by Riker Kane
Clayton grew more curious than he already was. The fiery-haired vixen seemed cold but at the same time, she appeared to have no intention of leaving. He set aside the remainder of his fruit and focused on satisfying his curiosity.
He got up from his feet and walked up to her. He noticed her flowery scent, pungent but pleasant, like the brush he’d smelt walking through the forest.
“Is there something you want?” he asked.
“It is not about what I want. You are the overseer. You are the strongest. You can take what you please.”
She shifted her eyes at him. Her gaze narrowed, the emerald green of her pupils shined from the flames burning next to them.
“That night you kicked me in the balls… It hurt.”
“I’m glad it did.” She gave him a devilish smirk.
“I intend to make you pay for that.”
“Oh… Is that right…” She moved closer to him. Her scent grew stronger, flooding his nostrils and stirring the desire within him. The fabric of his bottoms tightened. He had to swallow to clear his throat.
She placed a hand on his chest and whispered into his ear, her breath warm against his cheek. “And how do you intend to make me pay—Ahh!”
She gasped when Clayton took a handful of her hair in his. He squeezed tight, tilting her head back and forcing her to look at him. Despite the strength he was using, Clayton did not see her refusal. There was no confusion or anger. There was only a grin on her lips and desire in her eyes. A desire he felt inside of him.
He rushed his face to hers, shoving his tongue into her mouth like he was trying to make her choke on it. She moaned and gripped his shoulders to brace herself. His other hand moved to her throat and kept her in place. He squeezed, not hard enough to cut off her breathing but firm so she couldn’t break free from his grip.
He pulled away just enough to look her in the eyes. “I am the overseer of the Hilamau Islands… You will please me tonight.”
She bit her bottom lip but it did nothing to hide her impish smirk. “I will please you—”
He cut her off again with another deep kiss. His hand moved away from her throat and ripped at her top. She gasped as he tore the fabric away from her body, tossing it into the flames next to him. He ripped away her bikini bottoms just the same and exposed her. He didn’t care she would have to walk through the village bare. From the desire burning in her eyes, neither did she.
“You hurt me… Now you will have to heal me…”
His fingers still tangled on her hair, he moved her to her knees. Iris fell willingly and grabbed the sides of his loincloth. She looked up at him, licking her lips as she tugged his covering down. His swollen shaft revealed, Clayton sighed in ecstasy from the warmth in the tent.
He let go just enough to let Iris go to work. No teasing. No tempting. Her technique was messy. A woman starving and trying to satisfy her hunger. She took his length between her lips and swallowed him down until her full, pink lips pressed against his hilt. The feeling was so strong Clayton couldn’t help but shudder.
Back and forth… Back and forth… Iris pleasured every inch of him. She licked the underside of his shaft. She took him into her throat. She covered every inch of his rigid flesh with saliva until the sloppy sounds of her sucking filled the tent.
Clayton dug his heels into the ground and admired the view. Only a few days ago, she was looking down her nose at him. Now she was on her knees, willingly trying to do her best to please him.
Finally, understanding what she wanted, Clayton pushed her.
“You can do better than that,” he sighed.
She responded with a cold stare, wrapping her hand around his shaft while she sucked on his tip.
“You like it, don’t you?”
She swallowed but didn’t respond. Clayton moved his hand to the back of her head, grabbing another handful of hair.
“Answer my question.”
“Yes, overseer,” she gasped. “I like it…”
“Yes… I bet you’d like it even more if I took you, wouldn’t you?’
“Yes…”
“I want to hear you say it.”
“Take me… Take me…”
“Say my name…”
“Take me, overseer. Take me… Clayton…”
He grabbed both of her arms and moved her to the bearskin where he’d recovered from his death. Despite how she was being manhandled, she giggled in delight. Clayton forcefully moved her onto all fours and grabbed her hips. She instinctively pointed herself in his direction.
He examined her body again. A pink slit, wet and inviting between the tan skin of her legs. Just like he’d taken Kailani, he wanted nothing more than to give it to Iris.
His hands moved to her hips and pulled her close. A hard slap against her cheeks made her squeal. Gone was the condescending woman who loathed him. Now she was just desperate.
Clayton moved his chest to her back and mounted her. The tip of his shaft searched for the warmth of her entrance.
“Take me…”
“Is this what you want? To take you like this?”
“Yes, it’s what I want… Please… Take me already, overseer—Hngh!”
A loud, unintelligible groan escaped her lips as he shoved his length inside of her. Clayton buried himself deep as if trying to split her in half. Iris cried out, her moans echoing against the tent walls.
He was already losing control. The wet warmth of Iris’s long, slender body built a heat inside of him that pushed him to the edge. His hands gripping her waist firm, he thumped his hilt against her cheeks. The chorus of his body slapping with hers joined the steadily growing chorus of their desires.
The fire next to them burned hotter, casting a shadow against the tent wall. Clayton looked in admiration of his position. Even though it was only their outlines, knowing it was Iris bent over for him while he took her was just as satisfying as the act itself.
“Oh… Overseer… Clayton… I can’t take it…”
“What’s that? Already begging for mercy?”
“The pleasure is too much… I’m at my end…”
Her tan body glistened with sweat underneath the firelight. He reached underneath her, grabbing her swaying breasts and squeezing them tight. He quickened his strokes and thumped harder into her.
“I’m gonna come… You’ll take all of it… You’ll take every drop of me…”
“Yes… I’ll take it… Invoke your supreme right, overseer… Do it…”
Iris’s tone had changed so completely Clayton thought she was someone else entirely. But he knew this was the real Iris. He could hear it in her voice. He could feel it in her body. He could smell it from her feminine scent, as refreshing as the saltwater air on the beach.
He pulled her up close and locked his lips with hers, holding his chest against her back. He squeezed her breasts tight in his grip and with a few more hard strokes, he lost himself. He groaned into her mouth as he throbbed. Thick spurt after thick spurt of his seed emptied from his rigid flesh. He stayed inside of her, making sure she took all of it.
Iris trembled in his grip, shaking so violently her sweaty body almost slipped away from him. But she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on as she reached her climax the same as him.
They stayed locked together until their pleasure reached its final end. Clayton’s thought slowly started to clear. His breath eased. His heart steadied. He just now realized how much his muscles ached.
He released Iris from his grip and pushed her back onto the skin underneath them. Iris giggled, hair messy, skin sweating, unable to move.
Clayton stared at her figure. The feeling of satisfaction he had wasn’t just from his orgasm but from knowing he’d taken a woman like Iris. It wasn’t sex. He had conquered her.
Iris rolled over onto her back, her devilish smirk tattooed on her pink lips. “Are you finished with me, overseer?”
Even though he was tired, the look Iris gave him was enough to stir his desires once again.
<
br /> “Supreme Rights grant me the entire night with anybody I choose. The entire night.”
Iris pushed herself up to all fours and presented herself. “I will not object, overseer.”
Clayton wouldn’t be on the islands for much longer. He intended on enjoying them for as long as he could.
Chapter 15
Zeal Blade
Core Level 8
Passion of Consort Faith - Vigorous: The blade requires less stamina to swing
Passion of Jalise the Sage - Torrid: Flames can be channeled from the blade
Passion of Regent Magne - The Queen’s Touch: More essence is gathered from creatures defeated by the blade
Passion of Monarch Velour - Intoxicating Thirst: Dealing damage with the blade absorbs essence and heals minor injuries
Passion of Queen Ixia - Rigid Bark: At the cost of stamina, the blade creates a shield, blocking all incoming attacks
Passion of Rena Ordain - Brisk Rhythm: The blade grants the ability to quickly dash short distances
Passion of Kailani - Deep Thrust: Leap into the air and strike the blade into the ground with force
Passion of Iris - Heel Worship: A powerful kick that temporarily stuns
“How appropriate…” Clayton sheathed his weapon after learning what a long night with Iris strengthened him with.
He took in the view. He couldn’t imagine the weather changing in Hilamau. The day was just as sunny as when he first arrived. The seaside breeze was just as pleasant. The waters were calmer, with the waves crashing gently, though he imagined the Great Kraken lurking somewhere beneath the waves.
A small ship they’d provided for him rocked on the coast. It was larger than what he’d previously had, with enough space for five or six people on deck. Down below, it was stocked with enough supplies to last him for months out at sea, though he didn’t plan on being out there for long.
He looked forward to the journey ahead. But he didn’t leave without a reminder of how he’d ended up here in the first place.
“You were foolish enough to sail in front of the kraken?” Iris crossed her arms, half-angry and half-confused at the story Clayton had given. “Yet you managed to win the Fire Fights.”
“I know. Crazy, huh?” Seeing Iris’s disdain return was nice because it was the redhead he was more familiar with.
“I wonder how you made it here in the first place.”
“It’ll take more than a squid the size of an island to stop me. I know you’ll worry about me but you don’t have to. As long as I’ve got my sword and my wits, I’ll be all right.”
“Your sword is broken. I would say the same about your wits.”
“Don’t act like you won’t miss me, Iris.”
“Hmph…” She sneered to hide the growing smirk on her lips.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“I am not a child. The people on this island are strong. Mentu and many others can provide me with what I need. One night of passion and you assume I cannot live without you. That’s all it was, overseer. Don’t let it go to your head…”
“All right, all right…”
Iris began walking away before slowly turning around on the sand. “But perhaps our paths will cross again.”
“Maybe.”
She worked the tiniest smile onto her lips before narrowing her eyes at him and walking away.
A small crowd had gathered on the beach to wish Clayton well. Among them was Joakim. The former Chief Elder walked up to Clayton. Clayton still wasn’t sure what to think of the old man but he knew he had nothing to fear from him.
“You are only here a few days and you’ve already changed the course of these islands… I suppose it’s not surprising. We have many tales of offlanders. It was… interesting to finally meet one in the flesh.”
“Is it so bad Okari is in charge now? He will follow the will of the people. I don’t know him very well, but I know he is a man of honor.”
“And what am I? I have been trying to do everything I could for my people ever since I first wore the crown. The picture the other villages paint of me is a man who is obsessed with combat.”
“Is that not the case?”
Joakim shook his head. The way he stared made Clayton uneasy in a way he’d never felt before. There was something strange in the old man’s eyes.
“We have many stories on the islands. Legends to inspire us. Fables to teach us lessons. Myths to intrigue us. And there are prophecies.”
“I get that. All cultures have something like that.”
“All cultures indeed. Every civilization in Xeylon. We all have one thing in common. Ask around. Speak to those you encounter. They will tell you what I’m about to tell you now.”
“And what’s that?”
“…There is a great evil coming. A darkness on the horizon. Perhaps not today. Not tomorrow. Not even years from now. But this evil is inevitable.”
Clayton swallowed anxiously then chuckled when he realized he was holding his breath.
“For a second there, you had me worried—”
“The war I was preparing my people for was not from invaders on the other side of Xeylon. It was from invaders from somewhere else entirely.”
He would have written the old man off if he’d not experienced something similar for himself. The Maledict threat had been contained but the memory of it was still fresh in Clayton’s thoughts.
“Have you spoken to Okari about this?” Clayton asked.
“He knows. Every elder knows.”
“I don’t think it’s smart to live your lives worrying about some vague threat based on an old legend.”
“Coming from a man who wields a sword unlike any in the world.” Joakim raised an eyebrow to emphasize his point. “I wish you luck on your journey, Clayton. Something tells me you will need it.”
Joakim walked away calmly, his hands behind his back. Clayton would’ve taken Joakim’s words as a threat if Kailani and Okari weren’t there.
“What was that all about?” Kailani asked.
“Nothing serious,” Clayton sighed. “Just telling me to be safe.”
“It appears Joakim has been humbled,” Okari said. “It only took the death of an offlander to do it.”
Okari moved closer, holding something out to Clayton. Clayton examined the small leather pouch and shrugged. “What’s this?”
“A gift for you. Something on your journey.”
Clayton reached inside the pouch and felt the gold coins.
“We have no need for such things. The skins and meat animals provide on our hunts are most pertinent. Perhaps this will be of some use to you.”
“You can never have too much gold.” Clayton flipped around a gold piece between his fingers. “I just hope I can run into a shopkeep willing to take these.”
“You will. Xeylon is a big world with many people out there. I have no doubt you will find what you’re looking for. Perhaps this will be of some use to you as well.”
The Chief Elder held his hands out again. Clayton wasn’t sure what he was looking at, squinting to make sure he was seeing it right.
“This…” He took it from Okari’s hands and held it up. “…This is a hilt… A spectral stone.”
It was a plain piece of metal, not much different from what Clayton had. The difference was the pommel. Instead of the heart-shaped jewel, it was orange and shaped into a small sphere.
“Where did you get this?”
“It is a relic,” Okari said. “Passed down from generation to generation. Nobody knows where it came from or how it ended up here. It’s quite old.”
“If it’s that old, I can’t take it from you—”
“I am an old man. I will live the rest of my days on this island. Perhaps you will find some use for it. If not, you can always return it.”
Clayton nodded then put the hilt into his pouch along with the coins he’d received. When silence came between them, he finally turned toward Kailani. She’d been quiet this entire tim
e, twisting her lips like she was trying not to say anything.
Clayton looked at her and remembered the hardest decision he had to make. The agony of recovering from his death was made worse, trying to figure out a way to put it. It wasn’t until he looked at her at this moment when he realized there was only one way to put it.
“Thank you for everything, Kailani. I wouldn’t have gotten this far without you. I’m pretty sure the crabs would’ve killed me if you weren’t there.”
“You would’ve just come back. You can always come back, right?”
“Right… There’s just one favor I have to ask you before I come back.”
“What is it now, BB?”
“…Come with me.”
Kailani blinked a few times and stared right at him. He smiled at her, unable to hold back his chuckle.
“Come with me,” he repeated.
“Yeah… You said what I thought you did. You don’t really mean that, do you?”
“I just said I needed you to get through all of this. There is still so much more to do. My friends are out there. My sword is broken. I don’t know what’s waiting but—”
“Okay.”
“Oh… kay?”
“Okay, I’ll go. You need someone to stab some squid and watch your back. I gotcha. No big deal, right? Besides, I can always sail back.”
“Yeah…” Clayton chuckled anxiously. “You can…”
“Listen, BB. If a man doesn’t have the guts to ask a woman for a little bit of help then he doesn’t have any guts at all. Your friends are out there. Let’s go find ‘em.”
They turned toward Okari. Clayton wasn’t sure how he’d react but judging from the soft smile he had, he was more than happy with it. Kailani walked over and squeezed her arms tight around him.
“The islands were always too small for a woman with your energy,” he sighed. “Clayton Brooks is drawn to something greater. Be there, Kailani. See the world and enjoy yourself.”
“I will, father.” Kailani pulled away and moved onto the ship. Clayton followed after her and took a seat on the stern. The sails flew up and the gentle breeze took them down the coastline.
Clayton watched as all of the villagers grew smaller in the distance.
