"Thank you, Nightmare," I whispered.
She opened one eye to stare at me. "Mew." Her tails waved, glowing pink before she relaxed again.
I pressed a kiss against Mako's forehead before I glanced up at the sky.
I'll continue to return here every cycle, Anya. I'll celebrate the joys of having a sister like you and cherish your memory till we meet again. I believe...we will meet again. In stars we trust.
SOLACE ROTATION, VIII CYCLE 5032- EARTHALA 13:30 P.M.
"Stop giving me that look. I'm fine. Nothing you can do will make me stay home," Makoto fussed, crossing her arms in defiance.
I sighed, staring at Makoto who sat on my bed. We were currently in Earthala, having agreed and arranged to bring Makoto down to Realm Six as a present for obtaining top spot in Knightwood.
Marcus' friend, Junho had offered for our group to stay with them in their oversized cottage. I doubted we'd be staying there much with the number of activities we had to get done in five days, but it was nice to mingle with other shifters. Junho's girlfriend Scarlet Sinclair was a part of their group of criminal investigators with an organization called PINC. And no, not the store Marcus went to and bought Mako's lounge and workout attire.
We had introduced ourselves— Makoto going into the same type of trance she'd gone in at Anya's celebration of life. Nightmare took over briefly, sharing words of wisdom in Mako's stead. I didn't explain the details because we didn't have a moment and I'd personally rather discuss the matter together than through our knight bond communication.
We're supposed to be going out on a date with Scarlet and her boyfriend, who was surprisingly Jaxson White.
But Makoto looked utterly exhausted in her purple onesie, her head nodding forward as she struggled to keep her eyes open.
"Makoto, you look exhausted," I voiced.
"I'm not," she argued.
"You can barely keep your eyes open," I pointed out.
"That's because they're itchy," she mumbled.
"That's the worst excuse you've made," I replied.
She shrugged, crossing her arms as she pouted.
"...."
"Baby, don't give me the silent treatment," I requested. I couldn't stand when she ignored me. It threw my anxiety through the roof and she knew I couldn't stand her ignoring me for long.
"...."
"You’re seriously giving me the silent treatment?" I pressed, already feeling my right hand beginning to twitch.
"...."
"Ugh. Fine. But you have to make sure you don't exhaust yourself. If you even wobble funny, we're coming back." I sighed, giving up.
I pulled off my shirt, throwing it in the laundry bin in the corner of the room before making my way to the dresser.
I could feel her growing happiness and triumph for winning the battle. I bet she was grinning from ear to ear.
I couldn't help but smile as I began scanning my shirts for something to wear for our date.
"Ryder," she whispered.
I looked over my shoulder.
"Come here."
I walked toward the bed while she shuffled to the edge, standing up to face me. Her arms wrapped around my neck, pulling me in for a passionate kiss.
I moaned into her mouth, my arms relaxed on her hips. She pulled back slightly.
"I get why you're worried. Don't think I don't appreciate it. I love when you and the others show concern. If this was any other occasion, I would listen. But, I don't want to lose so much time resting while I'm here. I've known nothing but solitude and darkness most cycles. To be able to be in a new place with people I love is something I never envisioned myself experiencing. Can you be a little more lenient just this time?" she whispered, staring into my eyes.
I nodded, pressing my forehead against hers while my arms wrapped around her waist to pull her into an embrace.
"I'm sorry, Mako. I just...you’re so damn precious to me. I know I haven't been very fun to be around so far. I just want to make sure you're safe. Maybe I'm just anxious about heading to Heila. I want us to arrive with no issues. I've waited cycles for this moment...to finally bring you home and return to the life we should have lived. I'm sorry if it's making you feel like I don't want you to enjoy this experience," I confessed in a low voice, pressing my lips against her neck.
"I love you, Ryder. I understand. But I want you to have fun too. This vacation is the first in cycles for you. Let's enjoy our time together. I don't know what's ahead of us in Heila, but let's assume this is our last vacation for a while. Okay?" she encouraged, leaning back to see my expression.
I gave her a small smile, leaning down to kiss her once more.
"Okay," I confirmed, whispering against her delicate lips.
We spent a full minute making out before we separated.
"Are you going to shower first?" she asked, lowering the hood of her purple unicorn onesie.
I knew Makoto had an obsession with unicorns, but I hated the onesie phase she was in. Of course the others disagreed, calling it cute. The moment we'd arrived down on Earthala and headed to the mall, this clothing store just had to have them in the window display and hung all over the walls of the store.
Trust me, it was a disaster; there was Makoto, already inside by the wall of unicorn onesies before any of us noticed. Suddenly Kai blinked, having a vision of Mako trying on onesies.
"How long did Jaxson and Scarlet say we had to meet them in front of the house?" I questioned.
It wasn't the fact the onesie didn't look good on her body. It was just a pain to get to her delicate skin and have my way with her.
"Thirty minutes," she replied, noticing my analyzing gaze.
She bit her lip— my mind already imagined my mouth devouring hers as my hands roamed her body.
If only that onesie wasn't in the bloody way.
"We could save time by showering together," I proposed. I could feel the shift in her emotions— desire and attraction growing with each second.
"Showering together as in we’ll actually shower? OR are you referring to other activities?" she inquired, her voice low as she gave me a seductive smirk.
Her hand lifted to the zipper of her onesie, my eyes tracked the movement as she began to unzip the white metal to reveal her cleavage. I licked my lips, wanting to suck each breast till Mako begged me to stop.
"Fifteen minutes."
"Twenty," she countered, lowering the zipper to her waist.
"That leaves us ten minutes to look like we didn't have shower sex and actually attempted to get ready," I reminded, struggling to hide my growing need for her. My cock was hard and I ached to be inside her.
She dropped the onesie to the floor, stepping out of it before she took her leisurely time heading to the washroom. My eyes lingered on her bare back, trailing down the markings that were currently visible and her plump ass.
I swear I needed to thank Marcus for whatever training he was doing with her and Elias for making sure she ate regularly, ‘cause her ass was firmer and rounder than before. Adding to her already amazing curves and those beautiful markings that covered her legs; she was the whole package.
"Nineteen minutes." She smirked, her arms crossed while she leaned on the door frame.
I slipped out of my boxers, walking briskly toward her, making her to laugh. "It's the onesie’s fault," I accused.
"Oh, stop blaming the poor unicorn onesie." She giggled. Before she could try to defend her onesie addiction, I claimed her mouth.
"That onesie prevents me from having my way with you," I moaned.
"Well, it's on the floor over there. You have your moment, sexy," she whispered.
I slapped her ass, causing her to moan while her back arched. "Get in the shower, Mako," I ordered. I didn't normally play rough with Makoto, but my body wouldn't last long if she wasn't bent over and giving me the satisfaction of fucking her fast and hard. I needed her now.
She grinned, leaning on her tiptoes and kissing me deeply, tugging my lower lip. "Make me
," she whispered.
My eyes widened in shock before I gave in to my body’s urges to have my Firefly. I lifted her up in one swift movement— her legs wrapped around me, and my hands held her ass. She hooked her arms around my neck, her fingers already feeling my hair while her tongue slipped into my mouth.
We were in the shower and her body was pressed against the fogged glass, my cock slid into her already wet pussy was turning me on.
I loved to feel how wet I made her and losing myself in her emotions that dared to consume my senses with each deep stroke. Her moans got louder as mine increased in frequency.
The hot water beaded on our skin as we continued to ravish one another, Mako's hands pressed against the glass to keep herself still as I rammed into her.
I knew we were both close, her pussy clenching around my cock— making it even harder to thrust inside her.
"Ryder...ah! Baby, faster...harder," she begged, her back arched as she lifted her head.
I pressed her against the glass, fighting the resistance as I pushed myself as deeply as I could. I thought she climaxed, but she trembled making me grin before she moved her head so my lips could drown her moans as I began to move at an agonizingly slow pace.
"You like this, Mako? How deep I am?" I whispered in her ear.
"Yes," she moaned, panting I began to increase the pace.
My cock was so hard, quivering inside her and I was desperate to cum. But I didn't want it to end, my ears craved to continue listening to her moans and feeling her passion. I enjoyed all of her— her body, her amazing personality, her soft voice and the way I made her cry out in desire.
"Ryder...can't. Ahh..." She struggled to finish, her body going rigid. She came first; her back arched as she cried out in ecstasy.
I thought I could hold off my load, but the way her body squeezed around my length made me gasp. My body locked and I came deep inside her. Her body shivered, unlocking her legs and lowering them to the floor; my arm wrapped around her waist fearing her knees would buckle as she quaked with aftershocks.
We stayed completely still, the beads of water falling onto our feverish skin as we tried to catch our breath. I finally pulled out, both of us moaning at the sensation.
I held her in my arms, wanting to make sure she was strong enough to stand. She lifted her head up and kissed me, a final seal of our love making.
"I think we went over the time limit," I whispered.
She smiled against my lips. "It was worth it," she replied.
I grinned, one arm still around her while I reached out for the soap.
She's right. It was so fucking worth it.
"Are we actually talking about this right now?" Makoto asked.
I sighed, rubbing my hand through my messy locks. I was struggling to stay awake, standing in the middle of the room. Mako was leaning against the wall next to the window, her arms crossed.
It was hard not to get distracted by her glorious body; her breasts in a maroon laced bra with black rhinestones and matching panties.
We’d returned from the festival, getting ready to call it a night when I'd brought up the suggestion that she should bail out of helping Leonardo with his exam.
I just had a bad feeling about it and Marcus, who'd checked in through our star knight communication, was sharing my anxieties. Now we were currently experiencing our first official argument and I didn't know how to handle it, especially with being this tired.
"I'm going and it’s final." She crossed her arms, glaring at me.
"Mako. You can't be making irrational decisions because you're upset."
"We all agreed back in Minato. Why are you bringing it up now?"
"I'm worried..." I trailed off.
She lifted an eyebrow at me. "Only you?" she pressed.
"Marcus and I," I admitted.
She frowned. "Kai has been wasting his energy checking every day, Ryder. You guys shouldn't be worried. He's reassured us multiple times that nothing like the last exam will happen. Why can't you guys accept that?" she quizzed.
"Because it's not that simple, Mako. I can't just turn off my worries for you. I know you can fight your own battles. But you going to the exam with Leonardo ‘guarding’ you, is no doubt ridiculous and unsafe."
"He's not guarding me. He's simply doing everything by himself while I walk and look pretty. I could even file my nails and read a book," she huffed.
"Mako."
"Ryder. I'm going. If we back out of this, it would makes us look petty."
"Petty? Where did you even learn that word?"
"Humans have a current trend about pettiness, okay." She lifted her hands and rolled her eyes at human's phases with words; she probably thought it was weird.
"We're supposed to come to a consensus."
"Ryder, we can't back out. How about if we back out and nothing happens? No Aspen, no Jeffrey. No fucking danger. Leonardo will fail and that will be because we changed our minds. He can't find anyone else and if we back out now, who is he going to find in four days when he had two rotations and couldn't even find ONE female. Not even Brittany would help him!"
"It's thanks to him you got hurt!" I argued.
"Well, it is what it is. Two wrongs don't make a right, Ryder!" she shouted.
We both stood there— the tension of this argument was enough to make my right hand tremble. She lowered her gaze, huffing as her hand ruffled through her long brown hair.
"Why are we fucking arguing?" she whispered.
I could sense her unease as well as a hint of fear. I opened my mouth to speak, but Stryker pushed me out of the way, taking complete control while I blacked out.
~STRYKER~
I opened my eyes, Mako's eyes widened with a glimpse of astonishment before she frowned.
"Now, Makoto. Don't give me such an expression. You haven't even said hi." I took a step forward.
"Good evening, Stryker. Tell Ryder to get his ass back here. We aren't done," she scolded.
"I'm afraid he's out right now. He'll be back in the morning. Would you like me to forward the message?" I winked at her.
She groaned. “You can’t fight his battles for him,” she huffed, glaring at me.
I didn’t know why her anger made her even more adorable, heightening my love for her. “He’s tired. You can let this one slide.”
She glanced away for a moment, looking deep in thought. “Rose is asleep,” she pointed out, those turquoise eyes locked onto mine.
“I’m not here for Rose,” I confirmed.
“Oh.”
I watched as her cheeks flushed; my grin widened as I began my approach – the urge to lay my lips upon hers grew with each passing second. I reached her side, pressing her body against the wall.
She bit her lip nervously, her face flushed. "Stryker...what are you doing?" she whispered.
"Trying to comfort you."
"Distract me more like it," she mumbled.
"Makoto," I whispered, our lips just barely apart.
"Rose will get mad...won't she?" she questioned, her hesitation apparent, but by her lust filled expression and the way her body yearned for my touch, I knew she wanted me to kiss her.
"Why? You and Rose are the same?" I pointed out.
"But...you’re Ryder’s spirit. Isn't there a law or rule that it's supposed to be host to host, spirit to spirit?" she inquired, those turquoise jewels stared at my lips.
I wouldn't let her wait any longer— my lips pressed against hers. I could still feel her hesitation, but within a few moments her lips pressed back— returning my kiss.
It started off slow but the kiss began to intensify— her arms resting on my shoulders while I pulled her into my arms. My hands possessively held her ass, gripping her right cheek. She moaned into my mouth, her enjoyment apparent by the wave of desire that wafted off her.
"Stryker...we...shouldn't," she tried to argue between kisses as I pressed my body against hers.
I stared into her eyes as she caught her breath— her dil
ated pupils and swollen lips made me grin in satisfaction.
"Makoto. Spirits are allowed to have a relationship with their partner's hosts," I revealed.
"Wait...this is allowed?" she questioned.
"Host and spirit are the same. You share a body and mind. Why is it not okay for Ryder to kiss Rose? Or better yet. Daniel kissing Midnight?" he asked.
She lifted her eyebrow at me, her expression letting me know that my second example was a horrible choice.
"They don't even get along. They wouldn't kiss," Mako confirmed.
"It was an example. But if there was a possible chance they did like each other and kissed, it wouldn't be banned or against whatever rules you’re thinking of. There are no rules between partners. That goes for our spirits as well," I began.
She still looked confused so I continued.
"The reason this works out really well is due to the fact all of our spirits match yours. I've loved Rose for cycles. Azriel and Hope just connect. Ryuu and Lexi are both wildly attracted to one another and I bet if Lily and Hinotori spent time with one another, they would come to love each other. Even if with the incorrect assumption that phoenixes don't normally get along with one another," I explained.
"That's false?" she asked.
"It's accurate that phoenixes have trouble being in the same room with one another, but if they share a connection there's no problem. Think of it as having a soul mate. For phoenixes if they don't hate each other on introduction, it’s safe to say they can be friends or even date. As for EliaseAnne, she could potentially kiss any of your spirits if they allowed it. It comes down to everyone’s comfort zones, but there are no restrictions among partners," I concluded.
She nodded, her arms tightened around my neck as her lips brushed mine. "We...can continue?" she whispered.
I didn't answer, instead returning to kiss her even deeper. I didn't hesitate to slip my tongue into her mouth. I didn't recall how we ended up on the bed naked, but I didn't want to stop till I pleased her.
I never lingered in Ryder's mind when they had sex, not wanting to invade their privacy and I guessed he was doing the same. Having a chance to enjoy Makoto all to myself was exhilarating and made me want to please her in every way.
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