Beauty and the Damned

22 | Owe

Ariadne woke up one morning because of the noise. She is still groggy and her head felt like she had hit it many times before she went to sleep. Then she remembered what she drank last night and she almost muttered a curse under her breath if she hadn’t heard Mira’s soft voice on the other side of the wagon.

The cold wind blew and she shivered, realizing she was naked. She was about to get up when an arm pinned her back down. She realized it was Rowan’s hand and she could tell that it had been there on her stomach for the whole night. Then she heard Mira’s soft voice again as if whispering something and then it was followed by giggling. Ariadne furrowed her brows and she looked at Rowan who still has his eyes closed. Then she heard it. The giggles turned into soft moans. Ariadne's eyes widened in shock as she realized what was going on.

Rowan's hand tightened around her waist as if telling her not to make any noise. She looked at Rowan who looked like he was still sleeping but she knew he was already awake. Ariadne looked at the divider and saw Mira's shadow, straddling on top of Niko. She stifled her gasp and her hand flew to her mouth.

Ariadne closed her eyes again as though trying to sleep again but Mira’s moans became louder. She heard Rowan’s stifled laughter and she looked at him. Ariadne nudged him lightly and Rowan’s laughter died. She turned on her back and tried to sleep again, not bothering to remove Rowan’s hand on her waist. Much to her surprise, Rowan inched closed and she could feel his warmth on her bare back.

She was about to reprimand him to keep his distance but Rowan leaned and whispered in her ear, “Close your eyes.”

His voice was low, soft, gentle, like a wisp of a sea breeze. She doesn't know why it sounded so hypnotizing that it urged her to close her eyes. Her head felt like it was about to break but she still closed her eyes and felt Rowan’s lips hovering over her ear. She could feel his warm breath on the base of her neck as his mouth moved lower. Ariadne let out a shuddering breath as she felt his hands starting to move, doing lazy strokes on her belly and on her legs. She arched her back and gave him more access to her neck as she could feel Rowan’s teeth grazing her skin.

On the other side of the compartment, she could hear Mira’s moans getting louder and Niko’s deep grunts. Rowan too started to move his hand upwards until his knuckles grazed the bottom of her breast. His other hand was trailing her legs until she felt it move closer to her core. She let out a soft gasp as she felt Rowan’s fingers on the apex of her thigh.

“Shh,” he whispered in her ear as she let out a soft gasp the moment he bit her earlobe. She pressed her hand harder to her mouth as if by doing so, it would stop the moan that was threatening to escape. The wagon started to move slightly as Mira was starting to move roughly. The woods croaked and they used the noise to conceal their deep breaths as Rowan started to trace her clit with his finger.

She heard Rowan mutter a soft curse as he found the wetness in between her legs. Her head is not the only one aching.

Rowan took his time playing with her breast and her core. As if he has all the time in the world. As if there were no other people in the wagon. But then it was what Mira and Niko were doing too. Only that they are doing it worse but Rowan's hand on her body felt so good that she doesn't want it to end.

She turned to look at Rowan and the moment she did, Rowan claimed her lips immediately. Almost not giving her a chance to breathe. While his lips were busy claiming her mouth, his hands were not idle. Ariadne stifled a gasp as she felt his finger enter her core. Rowan seemed satisfied with her reaction that he immediately thrust another finger into her. Her hands left her mouth and went to caress Rowan’s face as the man continued to claim her lips.

When she felt him touch a spot inside her, she was not able to stop the whimper that came out of her mouth. Rowan’s hand went to her mouth and covered it. Then she felt his lips trailing kisses down her neckline and back to her earlobe. Rowan’s one hand on her mouth and the other on her core was enough to set her on fire. She started grinding on the bulge of his pants and she heard him let out a soft gasp. The sound made her burn and before she knew it, her hands were already moving towards the waistband of his pants behind her.

Rowan muttered a soft curse and for some reason, she was even more determined to continue what she was doing. Her hands managed to get inside his pants and the moment she did, she gasped when she felt him granite-hard against her hand. With the soft strokes of her fingers, she touched him. She traced his length with her finger and especially paid attention to the tip. She was clueless about a male body before but as she did it with Rowan, everything she do seems right. Of course, there was a bit of observation too. She would observe when he would gasp, grunt, or moan the loudest and she made a mental note of it. Ariadne isn’t sure if it was even appropriate but it was useful.

She then felt Rowan slowly thrusting his hips and his manhood keeps on getting harder on her palm. Her thumb and her middle finger weren’t even touching as she wrapped her hand on his thing. He’s big and she had no idea how he managed to fit inside her.

“f**k,” Rowan muttered again and she felt him bite her neck softly. She let out a soft moan as his hand was still on her mouth. On the other compartment, she could heard Mira’s moans getting louder. She didn’t care. All she cared about was Rowan’s c**k on her hand and his finger thrusting in and out of her core.

She started to rub him and could literally feel him pulsing against her palm. It was good, she thought. Judging from the deep breaths, and the sighs that Rowan let out, she knows he’s liking it.

Ariadne continued to rub him—sometimes fast, sometimes slow—teasing him until he leaned to her ear and whispered, “Please.”

His begging was her undoing. His hands started to thrust in and out of her faster while she rubbed his c**k faster too. She could hear Rowan’s grunts and his abs contracting against her back as he was near to explode. She knew she was almost there too.

She arched her back and grind her behind on her manhood whilst still rubbing. Then the final stroke came and she felt the evidence of his arousal on her hand. Rowan continued to play with her core and shifted to suck on her n*****s. Ariadne gasped at the sensation.

“Stay quiet,” Rowan whispered and his hand traveled south. When she felt his one hand on her clit and the other hand busy thrusting two fingers inside her, she almost lost her mind with the sensation. She arched her body more as Rowan continued to pleasure her. Both her hands went to her mouth to stifle her cries of pleasure.

When she couldn’t take it anymore, she reached her climax and exploded in his hands. She was breathing hard and when she closed her eyes, she noticed Mira and Niko have stopped. She couldn't hear Mira's soft moans and Niko's grunts. Perhaps they also finished. Ariadne turned to look at Rowan only to see him licking his hand, wet with her juice. Heat instantly crept into her cheeks.

She eyed him as if asking what the hell he was doing but Rowan just gave her a look and continued doing what he was doing. Licking his two fingers slowly without removing his gaze on her. Ariadne was about to pull his hand when Rowan leaned and kissed her. Deep and hard. She found herself answering his kisses and she could taste herself in his mouth. Rowan pulled away from the kiss and leaned to whisper something in her ear.

“You taste that good and you expect me to stop?” He chuckled. “Never.”

Heat flooded her cheeks and she was thankful it was quite dark inside the wagon. She never once blushed about something before. Not even because of someone and certainly not with men. Ariadne was called cold-hearted for a reason and it was because she is someone who is hard to please.

Yet Rowan could do it easily. She couldn’t help but wonder what is happening. Did the curse change her too?

They heard a sound from the other compartment and figured it was Niko and Mira getting ready to start the ay again. Ariadne was thankful that they were all drunk last night that she did not worry about transforming. She could remember Rowan taking care of her last night.

Rowan got up too and gave her neatly folded clothes. When she looked at it, she could see she had a new set of underwear. She looked at him questioningly and Rowan immediately knew what she was wondering about.

“I bought that yesterday while everyone was making dinner,” he simply said. She did not ask any more questions.

Rowan just wore his shirt. “Dress up,” he said. “I’ll be waiting outside.” He did not wait for her reply and immediately went out. Ariadne then proceeded to wear the clothes. She still feels sticky not being able to take a shower but she’s getting the hang of it.

When she was done she went out and found Mira and Niko preparing their breakfast. Mira looked at her with a radiant smile on her face and greeted her good morning. When she looked at Niko, he was wearing his satisfied male smile. She knew why it was and when she looked at Rowan, she could see him looking at her too. Her heart thundered and she blinked, tearing his gaze away from him, and decided to go with Mira who was actually dragging her.

“We will arrive at Cern six hours,” announced Niko. She has never been to Cern. Her parents did but she didn’t. She never had the chance.

The breakfast was refreshing and she couldn’t believe she made herself eat something like that. It was a foreign dish and it doesn’t look too appealing but when she tried it, she couldn’t stop.

“That’s my hometown’s signature dish,” Niko bragged and she only managed to smile while chewing. Meanwhile, Rowan was silently eating his meal.

They stayed there for half an hour before they decided to travel again. The wagon’s driver immediately started the horse running, which means it was also time for Mira to talk. She wasn’t focused on Mira’s talks as she was more focused on thinking about Cern.

Cern. What kind of place is it? She has never heard about it from her parents. All she knew is that Cern is a prosperous kingdom. The other things about it she knew from Rowan’s stories. Her mind was occupied with Cern and what should she expect. When she looked at Rowan, he was silent too, and she knows what he is thinking about. She knew about his plan and knowing that his brothers are now spreading rumors about his alleged death, he has to make himself known. Even if it would mean putting a target on his back and possibly on hers too. She won't let that stop them. 

The whole six-hour ride was mostly filled with silence as she didn’t find her energy to match with Mira. She could feel Rowan’s dreadfulness and she couldn’t help but contact it. After all, there’s a huge possibly they’ll be shoot on the spot once they make themselves known.

Ariadne looked at Rowan’s hand and reached for it. She doesn’t care what he will think. She wants to calm him down. Or perhaps calm herself down too.

Mira eventually stopped talking when she was busy spraying water on the vegetables to keep them fresh. She would sometimes help and would get a short lecture about plants when she accidentally overwatered them. They stopped in the city to give the vendors their supply of vegetables and fruits.

While they stayed in the wagon, she took the chance to talk to Rowan.

“What if your brothers kill you, Rowan? What if one person sees you there and reports you?”

To her surprise, Rowan just leaned back on her seat, eyes closed, as if he couldn’t care less. “My brothers will come for me, that’s for sure. But I can hide from them if I want to.” He opened his one eye to look at her. “Like I said Princess, they wouldn’t see me unless I allow it. The people doesn’t even know what I look like so I can say we are safe.”

Her brows furrowed. “The people don’t know you?”

He shrugged. “Sure, they know there is a Crown Prince but they don’t know who. My brothers and were only exposed to the public once.”

“Then it would be easy for them to give the people whoever they want to shove on the throne. If your brothers introduced that person to the Crown Prince, that would be a different story,” she concluded. Rowan just nodded grimly.

“That is why I have to be there and make myself known,” he said and then faced her. “Would you like to face this with me?”

She stared at his hazel eyes she couldn’t tell what kind of look he was giving her but she knew it well enough to say that Rowan would let hell loose against his brothers. He was willing to help her with her problems and now she is going to return the favor.

“Of course,” she said as she made her decision.

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