AN:  No apology is grand enough for my devoted fans. I'm sorry. Here is a token of my love for you. 

"And the winner of the Most Badass outfit, by your outstanding votes is Lady Z!" They clapped for Lizzy, cheered for her. She'd turned into the night's sweetheart but she hadn't meant to be, hadn't realized people would find her so enchanting. Lizzy spent more than half the night looking for him. Her eyes were never still, always searching, hunting.

Lizzy waved, arm up high, a smile so big it hurt her cheeks. She'd come looking for her little prince, but he'd been elusive. She considered that he may not have shown up on time, Genny assumed he'd flaked. Online love affairs were hard, she'd said. Meeting people in person, assessing if they are likely your match, that was far more accurate. Lizzy wasn't sure she understood. But then again, there were a lot of things about Genny that Lizzy did not understand.

For instance, why Death kissed her. **Literally, not figuratively**. Hardcore making out. But Lizzy wouldn't pry, not today. Not when her mind was so preoccupied with other equally personal things.

The emcee handed Lizzy her ribbon. A monetary prize would come later in the form of $500.00. And as lovely as the money was, Lizzy could not help but feel disappointment spike through her. Biting and insistent. He wasn't here. He'd flaked. Just as Genny--optimistic Genny--had predicted.

"Congratulations! I didn't realize there would be a fashion contest!" Genny exclaimed as she drew Lizzy into a long and familiar embrace. Hugging Genny was like hugging the sweet sun rays that dappled through tall forest canopies. A sense of peace overwhelmed Lizzy and almost made her forget that she was feeling a little annoyed that Genny wasn't as supportive of this online beau. Almost.

"It's been happening every year. I've just never won before," Lizzy replied, distant and nearly monotone.

Then she saw him, his head bobbing through the crowd of people coming at the base of the stairs to talk to her. He was trying to get to her, as desperate to be near her as she was for him.

Lizzy didn't care if she was being rude. She shouldered her way through the throng, reached out a hand to him as if they were both at sea. It felt a little silly but she couldn't stop herself from thinking that this was a rescue, that she was going to save him. That he would save her in return.

*****

"Oh my Goddess!" Geneva gasped. She saw Adrian. He saw her. Their eyes equally widened in horror at what would occur. The couple was meeting, and this would be the end of their deal. The culmination of it, right here and now. In the crowd of leather and latex, of tits and pierced cocks. Liz was going to die here.

Geneva reached out to drag Liz back from the brink but it was too late. Her friend's hand made contact with Brian's and he drew her into his arms. Into the hallow space he'd saved for her and they were perfect in their embrace. All the warmth, the halo of love, sweet and delightful, shimmering around them. The crowd, as if cognizant of this aura, gave them space and seemed to disperse, returning to their cages, to their whips, to their spanking and gyrating. Love looked almost foolish here in this den of depravity. But Geneva knew that Love belonged everywhere, no place could bar it.

No place but where Death lived.

Adrian was by her side, watching with her. The couple, the lovers, were whispering to one another. He raised a hand to her, to show her his list. Elizabeth Crenshaw's name glowed red among the plenty. Overdue.

"I don't know what to do," he admitted to her.

"Don't take her, not yet," Geneva pleaded.

"We had a deal," Adrian replied in a low pained voice, as if reading a script. He knew the ending. It played out in all honesty in his eyes and Geneva watched it helplessly. The only way she could think of saving Lizzy was to do what she had done this entire time.

Geneva threw herself at Death, her body forcing him backward toward a velvety curtain. Panic flashed in her eyes when he fell through the curtain. The Cupid thought she'd pushed him out of the window. But when no crash occurred, Geneva followed him through to prevent him from returning.

He seemed receptive to her uncharacteristic roughness. Adrian didn't shrivel or shrink away. He faced her, dark brows furrowing, eyes flashing with sharp intensity. He looked angry, barely restrained.

No. Hungry. Starving.

Geneva hadn't noticed where they were going. The warehouse where the kink festival took place had been set up into one massive room with a few side rooms for semi private scenes. Other parts of the warehouse were sectioned off by those thick velvet curtains to keep guests from wandering into dangerous unmonitored areas. Areas like the dark, rusty places they were currently headed. Blindly shoving, pressing, kissing.

They'd found themselves in a partially furnished room. A frilly magenta lamp, an ornate red velvet settee, and a matching footstool seemed to be the only furniture. There was a paper bag filled to the brim with other decorative touches, delicate wall tapestries, black lace runners, red and black striped silk scarves, a handful of votive candles. A large vase sat broken in the corner, roses strewn around in a puddle of water. The room seemed to have been part of the side rooms initially set up for those semi private scenes, but left unfinished.

The Cupid noticed these things peripherally. They were inconsequential at best, especially now that she'd gotten Adrian away from Liz. Too easily. Half the time, she wasn't sure if she was pushing him into the dark corners or if he were the one doing it. They moved in a strange sort of electric synchronicity. Led forward by the string of tension between them.

He was on the settee beneath her, between her parted thighs. His hands were on the cushion, rubbing at the velvet material slowly, firmly, as if trying to rid himself of an insistent itch. He wasn't touching her, but Geneva knew he was desperate to. She stopped to watch him, his eyes tightly shut, his body bracing for either pain or pleasure. He received neither which seemed to pain him even more.

"Why'd you stop?" He growled through gritted teeth. He'd opened his eyes to catch a glimpse of her and she saw deep dark depths there, filled to the brim with need, so clouded, she almost missed that twinkle of treasure in their abyss.

Before she knew it, she'd been pulled in, nose to nose, mouth to mouth, kissing him as fiercely as she had a moment ago. When she tore her lips away to catch her breath, his hands were fisted and trembling, tucked almost behind his back. His hips lifted up, seeking harder contact.

"Please, Cupid, don't tease," he whispered. The growl was replaced by a haunting murmur, so pained that she thought she'd bled him.

"Shh, shh," Geneva replied, stroking over his forehead with just the fingertips of her right hand. "Can't rush into this, Death. This takes time."

What was this? It seemed like the more normal thing to say. So familiar that it spilled from her lips like a quotation.

Something was pulling them tight. It held tautly between them, so alive that it strummed like a harp, a steady vibration, a sweet tremble of something so...Right.

"I don't think I can stop myself from touching you," he warned her. He was rubbing at the velvet again, slow and hard as if it were her. She could see also that his cock was straining against his black trousers. Some secret sadistic pleasure made her lips smile.

She dismounted him, went to the bag, dumped its contents to the floor, and snatched up a couple of silk scarves. When she returned to him, Adrian was already in position. His arms behind his back, angled away from her. Geneva was careful not to touch his beautiful trembling hands as she secured his wrists together.

"I know what you're trying to do," Adrian said in that low rich voice of his. Some of the desperation had drained from his tone, but she could still catch it there.

"I'm...tying you up," she replied.

"No. Yes, you are. But I meant I know why you're doing it. I know why we're not a part of the group," he continued. He'd returned to his position, slightly more uncomfortable than before with his arms behind his back. Geneva returned to straddling his lap.

"I'm not all that interested in exhibitionism," Geneva retorted, knowing full well what he was getting at but being purposefully obtuse to fluster him.

"No, I mean...I get it. You're only here to distract me. You've always..." Been a distraction. "You've always been creative. You're a good and loyal friend. But...you should know, Geneva. You should know that I'm here because I want to be. I'm here because I want you."

Geneva kissed him again, so hard that she saw stars, brilliant bursts of light behind her eyelids. She didn't stop kissing him this time. She kept going, panting against his lips as her squirmed beneath her onslaught, surprise and desperation returning to his body. He made a sound, low and frustrated, and Geneva understood him immediately. Her hands went from his shoulders to his trousers, unbuttoned them, unzipped him, she reached beneath his undergarments and pulled his erection out.

He was so hard, she could barely maneuver him. He hissed and squirmed again as she managed to tug him free. Hot steel beneath silk in her hands. She squeezed his shaft and Adrian's head fell back, a moan escaping him. His hips pushed up into her hands, unashamed, needy, demanding. Each thrust had him spiraling closer to his inevitable climax.

"Whoa! Hang on there, cowboy," Geneva exclaimed as she pulled her hand away. She didn't want him to cum just yet, didn't want him to ruin their fun.

"Geneva...I don't think I can...I feel like I'm about to..." She knew what he was trying to say. She could see that he was right there, ready to let go. He'd held so tightly before, afraid to allow himself to relax. But here they were, in a room far away from other perfect little deviants, with his offending hands tied behind his back, in no danger of killing her. It was the safest he'd ever felt with her, she knew. The freest he'd ever felt, bounded.

"Hey...Hey..." Cupid leaned close to Death, her forehead pressed against his temple. "Nice and easy. There's no rush. I'll let you know when it's time. Just hold off for a little while," she soothed him, running her hand down his face, stroking his jaw and neck as she kissed along his cheek. "Breathe, baby. Nice and easy," she murmured softly, continuing to kiss down his neck.

___________

And just like that, he did.

Adrian had always been particularly affected by her charms, by the magic she cast over others. And when she directed that magic toward him, he was lost to it, helpless to it. She wanted him to breathe? He was going to breathe.

Death concentrated on each breath. In and out, like the rhythm of a tide. Easy, predictable. In and out. He closed his eyes. Inhaled through his nose, exhaled through his mouth. Even when she moved beside him, he couldn't open his eyes and look at her. He had to concentrate on cooling down. It was working, his head was leveling out again.

That is...until he felt tight, wet heat envelope him. If he hadn't cooled down, Adrian knew that he would have come apart right then and there, not even half way inside of her. As it was, he was able to enjoy the intense, almost painful pleasure her body foisted on him. He couldn't stop it, couldn't stop the cry of shock and pleasure, the grunt when she moved slow and steady over him. He was afraid to look at her, afraid to open his eyes and see her writhing. But most of all, he was afraid that this was all a dream and she would disappear when he opened his eyes.

He felt her hands cup his jaw, cradled it as she kissed him as if he was the most precious of things. Geneva's scent was all around him, soft floral perfume, the smell of her arousal, the rosy scent of her mystical powers. Adrian groaned, felt the tension coiling low beneath his balls. His cock twitched inside of her and Adrian held his breath.

Geneva stopped moving, panting against his lips. "Not there yet," she informed him. Oh, if his hands were free, if they were able to touch without hurting her, without killing her, he would get her there now. He would use his fingers to push her along, to help her catch up to the height of his own peak. Even fantasizing about it made his cock twitch. "Adrian. Adrian, look at me."

He couldn't deny her. Adrian opened his eyes and met hers. Beautiful eyes. She had beautiful eyes. Again, his cock twitched and his body tensed. He was going to come, it was going to happen. He made a strangled sound.

"Don't." She commanded. His heart flipped. His body obeyed. "Just keep your eyes on me," she said. Then she moved, her hips rocking, forward and down, back and up. Again and again. And again. And every moment of it, her eyes held him at that edge, almost coming, not allowed to. He could scarcely reason, but her commands were like a tether in a hurricane of pleasure that seemed intent on blowing him away from her. Now, she reeled him in, their bodies closing in toward that unified pleasure.

Geneva made sweet sounds, moans that he tasted from her honeyed lips.

"I lo--" She cut him off with another kiss. She wouldn't stop kissing him, wouldn't let him say the words that filled his heart to bursting until there was no room left to go except to let it pour from his mouth.

"Ge-Geneva!" It was a warning. No amount of power on her part could fully direct his biological responses. He couldn't control it himself to this extent either.

" 'M with you!" Geneva exclaimed, her breath shuddering against his lips. They were so close, so very close to one another. Moving together, harder, faster, until his mind was a whirlwind and he was finally caught up in that hurricane. And even her anchor couldn't hold them both steady. She flew away with him, twisting and writhing, calling his name into his ear so that he would never forget who he was or who he belonged to.

When they came apart together, Adrian knew that they shattered completely. From the way her body sagged against his, spasming still, breathing as hard as he was. Neither of them seemed ready to lift their heads. When they did, it was Geneva who began to stir, lifting her head slowly. Putting the shattered pieces of themselves back together. Knowing that, without a doubt, parts of him were within her and parts of her were his. She'd stopped him from telling her he loved her, but she couldn't stop him from from feeling it. And she likely couldn't stop herself from feeling it either.

"We should head back," Adrian said quietly.

Cupid stiffened in his lap, his cock still twitching inside of her. Concern on her face.

"You can't possibly keep me here," he said, half joking, wondering if she would consider such a permanent solution to keeping him away from her.