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The Seduction of Seleste

from the world of the mating season

Talisa's First

Chapter 36

When Seleste later awoke, it was still raining. She could hear the rain drumming the roof, harder now, and the thunder as it cracked. Lightning flashed, and she was momentarily blinded as she sat up. The smell of cooking meat made her stomach growl. She yawned and looked around. Was it day? Was it night? It was so gloomy that Seleste couldn't have said for certain. But she felt rested, as if she had slept for eons. And her body no longer ached.

"Good, you're awake," came Keme's voice and he sounded relieved. Seleste noticed him sitting in a chair beside Honiahaka. They sat around the fire together, eating from small bowls, and Soomse and his warriors were gathered around doing likewise. Beyond Honiahaka's shoulder, Seleste could see Talisa standing at a window. Her arms were folded as she looked out at the rain, but hearing that Seleste was awake, she turned quickly and came to the fire.

Seleste laughed girlishly when Talisa dropped to her knees before her and took her shoulders. "Talisa, you worry too much!" she protested, but Talisa continued examining her face, her brown eyes searching for what Seleste could not guess.

"No, Sel," Talisa said and slowly shook her head. A lick of auburn hair fell in her anxious gaze. "I worry just enough. You didn't see yourself when it happened --"

"You were glowing," added Keme, who looked very strained. "And . . . you bled from your ears."

Seleste saw Honiahaka frown to see Keme in distress. He smoothed his paw over Keme's shoulder, and the younger male glanced at him, but his worried eyes went back to Seleste.

"And then you slept forever and ever," added Talisa. Her paws tightened on Seleste's shoulders, as if for fear she might slip away in a dead faint again.

Seleste guiltily bit her lip: she hadn't slept as long as they seemed to think. Mere hours ago, she had eavesdropped on Talisa and Honiahaka.

"Seleste," Honiahaka said, and he looked just as miserable and anxious as the others, "what happened when you touched the grave? Soomse went back to look, and the flowers that had been there - they turned to ash before his eyes."

"We should leave this cursed place," muttered Soomse. He was seated near Keme, his eyes fixed somberly on his bowl. His eyes lifted to Seleste, piercing in their devotion. "I could not forgive myself if I let anything happen to my chieftess."

"Oh brother," said Talisa, rolling her eyes. "Seleste was your chieftess all of what? A week or something? Cut the crap, Soomse --"

"She is the beloved of my chief," Soomse said over her. "As such, it is my duty to protect her until she leaves my custody. Put aside your personal feelings, Talisa, and let me do my duty - not that there were ever any feelings between us."

Talisa's paws dropped from Seleste's shoulders and she swallowed hard. Soomse just watched her darkly. Honiahaka looked between them both and realization brightened his eyes. But he didn't seem angry. If anything, Seleste thought he looked sympathetic.

Talisa stood and looked past Soomse, as if he was suddenly invisible. Her small paws clenched into fists. "The sooner we get home," she said darkly, "the better."

Seleste watched in dismay as Talisa marched to a corner of the room, where she sat abruptly in a rickety chair. It was such a dark corner that Seleste could barely see the gleam of Talisa's eye. The young warrior sat back in the chair and folded her arms under her bosom, and without looking at anyone, she turned her gaze once more to the window.

"But until we get home," Honiahaka said calmly, "let us try to be civil to one another. Hmm?" He glanced curiously over his shoulder at Talisa. It was clear he now realized what had happened between Talisa and Soomse, but he still as of yet didn't seem to understand just why Talisa was being so hostile toward the male.

Seleste didn't understand it either. Soomse was conceited, certainly, but he wasn't a bad male. If anything, he was always polite toward the rest of the group, devoted and obedient toward Seleste. In all their time traveling together, he had never even given Talisa a cold look, but now? Now he just looked angry . . . and hurt. Seleste stared at him, then glanced at Talisa, and wanted to understand why. What had happened between them to make them act so?

"Seleste," Keme said, and Seleste blinked as if she had been dragged back to earth. Keme was peering at her across the fire and his brows were pressed together anxiously. "Tell us what happened?"

Seleste just stared at Keme and Honiahaka. By the looks on their faces, her fainting must have really frightened them. She remembered Keme saying she had bled from her ears, and suddenly alarmed, she reached up and touched them. But they didn't hurt. And no dried blood came away on her slender fingers. They must have cleaned her.

Keme moved around the fire and sat beside Seleste on her bedroll. He passed her his bowl, and she realized he meant for her to eat the rest. She took it gratefully, and when he tried to give her a spoon, she waved it away and gulped the contents of the bowl down. Ah. It was broth.

As she tipped the bowl against her lips, Seleste heard Honiahaka laugh. "She has her appetite, at least," he said. Seleste lowered the bowl and saw him pulling a chair closer to her. He presided once more over his own bowl as he waited for her explanation.

"I'm . . . I'm not sure what I saw," Seleste said at last. She stared at the bowl in her small paws as she saw it again: the white wolf on the swing, the grey pup suckling from its mother's pink teat, all that pale hair flying in the wind . . . and the glowing. The wolf had glowed. But was it a wolf? There was something about it that didn't quite seem right. The creature's ears had been so large. And all the tails. The tails were the most bizarre thing of all. The creature had had so many. Perhaps fifteen. There had been such a cluster of them twisted around, Seleste wasn't certain.

When Seleste described what she had seen, Keme and Honiahaka just blinked at each other.

"Don't you know what she saw?" Keme begged of Honiahaka. He stared at the older male as if Honiahaka - with all his knowledge of ancient lore - should have spouted some story about ghosts or something.

Seleste waited too, but Honiahaka looked just as puzzled as she felt.

"Hmm," Honiahaka said and stroked his chin. He caught Keme's expectant gaze and laughed. "Keme! I don't know everything!"

"But you know a hell of ah lot," Keme returned.

"I could offer a theory, nothing more," Honiahaka said.

"Better than nothing," Keme pressed.

"Well," Honiahaka answered, "there's a theory that magical energy causes something of . . . an imprint . . . on certain places. It's obvious magic once thrived strong here. Some very powerful creature - and it sounds like a _kitsune _of all things -- once lived in this house. Echoes of that power are still in this place, and those echoes allowed Seleste a window into the lives of its past inhabitants." Honiahaka offered his paws and shrugged.

Keme grinned in relief. "See? I knew you had the answer."

"Not the _answer, Keme," Honiahaka gently corrected. "Just _an answer. We don't know for sure. And I can't say why Seleste should be so sensitive to the magic when the rest of us aren't." He looked apprehensively at Seleste, and Keme did too.

Seleste bit her lip when Keme reached over and smoothed his paw over her womb. Their eyes met, and she was startled by how terribly sad his gaze was. He thought she was sensitive to the magic because she was pregnant! But how many times did she have to tell him she wasn't!

Keme withdrew his paw and stared at the fire when Seleste returned with a scowl to her bowl. Why, why, _why _was he so determined to think she was carrying a pup! She wasn't! She couldn't be! . . . could she? A sudden jolt of terror made Seleste's heart leap. What if she was? After all, she had been raped any number of times, had had sex any number of times. Any of those males could have been the father -- not just Ahote. Not just Keme. The thought made her ache a little inside. To think she might have to go through the terror and pain of birthing a pup that belonged to one of those slavers! God, if she _was _pregnant, let it be Keme's pup. Oh god, please.

"Just say when you feel fit to travel," Soomse said to Seleste across the fire, "and I will gather my warriors, Chieftess. Take as much time as you need."

Seleste nodded. "Thank you, Soomse."

"If only the rain would stop," Keme said darkly. "Then we could get away from this place. It almost feels _haunted _or something." He shivered slightly and glanced around the room, his eyes traveling over the many cobwebs and piles of shattered furniture.

"I didn't want to say anything before. I didn't want to frighten the chieftess," said Soomse quietly, "but this forest once belonged to a powerful sorceress. Our wolves have many stories of her exploits. She walked this forest and it was hers and all who passed through it could feel her presence as if her spirit were looking out from the very trees."

"You couldn't mention this before?" Keme demanded.

"I had never seen the cabin before," Soomse answered with a shrug. "So how would I recognize it? Besides, I figured the stories of a witch in the woods were just that - stories."

"What happened to the witch, Soomse?" Honiahaka asked.

"They say she simply vanished one day," Soomse answered. "The supposed sightings of her stopped, anyway. Many believed that the storytellers had simply run out of stories." He laughed lightly and shoveled more broth into his mouth.

"I never believed in fairy tales and legends," Keme said, looking from face to face, "until I met you all." He laughed as if he couldn't believe this was his life.

Honiahaka laughed too. "But, Keme, you are a fairy tale!" He offered his paw, as if to point out that Keme was, in fact, a legendary shemale.

Keme shrugged. "Heh. Okay, you got me there. Sometimes it's easy to forget my own strength, though."

Honiahaka flexed his broad shoulders and grinned. "I know."

Honiahaka laughed when Keme looked away in embarrassment, and Seleste knew he was referring to the cuts on his shoulders. She felt a sudden rush of anger and didn't know why. Was she angry that Honiahaka had been with Keme . . . or that Keme had been with Honiahaka? Perhaps a little of both.

"I'mma . . . step out a moment," Keme said, but they all knew he just wanted to escape his own embarrassment - not to mention the look on Seleste's face.

Keme kissed Seleste's cheek and stepped into the rain, and as he left the cabin, Seleste felt a little guilty for her anger. What right had she to be angry when she had not only slept with someone else but had married him as well? She was just as guilty as Keme of taking comfort in sex. Just as guilty. And yet, any time the incident between Keme and Honiahaka was alluded to, Seleste still felt a bubbling anger.

"I know that look," Honiahaka said quietly, and Seleste looked up to find him watching her in amusement. "It means you want to strangle me," he said and laughed. He rubbed the back of his neck and pushed his long silvery mane away. "I guess I would deserve it." He shrugged dismally and looked at the fire.

"Oh no, don't say that, Honia . . ." Seleste said wretchedly.

"No," Honiahaka insisted. "If you must blame anyone, blame me. Don't be angry with Keme. I asked and he could have said no, but . . . I made that very difficult."

Seleste folded her arms. "Then I should teach him how to say no to you."

Honiahaka grinned. "You always were an expert on that."

Seleste relented and smiled in return.

"Oh, come on, Sel," said Talisa from her corner. She sounded exasperated, perhaps even annoyed. "Who cares if Honi fucked Keme? She's not mad that you fucked Keme, Honi. She's mad that Keme got to fuck you."

Seleste felt her face getting hot and she wished Talisa would shut up when the auburn warrior rose from her chair. Talisa came to the fire and stood with her arms folded, and the disgusted look on her face sent a thrill of sadness through Seleste.

"The real _reason she's angry," went on Talisa, "is because she wants you, Honi. She spent _years pushing you away, telling you to back off, crushing your hopes, and now that she sees what a gorgeous piece of male meat you are, she's up and horny for you --"

"Talisa!" Honiahaka warned and glowered at her.

"Stop me if I'm wrong, simp," Talisa said sharply. She eyed Seleste with such a cold, unflinching look that Seleste wanted to shrink into herself.

Seleste sat stung. Why was it that Talisa was so _jealous _when it came to her? It almost seemed as if Seleste wasn't allowed to want anyone except Talisa and Keme, and if she _ever _made the mistake of showing desire for someone else, Talisa would see red. Ahote had learned that lesson well.

"Answer me," Talisa demanded.

"I don't have to play your games!" Seleste said at last.

"The hell you don't," Talisa said. "I don't need an answer anyway. You're constantly swooning over Honi. It's obvious."

"Leave her alone, Tali," Honiahaka said wearily and pushed his mane back from his eyes, as if he'd had just about all he could take for one day.

"Butt out, Honi," Talisa said at once. "This is between Seleste and I." Her brown eyes - bright with anger - had never left Seleste's face.

"Talisa, s-stop this, you're being ridiculous," Seleste stammered. She stiffened when Talisa took a halting step toward her and jammed a long nail at her face.

"_Answer _me," Talisa repeated. "You want him, don't you? Just _admit _it --"

"For god's sake, leave her alone, Talisa!" Soomse suddenly burst. He leapt to his feet. "The chieftess doesn't belong to you! She is free to desire any wolf she pleases!"

Talisa looked at him in disgust. "Mind your own business --"

"The chieftess is my business!" Soomse snapped. "Leave her alone, or I swear to god --!" He halted, and it took Seleste a moment to realize he was hard.

Talisa noticed it too. She stared at Soomse's hard cock, then shifted uncomfortably where she stood. They watched her swallow hard, then she turned and stormed from the cabin, out into the rain.

After an uncomfortable pause, Soomse wheeled about and stormed into one of the back rooms of the cabin. Seleste just sat feeling perplexed. She didn't understand any of it - Talisa's rage, Soomse's hard-on. She looked across the fire at Honiahaka and noticed he was watching her with a sort of misty sadness.

"You don't understand, do you?" Honiahaka said softly. "I'm guessing Talisa never told you."

". . . told me what?" Seleste said slowly.

Honiahaka smiled. "You are Talisa's first female."

Seleste's eyes went wide. "I . . . am?"

"Yes," the sun chief answered gently. "Talisa has loved females as long as she's loved males. Has even kissed a few. But until you, she had never slept with one. Or touched one the way she has touched you . . . I guess she's attached to you because of that. It's something like . . . a virgin's infatuation with their first partner."

"Oh god . . ." was all Seleste could say.

Honiahaka laughed. "I know how it feels to be the source of her infatuation. I was the first male to take her. She was my first female. I guess we've always loved each other because of that." He smiled dreamily into space.

"So . . . she's always going to act jealous if . . .? Not --! Not that I want to have sex with you . . ." Seleste stammered herself quiet and blushed. Oh god. She couldn't have just made it clearer that she wanted to have sex with Honiahaka!

Honiahaka laughed at her awkwardness. "Oh, Seleste. Perhaps if we had sex, this would all blow over. You'd stop being curious, Talisa would stop feeling jealous . . . but only perhaps," he added, and Seleste knew he wasn't suggesting that they really sleep together.

Seleste made a face. "But I still don't understand why Soomse got hard."

Honiahaka grinned. "No doubt he was imagining you and Talisa together. I think it's fairly obvious the two of you have had sex. Probably any number of times while you were in the plains. Am I right?"

Seleste wanted to sink into the floor and die. Honiahaka spoke of their love making as nonchalantly as if they were discussing that night's broth! But he was right, damn him. Before she married Ahote - before she even considered such a thing - Seleste had made love with Talisa any number of times in the lavish bedroom they shared within the underground palace. She still remembered the first time she went down on Talisa, that soft and hot place between her shapely thighs, its yielding wetness, its musky smell. She remembered looking up from Talisa's pussy to see her cupping her own breasts, her wild mane in her slanted eyes - eyes that danced with such fire, with such love. She had kissed Talisa and held her and slept in her arms - only to turn around and marry Ahote.

For the first time, Seleste understood Talisa's wild anger when she attacked Ahote at their wedding. For the first time, she understood Talisa. She was Talisa's first female lover . . . she probably meant more to Talisa than she had ever guessed. And all this time, Seleste could think of nothing and no one but Keme and Honiahaka. How dismal she suddenly felt for never stopping to consider Talisa's feelings.

"She comes off as taking sex casually, I know," Honiahaka said to the fire. "But it means so much more to her than any of us could ever know - _we _mean so much to her." He peered down at her from his chair, as if to make her understand.

"I think I understand her now," Seleste assured him. "If I'd only known - I just assumed she'd been with a female that way before. I never stopped to think . . ."

"Well, think of her now," said Honiahaka, and his brows pressed together anxiously. "Will you?"

He looked so worried that Seleste reached up and squeezed his paw to assure him. "I will, Honia. I'll try to be more sensitive to her feelings. If only she'd told me all this. . ."

Honiahaka grinned. "Oh, she'd never tell you that. She's as bad as Keme when it comes to her little secrets."

Seleste looked at Honiahaka and blinked as a sudden thrill of guilt washed over her: here she had been angry at Honiahaka for sleeping with Keme - but she had slept with Talisa any number of times!

She saw Honiahaka smile as if he knew what she had just realized. And she knew she didn't have to apologize: he had never gotten angry. In fact, he looked so amused as he went back to his broth that Seleste wanted to die. Honiahaka seemed so free in his love. It was as if, in his mind, they were all his lovers and there was no need for jealousy. Not when he loved them all.

Seleste watched him in silent awe and wondered what it was like to be that . . . above it all. He had always been so forgiving and beyond petty grudges. All the times she rejected him when they were children, pushed him away by the face, told him to leave her alone, and he had just kept coming back, patiently, until they were the best of friends.

Seleste gazed happily at Honiahaka and wondered if he knew how much she loved him in that moment. He looked up from his broth as if he felt her smile. He smiled in return.

He knew.