King of Ends

by Sam Ryder

  Before she sat, I pulled the blanket just across my pelvis to cover my nakedness so I wouldn’t make her uncomfortable.

  “I just wanted to check and see how you were doing,” she whispered.

  “I’m okay,” I said. “Can’t sleep, but it’s not a big deal.”

  “You’re nervous about tomorrow.”

  It wasn’t a question. She was reading my mind. I nodded.

  “You’ll do great. You always know the right things to say. How’s the leg?” she asked, placing her hand on my upper thigh just above the bandage.

  That hand placement can’t be accidental. I felt another appendage stir a little under her delicate touch.

  “Better than before,” I said. “Still aches, but nothing I can’t handle. You saved my life.”

  She smiled warmly. There was something about it that disarmed me. As I looked into her eyes, the pressure melted away. All that remained was her. “I’ll be fine,” I assured her. “Thank you for checking up on me.”

  Adi looked down, doing that cute lip-biting thing that was utterly alluring. “That’s not the only reason I’m here.”

  At that point, my thoughts utterly betrayed me, but it seemed okay with her, because she leaned over and kissed me. It was exactly what I wanted anyway, and I melted into it, enjoying the soft moistness of her lips. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her in tight. She smiled as she kissed me deeper, slipping her tongue gently into my mouth. Her fingertips danced down my torso, then dragged across my abdomen. “It’s been a while for me,” she said. “Hopefully I’m not out of practice.”

  As if you could do anything wrong, I thought, hoping the thought would get through even better than words might.

  “Oh, Cutter,” she said, which confirmed my hope. The intensity of her kisses heightened, her tongue tasting mine, sliding over and around. Her fingers slid further south, burning a track across my skin.

  With her other hand, she guided my head to the side and sucked on my neck while simultaneously roaming with her tongue. At the same time, her hand slid under the blanket, grasping my shaft for a too-short moment before vanishing. No, not vanishing, I thought. She’d moved to grab the blanket, which she now ripped away, tossing it wildly to the side, allowing my manhood to emerge into the open air. It was a freeing feeling, especially because her fingers had returned to my shaft, running along it delicately.

  She continued to kiss my neck, then moved down to my chest, running her tongue along my nipples.

  She looked up briefly, another disarming smile spreading across her face. Then she looked down to admire my cock. “God, I want you so bad, Cutter,” she said.

  I wanted her too, so badly, but my leg was starting to throb something fierce.

  “Don’t worry about a thing,” she said, reading my mind once more. “I’ll take care of everything.”

  She peeled her tank top off, revealing perky but ample breasts that protruded from her slender frame. She bent over my body in reverse and eagerly tasted my dick, licking along the shaft several times before closing her lips over it, allowing it to slide deep into her mouth. The warmth of her breath sent waves of relaxation through me. She began to move it in and out, in and out, the sensation mind-blowing.

  You are not out of practice, I thought, growing more accustomed to communicating with her via thought alone. The thought only spurred her on more, which made me arch my back a little with pleasure.

  As she blew me, her tits rocked back and forth against my abs. I pulled her hips toward me and tugged down her thong, revealing her smooth pussy. I slipped one finger into her wetness, and her body quivered.

  I slid my finger deeper inside her, and she mimicked the motion except with my cock in her mouth. My legs twitched as she sucked on the head, then circled it with her tongue. She slid her hand between my legs and stroked my balls, then dipped down to taste them too.

  Pleasure overwhelmed me, completely displacing the pressure I had been feeling. I squeezed her ass and plunged another finger into her, speeding up while she moaned with pleasure.

  She pulled away and I gasped with unspent adrenaline.

  She smiled mischievously, drawing her panties the rest of the way off and tossing them on top of the blanket on the floor. Then she crawled back on top of me, still in reverse to avoid putting pressure on my injured leg. She was as thoughtful as she was talented, straddling my face and lowering her pussy to my mouth.

  I slid my tongue into her, tracing her flesh. She let out a soft moan and grabbed my cock again with her fingers, jerking it as it swelled with ecstasy. She rocked her hips back and forth, riding my face and burying my tongue deeper inside her sex. She was so eager I struggled to catch my breath.

  I pressed my thumb against her clit and slowly stroked it. Her body stiffened, and she gasped. Again I stroked, which forced Adi to release my cock and brace herself on the sides of my torso.

  She gripped me hard, digging her fingernails into my sides while I rubbed her clit harder. Her moans grew louder. I wondered how thin the walls were and whether we would wake the others. Finally, she fell forward onto me and took my cock back in her mouth, sucking deeper and harder the faster I flicked her clit, completing the 69 position.

  With my free hand, I reached around and squeezed her ass again, pushing her harder onto my face. As waves of passion shot through her, she sucked harder and harder on my cock.

  The intensity of our passion reached a fever pitch, but before either of us could come, Adi climbed off my face, looked back to meet my eyes, and whispered, “I’ll be gentle. I promise.”

  She slid her pussy along my chest, my abdomen, and down to my erection. Once more, she wrapped her fingers around my dick, stroking the shaft and rubbing her pussy against it. I enjoyed the view of her ass slowly bouncing in front of my eyes.

  Finally, she pushed up onto her knees, which were spread out on either side of me, scooted down, and slid the tip of my dick into her wetness. Careful not to touch the bandage on my thigh, she dropped her hips and buried my cock deep inside her.

  She bent forward, slowly sliding my dick out and then back in again. Her pussy gripped my cock while I held tightly to her hips, assisting the motion with what strength I had left.

  She sat back up again, sinking her hips in and shoving my cock inside her as far as it would go, sending waves of feeling to the tips of my nerve endings. Then she leaned back, propping herself up on my chest with one hand while rubbing her clit with the other, letting my cock push up against her.

  If this was Adi out of practice, I would give anything to see her in practice.

  She laughed upon reading my thought and threw her head back in ecstasy. She rubbed the narrow area between us faster, her whole body vibrating to the rhythm. Her hips shook, so I pushed her back up.

  “Ride me,” I whispered. I had a feeling that was what she really wanted.

  “Are you sure? What about your leg?” she asked.

  “Fuck it.”

  I didn’t have to tell her again. Her ass slapped against my abdomen as she eagerly bounced on my cock. I felt a shot of pain in my leg, but it was nothing beside the nirvana building in me. As she reached her climax, she took it as deep as she could while grinding her hips hard against my skin. I turned my head to watch the side of her luscious breasts swaying while she orgasmed on my cock.

  The glow from her horns filled the room, light blue, like a summer sky.

  For a moment, she paused at the end of her final thrust, allowing the pleasure to wash over her. Then she spun around to face me, knowing full well from my thoughts that I hadn’t yet climaxed. She reared up to ride me forward now, cowgirl style, touching her own nipples and licking her lips.

  Watching her stunning body glisten with sweat in the moonlight was almost too much for me. Shockwaves of pain shot through my leg, but the pleasure was so intense, I didn’t even care. Nothing short of a gunshot would stop me now.

  Ignoring the pain, I grabbed her hips and muscled to my feet, carrying her as I th
rust into her. Her jaw dropped as she began to feel the pleasure again, a second orgasm building. She exhaled, her breath washing over me as her tongue slipped inside me once more. I guided her against one of the walls, thrusting with each step.

  With each movement, the pain in my leg grew worse. But the pleasure in the rest of my body overshadowed it. I held her firmly so she could rest her ass on my palms and focus on the motion, sliding my dick in and out of her again and again and again.

  Moisture surrounded my erection, which felt like a bomb about to explode.

  I rapidly pumped her, my muscles tensing to the point of aching until I finally exploded inside her. “Give me all of you,” she ordered, and I obeyed, spouting every last drop into her as we continued to grind against each other.

  When we were finally finished, Adi collapsed on top of me, pressing her tits against my chest. I lightly stroked the sides of her breasts while I alternated between kissing her lips and her nipples, playing with my tongue.

  She turned and rested her head on my chest, staring out the window at the moonlight. My leg continued to throb, but I wasn’t about to complain about it.

  “You okay?” she asked.

  “More than okay,” I said.

  “I have a confession to make. I’ve wanted to do that since I first saw you.” My mind drifted back to the look in her eyes while she washed and bandaged me back in the Queen’s quarters. I’d mistook it for nervousness at the time, although perhaps that was a part of it. The rest, I now knew, was desire.

  “If I could have done this then, I would have,” I said.

  “I know,” she said, turning back to meet my gaze. She tapped her head, reminding me of her mind-reading ability. “Knowing you wanted me almost made me go crazy and go against the Queen’s orders.”

  “Which were…what?”

  “To prepare you to meet her. Nothing else.”

  “She actually said that? Why?”

  She laughed lightly. “Because she’s an Ender woman. She knows what we’re all feeling, the lust, the desire. We feel it all the time, but have few outlets to unleash it. Until you walked into Paris.”

  The thought almost made me want to start round two, but my leg was in worse shape than I wanted to admit.

  “Save yourself. Rest. Heal. There will be time for more fun. That’s a promise. She rolled over off me, kissing my lips once more. Then she stood, standing still for a moment so I could take in the beauty of her naked, moonlit form. She bent over seductively, gathering her clothes more slowly than necessary.

  “Tease,” I accused. She laughed again.

  “You don’t like it?”

  “I love it,” I said.

  “Good. Now get some rest. See you in the morning.”

  “Night.”

  I watched as she walked from the room without bothering to dress, giving me a final, perfect view of her exceptional ass before she slipped out the door, closing it quietly behind her.

  I took a deep breath and looked out the window myself, wondering if the pain in my leg would subside enough to sleep, or if that and the stress would continue to keep me awake.

  Wait, I thought. What stress? It was true, all the nervousness I’d had coiled inside me had vanished. Another gift from Adi. Within minutes, I drifted off to a deep slumber, worn out by the excitement of the day—and, more so, the night.

  Chapter 18

  Rally

  The next morning, I stared out the window of my room at the street below.

  This is where it all begins. The planning. The preparation. The pieces are falling into place. War was on the horizon, and we would march directly toward it.

  I inhaled deeply, smelling the fresh air. I left my room, and, as before, the bedrooms were already empty, the women getting ready quicker than me. Even Belenie was up. To my relief, her skin tone had returned, and the bags under her eyes were gone. She greeted me with a warm smile.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked as I approached. “Leg doing okay?”

  I shot a knowing glance at Adi, who gave nothing away with her small smile. “It stings a bit, but it’s a little better today. How about you? Feeling recovered?”

  “Mmm, partially,” Belenie replied. “I feel more back to normal, but I my healing ability has yet to return.”

  “Is that normal?”

  She shrugged. “More or less. Sometimes it returns quicker than others. Your concussion was severe, so it will take longer.”

  “You remember that stuff I poured on your leg yesterday, Cutter?” Adi asked, changing the subject.

  “Yeah, what about it?”

  “It was a special antiseptic we keep in the Queen’s chambers. I usually sneak a little of it out to keep in case of emergencies. It doesn’t just disinfect your wound, it speeds up the healing process.”

  This was new. “Where did you come across this?” I asked.

  “From what I’m told, it’s a plant that mutated during the blast. When Enders settled here, they found loads of the stuff. They learned that it soothed their wounds, and so they used a bunch of it. Once they figured out that it also made them heal quicker, the plant was quickly utilized until it was all gone.”

  “Then how do you have it? How does the Queen have it?” Before she could respond, I answered my own question. “The gardens. By any chance does the plant have blue leaves?”

  “Yes,” she said. “How did you know?”

  “I saw a ton of those plants before I met with Belogon.” Once again, a shred of anger coursed through me. How could the Queen deprive her people of such a powerful healing salve, hoarding it all for herself?

  I took a deep breath. I needed to play nice if any of this was going to work. “Any chance you’d be willing to speak to the Queen and see if she’d provide a supply we can take with us when we march on Rome?”

  “I’d be willing,” she said. “Though she’ll already be angry that I’m leaving her employ.”

  “Hmm,” I thought as we continued to walk toward the Corps’ headquarters. “Maybe there’s another way…” We needed a supply of the ointment. It could mean the difference between life and death for many of our soldiers.

  We reached the Corps station, where the guard out front stepped aside without question this time, allowing all of us into Lustak’s office.

  For his part, Lustak looked much better than the last time we saw him. He appeared invigorated, full of piss and vinegar. He stood to greet us, offering me a hardy handshake. It was a welcome change from the beaten-down drunk we’d met previously. As long as we could keep him that way, perhaps it would help our chances of convincing Belogon we were all one hundred percent in this.

  “Chief, you’re looking well,” I said. It felt like a weird thing to say to a grotesquely mutated male Ender, but I actually meant it.

  He chuckled. “Cutter, you don’t have to mince words with me. I only look ‘well’ today because I looked like shit yesterday.”

  I laughed back. “Can’t argue with that,” I said.

  He glanced at my leg. A portion of the white bandage was visible through the bloodstained hole in my pants. “I heard what happened yesterday. Thanks for your help fighting off the Guild. My men took care of the last few stragglers.”

  I’d heard that too. In total there had been twelve Guild members involved in the attack. All of whom were now corpses. “Of course. These four did their part too.”

  “I heard that too,” he said, his eyes traveling across my companions. “We are lucky to have all of you.”

  “Maybe,” I said. “But we were also probably the reason the Guild came in the first place.”

  He nodded, unsurprised. “Probably true, but they’ve conducted many raids over the years regardless.” He changed gears. “Did you speak to Belogon?”

  I nodded.

  “And?”

  “And he’ll require some more convincing, but he didn’t say no.”

  He stuck out his jaw, impressed. “That’s the best possible outcome you could’ve achi
eved.”

  “He’ll meet us here later, so we need to be ready to answer his multitude of questions.”

  “Such as?”

  “How many men do you have in the Corps, sir?”

  “Twelve,” he said, sounding rather sheepish. I understood why. Twelve was nothing. Twelve would be like trying to muffle a bomb blast with a handkerchief. He held up his hands to stop my concern from spiraling out of control. “Before you panic, hear me out. I’ve tasked all my men with recruiting throughout Paris. They worked all yesterday and are back in the field today, knocking on doors, stopping Enders in the streets. Not including any success they’ve had this morning, they’ve recruited a hundred and fifty Ender males.”

  I whistled, impressed. “You work fast,” I said. “Good work. Although I should warn you that Belogon believes a force of five hundred is the minimum required for success. A thousand would be better.”

  “Trust me, I know. We’ll keep going. After what happened yesterday, I bet we’ll have even more success today.”

  I hoped he was right. “When can I speak to the recruits?” I asked. A worm squirmed in my stomach. I wasn’t looking forward to it, but I also knew a recruit could easily change their mind if they didn’t have confidence in their leader. For most, I would be a mystery man until they saw me face to face. I didn’t want rumors and gossip about me to be their first and only impression.

  “Ten minutes,” he said. “My men are gathering them in the square, arranging them by military and/or combat experience.”

  “Excellent. Any words of advice?” I wasn’t just asking to make him feel important. He’d been a military officer, so he knew better than I what it meant to lead men into battle.

  Lustak smiled. “Light the fire, boy. Speak from the heart. Mean what you say and say what you mean. If you’re not sincere with a unit, they’ll know it. Doubt will creep in. We can’t have doubt out there. We’ll train ’em up as much as we can in the short time that we have, but once the bullets start flying, that training will soon be forgotten. Whether they stand and fight or run will be dependent on their belief in their leader.”

  I let that sink in for a minute, and then we left together, crossing the street and heading down the main street that led to the large square in the center of town. It was a wide open space, perfect for our purposes. A small wooden platform had been erected in the dead center, rising three steps above the crowd.