4

“A-anything,” Alden says, sucking in a breath. His mind is a swirling cauldron of images, little snippets of depravity he'd filed away – things he'd imagined himself, acts he had once seen in a copy of the Kama Sutra, whispers of gossip he'd filed away for the loneliest hours – and he cannot pick a single one, as overwhelmed as he is. Shame rises in his chest. Here he is, dreams laid literally at his fingertips, and he can do nothing to act upon them. What can he even offer to a creature like Bhalka? He's been a fool.

“There is time,” Bhalka soothes. “So much time, even for you, little mortal. I have made sure of it.” He taps the center of Alden's sternum. “See how you breathe better, yes?”

“What?” Alden croaks. He takes a deep breath and – the ache in his lungs is gone, and his chest feels better, clearer than it's ever felt since the feverish haze of his young years. “What did you do?”

“Gave us more time,” Bhalka says, blinking at him slowly. “Do you not wish for this?”

“I...” Alden swallows hard. This is so overwhelming. “Of course. Of course,” he says, a smile spreading across his face. “I would like as much time with you as I can have.”

“I would like this as well,” Bhalka says, grinning at him, and though his grin is so large and sharp, Alden feels safe, bracketed in the grip of his arms. Bhalka strokes through Alden's hair, down his back, then grips at his ass. “Do you wish for me to lead you where you want to go?”

“I – I – yes, please,” Alden says.

“Follow,” Bhalka says. A heavy hand finds Alden's hips, and he's flipped over to his stomach. The stone floor is cold and grits against him, and Bhalka makes a noise of displeasure. “This will not do.”

Suddenly Alden is being lifted as if his weight is nothing, his legs braced backwards against Bhalka's chest, and his ass pressing into Bhalka's face. The tip of his large nose is warm as it digs into the cleft of Alden's ass. Instinctively, Alden reaches up, grabbing the beam of the ceiling above him for balance, and Bhalka purrs his approval.

“Yes, perfect,” Bhalka says, and then his tongue slides between the cheeks of Alden's ass, and Alden's mind flips up through the levels of the house to fly away into the moonlit night. His knees lock under the arms that are supporting him, and rough fingers grip into Alden's waist as his own fingers dig into the old wood of the beam, and his cries fill the air of the basement. Bhalka's tongue finds the rim of his hole and slips deeper. Alden chokes on his breath as the slippery thickness of Bhalka's tongue plunges into him, and stars crackle across his vision.

“Fuck – please, oh, fuck, please, yes!”

Bhalka growls, and the sound reverberates up his spine, clutching at each vertebrae. Alden starts to thrust his hips, back and forth, desperate as the tongue investigates deeper and deeper – too deep to be human. He moans as it twists inside him. His cock is rock hard, jutting out in front of him, and dripping precome that falls from his precarious height on Bhalka's shoulders to splatter on the floor. Alden is so close and aches to stroke his cock, but he can't let go of the beam above him, his hands locked in place in boundless pleasure, his fingernails digging trails into the old punky wood.

Bhalka's tongue moves again, and Alden squeals as it rocks back and forth over his prostate. A trail of precome is dripping from him continuously now, and he feels one of Bhalka's hands leave his waist. When he looks down, Bhalka is catching the drip of his precome in his palm, the other arm holding him in the air with ease. The tongue inside him twists again, pressing down hard into his prostate, and Alden comes untouched with a shattered gasp, his hips jerking and his spine arching backwards. It seems to never end, as Bhalka's tongue thrusts and gyrates deeper into him, as if he knows exactly when and how to move and where to press to keep milking more and more come from Alden's body.

“I can't – ah – please,” Alden whimpers. “Oh!”

His cock twitches again, jerking towards the ceiling, and he looks down to see an impressive puddle of his come in Bhalka's big palm. He feels the slow extraction of the tongue from his hole, lips nibbling on his ass as it goes, and then watches as Bhalka's hand disappears where he can't see it. The hand returns to grasp his hip again, empty of his come and slightly damp. Alden is carefully lowered and swung around; now his legs are wrapped around Bhalka's waist, and he can feel the hard jut of Bhalka's erection pressing against his asscheeks.

“Delicious,” Bhalka says hoarsely. His eyes are alight, as if the flames of the extinguished candles have come back to light in them, and his cheeks are flushed and wet. “Better than my dreams of you.”

“You dreamed of me?” Alden says.

“Though I do not sleep,” Bhalka says, his hand moving up to cup Alden's cheek. “I did.”

Alden can't respond. He'd never dared to hope that anyone – anything – would ever dream of him. Alden surges up, wrapping his arms around Bhalka's neck, kissing him passionately, kissing him with the desire that burnt down every wall and left him here, bare in the arms that hold him. He can taste himself – the musky flavor of his ass and the salt of his come – mixed on Bhalka's lips with the primary taste of the bare elements of the universe. Bhalka returns the kiss with equal desire, his rough fingertips digging into the pale flesh of Alden's ass, holding him close and wrapping him in the strength of his arms.

“Alden,” Bhalka croons, followed by a litany of words Alden can’t translate.

“What – what does that mean?” Alden says. He speaks enough of the Old Speech to read it, to recite it for the ritual, but he's never heard this phrase before.

“You are my treasure,” Bhalka hisses, his teeth coasting up the thin skin of Alden's neck. “My treasure.” His fingers dig deeper into the cheeks of Alden's ass and then he's being lifted, his arms holding on to Bhalka's neck, and the slippery head of Bhalka's cock starts to press into his slicked hole. Alden moans, holding on tighter, his fingers digging into silky dark hair, and as he's breached by the thick head of the cock that was made for him, he's certain that this was worth it, even if it has cost him his soul. Bhalka moans along with him, sliding deeper, pressing into him with a level of perfection that can only be granted to a being who can see him, inside and out, and Alden trembles in his arms.

“Please,” Alden begs. “I -”

“You want,” Bhalka says. “You want, and I want.” His tongue slides over Alden's throat, followed by teeth, as he holds Alden just so, only the thick head of his cock buried inside him, teasing with tiny motions of his hips and opening him. “I will give you everything, and I will have everything.”

Bhalka starts to move, thrusting deeper, and Alden's head lolls back on his neck. It's better than he'd ever imagined – perhaps, he thinks, dazed, it's better than it could have ever been otherwise. Inhumanly good. Strong hands grip his hips and hold him in the air, and though his legs are braced hard against Bhalka's hips and waist, he doesn't think it's necessary, as effortlessly as he'd been held aloft earlier. Alden is tilted forward to be kissed again, hot breath panting along his neck and the taste of minerals clear and bright on his tongue, and he lets himself drown in it as Bhalka rides him, pumping upwards until Alden is fully sheathed onto his cock.

“Fuck,” Alden chokes against Bhalka's lips. He's so full, his mind reeling. His cock has sprung back to partial hardness, rubbing against the smooth skin of Bhalka's stomach. One of Bhalka's hands leaves his hip and trails against his back to cup his head, locking fingers in his hair, steering his head forward to crush their lips together. Bhalka begins to move faster, his tongue slipping in and out of Alden's mouth at a pace that matches the pump of his cock into his ass, and Alden can feel his eyes rolling back in his head, his eyelids fluttering. It's too much, so much.

“So good for me,” Bhalka mumbles against his lips, kissing down his throat and back up to resume the pace, his voice switching to be just next to the side of Alden's ear again as he continues to speak. “You think I made my cock for you, but I think you made yourself for me. Perfect treasure.”

Alden can't – can't hold back. Pleasure arcs through his body like a relay, dashing through his nerves at lightning speed. He curves backward in Bhalka's hand as if he's been drawn like the string of a bow, held steady as Bhalka leans forward with him, refusing to let Alden dodge a second of the orgasm that slams through him. “Bhalka – !” is all he manages to choke out, every muscle in his body tightening in a colossal release. Bhalka hums – hisses – growls in delight, a symphony of sounds that wrap Alden in a vocal embrace of his approval.

When Alden is shaking bonelessly against his chest, the tones of Bhalka's vocalizations shade deeper, into a rumbling laugh. “Feel again,” Bhalka says, and Alden feels an odd tingle sweep across his body. “niaga leeF,” Bhalka says, and Alden's mind rolls in unmitigated surprise as he feels the same orgasm, in reverse, just as Bhalka had done with the lantern.

It's mind-blowing. Alden's body flips through the motions of the best orgasm of his life backwards, and then forwards again, as if he's come not once, but three times in succession. His mind is a blank slate, swept clear by the strength of his climax and then shattered with the shock. Sweat drenches his body, and come is splattered all over Bhalka's chest, painting him all over up to the dip of his collarbones. He's shaking, wide-eyed and clinging to Bhalka, breathing too fast.

“You did not like this?” Bhalka says, sounding concerned.

“...was unexpected,” Alden wheezes. “Warn me, next time.”

Bhalka dips a finger into the come dripping down his chest and sucks it lazily from his finger, his eyelids fluttering in delight. “More to taste this way.” Alden does not have the time or focus to work through the impossible physics of this concept. Bhalka's fingers slide through the come and then press into Alden's mouth, rough fingertips dragging over his tongue, and then Bhalka starts to move again. Alden grips into his shoulders; he'd forgotten, in the haze of coming for minutes straight, that Bhalka hadn't come yet and is still buried inside him. Their chests press together, sticky come gluing them tight, and a big hand curls carefully around the back of Alden's neck.

Gently, he's ridden. Slowly. Bhalka moves inside him until Alden is practically weeping with pleasure and then keeps going until he is. Hot sobs tear from his lungs and he presses them into Bhalka's neck. He can't possibly come again and yet he's going to – he can feel the inexorable approach of his climax, building at the base of his spine with every pass over his sensitive prostate and the slip of his oversensitive cock caught between them. The deep resounding sensation of the thick cock moving inside him, his muscles gripping and grasping around it as he struggles, the fingers holding him tight and yet with such care - Alden has never been so saturated with pleasure in his life, and he cries out.

“Please,” he begs, “I – I can't – it's too much!”

“Shhh, my treasure,” Bhalka whispers. The hand on the back of Alden's head cradles him closer, and Bhalka speeds up, drawing weak cries from him. Bhalka's other hand tightens on him, and then he's gasping, plunging as deeply as he can. Alden feels the heated spurt of liquid deep inside him, and his body follows Bhalka over the edge, as if his orgasm was so powerful that Alden was dragged into its gravitational pull. His muscles lock and his knees dig into Bhalka's muscular waist, and the sounds they make together are truly strange. Alden's voice is broken and hoarse, and Bhalka joins him with bestial grunts of satisfaction. Bhalka sounds animalistic and territorial, as if the very sounds he makes will soak into Alden's skin and mark him as claimed.

Mercifully, Bhalka does not reverse this orgasm on Alden, as he thinks he might die if he experienced it twice in a row. Bhalka is panting, his tongue too long and lolling heavily over the bottom edge of his lip until he retracts it to grin at Alden. “You are pleased.”

“Yes,” Alden croaks. He groans as he is lifted off of Bhalka's cock and reverently rearranged – still held off the ground, as if he's too precious to touch it – but now held in both arms, as if he's being carried across the threshold of their marital home. In a way, he supposes he has been. His fingers find their way into Bhalka's hair. Silky, dark and perfect, slipping through combing motions of his fingers as if it is made of the texture of his dreams. He returns Bhalka's toothy grin. “Very pleased.”

“Wait until I show you more,” Bhalka murmurs, his voice a low purr that vibrates against Alden's skin. The creature’s presence is overwhelming, his breath warm as he noses along the curve of Alden's throat, inhaling deeply as though memorizing the very essence of him. Then Bhalka’s face tilts up, his dark eyes locking onto Alden's with a hunger that feels both predatory and oddly tender. “You will show me things, too. Many things.”

“What sort of things would you like to see?” Alden asks, his voice steadier than he feels. His hands move instinctively, stroking over Bhalka's hair, down the curve of his jaw, marveling at how soft his newly formed skin feels under his fingertips. The effect on Bhalka is immediate—his shoulders ease, and his lips part slightly, an expression of contentment creeping over his sharp features.

“The world,” Bhalka answers, his voice carrying a wistful edge. “Places I have only glimpsed. For so long, I have been trapped on the other side of the glass, seeing but never touching.”

“You want to travel?” Alden asks, surprise flickering through him. The thought hadn’t crossed his mind—not for himself, not for them.

“Not away from you,” Bhalka says quickly, his dark brows knitting together in sudden earnestness. “Never away from you. Away from here, yes, but only with you.” His grin returns, sharp and gleaming, though softer this time, the edge dulled by a strange vulnerability. “I will protect you. Wherever we go, you will be safe. We can go anywhere.”

The word lingers in the air like a spark igniting something deep within Alden. Anywhere. His heart pounds as the possibilities unfold in his mind. He’s spent so much of his life confined, trapped by his own frailty and the oppressive weight of the estate, tied to a crumbling legacy he never wanted. But with Bhalka…

He could sell the estate, let go of the chains that have bound him here. Liquidate the remnants of his father’s fortune and start anew. They could travel for years if they were frugal, exploring the world one step at a time, guided not by duty but by sheer, exhilarating freedom. He’s been too sickly for such dreams before, but now the thought of it feels intoxicatingly real.

Alden’s mind races with images plucked straight from the adventure novels he’d loved as a boy—wild forests, glittering cities, endless oceans. He thinks of treasures unearthed in forgotten tombs, of foreign markets filled with strange scents and vibrant colors. His breath catches at the idea of a life untethered, filled with wonder and discovery. For the first time, the world feels wide open, full of possibilities he had never dared to hope for.

“All right,” Alden says, his voice soft but firm as a smile spreads across his face. “Anywhere you like, then.”

Bhalka’s grin deepens, the sharpness of his teeth glinting in the candlelight. There’s an otherworldly quality to him—his tongue lingers just a bit too long on his lips when he speaks, and his eyes hold a depth that seems to pull at Alden’s very soul. The flickering darkness behind his pupils whispers of the void, a reminder of the vast, unknowable being that now stands so close, his body warm and solid against Alden's own.

And yet, Alden doesn’t care.

His hand slides to Bhalka’s cheek, fingers brushing against the smooth, cool skin as he leans in. Bhalka’s expression softens, his grin fading into something almost reverent. Alden hesitates for only a moment, his pulse racing, before he closes the distance between them and presses his lips to Bhalka’s.

The kiss is unlike anything Alden has ever known—intense, consuming, and strangely tender. Bhalka’s lips are softer than they have any right to be, and though there’s a hint of danger in the way his sharp teeth graze Alden’s lower lip, the creature is careful, almost gentle.

Alden loses himself in the sensation, in the warmth that blooms between them and the way Bhalka’s hands settle on his waist, firm and possessive yet not overbearing. It feels like surrender and liberation all at once, a moment suspended in time, where the boundaries between mortal and otherworldly blur into something entirely new.

When they finally part, Alden’s breath is ragged, his chest heaving as he meets Bhalka’s gaze. The creature’s dark eyes glitter with something that might almost be called affection, and Alden realizes with a startling clarity that he doesn’t want this to end.

“Anywhere,” he repeats, his voice barely more than a whisper, his resolve solidifying with the weight of the word. And as Bhalka’s grin returns, sharp and unrepentant, Alden feels the first real stirrings of hope in what feels like a lifetime.