Chapter Eleven
Jareth
One arising sun making me so fearless and strong
You are a light that burns so constantly
You fill my heart with hope and honesty
Your light carries me to far and wide
- Your Light, Will Morton & Julie Wemyss
September 27th, 2002. Day 10 of the quarantine
Sarah stepped through the mirror, a strange expression on her face, but smiled when she caught Jareth's eye. "Hey." The portal disappeared behind her with a faint pop. His nostrils flared, scenting the air. She brought with her traces of the Underground and a distinct impression of brandy that was all Aldric. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, but then she was slipping a hand into his and her head tucked against his shoulder. She let out a shuddering breath. "It is good to be home."
Jareth gripped her to him, and they stood like that for several long moments. "What happened?" he asked at last. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she answered, pulling away and moving toward the kitchen. "Is there coffee?"
"Yes." He followed her, stopping at the entrance to the room to watch her.
She spoke while she prepared her drink, not looking at him. "I didn't see much of Aldric. Only when I first came through, and before I left. He was busy with something in the camp, I'm not sure what. So I stayed in his tent and read a book."
Jareth blinked. "You... read a book."
"A very interesting book," she supplied, turning with her back pressed against the countertop, taking a sip of coffee. She eyed him over the rim of the mug. "About those who are fae touched."
He crossed his arms over his chest. "I suppose you have some questions."
"Just a few."
Jareth leaned against the wall and looked Sarah over. She had greeted him well enough when she came through the portal, but there was an edge to her smile now. A defiant glint to her eye he knew all too well. "I've told you before, I will tell you all. If you will listen."
"But, you haven't."
He flashed a smile. "You haven't asked. No." He lowered his voice and tilted his head. "Your mouth has been occupied in other ways."
A flaming face was his reward. Sarah's brow furrowed as she took another sip of her coffee. "So, you've been distracting me by making out with me?"
Their compact sang like a struck tuning fork. He chewed his words for a moment before answering. "Perhaps I have been negligent in my explanations." The spell seemed to growl, and he sighed, unfolding his arms and sliding toward her. "I know you have learned some things you might find troubling. I was reticent to tell you those things myself, knowing how you've viewed me as your adversary, and you do so love to place blame."
Her flush darkened. "I do not!"
"Yes." He took another step closer. "You do."
Sarah eyed him, green eyes flashing. "How long have you known I was fae touched?"
"Since I first saw you."
"And you never thought to tell me?" she asked.
"I did think to tell you, many times, but the moment never felt right." Jareth was close enough to her to reach out. He did, skimming the back of his gloved fingers against her arm. He noted the gooseflesh that rose along her skin as he did. "What is it that you want to know now?" He asked, keeping his voice low and soothing.
Sarah's eyes closed for a moment, and she set the coffee mug on the countertop behind her. "The book said being touched runs through families because one of my ancestors either fucked one of you or made a longstanding deal." She scoffed. "So, apparently, every couple of generations someone shows up who is touched. Someone who can wield a little more power, and has a piece of Faerie in them." Her gaze found his. "What is Faerie? I asked yesterday, but you said there was no time."
"Faerie is as much a place as it is an idea. The Underground—The Goblin Kingdom—touches it, but is more an extension onto itself rather than a part of Faerie. But Faerie is where my kind originated, and where so many of your monsters and boogeymen come from, as well." He stopped for a moment, trying to think how best to explain. "Faerie is vast and dangerous and unforgiving. It is many places and one."
"You're talking in riddles," she complained.
"Your language is not suited to describing Faerie," he said, reaching out for her once more. His fingers grazed her stomach over the blue blouse she wore. He played with the buttons near the hem, then spoke to her in his language. He described to her the heart of Faerie in a few seconds, now that he had access to the words he needed, and her eyes widened.
"I—it's like I can almost see it while you're talking, but I don't understand the words." Sarah's breath left her in a small, shuddering exhale as his fingertips teased up the row of small white buttons. "Is that the language the declaration was written in?"
"Yes." His hand stopped just before the swell of her breast. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in close. She came with minimal resistance, perfectly molding against his body, and he brought his other hand up to cup her face. "With time, humans have been able to understand it and speak it some, but it is complicated, and relies as heavily on magic as it does on sound. That is why you can sense the rightness of the words. You are touched, and have more magic inside of you than what is average."
Sarah's hand covered his own. "I have more questions." Her eyes were luminous, but it was her lips which continued to draw his eye, especially as she sucked the plump lower one into her mouth. She took a breath and asked, "Is it true what the book said about those who are touched? That they offer an avenue to unlocked power? The book made it seem like having someone touched was like having a nuclear bomb."
Jareth made a frustrated sound. Damn you, Aldric. His brother had known exactly what he was doing. "Again, the translation is not exact. We have many words for power. What you are and what you can offer varies on who you are, and how much power you grant us."
"Power over me?"
"Yes. You and I have a compact. This bargain between us you are exploiting even now. But there's an equilibrium to it. I have as much power over you as you have over me."
"Unless I refuse to kiss you," she said with a sly smile. "Or you refuse to do the task."
"Precisely." Then he would have the ultimate control over her. The thought used to fill him with a rush of giddiness, but now? He did not want a broken Sarah at his beck and call. "Though I doubt I will have much trouble getting you to kiss me now," he said, his voice soft.
She grabbed his hand, pulling off his linen glove and pressing a kiss into his palm. A newly familiar warmth spread through him at the contact. A combination of the magic of the bond and the sheer force of her touch.
"There is a question of my own I need you to answer," he growled. "You've pictured us together, haven't you? How? How have you seen us, Sarah?"
Her breath caught, and she glanced up, cheeks flaming, his bare hand still trapped in hers. "Like this," she whispered. "You holding me, and..." she swallowed. "Other things."
Jareth leaned down enough that he knew his breath brushed against her skin. "What other things?"
Her eyes slid closed as her lips parted, and a hunger rose in him at the sight. He wanted to see that mouth opened in an O of pleasure. Tightening his grip at her waist, he extricated his ungloved hand from hers and scraped his fingers through her hair. She made a quiet little sound when he did, leaning into his touch, her eyes still closed. "I imagine us together." She licked her lips. "You kissing me everywhere. You're so warm, and I can't help but wonder what you would feel like inside me."
She took a shaky breath, and her tongue darted out again to moisten her lips. He wanted to capture those lips in a kiss, was trembling with the need, but he did not want her to stop talking.
Her eyes opened, and the need there echoed his own. "I want you so bad I can barely stand it," she whispered. "I want you right now."
"How, Sarah?" He gripped the hair at the base of her skull, a small gasp tumbling from her lips as he did. His smile was sharp, his expression dark. How fast the conversation had turned once he began touching her. Jareth knew there would be more questions, and soon, but for now? For now, he would lose himself in the crystalline depths of her eyes as surely as she lost herself in his.
Sarah's gaze was intense. Unwavering. "I want you to taste me like you were going to before everything started. I can't stop thinking about it."
Jareth's mind flashed on that afternoon of sunlight and song. How she had lifted her hips to help him when he reached for the band of her pants. He slid a hand down to the same spot and felt her tremble in his grip. "I can be generous," he whispered, lowering his face to hers while his fingers relaxed then gripped her hair. "Tell me true, Sarah. May I kiss you?"
Her eyes were heavy-lidded with desire. "Yes. Please, yes."
He did, their mouths colliding. Her arms were around his neck as he slid his hands down her sides and back up, coming to still for a moment on the collar of her blouse. He worked at the buttons as her mouth slanted under his, her breath sweet as nectar and her tongue like velvet. And then she was moaning into the kiss, and he gave up his careful unbuttoning and ripped her shirt the rest of the way open.
Sarah made a sound of approval, pushing him back, so he bumped against the countertop. He let her take that small measure of control while he popped the clasp on the front of her bra. They broke the kiss, Jareth pulling off his other glove with his teeth while she shrugged out of shirt and bra.
Then they were on each other again, and her breasts were heavy in his hands, warm with hard nipples pressing into his palms. He grasped her waist and turned them, so she was the one pinned against the counter, her breath coming harder now. He could smell her desire. The moment he kissed her, it had flamed hot. Nudging her legs apart with his knee, he pressed his thigh against the apex of that need. She let out a soft, keening little wail.
"Do you want my mouth down there, Sarah?" He asked, stopping the kiss, so he could nuzzle the side of her face. "Do you want me to suck your clit?"
In response, she ground against him, panting, her hands gripping his shoulders. "Jareth, yes. Please."
He hoisted her onto the counter before his hands flew to the button and zipper holding her trousers together. Making quick work of it, he hooked his fingers beneath the band of her undergarments as well and tugged. Sarah propped herself up on her palms, lifting her hips, so he could shimmy the fabric down her legs. The process took all of a few seconds, yet every moment spent not touching her, caressing her, felt like a moment wasted. He jerked the clothes the rest of the way off before grasping her knees, pushing them apart.
Sarah gasped, leaning back on her hands, and he could sense the tremor in her. Jareth paused, hands on her thighs, and looked her over. It was the first time he had seen her naked outside of dreams, but his dreams had been nothing like this.
Her creamy skin was unblemished, save for a birthmark on her left hip as big around as his thumb, shaped like a peach. He grinned to see it, and then the smile faded from his lips as his gaze traveled lower, to the nest of short dark curls that was the source of that tantalizing scent of desire. Holding his breath, he sank to his knees before her. Her legs trembled as he hooked them over his shoulders, releasing his breath to let it fan out against her glistening folds.
"Oh," she breathed. "Jareth, I've never done this before."
"Untasted," he whispered. "Come forward a little."
"I'm afraid I'll fall."
"I've got you, precious." He grasped her thighs in reminder as she scooted to the very edge of the countertop. When she was in position, he brought a hand to her mound, cupping her as she writhed. He rubbed her a little and slipped two fingers into her slit.
Sarah bucked, and if not for his pressure on her thigh, she might have dislodged herself, but he also compensated for her movements. He dragged the tips of his fingers between her clit and her entrance, finding her slick. "Jareth, oh gods, you're so warm."
He chuckled, sliding those two fingers within her at the same moment he leaned forward, touching down with lips and tongue on the bud of her pleasure. Sarah made a sound close to a shriek, and one of her hands came up, so she could thread fingers through his hair. He growled a little as she scraped his scalp, and her trembling intensified.
Jareth began working her with his tongue, smiling a little as her small noises increased in number. She tasted as she smelled. Divine. It reminded him of the darkest hour before dawn, on the coast of a northern shore. She tasted like shadows and felt like the calm moment before life springs forth once more. He sucked her clit into his mouth and crooked his fingers within her, increasing his tempo.
"Oh, fuck," Sarah gasped. "I'm going to come."
He rolled his eyes up to her, never ceasing in his movements, and was rewarded with the sight of Sarah's head thrown back, her chest and stomach heaving with her breaths. She cried out, long and wordless, and there was a surge of heat and new wetness on his fingers.
Jareth drew back a little, pulling out his fingers, so he could grasp each of her thighs, keeping her in place. Her clit was hard as he lazily circled it with his tongue. She jumped, and her gaze snapped to his. "What are you doing?"
He pulled away enough so his breath would still hit her as he spoke. "Giving you a moment's respite. A grin spread across his face. "You didn't think I would be done with you so soon, did you, precious?"
She opened her mouth to answer, but Jareth leaned forward again, taking her in his mouth. Magic sparked and coiled between where they touched, and so every stroke of his tongue, he felt the pressure build between them. He pushed a little of his own back across the heated link, and she shuddered in response.
Sarah whimpered and begged. She moaned and sighed, canting her hips toward him and pulling away as the sensations became too intense. He followed the cues her body gave him, teasing her right to the edge but not letting her pass, or by turns focusing on her with such intensity the orgasm was ripped from her.
By the time he finished, sweat stuck strands of her dark hair to her neck, her eyes glittered like jewels, and a flush spread across her chest and cheeks. He rose up, standing between her spread legs, and pressed his body against hers, so she could feel exactly what that had done to him. When he kissed her, she hesitated for but a moment before meeting his hunger with her own.
Gods, but he wanted her.
She wrapped her legs around him to where he felt the pressure of her calves on his lower back. Still fully dressed, he ground against her sensitive flesh. She clung to him, and her whole body shivered.
Sarah sucked in a breath the moment the kiss concluded, eyes flashing open to find his. "Jareth, that was..." she clutched him tighter, burying her head in the crook of his neck. The next time she spoke, he felt it through his skin. "I've never felt that before."
He gathered her up, lifting her off the countertop. She let out a surprised squeak and tightened her legs around him as he walked them into the living room. With a minor push of power, he transformed it into the room he created the first night he was here, lying her on a bed piled high with pillows and silks and furs. She looked resplendent, her back arching as he knelt between her legs. He bent down and took one peaked nipple into his mouth.
He wanted to lose himself here. Wanted her to peel off his clothes, so he could bury himself in her silken heat. But there were still things she needed to know about the mating bond, and about being fae-touched. Ten days ago, he would not have thought twice about consummation and what it implied, but now? He would not shatter the trust they had just started to build.
Jareth rolled them, so she straddled him, his hands ghosting up her sides before moving down to rest on her hips. Her hair was wild, her eyes heavy-lidded, and she reached for him, stroking his length through the soft linen of his pants.
He hissed and gripped her hips tighter. "Sarah, we can't. Not yet."
She went still, except her head tilted a little to one side. "Why not?" She grasped him, and he bared his teeth. "We both want to. I've been thinking about it since the first time we kissed. Haven't you?"
"That long and longer," he panted, grasping her hand and pulling it away from him. He threaded their fingers together and pulled on her arm, so she leaned forward, breasts pressed to his chest. "But you still have questions. And I, answers to give. We won't sleep together until you understand the ramifications."
"Ramifications?" Her brows furrowed, and she sat up a little. "You wanted to have sex before, you didn't have any hesitancy. Were the ramifications the same?"
"Yes and no," he said. "May I explain?"
Sarah slid off him, scooting to the head of the bed, so she was sitting against the headboard. He could feel the discomfort radiating off her, and so brushed a hand against her leg, directing a tendril of magic to form into a robe belted at her waist. She slipped her hands along the emerald silk. "You do like this color on me, don't you?"
"It brings out your eyes," he said. "And your eyes have always been one of your best features."
She smiled a little. "Thank you."
Jareth sat cross-legged in the center of the bed, hands on his knees, regarding her. "As I told you before, I knew from the moment I saw you that you were fae-touched. It's not hard to find the markers. And from that moment, I extended my protection onto you. I know you said you wish for a normal life, that you feel as though you would be normal if not for my interference. I am sorry to say that has never been true. The moment you were born, you were slated for one of us. I am only glad I found you first."
Sarah crossed her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes at him. "What do you mean, extended your protection?"
Jareth shifted a little, settling into a more comfortable spot. "I ensured all others knew I had claim to you. As you aged, your latent magic grows stronger, attracting my kind. It was only pure luck I found you so early when you were young. Others might not have been so kind as to leave you in peace."
"Leave me in peace?" She scoffed, turning her head away from him. "You've never left me alone."
"I have," he insisted. "A run through the Labyrinth? A yearly visit? These things are nothing compared to what you could have been going through. Why, if a selkie or a boggart had found you first, you would never have known a moment's peace until they—" he stopped himself, pursing his lips. "The magic in you calls to us. Each one. It's like Faerie is trying to regain that lost part of itself. And there are many ways to harness that power. Through blood and sacrifice, consumption, and... sex."
"What?" she asked, and her voice sounded small. Almost frightened.
That was the problem with this. None of it was pleasant. None of it was what she would want to hear, but hear it she must. "For the most part, it is not a process I can control. Even this," he gestured between them. "What we just did resulted in a small exchange of power. Just a sip." He could feel it burning beneath his skin, her magic as potent as a draught of pure starlight. "But if we are to have sex, there will be more. Much more. I will always attempt to balance the exchange, but you will be altered by it."
Sarah scrubbed her hands over her face. "Why can't anything be simple with you?"
"Because my world is not simple. Neither is yours, you're just more accustomed to it." He wanted to reach for her again, but the way she had tucked up against the headboard, pulling her legs away from him screamed her reluctance to be touched. "But that is what I'm trying to explain to you; you are not of this world. Not entirely. You were always going to be pulled into Faerie. It is the fate of all those who are touched. One has never escaped our notice."
"I was always going to be pulled into Faerie," she mused aloud, still not looking at him. "You say it like it's a foregone conclusion, but I'm here, aren't I? I'm in my world. The human world."
"Because of my protection, and even then, you're now bound to a compact that takes you into Faerie for four hours each day. That's how these things start. Do not think Aldric will not try to find a way to keep you longer." The thought tightened something in his chest and made his blood sing. "Never tell him your weaknesses. Never trust him. He's not like me; he won't care if he breaks trust with you."
"I thought you weren't worried," she said.
"About you giving in to my brother's charms? No." Again that desire to reach out and touch her, to continue to build upon what they had started only a few days ago. It felt too fragile, still. "But I worry he'll find some leverage over you. It was a thought that came to me while you were gone. He cannot know about your friends. The rock troll, Sir Didymus, Higgle—"
"Hoggle," she corrected.
He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "If Aldric were to know their worth to you, he would exploit it. If there is anything he knows you care about, he will take advantage. I need you to be aware of that."
Sarah hugged her knees to her chest, the long folds of fabric covering all but her ankles and feet. "Okay, I'm aware of it, but we're getting off-topic." She looked at him at last, her gaze unwavering. "What is this exchange of power you're talking about during sex? What does that mean, exactly? And why didn't you tell me about it before?"
The compact between them tightened around his middle, demanding satisfaction. "I did not tell you because I was afraid of scaring you away. What you're about to learn is not a pleasant fact. If we have sex, each time will leave my mark on you, and it will grant me some of your magic. This." He held up a hand and let the strange magic he could feel from her come to his fingertips, which erupted in a spray of sparks that hit his palm and bounced off to skitter across the bed. "This is yours." He cut off the flow. "It means I will have a small measure of power over you. Not enough to make you do anything, Sarah, love, but it will strengthen what is already there."
"Already there?"
"The bond," he lifted his left hand, where the tattoo snaked. "And my protection. Those certain powers you used so well to wish away your squalling baby brother. Each of them creates a link between you and I. It is why I will always be able to find you, even through the worlds."
She seemed to shiver.
He resisted the urge no longer, reaching out and running a hand up one of her ankles. Her eyes closed, and she let out a shuddering breath, and he let his fingers play up her calf. "Know I would want you without any of this," he said, voice lowering. "Getting to know you, I've realized how incredibly lucky I am. That I found you in the first place, and the Labyrinth picked you. That I was trapped here. I am still worried about my kingdom, and about you, but I cannot help but feel this was meant to be. I had been looking at you and at this." Again he gestured between them. "The wrong way for years."
Sarah hesitated for a moment and reached a hand out for him. He grasped it, and their fingers laced together. She held his left hand, and the mark of the bond sizzled and buzzed with her contact. "And now?"
He tightened his grip on her calf. "I care for you. Deeply. My kind has many words for love. The word is not an adequate comparison, yet it is all I have to work within the limitations of your language. You are..." he hesitated. "I respect you. Treasure you. I want for you to have the life you desire, and the one which will bring you the most happiness. And I endeavor to be a part of that."
"You are," she cut in, gaze intense. "It's just that I can't reconcile that having you means the Goblin Kingdom and a queenship I never asked for."
His lips quirked up in a smile. "Would you prefer the title Royal Consort instead?"
Sarah flushed. "Maybe. I don't know. Probably not."
"Well, that was delightfully ambiguous."
"Shut up," she squeezed his fingers and let his hand go, swiping it through her mussed hair. "I'm going to take a shower. I think I've had all the talk of magic and ties and bonds I can deal with right now. I've only had two cups of coffee today."
"You do drink an inordinate amount of that concoction."
She eyed him. "If I ever do live in the Goblin Kingdom, you best believe we're finding a way to get coffee. You haven't seen me without it. I am not pleasant."
He let go of her leg, fingers tracing along her skin until the last possible moment. "I will provide you with whatever you desire," he said.
Red bloomed high in her cheeks again, and she looked away from his gaze. "I'm keeping this robe."
"Of course, precious, it's yours." He watched her slide off the bed, adjusting the fabric, draping her as she moved. "May I ask one thing?"
She glanced back at him. "What is it?"
"Please do not blame me for this, Sarah. I have only seen three hundred years. I was not there when the rules were set down, back at the making of things. I have done much to ensure you retain your autonomy. Please do not think because I know how the system works, that I am somehow behind it all." He tilted his head. "Remember, I am not the villain."
She stared at him for a long moment before she sputtered, "You're three hundred years old?"
He smiled. "Why, Sarah, I am one of the youngest of the fae. Aldric is my older brother; he is closer to five centuries."
She blinked, then shook her head. "I'm taking a shower." She hesitated a moment, then asked, "Can I sleep with you tonight? Just... sleep."
His heart fluttered, and his fae instincts sang in triumph. He had done it. He had forged the path to her trust, and with that trust would come—no, he interrupted those thoughts. Take only what is given. She does not belong to me.
Not yet, that traitorous part of him whispered. But soon.
"Of course," he said aloud. "My bed or yours?"
"Yours," she said, casting her gaze over the changed space. "Is this what your room looks like at the castle?"
"Yes, though mine is much larger, and there are more books." He slid off the bed and went to her, leaning down to give her forehead a quick kiss. "Go. Take your time. Relax. I'll be here when you emerge, in whatever capacity you require. We can talk more, or," he glanced down the front of her robe. His fingers itched to part the silk and expose her once more. Jareth grew hard at the very thought. "There are more pleasant activities one can get up to with their mouth."
Sarah's mouth parted, and he caressed her plump bottom lip with his thumb. "You want to do that again?" She whispered.
"I'll do it as often as you'll let me," he said, voice gentle.
She kissed him so suddenly he almost did not see her move. She grabbed the lapels of his shirt and yanked him down, moaning when he sucked that bottom lip into his mouth and bit down before sweeping into her with his tongue, devouring.
Sarah worked at the sash at her waist, making quick work of the simple knot before baring herself to him. He growled as she brought one of his hands to her breast.
They ended up against the wall, Jareth on his knees once more as she scrambled for purchase while he stroked her to her end. And then they were on the bed, and she was spread beneath him like every temptation come to life, and he took his time. Feasting upon her until her legs trembled and her voice turned into a fervent whisper. When he climbed her body to kiss her once more, she met him with a lazy sensuality. When they both found their way into the shower a little while later, she stroked him with slippery hands until he came with a hoarse cry, one arm braced against the tiled wall and the other clutching her tight to him.
Sarah tucked up against him to read as they began to settle in for the evening. Jareth draped an arm around her and marveled at the change. For a while, he sat there unmoving, watching her turn the pages and inhaling the sweet just-cleaned scent of her. His body hummed from her attentions and continued closeness.
Aldric had attempted to put a stop to this today. By leaving Sarah with that book—and Jareth was fairly certain what book it had been—he had declared that though the battle had been stayed, the war was still on.
Well done, brother, Jareth smiled. But I will win.
Hey folks,
I know, this isn't the "every couple of weeks/at most every four weeks" upload schedule that was promised. With that in mind, there will be no more promises unless something has already been written and we're just working with an upload schedule. I do, however, apologize for leaving you hanging.
Forgive me, but I need to talk to you for a second, so I hope you don't mind a longer author's note.
When I first started writing this story, I had the idea of a more humorous tale. A dose of levity for what seemed, at the time, to be a dreadful but manageable situation. Jareth was going to get stuck with Sarah during a pandemic, and hijinks would ensue. That was the basic premise.
We (here in the U.S.) are in the sixth month of stay-at-home orders for most states (kinda). And we just passed the horrific milestone of 200,000 dead. For anyone not hiding under a rock, you know damn well why we have so many dead when compared to other countries that handled the lockdown with some degree of sense.
I am tired, and I am furious, and I am oftentimes without a shred of hope. Especially when you add on top of it the recent passing of our illustrious RBG. I very much feel like I am in mourning, and I know I'm not alone in that feeling.
The humorous quarantine story idea has officially died.
Which is why, for the remainder of this story, the quarantine/virus/political theater is going to be background noise (it already kind of was). It won't have much to do with the plot moving forward. I even thought about re-writing this to have a different start premise.
Oh, and I have gone through the story and done a significant number of edits. Nothing too much. I changed some of the conversation in chapter 10 around why Sarah was going to be Jareth's emissary. It wasn't that big of a change, though, so no need to re-read.
I also wanted to announce that I've officially published my third book, which is the sequel to the book I released last year. I'm very proud of it.
I hope that you all are well. I hope that you and your loved ones are safe. I've missed you all and I hope to see you again soon.
xoxo,
CrimsonSympathy