He's holding me, he's holding me, he's holding me! Lorelei's mind raced after she felt him lifting her off the ground. The pain throbbing in her shoulders and knees quickly faded away, becoming nothing more than an afterthought as Theo's warmth washed over her.
He offered her his coat, to help cover over her torn uniform, and Lorelei enjoyed snuggling in it. It only made his smell even more intoxicating. She even found a small strand of hair trapped in the zipper, and began nibbling on it.
He said some words of comfort, but they might as well have been a foreign language, as her mind melted in his arms. A warmth rushed from deep down in her chest, washing over her face, and making her ears burn. Agitation was born from all her pent up anxiety, it felt like a marble was bouncing around in her chest, causing pangs of confusion and excitement.
She clasped her hands together, resisting the urge to reach out and grab hold of him the way she used to when they were little. Her tail had a mind of its own, however, twitching and reaching to curl around his leg. Without her even realizing it, her tail would sometimes arch around his back, and rub along his spine.
The weather outside had grown more humid, causing them both to break out in a sweat. Her natural pheromone laced sweat, sweetened the air around them. Thick droplets of moisture ran down her legs, and graced the soft curvature of her breasts. A shallow puddle was already forming along the base of her collarbone, and her pink skin started to glisten in the street light.
The tiny fine hairs on her arms and legs started to tingle, the air itself building up with static electricity. Thunder eventually erupted in the distance, quickly followed by a downpour of rain. The group panicked, rushing to the sidewalks to find some shade from the acidic torrent. The way he held her tight while rushing forward, made her stomach flip and her head spin.
The sizzling of rain against pavement brought back several bitter memories. Lorelei wanted to feign sleep, but the smells and sounds caused her to dare a wandering glance. Theo was talking to Marci and his roommate, and she shut her eyes fearing he would notice. Lorelei didn't want him to put her down, nor did she feel worthy letting him carry her.
Memories flashed. She could remember one time when they were little, when she sprained her ankle trying to steal some of his mothers cookies from the kitchen counter, and he had to carry her back to the safety of his room. She was so nervous about him accidentally dropping her that she wrapped her tail around his torso, and her arms around his neck. Nuzzling her chin in the nape of his neck, Lorelei never felt safer.
She hadn't thought of those times in a long while. It was easier to bury those thoughts, rather than reflect on them, when she was putting pieces of her friends in body bags during the war. Menials had short lives, and few died in one piece, and each time Lorelei grappled with that lesson, she found herself growing more numb to it.
How she survived with her sanity intact was nothing short of a miracle, and now that she was allowed to think back to her childhood, while being carried by the man she craved, every fiber of her being struggled to rationalize. Part of her wanted to confess who she was, and beg for Theo to remember her, another was too afraid to even move.
Lorelei's heart leapt in her chest just thinking about it. She felt so stupid. There was a voice in her head reminding her that at any moment he would realize he was carrying a dirty Redever, and drop her in the street where she belonged.
It wasn't the only voice echoing in her mind, only the loudest.
Lorelei took in a deep breath, trying to brush away the inner monologue torturing her, while simultaneously basking in Theo's scent. He still smelled the same way as before, although his body was a lot harder. She resisted the urge to press her hands against his stomach, her fingers itching to feel his abdominal muscles. His chest was much broader, and she could tell he had been working out. It only peeked her interest even more.
The group continued walking toward university grounds, and luckily few were out to crowd the sidewalks. Lorelei did her absolute best to remain still, pretending to be asleep. She couldn't bare to garner his attention, fearing she'll crack under pressure. Under no circumstances did she want him to know how ridiculously excited, and terrified, she was. Nor did she want to challenge the darker impulses in her head.
Continuing to pretend to be asleep, she let him carry her while pressing her head into his hard chest. Even though Lorelei thought she was doing a good job, her tail wouldn't stop twirling in delight.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Hey Marci?" Theo looked over to Mikes girlfriend who seemed preoccupied. Whatever she was saying to his roomie, it definitely got a rise out of him.
"What?" Marci looked over, her eyes darting from his face to the Redever in his arms.
Theo's mouth twitched, the way the girls tail stroked his lower back was somehow irritating, and sensual at the same time. "Is it normal for her tail to do this?" He asked.
Marci paused, her eyes searching for the whip lash cord wrapped around his waist, curling up and down his back. She laughed, her face turning bright red. "Oh she's always like that when she sleeps. I think she really likes you," Marci grinned.
Theo sighed, "Are you sure she's ok? I mean should we take her to a doctor, or something? She hasn't spoken a word since falling down."
Marci struggled to contain herself. "Oh I'm sure she's fine, she gets like that around new people. One thing you could do to help wake her up, is rub her horns. I promise that'll do the trick."
"Marci shut up!" Lorelei shrieked.
Theo knew that a Redever horns were, for some reason, special to touch. Only their significant others were allowed to touch them, and it was a common display of affection for Redever couples to rub their horns together while coupling. It probably was on the same level as kissing, or some place similar.
"Oh you're up…," Theo looked down at her. Damn why does she look so familiar?
The girl squeaked, realizing what she had done. Her cheeks lit up, and her body tensed.
"Want me to keep carrying you? Or are you feeling better?" He asked.
The Redever twirled her thumbs, her eyelashes fluttered as she shamefully looked away. Her eyes darted everywhere except to him. "Um…," her voice was more shallow than before. She then groaned with, what sounded like fake pain, and curled up closer. "If it's not too much trouble."
Were all Redevers like this? Theo wondered. It definitely reminded him of Lori. But no it couldn't be her.
He shifted her weight, noticing how it made her chest jiggle, and chewed his lip. "No problem at all, you hardly weigh anything," he teased. In truth she did weigh a little, and her body was much more solid than he expected. It was clear she had some bulk to her curvy frame, and that somehow made her even more attractive. He tried to ignore the burning pain in his arms, and the excited tail along his back.
Once they arrived to the university grounds, Marci seemed genuinely impressed, her eyes full of mischief, as she helped Lorelei get to her feet.
Theo knew she wasn't that bad, even when she tried to fake soreness in her ankles after putting her down. He couldn't help but wonder why the charade.
"I'll see you two later?" He offered them a wave, once they parted ways in the stairway.
For the first time, Lorelei looked him squarely in the eye, and for a brief second, he could've sworn he saw the little Redever girl from his youth.
But that would be impossible. Wasn't it?