Burning Ashes

by Jadyn Chase

  “What did he say to you?”

  “Some rhythmic verse I can’t remember the exact words to, but I heard something and smelled something while he spoke it to me. Maybe it’s some twisted technique for mind control?”

  “That would explain Six and Axel. There isn’t a Jade Sentinel on this planet that would listen to or take orders from an Anthro. Even if they weren’t fully responsible for their actions because of Cyrus, they still destroyed my home. People died. Scalers died and will continue to die if I don’t stop them.”

  “I’ll help you, but I can’t promise that I’ll kill anyone.” I couldn’t slaughter my brethren knowing that they weren’t operating at full capacity.

  “You don’t have to help me, and you won’t have to kill anyone. You need to get some rest. I told you that I’ll try to stop Cyrus from collecting us as specimens and I’ve done that for you. Where can I take you?”

  His eyes drifted toward the mountaintop, but there wasn't any way I'd let him take me to Empyrean. The Golden Imperials and Black Sapphires residing up there would unleash a fury unlike anything seen before, only to protect me. I needed to be sure we couldn't take care of this problem on our own first. There was a glass lake not too far from here as a result of a Scaler's unbridled power. Who knows what would happen if they found out about Cyrus and his followers?

  The idea struck me. With so many of my memories being dredged up by the mere odor of Cyrus, two faces stood out from a past partially forgotten. They'd left their cabin some years ago, but I was certain it remained.

  “We can go to a house of some friends I used to know,” I told him.

  “Where?”

  I glanced up at the sky. The sun, forever my guide, I could estimate by its height and position where we were in the forest.

  "Maybe about a five-mile trek northwest," I told him.

  “How can you tell? Do you need me to fly you overhead?”

  "No!" I snapped, "Flying overhead will give our position away before I have any chance to recover. And I can tell because I've called Black Harbor home for longer than I can remember! The distance between us and that mountain, along with the position of the sun tells me exactly where we are! Now we have to go in that direction. Either help me get there or get out of my way."

  “I just want to help you, Aya,” he said solemnly.

  "You can help me by not questioning me so much. I'm tired, and I'm cranky, my ankle is throbbing, and I need some sleep. I have to get myself together to attack this problem on our hands."

  “You’re right. Forgive me. I’ve been on my own for some time now. Following a group of zealots doesn’t do much for my people skills. I haven’t had to work with anyone. Now, what would you like me to do? I can carry you. I can make you some crutches from some of these leaves and branches. We can work with whatever’s in your box-”

  “You burned down my house, so you’re going to carry me,” I told him jokingly. Apparently, he didn’t find it funny.

  The strength in Julian’s arms took me back to our time together at the Skull party. My head tingled, sending shockwaves down to my toes and back up until it hit my center. Moisture gathered while the strands of my white hair betrayed me.

  Julian held me effortlessly in his arms as we began our journey through the trees. I nestled my head against his chest, pleased to hear his heart was beating just as fast as mine as his strands bleached themselves too. Broken bones and fleeing deadly Scalers wouldn't stop our urges from trying to resurface. We had to try our best to keep them at bay while trying to focus on the problems that were following us. Hopefully, I'd heal soon, and we could tackle it head-on. Or perhaps, I'd heal and tackle Julian head first.

  9

  Julian

  Winds whistled around the leaves as we hiked across the brush of Black Harbor's wilderness. Aya felt light in my arms, but still, I grew tired with every step we took to reach our destination. Too many ideas circled my head as she buried her face into my chest while I carried her. The tips of my hair shifted, and there I was again; only thinking of the pleasurable moments where we could satisfy our desires. I had to think about that later. I tried my hardest to focus on reaching the house she'd told me about.

  We walked for over a mile before I heard the familiar sound of wings cutting across the sky. My pulse quickened as I pressed myself against a broad tree trunk. The large evergreen provided the perfect cover from above along with a scent to hide our own. I had to sit down.

  Aya stirred as I placed her on the ground. Inhaling deeply she opened her eyes, slightly panicked, she glanced at me and then to our surroundings.

  “We’re being tracked Aya,” I whispered and pointed upward. “We should cover ourselves.”

  "With what?" she replied still with sleep in her voice. She shifted against the tree and instantly remembered her injured ankle. She bit the folds of her fists to silence her screams of agony knowing that if she didn't, she'd give our position away. I adjusted the whip and scarf before pulling out the ingredients I needed to make my salve.

  Aya stared at me patiently as I worked the contents of my vial with some pine needles, mud, and water. There was plenty for the both of us.

  “What do you plan on doing with that?”

  The look of disgust on her face made me laugh. It had certainly been a long time since laughter escaped me. There was nothing remotely funny about what I’d been through these past few months.

  "We have to coat ourselves until we can get to the house. You won't be able to smell the Sentinels until they're right on top of us, so to keep them away we'll use this. Rub it on like an oil, and it will mask us for a while."

  “Yeah, unless it rains,” she chuckled.

  "The rain would be far better. It mends every odor of the forest together as one, so we wouldn't need this. I'll cover myself first so this way I'm not exposed while trying to help you. I ask that you help cover my back."

  Aya watched me as I slathered on the mixture, rubbing it up and down my arms, legs, and chest. The longer she watched me, the whiter her hair turned. The cravings of our sexuality were uncontrollable during this time; it had to be something we learned to ignore.

  I finished up and started on her. Careful of her ankle, I moved from her feet, up her legs, and only stopped when I reached her inner thigh. She spread her legs a bit to give me more room and all that did was make my cock twitch.

  Deep breaths and dry deserts.

  That’s all I could think about as I fought back every instinct telling me to kiss her and take her right there on the forest floor. I worked my hands around her center but never touched it, just around it. I could see her juices glistening around the edges of her entrance. I wanted to taste her so bad my cock grew harder every second I stared at it.

  I had to get my face and hands from between Aya's thighs, but one glance up at her showed me the yearning in her eyes. The white of her hair and the arch in her back as her injured leg lied straight, but the other was pulled up into her torso gave me so much room that I almost lost it. Pushing myself off the ground, I took a few steps away from her. I had to.

  Deep breaths and dry deserts.

  “Julian?” The sound of my name being whispered off her lips threatened to have me fully erect and ready to dive between her folds.

  Deep breaths and dry deserts.

  A low growl bubbled to the surface as I let a deep breath exhale out of me.

  “Let’s get out of here. We can’t let this weakened state distract us from getting to that house,” I told her helping her stand up. “I don’t think I’ll be able to carry you without um …”

  She nodded, “It’s fine. I don’t want you to carry me. The Height seems to be increasing its sway over us since we’re so close together. We might never make it to the house. How about that branch up there?”

  I saw what she’d motioned to. It didn't take much for me to climb the tree and break the limb off of its trunk. Leaves and long grass were good for temporary cushion under her arm. My talons did th
e rest of the work chopping it down to a size she could lean on comfortably.

  “Thank you,” she smiled.

  Our trek resumed, and this time there weren't any wings heard flying above. Only time would tell how successful we were in masking our trail. Another hour or two hiking in the brush brought us to an abandoned house in a clearing. Dust and dirt clung to the white siding. The roof was covered with vines and falling leaves. I guessed that when looking down, it would blend right in with the scenery. Smart, very smart.

  There were remnants of a family that lived here. I wondered where they went. A small wagon sat rusted in the tall grass. There wasn’t a clear path to the doorway that held no door. Two windows stared at me like eyes burrowing into my soul. A shed was a few feet off to the side. It, too, had fallen victim to the elements as leaves and vines trickled from its roof and down the walls.

  More hand-carved toys and tools were scattered throughout the overgrown grass. I would have liked to cut some of it down, but it served as excellent camouflage.

  The back of the house was just as dilapidated as the front; only there was a motorcycle in the grass. It was in pieces like someone was putting it together or taking it apart. The metal parts rusting were in dire need of repair. It felt like their lives just stopped one day. I wondered if they knew that their last day there was going to be their last. It sure didn't look like it.

  Aya had already made her way into the house. She opened a dusty window to shout at me from what I presumed to be the kitchen of the home. “I need your help in here.”

  "I'm coming, but whose house is this? Who used to live here?" I asked her.

  “A Red Scarlet and an Anthro scientist made this place their home. They raised two boys here and then they left. Now come inside, I have to move something and can’t with this bum ankle.”

  Stepping inside the home, I closed my eyes and smiled. I could almost hear the voices of their young family living and loving here. While the house was in the middle of nowhere, it had all they'd ever need to thrive.

  There weren't any hinges on the door frame leading me to believe there was never one there, to begin with. I guess you wouldn't need a door with Scalers inside. To my right was a den type area. Leaves and dust covered the furniture. A long wall was to my left that led me into the kitchen at the back of the house. Next to the kitchen and behind that den was a small bedroom. Two beds were pushed into a corner, and that was it. There was a picture of this house on the floor. Picking it up, I got to see who lived here. The guy looked familiar, but I didn't know him. The woman stared at him adoringly while the two young ones gazed up at their parents, mouths agape, undoubtedly saying something juvenile and funny. It made me ache for a family of my own, or maybe it was the; never mind.

  “JULIAN!”

  I rushed into the kitchen, letting the picture drop where I picked it up. There was an empty refrigerator that she stood in front of.

  “Hungry?” I chuckled.

  She didn’t laugh, “I am, but I need you to move this thing out of the way first.”

  I did as she wished and moved the heavy metal box out of its place to reveal a door with a bolted lock securing it shut. Aya let her talon protrude from a single nail and used it to slice the metal off of the door. When it opened, a series of lights clicked on that I never expected to be still working. A short hallway led us into a lab-like setup. I could tell we were on the other side of that long wall from the entrance. A long counter lined the wall with a few remnants of equipment along with some notes scrawled onto the wall. Most of it was smeared, and illegible. There was a table in the center of the room. While there were straps attached to it, it didn’t look like it had been used. A curtain wrapped around one corner that I peeked behind. There was a red light bulb on the wall and what seemed to be a roll of film. Where had they gotten all of this stuff? The trays and wires strung wall to wall, led me to believe it was being used as a darkroom to develop photos. My mind drifted to the picture I’d found in the bedroom.

  A door not too far from the darkroom opened into a beautiful bedroom. I almost felt bad stepping into it as filthy as we were. The aroma in the air was stale, but with this room sealed off from the rest of the house, it was dusty at best. I opened the window and flicked a switch on the wall. Sounds of a generator kicked on. Air began to flow around the space, along with every bit of dust toward a duct that seemed to be sucking the air up and pushing it out. It didn’t take long for the room to feel clean. Whoever lived here was a genius to have such mechanics in place that still worked after all this time. It left me in awe.

  The sound of Aya grimacing in the other room brought my attention back to her. She’d left her crutch of a branch outside and used the table in the center of the room to steady herself.

  “There’s a bed and bathroom back here. We can get cleaned up, and you can get some rest,” I told her.

  “You go first. Then you can help me.”

  10

  Aya

  I hadn’t been in this home in such a long time. I felt the energy of the family that lived here and found myself waiting for the tiny voices of their children to call out to me. They were long gone, as was the adrenaline pumping through my body while we escaped. The pain became excruciating, but I knew it would be over soon. My impeccable ability to heal was taking an abnormally long time. While I could feel the bone fusing itself back into place, everything else around it was moving in slow motion.

  I gripped the edge of the table as scales flashed up and down my arms.

  Just breathe.

  I’d already told Julian to wash up and while he did the pain intensified. I fought back the tears as bursts of colors exploded behind my eyes. I don’t know how long it took to subside but was grateful when it did. I hoped the worst of it was over. I wouldn’t honestly know until he removed the splint from around my ankle.

  The whip was something gifted to me a long time ago from Skinner in his young days of infamy. Payment for services rendered, although I never used the darn thing. It never dawned on me to use it with someone until I noticed Julian’s hair when he grabbed it out of the closet. Is that something that turned him on? He sure turned me on.

  “Are you ready?” His voice startled me. I didn’t even realize he’d come out of the bedroom. My hands released the table before turning to him. The fluttering of my heart sent tingles to every nerve as a breath caught in my throat. The darkness of the Skull party had truly hidden the beauty of Julian’s body.

  His dark brown hair wet and slicked back behind his ears let his honey complexion glisten under the lighting of the lab. He stood there shirtless with a pair of boxers on. I couldn’t stop my eyes from groping every single inch before me. Every single inch that stroked me into ecstasy. I couldn’t stop my urges from resurfacing.

  “Sorry, I had to wash the clothes I had on. After the way we met, I didn’t think you’d mind,” he chuckled.

  I found myself laughing with him, “I don’t mind at all. I’m not shy.”

  “Good. Are you ready? I can carry you in if you like. Does your ankle still hurt? How’s it healing? Maybe I should take a look at it before I hose you down.”

  I chose to be honest with him, even though I would love for someone to take care of me for once. “I’m sure I can walk on it. The elixirs I brought should heal the rest of the tissue around it.”

  “But you need to be asleep while that happens. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

  I wondered if he’d help give me something to dream about. Julian held his hand out to me. Charges shot through me like an electronic pulse. His dark brown hair greyed letting me know I wasn’t alone in what I’d just felt. I continued to take deep breaths fighting back lust instead of pain, letting him lead me into the bathroom. The entire floor displayed a beautiful smokey grey tile with a drain in the center of the room. The shower didn't hide behind glass or walls. Its rainfall showerhead hung from the ceiling directly over the drain.

  Julian turned it on, and the room began to steam almos
t immediately. I let him pull me closer as the clumps of mud dropped off my body. My skin yearned for the refreshing heat of the water to rinse away our journey. I couldn’t help the moans escaping from me as my muscles relaxed. The water threatened to open my gills, but the idea of dirt running through them didn’t sit well with me. So I kept my eyes and gills closed, letting the liquid do its job.

  I almost felt like I was alone running my hands over my body. Julian’s hands gripping my leg reminded me I wasn’t. I glanced down at him. He carefully undid the splint sliding the leather whip across the tiled floor with a light grunt. I could see the restrained strength as he ran his two thumbs over the spot where my bone had broken. A stuttered breath escaped my mouth as his thumbs moved from my ankle to my knees. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach as he worked his way up slowly making sure every spot of dirt rinsed clean off of my body.

  Julian began tracing my freckles. Their tornado pattern always spoke to me. A whirlpool of water capable of so much chaos, but every freckle was confined to the design as if meticulously placed in the womb. Julian’s wrapped around his face like a muzzle and trailed down his winding around to the front of his pelvis before spiraling down his legs. Every Siren’s freckles were uniquely placed. But I couldn’t keep my mind on his skin while his hands continuously massaged me until he stepped away, suddenly leaving my legs unstable and ready to collapse. I hadn’t realized how much I was relying on his support.

  He returned with a small vial in his hands, facing me with a look of tenderness in his eyes. His words low, “It’s the cleansing oil I’ve been using. I’m sure you’re familiar with it.” Spilling a few droplets into his hand the aroma was too familiar, lavender, coconut, with soft notes of mint. It’s a concoction used by many Emerald Sirens to seal moisture into our skin while simultaneously keeping us clean. It brought back memories of my mother. I held back that moment to myself giving Julian a warm smile of appreciation with a nod for him to continue.