Midsommar, but Sexy

She's not wrong, yet when I check my watch, it's later than I expected. Another side effect of the sun never going down. Some days seem to stretch forever while others pass in the blink of an eye. "It's been hours - you really think they're still sleeping?" I ask.

Sam pulls out her cellphone to check the time. "Shit. Yeah, we better go check."

It takes us a bit to make it back to camp, but when we do, Travis, Scott and Blake are all sitting outside of our tents, thoroughly drunk. There's a near empty bottle of whiskey between them, and just going off of the look on Travis' face, they've been at it for some time.

"Needed a nap, huh?" Sam asks, unimpressed.

"My love has returned!" Blake crows and stumbles to his feet to deliver a wet kiss to Sam's cheek. She scowls but doesn't push him off.

I look at Travis, disappointment settling in my stomach. If he's this drunk now, there's no chance he'll make it all night. "Did you even sleep?"

"Yeah! A little," Travis says, but his lies have gotten real easy to spot this trip. Like when he tells me he's having a good time. Like when he says he's happy to be here with me. It all sounds so hollow.

"Sure," I say. May as well ask, even though I already know his answer. "You want to come dance with me?"

Scott shoves Travis' shoulder, nearly toppling him. "Nah babe, I think I'm gonna stay here. You have fun though."

"Right," I say. "I will."

I guess I've gotten good at lying, too.

I head away from the camp, ignoring Sam when she calls my name. It's easy to disappear through the crowd, and I head through the festival towards the water. Right at the edge of the lake is the stack of wood for the bonfire, but I go around it and kick my boots off before pulling off my socks.

It's frigid, but I wade through the lily pads until the water is up to my shins and pull the little stone token from my pocket. My thumb traces the bear engraving. "Go ahead," I mutter. "This can't be as good as it gets. Show me that there's something better than this."

I flip the rock like a coin. It spins before sinking into the water with a quiet bloop. Ripples shiver out, and I sigh. Nothing but clear blue sky is reflected in the water.

Maybe I can catch an early flight. Get to Helsinki and get a connection home. I want to be anywhere but here. But then, something in the water catches my attention.

There's a flash of brown fur, the shine of white teeth. The bear turns, and soulful brown eyes look up at me from the water's surface.

I stumble back with a gasp. My feet have sunk into the cold silt, and I just barely avoid falling as I stumble towards shore. I blink and look back at the water, unable to believe my eyes, but the surface is only ripples now.

"What the fuck?" I'm barely on the other side of tipsy, and unless that bartender's been spiking the sima, I know I'm not seeing things. I blink hard, as if that will get the vision to reappear, but it doesn't.

It takes a long moment for my thudding heart to calm down. I run a hand through my hair, and my fingers catch on the purple bellflowers the old woman gave me. I pull them free of my blond locks and twirl them between my fingers.

"The hell is it even supposed to mean?" I ask, my voice shaking slightly. "Am I so hopeless that a fucking bear is supposed to be my own true love?"

My eyes are drawn to the lily pads that float at the water's edge. It seems silly to even be considering it, but that old woman had said it so matter-o-factly. Gather six more flowers, and they would guide me to my one true love. That vision was real enough, so maybe it's not as bullshit as it sounds?

I reach down and pluck one of the white lilies from the water before I step onto shore and grab my boots. I hold the laces in one hand and the flowers in the other as I head away from the water.

But I don't head back towards the festival. Instead, I head into the woods. It's late enough that the sun's dipped low on the horizon, bringing back that golden glow of eternal dusk. It casts shadows through the trees, but there's still enough light for me to pick out the wildflowers that grow in the undergrowth.

With my feet bare, I move slow and careful as I make my way deeper into the woods. First, I find a little bundle of blue forget-me-nots. I pick a small cluster of them to add to my bellflowers, but the white daisies I find next turn it into a true bouquet. The lily of the valley brings a sweet smell to my collection. Fireweed adds a splash of magenta to my mix. Last, I find a bright yellow dandelion.

I hold the bouquet in my hands, as if expecting to feel some sort of tug. Some magnetic pull. Nothing happens.

I sigh. "You're an idiot, Jenna."

All in all, it makes a pretty little collection. I can't help but smile as I bring the bundle to my nose and savor the sweet smell. If nothing else, I'll press the flowers in my journal and bring them home with me. Something to replace the souvenir I tossed into the water.

I'm just about to head back to camp, defeated once more, before I hear the beat of a drum. A soft, gentle song of a violin drifts through the trees, making the hair on my neck prickle. The music isn't coming from the festival. It's coming from further in the woods.

My heart beats a fast pace in my chest. I pull my socks and boots back on, all the while trying not to think about how bad of an idea this might be. Wandering alone into unfamiliar woods in the middle of a foreign country sounds like a pretty dumb idea, but I make up my mind to follow the music before I even get to my feet. I cut through the underbrush and try to be at least a little sneaky about it.

The music is very different from what was playing at the festival. Haunting and soft, ethereal in its simplicity. As I get closer, I can hear a woman singing in another language while a steady beat follows her on a single drum. It sounds like a heartbeat, and it's like I can feel my own sync up with the rhythm. A violin picks up a melody, and the eerie sound makes goosebumps break out over my arms.

I'm drawn closer, and through the curtain of trees, I see the crackle of a bonfire. Figures dance through the light, their shadows flitting across the tree trunks in a way that makes it look like their feet aren't even touching the ground. The singing woman stands on the far hill, wearing furs over her grey robes. A necklace of horns hangs around her neck. More adorn her head along with a wreath of flowers, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say the antlers were sprouting straight from her scalp.

She taps out the slow, steady beat on a reindeer hide drum, her voice carrying without any sort of amplification I can spot. Even though it's been some time since my last drink, I feel tipsy just watching her. Her voice is mesmerizing, and the way she sways as she sings makes me want to sway with her, to join the dancers that spin and twist at the base of the hill.

I step out of the trees and into the clearing without thought, my bouquet still clenched in my hand. I wade into the crowd of dancers, seeing clothes of furs and leather, incandescent shawls and cloaks, jewelry of teeth and bone, faces painted with greens and blues and reds. I fall into the dance, swaying my hips as I lose myself to the music.

The violin picks up again. I look to the hill and see the man holding it step around the singer, his eyes closed as his fingers slide down the neck of the instrument. My chest swells with a strange euphoria as he drags a high, wavering note out of the violin. He smiles as he takes another step down the hill, and it's only then I notice the hooves where his feet should be.

I gasp and stagger back, running straight into a woman wearing incandescent green fairy wings. No, not wearing. I see where they sprout from her bare shoulders the second before she rounds on me. Her beetle black eyes take me in before she smiles, showing teeth sharpened to points.

She says something, but it takes a few words before it translates into a language I can understand. "-wanders into our celebration. Every year, there's at least one."

"I-I'm sorry," I say and take a step away from her. Bad idea, Jenna. This was a really, really bad idea. "I shouldn't be here."

"No," the fairy woman agrees. Her twig thin fingers grab my wrist and hold with surprising strength. "But now that you're here, you must stay."

"No, thank you. I should really go." I try to pull my hand away, but her grip tightens, sharp fingers digging into my skin. "Ow! Please, you're hurting me."

Others have started to tune in. A fox-faced man turns to focus on me, ears twitching curiously atop his head. A creature with bark for skin comes up behind the fairy woman and whispers something in her ear even though it's bright yellow eyes never leave mine.

"It is so very like you humans," the winged woman says. She yanks my wrist, wringing a shout out of me and she pulls me closer. "You think the world belongs to you, so you wander wherever you like, take what you like." Her other hand reaches for my bouquet, but I pull it away. "You've come to a place that doesn't belong to you, little mortal."

Fear turns to panic when I can't wrench my arm free from her iron grip. "Please! Just let me go - I'll leave, and you'll never have to see me again," I say.

The woman smiles, her sharpened teeth so very close to my face. "It's far too late for that, little one." Her tongue glides over my cheek, licking the sweat from my skin. "You belong to us, now."

"That's enough, Mette."

The music stops abruptly, and I look towards the source of the deep voice. A bear - no the bear parts the crowd. She walks with a confident, muscular grace, yet when she stands, my eyes play tricks on me. On second, I see the massive bear rearing up, and the next, a giant of a woman emerges from the fur.

Wild brown hair frames her strong face, but her full lips are pulled into a frown as she looks at me and Mette. Those same intelligent eyes look out from under the teeth of the bear head cowl that rests over her head and shoulders. The fur becomes a cloak that doesn't quite cover her muscular arms and broad chest.

"Bruinda, this human is a trespasser on your land! She desecreates our solstice with her presence!" Mette says and shoves me forward.

I fall to my knees, holding my bruised wrist to my chest. I look up at the towering figure and shiver when I find those eyes focused intently on me. The bear - Bruinda frowns slightly before she says, "Then I will decide what is done with her."

Without warning, the bear woman grabs my arms and pulls me to my feet. I'm helpless to stop her as she tosses me over her shoulder like I weigh nothing. I shriek and hear the congregation laugh in response. The music picks back up again.

"Help!" I shout. "No, please! Put me down!" I thrash against her, but one heavy hand lands on my ass to pin me. Her other hand grabs my ankles to stop me from kicking her, but she can't do anything to stop my fists from thumping against her back, the little good it does. I might as well be a fly bumping into her.

"Please," I beg, tears streaking down my face. "Please just let me go."

She doesn't respond, though she does give my ass a placating pat. It does nothing to comfort me, and I sag against her, my hands fisting in the fur of her cloak as I cry.

It's a disorienting ride, but I hear the music start to fade as she carries me through the woods. I try to see where she's taking me, and manage to catch a glimpse under her muscular arm. Ahead is a massive tree, it's roots partially exposed due to the cavern that's been dug into the earth underneath it.

The air chills as she carries me into the cavern, and I feel roots brush the backs of my thighs. It's dark, and I can't stop the broken sob that escapes me. This is where I die, isn't it? Eaten by a bear woman in a hole in the ground.

"I am going to set you down." The woman's voice is rough and deep. "If you try to run, they will catch you. They like a good hunt."

It takes me a second to find my voice. "I won't run." I don't know if it's true, but it's so dark that I can't even spot the way we came in.

The woman gently lowers me onto something soft, and I immediately scoot back until I run into a wall. The bear woman gives a huff of a laugh before I hear her shuffling around. There's a sharp schnick before a flame appears, illuminating the strong lines of her face. Age is impossible to tell. She could be 30 or 300, and I would have no way of knowing.

The woman lights a fire that quickly chases the darkness away, allowing me to get a good look at my surroundings. It's a den. Somewhere between a bear den and the den my dad has. Carved dirt walls with exposed roots dangling from the ceiling. But a stone hearth holds the fire, and I've been set onto a large bed that's laden with soft furs.

The woman turns to me as she lifts the bear cowl from her head and sets it over the back of a crude wooden chair. Underneath, she's wearing a leather skirt and tattered shirt that doesn't quite cover the swell of her breasts. She could almost be human if it weren't for the points on her ears and teeth or the feral look in her eye. She's as beautiful as she is terrifying.

"I thought you said you weren't here to cause me trouble," she says and crosses her arms over her broad chest.

"W-what?"

"This morning, at the creek," she says. "You said you were not here to cause me trouble, yet here you are, causing me trouble on a very important night."

She seems more annoyed than angry, and I guess I better count my small blessings. "I-I'm sorry. I just heard the music and..." I look at the crumpled bouquet still clenched in my hand. "I think I was supposed to find you."

Bruinda looks at the flowers, her fierce expression suddenly suspicious. She sounds a little wary when she asks, "Why?"

I can't stop a small laugh. It all seems so ridiculous, yet it landed me here, didn't it? "It was a midsummer ritual," I say. "It... brought me here."

The bed dips as Bruinda's weight settles onto it. She leans close, looking at me with an intensity that makes my breath catch. She smells of pine and honey and musk, and her impossibly real presence makes me want to look away. Her fingers grab my chin and force me to meet her gaze. Her eyes burn with an intensity that I can't quite place. "What ritual?" she asks.

My heart thuds in my chest. "I gathered seven flowers," I say. "And they led me to you."

Bruinda keeps hold of my chin as she tilts my head one way and then the other, examining me. She seems almost curious, appraising. "A young maiden, looking for her true love," she muses. "And do you think you have found it, little mortal?"

My pulse roars in my ears. I look at the feral woman with wide eyes. "I don't know," I breathe. "But I think I'd like to find out."

Bruinda smiles, showing canines that are far too sharp. She takes the bouquet from me and sets them aside before she grabs my neck. Her hand is large enough to nearly wrap all the way around, and she drags me into a kiss.

Fear and lust make my pulse sing, but no more than the feel of her lips against mine. She is demanding, and I part my lips to allow her access, whimpering as her tongue plunders my mouth. Teeth nip and suck, making my lips swell, though she never bites hard enough to draw blood.

She pushes me onto my back, her leg pressing between mine. I gasp, heat pooling in my groin as I grind against her thigh. "She is a bold thing," Bruinda murmurs. She moves her hand off my neck just so she can reach it with her teeth and tongue. I gasp as she nips hard enough to mark my skin. The spike of pain makes me arch, my hands flying up to grab her shoulders.

"Hands on the bed." I'm quick to meet that demand. I'm all too aware that she could crush my throat if she cared to. I can feel her smile against my neck as she kisses down my collar. "She's obedient, too. These are qualities that I like," she growls.

One of her pointed nails drags lightly down my collarbone before catching on the v of my t-shirt. There's the sound of fabric ripping, and I bite back my protest as she tears through my shirt and bra, leaving my chest fully exposed to the warm den. I don't feel like protesting for long as her lips kiss down my chest to find one of my nipples.

"She is beautiful as well," Bruinda says. "I saw as much at the creek, but this view is far superior."

Her mouth closes over the tender flesh, sucking gently as her tongue lavishes the hardening tip with attention. I gasp and arch my chest towards her in offering. Bruinda squeezes the mound of sensitive flesh, claws pricking my skin as she moves to the other one. She moves between them, sucking until my nipples are a dark shade of pink, my skin dimpled by her sharp claws. The rough attention has left me dripping, and I squirm under her as I pull my legs together.

"Please," I gasp. "Can I touch you?"

I look down to see Bruinda grinning up at me, her eyes darkened with mischief and lust as she rests her chin on my chest. "Not yet," she says. "Keep your hands where they are."

I whimper and grab the furs on either side of my head to help anchor myself. It's a test of my self control, especially when she trails her hot mouth lower, kissing down past my belly button and to the hem of my shorts. Her sharp nails make quick work of those as well, tearing through the denim as if it were tissue paper. She tugs the tatters of my shorts and underwear away, tossing them carelessly aside.

I whimper and pull my legs together, but her hands are gentle as they rest on my knees. "No," she rumbles. "Don't hide your gifts from me. You are far too beautiful."

I flush even as her strong hands grab my knees and spread my legs apart. I couldn't fight her if I wanted to. Her casual control makes me tremble with excitement. Hot breath caresses my inner thigh, her lips soft against my skin. I quiver with anticipation, my chest heaving as I submit to the slow exploration.

Her lips trail over my skin before she settles between my legs, tongue darting out to taste me. An appreciatively growl rumbles out of her, and she moves closer to run a long lick down my shaved pussy. I gasp and arch, my hands clenched to fists as I hold onto the fur for dear life. In the three years Travis and I have been together, he's never done this. He'd give an occasional kiss, a teasing lick or two, but he certainly never ate me out like he was starving.

Bruinda grabs my hips, pulling me half onto her lap, angling me so my legs rest over her shoulders. She holds onto me tightly as her tongue penetrates me, sliding deep into my soaking passage. She nips and sucks at the folds of my pussy as she fucks me with her tongue, her mouth closed over the crux of my legs. Her tongue swirls deep inside, exploring every inch of me she can reach, and she reaches deeper than Travis' cock ever could.

I moan and writhe underneath her, helpless in the onslaught of sensation. I arch, but she holds my hips still with ease, pinning me to her as she ravishes me. I shout as she finally pulls out, only for her tongue to focus on the hood of my clit as two fingers slip into me to replace her tongue. She's gentle with her claws, but her large fingers feel incredible as she fucks me. A desperate moan rattles out of me, and it takes every ounce of self control to keep my hands from flying to grab her head.

Yet Bruinda doesn't seem to need my encouragement to continue what she's doing. She savors me, taking her time as she explores every part of me with her lips and fingers and tongue. It's intense, feral, and I lose myself to the delicious raveshment. My orgasm builds in a slow wave under the attentions, and when it comes, I can't stop my hands from flying down to tangle in her hair as I scream my pleasure.

Bruinda doesn't pull away until I slump back against the bed. She licks her lips as she smiles up at me. "You moved your hands," she rumbles.