When the ogre stepped through the door with his arms laden, she was in the process of fighting to free her hair from her braid. It was a familiar struggle with her unruly hair, made a hundred times worse by the dirt and greasy sweat coating the strands. Although her muscles tightened as if preparing to flee when he lumbered in, she gave the giant male a grateful smile as he set the surprisingly substantial pile on the bed.
“The lupi females who oversee the fortress are larger than you,” he grumbled, “but they offered some things that they thought might be suitable. At least they should work to replace the garments that you wear now. I couldn’t find anything to cover your legs, but my wife said she will have something ready for you tomorrow. She watches over the kitchens and keeps the other females on task.”
Agatha was suddenly overwhelmingly curious about what an ogre woman might look like, so much so that she almost missed his words as he motioned to the pile.
“I did find plenty of furs that should help,” he said as he pointed to a thick fur that tempted her fingertips until a commotion in the hall had her snatching her hand back.
She spun around in time to see several of the enormous lupi guards. She watched them enter warily. Two carried an empty tub between them, which they set in the center of the room before backing away to make space for the males who carried the buckets of cool and hot, steaming water. As they worked, she eyed them, noting that they were a little less scary now that she got a good look at them.
Oh, they still made her instinctively want to cringe because of their pure predatory nature, but fascination soon usurped all traces of fear. Without their heavy helmets, they didn’t appear to be all teeth and hellish glowing eyes. Instead, their wolfen facial features seemed more natural than she would have guessed, although they possessed too many human characteristics to truly be lupine in appearance.
Realizing that she was staring, she nearly turned her eyes away. That was until she noticed that, although they remained calm and exact in their movements around her, their eyes darted frequently to her, betraying the fact they were equally curious about her. Ears perked to her, tracking her movements as she shifted in place, uncertain of what to do. She certainly wasn’t accustomed to anyone waiting on her.
When the last one finished with his bucket, he poured what was left of the cool water into two large pitchers that were set by the tub, no doubt so she could adjust the temperature and make the bathwater cooler if necessary. The lupi stood there, watching her. She wondered if they expected her to strip and climb into the tub right in front of them.
“They are waiting for a sign that they are dismissed,” Opis grunted from where he was spreading the things he brought across the bed for her inspection. She glanced over her shoulder at him.
“Are you serious?” she hissed.
He looked at her with narrowed eyes, and she sighed. Well, when in Rome…
She turned a smile on the males. “I’m sorry. I’m afraid I don’t really know the procedure around here but thank you for the lovely bath. Ah, you can return to whatever it is that you were pulled away from.”
One of the males snorted, and several muzzles struggled to mask laughter. Moving with a graceful speed that she envied, the males slipped away, most of them giving her small bows before departing. She was grateful that they were quick about it, however, because she was practically fidgeting in place with eagerness. When the door finally closed behind them, she directed an appreciative look toward the steaming water. She couldn’t wait a moment later to plunge in, modesty be damned.
“Well, Opis, I thank you for everything, but unless you’d like to hang around and get an eyeful of naked human and an earful of whatever opinion your wife might have about that, I suggest you go away now,” she said cheerfully with a small shooing motion.
A low chuckle rattled from the ogre, surprising her, and the giant male strode forward as he directed an amused look her way.
“I don’t think my wife would like that much, but she might like you. You stop by the kitchen and see her. She’ll like that,” he said before his hefty frame disappeared through her doorway, the heavy wooden door slamming shut behind him.
“Well, here we are then. It’s just you and me,” she announced to the tub with a wild grin.
Agatha was certain that she had never stripped so fast in her life. Clothes were flung carelessly to the floor, and a moment later, she was stepping into the basin and easing herself into the bone-melting hot water. It was just shy of hot enough to scald, and she sighed from the pleasure of it. Slipping down deeper into the tub, she ducked her head and scrubbed at the strands, soaking her hair before resurfacing.
Sputtering, she wiped the water out of her eyes and noticed that one of the lupi had left a container holding various bottles with haircare products. She opened one bottle and sighed at the pleasant smell of ginger, rosemary, and something sweet like mint coming from the bottle. The slightly astringent smell promised cleanliness. Happily, she noted that there was a yellow bar of soap that had a similar scent in the container as well.
Humming a holiday carol, she set to work scrubbing herself, her thoughts often wandering to the master of the fortress. Her mind kept returning to the crisp, enticing way he smelled like a fire on a cold night, the excitement that his touch provoked, and the strength of his body. It all played havoc with her imagination, and her body responded with the longing of a woman who had gone unsatisfied for a very long time.
Agatha groaned. Aquilo was far from the sort of guy to indulge herself with. He wasn’t even human! Rolling her eyes at the direction of her fantasies, she returned her attention to scrubbing herself clean and didn’t stop until her skin was pinkened and the water practically gray with grime. Only then did she step out of the cooling water with a satisfied sigh and dried herself with a pleasantly warmed towel before she wrapped herself in a robe that waited nearby.
Truly clean for the first time in what felt like forever, Agatha began exploring the clothing and furs that waited for her. She wanted to feel at least something like her old self when she faced Aquilo again. Maybe then she would feel a bit less overwhelmed and affected by his presence.
Chapter 6
Aquilo braced his forearm against the hearth and frowned down at the blue flames leaping within it as his opposite hand rubbed his chest. It was strange how raw he felt there, as if the sudden licks of heat he had encountered in Agatha’s presence had scraped away something within him, leaving an open wound where previously it had only been numb.
He had been aware of the cold emptiness, but now it hurt. Worst of all, he wanted to taste it again and again.
With an inward groan, his eyes slid to the side, meeting the glowing eyes of the lupi standing guard at the opposite side of the room. Their gaze had fixed on him, and their ears pricked toward him from the openings in their helmets with a watchful wariness.
He understood their concern. He was not acting like himself, and that made him unpredictable.
It made him potentially dangerous.
His wings lifted, pumping behind him in a pulsing rhythm. He resisted the urge to take to the air and fly through his fortress to hunt out the very source of the dark need that unfurled from deep within him, slowly widening the void that Agatha’s warmth had left. A shiver stole over him, and his eyes squeezed shut, though he could not block out the rising anxiety from his lupi. Even the griffins were pacing near the throne, wings rattling as they hissed at one another.
His hand closed harder around the upper ledge of the hearth, and powder dusted his fingers as the marble threatened to crumble beneath his grip. His throne room felt even darker and more oppressive than ever. His upper lip curled back from his teeth as he fought back a snarl, their sharp tips exposed in a way that he knew would be frightening if Agatha saw it.
Of all the venti, the winds, he was the most terrible and the most predatory.
There was a soft movement from his lupi that was followed by a muffled tap of booted footstep that were far
too quiet to belong to any ogre. Nor did the muted warmth that seemed to fill the room and waken within him.
He knew that his eyes were likely glowing as he turned toward the sound, his expression feral and beyond his ability to control. It instantly melted away, however, when his eyes settled on the woman striding into the room, the heavier footsteps of Opis now falling in line behind her at a comfortable pace for the male. The beautiful calf-length tunic swished around her body elegantly with every step, the braided belt cinching in the material around her waist, bringing attention to the generous width of her hips and the swell of her breasts.
An irresistible longing filled him, and he was consumed with the urge to touch and explore her curves—to dig his fingers into her hair and pull her up against him, to get lost in her and enfold her in his wings. The needy void within him whispered to just grab her to him, chain her to his side if necessary. He attempted to push that desire away, but the yearning only intensified when she stopped a few feet away and gave him a curious look.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, the uncertainty in her voice snapping him free from the grip of the turmoil brewing within him.
Slowly, he forced his hand free from the hearth, pretending to not notice the way the dust and fragments of marble fell with the absence of his palm holding the crushed stone in place. He swept a small bow as he watched her with blatant admiration.
“It is now. My hall has never been a better place than it is now with you in it,” he rasped, pleased when a smile lit her face.
He liked that he made her smile and resolved to make it happen as often as possible while she was in his company. More than anything, however, he wanted her to feel comfortable and safe to be near him.
“Thank you,” she replied.
He inclined his head and his eyes moved past her to where Opis waited. The male’s expression was fixed in its usual scowl, but he was no longer sneering at Agatha, which was a remarkable improvement. It indicated that he may even like her, at least a little. Not that the ogre would ever admit it. Despite how warm and affectionate female ogres were, males were the opposite. Aquilo suspected that a male would gnaw off a limb before admitting any kind of fondness for anyone other than his mate.
“Eltha has the meal prepared,” Opis announced in a gravelly voice.
Aquilo murmured his thanks and held out a hand to his human companion. Agatha’s eyebrows rose, but she took his hand and allowed him to tuck it around his arm. He guided her through another doorway that emptied into a lit corridor leading toward the serving hall. The ornately carved low table surrounded by benchlike couches dominated the room.
Despite all the space, he selfishly wanted to keep her nearby and sat her directly to his left on a garnet-hued cushion. She gave him a curious look as he settled on a similar couch, close enough that he could feel the spark of her presence next to him. He motioned to the table, turning her attention to the food that Eltha set in front of them. The ogress, nearly as big as her mate and clad in earth-tone wool clothing, caught his eye with a meaningful look and directed an approving smile toward Agatha that his human did not see before slipping away.
Agatha frowned as she glanced around and realized that they were alone.
“Is no one eating with us in here?”
He shook his head. “The lupi take their meals with their families in the western wing of the fortress in shifts. They are pack oriented and are most comfortable taking their mealtime with their mates and young.”
“And what of Opis and Eltha?”
An amused sound, almost like the rusty growl of seldom used laughter, escaped him at the question. It had the unfortunate consequence of earning him a glare from Agatha, but he raised a placating hand. She did not yet understand the creatures that inhabited the Hyperborean Mountains.
“My apologies. I do not mean to laugh at you. Ogre males are extremely possessive and protective of their mates. Opis would not be comfortable eating anywhere with Eltha that is not secluded. They are very long-lived and slow to breed, but I imagine that he would be even worse if they had offspring. In any case, I have always taken my meals alone in here, but now I have you.”
She seemed taken aback at his observation, but her surprise was soon replaced with another blush and shy smile.
“That you do. I would be happy to keep you company dining, in that case. Although I confess that I didn’t realize gods could eat,” Agatha remarked.
He shrugged carelessly with his wings. Agatha seemed to find it fascinating, with the way her gaze followed the movement.
“We do not find it necessary as biological beings do, but most of us enjoy it, regardless. In my fortress, I am afraid it is perhaps the only source of real pleasure to be had,” he replied as he reached by, his hand brushing hers, to pluck up a segment of plum soaked and preserved in honey. Agatha gasped at the contact, but there was no mistaking the fact that her eyes followed as he lifted the fruit to his lips and popped it into his mouth.
At the fruit’s contact with his tongue, the flavor swam over his senses. How was it that even the taste seemed brighter and more flavorful? He pushed the fruit around in his mouth with his tongue as he slowly chewed it, weighing the experience as he consumed the plum.
Delicious.
As he licked the traces of honey from his lips, he absently wondered if Agatha would taste as sweet. His eyes slid over her possessively. He was certain that she would taste better than the ripest and most succulent fruit. The warmth that was gathered within him trickled down low, deep into his belly, as he entertained the thought until he felt his balls tighten and his cock stiffen.
Worry teased at the corners of his mind. He was not human, and his cock bore little semblance to that of a human man… Would Agatha even welcome that sort of attention from one not of her own kind? Thankfully, that question did not require an immediate answer. His erection was well-concealed by his tunic due to the angle at which he was reclined. If Agatha picked up at all on his strange behavior, she did not comment on it.
Instead, she engaged him in conversation about his mountain, asking numerous questions regarding what beings called the mountain their home, his rulership and his life there over the centuries. She surprised him by asking clever questions that pertained to his divine tasks and how he occupied himself. It delighted him that, although he had already told her he was the god of the north wind, she didn’t seem to take it at face value that it was the entire sum of his existence. Her questions were precise and made it clear that she was genuinely interested. Every time he spoke, her eyes fastened on him, attention fully on him with rapt fascination.
“I do not mind my tasks. The winter wind is my responsibility, but I was not expecting to take up the mantle so early,” he explained as they methodically pulled apart and ate their servings of fried cod.
Agatha licked away the mingled flavor of seasoning and preserves from her lips, the gesture triggering a tightening within him, as she gave him an openly curious look.
“I can’t say I enjoy an early winter either, especially since every year it seems to get harder. The more humanity tries to ‘recover’ rather than just start over with something more practical for our situation, the more people like me are pushed out of the way as an acceptable loss.”
He grimaced at the emotional weight that bore down on him at her observation. He did not like the idea that he had inadvertently caused her suffering, although it had not escaped his notice that the season did not go without suffering, even as it was filled with a strange merriment that he always felt barred from.
Aquilo did not know how to respond. Perhaps he should apologize? He had little choice in the matter, but if it would bring her some comfort, he would not hesitate to offer it.
“What do you enjoy about the winter when you’re not occupied with sending, oh, sleet, wind, and snow?” she asked cheerfully, thankfully changing the direction of the conversation.
Unfortunately, her question left him without an answer.
His bro
ws drew together in a puzzled frown. What did he enjoy?
“Food is enjoyable,” he repeated as it was genuinely the only pleasure that came to his mind. “I do not think I understand exactly what you are asking,” he admitted a moment later.
Setting her two-pronged fork down on the table beside her, she folded her hands and stacked them beneath her chin as she watched him carefully, like one trying to work out a puzzle.
“Okay, let’s try it this way. What have been your favorite parts of this winter?”
His frown deepened into a scowl as he attempted to separate any memory of the last couple of months as particularly enjoyable. There was the time he caused an avalanche on the western side of the mountain, but that had been less enjoyable than worrying as he searched for any sign of beings who might have accidentally been caught outdoors in it. His other notable memories of that winter were not much better. The only bright light of his winter was Agatha. And just that easily, he settled on an answer.
“This moment, right now,” he said finally.
Her eyes widened and blinked at him, but it immediately shifted as her expression softened. “Well then, seeing as all my winters have been terrible and there’s no excuse for you because you can literally have anything here, I think we have an obligation to make sure we have a wonderful solstice,” she announced so firmly that it drew a rusty laugh from him.
He never realized that anyone could be so determined to have a good time. And just because it was solstice? It seemed like a peculiar reason. He hosted a fine dinner when Apollo stopped with his chariot, but Aquilo did not otherwise mark the day, nor harbor any special feelings for it that would make him expend any effort for merriment. Perhaps that was something unique to humans, although he was certain that the lupi had their own strange customs that he more often than not ignored since it was kept isolated to their wing.
Matchsticks: A Dark Spirits Fairytale Page 4
