by Maia Starr
I set my jaw.
“That’s what I thought,” he grinned. “Just tell her about Merrill and get it over with, will ya?”
“Wow,” I said with no small measure of offense. “Throw it all out there, why don’t you?”
He let out a small ‘humph’ and buried his glass into his bristling beard. “I thought I just did.”
I stared into the thin liquid of my drink and swirled it in the square glass. It hadn’t been that long ago that I attended a choosing, but it must have been years and years now. Merrill.
Leaving Udora felt like a prize that I didn’t deserve, to go and fulfill what all other shifters could do. Mate. They would bring home their females and parade them around the capitol like they had been awarded new life.
Sure, there were the complicated ones here and there, but as a child growing up it seemed only those deemed worthy by the Koth were assigned to attend a choosing.
I’d gone along as security on one or two occasions and always marveled at the women. Their beauty.
Then I met her. Blonde hair, brown eyes, thick curves and stunningly beautiful. She took a special interest in the powers the Weredragons should possess. She wanted me to control the water.
She loved glowstones, small chips of rock with a blue hue irradiating from within. They can only be found at the deepest depths of Udorian water.
I took her to crater valley, where glowstones are cultivated, and promised to get her one. The same place where our training sessions are held. We trained for weeks, her encouraging me to move the water with my soul, feel the connection to my planet. But, I couldn’t.
Then one day she never came home. We found her at the bottom of the crater. She’d drowned, because of me.
“She’s pregnant, you know,” Vordamm said with a casual, slow droll as he looked over at me. He raised his brows, happy to impart the news on me, and tipped his bottle toward my nose. “Congratulations, daddio.”
His words snapped my out of my thoughts, and my eyes darted quickly to his.
“She told you?”
He sighed jovially and shook his head, finishing off the last of his drink. “She didn’t have to. And if your scales were glowing, you would know that already. You would feel that connection.”
“You know,” I said impatiently, “you don’t glow for her, so how the hell would you know?”
He stared at me seriously for a moment, his long face acknowledging my words. Then he laughed again, slapping his leg and then slapping me hard on the back.
“I’ve been around long enough to know, as you implied earlier.”
With that, he took his leave from me, and I sat alone in absolute terror. If she was pregnant, was I really supposed to feel that? Was it mine? If it was and she was… why wouldn’t she have said anything by now? All she’d done since she came here was go on and on about wanting to get pregnant.
I pressed my eyes shut and rubbed my temples, sat alone for some time longer before making my way back to our stateroom.
When I walked in, Celeste was already in the bed, surprisingly clothed. I took quiet and careful steps not to wake her and couldn’t help but eye her stomach as I slipped into the bed.
I tried to feel for any sensation in my body or that familiar heat in my scales as I lay next to her, but nothing came. No signs or intuition. I looked up at the ceiling and shifted slightly on my pillow.
“You know, when you move around like that it tends to keep wake me up,” Celeste complained through groggy tones, never opening her eyes. “And keep me up.”
I grit my teeth at the comment but said nothing.
“What’s up?” she asked, now opening her eyes and looking up at me through day-old makeup.
“I’m trying to go to sleep,” I said with an annoyed laugh.
“Funny,” she piped up. “So was I.”
I opened my eyes and looked across at her mane of red hair and wild gray eyes that were ready to go off at any moments. It was although at any given moment she was ready to spring into action, an argument, an adventure… a cliff dive.
I cringed inwardly at the thought.
“I never thanked you, you’re right,” I said lowly.
She cocked a brow and began to laugh. “That was like… a long time ago.”
“You dove in after me, and you shouldn’t have.”
“We’ve been through this lecture already,” she sighed playfully and began to roll over.
I propped up on my side and turned her back to me, running my fingers appreciatively along her cheek. “No lecture,” I said uncomfortably. “Just, a thank you.”
“Even though I shouldn’t have done it,” she sassed.
“You shouldn’t have,” I said grimly, suddenly realizing the parallel between the two women in my life. “It was dangerous.”
“So was coming here, but I did it anyway,” she said proudly.
I pursed my lips and looked her over. Maybe she didn’t get it, didn’t get me or what I was trying to say. But there it was all the same.
“Why?”
“Why did I come here?” she repeated.
I nodded, and she sat up. “You know, you’re right. I really didn’t think through!” she said with mock panic. “Can we just turn around and take me home?” I rolled my eyes and she pulled at my arm, laughing. “No, really! I underestimated this whole plan!”
“Celeste.”
“Alright, alright.” She released me. “I came to help. Why else?”
“You don’t even know us,” I said quietly. “Why?”
“Because I can,” she said finally, her effervescent attitude still bubbling forth through her serious tones. “And you’re welcome.”
“Well then,” I surmised. “Goodnight.”
Chapter Nine
Celeste
I could feel the ship landing with a dull thud as the walls around me shook. Our shuttle had finally landed. Even though the shuttle had plenty of room to walk around in, it felt like I hadn’t stretched my legs in weeks. I woke from a sound sleep as the ship came to the ground and hopped out of bed, leaving Sigisvult mumbling behind me.
Racing out into the hallway, I could see Vordamm leaving his quarters looking positively sleepless. I grinned at him and raised my eyebrows in excitement.
“We landed!” I yelled down the corridors.
“At least we didn’t crash,” he added with a playful grin.
I slipped on my boots, which came strapping up to my knees, and grabbed my jacket off of the bench by the main hall before racing to the shuttle doors.
Ikar was already there waiting, standing up straight and looking completely rested. He smiled at me, and I stood on my tip-toes to get a better look at the world outside.
Sigisvult followed slowly behind, strapping up his leather armor and rubbing his eyes. To my surprise, he slid his arm around me when he approached the front door.
“What do we know?”
“Treacherous terrain,” Ikar said smoothly, stopping his sentence to wait for Vordamm to catch up.
“Really, Vordamm, there’s only four of us, and yet you still found a way to hold us back,” Sigisvult snarked.
“Do you know me at all?”
“As I was saying,” Ikar cleared his throat. “Treacherous terrain, and many, many pools of an unknown and untested substance. Thick fog. Foreign beings possible. We’re looking for a camp far west.”
“That’s all you have to say?” I asked, somewhat disappointed. “What should we expect it to look like?”
“Shh.” Sigisvult tightened his grip on me and laughed, leaning down to my ear and whispering, “You’re going to see it in about two seconds.”
With a single key code, Ikar opened the door to the shuttle to reveal our new world outside. The ground was a deep-black, crusty substance that crumbled beneath me when my foot hit the ground. The sky above was a deep-mauve with visible rings of black circling around the skyline.
As we were told, a thick fog covered any visuals besides what was di
rectly in front of us. Ground spired up in black mountains that seemed to curve and twist along a pathway.
Sigisvult grabbed my waist and pulled me behind him, putting his hand up in front of me to block me from leading the pack.
“There’s a river up ahead,” Ikar instructed. “We have boats there, but it’s swampy so use caution.”
The only thing lighting out path was an illuminating glow that breathed from within the spires and a sickening gleam from the waters up ahead.
The black, tar-like substance stretched on for what seemed like forever in every direction. A vessel was docked nearby, and Ikar made his way to it cautiously. The spires around us seemed to sweep in as we approached the ship, as if they were trying to hear our conversation.
“Why take the ship?” Vordamm said unsurely. “We have wings, you know.”
“No,” Ikar cautioned, extending his hand before us all. “We sail.”
“We cut time in half by flying,” the orange shifter argued, looking back at Sigisvult with an expression that read ‘ridiculous!’
Ikar’s eyes darted over to the orange shifter, and he shook his head. “We sail.”
“Alright!” Vordamm threw his hands up in defeat and offered a loud sigh at the former Koth member. “Clearly you know the big and scary planet better than I do.”
“It’s too dangerous to fly,” he said through frustration. “There are creatures here I’d rather not bump into.”
“Yeah,” Vordamm raised his brows with sarcasm. “Great place to send a bunch of humans to, clearly.”
The men pushed the ship into the deep, black waters with ease. Sigisvult flew back and picked me up, bringing me onto the wooden planks of the ship.
“From one form of transportation to the next,” I said of our immediate venture from shuttle to ship. I grinned at my chosen, but he brushed me off.
We watched as the maroon sky seemed to sink lower into the ground, the color falling off like a wet painting to reveal the midnight sky above. My heart raced with delight as the sky uncovered itself to us.
I walked to the edge of the ship and watched as the black water seemed to slop up like a giant sea creature, grabbing onto our ship and crawling across the wood.
We made our way down into the ship where Ikar took a stand at the wheel.
Sigisvult followed me into one of the staterooms. We sat in there for hours talking, Vordamm making his way in and out of our company with growing boredom and uneasiness.
The ship rocked from side to side and, as Vordamm made his fifth disappearance from our fellowship, Sigisvult leaned over, tracing his hand up my leg slowly until his fingertips pushed the fabric of my skirt back.
“I like that you wear skirts,” he whispered as he began touching me. “Did I ever tell you that?”
I spread my legs farther apart and moved into his hand, looking up at him with a wry grin as I asked, “Easy access?”
“No,” he laughed. “Because it's just about the only thing you possess that makes you seem remotely ladylike.”
“You flatterer.”
He moved in for my mouth and ravished my body with his hands, teasing my lips over and over with near kisses
“You know, you’ve been surprisingly not annoying today,” I giggled out as I set my hand on top of his.
He kissed me hungrily and pushed his body into mine, picking me up and holding me until our pelvises were aligned. I could feel him getting hard against my skin.
“That’s probably because I haven’t had to deal with you these last couple weeks.”
“You never cease to charm me,” I griped, kissing him back and exhaling loudly as he ground his hard length against me and created an undeniable heat to form between us.
“What’s up with that?” he breathed in a husky voice.
My eyes rolled back as he licked and sucked my neck. “Hm?”
“Ikar,” he mumbled. “Spending a lot of time with him, is all.”
I bit my lip, smiling naughtily. “Jealous?”
He laughed softly into my skin and began undoing his pants, still holding me up and readying me for his sex. “Maybe.”
I threw my head back in ecstasy and gave a breathy laugh. “You’re lying.”
He laughed as well and pulled my panties to the side as our bodies connected. I grabbed hold of his wings and dug my nails into the scales on them, their blue reflective skin staying dull as he thrust into me.
I moaned loudly, and he set me against the wall behind us, thrusting passionately and breathing loudly as our bodies moved in rhythm together.
He held me by my backside and used his free hand to explore my body. I watched his muscles constrict with the effort and never once felt like he would let me slip. I exhaled with lust, and he grunted feverishly into my ear, whispering wicked things to me.
His hand slipped across my stomach, and I sucked it in, suddenly aware of my condition. I grabbed his hand and moved it up over the fabric of my breast.
“Celeste,” he began to say with effort, as though he pushed my name from his lips.
I looked at him curiously and smiled, bouncing on him and then feeling suddenly sick as a large crash stormed through the ship.
Sigisvult stared at me, and his blue eyes darkened with a panic I’d never seen before. In fact, I only ever saw Sigisvult confident and collected, even when dealing with me for the most part, which spoke volumes. He set me down in sudden haste and pulled his clothes back on.
Grabbing my hand, he raced down the halls, and we watched as water began to flood the ship.
I could feel the pull, the weight of the water dragging the ship down fast.
The strange black substance swam above the water like a tentacle, spreading through the halls like a disease, darkness all around us.
We ducked instinctively from the blackness. There was a shift in the air, and suddenly the whole floor began to shake. We could hear the planks of wood shattering beneath us, an uncontrollable movement numbing my feet. The vibrations hit hard in my bones and through my legs.
Water burst up everywhere. I raced forward to get to the deck above but the water forced me back, pushing me back into the stateroom with unbelievable force.
“Sigisvult!” I screamed, but he was nowhere in sight. I looked around in terror, but I couldn’t see him. Either he was swallowed by the wave… or he left without me.
Chapter Ten
Sigisvult
I pulled myself up to the deck and stared up at the tall waves that suspended in the air, freezing cold drips slowly toiling down the deathly still waves.
“What is she?!” Ikar shouted, flapping his wings with force to try and escape the gunk that seemed to slither and crawl up his legs.
“I thought…” I turned around, the panic strewn all over my face. My legs tingled with fear as I looked back up at the entrance to the ship. I turned to Vordamm and then to Ikar, my eyes wide. I heard Vordamm start to speak, but it was too late; I was already tearing back down into the ship.
I raced down and saw the hall was already tipping and filling with eager blackness. My legs took me as fast as they could down the first set of corridors as I screamed her name.
She called back to me, and I spun on my heel, following the sounds of her voice. I approached the stairwell, and my heart sank with an overwhelming fear. The water was waist deep, mixing with a strange black tar that slipped along the top of the liquid and seemed to taunt me.
The tarred water rushed in at a slow speed, crawling up through the corridors. I looked down at the flooding staircase and stared at the liquid, the way it crept along the narrow passage like tentacles. Without a second thought, I stepped into the deep water and felt it grab onto my legs and pull me down. I grabbed onto the deep joints that set the walls together and pulled myself closer to her calls.
“I’m right here!” I screamed, my echo swallowed by the organic matter forcefully taking down our ship.
I raced into our room and saw her legs wrapped up in the makeshift tentacl
es.
Her lips were blue, the cold taking over her body rapidly as her teeth began to chatter. I could hear the black waters gushing in through the far end of the ship, saw it rushing in the door and burying the bedroom in darkness.
I raced over and tore the substance from her legs with fury, my claws out and ripping away at the organic matter.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” The apologies bubbled forth from my mouth as I grabbed her delicate face into my hands and pulled her toward me. “I thought you were right behind me.”
“It’s okay,” she said weakly, stunned.
“I thought you were right behind me,” I said, my mind barely able to comprehend what was happening.
I pulled her into my arms, her legs touching the water for the first time with an audible gasp at the temperature. Her eyes widened, and terror overcame her features as she breathed, “What is this?”
“I don’t know,” I grunted. “But, it ain’t water.”
We rushed back into the main hall, and I raised her up, so she rested on my waist, her legs wrapping around me through the black tar and water. I struggled to get out from the weight and rush of the water, traversing my way slowly back to the main stairwell.
I used my wings to rush us forward but determined they may actually be holding us back, more for the beast to grab onto.
I retracted them as quickly as I could and raced up to the top of the stairs to the narrow passage leading back up to the deck.
To both of our horror, it was blocked. The tar seemed to spin out in a web, covering the doorway with such force it was almost impossible to move. I scraped at the substance with as much force as I could muster, pushing and pulling and begging for its release to no avail.
Celeste reached out to grab the barrier and shrieked with effort as she grappled with the substance. She screamed in frustration as she pulled urgently at the makeshift gate.
The blackness surrounded us like an army, and I took a step back, watching as the midnight substance crawled across the walls and made targets of us. Celeste’s eyes were wide and her skin pale as she gave me a desperate stare. We looked at one another and both realized there should have been something more between us, some declaration in our dying moments.