by T. J. Quinn
Adruz shifted into the stranger I had met a few nights ago and rushed to where Fallon was.
“Is she alright?” he asked Janis, kneeling next to her.
“Yes, she’s just tired,” she assured him.
I turned to look at the man in my arms. “Hi, stranger,” I teased him, with tears flowing down my cheeks.
He wiped some tears before picking me up in his arms and took me to the furthest corner of the clearing for some privacy. Leaning against a tree, he had me wrap my legs around his waist.
He cradled my face. “I’m so happy to see you again,” he murmured, covering my face with sweet kisses.
I sobbed louder. “Do you have any idea how I felt when we heard the explosion? My heart almost shattered into a million pieces. I’m not ready to lose you,” I assured him.
He claimed my lips in a deep, passionate kiss before he assured me: “You’ll never lose me.”
“Good. I wouldn’t know what to do without you.”
We stayed there until Adruz called us in to let us know about their plans. We were riding Zayn to an abandoned city not far from where we were, and we would get some rest there before he headed back to the headquarters.
Zayn and Janis settled down for the night on the shelter we found, and Ryoko took me to a room not far from the shelter room. He wanted privacy, and so did I.
“Will you tell me what happened?” I asked him as I joined him on the floor. He had laid down his cloak to make it more comfortable for me.
“We managed to get rid of the Asseptians, but they were able to warn the other clusters of our attack,” he explained. “This was just the first battle. We’re far from winning the war,” he warned me, pulling me closer.
“Do you think we can win?” I asked, unable to hide fear from my tone.
“I think we have a pretty chance, but only time will tell.”
“What will happen now?” I asked, a bit scared.
“We’ll try to keep the parasites away from this city as we infiltrate the nearest clusters. It won’t be easy, that’s for sure,” he said, scowling.
“Please, promise me you’ll be careful,” I begged him.
“I will. You won’t get rid of me so easily,” he assured me.
“Good!” I said, kissing his chest. “When are we going home?” I asked, sighing.
“I’m afraid the Asseptians destroyed the house while they were trying to escape,” he informed, with a sad tone.
Startled, I sat up to look at him. “Destroyed? Are you sure?” I asked, feeling as if I had lost a friend.
“I’m afraid so. We’ll have to stay in the headquarters. Either way, we will be safer there,” he assured me.
“Are you sure?” I asked, skeptical. “With all those Septians around?”
“They are all under arrest. We will keep them so until we find out if we can kill the parasite without killing the host,” he explained.
“Is that even possible?” I asked in a hopeful tone.
“I have no idea, not at this stage,” he said, caressing my cheeks.
We fell into a soothing silence, both of us lost in our thoughts.
“When will you finish the ritual?” I finally gathered the courage to ask him.
“Do you want me to?” he asked, surprised.
“Yes, I think I’m ready,” I told him with a firm tone.
“You have to be sure… it might be painful,” he warned me.
“It doesn’t matter. I want us to be together as much as we can,” I assured him. “If things were normal, I would expect you to marry me, but since they aren’t, we have to do this… ritual of yours,” I said, smiling.
“Marry you?”
“Yes… that’s one of our oldest rituals. We would invite all of our friends and family, and we would make promises to each other,” I explained.
“What kind of promises?” he asked, intrigued.
“You know… the usual: to love and to honor till death do us part… that sort of thing. I would be wearing an awesome wedding dress, and we would have a feast,” I told him, smiling.
“That sounds… interesting…” his tone told precisely the opposite, but then again, most grooms hated the whole marriage thing.
I chuckled. “Most grooms hate the whole thing,” I assured him. “But since things aren’t normal, you don’t have to worry about that. Besides, we don’t have families, and our friends aren’t enough for a wedding party,” I pointed out, my tone a bit sad.
“We’ll have a family of our own… when things are right, and we’ve rescued the planet,” he promised me, and I turned around to hug him.
“Thank you,” I murmured, my lips against his.
“For what?” he asked, raising his eyebrow.
“For existing… for bringing light into my life. I thought I would never know what it would be like loving a man, feeling my whole world revolved around someone else,” I said, between kisses and caresses.
He pulled me closer and captured my lips with his in a possessive kiss.
“You brought all that and so much more into my life, so, we’re even,” he assured me, as he rolled us until I was underneath him.
Pulling my long skirt up, he pushed my legs apart until he was comfortably nestled between them.
“Will you take me, Maya?” he asked in a hoarse tone.
“Always,” I assured him, unzipping his suit and pulling his hard shaft out of its confinement.
“No matter what?” he whispered, grazing his hard cock up and down my wet slit, teasing me and taking my breath away.
“No matter what,” I assured him, wrapping my legs around his waist and pulling him closer to me.
He captured my lips in a mind-blowing kiss before he rested his cock at my entrance.
“Ryoko…” I groaned, my need so strong I felt I was about to burst up in flames.
With a low roar, he thrust himself deep into me, going all in, relishing the way my walls clenched around him, eager for more.
The near-death experience had fueled our hunger, and there was no time for anything else. Thrust after thrust, Ryoko took me to paradise, again and again, until he finally threw us right into the wildest turmoil of passion we’d ever experienced.
I was still flying high when I felt the sharp pain of his fangs going deep on the sensitive skin of my neck. Pain mixed with pleasure, and I reached the highest peak of sheer bliss.
I barely noticed when he stopped, still lost in the haze he had thrown me into. That is until he pressed his bloody wrist against my lips and urged me to take his blood.
Ryoko was still buried inside me, slowly thrusting in and out, and after I took enough of his blood, he speeded his pace and pushed me over the edge one more time.
I was still floating in the after waves of the most powerful orgasm I had ever felt when the pain started.
Ryoko rolled out of me and tried to pull me into his arms, but I couldn’t let him touch me.
It was as if my skin was on fire. I was burning from the inside out, and the pain was so vicious I wished I could die, right there and then.
Ryoko had warned me about the pain, but I had never thought it would be like this. Nothing could ever have prepared me for this kind of pain. It was maddening, and it felt eternal.
At some point, the pain was so unbearable, my body simply shut down, and thick darkness covered me, bringing with it blissful peace.
Chapter Twenty Eight
Ryoko
Watching Maya squirm and whimper in pain was still the hardest thing I had ever seen. I wished I could take the pain away from her, but I also knew she needed to go through the whole process.
This was probably not the right moment, but I doubted we would have one in the near future. If we were going to war, I needed her to be as strong as possible; I needed her to have my self-healing abilities.
Still, I almost lost my mind as I saw the pain and despair written all over her face for longer than I had expected.
It hadn’t lasted so long th
e first time… but then again, the ritual hadn’t been done correctly.
The pleasure we felt right before had been mind-blowing. Pouring myself deep into her had felt the most wonderful thing I had ever experienced, and I just hoped she would forgive me for all the pain.
After what felt like an eternity, Maya finally fell asleep. Needing her near me, I pulled her into my arms and cradled her for the rest of the night.
The sun caught us still in each other’s arms. Determined to let her rest as much as I could, I carefully moved away from her.
“Where are you going?” her hoarse voice stopped me.
“I’m sorry, salavíf, I didn’t mean to wake you up,” I apologized.
“You didn’t. I have been awake for a while,” she assured me, tilting her head back to look at me. “Was that the final stage of the ritual?” she asked with a deep frown.
“Yes… no more rituals,” I assured her.
She closed her eyes for a moment. “Good… I’m not sure I would go through something like that again,” she said, shuddering.
“I’m sorry…” she covered my lips with her finger, symbolically shutting me up.
“Don’t be. I know it had to be done,” she said, smiling. “The previous pleasure is a suitable compensation for the pain,” she assured me. “And hopefully, there will be plenty more,” she added, with a naughty grin in her eyes.
“Oh, definitely… much more.”
“Perfect!” she pulled me closer and kissed me. “I love you. Thank you for not giving up on me,” she told me, in a tone charged with love and passion.
“Never. It would be like giving up on myself,” I pointed out, kissing her back.
We kissed for a little longer until I heard the others moving in the other room.
“We should join the group,” I told her with a grieving tone. I wanted to stay here for as long as I could. The ugly reality was waiting for us, and I was in no hurry to go meet it. “I guess it’s time we go back.”
“That’s a shame… but we’ll be along soon, I’m sure,” she told me, jumping to her feet.
The sudden movement made her wobble, and she almost fell back to the floor. I caught her just in time.
“Wow… I guess I shouldn’t have moved so fast,” she said, rubbing her forehead.
“Are you alright?” I asked her, worried.
“I’m fine, just a bit dizzy… I guess it’s just my body adjusting to the claiming ritual,” I said, shrugging.
“It’s possible,” I admitted.
“Do you think I’ll experience any changes like Fallon? I mean… I know you don’t have wings…” she asked, intrigued.
“I think so… as far as I know, you’re the first human female to go through a Slyth claiming ritual,” I explained.
“Well, I guess I’ll have to wait and see…” she said, with a broad smile.
I guided her out of the room, and soon the smell of roasting meat filled the air, reminding us we hadn’t eaten in a while.
“Are you hungry?” I asked Maya when I saw her brace herself and cover her mouth with one hand.
“Oh, god…” she said, before she ran away, towards the nearest exit.
I rushed to her side the moment I realized she wasn’t feeling right. By the time I got to her side, she was throwing up, leaning against the building's exterior wall.
I frowned. “What’s the matter?”
“The smell… it made me throw up…” she told me, sounding as startled as I was.
“It’s just roasted meat…” I pointed out, but my words only made her throw up even more.
“I think it’s better if I don’t eat anything for now…” she said, looking very pale and weak.
“May I get you some water, at least?” I asked, not very happy with the whole situation.
“That would be great, thank you,” she agreed as she walked away from the building to sit down on some stairways that led nowhere.
“Stay here; I won’t be long,” I told her before I rushed back inside.
“Good morning, sleepyhead. Where’s Maya?” Zayn asked me.
“She’s not feeling alright. Where can I get some water?” I told him.
“What’s the matter?” Fallon asked, coming my way.
“She’s a bit indisposed,” I told her, not willing to tell her what had happened. These people were still strangers to me, and I had never been the sharing kind. “She just wants some water.”
Fallon picked a small bottle from the floor. “I have some here; I’ll take her,” she offered.
I opened my mouth to reject the idea, but Adruz’s expression shut me up. Instead, I just nodded and watched the woman rush out to meet Maya.
“We heard Maya crying last night. Fallon is worried,” Adruz explained, talking only to me. “I’m guessing you fully claimed her,” he added, with understanding in his eyes.
“Yes… it probably wasn’t the most suiting moment, but…” I shrugged.
“It was about time. We don’t know what the future holds. The more weapons you give her, the better. We’ll need it all,” Adruz pointed out, and I couldn't help but agree with him. “She will be fine soon.”
“I’m sure,” I mumbled, but I really wasn’t.
Maya shouldn’t feel sick. Not anymore, anyway.
I tried to stay still, give her some space and not rush out, but I was far too worried to simply stick around.
After pacing the room a couple of times, I finally strode out to go check on her.
Fallon was still there with her, and the frown on her face was like a punch to my stomach.
“She can’t hold anything in… not even water,” Fallon told me. “What could this be?”
I shrugged, crouching next to where Maya was sitting down. “I have no idea. She was fine last night,” I mumbled, more worried than ever.
Maya leaned over to rest her head on my chest. “I’ll be fine in a few minutes…” she assured me, but I could tell that was wishful thinking.
“Could this have anything to do with whatever you did to her last night?” Fallon asked in a harsh tone.
My face turned into a stone mask.
“I asked for it, Fallon… this is probably my body adjusting to the new me…” Maya told her with a faint smile. “I just need some time, that’s all...” she assured her friend.
“We have to get back as soon as possible,” Fallon pointed out, her frown deepening.
“You’ll have to leave without us. I’m not taking Maya anywhere until she’s feeling alright,” I told her in a firm tone.
“But… how will you take her back if we leave? We’re at least two days away from the base, walking,” Fallon warned him. “I don’t think Maya is up to that kind of effort.”
“I’ll carry her,” I told her, standing my ground.
“I’ll be fine as soon as my body adjusts to this,” Maya told us. “Don’t worry about me,” she asked her friend.
“This is a terrible idea,” Fallon protested.
“What’s going on?” Adruz asked when he came out of the building.
Fallon told him what was going on.
“I don’t like the idea of leaving you two behind,” Adruz said in a stern tone. “Your knowledge of the headquarters and inner workings is vital for all of us.”
“I’m flattered, but any of my men can help you with that. My priority is and always will be, Maya,” I warned him. “She’s not feeling alright, and I won’t put her through a long trip unless it’s a matter of life and death.”
“I understand… but staying here by yourselves is not a wise decision, either. We have no idea what lurks on those woods,” Adruz pointed out.
“Why don’t I stay with them?” Zayn suggested as he came out of the woods. “You can take Fallon and Janis back, and I’ll take them when Maya is feeling better.”
“Would you agree to that?” Adruz asked me.
“Yes… that would work,” I reluctantly accepted, though I couldn’t help feeling Adruz agreed to it as a way
to keep an eye on me.
I was probably exaggerating, but after so many years considering the dragons my enemies, it was a bit hard accepting they might not be as bad as I thought.
“That settles it, then…” Maya said with a weak smile. “I’m terribly sorry I’m causing all these inconveniences…”
“You’re not causing anything. Just get better as soon as possible,” Adruz told her with a smile.
Fallon crouched near Maya and gave her a hug. “I’ll see you as soon as possible. Get better soon. These woods are too dangerous.”
Maya hugged her back. “We’ll be fine,” Maya assured her.
Janis also came by to say goodbye, and a few minutes later, Adruz took off with the women grasped to his spikes.
“I’ll go for a ride. Call me if you need me,” Zayn announced when the black dragon disappeared on the horizon.
I picked Maya in my arms and carried her to the room where we had spent the night in. “Why don’t you get some sleep?” I suggested as I laid her down on my cloak. “I’ll try to get some of the vegetables you love so much to make a soup.”
She shook her head. “I’m not hungry. Just stay here with me. I don’t want to be alone,” she asked, pulling me closer.
I lay down next to her and pulled her into my arms, resting her head over my chest. She closed her eyes and fell asleep only seconds later.
Chapter Twenty Nine
Maya
The day was fading away when I woke up. Ryoko was still lying next to me, but he was fully awake. I tilted my head back to look at him.
“You must be stiff…” I mumbled. “You should have put me down.”
“I never get tired of having you in my arms,” he assured me, and I smiled. “How are you feeling now?”
I frowned and focused on my stomach. So far, so good. However, there was something different in me. I couldn’t point what it was exactly, but I was sure of it. “Better… I think,” I told him.
“You think? You’re not sure?” he asked, intrigued.
“There’s something off… something different. I can’t quite explain…” I told him, still frowning.
“Please, try,” he asked, tensing up.
I focused on what I was feeling, trying to find the right words to describe it. “It feels like… a presence… as if there was someone else inside me…” I mumbled. “I know it doesn’t make any sense, but…” I continued, but the way Ryoko jumped to his feet, clearly startled, shut me up. “What is it?” I asked, leaning on my elbows.
