Anthony lived alone in a small wooden cabin deep in the woods, a short walk from the nearest human village. At twenty he was young, strong, and largely left to his own devices. The world still held plenty of humans, but the forests belonged just as much to the elves who wandered them. Rix was one of those elves. Tall and lithe, with long hair, large expressive eyes, and the sharp pointy ears of her kind. Female elves carried a strong, restless desire—especially for young, vigorous human men. The sight of one could leave them warm and wanting. When she stepped into the clearing and saw Anthony outside his cabin, shirt damp from work, that desire stirred at once. She approached without hesitation, open and confident. Light touches on his arm, a lingering look, a warm smile that made her interest plain. A few soft words and she was inside the cabin with him. Clothes came off in a heated rush. Hands explored. Bodies pressed close. What started as flirtation quickly became something deeper and far more urgent. They spent hours tangled together on the bed. The cabin filled with the sounds of their breathing and the slow, steady rhythm of their bodies moving as one. Heat built and broke again and again as the afternoon slipped into evening. By the time the moon rose high outside the window, both were spent and slick with sweat, the air still heavy with what had passed between them. Rix’s legs felt unsteady as she gathered her things, already missing the solid warmth of him against her.

The next morning Anthony woke early, the memory of the night before still lingering in his body. He pulled on a pair of loose pants that hung low on his hips and stepped outside into the cool air. The axe felt familiar in his hands as he set to work splitting logs near the cabin. Soon sweat beaded across his bare chest and shoulders, sliding down the lines of muscle as he swung the blade again and again. The pants slipped a little lower with every movement, riding the sharp cut of his hips while the first light of dawn filtered through the trees.