by Aimee Moore
“He was too close to you,” Dal said at last.
“He was?”
“And you let him.”
“I did no such thing.”
“You did.”
“And you are jealous.”
“Kraw do not know jealousy. How am I to protect you if you cannot even see danger smiling at you?”
I sighed, thinking back to nearly half an hour ago when I had opened my eyes to see Mindrik very close, looking at my mouth. The wine was leaving me now, returning my troubles to me like a borrowed book. “I was lost in thoughts,” I said at last. “I did not invite his attentions.”
“Kraw can smell many things, Sera. If you have interest in the human then I will continue to be your guard, as is owed to you, but I would know if you have moved on to another.”
Dal's words stung me. I frowned up at him. “You would allow me to bestow my attentions upon another?”
“You are not mine to keep.”
This stung just as bad. “What we have shared does not make me yours?” I said in a quiet voice.
Dal gave that thoughtful noise in his throat. “Kraw do not keep each other, except in the lifelong bond of mates.”
I sucked on my bottom lip as we walked. “Lifelong. Can you take another mate, since you have already taken one? Or am I bestowing my attentions upon a man who belongs to another?”
“I am free to take another. Kraw culture does not demand the survivor to suffer a social death with their deceased mate.”
We walked in silence for a time. I was at war with everything to do with Dal. I wanted him to touch my hand, to offer me some comfort, but he was Kraw and there was none to be offered. Only one thing in all of the swirling chaos of emotions and questions was for certain: I didn't want the way he made me feel to ever end.
“Dal.”
“Yes.”
“I was thinking of you, earlier. When Mindrik was too close. He told me to surrender to my gift, and it made me think of you.”
I glanced up at Dal, and he gave me a small smile. As we continued to walk and the wine left me completely, Dal’s troubles seemed dissolved as we ventured along the river shore and shared memories or banter. Dal’s keen mind was an excitement to me as we discussed a myriad of subjects, and his dry humor drew laughs out of me unexpectedly. It was fulfilling to be able to converse and laugh freely, away from our captors.
By the time we returned to Mindrik, the slender man was aloof as always, touched by a hint of sheepishness. Perhaps he had been trying to drink his way into my good graces and I was the only person in the village this day who could not see it. Or perhaps he just wanted wine. Nonetheless, we pushed the incident behind us and spent the remainder of the evening on that blanket, talking and laughing – without alcohol.
Chapter 12
New Stars
Night came quickly, and the village was only a little more inviting since Dal had cleared away the bodies. The moon was all but gone, now, and we were only gray shapes to each other in the retreating light. We cleaned up our picnic area and took our time meandering to the town center.
“We should take rest here for the night,” Mindrik said.
Dal gave a nod. “The house there by the barn has deceased in it. They died together and I did not disturb them. The other buildings were empty, though.”
Mindrik nodded, glancing about the small village. “I suppose we have our pick of houses for the night, don't we?”
I avoided looking at Dal and making my desires obvious.
“Unless, Seraphine, you would feel safer with a roommate for the night,” Mindrik said, eyes warming at me.
“No, I'm looking forward to a soft bed of my own,” I said.
Mindrik gave a nod. “Very well then. I shall turn in for the night. That one there,” Mindrik gestured to the grandest house in the village, “is where I’ll be. Where shall I find each of you?”
I glanced at Dal, who was looking about the village. “Kraw do not need softness for sleep. I shall find rest on the floor of whichever house Sera chooses.”
“We are safe for the night, Kraw, you need not linger in her presence like an eager guard dog.”
“I have an obligation to fulfill, and safety is never promised when one is hunted by Kraw.”
Mindrik huffed a sigh.
“I'll be in this one,” I gestured at the closest house to the tree line. “It offers a quick escape into the woods,” I said with a shrug.
Dal gave a nod. “Very well. May a deep sleep take us all.” And without a backward glance, he lumbered into the house that I had chosen.
I stood a moment, running a hand up my chilled arm as I looked at Mindrik, wondering if he had meant to cozy up to me earlier.
“Seraphine. I wish you pleasant dreams,” he said in a soft voice.
“Thank you Mindrik, and you as well.” With an awkward smile, I turned and followed Dal into the house I had chosen. My heart was pounding with excitement. I had wanted nothing more than to be alone with Dal since our stolen night together, and now that I was mostly healed, I wanted to know what other wonders he could show me.
I bolted the door closed once I was in the house, every sense I possessed alive with the nervous awareness of Dal's presence. But he did not come to me. I turned, looking into the darkening space, and took quick stock of the room. It was a simple, two story home. The bottom floor was a living space, kitchen, and stairwell to the top floor. The furnishings were humble, but cozy.
I found a lantern and lit it, taking my time prettying my hair in the mirror by the door. I fussed with my dress, wondering what it was that Kraw men liked in a mate. Did I meet the standards? Earlier Dal had called me a butterfly, and had given me no clue as to whether he preferred that or dragonflies.
I knew one thing for certain. I owed him an apology before anything else. I knew that I was laying with a lion, and to be angry at the lion for slaughtering lambs wasn't fair to him. By the time I was done fretting, the house was pitch black. I ascended the stairwell with quiet steps, enveloped in the orange glow of my lantern, ears strained with the effort of detecting sound. What was Dal doing?
When I crested the stairs, I found two bedrooms, and Dal was in neither. I frowned, looking back down the stairs. I was sure I had seen him come in. Could Kraw disappear?
“Sera,” Dal's deep voice called from the large room on the left.
I followed it, not finding Dal anywhere within the room.
“Here,” came Dal's voice from the window. I stuck my head out to see Dal sitting on the roof, resting against the side of the house as if it were his spot back in our hut. “Douse the flame and join me,” he said.
I did as he asked, snuffing the flame with a flick of my fingers, and climbed onto the roof. Dal's hand met my waist, steadying me and keeping me safe and balanced. I sat next to him, resting my head on his chest. He smelled clean, like a warm, male spring. I could sit in the dark and smell him all night.
“Look,” Dal's deep voice hummed into the darkness. I followed the dim outline of his form and looked up at the sky.
I gasped when I saw streaks of blue and orange skimming the skies. Some large, some small, some fast, some burning slowly.
“The stars. They fall,” I breathed. “Our world is truly dying.”
“Your world will live. What you see is the crumbling rock of your mountains coming back to your world. They will form new mountains.”
I watched the breathtaking sight for a while, marveling at the falling rock streaking the vast sea of stars. The cold of night kissed my skin, goosebumps trailing my flesh as surely as the shooting stars trailed the night sky. “How do you know these things?” I asked without taking my eyes off of the humbling sight.
“Kraw learn many things from many worlds. There are worlds beyond this one, worlds that look like stars to you, while your world looks like a star to them. Each world may have its own song, but all worlds contain the same notes.”
It made all the sense in the world and none at all.<
br />
“How did Kraw get here?” I asked.
“Your world has times and places that are susceptible to Kraw influence. All worlds have this trait. Kraw use it to get here.”
I sighed, leaning my head back against Dal's chest again. “Sometimes I don't know if you're being evasive or I'm just too stupid to understand,” I said. There was silence as the streaks of blue and orange rained through the night skies.
“I am not evasive, and you are far from stupid, Sera. In time, everything will be as clear as these skies to you.”
In between the slashes of blue and orange, the stars I had seen my whole life twinkled down at me.
“I'm sorry, Dal.”
“Do not be.”
“I mean for earlier, when I was upset.”
“I know.”
I took Dal's large hand, able to see clearer now, and ran my fingers over the strong bones. Strong bones that had taken innocence and life, but also given love and life. “I knew what you were from the beginning, and I often questioned what sins you carried in these hands but dared not ask.”
Dal said on a heavy sigh, “And I knew in time you would be angry with me for being Kraw. I was foolish to expect it would take longer, though.”
“I was not angry with you; I was upset with myself. Foolish is the last word I would use in describing you.”
Dal turned his head toward me, deep voice rumbling between us. “What word would you use?”
I smiled at the inquiry of this strong, confident male. “Beautiful.”
“Beauty is an attribute associated with females.” There was distaste in his voice.
I gave a soft laugh. “Well, to humans it is different. Beauty has many forms. And while I find you pleasing to look at, I also find your heart just as exquisite as your form.” I looked up, wishing I could see his eyes so that I could see how my words affected him.
“You know of my past deeds and still find beauty in me,” he said. It was a question as much as it was a statement.
I traced my fingers over the muscle and bones in Dal's large hands. Veins marbled over the tendons like vines on a stone building. “You’re not who you were before, that much is obvious. Maybe it’s our past deeds that make us what we are. Like the foundation to a house.”
Dal's hand left my small fingers then, hooking under my chin. His warm breath fanned my lips. “What we gain from our past deeds is what makes us beautiful, Sera.”
“Nothing about my past makes me lovely, it’s unremarkable.”
“You are remarkable in every way, and you do not need butterfly wings to prove it.”
Dal's lips came over mine then, tasting, teasing, tantalizing. I gave a sigh, reveling in the way every cell in my body warmed and yearned for Dal. I wrapped my arms around his strong neck, tangling my fingers in his silken hair. And just when I thought I would melt into the roof shingles, Dal broke the kiss.
“Come, let these stars fall while I show you new ones.”
My heart hammered in my chest with adrenaline, nerves, and anxiousness as Dal pulled me to my feet. He helped me back in the window.
“I want to see you better,” Dal said in a soft voice, holding the unlit lantern to me.
I smiled, holding it to my lips and blowing across the wick. With a tingle of my gift, the wick lit, and I replaced the glass over the lantern. The room lit, and I could see the breathtaking mix of green and brown in his eyes I had wanted so badly to see two nights before.
Dal took the lantern and set it on the stand next to the bed. He reached for me, pulling my lips to his, making me shiver with his strength and care. I ran my hands all over his body in a brave exploration that I hadn't dared before, and he groaned in appreciation at my touch. With a rough tug, Dal pulled the tie loose on my dress, and soon it pooled at my feet, revealing every inch of my naked skin. Only I didn't feel naked, I felt warm and anxious.
Dal let off a pained breath. “So beautiful.”
I stepped toward him and pulled his lips to mine, and soon our breathing became heavy as his hands roved over me with firm caresses. I sucked Dal's lip, something I had learned from him, and he growled, lifting me up and placing me on the bed and stepping out of his own clothing.
My skin was alive, as if the shooting stars were brushing it. Dal took full advantage of that, tracing calloused hands over my belly, my breasts, my legs, and my neck in rough strokes that were possessive and commanding. He sucked and nipped at my breasts, and I knew from the way his muscles strained that he was holding back with me.
Dal worked at my breasts and drew tiny moans out of me like an instrument, causing my back to arc when the throbbing sensation between my legs grew unbearable.
“Please,” I whispered, not really knowing what I was begging for. But beg I did.
A deep laugh met my ears, and those rough hands lifted my hips as that hot mouth raked sharp teeth down to the pulsing heat between my legs. Alarm went off in my mind. Surely this was a Kraw desire, why would any sane man go down there?
“No, wait,” I whispered, trying to urge Dal's head away.
He grabbed my wrists and held them away, plunging his mouth onto my most sensitive spots. I lay back again as the waves of pleasure washed through me, cresting toward ecstasy. The velvety, pulsing brush of Dal's tongue brushed my most sensitive spot once more, then plunged into me, then returned to the exquisite torture of the nub of pleasure above.
I whispered things I didn't understand as I tried to catch my breath, but Dal was merciless, exacting sounds and moans from me that I couldn't sort out of the wild buzzing of bliss in my ears. When he reached one large hand up to my breast and kneaded at me, it was the end of my sanity, and an explosion of pleasure took me.
Climax throbbed through my existence and continued to pulse long after I knew when and where I was. When the explosion had faded, and my body was warm and soft, he climbed between my thighs, kissing me with a rough groan. The urgency in Dal's body was tangible enough to light a new fire within me.
I placed my hands on each side of his face, looking into the eyes that had held my existence from the first moment I saw them. I pulled Dal close and kissed him, sighing at his touch. Soon his hot length was at my opening, and I shifted to accommodate him as he entered with a groan.
The soreness was still there, but quickly replaced by hot waves of pleasure. I watched with wonder as the many expressions crossed Dal's face, and I realized that I was falling in love with a Kraw. Dal looked over me with concern, and I smiled and kissed him, urging him on for more. He needed little encouragement, wrapping my legs around him as he began to move. Each stroke was a heady bliss, and I was as free falling as the orange and blue stars streaking through my sky.
Soon our breathing was labored, and both of us were dewy with perspiration from our efforts, but still Dal was gentle to me, never pushing too deep, never going too fast. Plunging my tongue into his mouth, I pulled him into me further, riding the ecstasy that flowed through me with every thrust. Dal tangled his fingers in my hair, responding to my needs as his kisses became rough, and I crested the mountain with him. With a final thrust, he sent me into wave after wave of climax, his own following, and I lost myself in a sea of pleasure.
We both lay that way for a time, catching our breath, until Dal rolled to his back and pulled me close, kissing my temple. Every ounce of my body was warm and heavy, and I pulled myself up to share another kiss with Dal before curling into his side with a soft sigh.
“Your stars are more grand,” I whispered.
Dal gave a soft laugh, his chest rising and falling. “You find me pleasing,” he said in a teasing tone.
“You know I do. You play me like a violin.”
“Violin.”
“A string instrument shaped like this,” I illustrated with my hands, “with a long neck. A bow is used to draw long, pretty notes from it, like so.” I gestured playing a violin, something I had never mastered, but tried a few times.
“Yes. I appreciate beautiful notes,” Dal
whispered, fingering a lock of my hair.
I ran my hands up and down the tattoos along his chest, letting my hands wander lower over the curves and valleys of Dal's strong musculature.
Dal gave a soft grunt, watching my hands trail to his firm stomach.
I couldn't help myself, my gaze traveled lower still, and I bit my lip and looked away. There was definitely no way that fit.
“You should not feel shame when you look upon me, for I look upon you often,” Dal whispered.
“I'm not used to it, is all.”
“You will be.”
I let off a soft breath, lifting my lashes to my warrior. “What will become of us, Dal?”
Dal let a long breath out of his nose. “I cannot say.”
I averted my gaze, running a finger over the piercing in his nipple. Strange place to have jewelry. “Do you wish to stay with me after the war? Or am I just another Kraw need to be filled? A conquest?”
“If I had wanted to fill a need in Kraw fashion, I would have done it long ago without your consent. Yes, I wish to stay with you.”
Warmth suffused my blood, and I smiled, resting my head on Dal's shoulder. “Then we have three options.”
“Two, the third is not viable.”
“You don't even know what I'm going to say.”
“I do.”
“Then what are the first two, Reader of Minds?” I looked up with a smile.
“Kraw cannot read thoughts. But logic dictates that there are two options, the third you speak of being an illogical option.”
I gestured with my hand for him to continue, smiling.
“The first option is that I stay among humanity. The second is that you stay with the Kraw. Both carry risks and hardship.”
“The third—"
“Is not viable.”
“You've said yourself that there are many worlds, Dal. What if one is willing to accept us?”
“Other worlds would accept us in our benign intent no easier than humanity accepts Kraw now.”
“Kraw are slaughtering us.”
“Humanity would not allow Kraw to settle in peaceful intent either. There would be hatred, fear, prejudice. It is the nature of all creatures to fear what is different, basic survival depends upon this fear. No, we would do better to find solace in a people who would accept one of us first, and then the other.”
