Treasure Ch. 03

"Jealous?" he murmured, and then ducked as she swatted at him with a furious look in her eyes. "No, not with any, much may the knowledge please you. And I pick virgins because that way I know I'm not whisking a mother away from her child. I want to punish the king, not some blue-eyed, innocent babe still at his mother's teat. And I want a spry, healthy worker, and there's always a chance some heartless fool will send me his grandmother." She nodded slowly, watching him with uncertainty. "Besides, it sounds the part, doesn't it? 'Oh, the cruel dragon in the mountains demands a virgin sacrifice every harvest, may God have mercy on their poor little souls,'" he finished grandly, completing his exclamation with an overly dramatic shake of his fist towards the sky.

"But they're all so young."

"Yes, well, I assumed that the younger ones would be less likely to be conniving wretches who would try to kill me, but that hasn't worked out well in my favor. Your kingdom raises some fiery she-demons," he added. His eyes studied her as he spoke, as if trying to gauge whether or not there was a part of her he hadn't yet discovered that was tainted with she-demon-ness.

"You only have yourself to blame, when they've been raised with the threat of a scary, man-eating dragon looming over them their whole lives," she said snarkily, and he smirked.

"I do seem to have that effect on people." She rolled her eyes at him and his narrowed. "Don't roll those lovely eyes at me, Catherine, or I shall be forced to punish you," he warned her in a low, dramatic tone. She put a hand to her mouth in mock-terror.

"Oh heavens, no! Will you overcook my rack of lamb?" she gasped tragically, immediately letting out a squeal as he lunged at her and wrapped her in his arms, nibbling at her ear with a silly snarling noise as she squirmed against him. As she relaxed, he kissed her on the cheek, laying calmly with her on the cool cavern floor.

"Try not to feel guilty," he said softly, a serious note entering his voice. "You make me rather happy, and the idea that you aren't simply devastates me. I'd like you to try and enjoy yourself." He paused, and she could hear a sort of dark stiffness enter his voice when he spoke again. "Unless, of course, you're only tolerating me until you find a way to leave." Catherine reached up to grip both his hands hard, turning to look at his face. His eyes were wide and sad, but his mouth had thinned into a hard, angry line.

"You can't possibly think that way about me," she whispered. He let out a sigh, closing his eyes.

"My apologies." After a moment, his eyes opened wide again. "About that rack of lamb. Are you hungry?"

"Famished," she replied, relief entering her voice and releasing the tension in her shoulders. His bouts of instability always made her incredibly nervous, and she felt her hands shake as she withdrew them from his. If she was going to attempt to leave---and at this point, she wasn't altogether positive if that was an option anymore---it would surely destroy him. He didn't act the part, but she was beginning to realize what a fragile, unstable person he was. After only three days, he was beginning to act like he needed her more than she suspected he needed air, sunlight or water.

For a brief moment, as he rose to his feet behind her, she entertained the idea of living an Adeon-free life, and she was surprised to find that the thought filled her with discomfort.

"Up you get," he chided, breaking her trance as he took her hands in his and pulled her into a standing position. Stumbling to her feet, she watched in surprise as he released her hands and walked towards another corner of the cave, his shoulders hunched over in that lazy, slightly guarded way of his that she had begun to find rather endearing.

"Where are you going?" she shouted uncertainly.

"I have recently learned that dinners with beautiful girls call for a certain dress code, and I would hate to disappoint," he called over his shoulder, grabbing his trousers off the ground and pulling them on. A small smile crept across her lips despite herself, and he padded back towards her, pulling his shirt over his head as he walked. He raised an eyebrow at her as he glimpsed her expression. "Do I amuse you?"

"A bit," she admitted.

"How fortunate for me." He reached her side and, with a flourish, offered her his arm. "My lady," he intoned lightly.

"Sir Dragon," she replied cheerfully, dipping into a half-curtsy and looping her arm through his.

---

Catherine paused mid-chew, her eyes darting over to Adeon's face. He was watching her intently, crouched over his portion of lamb, his tapered fingers deftly rendering the meat from the bones.

"What?" she asked around a mouthful of lamb. He sucked the juice off of one of his fingers, never taking his eyes off her.

"I enjoy watching you," he replied simply. "Do I need a reason?"

"It's a little off-putting when I'm eating."

"I don't think you have much of a choice in the matter after I've provided such a lovely dinner arrangement," he countered lazily, his lips quirking into a smile. She met his eyes with a small, wry smile, continuing her chewing and taking a long draught of wine.

"Fine," she said lightly, setting down the goblet. "Then watch me all you please." A slow heat unfurled in her stomach as she stared at him levelly, slowly and deliberately tracing her lips with her tongue to catch a stray drop of wine. She was a bit shocked by her own boldness, but the way he was watching her spurred her on. His eyebrows rose slightly in surprise, his lips parting slightly, and she took a small bite of the lamb, raising her hand to her mouth afterwards to leisurely suck the juices from her fingers. Her eyes eased shut in contentment as she slid her index finger slowly out of her mouth. When she opened them, he was staring at her in silent shock, and the piece of lamb he had been holding was now on the floor near his knee.

"You darling little tease," he finally breathed. Her mouth opened in a shaky exhale as he leaned closer, bracing his hands on the floor so his face was level with hers and only inches away. "Take off that dress," he whispered, his voice unsteady, "or I'm afraid I'm going to tear it off." Heat rose to her cheeks, and she slowly pulled the dress over her head, meeting his eyes boldly as she set it on the ground afterwards, completely exposed before him. He rose to his feet, offering her his hand to pull her up from her knees, and brought his lips to her ear. "Go stand facing the stone," he said softly, jerking his head lightly towards the cavern wall.

"Why?" she asked quietly, and he brought his hand up to grasp her hip, stroking her stomach with his thumb.

"Do as I say," he murmured into her ear. She quickly reached the stone wall in a few steps, keeping her back to him and biting her lip as she heard fabric shifting behind her. Anticipation was making her breath unsteady, and she jumped a little as she suddenly felt his hands touch her shoulders, little strokes of fire. He ran them down to her wrists, grasping them gently and pulling them up so her palms were pressed against the wall. She held them there obediently, feeling goosebumps rise on her limbs as he proceeded to cover her torso and back in feather light touches, stroking her skin, planting deep, slow kisses on her shoulders and the small of her back.

His hands reached her thighs and she parted them unconsciously, suddenly aching to be touched between them. He knelt down, covering the inside of her left thigh with the softest of kisses that made her legs shake with the effort of standing. His tongue flicked across her lips for the briefest of moments, and she shuddered at the sensation. Her hips shifted impatiently, an unbearable heat blossoming in between her legs, and heard him laugh behind her.

"Something you want?" he asked huskily, his hand sliding up to her stomach to lightly graze her skin with his fingernails. A low, quivering moan escaped her lips, and she shook her head before leaning it against the wall, her fingers clenching against the stone in agonizing want. He made an amused sound, and she felt his teeth catch the skin of her inner thigh painfully, making her cry out. "Little liar. I think there's something you want very, very badly," he crooned, pursing his lips and blowing a soft stream of cool air against the fever-hot skin of her lips. The sensation wracked her body, making her tense and shake.

"You are wicked," she whispered shakily, and she heard him stand behind her.

"So wicked," he said into her ear in a rush of breath, winding his arms around her and pressing her back against his chest. She could hear the grin in his voice and felt herself dissolving at his words, jerking with sensitivity as he brought his hands to her breasts. His hot, wet mouth suddenly moved against the skin of her neck, and she let out an agonized moan.

"Please," she begged softly, winding her arms around his neck behind her as he squeezed her breasts, sliding her nipples in between two of his fingers and tugging at them gently. She ground her back against him, silently begging him to take her, relishing the sound of his breath catching in his throat and feeling his erection against her. He was completely naked---she could feel the heat of his bare skin searing against hers---and her body grew hot in anticipation as he turned her around with him, bending her over so she was still standing and her hands were braced on a rock in front of her, her backside completely exposed to him. She could feel the moisture dripping down her thighs, and she spread her legs obediently as he moved to part them with his hands. The whole thing was so deliciously sinful that she felt like she might just melt into a puddle in front of him. A small, blissful sound escaped her lips as she felt him probing at her entrance behind her, and she gasped as he pushed slowly into her, making her feel every inch of him. Relief turned her body into a quivering mess, pleasure coursing through her nerves and making her fingertips buzz.

"Oh," she heard him breathe shakily, pausing after he had filled her, his hands unsteady on her hips. "Good gods, you're so wet," he hissed through clenched teeth, sliding out of her in agonizing slowness and letting out another noise as he entered her again with a harder, more impatient thrust. Catherine cried out, nearly in tears from the things he was doing to her, her eyes wide and her breath ragged as he fucked her slowly. After a few minutes, his pace quickened, making her legs shake with pleasure. He moved his hand in front of her to circle her clit with one digit, timing the movements with his thrusts. Her hands clenched on the rock, trying her best to compose herself, but Gods, nothing had ever felt this good in her life.

His grip tightened on her hips as he pounded into her with a newfound desperation, and she let out a strangled gasp as she finally shattered under him, the feeling so intense that the corners of her vision turned black. "Oh, yes," he groaned, scraping the skin of her hips with his nails as his fingers clenched into claws, never slowing his pace, prolonging her pleasure for what felt like years. "You delicious little thing, do you know how fantastic you feel?" he growled, making Catherine let out a noise halfway between a moan and a sob. This was so much---it was too much---and if he continued like this for too long, she was surely going to go insane.

His breath was coming in sharp bursts, lovely, dizzying noises, and she tensed beneath him as he let out a final gasp, clenching her hips hard with his hands as he throbbed inside of her. She choked back a surprised cry as he slowly ran his tongue up her spine, from the small of her back to her shoulders, and felt herself twitch as he gently slid out of her. His fingers wrapped around her waist, pulling her up against him and lowering them both into a sitting position on the floor, Catherine leaning against his chest in between his legs. He buried his face in her hair and she shuddered in exhaustion, absentmindedly bringing his hand to her lips and planting a small kiss on each fingertip.

"Oh, Catherine," he sighed deliriously into her hair, giving her a weak squeeze. "What on earth am I going to do with you?"

"Mmnnnnngg," said Catherine, clinging to his arm and closing her eyes. He laughed, tilting her chin up towards his and kissing her lightly on the lips.

"Pretty girl," he purred cheerfully against her lips, and Catherine cracked a weary smile.

"I should put my dress back on," she murmured, and he leaned his head back against the cave wall, gazing down at her fondly.

"Oh, heavens no," he laughed. "You honestly believe I'm going to go through all that effort to get it off of you just to let you put it back on?" She made a faint noise of protest and he grinned. "Just sit here with me for a moment," he urged, his eyes still half-lidded with contentment. "You feel so good." Goosebumps ran up her arms at his words, and she looked up at him.

"So do you," she said softly. He lowered his face into her hair and exhaled, cradling her close.

((Sorry for the crazy length of this. I got a bit carried away XD))