Forewarning (or fore-promising, heh): this chapter begins to earn the M rating.
"Come in," the Queen called. The door swung to reveal Egir, clad in more casual yet still alluring garb. He looked both women up and down brazenly, a wicked grin playing on his face.
"Oh yes, how absolutely perfect. I had hoped you would both be joining the festivities. Tonight holds such…promise." The last word seemed directed particularly at Sarah, who was shifting slightly with discomfort as his gaze.
"I'm not going, Egir," mild annoyance accented Ayleth's tone. "But by all means, escort young Sarah along." Sarah whipped to face the queen, a look of betrayal burning in her expression. Ayleth glanced over with a reassuring smile, as if to say 'It's obviously just for a bit of fun'. Her eyes returned to Egir, who almost looked ready to pounce on Sarah. "I'm sure my brother would absolutely love that," Ayleth continued, voice dripping with a warning sarcasm that began to register on Egir's newly-sobering face. Ayleth seemed to take dual delight in the taunting him and bewildering Sarah, whose face was now openly shocked with sudden understanding.
"You're Jareth's sister?" Sarah exclaimed the question. Ayleth was grinning in full enjoyment. Egir was frowning slightly, puzzled at why it could be a significant revelation. "Then...you both were born...mortal," she pieced her thoughts together aloud.
Egir looked as if he were considering still taking the risk of bringing Sarah with him, when a silently stepping Goblin King approached him from behind. Neither Ayleth nor Sarah felt like giving him away, both now waiting for Egir to speak again with careful poker faces.
"Well, the King of Goblins doesn't exactly scare me," Egir decided to boast, hands spread out to his sides. "I think young Sarah should be able to choose who she goes to a celebration with, it being partially in her honor." He extended a hand towards her with a wry grin.
Jareth waited silently for Sarah's response, amused eyes meeting hers. Sarah was perhaps enjoying the rare opportunity to toy with Jareth a little too much. Her lips curled into a mischievous grin as she took Egir's hand, green eyes dancing between the eyes of his and Jareth's. The former grew with delight, the latter were now narrowing.
"Excellent," Egir's tone was pleased, his grin turning a bit mischievous as well. Though Sarah thought the mischief in his mind might be a bit less innocent than hers.
He turned, pulling her to his side before seeing Jareth. His expression instantly sobered, and Sarah could feel him tense beside her as he squared his shoulders.
"You of course wouldn't mind if I escorted this lovely mortal to the party," Egir's voice had deepened, his eyes slightly squinting in an almost daring expression. Sarah got the feeling a strong part of him was actually hoping for a fight, and she wasn't sure how she now felt about her split decision to be impish.
"Not at all," Jareth's voice was heavy with warning. "In fact I encourage it. She could use a change of...male company." His lips twitched as he looked to Sarah, eyes now matching her own playful gleam.
Sarah chewed her lip in slight regret as Egir led her down the hallway. She refused to look back at Jareth, but thought she could hear him chuckling with his sister before they rounded the corner.
Sister.
The thought still somehow brought a mix of incredulity and even more mystery than before. And a bit of relief from the jealous pang as well, but Sarah decided to ignore that part. Egir moved his arm from hers to slide it around her waist, drawing her closer to him as they exited the fortress through a back gate. He ignored her discomfort, shamelessly stroking against her ribs with his thumb. Sarah inhaled deeply, trying to keep from breaking away. You wanted to play, she reminded herself. Now stick with it. As if her own mind was subconsciously encouraging her, flashbacks played in her mind. Flashes of the way the Fey woman along The Strip had made her feel, of the way Jareth and Ayleth's warm greeting had irked her. Of the way Jareth made no introduction of her as his sister, no doubt purposefully. That last thought made Sarah compose herself with renewed determination to continue with her frivolous taunt.
They descended the mountainside on a gradual slope, next to the cliff Sarah had stood atop only moments ago. Large bonfires came into view from the foothills below them, dusk now darkening into nightfall. As they neared, Sarah could hear the faint sound of music being played, distant thunder seeming to accentuate the rhythm. It was almost hypnotic, with a soft but rapid beat from a percussion instrument keeping it lively with anticipation. Exotic instruments were blending together in an atmosphere of intrigue and magic. The flames seemed to be dancing to it. Or perhaps even creating it, Sarah was beginning to consider as she felt the magic wash over her, entrancing her to the point of forgetting that a stranger's arm still held her close.
Until the stranger leaned in to whisper something very closely into her ear.
Sarah almost jumped, having no idea what he'd said but realizing the lulling danger of the enchantment the Wild Fey were creating. She needed to keep a stronger guard on herself.
She gathered that Egir had been asking if she wanted wine as he was now offering her a goblet procured from a strategically placed stump nearby. She shook her head with polite declination. He shrugged and downed a large portion of his own goblet's contents. Sarah turned away from the almost-too-comfortable Egir, suddenly hoping she'd see the familiar face that both haunted and captivated her.
Jareth was not far away. He held the arm of an undeniably gorgeous redhead in a provocatively low cut garnet dress. Sarah stiffened, causing her partner to notice and follow her gaze with curiosity. Egir chuckled almost sneeringly as he caught sight of what was obviously upsetting her.
"Perhaps he'll be able to keep you around longer this time after all," Egir purposefully goaded, clearly enjoying her look of chagrin. "In any case, I'd say it would be a win-win for the two of us to have a little fun milking this."
Sarah's puzzled look quickly turned to distaste as he pulled her against him in a close, swaying dance. One hand moved to her lower back, the other slid up to softly hold her neck as he greedily began to kiss along the side of it. Sarah was about to push away, when she glanced back up and noticed Jareth glaring towards her, lips curling slightly. Sarah had to admit that a part of her agreed with Egir in that moment; milking this was fun. That same part of her was beginning to grow aroused by the obvious jealousy she saw in mismatched eyes. She found the sight even more arousing than the physical contact itself, even though the kisses were from a man she found utterly attractive. That thought began to make her a little uneasy, and she was again about to push away from Egir just as Jareth suddenly approached them, redhead in tow.
"Wasting no time as usual, I see," Jareth almost snarled the words. Egir smiled against Sarah's neck before turning to face the Goblin King.
"She is - as you are no doubt well aware - exquisitely irresistible." Egir let each word linger with obvious flaunting. Jareth's eyes were absolutely ignited. "As is your guest," Egir continued, now turning to the redhead with an eyebrow raised. Sarah noticed the woman's clear pleasure with the dark-haired king's attention.
"It's my first celebration," she said in a soft tone that was meant to seem shy. But her expression was all but leering, belying the feigned shyness. "King Jareth was merely escorting me." Her invitation was obviously implied.
Egir grinned and took the woman's arm. "You don't mind do you?" His question towards Jareth left no open end for reply as they both began walking away into the darkness towards another fire in the distance.
Sarah let out a soft chuckle in spite of herself. The smile from it lingered as she looked back towards Jareth, whose eyes were still fired with unchecked jealousy. But no longer with ire.
He neared her, unhesitatingly grabbing her at the waist with both hands. Sarah's breath hitched, lips parting slightly as her smile dropped.
"So sorry to cut the pawing short," he jeered, zero apology in his voice. "But I'd rather hoped to be the only one touching you tonight." His smirk only slightly lightened the heaviness of his tone, a darkness falling over his eyes that made Sarah's breathing stop altogether.
Reminding herself to regain her breath, her chest heaved in sudden intake of air, breasts lightly grazing Jareth's rock hard chest. A chest, she now realized, that was bare down to just above his waist. His black linen shirt folded loosely across his torso before tucking into a leather belt that blended it to black tights. The amulet he always wore shone with reflected firelight. Sarah began to slip into a whole new trance.
Jareth silently removed his grasp of her to turn, offering her a goblet of wine. At her hesitation, he sipped at it himself, re-offering it afterwards as if he'd proved it safe. She took it and gulped a substantial amount in a last minute resolve that it could only help her at this point. He smiled slightly as she did so, patiently waiting for her to have as much as she'd like.
Gradually the music started enveloping her more than ever, whether from actually playing louder or from some intensification effect from the wine. She began to feel the music more than hear it, its rhythm becoming almost erotic as much as it was enchanting. Her hips began to sway like a slow pendulum, her eyes fluttering closed to feel the music even deeper. Self-awareness was melting away into the tall fire beside her.
A new kind of magic dance.
Sarah slowly re-opened her eyes, continuing her sway, heart now racing at the sight of Jareth's heady gaze. His desire was fully unmasked. She tilted her head down slightly, looking up at him with green jewels that burned with both reflected flames as well as with flames from within. He wrapped an arm around her waist, tightening the embrace to slowly draw her nearer, his other hand caressing her face with utmost gentleness. Her slow dance was halted; she was suddenly entirely overcome with the feel of him. Nothing else seemed to matter but this moment and how he looked, felt, smelled.
Tasted.
Before she realized it, his lips were pressed against hers. A soft moan emanated from her throat as he tenderly parted her lips with his tongue. The sound of her moan seemed to attract his attention as his hand slid down from her face to softly grab her neck, thumb caressing at the middle of her throat. Her breathing quickened, causing her chest to brush against him more and more. As she lost herself in the delicious intoxication, she grabbed the back of his neck to pull him harder into the kiss, wrapping her other hand at his hip to draw him almost roughly against her. His erection rocked into her pelvis, and his mouth left hers with a sharp hiss at the sheer carnal pleasure of it. The reaction and the pressure of his hardness against her brought a whimper out of her, eyes momentarily fluttering closed. Before she could reopen them, his lips were her collarbone, hand splayed against her back to steady her as he pulled her up closer to his level, leaning over to meet halfway. His other hand slid further down from her neck, softly rubbing down her breast. Sarah arched back in pure ecstasy, letting out a heady sigh as she entirely lost herself for one brief moment.
A crack of thunder startled her out of the trance. Straightening her head back down and loosening her grip at the nape of his neck, she looked around her with regaining awareness. It was beginning to rain lightly, though no one around seemed to care. The fires burned unfettered. Most people were coupled up in dance, some in more lewd activities similar to their own, a few loners drank silently and several groups laughed together boisterously in the distance. A small wave of relief washed over Sarah as she realized no one appeared to be taking much notice of their salacious behavior; she was growing very conscious of who exactly she was with. And of what he was.
Sensing that her awareness was returning, Jareth cupped her chin with his thumb and forefinger, firmly leading her face back to his lips. Though it felt just as delicious as before, Sarah couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. That something had been off for the past unknown length of time in which she'd lost herself. His teeth were scraping her bottom lip, determined to make her his again. Her grip at his neck re-tightened, but this time out of growing frustration in a battle between desire and instinctual warning.
She gave in slightly and began to kiss back, tongue lightly teasing his as his hand gripped her at the waist. His other was now entangled in her hair, tugging a handful of it. Sarah could feel the rising tension in each of his muscles. The feel of it only tore her further into conflict as it somehow increased both the desire and the warning simultaneously. Opening her eyes, she stopped kissing him and pulled away slightly.
His eyes flared with disapproval of her retreat, an intensity in them to top anything she'd yet seen. Just as his strong pull was bringing her back to his lips, something not far behind him caught her eye. A man was holding a pitcher up and shouting to someone nearby. The other man came into view, holding a magenta vial while replying back to the man holding the pitcher.
"Oh yes, don't fret! More Enhancement right here!"
She slowly registered what he was saying.
'Enhancement'? Something had been in the wine…?
"What the hell is in the wine?" Her sharp tone gave away all the frustration that had been mounting within her. She pulled away from him fully, his grip tightening only briefly before allowing her to be released. The hunger she still saw in his eyes now only increased her rising suspicion. "This was a trick wasn't it?" She wanted the question to bite with anger, but it came out almost entirely panicked. Jareth seemed to soften with the sound of it.
"It enhances wine's natural effect," he answered softly. "The Wild Ones tend to use it for their festivities. It was no trick." Something like urgency was creeping into his voice, almost as if he needed her to believe him.
Sarah was far from satisfied with the answer.
"You knew about it, though, when you offered the cup. And didn't tell me. You Bastard." She spat the last word with viciousness as she jerked farther away from him. "You thought I'd be just so much easier to handle - to manipulate - in a drunken stupor, is that it?" He canted his head upwards, jaw clenched in obvious frustration. She didn't care which part of the situation was causing it. "There's never going to be a moment without deception, is there?" she blurted before waiting any longer for an answer, voice wavering with emotion. Angry tears threatened her eyes. She fought them with all her might, refusing to let him see.
"That's all you'll ever be," she continued as she regained some composure. "A liar. A villain." Her voice was now low and filled with resentment.
Jareth made no move to disagree, nor did he seem particularly affected by the words, apart from a very brief flash of something like regret in his eyes. It was gone as quickly as it had appeared, making Sarah wonder if she'd imagined it through wishful thinking.
"Sarah, I was not forcing anything." His face was carefully masked. "And you cannot deny your desire forever." His words almost stunned her, his voice full of a powerful surety that she found deeply disquieting.
"I can eliminate it," She countered with far more defiant conviction than she felt, eyes fiery and challenging. Jareth met them unflinchingly.
With a deep, angry sigh she turned dramatically and headed towards the castle gate. He didn't follow.
Sarah was still contemplating whether she was bothered or relieved that he'd let her be as she approached the gate that she would not reach that night.
A loud crack sent her jumping with a startle, the sound of it far different and more ominous than the previous rumbles of thunder. She frantically looked around, all previous thoughts entirely forgotten as she felt a shroud of darkness descending.
And along with it, an undeniably familiar sense of dark power.
