Moon Witch Ch. 11

As we walk away from the Desert Rose and her home, I can't help but feel kind of odd. Despite the answers I received from Re'aila to questions I'd never asked, I still feel like there's a great amount of confusion weighing on me. It bothers me.

I'm also left with a dull ache of negativity sitting in the pit of my stomach. When I saw the Desert Rose with her body undulating in Eryx's lap, my displeasure at the sight was violent, hitting me hard and fast. I hated how her body seemed so strong and womanly. I hated how she positively oozed raw sex and passion. Most of all, I hated the expression on Eryx's face - pained pleasure written across it clearly for me to see.

When he leaned over and threw up, I felt a flat sense of vindication at the back of my mind.

It's not that I was jealous. It's just... He was being completely disrespectful of why we came here in the first place.

But a small voice in the back of my head reminds me that he escorted me to the Desert Rose solely because I wanted to. I can't blame him for wanting to get his dick wet while I was off talking to the ghost of my dead ancestor.

But I do.

I grit my teeth, frustrated with my own thinking and its infuriatingly cyclical nature. There are so many more important things I can be thinking about, but it's like my frustration and anger at seeing Eryx balls-deep in the Desert Rose is simmering, and the more the scene plays through my mind, the more ready all of the mess of it is to explode.

"Miss Selene-"

"You were enjoying yourself back there." My voice sounds empty in my own ears. Damn it. The words came out before I can stop them.

He's quiet for a bit, the only sound accompanying our slow gait the soft footfalls of us and his horse. "It was to protect y- us."

I want to shoot him a venomous glare but tamp it down. I don't even want to look at his face.

He sighs. "When you were away, she threatened me. She threatened our safe passage if I didn't do as she wanted."

"Is that so?" I say, only slightly petulantly.

He grabs my arm near the elbow, and my surprise at his strong grip makes me turn to him. Our eyes meet, and I couldn't tear my gaze away even if I wanted to. He's angry.

"Do you think I wanted it? Do you think I wanted her?" He rips his robe open so I'm faced with his bloodied frame. I didn't fully see how bad it was earlier because I'd tried not to stare at him in all his nudity - but now I see how he must have been dripping blood despite the lack of scars or wounds across his smooth skin. There are smears of red everywhere.

His forceful touch on my arm reinforces the sudden shame that fills me. At the same time, it's thrilling and I... a flush arousal flies through my blood. I drop my eyes, embarrassed, and similarly Eryx drops his hand from me.

He continues walking forward slowly and I can only follow after him. I feel like a child, even despite the very adult feelings that I'm conflicted with.

It's a while more before he speaks. And when he does, his speech is halting, as if he's thinking hard about every sentence before he lets it leave his mouth. "I've made a lot of mistakes when it comes to you, Miss Selene. I feel- I feel as if I've failed to show you the kind of person that I really am. But- I'm someone who sacrifices a lot for the people I love. Don't just think that I'm a selfish bastard. That's all I can ask of you at this point."

As he speaks, I think that I can almost hear a hitch of emotion in his voice. I think back to what he told me about his childhood and I don't doubt his sincerity.

"I believe you." My words are soft.

"I'm sorry I let you see what you saw." His voice is controlled, emotion bit back. Suddenly, we're not just talking about what I saw back at the Desert Rose's cottage. I can't continue the conversation, there's too much tension between us. So like a coward I don't respond, and we just walk forward, our footfalls on the Desert Rose's white petals muffled.

"She said we should make it out sometime soon," I say, biting my lip. I feel nervous making any conversation. There's too much between us that's unsaid.

"Maybe we just haven't covered enough ground yet."

"Would it be a bad idea to take your horse?" I'm looking at him, but it's almost like he's avoiding making eye contact with me. "We're probably going to need him when we make it out of here anyways."

"I- I don't think that's a great idea." I don't push it. If he wants to let the tension take over so we can't even communicate more than one sentence at a time, then I'm giving up. I'm not in the mood to pursue uncomfortable conversation at the expense of my pride, anyways.

And so we resume walking side by side, slowly, and wordlessly away from the Desert Rose.

---

As soon as I'd opened my robe to show evidence of areana noressa's abuses, it's like my body was responding to excessive amounts of lembi. My anger from Selene's misunderstanding was quickly replaced by arousal. It left me confused while I tried to sort out my feelings and explain even a little bit of the remorse I feel when it comes to anything to do with the small Sorrean girl walking now by my side.

But even with all of the turmoil that I feel raging under the surface, something else commands my attention. It feels as if the pressure between my legs demands stimulation. The magic that areana noressa pumped into me, coupled with her pussy at odds with the salve she had smeared all over my erection, all of it threatens to take over my rational mind. I feel it sizzling beneath my skin, like everything wants to burst forth from out of my body.

When Selene suggested we travel on horseback, just the thought of her body between my arms and her bottom flush against my pelvis was enough to drive me to madness.

I rub a hand over my eyes, wishing for this nightmareish erection to die down. But something inside tells me that there's only one way to make it go away, and it's not something one does in polite company.

I'm so aware of Selene walking next to me as I consider my options. If my internal clock is right and areana noressa's realm follows the same time as the rest of the world, then it'll be somewhere around dawn. The thought that the sun will be coming up makes my heart skip a beat as I remember what'll be happening in Gra'marah.

My head throbs. And I stop walking.

"Can we just camp here for the night?"

"Yes," the reply comes from beside me. It sounds more like a question than agreement.

"I... I'm going to go look for some firewood. Feel free to do what you think is best," I wave a hand over the rest of what I packed, not able to look her in the eyes. I wander away slowly, picking up material for us to make a fire. Luckily this part of areana noressa's realm is thick with forest and brush, so it doesn't take long before I'm carrying more than enough for a fire tonight.

But my eyes feel hollow and my heart feels empty. I don't want to think about what's happening to Hes and Awvag, but their faces keep popping up in my mind. At the same time, it's as if all the blood in my body is rushing to my erection, leaving my cognition at a standstill.

I need to get rid of this thing. It's making me stupid.

Resolve in my every action, I sit down with my back against a tall tree, slipping my pants down in the front and grabbing myself. When my hand makes contact with my hardness, I can barely bite back the hiss that comes from the searing stimulation. Areana noressa was using me for so long that it's almost like the skin of my cock got burned - it's sensitive in the worst way.

I can't remember the last time that I touched myself. Even when I was faced with the most intense waves of arousal in the middle of the night, there was no shortage of women around me who I could help myself to in Gra'marah. But when I think about those faceless warm bodies wrapped around me now, it doesn't sound appealing at all. If anything, I feel distaste, to some degree.

I close my eyes, ignoring the burning pain around where my fingers pull at my skin.

It feels so wrong to think about her in this way, but unwittingly my mind turns to Selene. I slowly move my hand up and down, letting the familiar movements from my memory take over. I groan, a shudder going through my body at the overwhelming sensations sparking across my skin.

The moments I've seen her at her most vulnerable come to mind - I think of the high pitched gasps she lets out when she feels pleasure. I think of her expression when she's caught off guard or embarrassed, with flushed cheeks and parsed lips. Those wide eyes. The thought of them staring deep into mine elicits another wave of lust which crashes over me, leaving me feeling even more dizzied.

Yet the familiar sensation of a budding climax doesn't come - if anything, it's as if I'm slowly wading against an overpowering current, pushing me to feel more of the burning contact from my hand than gratification from its touch.

From the fleeting glimpses I've caught of my erection, I see just how intensely my frustration has manifested itself. I've been avoiding looking down because of the dried blood everywhere, but when I look now, I see the head of my cock throbbing a murky purple. Despite my efforts, I don't feel my climax coming at all.

I force the image of Selene to the forefront of my mind, ignoring the moral qualms I have about masturbating to the thought of my charge whom I vowed to protect.

I'm letting out heavy breaths as my muscles clench along to the rhythm of my hand, low in the pit of my abdomen. I pump my fist up and down at a familiar pace, my hand performing solely from memory as Selene's soft scent blooms in my olfactory senses.

I feel like I can almost sense her presence near me.

"I-" A voice jolts me out of my internal feud and I scramble to cover myself.

"Miss Selene, it's not..." I trail off as I see her face. Her eyes are lingering near my lap where I've just hastily tucked away my cock, but it's that damn alluring expression that she's wearing again that kills me. Her eyes are open wide to accompany the redness that's crept up her cheeks.

But then she looks away, and the spell is broken. "Are you that desperate that you left just to touch yourself?"

I hear the judgment in her voice, and hate the quivering in mine that betrays the tension I feel between us and between my legs. I close my eyes, leaning against the tree and letting out a strained breath.

"She- she was torturing me. She put something on so I couldn't climax, and it's..." I can barely concentrate on getting my words out in a straight sentence, testosterone flooding my system. "I feel like I'm going to explode."

"Oh," Selene says, looking apprehensive. I'm sure that the frustration is evident on my face and I wish she hadn't seen me in this state. She isn't really making eye contact with me, her gaze seeming to be fixated above my face, past my hair. "Do you... Do you need me to leave so you can finish up?"

Her halting tone is cute and it's fucking me up.

I groan, the vague memory of some of areana noressa's words cutting into my mind. She'd said something about me having to swallow my pride, and based off her hatred of Gra'marian men and their sexual habits... A man can put two and two together.

"Miss Selene, I'm sorry to ask you-" I cut myself off. I breathe out and inform her the gist of what the Desert Rose had said while she'd been enjoying my body. "I think that her idea of swallowing my pride and practicing humility may be asking for help."

I carefully look at her face, measuring her reaction. She bites her lip, not answering me right away. "Um..."

"I know it's not an appropriate request, but... It's so intense," I say, my voice sounding much weaker than it usually does. The throbbing in my pants is overwhelming and I'm lightheaded.

"Eryx..."

My eyes shoot to hers. Lust surges through me. The first time she's called my name, Eryx instead of Erik. And in that helpless tone of hers as I make my request... I can hardly think straight. And I tell myself that helplessness is the reason why I'm emboldened to push forward my selfish agenda.

"Selene, please." I dig my nails into the grass beside me.

She visibly looks stressed, but at my words she slowly nods. "Only..." She chews her lip. "Only because you look so miserable right now."

Relief fills me, that I'll finally find a reprieve from the strain throughout my whole body. "Thank you," I whisper, tracking her figure as she kneels next to me, face pink.

"You'll have to uncover yourself," she says to me, gesturing towards my lap. She still avoids looking at me.

So I slip down my pants once again, exposing my hardness. My erection juts out ahead of me, seemingly even harder than before now that Selene is near.

She stretches her hand out slowly towards me, and it feels like forever before she makes contact. But then she wraps her fingers around me and her touch feels like heaven. I groan, no longer feeling the burning pain from areana noressa's attentions, but instead filled with the heady feeling of her hand on me.

Selene moves her hand up to the head of my erection, squeezing the spongey tip. There's a drop of pre-cum beading at the end, and she thumbs the clear liquid, spreading it across the hole and down to my frenum. I dig my fingers into the dirt at my sides even harder, a groan leaking out of my system.

"It's really hot," she says, staring down intently at my erection between her fingers. I look down with her, and the sight itself nearly sends me over the edge.

"Move your hand," I whisper, my voice rough. "Lightly."

Her lax grip sweeps down from the head of my cock to the base, intoxicatingly slow. I groan again, my body tensing at both the sensation of her hand on me and her deference to my commands.

She slowly pumps her hand up and down, similarly to my own touch earlier, but the feeling so much more intense. Her skin is soft, and I can't help the raging lust within me that threatens to overcome me when I think of how soft the rest of her body must be.

"Ungh," I grate out. "Your hand feels so good on me."

She moves her hand a little faster, and I see the intensifying color in her cheeks from my sounds. I can't help the sounds I'm making, nearly delirious from the feelings she's eliciting.

It happens way faster than normal, the recognizable pressure in my stomach cresting and erasing all my rational thought. "Selene," I gasp, grabbing her small hand in mine and holding it against me. My head and hearing feel numb as my climax hits me hard and fast, and then I'm ejaculating into her hand.

I can feel warmth dripping down, having overflowed past her pale fingers. I'm lightheaded, ringing in my ears.

Her hand is held tightly in mine against my cock during what feels like the longest and most intense orgasm I've ever had. Shivers go through me as my body expels my seed.

I look up to see her examining my face, and the careful expression of Selene's countenance fills me with desire despite my having just climaxed. Her hand is still clenched in mine, even as I feel my spilled seed cooling.

It hits me why that look of hers affects me so much. She just looks so... Submissive. Like she'll let me do anything I want to her. That erotic expression is the submission to my dominance I thirst for.

"Selene," I say, and lean forward, grabbing her face. My heart beats fiercely in my chest, emotion rising as our lips meet.

"Mmf!" Her protest is lost between us as we topple over, my body leaning over her prostrate form. I feel Selene's hands clenched against my chest, pushing me away in a feeble protest against my demanding presence.

Gods, she's perfect. She fits so snugly underneath me. When the strength goes out from her loose fists against me and she lets my body press even closer to hers, her nonresistance feels like an invitation for me to move a hand down, sliding past that waist and then grabbing the fat of her hips.

She squeals, her mouth breaking away from mine. "Eryx," she says, and her panicked calling of my name only inflames my passions. I look down at her in her alluring state with that long dusky hair spread out about her head, cheeks red and lips redder, those piercing green eyes wide and staring deep into mine.

"Eryx, please stop," she moans out.

It's the desperation in her voice that gives me momentary pause, breaking me out of the trance I was in, worshiping and taking ownership of her body. I look at her, breathing hard underneath me, and I scramble off of her.

"I'm sorry," I let out, coming to my senses. I reach a hand out and pull her up so she's sitting.

Selene wrings her hands together, then runs one through her hair, which has been mussed up by my aggression. There's a pause before she speaks. "It's not okay." Her voice is quiet. Her expression looks torn.

"I'm sorry," I just repeat, shaking my head. Shame blooms in my chest, replacing the lust that was hotly coursing through my veins just moments before.

She practically jumps up. "I've set up as much of camp as I can. I-I'll let you finish g-gathering up firewood."

Selene spins away, heading back. I'm left facing my own guilt and disgrace.

---

What is wrong with him? I feel like I have a fever, with how much pressure is in my head. I can still feel his lips on mine and his strong grip on my hips.

I just focus on stepping forward, one foot at a time.

I'm still shaken by the ease with which Eryx overpowered me. And that he violated my boundaries and personal space. But at the same time... I didn't hate his touch. If anything, just remembering his body over mine makes my stomach twist. My shameful reality is that it thrilled me.

Whereas those same actions committed by Azrath excited purely my physical body, I still hated his touch and it was upsetting even when I climaxed at his attentions. When Eryx was exerting his force on me, I felt excited in a deeper way. It was as if nothing in the world could distract him from me. I saw the smoldering desire in his eyes for me.

How intense my readiness to accept his attention and the sheer amount of self control I had to summon in order to ask him to stop scares me. I was so ready to give in.

And now, as I return to where Eryx's horse snuffles around, I sit and hug my knees to my chest. I'd gone to find the tall Gra'marian when I ran out of things to unpack. I don't how to set up Gra'marian tents, with all of their confusing ropes and fabric. I didn't know what else to do, so I went off in search for him. Even if I couldn't do much else, I could at least accompany him as he finished up gathering firewood.

When I found him, leaning against a tree, hand at his crotch, and with bliss on his face, I at first couldn't really process what I was seeing. I'd seen many erections during my tumultuous time in Gra'marah, but I'd never quite seen one that seemed so... Angry.

I don't know of any other way to describe it, but the color was a purple I'd never seen on any manhood before. That coupled with the pitiful expression on his face when he told me about the Desert Rose's curse was what led me to agree to help relieve that pressure. But I hadn't anticipated that it would go further than that. I'd just wanted to do him the favor like a transaction.

That small voice at the back of my mind is back to remind me of the ugly truth. You liked it, though.

It feels bitter admitting that touching Eryx so intimately felt incredibly arousing.

When he grabbed me, kissing me and covering my body with his, I wanted to let him have his way.

Azrath's devastating words about me needing to be owned crosses my mind.

But I'm still upset with Eryx grabbing me and doing as he pleases.

I close my eyes. I'm confusing myself.

Footsteps come from behind me, and I see Eryx start to make a fire. I watch as he works, and he markedly avoids eye contact with me. He sets sparks into the tinder, adding twigs and other dry kindling and fanning the flames so they begin to grow.