Royal Blooded, page 24
part #1 of Royal Blooded Series
The first part of the trip to Coldwater passed uneventfully. The four women each used magic or enchanted items to disguise themselves as humans and they boarded the train without incident. Aria’s family had paid for first class tickets for all of them, meaning they had an entire train car to themselves. Half of it was made up of a large area with a table and comfortable chairs to spread out on, and the other half had two small cabins with beds.
As the train journey started, Eli sank into a chair and watched the group of women in front of him. Even in her human disguise, Naz was six feet tall. Her green skin had turned ebony, but her muscular frame had remained the same underneath the black spandex workout outfit she wore. He couldn’t help but let his eyes wander up and down her frame, settling on the way her yoga pants stretched around her as she bent over, shoving her luggage underneath a seat. Not to be outdone, Aria somehow managed to look both regal and sexy at the same time, wearing a frilly blue sundress that showed her ample cleavage. When she put it on that morning he had barely been able to keep his hands off of her – a fact she seemed to enjoy immensely.
“Now that we’re underway, we should sleep in shifts.” Naz announced, breaking Eli out of his thoughts. “We need to be rested when we get there. Why don’t Freya and Lilly take the first four hours, then I’ll take the next four. Aria and Eli can sleep for the last leg of the trip.”
“Why does Aria get to sleep at the same time as Eli?” Freya pouted.
Naz grinned. “Because I know as soon as Eli goes back there Aria’s going to follow him back for a quick fuck anyways. May as well send them both back at the same time, so nobody is left on guard alone.”
Aria sank in the chair opposite him, and began to spread her books and papers across the table. “Naz makes a good point. Lilly and Freya, you’re off first. Eli, I’m done with this book about Coldwater – why don’t you take a look through it while I go over this negotiation strategy one more time? It’s in Elvish, so it’ll be good practice for you.”
Doing his best not to distract her, Eli opened up the book as Naz sat next to him. She grinned as she slipped one arm underneath his, pulling him close and putting her head on his shoulder. He shook his head and looked down at her. “Aren’t you supposed to be on duty guarding us?” He said teasingly.
“What better way to guard you than by staying close? Besides, this way I can read about Coldwater too. It might help me prepare better.” She responded with a grin.
He looked up at Aria to see that she was grinning too. “Don’t look at me for support! You hired her. As far as I’m concerned, she’s doing an excellent job.”
Realizing he was outnumbered, he let out a mocking sigh before wrapping his arm around Naz, letting her move closer to him. “You may as well get comfortable.” He said. “We’ve got a lot of reading to do.”
_____________
The next four hours passed surprisingly quickly. Eli engrossed himself in learning about their destination, discovering how fascinating the city was. The majority of the population was made up of snow elves, werewolves, and other magical beings who thrived in the cold. It had originally been established as a home for magical refugees during some conflict between two warring magical factions, but had since turned into a nation with its own distinct laws, culture, and representation in the magical council.
After the first bout of intensive preparation, Lilly and Freya emerged for a group lunch before trading sleeping shifts with Naz. Both girls wore tight matching workout outfits – black yoga pants and spandex shirts. The only difference was that Lilly’s was green, and Freya’s was pink.
Eli was pretty sure that none of the women in his life could look bad even if they tried, but they seemed to have chosen outfits specifically for this trip which would tantalize him and show off the parts they liked best about themselves. Not wanting to give into temptation, Eli ate quickly while hunched over another book. He wasn’t ready to take the next step with any of them yet. Moreover, he was desperate to consume as much information as he could before they arrived, so studying was a useful distraction. He absentmindedly stretched his neck and back as he read, rubbing it with one hand and flipping another page.
He hadn’t even put his hand back down before he felt another pair of hands on his shoulders, massaging firmly. Surprised, he turned to see Freya with a look of concentration on her face while she pressed with her thumb against a knot in his back. “Really, you don’t have to do that Fre-ahhh, that feels good.”
Her naturally cold hands were like an ice pack against his skin, and her fingers were doing wonders to relieve the tension. He looked up just in time to see Lilly slide into the chair beside him, taking up the space that Naz was previously occupying.
“Hush.” Lilly said. “She gives great massages, and you’re stressed. It’s the least we can do.”
Aria grinned. “He also likes it when you touch his neck, specifically behind the ears. Oh, and when you touch his-“
“Aria!” Eli interjected, shaking his head. “Come on now, they don’t need to know everything we do behind closed doors.”
Seeing his embarrassment, Aria smiled. “Eli, you need to get over your human embarrassment about sex. We are your women – your harem. There are no secrets between us.”
“I guess I hadn’t thought about it that way.” Eli responded.
Leaning forward over the table, Aria kissed him softly. “You’ll get there. Now, I’ve got to finish looking through these trade logs and preparing. I’m going to throw on my headphones and focus – you three do whatever you like.”
As soon as she said it Freya walked around Eli’s chair and plopped herself onto his lap. Eli did his best not to get hard with her grinding into his lap, but it was a lost cause. She only began to grin wider as she felt his hardness press against her. “What should we do for the next four hours?” She asked mischievously.
“Freya, I really do want to get to know you better. But I also really don’t want to look like an idiot during these negotiations. I need to learn as much about Coldwater as I possibly can before we get there.”
Her grin turned into a bemused smirk. “So then why aren’t you asking the expert sitting in your lap?”
He paused for a full five seconds before her statement clicked. “Right. You’re from Coldwater. I’m an idiot.” He said, snapping the book closed.
“Maybe this is a good way to kill two birds with one stone then.”
“Two birds…” Freya repeated hesitantly, frowning.
“Shit. Sorry. Dumb English analogy.” He hastily backtracked, realizing that the cute woman sitting on him was a distinctly avian phoenix who might take offense to that saying. “What I meant to say was that we can achieve two goals at once. Tell me about growing up in Coldwater – that way, I’ll learn about the city and you at the same time!”
“Oh! Why didn’t you just say that!” She said, her smile returning. “Now, where would you like to start?”
“Come to think of it, I wanted to ask you something. Coldwater is on Earth, and you said you grew up there. Why didn’t you learn a human language? I can imagine being on Earth increases the risk that you’ll run into humans.”
“Tupitsa.” She responded, her accent changing to a distinctly Slavic one. “I never learned to speak English. Coldwater’s territory covers several other human nations. My Russian is pretty good – you just never asked. In school, they made us choose a human language as an elective, which is how I learned.”
“Ah.” Eli said. “I’m sorry. Did you spend time in Russia?”
“A little. I spent a year in Moscow, a long time ago. I didn’t really like it though – as a society they’re just too serious. It’s like someone sucked the joy out of their lives, and that’s not a way I’d want to live.”
“Why did you leave Coldwater?” He asked, changing the subject.
“I wanted to grow my magical abilities. It’s hard to do that there – people are a lot more reserved with how often they use their mana, given that it can’t regenerate naturally. They rely much more heavily on potions and enchanted items to restore their mana, and the cost of those can add up quickly. My mother happened to know Queen Aurora and managed to get me a position as part of the Hightower family staff. The rest is history.”
“Why does anyone live there at all then? Wouldn’t it be easier for all of them to move somewhere that their mana regenerates?” He asked.
She pursed her lips for a moment. “There’s a human city in Russia called Verkhoyansk. It holds the record for the biggest difference between the lowest and highest recorded temperatures. The coldest was -90 °F. The hottest was 100.4°F. That’s a swing of almost 200°F. People there are miserable and there isn’t much in the way of resources or jobs. They still live there though. Why do you think that is?”
Eli thought it over. “I don’t know.” He said finally.
“It’s because change is hard. If you grow up doing something and it’s all you’re familiar with then it’s usually easier to just settle for the status quo – even when you think something better could be out there.”
He shook his head. “I owe you an apology Freya. Underneath that happy, bubbly persona is a wise woman, one who I underestimated. If you can forgive me for that, I’d like to get to know that side of you better.”
She stuck her tongue out at him in response. “I’ve seen enough shit to know that life is pointless without happiness. I try to pursue it and make others happy everywhere I go. As for the apology part, no need. This is part of getting to know each other, and it means we’re moving beyond the surface-level stuff. But if you’re really insistent, I accept apologies in the form of sexual favors.”
_____________
If there was any remnant of a language barrier for Eli, it was well and truly destroyed over the next four hours. Freya proved to be an invaluable source of knowledge, telling long stories about her childhood in Coldwater and the city itself. Eli finally felt comfortable keeping up with the conversation, often interjecting questions about complex topics such as city infrastructure or customs. He surprised even himself with his ability to understand the answers, and by the end of the four hours the three of them were laughing like old friends.
Naz emerged from the beds after her four hour nap, a smirk crossing her face as soon as she saw Freya still perched on Eli’s lap. “Damn. I should have thought of that.” Naz said, shaking her head.
Feeling more comfortable with the women than ever before, Eli shot back. “Maybe on the train ride home you can.”
Naz took the opportunity to leap on top of Eli, Lilly, and Freya – crushing them slightly. “Like this?” She asked, to a chorus of laughs.
Once they disentangled themselves, Aria took Eli’s hand and led him to the beds, pulling him into one of the cabins and closing the door behind her. With a twinkle in her eye she locked the door before pushing him onto the bed and climbing on top of him. “I need some stress relief.” She said, a hungry look in her eyes as she pulled off his shirt.
“What my princess wants, my princess gets.” He said, kissing her deeply. Gripping her by the waist, he pulled her thighs to either side of his head, ducking himself under her sundress. His lips went straight for her panties, pulling them slightly to the side before running his tongue up and down her slit gently, making her sigh with pleasure. She pulled up her dress with one hand and ran her fingers through his hair with the other, rocking her body back and forth slowly as she ground herself against him.
Eli lapped away with his tongue, enjoying the shivers going up and down her spine every time he touched her clit. His hands snaked up her body, pulling down her dress and freeing her nipples for him to gently pinch and squeeze as he devoured her.
After a few minutes, Eli felt Aria’s back start to arch and she started to moan louder and louder. Wanting to send her over the edge, he slipped both hands down onto her waist and pushed her down hard, forcing her to put her weight on him. The added stimulation proved to be just right for her and she cried out his name as she climaxed all over his face.
Eli let Aria catch her breath for a few moments before he flipped her over. Her sheepish grin matched his and he wiped his mouth before kissing her again deeply. “Feeling a little better now?”
“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you absorbed sex magic from an incubus. You’re fucking incredible at that.” She responded.
“Wait, is that a thing?” He asked.
She laughed in response, then kissed him. “Yes. Someday maybe we can go to the demon realms. Maybe you could convince a succubus to join our harem.”
“I feel so pent up, I might need one. Freya was teasing me for hours.” He responded.
Aria bent over, unbuckling his pants and pulling them off with his boxers. “Let me take care of that for you then.” She said as his erection sprang free.
Aria pulled off her dress and panties in one swift motion, tossing them off the bed. She straddled Eli’s cock before slowly lowering herself onto it, groaning as she did. “Fuck. Let me go slow. I’m still pretty sore.”
“Am I hurting you?” Eli said, suddenly worried.
“Only a little.” She said, before breaking into a grin as she reached the base. “Just let me take care of you.”
Slowly rocking her hips back and forth, she kissed Eli. His hands reached around her back, unclasping her bra as she rode him. The two of them were naked now – physically and emotionally. Her gentle movements were met with his equally gentle thrusts upwards.
Aria started to move faster as she leaned backwards, placing her hands on Eli’s legs for support. Their thrusts became more and more urgent, and the sound of skin meeting skin filled the small room over and over until they both climaxed, Eli shooting deeply inside her. Aria quickly collapsed onto his chest afterwards, breathing heavily.
“You okay?” He asked after a few minutes.
“Better than okay.” She said, rolling off of him before pulling his arm, wrapping it around her as they spooned. “Exhausted though.” She admitted.
He laughed softly, pulling one strand of hair off her face and tucking it behind her ear before kissing her cheek. “You’re beautiful, you know that?”
“I bet you tell that to all the elven princesses you have sex with.” She responded, elbowing him in the ribs.
They both giggled, then fell into contented silence. After a long pause, Eli spoke again. “I really like you Aria. I don’t know if I’m ready to use the other four letter word yet, but…this feels right, you know?”
“We’re engaged, remember doofus?” She said teasingly, before breaking into a smile. “But yeah, I feel the same way. I think this could be the start of something that will last for a long time. Centuries, if it’s like this.”
“Centuries?” Eli responded.
“Yeah. Elves live a long time. As long as you keep at least some mana in you, you’re going to age differently too – you’ll live a lot longer, you might not even age at all. Does that…change things for you?” She asked, suddenly nervous.
He paused for a moment, thinking about it. “No.” He said, finally. “It changes how I look at other things in my life, but not how I feel about you.”
“Good.” She said. “But you need to get serious about inviting the other girls into our bed. My body can’t take much more of this.”
“What do you mean?” Eli asked, suddenly concerned for her.
“Eli, we’ve had sex…” She paused for a moment, counting. “Twenty eight times in the last week. I love sex, especially with you – but holy shit I can’t keep up much longer. You’re not exactly small down there either, and I’ve had to ask Lilly to heal me a few times already.”
“Fuck. I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was hurting you so much.” Eli said.
She grinned at him. “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is spongy and bruised.”
Eli resisted the urge to facepalm. “Did you just quote-”
“Yes.” She said. “Stop trying to take the blame. If I didn’t want to have sex, we wouldn’t have had sex. I just need someone else to share your love, you know? And don’t start that ‘you’ll just control yourself’ bullshit, because that’s not what I want. Pick one of the girls while we’re in Coldwater and seal the deal. Okay?”
“Okay.” He said, kissing her. “As long as you’re okay with it, I’ll live out every straight man’s fantasy of having more than one woman.”
“Good. Now let’s get to sleep fiancé, we’ve got a lot of work to do when we wake up.”
Chapter 22
By the time they reached their destination, it was already dark outside. Everyone except for Freya put on the outfits that Queen Aurora had given them as the train was pulling into the final station. They looked like blue jackets and white pants which would be useless in the extreme cold, but as Eli pulled his on he felt the familiar tingle of mana before quickly remembering to stop absorbing it. On the chest, each jacket bore the crest of the Hightower family – a black shield with a stylized gold tower on the front.
As they hopped off the train with their luggage, Freya quickly led them away from the train station. The small town where they stopped bordered on the wilderness, and within a few minutes they were trekking through the forest – completely hidden from human eyes. Eli was about to ask where they were going before he heard a rustling in the branches behind him. Him and Naz both spun towards it, Naz producing a long knife seemingly out of thin air while Eli prepared to cast a spell.
Four women emerged from the bushes, holding their hands up in front of them to show that they meant no harm. One of them turned to Freya and smirked. “I see you still know where the meeting place is. It’s been so long since you visited, we started to think you’d forgotten.”
Freya squealed before jumping and hugging the speaker. She looked like an older version of Freya – the same buxom body, curly blonde hair, and icy blue eyes. She might have been two inches taller, but otherwise the resemblance between the two was uncanny. Freya turned to face Naz and Eli, who had paused their attack for a moment. “You can relax. These are my clutchmates – my sisters. This one is Astraea, that’s Selene, Eira, and Isolde.” She said, nodding to the others in turn.
