Disclaimer: I don't own Magic: The Gathering, only my OCs.
Chapter 15-The morning after
Eva awoke feeling incredibly relaxed and refreshed. All the stress and fatigue from the past weeks seemed to have disappeared. She heard a low, rumbling sound emanating from her chest, accompanied by a light vibration that shook her whole body from head to toe. The sound was one of content and satisfaction and it grew to a full out purr, like a big cat. It took her a few seconds, but then she realized what it was: she was murring. Eva couldn't even tell how she was making the sound. She tried to stop it, but had no idea how. She finally decided it was an involuntary action and merely lay there, enjoying the vibrations coursing through her body.
Something warm was pressing against her chest. Eva lazily opened an eye, wincing as light invaded her retina, and found herself staring at somebody's neck. Jerking up, Eva realized she was lying on top of a sleeping Arrathir and that both of them were completely naked. Eva's arms were wrapped around Arrathir's neck and the black Keeper had an arm protectively slung across her back. Arrathir had a content smile on his face, something Eva hadn't seen on him in a while.
Eva blushed furiously and rolled off Arrathir, falling to the floor on her rump with a grunt. Arrathir didn't wake up, but moaned gently in his sleep. Looking wildly about for something to cover herself, Eva finally grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her body. Sitting on the ground, she took a few deep breaths and began thinking over the situation. As she inhaled, a powerful scent assaulted her nostrils. It was a sweet, spicy scent that seemed incredibly familiar. As she continued sniffing the air, she finally realized it was her scent intermingling with Arrathir's.
(Did we…)
She was suddenly assaulted by images of the previous night: Arrathir taking her from behind as she screamed in pleasure; her, on top of Arrathir, thrusting down onto him, the black Keeper moaning loudly, his eyes closed in bliss, and finally, that wonderful feeling of inner peace as they became one; united through their love.
Eva's blush increased as she recalled these events and how much she'd enjoyed them. True, she had desired Arrathir for some time now, but to have actually mated with him felt odd. She wondered how this would affect their relationship. As Eva pondered these questions and many others that drifted in and out of her mind, she felt a slight pain in her left shoulder. Reaching up with her right hand, she felt a small oval scab near the base of her neck. Twisting her head around and looking out of the corner of her eye, she saw what looked like a hickey, except it was black instead of red. She knew what this was; she'd been marked.
Unlike when Arrathir's demon had marked her, Eva felt no shame. She fondly touched the mark; this was the undeniable sign of their union and she would bear it with pride. After all, she was now mated to the Keeper of Black Mana.
She shivered slightly. The cool morning air was seeping underneath the door, chilling the floor. She could have easily lit a fire or wrapped herself in mana to wield off the cold, but she needed the warmth of her mate. Clambering back onto the bed, she slipped under Arrathir's arm and snuggled up against her mate, lying her head on his shoulder so she'd be the first thing he saw when he awoke.
(Congratulations, you've finally found yourself a mate.)
(Chiruu! Were…were you watching when we…?)
(No. I felt your first mating should be a private occasion. However, since our souls are linked, I did feel your pleasure.)
(And…?)
(Let's say that after millennia of sexual frustration, it felt very good.)
(So is my heat over?)
(Goodness no! You're going to be in heat for about another week.)
(A week? I'm going to be horny as Hell for a whole week?)
(At least you have a mate to satisfy you. It could be worse. Female demons that are unable to find a male demon during their heat cycle will often head to the nearest human settlement and attempt to mate one of the men. Unfortunately, by the time they've been driven to this, they are so feral that the villagers perceive their advances as hostile and will drive them from the village or exorcize them. Plus, I don't think Arrathir will mind servicing you a few times a day.)
(A few times a day?)
(At least two. Any less and you risk going feral again, only this time, it could be Khell or Charles you jump.)
(So every month I'm going to turn into a nymphomaniac for a week?)
(More or less. This time was more severe. This was your first heat cycle since becoming a demoness so you weren't quite used to it, but you'll learn. You'll grow to enjoy sex. It is like a drug: the more you get, the more you'll want. As well, next time you go into heat, you'll be coherent and will enjoy it more. Last night, you demon was pretty much in control.)
(Is she like…him?)
(Who? Arrathir's demon? Well, remember your demon represents your darker, more primal side. Given your g'imu, I'd say she's a lot more violent than he is. Watch out for her, though: she's a trickster. Be wary of any deals she tries to make with you.)
(I want to talk to her.)
(What?)
(I want to show her she's not going to control me. Arrathir is mine! We're gone through too much to be together and I'm not going to let her screw it up!)
(If that is your wish, go ahead.)
Closing her eyes, Eva looked deep within herself, focusing on her most primal, instinctive emotions: passion, anger, impulsiveness; all these emotions that represented her g'imu and defined her as the Keeper of Red Mana. All these emotions that she struggled to keep in check, both for Arrathir's and her sake. She knew if she gave in to her aggressive nature, she would inevitably hurt those she cared about. This realization made her understand what Arrathir must have gone through after his demonic side first awoke. That day was forever imprinted in her mind. It had been the first time she had been genuinely afraid of Arrathir, but also when she had first realized she desired him. Her desire had slowly continued building, culminating with Chiruu's awakening.
Opening her eyes, Eva found herself in a black void. She could hear heavy breathing and the padding of paws nearby.
"What do you want, human?" snarled a voice, the sound echoing through the darkness.
"Show yourself!" said Eva, her voice slightly uncertain.
A low chuckle answered Eva's request. "As you wish," said the voice.
The padding grew closer and out of the gloom appeared an enormous nine-tailed fox. Its fur was a deep brown and it had white streaks on its muzzle. Its lips were curled back in a feral snarl, exposing its sharp teeth. Its eyes blazed with an intense fury and it gazed hatefully at Eva, its tails flicking constantly.
"Here I am, human," it spat, as if the word was a poisonous substance. Recovering from her surprise, Eva stood before the kitsune and stared it straight in the eyes.
"You will not interfere between Arrathir and I," she said in a resolute tone. The demon stared at her for a few seconds before breaking into laughter.
"Your mate?" it said "What makes you think I want him? As long as he keeps you satisfied, I have no use for him."
Eva felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She laughed nervously. "So you're not going to try taking over my body or anything?" she asked.
"Not unless there is a good reason to," said the demon "What gave you that idea?"
"Arrathir's demon did something similar."
"Well, of course he did," snapped the demon "He's a male and you were in heat! Since Arrathir didn't have the guts to claim you, the demon did what was necessary."
"Wait," said Eva, stunned "Are you condoning what he did? He tried to rape me!"
"I hate to break it to you, but in our society, if an unmated demoness goes into heat, she's fair game for anybody to claim."
"That's horrible! Any male can just take her against her will?"
"Well, by the time she's in heat, she's more than willing to be taken," chuckled the demon. "That's just how demons are. You might consider it wrong, but among demons it is an accepted fact of life."
"I can't believe this!" said Eva.
"You've experienced the heat once," said the demon "Females who experience it for the first time need to be taken. They gladly accept any male willing to quench their desire. This isn't so much rape as fulfilling the urges of a needy female."
"What about the male?" asked Eva "Does he keep her as his mate, or just use her and then leave?"
"It depends on the male. He may or may not mark her after the mating. After all, the sole purpose for a demon to mate is to produce as many heirs as possible, but demons are usually honorable: if they mate a female, they will stay with her the rest of their life."
Eva was about to reply when she remembered how she'd felt just before the mating. She could recall the intense desire that clouded her mind so thickly that she could only think of one thing: sex. She'd been so relieved when Arrathir had entered the hut. She still had trouble getting used to the idea of female demons being used as sex toys, although she supposed the males were doing them a favor by mating them. It was more or less a win-win situation: the males got pleasure and the females didn't have to suffer.
"I suppose when you put it that way, it doesn't sound so bad after all."
"Great," said the demon "Lovely talking with you kid. Now scram."
Eva felt slightly offended at having been called "kid." She was an adult, for crying out loud! However, she let the comment slide and released her focus on all her negative emotions, instead concentrating on the positive ones. As she felt herself reintegrating her real body, she opened her eyes to find Arrathir staring lovingly at her.
"G'morning, beautiful," he grinned, cuddling up to her.
"Hey there," said Eva, giving him a peck on the nose.
An awkward silence followed. Once you've been intimate with somebody, it is impossible to pick up your relationship where you left off. There is a sense of unease that both parties know about, but neither wants to discuss.
"Eva," Arrathir finally said, breaking the uncomfortable silence "About last night…"
"There's nothing to explain," said Eva "You actually did me a great favor."
"It was really great," said Arrathir, blushing.
"Good," smirked Eva. "Because I'm gonna be in heat for a whole 'nother week and I'll need plenty of 'attention,' if you catch my drift."
"It's like you read my mind," said Arrathir, rolling over onto Eva as the red Keeper squealed with pleasure.
Khell had awoken with the sun as he always did. He left his hut and stepped outside, wondering how the two Keepers had spent the rest of the night. He knew they had consummated their union; the screams of pleasure coming from the hut having been a dead giveaway. He was glad for them. Now that this was out of the way, maybe they would stop being at each other's throat and they could get back to their mission.
He wasn't sure what to make of Tyr. The Planeswalker had been a great help to them, but Khell could sense he was hiding something. Then again, everybody had hidden secrets, himself included, so perhaps this was nothing to worry about. He wondered if Tyr would continue accompanying them on their journey. Sitting on the ground, he began meditating as he reflected on the recent events. The aid of a Planeswalker would be greatly appreciated seeing they were up against the Keeper of White Mana. He felt a stab of anger coming from his other self at the thought of the white Keeper.
-Easy, Rin. We've been over this.-
-I cannot so easily forgive the one who killed me.-
-We're going after him to save Erik, nothing more. I will not have you pursuing this vendetta.-
-If at least he had killed me in honorable combat, I could forgive him, but his underhanded, treacherous tactics make him worse than the Keeper of Black Mana in my eyes!-
-You are right. What he did was low and unworthy of the Keeper of White Mana, but you cannot let this distract you from our goal.-
-Supposing we do find him, how do we force him to relinquish his control over Erik's body?-
-You're the Keeper. You know more than me about these things.-
-I really have no idea. I suppose we could…AH!-
-Rin? What is it?-
-Something…terrible has happened on this plane. I have felt hundreds of lives crying out in pain before being extinguished in an instant.-
-It could have just been a natural disaster or something.-
-No, this was too sudden and I felt no major change in the plane's mana.-
"Keeper!" a voice called out, tearing Khell from his concentration. Looking up, he saw Tyr standing before him, a horrified expression on his face.
"You have felt it too?" he asked.
"I have seen it," said Tyr "We must assemble the Keepers at once! Chihowaido has struck the first blow!"
To be continued…
Author's Note: Looks like I'm going back to the old cliffy endings.
Until next time…