Abner’s thrusting became harder, a bit rougher than it was earlier. My body took it all and more, moans escaping me every now and then, though I did quiet myself to listen to him unravel. He pushed inside of me as deep as my body would allow, his cock filling me up completely, his back and arms tensing above me. I watched as his eyelids squeezed shut, his lips parting to only allow a guttural groan out. The handsome face above me was caught in pleasure, wild and dominating.
He collapsed on top of me shortly after, though his cock was still buried in me. Abner breathed hard, his body not feeling as cold as it had earlier. In fact, I’d go so far as to say he felt rather warm, as if being with me had warmed him up some.
It could merely be my imagination at work, though.
Abner pulled out of me, rolling off me and laying in the bed beside me. He pulled the covers up to our shoulders, the only bits of our bodies not covered our heads. We gazed at each other, and beneath the sheets I felt his arm pull me closer to him, holding me against his chest. I imagined him saying something stupid like we shouldn’t have done that, but all Abner did was smile a soft, tentative, almost heartbreaking smile at me.
I could not take that smile; it was as if he thought this was goodbye, that this night would never be repeated again. That’s… that’s not what this was. I didn’t know what would happen, but I knew I did not want to leave either god.
So, wanting to get rid of that smile—and wanting to get back to business—I kissed him. Slow and steady, deep and hard. I kissed him and tasted the sweat on his lips.
The god of Winter sweating. Who knew such a thing was even possible?
We spent the night lost in each other, the hours blending in as time wore on. We did not pause to sleep; we barely paused for anything. He made my body feel alive with his cool touch, and I hoped I did the same to him. I hoped I was the reason sweat lined his brow, that I was the reason his cheeks seemed to grow flush with color. The pleasure we gave each other that night was indescribable, unbelievable, and undeniable.
Hours later, when the sun poked through the window, an oddly nice and bright day outside with not a single cloud in the blue sky, I realized I could never say goodbye to the Winter king.
Chapter Nine – Summer
I gave Morana privacy. She’d asked for one month, and I was determined to give it to her. Every now and then, I did pop up in my brother’s castle, just to make sure she was still alive and breathing and not frozen. If something should happen to her in the next month, I didn’t know what I’d do.
Granted, I didn’t think my brother would do anything to her, since he’d all but begged me to take her. Still, it was Morana herself who had expressed to me she needed more time. Time to think, time to decide.
There was no decision as far as I was concerned. There was only me. I had kept watch over her for nearly her entire life, not my brother. Abner did not know she existed until recently. She was mine. She had to be. I would not step aside and let my brother take the one human who I could see myself with.
Oh, I was sure I could call out for a bride and there would be countless of human females who would heed the call. The point was I never wanted to; Morana was… different. She made me think things, made me feel things and want things of which I’d never before. She was blessed with my magic, my Summer heat.
She was mine.
That’s what I told myself as I wandered my castle. It was much like Abner’s, but it was situated on the opposite side of the kingdom, a thing made of golden blocks with towers stretching up to the sky. It was not on a mountain, but it was just past a magical forest that no human could ever walk through. Nature always found a way to keep things from the humans.
My castle was full of light, the candelabras on the wall lit with real flame on wax instead of glowing ice like my brother’s. The windows were constantly glowing with sunbeams, nary a storm ever overhead here. It was a nice place, beautiful in every way. I had a garden just off the courtyard in the back, full of roses and flowers—though most were not blooming now, as the season was changing. As much as I wished it could be summer all the time, it could not.
Truthfully, I hardly spent any time here. I was always wandering the kingdom, invisible to the humans. I watched them, took joy in their triumphs and sorrow in their failures. Though I never showed myself to them, I never felt lonely, never did I want to take any of them to my castle and force them to spend the rest of their lives with me.
But Morana? I wanted to do that with Morana, and unfortunately it wasn’t until she’d sacrificed herself for her sister that I realized it. If only I’d known it sooner, if only I’d been able to recognize the feelings growing within me for the spirited girl, I could’ve saved her from my brother before she’d even met him, before that day of the choosing.
It was far too late for that, though. Too late, for now Morana had a sense of loyalty to her sister, to continue down the path with my brother—a path that would only lead to her demise. Truly, it was a good thing I’d reasoned with Abner, that he was able to realize she didn’t belong with him. He’d only hurt her.
Morana realized this. She was smart enough to know the dangers of staying in that castle. What she should’ve done was come with me immediately, and we could’ve started our life together, but, for whatever reason, she’d been hesitant to.
I supposed I could not blame her. Everything was changing for her in such a short amount of time. She handled everything remarkably well, of course, much better than the average human would, I think. It was part of her charm, her fiery spirit and her beauty.
I wanted her. I wanted her so badly it was almost unreal. Never before had I craved someone so bad, never before had I wanted to let someone in, have them live in my castle and sleep in my bed. Sleep beside me each and every night. Oh, how great it would feel, to have Morana in my arms when the moon was high in the sky. I had the feeling I’d never known true peace or bliss, and I wouldn’t, not until I had her by my side.
One day, I sat on my throne, a beautiful golden piece, the sun shining through the windows behind me. It was much like the throne room my brother had, only everything was warmer. The colors on the walls and floor, my throne, even the framework around the windows behind me. Everything in this castle was touched by me, by magic.
I leaned back, my knees apart, resting my chin on a hand as I waited. I could not stroll through any of the villages; I’d tried. Too antsy, too jittery, too nervous, for whatever reason. As if I was worried Morana might somehow choose to stay with my brother, even though he’d told me to take her.
She wouldn’t… would she?
It was possible she still felt compelled to, since she’d volunteered in the place of her sister. Perhaps I should go to her, talk to her, see where her mind was currently at? Hmm. I did not want to pressure her, but at the same time, I would not let her sit back and sentence herself to a slow death with my brother. I just wouldn’t do it.
I got up. That’s what I would do. I didn’t know how long it had been since I’d last seen her, since she’d asked for one month to think about everything, but it’d been too long. Every hour I was not with her, each minute I did not spend in her presence, was too much. I needed her here, with me.
Magic enveloped me, transporting me to my brother’s castle on the other side of the kingdom. To my utter shock, I stood in a throne room that was lit with mostly sunlight coming in through the windows, not by the ice glowing on the walls. My mouth fell ajar, for I could not recall the last time I’d seen clear blue skies over my brother’s castle. Such weather was over mine, but here? Where Winter ruled regardless of how warm it was in the kingdom?