"What brings you h—" Athena's question died as Callista surged forward, gripping the princess's arms. An unexpected shove sent Athena back onto the plush sofa.
Callista's crimson eyes blazed with a complex mix of emotions. Desire and frustration simmered beneath the surface.
Heat pulsed between them as Callista straddled Athena. Their chests rose and fell in sync, a frantic rhythm echoing the pounding in Callista's veins. Leaning in with agonising slowness, she pressed her flushed body against Athena's. Her gaze devoured the princess's face, searching for a response in the golden depths.
This wasn't the plan. A single, sharp kiss - that was the mission. A calculated move to pry information from those infuriatingly captivating lips.
'Are you and Eydis...involved? Toying with me, Athena?' The rehearsed words, meant to paint her as the victim, now felt hollow.
Why did this manufactured accusation feel more genuine than… honesty itself?
The carefully constructed plan crumbled the moment their lips met. A rush of heat, unexpected and intense, flooded her, exposing a vulnerability more raw than any wound. The intensity of her own feelings caught her off guard.
Suspicion, sharp and unwelcome, pricked at her. Was this just a game for Athena? A casual encounter to satisfy a fleeting desire?
Callista ripped away, gasping for air. Defiance sparked in her eyes, an attempt to regain control. Jealousy was a weakness, a foreign emotion she wasn't accustomed to. Her hand tangled in Athena's hair, tilting her head back to expose the elegant throat. Callista's lips descended upon the soft skin, a punishing kiss that seared a path along Athena's neck. The angry flush left in its wake served as a brand, a mark that screamed her possession:
'Mine.'
A strangled moan escaped Athena's lips as her body involuntarily arched into Callista's touch. "This fierce possessiveness..." Athena's voice dropped to a husky purr, "...it suits you, Astra."
The response ignited a spark in Callista. Her hands, no longer driven by anger but a raw yearning, yanked the nightgown down, revealing the pale expanse of Athena's skin in the dim light. Athena's lips parted on a sharp indrawn breath as cool air teased over newly bared curves. The absence of undergarments sent a jolt of illogical jealousy through her.
Smouldering crimson gaze raked over each tremble and swell of Athena's heaving breaths, drinking in the tantalising shadows dancing across those tight, pebbled nipples.
"Did you let him see you like this, Athena?" Callista rasped, voice dripping with arousal. Her fingertips brushed against Athena's skin, memorising every subtle curve and valley. The touch sent a flush blossoming across Athena's body. "Were you this... exposed for him?"
Her nails scored punishing crescents into satin flesh - a question mark etched in fire.
‘Deny it.’
The bite that followed was a plea for a reaction – any reaction – to pierce through Athena's nonchalant demeanour. Her teeth grazed at the reddened, aching peak, pulling it gently before releasing slowly. Callista watched Athena’s face intently, uncertain if the tremors coursing through her were pleasure or a delayed reaction to another's touch.
Callista ached for a denial, but deep down, she knew it wouldn't come.
The intoxicating scent of Athena's arousal filled Callista's nostrils as she swirled her tongue around the scarlet kiss mark, a stark contrast to the werewolf’s lingering scent. Fury bubbled beneath the surface. She trailed rough kisses to Athena's other breast.
"Demanding," Athena rasped, eyes clouding with a storm of need. “Even sleep requires battle armour with you?" The princess’ voice held a hint of amusement, but it did little to soothe Callista's turmoil.
With a low growl, her hand slipped under Athena’s gown, finding the slick, molten heat linger between Athena's thighs. A choked moan escaped their lips as Callista teased those velvet folds, tracing and exploring every silken contour with ravenous curiosity.
Each twist and purposeful graze over Athena’s sensitive nerves dragged broken whimpers from her. Her hips rolled in a plea for more friction, for that delicious torment to plunder deeper, granting the searing release.
“You’re already so…” Callista rasped, her tone laced with a confused longing as doubt and jealousy sparked in her crimson eyes. "Is this what you crave, Princess?"
She crushed their mouths together once more, swallowing Athena's cry of pleasure. She could taste the desperation for release on Athena's tongue.
Callista skimmed her fingers away, a calculated tease that mirrored the taste of the torment she herself endured. Athena's hips instinctively chased the fading contact, desperate for more, craving the searing touch that ignited her very core.
The hunter watched, mesmerised, as Athena's body responded to her every move, the pleading look in her half-lidded eyes. Unable to resist the alluring warmth any longer, Callista finally relented.
Her fingers returned, a slow, curious exploration. Her touch was guided more by instinct than finesse as she sought to learn what set Athena alight. Each hesitant swirl sent shivers dancing across Athena's skin, blossoming into a low hum of pleasure. She trailed them through the glistening need before circling, exploring the contour and shape of Athena’s throbbing clit with featherlight strokes.
"Ah...Astra," Athena breathed, nails digging into Callista's back, a grounding touch amidst the rising tide of sensation.
With delicate reverence, a finger slipped into the velvety depths. Callista gasped as a flood of new sensations washed over her - the slick heat, the incredible tightness that seemed to pull her deeper, the subtle flutters and pulsing caresses along her invading finger.
It was intoxicating, overwhelming, unlike anything Callista could have imagined.
She marvelled at the textures, at how Athena's intimate folds yielded and moulded so perfectly around her. Each micro-ripple sent tremors of pleasure radiating up Callista’s arm and into her core.
So soft.
“Fuck… it was…” A breathless curse escaped Callista’s lips before Athena pulled her closer, fingernails digging into her bare back with delicious possession. Long legs wrapped sinuously around Callista's waist, granting deeper access.
Callista found herself entranced by this newfound connection. She yearned for more - to learn every intimate detail, to map the hidden paths that would unravel Athena's ecstasy.
Athena’s husky laugh brushed Callista's ear. "New to this, are we, Astra?"
Defiant hunger flashed in Callista’s eyes as she swallowed Athena’s teasing words. Lips parted, she plunged another finger into Athena's molten core.
Athena's moans grew breathy and urgent, each sound a validation in Callista's ears. Her fingers explored relentlessly, curving and stroking the soft, slick depths.
“Fuck!” A single, undignified curse shattered the princess's composure, the raw emotion fueling the inferno already burning between them.
Callista craved everything - the sounds that tore from Athena's throat, the heat radiating from her touch, the very essence of her being. As she devoured Athena's lips in a kiss, her fingers picked up a fevered pace, plunging relentlessly into molten silk.
Then the taut string within Athena snapped as Callista’s palm ground ruthlessly against her throbbing clit, deliciously swollen and slick. Eyes squeezed shut, hips bucking wildly as a sharp cry tore from her throat. The wet, squelching sounds of Callista's thrusts through Athena's spasming depths nearly brought Callista to the edge herself, overwhelmed by witnessing such primal ecstacy laid bare.
"A-Astra," Athena gasped, even the assumed name a sweet melody in Callista's ears.
Witnessing Athena's unrestrained pleasure was a revelation. Her flushed skin, the ragged rise and fall of her chest, the single bead of sweat tracing a path down her temple - every detail etched itself onto Callista's memory.
All for her...but not just for her alone.
Callista's touch grew urgent, her fingers digging deeper with each thrust. It wasn't just a physical exploration anymore, but a frantic search for reassurance, a silent plea for Athena to be real with her.
‘Tell me the truth.’
"Did he… did he touch you here?" Her voice trembled, a threadbare whisper. Jealousy and possessiveness warred within her as she witnessed the aftershocks of pleasure echo through Athena's body.
Athena's eyes fluttered open, a flicker of pain, or perhaps something more veiled, crossing their darkened depths. A suffocating silence stretched between them. Callista tasted blood, metallic and sharp, on her bitten lip. Shame burned hot alongside the ache in her chest.
"Here? Such a specific question for -“ Athena’s confused response died as Callista kissed her fiercely, wanting to devour the unspoken truth: that this meant nothing, that she meant nothing to Athena.
'Lie to me,' a traitorous thought whispered in the back of her mind. Maybe, just maybe, she could lose herself in the illusion.
A single drop of blood, sweet and intoxicating, transferred from Callista's split lip to Athena. The world tilted on its axis. Heat flared through Athena's body, a soft moan escaping her lips. A primal hunger, raw and ravenous, awakened deep within her. The gold in her eyes flickering to a dangerous amber as the human's blood ignited her senses.
Breaking the kiss with a gasp, Athena tore her gaze away from Callista's exposed throat, the pulse there a frantic drumbeat. So vulnerable, so unaware of the predator she'd awakened.
A cold command ripped from Athena's lips, edged with desperation. "Leave, Astra. Now." She grasped Callista's wrist in an unforgiving vice, prying her hand away from that molten, trembling heat.
Callista flinched. "You didn't even deny it," she whispered, a tremor running through her voice. "Maybe I don’t even deserve a lie."
The words, a thorned shield for her aching heart. The plea, 'tell me you want me,' withered on her tongue, choked by fear and pride.
"Lie? About what?" Athena retorted, her voice strained, a hint of fear betraying the facade. The colour seemed to drain from her face with each passing moment. Her white-knuckle grip shattered the arm of the sofa.
"Your... activities," Callista pressed, her voice a low growl. In a fit of anger and insecurity, she yanked down her collar, exposing the pulse point at her throat. "Don't pretend you're not hungry. We both know the truth."
Athena's gaze snapped to the exposed pulse, an involuntary reaction. Amber irises contracting to pinpricks against a sea of lustful gold. “Your blood..." she began, her voice rough, "actually, it doesn't taste like much at all."
"We both know that’s a lie. Look at yourself," Callista blurted, the words tumbling out before she could stop them, "oh wait, you don't have a mirror."
Callista's words, vicious and biting, struck Athena like a blow. Regret soured on Callista's tongue, but before she could voice it, the vampire lunged, fangs bared in a predatory snarl.
The hunter felt the vampire's hot breath caress her exposed skin, a sensation that prickled with a primal awareness. But to both their surprise, Athena shoved her away with brutal force. The heavy oak door slammed shut with a resounding thud, leaving Callista alone in the hallway. The moon, a cold, watchful eye, bathed her in its pale light.
Athena's final words echoed in the silence: "Just... go, Astra."
Callista stood frozen, the storm of emotions within her finally giving way to a chilling emptiness. What had she done? Her impulsive actions had driven a wedge between them, leaving behind a vast uncertainty.
