Continuing Tales

Most Prized Possession

A Labyrinth Story
by Jester3

Part 22 of 42

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Most Prized Possession

Sarah, having gotten herself to bed rather early the night before, woke up in a rather pleasant mood. Her bottom was not nearly as painful as it had been only the day before, and the fact that she had a new friend with whom she could share her secrets, only made her outlook even brighter.

It was early morning when the Goblins came to rouse her, finding that she was already awake and dressed in rather peculiar clothing. Sarah, needing a break from uncomfortable boots and waist cinchers, had dressed herself in her favorite pair of jeans and a black stretchy top, which had been among the clothes she had fetched from her dorm.

Her Levis were a little worse for wear, faded with a hole starting in one knee, but they were the most comfortable pair of jeans she owned. She had tossed her boots under her bed, and nearly cried out in relief when she slipped on her old worn sneakers. Feeling rejuvenated by her old familiar clothes, she resolved that she would finish her task or reorganizing the library.

It was a lovely day, and a pleasant breeze wafted through certain regions of the castle. As she entered the library, with its airy feel and open windows, she couldn't shake the feeling that something good was bound to happen on such a beautiful day.

Later that same morning, Jareth happened to be strolling down the corridor on the way to his study, when he heard what sounded like, peculiar music coming from the library. His curiosity got the better of him, and he strayed from his course, taking instead, the passage to his right that led to the castle library.

The large oak doors were slightly ajar and the music seemed to grow louder, the closer he ventured. Intrigued, he reached out and pushed the door open a little wider. Just as he had suspected, Sarah was inside, seemingly busying herself with the reorganization of the castle volumes. She had succeeded in removing all the books from the shelf opposite the doorway and she was now diligently dusting off the shelves with a polishing cloth.

The source of the noise, as far as he could tell, was a black rectangular box that sat upon the window's edge. The strange music produced by the mysterious box was unlike anything he had ever heard before. It was rather loud, with a frenzied, almost chaotic melody that was accompanied by very aggressive drums and vocals.

Sarah did not notice the curious monarch, who stood aghast in the doorway. She had been busy polishing the shelves with her back to him.

Jareth simply listened for a moment, it was so unlike anything he had ever heard that he wasn't sure if he abhorred it or if he liked it. One thing was true enough, he found it fascinating.

As strange as the music was to him, Sarah was apparently very familiar with it, as she mouthed the lyrics in time with the unmistakably male vocalist.

Jareth folded his arms across his chest, an amused smirk growing on his face. His eyes lazily drifted over the girl who was now bobbing along and strutting carelessly to the music, happily oblivious to his intrusion. Her movements were somewhat rigid and jerky, but it didn't stop her from enthusiastically indulging in a sort of self-absorbed dance.

Apparently Kayla had been right, Sarah was going to need help if she was going to be expected to dance at the ball without embarrassing herself...and him for that matter. He watched her with curiosity, covering his mouth with an elegantly gloved hand to stifle a chuckle that would have surely alerted her to his presence. Not wanting to call attention to himself just yet, he collected himself, letting his eyes drift over her form.

Her shirt was some short-sleeved aboveground concoction. It was solid black and the fabric was quite elastic, as even from a distance, Jareth could see that the material was stretched tightly across her bust. She was wearing those atrocious denim trousers that Abovegrounders seemed to love so much. Jeans, he believed they were called.

He had seen her in similar slacks several years before when she had solved the labyrinth. Still, as he tilted his head to the side to appraise her behind, he conceded that these were far more fetching on her, in a grossly informal sort of way. Maybe it was the way they hugged her hips, or that their tightness nicely accentuated her shapely thighs. He didn't really know, nor did he care, he just knew he liked what he saw.

Her shirt ended right where her trousers, er jeans...or whatever they were...had begun, causing her mid-drift to become exposed when she stretched to reach the higher shelves of the bookcase. The outfit was accented by a narrow black leather belt with many blunted silver studs on it.

Finally Jareth glanced down, noticing the worn sneakers. He shook his head, reminding himself that humans though skilled in science and technology, hadn't the first clue about tasteful attire. Still, as hopeless as the outfit was, it held a certain amount of charm on her. Oddly it suited her, as one is suited to their own skin. It was a pleasant surprise to see that finally she seemed to be somewhat at home here. That meant that he was one step closer to achieving victory.

Eventually the Goblin King strode further into the room and loudly cleared his throat.

Sarah glanced over her shoulder in surprise, and upon seeing the Goblin King leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest, she quickly reached over and turned the volume down on her boombox to a sub-deafening level before she turned to face him.

Jareth smirked as he began, "I see you've taken over my library. Just what are you doing in here?"

Sarah motioned to the pile of books on the floor and explained in a slightly chastising tone, "Well, I've reordered this entire section uh...alphabetically by author's name, and now I'm just cleaning off the shelves, as they were particularly filthy."

Jareth sighed and leveled his gaze at her before he arrogantly replied, "Sarah, I am responsible for a kingdom full of goblins. I am quite familiar with filth, in all of its diverse and reprehensible forms, so please...forgive me if a little dust isn't my main concern."

Sarah placed one hand defiantly on her hip, swinging the dust cloth in the other as she retorted, "Well, it does concern me, since I like to read in here, so if you won't have it taken care of, then I will."

Jareth grinned wolfishly and goaded, "Well, it wasn't so much the details of your cleaning I was after, as it was this racket I was curious about."

He gestured to her stereo and she replied, a little less defensively, "Oh...this?"

Jareth nodded and she explained, "It's just my radio. I like to listen to music while I'm working. It helps to pass the time."

Jareth stalked closer letting his fingertips skim along the top of the stereo, as he replied silkily, "I see. How does it work?"

Sarah shrugged, "Simple." She popped open the top and pointed to the disc inside, "It reads recorded music...on these. I have a whole collection...in here." She flipped open her CD album, which was lying next to the radio, to show Jareth the variety of discs inside.

Jareth grinned and remarked, "Ah. Tell me, what manner of music is this?" as he indicated the music that began to play from the CD again.

Sarah replied, "Oh, that's hard rock."

Jareth considered the throaty male voice that permeated the room. The song had a certain sexual quality to it, making him slightly suspicious. Jareth slid a little closer to her and replied, "Hard rock hmm? Are you familiar with the performer of this hard rock? Is he, say a...friend of yours?"

Sarah looked at him as though he couldn't be serious before she laughed, "Uh, no...I mean I am familiar with the music because they are a famous band, but I don't like know them or anything. They're just a rock band I like."

Jareth seemed intrigued and he continued, "So hard rock is what you call this because..."

Sarah nodded, "Because it is hard and...edgy. There is soft rock too, but I don't usually listen to that unless I'm trying to go to sleep. I have some pop. Pop pretty much encompasses everything that's popular. Oh, and I have some rap, which has a heavy base and the lyrics rhyme and are spoken very fast. I also have some electronica, or techno, it's all computer generated..."

Blankly, he replied, "Computer generated?"

Sarah shrugged, "Never mind, it's not really important...but if you want you can use this sometime and listen. I could show you, if you want."

Jareth smiled winningly and replied, "I'd like that."

She smiled back, for she couldn't really help it, the bastard could be charming when he wanted to.

Jareth suddenly seemed to remember himself and began, "Perhaps some evening when we both have some free time, which that reminds me...I believe I owe you a dance do I not?"

Sarah blushed slightly, against her will, and stammered, "Oh. Uh, yeah..."

Jareth smirked and replied, "Excellent. I will have some free time this afternoon. How much time do you need to finish this?" and he gestured to the stack of books on the floor.

Sarah swallowed the nervousness that crept over her at the prospect of dancing with him before she stammered, "Well, I uh, am almost finished. I just have to put the books back...say in like a half hour?"

Jareth arched a delicate eyebrow and smirked, "Perfect. I'll arrange lunch for us before we begin. When you are finished, meet me in the dining room." With that the Goblin King offered her a dashing grin as he turned and strode out of the room, utterly amazed that for once their conversation hadn't turned into an argument, but then, it was still early in the day.

Time seemed to fly by for Sarah in the library and the next thing she knew she was strolling down the corridor on her way to meet Jareth for lunch.

When she arrived in the dining room, he was already waiting for her, and so was their lunch. Jareth made polite conversation, the popular topic being Sarah's music collection.

She had a feeling that the Goblin King loved music, and his interest in her music collection only supported the idea. All too soon lunch was over and Jareth rose, seemingly eager to begin her instruction. Somehow she had a feeling that as much as she dreaded this, he was looking forward to it.

With a smirk Jareth suggested, "Let's begin in the ballroom. I've seen to it that we won't be disturbed."

Hesitantly, Sarah rose from the table and followed Jareth to the ballroom. The room was spacious and open, but unlike the room in Sarah's peach induced dream, there were no sparkling or opulent decorations, and instead of soft white lighting and mountains of pillows, the room was mostly wide-open space with bleak grey stone walls and dusty flagstone floors.

To Sarah this room looked as though it had not seen any use in quite some time.

Jareth noticed her appraisal of the room and remarked, "It may look bare and unimpressive at the moment, but I assure you, this room will be quite transformed by the eve of the ball. Still...it's the most obvious and suitable place for you to learn."

Sarah was busy staring up at the immense cathedral ceiling, noticing that it was adorned with flying buttresses. She was so lost in her appraisal, that she didn't notice that Jareth had stepped closer, and was now standing directly behind her, causing her to start as he added in a silky whisper, "Now, perhaps it might be best to jump right in and see what you know..."

Sarah turned, regarding him with wide eyes as a crystal appeared in the palm of his hand. He juggled it skillfully before it came to balance on the tip of his fingers. His mouth formed a teasing smirk as he added, "A little music would do nicely, don't you think?"

Sarah nodded in mesmerized silence as the transparent orb began to spin of its own accord atop his fingertips. He made a subtle gesture with his other hand and the crystal floated up, hovering in mid air while its magic caused a haunting yet strangely familiar melody to fill the room.

The Goblin King's gaze was set on Sarah as he stepped purposefully towards her and drawled seductively, "May I have this dance?" The sound of his voice and the sight of him coming forward to claim her as his partner caused heart to leap into her throat.

For the first time that afternoon Sarah finally allowed herself to really take in his appearance. He was dressed as usual, in tight breeches, however, today they were black, and instead of the frequently present white poet's shirt he wore a crimson tunic accented by an intricately crafted dark leather doublet. Black leather gauntlets covered his hands and wrists, and as usual he was wearing shiny black field boots. He didn't look terribly formal, but he did look unmistakably Fae and was every inch the imposing Goblin King of legend, who had dominated her dreams and nightmares alike for the past several years.

Sarah swallowed. The time had come, she was going to have to touch him. There was no way around that now. She seized what was left of her courage just as Jareth slipped his right hand about her waist. She tentatively placed her left hand upon his shoulder.

She raised her other arm just as he caught her hand in his, his slender fingers closing around hers.

Sarah exhaled breathlessly, slightly relieved at the realization that his other hand was safely clasped about her waist and was no where near her breast, but it was only a small blessing as he was still touching her, and that in itself was enough to accelerate her heart rate.

She desperately tried to ignore the incapacitating nervousness that washed over her. How she hated those damned evil butterflies in her stomach. Why oh why was he the only one capable of doing this to her poor insides? If he made her any more nervous, she might have to throw up all over the floor.

Sarah wrenched her mind back to the task at hand and tried to drown out everything else. He was standing so close that she found it incredibly difficult to look at his face, especially since making one false move would result in being in that dangerously vulnerable "about to kiss" position.

She looked at the floor. Hell, what was she thinking? They were slow dancing, meaning they were going to be stuck in that damn position the entire time.

She tried to listen as he briefly explained the steps, but all she could really hear was her own pounding heart. Finally, Jareth started to move, advancing toward her and Sarah did the logical thing and stepped back. He praised her for correctly interpreting his cue as he started to move her through the rest of the steps.

She did her best to try and follow his lead but she felt intensely awkward, like she was constantly trying not to trip over her own two feet. Her instinctive response was to look down to make sure her feet were behaving, and besides, anything was less nerve wracking than looking into those extraordinary mismatched eyes of his.

As he lead her through the pattern he called out the steps for her, "One...two...twirl left...twirl right..." It was a fairly fast paced dance, and she had a peculiar feeling of déjà vu, as it was similar to the way he had danced with her in her dream. They were swiftly beginning to cover a lot of ground as the pace became faster, and Sarah had to keep watching her feet to keep from tripping.

At this point Jareth had noticed that Sarah's attention was increasingly focused on the ground. In one fluid movement he moved his hand from her waist, lifting her chin so that their eyes met. His dual colored eyes held hers as he silkily commanded, "Never look at the floor. Always look at me."

Sarah swallowed, her mouth suddenly going dry as she was forced to keep her gaze locked on his ethereal face. For a moment she thought she saw the faintest of smiles grace his lips before he lead her into the next dizzying series of turns.

Without being able to look at her feet, Sarah felt wildly out of control, and part of it was probably due to the fact that she kept getting lost in those haunting eyes that held hers captive.

Her steps started to become increasingly delayed, as she had to keep reminding herself what she was supposed to be doing. Her increasing nervousness caused tension to settle throughout her frame. As her originally innocent study of his features started to turn to longing, daydreaming sort of appraisal, she fought to keep her wits about her.

She was suddenly hyper-aware of the light touch of his hand on her waist and the way her hand felt in his. She had also noticed that his body was now significantly closer to hers than it had been when they had first begun.

Her discipline faltered for a second as she wondered what it would feel like if she were to "accidentally" press her body against his. The resulting stab of desire jolted her and she realized with alarm the peril of the situation.

With a renewed resolve to be more guarded, she concentrated on putting a little more distance between herself and Jareth. A moment later, she was so preoccupied with trying not to touch him any more than she had to, that she had managed to miss his cue. Stepping forward, when she should have stepped back, resulting in her stepping right onto Jareth's foot as she clumsily bumped into him.

She felt the heat rush to her cheeks. It had been accidental, but she felt her face grow hotter at the thought that she had just been fantasizing about such a misstep

Jareth halted and grunted in dismay as Sarah sprang back. Her nervousness was now not in vain, as her mortification was complete. Lamely she stammered, "Oh...Sorry..."

Jareth couldn't help smirking at her discomfort as he began, "I do believe I know what the problem is."

Sarah rolled her eyes and sarcastically muttered under her breath, "Yeah, I have two left feet..."

Jareth ignored the remark and added, "Let's just concentrate on one thing at a time, shall we? Your biggest obstacle, as I see it, is that you are unsure of yourself."

Sarah crossed her arms and scoffed sarcastically, "Oh really...what on earth gave you that idea?"

Jareth disregarded the fact that her question was purely rhetorical and offered, "You are not trusting me, and it is causing a veritable plethora of complications. You keep looking at your feet. You're pre-occupied with the steps, when you should be relying on me to lead you. You need to let yourself relax, your frame is entirely rigid with tension."

Sarah's discomfort quickly turned to annoyance, and she accused without really thinking, "I am rigid with tension because YOU make me tense!"

The Goblin King leered back with an amused smirk, "Yes, well, lets just deal with that right now, shall we?"

He circled her, casually regarding her with heat and mischief in his eyes. She had no idea what he was playing at but she held her breath as if expecting the worst. She could see the situation elevating to something relatively precarious in a short amount of time. Matching wits with him was like swimming with the sharks and at the moment she felt about as safe as an appetizing baby seal, especially with the way he was looking at her.

His eyes roamed her form as he admitted, "If we are to pull this off you must learn to relax and to trust me."

Sarah thought, "Fat chance." But she was curious at what he had in mind. Could she possibly learn to trust him, and more importantly, did she want to? Truly, she was getting rather tired of the way her insides knotted whenever he was around. Was there a way to relax, yet still be cautious? She couldn't help but wonder. She tried to imagine what he could possibly propose, but nothing came to mind.

The Goblin king halted, looking thoughtful for a moment. His face lit up with a smug grin before he drawled in a lilting tone, "Close your eyes."

Sarah gave him a wary look and demanded, "Why?"

He sighed with impatience and reasserted, "Just...close your eyes."

She let out a deep breath and protested, "Jareth, I don't see how closing my eyes will change anything..."

Jareth released a ragged breath and countered with impatience, "Must you be so defiant in everything? For pity's sake, just close your eyes."

She searched his face as she considered it.

His voice became softer, tired yet gentle, as he implored her, "Sarah...humor me...just this once."

Something in her yielded, for she couldn't resist, not when he spoke to her like that. She sighed, closing her eyes as she breathed, "Fine..."

She heard the sound of his boots on the stone floor as he came to stand just behind her. His voice was soft as he drawled, a little condescendingly, "Now was that really so difficult?"

Sarah said nothing as she held her breath and waited for him to do whatever it was he was about to do.

When he spoke again, his voice came from just behind her, his breath whispering against her cheek as he coaxed, "I want you to focus solely on the music. Empty your head of all thoughts until there is only darkness."

Sarah tried to do this, without much success, as he was standing so close. But his voice came again, murmuring, soft as velvet, and it lingered on her skin, "So much tension. It does nothing but restrict your body and cloud your mind. Simply let it fall away."

Sarah attempted to drown out everything but the music, as she fought to keep her breath from hitching in her throat and her heart from hammering away.

This time his voice was but a seductive whisper, and she didn't need to open her eyes to know that his mouth was just behind her ear. "I want to help you, but I can't...not unless you trust me. Can you do that Sarah? Can you trust me for just a little while?"

Two sides battled within her for dominance. One side, preached caution, the other yearned to let go of the past. The side advocating caution warned that as an unpredictable adversary, he was not to be trusted, but the other side reminded her that though he was good at getting on her nerves, he was not the villain she once thought him.

The truth was that he hadn't let any harm befall her since she returned. He could have left her to rot in the dungeons, but no, he had provided her with a comfortable room, food, and clothing. True, he was benefiting by her presence, but he had grown lenient in his expectations over the past few days. He had entrusted his alicorn to her care...and when she fell, he ran to her side. Kayla saw the good in him, maybe she should at least open her eyes to the possibility that he was starting to seem more friend than foe.

She couldn't deny that she felt something and wanted to explore it, and if those feelings already existed, then wasn't the harm already done? Whatever happened from this point onward, there was no erasing the feelings she already harbored. She was intensely attracted to him, and despite her attempts to despise him, she had come to like him. His ability to infuriate her only seemed an inseparable component of his charm.

Nemesis or not, she longed for him, every inch of him, from that arrogant smirk of his, along with his sultry words, right down to the blessed agony his attention caused. His soothing words, even now, only seemed to pull her further along the path of no return. Arrghh, why did he have to be soooo... just sooo?...Arrrghhhh! She had already started to fall. What was the sense in glancing back now?

Breathless words tumbled in a rush from her lips, "Y...yes...I can do that."

Had Sarah been looking, she would have seen him close his eyes against some emotion that seemed to bleed through his usual mask of indifference. When the Goblin King opened his eyes, a grateful smile of relief graced his fair face. It was now time to progress into the second stage of his plan.

Very slowly, a pair of leather encased hands slipped over Sarah's wrists and slid down to cover the back of her own trembling hands. The simple gesture was harmless in and of itself, but the implications of even such a simple intimate gesture, no matter how innocent, from his highness, was enough to send her reeling.

Slender fingers, with the promise of warmth just beneath their leather exterior, slid down, becoming interlaced with her own. Her stubborn breath hitched in her throat again, and it seemed for a good long moment, that she couldn't breathe at all.

His voice came as a ragged whisper in her ear, "You're trembling. Do I frighten you so much?"

Sarah was thankful that her eyes had already been closed, as she was sure she would have just closed them. She tried to answer, but her throat had gone extremely dry, she barely managed the words in a breathless rush, "N...No...I..."

Jareth lowered his mouth even closer to her ear, taking the opportunity to breathe in her sweet scent. Everything about her was intoxicating and he couldn't help himself. His hands released hers and traveled slowly but steadily up her arms to close over her tense shoulders, just as he gently whispered, "Shhhh...just relax..."

As his hands traveled up her arms, goose-bumps rose all over her flesh, and she experienced that peculiar trance-like sensation, which could only be likened to a giddy sort of euphoria that she sometimes felt when she had had too much to drink.

Just when she thought the torture couldn't get any worse, his strong yet gentle hands began to knead the tight muscles of her shoulders. He had done this once before, and though it seemed like a distant memory, Sarah could sharply remember how incredible his hands had felt then, but this time it was heart stopping.

Maybe it was because her longing was so much more acute now, or maybe it was because of the way he had just spoken to her, or perhaps it was the knowledge that he was standing so close behind her, and that all she would have to do is lean back and she would be lost.

His slender fingers elegantly massaged the tension from her shoulders with such perfect pressure and precision that she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out at the exquisite feeling.

She was melting. She didn't have the willpower to even attempt to stop him. It was hard enough, just trying not to drool.

In all her life, Sarah could not, for the life of her, think of one thing in her past that had ever felt this good, however she could think of plenty of things that might feel even better. Her cheeks flushed crimson at the thought, and she tried desperately not to think too hard on any of those things. It was increasingly difficult though with what the Goblin King's hands were already doing to her body.

Suddenly Jareth diverted his attentions to include her shoulder blades and the back of her neck. Sarah couldn't help letting her neck go slack, as what he was doing was pure sensual art.

She heard his throaty chuckle as he purred, "You see...I don't have to be the villain you make me out to be."

He paused noticing the heat in her cheeks and the way her brow knitted in pleasure. Oh yes, she certainly did like this. If he wasn't already aroused, the sight of her then would have done it. He wondered how long it would be before she would give in. He hoped not too long, as his own self-control was beginning to falter. He had wanted her for a long time now. Mild curiosity had eventually turned into fascination, and by the time she had beaten his labyrinth fascination had become obsession, to the point that in the long days since her rampage through his world, there was little else he could think about.

In fact, the only thing that seemed to keep him going was the belief that one day, she would again fall into his grasp and this time he wouldn't fail in possessing her entirely. Now that his goal was so close to becoming reality, he was growing weary with waiting.

His mismatched eyes darted to her lips and then downward to her pale throat as he huskily whispered, "Do you realize how lovely you are when you blush?"

Sarah screwed her eyes shut tighter as his ministrations caused wave after wave of pleasure to thrash her. She winced at the breathlessness of her own voice as she replied, "No."

He leaned in closer, his lips grazing her ear as he purred, "The only thing prettier is you...when you are angry...maybe that's why I can't resist making you furious so often."

The shock of his mouth on her ear, and the heat of his words drifting over her skin made her knees go weak.

Without even thinking she replied thickly, "Often doesn't even cover it..."

His fingers splayed out to cover her collarbone as he admitted, "Maybe so, but your willful taunts are so hard to resist...and you are so engaging when you are being obstinate."

Sarah swallowed, realizing that she was only encouraging him. His hands moved over her shoulders again, carefully brushing her hair away from her neck.

His mouth lowered to where her neck met her shoulder, his lips mere centimeters from her throat as he whispered against her skin, "but then again, there's a lot more than your defiance that I can't seem to resist...so much more." His hands roughly squeezed her shoulders and Sarah liquified in response to the exquisite sensation his touch seemed to wring from her body.

Sarah froze at the acute recognition of her arousal. Dear God, he's making me wet.

A dark and guilty pleasure came with the feeling, making her head swim with euphoria. Why does being bad have to feel so damn good?

There was something wildly erotic in his touch and even his words and tone were laced with infinite sexual innuendo. His every word and action seemed a most intricate seduction in and of itself. Somewhere in the furthest recesses of her mind a voice warned that she shouldn't be letting this happen. She knew the voice had a point, but at this particular moment in time, she quite honestly didn't give a shit. Whatever it was he was doing, felt much too good to stop.

Jareth knew he had already succeeded in driving the tension from Sarah's body, but watching her yield and soften under his touch was simply driving him mad. He had to stop before he lost all restraint completely. It was a breakthrough that Sarah had placed her trust in him, even if only briefly, and she hadn't recoiled from his touch...quite the opposite in fact. He wasn't about to botch this by going too far, no matter how badly his body wanted to.

Abruptly, he turned Sarah, a little roughly, to face him, his intention to resume their dance, before he did something totally rash and hot headed, like kissing her.

Sarah felt herself being spun around and she opened her eyes to find herself face to face with the Goblin King. As their eyes locked, Sarah recognized the look in his eyes...for it was the same emotion that was written clearly across her own face. It was pure unadulterated and overwhelming desire, the dizzying kind that made your face flush and your chest heave with shallow breaths.

Jareth had just noticed how her captivating eyes had gone nearly black due to the extreme dilation of her pupils. He recalled reading once that the human eye, which normally dilates to let in more light, often also dilates when the human sees something that it finds visually stimulating, something...that it wants.

As if of their own volition, her hands slid up the front of his doublet. His first impression was that she was doing it to keep him at bay, but as he looked down at her upturned face, he saw the startled wonder written there. Tentatively, she leaned in, and he realized that she wanted the connection just as badly as he did. He reasoned that he had indulged her in everything thus far, what was the harm in granting her one kiss?

He lowered his mouth to hers, halting merely a breath away from her lips and murmured, "I'm curious...What was it you were so afraid of?"

With one last shuddering sigh, she breathed, "This..." and she pressed her lips against his.

She was incredibly gentle, her petal-soft full lips, just brushing against his with a grace that only a chaste goddess could manage. The purity of it shook the Goblin King like nothing else ever could have. It was as if her soul was whispering to him, "Here is my heart, please be gentle..." He answered by parting his lips as he tenderly returned her kiss with the utmost care.

Sarah was astonished at how gentle he was. This was not the way she had expected her villain to kiss her, it was, in fact, far sweeter than anything she could have imagined.

His thin lips brushed softly but imploringly against hers, gently coaxing her not to run away. As if she could. The feelings evoked by even so simple a kiss from him rattled her to her core.

Sarah had kissed several guys before and not a single time had it ever been like this...hell this kiss wasn't even in the same solar system, never mind the same ball-park.

A warm tingly contented feeling washed over her and the fuzzy musing came to her, Mmmm so sweet...like cinnamon or vanilla. There was something achingly familiar in his kiss, soothing and warm, which made her little bolder. She opened her mouth slightly as her arms went about his shoulders.

Jareth felt her arms tighten about his shoulders as she opened her mouth under his. That was all the encouragement he required. He wound his arms about her waist, crushing her against him as he started to kiss her with fervor.

Sarah was drowning. He was now kissing her with a passion that she full well knew was restrained. The very idea that he was holding back, excited her like nothing ever had. It may have been a reckless thing to wish for, but she suddenly wanted to feel the brunt of that passion, in fact she needed it. She knew how badly she wanted him and she desperately wanted to know if what he felt could rival it. So, she did the only thing that she could think of that might produce the response she was looking for in the given situation...she artfully slipped him the tongue.

Jareth felt Sarah's kiss deepen and when he felt her warm velvety tongue slip past his lips, to explore his mouth, it was as though the last shred of sanity had been torn from his mind. All that was left was raw need, a longing so desperate that for one troubled moment he couldn't contain it.

Sarah heard him groan against her mouth in response to her kiss before his arms tightened about her, his kiss suddenly becoming fierce and possessive. The power of that kiss struck her like lightning, sending shockwaves through her that started to awaken her body in alarming ways. It was so intense it bordered on frightening...but the kind of fright that leaves you breathlessly exhilarated, and positively begging for more.

If he could do this to her with just a kiss she was terrified to think of what making love to him might be like. She wondered if she'd even be able to handle such intense feelings. Well, the growing ache in her body told her quite forcefully that it wouldn't mind finding out.

Such thoughts only led her to kiss him back feverishly, which only fed the fire that was now blazing out of control. And what a vicious circle it quickly became. Before long, she and the mighty Goblin King were shamelessly making out in the center of ballroom, totally oblivious to the world around them.

Sarah wasn't sure how, but Jareth's hold on her kept tightening until she was suddenly aware that she was plastered against his lithe frame, and that's when it dawned on her just what it was that was relentlessly poking her. There was nothing like a persistent hard-on, to suddenly make you take notice and assess the reality of a situation. Unfortunately, Sarah's body was more than fine with the reality of the situation, as it had already enthusiastically responded to the discovery by flooding her nether-regions with liquid fire.

Sarah wasn't stupid, she knew where this was heading. The kiss had begun innocently enough, but with all the pent up frustration between the two of them, things had escalated rather quickly with very little warning. She knew full well that if she didn't make him stop right now, the situation was bound to get out of control, and based on the way her body was responding, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to stop it, if it went any further. Regardless, of how hot and bothered she was, or of how incredibly hot he was, she conceded that this was happening way too fast, and she wasn't to wind up on her back in the Goblin King's bed...not today anyway.

It took every ounce of will that Sarah had to make herself push him off and wrench her mouth from his. His arms were still about her and he immediately started to pull her back in for another kiss. She turned her face away to get some desperately needed air, as she stammered, completely out of breath, "We have to stop...we can't...I mean...I...shouldn't have done that..."

Jareth had barely heard what she was saying. All he knew was that her hot yielding mouth was suddenly gone, her soft warm body had stepped back as she pushed him off. The sudden withdrawal of her affections was jarring and his lips and his body railed against it. Her kiss had been such heaven, and now that he had tasted it, anything less was torture. The feel of her mouth on his, her body against his, and her arms around his neck, made her passion for him real. And now it had stopped and once again nothing was certain. He absolutely hated it.

He caught her by the shoulders before she could put any more distance between herself and him. His eyes caught and held hers as he sighed, trying to catch his breath as he began, "Sarah..."

Before he could utter another word, a tiny goblin came stumbling in, wild eyed and very out of breath. His seemed to sag in relief at the sight of his king as he wheezed, "Y...Your Majesty...Thank the Labyrinth that I found you...thh...there's something...y...you better come see...quick...to the Goblin City..."

Jareth immediately turned away from Sarah towards the offending sound. There was a definite edge of warning in his voice as he seethed, "I thought I told you that I wasn't to be disturbed this afternoon. Can't you see that I am busy in here..."

The Goblin cowered slightly and stammered, "Ssssooo...soooo...sorry your highness...bb...but it's very...important..."

Jareth crouched down and muttered, "By the underground it better bloody well be, Bludge, or you'll be swimming laps in the bog! Now WHAT is it?"

The goblin nodded furiously and gushed, "Come...see...in the city...I will show you...the others are all afraid."

Sarah wasn't sure what she should do, but she found herself following the goblin as he kept tugging at the king's sleeve to drag him along. She had no idea what this was about, but judging by the goblin's rattled state, it must have been something dreadful.

Jareth, however, remained skeptical as he muttered "If someone has let loose another sack of harpies in the marketplace, I'm going to be very disappointed. I don't have the time to keep dealing with this sort of nonsense."

Bludge shook his head adamantly, "No, sire...not this time...this is much, much worse."

Most Prized Possession

A Labyrinth Story
by Jester3

Part 22 of 42

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