The Goddess Redemption #2 - Spellbound (a Paranormal Romance) (5 page)

****

Sara knew who she was. The Goddess of the Hunt, daughter of Zeus. Artemis. But she also stored a lifetime of memories as Sara. Those thoughts were pushed firmly into a corner as she felt her hunter nip his way up, from her breast to her neck, tickling her skin into goose pimples and making her shudder in need. She had missed him for far too long.

There was an urgency to his touch which grew exponentially with each stroke, each feel. She kissed down his chest and abdomen, growing impatient with exploration, needing to discover the treasure of sensations promised in every press of his lips. She stroked his hardened shaft in her hand and he let out a gasp of pleasure that brought a soft playful laughter from her. It wasn’t the first time she had held it in her hand, admiring the throbs of longing that seemed to make it come alive. She teased the tip with her finger
and it earned her a sharp intake of breath from him.

“You tease, love. And I have waited too long.”
His voice was raspy with passion as she lowered her mouth to him and teased him. When she took him in, he felt stiff and full on top of her tongue and she stroked the soft thin skin underneath. He wrapped his hands in her hair and pulled her closer, but she held her ground as she moved back and forth along the length of his cock, rendering a soft sucking noise that was loud in her ears. She knew he was near explosion when he violently forced her head back and away from him. He held her back for a moment while he gained control.

Moments later, he looked at her hungrily and picked her up. With fluidity, she wrapped her legs around him as he carried her through the room and down the small hall to her bedroom. The mattress was worn and soft as he threw them both down. His lips pressed against hers as her hands ran up and down his back.

He kissed her along her neck and shoulders, teasing his way down her chest and the valley between her breasts. Down further, his lips roamed lightly over her stomach and still he trailed south. Each kiss was a caress to her skin. She wiggled underneath him as his tongue dipped in between the soft fleshy folds, expertly stroking the pinpoint of her desire. She groaned and filled her fists with his hair as she pulled his mouth closer to the valley between her legs. He sucked and licked at her until she was soaked in longing.

T
hen he kissed his way back up. Hot and tingly was every single kiss along the center of her abdomen, between her breasts and up her neck. She threw her head back and felt him nibble over the top of her chin. When she lowered it and his lips found her own, once again, the taste of her on his tongue drove her half-mad.

He rested his weight against her and she could feel his cock dig into her, sliding between her thighs, slippery from his attention. When he drove into her, the sensation was a mixture of pleasure, pain and surprise. Artemis was no virgin, but Sara was innocent. When she gasped, it alarmed hi
m, freezing him in place. She knew he hadn’t expected it either and he whispered love into her ears as he held her through the pain.

“No man has ever been so lucky
,” he whispered. “To lie with the woman he loves twice for the first time. It is too sweet a gift.” His voice cracked around the words, his emotions heightened and raw.

Slowly the pain faded, giving way to the pleasure she knew would come as her body accepted the
sweet invasion. With long even strokes, he worked the ache away until her body started responding in kind. She loved him and her flesh reacted, moving her hands to bring him closer, deeper. She pulled him in as he pushed forward and she struggled to pull him back as he moved away. She clung to him as he worked, in and out, forwards and back, all the while smothering her with kisses and whispers and love. Their lovemaking took on a life of its own as the whole affair became wilder with need.

He dug into her virginal tunnel, carving his path and then retreating, only to plunge in again.
Her muscles were tight around his shaft as it moved all the way in, grinding. She wanted the moment to last forever, but she had lost control somewhere in between his strokes and the orgasm tumbled forth from her depths, causing a low moan to escape her.

“I’ve missed you, so much
,” he whispered as he rocked her through her climax, his own, only strokes away. When he spilled into her, it wound her tight again with want, her body begging him to continue, begging for another round of sensation, another explosion of satisfaction.

****

He couldn’t deny her. Her hands cupped his cheeks, keeping his cock rooted in her as she wiggled underneath, grinding her hips into his until he stiffened once again for the huntress. Slowly he worked, in small strokes, just enough to stoke the fire inside him. As the flames of passion started licking the ceiling of his heart, he felt her spasm around his manhood, tensing and releasing in uncontrollable waves. His own release seemed miles away and the journey promised to be entertaining as he rolled them both over, bringing her to rest on top of him.

She used his chest to lift herself up to a sitting position. Her long dark hair spilled around her face, framing its perfection. Her green eyes gleamed and glistened with desire as she ground out another orgasm. His second release soon followed and they found themselves spent in each other’s arms, the entire day far away and quiet in his mind.
It won’t continue, this moment of satisfaction and intimacy, but it will be enough for now
.

Alin’s fur bristled. He was annoyed; the woman would not shut up. When she wasn’t screaming, she was crying. He had gagged her himself, he needed peace. But she still cried and the gag only muffled her noise. Humans were fragile, they needed sleep, but so far the woman was wide awake and the fear in her eyes was the only consolation she gave him. She had been given water, but she had turned it over and thrown the bowl. He wondered if she would do it again. She had been gagged for hours, she had to be thirsty.
Let her thirst
.

He knew the hunters would come for her.
Moreover, when they did, his pack would be ready.

****

He didn’t know what to call himself in his mind. He struggled with both identities as he held her in his arms. She had fallen asleep with her head on his chest. As gods, they required no sleep.
Nevertheless, his human body felt weary and it wasn’t long before he too slipped into unconsciousness.

He awoke when she lifted her head. The black of early morning was a void of light
through the window of the cabin. He lay there and watched her naked form rise from the bed and slip into her robe. When she left the room, he jumped from the bed and followed her. He was afraid separation would take away his memories. They were still coming as though a fog was being lifted. He caught up with her as she was crossing the room and he spun her around to face him.

“Why are we human?” he asked her and she dropped her eyes.

“It is my fault,” he heard her whisper though he had never intended to make her uncomfortable. He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her. “This is my punishment,” she whispered into his chest.
What punishment, who could she have ever wronged?

He didn’t press although the questions were running wild in his mind. None of it mattered when she was in his arms. Besides, they had much more worrisome problems that had to be faced.

****

Sara was glad when he posed no more questions. It was obvious; he could not remember his death or the circumstances around it. Guilt washed over her and out of selfishness she kept the words unsaid as he held her.

“We need to gather some supplies. We will have a long journey today. Your sister is in danger.” Meg was like a silent scream in her mind forcing its way to the center of her thoughts and she should have been relieved that he would bring up the subject, but instead, his words stung. She remembered the way he had acted around Meg.
The same as any other man
, the voice in her head said and she knew she was being childish. Her plate was full enough without a serving of envy on the side, but there it was all the same, waiting for her to take a bite. She broke off the embrace.

“You are right
,” was all she said. She found her clothes on the floor and threw them in a pile of others to be mended. His own clothes had not suffered the same abuse and she watched him slip on his pants. His shirt was still hanging outside on the axe handle where he had been splitting wood the day before. He had removed it while talking to Meg, she remembered, and had to choke down another healthy dose of jealousy.

She busied herself with gathering
the potions left at her disposal and placed them in a waist satchel that she often used to gather herbs on her forays into the forest. She had dressed in britches, forgoing the dress she normally wore. She had offered to go into town and secure them both horses, but
he
said they could move without detection easier on foot, so she loaded her satchel with a canteen of water and some cheese, figs, and salt cured venison on top of the potions she had already packed. When she stepped outside, he was on her heels and nearly plowed into her when she paused, catching sight of the mound of fur lying beyond the garden.

“It was the one chasing you, when you were running after her
,” he said, retrieving the arrow. He helped her drag the corpse into the trees. The damn thing could rot for all she cared.

“When they die, they become human, as soon as the sun sees them
,” he said and she remembered Eduard and how peaceful he had looked in death. But in life he was no longer the stable boy she knew, instead, he was a monster with fangs and yellow eyes. He was a murderer. That bothered her the most about the creatures she had created. The transition forever removed the human quality. How long must she pay for her crime? Had she been forgotten?

She wanted to cry out to her father, but she held her tongue. The gods wouldn’t aid her. Meg was of no importance to them. She probably wasn’t either, for that matter, or her lover.

They followed the path she had taken the previous day, before breaking from the trail and hiking single file. Sara was terrified, but Artemis was feeling more alive by the minute as the signs of the pack began to become more and more frequent. When they spoke to each other, it was more silence than whisper.

The sun was high
in the sky as they came upon the falls. Water rushed over rocks fifty feet overhead and splashed into the pool below, before winding its way around twists and turns before flowing out of sight. The noise was calming and they decided to stop for a rest. Sara offered him some of the figs and cheese she had brought as they sat on the rocks.

“We will not make it before nightfall.
We should stop here for the night,” he said and bit into the small wedge of cheese she had given him.

“But there’s still quite a bit of light left
,” she argued, surprised at his proposal.

“I need to cover our tracks, we should stay here. There is a cave behind the falls. We will be safe there. The water will wash away the smell of us, before nightfall. We can start again in the morning
,” he said and the thought of stopping brought tears to her eyes. She wiped them back. She knew he was right, but the idea of it was getting to her. What if Meg didn’t have another night?

“We will find her
,” he promised again and she nodded, though she wasn’t as certain as he sounded.

“Why do you care so much?” she asked and the words sounded sharp in her own ears. He had been caring before he even realized who she was.
So love for her wasn’t an answer she was likely to accept.

“What do you mean?” he asked defensively.

“Why do you care so much about Meg?” she queried, getting to the point, knowing in her heart she was being irrational. She had just had her love returned to her only to interrogate him as if he were the enemy. What was wrong with her?

“You
’re jealous.” he said and laughed. His laughter was cold. “How can you be jealous? After last night? After everything? How?”

“
I’ve seen the way you look at her, you can’t deny it,” she retorted and the tears were raw and stung her eyes.

“You are right. I can’t deny it. She is beautiful, any man with eyes can see it
,” he said with a fierce look in his eyes. He was growing angrier by the minute. Why was she pursuing this? His admission cut her to the quick; she knew she should stop before she said something she could never take back.

“You admit it, you want her, you are settling for me
,” she said, the words barely a whisper.

“Settle for you? Are you mad, huntress?
Has this punishment left you with only a sliver of confidence? Yes, it’s true. I find her very beautiful, she is like a rare rose, too beautiful to touch, only to be admired, never plucked,” he said and took a deep breath, sighing heavily.

“And what am I, hunter?” she threw the question at him.

“You? You are poison ivy. You get under a man’s skin and make him itch,” he replied.

****

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. What cause had he honestly given her to act in
such a manner? He could take the hurt in her eyes no more. She fought as he brought her closer to him, struggling against his firm grip. He would kiss away her pain; he would not lose her to this insanity.

She fought, but only for moments, as he kissed her.
When he picked her up, she lay her head against his chest and let him carry her through the falls and into the hidden cave. Their clothes were wet and removing them was a natural response. The truth was that he had wanted to see her out of those pants as soon as he had seen her in them. The ripe round curves of her ass had left little to the imagination. He had been forcing himself down, but his cock only wanted to go up.

Each step he had taken had been an exercise in self-control
as they traveled that day. The journey had been hard for him. And his cock. He could resist the urge no better than a stag in mating season. She seemed to call to every part of his body as he lifted her up and pushed her into the wall of the cave. Her hair was wet and cold, but her flesh was warm and willing as he crushed his lips to hers and kissed her with fevered intent.

“I will drive this from you, huntress. You will never doubt me again
,” he said and plunged into her, sinking his cock as deep as he could. Whenever she tried to speak, he smothered her words with his mouth and tongue. He would hear no more of her irrational accusations.

****

She wanted to tell him she was sorry, that she was being childish, but the words were lost in his kiss. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him, but again, his lips removed the words in her mouth. She wanted to tell him everything, but the words died before they were spoken as he took her against the wall of the cave, driving into her and in turn driving away all thought at the same time.

She felt full in her abdomen as he worked
feverishly, churning her insides to cream. She gasped, breathless as his hands ran the length of her, pausing to grip her thighs, which were wrapped around his middle. The wall of the cave was wet and slippery on her back as she slid up and down with each of his strokes. He worked the soreness out of Sara’s body, the muscles, raw and tight, the once virginal tissue stretched thin around his shaft. Each time he pulled away, she felt a hole open up in her only to be filled again when he pushed back in deeper. He held her nipple in his mouth and sucked it until it was a discolored mound of flesh and then he did the same to the other one.

His kisses became hungry and mixed with nibbles that trailed down her neck and chest. Each time
, she tried to wrap her arms around his neck, he would pin them back against the wall and drive into her hard.

“Who do I love, huntress?” he would ask her through the poun
ding, but he never let her answer. On and on he drove into her, running the feelings of envy from her body like a plague that threatened to consume her. Her body responded with wave after wave of shuddering explosion. Her moan was muffled in his mouth as he rode the waves with her. But, he was far from through.

The floor of the cave was soft and sandy as he moved them both from the w
all and laid her on the ground, the length of him never leaving its place inside her. When he was over the top of her, he propped himself up and looked into her eyes.

“You are mine, Artemis. And I am yours
,” he told her and that was all it took. She would never doubt his love for her again. He rocked them back and forth, her back enjoying the softness of the cave floor. His strokes were long, even and full of love. He whispered her beauty in her ears and spoke of timeless love to span the ages. He left no part of her body untouched, without the press of his lips. He explored every curve and valley with his tongue, before he spent his seed inside her, purchasing her mind, body, and soul in the transaction.

When they parted, it was sorrow in her limbs as the exhaustion claimed her and she closed her eyes to sleep.

When she woke, he had built a small fire near the mouth of the cave, but just enough away from the falls to keep the fire going. It was warm on her naked skin and she crossed the distance to sit beside its heat.

“We will have to extinguish it before nightfall, but hopefully the warmth will penetrate the
chill of the night,” he said and handed her the canteen of water. “I have covered our tracks,” The liquid poured into her dry mouth and she nodded her head, before handing the canteen back to him. She watched him rise. He was in his pants, but his shirt and her clothes were lying flat on the ground beside the fire to dry.

He took the canteen and refilled it from a rivulet of water that flowed down the rocky outcrop of the cave. She watched him twist the lid tightly in place, before she spoke.

“I am sorry,” she said and there was no need to elaborate, he knew why she was apologizing.

They made their dinner of venison and figs and
slept aside the hissing of the dying fire. Artemis succumbed to fitful dreams of beasts and gods at war, killing one another in droves. When she woke, the night was still upon them and she was restless so she climbed on top of the hunter, straddling him. She meant to drown out her dreams, by drowning in him. As she wiggled against him, his eyes were thickly hazed with sleep, but his cock sprung up, an alert and willing participant.