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This could be a dream.
It was dusk in the city Raphael transported her to. The odd couple dined together at a small table high on the roof of a restaurant somewhere in the southern part of Faerun. Tav could see an ocean glittering under the afternoon sun and she surmised that it must be the Shining Sea.
A warm breeze ruffled her hair, and she tucked a stray piece behind her ear.
A waiter approached with a basket of bread and an expensive-looking wine. Raphael let the young man pour for them and waved him away.
“What are you thinking?” Raphael asked while gazing at her. He sipped his wine.
Tav smiled slightly “the view is beautiful Raphael, but you’ve only been staring at me.”
She brought the glass to her lips, watching him watching her.
He chuckled low and soft “My darling mouse, you are my view.”
Tav liked this little game they were playing. A handsome devil wining and dining her. She wondered what it was that he wanted but was in no hurry to find out.
She liked the way the sun lit up his warm, tawny complexion. He looked very much like the gentleman in his white shirt and dark trousers. A perfect little costume to blend himself in with the street crowds.
“I’m thinking about you” she said, feeling brave as the wine eased into her.
“Is that so? Do tell.”
Before she had been adventuring and between jobs after, Tav had been an artist on the side. Her hands itched to draw him.
“I’m thinking,” she said softly, reaching forward to run two fingers down his jawline “how balanced your features are.”
Raphael hummed a pleased sound “Go on.”
“Your cheekbones and jaw, your eyebrows and forehead,” she smoothed down his eyebrow “your eyes, warm and soft. At least at this moment.”
He took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles “flattery will get you everywhere, pet.”
She laughed and pulled her hand from his.
“You’re stunning, Tav” he said, his eyes roaming a path down her body and back up again.
She rolled her eyes and smiled “You’ve seen many beautiful women in your time, Raphael.”
“Indeed I have, little mouse, but none that I’ve liked as much as I do you.”
That one surprised her, and she felt a hot burst of affection spread in her chest.
Tav toyed with the open collar of his shirt, rubbing the fabric between her fingers.
“I’m so curious, but I don’t wish to spoil the mood” she said, absently moving her thumb over the small dip of his sternum.
A deep, pleased rumble emanated from him “in due time” he said. His eyes were unreadable at that moment, his thoughts safely behind the facade of the lenient patron.
Raphael poured her another glass of wine and handed it to her, his fingers brushing over hers.
“Your dress, the heavens weep over your beauty” he said running the back of his knuckles down her bare arm.
Tav smiled and flushed under his touch “imagine my surprise when I found a lovely little parcel on my bed with a note that said, ‘Little Mouse’ and a particular date.”
Raphael chuckled “I couldn’t resist. I saw it in a boutique and could only imagine it on you.”
Tav felt the heat start to pool in her core from his sweet words and demeanor. If this were a trap, she would be falling headfirst but even if that were she wanted to follow where this delicious affair may take them.
The couple leaned into each other, almost close enough to kiss.
“Raphael” she sighed his name.
“Pardon…” The young waiter was walking towards them with their meal. He blushed brightly and was trying very hard not to look at Tav directly.
“ Cappa Santa al Prosciutto e Basilico ” he set down the plate.
“and Frutta di Mare fra Diavolo, for the gentleman .”
Raphael waved off the boy and he bowed and left as quickly as he could without running.
Tav laughed “What did you do to the poor thing?”
Raphael frowned in a mock sense of bewilderment “Nothing, I just suggested the fear of the devil to his simple mind.”
Tav laughed, “Be nice, Raphael.”
“You wound me Tav, I am nice” he pressed his hand against his chest in offense.
The food was delicious of course. Tav wouldn’t expect anything less considering his tastes.
“So” Tav started after they had finished, and the terrified boy had taken their plates away “Tell me how Avernus has fared under your rule these past decades. I haven’t seen you in quite some time.”
Raphael leaned back in his chair and smirked slightly. “My success rests on your shoulders my dear. I wouldn’t have been able to dominate like I’ve had without the crown you so graciously gave me.”
“What did you do with it?”
“I’m using it of course, slowly siphoning off the bulk of its power one piece at a time” he flexed out the fingers of his right hand before curling them into a loose fist “Avernus has bent to my will so beautifully. Why just the last ten-day I’ve lain siege to Zariel’s fortress and have destroyed her utterly” he grinned, the delight of his conquest sparking in his eyes.
Tav had heard whispers among the underbelly of the city that Zariel had finally fallen, and it seemed the rumors were true.
“Congratulations” she said and meant it. It was a feat, what he had accomplished. She suspected this was just the beginning of his long, iron-clad reign. She thought briefly of the late Karlach and felt vindicated on her behalf.
He bowed his head slightly in thanks.
“Did you miss me, Raphael?” she flirted, “this must be the case unless you need me for a job.”
“Straight to the point, my dear of course I missed you. My favorite client, patroness of my house.” Her hand was resting on the table, and he took it in his and ran his thumb over her knuckles.
“What else?” she asked, letting him do as he pleased.
He laughed, amused by her direct nature. His eyes shone and there was a deep warmth there that made her heart stutter.
“Come my dear, let us go somewhere more private.”
Raphael snapped.
-
Tav gasped. The view, gods the view.
The expanse of clear blue water reflecting the sun like diamonds was a vision as far as her eye could see.
“Could be a dream” she whispered aloud.
“Very far from it,” Raphael said, setting down the wine.
Tav ran her hands along the smooth white stone banister of the villa's excessively large balcony. If she peeked over the edge, she would see waves crashing against the rocks, and water so crystalline that you could see the ocean floor.
The breeze that tousled her hair was balmy and Tav inhaled deeply the scent of salt water and night jasmine.
“Where are we?” She turned to Raphael.
“My personal dwelling along the southern coast.”
Tav couldn’t keep her gaze on him, instead turning to the ocean again as if it were calling to her very soul. She felt Raphael come to stand behind her. He reached around her body, and she tilted her head back to lay on his chest. He had a small knife, she noticed, and was cutting pieces off a sinfully juicy peach.
“Open” he commanded gently.
It was a burst of flavor so decadent that she was sure it was the best piece of fruit she’d ever tasted. Raphael pushed his fingers into her mouth, and she licked them clean, sucking a little bit longer than necessary on his middle finger.
“Good girl,” he rumbled. His praise sent a shiver from the base of her spine all the way to her tingling scalp.
They ate the entire peach together and when it was consumed, he threw the pit into the sea.
One of his arms snaked around her waist while the other combed through her hair. She hummed in pleasure letting him tilt her head to the side so he could pepper kisses along her shoulder and neck. The sound and feel of his lips against her skin had her throbbing for him already.
Raphael kissed the soft spot under her jaw, and she melted. His other hand wandered down to the long slit in her dress that ended mid hip. He slipped under to run his fingers through her drenched folds.
Tav gasped and her hips jerked slightly at his touch.
“You’re incredible,” he murmured into her hair “No smallclothes? Just for me?”
she could feel his cock twitch and harden where he had pressed himself against her ass.
Suddenly his weight against her was gone until he scooped her up, one arm under her knees, the other around her waist. Tav gasped and circled her arms around his neck and shoulders, but there was no need to hold on; he held her firmly without faltering with his infernal strength.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked as he began to stride confidently through the open arches of the villa.
“To the bed” he replied, his voice low.
Tav laid kisses on his cheek and jaw and her lips prickled on his afternoon stubble. She rested her head against his shoulder as he walked, watching the setting sun through the myriad of windows they passed on the way to his bedroom.
“I’ve been waiting for you, you know.” Raphael said as they crossed the threshold into the room.
A large bed was placed in front of a gallery of ceiling tall windows, simple white sheets adorned it but as he placed her gently down, she realized that they were the softest cotton under her hands.
“Waiting?” she asked and moved towards the middle of the bed.
Raphael hummed and crawled over her, spreading her legs apart with his “Yes.”
He pulled down one of the straps on her dress, and her breast bounced out. Raphael cupped her soft skin and wrapped his lips around her nipple, sucking hard on the sensitive bud.
A jolt of pleasure soaked her further “Ah!”
Tav couldn’t quite believe what was happening. An attraction she had kept from others and herself, finally coming to fruition. She felt dizzy with wine and want of the devil in her arms.
He let go with a soft pop and then pressed his lips against hers.
She whined into his mouth, letting him in when he licked at her bottom lip. He tasted like wine-soaked peach and the heat of the hells. Tav was beyond wet for him, her thighs soaked with her slick.
Tav’s hands wandered down to his trousers, undoing the tie and pushed them down over his hips. Raphael groaned as his cock was released and he shimmied the clothing the rest of the way off. He grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled it over his head before throwing it off into the room somewhere.
Tav drank him in. His skin glistened with a thin sheen of sweat that highlighted his muscles. Tav ran her hand down between his abs, his cock bobbed and gods, he was big. She wondered briefly how much bigger he was in his cambion form.
She wrapped her hand around his silky shaft and stroked. Raphael moaned, his hips bucking into her palm when she slid over his glans. Tav bit at her bottom lip, pleased that she could make her archdevil make such delicious noises.
Raphael took the seam of her dress in both his hands and pulled, ripping the fabric all the way up the side of the garment and away from her body. Tav laughed, surprised and aroused by the suddenness of it all. He fell onto her and kissed her deeply, stroking himself through her slick as he coated himself from head to base.
Tav sighed out her pleasure and wrapped her legs around his hips, beckoning him to her. His head pressed at her soaked entrance, teasing her.
“Say please” he said lowly into her ear and caressed her cheek with his nose.
She had a mind to ask why and tease him as he did to her, but she found she couldn’t deny him.
“Please, Raphael” she begged, her voice thick with want.
He didn’t hesitate. Raphael spread her open and buried himself to the hilt. Tav cried out and was muffled by a kiss. She twitched against him, the sudden deep fill of her aching cunt sent waves of shivers through her, satisfying a deep, century long need.
“You’re so tight,” Raphael groaned into her shoulder, biting the skin there as he began to roll his hips.
Tav cried out, the pain of his teeth piercing her skin making her squeeze even tighter around him.
Raphael’s strokes were deliciously slow. He pulled almost all the way out before delving back in. Tav ran her hands down his back, nails over his spine and grabbed two handfuls of his ass, squeezing hard.
Raphael chuckled and drove harder into her dripping core.
“I’ve wanted to feel your tight little cunt for a long time, my dear” he said while he began to set a brutal, thrusting pace “And later I will taste you.”
Tav mewled under him, her voice crying out with every time his cock sunk into her.
“Fuck! Raphael!”
The devil hummed in a way that was almost a deep growl. He pulled her leg up over his shoulder to rest there as he bent forward, fucking into her deeper than she thought possible. Tav grabbed at the headboard to steady herself, she could feel the tight coil of her climax rising as his cock brushed her g-spot over and over,
Raphael reached down with his other hand to rub her clit and she screamed as she fell over the edge, her walls undulating in sweet pulses and suckling at his cock.
He wasn’t long after, his hips stuttered erratically before he spilled inside her, coating her with his seed, groaning out his climax while buried deep.
They looked at each other, their chests rising and falling with pants. They shared a laugh.
He pulled out of her slowly, and she gasped. She wasn’t surprised that she wanted more of him, she already missed the aching stretch he provided.
Raphael lay next to her and gathered her in his arms, and she settled back against his chest.
He pressed soft kisses into her hair and temple. His arm was strong around her waist.
Tav hummed, content in this moment that she couldn’t comprehend yet. Raphael threaded his fingers with hers, holding her hand against her stomach.
“I want to fuck you again” he said, voice hoarse. She felt his cock stir against her ass.
“Is that right?” she teased.
“Mhmm. I’ll wait now, but in the future, I won’t be so kind.”
Tav felt tingles at his words “Is that a promise?”
“Indeed” he affirmed and nipped at the point of her ear.
They were silent then, basking in the afterglow of satisfaction. He was so warm around her; his smooth skin would have felt feverish if he were completely mortal. Tav ran her hand up and down over his forearm, more to soothe herself than anything else. She thought it was insane that she felt safe in his embrace, it disturbed and elated her.
Raphael moved to prop himself up with his elbow. His head rested against his palm as he watched the small expressions of her face. “What are you thinking?” he asked.
Tav was quiet, gathering her words. “I was wondering why; will you tell me now?” she asked, turning to her back to look up at him. She almost couldn’t, his eyes on her were so intense.
Tav reached up to smooth back some of his hair that had fallen into his face. She felt lucky that he was letting her touch him like this, a rare privilege.
Raphael absently rubbed circles into her side “You were young when I first appeared before you. A sweet elven maiden who had been cursed to become an illithid. Such a beautiful tragedy.”
Tav watched him attentively.
“You weren’t impressed with me in the slightest when I appeared before you” he chuckled darkly “I do so love a challenge and what a puzzle you were. Wise beyond your years, you cut a path through with a rage so deep it spilled from you like acid.”
She knew, she remembered how singed her soul felt.
“I never lied when I said you were my favorite. I always looked forward to seeing you in person, even when at first you denied me, I knew you’d come back. I saw the look in your eye when you met mine, I recognized the tremble in your hand and luxuriated in the flush that graced your cheeks.” The corner of his lips turned up in a wry smile “You came to my room alone, do you remember?”
Of course, she did. He had offered her the hammer in exchange for the crown and half her group of misfits shuddered at the mere thought of signing away their soul and damning the material plane. Tav had wanted to sign right away, if there was an extra fight she could avoid, all the better. What was the crown to her but a means to an end? She craved no power, wanted no responsibility of a god or duchess. And the hammer itself, Tav never would have let Lae’zel down.
He continued “You came to me in the middle of the night with a bottle of stolen wine and a single dagger strapped to your hip.” He smiled now, fond of this memory “we discussed terms, I made you promises, we drank wine.”
“And…” Tav urged.
“And then you kissed me, my dear!” Raphael laughed “How very surprised I was.”
Tav groaned and pressed her hand over her eyes “Yes, I remember.”
“What audacity! I thought. How this young woman offered herself so willingly to the devil that she had bargained with, why it was almost preposterous.” He moved her hand gently from her eyes “I was torn.”
Tav looked up at him, confused. “Torn?”
“I wanted you,” he looked thoughtful for a moment “but it wasn’t the right time.”
It was a sensible decision, she thought. The world’s end was in balance, and she hardly knew what she was getting herself into.
“And now?” she asked, heat blooming in her chest.
“And now,” Raphael leaned down and kissed her softly “I want you to be mine, forever.”
Tav felt a jolt of hot emotion course through her.
“Be my consort, Tav. Rule over the hells with me.”
Tav gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth. She felt almost panicked by this sudden proposal, but still felt instinctively what her answer would be. She fought it down, determined to think about this.
Observing her shock, Raphael snapped his fingers and her dress appeared before her, folded and mended.
He kissed her and got up from the bed. “I’ll be back in a moment.”
She watched him dress and exit and she moved to slip the dress back on before wandering out to the bedroom balcony.
-
Tav stared wide-eyed at the ocean. She alone was a drop dissipating in the water, unable to pull a form around herself. An infinite life, an undying psyche. Her most precious memories would be less than a handful of sand through her fingers.
Most of her companions had already passed, they couldn’t stop her now. Would she have even listened to them if they had tried?
Raphael sensed her existential anguish as he approached her.
“A man of endless patience for most things, and none for others. Scheming, waiting, manipulating, you’ve seen the ripples of history itself after you’ve thrown the stone. What is it about me that you chose? Can a devil love?”
Raphael searched her eyes. She could not read his expression.
“In all my thousands of years of infernal life, so rarely has a single mortal changed the course of all existence on an astral scale. You ask me why I chose you over a million others? Even if you had not gifted me the crown, I would have still wanted you by my side,” Raphael reached out and softly tucked her hair behind her ear “The thought of you wasting away to a mortal end brings me agony I have not ever experienced before. Is that love?”
Hot, painful tears rolled down Tav’s cheeks and he wiped them away.
“I won’t lie to you, my dear. There are many reasons I want you beside me. You’re too clever for a myriad of saccharine words” Raphael sighed deeply and leaned his forehead against hers.
“In my way. Yes Tav, I love you.”
Tav choked out a sob. Her fingers curled into his shirt, a chill of desperation waving gooseflesh over her skin.
“What will become of me?” She asked.
“You’ll become a devil” he wrapped his arms around her and tenderly kissed her head “At this moment, no one can match my power. I will turn you and gift you a piece of myself. We will be eternally intertwined, even if we are apart.”
Tav shuddered in his arms. A hundred years of the deepest loneliness she had experienced already and here he was, offering her what she’d always dreamed of. The urge to scream washed over her senses, electrifying her already agonizingly sensitive nerves.
She thought of her companions whom she had loved so dearly. ‘Blessed to see many years, cursed to see many die’ as she once heard. She was young when it had all started and now here she was, alone after they had passed on one by one from just the steady march of time. Only Astarion remained and they clung to each other like a lifeline. She thought of him now, traveling the expanse of Faerun as he wanted, sending letters when he could.
They had talked about finding a way to make her immortal. Desperate to cling to the only one they knew. And here it was, the promise in the palm of her hand. She only had to say yes to the devil. What would Astarion say? She doubted that he would be happy that she had so willingly given herself to Raphael again. Astarion had been the only companion to know what she had done that night, signing away the crown.
Tav wiped her tears away. She could gift him powers of his own if she were to accept. He would never have to fear the sunlight again.
The gentle sea breeze from earlier picked up into a steady, warm wind that rippled their clothes and hair. The earthy, comforting scent of ozone permeated the air around them.
“A storm…” she started, trailing off to look into the distant sky where the sun had finally dipped below the horizon. He turned his head to watch the dark clouds gathering.
Tav looked back to Raphael and felt her heart skip a beat. She did love this terrible man. Tav reached up and gently moved his face to look at hers. There was a soft vulnerability in his brown eyes.
“My king,” she said, smiling.
Raphael’s eyes sparked orange as he grinned and kissed her.