Guardian of the Hills

Midnight Ride

As Derek and I walked into the tavern, I felt like I really had fallen into some type of dream world. There were all kinds of creatures I had only read about. Some were clearly fae. Others were small like the pixie we had encountered at court. Some had wings. There were even fawns and some type of very small creature that looked like a squashed toad. A fae sat on the stage with a lute playing some type of Irish folksong. Derek gestured for me to sit at a booth, and he sat opposite me. He motioned for the barmaid, and she came over. She was short as well and had a really big bust with way more cleavage than was necessary.

"Hello, stranger. It's been a while since we saw you in here," she said.

"I've been busy. Two pints, please."

She looked in my direction like she had just noticed I was there. She made a small noise and turned back to the bar. I raised my eyebrows at Derek. He just shook his head and smirked.

"I've never had meade," I said.

"I'm sorry. I should have asked you first. Perhaps you would have preferred elderberry wine."

"I'm sure I can handle it. I've had some pretty horrible drinks."

The barmaid came back and sat the pints down without a word and walked off.

"She seems agitated at you," I said as I smiled.

He shrugged and tilted his head with a smirk. I sipped the meade. It was actually quite wonderful. I could taste the honey aftertaste.

"So your mom seems like a delightful person," I said as I took another sip of my meade.

"She has her moments," he said as he sipped his own.

I sat down my pint, and he smiled at me.

"You have some foam on your mouth," he said as he reached across the table and brushed the foam from my top lip. On instinct, before he reached out, I stuck my tongue out to lick the foam, and as he reached my mouth, I accidently grazed his finger with my tongue. That fire in my abdomen immediately ignited, and I could feel my face burn. He smiled at me but didn't recoil. He wiped his finger across my lip ever so lightly. I felt my n*****s go erect, and I took a deep breath. He actually laughed a little at me.

Did he know what he was doing to me?

I decided to break the tension with the conversation.

"If we are meant to dine with the court, does what I have on suffice?" I asked.

"You look fine. Besides, we are only staying long enough to eat and then we are leaving. I have to get you back to the portal. You've been gone long enough as it is."

My heart suddenly sank. I knew I needed to get home, but a small part of me wanted to know more about this world. I decided that due diligence was the way to proceed.

I downed my pint.

"Well, let's do this," I said.

He downed his. He threw some coins on the table, and we left.

The court dining hall was exactly as I pictured in my head. It was an extravagant hall with large long wooden tables with bench type seats. There were platters of fruit, meat, and bread everywhere. Servers walked around filling goblets with wine. It reminded me of the movies of midevil times. Most of the Seelie fae had their wings unfurled, and many of the ladies were dressed in gowns. I looked down at myself and frowned. I was definitely underdressed. On the long wall opposite the hall sat the king and queen. I noticed there was a seat empty at either side of them. Derek pulled my chair out next to his mother, and he took the seat on the right hand next to the king. He had the same black hair as Derek with some grey on either side. He had a beard and looked very royal indeed. Derek had explained to me that there was no reason to kneel for the king as he thought all of that proffesional protocol was rubbish when it came to family and as his guest there would be no such formalities for me as well. Dinner was actually ok. The food was very good, and his mother mainly made chit chat with her son and the king. I was glad to be ignored. Most of the conversation dealt with diplomatic areas that I honestly had no clue about. When dinner was over, we said our goodbyes and went to the stables. The groomsmen brought Derek's horse out to us saddled.

"Her name is Gloriana," he said with a sense of pride. She was a magnicent creature. She was very large and solid black.

"Have you ridden before?" he asked.

"I did a little when I was a girl."

"So you go ahead and get on first," he said. I put my foot in the stirrup and pulled myself into the horse's saddle. He pulled himself up behind me. I was suddenly aware of how close we were and his body touching mine. I could smell that woodsy scent he had. It collided with the scent of the leather of the saddle and made my head literally spin. He picked up the reigns, and we were off in a trot. The bouncing caused a unique sensation between my legs. That fire was back in my abdomen. I closed my eyes and took a breath.

"Are you frightened?" Derek said into my ear. I felt his warm breath across my ear and face.

"No," I said honestly. "Can we go faster?" I turned my head to look at him. He smiled at me and snapped the reigns. He leaned into me, and I leaned down over the saddle horn. It was pure exhiliration. His thighs gripped the horse against mine as we sprinted down the road through the trees. My n*****s went erect again, and I felt the saddle bumping me again and again. With each step the horse ran, the fire was growing more in more inside of me. I felt it then. I was about to lose myself, and the orgasm was going to wash over me. I didn't want Derek to know what I was feeling, but it was too late to stop it. I closed my eyes again, bit my bottom lip, and allowed it to engulf me. As my orgasm ended, Derek grabbed the reigns and slowed the horse. back to a steady pace. I was breathing heavily.

"Best feeling in the world, isn't it?" asked Derek.

"Mm, hmm," I said hazily. I lay my head back on his chest and allowed myself to be rocked by the rhythm of the horse. I fell into a nice warm slumber with Derek's arms around me.

When I awoke, I saw that we were at the mushroom circle. My heartbeat sped up. I knew this would be the last time I would ever see him and that after this moment, I wouldn't even remember he existed.

He dismounted the horse and helped me down. He tied her to a tree and grabbed my hand.

"I'm going to walk through with you," he said. I want to see you to safety." My heart skipped an entire beat.

We stepped through the portal hand in hand. He walked with me in silence through the woods. Suddenly I saw lights. We were back at the school.

"I need to warn you that time is different here," he said. "It will have been three days in your time."

"Three days? Oh my God. I bet my Dad is heart sick."

He reached up and brushed my hair behind my ear. My heart fluttered.

He smiled at me

"Be safe, Skeeter. You won't remember anything about me in a few minutes."

"I know," I said. "Thank you for helping me." He took a step back from me. He frowned like he was trying to make up his mind about something.

"f**k it," he said and without warning. his lips were on mine. My body reacted before I could even think about it. My hands were entangled in his hair, and he had his hands all over me. The kiss was deep, passionate, and sad in a way. It was almost as if I could feel his emotions inside of me. In my entire life no one had ever kissed me like that. After several minutes, he broke away from me. He stood a breath apart from me and rubbed his thumb over my bottom lip.

"Ní mó do chuimhní cinn ar na ceithre huaire fichead deiridh," he said and then immediately turned and walked back into the forest. I was left standing there staring at the spot where he had disappeared into the darkness with the feel of his kiss still on my lips. But I didn't forget.