The Beast's Beloved

by Amber Burns

  “Morkessa’s been looking for you, Vylkur,” said the lone, female dark elf who was clearly the party’s leader. “She has been simply beside herself since your sudden departure.”

  “I’ll bet she has,” Vylkur replied tersely as he slowly rose to his feet. “Why, whatever is she to do without her favorite whipping boy?”

  “Know your place, whelp,” the dark elf snapped. “Come with us now, and I won’t tell your mistress about your...indiscretion after we kill him,” she added while flicking her gaze over to Dorlyn. She motioned with one finger, and the other dark elves in the party immediately trained their crossbows upon the wood elf.

  “You will not harm him,” Vylkur said darkly while putting himself between Dorlyn and the others. “And I will not be going back with you...not now, not ever.” The air began to crackle with magic.

  “Kill them both!” the female shrieked. “Quickly!”

  Before a single bolt could be loosed, however, Vylkur cast a spell that engulfed the hunting party in pillars of flame. Their agonized shrieks filled the air along with the smell of burning flesh, and one by one, they fell to the ground as dead, charred husks.

  Dorlyn slowly lowered his bow and cast his gaze around in disbelief. “You killed them...all of them.”

  “It was them or us,” Vylkur replied simply while tucking a lock of hair behind his pointed ear and regarding Dorlyn cautiously. He visibly relaxed when Dorlyn slipped his arrow back into his quiver.

  “I’m pleased that you chose us,” Dorlyn remarked with a small chuckle that he hoped masked what he was truly feeling. Not only had Vylkur killed his fellow dark elves, but he had sought to protect Dorlyn from them. Dorlyn had required no further proof that Vylkur was in fact cut from a different cloth than his kin, and the urge to kiss him was nearly overwhelming.

  Vylkur smiled then. “As am I.”

  Dorlyn held Vylkur’s gaze for a few moments more before clearing his throat and kicking dirt over the fire. “Come, we should leave this place immediately.” He looked skyward at the sound of thunder. “A storm will be upon us soon. I know where we can find shelter and remain undetected until the storm passes.”

  Vylkur nodded. “Lead on.”

  Dorlyn spoke not another word as he quickly led Vylkur deeper into the woods. He quickened his pace as the rolling thunder grew in both volume and frequency, for he knew time was of the essence. Just as the first raindrops began to fall, Dorlyn reached his intended desolation in the form of an isolated cave that very few of his people knew about. Dorlyn had used it as a refuge many times when he had been caught in a storm or heavy snowfall, and he pushed aside the heavy growth of ivy and vines now in order to grant Vylkur and himself access to the dark cavern within.

  “I don’t think I will ever grow to like the rain,” Vylkur muttered while rubbing his arms in order to warm himself.

  “I will build a fire once we are deeper in,” Dorlyn assured as he led the way. “There should be a ready supply of dry wood, and there is a pool in which you can wash yourself.”

  “Oh, thank the Gods,” Vylkur replied with a sigh of relief.

  Neither elf had difficulty navigating the dark due to their keen eyesight, and when Dorlyn deemed them deep enough in the cave, he began gathering up the materials needed for a campfire. While he busied himself, Vylkur crossed over to the sunken pool a few meters away. He removed his boots and cautiously dipped his toes into the water, only to be pleasantly surprised to find that the water was quite warm.

  Dorlyn heard Vylkur’s gasp of delight and smiled as he stoked the flames of the campfire. “It’s a natural hot spring,” he explained. “It’s the reason why this cave is my favorite…” He looked over just in time to see Vylkur strip himself completely bare. “...refuge,” he finished before hurriedly returning his gaze to the fire. He heard Vylkur slip into the pool, but it was not until the pleasured sigh reached his ears that prompted Dorlyn to close his eyes and steel himself against the growing needs of his body.

  What happened between the two of them in the woods simply could not happen again. It would only spell trouble for the both of them. The kiss Dorlyn shared with Vylkur would simply be a dirty, little secret that they would carry to their eventual graves.

  “Feeling better?” Dorlyn asked somewhat hoarsely after a few moments. He kept his gaze pointedly away from the pool.

  “Infinitely,” Vylkur replied with an underlying purr.

  The corners of Dorlyn’s mouth turned up into a small smile. “Take as long as you wish,” he said as he looked towards the mouth of the cave. “With the way the rain is now pouring from the skies, I doubt we will be leaving this place until the early hours of morning.”

  “Just as well,” Vylkur replied before submerging into the pool completely only to reemerge a few moments later. “A night of solid rest after such a lovely soak sounds just about perfect to me.” He fell silent.

  “Something wrong?” Dorlyn asked while sparing the smallest of glances upon hearing a series of splashes. He saw Vylkur with his elbows propped along the edge of the pool, and even in the dark, he could see the elf’s frown.

  “I just realized that I have no other clothes apart from the ones I was wearing,” Vylkur replied while eyeing the pile of discarded clothing. “The idea of having to put those dirty things back on is making my skin crawl.”

  Dorlyn grinned. “I think I might have a solution to that,” he said before turning away from the fire and reaching for the satchel he knew was there from his precious times in the cave. He opened the flap and began rummaging around the contents within. “There should hopefully be some...ah, yes. We’re in luck,” he said while drawing out a fresh shirt and trousers. “Now, I can’t vouch for the fit,” he said while rising to his feet and crossing over to the pool with the clothing in hand. “But, at least they’re clean and dry,” Dorlyn said with a smile while crouching and placing the clothing neatly down on the cave floor.

  “Just when I think there’s nothing more you can possibly do for me,” Vylkur mused with a smile. “Gods, Dorlyn...you have done so much more for me in our limited time together than anyone else I have ever encountered in my life.” He reached out and tentatively placed a hand upon Dorlyn’s. “Thank you...from the bottom of my heart.”

  Dorlyn placed a hand over Vylkur’s before he could stop himself, and he found that he could not tear his gaze from the dark elf’s. “I would do it again,” he admitted in a murmur. His heart warmed and fluttered at the admission, even as his mind screamed in protest.

  Vylkur nervously licked his lips. “There’s…” He cleared his throat. “There’s room in this pool for two,” he murmured while shyly averting his eyes. “If you would like to join me, that is.”

  “Do you wish for me to join you?” Dorlyn asked. One word from Vylkur would seal his fate, for the wood elf could not find the resolve to move away.

  Vylkur returned his gaze to Dorlyn. “Yes,” he whispered fervently with. “Very much so.”

  Dorlyn slowly exhaled a shaky breath and drew his hand away so he could unclasp his cloak and let it fall from his shoulders. “I won’t be able to stop myself this time,” he remarked huskily.

  Vylkur smiled and nervously bit his bottom lip even as his green eyes glimmered with growing want. “I wouldn’t want you to.”

  Vylkur’s smile grew when Dorlyn nodded, and he held his breath as he watched the wood elf undress. Even without the glow of the firelight, Vylkur would have been able to see the sculpted muscles of his long, lean body, but the shadows of the flames licked and caressed along the smooth, perfect planes of Dorlyn’s body while bathing him in a warm erotic glow. Already, Vylkur felt himself hardening below the surface of the water, and he gasped at the sight of Dorlyn’s long, hardening length once he pushed his trousers down past his hips.

  When the last of Dorlyn’s clothing had been tossed aside, Vylkur turned to face him as he slipped into the pool; and, when the wood elf drew him into his arms, Vylkur went very willingly. Dorlyn’s lips
slanted over Vylkur’s, and he kissed him deeply while pressing his naked body flush against his own. There was nothing keeping their ever-hardening manhood’s from pressing against their flesh, and both elves clung to one another with a growing desperation while moaning as their tongues danced intimately.

  Any and all hesitation they had previously felt succumbed to the pull of raw, primal lust; and, when Dorlyn broke the kiss in favor of trailing kisses over the line of Vylkur’s jaw, the dark elf did not hesitate in making his pleasure known. Every brush of Dorlyn’s lips and every light graze of his teeth against his flesh elicited an excited gasp; but, it was not until Dorlyn began nibbling along the dark shell of Vylkur’s pointed ear that a loud wanton whimper escaped his ebony lips. His knees buckled, and had Vylkur not been already clinging to Dorlyn, he would have sunk into the water like a stone.

  Dorlyn’s arms tightened around Vylkur, and his hands moved to cup the smaller elf’s smooth and round backside. His hands were firm, yet tender as they held Vylkur in place and kept him supported as the dark elf began grinding and rocking against his thigh. Dorlyn kissed him again and removed one hand from Vylkur’s backside in favor of wrapping it around his now fully erect member. He gently squeezed the base before slowly stroking his hand up the pulsing shaft, and he smiled into the kiss when Vylkur shuddered and arched his back.

  “Oh...oh, Dorlyn,” Vylkur whimpered against the wood elf’s lips as his own hand found its way to Dorlyn’s throbbing erection. His breath hitched in his throat when Dorlyn’s thumb brushed over the soft head of his manhood, and Vylkur nibbled his way down his lover’s throat before burying his face in the crook of his neck as he began stroking the hard length in his hand. “Dorlyn…”

  The desperation and want in Vylkur’s voice appealed to something deep inside of Dorlyn’s very soul, and he reciprocated with a wordless cry of euphoria as he and his lover stroked each other in tandem. He nuzzled into Vylkur’s wet hair while nibbling his ear, and then gasped and shuddered when the dark elf nipped his racing pulse before tracing his warm tongue down his chest and around his left nipple.

  “Vylkur…” Dorlyn moaned while quickening the pace of his hand.

  “D...Dorlyn!” Vylkur cried while clinging tightly to the wood elf and stroking him faster. “I’m...I’m…!” The entirety of his petite body went stiff for several moments before shuddering hard, and he arched his back while throwing his head back with a euphoric cry of release that reverberated off the cave walls. His hand faltered in the throes of his powerful orgasm before falling away entirely from Dorlyn’s manhood as his body succumbed to the weightlessness of orgasmic bliss.

  Dorlyn was not angry that he himself had not finished. Rather, he cradled Vylkur against him as the dark elf’s entire body went limp in the aftermath of his climax. He nuzzled into Vylkur’s hair while slowly rubbing his back, and when Vylkur turned his face up to him at last, Dorlyn did not hesitate in kissing him long and slow.

  “Take me,” Vylkur whispered fervently against Dorlyn’s lips. “Please.”

  “Is that what you really want?” Dorlyn asked huskily while lightly rubbing his nose against Vylkur’s. His heart raced excitedly at the prospect of having his way with the dark elf, and if it was possible, his manhood became even harder. But, in light of what Vylkur had told him about never being given a choice in his past sexual encounters, Dorlyn steadfastly refused to act without unequivocal consent. “The choice is entirely yours.”

  Vylkur smiled and brushed his lips against Dorlyn’s. “Thank you,” he whispered emphatically while gazing into the wood elf’s eyes. “And I choose to be taken by you.” He kissed him again. “If we are never to see each other again once you show me out of the woods, then I will at least have the memory of this night as an eternal reminder of how intimacy is meant to be between two people.”

  Without saying a word, Dorlyn climbed out of the pool, then turned and helped Vylkur out. The moment the dark elf was out of the water, Dorlyn lifted him into his arms and kissed him deeply while carrying him closer to the campfire. He smiled into the kiss when Vylkur eagerly wrapped his legs around him and kissed him back, and already Dorlyn’s hands were massaging Vylkur’s buttocks to relax him for what was to come. The head of his aching length brushed against Vylkur’s backside with every step, and Dorlyn delighted in every shiver of anticipation it drew from the dark elf.

  “Please be gentle,” Vylkur whispered against Dorlyn’s lips as the wood elf slowly sank to his knees beside the fire. “I’ve never been with a man before.”

  In truth, he had never been with anyone but Morkessa. It simply had not been allowed; but, now that Vylkur was free of his cruel and sadistic mentor, at last, he was ready to explore the desires that had always been forbidden to him. He had always been intrigued by the prospect of being intimate with a man, but now that it was about to happen, it had shifted from a lingering curiosity into an uncontrollable need.

  Dorlyn smiled. “I can’t promise that there will be no pain whatsoever in the beginning, but I will take every possible step to ensure that any discomfort you feel will be minimal.”

  Vylkur gazed deeply into Dorlyn’s eyes. “I trust you,” he whispered after several moments of silence, and he meant it.

  Dorlyn said nothing but simply kissed Vylkur while gently easing him down onto his back. As he trailed lingering kisses down Vylkur’s neck and chest, Dorlyn reached for the satchel and rummaged around until his fingers closed around a small jar. He sat back on his heels then and held the jar up for Vylkur to see.

  “An herbal ointment,” Dorlyn explained. “It’s meant to soothe sore and tired muscles after battles and sparring matches, but I think it will serve us well in our situation,” he said with a smile while opening the jar.

  As Dorlyn dipped a finger inside the jar, his eyebrows both raised in curiosity as Vylkur shifted and rose up onto his hands and knees. He watched transfixed and shivered as the dark elf leaned down and swirled his tongue around the belled head of his straining manhood; but it was not until Vylkur parted his lips and began slowly taking Dorlyn’s length into his mouth that the wood elf’s eyes rolled into the back of his head before fluttering closed. Vylkur was unable to take in every inch of him, but it mattered not to Dorlyn. Vylkur’s mouth was still sinful as could be, and he more than made up for his lack of experience with enthusiasm.

  Vylkur was eager to please. That much was obvious. That driving need was so ingrained into his very being that he simply could not escape it. But Dorlyn was determined to help him break the cycle. At least for tonight. For tonight, Vylkur would experience the delight of a generous and thorough lover, and it was that thought that gave Dorlyn the resolve to gently pry Vylkur off his manhood before kissing him.

  “There will be time for that later, if you find yourself having the energy,” Dorlyn murmured with a smile. “For now, let me make you mine.” He kissed Vylkur again. “At least for tonight.” Another kiss. “Trust me, and know that you will come to no harm by my hand.”

  Vylkur raised his right hand and cupped Dorlyn’s cheek. “I trust you,” he murmured with a smile before slowly lying back down and spreading his legs while bending his knees.

  “Good,” Dorlyn replied while coating his fingers in the ointment. Putting the jar aside, he positioned his fingers against Vylkur’s puckered opening. “Be at ease,” he soothed while his fingers gently massaged the virginal skin.

  Vylkur sighed and bit his bottom lip as he closed his eyes. He surrendered himself completely over to Dorlyn as he prepared his body for him. He stiffened a little in initial discomfort when Dorlyn slipped the first finger into him, but the wood elf was infinitely gentle as he worked the single digit in and out of him, and by the time a second finger was carefully added, Vylkur was moaning softly in growing pleasure. Feeling himself hardening again, he reached down with his right hand and began slowly stroking himself.

  Dorlyn was vigilant in his ministrations, and paid close attention to every sound and facial expression Vylkur
made as he continued to work his tight hole. If he detected even a slight note of discomfort, he would stop until Vylkur begged him to continue. By the time the dark elf’s opening had been loosened enough to allow for the careful addition of a third finger, Vylkur was writhing and whimpering beneath him like a wanton creature of unadulterated lust.

  Dorlyn, himself, was finding it increasingly difficult to not simply take Vylkur hard and fast. The sounds escaping Vylkur’s soft lips coupled with the sight of him stroking his utterly perfect manhood that glistened at the tip with drops of his seed were both working to arouse Dorlyn beyond all reason. He did not know how much longer he would be able to control himself.

  “Dorlyn,” Vylkur pleaded breathlessly while gazing up at his wood elf lover through half-lidded eyes. “Dorlyn, please take me. I need to feel you inside of me. Please.”

  “Thank the Gods,” Dorlyn breathed with an obvious sigh of relief while slowly drawing his fingers out of his lover. He wasted no time in generously coating his engorged, weeping manhood with the salve before shifting his position and touching the head of his length to Vylkur’s waiting hole.