A soul to touch duskwalk.., p.22
A Soul to Touch: Duskwalker Brides: Book Three, page 22
That still didn’t answer my question.
With a sigh, Mayumi let it go.
She managed to wrangle her way out of his embrace and, crawled on her hands and knees over to the fireplace. She stabbed it with the poker a few times, feeling the cold prickle of goosebumps assaulting her entire body. Her nipples pulled taut in a stingy way, and she quickly threw a fresh log into the embers so it could warm the house.
When she turned back around, Faunus was lying on his side with one knee bent. He’d also bent the arm under him and had placed the side of his head in his palm. His tail swished behind him, but it was his purple orbs that caused her to halt.
They swiftly turned back to yellow, but his position made him look terribly arrogant.
It didn’t take her much to realise he’d been staring at her bare arse and pussy from behind!
Mayumi wasted no time. Despite being dirty, she found warm clothing she didn’t mind washing again later. There was a noticeable limp in the way she walked, everything from her abdomen down was aching and tight.
I’ve never been fucked to the point I couldn’t walk properly. Currently, she was hobbling around.
A grin spread her lips wide, and she wore it proudly even as she gave little facial twitches of pain.
Faunus remained where he was, watching her the entire time with his tail tapping against the ground. She thought he’d stay there, but he quickly followed her the moment she headed outside.
“Where are you going?” he asked as he ducked through the doorway.
“To the stream.”
She battled her way through the snow to the back of the house, holding two logs in her hands and some fire-starting kindling.
Underneath a large stone basin was a heating stove. She opened its metal door and threw everything she had in her arms into it before rearranging it. Then she used multiple matches to get it to light.
Once that was done, she went to the shed and grabbed a pickaxe and a square-mouthed shovel.
When Faunus saw that she was shovelling snow away from a certain spot, he willingly began to help. He used his large hand to dig and scoop it away. With them working together, it quickly revealed a sheet covering.
Mayumi removed it to reveal the top of a stone basin that had been built there. It was watertight since it was sealed with a special clay, but it was mostly made up of the natural large rock wall it had on one side and multiple boulders everywhere else.
She pushed in a little bit of snow, knowing the heating stove beneath it would begin to melt and warm it. Then Mayumi led them to the small stream nearby.
It took her a little while to find the end of the terra cotta pipe her family had buried here long ago. Once she did, she cleared all the snow and dirt around it to dig it out. Mayumi undid the latches that covered the end that kept things like dirt, sticks, leaves, or snow from getting inside and clogging it. It also prevented animals from using it as a burrow.
Since the surface of the stream was frozen, she needed to use her pickaxe to get to the cold but moving water beneath. She dug at the earth so that it would drain into the terra cotta pipe and down the hill. Once she removed the covering at the bottom on the other end, it would drain into the stone basin.
It was a lot of work just to have a bath, which was why Mayumi rarely did this, but a basic wipe down with melted snow water and a cloth just wasn’t going to cut it today. Not with Faunus’ great, big, furry ass.
He was walking around without a shred of clothing on him, and even now she could see the way he was grossly covered in dried seed. It even made his fur clump together, and she was not touching him again until it was no longer doing that.
Mayumi made a blergh face when she cringed before marching down the hill. The moment she undid the bottom latch, fresh water slowly poured into the basin.
“While that’s filling up and heating,” she started while turning to Faunus. “I’m going to have breakfast and some tea.”
She noticed his orbs were a darker hue of yellow than usual. He cocked his head at the spring bath before cocking it back to her.
“If you had wanted to fill this, you could have just told me. I’m able to use magic to fill things such as baths. It would have been warm to begin with.”
Mayumi turned her head to watch the water pouring in. “I guess it’s too late now. Maybe next time since I’ve already completed the whole process.”
It was disappointing she didn’t know that earlier, but there was nothing she could do about it now.
Although compelled to follow Mayumi wherever she went, Faunus stayed where he was as she went inside. He stared at the water flowing in, almost hypnotised by it, until it reached a certain height.
After a long while, she came back out to close this end of the strange pipe device.
Even with the distance between him and it, he could see that it was large and deep. He stepped back from it with his tail curling in apprehension.
He began to walk the yard, scouting to make sure he couldn’t sense any Demons or coming humans nearby. If she intended to be outside for a long period of time, he wanted to make sure it was safe.
He didn’t know how long he was gone, refusing to crowd her or be near the water, but he eventually heard her call to him.
She was at the back of the house, holding two pieces of long cloth in her hands. He tilted his head at her as he approached.
“Okay, it’s ready.”
Faunus lifted his head to the small pool of steaming warm water and then brought his gaze back to her. He didn’t know why she felt the need to inform him.
He’d seen humans prefer to bathe in private.
He just planned not to tell her he would watch happily from afar.
“Enjoy your bath. I have already scouted the area and know it is safe for you to do so.”
Her cute little brows drew together as her lips pursed. His sight grew fixed on them. He’d briefly tasted them a few times yesterday, but he’d been so distracted by the rest of her body that he hadn’t quite fulfilled his desire to lap at them.
Because she was so small compared to him, it was hard to reach her face when he was inside her. He’d need to arch his body, which made it difficult to move his hips. He’d taken to licking her when their bodies were separated.
But what he really wanted was to... kiss her.
He’d seen humans do this. They messily locked their mouths together and made these soft little noises that caused his ear holes to tingle.
He could never do this with her, and he wondered if she would grow to dislike him when she realised they couldn’t be intimate in this way. Actually, there was much about him that was different and many things they could never do together.
“We are going to bathe,” Mayumi said with her head shaking. “I called you over here to get in with me.”
White flashed in his orbs as he took a wary step back, covering his chest with his hand. “Me? No. Just you.”
Her eyes squinted into a narrow glare.
“Get in the bath, Faunus.” Mayumi pointed at it. “You’re dirtier than I am.”
His sight turned to the steaming, somewhat deep water before they permanently morphed to white. He shook his head with his heart accelerating, forcing blood to his muscles to make them swell.
“I am fine. I will not fit.”
He would fit. He knew he would fit, perhaps even with plenty of room. He just didn’t want to.
“You’re joking.” Mayumi gave a laugh, a deep and mocking one. “Are you afraid of water?!”
“No,” he answered casually, turning his head away dismissively. “I’m not afraid of water.”
Was he? No. Maybe a little, but not because of the water itself. He mistrusted it because he knew what it could do, how suffocating it could be.
“You are!” The fact her laughter was growing caused his orbs to redden in anger. “I didn’t think because you had a feline skull that you would be scared of water like cats!”
The flare of embarrassment and disbelief in her words caused his body to ruffle. His fur puffed in agitation.
He couldn’t believe she’d said something so offensive to him. He refused to be compared to that of a mindless animal. He could communicate and understand – rather than just meowing uselessly or hissing like a fool.
He’d eaten many of them. There was a reason much of him was similar to that of a cat, both domestic and mountain cougars.
“I am not like a cat!” he roared, parting his fangs in warning. Mayumi flinched at the loudness of his roar and the fact he was doing it at her. He immediately winced at her shocked expression, probably because he’d done it so suddenly. “Fine! If it is so important, I will get in the bath just to show you that I am unafraid.”
He stomped towards the small pool and climbed up the opposite side of it where he could see a human would usually enter. There was a wall here where her heating stove was.
His anger instantly deflated when he placed his hands on the edge to jump up and in. Facing the water, he paused. The flare in his chest was snuffed into an anxiety-filled rhythm of disquiet. He didn’t want to get in. He didn’t want to put his body in the water.
It rippled when a leaf gently fell into it, much like it would when bubbles broke against the surface from below.
Once more, his tail tip curled in apprehension.
“Faunus?”
Her quiet voice broke him out of the trance that had begun to pull him under, and he turned his head to her. She was no longer laughing but rather had a thoughtful frown to her expression.
Get in the water, he told himself. Don’t let her know you are... She won’t think you can protect her if you cannot do something as simple as sit in this.
Faunus didn’t want Mayumi to think he was weak in any sense. It’s not even that deep, he reassured himself.
Or was it lying? Was it actually endless?
He jumped up and placed his left leg in. He had to calm his body of the repulsive shudder it gave before he threw the other in. He slipped inside and instantly a horrible shiver coursed down his spine, which caused his fur to stand on end.
The only solace he felt was that the water was warm, which helped to ease some of the tension in his muscles.
There were multiple places in which one could sit on rock, and he chose the one he thought would be best for himself as it wouldn’t submerge him. He held on tightly to the edges to ensure he didn’t somehow slip in any deeper than the bottom of his sternum.
His body was dense, wanting to sink rather than float.
He didn’t even know Mayumi had stripped until she was gliding herself inside the water. It came up to well past her breasts to sit around the top of her chest.
Seeing her take a seat in front of him gave him something other than the water to focus on, but it was hard to ignore it wrapped around him. It felt crushing, like it was squeezing his torso rather than just gently lapping at his flesh.
He wished his orbs would stop being white. No matter how much he tried to control his emotions, nothing aided him. He wanted out. He couldn’t believe he’d gotten in to begin with. His claws gouged at the rock on the outside of the bath.
The only reason he knew he was shaking was because Mayumi came over and settled him by cupping his snout.
“There we go. Now we can get all nice and clean,” she cooed.
He didn’t know if she was aware of his unease, but she made no comment about it. She helped to centre him when she turned and sat on one of his thighs while still holding his snout, directing his face to keep his gaze on hers.
He thought he may have sensed a hint of concern in her features with the way her brows twitched. After a small while, he felt his distress lessening.
She is sitting on me. He placed his arms around her so he could hold her.
He didn’t like it when she began cupping water in her hands and pouring it down the front of his body, but he chose to ignore it. Faunus didn’t take his sight off her, and he tried to feel nothing else but her body on his.
There was no weight since the water kept her buoyant, so he let the side of his torso and his arms take in the touch of her instead.
Her kindness and comfort were what he needed, and he felt his heart flap lightly in his chest. She is trying to calm me. He hated that he needed it, that he’d been so obvious, but he was still thankful for it.
Faunus lifted his hand, which dripped heavily with water, and cupped the side of her face.
“Why are you doing this with me?” he asked, feeling a strange coil of emotion within.
Even though she’d been unobtainable until now, Faunus had... undeniably cared for Mayumi. That was deepening, whether he wanted it to or not.
“Having a bath?” Her brows drew together. “Isn’t it obvious? Or do you mean why am I sitting on your lap? If you are, I am just because I can.”
Faunus shook his head. “Why are you allowing me to touch you, Mayumi? I am a Duskwalker. I never expected you to feel any kind of desire or affection towards me.”
“Oh.” Her features fell before she looked away from him to stare out in the forest that backed the house. Then she gave a sharp short giggle. “Others would think it’s weird, but sometimes some people just want to fuck the monsters under the bed.”
Faunus gave a quizzical head tilt with his orbs growing a dark yellow, finally fading away from white. “But... I do not fit under your bed.”
“Pfft! I didn’t mean literally! It’s a saying, Faunus. It means that some people are just, uh, kind of attracted to things that aren’t normal or human? I hate Demons, but I’ve found some attractive. Sometimes spooky things turn me on, like monsters and the idea of the boogieman.” She gave him a large grin, one that was so prominent that it made the underside of her eyes puffy. “And you’re the biggest, baddest, and scariest of them all. From the moment I saw you in the clearing that night, I wanted to jump your bones.”
The way his heart turned cold suddenly made him lose the hot sensation of the bathwater around him. He darkened his orbs to black when he knew they were going to turn blue, hiding from her any sadness or hurt he felt from her words.
When he took a steady breath, he opened his sight and was relieved they were their usual yellow.
Then he forced a chuckle from himself and glided his claws up the side of her body.
“Scariest? I have not scented a single thread of fear from you.” She squealed when he tickled her. “But it pleases me to know you find me attractive, despite me being a monster as you so called me.”
“Is that a sour tone, I hear?” she asked with her cheeks puffing.
“I do believe I intended it to be playful.”
He knew what he was and what humans regularly called anything outside of humankind. To them, and obviously to her, he was a monster. A nightmare. Something wrong that didn’t belong in this world.
Mayumi reached up and cupped the sides of his bony jaw in her small, wet palms.
“I find you and that Duskwalker face of yours rather sexy. I called you Faunus because it means forest God, and you can be my forest, bone daddy God any day.”
The way her lips curled was heated, her dark eyes glinting with wickedness. The light shone in them, making them appear like pools of rich brown.
“So, when you screamed ‘oh my, God’ yesterday, you were actually just calling out to me.” It wasn’t a question but a statement.
It gave him what he wanted, another musical, non-feminine laugh.
“Sure. Whatever you want to tell yourself.” Then she stroked his face in what felt like a soothing yet appreciative way, being careful not to touch the crack in it. “But, I know for certain I wouldn’t have entertained touching anyone else but you.”
He tilted his head in her hands. “What do you mean?”
From what he’d gathered, she would have done this with another. The fact that a Demon might have been on her menu was a little alarming, but he’d thought that if another of his kind had stumbled upon her, she may have accepted them into her ripe and plush body.
“You saved my life, Faunus. I wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for you. I may not have remembered you well, but I have never forgotten you and what you did for me.”
She gave a little sigh and then moved away from him even though he was desperate to keep her near to save him from his anxieties. He didn’t know why she wanted to break contact with him then, especially when she was saying something that made him feel... wanted.
“From the moment you said you were here because you wanted to protect me... I trusted you. That’s why I feel comfortable enough to have sex with you.”
She sat on the opposite side of the bath again, this time facing her head away into the forest.
She trusts me. I am special to her.
Joy sparked inside him. That was enough. The fact she trusted him and desired him, he would take those things from her and hold them dearly.
“I am thankful for this outcome rather than you trying to kill me,” he tried to tease since she appeared thoughtful. “I will keep your secret safe from the rest of your Demonslayers the next time I go to that big, fortified mountain castle of theirs.”
He thought the idea of him waltzing his way into a Demonslayer stronghold would make her laugh. Instead, he watched her right hand turn into a tight fist as her lips drew inwards.
Why did I turn the conversation around? Mayumi thought with a disgruntled pout.
She’d started sharing her more... private feelings, and she wasn’t used to doing that. Her prankish words about ‘the monster under the bed’ had just been because she wanted to be humorous and distract him from his obvious aversion to the water.
Talking about the fact she trusted him, remembered him, had brought a whirlwind of emotions with it. Emotions she didn’t want.
She already knew she liked Faunus. His exterior was a massive part of that. There was an undeniable, divinely dark beauty about him that others wouldn’t see – because they were blind fools – but she could also see he was... jovial. She hadn’t expected him to be so free-spirited. He could even be teasing.
