Out of Character:
Skip to the dashes below if you prefer to avoid tastefully done sexy-time.
“So it would seem,” she replied with a coy grin, and let him lead her hurriedly from the library to the room he had prepared for them. He swung open the door for her, and the maiden padded inside the room. Jensen lagged behind to scuff away the ‘X’ and secure the door, giving it a good shake to test the lock and the hinges. Erissa shrugged out of her jacket, watching him from of the corner of her eye to see if he was watching her as well, and of course, he was. She giggled shyly as she tossed the leather at him, which he slapped aside, looking somewhat like a wolf stalking a lamb as he paced toward her.
Indeed, Jensen was stalking her.
His own jacket dropped to the floor, a crumpled pile cast aside and forgotten. The immortal kicked his boots off, and with a mischievous grin, slipped his shirt over his head and tossed it on the arm of a sturdy, wooden chair. Jensen stripped off his pants, with naught but his shorts left on.
“Your turn,” he said, laughing as the elf gaped and oogled him, all in the same look. Erissa fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, her blue-green eyes wide and heart racing. Jensen closed the gap between them. His practiced hands caressed her, resting finally at the small of her back. He kissed her neck, sending thrills through her body. The immortal pulled away, staring deeply into Erissa’s eyes as he lifted her shirt, and she raised her arms willingly as he removed it.
Jensen bent forward and kissed the creamy, silken skin just below the high elf’s neck, down to the swell of her ample breasts. He felt her breath catch in pleasure and apprehension, and her hands went to the back of his head, keeping him close. Erissa felt his face tighten in a wide smile, but she had neither the time nor the presence of mind to anticipate what he was about to do.
With a quick snap of his fingers, she felt the snugness of her brassiere immediately released. Before she could even think about bringing her hands up to hold it in place, Jensen had slipped the dainty straps down her smooth shoulders. The immortal’s gut clenched and he sighed as Erissa was revealed before him, blushing and beautiful.
“I love that shade of pink on you,” Jensen said, chuckling, and his rough fingers traced diminishing circles around her breast until they brushed against her pert nipple. Erissa flushed and trembled with tingling sensations, never having known the touch of a lover. A moan escaped her lips as she cast her head back and closed her eyes. Her back arched as he bent downward and took her breast in his mouth, his tongue flicking and teeth gently tugging at the rosy flesh. The elf’s lithe body shivered as Jensen gave the other equally as much attention, and then kissed his way down to the button of her leather pants, coming to rest on his knees before her.
“Please,” Erissa said huskily, unsure if she were begging him to stop or to continue. Jensen looked at her questioningly, and she bit her bottom lip as her hands went to the button, unfastening it. She gingerly slid the pants down her hips and to the floor. Jensen agilely stood and took Erissa by the hand; he led her to the bed. The immortal yanked back the blankets hastily, and she slipped between the sheets, her eyes timidly inviting him to join her. Jensen tossed himself down beside the elf, resting on his side, propping his head up with his hand; Erissa lay likewise, facing him.
“Touch me like that again, Jensen,” she said quietly, her eyes shining as they focused on the man before her. She could not remember exactly what had frightened her so badly before finding the library, but Erissa convinced herself it must have been the story of End Bringer that Jensen had told. The thought was washed away as the immortal drew closer, his eyes smoldering.
“Liked that, did ya, kitten?” He put pressure against her shoulder, urging her to lay on her back, and she quickly obliged. Jensen braced his top half over her, his black, red-tipped hair hanging along the line of his jaw and framing his dark, intense eyes.
“Well,” Erissa said bashfully, staring up at him and filled with wonder, “it is different than I thought, and better. Books do not exactly-” As he interrupted her with his kiss, he fondled her body more urgently, along her hips and thighs, and back up to her bare breasts.
“Don’t think I’ve ever seen such a perfect pair of tits,” he mumbled before filling his mouth with them again.
“Such a sweet-talker,” Erissa murmured absently. The warm ache between her legs intensified, and she shuddered as Jensen’s fingers tickled her fluttering stomach, searching their way down past her navel. There was but a thin layer of cotton between him and her ache, and Jensen growled like a man stricken as his fingers brushed against her warmth. His vision briefly faded to white when he felt the raw, wet longing Erissa harbored for him, and an adrenaline-fed giggle bubbled up from his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and her nails dug into his flesh at the sensation of his experienced fingers, her gasping moans further inciting the immortal’s desire.
Erissa Caedron could not, would not, say no to him.
“I love you,” Jensen whispered, nuzzling against her neck.
“I love you, too,” she said breathily. Jensen reluctantly stopped before sighing heavily. “What?” Erissa softly demanded.
“It’s just that you’re.....”
“Pristine?” Erissa asked.
“Yeah, prissy. And a virgin,” he said moodily.
“It would seem to me that you have just the tool to solve at least one of those little problems, Mr. Ambrose,” she challenged. Her grin faded as she watched Jensen’s face, each breath preparing a reply, lips struggling to form words that would never pass them. “Well?” Erissa finally asked.
“Well,” Jensen said slowly, knowing within his core that something was off about the situation, “now isn’t the right time. This isn’t the right place. It’s the fucking Bastion of the Apocalypse, and this is a dead man’s bed.” He regretted the statement immediately, expecting Erissa to recoil. Instead, she smiled wistfully.
“I would give myself to you because I love you, and you will not have me because you love me,” the elf said with a bittersweet laugh. She kissed his cheek, his stubble tickling her lips and nose. “Very well, Jensen. That can wait. But please, I need release,” she whispered in his ear, “and so do you.” Erissa bit down roughly on his neck, her breath sending chills down his spine, and she gripped his manhood. “For the sake of the mission, of course,” she added lightly.
A mischievous grin quickly found its way to Jensen’s face after he had recovered from the shock of her forwardness.
“If you insist,” he rumbled, and set to ravishing her.
A few rooms over, Geoffry shook his head as he set aside a heavy tome.
“For a castle, this place has thin walls,” he grumbled. No secrets in the Bastion, he thought.
- - - - - -
One waggly-eyebrowed look from Geoffry was all it took for Erissa to know the privacy she thought they had enjoyed had been an illusion. He was surrounded by a growing wall of books, stacked neatly on the table before him, his eager face barely visible in the lamplight. The Knight rose from the table to greet them.
“You’re looking rather relaxed, Jensen,” he said, jutting an elbow into the immortal’s side. Jensen shrugged, scratching the back of his head as he chuckled, yet the incredibly embarrassed look on Erissa’s face elicited more guffaws from both Jensen and Geoffry.
“Men,” the elf said curtly, the wounding of her pride lessening as she gazed again at the wonders of the library. She clutched the book on psionics tightly against her chest. “I could spend a lifetime in here,” the arcanist mused.
“But you can’t, my dear,” Geoffry said, patting her on the shoulder. “It’s time, finally. Jensen will go and scout the way to the Chamber of Fate, and we’ll follow behind him.” The man’s excitement was palpable.
“Why don’t you scout,” Jensen smirked, crossing his arms.
“Because,” Geoffry replied sharply, “you do your job better when you’re not staring at her. And I’m so close after so many years that I’ll be damned if I’m going to get ambushed and killed by grave robber trash.” Jensen pouted for a moment but threw his hands in the air.
“Fine. Ten minutes, then follow!” the immortal whined. “It’s always the same story,” he grumbled as he swatted Erissa’s posterior. “Send Jensen; it doesn’t matter if he dies. Well, no one ever asks me if I mind.” The elf coughed into her hand, covering a riotous smile as the immortal strode away, his complaints still echoing through the library when he was out of sight. He threaded his way through the last of the bookshelves and into a long, stone hallway with a series of stairs descending into the belly of the Bastion.
Erissa laughed again, shaking her head. Geoffry eyed her closely.
“We did not-” she began, at once aware of his attention.
“I don’t care!” Geoffry cut in, his eyebrows high on his forehead. “Really, it’s not my business.”
“Of course not,” the elf stuttered, the uncomfortable weight of the silence that followed almost unbearable.
“Did you have a chance to read any of that book?” Geoffry finally asked as he leaned back on the table, gazing out across the shadows that plagued the vaulted ceilings.
“Just a few pages, honestly,” Erissa replied. “Perhaps I should have left it with you after all. I have it here in my--” her face paled as she realized she carried the book in her arms, and had no idea where her satchel was. She did not recall seeing Jensen with his backpack, either.
“Oh! I almost forgot,” Geoffry laughed, “the two of you left in quite a rush last night, I imagine. I came back here for another book, and both of your bags were laying by the table.” The warrior shifted and nudged two packs resting on a chair near him. “I’d have taken them to your room, but you two were... indisposed. So I held on to them.”
“Oh, Geoffry,” Erissa cried, “thank you!” Her memory of why the packs were so important was hazy, but she knew they were. “As for the book,” she said softly. “I only made it a few pages in before I fell asleep, not that I could concentrate very well with Jensen’s snoring. However, I think I learned a thing or two,” she said slowly, nodding.
“What did you learn?” he asked, his gaze intense.
“Shielding,” Erissa said with a heavy sigh, “from basic assaults only. For example, if you had my ability to read memories, I could make it very difficult for you by concentrating on other powerful memories combined with a very basic mental ward. I suppose it is more like redirecting the course of a river than damming it.” Geoffry nodded thoughtfully as Erissa thumbed through a few more pages. Suddenly, her head snapped up as she heard something no human ear could have caught. “What was that?” the high elf said softly.
Submit Thread for Judgment