Sleeping Beast Ch. 07

Nivid smiled, his posture relaxing. She was magnificent-- her eyes glittering, her cheeks pink, her luscious little body trembling in barely contained rage.

He gave her a couple of hours before he tried again, with a better plan this time.

Argus was slouched on a chaise in the tower's second-floor study when Nivid went by the open door with Troi on his shoulder, shrieking and pounding on his back. Their bond slid opened and closed on the warmth of a smile, but Argus carried the book he was reading downstairs to his new bedchamber at the other end of the castle as soon as the couple passed. Veli didn't appear to be in the mood for napping.

Nivid threw Troi on the bed again, but he barred the door this time, reinforcing the obstacle with an item that also curtailed her conniption fit: the large looking-glass from the master's chamber in the main part of the castle. Why he'd brought it here and why he'd be placing it in front of the barred door peaked her curiosity and ended her objections abruptly. Her eyes went from Nivid to the mirror and back again.

With a gentle smile and his hand extended, he went to her. Instead of pushing her back onto the feather mattress, he helped her off the edge. Cupping her slim shoulders, he rasped, "I luff you, Trishta," and she melted against him as she always did when he spoke to her with affection worn so plainly in his voice and expression. He had to bend so far to kiss her that she wound up hanging from his neck with her feet off the floor, also as usual. The forays of her tongue against the soft inner surface of his lips, which seemed so daring to Troi's inexperienced mind, sizzled like static along his spine, lifting the hair on his nape as effectively as any threat. He pulled her tighter, growling as Troi's legs rose to embrace his hips. When she tried to shimmy higher to align their vital bits, he lifted her to stand on the edge of the bed.

She smiled tenderly down at him, brushing his hair back from his face, and for a moment, Nivid considered changing the plan. She was so soft and pliant that he hated to make her angry, but... he was afraid sex and a nap alone wouldn't alleviate the strain she'd been under, and later, he wanted to talk to her about a subject he knew she'd find alarming. The discussion would be somewhat easier to bear if she were relaxed when it began.

He nuzzled the vee of olive skin showing at her collar. Besides, what he planned to do now had benefits beyond temporary relaxation....

He worked his hands over the top of the loose trousers she wore beneath her dress. When she felt the touch of his skin on hers, she shimmied out of her chikmen, and suddenly neither could tolerate the layers between them. In a minute, her dress, trousers, and shift, plus Nivid's tunic, vest, and loincloth had joined her chikmen in a pile around their feet. One heartbeat later, Nivid's wet, expert mouth was tantalizing her breasts. She threw her head back and tugged on his horns, pulling him closer.

The long, cat-like tongue lifted as he licked, drawing more of her sensitive skin into his hot embrace. He suckled at one side and then the other, his tongue flickering around the pebbled pink tips as she squirmed against him. It wasn't long before she was twisting in the unyielding circle of his arms.

"Nivid," she squeaked, pleading for more.

"Mmm," he murmured against her rosy, tingling flesh, his hands moving to cup her bottom while he continued to hold her securely in place. He squeezed one cheek firmly and let the side of his finger slither in to rub against the pucker he loved to feel stretch around him, clinging to any part of his body she'd allow there. He'd taken her ass long before their first kiss, even before he fucked her pussy. She'd been hesitant at first, but now she loved to feel his fingers teasing the small, sensitive star, especially when he was licking her pussy. Nivid's finger froze for a second when he realized he'd only fucked her ass once since the night they met. He growled, adding more pressure to the friction of his rough finger rubbing her dimpled crease.

"Nivid!"

His own desire was pushing him forward while his mind tried to shift back to his earlier plan. He hugged Troi's body to his, tucking his nose to her neck, breathing in the scent of blood and skin and vitality. She hugged his head, kissing between his ivory horns. She wasn't going feel so generous in a minute, he thought grimly, pulling his head from her embrace.

She looked a question, but he swept her off her feet, spinning her body away from him as he turned. A surprised peep slipped out, but when he stopped, she was absolutely silent. He lowered himself to sit on the edge of the mattress, settling her legs on either side of his own with a slow caress up the inner aspect of her thighs. His hands skimmed the sleek fur over her womanhood and settled, with crossed wrists, around the lower curve of each breast.

They studied the image in the looking glass, their bodies quiescent, though he felt anything but quiet.

Everything about them was in opposition, Nivid thought. She was small, he was large; she was soft and smooth, he was ragged and rough; he was all jagged edges and sharp ends, while she was a graceful composition of smooth lines and graceful curves. In comparison to other Russians, her nomadic complexion was dark, but spread out in the soft light of Nivid's tower, against fur in shades from russet to raven, she was pale and ethereal and delicate. Her small hands rested on his bulky forearms like fragile doves, and she was as light in his lap as a feather would be. Through the triangle of sable curls, a shiny pink line glistened between her thighs, widening at the bottom.

Nivid spread his legs to part Troi's more widely, and the dark column of his cock appeared as a silhouette against her thigh.

Troi whimpered, her fingers twitching, and Nivid watched her eyes in the glass as she studied him. They most often made love at night, lit by an oil lamp or glowing hearth. Mayhap this was her first real chance to see him. He shifted their bodies until, unimpeded, his cock rose to nestle in the crease between her leg and hip, nudging her lower belly. Against the paler backdrop of his bedding, the dark, bulging sack of his testicles climbed higher with his growing arousal.

She was breathing so quickly he could feel her ribcage pulsing on his stomach. Her lips were parted, her cheeks pink and her lovely breasts flushed as her eyes touched him.

Nivid nuzzled her ear, using all his will and half of Vesa's to keep from fucking her this... very... instant. Pulling her tight, he rumbled, "You touch pussy."

She gasped, her wide eyes flying to meet his in the mirror. Finally, she responded, a jittery negative shake of her head which was exactly what he'd expected.

"I know neffer." Nivid had his brother's memories. In his mind he could see her confusion when Argus asked if she'd ever brought herself pleasure.

He growled again. "Please."

She shook her head more firmly as her alarm faded.

"Touch."

This time she frowned, her chin dimpling as it jutted forward.

"No, Nivid." Her face was stern, but the tenor of a whine ran beneath her words.

"Yes." The concrete command alarmed her, and she began trying to worm her way off his lap.

He held still. In their current position, that was almost all he had to do. If he didn't move, she couldn't get away. Period. Pushing at his forearms, she arched her spine, forward and then back, then tried pulling her feet up and over his thighs. He merely shifted occasionally and every move she made was easily countered and controlled. After a few minutes, she was swearing and furious again.

Nivid waited, completely calm, until she came to the conclusion her frantic undulations were getting her nowhere. She settled down, panting from her efforts and glaring at his reflection in the mirror. After pausing while she got her breath back, Nivid put his mouth to her ear.

"I know neffer. I luff... want see." He nuzzled her neck. "Ask."

She hesitated this time and the head-shake was less decisive.

He didn't ask again, and his behavior suggested he'd acquiesced to her refusal. His arms loosened and his hands slid higher on her breasts as he turned his attention to her neck. He licked and kissed and nibbled, his thumbs teasing her nipples until she began arching, pressing her breasts into his palms.

He lifted his eyes to watch as he let one hand drift down across her belly. Her head was lolling back against his shoulder, but he saw slits appear as she watched from beneath her lashes.

His two broad, flat fingers separated, deliberately avoiding her shiny center slit. Combing through the rough curls, he cupped the puffy lips, stroking and pressing until her thatch was dewy and thick with moisture. Swollen with blood, her lips had parted to reveal the soft pink flesh beneath. They were both panting when Nivid moved his hand to one side and let his wide finger curl, drawing a light line up the middle. With one fingertip he petted her, roaming from the throbbing folds to the dimpled entrance of her pussy and up again to the top of her slit. He avoided her aching clitoris, not quickly or regularly enough to give her what she needed. When she was whimpering with every stroke, he lifted her and turned his torso, throwing her legs to one side as though he was preparing to stand.

Instead, with his arm around her ribcage and his fingers hooked beneath one knee, he pinned her bottom to his hip. He stayed where he was, but let his free hand fall to lie between his legs. Making more of every motion than he normally would, teasing himself the way he'd normally tease her, Nivid began to touch himself. He watched his own hand rather than watching her directly, but in his peripheral vision he could see Troi staring, open-mouthed and wide-eyed, as he ran his hand up the inside of his thigh. He caressed his heavy, sensitive sack for a moment, enjoying it more than he'd expected, before his big hand settled around the base of his blood-swollen cock.

Troi's breathing was shallow and rapid. Closing his hand, Nivid stroked his cock, sucking a lungful of air through his teeth and surprising himself yet again. With her smell in his nostrils and the slickness of her pussy clinging to his fingers, his own touch felt better than ever before. What made it even more exciting was that her glowing chestnut eyes were fixed on his fingers playing over every throbbing ripple and crease.

He ran his thumb across the blunt head before his fist moved slowly downward. With his left arm around her and his hand under her right knee, Nivid's forearm crossed in front of her body. Troi's fingers dug into him, her lovely breasts heaving in time with his own labored breaths.

He dipped his chin and rolled his head to the left, inhaling the lemony scent of Troi's hair, his lids heavy as he watched her expression in the mirror.

"I touch," he growled against her hair. "I think Troi, I touch."

He stroked again, groaning aloud.

"We fuck. You sleep. I touch, watch you." He stroked again, gritting his back teeth as his belly tensed and the cum boiled in the velvety sack between his thighs.

Troi's eyes were wide, flicking from his fist to his face and down again quickly.

Nivid clutched his cock, desperately trying to retain some control over his body. A feather on a breeze would make him come now.

"Troi," Nivid groaned, pain and plea both clear in the sound. He lifted his elbow, leaving room between his arm and her belly. "Touch."

She quivered in his arms.

"Please." For the first time in his life, Nivid was begging, and he didn't care. He'd begun this for her, but he was desperate to see her do it, too.

She blinked, still shaking, as her hand slipped off his forearm and through the space he'd made.

Her thigh obscured Nivid's view in the looking glass, but no matter how badly his cock was throbbing, this wasn't truly for him. He'd only recently noticed that Troi never touched her breasts or stroked her clit the way he'd seen other women do when they close to coming. He wanted her to find the same pleasure in her body that he did. Whatever happened between them in the future, he could to leave her with at least this one gift.

He held his breath, not moving. She froze for a heartbeat, and her eyes closed on a tremulous sigh.

Nivid's hand tightened.

Khristo. He couldn't see what her fingers were doing, but he could hear them sliding through her slick folds, and the scent of her arousal wrapped itself, wet and hot, around every aching inch of him.

With his body completely still, the movement of Troi's hand transmitted itself through the places their bodies pressed together. She squirmed, no longer trying to escape, but using his strong grip as a brace against which she could press and writhe, driving her shoulders up under his bicep as her back arched.

Troi's fingers spasmed on his forearm and he imagined a day when she would turn that passion inward, squeezing her own breast, pinching her tender nipple with the fingertips that were digging into his hard brown skin.

Nivid eyed the tight, puckered buds pointing skyward, clutching his cock and wishing he had more hands, so he could toy with them without releasing his grip on her leg. Her erotic struggles were killing him. If he twitched, he'd come. He hardly dared breath.

A fine film of sweat shimmered on her chest as her movements quickened. Her lips opened and her head angled further back against Nivid's chest. He pressed his mouth and nose hard against the top of Troi's head, breathing in her essence. Her eyes blinked open, drawing her head to one side. The moment their eyes met in the mirror, her gasps became erratic. He could feel the tension gathering in her body, fine tremors coalescing into an impending quake.

Her eyes fell to his cock, making every muscle in his body clench in a spasm of agonizing pleasure. Without thought, his hand moved. One long, hard, unbreathing stroke up and a half-inch down was all it took. With a pained roar, Nivid exploded. Through the thundering haze of blood beating red in his eyes, he saw Troi's face frozen in a rictus of passion. She seized, screamed, and folded inward, shaking against him, nearly sobbing. His cock throbbed and spurted again and again as he continued to groan, until all that was left was the mindless will to live, the need for oxygen that propelled his cavernous chest into huge heaving breaths.

Troi was hanging lifelessly over his arm when Nivid fell backward, towing her along, flopping and fumbling her over onto his chest as he collapsed. With a weak murmur, her damp limbs flowed into a semblance of their usual places over and around his wide torso.

Nivid managed to lift his hand to her lower back. With mindless, wordless sounds of fulfillment, they communicated their love as Morpheus claimed mind and muscle.

--o--

She was so happy when she woke, Nivid didn't have the heart to tell her about his suspicions. His method of relaxing her had been surprisingly effective. Troi napped for half an hour, woke with a smile, and went skipping off downstairs before his feet had even touched the floor, leaving Nivid even more reluctant to start a discussion than he had been before, when he knew she was already angry.

Instead he trailed along behind her and Vesa while they walked around the castle, looking for suspicious items.

Troi had been quizzing them with far less fervor than before her"nap", which made no difference to Argus. Occasionally he seemed to catch himself on the verge of saying something awful, but if Troi noticed that, Nivid couldn't tell.

For his part, he became even more convinced that not all of his brother's irritation was due to jealousy or the pain of a broken arm. The bond was no help-- all Nivid could sense was the same sullen, non-specific resentment which painted Vesa's face day after day. Argus himself believed his "frustration" was due to fatigue and the loss of concentration he suffered while sharing waking hours with Nivid. It had been twenty years since the last time that happened, and Argus blamed the changing schedule on Troi.

Nivid pushed his thoughts away to pay attention when he felt Vesa's irritation rising. He'd missed something and Argus was already mid-snarl. "-- it required power to keep going?"

Troi was watching Argus from the corner of her eye. "Some sorcerers can imbue objects with power, some are made magical by the gods, or a haunting spirit, or by demons. If there's a talisman, and we can find it, mayhap we can also destroy it... or use a purification ritual to break the curse."

Vesa's thoughts swirled hot and fragmented through his mind and into Nivid's, image after image. Zamok Denova was huge. They'd never figure out which of the hundred-thousand objects it contained was a talisman. Nivid opened his mouth to reply, but Argus snapped, "What if there's no talisman? Or what if the curse is the work of a demon?"

Without even looking at her, Nivid could sense Troi's reluctance, but her voice was low and soothing when she answered. "Then we'll find whatever creature the demon has possessed and deal with that instead of the talisman."

Argus stopped in the middle of the broad walkway, planting his hands on his hips. "You don't have a clue what you're doing, do you?" he snarled, leaving Troi no opportunity to answer. "You're praying and playing with forces you know nothing about! Well, this isn't a game to me and Veli, Troi!"

Nivid saw Troi's wince when Argus flung her name out like an insult, and deep in his chest, he began to grow.

Vesa went right on ranting. "This is our life you're playing with. Maybe you should stick to beekeeping and sewing. At least you can't kill anyone with those!"

Nivid would have gone after him if Troi's brown, liquid eyes hadn't trapped him before his brother stomped away. He hugged her, not bothering to contradict Vesa's harsh assessment of her skills. Nivid knew the words hadn't hurt Troi as much as feeling the disdain of someone she considered family. She shuddered in his embrace, but she shed no tears, and she said nothing about the incident to either Denova as the day went on.

After supper, she was still subdued, and with a glance from his obsidian eyes, Nivid lured her to their chamber, where he stroked her gently until she slept.

--o--

Troi was in the middle of an orgasm when she woke up, though later she decided "woke up" might not be the correct term. Since her feet were locked behind Nivid's neck and her fingers wrapped around his horns when she came screaming back to consciousness, some part of her must have been awake already, she reasoned. Other than her pussy, of course, which went without saying, as it was spasming around Nivid's fat plunging thumb, while one finger brushed seductively along the crease between her cheeks, and his tongue-- that wide, muscular, marvelous tongue-- whipped her clit into a new level of ecstasy.

She didn't have time to wonder how she'd slept through his penetration, because when her body collapsed, shaking, Nivid didn't stop, even when Troi began begging for mercy.. He shoved her beyond every limit he'd forced her to breach before. She lifted her heels to his shoulders in a futile bid to push his body away, and Nivid removed his fingers from her body and sweetened the touch of his tongue on her clit, but he didn't quit. With his arms under her thighs, he pressed on her belly with one hand and went to work on her nipples with the other. Against her will, she came again, and again. Troi was crying when he released her, but her tears weren't shed in sadness, and she clung to him when he moved to hold her.

When his comforting kisses warmed once more into sensuality, Troi didn't even blink. She almost didn't have the energy necessary to open her mouth in order to form an objection. In any case, Nivid's control of her body's response overcame any protest her mind might have made. He was patently more suited to caring for her pussy than she'd ever been. If one wanted to keep score, in the past hour alone, he'd given her three times the number of orgasms she'd given herself over the course of her entire life. Needless to say, his advantage increased exponentially over time.