Page 177 of The Knucker King

His lips found her ear. “You are a Goddess. That, my soul-bound, was a divine experience.”

66

Chapter 66

Avice

Avice awoke more languid and satiated then she ever had been before. Every single part of her was stretched, relaxed, and deliciously aching. She was squashed up to Trewoofe’s chest. At some point in the night, perhaps between their second or third rutting, he rolled them onto their sides and tucked her head beneath his chin so they could rest.

She wriggled in the cage of his arms and froze at the realisation that Trewoofe was still buried in her. He had been serious when he had asked to keep his seed inside of her. Avice’s bladder squeezed uncomfortably, and she knew she had to escape from their cuddle to relieve herself. Slick with their mingled sweat and Trewoofe’s saliva, she managed to slip from his arms. It was like uncorking a bottle, the moment his length exited her, a river of his seed poured out. She went hot at the thought. She had begged him to fill her up, put a Knuckerling in her belly, and rut her until she overflowed with him. It made her excited all over again. Before she gave into temptation and pounced on him, she scooted away from the makeshift bed of blossoms.

Only to be met with a wall of writhing flowers and vines.

She sighed at them. “Will you please let me out?”

Avice stood and tapped her foot as she waited for them to part. She tossed a look back at Trewoofe, who mumbled something in his sleep. Gritting her teeth, she hoped he did not wake. Instead, he mumbled something and lay flat on his belly. She studied his rear and resisted the wicked urge to pinch a firm cheek. By the time she turned back to the green wall, it had flattened itself and she made her way out of the nest.

She was unsure of where exactly she could relieve herself. Avice would ask Trewoofe later, but she knew it would not be proper to pass water near the nest, nor the river where they drank. Instead, she slipped into a tunnel she knew did not lead to Wulver-led and concluded her business there.

Once Avice was done, she returned to their nesting cavern and was determined to prepare for the challenging day ahead. Whatever may be, she knew she would have her King by her side.

First, a bath. Then wake Trewoofe and head to the church.

She wandered over to the crystal-clear healing waters. She had never seen a river like it: slow-moving, shining and refracting the light of crystals in the walls and ceiling. It was a liquid rainbow. She dipped her toes in, sighing as the warmth seeped up her leg. Avice carefully trod her way in, until the river reached her navel, and promptly sat.

“This must be what heaven feels like,” she moaned.

She had never been in hot water like this before, and she did not ever want to leave it. Avice took a deep breath and dunked her head beneath the surface, washing away all the evidence of their rutting. The healing waters eased her over-stretched muscles, and seeped into her centre, wicking away the slight ache there. She popped up, took a deep breath, and shoved her hair from her eyes.

Trewoofe stood on the bank and beamed down at her. “Are you ready for your swimming lessons?”

Avice grinned back at him. He was adorably bedraggled: silver hair tousled and knotted, shell amulet askew, display colours flushed, a rosy tint to his cheeks, and smeared with a combination of sweat, saliva, and seed. She had not realised that Knucker rutting could be so… messy.

“We scarcely have time for that,” she replied. Her stomach swirled as he joined her, wading in until he loomed over her. “It must be Sunrise by now.”

“Not so,” he said. “Time moves differently in the Underneath.”

“Both you and Bramble keep saying that,” she huffed, tossing more water over her head and rubbing it into her scalp. “Yet neither of you have properly explained it to me.”

Trewoofe splashed himself over his arms and chest. “Time can move differently here for different Good Neighbours. For the younglings I brought down, the Underneath sensed that time needed to move more quickly for them to save their lives, in combination with the magic of their adoptive Queens.”

Avice furrowed her brow. “So, the time surrounding them sped up to help save them and make them grow.”

Trewoofe grinned. “There you have it. Time in my Kingdom occasionally flows as you need it. The Underneath knew we needed more time together: to rut, to rest, to bathe, and to swim. So, within our nest, it slowed it down.”

He dunked his head beneath, and emerged again, shaking the drops loose from his hair. Avice turned away and giggled as they smattered her face.

“Will I ever be able to tell?” she asked. “The difference in the flow of time in the above and below? Will I be able to understand?”

Trewoofe reached to cup her chin. “The longer you live here, the more you will understand it. It is like breathing, something you simply do.” He ran his thumb over her lip, making her shiver at his gentle touch. “Much like, the more time you spend in the Underneath, the healthier you will feel, the less rest you will need, the less you will need to eat, and the longer you will live.”

“I do feel very well rested, despite how little we have slept.” She dotted a kiss to his thumb tip. “But I will not live as long as you, even if my life is extended by being here.”

Avice immediately regretted her words. She could only have killed the tender moment more effectively by forcing Trewoofe to eat pickles. She watched as his lips tugged down, and silver pooled in the corner of his eyes. His throat bobbed several times, trying to swallow back his tears.

“I am sorry,” she blurted, pressing kisses to his palm. “That was foolish of me to announce like—”

“It is alright.” Trewoofe tugged her into a hug. “One day with you is worth a hundred turns of seasons without you. I will take all the time you have to give me, and treasure each and every moment.”