Chapter 20

The morning dawned with the gentle sounds of rain hitting the windows and roof. The cabin was dark as I opened my eyes, with only dim light shining in from the cloudy morning.

I lay still, taking in the comforting silence and the feel of Rayne’s warm body against my own. Well, very warm body.

We were both sweating a bit because it was so stuffy in there. Perhaps it would help if I opened the windows.

I slowly got up so that I wouldn’t wake Rayne, not bothering to put anything on as I headed to the front of the cabin. The window opened silently as I slid it up, and the cool, moist air hit me; the soft scent filling my nose.

Ah yes, I did love this smell. The rain had always been my favorite.

I opened the other windows, then settled on the loveseat beside one across from the bed, gazing out at the steadily falling drops of water. It was coming down rather hard, hitting the plants and house and pooling all around.

My mind drifted as I sat there watching it. I still couldn’t believe what had happened the day before.

Never had I thought someone would think I was important enough to target for death. But then, I hadn’t imagined this life I now had before either.

I glanced at Rayne, who was still sleeping soundly in our bed. Such an amazing alpha.

I was so lucky. Even if we did have issues we needed to work through between us, I felt like things were going mostly well between us.

He honestly was sweet and cared so much for me. He was almost everything I had wished for.

Well, could any male be ~everything~ a female wished for? No one was perfect; even one like him.

The images of Hailia and Madame Lucille came into my mind as I turned my gaze back to the rain outside. Who would have thought that they were sisters?

I wondered about that too. Yes, they were both refined and beautiful, and they did look somewhat alike with their beautiful hair and faces; yet their eyes appeared quite different to me.

Hailia’s eyes were so dark, and Madame Lucille’s were so blue. Could it have simply been differences in inherited features from their parents?

No, it didn’t feel that way to me. There was something else that was different about them that I simply couldn’t place.

The gentle glow of a bright blue sprite flying out of the woods brought me back to reality. The little creature hurried through the rain with a giant leaf over its head, and it flew through the open window to me.

“Oh, good morning,” I greeted them. “Are you bringing something for me or Rayne?”

The creature nodded, letting out a happy squeak as a scroll appeared in its hands and holding the tiny rolled-up paper to me.

“Thank you for the message,” I said as I smiled and took it from them. It grew to normal size when I did- “Please be safe returning to your home in this rain.”

The sprite again squeaked happily as I patted their head, then hurried back to the woods. My gaze returned to the scroll I was holding, and I wondered if I should read it.

It may have been an important message for Rayne. But I couldn’t see where the harm would be in me looking at it.

I was his beta, so I would have known what this was soon enough. With this in mind, I opened it to take a look and was surprised to see that it was a message that had been addressed to me.

~To my lovely Lady Luna;~

~I hope this letter finds you well. I know that there has been much strife for you lately with those awful rumors that have been spread, and I have worried so for you. I am writing in hopes that we can meet and speak. There are a few things that I would like to tell you that may be of help to you. If you are able, then please let me know and we can meet at my home.~

~Sincerely~

~Hailia~

This was interesting. Hailia wished for me to come and meet with her, and wanted to tell me things that may be of help to me?

Could she have known who had started these rumors and why? Perhaps even who had tried to have that snake kill me?

Even though there had been suggestions made that Hailia could be part of this, I simply couldn’t believe that. There was this part of me that felt that Hailia could be an innocent victim in it too, and if she did have a reputation like they were claiming, then it would be easy for someone to attempt to use her as a scapegoat.

“What is that?” I heard Rayne inquire.

I looked over to see him sitting in our bed, rubbing his eyes as he finished waking up.

“Hailia sent me a letter requesting for me to meet with her so that we may speak of what’s been going on,” I answered.

“Is that so?” Rayne didn’t sound thrilled at all about it. He slowly got up and came over, sitting with me and taking the letter to look at it. “She’s being rather brazen. I wonder if she’s grown so because she’s been out of the Far Shores for a while.”

“The Far Shores? Where is that?” I asked him.

Rayne drew in a long breath like he was resigning himself to having to tell me the truth about this.

“It’s not something that is openly spoken of, considering it is so close to Purgatory. For the Veil, it is a place of banishment for those who commit terrible crimes. It’s not spoken of out loud among the creatures because there’s such a taboo about it, and I can’t say I know that much about it either. Father has only spoken of it in passing to me and Rin. But I do know that there was a time that Hailia was confined there. It’s part of the reason that I was surprised that she was able to return as she has. Most don’t, and Father hadn’t mentioned to us that he’d allowed it.” he explained.

“What did she do that was so terrible that she’d be sent to such an awful place?” I had to know.

“That is something I don’t know the details of either. Only her family and Father do.” Rayne admitted.

I looked out at the rain, my mind reeling a bit as I recalled the fear the one girl appeared to have while I was visiting with Hailia. Was it because she was afraid of where she’d come from and what she’d done?

“So you feel that I should turn her invitation down?” I guessed as I looked out of the window.

“I wouldn’t say so that quickly.”

“You wouldn’t?”

I wasn’t expecting that answer. I turned back to him as he folded the paper and placed it in a nearby drawer.

“The way I see it, there is much here that’s far too convenient,” he stated as he turned back to me. “I wasn’t raised to believe everything I first see or hear. I trust my instincts far more than that, and I believe that there’s more to this than her.”

“But what can we do to find out if that’s truly the case?” I asked him.

“Simple. We act like we’re playing into their hands.”

“Huh?”

Rayne smiled and helped me to my feet. “I will tell you the plan I am formulating soon enough, but for now, it’s early and I am not ready to face such stresses, as I doubt you are either. Why don’t we continue relaxing and enjoying ourselves?”

I gave him a knowing smile as he pulled me over to the bed with him.

“You say enjoy ourselves like you have things in mind,” I teased.

“I might.” Rayne lay down, patting the bed beside him. “As I said, let us not think too much into things at this time. There’s no reason to when we’re safe and sound here.”

“I have no doubt, but you certainly have been rather needy since last night,” I countered as I crawled onto the bed beside him.

“I can’t help it. Stress tends to do this to me now that I have you.”

I giggled as he moved over me, kissing my right ear.

“Besides,” he continued in a whisper, “I have to make up for some of our lost time too, don’t I?”

“I wouldn’t speak against it.”

It was getting hard for me to keep much coherent thought as he kissed me and pressed his body against mine. He was just so irresistible, and it felt like he kept awakening that primal instinct deep within me without much effort at all.

Rayne’s soft kisses trailed down the side of my neck to my collar, then over the top of my left breast. My eyes fluttered closed as he began sucking my nipple, his tongue slowly lapping around it.

My body squirmed slightly under him, and I rubbed my inner thighs together as the heat built in my womanhood.

Rayne chuckled as he felt me doing this. “It’s easy for me to excite you, isn’t it?” he whispered.

“Not that much,” I lied, not willing to give him the satisfaction of hearing me speak the truth.

“Is that so?” Rayne sucked my nipple hard before popping it out of his mouth, and I let out a small cry as the pleasure surged through me. “I think you’re bluffing.”

“I…I am not…!” I managed to rebuff him.

Rayne took my defiance as a challenge, moving down and slowly kissing my stomach, allowing his tongue to trace circles over my skin.

“Let us continue this game of seduction then,” he whispered. I could feel his smile against my belly. “How many times can I bring you over your edge before you give in and say how much you desire me?”

I wasn’t certain of how this game had started, but my pride wouldn’t allow me to easily give in to him. Aside from that, I wanted to see how far he would go to get me to beg for him and how much I could take.

Rayne moved down my body, pushing my legs apart as he sat between them. I could feel my womanhood quiver slightly as the moist air hit it, anticipation building within me.

Oh, how I wanted him to touch me. How I wanted to feel the elation of the sexual desire he brought out of me.

“Such a beautiful woman, especially when you’re so flushed with desire,” Rayne purred.

I bit back my gasp as his fingers ran over my lips, caressing them lightly. The sensation was so pleasant that it made them quiver more, and I could feel myself becoming wet.

Rayne looked pleased as he pushed two fingers into my folds, caressing my opening.

“Ah!” I let out a soft cry, unable to hold it.

“So lovely. I can’t resist you.”

I couldn’t stop the moans that came out of my throat as he began to lick me, my body arching and my fists clutching the sheet under me. The heat moved through my veins like fire as his tongue swirled around my opening then dipped into it, and I felt my hips beginning to move.

My mind fell into a haze of beautiful lust, and all I could focus on was the pleasure coursing through me.

How I wanted so badly to cry out for more, but I somehow managed to bite it back. No way I was letting him win this so easily, even if I couldn’t hold back the release that was steadily moving down my pelvis.

It hit me hard, and I cried out as my hips arched up and my opening flexed violently against his mouth and tongue.

I could see through my haze of vision how satisfied Rayne looked as he sat up. He leaned over me, running his fingers lightly over my sensitive breasts.

Oh God, it felt like everywhere he touched my skin was electrified.

“Not giving in to me yet, are you?” he teased.

I managed to shake my head. “Why would I?” I whispered.

“How interesting,” Rayne grinned at me. “Then why don’t we continue this game? Turn on your stomach for me.”

I did as he asked, moaning as he pushed his manhood into me. I was already so sensitive that I thought I might release again as he did this, but somehow managed to hold myself together.

It was hard though as he started thrusting in and out of me. His pace quickened as he continued, and I couldn’t bite back my moans of pleasure.

Rayne’s breathing was getting heavier as he continued thrusting, and I could hear him starting to groan in pleasure. He wasn’t going to be able to hold out long like this either.

A smile crossed my face as I realized this. As always, I was determined to win our sexual game.

I moved to my knees as he thrust into me, leaning my back against him. Rayne moaned as I did this, his hands roaming up my body to hold my breasts tightly as his manhood pulsed inside of me.

Ah, yes. He was incredibly close. I could sense it.

“Who’s…going to…come first this time?” I breathlessly teased him.

“I never said I was giving in!” Rayne breathed.

I cried out as he began thrusting fast and hard while still holding me in place. My heartbeat began pounding in my ears, and I could feel that same knot starting to move down my pelvis.

Ah, to hell with the games! I didn’t care that much about giving in!

“Yes! More!” I begged. “Take me hard!”

Rayne let me lie on my arms and knees while he laid lay over me, our hips moving together at a rapid pace.

“That’s it! Take it, beautiful! I’m almost there!” he whispered hoarsely.

“Do it! Fill me again!” I moaned.

It wasn’t much longer before my climax hit me hard, my entire body jerking with it. I heard Rayne groaning in satisfaction, and he began to release after a few more frantic thrusts.

I was working hard on catching my breath as he sat up, slowly grinding his manhood into me and letting out loud moans of pleasure as it spasmed inside of me.

“Maybe…we’ll call this one…a draw…,” Rayne half-conceded as he finally finished.

I let out a breathless giggle as I rolled my hips against him. “You think you can win against a succubus?”

“I’ll make it a life goal.”

He finally pulled out of me to lie down beside me, stroking my hair back as we caught our breath. I felt content as we lay there together.

Being here like this was like being in our own little sanctuary away from all the bad things in the world.

I didn’t think I’d mind staying in there and making love to him over and over forever if it was possible. Was that the succubus within me, or was it simply that I felt so much love for him? Perhaps a bit of both.

Rayne finally spoke after a few minutes of sweet silence. “Have you been feeling better? I know things have been rough on you recently.”

“I’m all right, but I don’t want to sit on the sidelines of this, Rayne,” I answered.

“You wish to meet with Hailia, don’t you?” Rayne guessed.

“I can’t see where it will hurt anything, and she may have valuable information for us. She knows what it means to be an outcast too, so she certainly would have sympathy for what’s been happening to me,” I reasoned.

Rayne appeared hard-pressed to argue against that. “I suppose, but I don’t wish for you to do this alone. At least allow Selenia or Aurora to be with you. Perhaps even my mother.”

“You don’t think Hailia would speak with you present?”

“There’s a good chance she wouldn’t. I doubt she’s that fond of us after what she went through, even if my father allowed her to return.”

While I had plenty of questions about all of this, I decided to refrain from them at that time and take what I got. If Rayne was willing to allow me to meet with Hailia, even if it was with another female member of his family, then I’d take it.

After all, I’d do anything to keep this bliss I had with him. Even facing things I never thought I would.