With each determined step she took towards him, her leg became momentarily visible when it slipped through the slit of her dress. Her eyes glinted like hard gems in the candlelight. With a thought, she could rain destruction. She was beauty and danger rolled into one.

The first tendrils of intimacy that had been developing between them crumbled. Though she was obviously upset, Arwin couldn’t help but feel there was something important behind it in her eyes. Confusion? Betrayal? But why?

He raised his hands to ward her off. “Please, I was being honest. I really am impressed by you.”

“Don’t play dumb with me. You’ve never even seen magic before. You’d be impressed by a chicken laying green eggs.”

“Well, they would probably go well with green ham.”

“You dare mock me!” She was almost upon him.

“No!” He jumped up out of the chair and moved to put it between them. “It was a joke. Let’s just calm down.”

“I started to let my guard down.” She shook her head. “Idiot. I was so stupid, thinking you might be different just because you’re from somewhere else. Because maybe you’d never have heard of me and wouldn’t treat me the way everyone else in Heartstone does. But you’re not different, are you? You’re not interested in finding out about me; you just want to run, scared. Just another liar, pretending to be kind. Trying to fool me so you can loot my home. Just someone else I can’t trust.”

“What are you talking about? Where is this even coming from?” He half-heartedly laughed. She did not take that well.

“Oh, you want to laugh? Laugh at this!” She pointed.

Arwin wisely ducked behind the chair. Said chair burst into purple flames. He fled towards the other end of the table, keeping it between them as if it afforded some measure of protection. “Please, don’t do this.”

“Do what? This?” She pointed.

Arwin felt a burning pain in his backside and jumped. He looked over his shoulder. A tongue of flame had snaked out of the fireplace and lashed out at him. He danced away, rubbing his smoking backside.

She smirked. “Well, aren’t you a real hottie.”

He did a double-take. Did she just make a pun? He shook himself. This was no time to find her even more attractive. He dashed behind her chair and put it between them. “Why are you so upset? I was just trying to compliment you. I meant what I said. We were having such a lovely dinner. Let’s just sit back down. Please. I don’t want to fight. I enjoy your company. I’d like to find out more about you. Really. Is there a dessert?”

She gave him a thin smile. “Why yes, if you’d like. How about a nice, toasty — fireball?” She cast her hand out, and a ball of fire shot toward him.

Arwin yelped and dove to the side. The fireball exploded on the chair. Now both pieces of furniture were on fire.

The Dark Enchantress tsked. “Now look what you’ve made me do. Do you have any idea how old this dining set is? How irreplaceable?” She concentrated. A pair of wet, swirling vortexes appeared over each chair and extinguished the flames.

Arwin made use of her distraction. He got to his feet and sprinted for the nearest doorway. He made it about five meters before an unnatural gust of wind bowled him over and sent him sprawling to the ground.

She coyly taunted him, “Where are you going? I thought you wanted dessert.”

“Well, the fireball looked delicious. But I was thinking more like ice cream?”

“Oh? You want something cold? Then how about this?”

Something sucked all the moisture from air, quickly drying it out. Then a pile of snow fell out of the air above Arwin’s head and buried him.

He girlishly screeched as some of it got past his collar and down his back.

The Enchantress threw back her head and laughed.

The sudden temperature change left him shivering. He scooped up a double handful of snow and started compressing it. “You know, it looks like there’s enough to share.” From his seated position on the floor, he whipped a snowball at her.

She ducked slightly and watched the snowball sail past, not even close to hitting her. She started to turn her head back towards him. “Ha! That’s not very accur—“ Poof! A second snowball smacked her right in the face. She looked completely shocked.

Arwin burst out laughing. “Gotcha. The first miss was on purpose. So I knew where you’d be for the second one.”

She gave him a flat look. Snow melted on her face and dripped to the floor.

Arwin stopped laughing. Ok, maybe hitting the evil super villain who knows magic in the face with a snowball was not the smartest move. He gave her an awkward smile. “I’m really sorry. I don’t know why we’re fighting. Can’t we go back to talking and stuff? Talking’s nice. I like talking. Truce?”

She wiped her face with one hand. “Truce? You’re still holding a snowball in your hand.”

“Um, I was making dessert. For you. Shaved ice. You don’t happen to have any mango syrup, do you? Some condensed milk?”

She fought a smile. “You hit me in the face with a snowball. You’re a dead man.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

He held out the snowball. “But I was just trying to share!”

She held out her hand, and a ball of snow coalesced in her grip. She threw it at Arwin. It missed by a nautical mile. Which is a lot.

He snorted. “You throw like a girl.”

She frowned. Then a dozen snowballs appeared around her and flew at him.

Arwin panicked and tried to cover up, but they came from every direction, pelting him in the chest, back and head. “Ow ow ow!” He struggled to his feet, slipping in the melting snow, and tried to run away.

She asked with fake sweetness, “Not hungry anymore?”

“I give up! I give up!” A snowball hit him right between the legs, and he doubled over in shock, then fell to his knees. His hands instinctively went to the injured area. He groaned. It felt like his stomach was trying to climb up through his throat.

She giggled at the sight and walked up to him. “Now that’s more like it. On your knees before me.”

He gasped, in real pain, “Please. No more. I don’t want to fight.”

“Well, maybe I do.”

He clumsily got to his knees, wincing as he did. “I’m sorry. Look, I’m not a liar. This,” he gestured widely to the castle around them, pleading with her, “and you, it’s all a lot to take in. But, I promise, I do find you interesting. And beautiful. I’m not trying to trick you about anything. I like you.”

Her playful expression dimmed. She protectively crossed her arms. “I don’t believe you.”

“I’ll be honest with you. Always. I promise.” Probably break that promise as soon as it guaranteed getting to safety.

She pursed her lips and looked away, looking uncertain. “You actually like me?”

“I do.” With mock gallantry, he moved to one knee and pleaded with a smile, half joking, “I promise. Now, please don’t kill me?”

She looked down at him and sized him up. Finally, she nodded to herself. “You want mercy?”

“Yes!”

Her coy grin returned. “Then kiss my feet.”

He wondered if she was joking.

She arched a brow and put her hands on her lovely hips. A confident and commanding smile curved her pretty lips.

Not joking, huh? Well, Arwin was no masochist, nor did he have a foot fetish, but her feet did look pretty in those shoes and, more importantly, he did not want her to throw another fireball at him. He pushed aside the pain in his groin and bent forward onto his hands. He lightly kissed the top of her right foot.

“Hmm. You can do better than that. And you will. I insist.”

Hearing a hard undercurrent in her voice, he proceeded to touch his lips to her feet again, kissing her several times. They were very pretty feet. He didn’t stop until one foot rose from the ground and slowly lifted his head so that he looked up at her smile. He sat back, resting on his heels.

She reached under his chin with her sharp nails, then raised her hand, forcing him to practically jump to his feet. She looked into his eyes for a few moments, half smiling, then her eyes roamed down his body. She stepped very close. “Actually, I think I have something else in mind for dessert.” Her hand reached forward and cupped the part of him that had been hit by the snowball. “That is, if you’re not too sore?”

Arwin was acutely aware of her face, close enough to kiss, the challenging look she was giving him, and the way that she licked her lips. He felt the heat of her body on his own. Her nipples brushed his chest, and he imagined how her breasts would feel in his hands. And he could certainly feel the way she held the soft, slightly swollen part of him below.

She tilted her head up just a little as if ready for him to respond, as if ready for his mouth to meet hers.

His heart picked up speed.

She was gorgeous, sexy as hell, and coming onto him as strong as any woman ever had. He started to raise his hands, intent on putting them around her waist before kissing her. Then he hesitated.

Maybe it was the blow to the soft tissue below the waist, maybe it was his escapades with the nymphs leaving him drained, but as eager as he was to be with her, a very specific part of his anatomy wasn’t exactly rising to the occasion the way he’d like it to. And he distinctly remembered how negative her reaction had been to that earlier. Not to mention the fact that she’d tried to incinerate him only moments ago. Being the target of attempted murder is rarely good for one’s libido.

Apparently, he took too long to respond. She squeezed the tender flesh with strong fingers, and he grunted. A bit warily, she asked, “Something wrong?”

He made an awkward laugh. “Well, as much as I’d really, really like to…um, well, the spirit is willing, but the body is a little worn out at the moment. I’m so sorry. Pleasedon’tkillme.”

Her eyes searched his, looking for the truth, still not entirely willing to trust him yet. “Don’t worry. I think I can help you with that. After all, I am a magicist with expertise in human biology.”

“Oh?”

“But this is going to be delicate work. It would help to have direct contact with the subject.” Without waiting for an invitation, she slid her hand down the front of his pants and took a much more intimate grasp of the situation.

Arwin gasped, partly because he was still unfortunately sensitive, partly from the exciting feel of her skin on his. They stood like that for a moment. Then a cool, tingling feeling spread through the bruised area she touched. His pain melted away. He felt restored, energized, and, frankly, increasingly horny. At long last, he became performance ready.

She smiled triumphantly, and her hand slid up a little bit to get a better grip on the evolving situation. “See? That wasn’t so hard. But now it is” She sounded very satisfied. Her other hand reached up and took hold of the back of his neck; then, she drew him down for a deep, passionate kiss.

Instinctively, his hormones now raging, he pulled her tight to his body and rejoiced at the feel of her. He couldn’t help himself. He wanted nothing more right now than to throw her down and have his way with her.

And yet.

A small, a very small, annoying part of his brain, a part that he roundly cursed as he kissed her, brought unwanted thoughts. Was she only toying with him again, or was this leading to actual sex?

Despite her playfulness and physical aggression, if he had sex with the Enchantress now, would it just be for fun before she let him go on his merry way?

Or would she, like a spider, mate and then literally eat him? Would she make him the centrepiece for her next dinner, just another roast beast smothered in honey glaze and with an apple in his mouth? Would she spin a web around him and suck all the juices out of his body?

Or would sex lead her to feel romantically attached, with the potentially dangerous, new expectations that might come with that?

Her luscious lips felt like crushed rose petals on his own. The warmth of her body drew him closer. Her breasts felt soft yet firm against his chest, and he ached to touch them but didn’t yet dare move his hands from where he gripped her waist. He tried to think, but she’d made it very difficult for his brain to operate. He fought to maintain his resistance, but it was difficult given how acutely aware he was of the way that his fingers touched the top of her buttocks and the way that their loins pressed one another.

Should he cross this line with her? Should he give in? What would she think and feel afterwards? What would she expect? Despite her beauty and sex appeal, he doubted that he’d be happy as her boy toy, and he strongly doubted that she’d take romantic rejection well.

His body said yes to sex. But his somewhat mature and experienced mind said…this might be asking for serious trouble. He was here on a mission for a friend, not to screw around. He wasn’t even from this world and wasn’t sure he could stay. He couldn’t date this woman; she was probably evil and was definitely dangerous. It would be foolish to lead her on, however unintentionally. And yet…

He growled with indecision.

This only encouraged her. She clawed his back and stuck her tongue in his mouth.

Without thinking, he entwined his tongue with hers. Against his better judgement, he gave in to her.