Bound by Melody

Bound by Melody
2nd Edition
Hunter Raines
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2008 Hunter Raines

Brown eyes startled Gilrain out of sleep.

They were maple-colored, only slightly turned up at the corners, without golden flecks, sparkling orbs or anything else that would make them remarkable in the slightest.

Except for the hungry way they looked at him. In the dark gaze simmered a promise and a threat, all rolled into a cock-hardening, ball-aching stare.

Gil jerked his body into a sitting position. The black-and-white striped sheet he'd draped over himself before falling asleep tangled around his legs, leaving the rest of his sweat-slicked body bare. His hard cock slapped his abdomen, pressing down on the taut ridges of muscle stretching between navel and groin.

Fuck. He ran a hand through his unbound hair. Strands stuck to his back and shoulders while a rivulet of perspiration dripped down his temple.

He glanced around him, half expecting to find those electrifying eyes looking back. Shadows shrouded the room, encasing most of it in darkness. At the foot of the bed sat the bamboo dresser he'd finished the night before. Beside it, half a coffee table awaited its turn. Bamboo poles leaned against the wall like reed-thin soldiers watching him sleep.

Gil rose on shaky legs and made his way to the only window in the bedroom. Neon-gilded light slid through the open slats in the bamboo blinds and scattered colorful patterns across the hardwood floor. With a grunt, Gil slid the window up.

A cool breeze pushed his long hair back from his face. He leaned into it, breathing in the smell of car exhaust and rotting garbage drifting up from the alley below his apartment.

With a sigh, he returned to bed. This time, he didn't bother with the sheet. Ethereal tendrils of wind played across his bare chest and drifted among the nest of curls at his groin. The sweat dried on his skin.

He hadn't had a nightmare. At least... he didn't think he did. He couldn't recall even one terrifying or even remotely frightening image. In fact, he couldn't remember anything about his dream except for the eyes.

Those perfectly normal, beautiful, haunting eyes.

He wished he'd been able to glimpse the face that went with them. Would it have been classically gorgeous, with a sculpted chin and straight nose? No... it would probably have been rugged, boasting a scar across one cheek that stood out in sharp contrast to the normalcy of those eyes. And what of the man's hair? Would it have been curly and short? Dark and long, perfect for gripping and yanking?

Gil groaned. Flipping onto his stomach, he buried his face in his pillow and squeezed his eyes shut. He wasn't sure what had gotten into him, but falling into another stupor would certainly chase the lingering images from his sleep-deprived mind.

His cock bore into the mattress. The urge to hump the bed sheet stole the air from his lungs. He resisted. Barely.

He wasn't sure how long he lay there, willing sleep to claim him. It would have been easy to slide a hand between his legs, grab his cock, and stroke it until his seed seeped into the mattress.

Too easy.

Just the thought of how good it would feel to stroke his thick erection to climax sent magical energy scattering into the air. Blue sparkles hovered above the bed. The noise of crackling static filled the room. To drown it out, Gil grabbed another pillow and slammed it over his head.

He could reject the sensual pull of the magic. He controlled the energy, not the other way around. Just like he controlled his own carnal desires. In the hundred and twenty-four years he'd lived among humans, he hadn't once allowed his base impulses to get the better of him. He wasn't about to start now.

Lust whispered through his veins, reminding him it had been too long since he'd given in to his Helir nature. He'd have to remedy that in a hurry, before the urge grew too compelling to resist.

He still had time, though. He hadn't spent the first two centuries of his life ignoring the magical fabric that branded him a Helir elf. No. He'd learned to tame it, to wield it, to make it submit to him instead of dominating his every move.

The effort had been worth it. While the rest of his kind loved terrorizing lesser races with sexual magic, Gil had managed to become as close to human as possible without changing his genetic makeup. It had taken more than a century, but he'd proven himself trustworthy time and again. His accomplishments had won him the right to live among humans. And although ancient prejudices still reared their heads, those who knew him respected his abilities. Some even called him friend.

He'd be damned if he'd give all that up for a measly orgasm.

The powerful energy hovering above the bed began to dissipate. The crackling noise dimmed to a hum. Gil released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding as the last traces of magic fled through the open window, making a forlorn sound akin to a wail on the way out.

After that, sleep came quickly. Slumber enveloped Gil in a sense of comfort and peace, lulling him with promises of dreamless oblivion.

But that was before the eyes returned. And this time, the rest of the man came with them.