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Her hand didn’t move away from the conspicuous bulge. She slid off of him, propping herself up with her other arm as her fingers teased the erection straining to break free of its confines. “I think I can keep us together and make you happy at the same time.” The suggestive lilt in her voice made him throb. Her lips returned to his, and she tugged at his waistband.
He assisted her in doing away with the obstacles of the button and zipper. Her hand encased his solid shaft and moved up and down in long, slow strokes. The insistent rhythm made his pulse quicken, but she broke the kiss to sit up all too soon. Before he could protest, she flashed him an impish grin and crept across the slippery ground away from his upper body. With one last smoldering gaze, she ducked her head down.
Her mouth was warm and moist and inviting, and Stephen gulped for air as she took all of him in. She mirrored her previous motions, bathing the rounded head with her tongue as she gripped the base of his shaft. The enjoyable sensations made his heart race, and his fingers dug into the packed snow beneath him while she devoured him with abandon.
A heavy groan echoed in the crisp air as he nudged the back of her throat. Her other hand slipped down to cup his balls, and the suction of her mouth never relented. The pressure built inside him, and regardless of how long he wanted to relish in her skillful maneuvers, he ached for an imminent release. Holding back was impossible as her lips coated his cock from top to bottom. The dynamic streams of his intense orgasm burst forth from him. She swallowed every last drop of his cum and kept him inside her until she had drawn out everything he had to offer.
When he opened his eyes, the bright expanse of snow had faded to a muddled, dingy gray. Liora curled up beside him, her head resting on his stomach, but she, too, was disappearing into the shadows. She took one of his hands in hers and kissed it, the imprint of her lips leaving the faintest impression upon his skin. “Sleep well, my love,” she whispered. “I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow.”
***
The first trickles of daylight stirred Stephen from his slumber and he found himself back in his tiny private room. Although waking up alone had not ceased to be a discouraging experience, his belief in Liora’s mission to free them was unwavering. The hope she had cultivated with her optimism and affection would last him throughout the day. Sometime in the future, he believed she would be nestled in his arms at the onset of dawn instead of vanishing into the night.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Liora’s hands hovered above the surface of the sphere as she contemplated what sort of setting to paint for her beloved artist. In addition to their favorite secluded pond, she had taken him to sunlit valleys, a mountain peak which seemed to bring them up among the stars, and anywhere else she could envision. It wasn’t until recently she had begun to question her inspiration for her created scenes. Certain snippets seemed eerily familiar to her, almost as if someone was hovering at the edge of her peripheral vision, waiting for her to take notice. She had yet to pinpoint the source of this fleeting sense of awareness, but she had other priorities.
Creating the dreams for Stephen to enjoy was an entertaining pastime, though she knew he cared only for spending time with her. Bringing these alternate worlds to life allowed her to exercise her capabilities and maintain her control over them for longer periods of time. A thrill rushed through her at the sight of him taking in the beauty of her work. She had reused several of their favorite scenes, yet she always strove to surpass his expectations and bend the boundaries of what they perceived to be possible realities.
Her mind and body ready to generate her chosen backdrop, she searched the farthest reaches of her imagination for the first inkling of an idea. His previous request to her came back, cycling through her ears in a driving rhythm. Show me what you dream of…
She closed her eyes and tried to let the design flow to her naturally. As her hands moved through the sphere, she chose not to examine what appeared inside. When she was satisfied there would be something suitable waiting for her on the opposite side of her consciousness, she repeated her nightly routine of embracing the mystical globe and immersing herself in its power.
The air was hot and oppressive. Its humidity hung heavy in Liora’s lungs. She coughed as she adjusted to the climate and looked around. A rainbow of vines dangled from a canopy of steam-moistened leaves, reaching down to the crumbling soil beneath her bare feet. Clouds of mist hovered several inches above the ground, nearly concealing the roots supporting the thick trees.
A rustling in the flora behind her signified Stephen’s arrival. He took a moment to observe his surroundings with his artistic eye, and then greeted her with a smile. “You never fail to astound me,” he said.
She paid little attention to his compliment. “There’s something else here,” she murmured, scanning over every detail of their location.
“What? What do you mean?”
“There’s more to this place. There’s more than just the forest.” She stepped up to a nearby tree and studied it, running her fingers over its rough bark up to the first branch extending from its trunk.
“What are you looking for?”
She brought her face mere inches away from the deep-ridged wood, reciting words she hadn’t thought of in ages. “Trees are always thirsty. If you get lost, follow the lines out to the water.”
“I don’t think I understand…”
His voice disappeared into the vapors of the rainforest as she broke into a run. It felt as if she barely touched the ground as she wove in and out of the trees, guided by nothing but her instincts. Somewhere far behind her, Stephen called her name, but the need to discover her destination trumped all other influences. She sprinted on.
Dense black dirt gave way to finer sand. The looming branches which had lined her path parted to reveal a magnificent beach. Wind-swept dunes on a rolling landscape led to an endless turquoise sea. White-capped waves crashed on the shore beneath a sky that churned in a glorious palette of pinks, peaches, and other soft hues coaxed forth by the setting sun’s benevolent rays.
It was beautiful and vibrant and familiar, yet something was wrong. The pieces of the puzzle she had been trying so hard to solve weren’t fitting together properly. She spun around to face Stephen, confused and helpless. “I’ve been here before. I know it,” she said. “But it doesn’t seem right.”
He didn’t say anything as Liora proceeded to the water’s edge. Closing her eyes, she let the foamy surf rise up to tickle her toes before it receded back to the ocean’s depths. She hoped the soothing rhythm would somehow evoke the memories she had been so desperately struggling to recall. Hands rested on her shoulders, and she leaned back into the arms of her companion.
“There were buildings,” she mused aloud. “Built right on the sand at the edge of the trees. And people! So many people…” The images flashing through her mind took on a striking clarity, and she fought to decipher their true meaning. Faces, voices, remnants of prior vitality all battled for prominence in the recollections floating to the surface. A chill ran through her body as realization set in. “This is it.”
Stephen remained tacit as she stepped away from him, the roiling waves soaking the bottom of her skirt. “He took me from here,” she said. “I didn't want to go.” She thought she’d found a safe place for them, a world away from Thirvar’s influences. Remnants of the malicious man lurked even in the haven of their dreams.
The vivid scenes were now replaying at full speed. There was no way to stop the impact of remembering the horrors from consuming her, and it almost knocked her over as if she had suffered a physical blow. She tried to inhale and exhale with the rhythm of the water, but it failed to calm her down.
“He wanted to take me with him. He wanted to use me. He wanted to use my power for his own gain.” The words spilled forth at a rapid pace, and she didn’t know if they were coherent or not. “I refused. I told him there was nothing he could do to change my mind. And he just laughed at me.” She stared out over the bare sands, seeing nothing but two sets of footprints. “Then they were gone. Everything was gone. Vanished. He said there was no longer any reason to stay here, so I might as well join him before I was next.”
The story left a foul taste in her mouth as she spoke it aloud, and she didn’t know what to do with the old information she had newly acquired. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to disappear entirely. She wanted to shove the memories back to the dark corners of the inaccessible shelf where they had been stored for so long.
Instead, she turned to Stephen, searching for any kind of support. “Why couldn’t I remember?” she squeaked, a lump forming in her throat. “How could I forget something like this?”
