Yuletide Hearths Pt. 01

It was difficult for him to look at Pryanna again without feeling the urge to possess her, so instead, he spread his wings and left.

***

Men bowed in his presence. Women fell to their knees. All promised whatever he wanted, but Pryanna couldn't even smile at him without baring her teeth.

Slyvern didn't know what to do. For six weeks, he'd spent his nights aching and alone because of a single promise to not ask for more than her company. He'd thrown it out there believing he'd be inside of her before the week was over. None of the other sacrifices had denied him like this.

He gave her whatever he could to ease her sadness. So what was he missing?

Annoyed, he flew back to the village and landed silently outside the cottage close to the woods. Sometimes, when Pryanna was cooking, she would smile to herself and mention how Athena would cook it differently. When she spoke of her friends, there was real joy on her face although she was always talking to herself and never to him.

Althena had been the one in black. The one who wanted pleasure again. From the sounds escaping the window, she'd found exactly what she wanted.

"Malcolm, "she gasped. "No more. Please, I can't bear it."

"You can, and you will, "a male voice growled huskily. A few minutes later, her scream of pleasure filled the air.

Slyvern snarled. It wasn't the first time that he'd been here to spy on her friends, and he didn't need to see what was happening in the bed. or, in one case, the swing rigged out back. He already knew how to pleasure Pryanna in bed. He needed to know how to coax her that far.

Frustrated, he took off again for their younger friend. The soft-hearted one. There were no sounds coming from inside. He landed outside a window and peered in.

"I suppose I ought to be grateful that you didn't barge in first," a voice said behind him.

Surprised that she'd managed to sneak up on him, he turned. "Cecily."

"Slyvern," she returned, clutching her empty basket. There was fear in her eyes but determination in her face. "Rubina has told us about you."

Annoyance crept up inside him. "She should not have done that."

"You kidnapped my friend!" Cecily burst out. "Did you think we would not search for her? I know you've been watching me. Athena too. We can feel you, although just now, I thought it was Pryanna. Is she here? Have you brought her back?"

"No."

Her face fell. "Then what are you doing here? What do want with us? With her?"

Slyvern doubted Rubina told them of him without telling them why he'd taken Pryanna, so he considered his first question. He rarely spoke to the people of the villages nearby, but he was here for information. "Most of the women matched to me are more than happy to be with me.'' At least, they were after their first night together. "Pryanna is resistant."

Gasping, Cecily held the basket over her head like a weapon. "Have you hurt her? I don't even care if you are a god. I will find a way to free her."

"I will forgive you for raising your hand to me since it was out of fear for my mate, but I can end your life in a single breath. Do not forget that," he said mildly. "I have not hurt her, but she is not happy. I would like to change that."

"Free her."

"No. Tell me what she enjoys doing. She has not requested anything."

Cecily's eyes bulged. "Why are you asking me this? Why not ask her?" Then, she paused for a moment and began to laugh. "Oh, I see. She won't talk to you! "

Annoyed that this little nothing was laughing at him, he felt his dragon's fire grow inside him, but he quickly extinguished it. Killing one of her best friends would not earn her good will. "Do you want her to have something to amuse herself, comfort herself, or not?"

"Very well," Cecily said as she reached down to pick up her basket. "To be honest, even if you asked her, she would not know what to tell you. She spends so much time taking care of others that she doesn't take time for herself. Sometimes, Althena and I would fabricate an emergency so she would come over and instead we would do something fun."

Perhaps that was the problem. Pryanna didn't know how to enjoy herself.

"She enjoys the water. She loves exploring the shores and swimming in the warmer months," Cecily confessed. "Anything really to get outside. She easily feels trapped. And music. She has the most beautiful voice, but she rarely sings."

"Why?"

The woman shook her head. "I won't give away all of Pryanna's secrets. Some, you'll have to earn yourself. You're so used to taking what you want, but you'll find that Pryanna is not so easily cowed. I wonder how much effort you're willing to put in to earning her loyalty. Her heart."

"If I wanted her heart, I would claw it out of her chest," Slyvern told her coldly before he unfolded his wings and lifted himself in the air.

He didn't miss the woman's sobs as he flew away.

* * *

Gavnir returned from town, pulling his cart behind him as he whistled. Despite the freeze in the air that promised a long winter, he had certain thoughts that kept him warm. He still wasn't entirely certain that he believed in witchcraft and magic, but he couldn't deny the strange white mask he found by his bed side or the strange dream that compelled him to wear it to the All Hallows' Eve masquerade.

And whether it was magic or not, he had the loveliest and most wonderful of creatures in his arms every night. He'd snorted at romantic ideals, believing that marriage was meant to be a practical endeavor. Cecily was a dreamer, though, and he wouldn't change anything about her. One day, sooner rather than later he hoped, she would be his wife. After tasting her, he would have no other.

The acrid smell of smoke reached him before the sight of the cottage. Panic struck, and he released his hold on the cart and raced down the path. His beloved was standing on the edge of a circle of ash with her head buried in her hands in hill she sobbed. "Cecily!" Grabbing her gently, he ran his hand over arms and searched her face. "Are you harmed?"

"No." Gulping.. she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. "But Pryanna..."

Gavnier clenched his jaw. He'd never met the third friend who'd participated win the ritual, but Cecily and Althena were frantic over her. They'd visited the witch several times, and he could hardly believe her explanation.

A dragon god? Showing up at the village? But as he stared at the ring of ash, he realized how close the danger had come to his loved one.

His grip tightened, and he kissed the top of her head. "Go inside while I gather my things. And then we will go back to the witch and her demons and demand some sort of protection spell."

"No, that's not necessary. He is no threat to me nor do I think he'll hurt Pryanna.

With his thumb, he wiped away the last of her tears. If he knew how to bring her friend back safely, he would, but he knew nothing of the gods and magic. He only knew that he hated to see his woman in pain.

"Go inside," he murmured. "I will retrieve my cart, and you can tell me what happened and what you think we should do."

Gavnir waited until she was safely inside before he ran as fast as he could to haul his supplies in. He didn't dare leave Cecily alone for long.

By the time he returned, she'd lit the fire of the hearth and started dinner, but he could see her hands shaking. "Let me make dinner. You can rest."

"No, I need something to do while I think," she told him with a smile before she rose up on her tip toes to give him a quick kiss.

Small and quiet, his sweet Cecily was not delicate. She could face off with a god and then make him dinner. He wished she would relax, but if she needed to think, then he would leave her be.

"All right, but I'm going to bring in the tub so you can take bath after dinner." And soothe her nerves.

She smiled gratefully, and he went out to bring in the tub and the buckets to heat up the heater. While outside, he stilled when he felt an unnatural chill.

Someone was matching him.

"Come out," he demanded. "Show yourself."

The man stepped forward, and Gavnier balled his hands in a fist. Not a dragon god but one of the demons. He'd met them several times now. Three brothers who loved and shared one woman. Who'd served as slaves for centuries.

He was grateful because one had led him to Cecily, but he was suspicious that one of them was here alone.

"Gavnier," he said quietly. "I'm Dashiel. I'm not here to harm you or Cecily. I sensed that Slyvern was near. I was trying to track him."

Relaxing, Gavnier nodded. "I didn't see him, but he approached Cecily and asked for information about Pryanna."

Dashiel nodded, but he didn't look happy. "Might I speak to Cecily? I have some questions that I believe she and Althena may be able to answer."

Gavnier didn't speak for Cecily, but he also knew that she was shaken. "Tonight is not the best, but I will relay your message. I suspect she will want to visit Rubina tomorrow."

"Please do." Dashiel hesitated. "Rubina may not be there, and the open invitation extends to you as well. I can feel that you're a little on edge."

"I appreciate the invitation and will likely take you up on it, but my concern at the moment is not you or your brothers. The dragon god. Is he a threat to Cecily? Will he use her to get what he wants?"

Pursing his lips, the demon cocked his head thoughtfully. "Slyvern is capable of great cruelty, but he's also shrewd. He knows that taking someone by force doesn't make them his. I suspect that he may visit Cecily again but only for information."

"Why are you tracking him?"

"Slyvern and Pryanna may be the center of a prophesy that's drawing near. I need to know how best to prepare."

He also wanted to keep his woman. Gavnir knew of their time limit, but he couldn't blame the man. He would do whatever it took to keep Cecily.

"I will see you tomorrow, and I suspect Cecily will be with me."

Dashiel nodded and blended back into the shadows, and Gavnier cast one more look about his surroundings before he carried the tub inside.

After dinner, he poured the hot water in the tub, stripped and relaxed. They had spoken at length over dinner, but she still seemed preoccupied as she sat at the edge of the tub and skimmed her fingers over the surface close to his chest. The proximity of her body, the thought of her touching him had him rock hard.

Everything about her turned him on. He could picture them fifty years from now, and he would still want her.

"The tub is big enough for two," he told her in a husky voice.

"True." With a shy smile, she stood and began to undo the buttons of her dress. He'd tasted every inch of her over and over again, but still she was timid around him. Turning, she shimmied out of her dress leaving only a thin white shift underneath. As she unpinned her hair, the golden strands flowed down, and he found himself at the end of his patience.

Water slashed over the edge of the tub as he snuck his arm around her waist and dragged her over the edge. "Gavnier," she shrieked as she tumbled over into his lap. Sputtering with laughter, she tried to pull away, but he held her tight. "How am I supposed to get clean when I am still dressed?"

"Believe me, I am not thinking about anything clean right now," he muttered in her ear as he enjoyed the way the fabric of her shift grew transparent and clung to her breasts.

Stilling as his cock hardened under her, and she settled against his chest. "Are you sorry that you ended up in Holinite? I can promise that it isn't usually witches, demons, and gods."

Slowly, he rubbed his hands over her stomach, hoping to soothe away the doubts that always plague her. "I could never be sorry for any path that leads to you. This is your home, and with you is exactly where I want to be."

"l'm glad. I need you here," she told him.

They lapsed into silence, and he continued to caress her. "Tell me about Pryanna. How did you become friends?"

"We were all close in age, so we were tutored together. She was always so quiet, and I liked that because I was quiet too. Althena scared me a little because she was so loud and boisterous. One day, when I was walking home, a group of boys surrounded me and began to taunt me. Athena saw and raced to help me, but that just egged them on further. Then, Pryanna appeared. She was so calm and quiet. She knew each of them by name and began spilling their secrets, until they ran away crying. That's what Pryanna does. She watches and learns and protects. I have not once thought that she'd be gone from my life."

"She isn't," Gavnier said. "In the spring. she will return, and I bet right now, she is learning all she can about Slyvern. Do you suppose she'll learn his secrets and make him cry?"

Cecily giggled and relaxed. "It's so strange. I was worried that she would upset him and he would hurt her, but I think he's fascinated by her. Do you think gods fall in love?"

Moving his hands up to her breasts, he ran his thumbs over her nipples until she sighed in pleasure. "Last time we went to see her. Rubina told me that the spell she used for the All Hallows' Eve Ritual was a spell he'd given her. She'd thought it was to punish her, but now she wonders if it wasn't the dragon's influence. The beast wants a true mate, but the man resists."

"If anyone can reach a god's heart, its Pryanna, but I fear she is also closed off to the idea of love." She moved his hands away and moved. He thought she was going to take her shift off, but she just turned and carefully straddled his thighs.

"You could reach a god, but I wouldn't make it easy for you to leave."

Did she have any the idea the picture she made, rising over him like some kind of water goddess. Her eyebrows arched. "That sounds like a threat."

As she slid over his legs, she purred, and he chuckled as he slid his hands up her thighs. "It sounds like you like you liked me threatening you."

"Well, maybe, but when you put it like that, it sounds terrible."

Leaning forward, he flicked out his tongue over the wet fabric covering he nipple. She made the tiniest sexiest sound. "Nothing wrong with wanting me to keep you around." He suckled on her neck and nibbled on ear. "By any means necessary."

"As sexy as that sounds, I don't plan on going anywhere." Framing his face with her hands, she brought him up for a kiss. Gripping her hips, he pulled her up to his cock and deepened the kiss. Damn right she wasn't going anywhere.

"Ride me, sweetheart," he murmured with a groan. She was already moving her body against him. "Nice and slow. I want to enjoy every inch of your silky heat."

"Gavnier." With a whimper, she slowly lowered herself onto his cock. "You always feel so good."

And she always felt like paradise. Growling, he claimed her mouth again in a hot and sweet kiss. The steam from the water heated her skin and dampened her hair. She was wet, inside and out, and in that moment he could take away all of her worry and give her only pleasure.

"That's so good, darling," he groaned as she took him all the way in again and clenched her muscles. "Again, baby. Please."

Gracing him with a wicked smile, she clenched again, and he hissed and pumped his hips. Cecily cried out and fell across his chest, and he took full advantage as he held her against him, stroked her hair, and pumped into her, using her body for his pleasure until he felt the first shudders of her body.

Her orgasms usually sent him over the edge. Every sweet little moan had him clenching his teeth in an effort to control himself.

He wasn't done with her yet.

"Good, my love?" he whispered when she pushed herself off his chest to stare at him.

Stroking his face, she smiled, and there was so much love in her face. "It's not the spell, right? If we had met in some other way..."

Is that why she sometimes looked at him with fear in her eyes? "We did."

Surprised, she blinked. "What?"

"I first laid eyes on you earlier this summer when I was on business here. I spoke to your grandmother. I wanted to know everything about you, but she told me that you weren't ready. I had every intention of seeking you out at the masquerade. I almost didn't wear the white mask because I wanted you, and I didn't understand what was happening. Spell or no spell, Cecily, I was already yours."

"Really?" Tears shimmered in her eyes.

"I swear it."

Her mouth parted just a little, and she moved, a slow stroke.

Gavnier grunted. "Cecily, if you want to talk..."

"Fuck me, Gavnier. Oh, gods, I want to feel you."

Anchoring her against him, he shifted and stood. Water rolled off them and spilled over the tub. The wet fabric of her dress clung to the both of them as he laid her down gently on the floor and pulled her arms above her head.

She lifted her knees, readying herself for him. With a groan of pleasure, he sank himself into her. "Take me, Cecily. That's it, my love." Slow, sweet. That's what he intended, but her nails dug into his back, and she sucked in lower lip. It drove him wild, and he hammered into her.

Every one of his grunts was met with her little scream. He had to hold her down to keep her from sliding across the floor, and when she convulsed around him, he roared as the world exploded and he knew only her as he spilled himself inside her.

"Never doubt that I love you, Cecily. No matter what happens, I will be here." he said as he kissed her and rolled them over so she lay on his chest.

She purred, snuggled against him, and he held her tight.

***

Thanks for reading! Come back soon to check out parts two and three!