Leslie Moore - Griffin's Daughter

Though she knew it was coming, the pain of the first penetration still shocked her. Convulsively, she dug her fingers into the muscles of Ashinji’s back, as if by inflicting this small pain on him, she could lessen her own. She moaned and burst into tears.

Ashinji moved slowly in and out of her, as if he could sense that this part gave her more hurt than pleasure. He covered her wet, salty cheeks with kisses and whispered his love into her burning ears. She felt her mind break loose from its moorings and begin to drift out to where it could more easily process the waves of sensation that crashed over and through her.

Gradually, she became aware that something else lay underneath the pain, a sensation unlike all the others she had newly experienced this night. She felt it pushing her inexorably over a threshold into an unknown world, a world that she desperately wanted to understand. She reached for it-her entire body shuddering with the strain-and then detonated with a soft explosion. Her consciousness slammed back down into her skull, tearing a cry of amazement from her raw throat.

She felt Ashinji’s body beginning to shake and, instinctively, she wrapped her legs around him more tightly. He cried out and pushed deep into her, his muscles rigid, then with a final moan he subsided atop her.

Jelena lay very still beneath him, concentrating on the connection between their flesh. She decided that she could stay this way forever, joined with her lover in perfect union.

Ashinji finally stirred and carefully pulled himself free. He rolled over onto his side and gathered her up against him. He buried his face in her hair and murmured, “I love you.” After a heartbeat’s pause, he added, “And I promise this will only get better and better for you.”

Her eyes linked with his. In the lamplight, they gleamed darkly, and the devotion she saw within their depths released a new flood of tears. She caressed his cheek and marveled at its smoothness, so unlike that of a human male.

“ I love you, Ashi,” she whispered, and kissed him.

Later that night, as Ashinji lay sleeping, Jelena sat up beside him and watched his dreams chase themselves across his beautiful face. She shifted a little and winced at the sting between her legs. She did not mind; the pain served as proof of the reality of her experience.

Fatigue finally overcame her. She lay down beneath the coverlets and snuggled against Ashinji, who stirred but did not wake. She kissed the tip of his ear and laid her hand over his heart so she could feel its slow, steady beat. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The hoarse croak of a raven startled Jelena into wakefulness. She opened bleary eyes to stare at the large, rough-feathered black bird perching boldly on the windowsill. It turned its head sideways to peer at her from an eye that glittered like a jet bead.

Jelena didn’t know whether to be afraid or fascinated. She looked over at Ashinji, who sprawled loosely on his back, one arm flung up over his head, sound asleep. The sight of his lean warrior’s body, naked in the rosy light of the new day, warmed her with a mix of embarrassment and lust. The memories of the previous night came flooding back, completely dissipating the lingering vestiges of sleep.

The raven croaked again, and Jelena began to feel a little uneasy.

It looks like it’s talking to someone, she thought. She decided to wake Ashinji.

She ran her fingers through his silky hair and, kissing him lightly on his forehead and lips, she whispered his name into his ear-softly, lest the raven hear. She felt a little silly, but she didn’t want to startle the creature and perhaps cause it to fly into the room. Ashinji muttered something incomprehensible and remained blissfully asleep. She thought briefly of tweaking him down there , but decided that she wasn’t yet comfortable enough with the idea that she could now touch him like that, and so she shook his shoulder instead.

His eyes fluttered open and focused on her face. Slowly, he grinned, then pulled her down on top of him. She felt his manhood stir against her leg. “This is the single most beautiful sight I could ever hope to see in the morning,” he murmured happily. “You…here in my bed…completely naked.” He nuzzled her neck.

“ We have…visitor,” Jelena said in a low voice, and leaned aside so that Ashinji could see the window. The raven had not moved.

“ What’s this, then! How dare you sit there and spy on us like that! Can’t you see we wish to be alone?” Ashinji pulled a pillow from underneath his head and hurled it at the window. The raven let out an indignant squawk. With a downward sweep of its wings, it launched itself off the sill and disappeared.

Jelena shivered and snuggled close against Ashinji. Something about the way the bird had looked at them- at her- frightened her.

“ What is it, love?” Ashinji asked in a low, concerned voice.

Jelena shook her head, uncertain about why the bird had spooked her so. “That bird…how do you say…Urrr!” In frustration, she lapsed back into Soldaran. “That raven. I don’t know how I know this, but there was something…not right, not natural about it. Ravens don’t just sit on people’s windowsills calmly staring at them.”

Ashinji frowned. “There are many ravens here at Kerala,” he replied in Siri-dar, “all perfectly harmless, but you’re right. It is a little strange. I’ve never had one actually come and sit on my windowsill before now.” He shrugged. “Try not to worry. It’s just a raven. Besides…” His voice became playful. “You have me to protect you from any birds with evil intentions!” He rolled Jelena over onto her back and began to tease her body with his lips and hands, awakening the fire in her still-tender loins.

When he entered her, the pain was brief and swiftly overwhelmed by the ecstasy of union with the man she loved. This time, the soft explosion she had experienced last night became an all-encompassing blast of sensation along every nerve, leaving her wrung out and deliriously happy.

Afterward, she rested in the warm circle of Ashinji’s arms, perfectly content, all thoughts of the raven and its strange behavior banished from her mind.

“ You seemed to enjoy yourself a bit more this time,” Ashinji commented, tenderly stroking her cheek.

Jelena nodded. As before, Ashinji had been gentle and attentive, and her body was learning how to respond properly. “You promised it would get better, and you were right.”

Ashinji shifted his body so that they could lie face to face. “Last night changed everything, Jelena,” he said softly. “There’s no going back to the way it was. In my heart, I am now wed to you, body and soul. All that remains is to make it official. Today, we’ll go to my parents and tell them about us.”

“ Your mother…she knows. I think she is on our side, but your father…” Jelena bit her lip, suddenly afraid of Lord Sen’s reaction. Ashinji’s father was typically a man of good humor, but he had plans for his youngest son, plans that didn’t involve a half-breed kinless girl from Soldara.

“ My father will have to understand. After all, he married my mother because he chose to. Theirs was a marriage of love, not arrangement. I’m the second child, so dynastic considerations shouldn’t play a role in whom I marry since I won’t inherit my father’s title. He may be angry at first, but eventually, he’ll calm down and give us his permission.” He kissed her forehead.

Jelena wished she could share Ashinji’s confidence. “Ashi, please wait to tell your father a little while more. Give me time to find my father…or my family, so I can say to Lord Sen, this is who I am, these are my kin. Otherwise, I have no…honor.” She searched Ashinji’s face for understanding, but she could see that he did not agree with her reasons.