Strangers in the North
Chapter Fifteen
Percy's mind was hazy and his body seemed heavier than normal as though he was sinking. He couldn't remember where he was or how he got there and his thoughts seemed to be just out of reach. Occasionally he felt the presence of someone else there and part of him desperately needed to be with them. It was an unnatural feeling that pushed past all his other senses. He felt Elaina leaning over him, her fingers gently stroking his hair which caused him to furrowed his brow and try to turned his head away.
"It's okay," he swore he could hear her voice in his head, "I'm right here," she told him in a soft reassuring tone slightly above a whisper.
What had he been doing before this?
How did he get here?
As comforting as her words were, they didn't answer the obvious questions. One word came to mind and it was the only thing he felt sure of at the moment.
'Vex…' he tried to speak but he couldn't hear himself as though he was under water. There was an angry hiss in response to the barely audible word. He felt lips press hard against his but not from passion. He didn't respond which seemed to make her angrier. Breathing suddenly became difficult and he started coughing before inhaling water. Panic kicked in as he reached for his throat but couldn't. He could feel her watching him as his need for air became desperate. Before Percy slipped into unconsciousness he felt her pull him closer her body as she took his mouth again.
"Don't fight it," she told him as she pushed air into his lungs. This seemed to calm him and he stilled. Opening his tired eyes everything was blurry and he quickly closed them. He felt her hands roaming slowly down his chest to his stomach. He winced when her fingertips wandered over the scars that marred most of his torso. "What happened," he heard her ask as her touch lingered longer than necessary. He couldn't find the words to say back and just shook his head. "I won't let anything ever hurt you," she promised, "I'm going to make you mine, Percival," it came out in a low, almost threatening whisper as Percy felt her hands moving once more. Her one hand pressed to his lower back as though she was holding him in place while the other ran down his stomach past his navel. Elaina felt his muscles tense and her uninvited tongue slid between his lips and went in as far as possible without making him gag. There was a sweet taste in his mouth suddenly and he was forced to swallow. She pressed her palm flat against his stomach feeling him relax beneath her touch. Playfully she pressed her pointer finger into his navel which caused him to jolt under her weight. She giggled at his response but continued teasing him anyway. "Are we ticklish," he heard her voice in his head ask. His mind could not seem to find the words that he needed to explain how desperately uncomfortable this attention made him but at the same time he felt as though he couldn't live without it. He tried to pull away from the kiss but was unable to.
'S..sensitive…' he managed before suddenly feeling a third hand slip behind his head to hold him still.
"Really," she mused as her tongue continued to explore his mouth, "we haven't even begun." There was now a fourth hand roaming dangerously close to his groin. The one hand at the base of his skull and the other pressed to the small of his back moved to his hips. Percy bucked in a failed attempt to get her off but as her gentle touch made contact where no one else had he froze. His mind could barely comprehend that there were now four arms that were busy holding him in place and stroking him in a way that made him not want to fight her. "Percival, I told you I can be anything you want. Make you feel anything you want to feel. You just need to be submissive to me," she finally pulled away some regarding him. His eyes were barely opened with dilated pupils. His mouth remained parted as though he was trying to catch his breath which was impossible. She pressed her nails into his abs and he didn't respond to the pain. Smiling to herself, she tightened her grip on his scrotum and again there was no reaction. "Does it hurt," she dug into him a little more but received nothing back. His eyes drifted shut as he shook his head. This lack of control over the situation brought back painful memories like before but he didn't have the energy to respond to the panic rising in his chest. Her touch became more deliberate and he knew where this was heading and actually welcomed it. Sex with Elaina meant nothing to him other than a distraction from where his mind was going. Sadly though he was never that lucky as the same guilt swept over him.
'Why couldn't I be stronger?'
'How could I leave Cass behind like that?'
'I shouldn't have survived...'
These thoughts were nothing new. Occasionally whenever he'd find himself in a life or death situation they would float to the surface of his mind. It was probably why he was always throwing himself in front of others as though he was making up for past mistakes. The thought of something happening to one of his friends he couldn't handle but if he got injured instead it was fine. He knew this logic was flawed but didn't know how else he was supposed to respond. It wasn't always like that, at first he kept all of his friends at a distance and his only goal was to hopefully get the chance to enact his revenge on his enemies. Again he knew this logic was flawed and now knew his emotions were being manipulated but the feelings had been his from the start. He wondered what would happen if he just stayed here with Elaina. Would his friends miss him? Would they even bother looking for him? He wanted to believe Vex'ahlia would leave no rock unturned but he also remembered that she was angry with him. He couldn't remember why though. Couldn't think of what their argument had been about and what caused her to reacted the way she had.
'Vex'ahlia...' her name came to the surface of his mind and the corners of his mouth pulled slightly upward, a response he didn't understand. Elaina's caresses became painful again and he practically thrashed against her.
"Stop saying her name," she seethed in his mind, giving him an instant headache. Percy felt her nails dig into his shoulders while her other claws cut into the flesh at his sides. An unheard scream left his mouth as she straddled him. "All I ever wanted to do was love you, Percival and all you think about when you're with me is her!" She suddenly retracted and the stabbing sensation went away. Suddenly she was kissing his neck and apologizing as she brought her one set of arms around his back and the other pair pressed against his stomach as though she was trying to sooth him. "Are you alright, I didn't mean to do that," she pulled him up to an almost sitting position. Despite her efforts he seemed reluctant to respond and she could feel him tensing again under her touch.
'...Let me go,' Percy's head drifted to the side, knowing he didn't have the strength to fight against her. She pulled his attention back to her as she straightened up, shifting her body to only have one pair of arms.
"I can't do that," she told him as her fingers tips ran over his skin, "You're darkness is intoxicating and I want more." He felt her nails rack across his stomach, drawing blood. Once more he tried to yell from the pain but no sound came out. He didn't know why he couldn't move his arms or why his movements were so slow. He felt the pain subside once more and looked down at the damage she'd done. He saw her nails were now about three inches long, thin and pointed. She leaned her mouth against his neck, feeling his heart beat racing. He could feel her lips pull into a satisfied grin as she licked up towards his jawline. "You taste even better when you're in pain," His gaze remained on where her nails were as he watched helplessly as she slid her one pointer finger into his flesh. She felt him clench his teeth hard and bring his chin up as he slammed his eyes shut. Another dagger was slowly forced into his stomach. Percy opened his eyes wearily to stare up at the water overhead. He blinked when he thought he saw two familiar silhouettes above the surface of the water. He wanted to believe what he saw. He was probably hallucinating from the pain and blood loss. Illusion or not he knew he needed to make a move before he succumbed to his injuries. Her one claw moved up behind his head as she pulled his attention back to her. Just when his head was down low enough he brought it back suddenly before slamming his forehead against her face. This didn't make his headache feel any better but the satisfying sound made him feel a little better. She immediately pulled away from him holding her broken nose. Elaina let out a shriek that confirmed his plan had backfired on him. She bared her teeth as she grabbed him by the throat. "I'm going to make you pay for that!"