Page 17 of Between Realms

Butstars!Warm energy concentrates between my legs. Does he know how he is only stoking my desires with his touch and his words about letting him in?

Suddenly, I come to my senses and realize he does not know what I’m battling inside my heart and loins. My body flushes with embarrassment. I have never had this much contact withanyone, not even with Merlara. Then this attractive elf I have known for only a day has placed my practically naked body in full contact with his entire magnificent body.

I grow tense. What I feel is wrong. Forbidden. He doesn’t even know how I’m responding to his innocent touch. It’s shameful for me to have these desires for an elf.

Am I taking advantage of him?

Pushing away, I blurt out, “You shouldn’t—”

“Help you?” he interrupts and tightens his hold, not allowing me to move.

“No. Touch like this,” I protest.

“Why shouldn’t I touch you like this?” Oakes asks, then eases his hold on me slightly. “Am I hurting you?”

“No. It’s not that.”

Oakes pauses. I can almost hear him thinking.

“But I’m not doing anything unseemly,” he says in a reassuring voice.

Yet, I know I am unseemly. I’m a deviant.

His hands press me closer. “Are you nervous because you don’t know me well?”

“I…” I can’t confess what I am.

“I won’t do anything you are uncomfortable with. Understand?” he asks. “Are you alright with me continuing holding you to heal you?”

I close my eyes to force a calm to come over me. “Yes. I’m just all…” I wave my free hand chaotically in the air.

“I know. What you’ve been through, it’s a lot. You’ve faced death twice now, being on the road.”

“I think I bumped my head too hard,” I say. Perhaps that’s what’s wrong with me and why I’m having these unusually sexual thoughts.

“Speaking of which… How’s your head?” he asks.

“Uh, still foggy.”

“Your body is very tense,” Oakes assesses. “Be honest. Do you truly want me to stop healing you?”

“I don’t want you to stop, but…”

“You aren’t used to being around strangers,” he finishes for me when I can’t.

“Yeah.” I relax. The statement is accurate enough. Remembering this is just a healing situation, I push my yearnings aside and nuzzle into his chest, then suck in a breath at the residual pain in my cheek.

A growl rumbles deep in his chest. “I should have been more alert.” His voice is tight with self-loathing. “These injuries are my doing.”

“It’s the ghouls’ fault,” I argue. “And mine for lagging behind.”

Oakes takes a deep breath, as if making peace with my statement. His hands stroke the small of my back. “Wyn…pleaseaccept my healing magic. I want to make amends for my neglect.”

I realize somehow I must have been blocking his healing in these last few minutes while trying to lock down my forbidden lust. Relinquishing my defenses, I open myself up to his magic again. I convince myself I can enjoy his touch, even though I shouldn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I do.

Since childhood, I have known very little affection. The tenderness from this male is more akin to what I understand of Elven mating, but it’s ridiculous to consider that he might be interested in mating with a mortal. His reassurance of his honorable intentions calms my wild imagination that he could desire me at all.

During my teenage years, I heard talk about mating. Merlara explained adults find sexual pleasure with each other and that sometimes, this leads to creating offspring. She warned me I was not allowed to have this with the fae.

---