BEYOND THE STARS [2]

ZENITH

QUEST OBJECTIVE: Law low from the nearby army of horny demons.

Optional: Use aphrodisiacs to ward off awkwardness.

Eona knew in the back of her head that she should pull away. She was strong enough to push Anduin off...but did she want to?

Dammit.

"Wait," Eona said, the word muffled by his lips as they left her jawline. "Andy, wait."

Placing her hands on his chest, Eona gave him the gentlest push she could muster. Anduin stopped immediately. Their faces were separated by an inch.

"I need you," Anduin said. He sounded so certain.

"Are you sure?" Eona removed Anduin's mask with light fingers. The spectral antlers of his disguise dissolved, filling the air with shimmering sparkles. His blond bangs were askew across his face. The way he looked at her made her thighs clench together.

"Yes." Anduin lifted Eona's mask from her face, letting it drop with a clatter on the floor. Her wings evaporated into a silvery mist.

Anduin's gaze traveled down, taking her in. The moments away from his lips gave Eona clear, terrible clarity. This is wrong. He's drugged. I can't let him do this.

"Andy, I —"

"This must be uncomfortable." Anduin gestured at the wet stain on her dress.

Eona had been too consumed with gaining distance from the nearest demons to notice how the wet fabric clung to her skin like suckers on octopus limbs.

"It doesn't feel nice," Eona admitted. "But I really think...oh..."

Eona forgot words as her eyes became transfixed on Anduin's fingers, undoing the buttons of his shirt. He slipped out of the silk — and offered it to her.

A different kind of heat burned her cheeks as he held out the rippling piece of satin. Eona bit down on her tongue. She accepted the shirt without meeting his eyes, holding it with numb fingers at her side.

Her hesitation didn't go unnoticed. "What is it?" said Anduin.

Eona stared at the ground as she spoke. "I thought you'd be more interested in taking my clothes off, not..." she shook her head.

Anduin's fingers slid under her chin. Eona was forced to meet his cobalt eyes, flickering over her lips with a ravenous intensity.

"Of course I am," said Anduin. "But your comfort and well-being come first...you might think I'm a hypocrite for wanting to do this, after stressing I don't want to use you...but I want this. The thought of being intimate with you — it's exciting. And it's the most nervous I've ever been."

Anduin's voice cracked. He swallowed before he continued, "All of the fears I had, of freezing at the worst possible time, or doing the wrong thing...I can't think of them now. It's just you. This may be the only chance I get to be with you, without getting a nosebleed in the first five seconds and messing it up with my...awkwardness.

"Please, Eona." Anduin took one of her hands and placed it on his bare chest, over his heart. Eona's eyes widened at how hard it hammered, as fast as a hummingbird's wings. Almost in tune with her own.

"Okay."

Eona slipped out of her shoes and kicked them off to the side. She shrugged out of the straps of her dress. The wet silk pulled at her skin like wax as she peeled it off.

Anduin's cheeks were pink as the damp silk fell to the floor.

"Wow," he whispered. Anduin's wide eyes roamed over Eona, taking in her bare skin. A bra was impossible with the low cut of the dress: all she wore was a pair of panties, clutching his collared shirt in her hands.