A tender soul [past + cw]

‘’I feared not your anger, dear Zyanya. Even though that might be unwise of me not to,’’ he said, as he took yet another bite of the way to plumb and juicy orange, making yet another mess down his chin. He never learned how to eat such exotic fruits, and although delicious, they seemed hard to master.
As she stated that she would prefer Nathaniel to join her on her walk through the forest, he nodded slightly. ‘’Then I’ll join you,’’ he said, in a soft and calm voice. Normally, the cook was the only one to see him being gentle or kind. He was used to be seen as the brutal and angry brother with a short fuse and a terrible temper. ‘’If I have other duties, they can wait. I would prefer to spend my day in pleasant company, rather than wondering how the day could have turned out,’’ he said, before taking another bite of the orange. ‘’I’ll be waiting for you in the courtyard,’’ he said with a small smile, before he got up and left the morning table shortly after she had excused herself. ‘’Please see to that the seamstress takes care of Zyanya’s dress. I fear she might have a need for it,’’ he said to the cook, before he left the room. He moved to his chambers, doing the same as Zyanya; taking a bath. However, for him, taking a bath was no simple task. The tub was almost three meters long and carved from mountain-stone. He cared not for the looks or the hot water, so it was filled from the nearest tap with cold water instead of heating it up first. He undressed, alone, and slipped into the tub. Few seconds later, his tail had formed, leaving him stranded in the tub until it would be drained, or he would be dragged out of it by the stablemaster, as he was the only one strong enough to pull out Nathaniel from there.

He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking of the young woman that probably was doing the exact same thing as him that moment. He felt the hunger grow in him, but in this form, he had no way of releasing the tension. The desire to feel her hands on his chest once more made him uneasy. With his eyes closed, he could almost feel her there in the room with him, caressing his chest as he enjoyed the feeling of the water against his skin. As he opened his eyes, he realized that he was alone, and with a sigh he called for the stablemaster to help him out of the tub.
Few moments after leaving the water, his tail turned to legs once more. He dried off and put on the clothes that one of the servants had placed on the nearby stool for him. It was nearly the same outfit as yesterday, though he cared not to put on any west or jacket. The sun would heat them both up just fine out in the forest. He left the shirt as open as when he had visited her in the nigh, only because it was more comfortable for him to wear it like that - and maybe a bit of him hoped for her to touch him again. He then proceeded to walk to the courtyard, only to find her there; waiting for him. He smiled a heartfelt smile, as he moved closer to her. ‘’So, are we ready for our little adventure?’’ he asked with a slightly cheeky tone in his voice, before he nodded at the forest a few minutes’ walk from them.

He followed her, as she set on for the forest. He remained silent for most of the walk, even though that wasn’t very long if you considered how close to the estate the forest was. He enjoyed seeing her like this; in something resembling her own element. He had not imagined her being a part of a city like Grenoble and watching her move through the forest seemed like it was the most natural thing for her. As they stopped for a moment, he heard her mumble. It was true; their nature had nothing resembling her home, and for a moment, it pained him to think of that. He had lost his home too, during the first outbreak of the bubonic plaque, but that wasn’t anyone’s fault per say. With her; one man could be held accountable for her home to be lost; Cortes. A simple human, that sought power through land and fame. Idiotic.
He was lost in his own thoughts, when she grabbed his hand and pulled him with her. He followed without asking, as she guided them to a small lake that he had not visited before. ‘’Magnefique’’ he whispered, as he heard her whisper at the same time. He looked at her with a little smile as she released his hand and moved towards a fallen tree. ‘’I never claimed you to be one,’’ he said, as she bluntly stated the she was no witch. As she was occupied with the greenery, he moved closer to the water. Oh, how tempting it was to jump in and feel the true nature of the element engulf him and making him what he truly was; a siren. ‘’I can relate to that statement,’’ he assured her as he gazed at his own reflection in the water before him. She had sat down, and since he stood near the water, he had not looked at her as she stated that she needed to apologize. He turned around, looking at her with a calm smile, as he moved closer to her by a foot or two; still keeping some distance, if she needed him to.
‘’What thoughts rummage around in your wonderful head?’’ he asked, leaning up against a tree as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her with a gentle yet enticing smile. Had she shared the thoughts he had been thinking? Felt the same desire? He couldn’t know, but at the same time; why would she apologize if it was something else entirely. ‘’I need to apologize too, I guess,’’ he admitted, with a crooked smile, before turning his head and directing his gaze to the canopy above them. ‘’I’m unsure of why, but ever since last night, I’ve been… I don’t know..’’ he said, scoffing slightly at himself. He drew a deep breath, almost resembling a sigh. ‘’I need to feel your touch again, Zyanya,’’ he said, without looking at her, as he feared her reaction being anything else than what he hoped for.

Her look of disbelief made him wonder if he had made a mistake by telling her. Yet, she got up and moved closer to him, only to whisper a statement he completely understood. It wasn’t completely false, as he did indeed desire men, too. But he desired her, regardless of her gender. He had no way of expressing that, unless she were to feel the slight growing bulge in his pants. ‘’And yet, I desire you…’’ he admitted as her fingers graced his cheek. It made him close his eyes, as he felt the prickling sensation under his skin wherever she touched him. Was this her magic? Or was it just desire he had yet to feel? He wasn’t sure. He felt her eyes land on his chest, and opened his. He looked up at the canopy above them once more, as she whispered her question through her soft and plump lips. He drew in a shaky breath, before he answered in the most controlled way possible (though that clearly didn’t hide the things she did to him); ‘’It’s referring to whatever you desire me to do to you,’’ he whispered in a shaky and slight hoarse voice. It itched in him to embrace her, here in the nature where they seemed to belong; so far away from all those that thought wrong of them.
She moved away, and he had to restrain himself from reaching for her. She moved back to the basket, sitting down yet again and picking mushrooms and moss. ‘’Of course not,’’ he said, half of him disappointed and the other half understanding. ‘’You belong to yourself,’’ he said, before he turned to look at the water once more. She desired him, and he desired her. Why was it made into this hard decision on if they should act upon it or not? He closed his eyes, breathing in the air which was scented of the forest and water; allowing the scents to cleanse his minds, until one simple instinct dominated him; desire.
He moved closer to her, but stopped a few steps before reaching her. He then sat down next to her, his legs spread out before him and slightly angled to that he kept his balance. He then did what he had craved since the night before, and grasped her chin gently with his thumb and index finger. He turned her head towards him, before he leaned in - and with the gentlest way possible, he left a kiss on her cheek. Nothing more, and nothing less, than a kiss on her soft and beautiful cheek. ‘’As I stated, it is not my intention to ask anything of you, Zyanya,’’ he whispered with his lips still less than an inch from her cheek - her name dancing on his tongue. He then released her chin, allowing her to move away if she wished so.

‘’That’s mankind… Yet, I am not human, I am?’’ he asked, as she breathlessly had whispered her assumption on the white male. She wasn’t wrong; back when he was human himself, he would have done the same. He would have taken her and claimed her as his. She was not to be owned, however, and he respected that. She was free, like him, to do as she wished - though in this day and age, it was more or less frowned upon when a woman fell under a spell of desire. ‘’I would never take you unless you told me to,’’ he then said, as her hand found its way to his naked chest - once again letting him feel the almost burning sensation of her on his skin.
As she sat there between his legs - so close to him that if he breathed in deeply, they would touch even more - he felt the instinctive urge to claim her as his. He was breathless, as he felt how she caressed his skin; making him tremble under her touch. Her whisper made him look at her, but he was not given a chance to answer before he felt her lips against his. Oh, how he had longed for that. He leaned slightly against her, making her feel how deeply his body hungered for any touch of hers. He kept his balance by stabilizing himself with on hand solidly planted behind him on the ground, whilst the other hand carefully moved to her cheek. At first, he caressed it gently, before he moved the hand down to her neck; stroking it softly. He felt like he needed to reach for air; she had drained him of it, and he didn’t mind one single bit. She moved back, making his hand glide down to her waist in a feeble attempt to keep her close. Her question had him silenced for a moment. What would Ellery say? Would he accept this? Did he actually need to know…? He sighed; his lips so close to hers that he could almost feel them pressing together once more. ‘’There’s only one way of finding out,’’ he answered, a bit greedy. She had already given him the green light on doing to her what he pleased. She would stop him if needed. Why did his brother always get dragged into this kind of ordeals?
It didn’t take him long before he had once more pressed his lips gently against hers; feeling her soft skin and tasting her sweet breath. It felt like years since he had last tasted her, although it was mere moments. He needed more; he was hooked on her. In a soft and yet dominative movement, he placed an arm around her waist and shifted them; making her lay on her back on the forest floor, with him on top of her. He ended the kiss with a whisper against her lips; ‘’Don’t fear my brother,’’. With that, he moved one more. He placed himself between her legs, making them open for him as he pressed his rather solid bulge against the now scrounged up fabric of the dress. One few layers of clothes separated them, and although eager to remove as many of them as possible, he had to remain calm. He wouldn’t want to scare her. ‘’Cualtzin,’’ he whispered against her lips, almost matching her accent perfectly. He had a talent for that, even as a human. One hand kept him up by him resting on it; making sure he didn’t squash her. The other moved to her breast, caressing it with the dress separating her skin from his.

He had heard the faint and slightly muffled moan; a sound that made him insatiable. Though they had known each other for so short a period of time, he felt like purgatory-like flames was licking his insides every moment he didn’t feel her near. It wasn’t like anything he had experienced before, which made him cling to the feeling for as long as possible. Her whisper once more graced his ears, making him sigh against her skin. Her hands cupped his face, as she explained, and he couldn’t say that he understood. He feared no judgement - he was not destined to die. He didn’t fear heaven, nor hell. The kiss resumed as he cupped her breast and he whispered in her native tongue. Had she known the fire in him, she would not have waited this long to declare what she wanted. Or would she? Did she enjoy seeing him writhe in lustful agony?
As her hand untied his pants, he closed his eyes and allowed his lips to gently dance down her skin to the curve of her neck, inches away from her collarbone. Gentle as she was, she had grasped his member, making him groan quietly against her skin. ‘’Ma Diesse!’’ he whispered, almost out of breath, as she had whispered words that made his member go from almost solid to rock hard in mere seconds. ‘’How amazing you are,’’ he whispered against her skin, as his hand tightened gently around her breast, making him have a firm grip on her. He could feel her nipple through the fabric; almost begging to be released, just like his member had been. He would have hesitated, had it been something as simple as taking her. Yet, as she had just said; she preferred to be the one to take. He could accept that. Therefor, he simply moved his one leg out to the side a bit; making her spread her legs even more. ‘’Let’s take each other then,’’ he whispered against her skin, before his hand left her breast, only to slowly glide down her side and slip in between her legs. He moved her dress to the side, gaining free entrance to her treasure. It was as simple as just pulling down his pants ever so slightly, and then there would be nothing between them but air. He didn’t hesitate, as his long and nimble fingers started to caress the joint of her legs, slowly but surely preparing her treasure for him to enter.

He heard the whimper, making him even more intense in his quest to pleasure her; though it didn’t take long for her to release his member and in a movement he had not seen coming, she turned them around once more - leaving him on his back and her straddling him. The mere position made his member throb as it pushed eagerly against her gender; begging to gain entrance.
Her whisper made him smile a crooked smile, as he sought her eyes with his. She adjusted the skirt of the dress, before she engulfed him slowly in her tight and warm treasure. He closed his eyes, as he leaned his head backwards; releasing a groan from deep down his throat. Every millimeter of her felt like it was tightening against his length, keeping him almost sucked into her. Her moans matched his groans, and by pure instinct he allowed his hands to grasp on to her hips. With her hands on his chest, she would be able to feel the heavy breathing of his; shaking and trembling by pure pleasure. He opened his eyes and looked up at her; meeting her eyes as she had engulfed him completely. he was just about to say something, when she started moving and his words got stuck in his throat as yet another groan escaped him. ‘’Yes…’’ he whispered, mostly to himself, as he could hardly bear the feeling of her around him. His member screamed to relieve itself already, but he managed to keep himself together.
It was clear that they both had searched for this sensation; her with her soft moans and him with his groans and insatiable desire for her. The hands on her hips followed her movement; careful as to not disturb the rhythm she had created. He allowed that to continue for what felt like far to long, before he moved one hand to the ground; using it to prop himself up in an almost sitting position, while the other hand kept a tight grasp on her hip - making sure as for every thrust he now made, she would feel him as deep inside her as his length made it possible. He wanted to speak; say to her how much he adored her and that he would make her his if she allowed it. But she had stated that she couldn’t - and he would not sour such a wonderous moment as this with such a statement. As he thrusted into her with his throbbing member, his lips sought way to her collarbone. Though the dress made it hard for him to reach, he managed to pull it down just enough for him to actually taste her breast. His lips was gentle, yet his tongue full of desire, as it caressed her nipple in a way matching the thrusting movement of their hips.

Every movement felt like fire within him. A fire so pleasurable that every time they missed the rhythm or shifted a bit, he was about to growl to regain the control once more. ‘’Oh,’’ he sighed, as he felt her tense up around him. He knew what it meant, and to ensure her the release he would grant her a million times if she wished so, he kept on the same movement and rhythm; thrusting deep inside her, feeling the very opening of her womb every time he reached as far as possible into her. The cramping walls around his member made him release an animalistic sound from deep within him, as the pleasure was almost too much to handle. He felt how he was just about to greet the sweet release himself, when she grabbed his hair, making him look at her with a clouded gaze. She desired more - and he knew that even before she kissed him. The word, so simple and yet so effective, made his hand move from her hip and around her waist, forcing her so close to him that they almost became one. He managed to turn them over, stopping the thrusting for a few moments, as he got on his feet with her in his arms; his member still deep inside her. With both hands on her waist, keeping her around his hips and engulfing him, he moved until she leaned with her back up against an upright tree. The edge of his release had receded, allowing him to keep going even longer. He started to move once more, keeping her in his arms, as he thrusted as deeply as possible. His lips sought her neck, while they allowed sighs and moans to escape against her skin. He knew she wanted to take - but in this situation, she had pleaded for more, and he wanted to give it to her in the best way he knew. He felt how the sought-after edge of release approached once more, as his grasp on her tightened.

Her sounds made the small hairs on his body stiffen, but not from anxiety; for pleasure. There was something so wholesome about her, that made him wonder if this was at all something new to her. She felt so tight around him; every movement felt like she was tightening as she anticipated yet another release.
He felt her hands on his face, as she tried to keep still enough to get eye-contact. His multicolored eyes told her exactly what was about to happen; he was moments away from his release, and the moments in between would be savored like nothing else. He thought not of the possibility of impregnating her, as he saw that as impossible. In any way, it would be his brother’s child then and not his. He was only in the body in borrowed time…
He leaned in for another kiss, as he could feel that in just a few more thrusts, he would not be able to keep the climax away any longer. His lips gently danced with her, as they tried to hide the hunger that lingered on them; a hunger Zyanya was on her way to satiate for a moment in time. He mumbled something, in a French tongue so much older than any dialect used to this day. To some, it would have sounded romantic, but to him it wasn’t that… It was pure pleasure washing over him, as he thrusted one last time. His grip on her tightened, as he almost pressed her down onto his member, while it pulsated and released his seed deep inside her. Past the pleasure, he could feel how the tip of his member was resting against the entrance of her womb; throbbing as it had done what nature had intended for it to do.
His grip loosened, to make sure that he wasn’t hurting her, before he lifted her away from the tree. He stayed inside her for a moment, as the laid her down in the soft grass once more, with him on top of her. His lips now wandered from hers to her jawline and further down to the breastbone, right between her two beautiful breasts. He was breathing hard, as he tried to gather his thoughts enough to pull out of her, but the mere feeling of her insides made him wish that he could stay. One hand made way to her breast, fondling it in his big hand and his lips playing slow and tender with her nipple, as he pulled out of her so slow that he wanted to thrust into her again. As he pulled his member all the way out, he released a groan that could be interpreted a lot of ways; all of them linked to desire or pleasure.

He savored the moment, as they just laid there - until she removed his hands and just tried to relax for a moment. He understood that need, and placed himself beside her instead; allowing her to do whatever she needed. He did as she, and closed his eyes to listen to the nature surrounding them. it was first when he felt her turn towards him, that he once more opened his eyes to look at her with a crooked smile. ‘’Indeed, not bad,’’ he agreed. He would use so much more descriptive words of their little incident, but she seemed to be growing tired of him speaking all the time. She got up, leaving him on the ground with his gaze fixated on her beautiful body, as she had undressed herself. He felt breathless, looking at her curves - and a little smug smile found its way on his lips as he noticed the small stream of his seed travelling down her inner thigh.
He stood up himself, as he noticed her entering the water. Was it a good idea for him to join? It was almost to tempting to resist - but… No, he didn’t care. He didn’t want to care. He undressed himself, leaving his clothes with hers, before he moved towards the waters. He stopped for a moment, as he tried to decided if it was a good idea or not to allow her to see him as he was, but he couldn’t find a single reason to distrust her. He entered the water, only to reveal that even before he could go all the way in, his legs started to fuse together, and scales emerged from under his skin. His skin turned a slight lilac color underneath, as to match his eyes that now shined a pure violet hue. Web grew between his fingers, and a fin followed down his spine - so soft that it almost looked like hair. His tail fin spread out, looking like think silk beneath him, as he entered the water completely.

He smiled slightly at her, as she approached him. He knew that to those from the land, he looked like something from a fairytale - but he had never really cared much about it. He had envied Ellery back when he was the only one of them able to connect with the element like this - and the first time Nathaniel had transformed after being captured in his brother’s head, he had panicked greatly. She could touch him wherever she wanted to, and he would just enjoy her caressing. ‘’I could say the same about you,’’ he almost whispered, as he had a hard time not pulling her into his arms and kiss her. How had she put such a spell on him in a matter of less than a day? Some part of him knew that it wouldn’t last. She would grow bored of him, or Ellery would find out about them and do something to ruin it - just to mess with him. ‘’I would never hide from you,’’ he admitted, before he closed his eyes slightly. The feeling of her touch, mixed with the water, made him feel like melting into her arms.
‘’If I could teach you, I would…’’ he sighed, moving slightly closer to her as he sought her eyes. He felt like just running away with her from everything. He fell to easy… That was the problem at hand; he feared that his heart had set a course he couldn’t follow. He knew that soon he would have to return to the estate and hand over the body to his brother. He just didn’t want to let go of this moment.

He looked at her with a tender smile, as she spoke to him in a soft tone. ‘’I am not upset,’’ he promised her. ‘’I am… Concerned, about things that does not matter..’’ he then admitted. A gentle kiss was placed on his lips, and yet another one, as she pulled herself closer to him with her arms around his neck. Her whisper made him sigh against her lips. She moved away, leaving him feeling hungry for even more of her lovely kisses. She was like butterfly to him; so beautiful, wondrous… Yet so fleeting that he needed to restrain himself to not grasp onto her and risk ruining her wings.
‘’You ask unreasonable things of me,’’ he muttered, yet he still smiled. Why? Because even he was no master of his feelings. He could not help it, if his heart decided she was someone to love. ‘’But I can promise you this; if I were to fall, you wouldn’t be expected to do anything. My feelings, if the need be, are something I am to deal with myself,’’. It wasn’t about keeping him from loving her - it was about not risking her feeling bound to him in any way. If she wanted her complete emotional freedom, he wasn’t going to stop her. He wished otherwise, but she was a free woman, nonetheless. What she wanted counted more than his silly heartstrings.
As she swam around, he simply enjoyed the water on his skin. Yes, it was a bit cold, as the waters from the mountains never seemed to be heated to a reasonable temperature, but he wasn’t sensitive to the cold when in this form, luckily. However, he knew that she wouldn’t be able to stay in there for much longer. Her question left him with a bitter taste on his tongue. ‘’I am afraid so… My brother would surely agree that I have overstayed my welcome by a mile already,’’ he said, before he looked at her with a smile that matched her, although his mind felt no such feelings compared to her. ‘’So, Zyanya… Is this supposed to be the last time I see you like this, or will I have such beauty waiting as a return in the future?’’. His question wasn’t supposed to be eager, although it very well could be interpreted as such.

he had no right to demand anything of her. He knew that a free spirit such as her needed air under their wings; not a rope keeping them grounded. He felt it pulling slightly at his heartstrings, knowing that they needed to keep this in the unknown to ensure that his brother did not act against him once again. Zyanya needed not to know about the somehow troublesome relationship between him and his brother - not in this matter. If they were ever to become closer than this, he would naturally tell her about all of it. As of right now, however, it all seemed to be in good fun. He followed her with his eyes as she passed him. ‘’I never assumed such of you,’’ he answered when she stated that she was no dog. No - not a dog. She was a fierce jaguar, at the least. She could crush him in an instant with her prowess and elegance. He would just have to accept that this was how it was; he was the soft and weak one of the two.
Her eyes found to rest upon his body and for a short moment he spotted a smile on her plump lips. ‘’I was hoping so,’’ he answered as she stated that she would take his company again. He nodded slightly, not sure what to answer. What did a man say to a goddess, after all? ‘’I will try my very best,’’ he assured her, as she asked him not to stay away for too long. Little did he know that it would be the last time he was to see her in a very long time.

Weeks went by, without Nathaniel having a chance to meet up with the young woman he had been smitten by. Every time he thought he would have a chance to visit her, his brother had other plans. Something always seemed to come in the way; meetings, work… Once, he had gotten so far as to actually have a moment in front of her door to her chambers, before his brother had started to wake up, leaving Nathaniel to hurry back to his own chambers so that Ellery wouldn’t know of the little affair between the two.

Ellery had noticed small changes. Something so insignificant as the servants asking if he had started sleepwalking - or why he seemed to always find his way to the young woman’s chambers in the late hours. Comments had been made within the household of the rather mysterious connecting that seemed to be between the master of the house and the young lady he had offered a home. Maybe there was more than had met the eye? Maybe they had been more than just acquaintances? Ellery couldn’t allow for his brother to have such a reputation - not when it reflected on him so badly. What wouldn’t people say? And what wouldn’t become of Zyanya, if his brother became too risky and decided to allow carnal desires to put Zyanya in despair? In this day and age, it wasn’t unheard of that masters and landlords had their way with the young girls, but no one would know it was Nathaniel and not Ellery. He couldn’t allow that - both for Zyanya’s sake and his own. Therefore, in what had been a decision he had pondered about for at least two weeks, he had decided to send her away to live with another wealthy family. Not because he didn’t care for her, but because he couldn’t risk it having her living so close to Nathaniel. The last woman Nathaniel had seduced died a horrible death as a consequence. He couldn’t risk it.
He approached her rather calmly, as she was sitting in the living room; reading a book. He admired her perseverance, even as the French language was a bit of a hassle. He stood few feet from her, looking into the fireplace which was lit to keep the living room toasty. Surely, Zyanya didn’t like the cold that the mountains brought in the winter. He drew a deep breath, letting it leave his body as a sigh. ‘’I have arranged for you to move in with the Dumors in Paris. You’re leaving tomorrow. The decision is final - I won’t be discussing this.’’ He said, his voice rather monotone and flat. He struggled to keep the composure as to not show her how he felt so terrible about it all. He adored her, almost as a sister. That was one of the reasons to keep her away from his brother. ‘’I… I am really sorry about all of this. Goodnight,’’ he then said, bowing slightly to her as a way of showing that they somewhat equaled, before he turned around and left the room; leaving her no way to react or respond to his words. Came tomorrow, she would be on her way to Paris - far away from Nathaniel.