Lady Calamity's Delights

High and Dry (ALT BERS Chapter 30 Ending)

"You really are an idiot... you know that?", Velvet muttered to the young Shepherd.

"I gave you a true name.", Avernus calmly and charmingly said, caressing her smooth hair, "I couldn't come up with a virtue... since you have many. So I decided to link it directly to my longing..."

His magical eyes stared into hers, "Fwuleiok Kumkus... It means "Precious Velvet"."

The Lord of Calamity's piercing golden eyes stares into Shepherd's emerald crystals, locked into a never-ending conflict. Despair versus hope. Avernus is relentless and determined to see this through, and he's unyielding to Abbey's schemes, surprises, along with Velvet's stubbornness and desire to burn the world. The moon illuminates the tiny jades on his feather earrings. His eyes radiate the green magic of hope wherever he decides to glance.

"After we kill Artorius, I'll take you and Laphicet to the far continent, away from this madness.", Avernus promises her, confidently and in a soft tone of voice.

Velvet moves closer to his chest, she frowns. She wants to bark at him, telling the sincere man that he was wrong, that he's naïve if he thinks that it will end well for them. That there is any shred of hope for redemption.

"What if they don't accept us? What if you're a wanted man back home?", Velvet protests, pessimistically. She is calm, but a happy ending is too far out of reach.

The Shepherd smiles, glancing at her lips then moves his focus back at her eyes. "We will go to a faraway land, living under new aliases. I can work as a teacher, scholar, and even a bounty hunter. I can make enough to support both you and Laphicet.", he promises positively.

Velvet lowers her head. Her amber eyes hiding behind her raven hair.

"For what?... I'm a daemon... you're a human. I don't age. I have to endure seeing you get old and...", Velvet stops as if a lump in her throat prevents her from breathing, "...and inevitably die, you dumbass!"

She looks up, and her eyes pour flame into Avernus' calm soul. She grits her teeth. But Avernus will not falter. The Shepherd grabs her arms and pulls her closer to him, embracing her.

"I'll make it work..."

The Shepherd's song is alluring, inescapable. Avernus's determination isn't going to break, not even by the Lord of Calamity. Velvet reaches for his cheeks. He is so pure, so innocent. Like a lamb that a wolf gawks at before tearing it apart. His eyes don't lie. Velvet wasn't too sure before She thought Shepherds were all the same. The bigger picture mattered most. What Velvet doesn't understand is that she's the bigger picture. A raging storm. A burning sun that will wash away everything if the efforts of Avernus and Laphicet ends in naught.

Velvet tasted his soft lips before her secret haven for a warm touch. Their tender skin has always pulled her back for more rounds. He said that would make it work. Velvet wondered; what can he do about her sudden bursts of desire? Can he fix those too?

She clutches his shoulder and pulls herself up. Their lips touch. Velvet stops. Something has changed. She goes for another kiss. This time, Velvet squeezes his lips between hers. She wants more. Avernus obliges. He tilts his head slightly to the side. Stirs of delightful pleasures surge through her body as his tongue touches the seam of her lips, massaging, and waiting for proper permission.

Velvet parts with hers, allowing his tongue a safe passage. All that talk with Niko suddenly erupts from the dark corners of her mind. Velvet always thought that having another tongue in her mouth would feel weird and odd. But Niko wasn't wrong. That felt just right. The slow fluttering movements of his tongue and the touching of the back of her scalp sends her into a dreamy state.