'Is there anything else you would like, my lady?' the weaker telepath, Eichi, asked her. She looked over at him, still feeling rather uncomfortable for lack of a better word having the stranger, a man to boot, in her mind freely. Yet when it became clear to him and the other demon tribes she could not speak, Eichi volunteered to speak on 'his new lady's' behalf. It always gave her a quick, dull headache whenever he entered her mind. That never happened with Hiei.
Kotone brought her hands up to her face, exhausted. The day, the whole day, had been insane and exhausting. She brought her hands down, shaking her head softly. She winced as she felt him rooting around in her mind. 'You want to see Izo again?' he asked.
She frowned and shrugged. She shook her head and dismissed him. The dull headache he caused still lingered in her mind, even after he left.
She plopped herself down on the fur covered bed in the tent. Not her tent. Maeshu's old tent. She had wanted to kill Maeshu, she had managed to kill Maeshu, almost dying from it herself. She knew up here with the demon tribes that 'you keep what you kill' was a thing here, but she had hoped after killing Maeshu, that would be the end of it. That if she refused, they would accept it and pick another leader. She never expected as an outsider among everyone else, that they would actually all bow down to her and declare her the new leader of the tribes. She knew none of them, knew nothing about their way of life nor their customs. That was yesterday. They had allowed her to rest overnight before bombarding her with information today.
She stayed last night in the tent she shared with Airi and Hikari, even though Eichi had insisted she should stay in 'her' tent, Maeshu's old tent. She had killed Maeshu, so now everything she had owned belonged to Kotone. The leaders of the demon tribes insisted on it, even insisted on meeting with her there. She tried to insist she did not want to lead them, tried to refuse, but none of them would listen to her. Hiei took the chance to relay information about the demon culture up in the far North. She was their leader now, and they did not care that she was an outsider as she put it sense she proved herself not only strong enough to defeat their old leader, but also was clearly a sign from their gods that she had never even heard of, that she was chosen to be their next leader due to her victory. She had to except it and avoid looking weak, even if it made no sense to her. She did accept the leadership role in front of the leaders, who did not seem to mind she was ice maiden, mute, and foreign to them. They saw her as both strong and chosen by these gods. Eichi volunteered to speak on her behalf and assist her in the transition to her leadership. She tried to refuse him, not knowing him, but Hiei entered her mind yet again, telling her the man would be harmless and that she should trust him. It was all so new and so confusing to her though. She looked over at the entrance to her tent. Maybe she should just run, take off in the night. Go get Koji and then disappear. Head south. Head to another country. Head-
She was broken out of her melancholy thoughts when Izo walked into the tent. 'You sent for me?' he signed quizzically. He closed the tent behind him securely. She studied him. He looked sleepy. His long, teal hair was down, loose and rumpled. She felt an odd temptation to step over to him and brush the tangles from it with her fingers. He had a coat over his pajamas. His wings poked out from the back of his coat. Luckily he was an ice demon, otherwise having part of his back exposed like that would be unpleasantly cold. It was later at night than she realized, judging by how dark it was outside. She felt guilty that he might have been roused from his sleep. He stepped closer to her, near the small fire in the brazier by her, no, the bed. He looked... good by the fire light.
She stood up, feeling her face flushed suddenly and panicky. 'I can't do this,' she admitted.
He blinked sleepily down at her. 'You agreed to do it,' he told her. He was signing for her, even though he could talk. Why did he not just talk? She felt mad at him for that, but not understanding why that suddenly annoyed her.
'I don't want to do it,' she told him. 'I shouldn't have to.' She kept going, him watching her hands intently by the fire light. 'I don't know these things. I don't know these people. I don't know their ways. I don't know their gods.' She gestured wildly with her hands over everything in the tent around her. 'Nothing in here is mine!' She felt her face flush and her eyes prick. She brought her hands to her eyes, willing them to not spill over right now. She took a steadying breath, but it hardly seemed to help. She went over to the desk next to the bed, grabbing papers off of them and throwing them to the ground at random. He did nothing while she took out her aggression on the other items on the desk, shoving and throwing them at the ground at random. The sound of shattering glass almost sounding pleasing to her ears. Like it was something she could control.
She turned around, looking over at him. He was still standing there, stark still and looking ever patient. His mouth was slightly open and his hands hung at his side. 'Say something,' she signed, imploring him. He raised his hands up, but she stepped over to him, pushing his hand back down. 'Say something,' she mouthed up at him. She locked her hands firmly around his to keep him from signing. She interlaced her fingers with his. He could talk and she wanted to hear him speak, then and there.
He looked down at her, almost like he wanted to shrink away from her. "I know them, sort of," he whispered softly. "My sister and I had to learn about them and their culture since she's in charge of Alaric. Also..." he started, but did not finish. His fingers stiffened up, but did not tighten nor loosen on hers. His breathing was deep, like he was trying to keep himself in check.
He went quiet, almost sheepish. It was unnatural on him. 'Also what?' she mouth insistently. Part of her wanted so badly to scream at him.
"I'm yours," he breathed out, almost too softly for her to hear him.
She stared up at him, disbelievingly. She shook her head, letting his hands go and stepped back from him. She felt livid with him for say that until she registered the look on his face. His eyes were closed in a pained expression. She softened at that. She stepped back over to him, feeling something stronger than pity burning in her chest at the sight of how hurt he was to admit that to her. She felt like she wanted to hate him for saying that to her. It felt too out of the blue, especially since he just told her he knew these people and if she was going to be pushed to lead them, she needed him firmly by her side.
She brought her hands up to his shoulders, facing him, standing as close as she dared to him. She felt him stiffen up even more. He would not open his eyes to look at her. She felt angry at him, in part wanting to slap him, but could not because he just became one thing she could not give up. Her mouth felt wet unexpectedly, like she was hungry or craving for something. She stood there and wished he would make the first move, but it seemed like she was going to have to instead. She kissed him softly, feeling him relax in front of her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, melting against him. His hands snuck up around her upper back pressing her against him. His tongue slipped inside of her mouth, but he pulled it back shyly. She met him by slipping her own tongue into his mouth, letting instincts drive her. She wanted him, feeling enflamed by the sudden desire for him.
He pulled his mouth up and away from hers, sucking down a deep breath. She looked up at him curiously, seeing a cautious yet lustful look dancing in his eyes. He scooped her up in his arms, picking her up in the princess carry. She looked up at his exposed neck, feeling the overwhelming desire to sink her teeth into it. Gingerly, he carried her over to the bed and sat down on it with her sitting sideways in his lap. One arm supported her upper back while the other hand cupped her face. His fingers snaked into her hair. He guided her head back over to his, mouth claiming hers once more. She leaned against his supporting arm, letting him kiss her over and over again. It was almost like he feared she would stop him and never let him touch her again.
She turned her head away from his mouth, which he met with halting his lips. She nuzzled him, getting him to push his head up over hers so she could get access to his neck. She kissed him there, sucking on the spot where his neck met his shoulder. It was a soft spot, a sweet spot for her to get at. She felt his breath hitch when she nipped him in the spot. His hand that had been holding her face snaked down to her chest, resting there softly in the space above her heart. She felt flushed at the sensation of him touching her chest. She bit him harder, feeling an overwhelming desire for something she did not know washing over her. A grunt escaped his lips. His hand on her chest gripped the fabric of her shirt, balling it up over her heart.
"Don't... don't break the skin..." he hissed out.
She softened her bite, looking up and him, wondering why he would tell not to do that. She scold at him, not liking him denying her of that. She kissed at the spot she had bit, seeing a small hint of bruise forming there already. She sat up straighter, pushing against him. She shifted in his lap, making herself straddle him. She raised herself up on her knees, a head taller in this position than he was now. She looked down at him, feeling warm and flushed. He snuck his hands under her shirt, resting them just above her hips. She noticed he still had his coat on, while she wore her regular clothes. She brought her hands to his coat, tugging open the buttons and yanking the coat off of him while he held her steady on his lap. She threw his coat to the ground behind her. She grabbed the bottom of his shirt, trying to pull it off over his head, but it got caught against his wings. He pushed her back to stand up just long enough for him to shimmy the shirt off by his legs. She pulled it off his feet and dropped it behind her on top of his coat without a care in the world.
She sat back down on his lap. She then turned back to look at him, bare chest, lean, and steady below her. She pushed him down onto his back on the furs below. He looked up at her almost shyly, like he was not sure what to do or say. His arms wrapped around his torso shyly. His wings furled out behind him. She reached under his arm, stroking the feathers of it. The sight and feeling of them was mesmerizing. She tugged on them, making him wince slightly. She stopped tugging, but kept running her fingers through them. So soft... so smooth...
She felt his eyes studying her face, she looked away from his wings and over at him. He stared up at her desirously, eyes on her lips. She bent down, kissing him softly as she brought her hands to his sides. He shivered underneath her, making her almost purr to herself. She rose up and guided her hands to his, pulling his away from his chest. She ran her hands up and down his chest and sides, making him tremble beneath her. She was unsure what she was doing, beyond acting on instincts that she once thought lay dormant in an ice maiden such as herself. She also wondered how she could take charge over him, without being afraid. She shook her head. He was nothing like the other man. She wanted him, wanted something from him, something that made her feel like she would burn up if he did not give her what she wanted.
Her hand shifted down to his feathers, enjoying the soft feel of them. She sighed, bringing her mouth down to his chest, kissing him there softly. His hands came to her hair, stroking at it softly. She hummed against his chest, feeling her mouth suddenly start to water. She brought her teeth down on the right side of his chest. He gasped and winced when she did that.
"Gentle," he breathed. "Don't break the skin."
Don't break the skin. He had told her that again, making her feel aflame by his denial of that once more. She pulled her mouth off of him, snagged him up by the hands and looked down at him furiously.
He tried to move his hands, but she would not let him go. "What's the matter?" He tried to sit up, but it was difficult with her hands locked around hers. He shook his head. "You can't mate claim me," he told her thickly. "It's outlawed, it's dangerous, it's-"
She stopped him from talking, covering his mouth up with her hand, and then pulled completely away. She got off of him and off the bed. She felt chilled even as she stood next to the fire in the brazier.
She heard him shift and get up from the bed behind her. When he came up behind her and wrapped his arms and even wings around her, she nearly shoved him off. He nuzzled the crook of her neck, breathing deeply against her skin. Having him hold her like this made her feel overheated all over again. She ran her hands through the feathers she could reach. He hummed when she did that, which she liked.
"I want you, just not like that," he whispered. "You could lose control and kill me."
His hands snaked under her shirt, peeling the shirt over her head. He removed her bra from her as well. She felt too warm when he turned her around and kissed her. His hands held fast, nervously at her sides. Like he was scared or-
She pulled away from him, realization washing over her. She put her hands on his chest, pushing him away to have some distance as she looked him over. He was of age, but young, younger than she was. He had never been touched before. Never been with anyone before. Probably never so much as looked at another woman the way he was looking at her now. She could not understand why. He should have never done any of it. He should never have found her, never have met her, never have protected her, never have fallen for her. She went over to him, smacking him in the chest and shoulders. He growled down at her when she did that, snagging up her hands with surprising gentleness. He held her hands down by his sides. The look in his eyes were a mix of lustful and intolerant.
'I'm... hot,' she mouthed, humming under her breath. Standing next to him like this made her feel even hotter.
He let her hands go with a firm squeeze. He brought his hands to her pants, loosening them without looking at her eyes. He felt hot next to her as well. He removed her pants, dropping them to the floor. He knelt down, helping her step out of them gingerly. He pulled her socks and boots off while he was at it. Instead of standing up, he reached up and grabbed her panties, pulling those down and off with him. She stepped out of them, taking the opportunity to step away from the brazier a little bit. He stayed close to her in his kneeling position. He brought his mouth to her center, making her wince and step back. She felt far too hot when he did that. She did not want to feel so hot, felt mad at him for making her feel so hot. She wanted so much to slap him for making her feel that way, but the way he looked at when she struck him a minute made her stay her hand.
'Sit,' he signed to her.
She back up to the bed, sitting on the edge of it nervously. He came over to her, making her feel inflamed, leaning against her. His hands rested shakily on her thighs. He kissed her affectionately before slowly kneeling back down before her. His hands pushed her legs apart gently. She gasped when he brought his mouth to her center once more, tongue lapping at her. She felt flushed, half wanting to squirm away, half wanting him to press onward. She leaned back, trying to get away from him. Her back made contact with the furs beneath her, and yet he still strove on. She moaned, writhing beneath him, feeling hotter and hotter. He needed to stop before she burned up, or so that was what it felt like. She moaned louder than before, bringing her hand to his forehead, gripping his bangs there. She tried to pull away, but his hands were firm on her thighs. She dug her fingernails into his scalp. She heard him wince, which only made her hotter. Heat burned over her, making her cry out louder than the previous times.
She relaxed beneath him, feeling listless and no longer hot. She practically closed her eyes, head lulling to one side. She dropped her grip on his bangs. He seemed to take a second to notice she was not moving anymore. He looked up at her almost shyly. He pulled himself up on the bed next to her. He looked down at her, studying her. A sweet, soft smile covered his lips. He bent down and kissed her forehead. Next, he lay down on his back next to her, pulling her over to lay on her side against him. Going even as so far as pulling her top leg over his legs. She nuzzled her head against his chest, closing her eyes sleepily while he held her. The desire to bite him on the chest or neck had at least dissipated when he burned off her heat. Her mind wondered though if he felt as hot as she had right now.
She rolled over on her stomach, still partly on top of him. She tapped his chest. He opened his eyes, looking at her. 'You? Hot?' she asked.
He blinked up at her, nodding shyly. His face flushed when he did so. She bit her lip softly, unsure how to help him the way he helped her. She snaked her hand down to his pants, gasping softly as her hand came in contact with something rather hard down there. He hummed pleasantly as she stroked what she was touching gently. He was hot, so she would burn him up like he did for her. She rose up, pulling his own pants and boxers off. He watched, helping kick off his remaining clothes shyly. His shoes and socks came with his pants like an afterthought. He sat up, pulling her over to him, bidding her to sit astride his lap once more. His center slid against her center, making her feel hot again. She felt herself move against him instinctively, grinding her hips against his. It burned her to do that, but she kept it up to please him, knowing the heat would please him just as it had pleased her.
He moaned as she moved, hands gripping her hips with an unexpected amount of firmness. She hoped this was heating him up, because she certainly felt like she was all over again. She moved harder and faster, screaming when she felt her movements draw his cock inside of her center. She paused in ministrations, feeling an all to familiar pain flash over her mind. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the suddenly invading memory. She pressed the heels of her palms against her eyes.
She felt a soft tap on her shoulder. She pulled her hands from her eyes, looking up at him. 'With me. Here. Now.'
She drew in a deep breath, nodding. She pushed the invading memory from her mind, and started moving again. She rocked her hips over his, feeling hotter and hotter. Her hands came to his shoulders, giving her more leverage to move faster and harder. She dug her nails into his skin, wanting once more to sink her teeth into his soft flesh. He moved with her, albeit limitedly with her on top of his lap. She felt herself slowing down, thighs burning. He bent down over her, picking her up under her thighs. He stood up, turning her around with her, and laying her down on the bed beneath him. She winced, but noticed he was moving quicker with her. His neck was close to her mouth. She saw the bite mark she had made earlier. Without even thinking, she bit him anew.
He reacted quickly, pulling up and away from her. His hand covered his neck protectively. 'Neck, no,' he told her. She scold at him furiously, hands gripping the furs beneath her to keep her from slapping him for denying her. He tapped his bruised shoulder. 'Shoulder, yes,' he conceded.
She nodded, raising herself up and pulling him back down over top of her. He moved inside of her once more. He rested his head on her bare shoulder, all while giving her open access to his bare shoulder. She brought her eye teeth down on the softer part of flesh, striking harder and faster this time around, before he could stop her. He cried out when she broke the skin. The taste of blood in her mouth, his blood, was overwhelming. It made her feel aflame, wanting to bite him again and again, all over his body. She held him close, arms wrapped around his back, holding him close so he could not move away. He panted and moaned against her shoulder. He went rigid, clinging to her. "Kotone," he breathed, relaxing against her.
She lay, trapped beneath him, finding it hard to draw a deep breath with him on top of her. She squirmed, pushing him off of her and onto his side. She rolled away from him, sitting herself up on the bed, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, back facing away from him. The room was a mix of warm and cold. Warm from him and the fire in the brazier. Cold from her and the outside climate.
She heard him shift behind her, groaning sleepily. His arms wrapped around her, hands clasped around her stomach. His cheek rested on her shoulder. He raised his hands up so she could see them. 'Are you okay?' he signed to her.
She stared at his hands, pushing her way up to standing, arms wrapping around her chest. She took a deep breath, looking back over at him, frowning. She had no clue how to sign what was swimming through her head right now. She wanted her voice back, now more than ever.
He started to rise up from the bed, but halted when he looked up at her. "I'm sorry... I, I, I..." he shook his head, looking both wounded and guilty. "Great Mother... We shouldn't have done that. I should have had better control of myself." He closed his eyes, looking pained.
He opened his eyes again, not looking at her. He moved, but not towards her. She watched him reach over to his boxers and pants, shrugging them back on. He was getting dressed, which might mean he was leaving. He absolutely could not do that.
She looked over at the strewn remnants of the paper and ink bottles on the ground. She reached down, grabbing a piece of paper and a quill, hastily writing on it. The smudging frustrated her, but she sprawled as fast as possible. She turned, seeing him holding his shirt, shaking it out before he stepped his legs into it. His pants were already on. She stepped over to him, intending to hand him the paper. She brought her left foot down on the ground, feeling a pain shoot up the bottom of it. She cried out, dropping the paper. She lifted her foot off the ground, seeing small chunks of glass imbedded in it. She carefully hobbled her way to the bed on her right foot, avoiding stepping on anymore glass. In frustration, she crumpled up the note for him, throwing it into the brazier in frustration. She brought her foot up to eye level, beginning to pick out bits of glass from the bottom of her foot. Each piece she pulled out smarted, making her eyes prick. It felt like nothing she could ever do was right.
Izo sat down next to her, his shirt just hanging from his waist as he had not finished putting it on. She looked over at him. His hands were in his lap, gripping his pant legs. She pulled and pulled at the glass shards, feeling like a few of them would not come out with just her clumsy fingers alone.
She looked over at him, pouting. 'Help me,' she signed in frustration.
He knelt down in front of her, in such a different way from how he had been earlier. She winced as she felt his fingers press in some areas followed by his nails digging into her flesh to pull out the pieces of glass impended too deep for her to pick out herself.
He rub his hand over the bloodied bottom of her foot, checking to see all the pieces of glass were dug out. 'Feel anymore?' he signed to her.
She shook her head, mouthing, 'no.'
He reached into his pocket next, pulling out a small vial of liquid medicine. 'Drink this. Prevent infection.'
She took it from him, unstopping the lid. She drank the swig of it down. It tasted like herbs she had never had before. She popped the lid back on it, handing it back to him. He pocketed it before setting down to healing her injured foot. Then he looked at his hands, seeing her blood on them. He sighed in frustration, wiping his hands on his pants carelessly. He looked too tired to care at this point.
'Help me,' she signed again.
He looked over at her tiredly. 'I did,' he signed.
She shook her head. 'No, help me.' she signed. 'I need you. I can't do this.' She gestured all over the tent. 'Without you. Stay with me,' she pleaded, feeling guilty just to ask that of him.
He looked at her, crimson eyes boring into the very depths of her soul. 'I was already going to do that,' he signed. 'But what we just did,' he dropped his hands, but then picked them up again. 'Marry me and I will,' he offered.
