She puts herself in Willow’s hands

Lux stares for a moment, captivated, before turning her gaze down to the ground. “I’m sorry,” she whispers. “I’m just…so tired…”

“Then rest with me,” Willow says, gently, leaning closer. Lux closes her eyes and sinks into the embrace. They sit there in each other’s arms for a while, just holding one another, Lux feeling some warmth returning to her weary limbs.

Willow begins to unlace Lux’s corset, leaving a tingling sensation everywhere her nimble fingers touch. Lux lets out a shuddering gasp, resting her hands on her thighs as she lets herself be undressed, sensing the urgency and hunger that Willow is just about managing to keep to herself for now.

As her top comes away, she feels Willow’s fingers trace down her belly – to where, she realises, the otherwise smooth skin is blemished by tiny scars, formed by the stretching of her unnaturally swift pregnancy. Panic and shame grip her. “Don’t look – ” she mumbles.

Willow pauses, looking up to meet Lux’s eyes. “If these marks offend you, my love, I have salves to make them fade more quickly.” Her hand caresses Lux’s cheek. “But know that I see nothing ugly or shameful in them.”

Lux bites her lip and closes her eyes again, not knowing what to say. She lets herself be gently pushed to lie down on her back; she feels Willow kissing down her belly, those fingers beginning to unfasten her breeches. A sharp intake of breath as she feels the dryad’s lips continuing to work their way down her pubic mound – involuntarily she rocks her hips upward to get closer to that electric touch. The slightest lick of a warm tongue against her clit makes her whole body shiver with pleasure.

Once she is fully naked, Willow guides her to her feet, and into the shallow stream. Lux had expected the water to be cold, but – like everything else here – it’s exactly right. She sighs as she lowers herself down, feeling the soothing current flowing around, while Willow settles down in front of her. Light filters down in dappled patterns from the leafy canopy overhead, glittering on the gentle ripples of the stream, and making Willow’s perfect skin seem to glow.

Willow takes her unresisting hand, and begins to bathe her in the water, starting with that arm, then the other, her skilful touch sublime on Lux’s skin even now. Lux sighs, giving herself over to Willow’s control just as she did once before, not knowing where this will go and feeling no real inclination to make it stop. She feels the flowing water taking the ache out of her muscles, making them relax.

At the back of her mind, part of her does still wonder if this is a good idea. Even if she accepts that Willow’s intentions are pure, isn’t there a danger in what she said – a dryad is a dryad? No matter how caring, she can’t help her nature, the tricks and illusions and control that are a part of what she is…

…but then Lux opens her eyes and sees Willow, her eyes deep pools in which Lux could lose herself and swim forever, her long hair glittering with beads of water, her wet clothes clinging to her body in a magical balance between concealing and revealing all – and something in Lux’s mind short-circuits, killing off those lingering doubts.