For the first time since living with Kierra, I wake up before the elf. Yawning, I turn over to see her dead to the world, an arm thrown over her eyes, her chest rising and falling slowly with her deep breaths.

Hehe. And here I was worried about performing. I’m not some natural-born sexual savant. Kierra did most of the work. I mean, I would have to be an idiot to not give her what she needs when she’s dragging me where she wants me to be and growling exactly what she wants me to do. She mentioned it had been awhile. She must have meant a long while. It took barely any effort at all before she was screaming. And jeez, does she scream.

Not that I was much better. Kierra gave way more than she got and I had no idea what I was getting into when I said I didn’t want her to be gentle. I’m convinced that elves are part animals. My body is covered with evidence of her attentions. The bites and scratches ache. I could get rid of them by changing into my elemental form but I don’t want to. Every time I feel them, it reminds me of last night and the vivid replay puts a wide smile on my face. My cheeks are starting to hurt.

Moving carefully to avoid waking her, I slip from underneath the furs and climb downstairs, exiting the tree home as quietly as I can. Despite my recent success in my training, I know better than to wander off, especially during dawn. All the predators will be moving through the trees, heading back to their dens, and a few could be actively hunting. One wrong step and I could be something’s meal.

After our night together, I am more determined than ever to help her. It could be an aftereffect of clinging to her while she did things to me I had no idea could be done but I feel like we have a connection. The thought of her sitting alone in her tree, yearning for anyone to come by with that sad smile of hers, is unbearable. Nope. It’s not happening, whether she wants me to help or not.

Now, I just need to figure out what happened. What could cause a mother to abandon such a good-natured and talented, in so many ways, daughter like Kierra?

For the hundredth time, I wish I had listened to anything my tutors tried to teach me. I swear, when I make it back home and am unquestionably shipped off to some magic academy or another, I will be the most devoted student in history. Who knew knowing things could be so useful?

Jeez, that sounds terrible. I always fancied myself as somehow enlightened but it turns out I’m just another privileged noble brat. Gah. How disappointing. This may be the first time I think my lazy life doing the bare minimum might not be all that great. I swear that frickin' elf. Putting all these weird ideas into my head. Look at me, trying to save the day. Next thing you know, I’ll be wearing one of the golden saint robes.

How do I do this? Just…wait around to see if she drops any hints? And maybe I can ask some roundabout questions. She shuts down whenever I ask her about herself or her family but maybe if I can get some background on elf culture, I might be able to guess why she’s been trapped in this very big cage.

“There you are.”

I turn to see Kierra standing in the doorway. She hasn’t bothered to get dressed and my eyes immediately move to her chest. She smiles when she notices where my attention is. “I was worried when I woke up and didn’t see you next to me.”

“I didn’t want to wake you.” That didn’t go as planned.

“Well now that I’m awake, there should be no problem with you returning to bed, hmm?”

A part of me gets a bad feeling that this is going to become a pattern where she uses sex to distract me from leaving the forest. Classic bait and snare.

This part of me is very small and inconsequential compared to my newly awakened libido. In a flash, I am on my feet and moving towards her.

She grabs hold of me as I near the doorway and pulls me into a kiss, kicking the door closed with her heel as she drags me deeper into the tree.

-

Okay. Now’s the time.

It’s been several weeks since we spent our first night together. Kierra has kept to her word and has been teaching me what I need to escape the forest. I can find which direction I’m going at all times, using the sun during the day and the stars at night, and I’ve become a not completely terrible tracker as she taught me how to spot signs of animal movement. I also have a general idea of the patterns of the more dangerous animals and how to avoid them.

To be honest, I am ready to leave. I’m a hundred percent confident I could make it through, if not easily, then fairly safely. However, I have found all manners of excuses to linger. I ask her to show me more about tracking and to teach me how to use a bow. My reasoning is simple. When else would I get the chance to learn from an elven huntress?

Kierra is happy to oblige me and never probes too deep. Not one time has she asked when I plan to leave. I think she’s trying not to dwell on it, preferring to live in the moment rather than spend the time she has left with me dreading the day I leave.

I think that also contributes to the bits of information I’ve heard her let slip.

It not just that she wants to be with me. I think she needs it, craves it like a starving man craves bread. She spends as much time as she can as close to me as she can get. Even when she’s teaching me, Kierra is never further than a finger length away, preferring to hover right over my shoulder.

I’ve learned that I can use that to get her to talk to me. Ask a question and subtly back away until she answers it. The information is slow to emerge but she’ll talk if it means getting her hands on me. It’s tricky though. The key is to get as much information as possible before I cave. After all, she has just as much as an effect on me. When she starts stalking across the room, eyes ablaze, saints save me, I get weak in the knees. Kind of hard to escape when your legs aren’t working.

But today, I’m ready. I’ve hardened my resolve and steeled my heart. Today’s the day I’m going to find out why she’s trapped here.

I take a deep breath and relax. The important thing here is to make sure she doesn’t catch on to what I’m doing. If I come in looking like I’m ready for a fight, she’ll know something’s up. So, instead of squaring my shoulders, I stretch languidly to loosen up my muscles and climb up the ladder wearing a smile.

Kierra is at her fletching table, working on replacing the arrows I destroyed with my terrible aim. I move up behind her and run my fingers through her hair, letting my nails rake across her scalp.

Her hands pause in their work as her eyes slip shut and she leans back into me. “Did you find my arrows?”

“Nope. I gave up on them.”

“Tsk. So lazy.”

“So practical. What’s the point of looking for splintered shafts when you’re making nice new ones for me?”

“The point is for you to learn to read the trajectory of your shot. And digging through thorny bushes to find broken shafts is a good motivator to focus.”

“…did you learn the same way?”

She pauses and I can feel her hesitate. In response, I lean against her, placing my chin on her head as I wrap my arms around her shoulders in a hug. Kierra hums, placing a hand on my arm. “I did. I didn’t have half the grace or control I have now when I was younger. My mother used to sigh every time I came home from a lesson, my legs shredded but grinning like a fool.”

“I bet you were cute.” Now for the strategic retreat. I release my hold on her and move over to the head of the bed. Three, two, one…

There’s a soft brush on my neck as Kierra lays a kiss behind my ear, wrapping her arms around my waist. “I don’t know about that. Was nothing but trouble for my family. Too much energy. My mother had me placed into training early. The older apprentices didn’t much like that.” She chuckles darkly.

“What’s so funny?”

“Hmm. I’m just remembering. They used to play all manners of tricks on me, trying to cow me. They’d hide my knives, steal my rations, cut my bowstring and snap my arrows. Everyone thought I was a natural talent when it came to forestry but they’re wrong. I may have had a passion for it but I’m not particularly special. It was all the practice I got fending the others off that made me advance so fast. It was like I was training all day, every day. Of course, that only made them angrier and they ramped their responses up. And I was forced to improve to thwart them. Around and around it goes.”

Her hands move down, skirting around my thighs into dangerous territory. Smoothly, I turn around, forcing her hands to relocate to my waist. Haha. This is going well. “Are hunters important in elf society? I mean, I’m just wondering why they would need to be jealous.”

“Hmm. Hunters are not important. Every elf learns how to manage the forest. But whoever said that I was a hunter?”

It is said with a hint of sadness and I zero in on it. There. That has something to do with why she is trapped here. Okay. Can’t just latch onto the subject. How to maneuver around this?

I step out of her hold and flop onto the furs. “So, you’re not a hunter? Alright, let me guess. Teacher?”

Kierra chuckles and climbs onto the bed after me. “No, but I find that I enjoy instructing you.”

“You’re good at it. None of my tutors were half as patient.”

“The tree of patience bears many fruits.”

“Ooo, you’ve even got the unnecessary wise sayings. But you say you’re not a teacher. Okay…oh, I’ve got it! A poet!”

Kierra has been slowly pressing closer to me but she stops, blinking in confusion. My plan to halt her lewd advances with complete ridiculousness is also a success. I’m beginning to believe that I have a talent for deviousness.

“Did you say a poet?”

I nod seriously.

“What under the moon gave you that idea?”

“Well, you have that, you know.” I wave my hands around her vaguely. “That poet aura. Alone in your tree, trapped in the middle of a dangerous forest. Brooding while you carve your pent up frustrations into your little wooden figurines. Uh-hmm. I bet you were some kind of artist back home but your passion is feeding bards their lyrics. You probably have some things hidden around here, don’t you?”

I sit up as if I’m going to go search the tree and she grabs my arm to keep me still, biting her lip to keep from laughing. “I am not a poet or an artist of any kind. The carving is something I picked up after my detainment.”

I lay back time and stare up at the ceiling in thought. “Okay. Not that then. Oh! I’ve got it! You-”

A hand goes over my mouth before I can speak my next ridiculous suggestion. “I was a naga su’tani. A warrior.”

I grab her hand, twining our fingers together. Easy now, Lou. The deer is about to walk into the trap. Don’t spook it now. “A warrior, huh? Is that very different from a hunter?”

“Hmm. We call our hunters foresters. It is a more accurate description of their job. They are among the trees nearly all day. Some of them only come back to the village during festivals. They live and breathe through the trees. They are caretakers, providers, and scouts, telling us of any threats before they reach the village. I was one of the ones who was tasked to deal with those threats.”

“Hoho. Are you bragging right now? Did me comparing you to a measly forester offend you, huh?”

Kierra grins widely, showing off that predatory smile of hers. Her canines are actually sharp. Jeez, no wonder her bites hurt so much. “I have plenty of respect for the foresters. Many are fully capable of handling most creatures of the forest on their own. No, the warriors serve a more…spiritual purpose. They are a symbol. And yes, we are specialized in combat so I am far more capable than the average elf.”

She crawls on top of me and my eyes slip shut as she kisses me deeply. I can’t help but linger through it but I come back to my senses when her hands begin to wander.

Using a sudden burst of strength, I roll us over so I’m on top and break away from the kiss to trail my lips down her neck and across her chest. “A symbol huh? Like knights are symbols of chivalry? No, that can’t be it. Knowing you it’s something more like…ferocity.”

“Strength.” Her hand tangles in my hair and guides my head to her breast. I’ve learned that she is just like me and prefers a little force. Instead I tease her, sucking at her gently while I slowly run my tongue around her nipple. She groans in frustration but I refuse to escalate this because she won’t be talking. The clock is ticking. She won’t let it continue like this for long. “Strength and honor. The warriors are the queen’s sword and the people’s shield. We lead the way against enemies of the forest. May we fall before our brothers.”

Her grip in my hair has become painful. I think I’ve pushed this to the limit. Never mind. I’ve gotten way more out of her than I thought I would. Good job me. You can go ahead and have what you want now.

Wasting no time, I move lower, my hands pushing aside her legs as I settle between them before moving around to her ass. I squeeze, lifting her hips a little. My mouth is level with her center. I can see the evidence of her excitement and the heavy musk of her arousal fills my nose.

Leaning forward, I run my tongue along her lower lips before latching onto the swollen bud above them, applying a bit of pressure with my teeth.

Kierra hisses as her hips buck forward, her hands twisting in my hair and pulling me closer. “Ooooh. That’s…a good girl, Lou. You’re so good. Don’t stop. Don’t ever-”

She’s about to ask me not to leave. I know it by the sudden way she chokes back her next word. I don’t have to look up to know her eyes are shut with anguish as she contemplates her impending return to solitude.

Don’t worry, my sad little elf. I won’t leave you. You don’t know it but you’re leaving this forest with me even if I have to drag you out of here kicking and screaming. I won’t care if you struggle. This is your fault. Being with you is making me bolder in ways I couldn’t have imagined.

I won’t tell you this now though. Right now, I’m going to enjoy this moment and make sure that she forgets everything but me. Ah. She actually tastes sweet, as if I’m drinking nectar from a flower.

I think I’ve found my new favorite dessert.