, which I didn't know until later was only his shirt. I never questioned how he removed his other clothes without me noticing, it didn't matter.
Lying next to him on my stomach, he traced his fingers across my back, helping me cool down along with the breeze from his open window, his eye traveling all over my body.
"I'm sorry if our experience felt a little rushed," Harr mumbled, "I intended all that to me more, well, romantic, and I—"
"Shh," I placed my finger against his lips, smiling, "that was plenty romantic in my book." A comforting grin graced his face as he pulled me into his arms and held me until dawn's light.
Saying goodbye was always the hardest part when he returned me to my bedroom back in Cradle at the Black Army headquarters. Someday, I hope I can ease in the conversation about us, but it had to be the right time, and not just with the Black Army, but for Harr, too.
Changing into fresh clothes and lots of perfume, I examined my neck in the mirror. Using my long hair, I was able to hide most of the marks left from our tryst, the rest…. I was still trying to come up with an excuse for.