Page 22 of Beyond the Darkness

“I’ll take care of you, Aerilyn. You don’t have to be afraid,” he made the promise to her, kissing the tip of her nose. She smiled at him and nodded her head, a bit more confidence shining through. “The only problem I have is the fact that you’re still fully clothed and I’m almost bare. I don’t think that’s very fair,” she pouted her lips and he couldn’t help the smile that had overcome his face. With those words, he finished undoing the final few buttons of his shirt and let it fall to the floor. She staredat him with wide eyes, reaching out as she ran her fingers over his chest and down his abdomen. He loved every moment that she touched him. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to get enough.

“Now those,” she motioned to his pants and he obliged, slipping them down his hips. He sat before her in only boxers, matching the same bareness that she was. She smiled back at him before stepping closer as she slid into his lap. The girl straddled him, running her fingers through his hair. He gripped her hips, closing any space between them. She rocked them ever so slightly which evoked a groan from his throat. Her cheeks were flushed as she began to find a pace of grinding herself against his lap. His fingers dug into her hips, using the grip as the only way to ground himself. He was going to lose his mind because of that girl.

Everett ran a finger over the waistband of her panties before lifting his eyes to hers, waiting for permission. She gave him a small nod of reassurance. He stood with her in his arms, switching their positions. He laid her down on the bed, looping his fingers through the panties as he tugged them down. He tossed them aside before he hovered over her. “You tell me if you need me to stop,” he warned her as his fingers ran over the space between her thighs. She gasped in surprise, nodding in response. It seemed that she was at a loss for words and he couldn’t complain about that.

He leaned down, pressing a kiss on the top of her breast. She pushed her chest towards his mouth and he let out a soft chuckle before he wrapped his mouth around her nipple. He sucked on the sensitive bud as his finger slid over the entrance of her core. She was a mess of little sounds that he began to fall in love with. He didn’t want her to stop moaning for him. His finger slipped inside of her as he moved to the other breast, giving it the same treatment as the other. Her insides squeezed around his finger with a tightness that would make any man go mad. Heslowly pumped it in and out of her delicately, not wanting her to feel too much pain. When that finger seemed to slide in and out with more ease, he added a second one. She moaned, thrusting her hips up towards him. He bit down on her nipple before lifting his head to examine her face. Her eyes were squeezed shut, her face contoured with pleasure. He memorized that look, wanting to see it in his dreams.

Everett slowly removed his fingers from her, lifting them to his lips. Her wetness soaked his fingertips as he brought them to his lips. He licked it from his fingers, savoring the taste of her. She was sweeter than any dessert he’d ever tasted. It only made him crave her even more. He wanted to explore every inch of her, he wanted to spend the rest of the night memorizing every part of her.

He slid his boxers off, discarding the last piece of clothing that separated the two of them. He could feel her grow tense beneath him, stopping him from moving. “What’s the matter, pretty girl?” He questioned, running his fingers through her hair gently. “Will you go slow?” Her voice was small, a weakness that almost terrified him. “Of course, you stop me if it’s too unbearable,” he explained before he ran his tip along her wetness to get her ready. She nodded quickly before he finally slipped inside of her. He only allowed himself less than an inch to adjust to the new stretching of her insides.

Aerilyn let out a soft whimper that made him freeze. He kept his eyes locked with hers, waiting for any movement or expression that told him to stop. He waited several more moments before pushing in a bit further. She gasped, her eyes widening. “Are you okay, pretty girl?” He whispered, running his fingers along her cheek soothingly. She nodded her head, breathing out before she slowly lifted her hips towards him causing him to slip in deeper. He pushed himself in completely, hating the cry that escaped her.

“You’re doing so good, I’m so proud of you,” he praised, continuing to stroke her cheek delicately. She smiled at him, but he could tell it was forced. He hated the pain that it brought her. He wanted the painful part to be over with, but he didn’t rush any of it. He wanted to savor the special moment between them. He didn’t move for several minutes, letting her adjust to the size of him. He wasn’t sure how it felt for a woman, but he was sure the first time wasn’t very pleasant.

Aerilyn began to nod again, wiggling her hips. He took the movements as a sign and began to slowly move his hips. He kept his thrusts slow, not wanting to cause her any more pain than he already was. It didn’t take much longer before she began to relax beneath him. Her hands slid to his back, her nails digging into the skin. He relished in the pain, loving every moment of it. His hips thrust into her, her breasts moving with the motion. Finally, a moan slipped from her lips. The sound was more than enough to encourage him to pick up his pace. He reached between them, rubbing his thumb against her clit to add a bit of pleasure to the pain that pulsed through her.

The moment he began to rub, she came undone. Her moans filled the room once more, her head falling back against the blankets below her. Her legs wrapped around his hips as he thrust into her over and over. He locked his lips with hers, getting lost in her once again. He couldn’t hold himself back much longer. He hadn’t felt pleasure in too long, it was overwhelming in every single aspect. His spine tingled with a threat of release. He picked up the pace, rubbing at her clit faster than before. He continued the mixture of thrusts and rubs, watching as her chest began to rise and fall quickly.

It wasn’t long before a moan escaped her and every inch of her body went tense. Her body began to shake, her grip on him only tightening. He bit his lower lip as he pulled himself out of her, letting his climax rush over his body. He let his cum coverthe blanket between her thighs. He moaned along with her, his head falling against her chest as the orgasm consumed him. He gasped at the feeling, tucking his face into her neck as she clung to him. Her legs shook as they released their hold around his waist.

There was a comforting silence between the two of them. The only sound was their panting breaths that mixed together and the scent of their bodies filled his senses. If he could pick a moment to freeze time in, that would’ve been it. He would give anything to repeat that exact moment over and over again. Everything about her was perfect and he couldn’t ever find anything else to compare to what he was experiencing when he looked into her eyes.

“I want to do that again,” she finally broke the silence and he began to laugh. His chest rose and fell quickly as he tried to recover from the experience they’d shared. “You don’t have to tell me twice,” he smirked before he locked their lips once again.

Chapter Thirty One

Aerilyn

The sun felt different to Aerilyn that morning. Part of her wondered if it was the last time she’d see the sunrise. The last so-called game was going to be the most deadly, that much was given. She wasn’t sure what would happen the moment she stepped out of her bedroom. Her eyes ran over Everett’s sleeping figure, a brown lock of hair falling over his face. He looked different in his sleep, the stress no longer present in his features. She reached out, brushing the hair out of his face as she watched his eyes flutter open. A smile consumed his face and she knew she was mirroring a similar one.

“I truly could get used to waking up to a sight like this,” his voice was groggy with sleep. It was one of the sexiest things she’d ever heard. “After today, we can make this a permanentway to wake up,” she kissed the tip of his nose, nuzzling her face into his. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close against his body. The safety he gave her was unexplainable. She let out a heavy breath before pulling away slightly to look up at him. “We need to get ready for the trial,” she mumbled, watching the pain contour his features as he realized too what they had to face.

They were both quiet as they forced themselves out of bed and into proper clothing for whatever was to come. Aerilyn chose clothing that would be easy to maneuver in but also provided her some protection. Everett had a similar outfit on, keeping every inch of his skin covered with fabric. She wasn’t sure what was about to happen, but she knew she was going to fight for him. If they both survived this, they could find a life together. They could find happiness. For once in her life, she wouldn’t be alone.

It didn’t take much time for the guards to come knocking, their pounding fists only evoking more fear from Aerilyn. The two held hands as they followed the guards without protest. Nobody spoke. There was nothing to say at that moment. It was possibly their last moments alive and that thought was alarming. They were led down the curving hallways in a direction that Aerilyn had never been before. The surroundings were even more foreign than usual as they were led deep within the castle and underground. She didn’t say anything until the guards each grabbed one of their arms, separating the two.

“Find me. If you can, find me as quickly as possible,” Everett’s tone was different, he sounded truly afraid. She only nodded before letting the guard lead them in opposite directions. The hall became colder and more damp as they continued to walk. It wasn’t long before they came to a door. The guard opened it and shoved her through without a single word. She stumbled into the new world, her knees hitting the ground.She swore at the shock of pain that shot through her kneecaps. Aerilyn forced herself to her feet and the panic automatically set in.

Aerilyn tried to take in her surroundings as she did a full circle around herself. The space was dark, only lit by fire that lined the walls of the area she stood in. The walls were made of brick, stacked high enough that it towered over her like the walls of Orissia. The door behind her clicked shut as she glanced at it. The ceiling above her was made up of a rocky terrain, telling her that they must be underground. At the top of the wall was a small platform that contained a large group of people, all watching her. She realized that she was standing in a makeshift arena. Below her feet was thick dirt, one thing that was comforting to her. The area before her was filled with large boulders and trees. It gave a lot of terrain to the large area.For us to hide,she realized. All of the trees were specifically planted, most likely grown there by a Floral. This entire arena had been built to serve a purpose. A purpose that she was fearful to find out about.

Her palms felt wet with sweat as her nerves began to consume her. She wiped her hands off on her slacks, trying to piece herself together. She had to find Everett. She continued to scan the arena around her, hearing distant voices. She followed the source of the sound to the gathered group above the wall. There were hundreds of people standing around watching what was about to unfold. The thought of them finding this entertaining made her feel sick.

“Welcome to your final trial,” a voice whispered into her mind and she automatically recognized it as the Neuro who she'd had two unfortunate encounters with.“This trial is going to be the hardest. You’ve been placed in an arena with only one weapon on you. Your companions are scattered throughout the area you see before you. You will all fight until one of you isdead. You won’t be let out of the arena until only three of you are still breathing,” his voice continued to echo through her mind. She tried to process what this meant. One of her friends had to die.

The world at Aerilyn’s feet began to shift as she considered any options that could get them out of this. The walls around them were too steep to possibly climb so that was out of the question. There were too many people watching them to try to form any sort of escape plan. They’d be dead in seconds if they tried to disobey Azazel’s orders. They’d learned that when Bastian’s heart stopped beating. This wasn’t a game anymore. This trial would end in a death that none of them could ever come back from. She tried to search the crowd of faces for the bastard himself. In a group of people, he always seemed to stand out. His white hair was a spotlight in the crowd that stood watching them closely. She couldn’t make out any of their expressions, but she could see Azazel’s entire body turned to her. He seemed to notice her eyes on him as he gave her a nod.

An alarm sounded causing her to quickly cover her ears to muffle the sound. She swore under her breath as she began to move along the edge of the arena. She knew that running straight for the center would be the worst idea. It would leave her completely exposed and running into danger. She wasn’t sure if any of her friends would attack her. She couldn’t let her guard down no matter what. Aerilyn walked against the wall of the arena, her hand resting on her dagger as she kept all of her senses alert. She was only looking for one thing. Everett. An image of finding him dead, bleeding out somewhere made her want to break. She refused to let herself fail this time. She wouldn’t lose him. Aerilyn debated what she would do if she ran into Blaise or Brinley. Would she attack or run? She didn’t know which would be a better option. Azazel wasn’t bluffing when he made these rules. None of them would make it out alive if theydidn’t complete the trial. She didn’t want to be selfish, but she also didn’t want to give up her own life.

Aerilyn heard a crack of a branch breaking and every muscle in her body went still. She whipped her head around to search for a place to hide, finding a boulder that would be large enough to conceal her. She dove behind it, drawing her dagger and holding it close to her chest. She curled her body into a ball, trying to make herself as small as she could. She heard the footsteps continue, only growing louder as they seemed to grow closer. She prayed to anyone out there to make them walk in the other direction. She wasn’t ready to face anyone yet. She was still too overwhelmed to make any type of decision. The thought ran through her mind that the source of the footsteps could be Everett. She didn’t know where he'd been placed in the arena, but he couldn’t be far. Azazel must’ve placed them all strategically. The king didn’t seem to want her dead and she only could hope that he didn’t keep her far from Everett. Everett was the only person she knew wouldn’t harm her. She wanted to trust Blaise and Brinley, but she couldn’t find it in herself to do so. When people are faced with death, they always seem to make the worst choices.

Aerilyn finally uncurled her body, glancing around the edge of the boulder. She moved her knife into a stance that would be easy to attack. She narrowed her eyes as she scanned the clearing for a glimpse of anyone. She saw a quick flash of red hair and forced herself back behind the boulder. The sight of Brinley made her heart race and nausea roll over her. She so badly wanted to run to her friend and make a promise not to harm each other, but Brinley could be unpredictable. She didn’t know the woman enough to trust her with her life. Instead, Aerilyn stayed hidden and waited for the footsteps to fade away.

She knew she had to play the game strategically. There were too many eyes watching, and Azazel wouldn’t provide herany help this time. If someone attacked her, it would be out of his control. She couldn’t rely on him to get her out of this one. She also only had her dagger on her. She didn’t know what sort of weapons each of her companions had on them. If Brinley had her bow and arrow, that would be the most dangerous thing. Part of her also questioned what would happen if they all refused. Of course, Azazel would kill them all, but maybe if all four of them worked together they could fight against him. The king couldn’t possibly let them sit in there forever. She almost wanted to test him. To see how far she could push him before he snapped.

There was a familiar screech that echoed through the arena, pulling Aerilyn’s attention to where it had come from. There were hounds here. They were releasing the hounds on them again. That was how he was going to get them to start fighting. Azazel was trying to make the entire thing a show for the people of Korth who hated them so deeply. She gripped her dagger tighter and ran away from the direction that she heard the monster's screams. Her heart pounded in her chest as she picked up speed, avoiding running into anything or tripping over the roots of trees scattered on the forest floor.

The hound’s dying eyes crossed her mind as she continued to run. She wanted to hope that all of the hounds would act that same way, but she knew better than to have hope. She had been lucky with that one. It had been smaller than usual and she couldn’t help but wonder if it had been a baby. She had no idea if hounds had even evolved the same way as humans. She couldn’t allow herself to get close to another one of the creatures. The risk wasn’t worth it.

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