Love Has No Grave

"I'm hungry."

"Oh. Well, I'll make you something. I have to get a fire going first, though."

She made to rise but his hand on her arm stopped her.

"No, I'm hungry for you, Elia!"

"What?"

She didn't get to inquire further. Sulva swept her into his arms and with creaks and cracks akin to snapping twigs, his joints and bones labored to stand him up under his own power. He wobbled for a moment, remaining stationery holding his shocked wife in his arms. She gawked at his shaking legs gaining strength and solidity, and when it was clear he would not drop her, she was able to smile and squeal girlish noises in celebration. He took one step, and then another, testing his capabilities and reorienting himself to a height he had no recollection ever achieving before. The stiffness abated with every step to the table, where he stopped and laid Elia upon the slab he had been born again on.

"You're so strong, already, Sulva!"

Sulva simply grunted and started to reach his hands under her dress. He stopped and eyed Elia with a look full of hunger leashed by restraint.

"Surely you hunger as I do?"

She nodded at him happily and lifted her dress for him, revealing her nude body to him below the waist. Her hips were splayed across the slab, opening herself to Sulva's starving eyes. Her center was awash with her excitement, glistening around her entrance with the juices that ran down her thighs even in the low candlelight. Sulva took in the sight like a castaway come across an oasis, his eyes widened and his lips parted thirstily. He bent down before her, and lowered his face reverently above her slit. He breathed upon it, and she shuddered at the sensation. His hands crept onto her legs and moved over her knees to slide down her thighs. He gasped at the texture of the generous masses of smooth, soft flesh. They gave him pause enough that he took his time running his hands up and down them, grazing closer and closer to her needy sex. She bit back anticipatory whimpers and whines as he explored, appreciating the somewhat warm hands paying her attention after a break immeasurably long compared to married life.

Sulva tarried no longer and closed the gap, dipping his tongue exploratorily into her. Elia hissed at the gentle intrusion, and pushed herself up with her hands to watch him use his mouth on her. The taste tantalized him, and he felt compelled to repay the woman for all her efforts to bring him back to life. He withdrew and painted his tongue over her folds, carefully covering her with the flat of the organ and licking upwards, to stop just before her hood. He traced his way back down her labia, slipping his tongue between the sensitive tissue as he went. Girlish mewls told him his treatment was well received, driving him on to planting kisses in a trail down her center, circling back around to stop above her clitoris once he had completed the line. His next kiss was hesitant, acclimatizing her sensitive nub to his touch before diverting his attention to it directly.

She stifled a cry at the new contact and bit her lip, watching Sulva's head move between her legs. She felt a tongue press down on the hood, the stimulation shielded enough and the pressure cautious enough not to cause much discomfort. He began to kiss at the protected jewel, sucking as he lifted his lips. She shivered and pressed herself into him more hungrily, wishing him to confront the little epicenter of nerves already. He obeyed, and snaked his tongue under the hood to wash over her with a warm, wet embrace. Her thighs locked around his neck as she squirmed and eked out a moan. His tongue circled her clit in a spiraling circle that terminated with a kiss that pressed her button to score a rhythm she could not predict that made her thighs shake and her center yearn for something more.

He exposed his teeth to the gem before swallowing it whole and batting it around his mouth with his tongue. Elia cried out with a burning croon that petered out in a sigh that precipitated her head falling back against the table. She rode out the attack of his tongue and felt it release her, sliding back down to her hole to plunge into her with abandon. The slimy appendage sluiced down her tunnel, licking her walls bare of her lubricative fluid as it speared into her depths. She arched into his mouth, taking him as deep as he could extend his tongue. She squirmed in the air until his hands set her back down and began pawing at her bottom.

"Sulva... yes! Deeper, faster!"

Sulva's mouth was occupied but he responded with his lips regardless, sucking her labia into his mouth and bathing them wildly with his tongue before delving deeper into her. His tongue flicked frantically within her passage, like a fire it jumped from wall to floor to ceiling within her, burning her nerves with pleasure that made her head spin. She groaned and reached out to bury her hands in his hair, pulling it nearly painfully with each bliss induced tug. This impeded Sulva not at all, who only plunged himself headlong into pleasing her.

His mouth made love to her loins in a way that Eli could not recall ever having experienced before. It was reckless, without restraint, truly a raging wildfire unaccustomed to the land but foundational in what would grow after it passed. She felt the warmth consume her, and only a clearing remained untouched, yet waited to be consumed by the inferno. She cupped Sulva's face and lifted him from her.

"It's time, Sulva. Let's see how well my magic worked on you."

Sulva licked his lips and nodded, standing up from his kneeling position. Elia drew him close, and caressed his hands, the both of them enjoying the momentary peace before the tireless lovemaking that awaited them. She sat up and ran her hands over his chest, whispering things into his ear all the while.

"How I've missed you."

"I..."

"I know, Sulva. It's fine, love. You don't need to remember anything for what comes next."

She left a trail of kisses from his jaw to his lips, pausing to allow him to reciprocate. Slowly he brushed his lips over hers, emulating their original first kiss so uncannily it threatened to make Elia laugh. She held it in, and enjoyed the sweetness of his hesitant lips on hers. The fire in her belly was tempered white hot, ready to forge precious metal out of whatever Sulva had to put in her kiln.

Her tongue darted out to taste his lip. He started and offered his own, inching out to meet hers between their lips. He allowed hers to slip over his and enter his mouth, spreading over the rest of him. His taste was unpleasant, but the tangy taste of herself compensated enough for her not to mind and playfully wrestle her tongue against his. He moaned and his hands reached up to cradle her face, sinking into her and allowing the kiss to to take him away.

Their lips fought at an increasingly rapid battle to suck the other into their mouth. The smacking sounds of their lively kiss punctuated their breaths and locking of lips in different orientations. Elia broke away first, panting for breath. Sulva looked far and away, lost in the fugue of the kiss. Elia nuzzled into his neck and whispered her desire to him.

"I'm ready for you, Sulva. I'm ready for you."

"Sorry to make you wait."

Sulva kissed Elia's cheek and laid her back down. He spread his hands over her thighs and brought himself close. Elia held her dress bunched up above her hips so she could peer up at Sulva as he situated himself before her. He pulled her thighs flush to his body and laid his cock over her pubic mound. He drew it back down to fall into the ridge of her slit, coating itself in her flowing excitement. He pushed against her, applying pressure to her sex that triggered a hiss from them both as he ground up and down against her. One of his hands caressed the soft roundness of her stomach, the other held onto her knee in the air.

He glanced at her and she nodded readily, painful yearning melting through her features. He withdrew once more and adjusted himself, pressing his head against her opening. He pushed forward, the slight effort more than enough to glide through her entrance, into her tight, squeezing passage. Elia gasped and crooned to the ceiling, her back arching involuntarily. Sulva shuddered above her, pausing to allow the grip of her warm walls to squeeze him delightfully tight in time with her heartbeat. His hands slid over her damp form to hold onto her hips, granting him leverage as he eased himself further into his wife. Her whimpers increased in volume as he inserted himself to the hilt inside her, their groins flush together to form one amalgamous body.

He waited for Elia to accustom herself to his presence, and drew himself out of her, until only the head remained. Slowly, but forcefully, he pushed himself back into her, luxuriating in every ridge he passed over. Again, he withdrew himself, and drove his length into her, finding her hips rocking into him to meet him halfway. The two rocked into each other, forming a rhythm cast below the harmony of their moans and sighs.

Her eager efforts to meet him spurred him on to increase the rate of his thrusts. The impact of his hips against her thighs sent a delicious ripple through her supple flesh, driving him onward in a reckless barrage of rutting. The gooey pressure around his cock made him feel lighter than air, and fly he did, sawing in and out of her insides freely. He could not conceive of how good he felt, he couldn't get enough, he wanted to give her everything he had for everything she had given him.

But something was wrong.

Elia's grunts were more so expressed out of exertion than striking pleasure, her body stiffened and her back braced against the slab. She watched Sulva thrust in and out of her without sense, almost blindly. The desire drained away from within her, replaced with strain and discomfort tinging on pain. After a particularly harsh thrust, her groan could not be contained, and Sulva opened his eyes, unable to mistake Elia's wince for anything but pain.

"Elia?"

"Just... keep going. It's just been a while, is all."

"Are you-"

"Yes, keep going, it'll get better."

Sulva drew in and out of her tentatively but his movement was no longer eased by moisture, the desire responsible for fueling it having been dissipated. Elia's body had reacted contrarily to her insistence. Sulva's hips ground to a halt, and he winced, bearing the unlubricated grip of her vagina. He removed himself from her, and peered down at his wife, hidden behind her hands, unsure what to do. She sniffled, and shut her thighs together.

"Elia..."

"It's alright, Sulva. It's just..."

"Did I-"

"Yes, but don't worry about it. It's my fault. I rushed you into this."

He extended a hand, intent on caressing her shoulder but paused in the air.

"What should I do?"

Elia rubbed the tears from her eyes and managed a smile for him.

"Just give me a moment. How about you go put on some clothes, perhaps the feel of something you possessed on you will help remind you. I'll compose myself."

Sulva frowned, feeling responsible yet powerless, and followed her outstretched hand to search the adjacent room for his clothes.

Elia smoothed her dress down and set herself back on the floor, shakily. She sank into a chair in the kitchen and focused on her breathing. A patterned knock disturbed her introspection, rousing her with a start. She pulled herself to her feet and crossed the floor noiselessly, bracing herself behind the door. She unbarred it and eased it open just enough to peer out from. She could just make out the shadowy figure waiting on the step.

"Is that you, Val-"

The door swung against her in a flash, sending her into her kitchen table. In stepped Leon, a dark cloak draped over his armor, a smile gleaming like the stars above. He shut the door behind him, and without a word, bolted it. He stood in the middle of the room, glancing around, sniffing sporadically. Finally, he bowed low to the recovering woman.

"Good evening, fair Elia. I have come calling again as I had said."

"I can see that. I felt it too, I can't believe you would barge in here, again."

"Oh, I only did so because I felt you, my dear. And now, I think I smell something too."

Leon strolled over to Elia, his hands clasped behind his back, and a wicked grin splayed wide across his face. He leaned close, taking an exaggerated sniff near her neck. He exhaled with a sigh, finding the smell pleasing to some extent. Elia stood straight as a nail, her hands gripping the table behind her tightly. He craned his neck to her other side, stooping to trace the scent down her arm and to her hand, his head level with her stomach. His nostrils flared with the effort he took in sucking up the odor, as if it were a fine perfume.

He rose self-satisfied and mosied over to her cooking pot. He lifted the lid and hardly spared a glance inward before turning his eyes back dramatically to Elia.

"I was under the impression you were slaving away making something for us to share tonight, but it seems you got a little peckish. Judging by the bareness of this pot, it seems you were carried away by your appetite, couldn't wait a moment for me to come and indulge you."

"I don't know what you mean. I never agreed to make you anything, I don't even want you here."

Leon chuckled sardonically and paced before her, reveling in the silence he left in his wake. He turned and froze but a breath away from Elia, their eyes locked, one pair guarded, the other hunting. His smile twisted impossibly more sinister as he spoke.

"That's well and good, but you need me here. Your own hands can't compare to my fingers, my tongue, my body. You're dripping with need, and I'm happy to finish what you started."

He pushed himself over her, pinning her to the table by her arms. She cried out and struggled against him, but to no avail. He was undeterred by her resistance, excited by it, even. He leaned into her, shoving his nose into Elia's hair. She tried to twist away but he only jolted her with a shake, forcing her to lie still as he felt his way down her shoulders and over her arms. He ran his hands over her roughly, digging his fingers into her skin.

"Don't you feel beautiful, wanted, desired? Women throw themselves at me, but it's you I want, Elia. Always have. But, that fool, Silva, was in the way. Smartest thing he ever did was get his strings cut, and make way for the better man."

Elia roared and kicked out at him between the legs, buying herself space to scramble off the table.

"His name is Sulva!"

She fell to her hands and knees, crawling to the wall to find her footing. Leon reeled and grit his teeth, trying, and failing, to rein in his wrath. He snarled and made his way to Elia, pulling her by the arm and thrusting her into the bedroom.

"Was, you whore! The knave lies in the dirt! Worms dig their way through him while I dig into you!"

Leon threw Elia onto the bed and descended upon her, kneeing her into the bed and working on unbuckling his belt. Elia shouted at him and batted her fists against his armored chest but his haste was not hampered. He unlatched his belt and the jostle of his equipment falling to the side was followed by a flurry of footsteps behind them and out the door.

Leon whirled around, his attention stolen by the presence of someone else.

"Who else is here, harlot?"

His shout lingered in the air longer than he did. He threw Elia away and scooped up his belt before dashing after the runner through the door, not caring to wait for an answer he could not acquire handedly.

Elia jumped off the bed and took cover beside the door, peering out to look for Leon, only finding the front door flung open. A tap at her back door made her jump. She glanced between the doors and made a dash for the front door, pushing it shut and barring it as fast as her fingers could manipulate the lock. Almost instantaneously, the door sustained a great blow, jolting against the metal of the lock. Elia cried out, and backed away from the door, fearing whoever was throwing themselves against it to get it open. The tapping at the back door grew frantic and brought Elia back to the present.

She scurried over and unlocked the door, parting it from the wall just enough to allow Sulva to slip in. She shut the door and locked it again, just before a similar assault was launched upon it, the front door now abandoned as an entry point. Sulva huffed and panted on the floor, wide eyes on the quaking wooden door. Furious growling followed the failed attempt to get in, and then silence. The pair waited within for what felt like eternity until they heard the invader slink away. Only then did they breathe and drop themselves into the seats of the table.

They sat in silence for a good while. The sequence of events had been so rapid, the cocktail of emotions so hard to digest, they could not move forward until they let what they had transpired pass. Sulva fiddled with the shirt he had thrown on, appearing almost as he used to again. Elia likewise pulled her dress down over and over again, though it did not move and covered her just as it should. The nighttime sounds of the outside world provided peace to the fortress that their home had become, soothing their haggard breath until they became calm.

"Elia."

"Yes?"

"I really am hungry now."

Elia's laughter filled the little house to burst, and if Sulva knew her better, he would have known she laughed much harder than warranted, because she was anxious.

"You give me hope you will return to me, Sulva."

She rose and stepped over to the hearth, preparing the fire for their dinner. Sulva mulled over what she had said, how their intimacy had broken down, and the intruder while she did so.

"That was the man who had come earlier, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was."

"He tried to..."

"Yes."

Elia brought the fire to life and crossed over to the larder.

"Elia, are you alright? I heard what he said. Some of the things he said. He believes I'm still dead, so I thought it would be better to run than to fight."

Elia smiled wanly at him and retrieved what she was looking for.

"You did the right thing. I'm sorry, thank you, for saving me."

Sulva nodded gravely and looked away, searching for the words he wanted to use next. Elia carried on with her cooking.

"Why did he... he said I was in the way. Has he tried this before? Is this what you meant when you said he took pleasure in being cruel to you?"

"No, his attacks were much more minor. A stray hand was the worst it got, but it was nothing compared to his lewd gaze. It infuriated me, but there was nothing to be done. It was enough that it worried you."

"It worried me?"

"You were as... farsighted alive as you are dead. You knew you could do nothing to a footman, so the insult ate at you."

"It sounds like you wish I had done otherwise."

"I don't know. I understand the futility of standing up to him perfectly, but it doesn't mean I like it."

Sulva thought on her words. The crackling of the fire analogous to the discourse of his mind.

"I don't like it either."

Elia returned to the table and put her hand in his.

"Ignore me, Sulva. I'm just distressed. I doubt he could avoid consequences for something like this, only your resurrection prevents us from putting an end to him this time."

"Alright, Elia."

Elia soon rose to fix their plates.

"Here, eat."

Sulva thanked her and dug in, postponing his additional questions until his appetite was sated. Elia hardly touched her meal, meanwhile, lost in thought and emotion as she was. Silence reigned once again, and it tickled Elia that Sulva retained the understanding that he should not eat with his mouth open, or that tact would serve their ends better than violence earlier when Leon had come again.