Rune and Ruin

23 - Ruin Has Come

391 B.C.E. - The Ruins of the Acerian City of Caere, Coast of the Tasurian Peninsula, Spring, First Day of the Month of Lunius

Thania

"It makes a terrible sort of sense, doesn't it?" I whisper to him, holding his brawny, scaled shoulders as tightly as possible. "You're young... and... and virile and handsome. The emperor is old."

"I didn't realize," Tems rasps in my ear. "He commanded, I serve the harem, the noble females who came calling. How many more hatchlings may I have out there? How many did he murder? I should have daughters, just like Leda. She had sisters, my sweetheart, my love. My cousin killed my daughters, my son. He... how didn't I know? How was I so fucking blind?"

I don't have the chance to answer. Not that there is an answer to those terrible questions. Tems moves faster than I can blink, his hand at my throat, pulling me onto his lap. Fusing our mouths together, he rips my tunic from my body and lays me down on my back on the top of the cliff.

It's raining again. The water pounds the earth as Tems nudges my thighs open and presses his thick cock against me. The rain washes away the tears pouring from his eyes and leaves my men's scales shining in the starlight. "Please, Thania," Tems begs. I relax, trusting him, loving him. Thick and hard, Tems plunges himself into me, his mouth catching my cries, his hands roaming my body. "Let me show you how I fuck, sweetheart," Tems rasps against my skin. His crude words are delivered in the softest tone, but his hand is still on my throat, leaving me torn between the roughness of his touch and the illusion of choice.

"I love you, Thania," he continues. "You're mine. Ours. You'll give me more daughters, won't you? Your pretty little belly will swell with my hatchlings. Your pussy will be wet all the time, won't it? You'll need me. I'll protect you, serve you, make you happy."

My breath is caught in my throat. Above me, Falx and Quintus stand, flames licking their skin, wings aloft to keep the rain from me, as Tems fucks me in a frenzy.

I come apart as Tems shouts in pleasure. He's so deep in me that I see spots dancing in my vision. I can't breathe until Tems stands with me in his arms. He's trembling, or maybe that's me, and his eyes are haunted. Without a word, he walks back to our temple, through the now-empty dining space, to the small private pool.

The water is cold. I let out an angry cry as we plunge into the cold water, but almost instantly, Tems warms it until steam curls lazily into the air.

"Again," Tems demands. This time, he arranges us so I'm on his lap, facing him, riding him in the pool. His hand winds through my hair, using his grip to move me. My body can't take much more, yet I can feel the pleasure wind through my belly. My second orgasm is slower and sweeter but leaves me feeling completely depleted. I collapse on Tems's chest, my eyes sliding closed.

Quiet splashing signals the approach of my other two men. I feel lips kiss the back of my neck as my hair is lifted away from Tems's harsh fingers. Gently, they wash me. Quiet, masculine voices praise me, telling me how beautiful I am, how much they love me, and how they'll take care of me. Quintus leaves momentarily to find a plate of food and begins to feed me. This time, I can eat. I'm starving, thirsty, and exhausted.

When I reach for Falx, he takes me into his lap, rubbing my back soothingly.

"I heard of Tasuri killing Acera mothers and babies," I confess. "It's why I ran away."

"I know," Falx murmurs. "You told me, and I dismissed your fear as being an Acera-born rumor. Just another story about the cruel, brutal demon shifters."

"It didn't help that so many Acera females were our slaves," Quintus adds quietly.

"I was a slave," I remind them.