Rin was sexy rather than cute or beautiful. She had an intense face that tended to take on a severe, pouty expression at rest, along with a nose that curved slightly downward. Her eyes were a deep violet hue, and she had long, captivating eyelashes.
It was hard for Ari to avoid staring at her body, near-naked as she was. Both her breasts and her butt would have afforded her all the attention from men that she ever could have desired under normal circumstances, ample curves that almost seemed unfair when combined with her toned physique.
She was in motion as Ari entered, swinging a practice staff around the length of the spear she usually favored in combat. Ari kept toward the mouth of the drake skull, watching Rin as she spun her weapon in a deadly, seductive dance. Interesting parts of her bounced and jiggled, motions that normally would have been hidden by her clothing, and he felt his gaze linger for a few seconds too long.
Rin stopped when she caught sight of him. She was breathing heavily and flapped her wings inward once, scattering sweat and cooling herself off. She bent over slowly, never letting her violet eyes leave Ari’s, and tossed him a second training weapon from the ground.
“Rin,” he said. “Hold on. I came to—”
She was in motion before he could finish his sentence. It was all Ari could do to block her first stabbing strike, thrown forward with the kind of strength that would have caused damage regardless of whether her practice weapon had a proper point.
Ari ducked under the second swing she twisted into and proceeded to engage in a quick exchange of taps and slashes. He’d fought Rin once before, what felt like a lifetime ago. Before they’d been friends. Before they really had any idea who each other was.
Rin leapt upward, flapping her wings once to stay aloft for a deceptive amount of time. Ari threw himself to the side, rolling through the air over his shoulder, like a bouncing barrel. He kept his eyes on Rin and was rewarded with a loud, echoing crack as his weapon struck hers, blocking his attack.
She started to pull her practice stick back. Ari grabbed it with his hand before she could and yanked, bringing her close enough to him to make the long weapon ineffective.
“Take a breath,” he said. “I came here to talk.”
Rin took several breaths, though it was clearly more from her exertions than his suggestion. She ran a hand across her forehead, plastering a few sweat-laden strands of jet-black hair back into place.
“Talk,” she repeated. “Is that really what we should be doing right now?”
Ari shrugged. “Well, I also have some sarkin flower if you’d prefer to smoke something.”
She let out a single, tired chuckle, and Ari grinned at her.
“You’re strong, chala,” said Rin. “Which is why I know that you understand how pointless this all is. We’re wasting our time here. We have an enemy to fight, one that will kill us if we don’t kill them first.”
Ari let go of Rin’s practice stick. The tip fell to the ground, making a hollow sound as it bounced off the thick bone of the dead drake’s lower jaw.
“Rin, I know you understand our current situation,” he said. “We don’t have the resources to take on Diya and the Sai. Mud and blood, we don’t even have a week’s worth of food in our stockpiles. We don’t even have a proper door for our settlement.”
“We have the tower,” said Rin. “You could use it to bring us close to the Sai city. That’s all I’m asking.”
“I only have enough essence stored for a single trip,” said Ari. “One way. Though, given that what you’re suggesting is very obviously a suicide run, I doubt that matters much to you.”
Rin’s eyes narrowed into a glare. “So you’ll have me sit and stew, then? A world over from the graveyard of my people? Completely out of sight of my revenge?”
She asked the last question through gritted teeth, and Ari was ready for what came next. Her practice stick was suddenly in motion again, and he whipped his own up to meet her strike. Rin let out an angry, wounded cry as she attacked with a series of strikes that left her completely open.
Ari’s patience only ran so far. He blocked the first salvo of her attacks and then whipped his own practice sword into her weapon hard enough to snap the pretend spear in two. Rin made as though to keep attacking, but Ari locked his arms through hers, holding her still.
“Rin!” he hissed.
Her shoulders shook as she let out a silent sob, followed by a not-so-silent sob. Ari saw the tears streaking down her cheeks as she raised her eyes to meet hers.
“Chala…” she said, in a broken voice. “Promise me.”
“What?”
“Promise me that you’ll help me get revenge,” she said.
Ari stared into her eyes, wet and red from crying, and shook his head.
“I promise that I’ll help you,” he said. “Not to get revenge, but to live with yourself.”
Rin screamed and thrashed. She struggled to pull her arms free, and then let go of her weapon completely, instead throwing herself onto him and trying to wrestle him to the ground. Ari brought her down and pinned her, and then felt her lips kissing his, aggressive and hungry.
He put a hand on her shoulder and pulled back a little. Rin wrapped her legs around his waist.
“I don’t want to think anymore,” she whispered. “Please.”
She kissed him again, and then she was roughly pulling his shirt up over his head. Ari let his hands run over the length of her arms and settle on her breasts. He pulled them loose from her sweat-soaked underwear and had to bite his lower lip as he felt the soft, plump flesh underneath.
He kicked his way out of his trousers, underwear coming loose along with them. He’d been aroused almost since he’d first stepped into the drake skull and seen Rin’s state of undress. If this was what she wanted…
He felt her kiss his neck, then bite his earlobe. One of her hands tensed on his back, digging in her fingernails. Ari grabbed the offending arm and pinned it to the floor. Rin bucked, and then he was pulling her underwear down, and then…
It was both an extension of their earlier fight and the complete opposite of it. Raw, pulsating pleasure reverberated through Ari as he pumped his cock into her. Rin bucked her hips to meet each of his thrusts as though he was still attacking and she was still parrying.
Her breasts bounced in wild circles. Ari kissed and sucked on one of her nipples, listening to the music of her moans and whimpers. He thrust into her faster, pounding out a rhythm with his body against hers. He wanted to give her what she needed. He wanted to teach her a lesson.
Ari was dimly aware of why he still needed to be careful with Rin. Ravarian women had intimate control over their reproductive parts, and were capable of both storing a man’s seed within them long term and drawing it back up to create a child on command.
He remembered that in his mind, but not so much in his body. His hips continued to pump against Rin with the pounding cadence of a sprinter’s feet. The sensation of being inside her was incredible. She was a sexual creature in a way that few of the women he’d been with could match, lustful, insatiable, and eager.
“Oh,” moaned Rin. “Chala. You’re… strong.”
She bucked her hips and twisted, trying to roll him over.
“I’m strong,” whispered Ari. “And I have you pinned.”
Rin let out a whiny gasp. Ari pressed her arms to the floor and thrust into her faster, chasing the edge of his pleasure.
“Looks like I beat you this time, too,” he whispered. He let his teeth drag gentle lines across Rin’s neck. She let out a shuddering scream that cut off abruptly as she passed over her limit.
Ari kept going, taking her limp, pleasured form by the waist to use as he pleased for a few more indulgent thrusts. He cared for Rin more than he sometimes admitted to himself, and certainly more than he always showed to her.
He pulled her into a soft, protective hug as he continued pumping into her, and he only pulled out at the very second when his seed began to spill. Rin didn’t seem to
mind the stickiness across her stomach.
CHAPTER 4
“Come on,” whispered Ari. “We should get back to the settlement.”
Rin was resting her head on his chest, and as Ari moved to reach for his clothing, she wrapped one of her wings over him. It was fairly comfortable, and as always, he was surprised by how soft her feathers were.
“Too tired,” whispered Rin. “Sleep here.”
“Rin, I can’t just leave you,” said Ari.
“Then stay,” whispered Rin. “Keep me warm.”
It was a tempting idea. Between the various tasks involved with tending to the needs of the new community, Ari hadn’t gotten many chances to sleep soundly and enjoy the company of a woman’s body.
He and Eva had managed to make time for a few passionate nights, but only when neither of them were on watch for the night. Kerys had been so busy helping with the children that he had only shared a bed with her once in the past few weeks.
“I need to make sure Kerys and Virgil got back to the settlement safely, at the very least,” he said, a touch reluctantly.
“They’re safe,” muttered Rin.
She sounded surprisingly confident despite offering no further evidence. Ari sighed and decided that he could let her rest, at least for a few minutes, before getting up. She was still just light enough for him to carry her in his arms back to Etheria if he really had to.
“Feeling better?” he asked, running a hand over the feathers on Rin’s wings at the spot where they joined to her shoulders.
“A little,” she replied. “The guilt is still there. Guilt from running, from failing to do enough to protect my people. From not being strong enough.”
Ari sighed and gave her a small, comforting squeeze.
“The guilt will always be there, Rin,” he said. “The trick is to use it as a reminder to do better next time.”
***
Ari woke up, which meant that he’d also fallen asleep. Sunlight poured into the drake skull through the gaping jaw and empty eye sockets. He could hear people talking, and was just alert enough to realize that meant it was time for him to be present.
“Ah…” he said, blinking his eyes open and recognizing the two feminine figures standing at the mouth of the skull. “Kerys. Eva. Good morning.”
He brought a hand up to shield his eyes as he looked at them, noticing the expressions of their faces. Kerys had her arms crossed under her breasts and was glaring at him openly. Eva was frowning and shaking her head, her sapphire eyes flitting back and forth between him and Rin.
“Aristial,” said Kerys. “You spent the night here? With Rin?”
“Yeah, I did,” said Ari. “She was having a rough time.”
He got up and started gathering his clothes, feeling rather unaffected by the fact that he was still naked. Eva and Kerys stayed where they were, watching in quiet disapproval. Rin had only just begun to stir, and still had her wings wrapped around herself for warmth.
It wasn’t that Ari didn’t care about what Kerys and Eva thought. They’d been concerned about his flirtations with Rin almost since the very beginning, and for good reason. She was emotional and occasionally devious, oftentimes prone to acting without thinking or ignoring the feelings of others and the general social balance.
It was more that Ari understood the role he needed to play. He wasn’t just looking out for Kerys and Eva anymore. He wasn’t a scared teenager, one of the newly outcast Chosen, desperate to survive on the surface.
He was Lord Stoneblood, the leader of Etheria, and perhaps the only person capable of making sure their small community survived the coming winter. He needed Rin. He needed her at her best, strong and stable, fighting by his side, just as he needed Kerys and Eva.
“Aristial,” said Eva. “You need to be more circumspect. We did not know where you were last night or this morning. For us to find you here, with her…” She cleared her throat. “Naked, even.”
“I get it,” said Ari. “I didn’t mean to worry anyone. This really isn’t a big deal, though.”
“Not a big deal.” Kerys made a fist with her sole hand, a slight tremor of anger running through her shoulders. “Aristial Stoneblood, you are the worst!”
She turned on her heel and was one step into stomping off down the hill when Rin suddenly jerked in her sleep, thrashing her arms and letting out a soul-wrenching cry. She pushed herself upright and across the floor, still completely naked, only slowly coming fully awake from her nightmare.
Rin held one hand on her heart and took deep breaths, half gasping and half shuddering. Eva and Kerys stared at her in surprise. Rin glared back, first at the two of them, and then at Ari.
“What?” snapped Rin. “Is there something I can do for the three of you? If not, I’d prefer to dress myself without an audience.”
“Of course,” said Ari. “Rin, can you meet us back at the settlement once you’re ready? We have to talk about what comes next, and we could use your voice in the discussion.”
Rin didn’t answer him. She turned around and began pulling her underwear on, and after a couple of seconds, Ari could tell that she was done talking. He gestured to Kerys and Eva as he slipped his tunic over his head and the three of them started back toward Etheria.
“She’s not in a good way right now,” said Ari. “It’s more than just the nightmares. Last night, she tried to convince me to take the tower back to Central Dominion so she could try to get her revenge against Diya.”
“She does seem a bit more high-strung than usual,” said Kerys. “So you didn’t seek her out, then? It wasn’t about, well, you know…”
“Rin isn’t the one I’d seek out if I was just feeling horny,” said Ari. “You both should know that.”
They both looked at him, and he put an arm around both of them.
“You should still be careful, Lord Aristial,” said Eva. “Women like Rin tend to play with the hearts of men, whether they intend to or not. She did not get you to commit to anything, or take anything from you, did she?”
“No,” said Ari. “Honestly, I don’t think the usual suspicion is warranted, given the state she’s in right now. She needs our support, even if she tries to push us away.”
From the look on Eva’s face, she didn’t seem entirely convinced. Kerys was still frowning, and as the turtle-shell structure of Etheria came into view, she pulled away from him.
“I had to take time off helping with breakfast and the children to come find you this morning,” she said. “I should go see if Grena needs backup.”
“Stay near the tower,” said Ari. “We need to have a group meeting.”
He and Eva split up to gather the other relevant adults in the settlement. Grena usually didn’t take part in leadership discussions, and Amber was oftentimes too busy with her secretive alchemy research to make an appearance, but Ari found that Durrien and Virgil, and Rin arrived a few minutes later.
All of the children were still in the tower with Grena, except for Selene, who still occasionally fell into the habit of tagging along at her brother’s side. Virgil looked annoyed and a little awkward, and he tried to pry his sister from his side for a few moments before giving up. Kerys brought her hand up to her mouth and let out a tiny giggle as she watched them, which Selene responded to with a wide, precocious smile.
“Alright,” said Ari, to the group. “We’ve been here in Etheria for more than a month now. I think we’ve reached a turning point.”
He examined the faces of the others in the circle. Most were nodding in agreement. Rin’s expression was distant, and Kerys seemed like her thoughts were elsewhere, but Ari didn’t see anyone directly objecting.
“I agree, lad,” said Durrien. “You sound as though you have some ideas about the future.”
“I do,” said Ari. “We need to shift our focus away from day-to-day survival and back toward the real threats at hand. Diya and the Sai will eventually find us here, and if we aren’t ready…”
He trailed off, feeling as thoug
h it was a thought that he didn’t need nor want to finish.
“That’s the question, isn’t it?” said Kerys. “How do we prepare for an enemy like the Sai? They don’t think like we do, and the things they can do with their magic… Oh, no offense, Virgil.”
Virgil cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably. “Ah, of course not. I understand your point. It’s true. Emperor Diya will likely bring an army with dozens if not hundreds of Sai capable of wielding combat mystica when he chooses to strike.”
Virgil scratched his head, looking even more awkward, as though by bringing the possibility up he’d claimed ownership of it. Ari nodded slowly and held his arm out to the side.
“I’m going to have to start using the tower again,” he said. “I know that it’s been the center of our little settlement for the past few weeks, but its teleportation capabilities expand our options. We can’t just let it sit here.”
“I agree, though that raises the obvious question,” said Eva. “Will we all travel with the tower, or will it just be a select few?”
“It doesn’t make sense to expose the children to more danger than what’s absolutely necessary,” said Ari. “The first place I have in mind to travel to, and the only place that really makes sense right now, is Deepwater Spire.”
He’d told enough stories about the strange, ancient ocean anomaly for everyone in the circle to know what he was referring to, even those who hadn’t seen it up close. Eva nodded slowly. Kerys looked worried. Virgil had an earnest grin on his face.
“I don’t disagree with the logic in leaving people here,” said Durrien. “But for this plan to make sense, it either needs to be a quick trip, or preparations will need to be made for those left behind. I’m assuming you and Eva will be making the journey, at the very least, which means we won’t be able to defend ourselves from even the Weatherblight as well as normal.”
“Exactly,” said Ari. “We need to focus on two things, first. For one, shoring up our food supply so that the community can get by on its own for a few days. Secondly, we need to build a door. We’re long overdue for that, to be honest.”
Reborn Raiders (The Weatherblight Saga Book 4) Page 3
