by Lucy Rains
My head shook, “If you want to keep all of your teeth, you need to move.”
Tobias smiled wider, chuckling at my threat. I glanced at the arm he set on the counter next to me and my shoulders tightened.
“You have all these guys,” he jerked his head backwards, “like they are all your boyfriends? Yes? Vhat is one more?”
My face screwed up as I heard him try to reason his way into my personal space. “You know I'm not exactly human, right? You should probably stick to your own species.”
Tobias glanced over my chest and back up to my eyes, “You look very human to me.”
My limbs froze, my eyes went wide in disbelief that he would dare approach me so boldly. “If you try to touch me I will knock you backwards. Again.”
Instead of taking a step away like he should have, he came in closer. His eyes had darkened at my words, like he was turned on by my threats. My heart skipped a beat and the blood in my hands ran cold. I didn’t want this. Didn’t like this. Couldn’t handle this.
I raised a hand to warn him but he grabbed my wrist. His grip was tight and in my recovering state I couldn’t fight him off. My heart started racing. I began to open my mouth to cry out when I felt a presence that told me that action would not be necessary.
I felt a mixture of relief and terrible fear. Tobias flew backwards, his mouth gaping open in shock. His body slammed into the kitchen table and rolled backwards, knocking dishes to the ground and silverware askew.
Kyson’s chest heaved, his eyes dark with a fury I had never seen.
“Kyson!” I yelled. But it was as if I hadn’t spoke. Kyson was so lost in his rage that he didn’t hear me. He couldn’t hear me.
Tobias tried to right himself and he snarled at Kyson. “Nothing happened-”
Kyson threw a punch into Tobias’s face and I heard the sharp crack of bone meeting bone with a force strong enough to break something.
“Kyson stop!” I cried out.
Again, he acted like he hadn’t heard me. His mind was a swirling dark force of heated wrath. I knew what he was feeling. It was like that day at the dress store, when my chest burned and I lost my mind. From where I stood, I could not see Kyson’s mouth, but I knew his canines would be fully extended and razor sharp.
Blood dripped down Tobias’s mouth and he was moving slowly. His eyes were unfocused, his movements clumsy. Footsteps were sounding in the apartment. Kyson was pulling his arm back to strike again and I knew the blow could be fatal to Tobias.
I threw my hands up and shot as much energy as my body could muster at Kyson. His body jerked and he stumbled. I shot out again, the second one not as strong. Kyson stumbled to the ground with a growl and Tobias slipped out of his grasp to sit on the floor.
People were walking into the kitchen, flipping on lights and shouting. My eyes were locked on Kyson as he laid on the ground, his chest heaving, his eyes pinched closed in pain.
Drawing in air I didn’t know I had been missing, I crawled over to him. My hands fumbled forward for Kyon’s. I pushed one to his chest, the other grabbing for one of his hands to push on my own. He snarled at me, his teeth sharp and lethal. The normal blue hue of his eyes had turned to a pitch black I had never seen. Someone dropped to their knees by my side, asking me something that I didn’t hear.
I only saw Kyson.
Only felt his pain.
He ripped his hand away from me and tried to push me away. Pierce snarled back at him, a feral noise I had never heard.
“We need to connect,” I gasped, trying to explain things to Pierce. “I need his hand on me!”
Kyson tried to sit up and scoot backwards away from us. His black eyes had locked on Tobias and I felt the urge for violence surging within him.
Pierce grabbed Kyson’s arm and yanked him forward, growling something into Kyson’s ear.
I reached out and grabbed Kyson’s hand again with more resolve, more determination. My heart ached as he closed his fist to refrain from touching me.
“Somebody make him cooperate or I’m going to punch him in the balls.” Alex said from behind me.
“No more pain,” I wheezed, trying to push Kyson’s hand against my chest. I pushed my hand back to his chest, his vibrations flying up through my arm. I exhaled when he stilled against Pierce’s grasp. But his eyes were not yet blue.
“Alex,” I hissed, “open his hand!”
I was too weak. Too tired. I couldn’t force Kyson’s hand open when I only had one of my own to use.
When his open palm pressed against my sternum, the storm finally broke. His mouth gaped open, his eyes closing, his head tilting back. I wiped away a tear I did not know had fallen down my cheek. Kyson gasped for air like he had been drowning, and Pierce set him on the floor while he recovered.
Pierce moved away to stand and I crept closer to Kyson’s head. His white shirt was soaked in sweat, with moisture dotting his forehead. When he cracked an eye open I smiled in relief at the ocean colors I saw within.
“Jade,” he whispered, his face contorted. Shame radiated from him.
I pinched my mouth shut and shook my head. “It’s okay.”
He shook his own head in response. “No.”
“We can’t stay here anymore,” Pierce said from above me. I turned to see him talk to Matteo.
Matteo tied the knot at his waist on his black robe and pushed his glasses up his nose. “I understand.”
“We only have a day before we leave anyways, we’ll find somewhere quiet.”
Matteo looked up and glared at Tobias, mumbling something to him in french that I didn’t catch.
Alex stood up and walked over to Gavin who stood frowning by Tobias. Tobias was sitting, rubbing at his jaw. His bottom lip swollen and discolored.
“Let’s pack up,” Pierce stated.
“Wait,” I said quickly, pulling myself to a stand. Everyone turned to look at me. “I want to talk to Nara again.”
Pierce raised an eyebrow and Gavin began shaking his head to tell me ‘no’.
“I need to,” I fired back, refusing to be dismissed.
“First thing in the morning,” Matteo said. “That will only be in a few hours.”
“Fine,” Pierce agreed.
“I have new passports for you as well,” Matteo added.
I turned and knelt back to the ground by Kyson, who was now sitting up. His emotions were full of remorse and wallowing in sadness. I tuned out Matteo and Pierce talking behind me to focus on him.
Kyson’s mouth was pulled down, his eyebrows pinched together. “I lost control,” he said aloud. “I just...I don’t know…”
“I know,” I whispered. “It’s scary.”
“He was touching you.”
I nodded, my stomach dropping at the reminder.
“I wanted to kill him.”
My jaw clenched and I let out a heavy sigh. “Come on,” I said, “let’s go back to bed.”
Kyson looked up at me, his cheeks flushed, his eyes searching mine. I stood up and held out a hand. Pierce and Matteo were still talking, while everyone else in the room had cleared out.
Kyson and I ended up in his bed, holding each other as our hearts continued to slow. He gripped me like I was his only source of life.
I pressed my body against him, felt the moan of pleasure build in his chest. His emotions shifted from shame to need within seconds. His hands slipped under my shorts, and up the back of my shirt. My mouth pressed against his neck and I licked at the vein I had seen pulsing. I released a hand from the back of his neck and snaked it between us and underneath is own pants. He released a heavy breath and opened his legs for me.
My fingers explored, feeling through his hair, over his erection, and lower into soft tender places. He became so hard to the point of pulsing against me, his desire skyrocketing with each touch of my finger. His breath was shallow, blowing against my bare shoulder.
I stopped, stiffening.
“What is it?” He asked nervously.
“I ca
n’t…” I whispered. “You don’t want to touch me right now. I’ll make a mess.”
His response was to pull me closer, “Your blood will never stop me from touching you.” He kissed my head, “And I would never turn down a chance to please you.”
His fingers under my shorts gripped into my cheeks, kneading me. His fingers began to move towards my center and I gasped in pleasure.
No, I thought. How embarrassing! And how gross would his fingers be? I was moving to pull his hand out, but before I could get very far Kyson moaned and moved his hand over mine to cover him. “Please,” he begged me, pulling his sweat pants down and throwing them off his body.
So I moved, stroked, pulled, quickly and firmly. Kyson whipped the covers off of him and turned on his back before his fluids shot out over him. His moaned mixed into a growl and his hips pushed deeper into the bed.
He was still coming when he leaned over and gently put his hands between my legs. “Yes,” I gasped, dizzy with need. My heart pounded with the pulse between my own legs and I opened wider for him. I felt his fingers trail around my upper thighs before moving under my shorts and panties. All thoughts of disgust disappeared as he touched me.
My shirt was pulled off and his lips clasped to my nipple while his fingers slipped inside of me. I tried to hold back, tried to relax against the feel of him inside of me, but his thick fingers began pulling at me in new ways. Touched places that sent shocks through my core. He found a spot within me I couldn’t resist, the feel of his lips on my breasts, coupled with his fingers rolling inside of my wetness brought me to a climax and I shattered under his touch. My hips rolled with his fingers, my back arching as I cried out, calling his name. I gasped and moaned in pleasure as his fingers slowed but continued moving inside of me. The waves rolled through my legs, up to my chest and into my scalp.
I laid on the bed, spent and high on my orgasm. Kyson chuckled as he leaned over and slipped his tongue into my mouth. Forcing my mouth open so he could taste me.
His mouth stayed on me, feeling inside me with his thick tongue. His kisses were forceful, hard. I breathed his air. Tasted the deep desire in his body and mind.
When I opened my eyes, his face loomed over mine. His chest still moved with heavy breaths, his eyes still dark blue pools of desire. No words were spoken. We rested in each other’s minds, reliving the desire we had felt for each other and the pleasure we enjoyed together.
When he finally released me, he grabbed several tissues from a box and began cleaning us up. I laid there, numb, watching him tend to me and himself. When the semen was cleared off, he disappeared for a moment and came back with a wet washcloth. I took it and cleaned where necessary.
He made one more trip with the washcloth to clean my hands, replaced his sweats, and then settled back into the bed beside me.
My hands brushed through his thick hair and he pulled me close to him. In the dark of the night, we kissed softly, still not speaking. I wanted the intimacy to stay in his mind as long as possible and not dwell on the incident with Tobias. I knew the pain he had just gone through, the lack of control in his mind and body. He had been there for me the first time I had lost my mind, I wanted him to know that I likewise was there for him.
In every way.
Chapter 26
“Sanaleen!” Nara gasped, her hand going to her chest, pressing against her grey sweatshirt.
I smiled back, my first genuine expression of positivity towards her. My feelings towards Nara had softened since our last visit and I felt myself looking forward to talking to her again. I cleared my throat, “My name is Jade.”
She smiled and pursed her lips together. Her white hair was styled immaculately. Curled perfectly around her head to give soft volume. Her nails were clean and trimmed, freshly manicured. I couldn’t see any makeup on her face but she looked flawless.
“I have only known you as your birth name,” she explained.
Sanaleen…I turned the name around in my head. “What was my mother’s name?”
She blinked quickly, taking a breath. She offered a small smile, “Kateria”
My eyebrows pinched together, “Ka..?”
“Kateria,” she said again, slowly.
“Kateria,” I sounded out.
So many questions, my mind became muddled and full of curiosity. I paused too long, and Nara continued with her greeting.
“How are you? Are you getting ready to leave?”
My eyes flickered over the laptop screen to Pierce, who sat in a corner of the office. I tried to ignore the tension twisting around in my stomach. “Yes,” I nodded.
“I am so glad we could talk once more before you left,” she said quickly.
I cleared my throat again, a nervous habit I didn’t know I had. “I have some questions.”
“Of course,” she said leaning forward eagerly. “I would imagine so,” she smiled into the camera.
“My periods? I...why are they…” I stammered, not knowing the right way to ask my question.
Nara’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“When I bleed? During the month?” I tried to explain.
Her eyebrows relaxed and she nodded in understanding.
“Why is it so awful?” I asked in exasperation. “Why do I feel like I’m going to die? Is it going to be like this forever?”
Nara’s clear blue eyes shifted down at her clasped hands for a second before she spoke. “You came in contact with your victri at a very late point in your life. This has never happened in our world, most victri are with their dejah since birth, or at least early in life.”
“Dejah?” I repeated.
“It is what you are to them. They were chosen by your krin, the energy that flows through you. From that time, whether it is in your infancy or youth, they are meant to be with you forever. From beginning to end.”
It took every part of my self control to keep my eyes from glancing up at Pierce. I could feel the warm satisfaction from his emotions rolling into my mind.
Nara continued, “Because they came into your life at such a late point, you started bleeding much later than you should have. This was probably hard on your Lothree body. But, you must understand that your moonrise will always be extremely taxing on your body.”
Moonrise. Moonrise was their word for menstruation. It needed to sound more aggressive in my opinion. Much more violent.
“The unborn babes within you are not like the weak species on this earth. The Lothree are powerful, strong, much more advanced in every way. And even more so, are the unborn babes within the leaders of our world.”
My fingers went to my lips as I thought about her words. “You mean…”
“Think of yourself,” she suggested. “Think of how strong you are. How fast, and the energy that runs through you. You are the strongest of our people. And therefore, you carry the strongest eggs of all. Releasing them from your body is a taxing process, it comes with much suffering.”
“Understatement,” I whispered into my fingers.
“It is part of the role of your victri,” she continued, “to protect you. To help you. To care for you. To help you during the sufferings of your moonrise. And to father your children.”
All the blood drained from my face and my fingers that had been pinching at my bottom lip froze. This time I wasn’t able to stop myself from glancing at Pierce. But he was no longer looking at me. His eyes were focused out the window, watching the pedestrians below. His satisfaction turned to a mix of pride and confidence.
“Do you understand, um, Jade?” Nara called my attention back to her.
My tongue refused to move, so I nodded.
She smiled at my astonishment, enjoying the shock affect. “Are you ready?”
Her question seemed to imply more than just leaving Paris. There was emotion behind it. Excitement, curiosity.
I shook my head. “I don’t want to be royalty,” I admitted.
She let out a short laugh, “That is wise, but I’m afraid you don’t have
a choice. Only the empress carries the power of the krin within her. And the krin stays with her until it chooses a new soul. So until then,’ she gave me a pointed look, “it is you.”
A chill pressed through my body and I shivered. My hands came up and wrapped around my shoulders. Her eyes glanced at my motions and her mouth pinched.
“You need to get him,” she stated firmly. “Your body temperature, your energy, your appetite, all these things that help keep you alive will continue to suffer.”
I nodded, “I understand.”
“You will be there to retrieve him, yes?”
My shoulders sagged and I shifted. “My victri,” I said the name sourly, “is requesting I stay behind while they get him. Due to my health.”
Nara was shaking her head before I had even finished my statement. “No,” She said quickly. “He will need you there. You must be there. If the others approach him without you he could become violent. He won’t trust them. He needs to feel you,” she patted her chest. “It’s the only way you will be able to have him trust you.”
Another glance at Pierce. “I will pass along the message.” Before Nara could say her goodbyes I leaned forward, “Wait, one more question.”
Her eyes softened and she smiled at me, obviously enjoying our interaction. “Who brought us here?”
Her mouth turned down, “The Lothree that took you? Merrick. I do not know whether he is alive or dead.”
“Who was he?” I asked.
Nara sighed, her eyes filled with pain, “He killed your parents.”
My eyes lost focus for a second as I processed her words. “You mean...my mother and her victri?”
Nara shifted, her eyes blinking quickly. She nodded her head, “He is an assassin. Hired by those who created the revolution. Those who wanted the throne.”
“Will he try to kill us?” I asked warily.
Nara shrugged, “If he is alive? I do not know. His mission failed all those years ago, I doubt he meant for you to live. If he is alive, do not trust him. Kill him.”
I nodded slowly, my mind wanting to go into a dark place and sort through what I had just heard. I felt stunned, slapped. Violence had been apart of my life before I could even remember. It was like a virus rooted in my life. If this Lothree still lived I would not be responsible for my actions when I met him.