Something to remember

The adrenaline faded, leaving behind a sticky, sweet reality.

Alice sat up slowly, wincing slightly as her body protested the new sensations. She looked down at the mess we had made, the fluids on her thighs, the stain on the wood. She tried to pull her dress down to cover herself, a flicker of her old modesty returning.

"Don't hide it," I said gently, catching her hand. "It's evidence."

"Evidence of a crime?" she asked, a small, tired smile playing on her lips.

"Evidence of ownership."

I helped her down from the table. Her legs were shaky, like a newborn fawn's. I held her steady until she found her footing. We walked to a nearby brook that babbled nonsense words ("splish, splash, fizz"). Alice washed herself with a handkerchief dipped in the cool water, cleaning away the blood and seed, while I adjusted my clothes.

When she was clean, or as clean as one could get in the wild, she looked at me. The sun was beginning to dip, casting long, strange shadows through the Lotus Forest.

"The sun is moving," she noted softly. "That means time is moving. And that means..." She swallowed, her blue eyes filling with sudden melancholy. "...that means you have to leave."

"The worlds don't guard themselves, Alice."

She nodded, looking down at her shoes. "I know. But... it feels cruel. To show someone the sky and then put them back in the box."

I walked over and lifted her chin.

"You aren't going back in the box," I told her. "You're keeping the key. But before I go, we have the rest of the day. And I have a few more things to teach you."

Her eyes widened. "More? I'm not sure I have any room left for more data, Master."

"You have a mouth, don't you?"

Alice blinked. She looked at my lips, then down at my belt. Understanding dawned on her, and her cheeks flushed a brilliant scarlet.

"Oh," she whispered. "The... the lollipop principle?"

"Something like that. Come here."

I sat down on a large, flat mushroom that felt like velvet. I spread my legs and patted the space between them.

Alice hesitated for only a second before kneeling in the grass. She looked up at me, her curiosity warring with intimidation.

I freed myself again. In the soft evening light, it looked even larger to her.

"Open up," I commanded softly.

Alice leaned forward. She hesitated, unsure of the mechanics. She kissed the tip tentatively.

"No," I corrected, threading my fingers through her blonde hair. "Not a kiss. Take me in. All of me."

"It... it won't fit," she mumbled against the head. "It's too long."

"Relax your throat, Alice. Stop thinking about the size and start thinking about the shape. Let it slide."

I guided her. She gagged at first, her eyes watering, her body trying to reject the intrusion. But I was patient. I held the back of her head, soothing her, teaching her how to suppress the reflex, how to flatten her tongue.

"That's it," I praised as she took me deeper, inch by inch. "Good girl. Keep your eyes open. Look at me."

She stared up at me, blue eyes streaming with tears of effort, her mouth stretched wide around me. It was a look of pure devotion. She was working hard, learning to accommodate my size not just in her body, but in her throat. When she finally managed to take me deep, her nose brushing my hair, I groaned. The suction, the warmth, the vibration of her humming throat—it was exquisite.

"Perfect," I growled, stroking her hair. "You're a fast learner."

She pulled back, gasping for air, a string of saliva connecting us. She wiped her mouth, looking proud.

"It tastes..." she panted. "...salty. Like the ocean."

"Now," I said, standing up and pulling her to her feet. "It's my turn to give you something to remember."

I led her back to the soft grass beneath the mushroom. I laid her down. The evening was setting in, the air cooling, but the heat between us was still radiating.

I lifted her skirt. I pushed her legs apart, draping them over my shoulders.

"You tasted me," I said, looming over her. "Now I'm going to taste you."

Alice’s eyes went wide. "But... but I'm... down there..."

"You're delicious."

I lowered my head.

If the afternoon was about breaking her, the evening was about worshipping her. I buried my face in her sex. I didn't just lick; I devoured. I used my tongue to trace the alphabet of pleasure on her clitoris. I sucked the swollen flesh, drawing out her essence.

Alice writhed in the grass. She wasn't screaming this time; she was keening. It was a high, thin sound of pure sensory overload.

"Oh! Oh, Ray!" she cried, her hands tangling in my silver hair. "It's... it's colors! I see colors!"

I was relentless. I found her rhythm and stayed there, tormenting her with pleasure until she was begging for release. I felt her muscles tensing, her thighs clamping around my ears.

"Let go, Alice," I murmured against her wetness. "Give it to me."

She exploded. It was a violent, earth-shattering orgasm that left her sobbing with joy. She shook uncontrollably, her heels digging into the dirt, her soul laid bare under the twilight sky.

I stayed there until the last tremor faded, kissing her thighs, tasting the sweetness of her release.

When I finally pulled away and lay beside her, she curled into my side, burying her face in my coat.

"I will never forget that," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "If I live to be a hundred... or if I stay this age forever... I will never forget."

"Good."

I checked the sky. The stars were coming out, twisted, spiral stars, but stars nonetheless.

"It's time," I said quietly.

Alice stiffened. She didn't beg me to stay. She knew better now. She sat up, smoothing her dress, her dignity returning. She looked older in the moonlight.

"You will come back?" she asked, standing up as I did.

"I will," I promised. "Keep the Queen in line. Keep the forest quiet. And keep yourself... ready."

She smiled, a sad but strong smile. "I'm the anchor now. I understand."

I leaned down and kissed her one last time, a hard, possessive kiss that stamped my claim on her soul.

"Goodbye, Alice."

I turned and walked toward the landing zone where the Highwind waited. I didn't look back. I heard her small voice drift through the trees, reciting a new truth to herself.

"I am real. I am real. I am real."