“You’re the one doing all the work.”
“Maybe I would rather have it this way. Making you come, over and over, maybe keep you as a toy in my Labyrinth.” There was a glint in her eye that made him nervous, but then she chuckled. “Or not. You’ve lasted far longer than any other human I’ve subjected to this.”
“Are all naga this cocky?”
“Yes.” She slid back and forth, making the head of his cock rub against a rough patch of skin inside her. “And we can do this too.”
Her vagina squeezed him like a fist, rolling from the base of his cock to the tip, then repeating. He gasped, squeezing her breasts, the sensations of hot and cold mixing together in his balls, and radiating out along his stomach. A tiny lightning storm had formed between them now, jumping off Mike and up along her rib cage.
“What is that?” Ratu sat back to get a better look, positioning herself just right so that when Mike slid straight up into her, that rough patch of flesh slid along the head of his cock.
“Mmm…fuuuuuuck!” Mike’s orgasm boiled over, and he blew his load. The sparks raced down his stomach and jumped off the head of his cock. He filled her pussy with semen, but the magic kept going, stretching away from him like a rubber band until it snapped and jumped inside of Ratu. Her eyes lit from within as Cecilia’s magic took over. Blue-and-red sparks erupted across her torso, dancing across her breasts and crawling down her stomach.
“Oh, oh, oh, mmmmmm!” When she came, she uttered an unearthly hiss, her mouth opening wide to expose enormous fangs. Her scale pattern shifted across her face as if it was being projected on her from somewhere else. Her lower half squeezed Mike so tightly he became light-headed.
The sparks on her body grew smaller, creeping in through the pores of her skin. The fireball above them tripled in size, casting eerie shadows across the cave of ice. Ratu hissed again, her long tongue tasting the air. She looked down at Mike, her eyes more snake than human and her body aglow in blue light. When she let out a gasp, the scale pattern vanished, and her eyes went back to normal. She collapsed on him, holding him closely.
They lay that way for several minutes, Mike’s heart beating fast. What had just happened?
“I totally would have gone with you to your sock hop,” she said, breaking the silence. “Whatever that is.”
“This was way more fun than a middle school dance,” he replied. He had gone to most of the dances, affairs where the boys and girls just looked at each other and drank all the soda that was provided, but only to get out of the house.
More time passed in silence, and he felt her shapeshift above him. When he rolled to his side, she nestled against him. The expanded ball of fire kept them both warm.
“That was an interesting trick you had up your sleeve,” she said. “I have no idea what that was. I’ve never heard of it.”
“Yeah, well. That was my first time doing it. On my own, anyway.”
“When the sparks stopped, I felt my magic recharge.” She chuckled. “This greatly improves our odds of survival. I wish you had done it earlier.”
“If I knew I could do that, I would have suggested it.” He saw something shining in the light of the fire off to his side. Mike picked up Ratu’s crown and set it on her head. “Feeling a bit more regal now?”
“You have no idea.” She pointed at the ball of fire, and it grew even larger. “I thought you were interesting before, but apparently you have other secrets worth exploring.”
“This isn’t the first time someone has used my sperm to regain their energy. I wasn’t even thinking about it, to be honest.”
“If you were an ordinary human, you may have prolonged my life, but this…” She summoned another ball of fire, then set it casually in the air to warm them further. “This is something entirely different.”
“Yes, well, I don’t quite understand it either.” He thought of the shock of white hair inside Baba Yaga’s trap. When this was all over, he was going to have to speak with Cecilia. “Do you suppose it’s the soul swap with Naia?”
“Perhaps.” She summoned another ball of fire. “I don’t think I can get us out, but I can definitely keep us comfortable. There’s still plenty of air, which means the tunnels aren’t completely collapsed. This at least gives the others time.”
“If they’re coming.”
“Yes.” She put her hands against her stomach, wincing. “Starting to get hungry.”
“No food in those robes of yours?” Mike asked hopefully.
“No. Leaves crumbs.” She laid her head on his shoulder. “Nothing to do but wait.”
They stayed that way, enjoying the open flames. He wasn’t sure how much time passed, but he was surprised when a tiny blue light squeezed through a crack in the ice. Spiraling around the chamber first, Cerulea landed on Mike’s knee.
“We’re here!” she shouted.
Mike heard the sound of metal on ice. He hurried to get his clothes back on, and Ratu snapped her fingers, her kimono shrinking to the appropriate size and covering her body. When Mike pulled up his pants, something hit the ground. Kneeling, he picked up the gear key that had fallen out of his pocket.
“Listen!” Ratu fiddled with her sleeves, watching the caved-in tunnel entrance. Voices could be heard on the other side, and then the tunnel blew itself apart. Large chunks of ice floated through the air, then landed on the edges of the cavern. Beth skipped in, her eyes the color of ink. Clearly it was Jenny’s turn to drive.
“All the king’s horses, and all the king’s men, dug through the ice to find you again.” Grinning, she did a pirouette for Mike as the others stepped through the entrance. He walked to greet them but stumbled when
