FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Author's Note: To everyone who has been reading, I hope you're enjoying the story. To those of you who have rated and commented, I want to say thank you. I always enjoy knowing how people are recating to my ramblings.....and I like to know how I can make my stories better in the future.

Psyche B.

*~*~*~*~*~*

1. Discoveries

Mary resumed her routine after a day of healing. When she received the auction catalog she actually thought that she might have a good candidate. The carving was just as fine as Aiden's appeared to be and the bit of research she had done on the owner told her that it was at least possible. When Aiden saw the photos he agreed. It was a large object, and an expensive one, but her Aunt's lawyer had severely underestimated the accounts that went with the estate. Even at three times the estimate, it was barely a drop in the bucket.

For the next few days Mary found herself at loose ends. She filled her time with reading and took long walks on the trails in the woods. On returning from one of those walks Mary tripped on a broom Maggie left in the hall. In the effort to catch herself she stumbled against the side of the stairway. She felt a panel give and and then open. She knew that Mrs. March had the day off, and Maggie had left an hour ago. Carefully she opened the panel. As soon as it was open wide enough Mary saw a light switch and turned it on. At first, nothing happened, but with a soft buzz a chain of lights came on, illuminating a stairway.

Mary got a flashlight, just in case, and the ring of keys from the library and started down the stairs. She knew she must be going down into a part of the cellar, but aside from a thick layer of dust, this part looked recently maintained. The stairs were a similar stone as the ones leading down into the main part of the basement, but these were much more roughly assembled. Mary placed her feet carefully as she made her way down the twisting staircase. She heard nothing except her feet on the stairs and her breathing. The silence made her heart beat faster, but she forced herself to move slowly. Finally she made it to the bottom and found herself in a short hall. The thought of this being yet another wine cellar flashed through her mind, but it hardly seemed likely that it would be hidden behind a secret panel.

Mary walked down the a short hall to a heavy oak door, grasped the handle and pressed on the thumb lever. The mechanism protested with a grinding sound and the hinges reciprocated with a loud screech, but the door opened. The smell of old, dusty paper hit her first. Mary turned on the flashlight and swept the beam into the dark space. She walked into the silent space and turned two small, green lamps that sat on either end a long wooden table.

The light was dim, but it was enough to let her see that she was standing in a large library. Some of the shelves faded back into darkness. She directed the flashlight beam toward the back of the room and barely saw an enormous portrait similar to the one in the sitting room on the murky back wall, as well as three other tables like the one she was standing in front of. She turned on the other lamps and the room brightened with green-tinged golden light. Mary started scanning the books next. Some were very very old and bound in unfamiliar leathers.

Most of the titles were in languages she couldn't read, a few were in English, but the titles still meant nothing to her. Mary glanced at her watch and realized that Aiden would be waking soon and he preferred her to be there when he did. Mary left the lights on and turned to leave, but she stopped when she noticed an envelope on the first table. She perched on the edge of the chair and picked up the thick envelope. When she opened it she realized that the letter wasn't very long, it was just that the paper was unusually fine.

"To Mary Beeson (or her descendant):" It began. The handwriting was shaky in placer, but whoever wrote it seemed to have gone to a great deal of trouble to make it neat. She looked ahead to the end and saw that it was signed 'Ambrose'. Ambrose began by introducing himself and apologizing that he hadn't been able to bring her here from the beginning. Then, he began to explain about Aiden and his situation. The final page advised her what he had tried to release Aiden, and suggested what she might try next, after gaining some competence with magic. He had instructions for that as well.

Mary reread the letter and set it on the table in front of her. She glanced at her watch and realized that it was already after dark. She left all the lights on and made her way up the stairs as quickly as possible. She met Aiden coming down the main stairs and he looked displeased. He had never hurt her, or even threatened to, but he had told her that in his culture it was acceptable for a male to punish his mate physically.

"Mary-" The tone in his voice made her tremble.

"Please don't be upset with me." Mary could feel her heart starting to pound. She was standing one stair below him and while she always had to look up at him, she felt even smaller than usual at that moment.

"Child, I dislike waking alone, you know this." His large hand cradled the side of her head.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I lost track of time." Mary knew she should just tell him. Her racing emotions were scrambling her logical thought. He looked past her shoulder into the entry.

"And what is so important that you forget the needs of your mate? Or should I say who?" His voice was soft, but his eyes were intense when they turned back to hers. Mary didn't think she was going to be able to speak.

"I found it." She managed to whisper. His eyes narrowed.

"Found what?" He asked. Mary took a trembling breath.

"The second library." She said finally, lowering her eyes.

"Are you certain?" He lifted her chin, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. She began to smile as well.

"As certain as I can be." She grasped one of his large hands in both of hers. "Please, come and see." In that moment she needed to feel forgiven by him.

He followed her and at first she thought he wasn't going to be able to get through the small door but he managed. His taloned feet gave him more stability on the rough stairs and without a question or hesitation he picked her up and carried her to the bottom. The room itself awed him. It wasn't as fine as the rooms upstairs, but he walked the length of it, caressing some of the books gently as he passed by. When he turned back to her Mary was holding the letter.

"It's from Ambrose." She said. "I should have waited to read it-"

He pulled her close and Mary fell silent as she rested against his chest.

"No, child. You have never given me a single reason to doubt your feelings and yet, for a moment, I did." He stroked her back softly and Mary relaxed and settled closer.

"I guess I don't understand that. Even when I first woke you it seems like my world revolved around you. It's hard to say out loud, I just thought it was obvious." She blushed deeply, her body molded to his. Mary had begun to shiver in the cool air and he wrapped his wings around her.

"Bergit had another. He would have taken her as his mate, but ours is a hierarchical society. When I declared my intention he could do nothing but step aside." Mary sensed there was more, she waited for him to continue on his own. When he didn't she asked.

"Was that the end of it? I mean, he just accepted that Bergit was yours?" She stroked his back softly.

"No. Three days after Bergit and I mated I found the two of them together." He fell silent again, and held her tighter.

"What did you do?" Mary was almost afraid to ask, but she had to know.

"The only thing I could do to save face, I challenged him and I killed him in combat. It was my right to kill her as well, but I chose to let her live. I beat her that night, and any time she showed the slightest inclination toward disobedience." Mary stiffened against his chest. "I killed everything in her that drew me in the first place. We began a cycle of hurting each other that continued until her death. I shudder to think of what we were doing to our son, and I fear making the same mistake with you." He held her tighter and Mary placed a soft kiss over his heart.

"I'm not her. You didn't force me to be your mate and I don't want to run away from you." Her voice barely audible as she looked up into his eyes, her lower lip caught between her teeth.

"I know child." His hand pressed her head against his chest. He unwrapped his wings and lifted her. Mary wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck She heard him turning the lights off. "And I fear that my insecurities will drive you away."

"Don't you want to explore?" She asked.

"Very much." He kissed her softly. "But this room has nothing to do with what I wish to explore." He carried her up the stairs but put her down so that he could get through the small door. As soon as the lights were out and the panel closed he lifted her again. This time Mary lay relaxed in his arms and he brought her back up to their bedroom. Mary had learned that when he was was most uncomfortable talking about something from his past was when he seemed to need physical contact the most.

He set her on her feet and Mary realized she was still gripping the letter. She tossed it on the desk and let him lead her by the hand over to the bed. He sat down and Mary straddled his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck, her body pressed against his firmly muscled chest. One arm held her tightly and the other hand caressed her back softly. Her lips found the side of his neck, she felt as much as heard his soft groan. His arm tightened and he found her lips with his. Mary's body responded to the hunger in his kiss, her tongue caressed his. When she pressed down against his hips she felt the bulge of his erection. The size of him still made Mary tremble but the desire to feel him inside her again was growing too.

In the weeks since they first mated, Aiden had taught Mary to pleasure him with her hands and her mouth, and after initial hesitation she was a curious and willing student. She found that watching him enjoy her touch excited her almost as much as his soft touches did. In those days that surrounded Christmas, he limited those touches to soothing caresses. As time passed though, she lost some of the crushing shyness that plagued her at first and the discomfort in her body subsided while her desire for his touch grew.

He slid his hands up under her sweater, Mary pulled her arms out of it and tossed it aside. She reached behind herself and unhooked her bra, but she still hesitated to take it off. He pulled it away from her body carefully and Mary blushed a little as she looked down at her hard nipples. Her hands moved softly over his chest. He drew one needle-sharp talon lightly over her breasts, making her nipples harden even more and sending pleasant shivers chasing after each other down her spine. Mary closed her eyes and moaned when his lips found her shoulder. The soft and sharp sensations commingled and it drove her to distraction. Mary gripped his shoulders tightly and pressed down firmly against the thick pillar of his shaft. His teeth nipped at her shoulder and Mary arched into him more. Finally she could take no more. She gripped his hands and moved off of his lap, laying back on the bed and pulling him over her.

Aiden looked down at her and Mary stroked his cheek. Even though she had intended to ask for what she needed she found she didn't have the words. He kissed the inside of her wrist softly and settled next to her.

"You need not prove your commitment to me." He held her close and Mary noticed the chill of the room for the first time. He enfolded her in his arms.

"Why don't you think that I could want you just because you are my mate and I love you?" Mary felt her heart racing as she said it.

"I do not question that, child." He kissed her shoulder softly. "But I know how badly I injured you. I do not regret taking you as mine, but I do regret hurting you."

"I don't regret a single moment of that night, or the days that followed." Mary kissed him, sucking on his lower lip lightly. He moaned and tightened his arms around her. "I want to be your mate as a female of your own kind would be." Mary whispered.

"Gargoyle females are not so fragile." A soft pleasure growl rumbled through his chest when Mary opened his belt. His talons made the button and zipper on her jeans impossible. He had ruined one pair early on when he became frustrated and since then Mary opened them herself.

"Please." Mary whispered. She nipped his ear and slid one hand inside the loosened loincloth. Mary knew that one of her small hands stroking his thick shaft would do nothing but tease him, she also knew that deep down, as much as she wanted him she was still anxious.

"Finish undressing." He grasped her wrist and got up, shedding his single garment in seconds. Mary hesitated with her back to him. She was often naked with him, but she very rarely removed anything but a robe and usually then she was already hidden by a blanket. He was behind her in several long, silent strides.

"I'm sorry." Mary said softly. He moved her hands aside and pushed her pants and panties down, she stepped out of them obediently and he held her close.

"No need for apologies." He kissed the side of her head softly and Mary relaxed against him, his shaft pressed against her back. A shiver of need wrapped in nervousness shot through her but when he pulled the covers back Mary took his hand and got in, drawing him in with her.

Mary relaxed as soon as he pulled the covers up around her shoulders. His lips found hers and his hands went back to exploring her body. Mary forgot about her nervousness as the reactions of her body took over. She pushed him over onto his back and began to stroke him with both hands, her head moving down underneath the covers, licking and sucking at as much of the head as possible. She had learned to take the flared head into her mouth, but was unable to take any more than that. The movements of her hands and the pressure of her thumbs on the underside of his massive shaft brought him very close. His gasping growls told her that. One hand pushed her head away and the other pulled her body back up. He pushed her legs open and held them there while his tongue explored. Mary arched her back and squirmed against the bed as his broad tongue attacked her dripping opening. She was shocked by the speed at which he brought her over the edge of pleasure. She arched her back and pressed against his mouth, holding onto his curling horns and rocking her hips against his mouth until the intensity of the sensation subsided.

When her grip relaxed, Aiden pulled away and moved over her, his lips finding first one nipple, then the other and then her lips. Mary's back arched under him, her body relaxed, her fingers tracing the muscles of his chest. One of his hands slid under her waist and she took a deep breath, expecting to feel him start to push inside her. She was surprised when he moved onto his back, pulling her over him.

"What-?"

"Take me inside you." His low whisper sent a shiver down her spine, as it always did when she heard such intensity in it. She straddled his hips and allowed him to guide her into position. His eyes were intense and she pressed against him as firmly as she could. Her body resisted at first, but as she pressed against him and focused on relaxing those muscles she felt the broad head press deeper inside her. The discomfort began to grow and turned to pain, stopping Mary from moving further.

"I can't." She whispered, the throbbing pain making her tense and tremble.

"You can." His thumb rubbed the front of her mound and his other hand pressed firmly, ignoring Mary's whimpers and sharp cries until she was completely filled. Mary rested against him, trembling. She could hear the soft rumble of his voice and feel the tiny movements inside her. He brushed away her tears, stroked her back lightly and urged her to move her hips.

At first, it was a tentative motion and his shaft barely moved inside her. His grip tightened around her hip and the pain of his talons sinking into her flesh competed with sensation of his thick shaft tearing and bruising her opening. She began to move faster and more firmly as the discomfort passed more quickly than the first time. She was so close, but it wasn't quite enough to bring Aiden the release that he needed. He grasped her wrist and turned her quickly onto her back, Mary whimpered sharply and trembled at the intensity of his eyes as he thrust hard and fast into her. He pressed her knees back and took what he needed while Mary tried not to cry, by the time his hot seed stung her sore passage she was shivering under him, reduced to whimpering. Mary curled up on her side as soon as he withdrew from her. She reached out for him and for a few minutes he cradled her silently.

Mary relaxed slowly and as she connected with her body again she realized that though she ached, she was not as sore as she had been the first time. When Aiden shifted she wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"You are bleeding, child. I will return to you in a moment." He kissed the top of her head and unwrapped her arms. She could hear him running water and Mary curled up a little tighter. She had begun keeping the big enamel bowl and a jar of his healing herbs in the bathroom. Aiden was still learning the limits of her skin and Mary found that she was often scratched or bleeding afterward. In the beginning Mary had actively resisted his ministrations, or tried to. When Aiden became insistent there was very little that Mary could do to deter him. As time when on she became more comfortable with it, now when she saw him approaching the bed carrying the bowl she was just glad to see him return. She moved close to him when he sat down.

"I forget how fragile your skin is." Mary winced but held still as he washed the deep scratches on her hip gently with a soft cloth and warm water.

"That stings." She shivered against him, her teeth clenched.

"I know child. It is bad enough that I forget myself and injure you, I do not wish to see you become ill because of my forgetfulness." She turned so that he could tend the scratches on the side of her bottom. Once he was satisfied that she was no longer bleeding he opened her legs wide and pushed her knee back, exposing her completely. Mary turned away and bit back a soft whimper, a deep blush heated her cheeks but she didn't struggle with him. She knew she was bruised, but didn't feel as torn as the first time. His touch wasn't as painful as it was before and Mary relaxed.

"Would you do this for a female of your own kind?" She asked in a whisper.

"With Bergit in the beginning, I would have tried to. I would have probably let her resistance turn my mind away from it." The cloth moved softly, cleaning their fluids from her inner thighs before moving on to her more tender places.

*~*~*~*~*~*

The next day Mary was a sore, but not confined to her room or bed. She began exploring the library and looking for the books Ambrose had recommended for her to begin with. Finding them was a challenge in itself. The books upstairs were sorted into fiction and non-ficiton, and then alphabetically by author's last name, she could determine no clear way that the books down here were organized. Mary began by making lists of title and location, Aiden might be able to tell her if it made sense in some other context.

The auction was two weeks away and she was still toying with the idea of going to London. If she went she would have to be gone overnight and while Aiden said he would accept her going she knew he wasn't happy about it. He was more becoming more comfortable with the modern world, but he held tightly to certain traditions. In the end Mary decided to bid by phone, she realized that even if he would let her go without and argument she wouldn't be able to sleep without him.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Mary won the auction easily and she began to make arrangements for the statue's arrival. The picture, even though it was clear enough to tell that it was likely one of Aiden's kind provided little other information about it and Mary was anxious to see it on the balcony. So anxious that she hired an engineer to make certain that the balcony would support the weight. When she told Aiden he was not as thrilled as she was with her idea of where to place it. There were two weeks before the statue was to be delivered and in that time they had debated the issue angrily several times, but he had refused to tell her why he was so against it.

"I will not allow another so close to our private space." The statement came out of the blue. She was laying on his chest after making love and his large hands were roaming over her back, his talons tracing light patterns on her skin. She sensed that he was relaxed enough that they might be able to discuss it without argument.

"Is it our space that you feel like you have to protect, or is it me?" Mary arched against him comfortably. She was much more accustomed to him being inside her and the forceful way he took his pleasure but she still ached after. For some reason, this was the most comfortable position she had found.

"You are mine. If I were to allow another male to be so close to you from the very beginning it would give him the impression that you are my concubine, not my mate." His hand moved down between her spread legs, his talons tickled her inner thighs. Mary squirmed against him, the sensation bringing a little smile to her lips in spite of what he was saying. Her aching opening quivered.

"You didn't tell me about that." She kissed the side of his neck softly, and his arm tightened around her. "If a male does with his concubine what he does with his mate, how does anyone know the difference?"

"A concubine is stolen from a rival clan, won in battle or is the female child of a concubine. She is branded as property, much as your kind might mark an animal." His tail stroked her pouting lower lips and Mary moaned softly, her eyes squeezed shut. "It is understood that any who ask her owner might use her. He might ask a fee for her services, he might not."

"I'm not branded." The thought made her tremble, she opened herself wider to his gently probing tail.

"But you are human. When we were cursed your kind was the ultimate rival." He pushed the tip of his tail inside her and Mary whimpered softly. "You will find a different place for the other." As if to punctuate his statement he withdrew his tail and then pressed it inside deeper. Mary gasped and bit down on her lower lip.

"I'll find a different place." She moaned softly and squirmed against his invading tail, just as she was getting used to it, needing it, he pulled it away. "Don't-"

He turned her on her back, rubbing the broad head of his shockingly hard member against her entrance. Mary's need struggled with her apprehension. She reached down between them and stroked him.

"Let me-" He grasped her wrist and pinned it next to her head.

"You will submit." His voice was soft and his lips were gentle on hers. Mary closed her eyes and trembled under him.

"I'm sore." Her voice was a nervous whisper. The broad head rubbed lightly against her, Mary arched her back and moaned.

"I know." He pressed forward slowly and Mary whimpered as her body yielded. As he pushed deeper she struggled to pull her pinned arm away from him. "Relax, child. Trust me not to hurt you." He held her wrist in place but stopped advancing, his lips moved softly over the side of her neck. The tension drained away as his lips moved. He rocked softly against her until she was completely, achingly full, he kept up a constant light pressure on her cervix that made Mary arch and squirm.

His lips found hers and Mary melted, moving her hips tentatively. He looked down into her eyes and began to move gently, drawing almost his whole length out and pressing in just as deeply again. Aiden continued his slow, torturous rhythm until Mary was clawing at the sheets, begging for more. He made her wait for what seemed like an eternity before giving her the release she craved. She felt him pulse inside her while she was floating and she knew that he had gotten his release too.