by Anna Carven
“Maki wouldn’t hurt me,” she repeated stubbornly, and her unshakeable faith in the Vradhu irritated Imril all the more. “You should have let them take me to the others so I could talk to them and convince them that you’re not dangerous.”
“That would be pointless. They know who I am. The Vradhu will never reveal their hiding place to a Drakhin.” The more he said, the angrier she seemed to get, her vir turning incandescent. Why was this upsetting her so? He was trying to explain things to her, and he’d never felt that he had to explain himself to anyone before, ever.
“My people are in that hiding place, Imril. They don’t have poison barbs or spears or fancy armor or impossible powers. They only get one chance on this planet. I only get one chance. We can’t afford to make a single mistake.”
He came to a halt in front of her, and his cock grew even harder as he walked inside the radius of her vir. “I told you, I gave your Maki all the information he needed to make the right decision. The Vradhu will come to their senses.”
“And what if they don’t?”
“They will.” He stared down at her, taking in her perfect features, complete with a smattering of dark pigment spots across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. He noticed the slight flush in her cheeks and the rapid patter of her pulse, barely visible in her elegant neck. She looked so good in that golden jacket, the one he’d found carefully folded and stored in a chest in one of Kunlo’s many rooms.
He breathed in her scent and became obsessed with her luscious pink lips, which glistened with a hint of moisture.
He wanted to devour her. Not just her vir, but everything.
“You…” She looked up at him, and there was something else mixed in with her anger. Her eyes were fixed upon his face, and she studied him with great intensity.
He’d seen that look before, countless times, on the faces of the dozens of female Vradhu who had come to Eleia to vie for his affection.
You find me pleasing, don’t you, sweet human?
Even when you are angry at me.
In the end, the Vradhu females had always become afraid of him, of what he was, and that was the biggest turn-off in the Universe.
And he never heard the song when he was in their presence.
In the end, he had given up trying to search for a mate.
But this human…
Her anger, her complete absence of fear… it was glorious, and it turned him on.
“What, Esania?” Their faces were so close. He leaned in just a little bit more and inhaled her sweet scent.
“How can you be so sure they’ll come?”
“Because, sweet human, I am the Overlord of Khira. I was here when that upstart Vradhu’s ancestors used to roam freely across the Twelve Continents.” I was here when the Vradhu used to walk freely amongst the Drakhin. I was here when the Shadowring fell across our skies. I was here during the First War and during the Great War, and soon you will see what it truly means to be one of my subjects.
Her lips remained parted, an expression of mild shock flitting across her perfect features before she quickly concealed it.
“What, are you surprised that I am so old?”
“No, I knew that already.” The corners of her mouth twisted into a delicious frown, and her anger abated, just a little. She blinked. “Sweet?”
Caught in the heady cloud of her aura, Imril nodded.
They were so close.
She had no idea how tense he was right now, filled with hunger and lust.
He actually trembled as he nodded slowly, compelled to reach out and touch her. His wings flared. He drowned in her scent, drank in her beautiful form, imagined what it would be like to taste her as she lay before him, naked.
Not just her vir, but all of her.
“We have to go,” he said instead, his voice thrumming with urgency. They’d already been away from the eyrie for too long. Until he got a better feel for what was going on in the Drakhin Territories, he wasn’t going to take too many chances.
There would be time to deal with Esania’s misunderstandings later.
Later.
Amongst other things.
You are sexually attracted to an alien, Drakhin. You have not even asked her about her world, the place she comes from, her customs, her expectations. Does she even find you attractive?
He knew she did… he could feel it in her vir. It drove him mad.
Esania exhaled slowly, her anger slowly starting to dissolve. “You’d better be right about this. I don’t like the idea of them staying out in the wild.”
“The Vradhu are some of the most cautious creatures on this planet, Esania. They won’t make the same mistake twice. Do you understand?”
“I… think so.” Finally, she relented.
Whatever he was doing, it seemed to be working, because she was starting to calm down. Imril stared at her, torn between wanting to devour her and protect her.
No. He must never take her by force, ever. The mere thought of it was enough to put a dampener on his arousal.
“We have to go,” he snapped, pulling the sulak rope from his belt-pouch. “Are you coming with me, Esania, or am I going to leave you behind so you can rejoin the Clan?”
“Are you seriously offering to let me go?”
He said nothing as he uncoiled the rope in his hand. Her vir was driving him mad. He had the means to restrain her, and the strength to do so. “Are you coming with me, Esania?”
Her eyes widened, and she trembled a little.
That’s when he felt it.
Her intoxicating aura flared, giving off a faint hint of…
Arousal.
Thick and sweet. He could smell it, too.
Unable to help himself, Imril leaned in and kissed her.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Esania froze as his lips pressed against hers.
Softly at first, then harder and harder, he kissed her. His lips were warm, smooth, sensual, completely at odds with the harsh appearance of his face. He sucked her lower lip gently, running his smooth armor-gloved thumbs over her cheeks, easing his fingers along the braided rows of her hair. He held her in a half-grip, half-caress that was rough yet gentle, and oh-so possessive.
He probed her mouth with his tongue, which was long and pointed at the end. Her tongue connected with his, and Esania’s mind was blown.
You can’t do this!
That was the first thought that entered her mind, a legacy of years of Primean conditioning, but the intensity of Imril’s kiss quickly swept away her reservations.
Her energy surged into him, and even though she was being drained, she didn’t care, because a blissful sensation spread throughout her body, relaxing her muscles, filling her with warmth, sending a delicious ache right down into her tender clit.
So this was what it felt like to be kissed.
The Primean in her recoiled in horror, but she locked that part of her away, rejecting the culture she’d been raised in.
It wasn’t as difficult as she’d thought it would be.
It was surprisingly easy, in fact.
She kissed him back.
Her very first kiss, and it was everything she’d never imagined it could be.
He kissed her harder, his lips crushing against hers. He tasted like sweetness and embers, and she wanted more, even as she slumped against him, the strength leaving her legs.
He pulled back, withdrawing his touch, taking a step back, his golden eyes widening in alarm. “That’s enough.”
“Imril…”
“Esania.” From his lips, her name was a whisper, a growl, a reverent song. Her heart hammered. Her lips tingled with the memory of his kiss. Her desire surged.
What does this mean?
“Let’s go,” he said gruffly, beckoning to her. “Do you understand now why you need to trust me?”
“You never planned on letting me go, did you?”
He didn’t answer her question, but the corner of his mouth turned upwards in a secret litt
le smile. “Come, Esania.”
In a trance, she drifted to him, allowing him to place his hands on her shoulders. He slowly spun her around and pulled her against him. “I’m still drinking in your vir,” he whispered darkly, his voice infused with power and pleasure, “and now I am going to bind you to me.”
Unable to even think of escaping him, she pressed her back against his rock-hard torso and let him slide the rope across her chest, under her arms, around her waist, even between her legs. Just like last time, he moved quickly and efficiently, but this time, his touch was a caress.
His hands skimmed over her breasts, her waist, her hips, awakening her body.
With their bare skin was separated only by thin barriers of metal and cloth, Esania ached to feel him bare skin against hers.
“I can’t stop absorbing your vir right now, Esania.” His low voice was a soft caress against her ear. “I know it’s exhausting, but you don’t need to be afraid. I’ve got you. I will never let you fall.”
She couldn’t shake off the lingering sensation of his kiss. “And what are we supposed to do now… about all this?” His kiss was no accident. The Overlord wanted her.
“There is a solution,” he murmured. “I did not think I would be suggesting it so soon, but…” His voice trailed off as he unfurled his majestic wings.
“Cryptic as ever, I see,” Esania muttered, but her voice was drowned out by the rush of air around them as Imril beat his wings, generating tremendous force.
They rose through the trees, defying the laws of physics as Imril maneuvered this way and that, finding a clear path through the canopy. When leaves and branches blocked their way, he simply blasted them, and they disintegrated into ashes.
Suddenly, they were up above the canopy, and a gust of cool air swirled past, lifting them higher and higher.
They soared, and Imril wrapped his powerful arms around her. All Esania could do was watch the dazzling landscape below as he held her tightly, and she knew without a doubt that he was never going to let her go.
Chapter Twenty-Three
They were being followed. Imril cursed softly under his breath as he detected a presence at the edge of his awareness. He held Esania tightly, wrapping his arms across her chest, soaking in her intoxicating vir, although when he wore his scale-armor, he could only drink in a faint trickle.
Not wanting to alarm her, he simply increased his speed, sending a flow of power through his body. He rose higher, higher, until he reached the point where he could go no further without Esania passing out—the air was too thin up here.
“Imril?” she whispered, her voice barely audible above the rush of the wind. “What’s going on?”
“Don’t worry,” he murmured, bringing his wings behind him in a streamlined V. He pushed more power through his body, creating a halo of energy around himself and Esania.
If he were on his own, he would double back immediately and go after their stalker, but he had Esania to think about, and he absolutely could not be reckless with her safety.
Suddenly, it dawned on him. This fragile creature was completely dependent on him for protection.
He’d emerged from Za’s crater broken, desperate, and defeated, only to find purpose in the form of this delicate human.
Oh, she might be delicate, but she was whip-smart, too. What she lacked in strength, she made up for in cunning.
The fact that he was here in the skies, carrying out her bidding… that was a miracle in itself.
“Something’s happening, isn’t it?” Her voice was perfectly calm as Imril veered sharply and caught a swift wind current. “But you don’t want to scare me, huh? It’s okay, Imril. I’m torn between needing to know every minute detail and letting go completely, but I trust you. I’m just going to close my eyes and let you handle this. It’s not how I usually operate, but—”
“You are safe with me,” he said fiercely as he held her tightly. So strong was his desire to protect her that he didn’t even have to think about it. “I’m going to get you home, Esania.”
Whoosh.
Something shot overhead, a white and silver blur that reflected a flash of sunlight. Imril knew that outline…
Another Drakhin.
Moving very, very fast.
He could go faster if he wanted, but he didn’t want to risk it with Esania in his arms.
His heart pounded. A powerful desire to kill rose up inside him, but he restrained himself, mindful of his precious cargo. “I need your vir, Esania.”
“Take it. Even if I pass out, just take what you need.”
This female. Her instant awareness of the situation and her unconditional trust humbled him to the core. Just like that, she disarmed him completely.
He could never be cruel to this sweet thing.
Never.
But to their enemies, he would be a nightmare.
He stripped off his scale-glove and curled his fingers around her neck, relishing the instant torrent of power that flowed into him.
Esania gasped.
Below them, the world flew by, becoming a blue and green blur.
He drank from her quickly, becoming intoxicated with power, feeling so fiercely protective that he felt his heart might burst.
“Hold on,” he whispered, tucking her head into his chest with his other hand.
A shimmering speck appeared in the distance, coming straight for them. As it neared, he caught the glint of sunlight on its silver helm. The bastard was taunting him, trying to draw him into an attack.
Imril refused to take the bait. He summoned power into his right arm, concentrating pure energy in the palm of his hand, holding it as far away from Esania as possible.
The Drakhin streaked past, wings outstretched, body straight like a spear. Despite his formidable speed, Imril wasn’t worried about being hit by a stray bolt of power. This Drakhin didn’t radiate power, because he couldn’t.
Only Imril and Mael—the first generation—possessed that ability. The Ancestor had made them in his image; closer to gods than mortal beings. Acheros had created them in a lab, fusing his genetic material with their mother’s.
A completely unnatural process.
But something had gone wrong. Imril and Mael were immensely powerful, but they were also sterile.
That’s why Acheros had created the second generation. The silver ones couldn’t even match him in power, but they could reproduce directly with Vradhu females producing live offspring.
A new, viable race.
A monster like Imril… he wasn’t even supposed to exist.
But he did, and he was going to use every shred of his cursed power to protect this human.
Imril stared into the distance, searching for their stalker, but a thick bank of clouds obscured his vision, hiding the other Drakhin.
“You’re an abomination, Imril,” a voice called from above. Above the rush of the wind, it was terribly faint, but he recognized it instantly. Nykithus the Betrayer. He was flying above, keeping pace with Imril. “This little creature thinks she can trust you? Keep trying. Sooner or later, she’ll realize what a monster you are, and when she is living every moment in fear, she will think of nothing but escape.”
Rage coursed through him, but he suppressed it, mindful of Esania. Bound tightly against him with loops of sulak, she stiffened, and he caught a trace of fear in her vir.
Why? he wanted to ask Nykithus, but he needed to shake the bastard off quickly. This was too risky.
Why did you destroy our world?
“If you don’t want to get incinerated, then leave,” he thundered, raising his hand.
Laughter drifted down to him on the wind; high-pitched, deranged, hateful laughter. “You haven’t changed, Lightbringer. Still blind as fuck.”
Imril didn’t react. Instead, he closed his eyes, listening intently.
The rush of wind.
A body hurtling through the sky.
There.
He clutched Esania tightly with one arm and inverte
d, coasting on his back for a heartbeat.
Boom!
He released the power from his right hand and heard a satisfying scream of pain.
Got you, you little shit.
He opened his eyes and saw Nykithus clearly for the first time. Clad in silver scale-armor, his wings outstretched, the Drakhin hadn’t changed at all.
Clutching his side, Nykithus pulled out a long blade and dropped into a dive. “I can’t kill you, but I can destroy your Source,” he roared.
No. You will not! Imril inverted again, banking sharply, performing an act of flying that defied the laws of physics.
Esania cried out in fear, but she didn’t squirm, didn’t try and fight his body’s momentum.
Imril thought about hurling another bolt in Nykithus’s direction, but decided against it, channelling what was left of his power into the slipstream. He needed all the speed he could get.
Whoosh!
As Nykithus dropped, Imril shot up into the thick clouds, both arms curled tightly around Esania. She curled into his chest, radiating fear, disbelief, and above all, trust.
Cool mist hit them, and suddenly, they were flying through thick clouds.
Faster!
These were rain clouds, pregnant with moisture, soaking them in water. Imril curled himself around Esania as much as possible, shielding her from the fat droplets of water, which felt like tiny pellets when they hit at such high velocity.
He cut a torturous path, one that would make it impossible for Nykithus to follow them. Lightning flashed in the distance, followed by the ominous growl of thunder.
Esania tensed.
“He won’t catch us,” he rumbled, and unable to resist himself, he planted a gentle kiss on her head, inhaling the soft scent of her hair.
She nodded, and Imril flew on, abandoning his first instinct—which was to turn around, find Nykithus, and kill him.
There would be time for that later.
But first, he had to get Esania to safety.
Chapter Twenty-Four
A whole day passed, and Esania and Sara were left with nothing to do but eat, rest, and try to figure out how to deal with their strange predicament. Rattled by their encounter with the hostile Drakhin in the skies, Esania retreated into her own thoughts, saying very little, but then Sara would pull her back into the real world, and that wasn’t necessarily such a bad thing.
