Chapter 11: On The Road
1540 Words
Somewhere deep inside the forest just outskirt of Ravenswood, Aria searched for a new place to inhabit while Asher followed. Still troubled about someone finding her cave, before Aria left, she performed a masking ritual extending an invisible shield on herself so that if anyone came looking for her, they’d be lost.
Aria and Asher had journeyed for a few days and rested during the nights; all efforts were put in protecting their presence while looking for the best place to harbor.
“Finally, a stream,” Aria chuckled as they arrived at a flowing stream. “I’m going in for a bath.”
“Such a relief,” Asher sighed as he followed along.
“Hey, stop,” Aria said with her palms flashing at Asher’s face. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m going in for a bath as well,” Asher answered.
“Not while I want to go. You’ll have to wait and go after I’m done,” Aria argued.
“Nah... I don’t think so. I’m going in now, join me if you like,” Asher smiled.
“Wait, Asher. Stop. I found the stream first, that means I must be the one to use it first,” Aria said.
“We can use it together, princess. You don’t have to be uptight about it,” Asher smiled as he walked closer to the stream.
“Well,” Aria scoffed. “I don’t want you to see me bare and without clothes on.”
Asher paused, smiled, and continued walking until he was a feet away from the water.
“I can’t believe the powerful Aria is shy,” Asher turned.
“I’m not,” Aria said. “It’s just... no man has ever seen my bare body.”
“I see,” Asher smiled, his hands on his hips as he looked up to the sky. “Okay, I’ll go in first. You can watch me take my clothes off, that is, if you want to. I’ll get into the water and have my back turned towards you. You take your clothes off and then join me in the water, but at a distance you want. I promise not to turn to look at you unless you permit me to.”
“You promise not to peek?” Aria asked, her voice soft.
“Strike me if I do,” Asher answered.
“Okay. You go first, then.”
“Good.”
As Asher began to undress, Aria’s gaze drifted instinctively to his movements. She watched, mesmerized, as he shed his worn leather jacket, revealing the broad expanse of his shoulders. His fingers moved deftly, unfastening the laces of his shirt, which he pulled over his head with a fluid motion.
Aria’s eyes roamed the contours of his chest, tracing the defined lines of his muscles. She felt a flutter in her chest as she took in the sight of his confident, unselfconscious movements. He knew he was being watched, and yet, he was utterly unbothered by it.
As Asher continued to undress, Aria found herself drawn to his lower body area. She felt a sense of wonder at the ease with which he shed his clothing. Asher gently took off his belt, looked at Aria, whose eyes were glued to his groin area. He smiled, removed his trousers along with his braies, revealing his c**k that had gotten hard from the being watched.
“Would you look at that,” Asher smirked as he slowly stroked his eight-inch c**k. “Your turn.”
Aria stood, frozen at the sight of Asher’s beautiful c**k. It was the first time she saw a man’s privates.
“Well, get into the water and have your back face me,” Aria gestured for him to leave.
“That’s true,” Asher smiled as he got into the cool water. His back turned towards Aria. “Whenever you’re ready, princess.”
Aria trembled slightly. She quickly took off her dress and got into the water. Her face was turned towards Asher’s back as she watched, making sure he didn’t turn.
“I’m in,” Aria murmured.
Asher smiled. “How far are you from me?”
“Very far,” Aria answered.
“I promised not to turn, and I’m keeping to that promise.”
“Yeah, I can see that.”
“Would you love to come closer to me?”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s no reason for you to keep such a distance from me. I’ll still have my face turned. I just want to feel you closer to me, if that’s not too much to ask.”
Aria sighed. She lowered herself into the water and walked slowly towards Asher.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Asher asked.
“Shut up,” Aria rolled her eyes.
Asher laughed.
As they began bathing, washing themselves in the water. Aria paused, her mind still filled with thoughts of Asher’s huge c*ck.
“Asher?” Aria called.
“Yes, Aria,” Asher answered.
“You weren’t shy earlier,” Aria murmured. “How many times have you stripped in the presence of a woman?”
“I have never stripped completely naked in the presence of any woman, except you. The day I had to transform was the first time, and I did that in front of you—”
“Yes, but you weren’t completely naked when you wanted to transform, plus I didn’t look at you when you morphed back into human form. I was interested in the deer.”
“Well, now you’ve seen my bare body. When will I be seeing yours?”
“This is not a competition,” Aria said. “I’m done.”
“So, you’re leaving, and I still wasn’t granted permission to look at you,” Asher sighed.
“Just get out of the water,” Aria said as she quickly dressed.
As Asher emerged from the stream, the warm sunlight danced across the water droplets clinging to his skin. Aria’s gaze followed the movement of his hands as he reached for his clothes, his fingers brushing against the fabric with a quiet intimacy.
She watched, as he wore his trousers. Aria felt a flush rise to her cheeks, but Asher’s gaze merely held hers, his expression serene and untroubled. Still, Aria watched, entranced, as he slipped into his shirt, the worn linen molding itself to the contours of his chest. His movements were economical, practiced, yet possessed of a quiet sensuality that drew her in.
As he fastened the laces, his eyes met hers, a flicker of awareness passing between them. With a quiet fluidity, he pulled on his leather jacket, the worn hide creaking softly as he settled it onto his shoulders. He looked, once more, the rugged, self-assured stranger she had saved from death.
Yet, Aria sensed that something had shifted, subtly, irreversibly. The memory of his movements, the quiet confidence with which he had shed his clothes, lingered in her mind, a potent, unsettling presence.
Aria walked over to check on the horse, patting its neck as Asher approached her.
“How much longer do you think we’ll be searching for a place to stay?” Asher asked, his eyes scanning the surrounding landscape.
Aria shrugged. “You can always go back to your wolf pack, Asher.”
But Asher’s expression turned stern, his voice firm. “I’m not leaving you, Aria. I want to be with you.”
Aria’s shoulders lifted in a nonchalant shrug. “We’re on track to the cottage my mom told me about. Only witches and sorceresses can inhabit it.”
Asher’s interest piqued, he asked, “How do we find it?”
Aria’s gaze drifted into the distance. “The cottage will find you.”
Asher’s brow furrowed. “If it has to find us, why have we been the ones walking for days looking for it? And why hasn’t it found us yet?”
Aria’s expression turned self-critical. “It probably doesn’t know we’re looking for it. And I don’t know the right spells to call on the house.”
Asher’s voice encouraged her. “Try the first thing that comes to your mind.”
Aria closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and began to chant. Her voice resonated, echoing through the forest.
“Umbrage domus, audientia mea. Venite ad nos, ostendo viam. Sorceresses’ sanctum, exaudi vocem meam! Revelare tibi, secretum abyssum.”
As she spoke, the skies darkened, and an unsettling stillness fell over the forest. The wind whispered an eerie melody, and the trees seemed to lean in, as if listening to Aria’s words.
The ground trembled, and a low hum filled the air, like the quiet buzzing of a harp string. The atmosphere grew heavy with anticipation, as if the very fabric of reality was being pulled taut.
As she finished speaking, Asher looked around expectantly. “Where is it?”
Aria’s eyes remained closed, her voice calm. “Wait. I’ve called the house. Now it will deem us worthy before it will answer and appear to us, allowing us inside.”
Asher watched, transfixed, as Aria’s words wove a spell of foreboding and mystery.
- Writer
