Joanna Wylde - Dancing With Dionysus

Even as the thought formed, she felt a heavy weight come down on her. A hand came around, covering her mouth, and another pulled the shawl from her head.

The body on top of her was hard and male. She could feel the tensed strength in every inch of him. He was breathing slowly and steadily, and to her horror she could feel something thick and hard pressing against her ass.

It was too late; she was caught.

She breathed deeply, trying to control her panic. Then a deep, rumbling voice spoke in her ear.

"What do you think you're doing on my island, little human?" the voice asked, its tone cruel and mocking. "You don't belong here, and now you're going to pay the price."

Sabiniano all but tasted the fear coursing through her. She was like a doe cornered by Maenads. He laughed, feeling the god's power building in him. It had been far too long since he'd participated in Dionysus' worship, he thought. This little one's fear was delicious to him, and anticipation gushed through him like sweet wine. He shifted, slipping a knee between her legs and pushing them apart. His cock felt like it would explode, cradled as it was in her softness. The harsh wool still separated them, but not for long, he thought with dark satisfaction. Athena's virgin would be food for Dionysus that night…

He leaned closer to her ear, whispering, "Do you see how my people worship their god tonight, human? See how the pleasure and the pain mix, building in intensity until all becomes one with the divine? That is what I will do with you tonight. You shouldn't have come into my realm, little one, because I have no mercy in my heart this evening."

He laughed darkly, feeling the flutter of her heart within her frail body.

How easy it would be to simply pull up her dress and thrust into the softness.

The pipes and drums coursed through him, making his cock pulsed in response.

She would be soft under him, and he would enjoy her virgin's blood. He pressed his hips down against her body, and to his surprise he moaned aloud in need.

He had forgotten how exciting it could be to fuck a human.

He shivered in anticipation, then nipped lightly at her ears with his teeth.

It was going to be a long night.

Kalliara quivered in fear. There would be no escaping this man. If he was a man…Was he a satyr? Was he the god himself? No, surely not the god. Dionysus wouldn't trouble himself with one stray mortal. She considered biting the hand he held over her mouth. Did she dare?

He thrust himself between her legs, moving sinuously. She felt that traitorous heat rising in her again. The god's presence was powerful, but she had to resist. She focused instead on the calm, cool face of Athena, her own patroness. All her life, the goddess has been there for her. Her spinning was one of Athena's gifts, and it was out of dedication to her that Kalliara had saved her virginity all these years. She was nearly 30 years old, yet she had always refused to take a husband. The goddess required chastity of her followers…

She whispered a prayer, and Athena's coolness washed over her. The goddess was with her. She blocked out the sensation of the man on top of her, thinking only of Athena. Athena would save her. She imagined a sage smile on that stern but beautiful face, and her panic faded away. She knew what to do.

Deliberately, she let her body go limp, and gave a small, pitiful whimper.

The key was convincing her captor she was helpless, she thought. Her traitorous heart whispered that she trulywas helpless.Not as long as the Goddess stands by me , she told herself desperately. Athena helped those women who held true to her ideals; women who weren't afraid to be strong. It was time to be strong.

She wormed her hand down toward her waist, deliberately raising her hips to cradle the man's erection. He shuddered against her. She took a deep breath, preparing herself for escape. Even as she rubbed against him sensuously, she slipped her hand into the pouch holding her spindle, pulling it out slowly to her side. It was a simple tool, a bobbin on a stick. But the stick was strong, the end sharp and pointed.Athena, guide my hand .

Moving as quickly as she could, she slammed the spindle into one of his arms, using every bit of her strength to drive it into his flesh. He tensed, and in that instant she sank her teeth into his hand. Hard. A gush of hot, salty blood rushed into her mouth, and he cried out in startled pain. It threw him off balance long enough that she was able to push him off, rolling out from under him. Viciously, she attacked him again with the spindle, plunging it into his side. Where she found the strength to do so she didn't know, but she felt as if Athena herself was there, guiding her hand. She tried to pull back, to stab him again, but the spindle stuck in his flesh.Run , a voice seemed to whisper in her mind. She obeyed.

She jumped to her feet and took flight into the trees. All around her the pipes and drums wailed, mixed with the howls and screams of the nymphs and satyrs. No one would have heard his cry, although she had no doubt that within seconds he would have the entire group after her. But which way should she go?

A snowy white owl swooped down before her, its soft feathers brushing against her face as it passed. Wondering if she was crazy, she followed the owl, running as fast as her legs would carry her.Could the bird be a guide from Athena? She wondered. There was no way to know. She certainly didn't have any better idea of where to go, though.

Branches tore at her face and clothing as she ran, and with disgust she could feel the worn leather strap of her sandal loosening. She'd needed to get it fixed forever, and now the damn thing might cost her life. It worked its way loose, and then was flopping against her foot, nearly causing her to trip. She paused for a second, trying to tie it. She could hear something crashing through the underbrush behind her. Nearby, the owl hooted urgently. Kicking off the broken sandal, she started running again, ignoring the pain as she hit a sharp stone. Adrenaline kept the pain from slowing her down, but that wasn't going to be enough. She knew she must be leaving a trail of blood. She heard a howl from her captor ringing through the woods; in the distance, a group of Maenads screamed in answer.

The owl flew ahead of her, as a roaring noise grew in her ears. At first she thought it was her own breath. She barely managed to stop in time when she came upon a cliff overlooking a waterfall that fell downwards for hundreds of feet. There was nowhere left to run. She gave out a whimper of defeat. The owl had misled her, and now she was going to die. She sat down, holding her knees up to her chest tightly and started rocking back and forth, moaning in fear.

The owl screeched at her, sounding almost annoyed. She looked up to find it hovering over the waterfall, swooping down and flying back up to her. It was as if it wanted her to jump…

"If I jump, I'll die!" she yelled at the bird, growing hysterical with fear.

"I can't survive a fall like that. I can't even swim!"

The bird screeched again and flew abruptly at her head, beating her face with its wings. A sense of calm washed over her when she realized the bird was trying to save her from something worse than death. Jumping off the cliff would be better than being gang-raped by satyrs, before being ripped apart by Maenads. At least this way she would go quickly, with her dignity and virginity still intact. Athena was giving her a choice, she thought. By jumping, she could control her own time and place of death. Whispering a prayer of thanks to the goddess, she stood and leapt off the precipice before she could change her mind. Cool air rushed by her, and for brief seconds she felt suspended in space. The water rushed up at her like a wall; then it was upon her. The owl screeched in the darkness, and consciousness ended. Her last thought was of the goddess, cool and calm, reaching out to catch her.