Dancing With Dionysus

Chapter Nine

The wind made it hard to walk.

Her hair whipped around her face. Her clothing was soaked, and her face was scratched from the flying branches. Kalliara couldn't remember the last time she'd been in a storm so fierce, and her initial instinct had been to turn back. But she had to keep going if she was going to make it back and keep her promise—besides that, she was enjoying the storm in a way. It was so wild and free. With a startled laugh, she realized she had something in common with the outraged elements. She had nothing to lose anymore. She would live to return to the temple or the storm could kill her; either way, there were no secrets.

It had been so easy to lose track of time at Irenia's house. The small room had been filled with the warm comfort of a crackling fire. And after the first few questions, Irenia had seemed to realize that Kalliara didn't want to discuss it further, and respected her wishes.

Instead, after a few moments of awkward silence, they talked about Kalliara's mother. Irenia could remember the first day that the beautiful young priestess of Athena had arrived on the island. Her ship had dropped anchor in the harbor just ahead of a storm. Irenia was newly married at the time, but the elders asked to leave her husband and attend their guest. None of them wanted it to be said that Dionysus' people were less than hospitable.

The storm had raged for two weeks, longer than any in living memory.

At first Irenia had resented the sacrifice. After all, she had only been married a few months; she wanted to be with her husband. But that very first evening the two women from such different stations in life had become fast friends. It was Irenia who had introduced her to her future husband. And while the resulting marriage had been short, it had been very happy.

The visit had been all Kalliara could hope for, particularly after her earlier reception. The only awkward moment had come at the end, right as she was leaving. Irenia had looked deeply into her face and asked a question Kalliara couldn’t seem to shake from her mind.

“Child,” Irenia had asked. “Is it really worth it? Dying again? You’ve been given a second chance at life. You’ve paid your debt to Athena. Perhaps you should consider taking a different path this time. There’s a lot more to life than serving the goddess.”

“Are you suggesting that I betray her trust?”

“Would it truly be a betrayal?” Irenia asked in reply. “Your mother chose to follow Aphrodite. Athena continued to love her. She took you under her wing, after all. Perhaps the goddess doesn’t really want you to sacrifice yourself a second time.”

“My choice isn’t Aphrodite,” she said. “It’s Dionysus. I don’t think Athena would be half so forgiving of that betrayal.”

“Perhaps you’re right,” Irenia said, pulling her close into a hug. Biting back tears, Kalliara left the small, warm home behind. It had been a wonderful visit.

But now she regretted staying so late. The sun had gone down, and now this terrible storm was brewing. She was having trouble walking upright against the wind, and she was very late. At the same time, the sheer force of the storm filled her with energy. Every raindrop that struck her face seemed to washing away her old life. All her former hopes and fears were gone; in their place was uncertainty, and a nagging longing. What would it be like to choose life?

When she was honest with herself, she had to admit the idea was intriguing.

As was the thought of Sabiniano.

She shivered, remembering how he had made her feel in the bath the day before. Every touch had been like fire touching her skin. And when he had made her explode like that, clutching her tenderly and cradling her close afterwards, she had liked it. Despite all the reasons she knew it was a betrayal, she had like it a great deal. Resisting him was going to be very hard…

The lightning strike took her completely by surprise.

One minute she was walking along the path, clutching tightly around her shoulders the woolen shawl Irenia had given her, and the next she was flying through the air. Her first thought was that she had been hit, that she was dying again. Then pain lashed through her body, and she landed in a heap beneath a tree. Dazed, she looked around, trying to understand what had happened. Where she had been standing was a large tree, flaming against the night sky. Lightning must have struck it, she realized, and the force had thrown her nearly thirty feet. This was getting dangerous.

A thrill ran through her. For once in her life, she wasn’t afraid of the danger.

She picked herself up and started back up the trail, using every bit of her strength to keep on her feet. The wind howled and she could hear the baying cries of the Maenads in the distance. The small part of her mind that still housed the old Kalliara wondered if she might die; then a laugh broke through her lips.

Of course she might die.

But she had already done that once, and the underworld wasn't such a bad place. She had nothing to lose; there was no fear.

Opening her arms wide, she embraced the storm, reveling in the power of the heavens. Her feet were light, her spirit was high. She raised her head and howled like a banshee. The sound was swallowed up, carried by the wind, and the Maenads echoed her call. For the first time in her life she felt the tugging power of Dionysus’ madness on the edge of her senses, and a sense of longing washed over her.

No wonder the Maenads danced naked in the woods, screaming and chasing animals. This energy, this passion was exhilarating. Had Irenia been right?

Did she really owe Athena another life?

She crested a hill, and came into an open clearing. Around her the heavens raged. Rain started spattered the ground, pelting her face, and she raised her head in another howl of exhilaration. Another bolt of lightning struck. This time she felt the raw energy crackling through the air. She could feel her body crackling, too, and suddenly she made a decision.

It was enough. She wanted Sabiniano. She had lived one entire life without ever realizing how powerful a storm could be. She had never taken a lover, never given birth to a child. She had a second chance, and she was going to take it.

To hell with Athena.

As if in punctuation, thunder roared around her, shaking the ground with its force. She laughed out loud. Never before had she been more fully alive than right at that moment. It was time to celebrate and enjoy this life, however long or short it might be. Tomorrow could take care of itself.

When he first saw her, he thought she was a Maenad. Her long hair whipped around her body. Her arms reached up to the heavens, and she suddenly let loose with a howl that could curdle a mere mortal's blood. But he could hear the exhilaration in her voice.

The god's madness, he realized with a sudden burst of insight.

It was upon both of them. The storm coursed through his veins. Every breath he took corresponded to the wind, and every time he clenched his hands the seas rose. In the distance he could hear Dionysus laughing.

She turned to him, her face filled with wild pleasure.

"Sabiniano," she called, twirling in the rain and wind. "It's magnificent.

I've never stood out in a storm like this before. I was always too afraid!"

She laughed, and came running across the meadow toward him.

As she came closer, he could feel a new emotion intruding on his anger, entwining with it and filling his heart with red and black swirls. Lust. Her breasts rose and fell with each breath. Her rain-slicked face turned up toward him. She threw her head back, shaking her hair out with wild abandon.

Unable to control himself, he caught her up in his arms, dragging her against his body. He twisted her hair in his fist, holding her head at an angle before taking her mouth in a kiss meant to brand her as his property. It was a harsh kiss, brutal in its intensity.

She clung to him, responding as she never had before.

She was his prisoner, his captive, and this time he was going to take her.

She twisted against him, her body pulsing in a rhythm as old as time, and he clutched her impossibly closer. He wanted to squeeze into her, take every part of her being and make it his own. He wanted to fuck her in the mud, on her knees. And he wanted her to admit that they belonged together.

The storm changed around them. Where before had been confused, chaotic energy, the forces of nature took form. Lightning bolts continued to strike, taking on brilliant colors. The wind turned in a loose vortex, swirling around the island and growing more tightly controlled.

She whimpered, digging into his shoulders with her fingernails. It sent him wild.

His cock was a pillar of stone against her body. Everything in him cried out to push her down to the ground, to thrust into her again and again until she screamed out in ecstasy. She would beg for him with every thrust, pleading for his length inside of her. When he finally plunged into her hot depths she would beg for release.

Still holding her mouth prisoner with his kiss, he bore her down before him.

Her small form twisted, and he pinned her with his weight. No escape. The pleasure of feeling her beneath him was almost too much to bear. For the first time in a thousand years, he wondered if he would make it inside her body before coming. She made him feel alive, like a youth again.

How could he have possibly believed he could let her go?

He raised his hand, finding the collar of her roughly woven dress, and pulled it down. He had to touch her breasts, suck the nipples into his mouth and feel her tremble against him. He dragged his mouth away from hers, lowering it to her waiting peak. Her mouth moved, and he strained to hear the thin cry of her voice over the raging wind.

"I need you," she screamed, tears running down her face and mixing with the rain. "Sabiniano, I need you so badly."

He cried out in triumph, and the storm echoed his emotions. In the distance, alarm bells rang in the village. Trees flew out of the ground, born aloft by the winds. On the far side of the island a tornado touched down.

He didn't care.

All he cared about was getting rid of his clothing, plunging into her body.

He was going to fuck her until she screamed. There would be no mercy; no going back. After this night she would be his, branded by his touch for all eternity. He'd defy Zeus himself to keep her, he thought savagely.

He found her nipple with his tongue. It was small and round, a tart red berry washed in rain. He sucked it into his mouth forcefully, and she arched her body up into his. He reached down and yanked up her dress. She parted her legs for him with a gasp, and his knowing fingers found the cleft between her legs.

She was hot and wet for him. Another wave of lust struck him, and in his mind's eye he saw a bolt of brilliant red lightning striking the roof of Dionysus' temple. The force of the blow echoed across the island, shaking the ground. Boulders rolled down hills; the nymphs whimpered and cried in fear.

Would the god be angry?Not likely , Sabiniano thought with savage pleasure.

Life and death. Creation and destruction. The god's madness was a holy thing, and no building could be expected to stand in its way.

He fingered her roughly, and she panted in need. Her clit was pulsing, and unable to control himself, he slid lower on her body and dropped his head between her legs. She bucked against him as he sucked the hot nub into his mouth. He savored the salty taste, and pictured her white, silky thighs. Soon he would be riding between them. It was all he could do not to raise his head and bite them, to mark her as his possession with his teeth.

No man would ever touch her this way but him, he vowed. Cunt, thighs, breasts…they were all his.

She twisted against him, moaning and clawing at shoulders. The time was right, now he could claim her. He moved back up her body, kneeing her legs further apart. Rising slightly, he pinned both her arms above her head and looked straight into her eyes.

"You are mine," he whispered, gazing upon her pinned, sprawled out form in satisfaction. "Mine."

She looked back at him, eyes wide, and nodded.

"Yes, I am," she whispered, smiling at him. There was an emotion in her face he’d never seen before, something so tender and beautiful it made his heart ache.

And his cock.

With a growl, he ripped his tunic over up and plunged his hard length into her soft body. She screamed and bucked against him. A chorus of answering cries rose around them, and Sabiniano realized the Maenads were watching.

Good.

Let his people know that he had claimed a woman. Let them share in the madness and joy that only Dionysus could inspire. Let them fuck and sing and drink and kill in his name. This was what life on Naxos was supposed to be; it had been far too long since he abandoned himself in worship. Again and again he thrust into her. She was wild beneath him, struggling against his powerful hold. Was she trying to escape him? No, he could see in her eyes that she was just as involved in this frantic, passionate act. She fought to free her arms and clutch him more tightly to her. She wanted their flesh to be one just as he did.

He thrust again and again, each time harder, each time more deeply into her soft flesh. He wanted to slow down, to milk her to climax so many times she wouldn't be able to breathe. But when he felt her body spasm around his, when he heard her cry of ecstasy, it was too much. With a shout of triumph, he thrust into her one last time. As he did so, she looked up into his face and whispered, "Sabiniano…"

It pushed him over the edge. With a cry, he came, hips jerking against her like an untried youth.

His hot seed shot into her in burst after burst until he was empty.

Exhausted, he collapsed on top of her, barely managing to push himself to one side at the last minute so as not to crush her small form. She whimpered against him, and he cradled her body close to his.

It was done.

She belonged to him now.

And he belonged to Dionysus.

How many times had he taken her? Six, seven? It was hard to remember, he thought in satisfaction. He could still remember the sleepy little smile on her face as he left her early that morning. Even as he kissed her, he breathed a spell of sleep over her. She wouldn't awake before he returned.

Now, dressed in one of his best tunics, he strode confidently through the halls of his father's temple on Mount Olympus. It was time to inform Dionysus of his triumph, and claim his woman permanently. She would be his consort on Naxos, reigning by his side over the people…

Thinking of people, he made a mental note to check on the villagers. None had been killed during the storm, but their homes and boats would need much repair. That would please Kalliara, he thought in satisfaction. He could afford to give the humans a boon.

The priest scuttling before him paused at a door, nodding toward it.

"The god is within, Lord Sabiniano," he said in a tremulous voice. "But he is busy, and has left orders not to be disturbed. I dare not open the door and announce your presence."

"I'll let myself in," Sabiniano said, waving his hand in dismissal. "You may go."

Nodding his head fearfully, the priest disappeared down a hallway. Such a fearful little creature, Sabiniano thought.

Knocking lightly, he pushed the door open and strode into his father's bedchamber. Dionysus didn't seem to notice his presence, his attention focused solely on the women beneath him. She was bent forward over the foot of the bed, her face buried between the legs of a naked blonde who moaned and thrashed her head. Dionysus stood behind both of them, thrusting into one woman's ass roughly as he leaned over and sucked the breasts of the woman lying on the bed. His naked buttocks flexed with each thrust, and Sabiniano was struck, not for the first time, by the god's physical perfection. Every muscle, ever inch of skin, was perfect.

The woman on the bed started thrashing and moaning as her pleasure increased.

Dionysus, nearing his own pleasure, raised his body and grasped the hips of the woman beneath him. He tore her away from the other woman, standing her before him, supporting her frame with his powerful arms. Her upper body dropped limply before him, yet he held her hips tight as he pummeled her ass.

The woman left on the bed moaned, then rolled to one side and started working her cunt furiously with one hand.

Sabiniano watched, mesmerized. How many times had he joined Dionysus in displays just such as this one? And how empty they seemed, compared to his time with Kalliara.

Dionysus caught his eye, then nodded quickly toward the woman on the bed in invitation. Sabiniano shook his head, and Dionysus shrugged, turning his attention back to the woman he held, reaming her ass with powerful strokes.

She whimpered and moaned under his battering cock, her cries growing more and more shrill. The god’s magic was heavy in the room. Against his will, Sabiniano felt his own erection grow. Dionysus laughed, his voice a mixture of pleasure and dark triumph. Both women screamed aloud in response, orgasms of incredible intensity ripping through their bodies.

Then Dionysus himself came, clutching the woman to his pumping hips and groaning deeply. He held her there for several seconds, then let her slide slowly to the floor. Sabiniano watched as his father turned to look at him.

"To what do I owe this honor?" he asked mockingly, making no effort to cover his still jutting cock. Sabiniano politely ignored Dionysus’ nudity, just as he had on so many other occasions.

"I've come to discuss Kalliara," he said lightly.

"Oh, yes," Dionysus replied, leaning down to help the woman to her feet. Her face held a stunned expression, and he kissed her cheek gently. "Allow me to dismiss my toys," he added.

He turned to the bed and reached out to the other woman. She jumped up, kissing his hand, and he patted her cheek gently. Then he wrapped an arm around each of them, kissing first one then the other deeply on the mouth.

"Go," he said firmly, patting their asses in dismissal. "I have business to take care of. Wait for me in the bathing chamber."

They nodded, then scurried out of the chamber. Dionysus gestured politely toward a beautifully carved chair, inviting Sabiniano to take a seat.

Waiting for his father to join him before sitting, Sabiniano spoke.

"I took her last night," he said.

"I know," Dionysus replied, amusement twisting his handsome face. He pulled a length of silk around his waist and sat down, sprawling his legs comfortably.

Sabiniano joined him. "All of Olympus knows, my son. That was quite a storm you threw last night."

"I was angry," Sabiniano said.

"So I gathered," Dionysus replied dryly.

"But the result was clear," Sabiniano replied. "She gave herself to me freely. Well, mostly freely. You've proven your superiority to Athena."

"I wonder," Dionysus said thoughtfully. He stared into the distance, thinking. "Athena is still playing games with me. There is no way this woman would have given in so easily if she hadn't allowed it. Kalliara was utterly devoted to her; she changed her mind far too easily. Athena released her hold on the human’s loyalty because she feels guilty. She wants the human to live, and she thinks to trick me into allowing that to happen. I want you to give her to the Maenads tonight, then bring me the head. That will teach Athena a lesson about interfering in my business."

Sabiniano stared, shocked, as Dionysus stood and started walking across the room.

“I’m going to the bathing chamber now,” he said casually. “Would you like to join me?”

"No," Sabiniano replied, standing quickly. "And I won’t allow the Maenads to kill Kalliara. She is mine now, and I intend to keep her."

"What?" Dionysus asked coldly, turning to stare at his son. "Sabiniano, are you defying me?"

"I ask this as a personal favor," Sabiniano said, thinking quickly. "I’ve served you my entire life. I have never asked you for anything, but now I am.

I want this woman. She is mine, and I will not give her up. You've won. Isn't that enough?"

"I cannot believe I'm hearing this from you," Dionysus replied, enunciating each word crisply and clearly. A sign of anger Sabiniano had heard too many times… "You are my son, my priest. I have given you everything. How dare you defy me?"

"I will not give her up, father," Sabiniano said sadly, resolve hardening his expression. "I will not allow her to die again because of me."

"Because I love you, I will pretend I didn’t hear that," Dionysus said. His face was beautiful in its coldness, completely without expression. "Bring her head to me tonight and I will forgive you."

"I will not," Sabiniano said quietly.

"Then you will pay my price. I’ll make you suffer in ways humans can’t even imagine," Dionysus replied, his voice a dark hiss of anger. "Think upon it. I expect to see you tonight."