Page 54 of Hiss and Tell
Her breath catches as I let three drops fall into the bowl. They chime like tiny bells, each carrying centuries of magic and meaning.
“The intention,” I continue. “The three drops are offered to the gods who bestowed my kind with this healing power.” My snakes weave complex patterns above us as the drops glow brighter. “I offer this not to change you, but to join with you. Not to fix what was never broken, but to create something new together.”
The light in the bowl pulses brighter, casting warm radiance across her face. She looks otherworldly, transformed by the magic that fills our circle.
“And the sharing?” Her whisper carries both anticipation and awe.
“This part creates the bond. A connection that goes beyond the physical.” Placing the bowl on the table, I take her right hand with my left and meet her eyes. “Are you absolutely certain—”
The ancient ritual awakens something primal in my blood. As I prepare to share the healing gift passed down through generations of Gorgons, my body undergoes changes that Aspen can’t miss.
My skin takes on a subtle luminescence, and my snakes’ scales brighten to an almost metallic sheen as their bodies lengthen to twice their size. My eyes shift fully to their serpentine state—no longer hiding what I am.
When I extend my hand, offering my blood, my voice drops to frequencies that vibrate through her bones. “This will bind us in ways that go deeper than marriage, deeper than promises. You’ll be able to feel my emotions, sense my presence. And I’ll know when you need help, always.” The power flowing through me isintoxicating, dangerous—this is what Gorgons were before we learned to hide among humans.
She answers by grasping my wrist in her warm hand and then, leaning forward without hesitation, presses her lips to my bleeding palm.
The world explodes into light.
Her lips on my palm send a shock of power through my entire body. The taste of my blood on her tongue creates an instant connection that goes deeper than flesh, deeper than thought. She gasps against my palm as the first waves of healing magic flow into her, her eyes flying wide with wonder and something that looks dangerously close to arousal.
“Sebastian,” she breathes, my name shaking on her lips as golden light dances between us. “I can feel… everything.”
The ancient power awakens every nerve ending, every point where our skin connects, blazing with shared sensation. My snakes, no longer content to simply frame us, weave intricate patterns against her skin—not restraining, but caressing with a touch like flowing satin.
“The magic recognizes you,” I tell her, my voice rough with power and desire. “It wants to heal you, but it also wants to… claim you.”
Her pupils dilate as she feels the truth of my words. The healing isn’t just medical—it’s sensual, intimate, designed by ancientGorgons who understood that the deepest healings happen when barriers come down completely.
“Then let it,” she whispers. With one last long drag of her tongue across my palm, the wound heals and disappears without a scar, and I nearly lose control entirely.
Magic courses through us both—not just my sanctuary effect or dream manifestations, but something older. Deeper. Something primal and utterly Gorgon. The healing power of my blood mingles with her essence, but the magic demands more than just superficial touch—it craves skin against skin, breath mingling with breath, hearts beating in perfect synchrony.
“The ritual requires complete connection,” I explain, my voice rough with power and barely controlled desire. “Physical and emotional barriers interfere with the healing.”
She doesn’t hesitate. Her hands find the pearl buttons of her white dress, working them open with trembling fingers. “Then let’s remove every barrier.”
I help her, my own hands shaking as we work together to free her from the fabric. The dress pools around her feet like spilled moonlight, leaving her bare in the golden candlelight. My snakes, now twice their length, create a living curtain around us, their scales catching the light like precious gems as they weave protection and privacy around our sacred space.
When I shed my pants, there’s nothing between us but want and ancient magic dancing across our skin wherever we touch. Thegolden light swirls faster as I pull her closer, letting myself be exactly what I am—huge and powerful and magical.
But it’s more than just physical healing. I can feel her walls crumbling, her fears dissolving, her heart opening to possibilities she’d thought forever closed. And in return, my own barriers shatter—all the ways I’ve made myself smaller, all the power I’ve held back, all the love I’ve been afraid to offer.
“Sebastian,” she gasps, and my name on her lips carries her shock at the overwhelming power of the moment. My hands grasp her waist, and when she arches against me, the evidence of my desire presses against her soft curves.
“I can feel it working,” she whispers, wonder in her voice. “The healing. It’s like every cell in my body is being renewed.”
My snakes respond to our shared arousal and connection, weaving intricate patterns against her skin—not restraining, but caressing with deliberate sensuality. Three of them trace paths down her sides while another loops gently around her wrist, anchoring her to this moment. Two more create abstract patterns across her stomach that make her muscles flutter with each pass.
Through our new bond, I can feel everything she’s experiencing—the warmth of her skin, the way she shivers at each touch, the salt-sweet taste when they brush against her lips. It’s overwhelming and intoxicating, this triple sensation of touching her with my hands while experiencing her through my snakes’ heightened senses.
“Are you choosing me?” she asks, her voice breathless but sure.
“I chose you the moment you walked into my library,” I confess, letting my full Gorgon nature show. “The question was always whether you’d choose me back.”
Her answer arrives in the press of her mouth finding mine, kissing me with a hunger that matches the magical fire coursing through our veins. The bond settles into place with an almost audible click, and suddenly I can sense her emotions as clearly as my own—her wonder, her complete trust, and underneath it all, her desire burning bright and sure.
When we finally break apart, both breathing hard, she nestles against me, her stance wide as she grinds against my thigh. “I need you, Sebastian. All of you.”
