He was so big, tall and broad, every inch muscled and ready for action. I looked up at him, on his knees. This was how I wanted him. On his knees, waiting for me to climb him. I felt a final surge of pleasure ripple through me and moved.

I wanted to face him as he sank into me, but I couldn’t do that on my back, the pain would be too much of a distraction. Instead, we moved together, until I was over him while he was still on his knees. He could lean back if he wanted to, but I think he wanted to face me as much as I wanted to face him.

I reached between us, felt him thick and hard, and didn’t let myself think. I just sank down onto him. Our eyes were locked together, but I felt mine go out of focus as he filled me. An inch, then another, split me open, made me his. I didn’t think, I only felt. Wherever he touched me, wherever he stroked me, that was what I knew.

I knew his eyes, the feel of his lips on mine, the way his arms wrapped around my waist to settle on my ass. He pulled me tight to his body and thrust into me.

“Fell.” I could say his name forever. If it was the only word I ever said again, I’d be good with that. As long as he touched me as I said it.

At first, his hands stopped me from movement, but as he moved deeper, further into the tight heat of me, he let go. His face looked up to mine, and I found his rhythm. We danced, until we found the stars. Literally, as it turned out.

Fell moved me, his fingers explored me in a dozen places, and he filled me, until the friction, the pleasure of it all, exploded into black lit by silver stars. The world shifted and for the first time in my life, I really felt like I was a part of my lover. I was a part of Fell and he was a part of me. I found him there in the darkness, my fingers clutched into his strong biceps, and then we fused into something even more.

He pulsed deep inside of me and a deep moan that sounded like it was pulled from his very soul made my insides quiver again. I could feel the way my body fluttered around him, milked him to drain every last drop of his essence from his body. The sensation of being somewhere else didn’t end though, it only took us deeper, and I clutched at him, lost in a place that should be barren but was filled with the sparkle of light. His light, our light.

I heard a whimper, realized it was my own, and then did it again. What was this? It was more than pleasure, it was a dark place, a place where only we existed, as one. Then, with sudden, breath-taking speed, I was looking into his eyes, panting to catch my breath.

“What the fuck was that?”

“That was our place, Sasha. That was this land. I told you, you’re mine. The Mother decided I needed you, she made you for me and me for you. She brought you to me, at last.”

“The mother? What?” I sank down from his body, confused, but not frightened.

“This land, baby girl. It’s the land of the bear mother, the place where the story began. Ursa Major? The nymph that promised to remain a virgin, only she didn’t and bore a son? This is where she chose to make her presence known once she was sent into sky.”

“Uh. What?” That made me look at him with disbelief. Fuck a man and he turns into a nutter? Is that what had just happened?

“That’s the myth, Sasha.” I felt relief when he laughed. “She bore a son and a goddess turned her into the constellation Ursa Major as punishment for losing her chastity. That’s where we take our name for this place from.”

Relief flooded me. Okay, that made sense. I knew this was some kind of commune, but wasn’t sure how far they had gone into cult status. The fact that they knew the story was a myth, and didn’t bang on about it being fact was a relief. I wasn’t religious, period. I had no time for any of it. Especially not a myth that said women could be turned into bears. That was just crazy.

I went to him, wrapped my arms around his shoulders, and kissed him again. “So long as it’s only a myth.”

“And if it wasn’t?” He teased me, I could see it in his eyes.

“Then I’d have to deal with it, wouldn’t I?” What else could I do?

“I suppose you would. Do you want more brownies? I bet they’re even better cooled off.”

I pulled away from him and ran for the living room. My ribs still ached, and I doubt my back is ever going to not hurt ever again, but it was nice to laugh when he caught me and pulled me close. My laughter died when I saw his eyes, and how he longed for me.

There was desire in his eyes, need, that my body immediately answered. I throbbed with need. “Brownies?”

“If you must.” He growled, his beard nuzzled into my neck to tickle me. “I’d rather have more of you.”

“In a minute. Brownies!” I turned to the pan and scooped some in my fingers. They were still a little warm and gooey. “Here, taste it.”

He sucked the hot confection from my finger, and it felt so good. I didn’t think a man sucking your finger could be sexual, but the way he did it made me hum in response. His tongue swiped and his cheeks sucked. His lips let my finger go, but then he took it once more, just to make sure he’d removed all of the chocolate.

“You taste so good.” He whispered the words, and my thoughts went south.

“Then you should taste the rest of me.” I raised an eyebrow at him and grinned.

“I think I just might.” Fell dropped down to his knees in front of me, a position I quite liked him in, and proceeded to worship every inch of me he could reach.

I was the one in control this time. My hand in his hair directed his tongue, his sensual lips, and I rode his face like I’d never been off of it. I soon learned that the scrape of his beard against my sensitive inner thighs was a delight, and that the prickly hair of his mustache could be a unique, but utterly pleasurable, entertainment.

Sometime between the moment I sank into his arms on the futon and now, I’d become a temptress, at least in my own head, and I felt a low laugh of power bubble in my chest. I’d never felt so in control, like I had all of the power. Fell gave me that, and gave it gladly.

When his fingers delved into my center and found just the right spot, the world exploded, only for me, only for the woman I was at that point. Fell hummed a sound of delight, and that sent me further into the darkness. I pulsed with pleasure, I glowed with power, and he gave every bit of it to me. This wasn’t just some token effort to make me feel better, to take my mind off of my troubles and terrors, this was a real gift, one he gave to me.

I gasped as waves rolled up to my brain, waves that pulsed with liquid hedonism. There were no rules here, there was no right or wrong, there was only pleasure. I rode it out, his tongue never still, and waited, my breath held, as it came once more.

I could almost hear Fell tell me to ride it out, to have it all, but he couldn’t speak, his lips were busy in the silky folds between my thighs. I sank down to my own knees as the waves finally passed, spent yet again.

“When do I have to leave?” I asked, my heart still pounded in my chest.

“You don’t, baby girl. That’s the best part, you never have to leave, if you don’t want to.” His fingers were on my cheek, a gentle touch of reassurance.

“I don’t think I will then. I’ll just stay here, and let you do that to me over and over again.”

“It would be my pleasure.” He gave me a cocky smirk, and I knew he was pleased that I’d enjoyed his attentions. “Would you sing for me, Sasha?”

I looked at him sharply. “I haven’t sung anything in a long time, Fell. I probably sound terrible now. I’m out of practice.”

“I’d like to hear you sing anyway. I won’t laugh, or judge you, I promise.” He pulled me over to the couch, but I didn’t sit down. I needed to stand to sing.

“Well. I’ll sing you an old song then. A really old song, from around the 1900s. My grandmother used to sing it to my mother and she used to sing it to me.”

“What’s it called?” Fell asked once he settled in and pulled a blanket over his lap.

“Bird in a Gilded Cage. I always took it as a warning to leave rich men alone.” I laughed, and then began to sing.

My voice was raw, a bit off-key, but before the song was over, and the lady of fashion that had married for wealth ended up in her grave, I had it all under control. Fell looked impressed, stunned even.

It was a short song, one that was simple enough, but I saw the way he watched me. He liked my voice. I looked down at my hands, and tried not to be embarrassed. I stood there, naked and bare in more ways than one.

“That was amazing, Sasha. Really. I see we have to get you healed so you can do more of that. Maybe you can sing down in the bar?”

“Oh, I’m sure nobody really wants to hear my kind of music.” I waved away the suggestion, even though I’d had a contract at one point. I’m sure all of that was behind me now. After my sudden disappearance I doubted anyone would want to work with me anyway.

“And I’m sure they do. You definitely belong in country music. You have such a beautiful voice. It’s haunting really.” He held out his hand to me and pulled me under the blanket with him.

“I’m glad you like it. It’s all I have going for me, really. I don’t have any other skills. I always focused on singing, playing the guitar, and the piano. I never really thought about anything else. Not until Jim took all of that away from me.”

“We have to deal with that, you know? We have to find out if he’s still in that cave or if he made it out. He has to be put away for what he did to you, Sasha. He could do it to someone else.”

“I know. What do we need to do? Call the police?”

“No, just tell me what you know about where you were. Describe it to me. I doubt it was too far away if you made it here on foot. How long did it take you?”

“Well, he showed up in the morning and I guess by the time I made it here the sun was going down or already down?”

“Yeah, it was late afternoon, early evening. So a few hours. But you weren’t awake the whole time, right?”

“No, I passed out a lot. I know I followed a creek down off the mountain, a little thing you know? Not a river, but bigger than a stream.”

“Yeah, I think I might now the place. It’s just on the outskirts of our land. I think we can find it.”

“I’d like to go with you.”

“If you want, but it’ll be hard.”

“I know that. I have to know as much as you do.” I waited, then asked something else. “When will you go?”

“Tomorrow, probably. Once the snow has stopped. I think you should wait here, your stitches need to do their work a little bit more and hiking might be too much of a strain.”

“Maybe you’re right. We’ll look in the morning, shall we?” I wanted to say we should go to bed, but I felt too energetic, too alive.

By rights, I should already be passed out and asleep, but one look at Fell and that notion flew out of the window. We weren’t done yet. Not by a long shot.