Arcane Arctic 5: A Harem LitRPG Dungeon Crawl Adventure, page 28
“I like that,” Jay said. “We can leave paths for others to follow—as Alphonse Howler has done in building the Black Howl resistance. But we can also leaves paths for ourselves to follow when we need to go home.”
Kalasi’s hand moved to his thigh, her claws prickling through the fabric of his trousers. “Do you ever want to go home? To the world you came from?”
Jay considered the question a while before shaking his head.
“I never felt at home there,” he said. “I think… maybe I was one of the ones who followed the path of one before me. I arrived here because Arcanicea was meant to be my home.”
“Who came here before you?”
“Raina told me there have been others,” he said. “Back in the time of the gods. But… I think it might have been Nova.”
Kalasi’s eyes opened. “You think she’s from your world?”
“I don’t know for sure,” Jay said. “But I feel a kinship with her. Even though I get angry at her sometimes. The prophecy about Queen Zienovara mentioned that she had come from another world.”
Kalasi’s pupils widened as she stared at his face. “Wenshire sought to summon the power of the gods. To trap them here for his own use. I… I don’t remember much. But I remember that.”
Suddenly she squeezed her eyes shut and pulled away.
“What is it?” Jay asked. “What’s the matter?”
“I am so useless, Master,” she hissed in frustration. “I am broken and no good to you.”
"Kalasi.” Jay’s voice carried the quiet authority he’d grown accustomed to using as General of the Black Howl army. “I need you to listen to me. You are not broken. You are not a failure. And you are definitely not alone."
A pained sound escaped her throat—half sob, half yowl.
Her control finally cracked. She pressed her face against his chest, her arms coming up to clutch at his shoulders like he was the only solid thing in a world that had spent years trying to tear her apart.
"Master, I—" The word came out muffled against his shirt, desperate and needy in a way that made his chest tighten. He never would have guessed he could feel so protective for a woman so powerful.
“Shh.” Jay’s fingers found the base of her pointed ears, stroking the soft cream fur there. "No need for that. We’ll figure it out together.”
She pulled back to look at him, confusion and hope warring in her expression. "I don’t know what to do,” she whispered. “I don’t know how to act. When I’m with you, everything feels… off balance.”
He traced the line of her collarbone with his thumb. "All I need from you is permission to take care of you. Can you give me that?"
Her answer came in a rush of breath and movement as she surged forward to kiss him. Her fangs grazed his lower lip, just enough pressure to send heat shooting straight to his core. “Yes, Master,” she murmured between kisses. “I will give you anything you ask for.”
Jay’s fingers tangled in her wavy blonde hair while the other traced the curve of her spine beneath her fur armor. She arched into the touch with a sound that was pure feline satisfaction, her own hands mapping the broad expanse of his shoulders and chest.
"Lay back." Jay slid his hands up her sides, slipping his fingers under the hem of her top. “I want to look at you.”
For a moment he thought she might refuse. Her muscles tensed beneath his hands. She bit her lip, eyes pinned on him.
"Yes.” She relaxed, leaning back against the sparse mattress. "Yes, Master. Please."
Jay took his time, his hands reverent as they revealed the lean, athletic lines of her body. In the soft lamplight, he could see the intricate network of scars that crisscrossed her skin like a map of survival. Some were thin silver lines, others broader marks that spoke of deeper wounds. They covered her arms, her torso, her legs, a testament to countless battles and the brutality she'd endured either in the dungeon, or under Wenshire’s control.
“You’re beautiful.” He traced a finger along one particularly prominent scar that ran from her shoulder to her collarbone. She shivered at the gentle touch, her breath catching as his fingers followed the old wound with reverent care.
"I hate them, Master," she whispered, shame coloring her voice. "Reminders of weakness, of times I wasn't fast enough or strong enough—"
"No." His voice was firm as mapped each mark with gentle fingers and softer kisses. "They're proof of your strength. Evidence of your survival.” He pressed his lips to a cluster of smaller scars on her ribs. "Every single one tells me you're a warrior."
Kalasi’s muscles twitched beneath his lips. She felt as lithe and dangerous as a panther in his hands, compact strength wrapped in deceptively graceful curves. He was exquisitely aware that he could only touch her like this because she wanted him to.
Her answering purr vibrated through both their bodies as she grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer. “And what will your scars tell me of you, Master?” she growled, nipping at the shell of his ear. “Are you a warrior, too?”
When his own clothes joined hers on the tent floor, Kalasi explored him with the same desperate hunger, her clawed hands and mouth mapping every inch of available skin. He didn’t have as many scars as she did, but his time in the dungeon had not left him unscathed.
Kalasi grasped his shoulders in her claws and pressed him into the cot, climbing on top of him. She licked every mark on his body with long, powerful strokes of her tongue.
Jay was shocked to find it was as rough, like a cat’s. The sandpaper scratch sent shivers through his body. He moaned his pleasure as she hunched over him like a predator feasting on his torso, the nip of her teeth and scrape of her tongue so ravenous he was almost afraid she would take a real bite.
But Kalasi’s touch was reverent, almost worshipful, as if she couldn't quite believe he was real and willing and hers.
"I don't want to hurt you, Master.” She murmured the words against his throat, her fangs a gentle pressure that made him gasp. "If I lose control..."
"You won't hurt me." He caught her face in his hands, forcing her to meet his eyes. "If you lose control, I’ll catch it for you. Trust me, Kalasi.”
She shook her head, wanting to believe, but afraid. “I don't know how to want something this badly without destroying it."
"I will not allow you to destroy me.” Jay’s words were soft, but they held the implacable hint of Authoritative Voice as he activated the power, just to show her. Have you forgotten why you call me Master?”
Kalasi closed her eyes, shivering as the words washed over her. Her claws dug into his skin reflexively, but she did not tear at him. She purred like a cat kneading a soft blanket. “Remind me. Command me, Master.”
Jay rolled her onto her back, gazing down at her heaving chest, bared breasts, and taut stomach. “Stay.”
She trembled at his words as if they touched her in an intimate way. “Yes…”
Jay’s fingers found the ties for the thin undergarments she had worn beneath her armor and impatiently tore them away. She gasped as he exposed her, watching him with lusting, nervous eyes. Hungry, but terrified of her hunger.
He parted her thighs with his hands, squeezing and caressing her muscles, stroking her skin, trailing his fingers from her knees up the pale golden flesh toward the stripe of fur between her legs.
Kalasi strained as if she wished to get away, growling and purring as he caressed her. “Master…”
Jay knew his command had pinned her to the cot as effectively as if he’d tied her there.
“If you want me to stop,” he said. “Just say the word, Kalasi. If you say nothing, I will assume you want me to continue. Is that all right?”
“Yes, Master.” Her voice shivered. “Please, yes…”
“I’m going to show you what it feels like when someone wants to take care of you,” he said, petting the patch of spotted fur between her thighs. “Really take care of you."
Kalasi moaned and trembled in anticipation.
His mouth found her breast first, tongue circling her nipple before drawing it between his lips. Her back arched off the cot, a strangled cry tearing from her throat as he lavished attention on the sensitive skin. His teeth grazed the delicate peak, and her claws dug into the fabric beneath her, shredding it in her desperation to move.
"Oh gods, Master, please—" Her voice broke on the words, already breathless from his teasing. “Oooooh, that feels… Ahh!”
He switched to her other breast, his hand replacing his mouth on the first, fingers rolling and pinching until she was writhing beneath him. Every touch sent shockwaves through her system.
Her body responded with a raw honesty that took Jay’s breath away. He could tell she wanted to reach for him, to pull him closer, but the command held her in place, forcing her to simply endure the pleasure he chose to give her.
"I can't—oh fuck—I need you, Master!" Her hips bucked upward, seeking friction that wasn't there.
He ignored her plea, trailing kisses lower across her scarred ribs, his tongue tracing the silver lines that mapped every dungeon fight she had survived. Each mark received careful attention. His reverent worship made her sob with something deeper than physical need. By the time he reached her navel, she was a mess of desperate sounds and involuntary tremors.
"Please, Master, I'm going to lose my mind!" Her voice echoed through the tent, loud enough that anyone nearby would know exactly what was happening inside.
Jay paused for a moment, wondering what the soldiers thought of their General's nocturnal activities. The sounds Kalasi was making left little to the imagination—growls and purrs and increasingly desperate pleas that would carry through the camp air. He decided he didn't care.
His mouth moved lower, kissing the sensitive skin of her inner thighs while his hands held her legs apart. She thrashed against his grip, the Stay command warring with her body's instinctive need to move.
"Oh gods, oh gods, oh—YES!" The word came out as a roar when his tongue finally found its target, lapping at her with broad strokes that made her entire body convulse.
She tasted wild, primal, and dangerous, and he devoured her just as he’d imagined her doing to him. Her breathing turned ragged, punctuated by sounds that were more animal than human as he worked her with patient thoroughness, nipping, sucking, and biting just to feel her squirm.
"Master, I can't—I'm going to—" Her words dissolved into wordless cries as he found the rhythm that drove her toward the edge.
Her thighs trembled around his head, muscles coiled tight with approaching release. She was close, so close, her body wound like a spring ready to snap. But instead of pushing her over, he pulled back, earning a frustrated snarl that was pure predator.
"No!" She fought against the command holding her down, desperate for the completion he'd denied her. “Master, don’t stop. Please… please, I beg you.”
He moved up her body with deliberate slowness, letting her feel every inch of contact as he positioned himself above her. Her eyes were wild, pupils blown wide with need and frustration, her chest heaving as she stared up at him.
"Claim me," she demanded, her voice raw with desperation. "Properly. I need—I need you inside me, Master. Please!"
The raw hunger in her voice, the complete abandon of any pretense of dignity or control, sent fire racing through his veins. She was magnificent like this—utterly vulnerable yet still radiating the dangerous power that made her who she was.
He positioned himself at her entrance, letting her feel him there without giving her what she craved. Her hips strained upward, seeking connection, but he held back just enough to drive her wild. Enough to make her beg.
"Please!" The word came out broken, desperate. "Master, I need—"
He pushed into her slowly, feeling her body stretch to accommodate him. Her tight heat gripped him like a vice, drawing him deeper into her warmth. Kalasi's cry echoed through the tent, raw and primal, as he filled her completely.
"Oh fuck, yes!” Her voice cracked with need as he began to move, each thrust sending shockwaves through her pinned form. “More, please more!"
Jay pumped his shaft deeper inside her as she begged and writhed beneath him.
The command kept her from moving the way she wanted to, forced her to simply take what he gave her. But the restraint seemed to heighten their connection. Her claws shredded the bedding beneath her as she fought against the magical bonds holding her in place.
"Master, I can't—it's too much!" But even as she said it, her body begged for more, internal muscles clenching around him in desperate need.
He found a rhythm that had her sobbing with pleasure. Calculated thrusts drove her higher, a push and pull of promise and retreat that seemed to be slowly driving her insane.
The sounds she made were beyond words, devolving into growls and purrs and cries that spoke of pure animal satisfaction. Her spotted tail thrashed beside them, the only part of her body free to express her desperation.
"Yes, yes, fuck yes!" Her voice rose to a pitch that surely carried through the entire camp. "Don't stop, Master!"
He could feel her climbing toward release, her body coiled tight as a bowstring. But this time when she reached the edge, he didn't pull back. Instead, he drove her over relentlessly.
Her body shook and shuddered and gushed as she shattered beneath him. Her climax hit like a thunderclap—back arching impossibly, a roar of feline triumph tearing from her throat like a mountain lion celebrating a kill.
Kalasi’s body convulsed around him, waves of pleasure washing over her as years of tension finally found release. The sight and sound of her complete surrender pulled him over the edge after her.
Jay groaned and his spine stiffened. A hot burst pleasure shot into Kalasi’s still quivering channel.
“Mmmmm, yes,” she whimpered. “Oooh, Master, I feel it. I feel your essence inside me. Give me more!”
Jay nestled his face against the side of her neck and bit gently into her shoulder, causing her to moan. He thrust again and again, pouring everything he had into her body.
They lay tangled together afterward, breathing hard. Her purr vibrated against his chest. He’d released her Stay command after his own climax. Now she could finally move, finally touch him the way she'd been desperate to throughout their encounter, and her hands roved over him in sleepy, sensual motions.
"How do you feel?" he murmured against her temple.
"Like something that was broken…” Her voice was hoarse from crying out, but satisfied in a way he'd never heard before. "And has been put back together."
Her clawed fingers traced lazy patterns on his chest as she processed what had happened between them.
"I didn't hurt you," she said with wonder. "I lost control completely and I didn't hurt you."
"I told you that you wouldn't."
She lifted her head to look at him, her ice-blue eyes bright with something that might have been hope. "When morning comes and the responsibilities return, will you still want this, Master? Want me?"
He ran his fingers through her hair, combing the tangles at the base of her ears.
“I told you, I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “You're a member of my party. You’re a commander in my army. You’re a piece of my heart."
The declaration sent a visible shudder through her. She pushed her head against his palm like a cat seeking affection. He stroked her ears and her hair, running his fingers over her neck and shoulders as she purred.
“That’s good. Because I belong to you now, Master. If you try to leave, I will have to hunt you down like a lion hunts a rabbit. I would not rest until I had you again.”
“Not in your teeth, I hope,” Jay chuckled.
She pinned him with her icy blue stare and cocked her head to the side. “If that was the only way to make you stay? In my teeth.”
“How about… I just don’t leave?”
“That would be better.”
“Let’s do that, then.”
“Agreed.”
They made love twice more before dawn, the twist of connection coiling tightly between them, binding them to each other the way Jay had bound his others. The connection was a relief, as if they’d fulfilled something that was meant to be.
By the time exhaustion finally claimed them both, Kalasi dozed against his chest, her breathing deep and even for the first time in months.
Jay watched her sleep, smiling to himself.
The gentle rise and fall of the cat woman’s shoulder as she dreamed, peacefully, for the first time since they’d shared a tent, was like a balm to his soul.
He hadn’t used Authoritative Voice or Cat Caller after their initial encounter. Kalasi had been so lost in her pleasure that she hadn’t even noticed her own returning control. It was a promising start.
Jay’s gaze slipped to the golden orb still hovering above the motionless form on the opposite cot.
He still didn’t know what the hell to do about Nova.
But he felt more certain now that they would find a way through.
The heart would decide which path to leave.
17
Garden Remedies
Jay hadn’t ventured into the Garden of Second Chances since their original reconnaissance mission, and he hadn’t paid much attention to it then. Of all the territories in the Hunting Grounds it seemed the safest, and therefore the easiest to ignore. No monsters dwelled there. The training Aurora and her acolytes were conducting mostly consisted of foraging, harvesting, and crafting with dungeon flora.
But as he stepped off the shimmering path that led from the main camp, he wondered if he’d been missing out. It felt like walking into a greenhouse after a winter storm. The air hit him thick with humidity and the scent of blooming flowers and rich earth, warmth that seemed to seep through his clothes and settle into his bones.
Compared to the barren wilderness of the Wendigo Woods, the humming jagged-glass mountains of Dragon’s Roost, the bubbling hot-spring-like Spawning Pools, and the foul stagnancy of the Blood Lake region, the Garden was unexpectedly pleasant.
