by james
He pulled his hand away, replacing it with his lips instead. His lips slid across hers, a gentle coaxing that soon had her wrapping her arms around him. He drank from her, his lips moving across hers with the feel of silk. With the tip of his tongue, he traced her full, bottom lip, and Amelle opened her mouth under his ministrations. The gentle probing of his tongue awakened a heat inside her. I never knew it could be like this. She slid her hand across his chest, feeling his heart beat beneath her palm. He smelled like the woods, a sweet musk that tormented her.
She didn’t expect him to be so gentle. The soft brushes of his lips against hers reminded her of butterfly’s wings. Mother warned me away from the boys on market day. I cannot imagine why if it feels so wonderful. She sighed into his mouth and hesitantly touched his tongue with her own.
He groaned then, crushing her against his hard chest. He swept his tongue into her mouth, tasting her. Amelle wrapped her arms around him. Reaching up, she twined her fingers into his soft hair. It felt like the softest silk against her fingers. His hard body pressing against hers only reminded Amelle of her maidenhead. I’ve never done this before. How do I know if I’ve done it right? Cupping the back of his neck, she pressed her lips tighter against his.
He slid his hand slid down to her rear and pressed her against him. Through the leather of his breeches, she felt his hard cock. She wanted to gasp in surprise, but only managed to fuse her lips tighter to his. Where his shaft pressed against her, heat burned. From her lips to her pussy, tingles of awareness darted through her body. She wanted more. The thought surprised her, yet she found herself powerless to resist his sensual onslaught.
His other hand went to the back of her neck, holding her still. He pulled back, sucking in a gulp of air, and then he kissed her again at a more intimate angle. She felt him around her, in her, as his tongue trailed along the length of hers. She felt herself grow wet between her legs, and when he pressed her against him, she moaned into his mouth.
Kanin fought to restrain himself. After so long, he finally had Amelle in his arms. Part of him wanted to lower her to the soft ground and take here there beneath the trees, while the other part of him warned him he had to take it slow. He tried to ignore the pounding of his cock and focus on the moment.
Slowly, Kanin slid his hand up her side to cup her breast through the thin fabric of her shift. He massaged his thumb against her already hard nipple, and Amelle shivered. She pulled back, gasping for air.
Questions swirled through her mind, like why she hadn’t seen Kanin before. There seemed to be other people around, but she couldn’t see them, nor did she see the hare that she had followed. The idea of kissing Kanin in front of an audience made her feel self-conscious, and breathing raggedly, she stepped away from him. His hand slid from her flesh, and she nearly whimpered from the loss of contact.
Slowly, she trailed her gaze from his hair tousled by her hands, over the flat hard planes of his chest, to his breeches where the evidence of his arousal was clearly outlined. She glanced at the ground and saw two hares, both white as snow, sitting not far from his feet. They looked up to him in adoration. She glanced from the hares to him. He followed her gaze, scowling at the two hares.
“Raina. Tilani. Go!” he ordered in a voice so soft Amelle wondered if she had even heard him. The two animals scampered off into the underbrush.
She looked at him in shock. “What are you?” She asked, wondering what kind of man would have hares waiting at his feet. She thought again about the rabbit that had led her into the woods, its voice in her head, and how the rabbit had disappeared into the forest.
“I am Kanin,” he said with a heavy sigh, “King of the Logos.”
“The Logos?” Amelle asked.
He nodded. “The Logos are an ancient race of people. We are shape-shifters.”
Amelle gasped. “The wild hare,” she said. She stepped back, wanting to flee from Kanin, but stopped. “What do you mean?”
Kanin held out his hands. “I change my form between that of man and hare. For the most part, I am a man, but when it suits me, such as to visit you outside your cottage, I am a hare. I could shift right now if you like.”
The prospect of facing it head-on scared Amelle and she shook her head. She’d believe him. The stories he told seemed too fanciful to be real, and now she knew why her mother had warned her away from the forest and its inhabitants.
He stepped forward, the quick movement like the leap of a hare, and grabbed her arm. “Do not run from me, Amelle.” His eyes held pain, and she wondered if her actions had hurt him. He reached up and brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. “Stay with me. Be my queen. I have watched you for many months, and you deserve a life so much better than what you have. I will not be cruel to you like your mother. I can give you everything your heart desires.” His eyes darkened and his voice grew husky. “Everything.”
Amelle shivered. She wanted to be his queen. For a moment, she closed her eyes, envisioning herself leaning forward and placing a hand on his chest. She wanted to believe him and admitted that a part of her wanted to run away to be with Kanin, but she couldn’t. He wasn’t a real prince, not the kind she was looking for anyway. He would never take her to the King’s castle where she could dine with Lords and Ladies.
This is why mother warned me away from the forest. I’m better off running away to the King’s castle, at least there I wouldn’t be surrounded by creatures that can change shape at will. Amelle shook her head. “I can’t. Please take me home.”
“You can’t want that,” he said, his lips perilously close to her ear. He stroked her earlobe with his tongue. Leaning forward, he pulled the pad of flesh into his mouth. He sucked. His hot mouth and warm breath tormented her ear, and Amelle whimpered. Moisture flooded her pussy. She’d never lain with a man, but right now she wanted to explore all the delights his body offered.
She closed her hand around his upper arm. Muscles bunched beneath her fingers, and she stroked the hard flesh so very different from her own. Kanin speared her ear with his tongue, causing her to shiver. She clung to him, her other hand flat against the solid wall of his chest. His male nipple pressed against her palm, and slowly, she rotated her hand against it.
“Princess,” he breathed as he pulled his lips from her ear. His fingers skimmed her side to brush the outer edge of her breast.
Her nipples ached for his touch.
“Please stay with me. Take your rightful place as my bride.”
His words stilled her racing heart. “I can’t.” As much as she hated returning to her mother and the never-ending chores, a sense of duty drove her to step away from him. Mother may treat me as if I’m no better than a scullery maid, but at least she doesn’t change shape. Besides, she can’t keep me imprisoned in that cottage forever. “Not yet anyway,” she whispered, looking down at her feet. I could refuse him easier if mother didn’t yell at me all the time.
Kanin sighed. He fisted his hands at his sides then released a held breath. “You’ll change your mind,” he said. “I know you will.”
“Maybe,” she replied. Her lips still tingled from his kiss, and she touched a finger to them. “But not right now.”
Kanin nodded. “Very well then, Amelle. I’ll take you back, but I’m not giving up.” He stepped forward and brushed a quick kiss across her lips. “Follow me.” He said nothing further, merely turned and started back down the forest path.
Amelle watched him for a moment. Surely he’ll stop and wait for me to catch up. It wouldn’t be gentlemanly for him to just leave me standing here.
As if he read her mind, Kanin turned. He smiled, a slow seductive smile that sent heat curling to her toes. “If you keep standing there, I’ll believe that you don’t want to leave.” He held his hand out to her.
Amelle scurried to meet up with him. He extended his hand to her and reluctantly Amelle took it. After their kiss, touching Kanin seemed to be the last thing she wanted to do. I’m only holding his hand. I can do this. The feeling o
f his warm fingers surrounding hers reminded Amelle of the sensation of being kissed.
Kanin led her down the forest path, and Amelle tried not to look into the trees beyond. Insects and night birds called to one another, and beneath the canopy of trees shadows moved. She shivered.
“No one will harm you, Amelle,” Kanin said. “I am the ruler of the Logos. The forest obeys me.”
He spoke with such authority that Amelle found herself believing him, even as she wondered how one ruled the forest. In the distance, she saw the break in the trees.
Her home. She looked at the man walking next to her. For a moment, his proposal ran through her mind. To stay with him meant she didn’t need to return to her mother and the drudgery of work. She swallowed hard.
I have to go home. Kanin is a rabbit, not a prince. She sighed heavily as they stepped through a break in the trees. Moonlight illuminated the cottage, bathing it in a silvery glow.
Kanin stopped. He turned to her and brushed his knuckles against her cheek. “Please think about my offer,” he said. “I have wanted you for so long, but I will wait for you to come to me. I promise.” He leaned forward and brushed his lips across hers.
Amelle pulled back, startled. His words touched her and she willed herself to be strong. “I will,” she said. Biting her lip, she wondered how long she would really consider his offer. She took a deep breath and stepped away. Without looking back, she scurried across the cool grass. She paused outside the cottage door. Looking back, she saw Kanin standing by the forest. He watched her, and she thought she could feel his gaze running the length of her body. Slowly, she opened the cottage door and slipped inside. Rough snores coming from down the hall told her that her mother had gone to sleep, believing her daughter still held guard over the garden. I doubt she would have been upset to find me fallen over in the grass from exhaustion. Moments later, she tucked herself beneath her blankets.
Chapter Two
She lay in bed, resisting the urge to look outside and see if Kanin still stood by the forest. Through the thin wall, her mother’s snores drifted to her ears. He said he would take care of me. He is a prince after all. Her resolve crumbled as she remembered his mouth on hers, his hands on her body. Her lips tingled. Her pussy moistened, and she trailed a slender finger over her collarbone. Shivers of awareness darted through her body.
“Kanin,” she whispered, circling a taut nipple with her finger. The memory of his palm against her breast filled her body with warmth. She pinched her nipple lightly, gasping at the sudden sparks of pleasure that filled her. With her other hand, she reached up and caressed her other breast, until both nipples were hard peaks.
She slid her hand over her abdomen. The soft fabric of her dress moved beneath her hand, again evoking images of Kanin. She laid her hand over her sex, and heat radiated into her palm. Pulling up her skirt, she quickly slid a hand beneath the waistband of her under drawers.
She ran her fingers through the thatch of blonde curls, and then lower, until she stroked her outer lips. Running a finger along her seam, she felt the moisture pooling in her quim. She slid a finger inside.
Wet heat surrounded her digit. Closing her eyes, she imagined it was Kanin’s finger, that he lay beside her, his body naked to her touch. She knew that his sure fingers would stroke her pussy. She traced the opening to her vagina with her finger, and then trailed it up to her clit.
She forced herself to lie still, not wanting to wake her mother. Slowly, she circled her clit, pressing lightly on the hood that covered the sensitive organ. Her breath came in tiny pants through her parted lips. Oh Kanin, she thought as she pulled her finger away from her clit. She thrust it into her, imagining how hard and long the Logos’s penis would be inside her.
In her mind, Kanin fucked her. He lay over her, his body hard above hers. If she raised her hand, she could lay it flat against his chest. His offer burned in her mind, his body and his royalty for one small act of defection. She wanted him. She wanted to be free of her mother and free of the unending chores. Kanin wouldn’t work her, not in the kitchen anyway.
She added a second finger to the first, the rhythm of her hand quickening. Her juices coated her finger and her hand made a soft sucking noise as she pumped. Heat burst inside her cunny. Her muscles tightened around her finger. She gasped softly, and then used her thumb to press against her clit.
A tiny whimper emerged from her throat.
Her mother’s snoring stopped.
Amelle’s hand stilled. Oh my God, mother’s awake. The thought nearly made her pull her hand from her pussy, but she stopped as she heard a snort, then a steady snore through the wall.
Amelle breathed a sigh of relief. She stroked her pussy again, her arousal quickly rebuilding. Her inner muscles tightened, and then suddenly a great pleasure burst through her body. She bit her lip to keep from crying out. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, but Amelle didn’t care. If her own fingers could make her feel like this, then she wondered how much better Kanin could make her feel.
Shudders raced through her body, the last of them subsiding. She sank into the mattress, feeling sated. Her eyelids drifted closed. Maybe I should reconsider Kanin’s offer. The thought filled her mind, and then she was fast asleep.
* * * * *
Her shoulders ached. She’d woken feeling like a new person. Her juices from the night before had dried on her finger, and as she washed up at the pump she couldn’t help but think of Kanin. Her thoughts quickly vanished beneath the hard work, and now, standing at the drying racks for the herbs, she’d tried hard to forget his offer. Amelle reached up to fasten the branches above her head to dry. Her nose itched from the scent of so many drying herbs, and she felt the heat from the fire warm her back. Still, she knew Kanin wouldn’t force her to perform such hard labor. He couldn’t. He was a Prince, and surely he had servants to do all this work for him. She reached up again, the motion pushing her breasts against her thin cotton tunic. Closing her eyes, she remembered Kanin’s kisses. She sat down on the stool, rubbing her shoulders.
Her mother walked in. “Are you done with those yet?” she ordered.
“Almost, mother,” Amelle replied. She wished her mother had shown more gratitude for the help she received, but doubted Daria had shown gratitude in all her life.
“Well quit daydreaming and finish up. That beastly rabbit was eating at my flowers this morning. I want you to kill it. You‘re not to come back inside until it‘s gone.” Without waiting for a reply, Daria turned on her heel and left.
Amelle gasped. Kanin, she wondered, then shook her head. Aside from Kanin and the two white bunnies at his feet, she knew there had to be hundreds of real rabbits in the forest. It could have been any one of them. She finished hanging the last few bunches of herbs, then stepped into the garden with her broom. Daria nodded at her, and seeing that her daughter was on duty, went into the house.
Night had fallen, and still Amelle hadn’t seen the rabbit. She glanced back at the cottage, smelling the wood smoke from the fire. She shivered, wanting to go back inside, but fearing her mother’s wrath. Lying down on the cool dirt, she closed her eyes. It wouldn’t be bad, she thought, to sleep beneath the stars. Perhaps I don’t have to kill him. Maybe I can convince him not to nibble on mother’s plants. There has to be other. . .
A caress woke her. She felt a hand against her thigh, moving slowly up and down over her soft flesh. Phantom lips pressed a kiss against her lips, and Amelle sighed. The hand slid higher, across her hipbone to cup her breast. Her nipple hardened instantly. “Kanin,” she said, her voice a sleepy murmur.
“It is I, my love,” he replied.
Amelle opened her eyes to see him lying beside her. The moonlight highlighted his hair and glinted off a silver medallion at his neck. Again he wore no shirt, and she felt the supple leather of his breeches when his leg brushed hers. He leaned forward and kissed her.
His lips claimed her, branded her with his heat, and she placed her palm against his chest to steady
herself. His skin felt warm beneath her touch. With his tongue, he traced the seal of her lips, and she parted them for him. A tiny moan erupted from her throat when he squeezed her nipple. Her body felt hot and damp between her legs, and when Kanin leaned forward, sliding one of his legs between hers, she arched up against it. He groaned.
“Come with me,” he said, his hand trailing from her breast over her stomach.
“What?“ Amelle asked.
“Come be my wife. Leave this place.“ He paused at her waistline, his fingers a light caress through the fabric of her skirt. Pulling his lips from hers, he drew in a ragged breath, then began raining kisses over her neck. He dipped his tongue into the hollow of her collarbone, and Amelle gasped. She felt his hand sliding farther down, pausing at her hip. She whimpered as he angled his hand towards her quim, and when he touched her there, he silenced her cry with the press of his lips.
Amelle bucked beneath him. She pressed her aching pussy into his touch, her flesh warm and pliant beneath his fingers. Her nipples hardened against his chest, and through the thin material of her dress she felt the rough texture of his chest hair. He smelled like the woods and a fragrance that was all his own.
Mother doesn’t care about me. I could run off and do whatever I wanted and she wouldn’t care. The traitorous thought filled her mind as Kanin slipped his long fingers beneath her dress to stroke her pussy lips.
“So soft,” he whispered, his finger tunneling through her wetness.
Amelle gasped as he caressed the sensitive nub of flesh there, and she clenched her hands on his shoulders. I could go away. I could be his wife.
