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Ch. 32: Saddle Up
Like the walking deus ex machina that he was, Dantares appeared shortly after Elissa left. Hayward was still picking out clothes when the older man knocked. “So. How did it go?” he asked sardonically.
“Eh, about as well as could be expected. We got drunk and fucked like rabbits,” the prince answered. “It was enough to keep my mind off the pain, at least until she fell asleep. The rest of the night was miserable, as always.” He picked out a sturdy pair of grey pants and a pale blue shirt—clothes he cared little about, in case they got dirty in the mines.
Dantares just shook his head. “You two aren’t wasting any time, are you?”
“Carpe diem, my friend. Or perhaps carpe dolium, in this case,” the younger man replied, grinning.
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Catalyst Ch. 33: Magic (part 3)
“If you want to go slow, we can talk and ride, and I believe I owe you an explanation.” She sighed. “So, it started back with the prior explanation... about the boy who my father sent away. I was young and stupid and angry, and I wanted to punish him. So I had heard talk that there were witches that came to the woods for full moons to pay tribute to the powers given to them by the moon goddess. And I sought them out. This was where hunting really came in handy.”She paused to see if he actually was interested in this part of the story, or only how it worked.Hayward nodded. “No need to rush. It’s a lovely day.” He wasn’t terribly interested in her history with the soldier, but could at least look like he was. At worst, it would be a window into her relationship with her father, something he was probably going to navigate sooner rather than later. As soon as she mentioned
Catalyst Ch. 34: The Mines
After he had also dismounted and safely tied his horse up, she nodded for him to follow and walked toward the opening. The men in the mines seemed unphased by her presence.“Harold! How are you?” She greeted one, and he nodded.“Just fine, m’lady. Thank you for asking.”“This is prince Hayward from Asaleagh. Prince Hayward, this is Harold, who is the foreman over the mines.”He nodded to the prince as well. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir. I hope you find your time here enjoyable. We run a tight operation. I’m happy to show it to you.”“No need...” she said, holding her hand up. “We just need a lantern, and we will go exploring on our own. You know I more than know my way around!” He nodded and handed her one. “Thank you.” She smiled and nodded for Hayward to continue farther back into the tunnel.Hayward quickly joined her approaching the mine entrance. “A pleasure to meet you, sir,” he said out of reflex. He didn’t need to treat a mere foreman with such respect, but
Catalyst Ch. 35: The Mines (part 2)
They reached a staircase, and she descended. It curved at every ten feet or so, then continued down in the opposite direction. After going down four sets of stairs, they came to another area of the cave. There were a few men scattered about inside, and one was carefully chipping away at a rock as something shiny gleamed through it. He wondered what else he might see as he followed her down the stairs, and the answer was... people, pretty much the last thing he wanted. He had to behave, couldn’t make lewd remarks, or do anything scandalous while there were witnesses. One was actively mining, it seemed, as the prince’s eyes focused instinctively on the gleaming object. “Ooh, that’s neat. What’s that going to be, gold? Or gemstones?” “Gems. Gold is generally found in deposits in the water.” She leaned closer, examining it. It had a slightly green tinge. “Looks l
Catalyst Ch. 36: Prejudices
“Well, I’m glad,” she replied with half a smile, still stiff in his arms. She didn’t believe him entirely, but who was she to argue? She knew there was something underneath he still wasn’t discussing, but her own emotions had clouded her from getting much more than knowing it existed. Either he suppressed it thoroughly, or she was still too emotional to pick it back up again. It seemed to be connected to his anger. But it wasn’t just his anger; she knew something was there. She just had to get him to open up about it.He was content to float on in silence until they reached the dock and climbed out. He quickly followed her to the lift. “You know, that was kinda fun. I think I’d enjoy it more in the sunshine, though, or under the night sky. It feels so strange for it to be so dark, and yet there are no stars,” he observed.When they were both safely inside the much larger lift than before, Elissa held the rope to use the pulley. It was heavier than the other, and going up didn’t use gr
Catalyst Ch. 37: Prejudices (Part 2)
She picked up her own sandwich, took a bite, and chewed thoughtfully in silence before glancing back over at him. “Can we just address the thing we both dance around constantly?” She raised an eyebrow as she propped up on her elbow. “We were both raised to hate each other. That’s just... standard. I’m supposed to hate you, but I don’t. You’re supposed to hate me. But you don’t. So, I’ll try not to be too offended when you inevitably say something really offensive. And can you do the same? Please?” He nodded. “Absolutely. Hell, it’ll probably be easy. I was raised to believe things about you that are mostly untrue or at least exaggerated. I wouldn’t be shocked if your beliefs about us are still fairly accurate,” he explained, smiling a little. “But this is why I’m so afraid to drink around you, ya know? I got lucky last night, didn’t say anything awful... but I’ve thought much worse things than I’ve said, and I’m worried that one of those thoughts will pop out and rather abruptly end t
Catalyst Ch. 38: Three Little Words
He wasn’t in any hurry, but eventually he broke the kiss, pulling her close and resting his cheek against hers. “Careful, dear. Why don’t we finish lunch before we move on toward dessert?” Maybe they wouldn’t, but it would be hard to avoid if she stayed on top and kissing him. She rolled off of him, thinking she could probably contain herself if she had food in her mouth. As long as her mouth was occupied, maybe she wouldn’t end up spewing out words she didn’t want to say. She grabbed what was left of her sandwich and munched on it, sitting back up. He did likewise, sitting up to finish his meal. Being upright was good; laying down just made things too easy. He smiled playfully at her as he finished his sandwich and grabbed an apple. “So... when are we expected back? Are we expected back?” he asked. He took an exaggerated bite of the apple, letting the juice run down his chin. “I mean, eventually they’d come looking for us.” she laughed. “But probably not until... dark...?” She shru
Catalyst Ch. 39: Less Talking, More-
“Is it supposed to happen this fast? I always assumed I’d just... grow to love someone. Maybe. At least tolerate them,” she shook her head. “I didn’t expect... this...” her bottom lip was quivering as she attempted to explain something she didn’t understand herself. “But I am falling hopelessly in love with you, and it’s the best worst thing ever.” Hayward hugged her warmly against his chest and kissed her on the forehead. “That sounds like an apt description of falling in love. I’ve done it before... once or twice. It’s wonderful and amazing and awful and terrible all at once. Which is why I decided to quit doing it years ago. Unfortunately...” he trailed off and kissed her again. “I met you. And you are... pretty damned exceptional. So I’ll take it. At least it’s not some stupid teenage infatuation again.”
Catalyst Ch. 40: Making Love
He paused there and suckled more firmly: lips, tongue, and teeth working in tandem, right along the sensitive muscle that ran from the inside of her knee to her groin. Of course, he had to hold her down to keep her from squirming and hitting him in the face, but he was happy to do so until there was a bright red hickey on the inside of her thigh. “There. That one shouldn’t be so hard to hide,” he declared triumphantly.She was trembling beneath him, biting her tongue, trying to keep herself from screaming at him. It felt amazing, but he was so close to where she wanted him to be that it was torturous. He’d been holding her down to keep her from fidgeting too much. He knew her too well. She couldn’t really give over complete control, even if she wanted to.“Great...” she groaned, glaring daggers at him. Gods, she wanted to just grab his head and force it into her crotch, but he was holding her arms down. So she couldn’t.Hayward couldn’t help teasing her. “What can I say? I’m a man. Th
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