WARNING: SMUT.
Chapter 10
Eries rounded the corner to Folken's bedchamber just in time to see him rip the drape from his shoulder, tossing it across the room. He stood for a moment, his entire body shaking, before spinning to his right and overturning the desk with his left hand. The paper, pens, wine, and goblets clattered to the floor in a massive roar. Folken breathed heavily, his mechanical arm hanging limp and visibly unresponsive at his side.
Eries jumped when the desk clattered to the ground.
"Folken?" She asked quietly.
He turned, obviously failing to control himself.
"Please leave me, Princess, I'm in no mood..."
"I understand," she replied quietly. "I just... wanted to make sure you were alright."
Upon her kindness, Folken visibly made an effort to calm himself. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. She approached, looking down at his mechanical arm. It was releasing a series of clicks, like misaligned gears.
"Do you need help?" She asked, reaching for his arm.
She didn't feel any malice from him, but he pulled away from her. Somehow, she understood that it wasn't distrust that motivated him, but self-consciousness.
"No, thank you Eries," he said with forced calm. She was distinctly aware that this was the first time he had simply used her name. Not Princess, not milady... just her name. She appreciated it.
He sat at the now desk-less chair before him, pulling the motionless arm into his lap with his left hand. He winced, a pained sound escaping him.
"Does... does it pain you?" She asked, simply watching him in fascination.
He worked on it with his left hand, not meeting her gaze.
"It's a difficult sensation to explain," he replied, his whole body tensing as he turned a bolt and it clicked. "I don't feel anything from the damage itself, but... there are fibers that are fused with the nerves and muscles in my shoulder, so to an extent, yes I feel some things. I'm immediately aware when something is wrong, but it doesn't register like pain does. More like… numbness."
"That clicking you hear is an electrical charge," he continued, his body jerking every few seconds. "It's how my nerves and muscles communicate with the arm, allowing me to move it. Misaligned, as it is, the charge is attacking my nerves…" he jerked again, wincing. "Instead of communicating with them."
Eries had no response. It was horrifying, and she couldn't even begin to imagine what it was like.
Folken struggled with the tubing that Van had yanked free. He swallowed hard, grinding his teeth in frustration.
Eries reached out, laying her hand across his left and looking unyieldingly into his wine dark eyes.
"Let me help you," she said.
He considered for a long time before nodding.
She knelt before him, taking the tube and finding the port where it clearly attached.
"Just here?" She asked, pointing.
He nodded, staying silent.
When she attached it, he jerked, sharply intaking a breath.
"Did I hurt you!?" She asked worriedly.
"No," he said, wincing as the mechanism clicked, whirred, and was silent. "That's normal; let's me know it's working."
Eries stood, nodding. Folken began to work his right hand into a fist, ensuring it was responsive.
"I apologize for losing my temper," he said, adopting his usual calm.
Eries scoffed. "You are possibly the most laid-back man I've ever met. You are entitled to lose control every now and then."
He smiled appreciatively at her. "Nevertheless, I apologize. It was not gentlemanly."
"Apology accepted... but not necessary," she said, watching him test his arm. "What Van did was uncalled for."
He nodded solemnly. "I should not have attacked him either," he said, regret soaking his words.
He raised his mechanical arm to chest height, and his breath caught. He reached up and clutched his shoulder with his left hand, a groan of pain escaping him.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
"No, it's just... the metal is heavy and my shoulder becomes very sore the more I use it," he said, wincing against his own touch. "And the malfunction certainly didn't help."
"Here," she said, walking around him and laying a hand on his shoulder.
He tensed, sharply inhaling.
"Well it will only hurt more if you tense up," she said with a slightly chastising tone. His body was like stone beneath her fingers. "Relax. I won't hurt you."
"My apologies," he said, attempting to relax. "It's natural for me to assume it will; it has nothing to do with you."
Eries felt a twinge of pity, and used it to begin gently working his shoulder muscle with her thumb and pointer finger.
He took shallow breaths for a moment, but she made sure she bordered on too gentle rather than too hard. He relaxed slowly, and she smiled.
After a time, he raised his left hand, resting it atop hers to stop her. She leaned forward, trying to gauge his expression and finding him staring blankly forward. She walked around him, keeping her hand on his shoulder, beneath his hand. He looked up slowly at her, something dark and mysterious in his gaze.
Eries took a deep breath, feeling the atmosphere between them change drastically. Where before it had been calm and innocent, there was something very... carnal about it now. She considered fighting her baser instincts, fighting against what she wanted. But she quickly lost the fight.
She raised an eyebrow, sliding her hand across his shoulder to his neck. For a moment, she considered speaking… asking him… but none seemed right.
She gripped her dress at the thigh with her free hand, pulling it up to allow more movement and sliding her knee onto the chair to the right of his thigh. She followed suit with her left, straddling him.
He seemed completely unsurprised. He leaned back, looking up into her eyes as her hand slid up his neck and into his hair. She grasped a handful of it, gently tugging his head back and leaning in to kiss him.
He kissed her back, his tongue sliding across her lower lip with torturous accuracy. She felt his left hand wrap around her lower back, resting there calmly.
She felt a wave of courage come over her and, keeping him occupied with her lips, she reached down and grasped his metal hand, guiding it to rest on her back with the other. It was cold—she could feel it through her dress. And she could feel the sharp points of his fingers barely touching her.
He pulled away from the kiss, blinking several times and leaning his head down and against her chest, hiding his face from her. His breath warmed her clothing, and for a moment, she thought he would deny her. That he would stop her.
His hands moved suddenly from her lower back, wrapping beneath her bum and pulling her close against him. He looked up at her again, but did not kiss her. He stared flames into her, his wine red eyes burning. He was maddeningly calm as he stood, holding her aloft easily. She wrapped her legs around him the best she could in her dress, resting both hands around his neck.
He walked slowly to the bed, his eyes never leaving hers as she ran her fingers through his hair. He raised his left hand, placing it between her shoulder blades and cradling her as he lowered her softly onto the bed. She watched him intently as he laid her down, then slowly retreated to the foot of the bed. He hooked a single finger under her dress, pushing it up her thigh and letting his fingertip trail her skin. She shivered, grinning despite her efforts not to.
He pushed the dress all the way up her leg, pausing only to rest his lips briefly on her thigh, her hip bone. When he had pushed it far enough, she grasped it, arching her back to give herself slack and yanking it over her head. She lay beneath him, completely naked, and yet he never looked away from her eyes.
She reached for the zipper on his tunic, pulling it slowly down. He remained propped above her, and he was again maddeningly steady. She felt a giddy urge to break his facade, to make him lose control.
She pushed his tunic back over his shoulders, and he leaned up, tearing it off the rest of the way, with little haste. He paused, fear etching his features as she laid eyes on his arm uncovered for the first time.
She couldn't deny it was monstrous—there were four long bands stretching down the right side of his chest, anchored into his flesh. But instead of inspiring fear in her, it inspired pity; she couldn't imagine what it must have been like, what it must have felt like. She sat up slowly, bringing her lips to the bands and pressing them against the mixture of metal and flesh.
She expected to inspire a reaction from him as she looked up into his maroon eyes, but his usual calm remained as he kissed her torturously slowly, pushing her back.
It was beginning to frustrate her.
He leaned over her, propping himself with his metal arm and placing his other on her ribs. He leaned in and kissed her, forcefully but carefully. His touch was light, almost ticklish as it ran up her ribs, and he was beginning to drive her mad.
She rested a hand on his neck, dragging her leg up his left side and twisting her hips. She pushed him onto his back on the bed, straddling him once more. Again, he didn't fight her, didn't force her into his pace. He simply let her dominate him.
His control was astounding. Despite his body, his obvious need, he let her take her time, let her do as she pleased, watching her as hawk watches prey. She grinned, taking it as a personal challenge. She reached down, maintaining eye contact as she did, and grasped his metal hand in hers. This seemed to stir him a little, if only with fear.
She brought his metal fingers to her lips, taking two of them in her mouth. The metal was cold and smooth against her tongue, and she made a show of sucking on them. He twitched, something akin to lust flaring in his eyes for only seconds.
"Careful," he warned, his voice deep and hoarse. She wasn't sure what the warning was for—if he truly thought he might hurt her, or if he was warning her against playing with him like that. Either way, she ignored it.
She released his metal hand, intertwining her fingers in his. She found his other hand, sliding her fingers in and drawing both his arms up to his shoulders. She leaned down, pinning his arms up and bringing her lips to his neck. She leaned in slowly, attempting to torture him the way he did her, and placing her lips and tongue on the warm flesh of his neck, licking and kissing.
He still didn't break. He simply watched her calmly, his eyes the only thing giving him away.
She dragged her tongue across his collar bone to his good shoulder, opening her mouth and closing her teeth on his shoulder muscle.
Both his hands closed hard on hers, and his entire body tensed. His metal hand was much stronger than his left, and it was almost painful. He tried to stifle the hiss of breath he made, but it escaped anyway.
Eries leaned up, smiling in her victory and looking down at him. She kept his arms pinned up, and he let her. She leaned back down, maintaining his eyes as she lowered herself onto him.
She whimpered as the initial pain gave way to pleasure. She lowered herself slowly, allowing him to fill her.
He gritted his teeth, gasping quietly as he returned her fiery gaze. She continued to keep his arms pinned, and began moving her hips, torturously slowly. His hands clutched at hers, and she welcomed the pain his metal one caused. She let her mouth hang open as she rolled her hips back and forth, knowing what it would do to him.
He broke their gaze, leaning his head back against the pillow and closing his eyes. It was as much reaction as she had hoped for. Even in the throes, he was managing to keep irritatingly calm.
She leaned down, changing the angle and kissing and sucking on his neck. A small whimper escaped him, and she smiled against his flesh, happy to be breaking him.
She finally released his hands, leaning back to give him the full picture as she continued rolling her hips.
He watched her dangerously, his hands instantly going to her legs. He ran them up her thighs slowly, wrapping them beneath her to her rear and gripping her as she moved. The cold metal sent a shiver coursing through her, and she inhaled through her teeth.
She wanted to move faster, but also wanted to torture him as he had her. So she continued, rolling her hips like the crashing waves of Asturia's shoreline, in a constant and measured rhythm.
Their breathing began to sync with her movement, and she felt her skin becoming hot with perspiration. Sweat was visible on his chest, gleaming against his muscles.
His breaths became pants, and his hands tightened on her. The metal hand began to hurt her, and she whimpered.
The sound visibly affected him. He gasped, bolting upright. He angled his legs up, which pushed her body against his chest. The friction changed instantly, and they both moaned together. One of her hands ran lightly up his back and into his hair, and he arched his back when she did.
His metal hand slid to her lower back, pulling her even harder against him. Her stomach and breasts contacted his chest. She kissed him hard, taking his lower lip in her teeth and bunching her fist in his hair, knowing it would hurt.
He growled into their kiss, and she felt his metal hand scratch at her back. It should have been painful, but… it sent a wave of heat throughout her entire body. She yelped, removing her lips from his.
He tensed, small whimpers beginning to escape with every exhale, cuing her to his impending release.
A wicked streak attacked her, and she bent her head down and bit him again, this time on his right shoulder… his bad shoulder.
He cried out, his metal hand clawing her. She was sure it broke the skin, but she ignored it. His chest tightened, and he gasped. She smiled, continuing to ride him through his release. He shut his eyes tight, clutching at her so tightly it almost made it difficult to move.
He gasped one final time, his entire body seizing up like stone. She held him close, feeling the sweat drip down her chest and back. She should have felt guilty, indecent, shameful, but… she didn't.