Earth & Bones
by Erika Sorin
Smashwords Edition
Earth & Bones
text copyright © 2011, Erika Sorin
Published by Satin Smoke Press, via Smashwords, March, 2011
Satin Smoke Press is an imprint of Bitten Fruit Books
All rights reserved.
Adult Content Warning:
This is a work of erotic fiction containing material of a highly explicit, sexual nature and only suitable for those over the age of 18. All characters in this book are over the age of 18.
Any names, characters, places and incidents given, are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, although reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced by any means or in any form whatsoever without written permission from the author, except for brief quotations embodied in literary articles or reviews.
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This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
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Cover design by Dianna Hardy
Satin Smoke Press
Surrey, UK
“Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.”
Henry Van Dyke
(American short-story writer, poet and essayist, 1852-1933)
It was more than a relief when her head hit her pillow. The day had been exhausting on all levels, but then, funerals always were, not that she had much experience of burying the dead – her mother was the first person she had ever buried.
She had wanted to use her powers – get the day over and done with quickly. Obviously that would not have been wise. Although, she thought, smiling, her mother would have understood.
She called out to the breeze that accompanied the sinking sun, asking it to encircle her, to wrap her up in its invisible arms and hold her – comfort her. It did. The elements were her only true friends now – they knew her well.
As sleep took her, she felt herself sink into her pillow and bed, slowly disappearing within it. Behind her closed eyes, darkness took over and inside became outside, the night sky filled with stars which told secret stories for anyone who knew how to look beyond their constellations.
She walked along the familiar path that led straight into the forest she knew so well. She cherished these moments – these journeys that took her to the other side of time and space. All things seemed more real to her here than real life ever did.
The fairies watched her as she walked, some smiling, some just watching. They understood that today was different – that she was seeking something only permissible to her now. Her mother had been a sixth generation witch. Amelia was the seventh in her maternal family line. With her mother's death, everything had changed. No longer watched over by an elder within the family, she now had to prove herself and her powers to those that inhabit the spiritual plane itself – her family's guardians.
The further she walked into the forest, the darker the night became and the louder the sounds of nature grew. She wasn't scared. It made her feel at home, alive and always reminded her of who she really was. Her abilities had never been something she shied away from. On discovering that she was a witch and what that actually meant, at the age of thirteen, she'd welcomed the discovery. Everything about her life had fallen into place – her awkwardness around others, how she'd always felt different and needed something … more … than what seemed to satisfy most people.
As the ancient, giant Oak tree appeared on her right, she hesitated for the first time. This was the furthest into the forest that she'd ever been. Walking beyond the Oak meant entering a new era of her life. She could not see any further down the path – it was dark and overgrown and the tall trees here near the centre of the forest blocked out any light from the moon and stars.
Taking a deep breath, she steadied her heart which had started to beat that little bit faster with anticipation and stepped past the Oak tree. The blackness was all consuming, penetrating every orifice of her body. Increasingly, she had to rely on her senses to move her forwards. Branches clawed at her, leaving tiny trails of blood where they nicked her skin. Just when she thought she might be lost, she found herself in a little clearing amongst the trees – the centre of the wood – and the moon and stars reappeared.
Standing there, she took in a deep breath and let it out, letting the feeling of relief at reaching her destination wash over her. The breeze picked up, licking her skin in all the right places – a cool intermission from the sweat she had worked up in her scramble to get here. She felt her nipples harden at the soft wind lapping against them, and let out a sigh of appreciation. Looking down at herself, she found that her clothes had disappeared. She was naked in this place between dream and reality, waiting for ... what exactly, she did not know.
A shadow filled the corner of her eye, flitting so quickly she wasn't sure she'd seen it. She turned, feeling more than a little vulnerable. Yes, there it was, large and looming, probably twenty feet away. She fought the urge to drape an arm across her nakedness, knowing that her consciousness of the fact was a human condition, not holding much weight here in this reality.
The shadow moved in quickly. As it neared, she could see that it was the silhouette of a man – closer still and she could see he was as naked as she. Her breath hitched in her throat. She had been expecting Gods or Goddesses, fairies, centaurs, anything but a man. She wasn't sure she was ready for this.
Now just a few feet away, she could see that he was taller than average, nimble on his feet, muscular pretty much everywhere and … oh my … his penis was huge. She blushed at the thought, sure that whichever spiritual beings may be present could read her mortal mind quite clearly.
When she looked into the man's eyes, she could see they were the clearest green she'd ever seen, hints of gold and many, many secrets embedded within the green.
He stopped in front of her, gazing at her. She tried very hard not to look at his cock.
"You're a man," she said, stating the obvious and annoyed that she could think of nothing else to say.
He smiled a delicious smile that made her want to eat him up. "No, I am not."
She raised her eyebrows, questioningly.
"Please, sit." They both sat on the earth, blanketed by fallen leaves, ripened fruit, and many other delights of nature glimmering in the moonlight.
"I am Pan, the one you call the Horned God and several other names."
She must have looked visibly shocked. He continued to stare at her, showing no signs of having noticed her reaction.
"Pan?"
He nodded.
"You … don't have horns? Or … I thought, maybe, you might be..." She stopped, suddenly embarrassed.