Second Skin Omnibus

by M Damon Baker

  After that, we managed to share a somewhat normal breakfast and then talked for a while about small matters. I’d been looking forward to something a bit more intense, but neither of us were in the mood for anything like that after Nentai’s visit.

  When it came time for me to go, I left Líann with a darkness-infused kiss, feeding her V’Ríel as we said our goodbyes. I’d only intended to stave off her hunger but wound up stoking an entirely different appetite instead—one that I didn’t have enough time to feed.

  “Soon, Líann,” I promised her as I tore myself away.

  “Don’t make me come looking for you, Empress.”

  By her tone, I knew that was no idle threat, so I quickly ducked into the hallway before she decided to make good on it right then.

  When I rejoined my guards outside Líann’s suite, I led them beyond the Palace walls and back to the secluded corner I’d found to practice my talents. The heavy cost of those talents had seriously limited my ability to practice them, and I was determined to get them up to at least the limit that training would allow as quickly as possible.

  I spent the rest of that morning and most of the afternoon cloaked in my Shadow Armor as I cast Fireballs and shot arrows using various talents with Combine Abilities. By the time I felt the first traces of Aura fatigue setting in, it was getting fairly late and I was more than ready to head back home. I knew that I hadn’t done nearly enough to reach my goal with any of my talents, so I didn’t even bother looking over my sheet—that could wait until there was something actually worthwhile for me to look at.

  I continued this way for almost two weeks, tending to the various concerns of my Realm while squeezing in as much training as I possibly could. Ridge had finished with Bane’s new room, and the stonemasons were hard at work smoothing out the rough spots.

  Hilgreth and Ilvain had also been recruited into my remodeling efforts, as the smith worked to craft bigger gates for the enlarged entrance to Bane’s chamber and Ilvain was constructing new furniture. It had been a difficult decision for me, but in the end, I’d decided to simply get rid of everything in Bane’s room and my own bedchamber. There were just too many powerful memories in all of it, and I needed to keep my focus looking forward instead of dwelling on the painful past.

  The first new troops also arrived during those weeks, replacements for those we’d lost in Laska and even some new recruits from Sianna. The elves of Sianna were quickly added to our contingent of archers, while the others took up the duties of our fallen soldiers. Regardless of whether they were raw recruits or seasoned veterans, Evans trained them all hard, drilling and sparring in mock combat throughout the day in the confines of the Army’s fortress outside the Garrison’s walls.

  The volunteers we’d received with Ryland’s troops also gave us the idea to recruit beyond the limits of the soldiers we were due from the Empire’s vassal states. So, even as those levies began to arrive, we sent word throughout the Realms that the Imperial Army was recruiting for our conquest of the Dark Lands. Not only did we hope to bolster our ranks with this effort but also counted on it to reinforce our deception, making our plans for the invasion of the Dark Lands all the more plausible to our unseen observer.

  At the end of every day, I returned to the rooms I shared with Saibra, and we slept quietly together, further healing her damaged core every other night before falling asleep. It was difficult work for me, slowly reinforcing the bare threads that held her core stitched together, but by the end of those two weeks, I’d finally managed to at least fill in all the gaps. While there was still a great deal of work to be done, once I’d been able to do that much, I felt certain that things would only get easier.

  “Your rooms are ready, Empress,” Saibra reminded me as I prepared for bed the last night I’d be sharing her suite. “I’m going to miss you tomorrow night.”

  Saibra had never spoken about her feelings for me so openly before; in fact, it was a subject she did her best to avoid completely, so her admission took me by surprise, and I glanced over to where she already lay bundled up beneath the covers as I replied.

  “You’ll still be with me all day, Saibra,” I reminded her as I walked over to join her. “And there’s nothing that says you can’t visit me from time to time.”

  Saibra had long ago gotten over her self-consciousness about her scars, but she still wore her undergarments to bed every night and considering the already difficult task we were working on, I’d never tried to push her any further than that. But as I pulled back the blankets to slide in beside her, I was startled to see what Saibra had chosen to wear that night, or I should say, what she’d chosen not to wear.

  I froze as I saw her completely naked form for the first time—while I’d seen her hard muscle and lean, chiseled figure almost in its entirety, having her completely revealed to me so unexpectedly took me by surprise, to say the least. Saibra had held my gaze the entire time, right up until that moment, but as she lay there so totally exposed, she quickly looked away, suddenly unsure of herself. I knew that baring herself to me had been no easy thing, so I quickly slid beside her before she could begin to feel too awkward.

  She was warm, far warmer than she should have been as her skin flushed when our bodies pressed together. I wasn’t sure exactly what she’d intended for us that night, so I simply held her and took in the feeling of our bodies coming together beneath the heavy blankets, cherishing the sensation of Saibra’s hard, lean muscles and the soft swell of her breasts as she pulled herself against me. She lay with me silently for a while and held onto me just as tightly as I was holding onto her until she finally tilted her head to look me in the eye once more. But when Saibra stared at me, it wasn’t her hard steely-gray eyes that I saw looking back at me—what I saw instead were the warm blue irises that I’d only glimpsed for a few brief seconds before.

  I leaned in to kiss her, and Sabra met me more than halfway. Her open lips melted into mine, and she kissed me as she never had before. Her tongue slid into my mouth, and although our kiss was awkward and clumsy, it was also the most beautiful thing I’d ever felt. I’d waited far too long for this moment, and it was all the more thrilling for the anticipation I’d felt. Saibra had finally opened herself up to me, and I returned her affection with my own burning desire.

  As my hand slid down the length of Saibra’s body, I reveled in every inch of her firm, sculpted form. We’d spent many nights together, and although I’d held her next to me, Saibra had never been comfortable enough to let me explore her beyond that. So, when she finally gave herself to me freely, I let my hands wander over every single contour of Saibra’s lean, graceful figure.

  In the heat of our kiss, I also felt Saibra’s hunger—not just for me, but for her V’Ríel as well. I’d held back on sending her any tendrils of that powerful emotion, hesitating to do too much while I was still working to patch her shattered core. But as our bodies entwined around each other, I let the first thin threads of passion flow into her, feeding Saibra from the deep well of my own desires.

  I sent her only the slightest band of passion, yet I felt Saibra’s body stiffen in shock as it slid inside her. Despite how pale and weak those thin tendrils were, they overwhelmed her almost instantly, and she shuddered against me as those tiny threads drove her to release.

  I’d wanted to make those precious moments last far longer; to experience our first time together for as long as possible, but I hadn’t realized just how sensitive Saibra was to the influence of my threads. I cursed myself silently while Saibra clutched at me as she quivered, regretting how I let my eagerness end things all too soon.

  I felt Saibra’s lips graze my neck, and the ragged gasps of her soft breath warmed my skin as she buried her face against me. Her warm tears fell against my skin as Saibra began to cry, holding me almost desperately as years of pent-up emotion flowed from her in a sudden rush. I was at a complete loss in the face of Saibra’s sudden and unexpected display, and all I could do was hold onto her and whisper softly in her ea
r.

  My shoulder was covered in her tears, and the sheet beneath us was soaked through when Saibra’s wracking sobs finally came to a halting end. I gently stroked her hair as she lay still, unsure of how to help her recover from whatever had triggered her outburst. Then, almost tentatively, she pulled away slightly, just enough so that I could see into her warm, blue eyes once more.

  “You… made me real,” Saibra’s voiced cracked as she spoke. “I felt things… Things I thought I could never feel.”

  “Love, Dreya,” she said with slow deliberation. “I felt love.”

  She’d asked me before to help make her into a real person again, practically begged me really. Saibra’s revelation that I’d finally done just that brought tears of joy to my eyes, and they fell from my face as I pulled her into me. I’d desperately wanted to break through Saibra’s shell, to help her experience true emotion after she’d been locked in the prison of Insleí’s bitter existence for so long, and now that it had finally happened, I was overwhelmed.

  “You’ve been loved for a very long time, Saibra,” I whispered to her softly. “I’m so happy that you can finally feel it.”

  I wrapped Saibra up in my arms and nestled myself against her, basking in the warmth of her body as we lay together. She returned my embrace, holding me close as we drifted off together, finally complete now that the last link of our bond had been forged.

  When I woke the next morning, I didn’t want to leave the bed we shared. Saibra still lay next to me, just as warm and comforting as she’d been the night before, but there was too much for me to do to and I couldn’t simply let the morning slip away from me. So, as much as I regretted it, I nudged Saibra awake before I rose out of bed and got dressed for the day.

  Before we left, I stopped Saibra just inside the doorway and peered into her eyes. Just as I’d hoped, they still had their bluer tint and not the harsh grey of Saibra’s more guarded countenance. I had no doubt that if circumstances required, those grey storm clouds would return in a flash, but I hoped to see much more of her softer blue from then on.

  “What is it?” Saibra asked as I continued to stare at her for a moment.

  Instead of answering, I kissed Saibra gently, pulling softly on her lower lip as I drew back.

  “Nothing,” I whispered, still close enough for my lips to graze hers as I spoke. “I just needed to have a good look at you before we left.”

  Saibra surprised me by returning my kiss, and the heat of it truly tempted me to drag her back to bed. But we had a Cabinet meeting that morning, and I simply couldn’t be late, so I reluctantly pulled myself away from her before heading outside for a quick breakfast before the conference.

  During our meal and while we marched down the stairs towards the meeting room, I couldn’t help but keep glancing at Saibra, specifically her eyes, although I confess that my gaze drifted elsewhere at times. Each time I looked over at her, Saibra’s eyes still held their warm color, and her lips turned up in a smile when she caught me glancing her way. She recognized the lover’s look in my eyes, and I saw that same expression in hers as well when she stared back at me.

  I finally lost sight of her when Saibra stood behind me, taking up her protective stance while we sat down for our meeting. It was probably for the best since she was a distraction that I simply couldn’t afford during our conference. Matters of war required my full attention, and it simply would not do to give them anything less.

  From what Nentai had told me, the unseen watcher in the Dark Lands could look in on us at any time, but the method they used to avoid detection would not allow them to listen in. So, while we felt free to discuss almost anything, when we used the map that was laid out on the table, we restricted our gestures to only cover the areas we wanted our mysterious observer to focus on. Even when our talk turned to matters regarding our deception, we refrained from indicating those areas on the map before us, lest we draw unwanted attention to them. Although it made things somewhat cumbersome at times, if our plan worked, we’d begin our campaign with a resounding victory over the forces of the Dark Lands. Conversely, if we failed, our conquest of that foul region might be doomed from the start.

  Wenflé had readily agreed to allow us to use Olóra’s lands to launch our offensive. He’d even sent his own scouts to search the area we’d chosen for the most likely location for our fortress, as well as pledging some additional troops to its defense. Evans had sent our own detachment out to secure that location, and I’d also dispatched Ridge to begin its construction. All that remained was to see things through.

  To further sell our deception, we scheduled heavily armed caravans to travel to the new fortress, ferrying supplies to the frontier outpost and clearing the roads in between of any hazards. Along with this effort, we increased the number of troops Faine had at the outpost along the trade road and had her conduct sweeps of the surrounding wilds. Bane scouted from high above, searching those same untamed lands for the path we’d eventually follow when we launched our assault.

  “How soon will all of our troops be here?” I asked Broda and Venna, who were coordinating the effort to bring the Imperial Army up to full strength.

  “We’re actually ahead of schedule,” Broda replied proudly. “Most of the soldiers are already on their way, and the rest should be heading here within the next week or so.”

  “In addition to the troops from your vassals, we’ve also been receiving a steady stream of volunteers,” Venna added. “Although there’s no telling how many will eventually join us, we should expect a rather sizable boost in our final numbers once they’re all counted.”

  That was definitely good news—we’d very likely be seriously outnumbered going against the entirety of the Dark Lands, and desperately needed every last soldier we could muster. Ultimately, I knew that our victory would not lie in numbers, but it still wouldn’t hurt to have as many people fighting on our side as possible. We’d only just begun discussing the logistics of our planned invasion when a frantic knock came from the door. The guards knew well enough to not permit any frivolous distractions, so the added urgency of the pounding instantly set the alarm bells ringing in my head.

  “They’ve captured another one, Empress,” the harried messenger related when Ella opened the door to let him in.

  “Another what?” I replied in frustration.

  “Deathless, Empress,” he huffed, still trying to catch his breath after his long run from the Garrison. “He was trying to sneak in with a caravan when one of the soldiers noticed the chain around his neck.”

  Only a few knew about Zedd’s links since we hadn’t thought to make knowledge of them widely known. We were lucky that one of the soldiers who was aware of the necklace had spotted a similar chain around the neck of this Deathless. It was an oversight that obviously needed to be addressed—but first, there was the matter of this Deathless to be dealt with.

  “Take me to him,” I commanded the messenger as I stood from my chair.

  My entire Cabinet followed as I made my way downstairs, save for Talína, who returned to her desk rather than make the long trek to the Garrison. There really was no need for her to come along, so I didn’t begrudge her choice in the least.

  Despite the fact that the Deathless had been captured, when we arrived at the Garrison, we were greeted by a scene of death and destruction; the bodies of dead soldiers littered the ground where the Deathless had fought with my people. Scattered among them were the corpses of several caravan guards who’d obviously joined in the battle to subdue the Deathless renegade. Healers from the nearby infirmary were tending to the injured who had been pulled away from the carnage, and Venna immediately hurried off to aid them.

  I struggled to hold down my rage as it threatened to boil over at the sight of so much senseless slaughter; it was only when I reminded myself that there would be plenty of time to vent my anger on this Deathless after the dead and injured had been tended to that I was able to rein it in. I could see where his bound body lay on the ground, sur
rounded by at least a score of guards, and I studiously avoided glancing in his direction as I set about my solemn duty.

  Evans quickly surveyed his fallen soldiers, and fortunately, none were beyond the limits of normal resurrection, meaning I could bring back at least three of them for certain. He knew them best, so I let Evans chose among them for the ones I’d restore, leaving the rest for the Curates and scrolls to recover—hopefully.

  I waited until all the healing and resurrections were complete before stalking over to where the Deathless lay face down in the dirt. In the end, he’d taken the lives of seven of my people—three of the caravan guards as well, and I was going to make him pay dearly for every last one of those precious lives he’d cut short.

  “You’re pretty fucking stupid to come here after we already killed your buddy Zedd,” I said as I kicked him in the side hard enough to flip his body over.

  I heard the satisfying crunch of his ribs cracking and the wind rushing out of his lungs as he came to rest facing up at me. He was human, slightly built and rather unattractive; by the look of him, I took him for some computer geek who’d taken to venting his frustrations in fantasy worlds. His Deathless status had allowed him to continue doing so when this world turned out to be real, and he’d apparently taken full advantage of his powers to prey upon those who were weaker than him. His swollen face and battered body told me that he’d taken quite a beating even before I got there, but that was only the beginning of what I had in store for him.

  “Whatever,” he coughed and sputtered as he tried to regain his breath. “Just kill me now and get it over with.”

  “Do you think I’m going to set you free so easily?” I laughed in his face.

  “You’re going to spend the rest of your days in a very dark cell, you piece of shit,” I spat at him.

  The Deathless surged against the coils of rope that held him, desperate to escape the fate of endless imprisonment he faced. He must have put a great number of his points into Strength, because despite how tightly bound he was, the rope creaked ominously, threatening to burst and set him free. But he was a fool if he thought I’d let him break loose.