Chapter Seven
I have never run so fast in my life. To be honest, running is not something that I have ever enjoyed and have gone to great lengths to avoid having to do it for any considerable period. At that moment, though, running was the only thing I could focus on. I didn't know what the creature was that had reached down from the tree to take hold of me, but I fought it off as best I could and managed to knock it out of its place with a large branch I picked up from the ground. I hoped it was unconscious. I didn't wait to find out.
I ran deeper and deeper into the forest, knowing I was getting further and further away from the meeting hall. The terror gripped me so hard I felt sick and suddenly my mind drifted to Ero. I was still infuriated at him, but somehow I felt like if I thought about him hard enough, I might be able to find my way back to him. I didn't understand, but I had no other recourse and focused in on him. I thought about the curve of his shoulders and the flat plane of his belly. I thought about the shock of white hair and the intense eyes that seemed to vacillate between vibrant green and almost glowing orange. I had noticed a few of the other warriors had orange eyes, and I wondered what that meant.
As I thought of him, my steps slowed. I was breathing so hard I could barely get each breath all the way in before my lungs forced it back out. My back hit one of the trees and I slid to the ground, leaning my head back and closing my eyes to try to regain control of myself. I continued to think about Ero, imagining him there with me. It was as if I could see him there, ready to guide me back toward the compound and away from the terror that held me so firmly.
Suddenly I heard crashing in the trees ahead of me. I thought the slimy, skeletal creature that had reached for me had somehow found me and I tried to scramble to my feet to ready myself for another encounter. Instead, I saw Ero. He stopped running the instant he saw me. He stood a few feet away, his shoulders rising and falling with his labored breath and the sliver of his chest revealed by his shirt shimmering with sweat. He was beautiful and in that moment I had never wanted something so much.
Without saying a word, Ero lunged toward me and dropped to his knees in front of me, forcing my legs apart so he could position himself between them and lean forward to crush his mouth against mine in an intense, almost animalistic kiss. A primal need for him overwhelmed me and I tore at his shirt, pushing away the thin fabric until I could throw it aside, revealing his slender but gorgeous body. He reciprocated, yanking my shirt over my head and tossing it over to join his. I hadn't worn a bra under the shirt and my breasts bounced free, giving him full access to grab one in his hand and bring his mouth down to the nipple to suckle me. I cried out at the feeling of his mouth and spread my thighs further to encourage him to come closer.
He took the invitation eagerly, grabbing me and lifting me up so that he could reach under my skirt and peel away my panties. His hands moved so quickly I could barely keep up as he released the ties at the front of his pants and pushed the garment down to release an erection that made my mouth water. Sitting down on his knees, Ero grabbed my hips and pulled me forward so that I had to brace myself with my hands on the ground behind me to keep myself from falling. He pulled me until I positioned my legs on either side of him and my hips in his lap.
A second later he was inside me and I gasped at the sudden feeling of him filling me. He pushed my skirt up higher so that it bunched around my waist and wrapped one arm around my hips, using the other hand to grip one of my breasts as he pounded into me at a fevered pace. I let my head drop back and moans poured from lips. I felt him pull me forward and I complied, lifting my hands off of the ground so that he could sit me up in his lap. My feet were planted on either side of him, giving me stability as he bounced me harder and faster, capturing my mouth in an almost painful kiss just as my muscles clenched around him and I dissolved into a shattering climax that pushed him over the edge. He groaned into my mouth and forced me down hard into his lap so I could feel his cock pulsing against my walls, spilling his hot streams into me.
As our bodies slowly relaxed, Ero gently eased me back until I was lying on the ground with him on top of me, his head nestled into the curve of my neck.
"I thought I lost you," he murmured.
His hand stroked the curve of my waist and the swell of my hip and I felt him fill his palm with my flesh and give a gentle squeeze. I closed my eyes and felt a tear slip down my cheek.
The next morning the sun had barely risen when I was standing in the meeting hall before the king and queen. My bags were stacked behind me and I gripped my notebook in my hand.
"Please, I can't do this. Send me home."
(To be Continued in Part VIII… )