It had been a mistake.
Trying to remind myself of that. A few minutes ago, during my grey, unliving toil that had seemed a self evident fact. It had seemed important enough to fudge a couple minutes to try and get in before he did. But actually being back in, back where that supposed mistake had happened, all my prior concern and all that need for haste doesn't seem all that important anymore. It's funny, in retrospect. After making my request clear he'd sat back for a moment and simply said, “Oh, that's why you're so down tonight.” Moments later our meals had been served and his motormouth from earlier in the evening - his usual unflappable gregariousness – had mellowed out. Nothing more being said about it, one way or the other, and the resulting awkwardness causing me to self consciously pick at my meal. Barely eating half of it. Less. By the end of dinner his rejection had seemed self evident, but the pints had somewhat muted the sting.
“Thanks for dinner. I guess I'll see you later.”
Turning to leave, but a hand on my shoulder spinning me back around. “Where do you think you're going?”
Heading to our room at the inn, giddy and giggling, unable to keep my hands off him. The guy regarding me with a sort of detached amusement, shucking off his clothing piece by piece, rolling his shoulders back and then sitting on the bed like it'd been a ten foot tall throne. A lounging lion watching his latest meal laboring to throw herself directly into his mouth. Hopping onto his lap, straddling him, and taking hold with both hands. Unsheathing and sheathing him. His detached, tough guy act not surviving as his most sensitive and pleasurable part had been rolled and teased. Pressing him against my drenched opening and slowly, painstakingly, lowering myself onto him. Being filled - overfilled - uncomfortable, but stretched so good. Face to face, our tongues tickling. Starting slow to get accustomed, but then his insistence setting the pace, pulling me against him. Not letting me get away. Finding myself on my back, his teeth making marks on my neck and shoulders, his fingers brutalizing my chest and savaging my nipples, his unrelenting, resolute gloriousness driving the breath and all remaining thought out of my body.
My relationship with him has been altered - irrevocably altered - but everything has already been altered, and that's the simple fact of the matter. It's impossible to turn back the clock - impossible to keep everything the way it was - and trying to pretend that nothing had changed, likewise impossible. If last night had been a mistake, it was of the delightful, fortuitous variety. He's discovered me, the new me, and he's become intimately acquainted. It wasn't a mistake at all.
“You're already starting without me?”
Opening my eyes and finding myself back in the present, knuckles deep while reliving the moment. Omen reaching over.
“You want to get some food, or...?” His fingers beginning to play. Beginning to penetrate.
“I- I want, I want to...” The words not quite on the tip of my tongue, but the curling motions of his fingers coaxing them out. “I didn't get to do it last night but, if you want me to, I'd like to suck your cock.”
“I never dreamed you'd ask.”
Omen's arrogant smirk punctuated by his fingers merciless assault on my clit. My thighs instinctively pulling together, but doing that only trapping his hand. His mouth clamping onto one of my nipples. Driving driving me crazy. Inarticulate. Trying to recover, trying to make sense of things, and my vision going dark.
“What are you waiting for? You're the one who asked. Get sucking.”
Every instinct telling me to rip him to pieces, every instinct telling me to submit, every instinct dialed way up past eleven while still riding my high. His member large and hot on my face. Throbbing. His smell overwhelming my senses. Opening my mouth.
“It's really something,” he says, “you're insatiable. What do you like most about sucking my dick?”
“I like making you feel good.” And the taste, the smell. Underneath his foreskin is that head spinning, musky aroma. “And the way I can make you do this.” Nibbling on the underside, near the tip. His head going back, releasing a groan. “And you're big. It's fun to play with.”
Omen recovering enough to say, “Biggest you've ever seen, huh?” Grinning down at me, the answer obvious in his mind.
“Mmm.”
Nope. Daniel is bigger, but after dealing with this he'd probably have been too big. It wouldn't have even been good, it simply would've been too big. And Karson. Only ever seen him soft, but he's a monster. Fun to look at, fun to think about, but getting overstuffed by that would hurt, and definitely not in a good way.
“You're almost too big. I'm loving the challenge.”
Omen's laugh sending gyrations down. “You know what? You're talking too much. If you're going to spend all this time talking I know what you should do. Get your mouth on my nutsack.”
Arrogant. He's already getting close and wants a break. Changing my focus.
“Mac, ah, that guy you were dating, I need to thank him for doing such a good job with you, but he's an idiot of the first order. Pushing an eager, compliant, oh, that's good, horny little girl like you away, he should get his head examined. Yeah, right there, you know where all the good spots are, dontcha? I'm almost there, tell me how much you want it.”
“I want to taste you.”
“Yep, he's an idiot. Yeah, like that. I know exactly what you need. Open wide.”
Almost there, all the telltale signs screaming, and then his dick erupting. Closing my eyes as the spurts came, the stench overpowering. He's not even aiming for my mouth.
“That's a great sight.” His fat rod giving my face some smacks and rubbing his seed all over. “Clean it off.” Cocksure, that's the best word to describe him, but he's so thick and he doesn't taste bad. “That's good. You really like it, don't you? Alright, you dirty fucking whore, I spent all day thinking about what I was going to do you and now you're mine.”
Letting out a squeak as he rolled me over and put me on all fours. Pushing my face into the mattress. Positioned himself behind, still at full mast, and teasing my saturated opening. Pressing in - barreling in - filling me beyond bursting, pain and pleasure mixing. Each thrust causing gasps and mewls to fill the mattress.
“Oh, fu-”
His palm's openhanded smack causing all these tingly little vibrations and making it seem like the hot bar splitting me apart had momentarily increased in size. The tingling branching out to every extremity. Oh, fuck, that feels so good. Two more quick smacks in succession, left, right, followed by a rapid series of thrusts grinding me into the bed.
“You're so responsive.” His hands resting on the stinging spots and one of his thumbs massaging my sphincter. A glob of spit hitting. Pressing against it.
“Nuh...” My half conscious, instinctual protest lost in the bedding. His finger breaching and the intrusion sending an alarm up my spine. Putting my elbows under me and our eyes meeting.
“I'll murder you.”
“Oh, there you are, Mac.” His thumb not pulling out, remaining in exactly the same spot, teasing. “I was wondering where you'd gone. You may say that, but I know a slut when I'm drilling one. Before the end of the night I'm going to have you begging to get fucked in the ass. You may hate it the first time, and maybe the next, and the next, but eventually you'll learn what's good for you.”
***
He tried. He did not stop trying until he finally ended up getting the message. Big dick, big ego, and big amount of trying. Arrogant is fine. Persistent is fine. For a two night stand, definitely more than fine. But for nothing more serious than that. The shower turning off and the guy walking out, wrapped in a towel, drops of water rolling off his gorgeous, broad shoulders.
“I enjoyed our nights together.” Getting on my tippy toes. Giving him an expectant look and tilting my chin forward.
“Same.” No kiss. His hand ruffling my hair, instead.
“I'll see you later?”
“Not today, but later in the cycle.”
“You'll talk to them for me?”
“I'll do what I can.”
Taking a fast shower and then heading back to Haven to get breakfast and my field gear.
***
Leaving House Haven's warehouse after a solid hour and five minutes of work, and heading in the direction of the library. Not that far away, should be back in time for that ten o'clock tick, maybe put in another thirty, perhaps even thirty five, minutes of work before meeting Harper at the West Gate. Walking up to the entrance of House Solstice, thinking about knocking, but then trying the knob. The door opening and inside is a wide open foyer covered with a dark, thick rug.
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It's faint, but there's that familiar decaying Blood Mage graveyard smell. Now where would Rudolf set up here? Personality-wise, the tower seems obvious - maybe the Solstice leadership wanted the space and that's what originally set off the row. The tower should be over in this direction. Taking a couple steps in and two members of the House rounding the corner.
“You're trespassing,” the girl says. Buxom, and sort of looks like Vivian. “The door has a knocker for a reason.”
“Nora, there's no need to be rude, I'm sure she's-” The guy cutting off, recognizing me. “She probably, um, has a good reason for being here.”
“Good, if you want to deal with her, you deal with her. Getting stuck on door duty has been the worst.” The girl disappearing once more, leaving me face to face with my one time date to the gala. Was it even a gala, strictly speaking? We didn't even have one dance. More of a reception, than anything.
“I need to talk to Rudolf.”
“Rudolf? You mean Rudolf, Rudolf?”
“Him.”
“You're sure? He's very...” The guy visibly flustered. “Alright, I'll bring you to where he set up, but I'm not promising anything.” Falling in behind him as we make our way through the House, in the general direction of the tower. “Do you remember me?” His question coming after a couple turns.
“I do.”
“And you're...” My guide stopping, forcing me to stop with him. “I've thought about what happened the last time we saw each other. I've actually thought about that encounter quite a bit. I didn't really appreciate what you'd gone through that night and at the time you didn't really seem, well, at the time I guess I didn't really care how you seemed. I acted like an inconsiderate asshole. I know you're not going to forgive me - you shouldn't - but I wanted to get that off my chest. Everything had already been ruined at the gala and then I went and ruined it further. I'm sorry about that.”
That night, the night when everything had changed, the night my paranoia had been so impeccably correct. He could've forced it, if he wanted. He simply could've physically forced it. Had been too weak at the time to do anything beyond bluff. He even could've used his magic, if he was worried about the bluff, but instead he'd backed down. His momentary lapse, not even acted upon, pales in comparison to nearly each and every one of my crimes. Does he want anything from me for saying that? Nope, he's already walking again. He just wanted a few seconds of my time to get it off his chest, and that's what he did. Should it really be left at that?
“I forgive you.”
“What?” The guy turning back to make sure he'd heard correctly.
“I understand. I forgive you.”
“Just like that?”
“I'm not going to hold a grudge. You gave an honest apology. Unasked.”
“Oh.” My one time date to the dance that never quite happened taking a moment to compose himself before resuming his walk. “Rudolf's up here. Um, what's your schedule?”
“Two, four and five.”
“I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch some time.”
“You know about my situation, right?”
“I've heard things, but you seemed interesting when we first met and I thought we had fun those couple days. I still think you're cute. Let me take you out to lunch.”
“I just got out of a-” Damn, this is flattering, but he's got to be setting me up for something. Well, even if he is. “Sure.”
“Great. How about in a couple hours?”
“Today? Can't. I'm busy until late, all day. I actually ducked out of my parole thing to come here and I want to get back by ten. Four this cycle isn't going to work, either.” My first outing with Haven. Need to make a good impression on them. Evie's gift also still needs to be made, should probably spend some time trying to figure that out tonight. “How about day five?”
“I'm not in. How about on four next cycle?”
“It'll have to be later than lunch. I'll meet you here at seven?”
“Yeah, that'll- do you really want to go?”
“Why not? I'll treat it like a fresh start and see if we click.”
“You're not worried about-” Cutting himself off to keep his foot out his mouth. “Yeah, okay, sounds good. I'll see you then.”
My former date for the gala wandering off with a spring in his step. What was his name, again? Tee-something. Let's see, he was with Jack and Matt – oh, that's right, need to send Kate a letter – and, um... we had that conversation with Avery where he introduced himself. Tim. That was it. Tim. No reason not to grab a meal and shoot the shit with one of the few people around here that doesn't seem to outright hate me.
Putting the encounter out of my mind and climbing the tower staircase. Rudolf seemed like either a tower person, or the basement sort, and here he'd chosen the tower. Heading up the staircase, round and round. Voices echoing down. The godawful, jabbering language of Tasnanca. Rudolf and a woman. No, two women. Jabber, jabber, jabber. Almost to the doorway and their conversation concluding, only one word standing out from the rest of the jabbering mess and both women saying it near the very end. Poobah. My two Pact members filing out, barely giving me a glance, while they go down the stairs.
“Ms. Macarthy, my dear, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
He seems to have gotten a whole bunch of his stuff moved in already. Beakers with tubes dripping, concoctions bubbling away over low flame, several pieces of taxidermy - an entire night hound. Over on the far wall, what must be his specific banner as a member of the Urasu family, a red dragon head with the usual two horns and open mouth filled with teeth. His specific twist, in the middle of the dragon's forehead, a third eye.
“It's good to see that you've reconciled with your students.” Rudolf humming something. “And I'd like to thank you for getting revenge on Julie's behalf against Parnell.”
“I merely made a few remarks. That my students felt so incensed about the incident is entirely to their credit.”
“Well, thank you. Please pass my thanks on to them.”
“I shall. If that is all you need, I've some errands to which I must attend. Good day.” The man making it more than clear he wants me to leave.
“I, um, I actually came to ask you about something else. I have sort of a problem.”
“Is that so, Ms. Macarthy? The world seems to be full of problems.”
“Fewer now than a few cycles ago, I hope?” The man only staring at me. “To get to it, my specific problem is this necklace they've got me wearing.” Tugging at my Augur held collar. “I was wondering if you could help me do something about it.”
The man cocking his head at an angle. “Your issue is that rather obvious beacon secured around your neck? And you want me to do something about it?” Adjusting his stance, losing a good bit of tension. “We may have something to discuss, after all. Would you care to take a seat?”
Heading further inside Rudolf's chambers and sitting opposite him at a small table. The man pouring some lukewarm coffee.
“May I ask why you came to see me, in particular?”
“It was actually my old master's suggestion.”
“Viktor. If you don't mind my asking, what do you think of him?”
“I think he's not my master anymore, a fact that he's made abundantly clear. But for some reason he still thinks he can give me tasks.”
“Indeed.” The man peering at me intently. “Before going further I'm going to need you to keep what we say here in confidence. I'll only need a single drop of your blood. Do you swear to keep this conversation between us?”
Providing the requested drop. “I swear it.”
Rudolf's chant filling the room. A slight feeling of pressure at its conclusion, then gone.
“Excellent. Ms. Macarthy, now that we can speak freely, I want to make it clear that your actions have turned this whole situation into an absolute pig's breakfast.”
“I didn't have a choice. It was either do what I did, or get shipped off. I'm probably in a worse situation than you are because of it.”
“I very much doubt that. My understanding is that you're all part time visitors to this world - that it's like a vacation for you. I have to live here full time, and live with all of the consequences.”
“Listen, I know how seedy and unforgiving this place can be, but let me tell you something, our world is worse. There's a reason this is where we come during our offtime.” The man glaring at me. “But, let me guess your situation, the reason you're stuck here in this town is because you got chased out of Tasnanca by a bunch of your brothers and sisters - or maybe you pissed off dear old dad. You're mostly concerned with your very contested claim to the throne, and that's why you wanted leverage in the negotiations with the Marquis. You want the Empire to back your claim and install you as ruler over there, without becoming completely beholden to them in the process. Am I at least somewhat on the right track?”
“Somewhat.” The man leaning back in his chair and enjoying a hearty laugh. “If my father were still alive the situation could be that simple.”
“Who's acting as the Poobah right now?”
“He is. If he were actually dead then things would be simpler, still. Ms. Macarthy, the one thing you were absolutely correct about is when you mentioned leverage with the Marquis. What do you think of the man?”
“The Marquis? I don't think anything of him. I couldn't care less. My only issue is that he's currently allowing Shaker to live in such a luxurious abode.”
“That's right, you seemed concerned with your director the last time we spoke. You don't care about our political squabbles, at all, do you?”
“No more than you care about what happens to Shaker.”
“I suppose.” Rudolf giving a quick laugh. “I suppose that is largely accurate. Ms. Macarthy, wait, I've never asked your given name before. What is it?”
“Lucy.”
“Lucy, my dear, I think we can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement. One that will solve my problems, and your problems, and I'll even throw in dealing with that beacon of yours as a good faith gesture.”
“I'm all ears.”
“Let me see the necklace. Hmm, interesting. When you first walked in here today my assumption had been you were trying to use this trinket to pierce the occlusion I've placed upon the premises. Fortunately, for us, it's easier to hide than to find. Let's see... shrouding you entirely will be overly complicated, and not guaranteed, so I think, instead, I'll use the nature of what they've done against them. I'll confound them, send them on wild chases, send them chasing after each other, this group of nine that have been watching you.”
“Nine?”
“I understand you haven't had much formal training, but you must have suspected something. Surely Savras covered at least the rudiments of reading these kinds of auras? Knowledge of that is as fundamental to your calling as it is to mine. Perhaps even moreso.”
“He didn't.”
“No?” The man shaking his head. “Well, there are nine distinct signatures, which means nine different Augurs. You are quite popular, it seems.”