If It Pleases You

As the burn of the cool air hit her lungs, Gretchen slowed to a walk as she traveled the path South through the forest. She stopped and bent over with her hands on her knees as she breathed in though her nose and out through her mouth. She took her bag of holding from her back then sat on a fallen log as she rummaged through the brown leather bag. After feeling around the inside, she found a whiskey bottle of Haldir's that she had cleaned out and put water in. While she sipped from the bottle, she thought back about the library. Having her other lives revealed to her had not had the effect that Damien thought it would. Gretchen didn't feel like she understood anything better than she did before, but she knew one thing to be true...Her father needed her now. She felt it in her bones when he looked into her eyes from the back of that horse in her vision.

Being faced with the reality of her existence and having the final barrier to her memory kicked in like a crack house door during a police raid had done at least one good deed, the magic of her father flowed through her again. This time was different, though. She had never been able to mist or move things with her mind before like she did with Jason. Whatever energy that inhabited her body now has gifted Gretchen with abilities that she had not known before. It felt good, Gretchen felt powerful and in control in a way she had not known before in any life.

Gretchen replaced the cork to her bottle, then pushed it back down in her bag. As she pulled the closure tight, she could hear the sound of hooves against the forest floor. Gretchen pushed herself up then darted behind a big tree and carefully sneaked around the corner to catch a peek. As she saw the approaching rider and his companion, Gretchen laughed to herself and shook her head. "These two idiots. Jesus, they just won't learn." When they neared her, Gretchen walked out from behind the tree and stood in the path.

Eason dismounted his horse then removed his helmet as he walked to Gretchen. She crossed her arms and shook her head as she grinned and glanced around the forest before looking back to him. His handsome tanned face was wearing a rugged beard that he scratched while he looked Gretchen over. She was wearing a fitted shirt that was moist with sweat from her run. The way it clung to her salty, wet skin left little doubt about her physical attributes. Her yoga pants hugged her curvy hips and bottom, it was not the type of thing a proper lady would wear in the Realm...and that was perfectly fine right now with Eason as he licked his lips and raised his brow.. He blew out through his mouth with a "Phew" then smiled.

Gretchen rolled her eyes and shook her head at his flirty nature. His thick skin and open mind would fit in well among her family she thought. "I told you fellas not to follow me. Did you come to get your asses handed to you again? I'd normally be happy to oblige you, but I have bigger fish to fry right now."

Eason pulled his leather glove off and chuckled to himself. "I'm here to help you, my lady. You can play with my ass when the jobs done, if it pleases you, or any other part of me for that matter."

Gretchen bit her lip and nodded. "Well, I guess that all depends on the kind of help you're offering, Big Daddy."

He nodded to the black wolf and said, "My furry friend is supposed to bring you back home immediately."

Gretchen twisted her lips to the side and shook her head. "Sorry Jason."

The wolf lifted his face into the air. "Oowoooo."

Gretchen smirked, "Well, that's a shocker. Thanks alot." Then, she looked back to Eason. "And what about you?"

Eason came close to Gretchen and looked down into her face. His brown eyes traveled around her features and settled on her plump, pink lips before glancing back to her eyes. "You have my sword, Gretchen. It is painfully obvious from our encounter in the hallway that my magical skill is not enough to keep a wild animal like you tamed, nor would I dare to. If you wish to run headlong into battle, I will be there by your side every moment, Gretchen. It's my honor to fight beside such a warrior."

Gretchen was taken aback by Eason's words. Eason and Agi were a different kind of man from the others in the Darke Kingdom. Damien wanted to keep Gretchen locked up safely in his stone fortress, safe from all the evils of the world while Eason and Agi appreciated her for the Valkyrie she dreamed of being since she heard stories about them as a child. "Well, alright then," Gretchen said as she walked past him and dragged her fingertips along his shoulder while she looked in his eyes. "Let me go get these clothes off."

Eason pushed out his lips and huffed through his nose in surprise. "If I'd known it would be that easy, I would've vowed my allegiance to you the first night we met."

Gretchen looked over her shoulder. "I'm going to shift, you pervert. We'll cover more ground if I'm a wolf."

Eason watched her ass as she climbed the small hill the large tree grew from and sighed. "Damien, what a fool you are!"



In a clearing on the hillside beyond the gate to the North, Damien and his brigade of witch and werewolf soldiers assessed the goblin and troll squadron in the valley below them. The invading forces had increased their efforts over the past few years. Daniel had been expecting it, all part of his visions for the impending war he knew would be coming for them eventually.

Damien rubbed his chin and enjoyed the feeling of the prickly growth on his fingers. His thoughts of Gretchen and their night together lingered and distracted him from the strategy he had been working on. His hand slid down to his neck and his fingers grazed his new bite. He smiled to himself as he rmembered the feeling of her warm walls around his cock.He could still smell her scent on him, and he longed to be buried deep inside her again, but he had a job to do first. Rhett came to his side and crossed his arms as he surveyed the scene below. "There aren't that many. Why'd Daniel send all of us for this few?"

Damien closed his eyes and took a deep breath as his mind's eye looked around the land that surrounded them. He saw another team of witches and wolves coming to flank them on the right. It seems that the goblin sacrifice below was just an enticing way to draw in Daniel's army. The real threat was coming to surprise them from another direction.

Damien smirked and shook his head. "Take your men and wipe out the goblins below us. There's another force coming up that wooded hill to our right, they're mine."

Rhett swung his arms back and forth and rolled out his neck. "You got it; I hate those slimy fuckers."

As Rhett signaled his men and they crept down to the valley, Damien reached inside the minds of his men and told them about the surprise awaiting them. Damien walked out and stood at the edge of the hill. He bent his neck from side to side then shook out his hands. As the first wolf appeared from the forest, Damien closed his eyes. He waited until the hillside was littered with as many men as possible, he could see each of their faces and the whites of their eyes. He took a deep breath and his eyes snapped open as he slowly raised his palms to the sky. Suddenly, a shockwave erupted from deep inside him and rolled through the invaders. As it passed each man, they were at once incinerated by the flash of Damien's dark magic.

Damien's men chuckled behind him as they imagined the shock on their enemies faces when they realized just what they were dealing with. Damien raised his fist beside his head to signal the men. They drew their swords and came to surround him as the remaining invading forces charged at them fullspeed. Damien's men yelled out their battle cries as they charged into the crowd. Damien withdrew his sword from the sheath on his back and slowly strode into battle.

As the first man approached him, the enemy swung his sword at Damien. He ducked as the sword sliced above Damien's head and he plunged his blade deep into his foe's chest. As the man's blood rolled down his sword, Damien looked into the face of his enemy while he gasped for air that would never reach his lungs. While the spark of life left the invaders eyes, Damien ripped his blade away and threw the man to the ground then stepped over him as he went in search of his next victim.

After the bodies of the dead were stacked, Damien set them ablaze with his mind. As they watched the mangled piles of their enemies burn in the late afternoon light, Rhett came back to Damien's side. "We should be getting back soon. You're probably chomping at the bit to climb back into bed with Gretchen. I know when Hazel and I met, that's all I could even think about." Rhett rubbed the back of his neck. "Who am I kidding? That's still all I ever think about."

Damien grinned to himself. "That does sound nice."

While Daniel's voice filled Damien's ears, he gasped, and his heart began to pound against his chest and in his ears as fear surged through his body. "Oh, no! Gretchen, what have you done?"