by Eric Vall
“Jenner said you went overboard when you imbued your will into the glow stone,” she said as she looked up at my face. “You should regain your full strength after a night’s rest.”
“So, I take it the lanterns are working, then?” I asked.
“Yes, the gate is secure, thanks to you,” Zoie said with a smile in her voice. “But don’t do that to me again.”
“Yes, dear,” I joked and planted a kiss on one of her pointed ears, and she flicked the appendage rapidly until it smacked my chin.
“I’m serious,” she said, but her tone wasn’t all that serious when she sighed as I kissed her other ear.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” I said, and then something dawned on me, so I lifted the blanket and looked down. “Did you undress me, or…”
“What kind of wife would I be if I couldn’t tend to my husband?” she asked and tickled her fingertips along the ridge of my collarbone.
“I cannot tell you how immensely relieved I am that at least it wasn’t Jenner who stripped off my pants,” I laughed, and she giggled again to my delight.
“I have something prepared for you,” Zoie said and stood up next to my bed so she could lay the back of her hand against my brow.
“What is it?” I murmured and closed my eyes as her cool fingers soothed my hot skin.
“Come and see, my love,” she said in a voice like gently falling snow, and then she tugged me up by my hands to sit on the side of the bed.
She let me take my time as I sat there for a second to try and get the room to stop spinning. Glow stones I’d never noticed before flickered like firelight from where they were mounted high on the walls, but as beautiful as the ambiance was, the shadows being thrown around the circular room clashed with my vision and made me a little dizzy.
“So, I guess I fixed the electricity in this place, huh?” I asked as Zoie massaged the back of my neck.
She paused and hummed a puzzled little hum. “Hm?”
“I mean, I guess the glow stones in the manor are working more than they were.”
“You’ve made this place brighter, it’s true,” Zoie said, and then she helped me stand by drawing my right arm across her strong shoulders. The sheets fell off my naked form, and I shivered a bit as the night air chilled my fevered skin.
“Where are we going?” I asked, but I honestly didn’t care as long as I had this beautiful creature beside me.
“Let me take care of you, my husband,” she said as she led me to the archway across from the bed.
I stopped as something tugged at the back of my brain, and I looked down into her face.
“You called me that a few times, but the way you said it now was different from when you said it before--er, the first time,” I said and then frowned as I repeated my words back to myself. Ugh, I felt like I was just now recovering from the flu, and I tended to ramble a bit when I had a temperature.
Lucky for me, Zoie and I were tapped into each other in a way that never needed words.
“Just come.” She sighed like a dove as she resumed our pace to the bathing room.
My eyes opened wide at the sight of a steaming stone bathtub big enough for three people. The moon shone through the window, and more glow stones painted the walls with intimate gold tones like candlelight.
“You did this for me?” I whispered. My body ached all over, and soaking in a bath sounded amazing.
Zoie nodded and settled me into the warm water scented with something that reminded me of peppermints. I groaned almost embarrassingly loud when I sank in up to my chin, and I felt all my muscles begin to relax.
“When I first called you my husband, it was because it was a fact,” Zoie said in her rainstorm voice as she knelt down and rubbed some kind of oil into my blistered palms. The oil smelled like tea and oranges but tingled like menthol, and my eyes nearly rolled back into my head as sparks of pleasure skimmed along my tired muscles.
“And now?” I asked as I feasted my eyes on her body under that thin nightgown. A little water from the edge of the large tub dampened the front of the sheer fabric, and I could see the dark rosebuds of her breasts rise up in the cool air.
“Now…” Zoie said, and she slowly lifted the nightgown over her head. She then let the fabric drop to the floor, kicked it away, and stood up. “Now, you are my husband because you are mine, and I want everything from you, Alex.”
I inhaled sharply when she slowly bent down and kissed my forehead, my nose, and then my lips as her jasmine smelling hair curtained us from the jealous moon. Zoie then dipped lower and bit down on the juncture where my jawline met my neck, and a jolt of arousal shot straight to my groin.
“I want you, too,” I rasped out in a rough voice and then held my hand out for her. “Come here.”
Zoie grasped my fingers as she carefully stepped into the stone basin, and her angelic body glowed like the stars in the sky as they beamed down on us in through the high window. She then straddled my lap where I was ready and waiting for her, and she slowly sank down to envelop me in the kiss of her silky heat.
I groaned as my hips rolled upward in a slow grind, and Zoie gasped as her fingers found their way into my hair and on the back of my left shoulder.
Our lovemaking this time was of the slow-burn variety. It was just as intense and new as the first time, but now there was an unhurried quality about the way we moved together. It was as if we had all the time in the world, and we both took our time exploring each other to our hearts’ content.
“Fuck,” I hissed every time Zoie circled her hips just the right way that left me teetering on the razor’s edge. I was glad for the odd heated stone the tub was made out of because I was sure I could float in this heady bliss for hours. I’d been waiting for my chance to catalog each and every reaction I could pull from her responsive body, and I was not going to rush it one bit.
For example, I discovered that when I mouthed at the soft skin between her pert breasts, Zoie’s tummy fluttered as she gasped out her pleasure. And when I blew on one of her blushing nipples, she groaned and cupped her breast close. But my favorite was when I licked at the hollow of her swan-like throat, and she mewled prettily in a way that never failed to make my dick pulse hard inside of her.
Zoie picked up on a few tricks of her own as we took our time in the steaming bath. She found out how crazy it drove me when she brought one of my fingers up to her mouth and sucked.
“Shittttt,” I groaned and tangled my unoccupied hand into her ebony hair as my hips gave an urgent buck.
Man, the floor was going to be covered in water at this rate.
“Your hands are so sensitive,” Zoie purred as she nipped the tip of my index finger.
I responded by untangling my fingers from her silky strands and then pressed her even closer to me by the base of her spine. This had the benefit of changing the tilt of her gyrating hips to just the right angle, and I almost came on the spot when she tightened around me.
“Oh!” Zoie cried out and arched her back as she ground down against me even harder.
“That’s it, baby,” I encouraged and cradled her back with my large hands as she took her pleasure from my body.
“Alex!” she gasped and shook, and then she pulled herself flush against my chest with her fingernails digging into my back.
“I got you,” I said into the side of her tender neck, and Zoie circled her hips faster. “Let go, kitten. Come for me.”
“Yesssss…” Zoie practically sobbed as her orgasm tore through her, and I held her shaking body tight against mine as her tunnel slowly tightened around my cock like a vise.
“Holy fuck, you are so tight,” I hissed as Zoie’s pussy frantically spasmed around me, and then her mouth met mine and she moaned into my mouth as she kissed me.
“Fill me up, husband,” she whined as she tore her lips away. “Give me your sperm. Give me all of it. I’m begging you.”
That was all it took.
“Fuckkkkk…” My climax hit me like a Mack t
ruck and made my spine tingle all the way up to my skull. My hips went numb, and then the numbness passed through my thighs and calves until my toes pointed.
My first spray of cum shot up into her like a rocket taking off, and then I gasped as my balls spasmed eight more times. Each tremble sent another shot of my cream straight up into Zoie’s spasming tunnel, and she rotated her hips while her pussy eagerly accepted every last drop of cum from me.
It was amazing, and our climaxes seemed to last for a solid minute or two.
“Alex,” she whispered, out of breath, and I kissed her damp temple as my own heart rate came down from the stratosphere. “Oh, Alex.”
I nuzzled under her jaw and stroked my hands up and down her sides as we rode the last few aftershocks together, and I finally felt her tunnel begin to relax the Kung-fu grip it had on my shaft.
Finally, when the storm passed and our bodies were languid in the afterglow, I pulled her to sit with her back against my chest.
I was feeling tired, but more clear-headed than I had been since I woke up, and as the day’s events slowly came back to me, I frowned as I remembered what I almost did to Bala Ren.
“I have something to tell you,” I said as I trickled some warm water over Zoie’s bare shoulder so I could watch it pool in the dip of her collarbone.
“Mmmmm?” she purred as she reclined against me.
“I was ambushed by Ren while I was trying to save Asher Mec’s daughter,” I said.
“Did you kill him?” Zoie asked in a calm voice.
“I almost did, but then I snapped out of it,” I said as I shook my head. “I almost ruined our plan, I’m so fucking sorry.”
“Never apologize for defending your own life,” Zoie said and leaned up to kiss my chin. “You are too important.”
“What is that guy’s deal, anyway?” I grumbled.
“You arrived on Nata Isle, and in the span of one day, you have achieved more notoriety than Ren has ever earned even at his level four Duelist status,” Zoie explained with a smug little grin. “Your existence threatens him. It’s probably crossed his mind that if you wanted to gain another Duelist’s status, he would be the prime choice for you to challenge.”
“But why is he even scared of me?” I huffed as I rolled my eyes. “You said so yourself--he’s really skilled with a sword, and I’m some foreign Traveler who doesn’t even know what’s up or down half the time.”
“And yet you are still here,” Zoie said with even more pride shining in her voice. She turned in my arms so she was kneeling in front of me, and then she placed her hand over my heart. “You have survived this long not because of luck, but because you are smart and resourceful. You might think it’s Mercedes’ blessing, but it’s so much more than that. You act without a second thought for yourself, almost to your own detriment, and you have unparalleled instincts when it comes to battle.”
“They might seem like instincts, but I’ve never been able to do things like slow time down back at home,” I said as I remembered summoning the time-trance power before the red-sun faded.
“Did this power manifest when you were fighting Ren?” Zoie asked with that interested gleam in her eyes as if she was figuring out an intriguing mystery.
“Yeah, or well, it tried before we were interrupted by the changing sunlight,” I said and unplugged the stone tub to let the cooling water drain. It was kind of indulgent that of all the medieval-like universes I could have been zapped to, I landed on the one that had at least figured out indoor plumbing.
“What is it like when your time power starts?” Zoie asked as she stood up and stepped out of the basin, and I was momentarily distracted by the sparkling diamond water droplets that dappled her skin and hair like stars.
I slowly drew my gaze up her stunning naked body. “What?”
“Are you feeling feverish again?” Zoie asked with a concerned frown as she pressed the back of her hand against my forehead.
“No, I’m fine thanks to your tender love and care. I am getting cold, though, and might need my wife to warm me up.” I grasped her hand and then kissed her fingertips.
“Oh, really?” Zoie smirked with a raised eyebrow, and then she helped me to my feet as the rest of the water swirled around my ankles.
There were still a few swimmy bright patches at the corners of my vision, but overall I was mostly just exhausted and wrung out from the fantastic sex. As frisky as I wanted to be with her for a possible round two in the sheets, my body ached for sleep, so I took advantage of Zoie’s supporting shoulder as we made our way back to our bed.
When we were finally cocooned behind the draperies and intertwined under the warm blankets, Zoie turned her head on the pillow so she could peer at me through the darkness.
“I’ve been thinking,” Zoie said, and I couldn’t help but tuck a riotous lock of hair behind her ear so it wasn’t in her eyes. “If we can really understand how to harness your time ability, then it can be something you can call upon without first being in extreme danger.”
“That would be nice,” I said, and my jaw cracked as I yawned. “You’ll help me figure it out, right?”
“I will make sure you are prepared when you challenge him,” Zoie reassured me, but I was still a little shaky about her absolute confidence in me.
I was definitely getting more familiar with a sword, but I knew I needed much more practice to advance my skills, and I got the feeling after today Ren wouldn’t waste the next chance he got to try and kill me, publicly or not.
I felt as if today was a turning point, and the crossroads I was at all led to danger and would be risky no matter which direction I took. I had to think things through before I acted, which was not something that came naturally to me because I was more of an act first and think later kind of guy.
Risk had always been something I’d never cared about. It was something I would engage in whenever I needed an adrenaline rush, and before I got into BJJ and the cage matches I would do here and there, I would do stupid shit like skateboard down the log tracks at the abandoned sawmill just to get my kicks. The bigger the risk, the bigger the rush.
But now that I had Zoie, or more like it was Zoie that had me, she depended on me not taking risks that would lead to my stupid, pointless, and probably avoidable death.
Each risk from here on out had to be mega worth it in the long run, which made me even more confident in the plan forming in my mind.
“I’ve been thinking, too,” I said as I turned over a few of the facts I’d learned lately. “Jenner mentioned something about a way to get gold fast so I can afford a metallurgist who can enhance my sword with the herald core. If I can equip myself with a better sword, then the chances of me winning the Duel go up, right?”
Zoie abruptly propped herself up on one elbow and looked at me with wide saucer-like eyes and a face devoid of all color.
“You want to raid the Ruins?”
Chapter 11
After Zoie’s initial shock wore off and she stopped looking at me like I’d just grown a second head, she laid back down with a thoughtful expression on her face.
“What you suggest is an uncommon strategy,” Zoie said as she stared up at the dark canopy over our bed. “Mercenaries and treasure seekers usually don’t come back from the Ruins. There are all kinds of dangers like curses, supernatural beings, and monsters with the strength of ten men.”
“You seem to know a lot about these Ruins,” I mused, “but aren’t you relatively new to this island?”
“Yes,” Zoie replied with an elegant shrug of her shoulders, “but the Traders made me study some of the history of Nata Isle before I was sold to Dagmar. They wanted to make sure I impressed my new husband so I wouldn’t be returned. I am obviously not as educated as most Prospective Wives, but I knew enough to warrant my purchase.”
“Well, you’ve definitely impressed me, and I’m grateful to have you by my side.” I winked at the cat-woman, and she blushed.
“Thank you, husband,” she murmured.
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“Anyway, Jenner said the Ruins weren’t the friendliest place, but I figured we don’t have the luxury of getting gold another way,” I said and sat up slightly so I could see her face a little better. “Ren doesn’t seem like the guy to let a grudge go.”
“It’s not usually done,” Zoie said again and surprised me as she rolled herself on top of me. “Especially by a Duelist of your rank. Maybe No-Ranks would risk such a thing for fame and riches, but most don’t.”
“You already indicated it was going to be hard,” I chuckled as she gazed down at me from above. “But if it could give me an extra edge over Ren, then I think it’s worth it.”
“You amaze me with your bravery, Alex Brightwood,” Zoie purred, and her ocean eyes sparkled like two refined sapphires.
“I just… I want to make sure I’m around for as long as possible,” I confessed.
“I think this may be a good idea, especially with your time-trance power,” Zoie said as the gears in her head visibly turned behind her intelligent gaze. “Although, we would be gone for a few days.”
“That’s probably for the best,” I said and then ran my hand through her midnight hair. “After I knocked Ren out, I just kinda left him there in the Sun Temple. I’m pretty sure the next time I run into the bastard he won’t even hide behind the decorum of a Duel before he attacks me outright.”
“It would be best to be fully equipped the next time you meet him,” Zoie agreed and settled down on top of me with a contented stretch.
“Anyway, we never did get a honeymoon,” I joked and rubbed my hand up and down Zoie’s spine from neck to tail. “Going on a trip will be fun.”
“What is a honeymoon?” she asked with a tired mumble.
“It’s like a holiday newly married people take in order to be alone with each other before they start their new lives together,” I explained, and she hummed against my chest. “It’ll be like that, except more combat training and monsters.”
“I like that,” Zoie murmured, and she sounded like she was already half-way asleep.
