"Hmm, well." Almera’s hands patted sweetly against Ethan’s shoulders. His eyes closed tightly as if he were trying hard not to say anything as a smile started to spread across his lips. Finn chuckled and just watched them, like it was so entertaining.Pearl couldn’t really tell if Ethan was trying not to laugh or growl."Yes, I guess I couldn’t really say no." "Perhaps I misjudged you, my friend," the blind woman murmured."Almera, you didn’t even touch his face." A smirk kissed Pearl lips. Goddess, I want to be her when I grow up. She thought."I didn’t?" Her brows lowered over her pale gaze. "Huh. Please forgive my dwindling mind."Her hand pulled away, and Pearl couldn't help but let her gaze flicker to Ethan's hips and his fortunate lower region that seemed to bulge often. Unfortunately, she couldn’t make out the impressiveness that gave Almera a change of heart.Pearl guessed she should have gotten him tighter jeans.Daydreaming. His hands turn, big palms pushing across her abdo
Pearl was silent, and she sure as hell blushed like a schoolgirl but ignored Finn and Vergel.Finn seemed to always be this funny man filled with too much pent-up, invisible happiness and contentment. But sometimes he was quiet. Silence tried to cover his aggression, but it still lingered in the pull of his brow, the turn of his lips, and the tension of his pale shoulders. But Pearl didn't know why. The man was as fickle-minded as her.Finn stood before Pearl fully naked and neatly folded his shirt and jeans. It was a casual sort of thing. He wasn’t trying to be sexy. He just was."I’ll just give my clothes to Mr. Dickless here." Finn handed his friend his clothes, and Vergel’s eyes narrowed on him."Are we sure I don’t have magical furs that made you wet?" Ethan shifted back to his human form, stood naked in front of Pearl, looked to her for confirmation, and a smile pulled at his lips. He looked … manic when he smiled. It was an odd look, like he was not used to happiness at all, an
Ethan's gaze slowly wandered to the dirt between them. "You should. Don’t settle for what you have. Never settle for less than everything. Life’s too short to think you deserve less than all of your dreams and desires." Pearl cocked a brow at his romantic words. This was the guy they were calling Dickless less than an hour ago... The silence settled back in, but his words replayed endlessly in her mind. Pearl wishes it were that easy. To just accept the things she wanted and not overthink all the things she needed. Like survival. Her mission.She may be able to wield the four elements of magic and be capable of opening a portal, but she couldn't control it, and she was afraid to even try. The magic was too big for her. The power was so overwhelming that she didn't even want to wield it unless deadly action was necessary. She sighed as she remembered Kain, and sometimes the past was too present to really think about the future. Finally, her home comes into view. Another board has
Another growling sound of pleasure shook Ethan, and, suddenly, his hands were gripping Pearl’s hips as she moaned in surprise. The smooth feel of his erection against her stomach made her core tighten as she stood there with her hands held caressingly against his neck. The small amount of energy she used was worth it to hear the sounds of his pleasure. "Hell, woman... for an ordinary alchemist like you... you are something peculiar. Something different… Pearl, what are you doing exactly?" "Um-nothing." Pearl's cheeks turned red. "I know there is something behind your facade, far beyond my reach, but I don't care." In the quiet darkness, her fingers trail up the strong column of his throat before settling against his jaw. He was so handsome. So perfect... and what happened to them long ago was something she couldn't forget; in fact, she wanted him again so badly. His features were carved from stone, with a beauty that’s too alluring to ignore. He really was a predator. Built to at
Outside Almera’s cabin In his werewolf form and on guard duty, Finn was confused as to why he unexpectedly felt too sleepy and exhausted. It was like he had been under some mysterious spell. All the memories came running fast, the pain was intense, and the past emerged from his brain like a tidal wave. Yet, the best thing about him was his magical warmth, which wasn't a drawback; it had become a floor that anchored him to his anger and his past. It was the bedrock of who he was, of the person he was born to be. Though he was born gentle and vulnerable, weak and kind, now he is a warrior, deadly and powerful. He wore his heart for all to see, and it took strength to do that, but he was no longer smooth or peaceful; now he was his own hero; he was his own champion. The disastrous course of his circumstances commenced that night. Many many decades ago. The young man lay on his stomach on the ground of the large common tavern in the rogues' quarters. To Finn's right, a group of his off-
Finn felt a surge of satisfaction at the applause but regulated his expression admirably, only tidying up barely. He mastered concealing his true emotions. Life on the street taught him that. He can cope better with people who are in touch with their true emotions yet appear "tough" than with those who have masked their own emotions to themselves yet appear "mild." Stage one of his maturation into his better self is being in touch with his true emotions. Becoming a better person was stage two. Thus, the former were at an advantage and easier to coach. Those who were both honest and mild-mannered are the elite all. "You know of my elite warrior?" were the master's next phrases. "Yes, sir," Finn replied. "What do you know about them, young man?" "Sir, um-hmp that they are your selection brigade for special tasks, sir." In truth, it was all that Finn could speculate about the distinguished party of elite warriors—the most respected among the men—whose midnight expeditions were cocoo
When Finn was given sustenance and a bed in trade for his chores. When reimbursed in silver coin, it was usually meager enough to appease both needs, in which case he spent the fortune on sustenance. True, the "bed" he was given was usually barely permitted to sleep upon aground in a kitchen or stable, but the resort was worse: the thoroughfare.Met with this destiny, Finn would crawl through the alleys and roads, the stench of piss and shite surging from the humid cobblestones, whilst he surveyed the rooftops for a smoking chimney. He would then search for an interrelated veneer fireplace wall against which to curl, hoping for a spot with overhanging eaves to avert the rain, or worse, the storm, and one not under a window out of which a chamber pot might be emptied.
Finn's heart would thump as he faced off against his adversary. When his clenched fists connected with flesh, he was a lad absorbed, his fists lashed out in a blur, his heart roaring with anger as noses and cheekbones crunched under his blows and bodies doubled over to a fist driven into the gut. Only when his enemy lay sobbing and bleeding on the ground was his resentment quenched. No kid had ever been courageous enough to challenge him twice. Barely indeed did it happen that he was the one put to the cobblestones.Although most of these fights occurred in villages, he was not entirely spared in the country. He had defended himself against lads from neighboring farms and even the sons of the farms where he worked, who had taken exception to the presence of this orphan. Then there had been the times when a farmer, in one instance, and a far