Rogue and Rake Ch. 01

"You sure ripping off the Fivers is really a good idea?"

"Since when were good ideas ever this profitable? Now, less talking and more searching for what we came here for."

Aranda crept forward to the first of several cross-shaped intersections and glanced first down the left passage, then the right, trying to discern any promising features in either direction. Unfortunately they proved to be uniform corridors which both ended in a ninety-degree corner leading farther inward, away from the staircase. They also both had several doors along their visible length before said corner. Considering this information, as well as there being four such intersections along the just central hallway alone, Aranda did the math and quickly came to the conclusion that they were up a creek, with no paddle in sight. This was going to take far longer than she had anticipated. The job tender from the Hand hadn't provided any practical details of where the item would be or how to locate it, just that its repossession had been commissioned and that the guild would pay handsomely for it. At the time, this seemed perfectly reasonable; but at the time, she had simply assumed that this country estate was not in possession of a treasury the size of which would put several palace vaults she knew of to shame.

"By the looks of things, we might be in for a long night down here," she said, annoyance creeping into her voice. "We'd better get started, and cover as much ground in as short a time as we can manage. I don't fancy being caught dawdling around down here if one of the house guard happens to make his way down as a part of his rounds."

Therin nodded his agreement and kept a close pace as Aranda quickly made her way down the first right-hand hallway branch. In the dim blue light of the glowstone, she caught his gaze lingering more often on her than keeping watch of their surroundings. A familiar warmth began to burn in her core, and she felt herself growing wet each time she noticed his gaze upon her. Whenever he realized he had been seen, however, Therin quickly shook his head and directed his eyes elsewhere, seemingly intent on detecting potential dangers that lurked in the darkness.

The two continued to make their way through the subterranean corridors in a methodical, grid-like search pattern. At each door Aranda would pause, listen for any signs of movement within, and ease the door open to peer inside. Every room was dark and uninhabited, except by mounds of long-forgotten flotsam and jetsam. One room they came across seemed entirely dedicated to housing empty brandy bottles; another, poorly-embroidered hunting tapestries. Several housed old suits of armor and great weapons long gone to rust, and yet others appeared to be mere storerooms for excess household and pantry items. For this being a treasury, everything they came across seemed infuriatingly worthless.

It was as Aranda was making a quick visual inventory of one of the storerooms that she heard a sharp intake of breath behind her. She immediately glanced to Therin in alarm, her eyebrows raised in an expression which clearly asked, 'What's happening? Something we should be concerned over?'

Therin leaned in, his lips nearly touching her ear, and breathed, "Footsteps. Just hit the bottom of the stairs." Aranda thought that he lingered at her ear a little overlong, but didn't mind; the feeling of his warm breath against her cool skin was delicious. But they had no time to dally. They were not even halfway through their circuit of the treasury, and still had not found what they had come in search of.

As Therin shifted back to allow her out of the doorway, he began drawing his twin bastard swords from their scabbards. Aranda quickly put a hand on his forearm to stay the motion, shaking her head no vigorously.

"Don't," she mouthed silently, trusting him to read her lips. "We can't afford to raise an alarm. We still need the ledger."

She heard the footsteps now too, striding purposefully down the center corridor. They were not hurried to suggest that they had been detected, but it was not a leisurely pace, either. She dropped the glowstone into a pouch, stifling the dim light, and glanced around hurriedly, assessing their options.

Time's up.

******

It was Alden's first day on the job. He and his family had lived on the barony manse his entire life. His parents had both worked in the baron's service until their passing several years before, and now that he was of age, Alden was thrilled to be able to serve his Lordship as a member of his house guard. Alden's orders had been to make several supply deliveries to various members of the household staff, followed by monitoring the estate's perimeter until sunrise. Although the cellar had not been on his outlined patrol route, he was a conscientious young man and wanted to prove his devotion of service to his lordship by going beyond what had been explicitly requested of him.

As he reached the bottom of the cellar stairs, he took in the grand sight his torch revealed. He smiled and strode down the central hallway with the confidence and deliberateness only ever seen in young men recently assigned a rank. Reaching the middle intersection, he turned and strode down the right-hand branch. Honestly, he was being silly. No one had been down here for at least a week, when the cook had reported she was short on flour and needed another bag brought up to her pantry. Alden shook his head, silently reprimanding himself for not taking his rounds as seriously as he knew he should. He sighed and turned the next corner, hoping to complete his route and make it back abovegrounds to the manor's courtyard while the moon was still high, so that he could admire the view of the countryside from his assigned turret post.

******

Aranda held one hand up toward Therin, signaling for him to stay quiet, as she pressed her ear to the door, eyes closed in concentration. The footfalls continued in their stride, unbroken, and soon faded into the distance. Aranda began to relax, relieved they had not been detected. Then she felt his presence behind her. Her breath caught in her throat, stifling a gasp as she felt a breath on the back of her neck. Her mind was a jumble of conflicting thoughts and emotions as she spun to face him, resting her back against the door. He stood mere inches behind her. Their eyes met and Aranda, her expression questioning, could not tear her gaze from his. A complete reversal from the looks she had received from him over the past week, now his expression was certain. And urgent.

"Wh—”

She didn't get the full word out before he closed the distance between them and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Before she could collect herself to react to what was happening, Aranda found herself returning his kiss, equally as urgent. They could work out the details later. Right now, she much didn't care what Therin's motives were—if he even had motives—her only concern was that he was touching her, and it was wonderful. She threw her arms around his neck and tangled both hands in hair, pulling it free of the horsetail. As she did, Therin grasped her waist, pulling her to him. She could feel his hardness as he ground his hips against her, and all other thoughts were chased from her mind, leaving only her desire. Aranda released one hand from its grip and reached behind her, throwing the bolt on the door closed in a final moment of lucidity, locking them in so that they would not be interrupted. She would not squander the opportunity a second time.

They continued their kiss, Therin unrelenting in his need and Aranda reciprocating in turn. She flicked her tongue lightly across his upper lip, causing him to capture her lower lip with his teeth, nipping gently. Hardly allowing the opportunity to breathe, they remained locked together, tongues exploring and intertwining. After what felt like an eternity he broke the kiss, moving his mouth down to kiss along her jaw and down the side of her neck. Every so often he would nip her skin lightly, eliciting a shudder of pleasure and a nearly inaudible gasp. When his lips arrived at the top of the gorget he began to unbuckle the harness, wordlessly daring her to object. She didn't.

Once unbuckled, he removed the gorget and spaulder harness with one hand, tossing it to a disused corner, while the other immediately began unfastening her belts. Aranda simply stood there, arms hanging limp at her sides after having the spaulders pulled off, as Therin moved on to kiss her collarbone. As her sword belt fell away, she experienced a momentary flash of panic as she realized she was completely weaponless. The thought was quickly pushed from her mind when his hands grasped the cord of her bodysuit and began to undo its lacing. He untied the top, allowing the suit stretched tightly across her breasts to fall open, but then moved his hands away. He took a moment to enjoy her body while she still wore the sensual suit, running his hands along the smooth suede and caressing the curve of her hip where leg became ass.

A very nice ass. It was the first intelligible thought to surface in his mind since he had kissed her. His actions thus far may have felt like simple passion to Aranda, but Therin recognized the uncontrollable urge rising within himself, the dire need. He knew the feeling well; she brought it out in him easier than he liked to admit. He only hoped that satisfying his lust for her could quell the other, darker desires.

His hands moved rapidly then, raising back to the lacing at her breast. He pulled the leather thong roughly out from its eyelets, and soon the garment stood completely open from breast to groin, falling down one shoulder and exposing her breast. Therin paused, and rather than pushing the suit off, he instead guided her hands from where they hung limply at her sides to unfasten his own belt, reminding her of the steps that needed to be taken before they could have one another. With this prompting her fingers began to work again, nimble and efficient, functioning more from muscle memory than from conscious thought.

They deftly unbuckled his sword belt and, careful to not let the blades clatter on the stone floor, she turned and gently lowered it onto a pile of sacking. As she rose, she felt the suede slip from her other shoulder. Both breasts now fully exposed, she shrugged her arms completely free of her sleeves. Aranda stood before him, naked from the waist up, nipples raised and hard from her arousal as much as from the cool air. She returned to her task, pulling his shirt off over his head, and took a moment to savor the feeling of running her hands over the bared flesh of Therin's chest. It was even better than she had imagined it to be. His skin was lightly tanned and marked by haphazard pale slashes of not a few scars. The muscles of his chest and arms were hard and supple at the same time, confirming her earlier appraisal of a dancer's physique.

Reluctantly Aranda moved on from her caress, trailing her hands downward to allow her nimble fingers to undo the cord on his trousers. As they fell to the floor, she felt him move the hand which rested on her hip up her bare side to cup her breast, rubbing his thumb across the hardened nipple. The feeling of it nearly caused her to collapse. His hands were rough, calloused, and perfect as they continued to explore her body. She pressed her hips against his as she returned another kiss, letting her desire be known.

With a low moan he gently pushed her back, giving himself space to step out of his smallclothes. He stood before her, completely naked and as hard as she had ever seen a man. She bit her lower lip in a lustful smile as she took in the sight of him. Finally their eyes met again, and her expression made it exceedingly clear that she approved. He moved back to her, but did not draw her to him. Instead, he rested a hand on either of her hips, caressing the sides of her body for a moment before, in one lightning fast movement, he gripped her bodysuit where it hung at her waist and yanked it forcefully to the floor. Unlike him, she wore no smallclothes; they broke up the lines of her suit. She lithely stepped out of the garment, pushing her boots off with her feet.

As Therin's eyes roamed over her now equally naked form, she saw his erection pulse and grow even larger. For such a long time she had desired nothing more than to feel his touch; now she felt she could simply stare at him forever and need nothing else. As Therin closed the gap between them, he proved her wrong.

He took her in another passionate kiss, pressing his hard cock against her stomach. He was so hard it was almost painful. Aranda shifted slightly, repositioning him so that his cock now extended between her legs, the length of his sex resting along hers. She was so wet now that he glided virtually frictionless across her slit, not trying to enter her, just enjoying the feeling. They both held their breath in unspoken anticipation; not a single muscle moved as their passion built. The only hint of motion between them was the twitch of his cockhead against her swollen clit, blood boiling within his straining member. Aranda broke first. As Therin's cock slid along her burning sex, she raised one leg and wrapped it around his waist, pulling them tight together. He took her cue and lifted her, holding her waist, which allowed her to wrap both legs around him, her arms around his neck. As he did so, he slid inside her. It was such a simple act after so many weeks of buildup; more accidental than forceful or deliberate. Even still, the feeling was like an electric shock coursing through them, causing both to gasp in unison.

Those quiet gasps broke their spell of hesitation and spurred them into fervent motion. Therin shifted Aranda's slight weight in his arms, allowing her to lean back, and began driving into her in earnest. His need to satisfy his uncontrollable urges, coupled with the intense pleasure of her body, ignited a raging storm within him. Through the haze of lust and desire, Aranda somehow registered that their lives likely still depended on not being discovered and managed to cry out only in small, quiet gasps instead of the screams that reverberated through every fiber of her body. The only sounds in the room were flesh slapping against flesh and their ragged breathing.

"You're far too quiet for what we're doing," Therin growled with uncharacteristic intensity as he moved one hand from her waist to squeeze her breast, pinching the nipple. "I bet I can make you scream."

He continued to kiss her savagely, moving his mouth down to where he held her breast, and thrust into her with increased force and speed. But Aranda needed more.

She bit his earlobe and breathed, "Wait."

"I've waited long enough," he panted, punctuating each word by driving hard into her. She moaned and laughed at the same time, an odd sound.

"Just for a moment; I have an idea."

Reluctantly, Therin allowed her to dismount. It had been mere moments, but Aranda found her legs already unsteady. Was it the exertion, the thrill, or both? She moved as seductively as her trembling muscles would allow, making her way to a pile of empty flour sacks in a corner of the room. Therin followed a few paces behind, intrigued by what she could have in mind.

She turned to face him and slowly knelt on the sacking as he approached, unconsciously grateful for the padding against the hard tile floor. This was proving to be a far more comfortable situation than many she had previously found herself in. Therin came forward, erect manhood leading the way, bobbing slightly with every step. His engorged member glistened in the low light, still wet with her juices and his own precum. He stopped directly in front of her. Before he could inquire as to what she intended, she rose from where she rested on her haunches and took him into her mouth.

I've wondered what that beautiful mouth was capable of. It appears now I'll— rational thought fled him momentarily as her ministrations elicited a moan from deep within him.

His cock was large—granted, not the single most massive specimen she had ever encountered in her considerable experience, but certainly enough that it took her a moment before she could accommodate his full length. She focused on relaxing the muscles in her throat as her tongue played over the length of his shaft, her lips providing a soft suction at the base. The heady aromas of dried sweat from his sparring earlier that evening, fresh perspiration from their frantic lovemaking, and his bodily musk made Aranda's desire increase with every breath. As she felt his hand on the back of her head, twining into her hair, her pace quickened. Her whole upper body rocked away and back toward him again, his length gliding out of her mouth so that only the head remained captured by her lips, then back in so that her nose was pressed against his groin. She did not relent until she felt his balance waiver and he had to place his other hand against her shoulder to keep from collapsing. She felt his cock begin to twitch and pulse in her mouth. Though they had never been physical before, she had had enough lovers to recognize when a climax was mounting.

She pulled away one last time, his swollen tip escaping her mouth with a final pop. Therin's eyes had a glaze over them, and she knew with satisfaction that he was a million miles away. Aranda leaned toward him again and, pursing her lips, gently blew on his member. The concentrated stream of cool air caused it to jump and twitch again, but it gradually calmed as she watched his eyes refocus. He gazed down at her, his desire clear.

In that instant, staring up at him, she was transported back to that singular fantasy she had had in the Bealach Sídhe inn. A thrill coursed through her. Her pussy was soaked, swollen, and throbbing. She needed him more than ever, and could finally have the object she most desired. She shifted position so that she was on her hands and knees, facing away from him.

Over her shoulder, with a look of desire that mirrored his own, she said in a husky whisper, "Have your way with me. And don't be gentle."

Therin wasted no time, dropping to his knees behind her and grabbing her smooth hips with his rough hands. Then he was in her, full to the hilt. In his first rapid thrust he drove his entire length into her waiting slit, meeting almost no resistance. True to his word, he made her scream.

He drove into her hard, over and over again. After only moments he began to lose all semblance of control. He started to feel the pull of that familiar spiral that always eventually drove him into a rage in combat, tendrils of blackness creeping across his vision.

No, he managed to register, this is different... somehow...

With every thrust, Aranda's moans drifted into what remained of his consciousness. They came faster now, and faster still, until she cried out, "Oh gods yes! Gods! Please... don't stop! Make me cum!"

He felt her muscles quiver around him, go still, and then convulse madly. She moaned unintelligible sounds of ecstasy as her entire body shuddered in orgasm. Therin did not—could not—relent even as she came, continuing to drive into her at a merciless pace. Every time it appeared her orgasm was subsiding, she began to spasm again. She nearly begged him to stop; she felt as though she was being ripped apart, but it was so good.

Finally the sensations became too much, and he felt his own orgasm welling up inside. He spiraled faster and faster, blackness overtaking his vision almost completely. But instead of losing himself in the dark abyss, the world erupted in blinding light. He collapsed forward onto Aranda's back in convulsions of his own, driving deep into her as his cock erupted over and over again. At his prompting, her body responded with another, albeit more subdued, climax of her own. His mind reeled, but this was nothing akin to the dark rages which the herbs brought on. This was something far better.