The Noxahngeli Existence Ch. 02

**Thank you everyone for all the positive feedback and ratings. I'm happy to give you the second chapter. All the feedback pushed me to get it out to you guys sooner than expected. Even on vacation I wanted to finish this chapter up for everyone who has been waiting. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it for you all. Again I would love for friendly feedback and critique on this chapter and a huge thank you to Bigg_Mike for editing once again. And yes there is a steamy part. ^_^ Enjoy!**

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"Come with me. I promise I'll explain everything else but right now we need to get out of the Blades before complete darkness consumes it." I reached for his hand and he pulled me into his arms. "Hold on tight," he told me smiling, "It will only take a second to get used to." My hands slowly found their way to the back of his neck and in one fluid motion he picked me up and began his ascend out of the Blades. I inhaled sharply and shut my eyes tight, afraid I was going to fall. My grip tightened around his neck and my face buried into his chiseled chest trying to block out the fact that I was flying.

"Kayle," he whispered to me as he gently nudged my head with his chin, "You're safe. Don't worry. Just open your eyes and take a look for yourself." I slowly opened one eye and then the other. What I saw was completely breathtaking. The Blades had vanished below us, replaced by the sparkling blue water of a lake, half surrounded by towering cliffs. A majestic waterfall cascading right down the middle, the setting sun reflected off the flowing water creating the illusion of rubies and diamonds glistening within the falls. I angled my head to look up at Aurummare and thanked him for all he's done having just met me, but the sight I saw startled me to a point where I had almost lost my grip on him. I blinked my eyes trying to focus and refocus at the area behind him.

"Wh-wh-where are your wings?" I stuttered, as I asked him and wondered how the hell we were flying when his wings were gone.

"They're still there, but when I fly I am able to cloak them. So when in night form, I will still be undetected while hunting or tracking. It would be a little hard to go unnoticed if I could not hide them right?" As if to make a point, he revealed his wings to me for a few short seconds. His white wings seemed to be on fire with the sun setting behind him. He gave me an impish grin before he cloaked them once more. Suddenly his grip on me tightened and he went into a nose dive towards the lake, straightening out at the last minute when parallel to the surface, with the lake only inches out of my reach. He freed his right hand while the other still held me steady and slid it along my left arm making me loosen my grip on him. He took this chance to release my hold of his neck, and stretched my hand out over the water. He descended slowly, just far enough for him to extend both our arms out towards the water's crystal clear surface and run our fingertips through it, creating a tiny wake that trailed behind us.

"This is just so unreal. Am I actually here?" I asked him.

He tilted his head down and brushed his lip gently across my ear. I could feel his warm breath as it tickled me.

"You feel me next to you, yes? My touch?" He replied in a whisper , trailing his fingertips up my arm creating tiny goose bumps.

"My warmth?" As he tilted his head closer to mine, his breath warming my neck.

"Hear my words?" I shivered, not from the cold, but from the thoughts and feelings that coursed through my mind and body. I retracted my hand from the water and returned it to his neck. A little embarrassed I buried my face back into his chest.

I felt Aurummare's body angle change as we floated in place. I opened my eyes; we were face to face with the base of the cliff. He asked if I was ready to see his home and I nodded my head yes. We scaled the side of the cliff in record time, like a rocket blasting off into space. At the top, he landed gracefully on a patch of grass next to a river running through the middle of the cliff. It cascaded over the edge creating the waterfall I saw moments before, but I saw no logical explanation as to where the water originated from. The soft prickly grass tickled my bare feet, making me wish I had some sort of footwear to protect them. I surveyed the area around us atop the cliff with disappointment, seeing there was not a single building in sight, the sun surrendered to the night and twilight was upon us.

Directly in front of me a tree house appeared aloft in a monstrous, very ancient looking tree. The house wasn't like your typical tree house. It resembled a miniature castle with walls made of what looked like thick, smooth branches tightly woven together and a rooftop made of twine and old man elm. Kaleidoscope designs on the windows seemed to make them sparkle even in the darkness, illuminated by an unknown light source from within. As quickly as it appeared it vanished once more. I blinked once, twice, my eyes widen.Am I going crazy?I thought.

"Are you ready to see my home?" Aurummare asked appearing close behind me. "Close your eyes." I turned my head and looked at him skeptically. The Blades were in the distance, around it, flat plains of land stretched for miles until reaching the shore of the lake and the foundation of the cliffs which looked so out of place out here in the middle of nowhere.

"Kayle, this will only work if you close your eyes." I returned to my forward facing position, finally listening and closed my eyes. "Are they closed?" He asked, just to make sure I had followed his instructions. I told him that my eyes were shut tight. A few seconds had passed and I felt his hands gently slide from my shoulders, down my arms, to my clammy hands. He lightly grasped my hands at the wrist and told me to relax. He brought my hands up to cover my already shut eyes, covering my hands delicately with his own. His body so close to mine, his heat engulfed me like an aura, shielding me. We stayed like this for what seemed like eternity. Having his body so close to mine was affecting my sense of time; it's as if time stood still when we touched. After a few brief seconds he removed his hands from mine and found their way to my waist as if to anchor me.

"Welcome to my home." He said proudly. I deliberately took my time to uncover my eyes and open them, not wanting to be disappointed again if there was nothing new in front of me. I was flabbergasted. There were tree houses and big old ancient looking trees so similar to what I thought I had imagined only a few minutes ago. These houses were all different though. None matched the one I had seen prior to Aurummare revealing his home to me.Maybe it was just a coincidenceI thought. Before I was able to ponder more about the little phenomenon that occurred, he took me into his arms again and gracefully floated us to the treetops. The branches and leaves were so thick and full that they easily supported us once we were above them.

Aurummare broke away from me to talk to another of his kind only a few feet away. The man was dressed in black shorts, onyx chest plate and armguards, and equipped with a bow and quiver. As for Bastilus, he trotted to a group of children nearby playing a game. I was left standing there as the town gradually took notice of me. They began to point and whisper to each other, making me feel more and more uncomfortable. I stood there awkwardly until Aurummare was back at my side. He guided me deeper into the town while the onlookers' gazes followed. We weaved between the houses and climbed a few short ladders, until we came to a halt at a path leading to an almost identical tree house as the one I had imagined only minutes before.

He took my hand and guided me into the castle-like tree house. Once inside, we went down a grand hallway, walls lined with portraits of what seemed to be royal families. He released my hand and led me to the end of the hallway to a set of double doors made of oak with intricate carvings. As I followed I took time to look at the portraits. All the families had two or more children, except the very last one right next to the double doors we were to go through. This family had only one child, a little girl. She was seated atop her mother's lap with the silliest grin on her face and her father standing behind them with a stern and serious expression.

"Who's the little girl in this painting?" I asked Aurummare pointing at the portrait. I have no idea what prompted me to ask, but there was just something about that little girl that drew me in. Aurummare turned to look and walked back to stand beside me.

"That's Princess Primilyn, with her mother Queen Vaillar and father King Lenidon." Aurummare said pointing to each family member. "They were the previous family that ruled the Noxahngeli. And now we're going to meet the King." He took my hand again and led me through the oak doors into a massive room with marble floors the color of charcoal and sand. There were silver pillars lining a path down the center of the room leading to a set of thrones. There sat an older gentleman and a beautiful woman deep in conversation, acknowledging us only when we were a few feet away.

"My King," Aurummare announced as he held his fist to his chest and bowed, "this is Kayle. I found her out in the Blades while scouting with Bastilus."

"Why did you bring her here Aurummare?" The King asked angrily. "She is an outsider and does not belong here. You should never have revealed our home to her!"

Aurummare closed the gap between himself and the King to continue the conversation, leaving me alone under the woman's curious gaze. All I heard were angry whispers between the two men, and it made me more uncomfortable as each minute passed. I looked back at the woman, she had golden brown eyes that were kind and showed a hint of reassurance as she noticed how awkward I became. She fixed a stray, hair tucking it behind her ear completing her perfect chocolate brown braid.

"You have until tomorrow morning Aurummare. She mustn't be here." The king said sternly, ending the conversation.

"Yes father." Aurummare bowed his head and kept his eyes towards the floor in defeat. He turned to me and guided me out of the throne room and back into the hallway.

"You shouldn't be so hard on him, my love." The queen started to say as Aurummare closed the oak doors behind us.

I twirled around to face him as soon as the doors closed. "What?!" I was shocked. "You're part of the royal family? You failed to mention this to me before."

"I did not think it was relevant." Aurummare stated.

"Well it is. Now I got you in trouble and I don't even know how to get back home and I have to be out of here by tomorrow night." I was so frustrated and close to tears. "What am I supposed to do?" I was shaking and felt as if I was going to faint. All the realizations of the day came crashing down upon me. I wasn't home. I still didn't know where I was. I actually put my trust in a complete stranger whom isn't even human. I didn't understand any of this.

"I just want to go home." I sobbed into my hands. "Ineed to go home."

"How am I ever going to get home?" I fell to my knees, my body felt weak, as I continued to sob. Aurummare just stood there patiently, waiting for me to get it all out. My sobs begun to subside as I bent my knees up to my chest to rest my head. I sat there for quite some time as I tried to calm down enough to speak again, but before I could say anything, my stomach growled and I had this knotted pain in my stomach. I realized that I hadn't eaten anything throughout the course of the day. I looked up at Aurummare as I tried to stand up on my own. I was so unsteady that he had to come to my side and support me.

"Come with me." He brought me down the grand hallway and into a door I didn't recall seeing on our way in. It led into a smaller hallway with beautiful skylights lining the ceiling and seemed to go on forever, but only had one door to our right. The room was dark as he ushered me in, but when the door closed behind us the room was illuminated in a soft glow. I looked up and saw firefly like bugs in glass orbs floating all around the room. It was so beautiful and calming I had to take it all in. The room was large, with a kitchen taking up one half, an island in the center of it and the other half had a large oak desk with papers strewn about. Behind the desk there were floor to ceiling book cases. He pulled out a stool from the island and helped me into it.

Once seated, I took a chance to look around while Aurummare rummaged through the contents of the kitchen. There were baskets of exotic fruits and what looked to be loaves of bread along the kitchen counter. Above the baskets were vine clusters holding beautifully crafted wine glasses reflecting the firefly glow onto the surfaces around them. To the left of the baskets was a basin sink with a beautiful golden spout and crystal knobs. Other than the fruits and bread there were no other forms of food in the kitchen. Aurummare finished what he was doing and handed me a plate of cut up fruit, a deep shade of plum with a bright pink center.

"Eat this. You will feel much better." He told me as he grabbed an uncut fruit of the same sort and took a large bite. I poked at the fruit with my finger wondering what it tasted like. I tentatively picked up a piece and popped it into my mouth. The flavor and texture were amazing. The fruit had crispness to it but was still quite juicy, and the sweetness reminded me of a ripe peach with a hint of whipped cream to complete it. It was orgasmic; I had to close my eyes to enjoy every bit of it. Aurummare's gaze was glued to me, his half eaten fruit in his hand. I opened my eyes and smiled, feeling much better after getting food into my system.

"What is this called?" I asked. I slowly ate the rest of the cut up fruit as Aurummare begun to explain to me what it was.

"These are the fruit of my people." He said as he raised the one in his hand. "It's a hybrid fruit called mupelé, a cross of one of our sweetest fruits and a sort of vanilla bean that only grows atop the cliff here where we live." I nodded, but as I reached out to grab my last bite, I began to feel dizzy and unstable. Instead of reaching for my last piece of mupelé, I brought my hand to my head and closed my eyes trying to regain my center.

"Are you all right, Kayle?" Aurummare asked with concern rushing to my side to hold me steady. With my eyes still shut I leaned back against him. I seemed to have blacked out for a brief moment, but started to feel better as soon as I opened my eyes. Aurummare took a step back and turned my stool so I faced him. He examined me closely as if he were a doctor; checking my pupils, my temperature, and if I had the ability to still speak. Again he asked if I was all right.

I nodded my head and replied, "I think so. I just felt so dizzy for a second. Then when I leaned back against you, I was completely out of it for a second." I rubbed my temples while I recovered as he finished checking me out. Once satisfied that I was doing better, he reached behind me and grabbed the last bit of fruit.

"Here," he said, "hopefully we won't have any more scares like that so you can enjoy your fruit." Smiling at me, he brought the tasty morsel to my lips. He ran it along my bottom lip cooling it, before he placed it into my waiting mouth. It tasted as good as the first bite, but this time I felt something new. It felt like an electric current was running through me heightening my senses. I noticed how close Aurummare was to me, his hand still hovering by my lips, the soft hum of the fireflies, the sweet aroma of the fruit, and the fresh scent of Aurummare that reminded me of spring but with a hint of spice.

His hand cupped my face as his thumb ran gently across my lips. Our eyes locked and I was lost in those brilliant blue pools. My breaths became shallower, I was frozen in place, not sure what was going to happen next.

"How was the mupelé?" he asked.

"It was delicious. I've never tasted anything like it."

"Some things you just have to taste at least once. That's the way I see it, or you'll always be missing out." He said brushing away a stray hair that had fallen into my face.

"I see you enjoyed the fruit a little too much." He chuckled to himself. He used his thumb to wipe the small piece that somehow escaped the clutches of my mouth and guided it to my lips. Without thinking, I drew his thumb into my mouth. I closed my eyes to savor the last bit of fruit, forgetting for just a moment that it wasn't my thumb, my hands coming up to hold onto his wrist. My eyes shot open realizing what I had just done. Embarrassed, I released his thumb.

"Sorry." I mumbled. "I don't know what got into me." I was speaking a million miles a minute, mortified that I somehow crossed a line.

"Kayle."

"This is so embarrassing."

"Kayle."

"I'm really sorry." I cover my eyes with my hands still feeling flustered.

"Kayle." Aurummare said for a final time. "Look at me." I uncovered my eyes and looked up at him.

"Don't worry so much." He smoothed out the frown lines between my eyebrows and brushed my raven hair from my eyes. He cupped my face in his hands so I wouldn't have a chance to look away again. He bent his head down to mine, our noses almost touching.

"There's just something about you. I can't help myself." His lips descended upon mine grazing against them, tongue lightly tracing my upper lip slowly probing for me to accept him. It wasn't just sparks that I felt when we finally kissed. It was as if my whole body ignited with passion I never knew existed. The kiss deepened as his hands moved from my face down my body, tenderly caressing my breasts briefly before stopping at my hips.

He pulled me to my feet and with no effort at all, picked me up and seated me on the island. We were eye to eye; his hands still gripped my waist as my hands snaked behind his neck. Our kiss intensified, our tongues dueled, pushing against one another, teasing. His tongue retreated leaving me wanting more, but before I could protest I felt his teeth gently nip my lower lip then began a trail of butterfly kisses along my jaw, to my neck, slowly sinking his teeth into me just enough that a moan escaped my lips. I felt his tongue and lips kiss away the pain from the bite and he continued his journey to my left ear.

"Tell me you want this as much as I do." I could feel his hot breath against my ear and hear the controlled tone in his voice, not making a move until I replied. I couldn't make a sound, I was breathless from the exquisite feeling his hands and lips gave me. I stayed quiet mulling over how to reply since I've seemed to have lost my ability to speak. Aurummare took my silence as a no and leaned away to search my face for any signs as to why. His confused eyes searched mine as if asking what I wanted.

I tried to form words for the last time, trying to tell him I wanted this just as much as he did. I gave up on words, curled my fingers in the belt loops of his shorts and pulled him against me. I leaned my forehead against his as if to tell him telepathically exactly what I wanted, wrapped my legs around his waist, and gently guided his face to mine for a kiss. Our lips touched once again, our bodies so close together, my passion radiated through every pore making any doubt he had about what I wanted dissipate.

My thighs tightened around him as I lost myself in the enchanting nature of his kisses. They drew me into him, the heat of our bodies building into an inferno of desperate need that threatened to consume us both. His hands roamed down my back and under my nightshirt, my body arched, and shivers coursed through my body. I felt a slight breeze across my skin and the shadows darken behind my closed eyelids as Aurummare wrapped his arms around me and lifted me off the island. My eyes snapped open as I broke the kiss to see what was happening. His wings enveloped us in a soft calming cocoon as he carried me through the mystery door behind his desk.