Autumn Rose

After one of her cousins took over handing out candy, Maggie went in the house to supervise kids bobbing for apples. Then she had some chili for dinner, hopeful that her stomach wouldn't rebel. By 10 o'clock the party was winding down and she happily helped her family clean up all the detritus of the celebration.

"Are you staying at Ellie's tonight?" Aunt Mary asked.

"I think I'm just going to drive back home. I took tomorrow off work, but I'd rather sleep in my own bed tonight," Maggie responded. The truth was, she didn't want to wake up at her sister's house because she knew Ellie would grill her about her nausea and exhaustion and refuse to let her have more than one cup of coffee.

"Oh. Okay. Let me get you a bowl of chilli to take with you. I've got too much here and it'll go to waste otherwise."

"Uh... sure."

Aunt Mary bustled around her kitchen and handed Maggie a large glass bowl with a plastic lid. Then a bag of apples. Then a half of a pumpkin pie. Once Maggie was loaded down with enough food to feed her for a week, her aunt helped her out the door.

"Call in the morning to let me know you got home safely," Aunt Mary said as Maggie climbed into her car after putting the bags of food in the passenger footwell for safe traveling.

"I will. I love your Halloween party. And I love you!"

"Love you, too! Drive safely, Maggie."

***

It was after 11pm when Maggie, still in her Halloween costume, finally pulled out of her aunt's driveway and headed east on US6. As though she'd planned it, she reached the junction of US6 and OH-66 minutes before midnight. The night was dark, but clear. The waxing quarter moon had long since set and the sky was sparkling with more stars than were visible near cities.

She was just about to Thomas's grandmother's house when she was overtaken by the throaty noises of dozens of motorcycles and convertible pony cars and muscle cars, including a familiar white Mustang. They surrounded her, weaving in and out of the lane until she was a part of their pack. She slammed on the brakes to her car and skidded to a halt. To her surprise, her escort also stopped. She didn't know what possessed her to open the door to her car and jump out, but she did it. Her feet no sooner hit the ground than the vehicles surrounding hers transformed into all manner of beasts, from beautiful stallions to giant wild boars, from enormous sleek lions and bears to tiny fireflies. There was even a flying reindeer. Each beast carried a rider, each rider a flaming torch. Rather than standing on the highway asphalt, she found herself standing in the Lindsey graveyard, mist rolling around her knees, an eerie glow like flames framing the door of the mausoleum a few yards away.

"Are ye 'ere tae jyne th' hunt, mah lassie?" a giant of a man with a rack of antlers growing from his head demanded of Maggie. A chain rattled as he bent his neck to look down at her from his great height.

"Uhhhh.... No, My Lord," Maggis said, bobbing a curtsy to the Elverkonge, her eyes so wide with fear that the whites were visible all the way around her irises. "I don't want to join the hunt." Her eyes darted from face to face of those surrounding her, looking for Thomas among them.

"Tis guid. We dinnae hunt in th' mirk o' th' moon.

"Then what dae ye seek, bold lassie?" he asked, then grinned, his eyes filled with lust in the flickering light of the torch he carried. "We hae business noo, th' nicht we escort Tamlin tae hell. Bit afore dawn ah will tak' ye tae mah lair." Maggie looked at the man and saw his huge cock standing out proudly from his loins. It seemed to grow longer just from her looking at him. He took himself in his hand and stroked, all the while looking at her.

"No. Uh...no. I'm not..."

Maggie spotted a tall, white stallion and sought out the face of the rider. Thomas met her eyes and nodded almost imperceptibly before dismounting from his horse, leaving his torch strapped to the saddle so that he could make his stealthy way towards her, dodging between warriors mounted on various steeds.

"Stoap mah Tamlin afore he gets tae her!" a voice screeched in the darkness. Maggie had a moment to see the tall red-haired Fairie Queen riding a white horse galloping towards her. Maggie and Thomas rushed across the last few yards that separated them and jumped into an embrace.

"Sweet Maggie, you came for me," Thomas whispered against her hair, his arms wrapped tightly around her. "Whatever you do, don't let go."

Those last words were nearly lost in a scream that rent the air. Maggie didn't have any time to react to the scream before she was screaming herself at finding her arms wrapped around a long, heavy snake which squeezed her so hard that she couldn't take a complete breath. Her sight began to dim and then she could breathe again, but then she held tight to a lion that tried to break out of her grasp and tore its claws across her back in an effort to pull her off. She took a full breath and then screamed in pain. But she didn't let go.

Maggie screamed through the transformations, through birds that pecked at her and flapped their wings trying to escape. She held onto cats that scratched and bit, tearing her delicate skin. She screamed when Thomas turned to fire and scorched her skin, her torn dress burned off of her body. She gagged at the smell of her own hair burning, but still she held on. Her voice was raw, but still she screamed when he turned to ice that burned as much as the fire had, numbing her skin, trying to slip from her embrace.

He transformed into a demon, his skin was searing hot against hers. She held him tightly, her arms wrapped around his wide neck, her face buried in the thick hair on his chest. She felt his hard cock pressing against her abdomen. She felt his clawed hands on her bare hips and he lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his broad body. He smelled so intensely of raw carnal desire that Maggie nearly lost her grip from her body's overpowering lustful need for him. She felt an uncontrollable eagerness to be filled by him. She felt her pussy pulse with desperation as she rubbed her hot wetness against his silky rod of pure maleness.

He thrust his hard cock into her and she cried out in pain as he seemed to split her apart. He lifted her up and dropped her down on his cock, spearing her over and over while she clung to him for dear life. She was dimly aware that as she felt her pleasure build toward climax, her grip on him became less and less sure. She didn't think she would be able to hold onto him through an orgasm so she fought to control her body's reaction to him. She moaned and whined as he pumped in and out of her. She screamed in pain as his talons ripped through the skin of her back, butt, and thighs. Her body tensed as she fought her climax, then the demon roared out his own fiery release into Maggie's core.

In a daze, she saw a shade of a young man leave the demon's body and suddenly she was holding Thomas in her arms with her legs wrapped around his hips, his hard cock buried inside her.

"You saved me, sweet Maggie. You saved me. You saved me," he chanted as he pistoned his hips lazily in and out of her.

"Thomas," she moaned as his cock slid across her engorged clit with each stroke, stoking her towards the climax she'd denied herself when he was in demon form. Her body gripped his cock as she finally felt her release. Thomas responded with his own climax, his breath hitching in his throat.

He wrapped her up so tightly that she couldn't breathe again.

"Thomas. Thomas! You're hurting me," she wheezed.

"Darling Maggie. Sweetheart...," he loosened his hug but did not release her fully. He let her feet fall to the ground, but he still held her close as they looked around them. He tried to protect her bare and bloody body with his own, his own body covered only with a torn plaid shirt and dirty jeans.

The riders of the Great Hunt swirled around them and a great banshee scream ripped through the graveyard where they stood. The mausoleum that had glowed ominously flared into fire, a sulfurous smell enveloped them and Maggie gagged. A demon of monstrous proportions rent the ground, clawing out of the earth. He looked around at the gathered host, his eyes pinning Thomas and Maggie where they stood together wrapped in each other's arms. The demon snorted and fire shot from its nose, the smell of sulfur became even more overpowering.

Suddenly the demon's attention was captured by someone else and he pounced. As Maggie and Thomas watched, the demon lifted the red-haired fairy queen in his mighty claw and then brought her to his chest as she squirmed and fought. The demon sought out the Elverkonge and they shared a wordless look, then they nodded sharply at each other and the demon slipped back below the earth.

The Elverkonge turned his attention to Thomas and Maggie, fire in his eyes.

"Ye chose weel, Thomas Lindsey," he said. "Yer womin haes a brave hert.

"Tak' yersel' awa' fae 'ere. Gang back tae th' mortal realm."

Maggie felt the world spin and vertigo overwhelmed her. The last thing she remembered was collapsing in Thomas's arms.

***

Maggie awoke, disoriented, hours later. It took her a few minutes to realize she was in a hospital room. She was hooked to an IV and both of her arms were bandaged past the elbows. She could still smell burning hair and sulfur. Her back throbbed and the skin of her face felt hot and tight. She scanned the room, but she was alone. Her eyes teared up. She wondered if it had really been a dream. She wondered if she'd ever see Thomas again. Was he real?

A nurse bustled in. When she caught Maggie's eye, she smiled softly.

"Your boyfriend told us you are pregnant," the nurse said as she worked on changing the IV. "The doctor has called for an ultrasound. Now that you're awake, we'll get you looked at."

Maggie nodded, overwhelmed.

"I'll let them know you're awake," the nurse said before she made her way out of the room.

Maggie squeezed her eyes shut, feeling both bereft and scared. She opened her eyes when she heard the door open again, expecting the doctor. There stood Thomas, holding a disposable coffee cup and wearing a worried frown.

"Thomas? Thomas! You're here!" Maggie whispered, her voice hoarse from screaming. She felt tears fall from her eyes, wetting her cheeks.

"Of course I'm here," Thomas responded, his voice deep and thick with emotion. "Where else would I be, sweet girl? You're hurt. I hurt you. I'm worried about you and need to make sure you're okay."

Thomas put his cup down and went to Maggie's bedside to gather her up into his arms.

"You saved me," he murmured as he held her. "You brought me back and I will spend the rest of my life thanking you for that."

End