Aeress

For miles and miles was a winter wonderland. The ground was caked with feet of snow under a crisp blue sky. Snowflakes dominated the greenery.

For miles and miles, there were no other living souls.

She looked out the window and could practically feel the frost numbing her fingertips, the cool breeze stinging her flush cheeks, the snow seeping into her clothes and bring upon a child-like bliss, the kind unconcerned with cold reality.

Aeress smiled to herself when she recalled the worst winter she had experienced as a young child. It was an official snow day, yet her aunt had somehow found a way to leave. She remembered stripping down to her undies and dunking into the snow without any regard for her own safety. It was embarrassing how ignorant she was, but at least then she could laugh.

Aeress shook her head. Yes, good times.

She examined her orange, wool sweater. It was heaven in a piece of clothing. With it she sported a pair of black leggings and long fuzzy socks with beach-theme decorations. Most of the clothes from her apartment packed for her were for the fall and winter seasons.

There was a knock on the door.

Aeress turned to look at the door with suspicion. It didn't go past her when she realized when she focused her hearing, there was a man.

It was frightening to acknowledge that whatever took place at the celebration had somehow given her a physical boost. It wasn't like suddenly gaining superpowers. Aeress didn't know if this demon would ever return, and suddenly felt a boat full of sympathy for the Hulk.

But she refused to let this thing frighten her into solitude. "Yes?"

In came a familiar face.

Aeress sighed. "I didn't know you were here too, Mikya!" She ran a hand through her hair. A mess as always.

His bright blue eyes widened. She thought he was handsome in a very strange way, almost like an artistic way. His inky hair was slick, combed down the side. "You remembered my name."

Aeress squinted. "Why wouldn't I?"

He bowed his head. "Excuse my confusing words, ma'am. I did not mean to offend you."

Aeress frowned. "I have a name just like you. I hope you didn't forget mine?"

He paled. With a sharp bow of his head, he answered, "of course not, ma'am."

"This is weird now. Relax, please! Just call me Aeress, and I will call you Mikya. I don't know many besides Warrick, and I was hoping to call you a friend?"

His mouth fell open, practically landing on the floor. "It would be an honor!"

Aeress sighed. "Good. I was going a little crazy being in this room all by myself!"

His face scrunched with confusion. "You can leave this room whenever you wish. This is your home."

Aeress examined the room. "Am I being treated so nicely because Warrick is my potential boyfriend?"

Mikya laughed nervously. He didn't laugh too much. She could tell by how uncomfortable the sound was. "In a sense. Without Premier, your... Powers are revered among all werewolf kind. I should warn you that your life will change. You are not an ordinary woman."

Aeress shrugged. "Anyone off the street could tell you I'm not ordinary. This spirit hasn't changed me into some demon queen. I can tell you that without communicating with her."

He bit his lip. "Does she not frighten you?"

A couple things clicked in her head and she wasn't quite sure how to process it. "No. I don't fear for myself. I just know she won't hurt me, but... her powers," she lifted a hand and imagined it morphed and tinted blue, "that is terrifying. I must scare you. I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "The queen apologizes to me." Mikya couldn't have been more astounded. "Please, allow me to take you from this room." He stepped aside to give her access to the exit. He was so damn stiff. Time to play a game.

She practically ran him over racing out the door. "Best way to explore is through games. Ever heard of hide and seek? You get to find me first!"

Holy shit was the place huge. She felt like she was running through a castle. It was straight out of a historical fiction novel.

If she thought the house before was large and lavish, this had to have been the lebron james of basketball. She was breathless at the beautiful home. She was in love with it. She didn't ever want to leave. Who would?

Tall, arching ceilings. The multi-colored walls were lined with gorgeous paintings framed by a shining gold. The floors were smooth stone with red velvet rug. Heavy cloth curtains hung on the sides of the gorgeously crafted windows.

She was lost in a maze of halls and bedrooms. And she was still on the second floor!

There was a high, arching door that caught her attention. It was mint green with curling gold designs. She pulled it open, twisting the cold knob. Wow. She felt like Belle in Beauty and the Beast.

Entering with interest, she realized she had walked into a magnificently designed, personal library. Her feet couldn't travel fast enough. Wall to wall were built-in bookshelves, with a wide variety of old and new books.

She inched over a dark wooden floor. The windows were stained with vibrant colors found on the entire spectrum of the rainbow, displaying heavenly floral images and dramatized scenes of battle.

She walked into the center, toward a massive wooden table. It was surrounded by chairs with velvet cushions. The farthest left wall was dominated by a grand fireplace. There was a black spiral staircase on the left, leading up to a the next floor of exposed books. A rail wrapped around the edge to ensure safety. Many comfy chairs were scattered about in a neat fashion, occasionally accompanied by a small table and lamp.

Her eyes sought the right side of the room. The breath in her lungs halted a few lingering seconds. There he was, in his natural habitat: a desk and laptop. The wall behind him caught her amazement as it held a beautiful painting of a view she couldn't recognize. His eyes were so trained and focused.

"Aeress?" Mikya's voice called from a distance. She gasped and zipped around in search of a place to hide. This was always the fun part.

"What the hell are you doing?" he muttered when she ran behind his dominant desk. She crouched low, right beside his leg.

Aeress couldn't help but brush up against his calf just a little. His eyes cut to her. She held a finger up against her lips. "You didn't see me, okay?"

There was a polite knock at the door.

"Come in!" he barked, typing away. She could have flinched at how harsh he was.

Light steps entered the room. Then followed by silence.

"What do you need?" Warrick's cool expression almost broke Aeress. But she kept her mouth shut, stifling the laughter.

"Uh, yes, Premier. I'm sorry to interrupt your work, Premier. It's just that, sir..." Aeress felt bad for the poor stuttering man. He had anxiety problems. How did he get this job?

"Spit it out, I don't have all day." She thought nothing of it and pinched his ankle. His scowl deepened.

"Godhead wanted to play a game. Hide and seek. Did you... Happen to see her?"

Aeress was confused by the name but said nothing. Warrick sighed like a disappointed father. "Are you telling me that you have lost my mate?" How was he such a great actor?

"I am simply seeking her, Premier-"

"I didn't ask for an explanation," he interrupted. "Now go find my mate."

"Yes, sir." His tone resembled that of a mouse. His exit was swift.

"Warrick, he nearly fainted because of you!" Aeress popped up from her crouching position. She sat her bottom on the desk so that she was facing him. Man she could look at him all day.

Warrick shrugged. "I am not here to give everyone an easy time."

"As Premier," she started, observed as his long, elegant fingers played across the keys, "you are obviously a busy man."

He nodded, briefly assessing her odd attire. She smiled when he didn't frown. "It is my responsibility to keep order."

Aeress picked up a plain, gold paperweight. "That is your favorite thing, huh? Order. Everything is so neat. So clean. Makes me anxious just thinking about how much energy goes into all of this," she waved her arms around, pointing to the neatly stacked bookshelves and the lack of dust in any known corner.

He pushed a piece of copper hair off his forehead. Those blues were intense. "Think of me as a CEO."

Aeress laughed, bracing a hand on his rock-hard shoulder. "You are no CEO. This is not the life of a CEO. Trust me, I've read enough romance novels to know the difference. You are a king. A god. You just have CEO tendencies."

He looked up at her, giving her a glimpse into his ocean eyes. "You will understand when the time comes."

Aeress smiled, touching his hair on instinct as he continued his work. "I am no CEO. I am the janitor. Hell, I am the assistant of the janitor. Just because I have this demon-which we have only met once by the way-doesn't mean that I am suddenly in your situation."

She got nervous once he slammed his laptop shut. Now Aeress had his full attention. He stood up, and she looked up at his ceaseless body as it hung over her. Warrick caged her in with his arms. His lips were so close. "One thing you will remember from now on," he stepped in between her legs and the friction there brought her to life, "is how important you are to my people. You are the most valuable thing in the world. You are the Godhead. You are the deity. We worship you, not only this spirit but you, the woman. I have controlled my people for many weeks now, but you will come to understand that the life I have is nothing compared to what you will have right now. If you remember anything, it is this."

Aeress wanted to deny him. Deny his people. This was a strange life, but life did not stop for her.

"What am I supposed to do?" Aeress grabbed his bicep to steady herself but it served to only stir her desires. "Warrick, look at me. I am not a deity, not a Godhead. I am trying to act like I am not losing my shit, but so much is overwhelming me. I am barely processing the fact that I died. And after butchering countless of men, the most beautiful man I have ever lain eyes on tells me I am basically beyonce. What insane person just rolls with that information?"

He was searching her face. She just wasn't sure he would find what was sought. "You."

Her mouth hung open. "I am attracted to you," she whispered. It was a a random and obvious statement.

For the first time since she'd met him, there was a tiny, michevious smirk imprinting on his mouth. It transformed his expression from brutal to sexy so quickly that she had to refrain from panting. His face was near. She could still feel the ghost of his possessing lips against his. "Every single time we have met," he told her, his eyes trained on her lips, "you have never shown an ounce of fear."

Aeress grabbed his hands. She felt bold, rather the power was hers in this moment. Her palm wrapped around his hands and she lead them to her hips. Warrick responded with a brawn-filled clutch. "That's it?" she demanded, wrapping her arms around his neck. He was warm, just like always.

He chuckled. It was dry but it was an addictive sound. "No," he brought his nose against her collar, "not at all." His lips skimmed over her exposed skin. She sighed at his touch, riding the sweet, overwhelming waves that came with.

"You've barely touched me," Aeress had her hands skimming up the back of his neck and in between his strands. "And I'm falling apart."

His voice was a little hollow and this worried her. "The bond we have is responsible for that."

She tugged at him until he looked up. For a moment she just basked in how handsome he was. "I don't think so," she leaned in for a kiss, "I think that you are just about the most fascinating man I have ever met. And we have only just met. I don't think a bond can simply erase the will of an independent woman like me."

His eyes came to life with a blazing fire. He closed the distance between them and kissed sensation back into her body, setting off every nerve in her flesh. Everything came to a boiling point, sizzling with need. It was a simplistic attraction with equal needs.

The way he touched her and claimed her with his mouth gained a strong reaction from her both physically and emotionally. She was gasping, wrapping her legs around him. She tugged him close, feeling on the hard, gorgeous ridges of his toned body.

She laughed against his lips when he tossed everything off the desk in one swipe.

With a firm hand, he pushed her at stomach, urging her to lay back. Warrick was so beautiful as he leaned over her for another passionate kiss. His skin was flushed, and he was so wild that she almost could burst.

She helped him as he got off her clothes. He was an expert in trailing his hands against her, massaging and rubbing.

This wasn't her first sexual encounter. She wasn't afraid to be bare before a lover. It was important that she chose what she was comfortable with and what she wanted, not society's expectations. And right then and there, he was all she could think about.

"Fuck," he muttered when she undid her bra to expose her full breasts. She had her hands interlocked in his copper strands, following him as he bent over to ravish her plump flesh with his tongue.

Her legs were wrapped around his hips, she arched upward, rubbing against him. They both groaned at the contact.

"Warrick!" she gasped, writhing underneath his hands as they travelled downward, so stark against her tan skin. His pale fingers dipped lower and lower. She bit her lip, looking up at him and embracing how trained his expression was on her. "Please!" she urged.

His hand grazed over and she jolted. The shock of pleasure had her cold and warm all over. She had never anticipated a man's touch with eagerness like this ever before.

She lifted her lips back up to his, right as he began to rock his hand against her between her legs. She breathed against him, gasping and sighing as he kissed her thoughts out of her head.

Aeress trembled and shook underneath his swift, firm movements. Her body built up with intensity, slowly but surely. He played her like a professional, knowing when to apply pressure and when to increase his speed.

She was slick and grinding against him, begging him for release.

"Warrick!" she cried out when he delved deeper into her, adding pressure and worshipping her without anything other than his hands.

He silenced her with his mouth.

"Almost there," she whimpered, holding on tight to him, holding on as the intensity of her pleasure threatened to destroy her.

She cried out as she fell over the edge, riding the blissful waves. Her body melted into a puddle of content.

Aeress was pretty sure that she saw stars.

Black Lives Matter.