Of Trails and Snails | Chapter 7: Walking Into Spiderwebs (NSFW)

Even with Xariir sitting down, Jack’s head only came up to her waist. He wondered if he should sit or stand before settling on leaning against the nearby wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He still wasn’t sure where to look.

“You may sit if you wish.” Xariir maneuvered all eight of her legs to reposition herself to face him.

The thought of his head being even lower than it already was unnerved him. “I’m okay for now.” Maybe if he could find a boulder to raise him up to eye level…

 “Ah, yes, you are shy.” Xariir smiled. She repositioned her hair over her breasts and looked at him with hooded eyes. “Perhaps this is better?”

Jack cleared his throat. “Ah. It is. Thanks.”

“Of course.” She folded her hands over her nearest spider legs. “Flywing tells me you have lived here for some time.”

“A year and change, I think,” Jack replied. “I’m still learning my way around.”

She nodded. “I never met my father, but Mother said it took him time to adjust.”

“Do you know where he came from?”

“Hm. I must admit my ignorance in this area. Even Mother called his arrival a ‘special circumstance.’ Perhaps you could enlighten me?”

Jack ran a hand through his hair and shifted his weight to the other foot. “Honestly, this is either the longest dream I’ve ever had, or I died and woke up in Molluscia.”

“You…died?”

“I think so. I’ve never figured out what happened.” The memories were blurry, and pieces of them vanished the longer he lived with Mia and Skye. “But I lived somewhere very different than this before coming here.”

“My, that is fascinating.” Xariir blinked and pursed her lips. “Forgive me, I do not believe that is the correct etiquette to take with your kind. Death to you is very sad, is it not?”

Jack laughed. “It’s alright. My rebirth has been a great time. Every day’s an adventure.”

“You are very kind, Jack.”

“You make it easy.” He shrugged. “If it isn’t rude of me to ask, how old are you, Lady Xariir?”

“Simple statements of fact are not rude at all! I am ten instars to the day.” She laughed, and the rich sound echoed against the wooden cavern. “Pardon me, I never learned the conversion to human time.”

“Well, what’s an instar?”

“It is when we shed our beings anew. In a way, it’s very much like your rebirth.” She smoothed the cloth over her hips. “Unfortunately, there is a variance of days between instars. And, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, we do not observe the sun inside this shelter.”

“So, you don’t know when days pass.”

“Precisely.”

He cocked his head. “Don’t you ever get bored?

“Of course not. We arachnids are patient creatures.”

Jack grinned. “And here I thought snailgirls took things slow.”

“Oh? And what is it that holds your attention amongst so many patient creatures, Jack?”

He had to think about it. A year ago, he would have given her a very different answer. But now… “A good drink and good conversation. Staying alive for one more day.” He chuckled. “Taking down a crane and dragging its head halfway across a continent.”

Xariir’s eyes widened. “You spoke the truth. What an adventurous life you lead!”

“It’s not at all what I’m used to. But I don’t miss all the bright lights and fast talkers as much as I thought I would.” He found Xariir to be easier to talk to than he’d expected. But what was it that I was expecting? “Do you stay in here all day?”

“I fear I must. Should anything happen to me on the surface, there is no one to follow in my footsteps.” Her glowing eyes searched the ground. “The little ones would continue on, of course, but I would prefer a true heir.”

“Of course. You’re the one who keeps the lights on, right?” He gestured to the web.

“I do. The webs are connected through my being.” She touched the center of her chest. “I understand snailgirls have access to a magic resource that we arachnids lack. I believe my lights are the closest I will ever come to it.”

“There’s a lot that’s magical about you, Xariir,” Jack replied.

Her smile returned. “I can also turn the lights off, if you prefer.”

Xariir’s tone grew heated. Jack hummed in thought. He feared that she could hear his heart hammering against his chest. He’d agreed to this but still had no idea what coupling with her would look like. Or feel like. But really, he’d let Skye peg him, and that thought had spooked him, too. What did he have to lose?

Curiosity won the day. “The lights can stay on.” He lowered his arms and took a step forward. Damn, still only up to her waist. “So, then, how does this work?”

“Well, would you prefer an expedited transaction?” She giggled.

He swallowed the heat that rose to his face. “We have all night, don’t we?”

“Indeed, we do.”

His reply danced on his tongue for some time before he found the courage to give it a voice. “Then why don’t you lead?”

Xariir licked her lips and reached an arm toward him. “Come here, then.”

Jack took her hand and let her pull him nearer. Xariir brushed her hair back over her shoulders and slid her free hand over the back of his neck.

“Show me what else that clever tongue can do,” she murmured and bent forward.

Heat stroked Jack’s skin, and he shivered. Her perfect porcelain skin glowed in the soft blue light, and her pale nipple hardened beneath his breath. He teased it with the tip of his tongue and then laughed.

“Is something funny?”

“I just realized… I don’t remember the last time I’ve had sex without a dart.”

Xariir trailed her slender fingers through Jack’s hair. “Ah, yes. Flywing told me of these fascinating ‘darts.’” Her nails grazed his scalp, and she tightened her grip. She bent further down and nibbled his ear. “Shall I recall them to administer one to you?”

Jack gasped and reached for her chest without thinking. “No.”

“Good,” she murmured into his ear. “I would prefer you enjoy yourself while…uninhibited.” Her tongue mapped his jawline until her teeth found his throat.

Jack groaned and tilted his head to the side, allowing her easier access. “You’ve really never had a human partner?” For a woman who’d never seen a man before, she certainly seemed to know how to get a reaction out of him.

“No.” Xariir released his hand and moved to the ties of his tunic. “But I do fantasize. Do you not?” She pulled the cord free and traced his bare chest beneath.

“Oh, this is all far beyond my fantasies,” he breathed. “What do you think about?”

Her sly smile returned. “Do you truly wish to know?”

“Yes.”

Xariir unbuttoned his vest, then reached for his tunic before pulling both over his head. “Will you trust me?”

I’ve come this far. “Yes.”

“Hm. What a kind heart you have.” Xariir raised her front two spider legs, and Jack forced himself to stay still. “I dream of prey of a different kind, Jack. One that satisfies my human desires.”

She procured a length of web from seemingly nowhere, and passed it from her hand to the second spider leg on her left. Then she touched his bicep with the right claw and guided his arm around his back. She mirrored the movement with her left claw, repositioning both of his arms behind his back. She tipped his jaw upward with her human hands and captured his mouth with hers. Every motion she made was graceful and hypnotic; almost mechanical in nature.

Her tongue swept the seal of his lips, and just as he moved to reciprocate, she wrapped the web around his wrists and bound them together. She finished faster than he could draw another breath.

“Damn!” Jack muttered and broke their kiss. He tested the web and felt his mouth curve into a half-smile. It was cool, slick, and tense; absent of the sticky flypaper-like sensation he’d assumed. “Seems I’ve met my match for tying knots.”

“Oh, yes,” Xariir murmured. She walked her fingers down his chest as the tips of her spider claws undid his belt. “You’re trembling.” Her tone was light and humorous. Like a challenge.

“It’s just frustrating,” he admitted as he watched her limbs work in perfect tandem.

“What is?” The belt joined his tunic on the ground.

“That I can’t touch you.”

“Well, then. I wonder if you could use your mouth without laughing this time?” She lowered her spider legs and favored him with hungry eyes.

“I think I can manage.” He traced the line of her hipbone with his tongue, and she murmured a sweet sigh. Her skin was soft and taut, and Jack continued his path inward until he circled her navel.

Xariir untied the sash around her hips and cast it to the side. “Lower,” she breathed.

Jack traveled down her stomach until he found the delicate lips of her sex. The widow’s abdomen met her flesh where the tops of her thighs would have been, leaving a very human opening for him to explore.

That was a plus. At least he had practice in this department.

He parted her with his tongue and followed the hot, silken lines that awaited him. She moaned and returned her hands to his hair. The sweet taste of her set fire to his blood and made his head spin. Just a short tease at her opening was enough to realize how tight her body would feel. His erection throbbed as he repositioned the flat of his tongue to her clit, and he writhed against his bonds.

“That feels…sensational,” Xariir gasped. Her nails were sharp against his scalp.

Jack hummed his amusement against her skin. Sensational. That’s a first. He moved his tongue in a slow, tantalizing rhythm, carrying more of her dripping desire upward on each rotation. Her breathing sped, and she leaned back.

 “J-Jack, I—ha… Mnh…”

Goosebumps peppered her skin, and her fingers tensed. She was close. He gently suckled and circled the point of her pleasure until her moans escalated to blissful cries. Then he buried his tongue inside her and drank in her convulsions. Her heat pulsed around his tongue and rushed between his legs.

He pulled back and licked his lips. All he could taste was her. All he could smell was her. He needed to feel her. Now.

“That’s quite a look,” Xariir murmured between breaths. “Your eyes are burning.” She straightened her back and touched his face.

“My whole body’s burning.” He tried to snap the ties around his wrist to no avail, then groaned.

“Ah. Very good.” She smiled and ran her thumb over his lower lip. Her two front claws returned to his pants, unfastening them with surprising dexterity. She undressed him, then reached around to his wrists. “These will need changing.”

“Why—?”

Jack hardly had time to blink. Xariir untied her knots, repositioned his arms over his head, and then rebound his hands. Her claws lifted him from the ground, and she pushed him against the wall. A layer of cushioned moss and thin strands of web met his bare skin, and Jack hissed with surprise. She grabbed his thighs with her human hands and wrapped his legs around her waist.

“You are mine, Jack,” Xariir purred and thrust herself down on his cock.

Groans tore from his throat, and his hips rocked forward with intentions of their own. “Tight” was the understatement of a lifetime. She enveloped his shaft like a searing vise, and he could feel every twitch and squeeze of her powerful body.

“Delicious,” she crooned.

He opened his mouth, but the words didn’t come. Only short, desperate moans as his eyes rolled back. He could hardly breathe. The only hold he had on gravity was his legs around her waist, which left the rest of him unnervingly vulnerable to however she wanted to use him. It seemed she realized it as she incorporated the rest of her legs to help thrust against him without mercy.

“This…is… Torture,” he managed between gasps.

“This is my hunt,” Xariir purred. “And you are my prey.”

She was soaked and determined. He wanted to pin her down and fuck her until she couldn’t move. But knowing she’d taken that away from him had its own appeal. He was helpless, and he loved it. All etiquette forgotten, he watched her breasts move with her thrusts, the sweat on their peaks glimmering in the blue light.

Her eyes pierced him, and her smile made his heart skip. “Will you climax with me, Jack?”

“Y…yes,” he managed, though the word dissolved into another groan.

“Then feed me. Now.”

Jack curled his fingernails into his palms, and his legs clenched down around her lower back. Ripples of pleasure rolled down to his toes as he released his orgasm inside her. Xariir gasped and doubled her efforts, dragging every drop from his body with her second climax.

He kissed and bit her neck and shoulders, stealing a taste of her whenever she neared. She moaned his name and raked her nails across his thighs. For a few moments, he forgot that half of her body was all black widow. But somehow, reminding himself only made it that much more enticing.

She plunged her tongue into his mouth to dance with his until her thrusts stilled. They stayed that way for a few quiet moments, and Jack descended from his high. There was a tingling in his fingers from being held up for so long, and a numb sensation in his toes. Xariir nibbled his lower lip, then pulled back and gently lowered him until his feet touched the ground.

“Did this match your fantasies?” Jack asked as she used one claw to cut through the webs around his wrist in one swift movement.

“Hm. I would say that reality was far superior.” Xariir fished his tunic from his clothes and reattached the cording before he could say otherwise. She held it toward him when she was finished. “I hope that I was…adequate?”

“Far more than that, Xariir.” He chuckled as he accepted his shirt. “You’ve taught me things about myself I didn’t know.”

 Xariir blushed and brought her hair back over her shoulders. “Thank you, Jack.”

“Anytime.” He redressed, then picked up her sash and passed it to her. The fabric felt light and airy. It really would be perfect for Mia.

“Might I ask one more favor of you?”

“Hm?”

“Will you humor me and stay a while longer?” Her blush deepened as she tied her skirt around her hips. “I… I have many questions about the surface.”

“Oh. Of course, Xariir. I’d be happy to.” Skye could worry about him for just a little bit longer. “I hope you’ll be able to take your kid up there someday.”

Xariir smiled. “As do I.”

Jack wasn’t sure what time it was when he left Xariir’s room. As she’d said, it was impossible to tell with just the constant dim lighting from the webs, but he was ready to rest. She called on another widow minion to lead him to the room where Skye and Mia were waiting.

Mia perched near the spider that Jack assumed was their initial tour guide, and it held a half-finished dress between two claws while two more claws weaved new threads into the fabric. Skye waited in a far corner, oiling her blade with a frown. The girls still being awake wasn’t a great gauge for time, either, since their sleep schedules were so erratic.

“Welcome back, Jack!” Mia clapped her hands and smiled. “Was everything alright?”

Skye looked up, and her frown deepened. “His head’s still attached, isn’t it?”

Jack laughed. “Everything was fine.” He moved to sit next to Mia and watched the spider at work. “Is this your new dress?”

“Yes! Scarlet is amazing!”

He looked between Mia and the spider. “Scarlet?”

“She gave the thing a pet name,” Skye grumbled.

Mia blushed. “Well, I know she doesn’t have an official name. But she’s been so nice to us, and she’s working so hard on my dress that I wanted to call her something.”

“Lady Mia honors this one with a nickname,” Scarlet squeaked without skipping a beat in her work.

“Scarlet’s a nice name.” Jack nodded. “Have you had a chance to sleep?”

“We wanted to wait for you to come back.” Mia looked at Skye. “She’s been really worried about you.”

“Don’t exaggerate. He doesn’t need a bigger head.” Skye carefully placed her sword aside and crossed her arms. “But… She didn’t hurt you, right?”

Jack’s wrists were sore from the ties, and he was sure there’d be scratch marks on his legs. Maybe a few bruises on his back. But Skye could give him hell about that later. “No. She didn’t hurt me.”

“Good.”

Mia giggled and touched Jack’s shoulder. “See?” she whispered.

Jack grinned. “Still have one of those salads, Mia?”

“Oh! Yes, of course!” Mia rifled through her pack until she found one of her glass dishes. “Scarlet made sure we were fed well. They even have cocoa leaves! We never get cocoa leaves!” She pulled a leaf from her bag and set it on top of the container. “I saved one for you.”

“Thanks, Mia. Always thinking of me.”

“Always!” Mia hummed and stroked Scarlet’s head. “I wish we could take Scarlet home with us.”

“It is not my place to impose,” Scarlet murmured. “However, should Lady Mia wish it, and should Lady Xariir allow it, this one may return with you to Lymnaea to ensure the secure installation of webbing.”

“Yes! Please! Oh my goodness, that’s wonderful!” Mia beamed, and the dim room brightened.

“Great,” Skye grumbled. “I can’t wait.”

“This has been such a wonderful adventure!” Mia continued as if Skye hadn’t spoken.

“Yeah,” Jack said as he chewed the cocoa leaf. “It has.”