by Webster, K
I perk up and lift my brows. “Until what?”
“Until I get there.”
I’m assaulted with a mixture of excitement to see my friend and fear that he might fall ill. “Avrell, I thought about it, and I think you need to stay away because it’s not safe. There are beasts out here that we know nothing about and we can’t risk our doctor—”
He holds his hand up. “I’ve already told Breccan I’m going despite the risks.”
Told? Since when does anyone tell Breccan anything?
“It’s not safe,” I warn.
“It’s imperative.”
Lyric rises from her seat and then sits on the arm of the chair beside me. I can’t help but loop an arm around her waist. Since she’s woken from her bout of The Rades, she’s allowed me to touch and hold her more. I think her contracting the illness scared the both of us.
Avrell’s eyes fall to my action. He seems pleased, not jealous. As though this satisfies his mind in some way.
“I’ll come alone,” he says. “Have Theron ready his ship to come fetch me at his earliest convenience.”
The thought of leaving Lyric makes my stomach tighten with nerves. “I, uh, I should stay here,” I tell him. “For protection. They need me.” She needs me.
Lyric surprises me by piping up. “Willow will go.”
I look up at her. “She can’t stay there. You know this, right?”
“I know,” she says sadly. “But maybe they could see each other, even if through a barrier. She needs this, Hadrian.”
Lyric needs this with Aria, too.
One day, I vow, I will give that to her.
“I will stay and Willow will go,” I agree. “They can bring back Avrell, and together, the Facility and Exilium will eradicate The Rades once and for all. I’m confident we can do this. We’ve made it too far to die out now. I won’t rekking let it happen.”
* * *
She doesn’t sway or falter, but I can tell she’s tired. Lyric is stubborn. I’d suggested she rest and let me handle things around here, but she was having none of it. She thought her people needed to see her, not some handsome freak show—her words, not mine—in her place. So, together, we visited the healthy, the sick, and the dying. It’s been an exhausting solar.
I walk her to her room and when we hug our usual goodbye, I don’t let go. Simply hold her tight. She pulls away slightly and tilts her nog up. My gaze falls to her plump lips that finally have regained their color and are no longer cracked and peeling. The urge to touch them is intense. Reaching up, I run the pad of my thumb over her bottom lip, marveling over the softness. When her lips wrap around my thumb and her tongue rubs against the clawed tip of my nail, I widen my eyes in shock. She licks the rough pad of my thumb, her eyes locked with mine, before slowly pulling away. Her teeth bite down on the claw, making her eyes flash in a wicked way.
“Lyric,” I growl, my cock alive and eager inside my suit. “What are you doing?”
“Tasting you,” she murmurs once she releases me from her mouth. “Almost dying changes your perspective on life. Makes you want to do the things you secretly crave to do.”
Gripping her hips, I back her against the wall, my cock pressed against her body. “And what else do you secretly want to do?”
Her fingers go to the front of my suit and she unzips it all the way down to just above my cock. “You.”
I sear her with a hot stare. “Elaborate. That’s a pretty broad statement.”
“You’re a pretty broad guy,” she taunts. “I can feel that truth as we speak.”
My hips grind against her to punctuate her statement. “If I take you to bed with me, fiery one, you’re mine.” I lean my forehead to hers. “You sure you want to take it that far?”
Her smile is sweet and vulnerable. “I’ve never been anyone’s. Maybe the idea of being yours is one I really like.”
I reach between us to slowly unfasten the buttons on her shirt. “I don’t know how we got here, Lyric. I never expected it. Never dreamed beyond what seems like silly desires in my past. This, though,” I mutter, pressing my palm to her bare skin beneath her shirt. “This is real and I want it more than anything in my entire life.”
More than Aria.
It’s the unspoken. I don’t need to say it because she understands. Lyric and I can almost communicate wordlessly. The more time we spend together, the more that’s apparent. Maybe it’s all because we started out with the silly truth-teller machine. We were forced to inspect each other closely and confront what we tried to hide from the other. As a result, we can read each other.
“I want it too,” she mutters, her expression intense as she works the zipper lower. “I want you, Hadrian.” Her hand wraps around my naked cock and I hiss in the pleasure of it.
“Lyric,” I growl. “The moment we go into your room, you’re mine forever. You understand? I’m never half into anything. I’m going to want every piece of you. I’m a selfish mort.”
She strokes my cock and grins. “I’m yours. Now show me what it’s like to fuck a monster.”
I lean forward and nip at her bottom lip. “Well, first off, we monsters bite.” I take her shirt in my hands and rip through the fabric, making her gasp. “And we have sharp claws.” I palm her breasts roughly, not unlike how she desperately handles my cock. “The most terrifying thing about us morts is we have paralyzing seed.”
She gulps in a sharp breath. “That should not get me hot, but it totally does.”
Pulling away, I level her with an intense glare. “I’m being serious. The moment I shoot my seed into you, you won’t be able to move. Not a long time, but enough to possibly frighten you.”
“I survived rabid armworms, creepy Big Bird, psycho prison guards, interstellar travel, and The Rades. You think I can’t handle a little forced relaxation?” she asks, clearly miffed. “It’s like you don’t know me at all.”
I kiss her hard, my forked tongue dancing with her rounded, blunt one. Then, I pull away. “Oh, I know you, fiery one. You’re the bravest being I have ever met. I’m giving you a chance to run.” I smile wickedly at her. “But it’s only a head start. One solar, even if it’s not this one, I’ll have you beneath me, frozen and unable to move, as I pump you full of mortlings. Fight me on this, I dare you.”
“Let’s not prolong the inevitable then, predator.”
I grin at her as she grabs my hand and pulls me into her room. Her shirt is in tatters and I rip it the rest of the way off as she desperately peels at my suit. We’ve barely managed to strip out of our clothing before she pulls me onto the bed with her. Her mouth is sweet and addictive—I never get enough of her taste. Once I’m settled between her thighs, my broad body spreading her, I slow down to admire the female.
“You’re so rekking beautiful,” I praise, my voice a whisper. “The most beautiful creature that ever existed.”
She whimpers when I kiss her again, long and deep. My cock rubs along her cunt, but I don’t enter her. I’m reminded of the book I’ve read countless times.
The clit.
I may be eager to have her, but not before bringing her this glorious pleasure it’s the source of. Breaking away from our kiss, I press small kisses along her neck to her chest. Her full breasts jiggle and I stop to taste them, marveling over the hardened nubs of her nipples. When I bite one, she groans and swats at my shoulder.
“My mistake,” I tease, running my forked tongue along the tender flesh. “Perhaps I should suck on it to make it all better.”
A low whine escapes her when I suck her nipple between my lips. When her back arches, I bite it again, loving the sharp escape of air that she lets out. Then, my kissing goes back on its journey south. Her thatch of hair between her thighs smells like a concentrated version of her. I bury my nose in the hair there, unable to get enough of her scent. With my clawed thumb, I gently pull apart on the outer lip of her cunt on one side and seek out the mysterious clit. It’s small but dark pink, seemingly pulsating with the need to be sho
wered with attention.
“Mmm, there you are,” I mutter, flicking my tongue out to taste it. Sweet perfection.
“Are you talking to my clit?” she rasps. “Weirdo.”
“It listens to me,” I tease. “Let me love you with my tongue, clit.”
She laughs, the sound filling me with male pride. “You’re such a strange one.”
“I’ve been called worse,” I jest. Then, I suck on her clit, making her cry out in pleasure. It’s miraculous how easily she becomes wild and needy with my mouth on her here. Even the strongest have a weakness, it would seem. As I suck and lick and playfully nip at her clit, my hand gets curious. I retract my claw so I can scope out the area I plan on putting my cock. Easily, my finger slides into her wet opening. She’s tight around my finger and I nearly spill my seed, wondering how she’ll feel wrapped around me.
“Oh God,” she whines. “You’re killing me.”
I’ve heard the humans use this phrase enough to know I’m not actually killing her. I’m destroying her in the best possible way.
“You’re so wet,” I marvel before kissing her clit again. “So wet and mine.”
“Unnnh,” she groans, arching her back again. “Hadrian, oh my God, I’m close.”
Urging another finger into her, I am pleased to see that her body stretches to accommodate the intrusion. Curling my fingers up, I seek out the hidden button the book speaks of. I feel the raised, rough area and rub relentlessly at it.
“Tell me you’re mine,” I growl, suddenly overcome with the need to claim her.
“Y-Yours,” she breathes. “Don’t stop. Please.”
I rub her harder and faster as I suck on her clit. The moment she loses herself to pleasure is made known when her insides gush. Her arousal is thick and heady, and her juices squirt out of her body, soaking up my arm. I certainly don’t remember this detail in the book. No one bragged about a shower of arousal. Perhaps I’ll keep this tidbit to myself.
When she relaxes, I slide my fingers out and then rub the wetness all over my cock. I may be about to claim her body, but she claimed my heart the moment she looked at me with her fierce eyes and gave me fiery words. I just didn’t know it yet.
“You won’t be able to move, Lyric, but I swear to you, I’ll protect you with every part of my being. Always.” I rub the tip of my cock along her wet slit. Then, with my eyes locked on her hooded ones, I slide into her inviting body.
Rekk.
So tight and wet and mine.
I groan when I drive all the way into her tiny body. The urge to kiss her is overwhelming. My mouth latches to hers as my hips flex of their own accord. She moans into my mouth, her useless claws scratching at my shoulders.
“Mine. Mine. Mine.” Each time I say the word, I pump into her. Over and over. Needing to punctuate that statement with the action itself.
“Yourrsssss,” she moans.
We kiss frantically as I buck wildly into her. When her body tightens around my cock, much like it did earlier around my fingers, I know she’s found pleasure again. It wrings my own from my body. Every nerve ending comes alive as my sac seizes up before releasing my seed into her. A deep satisfaction ripples over me as I fill her up to the brim with my scent, my mark, me. Her fingers fall away from me and I know the toxica has taken effect.
“Mmm,” I croon. “You look even more beautiful as mine. I didn’t think it was possible.” I stroke my fingers through her hair as I admire her perfect features.
No fear exists in her eyes.
Strength.
Determination.
Mutual desire.
I’m hers too.
With my cock still nestled inside her, I smile at her. “I’m going to give you a family one solar,” I tell her. “Your stomach will swell with my mortling. We’ll never be lonely again because we’ll have each other. And together, we’ll create something new and wonderful. The things that tried to destroy us won’t reach our little creations because we won’t let them.”
Her eyes are soft and they shimmer with tears. I kiss her nose and then her lips.
“We’re so much alike, fiery one. Together we’re going to make this planet a home—a real one. We’ll give our people a future. Happiness is in our grasp and we won’t let it go.” I kiss her again. “Blink if you’re with me.”
She blinks her eyes and the corners of her lips twitch.
“That’s what I thought,” I mutter, slowly pulling out of her. “Now rest, Lyric. Let me hold you and look after you. You own my heart now, so I have to protect it.”
Her eyes close and a single tear escapes. I kiss her wet temple and hold her close.
“Mine,” I whisper. “Forever.”
As I drift off, I think I hear her croak out, “Yours, forever.”
15
Lyric
“You look like you’re feeling better,” Zoe says sardonically as I step off the elevator on the infirmary floor.
“What makes you say that?” I ask.
“Skin is glowing, eyes are bright, cheeks are flushed.” Her eyes narrow. “You slept with that alien monster, didn’t you? You hussy.”
“Keep your voice down. I don’t want to disturb the patients.”
I’ve never been as close with Zoe as I am with Willow, not through any lack of trying on my part. To my way of thinking, we needed to stick together to weather the tyranny from the guards. Zoe was always more than willing to work with us, but she always kept herself apart as though she was afraid to get too close. With her attitude and barbed tongue, she made sure to keep her distance.
One day, she’ll let someone in. I can’t wait to see who it’ll be, the poor sucker.
“They’re too out of it to hear us,” she insists.
“Have there been any more deaths? Any others showing signs of the illness?” There weren’t many of our numbers spared from varying degrees of the virus like Zoe. Most got it in some form or another and most were spared the severity like mine. And like Avrell had assured us, Theron and Hadrian never came down with it.
“Every day we find one or two more who have contracted the virus. We’re isolating them as much as we can. The damn thing is relentless. I’ve never seen anything like it. The morts weren’t lying when they described how awful it could be. It’s no wonder their numbers suffered. If we hadn’t had their insight, we may have suffered the same fate.”
I smile at her. “Does this mean you’re coming to like them?”
She scowls, the softness disappearing from her features. “I wouldn’t say that. So far we’ve only met two of them. One, a mouthy, reckless boy who conned you into bed and the other a cocky adrenaline junky.”
“You’ve met the others over comms,” I say judiciously, ignoring her comment about Hadrian. He may be younger than me, but I’ve never met anyone more kind or perfect for me in every way. That youthful enthusiasm has its uses. I grin, remembering the night before.
Zoe snorts, either not noticing or not paying any attention to my expression. “And what a joy that was. Your sister’s mate is a dictator—sorry about that—and the doctor he’s ordering me to work with doesn’t seem like he’ll be any better.”
“Hadrian says Avrell is brilliant. If we want to find a way to help the sick, then we need him. And you have to promise me you’ll get along with him. For their sake.” When Zoe doesn’t respond, I prompt, “Zoe.”
“Of course I will. I’m not a total bitch. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
I lay a hand on her shoulder, the closest she’s ever let me get to her, and say, “You’ve done a good job here. I hope you know how much we appreciate how hard you’ve been working. A lot of people would have died without you. I could have died.”
“Like hell I’d let that happen,” she says and my heart warms. It’s about the closest she’s ever gotten to admitting she cares.
We visit each patient, checking to see how they’re progressing, and I manage to keep thoughts of Hadrian at bay—mostly. I’m grateful for Z
oe, but I can see how much the constant work is tiring her out. There are circles beneath her eyes that weren’t there before and she has a constant thirst for the instant coffee we have in storage. Thank God our supplies are extensive, otherwise I’m not sure she’d be tolerable. Even though she says otherwise, I know she’ll be grateful for the help once Avrell arrives. Much as she complains, we both know she’s in over her head. I can only hope Theron and Willow travel safely when they leave.
And return quickly.
We’ve been lucky so far, but I know how quick that luck can turn.
The sooner Avrell gets here, the better.
When we finish our rounds, Zoe’s already knee deep in studying data from the multitude of tests she and Avrell have devised. I leave her with the promise to take it easy for the next few weeks and head to see Willow for our scheduled comms with the Facility to check in before they depart in a few days.
Theron and Hadrian are busy preparing their ship for the journey back across Mortuus to collect Avrell. When not working on the ship, Theron has been training Willow to use their weapons and how to safely use their suits. She won’t be able to go into the Facility to see her mother, but she’ll be able to see her from afar.
I should be jealous, after all, I’ve been waiting to see Aria for most of my life, but surprisingly, I’m not. I’m content. Having caught The Rades, I’m still highly contagious and don’t want to bring the virus back to my sister and her new son. As soon as Avrell has cleared everyone, we’ll move the prisoners to the Facility and let the guards to fend for themselves. They won’t have any comms units to communicate with Earth II or any ships to leave the prison. They’ll be stuck there, like we were, which is a fate better than what they deserve for how they treated us.
I find Willow in the command room, speaking animatedly with her mother, who only looks to be a few years older due to all of us being on ice while we traveled to the prison.
“Sweet baby Jesus,” Molly was saying, “I can’t wait to see you, my sweet girl. We’ve got so much catching up to do.”
