no vacancy

save your eyes for someone brighter than i will ever be

She tests the grip, and he keeps his hold strong on her, claws curling into the sand with a small amount more pressure, and when he finds her gaze it’s wide but starved and yearning for more. He shivers beneath it, a growling purr leaving his throat as he feels her hips buck against him and feels her tighten around him. Part of him wants to ravage her. Part of him wants to keep her delicate and breakable. He’s not sure which part of him wins in the end.

”I’m yours.” “You’re mine.” Something possessive within his gravelly tone.

His heart thunders in his chest, breath hot as it takes against her skin, crashing his lips against hers. Unlike the first time when he’d gone slow at first to give her time to adjust, he can feel that she already has. He uses the hand that pins her arm down as his support as he begins to let his hands roam, harder and deeper thrusts that have him panting as he engulfs himself with her, drowns with her, burns with her. His hand finds her hip, slipping to her back to lift her up to get him further, as far as they can manage.

don't hesitate to bring me to my knees

SUNJATA

You're so cold

but you feel alive

You're mine.

Had she not already loved him, she would have fallen for him then. Finally, finally here was someone who wanted her, who craved her, who needed her if only just for a night. It was all she had wanted, all she ever needed and even as he leaned in to devour her, the girl smiled against his mouth, deliriously happy to be his. To be claimed.

Sunjata became that dark god of sea and sand, rborn to cover her again. Raw, wanton and demanding, his hands grew less tender and more decisive, strokes firming. Maea responded in kind, relinquishing what restraints she still held on herself. The moans deepened into her throat, body pressing back into him. Still small, still supple and breakable but oh, so willing to risk it. His hand on her hip raised her up, brought her harder into him and she raised her knees up to wrap them around his hips, locking him in place, hauling him in even more.

That hand pinning her wrist down was a bond of electricity, and she struggled against it, relishing the realization that she couldn't get loose, that he was not letting her go. It was all kinds of incredible, brought the thrill of the joining to an entirely new height... and it showed through, on her face. In the eyes, so wide and hazy with lust, with greed as she watched him ravage her.

lay your hands on me

one last time

MAEA

save your eyes for someone brighter than i will ever be

His kiss breaks from her lips, to trail along her jaw to the other side of her neck, the one that had been a small amount less loved than before — nipping and biting at her as he keeps her pinned beneath him, keeps a quick and fast pace of driving himself into her as much as he can, and with it he can feel the fire and electricity blossom from his abdomen, burning and pulsing like a thunderstorm rolling down the hills of a valley.

He brings her up to meet him better, muscles clenching as she wraps her legs around him tight to keep him close, and he growls against her skin with the feeling, using her as an anchor and diving in with her. But he can feel her try to press against the restraint, and he bites at the place where her neck and shoulder connect, keeping her pinned before kissing the bruise he’s sure he’s left her. “Jy gaan nêrens heen nie.” He growls, not realizing he’s slipped back into his native tongue, not caring. The result and demand in his voice projects it all the same.

She’s not going anywhere.

He pulls her into him again, the muscles of his back trembling and twitching with the sensation as he continues to bite to pin her down, applying the pressure of his hand onto her with his claws sinking further into the bedding and the sand. The hand that has pulled her close drifts again, possessive and touchy, grasping at her as if he didn’t she’d melt away beneath his touch, rising up to meet her chest again as he drifts his head lower from her neck her chest to take hold of one side while his hand plays with the other.

don't hesitate to bring me to my knees

SUNJATA

You're so cold

but you feel alive

It could easily have become rough, painful or frightening. His lust was so intense and Maea felt overwhelmed by it, helpless under his greedy grasping hands and devouring mouth. But she found that she enjoyed it, all of it. The sharpness of his his thrusts, the almost painfully intense bursts of lightning they sent through her, even the actual pain as he bit her neck. The rough growling words were lightning that struck deep into the core of her being, and though she didn't know the language she understood the meaning.

Ha. As if she actually wanted him to let go.

It was a far cry from their first joining in the sand. This was closer to a mating, a true claiming, driving the bond between them so deep and true that it would take something truly terrible to break it. Maea's hands roamed over his body, his torso and shoulders, grasped the swelling muscles of his back and held on, letting him take her, maker her his. His mouth found her breast, his hand the other, and she bit back a cry of relish at the intense surge of pleasure that shot through her at the attention. She gave him everything, took all he offered and held it close. With each thrust she was brought closer to that edge, and she was willing, so eager to go, let herself be pushed over.

But oh, she didn't want it to end either.

lay your hands on me

one last time

MAEA

save your eyes for someone brighter than i will ever be

He was going to ravage her and worship her, to give her everything to get her to shatter around him, to feel her when she does. He can feel the tension brewing, the fire burning from within, igniting and sparking a new flame with every thrust and every sound she makes for him. He decides he’s greedy for them, for the hands on his skin, for the way she explores and roams and arches against him. His hands find her body moving and writhing with him, and he trails his kisses back toward each collarbone, marking, claiming, taking.

He can feel it in the way her body shifts and moves, feels her nearing that edge, feels himself writhing ever closer to it with her. And it burns him from within, skin splotched red, damp with sweat, melding and meshing with her body as he brings her along for the ride. He pants against her skin, breathy sounds that leave him for her ears only, unleashed and brimming with the lust filled stupor she's put him in.

His pace doesn’t slow. In fact, it picks up as he tries to drive her over that edge, to follow with her the second she gives into it. He aims to capture her mouth with his, a demand within that wants her to break and shatter beneath him, around him, to pull him in closer to ride out the waves of pleasure that engulf their bodies.

don't hesitate to bring me to my knees

SUNJATA

You're so cold

but you feel alive

It was so easy to let go. So nice to just give in and give up, surrender everything and leave it in his hands. They were broad and steady after all, very capable when he wanted them to be, and she trusted him. A little too blindly, a bit too much, because he'd singed her once before, and she would never, could never forget that. But Maea was ever the believer in second chances, and here they were now. For him, she might even offer thirds, or more. As long as he was willing to try, to keep working on this, on them, on... whatever it was that made them burn whenever they came close to each other.

She called it love. He called it a cage. But... neither of them were using words to speak tonight, and in the simple language of body on body, heart to heart, it was very easy to understand that whatever they called it, it was real.

So when his mouth caught hers and he drove them towards that edge, Maea let go and let her fall. Kissed him deeply, devouring. Clinging to him like he was her entire world, hands in his hair and legs holding him close, she shuddered and moaned, shattered and broke in his arms, around him. Hoping his strong arms would be enough to hold the pieces together.

His name was on her lips as she was swept away, and it might as well have been a prayer, an omen, a prophecy.

I am yours, and you are mine.

lay your hands on me

one last time

MAEA

save your eyes for someone brighter than i will ever be

He hadn’t ever been like this before, not when he was in Korofi, not until after Lusea’s death. Because she had been the one for him, the one who drew his eye, who suffocated him in her flames, while the flood raged around, turned to smoke and mist in the sight of her. He’d only ever had eyes for her. And just like that, the flame had been snuffed out — too soon, always too soon.

And Caido? Caido had taught him that those he cared about, those he got close to, they left too. Everyone left him eventually, in the end, whether by choice or his actions or the world at large. They always left. And he was tired of it, tired of growing attached to those that brought him down, tired of getting caught up in the winds of those that would leave him eventually too. It wasn’t worth it, in the end for him, to do something that terrified him so.

But this? Showing love with the way that he knows best, the way that he craves is far easier than with words — but Sunjata had never been good with them. He was charming, sure, but when it came to explaining his feelings, his thoughts, he rarely succeeded — too brought into the life Korofi had grown him up in where emotions and feelings got you killed. And they had, in a sense.

So he shows it to her in the way he worships her, the way he captures her, the way he melds and burns and drowns with her. He holds her tight as she shatters and breaks, reforming her close to his chest as he can, burying his face into her neck as his breath rakes against her skin. His name on her tongue is like a release, like the answer to a question he’d been seeking for awhile now. And it’s enough that as she trembles he cracks and breaks with her, slowing a fraction and pressing his forehead against hers with a shuddering groan that slips from his throat, echoing with hers from within the stony walls of the cave.

He slows further, offering gentle kisses to her own sweat slick skin, giving himself a chance to catch up, to give her a chance to react, to see if it was everything she hoped it’d be.

don't hesitate to bring me to my knees

SUNJATA

You're so cold

but you feel alive

He held her close, and she held him tight, as they shuddered through the sweet, blissful ecstasy. She held him as he slowed, the pace growing languid and lingering... but really, she could have gone on forever. In the gentling calm of the aferglow, Maea found herself if possible even more sensitive to his touch, and if he'd wanted to, she could have just kept going. Moving into the pleasure beyond, the mindless nothing of oblivion.

Looking up into his eyes, however, Maea felt it all the same. Her face was a picture of warm delight, flushed with pleasure and still slack with the lust of his movements over her, inside her. White silk had plastered itself to her temple and forehead, her skin glistening and damp in the dim glow of firelight. A small moon nestled into the blankets, nearly swallowed up by his stormcloud night. There was a light in her eyes as she smiled up at him, radiant and pure, as if wanting nothing more than to brighten him, bathe him in her love for him.  

It was everything she had hoped for, and more.

Maea reached up to kiss him, soft and lingering, her mouth warm beneath his lips. Her hands brushing over his back in long, soothing strokes, trying to convey just how much she loved being there, in the center of his storm. Not drowning, nor sweeping away... Only riding his wave, to whatever end.

lay your hands on me

one last time

MAEA

save your eyes for someone brighter than i will ever be

A haze engulfs him, of lust and simmering embers and waves lapping against the inside of him, calming and quelling the flames of desire she’d given him that he shared with her. His skin is sensitive to the hands that stroke along it, goosebumps rising in her wake as he goes to pull himself away from her, breath still heavy as he tries to contain his thundering heart. And it works a fraction, still hovering above her as she reaches for his face and he gives into the gentle kiss to his lips, the tenderness to them compared to the marks on their bodies.

But his legs shake from the weight he’s kept applied to them throughout it, and he shifts in the bedding to roll onto his side and pull her close against him, chest rising and falling with the slowly succeeding attempts at getting his breath under control. A hand raises to brush the hair from her face, from her eyes, offering a gentle and soft smile her way as the waters of his soul calm from storm to rippling pools.

He buries his face into her neck again, unable to say anything, unable to find it in him to want to do anything than hold her close the rest of the night.

don't hesitate to bring me to my knees

SUNJATA

You're so cold

but you feel alive

She didn't really want to separate from him, or move at all. But even in the midst of that blissful, sweet nothing, Maea recognized that it would be very difficult to breathe if he collapsed onto her now. So she rolled with him as he shifted onto his side, kept herself glued to his chest and caring not at all that she was too hot, still sweating, hair a tousled mess of saltlock curls. She was sure she'd only be able to keep breathing if she stayed connected to Sunjata, so that's what the girl did.

And slowly, so very slowly, the raging pyre within her subsided. Burned down to a simmer, a glow, banked and settled in for the night... but ready to be kindled again at a moments notice. The hunger was still there, if sated for the moment.

Would she ever get enough of him?

Sighing contentedly, she settled her head on his shoulder. Let her knees move away from his hips to tangle with his long legs, shifting around until she found the best, most comfortable spot.

She felt like she could die now. Complete. Content. If Maea went to Mort right now, she'd have no regrets - beyond maybe leaving behind a man who might possibly miss her, just a little.

It was a good thing she had an ear in with death's Herold.

lay your hands on me

one last time

MAEA

save your eyes for someone brighter than i will ever be

He holds her close to him, keeps her braced against him despite the warmth that radiates from the both of them – him perhaps more so, having always been a heater of sorts. But she finds some comfort in the space of his shoulder, glued to him as though if he thought about separating them by an inch of space, he’d disappear from her forever. So he keeps her near, while his breaths even out, while she tangles her legs with his.

Tilting his head toward her, he presses a kiss to her forehead gently, hand resting easily at her shoulder with gentle, soft paths over her skin in a calming way, a relaxing way. His gaze finds the ceiling then, not sure what to say. Not sure if anything even needs to be said. But he can’t help but to let his gaze drift down to her, to the more marks added to her skin, and he inhales a quiet and deep breath. “Are you comfortable?” A quiet question, giving her a small squeeze, ensuring that she’s as comfortable as can be.

don't hesitate to bring me to my knees

SUNJATA

You're so cold

but you feel alive

The kiss on her forehead made her smile. Actually blush a little. It seemed she had not become immune to those small little things, even after this thorough delve into intimacy. Maybe because it was so very easy to confuse the softness for something she desperately wanted, but didn't quite dare to believe in.

It was a comfortable silence that settled over them. The fire was burning low in the pit, and the cave was sinking into deeper shadows. Beyond the cavern opening, the night had darkened, the moon about to disappear again as the hour grew late. Maea felt drowsy as the fire in her was banked and replaced by sore muscles, ache and the content buzz of happiness through her veins. Only Sunjata's voice broke the stillness, and only barely; a gentle squeeze following to make sure she was comfortable.

She smiled, small and sweet, pressing her lips to his shoulder. "Very. Are you?" The bruises did not hurt, at least not yet. The extent of the coloration on her white skin would only be noticable come daylight, but even if she wound up black and blue from his kisses, she would not complain. Wasn't even sure she would bother to hide them away; they were his, after all. Why should she be ashamed of showing them off?

lay your hands on me

one last time

MAEA

save your eyes for someone brighter than i will ever be

“Yes.” He says after a moment, giving her a somewhat boyish smile in response to the kiss pressed to his shoulder. He squeezes her close, focusing on the exhaustion that lingers through his body, on the darkness of the cave to the world beyond, on the way that she feels under his arm huddled closed to him as though neither of it was real. But it was, it had happened, they were here in Torchline, the beach as their witness.

He rests his chin atop her head, closing his eyes as he lets his breaths calm him and quell the waves within his soul, the uncertainty of what came next, the fear that began to spread and ebb beneath it all like a spiderweb sparking out and out until he tried to shut it out. At least he was content here, content with her under his arm, pleased with the result of what occurred and so far glad she’d not freaked out yet either.

Perhaps in the morning when the realization hits. But not now.

don't hesitate to bring me to my knees

SUNJATA

You're so cold

but you feel alive

Sometimes it was far easier to push problems to the morrow, rather than deal with them. No doubt this would seem like a mistake when they woke up. When they saw the bruises on her skin, on his, when the taste of their bodies on each others tongues had faded and the sun shed brutal light on the situation.

She still loved him. He..? Needed space. There were inevitable conclusions to draw here, but Maea didn't want to think about it. Had learned perhaps a bit too well from Sunjata in that aspect. Ignore a problem, and maybe it would go away on its own, eventually. Except, they never did.

So she closed her eyes and blocked the worries out. Focused on the rise and fall on his chest beneath her instead, on the beat she could feel pulse beneath her hand where it rested over his heart. She wanted to fall asleep like this, let him chase the nightmares away just this once and maybe... just maybe, she would wake to find it had all just been a dream.

That there would be no need for tears when she had to go to bed alone in the future nights to come.

Softly, with a tone to her breath that was just on the audible side of silent, Maea began to hum. It was a lullaby, old and slow, a soothing melody where words had long since been forgotten or replaced. It was meant only for him... and if her voice caught in places or nearly disappeared, it would hardly be noticed.

lay your hands on me

one last time

MAEA