The Radical (Unity Vol.1)

by Lynch, S. M.

  ‘Oh, Ryken,’ I cried while he gazed down at the sight laid before him.

  The anticipation was wretched. I needed his touch to eradicate all the pain. Our union was the only thing going to save us; it didn’t matter if the cost of us being together proved too much. I wasn’t given much longer to fear the strength of our connection because his tongue reached inside me and I moaned.

  I looked up at him and saw his eyes were black with fervor. My knees fell to widen my hips, willing him to take as much as he could. I reached for his hands and he grasped mine, our fingers twining and settling in the hollows of my hips. I settled my feet on his shoulders and arched into his mouth.

  I felt as though I were undergoing a transformation from mere mortal to heightened being of paradisiacal knowledge. He made love to me with his tongue alone and I shivered on the edge of ecstasy. I watched as he silently lapped my essence into his mouth, listening to my mewls and cries to determine my level of pleasure.

  He determined to bring me to climax, expertly rubbing his tongue against my clit. I couldn’t control myself and wrapped my legs behind his head. ‘Don’t stop Ryken. Don’t stop. Oh god-d.’

  He relished my pleasure, his slow movement prolonging my excitement. I was desperately conflicted and tried to encourage rapidity but he held back, wanting to give me as much enjoyment as possible. I looked at him and the sight of his black hair between my legs sent a quiver through me, so strong, I could barely contain myself. I was delirious, crying out, ‘I love you Ryken. I love you so much, it hurts.’

  ‘I love you, angel,’ he replied.

  Those words, from him, were the most arousing catalyst and my breathing became ragged. He growled and our hands separated so he could let loose. I tugged on his hair to push his face into my wet crevice while two of his fingers scissored inside me and rubbed my G-spot. His tongue swept over my nubbin with slow, precise strokes, just enough to keep me on the edge.

  ‘Don’t stop, please don’t stop. Please. Oh god!’

  My whole being was alighted by the spark between us and my centre was suspended in exquisite, existential rigidity by his continuous contact. I was gasping, my lungs struggled, my heart rate and pulse were erratic. I needed to hurl myself over the edge and so I grabbed my breasts, lifting my pelvis up off the coffee table into his face. I pulled my nipples and his eyes stared down on me with pure, animalistic lust. The nerves in my nipples connected with my clitoris and I started to orgasm, and he kept going.

  I screamed and shrieked, his chivalric perseverance producing a tantric response. My walls spasmed gently to begin with; flickering pulses gripped his fingers inside me. Yet his tongue did not stop. That gentle wave was replaced by fierce, paralyzing contractions that made my hips ache and my belly squeeze tight around him. My whole body pulsated with intense euphoria; the warmth spreading from the pits of my womb to the ends of my fingers and toes. I came and he licked it all into his mouth, finishing with a gentle, tugging kiss of my clitoris. I saw stars.

  When I remembered where I was and who I was with, I realized my limbs were carelessly hanging off the cold plastic surface. I was completely exhausted and he was content in kissing my inner thighs, nuzzling and seeking.

  I peered at the mischievous look on his face. ‘I didn’t think it could get any better, but it just did…’

  His mouth spread into a devastating smile. ‘We’re not done yet, beautiful.’

  He pulled my weary body up and kissed my stomach, licking my navel. His mouth started to explore the rest and I trembled, still sensitive from his previous endeavors.

  ‘Stand up, darling,’ I teased.

  He stood immediately, anxiously standing in front of me with his body towering over mine. In his jeans, his hips were slim and sculpted in comparison to his mountainous shoulders and chest. I held my arms around him and licked between his abs, commanding, ‘Drop them.’

  He did as he was told – this warrior sent to protect and serve me – and I watched intently while he undid his button and slid down his fly. He was wearing black boxer briefs and the tip of his manhood popped out, sending my need for him rocketing through me yet again. While he kicked his jeans and boxers away, I eyed his magnificent figure with rapture.

  I saw the proud but loving grin looking down on me, awaiting my next instruction with baited breath. I put a hand behind one of his stocky thighs and pulled him toward me, the huge bulk of meat and man that was my faithful lover shifting toward me with more grace than his form should have allowed. I licked some pre-cum away and kissed his tip tenderly. He clenched his fists and more moisture slaked his cock. His sac was enormous too and I was enthralled. I licked the line of hair from his belly button down to his shaft and planted butterfly kisses along the main vein of his cock. If one night with this man was all I had left, I would take it. I think we both knew how precious these moments were, otherwise we would have been already fucking up against a wall. As it were, I wanted every inch of him seared into my heart and mind.

  I stood and he grasped my flank, pulling me toward him in a warm, easy embrace. He tugged the band out of my hair and spread the locks out behind me, kissing and smelling them. His chest rose and fell sharply and the enormous member between his legs twitched with every caress of my body.

  ‘Seraph, I love you. I need to be inside you.’

  Fresh desire swirled in my belly and I smiled at hearing the tremor in his voice, spreading my hands and mouth across his chest.

  ‘Take me to bed,’ I whispered.

  His hands caught me underneath my thighs and easily lifted me into his arms. He carried me toward the bedroom, my legs wrapped around his waist. On the way I mapped his face with my fingertips and stroked my nose against his.

  ‘I love you, Ryken.’

  ‘I’ll never love another woman.’

  I absolutely believed him.

  He reached the bed and our bodies cascaded across the mattress. He kissed me extremely tenderly, so gently I wanted to die right then. I watched as he winced on his arms, his shoulder still painful.

  ‘You’re still hurting.’

  ‘Only for wanting you,’ he assured me.

  I guided his cock to my slick cleft, shifting my hips around his to settle us comfortably. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for him.

  He stroked my cheek and kissed me, as if reading my thoughts. He drove into me until I was full and, everything stopped. I felt as though we were standing on a precipice, ready to throw ourselves into complete and tranquil oblivion.

  ‘I love you,’ I told him, holding his gaze, wrapping my arms tighter around his neck. Admitting it made me so much freer to love him. He captured my lips and relaxed me with his kisses.

  I let him make love to me. I closed my legs around him, held him, my lips always ready for his. He was so tender that I savored every movement, heard every breath, relished every kiss he gave me.

  I kissed his wounds and held my arm around his shoulder to ease his burden. His mouth rampantly pressed itself against my throat and I could hear the pain in his voice when he said, ‘Seraph, I love you.’

  I knew his shoulder troubled him and I wanted to switch positions to take it away but he was intent on having me.

  ‘Faster,’ I begged. I was agonized, watching his face contort with a mixture of agony and ecstasy.

  He growled and I wrapped my hands around the headboard to keep myself steady while he held himself up on his arms and increased his pace. He groaned loudly as his thrusts became more rapid and determined. He shivered and trembled, sweat dripping down his back as he gripped on to me for dear life, no longer in control of his impulses. I pressed a hand against his buttock, encouraging him to forget consideration and make use of me.

  ‘I’m coming Ryken!’ I knew it for a certainty. I was coming apart around him, his drives swirling heat inside me, his cock growing excruciatingly thick. I wanted so much more from him but I couldn’t stand his hurt; his shoulder almost in spasm as he held his massive body weight up over me.


  We maintained it for several moments until I climaxed, shaking and rippling against him, us crying out together. He roared in my ear while my neck twisted to and fro with the pressure of such violent tenderness.

  In the aftermath, pain and pleasure gripped him too and I grasped his forearms, helping him move.

  ‘Here, rest here,’ I urged him, and he slid to my side so he could rest on my chest. His breathing leveled out and he nuzzled my breasts while I stroked my hands through his hair.

  ‘Ryken, that was wonderful.’

  His level of exertion was incredible considering everything he had been through. We held each other in a sweaty embrace, breathing heavily in each other’s ears. I needed to bury myself in his neck, refusing to believe it was all over. He rolled on his back and the emptiness inside me made me feel sick as he slipped out, the painful abandonment unbearable.

  I rested my arms either side of his head and looked down on him. His eyes flickered open and shut and I nipped his open mouth as he continued to pant away his exertion. I kissed him deeply and he held my body reverently. My insides still throbbed and I wanted him again but when he covered our entwined bodies with the duvet, I felt content just being laid in his arms. I counted his heartbeats and teased my fingers through his chest hair, staring at the shut blinds. I wished that the whole world would just leave us be. In his embrace, I felt the most incredible peace.

  What we shared was a miracle and I couldn’t get close enough to him. Our hands and mouths sought each other out, kissing palms and cheeks, noses burrowing and eyes wide in our exploration of the physical differences between us.

  I felt our journey and everything we had been through together beginning to overwhelm me. I had never known a love like it and knew I never would again. I gripped his torso and he kissed the back of my hands as he felt my tears start to run over his chest.

  ‘Was I that bad?’

  ‘I need you. I was so ignorant, so blind. I never thought I could feel this happy.’

  ‘Me either, my angel.’

  I lifted myself to look down on him, smiling through tears.

  ‘I’m so in love with you.’

  He brought me into his arms tightly and I could hear his heart pounding in his chest as he declared, ‘Seraph, I am never, ever going to let you go. I promise.’

  He knew that meant more to us than the obligatory three words of old.

  We slept a while and then made love through the night, exploring every inch of one another, desperate to make the most of whatever time we had left. For who knew what tomorrow might bring.

  PART THREE

  Veritas Praevalebit

  CHAPTER 29

  Dawn the next morning and Ryken cradled me against his naked body, under the covers. We hadn’t really slept much at all, between feeding each other snacks from the kitchen and falling on top of one another whenever the mood carried us.

  The stark light of day breaking through the cracks in the Venetian blinds, I felt bitter, like we hadn’t been given enough time. Not even his lingering kisses against my shoulders and throat could stop me feeling apprehensive – and seriously considering his idea of disappearing off the face of the Earth. I found myself needing to talk to set my mind at rest, to let him in on my secrets before it was too late.

  ‘My mother and father met in the wake of 2023. They never used to speak about what they went through, but I knew there were issues, things that they never dared bring to the fore. I knew they loved each other, but there was some kind of doom looming over their marriage.

  ‘When I was a kid, Vivienne drove me to school in a blacked-out vehicle, everyday. I thought it was normal. Maybe I thought it was because Mom and Dad had important jobs and were important people. A lot of other kids were dropped off in similar cars. Only years later did I realize that the schools I attended were those monopolised by Officium. Most kids whose parents had money were sent there. Other schools were run by voluntary teachers with no resources except their own brains, so if you didn’t have money you were fucked.’

  ‘Same back home,’ he told me, ‘Dad hated it, I knew, so did Mum. They had to pay. Worse than that, Officium were the enemy, but what could anyone do? Rebel and stand alone? Face life without civility?’

  ‘Exactly. I was pissed to learn the truth but who else was gonna educate me, huh? Mom and Dad worked like bees and had no friends. I had no friends. Nobody made friends. Not unless you wanted to get caught out saying somethin’ against the almighty powers that be. Everyone kept their distance.’

  His large arms tightened and he pulled me closer with a long leg wrapped over mine. ‘I was lucky in the Army. We had some freedom of speech.’

  ‘We have had none, not in New York, not where they have their HQ. I rose every day, went to school, read and listened, then came home to do the same. Until I met Eve… and then realized I wasn’t alone in my thinking. Whether she realized or not, she gave me ideas. To talk out, stand up… so I got thrown out of High School when I was 15 and my parents had to pay for home schooling. The teacher they employed, he was odd, and with hindsight I realize he was more than just a teacher. I have no doubt he was indeed another bodyguard like Camille, sent to keep me safe. So, when I graduated and went to college, that was when I really got a taste for journalism and threw myself into it, learning how to keep my head down. I had learned that lesson after getting thrown out of school.’

  ‘What exactly did you get thrown out for?’ he asked, amusement edging his voice.

  I turned and saw his smile and I rolled toward him. I held myself over him and stroked his face. ‘You like bad girls?’

  ‘What gives you that idea?’ he begged.

  I raised my eyebrows before falling down on his chest, burying myself in his muscle and warmth. ‘I told a fellow student that they were dumb for thinking the Dam was only for flood prevention.’

  ‘As simple as that? It got you thrown out?’

  ‘Uh-huh, Dad had to write a letter of apology so it didn’t go any farther.’

  ‘Shit.’

  ‘That is the world I faced. No man is an island but Officium wanted to make their own, and they chose New York to do it. It is totally unnatural.’

  ‘The worst thing I ever did was smoke a cigarette in front of the school gates. That got me detention for a week.’

  We laughed it off but then memories flooded back to me.

  ‘Hold me tight, Ryken.’

  I wanted to tell him so much more.

  ‘I’m here, angel.’

  I felt so small in his embrace and I lifted myself onto his body so I was curled up against him, his arms and legs cuddling every inch of me.

  ‘I learned to cope by throwing myself into everything at college. I ceaselessly aimed higher and higher and could have made a career for myself in any field, but I realized long ago I had an innate predilection to become a reporter. It is almost as if it’s in my DNA to chase stories, get to the bottom of cases and find the truth.

  ‘When my folks died, I guess I no longer cared for their strictures and so I reverted back to my true self. I went wild. Got into some shitty situations but got myself out of them too. The Rascal has always been there behind the scenes, taking care of me. But I’ve taken my profession to the extreme Ryken, such that I can’t escape it now. People stop me in the street and offer me a knowing wink, thanking me for the work I do, knowing the constant battle I’m up against to get to the bottom of all this. That keeps me going, knowing there are citizens out there who want the truth as much as I do… and I keep going for them. I’m their representative, their soldier. I’m not proud of the way I’ve had to work but I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ve been fighting this for so long, it’s time to act now. It’s time to really take action. I can’t get anywhere else without proof. I need you to get me in. We have to do this for so many people, but mostly, for ourselves. There’s so much at stake here.’

  I lifted my eyes to his with all seriousness, pleading with him to help me finally get to the bo
ttom of my life’s work. ‘I have a pile of cases on my desk… all wrongly convicted inmates asking me to help them tell their stories. I have a list of dozens of women brought to hospital, raped to within an inch of their lives, unwilling to press charges because they fear it might be more than their lives are worth.’

  His face contorted and he chewed his lip. ‘Seraph, I don’t want this life for you. I love you… I love that you want to help people. I will never approve, however. I want you safe and protected, I want you with me. Can’t we just leave, go somewhere safe and stay there, the two of us? I only want you now, nothing else. Just you and a peaceful place to live out our days.’

  I kissed him and stroked the purple bruises that were spoiling his beautiful face. ‘I want that too, Ryken. I only want you and a place far away from all this. I feel sick thinking about losing you and that is why we have to do this. They will never leave us alone, not us two. You know that. But, this is not just about us. We can’t find a peaceful place until we finish this. You and I were destined to bring Officium to justice.’

  He held a huge bear paw against my cheek and eyed me with what I knew was a look of pure love. Deep down, I sensed he was terrified – knowing what needed to happen next.

  ‘I’ve seen what these people are really capable of. They killed people I cared about too. They will not stop until we are both dead. I’ve seen and done things I hope you never have to know about. I don’t know if I’ve got any strength left to fight them.’

  ‘Then take my strength, I’ve got enough for both us,’ I enthused. I wrapped him in a fierce embrace, my heart and lungs pounding against him.

  He somehow seemed past consolation, releasing himself from my arms and getting up out of bed to put his boxer shorts back on. He paced the room and looked behind the blinds at the city outside.