Rites of Pleasure

This feeling was solidified when a downpour prevented them from finally reaching the temple. It was the third night of roadside hotels, shared rooms, and Mor's sleeping in the nude. Mor promised Finley they'd get to the temple first thing in the morning, but poor Finley was so frustrated he couldn't resist teasing Mor back.

"What if I can't make it?" he asked.

She blinked at him. "What do you mean?" she asked. "You've made it this far. Do you mean to say you're no longer excited about meeting Lehara?"

"Oh, I'm excited, alright," Finley snapped. "I've been excited for three days, Mor. Do you know what that feels like?"

Her eyes glittered dangerously, but he blazed on, oblivious, "Do you know what it feels like to feel as though you're right on edge, and you want something so badly it burns, it aches in you, but you have to deny it?"

"I've had to put a donut back on the shelf at the bakery, and that's probably the same thing," she tried to joke, but he wasn't having it.

"Don't play games," he whispered, half fury and desperation. "I want you, Mor. I don't know if I can wait for tomorrow. I want you now."

"What, you think this is easy for me?" she asked with a roll of her ebony eyes. "Knowing that I don't get to have you first? I thought you were a bumbling fool when we met just a few days ago. I thought it would be fun to watch you squirm while I slept next to you. But it's..." she bit her lower lip. "I want you, too, Finley, but it's more important that we stick to the plan."

"Why?" he asked hoarsely. "What is it that she can give you that I can't?"

Suddenly, Mor's eyes lit up. She grabbed her clothes and started dressing quickly.

"What? What's wrong?" Finley asked.

"Get dressed," Mor said, "We're going to the temple."

"Now? It's the middle of the night. The rain only just stopped. We'll be lucky if we don't slip in the mud and break our -- "

"I'm going to see if Lehara will take both of us," snapped Mor, "I'm going to see if she wants to have a threesome."

Finley leaped out of bed with superhuman speed and dressed himself lightning fast. He followed Mor down the hallway, past the other Leharians, through the front door, and into the waiting trees beyond. Mor held a lantern and wove through the dense thickets, the underbrush, and the bushes. Vines bursting with bright white star flowers decorated the trees, and a moment before Finley asked where they were headed, they arrived.

"Welcome," Mor breathed, holding up her lantern, "To the Temple of Shia'Sa."

FIVE: THE RITE OF LEHARA

The temple was beautiful. Runestones of carved stone decorated the clean-swept marble floors as water dripped from unseen puddles above to unknown chasms below. Cut flowers of every shape and size, which he could only imagine were offerings to Lehara, were in piles in every nook and cranny.

"There's the altar," murmured Mor, gesturing towards the end of the cavernous hallway.

Finley's eyes adjusted to the darkness, and he gasped when it came into his sight: there, carved into stone, was an image of the wraith goddess. An enormous bed of fresh flowers had been prepared, cascading over the carved rocks and filling the space. Every sharp edge of the altar had been decorated with gorgeous flowers of every color. It looked soft, luxurious, and inviting. Candles were on every surface that wasn't already covered in flowers. Mor went around and quietly relit those that a stray breeze or breath had snuffed out.

But the sculpture itself -- two gorgeous glittering azure stones were in place for the phantom's eyes. Every other inch of the stone was covered in ashes, smeared into the rock face by devotees. The ashes had come from incense, smudge sticks, and charcoal... but the effect was striking. The wraith goddess was a dark entity, etched in mystery; only her eyes glittered out and seemed to see all. Finley felt warmth and excitement swirl in his gut. Mor set down her lantern and stepped forward.

She raised her hands and began humming a tune that somehow seemed familiar. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a stick of incense and a set of rune stones. She hummed and rocked, summoning the goddess and casting the rune stones across the floor. She stood nimbly, danced to where the rune stones scattered, picked them up, and cast them again. She did this several times until she got the answer she wanted, then she began chanting and tracing the incense's ashes across the floor in the rune's shape.

The room filled with a cool, fragrant violet mist. Finley wasn't sure what to say, but he didn't want to interrupt Mor, so he quietly waited--and waited--and waited.

Finally, with a sudden rumble, the walls seemed to quake. The sculpture shuddered. The candles snuffed out in one fell swoop. In the smoky darkness, Finley resisted the urge to panic.

"Who is it that calls my name in the dead of night?" came a sensual, confident voice.

His mouth immediately went dry. He knew in his gut that this was Lehara.

"It is I, sorceress Mor, summoner of the wraith goddess Lehara," called Mor, matching Lehara's confidence.

"And why have you summoned me, sorceress Mor?" murmured Lehara. The mist cleared slightly, and the wraith began to light the candles, one by one, with just a flick of her fingertip. Despite this mysterious mixture of shadow and light, Finley couldn't get a good look at the goddess.

"I have an offering of pleasure for you that I think you will find most unique," Mor said. Finley could hear she was trying to keep tremors of nervousness out of her voice.

"Oh? And what is that?" Finley felt a shiver of anticipation creeping up his spine. Lehara's voice was like velvet.

"I have a virgin for you to enjoy," Mor said.

Lehara's laughter was light and delighted. "A virgin? Really? That feels a bit old-fashioned, doesn't it?"

"Um. I... I mean..." Mor began. Her eyes met Finley's, and he saw sheer panic in her eyes. She hadn't expected this. She'd thought Lehara would be like a beast with only one desire on her mind.

"I have many come to my altar seeking pleasure, and they receive pleasure in return," Lehara murmured, "But I do not require them to be virgins. I only demand they enjoy themselves fully and allow themselves to be lost to me."

"But I... I thought..."

"Virginity is a construct, anyway," Lehara said with a wave of her hand.

"So I could have been fucking for this whole road trip here?!" Finley burst out.

There was a moment of tense silence. Then Lehara laughed again. A more wild and free sound he had never heard.

"This is the virgin you bring me?" Lehara asked. "I am surprised, Mor. I am surprised you did not want him for yourself." Lehara was suddenly directly in front of him, azure eyes glittering. Finley suddenly knew she had been eyeing him the entire time. Her face was decorated with ashes and flecks of white; along her shoulders and fingertips were smears of charcoal. Her hair was pulled back into a high braid, which cascaded down her back. Her skin wasn't entirely white or gray -- it was somewhere in the middle, and she seemed to glow the more candles she lit.

Her figure was taller than Mor, and she was more slender and lithe. Where Mor was all curves and softness, Lehara was taut and brutal. She caressed his face and gazed at him. It wasn't quite a gaze of longing, not quite a gaze of lust.

It was both.

Finley felt himself growing hard as she stroked his face, neck, and shoulders. Her touch was delicate and radiated warm dark magic.

"Yes, I think I will enjoy this one," Lehara sighed, her breath warm against Finley's face.

"Oh. Then I guess I'll... go," Mor said, seeing the goddess's immediate chemistry with the farm boy. She took a step back.

"You can go if you wish," Lehara said quickly, then turned to look at Mor with another sly grin, "Or you can stay."

"I'd like to stay," Mor said hurriedly.

"Then get undressed," murmured Lehara, not taking her eyes off of Finley, "And let's show him what pleasure truly means."

Mor slipped out of her nightgown quickly, and it was then that Finley realized Lehara was only dressed in a sheer slip. It was black and embroidered, and it sparkled like satin every way she turned. Finley gulped and looked back towards the door.

"Are you having second thoughts?" Lehara asked, her voice as cool and calm as the mist.

"No. I'm worried we'll be interrupted," Finley said.

Lehara smiled. "Do not worry. No one can find the temple when I am... entertaining guests." He nodded and gasped as her hand moved lower to stroke him through the front of his trousers.

"My, my, my," she murmured. "Yes, we will have fun."

The three of them lay on the bed of fresh flowers, and the rest of the candles flickered to light at Lehara's command. Mor reached to pull Finley's shirt off, but Lehara clicked her tongue in admonishment.

"Let us savor him," she said, her voice barely above a purring whisper. "Don't rush this, Mor. We have all night."

Mor ran her hands up and down Finley's chest, fingertips tracing delicate paths across the front of his shirt. She finally reached under his billowing shirt and helped him out of it, but by then, he was desperate. He flipped Mor onto her back and kissed her, gently but demanding. Her kiss came back as fire, greedy as Mor swirled her tongue across his lips and ran her hands up his chest.

He felt a tug on his curls and saw Lehara pulling him back.

"My turn," she said, her voice husky. She leaned in to meet Finley, kissing him greedily. Finley clumsily reached forward, his hands massaging her breasts. He was rewarded with a soft moan from the wraith, who slipped out of the shimmering dress as if it was a shadow and not a piece of fabric.

Mor moaned in desperation, jerking her hips forward desperately, hands roaming across her body.

"How are you feeling?" asked Lehara, her eyes sparkling in the dim, shadowy chamber.

"Like I'm on fire," Mor stuttered out.

"Hmm. Show me," Lehara demanded, her hand traveling lower to stroke Finley slowly through the thin fabric of his trousers. Mor locked eyes with Finley, and her hands traveled lower. She parted her legs and tossed her head back, her chest rising and falling.

She finished parting her legs, revealing herself. She glistened with anticipation and bit her lower lip as she looked dazedly at them. Meanwhile, Lehara's fingers barely traced Finley's swollen length as he watched Mor. Mor's middle finger found her clit, and she started making frantic, desperate circles. She was already soaked, and Finley felt a ferocious desire tug at him. He wanted nothing more than to fill her, to crush his body into hers.

"Tsk, tsk, not yet," said Lehara as if she could read his mind.

Then he realized she was talking to Mor, who had begun to pant.

"Not... yet?" Mor asked. "But I'm so close...."

Finley looked at Lehara, half in anticipation and half in agony, as she slipped her hand into his trousers. Her hands were slow, methodical, gentle, and teasing.

"Not yet," Lehara repeated. "I want you to come under my tongue, Mor. I want you to shiver under my lips as I lap you up. I want you to let go and give me control."

"Yes, goddess," Mor managed.

"Hands off," Lehara murmured. Mor reluctantly moved her hands away from her slick pussy, and shivered at the cold air. Lehara looked at Finley, who was losing his mind at the wraith's teasing touch.

"Hm," Lehara smirked at him. "Finley, would you like to fuck me?"

"Yes, please," he said, barely breathing.

"Would you like to fuck me while I lick up Mor until she is screaming?"

"Yes, please," he moaned as she hit a particular nerve.

"Use a complete sentence," Lehara demanded with a smirk.

"Yes, I would like to... I'd... ah..." his voice petered out as he gasped in desperate air.

"Please," Mor said, her voice high-pitched and needy.

"He can do it. All you have to do is ask, and it will be yours, Finley," Lehara murmured.

"Yes, I'd like to fuck you while you eat Mor up," he said, forcing himself to focus on Lehara's glowing azure eyes.

"Good boy," the wraith cooed. "Now, come here." Lehara bent over Mor, leaving her backside up in the air. Finley kicked off the trousers and gripped Lehara's backside.

"Slowly," Lehara said as she bent further, spreading Mor's legs and gripping her thighs.

Finley eased himself to Lehara's wet slit and gasped when he felt how soaked she was.

"I don't know if I'll be able to last," he managed, practically seeing stars as he eased the tip in and then out again.

"It doesn't matter, baby," Lehara assured him softly. "Just enjoy me... enjoy my body. Enjoy my pussy squeezing you dry."

"Fu-u-uck," Finley managed as he slid in his entire length.

"Hmmph," Lehara bent and began desperately licking and sucking at Mor's clit. The sound of Mor's desperate cries of need soon filled the chamber. Lehara was a master at work, and soon Mor was squirming and thrashing back and forth, lost in her own pleasure.

Finley felt the crush of Lehara's body around his cock. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as he tried to steady his breath. She kept him right at the edge, pulling away from him and then twisting her hips.

"Please," Finley managed, his voice barely there. The effort to keep the climax at bay was crushing him.

Mor closed her legs and crawled forward, kissing Lehara ferociously.

Finley felt Lehara suddenly matching his pace. The change in her movements nearly pushed him over the edge immediately, but he grit his teeth and managed to hold on to her ass as she drove her hips back into him.

"Harder," Lehara demanded, her voice a reedy gasp. "Harder. Harder, Finley, you're not going to break me. Yes. Yes."

He gripped her braid and increased the speed and ferocity of his thrusts, losing his rhythm and sanity as her body clenched around him.

"Fuck. Fuck!" she whimpered, pushing back into him, lost in the feeling.

"I'm -- I'm going to -- " Finley tried to get the words out but could barely think, much less feel. All he could do was tip over the edge, which was so close...

"Come for me," Lehara demanded with a whimper.

It was explosive. The sensation seemed to light up every nerve ending in his body; he thrust forward and could no longer move. Whole body shudders arrested him as he filled the wraith with his cum. He felt her cum around him, thrashing and whimpering wordlessly. She soaked up every drop of him, kissing Mor through her gasps as Mor whimpered back.

"Yes. Yes," gasped Lehara as he managed to move -- barely -- and readjust his weight.

He collapsed on top of her, every nerve ending singing.

He felt a burning at the base of his throat and reached up to feel a pleasant buzzing in the wake of such a climax. The mark -- he knew it was Lehara's mark. He relaxed further onto Lehara's back, just catching his breath.

"That -- that was -- " he managed.

Lehara slowly pulled their bodies apart and then posited herself between the two of them. Mor gently leaned forward and kissed Finley, her lips soft and wet and warm. Her fingertips barely traced over the design on his collarbones, his neck.

"Beautiful," she whispered.

"Beautiful," he echoed, tracing her blushing, sweat-streaked face.

"Yes, this was all very nice," Lehara cackled, "A very satisfying evening."

She touched Mor's forehead, then her lips, then over her heart. She turned to Finley and did the same. Then she stood and walked into the shadows, only glancing over her shoulder once.

"Is she gone?" Finley asked in amazement. "What now?"

Lehara walked back from the shadows with a platter of fresh fruit.

"Not gone," she said with a laugh. "Just fetching some snacks. You two can sleep here, but you must leave tomorrow before the sun reaches its peak. Deal?"

"Y-yes," Mor managed, smiling. She seemed suddenly shy, reaching for a strawberry and giggling.

"Good. Now I will go. The mark has been given and the blessings will be yours to discover over the next few months. Feel free to experiment." Lehara smirked before she stood a second time. This time, when she wandered off, she did not look back. She melted into the shadows with a sultry whisper of,

"Until next year..."

EPILOGUE

When Finley woke up, he felt dazed. Mor was snoring gently beside him, her arm draped over her eyes. Finley shook her awake, and she woke with a soft giggle. They walked back to the tavern in a daze, holding hands.

"What's going to happen now?" Mor asked Finley. "I guess you must head out on your next adventure... right?"

"You think I'll leave you with those creepy Leharians?" Finley asked with a barking laugh. "No chance in hell!"

"I will admit, it's... different... than I always thought. I liked her much better than I thought I would, and the Leharians and all... they are a bit dark for my liking." Mor bit her lip in thought.

"No kidding. Whatever the next adventure is, we'll tackle it together."

"Together? I like the sound of that," Mor said with a gentle smile.

"I mean, we have to find out about these blessings Lehara gave us."

"Very true..."

"And she does demand a sacrifice every year, so... There's always next year to come back around here and... see what there is to see...?"

"Yes, there's always next year," laughed Mor. "Unfortunately, we do not have a virgin to offer her."

"Nope. That bridge has been burned," Finley laughed.

"For better or worse, that bridge has been burned," Mor echoed.

"For better," Finley said, pulling her into a soft patch of trees to kiss her hard. When they pulled apart, her eyes were glittering -- not like Lehara's gems, but like a promise, like adventure, like home. "Definitely for better."

END.