Of Witches and Vikings

"Ah, there he is," Redbeard rumbled.

My head snapped to follow where the hulking Viking pointed. Alric reclined at the center of a large group. He was just as handsome as I remembered. More. He wore all black leather armor with silver chainmail accents. His blonde hair was pulled back, tied with a simple cord. He gave off dangerously-sexy assassin vibes and my nether regions again expressed their delight. And he was watching me. I blinked as our eyes met across the crowded garden. How long had he sat there watching? I felt another flush race up my neck as I registered his intense blue eyes.

Then I registered the woman that leaned toward him. She was lovely. Thick black hair fell in a tumble over her shoulders and she filled out an intricate black dress in a way I could only dream of. I hated her instantly.

Suddenly I felt Redbeard's hand on my elbow and I was being guided through the press of bodies. "Come on, don't want to keep him waiting," he rumbled.

I glanced to Sylvia, panic beginning to set in as I realized I was about to meet Alric's gorgeous girlfriend. My embarrassment would know no bounds. Redbeard's arm was still over my small friend's shoulder though and she now laughed at some joke I'd missed. I looked back to Alric, startled to find his eyes still on me. A small smile tugged at his lips and though the group chattered around him, his eyes seemed to pin me.

"Alric!" Redbeard roared as we finally broke through the crowd. "Look who I've found."

Alric's dark blue eyes flicked to Redbeard and he gave him a sharp nod before letting his gaze slide to the Viking's hand on my elbow. Instantly Redbeard dropped his hand, as if scalded by my skin.

"Thank you, Kristof," Alric murmured, his eyes already slipping from the red-haired Viking and back to me. "Rhia. You made it."

I gulped, glancing between Alric and the group he sat within. All eyes were now curiously turned to me and I knew my blush was back in full force. "Thanks for the invite. Your house is lovely."

The smile still pulled at his mouth as he finally spared Sylvia a look. "And you've brought a friend."

"Sylvia," she said quickly, smirking and courtseying dramatically. "I'm here to make sure you're not murderers."

Kristof--Redbeard--roared a laugh and pulled Sylvia back to his side. "I like this one."

Alric stood smoothly and then he was in front of me. Somehow, without a coffee counter between us, he felt more real. His eyes again ran over me as he cocked his head, the smile now in full force on his handsome face. "The witch Rhia..." he murmured as he held my eyes. "Let's go for a walk."

I glanced to Sylvia but she just grinned and gave me a nod as she leaned into Kristof.

"Okay," I said, but Alric is already taking my elbow to lead me from the bright terrace.

"I didn't know if you'd come," he said after a moment. We'd gone down a couple stone steps and now walked with a thick hedge maze. His hand slid from my elbow to the small of my back, gently leading me onward.

I looked up to meet his eyes, now nearly black in the dimness of the night. "I didn't know if I would either. You really could be a murderer." I glanced pointedly to the--hopefully--fake knives in his belt.

He chuckled softly as he looked down at me. "A witch of your power has nothing to fear."

Suddenly a screech of laughter startled the stillness around us. A woman turned the bend just ahead, followed quickly by a couple men giving chase. They barreled past us, yelling and laughing and I stumbled out of their way. Alric's arm is suddenly around me, pulling me back as the small group disappears again.

"Sorry," he murmured, though he doesn't release me. Instead his hand slides up my arm to brush my blond hair from my shoulder. As his fingers brush against the skin of my collarbone, I shiver, lifting my eyes slowly to meet his gaze.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" I blurted out.

He jerked back, his hand sliding back down my arm to lightly hold my wrist. "A girlfriend?"

His chiseled face knitted in confusion as he studied me.

"Yes. I just...I saw the woman you were sitting with. I don't want to step on any toes."

"Jillian is rather beautiful," he nodded.

"Yes," I agreed. My heart fell a bit. "I saw how she looked at you. Possessive."

"Yes. But I'm here with you."

"So there's nothing...there?" I pushed.

"I'm here with you," he said again.

And his hand slid back up to cup my neck tenderly. Slowly, Alric traced his thumb along my skin, along my jaw, under my chin. Gently he tipped my head back and I found myself leaning into him, letting my head fall back. I could feel every pulse of blood within my throat. The brush of his breath against my skin. A shiver rippled through me in anticipation of his lips touching my skin. My eyes were closed, waiting, begging him to taste me.

Suddenly a new sound began to echo through the thick hedges. Soft pants, low moans. A woman's voice let out a long, high whimper and I snapped my eyes open. Alric still stared down at me. So close, his head slightly cocked as he studied my face. As if...looking for my reaction.

"What is that?" I whispered, though I knew.

"Come," he murmured and slid his hand back down my arm.

I let him lead me deeper into the garden. At the center is clearing and the group we saw before and several others fill it. The wild-haired woman was stretched on the ground naked except for a pair of white thigh-high stockings. One man had her wrists pinned to the ground above her head while another's head was buried between her thighs.

"Oh my god," I squeaked and begin to move toward them. The woman's breathy moan of pleasure stopped me in my tracks. So...consensual. Heat rose in my cheeks as I stumbled back, trying to turn away from the other sights and sounds in the clearing. Another group lay within a small gazebo. One man laying prone while a curvy woman kneeled on all fours over him. She has his cock in her mouth while another man kneels behind her, his face pressed against her ample backside.

"What the..." I started as I turned away, right back into Alric's chest. I stiffened, biting at my lip as I looked up at him.

"You can just watch. Or...anything you want."

"What is this?" I whispered harshly to him, trying to block out the erotic sounds behind me. But I already felt the stir of my own arousal. Alric so close, his thick chest the only thing I could see as I tried to avoid his eyes. "Did you invite me here for this?"

"I invited you because I wanted to see you again. I had no expectations. Only hope." His voice was soft in the warm night air. It settled over me like the supple leather of his pants. (Yes, I noticed his sexy black leather pants and the way they perfectly hugged his muscled thighs. Of course.)

I licked my lips, finally risking looking back up to meet his probing eyes. "This is like...a sex party?"

His low chuckle rumbled through his chest and my hands itched to snake up his body to press against his hardness. "My...people believe in the sacred night of Samhain. This is the time when the veil is thin. When spirits walk among you, hungry for what it was to be alive. Tonight is the start of the darkest part of the year. It's a time to hold each other close, to ward of the death of winter."

"So, yes. A sex party."

He chuckled again as he pulled me tight against his chest. "It can be any sort of party that you want Rhea. Just say you'll stay. Spend this evening with me."

I swallowed and glanceed back over my shoulder to the clearing. The white-stockinged woman was arching her back, thrusting her hips rhythmically as her breaths come faster and faster. Her arms strained but the man pinning her wrists only smiled cruelly and gripped her harder.

"Why are they holding her down like that?" I whispered. It seemed so wrong.

"Because she likes it." Alric's hand moved up my arm again to gently cup my neck. His thumb again traced my jaw, pulling my eyes from the scene back to his piercing gaze. "You're stunning Rhia. So beautiful," he murmured as he continued to tenderly run his finger along my skin.

I felt entranced. His touch like a brand tracing over my skin, sending heat coiling within me. I couldn't look away from his eyes. There were candles all over the small clearing behind us and they lit his face softly in the night. I tred to imagine how I must look to him. Stunning? Me? He was the stunning one. I wanted to stand on my tiptoes and trace his chiseled jaw with my lips. Taste the fullness of his lips with my tongue. I wanted to press my cheek against his as he fucked me.

Behind me, the woman in the clearing was reaching a crescendo. She cried out, her voice rising and falling in a panic. Finally, she must have climaxed as she gave a long wail of glee and then there was just low pants again. A part of me ached to turn and watch the lustful show. The larger part of my was still held by Alric's eyes. We seemed to ride a tide of the woman's passion together.

And then there were new sounds. Harsh grunts. A squeal of surprise. The sound of slapping. Finally I did turn, my curiosity winning out. The woman was on all fours. The man who'd held her arms now pressed her face against his crotch. She choked on his cock as the other man knelt behind her, slamming his hips against her ass. Arousal, then--surprisingly--jealousy snaked up through me. At that moment, I'd kill for Alric's cock to be inside me.

His hand was still on my neck, though he stilled and I wondered if he followed my eyes as well. He could easily see over the top of my head. Did he think the same thing? His other hand took my waist and softly, patiently, tugged me closer to him. My body felt liquid and I flowed against him. Still, I watched the fucking couples in the clearing, unable to tear my eyes from the pulsing forms.

Alric's lips dropped to my neck and I sucked in a breath in the same instant. With every gentle kiss along my neck and throat and to the little moon behind my ear a tingle of lust shot straight to my center. I wanted to move my head to capture his lips with my own, but also felt stuck in place, able to only melt against him and the pleasure in the scene in the clearing.

His lips moved up to my ear, took the lobe in his mouth as his tongue flicked against me. Finally I moaned slightly as my eyes closed and my head dropped back. He could have lowered me to the ground and fucked me right there along with the other couples and I'd have gone willingly.

Instead, he whispered in my ear, "Come."

Alric's lips left my skin as he straightened. His hand still held my waist, but now the other slid from my neck to take my hand. I stood slightly shaky as I opened my eyes to meet his. He smiled coaxingly, dipping his head a bit to catch my eyes. It felt like it took ages before my senses came back. I knew I stood there, leaned against him, staring stupidly up at him for far too long. I even registered the stiffness of his cock against his leg. And I knew I was already soaking wet.

"Okay," I murmured and let him turn me to lead my out of the garden. We moved towards the sounds of the party, the bright light from the torches and firepit glowed up ahead. I began to have second thoughts. Were we going up to his room to fuck? Was that it? Did I just come here to fuck him? Should I find Sylvia and make sure she was okay? Thoughts raced through me as we neared the terrace again.

As soon as we ascended the couple stone steps we were enveloped by the boisterous crowd. The music was in full swing and now nearly the whole terrace was filled with dancers. Alric laughed loudly as he pulled me close against him again and we joined the dancers. Surprise lit up through me as I realized he wasn't just leading me back inside to fuck. I grinned happily up at him as we spun through the crowd. Eventually we crashed into Sylvia and Kristof. The large Viking lifted my small friend in the air, smashing his lips into hers as Sylvia clung to his neck. Their kiss broke and Sylvia spotted me and forced Kristoff to set her back on her feet.

"There you are!" she yelled over the music and pulled me into a hug, away from Alric.

"Having fun?" I had to bend down a bit to say in her ear.

"Yes!" she sang and spun me in a circle.

Alric's hands were back on my waist then, pulling me back into him as Kristof grabbed Sylvia back up. I swayed, wrapping my arms around his neck as I let him guide me through the crowd. I wanted badly to nuzzle my face into his neck, but instead threw back my head to shake out my long hair. Hoping I created a 'sexy, free spirited' vibe. The feathers in my hair had to help...

As we danced Alric was constantly slapped on the back, pulled into a quick conversation, or forced to part from me to shake a hand. It only made sense...it was his party. But somehow the attention paid to him by the partygoers made him even sexier.

"You're popular," I stood on my toes to yell in his ear as a couple large Norsemen greeted him with yells and slaps on the shoulder.

"They come from all over for the night of Samhain. It's become my specialty," he bent to speak in my ear. His breath sent a new round of shivers down my spine.

His lips didn't leave my ear. Instead he began to trace them back down my neck. His hand on my back circled me, pulling me tight against him and I finally let me head fall against him. I rested my cheek against his broad chest. The woodsy smell of leather and smoke filled my nose as I tipped my head up to his.

His lips were on mine in a blink. He pressed firmly against me and I instantly parted my lips, inviting him deeper. His tongue darted against my lips, tasting and teasing as we began to meld together. He nipped at my bottom lip and my legs turned waterlogged as I melted against him. He held me tighter, pressed his mouth more urgently against mine as he sucked the breath from me. His hand slid up my back to cup the back of my neck, holding me tight against him.

I felt the stiffness of his growing arousal against my center as we moved. I pressed into him, eager to feel him with the rhythm of the music that wafted around us. Alric sucked in a breath and then his hand on my neck grabbed up a handful of my hair, tugged my head back. Our mouths broke apart and then his fell on my throat. I grabbed at his shoulders, gasping from his sudden onslaught. His tongue ran along my skin, his teeth grazed under my chin. He bit lightly along my jawline. I began to pant, my own arousal now screaming for him. I felt the slickness between my legs, the ache grew, sharper, more urgent.

"Alric," Kristof's deep voice broke the spell.

I stiffened, snapping my head back up and my eyes open to find Kristof and Sylvia smirking at us. I reddened, but Sylvia only gave me a coy wink. It seemed my forest-witch friend was having just as much fun.

"What is it?" Alric asked Kristof. He still held me tight against him and now I studied the lines of his face as he looked at his friend. His eyes were dark and his jaw clenching slightly. I imagined in irritation at the interruption. My heart thrummed.

"Jillian says they're nearly ready to perform the sacrifice," Kristof said.

"What!?" I squeaked and jerked back from Alric.

He and Kristof both barked a laugh. Then Alric dropped a gentle kiss on top of my head as he finally dropped his arms from me. "Just a play we put on. It's tradition." His gentle mouth smiled at me as he dipped his head to catch my eyes. "We'll be back shortly." With a weighted glance, they turned to slip back through the roiling bodies. I followed Alric's path, easy in his shadowy black clothing, as he cut a swath across the terrace. Jillian stood at the bright French doors and together the three disappeared back into the mansion.

I chewed at my lip as Sylvia grabbed my arm and pulled me into a dance with her. I still felt the craving deep within. Between my legs. Those pesky nether regions. I felt drunk though I hadn't had anything to drink since arriving. My heart hammered and my mind whirled as Sylvia spun me.

I'd come to this strange man's sex party and was just about ready to let him finger me on the dance floor. Not like me. And would that be all it was? A wild, debauched night I'd tell my friends story about in a few years? I glanced back towards the doors as I danced. As stupid as it was. I liked Alric. I didn't want to just fuck him. But I was likely just another girl he wanted to bang at his yearly wild Samhain party.

"How can you look bummed right now?" Sylvia yelled over the music.

I finally shook myself back to the present and realized she danced with two men across from me. Both wore thick fir cloaks, à la Jon Snow. One slid his hand down Sylvia's hip to move with the music against her thigh. The other had his hand on her stomach as he leaned in to whisper something in her ear. I blinked at her. She'd always been a bit more...openminded than me. But even this was a bit much.

"I don't just want to be a fuck," I shrugged at her. It was then I realized that we were practically surrounded by the manly men. Fur and leather and every type of sword between a cutlass and a broadsword. A veritable sausage--er, sword party.

"Tonight is the night of the dead. If you're ever going to let loose and just live tonight is it, Rhia."

Her dark face was earnest, though a sly grin tugged at her as she leaned against one of her admirers. He slipped a hand around her, brushed testingly against her breast. I'm sure my face was turning that horrible shade of pink as I watched. Sylvia's grin only deepened as she closed her eyes and ground her hips back against Jon Snow. His hand returned to her breast, cupping it gently as he pulled her back against himself while his friend moved in front of her to begin running his hands down her thighs again.

I turned away. Found myself against a press of bodies. A rugged blonde bearded man quirked his mouth at me. Another wearing a kilt and a loose linen shirt spun me as he laughed good naturedly. A man with a glistening head of black hair gripped my waist and lifted me into the air, spinning me above the crowd. I found myself laughing, the buoyant music working its way into my blood. A new pair of hardened hands gripped one of mine and twirled me quickly before passing me to a stout, bulky man with a shaved head that dipped me so low my hair brushed the ground.

I landed in the arms of the blond bearded man. He had a sharp nose I rather liked and kind, closely set eyes. Long, braided hair fell down his back and I wondered for a moment if it were a wig...

"You float like a Valkyrie through a battlefield," he said into my ear.

I smirked at him. "I'm not a Valkyrie. I'm a witch."

"Ahh," he laughed. "Yes, a follower of Freyja. A seiðkona, I know."

"A what?" I asked. I realized he spoke with a thick accent, similar to Alric's but heavier.

"The seiðkona. Alric has a knack for finding you."

I frowned at him as I pulled back slightly to study him. "What are you talking about? What's a seth," I stumbled on the word he'd said. "Sethkona?"

A trill of a horn blasted through the air and the band immediately quieted as all eyes turned back to the terrace doors. Alric strode through the doors and the drummer began to pound a slow rhythm. Behind Konrad, nearly a dozen men ushered two figures out. Jillian and Kristof, both now dressed in simple white clothes. Jillian's a thin dress, Kristof in only a pair of breeches. I frowned. This was...getting creepy. As the group pushed through the crowd I realized their hands were bound and leather collars were secured around their necks.

As they drew closer, moving towards the large bonfire at the center of the terrace, Sylvia's hand grasped my shoulder. "What the fuck?" she whispered as she leaned into me.

"Right?" I breathed as I stood on tip-toes to watched the procession.