Chapter Thirty-Seven

Jareth flashed a gentle grin at Sarah as he moved toward the dressing room.

"Well, my queen, I think it's safe to say your new subjects are pleased."

"Are they?" she asked, softly. Her eyes followed him until he disappeared through the doorway. She could hear the faint sounds of him rummaging through the wardrobe.

"Indeed," he replied through the open door. "One can't blame them, really. I suppose you could say that they see our bonding as a new chapter in the story of our kingdom."

A few moments later, Jareth reappeared at the door, wearing nothing but his medallion and a pair of loose black sleeping pants. He paused briefly before walking over to the settee and lounging beside her. He picked up the bottle of wine Lily had set on the table and poured out a draught in the two glasses before them. He handed her one, then took the other for himself as he sat back and slipped his other arm around her.

"I share their sentiment, after a fashion. This is certainly a new chapter for me, personally." He sipped his wine, letting his other hand play idly in her hair.

"That makes two of us," Sarah replied with a slight smile. She sampled the wine in her glass, eyebrows raising in surprise and delight. "This is lovely. Is it Elven?"

"It is," he said. "A very rare vintage, or so they tell me." He took another sip and sighed. "A little sweet but it has the tiniest bite."

"Mmmm. You're right," she said as she took another drink. "I swear, if the color pink had a flavor, this would be it."

They sat together in companionable silence, sipping at their drinks occasionally and exchanging soft glances. She finished the last of the wine in her glass, savoring the taste, and looked over at him shyly. Jareth set his glass down before reaching out and taking hers, putting it on the table and turning to her in a slow, fluid gesture.

He caressed her face gently, letting his fingertips trail down her cheek and jaw before leaning forward and touching his lips to hers. He kissed her again and again, covering her eyes and cheeks with soft, gentle kisses, before returning to her parted lips. His velvet tongue glided against hers, the taste of him a divine mix of wine, cinnamon, and magic. His scent surrounded her as did his arms, pulling her closer against him. Her earlier nervousness was slowly fading, and Sarah was lost in the wonder of the fire that began somewhere in the depth of her being, leaving every nerve in her body vibrantly aware of him.

"Sarah… you are so very beautiful," he said softly between kisses. "You are the loveliest woman ever to walk Above or Below, and I love you beyond hope… beyond reason". Then in one swift movement, he rose, lifting her in his arms and carrying her over to the bed. He put her down against the silken pillows and lay beside her. She trembled, wanting him, yet still a little scared of the unknown.

"Don't be afraid, love," he whispered as his arms tightened around her. "Not of this."

The words were muffled by her hair, and she could feel the deep, strong beat of his heart as he held her tight. It matched the pounding of her own. She pulled her head away from his chest and looked up at him as their bodies lay molded together, his soft eyes silently speaking his love to her. Then he lowered his head and kissed her, softly at first and then with a deep passion.

Sarah was unprepared for the renewed burst of heat that flooded through her, she only knew that she wanted to lose herself in his kiss. It was suddenly as if this was something that had always been meant to be, as if she had always belonged to him, to this place, to this time. Her breath came in short, almost sobbing gasps as his hands, ever so tenderly, discovered and drew forth the heat and desire she felt within. The world faded into nothingness, a brilliant void that contained only Jareth and his gentle exploration of her.

Somewhere in this maelstrom of feeling, their clothing vanished. Sarah felt her whole being go soft as she melted against him. The warmth of his skin and the hard, whipcord body molded tightly to her own sparked a need within her to touch him as he touched her. Her hands moved over him, the muscles of his back, the strong arms that held her, the smooth chest. Down to his lean ribs and slim hips, her hands sought, caressed, and she reveled in the feeling that with every touch, she was branding him hers.

He pressed ardent, open-mouthed kisses along her neck, pausing to nibble delicately on her earlobe before proceeding lower. His hands glided over her, cupping her breasts gently, then seeking each erect nipple with his mouth and drawing from her soft, breathy moans of pleasure. After what seemed like an eternity, his fingers drifted down, swiftly finding the center of her almost blinding need, and stoking that inner fire to a raging inferno.

Just as she thought she could take no more, he gently separated her legs, settling himself between them. With utmost tenderness, he drew her to him and as he entered, he caught her mouth with his. Her murmur of pain was drowned in his kiss. He held still, letting her grow accustomed to him, kissing her with a hot, delicious languor. After a time, he carefully began to move within her, lifting her body to his. The pain faded and soon she was engulfed with an urgency, a wanting that wiped away every other thought. She clung to him, whispering his name over and over as the slow, deep movements drove her to the edge of oblivion, until at last she was overcome with an explosion of pleasure so intense that she was completely consumed.

In the aftermath they both lay breathless, their bodies still joined, and Sarah clung to him in the wonder of the experience they had just shared. He kissed her again, a soft, lingering caress, his hand gently cupping her face as he looked down at her.

"I love you, Sarah. I am yours and you are mine from now to eternity. For always."

Sarah gazed up at him, her heart overflowing with emotion, and said simply, "Oh, Jareth..." She briefly closed her eyes, then opened them again and looked at him steadily, her voice shaking a little as she whispered, "I love you. I fear you. I will do as you say. You rule me, Jareth. You always have, even if I didn't know it. You always will."

She felt a tremor go through him upon hearing those words. Giving her a soft, almost reverent smile, Jareth took a deep, ragged breath and clasped her to himself wordlessly, his whole heart shining in his eyes.

It was hours past dawn when Sarah awakened. She laid very still as she became aware of the position she was in. Her bare leg was lying across Jareth's. Her head was turned into the curve of his shoulder and his arm about her held her closely. She could feel his slow, steady breathing and knew he was still asleep. She tried to shift her posture without waking him but discovered that her hair was caught beneath his arm. She stopped moving and relaxed.

Jareth came drifting up from his dream filled sleep. In his dream, he was holding Sarah, feeling her sleek body clinging to him and the softness of her hair against his cheek. Then, suddenly, he realized that he was not dreaming; she was there, warm and real in his arms.

He gently tightened his hold on her, pressing her soft curves against him. She stirred, put her arm possessively across his chest and snuggled into him. He lay still, thinking of the night that they had shared. Allowing himself to enjoy every touch, every kiss again. Suddenly, he was brought to full awareness that the feel of her body in his arms was somehow different. He raised his head slightly and looked down into her wide-open green eyes.

Very gently, she raised her hand to his cheek, touched it softly, then slid her fingers into his hair, twining them there and slowly drawing his head down to hers. Their lips met, and hers parted under his seeking kiss, then returned his need with a possessive demand of her own. His lips drifted down her neck, tracing a line of kisses across her heated skin. Finding her rosy tipped breasts, he tasted them again, suckling each gently, while his hands moved over her slender form. Grasping her hips, he pulled her body up to meet his. He felt the urgent fire burning within her too and he gloried in it.

For Sarah, the scent and feel of him filled her with a white-hot explosion of desire, numbing her to everything but Jareth. Jareth, with the magic hands that seemed to reach within her soul and touch a place that no one else ever could, Jareth, whose fiery kisses raised her to a plane of ecstasy that she had never even dreamed of. She cried out as she tried to draw him closer. He held her immobile against the bed as his mouth began to journey along the curves and planes of her body. His kisses left her moaning and gasping out her need for him. Still, he held her, while his lips followed the pattern previously set by his hands. She couldn't bear the torment any longer and reached for him.

"Jareth," she moaned softly, "Please… love me…"

"I do, Sarah," he gasped hoarsely, "I do!" He rose above her, then suddenly he was filling her, drawing from her a depth of passion so intense that she could not control herself. He moved slowly, drawing out each stroke until he drove her frantic. Her body writhed beneath him as she wrapped her long, slender legs about his waist and lifted to meet him. With each move, she drew him deeper within her, until they blended in one rhythmic, moving entity. With him she climbed a burning pathway toward the stars, then burst among them and tumbled down, clinging to him among the glittering shards. They laid still, their sweat-slicked bodies entwined, neither of them wanting to do anything to separate them from this glorious feeling.

After lying together this way for what seemed like eternity, Jareth propped himself up and looked down at her, his eyes warm with love. Their gazes held for a long moment, then he reached out and gently brushed a few strands of her hair from her face. They might have stayed like that forever, but for a growling sound that rumbled from the vicinity of Sarah's stomach. They both burst into laughter, Sarah's face turning a bright red.

"I see that I am neglecting one of my husbandly duties," Jareth said, kissing her and smiling. "Come, wife. I must get you fed."

With no regard to their nudity, Jareth threw back the covers and laughingly pulled her out of the bed. He was completely nonchalant about his manly display as he led her toward the bathing chamber. Sarah felt a twinge of shyness being naked before him in the full light of day.

You're his wife now, she thought to herself. You're just going to have to get used to the idea of seeing each other without clothes.

Letting her eyes rake over his impressive form, Sarah smiled inwardly, deciding that such a duty would be an absolute pleasure. They quickly performed their morning ablutions, chattering inanely to each other as they dressed, until they were both ready to face the new day; their first together as husband and wife.

As they walked hand in hand to the communal dining hall, Sarah couldn't help but laugh silently at herself. She had been so anxious, bordering on frightened, at the thought of making love with Jareth for the first time. Now she knew exactly what Lily meant when she said that she would find that fear to be silly in the morning light. He had been so passionate and yet so very gentle. Jareth had proved to be the kind of lover every woman dreamt of having for her own, and Sarah was still a little overwhelmed by the fact that he belonged to her.

To her chagrin, the dining hall was full of courtiers, all having a late breakfast and looking a bit worse for wear. Her prediction of vicious hangovers for the castle population had indeed come to fruition. Jareth led her to a seat next to Lily and a bleary-eyed Garthan, who gave her a pained but friendly half-smile. Jareth reached for one of the pots before them and poured her a cup of fragrant coffee. When he turned to respond to something Randel was saying to him, Lily touched her arm.

"Are you well, Your Majesty?" she asked with a knowing smile. Sarah didn't respond with words, but her blush and her silly grin said everything.

Lily raised an eyebrow and gave her a little smirk, "What, no spikes?" to which both women exploded into gleeful laughter. Garthan winced and put a hand to his temple, while Jareth's gaze swung toward them curiously.

"It's nothing. I'll tell you later," Sarah said, still laughing.