Knuckles had found this hot springs place not too long ago when he was trying to avoid being noticed by those in the streets when he was planning on causing some trouble for his old friends.  That was all besides the pint, the point was that he had found a place that had a hot spring and served them drinks. So who did he know who loved to drink and be relaxed? His hopeful bride-to-be, when he got the courage to ask her that is.

When they arrived to the large building made of wood Knuckles opened the door for Lumikki.  This is the place, my love."  Knuckles walked in after Lumikki and walked to the counter. "Hello, it is good to see you again I have made arrangements to secure a hot spring for the two of us, it should be under Knuckles Shi. "

The lady behind the counter checked her log book in front of her and then nodded. "This way, please." She led them to a room where they would be spending the night, it was something not really seen too much but there were bed rolls on the floor—a set of Robes for each of them with slippers as well.   "Rinse off in the shower before entering the spring, when you are ready to place an order pull the string near the water fall to ring the bell and we will be there to take your order shortly. Enjoy"

She then walked away leaving the couple to get themselves ready. Knuckles looked at the shower and then back at Lumikki. "You may go first, my beloved." He then closed the shutter door to their room and awaited her response.

The sun was almost setting, fading into a beautiful twilight in a near cloudless sky. The subtle breezes flowing past the trees and shaking this leaves to make a lovely rustling sound. It had been some time since Lumikki got to visit a place with her beloved. Having him by her side as she took in the new sights was endearing and relaxing. This was also the first time they wandered somewhere for reasons other than work. Yet the strength he’d garnered in his travels had not been lost on her, and she’d lean into them and the implications while giddily walking toward their inn. Almost getting drunk from her passion, but she’d pull back to grounded reality as she amusingly adored finally having a nice date with the man she loved.

It was no surprise that Knuckles knew every turn, every path, and every beautiful spectacle on the way there. Lumikki held his hand tightly as she let him guide her blindly. Her eyes only on the new sights, buildings, and gardens. Her gaze shifting from him to the beauty around her, as she burned the memory into her mind forever.

Being in Hosenka for a few days meant that the Demoness took some time for shopping. Dressing for the occasion being one of her priories. And so the frost mage had dawned a dark blue yukata, with motifs an icy blue flowers and snowflakes dancing along her sleeves. Her hair was tied with hair sticks and raven feathers. She had some sandals for once, though it had been a while to wear annoying on her feet, and the soft clapping sound of them hitting the floor would amuse her. She’d take steps in melodic patterns, playing songs in her mind as she wandered to the inn.

Knuckles’ checked them into the room smooth enough and the couple entered their room. The mats for bed on the floor didn’t bother her, and she had extra blankets tucked into her void for extra fluff and comfort. ”Me first? I thought we were going in together?” Lumikki was sliding off her yukata then, her back facing Knuckles’ as he now shoulders. She’d hold the dress for a few more steps before letting it drop entirely so that she could enter the shower. Pulling out her hair sticks and rearranging her hair so that she could step in. The water was cold, but she’d adjust if it he joined her. For now, she’d the chill wash over her skin.

Knuckles leaned against the wall as he watched Lumikki, her words teaseing him. "Hm, that is a tempting offer. I just wonder if I do will we ever make it to the hotsprings? He would look at her outfit on the floor and then back at her watching the water slide down her dark skin. Even though she was in her human form, it still caused a reaction out of him. "Very well my love, we shall see if we can fit in that small shower. " Unlike her he was wearing his armor. Holding his arms out everything poofed away in a red aura leaving him with a white shirt, black trousers, and black leather boots. Tying his bangs up with the longer sides of his hair, the half that was not shaved, he would work on the buttons of his shirt taking it off slowly. Once his pale bare chest was exposed to the climate of the room Knuckles felt a draft. He was unsure if it was coming from the loss of so many layers at once or the frost demon. He sat down removing his boots as he watched his beloved enjoy the shower. After a few seconds, he got both boots off, his focus was elsewhere and definitely was not on the removal of his own clothes. Soon enough however he was as free as a bird, a Raven to be exact.

Walking towards the shower he felt the chilling droplets touch his skin. "I might have your powers as the source of my own my love, but I did not grow up in the Arctic and train in Ice magic. This is having negative effects to my hammer." Knuckles would shiver slightly unsure how this woman would beable to handle such things. For once he wished to have fire magic to course through him and heat him up. Though he figured there were other ways to warm up too. Stepping behind her he would lean over and wrap his arms around her as he pressed into her body trying to drain the warmth from her.

Lumikki chuckled at his discomfort. It wasn’t malicious but teasing. ”Sorry that there’s not a lot of warmth I could offer ye till I’m fairly heated meself.” He pulled her in and she’d let him take her, enjoying the embrace for a minute or two before finally turning the knob for the water so that the heat could rise. Before the shift in temperature, she shimmied to fit behind him, now hiding from the water pouring out the head of the shower. It was now time for him to enjoy, but the hot water didn’t settle as kindly on her skin. It felt more molten to her and nearly as unbearable as the fridge shower had to him.

It only took five minutes for the water to steam, their vision getting hazy and obscured as he took his turn. Meanwhile, Lumikki pelted him with affectionate kisses along his back until she was ready to enter the cooler fresh air. As she stepped out, the water was already freezing along her skin but she wouldn’t be rid of the access water until she reached for her towel. ”We’ve had a long day, so take yer time inside there. I’ll be heading for the water, as I’ll need time to adjust. Hot springs prove to be a lot for me to tolerate, I don’t think as a human I could adjust to them….”

She’d tuck her towel so that it wore like a little dress and made it for the baths that was just down the hall to her room. Honestly she would have stayed to entertain him longer, but it was as she said. The hot water tend to weaken her more than she would like, in hardly any time at all; and though being in here earlier won’t help, she was kind of hoping that it could at least prepare her. But the hot steam rising was enough to make her light headed, as the Demoness brought herself down to the spring, kneeling and leaning over. It’s easy to go faint if she goes alone but usually she chooses to have company.

Lumikki would take a break and look back up to the open sky above, enjoying the last bits of dying light that painted heavens. Stars were now spreading along the canvas as they claimed their time was soon to come and in just a sliver, one could notice the crescent moon patiently waiting for her moment to shine. With a deep sigh, Lumikki shed the towel to dip inside slowly. And as a nice cool breeze blew passed her, she’d hear someone who she figured to be Knuckles finally approaching.

Knuckles smiled as he felt her acts of affection towards him. The warming waters meeting his skin warmed him up but so did the increased blood flow when she kissed upon him. He watched her walk away until she put her clothing on and walked out the door, Knuckles would duck his head under and run his hands through his hair. Turning the water off Knuckle reached for the towel and dabbed himself off. The Daemon would walk over to his robe and dawn it on and slip his feet into the slippers. Drying his hair Knuckles gathered himself to go out and meet his Demoness.

Knuckles walked down to the spring and saw his beloved kneeling near the springs. Perhaps it was a mistake to take her here. Walking over towards her he removed his robe and folded it and put it down near the wall. Knuckles got into the water and turned to face her. Lifting his hands towards her face Knuckles rubbed her cheeks. "You doing okay my love? If this is too much for you we can do something else. "
He looked to see where the bell was and then looked back at her. [color=red' "Perhaps some drinks will help you hmm?"[/color]

Knuckles moved over to it and rang the bell waiting for the attendant to come. While he waited he moved back over to Lumikki offering whatever he could do to help her ease the suffering. When the woman came to take their order she looked at the pair and smiled as she closed her eyes. "Good evening, what will it be for you two tonight?" Knuckles looked up at the woman with a smile. "Please bring five bottles of iced sake please, and some Frozen drinks if you have them. " The woman waited for Lumikki to order if she did at all and then bowed. "I will get that and return shortly" The woman walked off and left the couple to themselves.

Lumikki was relieved to see him, a glowing smile wore on her face as she could hardly hold back her excitement. His hair was still damp from their shared shower, his body not yet fully dried. Not like there was a sense to, but he rushed over to the baths quicker than she expected. Lumi had hoped he’d take his time to enjoy them, at least to stave off the weariness of travel. Yet here he was in a hurry to join in. If the water didn’t already melt her with the steam, his gesture would.

Knuckles swiftly settled into the water, hands reaching for her face and caressing her cheeks. It was enough to warm her up internally in just an instant. But he would not linger, the thought of drinks had took his focus and she’d watch him ring the bell and summon the staff. Lumikki nodded along to his order, satisfied with the start of their choices. ”This suits me fine.” She’d muster and the lady gave a slight bow before briskly walking away.

”Sake is a fun drink, I’ve shared it sometimes with me brother Benimaru. Have ye met him yet? He’s become scarce ever since he regained his Oni form. Love him all the same but I miss him sometimes. He’s the reason I care for any of this, even entertaining this bath. Torturous for one like me, so deeply imbued with frost it’s almost inseparable. But it’s not something I can’t overcome. I’ve even managed it a few times, but I wonder how it’ll be with ye. Ya have a tendency of burning me up already~” She’d lean toward him to give him a quick kiss, before eventually sliding into the water as well and situating herself right next to him. Almost like the water was washing away her facade, Lumikki’s form would revert to her truer face. The color of her skin draining to shades of the night and her hair turning pale. Sitting in this water made it too hard for her to feign human. But she’d lean into him despite the hear accumulating, and nuzzling into his arm. Her wings slightly obscuring her face to anyone but him and her breath came out like a cold mist.

Lumikki pulled for his right hand and placed his pointer finger gently between her teeth. Mindlessly nibbling him as she got used to the new temperature. But soon then woman would be back with the cold bottles, stacking them onto a floating tray and placing them by the couple. She’d glance at Lumikki perplexed and startled but kept silent. Only bowing once more and dashing for the rest of the order.

Lumikki opened her wings, perking up for the sake that arrived. ”I’ve never done this before~ Admittedly, I’m also not good at holding back…”Lumikki would utter this just as she impulsively grabbed a bottle to pour the contents down her throat. A choice that would lead to interesting effects. One being the soothing cold drink would give her a second wind, but the tingle of the alcohol sparked a different fire within her. Despite the temporary cool off, she was growing more vulnerable with every passing second.

”Refreshing!~” She’d grab another bottle to pass it to Knuckles, fixing his arm to be around her so that now she sat within his embrace. Her body pressed and bobbed against him as she leaned forward to refresh the chill for the drinks. A lovely perk of her magic in a time like this. Keeping drinks chilled was valuable trick.

When the waitress went to wait for their order, Knuckles turned again to Lumikki, smiling when she spoke of her brother. "I haven't had the chance to meet Benimaru yet. but I sure would like to. One should indeed love their loved ones." . He didn't manage to come up with anything else before he had pulled her closer and his lips finally melded with hers in a passionate kiss. "And burning you up? Hell, that's a pleasure that I just can't resist." When Lumikki nestled into him, her true form beginning to manifest itself, Knuckles was filled with a surge of warm, tender affection. He admired her for who she was, both human and demoness. She nipped his finger playfully between his teasing). Not that it was a struggle to keep the smile off his face, but he chuckled and then said, "You are irresistible, do you know that?"

Sake. That in itself was enough to put a smile on his face. Watching her excitement, he grabbed it quickly, pouring the liquid into a small cup and holding it out to her. "To us," he said, clinking his cup with her before tipping the drink back. The cool liquid brushed down his throat refreshingly, a cool contrast to the temperatures in the springs. Knuckles wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close as they drank. Her magic kept their drinks cooled, only a minor relief in the steaming baths. "Refreshing indeed," he agreed, taking another sip before saying, "And with you by my side, everything is perfect." He bent down to capture her lips in a fierce kiss, savoring her taste, mixed now with the undertone of the sake, and the warmth that Lumikki always seemed to hold about her person.

When the stars began to twinkle in the dark sky, Knuckles felt utterly content. "Tonight, let's make it an unforgettable one, love, just you and I at the moment, and the magic we create with each other." Knuckles Shi leaned back in the hot spring, letting the heat sink through to his bones while he enjoyed sipping the sake with his beloved. The night air was cold, and it made a good contrast with the steam of the water. A glint of pure mischief caught in his eyes as he flipped a gaze to Lumikki, nestled against him, relaxed in form even though her eyes were wide and alert.

He took another sip of sake, savoring the taste before turning to her with a teasing grin. "You know, Lumikki, I was thinkin'. We've had quite the day of it, but I feel as if maybe it could get a little more interestin'. What with challenges?" Knuckles leaned in closer, his lips brushing her ear as he whispered, "How 'bout a little drinkin' contest, eh? You and me, bottle for bottle. The winner gets whatever he or she wants from the other."

”Yer the warm blood that pumps through me veins Gunnar, the blaze in me chest, the heat to me passion. Yer the hearth blood to me frost touched. But I like it, love it even. It’s like a dance. Despite the chill me power gives ye, ya crackle with that lightning of yers, its beautiful really. Even if I don’t understand how me chill don’t bother ye. I figured lover preferred the warmth.” She was enjoying her musings, not giving much thought, but his uttering yanked her back. The blue rushing to her face. What for, she could not say. You’d think she was used to his affections already, but it always washed over her as if it were the first time. ”Am I really?” She tried to be cheeky in her rebuttal, a soft pout on her face. Though perhaps she didn’t play it well. The fast shift of her emotions sent a tinge of pleasure, and ultimately she’d grin. ”I hope ye feel that way forever~”

Leaning back onto her man and floating in the water, Lumikki centered herself so that despite the heat, she was content. But the mention of his challenged rung hot through her again, a Demon like herself enjoyed playing along with games. ”Oy, ye want ta challenge a Demon raised by Dwarves in drink? Cheeky, cheeky Daemon, ye choose when I’m the most susceptible. Very well, I’ll accept this challenge of yers, only on the condition that I help ye drink yer fill~ Only fair love…” What she said was not all that clear, but she would make it understood soon enough. Grabbing one of the bottles of sake from the tray and turning around, Lumikki would rise just enough to be above him. Holding his face in her hand and squishing his cheeks. ”Say aaaah, me beloved…” Her voice was smooth like a siren, a soft seductive hum. She waited for him to comply to her demand, taking a swig from the bottle enough to fill mouth but not over flow as she wanted to maintain control.

She’d look down at him, eyes aglow and playful. Her fingers and talons lightly running down from his cheeks to his throat. She’d lean forward, and stick out her tongue. Carefully pouring the drink past her lips and into his mouth. The cool sake was even colder, like it sat on ice. Lumikki followed her gesture with a passionate kiss, tongue first, after she was sure he drank it all. ”Goooood boy~” She purred, her hand cupping his face again as an indication to do like before. Lumikki licked her lips as she watched, and would slowly pour the rest of the contexts into his mouth. Only stopping or slowing at moments it looked like it could overflow. She’d lick the stray drops that would streak his cheeks, her icy tongue enough to add chills if he allowed it. And when it was all done, she’d give him a quick kiss before pulling away and taking her bottle next.

With a wild demonic look, Lumikki glanced at him. Sticking out her tongue seductive and playfully to egg him on before throwing her head back and gulping down her bottle. Most of it went down her throat, but a bit fell down her neck and chest. From there, Lumikki would do her best to place the bottle back down gracefully and push herself back so that she could rest along the stone. The Demoness leaning far enough back that she could even rest her head for a bit. Admittedly, though she wouldn’t say it, the heat was taking its toll. It was getting faster for the drink to affect her but it wasn’t time to show that weakness now. So instead, she’d double down, taking deep breaths to pull herself back. It wasn’t perfect or smooth, but she was slinking back to a more human form. She’d keep going until her skin was also brown, but didn’t bother getting her hair to change as well so it remained pale atop her skin.

With a breathily sigh she’d look back at her lover and with a toothy grin enjoying the moment before she’d cheekily speak once more. ”Ready for the next bottle beloved? If I have to heat up, ye might as well overheat too~”

Her words teased him her seductive tremble in her voice still beguiling Knuckles along with her playful spirit made his heart race faster. He watched her, shifting for the briefest moment, Knuckles glimpsed at her true form before settling back to the more human appearance that transition was fascinating to him, making him appreciate her beauty and strength.

Leaning over him, grabbing his face, and squeezing his cheeks, her wicked smile was playful as she made him laugh, her eyes locking with his. "Say ah, me beloved." His veins responded obediently to this song of the siren that was irresistible, and engaging. Knuckles docilely opened his mouth, not taking his eyes from hers even once.

The sensation of cold sake flowing from her mouth into his, her icy magic making the coolness more pronounced, sent a shiver down his spine as the contrast between hot spring and cold sake electrified his senses. The sake was followed by her tongue deepening the kiss, he drank it greedily, savoring that strange mingling of flavors.

"Good boy~" She purred, and Knuckles felt a jolt at her words along with the press of her hand, which seemed to stir something inside of him even more potently than he'd expected. He loved the way she dominated him, touched him, tested his limits. It made his need for her hotter.

When it was her turn, and she hugged her bottle with that feral, devilish glint in her eyes, he felt admiration and lust slosh around inside him. He watched her tilt her head back, the sake dripping down her neck and chest, his blood pounding at the picture. And when she slouched back against the stone, her body loose but her eyes still aglow with that glint of mischief, he knew he would not be able to forget that night for a long, long time to come.

"Ready for the next bottle, beloved? If I have to heat up, ye might as well overheat too~" Her mischievous smile and her combating tone only seemed to spur his lust onwards. Knuckles took a deep breath, allowing the warmth of the sake and the hot spring to mix with the coolness of her magic. He reached for another bottle, pouring them both up a fresh drink.

[color=red"To us,"[/color] he said again, his voice low and jerky with lust. " And to driving each other overheated." His cup clinked against hers. He downed the sake in one long swallow. It tasted even better now, laced with the fading sweetness of ice.

He set his cup down and leaned in close, his eyes seeming to burn into hers. [color=red"You know," [/color] he said, his voice low and husky. "You're not the only one who can play games." He pushed her back against the stone, running his hands over her body, following the sake's path down her neck and chest.

His head bent, his tongue running the tip of its way across her skin to catch the spill of sake. Its cold bite was making it that much more potent, the cold sake and warm body driving him mad. He slowly licked up the length of her neck, catching every drop, every shiver of her body beneath his mouth.

"Delicious," he whispered against her skin, his voice thick with desire. "The sake tastes even better off you." Still, his hands explored, firm and gentle, moving down the length of her, his lips and tongue tracing the path of sake down her skin. Every kiss, every lick was a mix of heat and chill, a teasing dance that left him begging for more.

He paused, looking up at her for a moment with a teasing grin. "How's that for a challenge, love?" he asked, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Think you can handle it?" He knew the answer already. Lumikki was a force to be reckoned with, and he wouldn't have wanted her any other way. Then again, he couldn't push her buttons to see how far they went.

"Let's see who overheats first," he whispered and captured her lips in another fierce, passionate kiss, ready to continue their delicious intoxicating game for as long as they could. The effects of that first bottle he downed by the guiding hand on Lumikki had not yet hit him fully, yet with the hot spring opening up his pours and the image of Lumikki, even in her human form in front of him he was going. The thought turned within the walls of his mind.

Knuckles eyes wouldn’t dare linger from her, and she’d keep him within the corner of hers. Maintaining a hypnotic, almost mesmerizing gaze. He’d managed to pull away, pouring the two another cup. His voice unsteady unlike his usual noble tone, but this made Lumikki hunger more. ”To us~” Lumi purred with a low, soft but steady voice. She relished on seeing a new side of the terrifying warrior. And where Knuckles took his sake slow, she’d drink her’s fast. It was an ambitious choice, but she still struggled with control. Her demonic nature always dragging her to the depths of her limits, trying to maintain a “normal”, a “tame” facade took all her focus.

Lumi set down her cup, her hand loosely on the next bottle that she planed to feed to her man. Knuckles would set his down soon after but whatever timidness he had was gone, washed over with this flame or impulse to take over their little game. He’d push her into the stone and the gesture took her by surprise. She’d gasp from the feeling of the hard rock meeting her back, but Knuckles would just as quickly ravish her with his hands. Playing with vulnerabilities he already studied all too closely. ”What happened love? Why so hungry?~” His hulking frame towered over her and so he’d bear into her doe eyes before plunging to her neck and chest to clean her clumsy mess. ”How kind…” she’d pant through her words, ”me precious Daemon…is so attentive. Wanna wash me like this….always?” She’d giggle so mischievously, it was clear that Lumikki was having fun. The heat breaking more down than just her form, but her grace.

”Tastier?” her voice fracturing like a winter storm. ”I can drown ye in the sweetness if ye like? Make everything taste better for all eternity…” her soft moaning overlapping every touch and kiss. But his statement toward her braving the challenged woke her once more to dangers she wanted to be. ”Switching games aren’t we? Ye already made yer choice and this one was mine…” A smirk parted her lips while her eyes glowed more wild than ever before.

With a tilt of her head, black tendrils made from the night dispersed around them seized his limbs and wrapped around him. Their cold touch pulsing profusely, rapidly draining the strength from him further and pulling Knuckles back to piece of wall he sat beside. Meanwhile, the steam of the water mixed rapidly with the Demoness’ rising chill, blurring the night further. ”Let’s play, if ye could survive me first Knuckles~” She’d saunter over to him slowly, her piercing demonic eyes burning into him with all her wild fervor. The water was slightly freezing as she passed by, but would melt just as rapidly when she left and she was sure to snatch the bottle selected earlier into her left hand. With the other hand she’d caress her body seductively, mirroring how he felt her before while showing her tongue playfully.

When she was before him once more, another tendril would form much larger then the rest and wrap around her waist. Hoisting her high enough in the air to tower just above him. Her wet, loose locks dripping above his face and she kept her eye on his. ”I love ye,” she purred more seductive than she ever did before. Her siren voice like chains ready to drag him into the depths and drown him. Her demonic face like the calm of the storm as it revealed her genuine sincerity. But it would melt away as it was time to enjoy her game. And with the shift, came a more feral expression to emerge.  ”A night to never forget~”

With a bit of adjusting, Lumikki positioned herself to sit atop his shoulders. Her legs wrapped around his neck but not tightly. Her tendril unraveled and provided support to lean on instead. ”Stick yer tongue out.” Her voice was stern but pleasing. It was a demand she sought to be complied. When he entertained her desire, she’d coo once more with pleased satisfaction. ”Absolutely delicious…” her eyes almost glossed over from the pleasure of her game and she’d pull his head toward her belly to press his tongue to her skin. Through their bond, she’d flood him with the bulk of her animalistic desire, and so with as intense as she felt it, so would he. ”Lick it all up to win this round Knuckles~ Heh.” And she’d pour the sake slowly from her chest letting it slide down her abdomen in a small, steady, cool stream. As she watched with fangs piercing her lip, and a succubus’ gaze. Just before the last of it was done, Lumi stole the last sip and played with it in her mouth before adjusting herself with her tendrils to sit away from Knuckles and feed the last of it in a kiss.

The other tendrils began to loosen as well, save for one that still clung as his throat. Beyond that he was free to move but Lumi would sit back and let her bottle be passed to her hand by magic. ”This is the most fun I’ve had with another….most men were easy to break even as a Daemon. I only met one who could heal through me claws and not mind the chill. Then me last love was sweet, but too sadly to soft and inexperienced….he loved me dearly, but could not choose me over his prior obligations. I tried not to let it get to me, but I worried in time, I’d fall to madness. Not to mention, he’d be short lived, it would be perpetual heart break….” Her wild gaze soften with a tinge of sadness, but not enough to shift her mood. She put the sake to her lips and drink from her second bottle. Her sips long and careful so she drank it all. And as she did, she’d be slowly returned to the water.

When she was done, she’d lean over to put the bottle on the tray, her hand less steady than before but still true enough. ”But yer the first person I existed to…..As is the first to see me, feel me, know me, and accept me.” her gaze shifted back to him as blazing as before but mostly of desire. ”Me strong warrior, the one I’ve merged me soul to…the one who pleasures me so deliciously….” Lumikki would dip into the water completely, submerging herself to the utter heat but moving toward him so that when she rose, she’d be before him. Eyes so wise and innocent, ye’d think she was switched for another; but she was coming sweetly. Hands grabbing his arms as she pressed herself into him. Her eyes still looking up to him, so coy, and she’d bring his hand to her lips so that she could nibble and lick his fingers. ”Ye don’t back down…I like ye. Ye hunger as much as I do. Ye love me just as hard. I always feel on the cusp of unraveling….like I’m coming undone to be the Demon I really am….but ye give me the desire to pour into ya instead. Hmmm, ready for the next round now?” She tilted her head so innocently.

The sake was churning in Knuckles' belly, mixing with the fiery heat all about him and that of the hot springs and most important of all, the cold caress of Lumikki's magic. His head reeled, his cool sobriety replaced by a fog of lust. He was surrendering, embracing the beast that Lumikki always seemed to stir within him.

She held the sake bottle. He watched her, his breathing quickening as she poured the sake onto her body. He felt the power of her wrap around him, cold tendrils that sapped at his strength, and heightened his senses. His body tensed with mixed anticipation and raw desire.

"Stick yer tongue out." Her command cut through the mentally mossed night, and he complied without a second thought. Her skin brushed his tongue, her taste mixed with the cool sake an exciting contrast to the heat surrounding them. He licked her belly, his tongue playing around her skin, savoring every sake droplet that he could collect from her. Her moans of pleasure goaded him on further.

Her legs tightened around him, her body pressing closer. The primitive part of him roared to life, urging him to take, to dominate, but he reveled in the challenge she presented. His hands roamed up her body, fingers exploring every curve, every inch of her that he could reach. He rubbed against her hidden pebble. She shuddered at his touch. The sound of her gasp, her whispered moans, drove him wild.

They slid up, searching over her hungrily as had his eyes. The feel of her, her soft skin, and the way she responded to his touch was a rush. He lost himself in the moment as his control fell away to let the daemon out.

When she drew back, he felt a pang of loss but again shifted focus as, once more, she was in control. Her tendrils loosened their fierce grip on him enough to give him a little play and he watched her with absolutely feral eyes as she moved symphony, each line of her body a sensual grace.

Her words about her past lovers struck a chord within him, but he refused to dwell on it long. He was here, now, with her, and this was all that mattered. He reached for the next bottle, pouring another drink, his hands shaking with the anticipation and sake.

"Yer the first person I existed for. the first to see me, feel me, know me, and accept me," she replied, her eyes boring past the mist in his brain. He was joined to her then, on a level deeper than flesh, deeper than physical limits.

He whispered, lifting his goblet. "To our bond, to our hunger, to the flames that we create in each other's hearts" He tossed his drink back the sting of the liquor and bite of her powers mixed and worked through him as if ice and fire were racing through veins pitched to a screaming excitement.

She dove into the water, and he followed, starving to feel her against him. As she stood before him, her body flushed, he could feel his last bit of control crumbling. He reached out grasped her about the waist, and pulled her to him, his lips met hers in a heated, desperate embrace.

"Ready for the next round now?" she asked, her voice sweet and innocent in complete contrast to the wildfire blazing through her eyes.

"Always." The word sounded low, growled, a little rougher with desire. His mouth dropped down to hers once more, his hands a little wilder in their race to map her curves. This game was far from finished, and he was going to take absolute advantage of every moment, every touch, every breath they shared

His hands betrayed the hunger bubbling inside of him as they wrapped all around her, feeling her soft skin with yearning and delight. Of course, it also coursed through her as well, but it was his actions that she relished in the most, as his attempts to temper his desires were delectable. Passionate kisses and tender grabs heated her more than the boiling water, but she’d pull away to prepare for the next round.

She had noted his shaky hands, they convulsed more and more as their engagement progressed. A byproduct of her cruel teasing perhaps, but it filled her with such yearning. Seeing her strong warrior crumble before her in any capacity, as a result of her, and her alone, was enough to send the Demoness into a lustful frenzy. It would seem that no matter how he presented, she’d derive pleasure from him all the same. As long as she got to see every sliver of him and claim his entirety, she found peace.

”I’ll do ye the kindness to let ya hold the bottle Gunnar and pour the drink at yer pace. Of course ye don’t have all the time in the world, and I’ll let ye part the bottle from the yer lips three times before I consider the round lost.” She reached over for the next bottle that posed as his new challenge and handed it over to Knuckles. Whenever he was ready to start would be when she sprung into action as well.

The moment the bottle touched his lips, so would she. Her hands mapping the Daemon much like he did for her. Until of course she found a mountain to explore, the rock was jagged and quite hardened from the time it rose and took its form; and in her curious fascination, she’d entertain polishing such a stone. Learning the shape from its resistance to her hand would take her focus, though her eyes never pulled away from him and the sake to observe him for their game. Admittedly, the stone proved more coarse than she would figure but over time it would smoothen greatly along her quickening repetition. All the while her Daemon’s body would jerk which ever way as he poured the sake down his gullet. For periods that he didn’t move much, she’d bite and lick him to instigate reactions. Anything to make him part from the bottle at least three times. But when her mountain revealed to be more akin to a volcano, its inferno fury proving to rise and spread its lava so it may expand. She’d stop her jest as her entertainment was done, and the magma no longer feeling the need to flow would continue to bubble under the surface instead.

With one finally bite, the hardest thus far. Lumikki sunk her fangs into his throat as to wound him enough to leave a mark, preferably a scar if she could help it but only time could reveal that to her now. And the Demoness would pull away with a malicious chuckle, reaching over for a bottle of her own. But unlike all those other times before, she’d hand hers over to Knuckles’ instead. ”That time I let ye hold yers, so I was thinking maybe this time ya could handle mine. Help me drink it how ye’d like. Ya know, to keep things entertaining, sides I’m curious of what ye’d do when I give ya a chance to.”

Knuckles felt his daemon rise within him, a rush of power and hunger flared hotter as each moment passed. Reaching for that dark energy, he pulled it to him, letting it bolster him, making his resolve stronger, and his desire more intense. His gaze never left Lumikki as she moved, every sweep of her hands and whisper of her breath pushing waves of pleasure through him.

Her hand on his mountain, hardened further under her touch, pulsing with a deep, primal need. He groaned, the rumble of his voice echoing in the hot springs. The sensation overwhelmed him, and he had to break away from his sake bottle, his hand shaking as he set it aside, his focus entirely on her.

"You stir something fierce in me, Lumikki," he snarled, the sounds rasping into a growl as his voice grew rough with desire. "I draw on my daemon powers, and they make me crave you even more."

Her touch was unrelenting, and he could feel her magic around him, cool and teasing. When she bit into him, her fangs piercing his skin and bringing blood to the surface, he hissed at the pain and pleasure of it, the feeling pushing him to the edge. He pushed away from his sake bottle once more, watching her with piercing eyes as he chugged it, the liquid burning a path down his throat as it mingled with the heat and the chill in the air. Quickly he applied it back to his lips and finished the rest of the contents before she moved away from him.

When she handed him her bottle, he took it with untamed resolve. He towered over her then, bracing above her, his spear held ready. "Open wide, love," he snarled, low and imperative.

His Obscura would draw over him giving him his wings and coating his body in the darkness that came from her, a small chill of his own now coming from her, though it had hints of lighting that had developed from the long uses of both Mjolnirs. Slowly, he rose from the steaming water placing the raised hammer tip to her mouth its cool metal was a vibrant contrast to this heated moment. Slowly he poured the sake down it, the stream a waterfall into the pool of her mouth. Her sight, her feel, her taste, all of them intoxicated.

"Drink it all," he pressed her, never looking away, his gaze following every twitch, every quiver. His thirst for her was unquenchable, his will unshakeable. "Tonight, reforge each other."

His hands roamed over her, face as the chilling liquid ran down his mighty hammer cooling the threat of his explosion. Though the warmth of her mouth was mixed with the chilling effect of her own magic too, giving him an experience he never felt before. He could not lose himself in this moment, he needed to return the favor from earlier giving her only a taste to provoke her own raging fire burning within her. His hand that did not hold the bottle moved to her beautiful white locks taking a handful, he pressed her forward to inspect his hammer closer so she could check her handy work, it see if she had polished every bit that she tried to smooth out. He held her there robbing her of breath as she did him but only for a moment as the last drop ran down. "Don't waste a drop of that will be lost for you, my love."

He released her as he looked down into her demonic eyes, daring her to clean everything up or suffer defeat.

Lumikki swiped her thumb past her lips, playfully sticking out her tongue to his growl and begrudged desires. She was not entirely oblivious to the implications of her magic making Knuckles crave her more in moments like these, but sometimes she forgot. "What can I say Knuckles me love...ye bring out me true nature...I am still but a Demon after all~ Or would a warrior like ye prefer a Goddess instead?" She chuckled more at his swiftness to finish the drink, somewhat disappointed that beat the challenge. Lumikki sucked her teeth as she pulled away, pouty that there was enough self-control in him. "What a shame, and sooo close too."

Knuckles took the bottle with less grace than his noble background had afforded him. In truth, he was looking more animal than man. A snarl playing at the corner of his lips as he towered over her so imposingly. His height and posture almost swallowing her small frame whole. Lumikki complied with his demand. After all, it was what gave their game any fun at all. She'd tilt her head back with a smug expression on her face. The light dancing in her eyes gave a view of the fiery, passionate, and destructive nature of her soul. Her tongue, still blue because of the incomplete transformation, extended forward while her head tilted in a ploy to feign innocence. She almost looked sweet, if not for the feral urges that she pulled out of him, painting a view of her as otherwise.

"Reforge indeed beloved...And I'll be sure to do so every time I see fit. I'll glance at every aspect ye could muster." She spoke within his thoughts as she inspected the hilt. Her warrior was always so keen to prove the quality of his weapons in and out of battle, and with Lumikki's expertise, she didn't mind humoring him. Checking the length foremost, but his shaky and clumsy hands began to pour the drink, and she'd catch what she could with her tongue. Hoping that soon the mixture would settle and intensify in the hot bath. She'd lap it up the best she could, looking up at him with a little ire. Eyes aglow from his transgression, but her lips remained quite playful. Like her tongue dancing in her mouth.

And as his Obscura permeated his being, coating the Daemon's skin. Lumikki marveled at the extension of her magic. It suited him so well. Complimenting him so devilishly as he flexed his power before her. And like all dark things, she drank it in, consuming all that it was so that she could relish its taste and replenish her capacity. Slurping up the darkness as she usually would and enjoying its intricacies. A boon she enjoyed ever since God Slayer granted her that luxury. The electrifying shadows that coiled him only brought an electrifying feeling for her, mixed along with the frost she knew well to bring her a pleasing sensation. Quite a mouthful, as there was a lot of Obscura to sample, but his grasp on her hair deterred her from moving as she pleased. Knuckles abrasiveness didn't bother her all too much, though. She had planned on enjoying every bit of this quick meal. But his eagerness to let her taste was something that Lumikki found charming. Slurping the last bit of mana he had to spare her, she'd swirl the Obscura with her tongue, showing the magic stolen in her mouth before she swallowed her snack and rolled her eyes. "Sake and Obscura are hardly worth losing for, but the taste was pleasing enough. Yer cute when ye get so flustered, Gunnar, a pleasant contrast to the warrior I know." She'd wipe her lips with the back of her hand, leaning onto the rock as she rested. "I almost forgot the whole point of coming was to relax, but I got so caught up in the game that I completely forgot." Lumikki lazily turned her head, which was still resting on the stone. This time, her expression was only that adoration and love. Her cheeks flushed at the intimacy of his company and how he made her feel so alive.

And the mixing heat was wearing down at her again. "We really drank through those bottles pretty quickly, Love. I think we could manage enjoying those frozen ones a bit slowly. The bath is getting to me once more..." Ir indeed was, the heat and drink was loosening her resolved, the game only gave her a means to focus elsewhere. To push off the inevitable; but as it was now, she was dying down. It was even becoming apparent in her voice, softening to just above a whisper. Lumikki would reach for him, if the Daemon would take her, and rest against him for a moment as she caught her breath.

As Lumikki drew his Obscura, it made Knuckles feel a delightful release a feeling of her magic briefly calming it. He felt inebriated by her attention to all of his needs, both physical and emotional. His voice was low, flirtatious, as he replied, "You have a way of making everything more intense, love. But remember, the heat might make you vulnerable, and I'm going to be right there to make sure you smolder while I win this game."

The sake was starting to hit him, as could be seen in the movements a little less controlled, more animalistic, and his thoughts a little hazier but full of desire. He took Lumikki as she reached out to touch him, holding her close with her resting upon his chest. Her being against him was perfection; completion between them beckoned deeper with every touch.

After a few moments, Knuckles reached for two more bottles of sake. A mischievous grin crossed his face as he proffered his comment: "You know, you could just win this whole thing if you will admit defeat." His voice was low and throaty as he teased, "But until then, I'll press your weakness."

He kissed her lips, his tongue dancing to hers, exploring every inch of her mouth. He moved down to her neck then, sucking delicately before bringing his own mark to her, a sign of their bond and his claim. His kisses continued down her body until he reached her full hills, plump as if they were ready to give life to those who grazed there. He pushed her torso backward so she laid her head against the stone, his hands steady as he fed her the bottle of sake. "Such a good little demon," he purred, and she could feel the affection and possessiveness in his voice. "I do prefer having a demon I can put a leash on, but I wouldn't mind worshipping a goddess' body either."

He bent down to her feet, picking them up to place them on his shoulders. He pecked each of them lightly, just for a touch of her skin's flavor. Being close to the gate's entrance, he felt his desire surge even higher. Knocking his hammer on the gate, he beckoned for entrance to her garden, handing her his bottle. "Ready for the next round, love? Let's see who gives in first." His gaze held hers, challenging and adoring, for he knew this was a night given to him and her to conquer, savor, and remember.

In a sheepish manner, Lumikki leaned in. Curling into her beloved as her took her under his arm. And for a moment, the couple would enjoy that peace and serenity, but the damage was not yet enough for the Daemon. He still wanted to win, and inflict as much heat to the Demoness as he could dish out to do so.

Lumikki cooed to the his sweet purr, hearing that phrase was oddly pleasing. But it would be on the mention of the leash that made Lumikki’s temper flare, enough to hold back once more like a second wind; albeit not as strong as the prior wave, but enough to hold her down. It was like he beckoned it, called it upon himself; but the moment the sake finished its pour the night coiled around his throat like a collar. Squeezing tightly enough to slightly choke him with a chill that drained his strength.

Lumikki snarled, fangs in full view and annoyance plain on her face. ”First ye’d need a leash strong enough to ensnare me, and a trick to get it ‘round me throat Knuckles…” Her tone had edge but her voice still soft. But in her fret to push back, the Daemon would keep on. Pulling up her legs and setting her off balance. His beckoning move not enough to placate her temper, but it was enough to convince her there were other things to entertain. The black tendril would not ease, nor would the chill. But her temperament shifted, at least from her face alone, as she adjusted herself on the stone well enough to take swigs at the sake. Timing it with his moments so the it would not become and even more troublesome tasks than it was. Meanwhile, he’d eagerly enjoy his task. ”Say’s I need a leash but now the lad looks like a hound.” Her face an amalgamation of annoyed with welding pleasure washing over in waves. She would not give him the victory, nor would he allow him the excess satisfaction of her maiden expression, and so tilt her head back to the max and enjoy her sake in full.

But the temperament aside, the gates would part with glee and adoration as they welcomed him. Almost as if the domain wished to be a second home. Though he was in the bath, the inhabitant offered him showers. Pouring the ambrosia for their adored guest so that he would be lulled into his desires. And as he labored, the bond would reveal just how bountiful it all was. A bittersweet mixture of spite and pleasure swirling into the Daemon as he tapped into the Demoness’ sensations. She’d flood him with all of it. Her weakness to the heat, her yearning, her anger. Keeping the feelings one sided, though they could share thoughts all the same. All the while lacing a temptation to run deep by the spell of the enchantress that lied deep within. Eager was the sorceress to pluck the seeds, but not as hasty to sow just yet. For beyond the next gate laid the truth, a tundra until it was winter no more.

When the focused Demoness was done with her bottle, she’d place it on the rock. Her magic still tightening on his throat until he soothed her ire. And now it was peeling him back and away. ”I have the sudden desire to test me talons Gunnar” Her voice still rough and echoey in his mind. She’d lean over, nails lengthening to daggers as they’d mean to tear at his flesh; but as they sunk through, she’d heal him instantly. Her black vine like tendrils holstering her above the water reaching an eye level. And her features both beautiful and enchanting, with hints of danger and bloodlust deep beneath. But Lumikki didn’t desire his blood, she only craved everything he was.

As Lumikki's temper flared and her tendril wrapped around his Knuckles Knuckles let out a groan, the look in his eyes met her own as he listened to her words. A grin placed on his lips as he heard the challenge that he needed a strong enough leash to be kept around her neck, and a trick to get one around her throat. Yes, it was a challenge, a challenge he would indeed seek to answer. She then commented on how he looked like a hound with her own tendril around his neck, she was right. She had turned his words against him and while he did not have command over the shadows as she did, his obscura did have something that her chilling frost darkness did not. Lightning.

As his Obscura soaked within her garden and fed from the buffet offered to it, it would grow and strengthen, becoming as hard as Mjolnir's steel. As if it was coated with the metal. As he could with any of his hammers Knuckles could command lightning with his tools.

"I have just the thing my beloved, frør dróttning. "

Knuckles reached up to her neck with his arms covered in the darkness she had gifted him in their bond and pulled her by the throat to meet his lips again, finishing the passionate kiss with a bite to her lower lip as he playfully pulled at it. Losing himself in her taste and enjoying the bliss which was the home within her gates Knuckles ramped up his constant strikes.

Pressing her back down using all of his strength to overcome her, he pushed her down forcing her talons to cut down into him which forced a primal roar to leave his lips, this did not deter him however, only new scars of battle to join the rest of them. Stretching both hands out using his size advantage over her, the daemon gripped her wrist with all his strength as he pulled her along from his flesh, blood leaking down his torso as he pressed her firmly into the stone.

While he might lack the magic as she did he had his own tricks, and if it took a trick to make her leash then he had just the perfect ones. He moved his hands from her wrist into her own hands cupping them within his, then summoned both his hammers between them. As the hammers came to his summons he drew from them the power of Thor, from this realm and that of the void, calling their power to bolster him further. Twice over he would enhance his strength, and endurance propelling him to strike true like his lightning spells.

He was fixed onto a target at the end of her garden, where the seeds of life had been planted before back in her office. While he was unsure if the seed had taken root or not, that did not mean the fields of her garden could not be tilled so fresh seeds could be laid. Thus, the daemon bore down with the labor to prepare the field, working the soil to drive his gardening tool deep into the ground, drawing the waters from her garden around his weapon of choice.

He needed to ensure where he would place his seeds would have all the water they needed for the best chance of growth. Taking his hands off of both the Mjolnirs Knuckles reached over for two more bottles feeling his mouth with as much as it would hold as he leaned forward into her grabbing her jaw with his right hand and pouring her sake from his mouth into her own.

"Drink it all my love, for you will soon become overheated from the power of my lightning."

Calling to his hammers lighting would come from them as they wrapped around her wrist forming cuffs then chained together then another chain formed where they met, this one traveling up his his right hand as it slipped from her haw to the throat where he would squeeze as if it was the hilt of his hammers before he went in for a haymaker blow. A collar of lightning formed and connected to the growing chain.

The Daemon of Thunder would now go full primal, letting his Daemon want to control his body with the aid of his god-like power. Just like the storms he summoned, he would strike with his lightning here, each strike followed by a thunderous clamp from impact. Soon the spring waters followed the motion of the storm he was brewing, the hot springs lifting up to meet more of her then retreating like the waves in a storm in the ocean.

His chest still bleeding lifted and fell like a gust of wind during a thunderstorm, as he raged on. He was using his wings and footing to get the best angle he could as he trudged forward with everything he had, sweat long had formed from the springs now beaten down his body as steam washed over them. He poured the rest of the Sake into her mouth from the bottle, then fetched the one he grabbed for himself chugging it between breaths.

"Lumikki..." He growled, his shinigami red eye and his normal pink one set onto her own multi-colored eyes. "How does it feel to be the one unable to move?"

Knuckles wrapped his arms around her thighs and pulled her to him as he met her. The time was near, either he was going to win, or he would soon lose. Either way, he knew what he was going to do. It had been on his mind for too long now.

Lumikki meekly blushed from what he called her, she wasn’t used to pet names from her tongue. They were often childish and Fioren but this one took her by surprise, making her heart skip a beat. Before she could return her sentiments, he’d take her by the throat. A moan slipped out of her as the Demoness could not help but gasp. Already winded by the constant pounding on the gates, she was in a soft daze while Knuckles met her lips and pulled away with a playful tease.                                                                

Lumikki always had a tiny frame, but her Daemon would tower over her. His gargantuan frame bending toward her and clutching at her wrists during the last instances of her fight. Causing her talons to hook and tear deeper than she would intend, but his growl would vibrate in her already shaking body. Crumbling the last foundations to the temple that the devilish creature was seizing.

Her moans and gasps were building up to his tempo, meanwhile, his might bound her; but he was greedy and ravenous as she was, and was compelled to take more, everything even. So when Lumikki glanced as his hammers, her eyes widened. As Knuckles surged with the power of thunder and lightning, the Demoness unraveled. Like fabrics torn apart within his grasp, the darkness spilled forth within his quacking embrace. Her human façade peeling away like the paint of the tumbling temple. Shifting from human to harpy in mere moments as tuffs of her feathers burst forth with each crashing wave. ”Haaah….Haaaah…Haaa….” She panted deeply, this exchanged left her exacerbated as it kept revving up with time. Her beloved embodying a coming storm surging above the ocean and Lumikki was the pitiful ship caught out in the disaster’s whims. Rocking from the perilous waves that threatened to swallow her whole.

Knuckles would continue to be relentless, taking sake into his mouth and forcing it into her own. And Lumikki would be helpless, the hot bath, drink, and now his thunder robbed her of what little strength she had left. The tendril long dissipated, his strength in full and undeterred. She could no longer fight or pull away, simply defeated the Demoness gave into the Daemon’s whims. His weaving of lightning would not be hindered, but observed with fleeting curiosity, while it snaked around her wrists first and eventually her throat. The shackles sealing her fate but releasing an abundance of ambrosia to sate the taste of the abrasive guest. Meanwhile the grip he’s had on her throat since the forced drink was tight but practiced, locking her into weakness before released and replaced by his lightning collar.

Her face was a teary, the humiliation was more than she was willing to chew, but his prowess forced the Demoness in her place and she’d respect it begrudgingly. The eyes that were so full of light and fire before were now dimmed and glossed over. Her body limp and delicate within his embrace. Knuckles poured the last of her drink into her mouth, and she’d lap it slowly and carefully. She was resigned to her fate, but his goading sparked the last wave of her ire. His words constantly being the point from which she’d burst forth.

Lumikki’s plumage began to stand on end, she would not bother to push him away as the Demoness was tightly locked into his grasp. Her fangs bared, the harpy spoke through thought, her breathing was too heavy to entertain growls and words. ”Oh Knuckles….” Her anger quickly diminishing with every strike of lightning and each crackle of thunder. It lead her to a forked road, somewhat of an impasse. She could continue the desire to pose a storm of her own, or simply fall into the pleasures of her man. What held her to such resolved she wondered, but only for a quick moment. There was hardly time for thoughts. There was no reason to seem strong, she was….it was the crumb of reason within her conclusion. The desire to tear everything apart including herself to prove she was a threat was simply a bygone habit attained within her ascent, but if she held onto it with her love, then it would only be a hindrance to herself.

She wanted to be laid bare by the man before her, torn asunder as he claimed his home within the tundra she bore. She wanted to observe him be the only thing to thrive in her desolate and frigid domain. Every aspect of him dripping with the strength and vigor of his existence that made her fall in love. And as she felt the might of Thor in the crashing thunder and surge of her shackles, it dawned on her the depth of valor and raw force of this man. His coming storms never affecting her in battle as much as they do in embrace. Lumikki could fight him forever but she didn’t want to. The Demoness understanding that he was the one person she didn’t want to battle, not in this regard. As much as it hurt her pride and wounded her self security, she eased herself open so that his hunger, emotion, and desire poured within her soul, body, and mind. Mad with lust and devotion, her Daemon crashed his soul along hers and she’d simply accept it. Her feathers smoothing over and the chill that hung thick in the air only to go unnoticed, would somewhat subside. ”Tasty…when it’s coming from ye Gunnar…”

With the storm he had called brewing about them, his heart pounded in time within Knuckles Shi as he stood amidst their tumultuous embrace. Eyes one shinigami red and the other the bright pink of youth fixed into that? the multicultural gaze of Lumikki's, combined desire and animal determination exuding from this stark stare. The garden about them, usually a peaceful sanctuary, had become instead a battleground for elemental forces to fight in when every crash of thunder and flicker of lightning echoed back with a raw power in the force of their joining.

Every time he conjured lightning from his hands, he struck chains of electricity around Lumikki, bounding her in both power and pleasure. Essences joined in the dance of dominance and submission as Knuckles could feel her yielding under his touch. He reveled in the control he wielded, every pull at the chains drawing her closer to him until finally, their energies merged tempestuously in a blazing passion of love.

The thunderous setbacks were resounding across the garden, an indicator of the intensity that glowed to bind them together. Every flash of lightning across her features showed raw desire etched on her face. It was passion, equal to his, burning fiercely amidst a chaos wrought by them together. She breathed in ragged gasps as her eyes never left his, moving in perfect harmony.

Knuckles Shi pulled harder on the chains of lightning, drawing Lumikki closer to him, like an unseen force pulling them together in fervor, which was sharpened only by the storm. His hands, now dabbed with darkness she had given to him, studied every possible curve of her form as he continued dousing his elemental power on her. The electricity danced over her skin, a visible manifestation of the energy that surged between them. He could feel the play of every muscle tighten and release in her body to his touch, like the play of a symphony conducted by their shared power.

Their bodies danced, their motions honed into some kind of primal rhythm bred of desire and the silent understanding between Daemon and Demoness. The feel of her lips against his, the touch of skin to skin, merged as they crashed into each other with a force that could have incinerated them. His kisses were hard and desperate, driven by the maelstrom inside him. Every single touch, every movement was infused with a need that sliced through the flesh, reaching deep into the hearts of their beings.

"Lumikki," he growled between thunderous strikes, the low rumble of his voice mingling with the fury of the storm. "You are mine, bound by more than chains of lightning. Together, we set the heavens ablaze with our passion." His words were a vow, promising theirs was a connection that would not be broken, forged within the crucible of their mutually turned powers and desires.

As they merged into the flame of passion, Knuckles Shi's soul flowed into Lumikki's, their union took them to depths of something eternal, beyond the real. The lightning chains about her wrists and neck did not serve solely as tokens for his dominance but as conduits for their combined power. Every spark that leaped between them, was the proof and the physical mnemonic of their bonding energies that surged with their blood.

Knuckles could feel the power of Thor within him, his strength, his endurance boosted. He was a storm incarnate every move crackling with lightning, rumbling with thunder. Electrically charged, the air itself would be alive to each breath, redolent with ozone and rife with portent of release. He reveled in it the sheer force of their bond, the amplification it gave to every action.

He pushed Lumikki down, her talons, viselike, dug deep into his skin, each slash reminiscent of just what was basic and animalistic concerning their bond. He did not feel any deterrence due to the pain it fueled further his resolve, with the newer scars a testament to battles shared and won. His hold on her wrists tightened as he pulled her along, his blood mingling with his sweat and leaving streaks down his torso. He wouldn't stop, the drive was to possess her in every way.

Knuckles summoned his war hammers to him, by thought alone, and they materialized in his hands, large and charged with storm power. He could feel the hum of energy within them, his preeminent connection to the realm of the gods and thus to the void beyond. He gave vent to their energy in a gashed roar, enhancing his strength, and his endurance. The hammers were his will, an extension to shape the storm and channel his lightning.

He stroked once, twice, each one a thunderous clap through the garden. The ground shook with the force of their union, the very air rippling under the force of their combined power. Her garden waters came to meet them, steam swirling around their bodies as the heat of their passion met the coolness of her spring. It had been a dance of opposites: fire and ice, light and shadow bound together by the force of will.

Knuckles lifted his head, his chest heaving with exertion as his gaze moved over Lumikki's tear-streaked face. She had that same duel in her features of pain and pleasure, the same as his. He could feel the surrender to him within her gaze, that contentment of having given herself to him without reserve. That was a heady sensation, one of which he knew she utterly trusted him and that she was his, his in every way.

"Lumikki," he growled again, his voice rough with emotion. "How does it feel to be the one unable to move?" His question was rhetorical, a taunt that belied the deep love he felt toward her. He wrapped his arms around her thighs, pulling her to him with a fierce possessiveness. He could feel the end approaching, a culmination of their shared journey and the storm they had summoned.

At the height of their passion, the storm raged on until the last thunderous clap resounded through the garden. There, at that moment, they were a single entity: souls entwined in a dance of power and desire, which easily rose beyond the physical realm. It was a union forged within the crucible of common strength to bind through storms and battles yet to come.

The thunderous claps resounded across the garden, evidence of the force that bound them together. Marked in her features with every flash of lightning was the raw desire. It was a passion that equaled his, raging like wildfire amid the havoc they were wreaking upon one another.

Knuckles Shi yanked harder on the chains of lightning, pulling Lumikki closer to him with all the force of an aligned storm. His hands, now dripping with the darkness that she had given to him, outlined every curve of her form as he went on with the frenetic discharge of his elemental power.

Their bodies undulated to the rhythm of their passion and the wordless burying of souls in Daemon and Demoness. Her lips on his, her skin against his, burned like fire as they came together as might destroy them.

"Lumikki," he growled between the thunderous strikes, low rumbling, like that stormy fury. "You are mine, bound by more than chains of lightning. Together we set the very heavens aflame."

The two of them melded into each other as if fired in a crucible of passion, their bond was no longer limited to this mortal coil. Knuckles Shi's soul flowed into Lumikki's, theirs was now a spiritual, eternal union.

The addition of new chains came in flashes of lightning. His power interlocking in links that wrapped all around her, as if he wanted to exercise his ability to overwhelm the Demoness entirely. It was working, she was locked in place by every surge. The lightning was simply another tight caress from her passionate lover, his possessive nature coming into the light within the eye of the storm. And the chains would hug her skin closely, tight enough to exert a binding pressure but never enough to hurt her. They just pacified her of all her fight, of her bite and talons, of her will to rebel his advances.

Like the waves beneath her, or the down pour from up above, Lumikki would just let his will and desires wash over her. Taking them into herself as if she was drinking in the pleasure, losing herself into his soul for the second time as her tundra shifted through hues of crimson ice and within her fortress sat her Daemon like if he crafted a throne. In that inner world, where Lumikki would normally be an overwhelming and towering force, she felt so small. Her tiny frame was over shadowed by his but it wouldn’t feel malicious. It was more akin to grasping the presence of her protector. The being who accepted her entirely and would greedily claim all the Demoness had to offer, and she would gladly let him. As if it was something she was always meant to do. And in that merging, his power would only grow more drastically, as she surrendered even more of what she had to him.

Tears ran from her eyes, a combination of pain and pleasure. The sensation of letting go when you were they type to cling and clasp as hard as you could was a lot for Lumikki to accept, but there was pleasure in that pain and in the feeling of sinking in. Lumikki softly cried as she desired to fall into the depths as for as far as she could go. The force of his thunder loosening whatever inhibitions she had left as he wore away Lumikki’s body, emotions, and mind. When did he become like this? Why? She’d think to herself in her stupor. Absentminded thoughts as she fell into his consumption. The burning drink in her stomach was exasperated by their passion and bath, and for the moment, she barely knew who she was. It was freeing, it was a peaceful quiet. The only sounds were from where he met her. It was rare for her to ever show such weakness, even her family would rarely see such emotions from her. Did I always tuck them away? Freeze them over whenever it was most convenient? Lumikki didn’t know, but who better to explore it with than Knuckles as he seized her.

Knuckles pulled Lumikki in and in such a simple gesture, here fire reignited. Her storm began to crash against his, but now combative like before, no more of like a merging of chaotic hungers. Lumikki finally got a proper glance at the chains of lightning that bound her, they shown bright against her dark skin like stars strung together in a night sky. She was enamored, overtaken by its beauty and the work of her lover. His dazzling essence only adding to her very own possessive devotion and his hungry, desperate kisses left her just as famished. She’d kiss him back with the same fever. Her tongue sliding along his as she welcomed his crushing strength to pull her in further. Gasps leaving her lips for every time she felt his grasp or grip press into her and the tugging of the chains made her moan tenderly. Lumikki gave him everything.

Hearing him growl her name made her shudder profusely, and the river surged in response. Lumikki panted in anticipation while still locked in his gaze. The uttering of his vow made her tighten further, her body locking from the sensation of being intensely flustered.

Knuckles would growl again, the sound of his voice reverberating through her and she’d shudder violently once more. Weakening enough to fall back somewhat limply but his chains and grip kept her locked in place. ”I love it…” She sighed, her siren voice thick with pleasure. He never heard her like that before and she’d lay back as each strike of thunder quaked her body, causing every bit of her to tremble and shake with its tempo. Until he seized her, pulling her toward him. Her teary face and glossy eyes denoted her mental capacities at the moment. Lumikki sensed the end of the storm was near, the lightning pooling into its final strike. The thought of it sent another shudder as if she was shocked already, her tongue lapping up the condensed darkness on his fingers to give her back some strength before finding his lips again and pouring her passion back into him.

And he’d growl her name for the third time, never before did she loved hearing it so. Her body was shivering in sheer pleasure, the lightning now dancing in and out of her. ”I’m yers for all eternity Knuckles and no one else could ever claim it.” Lumikki purred, her voice ebb and flowed with the clashing of the moment. ”I want to be yers, I want ye to claim me. Love me like this always and take everything I have to give…protect me forever and never leave me alone….” The last bit was a whisper, hardly a whimper as she spoke of things she ever liked to say out loud. Only yearn passionately in silence, content with keeping it quiet forever but he bore into her soul and took ownership to all she was. Her fears, confusion, and pain were just as much in his grasp as her joy, elation, and pleasure. Knuckles now sat with Lumikki in her coldest and darkest storm and she clung to him because of it.

But she would melt into him as well.

The darkness draped over and enveloped them. Wrapping around them like a comforting dome. Lumikki used it to extend her embrace much like how he did her. Holding him into herself. The pair still panting and exasperated, but the feeling of crashing together was euphoric.

”Should we return to the room love and lay about?” Her voice was meek and soft like a mouse. She’d look up at him with teary, doe eyes while still trying to understand all that happened. The Demoness felt winded by the whiplash, but her love would proceed her and she’d pelt him with kisses while awaiting his response. And while she still couldn’t move, she was still a slave to his whims.

Knuckles Shi stood firm as the chains of lightning he conjured shimmered off the dark backdrop of the garden. Every single link spoke of his power and symbolized the overwhelming desire to claim and protect Lumikki altogether. He could feel the chains, wrapping about her, binding her in tender possessiveness. They held her tight, so as not to hurt, but to draw out the full depth of the passion they shared.

The whole storm was at full pitch as Knuckles felt an extremely close, bonding relationship with Lumikki. Her tear-and-ecstasy-filled eyes met his. He could feel in her gaze the kind of surrender she had given to him trust in him, her entire self including the will to give herself to him completely. It was a responsibility he did not take lightly but embraced with all his strength and love.

"Lumikki," he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion, "you are the fire that sets my soul in flames, the storm that makes me whole. I claim you, not just with these chains, but with my heart and spirit." He leaned forward and claimed her lips, scorching her with a kiss that contained every ounce of passion within him. Each movement was deliberate, each touch a declaration of his unwavering love for her.

The tightened chains of lightning, blinding brighter at each surge of energy, gave off electric tender touches that elicited soft moans from Lumikki. She was a dark beauty, her body reacting to his touch as their souls entwined in wrapping bonds. Knuckles felt the power within him grow at this surrender of his beloved. Her yielding was not a sign of weakness but a gift one which he truly cherished.

As their bodies moved to the rhythm a primal one, driven by their desires Knuckles marveled at the transformation within her. Where once stood a fierce and powerful demoness now lay someone vulnerable and open, much like what he provided with their bond. Her energy was blending with his, and the storm working through them came to a climax. Each thunderous clap seemed to resound with the union as a symphony of power and passion reverberated across the garden.

"Lumikki," he growled, his voice full of reverence and need. "I want you to know just exactly how much you mean to me. You are my everything." And with a tug on the chains, she was closer to him again, his grasp not relenting as he dragged her closer into the heart of the storm. The lightning danced around them in a wild display of their combined power.

That second, Knuckles was smacked with a feeling going way beyond the physical view of the scene. He then knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Lumikki to protect her, cherish her, love her, and unconditionally at that. The realization was deep, and he knew what he had to do.

"Lumikki," he said, his voice faltering at the gaze from her windows to her soul, "be my wife. Stand by my side through storm and battle." His words were a vow of eternal love and devotion.

With that Knuckles would scoop her up, and bring her back to the room they had rented, this is what he had wanted for winning the contest.

Lumikki basking in all his splendor, was unraveling. She was nearly becoming undone. Every stroke, every crackle of thunder, every pull and grasp, tug and squeeze. It was a mesmerizing storm. A hurricane. Their gales and currents merged together in a single cyclone. Whipping the air and water around them. Yet in all her raw power, seeping out like a heavy black mist, her skin appeared as if it were a haze. Like she was growing intangible in every strike. Nearly splitting apart at the seams as ravens wings sprouted forth like she’d break apart.

And with every purr, every growl, every utterance of her name…the threat of her shattering from pure ecstasy grew, but it would the chains that held her into place, locking her into a form in which he could still hold tightly within his grasp. And it was smothering, all his possession, hunger, and desire dwarfed her weakness to fall away. He spit the Demoness open but he was also what held her together. The searing kiss was flames to her frost, she was doomed to melt for him always and hungrily crave that fate. Pooling at his touch forever.

”I feel it….” She moaned and gasped. Her airy voice was swallowed by the storm, but her words could still resinate in his mind. ”Yer me everything,” She agreed and cooed, the river pouring upon the pounding hammer, Lumikki clutched at him as tight as he did her. His grasp and pull of the chains makings her shiver in another wave of pleasure as she was getting accustomed to her binds; and being pulled closer kept flooding her with mutual ravenous desire. In the rush of her affections, she pulled together hold onto him. Her feelings were sincere as the link shared between the two. ”Pull me in foooreeeever…” Her voice fractured like the parting winds, but he knew her every word.

On the proclamation of his love, his solid vow burning into her. Scorching her very being as his proposal itched into her soul. Her frost fortress, shimmering in crimson hues, now turned to waves falling away as there was no tundra left. Knuckles guided her hand into the spring, and ushered her into a summer. She was but only his Queen now, as there was no desire to hold the winter up now.

Lumikki’s arms wrapped tight around his neck, her hair and feathers slowly standing up by the intensity of her excitement. Her tear stained face was glowing, her smile bright and brazen. ”Aye, then I’d have ye forever me love. As ya would me. Every storm, war, battle, clash….every sweet child….ye’d have me. Forever~ Me precious beloved. So make me yer happy wife~, fierce husband of mine.” As she spoke with a voice so soft and loving that it was a sultry whisper. Knuckles was quick to spirit them both back into their room. To which they already began to steal a taste of their honeymoon, for hours upon hours throughout the remaining days.