Wild Desire Ch. 01

Daniella grasped at any semblance of reality. "But — that's not fair!" she drew herself up to her full height, which was still a head shorter than the man's imposing stature.

"Look, I can't be the person you're looking for. I didn't even mean to come here. I'm lost. Look —" she pulled out the tattered old map and unfolded it. "I'm a graduate student in ecology. I was trying to find an endangered butterfly breeding ground and I got turned around. If you can just help me get back to the trail I'll be gone before you know it."

The man smiled with dark energy and plucked the map out of her hands. "Indeed," he murmured. To Daniella's fascination, as he touched the map the images swirled and changed. The aspen grove grew to ten times the size it had been and a path wound through it until it meandered into an immense grove of redwoods that had sprung up from nowhere. Gone were the butterflies. Gone was the parking lot, the city, the ties back to the life she knew.

"I don't —" Daniella's mind tried to grasp at what was happening but the images slide threw her mind devoid of all meaning. "That was Professor Craven's map."

"Yes, it was."

"He gave that to me. He told me to follow it," she said with growing horror. "He told me to come here." The realization gathered slowly like a wave far offshore, and crashed down on her like a tsunami.

"Professor Craven owed... the wood a life?" she asked in a small voice.

The man inclined his head in confirmation, revealing a silver diadem of woven branches nestled in his lush, black hair.

Daniella tried to rally her thoughts around any knowledge she had ever gleaned about the faeries. Did they have kings? Lords?

The faeries in North America were supposed to have died out hundreds of years ago. She had never learned any recorded history. The things she had learned were utterly useless to her — what they used to eat, how they grew their strange crops and tended their otherworldly livestock, what they wore, their musical instruments. Utterly useless.

The faery gave her another appraising look, his gaze stroking slowly over her figure. "It seems he was not sparing in his payment," he said with a chuckle.

A hundred questions and protests flitted through Daniella's mind, and like passengers trying to exit the metro all at once during Monday rush hour, not one made it out of her mouth. She stared mutely at him for a long moment in horror and amazement.

His steady gaze assured her that he was deadly serious. Her life had been given and accepted as payment.

"Are you going to kill me?" she whispered finally, barely able to get the words out as her body began to shake.

The man's smile faltered almost imperceptibly. "Murder is the provenance of your kind," he said coldly. When she just continued to stare at him like a terrified rabbit caught in a snare he continued. "Your professor took a life in my wood. As Lord of the Wood, I must balance the debt. We did not require that he take the coward's way as he did. Even so, the terms of the bargain have been met. Your life belongs to me."

He gestured to the three faeries behind him, who rose as one and stepped forward on light feet. The two women flanked Daniella while the man, who hadn't bothered to cover himself and was still glistening, extended his hand to her as if in invitation.

"Come," he said in a light, tinkling voice. "You will join us."

Daniella shook her head, and leaned away from the four faeries. There was nowhere to go. The two women placed their hands firmly on the small of her back and the man captured her hand in his. As willowy as they looked, the force and strength of the three faeries propelled her implacably forward onto the platform.

Daniella stumbled as they forced her up onto the platform and she found herself kneeling on hands and knees in front of the throne. Its owner breezed past her and took his seat with a self-satisfied smile playing on his lips. The other three faeries took their positions flanking his throne, facing her.

Again on some cue Daniella couldn't fathom, the platform rose silently from the floor, speeding upward with such force that she immediately was thrust flat against the floor and the wind was knocked out of her. Daniella squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ease the disorientation of their dizzying flight upward. Within seconds the platform slowed to a gentle stop and she was left panting and trembling on the floor.

The three faeries lifted her limp body, leaving their lord on the dais. They propelled her over a series of rope bridges, in and out of trees along a path she knew immediately she could never hope to memorize.

After a good fifteen minutes of the silent march they entered a door in one of the staggeringly huge redwoods, revealing a cozy sitting room. The interior walls of the tree had been worn smooth with years of use and were adorned with potted greenery and flowers of all kinds. A rounded sofa sat to one side, flanked by plush chairs and a coffee table littered with books and tea mugs. On the opposite side of the room stood a small kitchenette and a ladder leading to a trapdoor in the ceiling.

"Shall we bathe, Feld?" one of the women asked the man as she draped her body against his.

He looked down at himself and trailed a finger over the mess on his chest with a dreamy smile. He sighed a bit dreamily and licked his finger. "Yes, let's, Gneiss love," he replied.

"Come," the other woman gestured to Daniella. "You have traveled far. You will bathe with us." She immediately began pulling her gauzy gown off revealing full breasts and a taut stomach.

Daniella blushed and groped for words as she realized that when they said "with us" they really meant it.

"Oh — I don't — I can wait," she stuttered.

The three faeries took one look at her mortified expression and tittered in musical laughter.

"Oh, Feldspar, she is darling," purred the one he had called Gneiss. "Don't be shy, human. We are happy to have you join us, aren't we Nephrite?"

The other woman was already beckoning Daniella forward in agreement. Once again Daniella felt three pairs of steady hands on her, guiding her up the ladder and into an opulent bathing room. It was almost impossible to avoid seeing every intimate inch of their bodies. She tried to keep her eyes on each rung of the ladder.

When they reached the next floor the three nude faeries busied themselves filling an enormous soaking tub that took up half the room and gathering herbs and oils to throw into the bath. The enticing scent of thyme and moss with hints of lavender beckoned to Daniella.

Feldspar sank down languidly into the steaming pool followed by the two women. He leaned against the edge of the pool while Gneiss knelt in his lap. She picked up a cloth and ran it in a long stroke over his left nipple, following it with a lingering stroke of her tongue.

She placed a tender kiss on his lips and smiled. "Thank you for earlier, my love. It's so hot when you're with him," she said.

"It was my pleasure, Gneiss," he replied.

She ran the cloth back across his chest and then down each arm in languorous strokes. Feldspar watched her through hooded eyes. She held his gaze and pressed the length of her body against his as she continued to wash him.

Nephrite leaned back and closed her eyes, sighing with contentment, apparently disinterested in their display. Daniella looked for anywhere else to put her eyes.

Her muscles ached. She had no idea how far she had hiked that morning. Between the heat of summer and the strangely frozen stretch of woods, sweat had pooled and dried on her skin several times, and she suddenly became uncomfortably conscious of the sensation of dust and sweat caking her skin from head to toe.

The woman they had called Nephrite slitted one eye open and beckoned to Daniella with a tilt of her head. "The water is perfect," she said with a lazy smile. When Daniella made no move toward the tub she continued. "We dine with our Lord tonight. You must make yourself presentable."

Daniella slowly kicked off her hiking boots and peeled off her grimy shorts and socks. She dropped her mesh top to the floor on top of the tiny pile of her things. She crossed her arms over her sports bra, telling herself that underwear was basically the same as a swimsuit.

As she edged closer to the tub she realized with horror that her underwear was damp and despite herself her nipples were poking through her bra. Daniella lowered herself into the tub as far from the others as possible, carefully avoiding eye contact.

She began washing herself in brisk, efficient strokes, eager to get out of the bath and away from the faeries.

"Human, have you never bathed before?" Nephrite asked.

"That's not my name," Daniella said as she continued to rub her skin red. Her voice came out more sharply than was wise when talking to a faery and she tensed. She still didn't know the terms of her arrangement, or what these faeries were to her.

"Well — yes then — have you never bathed before?"

Daniella finally lifted her eyes to the woman across from her, blazing with defiance. Nephrite looked keenly embarrassed, far from what Daniella expected following her sharp comment.

"Of course I have."

"Why then do you waste it so? You are hardly taking any time at all to experience it."

Daniella's hands slowed. "I don't — I'm not used to sharing a bath. That's not something humans do unless they're very, very close with the other person. And um — " her eyes flicked involuntarily toward the lovers who were still fully immersed in each other.

"We don't usually — that's um, that's private." She finished in nearly a whisper, embarrassed by the lovers and even more mortified that the faeries would see her embarrassment and know how innocent she was.

The faery cocked her head to the side in consideration. "You are not used to seeing the natural forms of others? You consider it unseemly to make love in the presence of others?"

Daniella nodded quickly, eyes downcast. "Am I supposed to — " she groped for the least offensive way to put it "please the three of you? Is that why he sent me with you?"

The faery chuckled. Feldspar and Gneiss stopped kissing and turned toward her with glazed eyes. The three faeries exchanged a look Daniella couldn't decode, sending her heart racing. Nephrite glided across the tub and plucked the washcloth out of Daniella's hand. Gneiss followed her and took up a spot on Daniella's other side.

"Close your eyes, little human, and we'll show you why he sent you with us," Feldspar whispered.

Daniella's heart was beating so fast she thought she might pass out. Her breaths came out in short pants. She looked at the two women on either side of her, who were watching her intently.

There was no escape. Gneiss smiled wickedly at Nephrite and in the blink of an eye they had grabbed Daniella's wrists, pinning her against the side of the tub.

"Relax, little human, and experience what we would like to gift you," Feldspar crooned. He leaned over her and slipped a cloth over her eyes.

Some part of Daniella recognized that being blindfolded should have set off even greater panic. Instead, immobilized by the supernaturally strong faeries, blinded by the soft fabric over her eyes, her body calmed. Her heart rate slowed, her breathing evened, her muscles relaxed.

Nephrite's grasp on her wrist softened. She began slowly stroking and massaging each of Daniella's fingers and her palm. Gneiss's deft fingers traveled up Daniella's arm, running up and down in teasing, tickling touches.

Daniella felt her consciousness being gently scattered, extending out and becoming nothing more than the sensations running up and down her limbs.

She stiffened momentarily as Feldspar's strong touch glided over her feet, massaging away the fatigue of the day. His firm hands worked the tension away from the balls of her aching feet, pressing and kneading rhythmically. His deft fingers wove between each toe, loosening every sore muscle. As she melted into his touch, his hands began making their way up to her ankles in leisurely strokes.

The three pairs of hands pampering her limbs sent Daniella into a dreamy state of relaxation. Her body was humming with languid electricity, swimming from where each hand pressed into her toward her core. Wave after wave of pleasure rolled through her, pooling at her center.

Nephrite had made her way up Daniella's arms to massage her head, applying light pressure in long strokes from her temples down her neck, relieving tension Daniella didn't realize she'd been carrying. Nephrite's soft fingers danced over her eyes and cheeks, traced patterns along her ears, sending Daniella's mind far, far away as she slipped deeper into relaxation.

The scent of lavender and thyme grew stronger as Nephrite worked soap into Daniella's hair, her nails raking gently across her scalp in delicious patterns. Daniella gave herself completely into the faery's hands as she lowered her head into the warm water to rinse her hair.

As she half-floated, Feldspar's hands slipped up her calves while Gneiss's touch trailed along her collarbones. A far-away part of Daniella's mind knew she she be ashamed at the free way they explored her body, but the combination of firm massaging and feather-light touches had banished all rational thought.

Feldspar's hands wandered slowly up past Daniella's knees, his touch becoming lighter and more teasing the higher he went. Daniella's breath caught in her throat.

His hands wandered over her thighs in random arcs, making her jump as they brushed sensitive flesh. Gneiss's hands traveled slowly down her ribs in light brushes, and Daniella arched her back instinctively.

Gneiss's light fingers glided over her navel causing goosebumps to dust Daniella's flat stomach. Then, at a snail's pace Gneiss's fingers strolled upward from her stomach.

Daniella's face burned and she whimpered softly. She was so mortified, but she couldn't help herself. The combination of Feldspar's and Gneiss's teasing touches was lighting her body on fire. At the same time, Nephrite's comfortingly solid touch made her feel safe when she knew rationally she should be resisting the faeries.

Gneiss's hands slid over her nipples, eliciting a louder moan from Daniella. She arched up into Gneiss's hands, desperate for more. Gneiss obliged her, rolling her nipples between her thumbs and forefingers. Electric currents jolted from Daniella's nipples straight to her pussy and she undulated with pleasure.

Feldspar's teasing touch hovered right at the crux of her legs, where she burned to be touched. Each time Daniella's hips rolled toward him he moved his hand just out of reach, leaving her aching for contact. Her pussy was swollen and heavy with desire, but still he teased her. Daniella let out a tiny mewl of frustration, waxing into a throaty moan as Gneiss pulled firmly on her nipples.

Feldspar finally ran his fingers through her folds and Daniella's body froze in stiff anticipation. He dipped the tip of one finger a fraction of a centimeter into her, and then swept his fingers up again in languid circles. Daniella let out her held breath in a soft moan of frustration.

Feldspar repeated the motion several times, dipping a finger just inside her, then sweeping back up over her folds to circle her clit. Gneiss pulled her nipples in time with Feldspar's touches, driving Daniella steadily toward the peak of pleasure.

She was starting to feel lightheaded. Every time she thought she had reached the highest pinnacle, the faeries' hands drove her higher still. She was a panting, quivering mess in their hands.

Without warning Gneiss and Feldspar removed their hands leaving Daniella desperately wanting. Daniella cried out in frustration. Nephrite sat her upright and removed the cloth covering her eyes.

"Come, we must dress you and arrange your hair," Nephrite said lightly, as if nothing had happened.

Daniella was still panting and flushed. Hot shame filled her body as she remembered the wanton way she had rocked in their hands. She wanted to flee and never see them again.

Instead, the three pairs of hands propelled her out of the water. They took turns drying each other's bodies, perfectly at ease with each other as Daniella stood stiffly.

As ashamed as she felt, she was still ravenous for more of their touch, desperate to be pushed over the edge where they had kept her for so long. Instead they dried her body efficiently, paying no attention to her hardened nipples and swollen pussy.

Once she was dry the three faeries dressed her in one of their gauzy, barely there dresses. Her aching nipples pressed against the sheer fabric, demanding attention. As she moved the see-through layers of fabric shifted, granting tantalizing glimpses of the aching desire between her legs.

Feldspar wound her hair in whorls of intricate loops and braids piled on top of her head. Gneiss painted her neck with heady perfume that smelled pleasantly of the forest floor in autumn. Nephrite dabbed her cheeks with red stain that smelled faintly of berries and lined her eyes with kohl.

The effect was otherworldly. Except for her rounded ears, she looked as much like a faery as her three keepers.

And that was how she found herself a short while later, throbbing with pent-up desire and trembling with nerves, as the Lord of the Wood looked her over like one of the delectable dishes for his feast.