Wild Desire Ch. 02

To Daniella's surprise, dinner was apparently a private occasion. Instead of returning the the great tree where she had first met them, Feldspar, Nephrite and Gneiss had taken her to another tree where the Lord waited for them at the head of an elegant table.

Daniella's heart stuttered. He was gorgeous in a way he had no right to be. His dark black hair shone with a light all its own, rippling down to brush his high cheekbones. She didn't dare look into his jade green eyes for too long; they held too many things she wasn't ready for. And lord, that mouth...

After her three keepers had bathed her, teased her, and left her wanting she couldn't help the way her body reacted to him. His clear eyes sparkled as if he knew she was still throbbing with need.

"Sit," he commanded. Daniella's body instinctively yearned to followed that deep voice, to do anything he asked of her. She fought the urge.

She glared at him and took the seat nearest to the door at the foot of the table. He shook his head once and pointed at the chair directly next to him.

Anger and fear swirled within Daniella. She didn't know what his intentions for her were and she didn't relish the idea of being within his reach, especially dressed like she was.

She blushed as she became conscious all over again of how indecently the faeries had dressed her. Her dress was a long, gauzy pink creation that accentuated her clearly visible breasts and navel, and barely concealed what laid at the apex of her thighs.

The two faery women who had escorted her to dinner were dressed in similarly revealing outfits. Gneiss' brown nipples and athletic breasts were clear visible through her see-through crop top, which left a wide swath of pale stomach exposed. The layers of see-through fabric making up her mini skirt teased glimpses of her taut backside with every move.

Nephrite wore a white silk gown with slits up the sides that showed off her long legs with every graceful move she made. Her jet black, silken hair shimmered with specks of light as it cascaded down her back.

Feldspar wore nothing but tight, forest green pants that hugged every curve of his ass and sizable bulge. Daniella hardly dared look at the beautiful, golden-skinned man but couldn't help staring sometimes, especially when he and Gneiss were wrapped around each other.

Daniella lowered herself into the seat next to the Lord of the Wood slowly without deigning to look at him. She sat stiffly staring straight ahead as the lord gestured to the others to dig in.

The feast spread before them easily could have fed three times the number of people. There were roasted root vegetables covered in fragrant herbs, bright salads with edible flowers and fruits, berries and cream, savory and sweet tarts, a creamy cold cucumber soup, and dozens of other dishes that tempted her.

Daniella hadn't eaten a proper meal since early that morning and she had hiked ten miles at least. Her stomach had passed the point of grumbling, passed the point of gnawing aching need, and now was sour and numb.

She knew she needed to eat, but she wasn't eager to eat faery food. For one thing, she couldn't remember what the rules were. She hadn't ever intended to encounter faeries since they had supposedly been eradicated in North America. Besides, she wasn't about to accept food from the man who had imprisoned her.

She sat stiffly while the faeries helped themselves to heaping platefuls. Nephrite immersed herself in eating a tart piled high with berries and cream, her eyes closed in sensual bliss.

Gneiss held a fig stuffed with soft cheese out for Feldspar, who snaked his tongue out to lick it from her fingers. He closed his eyes as he chewed and huffed out an appreciative hum.

Gneiss selected another bite for him, this time a raspberry from a salad and held it on her tongue for him. He leaned in and kissed her deeply, capturing the offered fruit. Daniella blushed and looked down at her empty plate.

"Do you not hunger?" the Lord of the Wood asked. When Daniella ignored him he gestured to the food. "Eat."

Daniella continued to ignore him despite his command. He took her plate and walked around the table filling it with a sampling from every dish. He set the plate gently in front of her and watched her expectantly from his seat.

Daniella glared at him. Maybe she could have convinced herself to eat faery food, maybe even faery food that came from his table. But to eat something that he personally selected and fed to her would be utter humiliation.

The Lord filled his own plate and tucked in. All four of the faeries took almost spiritual pleasure in eating. Daniella stole a glance in her captor's direction just as he took a bit from a decadent truffle covered in mushrooms, cheese and herbs. Her gaze was drawn magnetically to his sensuous lips as he chewed and moaned appreciatively.

Feldspar and Gneiss were still feeding each other and stealing kisses from one another. Daniella felt a stirring within herself and dropped her eyes back to her plate.

Her stomach twisted as she inhaled the heady jumble of aromas wafting up from it. She clenched her fists under the table and then tucked her heads under her thighs to prevent herself from reaching for her fork.

"Does something trouble you, little human?" the Lord asked.

Daniella stiffened. "That's not my name."

"Surely you don't mean for me to call you by your name," he replied slowly, as if she were a rebellious teenager who wasn't thinking straight.

Nephrite reached across the table and placed a soft hand on Daniella's arm. "It's not done, human," she said. She had the same look of intense embarrassment she had had when Daniella had snapped at her about her name earlier.

Irritation flared in Daniella's chest. "How would you feel if I called you 'faery' like some kind of pet?"

When the two faeries continued to give her puzzled looks, something broke inside Daniella. "Are you serious right now? You kidnap me, molest me, demean me with names, and you expect me to — what — thank you for it? This place is insane. You're all insane."

Feldspar and Gneiss paused mid-kiss and turned their attention to her at that.

"You dare speak of our lord's kindness in such a manner?" Gneiss said. The diminutive faery half rose from her seat, eyes flicking to her lord for permission to act.

"How hard is it to call someone by their name? You know that I didn't do anything to deserve being imprisoned here, and you still treat me like some kind of animal,"

Daniella retorted, standing from her seat. "What do you expect me to think of you?"

"We have treated you as an honored guest," Feldspar said in his light, musical voice.

"Perhaps you would like to see how we treat our enemies, since you seem determined to insult our lord and his hospitality."

Daniella knew she should reel in her temper. Faeries were strong and fast, and she had no idea what kind of magic they might use against her.

She trembled with rage. They had imprisoned her over something that had nothing to do with her, humiliated her at every turn, and still expected her to be grateful.

"Please," the lord cut in. "Do sit down, Gneiss." His voice was smooth as honey.

Gneiss gave Daniella a long, hard look, and lowered herself back into her seat slowly. Daniella folded her arms and sat down feeling her anger deflate like an overdone soufflé.

Tears leapt to her eyes. She was exhausted and hungry and confused, among strange people with strange ways. She was utterly alone and afraid. She swiped quickly at her eyes and kept them fixed to her plate.

"Now then," the lord addressed her in a softer voice. "You prefer I not call you 'little human,' and I can see you are upset. What shall we call you?"

"I've already told her, my name is —"

Nephrite's hand whipped up and she shook her head violently. "Stop, please don't," she said plaintively. Daniella frowned in confusion.

"Is something wrong with my name?"

The lord smiled, bemused as he looked between the two of them. "You would tell us your name? You have only just met us today," he said with a short laugh. "You certainly aren't what we expected."

Feldspar and Nephrite both looked mortified. Gneiss shared a look and chuckled wickedly. "Perhaps she's an eager little one, my lord," she said.

Daniella felt an odd sense of vertigo as she looked between the faeries. Based on Feldspar and Nephrite she gathered that sharing her name was horribly embarrassing. The Lord of the Wood and Gneiss seemed to find the idea titillating.

"I don't get it," she said, looking hopelessly between the four faeries.

Nephrite's face was flushed bright red. "It's — it's just," she seemed to search for the right phrase for a long time. "It's so intimate, you see. We can't possibly call you that. You must choose something else."

Daniella searched their faces just to be sure they weren't playing some sort of joke on her. "Okay," she said slowly, weighing her words. "Can you choose something else for me then?"

The Lord of the Wood studied her, drinking in her features. "We will honor your wishes," he said, giving a significant look to each of his companions. "And you, little one, will accept the names that we choose for you."

Daniella stiffened a little at the pet name. She wasn't little — well, maybe she was a bit on the short side compared to him — but still. She wasn't a child.

She wanted to argue with him, but she also recognized the command in his tone.

"We will do our best to honor you when we name you," Nephrite said gravely. Feldspar stood and bowed to her silently, while Gneiss gave her a demure nod as if to congratulating a respected opponent on a battle well fought. Daniella swallowed her pride and returned her nod.

The three faeries resumed their feasting while their lord turned his penetrating gaze back to Daniella. "Little one, perhaps you will tell me what prevents you from enjoying this delightful feast?"

Daniella wiped her watering eyes, resentful of her wildly fluctuating emotions. A dozen replies flitted through her mind. There was literally nothing she could think of to say that wouldn't potentially offend him, and she was fairly certain that faeries didn't take kindly to lies.

She looked even more resolutely at her plate and tucked her hands back under her thighs.

He watched her and waited for a response for several minutes. Eventually he sighed. "Come, let us try something else," he said to her. Then to the others he added, "I will take the little one somewhere more festive. Please don't rush your feasting on our behalf, and do join us at the Meeting Tree when you wish."

He stood and offered her his hand with a slight, courtly bow. Daniella waited a few seconds longer than was polite and took his hand. His skin was surprisingly warm against hers.

He led her down to the forest floor. The stars and half moon were the only lights and the forest was alive with the sounds of nocturnal wildlife.

Half blind in the deep darkness, Daniella tensed at every unfamiliar animal call and snap of twigs nearby and gripped the Lord's steady hand more tightly. He tugged her along and she had to trot every few steps to keep up with his long stride.

When they arrived at the Meeting Tree he entered through the door she had found that morning. The festivities were in full swing and Daniella wondered whether they ever stopped.

Dozens of faeries were mingling inside the brightly lit tree. A new band had taken up residence and was playing a haunting waltz for the dance floor, which was filled with couples swaying dreamily.

The smell of fresh bread, roast vegetables covered in herbs and cheese, grilled fruits, pastries and pies, and a dozen other mouth-watering scents hit Daniella in the face and her knees weakened.

As soon as the lord entered the room the entire host of faeries turned to face him and the band rose silently to attention. Daniella blushed and lingered behind him, hoping he would let her blend into the crowd. Instead he gripped her hand tightly and tugged her forward so that she bumped up against him.

"Greetings, friends," he said, his voice echoing sonorously through the tree. "The stars smile upon us tonight. Let us be merry." The crowd of faeries dipped heads, curtseyed, or bowed in acknowledgement. The band started up a dizzying tilt, and the hum of celebration resumed.

The lord pulled her along as he walked slowly toward his throne at the opposite end of the tree. He paused every few steps to speak with faeries along the way, receiving their greetings beatifically.

As they bowed to him, most gave her lingering looks. The sensation of eyes roving over her nearly naked body was physical.

Daniella had to stifle her shivers by the time they approached his throne. It felt like she had had countless hands stroking over her breasts, sliding down her sides, tickling her thighs. Her core was starting to overheat. She squeezed her eyes shut in shame, trying to get a grip over her body.

The lord settled into his throne of living vines and gestured to the floor at his feet. Daniella glanced down at the floor and back up at him, confused. Slowly her confusion morphed into mortification and then fury.

She remembered the way Feldspar, Nephrite and Gneiss had been draped around each other as they had lounged around his feet that afternoon. That was where he intended his new piece of property to sit.

"Come, little one, you will sit here," he said in a deep voice that brooked no objection.

Daniella sank to her knees and arranged her dress to cover herself as best she could. With her back to him, she sat stiffly looking out over the festivities. She could feel his body heat just behind her. She forced herself to sit straighter, ignoring the ache in her lower back.

She turned her attention to the faeries dancing in front of her. The dizzying music had driven them into an ecstatic frenzy of limbs and wild hair. Several faeries had torn their clothing off — or maybe they hadn't worn any.

A jolt of excitement shot down Daniella's body and she shifted her eyes guiltily toward another group of faeries. They were eating and chatting. Nothing to excite her there. She was miserably hungry though. She shifted her weight from one leg to the other, trying to relieve the discomfort between her legs and in her stomach.

Everywhere she looked in the tree awoke different kinds of hunger in her.

The music pulsed and swirled to the throbbing beat at her core. Daniella found her eyes drawn back to the dance floor, unable to look away. Feldspar and Gneiss had joined the festivities. Feldspar was swaying behind Gneiss, running his hands up and down her small body.

He licked up the side of her neck and whispered something in her ear. Gneiss gave him a slanting smile and tilted her head, giving him full access to nibble and suck at the delicate skin of her neck.

Daniella shivered in anticipation as Feldspar's hands wandered over Gneiss's skin. Hours ago she had felt those strong hands gliding over her body, had craved his touch to bring her to completion.

She almost choked as she felt the lord trace a finger down her neck in time with Feldspar's teasing nibbles down the column of Gneiss's neck.

"Do you enjoy the view, little one?" he murmured in her ear. Daniella shuddered at the combined sensation of his hot breath on her ear and his finger tracing lines on the nape of the neck.

She couldn't find words to answer him. He huffed a breath out into her ear and leaned away, bringing another hand up to caress her shoulders. His touch was a faint whisper tracing inscrutable symbols across her skin.

Gneiss turned toward Feldspar and with one commanding hand pushed him to his knees. He bowed his head to the floor, kissing her proffered foot. She gave him a slight shove with her foot and he began kissing and licking his way up her leg.

As he worked he kept adoring eyes trained on his lover. Daniella was captivated by him kneeling there, conscious of how her body mirrored his. Once he reached Gneiss's quivering inner thighs her hand shot down to grab a fistful of his golden hair. Daniella saw Feldspar wince in pain even as his body shuddered in apparent pleasure.

Gneiss pulled him where she wanted him and tipped her face back in rapture as she forced Feldspar to work her with his tongue.

Something inside Daniella unspooled. She leaned back into warm, waiting hands. The lord gently stroked up her neck, sending golden warmth down her spine.

She closed her eyes in abject pleasure as his deft fingers began working through her hair. The tink, tink, tink of hair pins falling to the floor accompanied the delicious sensation of her hair being freed from the elaborate hairstyle Feldspar had subjected her to.

As the lord freed each loop and braid of hair he gently stroked through it and ran his nails over her scalp. She went limp, leaning fully against his hands.

The lord brought something to her lips and she opened automatically. A summer ripe grilled peach burst in her mouth. Daniella's eyes opened hazily.

For a moment indignation roiled through her. She was sitting half-naked at the lord's feet, being stroked and hand-fed like a pet. But the hand in her hair felt so wonderful, and the peach in her mouth was the first real food she'd had in over twelve hours.

She allowed her eyes to flutter closed and let her brain turn off. The lord fed her a piece of herb crusted baked cheese. She savored the crisp crust and gooey center of the cheese as she chewed slowly.

The lord fed her piece after piece of the feast until she was full, stroking her head and neck soothingly the entire time.

In her daze of relaxation she didn't notice that his hands had stilled for some time. Slowly she swam back up to consciousness through the warm, safe feeling she had been floating in.

She became aware of his warm hands resting lightly on her shoulders, grounding her. The swirling, haunting strings of the band reached her next, reminding her that they were not alone. Daniella opened her eyes and blinked to clear the spots from her vision.

The festivities were still in full tilt. Feldspar and Gneiss were entwined with each other on the dance floor. All around them faeries were writhing in pairs and groups, their moans blending into the strange, hypnotic music.

Gneiss had pushed Feldspar to the ground and had mounted him. Her dress had been abandoned at some point and her taut breasts bounced as she rode him. He pulled on her nipples and she threw her head back in ecstasy.

A faery woman with outrageous, pink-streaked hair approached and leaned down to kiss Gneiss's upturned face. The kiss was lingering as their tongues languidly tasted each other. The woman broke their kiss first and whispered something in Gneiss's ear with a devilish smile.

Feldspar went still, watching the exchange. Gneiss smiled at the pink-haired woman but shook her head in response, sending her off to find another group to play with.

Gneiss leaned down to Feldspar, her breasts grazing over his chest and kissed him passionately. He began thrusting into her more desperately and his hands shot down to her hips, urging her to ride him harder.

Immediately Gneiss sat back up and viciously tweaked his nipple in reprimand. Feldspar cried out and stilled his hips, once again letting her set the pace. She leaned down again, rolling her hips sensuously and grinding herself against him. Feldspar screwed his eyes shut. He looked like he was concentrating very hard on not moving his hips.

Daniella's mouth was dry. She she couldn't tear her eyes away from the debauchery on the dance floor. Every time Feldspar caressed and pinched Gneiss's nipples, her own breasts cried out for attention. Warmth and wetness pooled between her thighs.