Chapter 14: Splish Splash I Was Taking A Bath
The massive bathing chamber is breathtaking. Steam rises in lazy curls from the surface of the enormous pool, its crystalline waters glowing with an ethereal blue light that seems to emanate from within. The bath itself is nearly the size of an Olympic swimming pool, its edges adorned with intricate mosaics depicting scenes of mythical creatures and ancient battles.
Ornate columns of polished marble rise from the water’s edge, supporting a vaulted ceiling painted with constellations that slowly shift and dance above us. Floating orbs of soft light drift lazily through the air, casting a warm, intimate glow across the shimmering surface of the pool.
The air is thick with the scent of exotic oils and floral essences, a heady mixture that makes my head spin in the most pleasant way.
Vallenora reclines against the far edge of the pool, her raven hair fanning out around her. The water laps at her porcelain skin, barely concealing the curves of her body beneath the surface. Her crimson eyes gleam with mischief and something darker, more predatory, as she watches me float towards her.
I come to a stop before her, treading water as I take in her enigmatic smile. “What in the world is my wife thinking about?” I ask, unable to keep a hint of a smile from creeping onto my face.
Vallenora’s laughter rings out, clear and melodious, echoing off the marble surfaces of the bathing chamber. The sound sends ripples across the surface of the pool, as if the water itself is responding to her mirth.
“Oh, this and that,” she purrs, her voice low and sultry. Her crimson eyes lock onto mine, filled with an intensity that makes my breath catch in my throat. “I was just thinking about how much I enjoy our life together.”
Vallenora’s words send a pleasant warmth spreading through my chest. I float closer, drawn in by her magnetic presence. The water ripples around us as I close the distance, droplets cascading down her porcelain skin in mesmerizing rivulets.
“I enjoy our life together, too,” I murmur.
‘I really am fond of her. I love crazy girls, but she’s just so easy to want to be around. She’s fun.’
Just as I’m about to lean in for a kiss, Vallenora’s expression suddenly shifts. Her crimson eyes darken, a small frown tugging at the corners of her full lips. “Though,” she says, her melodic voice tinged with longing, “I wish my husband was ravishing me right now.”
The invitation in her words is unmistakable. I close the remaining distance between us, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. Vallenora responds eagerly, her arms wrapping around my neck to pull me closer. The kiss deepens, tongues dancing as we lose ourselves in the moment.
‘This is the life,’ I think to myself, reveling in the feel of Vallenora’s soft curves pressed against me.
Our kisses grow more heated, more demanding. Vallenora’s nails rake down my back, sending shivers of pleasure coursing through me. With a graceful movement, she pulls me on top of her, her legs wrapping around my waist beneath the water.
“Please,” Vallenora gasps between fervent kisses, her voice a mixture of command and desperate need. “I need you inside me, my love. Fill me with your cock. Make me yours, completely and utterly.”
Her words are possessive, almost primal in their intensity, yet there’s an undercurrent of genuine love and affection that makes my heart swell. Vallenora’s crimson eyes blaze with desire as she gazes up at me, her expression one of utter devotion.
“You’re mine,” she purrs, her hands roaming my body with fevered urgency. “And I’m yours. Always and forever. Now claim what belongs to you, my darling husband.”
I gaze into Vallenora’s crimson eyes, my heart overflowing with emotion. The steam rising from the shimmering pool swirls around us, casting ethereal patterns across her porcelain skin. In this perfect moment, I finally feel ready to speak the words that have been building inside me of my own accord.
“Vallenora,” I begin, my voice thick with emotion, “I lov-”
A deafening crash interrupts me as shards of stained glass explode inward from the domed ceiling. Glittering fragments rain down, scattering across the water’s surface like a kaleidoscope of broken rainbows. Through the shattered opening plummets, a figure clad head to toe in gleaming golden armor, the metallic plates catching the soft light of the floating orbs and reflecting it in dazzling patterns across the chamber walls.
Time seems to slow as the armored intruder descends, his golden spear aimed directly at us. His battle cry echoes off the marble columns, “For the Golden Empire!”
“Huh?”
Before I can fully process what’s happening, a searing pain lances through my chest. I look down in shock to see the golden spear skewered through both Vallenora and myself, its bloodied tip protruding from our backs. The crystalline waters of the pool begin to swirl with tendrils of crimson.
My mind reels, unable to comprehend the sudden turn of events. I meet Vallenora’s gaze, expecting to see pain or fear mirrored in her crimson eyes. Instead, I find only confusion, as if she’s trying to solve a particularly perplexing puzzle.
“Val,” I gasp, my voice weak and strained as i gesture towards the spear lodged in our hearts.
Vallenora blinks, her brow furrowing slightly as she glances down at the golden spear protruding from our chests. “Oh,” she says, her tone more bewildered than alarmed. “How... inconvenient.”
As my consciousness begins to fade, Vallenora painfully rips the spear out of us. I fall into the water, my vision blurring. Through dimming eyes, I watch as Vallenora staggers back, blood gushing from the gaping wound in her chest. She breathes out with annoyance, her brow furrowed in concentration.
Suddenly, the air around Vallenora begins to shimmer and distort. Her porcelain skin slowly transforms, becoming a deep, vibrant crimson. Delicate horns curve up from her forehead, wings sprouting out from behind her back, and a tail flicks lazily behind her. Her raven hair remains a striking contrast, cascading around her in perfect waves.
As the transformation completes, Vallenora towers over me, her voluptuous form barely contained by a revealing gown that accentuates her otherworldly beauty. She is the very image of a devil goddess, radiating power and sensuality in equal measure. Despite my fading consciousness, I’m blown away by how impossibly stunning she is in this form.
Vallenora looks down at me with her larger body and sighs, her crimson eyes filled with concern. She kneels beside me, her clawed hand hovering over the wound in my chest. Arcane energy crackles around her fingers, purple lightning arcing between her palm and my torn flesh.
“Full recovery,” she intones, her voice deeper and more resonant in this demonic form.
A wave of warmth washes over me, starting from the wound and spreading outward through my entire body. I watch in amazement as the ragged hole in my chest knits itself back together, muscle and sinew reforming before my eyes. Within seconds, there’s no trace of the injury.
As my strength returns, I watch in awe as Vallenora turns her attention to the armored intruder. The man stands frozen, his golden armor gleaming in the ethereal light of the bathing chamber. Even with his face obscured by an ornate helmet, the terror radiating from him is palpable.
Vallenora’s demonic form is a sight to behold. Her crimson skin glistens with droplets of water, accentuating every curve and plane of her voluptuous body. The absence of clothing only emphasizes her otherworldly beauty, a blend of sensuality and raw power that defies description. Her wings majestic, flex unconsciously, sending ripples through the air.
The intruder’s voice quavers as he speaks, barely above a whisper. “But... demons aren’t real.” The words hang in the air, heavy with disbelief and mounting dread.
Vallenora’s lips curl into a predatory smile, her pointed canines glinting in the soft light. “I see,” she purrs, her voice a dark symphony that sends shivers down my spine. “The propaganda worked better than I could have imagined.”
She takes a step forward, her clawed feet leaving smoldering imprints on the marble floor. The air around her shimmers with heat, distorting the space between her and the paralyzed attacker. With a casual flick of her wrist, Vallenora raises her hand, fingers splayed wide.
In that instant, reality itself seems to bend to her will. The space around the golden-armored man warps and twists as if viewed through a fractured lens. There’s a sound like the tearing of wet parchment, a noise that reverberates through my very bones.
And then, in a moment too quick for my eyes to follow, the intruder is reduced to hundreds of pieces of gore. Blood and viscera explode outward in a gruesome fountain, splattering across the pristine white marble and staining the crystalline waters of the pool a deep crimson. Fragments of golden armor clatter to the ground, mixed with chunks of flesh and shattered bone.
‘Jesus Christ.’
I stare at the scene, my mind struggling to process the sudden, brutal violence. Relief at Vallenora’s survival wars with confusion and a hint of terror at the casual display of such devastating power. The carnage before me is almost too much to comprehend, my thoughts a jumbled mess of conflicting emotions.
Vallenora turns to me, her crimson eyes wide with concern. Despite her demonic appearance, her expression is filled with tender worry. “Saber, my love,” she says, her voice a rich, melodious rumble that vibrates through the air, “are you alright?”
The sight of her, so powerful yet so gentle, breaks something inside me. Without thinking, I launch myself at her, my arms wrapping around her waist as I press my face against her. I’m startled to find my head only reaches her chest now. She’s grown significantly taller in this form.
Vallenora’s arms encircle me, her embrace gentle despite the obvious strength in her lithe muscles. One clawed hand comes to rest on the back of my head, fingers threading through my hair with impossible tenderness. Her wings curl forward, creating a cocoon of warmth and safety around us.
Overwhelmed by the events of the past few minutes and the depth of my feelings for this incredible being, I feel hot tears begin to stream down my cheeks. My voice is muffled against her skin as I speak, the words tumbling out in a rush. “I love you, Vallenora. I love you so much.”
I feel her body stiffen slightly in surprise, then relax as she pulls me even closer. Her hand continues its soothing motion, stroking my hair as if I were a frightened child. When she speaks, her voice is soft, tinged with a hint of uncertainty I’ve never heard from her before.
“Even though I look like this?” she asks. The vulnerability in her tone is a stark contrast to the raw power she displayed moments ago.
I smile up at Vallenora, my eyes tracing every exquisite detail of her demonic form. The curve of her horns, the way her wings flex and shimmer, the deep crimson of her skin that seems to glow from within, it all comes together in a vision of otherworldly beauty that takes my breath away.
“You’re even more beautiful like this,” I tell her, my voice filled with awe and adoration. “Absolutely stunning.”
Vallenora’s eyes widen at my words, a mixture of surprise and joy dancing in their crimson depths. Then her lips curl into a sultry smile, her gaze suddenly blazing with hungry, lustful intensity. The air around us grows thick with with unspoken desire.
Before either of us can act on the building passion, the massive doors to the bathing chamber swing open. Lilith Nocturna strides in, her eyes fixed on a bundle of papers in her hand. Her long black hair swings with each purposeful step, her purple eyes scanning the document intently.
“Your Grace, I have a report fr—” Lilith’s words die in her throat as she finally looks up, taking in the scene before her. Her purple eyes go wide, shock and reverence warring for dominance on her face as she beholds Vallenora’s true form.
In an instant, Lilith drops to one knee, her head bowed low in a gesture of utmost respect and submission. “My Queen,” she breathes, her voice trembling with awe.
I blink in confusion, my gaze darting between Lilith’s prostrate form and Vallenora’s regal countenance. “Are you not a duchess?” I ask, my brow furrowing as I try to make sense of this new development.
Vallenora turns to me, an amused smile playing across her lips. “Honey,” she says, her voice a rich, melodious purr, “I’m the Demon Queen.”
I stand with her, holding me closer to her perfect naked body. The warmth radiating from her crimson skin envelops me like a cocoon, her wings still curled protectively around us both. The contrast between her demonic appearance and the tender way she cradles me is striking, a physical manifestation of the complexity that is Vallenora.
I stand there for a moment and nod, my mind still processing this new revelation. The enormity of what she’s just revealed should probably shock me more, but after everything I’ve witnessed, it somehow feels... right. As if a missing puzzle piece has finally clicked into place.
“Is that a big deal?” I ask, my voice muffled against her chest.
The words barely left my lips when I feel the temperature in the room drops several degrees. From across the chamber, Lilith’s head snaps up, her purple eyes blazing with a mixture of disbelief and barely contained rage. If looks could kill, I’d be nothing but a smoldering pile of ash on the marble floor.
Vallenora’s body shakes against mine, and for a moment, I fear she’s angry, too. But then I hear it, a low, rich chuckle that starts deep in her chest and builds into full-blown laughter. The sound is infectious, filled with genuine joy and a hint of something darker, more primal.
Her laughter echoes off the marble walls and high, vaulted ceiling, filling the cavernous bathing chamber with its melodious tones. It’s a sound of pure joy, unrestrained and free.
As her laughter subsides, Vallenora gently cups my face in her hands, tilting my head up to meet her gaze. Her crimson eyes sparkle with amusement and something deeper, more tender. A soft smile plays across her lips as she regards me with a mixture of exasperation and adoration.
“Oh, honey,” she says, her voice rich with affection. “I think we need to talk.”