26 comments/ 9283 views/ 44 favorites Marriage of the Fae Ch. 01 By: HibouBleuMD Note to Readers: Hello, This is the first story I've ever written to be published, and one of the first like it I've written at all. As such, I'm still kind of feeling around (and very nervous!) and would love any and all constructive criticism you lovely people may have! Since I'm pretty new to this, it also kind of goes without saying that I do not have an editor, so please excuse any minor grammatical errors, as long as they don't take away from the story. This chapter has a good bit of exposition, but I promise it doesn't take too long to get to the good parts. I hope you enjoy! If you do, comment to let me know...or if you don't, please also comment what I can do to improve! A few final notes...please assume all characters are at or above the age of consent. This is a work of fiction; I do not condone any form of nonconsensual sexual activity outside of fiction or safe, consensual role play. This story switches points of view every now and then. Now...without further ado, here is Marriage of the Fae. ~ HibouBleu Chapter 1 Noelle Nothing is working today, and it's probably because yesterday I fucked up the code. I fucked up the code because it wasn't meant to be my responsibility in the first place, but when Jake the Assistant Team Leader is taking his fifteenth sick day of the quarter it kind of lands on the shoulders of the sap who agreed to head the coding team. And when the sap who agreed to head the coding team already has enough on her goddamn plate, well, she fucks up the code. So Friendly Neighborhood Team Leader yours truly fucked up the code, and now we're a day behind since we're trying to find the line to fix it. I won't bore you with the details. "Noelle." Corey the Manager waddles into the office and leans on my desk with a heavy sigh. I can almost hear the desk sighing as well under his considerable weight. "How's the code going, Team Leader?" You know exactly how the code is going, Corey, you whale. "Still working on it. Know when Jake's back?" "Jake's sick." Jake has the man flu, I'm sure of it. "Poor bastard'll be back in a couple days." Poor bastard is on the fortunate end of the boys' club that is my coding team. "Got it." I turn back to my desktop. Corey leans in. "You really should have been finished by now, Noelle. The team's waiting." "The team is doing jack shit. I'm not sure they're even the team anymore." I tap a few keys. "I've got a lot to get done, would you be able to swing by later?" I offer my most apologetic half-smile. Corey sighs. "Well, I was actually considering giving one of your team members the rest of Jake's work." That would be very nice. Probably more in line with workplace ethics as well, since I already have a heavier workload than the rest of the team without Jake's nonsense to deal with. "That would be great," I murmur. "I'd really appreciate it." "Awesome." Corey grins. "And with the extra time, you know..." A slight smirk, "...you'll have some extra time on your hands...maybe to go out with me? You know, to express your gratitude and whatnot." I bristle. "I still have a lot to do, Corey." "Oh, come on, after I agreed to lower your workload? Don't be ungrateful." "It wasn't my workload to begin with," I snap. Corey leans further over my desk. I narrow my eyes. "Fine," he says. "I guess you have the time to do Jake's work after all. Don't say I didn't try to be nice. Noelle, I think you should leave. " I frown. "I'm not finished." "Get it done tomorrow. Leave now, it's late." Corey turns and stalks off, muttering under his breath. A cup of pencils tumbles from my desk as it shifts back into place. Noelle the office bitch. God damn it, last month it was Tyler the IT Guy, this month I've been targeted by Office Manager Corey. I need a new job. I need to find some mythical female-only programming office. Maybe I just need to grow a spine. I scoop up my bag and stuff my laptop in, cellphone, earbuds for when I'm blissed out on a good code day and want to listen to Twenty One Pilots. Water bottle. I stand up, push in my chair, pretend that every loop in the carpet is Office Manager Corey and I can squish him into the floor with the wheels of the chair. My car is in the shop this week, leaving me to bike the six miles home from the office. It's a funny sort of ride back, through a copse or two of tall trees before you get back into the suburbs. Some days I like to take my time and watch the pale bark go by as I pedal, but today I'm intent on sweating out my annoyance and getting home in time to look at the code again before I call it a night. It's getting dark and I'm going fast, too fast to see the deer until right before I'm upon it, too fast to stop in time. Instead, I swerve sharply to the right, avoiding the deer, instead hitting that solid pale bark head on, why the fuck didn't I wear a helmet, too late now, my forehead slams into the tree and I watch the deer darting away in the second before I black out. ************** Rhys "She's very beautiful." I turn from my lectern and offer the smiling advisor a wry smirk. "That she is." "Awfully headstrong as well. You'll have enviable children. Those fit for a king and queen." I nod absently. "My prince, it would be advisable to accept your betrothal, and fast. The ceremony is beginning soon, and you're not yet dressed." "I'm aware of that, Jerome, thank you." I turn back to my book and flick it closed before rising. Jerome's ochre eyes must be rolling at my obstinacy, but despite his status, there is only so far one may go in beleaguering a prince. Fortunately for me. Unfortunate for me is the situation of my betrothal, about which Jerome has come to console me, at the eleventh hour, no less. Beautiful and headstrong or not, the princess Siobhan is not the woman I wish to marry. No woman is, in fact. Nor am I loath to make this known to the princess—the woman herself wishes not to marry, but to join the warrior class and defend our people. A noble pursuit, and one which is all but null among the options of a Fae princess. In order to honor her clan, she must marry. In order to honor mine, I must do the same. At the heart of the ceremony is the cauldron of Elixir, in which the groom and the virgin bride must bathe in order to affirm their bond. Not only to affirm, but to effectively trap. Once two beings have entered the Elixir together, they reemerge as one. When the night ends, Siobhan and I will be bonded as man and wife, two royal mates. After tonight, the sooner Siobhan becomes with child, the sooner our allied clans will rise in the ranks of the Fae. Jerome turns his back as I begin to dress, donning white linen pants and a golden tunic, the color of celebration. "How fetching you look, Prince Rhys," he intones, his eyes glowing with rare humor. I give a forced smile and exit my chambers. Outside the palace a crowd waits, facing the princess, who stands at the edge with her back to them as tradition sustains. Behind them the Elixir hums in its cauldron, a great basin dug into the earth and risen up about the edges to contain the bubbling liquid within. I step toward Siobhan as she breaks into a cordial smile, her deep turquoise eyes wide as her scarlet curls drape about her shoulders. Beautiful, indeed. If I were to be in love with a woman, perhaps it would be her. If she were to want a husband, perhaps she would want me. For now, though, we must go through the motions. Siobhan leans in as I near and kisses me on the cheek. She looks uncannily joyous for a strong woman betrothed against her will, but perhaps it is only her beauty. "Good evening, Rhys." "You are stunning, as always, Siobhan." Most women would avert their eyes at the compliment, but Siobhan's never leave my gaze. "It must be the light." "Never." She gives a smirk and touches my cheek, the perfect image of a gracious bride. Few in the crowd would ever notice her iridescent eyes flitting toward the line of archers facing the Elixir, not warily, but with longing. She wishes she were among them. A horn sounds and the crowd parts around the cauldron while the archers line up to shoot their arrows over the glittering Elixir. The priest Aodh steps forward to speak of the magic of the Elixir, of its ability to bond a man and a woman for life. Slowly Siobhan and I turn to the cauldron, silent. The bride and groom do not speak during the ceremony; their willingness to step into the cauldron to be bonded must speak for them. "A'onis, gerren h'es." The man must step in first. I bow my head as two supplicants come forward and lead me to the cauldron, gripping my elbows to heft me onto the ledge. I step into the liquid and it burns, first my feet, then up my legs as the throng about the cauldron goes nearly silent. It feels as though I am blistering, but pain must be nothing to a prince, to one who will soon be king. I inhale and dip lower until my chest is submerged, the silver Elixir bubbling around me, beginning to draw my energy without yet finding a place to deposit it. When Siobhan enters the cauldron, it will draw her energy and thread it with mine. "A'onii, gerrai h'esa." Now, the virgin woman. I turn to Siobhan, as she breathes deeply, her turquoise eyes nearly blank. As she nears the cauldron they reflect the flaming silver within and begin to dance. Undoubtedly she is beautiful. I force myself to think of what a strong queen she will be, of the splendor of our future children. The supplicants grip her slim arms and lift her to the edge of the cauldron. On cue, the archers let go their arrows. A split second before I realize something is not right, Siobhan's azure eyes lift to the swirling mist above the cauldron. The priest is next to comprehend, and lets out a yell as the mist parts and a form falls through. The Elixir has me dazed, yet I see the face of a young woman, her temple caked with fresh blood. Within a blink, she has fallen through the mist and landed into the pool of Elixir, the thick substance engulfing her body. Siobhan wrests free of the supplicants and throws her gaze over the edge of the cauldron, in which anyone in the crowd can see a woman slowly sinking into the Elixir. I see the same, but what I feel is different. What I feel is the young woman's energy drawing out within the Elixir, and threading with mine. In less than a moment, I am unconscious. ************** Noelle Did something catch fire when I crashed? I'm hot, so hot, and it feels like lava around me, like lava that's pulling my breath right out of me. Somebody far away is yelling, in a foreign language maybe, or maybe my brain is just scrambled. I shouldn't have biked so quickly. Why is it so hot? I'm pulled from the lava by a pair of strong hands that grip too tightly on my burned skin. I can't scream. A push on my temple, and I'm out again. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + I wake up wrapped in something fluffy. Angry voices seem to be echoing around me, and as my eyes flutter open, they're filled with a near-blinding white light. I blink rapidly until I can nearly focus on the white room around me. Figures come into view, dressed in loose clothing as pale as the room. The one at the foot of the bed I'm in is almost impossibly tall in my view, with deep brown hair nearly to his shoulders. The features of his profile are both broad and sharp...and angry. He's shouting. "A human? Jerome, tell me there is a way to rectify this. Aodh?!" Who? I blink again. Another voice, soft and musical—a woman. "Rhys, you know the way of the Elixir...it is irreversible. If the human woman was a virgin and somehow compatible with the Elixir, you are now bound." An older man, still nearly as tall as the first, steps into view. "She is correct, my prince. The ceremony has done its work, as has the Elixir. I could feel it the moment the bond was made." His voice sounds content—no, it sounds resigned. Whatever is going on, there is nothing he can do to stop it, regardless of what this Rhys person wants. A prince? I turn my head ever so slightly. The woman speaks again. "Ah, she is awake." The owner of the voice, as I can only assume, steps into view, and I'm immediately met with a pale, devastatingly beautiful face—almost dizzying, though maybe that's just my head. Bright auburn hair tumbles over her shoulders as she leans in and gives me a smile. "How are you feeling?" I frown. "I'm—" My voice comes out as a croak. "My head hurts...what's happening?" The younger man, the angry one, steps closer. "Tell her, Siobhan," he snaps. The woman's, Siobhan's, dazzling smile fades. "You seem to have stumbled upon a bonding ceremony at...an inopportune time," she says. "The pool into which you fell..." "The lava?" I interrupt, then immediately feel like a child. Of course it couldn't have actually been lava. Siobhan laughs softly. "Not lava, Elixir. In simplistic terms, potion meant to bond a man and a woman as mates. I was meant to be the other half of the bond. You fell in from the human world, we can only assume, and unintentionally took my place." What? Her smile is back, making her seem awfully blasé for a bride confronting her own wedding crasher. And if I'm hearing correctly, that's what I somehow have become. The young man—Rhys?—scoffs delicately. "How a human girl could take the place of a Fae princess is beyond my comprehension." Siobhan's brow furrows and she places a hand on my arm. It's warm and smooth, and just as pale as her lovely face. "Be gracious, Rhys. She's not at fault, and the situation is not one that can be reversed now." Her voice drops lower. "Handle this as the courteous prince I know would." Rhys steps forward. "The situation is not reversible, I know, but—a human? Is a marriage of the sort even possible? There will be no bonding of the clans, no exchange of power...marriage to a human is more similar to pet ownership than it is to matrimony." Siobhan yanks her hand from my arm, her face contorting. "Watch your tongue, Rhys," she snaps. My fuzzy brain is still working on piecing together the insult as Siobhan lashes out at Rhys. I find my voice a few seconds late, and I'm still too disoriented to be properly annoyed. "Why are you calling me a human? What are you? Someone tell me what's going on." Now that I've cleared my froggy throat, my voice is rising in octaves with my panic. I'm surprised when Rhys throws his gaze in my direction to address me directly. His eyes meet mine and I'm suddenly staring into deep violet irises, a color I didn't think possible. The twilight hue is edged with a golden ring, giving the impression of an eclipse at sunset. Those beautiful eyes narrow and I have to force myself not to shrink back. I need to keep my cool, now more than ever. "Have you not been listening, little human? You are bonded to me now. Your tumble into the Elixir has made sure of that." His voice is fury itself. Little human? Bastard. "I don't understand." Rhys squares his jaw. "Of course you don't. You are aware of what marriage is, are you not?" He's speaking to me like I'm a child. "Of course I am," I snap. I'm regaining my strength, making this a game for two. "You may not be aware, however, that here in the realm of the Fae, marriage between royal classes is considered to have a sanctity incomparable to that of human matrimony." Rhys' voice is that of a parent speaking to a petulant teenager. "When two people are bonded in the Elixir, that bond is irreversible." My eyes grow steadily wider as I put together the pieces. "And we've...you and I...are bonded? When I...when I fell into that liquid?" Rhys nods once. I shake my head, blinking quickly. "I don't even know how it happened..." The older man finally steps forward. His face is softer than Rhys'. "Every so often a human will veer off course somehow in the human realm and be knocked into the realm of the Fae. I can only assume this is what has happened to you, human." Unlike Rhys, his use of the word "human" sounds more like a statement of fact than an expletive. "The realm of the Fae," I say. "What are the Fae?" I'm recalling various fairy stories I read as a kid, but that can't be right. Those were fantasy. And these...beings...look nothing like the miniscule winged creatures of my storybooks. One or both of us has got to be on drugs. I could be in the hospital right now, hopped up on enough opiates to make me dream strange things. Why my mind would spin up a pissed off fairy prince to whom I'm somehow married is beyond me. "Humans have stories of elves and fairies...Fae are closest to those, I suppose," Siobhan interjects thoughtfully. She gives me another small smile and I find myself feeling grateful that I have some sort of ally in this convoluted situation, even if it is just a dream. "Fairies...don't exist," is the brilliant response I give. Siobhan tilts her head, making her hair glint in the white light of the room. "No, but the Fae do," she says patiently. "The same way you humans deal in science and mathematics, we deal in magic and magical rhetoric." Rhys steps forward again. "This is not necessary to tell her, Siobhan." "I think it is. Magic is the force that must have brought her here, when its course crossed with the course of the human realm," the older man says. "It is the force that has bonded the two of you together, and it is the force that threads your energies now. This young human is now yours, Rhys. She is your mate. She must understand what has brought her here and into these circumstances. And it seems you would do well to recall the forces that are out of our collective control, those that now bind you to this human girl." I am...Rhys' mate. I'm his? If this is a morphine dream of some sort, it has got to be digging pretty deep into my subconscious sexual frustration...or something. How am I supposed to respond to this? I'm staring into the middle distance when Siobhan places her hand back on my arm. "What is your name?" "Noelle," I blurt softly, my eyes not leaving the intricate weave of the white bedspread. Siobhan turns to Rhys. "Noelle is her name," she repeats, as if for emphasis. "Introduce yourself." Rhys visibly bristles. "She does not need to call me by my name." "You will be spending quite a lot of time together...she ought to call you something." Rhys does not respond. He instead turns to the older man. "Aodh. Am I truly bonded to this human? In every way that I would have been to Siobhan?" Aodh nods. "As I have said, the two of you are well and truly bonded. In every way. To attempt to break it or put distance between yourselves would result in physical pain." Rhys mutters something in a foreign language that sounds like a curse. "I would not have thought it possible, for the bonding ceremony to go awry in such a way." I sit up slowly, leaning back against the pillows behind me. "Are you sure there's not a mistake? This seems like it would be..." I stop mid-sentence when Rhys hits me with a molten glare. "We've already established that it is a mistake, human. One that unfortunately cannot be fixed." He turns to Aodh. "This is why the energy flows of our realm should not run adjacent to theirs." Aodh shakes his head. "You know why the flow of energy alongside the human world cannot be changed, prince. It would do you well to accept this quickly; your disdain for the Elixir's bond will not be met kindly by our people." "Perhaps it should be met with some disdain-!" Another man, taller than Rhys, with close-cropped blonde hair, steps forward. "Perhaps we should give the prince and his mate some time," he murmurs. Marriage of the Fae Ch. 01 That sounds like a bad idea. Rhys seems to agree, based on the way he glares. Siobhan narrows her eyes at the prince. "That sounds wise...I will wait outside the door, Aodh, to be sure of each's safety." She smiles at me, and I can't bring myself to smile back. "Rhys, you know what will happen if you attempt to harm her in any way. The Elixir's bond will not take kindly to any offense against a mate." "A mate? She is—" Siobhan cuts him off by turning her back to him and stalking out of the room. A moment later, Aodh and the blonde man leave as well, the blonde placing a comforting hand on Rhys' shoulder before departing. I wish someone would do that for me. I wish this dream would end. I wish they wouldn't leave me in this room with this man who seems to have hated me since he laid eyes on me. Rhys turns back to me and I'm again met with those angry violet eyes. He steps toward the bed, the movement toward me accentuating his impressive height. A hint of translucent silver glints over his shoulder as he moves—wings? He leans over the bed, too close for comfort. "Human," he begins. Fuck it, this is a dream anyway. "Rhys," I snap back. I can't imagine he'll like hearing his name from me. As if to confirm my suspicions, his eyes glow angrily, darkening to indigo lined with bronze. "You don't get to use my name, little human." I shrink back for barely a moment, but drop my gaze to just below his cheekbones. "I'm sorry for whatever happened. It was out of my control; I didn't mean to come here." Is this what this bastard wants to hear? "Trust me...I don't like this situation any more than you do. Do you think we could come to an agreement? If I have to stay here, I will, but I can stay out of your way. You can have your life with Siobhan..." He leans closer to me, grabbing my chin between his fingers and yanking my face up. I'm forced to look into his eyes, so I make my glare as brave as I can. "Are you hard of hearing, human? Did you not understand what the priest told us? We are bonded. I cannot have a life with Siobhan; I cannot have a life with any other woman, nor you with any other man. We cannot leave each other, physically nor spiritually. That is the way of the Elixir." He pauses, swallowing hard. "And you would do well to address the princess by her title, not by her name." This is the most he's spoken to me at once since I arrived. I wish he hadn't said a word. "I want to go home," I say. "You can't." Rhys' thumb digs into my chin before he lets go of my face. I pull away with a grimace. "There must be some way—" Rhys' large hand comes down on the bedspread by my leg. "There is no way, stupid girl. Your limited human science and logic will not allow you to understand, but for the love of the gods, believe me—we are mated for life. I cannot change it, nor can you, so stop speaking if that is all you will speak of!" His voice rises as he speaks until it is again nearly a shout. I inhale slowly. "I'm sorry. I understand." Rhys sighs and sits down on the bed beside me. He turns to look at me again, as if he is appraising my face. "For a human, you are not unattractive," he mutters. I'm rubbed the wrong way by this, of all things. "You could try to at least be polite, if we're going to be forced to spend our lives together." Rhys lets out a bark of laughter. "And like an angry kitten, little human." He shakes his head. "Trust me, I am being as polite to you as custom demands." I frown, while he keeps his eyes on my face. "Human-Fae children are not unheard of..." he murmurs. I nearly jump out of the bed. "Children?!" Rhys moves closer, his eyes never leaving mine. "What did you think I meant by 'mated,' little human?" My eyes widen. His proximity to me is intimidating enough, given his size, but his words... "No. No, you're joking. You don't even like me. You didn't want this, and neither did I." "Siobhan and I did not wish to marry each other either, and yet we had the grace to do what was right and obey the Elixir. You and I must do the same. The fact that you're a fragile human simply means it will be more difficult for you to resist. We are mated, and as such it is convention that I eventually take what is mine." My head is spinning, I can barely see. Wake up. Wake up, Noelle. God damn it. I scramble out of the bed and nearly land on my ass on the stone floor. It takes just a moment to register that I'm wearing only a thin white shirt that reaches just above my knees, and no shoes. I don't care, I need out. Rhys simply watches as I stumble to the door and yank it open, it's heavy, and the handle is nearly level with my shoulder. Everything here is too big. The door swings wide and I'm leaving the room, not looking where I'm going, one step, two, and I'm suddenly in someone's arms. I look up at the concerned, gorgeous face of Siobhan. She's a good head taller than me, and fully dressed, making me feel even more of a child in the presence of these beautiful creatures. Siobhan's gaze rises and I turn my head to see Rhys standing in the doorway. Siobhan narrows her eyes. "Did you frighten her, Rhys?" Her voice is scolding. "I simply told her the truth, Siobhan. It is out of my control if her human psyche is fragile." The woman's arms tighten around me. "Perhaps it was the abrasive way in which the truth was told, my friend." "Was I to give it to her kindly? I'm sure she would have run away crying anyway." I grimace. "I'm not crying." My voice sounds petulant. Siobhan sighs. "Your hate is poorly veiled, Rhys," she quips. He chuckles, like he's having a good time bantering with a friend. I can feel the woman stiffen. "What is it, Siobhan? What are you going to do, marry her instead to spare her feelings? Spend your life patting her head? Don't act like you're the one trapped here. I did not want to marry, but at least I would have had a wife, instead of being given a fragile little fuck pet." I'm about to react when Siobhan shoves me behind her. There's a metallic sound and I look around her body to see she's drawn a blade. "I do not feel for you, Rhys, not after this. In fact, I do find myself wishing there is something I could do for your bride," she hisses. "As it stands now, you lost my sympathy at that display of your capability of such vitriol." Rhys' eyes narrow. "Then I suppose we are at an understanding." He reaches around her to grab my arm. "As you said, there is nothing you can do." My own shriek surprises me as he yanks me to him and I find myself pulled back against his chest. I squirm valiantly while he addresses Siobhan one last time. "Leave us now," is all he says. She has no choice but to comply. ************** Rhys I had been fully prepared to obey the bond of the Elixir, to marry Siobhan and begin a life together. That I would have tolerated, perhaps even become happy in time. I was not prepared to wake up bonded to a whiny, stubborn, erratic human. Simply in the hour I've known her she's raised her voice at me, called me by my given name only out of spite, tried to run away from a situation that is obviously not one from which to run. Where had she even thought to go? There is no place for her here. No place except with me, now. If I am to be bonded to a human, it will be a bond on my terms. Siobhan and I would have been equals in our mating, in our bond. With a human, though, this is impossible. For how can I be equals with any creature known to be as flighty, as simpleminded, as fragile as a human? A creature who cannot even comprehend the depths of the Elixiran bond, a creature who nearly sobbed at the mere mention of mating. A creature who now is twisting defiantly in my arms, as my would-be wife turns to leave. Siobhan's brilliant hair floats behind her, bobbing with every step. She casts a single sympathetic glance back at the little human pulling fruitlessly at my grasp. Her nails digging into my flesh like tiny claws, leaving nothing where a Fae's touch may have left shallow marks. Weak. The thought of her feebleness annoys me, but on a separate, darker level...fascinates me to no end. I am exerting not a minutia of my strength, and the little one is subdued. But still she fights. Stupid. Simpleminded, yet persistent to a fault. This is what I know already of humans, and the one in my arms only confirms what I've known. That persistence though—is there a sort of strength in it? She will not stop her struggling, as vain as it has proven to be. Perhaps in time she could make some sort of progress...but she would wear herself out before that ever occurred. The thought of her collapsing in my arms...intrigues me. The way one may be intrigued watching a moth slowly wear itself down batting at a flame. Or something more? Noelle. I will not allow myself to be preoccupied by this. With barely a twitch of my hands I turn her once again to face me, and am met with her glare, that frail display of anger. Narrowed, deep brown eyes stay focused on mine; I can feel her trembling. I can feel the thread of the unwelcome bond thrumming between us, stringing us to each other. "Let go of me." She twists again, her voice low, as if she's attempting to be intimidating. I suppress a laugh. Intimidating; she is easily half my size. I shake my head slowly. "No," I say. She yanks her arms; I hold firm while barely making an effort. "Siobhan said you couldn't hurt me." "I assure you, little one, I will not be hurting you." Not in the least; that would not benefit either of us. Her cocoa eyes flash; perhaps at the epithet. "Let go of me!" She lashes out, not unexpectedly, her teeth sinking into my arm. I feel nothing more than a pinch before I pull her away. Stupid girl. She's already whimpering; I suppose she wouldn't have known that trying to bite me would be more of a strain on her teeth than my skin. "Don't hurt yourself," I say. She lets out a frustrated snarl. Fascinating. Am I demented for being unable to hold back an amused smile as I pull her back into the bedroom? ************** Noelle I was never interested much in fantasy stories as a kid. I had them, yes, and read them enough to remember the details, to remember that this is not how fairies were portrayed...but beyond that? Not really. Maybe that's why I became a programmer, instead of, I don't know, an author or an artist. Most of my make-believe as a little girl involved building with blocks and interacting with things I could truly believe in. So what a funny time in my life to suddenly begin having detailed dreams about angry fantasy creatures. Something deep in my brain is starting to insist, quietly, that this might not be a dream. That I really did veer off course on my bike at just the right place and somehow got knocked back upright in the goddamn wrong dimension. If it is a dream, though...it's starting to turn into more of a nightmare. Rhys' words are running through my head like some fucked up ticker tape, and I wish it was only in my head. But no, here he is, pulling me back into that white room, with a sick little smile on his handsome face. That smile is for me, for my yelp after my teeth connected with his flesh and felt like they were about to shatter, for my helpless shivering as he held me back through my struggles. He didn't want me, but he's found a way to enjoy this. I don't think I'll be able to do the same. Rhys is pulling me to the bed, sitting down, dragging me with him. I land on his lap with a grunt, still trying to twist away. He seems to be barely making an effort to hold me in place. "Calm down, little human. This is happening, and you needn't get yourself hurt," he murmurs. "Stop calling me that!" He shakes his head as if dealing with a mere annoyance. Bastard! "I think the sooner we establish a dynamic, the better," Rhys drawls. I'm pulled tighter to him and I shriek in protest. "You seem to think that this is still somehow up for debate. You need to understand, that is not how the Elixir works." "I don't care, stay away from me!" I arch back in his arms, trying to catch him off guard. "Noelle." I am caught off guard instead by his use of my name. "Calm down, little one. Let me demonstrate something that may help you understand." I shake my head. "I don't want you to demonstrate anything!" He sighs. "I'm not even going to touch you. Just hold still for a moment. I need you to be aware of something." I stiffen and go still. I'll let my curiosity get the better of me just for a minute. And in that minute, I'm aware of exactly what he wants me to feel. Something is tugging, very gently, very consistently, just below my sternum. Drawing in a constant, tiny pull away from my body, but not fading once it's beyond my person. On the other end of that something is a tiny pull in the opposite direction, in my direction, and it's coming directly from Rhys. As if we're connected by a thread, drawing us toward each other with an infinitesimal force. I frown. "What is that? What are you doing?" "I'm not doing anything. This is what I wanted you to understand. This is the doing of the Elixir." Rhys pulls me closer, and I feel the force lighten ever so slightly, as if it's being relieved by our growing proximity. My eyes are widening almost painfully. "When two are bonded," Rhys continues, "this is the force that they feel. Do you feel it right here?" Long fingers press at the spot below the point of my sternum, the top of my belly. I jolt, feeling my entire body heat up. "Yes. You don't need to be demonstrative about it." "I think it's best to be as explicit as possible in explaining this to you, little human," Rhys murmurs. His lowering voice sends a chill down the line of my stomach. "The further apart we are, the greater the pull. The closer, the more relief we will feel. I'm sure you can deduce what this incentivizes, or do you need me to explain?" He doesn't need to explain. Please, please don't explain. I swallow, then give my last-ditch effort. "Just because there's an incentive does not mean you can do what you want without my consent." "That is exactly what it means, silly girl. If I am to be permitted to be intimate with one woman and one woman only for the rest of my existence, then I will use what is given to me. Your defiance shows me only that we should begin sooner rather than later." He smirks. "It's not as if you won't find pleasure in it as well, little human." I can't escape him this time; his effortless grasp on me is too tight. All I can do is shudder at his words, my body shaking violently. Any bravado I was maintaining before is long gone. "I won't," I choke. "With the way of the bond, it is impossible for you not to." Rhys' hands slide down my torso to the hem of the long white shirt still draped over my body. I tug away as he lowers his hands, and the bond tugs back, not yet uncomfortable, but noticeable. That's okay. I can deal with that. I pull back again, and he chuckles. My efforts have made it easier for him to slide the shirt up over my bottom and hips. Shit, I'm not thinking. I'm not thinking, I need to calm down— "Calm down, little human." Rhys' lips are at my ear. His large hand cups my backside, pulling me back toward him. His fingers press gently into the flesh of my bottom, kneading it, and I can almost feel the smile in his voice. "For the Elixir to have bonded us, you must have been a virgin." I'm suddenly overcome by deep regret at not having made more of an effort to get a penis inside me at some point during my short adulthood. I'd had the opportunity, I suppose, and a few nights of fumbling and fingering with various partners, but never the interest or the initiative to take it much farther. I'd told myself I needed to focus on my career. Goddamn programming. "I can't say I blame you either...human men can't be the most impressive creatures," he continues. A hand slides up my back and I twist desperately, trying to push him away. He curls his hand around my ribcage, and then he's cupping my breast, making me gasp. "I understand breaking one's maidenhead is often uncomfortable, little one. I'll be as gentle as I can." He kneads the underside of my breast as his other hand slides from my bottom over my thigh. "How nice of you..." I gasp out. I snap my thighs together as his hand glides over my skin. His fingers find my nipple and I yelp at the contact, my back arching. "You still don't seem to understand the relief that comes with two bond mates joining in intercourse..." he murmurs. Almost impatiently his hand on my thigh slides up my body and he yanks off the thin shirt that was the last of my defenses. My arms fly up to cover myself. Rhys pays no mind; his hand is already back down, pushing between my thighs, letting me squirm in vain with his other hand on my breast holding me in place. His fingers brush against my lower lips and I shriek and jolt in his lap, twisting, unable to move away. He pushes his fingers between my lips, pressing against my clit. His forefinger presses in harder, circling, and I groan through my teeth. "That's right," he murmurs. "Do you feel that?" Of course I fucking feel it—his middle and forefinger pressing into the stiffening bud, stimulating it—I squirm again, but his other hand is at my back now, drawing his fingers soothingly up and down my spine, and my thighs have parted for him without my realization. Rhys continues moving his fingers against my clit, drawing whimpers out of me. "Stop it...stop..." My efforts to push his hand away are useless, and I'm shaking too hard anyway. He dips his fingers lower until one is pushing inside me. I suck in air through my teeth as his thick finger presses past my hymen and slides easily into me, wiggling against the slick walls of my pussy. He's inside me, and the thread between us...the tugging is all but gone, and a sinking feeling of relief I didn't know I needed is warming me. Rhys is smiling. "Feel that, little one? How good it is to have me inside you, to relieve that pull?" His finger hooks into me and hits that sweet spot, and that combined with the relief makes me sigh pleasurably. A slight pressure, and another finger is inside, and then he's pumping the digits in and out, his other hand steadying me on his lap as he fucks me on his fingers. My hips jerk and I squeal. "Don't..." "Don't? You seem to be having such a good time, though," Rhys taunts, moving his fingers faster. I twist my hips, trying to escape, trying not to think about the doubled relief that is having two of his fingers inside me instead of just one. He's still smiling as I whimper and grasp at his shoulder in pleasure and frustration. "That's a good girl. Let yourself feel it. The pulling is almost gone, isn't it? Answer me, little one." I let out a moan. Rhys' fingers dig deeper and I arch back, nodding frantically. "Yes..." He leans down and nips at my ear, his breath shallow and loud. He's aroused too, I can feel it. His erection presses into my hip through his pants, and when I squirm against him again he groans. "Soon enough, human," he whispers, his fingers still pumping inside me, dragging along my walls, his thumb toying with my clit. "The more of me that is inside you, the more relief we will both experience through the bond..." My head spins when he moves to turn me onto my back on the bed, pushing me down again with that effortless strength. One hand on my shoulder, pressing me down into the mattress, allowing me no escape as I pant and twist beneath him. The other hand is still between my thighs, his fingers buried deep inside my body. He smiles as he draws them out and I squeak at the feeling of that minute tug on my chest, then sigh at the relief of him pushing them back in. "I can feel it too, little one...how good it feels to have you impaled on my fingers, to be joined in that way..." I shudder, causing me to clench down on him, and he groans again, nipping at my throat, his long body fully on top of me. And that feeling of relief has me lifting my hips to him, squeezing his fingers... Marriage of the Fae Ch. 01 He uses my distraction to let go of my restrained shoulder, his hand going to the hem of his shirt. In a moment he sweeps it off, pulling his fingers out of me, and I hate myself for mewling in discomfort at that tugging feeling the loss of his fingers brings. He's pulling down his thin linen pants, and I have less than a second to try to wriggle away before he's on top of me again, and I feel him rubbing himself against the lips of my pussy. I won't look at his cock, I refuse, but even with my eyes averted I can feel how thick it is, how its considerable length slides against my slick folds...I'm wet, and I don't even remember how it happened, but he's smiling again and leaning down to draw his tongue across my peaked nipple. "Perhaps this won't be painful for you after all...you're practically dripping, sweetness," he murmurs, and I groan. "Don't be ashamed...it'll make it all the easier for the both of us to find release..." I can feel him shift in order to grip his cock and press it against my clit, his other arm leaning against the bed, his fingers tangling in my hair. "Stop..." I gasp, because I don't want this, I want to stop feeling that terrible, incredible sense of relief every time he's inside me. "Please, Rhys...I don't want to do this, I don't want it..." My voice is barely a whisper. I'm so fucking weak. "Shh." His lips are against my ear again, and he pants pleasurably as he pushes his dick against my opening. The tugging is back, like it's trying to pull him into me, and I curl in discomfort, making Rhys chuckle. "Impatient little thing," he breathes. "I am not..." I'm cut off when he draws back his hips and pushes himself inside me, and I can feel the tugging go slack, a tension I didn't know was in my body unwinding. I cry out without meaning to as my mouth drops open, and I can feel him moan above me, and I'm distracted by that relief for a moment before the pain sets in, the stretching sensation of being filled completely for the first time. I whimper loudly, my fingers digging into the bedspread. "Fuck...it hurts, don't, it..." Rhys cuts me off when he presses his full lips to mine. "I know, little one. It'll be over soon, shh..." I writhe beneath him, unable to find a comfortable position with him stretching me. He exhales sharply and pushes me into the bed with his weight before dragging his cock out of me. The stretching subsides and then I'm yelping again as he pushes back into me, holding himself inside my aching pussy. And the pain is slowly going away, replaced by that feeling of relief, the thread between us slackening. He pulls out sharply and the force of the tug surprises me, making me roll my hips up to soothe the pull on my chest. And with each shove of his cock back inside, the pain subsides a little until all I can feel is Rhys filling me, and the overwhelming pleasure of the slackening of the thread. It's building in my belly as he thrusts, until his cock swells and he pushes inside me and holds there to release himself with a grunt, and I can't hold in my gasp as the relief seems to peak and I cum hard with him still spilling into my body. When he relaxes against me and rolls over, pulling me on top of him, I tell myself I'm too exhausted to resist. ************** So...that's Chapter 1! I truly hope you enjoyed it. Please comment; I would love to hear from anyone who reads this. Thank you very much!