Never Freer

NEVER FREER

Aife

H aving spent the majority of my life training to be an assassin, and then actually being an assassin, violence has never been a particularly remarkable trait for me. It was never something executed on behalf of someone else, not until Joyce. And now, Titaia. Which left me the only reasonable conclusion, Titaia was bad for my health, and the safety of everyone around her.

Especially, when she looked at me like she had in that moment. Her hazel eyes glittered with mirth as I shot glares at Gregorovich. Titaia said that he had never shown any interest in her until recently, and I don't know why. Nor do I care beyond resisting the urge to rip his fucking eyes out so he couldn't look at her anymore.

The plan was in place to escape from this wretched Kingdom, not to sit in the King's private breakfast chambers in his large castle as five people sat around the table eating. Which did nothing to further our goal of taking Titaia to the Revolucija where she could take her rightful place as ruler.

Ruler.

I had kissed the real Queen of the Realm. Who was I to take such a liberty? To be given such a gift? An assassin for her enemy. A half-elf who had no family, no land, and no title to give her. Not that she would need anything I could potentially give her anyways, she was a Godsdamned Queen. I was nothing. But for her? For her I would make sure the very mountains knelt at her throne. For her I would be the hand of death.

Her head tilted as she watched me, the humor fading from her face as concern pinched it. It had only been a few months that I had known her, but in that short time she had studied me just as I had her. Now that I had seen the true red of her eyes, I could see the color hiding just beyond the hazel.

It was amazing to know that for the last ten years, Katrina had held the glamour to keep her identity a secret. The changes were intentional, hazel eyes instead of red, dark brown hair instead of stark white, even the fullness of her cheeks was lessened.

"Any news of the traitor?" General Zelu asked. I held back my jump of surprise but didn't try to hide the flush of irritation. Titaia had not only been the first one to sneak up on me, but now she was distracting me from being aware of my surroundings. Zelu would think that my reaction was having to acknowledge my failure. He knew I had no news; the traitor hadn't been caught in the last few years. It wouldn't be accomplished in a few weeks.

"No," I growled. "But I'm getting close." Little did he know, the traitor was sitting right across from where I stood. Katrina's eyes moved between, and she chewed her lip. I rolled my eyes, once again, letting Zelu think it was about the situation even while Katrina knew it was to her. He didn't answer and that honestly unsettled me more than I cared to admit.

Katrina was only part witch and though that was never a setback for her, she still found herself fighting for her life under her fiancé, Prince Brocks, hand. The relationship between Titaia and Katrina was inspiring, and knowing how powerful Katrina was made my fury at Brock heighten. General Zelu ordered me away from the Prince because he knew that I would beat him within an inch of his life and then I would brutally take that life away. It wouldn't end well for me, I'd probably be tortured and killed, but getting revenge for Katrina and saving any future female from his wrath would be worth it.

Katrina rolled her eyes back and turned her attention to Grevorovich while Brock had slung his arm around the back of her chair, his fingers caressing the bare skin of her arm. I wanted to cut those fingers off with a rock.

I met Titaia's eyes again, worry still etched across her features. I tried to give her a reassuring smile, but I'm sure it was more of a grimace. I was thankful that Titaia had never experienced pain at the hand of the Quinque. Since she worked for Katrina, she was mainly protected from their…displeasure.

"How much longer are you going to keep this prophecy a secret?" Queen Alhma interrupted, displeasure bleeding through her words. She had asked King Heptus and Emperor Gregorovich this question every time they were in a room together. Instead of getting upset over her incessant begging, they would laugh and give a little bit more information, which was never enough to quell her interest.

The Quinque, consisting of King Heptus, Emperor Gregorovich, Queen Alhma, Priestess Josephine, and General Zelu, was what put me into servitude and why Titaia was hiding her identity. The five usurped Titaia's family and stole me from mine. Without Katrina, Titaia would have been murdered with the rest of her family and without Zelu, I would have been murdered with the rest of the elves. Luckily for me, Zelu saw potential in a nine-year-old elf being raised to be an assassin.

Heptus leaned towards Alhma indulgently. "The Phoenix is the key to the Realms."

Titaia's eyes widened fractionally, and she shifted on her feet. No one seemed to notice because they were all staring at Heptus in a mixture of shock and excitement. Alhma looked part feral as she stared at her husband.

"That's why you're looking for her again?" Alhma asked.

Heptus nodded with a grin, "Exactly, dear wife. If we want to complete the goal our God has for us, we have to make our way to Pomulola and Holuranda."

"How?"

"She is how we travel to the other Realms; she is the only one who can open the bridge." Gregorovich answered, dropping a piece of chicken into his mouth with a flourish.

I followed Titaia out of the room when theyfinally finished eating. I needed to talk to her. She looked so shaken up that the pull to comfort her was almost painful. I trailed behind her, close enough that she could sense my presence, but far enough that it wasn't too conspicuous. Titaia parted ways with Katrina, who went with Brock hopefully somewhere he couldn't put his hands on her again.

I stuck to the shadows as I followed Titaia as she made her way towards the kitchens. I could tell she knew I was following her, but she kept to her path and never turned to see where I was. In just the few weeks since we met, she seemed to have figured me out faster than anyone else.

Titaia took the stairs rather quickly before taking a sharp left, ducking behind a tapestry. I would never admit that I hesitated to anyone, even my trust in someone who knew my biggest secrets was not enough to suppress over two decades of paranoia. After a moment, I pushed the fabric aside to reveal a door left slightly ajar.

I took a breath and stepped inside.

I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't a wine cellar. Large barrels were scattered throughout the small space, along with a pair of small armchairs and a table. Titaiaturned as I entered and offered me one of the two goblets she held. I took it, and she sat down with a sigh and a cough as dust floated from the cushion.

She took a large drink from her goblet and a trail of wine trickled down her cheek, leaving a path down her throat and between her breasts. I yearned to see her without the glamour, her captivating red eyes and soft white hair.

"Are you just going to stand there staring at me?" Titaia asked, the corner of her eyes crinkled as she tried to cover her smirk behind her cup. I took in the way her fingers curved around her glass, the way her eyes flashed with a craving I knew reflected in my own. I wanted to bend her over the chair and see how hard she could actually take it.

"I do like what I see." I said as I leaned against a stack of barrels, taking a sip of my own drink. The wine was bitter and left a pleasant oak taste on my tongue. Fear sat heavy in the curve of Titaia's shoulders even as she tried to appear strong. "What's on your mind?"

She slumped back further into the chair, more dust collecting around her as she did. There was a lot that sat on those strong shoulders. The future of the Realm and the very survival of her people.

"I haven't been safe in the last ten years," Titaia started, placing the glass on the table beside her. "I have always been searched for but knowing that if I'm captured…" she sighed. "If I'm captured it's not just my people that are at risk, it's the entire world. It's overwhelming.

Titaia met my eyes, and I was startled at how much red was visible beneath the hazel. "We need to ask Katrina to reinforce that glamour." I murmured.

Titaia

Aife approached me as if we had not just heard world-shattering news. I knew they had been searching for me, but it wasn't just because of who I was and the threat I posed. It was because they somehow thought they could use me to open a bridge to the other Realms. The last thing I wanted was their cruelty extending outside of Fursomerra.

The seat beside me let out a small puff of dust as Aife sat. Her black eyes met mine, the small ring of purple practically vibrant with desire. Aife put her hand on my cheek, and I leaned into the touch, my eyes fluttering closed. To my surprise, she grabbed my arm and yanked me onto her lap until I was straddling her. Her arm wrapped around my waist, and she pulled my core flush with her stomach. The cup in my hand sloshed at the movement, but I didn't dare breathe.

"Do you know how beautiful you are?" Aife whispered, her lips trailing along my jaw. Her hands trailed across my waist, leaving a trail of heat on my skin even with the dress separating our flesh. I didn't answer, only adjusted my position, but froze as pleasure raked up my spine at the feel of my body pressed against hers. The firmness of her stomach touching places that had been untouched by someone else for a long time.

With a chuckle, Aife wrapped her hand around the back of my neck, and pulled my head down to hers. Finally, I was taller than she was, but still at whatever mercy she decided to grant me. She ran her nose across mine. The intimacy of the movement sent tingles from the top of my spine to my toes. "Do you know what they were talking about?"

I was conflicted with feeling. I wanted to kiss her, I wanted to rip her clothes off and see that beautiful, scarred body for the first time. But I also wanted to talk about what we learned. I needed to.

"I don't know if they're telling the truth or trying to give Alhma and Josephine more incentive to find me. I don't know what magic they think I have to take them to the other Realms, but as far as I know, Phoenixes don't have that ability," I said.

Phoenix's were considered one of the most powerful Visreala in the Realms, but no one had the ability to travel between them. The Great Goddess had seen to that when she split the Realms into three. It was intentionally made that way, so they could never be joined. Even water vessels were unable to travel beyond the border. They said it was like hitting a flexible wall that seemed to bounce them back around. We essentially lived in a giant impenetrable dome.

"Hmm," Aife murmured. While she had lived/worked mainly with Gregorovich, Josephine, and Zelu, she knew the entire Quinque more intimately than I did, she experienced the brunt of their ire.

I was distracted when her hand moved from my waist to my thigh. Her long fingers drew circles, the fabric swirling. My eyes nearly rolled back from the sensation.

"I don't think they were lying about what they think the Prophecy said, but we know how deceiving those can be. Interpreting the words of seers during their, what they call, ‘possession' by the Gods is a different magical gift on its own. Besides…" She moved her other hand around to the front of my neck, wrapping it around my throat. "They won't be able to get to you."

I swallowed, trying to moisten my throat, and Aife smiled as she felt the bob. Her fingers flexed to press against my pulse.

"Are you going to try to protect me?" I whispered. Her grip was firm, but gentle.

She laughed, "I wouldn't dare to underestimate you like that, little minx. I know you can take care of yourself." She gripped my thigh tighter as she pulled my lips closer to hers. My breath caught at our nearness. "You're going to kill them before they can even decipher how to travel to the Realms with you."

"You have a lot of faith in me." The space between my thighs ached so badly I thought I might cry as our lips brushed with each word. If I had not been on her lap, I might have collapsed. Aife moved her head back and forth, achingly slowly. Her fingers circling higher up my thigh until her thumb brushed the crease where my thigh met my pussy and I whimpered.

"Oh, sweetheart," Aife murmured, her lips pressing more firmly against mine, but still not kissing me. "Tell me, are you sensitive?" She moved her thumb again and I tried to stop the sound that was pulled from my soul, but there was no fighting how good she felt touching me.

"No," I breathed. It was the most unconvincing lie I ever told, but I needed to reclaim some form of power. I sat back, putting distance between our faces. Her hand fell to my chest, but I made no move to get off of her. There was no part of me that was small, but she had pulled me onto her lap, and I took that as her accepting the consequences of her actions.

I grabbed the goblet of wine off the small table and placed the rim to my lips. "Open your mouth," I demanded and hid my smile behind the cup as the purple in her eyes expanded and her pupils dilated. She dropped her head back onto the chair and opened her mouth. With a mouth full of wine, I leaned over her and transferred the liquid to her. Aife's eyes held me captive as she drank what I gave her, her hand moving from my thigh to my ass and pulling me closer.

"Again," Aife said. Her words were a demand laced plea, and I was helpless to deny her. I took more wine into my mouth. Aife's hand moved from my chest back to my throat, tilting my lips over hers. And even though I'd started this with my need for control, I gladly relinquished it to her as she drank the wine from my mouth until I had nothing left.

Then Aife's mouth was on mine. She tasted of nutmeg and vanilla and every bad decision I had ever made that was also everything I had ever wanted. Her lips were soft and insatiable. Her hands, tight on my throat and ass, she pulled me closer, leaning up for better control. My tongue licked against her lips, and she hungrily took it into her mouth, tasting the wine on me.

Aife had a way of taking up all the air in whatever room she was in. She had a presence that demanded to be noticed even when she was hiding in the shadows.

Aife consumed me and I had never felt freer.