Chapter 2: The Wizard's Morning Gift
Sunlight spilled through the stained-glass panes in fractured shards of gold and crimson, painting the cottage walls in colors that didn't exist in nature. The fire had burned down to embers, and the air smelled of sweat and vanilla and something darker underneath—something that clung to the back of the throat like smoke.
Nickie woke first.
She blinked against the light, her body aching in ways that felt earned. Her thighs were sticky. Her hair was a disaster. And when she shifted, she felt the ghost of Faust's cock still inside her, a phantom fullness that made her bite her lip.
"Morning," came his voice, low and amused.
She turned her head. He was sitting by the hearth, naked except for a loose robe that had fallen open at the chest. A silver cup dangled from his fingers, and his blue hair was tousled in a way that made him look like he'd just rolled out of someone's bed. Which, technically, he had.
"How long have you been watching me?"she asked.
"A while."
"Creep."
"Observant."
She stretched, her joints popping, and didn't bother covering herself. Let him look. She'd never been shy, and after last night, there wasn't much point in pretending modesty.
Beside her, Nokturna stirred. She made a small sound—something between a groan and a sigh—and rolled onto her back. Her dark hair was spread across the furs like spilled ink, and her pale skin was marked with faint red lines from Faust's fingers.
"Fuck," she muttered. "My legs."
"Good fuck or bad fuck?" Nickie asked.
"Both."
Faust rose from his chair with the fluid grace of someone who'd never known an awkward moment in his life. He crossed to them, bare feet silent on the creaking floorboards, and crouched beside the furs. His pale eyes moved over them both like he was cataloging every mark, every bruise, every sign of what they'd done.
"You look like you're planning round two," Nickie said.
"I'm always planning."
"Sounds exhausting."
"It has its moments."
Nokturna pushed herself up onto her elbows, her expression guarded. The wards Faust had drawn on her stomach the night before had faded to faint silver lines, barely visible. She touched them, frowning.
"What did you do to me?"
"Nothing you didn't want."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're getting."
Nickie laughed. "You two are going to keep doing this all morning, aren't you? The cryptic back-and-forth. The hostile flirting. It's cute, but I have needs."
Faust's attention shifted to her, and that smile returned—the one that promised things. "What kind of needs?"
"The kind that involve your cock in my mouth."
Nokturna snorted. "Subtle."
"I've never been subtle. You know that."
Faust set down his cup and reached for her. His fingers tangled in her hair, pulling her up and into a kiss that was more teeth than tongue. Nickie moaned into it, her hands finding his shoulders, her body pressing against his like she was trying to crawl inside him.
"I like the way you think," he murmured against her lips.
"I like the way you fuck."
"Then let me remind you."
Nokturna watched them with hooded eyes, something flickering in her expression that wasn't quite annoyance. Jealousy, maybe. Or hunger. It was hard to tell with her. She was always so careful, so controlled, like she was afraid of what might happen if she let herself want something too openly.
"Are you just going to sit there?" Faust asked, glancing at her.
"I'm deciding."
"Deciding what?"
"Whether I want to participate or just enjoy the show."
Nickie broke away from Faust long enough to look at her. "You're such a liar. You want it. I can see it."
"Shut up."
"Make me."
Faust's laugh was low and rich. He turned back to Nickie, pushing her down onto the furs, spreading her legs with his knee. She went willingly, her breath catching as he positioned himself over her.
"On your stomach," he said.
"Why?"
"Because I want to fuck you from behind while your friend watches."
Nickie's cunt clenched at the words. She rolled over, presenting herself without shame, her arse in the air and her cheek pressed to the furs. She heard Nokturna shift behind her, heard the soft sound of her breath.
Faust ran his hands over her back, over the curve of her arse, his fingers digging into the muscle. He was still hard—or hard again—and when he slid his cock through her wetness, she shivered.
"Fuck," she breathed.
"Not yet."
He pushed in slowly, and she felt every inch. Her walls stretched around him, clinging, and he didn't stop until he was buried to the hilt. The fullness was almost too much. Almost.
"Move," she said.
"Say please."
"I'll bite you."
"I'd like that."
Nokturna's voice cut through from somewhere behind them. "Just fuck her already. She's been gagging for it since she woke up."
Faust turned his head. "Jealous?"
"I'm practical. She's no fun when she's frustrated."
He laughed, and then he moved.
The first thrust knocked the breath from Nickie's lungs. The second made her cry out. By the third, she was gripping the furs for dear life, her hips pushing back to meet him, her moans muffled against the blanket.
"Harder," she gasped. "Fucking harder—"
He gave her harder. His hips slammed against her arse with a sound that was obscene, wet and sharp, and she loved it. Every stroke hit something deep inside her, and she could feel herself dripping down her thighs, making a mess of the furs beneath her.
"Look at you," Faust growled. "Taking my cock like you were made for it."
"I was—oh fuck—I was made for a lot of things—"
"Not this. Not this."
She couldn't argue. She couldn't do anything but feel, her body burning with pleasure, her mind a white blur of sensation. Somewhere behind her, Nokturna moved. She heard the rustle of fabric, the soft pad of feet on stone.
And then Nokturna was beneath her.
Nickie's eyes flew open. Nokturna had positioned herself on her back, her head between Nickie's knees, her dark hair spread across the furs. Her pale face was inches from where Faust was pounding into Nickie's cunt, and her eyes were watching them both with a hunger that made Nickie's heart stutter.
"What are you—"
Nokturna didn't answer. She just leaned up and licked.
Her tongue dragged across Nickie's clit, wet and warm, and Nickie screamed. The sensation was overwhelming—Faust filling her from behind, Nokturna's mouth on her from below—and her whole body convulsed, her hips bucking wildly.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck—"
Nokturna didn't stop. She sucked Nickie's clit between her lips, lapping at it with quick, expert strokes, while Faust kept fucking her, his thrusts now shorter and faster, his breath coming in rough pants.
"You're going to come," he said. "Come on my cock while she eats you out. Do it."
Nickie's orgasm hit her like a brick wall. She screamed—actually screamed, loud enough that the stained-glass windows rattled—and her cunt clamped down around Faust hard enough to make him groan. Her body shook, her limbs went weak, and she collapsed onto Nokturna's face, her whole weight pressing down.
Nokturna didn't seem to mind. She kept licking, drawing out every last tremor, until Nickie was twitching and oversensitive and begging her to stop.
"Please—I can't—it's too much—"
Only then did Nokturna pull back, her mouth slick with Nickie's juices, her expression smug. "Good?"
"Fuck you."
"That's a yes."
Faust withdrew slowly, his cock slick and red. He helped Nickie roll onto her side, and she lay there panting, her body still trembling with aftershocks.
But he wasn't done.
He turned to Nokturna, who was still on her back, still licking her lips. His hand found her hair and pulled her up onto her knees. His cock was right there, hard and glistening, and Nokturna's eyes flickered to his face.
"You want to fuck my mouth," she said. It wasn't a question.
"I want to watch you choke on it."
"Charming."
"You like it."
She did. She always had. The first time she'd sucked cock, she'd been fifteen and terrified and it had been awkward and fumbling. But somewhere along the way, she'd learned to love it—the weight on her tongue, the taste of skin, the way men (and women, too) fell apart under nothing but her mouth.
She parted her lips and took him in.
Faust groaned as she swallowed him down. She wasn't like Nickie—messy and enthusiastic and eager to please. She was precise. Deliberate. She took him inch by inch, her throat working around his girth, her tongue pressing against the vein on the underside of his cock.
"Fuck," he breathed. "You're good at this."
She hummed in response, and the vibration made him twitch in her mouth.
Slowly, she began to move. Her head bobbed, her lips sliding along his shaft, her hand wrapping around the base to stroke where her mouth couldn't reach. Saliva dripped down her chin, and she didn't care. She was too focused on the way his breath was getting faster, the way his fingers were tightening in her hair.
Behind them, Nickie was still sprawled on the furs, watching with half-lidded eyes. Her hand had drifted between her legs, and she was fingering herself lazily, her hips twitching with each stroke.
"You two are going to kill me," she murmured.
Nokturna pulled off Faust's cock with a wet pop. "Then die."
"You're so romantic."
"I'm practical."
She took him deep again, cutting off any response. Faust's hips jerked, and she gagged slightly, her eyes watering. But she didn't pull back. She pushed forward, taking him into her throat, her nose buried in the pale skin of his pelvis.
"Gods," he whispered. "Yes. Just like that."
He fucked her mouth in short, sharp strokes, holding her hair in both hands, his eyes fixed on the way his cock disappeared between her lips. She was a vision like this—pale skin flushed, dark hair tangled in his fists, saliva slicking her chin and her throat bulging with every thrust.
"You're going to make me come," he said. "If you keep doing that, I'm going to come down your throat."
Nokturna pulled back just enough to speak. "Don't you dare. I want you inside me."
"You had that last night."
"I want it again."
He pulled her off him, yanking her to her feet by her hair. She gasped, more from surprise than pain, and then he was spinning her around, pressing her face-down onto the furs beside Nickie.
"Fine," he growled. "But I'm not being gentle."
"Good."
Nickie turned her head, watching with renewed interest. "Need a hand?"
"Just watch."
Faust spread Nokturna's legs with his knees, positioned his cock at her entrance, and thrust inside her in one brutal stroke.
She screamed.
Not in pain. In pleasure. Her whole body arched, her fingers clawing at the blankets, and she pushed back against him, desperate for more. He gave it to her. His hips slammed against her arse, each stroke driving her deeper into the furs, and she loved every second of it.
"Harder," she gasped. "Fucking destroy me—"
"Shit," Nickie whispered. "I've never seen her like this."
"Neither have I," Faust said between thrusts. "She's beautiful like this. All that ice melting."
Nokturna couldn't respond. Couldn't do anything but moan and claw and take it, her cunt gripping his cock like a fist. She was so wet, so ready, her juices dripping down her thighs and soaking into the furs beneath her.
"Touch me," she managed. "Someone touch my clit—"
Faust reached around, but Nickie was faster. Her hand slid between Nokturna's legs, finding her clit with practiced ease. She rubbed it in tight circles, matching the rhythm of Faust's thrusts, and Nokturna's whole body convulsed.
"Close," she gasped. "I'm so close—"
"Come," Faust ordered. "Come for me."
She did. Her orgasm ripped through her like lightning, her vision going white, her throat going raw from screaming. Her cunt clenched around Faust's cock, and he kept fucking her through it, driving her higher and higher until she couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't be.
And then he pulled out.
"Turn over," he said. "Both of you."
Nickie was already moving, positioning herself on all fours. She knew what he wanted. Could see it in his eyes. He was slick with Nokturna's juices, but that wasn't where he was going to finish.
"Your arse," he said. "I'm going to come in your arse."
"Promises, promises."
He grabbed her hips and positioned himself at her other entrance. She'd done this before—loved it, actually—but she could tell he wasn't going to make it easy. He pushed in slowly, and she gasped at the stretch, her body fighting against the intrusion for just a moment before giving way.
"Fuck," she hissed.
"You've done this before."
"Yes."
"Then relax."
She tried. It hurt, but it also felt good, that strange mix of pleasure and pain that she'd always chased. He pushed in until he was fully seated, and then he paused, letting her adjust.
Nokturna had moved to kneel beside them, her hand between her own legs. She was still shaking from her orgasm, but she was hungry for more, her fingers sliding through her slick folds.
"Watch," Faust told her. "Watch me come inside her."
He began to move. Long, slow strokes that made Nickie's whole body shake. She was moaning again, her head hanging low, her hands fisted in the furs. His cock filled her in ways her cunt couldn't, and each thrust pressed against something deep inside her that made her see stars.
"Close," he grunted. "So close—"
Nokturna's fingers moved faster, circling her clit with desperate urgency. She was watching them with glazed eyes, her pale body trembling, and when Faust groaned and buried himself deep, she came again—not loudly, but hard, her whole body folding in on itself as her orgasm rippled through her.
Faust came with a shout, his hips jerking wildly, filling Nickie's arse with hot pulses of come. She felt each one, felt the way his cock throbbed, and she moaned low in her throat, her own body shuddering with something close to another climax.
When he finally pulled out, she collapsed onto her side, her legs giving out entirely. She was slick with sweat and come and something that might have been tears, and she'd never felt more alive.
Faust fell beside her, his chest heaving, his blue hair plastered to his face. Nokturna crawled over and collapsed on his other side, her arm draped across his chest.
They lay there for a long moment, three bodies tangled together, the fire crackling low and the rain finally stopped outside.
"That was..." Nickie started.
"Yeah," Nokturna said.
"That."
Faust laughed softly, his fingers tracing the curve of Nokturna's shoulder. "You're welcome to stay another night. Or another week. The forest is yours."
"Tempting," Nickie said. "But we have jobs to do. Places to be. People to steal from."
"Of course."
Nokturna lifted her head, something sharp in her gaze. "You're not going to ask what we do?"
"I already know what you do."
"And you don't care?"
Faust's smile was slow, deliberate. "I've been alive a very long time. I've seen things you couldn't imagine. Thieves are the least of my concerns."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're getting."
Nickie groaned. "You two are going to do this forever, aren't you? The cryptic thing. The dancing around each other. Just kiss and make up and be weird together."
"We're not 'together,'" Nokturna said flatly.
"Could have fooled me."
Faust sat up, reaching for his robe. "You should eat before you go. I'll make something."
He rose and moved to the small kitchen, leaving the two women alone on the furs. Nickie turned onto her back, staring at the ceiling beams.
"So," she said. "That happened."
"It did."
"Regrets?"
Nokturna considered the question. She was sore in places she hadn't known she could be sore. Her throat ached. Her legs felt like jelly. And yet...
"No," she said finally."No regrets."
"Then why do you look like you're planning an escape route?"
"Because I am."
"Faust isn't going to—"
"It's not about Faust. It's about us. We stayed too long. We let our guard down. We don't do that."
Nickie sighed. "Sometimes you need to let your guard down. Sometimes that's the whole point."
"Sometimes letting your guard down gets you killed."
"Or fucked. Or both. In this case, both."
Nokturna couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips. "You're impossible."
"I know."
From the kitchen, the sound of a knife against a cutting board. The smell of fresh bread and herbs drifted through the cottage, mixing with the earlier scents of sex and sweat. It should have felt domestic. Cozy. Instead, it felt like a trap.
Nokturna sat up, reaching for her clothes. The lace was dry now, stiff with dried rainwater, but she pulled it on anyway. Nickie watched her, still naked, still shameless.
"You're really going to bolt, aren't you?"
"I'm going to be cautious."
"Same thing."
They dressed in silence. Faust came back with a tray of bread and cheese and fruit, his expression neutral. He didn't try to convince them to stay. Didn't offer any more cryptic warnings. He just placed the tray on the low table near the hearth and returned to his chair, watching them with those pale, patient eyes.
"Thank you," Nickie said, grabbing a piece of bread. "For everything."
"My pleasure."
She laughed. "That's one word for it."
Nokturna lingered by the door, boots in hand. She didn't want to leave. That was the problem. Some deep, stupid part of her wanted to stay in this cottage forever, to let the world outside drown in rain and never come back.
But she wasn't built for that. She was built for movement. For shadows. For the quick slip of fingers into pockets and the silent escape through windows.
"We should go," she said.
Nickie finished her bread and nodded. "Yeah. We should."
Faust rose. He crossed to Nokturna, and before she could react, he pressed something into her palm. A small stone, smooth and dark, warm from his body heat.
"What's this?"
"If you need me," he said. "Hold it. I'll find you."
"I don't need anyone."
"Everyone needs someone."
She wanted to argue. Wanted to throw the stone back in his face. But something in his expression stopped her—a softness that didn't match the hunger she'd seen earlier, a vulnerability that felt as much a trap as it did a gift.
She closed her fingers around the stone and tucked it into her pocket.
"Goodbye, Faust."
"Goodbye, Nokturna."
Nickie was already outside, stretching in the watery sunlight that filtered through the trees. The storm had passed, and the forest was alive with the sound of dripping water and birdsong.
Nokturna followed her, pausing at the threshold. She looked back at the wizard, still standing by the hearth, still watching.
"This isn't over," she said.
"It never is."
She stepped outside and closed the door.
The forest path was clearer now, as if the storm had washed away whatever magic had hidden it before. Nickie was already walking, her boots squelching in the mud, her hips swaying with the satisfied confidence of someone who'd been thoroughly fucked.
"So," she called back. "Where to next?"
Nokturna didn't answer. She was thinking about the stone in her pocket. The warmth of it. The way Faust had looked at her like he knew exactly what she was thinking.
"We'll figure it out," she said.
"Eventually."
"Eventually."
They walked on, leaving the cottage behind, and the trees closed in around them like a secret. Neither of them noticed the shadow that followed. Neither of them saw the pale eyes watching from the darkness, or the smile that curved those familiar lips.
Faust had lied about one thing.
It wasn't over.
It was just beginning.