Page 84 of The Wolf and Her Shadows

In a trembling voice, Mariane asks, “Would you have come for me?”

Without an ounce of hesitation, I nod. “Of course I would have. Even if we’d never met before. Even if some old lady had told me not to. If I’d heard of a woman being held against her will and forced to endure being assaulted every night…” Furious rage rises inside me just thinking about what those men did to the woman I love, and I snarl, “I would’ve destroyed anything and anyone in my way to rescue her.”

“Even if she’d claimed she didn’t need rescuing?” she whispers, still sniffling softly.

My anger instantly dissipates, leaving behind a small smile in its wake. “Even then. I would’ve simply cleared the way for the fair maiden, so she could rescue herself.”

“Fair maiden?” A strangled bark of laughter fills the air, sounding much more pleasant than her sobs had been. “Does your ridiculousness truly never cease?”

I shake my head, giving her a playful smirk. “I fear not, Your Majesty. Unfortunately, I am unable to resist the desire to make a fool of myself while in your presence. Not when your sounds of mirth are so incredibly beautiful.”

Her fingernails dig further into my back as she slowly shakes her head. “How is it you always know exactly what to say in order to produce those sounds you're so fond of?”

“Perhaps I’m simply that irresistible?”

I’d meant the question as a joke, a mere continuation of the playful banter I’d started in hopes of cheering the woman up a bit. Yet, the way her gaze darkens before slowly trailing down to my lips, it seems as though my words might’ve had an unintentional effect on her instead.

“Perhaps you are,” she whispers, leaning in towards me. “Vannaria, would it be incredibly inappropriate…” One of the hands on my back slowly begins sliding towards my ass. “If I were to ask if I could fuck you right now?”

I lick my lips, heat and arousal both pooling in my core when her fingers dip below the waistband of my trousers. “I am but your humble servant, Your Majesty. Use me in any way you see fit.”

“Thank you, my most loyal subject.” Her lips slowly curl into a predatory smile causing me to shiver in anticipation. “For you see, I find myself needing a distraction… And I think I know the perfect reward for your unending devotion to me.” Her hand cups my ass and I swallow down a hiss of pain when her short nails dig into my flesh. “How would you like it if I were to use your face as my personal throne?”

I’m only just barely able to stop myself from whimpering. “There is nothing in this world that I would like more.”

“Excellent. Although if you change your mind at any time, you need only say so.” She tilts her head, eyes never leaving my lips. “Or I suppose since your mouth will be occupied, you’ll need to find some other way to let me know.”

I momentarily allow my own gaze to fall to the shadows of the trees around us. With a sly grin, I will them to me, forming a dense tendril of shadow to tap Mariane on the shoulder with. She lets out a startled yelp, flinching away from the touch.

Once she realizes what I’d just done, she grins back at me, her nails digging deeper into my ass. “Well, well. Looks like I’m not the only with magic that needs testing.” Her eyes begin to faintly glow blue as several long thin vines sprout up from the ground around us, curling lazily in the air while they seemingly await Mariane’s commands.

“It appears not.” I use my shadow tendril to brush a lock of hair behind her ear before moving it towards the neck of her shirt. “I only ask that if you see my eyes change color–”

“I’ll release them immediately. No questions asked.” At my nod of gratitude, the hand on my back trails down to the front of my trousers and, with a flick of her thumb, she unbuttons them. “Now, where were we?”

One of her vines begins to slither up my leg and two more brush against my arms before curling loosely around my wrist. I suck in a breath, realizing my fantasy from earlier today might just be about to come true. Mariane pauses for a moment, her eyes roaming my face as if to judge the cause of my reaction.

Whatever she sees causes a positively feral smile to spread across her face. “Oh, this will be fun.”

The whimper I’d previously swallowed bursts free when her vines tighten, forcing me to release my hold on her as they stretch my arms out to my sides. My breathing grows heavy, not from panic, but from the intense desire to have this woman use me and my body however she sees fit.

Mariane takes a step back, then another, causing me to nearly whine pitifully at the loss of contact. Tapping a finger against her chin, she hums. “I’m curious, just what can your little shadow tendril do? How dexterous is it?” The vine around my leg tightens as well, holding me in place while another wraps around my opposite ankle. “How strong?”

I let out another whimper when my legs are forcefully yanked apart, my arms and legs both now fully restrained as I’m spread before her. As if I’m on display.

She reaches out and gently caresses the tendril I’d created, still hovering where I’d first used it to tap her on the shoulder. I gasp, my entire body shuddering when I feel her stroking it, as if she were touching my own skin.

Noticing my reaction, she squeezes it once before letting go, a wicked gleam in her eye. “Well, that at least answers the question on how sensitive they are. How about you answer the others for me now as well? I want you to use your little shadows to remove my clothes. All of them. Then, and only then, will you prove to me that you’ve truly earned your reward.”

A low whine slips past my lips, my mouth watering and cunt aching in anticipation of earning said reward. Taking a deep breath, I lower my gaze back to the shadows around us, willing six more tendrils to form around Mariane’s body. As I obediently use two of the tendrils to grip the bottom of her shirt and slowly begin pulling it up her torso, I suddenly find myself extremely grateful that neither of us chose to wear our armor today.

Her grin widens, but she otherwise doesn’t react. Nor does she raise her arms to assist me, forcing me to use two more tendrils to gently lift them myself. I’m careful not to use much pressure, refusing to do anything that might trigger painful memories for her.

Once her shirt is off and discarded onto the ground next to her, I narrow my eyes in concentration, using those same tendrils to remove the bandeau still covering her breast. I’m once again grateful she’d been wearing it and not simply wrapping her chest like she’d done while we were traveling together.

Beads of sweat dot my forehead as I combine three tendrils into one large mass reminiscent of a boulder behind her, and with another I lightly nudge her backwards until she has no choice but to sit on it. Glancing at her makeshift seat, she lets out a quiet giggle, her stern demeanor momentarily falling away.

With renewed determination brought on by the sound, I use my remaining tendrils to quickly tug off her boots and socks. Licking my lips in excitement, I then slip them beneath the waistband of her trousers and begin slowly peeling them down her thighs. My shadows aren’t fully solid, and therefore the fabric meets little resistance, making it much easier than I’d expected it to be to remove these as well.