by Logan Jacobs
“It’s a little sore, but nothing major. You are a miracle worker, Talise.”
“I am just glad Mira saw him approach and could yell out a warning,” the healer said quietly as a few tears rolled down her face. “Nothing would have cured you if he’d managed to hit your neck or head with that blow. We would be having your funeral, instead.”
I reached up to wipe the tears away gently.
“All is well, Talise,” I said in an effort to comfort her. “I am here, I am obviously well taken care of, and in the best hands I could be in. Plus, I am going to have one really great scar!”
“You are an incorrigible flounder, Ben,” she sighed while she tried to hide a smile.
“I’ve been called worse things,” I teased. “Could I possibly sit up? I feel weird staring up at the two of you.”
Just as Talise and the queen helped get me into a comfortable sitting position, a loud commotion and banging noise drew our attention to the doorway.
Mira came barreling in like something was chasing after her. The shock on her face was clear, and I also wasn’t expecting it when she quickly strode over to my side, took one look down at me, and promptly punched me in my uninjured upper arm.
“Ow?” I cried as I rubbed the tender skin and stared up at the warrior with wide eyes. “What the hell was that for?”
“For scaring Talise and the queen,” Mira sniffed with derision, but I thought I caught the barest glimmer of unshed tears in her eyes.
“Oh, really?” I asked with a cocked eyebrow. “Just them?”
“Of course,” the warrior scoffed, but she wouldn’t meet my gaze. “They were up for four days worrying about you.”
“And I’m sure you weren’t with them.” I smirked.
Mira’s golden cheeks blushed a ruddy pink. “I-I--”
“Thank you, Mira,” I interrupted and saved the woman from her embarrassment. “Without your warning, I could have ended up dead. You helped save my life.”
The warrior woman crossed her muscled arms over her chest, and her gold eyes darted to Nerissa, but the queen was hiding a smile behind her hand.
“Yeah, well,” Mira mumbled, “Talise would have been upset if you had died. I couldn’t let that happen.”
“Of course.” I nodded seriously, but my lips twitched at the corners. “Well, either way, I’m grateful.”
As the warrior finally met my eyes, I took a moment to study her. She looked as though she’d fought an injury or illness of her own, like she’d withered away and lost ten pounds. Her hair wasn’t its usual shiny jade green, and it was pulled back into a ponytail that stuck out like a duck tail because it was so short. Her golden scales were a bit dull and had lost some of their shine. Her clothes were the same ones she wore during the fight with the raiders, and I noticed how dirty she appeared to be all over.
Now, I was worried about her.
“When was the last time you slept or even ate, Mira?” I questioned her.
She averted her eyes, and a look of embarrassment crossed over her pretty face. Then she glanced up at her sister and her best friend, but she still didn’t answer my question.
“She rarely left your bedside, Ben,” Nerissa said with the barest hint of a smirk. “Talise and I both tried to get her to sleep, eat, or even bathe, but she wouldn’t hear of it. The only reason she wasn’t here when you woke up is because Talise sent her to fetch some more bandages for your shoulder.”
Mira clicked her tongue and glared at her sister, but the queen seemed vastly unaffected.
“Is this true, Mira?” I asked as I took her hand.
She kept her eyes averted and grumbled under her breath.
I smirked and wanted to tease the warrior a little more, but I thought better of it at the last second.
“Well, thank you, Mira,” I said with a small smile, “I am very honored. But, now that you see I am alive and well, I insist you go take care of yourself. Bathe, eat something, and rest, please.”
I could see her hesitation to leave me, even at my request, but then Nerissa spoke up.
“Mira, you can come back here and rest with Ben, if that is okay with Talise,” the queen suggested.
“That is an excellent idea,” Talise agreed with a smile. “With our patient now awake and alert, I think this will be his last night in the infirmary. It would be good to have you here with him, Mira, so I can take care of the ones who really need me.”
The warrior woman still looked reluctant to admit any true emotions toward me, but she eventually nodded and stood up to go.
“I will be back soon, Ben,” she said quietly. “Thank you for not dying.”
Then she disappeared through the door and left me in the hands of the queen and Talise. I was glad she would be back, though, even if she tried to insist it was no big deal to her.
Nerissa returned to my bedside and took a seat very close to me. Again, I was surprised at her sudden comfort and ease around me. While she was never exactly standoffish toward me, she’d definitely kept her distance. Now, she was sitting so close her glorious ass nestled into my side, and she laid her hand on my chest.
I was suddenly light-headed since all the blood left in my body decided to go straight to my dick at her touch, but I didn’t mind.
“Ben, may I speak openly with you?” she asked, and there was a little hesitation in her voice.
“Of course, my Queen,” I assured her. “You can speak to me about anything.”
She smiled and took a deep breath, and I could see she still had a lot of reservations about saying what was on her mind. She started to speak two or three times, but stopped herself before she did.
This was going to drive me crazy.
“With all due respect, Your Majesty, just spit it out.” I smiled.
Her tinkling burst of giggles warmed me up from head to toe. She really was so very enchanting, and I could hardly breathe around her.
“I must admit, at first, I was very hesitant and suspicious about you,” she blurted out after she reined in her laughter. “I was sure you were some kind of spy or a bad person. We haven’t had the best of luck with any males around here in a very long time.”
“I understand that, Your Majesty.”
“I wanted to be as optimistic as Talise and my sister, but I couldn’t bring myself to get my hopes up,” she continued. “I was afraid history would repeat itself, and I didn’t want to get my heart tangled up in a mess when you betrayed us.”
I just nodded my head in understanding. I knew trusting anyone, especially a stranger, at their word was a dangerous step for a queen to take.
“I confess that when I took you on a tour of our village and the coasts, it was a sort of … test,” Nerissa admitted, but to her credit, she looked me straight in the eyes as she spoke. “I expected you to show your true colors. To attack me or enact some other nefarious plot. I had warriors waiting in the wings. That is why Mira was able to return with others so quickly to collect the haeye carcass.”
“So, there were people watching us the whole time?” I asked with a frown. “Why didn’t they come to help when the haeye was chasing us up the beach?”
Nerissa shook her head. “I’d given them strict instructions to not reveal themselves unless you made an attempt on my life.”
“I see,” I murmured. I couldn’t really blame the queen for her subterfuge. That was some smart thinking on her part, if I truly had been a spy.
“But you proved me wrong, Ben,” Nerissa added softly as she looked deep into my eyes, “and I am incredibly grateful you did. You saved Mira and I from the haeye when you could have easily fled. Then, last night, when the raiders threatened my people and their lives, you fought bravely for us. You almost died for us. You defeated a foe that would have done unspeakable things to all of us if they had gotten the chance. I am … eternally grateful and in your debt for protecting me and this village.”
“Your Majesty…” I started.
“Please call me Nerissa, especially here in
close company.”
“Nerissa, I only did what I thought was right,” I admitted, “I don’t expect repayment or want to have you in debt to me. Even if it was begrudgingly, you did save my life.”
“That’s exactly it, Ben!” she exclaimed. “You didn’t have to do anything. It wasn’t your responsibility or place, but you did it without thought and without reservation or expectation of anything in return.”
“There was no way I could sit by and watch all of you get manhandled, hurt, or much worse,” I growled. “It wasn’t like those monsters were just going to raid your goods and leave you in peace. I heard what they planned to do…”
“They are barbaric brutes, there is no doubt about that,” she agreed, “but it still wasn’t your duty to do what you did, is what I am saying. I now know I had the wrong idea about you, simply because I was protecting my own heart. I apologize for ever doubting you.”
She reached up to touch my face as she said these last words, and when I looked into her eyes, I felt like I’d fallen into the clearest sea and was willing to drown in it happily as long as I could stay there forever.
“An apology isn’t necessary, Nerissa,” I told her, “but it is accepted, nonetheless.”
“Thank you, you have eased a great burden in my heart with your words,” she said graciously. “Now, I have a couple of things I want to discuss with you, but one of them can wait until you are out of the infirmary.”
“Fair enough. What’s the other thing you wanted to talk about?”
“I want to formally invite you, Benjamin Ross Whitfield, to join our village and stay with us for the remainder of your days,” Queen Nerissa declared with a broad smile. “We don’t have everything your world does, but we have one another. You will always have a home here and will always be wanted.”
I stared at the royal beauty with my mouth gaping open. Had she really just asked me to stay here, to be one of them?
“You can give me your answer after you have thought on it for a while, if you wish,” she said hesitantly. “I know you might be homesick, but I don’t really know how to return you to your home. So, please, consider just living with us?”
I took a moment to think about my old life and what I’d left behind. I’d already lost both of my parents and all of my grandparents in my life. I had my sister, but we’d been out of touch since she’d moved across the country. I would miss her and being able to see my nephew grow up, but they had their new lives in Seattle and would continue to thrive there. My roommate, Terrence, would have a hard time without me, but he was a survivor. Also, he would have Tully there to comfort him, and he loved that cat more than he loved most people.
That was about it for my people. Sure, I had a group of friends and a boat, but I’d really kept to myself ever since getting out of the Coast Guard. I’d avoided social media like the plague and refused to fall into the trap of “friending” people from high school and shit, just to discover they were all still the same old douchebags. The only other thing was I hoped Jess and her family didn’t feel too guilty about my disappearance. I had no doubt I was there for a reason and would do it all over again if given the choice, including saving the dog. I’d struggled to find a place in the world where I would fit in and could make a difference, but I’d found that on this island, and I was happy with my choice.
“Yes,” I answered immediately.
“Yes, you want to think on it?”
“Yes, I accept!” I laughed.
Suddenly, there was a shout of excitement across the room, and I looked away from the queen to see Talise do a little dance in celebration. The vision made me burst out in laughter, and my shoulder twinged in disagreement with the sudden movement, but I was too happy to care.
“You make me and everyone else very happy, Ben.” Nerissa smiled as she reached out and squeezed my hand. “I must take my leave now and make the announcement that you are not only okay, but will also be staying with us. We will speak about the other issue soon.”
I started to tell her she could talk to me about anything else she needed to discuss now, but she wasn’t having it.
“It can wait, Ben,” she said gently and put one hand on my lips to stop me from arguing. Then she moved her hand slowly away and left a trail of heat across my cheek from her touch.
Nerissa stared at me for a moment and then leaned in and replaced her hand with her lips. The kiss started out soft, sweet, and almost chaste, but it grew into a more feverish kiss when her lips parted, and her tongue begged for entrance into my mouth.
I wasn’t one to deny a queen, so I followed suit.
It didn’t turn into a completely heated makeout session, she just let her tongue dance lightly across the tip of mine for a moment and then pulled away after a light nibble to my bottom lip. It was definitely enough to drain all thoughts from my head and make my dick harden again instantly.
Nerissa smiled one more time before leaving without another word.
These women were going to be the death of me.
“You seem to be recovering quickly, Ben.” Talise approached me with a knowing smile on her face, and she seemed very proud of herself when she snickered.
I just rolled my eyes at her in response.
“Maybe you would like something to eat?” she laughed. “I think you are going to need to get your strength back as soon as possible.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the woman. That is what Talise did, she brought joy and humor and light to my world.
“I think that’s a great idea,” I told her, and my stomach growled in agreement.
The healer left for a moment and returned with a tray with a bowl of some kind of soup, sliced banana, and a hunk of flat bread. She set the tray to the side while she helped me sit up higher in the bed, and she positioned several seagrass pillows behind me so my back and shoulders were fully supported before she placed another pillow on my lap. Then she brought the tray over, set it down gently, and then sat in the same spot on my bed the queen had just vacated.
I could get used to this treatment.
“I think you can manage this on your own, since it wasn’t your dominant hand and arm that got injured, but I am going to stay by your side just in case,” the healer told me.
“I like you being close by,” I flirted openly with this woman. She brought it out in me so easily. I was amazed at how comfortable I was around her and how peaceful it was to be in her presence.
In response, Talise snuggled her lovely ass right up against my side to show she wasn’t going anywhere and then laughed at her own antics.
“You can do that as much as you want,” I told her as I picked up the spoon, “I don’t mind one bit.”
I winced as I tried to bring the spoon to my mouth, and the healer clicked her tongue.
“Oh, you are a sad guppy, aren’t you?” she murmured in a husky voice. “I guess I will have to feed you.”
I doubt I would have accepted this kind of coddling from just any woman, but I knew that not only would Talise be delighted to help me, she would make it sensual rather than emasculating.
Sure enough, she held the bowl under my chin and raised a spoonful of soup to my mouth, and she bit her bottom lip the entire time. Once the soup was in my mouth, she watched me chew with an intense stare aimed at my lips. She fed me a few more bites without changing her expression, and my heart pounded in rhythm with my pulsating dick.
Her biting that bottom lip was driving me insane.
Talise paused in feeding me to wipe a small drip off the corner of my mouth with her soft thumb, then she repeated the steps over until the soup was gone.
This time when she placed her thumb on my mouth, I opened it slightly so I could gently flick her thumb with my tongue and graze it with teeth.
Her own mouth let loose a small moan, and her cheeks flushed a tantalizing rose color. Then she slowly and reluctantly moved her thumb away.
“Uh--you, um, better eat that bread and enjoy it,” she fumbled. “It’s the la
st of it considering those evil beasts burnt the grain storage to the ground.”
This did a good job of taking my attention away from carnal thoughts and back to the current and desperate needs of the village. Fucking man-beasts.
“I actually thought of a solution to the grain problem, at least until we can get the fields back in growing conditions,” I told her.
“Would you tell me about it?” she asked with bright eyes. “I would love to take some good news to the queen tonight.”
“Of course, you are the one I was waiting to tell,” I informed the healer with a smile. “In my world, people started making flour out of coconuts as a healthier option to making it from grain. It’s pretty simple to do.”
“How do we go about doing this?” she asked as she leaned into me with excitement.
“It’s a process of soaking and then drying the white pulp of the coconut,” I replied with my own excited grin. “Then, once it is fully dry, it can be ground like flour. Plus, we will have lots of coconut milk and oil to use for whatever we need.”
Her aqua eyes lit up with my explanation like a kid’s on Christmas morning, or like she’d just won the lottery.
I found I really enjoyed making this gorgeous woman so happy.
“When do you think we can start?” she asked.
“In the morning, if you want.”
“This is brilliant, Ben!” she declared. “You really are a lifesaver!”
She bent down and kissed me soundly on the lips and then stood up to start pacing the room. I’d noticed that about her, she liked to stay in motion when her wheels were turning. She mumbled mostly to herself about the things they could do with all the different products that came from the coconuts we were going to harvest. I didn’t hear much of what she said, though, since my head was still reeling from two kisses from two different beautiful serpent women in less than an hour.
If only my old Coast Guard buddies could see me now.
Just then, Mira returned from completing everything she had to do, and she looked a million times better than she did earlier. There were still dark circles under her eyes, but she wore an easy smile on her face. Her jade green hair was shiny again and still damp from her bath, and I could smell the comforting and signature scent of the handmade soap as soon as she’d walked in. For the first time since I met her, she was wearing one of the feminine wraps instead of the warrior outfit I’d grown accustomed to seeing her in. This one was a deep green a few shades darker than her hair and made her scales shine like they were the gates of heaven itself.
