Carnival of the Soul

by Cebelius

  He cannot have had his mask off in the jungle. So ... why could I see his face? Why did it not even occur to me that I should not have been able to see his face?

  Mila was still lost in thought when Prada found her. There was no evidence she'd been in any kind of fight, but then, why would there be?

  She was wearing what Mila could only think of as template clothing, because it had no analogue in her experience. When Prada met her eyes, the doppelgänger smiled and said, "I'm glad you finally got up the courage to ask. I was beginning to wonder."

  "You are not still upset with me?" Mila asked.

  "Of course not. I was never upset. I just put on a bit of a show for my husband's sake. It frustrates him when he feels as though I am manipulating him, so giving him the impression I've been stymied helps take the edge off."

  "You could always try not manipulating him in the first place," Mila pointed out.

  Prada tilted her head as they gazed at each other, and then she said, "Mila, we do what is in our nature because that is what nature intended for us to do. Deep down, Terry accepts that about me. He knows I will always be playing a game of some sort."

  The blonde's eyes shifted to the door as she added, "Isn't that right, Husband?"

  The door opened and Terry, still damp and wrapped in a towel, shrugged and said, "Wouldn't break my heart if every once in a while you gave honesty a shot, but yeah, I accept you for the lying, deceitful, manipulative little blob you are."

  "Hah! Lying is for amateurs, and I am hardly little, thanks to you and Halla. I cop to the rest of it though, and that's all the honesty you can expect from me today. Here."

  She tossed a pair of green swim trunks with orange stripes up the sides to Terry as she glanced at Mila with a sly smirk and said, "Though, you should know that if you go to the pond at just this moment, you won't be the only ones there. Asturial is sunning herself on one of the rocks, and Yuri is there as well."

  Prada glanced past Terry into the bathroom and sucked her teeth as she said, "Pity. Even if I could convince you to let me stay, that tub looks like it would only fit two."

  She then turned and strolled away.

  Mila watched along with Terry as Prada sashayed away down the hallway. Without looking at him, she muttered under her breath, "I am not sure I will ever understand that woman."

  "First step is to realize that she isn't really a woman," Terry said as he held up the trunks, looked them over, then glanced behind him at the fairly sizable whirlpool bath before tossing the trunks onto the counter nearby. "She's a doppelgänger, a sanguine devil, and it is not in her nature to love. She's actually trying very hard for me, and she knows I know it."

  Terry leaned against the doorframe and looked Mila up and down as he gave her another one of those heart-melting smiles. "You look great, Mila."

  She smiled and spread her hands as she turned a slow circle and said, "I do. The clothing from your world is very flattering."

  "I won't argue," he said as he reached out and set a hand gently on her shoulder. Prada was out of sight by now, and he quietly asked, "Are you sure this is what you want?"

  Mila tilted her head to press her cheek to the back of his hand as she sighed and said, "Yes. I may not be the most attentive of your lovers though. It is ... not usual for my kind to want sex. Even now, I feel no real physical desire for it."

  "Why then?" he asked.

  She smiled and stepped forward, winding an arm around his side and up to catch his shoulder as she tilted her head and kissed the underside of his jaw. "Because I felt joy at your touch. I felt so much more alive under your hands. And because I have been afraid. I do not want to fear you anymore. I want you to look at me the way you look at Laina, the way you look at Shy. I want you to care for me the way you care for Euryale. It did not have to be you, Terry Mack, but it is you. I know that you will care for me no matter what comes of this."

  She felt him stiffen slightly as she came to him, but then he relaxed and wrapped an arm around her hip. He dipped his head to her, and they kissed. She kept her lips closed, and he did not press.

  When the kiss broke, he murmured, "You wanted privacy, and Prada was right. This bath is big enough for two."

  "Mmm, show me," she murmured, and he brought her inside and shut the door as Mila looked around. She had explored most of the rooms in the mansion by now and had seen this one before, but she'd never had cause to use it. Her own room had a bath attached, and she had indulged in it at least once a day. She loved the water, and never in her life had she stayed in any place half so luxurious as this strange house.

  The room was tiled in rough, reddish clay with a geometric design lining the walls, which were plastered up to the mid-point and mirrored beyond, making the room feel much larger than it was.

  A full ten-by-ten foot space was taken up by a section of black tile surrounded by glass, and next to that was a bath that was almost as large.

  "Prada lied. This bath could fit four," Mila said as she saw it.

  "Don't let her hear you say that or she'll come back, and probably bring Shy with her," Terry said with a grin as he turned the knobs near the spigot, and the water poured out in a sustained and powerful rush.

  "Why would she bring- ... oh." Mila's ears flattened as she realized just why Shy would want to come. "I would think having more than one lover to attend to at a time would be ... needlessly complicated."

  "Complicated? Sure. Needless? Maybe once upon a time. These days if I don't share with more than one at a time at least occasionally someone gets left out. As it is I can feel Shy's frustration with me because I spend most of my days training, and Prada doesn't wait for me to sense her feelings. She just flat out tells me."

  "You will not need to worry about that with me," Mila said shortly, shaking her head as she fiddled with the knot of her sarong and dropped it to one side. "While I can accept being one among many as far as your bonds are concerned, I do not think I would enjoy that kind of ... cluster fuck."

  Terry burst out laughing.

  "That is funny?" she asked, her tail lashing as she tried to figure out whether or not he was making fun of her.

  "Yes, Mila. Actually, that was hysterical. I will laugh about it for days."

  She frowned at him, and he held up his hands and said, "Relax, Mila. It's related to old memories of mine, that's all."

  Mila nodded. She was still dubious, but decided to let it go.

  Terry chuckled and sat on the tub, resting his wrists on his thighs as he looked her over, then shook his head wryly and said, "I swear, Mila. You really do look smokin' hot in that."

  Mila quirked a brow at him and half-turned, glancing down at her hips, then back at him as she said, "I would have thought you would prefer bigger women, given the company you keep."

  "I prefer women. Healthy women ... strong women. That's a pretty broad category, and you fit."

  "Oh?"

  She swayed as she came to him, stopped just beyond his spread knees, and looked down at him curiously. He shifted his hands to her hips, and his fingers felt good as they slid through her fur, but it was merely a pleasant sensation, and he hesitated after a moment, then said, "Your tail is still down."

  She blinked, then said, "How did you know? Your people don't have tails."

  "I've been watching you. I've seen how you react, and you're not the least bit into this, are you?"

  Mila frowned and shook her head as she said, "I'm sorry, but as I said before, what you did to me during the ritual put me in a ... different frame of mind. When I climaxed with you, it eased, and then in the Labyrinth-"

  She cut herself off and bit her lip. She hadn't meant to mention that. She looked down at Terry and saw him gazing steadily back at her, a slight frown on his face. "You heard us."

  "Of course I heard you," she said in a huff of irritation, her ears heating up. "I could not do ... could not satisfy myself. I tried. Then I shut it down. After that, I felt normal again. I still do."

  "We don't have to
do this," he said quietly. "If you're not into it, I'm not either. Taking a woman against her will is something I would kill someone for doing, not something I'd do myself."

  "I want it ... I just don't feel like I want it," Mila said, not bothering to hide her frustration. "Does that make sense? I want your bond, Terry. Please. It took me days to work up the courage to even ask you. If we do not complete the bond now, I ..."

  She trailed off, ears flat.

  Terry stood up, and his fingers trailed slowly down both sides of her spine as he took her into his arms. He nuzzled her and murmured, "Do you want me to cheat?"

  Her eyes lidded from his tender touch, she opened them again and tilted her head back to look at him as she asked, "Cheat?"

  "I could do what I did last time. Now though, you'll know what I'm doing. I'll have your permission."

  "Oh."

  Mila thought about that a moment, about the way he had made her feel during the ritual in the jungle.

  "Can you do it without a circle?" she asked.

  "Fucked if I know," he said, grinning.

  She smirked, raising an eyebrow as she made up her mind and pressed the length of her body against his, tilting her head up to kiss the underside of his jaw as she said, "No. You will be fucked if you can."

  Mila watched his face as he nodded, then closed his eyes. He took a single breath, held it a moment, then let it out slowly as his expression settled into one of contemplation. His hands lifted, settled just over her shoulder blades, and then began to drift slowly down her back as he took another breath, then let it out. It was obvious that his focus came to him quickly, and he kept it easily.

  She felt a stirring, felt his mana begin to pour into her and her whole body shivered at the liquid warmth of it. His power was like a shot of whiskey after coming in out of the cold, save that it did not warm her throat or belly. Instead, it went a bit lower.

  "Oooh, Terry. Mmph!"

  Mila squeezed her eyes shut and curled her arms over his shoulders, pressing herself tight to him as she murmured, "More!"

  The liquid warmth of his power suffused her and her hips rolled wantonly as her tail lifted. She gasped and trembled. The arousal that came with that power felt like heat, only it came to her in a wave, rather than as a gradually increasing itch. She rowled low in her throat and her claws came out reflexively, scoring his back.

  The power flowing through her cut out abruptly, but she hardly needed it anymore. She felt his hands on her, felt his desire pressing against her belly. His towel had fallen away at some point, but far from embarrassing her, it only strengthened the desire suffusing her body.

  His hands dropped to the knots at her sides and with twin tugs the strange, close-fitting garment dropped away.

  "Terry ... Terry! Soo much. I want you soo much!"

  A part of her knew it was fake, knew the heat wasn't natural, but she didn't care. She wanted his bond intellectually, and now, physically, she needed his cock.

  She pressed him back, her eyes glimmering with lust as she forced him to a seat on the edge of the tub. She showed her teeth and pushed him back a bit further, her grin only widening at the nervous flicker she saw in his eyes.

  His balance slipped, and she went with him into the tub. It was easily wide enough to accommodate them, and he went under briefly before she brought him up again, pushed him back onto the inner bench that lined the bath.

  "Mila, are youmph!"

  She pressed her lips to his, forced her tongue into his mouth and silenced him as she straddled him, ground his rigid shaft between them. A sound of pure, wanton heat rose from her throat as she rolled her hips, rubbing herself on him as she felt the water rising. It was warm, just short of hot, but she had learned enough during her time in this strange mansion to know how to fix that.

  Leaning back, she twisted one of the handles, then the other, felt the shift in temperature, and then with a satisfied growl she mounted him, felt him fill her, and practically screamed.

  "Soo good. This is what I want. Terrrry ..."

  She growled his name as she hunched on him, splayed her thighs, and hilted herself on his shaft. She sank her teeth into his shoulder, tasted his warm blood, and squeezed her eyes shut, rolling her tongue across the wound without letting him go. She pinned him and rode him and whimpers alternated the growls rising from her throat. She came a moment later and her body shivered against his, then she resumed her ride as she released his shoulder, licking the blood from his wound absently, mindlessly. All the while her hips rolled.

  Then she yelped as she felt herself lifted, and her claws came out as she caught at his arms, her complaints too guttural for speech. She didn't want him outside. She wanted him INSIDE.

  His strength was not to be denied though. He growled with both pain and purpose, and she saw his eyes blazing for just a moment before he turned her, pinned her to the wall of the tub.

  Mila's insides seemed to melt with heat, with desire, and her tail arched high as she spread her thighs and proffered herself for him, mewling pitifully as she pressed her cheek to the tile and looked back at him with all the raw longing he had kindled in her.

  He did not hesitate. He drove himself into her and filled her and a growling roar tore from her throat. She thrashed against him, failed, and shivered as she felt his strength. She was his. She was his.

  Terry fucked her hard as she growled her encouragement, far beyond the use of words. Her teeth were pink with his blood and she bared them, then her eyes rolled back as she shuddered with climax.

  He pressed down on her, pinned her, and she felt his shaft deeply as she gasped, then moaned, "Why ... did you, stop? Why? More. Terry, more! Please!"

  Their eyes met, and Terry stared down at her with an intensity in his eyes that she had only seen once or twice before. She was so lost in her heat that she couldn't place the expression. She gave up trying and mewled, "Please! Please more? I need it. I need it!"

  Nodding slowly, he shifted his grip, set a hand to the back of her neck and held her down as his hips began to shift again, rolling against her. Liquid heat blossomed in her belly, her loins fluttered around him and her eyes rolled back as she came again. She growled and mewled and struggled, but not too much, and he fucked her steadily through one orgasm after the next.

  She had never had sex during a heat before, and if this was what it felt like, she would never miss it again. Pleasure filled her, molded her, and she writhed under its influence, willingly mastered by it, by him, by the feel of his length buried deep in her body.

  The rising water reached their union and she let out a feline scream as its chill touched the burning center of her lust. Her insides clenched. She had lost count of her orgasms, but this one was monumental and every muscle in her body rippled and tensed as she thrashed under his hand.

  His orgasm reached her as a wave of heat within the cold, burning jets of brilliant sensation that made her scream again. Even after her air had run out her jaws hung open, her tongue lolling as she gazed up at him out of one eye, desperate, reduced by sensation to base instinct.

  He shifted, pulled from her, and she gasped as the cold waters lapped at the swollen folds of her sex. She made a sound of pure longing and relaxed her quivering thighs, sinking into the cold water. It did something to cool the burning within her, but it was still so hot.

  "Terrrrry," she rowled. "More?"

  "Perhaps another time."

  The voice wasn't Terry's, and Mila hissed and whirled, but as she lashed out Terry caught her wrist and turned her arm behind her, pressing it into the small of her back and forcing all but her shoulders and head beneath the water. Shy watched, her green eyes brightly glowing despite the airy light in the bath.

  Those eyes flickered from Mila to Terry as the dryad asked, "Are you okay?"

  "I'll live. You felt that?" Terry asked.

  Shy nodded, and lifted a bottle as she said, "I came running. What did you do to her?"

  As they spoke, the chill of the water began to
sink deeper, and Mila looked at the rippling surface. It was pink. She tasted it, rolled her tongue in the cage of her teeth, and as the artificial heat receded further, it began to dawn on her what she had done.

  Glancing back, she saw Terry. His shoulder was a mass of puncture wounds and blood pulsed from them, along with deep claw wounds on both arms. Blood also ran around his hips and down his sides.

  Lust died, and she sank lower into the water until only her nose and eyes were above it as she finally recognized the expression he'd worn earlier.

  Like he was fighting for his life. Against ... me.

  Shame coursed through her and her ears folded back as Terry looked down at her and said, "I induced her heat. Got more than I bargained for. If I had to guess, I'd say that because she wasn't using the mana I was giving her, she got a little overwhelmed. It's nothing. Lesson learned."

  Without another word, Shy handed over Laina's milk. Terry took it with his free hand, then looked down at Mila as he asked, "Are you okay?"

  Mila shut her eyes and nodded. He let her go, downed the milk, and the tightness around his eyes eased as the pain faded. Mila's eyes flickered to his arms, watched the blood drip from his elbows, from the fingertips of his lax free hand.

  She watched him step out of the bath and winced as she saw that his broad back was soaked with blood. The wounds were closed, but she had practically flayed wings into him with her claws.

  Terry stepped into the expansive shower and turned on the water as Mila turned her attention back to Shy, who had a hand on her hip as she met Mila's gaze.

  After a moment, Shy asked, "Are you okay?"

  The question rippled through her, fracturing her nervousness enough that she lifted herself out of the water and sat on the bench, toeing open the drain as she said, "I asked him to."

  "I know."

  Mila tilted her head as she asked, "Can you see his thoughts?"

  Shy shook her head and she came and knelt on the fluffy mat just outside the tub and folded her arms across the rim. "Not unless I'm touching him, but I know Tee would never do that to you without your permission. Did you know that you would lose control like this?"