The Elf Who Wants to Defeat Theorad (4)

The elf's red eyes shone as she looked at Theorad. Her voice had grown gentler, and even the way she raised her hands beneath her chest seemed calculated to tempt him.

She meant to seduce him into surrendering his self-control. She wanted him to lose all restraint and behave like a beast.

But Theorad's resolve was not something that would collapse at the first touch. If he could be defeated so easily, he would never have dared enter her room.

Stay calm. Don't be drawn in.

He forced his thoughts into order and studied her scheme.

Why had she placed the sweet she had been eating against her chest?

She wants me to eat it.

To reach the candy with his mouth, he would have to kneel and lower his head before her. It was a posture of complete submission. Worse still, he would end up burying his face against her breasts.

The elf had chosen her trap well.

I see…

He couldn't dismiss such a tactic. But there was a way to defeat it.

Whatever game they were playing, he was still supposed to be her master. He had no obligation to obey a slave's request.

Refuse. That's all I have to do.

Theorad gave a disdainful snort.

“I have no reason to indulge something so shallow as—”

“Eat it.”

The elf's expression turned cold.

Her look contained a clear warning. She did not say what she would do if he refused, but he understood it well enough.

His smile faltered.

“…On second thought, it looks rather good. No reason not to.”

He knelt and bent toward the candy.

The nearer his face came to her chest, the more clearly he caught a sweet fragrance, like a forest in bloom. He had never noticed it when he was overwhelmed by the earlier supposed love potion and all the other confusion of their encounters. The scent was richer than ordinary soap.

Do all women smell like this?

Theorad could hardly say. His experience was too limited to make comparisons.

He reached toward the candy with his tongue. In retrieving it, he brushed against her breast and pressed his face briefly to her chest.

The elf did not miss the opportunity.

Her slender hand settled on Theorad's head and gently stroked his hair.

“Master… Are you enjoying my breasts so much? How sweet.”

Dangerous.

For an instant the warmth of her touch and her softened voice made him want to remain where he was.

Then he thought of Ashley.

No. I mustn't.

He drew away and stood, biting down hard enough to crack the candy between his teeth.

The elf looked at him with confusion. Apparently she had expected more from her attempt.

“You insolent creature. Do you think you can defeat me with that?”

“Didn't you like it?”

“Isn't the answer obvious?”

“You seemed to.”

“That's…”

His hesitation only encouraged her. Smiling, she placed her hands against the top of her chest and drew attention to the exposed skin.

“You may do it again, if you wish…”

Her voice was almost a caress.

Theorad shook his head as though he could shake away the temptation itself.

“Enough nonsense. I'm the one who came here to train you in matters of the bedroom.”

If he was going to keep the initiative, he needed a new tactic.

He drew a silver coin from his shirt pocket. A fine thread had been passed through a hole in its center.

The elf tilted her head.

“…What is that?”

“A tool for hypnosis. I'm going to use it to torment you.”

It was a lie.

The coin was ordinary silver, pierced and tied with thread. It held no enchantment at all.

But Theorad wanted her to believe he had prepared something. Even if she found the procedure unimpressive, it would look better than confessing that he had come without a plan.

“Look carefully at this coin.”

He lowered it by the thread. The elf's red eyes moved to the silver disk hanging before her.

“Keep watching. I'm going to hypnotize you.”

She nodded, apparently willing to see what would happen.

Theorad set the coin swinging slowly from side to side.

“As the owner of this instrument, and the one who has bound the hypnotic enchantment to it, I command you…”

Her pupils followed the motion.

“From this moment, your sensitivity to sexual touch will be increased fivefold.”

The elf blinked.

“Is that all?”

“Yes.”

She looked down at herself, perplexed.

“I don't feel any different…”

Of course you don't. There wasn't any magic to begin with.

He could hardly admit that.

“Your sensitivity has changed. You won't know whether it worked until you're touched.”

“But…”

“Don't argue with me, you vulgar wretch.”

Theorad sat on the edge of the bed.

His sudden closeness made the elf tense.

“…What are you doing?”

“Before we begin properly, I'll have to prepare your body.”

He tapped his thigh, just as he had rehearsed the previous day.

“Sit here.”

The elf hesitated.

It would be foolish to obey every command without question when both of them were trying to outmaneuver the other. She had no intention of giving up the initiative without a fight.

Theorad regarded her calmly.

“Are you refusing your master's order?”

“Master…”

“I granted your request a moment ago. I ate the candy you offered, didn't I?”

He had complied with her demand. Now he wanted her to comply with his.

The reasoning was simple, but she couldn't entirely deny it.

After thinking for a long while, the elf nodded.

“…Very well.”

She rose and sat on his thigh, displeasure still showing in her face.

“Lean back. Spread your legs.”

Theorad drew her backward by the shoulder until her back rested against his chest.

She hadn't expected him to feel so broad behind her. Her face warmed in spite of herself.

His hand moved against the side of her neck.

“I told you to spread your legs.”

The low voice made her shoulders shake. She obeyed.

“Good. Lift your skirt and stay still. I'll handle the rest.”

“…What are you planning?”

“I told you not to argue.”

His manner irritated her, but she decided to endure it for now. She gathered the hem of her maid's skirt up to her waist, leaving her groin exposed.

Halfway there.

Theorad drew a steadying breath.

He slipped one hand beneath the front of her uniform and reached her breast.

The elf startled.

He continued, feeling the weight of her chest against his palm, while his other hand rested at her waist and began to move lower.

Theorad continued touching her breast as his other hand passed over her stomach.

“Master…”

The elf's voice held a troubled sound. He took her response as proof that Beynon's instruction was working.

His hand reached her genitals. He found the sensitive point he had been told to look for and began touching it lightly.

Beynon had warned him not to pinch or press hard at the beginning.

The elf made an involuntary sound and tightened her grip on the fabric of her skirt.

What is this?

She had expected to control the contest, not to be overwhelmed by sensations she hadn't asked for. She gritted her teeth, determined not to show defeat.

But willing herself to resist was not enough to stop her body's response.

Five minutes passed. Then ten.

Her face tightened as she struggled to keep her composure.

“No… no…”

The plea did not stop Theorad.

He understood it as evidence that his preparations were succeeding.

Noticing that her body had become wet, he moved his hand lower and inserted a finger into her vagina, following Beynon's earlier instructions.

“No—!”

The elf tensed at the unexpected penetration.

She wanted to protest the intrusion, but could scarcely get her words out between the sounds she was making.

Theorad moved the inserted finger while touching her breast with his other hand. He watched her reactions closely, convinced he had mastered the lesson.

“Ah… wait…”

He continued despite her distress, increasing the contact until her body arched abruptly.

An involuntary climax followed. Fluid spilled down her thighs, including a sudden white spray of urine.

Theorad was startled by the force of her response.

The elf herself seemed even more stunned.

Her eyes widened. She could scarcely believe that she had reached her climax while he touched her.

For a long moment she stared into space.

Then she hiccuped, seized Theorad's forearm and turned toward him with tears in her eyes.

“Why…? Why?”

Her expression seemed to ask the question she couldn't put into words.

Why did that happen to me?