Krygor’s Hope: Braxians 3

by Abel, Regine

  My giant had gotten under my skin and into my very life’s blood. I was falling hard for him. He was gentle, respectful, and attentive. Best of all, despite Lilith Hive crawling with gorgeous, much younger females of every species, many of whom were vying for the attention of Anton’s sire, Krygor only seemed to have eyes for me. He showed absolutely no interest in other females and looked at me like I was the Goddess herself. The sex between us being off the chart was only icing on top. Despite the murderous frenzy in his eyes that had so frightened me at the arena, I’d never felt so safe in my life since meeting Krygor. I wanted this relationship to last forever.

  Tomorrow, if he hadn’t mentioned his intentions regarding my daughter and me, I would put on my big girl’s pants and demand to know where things stood.

  For now, however, Krygor had planned a ‘family’ outing with both Siona and me. This further reinforced my belief—or at least my wishful thinking—that he meant to keep us. I would be devastated if he didn’t, not to mention what it would do to my baby. A part of me was wondering if the three of us going there was wise. Siona craved a father figure, and she’d hinted multiple times, without any subtlety, that Krygor perfectly matched the profile. If this outing gave me hope, it would build up her expectations even more.

  As with every venue Krygor and I had visited over the past few days, the staff and owner of The Fields of Dreams greeted us like royalty. I didn’t quite know how to handle so much fussing over my welfare, having been used to being ignored and treated like less than nothing most of my life. But I loved seeing my baby being treated like the fairy tale princess she’d always been to me. I’d been worried at first about coming to this theme park with Siona for fear it might mess with her holographic mask. But Krygor reassured me that our room would be entirely private. Siona wouldn’t have to wear the mask during our stay here if she wished. It made sense considering that some patrons used their space for less than prim and proper activities, if not downright deviant.

  The Fields of Dreams constituted of a series of holodecks of all sizes—small for private entertainment to humongous for group activities. They offered a plethora of preset scenarios, although a personalized one could be set up for a steep amount of credits. And ours had been custom made just for us by both Anton and Krygor. It left me speechless and further fueled my hope of a happily ever after for my daughter and me. A beautiful Avean in a skin-tight white dress escorted us to the second floor of the massive, reconverted warehouse.

  “Here you are,” the Avean said with a beaming smile, despite the slight wariness in her eyes every time she glanced at Krygor’s imposing frame. I understood her fear and yet found it amusing knowing how gentle and cuddly he could be. “As per your request, a meal will be served in the private salon for you and your family. If your simulation lasts longer than expected, the artificial intelligence will inform us, and we’ll adjust accordingly. The appropriate holodeck suits have been left for you in the private changing rooms, right inside the chamber. They also contain hygiene rooms should you need to use them. Before I leave, do your mate and daughter require some refreshments?”

  My stomach flip-flopped at first hearing her refer to us as Krygor’s family and then as his mate and daughter. I had no such designs; it was well known that Braxians rarely married, content to have concubines until they tired of them. But the thought of claiming my gentle giant as my mate and father to my child filled me with a brutal longing that left me reeling.

  Krygor didn’t rectify the Avean’s erroneous assumption and merely cast an inquisitive glance towards Siona and me. I shook my head with a thank you smile.

  “No thanks,” Siona exclaimed, shaking her head vigorously. “I’m beyond ready to go in,” she added, almost hopping on her feet with impatience and excitement.

  Krygor snorted before smiling at the Avean. “My females have spoken. In we go.”

  His females…

  A sweet shiver ran down my spine at the possessive way in which he had said it. My arm hooked in his tightened its hold, and I further leaned against him, looking wistfully at his rough features while he thanked the Avean before leading us inside.

  We entered an antechamber with a large door ahead that led into the simulation, and a door on each of the side walls leading into the males’ changing room on the left, and the females’ on the right. I followed Siona into our changing room. Ignoring the six individual booths lining the back wall of the spacious room, she stood next to one of the two long cushioned benches that occupied the central area and stripped out of her clothes at record speed. Chuckling, I imitated my daughter—although at a much more reasonable pace. By the time I’d removed my dress and shoes, Siona had already donned the black sports shorts and cropped top made of a strange fabric with tiny nodes embedded within. She then spent the next minute pressuring me to make haste, which only made me laugh further.

  It was so wonderful to see my baby this happy, excited, and carefree. Siona had been under too much stress and fear for such a young age. And we owed this all to Krygor, my gentle giant. He was already waiting for us when we exited our changing room. Clad with nothing but black sports shorts similar to ours, Krygor’s mountains of muscles were fully exposed to my greedy eyes. My mouth watered, my nipples hardened, and my inner walls throbbed remembering how incredible he felt inside me, filling me to the brim, his hard body wrapped around me as he unleashed his passion.

  Krygor’s broad, flat nose flared. His eyes smoldered, and a knowing—if not smug—smile stretched his generous lips. My cheeks heated, but thankfully, Siona had already run ahead to the large doors leading to the simulation. Krygor caressed my lips with his knuckles before taking my hand. As we caught up to my daughter, my hand tightened around my giant’s, once more moved by his affectionate ways, but especially by the respectful manner in which he always kept his behavior with me prim and proper in my daughter’s presence. It wasn’t uncommon for customers to treat us like meat, regardless of whose eyes were watching.

  However, the doors parting made me forget all horniness and wistful thoughts of Krygor. The view before me took my breath away. A bright mid-day sun hung in a shimmering silver sky—similar to the golden one of Guldar. We were standing outside an imposing fortress made of dark stones. Its thick walls seemed able to withstand some serious attacks in a siege or raid situation. The tops of a few tall buildings made of dark and grey stones of varying shades, with a mix of ash-colored woods could be seen towering above the defensive walls. The fortress appeared big enough to contain a small city or a substantial village. Behind it, as far as the eye could see, endless fields of some strange plant I’d never seen before swayed in the light breeze.

  But it was the sight before us that held my attention and had me torn between fear and fascination. Two terrifying and yet stunningly mesmerizing beasts stood in the large field ahead. Vaguely reminiscent of horses in their shape, the six-legged creatures had a long, scorpion tail and massive, sharp claws protruding from their hoofed feet. Thick scales covered their muscular bodies as well as their draconic heads. Dagger teeth filled their massive jaws and horns of various sizes rode from the middle of their snouts and up their foreheads. Fan-like appendages sat folded on each side of their faces.

  It took me a moment to realize they were a pair male-female as the second beast approached the first one—her smaller stature becoming more obvious. Everything was scaled down on the female who was also more colorful with her dark green scales, than the male with his black and grey ones. Siona’s hand slipped into my free one, awe and wariness plastered on her pretty face.

  “This is the domain of Clan Aldriss, my compound on Braxia,” Krygor said, gesturing proudly at the fortress and the broad expanse surrounding it. “My home,” he added with a certain wistfulness that spoke volumes about his love for it. “Behind the compound, you can see my fields of neflium, which is the source of my personal wealth. I know it looks like weeds,” he said teasingly at the confused expression on Siona’s face, which somewhat echo
ed the one I felt inside. “And frankly, it is for most species, except the Berulians, a primitive people on the planet Sargaros for whom it is their main food source.”

  “You’re a farmer?” Siona asked, her eyes all but popping from her head.

  “Siona!” I said in a chastising tone in response to her stunned but disappointed one.

  Thankfully, Krygor burst out laughing. “I am as shocked as you are, little one,” he said gently. “I am first and foremost a warrior, as is my entire clan and bloodline. However, with the end of the Great Wars, there is no need for our combat skills. As Clan Leader, I must take care of my people and make sure they are safe, well-fed, and have a roof over their heads. So yes, I farm—or rather, I hire people to do it. These days, I consider myself as more of a businessman, which is why I came to Lilith Hive in the first place.”

  Krygor took my hand and then extended his free one towards my daughter. She took it without hesitation but stared at their joined hands with awe, her tiny one completely swallowed up by his massive one.

  “And these, are precious gifts from Magnar Ravik, our king and my friend,” Krygor continued, gesturing at the beasts with his chin. “It is a karveli and his karvala. While both are vicious war mounts, they are also the most loyal friends one could have—if they accept you within their pack. The females, while also a serious threat on the battlefield, are mostly used nowadays for racing. Today, we will ride them to the next surprise I have in store for you.”

  “They look… fearsome,” I said nervously.

  “The real ones need to be swayed into accepting you,” Krygor explained. “If they do, they will lay down their lives to protect you.”

  “And if they don’t?” Siona asked.

  “They’ll just ignore you in the rudest fashion, and the females will do so with a lot of sass,” Krygor replied teasingly. “But today, I’ve spared you the whole acceptance ritual. These karvelis will be on their best behavior.”

  As if to confirm his words, the beasts didn’t balk or take any kind of threatening stance when we approached them, submitting willingly to our touch—which Krygor was quick to point out the highly intelligent creature would not tolerate in real life without prior consent.

  “Karvelis do not accept being saddled or bridled,” Krygor said, his dark eyes gleaming with mirth at my dismay. “You have to mount them bareback and hold on to the horns alongside their necks if you don’t want to fall off.”

  Despite my height of 6’1, the back of the karveli reached my eyebrows. I would need a ladder to climb the beast. At least, the back of the karvala reached my shoulders, which was far more reasonable but still intimidating. Her narrower frame also meant I could sit astride her without doing a split. But the male was far too broad.

  “Siona will ride with me,” Krygor said, as if he’d read my mind. “You will ride the female. We’ll go at a slow trot so there’s nothing to worry about. I will not let you fall.”

  I swallowed hard, trying to act brave in front of my daughter—who was clapping her hands with excitement—and the man I was trying to seduce. Krygor lifted me like I weighed nothing to settle me on top of the karvala. I needed to scoot forward a bit to be able to hold onto the creature’s horns more efficiently. To my surprise, despite the hard scales covering her, sitting on her back was quite comfortable.

  Although she was dying of impatience, Siona watched Krygor mentor me through a short ride on top of the karvala, even encouraging me as I learned how to make her go, stop, turn, and even accelerate. Once confident enough that I wouldn’t kill myself, he effortlessly threw Siona up in the air, making her squeal with delight, before catching her. She looked so tiny and fragile in his arms despite being an early teen. He settled her sideways on the mount before deftly climbing behind her. Siona tried a few different positions before settling for legs crossed beneath her and back pressed against Krygor’s chest.

  Leaning slightly forward, my giant held onto one of the much larger back horns of the karveli and set his mount moving. I followed alongside him, the virtual karvala making things very easy for me, although I suspected in the real world, it wouldn’t be that simple. Still, as we traveled through the wide valley on our way to what appeared to be a large river in the distance, I marveled at this foreign world my giant called home.

  Like its people, Braxia was a strange mix of harsh brutality and harmonious beauty. Jagged rocks protruded from the soft grass in odd places and angles, threatening the unwary with serious injury. Lush bushes with pretty flowers hid nasty thorns with a toxic coating that could cause severe rashes, fevers, and even death. Centenary trees spread their limbs towards the heavens, offering their dark blue leaves to the rays of the sun, while their roots rummaged through the soil seeking small prey to feast upon.

  Krygor wasn’t attempting to scare us, but I appreciated the matter-of-fact way in which he told us of some of the more deadly realities of his world. And my baby was lapping it all up. Halfway through the ride, Siona had shifted back to sitting sideways so that she could look up at Krygor while he told anecdotes about his world. The look of wonder and yearning in her eyes clawed at my heart.

  Surely, he was showing us his world to see if we would like to stay there?

  Too soon, the ride came to an end. I’d been too caught up in his descriptions of his world, including the retelling of an epic battle they’d fought when a pack of joarkals had raided nearby villages. According to him, they were giant, feline-looking creatures but instead of fur, they had some kind of stone scales on their backs and a tail reminiscent of a scorpion. Most weapons couldn’t pierce their armor, their true weakness being their softer underbelly.

  Everything to make a woman feel safe… After she ran for the hills.

  But Krygor had another surprise in store for us. As we reached the shore, large, flat creatures slithered over the water, their silvery-blue color almost blending with it. With heavy splashes all around, they came to the shore and waited. They resembled manta rays with stone-like ridges on their backs and a long pair of vine-looking fins right behind their eyes. Their wings flapped slowly on the shallow water as they pivoted around until their long tail faced us.

  “We’re going into the water?” Siona asked, wide-eyed.

  “Yes,” Krygor replied.

  She squealed with that crazy high-pitched sound teenagers and young children managed to pull off and clapped her hands in delight. Krygor burst out laughing while looking indulgently at my daughter.

  “She thinks she’s a siren,” I said apologetically to Krygor. “She loves swimming.”

  Except, she no longer had the opportunity to do so since our departure from Guldar. Entering a pool would mess with her holographic mask, if not flat out damage it. Buying it in the first place had made a huge dent in our already meager funds. I wouldn’t be able to afford another any time soon.

  “Well then, you should get along perfectly with these creatures,” Krygor said, winking at my daughter. “They are reavers,” he explained as he dismounted his karveli before helping Siona down. “Have you ever seen surfers?” he asked while assisting me in turn.

  “Yes! It’s so exciting. Are we going to surf?” Siona exclaimed, jumping in place with excitement.

  My stomach knotted with apprehension. I enjoyed swimming, but extreme sports had never featured on my to-do list.

  Then again, neither had been riding a karvala.

  The ride had indeed been very enjoyable once I’d gotten the hang of it. I could see myself doing this regularly, although I doubted the real creatures would be as docile. And yet, in spite of my apprehension, I was eager to give those reavers a try.

  “It’s amazing how much freedom your females have,” I said out loud. “On Guldar, females would never be allowed these kinds of physical activities.”

  “They didn’t use to,” Krygor said teasingly. “Our Dagna changed everything. The poor Magnar is still struggling trying to rein her in. The Queen would have upended all of our more backward customs overnight—w
hich is pretty much most of them. Change takes time, my Vaya. But Braxia, despite its dangers, is a much happier and safer place for a female than Guldar will ever be.”

  And there it was again. The intensity in his gaze, the seriousness of his voice, seemingly hinting at more, as if he was trying to sell me Braxia as a good place to live.

  You do not have to convince me. Anywhere you go, I’ll gladly follow, if you would have us.

  “Normally, their handler summons them with a giant horn,” Krygor explained as we approached the creatures. He spoke a word in Braxian that I didn’t understand, and our outfits took on the appearance of a wetsuit. “Traditionally, we ride them to hunt large sea predators, or for spear fishing near the reefs. However, our Dagna cleverly realized they make exceptional racing mounts. Being a bit of a speed junky herself, she has made sure females are allowed to ride them. The races have been garnering growing galactic interest, which has further helped our economy, especially for the fishing clans that already have full stables of well-trained reavers. Come, I will show you first how to mount the reavers, and then I will help you each get on your own.”

  Krygor marched up to the largest of the three creatures wading in the shallow water. He stepped onto its back, just a couple of feet from its tail. Legs spread, feet firmly planted, my giant extended his arms forward, and the vine-like fins at the head of the three-meter long creature lifted and wrapped around his forearms. Krygor gripped them firmly, a mischievous smile playing on his lips as Siona clapped, hooting with excitement. The long tail of the reaver wrapping around his waist made me feel queasy. I didn’t mind a bit of bondage as long as it was performed by a sentient being with a clear understanding of safe words. The reaver didn’t qualify as such.

  “Fargleh,” Krygor said in Braxian.

  The reaver flapped its pectoral fins again as it swam away over the water, quickly picking up speed. Slightly leaning this way and that, and pulling on the vine-like fins, Krygor steered the creature into a figure-eight before coming back to shore.