The Beast Within

by D L Goddard

  But, Mir and Val by rescuing her, complicated things immeasurably. They realized Anya was their mate as well and they became tied together in a heart-touch. The twins had never known of another indigo female that not only was compatible with them, but one that had the level of heat and passion to be able to love them as they needed. They were desperate to keep her; until they found out she was already taken. Discovering that truth nearly destroyed them. But now, for one time only, they had been given permission from Arahir to blend with Anya; possibly the most intimate act fire elementals could ever perform. The fact that while they were flame blending, they would be saving not only Anya and the babe’s life, but that of the Keeper as well, just made the act that much more special. They would certainly be tied together in such a way as to be unbreakable. It would have truly hurt Arahir to have asked for such a thing and they felt deep sadness for the Keeper but their underlying excitement wiped away most of it.

  The twins made Anya stand; she seemed to have no problem obeying instructions. Stripping completely naked, Mir stood directly in front of Anya admiring her beautiful naked body. Val stood directly behind. They carefully placed their hands on her skin, one at a time; Mir placed his right hand on her left shoulder and Val his left hand on her right shoulder. Then, Mir placed his left hand resting snugly on her right hip and Val placed his right hand comfortably sitting on her left hip. As each hand connected, a flare of fire raced to meet the indigo that flicked a tongue of fire out to welcome them, uniting them as a group. As the last tongue of fire welcomed Val, they felt Arahir connected to their group as well. They were almost ready. Mir touched Anya lip to lip and the fire arced between them.

  The flames began to form, small to begin with, but the flames began to spin around the connected trio. They seemed as if they were in a whirlpool of black, white and indigo flames spinning around and around with them at the core. It looked beautiful and deadly and the staff suddenly raised their arms and burst into red, orange and golden flames reaching to the ceiling and zipping across the edge of the ceiling to mingle in the center. The heat was immense and it appeared if everybody had become nothing more than pillars of flame.

  Mir held Anya as she began to glow in the heat, but instead of falling she seemed for the first time, completely conscious and in control, standing completely upright, her beautiful green eyes smiling into his. Mir couldn’t help himself … he swooped down on her mouth and kissed her as if his life depended on it. Anya responded in kind while Val nuzzled her neck, her ears, everywhere he could reach without letting go with his hands. The trio burst into pillars of flame, white, indigo and black … then slowly, carefully, the twins moved toward their Anya and kept flowing forward as they reached her flame. The pillars mixed combining and creating new colors. They moved around, bending and weaving through one another as the three melded more closely together than any had thought possible.

  The feelings that raced through them were pure unadulterated ecstasy. No sexual adventure could ever feel like this … this was bliss in its most exquisite form; nothing they ever did between them could ever rival the pleasures and passions that shook their bodies and souls right now. They wept in joy, laughed in sadness and all the while Arahir felt his heart breaking while he felt their happiness. The Beast drew on their flames and fed … he fed … and fed …and fed himself; he was finally ready, free of the magic that held him. The flame had cleansed him, gotten rid of the foul magic that had been poisoning his body and mind, he felt like his old self. It might only be for this one night only, but it would be enough.

  The twins were in raptures; they were clinging so closely that the flame was one. There was no way the onlookers could see where one flame began and another ended. It was the closest flame blend any of them had ever seen or ever heard of. It was a true blend, the kind all elementals strove to achieve with their soul-mate. The colors were so rich, so strong and the heat generated by the passion and need of the trio so intense that they caused the other flames to burn hotter than they had ever been able to before.

  Finally, the power began to ebb, and even they it seemed, had enough. Exhausted but elated they felt the health of the baby as he kicked strongly in his fiery sac. Anya looked so radiant her beauty was mesmerizing. She had fed until she could literally take no more. The twins were so handsome, so masculine that they drew her like never before. Anya didn’t know what had truly happened to bring them closer, but it seemed that Mir and Val felt as dear to her as her Beast and she didn’t want them to ever leave her.

  It hardly seemed right that it was still night outside and the stars were still shining. They were robed and cuddled around one another. No one wanted to leave the other and they knew if someone made the first move, their moment of togetherness would be gone. Anya watched the two men look at her when they didn’t think she was watching. Making up her mind ‘Just this once,’ she thought then, she stood.

  “I am exhausted my loves, would you please pull down the bed for me?”

  The twins looked at one another, not daring to hope, but with one on either side, they folded the linen back for their Anya. She slipped off the robe, wearing just the sheer camisole and lay in the middle sighing in exhaustion. Lifting her head at the two men who were watching her hungrily, she quirked an eyebrow. Lying back down she snuggled herself under the covers.

  Val and Mir looked at one another in stunned astonishment. They dropped the robes wearing nothing but their own perfect skin and curled around Anya into their usual nightly positions. Never had they felt so happy or so content. For the first time they had some hope that Anya might just stay with them … somehow. It was a wild unreasoning hope. But still … it was hope just the same. Snuggling into the sweet skin of her body, her scent rich in their nostrils, the twins settled in for the most perfect night of their lives. They held the woman of their heart and they knew she loved them. What more could they hope for … the rest would wait until tomorrow. Tonight … was theirs.

  **********

  Chapter Thirteen

  The Beast hunkered down watching the two thugs that Lord Savage had hired to care for him. The cage he was in kept the beast mostly dormant. The bars had been painted and let dry in a special solution that Adam’s ‘Old Friend’ had given him. The friend had then, handed Adam a potion he carried with him always, and when two drops were placed in the creature’s food it kept him completely docile and numb. It certainly helped keep the Beast well under control.

  But tonight … tonight he had connected to his Lady and fed from her and the twins until he was so glutted, he couldn’t take any more. He felt alive, his brain was thinking and analyzing and planning an escape for himself. There was only one chance for him; if he messed it up, he would be trapped in whatever nefarious schemes Adam Savage, monster and bestial sadist, had planned for him. Arahir knew without even asking or knowing anything of Savage’s plans that he would hate whatever it was the arrogant Lord had planned for him.

  The night grew old … the winter season was making itself known but the cold didn’t bother Arahir. His internal flame kept him toasty warm no matter how cold the night became, the Beast was never bothered by the elements; it was one of the benefits of being an elemental. He reveled in the changes around him. He hoped for a cold crisp frosty night. It would keep the men rugged up and inside their tents. It would certainly give him time to get away; hopefully he would be well within the interior of the huge forest he could see in the distance before anyone ventured outside to check on their caged prisoner.

  Arahir had been working on the lock all day while night was slow in coming. His sharp talons had worn away the old and worn chain. The almost unbreakable nature of his nails cut swiftly through the lock. The padlock came away cleanly, dropping into his outstretched hands. Carefully he eased the cage open. Then, he waited for any response from the tents … nothing. He sighed in relief.

  Clambering out and down from the huge wagon, he appeared to have all the agility of some great primate as he swarmed over the bars
and down the giant wheels. With phenomenal speed, Arahir raced across the open spaces between the camp and the huge forest in the distance. Not risking a look behind, Arahir really stretched himself, ensuring he reached the forest before the lightening of the sky; he would be so vulnerable if he was seen outlined in the brilliant moonlight. If any of the men felt the call of nature he would be seen immediately illuminated by the low hanging moon overhead. But the Beast was restless and he couldn’t wait any longer. So … trusting on his speed and his own instinctive need to remain hidden, Arahir took his chance.

  He was almost at the forest edge when Lord Savage came out to rid himself of the excessive amount of wine he had been drinking. One of the young ladies from the local tavern had taken his fancy, and for a couple of copper coins had joined him for a romp in the sheets. Tousled and looking decidedly delicious, Adam was reluctant to leave the young beauty who was an excellent talented partner. Finally having to get up, he parted the tent and valiantly faced the freezing night; he was just relieving himself when he chanced to look up.

  Immediately he saw the magnificent body of the Beast silhouetted by the bright moonlight. Arahir saw him and grinned; he threw back his head and roared letting the sound build and build until the Beast threw it out echoing around the hills and trembling in the still night air. Adam was shocked; never had he heard the beast roar like that before. It was a sound so primitive, so raw it made him feel as if he was a caveman huddled around his fire only to hear the sound of a truly terrifying wild animal prowling the night. Nothing could have compelled Adam to hunt the beast on this frigid night. He felt that to go after the beast tonight would most certainly result in his death.

  Adam knew they weren’t far from where they had intended to take the beast and they could get a team to track him in the morning. The terrain was unknown to the beast and he wouldn’t be able to move through the dense forest very quickly. Even one like the beast would have to be careful and watch his step. Lord Savage knew who waited for him in the hunting lodge in the deep woods and she had deliberately laid traps for the beast in case such an event should happen. Adam smiled and hoped his beast had a very difficult night.

  He shook himself, feeling much happier after such a satisfying piss then, followed his lusts back to his bed where a naked body, soft and compliant waited with arms open and spread legs. It was all he wanted on such a cold night. He flipped the tent flap, sealing it against the cold, smiling at the sweet, pretty woman in his bed.

  The Beast thought it strange that Savage had just let him go. He had smelled the scent of a woman all over the man when Savage had returned from the town, but then, Arahir had spotted the pretty, young woman. Arahir was well pleased; it meant Lord Savage would be fully occupied tonight and not getting up constantly taunting the beast as was his usual custom.

  As he entered the forest, the Beast took a deep breath extending every sense to its fullest. This forest was unknown to him and he never entered without taking some precautions in spite of how much he longed to be away from Lord Savage. Suddenly all his instincts went on the alert. ‘How had she come to be here?’ They were quite some distance from any portal of any kind and he could smell her everywhere, faint though it was it was definitely her scent. On his guard now, Arahir entered the forest, alert for any change and watching every shadow. The last person Arahir wanted to meet right now was Lirima and it seemed he was right to have thought Savage was in collusion with the Enchantress. But even he didn’t know how she had gotten inside this world without using a portal. The only portals were inside his castle grounds. ‘So … how in Seren’s name did she manage it?’

  He had been walking for miles, and was thinking way too hard when he stepped into a large drawn circle half buried and covered in leaves and soil. Immediately a magical alert announced his presence, encircling him in a transparent magical dome. Panicked, he tried to break out, but electrifying pain filled him as he touched the magic prison; he was very effectively caught. His ears picked up a light hum and instantly the Enchantress in all her exquisite glorious beauty stood posing for his benefit. She smiled as her eyes ran over his near nakedness … how she loved his body. Walking up to the dome, her movements were intentionally seductive, drawing his eyes to her voluptuous figure. Licking her lips with the tip of her tongue to moisten their perfect fullness, the honey voice purred as it reached his ears.

  “Hello Lover … it’s been a very long time. Have you come to your senses yet?”

  **********

  Chapter Fourteen

  Anya dreamed; she was in a dark gloomy place, unsure whether she was really there or whether she was seeing through her Beast’s eyes. Her Beast was in a corner snarling and angry at himself. She looked at what the Beast was snarling at … and she saw that incredibly exquisite woman again. The woman was standing several feet from her beloved’s cell seated on the corner of a desk. She wore the most sheer, clinging sheath that hardly covered anything. Rather … it accentuated every curve and slender limb. Her long legs showed through the slits thigh high and her legs were crossed showing even more than was warranted. Lirima’s long tresses draped around her body, framing it to perfection and Anya thought she had never seen such a beautiful creature. She truly was exquisite.

  But then, her Beast looked at her and she saw through his eyes at what he saw when he looked at the Enchantress. Her beauty was still intact, but the Beast saw her evil nature, her cruelty, the wickedness she had already done to achieve what she wanted and what the woman would be prepared to do to gain the Castle Barshael’s Living Light. Anya saw red when she glimpsed what Lirima wanted to do to her Beast and how she would calmly dispose of Anya and her unborn child then, force a union with the Beast so that she could bring her vile armies into the peace loving worlds and conquer them, slaughtering the rulers of Serenor, so they would not challenge her.

  She planned to set herself up as Queen while Arahir would sit beside her as her King. Anya saw how Lirima was totally obsessed with the Beast, how she craved the touch of his skin, how she wanted his kisses, his hands upon her body, and how she hated Anya for the love she had with Arahir and the son she carried in her womb. Anya saw in horror how the Enchantress wanted to take the biggest blade she could find and cut the baby from her body. What the woman wanted to do with Anya’s unborn son was so evil and so sickening, Anya felt herself dry retching in horror. Her Beast saw truly into the woman’s soul, she was a loathsome creature, a beast in glorious clothing, and her beloved was held captive by her. Anya’s eyes were filled with tears worried for his life.

  The door opened in the dark room she had decided was a makeshift prison; Anya looked up in horror at the leering grin of Lord Adam Savage. The Enchantress slinked up to him, plastering herself against his toned lean body and kissed him as if their lives depended on the air they shared between them. It was so blatantly erotic and nasty that the Beast turned his head away. Adam was in heaven; this perfect woman wanted his body and he was more than ready to accommodate her wishes. He didn’t care if there was an audience or not, after all it was only the Beast and what he thought didn’t bother Adam in the least.

  Lirima didn’t care about Adam in the least, but he was a useful tool and she wanted to hurt Arahir in any way she could for his rejection of her beauty and her perfect body. ‘How could he turn her away?’ She knew he was a virile unbelievable lover and the man in her arms barely rated a mention compared to Arahir. But for the moment … Adam would have to do.

  Lirima sank even deeper into Adam’s arms letting him run his hands over her body, discovering with delight that Lirima had nothing on underneath the sheath. Cupping the lush breasts and sliding his hands up her thighs, Adam felt blissful ecstasy. Lirima was pleading for him to do more, unbuckling his belt and delighting at the size of his offering ready to be utilized for the goddess in his arms. Forgotten were the silent eyes that were captive witness, wishing they were anywhere … anywhere but here.

  Arahir closed his eyes feeling Anya with him, sending her h
is love in spite of the grunting and panting in the background. Anya felt strange; she was seeing everything that was happening, but not taking over her Beast’s body or thoughts. It was as if she had piggy-backed along somehow just so she could see how he was. Anya had never been able to do such a thing before.

  The Beast was speaking to her mind to mind, “It is because of the flame blend. You can do much more than you could before. Your otherness is coming out of hiding; who knows … maybe one day you will be able to become your true self just when you want to.”

  “Why are you here my love? I felt you break free … you were in the forest and you had escaped.”

  “I was thinking too hard and disturbed about scenting the Enchantress … I was worrying how she had come to this world instead of watching what I was doing. I walked into a charmed circle. It was very foolish … I made the sort of mistake only a blind man makes. And I was missing you. I want to hold you in my arms my love. It has been so long and I am jealous of Mir and Val even though I know without them you would have died several times. They are keeping you healthy and sane. If not for them … our separation would have destroyed us both. But still … I am jealous that they hold you and are there for you, that they get to see you, speak to you every day. I miss you so much that it tears at my heart and only the twins are keeping me from dying from the lack of you. Our kind was never meant to be separated once we were soul-bonded. We were meant to then come together in a flame-blending … the purest form of bliss … a joining that links us together in ways no other beings can even imagine. And yet … I had to watch while you shared that moment with Mir and Val while I clung to the edges barely feeling a reflection of all the three of you went through. I know it was necessary to save us all, but I wish there had been another way. I feel as if I am losing you, a little bit of you every day … day by day a little bit more.”