Her face did not show it- though the remnants of the Orc’s grasp had left her a little shaken. She normally did not welcome the skin-to-skin contact of a man’s touch. She’d hardly experienced it at all until Xeno ripped open her dress in front of the entire court of Karindo. Morgana huffed, her nerves taut with anxiety. The sting on her wrist triggered some unwanted memories. They were moments of time she’d staunched in enough blood to sink to the bottom of the ocean. However, the flames of Calanmai were strong in her mind. The flower-woven dais enveloped her skirts and bare feet. She could taste the rage bubbling on her tongue, and Lord Akash looming close by to lure her into a dance. Moisture was burning under her lashes, and Akash’s brother was lying bloodless in the woods. She had almost been violated that night, under the premise of replenishing the magic of the realm along with the rest of the Clan. Dallying about the Calanmai inferno was a treasured tradition. Her father’s favorite Sabbath. And her worst nightmare.
“Hands off, ugly. She's all mine.”
Morgana blinked, the fog over her mind receding into the depths of her subconscious. The thorns left in the stranger’s wake were smoothed over by his large palm, sliding over her bare stomach and reeling her in by the waist. Xeno kept her close, away from the clutches of the hostile men. It was inexplicable. How his touch immediately soothed her body into a tranquil hum. For the moment, she simply sank into his hold- ignoring the voices of outrage stirring in her head. She reveled in her quivering heart, and the fire rising in her belly. Whilst her responsible conscience toiled with the looming consequences, a pleasured pang ripped through her core at his words. She’s all mine.
All his. The notion comforted her more than she thought possible.
The Beast’s claws left her skin, temptation flaring through the cord of her spine. The dark spots of her pupils dilated, her emerald pyres swelling with a thirsty glow. The bloodthirst was palpable, roiling off his towering form. It ignited her dwindling symptoms of Heat, rushing them to the surface.
Not too long ago, she recalled her analysis of the King in his throne room. He was enemy of brute force, unbridled, and untamable. It was a riveting sight, watching as he shook the ground and refined his wrath through the thrust of a dagger. The point fell just short of tearing through the man’s jugular. A scowl pulled at her lips. What a shame.
“I only tolerate one person giving me nicknames, and it's my wife, so you better watch your mouth.”
A thrill shot through her, more powerful than the spilling of gore could grant her. There was something that pleased her about being an exception to the Beast’s wild ways, all whilst he fought to maintain control. It was horribly gratifying, the pleasure dissipating as quickly as it’d appeared. The Beast impaled the dagger into a wooden post, beckoning her to follow in suit as he stalked off. She was quick to regain pace with him, trailing at his side. Once they’d reached the horses, he focused on untying the reins. She could tell his temper had nearly gotten the best of him. And although it was unwise- she wished it had. Morgana sighed, placing a hand to Chara’s side in short greeting.
You’re riled up, Chara’s hoof dragged across the dirt in curiosity.
Don’t remind me, she sighed, dropping her hand from his hide and turning her attention towards the Beast. He was staring at her interestingly.
“Good job dealing with those thugs. I don't know if you elves have to deal with that kind of scum in your kingdom, but just looking at them makes me want to hurl.”
She was taken off-guard by his sudden praise, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. She’d nearly forgotten that the Beast was capable of being nice. A smile perked up her lips at the thought.
“I’ve had worse.” She said sparingly, careful not to give too much away. Morgana was donning a bright, toothy smile- mostly to avoid further conversation- but it was not totally a lie. She was still grateful for Xeno’s protection, both physically… and from her own devices.
“Men like them kill, rape and ransack just for the fun of it. Surprised they didn't try to cop a feel.”
The raven-haired girl folded her arms, tilting her head forward. “I wouldn’t have let that happen, Xeno.” Her eyes finally met his, on-edge, and eager to avert elsewhere. “No man has ever laid hands on me prior to you.” She divulged quietly, her hands absently rubbing her reddened wrist. “At least, no one has lived to try- anyway.”
She accepted Chara’s reins silently and joined him in their quest to find lodging. Her admittance had successfully staved off any further mention of the topic, thankfully. Instead their focus remained on booking an inn before the sunlight drained from the streets. The Night grew into a vengeful foe in the presence of thieves and ruffians. None were so kind to alert the law once the moon was risen. It existed as silent decree, that any crime was unseen under the cloak of the night. Multiple times, they’d run across a stroke of bad luck- just barely scraping by without conflict. It had taken the entire day to track down a decent establishment, located on the outskirts of town. It was a tactful location, away from the majority of the troublemakers, and just close enough to a brothel to keep any lurkers busy.
They left their horses in the connecting stables, and headed inside the main entrance. It was a classic outline, the main space occupied by an open tavern- and the upper floors housing guest rooms. The majority of the residents were human, and looked to be honest-working people. She could feel eyes of interest on both her and Xeno as they entered. Figures. She fought a scoff, burrowed in her throat. A black-haired elf was of interest to any mortal male. As for Xeno, however, she could understand the appeal. An attractive wolfman. Burly, strong, wild. She couldn’t imagine anyone that wouldn’t take to him. Well, except maybe Teref. She was more into the lean and gallant type of man. She sneered internally. No wonder the Fae was apart of her Father’s untitled harem.
The Beast had gone off to barter for their rooms, while she perched herself upon the edge of an empty table. The exchange between him and the barmaid had not escaped her, but she was far too exhausted to care. She found it absurd that men had to pay for their women. Elves were often thought to be polyamorous, though it was a misconstrued belief. They were simply… very open to their sexuality. Many of her kind would dally as they pleased- though it was a different story to those who were mated. Mates were a rare occurrence in these times, though. Any elf would laugh at the prospect of compensation for sex. Then again, that part of their culture had subjected her to lots of unwanted attention.
Whomever the Beast slept with was none of her business. Her gaze wandered the room, across a table of human men, the red-headed barmaid, a lone orc, and a lively table near the fire pit. A halfling, a human, and an animal-kind. They were in a rather heated game of cards, causing the animal-kind’s rabbit-like ears to twitch. Bunnies weren’t particularly her type… but she’d be lying if she said the ears didn’t interest her. The human was covered in fascinating smudges of dark ink across his skin, leading her to wonder if Xeno had any of his own. The halfling matched the human, with similarly tattooed skin and long blond hair. A trait that she unfortunately missed in the Elven gene-pool.
"... Want to grab a bite before we go to sleep?"
The grumble of the Beast’s stomach drew back her attention, his invitation half-hearted at best. No doubt he’d prefer to spend his time with the red-headed human, flashing suggestive looks at him just about every five seconds. It left a sour taste in her mouth, if she were being honest. His presence was poisonous, and thus the separate rooms were needed. And yet still, her body ached for some semblance of closeness to him. Surely it was a side-effect of the heat. Accepting the coins he offered her, as well as the key to her room, she contemplated her options.
“I’ll pass. Hunger can be quite the motivator in a fight. If you know what I mean.” Morgana’s lips quirked at the edges, returning the currency he’d given to her. All except one gold coin. “Besides, I’m not exactly the type to go on ridiculous shopping sprees.” Her fingers splayed out onto her hip. Her left index finger tapped against the seam of her leather trousers.
“All I need,” she raised a coin between her fingers for him to see, “is this.” It was an effort for her to bite back her excitement, her eyes sliding to the group of men gambling by the fire. “I’m a bit nocturnal, so I may be awhile…” Morgana hopped off the table and drew closer to him, propping a hand on his shoulder to reach his ear.
“But, if you do end up with company…” Her lips brushed his jaw, her fingers wandering to graze down his chest. “She’s a yeller. So gag her or something, will you?” She left him with those words, sashaying at a leisurely pace towards the far end of the tavern. It was rather tempting to continue their little meeting, her abdomen throbbing with a torturous warmth- but any more contact with him was out of the question. He was a damnable catalyst to her lust, and she’d promised herself space.
Morgana leaned over the open chair at the table, smiling to the other occupants graciously. “Hello, gentlemen.”
The halfling was first to peek up from his cards, his soft blue eyes appraising her slowly, before speaking. “Can we help you?”
“I was wondering…” Her cheeks flushed, her lips slightly pouted as she slid a coin onto the table. “If there was any way I could be dealt in?”
The halfling looked to the human cautiously, the rabbit-eared man yet to look up from his hand. The human began to speak. “Well, if Jynx here is alright with it…” The two looked to the rabbit, one of his ears folding forward in annoyance.
“The watchdog that accompanies you…?” His dark eyes did not deviate from the table. They were careful of the trouble that may come of associating with her. How cute.
“A bodyguard. Nothing more.” She answered him with the wave of her hand. With this, his grey eyes flickered up at her, down to her chest, and then back down to his cards.
“Very well.” He admitted, nudging the seat open with his boot. She sat down gleefully, her knees slightly angled towards the rabbit while she faced the halfling next to her.
“So, is Jynx really his name?” She waggled her eyebrows questioningly, earning a laugh from her neighbor.
“Yes, but it is ironic. He seems to jinx every game so that he wins.” He chuckled, reshuffling the deck of cards between his palms. “I’m Soren, by the way. And that’s Baelfor.” His blue eyes were quite pretty, twinkling as he spoke to her amiably.
“And you are?” Baelfor, the human, piped up with mild interest.
“Morgana.” She accepted her cards from Soren, glancing at the first three cards facing upright on the table. They seemed to be a fairly harmless bunch, though strong. She wouldn’t be surprised to find out this was a habit of theirs- drinking and gambling after a long day’s work.
“Pretty name.” Jynx spoke, his storm grey eyes fixated on her. He seemed much more interested in her than he had a moment ago. Not that she minded. He was very pleasant to look at. “I thought I saw you on the ledger.” He tilted his head, his ears flexing outward in a sort of charming way.
“You’re the elf that gave the Magistrate trouble?” Baelfor nearly dropped his cards, shocked. Soren was looking at her with wide eyes. Jynx, however, just seemed amused.
“Goddess, word travels fast.” Morgana groaned, placing her cards flat on the table. “Yes, I’m the one and only.” She threw up her hands, admitting to her crime in a playful manner.
Soren glanced at his cards, and looked over to Baelfor. “You seemed surprised.”
“Yeah, I mean- she doesn’t seem like the type to hold a weapon. You know? She’s just so… feminine.” Baelfor mumbled into his drink.
“You’re a bad judge of warriors, Baelfor.” Jynx stated, watching Soren flip the next two cards face-up. “She’s clearly suited to throwing knives…” He paused, glancing over at her. “Or perhaps dual-wielding short swords.”
Morgana stirred in her seat, feeling her cheeks burn. “Um, yeah.” She responded inelegantly, playing with the ends of her hair.
Soren clapped her on the back, making her jolt slightly in surprise. “Don’t mind him. Jynx is the local weapon shoppe owner. He does this to everyone.”
Morgana gave a short nod and returned to her hand. The first round was an easy victory, though Jynx proved to be a difficult opponent. His poker face was immaculate. And although she’d garnered enough of the pot to bet, she was sparing with her winnings. By the twelfth round, the heavy atmosphere had lessened (albeit with the help of some alcohol) and the lot of them were laughing over petty jokes. Jynx had finally had enough of their struggle, dropping a total of fifteen gold into the pot. Morgana complied with the raise, unhappy to put the bulk of her winnings at risk. But the subtle tension in his right ear had her convinced he was bluffing. Soren and Baelfor would fold, leaving the two competitive players to battle it out.
Jynx wore a dastardly smirk, confident he could force her out of the round. By the end of it, Soren and Baelfor were howling. She’d won with a full-house, and enough gold to fill a small pouch. Jynx didn’t seem too displeased, still wearing the same flirtatious grin.
“Well done.” He commended her, dropping the fabric pouch of coin into her lap.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Jynx get called on a bluff! This girl is gold.” Soren cackled, Baelfor offering some utterance of amusement before standing to refill his mug.
“I’d better head to sleep.” Morgana stood with the pouch in her hand, tucking in her chair.
“You should stop by my shop, sometime. I’m sure I have something that would suit your needs.” Jynx purred from his chair.
“Maybe I will. If I don’t get eaten by some monster in the Colosseum, first.” She joked, winking at the rabbit and turning swiftly towards the steps. She could her his soft laughter, and his gaze on her back as she tapped up the stairwell and down the hallway. Rummaging through her pockets, she retrieved her room key and jostled the lock before getting the stiff doorknob to turn. Once the door gave way, she quickly locked it behind her, desperate to jump into a hot shower. The heat between her thighs was now unbearable, with Xeno to pester her or not.
Tossing her coin pouch on the nightstand, she struggled to shimmy out of her pants, and remove her top. The top was the worst of the outfit. It was horribly constricting to her breasts. It was nearly as unpleasant as a corset, though it managed to smush her cleavage into a garment two cup sizes too small. She couldn’t blame the tailors of the clothes if they misjudged her dimensions. Her choices of clothing rarely made it easy to guess. Though there was little excuse for the red line where her trousers once rested. She grumbled as she fought with the fabric, finally pulling it free and grabbing one of the inn’s towels off her bedside. She’d wrapped it about her a bit loosely and uneven, too occupied with the promise of hot running water. Throwing the washroom door open- she was shocked to hear the sound of a running faucet. And, to spy a certain wolfman under it. She yelped, her face flooding red as she slammed the door shut. How long had he been in there? The inn didn’t run endless hot water to the shower, and certainly not during a cold desert night.
“Xeno!” She hollered through the door, her fangs extending to scrape her tongue. “I need the hot water, and you’ve had your turn. So leave!” She growled. Anger boiled in her veins, urging her to toss the door back open again. She hardly understood the source of her vexation. Perhaps it was her own temptation. Or the earlier dalliance with the barmaid. But worst of all was her demonic nature, it’s spiked tendrils wracking her brain and body into submission. As if to say, Let me out. Her tail was itching to be released from the confines of her flesh, her feet shifting unnaturally to offset the sensation ravaging her lower abdomen. It took a hell of a lot of effort not to ogle whatever the steam did not cover on the Beast’s body.
With one hand on her towel, the other reached out to push on his chest. “Out, Beast. I have my own needs to tend to.” She hissed, her pupils contracting into devilish slits. A clear symptom of the heat. She cursed him for his knack at horrible timing, and the way he caused her inner demon to flare. She was doing her best to keep it under control, but Xeno’s presence was making it rather difficult. The force of her hand made her footing slip, tripping her forward and causing the grip on her towel to alter. The edges of her breasts were peeking out, the towel tapering from her sternum and just barely covering her pink nipples. She’d fallen into his chest just barely, flustered as she attempted to collect herself. A gasp fell from her lips, her fingers fumbling to clutch her towel. She’d never been so clumsy in her life. Nor exposed.
“Please, Xeno.” She huffed, her eyes glued to the wall in embarrassment.