I had every intention of posting this chapter yesterday as a sort of "Happy Thanksgiving" gift... But I had to work :( And then, a 14 hour shift today... double :( Anyway, sorry for the delay. I know I mentioned earlier, we are nearing the end of this particular tale. By the "end", I mean, there is one chapter left and then the epilogue. I am currently working on Libera Me III.
Thank you all for the follows/faves. It means so much!
Happy Holidays!
P.S. I still don't own Black Butler.
P.P.S. There is a lemon ahead. Under 18 or easily offended, turn away at the appropriate time. Trust me, you'll know when it's coming. (Pardon the pun.)
Elizabeth hit the front door like a typhoon, sweeping into the house, her luggage in tow as far as the front foyer where she dropped it, and shot down the hallway to the dining room where she heard Menefer's voice.
The Egyptian was humming something to herself as she poured another cup of tea but when Lizzie crashed into the doorjamb in her haste, it startled her and she dropped the porcelain cup with a squeal of fright.
"Where is he?!" the blonde cried, spinning around furiously, searching for her beloved.
"He and Sebastian left moments ago. Ciel is in need of a new wardrobe, as luck would have it," Menefer smiled, retrieving a hand towel and kneeling down to clean up the mess.
Lizzie dropped to her knees to help her. "I'm so sorry, Mennie. It's my fault, let me take care of this."
"No fault at all," Menefer assured her. "I know how excited you must be. Don't worry. They will be back soon. Would you like some tea?"
Huffing, Elizabeth plopped down on the hardwood floor and crossed her legs in front of her. "I suppose. I wish he'd have waited..."
"I am certain he wants to surprise you, Dearest." Menefer finished with the spilled tea and broken cup and stood, taking the towel to the rubbish bin and shaking it out. "And trust me when I say, you will certainly be surprised."
"What does he look like? How tall is he? How old does he look?" Lizzie fired questions at the other woman as she stood and made her way to the table.
Menefer poured two more cups of tea. "He is exceedingly handsome. Taller than my Marcus. Perhaps thirty?" She sat across from Elizabeth and slid the teacup to her. "Apparently he is the perfect likeness of his father, only his hair seems to be quite long. We're not certain why. I dressed him in Marcus' clothes, but they did not fit quite right."
Elizabeth's eyes were focused on a point beyond Menefer's head, her face slack and dreamy with a telltale grin pressing the corners of her mouth upward.
Menefer found herself smiling as well. Though Ciel's dream of Cybille had been plaguing her since he'd recounted it, and now a heaviness weighed on her soul. She was so happy here, in this home with her family. To know that Cybille and Sebastian would be reunited meant that she could not remain here forever. She was happy for her Marcus, of course, for in her mind he deserved to be with the one person he'd ever truly loved. But she was selfish. She supposed it was folly to believe that her happiness could last.
Elizabeth's daydreaming came to an abrupt halt when she looked at her friend. There was something distinctly wrong with the Egyptian-she'd never seen the woman look so forlorn. "Dearest, what ever is the matter?"
Menefer caught Elizabeth's gaze and suddenly could not stop the flow of tears that emanated from her eyes. "I want to stay here forever."
"And so you shall!" Elizabeth exclaimed, snatching Menefer's hands across the table and holding them so tightly, her knuckles cracked. "Do not even suggest leaving! You are the best friend I have ever had and I refuse to let you leave."
Menefer smiled at her despite her tears. "Ciel had a dream. The dream he needed to have for the ritual to work-that he was an adult-because Cybille DeMoreau gave him the dream. She came to him in his sleep and told him to give Sebastian a message."
"Cybille DeMoreau?"
"My Marcus' ...Sebastian's ...No. He was Rene Corbeau when she knew him. His human wife."
Lizzie's jaw dropped. Shaking her head in disbelief, she squeezed Menefer's hands again. "I never knew her name. Only that brief synopsis Ciel gave us that night we were drinking. If he said it, I didn't remember..."
Menefer sniffled and managed to stem the flow of tears. "She told Ciel to relay her message: that she and Sebastian would be reunited again. If they are to be together, then there will be no room for me here. There will be no room for me with him. And I cannot be without him. I am certain I cannot exist without him."
"Oh, darling! You only feel that way because you love him so. Surely you will continue to exist! You will always have a place with Ciel and me!"
"That means more to me than you know, Lizzie. You are the best friend I have ever had, as well."
It seemed an eternity had passed by the time the sun was sinking into the horizon, and Sebastian and Ciel had made their way home at last. Ciel had neglected to tell Sebastian the contents of his dream as of yet; opting to keep Cybille's presence there to himself until he felt Menefer was ready for him to reveal that detail. He had played out every possible scenario in his mind as they had picked out shirts and he'd been fitted for trousers and jackets and vests; scene after scene of a broken Mennie when she realized that Cybille's reappearance meant that she could no longer be in the presence of the man she loved. Ciel had no doubt in his mind that Sebastian would choose Cybille over the Egyptian. He knew the older demon cared for his current companion, but if it came down to a choice, it was no dice. I'll take Mennie with us when we leave, he'd decided by the time they'd reached home. Lizzie loves her as much as I and at least she'll still have a family by her side.
"Goodnight, my lord," Sebastian drawled as he locked the front door behind them and made his way down the hall. With not so much as a backwards glance, the demon dropped the parcels they'd acquired on Ciel's desk as he passed and headed straight for his bedroom.
Perhaps two days is two too many away from Menefer... Maybe he cares more than I thought, Ciel wondered, retrieving the packages and making for his own room. He deposited them on the dresser and stopped again in front of the dressing mirror, still not quite able to digest his sudden change in physique. He knew Elizabeth had to be home by now. A predatory grin engulfed his face as he turned and headed toward the back of the house. He paused in the hallway for the briefest moment, listening unashamedly at the sounds emanating from Sebastian's bedroom. Definitely two too many, he decided, feeling rather naughty himself.
Lizzie was in the courtyard, reclining in a wrought iron chair near the fountain, the purple and orange hues of the sunset reflecting off her golden hair. She wore a simple pencil skirt and beige blouse, short practical heels; her hair pins long since pulled out and the golden waterfall waved gently in the magnolia-scented breeze. She looked like a painting in that moment. A living work of art that Ciel could admire forever. But the last few weeks had been torture on his libido and so he decided that he could admire her for the rest of her life. Now he had other things in mind.
He approached her silently, his footfalls muffled on the uneven paving stones, and she started when she felt his breath in her ear. "Elizabeth. I'm home."
She spun to face him, her hair slinging wildly around her shoulders, and when at last she clapped eyes on him, there was nothing she could do to stem the flow of tears.
"Ciel!" she cried, standing and flinging her arms about his neck. She had to stand on her tip toes to do so, and it thrilled her like she was a girl again. Finally, she could wear those heels she had craved in her youth and never again worry that she dwarfed her precious Ciel.
He wrapped his arms tightly about her narrow waist and lifted her against him, spinning her in dizzying circles as he'd done the last time they'd danced as children. She giggled in delight, her face buried in the curve of his neck, her breath hot on his already heated skin, and when at last he dropped her to her feet her face was upturned and waiting for his lips.
She was lightheaded and breathless and when Ciel finally bent his head to kiss her, she found it hard to stop smiling against his mouth. He grasped her elbows and crushed her against his chest, one hand snaking up to coil in her honeyed curls as he fervently tried to meld their bodies together. He slanted his lips over her own, his eye heavy-lidded and unable to tear away from the bliss etched in her beautiful features. With little preamble, he plunged his tongue into her mouth and she gasped against him as he raked it over the ridges of her teeth and tasted the tea she'd had in the sugary residue on her tongue.
She pulled away to catch her breath and took his face between both her palms. "Would you like to continue this elsewhere?" she teased, and to her utter disbelief he shook his head.
"No," he replied, a devilish smile overtaking his features. He turned his face into her palm and kissed the flesh there, nipping at it. She shuddered but allowed him to continue, still not certain what he was about. Surely, he didn't mean to do ...it ...right here in the courtyard?
"Ciel..."
"I know, I know," he grumbled, "Paula could see, etcetera, etcetera." He snatched her hand away and held her at arm's length for a moment, pondering where to take their activity. "Menefer and Sebastian are so loud, surely they won't notice us," he decided aloud, and began to drag her back to the house and his room.
"Ciel, I need to ask you something-" Lizzie started as she let him tug her along.
"What is it?"
"I know this isn't the ideal time nor place, but Menefer told me about your dream..."
"I know what you're thinking, Elizabeth, but do not fret. I haven't told him yet. I will, but I am waiting for the opportune moment." Ciel stopped in front of his door and spun to face his former fiance. Bending and hooking his arm beneath her knees, he easily swept her up bridal style and carried her into the room. "I have every intention of keeping Mennie," he whispered, lest the preternatural ears of the elder demon caught hints of their conversation.
Lizzie beamed at him as he kicked the door closed behind them and deposited her on the floor beside his bed. "I'm glad."
"Now, no more talk, Elizabeth Middleford." Ciel reached out and with deft fingers began popping open the pearl buttons on her blouse. He had the distinct look of concentration as he did so, careful that he didn't ruin her blouse, and she had to bite back a giggle as she watched him undress her with such determination.
"Yes, my lord," she complied demurely, smiling into his face though he was focused solely on her buttons. Gently she laid her hands over his and used them to steer him around her, backing him up to the bed and pushing him down. She took over the task of undressing herself, button by button, exposing bits of flesh much to his delight, in slow succession. She swayed her hips to and fro as she peeled the silk from her shoulders and let it pool in the floor near her feet.
The lace of her bra did little to hide her supple breasts or the pert pink tips that pressed vainly against the material. Ciel's mouth watered at the sight. Reaching out, he grasped her hips and yanked her between his legs, closing his mouth over one breast through the lace and Lizzie fought back a scream of sensation. She held his head against her, fingers clinging for purchase in his unruly black hair, as she chewed her lip to keep from crying out.
Ciel's hands wandered aimlessly over her naked waist and back and finally came to rest on her bottom, still clothed with the linen skirt. Satisfied with the fullness in his hands, he squeezed, causing her to gasp again. He felt about for the zipper for a moment, refusing to take his mouth away from her breast, but unable to find it, grasped the hem of the skirt instead and pushed it up and over her hips. He returned his hands immediately to her round bottom, and squeezed again and again as she shuddered against him.
His tongue and hands were doing things to Elizabeth that she had never felt in her wildest imagination. His tongue was rough through the lace as he lapped at her nipple, teasing it with his teeth, nipping and suckling. Finally pleased that it could swell no more, he turned his attention to the other and started the process over again, all the while his hands kneaded and massaged each cheek, every roll of his hands bringing his fingers that much closer to the heat at her core.
Lost in sensation, Lizzie's knees began to tremble, her ability to stand becoming more of an afterthought in the current proceedings. Ciel felt her legs quiver and give just as he finally brushed a finger against the wet heat between her thighs, and he caught her, settling her in his lap as he continued his ministrations.
Pleased with himself, to say the least, he tore his mouth away from Lizzie's breast and settled it again on her mouth, using his tongue to explore every crevasse and niche within, one arm wrapped tightly about her waist to steady her, the other tugging at the edge of her panties as he sought entrance to that fabled flower of womanhood. Elizabeth reached instinctively to her garter, intending to unhook her silk stockings, but his hand covered hers and he pulled away from her mouth. "Leave them on."
She nodded mutely, unconsciously rolling her hips about in his lap, distantly registering the hardened bulge against which she pressed, but so lost in the moment and his azure eye, she didn't realize how torturous her movements were to the demon. Her green orbs half-shut, and her face a mask of wanton desire, she gazed into his face as he slipped his fingers beneath the edge of her panties and brushed his knuckles over her slick folds. Her eyes rolled back into her skull as he slipped a finger inside and Ciel chuckled, his own desire making his trousers impossibly tight; and finally, if only by accident, her hand came down and rested against him.
Realizing in an instant what she had grasped, she curled her fingers around him and stroked, leveling her gaze at him once more; she watched as his eyes rolled back and she bit back a smile, the torture of restraint evident in his beautiful face. She pressed her fingertips into him, marveling at the hardness there, and boldly she stood, swinging her legs to either side of his own and straddled his lap.
Using his shoulders for leverage, she lowered herself down, her wet panties coming in contact with the coarse fabric of his trousers. He was on fire. His skin burned her where she touched him and she reveled in it. She ground her hips experimentally and Ciel gasped, eye flying open to reveal its once painful blue had disappeared. Elizabeth snatched the eye patch away from his face and couldn't stop the shiver that ran down her spine as she locked eyes with her demon, his vermilion gaze flickering in the darkness. She took his hands in her own and placed them again on her breasts as she ground against him, but Ciel's patience was beginning to run thin.
His mouth again replaced his hands, and grasping her bottom and lifting her up, he forced her to stay on her knees while he unfastened his trousers and let himself spring free. Elizabeth nearly cried out when the weight of his shaft slapped her inner thigh, and the burn of his flesh on hers was painfully exhilarating. He looped a finger through the crotch of her underwear and yanked it aside, using one hand to guide her hips down and the other to hold his member aloft. She held her breath as he entered her, the head of his shaft pulsing and fire-hot and making her whimper in pain and ecstasy. It had been decades, after all, since she'd had a man inside her, and frankly her late husband had not been remotely impressive.
Ciel was impressive. Elizabeth thought for sure she'd be torn in two. Granted, she'd love every minute of her untimely demise... And when she finally managed to settle all the way down and his heat seemed to spread all the way through her body, she couldn't stop the tears from welling up in her eyes.
She moved against him, the sensations overloading her emotions, but thankfully, Ciel seemed to understand. He brushed her tears away with his fingers and grasped her hips again, gently lifting and pressing back down, lost somewhere between the two of them where their flesh fused together. She was sopping, he thought salaciously, slowly picking up speed as he thrust into her. She whimpered again and shuddering, held onto his shoulders as he lifted and dropped, lifted and dropped. Her knees were cramping and weak, and unable to roll her hips about as she desired, she became as lost in the sensations as Ciel had. Noticing Lizzie was having trouble keeping herself upright, he slowed again, then lifted her off his lap and deposited her on the bed.
She lay there, a mass of crumpled and worn woman watching licentiously as he stood and stripped. The eye patch had been tossed to the floor, forgotten, and his shirt soon followed. Ciel couldn't stop himself from puffing out his well-formed chest just a little as he ripped away his clothes. Lizzie giggled at his display, but her eyes were locked on one part of his anatomy where it emerged from the fly of his trousers, huge and hard as marble. He slid the pants down his legs and stepped out of them, grasping his shaft in his hand, and stalked closer to the bed.
"Are you glad of this, Lizzie?" he teased, waving it a bit as he neared her. She couldn't stop the laughter.
He grabbed her calves and yanked her toward him, burying his nose in the wet flesh and inhaling her heady scent. She cried out finally, and quickly stuffed her knuckles in her mouth as he began to lave at her core.