2. Kael

T he scent hits me first - sweat, fear, and the intoxicating aroma of fresh blood. My stone eyes, dormant for centuries, spark to life. A figure bursts into my clearing, her ragged breaths piercing the silence.

She's a vision of primal beauty. Tattered scraps of fabric cling to her curves, leaving little to the imagination. Her breasts, full and heaving, threaten to spill free with each desperate stride. Long, chestnut hair whips behind her as she stumbles towards me.

Hm. What is a pretty little thing like her doing out here?

The woman collapses at my feet, her sobs muffled against the cool stone. That's when I feel it. A trickle of warmth seeping into the intricate patterns carved into my base. Her blood, rich and potent, flows through ancient channels. The curse that's held me captive for eons begins to crack.

Power surges through my limbs. Stone gives way to flesh, hard angles softening into corded muscle. With a roar that shakes the very earth, I burst free of my prison.

Her pursuers burst into the clearing, dark elves with hunger in their eyes. They never stood a chance. My claws tear through them like parchment, their screams cut short by my fury. When the carnage ends, I turn back to my unexpected savior.

She stares up at me, eyes wide with a mix of awe and lingering fear. I drink in the sight of her. Sweat glistens on bronzed skin, highlighting the swell of her breasts and the curve of her hips. The remnants of her clothes leave little to the imagination, revealing long, shapely legs and a taut stomach.

A gash on her arm still bleeds sluggishly. The scent makes my newly awakened senses reel. I take a step closer, nostrils flaring. "I saved you, little one," I growl, voice rough from disuse. "I shall take my reward."

Her eyes flash with defiance. "I never asked for your help, you overgrown statue!"

The words hit me like a slap. Centuries of slumber, and this is the thanks I get? I cock my head, studying her. Fiery little thing. My blood - no, her blood in my veins - sings at the challenge.

"Didn't ask to be bothered," I snarl back. "Yet here we are, sweetheart."

She scrambles to her feet, chin jutting out. "I had it under control."

A bark of laughter escapes me. "Sure you did. Running half-naked through a forest, bleeding like a stuck pig. Real control there."

"Better than being some glorified garden ornament!"

My wings flare, casting us both in shadow. "Watch your tongue, little human. You've no idea who you're dealing with."

"Oh, I'm terrified," she mocks, rolling her eyes. "What are you gonna do, calcify me?"

The audacity. The sheer, delicious audacity. Her scent fills my nostrils - fear and arousal mingling in an intoxicating cocktail. My claws itch to touch her, to claim her.

"You ungrateful little-"

"Ungrateful? For what? Scaring off a bunch of-"

I've had enough. With a growl, I yank her to me. She gasps, hands flying to my chest. For a heartbeat, we're frozen - her warmth seeping into my stone-cold skin.

Then I crush my mouth to hers.

She writhes in my grasp, her hands pushing against my chest with a futility that almost makes me smile. Almost. But the feel of her soft, supple flesh beneath my fingers is too exquisite, too maddening. My hand closes over her breast, my claws gently raking her skin.

"Stop!" she demands, fire in her eyes. But her words only fuel my desire.

"You'll be begging for more soon enough," I promise her, my voice a low rumble in my chest. "My name is Kael."

She glares at me, defiance etched in every line of her body. "I didn't fucking ask."

A smirk tugs at the corners of my mouth. "Now you'll know what to scream when you come on my cock as I fuck you."

Her gasp is sweet music to my ears, her eyes widening at my crude words. I revel in her shock, in the way her body betrays her with a shiver. I tear away the last shreds of her clothing with one swift motion, my need for her a primal ache. The sight of her fully bared to me is a feast for my senses, each curve and valley begging for my touch.

I lift her against me, her legs parting to wrap around my waist. My hands grip her firm ass, pulling her tight against my arousal. I can feel the heat of her through the thin barrier of my skin, and it's all I can do not to take her right here, against the stone that was once my prison.

"No," she breathes out, a note of surrender in her voice.

I capture her mouth again, my tongue delving deep, tasting her, claiming her. Her resistance melts away, replaced by a greedy hunger that matches my own. My hands roam her body, exploring her softness, her strength. I am relentless, my need for her a consuming fire.

And when I lay her down on the soft moss, when I settle between her thighs and enter her with one powerful thrust, I know that this is only the beginning. She will be mine, body and soul, and I will show her pleasures she never imagined.

Her moans fill the air, drowning out the distant sounds of the forest. Her nails dig into my back, her body arching beneath me. I feel her tighten around me, her climax building with each stroke.

"Say my name, little human," I command, my voice hoarse with need.

"No!" she grits out.

The little human thinks she can resist me, deny the primal pull between us. It's almost charming, the way her body betrays her, softening and yielding despite her protests. I can smell her arousal, rich and heady, mingling with the scent of our exertion. It's a fragrance that stirs the ancient beast within me.

"Look at you," I taunt, my voice a low purr as I hold her wrists above her head with one hand. "You say 'no,' but your body tells a different story." My free hand trails down her stomach, fingers slipping between her legs. She's slick with need, her hips bucking involuntarily as I trace slow, maddening circles. "You're drenched for me, little human."

Her face flushes a deeper shade of crimson, her attempts to squirm away only serving to grind her more firmly against my hand and cock. She's a delightful contradiction, this one, all fire and defiance on the surface, yet molten desire at her core. Her hands move to cover her bouncing breasts.

With a swift motion, I pin both her wrists with one hand, using the other to guide myself to her entrance. She's tight, so deliciously tight, and the feel of her clenching around me as I thrust deep is exquisite torture. Her gasp of pleasure-pain is music to my ears, a symphony of surrender.

"You see," I growl, punctuating each word with a thrust that rocks her to her core, "your blood runs through my veins now. You're a part of me, and I am a part of you. You will never be able to resist my cock."

She fights it, the stubborn set of her jaw telling me she's not ready to concede just yet. But her body welcomes me with each plunge, her moans growing louder, more desperate. I release her wrists, confident that she's beyond the point of escape, and she surprises me by clutching at my arms, her fingers digging into my stone-like skin.

Our rhythm is wild, frenzied, the sound of our flesh meeting filling the air. I can feel her climax building, her inner walls fluttering around me. I lean down, capturing one of her pert nipples between my teeth, and she shatters.

"Kael!" she screams, her back arching off the mossy ground as wave after wave of pleasure courses through her. The sound of my name on her lips is my undoing. With a final, savage thrust, I join her in ecstasy, my roar echoing through the forest.