All Hallows' Eve Masquerade Pt. 01

"No," he breathed and kissed her again. "And we must tend to that heart."

Her stomach fluttered at his touch, and she turned. "How can you help me with that?"

"Tomorrow night is the masquerade. I can ensure that the right man is there and lead him to you."

"And in return?"

"I require no payment afterward, but you must give me something of yourself. I need more than the flower, Cecily."

She shuddered. "My soul?"

Blinking, he threw back his head and laughed. "By the gods, are people still swearing that we are taking souls? No, my sweet. I have no need of your soul. I do, however, require your body."

"What? Why?"

"It's what we do. My brothers and I. Our curse, if you will. Oh, I'll find pleasure in it. What demon wouldn't? But every touch, every kiss will tell me exactly what you need, and when you come, I'll know who exactly can fulfill those needs."

He may be a demon, but he sounded very much like a man with a silver tongue. Still, this couldn't possibly be real. What was the harm? "This is just a dream. I am still in my bed, right?"

"This is not a dream, Cecily, but this is your spirit and not your body," he told her gently. "It will still seem very real, and if you are frightened, you can say no. I will return your spirit no worse for wear."

"Will you hurt me?"

Damien stepped closer and took her hands. Their fingers linked, and he circled his thumb seductively over her skin. "No pain, Cecily. Only pleasure."

His mouth hovered over hers, and there was no hesitation. "Yes," she whispered and met him halfway in the kiss.

The lake and the meadow faded away until darkness blanketed them. They floated over purple flames which leapt up and curled around her body, but as promised, there was no pain. Pleasure danced along her skin as he deepened the kiss and worked the buttons of her white night gown.

"Your first didn't give you what you wanted," he muttered as he pulled the gown over her shoulders. It slid down her body until it fell, disintegrating into the flames. She stood, completely bare to him but unashamed. Damien stroked a finger over her nipple. "He didn't bother to discover what you liked."

Gods, but she liked that. "Again," she groaned. "Touch me again."

He stroked the other nipple. "The young man got it wrong, you know."

She tried to focus but it was difficult when he was touching her like that. "Got what wrong?"

"The color of the flower. It doesn't match the tone of your lips, but I wager that when I wet your nipples, it will be the exact shade."

Then, if only to prove a point, he raised his hand until she rose a little higher in the air, until her nipples were right at his face, and he leaned over and languidly licked one.

"Oh, yes," he murmured. "The absolute perfect color. Did you like that, Cecily? Shall I do it some more?"

Oh, but the demon was wicked. Staring down at him, she could only nod, and he grinned. "Then wrap your legs around my chest, and hold on. I want all my focus to be on the feasting of you. If I drop you into the flames, they may never give you up."

The very idea should have terrified her, but she just mindlessly did as he asked, wanting only more pleasure. He tasted her with enthusiasm until her legs were tightening around him.

"You need someone who will worship you," he groaned as he lifted his head and stared at her. "Someone who can take control of your pleasure but still fall to his knees to eat your cunt until you scream."

Inhaling sharply, Cecily shuddered at the thought. "I have never...no one has..."

In one swift move, Damien tossed her in the air and caught her again, this time settling her on her shoulders and then leaning her backward until they were perpendicular. Pressured gathered at her back, holding her upright even as the flames continued to tease and lap and her.

"Oh, yes. The one I find will enjoy your taste," Damien growled before he buried his head between her legs, slowly sliding that tongue up her until he flicked it over that magic little nub, sending her arching into the air. The flames wrapped around her body, heating up her skin, scorching her breasts and caressing her lips, but it was all in pleasure.

And it was almost too much.

"Enough, my sweet little Cecily." Releasing her, he made her float upright again in front of him. "As much as I am enjoying this, you only get to come once, and I need you shuddering on my cock to get the full picture of your love."

"My love," she moaned, and her eyes opened. "Do you see him already?"

"I see a handful of souls that might match yours." Watching her closely, he began to undress. First, he undid the buttons of his shirt revealing the purple tattoo beneath. "There is one who would tie you to the bed and feast on your body for hours, forcing you to come until you black out."

Her eyes widened at that, and he chuckled. "No, I do not think that will do for you, although I see the idea rouses your curiosity."

Suddenly, the flames tugged at her wrists, wrapping them behind her back. Tendrils licked at her, teasing her even though the demon himself was not touching her.

Instead, he watched her with a knowing smirk on his face."How do you feel, Cecily?"

"Aching."

"But no longer afraid. And why is that?" The pants dropped into the flames, and the demon stood before her with the shape of a strong and broad man, muscles well defined, and an erection that made her moan.

Floating toward her, he cupped the back of her head and drew her in for a kiss. "I see," he murmured. "Not afraid because you still feel as though this isn't real. Cling to that, my sweet Cecily, for I sense that while you will be happy with your love, there will be storms for you to weather."

Before she could ask what he meant by that, he thrust into her, hard and fast.

Shocked, she cried out at the invasion, but her body opened to him, welcomed him, and he gave her no time to think as he hammered into her.

His grunts of pleasure echoed in the darkness, punctured only by her desperate need for a release. She wrapped her limbs around him, attempting to draw him in tighter.

"Gods, yes," she moaned. "Fuck me."

"'Tis been years since I have had someone so tight," he growled as he sank his teeth into her shoulder. "You, my sweet, are a pleasure for a slave."

A slave?

He slammed into her one last time, and the darkness exploded into color as she screamed and let him go. This time, he didn't catch her as her orgasm rocked her body, instead, letting her fall closer to the fires below.

But instead of consuming her, the flames flickered around her, and when she opened her eyes, she stared at the ceiling in the bedroom. Sitting upright, her heart pounded in her chest as she ran her hands down her body. Parts of her were still shuddering, but she was dressed and right where she belonged.

An invisible hand circled her throat, caressing her. "The man in the white mask will make a bid for your heart. Let him in, and he will make you scream with pleasure during the night and fill your days with joy. Only he is deserving of a heart as pure as yours."

The voice and the touch faded, and she wondered if the demon would ever visit her dreams again.

The slave.

***

The All Hallows' Eve festival was the only festival that brought all the neighboring villages together to the edge of the forest. It was the last chance for them to come together and mingle before the winter's cold kept them separated for months. It was a night of low inhibitions and anonymity.

Here, they celebrated the thinning of the veil, the spirits who could reach out and caress them and take their own pleasures as well as the living's celebration of life and the flames of desire.

The costumes had taken months to make. Cecily had the most talent when it came to sewing, so she'd helped Althena and Pryanna with theirs, and when they walked into the forest, Cecily felt a strange sense of pride.

Althena boldly wore black, and Pryanna was a force of nature in red.

Cecily wore white. At the time, it had been because the undyed fabric was the only she could afford. Althena had offered to buy her the green since it was her favorite color, and Pryanna offered to dye the white green, but once Cecily held the white fabric in her hands, she'd sensed that it was the right choice.

Had the demon known that she would be wearing white?

The gown fit over one shoulder, the single sleeve running all the way to her wrist where it linked to the skirt of her gown. When she raised her arm, it had quite an affect, pulling the gown up one side and showing off her bare leg in the deep slit that she'd cut. Tiny beads caught the light from the fires and in the moonlight, she glowed silver and orange.

The white beaded mask obscured half her face, so she looked more confident in the dress than she felt. Althena had picked the designs for each of them this year, and she hoped she looked as alluring as she felt. Innocent with a desire for wicked.

Whistles began as soon as they joined the group. The festivities had already started. Hands reached out and stroked them as they walked by. Husky murmurs and giggles filtered from behind the trees followed by low moans of pleasure. Some tables had already been cleared of food while women laid across them, allowing strangers to feast on them instead.

This was only her second time at the festival. The first year, she'd been far too nervous to allow anyone more than a touch, and afterward, she hadn't gone for she'd still been reeling from the loss of her parents and the humiliation of her lovers actions.

But after Damien, this year, she felt as though she could do anything.

"You two do not have to watch over me," she told her friends with confidence. "I mean to enjoy myself tonight, and I might even take someone home."

"Are you certain?" Pryanna asked.

"I am. Tonight is filled with magic, can't you tell?" The spell had worked. She just knew it, and she couldn't wait to meet the man in white.

Plus, there was no need to worry. There was only one rule in place at the party, and if anyone dared to break the rule, to take more than what was offered, there were those among them who would make certain that they could never touch another.

Ever.

There was no place safer for her to meet the one who would win her heart.

"You look beautiful," Althena murmured as she reached out and stroked a tendril of Cecily's hair. "Enjoy yourself."

The three separated, and Cecily wandered around the crowd, slightly nervous. Hands reached out, touched her, but she never touched them. Lips brushed along her ears, whispered for more, but she didn't acknowledge them. She stepped over the legs of one couple as they writhed on a makeshift bed and over the head of another woman while she had her thighs locked around a stranger's head.

Ignoring the howls of pleasure, she searched only for one.

And there he was.

Half naked, in only a pair of dark pants, the man turned, and her heart kicked as she froze. In the sea of masks, only one wore white.

He locked eyes with her and reached out his hand, crooking his finger toward her.

Gods, yes.

Slowly, she walked to him, side stepping the hands that reached for her because she belonged to only him now. Finally, when there were only inches between them, she stopped.

With a word, he stepped next to her, placed a hand to the small of her back, and began guiding her through the crowd. With a snarls, he kept anyone who dared try to touch her away, and when they were on the fringes of the party, he grabbed her wrists and backed her into a tree.

Then, he kissed her.

Gods, but he was so hot and hungry and real. Unlike with Damien, she knew that when this man took her, he had all of her, body, spirit, and heart, and she whimpered when he slid his tongue inside of her.

The kiss made her dizzy with need and erupted sparks within her body. She's never tasted anything so good and so addicting.

"I have been looking for you," he said hoarsely as he darted his tongue down to lick her neck. "The woman in white would would draw down the moon itself."

Moaning, she ran her hands through his dark hair as he dropped to his knees, and the image that Damien had so easily planted in her mind sprang to life.

"Hair of blonde spun silk and skin of cream," he moaned as lifted the skirts up to her waist. "And fucking soaking wet for me. You're mine, aren't you?"

"Yours," she moaned as she sucked in her bottom lip. The magic swirled around them, and in her heart, she knew it was true. Finally, at long last, she'd found the man who deserved her heart.

"Tell me your name, my love."

"Cecily."

"Perfect." His fingers stroked her pussy, and when she looked down at him, he licked his fingers. "Fuck, you taste good. My name is Gavnir, and I want to hear it on your lips when I'm fucking you."

"Gavnir."

"Oh, fuck, that's good." Sliding back up her body again, he kissed as undid his pants. "Touch me, Cecily. Feel what I'm going to use to make you mine."

Without hesitation, she wrapped her hands around his cock and moaned when he thrust into her hands. He was hard, smooth, and hot to the touch.

And it was all hers.

"I want you," she whispered. "Right now, and then again and again."

When he thrust into her, she screamed. The bark of the tree bit into her back, and they were so close that her cries of pleasure mingled with others. The curious came closer, watched, touched themselves, but none of it bothered her in the least because unlike her first lover, Gavnir would protect her. With him, she could let herself go.

And that's exactly what she did.

"So good, Cecily, my sweet little woman," he groaned. "You're perfect for my cock, taking all of it. So wet. So fucking wet."

Harder, he fucked her until she shattered around him, panting his name over and over again. The trees absorbed her cries, and they would remember it for years to come as he rode through her orgasm, pounding her until he exploded inside of her.

Then, gently, he held her until she could lower her legs back to the ground, until she found the strength to stand. "Turn around," he told her quietly, and when she complied, he began brushing the dirt from her dress. "I hadn't expected our first time to be this way, but once I saw you, I knew I needed to make you mine before anyone else touched you."

"It's all right," she said breathlessly. "It was perfect, and I'm not so pure that a little dirt is going to hurt me."

"Oh sweetheart. The night isn't over. We're going to get filthy before the night is over. Take me home, Cecily."

After she pressed her lips to his neck, she looked up toward the glittering stars and silently thanked her demon and the gods who were looking out for her tonight. The magic of All Hallows' Eve had done their job.

Linking hands with him, she hoped that her friends were finding their loves as well.